Stuffed Zucchini

This recipe is very roughly based on a stuffed eggplant recipe in my mum's old Joy of Cooking. I ended up with extra filling, but it's delicious and would go well in peppers or mushrooms. If my zucchinis look strange in this picture it's because I somehow grew teardrop shaped zucchinis. I am a gardening novice so please don't ask me how that happened! Corn is from my garden. It also turned out strange. Like gardener like garden?

Ingredients:
• 1-2 tsp canola oil
• 1 onion
• 2 zucchinis (or more, or less, depending on size of zucchinis)
• one tomato
• 5 brown mushrooms
• 1/4 yellow bell pepper
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 jalapeno (or more, if you like heat)
• 1 tsp vegetarian chicken broth powder
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 tsp veg Worcestershire sauce
• 5 strips tempeh bacon (store bought) or tofu bacon
to taste:
• Greek seasoning
• oregano
• cumin

• 2 tbsp+ bread crumbs
• a bit of shredded soy cheese (optional)

Prep:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Chop up the onion and fry on medium heat in the oil until it begins to brown. Make sure to stir onion periodically. Put the tempeh bacon on to fry in a separate pan, flipping to brown each side. If you are making tofu bacon, you will also need to add the bacon seasoning following browning. When the bacon is done, take it off heat, cut into bits and set aside. While onion and bacon is cooking, use an ice cream scoop or strong spoon to hollow out the inside of the zucchini, leaving about 1/2 inch wall thickness. Chop zucchini innards and set aside in a bowl. Chop the tomato, mushrooms, jalapeno, and garlic, and add to zucchini in bowl. When onion lightly browned, add all the other veggies from the bowl, the brown rice, the seasonings, and the tempeh bacon into the pan. Continue to stir until medium heat until veggies are just cooked (they will get some cooking time in the oven as well). Take the mixture off heat, and add in bread crumbs as needed to thicken. They should help the mixture stick together so it doesn't fall out of the zucchini. Stuff each zucchini. Filling can be overflowing out of the zucchini: pack it in there! Top with veg cheese if desired. Bake for 20 minutes in a casserole dish with a little bit of water in it.

Peppercorn Ranch Kale Chips

I made this up out of a bunch of ranch dressing and kale chip recipes. They're dehydrating in the oven right now, but I tried a few raw and they were delish. The herbs can be either fresh or dried. What's listed here reflects what I had! I did this to taste so measurements are approximate

8 very large fresh leaves of kale

1 cup raw cashews, soaked at least two hours in cold water (I did them overnight) and drained
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp whole black peppercorns
tops from 1 large spring onion, chopped (chives would also probably be good)
1/2 clove garlic
2 tsp dried thyme
2 sprigs chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp dried dill
4 leaves fresh basil

Wash kale and shake leaves dry (or use a salad spinner if you have one). Remove stems of kale and break into chip-sized pieces in a very large bowl.

Put all seasoning ingredients in a blender or food processor. Process on low, adding water or almond milk by tablespoonfuls as needed to help mix. The seasoning mix should be a fully-blended thick creamy paste, more like a nut butter consistency than a dip, when you are finished.

Use a spatula to scrape all the seasoning mix into the bowl with the kale. Massage the seasoning over the kale leaves, trying to cover all surfaces and avoid clumps of seasoning (which are delicious, but may deprive some kale leaves of having any seasoning!)

Spread leaves out onto parchment or silicone mat-covered baking sheets. If the leaves are too thickly layered, or clumped up, they will not dry as efficiently and you will end up with wet spots. A double layer works ok, but leaves should be spread out flat in layers.

You can do these in a dehydrator, but since I don't have one, I put the oven on its lowest setting (for my oven that's 175 F). You can also bake these at a higher temp, as I've seen in some recipes, but the risk of burning increases with the temp. Dry for 6-10 hours, or until chips are fully dry and crispy. They should crack when you touch them.

Green Tomato and Swiss Chard Sauté with Basic Tofu Scramble

Basic Tofu Scramble

• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1/2 block medium or firm tofu
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp Montreal steak spice (optional, alternately, add a pinch of salt)

Mash tofu in bowl. Mix in nutritional yeast and spice. Fry in canola oil on medium high heat until any liquid has boiled off.

Green Tomato and Swiss Chard Sauté

• 2 tsp canola oil
• 6 large washed leaves swiss chard
• one large green or partly green tomato
• 2 cloves garlic
• splash of balsamic vinegar
• pinch of salt


Cube the green tomato. Begin to fry in the canola oil, stirring periodically. While the tomato is frying, finely chop the garlic. When the garlic is chopped, add it to the tomato. Roughly cut up the swiss chard (including stems) and once the tomatoes are starting to crisp/brown on the outside, add in the chard and the splash of balsamic. Continue cooking until the chard is fully wilted/shrunken.

(Sugar Free) Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Ice "Cream"

This is my own recipe that I winged after reading a couple recipes for chocolate peanut butter ice cream (both vegan and non-vegan).

2 cups chocolate soy or almond milk*
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup pitted whole dates
heaping 1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup whole red skin peanuts

Put everything in blender. Blend, moving from low to high speed, until everything is smooth and creamy. Chill for at least 1 hour. Put into prepared ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. In my ice cream maker, it took about 15 minutes to be done because the mixture was quite thick. When it was done, it came out a perfect soft serve consistency, ready to eat. This is richly flavoured, deliciously fudgey in texture, and would go great with brownies. (Maybe add brownie chunks next time!?)


*I use commercially made, or a mix of commercially made and home made. I have discovered home made milks do not do as well in ice creams. Ice creams made with home made milks seem to form ice crystals so the texture is more like a sorbet than ice cream (not as creamy!) I think that ice cream benefits from the emulsifiers/thickeners they put in commercial vegan milks. I am going to try to get my hands on some xanthan gum to use as a thickener/emulsifier in my vegan ice creams.

This is NOT sugar free unless you use unsweetened soy/almond milk.

Kale, Garlic Scape and Hazelnut Pesto

This may be the best pesto I've made yet. It is based on this recipe from sweeter salt.

We've been serving this over pasta for a quick summer meal. Even Jon is a fan, and leafy greens (particularly uncooked) are not his favourite thing.

2 cups of chopped, raw kale
4 garlic scapes, chopped
1/4 cup cold-pressed virgin olive oil
1/4 cup whole raw hazelnuts
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp tahini
1/8 tsp onion powder
a few sprigs each of fresh parsley, basil, oregano and basil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Grind hazelnuts and sunflower seeds in a clean coffee/spice grinder, then add to food processor along with rest of ingredients. Pulse until fully blended, tasting periodically to see if anything more needs to be added (salt & more herbs will help if it seems bitter).

This makes a lot... can do 6-8 servings worth of pasta. To serve over pasta, I find it helps to drain the pasta, and then put the pot on the still-warm element (not hot) and stir until the pesto melts & coats the pasta.

Recipe Review: Argugula Pumpkin Seed Pesto Raw Lasagna

So I've been experimenting more with raw food. In the summer, I find I usually don't have much appetite, since I'm not particularly heat tolerant. On a summer day, raw food is re-hydrating, cool and much more palatable than a hot meal, even if you're not a raw foodie. Raw food is also surprisingly filling (I guess I thought it would be like having a salad for dinner... it sort of is, but like having a salad with tons of stuff in it, including proteiny things).

I tried my first ever raw lasagna this week using the recipe here:
http://www.rawfoodrecipes.com/recipes/arugula-pumpkin-seed-pesto-sauerkraut-lasagna.html

(My links often die, over time, so I'm going to transcribe it here. But it's not my recipe. It was created by Michelle and Lori (@pure2raw on twitter).

My rawsagna!

Below is the recipe, with my changes in red.

1 zucchini, large (thinly sliced) (I used 1/2 a zucchini)
1 large tomato (thinly sliced)
And pumpkin arugula pesto (recipe below)
as much sauerkraut as you want

Pumpkin Arugula Pesto:
about 1 cup fresh arugula (I am actually not fond of arugula. I used President's Choice Organic Spring Mix with Herbs, which was on quick sale 50% off.)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds (can use sunflower seeds or any nut)
2 garlic cloves (optional) (garlic, oh yes.)
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste) (thinking about next time using yellow miso instead)
2 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp sauerkraut juice (can use lemon or lime juice or apple cider vinegar) (I used lemon juice)
handful of fresh basil (I also added fresh oregano)
2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast
(I added some olive oil to help it blend, as it was pretty thick in my food processor)

Methods/steps

Pesto:
Place all pesto ingredients in your blender and blend till creamy. *may do it in a food processor as well.
Than you build your lasagna with your zucchini and tomato as layers.  To get your zucchini really thin it is best to use a mandoline.
1.Take a few pieces of zucchini and place on plate.
2.Next tomato slice.
3.And top it off with pesto and sauerkraut. Repeat layers!

Green Smoothie: Tropical Citrus Delight

I think this is a good smoothie for green smoothie newbies. It's very tasty and the citrus mostly overpowers the green flavour.

1 organic orange, half of peel removed
1 banana
2 handfuls of baby spinach
3 sprigs of parsley
4 dates
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp flax oil (or flax seeds for more fiber)
1 tsp natural vanilla extract
about 1 1/2 cup water

Green Smoothie: The Bloody Chamber

I've named this one in honour of Angela Carter.
All amounts are approximate.

- about 6 leaves of kale, thicker stems removed, and leaves broken into pieces
- 1/3 cup frozen cranberries
- 4 dates
- 1/2 large beet, peeled and cut in small chunks
- 1/2 banana
- 1/4 avocado
- 1.5 cups water

Blend, moving from low to high setting on blender until smoothie is very smooth and it will also be very red! Next time I think I'll put a full beet. I was worried it would taste too beety, but I could barely taste it.

Microwave Molten Chocolate Mug Cake

Ever sitting around after dinner, maybe wanting to watch a movie, and having a craving for something warm, sweet and satisfying to snack on? But you don't want to take the time for the oven to heat up or for something to bake. Here is your solution! These are delish, and you can make them in about five minutes.

Makes 2 cakes.

1/2 cup soft whole wheat flour or white flour
2 tbsp raw cane sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp corn or tapioca starch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp instant coffee granules (optional - gives a deeper flavour)
1 tbsp mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup plain soy or almond milk
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 tsp vanilla or almond extract

Grease 2 microwave safe ramekins (preferable), tea cups or small bowls.

Mix dry ingredients (including chips) together in a small mixing bowl. Measure out milk in a 1 c. glass measuring cup. Add canola oil and extract to measuring cup. Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients with whisk until just mixed.

Pour half of batter into each greased container. Batter should fill the container about 2/3 full. Put cups in microwave. Microwave on high for 1 minute.  The cakes may still look (and be) a little wet when you take them out. That's okay. You want them gooey, and they will also continue cooking a bit after you take them out. You don't want to overcook them and dry them out. Cooking times may vary depending on microwave: you may have to put them back in for another 10 seconds or so if they seem really uncooked. They will be hot when you take them out of the microwave, so be careful!. Let sit for a minute or two before enjoying still-warm!

I based my recipe on this one.

Phebe's Keep-You-Full-Till Lunch Slow Cooker Granola

 This granola recipe is adapted from Fresh From the Vegetarian Slowcooker by Robin Robertson. If you don't have a slow cooker, you can do this in an oven, too. If you're a fan of raw food, this tastes good even before it's toasted, so I think it'd be fine to have a raw version. This granola is protein packed and very filling. We usually eat it with soy yogurt and fresh or (defrosted) frozen fruit.

This makes two batches worth. I generally put half in the slow cooker right away and half in the freezer to be cooked later.

Mix in a gigantic bowl in the following order:

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick oats)
2 cups kamut flakes
1 cup whole raw almonds with skins
1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup hemp hearts (hulled hemp seeds)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup canola or coconut oil (or a mix)

1/3 cup honey, brown rice syrup or agave
1/3 cup maple syrup

Grease your slow cooker with margarine or oil. Put about half of the granola in the slow cooker. Cook on low (do not put it on high, as Robin Robertson suggests. It will burn) for about 4 hours, stirring about every 1/2 hour to hour. It will need to be stirred more frequently as it gets drier. You will know when it is done because it will be dry and slightly golden brown. If you don't stir it, it will burn, but usually only in localized spots, so it can be saved.

When the granola is done, spread it out on a baking sheet placed on top of a cooling rack to dry. Once it is dry, put into an air tight jar. I use my blender jug, with the blade removed from the bottom, as a "funnel" to get the granola from the sheet into the jar. Eat within 2 weeks, or, to prolong shelf life, refrigerate granola.

You can also put dried fruit in this (the picture here has dried blueberries, cause it was a gift for my dad) but I found that if you put the fruit in the slowcooker it gets too dry and hard. I almost broke my teeth on a piece of date in one early batch. I'd recommend adding dried fruit at the end after everything is cooked, or putting it in individual servings to taste (especially since I find many people don't like certain dried fruits). You can also add in or take out various nuts, seeds or grains, and play with the proportions to your tastes and nutritional needs.

Pasta with Parsley Walnut Pesto

I made this up the other day when I wanted a quick lunch and it was so good. The walnuts make it so creamy that it almost reminds me of an alfredo or something like that. I had previously tried the walnut pasta sauce recipe in Nonna's Italian Kitchen but was disappointed (especially since I like the other recipes I've tried from the book). This pesto is what I expected or dreamed that that walnut pasta would taste like. I am probably overly impressed with myself for thinking this up and for it being so easy (I keep gloating to my partner about it). We had this pasta again a few days later, as a side to store-bought "chick'n" fingers. We probably should have also had another veggie with this meal. But we didn't.

All of these measurements are approximate, since I just throw it together and taste as I go!

• 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley (whichever kind you have on hand)

• 1/4 cup raw walnuts, ground finely - until they are almost nut butter - in a clean coffee grinder (not one used for coffee)

• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 Tbsp dried basil

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 2 tsp garlic powder

You could use fresh garlic and basil in this as well if you have it on hand. I was too lazy to chop the garlic and don’t generally have any fresh basil.

Mix all ingredients together. Toss with freshly cooked pasta. It is a thick pesto, and will sort of melt as it mixes with warm pasta, coating it with rich goodness.

It's also yummy when topped with home made vegan "parmesan".

Best Yet Baked Vegan Mac n' "Cheeze"

I've been experimenting for some time with different vegan mac n' "cheeze" recipes. Mac n' cheese is one of my favourite comfort foods, and lots of the recipes I've tried have been close to the kind of thing I was looking for but were not quite up to satisfying my cheese cravings. What I was looking for was a mac n' cheeze that was gooey, but not making the pasta mushy. Also one that was not thickened with flour or cornstarch, resulting in glue for leftovers. And of course, it needed to taste as close to cheese as possible without being cheese. This version is pretty darn good, and very satisfying. No mac n' "cheeze" is quite mac n' cheese, but I think I like this just as well (and I don't have a stomach ache after). With broccoli and tomatoes, it's a complete meal. My partner also likes to add veg sausage to his.

• 1 cup brocoli pieces (small florets and pieces of stem)

• 1 tomato, skinned and chopped into small pieces (place whole tomato in boiling hot water for a minute or two and skin will come off easily)

Recipe:

• About 3 cups large macaroni

• About 1/2 cup Daiya vegan cheese (this is optional, but it makes it cheesier tasting, and more cheesy textured, too).

• 1 Tbsp vegan margarine (I use Becel vegan)

Sauce ingredients:

• 1 C raw cashews

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 2 cloves garlic

• 2 tsp lemon juice

• 1 Tbsp tahini

• 2 Tbsp mild yellow miso

• 3 Tbsp pimentos (from jar), roasted red pepper or salsa

• 1/4 tsp mustard powder

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• Few dashes of Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle seasoning

• 3/4 cup water or soy milk (can add more if the sauce is too thick)

Topping:

• 2 Tbsp home-made vegan “parmesan”

• 3 Tbsp panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375 F. Put on a pot of water to boil. Cut up broccoli and skin and chop tomato. Put on macaroni to boil. For the last three or so minutes of the pasta’s cooking time, you’ll want to add in the broccoli to cook too. You want the broccoli barely cooked - still firm. So make sure your pot is big enough for mac & broccoli!

While the macaroni is boiling, make the “cheese” sauce by putting all of the sauce ingredients in a blender. Start blending on low, and move to high setting, until all ingredients are completely blended into a smooth, orange sauce. It should be thick, but not too thick. It should be a little thinner than you’d want cheese sauce to be if you were pouring it directly onto pasta for eating. It will thicken a little when the casserole is baking. If the sauce is too thick (ie. if you have to use a spatula to get it out of the blender) add a little more water or soy milk and blend. If it is really runny (seems more like a beverage than a sauce) add some more cashews and blend again until smooth. I like to do this sauce by taste, adding things as I go. If it tastes good raw, it'll taste better cooked.

Drain the macaroni and broccoli. Put macaroni and broccoli into a large bowl and coat it in margarine to stop sticking. Grease a large casserole dish. Mix sauce, tomatoes and Daiya into macaroni bowl. Pour the macaroni mix into the casserole dish. Top with panko and parmesan. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the top of the casserole is slightly golden and firm. Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving and eating. I love putting freshly ground black pepper on mine!