Confessions of a Saltoholic

     I will take chips (not the baked kind - the greasy, salty, msg laden kind) over chocolate or sweets any day. I love salty snacks and have tried to curb my chip eating habit by replacing them with what I thought was a better choice. Roasted and salted fava beans, green peas, sesame crackers, corn nuts, trail mixes....the list goes on, but I realized they are all just as bad and unhealthy as chips, especially if they are the "bulk barn" kind and not "organic". They're loaded with sulphites, sodium, MSG and tartrazine.  I have provided links for each of these addi(c)tives just in case you aren't sure what they are or why they are bad for you, especially if you are someone like me who has IBS and a host of food sensitivities. I would get crampy stomach aches, headaches and skin reactions from eating foods with these. So to try and stop my bad salty snack habit I started making my own. This way I can control the amount of salt, oil and ingredients that go into what I eat.  Below are a few recipes that turned out quite good and are a terrific replacement for chips and the like. Even if you don't have salty snack issues, food sensitivities or stomach problems these recipes are delicious enough for anyone to enjoy. -B

1) Kale Chips
* Note: This is a dehydrator recipe. If you don't have one you can bake these in the oven but you won't get the same texture.

Ingredients:
bunch of Kale
1 sweet red pepper
nutritional yeast or ground cashew (for cheesy flavour)
Braggs Liquid Amino Acids
garlic powder
sweet Spanish paprika
olive oil
half lemon fresh lemon

*Note: I haven't added any measurements for the ingredients because this is a "just wing it" kinda recipe. Mostly you just go by your taste.

Prep:
- Wash kale well. Chop off stems and cut into pieces. I usually cut fairly large size pieces because they tend to shrink.
- If you are using cashews, grind to make powder (about a 1/4 of a cup worth).
- Wash red pepper. I used a Ninja to chop this. You can also use a Magic Bullet or blender. You kinda want a bit liquid so using a food processor or chopping wont work a s well. You want to be able to pour the pepper juice and chunks on the kale.
- Throw chopped kale and pepper into large bowl.
- Squeeze lemon over kale.
- Drizzle olive oil as much or as little as you like.
- Toss kale and red pepper so oil is evenly distributed.
- Sprinkle on spices. Again, as much or as little as you like.
- Sprinkle on cashew powder of nutritional yeast  (I used 1/2 cup) . Just sprinkle on until you think the kale in sufficiently covered.
- Give it a good toss making sure everything is evenly distributed. Get you hands in there if you need to.

*Note : I am using a Salton dehydrator for this. This is a pretty basic one. It has one setting: On/Off. It's fine for most of your dehydrating needs except however, for drying peas. They fall through the cracks in the tray. It's pretty inexpensive to buy new (around $50 or you can try Craigslist which is what we did. Most people use them once or twice then get rid of it). Some dehydrators are more fancy and way more expensive. Like the Excalibur.

- Turn on and pre-heat for 5 minutes
- Evenly space kale pieces on racks. (don't stack kale pieces on top of one another)
- Cover with lid and turn on dehydrator. I checked the manual for the times and it says 4-10 hours (pretty broad). I normally just let it dehydrate overnight so 6-8 hours should do it.

2) Taro-rizer (Taro Root Chips)
Taro root a tuber (or corm), also known as dasheen (West Indies), eddoe (India), and toran (Korea) is high in fiber and an excellent source of potassium, calcium, vitamin C, E and B as well as magnesium.

*Note; Some people with sensitive skin may have a slight reaction to juices secreted by the taro root so you may want to wear gloves or you can boil for a few minutes before peeling. Please also note that taro root is also very toxic in its raw state due to the presence of calcium oxalate so you must always cook it before eating. Never eat raw!

Ingredients:
1 taro - They are quite large so one should be enough for 2 people (Taro can be found in Asian supermarkets)
sea salt (or himalayan salt)
garlic powder
olive or canola oil
cracked black pepper
Spray oil

Prep:
- Pre-heat oven to 425°
- Peel or cut off thick outer layer and wash well. Get that slimy white calcium stuff off. I threw the slices in a pots of water and boiled them for a  minute (don't let them get mushy) first to get the calcium off. Drain and rinse well
- Cut in to thin slices (1/8 inch thick)
- Toss in large bowl. Drizzle on olive oil. Sprinkle on salt, pepper and garlic powder
- Spray pan with a bit of oil. Place slices evenly on baking pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until desired crispiness.

3) Lotus Root Chips
Lotus can be found in Asian supermarkets or of course in Chinatown markets.

Ingredients:
Lotus root usually comes with two attached together so you can use both.
Olive oil
Salt, pepper, garlic powder and sweet paprika (If you prefer something with a bit more bite add chile flakes or cajun spices)
Spray oil for pan

Prep:
- Pre- heat oven to 375°
- Wash and peel root. If you are not using right away you can soak in water a a bit of lemon juice to keep it from browning.  I boiled them first for a few minutes. Make sure to pat dry before baking.
- Cut root into 1/8 inch slices
- Place root in a bowl, sprinkle on olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and sweet paprika.
- Spray pan with a bit of oil. Place disks evenly on pan and bake for about 20 minutes. Turning them occasionally.

Sheba Ethiopian (Toronto)

Sheba Ethiopian Cuisine (LINK)

(this post is especially for Ebro - Next time you are in T.O.!)

    Toronto has quite a few amazing Ethiopian restaurants that serve vegan dishes. M&B Yummy (exclusively vegan) and Addis Ababa, (both located in Parkdale) are killer. Ethiopian House (Yonge and Irwin) always gets great reviews although I've never eaten here personally and of course Sheba (on College just east of Bathurst). Sheba has a very warm atmosphere, friendly staff and usually play authentic Ethiopian music like Mulatu Astatke.

     My favourite things about Ethiopian food are the exotic, aromatic spices (berbere) and that you get to eat everything with your hands! Pictured below is the veggie combo with just a little of everything. The entire meal is served on a large plate for communal eating and each dish is placed on injera (a yeast risen flatbread that look like towels) which is served on the side and used to scoop up the veggies and beans. Here is a little description of what everything is. In the middle, salad with tomatoes, onions and oil and vinegar dressing. Starting at the top (by CC's hand) is Miser Wot (a spicy red lentil stew) one of my favourites. Next is Kik Wot (yellow split peas cooked in a red pepper sauce) and beside that is Kik Alicha (yellow split peas cooked with onions, ginger, garlic and tumeric). Then there is Gomen Wot (collard greens) and Tikel Gomen (cabbage and carrots). On the side to the left is Mama Shira, a mildly seasoned split chick pea stew.  - B

Rise Above Bakery (St. Catherines ONT)

(above photo courtesy of Rise Above site)

     Nestled somewhere 'twixt Niagara Falls and the wreckage of the tall ship off the QEW, a brave young man is listening to his spirit guide (Eagle? Wolf? Badger?) and going solo with his vision of making delectable vegan treats in a town not known for it's vegan options (like having any, at all)...

 ...Your host, Kyle Paton Esq. 

     Kyle is one of those rare kind of eccentric vegan punk kids (Jah Bless them) who gets grandiose notions in their head like we all do, but then somehow makes them actually happen in real life, against all odds. Kyle opened Rise Above in a tiny space off of a back alley in downtown St. Catherines a few years ago, hosting monthly dinners and honing his superb ability to make vegan donuts and desserts. And we're not talkin' about your vegan hippy-ass, sawdust-tastin', no-egg-replacer-usin', good for nothin' date squares...we're talkin 'bout some real down and dirty shit: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Brownies, Blondies, Chocolate Croissants, Cinnamon Buns and what is probably their most killer move (and Le Wife's fave) - chocolate or cherry cheesecake in a mason jar. And the donuts, as always, are killer.

 Ginger Balls approves this message!

     His new location is a full-sized restaurant with a complete menu. If you have the means and live in Southern Ontario, make the trip. If you are from further out and passing through  anywhere between  Buffalo and Toronto or east of it, look Rise Above up and call ahead so they know you're coming. It's seriously worth it. Is 'Scrumdiddleyicious' even a word? Well that's between you and your Spirit Guide. 

 ---

More info & contact: Rise Above Site
Check out their Sunday Brunches
Check out their Menu 
Location/Directions

Hogtown Vegan (Toronto)

Hogtown Vegan (LINK)

Philly "Cheese Steak", Pulled Unpork Sandwich, Unchicken Sandwich and The Fries Supremacy. Have I got your attention yet?

 ....ABOIOIOIOIOINNNNNNG!!!!

Honorable Mention: "Chicken" & Waffles / Mushroom Po' Boy

All Vegan...all the time! Need I say more?

The End.

(B&CC)

Soyrizo Loco

     Do you have a husband who is crazy for soy chorizo? Is your freezer full of a dozen packages of this stuff and are not quite sure what to do with it? Well.......let me give you some suggestions. I had to figure out what to do with all this soy chorizo before it went bad. You can only get this at Trader Joe's so if you are Canadian like us and loco for soyrizo like CC,  you need to stock up every time you go Stateside. I have a few recipes I can share now, but I suspect there will be more in the next coming months once CC hits the road again.

*Warning* If you haven't tried this stuff yet I need to tell you in advance that it is addictive - proceed with caution! P.S. These are not "low cal" recipes. Just sayin'.

*Recommended listening for soyrizo partying;

Wipers - Over The Edge

Suicide -Suicide

Nine Nine Nine - High Energy Plan

1) Soy Chorizo And Collards On Baked Potato

What you will need for a 2 person dinner (double and triple as needed):

- 1/2 package of soy chorizo

- about 5 leaves of collards

- 1 small or med size onion (depending on how much you like onions)

- 2 med size baking potatoes or yellow potatoes or yams- go crazy

- about a tbls olive oil- plus a bit extra

- white button mushrooms - as many as you like (optional)

- Daiya cheese or vegan cheese for top or Toffutti sour cream or vegan sour cream

- garlic powder, pepper, hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

- Pre-heat oven to 450°

- Clean and prep potatoes.

- Stab potatoes a few times with a fork so they don't explode, then place on baking pan.

- At this point you may want to lightly brush on some oil (or use a bit of vegan margarine) on the potato so it wont dry out. 

- Bake potato for 30-40 minutes (check occasionally to see if it's ready- some ovens may vary)

- While potatoes are baking begin prepping collards. Wash off all the dirt and grit and chop off stems (if you don't like the thick vein in the middle of the leaf you can cut that out as well). Stack all 5 leaves together, roll leaves like a cigar then cut into strips. Set aside.

(*Note: If you choose vegan sour cream for your topping you may want to cook your collards and chorizo 15-20 minutes before potatoes are ready because you will want everything hot. If you choose to top with vegan cheese you can prep all this all and let the collards and chorizo sit in warm pan then add mix to potato, top with vegan cheese and warm and melt in the over for a few more minutes.)

- Next, clean and chop mushrooms. Chop onions into small pieces, then sautée onions in a pan with a tbsp of oil on high until they are golden brown.

- Remove casing from soy chorizo and sautée in pan with onion for approximately 30-60 secs.

- Add collards and any of the extra spices listed above (*note: you may also want to add a bit of water to to allow collards to steam - not much - 1/4 cup add as needed). Cover pan with lid and reduce to low heat and let the collards soften up. This should take about 10 minutes or so (check occasionally - you don't want anything to burn). Let all the flavours of the soy chorizo and onions mix with the collards.  

- Once potatoes are ready, remove from oven, make an incision down the middle of potato and open it up a bit. Spoon chorizo and collard mix on to potato - top with vegan sour cream. If using vegan cheese, add cheese top and pop it  back in the oven for a few minutes to melt cheese. 

2) Soy Chorizo Shepherd's Pie

Here is what you what you will need:

- 1 package of soy chorizo

- 2 med yams

- 1 bunch of kale 

- 2 small onions

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1tsp. oil (olive)

- 1 tsp. (or more if you like) of vegan margarine 

- 1/4 cup of non-dairy milk 

- sweet spanish paprika (optional)

- Cholula Hot Sauce

- Salt / Pepper

You will need 1 pot, 1 sautée or frying pan with lid and one round baking dish or a smaller rectangular baking dish.

Directions:

- Pre-heat oven to 425°

-YAMS: Clean and prep yams. You can leave the skin on for more fibre if you want. Chop into small cubes so they boil faster. Fill a med sized pot with enough water to cover potatoes + a bit more then boil potatoes until soft. Once potatoes are cooked, drain water, add non-diary milk, vegan margarine, salt and pepper. Mix, and mash. Set aside.

-KALE: While waiting for the yams to cook begin prepping kale. Wash well and chop off stems. Chop into largish size pieces. Set aside. Dice onions, chop or press garlic and add to sautée pan with 1 tblsp. of oil. Sautée onions and garlic until onions are translucent then add a splash or two of water and throw in the kale and add bit of salt and pepper. Cover and let the kale steam for a few minutes until slightly wilted. Stir occasionally.  

-Next, remove casing from soy chorizo and spread evenly on bottom of baking dish. Then layer kale and onion mix and spread mashed yams on top. Sprinkle a bit of sweet spanish paprika on top.  

-Bake for aprox. 20-30 minutes.

Note: The pie below was actually made with collards instead of kale so if you prefer collards, substitute for kale.

3) Soy Chili

Ingredients:

- 1 package soy chorizo

- 1 large can (796ml)  stewed diced tomatoes

- 1 red and 1 green pepper

- 2 med onions

- 3-5 cloves garlic (depending on taste)

- 1 large yam

- 2 small zucchinis or 1 large 

- A bunch of white button mushrooms - I usually use a whole package

- 1 can of corn

- 1 can of red kidney beans -540ml (optional)

Spices:

- 1 tblsp cumin

- 2 tsp chili powder (chorizo is spicy but you can adjust chili powder to 1-2 tbls to make it spicier)

- 2 tblsp dried oregano

- 2 tsp coriander

- salt to taste: soy chorizo is loaded with sodium so taste it before adding more salt.

Slow Cooker Method

- Dice onions. Chop or press garlic and then sautée in pan until golden brown. Set aside.

- Wash and chop yam into cube size pieces (I leave the skin on)

- Wash and dice mushrooms, zucchini, red and green peppers.

- Add diced tomato to slow cooker pot, then add onions garlic and spices. Stir. Add all veggies including canned corn and beans (drain & rinse first). Give it a stir. Cook for 2-4 hours on low. (I think all slow cookers are slightly different so check the times- I used the Wolfgang Puck digital so it's the "slow cook" setting. 

Stovetop 

If you don't have a slow cooker you can use large (5.4 litre) pot and cook on the stove. Cook on low heat or simmer for an hour, stirring and checking occasionally. 

4) Soy Chorizo Hot Cheese Dip

I made this for an xmas party. Veg as well as meat eaters loved this. Unfortunately I don't have a picture. It was all gone before I remembered to snap a photo. That's a good sign though. Right?

Ingredients:

- 1 package of soy chorizo  (You can probably use Yves Veggie Ground and spice it with taco seasoning. I am sure that will work just as good.)

- 1/2 green pepper and 1/2 red pepper 

- 1 container of toffutti cream cheese

- 1/2 cup Daiya chedder flavor (you can add more if you like) 

- 1/4 cup toffuti sour cream
- 2 med onions

- 2-5 cloves of garlic (this depends on much you like garlic)

- 1 tbls olive oil

*Note: I didn't add extra spices or salt. I just used the chorizo flavour but you can add chili flakes, salt, cilantro etc.

I prepared this in a slow cooker but I am sure you can make it in a pot on the stove. I would just keep in on low heat and stir lot so it doesn't stick to bottom of pot.

Directions:

- Sautée onion and garlic in some 1 tbsp olive oil until translucent or light brown.

- Once the the onions and garlic are ready throw everything in the pot and heat it up. I use "slow cook" for an hour but then stopped around once in started bubbling (15-20mins) then I set the slow cooker to "keep warm". Stir it often. 

- Serve with, tortilla chips, bread, garlic bread, crackers.

*** A Friend just sent a photo for this post

Photo courtesy of J.Tetreau

Stay tuned for more Soyrizo recipes. - B

Legit Southern Style Collard Greens

     

Brassica Oleracea, where have you been all my life?

     I'm gonna follow up that Soul Veg post with a collards recipe from some good friends in Greensboro, North Carolina because face it - it's the only move I have in that department. This one is for my boys in Low Sky and Torch Runner, who showed me how it's done.

     Collards have a really distinct taste, I definitely got hooked on them hard after this recipe. And once you get the hang, you can riff on this with any kind of leafy greens (beet greens work great too).

What You Need: greens, ham hocks, a pound of lard - SIKE! No. You need: Collard Greens, Onion, Garlic, Braggs, Cholula Hot Sauce, Earth Balance and black pepper.

     Get a medium pot. Dice an onion and some garlic (1-2 cloves) with Earth Balance (or whatever you use for oil) in the bottom of the pot and fry it, adding some Braggs and a few dashes of the Cholula (this is the crucial secret ingredient. It's vegan and in most supermarkets, usually with Mexican foods). Rinse and cut the ends off the stalks. Put the lid on that sucker. While it's frying, cut the collards into strips (personally I just grab the whole thing and just chop it all, including the stalks - there's tons of fiber in there). Your onions/garlic should be pretty fried by now. If it's too dry add some more Braggs. Add the collards, stir it all up, turn it down (to medium or lower) and let it simmer. The greens will absorb all the rest and shrink down like when you braise kale. This part doesn't take too long. Once they're soft, its your party. Add black pepper. It should be salty from the Braggs. You can play around with the amount of hot sauce you like, and how much or little oil/margarine you want to reach the desired greasiness. 

-CC

Collards served with homemade yam fries, onion rings and falafel and miso gravy.

*Good Stuff: Collards are high in vitamin C & soluble fiber and are positively lousy with the potent anti-cancerous nutrients Diindolylmethane and Sulforaphane. I know, right? You were thinking "but do they have any Diindolylmethane or Sulforaphane?" Gotcha covered, dawgs. 

Bacchus Roti (Toronto)

Toronto has some of the best vegan and vegetarian friendly restaurants around. So throughout this blog CC and I will be posting some of our favorite dishes from these restaurants. Hopefully we will turn you on to something new.

Bacchus Roti (LINK)

     Sweet, spicy, delicious and filling! Bacchus, a Guyanese and Barbadian restaurant located in the heart of  Toronto's Parkdale neighbourhood serves up the most delicious veggie roti. I was introduced to this place back in 1995 when I first moved to Toronto. My meat loving friends always order the goat, shrimp with cheese or chicken roti, while I, having never even heard of roti and was not too keen on the sound of goat or shrimp or even chicken roti for that matter, decided to play it safe by ordering the potato, chana and spinach roti. That did it for me. This place is #1 in my books (and I have tried others - believe me). Below is a photo of the potato and chana roti with spinach and squash added in. This a killer combo. Seriously. -B

Soul Vegetarian (Chicago - Atlanta - DC)

     It's interesting to see how a lot of food is still regional, both culturally and geographically. Such is still the case with real-deal American soul food. Collards, kalebone, popcorn chicken, things I'd never have been exposed to even the original version of, let alone a healthy vegan one. They don't seem to cross the border into the Great White North. Soul Veg is...what's a nice way to say, off the beaten cracker-ass path? Not located near a Starbucks? No Wi-fi?

     Soul Vegetarian has been saving my vegan ass on the US road for over a decade. The three locations I've always frequented are the Chicago, DC and Atlanta ones, although looking into it now it seems there are Soul Veg's in Tallahassee, Houston and a host of cities internationally from Israel to Africa and West Indies. And in a related story, they represent a branch of the African Hebrew Israelites (it's complicated, go HERE for the long version). Like Rastafarians, I can't say I agree altogether with their idea of what is and isn't sexually "natural", but I like their approach to food. Wanna stick to that? Great idea! 

     Just one quick ramble, though:

     Historically, the places with the highest percentage of centenarians in the world have been poor rural farming communities - people who worked in fields and whose diet consisted mainly of the foods that were most economic to grow - greens and grains such as rice, which are easy to digest and full of iron, minerals and vitamins. Ironically, when you look at the foods that poorer people (of any stripe) have traditionally had the most immediate access to, there is less processing or additives and a lot of nutrition...potentially. By contrast, old school soul food - born out of the slavery era - was starchy, fatty and high in calories, comfort food that suited the needs of someone working long hours of forced labor. As a diet though, it left a whole generation of people at abnormally high risk of diabetes, strokes and heart attacks. 

     As most purists will argue, making soul food healthy, without lard, is taking it out of context. I'm sure not in any position argue with that. But then, the context was slavery. Being safely out of that era, why associate a healthy approach with gentrification? Why would you carry forward the detrimental part of the tradition rather than tailoring it to do the best for the bodies and minds of the people eating it? This is Soul Vegetarian's mandate, and I like it. 

Favorites: 

Atlanta: Country Fried Steak, Mac & Cheese and Broccoli. LINK - MAP

DC: Breakfast Wraps (weekends only sucker!)  LINK - MAP

Chicago: BBQ Protein Tidbits, BBQ Twist Sandwich. MENU - MAP

*Honorable Mention: If you're in DC, another great spot just down the street from SV is Everlasting Life  (LINK). The mac & cheese will blow your mind.

CC

Vegan Truffles

 *Update: Sadly Boardwalk Chocolates has Closed :(

Hell Yeah! They're vegan and they rock! Boardwalk Chocolates, owned and operated by Siue Moffat, has the only traditional truffle and old fashion confection company in Canada, that is totally vegan and gluten free. Moffat creates uniquely tantalizing flavour combinations like, lavender and chestnut, lemon and anise, lemongrass and ginger and chipotle chili. These heavenly morsels of goodness can be purchased at Panacea where Siue makes her delectable chocolatey treats and can purchased online here. -B

Quinoa Salad with Lemony Tahini Dressing

If you are not familiar with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) then it is time to get acquainted. Here's the scoop. It's an ancient grain/seed originally grown in South and Central America and is high in protein, calcium and iron. It also contains vitamin E and some B vitamins as well as some other good stuff that I am not going to get into because I am not a nutritionist and don't know what they do (yet). When cooked, quinoa becomes fluffy and has a nutty flavour, so it works with many different vegetable combinations.

 Kale another essential part of this recipe, has powerful anti-oxidant properties and is high in beta carotine, vitamin K and C, calcium and other things I can't pronounce. With the leftover kale from the salad, you can bake it with flavourful spices like cumin, coriander, whole fennel seed, garlic, sweet spanish paprika, sea salt and black pepper.

The combination of red beets, golden beets, carrot, kale and quinoa create a very colourful, super nutritious and in combination with the tahini dressing makes it super tasty. -B

What you will need:
* A cup of cinnamon chai tea (David's Tea makes a delicious caffeine free one) to revitalize, wake you up and help you focus.
*You might want to listen to Demon Fuzz- Afreaka. Just saying.

For the salad:
1 cup Quinoa (I like to soak the quinoa for about 20-25 mins to reduce the earthy taste)
2 cups water
Bunch of Kale
1 Large carrot
2 Red beets
1 Small golden beet
1 medium-large size carrot

Soak Quinoa for about 20-25 mins. While quinoa is soaking, peel then shred carrot and golden beet. Take two kale leaves, wash and chop into bite size pieces (you can use the stems if you like).

Peel and chop red beet into small bite sized pieces. Set veggies aside. When quinoa is done soaking, fill pot with 2 cups of water. Bring to boil. Add quinoa. Bring to boil again. Reduce heat to low and place on a tight fitting lid. Cook for approx. 20- 25 min (or until soft) stirring occasionally. When ready, let quinoa cool before adding veggies. Once cool, throw everything in. Give it a mix.  Serve with dressing on top.

For the dressing:
2.5  Tbls. Prepared Tahini (you can find this in most grocery stores or you can get it at Akrams in Kensington Market)
Juice from 1 medium sized lemon
Fresh parsley -a small handful
1-2 cloves garlic (adjust to taste)
Black pepper (to taste)
Sea salt (to taste)

*I use a Magic Bullet for this. If you don't have one a blender will work or you may just have to mix in a cup with a fork or whisk but it should be creamy.

Throw all the ingredients above in the Bullet and mix that shit up. Kay? Done. Adjust to taste if you like. I like it really lemony.

Baked Kale

While quinoa is cooking start preparing the kale.

Pre-heat oven to 350˚.

Wash the leftover kale from the salad and chop in to bite-size pieces. Throw the kale into a big bowl and drizzle on olive oil (just enough so that spices stick). Mix it up. Now this part is a guessing game. I just throw everything on, mix it up and BAM - Done! Sprinkle on the following spices; garlic powder, cumin, whole anise/fennel seed, coriander, sweet spanish paprika, sea salt and black pepper. Mix it up.

Spread kale on baking pan. (I don't grease or cover with anything). Bake for 10-15 min. Mix occasionally. You kinda want some really crispy pieces - almost burnt. It's a nice mix to have super crispy with just baked. When finish eat as a snack or serve as side dish. -B

Polenta! A staple of Italian country cooking.

Polenta, boiled cornmeal, is the base for many (Italian) dishes. One of which is this polenta breakfast scramble.  I love tofu scrambles so when I found out I had a "sensitivity" to tofu (but soy protein is ok- go figure) my breakfast dreams were shattered so I decided to replace the tofu with polenta. I also add veggie sausage/patties for a bit of protein. Check it out.

To start:
*You will need polenta- the pre-made kind in a tube which can be found at your local grocery store. Making polenta from scratch definitely tastes better but for this recipe the pre-made kind (plain, sundried tomato, or basil) works fine. It's also easier to cube or crumble for the scramble. For other recipes I recommend making it from scratch.

Note: If you buy the small tube use the whole thing. If you buy the large size use about half.

Other ingredients:
Your favorite salsa (if you are in a pinch and don't have salsa, tomato sause works fine)
2  med. cloves fresh garlic
1 med. zucchini cubed
1 portobello mushroom- chop in to pieces
2 cups chopped white button mushrooms (I am a big mushroom fan so I tend to go overboard so you can adjust amount to taste)
1 small red and green pepper- chop, clean and dice
2 shallots or 1 small onion

I like to sautée the onions a garlic in about a teaspoon of oil. When soft/ translucent,  I add in about 2 tablespoons of salsa and sautée the vegetables with the garlic and onions for a couple of minutes before adding in the polenta. I prefer chopping the polenta in to small cubes but you can just crumble it up and throw it in the pan. I let everything cook with the lid on (stir occasionally) until everything is soft. Then serve as is or fry up some veggie breakfast patties or veggie links(like yves) for protein.

Yams and Beets!

Baked Yams and Beets. This recipe is IBS (more about that later) friendly, easy to make, and is nutritious and  delicious!  Both beets greens and roots are an excellent source of magnesium, iron and vitamin B. Beet roots are also a good source of potassium, fibre, folic acid and manganese. Yams are a excellent source of vitamins A, B6, C,  thiamine and panoththenic acid.Vitamin B6, Thiamine and pantothenic acid work to metabolize your food which is helpful if you have IBS.

  
What you will need:

A Glass of your favorite vegan red wine and I like to listen to the Soviettes (LP 3) to get me stoked.
1 xlrg yam or 2 med.
5 small beets, unwashed and unpeeled
olive oil (enough to brush on beets and drizzle on yams)
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste
rosemary
garlic powder
handful of fresh parsley
tin foil
shallow baking dish
large bowl for mixing

Baking Beets:

1. Preheat oven to °400
2. Trim stems to about 1/2"
3. Do not wash. Apparently moisture causes the beets to steam and we don't want this. I mistakenly washed the beets and they steamed and sizzled and made funny white bubbles. If there is dirt on your beets just wipe with a paper towel.
4. Brush outsides with olive
5. Wrap tightly in tin foil.
6. Place in shallow baking dish and cook for 45-60 minutes (until soft and skin slips off)
7. When beets are cooked cut off stems if you are not using them, and peel off skin.
8. Chop into bite sized pieces

Baking Yams:

You can bake the yams in the same dish as the beets however you will only need to bake the yams for about 15-20 minute so put them in at the end.
1. Wash yam and cut off any bad spots
2. Chop yam into bite size pieces.
3. Place yams in a large bowl
4. Drizzle on olive oil
5. Sprinkle on sea salt, black pepper, garlic and rosemary
6. Mix
7. Spread yams and beets on baking pan and bake for 15-20 minutes or until soft.  Stir occasionally
8. When ready, salt and pepper to taste  and add fresh chopped parsley.

*Note: For a more substantial meal try adding chick peas. Canned or dry - follow cooking directions. Then sauteé in a bit of olive oil and fresh lemon and salt and pepper to taste.

*P.s. You can also bake fennel with the beets (same way - cook until soft) and eat together as a side dish.
Buon Appetito!
-B

Butternut Squash Soup

To kick things off I thought I would start with an all time favorite. It's a great comfort food for fall and winter and can be made so many different ways. The first time a make a new dish I follow the recipe to the letter then I figure out ways to basterdize it. For this Butternut Squash soup recipe I am going to give you a few different options because hey, who doesn't like variety?

What you will need:

*Your favorite album. I like to listen to Chet Baker's Baby Breeze while making this soup

*A glass of your favorite white wine (if you drink). You can check this site (barnivore)to see if your favorite drink is vegan.

1 med. butternut squash (or pepper squash)

Olive oil (for brushing on squash before baking)

Garlic powder (to sprinkle on squash while baking)

1 Harvest Sun  organic low sodium vegetable bouillon cube, which can be found locally at Panacea. 

*If you have time you can always make your own or use a prepared vegetable broth like Pacific Foods.

2 lrg. carrots (you can also add fennel)

1 lrg. Bosc pear (or Gala or Honeycrisp apple)

3-4 cloves of garlic (adjust to taste)

2 tbls. of diced fresh ginger

1 lrg. or 2 small sweet Spanish onions

2 tbls. of Braggs

1 tbls. of Earth Balance

Salt and Pepper to taste

 1. Preheat oven to 350˚. Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Put seeds in a bowl and save for baking. You will need to wash and let seeds dry.

2. Brush on olive oil and sprinkle on garlic powder. Cover squash with tin foil and place on pan tin foil side up. Bake approx. 45mins. (Check occasionally to see if squash is soft). Uncover and let bake for 10-15 minutes more minutes without tin foil off. Brown tops. I usually do this the night before.

3. Chop onions, garlic and ginger then sautée in Braggs and Earth Balance until golden brown.

4. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil and place in vegetable bouillon cube. Add salt and pepper.

5. Chop carrots and pears and place in broth along with baked squash, sautéed onions, garlic, and ginger. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes.

6. I usually use a Magic Bullet for this next step but a blender works great too. If you are using a Bullet you will need to do this next part in two steps.  Once soup is cooked blend together.

7. Garnish with seeds.

Baking seeds while soup is simmering:

Pre-heat oven to 250˚. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.

Place clean, dry seeds in a bowl and drizzle on olive oil then sprinkle in cumin, sweet spanish paprika, garlic powder and fine fine sea salt. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden and mix occasionally. These are great to eat separately as a snack or you garnish your soup with them. -B