butternut squash and pear puree
March 20, 2010
This recipe is from the refresh cookbook by Ruth Tal. The other day I posted 2 sauces from refresh that I love – Tamari and Tahini – and mentioned that I wanted to try the Butternut Squash and Pear soup. Well I tried it. Kind of. We had friends over for dinner last night and I needed a yummy side dish. So instead of making a soup, I turned the recipe into a puree. It was so good.
Not only was it totally delicious last night, but today for lunch I took the left-over puree, added a little veggie stock, turned it into a soup, and then sprinkled it with picada. Totally satisfying except now it’s gone which is sad. I wish I had made more. Try it out. And one day I will make the soup the way Ruth Tal suggests and let you know how it goes. In the meantime, this is a great improv version.
1 inch ginger root, peeled and minced
1 cinnamon stick
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
6 cups vegetable stock
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped (I used shallots which I adore)
1/3 cup white wine
2 pears, cored and chopped (to enhance the wonderful pear flavour in the soup, leave the pear peel on.)
sea salt and pepper to taste
1. Put the ginger, cinnamon stick , squash, and sweet potato in a large pot. Cover with the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
2. While the vegetables are simmering in the pot, heat olive oil in a frying pan. Add onion and cook until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
3. Add white wine and chopped pear to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until wine is reduced; then add to the squash and sweet potato mixture.
4. When everything is cooked through, about 30 minutes, pour off most of the stock and reserve for another use (or for your reconstituted soup the next day!). Remove the cinnamon stick. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
photo credit: Kristina, Lovely Morning
2 sauces: tahini + tamari
March 18, 2010
The refresh cookbook by Ruth Tal is fantastic. There are a number of soups I want to try out (butternut squash and pear with coconut milk – sounds yummy!) so I’ll get back to you on those. In the meantime I thought I should highlight two of their sauces that are the perfect accompaniment to rice and veggies, or what they call rice bowls. Rice bowls are simply steamed brown basmatic rice (but you can use any rice) topped with, well, pretty much anything from tofu to grilled vegetables to nuts and seeds. My favourite is sticky rice with grilled peppers, zucchini, fennel, maybe some steamed greens, sesame seeds and/or tamari sunflower seeds and then, of course, these two sauces – tahini and tamari. Dollop on liberally and enjoy. It’s good, it’s filling, it’s nurturing. Vegan comfort food. And because you build it yourself, the kids can opt in and out of whatever tickles their fancy or not. Everyone’s happy.
Tahini Sauce
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped parsley (the other day I didn’t have any so I used cilantro instead which was equally good)
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsps lemon juice
2/3 cup filtered water
1/2 cup sesame butter (tahini)
Whiz ingredients in a blender or food processor. Run until smooth, scraping the sides down once or twice.
Simple Tamari Sauce
1/2 cup tamari
3 tbsps sesame oil
1 1/2 inch ginger root, peeled and minced
4 tbsps lemon juice
Put all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
ginger hummus
March 15, 2010
I’ve tried a number of hummus recipes which have all been more or less good. Last night I tried this new one. We decided we like it best. Not sure why – flavours are a little more subtle, it’s softer and smoother, it doesn’t firm up the way others do after a day or two. It’s a good one. It’s from a cookbook I bought awhile ago but haven’t really explored fully – Tassajara: Dinners and Desserts. I’m now motivated to work my way through it, especially after reading about their very appealing approach to food (Musing #5). If I could only tap into that. Wow! Watch out. The Tassajara Zen Mountain Center is the oldest Japanese Buddhist Sōtō Zen monastery in the US located in the Ventana Wilderness area in California. It attracts serious zen practitioners and is known for its mission of teaching teachers. They eat this hummus. Now that’s a powerful endorsement.
2 cups chickpeas, cooked
2 inches ginger, peeled and cut into coins or grated
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
2-3 tbsps olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 cups of tahini
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt
Prepare the chickpeas (either cook dried chickpeas or rinse canned chickpeas). Puree chickpeas with remaining ingredients and about 1/4 cup of water. Check consistency. If you want it less stiff, add more olive oil, tahini, and/or lemon juice. Add salt to taste.
nourishing teas
March 13, 2010
Teas have become an absolutely critical staple in my life as they are so nourishing and yummy. I gave up coffee a couple of years ago. Not entirely because I do love a “vegan-ized” latte once in awhile, but mostly. I think I would have probably gravitated back to coffee had it not been for the unbelievable teas Jeanette introduced me to (in fact, some say they go to Jeanette just for the tea!). Rishi Teas are definitely the best I’ve found. They are super-high quality and very good blends.
Here are my three all-time favourites:
Rishi Masala Chai (blend of black tea and aromatic spices) with some organic ginger powder, organic cane sugar, hot water, and vanilla soy milk. Nice and spicy. Very warming.
Rishi Earl Grey (blend of black tea and natural essential bergamot oil) with some organic cinnamon powder, organic cane sugar, hot water, and vanilla soy milk. Really comforting. Very warming. One of our favourites at breakfast.
Rishi Green Tea Mint (blend of roasted green tea and pleasing, comforting peppermint) with organic cane sugar, hot water, and vanilla soy milk. You can also add some cocoa powder to make it more like a minty hot chocolate almost. This is one of our newly discovered favourites. Bekah loves it and drinks it almost daily now. It really is strangely good.
vij’s cauliflower rice pilaf
March 13, 2010
This is another good Vij’s recipe to go alongside the Coconut Curried Vegetables. I’ve “vegan-ized” it by using olive oil instead of butter. The other thing you can do is add dried currants to get a good hit of iron and fibre. My kids don’t love them so I tend to leave them out but you could also just have a little bowl-full on the side for customized additions.
Rice:
2 cups basmati rice
3 3/4 cups water
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 Tsp salt
Cauliflower:
2 Tsps cumin seed
2-3 Tbsps olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
10 whole cloves
1 1/4 Tsps ground turmeric
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (optional)
1 1/2 Tsps salt
1 cauliflower (about 1 pound), in 1-inch florets (about 5 cups)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, with stems
1. To prepare the rice: wash rice twice in cold water. Soak rice in 3 cups of water for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain rice.
2. In a medium pot with a lid, combine rice, 3 3/4 cups of water, olive oil and salt on high heat. As soon as the rice starts to boil vigorously, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, but do not remove the lid. Allow rice to sit for about 5 minutes, then remove the lid and set aside.
3. To prepare the cauliflower: In a separate frying pan or a wok, heat cumin seeds in oil on medium-high heat. Once seeds have sizzled for 30 to 45 seconds, reduce the heat to medium and add onions and cloves. Sauté the onion for 8 to 10 minutes or until brown. Add turmeric, jalapeno and salt and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add cauliflower, stir well and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, until cauliflower is cooked but still firm and not too soft.
4. Add cauliflower to rice and combine well. Add cilantro and stir with a large fork until the rice is completely yellow from the turmeric.
Serves 6 to 8
red pepper pear parsnip soup
March 7, 2010
It’s a good day. Andrew and I saw 3 Eastern Bluebirds which are quite rare in these parts. I have been hankering to see bluebirds up close since we bought our farm in the county 7 years ago. And today, 3!!! Right on our front terrace. What that has to do with this soup I’m not too sure but this has to be my all-time fav. Bekah’s too. I’ve been waiting for a special day to share it with you and, I guess because of the bluebirds, today is that special day. So here it is. One of the best soups ever.
6 tbsps olive oil
5 sweet peppers, seeded and diced (the original recipe calls for roasted peppers, skinned and diced, but I never do that)
3 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 ripe pears, skinned, seeded, and diced
2 pounds parsnips, peeled and chopped
6 cups veggie stock
sea salt and pepper
1. Heat olive oil in large saucepan. Saute peppers, shallots, garlic and pears over medium-high heat.
2. Add parsnips and stock.
3. Bring to a boil and let simmer until parsnips are tender.
4. Let cool slightly. Puree until smooth.
5. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
6. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve immediately.
From the Martha Stewart empire.
parsnip celery root puree with cardamom and vanilla
March 5, 2010
This recipe is from our family’s in-house chef and my brother-in-law, Eric Rogers – the guy who did the awesome Christmas firepit extravaganza. It’s absolutely delicious, and a good side for a vegan feast.
3 Parsnips
1 celery root
2 cardamom pods
1 vanilla pod
2 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup veggie stock
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Grind seeded cardamom in spice grinder.
Split vanilla bean in half and scrape vanilla from bean.
Peel parsnips and celery root and cut into 1” cubes. Cover with cold water in a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until soft, approximately 30 minutes. Meanwhile, bring veggie stock to a simmer.
Drain parsnip/celery root mix and mash. Add olive oil, honey, and enough stock to allow a smooth, whipped consistency. Add cardamom and vanilla as well as salt and pepper and continue to mix until smooth. Serves 4.
miso soup
March 2, 2010
This is from my dear friend Emily McInnes who just started Eye Buy Art – a new online art gallery representing young photographers from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Check it out. It’s fabulous!! (Not only do you learn about food here but have a platform to buy awesome art. Make beauty necessary. Make necessity beautiful.) Anyhow, she loves miso soup and, having experienced it myself, it’s great. Here’s what she has to say about making miso soup de jour:
– boil water (add crushed ginger if you feel like it – oftentimes I’m too lazy)
– add cubed tofu, dark fresh greens, Asian greens, carrot, corn niblets, mushrooms (dried or otherwise) – whatever your heart desires
– OPTIONAL: add vermicelli (thin rice noodles) or any kind of noodle if you want (i.e. dried ramen)
– once the above has been steamed slightly – add in a good dollop of miso, a good 2 hearty scoops for a soup that serves 2
(if your soup is lacking in flavour then it could be that you just didn’t add enough, or the miso you bought is a boring variety?)
– fix this by adding a sweep of tamari or soy-like sauce (I like Bragg’s)
– if you’re feeling experimental you can add a little dash of rice wine vinegar
– cook until miso is dissolved (NB: I read that you shouldn’t let your soup, with miso added, come to a boil. Keep it just under a boil.)
And then:
– add fresh chopped onion on top
– fresh cilantro or parsley is nice
– sprouts (the ones in the photo are from Kind Organics who were at the Brickworks Farmers’ Market on Saturday)
– shredded seaweed (yum!)
– shake some gomashio (sesame seeds – I like black ones) on top
– drizzle a tiny TINY amount of sesame oil on top (optional – it’s strong)
VOILA!
Make up your own soup. I think I’ve never made the same one twice!
veggie stock
February 28, 2010
I’m making the Potato Leek Soup right now (as promised to my 8-year-old, Sammy, last night, based on his adorable comment). I realize as I wait for the soup to simmer away that I should also give you my stock recipe. There is probably nothing as comforting as the smell of veggie stock simmering away on the stove. The aroma fills the house with its age-old medicinal power to cure what ails you.
Stock recipes don’t vary much across the board but the original idea for this one in particular came from a cooking class I took at Harvest Restaurant with Chef Michael Potters. He sautés the veggies before adding water. I don’t. I just stick it all in a big pot and let it stew away. He also adds wine at the end which I don’t. For me the jury is still out on that one. I know a lot of chefs who roast their veggies beforehand which gives the stock a deeper flavour and a bit more sweetness. However you decide to make it, make a huge batch in a big stock pot and then freeze it in different size containers. I love having stock around for soup, risotto, paella, or just cooking vegetables stove-top. I’ve come to believe that it’s one thing you should never buy because there is no comparison between home-made and store-bought stock. Freeze it in large containers (for soups etc.) and small (ice-cube trays for sautéed veggies). Use liberally.
12 cups cold water
2 medium onions (any colour), peeled and quartered
6 medium young sweet carrots, chopped in large chunks
4 celery stalks, chopped in large chunks
4 leeks, topped and chopped in half
8 unpeeled garlic cloves
2 small bulbs fennel, quartered
1 large bouquet garni (thyme, rosemary, oregano, other robust herbs of choice)
20 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Put water in a heavy, large stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat. As the water is coming to a boil, clean and chop onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and fennel. Add them to the water.
Next add the garlic, bouquet garni, peppercorns, and bay leaves. Once water reaches a boil, turn down the heat and simmer gently for 10 – 20 minutes, skimming the surface of the stock to eliminate residue.
If you want to add some wine, add a cup or so and let it simmer for an additional 10 minutes. If not, turn off the heat and let the stock cool before straining out the vegetables. The stock will keep for up to 1 week in the fridge, or can be packed into containers and stored for several weeks in the freezer.
The VLT
February 27, 2010
One of my vegan pet peeves, just to reiterate what I said in Recipes books I like, is that I don’t love recipes that try to mimic meat and fish with lots of rice cheese and tofu chicken and fake bacon. Why? If you aren’t going to eat the stuff, don’t pretend to eat the stuff. This is one exception. I used to love a BLT with really smokey, salty bacon so I’ve made up a vegan version that totally hits the spot when you are in the mood.
Here’s how I build it:
Toast two pieces of really nice multigrain bread (baguette also works well)
Spread veganaise on one piece
Spread some left-over Romesco Sauce from the Potato Chickpea Stew with Picada and Romesco Sauce on the other piece
Build some layers of Smoky Tofu Bacon (I get mine from the Big Carrot in Toronto which in turn comes from Ying Ying Soy Food), arugula or other greens, sliced tomatoes
Sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper
Close it up between your two pieces of toast and serve with some sauerkraut on the side. Now that’s a really good lunch.
v:gourmet 
