Quinoa and Veggys

The picture again does not do justice, it is very colourful!!!  This is a good dish...not a wow dish but good.

3 cups water
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1 tbsp oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 small zucchini, chopped
2 cups cooked shelled edamame
2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
2 ripe Roma tomatoes, chopped
Fresh ground black pepper
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add quinoa. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook 15 - 20 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and pepper, cover, and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, uncovered, until softened, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. stir in the edamame, corn, tomatoes, and salt and black pepper to taste. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Add the cooked quinoa and parsley and stir gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Chinese Salad

This  is REALLY good!!

56 grams brown rice noodles (cooked and rinsed with cold water)
2 cups finely shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup minced green onions
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 tbsp creamy almond butter
1 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce

In a large bowl, combine the lettuce, carrot, green onions, and cilantro. Set aside.
In a blender, mince the garlic and ginger, then add the almond butter, water, lemon juice, oil, soy sauce. Blend until smooth. Pour the dressing over the lettuce mixture, add the noodles, and toss well to coat. Garnish with toasted cashews and more cilantro....

Kohlrabi

So trying new things....I bought this kohlrabi, peeled it (like an apple) then grated. Stirred in some fresh lemon juice. I mixed vegan sour cream with some maple syrup then mixed it in the grated kohlrabi. Added some roasted walnuts and wow what a great slaw.

Kohlrabi (German turnip) (Brassica oleracea Gongylodes group) is a low, stout cultivar of the cabbage that will grow almost anywhere. The taste and texture of kohlrabi are similar to those of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter, with a higher ratio of flesh to skin. The young stem in particular can be as crisp and juicy as an apple, although much less sweet.

Baked Potatoes With Fennel and Peas

4 large baking potatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, minced
4 green onions, minced
1/2 cup frozen baby peas
1 tsp fresh tarragon, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

Almond milk as needed

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pierce the potatoes with a fork and bake until soft, about one hour. When cool enough to handle, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and, leaving the shells intact, scoop out the flesh and transfer to a bowl. Mash well and set aside. reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 X 13 inch baking pan.

In a skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel. Cover and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in the green onions, peas, tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 2 minutes to blend the flavours.
Add the fennel mixture to the mashed potatoes and add the parsley; mix well to combine. If the filling seems to dry, add almond milk to moisten.
Fill the potato shells evenly with the filling and arrange in the prepared pan. Drizzle each potato with a little olive oil. Bake until the tops brown and potatoes are heated through, about 15 minutes.
Serve with watercress sauce!!!

Watercress Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped shallot
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 large bunch watercress
Salt and freshly ground pepper
water, if needed

In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan of boiling water, blanch the watercress for about 2 minutes. Run under cold water and drain well.
Transfer the watercress to a blender, add the shallot mixture and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a small amount of water if the sauce is too thick.
Return the sauce to the saucepan and heat over medium heat until hot. Serve immediately.

Stawberry Parfaits

1/2 cup unsalted raw cashews

4 tbsp sugar (I used maple syrup)

1/2 cup almond milk

3/4 cup silken tofu, drained

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 cups sliced strawberries

1 tsp lemon juice

Fresh mint leaves for garnish

Combine the cashews, 3 tbsp sugar  and almond milk. Process until smooth. Add the tofu and vanilla and continue to blend until smooth and creamy, Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Combine strawberries, lemon juice and remaining 1 tbsp of sugar. Stir gently to combine and set aside at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Spoon alternating layers of the strawberries and cashew creme into wine glasses, ending with cashew creme. Garnish with mint leaves and serve.

Carrot and Orange Salad

Very Good.
1 lb shredded carrots
2 oranges, peeled, segmented and chopped
1/2 cup unsalted roasted cashews (I used roasted pine nuts)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp agave syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

In a large bowl, combine the carrots, oranges, cashews, and cilantro and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, lime juice, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Whish in the oil until blended. Pour the dressing over the carrot mixture, stirring to lightly coat. Toss gently to combine and serve.

Black Bean Brownies

Ok sounds weird but they are GREAT!

Ingredients:
1 15oz can of black beans, rinced well (or 1 3/4 cups)
1 Tbsp instant coffee (I used my coffee subsitute)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 bananas (just ripe, a little green even)
1/3 cup agave nectar (or maple syrup)
3 Tbsp sucanat
1 Tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup instant oats

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a square pan with grapeseed oil. Throw everything together in blender (except oats). Blend, scrape, then blend again. Stir in the oats and pour batter in the pan. Bake about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing.

TASTES THE BEST when cooled in the fridge, even better the next day. Keep stored in fridge in air tight container.

Potatoes and Green Beans with Cheeze Sauce

I steamed some potatoes and beans then topped with this great cheeze sauce:

1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup veg broth
1/2 nutritional yeast
1/8 tsp turmeric
Salt and fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp water
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp yellow mustard
1/2 cups almond milk

In a small sauce pan,, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until soft.. Stir in the broth and nutritional yeast, turmeric, and salt and pepper then simmer, stirring often until mixture starts to thicken and bubble. Whisk in the cornstarch and cook 2 minutes longer until thickened.
With an immersible blender, blend until smooth. Add lemon juice, mustard and almond milk and blend until smooth. Heat over low heat, stirring until hot.
This is really good with pasta or steamed veggies.

Arancini - saffron & roasted vegetable risotto balls, balsamic crema, sweet chili sauce & parsley oil

PIZZA

Lunch the other day at this place in West Van.

I had a really good vegan pizza with tons of veggies....the comso was great too!!!