Make and/or eat some thing inspired by a book or film.
Day seven of Vegan MoFo and it is the delightful Bridget Jones Diary inspired, Blue Leek and Potato Soup.
The Diary of Bridget Jones is one of my favourite books and movies. I love how imperfect she is. If you want a good laugh, then this is the movie for you.
Bridget Jones Blue Leek and Potato Soup
Now, of course you do not have to turn the soup blue……I did , just for fun with a couple of drops of blue food colouring. Poor Bridget had the misfortune of using blue string to tie up the leek in her soup which gave her the blue version.
blue-soup
This soup is delicious in either colour.
Enjoy,
(Blue) Leek and Potato Soup
Serves 4 – 6
2 Tblspns olive oil
5 medium potato’s peeled and roughly chopped
3 leeks, trimmed, thoroughly washed and sliced
4 cloves garlic chopped
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 Tblspn lemon juice
salt to taste
finely chopped green onions for garnish if wanted.
Sauté the potato’s, leeks and garlic in the olive oil until vegetables start to soften a little and brown. Add the vegetable stock and simmer covered for 30 mins until the vegetables are soft.
Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. (or you can wait until the soup cools a little then place in small batches in a blender and process. Be Very Careful that the soup is not too hot or it could explode out of the top of the blender and cause serious burns).
Add coconut milk, lemon juice and stir to combine.,
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.
With the new format this year of daily topic prompts we get to have an even better sense of community and connection. So, I am excited to see what my fellow Vegan MoFo’ers are having for breakfast.
For me, breakfast is not usually a daily occurence, I am more the “coffee till noon” type of gal. However, on special occasions (the start of MoFo for instance) or lazy weekend mornings I do like to have all the goodies.
For today, I have a fresh juice guaranteed to wake up your taste buds and energize your cells.
Cucumber Citrus Ginger Juice
Next, it is time for protein packed pancakes with fresh berries, a dollop of aquafaba (a relatively new phenomenon sweeping the vegan cooking scene) and a drizzle of local home-made maple syrup.
Banana White Bean Pancakes with Berries and AquaFaba Cream
Finally, the pièce de résistance rich hot coffee blended with coconut oil and whipped into a frothy latte like heavenly beverage. I love strong rich coffee and I take it black, no cream or sugar so I can enjoy the full flavour.
CocoLatte
Then you add a little high quality, organic coconut oil and blend it all together, the flavour of the coffee seems to intensify and become richer and the texture is wonderful. I couldn’t resist adding a dollop of the AquaFaba Cream and it magically transformed into a latte/cappuccino.
CocoLatte
Thanks for sharing breakfast with me.
Enjoy,
Cucumber Citrus Ginger Juice
Makes 2 servings
1 english cucumber
1 apple cored
1 orange peeled
2 carrots peeled if not organic
handful baby spinach
1 inch nob of fresh ginger
Process all ingredients through a juicer. Drink immediately.
Banana White Bean Pancakes with Berries and AquaFava Cream
Banana White Bean Pancakes
8-10 servings
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white beans
1 banana
1 tspn psyllium husk
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 tspn baking powder
1/3 cup soy or almond milk
1/2 tspn vanilla
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
Mix chia seeds with water and let sit overnight (or at least 1 hour)
Combine all ingredients together in bowl and mix or blend to pancake consistency.
Cook over medium heat until lightly browned on both sides.
Serve with fresh berries AquaFaba Cream and maple syrup.
AquaFaba Cream
Makes approx 2 cups
Liquid from a large can of chickpeas
1 tspn cream of tartar
1 tspn vanilla
1 Tblspn (or more depending on taste) fine sugar
Beat the chickpea liquid and cream of tartar on high for at least 15 minutes. The liquid will turn into a stiff “egg white” merengue type texture. Add vanilla and then the sugar gradually while continuing to beat until totally combined. You may need to adjust the amount of vanilla and sugar depending on your preference.
Use as a topping for your pancakes and also to add the foam top to your CocoLatte.
CocoLatte
CocoLatte
Makes 1 cup
1 cup strong back freshly brewed coffee (I use an espresso bend)
1 teaspoon organic coconut oil
Add the coffee and coconut oil to a blender. Blend on highest speed for 30 seconds till frothy.
Pour into coffee cup and enjoy as is or top with AquaFaba cream.
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.
I love MoFo, such an energizing and inspiring experience. I love browsing through all the other posts to see who is doing what. I look forward to starting my day, sipping my cup of coffee, sitting outside on my back deck, hitting “next” on RandoMoFo.com and being delivered a random blog to enjoy. Life is very, very good. So many great blogs, so little time…….what a great dilemma to have.
For MoFo recipe #3 I have a filling, chunky Broccoli Chedah Soup served in a Gluten Free Bread Bowl. What could be better than sitting down to this hearty soup, complete with its own bowl, and best of all, no dishes to wash 🙂
Enjoy,
Broccoli Chedah Soup with Gluten Free Bread Bowls
Broccoli Chedah Soup
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 Tbspns vegan butter
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (GF AP Four Mix)
2 cups vegan cream (cashew cream)
3 cups vegan chicken or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 tspn nutmeg
salt and freshly ground pepper
6 bread bowls – recipe below
4 cups broccoli florets
1 large carrot, diced
1 cup chedah cheez
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in cream till smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaves and nutmeg, then season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the bread bowls: Using a sharp knife, cut a circle into the top of each loaf, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Remove the bread top, then hollow out the middle with a fork or your fingers, leaving a thick bread shell.
Add the broccoli and carrot to the pot and simmer until tender, about 15 mins. Remove bay leaves. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until slightly smooth, still leaving flecks of carrot and broccoli. Return to the pot.
Add the cheez to the soup and stir over medium heat until melted. Add up to 3/4 cup water if the soup is too thick. Serve in bread bowls.
Broccoli Chedah Soup with Gluten Free Bread Bowls
Gluten Free Bread Bowls
Makes 6 bowls Ingredients
2 Tbspns sugar
1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/2 cup warm (not hot) water
1/2 cup non dairy milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tbspns ground flax mixed into 4Tbspns water
20 oz ( 560g ) Gluten Free All Purpose Flour Mix divided
1/2 oz (15) g psyllium/chia/flax mix (this mix is added to GF flour to make bread products. for the mix, combine equal parts psyllium husk, chia and ground flax.)
2 tsp water
Instructions
Dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water in a large bowl, let stand 10 mins until foamy.
Stir in milk, oil, 3/4 tspn salt, and ground flax/water mixture.
Mix GF flour mixture with psyllium /chia/flax mix to form GF bread flour mix.
Add 17 oz (490 g) GF bread flour to yeast mixture, and stir to form a soft dough.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (5 – 10 mins), add enough of the remaining flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.
Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 – 2 hours or until doubled in size.
Punch dough down.
Divide dough into 6 equal pieces.
Take each piece and form into round shape (like a small grapefruit). using palm of your hand, press down on the top to slightly flatten.
Transfer the rolls to a parchment lined baking sheet and let rise for another 45 minutes, until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 425ºF
Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
Cool on a wire rack before cutting tops off.
When I told my boyfriend I was making “Clamless Chowder” he laughed so hard I though he was going to hurt himself. Apparently he thinks it is hugely funny to have Clam Chowder sans clams. Well the smile was literally wiped off his face when he tasted it. If I do say so myself, it tastes even better than the original.
Creamy and peppery with a hint of ocean taste from the Arame, perfectly paired with the Cheez Biscuites and nice cold glass of Chardonnay 🙂
Now this post is actually four recipes (does that mean I can take the next three days off?) but do not be intimidated, this is definately worth the extra effort. You can also make extra Cashew Cream and Chedah Cheez and keep them on hand for other recipes (yes they will be popping up in the next few days posts).
Enjoy,
Clamless Chowder with Warm Garlic Cheez Biscuits
Clamless Chowder
Makes 4 – 6 serves
Ingredients:
3 Tblspn vegan butter or coconut oil
1 large onion, diced
2 large ribs celery, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can mushroom pieces (or if you can find them, canned oyster mushrooms, drained and diced)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 cups vegan chicken or vegetable broth
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 bay leaves
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 Tbspn Arame flakes (dried seaweed)
sea salt to taste
1 cup vegan cream, recipe below (you can also use full fat coconut milk)
In a large soup pot, melt the butter over med heat. Add the onions and celery and cook until soft. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook an additional min.
Add in the flour and stir to combine completely then allow to cook for 1 min.
Slowly add the broth, stirring to mix. Add the potatoes, bay leaves, black pepper and arame flakes. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat and allow to barely simmer for 20 mins stirring occuassionally. Season with salt.
Stir in the cream and let heat through for one min before serving.
Clamless Chowder with Warm Garlic Cheez Biscuits
Vegan Cream
Makes one cup cream.
1/2 cup raw cashews soaked in water overnight
1/2 cup cold water
Drain the cashews. Add cashews and water to blender. Blend on high for 3 or 4 mins until smooth and creamy scrapping down the sides as necessary.
Clamless Chowder with Warm Garlic Cheez Biscuits
Gluten Free Garlic Cheez Biscuits
Makes 6
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 3/4 cups all-purpose Gluten Free Flour Mix (see below for recipe)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 tspn sugar
1/4 tspn salt
3 Tblspn vegetable shortening, at room temperature
4 Tblspn cold vegan unsalted butter
1/2 Cup chedah cheez (recipe below)
3/4 cup non dairy milk
For the garlic butter:
3 Tblspn vegan butter
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tspn chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Preheat oven to 425
Pulse the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a food processor. Add the shortening and pulse until combined. Add the butter, pulse 4 or 5 times, or until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Add the cheese and pulse 2 or 3 times. Pour in the milk and pulse just until the mixture is moistened and forms a soft dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and gently knead until the dough comes together. Do not overwork the dough or the biscuits will be tough.
Drop the dough onto the baking sheet in 1/4-cup portions, 2 inches apart, and bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the garlic butter: Melt the butter with the garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Brush the biscuits with the garlic butter and serve warm.
Clamless Chowder with Warm Garlic Cheez Biscuits
All Purpose Gluten Free Flour Mixture
Makes 1 kg flour
Thouroghly mix together the following flours.
100g brown rice flour
100g buckwheat flour
100g millet flour
100g quinoa flour
100g sorghum flour
100g oat flour
100g teff flour
150g potato starch
150g cornstarch
Clamless Chowder with Warm Garlic Cheez Biscuits
Chedah Cheez
Makes one cup
3/4 cup plain unsweetened soy milk
1/4 cup vegetable oul
3 Tblspn cornstarch
3 Tbspn nutritional yeast
2 Tblspn white miso
2 tspn lemon juice
1 tspn apple cider vinegar
1 tspn tomato paste
3.4 tspn onion powder
1.4 tspn dry mustard powder
1/4 tspn guar gum
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy.
Transfer mixture to a pot and heat over moderate heat stirring constantly. As the mixture heats up it will begin to thicken and appear lumpy. Stir vigerously while continuing to cook for another 2 – 4 mins until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
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.
Recently my oldest granddaughter has had to adopt a gluten and dairy free diet. One of her favourite snacks are granola bars. So I thought she and I could create a special granola bar just for her. This is the second version, and while I have yet to get feedback from Hannah, I can tell you they are definitely yummy.
The first version was made and presented to Hannah, who was not impressed. “What is in them” she asked. After listing off the ingredients, I was informed that she “does not like oats”. Well, I am thinking it might be more the texture of the oats than the actual flavour, as oats, are very mild in taste. So this time around, I pulsed the oats in a food processor to break them down to almost a flour-like consistency.
All the other ingredients are Hannah’s favourites, dried cranberries, bananas, peanut butter, walnuts, and of course chocolate chips.
I will let you know Hannah’s verdict after she tries them tomorrow.
Enjoy,
Hannah’s Yummy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Hannah’s Yummy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Makes 12 bars
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
¼ cup coconut palm sugar
¼ tspn cinnamon
¼ tspn nutmeg
1 cup dried fruit (Hannah’s choice was cranberries)
¼ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup nuts (raw cashews, almonds or hazelnuts)
6 Tblspns melted coconut oil
¼ cup agave or maple syrup
1 ripe banana mashed
¼ cup peanut butter (or other nut butter of choice)
½ cup vegan dark chocolate chips
Place oats in food processor and pulse until almost a flour consistency (this was done as Hannah “does not like oats” to remove the oat consistency). Add in the other dried ingredients, including dried fruit, seeds and nuts. Pulse a few times until fruit and nuts are cut into small pieces.
In separate bowl, mix coconut oil, agave (maple syrup) and mashed banana together. Stir in peanut butter. Add to dry ingredients and mix well.
Hannah’s Yummy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Add chocolate chips and stir to combine.
Place into greased 9 X 9 inch baking tin and bake at 325 F for 30 to 40 mins or until edges begin to brown.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in tin. When cool, cut into serving size pieces and store in the refrigerator.
It seems I am on a Raw kick at the moment. The weather is finally nice, sunny and hot, and heating up the kitchen with cooked food is not that appealing.
Making the bread and bacon in a dehydrator lets me spend my time outside enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. I usually make a double batch of the bread and freeze the extra.
This BLT is made with Eggplant Bacon and Raw Onion Garlic Bread. The bacon is crisp and smokey and tastes great. The bread is soft and has a light onion/garlic taste. Add in some lettuce, sliced tomato and creamy sliced avocado and voila a tasty raw BLT
The Eggplant Bacon stores well in an airtight glass jar and will remain crisp for weeks as long as you make sure it is completely dry before removing from the dehydrator. If you do not have a dehydrator, you can also make this in the oven. Put the oven on at the lowest possible temperature and cook with the door slightly open. I have not done it this way so I am not sure how long it will take, I would check every half hour or so.
Enjoy,
Raw Vegan BLT
Raw Onion Garlic Bread
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
3 cloves garlic minced
4 sweet onions roughly chopped
1 cup ground flax
1/3 cup olive oil
4 Tblspns tamari
Place sunflower seeds in a food processor and process until ground. Add garlic and onions and process until onions are finely minced. Add in remaining ingredients and pulse a few times until well combined. The mixture should be moist but not wet. If it is too dry add a little water, a tablespoon at a time.
Spread mixture onto parchment paper or dehydrator sheets about 1/8 of an inch thick (or to your own preference). Score into slices. Dehydrate for 1 hour at 115 then for 4 hours at 105. Remove from dehydrator and turn over. Dehydrate for 2 more hours or until they reach your desired texture. I like my bread to be soft, however you can leave them to become quite dry and more cracker like if you prefer.
Remove from trays when ready, allow to cool completely then store in an airtight container in the fridge, or freeze for future use.
Eggplant Bacon
1 small eggplant sliced thinly on a mandolin lengthwise
2 Tblspn tamari
2 Tblspns agave or maple syrup
2 tspns olive oil
1.1/2 tspn finely diced sun dried tomato’s
1 tspn liquid smoke
Whisk together all ingredients except eggplant in small bowl.
Place eggplant in large baking dish or bowl. Pour the liquid mixture over the eggplant slices and using your hands, gently massage each slice making sure it is well coated. Let sit for 15 mins in liquid.
Place slices on parchment paper or dehydrator sheets. Make slices are overlapping.
Dehydrate for 6 – 8 hours at 105 or until totally dry and crisp. Cool completely before storing in glass airtight container in fridge.
Growing up in Australia, Asian food was readily available and totally delicious. I love all Asian food, but especially Vietnamese and Thai. These cuisines are vibrant both visually and in taste. Fresh lime juice, cilantro, peppers and lemon grass all work to give amazing fresh tastes.
Pad Thai is one of my favourites, and I am trying to keep my diet as clean as possible at the moment so this is perfect.
The sauce is very rich, so add a little to the veggies and taste. If you want more, add it in. If there is any left over, it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or so. I am not sure if it will keep longer than a week, as I can never get it to last that long.
Enjoy,
Raw Pad Thai
Raw Pad Thai
Serves 4 – 6
Sauce
1/4 cup tamarind paste
1/4 cup tamari sauce
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup raw cashews roughly chopped plus extra for garnish
2 tblspn hot pepper flakes
4 tblspns water
3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
Noodles
2 zucchini
1 small daikon radish thinly sliced
1/2 small red cabbage shredded
2 red peppers cut into thin strips
1 yellow or orange paper cut into thin strips
1/2 cup green onion thinly sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro roughly chopped
fresh lime juice
Place all sauce ingredients in blender and process until thickened and mostly smooth. Place in fridge to chill while preparing
using a spiralizer or mandolin, cut the zucchini into thin strips (noodles) and place in a large bowl. Add in the daikon radish, red cabbage, red and yellow peppers, green onions and cilantro. Mix together well.
Add the sauce and mix to coat the veggies well. If you do not use all the sauce, it can be stored in a glass jar in the fridge for a week.
Place a mound of vegetables on a plate, sprinkle with extra raw cashews and drizzle with fresh lime juice.
stairway to vegan 