hot for food

Challenge #2 of Project Food Blog 2010 asked us bloggers to tackle a classic foreign dish that takes us out of our comfort zones. I certainly went out of my comfort zone to attempt a classic Indian snack that I eat ALL the time. Vegetable Samosas. I am obsessed. However, I’ve never been courageous enough to make them. I’ve had all the store bought, convenience store, and restaurant kinds. I’ve even had a friends grandmothers veggie samosa’s. The best I’ve ever had… which is obvious considering she is from India. So who am I kidding! Me, make veggie samosa’s?! Pfffff, and not just veggie samosas… vegan samosas! I’m sure this goes against all tradition, but it’s not THAT  big of a deal. The only real veganizng is in the homemade pastry. No butter and milk, but Earth Balance and soy milk instead!

So, I have to make the delicious and fragrant filling, the pastry, and on top of all this, I also decided I’d just whip up some homemade mango chutney for dipping. I am insane. Oh and btw, I do this with less than 24 hours before the deadline of this blog having to be posted and after having worked a double at the resto. ooooookay.

The scariest part of making Indian food is that you have to have the spices just right and there’s many different kinds involved. In fact, I couldn’t even find fenugreek (which I’ve never seen in my life) at 3 am last night at the 24 hr Metro! But I did have everything else. Cumin seeds, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cayenne, coriander, tumeric, and I decided to throw in some garam marsala for extra mileage.

I followed what I thought looked like a pretty standard recipe. In searching through recipes online there was only minor differences in the spices used, and some included curry powder… which is kind of like cheating isn’t it?

Filling Ingredients:
2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1/2 cup diced carrots
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp each fennel and cumin seeds
1 tsp brown or black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp ground turmeric and coriander and fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated gingerroot
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Dough Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup each cold Earth Balance and soy milk

I did the dough in a food processor which is SO easy. Just combine flour and salt; pulse in Earth Balance until in fine crumbs. Pulse in soy milk until ball begins to form. Press into disc; wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or make ahead and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

In large saucepan of boiling salted water, cover and cook potatoes and carrots until tender, about 10 minutes; drain.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; fry fennel, cumin and mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander, garam marsala, fenugreek seeds and cayenne just until cumin seeds begin to pop, about 1 minute. I’ve never made anything where I heat or fry the spices to get them fragrant. It’s a good tactic though, and I think I will use it again.

Then add onion, garlic, ginger and salt; fry until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in potato mixture and peas. Stir in lemon juice and coriander; let cool.

The portioning, rolling of the dough and assembly of the samosas proved most difficult. This might be the most aggravated I have ever been in the kitchen. I hate dough. Always have. You know, things like pie crust, shortbread. I have no idea what the right consistency is supposed to be and no matter how closely you follow a recipe it never looks like the picture! I also have no idea why you have to refrigerate the dough, when it worked better once I had left it out after a while and it softened. Through trial and error I eventually calmed down and managed to work out 6 samosas. I gave up before I could get to a dozen.

The original plan was to fry them, because I figured that was probably the more traditional method and most recipes called for that. However, I’ve never deep fried ANYTHING at home for fear of becoming a burn victim. It’s scary stuff. I debated this for a while… I should fry because it’s trying something I’ve never done before and this is a god damn challenge for Project Food Blog! But third degree burns all over ones body is not worth $10,000 and with so much fear in me already about frying, attempting to do it anyway could only end up in disaster! So I baked the samosas at 425 F for about 25 minutes. I think I like them better like this anyway. And it’s healthier, right!

The mango chutney was deeeeelicious and the perfect compliment to the veggie samosas.

Ingredients:
2 large firm, ripe mangoes, chopped into small chunks
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
10 whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch of red pepper flakes (increase to increase spice level)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vegan brown sugar
1 tablespoon raisins

In a medium saucepan, combine all of the ingredients. Bring the mixture to a slow boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. The consistency should be thick and glossy and the mangoes should be extremely tender.

This definitely was not an easy dish to execute and I certainly wouldn’t make these very often. I would make them again if I had another reason to, other than a blog challenge. Maybe a party! During the process I thought I would be disappointed, since I’m always hard on myself, but I’m rather delighted with the end result. They taste pretty damn Indian to me.

I made my first vegan burger this weekend. I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately…eating the SAME things over and over again and not really wanting to cook. But cooking for friends is always the best way to get your imagination going again. I made dinner for my friend Dee last night. She’s g-free and I’m vegan, so I have to get savvy if I’m going to cook for the two of us! I’m not saying veggie burgers are the most inventive things to make, but they are versatile and you can essentially put whatever you want in them. These are lentil walnut patties. They turned out amazing… probably because I didn’t follow a recipe! You’ll notice the burger is actually used as the “bun” allowing for a plethora of filling ideas. I stole this GENIUS idea from 101cookbooks.com. Man, I so wish I thought of this myself. I mean I could of. Isn’t it great!

I’ll tell you what’s in these burgers, but I do not know the amounts. Geez, how would I ever make a recipe book? I need an archivist or a scientist or something to keep track of me while I cook.

Ingredients for the burger patty/bun:
Green lentils, toasted walnuts, carrots, green onion, nutritional yeast, cilantro, parsley, cumin, paprika.

I cooked the lentils in veggie broth, boiled and drained the carrots, toasted the walnuts, and whizzed everything together in a food processor. I ended up with the exact consistency I needed. Not too soft and mushy and not too dry and hard. I made the patties into a thick enough size, thinking I would pan fry them and then slice them in half to use them as the bun. But after a trial run of that, I decided it was better to slice the patty in half first then pan fry either side. You could also just make thinner patties first. You can make the patties in advance and refrigerate them until you’re ready to cook and assemble them. So the possibilities of what to put inside these babies are endless! I did homemade cashew pesto cream, caramelized onion, a tomato slice, avocado, and baby spinach.

After devouring 2 mini burgers each and a pile of yam fries, Dee treated me to a piano serenade of Take Five by Dave Brubeck. Best ever! And we ate ourselves into chocolate chip peanut butter cookie comas.

Well I finally took a break from watching/listening to the Antoine Dodson Remix to actually cook something for myself to eat. I worked up quite the appetite from all that crunking!  This is what I’ve dubbed a Modern Miso Soup. The miso soup you get at Japanese restaurants is usually too salty and has the tiniest pieces of tofu, green onion, and sea weed… and that’s it. My version has much more appropriate veg for a modern vegan and a smoother, tastier broth! But I still think it’s pretty authentic.

Modern Miso Soup

Ingredients:
4 cups water
1 cup vegetable broth
3 tbsp white miso paste
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 clove minced garlic
2-3 green onions, chopped
1 cup firm tofu, chopped into cubes
3 cups kale, chopped
1 cup shitake mushrooms
1 carrot thinly sliced

I made this on the fly, so the measurements are mostly accurate. I decided frying the tofu cubes in an iron skillet with a few drops of sesame oil would make the tofu more palatable and interesting (which it did!). Fry the tofu cubes while you bring the water and stock to a boil. Once it’s boiling add in miso paste, ginger, garlic, and soy sauce. Stir until mixed and simmer on low-medium heat for a few minutes. Add the tofu cubes to the soup once lightly crisped on the outside and put the shitake mushrooms and kale in the hot frying pan for 5 minutes or so until everything shrinks in size. Add the mushrooms, kale, green onion, and carrot to the soup and continue to simmer on low for another 5-10 minutes. Taste the broth to ensure it’s to your liking in terms of flavor and saltiness. You can always add more miso or a dash more soy sauce.

Modern Miso Soup is the only miso soup I’ll ever eat again… and the Antoine Dodson Remix might be the only song I ever listen to again… I can only hope!

P.S. if you have no idea what I’m talking about, I hope you’ll take a minute and fifteen seconds of your time to engage in the most amazing thing the internet has offered up yet!

My chef friend Denise Blinn has been wanting me to try her Krispy Kale Tofu recipe for months. She’s not a vegan, but includes this dish and other options as part of her Meals on Heels lunch delivery service. I was supposed to eat a batch that she made herself, but instead she sent me the recipe… and I tried it right away! Of course, I always have these ingredients in my kitchen at any given time so it’s the perfect thing to whip up and make large batches of for easy leftovers. Surprisingly, the kale stays crisp after day one. My only addition to the original recipe is chopped apples.

Krispy Kale Tofu

Ingredients
1 cup short-grain brown rice or basmati
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 lb kale chopped (ribs removed)
1 gala apple, chopped into cubes
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1/2 lb extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/4″ cubes
sea salt

Preheat oven to 350° and place shelves in upper and lower thirds of oven. Prepare Brown Rice. Whisk together olive oil, sesame oil and soy sauce.  Reserve 1/3 of the dressing, then combine remaining with kale, coconut and tofu.  Toss well, then spread in a single layer on 2 sheet pans. Bake until crispy, about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook evenly on all sides. Remove from oven and toss mixture with remaining dressing and the cooked rice.  Season with salt and serve warm.

This recipe is a winner. I almost ate all of it in one day, which is possible sans rice! If you live in Toronto’s downtown core and either don’t bring your lunch to work, fail to eat a nutritious lunch, or just want a nice change check out Meals on Heels… it’s a steal of a deal!

I swear, I could eat sweet potato and avocado exclusively, for the rest of my life! Well, perhaps that’s a stretch. But I have been eating this winning combo for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the past few weeks. I thought I would show off the photos from my last few dates with these amazing ingredients. In most cases, the sweet potatoes have been microwaved until almost cooked through, then chopped and pan fried in a drizzle of olive oil, S&P, cayenne, paprika, cumin, and nutmeg. The possibilities for tasty additions is endless!

Here’s a simple side of potatoes for breakfast – pan fried sweet potato with onions, fresh avocado, salsa, and cilantro

This was a yummy warm lunch salad – pan fried sweet potato, with fresh avocado, green onion, red pepper, and sweet raisins all tossed in a good dose of lime juice. Next time I would add sliced or chopped almonds too!

This is a quick dinner staple. And if you want to be real quick, microwave your sweet potato or yam. Baking just takes SO long! Then slice it open and mash the insides, then top with freshly made guacamole. I always carrot ribbons for extra crunch!

Crispy sweet potato fries make a great dinner starter or mid-day snack. But instead of dipping them in a vegan spicy mayo, I’ve now resorted to my guacamole salsa for dipping.

If you have not incorporated these two ingredients, sweet potatoes and avocado, into your life yet you are truly missing out! Hopefully this gives you some ideas to start eating these vegetables together. If you have your own ideas and recipes for the marriage of sweet potato and avocado, let me know! Oh, and if anyone knows the difference between and sweet potato and a yam, please inform me?!

Who doesn’t like PB Cookies? If you don’t, you’re insane! Or allergic to peanuts, I guess. That would be a shame. Luckily I have not developed a peanut allergy. I LOVE peanut butter. The REAL kind… just peanuts. If you eat that other crap you will probably die.

I was inspired to bake with brown rice flour and very few ingredients after discovering some delicious g-free vegan treats at Hibiscus in Kensington. If you have not been here you MUST go! It’s amazing. They serve homemade salads, soups, crepes, ice cream, baked squares and cookies… and it’s ALL gluten free and vegan. All of it! They don’t have a website, so here’s their yelp page (my review is also posted!).

Anyway, I made my first batch of g-free, vegan PB & Chocolate Chip Cookies with only six ingredients. They are delectable! You saw I used brown rice flour to make crepes recently, and now with these cookies turning out perfectly soft and tasty, brown rice flour is my new best friend.

G-free, Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups natural peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup non-dairy, g-free chocolate chips

In a mixing bowl combine peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Add flour and sea salt and mix until combined. Then fold in chocolate chips. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 F for approx. 11-13 mins depending on cookie size. Makes 1 dozen large cookies or 2 dozen small cookies.

Now, you definitely need a tall glass of “milk” to accompany these babies. I have my favorite soy or almond beverage on hand at all times, but I finally worked up the courage to try rice milk again. I’ve been skeptical of rice milk because the one’s I have tried have all been tasteless, watery, and gross. But YÜ basmati rice beverage is definitely where it’s at.

So if you’re sick of getting bogged down by too much refined flour or wheat, whip up a batch of these cookies next time or go check out the goods at Hibiscus. Your tummy will thank you for it!

I’ve professed my love for quinoa before… it’s my fave! This time around I tried black quinoa. I have made the white and red quinoa before and there’s a huge difference in texture between them. I prefer the white, actually. It has a softer, fluffier feel and I find it absorbs the cooking liquid much better and faster. But I thought black quinoa would just look better in this recipe from Vegetarian Times for Gingery Quinoa Salad with Apples, Peas, and Coconut… and it does! But I would make it again with white for purposes of more pleasurable eating. The red and black quinoa’s are much chewier and make my jaw hurt after a few bites!

This is a great recipe and it happened to be one of those rare moments where I don’t modify anything! There’s a nice creaminess to it being cooked in 100% carrot juice and I like the hint of coconut flavor combined with the sweet peas and apples. If you love quinoa, give it a whirl!

I attempted to make crepes for the first time in my life. What a crappy experience. Well crappy is a little harsh, but I definitely don’t have a natural talent for making crepes. I actually made 2 whole crepes out of an attempt at probably close to 15 or 16 times. These are the only 2, yet beautiful and tasty results.

Vegan Asparagus Mushroom Brown Rice Crepe with Hollandaise

Vegan PB & Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Crepe with Maple Syrup

The recipes for the crepe batter, asparagus, and vegan hollandaise sauce are from VeganYumYum. I made some modifications, trying brown rice flour and buckwheat flour for the crepe batter. Which also make these g-free as well as vegan! These 2 lonely crepes worked out perfectly and tasted amazing. You can’t even imagine how incredibly close the vegan hollandaise sauce is to the real thing; at least from what I can remember of eating eggs benedict! The buckwheat flour crepe is quite a full bodied flavor – perhaps too nutty for some. You could use only half buckwheat flour with another type. But I thought the flavor of buckwheat was great, especially paired with peanut butter, apples, cinnamon and maple syrup.

The whole crepe creation problem is a combo of having an old non-stick pan, burners that are very sensitive and difficult to regulate temperature on, and the fact that I’ve never done it before. While I even followed the very helpful video tutorial Lolo posted, I think that I kept fiddling with the pan temperature too much. Ultimately, this recipe requires patience… hmph. I’m just glad I didn’t attempt it with a room full of starving brunchers!

hot for food has recently become a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher. Being recognized by this foodie community is very exciting! You may remember when my Carrot Cake Muffins were featured on Foodbuzz.com’s Top 9 back in March. Well, it’s time I try and get myself back in the Top 9 again!

In trying to raise awareness and money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, Foodbuzz is going to donate $50 for every banana split post by a Foodbuzz Featured Publisher. Then this Monday July 19 the Top 9 on Foodbuzz.com will be a Top 9 Takeover  featuring the best photos of scrumptious banana split sundaes! Tasty treats for a good cause are A-OK with me. You can find out more about the cause and how you can get involved too by clicking here.

This is my original Vegan Banana Split…

I’d like to think this is a “healthier” version of a very indulgent treat! Sure, of course it is. The “ice cream” is So Delcicious Coconut Milk non-dairy Vanilla Bean and Chocolate frozen dessert. I made my own non-dairy chocolate fudge, and even attempted to make soy-free whipped cream from Ricki Heller’s recipe. It didn’t quite work out, in that the whipped cream ended up too runny and didn’t stiffen like it should have, but it tastes great!  The banana split is sprinkled with vegan chocolate chips, vegan colored confetti sprinkles and shredded unsweetened coconut. Looks pretty sweet to me!

I’ve never made or eaten a banana split in my life, so this was a fun challenge. Even now, I’ve only had 3 bites. I think that’s enough for me!

Ever since I’ve turned vegan you know I’ve been trying to experiment with versions of mac & cheese. I tried one recipe from VeganYumYum and another from FatFree Vegan Kitchen. One was tofu based and the other blended from raw cashews. They were pretty good… at the time. But now I’ve perfected the recipe and I feel this tastes much better. It’s milder in flavor and quicker to make… which is the whole point of mac & cheese, isn’t it? I feel as though this is a perfect vegan mimic of my fave mac & cheese (made from real cheese) that I USED to eat at The Drake. If you’re not vegan, you must try their dish! If you are vegan, you must try my Easy Pea-sy Mac & Cheeze.

Ingredients:
1 package Rotini noodles
1 cup frozen peas
2 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp each of lemon juice, olive oil, white miso, nutritional yeast, tamari
finely chopped cilantro
1 clove of garlic, minced
black pepper

In a dish mix together the ingredients for the sauce including tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, white miso, nutritional yeast, tamari, cilantro and garlic. Rinse peas under water to defrost. Once pasta is cooked and drained, add in your peas and half the sauce. Mix to coat noodles. You can add more sauce as you like, but you’ll probably find you have extra.

I prefer the texture of rotini noodles (and of course I used brown rice pasta) because macaroni tends to feel worm-ish and slimy. The measurements I outlined make more than enough for 4 servings of pasta. If you want to make more you can just double the recipe. I had left over sauce and I find it also makes a great dip for crackers or veggies!