Tamari, chili, and nori popcorn

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A light snack seasoned with toasted sesame oil, nutritional yeast and sea salt.

Ingredients

1/2 cup popcorn (I use blue)
2T plant-only margarine, melted
1/4t toasted sesame oil
1/2T tamari
1t red Thai chili paste (or similar/to taste)
2T nutritional yeast
1T toasted nori flakes
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Pop the popcorn either by stove top method or using a popper. For the stove top version, use a frying pan with a lid and around 2T canola or avocado oil depending on the size of the pan. Heat the oil on medium high. Add 2-3 kernels when the pan is warm, cover and wait for them to pop. Add the remaining kernels in a single layer, cover and pop. Shake the pan once they start to pop in earnest, and remove from heat once the they start to slow down.

Pour the popcorn into a bowl when it has settled.Melt the margarine and whisk with the sesame oil, chili and tamari. Mix in the nutritional yeast. Pour over the popcorn (or down the sides of the bowl, if you want more even coverage). Toss thoroughly and garnish with nori flakes, sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Mocha frozen dessert sweetened with stevia

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Fresh espresso and cocoa make this dessert (or breakfast) rich and flavourful Although quite sweet, stevia can still be an acquired taste and hard to find. Sweeten instead with 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar if you prefer, or 3 tablespoons coconut sugar, and so on.

Ingredients

3 medium frozen bananas (about 2 cups)
1 shot espresso (short)
2T cacao powder (I use a fair-trade, Dutch-processed brand)
A pinch of sea salt
Stevia to taste

Optional: 1t maca powder

Instructions

Make the espresso, mix it with the stevia and flash chill in the freezer for a minute. It should be fairly sweet (so that it sweetens the banana and cocoa sufficiently). A scant teaspoon of powdered or several drops of liquid stevia should be sufficient. When the espresso has cooled, puree everything together until smooth. Sweeten to taste and serve.

Creamy tomato soup accented with sumac, sun-dried tomato and sesame

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Topped with spiral cut and roasted white potato and drips of sesame cream, balsamic vinegar and tomato passata, this makes a good sized bowl for two, but easily doubles or halves. Shown here with a light sandwich (waffles with oat, white miso spread and roasted mushrooms) and a light salad of baby arugula (2 cups packed baby arugula greens, 1T olive oil, 2t balsamic vinegar with a little sea salt).

Ingredients

For the soup
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 scallions (4″ green reserved for garnish)
1T dried sumac
1t dried thyme, rubbed
1T fresh garlic, minced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (the dehydrated kind, not packed in oil)
1/2T lemon juice
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup passata (or tomato puree)
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1T sesame seed butter
2T red miso
1T tapioca flour dissolved in 2T cold water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish
2 medium white potatoes (about 1 1/2 cups)
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2t nutritional yeast
2t balsamic vinegar
2t passata
1t sesame seed butter dissolved in 1t water
Scallions sliced on a diagonal as above

Instructions

Start with the potatoes, then the soup. Preheat the oven for 450F. If you don’t have a spiral slicer, you can still grate the potatoes with a box grater with the medium holes. Toss the sliced potatoes in 1T oil and coarse sea salt. Add in an even, shallow layer to a small, lightly oiled roasting pan. Roast for about 10 minutes at 450F, reduce heat to 350F and bake for another 15-25 minutes until the potatoes are soft, but not mushy and lightly browned. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the potato as a guide.

While the potatoes cook, make the soup. In a large pot with a lid, bring the cooking oil and sea salt to heat on medium high. Add the scallions, sumac, and herbs and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Add the stock, passata and soy milk. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer while the potatoes cook.

When the potatoes are done, remove from the oven, sprinkle with the nutritional yeast, and set aside. Remove the soup from heat and add the red miso and sesame see butter. Puree until the soup is smooth. Return the soup to a light simmer. Slowly and stirring continuously, add the tapioca mixture until thickened. Season to taste.

Ladle out the soup. Add the potatoes to each bowl in a thin, light layer. Add the vinegar, the passata and the sesame in small splashes, garnish with the scallions and serve.

Chick pea and nori gnocchi with smokey, heirloom carrot ribbons, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, and spring mix

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The chick pea flour gives this gluten free version of this dish a lovely, soft chew that’s similar to potato and wheat flour. If you don’t have a spiralizer or a mandoline, you can shred the carrots using a box grater. The texture will be slightly different, but the flavor will be consistent.

Ingredients

For the gnocchi
1 cup tapioca flour
1 1/2 cups chick pea flour, 1/4 cup reserved
1 cup boiling water
1T green nori flakes
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 liters water with 2t coarse sea salt
1T olive oil
2T nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the carrots
4 medium purple heirloom carrots (about 1 packed cup when cut)
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
1/2t red Thai chili paste (or similar or to taste)
2t tamari (use gluten free)
2t coconut sugar (maple syrup makes a good substitution)
A dash liquid smoke
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the spring mix
1T olive oil
2t balsamic vinegar
1 scallion, minced (4″ green reserve for garnish)
2t fresh garlic, minced
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 cups packed spring mix
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the garnish
2T sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped (use dehydrated, not jarred)
2T walnuts, chopped
Scallion green sliced on a diagonal as above

Instructions

Make the dressing, start the gnocchi and then carrots. Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, scallion, garlic, and the coarse sea salt in a small dish until well combined. Set aside for the flavors to mix and start the pasta.

Mix the flours for the pasta with the course sea salt and nori. Whisking as you pour, add the boiling water. Be careful; it will be quite hot, but keep mixing. This will result in a dry and crumbly dough. That’s fine — it will continue to absorb flour, soften and become moist. Turn the dough out onto a cutting board. As soon as its cool enough for you to do so, knead as you would a regular dough until all the flour is absorbed and you have a smooth, pliable dough. Add additional chick pea flour 1 tablespoon at a time as you knead. Let rest 2 minutes.

When the dough is ready, roll out on a well-floured board in a rectangle until the dough is about 1/4″ thick. Tear or cut 2t pieces of dough. Roll each piece into a firm, smooth ball, then roll the dough gently into a slightly oblong shape. Ridge each gnocchi with a fork by gently but firmly pressing the back of the tines into the gnocchi. Repeat until you’ve used all of your dough. Let rest about 10 minutes and start the carrots.

Preheat the oven to 450F. Whisk the dressing for the carrots, and toss together until the carrots are well-coated. Add the carrots in a shallow layer to a roasting pan. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for about 10 minutes — until the carrots are lightly browned and chewy.

While the carrots roast, cook the pasta. In a large pot, bring the 2L water and sea salt to a simmer for the pasta. Add the gnocchi and simmer until they begin to float, about 3-5 minutes. Don’t boil and don’t overcook. Add 1T pasta water to the spring mix dressing. Drain the gnocchi, rinse thoroughly in cool water, toss in the 1T olive oil and nutritional yeast until well-coated, and season to taste.

In a large bowl, dress the spring mix, add the gnocchi, toss very gently to combine, and set aside until the carrots are ready. Once the carrots are ready, remove from the oven and season to taste. Then, plate the dish. Add the gnocchi and spring mix first, then add the carrot on top. Sprinkle with the sun-dried tomato, chopped walnuts, and scallions, and then serve.

Tamari and masala-spiced French lentils and amaranth

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Served with with roasted kale, cabbage and red onion this make a light lunch or a good savoury breakfast.

Ingredients

1 cup water
1/4 cup amaranth
3T French lentils
1 ‘sprig’ dried kombu, about 2″
1T tamari
1T cooking oil
1T garam masala
2T nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the vegetables
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 scallion, minced
1 cup green cabbaged, shredded (I use coleslaw mix)
1/2 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup green kale, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Start the amaranth and lentils, then make the vegetables. In a small pan with a lid, bring the water to a boil. Add the amaranth, lentils and kombu. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft, stirring occasionally.

While the amaranth cooks, make the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 450F. Toss the vegetables in the oil and sea salt. In a lightly oiled roasting pan, roast for 20-30 minutes turning occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the vegetables as a guide.

When the lentils are soft, remove the kombu. Add the tamari, cooking oil and masala to the amaranth and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add the nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Let stand 10 minutes to cool.

When the vegetables are done, season both the amaranth and the vegetables to taste. Plate the amaranth and lentils in a small even circle. Add the vegetables to the middle and enjoy!

Zucchini spaghetti with sun-dried tomato sauce and kalamata olives

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Zucchini noodles are a nice, light alternative to grain-based pasta.

This recipe requires a spiral slicer, a mandoline, or some very careful and precise knife work. Add a little spiral cut carrot, daikon, or beet for some additional texture and flavour.

Ingredients

3 small zucchini (about 2 cups sliced)
1/4t coarse sea salt
2-3T sun-dried tomatoes (the dehydrated kind, not jarred)
2T olive oil
1/2T fresh garlic, minced
1T fresh basil, minced
1 scallion, minced (2″ reserved for garnish)
1T kalamata olive, finely chopped
Coarse sea salt to taste

Optional: 1-2T nutritional yeast

Directions

Put the tomatoes in the bottom of a wie, shallow bowl. Trim the ends of the zucchini and spriral cut on a small, thin setting or appropriate blades (think spaghetti) and sprinkle with salt. Add the zucchini to a colander over the bowl to drain for 30 minutes and rehydrate the sun-dried tomato.

At the 30 minute market, puree the sun-dried tomatoes, the resulting zucchini water and the garlic until smooth. Add the olive oil slowly, continuing to puree in order to emulsify. Add the scallion, basil and nutritional yeast (if using) to the sauce, and stir to combine. If the sauce is too thin, add an additional tablespoon of sun-dried tomatoes. If it’s too thick, add cool water 1 teaspoon at a time. Let stand 10 minutes.

Remove the zucchini from the colander and pat dry, using a clean tea towel. Let the zucchini air dry while the sauce stands. Add the zucchini to a bowl. Toss the sauce with the zucchini until well coated. Plate, sprinkle with the chopped kalamata olives, garnish with scallions sliced on a diagonal, and serve

Thick crust potato, mushroom pizza with spinach, sauerkraut pesto

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Ingredients

For the dough
2 1/4 cups wheat bread flour
1 cup warm water (1)
1T yeast
1t sugar (2)
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1t garlic powder
2t corn meal

For the pesto sauce
1/2 cup loose unpasteurized sauerkraut
1T sauerkraut vinegar
1/2t dried oregano, rubbed
1T fresh garlic, minced
3T olive oil
2t white miso
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup packed spinach
2T fresh basil
1 scallion, minced
1T tapioca flour dissolved in 1T water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the toppings
2 medium yellow potatoes, spiral cut or shredded (about 1 1/2 cups or about 250g)
2T cooking oil
1/2t coarse sea salt (or to taste)
4 medium cremini or white mushrooms (about 75g)
1T nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Make the dough, and once it has risen, the potatoes, the pesto and toppings. Mix the flour and garlic powder. Mix the water, yeast and sugar together according to the temperature directions provided by your yeast.

When the yeast proofs, add the olive oil and sea salt and whisk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix thoroughly until the dough forms. Knead for 5-10 minutes. Let the dough rise for at least an hour in a lightly oiled bowl cover with a warm, wet tea towel, punching the dough down periodically.

When the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured board into a large 12″ circle. Let the dough rise for a 5 minutes or so while you make the toppings and the pesto. Preheat the oven to 500F (or 450F if that’s as high as your oven will go). The heat is important to the rising of the dough, to cooking the potatoes, and to activating the tapioca.

To make the pesto, puree the sauerkraut, its vinegar, the oregano, garlic, nutritional yeast, miso, and oil until smooth. Mince the basil, scallion, and spinach. Combine the greens with the sauerkraut in a bowl. Whisk the tapioca flour and water, and then add to the greens, stirring to combine thoroughly. Season to taste.

Using a mandoline, spiralizer, or box grater, slice or shred the potatoes quite finely. Stem and slice the mushrooms very thinly (about 1/8″). The toppings should be very thinly sliced to ensure they’ll cook thoroughly and evenly. Toss the potatoes and mushrooms in the oil and salt.

When the sauce and toppings are is ready, sprinkle either a large pizza stone (preferred) or a lightly oiled round pizza pan about 12″ with the corn meal. Add the dough. Top with the pesto, leaving slightly less than an inch around the sides. Add the toppings evenly. Bake the pizza on the middle rack for 15 – 20 minutes. Broil for another 5 minutes, or until the dough is starting to brown lightly. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture as a guide.

Remove from the oven, add the nutritional yeast, and season to taste. Let stand 5 minutes to cool, slice, and serve.

  1. Follow the directions for your yeast.
  2. I use a cane sugar refined without the use of animal bone charcoal.

Strawberry, vanilla, and white miso frozen dessert with chopped walnuts.

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A flavorful but light dessert or rich breakfast.

Ingredients

For the bananas
2 medium frozen bananas (about 1.5 cups)
1T sweet white miso
2t white pickling vinegar
1/4t vanilla extract
1-2T maple syrup (or to taste)

Optional: 1t maca powder

For the strawberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2T maple syrup
1/2T lemon juice

For garnish
1t chopped walnuts

Directions

Puree the banana first and its ingredients first, including the maca if you’ll be using it. Let the flavours mingle for about 3-5 minutes in the freezer. Puree the strawberries with their ingredients. Spoon the bananas out into an appropriate dish. Swirl about 1/3 of the strawberry mix with the bananas and top with the strawberries. Garnish with walnuts and serve.

Note: If you’re not accustomed to white vinegar or white miso, start with smaller amounts and add more to your taste, or try apple cider vinegar instead. The flavours will mellow after a few minutes.

Handmade spinach and tofu tortellini in a light tomato broth, seasoned with sesame and white miso, mushroom stock and kalamata olives.

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his is a rich but light soup, great for winter, but good all year round. With a little practice and technique, tortellini are not as time-consuming as they look.

Ingredients

For the filling
1/2t coarse sea salt
2t lemon juice
1T olive oil
2T sesame seed butter (I use a fair trade brand)
1T white miso
1T fresh garlic, minced
100g extra firm tofu
1 cup loose spinach
1t milled flax seed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the pasta
1 cup semolina flour
1/3 cup cool water
1t olive oil
A pinch of sea salt

For the tomato broth
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 scallions, minced (2″ – 3″ green reserved for garnish)
1/2t dried basil, rubbed
1/4t dried oregano, rubbed
1/4t dried tarragon, rubbed
1/4t black pepper, preferably freshly ground
1/4t red Thai chili paste (or a pinch of cayenne pepper)
1T fresh garlic, minced
1T lemon juice
2 cups passata (or tomato puree)
2 cups mushroom stock
1 cup baby arugula
2T kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1T nutritional yeast (for garnish)

Directions

Start the filling first, then the pasta, then the broth. Press your tofu if you feel it needs it. In a small bowl, whisk the sea salt, lemon juice, white miso, garlic, olive oil and sesame seed butter. Add the mixture with the tofu to a food processor and chop finely. Add the spinach and mince, but be careful not to liquefy the spinach. Add the nutritional yeast and flax seed and stir to combine. You can also mince the spinach by hand. Wrap with plastic, set it aside for the flavors to mix, and start the pasta.

Combine the flour and sea salt. Combine the oil and water. Combine the wet with the dry, and stir by hand until a dough forms. Keep kneading until you have a smooth, lightly rubbery dough and then knead another minute or two. The dough may seem too dry initially. Just keep kneading. Cover with a warm wet tea towel and set aside to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Around the 20 minute mark, start the broth. In a large pan with a lid, bring the cooking oil to heat with the sea salt on medium high. Add the scallions, green herbs, chili and pepper and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Add the passata and the mushroom stock, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently while you make the pasta.

Roll the dough out on a floured board to a large rectangle, 1/8″ thick. Trim the side for any unevenness and ball up the leftover dough. If you can do smaller squares with a little less filling, that’s a little nicer, but it’s more difficult and more time-consuming. So, for a quick version, cut the dough in 1.5 inch squares. If they’re not perfect squares — even them out a little with your rolling pin individually when you go to fill them. Season the filling to taste, and then fill each square with about 1/2T to 2t filling.

When it comes to filling the tortellini, practice makes perfect. Fill each square by making an oblong cylinder of filling that aligns with two points (as if the square were a diamond) rather than a little round dollop in the middle. You’re going to pinch the tortellini in a triangle, starting with the top.

As if the tortellini were a napkin, hold it up by the two points of the diamond perpendicular to the filing. Pinch the top two points firmly. With the top securely pinched, pack the filling a little to one side and seam up the other side carefully. Now, pack the filling to the seamed side with a finger and seam up. You should have something that looks like a triangle. Take the two bottom ends of the triangle, wrap around your little finger and pinch so that the tortellini forms a little circle — like a ring.

Repeat the process until you’ve used all of your dough or all of your filling. Roll out any extra pasta scraps if you can. You’ll probably find you can add a little filling until you get used to the amount to use.

Once you’ve rolled out tortellini, bring the water to a boil. Add them carefully to the water and boil until they float (should be 3-5 minutes). Don’t overcook, since you’re going to simmer them a little in the soup. Drain them carefully in a colander, reserving 2T of the pasta water, and rinse with cool water.

Add the tortellini and the pasta water to the soup and let them simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the arugula and olive,and gently stir to combine. Let stand 2 minutes too cool and let the arugula wilt. Season to taste. Spoon out the tortellini with the soup in shallow dishes. Sprinkle the tortellini with nutritional yeast, garnish with scallions and serve.

Pistachio, ginger, and coffee frozen dessert

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A rich breakfast or a light dessert. You can substitute a couple tablespoons of brewed coffee for the espresso, but the flavor won’t be as rich.

Ingredients

3 medium frozen bananas (about 2 – 2 1/2 cups)
1t fresh ginger, grated
1T and 1t chopped pistachios, separated, the 1t reserved for garnish
1/4t vanilla extract
A half shot of espresso (short)
Sweeten with stevia, maple syrup or agave nectar to taste

Optional: 1t maca powder

Directions

Puree everything except the 1t pistachios reserved. Add the maca if you’ll be using it. Sweeten to taste. Spoon out to an appropriate glass. Garnish with 1t chopped pistachios and serve.