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.

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.