Mmmmm Curried 'egg' salad

So mmm good. I made this before so the recipe is in a previous post. What a great lunch. I didn't have any lettuce or tomato or I would of added that to the sandwich. It would probably be better in a whole wheat pita but I only had Weight Watchers whole wheat bread on hand. The recipe calls for mango chutney...my favourite, that recipe also in a previous post. Now I am looking for other recipes where I can use the rest of the chutney.

Korean Sweet Potatoes ~ Quick Spicy Opo Squash

We went to the local Korean market today and like always picked out 2 veggies that we never had before. The first one was Korean Sweet Potatoes. I boiled them then tossed them with some orange marmalade and microwaved. Very good. Next time I will bake them.

I cut up the Opo and stir fried it with onions. Spiced it with salt, pepper, cumin and turmeric. The recipe called for tomatoes, I didn't have any so I added tomato paste and water. Simmered for about 25 minutes, added a handful of cilantro and served it on top of sweet potato vermicelli.

Pasta with Cashew Cream Mmmmm

I cooked up some buckwheat soba noodles added steamed swiss chard, shredded carrots and some cashew cream. Top with freshly ground black pepper. WOW so so very good.

Cashew Cream
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 cup almond milk
1/4 tsp salt
cayenne pepper
Blend until smooth.

Almond Soup with Cardamom served with roasted Veggies

The roasted organic Potatoes and Carrots were great. Tossed in olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and thyme. I cook them at 425 degrees for about 20 - 30 minutes.
The soup is unusual, its rich and makes an elegant start to an Indian meal. I really like it....love cardamom.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium russet potato, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
4 cups veggie broth
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds, for garnish

In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, potato, and bell pepper. Cover and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, cardamom, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
Add the almond butter and puree in the pot with an immersion blender. Reheat over medium heat until hot.
Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the almonds and serve.

Angel Hair Pasta with Olive Oil and Garlic

Wow this is so good and so easy to make. Next time I might add red pepper flakes or some veggies. But plain it is so good. Pictured here with the Curried Chickpea Patties (recipe in previous post)

1/2 cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves, finely minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound angel hair pasta

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over low heat. Add the garlic and about 1/2 tsp of salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and softened, about 2 minutes. Be careful not to brown the garlic. Add 1 cup of the hot pasta water and simmer over medium heat until the liquid reduces a bit. Keep warm over very low heat.

Add the pasta to the boiling salted water and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the sauce, season with salt to taste, and fresh black pepper. Toss gently to combine and serve immediately.

Curried Chickpea Patties

I love curry. These patties are made with curry plus they are served with a curry mayo.

3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 cup wheat gluten flour
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup veganaise
Bread or rolls of choice
Lettuce leaves
1 ripe tomato, sliced

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp of the curry powder, salt, and cayenne and remove from the heat.
In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, parsley, wheat gluten, bread crumbs and the cooked onions. Process to combine, leaving some texture.
Form the chickpea mixture into 4 equal patties and set aside.
In a skillet, heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add the patties, cover, and cook until golden brown on both sides, turning once, about 5 minutes per side.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 tsp of curry with the veganaise, stirring to blend. Spread the curried veganaise on the bread. Top with the patties, lettuce, and tomato slices.

Bulgur with apples

This is good. It would be a good breakfast dish but I wanted some comfort food for dinner.
Bring 3/4 cup water to boil. Add 1/3 cup bulgur, half a cut up apple, cinnamon and a little bit cardamom. Cook for about 10 - 20 minutes. Add toasted pecans, almond milk and maple syrup.

My goal is a 1/2 marathon

My goal is to do a 1/2 marathon in 2012. I am training first for a bunch of 10k's in 2011. I am tracking my progress (on this blog)  under the page "I am training for a 10k"

Carrot Soup with Ginger

Carrot recipe #3.  SOUP. Everyone loves it!  The cayenne gives it a nice kick. Very good. I sprinkled green onions and black sesame seeds on top!! 

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 lbs carrots, chopped
1 medium yukon gold potato, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
Salt
5 cups veg broth
Ground cayenne
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots, potato, ginger, and salt to taste. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the broth and cayenne to taste, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are soft, 30 - 40 minutes.
Puree the soup mixture. Reheat until hot. Stir in lemon and taste, adjust seasonings if necessary. Ladle into bowls, garnish with chives and serve.

Cardamom Carrots with Orange

Cardamom is my new favourite spice. Wow. I don't like cooked carrots but this recipe is GREAT.

1 lb carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 tbsp vegan margarine
1 tbsp finely grated orange zest
Salt
Ground cayenne

Steam the carrots until tender, about 7 minutes.
In a large skillet, melt the margarine over medium heat. Add the carrots, orange zest and cardamom and season with salt and cayenne to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until flavours are blended, about 2 minutes.

Carrot Tzimmes

Carrot recipe #2.  Carrot Tzimmes. A traditional Jewish  dish. This is good. Mmmmmm

1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 pound carrots, shredded
1 medium yam, peeled and shredded
2 tbsp sugar (I use agave)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh, yes fresh!, orange juice
1 cup finely chopped fresh, yes fresh!, pineapple
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 inch square baking pan.
In a large saucepan, heat the oil over low heat. Add the carrots, yams, sugar, and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Stir in the orange juice, pineapple, raisins, and cinnamon and mix well. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake until tender, about 45 minutes.

Carrot Pudding, YES I said, Carrot Pudding

I got a whole bunch of organic carrots from one of my favourite people is this world (my co-worker who is the executive chef) so I need to come up with some creative ways to use them. This is really good and sweet.

CARROT PUDDING
3 medium-size carrots, grated
1/3 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups almond milk
few drops vanilla
1/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
3 tablespoons tapioca  (I used arrow root)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook over low
heat for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the carrots are soft
and the liquid has mostly evaporated.
Transfer about half the mixture to a blender. Blend until smooth, and then
return the blended mixture to the pan, stirring it back into the unblended
half. Serve warm or chilled.

veggies in my fridge

I love VEGGIES. For dinner tonight I stir fried: onions, garlic, ginger, cabbage, shredded zuchinni, shredded carrot, spinach. Added: salt, pepper, cayenne, turmeric. It looks so beautiful and I topped it with roasted pumpkin seeds for protein. One ounce of roasted pumpkin seeds has 8.46 grams of protein.

Baked Lotus Root Chips

These are so good. I love the look of them.

Peel the lotus root. Cut it into thin discs (1/8 inch thick) using a mandoline or sharp knife. Soak it in a mixture of water plus a couple teaspoons lemon juice for a few minutes. Pat it dry.
Preheat the oven to 450 F and put a pot of water to boil.
When the water comes to a boil, salt it and drop the discs in. Switch off the flame after four minutes. Put the discs on a tea towel to drain and place another tea towel on top.
As they are drying, put 2 tablespoons oil on an UNLINED baking sheet. A baking sheet should take 25-30 discs.

Add some salt and cayenne (chilli powder) to the oil, mix it together.
Add the lotus root discs to the oil mix and gently coat them. Spread them on the sheet and bake for 20-22 minutes, turning them once midway.
The tastiest ones, we found, are crisp on the outside and slightly chewy inside. So try not to cut them paper thin, or to dry them out completely while baking.

Steamed Artichoke with Balsamic Mayo

Why did I only buy one artichoke? I forgot how great steam artichokes were. Yum EEEE

Wash, rinse and clean the artichoke. Cut on the tips of the leaves off. Slice about 3/4 inch of the top off. Steam for 20 - 35 minutes until tender. Peel the leaves off and dip in mayo. Mmmm. My favorite part is the heart, saved for last. Add a few drops of balsamic vinegar to veganaise. Stir and then start dipping.

Chocolate Mint Tea WOW!!

Thanks Megan for the chocolate mint leaves! She grows them on her balcony and gave me some. How organic, unprocessed can you get? I can't wait to start my herb garden next year. I crushed up the dried mint leaves and seeped them in hot water. I add a tiny bit agave syrup but I don't think I will need to next time. Yummy! The best tea ever.

I feel GREAT! Good Morning Pancakes!!!

Saturday morning I'm up early and feeling fantastic, free, happy and ready to take on the world BUT I need to start with a warm satisfying breakfast. I made Spiced Apple Pancakes and the house smells so good. They are great, the apple topping is TOPS.

Spiced Apple Pancakes
3 tbsp earth balance
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into slices (I used Gala because I'm a gal ha ha)
4 tbsp sugar (I used agave syrup)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (always!! fresh)
1 1/2 tsps ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp all spice (I didn't have)
1/4 maple syrup
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I used organic oat flour)
1 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (I used more because I'm from dutch heritage)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups almond milk
oil for frying

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the earth balance over medium heat. Add the apples, 2 tbsp of the sugar, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp of the allspice. Cook, stirring, to soften the apples. Add the maple syrup and keep warm over low heat.
In a bowl, combine the four, the remaining 2 tbsp sugar, baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp allspice, nutmeg and salt.
Combine the milk and 2 tbsp melted earth balance. Blend until smooth. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and blend.
Heat a a thin layer of oil over medium high heat in a skillet. Pour in about 1/4 cup  of batter. Cook until small bubbles appear on the top, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancake and cook until the second side is browned.
Serve topped with the apple mixture.

Potato and Kale Soup

I had a big bunch of kale and decided to make kale chips (recipe in previous posts) and soup. This is a great autumn soup. If you want it to be more substantial add some great northern beans.

1 tbsp oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups veg broth
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (I used more)
1 bay leaf
Salt
4 cups chopped stemmed kale

In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper, bay leaf, and salt to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
Stir in the kale and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Spicy Indian Cauliflower

YES it is spicy!  I love it. Very very good. It would be perfect on a bed of rice. Think I will try that for my lunch tomorrow. I took this picture with my phone, it was red not brown.

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup pureed tomatoes
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cayenne
1 tsp sugar (I used a bit of agave)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Steam the cauliflower until just tender, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Do not burn.
Stir in the tomatoes, coriander, cumin, cayenne, sugar, and salt.
Add the steamed cauliflower and cook, stirring until the cauliflower is coated with the spice mixture. add a small amount of water if the mixture is too dry. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.