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!!