EASY VEGAN TOFU FETA

 I love Spanakopita but I find it varies from place to place.  What I don't like about some places is the overwhelming eggie taste in some.  I'm mostly vegetarian and aspiring Vegan but I go by 'aesthetics, nothing preachy.  So it's not that I hate eggs.  It's that I hate that eggie taste.  You get it in over cooked fried eggs, over-bound fillings, or undiluted egg wash... blech.  Listen, if I wanted a quiche, I'll make a quiche.  But when I want Spanakopita, I don't want a quiche.  Then there's the dairy.  I'm trying to avoid dairy this year.  I've done alot of reading on, not only, the harmful effects with inflammation with dairy and l-casein but, I saw a clip where they perfectly described why cheese is so addictive.  Between, the salt, protein, joyfulness of the 'pull' and the fat.  It's made to be more-ish.  So I'm avoiding it because I can't do cheese half way.  *sigh* Cheese.  So to make the Spanakopita of my dreams, or more specifically, the recipe of an old Greek grannie of a friend of mine (living in Athens!) which had no measurements or cooking instructions, I start with the Feta. Hers wasn't a vegan recipe but she did insist there was NO EGG.

Easy Tofu Feta Balls

EASY VEGAN TOFU FETA

1 block Extra Firm Tofu (or Firm, but you'll need to press overnight)

1/2 large Lemon, zested and juiced

1/2 T Malt or Cider Vinegar

1/3 c Coconut Oil or Vegan Margaring IF it's a pudding texture at room temperature.... that only happens for me in summer. (if your Coconut Oil is too firm at room temperature, you can measure in a steel measuring cup and heat on super super duper low on the 'keep warm' element on the stove.  Yes, you can nuke, if you must, not in a metal measuring cup. 😀)

1 T Olive Oil

1/4 c Nutritional Yeast

2 t dried Dill

2 t dried Onion powder (not the flakes)

2 t dried Oregano (Greek, if you have it)

2 t granulated/powdered Garlic (not Garlic Salt)

2 t Chili Flakes (optional, I have to leave them out or the kids won't eat it.  So I sprinkle some on the blocks I will eat myself before storing.)

1 1/2 t Himalayan or Kosher Salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F Convect.  I find it helps with the 'drying'.  Hubbo thinks it is a useless function.

Mash the tofu with a big fork (serving) or a potato masher.  I like to leave it chunky like cottage cheese but you can really do it finer if you want.  Just before you think it's where you want it, add the Oils and mash through so it binds evenly throughout the tofu.  

Sprinkle over all the Spices and Nuch.  And Fold in with a big spoon or rubber spatula so you do don't lose any tasty goodness.  

Sprinkle over the Vinegar, Juice, Zest and fold evenly.  

Press firmly in silicon baking molds.  I used the ones I got to make Chocolate Bombs.  The mix made 15.  If the uneveness of that bugs you, then spread out differently to get a full 16.  I wanted to make balls that I could later portion easily or crumble into salad.

Bake on a baking sheet for 40 minutes middle rack.  Then let it sit in the oven after you turn the heat off to settle.  It should be slightly toasted but if your oven is different at they get a bit too dark, turn down the oven, by 25 degs.

After they're cook, pop out and keep in a glass container or lined plastic container.  You can freeze, and I find that Tofu gets a 'chewier' 'meatier' texture after a freeze thaw.  I kept mine in the fridge for a week before I tossed the very few leftovers into the freezer.  

Vegan "Buttery" Hamburger Buns

We normally use those flatter, wholewheat hamburger buns because the store bought ones are too 'heavy'.  Stuck in the house and wanting what they want, they asked for 'real' buns.  Well, this is a new world for whismical asks during #COVID isolation.  I'm not about to pop out to the shops for hamburger buns, am I?  Here is a very easy recipe that can be done with the kids in between calls and online classes.

Vegan Hamburger Buns Eggless

VEGAN 'Buttery' Hamburger Buns

Stage 1
1/4 c warm Soy Milk (or just Water)
1/2 c warm Water
1 T Sugar
2 t Yeast (alot of recipes show upto a T but that's just crazy talk during these times)

Stage 2
2 c Bread Flour (or 2 c All Purpose Flour, less 2 t and add 2 t Vital Wheat Gluten)
2 T Vegan Butter or Margarine (e.g., Melt or Olive Oil), at room temperature
1 t Salt

As needed
1t Oil for lubrication
1 T Cornmeal, for dusting
1/2 T Sesame Seeds, raw preferably
1 T Soy Milk or other plant Milk

In your stand mixer bowl or large mixing bowl, add the Water, Milk, Sugar and dissolve the Sugar briefly.  Sprinkle the Yeast over and let sit for 10 minutes.  Longer doesn't hurt.

Add the dough hook to your stand mixer.  Add the 'Butter', Flour and Salt and mix on lowest speed until all the flour is moistened before turning up faster or you'll have a flour explosion.  Knead on 2-4 for upto 15-20 minutes.  Add a teaspoon of water at a time if after 10 minutes, the mixture still looks raggedy and isn't coming together in a ball.  The moisture level of this recipe is lower than my Sourdough and is alot stiffer.  And let it run for a good 3 minutes before adding more water.  Depending on how 'dry' your flour is, you may have to add more.  But try not to add more than a couple of tablespoons (8 teaspoons), just be patient.  It will come together. 

Pick up the dough and form in to a rough ball.  I do this in the air so I don't have to mess up a surface unnecessarily and just keep turning the ball in on itself from underneath so the top looks like a smooth ball.  While holding the ball, put a few drops of oil in the stand mixer bowl.  Take the dough ball and swirl the ball around, then flip it over so the top oily face is up.  Cover with a damp kitchen towel and let stand for 3-5 hours.

Deflate the dough but resist the temptation to start kneading.  If you wake up the dough too fast, forming the Buns will be difficult and very difficult for the kids.    If you're an engineer like me, you'll want to be precise.  Weigh the dough balls and divide by 4, 5 or 6.  We did 5 because I wanted medium sized buns.  If you don't have a scale, get a scale.  Baking is alot easier with a scale :D.  But if you don't want a scale, just roughly divide with a pastry cutter or knife.  Again, resist the urge to try to form just yet. 

This is where the kids can really get involved.  They did help me measure all the stuff at the beginning too but he got bored watching the dough being kneaded ;D.  We did 3 options. 

1.  Form in to simple balls.  Push out the ball with the heel of your hand then fold toward you.  Turn and repeat a few times with the folds always on the same plane so the side on the board remains 'smooth'.  Pick up and pinch in your hand like you're doing an "okay" sign and squeezing the head of the bun out.  Pinch the bottom and set on your baking mat with a bit of sprinking of Cornmeal.
2. Simple knot.  Push out the ball with the heel of your hand but elongating as you do to about 6 inches and then starting rolling like a rolling pin/cigar.  Form into a simple loose knot and form in your hands into a round almost rose shape. 
3. Kaiser 'flower', which I love for texture.  Start as the same as the knot but longer, maybe 8 inches.  Knot put pull closed this time.  You will have a knot with two long arms.  Tuck one arm into the centre of the top and the other into the centre of the bottom.  I followed a video just for the knot. 
4. Bagel, no, bun, no Bao, ... my daughter just played with her roll for a while which made working it super hard later :D  she then decided she wanted a bagel, which looked good but then she closed it thinking a Bao would be cuter... and on and on...

Place them all on a puddle of Cornmeal.  Take a mere teaspoon of oil in a small bowl and let the kids dip their fingers in and gently cover the buns with Oil to keep from drying and sticking to the cover.  Cover very loosely with plastic/cling wrap and set aside.  I put it in the oven with no heat.  Let rise for 2-3 hours.  Keep the bowl with the remaining oil because I hate to waste.

Take the buns out.  Preheat the oven to 425F.  A convect will adjust to 400F.  Put a rack in the middle and another rack on the bottom with a heavy duty sheet pan on the bottom.  This is for steaming water.  I would therefore not use a flimsy aluminum one or a teflon one if it will sit empty in a hot oven.  Use the roasting pans that ovens often come with. 

Meanwhile, in the bowl with the leftover oil, add the Soy Milk.  Use a brush or your fingers and liberally brush the buns VERY GENTLY so as not to deflate the buns.  Sprinkle Sesame Seeds over the top.  Use raw because roasted may burn.  Also generally speaking, you should keep your Sesame Seeds raw until you need to use them.  My mom, Korean, bulk roasts them but she uses them in bulk.  Also after roasting, keep them in the fridge. 

Open the heated oven and pour 2 cups of water in the pan on the bottom.  Slide in the buns. Bake for 20-25 minutes but mid way, rotate if you want. 

The result was suprisingly buttery and dense without being too heavy.  Not too crusty so as to cut up your mouth. 

Vegan Triple Decker with Homemade Hamburger Buns

#Isolationbaking #Bakingwithkids #bread #bakingbread

SCRUMPTIONS MORISH Jamaican Pumpkin and Lentil Curry Stew Vegan INSTANT POT

I'm starting to love the Instant Pot for a couple of reasons, quite possibly unique to me.  I love my slow cooker but I don't like the idea of the amount of time and electricity it takes.  Also I'm not super super nuts about leaving it unattended either.  BUT i love the idea of flavours blending and amalgamating over time in a stew.   Then there's the smell.  Koreans and Indians have aversions to smells in their house.  Hence alot of houses designed specifically for Koreans or Indians often have what's called a "spice kitchen".  That's a small kitchen next to the real kitchen, about the size of an old fashioned butler's station.  The difference being there is a full oven in there and ventilation and it's fully enclosed.  That's because not only do Koreans cook smelly foods, we all do, hello? garlic! but Koreans like to use spices and oils that are very penetrating and clingy, particularly sesame oil.  It latches on to all synthetics.  So back to my Instant Pot.  I get the long stew effect without the long cooking time, which not only uses alot of electricity but alot of cooking smells in the house.  Not only does the Instant Pot do it quickly but once the pressure seal is up, the smells aren't coming out.  Like what I call the curry Lamp Berger into the house.  Also, I'm a bit of a germaphobe and the idea of food left freaks me out, like when you delay cook a slow cooker.  With the Instant Pot, I prep the night before or the same day and it's ready fast enough for that night's meal. 

This is a bit of a take on a stew I've done before in a slow cooker but I wanted to document for the Instant Pot. 

Jamaican Pumpkin and Lentil Curry Stew


2 lbs or 3-4 cups Jamaican Pumpkin (or Butternut Squash), 1 inch cubes (Sweet Potatoes will disintegrate)
3 medium-small Onions Diced

2 c Red Lentils washed and soaked overnight (you can do less but then don't exceed the 50% mark)
4 cloves Garlic minced
1 inch Ginger, brunois (means julienned then diced)
1 large can diced Tomatoes
3 cups Low Sodium Vegetable Broth (maybe 1 cup extra water after cooking IF there's room)

1 t Black Mustard Seeds
2 t ground Coriander
1 t ground Cumin
2 t ground Turmeric
3 Kaffir Lime Leaves (optional but gives awesome curry flavour)
2-3 Jamaican Curry Powder
1 t Salt
Black Pepper
2-3 T ground Mushroom Powder (a necessity for Vegan/Vegetarian cooking to add depth)

1 can Coconut Milk (if you like it extra, add 2 cans, I wish I had but actually it was still DELICIOUS!)

Directions:

Don't exceed the 2/3 mark.... the annoying thing I've discovered is the less the 'air space' in the pot, if the contents are largely solid, the longer the pot takes to get to pressure.  Lentils will take like 10 minutes or less in the Instant Pot but I was worried about the Pumpkin, so I set it for 20 minutes and it took more than 20 minutes for the little pressure sealing thing to pop up.  BUT in the process I discovered you can add a minute here and there.  My Cuisinart Slow Cooker and doesn't do that.  You have to shut and restart on mine anyway.  So I kept adding 3 minutes until it sealed and then added 5 minutes so it would be cooking at least 5 minutes under pressure. In total, I added 9 minutes. Probably didn't have to but I'm learning with this thing.  All the veg were well done and probably a little too done so maybe don't add the time.  I let it Natural Release.... again because of the lack of air space, meant that the Natural Release happened in like 5 minutes instead of the 20 it takes when I make a small portion of congee.

I was originally worried I didn't have enough Pumpkin so I added half a Sweet Potato.  In the end I had too much.  Anyhoo, when I added the Veg to the Pot, I had already mixed up the Sweet Potato and the Pumpkin so some Sweet Potato got in.  Under pressure for the amount of time I put on, it basically dissolved.  Which might be okay for you because some Squash soup recipes used canned puree.  The contrast of the smooth thickened broth and Squash pieces was nice.  I put the extra in a Ziplock and put it in the Freezer for a green curry another day.


This was SOOOOO good.  I mean sometimes when I make a big AND THIS IS A BIG pot like this, I'm sick of it by the end of the week, to be honest.  Not this time.  This makes like 10-12 servings.

INSTANT POT - Vegan No Fat Split Pea Soup

Vegan, No Fat, Instant Pot Pea Soup

I'm on a mission to figure out why I can't manage to appropriately soften dried Yellow Peas.   Slow cooker results were variable and still aldente no matter how many hours and hours they cooked.  I thought this has got to be it!  Instant Pot will save to the day.  Well, yes and no.  It made homemade soup made the day of seam achievable.  I mean even with the slow cooker, it seemed like a big deal and even though I do it alot, I was never nuts about the idea of an unattended appliance for 6 hours, particularly since it gets SOOOO hot to the touch.  The Instant pot is slightly warm on the sides but the lid where it's not plastic does get hot.  I love the idea of flavours melding for hours but I don't like my house getting a dousing into the pores of food smells and in the winter it's highly inefficient, heatingwise, to leave a fan running all day to suck out the heat.


This pea soup is fast and super easy.  I did run a hand blender in it at the end but you don't have to.

Vegan No Fat Split Pea Soup

2 cups or 1 lb dried Yellow Split Peas
1 medium/large Onion, minced
4 cloves Garlic, sliced
1 large Carrot, diced SMALL... i don't like big chunks of carrot in a soup... blech
1 large or 2 medium stalks of Celery, diced small too
2 small Potatoes
1 1/2 t Himalayan Salt
2-3 t dried Thyme
1 1/2 T fresh Rosemary Leaves..  Now they are from brown woody stems, you'll want to strip the needles off and chop them.  If they are from green stems (we keep our rosemary indoors in the winter) then just remove the needles from the stems and just throw them in.
Black Pepper
2 Bay Leaves

8 cups of liquid:
4 cups Veggie Stock
4 cups Water with...
1 No/Low Salt Veggie Stock Cube
2 T Dried Mushroom Powder.... now, I'm writing it this way because this is how I made it and it was delicious and I want to remember what I did.  You can just as easily just do Veggie Broth

The night before.....

Wash and rinse the Yellow Peas and set aside in a large bowl with Water... make sure the water is at least a couple of inches above the peas.  I changed the water a couple of times during the evening but that's just me.  I like to avoid the scum in the pot.

I minced the vegetables and put them in a sealable container until the next morning... EXCEPT the Potatoes.  I don't want them to brown.  I just washed them and set them aside where I wouldn't forget to put them in :D  the next morning, peel and dice them into 1cm cubes

The morning of....

Drain and rinse the peas.... throw out any discoloured ones.

Dump into the instant pot with all the veg and veg cubes.  I minced the cubes into a powder since I won't be able to stir and didn't want chunks.  Add the Water/Broth.  Add the Potatoes.  Stir to combine.

Close the Instant Pot and set the vent to Sealed.  I chose the soup but could have picked beans/chili but this time I chose soup.  Alot of recipes I came across said 15 minutes ... quite a few.  No way in heck... maybe it's Canadian Yellow Spit Peas or the air pressure in my house but there's now way that that particular legume is getting cooked in 15 minutes.  I set the soup for 30 minutes.  I set a delay timer too.... WORD OF ADVICE. unlike my  rice cooker or my bread machine.  The delay timer on an Instant Pot is the time before the cooking starts.....NOT THE WARM UP and not including the TIME TO COOk.  The Rice Cooker and the Bread Maker, interpret delay for the time it should be ready and the time to cook or bake in included.  But for an instant pot a delay of 9 hours means after 9 hours, it will start the warm up of 3-5 minutes... or even more if the contents are cold or it's really full.  then the time to cook AND THEN natural release.  So when I got home, the soup was just done.  Literally.  I had hoped it was well after natural release .

Since the kids were hungry, I manually vented and then ran the hand blender for all of 30 s.  I wanted to leave texture but I wanted some creaminess.

I closed the pot and with the heat of the soup, it sealed again... which was good cuz dad and I ate later.

I may cut back some of the liquid next time but just for density of the soup.  Not the flavour.  It was SOOOO flavourful and comforting.  I will make this again and again which is why I wrote it with the way to achieve 8 cups of broth I did.

INSTANT POT: Vegan Baked Beans EASY - a mistake that turned out okay

Vegan Baked Beans - SUPER EASY - Instant Pot

I want to caveat that you should take all precaution in using the Instant Pot and you should follow all instructions as presented.

I did a few things wrong trying to make homemade VEGAN baked beans:

1. I thought the bag was 1 lb not 2lbs
2. I didn't read the note about not exceeding the 50% mark for stuff that expands. 

That I don't quite get. What is the point of getting a 6 Qt instant pot to replace a 6Qt crock pot if I can't use the full 6Qts?!! I feel like I should have been told. I wouldn't have wanted an 8 Qt because I'd be scraping my 1-2 person portions of Jook off the bottom of a too big pot.

I think somethings worked in my favour though:

1. I thoroughly presoaked the beans from the early evening to the morning on the counter, not the fridge.  In the morning, there was no water left and the beans which were flat, an inch below the lip of the big bowl were a mound above the lip.  I added more water and I did other stuff while waiting.
2. Navy beans don't expand that much.
3. I don't like heavily salted nor sweet food.  I had put the spices for the 1lb version of a few different recipes so it was fine for me, a tad bland for my husband who added Green Tobasco, and he thought it was great.  I added Chipotle hot sauce and it was good too.

I was a bit nervous when I realised I had passed the 50% mark of the Inner Pot but I hadn't passed the 2/3 mark.  I was having visions of the beans pushing up against the lid and either clogging the venting thing or exploding.  I don't know why I didn't just stop it.  It was well into the cook by the time I realised it and maybe morbid curiosity. Don't try that at home!

In the end, it was fine.  Acutally, the final product was exactly, if not slightly below the level in the pot that I had started the cooking at.  Which I think, goes to the good pre-soak of the beans.  So to be honest, I will probably do the same again but with the appropriate amount of spices.  But the water was even okay because of the presoak.  They weren't dry and I didn't have to add more water!!!!

The recipe below is what I did.  And it was 'fine' as far basic taste.  Below the main ingredient list, I will put what I WILL DO next time.

VEGAN BAKED BEANS - Simply and Easy 

2 lbs or one bag of Navy Beans, rinsed throughly and soaked for at least 10-12 hours on the counter with at least 2 inches of water over the beans all the time.  Discard any discoloured or rotten beans.

1 medium tennis ball sized Onion, finely minced (finely bc I want them to melt so my toddler who hates Onions can't complain)
1 t Olive Oil (or leave out and use 1/4 broth... or skip the prefry all together.
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tube (6oz can) Tomato Paste
2 t Paprika
1 t dried Thyme
2 T Maple Syrup
3 T Molasses
4 cups Veggie Broth or Water
1 t Salt
1/4 c Cider Vinegar
1 t Liquid Smoke

Drain and rinse the beans one last time, the morning of.

Open the Instant Pot and put on the Sautée function.  A bunch (dozens) of recipes I skimmed all said to do this so for the first go around, I followed along.  Next time, it will be a set it and forget it approach.  The Onions will melt away anyway... also, my toddler woke up complaining that the house smelled of onions :D.

Add 1 tsp of Oil and the Onions.  Sautee until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

Add the beans, spices and the Water.  Set to the Bean/Stew function and set to cook to 60 minutes and after that Natural Release.

Shockingly, it turned out ok.  Primarily because I presoaked the beans for so long and the type of bean.  I find that Chickpeas nor Split Peas don't puff up on a presoak as well as the Navy's did.  That said, I didn't pass the 2/3 mark.  It was in between but in the end the Water level was exactly or less than when I loaded it up.  Here are the proportions I would change for next time:

2 medium Onions, minced
1 T Paprika
1/2 T Thyme
2 6oz cans or 2 tubes of Tomato Paste
1/4 c Maple Syrup
1/4 c + 1T Molasses
1 1/2 t Salt
1 T Cider Vinegar (maybe it's because ours is old?  but it added a funky background flavour that my husband did not like) Ricardo uses Balsamic BUT I don't want to mix up recipes just yet.  Because he also uses ketchup instead of Tomato Paste which I think would make it too sweet.
2 t Liquid Smoke

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Disclaimer, use your Instant Pot as directed!  This isn't the hurt locker!  It ain't worth it for beans.

INSTANT POT - Brown Rice Jook (Congee or Rice Porridge) 죽

Brown Rice Jook 7:1

I did it.  I bought an Instant Pot.  I got tired of boil overs on my rice porridge or as Koreans call it Jook - 죽.  Or as Chinese or most caucasians in North America call it Congee.  Basically a peasant food meant to extend rice during times when Rice was a rare commodity... not bought in 15kg bags by mom.  I even tried to cook rice and then re-cook it in the Rice Cooker or just add 'too' much water to the Rice Cooker.  Both ended in a goopy disaster.  Seriously, don't try it.  I have (had) a simple Aroma Rice Cooker because it rated tops against some $300 heavy hitters on Cook's Illustrated.  But it didn't have a porridge setting.  I research spiralled myself into a Cuckoo that has a pressure function BUT the inner lining didn't remove and that grossed me out so I returned it.  Thank you Amazon!  So then I replaced with the Aroma, deciding that just having not to babysit a pot to do Brown Rice alone was worth it and being able to have Jook everyonce in a while was not worth 200 bucks!  

Then over my Jan/Feb cleanse, when I was eating alot of Jook, I got super tired of the boil overs and babysitting and even brown rice, sometimes I didn't want to wait the 2.5 hours that my rice cooker takes to make brown rice, I tried to turbo boil it on the stove and that boils over so easily with the bubbles no matter how much you wash your rice before.  Anyhoo, i then decided my time and frustration was finally worth the $200 plus, now Instant Pot closed that gap to just like $100 or even just $50 more if you buy a damaged box from Amazon.

Hubbo agreed, mainly out of practicality but I also suspect, to get me to agree to change a chair in the living room.  I added the added bonus after the fact, after he saw it was an Instant Pot and not just a fancy rice cooker, that MAYBE we could get rid of my crock pot.  He's not sure it's big enough because we bought a 6qt.  I'll do the measuring later.

Over the next few posts, I will post different proportions of Water and Brown Rice and White Rice.  I could not find any recipes on Jook or Congee directly from Instant Pot nor anyone who didn't put Chicken in it. 

BROWN RICE JOOK - 죽 - CONGEE 7:1

Serves 2

1/2 c Brown Rice (I used short grain)
1/4 c Jasmine Rice (or short grain white)
3 tried Mushrooms, chopped into 1 cm sized pieces
1 inch Ginger, julienned (or chunks if you don't mind, I don't mind and after pressure cooking, it was SOFT)
2 cloves Garlic, sliced (this basically melted under pressure)

5 1/4 c Water (or veggie broth)
1/4 t Salt (optional)

Extra:
1/4 c Grain/Lentil Mix (from Costco, it has lentils, quinoa, barley and dried onion)
1/2 c Water

With or without the Extra,  CLOSE and lock your Instant Pot, make sure the vent is on SEALED.  Choose "Porridge" and manually up the default time to 35 minutes.  The default time is presumably for White Rice or Oats.  Brown will need more time.

Now, let it 'Vent Naturally".  I heard from some posters, it gives the rice extra time to soften.  I may try just a longer cook time and a manual vent later.  What that means is the little silver do-hicky next to the vent will drop down into the cooker once the 'Pressure is Off and safe".  I'm afraid to ask or check but I'm not sure the lock is idiot-proof and I'm not about to test it.  So even after the "natural vent", I checked the manual to ensure it was ok.  Long story short "DO NOT TRY TO OPEN IT EVER DURING COOKING OR UNTIL PRESSURE IS OFF".

When you open it, it will look like a soupy mess.  I'd read that before about the brown Rice jooks because there's no stirring.  I tried jiggling the whole pot while cooking, careful not to touch any part of the lid, particularly not around the handles.  DO NOT TRY THIS PLEASE!!! but it didn't matter, I don't think.  Anyhoo, a quick stir of the pot and the lid back on for a few minutes, (it was still hot), and it looked great!

So this was TRIAL:  7 to 1, Water to RICE, 35 minute cook, natural vent.


Toppings:

Serve with Chopped Cilantro, Sesame Seeds, Chia Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Fried Onions, Green Onions, what ever you want.  


#congee, #Jook, #instantpot

January Cleanse: Plant Based No Fat Eggplant Caponata

The cleanse continues but to keep hubby engaged and participating, I'm having to make a lot more different foods.  I, myself, could eat the same stew for days and days or last year, I ate brown rice and steamed Kale for a week quite happily.  Yeah, not hubbo.  This is a uber easy dish and very tasty.  You'll be surprised to find that there is no fat it it.

No Fat Eggplant Caponata

1 large Eggplant, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups French sliced Onions (halved and sliced) (2 medium Onions or 4-5 ping pong sized ones, which I have a big bag of for some reason)
1 medium/small Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 large can Italian Tomatoes
1 rib Celery, diced
2 T Capers, rinsed
1/2 c Green Olives, rinsed, pitted and halved
3 large Cloves Garlic, chopped
1 T dried Oregano
1 sprig fresh Rosemary (if you have it)
1 pinch Saffron (if you have it)
1 T dried Parsley
1/2 c chopped Fresh Parsley
Juice of 1 Lemon
1/2 t Himalayan or other low Sodium Salt

In a large ceramic dutch oven over medium heat, add the Onions, Dried Parsley, Oregano, Rosemary, Saffron and Celery until soft.  You may want/need to add 1 T of Water.  Once the Onions has started to wilt add the Eggplant.  Stir often.  It may stick, but that's okay.  Once you add the liquid later, it will come off the pot and add nice flavour.      Let heat through for a 5-10 minutes.

Add the Garlic and the Bell Pepper.  Heat through and add a T of water if desired.

Add the Tomatoes.  What I do is pour the tin in and then GENTLY squish each tomato into smithereens.  You can use diced if you want to avoid this step.  Swish a quarter of the tin with Water and add to the pot.  Add the Capers and Olives.

Let stew 10 minutes and add the juice of the Lemon.  If you require more brightness or acid, add another half Lemon.

Add the Fresh Parsley and let stew for half an hour or more.

Serve with crusty bread or with Brown Rice.

Navy Bean Soup - Plantbased - Vegan - Slow Cooker

My hubbo likes to think I am volumetrically challenged.  Ha!  this time it was him.  He left me with a vague recipe he asked me to double because we've had these dried Navy Beans kicking around.  Well, it didn't all fit... well the stock.  But it turned out awesome nonetheless

Navy Bean Soup - Plantbased - Vegan - Slow Cooker

1 900g pack of dried Navy Beans

1 lb Carrots, diced (about 4 medium)
6-8 stalks Celery, diced
4 small Onions, diced
6 cloves Garlic, minced

1 T dried Thyme
1 /2 T dried Coriander
1 t dried Sage
1/2 T Paprika
1 t Fennel Seeds
6 Bay Leaves
6-8 sprigs (young) Rosmary where the stalk bits are white.  If you have Dried use 1/2 T
lots of Black Pepper
1/2 T dried ground mushrooms (optional)


2 litres Vegetable Broth

Boil a kettle full of water.  In a large pot, pour the washed beans and add the boiled water.  Add more to cover.  Boil for 10 minutes, turn off heat and set aside.

During the boiling, start chopping! 

I fish out the bay and rosemary stems toward the end.  This soup was so good my pick 7 year old asked for a second bowl!!

Sweet Potato Three Bean Chili - Plant Based

Day 2 on the FoN cleanse (Forks over KNives) and another stew.  Eventually after two weeks, hubbo wants something for his knife like a cauliflower or tofu steak.  Me?  I'm good.  I'm doing another big one because I have more time before work kicks back into full gear to be cooking.  Chopping can be somewhat time consuming but rewarding.  This one is easier because of all the cans.

Sweet Potato Three Bean Chili - Plant Based

Boil 4 cups water and pour over 1 c of dried mixed Mushrooms of your choice and set aside.

To a large dutch oven on low heat, DRY, start piling in.

1 large Sweet Potato diced into 1 cm cubes
2 c small baby new Potatoes because they were getting old (optional)
1 large stalk Celery, diced
1 large Carrot, diced
2 small Onions, minced
4-5 cloves Garlic, minced

1 T Cumin
1 t Cumin Seeds
1 t Tumeric (optional but it's so good for you)
1 T dried ground Coriander
1/2 T dried Chipotle Peppers
1/2 T Paprika
1 t Cayenne (but my younger complained it was spicy despite how little I added.... it was probably the Chipotle??)
1 t Thyme
4 sprigs Rosemary because my rosemary went crazy when i brought it into the house for the winter
2 T Black Pepper

2 large cans Diced or Whole Tomatoes, squash the whole ones.
1 can Black Beans, rinsed
1 can Red Kidney Beans rinsed
1 can White Kidney Beans/Cannellini beans, rinsed
1 can Corn, dump in completely.  Normally not alot of liquid but what there is sweet!

Pour in the Mushroom water through a seive.  Squeeze.  I like to leave a bit of water left to not get some of the finer particles.  Take the mushrooms and finely dice.  It gives a nice 'meaty' mouth feel and your kids won't complain about the mushrooms.

Cook over high heat until it boils and reduce to simmer for 2-3 hours. 


I ate with steamed Kale.  I didn't add the Kale to the pot because I didn't want to over cook it.  Add your desired heat with Red Chili Flakes.  I can't use hot sauce during January cleanse because of the salt and sugar. 

Green Lentil Coconut Curry Stew - Plant Based - Slow Cooker

January means Plant Based Cleanse.  Why cleanse? because I ascribe to the Forks Over Knives movie/documentary regarding also cutting out all added salt, sugar, processed foods (white flour), coffee and fats/oils.  We're getting better and better every year so that the January is easier and easier.  We actually do a Vegan September without the other restrictions.  But the Salt!  and the Oils! 

This stew was done without a reference.  Just something I ate at my sister's as leftovers.  It's an approximate until she sends me the recipe.

Green Lentil Coconut Curry Stew - Plant Based - Slow Cooker

2 c dried Green Lentils, washed
1 T dried Cumin
1 T Curry Powder
1 T dried ground Coriander
1/2 T Tumeric
1/2 T Cumin Seeds
1/2 T Black Pepper
1 t Cayenne (optional)
1 t Fennel Seeds
6 cloves Garlic, minced
1 medium or 2 small Onions, diced


4 c Vegetable Broth, no salt
1 large can diced Tomatoes

1 package of Frozen Spinach, thawed as much as you can while prepping
1 can Coconut Milk, look for labels with nothing but Coconut Extract at Water, Arroyo is the best

Layer all the ingredients upto the Tomatoes into the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high.  Add the Spinach after it comes to a boil around 2-3 hour mark.  Add the Coconut Milk in the last half hour.

This stew was so full and flavourful that I dare anyone to say that something was missing in the way of fat or salt.  Serve over Brown Rice.

Slow Cooker VEGAN Butternut Squash Leek and Lentil Stew

I spent a week in Vegas this past week for the CES show, Consumer Electronics Show.  The biggest Consumer tech show.  While the gadgets and the trends were amazing.  The Vegan choices are very lacking.  I was even willing to just go Vegan during that week and forego all the other things like sugar, oil and salt free.  I only found a few.  But a huge tip, all Wynn restaurants in all Wynn hotels offer both a VEGETARIAN and VEGAN menu.  That's right, I didn't say option.  I said MENU.  We went to the Costa di Mare and I had basically conceded that there are only so many salads and Starbucks Cold pressed Celery and Kale juices I can take.  I will eat what I want because I'm in one of the nicest seafood restaurants in town.  But I had heard of the rumour of Steve Wynn's dedication to offering something for all his clients, and after I had already chosen in my head the Scallop and the Spider Crab Ravioli I thought I'd check and asked our waiter, do you have a Vegan option?  He brought over a whole menu.  I had the Warm Chickpea cake and the Vegan Ravioli with Chanterelle.  Quite possibly the best Ravioli I've had in ages.  I was worried. Vegan Rav can taste like play dough.

But now, back on track.  I made a stew with the Leeks I bought like 2 weeks ago.  I had premixed a Ras Al Hanout, so please look at the Spice Mix from my Moroccan Stew and multiply it by using Tablespoons instead of Teaspoons and keep in a container and shake vigourously.  I cut back on the Cinnamon though.  I found that if I had added a Butternut Squash or Carrot, the natural Sugars made the Cinnamon stand out too much.  I'll post a recipe for my Ras Al Hanout soon.  Sorry.

Slow Cooker Vegan Butternut Squash Leek and Lentil Stew

1 large Butternut Squash, diced, approximatley 4 cups
1 medium Onion, Sliced
2 large Leeks, sliced until the light green part, soaked in water and rinsed 2 or 3 times to wash away grit and sand
4 cloves Garlic
2 inches of Fresh Ginger, minced, (I wouldn't mind julienne, matchsticks, but hubbo doesn't like chunks of it)
1 lb or 2 1/4 c Red Lentils, rinsed and drained
2 T pulverized Wild Mushrooms or Porcini Powder (you can use just 1 but I like the early flavour)
2 T Ras Al Hangout mix (Recipe to come.  OR check out the Spice mix in my previous Moroccan stew and double it)
1 T Curry Powder
2 l Vegetable Broth
Fresh Ground Pepper
1/2 t Salt (optional) actually, if you were doing a non cleanse diet you should probably put like 1 1/2 t salt.
1/2 t Red Chili Flakes (optional)

2 cups Kale leaves (no stems) washed and chopped into bitesized pieces. (optional)

Layer in ingredients as you chop.  I like to try to intersperse the aromatics.  And pour in the Broth until just at level.  You might need less.  Don't use more than the level of the Slow Cooker allows.

Cook in Slow Cooker on HIGH for 6 hours.  If you're around when the cooker is about done, put in the Kale if it fits, for the last 15 minutes.  If there is no room wilt it in the Microwave and serve in bowl.... or  leave it out.

Kid Friendly EASY HEALTHY Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

My kids are not easy eaters.  They are not terribly picky but getting them to try new things is a battle. We have only a couple of dinner rules and we don't deviate.  1.  Dinner is what is served.  I will not run back and try to find 'something else'.  2. You have to try one decent biteful of something new before you say that you don't like it.

My sister in the bay area has a VERY PICKY EATER.  Sorry V, it's true.  She knows it.  But apparently, according to her hubbo, he'll eat this.  He vaguely gave me the ingredients and I tried this out and it smelled AWESOME and the kids, including a visiting cousin just drank it down.  I dipped my finger on the spoon but since we are still on our cleanse, I didn't eat it.

Kid Friendly EASY HEALTHY Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

1 head of Broccoli.  I know that's vague.  Don't you hate that?  So I cut about 2 inches below the florets because the stalk is very sweet and underrated.  I would have cut more but I wanted to put it in my juicer :D.  I chopped the stalk into 1cm pieces.  Then I cut the Florets into thumb sized pieces.  All of it was about 3-4 cups.

1 medium Onion, tennis ball sized, diced
2 medium Yellow Potatoes, diced
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 tetra pack of no Sodium/low Sodium Chicken or Vegetable Broth (1 l or so)
4 leaves of Sage or 1 t dried sage
1 t dried Thyme
1 t dried Oregano
2 T Olive Oil
2 C Cheddar shredded but 1/2 cup set aside for self serve by the kids

I cook as I go.  Put a large pot on medium heat with the Olive Oil.  Chop the Onion and throw in.  Stir occasionally.  Chop the Potato, and throw in.  Don't worry about the brown tasty goodness on the bottom.  That will add a lot of umami and come right off after you add the broth.  Try to scrape it but if it gets dark, turn down the heat.  Add the Broccoli.  Fry for 5 minutes while stiring.  Add the Herbs and the Broth.  Add the Salt.  Bring to a boil then turn down and let simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are soft and mutable with a fork.  Turn off the heat and blitz with an immersion blender.  Until all the Broccoli and Potatoes are broken down but not too smooth.  You want some texture.  Bring back to a boil for a couple minutes.  Add Salt and Pepper to taste.  Turn the heat down to minimum and sprinkle in the 1 1/2 c of the cheese in until it disappears.

Serve with the extra cheese on the side.

Red Lentil and Cauliflower Coconut Stew

Day 2 and we went skiing in very cold Canadian conditions.  The thermometer was reading minus 15 but with the windchill and the blowing wind it was at least 10 degrees colder.  Oh that's Celsius baby!  So comfort food is in order for Forks Over Knives month.  No Fats/Oils, No Sugars, No Salt added.

We make something similar to this but it has things like canned Chipotle in adobe sauce.  Weird right?  It came from my sister in law from a magazine.  It's ok but I really think it would be ok without the Chipotle but my hubbo religiously follows recipes.  But I'm cooking tonight.  This time, since we got home sorta late, I made it in a Creuset on the stove top.  No fussing with the slow cooker today.  Maybe when I go back to work next week.  The reason I use the Creuset is because of the ceramic lining.  Stuff doesn't stick when you don't use oil.  But also it helps that I'm using Red Lentils.  They soak up water just from rinsing.  They will fall apart.  Don't feel bad.  They also do not stay red, don't feel bad. :D

Vegan Red Lentil and Cauliflower Coconut Stew

Red Lentil and Cauliflower Coconut Stew

Rince and drain 1lb of Dried Red Lentils, about 2 1/2 cups, set aside
Put a 7 quart Creuset on medium heat on the stove with the lid off. As you chop, throw stuff in and stir occasionally.  This is the order I chopped thinking about cooking time and browning where possible.  Your onions will not brown without oil unless you have them on high heat but since I wanted to get lentils going, I didn't want to bother.

2 medium onions, (tennis ball sized or smaller), diced
1 large head of Cauliflower, chopped up randomly because you just ran in the house
4 cloves Garlic, minced
1 inch Fresh Ginger, minced
(optional 2 yellow waxy Potatoes, diced; but I had leftover Potatoes so I didn't put them in)
2 1/2 T of your favour Curry Powder
1/2 T Ground Cumin
1/2 T Ground Coriander
1/4 t Ground Cinnamon
1 t White Pepper
2 T Red Chili Flakes
1 t Turmeric
1 t Garam Masala (optional if you have it and we have a really nice one a friend brought back from India)

The spices go in with the veg in the dry pan to wake up and cook a bit.  After a few minutes continue.

1/2 - 1 T ground dried wild Mushrooms or Porcini Powder
2 l of no Sodium or low Sodium Vegetable Broth.
1 large tin of Tomatoes, squish them gently each in your hand before putting in the pan.  If you squish too fast or too hard, you will have a face full of Tomato guts.
1 can of Coconut Milk and another just before serving.

Stew until Cauliflower is tender.  Longer if you have added the Potatoes.  About 40 minutes but you can keep on low heat for longer.  I left it on like 1 until I was done with the kids.  Serve as is or over Brown Rice with Fresh Cilantro.

Lentil and Butternut Squash Stew Vegan - Forks Over Knives Inspired

Every January for a few years now, hubbo and I go Vegan but I've pushed it to follow the Forks Over Knives lifestyle of cutting out added Salt, Oils/Fats and Sugar.  The movie has changed the lives of everyone I can convince, gently, to watch.  If it weren't for hubbo, the reluctant but willing participant, I'd take it further and cut out all processed foods but I've left Whole Grain Pastas and Sugarfree breads on the table.  As it is, we are a little unprepared today because we had out of town family.  Luckily we have a salad mix and some avocados kicking around.

I bought a Crockpot just for this month and a milder version of the cleanse for September, thinking it would help me get meals on the table faster.  Well, I should have thought ahead and not used it on days I'm actually home.  I keep watching the darn thing.  I think I'll keep it ready for days I won't be home and set it in the morning.

The following is a play on a recipe I saw on the Forks Over Knives recipe website last year when the site was a bit easier to navigate.  I love the movie.  It's not preachy.... well for all but 9 minutes of the morality of meat eating.  It appeals heavily to two geeky engineers.  The science is obvious.  I just wish we could find the will to do it all year.  Too bad Daiya cheese, the only vegan cheese widely available is HORRIBLE.  Not just, not good or not good enough.  Its taste and texture is offensive.  Blech.  And I'm also not a fan of food that tries to be other food.  When I do vegan, I eat vegetables and grains.

You can substitute the Butternut Squash with Cauliflower.  That was delicious.  But I had half a very large Butternut Squash from Christmas dinner in the fridge.   The spice mix might seem daunting but you can play with it.  It has a Moroccan theme (ras el hanout) to it and like curries, there are thousands of renditions.  I keep a larger batch handy for this month :D


Lentil and Butternut Squash Stew - Vegan


2 c Lentils (your favourite, when I use Cauliflower, Red Lentils taste best), checked for rocks and rinsed (in a fine seive, they'll run through bigger ones. Might sound like stupid advice but they ran throw my rice washer at the lip end)
2 Medium Onions (tennis ball sized), diced
2 Medium Carrots, halved and sliced,
1/2 large Butternut Squash peeled, chopped into small bite sized pieces,
1 inch fresh Ginger, minced fine
3 large cloves of Garlic, minced
1 tetra pack Organic, ZERO sodium, Vegetable Stock
1 cube ZERO sodium/salt Organic Veggie cube
(this is to make a total of 6 cups or 1.5 litres of Veggie stock)
1 large can of diced Tomatoes, or large that you squish with your hands.
3 Birds Eye Chilis, (optional if you want to give to the kids).

2 t ground Cumin
3/4 t ground Cinnamon
1 t ground Paprika
1.5 t ground Coriander
1/2 t ground Cayenne
1 t ground Tumeric
1/2 t Black Mustard seed (not traditional but I had some I wanted to use)
1/4 t Fennel Seed
1/4 t ground Sage (add some fresh if you have leftover from Christmas dinner)

1/2 T Porcini powder (optional but adds umami) (buy ground or just pulse some dried Porcini in a food mill until the size of course coffee)

Black Pepper
Chopped fresh Cilantro or Parsley

Bring to Boil and simmer until the Lentils are tender and the Squash cooked.  Or cook on high in a Crockpot for 5 hours.

Take a Potato Masher and mash slightly, like 10 times.  Hubbo found a vegetarian chile recipe that requires this and it gives a nice round body to it.

Serve as is or over Brown Rice.

Coconut Split Pea and Leek Curry

January-Vegan-Saltfree-Sugarfree-Fatfree-Processedfree-cleanse continues.  I made this based on about 5 different recipes because not all of them used the ingredients I wanted.  It is FABULOUS even if I do say so myself :D and very easy!  One pot, not to much fuss on order and this can be done in a slow cooker!

Coconut Split Pea Leek Curry

Coconut Split Pea and Leek Curry

2 1/4 c Yellow Split Peas, picked over for small stones and washed.
1 900ml tetra pack of Salt Free Vegetable Broth, Organic if you have it
3 c Water, boiled and divided.
1 Vegetable Stock Cube, no Salt
1 c Coconut Milk

1 large Leek, sliced and washed
1 medium or 2 small Onions, sliced from half
2 large cloves Garlic, minced
1 large Sweet Potato, cubed (not autumn massive sized), roughly 2 cups)
1 pack, Frozen Spinach, defrosted, if you remember.
2 inches fresh Ginger, julienned (finely sliced)

1 T Garam Masala
1 T Curry Powder
1 t Ground Coriander (heaping)
1/2 t Cayenne
1 1/2 t Ground Cumin
1 t Ground Ginger
1 t Turmeric
1/2 t Black Mustard seeds (because I did not have Yellow)
3 Cardamom pods
1/4 t Salt (or leave out)

1 t Black Pepper
1 birds eye Chili, chopped (Dom found this too spicy)

In a large Creuset, or any large ceramic pot, because I'm not using fat, you have to have nonstick but really it's not essential but it will be easier to clean up.  On medium heat, add the ingredients as you go.  I'm going to tell you how I walked through it with a playdate going on in my living room.  Add the washed and chopped onion.  The moisture on the leaks will help things keep from not sticking too fast.  Stir until soft.  Add the Sweet Potato that's been cut into 1cm cubes.  If things are browning too fast on the bottom, throw in the Stock.  Rinse out the tetra box with 1 c of the water and add to the pot.  Add the Peas and stir well.
Add the Garlic and Ginger.
Add all the spices.
Add the Spinach.
Add the stock Cube softened in 1 c boiling water (you can use any veggie based stock. I used Onion  because the only Veggie cube I had, had Salt and we're cutting out salt.) Yes, I added 1/4 t salt to the HUGE pot, just to see how it would help the flavour.  It was okay.  Not sure it would have hurt not to have it since there was so many spices and aromatics but I don't feel bad about a mere 1/4 t.
Add the can of Coconut Curry.  Rinse the can out with the last cup of water to get all the coconutty goodness.  You can skip this but I NEVER do because so much clings to those cans.  Don't do this with boiling water unless you use an oven or kevlar mitt to handle the can.

Simmer for at least 30 minutes or preferably an hour to ensure the peas are soft.   They are fine a bit al dente like the texture of Edamame.

Serve with fresh Cilantro if you have it. Serve with Rice or with Naan.

Kale and Swiss Quiche - Nutty Goodness

We make a quiche every Sunday afternoon to keep in the Fridge for kiddie dinners and lunches for work.  It's a great way to use the veg in your fridge at the end of the week.  We had some Kale leftover in the fridge from making Kale Chips for the kids so we used it instead of Spinach this time.  The combo added a lovely nuttiness and fullness that Spinach doesn't give.

Kale and Swiss Quiche

Follow the basic Quiche technique described here except for the veg changes I will explain

Spinach Quiche recipe

1 Yellow Bell Pepper diced into 1 cm pieces
1 1/2 c Kale, finely chopped instead of the Spinach
plus 1 pint of Cremini or Button Mushrooms, by pint I mean those small boxes they come in market.  I bought pre sliced cuz that just how I roll when I'm lazy.

Saute all the veg in a large non stick skillet to give room, on medium high heat until throughly soft and 'dry' looking.  i.e. no liquid in the pan.

Spread in the pre baked shell and follow the recipe above as regular.

Very very good.  It was a bit more gooey that the spinach which was weird because we cooked the kale through.  But it tasted awesome.

Enjoy!

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Spinach and Red Pepper Deep Quiche

Spinach and Red Pepper Quiche 

What's in the fridge?  A Quiche is a relatively easy way to use 'whatever's in the fridge'.  I bought a Red Bell Pepper last week to make a stir fry and never got around to it and in the mean time, used the other ingredients to make supper for the kids.  I did have frozen Spinach.  I always have frozen Spinach in the freezer.  I was obsessed for a while on Curried Spinach so since then I always keep a pack in the freezer.  Do it.

I prefer to use frozen crusts because I'm not a masochist.  I have made the crusts in the past and for pies, I do prefer to make them.  But for a mid week dinner, why torture myself.  The place my food processor used to occupy on my counter is currently taken up by a baby bottle rack. So there.

I buy the deep dish kind because I like to have more filling to crust and as well, I was always making generous fillings and I'd regularly have overflow situations in the oven.

Red Pepper and Spinach Quiche

1 Deep Dish Pie Crust

1 small-medium Bell Pepper, diced (approx 1-1.5 cups)
1 small Red or Yellow Onion, diced (approx 1 cup)
1 clove Garlic
1 pkg Chopped Frozen Spinach (400g), defrosted
1 t dried Thyme
1 t dried Herbes de Provence
1 t dried Oregano
1 T Flour
Salt and Pepper

2 c Swiss Cheese, shredded (approx 200g) or Feta but I had Swiss

4 large Eggs
1/2 cup Heavy Cream (oh yeah!) + 2 T
1 T Flour
1/2 t Salt

My instructions are in order of how I proceed to save sitting oven time and optimism execution. :D

Take out Spinach from freezer and place package on a plate on counter for several hours or on in the freezer the night before.

Take out the crust as you begin for the bake, and leave on counter.

Shred the Cheese.

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Sauté the Onions and Bell Pepper with the Herbs for 10 minutes until slightly caramelized.  Add the Garlic for the last minute.  Spread thin around pan too cool.

Drain spinach in a sieve or cheese cloth and wring out.  Set aside.

Place a piece of parchment paper or foil in the crust and pour in pie weights aka dried beans and spread in crust.  OR you can poke with a fork to prevent bubbles.  IF you dock aka poke, instead of pie weights, bake at 350 not 375 F.  For 15 minutes.  Take out and cook on rack.  I like to place the crust on a pie pan to keep if flat on insert and removal because they tend to fold a bit and then crack otherwise.

Sprinkle 1 T of flour over the cooling Vegetables in the pan and toss until thinly coated.

In a large measuring cup, at least a 2 cupper, for easy pouring, crack the 4 eggs.  Add the Cream and Salt.  Beat until you've denatured the Egg whites. i.e. when you lift the whisk out of the cup, the Eggs are loose and less gloopy.  Add the flour and Whisk to combine.  Yes, you don't need it and most don't need it.  But I added it to a Quiche over a decade ago and never had a loose omletey centre to my Quiches since.  Helps it set.

Adjust the stove to 350.  Cut strips of foil about a inch wide.  Cover the edge of the crust with the strips by crimping over the edge of the shell.  You don't have to do this but I don't like to burn the crust or make to brittle.  The Quiche is in the oven for a long time so it turns out nice and golden this way.

Spread a layer of Cheese on the bottom of the Crust.  Spread out the Bell Pepper and Onion mixture.  Sprinkle a thin layer of Cheese.  Spread the Spinach over top.  Press down.  Cover with the rest of the cheese.

Move the Crust, still on the sheet pan, over to the oven.  Pour the Egg/Cream mixture over top and jiggle to make sure it gets in all the crevices.

Bake in the middle for 45 minutes.

Let cool for 10 minutes or longer.

MMMMM

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the Vegan Experiment - the Forks Over Knives trial

Really, it wasn't so much an exact Forks Over Knives diet but a vegan trial.  I watched Forks Over Knives on Netflix last fall.  I watch a lot of these food related documentaries.  Some are better than others for various reasons.  I find some are too preachy or too factually skewed.  This one was different.  It wasn't trying to turn you off by showing baby pigs being castrated by hand or filming visits to an abattoir.  It was independent studies showing how animal products are factually tied to cancer and heart disease as well as other vascular issues.  Of particular interest was the startling proof was the link between L-Casein, found in dairy, and cancer.   In any case, you have to watch it to believe and I convinced my mid-western american brother in law just to watch it.  Just watch it.  I am actually surprised he did even watch it.  I was speaking to my sister on the weekend and he was shouting in the background, I watched it!  I'm practically a vegetarian now.

The actual lifestyle is a bit extreme for me.  It requires you cut out all fats, including Olive oil.  It's a Whole Foods Plant Based diet.  Eat food as close to their original state as possible.  I understand why and the proof.  That our bodies are designed, primaly to need the calories to survive. The dense calories found in high fat foods, fool our bodies into thinking we're still hungry.  The recipes require you sauté in a dry pan or with broth.  No Olive oil.  Anyhoo, since heart disease nor weight gain wasn't my primary concern, I decided to try just Vegan.  Why?  Because I found the documentary compelling as well, I decided that there are various things in our life we can't completely control, our genes, pollution, drunk drivers, ... this, this I can control.

As opposed to popular belief, you cannot be nutrionally deprived by a vegan diet as long as you eat balanced i.e. nothing but one type of food.  You also do not need to combine on a single plate to get the full protein profile.

For the month of January, I gave up all animal products.  But unlike a vegan diet or the Forks Over Knives and associated Engine 2 recipes, I don't really care for the labour and effort behind making 'fake' food.  i.e. using Nutritional Yeast to simulate cheese or Blending raw Cashews to simulate cream or bechemel.  I just ate a lot of vegetables, grains and legumes.  It was fairly easy except for my family.... namely my mom who lives for food.  If you follow regularly, you'll know she makes her own soy sauce and chill paste.  She's hard core.  We went over for lunch and she had made some dumplings but she'd used egg to seal them so I didn't want to eat it.  She flipped out and told me to 'grow up' . It reminded me of when I first went vegetarian back in high school and she'd hide meat in my food.

I think the hardest part was that there doesn't always seem to be a central 'hearty' part of a plate.  You can eat a lot and your body will tell you when you've had enough.  With a Whole Food Plant Based diet, a true one, without concentrated fats, you can't really have too many calories.  So when I felt like a 'hearty' part of a plate, I marinated a piece of Tofu and grilled or fried it.  Actually, though eating small meals more frequently is better for your metabolism.  I did the month with ease.  I could have kept going but decided for ease of everyday living, I would eat this way on my own and go back to Ovo Lacto vegetarian with my family.

I made a lot of salads. Too keep it interesting, I tried to mix and match.  I kept two large containers in the fridge so I always had access.  Here is my basic formula:

Vegan Salad Formula

Include each of the following groupings but at the same time, add as much of any vegetable you want!

One Grain

• Cous Cous (1:1 Grain to Cold Water, let stand half an hour)
• Quinoa (1:1.5 Boil vigourously, let cool)
• Farro 
• Bulgar Wheat
• Wild Rice
• Brown Rice
• Barley
• Whole Wheat Orzo

One Texture (Chew or Crunch)

• Pine nuts
• Sliced Almonds
• Dried Cranberries
• Sunflower Seeds
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Pistachios, chopped

One Herb (fresh, chopped)

• Parsley (lots, entire bunch)
• Cilantro (lots, entire bunch)
• Dill (don't over do)

One Legume

• Garbanzo beans
• Lentils
• Cannellini beans
• Black beans
• Romano beans
• Canned or Fresh Corn (yes, yes, not a legume)

2 Vegetables, diced

• Red bell Pepper
• Zucchini
• Cucumber
• Cooked Beets
• Shredded Kale
• Blanched Green Beans
• Shredded Carrot

1 Aromatic

• minced Red Onion
• minced Celery

One Umami (rounded flavour, optional)

• minced Black Olives
• crumbled, firm Tofu
• mushrooms, raw or cooked
• if not giving up Dairy, this is where Feta can come in

Dressing

• Lemon juice and zest
• Lime juice and zest
• White Balsamic Vinegar

AND

• Salt, pepper
• Olive Oil or Sesame Oil (optional on the oil if you're going full on Forks Over Knives)

Mix and let stand.  Yummo!!






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Eggplant Parmesan - Food Bucket List #11

Eggplant slices ready for the bake

I LOVE Eggplant Parm.... LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  I am not, however, a big fan of how some people make it nor how much work it is to make.  But if I want to avoid greasy, bland Eggplant, then I have to do it myself, as they say.  What do I mean by Food Bucket list?  Well, when we were little kids like 10 years old, we used to play, 'what would your last meal be'?  I know that sounds morbid and I truly don't remember where we even came to know what that meant.  I am fairly certain it wasn't due to anything worth reporting to the Censor because my mother, to this day, won't watch anything too violent or too elicit.  It was probably a soap opera where some forlorn, ridiculously chiselled, leading actor was locked up for something his evil twin did.  Anyhoo, whatever the origins we were fairly young when we started our Food Bucket List.  What are the parameters exactly, should you wish to develop one? Well, a Food Bucket List is similar to a life bucket list with a twist.  What food / dish would you request should you find yourself being asked to order your last meal OR would you be willing to eat in perpetuity and nothing else OR if presented with a menu with the item on it, you will not bother to read the rest of the menu and will order it OR you will go at least 5 km out of your way to have it when in the vicinity of a good representation of it when out of town.  Tira Misu is an example of the application of the third category.  Even if I'm not in the mood for dessert, I will order it if it is on the menu.

The 11th position does vary from year to year but Eggplant Parmesan, the casserole or sandwich version, has had a place on my list since I first tasted it. If I see it on a menu, I get it and unfortunately, it is more often than not, terribly done.  It's actually not that often which is also unfortunate but when it is, I have found it is usually bland, done well in advance so mushy, poorly breaded, under cooked, over cooked or all of the above.  One of my favourite sandwich versions was served at the family joint #Amelio's in Montreal but they recently closed. *sigh* Also unfortunate, Eggplant Parm is also not a quickie quickie dish to make.  It's one of 'those' dishes that requires cooking before cooking.  The key to making it as painless as possible is to be organised and use a recipe you trust because instructions and measurements aren't vague.   This is one such recipe.  It is adapted from a recipe from a Bobby Flay episode of Throwdown.  I liked it because of a few reasons, mainly the deep fryer and peeling the eggplant.  Sometimes when an Eggplant Parm is not properly cooked, you'll get a slimey ring of peel in your mouth like when an Onion slithers out of an Onion ring.  You will love this dish and you will add it to your Food Bucket list.

Eggplant Parmesan fresh from the oven

Eggplant Parmesan

• You will need a Deep Fryer.  I cannot guarantee the results if you pan fry like in other recipes.
• You will need a Deep Lasagna pan.  Ours is 10x13", fairly standard.
• 2 large sheet pans lined with newspaper and topped with paper towelling (or lined with a wire rack)
• 3 shallow mixing bowls, I use metal ones I got in Chinatown.  Wide shallow soup bowls will do.
• 1 large mixing or salad bowl
• Metal tongs

Do not preheat anything now,  I'm just letting you know for reference. I'll tell you when.  
Oil 350 F
Oven 375 F

1 large Eggplant (approx 12")
4-5 c Bread crumbs (1/2 stale Italian loaf) (do NOT use panko.)
3 Eggs, large
1 T Water
1 c Flour
1/2 T Basil, dried
1/2 T Oregano, dried
1/2 T Rosemary, dried
1 t Granulated Garlic
2 jars Tomato Sauce (your favourite Marinara sauce that you would eat on its own)
1 lb Mozzarella, shredded
1/2 c Parmesan, grated

Take your stale Italian loaf torn up and toss into your food processor.  Don't over fill.  You may need to do 2-3 batches.  Pulse until crumbed. Do not let just run because if there is any moisture left in your bread, you risk just getting a big doughball.   Once all crumbed up, bring all the Breadcrumbs back together in a large bowl.  Toss in all the dried Herbs and granulated Garlic.  If your dried Rosemary is still in full leaf form, you may want to pulse a couple of times to break it down.

IF you choose the path of lesser resistance and buy your Breadcrumbs, just toss in the herbs and don't sweat the whole processor thing.  Pour some of the breadcrumbs into one of the shallow bowls, half way.  Set the others aside.

Grate the Cheese, a whole 1lb block OR just buy it grated and save yourself the aggravation.

In the second shallow mixing bowl, beat the 3 Eggs and fill one of the half Egg shells with Water and add to the Eggs.  Beat Well. Set aside.

In the third bowl, place the flour.  Set aside.

Peel the Eggplant and cut the calix off (stem) using a Vegetable peeler.  A T-shaped one is best for this and not the straight handled one.  Cut into 1/2 - 3/4 cm or half inch slices.

On your counter, in front of you place the 3 bowls in this order: Flour, Egg, Breadcrumbs.  Behind the bowls further away from you place a large cutting board with the Eggplant slices set to Left side.  Sound crazy?  Nope, this will help you avoid the dough club-hand and keep thing running smoothly.  Only let your left hand go in the Egg.

Now, you can preheat the deep fryer to 350F now if you plan to start frying while still breading, BUT I wouldn't recommend you do this on your first try unless you're confident about your timing and coordination :D.

Let's go.

Place a couple slices of Eggplant in the flour with your RIGHT hand.  Cover and rub it in.  Flip and repeat.  Then bounce it around to dust it off.  This is important or the breading will just fall off.  Place in the Egg.  With your LEFT hand, flip it and coat it and try to handle with the edges but don't worry too much.  Pick it up and place it in the Bread Crumbs.  With the RIGHT hand,  cover the slices with Breadcrumbs and push down slightly.  Flip and repeat until the whole thing is coated.  Bounce and shake off excess Breadcrumbs because they'll just fall off and burn in the fryer.  Place flat on the left side of the cutting board.  Continue to bread all the slices.  Now your cutting board may fill up so you can stack if you want but try to stack off set and not in direct piles.

Now most home deep fryers are not as big as restaurant ones so you will likely only be able to fit 2 slices in at a time.  Gently place one slice in and shove the first one over and lay the second over.  You can try make sure you're always frying one of the bigger middle slices with a smaller end slice so you'll have room.  Fry for 1 minute then, with the metal thongs, carefully turn over in the oil and fry for another minute.  If you've left the basket in, you can lift the two out together and shake off the excess oil.  Or you can use the thongs.  Place to drain on the two baking sheets you've laid out and lined.  Continue until all the slices are done.  You can lightly season with Salt, LIGHTLY, while they're still warm.  Don't over salt because jarred sauce and the cheese will also add salt.

Preheat the oven to 375 with the rack in the middle.

Pour a thin layer of sauce to just cover the bottom of the Lasagna pan.  Layer in the Eggplant.  Our pan was two across and 3 along.  Cover with thin layer of sauce, Mozza and Parmesan cheeses.  Continue until all slices are used up.  Mine had 3 full layers and most of a 4th.  Cover with Sauce, Toss the remaining Cheeses with the remaining Breadcrumbs.  Place over the top of the dish.  Cover LOOSELY with foil and place in the oven.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 until the sauce is bubbling but the topping is not too brown.

Let stand for 10-15 minutes and slice and eat..... or right away.

MMMMMMMM

Hogtown Cafe - this Place will NOT help the Vegan movement

Dry Dry Unchicken and Floppy Waffles

I first heard of this place on the TV show You Gotta Eat Here!  I've found the places recommended on that show to be VERY hit or miss.  When we lived on the west coast, we used to visit a lot of places on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives and for the most part, the places lived up to the hype.  The show tries to find places that go out of their way cook real food despite outward appearances.  Whereas, I think, You Gotta Eat Here! is largely based on visitor reccos.  Well, I visited and I would not recco.  I specifically even tried the dishes they covered on the show and feel like the show was describing another restaurant.

I got the unChicken and Waffles and lil T got the Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast w Fake-on.  D had hoped he could order the Philly Cheese 'Steak' from the lunch menu but they won't serve anything but the brunch menu during brunch so he, reluctantly order the BLT.  It was difficult enough trying to get him to go to a Vegan restaurant so he wasn't a happy bunny when he couldn't have the dish he thought he was willing to try from the show.

Service was PAINFULLY slow.  They were very friendly and nice when we saw them but that was like never.  We waited well into 'lunch' for our order.  There was a lady sitting next to us who was a tourist who had come because of the show too.  She heard lil T complaining for his food and she had ordered the PBnB French Toast as well and hadn't touched half and offered it to us for lil T.  Since we had waited for ever and she seemed okay, we took it.  He was well into his brunch before our actual food even arrived.

The Fake-on or fake Bacon was like plastic.  Yes yes, carnivores, are rolling their eyes and shaking their head saying 'duh', it's fake on.  But I've had decent faux Bacon and this was NOT it.  Lil T loves bacon and bacony things and he spat this out.  It was worse than jerky.  The portions are huge but in a bad way.  The bread on the French Toast was very very thick and not well soaked and the fresh natural Peanut Butter was laid on thicker than plaster.  We will be scraping from the roof of our mouths for days.  We all tried and barely at a third of it and the extra the nice lady offered T.  The unChicken and Waffles were not enjoyable either.  That said, the Potatoes that came on the side were quite tasty. Again, I can hear the likes of D moaning. What were you thinking Vegan.  I like Vegan food.  Though I will admit, I prefer Vegan food that doesn't try to be fake something else.  Anyhoo.  The Waffles were doughy, rubbery and bland.  The unChicken was tough and also BLAND!  D's BLT would have been somewhat okay if not for the aforementioned Fake-on.  Again, with the bread cut slightly too thick, it was too dry and tough.  The side salad was uneventful premixed greens.

Thick, pasty, dry PBnB French Toast

The place itself is like a dive which I'm not fussed about if you can bring the goods with the food.  This place did not.  The service was excruciatingly slow so if you have kids, do not come here.  Or if you value your weekends, do not come here.  The staff was friendly and nice but it didn't redeem how long we waited for our food.  Oh side note,  I know it goes without saying that a Vegan place had no milk for lil T but they didn't even have any Soy as beverage.  Plan ahead.

Service: SLOOOOOOOOOOW
Food: Bland, flavourless and well, bad. (and I love Vegan/Vegetarian food)
Ambiance: Dive

Hogtown Vegan
Dufferin Grove
1056 Bloor St W
 Toronto, ON M6H1M3