Red chard, wild rice salad with red pepper, parsley, mushrooms and almonds

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A darkly coloured, but brightly flavoured salad that combines a number of textures. Shown here with sliced tofu in a simple peanut sauce.

Ingredients

1t coarse sea salt divided in quarters
2T of cooking oil, divided
2T of olive oil
2T of lemon, divided
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup wild rice
1 large red pepper, cored, 1/2″ slices
3 scallions, minced (reserve 3-4″ of green for garnish)
1T fresh garlic, minced
100g cremini mushrooms, 1/4″ slices
1/4 cup of slivered almonds
2T tamari, divided
1T of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
4 cups packed red chard
1 cup packed flat leaf parsley (reserve a few leaves for garnish)

Directions

In a pan with a lid, bring the stock and 1/4t of sea salt to a light boil.
Add the wild rice, cover and simmer on low until all the stock is absorbed (about 45 minutes).
While the wild rice cooks, make the rest of the salad.
Stem the chard leaves, tear the leaves and trim and dice the stems (1/2″ dice).
Chop the parsley coarsely.
Toss in a large bowl.
In a frying pan, bring 1T of cooking oil to heat on medium-high with 1/4t of sea salt.
Saute the red pepper for 3-5 minutes (until it’s a nice bright red).
Deglaze the pan with lemon juice and add the red pepper to the chard and parsley.
Toss to combine.
Bring the remaining 1T of cooking oil to heat on medium-high with 1/4t of sea salt.
Saute the scallions for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the almonds, tamari and garlic, reduce heat to medium and cook for another 5 minutes or until the pan is starting to dry but still moist.
Remove from heat, add the nutritional yeast.
Toss to combine.
Add the mushrooms to the chard and parsley.
Toss to combine.
When the wild rice is cooked, add it to the bowl.
Toss to combine.
Whisk 2T of olive oil, 1T of lemon juice, 1T of tamari and 1/4t of coarse sea salt.
Dress the salad and serve garnished with a little sliced scallion green and parsley.

Single-serve, apple bread pudding with raspberry sorbet

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A rich fall dessert with a crisp, brightly coloured sorbet for contrast, all in a single serving.

Ingredients

For the pudding
1 slice of whole wheat bread, staled and crumbed (about 1/2 cup packed)
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
1t baking powder
2T plant-only vegetable shortening
A pinch of sea salt
4T sugar, divided as below
1 small baking apple (preferably granny smith), cored and thinly sliced
1/2t dried, ground cinnamon
1/2t corn starch
A pinch of cloves
1t lemon juice

For the sorbet
1/3 cup of frozen raspberries
2T unsweetened soy milk
1/2T agave nectar

Directions

Let the bread get stale (don’t toast).
When ready, preheat the oven to 375F.
Chop the bread in a food processor (or by hand).
Toss with the soy milk, baking powder, shortening and sea salt and 1T of sugar.
Mix the sugar and spices.
Toss the sliced apple with lemon juice and the sugar and spice mixture until evenly coated.
Line a ramekin with tinfoil — with several inches extra to accommodate all of the apple.
Add 1/3 of the bread crumb mixture to the bottom.
Add half the sliced apple.
Add 1/3 of the bread crumbs and the rest of the apple.
Top with the last of the bread crumb mixture.
Seal up loosely (it will extend beyond the ramekin and then shrink as it cooks).
Bake for 30 minutes sealed.
Open the and spread the foil and bake for another 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven, let stand 5 minutes, close up the foil and compact.
Refrigerate for 20 minutes to serve warm.
Open the foil and carefully turn out the pudding, bottom up.
Using an immersion blender, blend the sorbet ingredients in a small cup until smooth.
Use two spoons to quennelle the sorbet, or dollop it on top or on the side.

Maple-poached red pears with maple, orange syrup, candied nuts and chocolate

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Poached in maple syrup, balsamic vinegar and spice, this is a beautiful dessert for fall. Add some dried fruit to the poaching liquid once it has reduced but not thickened for some extra flavour and colour on the plate. Use 1T of marmalade to replace the triple sec if desired.

Ingredients

Two pears, halved and cored (I used red anjou)
2 cups water
1/2 cup and 2T maple syrup
2t dried ground cinnamon
1t dried ground ginger
1/2t dried ground cloves
1T balsamic vinegar
2T triple sec*
1/2 cup soy milk
1T corn starch mixed with 1T water
4t nutritional yeast
2T slivered almonds
2T walnuts
2T cashews
1/4t sea salt (or to taste)
1T shaved chocolate for garnish

Directions

Bring the water to a very soft boil in a small sauce pan (one just large enough for the pears to fit).
Add the maple syrup and spices and let the infuse for 2-3 minutes.
Add the pears.
Gently poach for 20 minutes or until the pears are soft.
Remove from heat and let the pears cool for 15 minutes in the poaching liquid.
When cooled, remove the pears form the poaching liquid and set them aside.
Add the triple sec to the poaching liquid.
On medium heat, reduce the poaching liquid by three quarters (to about 1/2 cup).
Add the soy milk and bring to a simmer on medium heat (puree if necessary to homogenize).
Whisk together the corn starch and water.
Add the mixture slowly to the poaching liquid slowly stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes to cool.
Toss the nuts with the 2T of maple syrup and sea salt, and then stuff the pears with about 1T each.
Pour the syrup to the plate.
Plate the pears.
Sprinkle each pear half with 1t nutritional yeast.
Garnish with shaved chocolate.

*Many, but not all, spirits and liqueurs are produced without animal products during the filtration or other parts of the process.

Kale, cashew and walnut pesto

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A simple, mostly raw pesto, heavy on the greens. Pictured here with a maple and tamari roasted tofu, red
potatoes and heirloom carrots.

Ingredients

2 cups packed baby kale
1/4 cup fresh basil
1T fresh garlic, minced
1T lemon juice
2T cashews
2T walnuts
2T olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Soak the nuts in warm water for at least an hour.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree
until smooth.
Let stand 30 minutes before using.
Seasons to taste.

 

 

Tamari and lime seitan baked in garlic polenta

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A flavourful seitan baked in warm, garlicky polenta. Pictured here with a red wine tomato sauce and roasted greens.

For the seitan
2/3 cups vital wheat gluten flour
1T tamari
1/2t lime juice
1/2 cup scant cold water
1T fresh garlic, minced
1/4t coarse sea salt (or to taste)

For the polenta
2 cups water
1/2t coarse sea salt
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2T unsweetened soy milk
2T olive oil
1T fresh garlic, minced
1/4t dried ground turmeric
2T of nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Make the polenta first, then the seitan.

Bring the water, sea salt and corn mealto a soft boil in a pan with a lid.
Reduce heat to low and cook for roughly 20-40 minutes, stirring frequently to avoid sticking.
The polenta will be done when it’s quite thick and pulling away from the sides of the pan. Cooking time will vary depending on the grind.
Add the nutritional yeast, garlic, turmeric, soy milk and any additional seasonings.
Stir thoroughly to combine.
Let stand five minutes to cool.
Spoon the polenta into a lightly oiled (or nonstick) 3″x9″ baking dish, and smooth the top with a spoon.
Let cool for about 30 minutes uncovered in the refrigerator to setup.
Preheat the oven to 375F and make the seitan.
Combine the all the ingredients but the flour, and then add to the flour.
Make a dough and knead for 5 minutes.
Divide in half and flatten each into oblong or circular shapes.
Carefully turn out the polenta, and cut in half.
Mold the polenta by hand around each piece of seitan until covered.
Lightly oil two pieces of aluminum foil.
Wrap the polenta covered seitan in the foil.
Bake for 40 minutes on the middle rack, turning once.
Remove the seitan and let rest 5 minutes.
Unwrap the seitan and add to a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Bake for another 20 minutes — until the polenta starts to start to lightly brown and the outside is lightly crisp. Ovens vary. Use the texture and colour as a guide.
Remove and let cool for 5 minutes and serve with the sauce of your choice.

Single-serve strawberry cobbler

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Cobbler is a simple alternative to pie, combining seasonal fruit with sweetened biscuit dough. This version is simple, rustic dessert sized for one. The recipe easily doubles with a second ramekin.

Ingredients

For the strawberries
2/3 cup of sliced strawberries
3T sugar (or to taste)*
2t corn starch
1/2 lemon juice

For the dough
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2t baking powder
2T sugar*
A pinch of coarse sea salt
3T unsweetened soy milk
1t apple cider vinegar
1T canola oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Toss the strawberries with the lemon juice, corn starch and sugar.
Add the fruit mixture to the bottom of a ramekin.
For the dough, mix the dry ingredients, the wet ingredients, and then the wet with the dry until you have a wet dough.
Pour the dough over the fruit mixture and smooth.
Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the dough is starting to brown lightly. Ovens vary; use the colour of the dough as your guide.
Cool for 15 minutes to enjoy warm or chill covered with aluminum foil for 2 hours to enjoy cold.

*A growing number of white cane sugar is processed without animal bone charcoal. Organic cane, beet, agave, and other alternatives are available.

Single-serve pistachio pudding with fresh raspberries

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A simple pudding with pistachio’s rich flavour, colour and texture combined with fresh raspberries. The recipe easily doubles.

Ingredients

1.5 cups unsweetened soy milk
1/4t vanilla extract
1/4 cup and 1t sugar separated*
4T pistachios, separated 3T/1T
A pinch of coarse sea salt
1T scant tapioca flour dissolved in 1T cold water
2T fresh raspberries

Directions

Bring the soy milk, vanilla extract, sugar and sea salt to a simmer in a sauce pan on medium.
Reduce heat to medium low and reduce the soy milk by about half (being careful to not let it boil over).
Add about 1/4 cup of the soy milk mixture to 3T of pistachios and let stand about 5 minutes.
Using an immersion blender (or similar) puree the soy milk and pistachios.
Add the mixture back to the pan and puree with the remaining liquid until smooth.
Return the pan to a light simmer.
Whisk the tapioca flour and cold water until dissolved.
Stirring continuously, slowly add the tapioca mixture until the pudding thickens (should be almost immediately).
Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes to cool.
Pour into a martini glass or similar.
Chill for 20 minutes uncovered.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill for another 2 hours at least to setup.
When ready to serve, toss the raspberries with the 1t sugar.
Sprinkle 1T pistachios and then 2T of raspberries over the pudding and serve.

*A growing number of white cane sugar is processed without animal bone charcoal. Organic cane, beet, agave, and other alternatives are available.

Creamed artichoke and walnut soup with kale and kalamata olives

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Served with red Thai chili spiced tomato ribbon and scallions, this soup combines enthusiastic flavours and colours.

Ingredients

4 cups vegetable stock
1t coarse sea salt, divided
1/4t black pepper
1t dried, rubbed thyme
1T lemon juice
2 cups artichoke hearts
4 scallions, minced (6″ of greens reserved for garnish)
2T fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup and 1T nutritional yeast
4T kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1/4 cup passata (tomato puree)
1/4t red Thai chili paste (or to taste)
1 cup kale, finely chopped
2T tapioca flour whisked with 2T cold water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Soak the walnuts in warm water for 1 hour.
When ready to make the soup, preheat the oven to 400F.
Toss the kale with 1/4t of coarse sea salt.
Add the kale to a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake on the middle rack until lightly browned (approximately 15 minutes). Ovens vary; use the colour and lightness of the kale as your guide.
Bring the stock to a light simmer in a pan with a lid.
Add 1/2t sea salt, lemon juice and black pepper
Add the artichoke hearts, scallions and garlic.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 10 minutes.
Remove the kale from the oven when ready.
Toss with 1T nutritional yeast and set aside.
When the soup has simmered 10 minutes, pull out the artichoke hearts with a spoon (and some stock is fine).
Drain the walnuts.
Using an immersion blender, puree with the artichoke hearts until smooth.
Add the pureed artichoke hearts and walnuts to the pan.
Puree soup together until smooth.
Return to a simmer on low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
While the soup simmers, mix the passata with the chili paste and 1/4t of coarse sea salt.
Whisk the tapioca flour and the cold water.
Stirring constantly, add the mixture slowly. to the soup until it thickens.
Add the 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and stir to combine.
Remove from heat.
Season to taste.
Ladle out the soup into bowls.
Sprinkle the soup with roasted kale.
Dribble the passata over the soup and the kale.
Sprinkle about 1/2T olives around the soup with 1/2T in the center.
Garnish with scallions and serve.

Red kale, kamut and wild rice salad

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With sun-dried tomatoes and pumpkin seeds, this salad offers a lot of texture, colour, and nutrition — either as a side dish or a light lunch. Kamut is a relative of wheat. Similar in some respect to orzo, it plumps up when cooked.

Ingredients

3 cups vegetable stock
1/4t coarse sea salt
2/3 cup kamut
1/3 cup wild rice
2T sun-dried tomatoes, diced
4 cups packed red kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
2T olive oil
1T lemon juice
2T nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Bring the stock and the sea salt to a light boil in a small sauce pan with a lid.
Add the kamut, cover and simmer on low for 15 minutes.*
Add the wild rice, cover and simmer for another 45 minutes or until the moisture has been absorbed.
Remove from heat.
Add the remaining ingredients except for the nutritional yeast.
Stir until until well-combined.
Cover and let stand 10 minutes to wilt the kale.
Toss with nutritional yeast, season to taste and serve.

*If you prefer, soak the kamut overnight, and then just cook the kamut and wild rice together, reducing the stock to 2 1/2 cups.

Green apple with salted bourbon, chai caramel and peanuts

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A traditional favourite rearranged and accented with a number of rich, complementary flavours.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups bourbon whiskey (1)
1/2 cup cane sugar (2)
1t black strap molasses
2T plant-only vegetable shortening
1/4t coarse sea salt (or to taste
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
2 chai tea bags
1/4 cup cashew butter
1 green apple (e.g., granny smith) cored and sliced in 1/8″ slices
2T peanuts, chopped

Directions

Bring the whiskey to a simmer in a small sauce pan on medium.
Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
Add the molasses, shortening and sea salt.
Stirring frequently, reduce the whiskey to about 1/4 cup.
Add the soy milk and the chai tea bags.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the tea bags.
Reduce, stirring frequently, on medium to a heaping 1/2 cup.
Using an immersion blender, puree the cashew butter with the reduction until emulsified.
Return to heat and simmer another 5 minutes, stirring continuously.
The caramel should be a rich brown at this point. If not, continue cooking on medium-low (it will darken). Don’t reduce beyond 1/2 cup.
Remove from heat and let stand 3 minutes to cool.
Puree again if necessary.
Core and slice the apple and chop the peanuts.
Plate the apples, drizzle with caramel and sprinkle with peanuts.

  1. It’s very rare, but some whiskey is produced using animal products.

  2. A growing number of white cane sugars are bleached without using animal bone charcoal. Beet sugar, organic sugar, and other unbleached sugars should be fine.