Archive for January, 2010

Quinoa Tabouli

Published January 31, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Tabouli is a popular Middle Eastern salad. Traditionally, it consists of two main ingredients: parsley and cooked bulgur (a cereal grain made from wheat). I ditched the bulgur and went with quinoa, because everyone loves it and no one can pronounce it… just kidding (sort of), I really used quinoa here because its delicious, nutritious, and I cook with it a lot. In the last kitchen I worked at, we used to make a similar tabouli-type grain salad as a salad topping with leftover quinoa from the day before. I especially like this dish, because it’s pretty versatile and makes lots of leftovers; you can use it as a side or  a main, top green salads with it, stuff it into roasted tomatoes, etc. I ate it alongside some cooked green beans and garlicky roasted sweet potatoes. Although, don’t be fooled by the moderately sized, photogenic portion to the left: my real dinner serving was much more… generous. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa, well rinsed
1½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1/3 cup red onion, minced (if you don’t like raw onions that much, use scallions)
1/2 cup red and/or green bell pepper, diced
1 medium-sized tomato, diced
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1/3 cup dried cranberries*
1½ cups fresh parsley, minced
1/2 cup fresh mint, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup pistachios or walnuts (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Instructions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa and vegetable broth/water. Add a 1/4 teaspoon salt and turn heat to high. Once boiling, immediately turn heat down to low, cover, and let simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and let sit, still covered, for another 15 minutes. Remove lid and fluff with fork. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Place cooked quinoa into a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic, red onion, bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, cranberries, parsley, mint, olive oil, lemon juice, optional nuts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper, to taste. Mix well with a spoon or fork. If needed, season to taste with extra mint, lemon juice, and/or salt.
Serves: 3 or 4 mains, 6 or 7 sides

*For the gluten-free option, make sure the dried cranberries aren’t dusted in flour by the manufacturer to prevent them from sticking.

Sweet Potato Pie

Published January 27, 2010 Uncategorized 3 Comments
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Soul Food! Sweet potato pie is a classic Southern U.S. comfort food. Traditionally, it’s made with a sweet potato mash and a mixture of spices, sugar, milk, and eggs. This veganized version of the classic makes use of the beautiful richness of coconut milk, so I guarantee you won’t be missing out on any flavour!

In my family’s home, pies are usually designated for special occasions: Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, etc. It’s something of a tradition and I imagine it’s similar for many families out there. But, damn, this pie is so good, it needs to be eaten more than every few months or so. Let’s start a new tradition: sweet potato pie Sunday. Why not? Heck, as an ethical vegan, I can’t say I’ve ever had much reverence for conventional traditions anyway!

For the crust:
Ingredients:
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup Earth Balance vegan margarine (one stick)
2 tablespoons water

Instructions:
1. Mix together the flours and salt.
2. Crumble in the Earth Balance, working it in with your fingers until the mixture looks like a bunch of little pebbles. The dough should be able to come together somewhat at this point, but won’t hold.
3. Add water slowly, bit by bit, mixing with fingers. Bring the dough together into a ball, using more water if needed.
4. Flatten the ball and move to clean, lightly floured work space. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into large, thin circle. Place pie crust in a 9-inch pie tray and form the dough to the shape of the tray with your fingers, getting it as even as possible all the way around the edge.

For the filling:
Ingredients:
4 cups sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about two sweet potatoes)
1 teaspoon canola oil
1¼ cups coconut milk
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar
2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon corn starch
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (preferably freshly grated)
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the sweet potato cubes with the canola oil and lay out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Roast for 45 minutes or until soft and beginning to brown.
2. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature up to 400 degrees.
3. In an upright blender, combine the cooked sweet potato, coconut milk, organic cane sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Purée until smooth, stopping every now and then to scrape the sides down and stir if it won’t mix together.
4. Pour and spread the mixture evenly into your pie shell. Pop it into the 400 degree oven and let bake for about 40 to 45 minutes, until the crust is browning and beginning to crisp up
Note: I found that the filling of the pie, while tasty and holding together, was a bit goopy. Although, after cooling to room temperature, and especially after chilling in the fridge, it firmed right up and had a great texture.

Holy Hummus!

Published January 23, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment
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Alright, kids. Vegan living 101: mastering the art of hummus. Every vegan should know how, and love, to make a standard chickpea hummus. Chickpeas, a.k.a. garbanzo beans, are tasty, cheap, and healthful. High in both protein and calcium, this legume is a staple of many plant-based diets. I have yet to meet a vegan who doesn’t love hummus. This recipe is just a basic lemon-garlic hummus. I like mine super lemony, so if you want, start with less lemon juice and add more to taste. I served it with some pita chips. So easy: take some pitas, split them apart into disks, cut them into triangles, put them on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake them at 400 degrees F for about 8 minutes, turning halfway through, until they’re crispy. Voilà!

One important thing about this recipe: use it as a blueprint. Make it as is, or mess around with it. There’s a million different kinds of hummus you can make, all equally as delicious. Try adding things like fresh herbs (basil, mint, cilantro, parsley), toasted walnuts, roasted vegetables (red peppers, eggplants), kalamata olives, avocados, roasted garlic, etc.

Not only is making hummus quick and easy with the help of a blender or food processor, one batch is plentiful and will last about 5 to 7 days in the fridge. I suggest using a blender, because you’ll get a much smoother consistency. If you don’t have either, I’d first say invest in one, but if you’re too broke for even that, you could probably just mash it all up in a big mixing bowl. It might take some elbow grease, and the final product will surely be quite chunky, but the taste should still be there. Also, I used canned beans for this recipe, because they’re easy, but if you’ve got the time, I really suggest using dried beans and cooking them yourself. While they might take a lot longer than opening up a can, depending on how long you soak your dried beans before cooking them, they’re a lot easier to digest and they’re much cheaper than the canned stuff.

So, take this recipe, build on it, and stop wasting your money on grocery store hummus!

Ingredients:
1 19oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic, minced or finely grated
1/4 cup tahini
3 or 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
1. In an upright blender or a food processor, add the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, water, salt, and pepper. Blend until the chickpeas are broken up and everything is starting to come together. In the blender, if it all gets ‘stuck’ and won’t mix together, scrape the sides down and give it a stir a few times before continuing to blend.
2. With the blender or food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Continue to blend until smooth. If needed, season to taste with tiny bit more salt.
Makes: Enough!

Soba Salad with a Spicy Sesame-Tahini Dressing

Published January 19, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment
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So my good friend Anthony (a.k.a. Tony from Welland, Tones, WPT, etc.) brought to my attention that it might be a good idea if I were to feature consecutive recipes that used similar main ingredients. I suppose the practicality of this idea was so that whoever reading the blog would have something else to make with the ingredients that they had previously bought for the prior recipe. Regardless of the fact that Tony is probably the only person who actually makes nearly everything I post on this tiny web space, this seems like a pretty good idea! So Tones, this recipe is for you. And I hope you remember it when, during the aftermath of the nuclear holocaust of 2012 in which every individual is fending for her/himself in a ‘survival of the fittest’ environment, you’re tempted to forcibly overthrow the Corder family compound in order to plunder our increasingly valuable preserves, rations, and ammunition… Love you, Tones!

So yeah, more soba noodles with this one. Truth be told, I wasn’t really overwhelmed with the way this dish turned out. It was pretty good, but I think I set the bar too high in my head, since I had been thinking of doing a soba salad with a tahini-based dressing for a long time. It’s still decent though! Feel free to mess around and add/substract whatever salad toppings you like. I originally wanted to do it with some shelled edamame, but I couldn’t be bothered to drive to Whole Foods after not finding them at the nearest two generic suburban supermarkets… ugh, welcome to suburbia: Whole Foods and Metro/Sobeys. Which is worse? I need to get out of my parents’ house and back into the city. Anyway, I digress. The carrots and red pepper are tasty and add a good crunch, but feel free to add things like avocado, marinated tofu, cooked green beans, toasted nuts or seeds, etc. Also, if you want, double up the tahini dressing recipe and save the other half for future salads. It should hold up in the fridge for about 5 days or so!

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups cooked soba
1 cup snow peas
1/4 cup tahini
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon good quality soy sauce
2 teaspoons agave nectar (or 2 teaspoons organic cane sugar)
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek (or other hot chili sauce)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
Sea salt, to taste
1/3 cup carrot, thinly sliced vertically
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons green onion, sliced
Black and white sesame seeds, garnish (optional)

Instructions:
1. Cook the soba according to package instructions. Drain and run under cold water until chilled.
2. Meanwhile, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the snow peas and quickly blanch for about 5 seconds. Immediately drain and run under cold water. Set aside for later.
2. In a bowl, combine the tahini, water, soy sauce, agave (or sugar), rice vinegar, sambal, sesame oil, and a pinch of salt. Whisk together until well incorporated.
3. In a mixing bowl, toss together the cold soba noodles and tahini dressing. Once well dressed, mix in the snow peas, carrot, red bell pepper, and green onions.
4. Garnish each serving with a bit more green onions and some of the optional sesame seeds.
Makes: 2 to 4 servings

Soba-Miso Soup with Shiitake and Tofu

Published January 16, 2010 Uncategorized 3 Comments
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I was originally going to post this soup back in December of last year. Although, when I first made it, I over-seasoned it and the soup ended up tasting a bit… poisony. But this version is revised and doesn’t taste like poison at all! I swear!

Soba is wonderful. They’re thin Japanese buckwheat noodles, often served chilled with a sauce or dressing. As I’ve probably mentioned before, noodles are a big comfort food for me, so this warming miso noodle soup is perfect during the cold winter days. Speaking of noodle soups, the other night my friend Rick and I ate at this new vegan Vietnamese restaurant called White Lotus, where we shared a big bowl of veggie ‘beef’ pho and a couple other great dishes. Fresh basil, mint, lime juice, pickled carrot and daikon; so many bright flavours! I had never really tried Vietnamese food before and it was delicious! I highly recommend White Lotus to anyone in/around the Toronto area.

There’s one more thing I’d like to explain about this recipe that pertains to the important realm of nutrition. As part of the base of the soup, I use a type of kelp called kombu, which is a Japanese sea vegetable that has been around for centuries as a health food throughout Asia. Kombu kelp is sun dried and comes in packages of long strips. You’ll be able to find this seaweed in most health food stores.* Incorporating sea vegetables (a.k.a. seaweed/algae)  into your diet is definitely a good idea, and certainly something I, myself, should be doing more of. Since they come from the ocean, sea vegetables contain a very wide range of dietary minerals. Iodine, calcium, magnesium, and iron: seaweed’s got it all! Also, they’re a good source of the B vitamins folate, riboflavin, and pantothenic acid. Other popular types of edible seaweed include nori (sushi!), hijiki, wakame, and spirulina. For further information on sea vegetables (including usage information and ideas), and to see the source from which I found most of the above information, click here!

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon ginger, grated or minced
1/4 cup carrot, thinly sliced
6 or 7 Shiitake mushrooms, woody stems removed and thinly sliced
2 cups low-sodium or homemade vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 7″ piece of kombu
4 oz. extra-firm tofu (about 1/4 package), cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon miso
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 1/2 cup cooked soba noodles**
Sea salt, to taste
Green onions, chopped, to taste

Instructions:
1. Cook soba noodles in a large pot according to package instructions. In a strainer, drain and run under cold water to stop noodles from cooking any more. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add ginger, carrot, and Shiitake. Sauté for 2 or 3 minutes until fragrant. Add a touch of water if it’s sticking too much.
3. Add the vegetable stock, water, kombu, tofu, and soy sauce. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately turn heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove and discard the kombu.
4. Add the miso and stir through for about 30 seconds to a minute until dissolved into broth.
5. Add the sesame oil and soba noodles, stir through and let simmer for about 1 more minute until the noodles are just heated through. Season to taste with a tiny pinch of salt, if needed.
6. Serve in bowls and add green onions to taste.
Serves: 3 to 4

*You can also find kombu at pretty much any Whole Foods, but like, get it from a local health food store if you’ve got one in your local area, will ya?!
**To make this recipe gluten-free, be sure to use either soba that is made entirely of buckwheat flour (which can be expensive and hard to find), or substitute another gluten-free noodle in its place. In fact, a thin rice noodle would work great with this recipe. Also, obviously, make sure that your soy sauce and miso is gluten-free.

Peanut Butter Shortbread

Published January 13, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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So about a month and a half ago, I was drinking some beers and catching up with my old friend, Brannek. I was telling him that I really wanted to start a cooking blog, since I had been in the habit of writing my recipes down over the last year or so and just really wanted to get them out there to share with people. I was explaining the kind of layout I wanted, the varied types of dishes I wanted to put up, and the frequency with which I hoped to post at. He mentioned that it would be a really good idea if I focused on making a lot of quick and simple recipes that would be easy to make for people who don’t cook that much. I told him that I could understand where he was coming from, and that I had certainly planned on including a fair amount of good simple recipes, but that a lot of my cooking wasn’t always necessarily quick. And by ‘quick,’ I mean less than 30 to 40 minutes of preparing and cooking from scratch. He mentioned that he really didn’t care to spend more than 20 minutes tops in the kitchen. Fair enough. I proceeded to ask him what kinds of foods he likes or usually finds himself cooking/eating. He looked at me and said, “I like peanut butter… and I like cookies. That’s it.”

Alright, Brannek, these ones are for you… minus baking time, I’m sure you won’t be in the kitchen much longer than 20, buddy!

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup Earth Balance, room temperature**
1/2 cup organic cane sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons natural peanut butter
Unsalted peanuts, to top cookies

Instructions:
1. In a large bowl, mix together both the flours and the salt.
2. Place the softened, room temperature Earth Balance into another mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for about 30 seconds until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and beat again until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter and whip for another 30 seconds. Using either your hands or a wooden spoon, fold the Earth balance, sugar and peanut butter mixture into the flour mixture and mix until well incorporated and doughy.
2. Flatten the dough on the bottom of the mixing bowl as much as possible and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farhenheit. Form the dough into small golf ball size balls and flatten into a cookie. Lay them out on a very lightly oiled baking tray and top with peanuts. Bake for about 15 minutes, until golden brown.
Makes: 18 to 20 cookies

**You might be able to try another vegan margarine, but I highly recommend picking up Earth Balance. While it’s still a processed oil, which  obviously makes it not optimally healthy (in large quantities), it’s non-hydrogenated and uses non-GMO soy beans and canola seeds. It’s the only margarine I touch, for sure.

You can buy Earth Balance in a little tub like most margarines, but it also comes in stick form. The sticks are great, because in a package of 4, each stick measures a 1/2 cup, making especially good for any cooking or baking recipe in which you need to substitute for butter. You can buy them at Whole Foods or probably most smaller health food stores. If you’re in Toronto, go to Panacea, because they’re vegan and they rule.

Vegetable and Tofu Potstickers with a Spicy Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce

Published January 10, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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At the last kitchen I worked at, we’d frequently call up the dishwasher while he was on his way to work and tell him to pick us up some mixed veg Chinese dumplings from a place on Dundas and Spadina simply called ‘The Dumpling House.’ Well, either dumplings or some curried chickpea doubles from a West Indian bakery in Kensington. Whatever we were in the mood for. I kind of miss that workplace… Even if I did cut the tip of my thumb off there. But that’s a story for another time (ask me in person some time, I like telling it). Anyway, those were great dumplings. These potstickers are my attempt at loosely recreating those tasty treats.

‘Potsticker’ refers to the method in which the dumplings (or gyoza) are cooked. I like the potsticker method for two reasons: 1) they combine the best of the steamed and pan-fried versions in one method of cooking, and 2) they’re really, really fun to make. This recipe is fairly labour intensive when you factor in the time it takes to wrap each dumpling. Although, considering that we’re using pre-made wonton wrappers as opposed to making our own dough, it’s not that bad. Anyway, it’s totally worth the time. Invite some friends and/or loved ones over and have dumpling party! I know that’s what I’d do! Also, the dumpling filling for this recipe is pretty versatile. I mean, you could just as easily make spring rolls with it… or even throw it on top of some rice or noodles for a tasty meal in a bowl.

Ingredients:
Canola oil
5 oz. extra-firm tofu, crumbled (about half a package)
1/2 medium onion, diced
1″ cube ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 fresh shiitake mushroom caps, cleaned and minced
1 medium carrot, peeled and minced
1/2 stalk celery, minced
1 cup cabbage, shredded and minced
1 cup bean sprouts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 tsp miso
1/4 teaspoon sambal oelek (or your own favourite hot chili sauce)
1/4 cup low-sodium or homemade vegetable stock
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
18 to 20 round wonton or gyoza wrappers

Instructions:
1. Heat 1 teaspoon of canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tofu and sauté for about 8 minutes, stirring often, until golden and slightly crispy. Remove from skillet and set aside.
2. In another large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of canola oil over medium heat. Add the onion, ginger, garlic, and shiitake mushrooms. Sauté for 4 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the carrot, celery, and shredded cabbage. Sauté for another 4 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add the bean sprouts, reserved tofu, soy sauce, miso, sambal oelek, vegetable broth, and black pepper to taste. Cook for another 3 minutes or so, until the vegetable broth has reduced a bit. Season to taste with a pinch of sea salt, if needed.
5. Remove skillet from heat and let the mixture cool for a about 10 minutes. Put about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of the wrapper and, using your finger, wet the edges with a bit of water from the bowl. Fold the wrapper in half and seal around the edges, making sure you push out all the air. Pinch the edges over to make creases. Or, you could just watch this video for a good, straight forward explanation (albeit not vegan) on how to wrap a dumpling. Yeah, do that. But, don’t make non-vegan dumplings… I’ll know.
6. Heat a tiny bit of canola oil in a non-stick skillet over medium/medium-high heat. Once hot, add about 7 or 8 dumplings (arranged like in the picture at the bottom). Cook for a few minutes, until the bottom is nice and crispy brown. You can lift them a bit while cooking to peek at how brown the bottom is getting, so as not to burn them.
7. Once the bottoms are crispy, add about 1/2 cup of warm water to the pan and turn the heat up to high. Cover with a lid right away. Let the water boil away for about 5 or 6 minutes. Remove lid. Turn heat down to medium and if there’s still a bit of water hanging out in the pan, just let it boil away.
8. When the pan is totally dry, slide them out and serve with the dipping sauce below. If done correctly and the dumplings were sealed properly without any air pockets, they should look like shrink wrapped little packages.
Makes: about 18 to 20 dumplings


For the Spicy Ginger-Soy Dipping Sauce:
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon good quality soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon organic cane sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek
1/4 teaspoon ginger, freshly grated or finely minced

Instructions:
1. Whisk together until sugar is dissolved.

Simple Pasta Primavera

Published January 8, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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Some of the first dishes I learned to cook with any amount of efficiency were simple stir frys (or is it stir fries? Whatever). I still stir fry a lot, and this pasta primavera is a sort of a reflection of that habit. While it’s not exactly a stir fry in the traditional sense (ie. not in a wok, and doesn’t involve as much stirring), it’s similar. A primavera is an Italian pasta dish that focuses on fresh vegetables and aromatic herbs. I used fresh thyme for this one, which is fairly predictable, seeming as a I put fresh thyme in nearly everything. Note to self: grow thyme this spring.

I like this dish, because it’s tasty and simple. And because noodles are one of my big comfort foods. The photo looks a little blah (I probably should have used red bell peppers for some more colour), but the flavours are good!

Ingredients:
Whole wheat spaghetti, cooked, enough for 1 or 2
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 shallot, sliced (or 1/4 cup diced onion)
1 or 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup green, yellow, and/or red bell pepper, diced
1 medium-sized potato, peeled and diced (I used a Yukon Gold)
1/2 tomato, diced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced (alternatively use 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
2 tablespoons white wine
Water
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Chopped fresh parsley, to taste (optional)

Instructions:
1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set cooked pasta aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, sauté for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring often.
3. Add the bell peppers and potato, cover skillet with a lid and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes. Lift the lid to stir every minute or so.
4. Add the tomato, a good pinch of salt and pepper, fresh thyme, white wine, and a tablespoon of water. Cover again and let cook for another minute or so, until the diced potatoes are fork tender and cooked through.
5. Add the lemon juice and season to taste with more salt and pepper, if needed. Toss in the pasta and optional parsley and mix well before serving. Garnish with a little more fresh parsley.
Serves: 1 or 2.

Roasted Pear and Butternut Squash Quinoa Salad

Published January 6, 2010 Uncategorized 1 Comment
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Alright, so if you’re not into quinoa, get into it now! This whole grain is simple, quick, delicious, and really good for you. Quinoa has been around forever in parts of South America, where it originated. It’s become super popular more recently in North America, mostly because of its health benefits. Not only is it higher in protein than most whole grains, its also a complete protein source because of its balance of essential amino acids… well, that’s what Wikipedia says anyway. Whatever, I trust them… the internet never lies!

When preparing quinoa, make sure you rinse the uncooked grains very well under running water for a few minutes, preferably in a very fine metal strainer (thrifty chefs see: the dollar store). Quinoa grains have a slightly bitter coating and taste a lot better cooked when most of the bitter part is washed off.

This quinoa dish was the other salad that I served along with the candied pecan and apple salad at a party earlier last week. After I mentioned it in another blog entry, a few people asked for the recipe. So here it is, friends!

Oh, I should also point out that I was inspired by a similar recipe at the awesome blog, FatFree Vegan, so I can’t really take full credit for this recipe!

Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh thyme leaves, minced
2 Bosc pears, peeled and cubed
2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 shallots, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 1/2 cup low sodium or homemade vegetable broth or water (if not using homemade broth, I swear by the low sodium organic one from Imagine)
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted in a skillet over medium heat (about 5 minutes)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, toss the pear and butternut squash with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, and a few turns from your pepper mill. Roast for 35 minutes, turning about halfway through the cooking time. Add a couple good pinches of the minced fresh thyme and roast for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium/medium-low heat. Add shallots and garlic. Sauté for about 3 or 4 minutes, stirring often, until shallots are softening and garlic is fragrant (add a tablespoon or so of water if it begins to stick).
3. Add quinoa, 1 tablespoon of the minced fresh thyme, and big pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Sauté for another 2 or 3 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add vegetable broth or water, turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, immediately turn heat to low, cover saucepan, and let simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit with the lid still on for another 10 minutes. Uncover, fluff gently with a fork and let cool for about 10 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, gently toss together the cooked quinoa, pear, butternut squash, parsley, lemon juice, pine nuts, 1/4 teaspoon more minced fresh thyme, and tiny drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste with bit more sea salt and black pepper.
Serves: 3 to 5

Candied Pecan and Apple Salad with a Simple Dijon Vinaigrette

Published January 4, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
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I made this salad for a party at my friend’s house last Tuesday, which I blogged about a few days ago. I loved the sweet and salty roasted pecans so much that I’d definitely serve them on their own as an easy snack sometime in the future. If I were to make this salad again, I probably would have used all Granny Smith green apples, because I really liked their tartness with the sweetness of the pecans. Mmmmmm. Regardless of what Homer had to say, you can win friends with salad!

My dad, the designated wine guy for the blog, says that a good wine pairing for this salad would be either a glass of Jackson-Triggs’ Sparkling Chardonnay Brut or their 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay. All wines are certified vegan-friendly according to the database over at Barnivore.com!

For the Dijon vinaigrette:
1/2 heaping teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon organic cane sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
2. Add the olive oil and whisk until emulsified.

For the salad:
1 cup raw pecans
1/3 cup pure maple syrup (don’t you dare use generic table syrup)
Sea salt
5 oz. package (142 grams) of mixed greens (I used a mix with radicchio and frisée for a nice crisp texture)
2 apples, cut into thin strips (I used one Royal Gala and one Granny Smith)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup dried apricots, thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced diagonally
1/8 cup red onion, very thinly sliced

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the pecans with the maple syrup. Spread onto a baking tray lined with aluminum foil and throw into the oven for about 16 minutes, until the nuts smell nice and roasted, but not burnt. Make sure to turn them after about 8 minutes.
3. Once the pecans are roasted, remove from oven and sprinkle evenly with a tiny pinch of sea salt. Let cool and peel off of the aluminum foil. They might stick a bit, but you should be able to get them all off!
4. In a large salad bowl, combine the cooled candied pecans with the mixed greens, apples, fresh mint, dried apricots, celery, red onion, and the Dijon vinaigrette. Delicately mix together with both your hands, without letting all the heavier ingredients sink to the bottom! Season each plated serving with another tiny pinch of sea salt.
Serves: 3 to 5

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My name is Ross. I'm a food loving vegan and these are some of my recipes. I'm also the owner of Hot Beans vegan takeout in Kensington Market, Toronto. Check out my 'about' page for more info. Enjoy!

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All images and recipes (unless otherwise noted) Copyright © Ross Corder and Vegan Eats Blog, 2009-2012. All rights reserved. Please do not re-post or otherwise duplicate without permission. Thanks! Also, the "gluten-free" recipe tag is meant primarily for cataloging purposes and does not necessarily ensure that the recipe is completely gluten-free. Be careful to read the labels of any pre-packaged products to ensure that they are indeed gluten-free!
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