rise and shine!

sunday mornings are reminiscent of brunch - be they home-made morning feasts or outings to our favourite spots around toronto. tofu scramble - one of the staples at a veggie brunch - is easy and quick enough to enjoy any morning though. and there are so many things you can do with it! this morning, i made myself some "huevos rancheros" inspired scramble.

this recipe is for one, but you can easily multiply and share the goodness with friends and family.

100g tofu (firm, crumbled)

1/4 red onion

1/2 yellow bell pepper

1/4 avocado

2-3T diced tomatoes or 1 small ripe tomato

salt, cumin, pepper and a dash of tamari (to taste)

cilantro or green onion for garnish.

saute the onions in 1t of olive oil until translucent, add the bell pepper and saute for another 2mins, add the tofu and fry for 1-2 mins, add the tomatoes, seasoning and cook until some of the tomato juice/liquid becomes absorbed (but don't let it dry out too much). add the avocado and tamari and cook for another minute or so. adjust taste with additional seasoning if necessary. serve with a little cilantro or green onion.

other easy versions:

shitake, broccoli - just add more tamari for flavour

curried carrot, yellow and red bell pepper and spinach (grate the carrot)

ladies' night

i had some ladies over for dinner tonight and given how beautiful the day was i wanted to make something relatively light ... a "one foot in winter, one foot in the spring" type of meal. i made some soup - acorn squash adzuki with shitake garnish soup from veganomicon (see vegan with a vengeance link for some great recipes), and two nice salads - a belgian endive-pear-date salad with crumbled goats cheese and toasted almonds and an arugula, roasted red pepper and caramelized onion salad. for dessert, we had some chocolate dipped strawberries. it was a fine meal!

the soup:

as usual, i changed the recipe a little to conform to what i did or did not have in my fridge and pantry. instead of all acorn squash, i used one acorn and one small butternut. i also switched the chinese-five spice for some curry powder. it was still delicious. here is what you will need:

1 butternut squash (small), diced

1 acorn squash (small), diced

1 bartlett pear, sliced thinly

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 red onion or cooking onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 inches fresh ginger root, chopped

1T curry powder

1t salt

4 cups water

1 veggie-herb bullion cube

4-5 shitakes

1t sesame oil

1T tamari

in a heated pot, saute the onion and pepper for 5mins, add ginger, garlic and spices - cook for another 1 min. add squash and pear, mix and saute for a further 5 mins mixing frequently. add the stock (from 4 cups boiling water and 1 bullion cube). bring to simmer, lower the heat and cook covered for 20-25 mins. take half of the veggies out and blend in a food processor, blender or with a hand blender, add to the remaining "chunky" part. stir around and cook for another 10 mins. garnish with sauteed shitakes and pea shoots: saute the mushrooms in 1t oil for 5mins, add tamari and let absorb.

the salads:

the names explains the ingredients, so no need for the list here. i separated the belgian endive leaves and sprinkled the remaining ingredients over it - the leaves then served as little vessels for all the goodness on top. i drizzled a simple vinaigrette over - lemon, olive oil, a little sesame oil, dijon and maple syrup. since i had some vinaigrette left over, i decided to use it as a base for the dressing on my arugula salad. but to shake things up and change the flavours slightly, i added a little tamari. a little change but a completely different flavour - and it worked!

brilliant veggies

this veggie stir fry over thai black rice turned out so well! the black rice adds a nice nutty note and makes a nice backdrop for a colourful medley of vegetables. i used snow peas, yellow and red bell peppers, shitake mushrooms, baby bok-choy and diced tofu, but any of your favourite veggies would do. the key here is to have some brilliant colours!

first, i sauteed the tofu separately using this speedy flavour infusing technique that i learned from anna, my friend eun-mi's sister. you basically sear the tofu first, using just a little sesame oil, and then when it is golden on both sides, you splash a little tamari, stir around and let absorb. i then stir fried all the veggies - starting with the mushrooms - in a little sesame oil and again, splashed a little tamari once they were getting done (about 5-7mins). to add more flavour, i made this sauce/dressing inspired by the fresh cookbook recipe for the "new buddha sauce": (1 inch ginger, 3 cloves garlic, 1T olive oil, 1t sesame oil, 1/4 c water, 1/4 rice vinegar, 1/2 (or one small) grated carrot, 1T almond butter, 1t curry powder, pinch of cayenne, and a little agave nectar - bled until smooth). done!

to assemble to all - place some black rice in the middle of the plate, drizzle a little sauce; place your veggies on top, drizzle with sauce and garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions. i didn't use them here (because i didn't have any), but some cashews, peanuts or black sesame seeds would be a nice garnish as well. yum!

egg(less) salad

egg salad reminds me of family day trips. well, not so much egg salad, but it's more deconstructed version - devilled eggs on bread! i don't eat eggs anymore but yesterday i was really craving something eggy so i resurrected my old and much neglected egg(less) salad. but this time i didn't bother with making tofu-mayo, i added some tahini, avocado and dijon mustard instead. it worked beautifully! this one doesn't really need a recipe. just crumble some good tofu, dice some red or green onion, red pepper and avocado. mix and add some tahini, dijon, salt and pepper. some cayenne or cumin is nice too. its yummy and very creamy!

in the mood for sushi

i don't know about fish, but no one makes better veg sushi rolls than sushi on bloor in toronto. just thinking of the oyster mushroom avocado roll makes me salivate. i was really craving one today but since heading to sushi on bloor was not an option (i live in victoria, bc at the moment), i had to get creative. while i appreciate the skill it takes to make pretty looking maki, home made sushi can be equally delicious (even if not as pretty) and you get to really play with the ingredients. here are a couple of rolls i came up with tonight. they utilize fairly typical ingredients with a little pea twist...

spicy pea, yam roll

you will need:

1/2 cup green peas

2-3 slices yam - cut into long sticks (1/4 inch thick)

1-2 green onions

1/2 cup brown rice (cooked, cooled and seasoned with rice vinegar and/or mirin)

1-2 sheets of nori

cayenne pepper

1 t tamari

1/4 cup tofu (any kind)

2 cloves garlic

sesame oil

place the peas, garlic, tamari and tofu in a blender; blend until smooth

heat the sesame oil in a non-stick pan, add the yam and fry lightly for 5mins

assemble the rolls using rice, pea-mash, yam, green onions and pinch of cayenne - roll

oyster mushroom, spinach and avocado roll

you will need:

1/2 cup oyster mushrooms (about 2-3)

1/2 cup frozen spinach (or 1/3 bunch fresh)

1/2 avocado

1/2 cup of brown rice (cooked, cooled and seasoned with rice vinegar and/or mirin)

1 green onion

sesame seeds (toasted)

1 t tamari

2 t sesame oil

1-2 sheets of nori (depending on how large you want your rolls to be)

saute the oyster mushrooms with a little sesame oil (1/2 t) and tamari (1 t) - remove from pan and set aside; saute the spinach w/sesame oil and tamari - remove from pan, set aside and when cool, squeeze excess moisture; cut avocado into slices; assemble the rolls with rice, mushrooms, spinach and avocado; sprinkle some sesame seeds; roll

serve your rolls with the usual: tamari, wasabi, pickled ginger and some miso soup.

stuffed peppers

i made these tonight. the slightly curried rice pilaf filling is delicious on its own too - thus, these are two meals in one...

you will need:

1/2 c cooked brown rice

1/2 carrot

1/4 red onion

1 inch ginger root (grated)

2 cloves of garlic (chopped)

1/2 c canned drained chickpeas

1 t each curry powder and cumin

pinch of salt, pepper to taste

1 T very dense coconut milk (or 2T regular)

1 t coconut oil

fresh parsley

2 sweet peppers, tops cut of (reserve), cored and steamed for 5-7 mins

to prepare the filling:

heat the pan, add the coconut oil

saute the onion, garlic and ginger for 1 min, add the curry powder, cumin, salt

add grated carrots and diced pepper tops and saute for 2-3 mins

add the chickpeas and coconut milk - saute for a further 2 mins; then add the rice and continue sauteing until the coconut oil has been absorbed; adjust spicing and add some fresh parsley

heat the oven to 400F; stuff the peppers with the rice mixture and bake for 25-30 mins; let sit for about 5-10 mins for the rice to settle

serve with steamed green veggies; enjoy!

a remedy for sweet teeth

i always crave sweets after dinner... or any meal for that matter. it probably doesn't help that roadie culture revolves around apres coffee and sweets to replenish glycogen and to pat oneself on the back for a steady effort. so while riding great distances last summer i developed quite a sweet tooth, i'm doing my best to keep away from refined sugars and usually opt for dates, figs, nuts and dark, bitter chocolate. luckily, there is a great abundance of wholesome sweetness in this world, so keeping away from the sugar bag isn't hard at all.

here is one little concoction that i put together last night. these are both, healthy and delicious.

1/2 cup raw almonds

1/3 cup dates

2-3T agave nectar

1/2 pear

1T flax seeds

2T coconut flakes (unsweatened)

2t hemp protein (optional)

1/2-1 c rolled oats

2-3T dutch coco or carob

soy milk, water or fruit juice (just a couple of table spoons to get the desired consistency)

soak the almonds and dates for 1/2 hour; drain

in a food processor, blend the almonds, dates and agave nectar until crumbly but still coarse

add the diced pear and flax seeds blend until relatively smooth but some chunks are fine for an interesting texture (add soy milk if necessary); when the mixture is ready, transfer to a mixing bowl, add the oats, hemp protein and mix until all ingredients are incorporated; divide the mixture in 2 parts:

form balls 1 inch in diameter from the first part

add the coco to the remaining mixture - mix to incorporate - form balls

place in a sealable container and freeze.

intermission: lunch

nothing beats a good open face sandwich! covering all the yummy toppings with another piece of bread seems like such a lost opportunity at what otherwise can be a splendid visual feast. having grown up in poland where its all about "open faces", i rarely cover mine up unless i must (i.e. when it forms part of a brown bag lunch and would most likely not survive the bike ride to the library). over the years i've managed to spread the love of open face to many - i even think that it was my daily melt-in-your-mouth brie, sprout and tomato on toasted fresh bagels that really won over my jonny's heart.

i've since relinquished my daily dairy and wheat ritual but today i managed to assemble something that elicited a familiar heart and soul warming, love inducing reaction... enter my new favourite open face: creamy avocado, smoked tofu slices, fresh tomato... all piled up on victoria's wildfire bakery crusty spelt sourdough ... sprinkle some cayenne and coarse grey salt and you are in for a sublime treat!

ps. i've used salt spring island's soya nova tofu shop westcoast smoked tofu, but any smoked tofu will do. also, make sure you avocado is really creamy to emulate that melt-in-your-mouth effect of creamy brie