Eating Delicious

Saturday, 3 August 2013

Spice Market Sweet Potato and Lentil Packets

I was so skeptical of this lentil dish. While lentils are my favourite legume, this dish seemed too simple to be good. Just some veggies, raisins, garlic, curry powder. But it's actually really good. Really really good. In a kitchen where I don't often repeat recipes, this one has already been made several times. It's easy to make, healthy, and super tasty (this appears to be the holy trinity for me). The addition of raisins might be my favourite part. I like eating it with some brown rice, but any other grain would be good too.

Abby time!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pumpkin Lentil Curry
Curried Sweet Potato, Carrot & Red Lentil Soup with Ginger
Sunflower-Lentil Pie
Spiced Squash, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad

Spice Market Sweet Potato and Lentil Packets
Adapted from Vegetarian Times May/June 2010

Serves 4

3/4 cup dry green or brown lentils
2 cups finely diced sweet potato (about 1/2 lb)
1 large red bell pepper, diced (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp curry powder
Salt & pepper
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth

1. Cook the lentils in at least 2 cups of water for about 25-30 minutes, until soft but still firm.

2. Preheat oven to 400F. Place 4 16-inch lengths of foil on work surface. Fold foil in half from short side. Unfold. Shape corners and edges of one half into semicircular "bowl" with 1/2-inch sides.

3. Combine sweet potato, bell pepper, peas, raisins, oil, ginger, garlic and curry powder in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Divide sweet potato mixture among packets; top with 1/3 cup lentils. Pour 1/4 cup broth over lentils. Fold other half of foil over ingredients, and crimp edges in overlapping folds until packets are sealed. Transfer packets to baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes.

Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale and Carrots

I am currently trying to make sure my brain is crammed full of all the information I need to know for my oral certification exam in a couple of weeks. This is no easy feat! I am making up random stories to try and help me remember stuff like how cows don't want to be the only one responsible for E. coli O157:H7 so they invited their ruminant friends (deers, sheeps, goats) to be reservoirs too, along with humans. Yea. Okay I'll stop talking about foodborne illnesses now and move onto food? Can you tell the studying is making my brain wonky. One thing I like to do while studying is have cat photo shoots.

So here is a delicious bowl of rice noodles in a lime peanut sauce with tons of kale, carrots and seitan. I love Asian noodle dishes and love peanut sauces, so you can understand why I really loved this dish. The original recipe called for 2 cups of kale - 2 cups of kale?? How about 5. I like lots of vegetables with my noodles. You know what else I like - nuts in my noodle (or rice) dishes. This one has peanuts but you could use cashews. Oh and can I just say that I love that the recipe instructs you to cut the noodles into shorter lengths. I often do this because everything can mix together more easily and you don't end up with noodles on your face, but this is the first recipe I've seen that actually suggests doing it.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Kung Pao Noodles with Peanuts and Wok Fried Vegetables
Last Minute Sesame Noodles
Vegetarian Pho
Pad Thai

Lime Peanut Noodles with Seitan, Kale and Carrots
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes 4 servings

250 g wide, flat rice noodles
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tbsp natural peanut butter
2 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp oil
5 cups kale, shredded
1 1/2 cups seitan, cut into strips
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 cup of peanuts

Begin by boiling water for your rice noodles. While waiting, make the peanut sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, peanut butter, lime juice, sugar, chili flakes, and ginger powder until combined. Set aside.

Cook the noodles until just softened, then drain and rinse with cold water. Drain well. Use kitchen shears to cut the noodles down to shorter lengths (run your scissors through the noodles until "chopped" or actually chop the noodles with a knife. Uniformly sized noodles make mixing everything together much easier). Set noodles aside.

Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. Add the kale and stir until cooked through and browning in some parts. Add the seitan and carrots, and then turn down the heat a bit.

Add the noodles to the pan. Add the sauce. Stir until everything is well combined. Turn off the heat. Add the nuts and serve immediately.

Red and White Cauliflower Bake

I've tried various vegan cream sauces but I don't like most of them which is why I never post them on here. I think it's the nutritional yeast and the soy milk. I used to always drink Silk unsweetened plain soy, but have just switched to Silk unsweetened almond and am really enjoying it. (So much better than Almond Breeze, which I know tons of people love.) I'm hoping that in future vegan cream sauces, the almond will blend more smoothly versus standing out like the soy milk. Anyway, I made this cauliflower bake with soy milk and while I could taste the soy, it was a really nice homey dish that I'd happily eat again. I love when tomato sauce is combined with cream (or in this case tofu, cauliflower, soy milk and nutritional yeast). This photo was taken the day after, so it cut out a nice slice, but it'll be a bit of a soft (delicious) mess when you serve it hot from the oven.

Sunday night we were lucky to be invited to the Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour! Cirque is my favourite and we always go when they come to town. I haven't been to Vegas but when we go I plan on watching as many as I can. I don't have any pictures of the show but it was amazing. They did such a great job given that Cirque is usually in small tents, and the venue they had this time was huge in comparison. I tend not to share a lot about myself and my life (aside from food related things) on my blog, but I always love reading random tidbits about other people's lives on their blogs, so I'm going to try and share more than just Abby photos. We'll see how it goes! :)

Abby likes to squish herself into any boxes we leave around.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Red and White Tortellini
Lentil Veggie Burrito Casserole
Cauliflower and Parmesan Cake
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Red and White Cauliflower Bake
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes 4 servings

Simple Marinara
1/2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried marjoram
3/4 tsp dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, blended
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups cauliflower, chopped small and steamed

Herbed Tofu Ricotta
1 pkg extra firm tofu, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water

White Sauce
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp stone ground mustard
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
1 cup bread crumbs (I toast whole grain bread then grind it up in a food processor)

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Marinara
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the herbs and saute for a minute or two, being careful not to burn. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, chop the cauliflower into very small pieces and steam.

Herbed Tofu Ricotta
Mix together the tofu, salt, basil, rosemary, marjoram, lemon juice, yeast, pepper and the cornstarch/water mixture.

White Sauce
Whisk the margarine in a saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk into a paste. Add the tahini, lemon juice, mustard, and the yeast and whisk well. Slowly add the soy milk, whisking well to make a smooth sauce. Add the salt and pepper and whisk over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened; it should coat the back of a spoon thickly.

Assemble the Casserole
Place the tofu ricotta in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish - shallow and long works better than deep and narrow. Press it down to form an even layer.

Mix the cauliflower with the white sauce and spread it over the tofu in an even layer. Add the tomato sauce on top of the cauliflower, top with bread crumbs, and bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and browned.

Let stand at least 5-10 minutes before serving sot he casserole can set.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Remember when I said that I have two new favourite vegan cookie recipes? Well this is the other one. I love that they're thick and don't spread much. These ones are softer and maybe a bit chewier than my other favourite. Having one or two after dinner is the perfect satisfying dessert, and they're great straight out of the freezer.

I've made them with whole wheat pastry flour and also with spelt flour - and I would definitely recommend only using whole wheat pastry flour. Spelt made them too soft and they spread more. I thought it would be a great idea to make them with cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips - bad idea!! I have a huge container of the spelt cacao nib peanut butter cookies that has been in my freezer for months. I'm trying to work my way through them (this is a clear indication that it was a bad experiment) but it's taking forever.

I love Abby's little pink nose.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Peanut Butter Squares with Milk Chocolate and Oats
Lazy Girl's Chocolate Chip Blondies
Dark and Dangerous Triple Chocolate Cookies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Pillows

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks and (never home)maker

Makes 24

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup maple syrup
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Place racks in the top third.

In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. in a separate larger bowl combine the peanut butter, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla. Stir until combined. Pour the flour mixture over the peanut butter mixture and stir until barely combined - still a bit dusty looking. Stir in the chocolate chips, but don't overmix. Let sit for five minutes, give one more quick stir, just a stroke or two. Now drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Press down on each one gently to flatten a bit, with a silicone spatula or the back of your hand (if the dough is sticky then wet your hand). Bake for 10, maybe 11 minutes - but don't over bake or they will be dry. Let cool five minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.

Blueberry Spice Spelt Muffins

These are supposed to be blueberry ginger muffins. But while I love ginger in savoury dishes, I'm not a huge fan of it in sweets. So I omitted the crystallized ginger. But the muffins still tasted strongly of ginger due to the 2 teaspoons of ground ginger. In the future I'd change the spice levels and combination. I'd probably use 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves (my favourite spice) and 1/4 teaspoon ginger. I will definitely make these again, as I loved how nice and soft they were.

Abby looks either like she's about to fall off the pillow, or like I'm annoying her. Both are likely.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Pineapple Carrot Ginger Muffins
Bakery-Style Berry Muffins
Double Chocolate Avocado Muffins
Coconut Banana Muffins

Blueberry Spice Spelt Muffins
Adapted from Vegan Brunch

Makes 12 muffins

2 1/2 cups whole grain spelt flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup yogurt (soy yogurt for vegan muffins)
1 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
1/3 cup safflower oil
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare muffin tins with oil or liners.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices. Make a well in the center and add the yogurt, milk, canola oil and vanilla. Stir to combine. Fold in the blueberries.

Scoop the batter into the muffin tin; it should almost fill the entire tin. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes in the tin before transferring the muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

The Cookbook Giveaway is closed! I used a random number generator and Genevieve of Vanilla & Spice won Appetite for Reduction!

I don't like cookies that are too soft and cakey, but you know what the best thing about these cookies is? They're soft. How do they get away with this being the best thing about them? They're also thick and dense. Soft, thick and dense. Is that a contradiction? Maybe, but it works. I can't say these are my favourite oatmeal cookies, as I do prefer ones that have crisp edges and spread out more, but there is room for these ones too. Other people who tried them really enjoyed them.

Abby loooooves her cube. She has two and I have another one in the closet when those ones have to be thrown out. She likes hiding inside and doing sneak attacks, diving through them, sleeping inside, and "pumping iron". (I should post a video of Abby pumping iron, which is basically her sitting next to the cube, with one paw on it, and pressing down repeatedly while staring randomly around the room.)

If these sound good, you might also like:
Detox Blonde Macaroons
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Ginger Molasses Cookies
Vegan Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar

Makes 2 dozen cookies

1/3 cup nondairy milk (I used unsweetened plain soy)
2 tbsp ground flax seeds
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup oil (I used safflower)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats.

2. In a large bowl, use a fork to vigorously mix together the soy milk and flax seeds. Add in the sugar and oil and mix until it resembles caramel, about 2 minutes. Mix in the vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, and salt. Mix in the flour mixture with the wet mixture. Fold in the oatmeal and cranberries.

3. Drop dough in generous tablespoons, about 2 inches apart, onto the baking sheets. Flatten the tops a bit, since they don't spread much. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Chesapeake Bay Snack Mix

I love the idea of snack mixes like this. I've never made one myself though until this one. And while I do still think that snack mixes are fun, and I love the mixture of stuff in this (though E picked out all the cheddar bunnies), it was insanely salty. In general we try to always reduce the salt in recipes, not add extra salt to our meals, and use reduced sodium products like soy sauce. So maybe for people who don't do this, it wouldn't be as salty? I'd never tried Old Bay seasoning until this recipe, and for those of you haven't tried it either, it tastes kind of like celery. So though I didn't love the recipe, I still think it's fun and maybe you guys can use it for inspiration or just try using less Old Bay seasoning (for less salt).

I was looking through this "cat breeds" book in Costco the other day and was reading about maine coons (which we believe Abby is). And reading the traits of the cat was neat because it completely describes Abby. It said how they have dog like behaviour and love to play fetch, and Abby always does that with her little balls, bringing them to us and being annoying until we throw them. And they love to play with water but don't like being wet, and will tip over their water dishes or dump their toys in water, which she also does. And how they like to grab things with their paws which she also tries to do, including her ball when we throw it for her.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Cheese Straws
Caramelized Onion, Sage and Cheddar Muffins
Garlic Cheese Bread
Pan-Fried Onion Dip

Chesapeake Bay Snack Mix
Adapted from Dana Treat who adapted from Everyday Food, June 2010

8 cups crisp corn, rice cereal, such as Crispix or Chex
3 cups thin pretzel sticks
3 cups Annie's cheddar bunnies
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

Preheat oven to 250F. In a roasting pan, combine cereal, pretzels, and cheddar bunnies. In a small bowl, mix together melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, lemon juice, and hot-pepper sauce. Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture and stir until ingredients are completely coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to two rimmed baking sheets to cool completely.