What We Makin': Roasted Vegetables

Kreck here.  A few weeks ago I bought these PURPLE (!) potatoes from the farmer's market without knowing what I'd do with them.  Today it was their time to shine, because I decided to try my hand at roasting vegetables.  And believe me readers: if I can do it, so can all of y'all.

I started off by cutting up potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and a couple of garlic cloves, as well as a couple of apples, just to be adventurous.  I tossed them in a large bowl with olive oil, cayenne pepper, paprika and oregano.  Then I put everything in a large casserole dish, covered it with aluminum foil and put it in the oven (at 375 degree Fahrenheit) and let it cook for 75 minutes.  It may take more or less time depending on your oven, so just keep checking to see if the harder vegetables are cooked.

Behold the result:

This was so good, especially the apples!  (And all of the produce was local!)  The next time I make this, I will definitely add more apples, onions, garlic and herbs.

Give it a try!

Vegetables:  It's what we roastin'.

What We Makin': Eggplant Parmesan

I absolutely love making warm hearty meals when the weather gets cooler, and this eggplant parmesan is perfect for cooler days.

First, slice your eggplant into 1/2 inch slices.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and let sit for 15 minutes or so.  While that is working, you can get to work making a sauce.  Canned pasta sauce is great for when you're in a rush.  This time, I opened a jar of pasta sauce and added some onions, garlic, grated zucchini and red peppers.

For the "parmesan," I made up a simple substitute that I really like.  I added 1 cup of sesame seeds, 1/2 a cup of almonds, 1/2 a cup of nutritional yeast and 1 tsp of sea salt into a food processor and blended until it became a fine crumb mixture.

After the eggplant is ready, rinse it off in a colander and pat dry.  Next up, you'll need to bread and fry the eggplant.  I mixed egg replacer with hemp milk and some water together and put it into a wide bowl.  For the breading, I mixed spelt flour with some corn meal and some Italian seasonings.  First dip the eggplant into the milk mixture, then the breading.  Shake off any excess breading and drop into a frying pan heated with a layer of oil.  After the slices brown, transfer them to a paper towel to blot excess oil.

Once all of the slices have been fried, you can move onto layering the eggplant with cheese and sauce.  I also used some grated soy mozzarella along with my parmesan mixture.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven covered with foil for maybe half an hour or so.  Then take the foil off and broil it until it starts to brown.

--Jen

What We Makin': Rice, Bean & Corn Salad

Kreck here.  This is a recipe for all of you Level I cooks out there.  This salad is super cheap, hearty and healthy!  I found it in the Toronto Star a couple of weeks ago and finally tried it out today.

Dressing:

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp hot sauce

1 large clove garlic, minced or pressed

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup olive oil

Pepper to taste

Salad:

1/2 cup rice

1 cup water

2 540mL cans black beans, rinsed, drained

2 cups fresh or frozen thawed corn kernels

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

1 small green pepper, diced

1/4 cup chopped parsley

• Whisk dressing ingredients together in a bowl, set aside.  
• Cook and cool rice, fluff with fork.  
• Combine beans, corn, onion, pepper and parsley in large bowl, and add rice once it has cooled to room temperature.
• Add desired amount of dressing
• Makes a lot... 8 cups!

You could definitely substitute ingredients and modify the quantities used based on your own preferences and what you happen to have on hand.  The original recipe called for red pepper and green onions, but I only had green pepper and white onion, and it is still delicious.  You may want to reduce the amount of olive oil a smidge, and add more chili pepper and hot sauce for more heat.

I may not be able to turn an avocado into a pie, but apparently I can turn rice, beans and corn into a tasty salad! 

What Aren't We Makin'?

Brace yourself for a triple-whammy of delicious eats.

First up, my dinner for the evening:

I made some brown rice with some assorted vegetables and peanut sauce. The peanut sauce recipe was from the Fresh cookbook “Refresh.” The only change I made was that I juiced some carrots and celery in place of the vegetable stock which explains why the sauce is such a bright orange. This is one of my favourite comfort meals.

Next up, some desserts!

First, I made some mini cheesecakes made with soy cream cheese. The recipe was from vegweb and can be found here: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=13702.0.

I followed the recipe for the filling, but to make it gluten-free, I made my own crust. I blended some granola with some cashews and almonds and some agave nectar and Earth Balance until I got crust consistency. For the topping, I cooked some blueberries and raspberries with some agave nectar.

Earlier in the week I went a little avocado crazy and bought a few too many, so I made an avocado mousse pie. I used the leftovers I had from my crust for the mini cheesecakes. For the filling recipe, I also got it from vegweb here: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=6811.0. This recipe was extremely easy and made a really rich pie. I’ve seen a lot of healthier versions and I would probably try those out instead next time, but this would be a good dessert to bring to a get-together of some sort.

--Jen

What We Makin': P.Y.T.s!

I’m pretty sure that in the song P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing), Michael Jackson was singing about baby zucchinis and pattypan squash. I don't know if anyone else would agree, but I’m going to continue to believe it. Maybe it’s just an indication as to how much I really love miniature vegetables.

I was at the market today and found some of these P.Y.T.s and knew I had to make something special with them. I decided to stuff them and then roast them in the oven. This may not have been the best idea on such a hot day, but it was worth it!

I heated some oil and added some black cumin seeds, a cardamom pod, and some fenugreek to the pan. Then I threw in some finely chopped onions, garlic, mushrooms, red pepper and the insides of the squash and zucchini. Once that was cooked, I added a healthy dose of cumin, some pepper and some saffron. Then I stirred in some cooked long grain brown rice and some chopped almonds. I added some balsamic vinegar into the pan before stuffing the squash and zucchini.

I baked them in the oven in a dish covered with foil until they were soft. I served them with a balsamic reduction to balance the savouriness of the zucchini and squash. Yum!

--Jen

What We Makin': Chili, Grilled Polenta and Dill Sour "Cream"

For some reason, I decided it would be a good idea to make chili on a day when it was supposed to be 45 degrees out with the humidity. Fortunately, a huge storm came in and cooled things down a bit. However, I did lose a tomato plant which fell down the stairs on my balcony, but that is another tale. Another sad, sad tale. :(

Moving on to tastier things, I made a pretty comforting meal tonight.

Chili:

My chili is never made by following a recipe, but I usually always have my three must-have ingredients to start: onions, carrots and celery. Here you can see them cooking away in the pot. There is also a generous amount of chopped garlic thrown in.

Next up, I added the rest of my ingredients. They are always approximate, and always what I end up having on hand. I threw in half of a yellow pepper, a yellow zucchini, some black beans from the freezer, a can of kidney beans, a jalapeno pepper and a can of tomatoes. My seasonings also depend on what I'm feeling like at the time. This time I used lots of chili powder, cumin, oregano and chipotle hot sauce. At the end I put in some herbs from the garden - parsley, oregano, thyme and basil.


Grilled Polenta Wedges:

I was also craving some polenta, so I made some of that, too. My recipe is approximate, but I used approximately 3/4 of a cup to 1 cup of cornmeal and 3 cups of water.

First, bring the water to a boil, throw in a pinch of salt and a spoonful of Earth Balance (optional). Whisk in the polenta and stir until it gets so thick that it's splattering at you. Then you can turn down the heat to medium and eventually medium-low if you find it is sticking or burning. You are free to add whatever seasonings you might like. I added a couple of pinches of saffron, some cumin and a bit of garlic powder in mine. Cook the polenta while stirring for about 10-15 minutes.

Next, pour the polenta into a pie plate and cool until firm. Mine took about an hour or so. Flip out the polenta and cut into wedges. It doesn't look too pretty just yet, but once it is cut and grilled, it will look and taste delicious, I promise! Brush the wedges with oil and grill until crisp on the outside. I used my electric grill, but you could also use a barbecue or even a frying pan.






Dill Sour Cream:

The recipe I used for the sour cream came from one of my favourite cookbooks, Vegan Planet by Robin Robinson. I added about half a tablespoon of chopped dill at the end to mine.

Here is the recipe:

6 ounces of silken tofu, drained
1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of sunflower oil of other neutral-tasting oil
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of sugar or natural sweetener (optional)

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth and creamy.
2. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 to 4 days.

That's it! It doesn't taste like real sour cream exactly, but it is creamy and the perfect accompaniment to a spicy chili.

Put it all together and you have a delicious comforting and pretty economical meal:




Chili: It's What We Makin'!
--Jen