Mother's day luncheon: Tomato and Avocado Salad

 350 g avocado ( weight of 2 large after skinned, pitted, and diced)
350 g cherry tomatoes, cut into 8ths
10 black olives, cut into pieces off the pit
sea salt to taste


directions:

1. combine and serve!

Meatcake -- a vegan, gluten free, grain free, delicious piece of goodness

We're off to my in-laws for Easter Dinner. Which means ham. Which means no thanks. Soooo, we shall bring meatcake. It gets its protein from such goodies as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and coconut, and the flavour is all savoury deliciousness. Calling it meatcake is just a running joke in our family. Sorry about that.

Just an fyi, the meatcake was enjoyed by all.

3 cups diced carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green cabbage
1 pint grape tomatoes
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper



1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked in water with sea salt for at least 4 hours
1 cup pumpkin seeds, soaked in water with sea salt for at least 4 hours

1/4 cup chia seeds, finely ground
1 cup shredded coconut finely ground

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp thyme
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup water


directions:

1. soak the sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds for at least 4 hours or over night, then drain and rinse
2. saute the vegetables in the coconut oil with sea salt
3. puree the rinsed seeds, and add the other ingredients
4. puree until smooth
5. pour into 2 small 8 x 8 silicone pans and bake for 1 hour at 345

Savoury Tomato Chickpea Flour Cake

It's kinda like polenta.

ingredients:


2 cup carrot
4 cups sweet potato
1 medium onions



2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
3 cups water tomato sauce
1 cup water

1/2 cup raw cashews ground
1/4 cup raw white sesame seeds, ground


1/4 cup ground chia seeds
1/4 cup ground flax meal
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper


2 cups chick pea flour

1/2 tsp baking soda



directions:

1. process the veggies in a food processor until course
2. add the veggies to a pan with coconut oil, salt, pepper, and 3 cups tomato sauce
3. once veggies are cooked to softness, add in the seeds, chickpea flour, and baking soda
4. mix with a whisk!
5.
6. pour into a greased 3 L glass baking dish
7. bake at 375 for 60 minutes

butternut squash soup -- naturally gluten free, vegan, and so yummy

I thought it would be fun to make butternut squash soup. Now, squash is generally sweet and rich tasting, so I said to myself, self, what would balance that nicely? Well, these big ol' tomatoes from my mother's garden might do the trick. Yes, yes indeed. So, after oven roasting all the veggies and making stock from leek greens, the combine results were greater than the sum of their individual virtues. The colour is a little day-glo orange, but not without charm. The taste? Mellow but not staid, sweet but not cloying, peppy but not obnoxious. Definitely a keeper!

roasting veggies:
ingredients:

1 small butter nut squash -- about 6 cups cubed

1 onion diced

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 lbs tomatoes (about 4 cups cubed)



1 1/2 cups carrot sliced

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil


directions:

1. melt the coconut oil in a large casserole or cast iron dutch oven. Cube and chop the squash, carrots, onions, garlic, and carrot then toss with the coconut oil in the casserole.
2. pile on the chopped tomato
3. bake at 345 for 2 hours
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leek broth --
ingredients:

1 bunch of leek greens
10 cups water

directions:

simmer for a few hours, then strain

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soup:

directions:

1. combine the cooked vegetables and 4 cups of broth, then puree the vegetables
2. season with salt and pepper to taste
3. bring to a simmer and serve hot

I used:

3 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp marjoram



Fantastic. Stupendous. Delicious. Excellent.

Sweet potato saute

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

4-5 cups roma tomatoes

3 cups white kidney beans, (either from a can or already cooked)


1 tbsp sea salt
black pepper

4 small sweet potatoes, cubed

300 g spinach, chopped


directions:

1. sauté the onion, garlic, tomato and white kidney beans with coconut oil and salt and pepper until degraded and delicious
2. add the sweet potato
3. add the spinach
4. serve with crepes or quinoa or by itself or with a song and dance -- you get the picture

Savoury Gluten-Free Polenta Baby Cakes -- Sauteed Tomato with Corn

In our dairy-free and gluten-free theme, I made these savoury corn muffins. I started with grape tomatoes, which I sauteed into submission with minced garlic, finely chopped onion, and some carrot for sweetness. A little chili powder, sea salt, and marjoram jump up the flavour to mouth-party. I thought these would be a nice little brunch treat, especially because I don't prefer a lot of sweet flavours myself. So, yes, I was really just indulging myself. The almond meal, flax seed, organic eggs, and coconut flour make these little cuties practically a meal in themselves along with all the sauteed veggies. Or at least a tasty and guilt free snack. Great with soup or salad for a light lunch or dinner, too, in the summer. 

The sauteed tomatoes that I did up are pretty much a sauce, and any extras would go very nicely on our green pasta recipe -- which it did that very night. ;)

sauteed tomato recipe:

ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 tbsp finely minced garlic

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1/4 cup finely chopped carrot

300 g finely chopped tomatoes (I used a combination of grape and vine tomatoes, because that's what I had)

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tbsp marjoram

directions:

1. saute the garlic and onion with the coconut oil until translucent

2. add the carrot and the tomato, sea salt, and herbs, and saute until well thrashed and reduced

This recipe makes 1 cup

polenta muffin recipe:

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup sauce (from above)

2 organic eggs

1/2 - 3/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp chili powder

1 tsp marjoram

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 tbsp ground flax

2 tbsp ground chia

1/2 cup almond flour

1/4 cup stoneground organic corn meal

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp coconut flour

1/2 cup corn kernels (organic)

directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345

2. combine the warm water and coconut oil to melt the oil

3. mix in the sauce (make sure it's cool)

4. mix in the eggs (make sure the mixture is not too warm before doing so)

5. add the herbs, spices, and sea salt

6. add the flax and chia meal

7. add the almond flour and corn meal

8. add the baking soda

9. add the coconut flour

10. stir in the corn kernels, and scoop the batter into prepared muffin cups

11. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

makes 12 muffins

Savoury Polenta with Garlic, Onion, and Tomato -- gluten-free, polenta with a twist

Apparently, we are still on our polenta kick. One of my favourite ways to make polenta is with a pound or two of tomatoes, with some well sauteed onion and garlic for extra zest. It's so savoury and flavourful that I've served it in small sticks as a party finger food. That format is also quite appealing to littlies, because it's easy to pick up and shove in their mouths. The large amount of almond meal and flax meal along with the tomato practically make this dish a meal in itself. Certainly, I've eaten variations of this as a lunch time porridge.

If you are not as much of a garlic phobe as am I, you may or may not cook your garlic and onions to death. However, I think the flavour of the tomatoes, garlic, and onions is mellowed, harmonized, and balanced by the saute and simmer. I used marjoram and a little chili powder. Oregano and or basil would also rock in this dish. 

The making is simple. A little saute in coconut oil, a little water and the cornmeal/almond meal brought to a boil, then baking in a greased baking dish. If you are a purist, you can certainly make this using only cornmeal, no almond meal and flax meal. However, I believe that the addition of the flax and almond do not detract from the taste and texture in anyway, and go a long way to making this a dish that will be stabilizing to blood sugar, and much better for you than a dish made just with cornmeal. Unless you are allergic to nuts. Then this dish will be much better for you without the almond meal ;) But if you are allergic to nuts or coconut, chances are you gave up on my blog long ago, if you ever found your way here at all.

ingredients:

1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 tbsp finely minced garlic

1 small onion, finely chopped -- approx 1/2 cup

1/2 lb finely diced roma tomatoes (or more)

2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tbsp marjoram

3 cups water

1/4 cup flax meal

1 cup almond meal

1 cup organic corn meal

directions:

1. saute the garlic and onion in the coconut oil in a large pot until they are fully cooked

2. add the tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes are cooked into submission

3. add the water, and stir in the flax meal, almond meal, and corn meal

4. over low heat, keep stirring until the mixture thickens up

5. put into a prepared baking dish (a square glass dish would be my choice here 1 1/2 or 2 L dish) (or the  recipe can be doubled and baked in a 3L rectangular dish)

6. bake at 345 for 60 minutes

7. allow to cool before cutting or it will just fall apart

8. pieces can be brushed with oil and grilled or reheated in the oven on a baking sheet

Autumn Soup

Tuesday morning November 2nd meant the final farmer's market at East York Civic Center until spring 2011 :(  

Bob Proracki from Round Plains Plantation (http://www.ontariosweetpotato.com) brought me 2 brand new sweet potato types that he grew for the first time this year. Unlike the bright orange, soft fleshed sweet potatoes most people are familiar with (Bob has those, too), these genres have a dry flesh. One is a bright purple fleshed  cutie called the Okinawa, and the other is white fleshed, equally cute, and is called the Mirosaki -- both named after places in Japan. I lived in Japan for a few years in the 90s, and fell in love with the dry fleshed sweet potatoes that the street vendors would roast up at street fairs ... My decade plus long search to find these same treats here brought me to Bob and his fabulous chemical free fare. Tuesday morning was also a fond farewell to our other East York farmer's market fave -- Hillsview Farms. We stocked up on some chemical free produce from them -- some of the best carrots I've ever tasted in my life, sweet broccoli, very nice squashes, bright happy tomatoes, and some adorable little mini cabbages.

In honour of our final farmer's market of the season, we made a lovely roasted vegetable soup when we got home. 

ingredients:

1/2  package dried lima beans, soaked overnight, and rinsed (made 14 cups of beans)

4 tomatoes

1 1/2 baby cabbages

1 carrots

1/2 small butternut squash

1 small onions

2 small (or 1 med/large) cloves of garlic

1 small or medium sweet potato (I just used the usual orange ones in this soup)

sea salt

pepper

coconut oil

marjoram

oregano

1 broccoli

directions:

1.  bring lima beans to a boil and then remove from heat and soak  for 2-3 hours or overnight

2.  rinse lima beans well, and put in a large stock pot with water just to cover

3.   add a few generous tablespoons of coconut oil

4.   add sea salt and black pepper

5.   chop tomatoes and add to pot

6.   dice carrot and add

7.  chop cabbage and add

8.  add salt, pepper, marjoram, and oregano

9.   cover the pot and bring it to a low boil or a heavy simmer. This will need to cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours

10.  dice the squash, and oven roast on a cookie sheet at 345 for 1/2 hour

11.  dice the sweet potatoes, and oven roast at 345 for 1/2 hour

12.  peel the garlic cloves, quarter the onions, and oven roast at 345 for 1/2 hour

13.  once the garlic and onions are cooked through, chop onions and add both to pot for simmering process

14.  once the lima beans are thoroughly cooked, add squash and sweet potatoes for a final 30 minutes of cooking. At this point, add in as much more water as you need to get the correct broth-to-solids ratio that will please your palate most. Adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper or herbs if needed. 

15.  chop broccoli and add for last 10 minutes of cooking

You can serve this with bread or crackers for a simple meal, or as a starter, if you prefer.

This will make about 4 quarts of soup, so you'll need your big soup pot or dutch oven to make this. It will freeze well in glass jars. Or you can halve the recipe like any normal person would do. :)

It is savoury, delicious, and comforting on a chilly evening. Yum