French Toast for Two

Delicious! This plant based version of French toast is so much better than thick slices of white bread soaked in eggs & dairy.

Ingredients
5/8 cup of almond milk
1 Tbs ground flaxseed blended in 1/8 cup of water
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cinnamon
4 slices of 100% whole grain bread

Method
In a flat bottomed shallow bowl whisk all the ingredients together with a fork. Heat a non stick pan / electric griddle to medium / 350. Coat both sides of the bread slices with mixture & cook until lightly browned on each side. Top with your favourite toppings. I had maple syrup & blueberries this morning. Yum!

baba ghanoush

photo soon

Baba ghanoush that delicious middle eastern "dip" is very versatile. When we decided to get some at the supermarket we noticed that the makers had included yogurt. That meant it was time to get out the food processor and make my own. After some research I also learned that it is typically fattier than I thought with the addition of olive oil and lots of tahini. I found an excellent recipe in The Plant Pure Nation by Kim Campbell (of the Campbell dynasty.) It's the only one that added yummy, nutrient-rich chickpeas!

2 medium eggplants
1 15 ounce can chickpeas - drained
5 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, I used 1 whole juicy lemon
3 Tablespoons of tahini
pinch of salt
1/4 cup water

Preheat oven to about 400. Wash and then prick your whole eggplants with a fork (5-10 times). Place on a baking tray and cook till soft inside. Let cool.
Scoop out the center into the food processor. Discard skin.

Combine all the ingredients till it forms a smooth paste.
Top with fresh parsley if you desire.

butternut squash soup

Butternut Squash Soup 

Sorry, we ate it and I forgot to photograph...will do later.  It was enjoyed by many at Thanksgiving!

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• water
• 1 large yellow or sweet white onion, chopped
• 1 medium apple, any variety, peeled and diced
• 2 cups prepared vegetable broth, or 2 cups water with 1 vegetable bouillon cube
• 2 teaspoons good-quality curry powder
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, or more, to taste
• Pinch of ground nutmeg or allspice
• 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk (I added more)
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Garnish

• 2 medium red onions, quartered and thinly sliced
• a couple of squirts of tamari

• Directions:

1.    To bake the squash, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut in half and place halves, cut side up, in a foil-lined, shallow baking dish and cover tightly with more foil. Bake for 30 to 50 minutes, until you can easily pierce the flesh with a knife. Scoop out and set aside.

2.    Heat some water (1 TB approximately) in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until golden, about 8 to 10 minutes.

3.    Add the apple, squash, broth and spices. Bring to a steady simmer, then cover and simmer gently until the apples are tender, about 10 minutes.

4.    Transfer the solids to a food processor with a slotted spoon, in batches if need be, and process until smoothly pureed, then transfer back to the soup pot. Or better yet, simply insert an immersion blender into the pot and process until smoothly pureed.

5.    Stir in the coconut milk and return the soup to a gentle simmer. Cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until well heated through. Season with salt and pepper. If time allows, let the soup stand off the heat for an hour or two, then heat through as needed before serving. I like to make it the night before..then the flavors meld together in the fridge.

6.    Before serving, heat oven to 400. Place the red onions on a cookie sheets and sprinkle with tamari. Cook till soft and slightly caramelized.

7.    To serve, ladle soup into each bowl, then place a small mound of onions  in the center.

This recipe is from the NY Times...I adjusted it slightly. 

How not to die cookbook

It's finally here! I just opened it up to view all the yummy recipes and glossy photos. Dr. Greger has outdone himself. Expect lots of recipes and reviews to come. This book is one for your shelf. 

Tumeric Latte Mix

This recipe came about because of the generous acts of two friends. One friend bought a big bag of turmeric last spring, which she shared with me. The other friend gave me an envelope of Latte 1 from The Golden Number. Instead of ordering more when it was gone, I experimented with making my own recipe.
I love making lattes in the evening using almond milk but you can try my recipe with whatever kind of milk you enjoy. I used teaspoons as my unit of measurement because I had only a small amount of ground ginger when I went to experiment. Use the unit that works for you! 

1&1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp salt

6 grinds of black pepper

Stir all ingredients together well.
To make a latte, stir together 1 tsp of the mix plus 8oz of your preferred milk. Heat & enjoy!
I like to use almond milk plus either a drop of vanilla stevia or a little bit of honey. It's good without sweetener too.

Adding 1/4 tsp of cocoa powder to a tsp of the mix is also nice.

Vegan Banana Muffins

Super moist, flavorful vegan banana chocolate chip muffin!

Adapted from the Minimalist Baker blog. She made a tasty crumb topped muffin.

Muffins:

• 5 Tb water and 2 Tb  flaxmeal to make flax eggs
• 4 medium ripe bananas (don’t worry about measurements – it’s forgiving)
• heaping 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup vegan butter (such as Earth Balance) or coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1.5 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (or unbleached all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4-1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Instructions

1.    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and lightly grease a standard size muffin tin (will make 10-11 muffins)

2.    Prepare flax egg in a large mixing bowl. Let set for 5 minutes.

3.    Add banana and mash, leaving just a bit of texture.

4.    Add brown sugar, baking soda, salt and whisk for one minute.

5.    Stir in vanilla, melted butter and mix.

6.    Add flour and oats and stir with a spoon or spatula until just combined. Lastly, fold in chocolate chips .

7.    Divide batter evenly among 10-11 muffin tins, filling a generous 3/4 full

8.    Bake for 17-22 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes, remove from muffin tin and serve warm.  I freeze them and take out one by one (heat or microwave)

  These are a go to breakfast. I made loads of them at the residency and everyone liked them...and they weren't vegan!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Muffins

Yesterday was Thanksgiving & I loaded my plate with lots of veggies! I had oven roasted sweet potato & beets, steamed cauliflower & broccoli, mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy (from My Beef With Meat), & of course cranberry sauce. "Where was your protein?", all the meat eaters are asking. My answer - I made raw pumpkin-maple pie with baked oat crust from THE oh she glows COOKBOOK. It's packed with nut protein & pretty darned yummy too!

Then there was leftover pumpkin puree. What's a hen to do? A little research & merge a traditional pumpkin bread recipe with a vegan pumpkin muffin recipe & here it is!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar (your choice)

1/4 cup molasses

1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 flax eggs (2 Tbs ground flax mixed with 6 Tbs water)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking powder

I tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

Prepare a 12 muffin pan & set aside. Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, make the flax eggs &  let rest a few minutes. Stir in the rest of the wet ingredients. Add the spices, raisins & nuts. Stir well. Add flours, baking power & baking soda. Stir gently just until all ingredients are combined. Fill muffin pan & bake at 350F for 30 minutes.