Tag Archives: vegan

Kitchen Magic

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Whoa! I can’t even begin to tell you all the magic that’s been happening in my kitchen. No, I’m not talking about anything wayward or raunchy here. Quite simply I have been uber-inspired to make food happen. Most days I rush home, start making something, head off to a workout and come back to spend time with my beloved appliances. Yes, this all does sound like a dismal existence to most. But honestly, each and every day I eagerly anticipate the results of whatever I am concocting that day.

Giving vegan a shot has been insanely electrifying. I am using foods, ingredients and techniques that I’m not sure I’d ever have given a chance in the past. And in part, a goal of this journey was precisely that. To learn. To re-ignite passion about food. To become mindful of what we put in our bodies.

Just the last three days alone I have made the following: a quinoa dish of my own design, a few juice combos inspired by various recipes, smoothies made with avocado (the results are what I can only describe as luscious), Vegan Cream Cheese and Coconut Mango Millet. Those two last recipes courtesy of my new obsession: Crazy Sexy Kitchen by Kris Carr. That cookbook has released a kitchen vixen…watch out!! My new girl crush for sure. I first heard about Kris in the documentary Hungry for Change, which I mentioned in my very first post. Kris has a documentary of her own called Crazy Sexy Cancer, and some other books I might check out.

Can’t wait to share my adventures!

Love and good food,

ilona

Back In The Game (plus recipe for Kale and Bean Soup)

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Well, I am FINALLY feeling like myself again. I can safely say my body is virus-free. Hallelujah.

Can’t say I was feeling much food inspiration over the last little while. Although I’m not of the lose-all-your-appetite-while-sick sort (and damn it I do envy the people who get blessed with this silver lining of illness), my food selection was completely lack luster and I don’t think I attempted much beside boiling water and toasting bread in the kitchen, oh and heating up soup from a carton.

I managed to stay on the vegan bandwagon for two weeks now, viral attack and all. I have to say though, while I certainly don’t feel deprived and I can’t say I’ve even toed the precipice of starvation at any point, I have had some niggling thoughts about sneaking a few bites of cheese. Or milk chocolate (which is strange as I prefer dark varieties typically). I even had a dream where I pigged out on a milk-laden chocolate bar and woke up with residual feelings of guilt that the dream embedded. But honestly, all this has been minor.

In fact, beyond the illness stage, I continue feeling inspired and excited by all the vegan foods and recipes I keep coming across. As my sickness waned towards the end of the week, I found myself enveloped by a plethora of food experiences this weekend.

First off, my brother bought a juicer. Super exciting! We juiced the second the beast came out of the box. So far a winning combo has been apples, kale and ginger  Delish. I came up with a concoction that echoed the flavours of carrot cake: tons of carrots, apples, a bit of ginger and a few shakes of cinnamon and cloves. Yum! And of course there’s been a few underwhelming, and perhaps down right awful, results too. Will keep you updated on our juicer developments!

On Saturday night I made the pilgrimage to downtown Toronto for some of my favourite Thai food at Salad King. I can’t comment on the authenticity of the grub but I have been eating here since my Ryerson University under-grad days. I even remember what my first dish was, and this was back in 2002! Emerald curry, by the way. The location has moved (a few meters from the original) but the crazy atmosphere, affordable prices and consistently amazing dishes have remained. Even the mild to 20 chilies heat scale has not changed a bit. I am a 5 chilies type of gal…hey, some like it hot 🙂

I dined on my beloved Bangkok Stir Fry (veganized by omitting the egg) and my dining partner-in-crime chose the Hot Thai Noodles with a very non-veg chicken and shrimp option. We stuffed ourselves silly and walked away wishing for a location closer to home. Sigh.

My good food fortune continued into Sunday as we gathered at my parents place for dinner. My mom obliged our veggie ways and cooked up an amazing vegan kale and bean soup. Sooooo good!

Kale and Bean Soup 1

 Kale and Bean Soup

This is a delicious soup to serve on a chilly day. Much goodness is to be found in this gem of a dish.

Adapted from: The Vegetarian Collection by Alison Key and The Canadian Living Kitchen

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste (1/2-1 tsp of each)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth, homemade or store bought
  • 4 cups of water
  • 4 small white potatoes, diced
  • 1 large sweet potato, diced
  • 1 can (395ml, 140z) cannelini beans, rinsed and drained, used Eden Garden brand
  • 2 cans (395ml, 14oz each) navy beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 bunches of kale, trimmed and chopped
  • 1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
  • juice of one lemon

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, coriander  cumin, salt and pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, until onion is soft and translucent.

Add broth, water, white and sweet potato and all the beans, bring to a boil then simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes).

Meanwhile put kale into a pot of boiling water and boil for about 10 minutes until softened. Drain and add to the soup along with the parsley. Simmer for another 5 minutes, then finish off with the lemon juice.

Serve as is or accompanied by whole grain bread, pita or a cooked grain (rice, buckwheat, quinoa or the like). Enjoy piping hot.

Kale and Bean Soup 2

Kale and bean soup 3

 My mom also surprised us by baking vegan chocolate chip cookies. No milk or eggs, and incidentally no wheat, but full of chocolatey goodness. Best served with beverage of choice for dunking. Recipe was from good old reliable Martha Stewart.

Vegan CC Cookies 2

Vegan CC Cookies 1

Way to go mama! First one to experiment with vegan baking. But that’s not shocking, baking is in her blood.

Vegan CC Cookies 3

I wrapped up my Sunday evening by prepping for the work week. Cooked up a one skillet meal using ingredients already in my fridge and pantry for lunches and dinners; will post the recipe this week. Main ingredients were fennel bulb, green peas, quinoa and Tofurky sausage. Don’t mock me, I love them.

And I whipped up a batch of hummus. I don’t really use a precise recipe, more so a guideline I suppose. But I will try to account for the proportions next time I make it so I can share the magic that a few simple kitchen staples can create: chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and good-quality olive oil. That’s all.

Happy February everyone!

ilona

Brunch Success: Tofu Scramble Wrap with Greens and Zingy Avocado

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I arrived at my sister’s house for our family brunch and was immediately greeted with bacony, eggy aromas that were so very familiar…and so very delicious (I didn’t start this whole veg thing because I hated these tastes, after all!)

My stomach grumbled. All I could think was that the meal I was about to prepare for myself better not disappoint as I might just gobble down a very non-veg pumpkin pancake before being aware of my actions.

Well, I would have to say that it turned out good. Very good indeed.

Wrap1

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 The taste was bright and the sprouts added a very fresh touch. The zingy avocado spread pulled it all together and I can’t imagine preparing this version without it.

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 Tofu Scramble Wrap with Greens and Zingy Avocado

The Engevita yeast (also know as nutritional yeast) adds a savoury note to the scramble, interestingly approximating the tastes you would find on an omnivores breakfast plate. Turmeric, a vibrant burnt-orange hued spice hailing from South Asia, known for its anti-inflammatory properties, adds a golden, egg-like colour. I happened to have come across pea shoots at an organic market the day before making this, but other greens like baby spinach, arugula, cress or such can easily be substituted. The easy to make avocado spread really makes this dish sing.

Adapted from one of my go-to veg cookbooks, Fresh: New Vegetarian and Vegan Recipes from the Award-winning Fresh Restaurants

Servings: 4

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 block firm tofu, crumbled

2 Tbsp Engevita yeast

1 tsp dried oregano

pinch of turmeric

¾ tsp salt

fresh ground pepper

½ cup water

2 avocados

3 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1-2 lemons)

4 whole grain tortillas

2 large handfuls of pea shoots (or other tender greens), tossed with a tiny drizzle of olive oil and a squirt of  lemon juice

1 cup fresh sprouts (I had some home-grown broccoli sprouts, but any will do), optional

Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Sautee onion until softened and starting to colour. Add the crumbled tofu and stir about for a minute or two.

In a small bowl combine the yeast, oregano, turmeric, salt and pepper with the water and whisk with a fork until smooth. Pour over the tofu and stir to combine. Bring to a boil and let cook until all the liquid has evaporated.

Mash the avocado with the lemon juice, add salt and pepper to taste. Dress the greens.

To assemble, divide the avocado mixture amongst the four tortillas, top with the tofu scramble, sprouts and greens. Roll up and enjoy!

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 My brothers feedback: you could fool a meat eater into ingesting tofu with this wrap. I’ll take that as a compliment 🙂

A few other family members tried a bite and conceded they would have some, that is if they weren’t so full already. I am so going to hold them to that!

After I finished the wrap, as I sat around watching my family devour pancakes, I decided I wanted to finish off my meal with something sweet too. I toasted up some Silver Hills Squirrely bread, slathered it with all natural peanut butter, topped with a mountain of fruit and drizzled with maple syrup.

"Pancake"

Yum! Feel free to lick the screen. I think this was quite ingenious on my part, wouldn’t you say?

"Pancake" - 2Well, enjoy the rest of your Sunday. I’m off to mope…Sunday afternoons remind me that work is just around the corner.

ilona

P.S. Here’s a peek at those home-grown broccoli sprouts I mentioned. Oddly satisfying to have cultivated something delicious and nutritious from a hard, unimpressive, tiny seed.

IMG_1054Anyone want to learn how to sprout??

1st Vegan Challenge…Accepted!

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Barely a week into my vegan way of life and I am being faced with a challenge. We often do a family breakfast/brunch on Sundays, a way to reconnect with everyone and hang out with the awesome, fascinating, entertaining kids in the family (two of my nephews and a niece; aged 19mos, almost 2 and 5). Inevitably the gathering ends with three or four consecutive plays of Gangnam Style (I swear we have contributed a large chunk to the billion plus YouTube views that video has garnered.)

This meal 99.9% of the time consists of eggs, bacon and pancakes. My sister, the host of this weeks gathering, BBMed me today wondering what in the world I would be eating. Remember: my sister and bro are eating milk and eggs, so the only component they’re going to have to do without is bacon…not so for me. Essentially the entire meal is verboten as per the vegan manifesto.

I responded by saying that I would bring something vegan and edible. My mom, who had at this point joined the BBM conversation, stated (using no less than three exclamation marks): “just not the tempeh bacon!!!”

Apparently she is still scarred by my (clearly failed) attempt to make a non-meat version of the breakfast staple. This happened almost a year ago. In her kitchen. She claims that to this day she can smell the botched results. It has taken me this long to admit that, yes mom, that whole experiment didn’t fare so well. So there.

Well, my family, you’re in luck. There will be no tempeh bacon resurrection. But I will bring something vegan. Something daring. Something new. I am now considering my many options, but I think I am going to settle on a tofu scramble. I’ve perused a few recipes and if all goes well I envision wrapping it up in a tortilla with some Daiya cheese, veg and other tasty accoutrements..

So stay tuned! Sunday I will reveal my family’s reaction. Good or bad.

Yay for Friday!

ilona

Update: Maple Baked Lentils

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Update to my previous post.

So I decided to make a double batch of the Maple Baked Lentils with Sweet Potato. If you know me you know that I like to feed small armies at a time.

Who knew that 4 cups of dry lentils makes SO MUCH! I had to evacuate about a third of the cooked lentils from my dutch oven otherwise there would be no room for any of the other ingredients.

The other stuff just made it in…

But despite the almost near miss, the results are delicious. Cooked up some buckwheat to go along with the dish and it worked beautifully. And I have lots to share with my partners in crime…Ewa and Tomek, hope you like this!

Belly full. Body warm.Soul content. Now off to finish that book I mentioned yesterday. Perfect chilly winter night.

ilona

Need Warmth. Now.

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Driving home from work I was forced out of my car into the frigid weather by the little yellow “you’re out of gas” light. Bahh. Standing there, filling up my tank, I decided that tonight calls for a hearty, filling dish…the kind that warms you from the inside out. Also, I needed something to sop up the last dregs of this innocent little cold that had me waking up every hour or so last night (stuffy noses do not make for good slumber!). Comfort food is needed at times like these.

When  I got home I was so ridiculously excited to find that I had ALL the ingredients for a dish I came across earlier this week, Maple Baked Lentils with Sweet Potatoes (again from Oh She Glows, serious major girl crush on the gal behind that site!).

Seriously, when does that ever happen? Serendipity was smiling down on me today 🙂

There was still a smidgen of daylight when I got home (YAY), so I can show you a few of the ingredients I will be using (the recipe calls for whole lentils, I only had these split ones in my cupboard…c’est la vie).

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Well, off I go to work some magic in the kitchen.

Hope your evening is warm and cozy and delicious. Bon Appetit! Which reminds me, isn’t it weird that in the English language we don’t have a Bon Appetit equivalent? In Polish we say Smacznego. What do you say at the start of a meal?

ilona

To Eat or Not To Eat: A Vegan Dilemma

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I had a momentary ethical quandary this morning. To eat or not to eat. I was about to have a quick snack of almond yogurt (yeah I know, that sounds weird) when, alas, upon reading the ingredient list I noticed a “may contain milk” disclaimer. Arghhhh. What would a respectable moral vegan do?? Do I proclaim this food as contaminated and hence not edible? Do I eat it, just this once? Or am I over thinking all of this.

 

So then I thought, I bet there is varying degrees of veganism out there. I bet there are those who abide by an ultra-strict, definitely-no-part-of an-animal-or-animal-product-shall-ever-touch-my-lips code and those who take a slightly more relaxed approach. Perhaps those who wouldn’t bat an eye at a “may contain” label (I mean it’s not like I’m talking about an occasional cheeseburger here!).

 

I’m thinking I’m going to join the latter cohort, if they exist. I want this whole experience to demonstrate that plant-based diets are accessible and flexible and doable. They have to fit your life, your beliefs, your rules. So I am certainly going to continue leaving out animals and animal products off my list of edibles but I’m not going to sweat the “may contains”.

 

As for the almond yogurt. Well yogurt it is not. But as an acceptable addition to my snack options, I guess it will do…in a pinch.

 

So what do you, more seasoned vegans, do in such moments? Leave a reply with your food-based dilemmas. I’m sure they’re out there.

 

ilona

*may contain _______ (insert witty comment here)

Supercharged Detox Tabbouleh

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So this is my version of a detox regime. No juice fasts, no diet pills, no starvation stints. Just good, wholesome food bursting with simple ingredients and fresh, bright flavours.

Traditional tabbouleh is made with bulgur, parsley, tomato, onion, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. Here is my version. Revved up.


Tabbouleh

Supercharged Detox Quinoa Tabbouleh

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 bunch of kale, stalks removed
  • 1 bunch of parsley, large stalks removed
  • 1 fennel bulb, trim off fronds and stalks, chopped roughly
  • 1 cup sunflower seeds (raw or toasted, your choice)
  • 1 bunch of green onions (about 6-7 green onions), white and green parts finely sliced
  • 6-7 campari tomatoes or 3 regular sized ones, diced
  • 8 Tablespoons lemon juice*
  • 8 Tablespoons good quality olive oil
  • Several good grindings of black pepper

Tabbouleh 2

First add the quinoa to about 5 cups of boiling water. Boil, uncovered for 10-11 minutes. When quinoa is cooked, drain in a fine mesh colander or sieve, rinse well with cold water and let drain well…this might take a few minutes (no watery salad please!).

Meanwhile prep the veggies. Here is where a food processor becomes your best friend (although I suppose you could chop the veg finely with a good old knife if need be).

Put 2-3 handfuls of kale into the processor at a time and pulse each batch 5-6 times (more or less depending on your model). Repeat this until all the kale is finely chopped (empty the processor contents into a large bowl in between batches). Repeat with the parsley and the fennel and add these to your large bowl. You can add the sunflower seeds whole, but I coarsely chopped them in the food processor. Add the seeds, along with the green onions, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil and fresh ground pepper (to taste) to the bowl and mix well.

Add the drained quinoa to the rest of the ingredients, mix again and adjust the seasonings (add more lemon juice, olive oil and pepper to your liking). I skipped the salt in this recipe because I didn’t think it needed it.

This makes a HUGE bowl of salad. I can’t even estimate the number of servings. But it keeps well in the fridge for a good 4-5 days, although you might have to add a bit more lemon juice and olive oil along the way. Share with your friends, your coworkers, whoever….I also found this to be a great topping for squash soups and such (really!), wrapped up in a tortilla or pita with some hummus or guacamole, or added to a green salad.

I can’t even begin to tell you the nutrient power this salad packs. Iron, a whole slew of vitamins like A, C, K (might as well throw the whole alphabet in there), fibre, protein, antioxidants, body-oxygenating chlorophyll….this combo has it all!

Enjoy and feel the glow from the inside out.

NOTES:

You could certainly use fresh lemon juice here but I recently discovered Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Juice. I love it because it doesn’t contain preservatives like other brands of bottled lemon juice…also I don’t run into the problem of having to guiltily toss pitiful, shriveled up citrus fruit that has been languishing in my fruit basket when I forget to use them in time.

I keep the kale, parsley and fennel trimmings (provided they’re in good shape) for vegetable stock. I stash these goodies in a freezer bag in the fridge or freezer and keep adding to this “stock” pile….hehehe pun totally intended….until I have enough for stock.

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BYOL – Bring Your Own Lunch

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Happy Tuesday!

Just finished my lunch….I had been thinking about devouring it since about 9:33am. Last night I made sweet potato fries (will post a recipe for that soon) and crispy breaded tofu from one of my new fave vegan blogs, Oh She Glows. Do check it out. Looking at the delectable recipes on this site turned my “maybe I’ll try vegan” to “oh, yes, I can do this”.

Wish I had some pictures to go along with this post but it being winter (and frigid at that), it was to dark for an impromptu photo shoot last night. And I didn’t have a camera at work. Nevermind that my coworkers might think I’ve gone a bit nuts photographing my food. So I’m going to work on this and hope to entice you with some snapshots in the coming posts.

I also had some last bits of a tabbouleh I made on Saturday, as prep for our going-veg-challenge. Will post the recipe tonight, along with a pic. Here’s a little hint of what’s to come: delicious and supercharged with nutrients.

See you later!

A Vegucation…

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It all started on a recent, snowy January Friday night. Three siblings, a bag of chips, chocolate and grande lattes. With each of us becoming increasingly, completely exasperated at the state of cable TV we turned to a more virtuous option, the documentary section of Netflix.

Ten minutes into our first selection, Vegucated, I put down my latte. A quarter into the second, Hungry for Change, my brother tossed the chips and chocolate into the trash (he’s a touch on the impulsive side).

Between the two flicks and for a while after, we conversed on the topics of vegetarianism, veganism, nourishing your body, mind and spirit, and health in general. An idea began to germinate. It evolved. It grew. And before you knew it we were each pledging to adopt more plant based diets. Oh my how impressionable we are!

Given our previous experiences and usual eating habits we individually decided what each of us was prepared to do. We would start on Monday (today!). It just seemed right. And it would give us time to gather all necessary supplies. All of us felt that 6 weeks was a good time frame (we borrowed that from Vegucated).

The participants:

EWA

Who: my younger sister

Typical diet: not a big meat eater, cooks meat based dishes maybe once a week for her young family, often skips the meat option at restaurants and family functions, eats yogurt regularly and eggs occasionally, loves fruit and vegetables

Food personality: practical and adventurous, constantly surprises me with new and exciting dishes she has cooked up

Going…mostly vegan/part time vegetarian, her husband is on board but will eat non-veg meals outside of the home (read: mom’s house), their young son (a connoisseur of anything put in front of him) will eat whatever his parents eat

TOMEK

Who: my brother and roommate

Typical diet: eats fish often, meat sometimes, eggs always (is a dozen eggs per week a lot??), yogurt most days

Food personality: will eat anything (his words, not mine), daring, eats for pleasure and to fuel his kick-ass workouts

Going…lacto-ovo-pesco vegetarian….translation: no meat but will eat milk products, eggs and fish

ILONA

Who: me!

Typical diet: I rarely eat meat, practically never cook it, eat yogurt most days, eggs a few times a week, enjoy tofu/tempeh often, looooove all veg and most fruits

Food personality: continuously seeking a food identity,  love to experiment with new flavours, cuisines and ingredients

Going…vegan…oh yes, I’m going all out (go big or go home, right?)

So there you have it. A challenge of sorts. Stop by on this page to find out about our progress, foods we are cooking up, ingredients we love and at what point one of us cracks and ends up in a meat-induced coma!