Comfort Food Vegan

Not coming back...

2011-08-07T21:12:00.000-04:00

This blog is no more. I'm still cooking, just not taking pictures of it.

Sweet Potato Date Muffins

2011-01-16T13:41:00.001-05:00

Sorry I haven't been posting! My husband and I bought a house in the summer and we moved in in December. So between moving/house stuff and holiday time I've been distracted from blogging.

Luckily I got three new cookbooks for xmas! I got fellow Canadian Jae Steele's new one, Ripe from Around Here, Jennifer McCann's Vegan Lunchbox Around the World and Veggie Burgers Every Which Way by Lukas Volger. Most of the burgers have egg- has anyone veganized any of the eggy ones?

Anyway, today I made the sweet potato-date muffins from Ripe from Around Here, and they are absolutely perfect! I don't feel comfortable posting the recipe, so you should go buy this book!

Book review: Eating Animals

2010-07-14T15:47:00.004-04:00

I was sent a review copy of this book about 6 months ago, but I only got around to reading it now. By 'now' I mean that I read it yesterday, in one day (I have time off work). It was a great read. I had read in reviews that he is a little wish-y wash-y about vegetarianism in the book, but I found it kind of refreshing, as opposed to annoying. The book is conversational, as opposed to preachy. He repeats over and over that he is a vegetarian, and that it was the right choice for him, while also giving space in the book for some animal farmers to have a say. I think it will reach a much bigger audience with its "I looked into it, and now I am vegetarian because I found.. " attitude than books that say "you should be vegetarian because..". I think it would be a good read for long-term vegetarians and vegans because it's always good to be reminded of why we are veg, and a good book for people curious about vegetarianism because it's written in an approachable way. The topic is extremely timely, too, because it's very Pollan-esque - it's about environment, real food, local eating, and popular stuff like that. Safran Foer even mentions Pollan a couple of times, to agree with him and to disagree with him.

Asparagus two ways

2010-05-23T18:13:00.002-04:00

It's asparagus season in Ontario! So exciting! I pretty much eat it every single day for a month, or until the growing season ends. I mostly eat it roasted, but I do like it steamed as well, on pizza (forgot to take a picture) or in a soup. Here's a pic of roasted asparagus with 'Spicy Thai Mung Bean Burgers' from this recipe: http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2010/02/spicy-thai-mung-bean-burgers.html. It's a pretty good recipe. Sort of mushy burgers, but tasty. I think I overcooked my mung beans, anyway- I'd never cooked them before.

And now for a less oily way to make asparagus - soup! I used this recipe: http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Cream-of-Asparagus-Soup-vegan-18803, but I added about a cup of white kidney beans for protein, iron and creaminess. And a potato. It was made even more fabulous by grated smoked cheddar flavoured vegan cheese.

Pesto and Grilled Tofu Sandwhich

2010-05-02T21:38:00.001-04:00

I received a cast iron grill pan for my birthday, and it is a bitch to clean but I really like it! I marinated the tofu in a mixture of half tamari and half balsamic vinegar and grilled it. I added some store-bought vegan pesto, sliced avocado, and broccoli sprouts. Yum!!

Oyster Mushroom and Yves Pepperoni pizza

2010-03-16T17:59:00.000-04:00

I made another batch of no-knead bread to use as a crust of this pizza. It's the Peasant bread recipe from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I topped this pizza with tomato sauce, FYH vegan cheese, ton of oyster mushrooms and some Yves pepperoni. I hate that it isn't organic soy but damn are those little pepperonis good!

Ruben Sandwhich

2010-03-14T13:21:00.002-04:00

I made this fab tempeh ruben with my homemade rye bread. I've never had a real ruben so I have nothing to compare this to, but it was delish. I got the recipe from somewhere in vegan-blogland. The tempeh is pan-fried with some tamari, and the sauce is Veganaise, chopped pickle and a touch of ketchup. I really am going to make my own sauerkraut soon - it seems so easy!

Rye Bread!

2010-03-11T20:35:00.001-05:00

I made bread! And it was a success! And it was easy! I was intimidated - but I should have done this long ago. I just needed the book Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François to ease me in to bread-making. It doesn't actually take 5 minutes, but it's no-knead, which is good because I have barely any counter space in my kitchen and it's so much less messy to just stir everything in a bowl. You should check out this book from your local library, or just google around for no-knead bread recipes, if you're interested.

Carrot-Cranberry-Walnut Salad with Creamy Walnut Vinaigrette

2010-02-07T14:00:00.001-05:00

This is the Carrot-Cranberry-Walnut Salad with Creamy Walnut Vinaigrette from Vegan Soul Kitchen. It includes toasted walnut oil, which is a new favourite flavouring of mine. This is for my lunch tomorrow, but I tried a few bites of it and it tastes awesome - sort of sweet and sour with a nice mix of textures.

Beanball Sub and product review

2010-01-07T18:47:00.002-05:00

This delicious meal was the beanball sub recipe from Veganomicon on fresh ciabatta bread. If you look in the corner of the photo you can see that this meal also included a romaine lettuce salad. I do eat salad sometimes!

Also, here is my product review of Kenzoil, a yummy basil-based flavoured oil that was sent to me to try: it's fab. I ate it on pasta.. it was like instant pesto.. but more lemon-y. I think one of the secret ingredients is lemon.

Ps- I got The Conscious Cook, Vegan Soul Kitchen, and Vegan Yum Yum for xmas prezzies! What should I make?? I want to make everything from VYY, but the other two are more out of my comfort zone so I need suggestions.

Tempeh with White-Wine Mustard Sauce and Lundberg Rice Blend

2010-01-03T00:16:00.003-05:00

This was our new year's eve dinner. I cooked the rice in vegetable broth, the tempeh was pan-fried in white wine and olive oil, and the sauce is a simple but amazing mix of olive oil, an onion, local lemon-dill mustard, white wine and veggie broth. Happy new year!

Mexican Millet with Oven-Baked Lemon-Pepper Tofu

2009-12-10T10:02:00.002-05:00

Another Veganomicon recipe - the book was feeling neglected. I LOVED this recipe and I can't wait to make it again. Millet is a yummy (and cheap!) grain, and this is slightly spicy, slightly tomato-y mushy goodness. The tofu was marinated in lemon juice and black pepper and then baked at 350 for 30 minutes.

Sloppy Joes

2009-12-05T13:25:00.002-05:00

Last night was sloppy joe night. Strangely, there is a lack of sloppy joe nights in the vegan comfort food household, considering how perfectly comfort-food-y this meal is! These are made with brown lentils, and the recipe is the "Snobby Joes" recipe from Veganomicon.

Slow-cooked Beets and Seitan with Red Wine Sauce

2009-11-14T22:29:00.006-05:00

It's a rainy Saturday so I felt like making something fancy, by which I mean something with red wine. The beets are the Three-Orange Beets from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, a very favourite cookbook of mine, and they are cooked in orange juice with a touch of marmalade.

The seitan is a basic recipe, simmered and sliced, and the sauce is the Red Wine Roux from Veganomicon. I can't believe I had never made this sauce, it is delicious!!

Recipe roundup!

2009-11-05T18:11:00.006-05:00

This week I made this carrot gnocchi recipe from Vegan for the People: http://veganforthepeople.blogspot.com/2009/10/carrot-gnocchi-with-basil-pesto.html
It was really good and I will definitely make it again. I made some kind of creamy cashew sauce to go with them, not pesto, but I can't remember what was in it..

I also made this super simple but AMAZING split pea soup from 101 Cookbooks: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/vegetarian-split-pea-soup-recipe.html
I prefer yellow split peas to green but I had some green, so I used half green and half yellow. I make split-pea soup about once a week when the weather gets cold, and I usually add carrot and potato and other things, but I like the simplicity of this recipe.

I made raw pasta sauce last night based on this recipe from Ani Phyo:
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/zucchini-ribbons-with-raw-tomato-marinara
I liked it. It would have been better if I had added the basil but I didn't have any.

I plan to make this roasted sweet potato dish:
http://www.sassyradish.com/2009/10/roasted-sweet-potato-salad-with-black-beans-chili-dressing/

and I can't believe I haven't made this yet: http://www.recipezaar.com/Creamy-Chickpea-and-Tahini-Casserole-56818

Any comments on these recipes? Which online recipes have you tried lately and which ones are on your to-make list?

Vitamin Wheel

2009-11-05T17:01:00.000-05:00

I just thought this was cool...

Vitamin Wheelgreat free widgetsWidgetboxMore info

Raw Chocolate Caramel Cake

2009-11-03T18:19:00.006-05:00

This is my new favourite dessert recipe- and it is from the cookbook Raw for Dessert by Jennifer Cornbleet. It is the chocolate lava cake recipe but the caramel variation, and without a top - I used the extra chocolate "cake" to make more little cakes instead. Yum yum yum.

Soy-free Chocolate Mousse

2009-10-18T20:02:00.003-04:00

There seems to be a version of this pudding on every raw vegan food blog- and for good reason! It is super easy and super delicious. I'm glad for an alternative to tofu-based mouse. This one has a much better aftertaste.

My version:

2 organic avocados
5 honey dates, soaked in water at least 3h
1/2 cup Fair Trade cocoa powder (no, I didn't use raw cocoa like the raw-foodies usually do)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Blend!
Use some of the date-soaking water until you have the desired consistency.

Raw Tortilla Soup with Cheesy Hemp Nacho Sauce

2009-10-12T22:33:00.005-04:00

I'm excited for my lunch for tomorrow! It is:
Raw Tortilla Soup (minus the cilantro):
http://www.choosingraw.com/raw-tortilla-soup/
Cheezy Hemp Nacho Sauce:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkYb1KrOD3s
and organic corn chips.

Pesto Scrambled Tofu with Cherry Tomatoes

2009-09-22T21:40:00.009-04:00

I am the new proud owner of Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and this is the first recipe I've made from it. It's as delicious as you would assume. Which is very delicious.
(All photos on this blog can be clicked for a bigger view).

Easy Black-Bean Stir-Fry

2009-08-31T12:14:00.005-04:00

This was a super quick and simple dinner. The noodles are these cool 100% millet noodles that I found in a Chinese grocery store. They were great, and they are slightly yellow in colour so they kind of look like egg noodles.

The stir-fry is Soy Curls, carrot, celery, ginger, and black bean-garlic sauce from a jar.

Green Salad with Pesto-baked Tofu

2009-08-28T18:34:00.006-04:00

Mixed baby greens, grated raw beet, grated carrot, tomato and slices of tofu baked with pesto.
I'm not sure what the dressing was.. probably olive oil, white wine vinegar, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.

Lemon Macadamia Wedding Cake

2009-08-04T16:28:00.012-04:00

I got married on the 1st- and this was my wedding cake! It is the lemon cake recipe from [here], including the lemon curd center, but we used an icing that we invented made with icing sugar, macadamia nut butter, coconut cream, and shortening. My friend Courtney made it for us- and it was amazing! The roses matched my bouquet.

Lemon Biscotti

2009-07-25T22:04:00.002-04:00

These biscotti are for my wedding favours. We're making 3 flavours of biscotti, and this is first one. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly!

Here is the recipe, copied from this link: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue2/vj2005issue2biscotti.htm

Lemon Biscotti

3 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
Flax seed egg replacer for 3 eggs
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 Tablespoons Malibu rum
1/2 Tablespoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking power, baking soda, and lemon zest. Blend well.

With a hand blender, mix lemon juice, oil, egg replacer, agave nectar, rum, and vanilla. Blend until smooth and creamy. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the liquid ingredients in. Mix until a stiff dough forms. Try not to overmix the dough.

Form into two logs. Lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet and flatten the logs’ tops. Bake for 30 minutes. Logs should give a little, like a cake, when they are done. Remove from oven and let cool for at least half an hour.

Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees. Cut the logs in slices on the slant, about 1/2-inch thick or more if you like thicker biscotti. Lay biscotti flat on a pizza screen or baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes. If you use a baking sheet, turn the biscotti halfway through baking. Biscotti should be crisp and lightly browned.

Herbed Tofu Baguette Sandwich

2009-06-01T23:26:00.005-04:00

A yummy lunch after grocery shopping. Organic baguette with baby spinach, bulgarian roasted red pepper spread, and tofu marinated and fried in olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, italian spices and dijon mustard.

Also, this recipe isn't pretty enough to take a picture of , but it's a favourite of mine (without the cheese, of course): http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=9108

Chickpea Cutlets for lunch

2009-05-10T15:48:00.005-04:00

I've probably posted these cutlets before, but it's a good recipe.. go make it if you have Veganomicon! They are made with both chickpeas and gluten flour, so they are packed with protein... and deliciousness!

Spinach-Chickpea-Sundried Tomato Quinoa Bake

2009-04-07T20:24:00.004-04:00

Sorry, the pic sucks, it was too dark and I had to photo-shop it- I promise this meal tastes better than it looks!

I actually wrote it down the ingredents for once:
2 cups raw quinoa
approx. 3 tbs chopped sundried tomatoes in oil
1 tbs oil from the sundried tomatoes (or other oil)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 1/2 cups veg broth
1 package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
1 19oz can chickpeas
a pinch of garlic powder
a pinch of salt

Stir together and cook in a big baking dish, covered, for 45 mins or until it looks good.
I saw a non-vegan recipe like this with egg- I wonder what I could use to make this stick together..

Spinach Salad

2009-04-07T20:19:00.004-04:00

Sometimes salads are awesome. Here is one made from organic baby spinach, raw sunflower seeds, cubes of baked tofu, english cukes, and a vinegrette made from white wine vinegar, toasted walnut oil (my new favourite thing in the whole world), and maple mustard. Woo!

Purely Decadent Coconut Milk Ice Cream

2009-04-04T11:53:00.006-04:00

I found the Purely Decadent coconut milk ice cream here (at Rainbow Foods)! It is the BEST vegan ice cream I have ever tasted - including the stuff I've made myself in my ice-cream maker! We had the cookie dough kind and it was fabulous. I love that it is made with agave nectar instead of sugar! (Agave has a low glycemic index so it doesn't affect your blood sugar like refined sugar does.)

Potato Soup with Tofu Bacon and Chives

2009-03-11T11:37:00.004-04:00

I must say, I'm quite proud of this soup. It's cheap, easy and totally delicious. The soup is just diced onion softened in olive oil, about 6 chopped potatoes and vegetable broth (from cubes). I used to hand-held blender to blend it up after the potatoes were soft.
The bacon tofu: chopped tofu, tamari, a few drops liquid hickory smoke, garlic powder, fried in a bit of olive oil. It's topped with chives and a bit of soy cheese, and tah-dah! Baked-potato type soup!

Italian Sausage with Tomato Sauce, Spinach, and Mini Potatoes

2009-03-04T20:30:00.002-05:00

This was an amazing meal. Turtle Island Italian sausage isn't cheap, or low-fat, but damn are they good. It was too much food.. but we ate it anyway.

Vegan Wedding!

2009-02-27T14:38:00.002-05:00

He said yes!

Barbecued Tofu with Bows and Kale

2009-02-22T12:28:00.007-05:00

I got up to get some juice and Elsie takes my place! No tofu for kitties! This is my first time using the Real Food Daily cookbook that I got for xmas. It was a success. The tofu is first marinaded and then you fry it and top it with homemade bbq sauce. Homemade bbq sauce is sort of time intensive (depending on the recipe) but is totally worth it. I changed the sauce recipe around a bit and I put more tomato than it called for, so it was more a sweet tomato sauce than a sticky, thick bbq sauce, so it worked well on the noodles.

Almond Apricot Glaze Cupcakes

2009-02-16T18:04:00.007-05:00

I'm not sure why it took so long, but I've finally got a copy of Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. These were perfect! I also made Tirimisu cupcakes and Earl Grey cupcakes. I snuck some whole wheat into the Earl Grey ones and they were perfect. Next I'm making the agave nectar vanilla ones.

Pesto Tomato Pizza

2009-02-07T13:12:00.006-05:00

Pizza again. Pizza is such a perfect food! Maybe I should write a vegan pizza cookbook. Hmm.
This one is herbed white flour crust, with a homemade pesto of basil, garlic, vegan parmesan, pistachio nuts and olive oil. That's topped with fresh tomato. That's it!

Spinach Burgers and Fries with Gravy

2009-01-10T13:09:00.008-05:00

The burgers are a great recipe from V Cuisine by Angeline Linardis. This is a Canadian book, so that's probably why I hadn't heard of it. It's a great book! The Lightened-Up Moussaka is possibly one of my favourite meals ever, and we're already made Bold Broiled Eggplant twice since xmas (when I got the book). The gravy is my favourite creamy miso gravy recipe.

Whole Wheat Vegan Cheesy Pigs!

2009-01-06T15:41:00.005-05:00

My version of Vegan Lunchbox's version of goldfish crackers. I was out of white flour, and most other flours because of xmas baking, so these are a mixture of spelt, whole wheat and oatmeal flour. Oh, and I added some smoked paprika! They are delish but a little too much work to make very often. It's a big recipe and I got a bit bored of cutting out pigs and minipigs.

Spice Advice and Alanis

2009-01-02T17:54:00.005-05:00

Dear vegan cooking geniuses, what do I do with smoked paprika? I begged for some for xmas.. without knowing how to use it.

Also, you should try the "peanut butter chocolate chip cake" in Vegan Express if you haven't yet. It is simple, oil/margarine free, and awesome.

and lastly, Alanis Morissette on her new (super healthy-style) vegan diet:

OK!: How did you come to choose Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s program?

I went to my favorite bookstore, Banyen Books and Sound, in Vancouver. I saw this book, Eat to Live, and I thought, that’s exactly what I want to do. I wasn’t interested in some fad diet that was unsustainable, like “lose 10 pounds in two weeks.” I don’t believe in diets; I think they’re short-term and a bit of an emotional roller-coaster. So I opened it and flipped through and thought the weight loss is incidental. The primary focus is disease prevention.

and:

OK!: Why did you want to find a new eating plan?

"Longevity. I realized I want to live till I’m 120. There’s a lifestyle that I am how happily creating that can, as best as is possible, prevent most forms of cancer and other diseases."

Grapefruit-Noodle Salad wih Spicy Peanut Sauce

2009-01-01T21:05:00.004-05:00

It doesn't look much like the classy photo of "Grapefruit-Soba Noodle Salad in Spicy Peanut Sauce" in this month's Vegetarian Times magazine, but it still tasted amazing! My edits: whole wheat fettucine instead of soba, no radishes and no cilantro.

Solstice Dinner Party

2008-12-23T09:33:00.005-05:00

Here is the spread from my winter solstice dinner party the other day. It was a potluck. I made the cabbage rolls, and slow-cooker cranberry-walnut stuffing, and my friends brought: roasted veggies, mashed sweet potato, a salad with orange-ginger dressing, chili, and a spagetti squash stuffed with purple potatoes and other vegetables! Oh, and lots of dessert, which I forgot to take a photo of..

and from the other side..

Sweet and Sour Neatmalls on Mashed Potatoes

2008-12-14T13:00:00.004-05:00

Comfort food out of my comfort zone! I'd never tried this recipe, or anything similar. I'm so glad I did try it!
This is an edited version (as usual) of the "Sweet and Sour 'Neat' Balls" in The Everyday Vegan. I didn't use roasted garlic or carrot, and I added a handfull of hulled hemp seeds. I also used a bottled sauce.

"Peanut Butter in my Chocolate" Cookies

2008-12-11T20:26:00.006-05:00

This is kind of a crappy photo, but this is a GREAT recipe from Eat Drink and be Vegan by Dreena Burton!

Squash Pita Pizza

2008-11-30T22:03:00.007-05:00

Mmm.. pre-baked acorn squash, black beans, salsa, soy cheese and black olives. SO GOOD.

Homemade Perogies!

2008-11-30T21:02:00.003-05:00

I finally made perogies by hand. It was easy! We filled them with a mix of potato, grated cheddar soy cheese, and fried leeks. Yay!

Circles cut with the mouth of a container..

Super Quick and Healthy Butternut Squash Soup

2008-11-15T11:34:00.004-05:00

I got a small can of organic butternut squash puree on sale at the natural food store the other day, and I wasn't sure what to do with it, but then I came up with this awesome soup! It could easily be made with canned pumpkin, too.

First, I fried up a chopped onion with some olive oil in the bottom of a medium sized pan, and then I added about 2 tsp of my favourite curry powder and stirred it around, and then I added the can of squash plus enough rice milk to make it the right consistency. I will definitely be doing this again!

Slow-Cooker Chili with Cornbread

2008-11-02T12:52:00.003-05:00

Saturday was chili night! The chili was based on the 'Sweet Potato Chili with Chipotle' (or something like that) from Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker (I added black beans and tvp crumbles), the cornbread is 'Skillet Corn Bread' from Veganomicon, and the sour cream is Tofutii brand. It was as good as it looked!!

Vegan Cheese Reviews

2008-11-01T18:04:00.007-04:00

Homemade nut and/or nutritional yeast cheese is great, but fake cheese rules too. I've tried quite a few brands and flavours, and here is my verdict for the best ones.

The best for eating melted:

I have found that the Montery Jack flavour from Follow Your Heart is the absolute best vegan cheese on pizza. It melts quite soft, so you have to cook it until it bubbles and browns a bit (always good) or it can be too runny, but even then it tastes great. The mozarella flavour is good, but it just tastes sort of butter-y.. the jack has a bit more kick.

The best for eating cold, unmelted:

Sheese is very expensive but pretty damn good. It is the only vegan cheese I've ever had that tastes really good in a cold sandwhich. It is very firm and has a great texture. I doesn't melt very well, though. It doesn't spread out like FYH does. My favourite is the Smoked Cheddar flavour, but I'm sure they are all great.

Best parmesan substitute:

I'm a big fan of the Galaxy Foods brand parmesan.. as far as I know no one else makes a parmesan substitute.. but that's ok, because this stuff rules.

Best cheese slices:

Tofutti slices are the greasiest cheese I've tried, so I don't eat them often, but they are pretty yummy. Try them torn into pieces and melted on pizza. The flavour is quite butter-y, but sometimes that's what you're going for.

Pumpkin Cinnamon rolls, again!

2008-10-19T23:28:00.005-04:00

It's that time of year again! Time for this recipe!
My sister and I made them last weekend as a Thanksgiving weekend activity. Baking with yeast takes sooo long.. but it is worth it!

Mexican-inspired Baked Pasta

2008-10-09T17:53:00.006-04:00

Ingredients: cooked whole wheat rotini, salsa, red beans, frozen corn, and some orange cheez sauce (tofu, roasted red pepper, nutritional yeast, tahini, garlic powder, salt), bread crumbs. I mixed everything up and baked at 400 for 20 minutes- just to crisp up the top a bit.

Me news and Elsie pics

2008-09-09T12:19:00.005-04:00

I started my last semester of my English degree last week! My classes are all pretty cool. Highlights include a seminar on the wackiness of Columbus (not the actual title..) and a film class.

Also, I just got back from a great weekend in Toronto! The boyfriend and I went to the Vegetarian Food Fair and the Royal Ontario Museum, and we ate at Fresh (of course) and I had my first visit to Fressen! It was nice.. and the food was swanky.. but it didn't amaze me.

...and now, some photos of my kitty sleeping in cute ways!

Balsamic Collards and Portabello Mushrooms on Cheezy Pasta Spirals

2008-09-09T12:06:00.004-04:00

The pasta sauce is a white-bean cheez sauce from the Uncheese Cookbook. It's pretty much white beans, nutritional yeast, soy milk.. salt, spices, whatever. Creamy goodness.

On top is sliced portabello mushrooms and collard greens cooked with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I don't like collard greens as much as chard because collards are more bitter, but they are in season right now and are perfectly yummy!

Banana-Date-Peanut Butter Ice Cream

2008-09-09T11:42:00.004-04:00

This ice cream is naturally sweet! No sugar added.

Ingredients, blended:
1 can light coconut milk
3 ripe bananas
6 pitted dates
2 tbs peanut butter

+ chocolate chips

Cauliflower-Leek Pie with Chickpea Crust

2008-08-24T19:16:00.011-04:00

I used the pie crust from the 'Curried Vegetable Pie with Chickpea Crust' recipe from The Garden of Vegan: (1/2 cup mashed chickpeas, 1 1/2 cup chickpea flour, 1/3 cup margarine).

Ingredients for the filling, food processed:
2 chopped leeks and two minced garlic cloves sautéd in olive oil
1 blanched cauliflower
a few tbs of vegan parmesan
1/2 cup soft tofu
black pepper
sea salt

topped with:
tamari-roasted pepitas and more vegan parmesan

PS- You have to hear this CBC session that Steven Page did with an orchestra! His cover of 'Paranoid Android' is amazing.

Chocolate Cream Pie

2008-08-24T17:23:00.005-04:00

Mmm. This is 'Peanut Butter Fudge Pie' from the Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook - but I used almond butter instead of peanut butter because that's what I had.
I used a store-bought graham cracker crust, I admit it.

Mustard-pomegranate Tempeh, Frozen Soygurt

2008-08-01T23:26:00.009-04:00

The secret ingredient today was pomegranate molasses, which is concentrated pom juice. It is found at middle eastern stores (if you're lucky!). It isn't sweetened like granadine (originally made from pom) but unsweetened and sour/tangy.

I marinated the block of defrosted tempeh (a soy product) and then marinated it for a half hour in a sauce consisting of minced fresh garlic, and 2 tbs dijon mustard, about 1 tbs pomegranate molasses, about 1 tbs water and touch of olive oil.
I browned the tempeh with a bit more olive oil, and then added oyster mushrooms and a chopped fresh tomato. When the mushrooms wilted I added some sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper. It was a bit dry so I added some more of the mustard-pom-water mixture.
It was very very good!!!

For dessert was frozen soygurt! The soygurt I used was strawberry flavour- and I added a bit of chocolate almond milk to thin it out, some pomegranate molasses, chocolate syrup and chocolate chips. Tangy-licious! Better than Pomegranate Chip from Purely Decadent. I can't believe I never thought to use soy yog as a base before... thanks Veg News!

also: this blog passed its one-year anniversary without my noticing! Almost 100 posts! Wow!

Two pizzas! both incredible!

2008-07-20T11:16:00.010-04:00

Pizza 1: homemade spelt crust, a softer version of Crock Cheez (sharp cheddar style spread) from The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook, walnuts, the Seared Portabello Mushrooms and Simple Swiss Chard recipes from Eat, Drink and be Vegan.

Pizza 2: homemade white flour crust (I was feeling wild and crazy), sliced tomatoes, sliced roasted red pepper from a jar, sliced black olives, Soy Curls (re-hydrated in a bacon-style marinade: water, tamari, liquid hickory smoke), Follow Your Heart soycheese.

PS- Me and my guy are all ready for the Vegetarian Food Fair in Toronto on the first weekend in Sept! We're all booked for transportation and lodging. Anyone else going?

Soy Curls!

2008-07-05T14:23:00.005-04:00

First Soy Curls meal: warm chikn sandwich! I used the gravy recipe in The Everyday Vegan by Dreena Burton, but I used tamari instead of vinegar (why is there vinegar in gravy?). SO GOOD.

First Soy Curls meal: gyros! I used the gyros (Greek meat-on-a-pita) recipe in Vegan Express. Also good!

Verdict: they are pretty much the same as TVP chunks, but in a more fun shape.. I won't be ordering them again but I'd buy them all the time if it was sold in stores here.

Orange Seitan

2008-06-29T21:00:00.008-04:00

I've been making a batch of homemade seitan every week lately. Yum!! Its a nice change from tofu. For this dinner I sliced it thin and fried it a bit in a pan with a bit of oil, and then I poured the orange glaze sauce from Eat Drink and Be Vegan over it until it ..glazed. So good. Here's a similar recipe for the sauce if you don't have that (awesome) cookbook: on vegweb.

In other food news, a big package of Soy Curls arrived at my house today! I can't wait to try them. I bought them from a great vegan store based in Quebec City called VivaGranola.

Philly Cheese Steak Poutine

2008-06-22T13:27:00.009-04:00

This one is so fabulous that it gets two pictures..

Topped with Follow Your Heart brand vegan cheese!

Before being topped with (more) cheese.

First I fried strips of onion and red pepper in a bit of olive oil, and then I added strips of homemade seitan.
I seasoned the whole thing with a sauce of tamari, soy sauce, vegan worchestire sauce and chili powder. The I added a couple of tablespoons of corn starch dissolved in water to make it more gravy-like. I added a bunch of grated "cheese" in the pan at this point as well.

The seasoning was a bit too salty, but the meal was still INCREDIBLE.

Vegan Homemade Ice Cream

2008-06-21T21:50:00.001-04:00

Gourmet mango ice cream!

I didn't use a recipe for this ice cream, but I really tried to remember what I did so that I could post it.
I put the following in a blender (I think):
1/2 cup raw cashews
1/3 block silken tofu
2-ish cups vanilla rice (or soy) milk
1 can mangoes with some of the syrup (fresh is better, of course)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2-ish cup agave nectar (makes for no sugar gritties)

and then I put in the ice cream maker. I don't usually use cashews, but they really make it rich and gourmet-tasting. It was as good as gelato!

The raspberries were on sale, so this dessert was extra-awesome.

Cold Peanut Sauce, Cucumber and Rice Noodles

2008-06-21T21:39:00.004-04:00

An easy Saturday lunch. I actually found brown-rice rice noodles! So cool. The sauce is just peanut butter, soy sauce (or tamari), mirin, sesame oil and garlic powder stirred up in a cup. Easy! Also, it wasn't actually cold, just room-temperature.

Also, how great is the Compassionate Cooks podcast? So great.

Fried Seitan and Roasted Asparagus

2008-06-21T21:36:00.003-04:00

This is just homemade seitan breaded with whole wheat flour, salt, pepper, and cajun seasoning and fried in olive oil. So damn good. Also, I've been eating roasted (local) asparagus pretty much every night for the last too weeks. It will be gone soon!

De Puy Lentil Crepes and Butternut Squash Crepes with Cashew Cream

2008-06-01T21:36:00.007-04:00

Crepes for dinner!
The crepe recipe is from Veganomicon.
The filling: 1- de puy lentils with dashes of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. 2- cubed butternut squash (from frozen) with herbs and a touch of olive oil.
They are topped with cashew sour cream.

Bonus photo:
My vegetarian cookbook collection (started 10 years ago and going strong..)

Nachos!

2008-05-31T16:07:00.004-04:00

Today's version of nachos consists of:
sautéed onion, red pepper, corn and jalepeno pepper
salsa
"re-fried" romano beans
cashew sour cream (raw cashews, water, salt, lemon juice - very rich)
olives

Asparagus with Alfredo Sauce and Noodles

2008-05-31T16:00:00.003-04:00

Steamed asparagus with a soft-tofu based white sauce on noodles. Topped with freshly ground black pepper. Delish!!

Homemade Veggie Burger and Asian Asparagus

2008-05-24T12:55:00.004-04:00

Homemade veggie burger from the ReFresh cookbook (Fresh is a great veg restaurant in Toronto) and steamed Ontario asparagus with a touch of sesame oil and sesame seeds.

Indonesian Food

2008-05-11T20:29:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately! School got in the way.
Here is a picture from an Indonesian-themed potluck that I had. There is tofu satay with peanut sauce from Vegan Express, veggie fried rice, sour+spicy cucumber salad, and a sweet potato/tofu/etc/ noodle dish. Yum yum!

BBQ Tofu on Baby Spinach and Quinoa

2008-04-15T14:12:00.007-04:00

My bf threatened to order-in, but I promised I could whip up something fast and delicious within a half hour- and I did!
I lightly fried the tofu on both sides and then I poured a home-made bbq sauce (super easy to do!) on top, and that did its thing while the quinoa steamed. I put the hot tofu on top of the spinach so that the spinach lightly wilted. Yum yum!

Vegan Tuna/Egg Salad

2008-04-13T15:30:00.007-04:00

Vegan tofu salad! Actually mine turned out more egg-salad-ish because it was very saucy. This is the recipe I used, so if you want your less saucy .. make less sauce.

1 can chickpeas
1/3 package silken tofu
2 pickles, sliced
1 tbs whole grain mustard
juice of half a lemon (or more)
some green onions, including while bit
salt + pepper

Mush chickpeas in a food processor until they are mashed up. Remove the chickpeas from the processor and put them in a big bowl. Then put tofu, pickles, mustard, tofu and lemon in the food processor and process. Add to chickpeas. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Quinoa, Golden Fried Tofu, Spinach and Almond-Miso Sauce

2008-04-08T20:03:00.004-04:00

So much protein.. so much calcium.. so much iron.. so much fat.. SO GOOD.

Mu Shu Tempeh

2008-04-05T22:28:00.008-04:00

My boyfriend cooked tonight! He chose a recipe I wouldn't have- which is good, beause I get into food ruts. I've never had "mu shu" before, vegan or otherwise, but it was really good! The wrap is just flour and water, and the insides are tempeh, green onion, ginger, mushroom, bamboo shoots, and some other stuff. Recipe from 1001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes.

Paella Vegetariana

2008-04-03T22:26:00.003-04:00

A great recipe from a fabulous new cookbook called Vegan Express. This wasn't that "express" because I used brown rice, but I wasn't in a hurry.

Falafel

2008-04-02T23:25:00.002-04:00

These are homemade falafel patties. I just mashed up some chickpeas and added some ground flaxseeds+water for stickiness, some breadcrumbs, lots of cumin and dried parsley. Then I fried them up in my cast-iron pan with some oil. We didn't have any pita or fresh lettuce or fresh tomato to go with it.. but it was still tasty.
Served with tahini sauce (tahini, lemon juice, dried parsley, water,..). Yum!!

...and here is my cat having a stare-off with a squirrel on my second-floor window sill:

5 things

2008-03-29T10:36:00.005-04:00

I've been tagged to tell 5 things about myself. Let me see..

1. I've seen almost all of of the movies directed by Alfred Hitchcock (20+).

2. I'm in my fourth year of an English degree in University. I'm writing a Medieval literature essay today.

3. A gross skit with a cow head by Tom Green (the comedian, from my city) turned me vegetarian when I was in 9th grade.

4. I have no plan to ever have children.

5. I hope Obama wins. Clinton isn't bad, but I like Obama better.

I tag the owners of: veganteencuisine, vegan eating for one, dabbles with apples.

Vegan Cookie Ice Cream

2008-03-25T21:51:00.006-04:00

For this ice cream I used the recipe in Veganomicon as an outline (I used agave nectar instead of sugar, and I probably changed other stuff too.. I never follow recipes!). I added crumbled organic sandwich cookies. It was pretty good, but it would have been better if the cookies were better quality. Note to Canadians: I haven't had much luck with the new organic line from Shoppers Drug Mart. Even the dark chocolate bars aren't that great!

Cajun Sausage Pasta and Spinach Pasta

2008-03-25T21:38:00.009-04:00

This pasta was amazing! First, I made the steamed sausages from The Everyday Dish, except that I changed all the spices. I used a salty Cajun spice mix, paprika, cayenne.. stuff like that. They turned out AWESOME. I put them in a simple sauce made with onion, garlic, canned chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, Cajun spice, etc.

This is the Popeye pasta from Eat, Drink and be Vegan. It's just a basic tomato sauce with spinach. It isn't that exciting, but it is tasty and good for you!

Ice Cream Maker

2008-03-16T22:23:00.002-04:00

I got an ice cream/sorbet maker for my birthday! Huzzah!

Whole-Wheat Bows with Squash

2008-03-14T22:59:00.004-04:00

A lazy and simple meal, as usual these days. Pasta, cubed butternut squash from frozen, onion, olive oil, dried parsley, salt and pepper. I should have thrown in some chickpeas or white beans for protein, but I was too lazy. I'm sick :(

"Chicken" Ceasar Salad

2008-03-02T16:22:00.003-05:00

A delicious vegan fake-chicken ceasar salad for lunch! Consists of: salad mix, dressing from the Uncheese Cookbook, 'It's All Good' brand fake chicken, vegan parmesan (not homemade), freshly ground pepper.

Stir-fry with Tempeh Steak

2008-02-10T00:08:00.001-05:00

Holy crap, this tasted as good as it looks. I miss it. The ingredients are pretty much what you see, plus a tamari-hot pepper stir-fry sauce. I think the recipe is called "stir-fry with tempeh steaks" and it is from 1001 Low-Fat Vegetarian Recipes. On thai red rice because it is fun.

Peanut-Sesame Hummus Tortillas with Carrot Salad

2008-02-04T19:58:00.001-05:00

A simple dinner, but one of my favourites. Peanut-Sesame Hummus from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan (which is to-die-for) in a tortilla, warmed until hot in the toaster oven. Yum!
The salad is grated carrot, raisins, fresh lemon juice and rice vinegar.

Seitan Baked in Sweet and Sour Orange Sauce, Red Swiss Chard and Quinoa

2008-02-03T23:19:00.002-05:00

The (awesome) seitan recipe is from: FatFree Vegan Kitchen blog. How does that woman not have a cookbook published yet? She is a genius.

We had it with quinoa and lightly wilted swiss chard with just a touch of tamari. A very nutritious and delicious dinner.

Mushroom and Red Pepper Pizza

2008-01-30T22:53:00.001-05:00

Made with: homemade crust, tomato sauce, tofu ricotta, red pepper, mushroom, vegan parmesan stuff.

Blogger fame!

2008-01-23T10:23:00.001-05:00

Congrats to EatnVegn, who got one of her breads posted on the very, very popular boingboing.net blog!
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/01/22/howto-bake-a-gorgeou.html

ps- the comments are mostly stupid, as usual, so feel free to help tip it the other way!

Orange-Sesame Tofu Stir-fry

2008-01-21T23:07:00.001-05:00

I made the orange-sesame tofu recipe from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan and then I cooked it with some frozen "asian blend" vegetables and then I added some toasted sesame seeds and a bit more tamari. I served it on short grain brown rice.

Seitan Piccata with Green Beans

2008-01-13T21:46:00.001-05:00

From Veganomicon. Seitan (wheat gluten "meat"), white wine, capers, shallots, garlic, olives etc. Will definitely make again.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

2008-01-13T11:40:00.000-05:00

I used the recipe from here, but I used spelt flour instead of white wheat. I thought that this switch might make them a little dry, but they are moist and perfect! Must be the pumpkin. I also used raw sugar in the glaze instead of white icing sugar.

Beans Bourguignon + Spinach and Mushroom Pasta

2008-01-10T11:50:00.001-05:00

This one doesn't look that impressive, but it was really delicious. It is Beans Bouguinon from Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker.

A quich lunch: fried sliced mushrooms and wilted baby spinach on pasta with some leftover nacho sauce.

Lazy Cabbage Rolls

2008-01-10T11:45:00.001-05:00

I threw the following into the slow cooker and it did its thing while I was in Canadian Jewish Writers class: chopped cabbage, 1 big can puréed tomatoes, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup vinegar, salt, pepper.

When I got home I threw some tvp chunks and sliced dried mushroom into the pot to re-hydrate, and I made some short grain brown rice.

Just like cabbage rolls.. but so much easier!

Braised Seitan with Red Wine and Mushrooms ..and a sundae

2007-12-30T21:59:00.001-05:00

This recipe was perfect!! It is on page 131 of Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker. Gluten-meat, mushrooms, red wine, slow cooked for hours.. can't go wrong. I will definitely make this again.

And for dessert..

a sundae made of Soy Delicious chocolate ice cream, canned peaches, chocolate sauce, dried cranberries and candied peanuts.

Whole-Wheat Bowties with Oil-free Alfredo

2007-12-28T17:32:00.001-05:00

I had a delicious lunch of pasta with faux alfredo sauce from the McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook. It's a great sauce- creamy and rich tasting. It's basically soft tofu with some tahini, nutritional yeast and garlic. I'd made sauces like this before, but without the tahini. Tahini makes everything better!

This dish is topped with my version of not-parmesan: ground almonds, ground flax seeds, salt.

Nog Ice Cream

2007-12-27T22:52:00.000-05:00

Sugar-free soynog ice cream: frozen banana, soynog. I also made soynog cookies and soynog pancakes. Yum!

I got three new cookbooks for xmas: Veganomicon, Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, and Eat, Drink and Be Vegan. I am really excited about all three!

I made the chickpea cutlets from V-con tonight, but with black-eyed peas. They were great!

Soynog cupcakes

2007-12-19T20:13:00.001-05:00

Salad wraps with peanut sauce

2007-12-15T21:25:00.000-05:00

These were lazily-made rice-paper salad rolls. Instead of marinating the tofu first, I just baked in for a while in some bottled vegetarian oyster sauce. It's just tofu and lettuce. The peanut sauce is the recipe in Vegan Lunchbox. A yummy Saturday lunch. Everything tastes good dipped in peanut sauce!

I also made the ginger sparkle cookies from Vegan with a Vengeance, but it seems like everyone had made them lately, so I didn't bother taking a picture.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2007-12-11T20:08:00.002-05:00

Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies from Vegan With a Vengeance. They were not crispy at all, but really crumbly. Anyone else had trouble with this recipe?

Sundried tomato, mushroom and spinach lasagna

2007-12-09T20:50:00.000-05:00

This lasagna was based on this recipe: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/RE00027

I used frozen spinach instead of the fresh, vegan ricotta (tofu, lemon juice, salt, garlic powder, fresh ground pepper), and no green onions. I also doubled the white sauce.

Djibouti!

2007-12-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

Last night was a "Djibouti" themed dinner party (we're getting through the alphabet). Luckily, their food is practically the same as Ethiopian food, which I love!

We bought the injera bread from an Ethiopian restaurant, and then we made three stews:
an Ethiopian split pea stew from the Vegan Lunchbox cookbook, a mixed vegetable stew similar to the one in the same cookbook, and Djibouti lentils: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-djibouti-lentils

It was all very delicious!

Middle Eastern Lentil and Spinach Soup

2007-11-28T22:20:00.001-05:00

This soup is delicious!! One of my favourites. The lemon juice makes it perfect.
http://www.recipeland.com/recipe/25306/

Hearty Korean Pancakes

2007-11-28T22:17:00.003-05:00

These are on p.359 of Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons. I took out the egg, but the rest is the same. This cookbook is full of butter and eggs and cheese, but some of the recipes are really good.

Roasted Butternut Squash and Tofu with Lime and Ginger sauce

2007-11-28T22:04:00.001-05:00

This was a particularly inspired lunch! I cubed fresh butternut squash and tofu and roasted it in the oven with a bit of olive oil, and then I tossed it with a dressing made of minced fresh ginger, olive oil, agave nectar (how delish is this stuff?!), and lots of fresh lime juice based on this recipe: http://busycooks.about.com/od/saladdressings/r/limegingerdress.htm
It was AWESOME. I love all of the ingredients individually, so all together was heaven. Also, I cooked the rice in veg broth.