Quick, easy and delicious, Zucchetti with Sundried Tomato Marinara Sauce #veganmofo #vgnmf15

Day three of MoFo and all is well……. Well, sort of.

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

I was browsing around the internet, soaking in all the wonderful vegan posts, and wham, go attacked by a computer virus. Basically the virus attached a secret encryption to all my files and the only way to get my files back was to go to a website and pay to get the secret code…………..I think not……. fortunately I do regular back ups, so a quick loading of the original dvd’s that came with the computer, everything is wiped off and reloaded. Thank goodness for external hard drives and backups. A little inconvenient but nothing too serious.

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

Continuing on with the theme of quick and easy (didn’t take too much time or effort to restore my computer) and delicious, todays recipe is for Zucchetti with Sundried Tomato Marinara Sauce. You could sub out they zucchetti (spiralized zucchini) with a pasta of your choice if you prefer.

This meal can be totally raw or if you like (as I did) you can add in fried mushrooms.

Enjoy,

 

 

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

Serves 2

• 2 or 3 zucchini spiralized (or 2 cups of cooked pasta of choice)
• 1 Cup sun dried tomato’s soaked in 1/2 cups hot water for 10 mins (reserve water)
• 1 Tblspn olive oil
• 2 plum tomato’s
• 1 handful fresh basil
• 1 garlic clove
• Sauteed mushrooms and nutritional yeast if desired to garnish

Place spiralized zucchini on paper towels to absorb excess moisture.

Combine drained sun dried tomato’s, olive oil, plum tomato’s, basil and garlic in a blender or food processor. Process until fairly smooth. Add reserved tomato soaking water a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Place zucchini on two plates. Spoon marinara sauce over top and sprinkle with sautéed mushrooms and nutritional yeast if using.

You may also gently heat the marinara sauce in a small pot before serving if you prefer a cooked sauce.

I like the sauce “raw” and it avoids one more pot to clean, adding to the “quick and easy” part of the recipe…….and it truly is delicious.

Zucchetti with Sun Dried Tomato Marinara Sauce

2015 MoFo is almost here, time to get back into action

CoCoLatte

I cannot  believee it has been almost a year since my last post. Time sure has a way of slipping by. I could say that I was so busy with work and famiy (both very true), but the reality is, I took some time off to recharge after last years MoFo, and I never really got back into the swing of posting.

2014 MoFo was great fun, but I definately over-extended myself when I chose to do the theme of soup and bread. The concept was very exciting, but the reality was like doing double duty, with each post requiring not one but two recipes. As bad as that was, the other result was me eating all my creations, which was wonderful, but also way too much food. Needless to say, by October, none of my fitted clothes fit 😦 which was another good reason to stop posting (and then eating) for a while.

Well, that is all behind us now and MoFo 2015 is about to start, and me with it.

MoFo 2015

I just love the new concept this year of having a prompt each day for us all to use. I have already starting preparing some of the foods I will be sharing with you. I need to get organized ahead of time as September is one of the busiest times in my work (Financial Planning) and I am attending our annual conference (this year it is in Vanouver so I will be taking advantage of visiting the other side of Canada and extend my stay by a week) right in the middle of MoFo.

With all that said, I will be up and posting regularly as of September 1st, in the meantime, I am enjoying the wonderful last days of summer, sitting on my deck and savouring a fantastic cup of coffee that looks and tastes like a dairy laden latte, but in fact has no dairy and is good for you. I will be sharing this with you on September 1st as part of my “breakfast” post.

Take care,

Won Ton Soup with Jin Bing (Chinese Flatbread) #veganMoFo

Won Ton Soup with Jin Bing

MoFo recipe # 9 is a Won Ton Soup. The bread for this pairing is called Jin Bing which is a Chinese Flatbread.

I used Spring Roll Wrappers for my Won Tons, as they were the only vegan option I could find. Depending who you listen too, and what you read, spring roll wrappers and won ton wrappers are the same, similar or totally different. The ones I used were made of flour and water and worked perfectly.

For the won ton filling I used finely chopped mushrooms in place of the traditional pork and they tasted wonderful. This totally satisfied my craving for Won Ton Soup.
Enjoy,

Won Ton Soup with Jin Bing

Won Ton Soup

Serves 4

•  12 won ton wrappers

Filling:

• 1 Tblspn sesame oil
  •1/2 pound mushrooms finely chopped
  •1 tablespoon soy sauce
• •1 green onion, finely minced
  •1 teaspoon cornstarch
  •2 dashes of white pepper

Other:

• •Water for boiling won tons
  •4 1/2 – 5 cups vegan chicken stock or vegetable stock
• •2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Tblspn sesame oil

Heat sesame  oil in pan over medium heat. Add finely chopped mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have released their juices and the juice has evaporated. Add the remaining filling ingredients and cook gently for 2 mins.

Lay one won ton skin in front of you. Cover the remaining won ton skins with a damp towel to keep them from drying out.
Filling the won tons: Moisten all the edges of the won ton wrapper with water. Place a heaping teaspoon of won ton filling in the center.
Fold the won ton wrapper in half lengthwise, making sure the ends meet. Press down firmly on the ends to seal. Use thumbs to push down on the edges of the filling to center it. Keeping thumbs in place, fold over the won ton wrapper one more time. Push the corners up and hold in place between your thumb and index finger. Wet the corners with your fingers. Bring the two ends together so that they overlap. Press to seal.

Alternate method: Place the teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper and twist to seal. The final result should resemble a money bag or drawstring purse.

Boiling the won tons: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the won tons, making sure there is enough room for them to move about freely. Let the won tons boil for 5 – 8 minutes, or until they rise to the top. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon.

To make the soup: bring the stock to a boil. Add the won tons and bring the soup back to a gentle simmer. Add the green onion, remove the pot from the heat and add the sesame oil, stirring. Ladle into soup bowls, allowing 6 won tons per person.

 

Won Ton Soup with Jin Bing

Jin Bing (Chinese Flatbread)
Ingredients:

2 Cups Plain flour

1/2 cup water

Oil and salt

Preparation:

Mix 1 1/2 cups plain flour with a 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 tablespoon of salt, knead it into a dough. Allow it rest for at least 15 minutes.

In a heated saucepan, pour in around 2 tablespoons of oil, then add in 1/2 cup of dry plain flour, stir the flour with oil immediately, let the flour have the full contact with oil. Add some oil if it is need it. In the end, the flour is no longer in its ‘powder’ form, and allow it cool down.

Roll the  dough into a thin flat sheet.

Put ‘stir-fried’ oil flour in the top of the sheet, it does not have to be evenly covered up the whole surface.

Roll the sheet up.

Hold the roll upright, and twist it as much as you can, then press it down to flat.

Roll the ‘flat dough’ again into a sheet, say around 0.5cm thickness

Shallow frying:

In a heated flat saucepan, pour in 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil.

When the oil gets hot, place a pre-prepared ‘sheet’ in the sauce pan.

Turn side to side until both sides turn ‘golden’ colour and get ‘crispy’.

Remove from pan and slice into thin strips.

Won Ton Soup with Jin Bing

 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 525 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 555 Calories from Fat 66

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 7.3g 11%

Saturated Fat 1.1g 6%

Cholesterol 0m 0%

Sodium 1625mg 68%

Potassium 306mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates 103.2g  34%

Dietary Fiber 2.6g 10%

Sugars 2.4g

Protein 15.5g

Vitamin A 2% • Vitamin C 6% Calcium 4% • Iron 42%

Nutrition Grade B+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Low in sugar
• Very high in vitamin B6

Bad points

• High in sodium

Won Ton Soup with Jin Bing

Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers #VeganItalianWeddingSoup #GlutenFreeBasilCrackers

Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers

One of my favourite pre vegan soups was Italian Wedding Soup. I just love the meatballs. Come to think of it, I love meatballs in spaghetti too. So, I have been trying to find a great meatball substitute. For a long time I have used button mushroom whole in spaghetti sauce to mimic the meatballs. While this is good, it never really satisfied my “meatball” craving.

Here I think I have found my ultimate meatball so, with my MofFo theme of Soups and Breads, I decided to tackle the old favourite, Italian Wedding Soup. The result was even better than I had hoped. I guess I may have cheated a little with the Basil Cracker, it isn’t really a bread, but, it just seemed the perfect fit. You will see in the Nutritional Info at the bottom that this dish is very high in sodium. If you want to lower the sodium content make sure to use low sodium broth and omit the additional salt. Also, the cracker recipe is Gluten Free, however, obviously the meatballs are not. If you are Gluten Free, you could use Gluten Free pre prepared meatballs, or even, in a pinch, use whole button mushrooms.

Enjoy,

Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers

Italian Wedding Soup

Serves 6

• 4 Tbspns olive oil, divided
  1 medium  onion, finely chopped
  2 cloves garlic, minced plus 1 whole clove, peeled, divided
  ¾ cup diced carrot
  ¾ cup diced celery
  1 Tbs  Oregano
  1 Tbspn Basil
  1 Tbspn Parsley
  8 cups  vegetable broth
  ¾ cup ditalini pasta
  18 – 24 vegan meatballs (recipe follows – the recipe is based on Vital Wheat Gluten)
  1 5-oz. pkg. fresh spinach
  1 Tbspn fresh lemon juice

Heat 2 Tbspns olive oil in large pot over med heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir in carrot and celery, and cook 5 minutes more, or until onion is soft. Add oregano, basil, and parsley, and cook 1 minute. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium, add ditalini, and cook at low boil 5 minutes, or half of cooking time stated in ditalini package directions. Add meatballs, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes. Add in a little extra water if necessary to thin to desired consistency,
Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 Tbspns oil in pan over med heat. Add remaining garlic clove, grated.. Add spinach; cook 3 to 5 minutes, turning constantly so spinach becomes evenly coated and wilted, but still bright green. After meatballs have simmered, add spinach and lemon juice to soup, and season with salt and pepper.

Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers

Gluten Free Basil Crackers

• Makes 24 crackers
  Ingredients
  1 cup gluten free flour blend
  1 Tblspn melted vegan butter
  1 tspn olive oil
  1 tspn basil
  ½ tspn agave
  ½ tspn salt
  Sea salt  for the top

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour blend and salt. Add oil, melted butter, agave, and ¼ cup water and mix until the dough comes together into a ball.
Add more water if the dough seems too dry.
Pat the dough into a disk. Place the disk between two pieces of parchment and using a rolling pin, roll until very thin, about ⅛ inch.
Remove the top piece of parchment from dough and cut dough into 1-inch squares, but do not separate. Lightly brush the dough with water and sprinkle with sea salt.
Keep the dough on parchment paper and move onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until crisp and slightly puffed, about 15-20 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheet after about ten minutes.
Cool then separate.

Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers

Seitan Meatballs

Makes approx 48

• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  1/4 cup garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour
  3 Tblspn nutritional yeast
  1 Tblespn dried minced onion
  1 tspn basil
• 1 tspn oregano
• 2 Tblspns tomato paste
  1 tsp onion powder
  1 tsp garlic powder
  1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Mix the following liquid ingredients
 3/4 cup Cold water
 1 Tblspn tamari
 1 Tblspn vegetable oil
For the simmering broth you will need:
 6 cups vegetable broth
Directions:
In a large pot, bring broth to a rapid boil.
Add the liquid ingredients (not the simmering broth) to the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly  until all ingredients are combined. Dont overwork the dough or the meatballs will be tough. Cut off small pieces of dough and roll into small, round meatball shapes with the palms of your hands, about 1/2-inch in diameter.
Work quickly as the gluten in the dough becomes more elastic the longer the dough sits, and this will make rolling more difficult. Do not make the meatballs too large because they will increase in size when simmered.
Now add the meatballs to the boiling broth and immediately reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cook uncovered for 25 minutes. Check frequently to maintain the broth at a very gentle simmer. Do not boil. Stir occasionally once the meatballs float to the top of the pot. When done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and let the meatballs cool in the broth until they reach room temperature. Refrigerate the meatballs with about 1/2 cup of the simmering broth in a zip-lock bag or airtight container for a minimum of 8 hours, or for up to 10 days, before browning in the skillet. This will firm and optimize their texture. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months
Finishing the Meatballs:
Sauté the meatballs in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat until nicely browned

Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers

 

Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 764 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 327 Calories from Fat 92

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 10.2g 16%

Saturated Fat 2.1g 10%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 2241mg 93%

Potassium 852mg 24%

Total Carbohydrates 34.2g 11%

Dietary Fiber 6.2g 25%

Sugars 4.9g

Protein 24.6g

Vitamin A 95% • Vitamin C 23% Calcium 9% • Iron 25%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• No cholesterol
• High in manganese
• High in niacin
• Very high in vitamin A
• Very high in vitamin B6
• Very high in vitamin B12

Bad points

• Very high in sodium

Italian Wedding Soup with Gluten Free Basil Crackers

Vegan Chocolate Truffles #veganchocolatetruffles

Vegan Chocolate Caramel Truffles

 

There are a few basic life essentials that no woman, (actually these are all my essentials) should be without.  A black lace bra that fits perfectly, a killer pair of stiletto’s and a delicious, quick and incredibly simple decadent Vegan Chocolate Truffle recipe.

These truffles literally melt in your mouth. They taste incredibly rich and the best part is, they are actually good for you. No dairy, no added sugar and a nice serving of protein.

As I mentioned, this is a very simple recipe, quick and easy for me to make and post here for you.  I have been using my time lately getting ready for Vegan Mofo…. the wonderful Vegan Month of Food.

Starting tomorrow, and continuing for the entire month of September,  vegan bloggers from around the world will be cooking, typing, taking photo’s and sharing all their wonderful talents. We are committing to post 20 or more times during the month, so it is going to be a busy time for us all. Not only creating and posting content, but being able to browse all the other blogs and savoir their amazing information.

This year, I will be following a theme. Soup and Bread  pairings. So, really, I will be posting north of 40 recipes during the month…..:)

Meanwhile, back at today’s recipe,

Enjoy,

Vegan Chocolate Caramel Truffles

Vegan Chocolate Truffles

Makes approx 45 truffles

• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 500 g vegan dark chocolate (a lot of regular  dark bittersweet chocolate is vegan, check the ingredients)
• cocoa powder for dusting

Nutty Caramel

• 10 soft large dates (soak in hot water for 20 mins if necessary)
• 1/2 tspn vanilla
• 1.2 tspn fine sea salt
• 1 Tblspn coconut oil
• 2 Tbspn Almond or other nut butter

Place cashews in a bowl and cover with water to soak overnight.

Drain cashews and add to a blender with 3/4 cup of cold water. Blend on high speed for  at least 3 mins stopping every now and then to scrape down the sides. The cashews will turn into a smooth thick almost white cream when ready. Set aside.

Place chocolate in a double boiler (or you can use one small and one medium pot) and gently melt. Note: melting chocolate is not as easy as you would think. If done too quickly or if moisture gets into the chocolate, it can seize….get hard and chalky. Using a double boiler helps prevent this. If you don’t have a double boiler, take a medium pot and place about an inch of water in the bottom. Take a small pot and sit it inside the medium one. Place the chocolate in the top, small pot. Place the two pots (one on top of the other) on the stove over moderate heat. Stir the chocolate constantly until it has melted and is smooth and runny. Remove the top pot from the stove. Gently stir the hot melted chocolate into the cashew cream. Mix to completely combine. Place in the fridge to cool and set, approx 2 hours.

Once set, take small spoonful’s and roll into balls and place on a plate. If you want, you can dust the balls in cocoa.

You can also make these Caramel Truffles by placing a dollop of Nutty Caramel on the top of the truffles, or you can roll the caramel into a ball and then wrap in the chocolate truffle mixture.

To make the Nutty Caramel, place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth, stopping periodically to scrape down the sides. Set aside to chill in the fridge.

 

Vegan Chocolate Caramel Truffles

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 15 g one truffle

Amount Per Serving

Calories 80 Calories from Fat 43

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4.8g 7%

Saturated Fat 2.7g 13%

Cholesterol 2mg 1%

Sodium 55mg 2%

Potassium 67mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates 8.3g 3%

Dietary Fiber 0.6g 2%

Sugars 6.6g

Protein 1.3g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% • Iron 2%

Nutrition Grade D

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in cholesterol

Bad points

• High in saturated fat
• Very high in sugar
• Contains alcohol

 

Salad Jars #vegan #saladinajar

Salad Jar’s

I love salad in the summertime. I take one to work with me every day for lunch. Sometimes I make it in the morning and other times I just take all the ingredients with me to work and construct the salad in the kitchen there.

Recently I was at a Chapters bookstore and I saw the front cover of a book dedicated to making all kinds of different salad’s in large mason jars. What a great idea.

Here I put my dressing in the bottom and then added chickpeas, and then layered the other salad ingredients until finally I added the lettuce, spinach, arugula mix at the very top. This way the lettuce does not get the dressing on it until you are ready to eat and does not get all soft and wilted.

I also cheated, slightly, by using whole cherry tomato’s. Not only do they look incredibly pretty in the jar, but because they are whole and not cut, the tomato’s also dont get soft.

You can use your imagination for the ingredients, I am thinking of adding mushrooms, snow peas, corn, dried fruits, nuts…….there really is no limit to what you could add (other than avocado or perhaps banana or any other item that will brown upon cutting). Just keep in mind that the idea is to keep the dry ingredients at the top and the wet at the bottom.

Salad Jar’s

I made three jars to see how well they keep and am happy to advise that on day two, everything is just as fresh and delicious as day one. How nice to open my fridge in the morning and just grab a jar and head to work. And they look really pretty sitting on the shelf.

Enjoy,

Salad Jar’s

Salad Jar’s with Dijon and Olive Oil Dressing

Makes 3 jars

Dressing

• 2 Tblspn’s olive oil
• 1 Tblspn balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tblspn dijon mustard
• 4 Tblspns water

Salad Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas rinsed
• 1 1/2 red peppers diced
• 1 English cucumber diced
• 1/2 Head Fennel chopped finely
• 1 pint cherry tomato’s
• 6 cups salad greens
• 3 large mason jars

 

To make dressing, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until completely combined and emulsified.

Divide the dressing between the three large mason jars.

Divide the salad ingredients between the three jars layering:

chickpeas then red peppers, then cucumbers, then fennel, then cherry tomato’s then salad greens.

Store upright in fridge until ready for use.

When ready to serve, shake briefly then empty out onto plate. You may need to help the salad greens out.

Salad Jar’s

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 579 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 562 Calories from Fat 144

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 16.0g 25%

Saturated Fat 2.0g 10%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 190mg 8%

Potassium 1364mg 39%

Total Carbohydrates 85.0g 28%

Dietary Fiber 26.1g 104%

Sugars 14.7g

Protein 27.4g

Vitamin A 96% • Vitamin C 103% Calcium 23% • Iron 51%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Low in sodium
• High in dietary fiber
• High in manganese
• High in vitamin A
• High in vitamin C

Salad Jar’s

 

 

Corn Tortilla Nacho’s with Cramy Golden Cheez Sauce #vegan #nachos #cheez sauce

Corn Tortilla Nacho’s with Creamy Golden Cheez Sauce

Time sure goes by fast, I cannot believe this blog is already one year old. Yes, the very first posting was May 30,2013. So here we go with the first post of the second year. Thank you to everyone who is reading and following. I love hearing your comments. 🙂

This dish says “Summer” to me. Nacho’s are great at an outdoor bbq, or sitting on the deck with a nice cold beer or glass of wine. The wonderful colours of the golden cheez sauce, the bright vivid green of the jalapeno and the cherry red of the tomato’s are fresh and vibrant.

I used my Dehydrated Corn Chip recipe and topped them with tons of thinly sliced jalapeno pepper, halved cherry tomato’s and chunks of fresh creamy avocado. Then I poured the creamy cheez over the top. A couple of sprigs of parsley and this delicious dish was done. You know the recipe is good when you use your fingers to wipe up the last tiny bits of sauce off the plate….yum.

Enjoy,

 

 

 

Corn Tortilla Nacho’s with Creamy Golden Cheez Sauce

 

Corn Tortilla Nacho’s with Creamy Golden Cheez Sauce

Serves 6

Cheez Sauce

• 2 cups plain unsweetened soy milk
• 5 Tblspns corn starch or tapioca flour
• 1/4 cup light tasting vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 Tblspn white miso paste
• 2 tspn tomato paste
• 1 tspn apple cider vinegar
• 1 tspn dry mustard powder
• 1/2 tspn sea salt
• 1/2 tspn onion or garlic powder

Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and totally combined.

Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until  the mixture begins to bubble and thicken. Continue to cook and stir until mixture is thick and glossy.  Removed from heat. To use as a pourable sauce, keep warm. The sauce will thicken more when cold. If necessary you can add additional soy milk while cooking to give you the texture you want.

• Corn chips
• cherry tomato’s
• jalapeno pepper
• avocado
• parsley

Place corn chips on a plate.

Top with sliced jalapeno peppers, cherry tomato’s and avocado. Pour cheez sauce over top and sprinkle with parsley

Corn Tortilla Nacho’s with Creamy Golden Cheez Sauce

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 334 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 534 Calories from Fat 291

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 32.3g 50%

Saturated Fat 4.8g 24%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 305mg 13%

Potassium 1147mg 33%

Total Carbohydrates 46.8g 16%

Dietary Fiber 15.4g 62%

Sugars 7.3g

Protein 18.8g

Vitamin A 5% • Vitamin C 206% Calcium 15% • Iron 38%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• No cholesterol
• High in dietary fiber
• High in riboflavin
• Very high in vitamin B6
• Very high in vitamin C

 

Corn Tortilla Nacho’s with Creamy Golden Cheez Sauce

Lettuce Wrapped Burger #vegan #soyfree

Lettuce Wrapped Burgers

Lettuce Wrapped Burgers

What wonderful weather we are (finally) having. Two warm sunny weekends in a row…….now you know what that means…..yes, the bbq has been fired up and put to very good use.

I have currently been discovering some wonderful recipes from “The Gentle Chef”. Chef Skye Michael has three cookbooks available. I have the first two and have found some wonderful goodies. He uses Vital Wheat Gluten for a lot of his “meatless” dishes. I am one of the fortunate people who do not have any issues consuming gluten. Having said that, I believe it is always a case of moderation. I love his burger recipe (below) for a treat when I am craving a juicy, chewy, “meaty” burger. I have not found any commercially prepared vegan burgers that satisfy all my cravings. These burgers are truly amazing. The recipe is also available on The Gentle Chef website. This is a great website to visit with tons of amazing recipes.

At first glance this recipe appears to be complicated, however it is really quite easy. Chef Skye give lots of clear instructions, which is what makes it look like more work than it is. The end result is definitely worth it. I am now making these in double batches and freezing them.

I decided to use lettuce instead of bread for these burgers (again the moderation thing…..the burgers have gluten, so don’t need to overload by adding in bread as well). This way I could also eat two and not feel guilty…..:)

I topped my burgers with sliced avocado, tomato and some delicious mustard brought back from Germany for me by a very good friend.

These were pure summer fun to eat.

Enjoy,

 

Lettuce Wrapped Burgers

Lettuce Wrapped Burgers

Makes 6

• For the dry ingredients you will need:
  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten
  • 2 T garbanzo bean flour or soy flour
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ to ½ tsp coarse ground black pepper
  • ⅛ tsp ground rosemary
• For the liquid ingredients you will need:
  • ¾ cup water
  • ¼ cup fresh shredded onion, including liquid (see the technique below for instructions)
  • 2 T tamari, soy sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos™
  • 1 T vegan Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke
  • ½ tsp browning liquid

Toppings:

• 1 avocado sliced
• 1 tomato sliced
• Romain lettuce leaves
• mustard

For burgers with a uniform appearance, you will need a 3 and ½-inch ring mold. The burgers can also be shaped free-form if desired.

Technique:
Place a stainless steel wire rack on a baking sheet and line the rack with parchment paper. This will provide a layer of air between the rack and the baking sheet which will prevent the bottom of the burgers from over-browning.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Stir together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

To shred the onion, cut the top and bottom from a large onion and peel away the outer layer. Shred the onion from the top or bottom end (which helps keep the rings from separating), using the largest holes on a box grater. Shred enough pulp to fill ¼ cup, including as much of the onion liquid as possible. Add the wet pulp to the other liquid ingredients in a separate bowl or measuring cup and stir.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir just until the ingredients are combined. Do not overwork the dough as the dough will become elastic and the burgers will be difficult to shape. The dough will be soft, wet and at saturation; this is necessary for producing the proper texture.

Divide the dough in the bowl into roughly 6 equal portions (divide the dough in half and each half into thirds).

Pick up a piece of dough and form it into a ball in your hands. Lay the ring mold on a work surface and press the ball of dough to fill the ring. If you don’t have a mold, simply press and shape the burgers free-form with your fingers.

Place the burgers onto the parchment paper and cover the baking sheet with foil. Crimp the edges to seal the foil around the baking sheet and place on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes.

Lettuce Wrapped Burgers

Remove the baking sheet and let the burgers cool with the foil cover in place. When sufficiently cool, remove the foil and transfer and stack the burgers on the foil. Fold to create a package and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours, or for up to 10 days, before grilling. Chilling will firm and enhance the burger texture. The burgers can also be wrapped in the foil between layers of wax paper or parchment paper and frozen for up to 3 months; just be sure to thaw the completely before grilling.

To grill the burgers on the stove, oil a non-stick skillet or grill pan and place over medium heat. Brush the burgers with liquid smoke or your favorite sauce, if desired, and pan-sear them until nicely browned. For outdoor grilling, brush the burgers with cooking oil and then liquid smoke or your favorite sauce, if desired. Grill over hot embers or a medium gas flame until grill marks appear. Avoid overcooking. Serve with your favorite condiments.

Lettuce Wrapped Burgers

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 133 g 1 burger

Amount Per Serving

Calories 268 Calories from Fat 87

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9.7g 15%

Saturated Fat 1.7g 9%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 379mg 16%

Potassium 213mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 13.5g 4%

Dietary Fiber 2.8g 11%

Sugars 1.3g

Protein 33.5g

Vitamin A 5% • Vitamin C 9% Calcium 1% • Iron 3%

Nutrition Grade C+

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• No cholesterol
• Low in sugar
• Very high in vitamin B6

 

Gluten Free Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato #EatToLive Friendly

GF Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato

Spring is in the air…..well, not really, but I have now offically had enough of Winter. It is the last month or so of Winter that I find the hardest and the easiest all at the same time. It is hard because with the lack of sunshine I become very slugish and unmotivated but it is the easiest because I start to dream about the Summer to come. I am already planning out my garden in my head. deciding what veggies to plant where and dreaming of lazy days on my back deck………:)

In the lead up to Spring and Summer I have decided to drop a few pounds as most of my clothes are a little tight at the moment. I have fallen into the Vegan trap of eating a lot of the unhealthy Vegan foods. Potato chips, pasta’s, etc. so I decided I would do the Eat To Live 6 week plan. This plan is primarily vegetables, fruit and legumes, perfect for me to get back in shape. Now I also decided I needed to include regular daily exercise. I spend the majority of my time at a desk and it was time to add in the exercise habit.

Co incidentaly, my car (Sophie, a yellow VW New Beetle) picked this exact time to break down (again, she has had a lot of issues over the last couple of months, but she is 13 years old, so no big surprise). My mechanic headed south to a tropical destination right at that moment, so I was left without a vehicle for a week or two. This was perfect, now I was forced to walk everywhere and in fact, now I am seriously considering not fixing/replacing Sophie right away. I am enjoying walking to work each day getting my sunshine, exercise and fresh air all together.

So for the next few weeks I will be posting recipes that I come up with that are Eat To Live friendly as well as vegan. To start off I made this delicious pizza. The crust is a mixture of cauliflower and chickpea flour. The sauce is roasted eggplant and nutritional yeast. You can top with whatever veggies you have on hand. On this particular night I had cherry tomato’s, a bag of baby spinach/kale mix and mushrooms.

Enjoy,

GF Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato

Gluten Free Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato

Makes one 12 inch pizza

• 2 cups cauliflower florettes
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 1 Tblspn ground flax disolved in 2 tblspns water
• 2 tspns dried oregano
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 small eggplant
• 1/2 head garlic
• 2 Tblspns nutritional yeast
• sliced tomato
• baby kale and/or baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 small onion
• sliced mushrooms

Combine cauliflower, chickpea flour, flax (disolved), oregano, salt and pepper in food processor. Process until a dough like consistancy. You will need to add a little water.

Spread out on parchment paper lined baking tray into a circle approx 12 inches in diameter.

GF Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato

Bake for 20 mins in 325 F oven until firm and starting to brown.

At the same time, place whole eggplant (after piercing multiple times with a knife) on baking tray and bake with the crust.  Wrap 1/2 head of garlic in foil and place next to eggplant to bake as well.

Remove crust from oven when done and set aside. Check eggplant by inserting knife. Eggplant is done when soft all the way through. Remove eggplant and garlic from oven and allow to cool slightly.

Cut eggplant in half and scoop out soft flesh, place in food processor. Squeeze soft centres from garlic cloves and add to eggplant. Add nutritional yeast and process until smooth and creamy.

GF Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato

Take approx 2/3 of the eggplant mixture and spread on pizza crust. Top with kale/spinach, sliced tomato, mushrooms and thinly sliced onion. Add a little water to thin the remaining eggplant mixture and then drizzle over the top of pizza toppings.

Return pizza to 325 F oven and bake for 10 – 15 mins to heat through.

GF Pizza with Eggplant Cheeze, Mushrooms & Tomato

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1106 g 1 whole pizza

Amount Per Serving

Calories 694 Calories from Fat 250

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 27.8g 43%

Saturated Fat 2.5g 12%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 109mg 5%

Potassium 2624mg 75%

Total Carbohydrates 60.9g 20%

Dietary Fiber 62.0g 248%

Sugars 19.8g

Protein 48.6g

Vitamin A   15% • Vitamin C 213% Calcium 30% • Iron 81%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Very low in sodium
• Very high in dietary fiber
• High in iron
• High in manganese
• High in magnesium
• High in phosphorus
• High in potassium
• High in selenium
• Very high in vitamin B6
• Very high in vitamin B12
• Very high in vitamin C

Fettuccine Alfredo Amore #vegan valentines day #pasta

Fettucccine Alfredo Amore

Love is in the air. Next week is Valentine’s day and I was inspired to create a romantic dish for the occasion. What better way to show your love than to make a wonderful creamy Fettucine Alfredo and to have it “heart healthy” at the same time.

There is nothing in this delicious rich pasta sauce that is even remotely bad for you. The secret loving ingredient is the faithful cauliflower. This vegetable is a wonderous creation. Low calorie, crunchy when raw, perfect for dipping, smooth and creamy when cooked and pureed. I used brown rice pasta but if you wanted to take it even one step further in the health department you could use thinly sliced or  spiralized zucchini or other hard vegetable.

Fettucccine Alfredo Amore

When I was dreaming up this dish, I had visions of lots of tiny red hearts sprinkled over the top. I would “cut” the hearts out of red peppers, simple…….not really. As you can see in the pictures the final result has three hearts. While they do look very nice, it is not exactly what I had in mind. These were more difficult than I imagined. Wether you make one, three or more, the thought is still the same, and, as they say, “it’s the thought that counts'”

Enjoy,

Fettucccine Alfredo Amore

Fettuccine Alfredo Amore

Serves  6

• 1 medium cauliflower
• 1/2 Tblspn olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves minced or grated
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 Tblspn lemon juice
• 2 tspns onion powder
• 1/4 tspn ground black pepper
• sea salt to taste
• 8oz dry fettuccine of choice, I used brown rice fettuccine
• red pepper for garnish
• parsley for garnish

Separate cauliflower into florettes. Place in large saucepan and cover with cold water. Heat on high until water begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 – 10 minutes until tender. Drain and allow to cool slightly before processing further.

Heat olive oil in pan on low and saute garlic very gently for 5 mins. Do not let garlic brown.

Add cauliflower, garlic, half the almond milk, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, onion powder, pepper and salt to food processor ( you may have to do this in two batches). Pulse, scrapping down sides until everything is incorporated. Slowly add the remaining almond milk and blend on high until completely smooth and creamy, approx 3 – 5 mins. Set aside.

Fettucccine Alfredo Amore

Fill large pot with cold water, place on stove and bring to a boil over high heat. When water is boiling add dry pasta and cook according to directions on the packet.

Once cooked, drain and rinse.

If making red hearts, cut small piece of red pepper that is fairly flat. Using a sharp pointed knife, cut out hearts,

Add Alfredo sauce to drained pasta and toss together. Place serving on plate and top with red pepper hearts and parsley.

Fettucccine Alfredo Amore

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 220 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 199 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1.0g 1%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholestero l0mg 0%

Sodium 65mg 3%

Total Carbohydrates 41.2g 14%

Dietary Fiber 6.1g 24%

Sugars 3.6g

Protein 8.9g

Vitamin A   14% • Vitamin C 123% Calcium 12% • Iron 14%

Nutrition Grade A

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Nutritional Analysis

Good points

• Very low in saturated fat
• No cholesterol
• Low in sodium
• High in dietary fiber
• High in riboflavin
• High in vitamin B6
• Very high in vitamin C