Roasted tomato tart with sesame, white miso sauce, basil, red onion, and mixed greens

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A rich treat for brunch that’s not too decadent. Pictured here, the greens include baby bok choy leaves, red and green chard, baby kale and other greens.

For the tart

2 1/4 cups of hard wheat flour
1 cup of warm water*
1T of yeast
1t of sugar**
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1T of olive oil for the dough
3T of olive oil for the tart

For the white miso, sesame sauce

1 1/4 cup of unsweetened soy milk
1 cup of quick rolled oats
2T of sesame seed butter
1T of white miso
1T of garlic, minced
1t of white vinegar
1/4 cup of packed fresh basil leaves, minced
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the onions, tomatoes and greens

1 small red onion, peeled and sliced very thinly in rounds (aim for 1/8″ if you can)
2 medium tomatoes, sliced thinly (aim for 1/4″)
3 cups of mixed baby greens
2T of nutritional yeast
1T of olive oil for the tomatoes and onions
1T of olive oil for the greens
1t of lemon juice
Several pinches of coarse sea salt
Sea salt, nutritional yeast and black pepper to taste

Directions

Make the dough, and once it has rise, the sauce, assemble the tart, and then add the greens at the end.

Mix the water, yeast and sugar together.
When the yeast proofs, add the olive oil and sea salt and whisk.
Add the mixture to the dough and mix thoroughly until the dough forms.
Knead for 5-10 minutes.
Let the dough rise for 2 hours in a lightly oiled bowl cover with a warm, wet towel.
Punch the dough down periodically.
When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 350F.
Oil a 9″x13″ baking dish with 2T oil.
Roll the dough out on a floured board.
Add the dough to the dish evenly, pinching up the crust about 1″ at the sides.
Brush the dough (paying particular attention to the sides) with the remaining 1T of oil.
Bring the soy milk to a soft boil on medium.
Add the oats and cook on low until soft.
Puree the remaining ingredients except for the basil with the oats until smooth.
Season to taste.
Add the sauce to the tart.
Sprinkle with the basil.
Layer the onions on top of the sauce evenly.
Layer the tomatoes on top of the onions evenly.
Sprinkle with a pinch of coarse sea salt and the nutritional yeast.
Turn the tomatoes over.
Sprinkle with a pinch of coarse sea salt and drizzle with 1T of olive oil.
Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes on the middle rack until the tart is browning and the tomatoes are wilted.
Toss the greens in 1T of olive oil and 1T of lemon juice with 1/4t of coarse sea salt.
Add the greens, increase the heat to 450F and bake for another 7-10 minutes until the greens are well wilted and starting to brown lightly.
Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 10 – 15 minutes.
Slice and serve.

*Follow the temperature instructions for your yeast. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, you can always proof your yeast first.

*If you use a rapid rising yeast, you shouldn’t need the sugar. Be careful to use a sugar that hasn’t been refined using animal bone charcoal.

Rye and baby kale salad with sun-dried tomatoes, clementines and kalamata olives

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A simple fall salad that relies on a combination of basic ingredients for its bright colours and flavours.

3 cups of vegetable stock
1/4t of sea salt
1 cup of rye berries
2T of sun-dried tomatoes minced
1t of dried thyme, rubbed
1t of tamari
2T of olive oil
2t of lemon juice
2T of nutritional yeast
1 scallion minced (reserve 2-3″ of green reserved for garnish)
3 cups of baby kale greens
1 clementine, peeled and segmented, pith removed
2T of kalamata olives, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Bring the stock to a boil in a pan with a lid and add the rye berries.
Cover and simmer for 1 hour on low until the stock is absorbed.
Remove from heat and add the sun-dried tomatoes, scallions, thyme, tamari and nutritional yeast and stir to combine.
Let stand 5 minutes to cool.
Add the baby kale greens and stir to combine.
Let stand 5 minutes to wilt.
Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice and dress the salad.
Season to taste.
Plate the rye and kale.
Add the clementine, then the olives, then the scallion for garnish.

Potato and kasha salad with mushrooms and kale

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A simple warm salad good as a side dish. For a light lunch, throw in some walnuts, pepitas or cashews, or clementines with kalamata olives. This recipe makes a fair amount.

5T of olive oil divided : 2T/1T/2T
3/4t of coarse sea salt, divided 1/4t and 1/2t
2 cups of kale, chopped
2 cups of cremini or button mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 cups of white or yellow potatoes in 1/2″ dice
2 cups of vegetable stock
1T of arrowroot powder whisked in 2T of water
1T of garlic, minced
1 cup of kasha
1T of lemon juice
2T of nutritional yeast
1t of dried thyme, rubbed
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

First, start the vegetables; then make the kasha.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Whisk together 2T of olive oil and 1/2t of sea salt.
Dress the kale, mushrooms and potatoes and toss until well-combined.
Oven roast in a pan with sides until the vegetables are lightly browned (about 40 minutes), stirring occasionally. Ovens vary; use the colour as your guide.
When the vegetables are about half way through their roasting, whisk the arrowroot with the water.
Toss the kasha in the solution.
Bring 1T of cooking oil to heat on medium-high in a pan with a lid.
Add the sea salt and the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add the kasha to pan and stir fry the kasha for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned.
Add the stock.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the stock is absorbed (perhaps 10-15 minutes).
Whisk together 2T of olive oil, the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and the thyme.
When the water has been absorbed, dress the kasha, remove from heat and set aside 5 minutes to cool.
Toss with the roasted vegetables until well-combined.
Season to taste.

Roasted fennel and red pepper with chives, dill and nutritional yeast

/0 Comments/in , /by

A simple warm salad of roasted vegetables and fresh herbs — a good dinner side dish or as a complement to pilaf or other ‘grains and greens’ style salads. Add a little lemon juice, black olives or both to broaden out the flavour.

Ingredients

2T of olive oil, divided
1 fennel bulb
1 red pepper
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
1T of fresh dill, minced
1T of fresh chives, minced
Black pepper and sea salt to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Trim the fennel bulb to remove fronds and core
Slice the bulb into quarters.
Lightly oil the whole pepper and the fennel with 1T of oil and sea salt.
Roast the red pepper until lightly charred.
Remove from the pan and set aside to cool until the fennel is done.
Roast the fennel until it starts to brown at the edges (about 45m). Ovens vary; use the colour as your guide.
When done, remove the fennel, and let cool while you peel, core, see and coarsely chop the pepper.
Coarsely chop the fennel.
Toss the fennel, red pepper, herbs, remaining 1T of oil and nutritional yeast until well combined.
Season to taste.

Roasted potato and kale salad with apples, artichokes and pistachios

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A warm salad that makes a good fall side dish or a light lunch.

Ingredients

2T of cooking oil, divided
1/2t coarse sea salt, divided
4 small white potatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 cup)
1T of garlic, minced
2 cups of kale, chopped
1 small red pepper, diced
1 small apple, sliced (about 1/8″)
1 cup of artichoke hearts, quartered
1/4 cup of pistachios
1/4 cup of unsweetened soy milk
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450F.
Toss the potatoes in 1T of oil until well coated.
On a lightly oiled pan, bake for 15 minutes.
While the potatoes bake, prepare the kale and other ingredients.
Bring 1T of oil to heat in a frying pan.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 minutes.
Add the red pepper and apples and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the kale, pistachios and artichoke hearts and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the soy milk and stir until combined.
Add the nutritional yeast.
Remove from the frying pan and add to the baking sheet.
Reduce the oven to 375F.
Roast with the potatoes until the latter are fork tender (about another 20 – 30 minutes). Ovens vary; used the texture of the potatoes as a guide.
Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes.
Toss the potatoes and everything else until well combined, and serve.

Rye berry and arugula salad with pepitas and pomegranates

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A simple warm salad with lots of great chew, focused on the flavour of the ingredients. There’s no oil in this recipe, but if you prefer to add some, use 2T.

1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of rye berries
1/2t of coarse sea salt, divided
1 pomegranate, seeded
1/4 cup of pepitas
2T of nutritional yeast
1 scallion, minced
2 cups of baby arugula greens
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Add the rye to the pan on medium high and toast lightly for 2-3 minutes.
Add the stock and 1/4t of sea salt, cover, and simmer on low for 1 hour (or longer) until the stock is absorbed).
When the rye is done, remove from heat and set aside.
Seed the pomegranate.
Toss with the sea salt, scallion and pepitas with the pomegranate seeds.
Toss the warm rye with arugula and set aside for 10 minutes covered to wilt.
Toss everything together, season to taste and serve.

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

/0 Comments/in , , /by

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.

Red kale, kamut and wild rice salad

/0 Comments/in , , /by

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.

Warm kamut salad with red pepper, zucchini and kale

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A simple warm salad that goes well as a side dish. Add some walnuts or black olives for a light lunch.

Ingredients

3 cups water
1 cup kamut berries
1/2t coarse sea salt, divided
2T cooking oil
2 scallions, minced
1T fresh garlic, minced
2T fresh basil, minced
1t dried rubbed oregano
2 red peppers, 1/2″ dice (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large zucchini, 1/4″ slices (about 2 cups)
2 cups kale, finely chopped
1T lemon juice
1t tamari
2T nutritional yeast
2T olive oil
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Directions

First, make the kamut.
In a small sauce pan with a lid, bring the water and 1/4t sea salt to a simmer.
Add the kamut.
Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour or until the stock has been absorbed.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Trim the ends of the zucchini, slice in half length-wise and then slice in 1/4″ rounds.
In a large frying pan, bring the oil and 1/4t sea salt to heat on medium high.
Add the scallion and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and herbs and saute for 1 minute.
Add the red pepper and saute for 3 minutes.
Add the zucchini and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the kale and saute for 3 minutes or until the pan is starting to lightly brown.
Add the lemon juice and tamari, and deglaze the pan.
Remove from heat.
Add the nutritional yeast, olive oil and kamut, and toss to combine.
Season to taste and serve.

Roasted potato, mushroom and arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette

/0 Comments/in , , /by

A simple salad with a rich, dark flavour.

Ingredients

1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 cup diced white potatoes in 1/2″ dice
1/2 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
1 scallion, minced
1t fresh garlic, minced
2T olive oil
2t balsamic vinegar
1/2t prepared mustard
1t nutritional yeast
2 cups packed arugula
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450F.
Toss the potatoes, mushrooms, scallions and garlic with the cooking oil and sea salt.
Roast until the potatoes are fork tender on the middle rack in a lightly oiled baking sheet (approximately 20-30 minutes). Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the potatoes as your guide.
When done, remove the potatoes and mushrooms from the oven and set aside.
Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, mustard and yeast until emulsified.
Toss with the arugula.
Toss the potatoes and mushrooms with the arugula.
Let stand 10 minutes to wilt the arugula.
Season to taste and serve.