Yellow potatoes roasted with thyme, sumac and black salt

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Commonly used in the Mediterranean, sumac adds a unique, sweet and sour flavour and a beautiful red colour to dishes. This recipe easily doubles and makes a nice accompaniment to kale, collards, arugula, spinach, or other greens as a side dish or potato salad.

Ingredients

4 small yellow potatoes (about 2″ diameter), quartered
2T of olive oil (reserve about half a T for oiling the pan)
2t of lemon juice
1T of garlic, minced
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1/4t of black salt
1/2T of fresh thyme, stemmed, or 1/2t of dried thyme, rubbed
1t of dried sumac
1/4t of black pepper
Additional sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven for 450F
Mix everything but the potatoes in a small bowl.
Add the spice mixture to the potatoes and toss, coating evenly.
Lightly oil an oven pan and heat the pan in the oven for about 1 minute to warm the oil
Add the potatoes to the pan.
Roast on the middle rack for 10 minutes at 450F, stirring at 5 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 375F and roast for another 25-35 minutes until the potatoes are lightly browned and fork tender.
Stir every 10 minutes to promote even browning.
Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes to cool.
Add any additional sea salt or black pepper.

Garnish with a sprig of thyme and a little extra sumac to add colour to the presentation. Substitute dill for the thyme or minced scallions for the garlic to soften the dish. Dress with a mix of 1T of sesame seed butter (tahini), 1t of lemon juice and a pinch of sea salt for additional flavour and richesse.

Couscous and baby kale salad with apricots and sun-dried tomatoes

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This salad provides a simple light lunch or a solid appetizer.

Ingredients

1 cup of water
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1/2 cup of whole wheat couscous
1 cup of packed baby kale greens
1/4 cup of boiling water
1/4 cup of dried apricots
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the dressing

2T of packed sun-dried tomatoes
2T of olive oil
2t of lemon juice
1t of dried thyme, rubbed
1t of dried mint, rubbed
1t of ground cumin
1/2t of ground coriander
1T of garlic, minced
1t of ginger, minced

Directions

Add the apricots and sun-dried tomatoes to a small bowl.
Add 1/4 cup of bowling water to rehydrate.
Let stand for 10 minutes.
In a pan with a lid, bring the water to a boil with the sea salt and add the couscous.
Cook as directed (couscous will often cook without heat if it’s left to stand, but it varies).
Add the soaking liquid from the apricots to the couscous and stir to combine.
Add the remaining ingredients to the sun-dried tomatoes and apricots.
Toss to combine.
Add the baby kale greens.
Toss to combine.
When the couscous is finished, plate and add the kale, apricots and sun-dried tomatoes if you’ll eat immediately or toss to combine to pack up.

If you pack it up with hot couscous, the kale will wilt a bit. If you don’t like wilted kale, toss the couscous in a little olive oil and chill before adding the other ingredients. Additional greens, raisins, figs, walnuts, pepita seeds and other add-ins will give it more flavour, texture and nutrition.

Chai panna cotta with warm marmalade custard

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The chai and marmalade give this simple, no-bake dessert a rich set of complementary flavors.

Ingredients

2 cups of coconut milk, 1/2 cup reserved
2T of agave nectar
1T of white miso
1T of agar
4 bags of chai tea*
1/2t of cinnamon
1/4t of cloves
Additional agave to taste
3T of marmalade (I use a seville marmalade)**
1t of arrowroot powder whisked with 2t of water

For the panna cotta, bring the coconut milk to a light boil (you won’t need a lid).
Add the coconut milk, miso, agar, agave, cloves and cinnamon.
Stir thoroughly to combine.
Add the tea bags.
Simmer lightly for 15 – 20 minutes to dissolve the agar.
Aim to reduce the liquid to around one heaping cup.
Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes.
Remove and gently squeeze the tea bags.
Stir, and pour into two ramekins and cool uncovered for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
Cover and chill at least 4 hours to setup.

When ready to serve, heat the 1/2 cup of coconut milk on medium in a small sauce pan.
Reduce by about 1/3.
Turn out the panna cotta from the ramekins carefully.
Add the marmalade.
Stir until dissolved.
Whisk the arrowroot with water.
Add slowly to the marmalade mixture, stirring continuously until thickened.
Spoon the custard over the panna cotta.

*The quality of the tea is what makes this dish. Choose one you like with a good balance of spices.

**If you don’t keep marmalade on hand, a little vanilla extract (1t) and some agave nectar (2T) will give you a nice vanilla custard instead. In that case, use 2t of arrowroot to compensate for the other binders in the marmalade. And just a reminder that some sugar is bleached using animal bone charcoal. Organic sugar is typically unbleached.

Tofu and red potatoes in coconut milk with cremini mushrooms, savoy cabbage, garlic and ginger

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The tofu, potatoes, mushrooms and cabbage are slow cooked together in broth and then finished in coconut milk to give this very simple, inexpensive dish a rich finish.

Ingredients

About 220g of tofu in .3″ slices
2 medium red potatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)
6 medium sized cremini mushrooms, stemmed and quartered (about 250g)
3 cups of savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
3 scallions, minced (reserve about 3 – 4″ of one green for garnish)
1 cup of boiling water
2 bouillon cubes
1/2t of coarse sea salt
1/2 cup of full fat coconut milk
3T of garlic, minced
1T of ginger, minced
1t of dried ground cumin
1t of dried ground coriander
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Add the tofu, mushrooms, cabbage, scallions, mushrooms and sea salt to a slow cooker.
Dissolve the bouillon in the boiling water, add to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Cook covered for about 4 hours, stirring here and there.
At the 4 hour mark, preheat the oven to 400F.
You should have about 2 cups of liquid left. If you don’t, add a little water.
Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine and pour everything out into a shallow oven pan with sides (I use a 9×13″ pan).
Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring periodically, or into the mixture is starting to brown lightly.
Remove from the oven, let stand 10 minutes to cool, and serve.

The scallions are very thinly sliced on an oblique angle to give them good volume. The dish is plated here with lightly sauteed mixed greens and some red pepper, a great way to add some additional colour and nutrition to the plate.

Grilled polenta

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Polenta provides an inexpensive, easily seasoned and versatile base for a wide range of dishes. This version provides a side dish that’s a little crispy on the outside, but moist and flavorful on the inside.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 cups of boiling water
1/2t of coarse sea salt
2T and 2t of cooking oil (reserve the 2t for grilling the polenta)
2t of garlic, minced
1T of nutritional yeast
Additional seasoning to taste*

Directions

Bring the oil to heat on medium high in a heavy bottomed pan on medium high
Add the sea salt and the garlic and saute the garlic for 2 minutes.
Add the water and bring to a soft boil.
Add corn meal slowly, stirring as you go.
Reduce heat to low and cook for roughly 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.
Add the nutritional yeast and any additional seasonings.
Let stand five minutes to cool.
Spoon the polenta into two lightly oiled ramekins, and smooth the top with a spoon.
Let cool for about 30 minutes uncovered in the refrigerator to setup.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Carefully turn out the polenta.
Lightly oil the polenta and grill directly on the middle rack until the polenta browns a little here and there (about 10-15 minutes, turning once).

*I use sea salt and black pepper, but green herbs, particularly basil, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, olives, and other high flavour seasonings add variety, nutrition and colour.

**If you’re anxious about grilling something directly on your oven rack, use a lightly oiled pan with the drier top of the polenta down.

Lemon, artichoke and caper spread

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When they are emulsified with olive oil, artichokes take on a very fluffy texture, making this a very flavourful alternative to oil-heavy spreads. Shown here with lightly breaded seitan.

Ingredients

2 artichoke hearts, quartered (about 1 cup)
2t of cooking oil
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1T of lemon juice
2T of olive oil
2t of capers
2t of garlic, minced
1T of nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Bring the oil to heat on medium high, add the sea salt and the artichokes.
Saute until the artichokes are very light browned.
Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice, remove from heat and let stand about 10 minutes to cool.
Puree with the remaining ingredients in a high speed blender, adding the olive oil very slowly to ensure proper emulsification.
Chill covered for about 30 minutes, and then season to taste.

Raspberry Cobbler

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There are lots of variations on cobbler topping, ranging from a doughy, cake-like topping to a something more like an upside-down pie with a flaky crust. This is a simple, rustic and easy to prepare version with lots of room for modifications. This version is also berry-heavy. You can safely change the berry to topping ratio to suit yourself (just remember this will change the cooking time).

For the berries:

6 cups of raspberries
2T of lemon juice
1/4 cup of corn starch*
2 cups of sugar*
A pinch of sea salt

1 cup of whole wheat flour
2t of baking powder
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of unsweetened soy milk
1/4 cup of plant-only margarine (or 2-3T of coconut oil)
A pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 375F
Toss the berries in the lemon juice.
Add the salt, sugar and corn starch and stir thoroughly to combine.
Mix the dry ingredients.
With a fork, cut the margarine into the flour (or you can put pats of the margarine onto the batter once you’ve poured it — this is a pretty traditional way of doing it).
Add the liquid ingredients and stir to combine.
Put the berries in a baking dish with a lid (a large one in this case, so that you have at least a inch between the berries and the top of the dish).
Pour the batter over the raspberries in an even layer (but don’t worry too much about it — cobbler is a rustic dessert).
Bake covered for about 30 minutes.
Bake uncovered for about another 30-40 minutes until the topping has browned lightly and is cake-like.

*Adjust the amount of sugar to your taste and to the ripeness/sweetness your berries. Some white table sugars are still filtered using animal bone charcoal. Organic, sugar beet, sugar, agave nectar and other substitutes. When the raspberries are particularly ripe, I often replace some of the sugar with dates and dried figs to sweeten the cobbler. If you use other berries, like blueberries, you’ll need a little more cornstarch but a little less sugar.

Fluffy whole wheat pancakes with raspberry compote

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These are a fluffy style of pancakes with warm, sour raspberries. The recipes makes about 8 small to medium sized pancakes.

Ingredients

For the pancakes
2 cups of flour
2 1/4 cups of vanilla plant milk*
1/4 cup of sugar**
2 tablespoons of baking powder
Vanilla extract to taste (1/4 teaspoon or so)
1/4t of sea salt inch of sea salt
Plant-only margarine as necessary (not more than 1/4 cup).

For the raspberries

2 cups of raspberries (reserve half)
2T of agave nectar
2t of lemon juice
1T of corn starch dissolved in 1T of water
Additional agave nectar to taste

Make the compote first.
Heat half the raspberries in the pan on medium with the lemon juice, agave and sea salt.
Cook until the berries are soft and have produced a syrup (about 10-15 minutes).
Add the remaining berries and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
Whisk the corn starch with the water, and add to the raspberries slowly and stirring continuously until thickened.
Let stand to cool and spoon over the pancakes when they’re done.

To make the pancakes, combine the dry ingredients, the wet ingredients (except for the margarine), and then the dry and the wet ingredients together.
Whisk thoroughly to combine into a smooth batter.
Heat 2T of the margarine in the pan on medium high until a small drop of water sizzles.
Ladle 1/2 cup of batter into the pan and lightly smooth out to the volume of the pancake..
Fry on one side until lightly browned (the pancake will start to bubble through — usually 2-3 minutes).
Carefully flip and fry until lightly browned on the other side.
Remove from the pan and set aside.
Repeat until the batter is used up, adding 2t of margarine to the pan between pancakes.

The pan temperature for pancakes is very important. You may need to adjust the temperature to suit your pan for the best results. You can keep your pancakes warm in a very low oven in an oven proof dish.

*Soy milk will provide a denser chew, while rice milk, a fluffier pancake.

**The compote will be lightly sour with raspberries. With a sweeter berry, you may want less sugar in the pancake. Many white table sugars are still refined using animal bone charcoal. Organic sugar, beet sugar, agave nectar and other sweeteners make good alternatives.

Crispy polenta with red wine, tomato herb sauce, sauteed greens and black beluga lentils

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This is a colorful and simple recipe with a lot of contrasting flavors and textures. The polenta in this dish provides a crispy outside with a soft and creamy middle.

Ingredients

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

1T of cooking oil
1T of dried basil
1/2t of dried thyme
1/2t of dried oregano
2t of garlic, minced
1/2t of sugar
2T of red wine
1/2 cup of passata (use tomato puree or sauce if that’s what you have)

1 cup of packed kale, chopped
1T of cooking oil
1/4t of coarse sea salt
2t of lemon juice
2T of nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 cup of cooked black lentils
1t of olive oil
Sea salt to taste

Make the polenta first, followed by the sauce and the greens, unless you don’t have black lentils on hand, in which case, make those first.

Bring the water and sea salt to a soft boil in a pan with a lid.
Add the corn meal slowly, stirring as you go.
Reduce heat to low and cook for roughly 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.
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 400F.
Carefully turn out the polenta, cut in half width-wise (for two portions).
Lightly oil a cookie sheet and sprinkle with a little corn meal.
Add the polenta and bake until until starting to lightly brown and the outside is lightly crisp (about 20-25 minutes, but use the texture and colour as a guide).

While the polenta bakes, make the sauce.
Bring the oil and sea salt to heat on medium high.
Add the garlic and herbs and saute for 2-3 minutes until the pan starts to lightly brown.
Add the red wine and deglaze.
Add the passata and return to a low simmer.
Reduce by about 1/4.
Remove from heat, and set aside.

Bring the oil and sea salt to heat on medium high.
Add the kale and saute until wilted and the pan starts to brown lightly (maybe 5-8 minutes).
Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan.
And the nutritional yeast and stir to combine.
Season with additional sea salt to taste.

Toss the black lentils with sea salt and oil to combine.

Plating
This dish is all about contrast, and the plating emphasizes that contrast with a black plate, but a white plate will work just as well.

Add the rectangle of polenta to the plate.
Spoon the tomato sauce over the top of the polenta.
Carefully compress the greens with tongs and add to the polenta on top of the sauce.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup of lentils over the top of each serving.

 

 

Warm rye berry salad with baby arugula, and cranberries

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The rye gives this dish some hearty chew. While intended as a side dish, the arugula holds up well. Some walnuts or chick peas would turn this salad into a light lunch.

Ingredients

3 cups of vegetable stock
1 cup of rye berries (whole grain rye)
1T of plant-only margarine
3 scallions, minced
1/4 cup of dried cranberries (sweetened with juice, preferably)
1t of dried thyme, rubbed
2 cups, packed, of baby arugula greens
1T of nutritional yeast
2T of olive oil
2t of lemon juice
Sea salt and black or cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

Bring the stock to a boil and add the rye berries.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour on low until the stock is absorbed.
Remove from heat, and let stand for 10 minutes.
Melt the margarine in a frying pan on medium high.
Add the scallions and thyme.
Saute for 2-3 minutes.
Add the rye and the cranberries and stir thoroughly to combine.
Remove from heat.
Add the arugula to a large bowl.
Mix the rye, cranberries and arugula together until well-combined and the arugula is lightly wilted.
Whisk together the olive oil, nutritional yeast and lemon juice.
Dress the salad, season to taste, and serve.