mixed mushrooms on toast
August 9, 2010
I’ve often mentioned that I like to combine recipes. This is the perfect example. We were invited to dinner at Andrew’s clients’ house – Charles and Salome. Salome somehow pulled off an awesome dinner after work on a Wednesday. One of her appetizers was a bed of arugula with sautéed mushrooms, toasted pine nuts, and some grated parmesan. Really tasty. I think Andrew almost licked the plate when it was finally all gone. Tonight I was looking through 200 Veggie Feasts, mentioned in the Pea, Potato, and Arugula Soup entry, and they had this really yummy looking Mixed Mushrooms on Toast. Kind of like Salome’s salad but without the pine nuts and on toasted sourdough bread. I decided I wanted to make it tonight but with the sautéed mushroom recipe I love from Lucy Waverman. Voila – 3 sources of inspiration coming together in 1 helluvanelegant dish. Here it is.
Mushrooms:
1 pound mixed mushrooms
3 tbsps olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup veggie stock
2 tbsps Port
2 tbsps chopped parsley
salt and pepper
Toasts:
Baguette
Arugula
Pine nuts, toasted
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper
Trim mushrooms, removing stalks if you are using shiitake, and chop. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add garlic and mushroom and saute until beginning to lose their juices, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add balsamic, and stock and bring to boil. Reduce until liquid practically disappears and then add Port. Saute 1 minute longer, sprinkle with salt and pepper and parsley.
Meanwhile toast chunky slices of baguette, then arrange on serving plates. Drizzle the toast with olive oil. Top the toast with equal amounts of arugula leaves and mushrooms. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
pea potato and arugula soup
August 9, 2010
Joshua, my very sweet and handsome now 17-year old gave me a small-sized format cookbook for Christmas called 200 Veggie Feasts. Despite the fact that he likes to accuse me of joining a cult, he’s nevertheless supporting my new health regime by giving me very well chosen cookbooks (he also gave me one called Salt that’s beautiful). I’ve tried a few recipes from 200 Veggie Feasts and they are really nice recipes! This one is no exception. Simple. Earthy. Like a vichyssoise with the freshness of peas and the pepperiness of arugula. Full of flavour and summery goodness. We had it with the mushroom toasts for a light Sunday supper.
3 tbsps olive oil
1 onion, finally chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsps chopped thyme
8 oz potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 1/2 cups fresh peas
4 cups veggie stock
2 1/2 cups arugula leaves, roughly chopped
juice 1 lemon
salt and pepper
Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onion, garlic, and thyme and cook over a low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until the onion is softened. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
Stir in the peas, stock, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Transfer the soup to a food processor or blender, add the arugula and lemon juice and process until smooth. Return to the pan, adjust the seasoning, and heat through. Serve immediately, drizzled with a little extra oil.
slow-roasted tomatoes
August 8, 2010
Slow-roasted, local, organic, fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes are summer in its physical, vegetable form, concentrated and packed into tasty sweetness. Honestly. I bought pounds, and I mean pounds, of organic cherry tomatoes from Vicki last year and slow-roasted them all. I was sick to death of slow-roasted tomatoes by the time I was done. Not sick of the taste. Sick of the process. But I used them through-out the year in pasta sauces, as a dip, on sandwiches, in salads. There is nothing quite like them for their taste and versatility. Of course by March I mourned their absence when I went to the freezer and found it empty. So this year I’m roasting more. Truckloads. I’ve started early, now that they are out, and will continue on until there are no more to buy. My freezer will be full and hopefully I’ll make it to Summer 2011 with some still staring up at me conjuring up memories of sun, heat, and long evenings drinking rose on the back terrace at the farm.
Tonnes of cherry tomatoes, any variety, cleaned and sliced in half
Lots of Basil
Lots of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Clean and halve cherry tomatoes. Put in a large mixing bowl. Make basil olive oil by mixing basil (any amount but I use lots) with olive oil in a food processor. Pour over tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread on baking sheets and slow-roast in an oven heated to 250 degrees for about 4 hours until done to your liking. Let cool and start using them for everything. I store them in small ziplock bags and thaw as needed.
lentil salad two ways
August 8, 2010
Lentil Salad with Cumin Mustard Dressing
I was craving lentil salad the other day and started going through my cookbooks to find one that would totally hit the spot. This was harder than I expected, as it turned out, since my craving wasn’t just any craving – it was specific to a mustardy-cumin-infused-shallot-rich-lentil-salad-perfect-for-lunches kind of taste. So, as is my tendency, I decided to take about 4 recipes and mash them up until I had one that seemed to me to be the perfect answer to my craving. It was pretty close. I would still like to tweak it a bit but I left the lunch table totally satisfied, and happy that there were left-overs for the next day.
Lentils:
2 cups du puys lentils
6 cups water
2 bay leaves
2 tsps fresh thyme
3 cloves garlic, peeled
Vegetables:
Variety vegetables, finely chopped and sauteed
Dressing:
1 shallot
3 tbsps sherry vinegar
2 tsps dijon
2 tbsps lemon juice
1 1/2 tsps cumin
3/4 cup olive oil
Rinse the lentils. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the lentils, water, bay leaves, thyme, and garlic to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, choose a variety of vegetables (I used what happened to be in the fridge – 3 yellow carrots, a yellow zucchini, a small leek, 2 ears of fresh corn), chopped finely and saute in olive oil until just tender. Set aside.
Drain the lentils and discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Remove the garlic, mash it, and set it aside for the dressing.
For the dressing, chop shallots finely and soak in sherry vinegar and a little salt for at least 15 minutes or longer to sweeten the shallots. Add dijon, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper, and the mashed garlic set aside from the lentils. Mix well. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil as you whisk briskly.
When lentils are cool, toss with the sauteed vegetables and dressing. Adjust seasoning and serve at room temperature.
Andrea’s Assiniboine Salad with herbs
Last summer we went to Calgary to visit friends. In an attempt to accommodate my growing vegan-like diet they made a lentil salad for dinner one night. We had left-overs so we brought it with us to Mount Assiniboine Lodge where we were headed for the long weekend. To this day, every time I eat it I think of how much fun we had, how much I love those guys, and how much we wish they could live closer! Funny that. Food is such an emotional thing with so many deep associations. I don’t know where the recipe is from but, to me, it will always be Andrea’s Assiniboine Salad.
2 cups green lentils
1-2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 medium bell peppers, roasted
2 tsp mint, chopped
3 tbsps fresh herbs – parsley, marjoram, cilantro, basil, thyme, chopped
8 oz feta (optional)
Lemon Vinaigrette
juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp paprika
pinch cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp sea salt
6-8 tbsps olive oil
Cook lentils in water with carrots, onions, bay leaf, garlic and salt. Drain when lentils are soft. Add chopped roasted peppers, chopped mint, herbs and feta. Toss with lemon vinaigrette. Serve and enjoy warm or cold.
drunken peaches au sirop d’erable
August 7, 2010
I mentioned Salome in my post re: Mushrooms on Toast. She also figures in what I’m calling Drunken Peaches au Sirop d’Erable. She served these at a dinner party last week and thus gets all the credit. 100%. A true blend of where she’s come from and where she’s at now – culturally speaking. Porto from Portugal and Maple Syrup from Canada. Gotta love it. Thank you Salome! My father, who’s a purist when it comes to peaches, even approved. Couldn’t be easier or tastier.
Fresh Ontario organic peaches
Port
Maple Syrup
Wash the peaches. Don’t peel – why would you? They are fresh, the skin is good for you, and it’s just too much work. Slice the peaches into a large bowl. Drench in a liberal amount of Port. Coat with a generous helping of maple syrup. Toss. Let sit in the fridge to allow for full drunkeness. Just before you’re ready to serve, saute in a saucepan until you achieve desired level of ooie-gooie sticky sweetness. Serve just plain drunk or with some soy ice cream (I’m a convert I must admit. So Delicious is oh so delicious).
photo credit: Cameron Johnson
roasted zucchini with pecans and quinoa
July 31, 2010
I was driving through Belleville and decided to stop at a book store to find a book I had been looking for for awhile. I found my book but inevitably the cookbook section called my name and I found myself browsing through the vegetarian section. I saw a book called The Vegan Cook’s Bible by Pat Crocker and decided to give it a whirl as it had a great reference section at the beginning complete with all sorts of information on the benefits of individual veggies, spices, grains, and beans. It also had an extensive recipe section.
I decided to start with Crocker’s roasted zucchini recipe for no other reason than I saw the picture and it looked good. And maybe because I remember as a kid my mom made a great stuffed zucchini but (it was the late 70s) filled with cream cheese which I’m not so keen on these days. Especially the processed Philly kind. I tested it last night on my parents, Andrew, and the kids and it definitely got the thumbs up. Bekah even wolfed down all the extra filling which I couldn’t fit into the zucchini boats. I’ve made a few changes, as always, so if you happen upon Crocker’s book the recipe will look slightly different.
4 medium zucchini (courtesy of Vicki’s Veggies, the best organic veggies around!)
4 tbsps olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp ginger, minced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup cooked quinoa, or other grain
1/3 cup pecans, roasted and chopped
In a saucepan of boiling water, cook zucchini for 7 minutes. Immerse in cold water until cool, then drain. Cut in half lengthwise and remove the flesh, leaving a 1/4 inch shell. Finely chop flesh and set aside. Brush shell inside and out with 2 tbsps of the oil. Arrange, cut side up, on prepared baking sheet and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat other 2 tbsps oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until slightly softened. Add garlic, ginger, and cumin. Cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes or until onion is tender. Remove from heat and stir in reserved chopped zucchini flesh, cooked quinoa, and pecans.
Divide filling into 8 portions and press into zucchini shells. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees for 10 – 12 minutes or until filling is lightly browned and zucchini are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
Crocker suggests serving this as a main delicately placed on top of roasted red pepper sauce. I’ll have to try that. We just had it as a side in the company of other tasty vegetable dishes and some steak for the kids about to head off to camp.
sweet corn salsa with red pepper jalapeno and lime
July 25, 2010
The corn in Ontario was early this year, like most of the amazing produce our farmers grow in this province. Early spring. Warm spring. My garlic was at least 3 weeks ahead of last year and I don’t ever remember having corn in early July. Fine with me. We’ve been having fresh corn with dinner (check it out next to the Zucchini and Tofu Satays). I usually make too much (mostly on purpose) so I can have the left-overs in salads or in this fabulous sweet corn salsa from the rebar cookbook. It’s great on its own or added to some adzuki beans or quinoa for a really nice mid-day salad.
Sweet Corn Salsa turned into Quinoa Salad
3 1/2 cups corn
2 tsps olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 red pepper, finely diced
1/2 small red onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1/4 cup cilantro, stemmed and chopped
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp pure chile powder
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
4 shots Tabasco sauce, or more to taste
Toss corn with the oil and 1/2 tsp salt and spread out on a baking sheet. Roast in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Let cool. Meanwhile, prepare and measure the other vegetables, herbs and spices. Combine everything, including the corn, in a bowl and toss well. Season to taste and serve.
balsamic roasted shallots
July 25, 2010
With the rebar cookbook being my cookbook of choice this summer, I found this recipe, of course, in the rebar cookbook. I’ve made it about 6 times in 2 weeks because I can’t get enough of these yummy, sweet, succulent, morsels of heaven. I love shallots anyway. Slow roasted shallots smothered with balsamic and brown sugar just take these perfect, tiny alliums to a new level. Eat them as a side dish. Add them to salads, pastas, rice dishes. Put them on a pizza. No matter – you’ll adore them.
8 oz shallots, peeled and halved
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1 tsp chopped rosemary or thyme
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Toss all of the ingredients together in a small glass baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the shallots are soft and carmelized. Serve warm.
zucchini and tofu satay
July 10, 2010
This is from the rebar cookbook. Their recipe is actually eggplant and tofu satay but I don’t love eggplant and so substitute zucchini for it whenever I get the chance. We tried it tonight and it was really good. It would have been better had we started the marinade yesterday but we just aren’t that organized so, instead of 24 hours, it marinated for about 1 hour. Nevertheless it was still awesome and got the thumbs up from Rebekah!
1 tbsp minced lemon zest
2 tbsps miso
3 tsbps fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
4 tbsps brown sugar
2 tsp minced ginger
1 tbsp wasabi
1 block extra firm tofu
2 zucchini
8 bamboo sticks
Prepare the glaze by whisking together the first eight ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside for 1 hour, then strain through a sieve to remove the solids. (I must admit I didn’t strain. Why bother?) Next, cut pressed tofu into 1-inch cubes. Arrange them in a single layer in a shallow dish with sides. Pour half of the glaze over the tofu, toss to coat, and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
Slice zucchini into 1/2″ thick coins and pour remaining glaze over the zucchini. Toss to coat and let marinate for 30 minutes.
To assemble, pre-heat the grill to 375 degrees. Thread 4 cubes of tofu and 4 half coins of zucchini per skewer, leaving a bit of space between each piece. Reserve glaze for basting. If oven-baking, arrange the skewers on an oiled baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until the zucchini and tofu are golden and cooked through. Halfway through cooking, turn the skewers over and baste. Serve hot and use leftover glaze for dipping.
totally vegan super satisfying cesar salad
July 9, 2010
My cookbook of choice this holiday – to read, explore, focus on, and experiment with – is the rebar modern food cookbook by Audrey Alsterberg and Wanda Urbanowicz. Today for lunch I decided to experiment with the rebar Cesar Salad which is not a vegan salad but I veganized it to see what it would taste like. It was a highly successful lunch. Who needs cheese, anchovies, and bacon when you’ve got roasted garlic, local romaine lettuce, and homemade croutons? Not me! Andrew and Bekah decided they wanted shaved parmigiano on theirs; I went without. We were all super satisfied.
1 bulb roasted garlic (see below)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp capers
1 tbsp caper juice
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cracked pepper
1 cup olive oil
Combine all of the ingredients, except oil, in a blender or food processor and blend. Add olive oil in a slow, thin stream. Correct seasoning to taste.
To serve, toss the dressing with washed, dried, and torn romaine lettuce and fresh croutons (see below), and garnish with shaved parmigiano (optional), fresh cracked pepper, and lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Roasted Garlic
1 garlic blub
2 tsps olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of cracked pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife, slice the top off the garlic bulb, just enough to expose the tops of the garlic flesh. Center bulb on a square piece of parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pop it into the oven.
After 45 minutes you should start to smell the sweet roasting aroma, but depending on the size of your bulb, it may need a bit more time. Test by slipping the sharp point of a paring knife into one of the cloves. If it slides in effortlessly, or the bulbs are starting to poke out of their skins, then the garlic is ready.
Garlic Croutons
5 slices of bread, cubed
3 tbsps olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp salt
Toss the bread cubes with oil, garlic, and salt. Spread out on a lined baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes, or until evenly browned and crisp on the outside.
v:gourmet 