Fear not, it is shepherd's pie!

Merry Christmas (or boxing day actually) everyone! 

As I wanted to align my cooking theme with the current holiday, I chose shepherd's pie. Perhaps because it is my favourite part of the Christmas story."Fear not, for I bring you tidings of great joy" I think it is truly amazing that it was the shepherds, the outcasts of society at that time, who were the ones to receive this message and not the high and mighty. Whether or not you celebrate the birth of Jesus, no matter what religion you are (or are not), let's just choose to meditate on his message of love and his most important command: "Love your neighbour as yourself" . It does not matter if our "neighbour"  is black or white, muslim or christian, dog, chicken or cow. If we treated ALL others with love and respect, this earth would be paradise. 'Nuff said, let's eat.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

There are so many ways to make meatless shepherd's pie.  Mine may not be the healthiest; but it is my once in a while comfort food. A great alternative is to use lentils with canned tomatoes and spices instead of the veggie" beef' and "gravy". As I often say, don't be afraid to play with a recipe. This is a made up recipe so there are no measurements-sorry.

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Make mashed potatos as you normally would; you can use soy/rice/almond milk  or veggie stock instead of real milk.  
• Heat the veggie ground beef, and chopped onions and garlic in a lightly oiled pan on medium heat. 
• Mix in corn, peas, or whatever you want to the mixture.
• I then add veggie gravy: mushroom gravy is great or I use St. Hubert's poutine gravy.(I underlined poutine because it is the only one with no animal products, though always read the label as ingredients change).
• Mix together and simmer for a minute or two.
• Pour mixture into oven safe dish and top with mashed potatos.
• Heat in oven for 30 minutes or until potatos are lightly toasted.

Festive special

It isn't very often that I find myself compelled to run for my camera while I am in the middle of cooking; especially when I am running late. I decided right there that I was making this dish again.

It hadn't actually been tasted at that point, but who cares? It's pretty! That kind of decision making has often left me collecting many animals, shoes, clothes, and sometimes even men that I just didn't need.

I was almost finished cooking when I began to panic that the cranberries were way too tart and overpowering. I was already running late so to alter the recipe was not really an option. However,  letting it simmer while I got ready for the evening did help soften the flavour of the cranberries. 

The combination of the spices was surpisingly sophisticated and the tartness of the cranberries added an interesting pop of flavour. By the time the dish was eaten at the potluck(about an hour later), it was really well received by the people who were at my table.  A suggestion was that the cranberries had a chance to marinate.
Next time, I will try pre-cooking the cranberries with a touch of honey or sugar.

Green Beans with Fresh Cranberries

1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut
2 tbsp margarine ( I used olive oil)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp tarragon
pepper to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the beans and cook for 3-4 minutes. Drain the beans in a colander and hold unter running water to stop the cooking process. Blot the beans with a paper towel to remove the excess water.

Put the beans in a dry skillet and heat over medium heat until the remaining moisture on the beans evaporates. Stir in the olive oil, cranberries, garlic, parsley, tarragon and pepper, tossing to coat well.

Cook until heated through.

Keen-WHAT????

Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah) is used as a grain, but is actually a seed . It has been recently described  as a "superfood"  and with good reason. Quinoa is a complete protein with 8 essential amino acids, is gluten free, contains calcium and is an excellent source of iron.

It can be intimidating to try a recipe with a food that you have never heard of, but this salad is so quick and easy to make, I couldn't ruin it if I tried! (No, I have never actually TRIED to ruin a recipe; it is a natural talent. I am truly blessed.)

Mexican Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa               
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 to 1 cup chopped parsley (try adding dried parsley instead when quinoa is still hot if you don't want to buy and chop parsley; and, really, who does?)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 can black beans or kidney beans
2 cups thawed corn
3 tbs olive oil
2 tbs white wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1/2 tsp dried basil
juice of 1 lemon
1tsp sea salt

Rinse quinoa (well) and place in pot with  veg. broth. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover and simmer over low for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Remove lid. fluff with fork and cool completely.

Add chopped parsley, onion, drained beans and corn. Mix thoroughly. Combine oil, vinegar, basil, salt and lemon juice with wisk. Drizzle over quinoa and mix.

You can eat immediately or chill (it is more flavourful is chilled)

This is Nuts!!

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of being invited over for dinner at my friend, Sherry's house, who is also a vegan.  While it is always nice to have someone cook for you, it was a real treat to not have that underlying guilt that your lifestyle choices make you a high-maintenance guest.

I had heard about cashew cream (or cheese)before, but I always assumed it would be a fairly complex process. This recipe, being both simple and delicious, is destined to become one of my favourite vegan comfort foods. 

Sherry served this over gnocchi, but it would also be great over broccoli or served as mac and cheese.

Cashew Cream Sauce
1 ½ cups raw cashews

2 cups water
3 Tbs. nutritional yeast
3/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
2 Tbs. onion powder
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. garlic powder

• Blend cashews and 1.5 cups water in blender until creamy (1 -2 minutes). Check to be surethere are no cashew pieces remaining.
• Add and blend the remaining water and all other ingredients.
• Refrigerate unused portion.

Chocolate chili

Continuing with my Halloween theme of strange combinations, chocolate and chili together is either weird or wonderful, depending on whom you ask.  'Foodies" will agree that this combination is deliciously sophisticated, but upon sharing my love of this recipe, I have experienced reactions of disgust (from someone who won't even try it) to curiousity blended with a touch of hesitance to an enthusiastic eagerness to try a taste.  I have yet to hear a neutral reaction.

This has become as favourite of mine and I plan to make it several times during this chilly season.

1 tbsp olive oil                                     3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped                                  3 tbsp chili powder
1 carrot, minced                                   1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin                               1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper                             1 tsp sugar
1 can crushed tomatoes                         Canned chipotle chilis in adobo sauce
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, grated      1/2 cup water
4 cups cooked or canned beans             1/2 cup strong coffee


In large pot over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add carrots, onion & garlic. Cover and cook until softened (about 10 minutes).
Stir in chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, sugar and pepper. Add tomatos, chipotles and chocolate and stir until well blended.
Add beans, water and coffee and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until chili thickens. (about 45 minutes).  Add a little more liquid if chili becomes too thick.

Strange Brew

Now that Thanksgiving is over, it is time to welcome Halloween with it's ghosts, goblins and eerie things. So with that spirit, I will be focusing the next two entries on strange combinations. With cooking, and many other areas in life, sometimes what doesn't seem to initially belong together can give you a pleasant surprise.

Potato Pate

The concept of a potato spread is kind of weird and the ingredients, when listed together on the recipe, don't sound that appetizing. To be honest, it did look a little strange when I took it out of the oven, but was it ever delicious.

1 onion & 1 large potato (skin can be left on)
1/2 cup warm water,  1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup soy sauce ( I use Braggs instead- much less salt)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Roughly chop onion and potato.  Put all ingredients into food processor and pulse until everything is mixed together.  Pour into pie plate and bake for 1 to 1.5 hours.

Serve with crackers or pitas

It's the Great Unturkey Charlie Brown!

Thanksgiving is coming up this weekend and while many of us veggies are looking forward to our Tofurkey with great anticipation (even my cat, Hobbes, tries to eat it off my plate), not everyone is into faux meats. Here is a wonderful alternative that I put together based on two different recipes.

I made this last night and, oh my goodness, the cranberries and pecans just make this dish! With all the appropriate festive flavours, I decided to name this Stuffed Acorn Squash recipe The Great Unturkey.

The oven method provides the best results. For those who are really hungry after work, lacking patience or just want to be enegry conscious, I have provided the microwave directions as well.


The Great Unturkey

3 acorn squashes, cut in half and seeded
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 medium onions, diced
3 stalks celery, diced (I prefer broccoli instead, finely chopped)
1/2 teaspoon dried sage (I used more)
2 cups brown or wild rice, cooked with vegetable broth instead of water
2 cups lentils, cooked
3/4 cup pecans toasted and roughly chopped (I didn't toast mine)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup scallion greens, thinly sliced (green onions)
Pepper to taste

Brush Acorn squash halves with olive oil and bake at 400F for 45 minutes to an hour, until squash is tender.  You can also microwave for about 5-6 minutes, turning halves frequently if your microwave does not have a turn table.

Heat oil in medium saucepan. Add the onions, celery, sage and cook over medium-high heat for several minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent. Add to rice & lentil mixture. Toss rice with pecans, dried cranberries and scallion greens. Add pepper to taste.
Stuff each squash half with rice mixture.

Mexican Tortilla Bake

It has been a cold and rainy September here in Southern Ontario, so I really wanted to make some warm comfort food. This was quick and easy to make and reminds me of a spicy lasagna. I skipped the shredded vegan cheese in the recipe, as I forgot to buy some, but it was delicious without it. This might just be my new signature recipe for potlucks. Honestly, if someone served this to me, I wouldn't even know this is vegan. This is a great dish to serve to carnivores and then, after they say how much they love it, tell them it was made with tofu. 

1 tbsp Olive oil, 1 garlic clove, minced (I threw in some garlic powder tonight as I was feeling lazy)
1 can pinto beans ( I used black beans instead)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 teaspoon chili powder (or more if you are feeling adventurous)
pepper to taste
1.5 cups salsa
4 ounces soft tofu ( I have no idea how much that is, so I used half the package)
2 tbsp. lime juice
3-4 large tortillas ( I like whole wheat)
1 cup shreddeed vegan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a large baking dish. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add garlic and cook about 30 seconds. Add the beans, tomatos, chili powder and pepper. Simmer 5 minutes and remove from heat.

In food processor or blender, combine the salsa, lime juice, tofu and 1/2 of the bean mixture. Process until well blended. Spread a thin layer of the tofu/salsa mixture over the bottom of the baking dish.  Arrange tortillas on top, overlapping as necessary.  Spread the remaining bean/tomato mixture over the tortillas and cover with another layer of tortillas. top with remaning tofu mixture and then sprinkle with vegan cheese on top.  Bake until hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

My Attempt at Gourmet Cooking

It is a commom misconception that if you go vegetarian, or especially vegan, you will have to exist on boring meals and never again enjoy gourmet food, especially in a restaurant. My visit this summer to a restaurant in Collingwood (3 Guys and a stove) proves that thought to be a complete fallacy.

I was thrilled to discover that all the pasta and rice dishes automatically came vegetarian and you had to order extra to make it otherwise. My choice of meal was the Barley Cranberry Risotto, which was nothing short of amazing.

As I was aware that the creator of the menu has his own cooking show, I decided to visit his website to see if he had the recipe posted. To my luck, he had  posted the barley risotto recipe. So, you might think that I excitedly rushed to the store to buy the ingredients and get going right away to recreate my favourite dish. Wrong. The old fear of failing came right back and I have waited over a month to attempt it.

I finally did  get around to making it last night and it really was not that hard. As you have to prepare a few of the ingredients in advance, this dish takes patience, which is a virtue that I have yet to master. While it was not quite as good as the restaurant chef's version, I do realize that I am an amateur and am pleased with the result. It was worth the effort.

**I should mention, this recipe suggests to add "any vegtable you have in the fridge". I will advise you to leave celery off the list. I used celery and it does throw off the flavour of the dish. My heart did fall when I initially tasted my experiment, but once I realized it was the celery that I didn't like, I picked it out and now I can't wait to eat it for lunch. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Barley Risotto

 1 cup black beans
1/2 clove minced garlic
1tsp basil
1 tbsp charmoula  (see recipe below)
8 oz vegtable stock
4 tbsp parmesan cheese (vegans can use vegan paremsan-or it can be left out)
pepper to taste
2.5 cups prepared barley *
1oz oil
4 oz sundried cranberries
1 tomato diced
4 tbsp hot sauce-or to taste
4 stems cilantro
2 cups mixed vegtables (green onions, red or yellow peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, eggplant, or what you have in fridge)

Optional: 4 oz pecans

Heat large frying pan; add oil, garlic, herbs and vegtables. Saute on high until vegtables are browned. Add black beans, veg. stock, charmoula and cranberries; reduce heat-allowing mixture to come to a simmer.  Add barley and reduce stock by setting stove on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

When the greater part of stock has reduced, stir and add parmesan cheese. Place in a serving bowl and sprnkle with hot sauce and pecans, if desired.
Garnish with extra cilantro.

* Barley: precook 3 cups water to 1 cup barley, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until liquid absorbed

Charmoula

6 tbsp garlic,  2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne,  1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup chopepd fresh parsley,  1/2 cup chopped cilantro
6 tbsp lemon juice,  4 tsp oil

Place all ingredients in food processor, pulsing until you have a soft, choppy mixture.  (Makes 2.3 cup, you can freeze unused portion and use another time.)

Eat Yer Greens!!!

If you are like me, you want to start eating healthy and while you know greens are great for you, you have no idea what to do with them. I have heard so many times that kale is the most nutrient dense plant around (beta-carotene, vitamin c, calcium,copper, iron, B6, manganese and potassium to name a few).

However, after trying it raw in a salad, I never want to do that again! I am sure that many people may disagree with me, but I found it to be both bitter and rough; not unlike a bad breakup.  So I did some searching for recipes and have tried many over the last few months. Here are some of my favourites, that I actually look forward to eating! The first two were originally spinach recipes, so I just replaced the spinach with kale.

Coconut Kale

Splash olive oil
1 cup sweet onions, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
Bunch of kale; stems cut out and shreded
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 tsp pepper

Heat oil in large pan over medium heat, add garlic and onions.
Add kale and saute until it begins to wilt, add coconut milk and seasonings. Mix ingredients to ensure and even seasoning blend.
Saute until kale is at desired softness and garnish with coconut shavings (optional)


Spicy Peanut Kale

2 tbsp canola oil
2 chopped green onions (or any variety you prefer)
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to your preference)
1 can diced tomatos, drained (keep just a bit of liquid for cooking)
1 bunch kale, stems removed and chopped in small pieces
1/4 cup natural peanut butter

Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and pepper flakes.
Add tomatoes, kale, peanut butter. Stir to blend into a sauce.
Cook until kale is at a desired softness

Basic Sauteed Kale

Coursely chopped kale
1/2 cup veg stock, 1 green onion
2 cloves garlic
"Spike" seasoning, Pepper ( both to taste)
Splash hot sauce (optional)

Heat to high, add stock & and kale.  Toss, cover and cook 5 minutes.
Remove cover, add spike seasoning and green onion.
Cook until liquid is gone. Add pepper and serve.

Thai Stew

I made this last night and it smells amazing!! This is a great recipe to play around and change the vegtables, depending on what you have in the fridge. It is not in the recipe, but I added shredded kale to get in my greens (and calcium). Broccoli would work well, too.

Don't be afraid of the coconut milk in this recipe because you think it is fattening. They type of fatty acids in coconut milk,  mostly Lauric Acid, are the type of fat your body burns to create energy rather than store as fat. There are several studies out there that actually point to coconut as an aid in weight loss! I absolutely adore anything coconut, so I could barely contain my joy upon learning that news!

1tsp olive oil,                        1 medium onion thinly sliced
4 cloves minced garlic          3 medium sweet potatos
3 cups water                          1 red or green pepper, cut into narrow strips
11/2 frozen green beans        1/2 teaspoon of red or green curry paste
1 tbsp natural sugar               2 tsp minced ginger
2 stalks lemongrass               can of coconut milk
2 tbsp peanut butter             

In a soup pot over med-high heat, heat the oil & saute onions and garlic. Add sweet potatos and water. Bring to a rapid simmer, then lower heat. Cover & simmer for 10 minutes or until sweet potatos are half done.

Add peppers, beans, curry paste, sugar and ginger. Cut each lemongrass salk into 3-4 pieces and make long cuts in grass throughout with sharp knife. Stir into pot and simmer for 10 more minutes.

Stir in coconut milk and peanut butter. Return to simmer and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until all vegtables are tender and the flabours are well integrated. Remove lemongrass pieces. Taste to adjust seasonings.

* I have made this before, so I played with it last night. I skipped the lemongrass simply because I didn't feel like going to the store and only used half the amount of coconut milk, as I had used the other half making coconut kale. It was still good and the peanut flavour stood out more. So feel free to just experiment based on what you like.

Avocado Cream Pasta

This awesome recipe is my usual "go-to" when I am having company over for dinner. Many people have been impressed with my culinary skills when I have served this to them. However, I believe their praise would be more accurately directed to the actual recipe as it is extremely simple to make, while wielding a creamy and flavourful, yet healthy, pasta dish. It only tastes indulgent.

2 avocados, pitted and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup unsweetened soy or rice milk
1/4 cup water
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Cooked pasta

*Combine avocados, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor. As mixture is blending, add the soy/rice milk and then the water (or less water,depending on your desired consistency).

Add salt and pepper, to taste. Then toss with your favourite cooked pasta and serve.

Melanie's Asian Creation

My most enjoyable time spent cooking is usually when I am making up the recipe as I go along. I love to just create with no restraints. A definite advantage of being single is that I am free to just try something without the worry that someone will turn up their nose in disgust. Here is one of my success stories that uses Bok Choy, which is a calcium superstar. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Bunch of bok choy,chopped (use both green and white parts)
Two cups vegetarian chicken stock ( available at Bulk Barn)
Whole wheat spaghetti noodles (soba or rice noodles would also be great)
minced ginger  & chopped garlic  (both to taste)
One tsp. "asian chili garlic sauce" ( I got it at Loblaws)
Add your choice of vegtables, frozen or fresh (broccoli would add more calcium)


Cook noodles separately until al dente, drain and set aside.
In large pot or wok ,add stock and ginger. Simmer for a few minutes then add chopped bok choy and other vegetables, along with the asian sauce. Stir and simmer until bok choy is cooked. Add garlic about a minute before you remove from heat.

My Calcium Conundrum

For those of you who know me personally, you may be aware that several years ago I was diagnosed with osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis) due to medication I had been on for several years. As I was not even close to menopause, I was not a candidate for the medications available, as they would interfere with my hormones.  My bone health for the future did not look good, to say the least.

I was told I had to be "very careful" and that it would probably get much worse when I hit menopause. Well, you might as well just tell me to put on my flowered granny hat and sit on the porch all day yelling at "young-uns" who step on my grass, because me being careful is just not going to happen!!!!  I want to hike, cycle, explore and generally be my high-energy self.

So, I dived into naturopathic research.  I did learn that many different nutrients contribute to bone health, as well as weight bearing exercise (just ask to see my "pipes").

Calcium, of course, is very important. So, what is a vegan (or lactose intolerant) girl to do? I have just heard  a report that calcium supplements can  cause heart attacks!! YIKES! Choose between heart attacks or weak bones? No thanks.

No need to fear; Mel the veggie crusader is here! (Hey! no eye-rolling!!)There are SO many great plant sources of calcium: bok choy, kale, broccoli, collard greens, quinoa, blackstrap molasses (put it in your oatmeal, cereal or anything you want to sweeeten), tofu, ground sesame seeds, almonds, soy beans, fortified almond, rice or soy milk, chick peas.

I have attached a great link regarding these foods.  In my next few cooking attempts, I will plan to include calcium rich foods.

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.htm.

Healthy Fettucine Alfredo

I got this recipe off the Dr. Oz show; alfredo sauce made from cauliflower.  I will admit I was pretty skeptical about this recipe being actually edible, but the ingredient list was simple and the recipe was not time-consuming, so why not give it a go?

Aside from the fact that I find the smell of cauliflower similar to how my dog smells when he is having "issues", I really liked this dish. The texture,of course, is different from alfredo but the flavour is similar. As usual, I played with the recipe; I made two minor changes to make it a vegan recipe and added garlic.

1/2 lb. cooked whole wheat pasta
1/2 head cauliflower, core removed and broken into small florets
2 tbsp olive oil
2 green onions, minced
1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese  (recipe below)
1/2 cup vegetarian "chicken" stock ( at Bulk Barn)
Pepper to taste (I added garlic powder, too)

Steam the cauliflower 20 minutes or until very soft. In sauce pan, heat olive oil and cook onions until soft. Add stock and cook for 5 minutes longer. Set aside to cool.

In food processor or blender, combine caulifower and stock and garlic powder and puree until silky smooth. Our puree into the sauce pan and heat over medium heat until steaming.  Toss with the cooked pasta and add parmesan "cheese". Season with pepper.

Vegan  Parmesan

1/4 cup nutritional yeast      1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
1/4 tsp salt (I used seasoning salt)

*This recipe says you can use a food processor or coffee grinder, but I found the coffee grinder worked MUCH better.

Grind the yeast, sesame seeds and salt until completely milled. Store in clean, dry container.

This was so easy and so good, I wish I had actually read this recipe book through when I got it years ago!  Ground sesame seeds are actually a very bio-available source of calcium!  I am going to try this cheese on homemade pizza too!

Scrambled Eggless Eggs

It is amazing how many people still think you cannot be vegetarian, or especially vegan and get enough protein. This breakfast recipe is one of my favourites, and it has lots of protein and calcium to start your day right.
I made this for dinner recently and a friend of mine who is decidedly anti-vegetarian commented how amazing my cooking smelled. I did my best to restrain myself from gloating while announcing it was a tofu dish!!

1/2 med onion chopped,              4-5 sliced mushrooms (I use canned for convenience)
splash of olive oil,                         1pkg firm tofu, crumbled
salsa (to taste- I love spice so I load it on)     splash of hot sauce (optional)
add /substitute veggies such as tomatos, red or green peppers,

Add onions, mushrooms and olive oil to pan and saute on med-high heat until onions are translucent.
Crumble tofu and add to saucepan with the salsa. Saute 10 min until moisture has evaporated.

I love President's Choice Herbed tofu in this dish, but you can add your own herbs, too or just keep it plain.

If you don't like salsa, you can add soy sauce, pepper, garlic and herbs, or make it Greek by adding oregano, olives and sundried tomatoes. I love this recipe on top of toast or putting it in a wrap as a breakfast burrito. Have fun with this and don't be afraid to play with this recipe!

Grilled Portabello Mushrooms

3 large Portobello Mushrooms
Equal parts olive oil & balsamic vinegar
pinch of pepper, garlic powder

Wash & brush the mushrooms gently with a vegtable brush. Place in container then add equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar to container. Close lid and shake to evenly distribute marinade. Let sit in fridge for up to one hour. Grill on each side for 5 minutes,or until mushrooms are tender.
***
Right now, I am feeling a bit sheepish when I consider the fact that I have always loved portabello mushrooms in restaurants, or when someone else has prepared them. It had never occured to me that it is actually not hard to grill them myself. I simply turned on my George Forman (knockoff) grill and placed the marinated mushrooms on it and that's it.

They had a wonderfully meaty texture  for those of you who are missing meat, or having trouble giving it up. I am thinking next time I might try marinating them with a pepper steak sauce.

I want to be a Snooters Girl!!

Yes, I said SNooters! What were you thinking?
On June 19th, I had the privilege of being a volunteer at a wonderful little sanctuary for rescued farm animals called Snooters. About 60 of us animal lovers showed up to paint, shovel and generally help out.
We were greeted with a wonderful spread of vegan cupcakes, pastries and fruit. Chocolate cupcakes in the morning? Of course; this is ME talking,  and they were AMAZING!

My chosen chore was to paint fence posts for the home of Ashi and Norman, the recently arrived,  rescued veal calves. Below is Sherry and myself painting. This photo is very misleading, as I look clean. Truth be told, I  finished the day with paint on my hat, ears, pants, hands-and who knows where else where!! I actually did save some paint for the fence post!!!

Once we completed the chores, we had the incredible experience of visiting with the rescued farm animals which included  peacocks and pigs; both farm and pot bellied. However, I was smitten the second I set my eyes upon Norman and Ashli; the "veal" calves.

These adorable creatures have the sweetest faces, with big, beautiful gentle eyes that have the ability to just  reach in and touch your soul. They basked in the attention and love they received from us and thoroughly enjoyed being petted. Norman reminded me of a puppy  in the way he alternated between prancing around in play, then snoozing the next minute.

They came to be here when Susan, their rescuer, was alerted that they were on  a dairy farm and were marked with a red X, for slaughter. These sweet little creatures were destined to become a jacket or a shoe.

For me, it is nothing short of horrifying to face the reality of that. This is the reason that I do what I do and eat what I eat.

My heart aches to think of what we humans do to the gentlest of God's creatures simply to satisfy our tastebuds or our vanity, when there are SO many wonderful alternatives!!  It is my wish that all humans get the opportunity to meet and actually connect with these creatures and realize just WHO is on our plate , not WHAT.

For those of you who would love to support this amazing place, please visit http://www.snootersforeverhome.com/. They have really cool "Snooter's" shirts, hats, mugs, etc that are both stylin' and support this wonderful cause!

Well, that was cheesy!

 Lately, I cannot even count the number of times I have heard the phrase "I could never live without cheese". It seems to be the automatic reponse of people who learn that I am vegan. Since  I have yet to meet anyone who has has suffered from a cheese deficiency, I try to respond to that comment with limited eyerolling. (yes, only limited, I am not perfect).

I  have tried a few vegan "melting" cheeses that were really not bad when melted over nachos,etc, but the answer to my prayers came by chance when Cody and I were wandering downtown Burlington and stumbled upon a new vegan Health food store and cafe called Kindfood.

I was meeting friends for lunch, so we decided to try their cafe. My friend and I both tried the "Oh my God Grilled cheese". This sandwich was appropriately named as that was the exact phrase that came out of my friend's mouth when she took a bite. It really was that good!!

The cheese they used is called "Daiya" and it is made in Canada and has absolutely no soy, for those of you are soy-adverse.  Well, now that I am dying for Daiya (Hey,  I wonder if  I can sell that slogan to the makers of Daiya. They could pay me in cheese) I can go down to Kindfood and buy a tub of it and just live on grilled cheese. Maybe I will.

http://www.kindfood.com/

Barbequed Pizza

Well, it was my first time being a guest for dinner now that I am trying to be a full time vegan. Before, I would only eat cheese when eating out or as a guest.

 My host, Hilary, was making  barbequed pizza and graciously offered to make a portion of it without cheese. I will admit, as I saw the feta cheese going on their part.. my will power was weakening.. Would I feel completely deprived? Would I cave in and eat theirs? Tackle them and steal it from their hands? Well, that would have been rude, so I stuck to my guns and ate my cheese-less version.
My fears were completely unfounded! It was scrumptious! Here is how it was made:

Pre-baked thin pizza crust- A flat bread would work just as well. Instead of tomato sauce, a thin layer of apple butter was spread across the crust. Sounds strange, but was amazing!
The toppings were; grilled eggplant, zucchini, tomatos, olives, hot peppers.
It was then placed on the barbeque to heat up.

Pretty simple. I  actually think the cheese would have taken away from the rustic flavour of this pizza.

Melanie's Caribbean Yummy-ness

I often, when by myself, throw together some odd concoction of food based on ingredients that I just happen to have in my fridge because I couldn't be bothered to plan something just for myself. This practice does sometime manage to blow up in my face. Not literally,as I have never exploded anything in my kitchen-YET. It just turns out less than desireable.  This is not the case with my lunch today that I threw together last night. It was so good, I even gave my dish a name.

Melanie's Caribbean Yummy-ness

Boil sweet potatos until they are mostly done. I then lightly fried them in organic coconut oil until soft and added black pepper.
I placed them in  a bowl and added black beans, chopped avocado, salsa and lime juice.

Thats it!! Super good. The coconut and lime flavours remind me of the tropics

Barbeque tofu

2 lbs firm tofu, pressed and diced
1.5 cups ketchup         3 tbsp sugar      2 tbsp soy sauce (I used Braggs for low sodium)
1 tbsp cider vinegar       1 tbsp red pepper flakes  1tsp garlic powder    black pepper

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hour
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Seems easy enough, but how much is 2 pounds of tofu? I don't have a food scale. I don't even have a bathroom scale!! After trying to consider the rest of the ingredients, I deemed all measurements irrelevant and cut off half the block of tofu and just started throwing stuff in the pot, based on what looked like a good amount. I also added a bit of tomato sauce I had left over. Hey, I wanted to live on the edge and break out of my comfort zone.....

After around two hours , I tasted it and it was ready. It reminded me of the spare rib sauce my mother used to make. So good, Easy peas-y. This will definitely become a regular in my home.

Spicy peanut sauce

Recipe:
1 med. onion 4 cloves garlic 1tbsp olive oil
1cup hot water 1tbsp fresh ginger , grated 1cup natural peanut butter
3tbsp braggs or soy sauce dash of cayenne pepper

Saute onions & garlic in saucepan until onion is translucent. Stir in water, ginger, peant butter, braggs, and cayenne. Whisk together until smooth. Simmer for 5 min on high heat, stirring often.
Serve over noodles, stir fry or veggies


Ok, so I cheated. I used garlic powder instead of the real thing. I also added vegetarian chicken stock (from bulk barn)
So this turned out pretty well and tasted great, but I had to stir the peanut butter constantly and ended up scrubbing peanut butter off my stove top,cupboards, floor. Seriously, if i was a cartoon character, I would be Pig Pen; with nicer shoes.