Another Goodveg recipe! Such a good site/resource for delicious veg recipes :) This one can be found here. http://goodveg.squidoo.com/recipes/entrees/macaroni-with-oven-roasted-squash-capers-and-garlic All credit to them!
Changes I made - added a whole chopped tomato towards the end at the same time as the capers.
Also, we didn't have macaroni, so I think I used rotini. And I couldn't find pattypan squash, so I think I just doubled up the zucchini (I had been looking for a recipe to use a bunch) or another type of squash.
Result: delicious. Sorry I don't have a photo at the moment but I made this back in August or September. Will add a picture next time I make it...and there will be a next time!
2 large zucchini and 3 medium pattypan squash – sliced into ¼ inch slices, lengthwise, using a mandolin. (You should have long ribbons)
2 large cloves of garlic – minced (I probably used three)
1 small bunch of curly parsley – no stems – finely chopped
1 small bunch of fresh oregano – leaves only – roughly chopped
Handful of fresh chives – finely minced
½ cup Parmesan cheese – freshly grated
4 Tbsp capers in brine – drained
16 oz pasta– uncooked
Olive oil
Red chili flakes
Pasta water
Slice squash into ¼ inch long ribbons using a mandolin. Line a sheet pan with foil, and coat foil with olive oil. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix a few of your favorite spices in a mortar and pestle, or use a pre-made spice mix. Mine had dill weed, paprika, coarse salt, pepper, and Teriyaki seasoning. (from original recipe - I used traditional italian seasonings in mine!)
Lay slices on sheet pan close together – don’t overlap or they will steam, not roast. Brush with more olive oil, sprinkle with seasoning mix, and roast for 20 minutes. Check them after 15 minutes, the slices should be translucent and slightly toasted. Take slices off pan to a plate, and repeat.
Put a pot of salted water on to boil. Take roasted zucchini and chop into 1 inch pieces…until you have about 3 cups. Chop the herbs and garlic.
Just before macaroni is cooked, remove approximately 1 cup of water from the pot, and set aside.
Drain the pasta, and in the same pot, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pot. Turn heat off. Add garlic, and red pepper flakes and stir for a minute. Add the capers (tomatoes if using), and the fresh herbs, and stir for 30 seconds. Add ½ the pasta water, and return the macaroni to the pot. Add the roasted zucchini, the Parmesan cheese, and the remaining pasta water, and stir until combined. Serve immediately.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Creamy cauliflower soup with wild rice
Well, I am getting worse and worse at this posting business! And I really have no excuse since I've been making all sorts of new recipes, I've just been forgetting to take pictures and post. Here's a soup that I stumbled across and was so good, I've now made it three times. It is EXCELLENT warmed up the next day with a bit of water to loosen it up. Feeding it to baby for lunch! All credit to Cathy Burrell and this link: http://goodveg.squidoo.com/recipes/soups-stews/cauliflower-soup-with-wild-rice
Changes I made in brackets.
1 Tbsp butter (or margarine)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large leeks – thinly sliced-white part only – about 2 cups
2 cloves garlic – minced
4 cups cauliflower florets (I use one large head)
1 ½ cups yams (I use two decent sized yams)
1 ½ tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cups vegetable broth – low sodium (I like half veggie, half chicken-flavoured veggie broth)
1 can (14 oz) 2% evaporated milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked brown/wild rice mix (I used straight wild rice, and closer to 1.5-2 cups cooked)
2 oz Emmental cheese (optional, I've never added cheese and really don't think this needs it)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and cut cauliflower and yams into 2-inch pieces. (Leave the peel on the yams…more flavor!) Place the vegetables on a foil lined baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, you can start the soup. Place a large stockpot over medium heat and add the butter, olive oil, leeks and garlic. Stir for a minute and reduce heat to medium low. The leeks should slowly soften and slightly brown.
Stir every 10 minutes or so, until the roasted vegetables are out of the oven.
Cut the roasted vegetables in slightly smaller pieces and add to the leeks.
Add the broth, salt, pepper, curry and cumin powders and bring to a boil.
Turn off heat, add cooked rice, evaporated milk, and cheese (if using). Stir until the cheese is melted. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.
Perfect for fall/winter!
Changes I made in brackets.
1 Tbsp butter (or margarine)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 large leeks – thinly sliced-white part only – about 2 cups
2 cloves garlic – minced
4 cups cauliflower florets (I use one large head)
1 ½ cups yams (I use two decent sized yams)
1 ½ tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
4 cups vegetable broth – low sodium (I like half veggie, half chicken-flavoured veggie broth)
1 can (14 oz) 2% evaporated milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup cooked brown/wild rice mix (I used straight wild rice, and closer to 1.5-2 cups cooked)
2 oz Emmental cheese (optional, I've never added cheese and really don't think this needs it)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Wash and cut cauliflower and yams into 2-inch pieces. (Leave the peel on the yams…more flavor!) Place the vegetables on a foil lined baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes.
While the vegetables are roasting, you can start the soup. Place a large stockpot over medium heat and add the butter, olive oil, leeks and garlic. Stir for a minute and reduce heat to medium low. The leeks should slowly soften and slightly brown.
Stir every 10 minutes or so, until the roasted vegetables are out of the oven.
Cut the roasted vegetables in slightly smaller pieces and add to the leeks.
Add the broth, salt, pepper, curry and cumin powders and bring to a boil.
Turn off heat, add cooked rice, evaporated milk, and cheese (if using). Stir until the cheese is melted. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.
Perfect for fall/winter!
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Kale and Pinto Bean Enchiladas
I made this last night and it was fabulous! I made a few changes and subsitutions but the original recipe is here if you want to see it: http://cheese.about.com/od/maindishes/r/veg_enchiladas.htm
2 zucchinis, grated (Seemed like a lot but it really wilted down after the water came off and I think really contributed to the moistness of this dish)
1 large bunch kale, roughly chopped
2 eight ounce cans of pinto beans, drained but not rinsed (or soak and cook your own!)
3 cups enchilada sauce (recipe follows)
18 small corn or flour tortillas OR I used 6 large tomato-flavored flour tortillas
2 1/2 cups grated monterey jack cheese (I only had about two cups of mozza and it worked FINE. Honestly, this recipe would be great without cheese altogether. Viva la vegan!)
Preheat oven to 350. In a saucepan over medium heat, fry tortillas in a drizzle of oil for 10-15 seconds on each side. Set tortillas aside on paper towels.
In the same saucepan, add a bit of oil and saute zucchini until lightly browned. Add kale and saute until just soft. Salt to taste.
Spoon small amount of enchilada sauce around the bottom of a 9x11 pan (just to coat) and cover with 6 (or 2 large) tortillas. Cover the tortillas with half of the vegetable mixture, 1 can of beans, 1 cup grated cheese and 1 cup of sauce. Cover this layer with 6 (or two large) more tortillas then the remaining vegetables and beans, 1 cup of sauce and 1 cup of cheese. Finish with another layer of tortillas, 1 cup of sauce and the remaining cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Take off the foil and bake another 5 minutes. Let the enchiladas set 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with items such as fresh avocados (or guacamole), fresh tomatoes, and cilantro.
Enchilada Sauce
This was the first time I'd made this and I can't believe how easy and good it was!
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley (I was out so I omitted)
1/4 cup salsa (didn't have any so substituted half a finely diced tomato and about the same amount of finely diced onion)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups water
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the onion, oregano, chili powder, basil, ground black pepper, salt, cumin, parsley, salsa and tomato sauce. Mix together and then stir in the water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. It made the perfect amount for the enchiladas.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Broccoli Pie
A friend posted this on facebook and it looked so good, I had to make it (plus I had some phyllo in the freezer leftover from the last time I made spanakopita). Also, I really love broccoli. I'm not sure where the recipe came from so please don't sue me if it's yours, but I also made a few changes that shouldn't change the end result.
8 phyllo- pastry leaves
1 bunch fresh broccoli (2 lb)
Boiling water
¼ c butter or margarine
½ c finely chopped onion
3 eggs or egg replacer
½ lb feta cheese, crumbled
¼ c chopped parsley
2 Tlbsp chopped fresh dill
½ tsp salt
Dash pepper
½ c butter or margarine, melted
Preheat oven 350F. Remove pastry leaves from freezer. Let pastry leaves warm to room temperature according to directions on label. Wash broccoli; trim leaves and stem ends; discard. Split heavy stalks. With sharp knife, coarsely chop stems and flowerets.
Turn broccoli into large skillet; add ½ c boiling water. Cook over medium heat; covered, 5 minutes. Drain well. In ¼ c hot butter or margarine in large skillet, sauté chopped onion until it is golden- about 3 minutes. Add chopped broccoli; sauté 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat.
In large bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add feta cheese, chopped parsley and dill, salt, pepper and broccoli mixture (I poured the egg/feta/parsley and dill mixture back into the skillet with the broccoli and onions and mixed well); mix well. Line inside of a 9-inch spring form pan, with rim in place, with 6 phyllo pastry leaves, overlapping edges; brush each pastry leaf with melted butter before placing into pan.
Pour filling into prepared pan. Fold overlapping edges of pastry leaves over top of filling. With scissors, cut four (9-inch) circles from remaining phyllo leaves (for guide, use 9-inch cake pan). Brush each circle with melted butter; then layer one over the other on top of pie. (I put circles onto top then folded the edges over, making a really flaky looking top)
Pour any remaining butter overtop. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until crust is puffy and golden brown (Only took 35 minutes in our oven). Remove to rack; cool 10 minutes.
To serve: Remove side of pan; with sharp knife, cut into wedges; remove with pie server. Serve warm. (I thought it was also pretty good cold!)
NOTE: ½ lb= 250 grams
Substitute 2 Tlbsp fresh dill with 2 tsp dried dill (I used 7 of those frozen cubes of dill you can buy in the supermarket - I find these are most useful when you want fresh herbs but they always go bad before you have a chance to use them all)
8 phyllo- pastry leaves
1 bunch fresh broccoli (2 lb)
Boiling water
¼ c butter or margarine
½ c finely chopped onion
3 eggs or egg replacer
½ lb feta cheese, crumbled
¼ c chopped parsley
2 Tlbsp chopped fresh dill
½ tsp salt
Dash pepper
½ c butter or margarine, melted
Preheat oven 350F. Remove pastry leaves from freezer. Let pastry leaves warm to room temperature according to directions on label. Wash broccoli; trim leaves and stem ends; discard. Split heavy stalks. With sharp knife, coarsely chop stems and flowerets.
Turn broccoli into large skillet; add ½ c boiling water. Cook over medium heat; covered, 5 minutes. Drain well. In ¼ c hot butter or margarine in large skillet, sauté chopped onion until it is golden- about 3 minutes. Add chopped broccoli; sauté 1 minute, stirring. Remove from heat.
In large bowl, beat eggs slightly. Add feta cheese, chopped parsley and dill, salt, pepper and broccoli mixture (I poured the egg/feta/parsley and dill mixture back into the skillet with the broccoli and onions and mixed well); mix well. Line inside of a 9-inch spring form pan, with rim in place, with 6 phyllo pastry leaves, overlapping edges; brush each pastry leaf with melted butter before placing into pan.
Pour filling into prepared pan. Fold overlapping edges of pastry leaves over top of filling. With scissors, cut four (9-inch) circles from remaining phyllo leaves (for guide, use 9-inch cake pan). Brush each circle with melted butter; then layer one over the other on top of pie. (I put circles onto top then folded the edges over, making a really flaky looking top)
Pour any remaining butter overtop. Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until crust is puffy and golden brown (Only took 35 minutes in our oven). Remove to rack; cool 10 minutes.
To serve: Remove side of pan; with sharp knife, cut into wedges; remove with pie server. Serve warm. (I thought it was also pretty good cold!)
NOTE: ½ lb= 250 grams
Substitute 2 Tlbsp fresh dill with 2 tsp dried dill (I used 7 of those frozen cubes of dill you can buy in the supermarket - I find these are most useful when you want fresh herbs but they always go bad before you have a chance to use them all)
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Broccoli Salad and PUMPKIN SEEDS!
I discovered pumpkin seeds about a month after I gave birth - I bled for nearly 8 weeks after Nova arrived and I was looking for a way to ingest more iron without using supplements, which have a seriously.....uh....blocking effect on my digestion. Enter pumpkin seeds, my new favourite super food. Not only are they delicious and a small handful quells hunger pains, they are chock FULL of protein, iron and good fats - you can check the nutritional info if you like, or you can take my word for it :)
Anyway, I've been putting them on and in everything lately (try them in oatmeal) and my new favourite salad is one I got from my mom - a delicious broccoli salad.
Salad
6 cups broccoli, cut into one inch pieces (this takes time, no joke)
half a red onion, chopped finely
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (or vegan equivalent)
pumpkin seeds (the shelled, roasted, salted variety) - I think I put in about half a cup but put in as many as you'd like.
Optional - dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, etc.
Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise or veganaise
2 tbsp vinegar (white or apple cider)
1-3 tsp sugar (to taste - I don't like sweet things myself and I will reduce the amount of sugar I use next time)
Mix dressing, toss with salad. Delicious.
Anyway, I've been putting them on and in everything lately (try them in oatmeal) and my new favourite salad is one I got from my mom - a delicious broccoli salad.
Salad
6 cups broccoli, cut into one inch pieces (this takes time, no joke)
half a red onion, chopped finely
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (or vegan equivalent)
pumpkin seeds (the shelled, roasted, salted variety) - I think I put in about half a cup but put in as many as you'd like.
Optional - dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, etc.
Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise or veganaise
2 tbsp vinegar (white or apple cider)
1-3 tsp sugar (to taste - I don't like sweet things myself and I will reduce the amount of sugar I use next time)
Mix dressing, toss with salad. Delicious.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Kale and Quinoa Pilaf
Another lapse between posts! Things are good around here, my little herb garden has already started sprouting, our RocketPrincess is growing like a weed and we are heading to Seattle this weekend to see some friends! In an effort to shed the pregnancy weight, I've been trying to eat a little better (certainly better than I did during pregnancy...a lot of cake was eaten) and with a little one and the expenses that came with a baby, buying a home and being on maternity leave, we've done almost all our cooking here - no more take out for us!
This recipe, believe it or not, was picked out last week because we had all the ingredients in-house and we wanted to use up some kale. Well WOW. It was unbelievably good - so much better than I expected. My personal thought is that the ginger is the key, but the whole thing was delicious, and well-rounded, nutrition-wise. In fact, it was SO good that I soaked some beans last night and we're having this for dinner again tonight!
Can take no credit for this one - this is from Cooking Light :)
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/kale-quinoa-pilaf-10000000226297/
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add curry, chili paste, and ginger; sauté 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring occasionally. Serve at room temperature.
This recipe, believe it or not, was picked out last week because we had all the ingredients in-house and we wanted to use up some kale. Well WOW. It was unbelievably good - so much better than I expected. My personal thought is that the ginger is the key, but the whole thing was delicious, and well-rounded, nutrition-wise. In fact, it was SO good that I soaked some beans last night and we're having this for dinner again tonight!
Can take no credit for this one - this is from Cooking Light :)
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/kale-quinoa-pilaf-10000000226297/
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
6 cups torn kale
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Chili!
I know I haven't updated for ages! However, I am currently 9 days from my due date and my last day of work was this past Friday, so I am officially on maternity leave now! I hope to spend a lot more time over the next year on this blog experimenting with new meals, but people tell me I might be a bit busy :)
In the meantime, I bring you...chili! This was my original recipe from when I ate meat, very few adjustments were required to make it vegetarian/vegan, so if you want to make it with meat, just brown your ground animal (sorry, couldn't resist) in the pot after the onions and peppers have become translucent and omit the beef and chicken flavoured stock cubes.
4 medium-sized red onions
3 bell peppers of whichever colour
2 cloves minced garlic
2+ cups rehydrated TVP (texturized vegetable protein)
3-4 cubes of veggie beef & chicken stock, for flavour
2 large cans plain tomato sauce
2 cans kidney beans
sriracha or minced chilis, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
splash or two of red wine (optional)
splash or two of balsamic vinegar (yummy)
pinch of cumin (optional)
Chop the onions into small bits, fry in olive oil with the minced garlic in the bottom of a really big pot. When the onions get soft, throw in the diced peppers. Add the rehydrated TVP (okay if it's a bit wet - sometimes I add in too much hot water when rehydrating it, so I just drain it in a strainer until it looks/feels like ground meat) - add the cubes of stock - I just crumble them right into the pot. Cook for a good 10 minutes on medium until all the ingredients are well mixed and the TVP starts to stick to the bottom of the pot. Add in the tomato sauce and kidney beans and cook for another 15 minutes or so, making sure to scrape up the bottom of the pot. Check the texture of the chili - hold back tomato sauce or add more veggies/TVP at this point to get the consistency/thickness you want. At this point, add your remaining seasonings and then cook for a minimum half an hour to get the flavours all blended really well. Serve as is (with sour cream, cheese, green onions, fritos) or over basmati rice and enjoy!
I haven't made this with ground round, but think it would be quite good!
In the meantime, I bring you...chili! This was my original recipe from when I ate meat, very few adjustments were required to make it vegetarian/vegan, so if you want to make it with meat, just brown your ground animal (sorry, couldn't resist) in the pot after the onions and peppers have become translucent and omit the beef and chicken flavoured stock cubes.
4 medium-sized red onions
3 bell peppers of whichever colour
2 cloves minced garlic
2+ cups rehydrated TVP (texturized vegetable protein)
3-4 cubes of veggie beef & chicken stock, for flavour
2 large cans plain tomato sauce
2 cans kidney beans
sriracha or minced chilis, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
splash or two of red wine (optional)
splash or two of balsamic vinegar (yummy)
pinch of cumin (optional)
Chop the onions into small bits, fry in olive oil with the minced garlic in the bottom of a really big pot. When the onions get soft, throw in the diced peppers. Add the rehydrated TVP (okay if it's a bit wet - sometimes I add in too much hot water when rehydrating it, so I just drain it in a strainer until it looks/feels like ground meat) - add the cubes of stock - I just crumble them right into the pot. Cook for a good 10 minutes on medium until all the ingredients are well mixed and the TVP starts to stick to the bottom of the pot. Add in the tomato sauce and kidney beans and cook for another 15 minutes or so, making sure to scrape up the bottom of the pot. Check the texture of the chili - hold back tomato sauce or add more veggies/TVP at this point to get the consistency/thickness you want. At this point, add your remaining seasonings and then cook for a minimum half an hour to get the flavours all blended really well. Serve as is (with sour cream, cheese, green onions, fritos) or over basmati rice and enjoy!
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.
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
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 ;)
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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 tasteWe 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.
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 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!
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!
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 :)
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!
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??
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!
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.
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)