FOOD!!!

Dinner at my Moms....Spinach salad, Harvard beets mommy style and fried potatoes.  My mom is great. She added mushrooms and nuts in the salad. (Nuts so I would get my protein)  I love my moms cooking.

Valentine's Day Salad... wrapped in a cucumber cut lengthwise. I shredded lettuce, and cut up chives, celery, macadamia nuts, dried cranberries, grape tomatoes, carrot and avocado. So great with or without dressing.

PIZZA...my favourite is Amy's roasted veggie pizza. I added spinach and tomato my boyfriend added cheese and ham to his side  :)



Vegetable Roll at Tokyo Joes....WOW the best roll ever. I need MORE.  Avocado and seaweed on top. Even the Japanese beer was great.  

Artichoke and Spinach Dip

I found this recipe on the PETA website....It is so creamy and delicious. WOW.


Creamy Baked Artichoke Dip
Approx. 6 in. French bread
1/4 cup raw cashews, optional
1/2 cup cooked red or Yukon gold potatoes, packed
2 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. plus 1-2 pinches sea salt
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
2-3 pinches freshly ground black pepper
1 cup nondairy milk (soy milk is best for creaminess)
3 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. fresh, flat-leaf parsley
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and lightly squeezed
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
4 cups fresh spinach
Daiya cheese

• Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
• Add the French bread to the food processor in small, broken pieces and pulse until you have large crumbs. Set aside.
• Place the cashews in a food processor and blend until finely ground. Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl and add the potatoes, lemon juice, vinegar, and garlic, 1 teaspoonful of the salt, the nutritional yeast, and the pepper. Pulse a few times. Add 1/4 cup nondairy milk and purée until smooth. Add the remaining milk, 3 tablespoonfuls of the oil, and the parsley. Purée until very smooth and well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
• Add the artichoke, basil, and spinach and pulse lightly to incorporate the ingredients while retaining a slightly chunky consistency.
• Pour into a medium-size baking dish. (A 24- to 32-ounce dish works well.)
• Add 1/2 tablespoonful of oil and 1 to 2 pinches of salt to the bowl of breadcrumbs. Mix well and sprinkle evenly over the dip. I added a bit of Daiya cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes.
• Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Leek Soup

What a great winter soup. So creamy.

• 2 cups leeks, trimmed and sliced
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 3  large potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup rice milk
• 2 tbsp. vegan margarine
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• sea salt, pepper, to taste

 

1. Heat margarine in large stockpot over medium heat. Add leeks and onions and cook for 5-7 minutes. 
2. Add potatoes, herbs, salt, pepper and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Transfer soup to a blender, add rice milk and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste. 
4. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with warm crusty French bread.

Leek and Mushroom Bake

YUMMY and Wendy liked it too!!! 

puff pastry

coconut oil for frying

1 large leek, chopped into small pieces

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

20 mushrooms, washed and sliced

1 thick celery stick, chopped

1 cup cashew nuts – process with 2 cups water

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp vegetable bouillon

salt to taste

 

First fry your leeks and celery in the oil in a large saucepan for a couple of minutes or so, until slightly transparent.
Then stir in the mushrooms and garlic, and lower the heat.  Stirring every minute or so, until the mushrooms yield their juices.
Next, add the remaining ingredients, except for the cashew cream.
Make sure your veggies are totally cooked, then add your cream a little at a time.
Keep a low heat setting, allow the filling to thicken a little, and then add the remaining cream – again allowing it to simmer until it thickens.
Taste for salt, then allow your filling to cool down.  Meanwhile go and roll out your dough on a clean surface.
Use one medium sized dish if and grease your dish  roll out your pastry, and place the pastry in  (leaving enough dough for the lids).
Add in the filling on top, then cut the remaining dough to size to fit on top – any extra pastry can be put on the surface as a decoration.  Then brush on some soy milk. 
Place in a preheated 350ºF (180ºC) oven until golden –  for 20 minutes or so. Keep an eye on them – when they turn golden, they are ready

Yam Bites

 

 

Yams are one of my favourite things to eat. I love the spice combo on these.

 

4 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes

1 T extra-virgin coconut oil, melted

pinch cloves

pinch cumin

dash of cayenne

pinch ginger

pinch sea salt

dash ground black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toss all ingredients.

Bake for 35 - 60 minutes.

 

Pear Salad with Avocado

All my favourite things....a taste explosion.
Another WOW recipe

2 ripe avocados
1/3 cup macadamias
2 Anjou pears
Lemon juice
Freshly grated black pepper
Sea salt

Coarsely chop the macadamia nuts.
Peel and chop the avocado in cubes then toss with lemon juice.
Peel the pears and chop in cubes the same size.
Gently mix all the ingredients and add sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.

Puffed Quinoa Peanut Butter Balls

Puffed Quinoa Peanut Butter Balls  

Ingredients

• 1 cup puffed quinoa
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 3-4 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, syrup and vanilla. If the mixture is too firm, heat it up on the stove a little bit.
2. Add the puffed quinoa  and stir to combine.
3. Place mixture in the fridge for 15 minutes to let it firm up.
4. Remove from fridge, roll into 12 balls, and return to fridge for 15 minutes before serving.
5. Optional: dip some or all of the balls in dark chocolate.