Ventures With Veggies

Sweet and sour tofu

2011-05-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Sweet and Sour Tofu

I can't really vouch for the authenticity of this recipe. It's my mom's, who got it from a church cookbook. So, not authentic in the least bit...but I can vouch for it's deliciousness.

For the tofu:
1/2 brick of tofu
1-2 tbsp corn startch
few tablespoons of oil

Rinse the tofu and cut into desired shapes. Pat dry and mix with corn startch. I find it works best to put the tofu and corn startch in a sealable and shake it up!
Fry in a pan over medium heat in oil until all sides are browned.

Set aside.

For the Sweet and Sour sauce:

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1/2 onion

1 green chopped green pepper (I used half green and half yellow)

1-2 carrots, sliced

3-4 large mushrooms, sliced

1 can pineapple chunks

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup brown sugar firmly packed

2 tbsp. corn starch

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 tsp. ginger

Saute onion and green pepper in oil until almost tender.

Drain syrup from pineapple and add enough water to make it 1 1/2 cups liquid.

Add pineapple to skillet.

Combine pineapple liquid, vinegar, brown sugar, corn starch, soy sauce and ginger - add to skillet.

Simmer until sauce thickens a bit, stirring constantly. Add the cooked tofu and let simmer 5 more minuetes.

2011-01-29T16:28:00.000-08:00

I have never liked potato salad. I think it's because it always had eggs in it, and I get freaked out by eggs on their own. Except for that one time.

So I always hated potato salad. But not just because of the eggs. I didn't like it even when I'd make it without eggs. So I just never ate it or thought much about potato salad.

While I was home for Christmas, my Dad bought a sweet potato salad. With kale. Two of my favorite ingredients, right there. So I thought i'd at least try it. And I fell in love with it. So I made my own version when I got home.

And it's delicious.

dressing:

3 tbsp veganaise (or mayonaise/miracle whip)

1 tbsp white vinegar

2 tsp mrs dash seasoning

salt and pepper

1 sweet potato, baked and cooled

3 handfuls of kale, chopped

1/4 cup dried cranberries and pecans

3-4 green onions, chopped

Assemble the dressing. (Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir!) Add the green onions.

Wash the kale and place in a pot with an inch of water over medium heat. Cover, and let it wilt a bit. When it's slightly tender, rinse under cold water and dry. (A salad spinner works wonders here.)

Peel and dice the sweet potato, and chop the pecans. Assemble the potato, cranberries, kale, and pecans with the dressing. This can be eaten right away, but things only get better if you let it sit in the fridge for a bit.

I'm makin' waffles!

2011-01-04T23:59:00.000-08:00

I have so many fond memories of waffles. Growing up, Christmas morning was always meant fresh belgian waffles for breakfast after opening presents. Waking up to a pile of presents is already a recipe for the best day ever, but fresh made waffles really enhance the general giddiness, I find.

But this year my dad made pancakes instead. I was disappointed because waffles trump pancakes any day in my humble opinion. Waffles win on taste, texture, and they are much easier to make. (Pancakes and I don't exactly get along.)

So I was craving waffles and it was time for my fix. Luckily, once back in Vancouver I was able to rectify the situation.

A few months back I came across a $12 waffle iron while thrifting. Suddenly visions of fresh waffles filled my head, along with memories of a waffle filled childhood, so I decided to purchase it. And it has been one of my favorite purchases since. I first delved in with a basic vegan waffle recipe. It was delicious.

So yesterday when a waffle craving hit, I wanted to try something other than the basic waffle. I remembered a recipe I had seen a while back on Everybody Likes Sandwiches for Lemon

Cornmeal Waffles, and I knew that would hit the spot. Since i'm not well versed in waffle recipe science yet, I made no substitutions other than diary yogurt for the soy, soy milk for the almond milk, and raw sugar for the agave. I also had to use lemon concentrate and get rid of the zest since I had no lemons. Which was sad with no zest. but i'm happy to report these were still delicous.

Like, seriously delicious. I may have snacked on the first one of the batch because it was too delicious and tempting to have to wait to cook two dozen waffles to try it.

I enjoyed them topped with my favorite christmas topping, pineapple. But instead of whip cream I used some strained non-fat vanilla yogurt. (much healthier and much more satisfying.) I also decided to sprinkle on some icing sugar for some sweet elegance.

mmmmmm....sandwich....

2010-12-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

Remember that time I tried my hand at making a Bánh mì without ever trying an authentic one? And how it was really good an all? But I still wasn't sure, 'cause I had never had a "real" one?

Well today I finally had an authentic one. And it was AMAZING.

I was seriously loving every bite of this baby. The warm crunchy exterior of the bread gave way to soft warm fluffy white goodness, and nestled between that goodness was perfectly fried tofu, accompanied by crisp veggies with just the right amount of seasoning. Some kind of special sauce joined the party, and some mayo came along too. I added some hot sauce and more special sauce from the counter, and from there on it was sandwich heaven.

And it was only $3.64

The only downside, was that I may have spilled hot sauce all over my jacket since I had to walk and eat to meet a friend. And it was so worth it.

And if I hadn't spent my last $4 in the world on this glory, I might be tempted to go downtown again and buy another.

It's ok though. The shop I got it from is right by the library (a student's second home) so I foresee quite a few trips there in the future.

So if you are ever in Vancouver, check it out.

2010-09-01T21:39:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you are a broke student, and find yourself constantly craving food from your favorite restaurant, but you have no money to spend, you figure out how to make yummy versions at home of your favorite meals.

Which is what I did tonight.

One of my favorite cuisines would have to be mexican. I love cooking it at home, and i love experiencing it at restaurants. I love that I have a friend from mexico who teaches me how to make the most delicious tacos you will ever meet in your life.

Tonight was a simple dish, again inspired by my favorite brunch, though just the sides. This time I just went for the sides - beans, and roasted sweet potatoes.

Pinto Beans:

olive oil

1 small can of pinto beans, drained, not rinsed.

1/2 white oniton

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 small can of green chili*

few tsp of cumin

1/2 tsp paprika

salt and pepper

heat the olive oil (about 1 tbsp) in a medium pan. Dice the onions and cook over medium heat until they begin to soften. Add the spices (cumin, paprika) and coat the onions. "deglaze" the pan by adding a bit of water, 2-3 tbsp should work. Don't add too much though!

Add the diced garlic and saute until fragrant. About a min. Add the beans and chili's and simmer over medium - low heat about 10 mins.

*this could be replaced with jalapeno or chipotle peppers. Maybe just change up the qauntity a bit. (ie, reduce it if you don't like super spicy.)

I ate the beans over roasted sweet potatoes with some italian seasoning (since it had rosemary in it and I have no straight up rosemary), topped with jalepeno cheese, some salsa based off The Pioneer Woman's and half an avocado for good measure.

Had I not botched a batch of cornbread last night, that would've made an appearance on my plate as well. Ah well. It's destined for croutons now

Make things extra special by eating this on one of the last summer nights on your balcony, even though it's already almost too cold to be out there even with a hoodie and sweats on.

Light Lemony Stir-Fry

2010-07-20T22:51:00.000-07:00

Man alive, this was good! I wish I had a more eloquent way to put how much this sauce rocked my socks off, but sometimes all you can do is just say it was freakin' good.

As I was making myself a stir fry for dinner I was lost as to what sauce i'd adorn my rice and veggies with. I couldn't make up my mind on what to do. Teriyaki? Spicy Peanut? Coconut Curry? While it's not even absolutely necessary to even have a sauce on a stir fry, it sure is nice to have. And while I was indecisive on what flavor of sauce I wanted, I just knew I wanted one.

Since it's finally summer I wanted something refreshing. Something lemony. I dabbled with just adding lemon juice and soy sauce to my veggies, but I knew that wouldn't do. I wanted more. And then it hit me-tahini! It'd add thickness and substance while still taking enough of a back seat to let the bright, fresh, lemon shine.

This sauce is incredibly simple. Only 5 ingredients and all you need to do is stir. Perfect for when you are lazy but want something homemade and delicious without much effort.

Lemon Pesto Tahini Sauce

1/3 cup tahini

1/3 cup lemon juice (+ zest of lemon if using fresh)

1 heaping tbsp basil pesto

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp red chili flakes (optional)

salt and pepper

fresh basil, to garnish if desired

Add all ingredients to a small bowl and whisk together. Serve over rice, vegetables, or use as a salad dressing.

2010-06-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

Excuse the bad lighting please, It was night time.

For years I have been wanting to try a Bánh mì, a Vietnamese sandwich. While there are tons of shops selling them around town, I had never purchased one before. (Even though they are usually cheap. (That's student life for ya.) So I figured i'd try my hand at whipping up a Bánh mì at home, all on my own.

I usually have this thing about trying something new in a restaruant first, to taste something authentic before I attempt my own (not always authentic) version. But that can get expensive and inconvenient so I have been getting a little more adventurous lately. The ingridients are almost always on hand in my fridge. The buns were a special buy. They were nice and fresh and I couldn't pass them up at the store.
The buns are the furthest variation from a traditional Bánh mì, as a special Vietnamese french bread is typically used. This was a Portuguese bun, and it was still delicious.

Bánh mi
makes one

1/4 brick of extra frim tofu, pressed
2 tsp seasame oil, soy sauce
1 small carrot, grated
1/4 cup cabbage, grated
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2-3 sprigs of cilantro
finely sliced red onion
mayonaise
siraccha hot sauce (to taste)

Press the tofu and cut into slices. Fry in the sesame oil and soy sauce over medium heat until golden brown.
Grate the carrot and the cabbage and mix with soy sauce and vinegar. Set aside at least 5-10 mins.
To assemble the sandwhich, spread the bun with the mayo and a generous drizzle of siraccha, if desired. Add the cabbage carrot mixutre, cilantro, red onion, and tofu.

Cilantro Lime Tofu

2010-05-19T01:20:00.000-07:00

Ignore this hot mess of a photo. I made it later in the evening and all natural light was gone, and all my lamps suck.

So, I'm a "gleek". Hardcore. I live for Glee. I'm not ashamed it's the highlight of my week. It's quite possibly my favorite show of all time. And that's saying a lot coming from me. I LOVE my tv shows. I didn't think anything could ever top 30 Rock, or Arrested Development, or Freaks and Geeks, but then Glee came along. And week after week it blows me away. Yes, the story lines move faster then sand (is that even an expression? It is now. It's late and I just ate alphagetti, don't judge) but the stores are some real heart wrenchers. (See Wheels and Home.) If you haven't been living under a rock, then i'm sure you have heard of it. If you live above a rock, and aren't watching it, then what's wrong with you? *

*I am in no way endorsed by Glee, or Fox at all. I'm just a die-hard gleek.

So what does glee have to do with tofu? I'm getting there. The other day I was reading an interview with Lea Michelle, who plays Rachel Berry on Glee. In the article she mentioned a dinner she had, "Cilantro Lime Tofu on brown rice with Kale and Black Beans". I was instantly salivating. And not just because there was a picture of Cory Montieth with the article. Although that was a contributing factor....

ANYWAYS onto the recipe. Which is why i'm sure someone who is reading a food blog is after. As opposed to gushing over a tv show. I loved the sound of this dish. Lime is one of my favorite citrus fruits, and i'm always looking for more ways to use cilantro other than sprinkled in salads or in guacamole.

So I set to work on this a few days later, subbing the kale for broccoli and omitting the black beans because I forgot to prepare them. While dried beans are certainly cheaper, they are much less convenient.

Cilantro Lime Tofu

1/2 brick of extra firm tofu, pressed

1 lime, zested and juiced

1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp brown sugar

1-2 tbsp oil (for frying)

Cut the tofu. I made cubes but whatever strikes your fancy will work. Triangles could be fun.

Finely chop the cilantro and mince the garlic. Add to the juice of one lime with zest, soy sauce, brown sugar, cumin and cayenne.

Marinate the tofu in the mixture a few hours, or overnight for best flavor. Fry in oil on medium heat, until browned. Flip and continue to brown the other sides.

spicy tofu peanut salad

2010-05-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

Summer is here. And summer is a time for cool, refreshing food to take centre stage. With only a few scraps of veg and 1/2 brick of tofu in my fridge I decided to take this theory in place for my dinner and make a cold salad instead of my usual stir fry. The tofu and veg were put into a cool spicy sweet thai inspired salad, wrapped up with some cabbage and crunchy romaine lettuce. Perfect summer time meal for lunch or dinner.

1/2 brick extra firm tofu, rinsed (and pressed if you have the time)
1/2 cup chopped vegetables (I used carrots, celery, and yellow pepper)

Sauce:

3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
juice of 1/2 lime, plus zest (or 1-2 tsp lemon juice)
1 tsp-1 tbsp sriracha (depending on how much you like spice, if you are wary start with only 1 tsp) red chili flakes to taste (see above)
1/4-1/2 cup hot water

I find the best way to combine all these ingredients is to find a small jar and act like The Cars and just Shake It Up. But whisking also works. Start by adding 1/4 cup hot water, then increase if the sauce is still too thick.

Crumble the tofu in a bowl with the chopped veg. And add the sauce and mix to combine. It's better if you let it sit a few hours, or even overnight for the tofu to absorb all the flavors.
But I won't judge if you devour it right away, like I totally did.

Classy Caprese

2010-05-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

I love italian food. It would have to be tied with Indian as my favorite cuisine. One of the many reasons I love italian is because it's kind to vegetarians. Yes, Italians do love their meat, but there are plenty of pastas and salads without.

The other night I got to go over to a friend's for her goodbye dinner. She had a room and board situation and her landlady is an Italian who loves to cook. My friend got to eat amazing Italian food for the year she was here. After tasting it first hand the other night, I am jealous. The menu featured pasta with fresh pesto, and gnocchi with borgonzola cheese sauce. I was in heaven.

The appetizers were caprese salad and prosciutto wrapped asparagus. Obviously I slid the prosciutto over to my friends plate and dived in to the caprese. One of my favorites.

I love tomatoes, and cheese is the one reason I will never be 100% vegan for the rest of my life. So this salad is like heaven to me. And so easy to make. It's literally three ingridients.

Tomatoes.

Bocconcini

Basil

Done. Instant deliciousness.

What really impressed me with this appetizer was it's presentation. The taste was something I knew and loved, but the way it was presented was something else. So on my weekly grocery trip this week I picked up some bocconcini and basil to accompany the tomatoes in my basket.

What I love is that it looks so impressive but is really so easy. Perfect appetizer for a dinner party like I attended. But also perfect for a Wednesday afternoon lunch for just yourself. Because you deserve to eat pretty things even if you're all on your own and there is no one to impress but yourself. Why not work just as hard to impress yourself as you work to impress others?

I personally spare no effort on my meals because I feel that I am worth it. It makes me sad to think that not everyone puts the care into a meal just for themself.

But then again not everyone is a foodie with a food blog, who has to take a picture of something before they eat it.

So if you want to make yourself feel special, all you do is slice the tomato across leaving some room at the bottom. Then stuff cheese in between those slices, top with some shredded basil, and a bit of olive oil. Balsamic is also a welcome addition in my books.

Enchilada

2010-04-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

I was so proud of my plating skils today!

Sometimes in the kitchen, you stumble upon magic.
Burritos are a favorite dish of mine to make, I'm surprised I haven't posted a recipe for them yet! They are easily vegetarian (or vegan!) and totally delicious. They also bode well for being a single girl because you can make a bunch and freeze them! (A deep freeze is a girls best friend! And so is a microwave, which I currently don't have....you've got to re-heat those things somehow....)
And so that's what I was doing last night. I whipped up a batch of burritos with a black bean, corn, celery, and bell pepper filling. I wraped them in a flour tortilla with some lettuce, cheese, and fresh salsa.

I got lucky with the camera today, I am so obsessed with this photo.

It was goooood. I wrapped up a few for later with just the filling, and stuck them in the fridge. Today when I got home I was going to eat the burrito like I did last night, but then a voice spoke in my head. Enchiladaaaaa. It said. And then I knew what I had to do. I had never made enchiladas before, but I had eaten them. I wasn't afraid.
I set to work by whipping out a burrito from last night and throwing it in a little loaf pan (which was the exact perfect size!). Step one, done. Then I had to figure out a sauce. I just got back from a study session at the library, so I was feeling hungry and lazy. I opted to just blend some salsa in my magic bullet and add a dash of cumin for the sauce. Once that was done I poured it over the burrito, threw on some cheese and after 10 mins in the oven, I had an amazing meal before me.

This is an easy peasy way to make enchiladas. I think I know what to do with all my left over burritos now...

Black Bean Enchiladas
makes 4

the filling:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1/2 can of black beans, rinsed well
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 orange pepper, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1/4 cup frozen corn
salt & pepper
1-2 tbsp salsa

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion, celery, and garlic. Allow to just soften, then add the peppers with some salt and pepper. Cook a few mins until the peppers are almost soft. Add the beans, corn, and salsa. Simmer until corn is cooked.

Wrap the filling in a tortilla. To make an enchilada, place in a pan then cover with sauce. (For one enchilada, I used 1/3 cup of salsa, blended.) Cover with cheese, and cook at 350 for 10 mins until the cheese is melted and just starting to brown on the sides.

Mango Lassi

2010-04-08T21:59:00.000-07:00

I love, love, love, Indian food. Mostly for the obvious reason that there is a plethora of vegetarian options, as outlined in The Office episode, Diwali.

Angela: I'm vegetarian, what can I eat?
Buffet server: It's all vegetarian
Angela: I'll just have some bread.

And all this vegetarian food happens to be incredibly delicious. And the naan bread! Well, that is simply downright perfection.
My favorite place to go for Indian is in my hometown of Edmonton, at New Asian Village. I first discovered it a few years back when a friend and I stopped in for a small bite, and ordered the vegetable pakoras. They were divine, and we even got to sit in one of the Maharaja rooms! The room alone was an experience. It felt like we had stepped into The Darjeeling Limited.
After this discovery, I went back whenever I could, it's even where I had my last (18th) birthday in Edmonton. I always make a point to go back there whenever i'm home for a visit.

Another reason I love going out for Indian food (other than the naan, a plethora of vegetarian options, and even cool tent rooms to eat in), is the mango lassi. Smooth, creamy, and sweet, it has the power to quench any heat brought on your senses by the peppers and curry of this exotic cuisine. Up until now I never knew how to make it at home, I always thought it tasted so special that it was something you could only get in a restaurant. Now I know better.

All you need is:
mangoes
yogurt
ice
a blending mechanism
(and some milk if you want)

Seriously, why haven't I been making these for years?! Whole Foods had a deal on ataulfo mangoes (my favorite fruit!) the other day for only $1 a piece. So I stocked up. While I adore eating them plain, (they are so much sweeter and juicier and more flavorful than the other kinds of mango!) they worked great in this lassi.
So now that i've discovered the secret, it's time for you to as well. Next time you whip up a spicy chickpea curry, make sure to include a lassi on the side.

Mango Lassi
1 mango, cubed
1-2 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup plain yougurt
1/4 cup ice
milk (optional)

Peel and cube the mango and add sugar, to taste. Let sit until the sugar is dissolved and a syrup as formed. Add to a blender with yogurt and ice. Blend until smooth. If the smoothie is too thick, add milk.

All I had was greek yogurt, so I needed the milk to thin it out a bit.

Chickpea Stuffed Avocados

2010-04-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

I'm a student, living in one of the most expensive cities in Canada. I'm currently unemployed, and I can't seem to get a job here. Needless to say, I am on a tight budget. I've started shopping at Walmart (a place I used to shun) since stuff actually is really, really cheap there! Like Avocados. These wonders were only 57 cents each. That's just insane! Never in my life have I seen avocados that cheap. Even at the local fruit and veg markets, where I buy most of my produce for good deals. (Like a bag of 2 dozen overripe bananas for $1!) While not everything was cheaper at Walmart, there were some good deals to be had, and I just had to pick up some 57 cent avocados.

They're all perfectly ripe now, and i've been trying to find new ways to eat them. (Since I got crazy and bought 5.) But I didn't want to eat guacamole for days on end. Usually I put them on sandwiches, or in salads, or just eat them mashed on toast. But my kitchen is pretty bare bones right now -all I have are avocados and canned goods, so I had to think up a new way where I could use up what ingredients I had with the avocados.

Then came to mind a recipe I saw a while back, on Poor Girl Eats Well for Tuna Stuffed Avocados. As soon as I remembered that, I knew what I was having for lunch today.
Since I don't eat tuna (or any fish) I decided to use the classic vegetarian substitute- chickpeas! Just a quick mash, a few spices thrown in, and I had lunch.

Chickpea Stuffed Avocados
serves one

1/2 can chickpeas
1 small green onion, sliced finely
1/2 tbsp mayo type dressing, or olive oil, or even hummus
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp mrs. dash

1 avocado

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

In a small bowl, roughly mash chickpeas while leaving some whole. Add the miracle whip or olive oil, and spices. Mix to combine.
Cut an avocado in half, remove pit. If it's a small pit, scoop out some avocado (which you can then add to the chickpea salad), to form a small bowl with each half. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar before serving. (Optional, but I threw some on there after the photo was taken, and it gave it a nice kick.)

And I ate eggs, and they were good.

2010-03-26T22:46:00.000-07:00

As far back as I can recall, I have always hated eggs.
My earliest memory of hating eggs would be whenever my parents would make scrambled eggs. I'd cry and scream and beg them to stop. I hated the smell, and the idea of having to eat what was making the smell. I would usually run and hide in my room until the eggs were gone.
Over the past few years, i've been trying to change this. Try to start eating eggs so I can reap the health benefits. First it started out with a few nibbles when a friend or family member would eat eggs. I'd take a small bite, trying not to think about what I was doing too much, i'd manage to swallow it, and then that would be enough. After that I progressed into braving a tomato feta quiche a friend of mine had made, and I liked it! But I decided it would be a one time occurance, and didn't make eating eggs a habit. A year or so later, I got brave again and made a veggie omelette - and what do you know, that felt okay too. Yet for some reason, I still couldn't get past my childhood apprehension towards eggs.

I decided to try and counquer the egg phobia again today. I've recently been informed by my doctor that i'm vitamin B12 deficient, and that I should try to get some more sources of B12 in my diet. As a lacto-ovo vegetarian, I previously avoided meat and all dairy (other than cheese and yogurt). I drink fortified soy milk to get B12, but it must not be doing it's job very well because i'm pretty low in it. So I decided to try eggs once again.

I remembered a recipe I had seen on The Amatuer Gourmet , a recipe called "Eggs Adam Roberts" - scrambled eggs with jalapenos. The sound of them seemed just right, so today I set to work. Plus, my last name happens to be Roberts so I took that as a good sign. ;)

And now i'm converted. I LOVED THESE EGGS. I had no idea I could feel this way, that I could actually enjoy scrambled eggs! There was no smell like I had remembered suffering through in my child hood! and the texture wasn't at all repulsive! Not runny and chewy somehow at the same time. They were light, and fluffy, yet still held their own. I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with these eggs.

So what does this mean? All I really know is that I love this recipe for eggs. And now I can start to see that they might not be so bad after all. For now, I know I can handle scrambled eggs, and i'm sure i'll like omelettes and quiches, too.
The next hurdle: poached egg. Nothing scares me more than a runny yolk.

Pancake Failure

2010-03-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

I have a foodie confession.

I cannot, for the life of me, make pancakes from scratch. I've tried at least 20 recipes in the last two years and not one of them has worked! I cannot fathom why. While I almost never stick to a recipe, when making pancakes I always do, or I make minimal substitutions. Yet for some reason, they never turn out. My affliction is so bad that I wasn't even able to make pancakes from a box until my roommate taught me. And even then, mine never turn out as good as when somebody else makes them... so needless to say pancakes are not something I ever make for myself.

This issue of my pancakes always being a flop (pun very much intended) came up today when I pulled out my Nov/Dec 2008 issue of Vegetarian Times, my most revered issue because it features an article on how to "Eat to Beat Colds and Flu". So whenever I am sick (like I currently am) I whip it out and make the mixed vegetable masala, my favorite featured dish, which does wonders for a sore through and clears out the sinuses. Oh, and it tastes great to.
But during this current bout of sickness i've been dealing with, I decided to try something new and make the Pumpkin Pancakes with Honey Raspberry Syrup. I followed the recipe perfectly- only replacing the eggs with bananas and the result was horrendus. Not that it's VT's fault. Every recipe I try from them turns out great. I am just cursed when it comes to pancakes.

So I gave up and reached for a box of Aunt Jemima where all you need to do is add water. And yes, they still did not turn out great. Although they were eatable, unlike the pumpkin pancakes. I take what I can get.

What did turn out well though, was the honey apple maple topping to adorn my pancakes. I took inspiration from the raspberry syrup recipe featured along with VT's pumpkin pancakes, only I used an apple because I didn't have any frozen raspberries. I'm not a huge fan of straight up honey, but it's good way to boost immunity, so I wanted to include it in my meal somehow. I ended up adding some maple syrup to the mix so the honey flavor wouldn't be too strong. If you really like the tate of honey, omit the maple all together.

Apple Maple Honey Topping

1 large apple (I used red delicious), cored and diced
1 tbsp margarine or butter
1/8-1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/2 cup of honey

In a small saucepan, heat the butter or margarine. Add the apple and cinnamon and cook 3-5 mins until the apples are soft. Add the maple syrup* and the honey and simmer another few mins.

*If you really like honey, you can omit the maple. If your not such a big fan, use more maple syrup to balance out the flavors.

If honey or maple syrup both aren't your thing, this would also work well with agave nectar.
This topping would work great in crepes, waffles, or on ice cream!

Tabouleh Two Ways

2010-03-04T16:21:00.000-08:00

Traditional....

And Hippie!

Yesterday I woke up to a true horror in my kitchen. I was all out of Silk! All of a sudden breakfast seemed so difficult, near impossible. The lack of soy milk rendered by usual standby's of smoothies or cereal out, and I had no tofu for a scramble. And it just wasn't an oatmeal kind of morning.
In order to rectify the situation, I ran out to the grocery store. Once at the store, I actually ended up buying almond milk instead of my usual soy, because I was just feeling crazy! No complaints here though, the almond milk was cheaper than silk and tasted great in my banana-strawberry-date smoothie. Haven't tried it in my cereal yet though...

While I was at the store I also noticed fresh organic mint was on sale for $1, where as it's usually at $2.79. Not wanting to pass up the deal, I thought of what I could do with a bundle of fresh mint. Topping a fruit salad with fresh mint is divine, but it was another salad that sprung to mind; Tabouleh - a Lebanese salad made with fresh mint, fresh parsley, lemon juice and olive oil. I knew I had a cucumber in my fridge and tomatoes on my counter and even left over cous cous in my fridge. And that was that, I knew this was fate telling me to make tabouleh. Even though I had never actually made it before, I'd just ordered it several times at restaurants- which I now see is ridiculous because of how incredibly simple it is to make!

Tabouleh is traditionally made with bulgar wheat, but I used cous cous which works just as well. I also made a version with some left over quinoa, which also worked wonders. With both versions, letting the salads sit in the fridge for at least two hours is best, so that all the flavors can mingle.

Basic Tabouleh Dressing
serves two as a main.

3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey or agave
pinch of salt
lots of black pepper
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley, chopped
3 tbsp fresh chopped mint, chopped

In a small bowl whisk together ingredients to combine.
For a traditional salad, mix with 1 cup of cous cous, 1/4 of a cucumber, diced, and 6 baby tomatoes, chopped and some finely diced red onion. I also added some feta.

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In the quinoa version, I decided to throw in all the vegetables I had in my fridge into the salad as well, which is part of why I fondly refer to such version as "hippie tabouleh". (Go hippies!) I mean, it's got quinoa - total hippie grain - and a pleothora of veg. But non hippies can enjoy it as well!

Hippie Tabouleh
Toss basic tabouleh dressing with quinoa, diced carrots, cucumber, peppers, and some diced apple* and raisins for some sweetness. Any or all of these can be replaced with whatever vegetables you have on hand!

*If adding apples to salad, toss diced apple in 1 tsp in lemon juice prior to mixing in the salad to prevent browning.

Best ever granola bars

2010-03-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

(I just love my new old plate I got at the thrift store the other day!)

For a few years now, I have been searching for the perfect homemade granola bar. When I first started my search, It was met with some failures. The first recipe I tried came out way too crunchy. It also called for eggs, which I try to avoid when possible as they freak me out. Then I tried this recipe and It was pretty good...more akin to the chewy store bought granola bars I favor. But it was not quite perfect. After that I kind of just gave up and went back to buying my bars.

But after seeing this post on Smitten Kitchen, I decided to try making them again. Most of the motivation being that I had nothing to bring to snack on at school for the upcoming week. Another big factor was that by making granola bars myself, I can save money, (music to a student's ears!) and I have control of all the ingredients. Now i'm not eating any weird substances that I can't pronounce and make me wish I was better in science.

This recipe is also super flexible. I'm sure i'll be making it again and again, trying out the endless combinations.

Granola bars
(adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen.)

1 2/3 cups quick rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oat flour (or 1/3 cup oats, processed till finely ground in a food processor or blender)
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup raisins
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup almond butter or another nut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all the dry ingredients (including nuts, fruit, and chocolate) in a bowl and set aside.
Whisk the wet ingredients together and combine into the dry.
Line a pan with parchment paper (otherwise you won't get them out of the pan!) and press granola mixture firmly into the pan. The size/shape of pan will determine what kind of bars you get. Keep this in mind when deciding on which pan to use. (I used a small rectangle pan that I'm not sure of the measurements...)
Bake for 30 mins until the edges are cooked. My oven is crazy hot and at only 325 they were done in 20 mins! Allow to cool on the counter for 20 mins, then transfer to the fridge and let cool further. I left mine overnight and they were a dream to cut in the morning. Store in the fridge to maintain structure.

Vegan Brunch

2010-02-13T15:51:00.000-08:00

This brunch was inspired by one of my favorite places to eat, Bandidas Taqueria. Every time I hit it up for brunch I get a vegan benny, which is made with tofu and butternut squash. Like a scramble. It seemed a weird combination to me at first, and wasn't sure how i'd like it, but it's been love since I first tried it almost a year ago.

I've been meaning to try my hand at the combination myself for some time, and since I had tofu and butternut squash, today seemed like the right day to go for it. I served it over home fries and steamed kale and the result was a delicious brunch.
Next time I plan on making some cornbread and making sure I have some good fresh salsa to make it even more like a delicious Bandidas' benny.
As I didn't have any salsa, I threw some diced tomato on top. My kitchen is kind of sad right now.

Tofu "benny" scramble
Serves one as a big brunch.

1/2 baby butternut squash, or 1/4 cup cubed squash
1/4 brick of tofu (I had extra firm. Firm or medium firm would also work.)
1/2 small white onion
1 tbsp olive oil
splash of soy sauce (1 tbsp?)
splash of rice vinegar (1 tbsp?)
1/4 cup vegetable stock
2-3 tsp mrs.dash
dash of seasoning salt
generous grinding of black pepper
1 tsp itlalian seasoning
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper

In a small pot, add the squash and add water until it's just covering the squash. Boil on medium heat until squash is fork tender, about 5-10 mins. Set aside.

Chop the onion, and simmer in a pan with olive oil. Add tofu until most of the water has cooked out. Add the soy sauce and vinegar. Stir until liquid has dissolved. Add the vegetable stock and stir until almost completely absorbed. Add the spices and stir until liquid is gone. Add the butternut squash and incorporate.

Serve over home fries, cornbread, english muffins, or fly it solo in all it's own glory.

Tofu Florentine

2010-02-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

While I haven't been a vegetarian my whole life, and was raised a meat eater (though I use that term lightly, as I tried my best to never have to actually eat meat as a child), I have almost never eaten straight eggs. I don't mind them when they're hidden away in baked goods, but I always hated eggs on their own. The sulfur smell they gave off when my parents would scramble them used to make me cry. I recall on one occasion my parents forced me to take a bite, and I hated it's squishy, slimy, spongy texture. From that day on, I never let that mistake happen again. Though over the years i've tried to get brave, and i've nibbled on friends scrambled eggs or omlettes from time to time, I still just can't get into eggs. Which I'm okay with. Because who needs eggs when you have tofu?!
I've been a lover of tofu scramble for a long time. But i've never tried another tofu'd take on an egg dish (eggs florentine and/or benedict) until this fall. The recipe I used then advised to use some vegenaise with spices added to it for the hollandaise sauce; traditionally made with eggs and butter. While I loved the lightly spiced tofu on a crisp english muffin with spinach and tomatoes, I thought the sauce that consisted purely of vegenaise weird and didn't get why this was a dish worth veganizing.

Today I tried a different recipe. Now I understand.
While I haven't ever had real benedict, and have most certainly never had the desire to, I don't ever need to worry about trying the egg version because this recipe is too good to question!

I slightly adapted this recipe from "Being Vegan and Getting Away With It".

Tofu Florentine:

for the tofu:
3 slices extra firm tofu, drained
splash of soy sauce & rice vinegar

sprinkle the soy sauce and vinegar on to each side of the tofu. fry on medium heat until browned. set aside.

for the sauce:
3 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp curry powder blend (or plain tumeric, curry mix was all I had)
1 tbsp dijion mustard
2 tsp mrs. dash garlic seasoning
dash of salt & pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp parmesean cheese (use nutritional yeast to make this vegan. I didn't have any on hand so i used parm.)
1 tbsp mayo substitute (use vegenaise to make it vegan! I am out and only have mayo in my fridge.)

Heat the margarine in a small pot over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk constantly. Heat for 1 min. Add the soymilk slowly, whisking constantly. Add the spices, mustard, lemon juice, parmeasean, and mayo. Whisk until incorporated.

Now all you have to do to serve is layer a toasted english muffin with slices of tomato, some sautee'd spinach (I sadly did not have any on hand) and then layer on the tofu, then drizzle with sauce.
Sooo good.

Food Goals

2010-01-18T15:51:00.000-08:00

I don't believe in new years resolutions. Why only make a positive change at the start of the year? Why not aspire to continually change and improve upon things throughout the year instead?

With that said, this is not a list of resolutions.
It is simply put, a list of food things I'd like to take a swing at sometime in the near future.

-Go raw for at least a week.
I've been admiring the raw style of eating for a while now. But I love to bake and eat cooked foods too much to live a completely raw lifestyle. I'd like to try to be 100% raw just one week. See if I can make it. See how I feel. This will be sometime in the summer when fruits and veg are fresh, plentiful, and cheap!

-Make risotto.
The last time I made risotto I was still in high school. Why do I not make it more often? It's delicious and not that hard!

-Try making bagels, again.
I tried (and semi-failed) at making bagels this summer. The the texture was off, but not too horrible in the taste department. I'd like to try it again and see how I can improve.

-Pick fresh fruits.
I live in B.C., which grows a bevy of delicious fruits in the summer months. Since I have a car, and I'm just a short road trip from the interior, this year I am determined to take a drive and pick plenty of peaches! I also want to do some berry picking locally. It's something I used to do when I lived in Edmonton, and I would love to go this year around Vancouver.

-Join a CSA.
CSA or, "Community Supported Agriculture" is something i've admired over the years. Since I live off mostly vegetables (and pasta....just saying...) joining a CSA makes a lot of sense. Fresh local vegetables every week? Im in! Hopefully I can secure a spot this year!

-Make seitan.
It's not something I eat often, but when I do I really enjoy "wheat meat". I'm looking forward to the challenge of making some on my own!

That's all I've got for now. I'm sure i'll think up more once I get these done.

It's a miracle!

2010-01-15T18:28:00.000-08:00

When i'm in school, I need a pretty good motivation to get myself out of bed. Knowing I have a day full of feeling stupid just isn't enough sometimes. Scrambled tofu usually is.
This morning as I embarked on my tofu scramble, I realized that my vegetable supply is pretty low. My usual scramble standards (mushrooms, zucchini) were not to be seen, and only a little sliver of green pepper (another standard) remained in my crisper. The prospect of a scramble with just green pepper made me sad, so I decided to get daring and throw in a vegetable I had never thought of scrambling before. Broccoli. (Carrot and cauliflower seemed a little too crazy this morning. Maybe next time...)
The resulting scramble was delicious, and i'm happy to report that broccoli may just become a regular in my scrambles from now on. I usually have it on hand and it adds a really nice texture.

If you still aren't convincced why you should scramble up some broccoli, read all about why it's a miracle.

If you need a scramble recipe, here is my preferred method.

Chickpea Lettuce Wraps

2010-01-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

This salad is often referred to as a mock tuna salad, or mock chicken salad. Since i've never eaten tuna salad or chicken salad (I always hated tuna and didn't find chicken salad all that appetizing...) I can't really say if that's true. I can say, that this salad is delicious. It's easy to make, and pretty healthy too. It's one of my favorite staples. This salad can be enjoyed on it's own, served in a pita, or on some large romaine lettuce leaves like here. It's so easy, delicious, filling and healthy. I just love it.

Chickpea Salad
(makes enough for 4 large lettuce wraps)

1 small can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed well!
2 tbsp miracle whip (or mayo, or veganease if you wanna be vegan)
2 tsp dijion mustard
1 tsp white vinegar
3 tsp dried dill
1/4 cucumber, diced
1-2 celery stalks, diced
2 sprigs of green onion, chopped.
1 clove of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp mrs.dash
1 tsp paprika, red chili flakes (optional)

Combine the mayo, mustard, and vinegar in a bowl. Wash the chickpeas andd pat to dry. You can chop them up a bit, or leave them whole. I like to give them a course chop so you get more variety with every bite. Chop the rest of ingredients and combine them all together. Add spices and seasonings.
Serve on a big leaf of lettuce or in a pita. Or just in a bowl.

Other add-ins:
red onion instead of green
diced pickles
grated carrot
finely chopped radish

I can't believe it's tofu!

2010-01-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

I just discovered how to make the easiest and most delicious dessert ever. How easy? To ingredients easy. How delicious? Rich, luscious, cool, chocolatey deliciousness, delicious. AND....it's healthy!
Afterall, it's made of tofu! (And tofu is healthy, ergo, this is a healthy dessert. That's my logic and i'm sticking to it.)

I had first seen this idea on an episode of Chef at Home years ago. It sounded good, but this was back when I was new to tofu and still learning how to love it. I kept in the back of my brain though, because the recipe sounded too good (hello it involves chocolate) and easy (two ingridents!) to ignore.

Flash forward to last week, when I mistakingly bought silken tofu instead of the regular ol'extra firm I usually buy. Cut to me trying to make a tofu scramble the next morning and realizing this would not at all work. Apparently my mind doesn't register the giant scripted word spelling out "SILKEN" on a box of tofu until i've already opened it, and started at the slinky white brick before me for a couple mins, only to then dig the package out of the garbage and yell "Ah, shark farts! It's silken!" (I just stared college, ok? My brain is a little spent. Yes, it's only been one week. I fear of what is to come..)
So off it went to sit in my fridge for a few days, until I decided I should figure out a way to use it up. (As I mentioned, I am a student again which means NO MONEY. I'm not wasting $3 worth of tofu!) That was when I remembered that episode of chef at home from years back, and set to work.

All you do is melt chocolate, blend some tofu, combine, let chill, and there it is: dessert! And it's healthy since tofu is healthy, and dark chocolate has antioxidants and is also good for you! (At least that's what i'm telling myself.)

This came out pretty thick, so thick it would make a lovely pie filling. Maybe using a less firm silken tofu would yield more of a pudding like dessert next time? Or just keep the firm silken tofu and throw it in a pie shell with some fresh strawberries/raspberries/banana on top. That's what i'm doing next time!
(In my defense, the ambiguity of this desserts' potential is also the reason i've given it such a creative name.)

Chocolate Tofu Dessert
Serves two.

1 cup chocolate chips (I used a mix of dark and milk chocolate)
1 cup firm silken tofu
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1 tsp sweetener- honey, agave, sugar, etc.(optional)

Blend the tofu and set aside. Add sweetener if desired.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. When the chocolate is completely melted, mix with the tofu and vanilla. Measure mixture into cups, bowls, or even a pie shell.
Chill for a few hours or overnight. Serve cold.

This recipe can easily be doubled, quadrupled, or halved. Just make sure the chocolate and tofu are equal parts.

Quinoa Salad

2009-12-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

Today started as "one of those days". I had a hard time dragging myself out of bed (as I'm unemployed and not in school until January) and then I couldn't figure out what to eat for breakfast. I settled on toast from the loaf of bread in my freezer with almond butter and raspberry jam. It made my fingers sticky.
Then I proceeded to go out to check out some apartments, none of which would work for me. (They were all tiny, dirty, or sketchy. Ugh.) After viewing apt 1 i headed back home to kill a few hours before my next appointment. I was feeling lazy and uninspired so I heated up some frozen sweet potato fries for lunch. While they were tasty, that's really a poor excuse for a lunch in my world. About an hour before I was to set out to check the next two apartments, I got an email from vegetarian times with this recipe for a spinach quinoa salad with cherries and almonds. That title was enough to set my tired, apathetic brain racing, so before I headed out for another few hours I put some quinoa in the rice cooker. (Best invention ever!) Did you know you could cook quinoa in a rice cooker? I didn't until recently and it has caused even more love and appreciation for my rice cooker than I thought possible.
I also whipped up a quick vinaigrette to let the quinoa soak up it's flavors while I was out. Then when I got home, hungry again I just threw in some chopped veggies and cooked kale, and I had a delicious healthy meal in 10 mins!
This salad was soo tasty. Fresh and healthy, but still hearty and comforting (thanks to the cooked kale) which is oh so important at this time of year. My bad day has ended on a such a great note thanks to this salad. More so, in that I just made it up as I went along, and it was delicious and healthy and satisfying.) I love when that happens.
And that, is why I love cooking.

this recipe may look really long and daunting, but it's not. it's really so simple, so give it a try!

Quinoa Salad
(clearly all my creativity was used up in making the salad, so i can't name it.)

1 cup quinoa, uncooked

cook the quinoa according to directions. (Or do it the easy way and use a rice cooker! Just like you'd make rice.)

for the vinaigrette:
2-3 tbsp each: red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar (I found these complimented each other really nicely, if you don't have both use one or the other or white vinegar or whatever you have on hand!)
1 heaping tsp dijion mustard
1 tbsp orange marmalade
5-10 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (enough until it's all thickened)
dash salt and lots of pepper
1/2 tsp mrs.dash (or other seasoning)

whisk the vinegars, marmalade, and mustard together. slowly drizzle in the oil until thickened. add the salt, pepper, and seasonings.

Mix the quinoa and vinaigrette together and let sit. (1/2 an hour or several if you can.)

for the rest of the salad:
1/4 yellow and red bell pepper
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries

add the veggies to the quinoa.

1 cup of kale, roughly chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
splash of soy sauce, lemon juice

dice the peppers, and chop the kale.
heat up a medium pan with the oil. once heated, add the kale and stir until it starts to wilt. add the soy and lemon juice, and garlic. keep on the heat for about a min, then remove and add to the salad.

1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
to do this just throw the pine nuts in the heated pan until toasted. watch them carefully! these babies burn fast.

Miso Gravy

2009-12-04T12:28:00.000-08:00

Today I woke up and was at a loss for breakfast. I had no tofu for a scramble, and no cold soy for cereal. But what I did have, was a black bean burger left from the other day. And I had potatoes. So rather than treat the black bean patty as a burger, I decided to think of it as a sausage. Which would require gravy.

I ended up with my best batch of miso gravy yet! I only tried my hand at making gravy twice before, and it always turned up too thick. But not this time! Not too thick, and full of flavor, it closely resembles the gravy I grew up with at Sunday dinner, made by my english Grandmother. I always preferred the thin, strongly spiced gravy she made to the thick, milky variety my mother would make. But rather than using roast drippings, this one uses miso paste! Now I can have gravy at my holiday dinners, as I never really bothered to make my own before. But with a recipe like this, i'll make sure to include it in my holidays from now on.

(My patty broke in the pan, as I couldn't find my spatula to flip it. So I got little mini 'sausage' pattys)

Miso Gravy
(around two servings)

1 tbsp miso paste (i used red)
1 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp flour
2-3 tsp boullion base
1/4 cup of hot water (or veg. stock - if using omit the boullion base)
2 tsp mrs.dash
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp paprika

In a small saucepan, melt the margarine and combine with miso paste. Add the flour and stir frequently until mixed together. Slowly add the water (or veg stock) and whisk into the miso mixture. Add the boullion and dissolve. Add the spices and whisk until everything is combined. Simmer for 3-5 mins, or longer if thicker gravy is desired.

I also made home fires with some baby potatoes and a bit of leftover sweet potato. If you haven't heard the secret to home fries yet, that's ok. I didn't know until maybe a year ago.

Home Fries
Heat some olive oil in a pan. (Medium heat) Chop your potatoes and add to the pan. Cover and let sit for about 5 mins (if using sweet potatoes, only 3 mins should do as they cook faster) DO NOT STIR. Just let them sit there or they will not be nice and crispy, and if they are not nice and crispy they will be nowhere near as good. Be patient, grasshopper. After they are nicely crisped and browned on one side, give them a stir and throw in some seasonings (i use mrs.dash and a bit of seasoning salt) and cover and cook a few more mins. Repeat until potatoes are crispy and tender.

Easiest Thing Ever - Veggie Burger

2009-12-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

Last night I was browsing This Is Why You're Thin when I came across a picture of black bean veggie burgers. The description just said to mash up brown rice and black beans in order to make them. I've tried a few veggie burger recipes in my time, but I have never seen any that simple. And since I just so happened to have brown rice and cooked black beans hangin' out in my fridge, I set to work on mashing them up so I could have burgers today.
And they are delicious! And did I mention the easiest, simplest, recipe i've ever seen? But even with limited ingredients, these burgers do not compromise on taste. I see them becoming a welcome addition to my menus from now on.
I ate my burger with some homemade sweet potato fries. I sliced up the sweet potato thin as I could manage, sprayed em' with some pam, then put them in the oven at 425 for about 5-10 mins. Tossing once. I also ate them on regular whole grain bread since that's what was in my freezer. I didn't have much for fixin's so I just sauteed some mushrooms and scallions to layer in there.

Black Bean Brown Rice Veggie Burgers
(measurements are just what I had kicking around, it made 3 burgers.)

1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1 scant cup cooked black beans (or canned)
2 tbsp seasonings (i used mrs.dash)
2-3 tbsp dijion mustard

If you have freshly cooked the rice and beans, mash with a fork until combined. Add spices.

If the ingredients have been sitting in the fridge for a while, you may need to pulse them in the food processor or use an immersion blender. (Which is what I did - if you do this, like me, (because I left my food processor in Alberta) be careful, as little grains of rice may go flying everywhere if you don't have a deep enough bowl and something to cover the sides. And you probably don't want to hunt around your kitchen for an hour trying to find all the little grains of rice that went flying like tiny little birds all over your kitchen.)
You are likely also going to need a binder. I found after blending the beans and rice they just weren't sticking, so I grabbed the first thing I saw in my fridge door- some dijon mustard. It worked perfectly, holding the mixture together and adding a nice spicy bite to the burgers.

Allow to sit in the fridge a few hours (or overnight) then fry up for about 3 mins per side.

And am I crazy, or does it almost look like meat? (Except for the full grains of rice, of course.)

Best ever asian noodles

2009-11-30T16:46:00.000-08:00

I looove noodles. Pasta in all it's many forms, egg noodles, rice noodles, soba noodles. Whatever shape or colour they are taking on, I am guaranteed to love them. Especially cold, chewy, asian inspired noodles.

So when I saw this recipe for sesame noodles on The Pioneer Woman, I had to try it out. And I am so glad I did! I've always tried making asian sesame noodles at home, but have never been able to reach perfection. Usually I just toss soy sauce, sesame oil and sirracha together. That's not bad, but not great either. Not ultimate. Not i must devour all the noodles in this bowl kind of good. I bought a pack of egg noodles from the dollar store the other day, and made this salad twice over the past 4 days. In doing so I can say with experience that this recipe gets even better after it's been sitting in the fridge for a few hours. And there is no shame in eating leftovers for breakfast.
I also added some finely sliced red pepper, some grated carrot, and sesame seeds to get some nutrients in there. But these delicious sesame soaked noodles are just fine on their own as well.

Poato Vegetable Soup

2009-11-24T18:54:00.000-08:00

I just love a good soup. All you have to do is throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, let it cook and presto! - you have dinner.
Like tonight when I realized just how sad my produce level was. I haven't been working for a while, so money has been very tight lately. The past few days i've been eating pasta and frozen foods. But today I yearned for something wholesome and homemade. When I realized I was seriously lacking in the produce department, and didn't have enough for a salad or a stir fry, my plans turned to soup. A welcome dinner at this time of the year.

It all started with what vegetables I found laying in my crisper. A green pepper, a zucchini, and some arugula. In my pantry I found some potatoes that were passing their prime, and chopped 'em all up as a base for the soup. I didn't even worry about not having any veg stock on hand, as I keep a jar of Better Than Bouillon in my fridge for such cases. I lucked out with a sole can of fire roasted tomatoes and broad beans in the pantry and with some fridge staples I had a delicious dinner. This soup really embodies the "everything but the kitchen sink" approach to cooking. Which is a great approach to take, in my humble opinion. Yet it was different than most soups i've made. It was the lemon juice that really set it apart. Adding a fresh taste while still being a big warm bowl of comfort.

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, cubed
1 zucchini, sliced and quartered
3 small yellow potatoes, cubed
1 clove of garlic, crushed
salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp garam masala, yellow curry powder
1 tbsp mrs.dash, + dried italian herbs

2 1/2 cups of water mixed with 2 tbsp better than bouillon paste
1 small can of fire roasted tomatoes
1 can of beans (i used broad beans - any beans would work here -white beans, chickpeas sound good.)
1/4 cup lemon juce
1/4 cup red miso paste
1 tbsp green curry paste
1 tbsp capers, chopped finely
2 bay leaves
2-3 cups of arugula (or any leafy green)

Saute the onion in the olive oil until soft. Add the potatoes and cook for a few mins. Next add the peppers and zucchini until softened. Add the spices and cook for a min.
Add the tomatoes, the water with the boulion (or veg broth), beans, miso paste (make sure it's all dissolved in the liquid), curry paste, capers, and bay leaves. Simmer over medium heat for 45 mins. Remove the bay leaves and stir in the arugula. Serve with crumbled feta, or shredded parmesean cheese.

Tofu Scramble

2009-11-20T13:26:00.000-08:00

Every vegetarian or vegan out there has, or will at some point, come up with their formidable tofu scramble recipe. It took a couple years, okay almost 6 years- for me to discover mine. I started playing around with tofu scrambles about a year and a half ago. I'd throw some chunks of pressed tofu in a pan, dry it out, then toss in some vegetables, add a drizzle of soy sauce and call it a day.
And I wonder why I never really loved a scramble until recently....

Since I was a self taught vegetarian cook, and was afraid tofu for the first few years of being veg (I confess, the first 3 years of me being a vegetarian, my diet consisted of canned tomato soup and pasta.) I didn't fully realize what tofu scramble could really be until I tried some prepared by skillled, experienced vegetarian cooks at my favorite restaurant in my new city- The Naam. It was there I ordered a tofu scramble, to compare with my own and see if I was doing it right. I learned that day what a tofu scramble could be. Soft, flavorful bits of tofu laced with an array vegetables and even tomatoes- something I never thought to add to my own.

After experimenting for almost a year off and on, this past July I discovered my ultimate tofu scramble. But since everyones tastes are different, I can only say how much I find it to be the best tofu scramble ever. Although my meat eating roommate who is afraid of tofu does enjoy it as well. So that has to mean something.

(I know this photo is hideous, but I live in a basement apartment with no windows! And I have no good photo worthy light source.)

Erin's Tasty Tofu Scramble

1/4 block of extra firm tofu, cubed

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, finely chopped

curry powder to taste (i use about 3 tbsp)

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1/2 bell pepper

1/2 small zucchini

5 large mushrooms

salt and pepper

seasoning to taste (i use Mrs. Dash)

small handful of grape tomatoes

Heat some olive oil in a pan. Once it is hot, add the onions and soften. Next, add the garlic and tofu. Using a wooden spoon/paddle break up the tofu as it cooks. You want the tofu to cook out, and get the liquid out. Once that is done (about 5 mins) add the curry powder, heat for 1 min, then add the vegetable broth to de-glaze the pan in two additions. Once the broth is absorbed, remove the tofu from the pan and let sit.

Next drizzle some oil and throw in the pepper, zucchini and mushrooms with some salt, pepper, and mrs. dash. When they are cooked, add the tofu back in the pan and let the heat and flavors meld together. (Now would also be a good time to add some chopped spinach or kale, if you have it.) Add the grape tomatoes at the very end, so they are just warm but still uncooked.

I like to sprinkle mine with some good ol' kraft parmesean, but to make this vegan some nutritional yeast would do well here.

Tacos!

2009-11-16T12:43:00.000-08:00

I could go on about how I really suck at this blogging thing because I can't stick with anything, and make excuses about being too busy and moving twice and living in a dungeon with no light, but why bother? I doubt anyone actually reads this except for me. So I will post this for me so I don't forget how make these tacos, because they are delicious.

This vegetarian taco recipe was taught to me by a friend of mine from mexico, who is not vegetarian but would eat these growing up.
Though i've never really been compelled to eat meat, after eating these tacos I don't see why anyone else would be!

Carrot Tacos
(Thanks Karina!)

You will need: (for the tacos)
corn toritllas
3-4 carrots, shredded
1/2 onion, chopped
1/4 cup of cheese, shredded
lots of butter
salt

Heat some butter in a pot and soften the onion until translucent. In the meantime, grate the carrots. When the onions are translucent, add the carrots and some more butter, and salt. Saute until soft, around 5 mins or so. Next add the cheese and let melt. Heat the tortillas in the microwave until soft and pliable. (30 secs-1 min)
Get a medium saucepan and heat a few tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Take the carrot mixture, and put about 2 tbsp inside a corn tortilla. Roll tightly and repeat.
You can cook about 5 tacos at a time with a medium/large pan. Get a pair of tongs and flip them over while cooking to evenly brown the tacos.

For the spicy guacamole:

4 small avocados, pitted and halved

4 tomatillos

1 jalapeno pepper

1 garlic clove

3-4 tbsp cilantro

salt to taste

lemon juice

Peel and rinse the tomatillos. Put them in a pot with the jalapeno pepper and just cover with water. Boil until the tomatillos are slightly brown on the bottom, about 5-10 mins or so.

Throw rest of the ingredients together and blend in a blender or with an imersion blender. (That's what I used.) Add salt and lemon juice to taste.

Top the tacos with shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and spicy guacamole. It makes for easier eating if you open up the tacos a bit to let the toppings fall in. Make sure you have lots of napkins.

Pumpkin Soup

2009-07-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

^{13°C. Showers. In July.}

^{Rather than let the forecast get me down, I am embracing the rain, as it is giving me a chance to make soup! The weather is allowing me to enjoy it without questioning my sanity for eating hot soup on a hot day. So yesterday that's exactly what happened.}

This soup may scream Autum not only because it is a soup, but because it is a pumpkin soup. And it's got tons of fall flavors, not only the aforementioned pumpkin- but cinnamon, and nutmeg. (Now that i'm writing this ginger would have been right at home here, but I forgot about it at the time. Oops.) But whatever, I still have 6 cans of pumpkin from last fall. So it's a helpful soup.

As with all my recipes, this is all an approximation. So take it with a grain of salt. (Literally... Get it? SALT? FOOD! Haha!)

Erm....this will serve around 4.

Pumpkin Soup

1/2 onion, diced

2 carrots, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

1 can of pumpkin

1 can of fire roasted tomatoes

1 can of black beans

1 box of veg broth (no idea how much this was...it was a smaller box though?)

3 tbsp yellow curry powder

1 tbsp cumin, coriander,

paprika, nutmeg,

3 tbsp of parsley (dried or fresh)

splash of lemon juice

lil' splash of maple syrup

2 cinnamon sticks

red pepper flakes (to taste)

Heat the oil and add the onion, garlic, and carrots. Soften and add your spices. Cook a min or so. Add the pumpkin, the beans, the broth, and the tomatoes. Also take one of the empty cans and fill it with water, then throw it in the soup. Add the cinnamon sticks. Let simmer a while. 10-15 mins. Then add the parsley, lemon juice, maple syrup and red pepper flakes.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream, and garnish with green onions and pecans if you are so inclined.

Easy Pea-sy

2009-06-22T22:09:00.001-07:00

So i'm moving to a new place on Friday, and with today being Monday (and me being a procrastinator) it's crunch time. Today I went all out and packed almost my entire kitchen!

Then I realized it was dinner time.

Luckily I hadn't touched the pots and pans yet, and I had some leftover rice from a few nights ago stashed in my fridge. I also found some canned pineapple in there. Heated up in a pan with some frozen green things (peas and edamame) I had dinner in less than 5 mins!

This was beyond easy to make- (I literally just threw whatever looked edible in a pan and heated it up) but it turned out so good. It may not be fancy, but it redeems it's self by being just so damn easy. It's one of those things that may not sound or look amazing, but tastes amazing. I just love when that happens.

Cleanin' out the Apartment Rice

(warning: these measurements could be all out of whack as I never pay attention to measurements. use your discretion.)

1/2 cup of left over rice (this wouldn't work with fresh rice)

1/3 cup of canned crushed pineapple, with juice (seperated)

1 tbsp crushed garlic (mine was from a jar...sshhh)

1/4 cup of frozen peas

1/4 cup of edamame

1 tbsp of green curry paste

1 tbsp of pesto

1-2 tsp lemon or lime juice

splash of soy sauce

and to taste:

hot chili sauce (or red pepper flakes)

ground black pepper

Heat up your pan with oil or a non stick spray (what I used). Add the rice and garlic and sautee a min or so. Next add the pineapple juice and stir. Add the peas and edamame after about a min. Keep stirring. Add the curry paste, pesto, lime, and soy sauce. Add the pineapple chunks. Keep stiring until all the pineapple juice is absorbed. Add some chili sauce or siracha to taste. (Which is really what makes this dish, in my humble opinion!)

Fish-Free Pad Thai

2009-06-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

Where has this recipe been all my life?!

I have always loved pad thai but usually feel guilty about eating it, as one of the main ingredients in most pad thai dishes is fish sauce. So when out for thai food, I usually just advert my thoughts and pretend I don't know there's fish sauce in pad thai.

That and eating the occasional poutine is the only "bad vegetarian" things I do. (Shhh! Don't tell Peta!)

But this recipe is fish sauce free and delicious! I'd like to keep experimenting with it to get it perfect, but for now this does the trick!

Pad Thai sauce

2-3 tbsp tamarind paste

1/4 cup hot water

3 tbsp soy sauce

1-2 tsp chili sauce

2-3 tbsp brown sugar

1-2 tsp crushed garlic + ginger

1-2 tsp lime juice

Whisk all ingredients together.

Fry up soaked rice noodles in a heated pan with a tablespoon of oil. Once all the noodles are heated add the sauce. Top with whatever fixins' strike your fancy: steamed vegetables, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, fried tofu, egg, etc.

Summer in a bowl

2009-06-02T21:04:00.001-07:00

One of the things I really appreciate about summer is the effect it has on my appetite. I find that in the summer months I start craving crisp, cool, fresh, fruits and veg. All my favorites are widely available in the summer and are even pretty affordable .

The only downside is that summer also increases my cravings for ice cream... but then again I have been known to walk around in the harsh winter nights of Alberta, clutching a marble slab in hand just because it's too damn good to pass up. (Luckily Vancouver winters are much tamer then what I was used to when I lived in Edmonton...) So I guess I can't really blame summer for that one.

But I digress.

So I stocked up on produce last night and put all my findings into a bowl today and delcared it a salad. Even though today I realized I forgot to buy lettuce last night. (Luckily I had bok choy- the leaves worked nicely in place of lettuce.) Crisp, cool, fresh, and filling it hit the spot-now that the heat has returned to Vancouver, and just so happen to live in the worlds hottest apt. (S/E facing with all windows. It's like a greenhouse.)

I look forward to many more of these salads for the rest of the season.

I just used whatever was on sale/looked yummy from last night's grocery haul but almost any mix of fruit and veg would yield lovely results.

I used:

1/2 ataulfo mango (or whatever mango you can get your hands on)

1/4 green bell pepper

1/4 red bell pepper

1/3 red onion

3-4 stalks baby bok choy.

1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro or herb of your choice

1 tbsp lemon or lime juice (zest would be a good idea if you are using fresh fruit to get your juice)

few drops of extra virgin olive oil

dash of salt and pepper

red chili flakes to taste

nuts to garnish

dice your veg and toss with the rest of your ingredients. that's it. really.

i tossed some chopped walnuts and pecans in there for some crunch and protein. almonds would be a good choice to as they could play off the fruity hints in this salad.

also i imagine some crumbled goat cheese joining the party next time.

Olive-Artichoke spread

2009-04-12T01:22:00.000-07:00

So "they" say that it's not a good idea to go grocery shopping when you're hungry. They say that doing so for whatever reason causes you to impulse shop and buy more than you really need. What I find happens to me is I buy things that I otherwise hate. The worst case of this being olives. As long as I can remember I have never liked olives. I only ever tolerate them in the occasional greek salad if i'm ordering it at a restaraunt but that's about all I can handle. But a little while ago I shopped when I was hungry (which I admit sometimes happens, though I try not to let it) and I ended up with a jar of olives and no idea what to do with 'em. On the odd occasion if I had a friend over who liked olives they'd nibble on them but always forget to take the jar home, so it's been stuck here for months. Until the other day. That's when I found a recipe for "artichoke olive crostini" on smitten kitchen. I love artichokes and it sounded pretty tasty so I set to work.

But since i'm not adding anything to this recipe, I thought i'd spice things up with a picture recipe instead. I just listed all the ingridents because it looked better then cramming directions in as well, but seriously-take a guess what you do with what's listed. (Just blend it! Food processer, magic bullet, vita mix, whatever you've got!)

Hearty Veggie Soup

2009-04-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

The past two days have been disturbingly chilly, while this weekend past was filled with warm, sunny, glorious weather. It was a pretty big damper (pun somewhat intended) when Wednesday reared it's cold, rainy head.

So in order to comfort myself I set out to make some soup. Not expecting much, I was pleasantly suprised with what I came up with. Simple and delicous.

Broccoli, Carrot and Kale soup with Pasta

makes two servings

1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 yellow onion, diced small
1 1/2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1/4 head of broccoli, chopped
2-3 leaves of kale, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp italian herbs
4 cups of water
2 tsp veg. bouillon paste
splash of lemon or lime juice
1 cup of pasta (I used rigatoni)
1/4 cup of miso paste

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add onions and carrot and cook 5 mins. Add broccoli florets and chopped up broccoli stalk and cook another 5 mins. Next add the garlic and kale and cook another minute or so. Add the herbs, water, lemon/lime juice, bouillon and bring to a boil. Next add the pasta and cook until pasta is al dente, about 7-10 minutes depending on what you use. When the pasta is cooked, add the miso paste and simmer until incorporated. Serve topped with parmesean cheese if you really want things special.

Vegetarian Poutine

2009-03-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

Oh, poutine! Such a disturbing and delicious dish. Although the idea of cheese curds atop a mountain of fries smothered in gravy is enough to give you a heart attack (literally) it is oh so delicious. It used to be one of my favorite things to get every year or so until I became a vegetarian. Then I had to say farewell to the poutine, as it is impossible to find a vegetarian version that is close to the original. The only vegetarian poutine I've ever found was made with roasted yams, feta, and sesame gray. Still a really good dish, and probably a lot healthier- but sometimes you just want something that tastes damn good and that's it. Turn off that little voice in your head that's babbling on and on about fat, calories and sodium and just enjoy the deliciousness. Which is what you should do when you dig in to poutine.

This was also my first time making gravy, and it turned out pretty decent for a first try. Although I think I added too much flour, as it was pretty thick and I prefer my gray runny. Oh well. At least the taste was there.

Miso gravy:

2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 white onion, diced
1 small clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp of flour
1/2 cup of water
2-3 tbsp miso paste
2-3 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp herbs of your choice (i used a blend)
salt, pepper

Head the oil over medium heat and add the onion and garlic until soft. Next add the flour until it forms a rue. Slowly add the water while stirring constantly, then add the rest of the ingridients until dissolved. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you need to thicken it, add more flour.

Roasted potatoes

1 small russest potato
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp seasonings (i used mrs.dash and black pepper)

Preheat oven to 400. Wash, peel and chop the potato then coat in olive oil and seasoning. Roast for 15-20 mins.

Then to make the poutine just dice some mozzarella cheese over the potatoes, then top with miso gravy. Dig in to the cheesy salty deliciousness and try not to think to much about what you are eating.

Soup is souper!

2009-03-03T01:09:00.001-08:00

Judging by my last post, it seems like soup is the only exciting thing i've made as of late. And since all I have to post about right now is soup, I guess that still holds true.

I find that soups are the one meal where it's possible to make a single serving. Since I live alone and begin to resent leftovers the third night in a row, I try to make one person meals whenever possible. However, it's something still find difficult. Whenever I begin a meal I always add too much of an ingredient, because it looks so scant-but then I have to up the quantity of other ingredients so that it all balances out, which sticks me with lots of leftovers and the same boring meal all week long!

Now I know these photos are dark and dingy, and the soups may seem a bit passe, but they've been nice meals to me when I am at a loss of what to eat and have 3 boxes of vegetable stock that is going to expire in two weeks. The looming expiration of my veg. stock was a good motivation to try out a soup i'd never had before-french onion. Since it's traditionally made with beef stock i've had to stay away from it-even though the cheesy goodness looked so appetizing. I just so happened to have an onion around at the right time and as fate would have it, I had my first bowl of onion soup.

Onion Soup

This is really too easy for words. Basically just slice up an onion, sautee at bit in a saucepan for about 15 mins. Throw in some salt and pepper and some dried herbs of your liking. Next add about 1 cup or so of vegetable stock and let simmer for as long as your hunger will allow. For me this was about 15 mins. Throw it in an oven safe dish and top with some homemade croutons and swiss cheese, then stick it under the broiler until the cheese is nice and melty.

No nutrition, but oh so yummy and warming.

Broccoli Cheese Soup
This one at least will give you some vitamins, but is just as easy as the onion soup!

Saute a small bunch of broccoli with 1/2 an onion and a clove of garlic in some olive oil until tender. Feel free to add salt, pepper, or whatever herbs or seasonings you like. Next, add your veg. stock and simmer about 20 mins. When you are ready to eat puree the soup with an immersion blender and top with cheese.

Really these are incredibly simple easy dinners to fall back on. Especially on cold rainy February nights when it's dark out and need a warm cup of comfort.

Spicy Soup!

2009-01-16T23:09:00.000-08:00

Please forgive the less than steller photo in this post, because this is a really stellar soup! I finally got a new camera but have yet figured out how to get a good macro out of it. And since when I made this it was dark, the little bit of lighting I do have in my apartment really didn't do much to help the situation.

It all started when I set out to make this white bean kale recipe from 101 cook books. I started out making the tomato sauce (with a few adaptions) until I realized that I had to be at work in less than an hour, and since this recipe had a 45 min baking time that was just not going to work. (I really need to plan these things better.) So I decided to take the same ingredients and make a soup out of it!

This is an incredibly easy, healthy and hearty stewish soup that would be great on a chilly day. Or any ol' day will do!

Spicy Tomato Kale and White Bean Soup
makes one super serving, or two smaller ones

14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp oil
1 tbsp red chili flakes
1 tbsp italian herbs
1 tbsp chili paste
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp lemon juice
few tbsp of sriracha, to taste (optional, throw in if you like things spicy)

1/2 can white beans
2 stalks of kale, washed and chopped well

Simmer the garlic and oil in a small pot until fragrant. Add the can of tomatoes, as well as the spices and other sauces. Let simmer 5 mins. Next add the beans and kale and let simmer another 10-15 mins.

I'm really looking forward to the little bit of this I had left over for tomorrow's lunch. I think I will enjoy it with some sauteed mushrooms thrown in and some crumbled feta on top.

In a Hurry Coconut Curry

2008-11-04T23:01:00.001-08:00

Oh, how I love when things rhyme!
But what I love even more is fast, tasty meals. I have been crazy busy these past few months (hence the lack of posts...)so I have been focusing even more on food that doesn't take a lot of effort in order to properly feed myself.
This one fits the bill perfectly. All you need is a block of tofu, some veg, a can of coconut milk, and curry paste. Combine them all in a pan for about 10 mins and you've got a yummy curry that took little to no time or effort. My kind of meal!

Green Coconut Curry

1 can of coconut milk
1/2 brick of extra firm tofu
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 can of baby corn, rinsed
1-2 tsp of oil
3-6 tbsp green curry paste (depending on your taste)
red chili flakes (optional)

First rinse the tofu, and pat dry. Try to drain out as much liquid as you can with a paper towel without crushing the tofu to bits. Cut into cubes. Heat up the oil in a pan, and add tofu when pan is heated. Fry all sides for about a minuete or so, until golden brown. Next add the can of coconut milk and a few tablespoons of curry paste.* Cover and lower heat to medium. After about 5 mins add the sliced peppers and baby corn (or whatever vegetables are on hand) and cook another 5 mins or so, until the coconut milk has reduced to nothing.

Serve over rice if you have time, or rice noodles if you don't. Garnish with red chili flakes, soy sauce, hot sauce, or whatever your heart desires.

*I like to numb my mouth with spice and flavor, so I'm not sure what to suggest here for the average person. I say just add a tablespoon or two at the start then taste as you go. If you want more curry flavor, add a few more scoops.

Summer Salad

2008-07-21T19:38:00.000-07:00

Last week I noticed some peaches at the market. Not thinking much other then "a peach would be nice" I bought myself two blushed beauties and thought that was that. The following day of the peach purchase, I decided to bake one of the two in a batch of muffins. But as I was cutting up the first peach, I couldn't help but pop a slice of it in my mouth. It just looked so juicy, so colourful, so appetizing. After the first slice, there went another, and another-until before I knew it the peach had vanished. Now I'm not sure if it's because I hadn't had a fresh peach since last summer, or if It was just a damn good peach, but I felt it was the best peach I had ever had. The experience was euphoric.

So today as I was passing by the same market, I felt the need to buy myself some pretty peaches again. Fate was smiling down upon me because while I found some beautiful looking peaches, an inspiration for what to do with them also hit. I acted on my instincts, grabbing a pack of baby spinach and some peppered goat cheese, then walked back to my apartment and set to work on a spinach salad. It's another hot hot day in Vancouver, which made this salad oh-so appropriate for tonights dinner. With the addition of only a few minor ingredients, this was a truly tasty salad.

Peach Perfection on a Plate

few handfuls of baby spinach
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
1 fresh peach, sliced
crumbled goat cheese (i used pepper infused goat cheese, herbed or plain would also work)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp raspberry white wine vinegar
dash of salt & pepper
1/4 cup crumbled walnuts

Place the spinach on a plate. Mix the olive oil with vinegar, salt and pepper, and whisk until incorporated. Drizzle spinach with dressing. Slice the pepper, and peach, then lay atop the spinach. Top with crumbled goat cheese (flavored if desired) and crumbled walnuts.

Saute'd Soy'd Asparagus

2008-07-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

After my first trip to Granville Island, I was sitting pretty with a beautiful bounty of affordable, fresh, quality fruit and veg. One of my favorite things I got was kale. It was a new green that I had always read about but had never tried. (couldn't ever find it back home!) I really loved the soup I made using Kale from that trip, but I also really enjoyed it in this simple and tasty dish when I added it to asparagus. I had never bought kale prior to moving here, but it seems to be a usual at the farmers market, and I plan on taking advantage of it's accessibility from now on.

I also struck gold with the asparagus there that first day. It was pencil thin and beautiful. The best part was that it tasted even better than it looked! Vancouver has been stuck in a heat wave since my arrival, deeming it too hot to turn on my oven, so I opted to enjoy my asparagus in a new method-pan frying.

This recipe is almost too simple, and extremely versatile. Expieriment with whatever you like, or have on hand.

Almond and soy Asparagus with Kale

1/2 bunch asparagus
1/2 head of kale
1/3 cup natural almonds
2 tsp oil
3-5 tbsp soy sauce
1 clove of garlic
2 tsp red chili flakes

Take the asparagus and wash well. Trim the ends and chop into one inch pieces. Heat up a small pan with oil and add the garlic. Let saute' for about a min. Add the asparagus and soy sauce. Stir over medium high heat until asparagus starts to cook. Roughly chop the almonds and add them to the pan. Tear up your washed kale and throw it in there. Allow to sit for about a minuete or so. Just until the kale starts to soften a bit, but not so long that the asparagus gets over cooked. Sprinkle with some chili flakes if spicyness is desired.

Since I haven't built up a pantry for myself quite yet I didn't get to add everything I would've liked to this dish. Had I had it on hand, I would've tossed in some fresh ginger, sesame oil, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Apartment Soup v.1

2008-06-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

First some exciting news:
I have moved to Vancouver! Woo-hoo! I have always had an admiration for this city, and I am so happy to finally be living here! I love it so much, except for one factor.
The heat.

I've been here a little over a week and every day it has been sunny, hot, and muggy. Not at all what I expected from a city in the pacific northwest that is known for rain and overcast skies! I love the rain, and have been very sad that I have not had any to enjoy. There has only been one overcast day so far, and it only sprinkled then.

But through all this heat I am craving one thing and one thing only. SOUP! Why? My only guess is that maybe I am trying to make my new apartment and my new city feel "homey" and I guess soup does that for me? I don't know any other reason why making soup in almost 30 degree weather seems like a good idea.

But alas, since I moved in a little over a week ago, all I could think of was making a big pot of lentil soup. It's just something I had to do. So on my first (and so far, only) overcast rainy day last week, I decided to take a walk to Granville Island to check out the farmers market. I ended up with a pretty bounty of fresh and cheap vegetables, all begging to be put in a soup.

So with a combonation of farmers market loot, and some kitchen staples I bought at a swanky Save-On downtown, my first Apartment Soup was born.

My biggest problem with making this soup was only one thing-I have no blender! As I was doing my apartment shopping back in Alberta, I kept telling myself I have no need for a blender. I told myself, "It's just so big and bulky, and all i'd need it for is to make smoothies, which I can do much easier in my Magic Bullet." Of course the one thing that a blender is good for that a bullet isn't would be BLENDING SOUPS. I stupidly realized this when I really wanted this soup blended, and so in a haze of hunger and impatience did a few quick blitz of the soup serving by serving in my magic bullet. It was a bit scary, since the bullet is plastic and I had hot soup in a little container. But all turned out fine. There were a few remaining chunks as seen in the picture, but that's okay since it adds more of a rustic feel.
The point of all this is that if you have a blender, feel free to chop the peppers and veg to any size you like. If you are like me and are sans-blender, I'd reccomend chopping them very small, unless you like big chunks in your soup.

Red Lentil, Pepper, and Kale soup.

1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp curry power
1 tsp paprika
a few generous cracks of black pepper
1 tsp salt
16 oz can of chopped tomatoes, with juice
1 cup of water
1 1/2 cups red lentils
1/2 bunch of kale (no idea how to measure this really, just throw in a few handfuls.)
hot sauce (optional)

Finely chop the onion and add to a medium sized pot with the olive oil. After the onions begin to soften*, add the salt, pepper and spices. After about a min, add the red and yellow peppers and a little more olive oil if needed. Add the canned tomatoes, water, and lentils. Cover over medium heat about 20 mins, or until lentils are ready. Chop up the kale, and throw into the soup during the last few mins. Blend if desired. For added heat, add a few squirts of hot sauce.

I have made this soup similar to this in the past with all different sorts of veggies added-carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. Feel free to play around with what goes in here.

*A lot of lentil soup recipes advise to put a tbsp or so of tomato paste in this step. I would be all for it if i could get my hands on tomato paste in a tube. But since I cannot, and I have no other use for a can of tomato paste, I omit this step.

Granola "Muffins"

2008-06-12T13:14:00.000-07:00

For some time now, I've been on a quest for a healthy homemade granola bar. For the past few years I've relied on store bought granola bars for a quick breakfast option I could eat on the go. But as I've grown more health conscious , I've grown to realize that most of these conveinent bars are not a healthy choice. A while ago I tried a recipe for baked granola bars, using peanut butter and egg white as a binder. The bars ended up tasting fine, but they didn't have the chewy texture I was looking for like the store bought bars.

I gave up on the quest for some time until finding this 'power bar' recipe at 101 Cookbooks. This post set a whirl of frenzy in the ol' mind grapes. These power bars sounded exactly like what I had been dreaming of making all this time!
So I set to work immedietly on my own version. I based it all on what I had kicking around the kitchen, so It ended up being a fruit version-using peanut butter and blueberry syrup as the base, with mixed nuts, coconut, raisins, dried cranberries, and apricots. I liked them fine enough, but I knew there was a better version waiting to be discovered.

This version is what I like to call "Healthy Decadance" Yes there is peanut butter, but it's organic natual peanut butter, with no added sugar or salt. It's got plenty of protein from all the nuts used, and I've snuck in some healthy ingridents that don't effect the taste negetively. I even let myself use (dark) chocolate chips! (because dark chocolate is good for you!)

One thing that most excites me about this recipe is the muffin shape they recieved. This idea occurred out of pure laziness, when I found that our only decent size square pan was dirty, and I was in no mood to clean it. I instead decided to form these in a muffin tin. Taking away an extra dish to wash and making even more convienient sized granola bars? Yes please!

But since I hate dishes and won't dirty a dish unless I need it-that includes measuring cups! I didn't measure any of these ingredients. The following is just an approximation of what I used.

Granola "Muffins"

1/2 cup rice cereal (I used Special K)
1/2 cup oats
2 cups of nuts, roasted (whatever variety you desire!)
1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp flax meal
2 tbsp wheat germ
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1-1 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (smooth and chunky both work, I prefer chunky)
1/4-1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (coconut or almond would also work)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp espresso powder

Preheat oven to 350. Scatter the nuts and coconut on a flat pan, and roast until the nuts are slightly browned and the coconut is golden. About 5-7 mins. Stir once half way through. Keep an eye on them, make sure they don't burn!
While the nuts are roasting, combine the rice cereal, oats, flax, wheat germ, and chocolate chips. Once the nuts have cooled a bit, add to the oat/cereal mixture.
While the nuts are cooling, combine PB, syrup, and honey until fluid. Add the salt, extract, cinnamon, espresso, and mix well.
Add the saucy mixture to the rest of the ingredients, mixing well. Using a spoon, place a small ammount of the mixture in a greased muffin tin. Spritz your hands with some pam, or roll around some butter and press down firmly on each muffin. Let cool to room temp.

The possibilities here are really endless. Try playing around with different flavored syrups, nut combinations, or even cereals. It's an easy recipe to adapt to the ingredients you have on hand and like!

Falafel Salad

2008-05-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

So I really suck at this food blog thing. Lately i've either been too busy to cook, to lazy to cook something special, or too hungry to take a picture of what I make.

That isn't the case today though! I made a really easy and tasty falafel salad.

Since were running low on groceries, this is another one of those dishes that is made in hunger and desperation, using the only edible (and vegetarian) things on hand. I find these situations almost always to yield one of two results: either I come up with something tasty and delicious that I might not have thought of otherwise, or I microwave a frozen dinner. Luckily the first scenario is what went down today.

I knew I had some frozen falafel in my freezer, so I decided to do something with those. And since I didn't have any pitas, I decided to throw them in a salad.

I won't bother with a recipe, since all this salad took was some chopped lettuce, cucumber, green onions, and carrot ribbons tossed in a lemon vinegarete with some grated parmesan and falafel crumbled on top. Now doesn't that sound easy? I suggest giving this a try. Putting the falafel atop the greens was a great way to turn a side salad into a more substantial meal.

My first bento!

2008-04-07T21:26:00.000-07:00

For a long time now i've been a fan of Vegan Lunch Box. It's actually one of the food blogs that inspired me to start my own. Even though I discovered it near the end of it's run, I still like to browse the archives for some lunch ideas. Ever since my discovery of that site i've longed for my very own laptop lunch box that is featured with every lunch. It's such a great way to cut down on plastic bags and bulky tupperware. But do I have one? No. Here is where the story gets a bit silly. Even though there is a retailer near me that sells the very lunch box, I never am in that part of town so I still have not got my hands on it. What's silly is that I do have other bento lunch boxes that I just ordered from J-List. Kind of odd how items from Japan are more convenient to buy then ones right in my own city!

Anyways, onto the bento!

This is the cute little panda box I used to pack todays lunch. It's got two tiers that fit inside.
I received these cute little boxes in the mail last week while I was out of town, and today was finally the right day to break one in. The food featured is nothing real special, since I haven't had a chance to go grocery shopping since my return. (I had to work all weekend-bleh!) And all my family knows how to buy is white bread, milk, and lunch meat. (Ew.)

Since grapes and baby cheese is pretty basic, i'll share how I spiced up these carrots and asian brown rice vermicelli noodles. It's also quite basic, but they're pretty tasty! Making these is even too easy for a real recipe.

All you need to do is toss together the following:
Brown Rice Vermicelli noodles, cooked
baby carrots, julienned
sesame seeds

now add a few flavors to taste:
soy sauce
sesme oil
rice or red wine vinegar
red chili flakes

I usually add more vinegar than soy sauce since I like things with a bite, then just a little bit of sesame oil to add some sweetness. These levels can be adjusted to personal preference.

Since carrots were the only veggie I had in my fridge (really, I'm not exaggerating!) that's all I added. In the past I've also tried this same recipe with green or red onions, peppers, and peas. Black beans are also a nice addition to this, but I was running low on time as I was making this before work today.

More bentos to come!

Hope of Spring Salad

2008-03-17T10:50:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday morning I woke up to a shock. When I got upstairs to fix my breakfast, there was a bounty of vegetables on my kitchen table! Since this is a rare sight in my house unless i've been shopping I began to wonder if somehow I had gone sleep grocery shopping the past night. I figured out what really happened though when my dad came into the room and got all excited about the vegetables before me. He then informed me that this bounty was all from the farmers market. Wait, the farmers market? In March? With a foot of snow on the ground? Blasphemy!

As pathetic as it is, my almost 19 year old self had never realized that the market is open in the colder months. Growing up the sporadic visits to the market my parents took me on were always in the summer, so I guess my sub-concious always figured that since I only went in the summer, that the market was only open in the summer. Nope. Turns out my parents are just a bunch of sissies who don't like buying good produce if it requires going out in the cold. I guess my dad was just feeling brave this past Saturday, which I am grateful for as these veggies were wonderful. I didn't snap a picture, but included in the bounty was: butter leaf lettuce, green beans, baby potatoes, tomatoes, and cucumbers. All organic too!

So Saturday before work I roasted some of the pretty little organic tomatoes with some asparagus I had in the fridge, and drizzled them with some balsamic vinegar. It was a great little salad. I didn't take a picture though, and since I think posting a recipe without a picture is pointless, i'll leave it at that.

What I did make sure to take a picture of, was the resulting salad that came from the head of butter leaf lettuce. I had only had butter leaf lettuce once before, at a cafe where it was served with an amazing orange dressing. The flavors went so beautifully together that I knew i'd need to re-create a similar taste for this lettuce. So I went off of a recipe I recieved from a co-worker, adding some newer flavors I thought might be nice. The result was wonderful. It had creamy ingredients but still tasted light. The only change I might make is to add some dijon mustard to the next dressing, or perhaps a bit more vinegar, just to get a bit more bite out of them.

I'm calling this "Hope of Spring Salad" because even though there is snow all over, and the temperature is still below 0 (celcius) everyday, this salad helped me to believe spring might, at some point happen.

Ingridients:
1 head butter leaf lettuce (other lettuces will work)
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cucumber, sliced in half circles

dressing:
2 tbs light sour cream
2 tbs light miracle whip
1/4 cup white vinegar
juice of 1/2 an orange
zest of one orange
1 tbs dill
pinch of salt and pepper

Wash and tear the lettuce leaves and thinly slice the onions. Mix with the walnuts and set aside.
In a small bowl, mix all dressing ingredients together with a whisk. Incorporate to the salad and serve right away.
(serves around 4 as a side salad.)

It's tofu...It's magic!

2008-03-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

So much for my last post...it's been almost a month and i've hardly blogged! I was kind of in a cooking rut I guess...so...moving on.

Yesterday was one of those desperate food days. I was away on vacation for the past week, and when I got home I saw how very apparent it is that I am the only one in my family that buys real food! I came home to a near empty fridge, filled with only milk, leftovers, and a few condiments. And since I hadn't had a chance for a decent shopping trip yet, my only lunch option was macaroni and cheese. But I wanted something more. I wanted to make something, as I hadn't been able to cook for the past week. I'll talk more about my culinary adventures from my trip later, but right now the magic tofu will take center flog:

I found this recipe for Tofu "Magic" a while ago at Eat Me, Delicous and while it sounded great, It didn't really move me to make it right away. But as I previously mentioned, there is little to no food in my house. So I started with a base food, brown rice. I put on a pot and then went online to frantically search for something to go with it. As I came across some archived recipes, I found the one for tofu magic. I then got really excited when I remembered that there just might be a block of tofu in the fridge.
As it turns out, I didn't have any tofu. I actually didn't have any ingredients needed for the magic tofu. But my mind, my heart, and my stomach would take nothing but this recipe. So as the rice finished cooking I walked over to the grocery store and bought what was needed. It was a warm day, and fate seemed to be on my side just this once.

So thank you, fate. For bringing me to this recipe. It really is magic! For as long as i've been a vegetarian i've strived and searched for the perfect tofu. Crispy, yet tender...flavorful but not overpowering... this tofu is fits the bill!
I think the trick to is perfection is the frying of the tofu intially, then making more of a reduction then a sauce with only a few ingredients. It was such a quick and easy recipe to make to!
I chose to serve it with brown rice (as mentioned) and baby spinach. While there are a few leaves poking out of the mug (yes, I eat out of mugs!) there was also a little bundle under the rice. The heat from the rice and tofu wilted that spinach right up, and the mix was marvelous.

As a I went to retrieve this recipe again to post, I noticed that the recipe itself isn't called Tofu Magic, but "Matthew's Delicous Tofu". No matter what it is called, it is amazing and all should try it out!

Matthew's Delicious Tofu
Thanks toEat Me, Delicous, via The Garden of Vegan

2-3 servings (with rice)

1 lb medium firm tofu, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp dried chili, or 1 tsp Asian chili sauce
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup Braggs or soy sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup dry roasted almonds, chopped (garnish)

In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, saute the tofu in oil until browned. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic, ginger, and chili. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the maple syrup, Braggs (or soy sauce), and lemon juice. Cover and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Garnish with almonds.

I've been a bad blogger...

2008-02-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

First I'm going to start of by saying what a bad blogger I have been. For a while I was in a cooking rut, not really making anything worthy of a post here. That was my excuse to not fill this flog with food. But that rut was quite short lived, for lately I have been making some pretty awesome things. I've managed perfect crepes, a roasted veggie and cous cous salad, a spicy tofu soup, pan-fried oatmeal, and many others! Now I am just relying on terrible excuses to not post. Things like "Well I can't take a picture, because my family is here." (They know I have a food blog, but I still get weird looks whenever I choose to photograph food. It brings on too many questions.) Another reason is that my kitchen is upstairs, while by bedroom in the basement. My camera is always kept in my room. And as much as I hate to admit it, most of the time I am too hungry/lazy to take a trip down the stairs to grab my camera. Also there is the procrastionation factor. "I'll post about it later..." and then later never comes. I made a Yule Log for christmas that I still haven't bothered to post about! (But I really don't think I will now...It seems a little too late for that. A mention is all the Yule Log will get.)

I'm ready for all of these pathetic excuses to come to an end. I promise to be a better blogger. I've even signed up for some blogging events, which i'm hoping will motivate me to get more active in this blog. (And maybe get me some visitors so that I don't feel like I'm blogging to myself...)

And now, onto the food.

Today I tried out a tofu salad recipe I found from Everybody Likes Sandwiches. I found it a while ago, and have been meaning to try it. Today finally seemed the right time since the only food I had in my kitchen happened to go in this recipe!

Tofu Salad
(from Everybody Likes Sandwiches)
1/2 cup mayo or soynaise (I used light miracle whip)
1 Tbsp yellow mustard (I used dijion)
1 block of firm tofu, crumbled
1 tsp capers
2 Tbsp chopped pickles
2 Tbsp finely diced onions
juice & zest of 1/2 lemon
pepper
(these next three ingredients were from the original post, but I didn't have them and so I substituted them for the following ingredients. )
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp curry paste (or powder)
1 tsp honey (optional)

2 tsp garlic seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp dill

In a medium sized bowl, mix together the mayo and mustard. Add in the crumbled tofu and combine well. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Let mixture sit for half an hour to let flavours develop. Spread on toasted bread.

I'm really happy with how this salad came out. I can see myself packing this in my lunch quite often from now on.

Light Macaroni Salad

2008-01-14T22:38:00.000-08:00

The inspiration for the following recipe came from two sources. The first, being a cooking show on PBS. (A cooking show on PBS? Who'da thunk it?) And the second, from my desire to be the biggest possible sponge on my parents whilst I can, by bringing my lunches to work instead of going to booster juice and spending $10 a day of my own money.

Now more on the PBS show. It was a lazy saturday morning and I was in the basement watching tv. My father came downstairs and stole the remote from me. He flipped channels until landing on PBS, which was airing a cooking show. Since I am obsessed with food, I tolerated this. The hosts were just about to embark on a macaroni salad. And though i've never really liked macaroni salad all that much, the recipe inspired me. Over a week went by and I couldn't get the macaroni salad off my mind. I'm not sure of why that is, but I am glad for my fascination, because this salad came out great.

I think the reason it got to me was that the host added the spices before adding the mayo. She claimed that it was more important to flavor the pasta, then flavor the sauce. It seems like such a simple idea, but I had never seen anything like it before.

So I took that nugget of knowledge with me as I finally embarked on making this salad. Though as I stated, I've never felt that much love for a macaroni salad. This one was different though. I just knew it.

And was I right! This tasted so much lighter and fresher then most macaroni salads. Unlike the traditional macaroni salad, these little noodles were not swimming in mayo, just slightly tossed in it.

So here is my modified recipe of macaroni salad. I adjusted it a bit, adding a few more flavors and a lot more lemon. Hence the name of this recipe. I also used miracle whip instead of mayo. Since I prefer it in my sandwiches, I thought "why not in my salad as well?" I'd also like to point out how ridiculously easy this salad is to make!

Light and Lemony Macaroni Salad

1/2 box of Macaroni, cooked al dente and cooled
2-3 Stalks of Celery, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced plus zest
2 cubes frozen parsley (this was all I had, if you are using fresh then i'd go with a few tablespoons, then adding more to taste if needed.)
1 tsp chili powder
dash of salt and pepper
1/2 cup of miracle whip, or mayonaise.

Cook and drain the macaroni. Rinse with cold water, and transfer to a large bowl. Add chopped celery, onion, garlic, lemon zest, parsley, chili powder, and salt and pepper. Let sit in the fridge for about half an hour. Take the pasta out and toss it with the miracle whip and lemon juice.

I really loved this salad. It was easy, light, and so flavorful. I know it will be one I will fall back on in the future for lunches. My wallet is quite pleased because of this.

Mushroom Tomato Cream Pasta

2008-01-09T20:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight was one of those nights where I got home late, and after not having dinner at a decent time was forced to rummage through the kitchen to find something quick and edible. Sometimes, when I am lucky, this kind of night has much more pay-off then pain. As was tonight.

So I got home and tried to figure out what to make for dinner. My sister had already eaten, and my mom opted for left over pizza. My dad decided to wait it out and said he would eat whatever I put in front of him. While I considered serving him dog food just to see what would be come of it, I instead decided to create something. So I set to work.

As always, our pantry was stocked with pasta. Then I totally lucked out when I found half a bag of mushrooms and a zucchini in my fridge. Plus, I even had sauce in there! Once I came upon these staples I had settled with the idea to add the veggies to some pasta with some plain ol' tomato sauce. Nothing too crazy, but it would serve it's purpose.

So I was about halfway through making dinner, when I realized there was much less pasta sauce in the jar then I had anticipated. Hardly enough to cover the pasta. Since my vegetables were near done their sauteing I had to act quick. I scoured our lazy susan for some canned tomatoes, tomato paste, anything sauce like. It was then I found the perfect addition. A can of mushroom soup! It would be the perfect addition to bulk up the sauce!

So that is how this dish came to be. Keep in mind that since this recipe was made on the spot, the measurements may not be exact. But this is the type of dish where it really won't matter. Also keep in mind that the quantities can easily be changed to feed more or less hungry mouths.

Mushroom Tomato Cream Pasta
Yields 2-3 servings.

1/4 box of pasta (I used Smart Spahgetti.)
1/2 can low fat mushroom soup
1/4 cup of water
1/3 cup of tomato pasta sauce (I used Healthy Choice Garlic Lovers)
1-2 cups of mushrooms, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 tbsp of oil
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
parmesan cheese (to garnish, optional)

Start a pot of water boiling for the pasta. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Meanwhile, clean and chop the veggies. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a medium frying pan. Add veggies once pan is hot and coat with freshly ground black pepper. A few teaspoons would be a good place to start. I really love my pepper though, so I added a few generous tablespoons to the veggies. Once the veggies have cooked down, add half the can of mushroom soup, and the water. Mix well so that the consistency is nice and smooth. Once your pasta is done, add the veggies and mushroom sauce, as well as the tomato sauce. Garnish with some parmesan, Mix well to coat, and serve!

This dish came out great. It was hearty and filling and tasted amazing. I know it will be one dinner that I see myself coming back to time and time again. Although next time I think I will add some garlic and maybe some parsley to the veggies.

Homemade Veggie Burger

2007-12-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

Lately one of my newest food blog obsessions is Everybody Likes Sandwiches. It's got great recipes and the pictures are so pretty to look at. As I was browsing through some past entries on said flog, I came across this recipe for Walnut Oat Burgers. I've been wanting to try a hand at making my own veggie burgers for a while now, and this recipe seemed like the perfect endeavor.

I'm happy to report that these burgers came out great. They were so so good I don't ever want to see a soy burger again in my life!

They are also much healthier then soy patties. Since a large ammount of the mix is made up of ground walnuts, and walnuts are one of the World's Healthiest Foods, I have no qualms to treating myself to a burger now.

And the recipe seems easy enough to follow too. I only say that it seems easy enough because for whatever reason, I had a few troubles following it this afternoon. I'm not sure why, but I mixed up the bread crumb measurement and I forgot to add milk. The bread crumb situation rectified itself easily enough, I just ended up scooping some out of the rest of the mixture. The lack of milk however, was most likely the reason for the tiniest problem I had with these burgers. As a few of them fell apart. They buckled from the pressure of me trying to flip them on the first go. However, the strong ones survived and they were happily devoured by me and my family members who were brave enough to try them.

The recipe:

Walnut Oat Burgers
(Courtesy of Everybody Likes Sandwiches

burger mixture:
2 cups walnut pieces
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup breadcrumbs
3 eggs, slightly beaten
½ cup skim milk
1 onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sage*
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

for cooking burgers:
oil to brown patties
3 cups vegetable stock

1. Grind walnuts in blender and combine with the rest of the burger mixture ingredients. Let the mixture rest in refrigerator for about an hour to let the flavors meld together.

2. Form the mixture into patties. The entire mixture will make 8-12 burgers depending on the size patty formed. It is recommended to use half of the mixture now, and reserve the rest for use in another recipe or for more burgers later.

3. Brown patties on both sides in a lightly oiled skillet, then pour the stock into the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Serve on buns with all your burger fixings.

*I didn't have any sage on hand so I just used some ramdom herb and garlic seasoning I found in my pantry. They still tasted great.

Now the perfect side to this dish? Home baked taco fries.

They are a tastier and healthier alternative to those gross fries out of a bag from the freezer. Also, they couldn't be easier to make. This recipe is just an approximate guess of what I did, as there is really no need to measure with something like this.

First preheat your oven to 375. Clean and chop 5 medium sized russet potatoes. Slice into small strips, or cut into wedges. Whatever thickness you desire will work. Once all potatoes have been cleaned and chopped, throw into a large bowl. Toss slices with a few tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, a tiny pinch of salt, and liberal shakes of chili powder and garlic powder. You can also use taco mix, but since there is a lot of added sodium with that I'd reccomend using your own spices.
Once all the pieces are coated, place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook them for about 30-40 mins, or until cooked and crispy.

Tofu Sandwiches

2007-11-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

A while ago I saw a recipe for tofu sandwiches posted somewhere on livejournal, I think it might have been VeganCooking but I can't remember.
Anyhoo, after seeing this amazing sounding recipe it was on my mind grapes for about a month. So yesterday on my day off I decided to try out these marinated tofu sandwiches.

They are amazing! The tofu is so firm and flavorful. Both sweet, and spicy. It was such a nice treat from strictly veggie filled sandwiches. (Since I've never been a big fan of soy lunch meats.)

(And Is it just me or does that tofu kind of look like chicken? Oddly enough the texture also reminded me of chicken...)

The tofu is marinated in a combination of soy sauce, garlic, and spices. Then it gets coated in fresh black pepper, fried up, and then coated in sesame seeds. It is simply nothing short of a slice of tofu heaven. Even my tofobic sister enjoyed them!

Tomorrow I think I will try out the left over pieces in a spinach salad. Mmm.

The recipe is as follows:
(I didn't stick to the original since there were a few things I was missing-fresh ginger for one. But I think it still turned out pretty damn good.)

Pepper and Sesame-crusted Tofu Sandwiches
(From VeganCooking?)

Drain and press out any extra water from a block of firm or extra firm tofu.* Thinly slice the entire block and marinate for an hour or longer with the following marinade:

3/4 cup soy sauce
2-3 tsp rougly chopped fresh ginger, or if you don't have any, ground ginger will work just fine.
3-4 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp chili powder
1-2 tsp green curry paste
2 tsp sesame oil
freshly ground pepper
sesame seeds

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large container and add tofu slices. Keep in the fridge for a minimum of one hour.

Once the tofu has marinated, heat a pan to medium high with a bit of oil in it. (I used a combination of 1 tsp sesame oil and some veg. oil.) While the pan is heating grind fresh black pepper onto a plate. Remove the tofu from the marinade, blot with a paper towel and cover both sides with the pepper. Do this with all the slices, then fry them in the pan-about 1-2 mins or until they are crispy and brown. In the meantime, cover a new plate with sesame seeds. Once the tofu slices are finished marinating, coat them with the sesame seeds.

To serve these, I toasted 2 slices of whole grain flax bread. On one slice I put some light miracle whip and some cilantro. (All I had was the stuff in the tube, but keep in mind that fresh is obviously preferable!) And on the other slice I slathered some sweet red pepper salsa. I also added some thick slices of cucumbers and some crispy iceberg lettuce. Other good toppings would be bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc.

*In order to press out all the water from the tofu (to gain a firmer texture and stronger taste) my preffered method is as follows:
Place your block of tofu on a plate in between two paper towels. On top of the paper towel, place a large skillet. On top of the skillet, stick a dictionary or any heavy object. Leave it for about an hour or so and most of the water will have drained.

Orzo Salad

2007-10-26T21:38:00.000-07:00

This summer I became obsessed with an orzo salad. It had spinach, lots of onions and garlic, feta cheese, and of course, orzo. It's a cold salad to be kept in the fridge, so it can sit and stew in it's own flavors. Like a good cheese, it only gets better with age. Also like (some) cheeses, it stinks. (Well, more like you stink, since there is about 6 cloves of garlic in the thing.) The consumption of garlic is always a battle with me. On the one hand it is tasty, and very good for you. On the other hand it doesn't leave you very fragrantly pleasing.
So to compromise I try to not consume to much garlic when I am around lots of people, like at work. This made me pretty sad since the salad I described above is one I could see myself eating every single day, and a great option to bring for lunch.

But now I have a solution! I was watching Everyday Italian a while back, and on the show Giada made a "Tri-Colore Orzo Salad". (Which translates to three colours.) It was very similar to my beloved (but garlicy) salad I yearned to enjoy on a regular basis, only without the garlic and onions and other things that wouldn't smell too great. I made a mental note to try this new salad out sometime, and that was that.

Then sometime last week as I was trying to scrounge something up for my lunch, I decide see about making this sald. Lucky enough I had orzo so I set to work. The result was wonderful.
I ended up improvising a bit since I didn't have the exact ingredients she used, and because I couldn't be bothered to look up the recipe to find out for sure wether I did or not. (Turns out I was pretty close.)

I'm also really proud of staying true to the "tri-colore" theme of the salad, by finding three colours to put in it:

The recipe will be a rough idea of what I put in my salad, since I never keep track of exact measurements when cooking. I also made enough for my lunch as well as my parents who always have difficulty cooking for themselves after work. Keep in mind these measurements can easily be changed to suit how many mouths you intend on feeding. (This recipe fed about 4.)

What you will need:
2 1/2 cups orzo, cooked al dente
1/2 cup baby spinach
1/2 cup baby arugula
1/2 cup of crasisns
1/4 cup of light feta cheese
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, plus 3 tbsp
3 tbsp or juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon*
salt and pepper to taste

*I didn't have any lemon zest in this batch, since I still don't have zester, and I am completely hopeless to somehow accomplish another way to zest it up. (How do I even live like this?!) I'd highly recommend adding some though, because I imagine it is wonderful.

What to do:
Cook the orzo to package directions. Toss with 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, and let cool. Meanwhile juice&zest the lemon, rip apart (or chop) the arugula and the spinach, and dice (or crumble) the feta cheese.
Toss the orzo with the rest of the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, spinach, arugula, crasins, and feta. Add a pinch of salt and a generous grind or two of fresh black pepper. Chill and serve.

As I mentioned earlier in this post, this is the type of salad that gets better the longer it sits in the fridge.
Some other ideas to add to this would be some chopped peppers, green onions, and if you're brave, (or alone) a glove of garlic or two. (I mean one or two cloves wouldn't be that bad, right?) Next time I will try it.

Lovely Lentils

2007-10-21T20:52:00.000-07:00

After being a vegetarian for nearly five years, I had never had lentils until a few months ago. I had always thought about it, and I really did want to try lentils, but I was always too afraid to go for it. Eventually I did get around to consuming lentils when I found them in a canned lentil soup, which magically appeared in my pantry one day.
I quite enjoyed the soup, and made a vow to try and partake of more lentils in my diet. Until recently though, I had never found much reason to try them. Then I found this lentil chili recipe and it inspired me. I tired it out and was in love.

So ever since falling in love with lentils from that recipe, I have decided to try out more recipes with lentils.
Then as fate would have it, I recently caught an episode of Good Eats devoted entirely to lentils! I made a vow to try out at least one of the recipes.

As a part of my crusade to find healthy baked items, I decided to go for the Lentil Cookies. Now, when I first heard dear Alton utter lentils and cookies in the same sentence, I thought he was crazy. As much as I love him I could just not get behind this idea. Even after seeing him make them and devour them I still wasn't sold. Then, and I'm not sure when or why- but sometime this past week I found myself ready and willing to give them a try.

They certainly are very appealing health wise. The recipe calls for whole wheat flour, dried fruit, oats, and (obviously) lentils. I also decided to personally up the nutrition in these babies by replacing the sugar with Splenda and adding some flax.

For my dried fruit I decided to use my two favorites, craisins, and dried apricots. They ended up being quite the pair.

The only issue I have with these is that I'm not sure what to call them. On the one hand they are sweet like cookies, and they kind of remind me of an oatmeal cookie, so calling it a cookie makes sense.
On the other hand, they came out shaped like little biscuits, and are quite round and dense. Not like the traditional cookie.

Also telling people I made lentil cookies usually results in them looking at me like I am crazy and shaking their head in disgust.

They also kind of remind me of these "cookies" that always pop up during christmas time. They're about the size of a quarter but very thick, kind of the same idea as these lentil cookies. They've got jam in the middle and walnuts all around the dough part. They are dry and bland and I've always found them useless. In my humble opinion, these lentil cookies are a million times better then the dry jam cookies of Christmas past, present, and future.

But in the end it doesn't really matter what they are called, what matters is that they are delicious, and that everyone should try them! (No matter how skeptical you may be.)

Lentil "Cookies"
(Courtesy of God Alton Brown)

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice**
I cup sugar***
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups lentil puree, recipe follows
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup dried fruit
1 cup unsweetened dried shredded coconut
2 tbsp ground flax seed

*I am just realizing now that I did not use pastry flour, but regular whole wheat flour. They still turned out though.
**I didn't have any allspice, so I substituted this for ground cloves.
***As I mentioned above, I replaced the sugar with Splenda.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and allspice (or cloves).

In the bowl of a stand-mixer with a whisk attachment, cream together the sugar and butter on medium speed. Add the egg and mix until just incorporated. Add the vanilla and lentil puree and mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and blend on low speed until just combined. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the oats, dried fruit, coconut and ground flax seed.

Form the dough into balls about 2 teaspoons in size and place on a baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving about 1-inch of room in between. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 195 degrees F is reached on an instant-read thermometer.

Lentil Puree:
4 ounces lentils, approximately 2/3 cup, picked over and rinsed
2 cups water
In a small pot over medium heat, combine the lentils and the water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Remove from the heat and puree. If using immediately, let cool. The puree may be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups lentil puree

Berry Good Cream Cheese Muffins

2007-10-03T12:41:00.001-07:00

A while back I caught an episode of Eat, Shrink and Be Merry on the food network. To me it's one of those shows that sounds really good in theory, but it always comes up short when I watch it. I think the reason for not fully embracing this show could be the dynamic between the two sisters. The blonde one is very bossy and controlling in the kitchen. She always seems annoyed and pissed off at the other sister. This reminds me a little too much of the dynamic in my own kitchen, between my younger sister and I. (My sister being the bossy mean controlling one.) It's not that fun to live, and it's not that fun to watch.

But despite my psychological issues, I still try to tune in every now and then for a new healthy recipe to try out. The latest episode I saw was titled: "Little Miss Muffin Tops". The recipe sounded easy and really good. Lately i've been trying to only bake healthy things, and these fit the bill perfectly. So I decided to try these out. But since mid-episode I got distracted by 90210, I missed the part about how they go about baking only the tops. So when I made these I decided to go all out and just make full on muffins.

Since I'm always a bit apprehensive to change a baking recipe, I followed this one almost perfectly. I felt confident in my idea this time though, since all it involved was adding some flax. Ever since I bought a big bag of flax seed a while back, I try to add it to as many recipes as possible. I also upped the ratio of raspberries to blueberries since I had a small selection of decent blueberries to work with.

"Little Miss Muffin Tops"
(Courtesy of the food network.)
Ingredients:

Dry ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground flax seed

Wet ingredients
1 cup low-fat vanilla flavoured yogurt
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 x egg
Grated zest of one large lemon
2 Tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
2/3 cup fresh blueberries
2/3 cup fresh raspberries
12 teaspoons light strawberry cream cheese (Philadelphia brand)

Directions:
Dry ingredients
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 2 muffin-top pans lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Wet ingredients
Whisk together wet ingredients in a medium bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in blueberries and raspberries.
Divide batter evenly among 12 muffin-top cups. Hide 1 tsp cream cheese in the centre of each muffin. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until muffin tops are puffed up and a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. Serve warm.

I am very happy to report that these turned out great. The only thing missing was more of a lemon flavor, which was lacking since I omitted the zest. (As I have no method to zest a lemon.) I'd also like to try these again but with a bit more whole wheat flour and less regular flour. I found myself wanting them to taste more grainy, and I think more whole wheat could fix that.

Peas and Carrots

2007-09-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was making dinner, I was faced with the usual problem that always greets me when I open the fridge. A lack of vegetables. As a vegetarian who is trying to eat healthy, a lack of vegetables can be very disheartening. Usually when this happens I give in to a box of macaroni or other pasta, and declare defeat. But last night I was determined, so I took the only two veggies I had in my fridge. Sugar snap peas and baby carrots. And while the idea of peas and carrots may seem boring and bland to some, I assure you the flavor is anything but.
In fact, I loved it so much that when I got home from work today I decided to make it again, with a few modifications. I used butter to make it the first night, but I went for some good ol' E.V.O.O. this time around. I liked it a lot better using the oil, since using butter made it taste too...buttery. (I wonder why?) And I'm not the biggest fan of butter.

The recipe is based off of one found in "The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook".

Spiced Up Peas and Carrots

What you will need:
4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil, or butter
3 tbsp Lime Juice
1 clove Garlic
1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes
1/2 tsp Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Baby Carrots
1/2 cup Snap Peas
salt and pepper to taste

Please note that the ingredients are all a rough measure of what actually goes in there. I tend not to measure things when cooking (why create more dishes?), so use your judgement if something looks off.

First heat up your butter or oil in a pan on medium heat. Add the garlic, and let simmer for a bit. Then add the lime juice, and the brown sugar. Let sit until all the sugar is dissolved. Once it forms a kind of sauce, add the snap peas and baby carrots.* Let this all simmer together for a few minutes, until the veggies are slightly cooked, but still have a good crunch. Then toss them with the red chili flakes. The chili flakes sure add spice, so only add them if you like heat.

-The recipe also called for lime zest, but seeing as I wasn't using a fresh lime I had none to add.
-Don't have a lime or any lime juice? A lemon will work fine.

*For the carrots, you can leave them whole or cut them in half, lengthwise. Doing so will make them cook faster.
If you are lazy like me, you can just leave the carrots as is and add them to the pan first, let them cook a bit, then add the peas after 1-2 min.

Salad!

2007-09-12T14:02:00.000-07:00

Even though I just started this blog, I probably won't be posting very often for a while. While I have been cooking a lot lately, (I recently baked some pumpkin loaf, and i've got homemade cauliflower soup on the menu for tonight.) I won't be posting about these endeavors just yet. For I'm currently without a digital camera, since my current one is broken beyond repair. I'm working on getting a new one, but that hasn't happened quite yet. I'm not going to wait any longer to post though. I've got to break in this blog!

So here it goes. I've got a great salad here that was made during the summer. I was quite delighted with this one and decided to take pictures just for the heck of it, which works out great for my lack of camera/new food blog situation.
Forgive the inaccuracy of this recipe, as it was made some time ago. And I can't totally remember what was in this...

Blackberry Spinach Salad

For this I tossed some baby spinach, blackberries, walnuts, and some chopped green onions with a honey mustard vinaigrette. Here's a rough idea of what went in there:

1/4 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/8 cup of white wine vinegar
1 tbsp mustard (It might've been dijon?)
1 tbsp of honey
salt and pepper

And while I own a whisk, and many forks which can be used to emulsify a vinaigrette just fine, I prefer a different method. I stuck all the ingredients in a magic bullet, popped on the flat blade and blended it for a few seconds. It's a highly preferable method when you are as impatient as I am.

So that's that. Enjoy!

willkommen!

2007-09-03T20:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my food blog! This blog (or flog, as I like to call it) was started as a way for me to share one of my greatest passions in life: cooking. I've been a vegetarian for about 4 years, and until recently never gave cooking much of an effort. On the occasion i'd try something fancy, but I never really got too crazy about it. It was always something I thought about doing, but never acted on. Over the past year i've cultivated a real interest and just a speck of talent in this area, and I hope to share my enthusiasm and (little) knowledge with others. I'm addicted to the food network, and get most of my inspiration from my favorite shows. (Everyday Italian being #1.)
I hope you all enjoy this flog! (As much as I hope that someone might actually read this...)