Black Quinoa and Cremini Collard Rolls with Tahina Dipping Sauce

     While I was at my parents house over the holidays, I had quite a few opportunities to experiment in the kitchen. I pretty much spent my entire two week vacation in the kitchen, which is exactly what I like to do on my time off. I had been thinking up this recipe for quite some time and knew it would be perfect for hors d'oeuvre for either Christmas eve or New Years eve. More an hors d'oeuvre than an appetizer, these finger sized rolls can be eaten with your fingers with a glass of wine in your other hand while chatting with friends and family. 

     This is a two part recipe, first the rolls and then the dipping sauce. When conceptualizing the rolls, I wanted something that would be fresh but nutty. For the freshness I used lemon. There's lemon everywhere in this dish: in the rolls, on top of the rolls and in the sauce, without being too lemony. As for the nuttyness, I chose a dark quinoa. I chose black quinoa, but any quinoa would work in this dish. Collard greens are a great vessel for these small rolls. Unlike cabbage rolls, collard greens are easy to manipulate when rolling and tend to stick to themselves after they are blanched. All of this results in a sturdy roll that can be dipped in tahina for a tasty treat.

     Tahina (salatit tahina) is a Middle eastern sauce of tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon and water, and sometimes garlic (though not included in my recipe below). If tahini is new to you, you can usually locate it in the ethnic food sections of larger grocery stores and even in the canned goods section of some dollarstores. Tahina complements these rolls perfectly, so don't neglect it. The rolls really aren't the same by themselves. If you take a look at the measurements for the dip below, you'll notice they aren't that exact. Truth behold, every brand of tahini is different, it might be thicker or oilier, and depending on these properties you may need more or less water, and the proportion of salt and lemon juice will need to be adjusted accordingly. Just taste as you go, and once it is a good consistency, adjust to your tastes. This dip is very versatile, and can be further watered down to create a tasty salad dressing.

Serves: 8-12 (2 servings each) to 16-24 (1 serving each)

Ingredients

Quinoa and Cremini Collard Rolls

• 1 medium bunch of collard greens (large leafs) (alternatively, use swiss chard if you cannot find collards)
• 1/2 cup black quinoa, or red if black is not available
• 8 oz cremini or white mushrooms* 
• 1 large white onion
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 juiced, about 1 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 sliced, put aside for later
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley or 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley
• 1/8 tsp each of salt and pepper

*Try and use as many cremini mushrooms as possibly as they have a more robust flavour than the white button mushrooms, I only used white buttons when I photographed the recipe because we had run out of our creminis.

Tahina Dip (Salatit Tahina)

• 1/3 cup tahini
• ~1/3 cup water
• 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
• ~1/4 tsp salt or to taste
• A quick grind of black pepper to garnish

Preparation

1. Put a large pot of water on the stove top, cover, and bring to a boil. While its heating up, wash your collards. Once the water is boiling, put the collard greens (stem still in) in the boiling water, and blanch for about 3 minutes or until the leaves are a rich green. 
2. Meanwhile, prepare a large metal or plastic mixing bowl with cold water, you can add ice to make it colder if you can't get the temperature down enough. After 3 minutes remove the collards and submerge in the ice bath to cool them down so that they are cool enough to handle. Lay out the leaves in a single layer between two tea towels to dry.
3. In a large microwaveable soup bowl combine 1/2 cup quinoa with 1 cup of water. Seal closed the bowl with plastic wrap and then microwave at 60% for 8 minutes, then stir, then microwave for another 5 minutes, this time at 100%. Remove from the microwave, if any water remains, microwave for additional minutes, one at a time at 100%, until all the water is absorbed. Alternatively you can cook your quinoa on the stove top as per manufacturers instructions. Let cool.
4. While your quinoa is in the microwave, wash you mushrooms with a damp cloth. Cut the stems off your mushrooms and discard the waste from your onion. The mushrooms and onion can then be given a fine chop, or rough mince. You can do this by hand or you can do this in a food processor (so much easier, I love my food processor), on a medium speed in pulses. 
5. Heat up a large pan with olive oil and sauté the onion and mushrooms, until the water has been released and evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Mix quinoa, mushroom and onion mixture, lemon juice, and spices. This will be your filling. 
7. Cut the vein out of the collard greens, cutting the large leaves in half so that you have two leaf-segments to use for the collard rolls.
8. Place one heaping tablespoon in the center of the leaf, fold in the two sides and roll like a burrito, making sure to keep it all tight.
9. Place the rolls in a 9" x 9" pyrex dish, pack tightly, seam down so that the rolls don't unroll, until they are cooked (they are still a bit fragile).
10. Place the sliced lemons on top of the rolls (if you are refrigerating, wait till you are about to put the dish in the oven to put the lemons on) and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 25 minutes or until the rolls are hot and steamy. 
11. Meanwhile prepare the tahina, by shaking (or whisking vigorously) together the tahini and the water, start with only 1/4 cup water and add more as you go. If your tahini is loose, you may not need to add all the water. Mix in the lemon and salt, add more to your liking. 
12. Serve the rolls warm next to a bowl of tahina and enjoy with friends or family.

Meaty Vegan Veggie Burgers

Good news: Spring has finally arrived! All this sunshine and fresh air means that we can break out the barbecue and grill up some delicious veggie burgers. Veggie burgers can cost you an arm and a leg. A pack of four can cost you upwards of 8$, and at that price a student can't afford to eat burgers that often (which is really sad). So earlier this year I started working on a no-fail burger recipe that is sure to please.

Cheese burger topped with sautéed onions and mushrooms with alfalfa sprouts, pickle and tomato,
served on a homemade multigrain bun with a side of Kale Caesar Salad 

Lots of veggie burger recipes are temperamental, and can't be grilled because they just fall to pieces. The trick is using vital wheat gluten (Sorry gluten-free-ers). Vital wheat gluten is the protein from wheat, containing 75% protein. This product is used to improve the texture of breads, as well create many imitation meat products. If you are looking to buy this product for the first time, it is commonly found at health food stores like Bulk Barn or at higher end grocery stores in the health foods section (try Bob's Red Mill vital wheat gluten). This product seems pretty expensive, but you have to compare it back to those pre-made varieties. It's worth it, trust me.

My burgers are always topped with a crazy amount of home-grown sprouts. This bad boy is on a homemade pretzel bun, served with a side slaw.

In addition to the wheat gluten, this burger also has textured vegetable protein (TVP) ("You're vegan? How on earth are you getting your protein?" hehe) and lentils (because I love lentils), but if you want a really meaty texture, or what to try and trick your friends or family into eating a veggie burger, use all TVP.

Need an idea for a side dish? Try some of my favourite side dishes to pair with burgers:
- Creamy Vegan Coleslaw
- Kale Caesar Salad
- Vegetable Quinoa Salad or
- a delicious Potato Salad

Serves: 8 full size burgers or about 18 sliders

Ingredients

1/2 cup dry TVP
1/3 cup raw red lentils
1 cup boiling water
1 cup hot vegetable broth
1/8 cup ketchup (low sodium)
1/8 cup vegan Worcestershire sauce 
1 tsp. smoked paprika (or alternatively regular paprika)
Scant 1 tsp onion powder
Scant 1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp coriander
1/8 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
Hot sauce or sriracha, optional
1 small white onion, finely chopped
4-5 crimini mushrooms or 1 medium portobello, finely chopped
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup whole wheat or white flour
1 cup vital wheat gluten
Up to 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, panko or crushed saltine crackers

Barbecue sauce

Combine: 1/4 cup ketchup, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp molasses, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and chipotle hot sauce or chipotle powder (or hot sauce and smoked paprika) to taste.

Your patty mixture should be a heavy, moist dough.

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a large baking tray with a silicone baking sheet or parchment paper, lightly oil.
In a large bowl, pour hot liquid over dry TVP and red lentils, cover with plastic wrap and let soften for 10 minutes. 
Add the remainder of the ingredients, except the flour,vital wheat gluten and bread crumbs, and mix to combine. 
Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. At this point the flavours will be more intense than the final burgers because you haven't added the unseasoned flour and wheat gluten yet.
Stir in the flour and vital wheat gluten. 
You should have a wet dough, with very little to no liquid at the bottom of the bowl. If there is excess liquid, you can add up to 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. (Alternatively, you can coat the outside of your burgers with the bread crumbs)
Form the dough into patties, place on the lined pan, and cover with aluminum foil. 

Ready for the oven!

Bake covered for 30 minutes for full-sized burgers, or 20 minutes for slider-sized patties.
At this point, either turn the patties, baste with barbecue sauce and bake for 15 more minutes uncovered (or 10 for smaller patties), or grill on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes per side*.

*That initial bake is going to make sure that your burgers don't fall apart on the grill. If you are going to grill your burgers, I suggest you baste the burger with olive oil before you stick it on the grill, and then you can add BBQ sauce after you flip if using.

King Oyster Mushroom "Scallops"

I can't remember the last time I ate a scallop. Probably before highschool. But I do remember the last time I had king oyster mushrooms. 
These mushrooms vary in size, but they usually dwarf all other mushrooms in the market, maybe not portabello. Unlike portabello, though, these mushrooms are all stem with very little cap. All the better for making vegan scallops with!
I've done a simple preparation here, but the next time I make them I'll definitely be wrapping them with tempeh or eggplant facon. 

Serves: 2-4

King oyster mushroom "scallops" with garlic spinach, pan fried dumplings and a side of rice.

Ingredients

4 king oyster mushrooms
4 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp miso (scant) or alternatively a couple tsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Thai basil or other fresh herbs, chopped or ribboned (optional)

Preparation

Trim the ends off the mushrooms, then cut into 3/4"-1" disks. Set aside in tupperwear.
In a small bowl whisk together miso and white wine until smooth.
Poor the marinade over the mushrooms. Close the container and shake to coat the mushrooms. Let marinate for 10 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
In a large frying pan, heat olive oil on medium.
When up to temperature, place the oyster mushroom disks face down in the pan. 
Let sear for about 5 minutes per side until both faces are golden brown.
(When you flip them, additional water may be released for the mushrooms. This is okay, the liquid will cook off as you sear your mushrooms.)
Taste, and season with salt and pepper.
When golden brown on both sides, remove mushrooms from heat.
Plate and garnish with chopped basil.

Enjoy as an appetiser or as a side, or you can toss them into a stir fry or pasta dish.

Veggie Pot Pie

Veggie pot pie is one of my favourite go-to recipes for every holiday: christmas, thanksgiving, easter, So I thought it was about time to share with the world my delicious pie recipe. It's a veggie pot pie, stuffed with all the classics: potatoes, carrots, tofu, mushrooms, greens... Delicious.
I've featured this pie at at many holidays and everyone enjoys it, vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Serves: 4-8

Ingredients

Pie Crust

• 2 1/2 cups white flour (you can use a bit of whole wheat if you like)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
• 3/4 cup cold margarine, cut into cubes
• 1/4-1/2 cup ice water

Pie

• 1 block of firm or extra firm tofu*, rinsed, patted dry and cubed
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, diluted with 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp olive oil to pan fry
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp thyme

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup, or 2 medium-small onions, diced
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup, or 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 1 cup, or 2 medium-large carrots, diced
• 1 cup, or 3 medium potatoes, diced
• 8-10 sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped kale, spinach, green cabbage or napa cabbage
• 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/8-1/4 cup water
• 1 cup frozen or fresh green peas

*To get a more "chicken-like" texture, try cutting the tofu the night before, then thawing it in the morning

Gravy

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp oregano and/or thyme
• 1/4 freshly ground pepper, or to taste

Preparation

Pie Crust

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt.
2. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture then add the cubed margarine and mix until you get a crumbly mixture, like a coarse corn meal.
3. Slowly incorporate the ice water, until the mixture comes together as a dough. Start with a quarter cup and only add more if the dough is too dry.
4. Form the dough into a ball, then cut into two halves, one roughly larger than the other.
5. With plastic wrap, cover each ball and refrigerate until you are prepared to start filling the pie, at least 20 minutes.

Pie

1. In a vary large pan or wok, coat with the olive oil and heat on medium.
2. Drizzle the soy sauce mixture over the cut tofu, then add it to the pan.
3. Fry the tofu, rotating it to so that most sides of the cubes are golden brown.
4. In a medium bowl, mix nutritional yeast, flour, garlic powder and thyme.
5. When the tofu is cooked, coat it in the mixture and set aside. Whatever doesn't stick to the tofu can be added the gravy later.
6. In the same pan you used for the tofu, sauté onions, garlic and celery in the olive oil until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
7. Add the carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes before adding the cabbage or greens.
8. Add the soy sauce and water to the mixture, cover and steam until all the veggies are al dente, about 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile you can start the gravy (see below).
9. Add the tofu and peas to the veggie mix and combine, then remove it from the heat.

Gravy

1. In a small pot or sauce pan, toast the nutritional yeast and flour until aromatic.
2. Add the olive oil and whisk until smooth.
3. Slowly incorporate the water into the gravy, stirring until thickened.
4. Stir in the soy sauce and seasoning.
5. Remove from heat

1. Roll out the larger portion of the dough onto a floured surface to about an 1/8". Place the dough in a 9" pie plate, leaving edges uncut.
2. Mix the gravy in with the vegetable-tofu mixture, then pour onto the bottom pie dough, it will be heaping.
3. Roll out the rest of the dough large enough to cover your pie.
4. Roll the pastry onto the pie, and curl up the edges, crimping them with a fork or your fingers, removing any excess dough.
5. Prick the top with a fork or knife.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, uncovered, until the top is golden.
7. Let the pot pie cool 10 minutes before cutting into it.

Serve with your favourite fall or winter side dishes and enjoy!

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.