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.

Vegan Fat-Free Gingerbread Molasses Cookies.

Holiday cookies are a family staple. Traditionally we saved baking for that magical lull between Christmas Day proper and NYE. As an adult pagan of awesome non-pagan parents, I walk that fine, fun line between enjoying many of the family traditions I grew up with, without any of the Christian holiday themes. Frankly though, let's face it- 90% of the symbolism and traditions around the 25th of December are way not associated with that nice Jewish kid out of Bethlehem. Pretty sure Josh never saw holly or mistletoe or sleigh bells in his life.

Anyway. My baby had a bad few days wrestling with technology (he won!) and I decided to start the holiday baking early to give him a treat. Also I had been craving gingerbread- I mean, who doesn't this time of year?

I went in search of a moist, chewy gingerbread cookie that had plenty of gingery bite and a decadent, rich texture to them. It was also important that they be sorta-kinda- good for you...because I would likely be eating about 10 of them.

I found several that I rather liked on line and tweaked them around until I was happy with the results. I hope you are too!

You will need:

• slices of candied ginger for the topping (optional). 

• 2 cups of flour- I used organic all purpose whole wheat. You could also use gluten free flour!
• 1 T cinnamon powder
• 2T ginger powder
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1tsp ground clove
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

sift all these together into a bowl and make sure the spices are mixed well. If you want these to have extra warmth, put just a wee pinch of cayenne powder in there as well. I mean it.

• 3/4 cups brown or organic cane sugar
• 1/4 cup milk substitute: for this I used a blend of cashew/almond/hazelnut. Divine! You could also use SOY NOG OMG GUYS. I am now sad I didn't think of that until just now. Next time, for sure. Maybe even oat milk. Hmm. 
• 1/4 cup molasses. If this is too molasses-y for you, cut it in 1/2 and top up the rest with maple syrup. 
• 1/4 cup apple sauce, unsweetened, or pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling). 

Whisk all of these together until well blended and the sugar crystals are starting to dissolve. This takes about 2-3 minutes. 

Mix the dry ingredients into the wet in 2-3 batches so it mixes well. I found I had to get in there with my hands and really munch it around to make sure all the dry was evenly distributed. Roll in into a ball and flatten it into a 1.5 inch thick disc and pop it into a ziplock bag and let it harden in the fridge for a couple of hours. You can store it overnight, if necessary. 

When you are ready to bake: line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out the dough in two batches for easier handling to a thickness of just shy of 1/4 inch. I used a 2x2 inch square cookie cutter on the ones pictured below and they rose to a good size. You can make them smaller if you want wee nibble cookies instead. My dough yielded 22 cookies, so not bad! I found that 12 minutes was the perfect time for them, if you'd like them a bit crispier then probably 14 minutes. Enjoy and happy holidays- whatever you celebrate. Let the days grow longer and be filled with joy. And cookies. 

And Voila! happy vegan gingerbread cookies.

Carrot Ginger Lentil Fall Soup!

Fall is around the corner, pumpkin spice lattes are in hand, cute scarves and arm warmers multiply in my front hall like cozy bunnies.

It's SOUP SEASON, guys!

Tonight I formally capitulated to fall by making a spicy, thick gingery soup to stave off the first round of early colds that seem to be everywhere this week. Gross. I have too much to do to be sick! But not too much to do not to whip up a batch of this super simple soup. Souper.

ok, ok, I'll stop.

Here's what you'll need:

10 cup or more soup pot
immersion blender

1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic or more (loves me some garlic, yo.)
1.5 cups of dry red lentils, rinsed and strained.
4 cups of chopped carrots
2 T of diced fresh ginger (or even more. I'm embarrassed at how much I put in. Probably 4 T).
1 T of olive oil (or less to taste)
6-7 cups low sodium veggie broth or water in a pinch.

if you use water, include 1 cup of chopped celery tops and a tomato and some dried basil, chilli flakes and parsley to fake out veggie broth.

1 bay leaf
1 diced jalapeno (opt).
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
several twists of fresh black pepper
dash (or more) of cayenne powder. Probably not more than 2 tsp though, really.

Here's what you do!

heat up the oil in the pot; while it's heating, chop the onion and garlic and carrots.

sauté the onion and garlic and ginger until the onion is translucent; about 4 mins or so.
add the carrot and saute for another 5.

 If you forgot to get veggie broth and will be using water, now is the time to add the extra ingredients listed above along with about 1/2 cup of water. Simmer for about 2 mins. If you're adding a jalapeno, dice it and add it now. I use the seeds and all because I'm a sucker for spice.

add the lentils and the rest of the spices. and stir thoroughly. Let simmer for another minute or two for the lentils to absorb the concentrated yumminess.

pour in the rest of the broth/water and stir thoroughly again and bring to a boil with the lid on the pot. When it boils, turn it down to simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are well mushy.

Puree to desired creaminess with the immersion blender and simmer for another 5 and voila! This makes about 5 servings of 1.5 cups each. For a thinner soup, add more water after blending and stir well in; I like a soup I can stand a spoon up in, though.

serve with pumpkin seed cranberry crusty bread and enjoy!!

Raw Vegan Truffles

Oh my goodness, I might have just made the perfect food. My ovaries certainly think so.  Who knew that something so very, very rich and delicious could be also so good for you? You could totally  justify having these for breakfast.

I might have just had these for breakfast.

You will need a food processor to make these guys.

-1 cup dates, chopped coarsely
-1 cup mixed nuts- I used 3/4 cashew, 1/4 mixed walnuts and almonds but I feel you could use almost any nut and it would be delish. Cashews are my favourite. I was going to use just cashews but I might have eaten a few while pitting dates...and didn't have enough. The mixed nuts add a great depth of flavour though.
-1/2 cup raw organic cocoa powder
-1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
-1 tsp raw organic vanilla powder (you could buy whole bean and use about 1 inch worth, chopped, instead)
-raw unsweetened coconut shreds and/or cocoa powder for coating the truffle balls.

place all the nuts in your food processor first and grind them to a fairly fine level/coarse grit. You can leave some bigger (about the size of a the nut sprinkles on ice cream cones) pieces for texture interest while eating them but you do want the vast majority of nuts to be a coarse meal texture.

add the chopped dates, cocoa powder, vanilla powder and pulse on high until totally blended with the nuts.

Slowly dribble in the orange juice while pulsing the mixture in your food processor until there's enough liquid that it will clump together properly. You're looking for a very thick paste. If you accidentally use too much, just add a bit more dates and cocoa powder to balance it off.

When you have a good thick paste, remove and roll into small balls (approx 3/4" across). My batch made 36 balls. I rolled half of them in shredded coconut and half of them in cocoa powder.

chill in the fridge for an hour and then just *try* not to eat them all at once! Keep them sealed in the fridge when you're not eating the hell outta them

Each of these little darlings is 40 calories and 2 grams of fat, a gram of protein and 3% of your iron for the day. Because there is no extra added oil or sugar, they are rich without being greasy, and sweet without being overly sweet. The unsweetened cocoa powder lends an almost tart chocolately depth that is a great match with the coconut shreds and the orange juice.

I think the next batch I make will have some chili powder in them or some diced candied ginger. Or both! oh wait! Maybe some of the fresh chocolate mint from my back yard...

uh oh.

behold, my delicious balls. 

Raw Vegan Diet- 1 Year Roundup.

This time a year ago we were half way through our 30 day rawstravaganza. It was amazing.

Now, a year later as I finish a huge morning smoothie, I'm in the mood to take stock of how that month of revising my diet has stuck with me. There are many things I keep doing, and are obviously a stuck habit as a year in the making will testify.

First and foremost, FRUIT. The amount of fruit I eat has easily tripled in the past year. Breakfast is regularly 3-6 pieces of fruit, even if I'm having oatmeal there's an apple, an banana and a pile of berries cooked into it. Snacks are fruit salads, desserts are baked fruits. Fruit is awesome. I just can't get tired of it. Give me a whole, perfectly ripe and juicy pineapple or cantaloupe and it's entirely likely I will eat the entire thing. No shame. I don't remember eating this much fruit before this. Fruit was low on the snack scale, and certainly wasn't a 'proper' full meal. Not anymore!

secondly, eating this raw that I would only ever have eaten cooked. Oats are a big one. I actually had to Google whether raw oats were properly digestible by peoples- I'd never thought about it before! (actually, now that I type that out, it's a little embarrassing. But let's move on.) ground flax is another big one. Shredded raw coconut. A whole bowl of sugar snap peas is still a major treat for me. I will make a raw stir 'fry' with diced carrots, sugar snap peas, sprouts and coconut shreds in sweet chili sauce and eat the heck outta that bad boy.

Salads. I eat a salad at least once a day. Salads are infinite in variety and texture and content and I will eat all of them. I also have developed a piquant pet peeve when someone covers some sad wilted iceburg lettuce in ham and cheese and hard boiled eggs and cream dressing and calls it a salad. STOP IT.

*ahem*

BANANAS ARE BOSS. Seriously, I have a bunch in the fridge at work at all times and several bunches at home in various, carefully cultivated levels of ripeness. I experience minor panic if I run out of bananas; I'm all like "now what am I going to eat!!??" Ditto to various extents: spinach, almond milk, oats and oranges.

On the other hand, I'm also more aware that if I eat too much raw food in a day, my digestive system is not super happy with me and I'll experience quite a bit of intestinal bloating. So I have learned some minor moderation, in the spirit of enlightened self interest.

GETTING SICK. In the last 13 months I have had a minor scratchy throat twice- once for 2 days, once with some sniffles for 4 days. This is definitely the least I've been sick ever in my life. I work retail, I have people sneeze, cough and talk at me all day, I handle money, and I work with people who have gotten sick multiple times each in the past year. I have travelled and gone to night clubs and taken the TTC (not for the faint of heart!) and nothing. Thanks, fruit.

I stil think quite often to the things I learned during January last year. I'm very happy that a lot of the lessons stuck with me so forcefully.

Ultimate Vegan Black Bean Soup

I threw this together after reading about a dozen different recipes; all of which sounded great but werent really what I was hankering for. A solid shout-out to Post Punk Kitchen for suggesting putting quinoa in this soup- such a good idea! A good soup is very flexible when it comes to ingredients, is hearty and nutritionally sound, and tastes like more. For me and my test audience of one redheaded boyfriend (and a very interested-and denied dog) it really hit the spot.

For the first time in about a year I got sick- a minor sinus cold that's left me feeling floppy and under the weather; it's going around up here in Canada. This soup will definitely clear your sinuses out!

YOU WILL NEED:

1 large pot
1 hand blender (or regular blender, but one of those hand stick blenders makes life easier)
1 food processor for to puree one of the cans of beans.
2 15oz cans of black beans, rinsed in cold water and strained (you can use two larger, 19oz cans of beans too, it just makes it beanier! Who can argue with more beans, amiright.)
1 L of vegetable broth
1 medium onion
3 cloves garlic
1 medium scotch bonnet pepper
1/2 cup of corn niblets
1 red pepper
2 diced roma tomatoes
1/4 cup raw quinoa
2T lime juice
1tsp liquid smoke
spices! I used 1 T chili flakes, 1 T ground cumin, 1tsp cinnamon, 1.5T oregano, a few twists of fresh ground black pepper, a pinch of sea salt and a bay leaf.
1 tsp of oil

Dice all your vegetables finely (about a cm cubed or less).  Mince the garlic and the scotch bonnet.

in the large pot, heat the oil and sauté the onion and the garlic with the salt and pepper until the onion is translucent. Add the scotch bonnet and a squeeze of lime. Be careful- you can gas yourself out with the fumes if you're not used to sautéing hot peppers!

add the red pepper, the tomatoes and the corn and continue sauteing for a couple minutes until the red pepper is just starting to cook.

add the rest of the herbs and stir well, making sure everything is well coated and cook for another two minutes.

Puree one of the cans of beans with a cup of the vegetable broth in a blender or food processor, and add it to the pot with the rest of the vegetable broth, the other can of solid beans and the liquid smoke.

Bring the soup to a boil and add the 1/4 cup of quinoa. Boil for another 15 minutes, stirring quite often to make sure the quinoa cooks well and nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. Then, simmer with a slightly askew lid, stirring regularly, for about an hour (or until you can't take it any more and have to eat it!)

Before eating, immerse your hand held stick blender in the soup and carefully give it 5 or 6 solid bursts until the soup is much thicker, but not a homogenous mass- you should still see lots of pieces of vegetable and bean and quinoa, but it should be the consistency of a thin cake batter. If you don't have a hand blender, just carefully scoop out 2 cups of soup, blend it in a regular blender, and add it back to the soup and stir well- no big deal!

I served this garnished with diced spring onions, avocado slices and home made salsa on the side. Now, be warned- this is quite spicy, with the chili flakes and the scotch bonnet pepper. Feel free to substitute the scotch bonnet with a less spicy pepper such as a jalapeno or a smoked chipotle or even leave it out completely and just use chili flakes or a scoop of cayenne or whathaveyou. As I said at the beginning of our bean-y adventure- a good soup is flexible.

Cracking into Eggplant.

So, a very sweet friend of mine works in a place that received a large donation of fresh organic produce from a local farmer. After everyone had taken their respective oodles of vegetables, there was still quite a lot left over. Since it looked like it was going to go to waste, she very naturally thought of Your Humble Narrator (a filthy, free-veggie-loving hippy!) and gave me a call to see if I'd like any of the veggies- of course, I do. Pfft. True to her awesome self, she shows up at my work not an hour later with a huge black bag of peppers, parsip (one sad lonely parsnip- come home with me!) carrots, onions, celery...and eggplants. And not just any eggplants- long, tentacular, spectacular Chinese eggplants.

Enough eggplants that I hand to bundle them into a Gordian knot and double handedly stuff them into a crisper drawer in the fridge on Friday, where they filled the ENTIRE drawer with delicious purple promise.

So, tonight I pulled a few of those bad boys out and decided to whip up some home made vaguely Chinese-ish food.

I honestly like nothing better than getting a food idea and finding that I have everything I need for it just waiting in the fridge for me. It's so satisfying.

Now, one of my terrible comfort foods is take-out Chinese food crispy ginger eggplant. I mean, forget that eggplant is naturally super low calorie- once it's that saturated in sesame oil, it's like a french fry. It's super bad for you, but tastes Oh so good. I thought I'd try to reproduce that in spirit, without the 1/2  a cup of oil that often goes into such dishes (yes, 1/2 a cup. Seriously. The mind boggles).

Here's what I did.

Chop 2 long eggplants into 1/2 inch slices and steam with 1/2 cup water and 1T rice vinegar for 20 minutes until quite soft. This made about 3.5 cups of eggplant rings. I dont' imagine a bit more or less will matter.

While the eggplant is steaming:

dice: 2 red peppers and 2 scallions and set aside. I had some leftover green peas from Thanksgiving, so I just threw those guys in there too because I'm a rebel. It was about 1/4 cup or less.

mince:
1 scotch bonnet pepper, (WARNING: I LOVE SPICY FOOD)
3+ cloves of garlic (we all know how much I love garlic!)
a goodly chunk of ginger to taste (I had the last bit of a root, which worked out to about 1.5T. I would have normally doubled that).
1 scallion

add the minced items to a measuring cup with:
2/3 cup of water or veggie broth,
4 T Braggs (or soy sauce if you swing that way)
1 T brown sugar
1 T agave syrup
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 T crushed cashews.

this makes the sauce, you'll be using this first. It's nice to let it stand while the eggplant is steaming, to allow the flavours to mingle.

when the eggplant is ready to go, drain it.

Pour the sauce mixture into a deep sided frying pan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let boil for about 2 minutes, then turn it down a bit. (higher than medium, lower than boil).

Add the eggplant, peppers and scallions you've diced earlier. Stir very well to coat everything in the sauce. Don't worry that it's a little thin: I've got you covered. Wait for it. (hint: will involve cornstarch or arrowroot powder).

stirring fairly regularly, cook the eggplant the rest of the way, and the peppers lightly with the sauce. Keep it stirring, you don't want anything to stick and you want the flavours to really blend and have a good time in there.

When you're about ready to eat (you'll want to cook this for about 5 minutes, tops, or until the eggplant is creamy and dark and a little fally-aparty, and the peppers and peas are steamed but not floppy.) turn the heat back up so the sauce is at a light boil again. While the sauce is heating up, stir 2 tsp of cornstarch into a small bowl with 1 T of water or veggie broth, make a hole in the centre of the pan so you can see the sauce in the bottom, and pour the cornstarch into the sauce. Immediately mix very well, constantly turning the veggies and the sauce around on the high heat until the sauce thickens. Heat for another few minutes to cook the cornstarch and to allow the sauce's sweetness to bond with the veggies and then serve!

I garnished with shredded organic coconut, because it was there.

AND THE BEST PART? (sorry for shouting, I get excited). There's no oil. Nada. Zero. Zilch. OK, so the eggplant isn't "crispy" which is a result of being oil fried...but it's garlicky, and gingery, and eggplanty and spicy and creamy still.

This pan made two large servings with only 195 calories and 4 grams of fat, 9 grams of protein, 8 grams of iron and 7 grams of fibre per serving because food is awesome.

I suggest serving this over organic brown rice or quinoa for a super-hearty lasts-all-day lunch or dinner if you're super hungry.

I think I'm going to make baba ganouj with the remaining eggplants.

so many good things in one bowl. 

Low Fat Vegan Eggplant Parmesan: Triumph!

After last week's Tentatively Successful Casserole, I was a little afeared to get back on my cooking train. But, nothing ventured nothing gained. This morning walking my dog we took a jaunt to the local greengrocer- in between the mountains of oranges and apples and peaches, I wandered past the eggplants.

Now, I love eggplant. I love eggplant so much, we have six eggplants growing in our modest inaugural veggie patch in the back yard, all of which have been great producers this year. Not that I would know, of course, since the local bloody raccoons have tragically cut my little nightshade's lives short every single time- snapping their wee stems and half-heartedly munching their delicate aubergine corpses before discarding their half-chewed carcasses mockingly on my back yard table.

I kind of hate raccoons, the adorable little fuckers.

So, as a result of this, all summer I've been in eggplant withdrawal; stubbornly refusing to buy one when *any day now* I could be eating one from the back yard. With our roof being replaced and our eaves now no longer a Home for Wayward Raccoons, there are finally four good sized eggplant babies coming in unmolested. Fingers crossed.

So, coming across surprise eggplants in the green grocer rather undid me, I must confess and in a moment of weakness I took one of the shiny, dark purple beauties home. On a chilly moist October Sunday, this could mean only one thing.

Eggplant Parmesan.

I have been known to do a lazy EPP, coating the eggplant slices in sweet chili sauce and sprinkling them with vegan parm and breadcrumbs before drenching them in storebought sauce and throwing them in the oven for an hour...but today! Today I was resolved for a full on proper EPP, healthy vegan style.

Here's what I used.

1 large eggplant, sliced in to 8 pieces.

sauce:
2 portabello mushrooms
1 m white onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can Primo zesty sauce (embarrassing, sure, but the greengrocer has limited supplies. Mea culpa).
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp basil, oregano, marjoram, etc. Italian herbs to taste.
dash of liquid smoke

egpplant coating:
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup GF flour (what I had on hand, I don't intentionally eat GF)
1 finely diced scallion
1 tsp black pepper

1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
pinch salt

vegan parmesan, often available at your local health food store.

Here's what you do:

Cut the eggplant into 8 pieces, lengthwise and then that in half and then those in half. OR, cut it into 1/2 inch thick rings. Lay these on a plate and rug a generous sprinkling of salt into them and set aside for 30 minutes to let those babies sweat. (grooossssss.)

While this is happening, get that sauce going. Sauté the diced onion and mushroom and garlic together in a splash of veggie broth or 1tsp of oil. When these are well cooked (about 7 minutes) add the pasta sauce and the herbs and bring to a boil. Add the splash of liquid smoke and stir well often, bring down to a simmer and let the flavours mingle! Taste often, just to be sure it's good. It's for science.

Whisk the liquids for the coating together and let sit; sift the breadcrumbs and the nutritional yeast together in a wide plate. 30 minutes before you want to eat, preheat the over to 450 for 10 minutes. While this is heating, coat each piece of eggplant with the milk and flour coating and then roll in the breadcrumb/nootch mixture and lay on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper.

Bake for 8 minutes a side, making sure that the crumbs are a nice and golden brown. Pull those babies out and lay them on a roasting pan. Put a generous dollop of the sauce on each one, and sprinkle about a tsp of vegan parmesan over each. Turn the oven down to 350 and let them bake for about 5 minutes.

remove and serve!

My awesome omnivorous boyfriend had seconds (and thirds). I say TRIUMPH.

EPP in the house, yo. 

Menu: Frustration Casserole, followed by Humble Pie.

OK, I love food. No surprise. And I've gotten used to thinking I'm pretty good at making food, too. So it's always a bit of a shocker to have an evening that's such a total and complete cascade of hilarious and frustrating events. Frustration is currently in the oven, probably burning.

Let me rewind for a minute. I get several cooking/foodie vegan newsletters sent to me...see prior comment about loving food. I like getting inspiration and new ideas, keeps me from getting stale and just going back to the same dozen dishes again and again (which I tend to do...I love me some foodie faves).

Cue the recipe for mushroom and broccoli casserole. Sounds good, right? OK, it has pasta...and I almost never eat pasta....but the mushrooms and garlic and nootch cheese sauce...but the pasta. Hmmm.

Fast forward to yesterday. Browsing the local health food store, I come across quinoa pastas! Brilliant! amazing! Protein! Tiny singing food angels!

Quinoa pasta, folks, is $10 a bag. Yes, I bought it. Shut up. This casserole was going to happen, and it was going to be gourmet, apparently. Gourmet Casserole. Now a thing.

This evening I foray into the kitchen...sashay, even, spatula in hand, to make said casserole. The oven is preheating. The music is playing. The ovaries are cramping.

what?

Now, it needs to be said again that I almost never eat pasta. So, everything I cook in large pots that gets boiled is lentils or beans- both of which you put into water, and bring to a boil. You know, if you put a very expensive bag of quinoa pasta absent-mindedly into a pot of water and plop it onto the stove to bring it to a boil what you get is gelatinous goo, burned to the bottom of the pot (possibly ruining a $80 pot, but let us not dwell on that yet.) that in no way resembles pasta.

Failure #1.

While this is happening, I'm merrily scrubbing mushrooms and broccoli and, to save time, I decide to throw them all in the food processor to chop them rather than do it by hand- along with the garlic and the onion. I then proceed to chop them too fine, so they're really tiny specks of food...one step away from paste. Now I have green and brown paste to mix with my pasta paste. Umm.

Failure #2.

Well, no worries...I have the Gelationous Goo draining in the hopes that it will somehow magically reassemble as fusilli, and I decide to cook Failure #2 as directed in the recipe, lightly. Done. OK. Success. As this is simmering, I get to the blender to make the cheeseish sauce to go into it.

cheeseish sauce calls for:
almond milk
nutritional yeast
cashews
smoked paprika
cornstarch
brown rice miso.

what I *actually have* looks more like this:

vanilla almond milk
vegan fake parmesan shaker cheese
macadamia nuts
smoked salt
corn flour
red miso paste.

Failure #3- goes into the blender! In for a penny, in for a pound at this point in time.

oh WAIT. And, where is my casserole dish? Gone, you say? Why yes. You would be correct. Gone...somewhere. Hiding, likely under a pile of missing socks in some alternate dimension. I do have this other casserole dish...which is just slightly too small for all the ingredients, causing over flow immediately and terrible mess.

Failure #4.

But we are almost ready to go! I just have to put my Panko breadcrumbs on top and I'm in the home stretch. I have a whole bag of them right...here. Here? Or...maybe there. Or, in fact, no where. Time to use the ancient scrapings of some no-name breadcrumbs from the back of the top shelf that aren't even mine. Perfect.

Failure #5.

Time to put this Frankenstein's Monster of a cascade failure into the preheated oven and...wait. The oven is barely warm. Of course. I check the temperature (350, yes). I'd been prepping for over 15 minutes, the oven should be perfectly heated...except, of course, it is not.

Failure #6,

well, let's just throw this in the oven and see what happens. It says cook for 20-25 minutes. I've cooked it for 40. At this point in time I've taken it out of the oven just because I'm pretty done with this whole charade and would like it to cool down before I have to throw it in the compost and make myself a PB&J.

Oh, wait. I'm out of jam. Bugger.

all natural healthy chocolate pudding!

GO TRY THIS.

Try what? Let me tell you what!

You know when you need that something sweet, around about that time of the month...

...

but you're trying to eat healthier? Yup, me too.

Into your trusty food processor put:

1 pint of blueberries
1 banana
1 Tablespoon raw cocoa powder
.5 of a Tablespoon raw coconut sugar.

blend on high until liquid, decant into a steel bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes-1 hour. Drain off the small amount of liquid that will be pooling at the sides and bottom of the bowl.

You will have completely healthy, all natural pudding that's so thick you can stand a spoon upright in it.  Promise!!

If you make a crust out of pureed dates and walnuts, press it into a pie plate and refridgerate for a few hours before making this pudding, I'm guessing you could have yourself a raw vegan 'cheesecake' type dessert that you could have for breakfast, guilt free (if you're susceptible to food guilt).

What are you waiting for? Blueberries are on sale!

Vegan Moroccan Carrot Salad

This is one of my favourite summer staples as you can enjoy it alone, or add it as a topping to other salads, stir it into a bowl of hot quinoa or put a hearty scoop into a wrap for a burrito. Crazy versatile, and keeps in the fridge for over a week in a resealable container (we use those glass ones with the super clippy lids).

You'll want a food processor to make this, one that has a 'shred' setting or else (and trust me on this!) you'll be very, very sick of hand-shredding carrots by the end of this.

THE SALAD

• 1 lb of carrots, scrubbed and top/tailed. No need to peel if you use a firm bristled scrubbing brush, like I do. Peels are good for you! 
• 1 cup of fresh dill, minced. 
• 6 parnoosh dates, pitted and diced. 
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, diced. 
• 1/4 cup raisins (you can also use dried cranberries, diced dried apriots...you get the picture!) 
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

Shred all the carrots in the food processor and toss with the dried fruits and the dill. You'll want a very large bowl for this part. 

THE DRESSING

• 1T or more of cumin (see, I love cumin so I'll add a ton of it. I probably use closer to 2T but that's just my taste)
• 1/2 T red chili flakes
• 1tsp or so ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

combine all the ingredients and mix really well; you'll want to maybe let the dressing sit for an hour or so to combine the flavours well before mixing into the salad. 

Hardest part of making this? Not eating the rest of the packet of dates, thereby ensuring you're not hungry for dinner when you're done making the salad. Ooops...

Lemon Dill Roasted Mushrooms.

While the name says it all, it doesn't take into account the tangy savoury chewy awesomeness in a casserole dish that this engendered. This was a super successful experiment!

What I used:

a pound of whole cremini mushrooms, srubbed and quartered.
1 lemon, scrubbed very well and sliced into rings
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T Braggs
2 T veggie broth
3T of dill
1T minced garlic
1T pine nuts
sprinkle of rosemary
ground black pepper (to taste)

combine and marinate overnight in a tightly sealed container.

Transfer to a 8" round casserole dish with a lid, add another 1/2 cup or so of veggie broth and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Serve over quinoa or brown rice to take advantage of the amazing sauce!

Simple Vegan Stir Fry Recipe.

I'm asked a lot about what I do for quick, simple hot and hearty meals. My answer is: stir fry! One pan, minimal clean up and, best of all, limitless possibilities. Here's the basic outline of what I do, and you can fill in the vegetable blanks for yourself, depending on what you have in the fridge.

Enjoy!

1) rustle through the fridge and see what veggies you have. Wash/core/peel them as required. A good sample of what goes into my stir fry is:

1 medium onion.
1/2 lb cremini mushrooms
2 T minced garlic
1 red pepper
1/2 head of kale, collard greens, 3+ cups baby spinach etc.
carrots
celery
broccoli
sesame seeds
veggie broth
Braggs or soy sauce
dash apple cider vinegar
a diced chili pepper

I almost universally start with sauteed onions. Hard to go wrong. Heat a 1/4 tsp of your fave oil in a deep sided frying pan (I use coconut oil, usually) and add your diced onion, toss to coat lightly and sautee on high. HINT: adding the tiniest pinch of salt will cause the onions to release their moisture faster.

while this is happening, chop the next thing you want to cook. If I have them, the next step is always mushrooms. Slice 'em thin and toss 'em in, stir. You'll want to add the minced garlic at this time, so the mushrooms will soak up the oniony garlicky goodness as they cook.

After this, the world is your vegan oyster. The best rule to follow is to add the remaining ingredients in order of firmness- i.e., what will take longest to cook, or what you want cooked the most. Carrots and broccoli tend to be pretty firm, and take a while to break down, ditto peppers although not quite as long. Remember if you slice them thinly, they'll cook faster!  I've been known to use diced sundried tomatoes in a stir fry and they were delicious.

once all your veggies are in there, throw in what spices you want and toss thoroughly. I usually use black pepper, crushed dried red chilis, ginger, maybe a dash of cinnamon, maybe some parsley or some mustard seeds or whatnot. Sautee with a healthy dash of Braggs and some vinegar (or about 1/2 a cup of cooking wine.) and maybe a dash of lemon or lime juice, until things begin to sort of want to start sticking to the pan. This is your cue to pour about 1/2 cup of veggie broth in there and mix it really well, getting the bottom of the pan clean again and coating all the veggies.

The last thing you'll want to add is your greens. Allow less then 5 minutes for them to cook, although collards can take up to 15 to get pretty soft and spinach cooks almost instantly.

Serve with your favourite condiment (Sriracha, Mint relish, mango chutney, anything!) and you've a super fast, hot healthy and diverse meal, with maybe even leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

You get extra points if you start rice or quinoa in your rice cooker as you start cooking- and it's done as your stir fry is done.

lentil casserole with sweet potato (and winter squash) crust/topping thinger.

Most Awkward Title Ever.

This is sort of like a vegan shepherds pie, but it's not really and if you say shepherds pie, people's mouths will expect that...and then be disappointed. This is really tasty, but say it's a casserole and spare yourself the pain of false expectations.

This is the original recipe I used: Casserole!

But I changed it, somewhat. I figured out that two huge sweet potatoes makes 3 mashed cups of mash. Which absolutely won't cover the top of a 9x13 pan, just so you know in case you're expecting a thick sweet potato crust on top. I added a cup of mashed winter squash to lighten the texture of the yams up a bit, which was also delicious. I used a 8x11 pan to make it deeper and crustier.

Here's what I ended up with.

• 2 large (5-6" long, 2-3" diameter) sweet potatoes peeled and chopped
• 1 cup brown or green lentils, washed and picked over
• 1cup dry steel cut oats
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 celery stalk, chopped
• 3 T minced garlic (what? I love garlic. Sue me)
• 3/4 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 T tomato paste
• 2 T Braggs 
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 T nutritional yeast 
• black pepper, rosemary, red pepper flakes, sage and oregano to taste. 

This recipe is not for those of us who are strapped for time. Just roasting the yams and squash takes an hour, and then the assembled lentils and yam crust takes another 30 minutes in the oven. But it's well worth it! Hearty and super healthy, this bad boy serves 8 and comes in at a rich satisfying 230 calories a serving. Seconds are guilt free! Here's the whole casserole nutritional stats. if you're as much of a food nerd as I am.

some notes:
I diced the onion, celery, garlic and carrots really, really fine. By hand, because Johnny was napping and I didn't want to use the food processor and wake him up (it sounds like a jet engine!) It would be a lot faster to bung 'em all in the food processor, but there's also something pretty meditative about dicing. Music is required, though.

When I was laying out the yams and squash for roasting, I sprinkled them with rosemary, freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, and some garlic salt. The first time I made this according to the original recipe, I felt that the crust was a little bland.  The filling gets extra black pepper, sage and oregano. Of course, I am a self-admitted spice whore and can be guilty of over-seasoning things (herbs are delicious! I will also eat a parsley salad, so caveat emptor). You can also use dried parsley, not fresh in the recipe and I promise, no one will come to your door and take you away.

I mixed the apple cider vinegar with the Braggs before adding it- I was out of red wine, this was my substitute. Red wine in this recipe is also delicious but this hits all the same notes in the final product.

after you have poured the filling into the pan and spread out the mash crust on top, sprinkle some nutritional yeast over the crust to give it a faint, delish cheesy flavour which smells amazing when it's baking!

The upside to making this huge pan of casserole that takes a couple of hours from start to finish is that you'll have dinners in a blink for the rest of the week; and like so many things, it tastes better the next day. You can wait until it's totally cooled and cut individual slices and freeze them in tupperware (I use those glass ones with the clip on lids).

This bad boy is best served with a deep glass of your fave red wine and a huge bowl of field greens salad (with slivered almonds, lemon tarragon dressing and roast pear slices. For instance.)