The heart attack on a plate that isn't

Creamy and garlicky; just those words alone make me salivate and bring up fond memories of a whipping cream based pasta dish that an old boyfriend used to make for me. (The fondness is for the sauce, not the boyfriend).

Unfortunately, those types of sauces are both extremely fattening and unhealthy and they also no longer align with my ethics of eating without hurting animals.

Well, it is lucky for us that this sauce is healthy, packed with protein and super-easy to make, not to mention that the smell of  the roasting garlic is heavenly.


Roasted Garlic Aioli

1 large head of garlic
1.5 cups crumbled tofu (firm)
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
heaping 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard

Roast the garlic by peeling off as much papery skin as will come off while keeping the head intact. Brush or rub the garlic liberally with olive oil.

Place the garlic in a small shallow baking dish in the toaster oven (or oven if you dont have one) and roast it at  350F until the outside is brown and the innermost cloves are soft (30-40 min).

Allow garlic to cool. Then slice off the top of the head and squeeze the roasted cloves from the skin into a blender or food processor with the remaining ingredients and process several minutes until the mixture is very smooth and creamy.

This is great over potatos, pasta, beans, greens, steamed veggies, etc. (I added a bit of water as I found the mixture too heavy to blend.)

An Evening of Decadence

Mention "vegan potluck" to your average joe and they will probably envision a bunch of under-nourished people munching on granola and sprouts. I hate to shatter your vision, but we vegan chicks love great food! In fact, we are downright passionate about it!

Last Saturday, I enjoyed a fabulous meal that began with hazelnut frangelico cocktails, an appetizer of veggies with a tahini "ranch"dip, followed by my friend Laura's amazing tetrazzini, which is creamy, rich, heavenly and negates the myth that eating vegan means never enjoying anything rich or decadent ever again

My contribution to the meal were my chocolate truffles which I make when I want to impress my non-vegan friends. Truth is, they are so easy to make, I am almost embarrased to share this recipe. However, in the name of chocolate, I will do so.

Tetrazzini
1 1/2 cup pasta, spiral or elbow
1/4 cup vegan margarine
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 cup homemade cashew cream*
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
2 cups spinach
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets fresh or frozen (defrosted) cut in half if large in size

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large saucepan, melt margarine over low heat. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Cook stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and gradually stir in broth and cream. Return to heat and bring to low boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in noodles, mushrooms, spinach and broccoli.

Pour mixture into a lightly grease 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle on vegan cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.


*Cashew Cream

Put one cup of unsalted cashews in a hot water for a half hour then drain and add cashews to a blender. Blend well; Add water to help it blend to a smooth and fairly thick texture.


Chocolate Truffles

1 and 1/4 cup President's choice chocolate chips
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
unsweeteend cocoa or shredded coconut

Heat coconut milk until just boiling. Turn off heat and add chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until well mixed. Leave in fridge until firm.
Using a small scoop or teaspoon, scoop out chocolate and roll into balls. Roll with cocoa, cocunut or crushed nuts as a topping.

Dreaming of coconut curry

Having just renovated my kitchen, I am avoiding eating out as a way to save money; not so easy to do. In our culture of busyness and convenience, we have shifted  much of our socializing to eating in restaurants rather than entertaining in our homes, so we become used to restaurant quality meals on a regular basis.

I have been particularily missing Thai food, so imagine my pleasure when I sat down to this "throw together" meal and it tasted exactly like one of my favourite coconut curry dishes at the Thai restaurant I frequent.  As I am not exactly a culinary whiz, it is surprising that I could make something that good. I really should have left myself a tip!


Curry Vegtable and Tofu Soup

1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves shopped garlic
1 cup peas
1 cup sliced carrots
1 block, cubed extra firm tofu
1 cup water
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 can coconut milk
1 chopped onion
1 tsp ginger root (you can use ginger powder)
1 cup cubed potatos
1 cup chick peas
1 cup soy or rice milk
2 veg broth bouillons or veg broth
1/2 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp gound coriander
juice of 2 limes
cilantro (I use the kind you can get in a tube and freeze- SO convenient)
salt and pepper to taste

Saute onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil in a big pot or wok.  Add tofu and veggies. Cook a few minutes on medium heat until tender. Then add soy milk, water, broth, coconut milk and spices and simmer for 10 minutes. Add lime juice, salt and pepper and cilantro. If you like some kick, add cayenne pepper.

Neat is overrated!

With the popularity of gourmet cooking, there is a now a strong emphasis on presentation and elegance when serving food. However, there is nothing like messy, comfort food that brings back the joys of childhood when eating was fun and I wore more than I ate.

This recipe was simple to make and with the texture of the portobello and steak sauce flavour, I wasn't even tempted to add my veggie "meat".  Enjoy yourself with this recipe and for those who need it; wear a bib!!


Mushroom and Pepper Sloppy Joes

3 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 pd. portobello mushrooms, black gills scraped out, thinly sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp steak sauce
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp tabasco or hot sauce
4 toasted whole wheat hamburger buns

Heat 2 tbsps oil over med-high heat. Add garlic, onions and peppers, stirring, until softened(about 10 minutes) add rest of oil, mushrooms; toss well. cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are soft (8-10 minutes), season with pepper.

Reduce heat to medium; add tomato sauce, steak sauce, tabasco; stir well, cooka bout 10 minutes. Spoon mixture inside buns and serve

Bananas without a brain?

I have never even considered making pancakes that are not from a boxed mix, expcially a vegan version. While the title was encouraging that this would be an easy recipe to make, it would also guarantee feelings of inadequacy should I mess this up. Luckily, they turned out well-super yummy and sweet. I used rice flour to make them gluten free, so I could share with my wheat-intolerant dog. I think he appreciated that! Now, if I could only figure out how to bake and cook with flour without wearing half of it. Next time, perhaps.

Brainless Banana Pancakes

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 banana, mashed
1&1/4 cups soy or rice milk
2 tbsp raw sugar
sliced fresh fruit (garnish) I used slice banana and strawberries

In a large bowl sift the flour and baking powder together. In a small bowl, mash the banana with a fork and add 1/4 cup of the milk, mixing until there are no lumps. Add the banana mixture, sugar and remaining milk to the dry mix and stir together thouroughly. Pour desired size of batter into a hot, non stick pan and cover with a lid. Let sit on medium heat until the centre starts to bubble and become sturdy. Flip pancake over and cook other side until golden brown.  Garnish with fresh fruit and maple syrup.

Vegetable Biryani

I put great effort into providing  my omnivore friends with interesting and easy vegetarian recipes for them to try, so it is an absolute pleasure when the favour is returned.

My friend, Esther, loves this recipe and even swears it is great to eat cold the next day. I made this Wednesday night for dinner and added a little more heat to this recipe by adding a bit of garam masala powder.

I have never been a fan of raisins in cooked dishes so I planned not to include them in my version of the recipe. However, in my effort to be open and adventourous, I threw caution to the wind. Well, actually I just threw the raisins in the pot and I am glad I did. The slight sweetness adds just the right compliment to the spicy flavours in this dish.

Vegetable Biryani
3/4 cup dried lentils
2tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
1 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp curry paste
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup basmati rice
1/4 cup raisins
2 1/4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup green peas
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds (optional)

In separate pot, cook lentils in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.  In separate large pan, heat oil over medium-high heate. Saute onion until they are a deep golden colour. Add carrots, garlic, curry paste and pepper. Saute 3 minutes. Stir in cauliflower, rice, raisins and lentils to coat.

Add stock and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice and vegetables are tender; about 20 minutes.  Stir in peas and warm through for about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds (if using) and serve.

A cabbage as big as my head!

Last winter I signed up for a bi-weekly delivery of an organic fruit and vegetable box, as it was a great way to support local farmers and start eating more vegetables. The interesting challenge was that I never knew what I was going to receive in my box, which caused me to seek out new recipes and opened up a whole new world of healthy meals that I probably wouldn't have tried on my own.

However, my enthusiasm for the organic food adventure became quickly dampened when each and every time I opened my box, I was greeted by the sight of a gigantic cabbage, the proportions of which would be more suitable for a sauerkraut cook-off during Oktoberfest than a single person household.

I went through many recipes to deal with my over-abundance of cabbage, many of which I am too kind to share with you.While I do admit that my backyard bunny(and probably his 45 friends) really scored that winter, I did succeed in finding two dishes that I really enjoyed.  I hope you do, too.

Stir-Fried Cabbage with Peanut Sauce

2 cups shredded cabbage                               2 stalks celery
1 tsp sesame oil
1/3 cup veg stock( I use the vegetarian chicken stock from Bulk Barn)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar                                 1 tbs sesame seeds, toasted
1 carrot                                                        1 tsp soy sauce or Braggs
2 tsp olive oil
1.5 tbsp peanut butter                                  1/2 tsp chili powder

Shred cabbage and slice carrots into thin strips with a vegetable peeler. Thinly slice celery.
Heat oil in a large non stick skillet or wok.  Add chili powder and saute briefly. Add cabbage, carrot and celery and stir-fry 5-8 minutes, until cabbage starts to wilt. Add soy sauce and stock and stir well to combine. Cover, reduce heat and let cook for 5 minutes.
Combine peanut butter and vinegar. Uncover cabbage and increase heat. Stir in peanut butter mixture. Continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated and the peanut butter has melted into the cabbage.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Vegetable Borscht

1 red onion, chopped                                     4 cloves garlic, minced
2 large carrots, chopped                                 2-4 beets, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil                                                1-2 cups cabbage, chopped (purple adds nice colour)
1 cup spinach                                                  1 can diced tomatoes
2.5 cups veg. stock                                         1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 tsp horseradish (I substitute  1tsp.dijion mustard)

In large pot, saute onions, garlic, carrots and beets in oil on medium heat. until onions are translucent. Add the cabbage, spinach, tomatoes, stock, pepper and horseradish. Simmer on medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until carrots and beets can be pierced easily with a fork.