Peanut butter, chocolate breakfast bar with dates and figs

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Simple, nutrient dense, no baking, no gluten, no added sugar, no added oil, and covered in chocolate.

Ingredients

1/4 cup whole grain teff
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened plant milk (I use soy)
1T cocoa powder (I use a Dutch-processed, fair trade brand)
A pinch coarse sea salt
1/4 cup unsweetened, unsalted peanut butter (I use crunchy)
1/4 dried, soft figs, stemmed and finely chopped (I use calimyrna)
1/4 dried, soft dates, pitted and finely chopped (I use medjool)
2T boiling water
1T tapioca flour dissolved in 2T  water
80g dark chocolate (I use a fair trade, organic bar)

Optional: Add a little chili to the chocolate. Double the chocolate for more of a dessert. Use cashew or macadamia nut butter or even sesame seed butter as an alternative to peanuts. Add a tablespoon or two of coconut sugar for a sweeter tooth.

Method

In a small, heavy-bottomed pan with a lid, toast the teff on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the water and bring the pan to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low and and simmer for about 20 minutes (until the teff is pulling away from the sides of the pan), stirring more frequently at the end).

Add the plant milk and cocoa powder. Stir to combine. Increase heat to medium low. Simmer another 5 minutes. While the teff finishes, add the boiling water to the figs and dates and rehydrate a little. Add the tapioca mixture to the teff slowly, stirring continuously until it thickens. Remove from heat.

Mix the peanut butter in with the dates and figs but leave it marbled rather than fully combined. Pour into a 3″ x 9″ loaf pan and let cool 1 hour to setup.

When the bar has setup, turn out of the pan onto plastic wrap top down. Let stand about 15 minutes. Melt the chocolate using a double boiler, two doubled up pans, etc. When the chocolate has melted, turn the bar over. Spoon the melted chocolate over the bar and spread evenly.

Let stand about 30 minutes at room temperature for the chocolate to firm up. Chill uncovered about an hour. Wrap with plastic and chill until ready to serve (at least a few hours, or overnight).

Romano bean and kale soup

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A simple and nourishing soup that relies on the texture and flavour contrasts of romano beans with kale. Served here with freshly baked bread.

Ingredients

1/4t coarse sea salt
1 small scallion, minced
1/2T fresh garlic, minced
1t herbes de Provence (or similar)
1/4t black pepper
A pinch dried chilis
1/2T balsamic vinegar
1/2T tamari
1 cup cooked romano beans
2 cups vegetable stock
2T tomato passata (or puree)
1 cup curly green kale, coarsely chopped
2T nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: Add some small pasta if you like. Increase the tomato passata for more tomato flavour. Use white beans if you prefer, but the texture and flavour won’t be quite the same. If you use canned beans, drain and rinse them thoroughly. I make mine from dried with a little kombu.

Method

In a medium pan with a lid, on medium high heat, stir fry everything from the scallions, up to and including the chilis for 2 minutes with a little water or avocado oil if you prefer. Add the vinegar and tamari. Deglaze the pan if necessary. Add the beans, stock, and passata.

Bring the pan to a light simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 5-7 minutes. Add the kale. Simmer another 2 – 3 minutes to wilt. Ladle out, garnish with nutritional yeast and serve.

Red lentil, coconut milk and sea vegetable spread

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Simple, savoury and rich, this makes for a luxurious addition to fresh bread, socca, with seitan, tofu and other dishes. Shown here with breaded eringi mushroom crostini and lightly wilted spinach.

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils
2 cups vegetable stock
1 ‘sprig’ dried kombu (about 2″)
1 1/2 cups coconut milk (I use full fat)
1T fresh garlic, minced
1/4t coarse sea salt
2T nutritional yeast
1T nori flakes
2t purple dulse flakes
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: You can also make this on the stove top or bake in a ceramic dish, but both require more attention. If you want to keep the spread close to white, stir more frequently. If you’d like a fond, don’t stir as much. Sun-dried tomatoes, black olives, capers, and other high flavour ingredients would also make nice additions.

Method

Warm a slowcooker on high. Add everything up to and including the sea salt. Cover and cook on high, stirring periodically, reducing until you have about 2 1/2 cups — expect several hours depending on your slowcooker. When reduced, remove from heat. Remove the kombu. Add the nutritional yeast, nori, and dulse. Stir to combine.

Let stand to cool uncovered about 30 minutes. Season to taste. Spoon out into an appropriate dish, cover loosely and chill 30 minutes. Pour off any condensed water, cover tightly and chill overnight to setup. When ready to serve, adjust the seasoning to taste depending on use and enjoy.

 

 

Vanilla cashew frozen dessert with salted date caramel and pecans

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A simple but luxurious dessert.

Ingredients

For the bananas
2 medium frozen bananas (about 1 1/2 cups)
1T cashew butter
1/4t vanilla extract

For the caramel
1/4 cup large, soft dates, pitted and chopped
1/4t vanilla extract
1/4t coarse sea salt
1/4 cup hot water

For garnish
1-2t pecans

Method

Soak the pitted and chopped dates in the hot water with the vanilla and sea salt for about 10 minutes. Puree with the vanilla until smooth. Add the sea salt. Puree the banana with the cashew butter and vanilla. Add one tablespoon of the banana mixture to the caramel and stir to combine. Swirl about 1/2 of the caramel with the bananas and stir a little to marble. Spoon out the remainder into an appropriate glass. Garnish with the remainder of the caramel and pecans and serve.

Blueberry, lemon frozen dessert sweetened with dates

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A simple, refreshing treat.

Ingredients

2 cups frozen blueberries
1 medium frozen banana (about 3/4 cups)
1T lemon juice
1/3 to 1/2 cup soft, dried dates, pitted and chopped

Optional: 1t powdered maca root. Add more dates for a sweeter dessert.

Method

Blend the blueberries and lemon first. Add the dates and blend. Then blend in the banana. Blend in the maca if you’ll be using it. Spoon out and enjoy.

Spicy black bean, apple, and watercress soup

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A very simple, traditional (and lovely) combination with a little extra body, nutrition and spice. Garnish with croutons, smoked coconut, a little cooked rice, chopped sundried tomatoes or chickpea, masa crumbles (as shown). This makes a large bowl for 2 and a small bowl for 4.

Ingredients

1/2T garam masala
1/4 cup scallions, finely chopped
1/4t coarse sea salt
1T fresh garlic, minced
1/4t dried red chilis (or to taste)
1 sweet apple, cored, cut in 1/2″ dice or so (I use gala)
1T lemon juice
4 cups vegetable stock
1T sriracha (or to taste)
1/4 cup tomato passata (or puree)
2 cups cooked black beans
1 cup chopped watercress
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Coarse sea salt and black pepper or more chili to taste

Optional: Spinach, chard and kale will all work in place of the watercress, but none will complement the apple quite as well. If you use canned beans, drain and rinse thoroughly and add a little dried kombu with the stock. Remove before adding the watercress.

Method

Warm a large pan with a lid on medium heat. Toast the garam masala for about a minute or until the spices are fragrant. Add the scallions, sea salt, garlic and chili. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the apple. Stir fry for another 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan (if necessary).

Add the vegetable stock, sriracha, passata, and beans. Bring the pan to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer about 5 minutes. Uncover, add the watercress and stir to combine. Season to taste. Ladle out, garnish with nutritional yeast and serve.

 

 

Turmeric, miso stew with tofu, tempeh, mushrooms, and potatoes

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Sweetened with dates, thickened with flax, and finished with baby kale, this is a rich, spicy stew with lots of strong flavour and colour. If you’re not a turmeric lover, keep the amount low to start.

Ingredients

1/4 cup water
1/2t coarse sea salt
2T scallions, finely chopped (reserve a few inches of green for garnish)
1-3t dried, ground turmeric (to taste — I use 1T)
1T fresh garlic, minced
1t fresh ginger, grated and minced
1/2t dried, ground cumin
1/2t dried marjoram, rubbed
1/4t dried red chilis (or to taste — I use about 1/2t)
1 cup cremini mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced, about 1/8″
125g extra firm, high quality tofu, 1/3″ cubes
125g tempeh, 1/4″ cubes (use pasteurized)
1 1/2 cups potatoes, 1/3″ dice (I use organic russets)
1/2 cup dried, soft dates, pitted and finely chopped
1T lemon juice
1 ‘sprig’ dried kombu, about 2″
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups unsweetened plant milk
3T red miso (or more, to taste)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1T sesame seed butter
2T milled flax seed
3 cups loose baby kale (leave a few leaves for garnish)
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: White, yellow, or other shades of miso will work, but they’ll change the final colour. Use freshly grated turmeric (start with 1T) if you have an easy source. Leave out the garlic if you prefer. A little shredded cabbage added with the plant milk and/or a little cilantro for garnish wouldn’t hurt. Add some fresh blueberries to brighten up the flavour.

Method

Warm a large frying pan with a lid on medium heat. Add the water, sea salt and scallion. Water saute for 2 minutes. Add the turmeric, and other herbs and spices. Saute another minute.

Add the mushrooms. Saute for another 2 – 3 minutes. Add the tofu, tempeh, potatoes and dates. Saute another 2 minutes. Add the lemon and deglaze the pan (if necessary).

Add the stock, bring the pan to a light simmer, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Uncover, add the plant milk. Increase heat to medium low.

Simmer another 30 minutes or so uncovered on low heat (as low as you can set it but still simmer) stirring periodically. Remove from heat. Remove the kombu. Add the miso, nutritional yeast, sesame seed butter, flax and kale. Stir to combine.

Let stand 2 minutes to cool. Season to taste. Ladle out into bowls. Garnish with scallion green sliced on an angle and a few scallion greens and serve.

 

 

Oyster mushroom, artichoke and yellow potato soup

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Oyster mushrooms, artichoke hearts and yellow potatoes with pear cider, sweet onion, soy milk and sesame, garnished with purple dulse and nori flakes, a ribbon of spicy and sweet red chili and baby rocket greens.

For the soup
1/2t of sea salt
1T of olive oil
1 cup of sweet (vidalia) onion, 1/4″ dice
2T of minced garlic
2 cups of yellow potatoes, 1″ dice
1 cup of oyster mushrooms, wiped, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup of artichoke hearts, quartered
1/4 cup of pear cider (or a mix of 1T of lemon juice, 3T of pear juice)
2 cups of light vegetable stock
1 ‘sprig’ of dried kombu
2 cups of unsweetened soy milk
2T of sesame seed butter (or thick tahini)
1T of arrowroot powder whisked with 2T of cold water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste.

For the ribbon
1T of red chili paste
1T of agave nectar
1t of coconut oil
1t of lemon juice
A pinch of sea salt

For the garnishes
1/4t of purple dulse flakes
1/4t of nori flakes
About 1/4 cup of very loosely packed baby rocket greens (arugula)

Prepare the ingredients.
Mix the ingredients for the ribbon in a small bowl and let stand, covered.
In a pan with a lid, saute the onions in the olive oil and sea salt on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, potatoes and artichokes and saute for another 5-10 minutes until the ingredients started to brown a little.
Add the cider and deglaze the pan.
Add the stock and kombu.
Cover, bring to a low boil and simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are not quite fork tender.
Remove the kombu.
Add the soy milk and tahini, and stir until the tahini is dissolved.
Cover and simmer on low for another 5 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender.
Whisk together the arrowroot and water.
Add the dissolved arrowroot to the soup slowly and stirring continuously until it thickens.
Let stand for 10 minutes to cool.
Bowl and garnish with the chili and sea vegetables.

Potato and cabbage pancakes with lightly roasted heirloom tomatoes and lemon nori pesto.

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Colcannon (a traditional Irish dish) is normally made from mashed potatoes and cabbage or kale. This version shreds the vegetables, adds some tomatoes and scallions, as well as a little pesto for a quick brunch style dish a little more like boxty. This make four pancakes.

For the pancakes

2 cups of shredded yellow potatoes (well-scrubbed, unpeeled)
1 cup of shredded cabbage (I use coleslaw mix)
2T of olive oil
2 scallions, minced (about half a cup — reserve a little green for garnish)
1T of minced garlic
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
1/4 to 1/2T of coarse sea salt (use less if you don’t like your potatoes nicely salted — you can always add more later)
1T of egg replacer diluted in 2T of cold water
A pinch of turmeric
Black pepper to taste.

Preheat your oven to 400F.
Squeeze out all the moisture you can from the potatoes.
Combine everything but the egg replacer in a large bowl and mix until well combined.
Whisk the egg replacer, cold water and turmeric until well combined.
Add the mixture to the potatoes and cabbage and mix well until the egg replacer is thoroughly distributed.
Make balls about 3/4 to 1 cup in size from the mix, packing well.
Add the balls to a well oiled baking sheet and pack by hand again.
Bake on the middle rack until the tops are starting to brown slightly (about 25 to 35 minutes depending on your oven).
Once the balls have started to brown a little on top, flatten carefully with a wooden spoon for a pancake shape about 1″ high.
Set the oven to broil.
If you roast the tomatoes in the garnish, add them to the pan now, cut side up, sprinkle with a very tiny pinch of sea salt.
Broil for 7-10 minutes — until you have a nicely browned top.*
Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the pancakes from the pan and plate with the tomatoes.

For the garnish

2T of scallion green sliced on the diagonal
2 basil leafs
4 small grape tomatoes, halved
A small amount of olive oil just to coat the tomatoes a little
A pinch of sea salt

For the pesto

2T of olive oil
A pinch of coarse sea salt
3T of packed fresh basil
1t of lemon juice
1/2t of nori flakes
2t of minced garlic
2t of nutritional yeast

Combine ingredients in a high speed blender and blend. You can always ad a few pine nuts to this, but given the amount, you may have difficulties getting it to blend.

*I use a convection oven. Time may vary for a gas or a standard electric. Use the browning of the potatoes to guide the amount of baking. If you use a gas oven, very carefully flip the pancakes once they start to brown (as above) with a spatula and cook for another 10-15 minutes at 400F.

Sauteed cabbage with roasted red pepper

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Ingredients:

1 large red pepper (and olive oil to coat — about a teaspoon)
2T coconut oil
1/4t powdered turmeric
1/2t coarse sea salt
1/4 cup minced scallion
2T minced garlic
1T lemon juice
3 cups loosely packed shredded cabbage (I use coleslaw mix)
2T kalamata olives, minced
2T of nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

Lightly oil and roast the red pepper in a oven on 450F.
When the skin has until lightly charred, remove the red pepper, cool, peel, seed and dice in 1/2″ pieces.
In a frying pan, bring the oil and sea salt to heat on medium high.
Add the scallion and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and turmeric and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the cabbage, red pepper and lemon juice.
Saute for 5-8 minutes or until the cabbage is wilted, but not soft.
Remove from heat.
Add the nutritional yeast, olives, and stir to combine.
Add additional sea salt and black pepper to taste.