eat me, delicious

Black Russian Rye Bread

2012-02-17T06:46:00.000-08:00

Usually I buy Silver Hills Squirrelly bread but occasionally I'll buy black Russian bread from the grocery store which I love. And when I do buy the black Russian bread I usually use it for one of my favourite meals - autumn panzanella. I want to bake bread more often so thought this was a good one to try making at home. The ingredient list is crazy including unsweetened chocolate, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, espresso powder, shallot, cornmeal, molasses, apple cider vinegar, wheat bran and various flours.

I was really happy with how it turned out - very soft but with a slight chew. Not surprisingly very flavourful. Definitely a success. It's not the kind of bread that I like eating on its own everyday (ex. toasted with butter or cheese) as it does have a strong flavour, but to use it occasionally to make a sandwich is a nice change. Years ago I remember making this vegetarian reuben (with avocado instead of corned beef). This bread would be perfect for a reuben.

One thing I did not like was that it has you set the dough on a mixture of cornmeal, flour and caraway seeds. The caraway seeds were too strong for me so I'd recommend omitting them (not from the dough just from this extra step).

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Yeasted Garlic Zucchini Bread
Freshly Fruited Yeast Bread
Carob Pumpernickel Bread
Buttermilk Honey Bread

Black Russian Rye Bread
Adapted from The Bread Bible

Makes 2 medium round loaves

1/2 cup warm water (105 to 115F)
2 tbsp active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
4 tbsp Earth Balance vegan butter (or regular unsalted butter)
1 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups dark rye flour
3 cups bread flour
1 cup wheat bran
2 tbsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp minced shallot
1/4 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour

1. Put the warm water in a bowl or measuring cup. Add the yeast and sugar, stirring to dissolve. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes, or until foamy.

2. In a small pot, add 2 cups water, molasses, vinegar, butter, and chocolate. Heat to 105F to 115F. Ensure the butter and chocolate has melted. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, combine the whole wheat, rye bread flours. Set aside.

3. In the work bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add 2 cups of the mixed flours, bran, caraway seeds, fennel seeds, salt, espresso, shallot, yeast mixture and chocolate mixture. Beat vigorously until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining mixed flours 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. You might not use all of the flour. The dough will be very sticky but firm.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in any remaining flour mixture to make a springy yet dense dough, about 3 minutes. You might not need to use all of the flour. Form the dough into a ball.

5. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, turning it to ensure all sides have been oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

6. In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal and flour. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat. Sprinkle the cornmeal/flour mixture on the baking sheet.

7. Gently deflate the dough. Divide into 2 equal portions and shape each into a tight round loaf. Place the loaves, seam side down, on the baking sheet. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until puffy and almost doubled in bulk, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

8. Twenty minutes prior to baking, preheat the oven to 350F.

9. Using a serrated knife, slash the top of the loaves with an X no more than 1/4 inch deep. Place the baking sheet on the center rack of the oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the loaves are crusty and sound hollow when tapped with your finger. Transfer the loaves to a cooling rack and cool completely before slicing.

Butternut Squash with Sunflower Seeds & Cranberries

2012-02-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

I really wish this photo looked better! But it did taste good, and it's a great simple way to do something a bit different with butternut squash. After roasting the squash, it's mixed with sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds), dried cranberries and a Dijon balsamic apple dressing.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Maple-Miso Glazed Tofu with Broccoli and Butternut Squash
Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Tomatoes
Spiced Squash, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad
Warm Roasted Pumpkin & Shallot Salad

Butternut Squash with Sunflower Seeds & Cranberries
Adapted from Nutrition Action Healthletter, November 2011

Serves 4 as a side

750 g butternut squash, 1/2" dice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp apple juice
1/8 tsp salt
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
3 tbsp dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread the squash out on a sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until tender.

Whisk together the Dijon, vinegar, juice, salt and olive oil. Toss the squash with the dressing, sunflower seeds, and cranberries.

Best Roasted Potatoes

2012-02-13T06:14:00.000-08:00

Yes I'm saying it, BEST roasted potatoes. I am completely in love with the herb mixture and even if you try it and it's not the absolute best for you, I'm positive it will at least be really good.

E found this recipe one day when looking for a good potato seasoning mix and it's the one we've been using ever since. It's good on other vegetables too, but it's best on potatoes. Also really good on sweet potatoes, where it sticks really well because the sweet potatoes are a bit more "wet".

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Healthy Baked Zucchini Fries
Pan Roasted Cauliflower
Ginger Roasted Winter Vegetables
Maple Mustard Glazed Potatoes and String Beans
Caribbean Roasted Vegetables

Best Roasted Potatoes
Adapted from JMRYGH at allrecipes

I'm not sure if this is the ratio of potato to herb mixture we usually use, so just add to taste. Sometimes we have some spice mixture leftover

1 tablespoon minced garlic (usually we use dehydrated garlic)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tbsp olive oil
4 large potatoes, cubed (or an equivalent amount of baby potatoes cut into 4)

Preheat oven to 450F. Prepare a baking sheet or roasting pan with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine garlic, basil, marjoram, dill weed, thyme, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt. On the baking sheet, mix together the potatoes, oil and spice mix. Stir around until evenly coated and then spread the potatoes out to a single layer.

Roast for 20 to 30 minutes (or until a bit crisp on the outside and tender on the inside), flipping the potatoes at least once.

Coconut Macaroon Granola

2012-02-11T09:08:00.001-08:00

I rarely buy it or make it but granola is one of my favourite things to eat, especially the clumpy crunchy kind. This one isn't the clumpy kind but it is crunchy and also full of coconut (another serious love of mine). I ate it with pineapple and yogurt once, but I preferred eating it with some almond milk because then I can really taste the coconut mmm.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Perfectly Crunchy Granola
Coconut Raspberry Walnut Power Bars
Caramel Walnut Chocolate Chunk Granola
Low-Fat Winter Fruit Granola

Coconut Macaroon Granola
Adapted from Healthy Food For Living

Makes about 8 cups

3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pure almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the applesauce, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt.

Add oats and coconut to the large bowl and stir until evenly coated. Spread mixture on the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges of the granola are beginning to turn golden brown. Remove sheet from the oven, stir, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the granola is golden brown and crisp (for a chewier granola, shave off 3-5 minutes from each baking time). Remove from the oven and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Most Delicious Sandwich

2012-02-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

I am currently ridiculously obsessed with this smoky maple marinated tempeh bacon (made by Turtle Island Foods). Specifically eating the tempeh bacon as my mom used to make it in a toasted sandwich with mayonnaise, lots of fresh sliced tomato, and freshly ground black pepper. (Pan frying the bacon first of course and no lettuce!)

I'm not usually one to buy pre-marinated tofu or tempeh, and try not to buy too many fake meat products, but this is one that I will be buying all the time.

I've tried other fake bacons before (the storebought ones, not homemade) and wasn't impressed and found them nothing like bacon. Okay obviously tempeh bacon does not = real bacon, but it's seriously pretty darn close!! This is some GOOD fake bacon. And I must admit that I did used to love bacon. So this isn't really a recipe, it's more of a I-can't-get-enough-of-eating-this-so-I-have-to-share-it-with-you post.

PS - For those of you that live in Canada, you should check out Silver Hills Squirrelly bread. It's the best whole grain bread! (And it's sprouted too.)

Soy-Mirin Tofu with Snow Peas and Peanut Sauce

2012-02-07T06:42:00.000-08:00

I haven't had any peanut butter in the house for the past couple of weeks and I knew I always loved peanut butter, but now I know I feel incomplete without it. What am I supposed to dip my apples in? What am I supposed to spread on a freshly toasted bagel? How am I supposed to make peanut sauce??

So it's no surprise that I really enjoyed this meal smothered in peanut sauce. The tofu is glazed with a soy-mirin mixture, which I didn't really taste. The peanut sauce was delicious (hard not to be though) and I loved the crushed peanuts sprinkled on top. We ate it with other roasted vegetables and stretched it out to make 4 meals (or 2 meals for 2 people).

A blog reader commented and asked about how I do my meal planning. I wish I had some fancy system to describe, but all I do is find 3-4 recipes (usually 3) that I know will make enough for lunches and dinners for 2 people for at least 5 days (work days). I don't plan when we'll eat them though, and now that I get home from work so late we make everything on Sunday (which is working out really well!)

A glimpse into my kitchen during our Sunday cookfests. I guess I should move my Kitchenaid and blender off the counter (where they usually live). Actually there's a lot on the counter that shouldn't be there like a box of shortbread from my grandma and tea from E's parents. I love my rice cooker that cooks brown rice!

I usually go for 1 pot/dish type meals (ie. stir fry, casserole, soup) but sometimes I'll put a couple of recipes together. I try to get a variety of protein, choosing a maximum of 1 tofu recipe, and then 2 bean/lentil recipes or sometimes (rarely) something with cheese like lasagna. I often try to pick 1 soup recipe because I know it will last for at least 3 meals. How do you guys do your weekly meal planning?

The stove often looks much messier than this in the middle of cooking 3 meals! I'm actually impressed with how clean it looks.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Maple-Miso Glazed Tofu with Broccoli and Butternut Squash
Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin-Mustard Tofu
Orange Sesame Tofu & Coconut-Lime Basmati Rice
Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Tofu Stir-Fry

Soy-Mirin Tofu with Snow Peas and Peanut Sauce
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes 4 servings (with a side of vegetables like roasted beets and carrots)

1 cup brown rice
2 cups water

1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 tsp powdered ginger

1 block extra firm tofu, cut into small squares
2 cups snow peas, trimmed, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
Crushed peanuts

Cook the rice in the 2 cups of water (I used a rice cooker).

Make the peanut sauce by blending together the peanut butter, 1/4 cup water, sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, rice vinegar and ginger.

Mix together 1 tbsp soy sauce and the mirin and set aside (to be used to glaze the tofu).

Once the rice is almost finished cooking, heat a wok over high heat. Add the tofu and cook until browned on at least 2 sides of every cube. Turn the heat off, and add the snow peas. Pour the soy-mirin mixture over the tofu and snow peas, and mix.

To serve, plate the rice, tofu and snow peas. Top with peanut sauce and crushed peanuts.

Curried Pumpkin Hummus

2012-02-05T06:41:00.000-08:00

I love a good hummus. And this is a really really good hummus. I kept seeing pumpkin hummus on blogs (mind you this was back in the fall) so one day when I had an open can of pumpkin, I knew what I had to do with the leftovers.

I didn't taste the pumpkin, but I loved how creamy the hummus was and it had a really great flavour from the curry powder, cumin, garlic, almonds and tahini. The original recipe doesn't have any oil, and I tried to make it that way but it just wasn't coming together in the nice smooth way that I like. So I added a tablespoon of oil and it was perfect.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Roasted Red Pepper & Almond Hummus
Spinach Artichoke Heart Dip
Hummus
Sweet Potato Black Bean Salsa

Curried Pumpkin Hummus
Adapted from Diet, Dessert and Dogs

Makes about 3 cups

Scant 1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked 8 hours, cooked and drained (or 2 1/2 cups cooked, rinsed and drained)
3/4 cup canned pumpkin purée
1/4 cup raw almonds
3 tbsp tahini
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste

In a food processor, add all the ingredients. Process until smooth.

Hearty Pumpkin and Bean Stew (Porotos Granados)

2012-02-03T06:41:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was super excited about 2 things (well I'm still excited today). One is that I started the Runners World 8 week beginning runner's training program! (E is going to do it with me too.) I used to run 3 times a week but then I overdid it and hurt my knee. I've tried to get back into running many times but my knee always ends up hurting so it's discouraging. I think I've just been trying to do too much too soon so I'm going to try and take it really slow and stick to this program. Right now I'm doing it on a treadmill - and for those of you who run on a treadmill, what do you think is a good beginner's jogging/running pace? I saw 4.5 mph as a suggestion but that feels so slow to me. Which is probably good.

The other thing I'm excited about is crocheting!! It's been too long since I crocheted. I want to crochet these hexagons and/or a turtle. And now to awkwardly segue into talking about this soup...

Doesn't hearing a recipe name in another language sound so much more exciting? I'd much rather eat porotos granados, than hearty pumpkin and bean stew.

This soup was good but I didn't love it, which doesn't mean you won't, because I'm picky about my soups and don't love super beany things usually. Which this was. It has navy beans, onion, tomatoes, pumpkin and corn - and I liked the idea of this combination. But to make it again, I'd add more herbs/spices (paprika, oregano, cumin, basil).

I look forward to trying the other soups and stews from this cookbook! If you've tried any please let me know your favourites and I'll try those first.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pureed Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew with Chickpeas
Curried Chickpea Soup
White Bean and Roasted Garlic Soup
Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Hearty Pumpkin and Bean Stew (Porotos Granados)
Adapted from Viva Vegan!

There's basil in the photo, but I don't think it added enough to the soup to make it worth it so wouldn't bother adding it.

1 lb navy beans, soaked at least 8 hours, then drained
6 cups cold water, plus 2 cups water
2 bay leaves
Scant 1/8 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large (1/2 lb) yellow onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 1/2 tsp paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried basil
3 roma tomatoes (about 1/2 lb), seeded and diced
1 lb pumpkin (or other squash), peeled, seeded and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed and briefly pureed
1 tsp salt

In a soup pot, add the beans and 6 cups water, bay leaves and baking soda. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Skim and discard any foam.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and jalapeno pepper. Stir and cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent. Add in the paprika, oregano, cumin and basil, stir and cook for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. When beans are done, add the onion mixture, 2 cups water, tomatoes, pumpkin and corn.

Bring the stew to a boil over high heat, stir and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the pumpkin is very soft and easily mashes if pressed against the side of the pot. If desired, puree a portion of the stew.

Maple-Miso Glazed Tofu with Broccoli and Butternut Squash

2012-02-01T06:38:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago we did something super exciting. Well super exciting to me. We went curling! My grandma used to watch curling, which is where I first became interested in it. I've never been one to watch sports on TV except things like gymnastics, figure skating and equestrian shows. And I know curling isn't a sport like hockey or football, but it's sport enough for me!

When the Olympics was here a couple of years ago we went to watch curling. And then a few months ago I bought a deal for a 2 hour intro to curling lesson, and last weekend we went. So much fun! I want to look into joining a league now but may have to wait until September. Anyone else into curling?

Unrelated to curling, is this delicious meal. When I do my weekly meal planning, I look for something that has a grain, a protein and at least 2 vegetables preferably of a different colour. And this meal is exactly that. Brown rice, tofu, green broccoli and orange squash! Excellent. And the sauce is the perfect accompaniment, made with miso, maple syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin and sesame oil.

My weeknight evening photo does not do this meal justice, so I recommend checking out Joanne's photos to see just how awesome this meal is.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl
Lemon Miso Tofu and Eggplant
Tofu and Broccolini in Peanut Sauce
Salt & Pepper Tofu

Maple-Miso Glazed Tofu with Broccoli and Butternut Squash
Adapted from Eats Well With Others who adapted from The Blue Kitchen

Serves 4

1/4 cup white miso
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sesame oil
1 block of tofu, diced
4 cups butternut squash (about 1/2 large squash), diced
4 cups broccoli (about 3 crowns), chopped

In a bowl/container large enough to fit all the tofu, whisk together the miso, maple syrup, soy sauce, rice vinegar, mirin and 1 tbsp sesame oil. Add the tofu and marinate for at least 1 hour, but longer is better.

Preheat oven to 450F. Bake the squash for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender.

Add 1 tsp sesame oil to a wok over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon, add the tofu to the pan, leaving the marinade in the bowl. Cook undisturbed for about 2 minutes per side and then flip over. Repeat until all sides are browned and crisp. Add broccoli to the pan. Mix to combine and then cover the pan, steaming for 2 to 4 minutes or until broccoli is bright green but not too soft. Add in the squash and the reserved marinade. Stir to combine (careful not to squash the squash!) until marinade is evenly distributed and everything is evenly heated.

Roasted Vegetable Tomato Sauce on Penne

2012-01-30T06:42:00.000-08:00

Though I don't love tomato sauce, this one is full of roasted vegetables (including 2 whole bulbs of garlic!) so I wanted to try it. I love all the vegetables (eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, onion, mushrooms, artichokes) and olives and red wine. But I think the tomato sauce I used as the base (Hunts in a can) was not great, it was too sour? Next time I might try using crushed tomatoes instead. And I used regular canned artichokes, but next time will use marinated ones. Much more delicious!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Asparagus and Feta Pasta
Spaghetti All'Arrabbiata with Crispy Garlic Crumbs
Asparagus and Pea Pasta with Ricotta and Tarragon
Red and White Tortellini

Roasted Vegetable Tomato Sauce on Pasta
Adapted from ExtraVeganZa

Serves 6-8

1 eggplant, chopped (bite size pieces)
1 each red, yellow and orange peppers, chopped (bite size pieces)
1 small zucchini, chopped (bite size pieces)
2 bulbs garlic, separated and peeled
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp sea salt
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried basil
Freshly ground black pepper
10 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
14 oz can or jar artichoke hearts, quartered
3/4 cup Kalamata olives, chopped
1 cup red wine
56 oz (1600 mL) tomato sauce
Enough pasta for 6 servings

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggplant, bell peppers, zucchini, garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil and salt. Place the mixture on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Stir at least once during cooking to prevent sticking. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium. Add the onions and saute for a few minutes. Add the herbs, black pepper, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, olives and roasted vegetables. Stir int he wine. Add the tomato sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer, cover and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Prepare pasta according to package directions. Serve the sauce on top of the hot pasta.

Whole Grain Sour Cream Apple Muffins

2012-01-28T06:52:00.000-08:00

Does anyone else make muffins as often as I do? I don't even love muffins actually. I much prefer scones. But muffins are easier to make and also easier to make healthy. Though why I try to make my muffins healthy, and then eat chips at night I have no idea.

Anyway, I got obsessed with the idea of a sour cream apple muffin, and found this whole grain version. They also have oat bran, raisins and walnuts. The muffins turned out soft, though a bit dry, but I think I overbaked them a bit. What's your favourite kind of muffin?

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Strawberry Lemon Sunflower Seed Muffins
Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins
Maple Pecan Muffins
Morning Glory Muffins

Whole Grain Sour Cream Apple Muffins
Adapted from Pinch My Salt

Dry
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Wet
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

1 apple, diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare a 12 cup muffin tin by oiling or using liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon). In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (sour cream through vanilla). Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in apples, raisins, and nuts. Divide batter between the muffin cups.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Weekend Glow Kale Salad

2012-01-26T06:42:00.000-08:00

I love all the components of this salad - kale, onion, red bell pepper, carrot, cucumber, avocado, grape tomatoes, dried cranberries, hemp seeds and walnuts. Such a fun mix of stuff. (Though I forgot to add the avocado when I made it. Salad tragedy!) The dressing was too lemony for me, so in the recipe below I've put the amount of lemon juice I'd recommend using. Always better to use less, and you can add more if you want! (I love these giant white serving bowls. We got them as a wedding gift from Eric's coworkers.)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad with Baslamic Vinaigrette
Asian Kale Salad
Wheat Berry Salad with Zucchini and Mozzarella
Know Your Roots Salad

Weekend Glow Kale Salad
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Serves 4

I always eat the kale stems but I know some people prefer just the leaves, so if you want you can only use the leaves (and save the stems for another use like sauteed with other vegetables).

1 head of kale (about 6 cups), chopped
1 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1/2 of an English cucumber, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 avocado, chopped
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
Lightened Up Tahini-Lemon Dressing (see below)

In a large salad bowl, mix all the ingredients. Add the dressing and toss to combine. Allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Lightened Up Tahini-Lemon Dressing
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Makes a little under 1 cup

1/4 cup tahini
2 garlic cloves
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (1-2 lemons)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp water, or as needed

In a blender, process all ingredients until smooth. If desired, add more water to thin the dressing.

Dal Makhni

2012-01-24T06:20:00.000-08:00

I love easy and simple lentil dishes like this. They're great for healthy and filling weeknight meals. E wasn't a huge fan of these lentils, but I liked the flavour from the cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, cardamom, garlic and ginger. Paired with rice or quinoa and some steamed broccoli and cauliflower, or roasted beets and carrots, it's a perfect meal for me.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pumpkin Lentil Curry
Pink Beans with Cardamom Yogurt Sauce
Spicy Indian Chickpeas/Chana Masala
Indian Stir Fried Cabbage

Dal Makhni
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Serves 4 (with rice and vegetables)

1 cup green lentils
2 cups water
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves
1" piece of cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
2 green cardamom pods
2 tsp minced ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 cups tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup cashews
2/3 cup water

In a pot, bring the lentils and 2 cups water to a boil. Simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cooking until caramelized, being careful not to burn. Add the cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and cardamom pods and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils.

Blend the cashews in a blender, slowly adding the 2/3 cup water until a rich cream forms. Stir this cream into the lentils. If you want to be fancy, reserve some of the sauce to drizzle over top for serving.

Baked BBQ Beer Tofu made with Rebarbecue Sauce

2012-01-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

Tofu marinated in BBQ and beer sounded delicious to me so you can understand why I had it stuck in my head for months. Why for months? Well I wanted to make the barbecue sauce from my favourite cookbook, and while the sauce is easy to make it just took me some time to get around to doing it. Sometimes I buy bottled sauces but I use them once or twice then forget about them (except ketchup and mustard mmm). So homemade BBQ sauce it was!

There's a step in the barbecue sauce making process where you boil spices in vinegar, and that was the most amazing step because it made my apartment smell like A&W, minus the grease, if that makes any sense. Okay maybe that sounds gross but it wasn't. The barbecue sauce was really good but too spicy for me to be able to fully taste everything. I've adjusted the chipotle puree in the recipe to reflect how I'll make it next time.

As for the tofu, I was sadly disappointed. It didn't taste strongly of beer or bbq sauce. Admittedly I did not press my tofu first (I never do). I love the idea of this tofu so I will have to try it again.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Apple-Miso Tofu
Honey-Mustard Marinated Tofu
Salt & Pepper Tofu
Cumin Lime Tofu

Baked BBQ Beer Tofu
Adapted from The Edible Perspective

1/2 bottle beer
1/3 cup Rebarbecue Sauce (see below)
1 block extra firm tofu, cut into cubes

Whisk together the beer and rebarbecue sauce. Marinate the tofu for at least 1 hour, but overnight is better. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400F. Drain the sauce from the tofu, and place tofu on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve with extra barbecue sauce.

Rebarbecue Sauce
Adapted from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook

Makes about 2 cups

Add more chipotle puree if you like it spicy.

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 1/2 tsp whole cloves
4 allspice berries
4 cardamom pods
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp chipotle puree (from a pureed can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce)
5.5 oz can tomato paste
1 bottle dark beer

1. In a small pot, bring vinegar and whole spices to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, which will take about 15 minutes. Strain out the solids and cool to room temperature.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet to medium and saute the onion until golden, adding garlic halfway through. Sprinkle sugar into the pan and when it melts, add all of the remaining ingredients including the vinegar. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and glossy.

3. Puree the sauce until smooth, cool and refrigerate.

Shredded Seitan and Mushroom Empanadas with Raisins and Olives

2012-01-20T06:41:00.000-08:00

One of the first things that caught my eye in Viva Vegan! was the empanadas. I don't even remember the last time I ate them if ever because they're usually filled with meat. But this cookbook offers up so many delicious versions and my first choice was the shredded seitan and mushrooms empanadas with raisins and olives. How flavourful does that sound? I don't usually like raisins in baked goods but love what they add to savoury dishes.

And the dough was easy enough to make, roll out and work with. When baked, the pastry was crispy and a bit flakey. They could look more perfect if I cut out circles in the dough with a bowl but it's always my preference to avoid re-rolling dough and to simplify things. So I just divided my dough and rolled each piece into a circle. I can't wait to try out the other filling variations like corn crusted pumpkin potato, and beans rice and sweet plantain.

The recipe is time consuming, because you have to make the seitan, the filling, and the dough. But if you take it one part at a time it's not so bad.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Seitan Black Bean Corn Burgers
Vegan Pot Roast and Gravy
Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan
Baked Seitan

Shredded Seitan and Mushroom Empanadas with Raisins and Olives
Adapted from Viva Vegan!

Makes 12

1 recipe Empanada Dough (see below)
1/2 recipe Steamed Red Seitan (2 loaves), chilled and grated (see below)
1/2 lb button mushrooms, very finely minced
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb onion, finely minced
2 tbsp red wine
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt & pepper
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced in half
1/3 cup dark raisins
1/3 cup nondairy milk

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and garlic until the garlic starts to sizzle and becomes fragrant. Add in the onion and fry until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and cook until they darken and release their juices, another 5 minutes. Add the red wine, paprika, oregano, cumin and cinnamon, stirring occasionally and bring to a simmer. Stir in the grated seitan and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Use a spoon or silicone spatula to press the seitan into the liquid and vegetables to help the seitan absorb all the seasonings. Remove from the heat, let cool for a few minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the olives and raisins. Set aside to cool.

When ready to assemble the empanadas, preheat oven to 400F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Have ready the prepared dough rounds, nondairy milk (for brushing) and pastry brush.

Take a dough round and lightly brush it with nondairy milk. Scoop a generous 1/3 cup of filling, making sure to get a few raisins and olive slices with each scoop. Place the filling into the center of the round and spread it over half of the round; leave about 1/2 inch of space along the edge of the dough. Make sure the filling doesn't spill over the edge otherwise crimping the edges will be difficult.

Fold the dough over the filling, stretching and pulling it just enough to completely encase everything. (You will now have a semicircular patty.) With your fingers, firmly press down the edges of the dough, then seal by firmly pressing with the tines of a fork into the edges of the empanada. Carefully lift and place on a prepared baking sheet and brush with nondairy milk. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Bake the empanadas for 24 to 26 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the edges begin to brown. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before serving, as the filling will be extremely hot out of the oven.

To reheat, either wrap bake at 350F for 8 to 10 minutes or microwave on high for 30 seconds.

Empanada Dough

Makes enough for 12 large empanadas

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp chilled vegan shortening, cut into 1/2" pieces
4 tbsp chilled vegan margarine, cut into 1/2" pieces
3/4 cup cold water, or more as needed

In a food processor, pulse together the flour, salt and baking powder for a few seconds. Add the shortening and margarine, and pulse until everything resembles fine, sandlike crumbs.

Pour the flour mixture into a large bowl and stream in the cold water while mixing the dough with your fingers or a fork. Continue adding just enough cold water that you can press the mixture together to form a soft and stretchy dough. Briefly knead a few times, divide into 2 balls, flatten each into a round about an inch thick, and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Minimize handling of the dough to keep it from getting tough. Chill overnight or for at least 4 hours.

Tear about 12 pieces of waxed paper or parchment paper to about 7 inches squares. Cut one of the dough rounds into 6 pieces (two dough rounds make 12 pieces). On a lightly floured surface, roll one of the cut pieces into a circle of 3/8" thickness, stretching and pulling the dough a little if necessary. To keep the dough from getting tough, use long rolling motions, occasionally lifting the dough by the edges and turning it a little to ensure an even thickness throughout.

Stack the circles of dough on top of one another, separating them with the waxed or parchment paper (to keep them from sticking). Repeat with the remaining 11 pieces of dough to make 12 dough rounds.

Chill the finished dough circles, the entire stack well wrapped in plastic wrap until ready to use.

Steamed Red Seitan

Makes 4 loaves

1 1/2 cups cold vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
4 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup chickpea flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin

In a measuring cup, whisk together the broth, garlic, soy sauce, tomato paste and olive oil. In a large bowl, whisk the wheat gluten, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, oregano and cumin. Form a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour the liquid ingredients into the well, stirring with a rubber spatula until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl. Knead the dough for 2 to 3 minutes to develop the gluten. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes; knead again for 30 seconds. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and lightly knead each piece a few times, shaping each piece into a roughly oblong loaf shape.

Tear off four 12" square pieces of aluminum foil. Place a piece of dough in the center of a piece of foil. Fold the foil around the dough so that the foil is secure but there is some space around the dough to let it expand while steaming. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Place the wrapped dough in a steamer and steam for 30 minutes. Allow the dough to cool to the touch before chilling in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight.

Carrot Chia Spelt Muffins

2012-01-18T05:59:00.000-08:00

This was the view from my office on Monday! I left work early and didn't go to work yesterday. I think the snow has mostly stopped for now, but it's going to be really cold (-13C, feels like -23C).

I love Angela's baked goods. She's always coming up with delicious new healthy snacks like these muffins. And it's no easy feat to create yummy AND healthy muffins. These ones have carrot, chia seeds, cacao nibs, spelt flour and raisins.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Blueberry Spice Spelt Muffins
Pineapple Carrot Ginger Muffins
Double Chocolate Avocado Muffins
Coconut Banana Muffins

Carrot Chia Spelt Muffins
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Makes 12 muffins

Dry:
2 cups spelt flour
3 tbsp raw cane sugar
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin spice
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cacao nibs
3 tbsp raisins

Wet:
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
1 cup grated/shredded carrot
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c maple syrup
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare 12 cup muffin tin with oil or liners.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until combined (don't overmix). Divide batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Asian Inspired Napa Cabbage Slaw

2012-01-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

WE HAVE SNOW! I'm torn between wanting lots more snow, and not wanting too much snow that it makes the roads dangerous for driving. So maybe the best thing to hope for is so much snow that you can't even drive!

I didn't grow up eating cabbage very often, but I really love it now. My favourite way to eat it is stir fried but I also really like it when thinly sliced for a salad like this.

This recipes goes all the way back to my CSA last summer where I received a head of napa cabbage and had no idea what to do with it. Of course I could have stir fried it but I wanted to see what other options were out there. A quick search landed me on Ricki's blog. The Asian inspired dressing (with soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, garlic, sugar, and vinegar) and fun mix of vegetables (cabbage, carrots, edamame) and seeds (sunflower seeds, sesame seeds) was as delicious as I'd hoped.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Indian Stir Fried Cabbage
Broccoli Slaw

Asian Inspired Napa Cabbage Slaw
Adapted from Diet Dessert n Dogs

Serves 6

Base:
1 medium napa cabbage, washed, trimmed, and sliced thinly on the diagonal
1 cup shelled edamame, cooked
5 small carrots, grated
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Dressing:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup raw cane sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 very small onion, grated on the finest holes of your grater (it should almost liquefy)
1 clove garlic, minced

In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, edamame, carrots, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds.

In a smaller bowl, combine the dressing ingredients and whisk to mix well. Pour over salad and toss to coat.

Quick Vegan Tomato Basil Cream Pasta

2012-01-14T11:46:00.001-08:00

Both E and I were in love with this creamy tomato pasta. My favourite pasta sauce used to be cream (specifically alfredo, even more specifically my mom's alfredo), then it became rose. I try not to have cream sauces too often as I know they're not very good for me, but now that I've found this delicious vegan rose sauce, I can indulge in my creamy pasta more often. I love basil but I'm sure it would be delicious with your favourite herb or whatever you might have in your garden (indoor garden at this time of year?)

Last weekend we went to Tofino for our 1 year anniversary! (If you're interested you can check out some of our wedding photos and our wedding video.)

I never posted pictures from our trip to Turkey and Greece, but I'm almost immediately posting pictures from our trip to Tofino. What does that say?? Hm. Probably that there were way too many Turkey and Greece photos. And also that I loooooooove taking local vacations and that Tofino is one of my favourite places.

This was my third time going there, and first time going during "storm watching season". Which basically means there's a lot of rain and big waves, at least that's what we experienced. It was a really relaxing cozy vacation. Tofino is a small town with a handful of restaurants, bakeries and shops (no big name stores). It's known for its surfing, but if you're not a surfer like me you can still enjoy walking along the beaches.

This is where we stayed.

The view from our room.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pasta with French Lentils and Kale
Red and White Tortellini
Pasta with Ruby Chard and Cranberries
Mediterranean Macaroni and Cheese

Quick Vegan Tomato Basil Cream Pasta
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Serves 2

7 oz uncooked whole wheat spaghetti (or other pasta shape)
1 medium ripe tomato, cored and roughly chopped
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 large handful fresh basil, chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. To a blender, add the tomato, cashews, water, tomato paste and salt. Blend until very smooth.

In a large saute pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the garlic and saute until golden, being careful not to burn. Pour the sauce from the blender into the pan and bring to a simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain it. Mix the pasta, sauce, black pepper and basil.

Zucchini and Chickpea Pancakes

2012-01-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

I've seen chickpea pancakes around the blogosphere (can't remember where now though) and they always looked so good. And this one used up some of that CSA zucchini I keep on mentioning. I love how easy this is. Like a frittata or omelette but vegan. Usually I would use tofu to make something like this so the chickpea flour was a nice change. To make it a meal just add some steamed or roasted vegetables on the side, or cut it up into pieces and put it on a salad. Ooo now that I'm thinking about it, I bet a peanut sauce for dipping would be just excellent. (And I think this is the last zucchini recipe for a while.)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Healthy Baked Zucchini Fries
Swift, Delicious Bean Salad
Pink Beans with a Cardamom-Yogurt Sauce
Sunflower Lentil Pie

Zucchini and Chickpea Pancakes
Adapted from Just Hungry

Makes 2 large pancakes, which make 2 main dish servings or 4 appetizer/side dish servings

4 cups grated zucchini (about 3 zucchinis)
Some cilantro leaves, chopped
1 cup chickpea flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp garam masala
Olive oil for cooking

Put zucchini and cilantro into a large bowl; add the salt, garam masala and the chickpea flour. Mix well - the moisture that comes out of the zucchini may be enough to turn this into a batter, but if not add a tiny bit of water, just so that it turns moist but not runny.

Heat up a small (8 inch / 20cm) non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add some olive oil and spread around. Put in about half of the batter and spread around to form a circle. Cook for about 5 minutes, then turn and cook for another 5 minutes or so, until it’s cooked all the way through. (You can slice into the middle a bit to see if there’s any batter oozing still; if so, cook a bit more.) Repeat for the other half of the batter.

Cut into wedges, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Note: If you want a crispy outside, use more oil in the pan; if you want it soft (and less caloric) add less.

Dishes That Didn't Make the Cut

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

I like to blog everything I make, but I don't like sharing recipes that I didn't love because I feel like it's recommending something that I actually wouldn't. I did a couple of "unbloggable" posts before, and so I guess this is another one. These dishes were not bad at all, and certainly edible, just not my thing.

Janet loved these mango BBQ beans from Appetite for Reduction, and I love pretty much everything Janet posts, so I tried them. I thought they were just okay and was disappointed to not taste the mangoes. I didn't have liquid smoke though, which Janet says is an essential ingredient. So I'll give these another try some day and hopefully they'll be better.

This goddess niçoise salad (also from Appetite for Reduction) is gorgeous. I love the presentation! But for all the work that goes into it, the taste wasn't good enough for me to do it again. The salad WAS good though, and had someone else served it to me I'd be happy. The dressing was just okay and I'd try it with another dressing.

This vegetarian pasta bolognese from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health was alright but not too flavourful. And I should've added more vegetables and less pasta. I haven't come across many recipes in this book that I love so if you have the cookbook, please please tell me which ones you like.

This is the olive oyl pasta from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. There's nothing wrong with this pasta, it's okay just nothing special. It has garlic, basil, oregano, tomatoes and olives. Though I must mention that ED&BV is one of my all time favourite cookbooks.

This is baked white beans with roasted garlic, lemon and herbs from Janet who adapted from Affairs of Living. For a bean lover I'm sure this dish is lovely. And I did enjoy it on the first day. But it lasted forever and was just too high in the bean to other stuff ratio. I don't fault the recipe though. If you like beans, I do recommend you try it because it's something different.

This is pad see ew from Vegan Yum Yum. It wasn't bad, I just think there must be better recipes out there. Maybe it had too many noodles or not enough sauce. Though this wasn't an amazing recipe, Vegan Yum Yum is fast becoming one of my favourite cookbooks.

Chesapeake Bay Snack Mix

2012-01-08T07:20:00.000-08:00

I love the idea of snack mixes like this. I've never made one myself though until this one. And while I do still think that snack mixes are fun, and I love the mixture of stuff in this (though E picked out all the cheddar bunnies), it was insanely salty. In general we try to always reduce the salt in recipes, not add extra salt to our meals, and use reduced sodium products like soy sauce. So maybe for people who don't do this, it wouldn't be as salty? I'd never tried Old Bay seasoning until this recipe, and for those of you haven't tried it either, it tastes kind of like celery. So though I didn't love the recipe, I still think it's fun and maybe you guys can use it for inspiration or just try using less Old Bay seasoning (for less salt).

I was looking through this "cat breeds" book in Costco the other day and was reading about maine coons (which we believe Abby is). And reading the traits of the cat was neat because it completely describes Abby. It said how they have dog like behaviour and love to play fetch, and Abby always does that with her little balls, bringing them to us and being annoying until we throw them. And they love to play with water but don't like being wet, and will tip over their water dishes or dump their toys in water, which she also does. And how they like to grab things with their paws which she also tries to do, including her ball when we throw it for her.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Cheese Straws
Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins
Garlic Cheese Bread
Pan-Fried Onion Dip

Chesapeake Bay Snack Mix
Adapted from Dana Treat who adapted from Everyday Food, June 2010

8 cups crisp corn, rice cereal, such as Crispix or Chex
3 cups thin pretzel sticks
3 cups Annie's cheddar bunnies
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Preheat oven to 250F. In a roasting pan, combine cereal, pretzels, and cheddar bunnies. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice, and hot-pepper sauce. Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture and stir until ingredients are completely coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to two rimmed baking sheets to cool completely.

Apple Pie Oatmeal

2012-01-06T07:58:00.000-08:00

There was a time - okay a long time, like over 20 years - when I hated oatmeal. Mushy tasteless goo. Now though I eat it all the time. Well right now I'm going through a green monster for breakfast phase, but I'm sure I'll get back into my oatmeal for breakfast everyday phase soon enough. My oatmeal feelings turned with this carrot cake oatmeal. In the summer I loved having vegan overnight oats with my favourite combination being a gingerbread type version with cinnamon, blackstrap molasses (iron power!) and a chopped apple. This oatmeal has apple too, but it's more an apple pie oatmeal with walnuts, ginger and maple syrup. It really does taste like apple pie, and is so nice, warm and comforting on a cold morning.

For those of you that have no idea what a green monster is or what vegan overnight oats are, I'll attempt a brief description. I think I first found out about them from Angela. My regular green monster includes 1 cup of nondairy milk, 1 tbsp flax seeds (or chia seeds but it makes it super thick), lots of spinach (maybe 2 cups?), a banana, 1/2 cup of frozen berries, and 1/3 cup old fashioned oats. If you've never tried a green monster, I'm sure they sound terrible and scary but they're really tasty and provide at least 4 servings of fruits/vegetables first thing in the morning!

As for vegan overnight oats, you basically mix up your oatmeal the night before, and eat it cold instead of heating it up. The overnight rest allows the oatmeal to soften, and the chia seeds to thicken everything up. My normal vegan overnight oats includes 1 cup nondairy milk, 1/3 cup old fashioned oats, 1 tbsp chia seeds and 1 chopped fruit (banana or apple usually). Sometimes I add a few nuts or cinnamon. My gingerbread version adds 1 tablespoon of blackstrap molasses and a teaspoon of cinnamon. I never add sweetener to my oatmeal except blackstrap molasses. I don't like too sweet breakfasts.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Carrot Cake Oatmeal
Oatmeal & Wheat Germ Raspberry Scones
Perfectly Crunchy Granola
Gingerbread Waffles

Apple Pie Oatmeal
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Serves 1

1/3 cup old fashioned oats
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
1 medium apple, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp chopped walnuts

In a medium sized pot over medium heat, whisk together all ingredients. (If you want to save the walnuts to sprinkle them on top, then don't add them.) Heat over medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often. When the mixture thickens and the liquid is absorbed, it's ready. (If you saved the walnuts, sprinkle them on now.)

Yeasted Garlic Zucchini Bread

2012-01-04T06:22:00.000-08:00

So I didn't ask - how were everyone's Christmas and holidays? Any exciting gifts? Delicious foods? We spent time going around visiting all of our local family, which was great. I made Russian grandmothers' apple pie-cake for Christmas Eve dessert and a sticky toffee pudding cheesecake for Christmas day dessert. (And my favourite salad, which has toasted almonds, snow peas, red bell pepper, and a parsley onion dressing.) My favourite gift was a pyrrha wax seal necklace from E. Now that things are back to normal, I'm starting to catch up with your blogs and hear about your holidays!

This is the bread I used with the white bean & walnut bruschetta (highly recommend trying that too!) I doubt I would've made this recipe had I not been looking for ways to use up our CSA zucchini. But I'm really glad I was pushed into making this. You can't really tell there's zucchini in the bread, it just adds moisture. But you can definitely taste the garlic, which I love. The bread was nice and chewy, which I also loved. My dough flattened out a lot - maybe it needs even more flour (I added an extra cup) so I'd recommend trying to gather or shape the dough higher if possible. But there was also nothing wrong with this flat loaf. I'm submitting this bread to yeastspotting.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Freshly Fruited Yeast Bread
Pull-Apart Cheesy Onion Bread
Light Brioche Burger Buns
Hot Crossed Buns

Yeasted Garlic Zucchini Bread
Adapted from The Cook's Encyclopedia of Baking, found on Sizzle N Spice

Makes 1 Loaf

1 pound zucchini, grated
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tbsp salt
1 package active dry yeast
11/4 cups lukewarm water
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour (original recipe calls for 3 1/2 cups, but I found it needed more)
Olive oil, for brushing

1. In a colander, alternate layers of grated zucchini and salt. Leave for 30 minutes, then squeeze out the moisture with your hands.

2. Combine the yeast with 1/4 cup of lukewarm water, stir and leave for 15 minutes to dissolve the yeast.

3. Place the zucchini, yeast and flour in a bowl. Stir together and add just enough of the remaining water to make a rough dough.

4. Transfer to a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a plastic bag, and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 11/2 hours.

5. Grease a baking sheet. Punch down the risen dough with your fist and knead into a tapered cylinder. Place on the baking sheet, cover, and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 425F. Brush with olive oil and bake until golden, 40-45 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Must Make Food of 2011

2012-01-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

Happy new year! And also happy anniversary to my husband (who doesn't read my blog). It's our 1 year anniversary today. :)

Picking my favourite things I've made in 2011 is proving to be an impossible task. So I've narrowed it down to 15 (I was trying for 11). I look forward to seeing other people's top 2011 lists.

Dark and Dangerous Triple Chocolate Cookies

Cheddar and Black Pepper Scones

Garlic Cheese Bread

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Pasta with Ruby Chard and Cranberries

Kung Pao Sauce

Red & White Tortellini

Triathalon Tostadas

Perfectly Crunchy Granola

Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins

Know Your Roots Salad

Vegan Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

White Bean & Walnut Bruschetta

Sweet Potatoes with Pecans, Goat Cheese and Celery [a.k.a. Roasted Marshmallow-y Sweet Potatoes with Thanksgiving on Top]

Detox Blonde Macaroons

Healthy Baked Zucchini Fries

2011-12-30T07:07:00.000-08:00

I made these back in the summer when I had ridiculous amounts of zucchini. While I had trouble figuring out what to do with it all, it was easier to use up than the ridiculous amounts of cucumber! Anyway, so one night I decided to try out battered and baked zucchini fries. A giant tray of them. The batter was quite thick, which adhered well to the zucchini but it was difficult to get an even application on all zucchini fries. I'm sure this will become easier with practice! These are a great healthier alternative to deep fried battered vegetables. I didn't add the recommended spices, but next time I'd definitely add some herbs like oregano or thyme.

Zucchini fry army.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Wheat Berry Salad with Zucchini and Mozzarella
Maple Mustard Glazed Potatoes and String Beans
Caribbean Roasted Vegetables
Warm Vegetable Salad with Sesame-Maple Dressing

Healthy Baked Zucchini Fries
Adapted from mcdeanna on VegWeb

Makes 3 to 4 servings

If you're making your own bread crumbs, toast the bread, let it cool, then run it through the food processor until you get crumbs. I do about 1 piece of bread per cup called for, but depending on the size of your bread you might need more or less.

4 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 zucchini, sliced into fries

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper or a Silpat mat.

2. Place bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Set aside. Mix apple cider vinegar with nondairy milk. Stir and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes.

3. In another bowl, combine the flours, soy/vinegar mixture, salt and pepper.

4. Dip zucchini in wet ingredients. Then dip and cover zucchini individually into bread crumbs and place on baking sheet.

5. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Seitan Black Bean Corn Burgers

2011-12-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

I don't always have the most success with meatless burgers (well not that I ever had success with meat burgers as I did not enjoy them and never made them). They always fall apart when I'm pan frying them, or dry out too much if I bake them. But I think I'm starting to find my burger groove! I try not to use too much oil when cooking, but you need to make sure you have enough oil in the pan so that the burgers don't stick and fry up nicely, making them easy to flip and less likely to fall apart.

These burgers were really flavourful with the smoked paprika, cumin and chili powder. And yes I talk about how I hate beans but I do really enjoy black beans, especially in a form like these burgers. I loved eating these burgers with pickles. But then I'm also really obsessed with pickles recently. In particular the Steinfeld Kosher Petite Dill Pickles. (Not that they're paying me to promote them I just really love them.)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Mushroom Pecan Burger
Black Bean Confetti Salad
Triathalon Tostadas
Black Bean, Zucchini & Olive Tacos with Garlic-Lemon Yogurt

Seitan Black Bean Corn Burgers
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes about 10 burgers

1 cup seitan
14 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained (about 2 cups)
1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 cup ground whole wheat bread crumbs
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp high heat vegetable oil for pan frying

1. Add the seitan to the food processor and process until finely chopped (a few remaining bigger chunks are okay).

2. Add the beans, and process until finely chopped (you may still see the occasional bean piece). Remove this mixture to a mixing bowl.

3. Add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, bread crumbs, flour, corn, paprika, cumin, and chili powder to the seitan/bean mixture and mix well with your hands or a spoon. Adjust the mixture with salt, to taste, or add more bread crumbs if the mixture is too wet. It should be moist but not gloppy. For example, if you stuff your 1/4 cup measure with it, you should have to pry it out. If it glops out by itself, it's probably too wet.

4. Heat the oil n a pan over medium-high heat.

5. Begin forming patties (1/4 cup of mixture per patty). Make them thin to avoid a too-mushy center. You can form all of the patties ahead of time and place them on wax/parchment paper, foil, etc.

6. Fry patties four at a time, or however many reasonably fit into the pan until dark brown on either side.

Banana Trail Mix Loaf

2011-12-26T08:35:00.000-08:00

This very moist and soft loaf is my favourite vegan banana loaf. (My favourite non vegan banana bread is this banana apple one.) E thought it wasn't as sweet as regular banana bread - and it wasn't with only 1/3 cup sugar. But for me it's actually the perfect sweetness. Plus I added in some Trader Joe's Temping trail mix (with peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, dried cherries, almonds and cashews) which adds some sweetness. Sometimes I buy trail mix because it seems like a good idea but then I either forget to eat it, or don't want to eat it (like the giant bags of trail mix at Costco). I always get so sucked in by the Trader Joe's ones. So many enticing combinations!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Mom's Banana Apple Bread
Apple Cinnamon Bread
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf
Candied Maple Walnut Pancake Loaf

Banana Trail Mix Loaf
Adapted from ExtraVeganZa

Makes 1 loaf

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup natural cane sugar (Sucanat)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
1 1/4 cups bananas, mashed (about 3 bananas)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups trail mix (for a vegan loaf, ensure your trail mix is vegan)

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prepare a 9"x5" loaf pan with foil, parchment, or oiling it. Set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine the oil, applesauce, sugar, vanilla, nondairy milk, and vinegar, and whisk together until emulsified. Stir in the bananas. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently stir together, being careful not to over mix. Fold in the trail mix.

Transfer the mixture to the loaf pan, and smooth the top with the back of a spatula. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Chocolate Caramel Crunch

2011-12-24T07:04:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas eve!!! And Merry Christmas as I won't be posting tomorrow. Hope you all have a wonderful time with family, friends and delicious food. :)

A snowman ornament I made this year.

Before I started my new job, I tried to write up a ton of blog posts since I have so many things I haven't blogged about. Which is how I've been updating my blog so frequently despite my great lack of free time! It's nice to just have them all ready. But I've been sneaking in some Christmas goodies so that you won't be seeing them in January when you're sick of them! Well I always love seeing Christmas baking and don't get sick of it but I imagine there are people who do, or who make resolutions to stop eating Christmas goodies after eating so many over the holidays. Anyway!

So here is one of the delicious things I made this here. I've wanted to make this since I first saw it on David Lebovitz's blog, then saw it on everybody likes sandwiches, then on Dinner with Julie. Finally it's on my blog! I like making at least one bark/candy type thing at Christmas. This one is super easy. You make caramel (but in a really easy way without a candy thermometer), pour it on top of crackers, bake, then top with chocolate. Next time I'll get the salted soda crackers because I love that salty sweet combination. It might sound bizarre to include crackers in this bark, but the caramel completely soaks into them. So they're more like a vessel for the caramel and to help add the crunch.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Chocolate Cookie Bark
Candy Cane Bark
Peanut Butter Truffles
Quintuple Chocolate Brownies

Chocolate Caramel Crunch
Adapted from Dinner with Julie, everybody likes sandwiches and David Lebovitz

I bought the crackers with unsalted tops this time, but next time will buy the salted ones.

Box of soda crackers (I used Premium Plus)
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 cup chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate

Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Line the pan with crackers.

In a medium saucepan, bring the butter and brown sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour evenly over the crackers, spreading it with a heatproof spatula to cover.

Put it into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 350F. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until deep golden. Remove from the oven and scatter with chocolate chips; let sit until they soften, then spread evenly over the caramel.

Let cool completely, then break into chunks, or cut/score into squares while still warm. I found that it broke really easily into perfect squares (because each piece is a soda cracker).

Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

2011-12-22T07:37:00.000-08:00

I love a nice big salad that's both delicious and filling. And that's exactly what this salad is. There's a grain - okay a seed (quinoa), protein (chickpeas), and lots of vegetables (lettuce, onions, roasted mushrooms). This is all tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. It's so simple and such a great base salad to add whatever you have around or are craving. The balsamic dressing was good but my favourite balsamic dressing is the one from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan, with a few modifications.

I went to Manning Park for work yesterday which was really exciting because I got to see lots of snow! And practically froze my toes off. Note to self, do not wear rain boots in the snow. Snow is my favourite so I was so happy to get to be around it if even for a short while! I love how trees look covered in snow. Snow snow snow.

I had to take a quick photo with my iPhone!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Autumn Panzanella
Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, DIll and Lemon
Portabello Salad with Mustard Dressing
The Diva Salad

Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Serves 4

4 cups mushrooms, halved
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups cooked, cooled quinoa
1 small red onion, sliced thinly
8 cups chopped or torn romaine lettuce
2 cups cooked chickpeas
Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 425F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the mushrooms with the olive oil and spread out evenly on the baking tray. Bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on how roasty you like your mushrooms). Ideally you want to time it so the mushrooms will be warm when you eat the salad.

If you will be eating the whole salad in one sitting, mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. If not, keep the ingredients separated and use 1/4 of the ingredients for 1 serving of salad. Just before serving, add the dressing and toss to coat.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

1/4 cup raw cashews
1 small shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
A few grinds of black pepper

Place the cashews, shallot and garlic in a food processor or blender and pulse to chop them. Add the rest of the ingredients. Blend for at least 5 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides often, until completely smooth. It's really important that you blend for the full time, otherwise your dressing may be grainy. Transfer the dressing to a container and chill until ready to serve.

Chocolate Coconut Snowballs

2011-12-20T07:11:00.000-08:00

Both my mom and my grandma make a holiday goodie that they call "snowballs", but they're different kinds of snowballs. My mom's are the Russian tea cakes (or Mexican wedding cookies), while my grandma's are these chocolate oat coconut snowballs. My mom's snowballs are good, but the combination of chocolate, coconut and oats (even just coconut and oats without chocolate) always wins for me. Both my brother and I really love these. And they're super easy to make. They don't require any fancy ingredients and can easily be made vegan if you use vegan butter/margarine and nondairy milk.

If these sound good, you might also like:
Detox Blonde Macaroons
Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
Cowboy Cookies
Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Chocolate Coconut Snowballs
My grandma's recipe - not sure where it originated

Makes about 40 snowballs

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (I used medium), plus extra for rolling
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats

In a pot on the stove, melt the sugar, butter, vanilla, cocoa powder and milk. Bring to a boil and simmer for not more than 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave the ingredients for approximately 3 minutes, until melted and cooked around the edges.

Add the coconut and oats to the mixture. If it's too warm and soft, put it in the fridge for an hour or so. Roll into balls, drop into a small bowl of coconut until covered. Lay on a tray until cool. Store in the refrigerator.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

2011-12-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

The Cookbook Giveaway is closed! I used a random number generator and Genevieve of Vanilla & Spice won Appetite for Reduction!

I don't like cookies that are too soft and cakey, but you know what the best thing about these cookies is? They're soft. How do they get away with this being the best thing about them? They're also thick and dense. Soft, thick and dense. Is that a contradiction? Maybe, but it works. I can't say these are my favourite oatmeal cookies, as I do prefer ones that have crisp edges and spread out more, but there is room for these ones too. Other people who tried them really enjoyed them.

Abby loooooves her cube. She has two and I have another one in the closet when those ones have to be thrown out. She likes hiding inside and doing sneak attacks, diving through them, sleeping inside, and "pumping iron". (I should post a video of Abby pumping iron, which is basically her sitting next to the cube, with one paw on it, and pressing down repeatedly while staring randomly around the room.)

If these sound good, you might also like:
Detox Blonde Macaroons
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Ginger Molasses Cookies
Vegan Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Makes 2 dozen cookies

1/3 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup oil (I used safflower)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats.

2. In a large bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together the soy milk and flax seeds. Add in the sugar and oil and mix until it resembles caramel, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, and salt. Mix in the flour mixture with the wet mixture. Fold in the oatmeal and cranberries.

3. Drop dough in generous tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto the baking sheets. Flatten the tops a bit, since they don't spread much. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

White Bean & Walnut Bruschetta

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Okay I know I said several times how much I don't like beans, but now I keep posting bean recipes I like. Because I do like some beans or like them in some forms. I just can't imagine being a person who would enjoy some beans poured on top of a salad with nothing else done to them. But made into bruschetta like this? Yes yes yes. The vinegar, tomatoes, walnuts, garlic, thyme and fresh basil do something magical to the beans. I didn't want to share the leftovers with E. We ate it on top of some zucchini garlic bread I made, which I will post about soon.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Black Bean Confetti Salad
Back On Track Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad
Triathalon Tostadas
Black Bean, Zucchini & Olive Tacos with Garlic-Lemon Yogurt

White Bean & Walnut Bruschetta
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

Makes 4-6 servings

Crusty bread, sliced
1 cup cooked navy beans
2 tsp red wine vinegar
3/4 cup tomatoes, minced
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bread slices on baking sheet and bake for 3-4 minutes to slightly toast. Remove from oven, but keep temperature at 425F, and let bread cool while preparing bean mixture. In a bowl, mash 1/2 cup beans with vinegar. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine well. Once bread is cool, spoon mixture onto bread slices, portioning mixture as desired. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the topping is warmed through. Do not over bake, since the beans can dry out.

Blueberry Spice Spelt Muffins

2011-12-14T07:03:00.000-08:00

These are supposed to be blueberry ginger muffins. But while I love ginger in savoury dishes, I'm not a huge fan of it in sweets. So I omitted the crystallized ginger. But the muffins still tasted strongly of ginger due to the 2 teaspoons of ground ginger. In the future I'd change the spice levels and combination. I'd probably use 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves (my favourite spice) and 1/4 teaspoon ginger. I will definitely make these again, as I loved how nice and soft they were.

Abby looks either like she's about to fall off the pillow, or like I'm annoying her. Both are likely.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pineapple Carrot Ginger Muffins
Bakery-Style Berry Muffins
Double Chocolate Avocado Muffins
Coconut Banana Muffins

Blueberry Spice Spelt Muffins
Adapted from Vegan Brunch

Makes 12 muffins

2 1/2 cups whole grain spelt flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup yogurt (soy yogurt for vegan muffins)
1 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
1/3 cup safflower oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare muffin tins with oil or liners.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Make a well in the center and add the yogurt, milk, canola oil and vanilla. Stir to combine. Fold in the blueberries.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin; it should almost fill the entire tin. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the tin before transferring the muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons

2011-12-12T08:26:00.000-08:00

I started a new job last week which I'm super excited about! I have a long commute - about 3 hours total a day - so I plan to try and cook and prepare as much as I can for the week on Sundays. I figure with some organization I should still be able to easily have healthy home cooked meals, and have time to exercise on week nights too. Anyway, I just wanted to share my news. :)

I made this in the summer when we had an abundance of amazing tomatoes from our CSA. I know tomatoes aren't in season now but I think it'd still be delicious, and would be a great addition to a big family meal. Or something comforting and warm to eat at home. The garlic, basil and Parmesan cheese make this tomato bread dish into something really flavourful. I found it quite rich and strong tasting, which was great, but it's definitely best eaten alongside something else like a salad.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Tomato Corn Pie
Pan-Roasted Cauliflower
Tarragon Pecan Asparagus
Cauliflower Gratin

Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted from Ina Garten

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 slices whole grain bread (I used Silver Hills), cut into 1/2" pieces
2 1/2 pounds tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup thinly slivered basil leaves, lightly packed
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium. Add the bread cubes and stir so that they are evenly coated with oil. Cook cubes, tossing frequently, until toasty on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper in a large bowl. When the bread cubes are toasted, add the tomato mixture and cook them together, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in the basil. Pour into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly. Serve hot or warm.

Cookbook Giveaway!

2011-12-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited about my Amazon gift card that I received from the Fairy Hobmother, and I want to share it with you guys too! So I'm hosting a giveaway where you can enter to win any cookbook you want (that's available to ship from Amazon.ca and is less than $40).

To enter, leave a comment (with your email, if you don't have a blog), tell me which cookbook you want, and tell me something random about yourself. This contest is only open to people living in Canada (sorry!) I will leave the contest open until 11:59pm PST on December 18.

***Contest closed. Genevieve won Appetite for Reduction!

Detox Blonde Macaroons

2011-12-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

Coconut is one of my favourite things. Fresh coconut, dried, coconut milk, yum. And I've been wanting to make some variation of these vegan macaroons for too long. They're truly delicious. Lots of coconut flavour, incredibly soft, a bit chewy. Gluten free too! The original recipe had almond extract but I detest that fake almond flavour so just added more vanilla. I gave a bunch away and kept the rest in the freezer, and yes they are amazing from the freezer too. Oh and I made my own coconut butter! (Which is just pureeing unsweetened shredded coconut. Magic.)

I'm sending these to the cookie blog hop.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Coconut Creme Brulee
Coconut Shortbread
Coconut Madeleines
Coconut Lemon Bundt Cake
Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

Detox Blonde Macaroons
Adapted from Oh She Glows who adapted from Healthy Hoggin

Yield ~22 macaroons

2 2/3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut (or 1 cup coconut butter)
2 (additional) cups shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment. In a food processor, process 2 and 2/3 cups of shredded coconut for about 5-8 minutes until coconut butter forms. You will have to keep scraping down the sides of the bowl. Alternatively, you can use 1 cup of store bought coconut butter.

2. Once you have made the coconut butter, mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

3. Scoop about 1-2 tbsp of dough onto a baking sheet. You don’t have to leave much room in between as they do not spread out. Bake one sheet at a time for 25-28 minutes at 300F. Watch them closely after 22-23 minutes. The bottoms of my macaroons were golden in colour.

4. Allow the macaroons to sit for 30 minutes so they can firm up. If you do not do this, the macaroons will crumble, so this step is crucial! Store in the fridge or freezer.

Curried Scrambled Tofu with Wilted Greens

2011-12-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

If you're vegetarian, vegan or just have a love for tofu, I'm sure you've tried scrambled tofu. While I love tofu, I've never found a tofu scramble that I really loved, until this one. The recipe calls for arugula, but I used some random bitter leafy green that came in our CSA. I think it was some kind of lettuce. Cooked lettuce used to be so bizarre to me, but I discovered a love for it when I tried it in hot pot. And again when I had it in this tofu scramble.

Masala Baked Tofu

For those of you that read my blog regularly, I'm sure you can tell that I've been cooking a lot from Appetite for Reduction. So many of the recipes really appeal to me, and I've enjoyed most that I've tried. But occasionally I try some I don't like so much, like this masala baked tofu and curried cabbage and peas. They weren't bad, they just weren't things I'd recommend or make again. So I just thought I'd stick in a mini review of them here for people who have the cookbook and are wondering what to try next. :)

Curried Cabbage & Peas

The Fairy Hobmother visited my blog after I left a comment on Grace's blog, and will be sending me an Amazon gift card! If you want the chance to be visited by the Fairy Hobmother, just leave a comment and make a wish, and you might be lucky too. :)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Orange Sesame Tofu with Coconut Lime Basmati Rice
Lemon Miso Tofu and Eggplant
Tofu and Broccolini in Peanut Sauce
Salt and Pepper Tofu

Curried Scrambled Tofu with Wilted Greens
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Serves 4 as a side, or 2 as a main

1 tsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 block extra firm tofu (about 14 oz)
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
Ground black pepper
2 cups chopped leafy greens (ex. arugula, lettuce, spinach)

Preheat a large pan over medium high heat. Saute the onion in the oil for about 4 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Crumble the tofu into bite size pieces and add to the pan. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the tofu has browned on some of the sides. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if needed.

Add the curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and a few splashes of water if it's too dry. Mix in the greens. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the greens are wilted. Add the lemon juice and serve.

Gumdrop Cake

2011-12-04T07:11:00.000-08:00

Have you guys started planning out what Christmas baking you're going to do? I loooove making my list and would love to hear what you guys are planning on making or have already made. So far I've made:
+Andes Chocolate Mint Cookies
+Snickerdoodles
+Pecan Tassies
+my grandma's shortbread
+this gumdrop cake!

I plan on also making my grandma's chocolate coconut snowballs, and maybe some other things. But anyway, onto the gumdrop cake. We were waiting in line at the grocery store and I came across this recipe in a Canadian Living holiday magazine. Gumdrop cake!! That sounded exciting. I've never baked with gumdrops. And it has a jar of maraschino cherries, which I love. Basically it's like a different version of fruitcake, though I've never made fruitcake and have rarely eaten it. But that's what I think.

The recipe they printed in the magazine was a bit vague so I was scared how it would turn out but I'm happy with the results. The cake is tinged pink from the maraschino cherry "juice". I wasn't sure how I'd like gumdrops in a cake but it turns out I love them - at least in this style of cake. The cherries and raisins are great too, the cherries more than the raisins. I was wary of the almond extract as I detest that fake almond flavour, but I went with it. And it turned out successfully. It's not something you'd want to eat a lot of given its strong flavour and sweetness, but to have a little nibble, it's great and something different.

I love giving out Christmas baking, but I'm just wondering - is anyone else as OCD as me about it? I can't handle putting different types of cookies with different textures, dryness levels and flavours all in one tin. The mint from the mint chocolate cookies might make the snickerdoodles minty! Or the shortberad might absorb moisture from the pecan tassies and make them dry! I love how a mixed tin of cookies looks, but I have to put them in separate bags first, then into the tin. What do you do? Anyone have a good solution to my cookie mingling problem?

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Perfection Pound Cake with Lemon Curd
All-In-One Holiday Bundt Cake
Cream Cheese Pound Cake and Strawberry Sauce
Toasted Pecan Eggnog Ring

Gumdrop Cake
Adapted from Mrs. P. Ramsay in Victoria (found in Canadian Living holiday magazine)

The original recipe stated "1 package of raisins, 1 package of gumdrops and 1 jar of maraschino cherries". Not sure what size was intended to be used, but I just used what was available at the store and have noted the sizes I used in the recipe.

375 g package raisins
375 mL jar maraschino cherries, drained with juice reserved, and sliced in half
200 g package gumdrops
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup milk plus juice from the cherries (I used unsweetened almond milk)
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder

Soak the raisins for 1/2 hour in hot water. Drain well. Mix together the raisins, cherries, gumdrops and 1 cup of the flour. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 325F. Prepare a bundt pan by buttering it, making sure to get into all the crevices. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add in the eggs and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla extract, almond extract, milk and juice from the cherries. In another separate bowl, whisk together the 3 1/2 cups flour, salt, and baking powder. With the mixer on low, alternately add the flour mixture and liquid mixture, starting with the flour mixture. Mix until just combined. Fold in the fruit mixture.

Pour the mixture into the prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Bake at 325F for 30 minutes, then 300F for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan before turning it out.

Black Bean Confetti Salad

2011-12-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

I don't know if I should really call this "confetti" salad as I was silly and bought only red bell peppers, instead of a mix of red, orange and yellow. But I trust that you will have more foresight than me and will get a colourful mix! But regardless of the lack of confetti spirit, this is a really delicious salad. I love the flavour, with the lime, cumin, and cilantro. It makes a TON so I would recommend halving it unless you have a lot of people to feed. We ate it as a salad on its own, and also stuffed it into quesadillas with cheese and tomato paste. I know I talk a lot about disliking beans, but this is one of the ways that I love them.

I'm submitting this salad to Ricki's Wellness Weekend.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Spicy Potato & Corn Salad
Rainbow Rice and Beans
Mediterranean Pepper Salad
Tabbouleh

Black Bean Confetti Salad
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and well-rinsed
4 bell peppers, a mix of colors, chopped into a small dice
1 medium onion, chopped into a small dice
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Juice of two limes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup

Mix beans, bell peppers, onion and cilantro in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk remaining ingredients into a vinaigrette. Ideally, you’ll have a 1/2 cup of dressing. Pour it over the bean mixture, toss it well and adjust seasonings to taste.

Vegan Pumpkin Scones

2011-11-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

I love autumn, I love winter. But I do miss having at least some natural light to take photos! I wanted to post about this pumpkin scone recipe while you guys are still (hopefully) enjoying pumpkin! I used to love the pumpkin scones from Starbucks and pumpkin scones are something I've always wanted to make but just never did. Until I saw these vegan pumpkin scones on cupcakes and kale and felt immediately inspired to make them about 10 minutes after reading her post! And they are amazing.

I don't usually put glazes on scones or cakes but in this case I followed her suggestion. The glaze is the perfect complement to the scone, which is biscuity but not super fluffy and flaky (this is a good thing). I did find the dough to be extremely dry and it was sort of difficult to form the dough into rounds. She does say that the dough will be dry, but next time I might add 1/2 tbsp more milk. My glaze was more liquidy than hers, maybe because I used a natural sugar?

And can I just confirm something with you guys - whole wheat pastry flour is the same thing as white whole wheat flour right? That's my understanding of the flour situation.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pumpkin Ginger Molasses Cookies
Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Cheesecake
All-In-One Holiday Bundt Cake

Vegan Pumpkin Scones
Adapted from cupcakes and kale

Makes 1 dozen small scones

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp cup cold earth balance margarine
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk) - next time I would try using 2 1/2-3 tbsp milk
5 tbsp brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large bowl sift together all of the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter cut the cold earth balance into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin, milk & sugar. Add this to the flour bowl and mix to combine. You'll end up with a fairly dry dough. Turn this out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 3 equal balls. Flatten each one into a round disk that's about 6 inches across and 1/2 inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut each disk into quarters and place them on a parchment or silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-16 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow the scones to cool and then drizzle them with spiced glaze.

Spiced Glaze
5 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp molasses
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
pinch cloves
1 1/2 tbsp non-dairy milk

Mix everything together in a small bowl and drizzle onto the scones either with a spoon, or from a plastic bag with the tip cut off.

Asian Kale Salad

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

The first time I made this salad I thought it was perfect. The second time, I found the dressing a bit strong. I think I just had more kale the first time so it may be best to err on the side of densely packing the kale when measuring (versus lightly packing). The dressing is full of flavour with lime juice, toasted sesame oil, orange juice, garlic, ginger and sesame seeds.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Know Your Roots Salad
Apple Fennel Celery Salad
Mediterranean Couscous and Lentil Salad
Broccoli Slaw

Asian Kale Salad
Adapted from The Two-Week Wellness Solution

Serves 3

6 cups kale (lightly packed), washed well and drained (about 1 1/2 bunches)
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 tsp agave nectar
1 tbsp orange juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Remove the stems from the kale and chop the kale leaves into thin ribbons. Place in a large bowl.

2. Add the lime juice, sesame oil, agave nectar, and orange juice. Using your hands, stir well to combine. Continue to work the liquids into the kale with your hands - "massaging" the marinade into the kale. Once the kale turns a darker shade of green and is softened, you're done.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the kale mixture and stir well.

Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl

2011-11-26T08:38:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered this really awesome website called goodreads. I've been obsessed with reading recently and with this website you can organize all the books you've read (and rate them), get recommendations for books to read, and have a list of books you plan to read. So much better than my method of randomly writing emails and notes to try and remember. And such a great resource to help me decide on what books I must read next! Very exciting. Let me know if you're on there and we can be book buddies. :)

I don't think I've ever bought tamarind. Not that I don't like it, I just never know what to do with it. And now I have an open package of it in the fridge with no ideas for its use in the future. Well aside from making this tamarind tofu cabbage bowl again, which I should do. Because it was really good. I love sauteed cabbage and really enjoyed it paired with a sweet tangy tamarind sauce in this dish. The tofu and brown rice make it a complete meal.

My only complaint, and really a very small one, is that there wasn't enough sauce. But you'll have leftover tamarind chutney to make extra sauce. I think we ended up using the whole amount of chutney actually, but not with the full amount of soy sauce.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Udon Noodles with Peanut Sauce and Seitan
Spicy Indian Chickpeas/Chana Masala
Sunflower Rice Bowl
Sweet Potato Badi

Tamarind Tofu Cabbage Bowl
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes 3-4 servings

12 ounce block extra firm tofu, cut into cubes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups cooked brown rice (about 3/4 cup uncooked)
1 carrot, grated
7 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
2 tbsp Tamarind Chutney (recipe follows)
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped

1. Fry the tofu in 1/2 tbsp of oil in a wok until browned on at least 2 sides. Set aside.

2. Combine the rice and carrots in a large bowl and toss well.

3. In a wok, saute the cabbage over high heat in 1/2 tbsp oil until slightly softened and browned in some places. Add the cabbage to the rice and carrots.

4. Make a sauce by mixing the tamarind chutney and soy sauce. Add the sauce and the tofu to the cabbage mixture and gently toss. Top with almonds and serve warm.

Tamarind Chutney

Makes 1/2 cup

2 cups water
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili flakes
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cumin

In a small saucepan, bring the water, tamarind paste and sugar to a boil. Let the mixture boil for 30 minutes until reduced and thickened. Add the salt, red chili flakes, garam masala, and cumin. Cook for 1 minute more, thenr emove from heat and let cool completely.

Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Treats

2011-11-24T07:27:00.000-08:00

These are a great alternative to the traditional rice crispy treats made with marshmallows. Though I must admit that seeing the box of red and green rice crispies does make me want to buy them. But I know I'd be much happier eating these healthier tastier treats. When I made these, I omitted the salt and didn't feel like it was missing anything. But I know that sweet treats often do need a bit of salt so if you want you can add that 1/2 tsp of salt (or maybe 1/4 tsp would be better).

If you guys are into tea at all or know someone who is, I highly recommend checking out David's Tea Advent Calendar!! I had to pick one up for myself. I'm a tea addict and can't wait for December 1 to open my first tea door. (Updated Nov 25: Oops sorry I didn't realize this was sold out already. :( I should have posted about it sooner. Maybe they have some in stores though?)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Granola Bars
Cocoa Nibbles
Coconut Raspberry Walnut Power Bars
5 Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Chews

Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Treats
Adapted from Oh She Glows

1/2 cup chunky almond butter
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp Earth Balance
3 1/2 cups brown rice crisp cereal
Chocolate drizzle: 1/3 cup chocolate chips + 1 tbsp peanut butter
Shredded coconut, to garnish

1. Prepare an 8 inch by 8 inch square pan, by lining it with parchment paper on both sides.

2. In a large pot over low-medium heat, add the brown rice syrup, Earth Balance, and peanut butter. Stir well until combined and heated through. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.

3. Stir in rice crisp cereal until thoroughly combined.

4. Scoop into pan and spread evenly. Press down with fingers or roll flat with pastry roller. Place in freezer to set for 5 minutes while you make the chocolate glaze.

5. In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips. Microwave for about 60 seconds, stirring after 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn. Stir in the peanut butter.

6. Remove pan from freezer and drizzle or spread with melted chocolate mixture. Sprinkle with coconut and place in the freezer until firm, about 15 minutes. Slice into squares. Bars will hold their shape quite well at room temperature, but you can store in the fridge to ensure the chocolate stays solid.

Tex-Mex Stuffed Portabellos

2011-11-22T07:30:00.000-08:00

I found out yesterday that I passed my certification exam! Hurray! I'm sure there are more stressful certification exams but the oral situational exam was definitely tough for this one. But it's over. I'm so happy!! :)

The green in the green onion looks too bright and kind of out of place, but it definitely adds to the deliciousness. (The green onion, not the green.)

I'm sharing this recipe with you not because I thought it was the most amazing food ever, but because I love the idea and think with some tweaks it would be really yummy. Mostly I would just increase the level of spices (coriander, cumin and paprika). I love the combination of onions, bell peppers, toamto, cheese, mushrooms, and green onions.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Swiss Rarebit
Red and White Tortellini
Black Bean and Zucchini Chilaquiles
Southwest Brunch Bake

Tex-Mex Stuffed Portabellos
Adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp chipotle powder
1 yellow and 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped (2 to 2 1/2 cups)
1 tsp ground coriander (I would use 2 tsp next time)
1 tsp ground cumin (I would use 2 tsp next time)
1/2 tsp paprika (I would use 1 tsp next time)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 fresh roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced (about 1 cup)
6 oz monterey jack cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
4 large portabello mushrooms (4 to 5 inches in diameter)
minced green onions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. In a skillet on medium-high heat, cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add the chipotle powder and bell peppers and cook for 2 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the peppers are tender but still firm. Remove from the heat. Stir in the cilantro and tomatoes and two-thirds of the cheese.

3. Break off the stems of the portabellos and save them for another use or discard. Rinse the caps (gently so they don't break), and place smooth side down in a lightly oiled baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. Mound each mushroom with about a cup of the filling. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover the baking dish with foil folded lengthwise to form a little tent so that the foil won't stick to the cheese.

4. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the cheese browns, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve topped with green onions.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-11-20T09:10:00.000-08:00

Remember when I said that I have two new favourite vegan cookie recipes? Well this is the other one. I love that they're thick and don't spread much. These ones are softer and maybe a bit chewier than my other favourite. Having one or two after dinner is the perfect satisfying dessert, and they're great straight out of the freezer.

I've made them with whole wheat pastry flour and also with spelt flour - and I would definitely recommend only using whole wheat pastry flour. Spelt made them too soft and they spread more. I thought it would be a great idea to make them with cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips - bad idea!! I have a huge container of the spelt cacao nib peanut butter cookies that has been in my freezer for months. I'm trying to work my way through them (this is a clear indication that it was a bad experiment) but it's taking forever.

I love Abby's little pink nose.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Peanut Butter Squares with Milk Chocolate and Oats
Lazy Girl's Chocolate Chip Blondies
Dark and Dangerous Triple Chocolate Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks and (never home)maker

Makes 24

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup maple syrup
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place racks in the top third.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. in a separate larger bowl combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir until combined. Pour the flour mixture over the peanut butter mixture and stir until barely combined - still a bit dusty looking. Stir in the chocolate chips, but don't overmix. Let sit for five minutes, give one more quick stir, just a stroke or two. Now drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Press down on each one gently to flatten a bit, with a silicone spatula or the back of your hand (if the dough is sticky then wet your hand). Bake for 10, maybe 11 minutes - but don't over bake or they will be dry. Let cool five minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Apple-Miso Tofu

2011-11-18T08:47:00.000-08:00

Last night was our first snow!!! Probably less than an inch and I'm sure it will be gone soon but I'm so excited and love how the world looks with snow!

I love tofu. A lot. I would much rather eat some plain pan fried in a dry pan tofu than beans. I try so hard to love beans, but unless they're mixed with a bunch of other things or pureed/mashed (hummus, refried beans, soup), I end up having to cover them in something or swallow without tasting. I know I talk a lot about my dislike of beans - but I'm just baffled by people who love beans. How can you love them? And why can't I??

So tofu - it is my favourite. Well lentils are good too. But tofu is first. And this apple miso tofu is something different from other tofus I've made before. You marinade the tofu in miso, mirin, ginger, garlic and soy sauce. Then slice up some apples, add them, and bake the tofu, apples and marinade together. Very flavourful. Very saucy. I like crispy fried tofu, but I also love saucy tofu like this one.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Orange Sesame Tofu & Coconut-Lime Basmati Rice
Sweet and Spicy Cashew Tofu
Lemon Herb Tofu
Honey-Mustard Marinated Tofu

Apple-Miso Tofu
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Marinade:
1/4 cup water
5 tbsp miso (I used red)
1/4 cup mirin
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

Everything Else:
1 block extra firm tofu (about 14 oz)
1 pound apples (about 2 large), cored and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a 9x13 inch baking pan.

Cut the tofu into whatever shape you like - I went for squares, but cubes, triangles or slabs would be good too. Add the tofu and let marinate for at least an hour, or up to 12 hours, flipping once in a while to make sure things get coated.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Add the apples to the pan; it;'s okay if they're not all submerged. Cover the pan tightly with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and remove the tinfoil. Bake for another 20 minutes. The tofu should be lightly browned and the apples should be nice and soft. Serve over rice if desired.

Wheat Berry Salad with Zucchini and Mozzarella

2011-11-16T08:37:00.000-08:00

There was a time when I used to try to take better photos for my blog. I had a white piece of poster board that I would always get out. Not that my photos are amazing, but I did try to make them decent. However now it's just taking a photo as quick as I can. I thought it might be interesting to take a photo on my dining table. At the time it was covered with cookbooks to protect the puzzle underneath from Abby's curious paws. There's a laptop in the corner, our house phone (how many people even have one anymore?), and a recipe I printed out in the top left corner. A little piece of my world.

While I made this salad in the summer, I think it'd be great this time of year too. You can have everything warm and then put it on top of the lettuce. My favourite things about this salad are the radishes (which I never think to buy or add to salads but add such a nice crunch and flavour) and the wheat berries (oh how I love the chewiness). The salad also has walnuts (originally pine nuts but holy those are expensive), zucchini of course, roasted bell peppers, lettuce, garlic, dill, mozzarella cubes (yum) and vinegar. It was best on the first day - probably because I didn't keep the lettuce out, which I would highly recommend you do if you aren't going to finish the whole thing in one day.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
High Protein Quinoa Almond Fruit Salad
Warm Roasted Pumpkin & Shallot Salad
Know Your Roots Salad
Back On Track Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad

Wheat Berry Salad with Zucchini and Mozzarella
Adapted from Eats Well With Others who adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

Serves 4-5

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
2 lb zucchini, halved lengthwise
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper
1 cup raw wheat berries
3 roasted red bell peppers, cut into strips
6 radishes, sliced thinly
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped (I would add more next time)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup cubed mozzarella

1. Add 2 1/2 cups water to a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the wheat berries. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until tender but still a bit chewy. Drain any excess water and set aside. This step can be done in advance and the wheat berries can be refrigerated.

2. Turn on the broiler. The heat should be medium-high and the rack about 4 inches from the fire. Brush the zucchini with the 1 tbsp oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and broil, turning as needed, until lightly charred on both sides and beginning to soften, 5 minutes or more. When they're cool enough to handle, cut the zucchini into chunks or slices.

3. Toss together the zucchini, wheat berries, roasted red peppers, radishes, lettuce, and dill in a large salad bowl. Add the vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Toss with mozzarella. If you don't plan on finishing the salad the day you make it, keep the lettuce out and add it just before serving.

Pumpkin Ginger Molasses Cookies

2011-11-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

While I love pumpkin loaves, muffins, cakes and cheesecakes, I do not like pumpkin cookies. They're too soft and cakey - something I don't think cookies should ever be. But these pumpkin ginger cookies were too intriguing to resist. They're not the chewy ginger molasses style cookie. And while they are definitely soft, they're not too cakey. I've now found a pumpkin cookie I can say I really do enjoy.

I bought a sugar pumpkin this year (which was used half for soup and half was roasted and put on Halloween night nachos). You know what I've discovered? I don't like pumpkin on its own. In baked goods yes. But it's too watery and not quite the right flavour for me. (I seem to have a lot of rules as to when I do and don't like pumpkin, eh?) I think the thing I love most about pumpkins is the idea of it. I love how cute they are. I love the spices that usually go with it. I love that it makes me think of fall and Halloween and homey comforting things.

But my favourite winter squash to eat is definitely kabocha, followed by butternut and delicata (which I tried for the first time this year). I love being able to eat the squash skin - and I can't believe I didn't know you can eat the skin of butternut squash (thanks Joanne.) Why do recipes always tell you to peel it then?? Silly loss of nutrients and deliciousness.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Loaf
All-In-One Holiday Bundt Cake

Pumpkin Ginger Molasses Cookies
Adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

I used Earth Balance butter instead of regular butter (as the original recipe calls for), and I'm wondering if I maybe should have added a touch more salt to the recipe to compensate for that. I'm not sure if the original recipe used salted or unsalted butter. But I thought this recipe could use a bit more salt - maybe 3/4 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp.

Yields 3 to 3 1/2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup Earth Balance butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling the cookies
1/2 cup pure pumpkin
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy and smooth. Add the pumpkin, molasses, egg, and vanilla extract, mix until well combined.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 1 hour. The dough can be chilled for 2-3 days.

3. When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper. Place sugar in a small bowl. Roll tablespoon-sized balls of dough in sugar until well coated and place on prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until cookies look cracked and set at the edges. The cookies will still be soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a 2-3 minutes after removing them from the oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Asparagus and Chickpea Stir-Fry with Hoisin Sauce

2011-11-12T08:47:00.000-08:00

So many vegetarian stir fries use tofu as the protein (or tempeh - when will I begin to love you), so I was really excited that Janet had the idea to swap out tofu for chickpeas in this one. Spinach, asparagus and cashews are combined with the most perfect mix of lime, basil and hoisin sauce. I did not know those 3 things would be so delicious together but yum. I still see asparagus in the grocery store but you could use broccoli instead.

I was just looking to see if hoisin sauce is vegan (I think it is), and found out that literally translated, hoisin means "seafood". This may explain why when we go to Chinese restaurants, E's dad always tells me that the hoisin sauce has fish/seafood in it and E always shakes his head and says no this is hoisin sauce it doesn't.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pureed Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew with Chickpeas
Thai Chick-Un Pizza
Swift, Delicious Bean Salad
Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill and Lemon

Asparagus and Chickpea Stir-Fry with Hoisin Sauce
Adapted from the taste space who adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Serves 4

1.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas, or a 19 oz can, drained and rinsed well
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb asparagus, ends snapped off and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cashews
1 bunch of spinach (300g), coarsely chopped
zest and juice from 1 lime
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tbsp fresh basil, thinly sliced

Have all your ingredients prepped and within arms reach of the stove. Heat olive oil in a large pan, or wok over medium high heat. Once hot, add the onions, ginger, red pepper flakes, asparagus, and salt to taste. Stir fry for about a minute, then add the garlic, cashews, and spinach and stir-fry for another minute, or until the spinach wilts. Add the chickpeas to the pan, stir for about a minute until the chickpeas are warm. Stir in the lime zest and juice and the hoisin sauce. Cook for another 10-20 seconds, stirring all the while.

Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Taste and add a bit more salt and/or lime juice if needed.

Pineapple Carrot Ginger Muffins

2011-11-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

I love carrot cake, especially when there's pineapple in it. These muffins are healthy carrot cake you can have for breakfast! The ginger is prominent (freshly grated) but not too strong. I found the texture a bit wet, but that could be because I used flax eggs instead of regular eggs - and maybe I should have just added 2 tablespoons of ground flax and no additional water instead? Something to try for next time.

Random personal tidbit for the day - Thursday is my favourite TV day. I love Grey's Anatomy, Vampire Diaries and Secret Circle. More so the first two, but I'm a sucker for any supernatural show.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins
Garden Harvest Cake
Morning Glory Muffins
Spiced Carrot Muffins

Pineapple Carrot Ginger Muffins
Adapted from The Muffin Myth

Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1/3 cup loose packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tin (398ml) crushed pineapple – don’t drain!
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp water, let it sit for 5 minutes)
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 cups grated carrot (about 3 carrots)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare muffin tins and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift dry ingredients together. In a slightly larger bowl, whisk together crushed pineapple, flax eggs, olive oil, and grated ginger. Add the dry ingredients all at once, and stir until just combined. Add grated carrot and walnuts, stirring to distribute evenly through the batter. Spoon into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 30 min, rotating the tins half way through. Gently release the muffins from the tins, and turn onto their sides in the tins to cool.

Red and White Cauliflower Bake

2011-11-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

I've tried various vegan cream sauces but I don't like most of them which is why I never post them on here. I think it's the nutritional yeast and the soy milk. I used to always drink Silk unsweetened plain soy, but have just switched to Silk unsweetened almond and am really enjoying it. (So much better than Almond Breeze, which I know tons of people love.) I'm hoping that in future vegan cream sauces, the almond will blend more smoothly versus standing out like the soy milk. Anyway, I made this cauliflower bake with soy milk and while I could taste the soy, it was a really nice homey dish that I'd happily eat again. I love when tomato sauce is combined with cream (or in this case tofu, cauliflower, soy milk and nutritional yeast). This photo was taken the day after, so it cut out a nice slice, but it'll be a bit of a soft (delicious) mess when you serve it hot from the oven.

Sunday night we were lucky to be invited to the Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour! Cirque is my favourite and we always go when they come to town. I haven't been to Vegas but when we go I plan on watching as many as I can. I don't have any pictures of the show but it was amazing. They did such a great job given that Cirque is usually in small tents, and the venue they had this time was huge in comparison. I tend not to share a lot about myself and my life (aside from food related things) on my blog, but I always love reading random tidbits about other people's lives on their blogs, so I'm going to try and share more than just Abby photos. We'll see how it goes! :)

Abby likes to squish herself into any boxes we leave around.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Red and White Tortellini
Lentil Veggie Burrito Casserole
Cauliflower and Parmesan Cake
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Red and White Cauliflower Bake
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes 4 servings

Simple Marinara
1/2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried marjoram
3/4 tsp dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, blended
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups cauliflower, chopped small and steamed

Herbed Tofu Ricotta
1 pkg extra firm tofu, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water

White Sauce
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp stone ground mustard
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
1 cup bread crumbs (I toast whole grain bread then grind it up in a food processor)

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Marinara
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the herbs and saute for a minute or two, being careful not to burn. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, chop the cauliflower into very small pieces and steam.

Herbed Tofu Ricotta
Mix together the tofu, salt, basil, rosemary, marjoram, lemon juice, yeast, pepper and the cornstarch/water mixture.

White Sauce
Whisk the margarine in a saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk into a paste. Add the tahini, lemon juice, mustard, and the yeast and whisk well. Slowly add the soy milk, whisking well to make a smooth sauce. Add the salt and pepper and whisk over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened; it should coat the back of a spoon thickly.

Assemble the Casserole
Place the tofu ricotta in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish - shallow and long works better than deep and narrow. Press it down to form an even layer.

Mix the cauliflower with the white sauce and spread it over the tofu in an even layer. Add the tomato sauce on top of the cauliflower, top with bread crumbs, and bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and browned.

Let stand at least 5-10 minutes before serving sot he casserole can set.

High Protein Quinoa Almond Fruit Salad

2011-11-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

I know I'm terrible for posting dishes that involve out of season fruit or vegetables. But things can always be substituted or recipes can be saved for next year! I thought this quinoa fruit salad was really interesting. It's such a unique way to combine fruit and protein for a great snack. I used yellow plums, blueberries and cherries but I'm sure other fruit like apples, oranges (mandarin oranges!) and persimmons would be good too. Whatever you like, really.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Cocoa Nibbles
Apple Fennel Celery Salad
Coconut Raspberry Walnut Power Bars
Sunny Jungle Bars

High Protein Quinoa Almond Fruit Salad
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Makes about 4-5 snack size servings

3/4 cup dry quinoa
3 cups plums
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup cherries, pitted and sliced
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, chop the fruit and place in a large bowl.

3. Mix the dressing ingredients (maple syrup, balsamic, lime juice, salt) in a small jar and adjust to taste if necessary. Note: You may have to double the dressing recipe if your salad is quite large.

4. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork and add to large bowl with fruit. Combine. Pour on dressing and mix well. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until serving time.

Vegan Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-11-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

I have two new favourite vegan cookie recipes. I know there are a million chocolate chip cookie recipes but these are too good not to post about. Not to mention ridiculously easy to put together. They don't spread too much, don't puff too much. They have nice crisp edges, and soft but not cakey middles. I've tried them with all purpose flour and with spelt (all purpose was better with crispy edges, spelt resulted in a cookie that spread more and was softer - light spelt might work well though). I've tried them with chocolate chips and with M&Ms (not vegan, I know). It's a great base cookie recipe to add in whatever you like.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Chocolate Dipped Cherry Shortbread
Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Chocolate Marble Chunk Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Vive le Vegan!

Makes 8-10 large cookies

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup unrefined sugar (I use sucanat)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup oil (I usually use olive oil but safflower or canola would be good too)
1/3-1/2 cup non dairy chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, vanilla and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix).

Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat, and flatten a little. Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake longer, they'll dry out). Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Spicy Potato & Corn Salad

2011-11-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

I love potato salad, as I'm sure most of us do. I don't eat it often and never make it though, as I don't want to eat tons of mayonnaise. But this potato salad has no mayonnaise and just 2 teaspoons of oil. And I love that it has beans, chipotle peppers, cilantro and of course my favourite corn.

It's a nice twist on traditional potato salad and makes a great meal salad. I liked eating it warm better than cold. It's too bad I didn't post in the summer when corn was in season! But I've added in instructions for using frozen corn which I'm sure would be just as good.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Know Your Roots Salad
Back On Track Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad
Quinoa Corn Salad
Spiced Squash, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad

Spicy Potato & Corn Salad
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Serves 6

3 ears corn, shucked (or about 1 1/2 cups frozen corn)
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used red, white and blue)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 canned chipotles, mashed into a paste
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp agave
2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic, grated on a Microplane grater or minced very finely
2 cups pinto beans, cooked (a little less than 1 cup dry or a 16 oz can drained and rinsed)
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Mixed greens, for serving

Prepare your steaming apparatus while you prep your veggies.

First, if using fresh corn, steam the corn for about 5 minutes. Remove from the steamer and set aside until cool enough to handle. If using frozen corn, warm it in the microwave or on the stove with water, drain, then set aside.

Place the potatoes in the steamer, and steam for 7 to 10 minutes. The potatoes should be tender enough to pierce with a fork, but not falling apart. Remove from the steamer and set aside to cool.

In the meantime, prepare the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, stir together vinegar, chipotles, oil, agave, water, and salt. Grate in the garlic.

When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut it from the cob: Place it directly in a large mixing bowl, pointy side up, and use your chef's knife to cut down the sides. Once all the corn is in there, just break it up with your fingers. If using frozen corn, add the drained corn to the mixing bowl. Fold in the cooled potatoes, pinto beans, and red onion.

Add the dressing and toss to coat. Mix in the cilantro and taste for salt. Add more chipotle if desired. Either serve immediately over mixed greens, or if you want it cold then chill until ready to serve, then serve over mixed greens.

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies

2011-10-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!

E wanted to make a happy pumpkin, while I went for a crazy vampire pumpkin.

I wanted to make some Halloween cookies for E to bring to work and I have my Halloween cookie cutters that must be used! I was looking for a vegan sugar cookie recipe but then came across these chocolate cut-out cookies which seemed like more fun.

The dough was super easy to roll out, which made me so happy as rolling out dough can be stressful. The cookies tasted good, though I didn't love them. They could have been more chocolate-y. The texture was like a chewy sugar cookie. I was going to use royal icing to frost them but saw this confectioner's icing (which is vegan) and the recipe said it dries hard. Perfect! Sadly, it does not dry hard. Or maybe I put on too thick of a layer - but I did follow the recipe. The icing does dry to some degree, just not hard like royal icing. Which means if you stack the cookies for a length of time, the icing will come off on the cookie on top of it. Anyway, I had fun making them and go to use up some of my black sprinkles too. :)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Sugar Cookie Bars
Ginger Spice Cookies
Dark and Dangerous Triple Chocolate Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocoalte Pillows

Chocolate Cut-Out Cookies
Adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Makes 2-3 dozen 2-3 inch cookies (depends on your cookie cutter, I got about 28)

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. In a mixing bowl, vigorously mix the sugar, oil and nondairy milk. Mix in the vanilla extract.

2. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well combined. The dough should be stiff but pliable. Divide in half, and form into discs; flatten and refrigerate for about an hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpats. Roll dough out about 1/8 inch thick onto a lightly floured surface. Use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes and a thin spatula to transfer the cookies to the baking sheets. Roll the dough scraps out to get a few more cookies.

4. Bake for 7 minutes. Let cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes before moving them to wire racks to cool completely. Store in a tightly sealed container.

Confectioner's Icing
Adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2 tbsp nondairy milk

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all the ingredients using a wire whisk until smooth. Combine to form a glaze that can be easily spread with an icing spatula or piped from a pastry bag with a small round tip.

2. If the icing is too thick, whisk in 1 tsp at a time of either nondairy milk or water. If too thin, whisk in more powdered sugar by the tablespoon until a desired consistency is reached.

Baked Goods from Sweet Freedom

2011-10-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Ricki's baking book, Sweet Freedom, is one of my favourite cookbooks. Though I don't post about it often, I actually bake from it quite frequently and always love the results. Here's what I've made recently from it.

Raisin spice tea bread. I tried to make an earl grey tea bread many years ago and remember it being a disaster and not cooking in the middle. This bread was a completely different experience. It's so soft, and I love the spices. I wrote on the recipe "make it all the time". E doesn't love this one, but that's because he's not a big spice fan.

Fluffy fruited pancakes. I've made these SO many times, though I've only ever made them once with berries. They are seriously the perfect healthy fluffy soft pancakes. I freeze the leftovers and reheat them in the toaster where they become crispy mmm. The recipe is also on Ricki's blog.

Banana oat bars. E loved these. They're nice and soft, and have raisins, coconut and of course lots of oats. I'm not a big baked banana fan so while I do think these are good, I would rather have the raisin spice tea bread! The recipe is also on Ricki's blog. (I should've frosted mine like her!! Yum.)

Carrot snack cake. I made this to bring to a friend's house for dinner. It was so so good, really moist and very flavourful. It had raisins, cinnamon, ginger, lemon and coconut. Everyone loved it and I can't wait to make it again. It's like a healthier and more flavourful version of regular carrot cake.

Oatbran banana muffins. I know I said I don't like banana baked goods yet I keep making them! I love that these muffins are oat bran based (using 1 1/2 cups of it!). I think I baked mine a bit long though as they were a little dry. The flavour was good though.

Orange oat muffins. These are my new favourite muffins. I would call them orange and date muffins though. I love how strong the orange flavour is, and they're so moist. I get really sick of sweet muffins sometimes, but I don't think I'll ever get tired of these ones.

Pasta with French Lentils and Kale

2011-10-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

I love all the stuff in this pasta dish, but especially the lentils and kale. I didn't expect much of this recipe, but I was looking for a recipe to use up kale so thought I'd try it. And it's actually quite good for such a simple and healthy recipe.

I know I've mentioned before that sometimes when I look back at the food I've photographed for the blog, I can't remember what some of it is. Drives me crazy. It only took me 4 years to figure out a better system! I'm now keeping a notepad file where I write all of my meals to blog about and the date, as I make them. I have no idea what this dish above is. And since it was both not very memorable and doesn't look that appetizing, I guess that's no real loss. My best guess is that it's Thai red curry, from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan and Kale
Spaghetti and Beanballs with Onion & Roasted Garlic Tomato Sauce
Artichoke Rotini Pasta
Fresh Pear and Curry Pasta

Pasta with French Lentils and Kale
Adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health

Serves 4

1 cup French green lentils (or other lentils)
3 cups water
8 oz chunky-shaped whole grain pasta
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 cups chopped kale
2 tsp dried thyme
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
Ground black pepper

1. In a covered saucepan, bring the lentils and water to a simmer. Cook covered until tender but firm, about 20 minutes. Drain, cover, and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large covered pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Reserve about a cup of the pasta cooking liquid, and drain.

3. While the pasta cooks, in a skillet on medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened. Add the garlic and salt, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots, paprika, and red pepper flakes and cook until the carrots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the kale and about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water and cook until the kale is tender, adding more water if needed. Stir in the thyme and tomatoes and remove from the heat.

4. In a serving bowl, toss together the cooked lentils, the pasta, and the vegetables. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Bakery-Style Berry Muffins

2011-10-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

These are the kind of muffins that I rarely make. White flour and a decent amount of sugar and oil - though actually I've seen muffins with more sugar and oil/fat so I guess these aren't too terrible. Well taste wise, they are not terrible at all. They're the perfect muffin - soft insides with hard tops. If you want to retain the crisp muffin tops, freeze the muffins immediately after cooling - then when you want to eat them, thaw them on the counter and eat shortly after. While I did not make these with soy yogurt (I've actually never tried non dairy yogurt if you can believe it), that's what the original recipe calls for so I'll leave it that way. I can't wait to try other mix-ins using this muffin base.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Double Chocolate Avocado Muffins
Coconut Banana Muffins
Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins
Blackberry Orange Tea Scones

Bakery-Style Berry Muffins
Adapted from Vegan Brunch

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup soy yogurt
1/2 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
1/2 cup olive oil (or canola or safflower)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries (I used raspberries, blackberries and blueberries)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare a muffin tin with oil or liners.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center and add the yogurt, milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Fold in the berries.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin; it should almost fill the entire tin. Bake for 26 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick or butter knife inserted through the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the tin, then transfer muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter with Hemp, Flax, and Chia Seed

2011-10-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

My favourite nut butter is peanut butter - boring yes, but it's so good! Sometimes I buy almond butter, but I don't really like it. I've bought the big jars from Costco because it's so much cheaper, then I'm looking for ways to use it up. But I've never tried making my own almond butter before (or any nut butter for that matter).

I've seen people making different types of nut butters on their blogs, so I finally gave it a try with this maple cinnamon almond butter. And it was really good! Much better than the store bought one. I like having plain nut butter, but it's nice to have something more interesting like this one too. My only complaint is that it's a bit sweet for me. I really hate having sweet things in the morning (unless it's fruit) and so next time I would maybe cut the maple syrup in half, but that's just me.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Peanut Butter Waffles
Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins
Energy Cookies
Peanut Butter Squares with Milk Chocolate and Oats

Maple Cinnamon Almond Butter with Hemp, Flax, and Chia Seed
Adapted from Oh She Glows who adapted from Edible Perspective

Yield 1 & 1/4 cup

2 cup raw almonds
2 tbsp whole flax seeds
2 tbsp hemp seeds
1 tbsp chia seeds
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a Silpat mat. In a large bowl, mix together the almonds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, and maple syrup. Spread out almond mixture onto baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once half way through.

2. Remove from oven and allow the almond mixture to cool for a few minutes before placing into a food processor with the cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Process for about 10 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl every as needed (every minute or so). The mixture will be very smooth when ready.

Curry Laksa

2011-10-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

I'm finished my exam!! I'm done schooling forever. Well I might change my mind one day but I have no plans to continue. It's been 9 years of post secondary education which is enough for me. Now I have to wait until December to see if I passed and become certified. Ahhh waiting isn't fun. But I'm really happy my exam is over, now I can get back to fun things like cooking healthy meals, blogging and my new found love yoga. :)

This is another recipe from Appetite for Reduction. I've never eaten or made laksa before so I can't vouch for it's authenticity but we enjoyed it. It was a bit sour (is it supposed to be?) and while the flavour was nice, I wish it was stronger. Not my favourite recipe from Appetite for Reduction, but it was still good. I think marinating the tofu beforehand and then cooking it separately would improve the dish because the sauce/soup isn't flavourful enough to infuse the tofu during cooking. Maybe marinating it in curry paste, lime juice, and soy sauce then pan frying it?

By the way, have you guys made this pasta with ruby chard and cranberries yet? I've been making some variation of it a lot recently, using up the plethora of greens from our CSA. Delicious!! I can't wait to eat it for lunch today.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale and Carrots
Kung Pao Noodles with Peanuts and Wok Fried Vegetables
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Vegetarian Pho

Curry Laksa
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Serves 4

3-4 tbsp red curry paste
1 small red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
1 red pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Shanghai bok choy
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 block extra firm tofu (about 14 oz), cubed
8 oz pad Thai rice noodles
3/4 cup light coconut milk
3 tbsp lime juice (from 1 or 2 limes)
3 tbsp agave
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Put a big pot of water on to boil for the noodles. In the meantime, prep all your veggies.

Preheat another 4 quart pot over medium high heat. Place 3 tablespoons of curry paste in the pot and mix in the onion and peppers. Saute for about 2 minutes. Use a little nonstick cooking spray if it seems to be sticking excessively. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the bok choy stems, broth, soy sauce, and salt, and bring to a slow rolling boil (no need to cover). Add the tofu and cook for 10 more minutes..

At this point, your water for the noodles is probably boiling, so cook the noodles. They should be done in 5 minutes; drain and set aside.

Add the coconut milk, lime juice, agave and bok choy leaves to the curry and mix, being gentle so as not to break the tofu. Taste for salt and spice. You may want to add more curry paste. Ladle into bowls and top with cilantro.

Thanksgiving! Featuring Sweet Potatoes with Pecans, Goat Cheese and Celery

2011-10-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

I hope all the Canadians had a great Thanksgiving this past weekend! I was so ridiculously excited for Thanksgiving this year for some reason. My mom and I planned an epic feast with appetizers, punch, lots of of side dishes, and desserts. I'll be sharing the recipe for the sweet potato appetizer E made as it was my favourite new thing we tried. Looking at the photos on the camera now I see that some of them are actually quite blurry, but I wanted to eat and was taking them mostly for documentation purposes! :) Let's begin our journey through Thanksgiving 2011.

Appetizer - sweet potatoes with Thanksgiving on top. I ate way too many of these because they were so good, and then was worried I wouldn't be able to eat much at dinner. The topping was so flavourful and perfect for a holiday meal - shallots, celery, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, goat cheese, and herbs. Next time I'd try to fit more topping on each sweet potato, though it's kind of difficult and messy. Will definitely make these again! I've included the recipe at the end of this post.

Appetizer - cranberry cheese phyllo parcels, made by my mom. I just tried to find the recipe online but couldn't. She got it out of a Canadian Living holiday magazine I think. They were really yummy!

Punch! I don't actually like punch and almost always drink water, but I thought punch would be fun and I wanted to make neat ice cubes. I was going to make an ice ring with frozen fruit inside, but then decided to use my Halloween pumpkin silicon muffin mould instead. Don't think you can really see the pumpkin ice cubes in this photo though.

The table ready for dinner. Roasted garlic mashed potatoes (yummy but needed more roasted garlic - maybe 6 heads next time?), brussel sprouts, and homemade cranberry sauce.

Beets, salad, baked cheesy cauliflower, vegan gravy, and vegetarian stuffing. I really need to post about that baked cheesy cauliflower sometime as it's a family favourite. I made the vegan gravy from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan because Angela said it was really good. It was alright but I've had better vegan gravy, like this shiitake one that I need to make again and then post about. (There was also turkey, meat gravy, and sausage stuffing.)

Vegan green bean casserole. I've been dying to try making this for so long. Unfortunately I didn't think it was that good. Maybe because the mushroom sauce wasn't that flavourful or there wasn't enough sauce? I used this recipe from Fat Free Vegan. I used 3 tbsp flour instead of 2, unsweetened plain soy milk instead of soy creamer, and omitted the sherry.

My plate! Yum yum yum. Going clockwise from the bottom left corner - vegan green bean casserole, vegetarian stuffing (YUM stuffing is my favourite), roasted garlic mashed potatoes with vegan gravy, beets, baked cheesy cauliflower, carrots, brussel sprouts, salad, and homemade cranberry sauce.

Dessert! My brother and sister-in-law made sex in a pan, which I've never had before so was really excited to try. And I made pumpkin cheesecake.

I was really happy with how the pumpkin cheesecake turned out. I won't pretend that I can always make cheesecake this well though. A lot of times it cracks and the edges are a bit rubbery. Not this time. It was perfection. So creamy. What I did differently is used mini cheesecake pans (so I baked them for a shorter amount of time) and used a water bath. I posted a bit more of the details on my original pumpkin cheesecake post.

And thus concludes Thanksgiving 2011. We brought home tons of leftovers and I'm so looking forward to eating them all week.

Sweet Potatoes with Pecans, Goat Cheese and Celery [a.k.a. Roasted Marshmallow-y Sweet Potatoes with Thanksgiving on Top]
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 1/2 pounds sweet potato, scrubbed, unpeeled, in 3/4- to 1-inch coins
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup toasted and cooled pecan halves
2 tiny or 1 small shallot
2 stalks celery
2 tsp herbes de provence (original recipe used 2 tbsp fresh parsley)
1 tablespoon dried cranberries
2 ounces firmish goat cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smooth Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 450F. Coat a large baking sheet generously with olive oil, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Lay sweet potatoes in one layer on the oiled sheet. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast, without disturbing, for 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully flip each piece: the undersides should be blistery, dark and a bit puffy and should release from the pan with no effort. If they’re not, let it cook longer. Sprinkle them with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper and return the pan to the oven for another 10-30 minutes or so, until the undersides match the tops. (Ashley note: E was the one that made these, and he said that he had to bake the sweet potatoes a lot longer than the recipe suggested so that's why I changed it to 10-30 minutes.)

Meanwhile, prepare your salad. Chop your pecans well, mince your shallot, chop your celery, mince cranberries. Crumble your goat cheese and stir it into the mixture. In a small dish, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon Dijon. Pour over salad.

When the sweet potatoes are done, lay them on a serving platter. Scoop a spoonful of the salsa over each round. Eat immediately. (Ashley note: We baked the sweet potato earlier in the day and kept the salad separate, then reheated the sweet potato just before serving and topped with salad.)

Know Your Roots Salad

2011-10-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

This vegetable and wheat berry filled salad is my new favourite. Roasted beets and sweet potato, with cinnamon (I thought the cinnamon would be weird but it's amazing). Mix that with sauteed beet greens or kale and lots of garlic, some sunflower seeds or walnuts and a simple dressing. It's total magic. And it's the perfect warm fall salad, though I definitely ate it a few times this past summer. I'm so happy it's finally October, I've waited all year for it! Halloween is my favourite and I love how cozy October is.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Back on Track Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad
Autumn Panzanella
Spiced Squash, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad
Warm Roasted Pumpkin & Shallot Salad

Know Your Roots Salad
Adapted from Kath Eats

Serves 4

3 beets, peeled and chopped
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)
1 tbsp olive oil plus 1 tsp
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup dry wheat berries
Beet greens from the 3 beets, chopped (or if you don't have the greens then use kale)
7 cloves garlic, split into 5 and 2
2 tbsp sunflower seeds or chopped walnuts
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 425F. Cut greens off beets and set aside. Chop beets and sweet potato. Rub beets and sweet potato with 1 tablespoon oil, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Bake for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine wheat berries with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes, until tender but still chewy.

Chop beet greens or kale. Sautee the greens in 1 teaspoon oil and 5 cloves garlic. Set aside. Prepare the dressing: combine maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, 2 cloves garlic, salt and pepper in a jar. Stir to combine. Pour over salad.

Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale and Carrots

2011-09-30T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am currently trying to make sure my brain is crammed full of all the information I need to know for my oral certification exam in a couple of weeks. This is no easy feat! I am making up random stories to try and help me remember stuff like how cows don't want to be the only one responsible for E. coli O157:H7 so they invited their ruminant friends (deers, sheeps, goats) to be reservoirs too, along with humans. Yea. Okay I'll stop talking about foodborne illnesses now and move onto food? Can you tell the studying is making my brain wonky. One thing I like to do while studying is have cat photo shoots.

So here is a delicious bowl of rice noodles in a lime peanut sauce with tons of kale, carrots and seitan. I love Asian noodle dishes and love peanut sauces, so you can understand why I really loved this dish. The original recipe called for 2 cups of kale - 2 cups of kale?? How about 5. I like lots of vegetables with my noodles. You know what else I like - nuts in my noodle (or rice) dishes. This one has peanuts but you could use cashews. Oh and can I just say that I love that the recipe instructs you to cut the noodles into shorter lengths. I often do this because everything can mix together more easily and you don't end up with noodles on your face, but this is the first recipe I've seen that actually suggests doing it.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Kung Pao Noodles with Peanuts and Wok Fried Vegetables
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Vegetarian Pho
Pad Thai

Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale and Carrots
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes 4 servings

250 g wide, flat rice noodles
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp oil
5 cups kale, shredded
1 1/2 cups seitan, cut into strips
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 cup of peanuts

Begin by boiling water for your rice noodles. While waiting, make the peanut sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, sugar, chili flakes, and ginger powder until combined. Set aside.

Cook the noodles until just softened, then drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well. Use kitchen shears to cut the noodles down to shorter lengths (run your scissors through the noodles until "chopped" or actually chop the noodles with a knife. Uniformly sized noodles make mixing everything together much easier). Set noodles aside.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the kale and stir until cooked through and browning in some parts. Add the seitan and carrots, and then turn down the heat a bit.

Add the noodles to the pan. Add the sauce. Stir until everything is well combined. Turn off the heat. Add the nuts and serve immediately.

Espresso Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2011-09-28T08:44:00.001-07:00

I love making cookies, vegan cookies especially because you can usually mix them together in a bowl with a spatula - no need to take out the Kitchenaid mixer or wait for butter to soften! While these espresso chip oatmeal cookies aren't my favourite from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar (these cowboy cookies are), I still enjoyed them. They were really soft and moist (whereas I like crispy cookie edges), and tasted more chocolatey than like espresso/coffee (I wanted them to taste strongly of coffee). I used quick cooking oats, as the recipe suggested, but next time I'd go with old fashioned oats. I seem to always prefer old fashioned oats to the quick oats but I have a big bag of quick oats to use up!

I went to the states over the weekend and got to eat at Chipotle. Oh Chipotle, why aren't you in Canada??!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows
Dark and Dangerous Triple Chocolate Cookies
Coconut Oatmeal Cookies
Energy Cookies

Espresso Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Makes 1 1/2 - 2 dozen

1/2 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
1/2 cup canola or safflower oil
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cups quick cooking oats (I'll use old fashioned oats next time)
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking mats.

In a large bowl, mix together nondairy milk, oil, flax seeds, brown sugar, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Sift in flour, cinnamon, espresso powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Add quick cooking oats and chocolate chips and stir until all ingredients are moistened.

Drop generous tablespoons of dough about 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake for 14 minutes, until cookies are slightly puffed and the edges appear dry. Let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.

Back On Track Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad

2011-09-24T08:40:00.000-07:00

While I usually love highly flavoured dishes, I quite enjoyed the mild flavours of this wheat berry salad. And also, why do I not eat wheat berries more often?? They might be my favourite grain. I love the chewiness. Anyway, I know summer is disappearing (or has disappeared? we've had so much rain here recently) but I would happily enjoy this salad all year long. Chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, red pepper, parsley and green onions, nice and simple, and tasty.

I bought a 2 week unlimited yoga pass and am heading to my 4th class in 5 days! I'm really enjoying it so far and am trying out different types of classes. I like both the more "exercise" type classes like hot yoga, and the relaxing classes like hatha. The teacher yesterday was describing deep breaths as yawning in and sighing out, and it makes more sense to me now.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Greek Barley Salad
Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill & Lemon
Tabbouleh
French Barley Salad

Back On Track Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad
Adapted from Oh She Glows who adapted from Alive Magazine.

Yield ~8 cups

Salad
1 cup dry wheat berries
2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 English cucumber, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 large tomato, diced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh parsley, diced with large stems removed
4 green onions, diced
Salt & pepper, to taste

Dressing
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

In a medium bowl, soak the wheat berries overnight in cold water. The next day, drain the wheat berries and place in a medium sized pot, covered in 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium and simmer for 1 hour. Drain and cool.

In a large bowl, mix together the diced vegetables (cucumber, red pepper, tomato, minced garlic, parsley, green onions). Add in cooked and drained chickpeas and stir.

In a small bowl whisk together the dressing ingredients (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard, soy sauce, fresh lemon juice). Set aside.

When the wheat berries are ready, drain and rinse and then stir into the salad. Add the dressing just before serving and stir well. Now season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with additional parsley if desired.

Perfection Pound Cake with Lemon Curd

2011-09-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

For my brother's birthday (way back in May, wow I'm behind) he requested pound cake with lemon curd and whipped creme fraiche. I've made this Cream Cheese Pound Cake before and while I loved it, I wanted to try a regular pound cake. When we were in Mykonos, they offered pound cake at breakfast every morning and I always had a slice. It's not something I usually think to make (or eat) but I really love it. So soft but dense, and not overflavoured. Just delicious.

Anyway, so this pound cake was good though I would recommend making it the day before you intend to serve it as the edges were crisp on day 1 (which I love actually). Leaving it overnight would allow everything to soften. The lemon curd I made to go with it was really good too. As for the whipped creme fraiche, I didn't really know what I was doing. I tried to whip it like whipped cream and added a touch of sugar. It didn't hold very well though - maybe it needs to be mixed with a bit of whipped cream? Anyway overall the combination was nice, though the pictures are a bit of a mess as they were kind of an afterthought taken at my mom's house. I think it was my sister in law who had a brilliant idea for how to serve it. A slice of cake on it's side, with whipped creme fraiche in an oval shape, and a circular dollop/ball of lemon curd in the middle, so it looks like an egg.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Cream Cheese Pound Cake and Strawberry Sauce
Tres Leches Cake
Plum Sour Cream Kuchen
Sweetened Condensed Milk Cake

Perfection Pound Cake
Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours

2 cups all-purpose flour or 2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325F. Butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan or an 8"x4" loaf pan. Put the pan on an insulated baking sheet or on two regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Working with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until pale and fluffy for 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 to 2 minutes after each egg goes in. As you’re working, scrape down the bowl and beater often. Mix in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it is incorporated. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top.

Put the cake into the oven to bake, and check on it after about 45 minutes. If it’s browning too quickly, cover it loosely with a foil tent. If you’re using a 9×5 pan, you’ll need to bake the cake for 70 to 75 minutes. The cake is done when a thin knife inserted deep in the center comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven, transfer the pan to a rack and let rest for 30 minutes.

Run a blunt knife between the cake and the sides of the pan and transfer the cake to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature.

Lemon Curd
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook

Makes 2 cups

8 large egg yolks
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tbsp) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a heavy-bottom saucepan; whisk to combine. Cook over low-medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (be sure to scrape the sides of the pan), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes, and registers 160F on an instant read thermometer. (My stove seems to run a bit hot, so you might need to increase the temperature to medium.)

Remove saucepan from heat. Add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl and cover tightly (ex. with a fitted lid or plastic wrap). Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Sushi Roll Edamame Salad with Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette

2011-09-19T10:23:00.000-07:00

I've been eating a ton of salads this summer (which is almost over - yaey autumn!), and have been loving working my way through the salad chapter of Appetite for Reduction. Sushi is something I don't often get tired of, and I loved this salad version of it with lots of extra vegetables (carrots, edamame, lettuce, cucumber) and avocado. The only thing I can think to improve this salad would be to try adding vinegar to the rice (as is done with sushi rice). The green onion-miso vinaigrette was the perfect accompaniment - full of flavour and with no added oil too! And if you ever have an overabundance of green onions (as I did from my CSA - seriously who can eat that many green onions??) I highly recommend trying out this dressing.

On a random note, I'm trying out hot yoga today for the first time! I'm excited but also nervous. And drinking lots of water to prepare!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Japanese Salad with Ginger Magic Dressing
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Soba Noodles with Zucchini Ribbons
Broccoli Slaw

Sushi Roll Edamame Salad
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Serves 4

There's only 2 of us we had this salad 2 nights in a row. I just kept the vegetables in one container, rice in another, and dressing in another, then mixed right before eating.

3/4 cup dry brown rice, cooked and cooled
1 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar
8 cups chopped/torn romaine lettuce
1 small cucumber, cut into matchsticks
1 medium size carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup thinly sliced green onion
4 tsp sesame seeds
2 sheets nori, chiffonaded
1 avocado, chopped
1 recipe Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Cook the brown rice in a rice cooker or on the stove top. Allow it to cool.

Mix together the edamame, rice vinegar, and agave. Set out 4 bowls as the ingredients will be evenly divided among them. Place the lettuce in a bowl, topped with the rice, cucumber, carrot, green onion, sesame seeds, nori and avocado. Drizzle with vinaigrette and toss.

Green Onion-Miso Vinaigrette

1/4 cup red miso
1 cup roughly chopped green onions
3 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp minced ginger
1 clove garlic
2 tsp agave nectar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup water

Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill until ready to use.

Spice Market Sweet Potato and Lentil Packets

2011-09-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

I was so skeptical of this lentil dish. While lentils are my favourite legume, this dish seemed too simple to be good. Just some veggies, raisins, garlic, curry powder. But it's actually really good. Really really good. In a kitchen where I don't often repeat recipes, this one has already been made several times. It's easy to make, healthy, and super tasty (this appears to be the holy trinity for me). The addition of raisins might be my favourite part. I like eating it with some brown rice, but any other grain would be good too.

Abby time!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pumpkin Lentil Curry
Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup with Ginger
Sunflower-Lentil Pie
Spiced Squash, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad

Spice Market Sweet Potato and Lentil Packets
Adapted from Vegetarian Times May/June 2010

Serves 4

3/4 cup dry green or brown lentils
2 cups finely diced sweet potato (about 1/2 lb)
1 large red bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp curry powder
Salt & pepper
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1. Cook the lentils in at least 2 cups of water for about 25-30 minutes, until soft but still firm.

2. Preheat oven to 400F. Place 4 16-inch lengths of foil on work surface. Fold foil in half from short side. Unfold. Shape corners and edges of one half into semicircular "bowl" with 1/2-inch sides.

3. Combine sweet potato, bell pepper, peas, raisins, oil, ginger, garlic and curry powder in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Divide sweet potato mixture among packets; top with 1/3 cup lentils. Pour 1/4 cup broth over lentils. Fold other half of foil over ingredients, and crimp edges in overlapping folds until packets are sealed. Transfer packets to baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes.

5 Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Chews

2011-09-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

I have a giant bag of brown rice crisp cereal so I'm always looking for things I can make with it. These no bake chocolate peanut butter chews are really easy to make and a great chocolatey snack to have in the freezer when you want something sweet. Just don't bring out the whole container of them when you're watching TV otherwise you might eat 4 before you know it like I did!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Coconut Raspberry Walnut Bars
Sunny Jungle Bars
Cocoa Nibbles
Granola Bars

5 Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Chews
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Makes 6-7

1/4 cup smooth all-natural peanut butter
3 tbsp organic brown rice syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp chocolate chips
1 cup brown rice crisp cereal

In a medium sized bowl, stir together all ingredients except rice crisps. Microwave on high for 35-45 seconds. Stir well and immediately stir in the rice crisp cereal, until all rice crisps are coated.

Wet hands thoroughly and shape the mixture into golf ball sized balls. With wet hands, press mixture together firmly into balls so it will hold. Place the balls onto a plate or tray and freeze for 5 minutes. You can keep these chews in the freezer or fridge.

Double Chocolate Avocado Muffins

2011-09-12T09:20:00.000-07:00

I love avocado, but usually eat it fresh like in guacamole, salad, or just as part of any meal. I haven't baked with it much, though I've seen tons of other bloggers making yummy things. So I decided to try out these double chocolate avocado muffins. And they did not disappoint. These cupcakes-masquerading-as-muffins are super soft and moist. When they're warm you can slightly taste the avocado, but not so much when they're cool. If you were to put frosting on these, you would think this was just a regular (and awesome) cupcake.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins
Coconut Banana Muffins
Pumpkin Muffins
Chocolate Chunk Vanilla Muffins

Double Chocolate Avocado Muffins
Adapted from Muffin Tin Mania

Makes 12

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium-sized ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup unsweetened plain soymilk
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a food processor or high powered blender such as the Vita-mix, puree the avocado, maple syrup, soymilk, oil, and vanilla extract together until smooth. Add the avocado mixture to the dry ingredients; mix until all the flour is combined. If the mixture is too dry, stir in additional milk. Fold in chocolate chips.

Divide the batter between 12 medium-sized muffin cups, and bake for about 22 minutes, or until a tester comes out with just a few crumbs. Let cool before unmolding.

Rainbow Rice and Beans

2011-09-08T11:09:00.000-07:00

I made this rice dish with the idea that it could be a stand alone meal. And I didn't find it to quite be what I wanted, maybe not flavourful enough. But it is a great side dish. A great accompaniment to a larger meal, like a potluck. While it wasn't a favourite of mine, other people enjoyed it so I'm sharing it here. To make it again, I think I'd double the spices.

Miss Abby.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Quinoa Corn Salad
Greek Basmati Rice
Warm Roasted Pumpkin & Shallot Salad
Greek Barley Salad

Rainbow Rice and Beans
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum and Oh She Glows

Serves 3 as a main, or more as a side dish

1 cup brown basmati rice, dry

1 tbsp oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can (about 15 oz or 1 3/4 cups) black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen corn
2 medium carrots, shredded

Spices:
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Start the rice with two cups of cold water.

When the rice is almost done cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook until golden brown. Add spice mix and saute until spices begin to bubble up a little bit, being careful not to burn.

Add beans, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce and simmer on low, covered, until rice is done. Add peas, carrots, and corn and for a few moments until defrosted. Add rice to pan, stirring well to mix in beans and veggies and coat with sauce.

Freshly Fruited Yeast Bread

2011-09-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for all your nice comments about our wedding photos. :)

This yeasted fruit bread was so flavourful and delicious. It has cranberries, banana, apple, lemon and orange - though you don't taste the apple and banana much. The texture was perfect for me - dense sort of like a pound cake (but it's yeast bread), and still soft. I loved eating it toasted with butter smeared on top mmm. I'm submitting this bread to yeastspotting.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Bon Ton Bakery Cinnamon Bread
Noreen Kinney's Irish Soda Bread
Braided Lemon Bread
Hot Crossed Buns

Freshly Fruited Yeast Bread
Adapted from The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest

The apple and banana I used were small, so I ended up adding less unbleach white flour than was called for, which is why I put a range of 3-5 cups (instead of the original recipe which says 4-5 cups). Next time I'd be sure to use the full 1 cup grated apple then I'd probably need more flour.

The Sponge:
1 cup wrist-temperature water
2/3 cup orange juice
2 1/4 tsp (1 pkg) active dry yeast
drop of honey
2 cups unbleached white flour

Combine water and juice in a large bowl. Add yeast and honey; beat in the flour. Cover; let rise for 30 to 45 minutes.

The Mix:
1 cup finely minced dried cranberries
1 large ripe banana, mashed
1 packed cup grated peeled apple (I used 1 small apple which was ~1/2 cup)
1 tbsp grated orange rind
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp plus 1 tsp salt
3 tbsp melted butter

Beat into risen sponge.

Additionally:
2 cups whole wheat bread flour
Approximately 3 to 5 more cups unbleached white flour
a little butter or oil for the pans or baking tray

Add the flour a cup at a time, beating at first with a wooden spoon, then kneading it in with a floured hand and dumping it out onto a smooth floured surface. Continue adding flour and kneading the dough until the dough loses its stickiness, about 15 minutes. Oil or butter a bowl generously. Place the dough in it, swish it around (to oil the surface of the dough). Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and let it rise until it has doubled in bulk (about 1 hour). After it has doubled, punch down the dough.

Grease two 8"x4" loaf pans. Divide the dough in 2. Place the dough into the greased pans, press it hard into the corners and bottom of the pan. Cover the dough with a damp cloth, and put it in a warm place to rise until it has doubled, about 30-45 minutes. (Mine didn't rise much in the pans.)

Preheat the oven to 350F at least 15 minutes before baking. Bake at 350F for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. Remove the loaves from the pans. Cool for at least 30 minutes on a rack before slicing.

(Ashley note: Johanna made this bread also and said her bread didn't rise much - which was a problem I also had. The recipe in an older version of the cookbook suggests baking it at 425F so I'll try that next time and then not bake it for as long.)

Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin-Mustard Tofu

2011-09-03T08:07:00.000-07:00

I've been cooking a ton from Appetite for Reduction recently. So many of the recipes appeal to me so I wouldn't be surprised if I slowly work my way through making every single recipe. Some of the things I've made have been outstanding, like the black bean, zucchini & olive tacos with garlic-lemon yogurt and others have been just okay. Overall though I'm really enjoying this book. These lettuce wraps fall under the outstanding category. E thought the mustard in it was a bit weird, but I loved the strong flavours and must admit that eating tofu in a lettuce wrap was really fun. I love the cold crunch combined with the warm tofu mixture inside.

It's taken me forever but here are some of my favourite photos from our wedding last January. :) Our wedding photos were taken by Randal Kurt. If you haven't seen our 5 minute wedding video and are interested, you can check it out here.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Orange Sesame Tofu & Coconut-Lime Basmati Rice
Sweet and Spicy Cashew Tofu
Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Tofu Stir-Fry
Salt and Pepper Tofu

Lettuce Wraps with Hoisin-Mustard Tofu
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Tofu
1 block (~14 oz) extra firm tofu, diced in 1/2 inch pieces
2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce

Sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
1 small onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (mirin is recommended but I didn't have it)
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tsp prepared yellow mustard

To Serve
About 12 iceberg lettuce leaves

Prepare the tofu: Preheat a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Add the tofu and cook for about 10 minutes, flipping it once in a while, until it is browned on most sides. About midway through, drizzle with the soy sauce and toss to coat.

Preheat a separate large pan over medium heat with the sesame oil. Saute the red pepper, onion, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 10 minutes. The veggies should be soft and browned. Add the seasoned rice vinegar (or mirin) and let cook for about 3 minutes. Add the hoisin and mustard, and cook for another minute.

Add the tofu to the sauce and toss to coat. Serve alongside lettuce leaves, to stuff like tacos.

Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins

2011-09-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

These scuffins are one of my favourite muffins/scones that I've made recently. First of all, I love carrot cake. Second of all, I love the texture of these. Carrot muffins and cookies are usually quite soft. Which is nice, but I love how these scuffins are a bit more scone like, soft but denser, a bit like a cookie but not crisp. E really didn't like the coconut on top and I could go either way with it.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pumpkin Muffins
Morning Glory Muffins
Spiced Carrot Muffins
Garden Harvest Cake

Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Makes 6-7 scuffins

1 cup whole grain spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground chia seeds + 3 tbsp water, mixed and set aside for 5 mins
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup shredded or grated carrots (approx 2 medium)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
Coconut, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour through pumpkin spice). In a medium sized bowl mix together the wet ingredients (oil through carrots). Add wet to dry and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the walnuts and raisins. Scoop mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat mats. Scoop about 1/4 cup for each scuffin. With wet hands, flatten into disks. Sprinkle with coconut if using. Bake for 25 minutes at 350F.

Triathalon Tostadas

2011-08-30T09:42:00.000-07:00

These triathalon tostadas are outstanding. A few months ago I tried this two-week wellness solution cleanse. It's not one of those cleanses where you eat nothing but soup or take pills. It's basically a really healthy vegan diet with LOTS of fresh vegetables, minimal processed foods, no alcohol or caffeine, etc. Anyway, I made a ton of recipes from The Two-Week Wellness Solution cookbook and I fell completely in love with these tostadas. I didn't take photos of most of the things I made during that time because I made so many things, but I just had to take a photo of this and share it with you guys. It's super tasty, healthy, and filling. To me it tasted like a healthy dorito. I'm not sure whether that will sound appealing to you but even if it doesn't, I'm sure you will enjoy this dish. An oven crisped corn tortilla is topped with a black bean mixture (lime, cumin, onion, garlic), quinoa, fresh vegetables (carrots, green onions) with lime juice, and topped with avocado.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Black Bean, Zucchini & Olive Tacos with Garlic-Lemon Yogurt
Garlicky Broccoli, Corn and Bean Burritos
Black Bean and Zucchini Chilaquiles
Frijoles, Etc. Casserole

Triathalon Tostadas
Adapted from The Two-Week Wellness Solution

I used 3 large corn tortillas, and they were a bit awkward to eat since they were so large. But if you can't find small corn tortillas the large ones definitely work.

Serves 3

Un-fried Crunchy Tortillas
6 6" or 3 large (10"-12") round corn tortillas
1/2 tbsp oil

Quinoa Layer
1/3 cup dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
2/3 cup water
1/4 tsp sea salt

Black Bean Layer
15 oz can black beans (1 3/4 cups cooked beans), drained and rinsed
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 large cloves garlic, minced

Vivacious Veggies
1 cup grated carrots
3 green onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 1/2 avocados, peeled and chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Brush or spray the tortillas lightly on both sides with the oil. Lay them out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 3-5 minutes, then remove from the oven. Flip each tortilla over and place back in the oven for another 3-5 minutes (or until they are crisp and lightly browned).

2. Put the quinoa and water in a small pot with a tight-fitting lid. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Once done, stir in the 1/4 tsp sea salt and set aside.

3. Put all of the "black bean layer" ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend well until very smooth. Transfer to a small pan and heat over low until warm, stirring occasionally.

4. In a small bowl, toss the carrots and green onions with lime juice. Set aside.

5. To assemble, place the tostada shells on plates and spread with some of the black bean mixture. Next, add quinoa and then the veggies. Garnish with avocado chunks.

If you're not going to eat everything right away, store the ingredients in separate containers.

Orange Sesame Tofu & Coconut-Lime Basmati Rice

2011-08-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

I never do fancy things with rice, but after making this simple coconut-lime basmati rice it makes me want to more often! You can't really see the rice in this photo but it's there under some sauteed kale. I paired the rice with orange sesame tofu and kale, as suggested in the cookbook and really enjoyed the combination.

I couldn't choose between these 2 photos so I had to post both!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Kung Pao Noodles with Peanuts and Wok Fried Vegetables
Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Tofu Stir-Fry
Pad Thai
Tarragon Pecan Asparagus

Orange Sesame Tofu
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Zest of 1 orange
3 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 pkg (350 g) extra-firm tofu, diced into 1/2" squares
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 400F. In a 9x13 inch baking dish, combined cornstarch with 2 tbsp orange juice and stir until fully dissolved. Add remaining juice and ingredients, except tofu, green onions and sesame seeds, and stir to combine. Add tofu and turn to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for 1 hour or more, or bake it immediately.

To bake, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Turn over tofu, gently stir to cover tofu with sauce, and bake again uncovered for another 6-9 minutes, or until sauce thickens and is bubbling at edges (sauce will continue to thicken as it cools). Remove from oven, sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds, and serve.

Coconut-Lime Basmati Rice
Slightly adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

1 cup dry brown basmati rice
1 can (400 mL) light coconut milk
1/2 cup water
2 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (zest limes before juicing)
1/4 tsp sea salt
Zest of 1 lime

In a saucepan, combine rice, coconut milk, water, lime juice, and salt. Bring to a boil on high heat, stir, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 35-45 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked through. Turn off heat, stir in lime zest and let sit for 4-5 minutes.

Quinoa Corn Salad

2011-08-18T22:06:00.001-07:00

Is anyone else currently obsessed with any and all forms of salad like I am?

I actually eat quinoa fairly regularly, so it's odd that I don't have a single recipe on my blog with quinoa. Usually I just use it in place of rice rather than doing something special with it, like this salad. This salad is full of flavour with corn (can never get enough corn in the summer!), red onion, jalapeno, red pepper, cilantro, green onions, lemon and lime. I actually made this salad long before corn was in season and used frozen corn, so either fresh or frozen would be good here.

I'm submitting this to Ricki's Wellness Weekends.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Meditteranean Pepper Salad
Broccoli Slaw
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Orzo Salad with Chickpeas, Dill and Lemon

Quinoa Corn Salad
Adapted from Rebar: Modern Food Cookbook

I added 1 tbsp oil to the original recipe but it's not necessary if you don't want to add it.

1 cup dry quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups corn, fresh or frozen
1 small red onion, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 red pepper, finely diced
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup green onion, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil (optional)

1. Bring water to boil in a small pot, add the quinoa and salt and bring to a boil again. Cover and reduce heat to low for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and keep the pot covered for an additional 5 minutes. Strain off any excess liquid and set aside to cool.

2. Steam or lightly saute corn until just tender and cool to room temperature. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and gently toss. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fresh lime wedges.

Chocolate Raspberry Cake

2011-08-16T07:21:00.000-07:00

I made this cake last March for my stepdad's birthday. It sounded like it would be really yummy with 3 layers of chocolate cake, and layers of chocolate sour cream filling and raspberry jam. But it was just okay. I really like sour cream frosting, but if you don't know this is sour cream frosting and take a bite, I'm not sure if you'd like it. (It tastes a bit sour, shockingly!) I like this sour cream frosting better though. The cake was quite dense, and is best at room temperature so it can soften a bit and isn't quite so crumbly.

Fresh raspberries would have been nice on top, but at the time they weren't very available so I went with the red berry candy. I seem to have lost my desire to make layer cakes like this so this may be the last one you'll see for a while! (Though I haven't been posting layer cakes very often anyway.)

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Black Forest Mousse Cake
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Cake
Chocolate Beet Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

Chocolate Raspberry Cake
Adapted from The Complete Canadian Living Baking Book

1 1/2cups butter, softened
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
1/4 cup thawed raspberry cocktail concentrate
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups sour cream

Filling and Icing:
1 lb (454 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate , chopped
2 1/3 cups sour cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup seedless raspberry jam

Preparation
Grease sides of three 9-inch (1.5 L)round metal cake pans; line bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.

In large bowl, bet butter with sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then raspberry concentrate and vanilla. In separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt ; sift again. Stir into butter mixture alternately with sour cream, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of sour cream. Scrape into prepared pans, smoothing tops.

Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans on racks for 20 minutes. Turn out onto racks; let cool completely. Remove paper.

Filling and Icing:
In large bowl over saucepan of hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Whisk in half of the sour cream; whisk in remaining sour cream until smooth. Whisk in sugar and vanilla.

Brush off any crumbs from cake layers. Place 1 layer on flat cake plate. Spread top of layer with 1/3 cup icing. Spread jam over bottoms of remaining 2 layers. Place 1 layer, jam-side down, over icing.

Spread 1/3 cup icing on top of second layer; top with third layer, jam-side down. Spread remaining icing over side and top of cake. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Black Bean, Zucchini & Olive Tacos with Garlic-Lemon Yogurt

2011-08-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

This past week has been so busy! I've been trying to finish up my reports which are due next week (for a certification exam in October). And we've done some out of town field trips this week (Squamish and Sechelt, for those of you that know the area). Time has been flying by! E has been cooking a lot of the meals recently which has been amazing. These tacos I made a couple of months ago though, and they started my love for Appetite for Reduction. I remember reading the reviews before buying the book and someone complained about there being a whole chapter for salads. But they're meal salads, which I'm always looking for recipes for. They include protein, grains and tons of vegetables and I love them. I'll be sharing some of them soon.

This taco filling is really flavourful. I was skeptical of adding in olives with black beans and salsa verde, but it works really well. These are actually the first soft tacos I've ever made at home. I've made burritos many times but not cute little tacos like these. I used regular 2% yogurt for the sauce, but use soy yogurt to make these vegan.

I'm going to go pick up my CSA vegetables now. I can't wait because we're getting tomatoes this week!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Garlicky Broccoli, Corn and Bean Burritos
Black Bean and Zucchini Chilaquiles
Lentil Veggie Burrito Casserole
Refried Beans

Black Bean, Zucchini & Olive Tacos with Garlic-Lemon Yogurt
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

1 tsp olive oil
2 zucchini (1 lb), small dice
2 jalapenos, seeded, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
6 oz salsa verde
19 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas

Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and jalapeno to the oil and sprinkle with the salt. Saute for about 7 minutes, until the zucchini is lightly browned. Add the garlic, olives, cumin, and coriander, and saute for 2 minutes more.

Add the salsa verde and black beans. Cook for 5 more minutes; the salsa should reduce a bit so that it's juicy but not soupy.

Place the tortillas in a moist paper towel and heat in the microwave for 1 minute on high. Serve with Garlic-Lemon Yogurt and chopped green onions.

Garlic-Lemon Yogurt

1 cup 2% plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, grated with a Microplane or finely minced
zest from 1/2 lemon
juice from 1 lemon (about 3 tbsp)
1/2 tsp agave nectar

Add all ingredients in a bowl and stir well.

Perfectly Crunchy Granola

2011-08-05T07:35:00.000-07:00

I've made this granola many times. The first for my mom's birthday, the second time when Janet came to visit, and again this past weekend because I just wanted it. It's crunchy and flavourful, and most importantly it clumps up as a good granola should (and only has 1 tbsp oil). Each time I've made it I've changed a few things and it's turned out well every time! Agave instead of brown sugar seems to make it more crispy. Subbing fruit juice for applesauce doesn't make much of a difference. Sometimes I add more cinnamon, the last time I added more oats and less nuts. And I don't add dried fruit if I'm making it for myself because I'm not a big dried fruit fan.

If this sounds good, you might like:
Coconut Raspberry Walnut Power Bars
Granola Bars
Caramel Walnut Chocolate Chunk Granola
Low-Fat Winter Fruit Granola

Perfectly Crunchy Granola
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Yield: ~6 cups

Dry
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raw almonds, roughly chopped
1/2 cup raw walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup raw sesame seeds
2 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp kosher salt

Wet
4 tbsp brown rice syrup
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp coconut oil OR other oil
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce OR fruit juice
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Optional add-in
2/3 cup dried fruit (ex. cranberries, raisins, dates, apricots)

In a medium pot over medium heat, add the wet ingredients. Stir well. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a very large mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

Add the wet mixture (while still warm!) over top the dry mixture and stir well. It will be very thick and hard to stir, but keep at it until everything is thoroughly combined.

Spread onto a pan lined with parchment paper or a non-stick mat and bake in the oven at 300F for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven every 15 minutes and give the granola a good stir to ensure even baking.

Allow to cool for 20-25 minutes on the pan before serving. The granola will stiffen up as it cools. Once the granola cools, add the dried fruit (if using).

Apple Fennel Celery Salad

2011-08-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

This apple fennel celery salad sounded like it would be so crunchy and refreshing. And I love halved grapes in salad. While it did prove to be crunchy, it wasn't as good as I'd hoped it to be (though was still good enough to share). But it's a nice change for a side salad. And if you're like me and get some fennel in your CSA and have no idea what to do with it, this is a great option especially with the hot weather we're finally having.

How's everyone's long weekend? I've been mostly plugging along with my research paper, and finished a first draft last night. Such a relief! And then I realized I left a book that I need at work to write my other report, so I'm enjoying the unintended day off from report writing. I went for a run, cleaned the bathroom and baked some granola. I love productive mornings! I have plans for more baking later - maybe some muffins or cookies.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Tabbouleh
The Diva Salad
Portobello Salad with Mustard Dressing

Apple Fennel Celery Salad
Adapted from Canadian Living: The Vegetarian Collection

1 cup thinly sliced fennel
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
2 red delicious apples, chopped
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Poppy Seed Dressing
1/2 cup 2% plain yogurt
2 tbsp liquid honey
4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp poppy seeds
pinch salt
pinch paprika

Poppy Seed Dressing: In large bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients until smooth.

Add remaining ingredients, toss to coat.

Sweet and Spicy Cashew Tofu

2011-07-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

I believe cashews improve all stir fries so it's no surprise that I love this sweet and spicy cashew tofu stir fry with 1 1/2 cups cashews! My mom probably started making this recipe around 10 years ago and I'm still enjoying it - though I have now replaced the chicken with tofu.

I hope all you Canadians have a great long weekend! I'll be working on some reports to finish my training and certification. Hopefully I can finish them in time to enjoy some of the nice weather we've finally been having!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Broccoli Cashew Teriyaki Tofu Stir-Fry
Salt & Pepper Tofu
Szechuan Tofu Triangles in Triple Pepper Sauce
Kung Pao Noodles with Peanuts and Wok Fried Vegetables

Sweet and Spicy Cashew Tofu
Adapted from The Best of The Best and More

Serves 4-6

Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
4 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 cup vegetable broth

The Rest
1 pkg extra firm tofu (~350 g)
1 tbsp oil
2 1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 small onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, cut in strips
2 carrots, thinly sliced on diagonal
2 cups snow peas, cut in 2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups cashews
Sprinkling of sesame seeds

Combine sauce ingredients and set aside in a bowl. Heat wok or frying pan to highest heat. Add oil. Heat to hot, not smoking. Add tofu, ginger, garlic, and onion. Stir about 1 minute. Add peppers and carrots. Stir 2-3 minutes. Add peas and sauce. Cook until sauce comes to a boil. Add cashews and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Japanese Salad with Ginger Magic Dressing

2011-07-25T07:20:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the messy looking salad as it was really delicious! The photo doesn't fully showcase all the ingredients - greens, cabbage, carrots, cucumber, and edamame dressed with "ginger magic". I love the salad dressing they use at Japanese restaurants so was hoping that this one would be similar. It wasn't exactly the same (I think it usually has carrot and not much if any oil) but was still good! The ingredient list for the dressing is long and a bit fussy, but you'll have lots extra for the week.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Spiced Squash, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad
Potato Salad Niçoise
Meditteranean Couscous and Lentil Salad

Japanese Salad with Ginger Magic Dressing
Adapted from Radiant Health, Inner Wealth

Serves 4

Ginger Magic Dressing
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp diced celery
2 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp Sucanat
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup safflower oil
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp nutritional yeast powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce

Salad
8 cups baby greens
1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
1/2 cup finely grated carrots
1/2 cup very thinly sliced cucumber
4 tbsp shelled edamame, thawed if frozen

Combine all Ginger Magic ingredients in a blender, and blend until smooth.

Place all of the salad ingredients in a big bowl and toss with dressing.

Rustic Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Cake

2011-07-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

We always have bananas in our house - one for everyday of the week for each of us. But rarely do they get brown enough to bake with, and rarely do I want to bake with them. But such an occasion occurred and I was inspired to make this rustic chocolate chip banana oat cake. Oats and oat flour are the base (I love oats!), with the addition of both mashed banana and diced banana. And chocolate chips (E was very happy about this). The cake was really moist and delicious. The only improvement would be to add walnuts next time, so I've included them in the recipe though I didn't add them to my cake.

Miss Abbyton

PS I am currently obsessed with jigsaw puzzles!! Growing up I used to do puzzles when visiting my grandma, or at Christmas time with my mom. Costco had puzzles a couple of weeks ago so I bought 2 and now have been searching on Amazon for my next puzzles. Anyone else a puzzle geek like me?

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Apple Cinnamon Bread
Coconut Banana Muffins
Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Muffins
Mom's Banana Apple Bread

Rustic Chocolate Chip Banana Oat Cake
Adapted from Oh She Glows

2 cups rolled oats, processed into a flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup Sucanat
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp safflower oil
2 medium very ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Fold in: 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips; 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped; 1 ripe banana, cut into chunks

1. Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 8 inch (4 cup) casserole dish or 8” cake pan. Take 2 cups of regular oats and process them in a food processor until flour like in consistency.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (processed rolled oats, rolled oats, sugar, spices, baking powder, and salt).

3. In another bowl, mix together the oil, applesauce, soy milk, and vanilla. Add in the two peeled bananas and smash into the wet ingredients until smooth.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir until just combined. Fold in the chips, walnuts, and chopped banana.

5. Spread into prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick comes out clean. The cake must be cooled for at least 15-20 minutes before attempting to remove.

6. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Pureed Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew with Chickpeas

2011-07-19T07:18:00.000-07:00

The first time I made this soup, I was very silly and added the full amount of lime juice. Have I not learned to only add a little bit of the required citrus, taste, then add more if necessary?! Adding too much citrus can really ruin a soup, and then you have lots of sour soup to eat. So the next time I made it, I added half the amount and extra peanut butter, and it was perfect. And I love that it's a nice thick soup. Try the soup before adding the lime, it's really good like that too.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup with Ginger
Curried Chickpea Soup
Cocoa-Coconut Chili
Curried Split Pea Soup

Pureed Sweet Potato & Peanut Stew with Chickpeas
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

1 tbsp olive oil
6 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups onions, diced
1 cup celery, diced
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
2 cups vegetable stock
3 cups water
5 tbsp grated ginger
3 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 cups cooked chickpeas
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice (optional)

In a large pot on medium heat, add oil, sweet potatoes, onion, celery, garlic, salt, cumin seeds, ground coriander, and paprika, and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add stock, water, and 2 1/2 tbsp ginger. Stir to combine and increase heat to bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-18 minutes or longer, until sweet potatoes have completely softened. Stir in remaining ginger and peanut butter. With a blender, puree soup until it is smooth. Stir in chickpeas, and lime juice (if using).

Red and White Tortellini

2011-07-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

This baked tortellini dish is a favourite in our family. You spread homemade tomato sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish, top it with tortellini in a mushroom parmesan sauce, then sprinkle on some mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese and bake. What's not to love about that! This is a great dish if you're having people over, or need something to take to a potluck. Though we made it on a weeknight and enjoyed leftovers the rest of the week!

I know I said I'd post wedding photos ages ago but it's been hard for me to pick which ones to post! For now I'll share one of my favourites.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Chuck's Favourite Mac and Cheese
Portabello Fettuccine with Spinach Pesto, Roasted Peppers & Romano Cheese
Asparagus and Pea Pasta with Ricotta and Tarragon
Spaghetti All'Arrabbiata with Crispy Garlic Crumbs

Red and White Tortellini
Adapted from The Best of The Best and More

Serves 4-6

Tomato Sauce
1 tsp oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
14 oz. (398 ml) can tomato sauce

12 oz. (340 g.) tortellini, fresh or frozen

Mushroom Parmesan Sauce
1 tbsp butter
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green onion
2 tbsp flour
2 cups milk
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
grated parmesan cheese

To make tomato sauce: Heat oil on medium and saute garlic and onion until tender. Add tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Cook tortellini according to package directions.

To make mushroom sauce: Melt butter and saute mushrooms and green onion until tender. Sprinkle with flour and gradually stir in milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens to consistency of mushroom soup. Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan cheese, salt and pepper to taste. Add mushroom parmesan sauce to cooked, drained tortellini.

To Serve: Preheat oven to 400F. Spread tomato sauce over bottom of a large shallow casserole. Spoon tortellini mushroom mixture on top leaving a red border of tomato sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and additional parmesan cheese. Bake in the oven about 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden. Serve immediately.

Pull-Apart Cheesy Onion Bread

2011-07-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

I love any sort of pull apart bread. So when I saw this savoury version of pull apart bread (!!!) I made immediate plans to bake it. Onion is cooked in lots of butter. A quick bread dough (no yeast involved) is rolled out and cut into rectangles. Each rectangle is topped with an onion/poppy seed/Gruyere cheese mixture. Next the rectangles are ever so carefully stacked (there are 10 of them! It's a topsy turvy tower), then squished into a loaf pan and baked.

The end result is good, though honestly not as magical as I'd hoped. There's so much "stuff" (onions and cheese), that it doesn't quite stick to the dough and is more like slices of cheese/onion bread (nothing wrong with that!) So I was thinking it might be even more delicious if some of the onions (or most?) are mixed into the dough.

If this sounds good, you might like:
Yorkshire Pudding
Light Brioche Burger Buns
Cheddar & Dill Beer Bread Rolls
Peppered Pear and Goat Cheese Scones

Pull-Apart Cheesy Onion Bread
Adapted from Food & Wine, found on Dana Treat

1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, 1 stick cubed
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup coarsely shredded Gruyère cheese (3 ounces)
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425F. Butter a 9"x5" loaf pan. In a large pan, melt the 1/2 stick of uncubed butter; pour 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into a small bowl and reserve. Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until it is softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the poppy seeds and season with salt and pepper. Scrape the onion mixture onto a plate and refrigerate for 5 minutes, until cooled slightly. Stir in the Gruyère.

Meanwhile, in a food processor, pulse the flour with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the cubed butter and pulse until it is the size of small peas. Add the buttermilk and pulse 5 or 6 times, just until a soft dough forms.

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface and knead 2 or 3 times. Pat or roll the dough into a 2-by-24-inch rectangle. Spread the onion mixture evenly on top. Cut the dough crosswise into 10 pieces. Stack 9 pieces onion side up, then top with the final piece, onion-side down. It's difficult to move the whole stack to the pan, so I'd recommend doing half at a time. Carefully lay the stack in the prepared loaf pan and brush with the reserved 2 tbsp of butter.

Bake the loaf in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until it is golden and risen. Let the bread cool for at least 15 minutes before unmolding and serving.