Sunshine, Beans, and Fried Plantains

Fried plantains, refried beans (with Daiya cheese), tortilla chips, coconut rice, and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice.

On a relaxing Sunday afternoon, after a long weekend of errands and excitement, while the spring sun shines through your window, there is nothing better than making a simple awesome lunch like this and enjoying it with a good book, a newspaper, or someone you love.

-Trevor

Cherry Almond Balls

I really like raw desserts - no baking, just whole ingredients and no refined sugar.  I made these to satisfy a sweet tooth and really liked them. They are both tart from the dried cherries and have a marzipan flavour from the almonds and almond extract.  So good!

Raw Cherry Almond Balls

1½ cups pitted dates
½ cup almonds (not smoked or roasted, just plain and raw)
¾ cup dried cherries
¼ cup unsweetened coconut shreds
½ tsp almond extract (optional)
A pinch of sea salt

Put almonds in food processor and pulse a bit to break them up, but not turn them into almond meal.  Add the dates and pulse again to incorporate.  Add the cherries, coconut, almond extract and salt and process until finely chopped and fully combined.  

Roll 1" balls of the mixture, packing tightly, and place on a plate.  Place plate in fridge and chill until firm.  

- Crystal

Indian Feast

Lentil dahl with hot sauce, aloo matar

We tag-teamed dinner on Sunday night.  Trevor tackled the lentil dahl, and I worked on my bastardized version of aloo matar (Indian potatoes and peas).  I added cauliflower and made it kind of an aloo matar / aloo gobi hybrid.  Served with white basmati rice, this warmed our bellies - which we need because it's still really freakin' cold in Southwestern Ontario.

I really wish I could give you an idea of how I made the aloo matar, but it was really just a bunch of throwing stuff in the pot.  A good Indian curry (in my opinion) has lots of onion, fresh garlic and ginger, tomatoes, cumin, coriander, garam masala, turmeric and of course curry powder which contains all of the above spices and more.

Once you get your onions cooking in a bit of oil, throw in the garlic and ginger.  After that, get your spices in there and mixed up with your onion mixture - the essence of Indian cooking is all in this yummy pile of onions at the bottom of your pot!  Let your onions and spices cook for about a minute.  Get your tomatoes in there, and some water or broth, and your veggies.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer until your vegetables are soft and the flavours have combined.  Maybe I'm not doing it right, but that's how I do it and it's always delicious.

Now the lentil dahl, we do have a proper recipe for that!  This is one of the most delicious dahls I've ever eaten.

Lentil Dahl

3 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds (or powder)
1 tbsp coriander
2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 large onion, diced
10 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp chile powder (reduce if you are using a very hot variety)
1 lb red lentils
4-6 cups vegetable stock
juice of 1-2 limes
Siracha hot sauce to taste
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat add the coconut oil, mustard seeds and spices. When the seeds pop add the ginger, onion, garlic and chilie along with a pinch of salt/pepper. Saute for several minutes or until the onions are transcluscent. Next, add the lentils and stock. Bring to a boil for several minutes, turn heat down to med-low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Take off heat, stir in lime juice and sesame oil. Add some soy sauce, some salt and black pepper to taste.  Serve with hot basmati rice, a vegetable curry and maybe some naan bread!

- Crystal

Borscht

This borscht is the easiest thing going - assuming you have a food processor with a grating attachment.  If you don't, well, maybe wait to make this one...I made it once without a food processor and it was a ridiculous process.  I forgot to take a picture of it, which is too bad because it's really pretty.

This is super duper delicious, even if you're not a beet fanatic.  Although this soup has the lovely red colour that beets impart, the flavour is far more complex and rich than you could imagine.  This is a really healthy dish as well - loaded with vitamin- and mineral-rich veggies and greens and no oil added.

I like to prep my vegetables while working on my impression of a Russian accent.

Borscht
Makes 6-8 huge portions

1 bunch beets (with beet tops attached - if you can't find with the tops still on, use spinach/kale/chard!)
4 carrots
4 potatoes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
Package of Tofurky sausages (Kielbasa variety works best, but they are all good) or 4 links of sausage from this recipe
Tofutti Sour Supreme sour cream (optional)
Water

Peel and wash your carrots, potatoes and beets.  Wash and chop the greens into bite size pieces and finely chop the garlic.  Place in a large soup pot and cover with just enough water to cover the vegetables.  Bring to a boil, adding the salt, spices and vinegar, then turn down to a low simmer and cover.  Cook for 20 minutes, stirring periodically.  Throw in the chopped sausage pieces, cover again and cook for another 25-30 minutes.  Taste for salt.  Ladle into bowls and top with a dollop of vegan sour cream.

Cookies Galore

Today is the intern at my work's last day, so I whipped up some cookies to say, "We'll miss you!"
The selection was miniature snickerdoodles and grapefruit icebox cookies.  The grapefruit cookies are from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, which is a book chock-full of deliciousness that vegans and non-vegans can nom on.  For those without this cookbook, I found the recipe posted online here!

Mini Snickerdoodles
Makes 2 dozen cookies

Cookie Dough

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup vegan margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vanilla soymilk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.

2. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, and baking powder in bowl. Beat margarine in separate bowl with electric mixer until soft. Add sugar, and beat until fluffy. Beat in soymilk and vanilla extract 30 seconds or until smooth. Add flour mixture, and beat 30 seconds or until smooth.

3. Combine sugar and cinnamon on large plate.

4. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in Cinnamon Sugar, and place 1 1/2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet and flatten with your fingers or a fork. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until cookies look dry on tops and are lightly browned on bottoms. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in airtight container.

Tofu Scramble

Last Sunday we had a slow start to the day and made some tofu scramble.  I like mine covered in a healthy dose of Frank's Red Hot (I especially like the chile + lime right now) and ketchup.

Crystal's Tofu Scramble

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 small onion, small dice

1 package extra firm tofu, drained

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp black salt (imparts an "eggy" taste - definitely worth having in your spice rack)

heaping 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp olive oil

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Sautée the onions until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for a minute longer.  Crumble the tofu right into the pan with your hands, no need to be very careful about it.  Add the sliced mushrooms.  Sautée everything for 10 minutes, periodically scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any stuck bits.  Once the tofu looks a bit browned and the mushrooms seem to be cooked thoroughly, add the soy sauce, paprika, black salt, nutritional yeast and turmeric.  Stir to fully encorporate and cook for 2 minutes longer.  Taste for salt, add some pepper and adjust to your taste.  Plate up and enjoy!

Miso Hungry for Miso Soup

"Miso, miso - fighting in the dojo - 

miso, miso - Oriental prince in the land of soup!"
- The Mighty Boosh

This light, brothy, flavourful soup is rich in minerals and calcium and is just so good.

I came from a pretty sheltered, uncultured small town with only a couple chain family restaurants in it, and my family really didn't do "ethnic" food aside from Hungarian at home.  When I grew a bit older and started hanging out with Trevor, he introduced me to eating Japanese food. Miso soup (pronounced mee-so) was one of the first things I had and I was in love immediately - with the soup and him! - so it has kind of a special place in my heart.  My love of all things Japanese is deep and abiding.

Ingredients:
4 cups water
1/3 cup miso (can be found in Asian markets and health food shops)
3 green onions, chopped
1 tbsp shredded nori or wakame seaweed
1/2 block firm silken tofu, cut into 1 inch cubes
dash soy sauce (optional)

Preparation:
Bring water to a slow simmer and add seaweed. Allow to simmer at least 5-6 minutes. The longer you simmer the seaweed, the less of a salty fishy flavor it will have.

Reduce heat to very low and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir until miso is well dissolved. Its best not to boil the miso, as this will ruin some of its healthy properties as well as change the flavor of the soup. Makes 4 servings.

Additional add-ins: soaked shiitake mushrooms are really nice in it, as are sliced button mushrooms.

Note: Miso soup at restaurants often has bonito (dried fish flakes) in it. Don't forget to ask!

- Crystal

Where do you get your protein? Plants!

I wish that everytime someone asked me about where I get my protein, this song would just start playing.  It would clear a lot of things up!

A Facelift

NVL is all spiffy and new - we've been rebranded!
Our friend Jordan is a really awesome graphic designer.  We love his work and got him to do a logo for us and you should too.
Thanks, Jordan!

COFFEE

I love coffee. If you know me well, then you knew that already. People often act surprised that I am able to drink coffee as a vegan. I am sure that there are plenty of vegans out there who avoid caffeine, but I am not one of them. What is the opposite of "avoid"? There is nothing about coffee that a vegan cannot consume. A good cup of coffee doesn't need milk in it. If you're really hung up on that though, most cafes offer non-dairy alternatives. So you can still enjoy those fancy lattes and cappuccinos.  

 I am going to show you how to make a delicious cup of coffee using the French Press method. You can buy a french press practically anywhere these days. I recommend the Bodum brand for their sturdiness and nice design. However since I break presses all the time, I just bought my no-name press at Zellers for 10 bucks. Throughout this tutorial you'll see mine, kept warm by the awesome blue cozy that Crystal gave me.  Check out the amazing selection of handmade coffee-press cozies at Etsy.   

The french press method provides the best flavour by preserving the oils that are typically absorbed by a conventional paper filter in a drip machine. A well-made cup of coffee shouldn't require any milk/whiteners or sugar, however if you insist on those I would recommend turbinado or muscovado sugar, or even agave syrup if you're feeling adventurous. Plain white sugar is plain white boring. As for milk, you could use your favorite non-dairy milk, or one of the variety of vegan whiteners on the market like this. 

Now, a good cup of coffee starts with good beans. Coffee beans aren't really beans at all, they're actually the pit of a fruit, but that's irrelevant. Try to find fair-trade organic beans at your local market. There are a few good brands you might find in your grocery store as well, like Kicking Horse or Ethical Bean. It will make you feel a little better knowing where your beans came from, who made them, and how the industry effects those people. Check out this video for a better idea of what "fair trade" means.   

Take your new bag of amazingly aromatic beans home and store them in an air-tight, light-proof container like the one you see below. Keep them out of the fridge or freezer.

Air-tight, no light.

While you wait for your water to boil it is a good time to grind your beans. You'll want to grind them right before using them for optimal freshness. Remember, don't grind them too fine. You'll want a course grind for this, otherwise you'll end up with a really gritty cup of coffee. Most grinders have different settings for course and fine grind. I prefer to use a burr grinder like this, but there are a lot of different options out there. Find the one you like the best. You don't need to invest much in this. Just remember that the really cheap ones are likely to break and need replacement. 

Put your grinds in the clean carafe, using about 2 scoops per 3/4 cup of water. Pour your hot (not boiling) water over top and give it a quick stir. Now throw the top on and let it sit for about 4 minutes. While you wait, you should have enough time to read a few pages of whatever book or magazine you're reading. Or, if you're like me, you'll use that time to get dressed or pack a lunch to take to work. 

 

When you're done waiting, slowly press the plunger down, pushing all the beans you so lovingly prepared down to the bottom of the carafe. Then pour your coffee into a mug (or bowl, or plate, or trough, or whatever it is you drink out of.) Enjoy!

 

-trevor

Series: Cheap 'n Easy Weeknight Dinner

When Trevor is working late or out somewhere, I often can't be bothered to actually cook a full meal just for myself.  Things like tostadas are great for that!

Not pretty, but very satisfying.

A tortilla with a nice smear of refried beans, put in a hot oven until crispy.  Topped with daiya vegan cheese, cabbage coleslaw, avocado, smoky chipotle salsa and a few good dashes of hot sauce.  Now that's good.

- Crystal

Trevor's Note: So you're thinking "well that just looks like a confusing pile of crap" but just remember that's probably what the first guy who ever saw a pizza said. What an idiot! This is delicious.

Walnut-Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I made this a couple days ago when I realized I had a couple bananas that were about to go bad.  It's the Lower Fat Banana Bread recipe from Veganomicon - so good!  I added walnuts and chocolate chips for a little extra somethin'-somethin'.

- Crystal

Mediterranean Inspired

We had a lot of running around to do today so we made a pretty simple dinner.  Roasted broccoli and peppers (trying to use up what we had in the fridge), roasted asparagus with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, chickpeas tossed with olive oil, dill and salt and pepper, olives, and fresh pitas and hummus.

- Crystal

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Tofu

Have I mentioned how much we are loving Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz?  Because we are.  Not only is everything readily available at your "regular" grocery store, but the recipes are quick and come together in a snap.

This recipe is no exception to our enjoyment.  Wow!  It's so flavourful with so many layers of texture.  I can tell this will be a summertime staple for us, since it doesn't require standing over a hot oven for very long.

Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Grilled Tofu

by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Serves 6
Active Time: 30 minutes  Total Time:  40 minutes

(Can be made gluten-free if using GF tamari in place of soy sauce)

Dressing:

1/3 cup warm water

3 tablespoons agave nectar (or maple syrup)

3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes, depending how juicy your limes are)

1/4 tsp. salt, optional

Salad:

12 ounces extra-firm tofu

2 teaspoons soy sauce 

1 (8-ounce) package of thin rice noodles (vermicelli)

1 medium-size cucumber thinly-sliced half-moons (1 heaping cup or 6 ounces)

4 ounces string beans, sliced into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup) (We sautéed them for a bit until bright green)

1 small red onion, sliced thinly (We didn't add this as I'm not a fan of raw onion!)
1 medium carrot, julienned (This is our addition)

2 cups mixed greens

1/4 cup thinly sliced mint leaves

Peanut-Mint Gremolata:

1/4 cup peanuts

3 tablespoons finely chopped mint

Zest of 1/2 lime

Instructions:

1.  To make the dressing, mix all its ingredients together and stir vigorously.  Set aside.

2.  Slice the tofu into eight equal pieces widthwise, then slice those rectangles corner to corner to form long triangles.

3.  Place in a single layer on a large plate and pour 6 tablespoons of the dressing over the slices.  Also drizzle 2 teaspoons of soy sauce.  Let marinate, flipping occasionally, while you prepare everything else.

4.  Cook the rice noodles according to the package directions.  Usually they say to boil water, turn off the heat, and soak the noodles for about 8 minutes.  Once cooked, drain in a colander and run the noodles under cold water for about a minute until they are fully cooled.  Set aside to drain while you finish prepping everything.

5.  Mix all of the vegetables and the mint leaves into the noodles. Just use your hands–it’s messy, but the best way I found to incorporate everything.  Mix the dressing into the noodles and toss to coat.  Refrigerate while you prepare everything else.

6.  Combine the gremolata indredients in a small bowl.

7.  Now grill the tofu.  Preheat a non-stick grill pan or a cast-iron grill pan or a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.   Do not spray a non-stick pan with oil–it will ruin it!  The tofu will not stick! If you only have a cast-iron pan you will have to spray it or the tofu might stick.  Grill the tofu on each side for 4 minutes, or until grill marks appear.  If using just a regular pan, cook it for 3 minutes on each side.   Add the excess marinade to the noodles.

To serve: Put the greens down first.  Scoop the noodles on top.  Wedge two or three tofu pieces on the side of each bowl.  Sprinkle with the gremolata and serve with lime wedges and extra chili garlic sauce.

- Crystal

Product Review: Tofurky Pizza

We were at our local Farmer's Market on Saturday (Western Fair, for those in the area) and went to the organic stall to pick up our usual bag of Daiya vegan cheese.  I noticed in the freezer that they had the Tofurky brand vegan pizzas made with daiya cheese, so naturally I had to get one.  We brought it home and had it for lunch with a simple spinach and strawberry salad with a balsamic/oil dressing.

Okay, so it pretty much tastes like a McCain's frozen pizza or whatever, which is I assume what they're going for.  It was quite good.  Not something I'd make a regular part of my diet for the obvious reason that it's frozen pizza, but it certainly is awesome to have options - sometimes you just don't want to cook and want something premade.  I get that.  Serve it with a simple salad and call it lunch or dinner.  

Oh, and I am continually impressed with how daiya melts!  Vegan cheese has come along way in the last couple years...you could serve this pizza to anyone and I bet they wouldn't know it was soy cheese and meat.

- Crystal

Fat Tuesday Pancakes

In the 10 years Trevor and I have known each other, we have never missed the opportunity to eat pancakes on Fat Tuesday.  What's not to love about fluffy pancakes for dinner?
By far, the Vegan Brunch pancake recipe is my favourite.  Like, of all the pancakes I've ever had, vegan or not.  The cinnamon is such a nice addition!


Perfect Pancakes
From: Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

1 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup water
1 to 1 1/4 cups plain rice or soy milk
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Directions
Preheat a skillet over medium heat for at least 2 minutes. 
Sift all dry ingredients together. Make a well in the middle and pour in all of the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. Small lumps are okay. 
Spray the pan with a light coat of cooking spray. Pour pancakes one at a time and cook until bubbles form and the top looks somewhat dry (about 3 minutes). Flip over and cook for another minute. Stack on plate and serve.


- Crystal

Portabello Sammiches and Oven-Baked Onion Rings

We have been working through the newest cookbook in our repertoire, Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.  I was totally sold on the book when I saw it included a recipe for oven-baked onion rings.  And there's hardly any fat in them, which is a nice bonus.  I love onion rings and was skeptical at first that these would live up to my expectations, but they certainly did!  The recipe is posted online here, but I still recommend picking up the book because it's full of great recipes (which I'm sure we'll be posting a lot more of).

Our sandwiches consisted of Balsamic Glazed Portabellos, vegenaise, shredded carrot, baby spinach and sriracha hot sauce on fresh sandwich rolls.  It was so good.

- Crystal

PS:  We're working on finding a solution for the unavoidable taking pictures of food after all the natural daylight is done for the day!  Sandwiches shouldn't be so moody...

Latin Dinner

We loooove anything with spice, so naturally Latin food appeals to us.  This was a quick weeknight meal, consisting of a Mexican rice, curdito salad and slow-simmered tvp in a chile tomato sauce.

The rice and curdito are from Viva Vegan by Terry Hope Romero, and the tvp is my adaptation of kmouse's Chile con "Carne".  I basically followed her recipe, except the sauce consisted of jarred tomato sauce, chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce to taste, cumin and garlic powder, and I simmered it on low heat for about 20 minutes to make sure the tvp really soaked up the flavour.  It was delicious!

- Crystal

Spanakopita

I had a hankering for Greek food this week and decided it was time to venture into the world of phyllo dough.  I've always been super intimidated by it, so I've avoided using it in the past.  This was a success, though!  Phyllo is finicky, but as long as you've got a pastry brush and olive oil, it's not so bad.

This recipe is from Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.

I had purchased some daiya vegan cheese last weekend and it was so good on top of this!  Mmm.  

- Crystal