Peanut butter and banana oats with apple pie, date caramel and blueberries

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A warm, filling breakfast with apple, cinnamon, ginger and lots of other great flavours.

Ingredients

For the caramel
1 cup apple cider
1t fresh ginger, grated and minced
1/4t dried, ground cinnamon (or to taste)
1/4 cup scant dried dates, pitted and chopped
1T water

For the oats
1/2 cup quick rolled oats
1/2 cup water
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 small bananas (about 1 scant cup)
1T unsweetened, unsalted peanut butter
1/4 cup blueberries
Sea salt to taste

Optional: 1t maca powder

Directions

Start the caramel, then the oats. Whisk the spices with the apple cider. In a small saucepan over medium low heat, reduce the cider mixture to about to 2-3T syrup.
The reduction will take about 20 minutes, but it depends on the pan and the heat. When the cider has reduced to 1/4 cup and stir until it has reduced to a syrup and caramelized. Be careful to not scorch the apple cider at the end.

While the cider reduces, start the oats. In a small sauce pan with a lid bring the water to a light boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook until the water has been absorbed.
Puree the banana until smooth. Add the peanut butter and stir to combine. Add the mixture to the oats and stir to combine. Cover, and over low heat, simmer another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside a few minutes to cool.

When the cider has caramelized, combine with the dates and the water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add the maca to the oats if you’ll be using it and stir to combine.
Spoon out the oats into an appropriate dish. Add 2T caramel to the oats and stir to marble and top with the remainder. Add the blueberries and enjoy!

Creamy sweet potato, red lentil, and carrot soup

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Garnished with roasted kale, walnuts and sea vegetables, this is a rich, but not overly heavy soup. The recipe will make 2 large bowls or 4 small ones, but easily doubles.

Ingredients

For the soup
2T water
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 scallions, minced (reserve 3″-4″ green for garnish)
1T fresh garlic, minced
1t fresh ginger, grated and minced
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup red lentils
1 cup carrots, trimmed and diced
2t tapioca flour dissolved in 1T cold water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the kale
1/2T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 cups green kale, stemmed and chopped
1T nutritional yeast

For the garnish
2T walnuts, minced
1T black sesame seeds, minced
1t purple dulse flakes
1t green nori flakes
1T plant-only sriracha whisked with 1T apple cider
1 heirloom grape tomato, quartered
Scallion green sliced on an angle (as noted above)

Directions

In a large pan with a lid, bring the 2T water and sea salt to a simmer on medium high heat. Add the scallion and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and saute for another minute. Add the stock, sweet potatoes, and lentils. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

At the 30 minute mark, reheat the oven to 450F. Add the carrot to the soup. Simmer another 10 – 15 minutes until the lentils are dissolving and both the sweet potato and carrot are fork tender.

Toss the kale in the sea salt and oil. On a roasting pan or baking sheet, roast the kale on the middle rack for about 8-10 minutes or until it’s softened and a vibrant green. Remove from heat and toss with nutritional yeast.

When the soup ingredients are ready, remove from heat and puree until smooth. Return the pan to a simmer and add the tapioca mixture slowly, stirring continuously, until thickened.

Remove the soup from heat and let stand about 5 minutes to cool. While the soup cools, mince the walnut and sesame, and then mix with the dulse and nori. Whisk the sriracha and apple cider.

To plate, ladle out the soup. Add the kale in the middle. Sprinkle the kale and the soup with the minced walnut, sesame and sea vegetables. Garnish with the sriracha and cider, the tomatoes and the scallion and serve.

Blueberry, vanilla frozen dessert on a chocolate fudge brownie crust

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A simple but satisfying dish. The miso in this adds a rich, lightly fermented and salty flavor, but you can leave it out if it’s not readily available.

Ingredients

For the brownie
2T soft, dried dates, pitted and chopped
3T walnuts (reserve 1t chopped walnuts for garnish)
1t red miso
2t lemon juice
1.5T cocoa (I use a fairly trade, Dutch processed brand)
A pinch sea salt

For the bananas
2 small frozen bananas (about 1 cup)
1t lemon juice
1t white pickling vinegar
2t sweet white miso
1/4t vanilla extract
Agave nectar, maple syrup, dates, or stevia to taste

For garnish
1/4 cup blueberries (I use frozen, but fresh would be fine)
1t chopped walnuts (as noted above)

Optional: Add 1t maca powder to the bananas for a
decadent breakfast. Add 2T coconut oil to the bananas and double the brownie recipe for a dessert.

Directions

Make the brownie, then the bananas. In a small food processor, grind the brownie ingredients to a crust consistency (it will start to ball up). Flatten out into a 3″ circle. Let dry covered with a clean tea towel for 1 hour, turning once.

For the bananas, puree the ingredients until smooth. Sweeten to taste. Plate the brownie. Scoop the bananas onto the brownie. Sculpt a flat surface on top, add the blueberries, sprinkle with walnuts, and serve.

Red velvet frozen dessert with lime, walnut, and white miso frosting

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Traditionally, red velvet takes its colour and some of its sweetness from beet juice. This dessert uses a little whole, raw beet in that tradition. It will take some fine tuning to get the colour just right.

Ingredients

For the red velvet
2-3T cocoa (I use a fairly traded, Dutch-process brand)
1T cold water
1-2T raw beets, finely chopped (or beet juice if you
prefer)
2 large frozen bananas (about 1 1/2 cups — extra on hand may be helpful)
Maple syrup, agave nectar, or dates to taste

Optional: 1t powdered maca

Note: The beets will sweeten the dish a bit, but if you us the whole beet, you’ll be able to taste it. If you use dates to sweeten further and/or if you use beet juice rather than the whole beet, you’ll get a darker colour. If you don’t like beets, you can always experiment with raspberries or raspberry juice (although it will change the flavour).

For the frosting
1/4 cup scant walnut pieces
1T warm water
1T maple syrup or agave nectar
1/2T – 1T lime juice (to taste)
1/2 – 1T sweet white miso (to taste)

Optional: Use 2T cashew butter for an easier to mix, off-white and more neutral tasting version. Add 1/2T coconut oil or plant-only margarine for a a richer texture.
Directions

Puree the walnuts, lime juice and cold water until
smooth. Add the sweetener and the miso and stir to combine. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water 1/2t at a time; if too thin, add more walnuts and blend. Note that it will thicken a bit further as it sits. Set aside and make the red velvet.

Mix the cocoa and the water until thoroughly combined. Add the beets and puree smooth. Set aside for a minute for the chocolate to darken. Add the chocolate mixture to the bananas (and the maca if you’ll be using it) and puree smooth. Let it stand a minute.

If the result is not red enough, add additional beet. If it’s not dark enough, add additional cocoa. It’s likely you’ll use the full amounts noted, but start sparingly. It’s more difficult to lighten the dish’s colour (although if you have extra frozen banana on hand, you can do so).

Once you have the colour, sweeten to taste, spoon out, and garnish with the frosting. Add 1T frosting to the red velvet and stir for a marbled effect if you like.

Smoky eggplant, baby kale and tomato wrap

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Eggplant roasted with tamari and apple cider, mixed baby kale and diced tomato wrapped in warm, freshly made, whole wheat chapati. Wrap in a few rice paper rolls for a lighter version. Leave out the chapati, chop the roasted eggplant, double the greens, tomato and dressing for a light salad.

For the chapati
1/2 cup heaping whole wheat flour
1/4t coarse sea salt
1/4 cup warm water
1T cooking oil

For the eggplant
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
1T tamari
1t fresh garlic, minced
2T apple cider
1/4t black pepper
A dash liquid smoke (or to taste)
1 large eggplant (enough to make about 8, 1/4″ slices)
A dash liquid smoke
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1T nutritional yeast

Optional: Some fennel seeds would make for a traditional flavour combination.

For the kale and tomato
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4t coarse sea salt
1/2T balsamic vinegar
1/2t prepared brown mustard
1 cup mixed baby kale (or other greens)

Start with the chapati, then make the eggplant. Mix the dry ingredients and add the water. Knead until a smooth elastic dough forms. Set aside in a bowl for about 15 minutes to let the dough rest, covered with a warm, wet tea towel.

While the dough rests, make the eggplant. Preheat the oven to 450F. Trim the ends of the eggplant and slice length-wise in 1/4″ strips. Start by cutting the eggplant in half, and then cut in slices. Slice as evenly as possible to ensure even cooking. Aim for 8 slices if you can in case you loose a few during the cooking process. Trim the outside skin of the eggplant on the last slice, but don’t peel entirely.

Whisk the cooking oil, tamari, sea salt, apple cider, and liquid smoke. Toss the sliced eggplant in the mixture until well coated. On a lightly oiled, warm roasting pan or baking sheet, roast the eggplant is nicely browned, turning once. Expect 8-12 minutes. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the eggplant as a guide. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

While the eggplant roasts, roll the dough out on a floured board to a small flat circle (about 8″). Brush with 1t oil. Fold into a half circle. Brush with 1t oil. Fold into a triangle. Roll the wrap out to about a 12″ circle. It should be fairly thin (a bit more than 1/8″). Brush with the last 1t oil.

With the chapati ready to go, toss the diced tomato with the sea salt. Mix the vinegar and mustard. Add to the tomato. Let stand 2-3 minutes while you finish the chapati.
Bring a large frying pan to heat on medium high (or use a griddle if you have one). Add the wrap (dry side down) and fry for 1-2 minutes. Turn and fry the other side. The chapati will be done when it’s lightly browned and lightly dry. Don’t overcook. It will make the wrap harder to roll. Remove from heat, let the wrap cool for a few seconds. Rub very lightly between your palms to soften if necessary.

Toss the kale greens with the tomato. Layer the eggplant slices into the wrap as evenly as possible, slightly off center toward you. Pack them down into the wrap by hand. Be careful not to overfill. Reserve extra eggplant. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast. Add the kale. Add the tomato. Wrap like you would a burrito.

Fold in the sides perpendicular to the filling gently, fold up the bottom up over the filling. Tuck the filling gently with the bottom of the wrap — but not too hard or you may split your wrap if it’s overfilled. Roll the whole thing over to close the wrap. Let stand briefly (less than a minute) before serving, and then enjoy!

Carrot cake amaranth porridge with ginger and cinnamon

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A breakfast dish lightly sweetened with roasted carrots and dates, garnished with walnuts
Ingredients

1/2 cup amaranth
1 cup water
1t fresh ginger, grated and minced
1/4t dried, ground cinnamon
A pinch dried, ground cloves
3 cups carrots, chopped

1/2t vanilla extract
1T plant only margarine
1T white pickling vinegar
1 cup unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup dried, soft dates, pitted and chopped (4 reserved for garnish)
2t chopped walnuts
A pinch coarse sea salt

Optional: Add a pinch of saffron if you have some. Trade the margarine for cashew butter for something a little healthier (noting that it will change the colour and flavour a little). Add 1T sweet white miso for some additional salty, fermented flavour and nutrition. Replace the unsweetened soy milk, double the margarine, and sweeten with unbleached sugar for more of a dessert.

Directions

In a medium sauce pan with a lid, toast the amaranth with the ginger and dried spices for 2-3 minutes. Add the water, bring the pan to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15-18 minutes. Stir frequently at the end, as the amaranth will become quite thick.

While the amaranth simmers, roast the carrots. Preheat the oven to 450F. Add the carrots to a roasting pan or baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, or until they are tender but not mushy. Remove from heat when done.

When the carrots are ready, reserve a few for garnish if you like. Puree the rest with the vanilla, white vinegar and margarine until smooth. Add the soy milk, and stir to combine. Add the mixture and the chopped dates to the amaranth and stir to combine. Simmer for another 5 minutes covered on low.

When done, remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes to cool. To serve, spoon out and garnish with dates and walnuts.

Dark chocolate shake with cashew butter and baby kale

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The baby kale makes for a sweeter, softer texture that matches the smoothness of the shake overall.

Ingredients

3 small frozen bananas (about 2 cups)
1 cup unsweetened plant milk
1 cup cold water
3T cocoa powder (I use a fairly traded, Dutch -processed brand)
1T cashew butter
1 cup loose baby kale
1/2t vanilla extract
Sweeten to taste with dates, agave nectar, maple syrup, or stevia.

Optional: 1t powdered maca. Trade the kale for a little arugula and some chili for a spicy chocolate version.

Directions

Blend everything together until smooth and creamy. Sweeten to taste and enjoy!

Handrolled fazzoletti layered with creamy tofu, sauteed kale, sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives

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Soft and thin, fazzoletti (handkerchiefs) are a delicate pasta, but one that doesn’t require a lot of fine cutting.

This makes a larger portion for 2, a smaller appetizer for 4.

Ingredients

For the pasta
1 cup semolina flour
1/4t coarse sea salt
1/3 cup water
1T olive oil
2 liters water and 2t coarse sea salt for boiling
1T nutritional yeast (or so — for garnish)
A pinch coarse sea salt per fazzoletti

For the kale
3T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 scallions, minced (reserve 3″-4″ for garnish)
1T garlic
1/4t red chili flakes
1T dried green herbs, rubbed (1)
3 cups kale
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped (the
dehydrated kind, not jarred)
2T kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: Replace 2T olives with 1T olives, 1T pickled capers for a little less fat and a richer flavor.

For the tofu filling
125g extra firm, high quality tofu
1 cup unsweetened plant milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2T sauerkraut vinegar (I use unpasteurized)
2T sesame seed butter
1T tapioca flour dissolved in 1T cold water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: Double the tofu filling for a richer, but heavier dish.

Directions

Start the pasta, then make the kale and then the tofu.
Mix the flour and salt for the pasta. Press your tofu ahead of time if required. Whisk the oil with the 1/3 cup water.
Mix the wet and the dry. Knead until a smooth elastic dough forms, and then another 2 minutes. Cover with a wet, warm tea towel and let the dough rest for at least 15 minutes.

When ready, roll the pasta out in a large rectangle, quite thin — thinner than 1/8″ you might normally roll for pasta.
Fazzoletti are meant to be quite delicate. So, get your squares as thin as you can get them without tearing. Cut at least 12, 4″x4″ squares, keeping in mind that you may lose a couple during the boiling. Use any extra pasta to roll thin and cut additional squares.

Let the pasta dry while you bring the 2 liters water to a boil go forward with the rest of the dish.

In a large frying pan, bring the oil and sea salt to heat on medium. Add the scallion and green herbs. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and chili flakes and saute for another minute. Add kale and the sun-dried tomatoes.
Saute for 5-7 minutes or until the kale is a nice dark green and both the kale and tomatoes are soft. Set aside.

While the kale sautes, puree the ingredients for the tofu up to but not including the tapioca mixture. In a small sauce pan, heat the mixture on medium until it comes to a light simmer. Add the tapioca mixture slowly, stirring continuously, until it thickens. Set aside.

Once water is boiling, add the fazzoletti to the water, Boil, swirling the pan occasionally, for 3-5 minutes or until the pasta are floating. Simmer another minute if you didn’t roll them extra thin. Drain carefully and add 2T of the pasta water to the kale.

Rinse the fazzoletti thoroughly with warm water. Set the fazzoletti out in an even layer on a clean cutting board to dry for a moment. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast and a pinch sea salt each.

To assemble, season the kale and the tofu to taste. Then layer the fazzoletti one sheet at a time with 3T heaping or so kale mixture to 2T scant or so tofu, then another layer of fazzoletti, press down lightly to consolidate the previous layer, fill, press, and so on.

You can mix the kale and the tofu for a tidier fill if you prefer, but the flavors will be less discrete. Use your best judgement to match the amount of filling you have to the amount of fazzoletti. Repeat until your filling and pasta are used up.

To finish, garnish with a little tofu and kale on top and some scallion green sliced on an angle and serve.

If you prefer a more rustic version, toss the fazzoletti with the kale and tofu carefully, and serve jumbled up (this emphasizes the softness of the pasta with its folding on the plate). You can also fold and seam the fazzoletti before boiling for a stuffed version.

1. I use herbes de Provence, but a simple mix of basil and oregano, what’s often sold in North America as “Italian seasoning” or your own blend will be fine.

Red pepper and pineapple salsa

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A simple, mild but full-flavored salsa. Shown here with slow-cooked tofu, fresh baby greens and brown rice.

Ingredients

1 cup red pepper
1 1/4 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 cup tomato
1/4 cup onion (I use finely chopped scallion)
1t minced garlic
1t lime juice
Sea salt to taste

Optional: Grill the red pepper and pineapple, add fresh cilantro, mint, minced green or poblano pepper, add more tomato or tomatillo, cayenne, habanero or jalapeño pepper — whatever you like to round out the flavours.

Directions

Seed, core, and mince the red pepper. Mince the pineapple. Seed, cored and finely chop the tomato. Finely chop the onion. Add the options you like. Add the sea salt and let sit a few minutes for the flavours to mingle. I like mine a little chunky, but you can either dice for something chunkier or pulse blend for something smoother.

Flourfree chocolate torte with lemon vanilla chai icing, swirled with dark chai ginger caramel

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No flour, no baking, no gluten, simple, but rich and flavourful, the cake part of this torte is lovely all by itself. This makes 4 larger portions or up to 8 small slices.

Ingredients

For the cake
1/2 cup whole grain, brown teff
2 cups water
50g bittersweet chocolate (I use an organic, fairly traded bar)
1/4 cup coconut sugar
A pinch coarse sea salt

For the icing
1T plant-only shortening
1T plant-only margarine
6T powdered sugar (I use an organic brand) (1) (2)
1t lemon juice
1 chai tea bag and 1T reduced tea (explained in the directions)
1/4 cup boiling water

For the caramel
1T reduced chai tea (as noted)
1T coconut sugar (2)
1/2t plant only margarine
1T unsweetened soy milk
1/4t fresh ginger, minced

Directions

First make the cake part of the torte, then the icing and caramel.

In a small sauce pan with a lid, toast the teff for 2 – 3 minutes. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 – 25 minutes or until the teff is thick, the water has been absorbed and the teff pulls away from the sides when stirred. Stir periodically until the last 5 minutes or so, and then stir frequently to avoid sticking.

When the teff is ready, add the coconut sugar and sea salt and stir to combine. Simmer on the lowest possible heat for 3 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the chocolate and stir continuously until melted.

If you haven’t worked with chocolate much, this is the most delicate step in the recipe. Don’t add water, don’t change the temperature or do anything that may cause the chocolate to seize. Just keep stirring. When the chocolate has melted, pour the resulting batter into a 3″x9″ loaf pan. Refrigerate 20 minutes uncovered. Cover loosely and let cool 1 hour to setup.

When the cake has setup, make the icing and the caramel. Bring 1/4 cup water to boil, and steep the tea for 5 minutes. The tea makes a big difference to the taste. Use a tea with good, strong flavours that you like. Start the icing while the tea steeps. Add the margarine and shortening to a bowl to warm up a a little.

When the tea has steeped,remove the bag and give it a good squeeze. in a small sauce pan, reduce the tea by about half. Pour 1T or so of the tea into a small cup to cool. Add the coconut sugar, margarine, ginger and soy milk to the tea left in the pan. On medium heat, bring to a simmer and reduce to about 1 1/2 – 2T caramelized syrup over medium low heat.

The mixture will bubble and take on a noticeable shine as it caramelizes. Reduce heat to low once the process starts and stir constantly to avoid scorching the caramel. Once you have a dark,melted caramel texture, remove from heat let cool while you make the icing.

Whip the margarine and shortening until smooth (I use a fork). Add the icing sugar, and whip. Add the 1T cold tea you set aside from the caramel and lemon juice, and whip. Keep whipping until smooth peaks form in the icing (this should only take a couple of minutes). Add more powdered sugar 1t at a time if it’s too thin.

Turn out the cake carefully, ice the top, and drizzle with the caramel in a lattice if you like, or drip caramel onto the icing and swirl. Let stand for a few minutes to settle. Eat immediately for the richest flavour or refrigerate, very loosely covered.

  1. Some white sugars are still bleached with animal bone charcoal. Organic sugars typically are not.

  2. I find this type of icing very sweet. If you want to reduce cane sugar, you can replace the icing here with my walnut date fudge frosting or something similar. Since it’s a single layer torte, the frosting should be fine, but it won’t have the magical staying power that saturated fat, sugar and corn starch do. You can also replace the caramel with my chai date caramel recipe (although you’ll have leftovers).

For the fudge
3T warm water
1/4 cup dried,soft dates, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1t lemon juice
1/2t vanilla extract
1/4t coarse sea salt

Soak the dates and walnuts in the warm water for 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except for the seal salt. Blend until smooth and creamy. Add 1T warm water if too thick, or an extra date and some walnuts if too thin. Add the sea salt and let stand 10 minutes to setup.

For the data caramel
1/4 cup boiling water
1 chai tea bag
1/4 cup dried, soft dates, pitted and chopped
1/4t fresh ginger

Steep the tea as above and the dates and ginger in the warm water. Remove the bag. Blend the chai with the dates until smooth. Add 1t frosting. Stir to combine and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes to thicken.