About Me and This Blog

I've been a vegetarian for almost six years now. For the first four years, I was a pescetarian (I ate fish). These days, I lean towards veganism and am very passionate about animal rights and welfare. Before going veg, I ate A LOT of meat. In fact, I had a bumper sticker on my first car that read "If we're not supposed to eat animals, then why do they taste so good?" Yeah, I was that person. I loved cooking meat, now I love cooking vegetarian EVEN MORE.

I post a lot of stories about animals and veggie food on facebook, and friends started asking me for recipes and more information on how to be a healthy vegetarian. This blog is my answer to those questions. Most if not all of the recipes can be made vegan by omitting cheese or subbing with vegan "cheese". Email me anytime.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Bruschetta

Sometimes, my bf and I (strike that, my FIANCE and I...since we just got engaged last night!) like to have an informal "snacky" and cold dinner - last night was one of those nights.  We hadn't made bruschetta for some time, so we whipped up a batch (recipe below) as well as a batch of hummous, and had a lovely picnic-style meal which included some fancy blue cheese, olives and french bread for dipping into the hummous. The thing I love most about homemade bruschetta is how FRESH it tastes.  It never tastes quite so fresh in a restaurant.   I was a pretty happy girl last night!

Bruschetta

4 fresh tomatoes, blanched in boiling water for about 2 minutes, then peeled, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 loaf French bread, toasted and sliced

Blanching the tomatoes and seeding them (takes a few minutes, but worth it, especially if you hate tomato slime like I do) takes the longest time in this recipe.  Once that's done, mix all ingredients together.  By this time, you should have toasted your slices of bread in the oven under the broiler with a bit of olive oil (watch they don't burn!), then dish the bruschetta on top. We grated a little parmesan over the top.  SO GOOD.  I even brought leftover bruschetta and hummous for lunch today...a perfect lunch.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving (Canadians)!

Ugh - I ate so much last night I'm STILL full...that is the first time I can honestly say I ate for two, and I've been regretting it ever since.  As in most previous years, the bf and I participated in an orphan dinner with friends - those of us without close family in the Vancouver area each chipped in with a few dishes.  My contribution was my usual scalloped potatoes (to die for - recipe here), brussel sprouts, vegetarian gravy and some "chicken" legs from Veggie Favor - the place I've raved about in this blog in the past.  They are really amazing, and even one of last night's meat eaters ate 2 or 3 of them!  Friends chipped in with turkey for the meat eaters, regular gravy, two types of stuffing (one veggie, one meaty), glazed carrots, buns and pumpkin pie with cool whip (a weakness of mine).  Honestly, it was fabulous. But ugh. STILL so full.


Scalloped Potatoes (NOT vegan)

I got this recipe from a Bon Appetit magazine that was mistakenly delivered to our address.....for about 8 months  :)   To be fair, I'm not sure I would bother making these EVER if I didn't have a kick-ass mandolin slicer (or V-slicer) - it would just be too much work to thinly slice all the potatoes and fennel. Happily, I DO have a kick-ass mandolin that was worth every penny I spent on it, so this takes maybe 10 minutes to assemble. It is always a huge hit.  I will be making it again at Christmas!

Link here - all credit to Bon Appetit magazine :)

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2009/11/scalloped_potatoes_and_fennel

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Spinach Lasagna

You know it's fall when I start craving lasagna! And yes, I'll be the first to admit I use real cheese in this recipe instead of a vegan substitute, though that is certainly an option.  It is WORTH it to buy farm-fresh cheese from a supplier you know if you want it and are going to eat cheese anyway.

And on a related topic, more than a few people asked me if I would start eating meat when I got pregnant (???) - I'm not sure if they assumed I would have "cravings" that would overcome my ethics or if they honestly just think being vegetarian is one thing for yourself, another to "inflict" upon an unborn baby ;)  Lol - whatever, I've been eating great, I will NOT "revert" back to eating meat, my child will be raised vegetarian, and that's that.

This is a recipe I've made many times, and it can be subtly adjusted in many different ways every time....last night's was actually my best yet, and I think it's because I made it in a long pan (8x12...or 14??) instead of a square pan as I usually do, where it usually turns out a bit too "saucy" for me.

SAUCE - feel free to buy pre-made...I always make my own.  Feel free to adjust the measurements here to suit YOUR tastes...my measurements are inexact.

1 large can regular tomato sauce or Italian flavoured
1 large can regular diced tomatoes
1 onion, diced small
2-4 cloves minced garlic, to your tastes
diced mushrooms (optional)
1 cup rehydrated texturized veg protein (TVP) or veggie ground round  (Also optional...just if you want a bit more protein)
.5 cup red wine
splash balsamic vinegar
oregano, basil, salt to taste
approx 1 tsp sugar

Sautee onions and garlic for a few minutes in olive oil, add TVP or ground round at this point if you're using.  Then, throw in everything else and simmer for at least a half an hour, tasting until it's "right".

Filling

1-2 packages frozen spinach, thawed or one large package fresh baby spinach, chopped
1 large-ish container ricotta cheese (not the small one)
mozzarella cheese
lasagna noodles
parmesan cheese

Cook lasagna noodles.  If you're using fresh spinach, sautee it in a pan for a few minutes with a few drops of water until it's wilted. Drain water. Drain water from thawed frozen spinach, if using.  Mix spinach and ricotta together in a bowl.

Assembly

Spoon a bit of the sauce over the bottom of your pan to keep the noodles from sticking and ensure sauce saturation.  Put in a layer of noodles (I use bits of cooked noodle to make sure the layer is complete as the noodles aren't quite long enough to cover the bottom), then cover that layer with sauce.  Cover that sauce layer with half the spinach & ricotta mixture as evenly as possible.  Grate a fine layer of parmesan over the spinach/ricotta layer, then cover that with just over 1/3 of the grated mozzarella.  Repeat those layers: noodles, sauce, spinach/ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella.  Finish with noodles (three layers total), the remaining bits of sauce and some mozzarella.

Bake in preheated oven at 350F for 30 minutes covered with tin foil, then remove tinfoil and continue to bake, uncovered for another 15 minutes. Let stand about 5 minutes before slicing. 

Sorry for the crappy picture - I already ate an entire piece before I remembered to take a picture, so my plate is kinda messy ;)

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Tuscan White Bean Stew

Well, soup and stew and chili season is already upon us in Vancouver!  It's amazing how fast it happens. One week we still needed the fan to sleep at night, then one week we didn't need it, then the following week I'm seriously threatening to turn on the heat.  If you know Vancouver, you know "winter" for us means RAIN for about 5 or 6 months straight, and oh, the rain has arrived.  We made a lentil soup with grilled cheese sandwiches on Sunday night (recipe earlier in this blog), and this Tuscan white bean stew last night - mmm it was GOOD.

All credit to VeganYumYum http://veganyumyum.com/2007/03/tuscan-white-bean-stew/ , but we changed the ingredients *just a little bit* to suit.

This recipe makes two large bowls or three small-ish, so you might want to increase everything for leftovers, which I wish we'd done!

1/2 Onion, finely chopped
2 Medium Carrots, sliced into very thin coins
1 Medium Potato, cut into a 1/4″ dice
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 Cups Veg stock (or chicken-flavoured stock)
1 Can White Beans
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbs Tomato Paste
2-3 Large Kale Leaves, roughly chopped (remember to remove the inner rib!)
2-3 tsp Lemon Juice
Fresh herbs for garnish, optional

Saute the onions over medium-low heat in a medium sized, heavy pot that has a lid. Slice the carrots into 1/8″ coins and add to pot along with chopped celery. Cut potato into 1/4″ dice and add to pot, stirring occasionally. Add stock and loosen any stuff that has stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add salt, oregano, tomato paste and stir.  (Update - I didn't have any tomato paste the last time I made this so I used canned tomato soup - worked just fine!) Cover and turn head down to a low boil.
Slice kale, drain and rinse the beans. Add beans to pot and stir. The stew should be quite thick. Add kale and lemon juice. Taste and season if necessary. Simmer for a few minutes until kale is tender. Carrots should be tender, and the potato should be soft but still hold its shape. Serve and garnish with fresh herbs if you like.

We served this with some crusty french bread and it hit the spot!  See? Winter isn't so bad.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Spanakopita!

About twice a year, I make a big batch of spanakopita, which I love.  I can't remember where this recipe comes from, but I've had it for AGES, like since I was a teenager.

Filling:

1 package phyllo/filo dough, found in your grocery's freezer section
2 pounds fresh or frozen spinach (for this recipe, I used four packages frozen)
2 tsp olive oil
2 onions, diced
2-4 cloves garlic, minced
3 eggs or egg replacer
1/4 cup fresh chopped dill
1/4 tsp each nutmeg and black pepper
12 oz feta cheese, chopped (omit for vegan)
1/3 cups pine nuts, toasted (optional)
salt to taste
1/2 cup bread crumbs or more

Wash spinach if using fresh, shake off excess water. Cook in large pot over medium heat with just the water clinging to the leaves, turning often for about 5 minutes or until wilted. Remove from pot and chill under cold running water. Press out water, chop and reserve. For frozen spinach, thaw, press out excess water and chop.
In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat, cook onions and garlic for around 10 minutes or until tender but not browned. In large bowl, beat eggs, stir in onion mixture, spinach, dill, nutmeg and pepper. Mix in feta, pine nuts and bread crumbs. If you're using thawed spinach, it literally takes about 5 minutes to throw this filling together.

(*I should add here that I haven't included pine nuts in this recipe for many years because, simply, I suck at toasting them, and pine nuts cost a fortune.  The difference between "toasted" and "burnt" is approximately 3.5 seconds, but if you can manage to toast them and not blink and ruin them the way I do every time, please feel free to use them.  As I recall, they are best when chopped finely after toasting.)

Melt a few tbsp butter/margarine in a small bowl for brushing onto phyllo.  Place clean tea towel on work surface. Place one sheets of phyllo on separate work surface, keeping remainder covered wth plastic wrap and damp towel to prevent drying out (this is important). I make these using the "flag" folding method to make triangles.  I cut the sheets of phyllo in half once for large triangles, or into four pieces for smaller triangles.  Brush each long sheet of phyllo with a bit of butter, place filling on the bottom in a triangle shape with one corner and side full of filling. Fold over into a triangle, then continue to fold the triangle up towards the top of the sheet. Seal the top seam with butter then place on a cookie sheet, seam side down.    If these instructions are kind of unclear, I'm sure you can do a quick search on google to find a step-by-step picture of how to fold a flag - same thing!

Cook at approximately 360 degrees F for between 30 minutes and 45 minutes - they should turn out a nice golden brown.  I usually bake half my batch then freeze the rest. They can then be baked straight out of the freezer at about the same temperature, but for just a bit longer. I would say this recipe made maybe 20 large triangles this last time.

I apologize for the below picture, I swear they normally look tastier and flakier than this - but this triangle was a leftover spanakopita that I took to work and re-heated in the microwave - not as pretty as it was fresh out of the oven, but just as tasty :)  I ate it with some mashed yams and gravy for lunch - delicious!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Tabouleh salad

Good morning, veggies!  Looks like as summer nears closing, we're FINALLY starting to get some hot weather here in Vancouver - this is by far the worst summer for weather I can remember, but I guess better late than never?  While it's still nice out, I wanted to blog my friend Sadie's recipe for tabouleh salad - perfect for summer: full of fresh flavour, nice and light and perfect for hot weather/picnics/barbecues, etc.

Tabouleh Salad

Soak 1 cup dry bulgur in 2 cups warm water for 30 mins. Drain.

Chop finely:
1 cucumber
1 red onion
4 large tomatoes (I like them seeded :))
1 handful fresh mint 
2 handfuls fresh cilantro (or parsley)

Add:
juice of 1 lemon
½ tsp Allspice
Salt and pepper to taste

We brought this on a weekend wine trip with us earlier in the year, and dare I say it was almost better the next day, after the flavours fully had a chance to mix together?? 

About a month ago, I had my friend J. over for dinner and she also brought a tabouleh salad, although instead of bulgur (and a few of the other ingredients listed above), she used quinoa and parsley (more traditional in tabouleh, I think). I really enjoyed the texture of quinoa in it, and it adds a little more protein than bulgur.  Choose whichever you like :)

1 cup uncooked Quinoa = 22 grams protein
1 cup uncooked Bulgur = 17.2 grams protein



Enjoy the rest of your summer, wherever you may be!








 (Pictured: Tabouleh salad, a crisp rosé, homemade hummus on fresh rosemary bread)

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Spicy "shrimp" and broccolini

Hello lovelies!  I'm excited because I get to post about a recipe I haven't had for several years...well, since I stopped eating seafood.  There's a wonderful Buddhist restaurant here in Vancouver called 3G Vegetarian restaurant.  Last year one of the groups I belong to held a fundraising bake sale there, and a percentage of all food sales went towards the cause. Well.  Those Buddhists really know how to do mock meats! I can't seem to find a website for the restaurant (or its shop), but the phone number is 604-568-9008 and it's located on Cambie St.

I think I've mentioned before I'm not a fan of fake meats (Gardein, Field Roast, etc.), but this place was incredible.  They had the most amazing little "chicken" drumettes that really tasted like chicken! It was like I'd gone back in time 6 years. Their sweet and sour "pork" was also incredible.   Just this past week, we learned that the restaurant has a separate retail store where they sell all their "meats", so off we went on a sunny Saturday to take a look.

Well. They had EVERYTHING. Fake seafoods, game meats ("lamb"??, which a friend used in a stew and tasted like the real thing!), the drumettes, "pork", "scallops", you name it, it was there.  They also had a wonderful selection of vegetarian condiments, including a vegetarian Oyster Sauce that I really regret not picking up.

Last night, I used the fake shrimp we bought to make Spicy Shrimp and Broccolini - one of my favourite recipes from my seafood-eating days.  I'm not sure where I got the base recipe from, but I think it included cabbage instead of broccolini, and it's evolved over the years to the following:


2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
4 cups broccolini/broccoli rabe - flash boil for a few minutes, then remove from pot
4 cloves minced garlic
3 cups large "shrimp" or deveined real shrimp, if you're a pesceterian
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 small-to-medium thinly sliced onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
3 tablespoons + soy sauce

Heat oil in the skillet over high heat. Place the garlic, pepper flakes, and onion into skillet and stir fry until the onion begins to turn translucent, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Add the shrimp and broccolini and stir fry for several minutes more (fake shrimp is already cooked, needs only to be reheated. If you are using real shrimp, make sure to cook until it turns pink and curls). Add cilantro, soy sauce and water to the skillet. Stir-fry for about another minute, then serve over hot rice.

I have to admit that I probably added more chili flakes than called for, and I think I finally experienced last night what they call "heartburn", which I hear can appear (or worsen) in pregnancy.

I gotta tell you: I'm not a big fan.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

On Greek food and falafel

There's a mediterranean kiosk in the food court of the mall near my work called Casablanca, and I checked it out for only the first time today - what the hell was I thinking waiting so long?  Of their 8 meal menu items, two were fit for veggie royalty - one vegetarian (featuring a massive spanakopita), the other vegan - I opted for the vegan plate and, um, YUM.  I'm not sure what kind of dressing they used on their tabouli, but it was honestly the best I've ever had.

In this picture: 3 pieces falafel smothered in tahini, garlic and hot sauce, a healthy serving of hummous, two dolmathes (rice wrapped in grape leaves), tabouli salad on top of a green salad, and pita.  I also had him throw in a few of those delicious pickled turnips they make - SO good.  The cost? Less than $6.  I'm not even kidding.  I had a sandwich from a fancy coffee shop yesterday that cost me $9 and wasn't NEAR as good or filling as this. Screw you fancy coffee shop (cough*TreesonGranville*cough)!

Falafel is one of those things I never tried before I became a vegetarian, and I LOVE it now.  I'm usually pretty particular about where I get it, because it can sometimes be quite dry.  My current favourite local place is Falafel King at 902 Granville - that dude makes it RIGHT and puts the whole wrap in a press to warm it up afterward. Falafel heaven.  I've toyed with the idea of making my own falafel off and on, but all the falafel I've ever had appears to be deep-fried, which concerns me a bit (and I don't own a deep fryer).  I guess I'd be looking for a recipe that calls for baking the falafel balls....Anyone tried making their own falafel? I would LOVE a tried and tested recipe that tastes GOOD :)

Tomorrow is Canada Day and thus a day off work - if you're Canadian or American, enjoy your country's birthday this weekend!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Salad dressings, Sammy J Peppers and Substituting

No new recipes to report, unfortunately, today I have leftover Indian food (I know, I KNOW) and a great homemade pasta salad I made two days ago.  I used a bottled dressing, but I think I may declare this the "Summer of Dressing!" because the one I purchased (feta & oregano), while delicious, really doesn't stand up to the pasta. On lettuce, it's great, on pasta, I had to add far too much extra salt, pepper and herbs to get that tangy flavour.  I've been collecting dressing recipes over the years, but I'll be damned if I've ever tried making one!  That's all going to change :)

This is the one I'm going to try first. It's the recipe of a family friend that keeps getting passed around my hometown - easily a favourite up there!

Poppyseed dressing
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/3 cup apple juice
1/3 cup liquid honey
1/4 cup of Dijon mustard
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp of each, salt and pepper
1-2 tsp of poppy seeds
shake well and store in the refrigerator.

I went shopping with a girlfriend in Burnaby (a suburb of Vancouver) this past weekend to Metrotown - easily the biggest mall in British Columbia.  I'm not too familiar with the restaurants out that way, but we wanted to have lunch somewhere with a patio, and Sammy J Peppers was right across the street with a lovely patio.  Their menu wasn't terribly vegetarian friendly (http://www.sjpeppers.com/), but I was extraordinarily impressed with how helpful our server was with making their menu work for me.  Other than a veggie burger and salads, nothing on the menu was vegetarian.  However, she assured me that the chefs would make any of their flatbread pizzas and any of their "bowls" vegetarian or vegan for me, and every type of burger they had was available using a veggie patty.  Pretty impressive.  In my experience, I'd say this sort of accommodating happens only about 25% of the time I eat out, and it is ALWAYS worth a mention and a shout-out.  Because of that, I will definitely be back.

I ordered one of their flatbread pizzas that normally came with capicolla and chorizo, and substituted basil and fresh tomatoes instead. All in all, it was a LOVELY little lunch - a flatbread covered with mozza, banana peppers, basil, jalapenos, fresh tomatoes, caramelized red onions, feta and a few more things I can't remember.  My lunch companion had more than a few pieces of it :)

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Eating Healthy(er) and Quinoa & Black Beans


Man, those two months of hockey, beer and potato chips really did a number on my figure. I actually struggled to get a skirt I've had for years over my hips today.  Note to the Canucks: if you're going to last that long in the playoffs, kindly win it next time?  Too many potato chips were eaten at my house.

Anyway, with summery fruit coming into season and hockey being over, I seem to be back on track.  For breakfast this morning, I had peanut butter and banana on a whole wheat bun - toasted a bit in the sandwich maker, then leftover onion/bell pepper/black bean fajitas with fresh avocado in two mini tortillas for lunch, and I have a big container of fresh strawberries for my afternoon snack. Dinner tonight will be a simple pasta primavera with cooked flat noodles, earth balance, tomatoes, zucchini, salt and pepper and fresh parsley. Perhaps a squeeze of lemon and fresh tarragon from my herb garden?

I might have some exciting news in a week or two that I must keep under wraps for the time being, but suffice it to say for the purposes of this post, I expect it to bring good things to this blog going forward. I am feeling reinvigorated, so stay tuned, veg-heads!

Here's a quick recipe I'll be making very very soon - it's quick and YUMMY:

Quinoa and Black Beans

1 tsp veg oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic (or more), chopped
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1.5 cups veg broth (or chicken flavoured veg broth)
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup frozen corn kernels
2 (15 oz) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until lightly browned.  Add quinoa and cover with broth.  Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.  Bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, simmer 20 minutes.  Add corn and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through.  Add cilantro and serve.

This would probably be cooked with a few raw, chopped tomatoes thrown in, too....and I probably (read: definitely) amp up the spices in this.  Keep tasting until it's "yours".

Update July 27 - made this last night (hence the picture) and I actually mixed the cilantro right into the pot right before serving, as opposed to using as garnish.  However, we added chopped, seeded tomatoes to the top and one or more of us sprinkled parmesan on top - yummy!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

On Sandwiches (and catching up!)

Good morning, veg-heads!  Personally, I have a bit of a thick head from consuming beer AND sangria last night with some friends while watching Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals - nothing a ton of water today won't fix.  Besides Vancouver's win (yay!), the best part of the night was the discovery of THEBESTVEGGIE BURGERIHAVEEVERHAD.  And let me me tell you, I've had a veggie burger or two in my life.  I thought about taking a picture of it, but it was too dark in there, so you'll just have to take my word for it.  It was the restaurant's special during Canucks games - Burger and a Beer for $11.95 - any kind of burger you want, including veggie!  It was stuffed with amazing-tasting ingredients and the bun was like this delicious brioche piece of heaven - agh! I want it again! (I'll be back for it) 

In any case, if you ever want to try it, Cats is part of the Brown's group of "social houses", and they have a ton of them all over the lower mainland. The cool thing about the menu is that you can substitute tofu for almost ANY meat dish in the place - in the place of fish, chicken, beef, etc. That, my friends, is super cool. Locations and menu here:
http://brownsrestaurantgroup.com/brownssocialhouse/menu/
http://catssocialhouse.com/

Now then. I've been really into sandwiches lately. We have this awesome sandwich maker/panini press thing at work and I've been all over it.  Lately, my breakfasts have been a cut up morningstar vegetarian sausage (heated), tomato and avocado plus salt and pepper between a pita and placed in the sandwich maker. SO good.  I used to put cheese in this, but am as cheese-free as I can be these days, and really, with avocado, who needs it??
Last weekend, I made this AMAZING vegetarian sandwich with whatever I felt like - this little baby had fresh spinach, red peppers, grated carrot, cheddar cheese, avocado, cucumber and, what I believe to be the key ingredient, lots of fresh basil.  I also used Tofutti cream cheese - herb flavoured. Seriously, this sandwich makes me laugh in the face of meat sandwiches.
Yesterday for lunch I did a good old fashioned pb&j, although I really would have preferred a pb&b (banana).  Man do I love a good pb&b.  I've been getting cravings at work lately for something sweet around 3pm, so I and the pb&js are taking care of cravings business.  Put it in the sandwich maker and voila....molten peanut buttery goodness.
What do all these sandwiches have in common? Protein.  In the form of whole wheat bread (mostly), cheeses, tofu cream cheese, peanut butter, avocado...on and on. Delicious and damn well-rounded.

Sorry for the lack of new recipe posts, folks! I actually decided about three weeks ago that I needed to go back and re-make the recipes I posted at the beginning of the blog so I had pictures to add to them!  If you haven't visited the old recipes for a while, take a look, a lot of them have accompanying pictures now.  I'm making the Balsamic Eggplant Parmesan tonight so will have that picture up tomorrow.

Happy eating!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Pasta "Bolognese"

Another meal not cooked by me, but I had to share :)  Last night we had dinner at my girlfriend's place, and she made us another meal using Yves Ground Round, as in the post previous to this.  THIS time, however, we played a little trick on one of her boyfriend's friends, who joined us for dinner.  A self-professed carnivore, we wanted to know if he would have any idea the "meat sauce" wasn't made with actual meat.
Long story short, he didn't. In fact, he devoured his plate, had seconds, and kept telling my girlfriend how good it was.  After he was stuffed, she told him, and he took it very well and was impressed. The point? Trick your relatives. Just kidding. The point is that we need to move past the idea that your friends and family "won't like" what you make if it's vegetarian.  There's simply no need for people to feel as if they will somehow be "deprived" without meat. On the contrary, I've discovered so many more textures and flavours since becoming a vegetarian. Not once have I ever felt deprived.

No particular recipe required for this.  Make your regular spaghetti sauce as per usual, but substitute with ground round. You may want to add a veggie "beef stock" bouillon cube or two to really get that beefy flavour. We ate this on rigatoni with bread and an amazing salad whipped up by my boyfriend.  Other than the dressing which had some feta in it, the entire meal was vegan.

Tonight is my three year anniversary with my boyfriend, and we searched high and low for a restaurant with sufficient vegetarian options, and settled on Wild Rice, which looks amazing :)  Will give a full report on Monday - hopefully the restaurant is bright enough inside that I can take some pictures, too!
http://www.wildricevancouver.com/
Have a great weekend!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

"Beef" Stroganoff

Sorry I've been so lax with posting! We've been making a lot of favourites lately, and eating out too much :)  However, last Thursday, a girlfriend brought over a wonderful "beef" stroganoff that had two non-vegetarians sputtering with disbelief over how good it was.  She used Yves "ground round" which I don't normally use, but it turned out amazing and I might start experimenting with it some more.

1 package Yves veggie ground round
all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, sliced
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
1.5 cups veggie "beef" broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream or vegan equivalent
cooked egg noodles (she used the "no yolks" brand)
salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 tsp garlic powder

Season the veggie ground round with salt, pepper, garlic powder, then dust with flour. In a large skillet, brown in the olive oil and butter. Remove from pan. Add the onion slices and mushrooms to the pan. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is tender. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon flour. Put the ground round back into the pan with the onion and mushrooms. Add the mushroom soup and veggie beef broth. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, covered. Adjust seasoning to taste, adding salt and pepper, as needed. Stir in the sour cream the last few minutes, right before you serve. Serve over cooked noodles.


Friday, May 13, 2011

French Onion Soup

Ah, well despite the fact that it is sunny RIGHT NOW, we had a stretch of weather here in Vancouver that included pouring rain and hail (twice).  Summer seems to be arriving in fits and starts.

The boyfriend and I have dinner almost every Thursday with a friend that lives in the same building complex - she is kind enough to watch over our kitties whenever we go away for the weekend, so we try to make them dinner as recompense as often as we can :)  Recently, she jumped at our mention of french onion soup, which the boyfriend has become quite skilled at preparing. With this crappy weather, we jumped at the idea, too.

This recipe has been adapted from a Tyler Florence recipe, so original credit to him (especially the directions), but after making it several times, we've changed up the ingredients list a bit:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (or margarine)
4 yellow onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 bay leaves
2 fresh thyme sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste
1.5 cups red wine
3 heaping tablespoons all-purpose flour
8 cups vegetarian "beef flavoured" broth
1 baguette, sliced
grated gruyere/vegan white cheese

Melt the butter/margarine in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes. Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Dust the onions with the flour and stir. Turn the heat down to medium low so the flour doesn't burn, and cook for 10 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste. Preheat the oven to "broil".  Now add the broth, bring the soup back to simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, top each with slices of bread and top with cheese. Put the bowls into the oven to toast the bread and melt the cheese.

Our friend seemed to really enjoy it, and to me, it tastes every bit as good as the french onion soup my mom used to make when I was a kid, but without the animal juices ;)

And now, since this is my blog, and I do what I want, two pictures of my kitties that our friend takes care of:
Lentil is the black one with a couple of white tufts on his chest, a wonky ear and no voicebox, and Toa (Maori for "warrior") is the white and ginger one with a slight binge eating disorder. They are both just over 4 years old and I adopted them both from the wonderful cat rescue organization here in Vancouver, VOKRA.  http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/

Have a great weekend! :)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Hearty Lentil and Vegetable Soup

It's funny, when I ate meat, I didn't like soups at all. I found them to be completely unsatisfying, and never filling.  These days, I love soups, stews, chilis...anything that can be eaten with a spoon.  They are SO easy to make protein rich and they are ALWAYS filling.  Last night, the boyfriend made his amazing lentil soup - I think he adapted it from a Food Network recipe, but I'm not sure.  It is especially lovely drizzled with some olive oil and red wine vinegar OR a few dashes of Frank's Red Hot sauce!

2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
1 med. sized onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups vegetarian chicken-flavoured broth
1 can diced tomatoes (14oz)
1 cup red lentils
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt and pepper

Soften the vegetables with cumin in a large pot with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Add the broth, tomatoes, lentils, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables and lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. In a blender, purée until smooth. Add more broth if necessary. Add parsley and adjust seasoning to taste. The boyfriend made his usual oven-toasted pita chips brushed with olive oil and salt to go with it and we were both stuffed after only one bowl.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Peppers

These turned out SO WELL.  I made a version of these about two years ago using texturized vegetable protein or TVP (post on that soon) and followed a recipe - they were just okay.  This one I created out of my very own little head, and turned out to be AMAZING. I'm actually incredibly proud of this one, so let's get to it:

1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
6 peppers of varying colours, tops sliced off and insides removed - dice the pepper bits from the tops
1 block extra firm organic tofu (firm should be fine)
1-2 tsp oregano
.5-1 tsp cayenne
1-2 tsp dried basil
.5 tsp turmeric
1 can/jar pickled jalapenos, diced
1 cup uncooked brown rice
14 oz diced tomatoes
cheese - either vegan Daiya, regular cheddar or mozzarella
salt and pepper to taste

Put 1 cup raw brown rice on to cook. This will result in approximately 3+ cups of cooked rice.  I cooked mine in vegetarian "chicken flavoured" stock for extra flavour.  Preheat oven to 350F.

Finely dice all the veggies (onion, celery, garlic, pepper tops) and saute in olive oil until tender, then add the tofu, which has been diced and mashed with a potato masher to the texture of ground beef.  Saute all together until the tofu starts to stick to the pan and brown.  Add spices and diced tomatoes to taste, cook for another few minutes.  Add cooked rice until you get the desired texture. Measurements are not exact, but I'd say I added about half the rice that was cooked, until it looked like this:

Add the chopped jalapenos then taste again for spices/flavour, adding more or less, to your tastes.  I used about 2/3 of the can of jalapenos from the brand/picture below, which I think MADE this dish.  I think any pickled jalapenos (the ones you can put on your sandwich at Subway) will work just fine. We always keep them in the house. This particular brand had slices of pickled onions and carrots inside, too, all very spicy.
When you're happy with the taste of the filling, fill prepared peppers halfway full, then put in a layer of shredded cheese to cover the filling. Fill the rest of the peppers up with the filling, then top with cheese again.  Bake for anywhere between 30 min to an hour, depending on your oven.  I cooked ours for about 45 minutes, and they could have used maybe another 5 minutes or so as the outsides were still a bit too crisp for our tastes.

Yes, that's a Pilsner beer in the back.  Don't judge. We were watching hockey.

I had leftover filling (maybe three peppers' worth?) and rice after this. Froze the rice for future dishes, and we bought more peppers yesterday to have the leftovers for dinner tonight, this time switching up the cheese.

Enjoy!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Cinco de Mayo and the BEST guacamole

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Although celebration of this date is not terribly widespread in Canada, I always use it an excuse to eat tacos and drink margaritas.  Tonight we're having a couple of friends over to watch the Canucks game (playoffs, round 2 baby!), so we should have a good crowd.

Tonight I'm making my usual tofu tacos (recipe here: http://wayoftheveggie.blogspot.com/2011/03/tofu-tacos.html) with option of hard or soft taco shells, my FAVOURITE guacamole and, of course, margaritas. Tonight we're just using margarita mix since we only have tequila, but my favourite recipe for margaritas is fresh lime juice, tequila and cointreau (about equal parts of both liquors, maybe a bit less cointreau) blended with ice.

My favourite recipe for guacamole comes from the Barefoot Contessa/Ina Garten, I've had raves on it, and a friend who doesn't even normally like guacamole now makes it all the time. I've copied and pasted her recipe for you here below - enjoy!
  • 4 ripe avocados
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
  • 8 dashes hot pepper sauce (I use sriracha)
  • 1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small red onion)
  • 1-2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced
Cut the avocados in 1/2, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. Immediately add the lemon juice, hot pepper sauce, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife or potato masher, slice through the avocados in the bowl until they are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper.


Monday, May 2, 2011

Summertime Eats!

Okay, so it's not quite summer yet, but the food I ate this weekend is really getting me in the mood :)

After that fabulous dinner at my friend's on Friday (post below), I had my regular tofu scramble breakfast the next morning, then hit up the pitch & putt golf course in Stanley Park with my boyfriend.  After playing 9 holes, we felt snacky and hit up one of the hot dog carts in English Bay.  We grabbed two spicy veggie dogs (Mr. Tubesteak has two different kinds: regular and spicy veggie) and enjoyed.  All carts have veggie dogs these days, and these hit the spot!

I volunteered for VOKRA the next day (http://www.orphankittenrescue.com/) selling cupcakes and hot dogs to raise money for the organization, and had yet ANOTHER veggie dog. This time an Yves veggie dog. Meh.  Yves fake meats are not my favourite.  But hey, they're full of protein and with enough sauerkraut and mustard = good.  Yves' stuff seems to be fairly popular, though, so I guess people like them.  It's a matter of trial and error to see what suits you.

After golfing, I had some eggplant I wanted to use, so decided to try a recipe for eggplant croquettes I had seen.  My boyfriend whipped up an AMAZING quinoa salad with cooked quinoa, two small bell peppers (one red, one yellow), one seeded tomato, a handful of chopped parsley, 3 green onions, 1/4 of a red onion, some lemon juice and salt. The croquettes were quite good and would make excellent burger patties for a bbq.  Super easy to make.  I used three japanese eggplants and one egg, and would probably use less bread crumbs next time. My boyfriend loved them. I, on the other hand, couldn't get enough of his salad!  It is, in fact, my lunch today :)

Recipe for the croquettes here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Eggplant-Croquettes/Detail.aspx

**Update May 5 - I fried up the leftover eggplant croquette "patties" last night and we ate them as burgers: on a bun with lettuce, cheddar cheese and red onion. I liked them better this way and will probably only make them as burgers from now on.

After a long day of volunteering yesterday, I came home to an amazing dinner of risotto cakes and salad, made by my man!  These cakes are SO good and we've had them several times, recipe here: http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recipes.aspx?RecipeID=109&S=0  Although you can't see it in this picture, he added about half a can of black beans to the salad (which included avocado, red onion, parmesan, salt, pepper and an oregano dressing) for a little extra protein. The beans probably weren't needed considering I'd had my regular tofu breakfast, a blueberry smoothie and a veggie dog already that day, but it sure tasted good!

Ah, the things I will eat this summer! The options are truly endless :)

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Split Pea Soup

Oh I love split pea soup! It is SO hard to find in supermarkets without that ubiquitous ham.  But after trying a few online recipes and adjusting to my tastes, I think I've got a winner:

1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 potato, diced
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf (optional)
2 cups dried split green peas, picked over and rinsed
5 cups stock (I used one cube of veggie stock, one of chicken-flavoured)

a few pinches of smoked paprika added during simmering and nice on top as garnish :)

Add olive oil to a big pot over med-high heat. Stir in onions and salt and cook until the onions soften, just a minute or two. Add carrots, celery and potato and stir another few minutes. Add the split peas and water. Bring to a boil, dial down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the peas are cooked through but still al dente. Using a large cup or ladle, scoop out 2/3 to 3/4 of the soup into a blender and puree. Return the pureed soup to the pot to reheat - you should have a soup that is nicely textured. Smooth, yet with veg chunks. Continue to season with salt and pepper to taste. Serving with drizzled olive oil on top and extra paprika is optional :)  We like to eat this with homemade pita chips. Just cut into triangles, brush with oil, add salt and bake to desired crispness. Enjoy!

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

I have received permission from the lovely Kreeli herself to post her shepherd's pie recipe - all credit to her!  The only thing I can possibly add is that I added a couple of stalks of celery and a few HEALTHY tbsp of worcestershire sauce to this, since it just ain't shepherd's pie without that worcester taste for me :)

Her amazing vegan food blog and recipe can be linked from here:  http://kreeli.livejournal.com/35170.html

Lentil Shepherd's Pie
with mushroom and garlic sauce

Filling:
2 1/3 cups dry lentils
1 cup coarsely ground walnuts
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
1 parsnip, diced and/or 2-3 stalks celery, diced
1/2 head of green cabbage, finely chopped
1-3 cups frozen mixed veg (optional - I add this also but it's not called for in the original)
handful of fresh parsley, minced
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (if you have it - I usually omit)
3 tbsp soy sauce
3+ tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tsp dried, sweet basil
1 tsp ground thyme
ground pepper to taste

Topping:
6 - 8 large potatoes (I used Yukon gold), peeled and chopped
3 tbsp margarine or butter
splash of milk
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, handful of grated cheese

Place the lentils in a pot and add water until they are covered by an inch or so. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and let cook for 35 - 40 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil and add the onion. Saute for a few minutes, then add the carrot and parsnip. Saute another few minutes, then add in the garlic and cabbage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies begin to brown a bit. Add in the rest of the ingredients, stir well, and let cook until much of the liquid has evaporated off - maybe ten minutes or so.

Meanwhile, set a large pot of water on to boil. Add the potatoes, return to a boil, and then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Strain and mash with the margarine, milk and other ingredients, as desired.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Spread the cooked lentil mixture into large casserole or 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Press down slightly so that it is compacted, but don't mash it. Top with the mashed potato mixture. You can get fancy and score the potatoes with a fork or use a piping bag to create pretty designs if you like. Dot the top with a little more vegan margarine or lightly brush with oil. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until the pie is golden. Let stand for five minutes before slicing.

Serves 6 - 8, freezes beautifully for future meals.

While the pie is baking, make the sauce.  (My note: my bf loves this sauce/gravy so much, I now make it for EVERYTHING)

Savoury Mushroom Garlic Sauce

2 cups sliced mushrooms (any kind)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp flour
1 1/3 cups water or vegetable stock (I use veggie, beef-flavoured stock)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
2 tsp dried sweet basil
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee the mushrooms in the oil until they release their juice. Add the garlic and stir for a minute. Sprinkle with the flour and stir until everything is coated and the flour begins to sizzle. Add the water or stock in a slow, steady stream, stirring the whole time. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until thickened. Serve over shepherd's pie, or anything else you desire.

Veggie Quiche

This past weekend, we were out of tofu and other breakfast foods, so I whipped up a crustless quiche using eggs, which I haven't eaten for some time.  We keep them for my still-sometimes-meat-eating-boyfriend, who likes a fried egg sandwich from time to time.  Anyway, it turned out great. Really great.  I brought the leftovers to work today and wrapped it in a half a pita, then put in the sandwich maker for a minute. SO GOOD.

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/4 to 1/3 finely diced red onion
  • 1 stalk broccoli, cut into small flowerets
  • 3 green onions
  • 1 tomato, seeded and diced
  • 7 eggs, beaten
  • 2 cups shredded cheese (I used cheddar, but Daiya vegan cheese would melt nicely)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • pinch oregano
  • pinch cayenne
  1. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add vegetable mixture and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan.
  2. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
I just used the veggies I had in the fridge (and I need my tomatoes to be SEEDED - yuck to tomato slime!), but use whatever you have. Regular onions, spinach, mushrooms....all would be great.  I cut a bunch of baby yukon gold potatoes in halves before I started making the quiche, tossed with some olive oil, rosemary, salt, pepper and cayenne, and got those roasting first.  By the time the quiche had been in for 30 minutes (toothpick should come out clean), they were both perfectly done. I may have added some Frank's Red Hot Sauce to the entire thing. I have a problem with that stuff.


Later in the day I went out shopping and finally picked up some tofu. I've been dying to try this recipe: http://happyherbivore.com/2010/03/vegan-quiche-greens/

Will let you know how it turns out!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

A Few of My Favourite Things

On the nights when I'm too lazy to cook a big meal, or on days when I just don't have enough ingredients, I have a few go-tos that I always keep handy.

A friend recently asked me for my Tom Yum recipe...uh, yeah.  I use a paste packet (below) that is AWESOME. I add some chopped veg into it towards the end (carrots, broccoli, tomato, cauliflower, fresh cilantro, whatever you like) and it is spicy, healthy and DELICIOUS.


Hearkening back to my childhood, we sometimes ate canned beans on toast or mashed potatoes with a side of green veg. I still love that sometimes :)  I really like this brand, and it's totally veg.


Our friend Billy (Chinese) introduced us to this about two years ago, and thank God for it.  I was never a real fan of tofu before trying this, and it changed my tofu world.  Next time you're in a good Chinese restaurant, ask for their deep-fried spicy tofu.  Honestly, the texture and flavour is FABULOUS.  I don't like soft tofu at all - ever (even in miso soup), and this made me realize that the texture of tofu can be effectively manipulated to suit the eater.  After this, I started frying my tofu in chunks before adding to stir fries, etc.  What a difference.  Anyway. Try this stuff. I LOVE it and crave it at least once a month.  I get it to go with an order of veggie fried rice (hold the egg).

Right underneath our apartment building, a vegan restaurant opened up!  It's not typically very busy, so I hope it makes it.  The first time we ordered from it, we got some delicious "chicken wings", but the majority of the other dishes (stir fries, etc.) were rather bland, so we kind of forgot about it for a while.  Last week, a friend told me about an amazing dish she'd eaten there, so it prompted me to look the place up again on Yelp and see what everyone was saying.  Sounds like the service is hit and miss, but some dishes are AMAZING.  On the suggestions of a few Yelp users, we ordered the "sweet and sour ribs" and they were OMGdelicious.  Seriously. I would defy any meat eater to claim they weren't meat. And who even cares. They were THAT good. New favourite.

Panz Veggie: http://www.panzveggie.com/
Yelp reviews: http://www.yelp.ca/biz/panz-veggie-restaurant-vancouver

***Update May 4, 2011 - I just found out that FRANK BLACK of the freaking PIXIES ate at Panz Veggie last night!!  He was RIGHT UNDERNEATH ME!  Tickets to their concert here in Van have been sold out for ages so I won't be going, but hey, turns out he's a veggie :)

I've also included here two of the brands of vegetarian stock I use when cooking - there are other brands, but these are widely available.  This "beef flavour" is great in a mushroom gravy and in a lentil shepherd's pie (recipes either already posted or coming soon!).  I use the "chicken flavour" in a lot of soups!


Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Eating Out - Mexican

Thought I should do a post about eating out, and how easy it is to eat veg no matter where you are.  Since I ate my lunch for breakfast today, I needed something for lunch. I'm lucky enough to work near a small mall with a decently-sized food court.  There's a salad bar, Chinese place, Indian curry place, Thai place, Quizno's, soup and sandwich joint, a deli and a Taco del Mar, just off the top of my head.  They have veg options at every one of those places. 

Today I opted for a quesadilla from the Taco del Mar - beans and salsa between a crispy tortilla with a side of hot sauce and guac, all for under $7.  A veg version wasn't on the menu, but when I asked for it, it wasn't a problem. They wanted to make it with cheese and salsa but instead of cheese, I asked for beans - mixture of black and refried. No problem. I've eaten three of the four triangles and I'm STUFFED. High-protein and YUMMY.

Clean Out The Fridge Pasta Salad

Argh! I keep forgetting to post my meals and take pictures! Sorry for falling behind, but will definitely endeavour to improve my posting regularity.   Anyway, we didn't have much in the way of ingredients last night and we were too lazy to go shopping, so we decided to finally cook up that bulk quinoa pasta we found in Save-On-Foods and throw in the rest of the veggies we had in the fridge to make a simple pasta salad.  I think I had two stalks of celery, two handfuls of parsley, one tomato (seeded of course, yuck!), one orange pepper and one zucchini.  I also threw in a half can of chick peas and tossed with our favourite oil and vinegar-based salad dressing.  This would be really good with a feta and oregano dressing, for the cheese eaters!

Verdict? Quinoa pasta is great! It has a higher protein content than regular pasta, and for those avoiding gluten, it is gluten-free!  The flavour and texture is absolutely identical to regular pasta. I brought leftovers for lunch to work today and ended up eating it for breakfast. I must say the texture seemed to change a wee bit overnight - it "breaks apart" in the mouth as opposed to sticking together, but still good and after marinating overnight, the flavour is even better.

So, nothing earth-shattering here, just a quick note to say a healthy, veggie meal can be super easy to make!  I promise to make something a little more hearty soon :)  And will remember to take pictures!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Protein Packed Veggie Pasta & Sauce

This is really good.  A variation of this sauce (without the veggies) can be used in other recipes, such as a veggie lasagna, eggplant parmesan or just by itself on noodles.  I plan to post another protein-full sauce using TVP soon that works well with a veggie lasagna and easily tricks meat-eaters into thinking it's filled with ground beef.

I need to mention that this recipe is made of two parts - the sauce that you blend up cold and which fills the blender, and the veggies that you saute with garlic and onion. The sauce gets added to the veggies.  This recipe, as written, will make far too much sauce for the veggies.  We usually use about one third of what is in the blender to go with this amount of veggies, then freeze the leftover sauce for future meals and different veggie combinations.

The final sauce is a lovely rosé colour, with lots of flavour - beats any tomato cream sauce I've ever had!

1 16 ounce jar roasted red bell peppers (or roast your own! So easy! I use about three peppers)
9 ounces silken or soft tofu
1.5 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups veggie broth
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Italian seasoning (or a tsp+ each of basil, oregano, etc.)
1/2 onion, chopped
10 spears asparagus, sliced on the diagonal
8 ounces fresh mushrooms (any), sliced
3 cloves minced garlic
1 (16) ounce can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp hot chili sauce (sriracha or chili flakes to taste)
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
dash of red wine (optional)
parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in one pot to al dente.  In a blender/food processor, puree roasted peppers, tofu, tomato paste, broth, vinegar and Italian seasoning. Set aside. (This is the base sauce - Yummy and FULL of protein.) In separate pan, cook onion, garlic and asparagus in oil until desired tenderness (5 min). Add mushrooms and cook a few more minutes until mushrooms are soft.  Add in approximately one-third of the tofu sauce, tomatoes, salt, pepper and chili paste to desired amount with the vegetables. Reduce heat to low and simmer til heated through, adjusting seasonings to taste. I like to then add the pasta to the sauce and cook a bit longer to really distribute the sauce and cook the flavour in.  Serve with parmesan cheese.

We made this last night and have enough sauce left for at least two more meals. I'm going to make it with fresh spinach next week and more mushrooms, although the asparagus was REALLY good.  Apologies for the picture, there was a lot of steam rising off the dish so it looks kind of "dreamy" - and it was!

Chickpea Curry

I like my curry a bit spicy, so keep that in mind when eyeing how much cayenne I added to this one :)
This can really be made with any veggies you have on hand (zucchini and/or bell peppers might be nice) or a cup or two of frozen mixed veg, but I really like fresh tomatoes.

2 tbsp oil (veggie or olive)
2 small onions, chopped finely
2 tsp finely minced ginger root
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp + cayenne pepper
1.5 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 19oz can garbanzo beans/chick peas
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
two chopped tomatoes
1.5+ tsp salt
1/2+ cup water

I like to run a knife through the chickpeas so that most are chopped in half before adding to the rest of the mixture.  Whole chickpeas can be dry when you bite into them, so this ensures that the whole thing stays moist.

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat and fry onions till soft. Add garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt, cayenne and turmeric.  Stir and cook until well incorporated, add beans. Continue to cook and stir until heated through, adding water to desired consistency.  Stir in cilantro just before serving, reserving some for garnish.  Serve on rice (I cooked mine in some veggie chicken-flavoured broth).

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Black Bean Tortilla Soup with Avocado & Tomato Salsa

So THIS recipe was stolen from my Food Network app and they apparently stole it from "La Dolce Vegan".  I'm not normally a fan of black bean soups, but this one was enough to make my meat-eater boyfriend groan with pleasure and request it many times since. I think it's because it's blended afterwards, thick, flavourful and the chips inside....oh man.  Try it. It's gooooood.

Also, I've since made the "salsa" separately for topping on fajitas, tacos and more. Also good. I've added my personal tweaks directly into the recipes.

Soup

1 small onion, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups vegetable stock (I use vegetarian chicken-flavoured stock)
1x19 ounce can black beans, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder (I used maybe 2 tsp)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (I used maybe 1.5 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon salt (I added more, I have a salt problem)
plain tortilla chips

Salsa

1 medium tomato, chopped
1 avocado, cubed
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1 green onion stalk, minced
1 tablespoon oil (e.g. flax, hemp, olive)
2 teaspoons fresh lime or lemon juice
salt to taste

In a medium soup pot on medium heat, sauté the onions in oil until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.  Add the stock, beans, chili powder, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover with lid and simmer for 15-20 minutes. With a blender or food processor, blend half or all of the soup until smooth (be.careful when blending hot liquids). Return to pot and reheat.

    While the soup simmers, in a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, avocados, cilantro, green onions, oil, and lime/lemon juice. 

    Put a large spoonful of the salsa in the middle of the soup and place tortillas along the outside of the bowl, dipping and crunching as you go :)

     

    Tuesday, March 29, 2011

    Sweet Potato and Bean Burritos

    I can't take credit for this one, it's ripped off entirely from AllRecipes....just wanted to share it anyway.  Link with comments (I LOVE the reader comments! Allows you to make all sorts of lovely adjustments) here:
    http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Addictive-Sweet-Potato-Burritos/Detail.aspx

    The ingredients sound weird, but trust me. They WORK.

    Friday, March 25, 2011

    Quinoa Croquetas

    1 cup raw quinoa (wash and cook per basic instructions, we cook this amount in in 2 cups veg broth (bring to boil, reduce to low and cover/cook for 15 minutes)
    1/4 cup flour
    1/2 cup grated parmesan
    1 1/2 tsp salt
    1/4 tsp pepper
    1/2 cup finely chopped green onion (white mostly)
    1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
    1 egg and one egg yolk (or egg replacer)
    oil for sauteing

    Mix all ingredients together using hand or spoon. Mix until it has the consistency of soft dough. Heat oil in skillet until medium hot. With the help of a spoon, drop egg sized balls gently into hot oil. Let cook until golden on both sides, drain on a paper towel before serving.  We sometimes use different dips, sauces, but they taste pretty good on their own.

    We usually eat these with greens (beans or broccoli) and dill potatoes, but last night we weren't as hungry, so just whipped up a spinach salad with red onion and feta :)


    I should also add that last night, my bf let the "dough" sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two before he made the patties and fried them - he said they stuck together much better, and I think they were his best yet!