Socca-ish -- a vegan, chickpea flour flat bread

This is a fun and spunky little side that can be a simple meal on its own when paired with a fabulous salad, or can add a little pizzazz to other dishes.

Bow down and worship the humble chickpea in all its forms.

ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 med/large onion diced, then cooked in the coconut oil with a little salt

3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 cups water

1/4 cup ground chia

1 cup chickpea flour
a pinch of granulated garlic


directions:

preheat the oven to 345
1. chop the onion, and cook in 2 tbsp coconut oil with a little salt
2.while the onions are cooking, combine the other ingredients
3. add the cooked onions and stir
4.
5. spread on an iron griddle or in 2 square silicone pans and bake for 60 minutes ...

Sweet Potato Soup V 2.O -- vegan, rib sticking good

Different veggies, different day, different soup. The thing that never changes? The yum factor ...

I'm so very into hearty soups these days. This one is pretty fantastic. The almond butter and coconut butter make it very hearty and satisfying, as well as mellow and savoury.

ingredients:

3 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 tbsp finely minced garlic
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion

3 cups soaked but not cooked navy beans

3 cups green peas (frozen, organic)
2 cups diced carrots

1/2 cup smooth almond butter
1/4 cup coconut butter

6 cups roughly chopped sweet potato

4 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp oregano
black pepper

7 cups water

2 tbsp lime juice

2 extra cups of water
salt and pepper to taste (I didn't add any extra)


directions:

1. layer the ingredients in the crockpot in the order listed excepting the lime juice, extra water, and any additional salt and pepper
2. cook until veggies are tender
3. stir really well, and add lime juice and extra 2 cups of water. If needed, tweak the salt and pepper.


serve with crusty rolls

delicious!!

Veggie bake up -- gluten free vegan goodness

So, I thought it would be fun to go all v*gan on your ass. The thing is, this turned out so delectable that  I am already looking forward to leftovers for dinner tomorrow night. Just the right mix of flavours, and completely satisfying. Easy to make, and pleasing to people of all ages, this dish goes great with a side of greens or quinoa or both. My four year old devoured his, and my husband had thirds. You get the picture. Additionally, it is grain free, gluten free, and free of pretention and bad attitude (too bad I can't say the same about me).

ingredients:


2 cup shredded carrot
4 cups shredded sweet potato
2 medium onions, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper


1/2 cup raw cashews ground
1/4 cup raw white sesame seeds, ground
1/4 cup ground flax meal
2 cups chick pea flour
1 cup water
4 tsp egg replacer + 1 cup water OR 4 eggs
1 tsp sea salt
black pepper
1 tsp chili pepper
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp baking soda



directions:

1. sauté the onion and garlic in the coconut oil
2. add the shredded sweet potato and carrot and 1 tsp sea salt, and  sauté
3. meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the egg replacer  and water with the water, and add the chickpea flour, ground flax, ground sesame, ground cashews, and seasonings
4. mix with a whisk!
5. when the shredded veggie mix is cooked, add it to the batter, and combine well
6. pour into a greased 3 L glass baking dish
7. bake at 345 for 60 minutes

8. serve with chopped and sautéed rapine, sautéed broccoli, and fluffy quinoa. lovely!


p.s. just wanna say re: rapine -- chopped and sautéed in coconut oil with a little sea salt = divine!! I could eat my weight in rapine swear.

Mac 'n' cheese -- the kind that is good for you

My husband and I were going out to my IFA2 improv show at the Second City (I managed neither to fall on my face nor my arse yay), and I wanted to make something that could be cooked ahead of time, and then eaten by my son and my sister and beau (his babysitters -- thanks Sandra and Dave). I also want it to be something that would be easy to choke down by a four-year old who is at times recalcitrant these days. Success. This dish was comfort food at its best -- and chock full of 'good for you'. Sided with sautéed broccoli, raw spinach, or whatever you like, it's a taste-bud pleaser. It can also be made in advance, and frozen, then cooked from frozen.

ingredients:

375 g spiral pasta -- if you like gluten, go for kamut, if you hate gluten, go for your fave gluten free

6 - 8 eggs (depends on the size -- we had 2 cups of beaten egg)
2 cups of milk

200 g shredded cheese -- cheddar, mozzarella, and swiss


1 garlic clove, finely minced
2 medium  onions, finely chopped

2 cups shredded carrots
1 large shredded sweet potato

2 tbsp coconut oil

sea salt
black pepper

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

directions:

1. sauté the shredded vegetables in coconut oil with a little sea salt and pepper until the onion is translucent -- allow to cool
2. put your rotini in a big bowl
3. beat the eggs and mix with the milk, and pour over the noodles
4. add the shredded cheese and the cooled vegetables (I had a tiny bit of swiss and cheddar, and a 200 g package of mozzarella -- it all went in).
5. add the ground raw cashews and sesame seeds
6. pour into a greased 3L baking dish, and let sit for at least 15 minutes to let the noodles absorb as much as possible before cooking
6. bake at 345 for 1 hour
7. let cool for 15 minutes before serving
8. serve with green vegetables

baked vegetables with leek and coconut milk -- vegan

Random ingredients in my fridge and pantry. Maybe I should try shopping with intent? Nah, Nemesis to the rescue. I loaded my ingredients into my favourite beast of a dutch oven. And presto, out came a delicious meal. Too bad my son is going through a rude phase. If it's not pasta, it sucks. Am I allowed to tell my 4 year old to 'kiss my @ss'? The good news is, once he was convinced to open his mouthy little mouth to do something other than mouth off, he found it delicious.

ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 onions

3 sweet potatoes

1 bunch of leeks

3 tsp sea salt

black pepper

500 g frozen peas

4 cups finely chopped green cabbage

1 can coconut milk

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp granulated garlic powder

1 tbsp marjoram

directions:

1. load the ingredients into a casserole or dutch oven in the order listed

2. cook at 345 for 60-90 minutes

3. serve with gluten free vegan crepes, fresh bread, socca, or a side of sautéed broccoli

Meat Bobs -- gluten free, meat free, and 4 year old friendly

Meatballs watch out there is a new Bob in town.  My four year old calls 'em meat bobs. They are made of lentils, seeds, and veggies, and they pretty fun to have around.

1 cup lentils

1 onion

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 1/2 cups water

sea salt

black pepper

marjoram

basil

oregano

1 clove of garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup flax meal

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup ground sesame seeds

1/4 cup ground cashew

1 cup grated carrot 

1 cup almond flour 

1 sweet potato grated

2 eggs

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

salt and pepper to taste

directions:

1. cook the lentils with the water, onion, coconut oil, sea salt, black pepper, and any other seasonings that float your boat. I added some granulated dried garlic, and some italian seasoning (mixed herbs)

2. grate the carrot, and mix in the cooked lentils with the flax, chia, and hemp seeds

3. add the almond flour, and adjust the seasonings

4. add the eggs

5. roll into balls, and place on a lined baking sheet 

6. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

I made 'em about 1 to 1 1/2 inch in diameter

Delicious! For real. And really great at room temperature the next day.

Chili Con Broccoli -- Continuing Crockpot Adventures

Oops, I just realized that athough I had posted the cornmeal polenta that I made as a side for this dish -- actually, I sliced it and used it as a base, and put the chili on top -- yum -- I neglected to post this recipe. It was sitting there, languishing in my 'drafts' section. Sorry!

It's quite zesty and bright in its flavours -- not as mellow as the chickpea stew from a week or two ago. However, we enjoyed it very much, and the mellowness of the polenta was an excellent foil for these flavours.

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 onion finely chopped -- about 1/2 cup

1 tbsp finely minced garlic

3/4 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced celery

1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans

5 or 6 cups diced organic roma tomatoes -- 1 1/2 or 2 lbs

1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp marjoram
1 tsp mesquite powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp basil
black pepper

1 1/2 cup cubed sweet potato

2 cups broccoli florets (either lightly steamed or defrosted from frozen) (250 g)


directions:

1. turn your crockpot on to High, and set the timer for 6 hours, (if you have that long -- a longer cooking time will mellow and meld the flavours more, and improve the dish)
2. layer as follows:
a) coconut oil
b) garlic
c) onion
d) celery
e) carrot
f) tomato
g) 1/2 of salt, pepper, herbs, mesquite etc
h) kidney beans
i) sweet potato and rest of salt
3. after the cooking has finished, turn off the heat and stir in the  broccoli florets.

Typical of tomato based dishes, this tastes great the next day. If you like you can serve it with polenta, quinoa, bagels, bread, nothing, or whatever else strikes your fancy.

My three year old enjoyed this very much, and for him I cut polenta into small cubes and ladled the stew on top. It was a big hit.

Adzuki Bean and Vegetable Stew -- The New Crockpot Adventures

The amazing thing about a crackpot -- er, crockpot -- is that if you have a few minutes to load it up, it will do all the work for you, regardless of how busy your schedule is. Now, hitherto, I have often pre-sauteed the more potent elements such as onion and garlic. This time however, not only was time quite pressing, but I also thought it was time to get over my fear, and allow the crockpot to do its thing. A benign and benevolent key makeup artist had wrapped me early from work one day, and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to get the crockpot going so there would be dinner for the next couple of nights when I would certainly be home very late in the evening.

I'd been keen to try out adzuki beans in the crockpot, because although they are larger than a lentil and are not a split pea, they are 'soaking optional'. I also thought it would be fun to throw in some barley -- however for those who are gluten sensitive or intolerant, please substitute your favourite short, whole grain rice for the barley.

My son and I both like this hearty concoction very much. My husband, who seems to have the tongue of a super-taster, is not so keen. It does have a bit of a stronger flavour. It's probably the cauliflower that is at fault. I personally can't taste the cauliflower, and certainly can't rule out the adzuki's, the barley, or the wild rice for the 'earthiness' of the flavour, Colin often turns up his nose at dishes that contain cauliflower even if  he doesn't know it's there. Sigh.

How cute are adzukis? Seriously. They are adorable! If you are not a fan of cauliflower, you can definitely substitute something sweeter. Perhaps a combination of chopped tomato and sweet potato? Mushrooms and eggplant? Beets? Kolrabi? Whatever tickles your fancy.


ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 tbsp finely minced garlic
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 diced carrot
1/2 cup diced celery
125 g cauliflower, divided into florets (frozen organic works well) -- about 1 cup

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup adzuki beans
1/4 cup barley (or short, whole grain rice for gluten free option)
2 tbsp wild rice
2 tbsp small brown lentils

1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp marjoram
1 tsp chili powder
black pepper

3 -3 1/2 cups water

125 g peas (frozen organic works well) -- about 3/4 or 1 cup

75 g spinach, chopped (frozen and defrosted works well)


directions:

turn on the crockpot to medium

layer the ingredients into your crockpot as follows:
1. coconut oil, garlic, and onion + 1/2 tsp sea salt sprinkled on top
2. cauliflower + 1/2 tsp sea salt sprinkled on top
3. carrots and celery + 1/2 tsp sea salt sprinkled on top
4. adzuki beans, barley, wild rice, and lentils, + 1 1/2 tsp sea salt, marjoram, chili powder, and black pepper
5. pour on 3 or 3 1/2 cups of water, careful not to disturb your layers
6. pour your peas on top of the water
7. cook for 6 hours on medium (I just turned mine on and went to bed. It turned itself off after cooking).
8. when finished cooking, stir in the chopped spinach.

Chickpea 'Polenta' -- more chickpea variations

Chickpea Polenta!

In addition to the hummus we've been enjoying, it suddenly occurred to me that pureed chickpeas could have another application. A sort of baked chickpea polenta if you will.

I imagined the flavour of chickpeas goosed with plenty of cumin and well cooked tomato, onion, and garlic. When I make polenta with corn meal, I often start with well sauteed garlic, onion, and tomato, and add some herbs and seasonings. For some reason, when I think chickpeas, I want to use cumin. So I did. The result is very polenta like, with the benefit of being full of chickpeas.

We ate it with chinese broccoli sauteed in a little coconut oil, with a touch of sea salt, cumin, chili powder, and honey -- Gung Hey Fat Choi, y'all. May your rabbits be lucky and your year be sweet.


ingredients:

4 cups cooked chickpeas (or canned)
2 cups of sauteed garlic, onion, and tomato
1/2 cup flax meal
2 tbsp finely ground chia seed

1 1/2 tsp sea salt
black pepper to taste
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 xl organic eggs


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. puree the chickpeas in a food processor
2. mix in the flax meal, chia seed, sea salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, and apple cider vinegar
3. stir in the sauteed garlic, onion, and tomato
4. when the seasonings have been adjusted to taste, you can add the egg and mix thoroughly
5. pour the contents into a 2 quart pan (small rectangular)
6. bake in a preheated oven for 60 minutes at 345 degrees. If you are feeling fancy, you could decorate the top with very thin slices of tomato, or grape tomato quarters. I wasn't feeling fancy. ;)
7. allow to set for a while before attempting to cut and serve. This is important. I make this mistake with polenta all the time, and try to cut it too soon, and it just mushes and falls apart. You are better off making it ahead of time, cutting it into pieces, then brushing the pieces with a little oil and warming them back up in the oven to serve.

This makes a simple meal with sauteed greens, or salad greens, whatever strikes your fancy.

Before going into the oven ...

After cooking -- golden brown, and ready to eat

Yum!

Not Chicken Noodle Soup -- Good for what ails you Part 1 (crockpot soup)

My not quite 3 year old (six weeks to go) woke up in the night with a low fever (his first one I think), and wasn't feeling well when we got up this morning. So, not chicken noodle soup to the rescue.

You may be familiar with the potent anti-viral effects of ginger and turmeric, but did you know turmeric also contains salicylic acid, which can be found in willow bark and is used to make asprin? Salicylic acid is a common compound found in many plants, and has an anti-inflammatory effect. Organic vegetable soup has been shown to have higher levels of salicylic acid than non-organic vegetable soup (but I'm not going to cite the study. You can google it if you'd like.) Suffice to say it's not the chicken soup but the vegetables in the chicken soup that were good for what ails you. We've updated it by forgoing all chicken, and adding plenty of ginger and turmeric for both the anti-inflammatory effects as well as the anti-viral effects.

Plus what could be more soothing that a hot bowl of soup when you are sick?

I decided to make soup noodles to go with the soup. For this I used my favourite pasta dough recipe, rolled it flat, rolled it up, and sliced it quickly. Two minutes in boiling water and voila. Honestly, it takes longer to tell you about it than it takes to make them.

I ended up throwing in some broccoli after the soup was finished. Broccoli is practically a religion around here. And although I was originally going to just make a clear soup with celery and carrots in it, I ended up throwing in some red kidney beans too. Kidney beans are a good choice because they are contain some essential trace elements, lots of protein, and are great for stabilizing blood sugar. Plus they taste good. 

Well, the soup turned out well, and we enjoyed it for dinner. At least, my husband and I did. My son, noodle lover extraodinaire, refused even a bite -- and didn't even have appetite for his Not Chocolate Ice Cream, which he normally adores. :(

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 1/4 cup diced carrots

1 1/4 cup diced celery

1 1/2 tbsp finely minced garlic

1 cup finely chopped onion (purple)

125 g cauliflower, cut into florets, approx 1 heaping cup

1/2 tbsp turmeric

3 1/2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

2 tsp sea salt

black pepper

1 1/2 cups dark red kidney beans (cooked, not raw. Or canned, if you prefer)

1/2 tbsp marjoram

1/2 tbsp oregano

4 cups boiling water

125 g broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (optional) (I used frozen, defrosted) (or you can use lightly-steamed) approx 1 heaping cup

directions:

1. saute the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, cauliflower, ginger, turmeric, sea salt, and pepper in the coconut oil on low for 30 minutes, or until very cooked.

2. put the sauteed vegetables into your crock pot, and add  the kidney beans, marjoram, oregano, and water

3. cook on high in your crockpot for 4 hours

4. turn off the heat and add the broccoli

5. let sit for 30 minutes, or over night.

6. ladle hot soup over cooked noodles, and serve 

:)

Oven Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew

Inspired by Sara and her squash and chickpea stew ...


I had three adorable if generous 'bone' squashes from my favourite chemical free farmer at the East York Civic Center, and decided that today was the day to use one of them. Squashes to keep very well, so it could be weeks before the next squash post. We'll see.


I oven roasted the individual ingredients before combining them all in my red cast iron casserole (named Nemesis after a Red Dwarf star) and cooking them all together to let the flavours do a final meld.
The individual roasting section of the preparation doesn't really add much in terms of labour because honestly it's the cutting and dicing that feels the most labour intensive. However, it does add a little in terms of time. But also adds much in terms of flavour, integrity, and over all result. If you wish to skip the pre-roasting, I'd love to hear how it turns out for you. Yummy, I'm sure. I oven roasted some cauliflower and was originally going to add it, but then decided to just serve it as a side dish. With a loaf of freshly baked bread. :)


ingredients:


1 butternut squash, gutted and cubed
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
4 cups cauliflower florets and greens, chopped
4 cups cooked chickpeas
1 cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (see the pizza recipe post) (or you could chop some cherry tomatoes in half and throw those in instead -- yum)


1/2 tsp chili powder
black pepper
sea salt




directions:


1. toss butternut squash with coconut oil and a touch of salt and oven roast on a large baking sheet (line with silicone or parchment
2. toss onion and garlic with coconut oil and oven roast in a small oven proof baking dish
3. toss cauliflower with coconut oil and a touch of sea salt and oven roast in a rectangular glass pan
(you'll be able to fit the squash on your bottom rack, and the other two on your upper rack, and thereby do all at once)
4. oven roast everything at 345 until each one is individually done. I really hate under cooked garlic and onion, so I probably roast these much longer than some people would.  The cauliflower should be nicely brown in spots, and kind of translucent and soft. If you've never had cauliflower this way, try it and give thanks to my sister Debbie :) The squash is nice when it's a little brown in places.
5. you can reserve the cauliflower like I did to use as a side dish, or you can use it in your 'stew'.
6. In a large casserole (cast iron, stainless steel, ceramic, or glass), combine the oven roasted vegetables and the chickpeas. Pour the coconut milk over everything, and stir gently to combine.
7. pour on the tomato sauce. You don't want to use so much that the tomato dominates, but rather just enough that it pulls the flavours together nicely, and balances out the richness of the coconut milk. I found 1 1/2 cups did the trick for me.
8. I really like chili powder (not the same as chili pepper) and decided to add 1/2 tsp to this stew. I really like the way it works with the sweetness of the roasted vegetables and the brightness of the tomato. If chili powder is not your bag, maybe just sea salt and black pepper would work.
9. put the loaded casserole into the oven, and bake for 45-60 minutes to meld the flavours fully.
10. Serve with fresh bread, by itself, sided by cauliflower, wearing only a smile, topping quinoa, or consume standing over the stove directly from the casserole whilst wearing a guilty expression.

Oven roasted cauliflower and cauliflower greens that didn't make it into the stew

Squash stew, fresh bread, and Nemesis

Well, we've eaten this for the past three days or so, and I find it to be wake-up-in-the-night-and-raid-the-refrigerator delicious. Not that I do that ;) But I do look forward to a bowl of it for dinner. Extra Yum!


Let me know what you think :)