Toasted Walnut and Beet Salad

     Beets are one of those vegetables that I don't often get to cook at home (mostly because I'm too lazy to clean them) but that I commonly eat when I am visiting my parents'. I've been in North Bay for just over a week and I think that we've had beetroots five times. So needless to say, we all love beets. 

     Beets are a carb-loaded winter vegetable that can be enjoyed boiled or roasted, hot or cold, plain or dressed. This salad isn't too sweet, and has a lot of zing! and crunch, walnuts are great for crunch.This salad can be made with roasted or boiled beets, it's completely up to you. If you are making a big batch of beets, you can also use plain leftover beets to make this salad.

Serves: 4-8

Ingredients

• 6-8 medium beets, stems and ends removed
• 3/4-1 cup (3 oz) walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp dijon mustard, coarse or smooth
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1. Cook beetroot; while cooking you can prepare steps 3 and 5.
• Roasted: wrap in tinfoil and bake at 400°F for about 60 minutes or until tender.
• Boiled: cook beets in boiling water for about 60 minutes.
2. Let the beets cool, then peel and cut into thick slices.
3. Toast walnuts in the oven at 400°F for about 8 minutes on a baking sheet (or in a pan on low heat for 5 minutes).
4. Slice onions and place in a small bowl to marinate for 10 minutes in the 3 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar.
5. To prepare the dressing, whisk together all other ingredients in a small bowl. 
6. When all ingredients are prepared, mixed together the beets, walnuts, onions (you can also add the leftover vinegar), and the dressing. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve cool or at room temperature along side your favourite main, I served mine with veggie pot pie. 

Vegetable Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is a complete or high-quality protein, possessing all essential amino acids in the proper proportions and it's also a great source of carbohydrates, making this grain-like seed an excellent choice for vegetarians. I've used quinoa many times as a rice substitute in dishes like stir-fry and even in sushi. My most recent quinoa side dish was a warm, vegetable-packed, quinoa salad, which I served with yummy fried okra and tofu. This salad is very light, so it is ideal for the summer and although I initially served it warm, it is also excellent as a cold salad.

I've used red quinoa, but both red and white quinoa cook the same and can be used interchangeably. The instructions might seem a bit long, but really you are just making quinoa and cooking some vegetables. Not that difficult really, I've just tried to line everything out timewise for you.
For those really hot summer days, forget the baking, and barbecue the vegetables! After the vegetables are grilled, cut and toss with the quinoa in the same fashion.

Serves: 8-12 (as a side)

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa
1/2 cup vegetable broth + 1/2 cup water
A pinch of red chili flakes
3 medium cloves garlic
1/2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise
1 portobello mushroom
1 medium yellow pepper (orange or red works too), halved
4-6 spears of asparagus
3 cups kale, de-stemmed and chopped
1 green onion, greens and whites separately chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts (other nuts or seeds can be used)
1/8 cup fresh basil, ribboned
1 tbsp white or red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 tsp sesame oil, divided
1/4 tsp ginger powder
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a medium pot, cover quinoa with cold water, and let soak for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash and cut vegetables. Place garlic (in their husk), quartered zucchini, portabello, yellow pepper halves (center down) and the asparagus spears on a large baking sheet.
Place baking sheet in the oven, set to 400°F and cook until vegetables are tender, up to 30 minutes depending on your oven.

After quinoa has soaked, rinse with cool water using a mesh strainer until the water runs clear. Transfer quinoa back to the pot, and add the 1 cup of liquid, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, a pinch of red chili flakes, the whites of the chopped green onion and a good grind of black pepper.
Put pot on medium heat uncovered. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook covered for 30-35 minutes or until water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, in a medium serving bowl, combine the other 1/2 tsp sesame oil with 1/8 cup of olive oil, the vinegar, the ginger powder, and a bit more pepper. Stir, then add in basil, green onion tops and pine nuts.
As the vegetables are nearing completion, you can take them out of the oven one at a time and begin adding them to the salad.
Remove the garlic first, it can be removed after about 20 minutes if you are ready. Depending on how cooked it is, you can either mash it in the bowl with the olive oil, or if it is more cooked, you can give it a rough chop, then add it to the bowl.
Remove the zucchini and slice about 1/4" thick, add to salad bowl.
Next, remove the pepper from the oven, remove its skin, chop the flesh into small squares, then add to the bowl.
Finally, remove the asparagus and the mushrooms, chop and slice and add to the salad.

After about 30 minutes of cooking, when the quinoa has absorbed all the water, remove the pot from the heat and let steam for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes of steaming fluff up the quinoa and let it cool slightly before transferring it to the salad bowl.

In the quinoa pot or another pan, quickly wilt the kale, by stirring the kale on medium heat until bright green and slightly soft, about 3-5 minutes.
Add kale to the salad bowl. Stir and combine. 
Add the remaining 1/8 cup olive oil to the salad, mix again. 
Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Japanese Sprouted Salad

       I've always enjoyed that mysterious orange dressing that you get at Japanese restaurants. I looked around trying to find some similar recipes, and out of the few I rounded up, I created this yummy salad. Quite a bit more complex than the average sushi restaurant green salad.  This salad uses some of my favourite vegetables and incorporates some lovely sprouts! I've listed below what vegetables I've used to make this particular bowl, but feel free to use whichever vegetables you want. As for the main green, a crunchy lettuce, such as iceberg, as bland as it may be, goes perfectly with this zesty sauce.

Dressing

Makes about 1 1/2 cups of dressing, slightly more than you will need for one head of iceberg

Ingredients

• 1 5-6" piece of ginger root, peeled 
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp white onion
• 1 small clove of garlic or 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1-3 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
• 1/2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste 
• 1 Tbsp honey

Preparation

1. Roughly chop the ginger root.
2. Add all ingredients into a blender or food processor, start with only 1 Tbsp of water, and add more to thin out the dressing if desired. 
3. Blend until smooth.
4. If you add too much water and want to make it a bit thicker, add some more ginger and tomato paste.
5. Taste, add a bit of salt or more soy sauce if needed.
6. Transfer dressing to a mason jar, and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Salad

Ingredients

• 1 head of iceberg lettuce, cut or ripped to size
• Handful of washed fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 cup fresh sprouts
• 5 spears of asparagus, shaved or cut thinly
• 1/4 cucumber, julienned
• 1/2 red pepper, sliced thinly 
• 1 medium carrot, shaved or julienned
• 2-3 green onions, greens chopped
• 
  
• 1 avocado, sliced or cubed
• toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

The first two ingredients in this salad are the most important. The crunch of the iceberg and the fresh citrus notes of the cilantro are a must. As for the rest of the ingredients, feel free to take some creative liberty when dressing your salad. 
Combine first set of ingredients in a bowl and mix. 
Add the avocado before dressing/serving and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top.

This salad is perfect along side a stir fry, some home-made sushi or spring rolls. Yum!

Red Potato Salad

Big fans of garlic here! big fans. The first few times we made this recipe, or a more pungent version, we woke up tasting it. Not exactly the kind of properties you want in a potato salad. No worries, we've scaled it down 3 or 4 cloves :). 

The perfect accompagniment to a burger or
marinated tofu with a side of sautéed greens

If there is one thing I've learned when using raw garlic in cold dishes, it is to let it sit before adding more garlic or serving. As a salad or a sauce sits, the garlic flavours intensifies. So, whenever using raw garlic, taste and season before and after refrigerating. 

By letting the oil, garlic and
herbs sit for a while, the oil
absorbs the flavour of all the
 fresh ingredients, making for
a tastier salad

Ingredients

• 10 medium red potatoes, cut into large chunks 
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp red onion, minced
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs, such as my favourite, thyme
• 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
• 1tsp sea salt* + extra to taste
• 4 Tbsp white wine vinegar 

Preparation

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook potatoes for about 10 minutes, until just cooked. 
2. While potatoes are cooking, in a medium mixing bowl combine 1/4 cup olive oil with garlic, onion, salt and herbs (see picture aside).  PRO TIP: Slice the garlic in half, prior to mincing and remove the very center structure of the garlic. This little nubbin gives the garlic that spicy sulfurous property, and as tasty as it is, it can leave you tasting like garlic for hours.
3. When potatoes are ready, rinse with cold water in a colander then toss in mixing bowl with garlicky mixture. 
4. At this point add the vinegar, and more oil and salt as needed. 
5. Refrigerate until cooled. Adjust seasoning as needed. 
6. Serve and dig in!

* fun fact: Although health Canada has rules that all " table" or household marketed salts need to be iodized, many salts, including, but not limited to, finishing salts and sea salts tend to not be iodized. So, take a look at the labels before you buy your sea salts. Although goitre isn't that common in Canada or the US, those not consuming adequate amounts of iodine, especially the elderly can be at higher risk of mild or moderate iodine deficiency, and thus goitre.  

Creamy vegan Coleslaw

Rich and delicious.  Your friends won't believe you when you tell them that this pretty dish has no animal products in it! I used to make my slaw with green cabbage, but the purple variety is so vibrant, it's hard to resist.

I rushed a bit taking this photo...I was a bit hungry. Would have been much prettier on a white plate. Oh well, tastes the same.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1 medium purple cabbage, chopped (of green)
2 large carrots, grated
4 inches of a leek, cut in half lengthwize then sliced into moons
1 cup vegan mayo
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp sugar (use 1 tsp if you use a green cabbage, purple is a bit sweeter)
2 tbsp pickle juice
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparations

In large bowl, combine and mix all the vegetables
Mix remaining ingredients in a smaller bowl, taste for salt and pepper. If it does't taste galicy enough, hold out on adding more, the flavour intensifies as in sits.
Incorporate dressing with the cabbage and vegetable mixture as desired.
Cover and refrigerate for minimum 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Back to the Basics

There are a few recipes that come in handy a lot in our household, the first being risotto and the second being  good old Caesar salad, vegan style.

There are many vegan caesar dressing recipes that miss the mark out there. They can easily be too liquidy, or sadly just not garlicy enough. This recipe however, is neither. The perfect amount of garlic and salt, this dressing only gets better the longer it waits for you in the fridge.

Vegan Caesar Salad

Ingredients 

In a mason jar combine:

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp soy milk

3-4 Tbsp vegan mayonnaise preferably, but vegan sour cream or cream cheese work too)

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

2 cloves minced garlic 

1/4 tsp salt and fresh ground pepper

Preparation

Shake and or stir to combine. 

Best served on kale with fresh croutons and thinly sliced fried tofu chips*.

To make tofu chips: Thinly slice tofu and fry at medium temp. Drizzle with soy sauce and cover with yeast, and any other desired spices such as pepper, Provençal, or Italian spices.
To make fresh croutons: cube bread, drissle bread with olive oil and sprinkle with spices, salt and pepper. Toast on a low temperature until dried and crouton-ey. 

Risotto Base

Risotto is one of those versatile dishes that can be paired with a variety of vegetables. In the photo above, we had prepared  an acorn squash and kale risotto.  Risotto also pairs well with roasted vegetables, like cauliflower and garlic, pepper and tomatoes or zucchini. Vegetables can be cooked prior cooking the rice or with the rice. Mushroom Risotto is our all time favourite, and one of the most flavourful and easiest risotto dishes (photo below) If you're making mushroom risotto, cut up dried mushrooms and reconstituting them in the broth and pair with fresh fried mushrooms, which can be cooked along side the rice. Its important when preparing the risotto to have a ratio of one part 'goodies' to one part rice, so don't be shy with those mushrooms!

Serves: 2 as a main, 4 as a side

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic, minced 

olive oil to coat

1 1/4 cups vegetable broth

1 3/4 cups hot water, can be added to broth to dilute it

1 onion chopped

1 cup arborio rice

1/4 cup white wine (or water to make harvest rice, which is alcohol free)

About 2 cups vegetables of choice, ie. mixed mushrooms, roasted cauliflower, etc.

Preparation 

In a small sauce pan, heat broth and water to a boil, reduce heat and keep warm.

In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. 
Sauté onion until transparent (~3 min) (if using mushrooms, sauté now for an additional 5 minutes).
Add rice, stirring to coat grains in oil, let toast for around 3 minutes, until slightly transparent, then add wine, stirring until almost no liquid remains.

Add broth to rice, one ladle, or 1/2 cup at a time, while mixing often. When almost no liquid remains, add more broth, and repeat until there is no more broth and the rice is cooked. 
While adding liquid, you may spice your risotto to your liking, we enjoy thyme (at least 2 tsp dry), however, do not add salt and pepper till the near end as to not over salt the dish. 
Cooking the rice should take 18-20 minutes, and should produce creamy but not mushy rice, that still has a bit of a crunch in the middle.

If you desire a creamier product, you may wish to add some soy milk instead of the last 1/2 cup liquid, and vegan cheese, such as Daiya, at the end.

If the risotto sits for two long it may become stiff and less creamy, to avoid this add 1-2 tsp lemon juice at the end of the cooking process.