Rosemary Baby Potatoes with Caramelized Shallots

This is an easy and quick recipe. The shallots smell so good when caramelizing and the rosemary is so fragrant. 

1 1/2 lbs baby potatoes
2 tbsp earth balance
5 small shallots, chopped
1 tsp sugar
Sweet paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

In a sauce pan of boiling salted water, cook the potatoes until almost tender. Drain and pat dry.
In a skillet, melt margarine over medium heat. Add the shallots, sprinkle with the sugar, and cook until softened and slightly caramelized, about 7 minutes. Add the paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with rosemary and continue cooking until the potatoes are coated and tender about 7 minutes.

Salad with Sesame Orange Dressing and Sugar Roasted Pecans

The tahini makes this dressing creamy and I love the flavour the sesame oil gives. Great over a salad to accompany sushi. I love adding the Sugar Roasted Pecans to my salad...if there are any left...so good.

Sesame Orange Salad Dressing
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 tahini
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/8 tsp cayenne
Combine all ingredients  until well blended. I use my handy dandy Herb N' Serve dressing maker.

 Sugar Roasted Pecans
1/8 cup sugar
1/8 cup water
Handful of Pecans
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a sacue pan bring the sugar and water to a boil. Add the pecans and stir. Turn down the temperature to medium. Continue cooking until all the sugar water is evaporated. Sprinkle the pecans on parchment paper on baking sheet. Bake for 5 - 10 minutes, careful not to burn. Let cool and crumble on salad.

Christmas Dinner

Merry Christmas Everyone.  Our Christmas Dinner was GREAT. All the dishes worked together sooooo well.

CRANBERRY SAUCE
(makes a lot)
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup earth balance
2 tsp vinegar
2 large sweet onions, chopped
4 cups fresh cranberries
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup apple juice or apple cider
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup toasted pecans, broken into pieces

Cook and stir brown sugar, earth balance, and vinegar in a large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add onions, cook, uncovered, over low heat for 12 minutes or until onions are tender, stirring often. Set aside.
Combine cranberries, raisins, apple juice, allspice, and cloves in a dutch oven. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 5 minutes.
Stir in onion mixture and sugar. Return to boiling. Cook, uncovered 15 minutes more, stirring frequently. Remove for heat, add nuts.
When cooled down, refrigerate until needed or ladle mixture into half-pint containers, seal, label, and freeze up to 1 year.
I also used this sauce for an appy topped on a cracker with vegan cream cheeze. VERY GOOD.

OVEN BAKED STUFFING
10 pieces of bread (I used ancient grains with quinoa, kamut, barley etc)
1 cup carrots chopped
1 1/2 cups celery chopped
1/2 cup shallots chopped
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 cups veggie broth
1 tbs soy sauce
1 1/2 tbs thyme
1/2 tbs oregano
2 1/2 tsp sage
1 1/2 tsp rosemary

- Saute shallots, onions, and garlic till translucent
-Add carrots & celery and soy sauce and cook till almost tender
- Remove from heat and add bread cubes, herbs and veggie broth
-Fold everything together until bread is soft and moist
-If not serving immediately put in a 8x8 casserole dish, cover with foil and cook for 30-35 minutes. If you want a crispy top remove foil for the last 5-10 minutes
I used fresh herbs and this stuffing was amazing!  Everyone (including omnivores) loved it.

SWEET POTATO AND APPLE GRATIN
1 cup water
3 tbsp vegan margarine
2 lbs yams, peeled and grated
1 large granny smith apple, peeled and cored, and grated
1 1/2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tbsp coarsely ground pecans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a large gratin dish or 10 inch square baking pan and set aside.
In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add 2 tbsp of the margarine, stirring to melt. Add the yams, apple, sugar, allspice, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, then spoon the mixture into the gratin dish.
Dot with the remaining margarine. Bake until firm and crisp around the edges, 50 - 60 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of baking, sprinkle with pecans. Serve immediately.
This recipe is a real hit and goes perfect with holiday dinners.

MASHED POTATOES WITH BROWN SAUCE 
I boil russet potatoes then mash with just a splash of almond milk seasoned with a little salt and pepper THEN topped with the Brown Sauce which is AMAZING.
 
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups veggy broth
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbsp soy sauce
In a large sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery,and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Add the flour and stir constantly until the four is absorbed into the oil. Cook for another minute and add 1 cup of the broth.
When the mixture thickens, stir in the remaining 1 cup broth; the wine, tomato paste, basil, thyme, and soy sauce. Stir until the mixture becomes smooth. Cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
Puree the sauce in the saucepan with an immersion blender. Serve hot.
This is one of my favourite sauces.
 
CREAMY CAULIFLOWER
I medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tbsp Earth Balance
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp minced fresh chives
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a casserole and set aside. Steam the cauliflower until tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Rinse the cauliflower under cold water and drain well. Transfer the steamed cauliflower to a food processor. Add the almond milk and margarine and process until smooth. Add the salt, cayenne, nutmeg, and chives and puree until blended. Transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole and sprinkle with paprika. Bake until hot, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately
I love this dish, the cayenne pepper gives it a nice kick.

I also served steamed mixed veggies and brussel sprouts. For dessert I served Coconut Cream Cheeze Cake, the recipe is in past posts. It must of tasted great because there are hardly any leftovers!!  I don't have any pictures on the food I was too busy enjoying it.

Potato Artichoke Gratin with Spinach and Pine Nuts

Another GREAT recipe. I couldn't stop eating. The blend of potatoes with spinach and artichokes so very good. To top it off, rich pine nuts what a great combination.

1 15oz can artichoke hearts (not marinated)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 cups fresh baby spinach
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup coarsely ground pine nuts

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 2 quart gratin dish or casserole. Cut the artichoke hearts into thin slices and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, spinach, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until the spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally about 2 minutes. Stir in basil, thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Layer half of the potato slices in the prepared gratin dish. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the sliced artichokes, followed by the spinach mixture. Top with the remaining potatoes.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the broth and the nutritional yeast and stir until blended. Pour over the gratin. Sprinkle ground pine nuts on top and then drizzle eith the 1 tbsp remaining oil. Cover with foil and bake until the potatoes are tender, about 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until the top is golden brown, about 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

Daiya Cheese....My favourite sandwich ever!!

I am in heaven!  This ooey gooey sandwich is so good. I am thrilled that I finally found Daiya Cheese. I had it before in Vegan restaurants but could never find it.
MY FAV SANDWICH
I used 2 slices of weight watchers bread, daiya cheese, tomatoes, green onions, red pepper flakes, avocado and a little salt. I used earth balance margarine on the outside and grilled it on medium to medium low heat. It is amazing. 

Fresh Pasta with Pesto

Fresh pasta and pesto very good with a spicy garlic kick! Vampires watch out.

3 garlic cloves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 rip plum tomatoes, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil
Fresh Pasta

In a food processor, combine the garlic, pine nuts, and salt and process to a paste. Add the basil, tomatoes and pepper to taste and process until well blended. With the machine running, slowly stream in the oil. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
In a large pot of boiling water cook pasta until al dente. Transfer pasta to a large serving dish. Add the pesto toss gently to combine, serve immediately.

Baked Pasta with Broccoli

WOW another great recipe. I love the sauce, so good. The recipe calls for small shell pasta but I used organic Kamut & Quinoa pasta. Very very good.

Baked Pasta with Broccoli
1 medium bunch broccoli, trimmed and cut into small florets
8 oz small shell pasta
3 cups Mornay-Style Cheeze Sauce (recipe follows)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry unseasoned bread crumbs (I used panko flakes)
1 tsp sweet paprika (I forgot to add this)

In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 5 minutes before done add the broccoli to the same pot. Drain well and return to the pot. Add the Mornay sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Mix gently to combine, then spoon the mixture into a lightly oiled 9 X 13 inch baking dish. Top with the bread crumbs and paprika. Bake until bubbling and the top is lightly browned.

Mornay-Style Cheeze Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/8 tsp turmeric
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water
2 tsps fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 cup soy milk (I used almond)

In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, cover and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. stir in the broth and nutritional yeast, turmeric, and salt and pepper and simmer, stirring, until the mixture starts to thicken and bubble. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and cook, whisking, for 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to the blender and blend until smooth. Add the lemon juice, mustard, and soy milk and blend until smooth. Taste, adjusting seasonings if necessary. Return the sauce to the saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring until hot.

Tahini Noodles

I love this dish!  WOW the mint is a great touch. Very good and really easy to make. The picture again doesn't not do it justice it is a very colourful dish.

1 roll of Soba buckwheat noodles

1/4 of a green cabbage head, shredded

2 carrots, shredded

1 stalk broccoli, florets only

1 handful fresh mint, chopped

Sesame seeds, for garnish

Mint for garnish

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the noodles, cabbage, carrots and broccoli. Cook for 8 minutes. Drain add tahini sauce, toss and add mint just before serving.

Tahini Sauce

1/4 cup tahini sauce

2 tbsp tamari

3 tbsp water

1 tbsp agave nectar

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp chile sauce

1 tsp dijon

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all together, tasting to adjust if needed.



Potato Asparagus Soup

The potatoes make this soup very creamy. I didn't have any dill for garnish. But I bet that would taste good. Nice warm comfort food. Mmmmm.

3lbs potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
1lb asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, cut into 1/2 inch dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
Fresh ground pepper
4 cups veg broth
lemon juice
chopped fresh dill

Place potatoes in a stockpot and cover with cold water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Add the asparagus, boil for 3 minutes, drain, and set aside.
Rinse out the pot, then in the same pot saute the onion in the olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes; add the garlic, salt and black pepper, and saute 2 minutes more. Add the broth and boil for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and asparagus, heat through, then puree 3/4's of the soup. Add a squeeze of lemon and garnish with fresh dill.

Korean Dumplings

These vegetable dumplings are really good. We found them in the frozen section of our Korean Market. I made a dip of tamari, green onion and red pepper flakes.  Another good sauce would be tamari, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, agave, and chile sauce.