Curry Lentil and Butternut Squash Hearty Vegan Gluten Free Soup.

This time of year is hard for me: the weather is grey, the holidays are over and there's nothing but the hard slog until spring.

Good thing there's soup in the world to warm my heart as well as my chilled bones! This super thick number hits all my soup requirements: a complete meal and so full of goodness that it almost stands up by itself, while only taking one pot and one knife to make. Easy clean up and well worth it; as it makes dinners for me for several days.

it's gorgeous orange colour is like a big bowl of replacement sunshine!

YOU WILL NEED:
1 immersion blender
1 large soup pot.
about 30 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:
4 cups of diced butternut squash.
1 large white onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
1.5 cups of red lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
1T olive oil or cooking oil of choice
2T curry paste (I use Patak's vindaloo)
2T (or more Sriracha Chili Garlic Sauce
1 cup unsweetened coconut yoghurt.
1 T cumin
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper or more to taste
1 bay leaf

Start heating up the soup pot and pour the olive oil in there to warm. Chop the onion and garlic- no need to dice to finely, as everything will be blended at the end any way.

Saute the onions and garlic in the oil- when it starts to get a little dry, just pour a bit of the broth in there to keep it lubed up. Crack a little black pepper in there, and sprinkle the celery salt and cumin. As it's cooking, rinse and drain your lentils.

When the onions are translucent, add the lentils and the butternut squash and stir well to blend the lentils and the squash with the onions and herbs. Toss in the chili garlic sauce and stir to coat. Cook for about 3 mins, making sure the lentils don't stick to the bottom.

Add the rest of the broth and the curry paste- stir to blend well. Bring to a boil, boil for about 5 and then simmer for about 20 with the lid on the pot, to make sure the squash and lentils are well and truly cooked.

Turn the stove off and blend the soup thoroughly with your immersion blender, then add the coconut yoghurt and continue to blend- it will make it super smooth and creamy looking.

SERVE AND ENJOY!

I often make some rice to add to the soup- it's so thick the rice can sit right on top. I also enjoy a dollop of hummus with it as well.

Healthy Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread

Ahoy!

I don't bake very much, because then I would eat all the damned baking and then, of course, I would suffer Regrets.

I can't eat too much gluten these days, so the rare day that I want to do some baking, it's even more of a challenge.

But, I eat a lot of bananas- so naturally, sometimes there will be a few rebels who overripen before I get to them and the only reasonable thing to do at this point is to make delicious banana bread. But of course I would like it to be healthy, so whats a girl to do?

Here's whatcha do.

preheat the oven to 350.
give a quick spritz of cooking spray to your loaf pan.

assemble:

• 3-4 overripe bananas. very over ripe; you want them good and mushy because that's when they're the sweetest. SCIENCE! 
• 2 T of molasses. 
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce 
• 1/4 cup of pure pumpkin puree (you can use a full 1/2 cup of pumpkin and it will turn out just fine, I promise). 
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 cup rice flour 
• 1 cup coconut flour 
• 1 tsp of cinnamon or more (I use way more, I love cinnamon)
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg (it's super easy to use too much nutmeg accidentally, be gentle!) 
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence if desired. 
• 2 T of chocolate chips or raisins or nuts or whatever you'd like! 

put the bananas into a big bowl and mash really well. Add the molasses, apple sauce and pumpkin and stir to completely blend, and the vanilla essence if you're using it. Add the sugar and mix thoroughly, then add whatever fun extras will be in your dough (if any). 

sprinkle in the salt, baking soda and spices and make sure they mix in evenly, then sift in the flours. 

You'll have a dough, more than a batter- it'll be quite firm. you can add a bit more apple sauce if you'd like it to be more liquid-y, but only a wee bit. 

press the dough into your loaf pan- I compress if with a fork to make sure it's evenly in there, with no air bubbles or corners missing at the bottom or whatnot. 

bake for 40 mins at 350- test with a toothpick to make sure it's done all the way through before removing, as every oven is slightly different. 

drop out of the loaf pan onto a plate or cooling rack and enjoy! 

NOW- because this has no gluten in it, it bakes differently from a gluten-y loaf. For one thing, it won't rise. Don't expect it to. Gluten free vegan baked goods are generally more dense than their mainstream counterparts, but it's just concentrated deliciousness! It's a little crumbly because there is NO OIL OR FAT in it (besides what is naturally occurring in the ingredients)  but it is deliciously moist, banana-y, and with a good texture. It's omnivore approved in this house and doesn't taste like it's healthy so it's a great treat! 

and you won't suffer Regrets for having it for breakfast, either. 

People Pleaser Vegan Chili

I love chili. It has infinite variety, from mild to pants-searingly spicy, and you can put almost anything in there and enjoy the heck out of it. It's the perfect camping food (I always feel like an old timey cowboy when I'm eating chili around a campfire.)

It's also super easy to make a really rich and hearty chili that's so delicious, the family won't even notice it's vegan- which is really helpful at potlucks, family get togethers and any time people gather in large groups to eat and to also silently judge your eating habits and lifestyle choices.

ALSO- note that I don't use any soy or fake meat in this recipe. Many other chili recipes simply sub shite quality TVP or something in place of the dead animals. I find that it bloats me out and gives me brutal indigestion. This is all natural, baby! Beans or nuthin.

YOU WILL NEED:

a crockpot (large) or a large thick-bottomed (hurrhurr) pot you can simmer on the stove for a few hours.
a frying pan
standard cooking oil of choice (not sesame)

ingredients:

• 1 large white onion
• 4-40 cloves of garlic, depending on taste. I usually settle for around 6. vampires beware. 
• 1 lb of cremini mushrooms. divided into two. (the packs at the shops usually are half a pound which is super convenient. Get the pre sliced ones, life is short). 
• 1 19oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed. 
• 1 19 oz can of kidney beans, drained and double rinsed- kidney bean juice is bad for the tummy.
• 1 19 oz can of chickpeas. 
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes OR 6-8 diced tomatoes, depending on size. 
• 1 can of tomato paste 
• 1 large can of crushed tomatoes 
• 1 cup of corn niblets
• 1 diced red pepper 
• 1 can of dark beer- I used to use Guinness, but any stout will do. 
• 1 whole chipotle pepper (available in Kensington market) 
• 1tsp liquid smoke
• 1T vegan worchestershire sauce (the regular stuff has anchovy in it- beware!) 
• 1 T of cayenne powder
• 2T of chili powder 
• 2T of cumin powder
• 1 T of celery salt 
• a dash of oregano
• 1 cinnamon stick
• a healthy grind of pepper
• salt to taste
• a couple of chopped spring onions for garnish
• corn chips for dipping and munching 
• guacamole for complete decadence as a topping. 

OPTIONAL: a cup of diced or shredded carrots. Because carrots are sweet, they can do well to offset the spice.

PROCESS: turn on Ye Olde Crockpot and get it started heating on high.

1. dice the onions and garlic sauté them in a little cooking oil or vegetable broth until translucent. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over them as you go to draw out the moisture in them. 
2. take one half of the cremini mushrooms and dice them finely and add them to the onions and cook for about 4 minutes.  Leave the other half as thinly sliced pieces. 
3. put the whole shebang into the slow cooker. 
4. throw every other damned thing into the slow cooker as well. Make sure to sample the beer for deliciousness. 
5. wait 6 hours. 
6. turn it down to low. You can eat it now if you are dying of hunger, or let it burble for another 2 hours on low. If you're really organised, you'll be making this a day in advance- everyone knows chili is better the second day.
7. Find a campfire, dish out some chili and mind the varmints. 

Summer lentil salad

If you're like me, you usually think of lentils as being part of a warm, hearty fall or winter dish. But making a chilled salad out of them works wonderfully and is a great way to eat these super healthy little nutritional powerhouses year round! 

You will need: 

1 cup dry green lentils 

2 cups water 

1/4 of a red onion or a whole wee one, chopped 

1/2 a cucumber, chopped 

OPTIONAL: halved cherry tomatoes, olives, a minced clove of garlic. 

2T chopped fresh parsley 

2T chopped fresh rosemary 

1T chopped fresh mint 

1T fresh black pepper 

1T olive oil 

1 lemon zested and squeezed (you'll want about 3T) 

Pepper, salt and chili flakes to taste 

Rinse the lentils and put them into the water, bring it to a boil, cover and simmer for 15-20 or until soft. 

Strain and mix with the oil, lemon juice, zest,salt and pepper. Allow to chill completely, then stir in herbs, onion, cucumber and any of the optional vegetables you used. Let it sit for a bit to allow the flavours to mingle. Enjoy! 

Vegan (no) Potato Salad

So- I wanted potato salad. But; too many potatoes leave me feeling heavy, starched-up and overly full. Potatoes are great in the colder months, but I wanted something lighter for these blissfully hot days. 

This is made from items I already had in my fridge. Perfection! 

You will need: 

2 large zucchinis. About 4-5 cups, peeled and diced in about 1 cm cubes. 

1 red pepper, diced finely. 

1/2 a cucumber, diced finely. 

2 stalks of celery, diced finely. 

1 small red onion, diced finely (I sense a pattern here.) 

1/2 cup of edamame beans- because protein, yo. 

If I had had coconut bacon bits I would have used them for a garnish, but life is cruel and I was all out. Seriously though, you have to try them. Vegan, gluten free, and tasty as heck. I get mine at Metro. 

For the sauce: 

5 tablespoons of vegan mayo

1 tablespoon of mustard- I used wasabi dill but you can use a regular decently hot mustard (not French's yellow mustard, is what I'm saying. Use a grown up mustard, for goddess' sake. Respect yourself.) 

pepper to taste 

Pinch of salt- I used pink Himalyan because I'm fancy like that. 

1 teaspoon or more of cumin 

A dash of smoked paprika 

A dash of dill. 

Dice and toss everything together. Mix your sauce separately; make sure it's mixed well and stir it thoroughly through the vegetables until everything is evenly coated. Refrigerate for an hour to let the flavours blend. 

healthy vegan noodle-free pad thai!

A wonderful neighbour gifted me with a bag of veggies that were going to go off before she had a chance to eat them. I am definitely the right person to give orphan veggies to. They will NOT go to waste over here! However, I usually don't eat a ton of cabbage...until, by pure glorious serendipity, this recipe strolls across my FB newsfeed.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155651866530247&set=gm.10152931506157686&type=1

AH HAH! Says my brain. You have a cabbage in the fridge! It seemed good, but of course I just can't be left with a recipe and not fuss with it. So, here's what I did.

you will need:

a wok or deep sided frying pan.

ingredients:
1 whole chinese cabbage, sliced very thinly.
2 cups of slivered carrots
1 red pepper, chopped.
1 onion
2 clove of garlic, diced finely.
1 T fresh ginger, diced finely.
1 tsp coconut oil

the sauce:
5 T soy sauce
3T (or more if you like it spiiiicy!) of sriracha
3T smooth peanut butter
2T lime juice
1T tomato paste
2T brown sugar

garnish: sliced green onion and chopped peanuts.

sauté the onions in the coconut oil until translucent, and then add the ginger and the garlic and a splash of soy sauce. Add the red pepper and saute for another minute or two, and then add the cabbage. this is a LOT of cabbage, so stir it around so it's mixed well with what's already in the pan! Turn it down a bit and let it cook for about 10 minutes or a bit less. While this is going on, mix your sauce.

Seriously, just add all the sauce ingredients into a bowl and whisk until thoroughly mixed.

When the cabbage has cooked for about 10 minutes, add the sauce, mix well and let it simmer for another 2 minutes.

scoop, garnish and serve!!

This sauce is amazing and totally tastes like pad thai, without the huge caloric impact of a plate of noodles.

Mushroom Spinach Quinoa Risotto.

Ok, yes, I know risotto is technically made with rice. But why eat rice when you can eat those tiny delicious protein discs of love called quinoa? With the weather tending towards cold and blustery, I am drifting into the 'hot and hearty' spectrum for dinners.

This is a great week-day dinner, super easy to make and can be quite adaptable!

The Quinoa:

1 cup dried quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
1tsp chili flakes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cumin.

mix everything well and bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer until all the broth is absorbed. Or, do as I do and throw it all into your rice cooker! Love me my rice cooker.

The Mushrooms:

1 lb. of Cremini mushrooms, sliced and separated into two equal piles
1/2 cup of vegetable broth.
1tsp olive oil
2T roasted red pepper hummus
1 medium onion
5 spring onions
2 cloves of garlic
splash of red wine
2T Bragg's aminos.
2tsp oregano
1tsp sage
dash of paprika, dash of cumin, a few twists from the trusty pepper mill.

dice and sautee the onions and garlic with the cracked black pepper until the onions are translucent. We don't use a lot of oil, so when it starts to get a little dry, just add a splash of vegetable broth instead. Then, add the first half of the mushrooms and the Bragg's. Mix well so the mushrooms are covered, and probably add some more vegetable broth. Simmer until the mushrooms are well cooked, about 7 minutes.

Put the whole thing in a blender with about 1/2 cup of broth and the hummus. Blend until it is a creamy sauce and set aside.

Back to the frying pan! Now, sautee the spring onions and the other half of the mushrooms with another splash of broth, the red wine and the oregano, sage, paprika and cumin. When these guys are done too, add the creamy mushroom sauce and bring it back to a light boil. Then, add the cooked quinoa to the mixture, stirring well so all of the quinoa is covered in delicious sauce. Then, add 2 cups of baby spinach or diced adult spinach and stir until the spinach is just wilted.

Serve and enjoy! This is a complete meal by itself, which will serve 2 hungry people or 3-4 moderate eaters as a side dish.