Fruit Grunt

Okay - so who came up with this title? Did the first woman who made this only get a grunt from her husband when he tried it after a long day out in the fields? Surely he could have been more appreciative and then it would be called a fruit wow or a fruit yum or even a fruit thanks dear. But no, a fruit grunt it is.

I use whatever fruit I have on hand or in the freezer. If it's frozen fruit, I use 1/4 cup water but if it's fresh fruit then I use a 1/2 cup water.

You can use regular flour for this recipe but this is also a good recipe to try other flours too. I used kamut flour today and have used spelt or oat flour as well. Depending on how fine the flour is, you'll need to add more "milk" to make an actual dough.

Fruit Grunt

4 cups fruit of your choice (peaches, berries, apples, apricots...), in cubes
1/4 - 1/2 cup water (see note above)
maple syrup

1+1/4 cup flour (also see note above!)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup to 1 cup non-dairy milk (I use unsweetened almond milk - you should check the note above too)
2 tbsp canola oil

In a medium saucepan with a tight fitting lid, heat the fruit and water drizzled with maple syrup (sweetened to your own taste) until it starts to simmer. Turn the heat down, cover and let the fruit simmer while you make the dough.

In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk and oil. Start with 1/3 cup milk and stir then add more milk to make a thick dough that holds together. Chunky is fine!

Remove the lid from the fruit and drop large spoonfuls of dough on top of the fruit. I usually get about 10 dollops of dough spread over the fruit. It doesn't matter if there are "un-doughed" areas. Put the lid on and leave it to simmer for 13 minutes. Don't take off the lid to look! After 13 minutes, the dough should be cooked. Test by piercing a dumpling with a skewer. If it comes out clean then the dumplings are ready.

Serve warm and the fruit mixture will be thicker but runny underneath. The following day the dumplings have absorbed most of the liquid but then it is a yummy treat cold or reheated for breakfast!

Thai Coconut Corn Soup

This soup can be as spicy as you want it to be depending on how much cayenne pepper you use and if you add a sliced chili. I used a Thai red chili but you can use a jalapeno. For a milder version but with the flavour of the chili, remove the seeds before adding the chili to the soup. Just make sure to wear gloves when you chop a red chili as the oil burns your fingers and then burns any other skin you may touch!

I used kaffir lime leaves and dried galangal but lime juice and fresh ginger will work just as well.

Thai Coconut Corn Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 - 3 carrots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more or less)
1 chili pepper, sliced - see note above
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed or 1 cup cooked garbanzos
1 sweet red pepper, sliced
1 sweet yellow pepper, sliced
2 cups frozen corn
2 cans coconut milk (about 400 ml each)
2 cups water
1/2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp lime juice or 2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger or 2 pieces dried galangal

Heat the oil on medium in a large saucepan. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, and cayenne. Stir and cook until the onions and carrots start to soften. Add all the other ingredients and bring the soup up to a boil. Turn the heat down and let the soup simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings (salt, cayenne pepper, lime juice) as needed.

Yam Fries

Corey can't eat potatoes anymore because they wreak havoc on his blood sugar. However, sweet potatoes are okay. Today I tried making baked sweet potato mojos. These are just thick cut spiced fries that are baked in the oven. They were fast to make and very good.

Here's the way I made them:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly oil a cookie sheet.
3. Peel and quarter small sweet potatoes. (The thick ends are max 1 inch wide so if you have big yams, cut accordingly.) The pieces don't need to be equal in size.
4. Toss the yam fries in a bowl, drizzle olive oil and a spice mix of your choice on top. (I used mama africa which is a bbq rub from elements of spice but any spice like seasoning salt will work.)
5. Use your hands to mix the yams until the pieces are coated in oil and spices.
6. Spread the yam fries on the pan so that they don't touch.
7. Bake for 15 minutes, flip the yams and bake for another 15 minutes.

They don't become crunchy but for them to be really crunchy, yams need to be fried.

Pasta Puttanesca and the Culling of a Cookbook

Some cookbooks are born bad. They look great, the recipes have potential, but each time a recipe is tried and the results are eagerly anticipated, the food creation is disappointing or even inedible. Such is the case of Big Vegan by Robin Asbell. She's a well known chef, food writer, and the author of two other cookbooks but this one just isn't working for us.

For lunch today I made a one pot rice curry which is now in the garbage.

This book is heading out the door. But before it does, there is ONE recipe that must be copied as it is terrific. So no, not all the recipes are bad but if there is only one in every ten, it becomes a big risk to keep trying them out. You may find the book awesome (it's on sale at Save-On-Foods at the moment if you want to give it a try) but it's not for us. If you want our copy, let me know before Tuesday night and I'll save it for you to try. If no-one cries out to save it, it will jump in the box for Big Brothers and Sisters that is being collected on Wednesday.

Pasta Puttanesca (Street Walker Pasta)

1 pkg whatever pasta you like

2 tsbp olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
6 roasted red pepper halves from a jar, rinsed and chopped
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
1/4 cup green olives, sliced
2 tbsp tomato paste (buy this at Med Market in tubes)
2 tbsp capers
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt

Cook your pasta.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onions and fry until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook about 3 minutes. Don't let the garlic brown. Add all the other ingredients. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer until thick. That's it!

Garlic Pasta with Tomato, Avocado, Artichoke and Spinach Sauce

Corey calls this a good "shoulder" season dish because when avocados are in season, tomato and basil are not. However, the tomatoes don't have to be fresh out of the garden flavourful because there are other flavours that are strong and the tomatoes just complement the dish. The garlic pasta cold be made for any other dish or could just be eaten as is without any sauce at all.

Nutritional yeast is a vegan fridge staple because it is used in many dishes. It is also a slight source of B12 which is important for vegans although a B12 supplement (chewable or sublingual taken three times a week) is also a must for full vegans. B12 is not found in many vegan foods apart from this inactive yeast and fortified breakfast cereal (have you checked the sugar content and salt content in those? EEK!)

Nutritional yeast has a nutty cheesy flavour and can be sprinkled on pasta to give a cheesy flavour if you don't think too hard about it. We have tried to make "Mac-n-Cheese" with nutritional yeast and although the two recipes we've tried swear that it's amazing, we've not been fooled. Still a must-have ingredient because a small amount is worth adding to the recipes that call for it. It's not a star actor but it's excellent in supporting roles.

Garlic Pasta with Tomato, Avocado, Artichoke and Spinach Sauce

1 pkg pasta of your choice
salt and a dollop of olive oil for the pasta water
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp tamari or low sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 clam-shell grape/cherry tomatoes, cut in half
2 avocados (softer make a creamier sauce, firmer leaves more chunks in your sauce), sliced
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut into quarters
2 cups spinach, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
fresh ground black pepper
salt

Get the pasta cooking in salted and oiled water. Mix the 2 tbsp olive oil, garlic, yeast and tamari together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat the other 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Toss in the onion and cook until the onion starts to brown around the edges. Toss in all the vegetables (yes tomato and avocado are fruits, I know. Don't be difficult.) and the basil. Give the mix a good crack of pepper and a good pinch of salt. Mix gently to not break up the avocado too much. Put a lid on the frying pan and turn off the heat. The spinach will wilt and the veggies (fruits) will heat up. Just leave the frying pan alone now. You can give the sauce a stir when you are dishing it onto the pasta.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it well and rinse it. Put the pot back on the burner on low, toss the pasta back in and pour the garlic mix into the pasta. Mix all around and let it start to sizzle a bit. Once it's heated up (don't let it burn, stir it frequently but this will only take a couple minutes), dish into bowls and top with the sauce. You can sprinkle more yeast on it to add more of a cheesy flavour but we just cracked a bit more pepper onto ours.

It seems odd to heat up avocado but this was really tasty. I have another recipe for stuffed avocados that I want to try but I have to go get more avocados. And for those of you who don't eat avocados because they are fattening, don't be silly. The oil in avocados is great for you. And if you only eat avocados at this time of year when local veggies and fruits aren't available then it doesn't matter how many you eat. I probably eat 3 a week on average for the month of January and February. I don't bemoan my avocado weight. And what about that "choose whatever fast food sandwich you eat to put in here"? You think the avocado is going to affect your weight?

You need to be honest with yourself if you truly want to make a difference for yourself!

Choco-Nana Frozen Drop Cookies

What to do when you have a craving for chocolate and little time to make anything? Try these awesome frozen cookies. They take a few minutes to make then are frozen to eat whenever you want (or you can eat a mouthful of the batter because it is egg-free so there is no worry about raw-eggie stomach yuckies.)

Choco-Nana Frozen Drop Cookies

1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips (Foley's 100% Pure Chocolate Chips are available at IGA)
2 ripe bananas
1 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp ground flax seeds (whole flax seeds offer you no nutritional value because your digestive system can't break through the husk. Lots of potential but no benefit. Keep ground flax seeds in the freezer.)
2 tsp cocoa
1/2 cup salted cashews (or a mix with raisins or craisins but you need some salt in the nuts or add 1/2 tsp salt instead)

Melt the chocolate in a dry bowl in the microwave. Heat 30 seconds, stir, then heat again. Don't leave them heating too long or they will burn. If there is water in the bowl the chocolate will become really stiff when it's melted. (Good science but not good cookies.) Peel and slice the bananas into the chocolate and mash around to mix it up. There should still be some banana chunks in the chocolate. Stir in all the rest of the ingredients. Drop by the spoonful onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. The number of cookies will depend on the size of your spoon and "drops". I got 12. Freeze. Yum!

Local? Organic? February? (and a guacamole recipe)

My rule of thumb is local and organic always first, local second, organic third, and, well, that leaves everything else. I try to eat seasonally and I don't buy asparagus in November. I have admitted to buying blueberries in January but I find the first three months of the year a hard time to survive on seasonal fruits and veggies.

This is my time of year to indulge in tropical fruits. They seem to be in season at this time of year but maybe it's just my deep desire for these fruits instead of floury apples and yet another type of orange that makes me think they are in season. An environmental sin of the highest degree but as I am a pretty strict environmentalist, I allow myself this digression. I can always go to Vegan Church and ask for forgiveness at confessional if it weighs too heavily on my mind.

At Choices this weekend, I came across a fruit I had never seen before. I do not claim to have seen all the fruits in the world but it is rare to find a fruit on the Canadian market that I haven't tried. This new fruit is part of the citron family and is called Buddha's Fingers because it looks like a gnarled hand with long fingers (did Buddha have these types of hands?!) The fruit grows closed hanging from branches and the fingers spread when the fruit is ready to be picked. I was so excited to see something new! I paid the exorbitant price (you don't want to know) and tried a slice of a finger when I got home. Internet sites say that these fruits are mostly used to scent rooms as they are very fragrant but they can also be eaten raw or used in recipes calling for lemon peel. That's about all you could use them for as they are only peel and pith - no fruit inside at all. I wonder where the seeds are. The taste is bitter and lemony - exactly what you would expect of lemon peel and pith. Mum will be making a couple jars of Buddha's Fingers and orange marmalade. I hope Buddha approves!

Another favourite fruit that Pap used to go looking for in Chinatown in May is mangosteen. I don't know how anyone ever decided to eat one of these because it is a very hard maroon tennis ball that requires a serrated knife to cut through. You only cut through about 1cm of the shell all the way around and then you peel away half of the shell to reveal a beautiful white fruit flower inside. The number of segments on the "flower" on the bottom of the shell of the fruit indicates how many segments there are in the fruit. Make sure there are no yellow spots on the shell or else the fruit will have sulphur deposits and it is then totally inedible. Quite a disappointment when they are expensive. I always buy just two in the hopes that at least one will be good. Success this time as both were great! The biggest segment has a pit in it but the rest should be just blissful fruit! When we were in China we would buy bags of these for 15 cents. None was ever sulphury either.

So my fruits of January are pineapple, mangosteen (pictured cut open), rambutan (not pictured here but maybe I'll find them to share with you), avocado, kiwi, papaya (pawpaw), and longan. These are also an Asian fruit that have a thin tan shell that pops open when you squeeze the fruit fairly hard. There is a comparatively large stone inside so don't just bite down. These are very refreshing fruits and are Corey's favourite. The Buddha's Hand is just in there because it's cool. You can see that it's just amass of white pith inside. I won't buy another one until I can get bags of them for 15 cents to scent my rooms in China!

And because I like to add a recipe, here is my guacamole recipe. We used to eat this on top of well salted steaks off the bbq when I was growing up. Now I like it with tortilla chips or veggies.

vO Guacamole

Mash together:
1 large ripe avocado
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tbsp sambal oelek (don't use anything else unless it's sriracha which will do in a pinch)
1 chopped green onion (yes, I do add this as it is a vital part of the flavour)
salt and pepper
 
I'd love some feedback if you have time... are there recipes you'd like me to share? More of a certain type of recipe? Vegan lifestyle info? How to be a healthy vegan?  Let me know! I've learned quickly that being vegan is easy and yummy. I'd love to share what you want to know.

Chickpea Barley Soup

At 6 degrees above zero, it's almost getting too warm for soup but our winter has been so mild so far that I feel like I've missed my soup making time this year. I love making soup! Here is a favourite that uses pot barley for added fibre. You can use pearl barley which cooks faster but then you don't get the husk. I like the crunchier texture of pot barley. And a note about miso - it does not like to be boiled. When you add it, bring the soup to a simmer but don't bring it up to a rolling boil. Why? No idea but every time I read about miso, the experts say that it is important not to boil it. Just passing the info on.

Chickpea Barley Soup

2 tsbp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 large carrot, peeled and sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 pinch dried rosemary crushed in your fingers
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp mirin or water
2 cups cooked chickpeas or one large can drained and rinsed
1/3 cup dried pot barley
7 cups water (or veggie stock if not using miso - see note below)
1/3 cup miso dissolved in 1 cup hot water
1 bunch kale or chard, chopped thin (optional but why not add the vitamins and minerals?)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Turn the heat down to medium and toss in onions and carrot. Fry about 10 minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic and herbs/spices. Fry for another 5 minutes, stirring so that the veggies don't burn. Add the 2tbsp mirin or water to deglaze the soup pot (you want to try to dissolve all the yummy brown coating on the bottom of the pan which holds a lot of flavour.) Add the chickpeas, barley and 7 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let simmer about 30 minutes. Once the barley is cooked, stir in the dissolved miso and the greens. Cover again and let simmer 15 minutes until the greens are soft. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Note: Depending on the type of miso you use (white rice, brown rice, barley, etc.) you will get a more or less intense flavour. You can also replace the miso by using vegetable stock instead of  plain water. It will change the flavour and you'll need to adjust the seasoning but I have done it and it is yummy as well. Enjoy!

You can freeze this soup.

Roasted Cauliflower and Running Sauce

I have decided that it is impossible to get more than 2 or, if you're lucky, 3 slices of cauliflower out of one head of cauliflower. My recipe said "slice cauliflower into 1/2" thick slices." I got 3 and then lots of florets. Never mind. This was still yummy.

Roasted Cauliflower
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Slice your cauliflower into 1/2" slices and lots of leftover florets.
Toss the cauliflower in 2 tbsp olive oil.
Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper, a silpat mat, or lightly grease the mat for a crispier result.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and any other herb/spice that you like.
Bake 7 minutes, take out, flip the cauliflower, and bake another 10 minutes.
At this point I turned off the oven and left the cauliflower in there while we went for a run. It was nice and golden when we returned. Corey says that this is his favourite way to eat cauliflower now.

Running Sauce
I'm sure this could have a more technical name but if I am going to have yoga curry then I might as well have running sauce.
1/3 cup white wine
1 small onion diced fairly fine
1/2 tsp Italian herb mix
2/3 cup vegan mayo (many people swear by Vegannaise but I prefer Spectrum Egg-less Canola Mayonnaise Type Spread - sounds yummy eh? At Save-On-Foods and less expensive than the other)
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 chopped tomato

In a small saucepan, heat the wine, onion and Italian herb over medium-high heat until half the liquid has evaporated. Blend the mayo, onion/wine/herb mix, cayenne and turmeric together. You can put it into the food processor to make it smooth or just mix it in a bowl. Stir in the chopped tomato. Let it cool in the fridge. To have a tighter sauce, take out the seeds of the tomato and let almost all the wine evaporate. I liked it runnier to pour over the cauliflower. It made a good dip too for other veggies.

Yoga Slow Cooker Curry

When I got home today, I needed to make something that would be ready to eat when Corey and I returned from yoga. I didn't have a lot of time before we left and I didn't want to leave anything simmering on the stove so I decided a "quick" curry in the slow cooker would be ideal. Easy to make and leave and yummy when we returned. Nice and hot to warm us up after our walk home in -7 degrees. Beautiful night with a clear sky and a fabulous full moon.

I used a Chinese eggplant and green beans but you could use any veggies like broccoli and cauliflower, carrots, frozen peas and corn, but nothing that will become too soft. Potato wouldn't cook long enough to be ready.

Brown, green or blue lentils are best because they keep their shape. Red lentils will make a mush.

Yoga Curry

1 cup brown rice (mine is mixed with a wild rice blend)
1/2 cup lentils (Check these for rocks. I have seen how they are dried in China. Don't skip this step.)
4 cups veggie stock
2 cups coconut milk (one can with water added to make 2 cups or one package powder with 2 cups boiling water)
1 tbsp curry powder
2 cups chopped raw veggies
1 chopped onion in cubes
salt
pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice

In the slow cooker, mix the rice, lentils, stock, coconut milk, curry powder, veggies and onion. Cover and let cook on high for 3 hours (or on low for 6-8 hours if you have all day). Just  before eating, stir in the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix together and add more boiling veggie stock if necessary just before eating to make it as you prefer for texture. Depending on how long you let it cook, it might be a bit tight. You may even want to add more salt and lemon juice.

We ate this with a squeeze of HP sauce which is like a chutney but in a sauce form. It was delicious!

Winter White Soup

This soup matches the weather today - we are blanketed in a cloud of white fog. It is almost eerie how quiet the fog makes the world become.

This is winter white soup because the veggies are all white but if you used carrots and turnip it could be a winter pale orange soup. Depends on what root vegetables you have lurking around. I give numbers and sizes for the root vegetables but any combination will work. Feel free to add potatoes. I don't because they aren't good for Corey's diabetes.


Your added salt will vary on the stock you use and the hot sauce is optional or can be adjusted based on your taste. I used sriracha hot sauce (the rooster hot sauce that you can buy anywhere - watch you don't get the version that is sold as "garlic hot sauce" unless you REALLY want to taste the garlic for days afterwards) but you could use sambal oelek or any other hot sauce as you wish. You could even use dried chilies. Be careful though - those dried chilies only require a small amount to make a dish very hot.

Winter White Soup
1 tbsp olive or canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 large parsnips or 8 small parsnips peeled and sliced
1 medium celeriac (celery root) peeled and cubed
1 medium/large rutabaga peeled and cubed
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup white wine
5 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a soup pot on medium heat and add the onions. Cook until they are becoming translucent, about 5 minutes. Toss in the root veggies and cover the pot. Let them steam and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir them occasionally to prevent them from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the wine and stock. Bring the soup to a boil and stir in the thyme. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and leave the soup for 20-30 minutes so that the veggies become soft. Blend in the blender (don't over fill the blender because it will explode with the heat) or with a immersion blender (no kitchen should be without one) so that it is smooth. You may need to add more stock or hot water to make the soup thinner depending on your preference. Stir in the hot sauce, salt and pepper.

This is yummy with a nice veggie sandwich of avocado, lettuce, cucumber and tomato. None of these are in season when the root veggies are but I get a bit tired of the seasonal winter veggies by February.