3-Ingredient Fresh Vegan Pasta

     With school and work being as crazy as ever (or possibly crazier), I haven't had much time lately for experimenting in the kitchen, but I though it was about time I posted my fresh vegan pasta recipe. Making a good pasta is a bit tricky, especially seeing as most recipes call for eggs, but it is possible. I've been working on this pasta recipe on and off for over a year now and I've finally got the recipe near perfect. I say near perfect because changes in weather and humidity will affect the amount of water needed in this recipe. On more humid days, you'll probably need less water and on dry days more. So you really have to feel out what you're doing. But don't be scared, fresh pasta is delicious (especially stuffed with sauteed mushrooms or pesto...or both) and worth the risk! (Also, I'm still working on the new logo over here. Getting close to digitizing it!)

Serves: 3-5

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 1/2 to 1/2+1/8 cup warm water

Preparation

1. On a large clean surface or in a large mixing bowl, mix all-purpose and semolina flour.
2. Form a well out of the flour and poor the water into the well.
3. With a fork, slowly incorporate the water and flour, working from the center of the well and moving outwards. If all the water seems to be incorporated, but there is still excess flour, add the up to 1/8 cup more water. Likewise, if it seems a bit wet or sticky add a bit more all-purpose flour.
4. Once all the flour and water is incorporated, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it forms a smooth ball. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 10-20 minutes. If you are not planning on cooking all the pasta, you can cut the ball in half, and wrap both halves, keeping the half you are planning to cook at room temperature and place the other half in the fridge. The dough will keep in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days, but should be brought back to room temperature before working it.
5. When you are ready to form the pasta shapes, you can either roll it out manually on a floured surface or use a pasta roller machine, as per manufacturer’s instructions.
6. If you are stuffing you pasta, make sure to keep the dough covered when not working with it, otherwise let the pasta stand, uncovered for at least 30 minutes after it is formed. This will prevent the pasta from becoming mushy or sticking together while cooking.
7. When ready to cook the pasta, cook in a large pot of salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until tender. Strain and coat pasta in sauce or in oil before serving. 

    

Overnight Oats

     When I need to leave the house in a rush to get to work in the morning, I make myself a batch of overnight oats the evening before. This simple but tasty recipe has at least one serving from all the food groups, which is much healthier than my usual: buttered toast. Plus it's incredibly easy. 
     I make my overnight oats with ground flaxseed, which is a good source of essential omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and fiber. All the more reason to add flax to your diet!
     Below, I've included my favourite preparation for overnight oats, but the possibilities are endless. I love blueberry oats, but I've also used dried dates, raspberries, strawberries and apple in place of the blueberries.

Serves: 1 (or 2 depending on how much you can eat for breakfast. I eat it all...)

Ingredients

1/2 cup of oats, I use half large flakes and half quick oats
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1/2 banana 
1 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (omit if using vanilla flavoured milk) or 1 tbsp coconut milk
1/2 tbsp - 1 tbsp agave, maple syrup or honey
1 heaping tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped almonds or other nuts
1/3-1/2 cup blueberries or other berries or chopped fruit

Having my oats poolside,
while I prepare for a long day at work.

Preparation

In a small jar, combine oats and ground flax seed.
Add half of a banana and mash into the oat-flax mixture. The other half of the banana can be used in a second batch or eaten in the morning with the oats.
Next add the wet ingredients to the jar, including the milk, vanilla extract or coconut milk and sweetener of choice, as well as the shredded coconut and nuts. 
Screw on a lid and shake well to combine, making sure there are no ingredients sticking to the walls of the jar.
Finally, add in your fruit and mix gently, either with a fork or by shaking it.
Refrigerate overnight and enjoy in the morning!
Can be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

No-Knead Bread

This is hands-down the best bread I've ever had. The recipe here is adapted from Jim Lahey's excellent book My Bread. His technique works so well that we never buy bread anymore - we just bake it! There are two versions of this bread, depending on how long you're willing to let it rise. The slow rise version uses less yeast, and takes 12-16 hours to rise, but the added fermentation time makes the bread taste more complex. The quick version only takes four hours to rise, but it uses a heck of a lot more yeast. 
Note: We have modified the bread recipe for a smaller loaf with less salt. No-Knead Bread 2.0 is healthier and doesn't end up moldy before you can eat all of it. We've also improved the techniques below.

Ingredients

No-Knead Bread 2.0
3 3/4 cups all-purpose or bread flour
1 tsp salt (or less)
1/4 tsp yeast
1 3/4 cups cool water

No-Knead Bread: Slow rise

6 cups all-purpose or bread flour 

2 1/2 tsp. salt 

1 tsp. yeast

3 cups water

Quick rise

6 cups all-purpose or bread flour

1 tbs. salt

1 1/2 tbsp. yeast

3 cups water

Preparation

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. You can use white or whole wheat flour, or a combination depending on how you like it. The quantity of salt you add affects the crispiness of the crust, but you can use less.

2. Add the water and mix until all of the flour is absorbed. You don't need to knead the bread, just mix and let it be. If there is extra flour in the bowl, add more water a few tablespoons at a time until the loaf is sticky.

3. If you're attempting the slow rise dough, cover your bowl with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Let the dough rest for 12-16 hours, or until it has doubled in volume. For the quick rise, do the same but let it rest for 4 hours.

4. Once the dough has risen, scrape it out of the bowl onto a well-floured surface, like a silicone mat or parchment paper. At this point you can either divide the loaf into two, form it into a neat shape (like baguettes, buns, pretzels), or keep it as one large boule. These instructions are for an undivided loaf:
With well-floured hands, shape the dough by folding the edges in towards the center four times (top, bottom, left, right or some variation thereof). Next, flip the loaf over so that the seam you've created is on the bottom, and shape the dough into a round ball with your hands. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle a bit more flour on it. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let it rest for 1 to 2 hours, until it has doubled in volume. If, when you poke the dough, it springs back immediately, let it rest another 15 minutes. If your finger leaves a 1/4" deep indent, the dough is ready to bake.
Note: If you would like your bread to have something interesting on the outside like wheat bran, cornmeal, flax, poppy seeds  sesame seeds etc., you can either sprinkle those ingredients on now (after you have shaped the loaf), gently lifting it and sprinkling underneath, or you can wait 30 minutes (my approach) until the bread has moistened again and then add them. 

Bread 2.0: smothered in wheat bran!

5. Preheat your oven to 475 degrees, 40 minutes before the end of the dough's second rise. If you're baking the bread in a French or Dutch oven (the best method), put your vessel in the oven now, with the lid on (make sure the handle is heat-proof), so that it can preheat. If you don't do this now, you might crack your vessel by putting it into the already-hot oven. If you're using bread pans or a baking sheet (use parchment paper underneath), you can put a shallow heat-proof container of water into the oven now, to rest underneath your bread. This will create steam when the bread is cooking, which will condense on the surface of the cold dough, ultimately helping the crust not to burn, but keeping it crispy. Cooking your bread in a French oven accomplishes a similar thing, but keeps the steam contained in the vessel, and results in a better bread.

6. Once the oven is preheated and the dough has rested, remove your cooking vessel from the oven. Make sure the dough is well-floured and is not stuck to the surface it's resting on.  Once you're ready, flip the dough over and into your cooking vessel (gently!). Be careful because that sucker will be hot. Replace the lid and put the vessel back in the oven.

7. Bake your bread for 30 minutes with the lid on. Then take the lid off and bake it for another 25-30 minutes. Removing the lid part way is essential for getting a nice crust. 

8. Once it's cooked, tip the bread out of the pot and onto a cooling rack. You should hear crackling noises at this point (called 'singing'), which means the bread is cooling. You should leave the bread for around an hour to cool. If you cut the loaf too soon, you'll halt the last stage of the cooking process and you can ruin the consistency of your baby.

9. Enjoy! Store your bread in a container, or in the (cooled) French oven itself, just not in the fridge or it will go stale faster. 

Asian Soup

I've been a very busy bee these past few days. With class, exams, labs and work, its nice to come home and make a good hot meal, even if it only takes 30 minutes. I've always been a fan of Asian soups. Miso, hot and sour, vegetarian pho, its all good. This recipe is pretty simple, in that it doesn't contain many crazy Asian ingredients that you may not necessarily have on hand.

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 packages soba noodles, cooked following package directions

Olive oil
10 oyster mushrooms
1 clove garlic, minced
1/16 green cabbage or napa cabbage
1 large carrot, shaved
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 mirador pepper or Long chilli pepper, minced
5 dried shiitake mushrooms, steps removed, rinsed and chopped
1 handful dried seaweed
1/2 bunch Chinese broccoli or 1/2 a head of bok choy, chopped
1/4 cup, pack fresh cilantro leaves
2 cups vegetable broth
5 cups water
2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp Asian 5 spice
1/2 tsp ground corriander
1 tsp ginger powder or 1" fresh ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce

Preparation

On medium heat in a medium large pot, lightly brown oyster mushrooms in oil. Add garlic, and fresh ginger, if using.
Add cabbage, liquid, dried mushrooms, hot pepper, seaweed, sesame oil, spices and soy sauce. 
Bring to a boil and then add carrot and green onion. 
Let simmer on medium for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile cook soba noodles as directed on package.
After 10 minutes add greens to soup and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Check seasoning and liquid level and add more soy sauce, salt or pepper, or water as desired. 
When all vegetables are cooked, add cilantro, remove pot from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Serve soup on top of noodles and add hot sauce if desired.

Hope you enjoy! 

A Side of Rustic Roots

Man, the aroma of this dish in the oven is amazing! These fall/ winter vegetables are perfect baked in a duch oven, but I've also baked them in a Pyrex dish for more caramelized roots.
Did I mention that all you have to do is cut a few vegetables, toss with olive oil and spice and cook? One of those dishes that you can throw in the oven while you work on something else, in my case it was studying for nutrition class.

Serves: 4-8

Ingredients

3 medium large carrots, scrubbed clean and chunked
20 fingerling or baby potatoes, scrubbed clean
10 crimini or button mushrooms, washed
1 large onion, chopped into large wedges or 5 peeled shallots
1 head of garlic, whole cloves crushed
Olive oil to coat
3 tsp French herbes, or a blend of your favourite
1/4 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Preparation

Place all vegetables in your ditch oven, coat with olive oil and add seasoning. Mix until well combined.
Place lid on Dutch oven and place in oven.
Turn oven on to 400 deg.F.
Bake for about 40 minutes.
Like I said, you're going to smell it.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

     Its chocolate cake! need I say more? Well, Grandma passed this recipe down to us. Apparently, this is an old war time recipe, frequently used for its lack of expensive and perishable goods, such as butter, milk and eggs. Who needs animal products anyway? ("Not I!" said the vegan!) 

This recipe is very simple and very chocolaty. Delicious with Vegan butter cream, this recipe makes excellent birthday cakes or even cupcakes. 

Please note how the majority of the cake was
eaten before we could take the picture :)
Shown here with a chocolate frosting
(melted chocolate with a bit of margarine,
soy milk and sugar)

Serves: 6-10 (or 20-24 cupcakes)
Time: 5 minutes prep, cook for 40-45 minutes (or 20 minutes for cupcakes)

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup light vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 tsp white vinegar

Preparations

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Grease bunt pan or muffin pan with oil or margarine, or use muffin cups.
3. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate container.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry bowl and mix well.
5. Pour into pan. (if using a muffin pan, fill each compartment 3/4 of the way.)
6. Place in preheated oven and bake cake for 40-45 minutes, or cupcakes for about 20 minutes.
7. When you can smell the cake, its normally done. 
8. Remove from oven and test with a tooth pick or chopstick.
9. Let cool slightly before removing completely from pan to let cool entirely.
10. If icing the cake, the cake must be at room temperature.

Kinda wishing I had some cake left now...

Superbly Fluffy Pancakes

Oh, the sweet joys of fluffy pancakes! A weekend staple in our apartment.  This is a great recipe and doesn't require any egg substitutions , not to mention It's super simple. In the past I've premixed the dry ingredients at home and made pancakes while camping with friends and family. This recipe calls for soy milk, however, in the fall we enjoy using pumpkin beer or even apple cider for a portion of the liquid. So good.

Serves 2 people, or ~8 pancakes (3")

Ingredients

1 cup flour, white or whole weat
  * optional, replace 1/2 cup flour with 1/2 cup quick oats
2 tsp baking powder
Splash of light oil
1 cup soy milk
   ( optional: chocolate chips, blueberries, rasberries, etc.)

Preparation

Preheat skillet or pan on medium heat.
Mix all dry ingredients. Add liquid and oil.
Mix well until combined (may appear somewhat clumpy if using oats).
If you are using liquid other than soy milk, you may need to adjust for consistency differences between the liquids, if the batter is two wet, just add a bit more flour.
Add a small amount of margarine to the pan, let melt.
Ladle batter onto the pan and let the pancake brown. When bubbles have formed around the pancake's edges and have began to pop, flip the pancake and let the other side get golden brown.
Remove from heat when reached the desired colour, say around 5 minutes.
Dress with margarine, maple syrup and or anything else your tummy desires.
Enjoy!

Minestrone Soup

A great minestrone that anyone can appreciate. This Italian classic is very versatile and can include any of your favourite vegetables, beans or pasta noodles. This recipe goes well with fresh bread or biscuits. But beware, will all these vegetables, this soup is quite filling.

Serves: 8-10

For this batch, we didn't add the extra cup of  water at the end,
but in hindsight, we should have. Also, The pasta continues to
absorb the liquid while in the fridge, so you may have to add
more liquid and a bit more salt and pepper when reheating.
.... Also, we forgot the celery. Woops.

Ingredients

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 large carrot, diced

1 lg celery stalk, diced

1 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1" pieces

1 large red potato, cubed

1 cup fresh (or frozen) green beans, cut into 1" segments 

2 cups roughly chopped kale

1 28oz can diced tomatoes

2 cups tomato purée (if not available, use more broth)

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups boiling water

1 16ox can mixed beans, with liquid

1 1/2 cup large shells, or 1 cup medium shells or other noodles

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. 

Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot and potato.While cooking add the dried spices. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned and quite possibly starting to stick to the bottom of the pot.  

Add tomatoes, tomato purée, broth and half of the water. 

Turn heat to high, stir then bring to a boil. 

Add canned beans, green beans and zucchini and reduce to a simmer. Then, stir in pasta noodles and simmer for an additional 20-30 minutes until all vegetables and noodles are tender. (If the pasta is a bit al dente, its all right,it will continue to cook off the heat.) 

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat. 

Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Broccoli and Potato Soup

This recipe is my all time favourite blended soup from a great vegetarian site, vegangela.com. It consists of ingredients that can commonly be found in the fridge or pantry and can be whipped up in less than 40 minutes.

Serves: 2 large servings, or 4 small

Perfect with sautéed mushrooms & a dollop of vegan sour cream

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups vegetable broth
1 head of broccoli florets (2 cups)
3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/4 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté onions and garlic for 3 minutes.
Add potatoes and broth. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce reduce and simmer until potatoes are cooked, about 15 minutes.
Add broccoli and thyme andcover for 5 minutes, until fully steamed, but still bright.
Purée the soup with a stick blender.
Season with salt and pepper as desired.

Vegan Spinach Dip

     The first spinach dip I don't feel guilty (or sick) after eating! Yippee to one of my favourite holiday dips! I used a firmer tofu the first time I made it, however, a softer tofu, like medium, is ideal for a silkier, more traditional spinach dip. Pumpernickel is an obvious accompaniment but crackers, chips or veg also pair well. 

     And in case you're wondering, meat-eaters love this dip too.

Ingredients

• 1 Package medium or softtofu
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder, low sodium
• 2 tsp basil, dried
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 large or 1 small onion, finely minced
• 15 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 can water chestnuts, chopped
• 1 package (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and drained 

Preparation

1. Drain tofu of all excess liquid and place in large bowl with oil. Use a hand mixer on high or an immersion blender to combine until creamy.
2. Add pepper, bouillon, basil, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, and lemon juice. Mix for 1 minute.
3. Add onion, olives, water chestnuts and mix with a hand mixer or fork (do NOT use immersion blender) until combined.
4. Adjust seasoning as desired.
5. Let cool for at least 2 hours, but the longer, the better.

Oven Fried Rice

My family has been making this recipe for years, not sure why my dad calls it fried rice when its baked but either way, its tasty. An easy version of fried rice, without all the hassle of actually frying the rice. 

This dish is great for potluck. An easy crowd pleaser.

Serves 6-10

Ingredients

1 package onion soup mix
2 finely chopped celery stalks
2 small or 1 large chopped onion
1/2 diced green bell pepper (optional)
1 can mushrooms with liquid
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 cups long grain rice
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 1/4 cups boiling water

Preparation

Mix all ingredients in a roaster pan, adding liquids last. 
Mix, cover and cook for 1 hour at 350 deg. F.
No need to stir while baking. Remove after an hour, let cool a couple of minutes and serve.
Told you this was easy.

Pretzels

These pretzels are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. It's a good thing that this recipe is so easy to make because these pretzels are quite addicting! This recipe is diverse and can be used to make bread sticks or twists and can be stuffed with garlic, herbs or cheese.

Makes approximately 24 medium pretzels
Preheat oven to 425F

Tasty goodness

Ingredients

1 tbsp instant yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups hot tap water
olive oil and course sea salt

Preparation

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all dry ingredients.
Add hot water and knead well, will take about 5 minutes.
Stretch, roll and sculpt into desired shapes.
Place on greased baking sheet or baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Brush olive oil on top of the pretzels and grind or sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake for 12-15 minutes at 425F

Enjoy guys!

Ravioli

Mushroom Ravioli

No time to make fresh pasta for your ravioli? An easy substitute is wonton wrappers. Fill with whatever filling you desire, fold in two or place top wrapper on, wet the edges and seal with your fingers before doing a final decorative seal with a fork. Boil for around 5 minutes, sauce and enjoy.

Best Ever Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Serves: 4-5 dozen cookies
Cooking time: 11-13 minutes
Preheat Oven to 350F

Ingredients

1 cup vegan margarine
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup boiling water
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup chocolate chips

Preparation

Cream together margarine, sugar, vanilla.
Add flour and salt and mix well.
Dissolve baking powder in boiling water and add to mixture. Stir in oats, nuts and chocolate. And mix.
Roll dough into golf ball size balls and flatten with a fork on a baking sheet.
Bake at 350F for approximately 12 minutes.

Vegan Shortbread

Shortbread doesn't need to be made with a pound of butter!
This is a quick and easy vegan recipe, takes barely no time at all and turns out great every time.

Ingredients

• 1 cup margarine (do not used reduced fat margarine)
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/8 tsp salt (or none if you margarine is salted)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the margarine and vanilla until creamy and add the confectioners sugar until well combined. Little by little add the flour and salt until the mixture forms a thick, soft dough.
3. Roll out into 1/4" thick sheet and cut with cookie cutters or roll into balls and depress with your hand until the cookies are 1/4" thick. Transfer to parchment paper.
4. Bake on the middle rack for approximately 15 minutes or until just when sides begin to turn golden (you want minimal colour).
5. Cool completely on wire rack before serving.