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.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
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.)
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.)
Friday, September 10, 2010
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.
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.
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