"Cheezy" Quinoa with Broccoli

Hey Babes!

When I cook grains, I like to make up a big batch of them so I have lots and lots leftover for other dishes throughout the week.  Last night, I whipped up a huge batch of quinoa and used some of it to make a yummy and comforting supper:  "Cheezy" Quinoa with Broccoli.  Kind of like mac and cheese with broccoli, but gluten free, low fat, high protein and of course, vegan!  It was so luxurious and rich but yet so nutritious, I knew I would have to share it with you right away!  I used some of the leftover quinoa in my lunch today, a salad with spinach, avocado, sunflower seeds and a lime-macadamia dressing - so good!  The rest of the leftover grains will either get rolled into nori to make veggie sushi rolls or baked into quinoa omelet breakfast muffins!  Recipes will follow. . . <3

 

"Cheezy" Quinoa with Broccoli

Ingredients:

- 1 cup quinoa

- 2 cups broccoli, chopped into itty bitty florets

- 1/4 cup tahini

- 1 clove garlic, finely minced

- 1 tbsp white miso paste

- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

- 2 tbsp tamari soy sauce

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (or both!)

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

- S&P to taste

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan and stir in the quinoa.  Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot with a lid.  The quinoa should be cooked in about 15 minutes.  You'll be able to tell when it's cooked as the little "tails" become present and the grains have doubled in size.   

Turn off the heat, add the broccoli and cover with the lid while you make the sauce.  This steams the broccoli ever so slightly, so the texture is more tender but the nutrients are better preserved.

Whisk together all the other ingredients except the nutritional yeast and season with salt and fresh ground pepper.  If you find that your sauce has turned into a super thick paste (tahini can be funny that way), just add a tablespoon of water at a time and stir it well until a saucier consistency is reached.  

Stir the sauce and nutritional yeast into the quinoa and broccoli and re-season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  

Nosh!

XOXO

V.V.          

Raw Vegan "Scallops" with Orange Pepper Cream and Blood Orange Salsa

Hello there!

It has been mighty chilly here in Winnipeg (duh, it's January!) but I have had an excuse to stay inside for the past week - STREP THROAT!  It was a fun-filled, first time experience for me indeed (fun, like someone stabbing you in the throat with a fork)!  I was mostly on a liquid diet but some softer foods made it onto my sick bed menu too (Avocado Carpaccio, anyone?).  And in my antibiotic/Advil stupor, I managed to create an outstanding dish that I am so proud of and so excited to share with you!  King oyster mushrooms are not always easy to find, but I have had no problem finding them in my friendly neighborhood Asian grocery store.  Blood oranges are easily substituted with regular, seedless naval oranges or even grapefruit.  This recipe should serve eight as a starter or four as a main dish.  

Raw Vegan "Scallops" with Orange Pepper Cream and Blood Orange Salsa
Ingredients: 
for the mushroom 'scallops':
- one dozen king oyster mushrooms, bottoms and caps removed
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp nama shoyu or tamari soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp agave syrup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- S&P
for the bell pepper puree:
- 2 orange or yellow bell peppers
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp minced shallot
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
for the blood orange salsa:
- 2 blood oranges, rind and pith cut away with a sharp paring knife and diced (regular seedless naval oranges are fine if you can't find blood oranges)
- 1 minced shallot
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped (or parsley if you are a cilantro hater)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp macadamia nut oil, or pistachio oil or avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 chili pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)
- S&P

Slice the king oyster mushroom stems into 1/2" thick "scallops".  Mix together all other ingredients and season with S&P.  Marinate "scallops" in the lovely marinade you just whipped up for 30 min - an hour, stirring occasionally.

Dehydrate the "scallops" at 104 degrees for two hours, basting occasionally with the marinade.  Alternatively, if you are not in possession of a dehydrator, but want to keep this dish raw, warm the medallions in an oven on it's lowest setting with the door cracked open.  If you are not in the least bit concerned about the rawness factor, sear the scallops in a pan with 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until tender.

For the puree, combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until silky smooth.  

For the salsa, toss all ingredients together and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

To serve, put a few tablespoons of the bell pepper puree in the middle of each plate and swirl to make a nice circle.  Arrange the scallops in the center of the plate and put a spoonful of the blood orange salsa on top.  Garnish with a cilantro sprig if you like.

Enjoy!

XOXO
V.V.

Vegan Cucumbers in Coconut Milk

Hey Babes <3

Today I would like to share a recipe with you that blew my mind!  Thanks to some inspiration from Bon Appetit magazine, I dared to prepare a beautiful Summer vegetable in a way I had never dreamed and honey, I am HOOKED!  I have only ever eaten cucumbers in their raw form, and while I love them just the way they are, cooking cukes takes them to a whole new level of amazing.  In this Thai dish, they are tender, juicy, and still retain their 'coolness' amidst a spicy, creamy coconut sauce.  This recipe should serve four, but ATM and I managed to gobble up the entire batch, little piggies that we are. . .  without further ado, here come the eats!

 

Cucumbers in Coconut Milk

Ingredients:

- 2 tbsp grapeseed oil

- 1 large English cucumber, washed, peeled, and sliced into 1/4" slices

- 2 Thai chiles, thinly sliced, make sure you wash your hands immediately after handling chiles!!

- 3 large ripe tomatoes, diced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 6 scallions, thinly sliced, divide the white parts from the green parts in two piles

- 1 can unsweetened coconut milk

- 2 tsp agave syrup

- a large handful of cilantro, chopped

- juice from 1 lime

- S&P

Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat.  Add the cucumber and saute for a minute or two.  Sprinkle with S&P.  Add the chiles, tomatoes, white parts of the scallions, and garlic and cook until the veggies get all tender.

Add the coconut milk and agave syrup and simmer for five minutes or so, until the cucumbers are soft.  Stir in the cilantro and lime juice and season with S&P to taste.  

Serve over basmati rice and enjoy!

XOXO

V.V.

Vegan 'Coq' au Vin

Hey Mondays!




The cold weather has begun to set in and so have V.V.'s cravings for warm, comforting soups and stews.  My StepMama makes an incredible traditional French chicken and wine stew called Coq au Vin that is swimming with earthy mushrooms, caramelized onions, herbaceous thyme, pungent garlic and rich, robust, red, red wine!  According to Mrs. Julia Child, the French eat this stew with boiled, buttered,  parsley sprinkled potatoes but I prefer this mouth-watering stew served ladled over roasted garlic mashed potatoes! 


The chicken substitute I recommend for this dish is a soy-based simulated 'chick'n' called Gardein (they make so many absolutely AMAZING plant-based meat substitutes, great for new vegetarians or transitioning omnivores who are craving an insanely meaty taste and texture).  Superstore Blue Menu makes PC brand meatless chick'n breasts that are made with Gardein and I think Yves makes a meatless chick'n strip product as well.  I have made this dish with cubed seitan as well and it turned out delish.  You could also use good ol' firm tofu! 


A tip about cooking with wine: ALWAYS cook with a wine you would enjoy drinking!!  Maybe not the most expensive bottle, but you can easily find a nice bottle for under twelve bucks that will make allllll the difference in your cooking (I put wine in everything) annnnd you can enjoy a glass or two while you slave away in the kitchen ;)

Vegan 'Coq' au Vin

serves 4ish

Ingredients:

for braised pearl onions:

-20ish pearl onions

-1 tbsp Earth Balance butter

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1 cup veggie stock

-S&P

for the stew:

-2 tbsp olive oil

-2 tbsp Earth Balance butter

-3 cups mixed sliced mushrooms (I used crimini and shitake.  Shitake is UNREAL in the flavour dept)

-8 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
-4 simulated chick'n fillets, chopped into bite sized pieces, or 1 pkg of strips, or 4 cups of cubed seitan, or 1 brick of cubed firm tofu
-2 tbsp all purpose flour
-2 cups veggie stock
-2 cups dry red wine (try a pinor noir or burgundy)
-1 tbsp tomato paste
-a handful of fresh thyme sprig
-a handful of fresh parsley, very roughly chopped
-S&P


First, we braise the pearl onions.  Drop the onions in a pot of boiling water for two minutes and then transfer them immediately into a bowl of ice water.  This will make their skins nice and loosey-goosey.  This is your cue to remove the skins!  Be careful to keep the onions whole.


Heat the 1 tbsp Earth Balance and 1 tbsp olive oil in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat.  Add the onions to the pan and begin to brown gently, shaking the pan to ensure they brown evenly.  Once the onions have begin to show some beautiful brown colour, sprinkle with salt and peppa and add 1 cup of veggie stock.  Cover the pan with a lid and simmer the onions for about 15 minutes, or until the onions are quite soft.  Remove the lid and cook the onions further until they have absorbed most of the liquid.  Set assssssiiide.


Now for the stew!


Melt the remaining Earth Balance and olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the chopped mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms have significantly reduced in size.  Add the "chick'n" and cook until it has browned.  Sprinkle the mushrooms and "chick'n" with the flour and add the veggie stock, red wine, tomato paste, thyme sprigs and parsley.  Stir well to ensure the sauce isn't lumpy. 


Add the braised onions and bring the stew to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 - 20 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a rich, thick gravy.


Season with S&P and remove the thyme sprigs.


Serve with mashed potatoes or polenta.


Stay warm, inside and out!


XOXO


V.V.

Sweet Potato Lentil Curry

Hey Dolls,

October has arrived and with it, the notion that cold weather is in our midst.  While I do find it sad that Summer has passed, cold weather = yummy cold weather comfort food.  One thing I find extremely comforting to eat is a big bowl of CURRY!  Warm, spicy and flavorful yumminess is just the thing I need on a chilly fall evening (and maybe a big mug of chai tea with vanilla soymilk, too!). 
Curries are super easy to make and you can put just about anything in them.  There are a gazillion different curry spice blends out there, but for this recipe I am just going to utilize simple, medium yellow curry powder.  We'll get to the green, red, tandoori, garam masala, phanaeng, and madras varieties another time :)  I find curry tastes even better the next day and it freezes beautifully, so make lots!

Sweet Potato Lentil Curry

Ingredients:

-2 tbsp veg oil

-1 large onion, diced

-1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced

-3 stalks of celery, chopped

-6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

-1/2 a large head of cauliflower, chopped into bite sized florets

-1 tsp ground cinnmon

-1 - 2 tbsp curry powder (depending on how strong you like it)

-2 tomatoes, diced

-1 cup brown lentils

-S&P

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high-ish heat.  Add the onion, sweet potato, celery, garlic and cauliflower to the pot and sprinkle with cinnamon and curry powder and a bit of S&P. 

Cover with a lid and cook for about ten minutes, stirring often. 

 Add the tomatoes and lentils and cover with approx three cups of water, juuuuuust enough to barely cover the veg.



Bring the curry to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium.  Let the curry simmer until the lentils and sweet potatoes are very soft.  I like to reduce the heat to medium low once the lentils are just cooked, and then simmer the curry for an hour so the flavours become bff's.

Serve over brown basmati rice.  Maybe with some peach chutney or sliced banana or toasted almonds as a garnish :)

XOXO

V.V.