Insta-Pie! (15-minute Apple Almost-Pie)

Have you ever wanted a sweet snack, maybe a quick and easy dessert to appease that mid-week after dinner sweet-tooth? Well, make sure you keep a box of graham crackers in your pantry and apples in your fridge... And- this recipe can be easily made vegan by using vegan graham crackers (Nabisco Original Graham Crackers are vegan) and oil instead of butter... it's just as good. It takes less than 15 minutes and makes a quick yet substantial dessert for 2, or a taster for six.

The best part is: you can whip up the apples while you're preparing dinner and let it sit while you're eating--or even prepare a big batch of diced apples to keep in the fridge to put on crepes or mix with granola and yogurt/soygurt--so that all you have to do is pop your delights in the toaster oven for 5 minutes when you're ready for dessert!

6 graham crackers

1-2 tbsp butter (or oil, with 1/2 a pinch of salt if vegan)

1 apple, diced

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp maple syrup (or 1/2-1 tsp brown or regular sugar)

2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese (optional, omit if vegan)

1. In a small saucepan on medium heat, brown the butter or heat the oil.

2. Sauté the diced apple in the butter for 4 minutes, until it's starting to soften, then add the cinnamon, lemon juice, and maple syrup or cinnamon. Turn heat down to medium-low continue to cook for around 5 minutes- until cooked through.

3. On your toaster oven baking sheet, arrange 6 graham crackers. Spoon apple mixture evenly (about 1 heaping tbsp. per cracker) over each cracker. Sprinkle with cheese, if desired.

4. Heat in toaster oven either on toast setting or at 350 degrees F for 3-5 minutes, until cheese melts. Even if omitting the cheese, do this step, as the sauce over the cracker in the oven will soften the crackers slightly so that they become more like pie crust. Because the crackers are softer, make sure you use a spatula to remove them from the tray... eat immediately.

I Can't Believe It's Tofu! Dip

1 package silken tofu

1 clove garlic, minced

2-3 tsp. finely ground salt

2 1/2 tsp. ground cumin (freshly ground seeds are best)

1/2 tsp. garam masala**

1 tsp. curry powder or paste**

1/4 tsp. powdered ginger (or 1/8 tsp fresh, grated)**

1/8 - 1/2 tsp. chipotle chilli powder, to taste

3-4 tbsp. lime juice

1 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. unpasteurized honey (or maple syrup)

1/2 cucumber, seeded and finely diced

1 Granny Smith apple, cored and finely diced

1/2 - 3/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped)

1/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped**

(** = optional)

1. Let the tofu drain in a mesh strainer or colander to drain excess liquid for a few minutes, with the option of pressing lightly against it with a towel.

2. Whip the tofu in a large bowl with a fork and add all the spices, the lime juice, the soy sauce, and the honey (everything that isn't diced or chopped to provide texture). Whip vigorously, or use a hand blender to get a smooth texture. You can also use a food processor, regular blender, or a hand mixer with a whisk attachment.

3. Once whipped and blended set the mixture in the freezer to thicken (for 10-15 minutes) while you chop the cucumber, apple, cilantro and almonds. Stir them in by hand with a spoon.

4. Let the dip refrigerate for at least half an hour (2-3 hours, or overnight is best) to allow the tofu to absorb the flavours.

5. Serve with sliced pita or cucumber slices.

You can easily substitute a container of natural yogurt instead of tofu if you can't have soy.

Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana Smoothie

4 ice cubes

1-2 ripe bananas

1 heaping tbsp milled flax seeds

1 heaping tbsp cocoa powder

1 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar

1 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk (You can use cow's milk too, I guess)

1. If you are using whole flax seeds, use the pulse or ice-crush setting on your blender to mash them, then add the ice cubes and crush them. If not, simply crush the ice cubes first in your blender.

2. Add all the other ingredients and blend on the lowest setting for a few seconds until smooth.

You will end up with a very frothy and tasty treat. I like this smoothy because it's full of natural proteins from peanut butter, soy/almond milk, and even the flax seeds. You have fiber from the flax and bananas, and electrolyte replenishing potassium from the bananas. There isn't too much sugar either. Plus, the flax meal gives it a bit of body, so it's filling. If you're starving, you could add 2 tablespoons of rolled oats too. Usually I make hippie health smoothies with spinach and fruit, and nasty hemp and brown rice protein, so the fact that this smoothie is DELICIOUS, pretty filling, and isn't unhealthy, is really great. It's like a frothy chocolate, banana milkshake and the peanut butter makes it so creamy.

Eggs Polenta with Tomato Balsamic Sauce

I wanted to make brunch, and I didn't really have anything in the house except for eggs, an onion, a fresh tomato, and some garlic. Thankfully, I always have cornmeal in a canister and I have a giant brick of parmesan in my fridge. This is a play on the polenta recipe I posted recently on my blog. It doesn't take more than half an hour to whip up this awesome breakfast. The poached eggs can be omitted or substituted with fried mushrooms or tofu, or white beans cooked with garlic, salt and pepper, for it to be vegan, and the cheese and butter can be substituted for olive oil. This recipe serves 4-8 (1 or 2 per person).

Pan-Seared Polenta

1 cup corn meal, "polenta"
2 cups water
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder or a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 tsp butter (substitute with 3 tablespoons olive oil, if vegan)
1/2 cup whole milk (omit if vegan)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste
+ 1 tbsp of butter or olive oil

1. In a medium pot, boil water with a pinch of salt. Once water is boiled, turn the heat to medium and add the corn meal, stirring often. It should cook very quickly (about 3 minutes).
2. Once the polenta starts to form, whip rigorously, to avoid clumps, with a fork, and add the remaining ingredients, including the milk, butter, cheese, salt and pepper, and cayenne or chipotle. If you're vegan, salt generously and be generous with olive oil to add that creaminess.
3. Smooth your polenta into a rectangular cake or brownie pan (8x13??) with a spoon to let it set enough to slice. I recommend throwing it in the freezer for 5-8 minutes while you get your sauce together, so it'll be ready to slice and fry while your eggs are poaching.
4. In a heavy-bottomed, medium-large sauté pan, melt your remaining 1 tbsp of butter, or heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Once the polenta is set enough to slice, slice it with a butter knife into 8 (4x2). Fry the polenta slices until crispy brown, about 3-5 minutes on each side.


Tomato-Balsamic Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion or 1/2 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp maple syrup (optional)
1/2 tsp chili flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a small sauté pan on medium heat, warm the olive oil and sauté the onions until translucent, then add the garlic and tomatoes and sauté for a few minutes.
2. Add the balsamic, chili flakes, maple syrup, and salt and pepper. Let the sauce continue to cook on medium for about 5 to 8 minutes until, to help the balsamic reduce. Then, lower the heat to low and continue to simmer the sauce gently until you're ready to use it.



Poached Eggs

8 eggs

3 tsp white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. In a saucepan boil water with vinegar and salt on high. You can begin boiling the water immediately after you put your polenta into the freezer, right before you're getting your tomato sauce together. Timing wise, you will begin poaching your eggs while your sauce is simmering and your polenta is frying.

2.

Once boiled, reduce the temperature to medium, so that the water is still at boiling temperature, but no longer boiling rapidly.

3. Crack eggs individually into a small bowl and slip them into the water one at a time. If you do this carefully and the water is hot enough (just below boiling temperature so that it is still), you should not need to coach the egg with a spoon. But, if your egg starts to go for a swim, just direct it lightly with a spoon. It's easiest if you put the eggs in one at a time so that they do not run together.
4. Cook each egg for around 6 minutes, or a little longer if you like it firmer (around 3-4 if you like your yolk really runny).
5. To remove your eggs, scoop each one out with a serving spoon. You can use another serving spoon to hold back the egg and drain excess water off, as if you were using a pot lid to drain a pot of pasta.

***If you're vegan, you can sauté a can of white beans or white kidney beans in some olive oil with salt, pepper, and garlic and substitute them for the eggs. Or, you can sauté a portabello mushroom cap with salt, pepper, and garlic in olive oil.

To serve...

On the pan seared polenta, place the poached egg and a heaping tablespoon of the reduced sauce. Top with grated parmesan cheese, and serve with salt and pepper to taste. If you have a side, like fruit or salad, one per person allows to serve 8. If you're just serving the polenta and eggs, 2 each makes for a very hearty brunch!!

I apologize for the terrible photo quality; it was taken with my cell phone camera.

Greek Eggs Florentine

I got this idea from my aunt, this holiday season, who had whipped up a batch of special "healthy greens" Spanokopita (Greek spinach pie) in no time, telling us she keeps a batch of this mixture in her fridge to make Eggs Florentine with. I had to try it myself. She told us she added more eggs to the mixture to make Spanokopita with, but, without getting her recipe, I decided to just have a go of it on my own. Thanks Auntie Fay!

Chard, Kale, and Spinach & Feta Warmed Salad

1 large onion, halved and chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch of swiss chard, with stems removed, chopped

1 bunch lacino kale (the dark green, almost black, kind with a flat leaf), chopped

500 g (one package) frozen spinach (chopped or whole leaf), thawed and drained

2-3 tsp (a splash) of lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

3/4-1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F on broil.

2. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large (oven safe) sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions and sauté them until they begin to be tender. Add the garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent.

3. Add the swiss chard and lacino kale and stir. Cover the pan for 5-10 minutes until the chard and kale are cooked down.

2. Stir in the spinach and season with the lemon juice, the remainder of the 1 tbsp olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Continue to sauté for around 5 minutes until the spinach begins to cook. You'll smell it.

3. Stir in the beaten egg. Continue stirring for 3-5 minutes until egg cooks in.

4. Stir in the feta cheese. Continue stirring for 2-3 minutes until cheese distributed.

5. Put pan in oven for 5 minutes to broil. Watch closely. You just want the mixture in the oven long enough for the cheese to begin to melt, while adding a bit of a golden brown colour. You can turn down the oven temperature and keep the mixture in there to stay warm, while making other preparations.

This makes enough for at least 12 people. You'll have lots of leftovers! I'll give you some ideas for what to do with them below. For anyone who has made Greek Spanokopita, you'll notice that this bears a striking resemblance to the filling... You can substitute a 500 g package of frozen spinach for the chard and kale bunches.

Poached Eggs

2 eggs per person

3 tsp white vinegar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1. In a saucepan boil water on high heat. Once boiled, reduce the temperature to medium, so that the water is still at boiling temperature, but no longer boiling rapidly.

2. Add 3 tsp of vinegar and a pinch of salt to the water.

3. Crack eggs individually into a small bowl and slip them into the water one at a time. If you do this carefully and the water is hot enough (just below boiling temperature so that it is still), you should not need to coach the egg with a spoon. But, if your egg starts to go for a swim, just direct it lightly with a spoon. It's easiest if you put the eggs in one at a time so that they do not run together.

4. Cook each egg for around 6 minutes, or a little longer if you like it firmer (around 3-4 if you like your yolk really runny).

5. To remove your eggs, scoop each one out with a serving spoon. You can use another serving spoon to hold back the egg and drain excess water off, as if you were using a pot lid to drain a pot of pasta.

Toast

You'll need 2 slices of bread per person. I use rye or pumpernickel bread from the local bakery, but you can also use English muffins, or ciabatta or French loaf. You can brush slices of bread with olive oil and place them on a cookie sheet under your already warmed broiler, moving the spinach mixture to the bottom rack, or taking it out of the oven, and putting it back in for a moment before assembling the plate. Or, you can just use the toaster...

To assemble

Layer the spinach mixture onto your bread slices, about two generous tablespoons each. Place a poached egg on top. Sprinkle some fresh Parmesan or another hard cheese, and season with salt and pepper. You can also sprinkle finely crumbled feta instead of Parmesan. The runny yolks act as their own hollandaise sauce.

. . .

Other variations

Leftovers keep in the fridge really well, especially if you pack the spinach mixture into mason jars while warm, because they vacuum seal themselves once you put them in the fridge. I've been eating this mixture on its own, simply heated up, as a warm side dish. I also layered it on my sandwiches, both heated and cold, as a flavourful spread that added a bit of green.

I also took it for lunch as a chilled eggs Florentine salad: I layered a few tomato slices at the bottom of my tupperware, spooned some of the Florentine mixture on top, and, for a bit of protein, layered a sliced poached egg on top. I whipped up vinaigrette with lemon juice, honey, olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil to drizzle on top. I've also eaten it plain, and I've also used a small drizzle of a store bought fig-balsamic-olive oil dressing. You could easily make this into a sandwich by putting it in a tortilla wrap, or between two slices of yummy pumpernickel bread.

Like my Auntie Fay, you could add 2-3 more beaten eggs to the mixture, dolloping it onto rectangles of phyllo pastry, and folding into triangles. Make sure to use lots of olive oil or butter to brush your pastry. You would need to bake it for around 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

Candied Mushrooms on a Bed of Polenta

Candied Mushrooms:

3 shallots, sliced thinly

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups of cremini mushrooms, sliced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup (a splash) of red wine

3 tbsp - 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup

Salt and Pepper to taste

Freshly grated parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)

1. Begin by heating the olive oil in a medium sauté pan on medium heat. Sauté the shallots and garlic until translucent.

2. Add the mushrooms and sauté for about two minutes, just enough so that they start to brown a bit.

3. Add the remaining ingredients (balsamic vinegar, red wine, maple syrup, salt and pepper). Let the alcohol from the wine cook off a bit (about 5 minutes) and then lower the head to medium-low and let the sauce simmer for about another 10 minutes. The longer you let it simmer, the more "candied" (caramelized) the mushrooms become.

Polenta:

3/4 cups finely ground cornmeal

1 1/2 cups water

3 tbsp half & half or whole milk

1 tbsp butter

~3 heaping tablespoons of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium saucepan on high heat, add the cornmeal and water with a pinch of salt.

2. Once the polenta starts to bubble and boil, lower the head to medium and stir constantly with a fork.

3. Once the polenta has thickened (it should only take 2-3 minutes), stir in the butter, cream or milk, salt and pepper, and parmesan cheese.

Serve the mushrooms on a bed of the polenta and top with some more freshly grated parmesan cheese. A very quick and tasty snack.

If you want to take some extra time and get fancy, make the polenta first, before the mushrooms, and while the polenta is hot, spread it evenly in a shallow cake pan so it's about 1/2 inch to an inch thick. Let it it set. You can make this go faster by putting it in the fridge. It'll take about 20 minutes to 1/2 an hour... enough time to cook the mushrooms. Once the polenta has set, slice it into squares or rectangles and then slice them diagonally, so you have triangles. Fry these triangles in olive oil until crisp on both sides. Serve under the candied mushrooms with freshly grated parmesan.

Gnocchi and Plum Tomato Sauce

3 tablespoons+ olive oil

5 shallots, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/4 cups cooking wine (red)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 - 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (to taste)

1 pinch of salt (to taste)

Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

3 -4 portobello mushroom caps, sliced

1 pints plum tomatoes, halved

1/2 cup olives (green or black), pitted and sliced (or fresh capers)

7-8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (garnish)

1/3 - 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (optional)

Grated parmesan cheese (optional garnish)

1 kg gnocchi

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet (preferably cast-iron) on medium heat.

2. Add the shallots and sauté until translucent.

3. Add the garlic, mushrooms and a 1/2 pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper.

4. Once the shallot have caramelized a little bit, and the mushrooms are tender, add the balsamic vinegar, red wine, and maple syrup. Stir. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the sauce simmer and reduce.

5. In a separate sauté pan, heat about a teaspoon of olive oil on medium heat. Lighty sauté the plum tomato halves, so blacken them a bit. Once they've cooked up a bit (about 4 minutes), add them to the simmering sauce.

6. Add the olives or capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

8. Let the sauce simmer until any remaining liquid has reduced to desired consistency.

9. If you choose to add the ricotta cheese, to make the sauce creamy, stir it in. You can also let each diner stir in their own cheesy garnish at the end. I stirred mine into the pasta.

10. Add the boiled gnocchi to your skillet and you're ready to serve with fresh basil and parmesan as garnish.

I served mine with a baby arugala salad with fig-balsamic dressing and a few cherry tomatoes on top!

Bon appetit!

Tasty Vegan Chili

1 onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 green peppers, diced

2 carrots, thinly sliced

1 can kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 roasted squash, cubed

1 roasted sweet potato, cubed

1 roasted potato, cubed

~2 cups okra, chopped

1 cup of textured vegetable protein (TVP)

1 bunch swiss chard, chopped

1 can of diced tomatoes

- 1 can tomato paste

1/3 cup chili powder

2 jalapeños, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 cup chipotle sauce (or the sauce of 1 can of chipotle peppers with 2-3 of them minced)

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 molasses

Salt to taste

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp vegetable bouillon (optional)

1. In a large pot on medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the the onions and garlic and sauté until translucent.

2. Add the sliced carrots and peppers. Cook until relatively tender.

3. In a separate bowl, mix the TVP with the bouillon (or just leave it as is), and then add 1-2 cups of boiling water, to rehydrate it.

4. Add the jalapeños, chipotle peppers, pepper flakes, and chili powder to the pot and stir.

5. Add the canned tomatoes, squash, sweet potato, potato, can of tomatoes, TVP, molasses, and cocoa powder.

6. Add the okra. Let simmer.

7. Salt to taste. Once all the vegetables are tender, add the swiss chard.

Great on its own or served over brown rice. Hearty and healthy. You might want to adjust the spice level, molasses, and cocoa powder to taste.

Vegan Whole Wheat Oatmeal-Nut Scones

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground (or fresh grated) ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

3/4 cup refrigerated vegan crisco or margarine, cubed

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped nuts, raisins, and/or chopped dried fruit (optional)

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (or molasses)

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2/3-1 cup of almond, soy, or rice milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.

3. Cut in, bit by bit, the margarine or crisco. If you are not using a mixer, it is easier to do this by hand, using your fingers to break apart the clumps. Continue to stir until the mixture reaches a fluffy consistently that forms light clumps as you stir.

4. Cut in the nuts and/or fruit and oats.

5. In a separate measuring cup, lightly whisk together the maple syrup (or molasses), vanilla extract, and almond (or soy or rice) milk.

6. Bit by bit stir the liquid into the other ingredients. Mix lightly until the bowl begins to form. Once it has come together, lightly form it into a ball with your hands. Do not work the dough too much.

7. Gently press the ball onto a cutting board, forming about a 7" rectangle. It should be about a 1.5" thick. Cut the rectangle into 2x2 inch pieces with a knife. Lightly form each piece into a loose circle and place on a baking sheet.

8. Sprinkle each scone with sugar. Or, for the last 5-10 minutes of baking, lightly glaze each with maple syrup.

10. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and firm in the centre.

Vegan Lemon-Raspberry Scones

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup refrigerated vegan margarine (or vegan shortening), cubed

1 tsp baking soda (Or 1 tsp. corn starch in 2 tbsp. water)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 lemon zested (approx. 3 tablespoons of zest)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1+ cups of fresh or frozen raspberries

1/2 cup almond, soy, or rice milk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. If you're using egg replacer mix instead, wait to add this with the wet ingredients.

3. Bit by bit, cut in the vegan crisco or margarine. If you have an electric mixer this should be easy: keep mixing until you have a sort of fluffy/grainy mixture. If you're mixing by hand, it's easiest to mix with your hands, breaking apart clumps of margarine with your fingers.

4. Stir in the lemon zest and raspberries.

5. In a separate bowl, mix together the lemon juice, almond (or soy or rice) milk. If you're using egg replacer mix instead of baking soda, ad this to the mix as well.

6. Bit by bit, cut the wet mixture into the other ingredients. Keep stirring until the dough begins to form a ball.

7. Lightly form the dough into a ball with your hands, Push down into about an 8" rectangle onto a cutting board. Cut into 12 pieces about 2 inches squared each. Gently separate each piece into a loose circle and place on a baking tray. Be careful not to overwork the dough.

8. Lightly sprinkle scones with sugar and extra lemon zest if you so desire.

9. Bake for 20-25 mins, until golden brown and firm when pressed lightly in the centre.

Two Good Soups

I have a giant soup pot at my place--the kind big enough to boil a whole turkey in, if you had to. These soup recipes are enough to fill the pot. I love making big pots of soup because I live with a lot of people, so it gets eaten really quicky. In fact, I put the soup in individual jars so that people can just grab it and go. Alternatively, a mason jar with a ribbon on it, full of tasty soup, makes a nice little present/treat for a friend. These soups also freeze really well. And they make really nice potluck treats. So, here are 2 really hearty good soups:

"v8" Soup.

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 large onion, diced

2-3 large sweet potatoes, peeled

3 medium-largish potatoes

6-7 carrots

4-5 large beets

1 bunch of green kale, chopped

2 cans of white beans

2 cans of crushed tomatoes

3 litres of unsalted vegetable broth or water (as needed)

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil

Thyme, or whatever herb you like

1/2+ tsp of chipotle chili powder

1. Cube the potatoes, peeled sweet potatoes, beets, and carrots. In a bowl, rub in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven at 350, for about 45 minutes, or however long it takes your oven to roast them...

2. In a large pot, sautée the onion in about a tablespoon of olive oil at medium heat. Add the garlic, chipotle chili powder, some thyme or other herb (if you'd like), and a bit of black pepper. Continue sautéeing.

3. Once the onions are "done," add the 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and the two cans of white beans. Let it simmer to a boil.

4. Once the start of your broth is boiling, add the kale and 1 1/2 litres of vegetable broth. Cover the pot and steam the kale in your broth. This should take 5-10 minutes. Once the kale is steamed, use a hand blender to completely blend the broth, kale and all. If you want to make the kale chunks as small as possible, you can use a food processor, but if you don't mind a bit of texture, the hand blender is a lot easier and less messy.

5. Finally, add your finished roasted veggies. Let them simmer in your mashed up broth for 20 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.

6. Once the roasted flavour has simmered into the broth, use a hand blender to blend in the roasted veggies. Add liquid (broth or water) and seasoning as desired.

White Bean, Kale, Potato, Roasted Garlic Soup

1 bag of white beans (about 2 1/2 cups dried), soaked for 24 hours.

2 onions, sliced

16 small-medium potatoes, diced

1 bunch of kale, chopped

6 large cloves of garlic (unpeeled)

Fresh rosemary, about 5-6 "branches"

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil

4 tbsp Lemon juice

2 cubes of unsalted vegetable bouillon

1. Rub the diced potatoes in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Rub the unpeeled garlic cloves in olive oil. On a cookie sheet, roast them in the oven. About 40-45 minutes, or less- depending on your oven.

2. Sautée the onions in a large pot. At 2 tbsps fresh rosemary, chopped, and pepper.

3. In a separate smaller pot, boil the white beans until cooked. You can add a bit of bouillon so that they absorb the flavour. When they're done (about 20 mins on high), add them to the pot with the onions.

4. Once you've added the white beans to the onions, add 2 cups of boiling water with 1 cube of vegetable bouillon dissolved in it. Then add the chopped kale and cover the pot with a lid. Steam the kale for about 10 minutes.

5. Once the kale is steamed, use a hand blender to blend the broth.

6. Add the roasted potatoes, and blend. Dissolve the second cube of bouillon in another 2 cups of water, and add as needed. Peel the roasted garlic cloves and add them as well.

7. Chop the rest of the rosemary, and it along with the lemon juice and more salt and pepper to taste. Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes and it's ready to eat.

*I also added broccoli stalks to this soup. I Chopped them and boiled them in with the onions before I added the kale. I found them to be very "woody," but if you want to use broccoli, or broccoli stalks, it works well in this soup.

Daal Meets Chili Stew

This is a super quick and easy dish to make that requires very little attention. You can add spinach and other veggies to it beside the leeks, as well.

3-4 cups of dried red lentils

1 small onion, diced

1 cup (or one whole bunch) of leeks, chopped

1 can of crushed tomatoes

1 can white beans

2 cans kidney beans

2 heaping tbsps low salt vegetable bullion

2 tbsps garlic powder

2 heaping tbsps chipotle chili powder

2 heaping tbsps cumin

1/4 cup of red pepper flakes

3 tbsps lemon juice

2 tbsps olive oil

2-4 cups water

1. Rinse the red lentils and soak them for approximately three hours. Rinse and drain.

2. In a large pot, heat 2 tbsps olive oil on medium-high heat. Begin to sautée the diced onion and chopped leeks. Once they have softened up a bit, add 1 1/2 tbsps lemon juice to the pot and finish sautéeing until tender.

3. In a measuring cup, mix two cups of hot tap water with the vegetable bullion and 1 heaping tablespoon each of the garlic powder, cumin, and chipotle chili powder. Reserve the other 1 heaping tablespoon of each to add later.

4. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and add the lentils and water-spice mixture to the pot. Allow to simmer until the lentils begin to thicken and cook a bit. Add the tomatoes and continue to simmer.

*** You can totally stop here and eat the lentils like this with rice... super yummy! ***

5. Once the lentils are soft, add the three cans of beans and the remaining amount of spices. Add more or no water depending on how much water the lentils soak up. I added about another cup with the rest of the spices.

This dish is great when served with rice cooked with a little bit of tumeric. The cumin and red lentils give it a kind of daal feel while the chipotle, lemon juice, and kidney beans give it a chili feel. You can try adding TVP for extra texture and more of a chili feel.

Sexy Pasta Salad

1 900g bag of rotini (or any other pasta)

1 8oz bag of spinach (or frozen, thawed)

1 bunch of asparagus, blanched & sliced into 1 " pieces

1 cup of blanched peas (or frozen peas, thawed)

1 large tomato, diced

1 large avocado, diced

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsps of fresh basil, chopped

Dressing:

1 1/2 cups pesto (if you are vegan, make sure you get a cheese free pesto)

1/4 cup milk, soymilk, olive oil, or vegannaise (I used milk)

6 tbsps lime juice

1 tsp of chipotle chili powder

1/2 tsp pepper

1 clove of fresh garlic, minced

A dash of salt

Optional (i.e. if you're feeling ritzy)

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan

1. Cook the pasta. When you are finished, rinse it in a strainer with cold water to cool it down quickly, and also to keep it from sticking.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large sautée pan on medium-high heat. Add the four cloves of garlic and cook for a minute. Once they are starting to brown, add the entire 8 oz. bag of spinach. Cook until just wilted. It helps if you put a lid on the pan, once you've stirred it around for a bit.

3. Once the spinach is done, transfer it into a bowl and put it in the freezer for a few minutes to cool it down quickly.

4. While your pasta is cooking, you will blanch the peas and asparagus. (You can even use the same pan that you just cooked the spinach in). Just add an inch and a half of water, put in the veggies, and put on medium heat. Cook until just bright green, so that they are cooked but still have a bit of a crunch (about 3-4 minutes). Then, drain them and rinse them with ice cold water.

5. Toss every thing in a large mixing bowl and stir together, including the chopped basil, and diced avocado and tomatoes.

6. Stir in the dressing, a little bit at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep in mind that pesto is quite salty. If you are going to add fresh parmesan and pine nuts, add them bit by bit with the dressing.

For a super healthy option, use vegan pesto, omit the milk and go for olive oil cut with extra lemon juice and a bit of water (or apple cidar vinegar). For the pasta, use brown rice pasta, and put in 2 tbsps of flax seed into your dressing.

Food for thought... thought for food?

I initially wanted this blog to be primarily recipes again, but I have only posted two recipes so far. This is unacceptable! So, here are a couple more veggie/vegan friendly recipes that I have up my sleeve. The first recipe just sort of happened a couple months ago. I was making a grilled cheese sandwich and I had some extra tomato left over, so I just fried it up, put it on top of my sandwich, and ate it with a fork and knife. With a little thinking, it turned into this:

Black Tomato Open-Face Sandwich

2-4 Slices of bread (halved ciabiatta buns, crumpets, french loaf), toasted

1-2 Large Beefsteak Tomato(es)

1+ Avocado(es) OR Fresh Mozzarella cheese

Fresh basil leaves or dried basil

Oil

Salt and Pepper

1. You can do this on a grill or in a pan, if on the grill, heat it to high flame. If you are doing it in a frying pan, heat it on med-high heat with about a teaspoon of oil.

2. Slice the avocado or mozzarella and set aside. If you're using mozzarella, you can put it on top of the bread under the broiler for a minute to melt it.

3. Slice the tomatoes into 1 cm thick rounds, so they look like tomato steaks. If you're cooking them on the grill, brush them with oil and pepper (and dried basil if you're using it dry). Grill for 5+ minutes until soft and grill-marks appear, with golden brown/black edges. If you're pan-frying the tomatoes, fry for about 5+ minutes until golden brown with black edges. Season with pepper and dried basil while cooking, or just pepper.

4. Assemble the sandwiches, open-faced style with the bread and cheese/avocado on the bottom, followed by fresh basil if you have it, and then topped with your grilled tomato and some salt, and perhaps some extra pepper.

The vegan avocado version of this sandwich is amazing! I ate it for breakfast this morning on the Wild Oat's potato sage sourdough bread. I really like using avocado as a substitute for fresh mozzarella because it provides the same creamy freshness. It's also amazing what a little grilling does to bring out the flavour of tomatoes. I never used to like cooked tomatoes, but I think it's because they have always been over-cooked. By the way- you can definitely make this sandwich english-muffin/eggs bennie style and use egg instead of avocado, and add cheese too. I think it would be really delicious.

Now that grill season is almost upon us, I think I'm going to bust out a little portobello mushroom burger action! Since, I can't leave you with just one recipe, I'll leave you with this one too:

Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burgers

4 Ciabatta buns

4 Large Portobello mushroom caps

4 slices of smoked provolone or smoked gouda OR avocado AND/OR carmellized onions

1 Bunch of fresh, washed arugala

2-3 Cloves of Garlic, minced

Dried Thyme (optional)

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

1. Heat the grill to medium-high heat. If you have a top rack for toasting things, makes sure you put it on.

2. Slice the buns in half and brush each side with olive oil and garlic. You can sprinkle a bit of salt to. The first time I made this I made a sort of garlic butter and used it on each side, which is amazing, but if you want a vegan version, go for the olive oil, and sprinkle a bit of salt for flavour, if you'd like.

3. Brush the mushroom caps with olive oil, any leftover garlic from the bread and lots of pepper. You can also season them with thyme if you'd like.

4. Grill the mushrooms 3-5 minutes on each side, until soft and juicy, but still meaty. Toast the buns until golden brown.

5. If you're making "cheeseburgers" add the provolone or gouda on top of the caps a few minutes before they are done to melt the cheese. And season with Salt.

6. Assemble the burgers, adding the arugala (and avocado or onion if you're going for the vegan version).

These are absolutely heavenly. When served with some fresh sliced tomatoes and cucumber, or a nice salad, they make a really great backyard meal.