Eggplant and Tofu à la Szechuan January 24, 2012

I’ve got to say, I LOVE this sauce. You can use it on pretty well any veggie or protein to make side dishes or the main event: eggplant, bok choy, tofu, broccoli, seitan, green beans, carrots, zucchini… you get the idea. Whip the sauce up, prepare the stuff it’ll be going on, and stick ‘em together. Easy-peasy!

If I had to do this over again, I'd nest the eggplant and tofu in rice or noodles, and not mix them in with the stir-fry. Either way though, it's pretty yummy!

• 3 tsp roasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 cup veggie broth
• 3 whole anise stars
• 13 tsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp hoisin sauce
• 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp five-spice powder (I’ve used ground allspice in a pinch when I ran out of five-spice)
• 4 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water

Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute until they’re softened but not browned. In a bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients except for the cornstarch mixture. Add this to the saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer, covered, for about  10 minutes. Remove the star anise, then whisk the cornstarch mixture in. Let everything simmer for a couple of minute, then set aside.

• about 1/2 cup of canola oil
• 2 Japanese eggplants, cut into chunks or strips
• 1 cube of firm tofu, cut into chunks or strips

Heat the oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the tofu and eggplant pieces in batches to ensure that your pan doesn’t get overly crowded. Cook until both sides are browned, then transfer to a plate covered in paper towel to soak up the extra oil. Once all the pieces are cooked to perfection, drain off all the leftover oil (and keep it in the fridge for a few days for use in other stir-fries… deeelish!), then return the tofu and eggplant back to the pan. Add the sauce and cook for a minute or two, then serve over rice or rice noodles.

Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes January 18, 2012

I know I’ve said in previous posts that I’ve started to “grow out” of chocolate (I was a total chocoholic when I was a kid), but when I get the craving, look out! The denser, richer and darker the chocolate, the better. These cupcakes fit the bill – in fact I can only eat one before I feel like hyperventilating (in a good way). Slather these 12 high-rising cupcakes in Creamy Cocoa Frosting, and indulge!

Chocoholics beware: these lil' puppies will give you heart palpitations. I actually had to scale them down to mini-cakes because the big ones just packed too much of a choco-punch. Enjoy!

• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup soy or almond milk
• 1 shot of espresso (I use about 1.5 tsp instant espresso powder with about 2 tbsp boiling water if I don’t have any freshly brewed espresso on hand)
• 1/3 cup applesauce (or 1 tsp egg replacer + 2 tbsp warm water)
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees C. Lightly oil or insert cupcake-liners into your muffin tin. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt, then set aside. Combine the milk, espresso, applesauce and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add this to the dry mixture, stirring so that the two mixtures are combined. Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake for 30-35 minutes. They’re done when a cake tester (a.k.a. toothpick) comes out clean. Let them rest for a minute then transfer to a cooling rack. Only frost them when they’re cool to the touch, otherwise you’ll get one limp lil’ cuppy-cake.

Creamy Cocoa Frosting January 18, 2012

This frosting is super quick (less than 2 minutes, including measuring!) and easy to make. Throw the following ingredients into a food processor and WHIZZZZ:

• 1/2 cup EarthBalance butter
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp coffee (I use about 1 tsp instant espresso powder with 3 tbsp boiling water when I don’t have any freshly brewed coffee on hand)
• pinch of sea salt

Let the frosting sit in the fridge for about an hour, then stir and spread onto your cupcakes – I suggest Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes as a logical fit. It just so happens that the recipe is right above this one! What an amazing coincidence…

Sweet Madras Soup January 15, 2012

I don’t know where you guys are, but I’m in Ottawa, and it’s been freaking freezing here over the past couple of days. The solution? You guessed it, soup! I took the opportunity to explore my growing my sneaky-bean streak (otherwise known as subtly adding beans to recipes for increased nutrition, texture  and protein, without being overly beany about it). This soup’s perfect for the subversive bean: it’s thick, hearty and full of flavour. Put on your favourite album and get cooking.

Roasted pine nuts are an interesting addition to this dish, along with some fresh, crusty bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp madras curry paste
• 1 15 oz can white kidney beans, well-rinsed (or soak dry beans overnight)
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 cups veggie broth (I used some of my first batch of homemade veggie broth – I’ll be sure to post that how-to soon)
• 2-3 cups water
• 1 cup coconut milk (or almond milk)
• salt and pepper to taste

Add the onion to the oil, which you’ve heated over medium heat in a large pot. Once the onion’s translucent, add the curry paste and stir, then add the beans and sweet potatoes. Stir around until it’s all well-coated, then add the veggie broth. Cover, bring to a simmer and let it sit for about 20 minutes – until the sweet potatoes and beans are soft. Whip out your immersion blender or carefully spoon the mixture into your blender (in batches, not all at once!) and blend. If you want to be cutesy about it, spoon out a few chunks of sweet potato before you blend, so that you can add them back in once the rest is nice and smooth. This is when you will likely need to add the water – this stuff gets pretty thick. Use as much as you need to get it to the desired consistency, then add the “milk”, season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Potato Artichoke Latkes – yup, you read that right December 3, 2011

We were surprised, as this was our first summer in our new house, to find a jungle of Jerusalem artichoke (a.k.a. “J-artis”) growing along our fence. Luckily our neighbour clued us in to what we were growing, so we didn’t yank it out, thinking it was a weed. Those suckers grow like you wouldn’t believe, topping out at about 9 feet tall at the end of the season. We dug them out and now have a ridiculous number of J-artis. For those of you who don’t know what J-artis taste like (which is likely about 99% of you since I haven’t yet met someone who knows) – picture what would happen if a cauliflower and a potato had a baby, and you’ll understand the texture of a J-arti. So far I’ve tried roasting them like home fries and including them in a seitan stew. Both were tasty, but I felt like the true strength/flavour of the J-arti would shine in a latke.

Crispy, crunchy and gone in a flash. Now that's a good latke.

Ingredients:

• 5 large potatoes, washed (leaves the skins on unless you really object to un-skinned potatoes)
• 4 Jerusalem artichokes, washed and peeled
• 1 carrot, peeled (mostly for colour)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2 tsp Egg replacer mixed with 2 tbsp warm water and 2 tbsp veggie broth
• 1 cup matza meal (options: ground up saltines, rice flour, or garbanzo bean flour)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil

Preheat your oven to 250°F and get a baking pan ready with a rack sitting inside it, covered in a couple of layers of paper towel. Coarsely shred the potatoes, J-artis and carrot by hand or in the food processor, transferring to a large bowl of cold water once everything’s grated. Soak the veggies for about 1 to 2 minutes, then drain them well in a colander. This step keeps the batter from turning brown too quickly.

Spread the grated veggies and the onion on a kitchen towel and roll it up jelly-roll style. Twist the towel tightly to wring out as much liquid as possible. Transfer the veggie mixture to a bowl and stir in the binder (“egg”), starch of your choice, and the sea salt and pepper.

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Working in batches, spoon about 2 tbsp of the potato mixture into the skillet, spreading into 3-inch rounds with a fork. Keeping them little makes it easier to flip ‘em without too many disasters. I also suggest keeping it to a max of 4 per round, since crowding will increase the likelihood of soggy latkes. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn the latkes over and cook until the undersides are browned, about 4-5 minutes more. Transfer them to the paper towels on the baking sheet to drain and season with sea salt, then stick them in the oven to keep warm. Add more oil to skillet as needed, snag one to keep you going (hey, you have to make sure they’re ok before serving ?), and keep on chuggin’ through the rest of the batch. Mentally prepare yourself for the fact that you will smell like a fry-cook by the end of this.

Though highly unlikely, if you do end up with leftovers, the best way to reheat latkes is on a rack set over a baking sheet in a 350°F oven for about 5 minutes.

Easy-peasy Mac’n'cheesy December 1, 2011

Yeah, I apologize upfront for the title; I couldn’t help myself. I’m going to reveal something quite shameful about myself now. Brace yourselves. And I remind you that I’m a stalwart vegan with a stubborn streak over a kilometre long. The one thing I miss the most since my transition to veganism is, out of the vast number of items that are now verboten, Kraft Dinner. I suppose the title of this post likely busted my attempt at suspense right off the bat, but I had to give it a try.

When I was a kid, my idea of heaven was sliced knackwurst mixed into my fluorescent orange goodness. Though I will never eat another knackwurst, the temptation to sneak into a corner store for a box of KD is almost stronger than I care to admit. So far I’ve slipped a handful of times in over 8 years, and based on how addicted I used to be, I figure that’s a pretty good batting average. Nevertheless, every time I’ve slipped I’ve felt like dirt afterward, so I’m forever striving to develop a KD fix that’s more in-line with my ethics, values and consumer choices. The key is that the recipe has to be quick and brainless, and a bonus is to avoid using any vegan cheese substitute. Oh, and it has to taste great to boot. I like a challenge. This version is a little spicier than your average KD, but it’s got that tang that always makes my mouth water. Hope you like it.

Anyone got any ketchup? I keeed, I keeed - I always thought ketchup on KD was sacriledge.

• 3 cups of dry pasta (I love corn pasta because it always stays a little al dente, but any kind will do)
• 2 tbsp Earth Balance butter
• 3 tbsp unbleached white flour
• 1 cup soy or almond milk (or rice, or coconut… you get the idea…not that I’ve ever tried coconut milk here – that might actually be amazing!)
• 1 tsp Zatarain’s cajun spice
• 1/3 tsp turmeric
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (if you’re so inclined, which I always am, but it’s optional)
• sea salt to taste

Cook your pasta in salted water for however long the package indicates (though I usually decrease that by a minute or so since I like my pasta on the not-so-soggy side). In the meantime, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then gradually whisk your flour until the mixture becomes crumbly. Add the soy milk gradually, about 2 tbsp at a time, until the crumbly stuff starts to smooth out. Keep adding until the soy milk has run out and the bechamel sauce you’ve just created (tah-dah!) is smooth, silky and is starting to thicken. Add all spices, stir, and then add the cooked pasta. Keep a little of the pasta water to thin the sauce out as needed – I know everyone likes their KD sauce a certain way. Season with salt (an important ingredient here if you want this to satisfy your KD craving) and then serve! Oh, for a colourful variation, add green peas or edemame in with the pasta during the last minute of cooking for a nice green-and-yellowy-orange feast.

Blueberry Cake… with variations! November 20, 2011

I made this cake for my birthday last year, which proves two things: 1) that I’m way behind in editing my posts and more importantly, 2) that my taste buds have changed considerably since I was a child. Back in the day, I only had eyes for chocolate (as I’m sure my Gramma would be sure to tell you). But this time around, all I could think about was fruit and lightness. So I grabbed the nearest cookbook, found a recipe for an orange vanilla cake that needed a little somethin’-somethin’, and set about creating my own special birthday cake. I would suggest Terra Lightfoot‘s album for this “cheffing” session, since its earthy grooviness compliments the lightness of this cake rather well. I think the greatest strength of this cake is that it can completely change just by switching up a couple key ingredients. I’ll be sure to highlight the variations throughout the recipe so that you can create whatever cake you’re in the mood for. Here we go!

Dense and sweet-but-not-too-sweet, what more could there be to love? Oh right - blueberries!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup EarthBalance butter, at room temperature
• 1 and 1/4 cups maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla (Variation: use lemon extract, or lemon/lime juice to kick up the citrus. My fave is lime juice.)
• 3.5 cups unbleached white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour (you can use all white flour if you want a lighter cake)
• 1.5 tbsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2.5 cups soy (or almond) milk (Variation: change to orange juice for a REALLY citrus-y cake)
• 3/4 cup dried blueberries
• 1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large 9 x 11-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray (or by rubbing the sides with “butter”). Variation: You can easily make a layer cake by using 2 8-inch round cake pans, just make sure you adjust the cooking time to about 30-35 minutes.

Make sure your butter is at room temperature – you can soften it in the microwave if you need to, just make sure you don’t melt it. Now you have a choice: use a mixer or burn off some calories and use your arm! Cream the butter, then slowly whisk the maple syrup into the butter, beating until it’s light and fluffy. Add the vanilla (or extract/juice) and mix.

In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and sea salt. Take turns adding a bit of the flour mixture, then the soy/almond milk, to the maple syrup mixture, stirring well each time a new flour/liquid part is added. Pour into your pan then pop it in your oven for about 50 minutes (or see above if you’re making a layer cake), or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it cool completely before frosting – though if you’re more into glaze, then it’s actually better to toss the glaze on when the cake’s still warm since that’ll encourage the glaze to soak into the cake for moist, delicious results. I’d suggest a citrus-y frosting or glaze for this cake to really boost the lightness of it, but if you’ve gone the vanilla route, a nice vanilla frosting or glaze will taste great too. Remember, you can always substitute lime for lemon, which will put this cake over the top. Everyone knows blueberries love limes, right?

Seasonally Scrumptious Soup November 3, 2011

I stood staring at my contents of my fridge the other night when I spied a giant head of cauliflower, a bowl full of pumpkin flesh (which generally happens at the end of October), and some leftover mashed acorn squash. What immediately sprang to mind? S-O-U-P!

This soup is delightfully luscious. Grab some crackers and dig in!

Gather these ingredients up:

• 1 head of cauliflower
• flesh scooped out from 1 pumpkin
• sprinkling of olive oil or safflower oil
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1 onion, diced
• 2-3 minced cloves of fresh garlic
• 1 cup veggie broth
• 3-4 cups water
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary
• 1-2 cups soy or almond milk

The key to this soup is roasting the cauliflower and pumpkin innards – after digging out the seeds of course (save those for later). Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. After washing and cutting the cauliflower head into chunks, toss them, as well as the pumpkin flesh, with the oil, sea salt and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet (or two) and pop in the oven for at least 40 minutes or until everything has softened and browned. Remove from the oven and set aside for a moment.

In a large pot over medium heat, add a sprinkling of oil, then the diced onion. Sauté until the onion softens, then add the garlic. Keep stirring until fragrant, then add the roasted pumpkin and cauliflower (and mashed acorn squash if you happen to have any on hand – no worries if you don’t). Stir, then add the veggie broth, then 3 cups of water. Save the last cup of water for later in case your soup is too thick and in need of some thinnin’. Stir to combine, then add the paprika (save a sprinkle for later), sea salt and pepper, and rosemary.

Pop the lid on, lower the heat, and cook for about half an hour – or until everything’s all soft and mushy. Grab your hand blender (best kitchen tool EVAH) or carefully pour your soup into your food processor (likely spilling half of it all over the counter and the floor) and blend until smooth. Stir in the milk and voilà, you’re done! Laddle into a cute little cup, add a sprinkle of smoked paprika and maybe a few roasted pumpkin seeds (toss with garlic and cajun spice for some DEEliciously different take on pumpkin seeds) and serve.

Almond Peach Crumble October 2, 2011

I don’t know about you, but we’re solidly in fall here, with summer’s fruit and berries climbing in price and declining in colour and quality. Luckily I managed to think ahead so I can dip into my freezer whenever I want to make some sort of fruity baked good. Freezers are also the answer to not-so-great (a.k.a. mealy) fruit.  It’s so disappointing to take a big bite of a luscious-looking peach only to have that yummy fruit turn to ash in your mouth – ok, I may be exaggerating a little, but mealy fruit is truly gross. When you get a bad batch — I still haven’t figured out how to ID mealy fruit just by looking at it in the grocery store… is it even possible? — anyway, just cut it up and toss it in the freezer. Baked goods are rarely affected by mealy-ness.  I’m on a Sarah McLachlan kick at the moment, so let’s put one of her albums on and get cookin’. Oh, by the way, this dessert is not only perfect for fall, but it’s a great way to sneak in some extra (non-soy-based) protein into your diet. Thanks to The Voluptuous Vegan by Myra Kornfeld for providing the bones of this recipe.

Nothing dresses up a crisp like a pretty little tea cup.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup raw almonds (I keep all nuts in the freezer to maximize their lifespan. They go rancid quite quickly when kept in the cupboard – well, except salted roasted cashews… We eat them too quickly for them to go rancid.)
• 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 4 tbsp canola or melted coconut oil
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 4 tbsp arrowroot flour
• 6 cups unpeeled but pitted peaches, cut into bite-sized chunks (if you’re using frozen peaches, make sure you defrost them first and drain off any extra liquid – otherwise you’ll be making peach soup)
• 2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the almonds into a non-greased baking pan and toast them for about 5 minutes – make sure you don’t burn them! When you start smelling them, take them out. Toss them into the food processor and give them a buzz so they’re turned into little bits.

In a medium bowl, toss the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and sea salt together. Mix, then drizzle the maple syrup and oil over the mixture, mixing the liquids in with your fingers. The crumb topping is ready when it feels like damp sand (P.S. I love it when chefs tell you what the dough/mixture/sauce is supposed to look or feel like – it gives you that much more confidence that the dish will work out in the end, and gives you the chance to fix/tweak things as you progress through a recipe. Major kudos to Myra Kornfeld for doing exactly this throughout her book.).

In another bowl, toss the brown sugar, sea salt and arrowroot flour together and mix well. Add the peaches and lemon juice and toss to coat. Pour the peach mixture into a square 9×9 baking dish, then sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top. Bake for about 45 minutes or until the crumb topping has darkened slightly and the peaches are bubbling. Let it stand for at least a few hours before cutting into it so it has a chance to firm up. However, if you’re desperate for dessert and can’t bear to wait, serve as soon as you want – just know that it’ll be  a little soupy (i.e. serve in a bowl, not on a plate). Enjoy!

Zucchini Loaf/Cake September 18, 2011

There’s nothing like moving in to a new neighbourhood only to be welcomed with food. I remember when we moved in here our wonderful neighbour brought me a big plate of zucchini loaf, and it was the best I’d ever tasted, bar none. Granted it’s possible that I remember it being so earth-shatteringly amazing because I’d just been painting for 4 hours straight and faced a canned soup supper, but I think it was just that good. I eventually asked her for the recipe, and veganized it for you. This cake/loaf (depending on what baking dish you use) is moist and dense, and is just perfect for picking up and eating whilst hovering over the sink (or dog). I’m a big fan of finger-food, and a proponent of eating with your hands whenever practical. It’s rare for a cake to fall into that category, so enjoy it while you can. I know my pugs do…

One of the most satisfying yet naughty feelings I know (associated with food anyway): eating a piece of cake right out of your hand, no plate, no napkin, no fork. All you need is a cooperative dog to clean up any mess you make. Trust me, they're happy to oblige.

You’ll need the following:

• 1 banana (if it’s not ripe enough, just zap it in the microwave after sprinkling it with a dash of water for 30 seconds. That should soften it up.)
• 1 tbsp ground flax, mixed with 2 tbsp warm water
• 1 tsp egg replacer, mixed with 2 tbsp warm water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup safflower oil
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded zucchini (washed but not peeled – the skin adds nice little green flecks to the cake/loaf)
• 1.5 cups unbleached white flour
• 1.5 cups whole wheat flour (you can do all white flour if you want a slightly lighter cake)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
  

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or flour an 8×8 baking dish or 2 loaf pans. Combine the 3 egg replacers (e.g. banana, flax and egg replacer) in a medium-sized bowl. The original recipe called for 3 eggs, so I decided to try all three of the traditional replacers – one for each egg – and it worked really well. I didn’t want to overwhelm the zucchini with banana or flax, and figured the potato-starch type replacer might not be able to handle 3 whole eggs. If any of you try different combos, please let me know what worked (or didn’t). Add the sugar, oil and vanilla. Blend in the zucchini.

In a different bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder and soda, salt and cinnamon), then add to the zucchini mixture. Stir well, though gently, to combine, then add the chocolate chips (optional, but quite awesome). Spoon the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 1 hour. The cake/loaf is ready when the top is slightly browned and one of your toothpicks comes out clean (try not to hit a chocolate chip on your way down). Let the cake rest/cool for about 30 minutes and then serve (unless you want to scald your guests with molten chippies).