Panzenella with capers, artichokes and olives

This country style salad is bright, flavourful and hearty. Pair it with soup for a simple meal, or make a big bowl of it and bring it to your next potluck!

If using fresh bread, toss the salad right before serving so it doesn't get soggy!

 Ingredients

For salad:

2 tomatoes (Use organic for best results. I used two straight from my garden!)
1/2 cucumber
1/2 cup olives
1/3 cup capers
1 small jar artichokes, marinated in olive oil
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil chiffonade
1/2 loaf or 2 cups ciabatta bread, roughly torn. (Use day old bread for best results, and double check with the bakery that it's vegan as some places use milk or butter.)

For dressing:
5 shallots minced
1/3 cup balsamic
3/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp rosemary, minced

Directions

1) Chop tomatoes and remove seeds.
2) Dice cucumbers, removing seeds if they are particularly wet
3) Roughly chop the artichoke hearts

A gorgeous vegan mise en place!

4) Mix tomatoes, cucumber, red and green onions, capers, artichokes and olives in a large bowl.

5) To make vinaigrette, place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk briskly until combined.

6) Toss bread with vegetables and vinaigrette. Serve and garnish each salad with a pinch of the basil chiffonade.

Crispy Baked Chick'n Strips

These crisp and tender strips are healthy and delicious, and also cruelty free. I tried them out with my partner and his 2 1/2 year old son, and they were hit!

Baked Chick'n Strips, with agave mustard dipping sauce

Ingredients:

For Strips:

• 2 cups tvp chunks (texturized vegetable protein, available in most health food stores)
• 2 cups water or vegetable broth
• 1 cup white kidney beans
• 3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp. garlic, minced
• 1tbsp. miso paste
• 1 tbsp. Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp. dried poultry seasoning

For Breading:

• 1 cup almond or soy milk
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (you can substitute normal breadcrumbs, just make sure there is no egg or milk in it)

For Mustard Agave Dipping Sauce

• 2 tbp yellow mustard
• 1 1/2 tbsp agave nectar
• 1 tbsp veganaise

Directions:
1) Soak tvp chunks in hot water for about an hour, or until tender. Drain and reserve soaking liquid.

2) Place tvp, beans, , 3 tbsp. panko, garlic, miso, mustard and poultry seasoning in food processor. Blend til combined. If mix is too dry, add some of the soaking liquid reserved from the tvp. If mix is too wet, add more breadcrumbs. The mixture should be thick and substantial.

3) Place mixture in a bowl and put in freezer for 20 minutes or so, to allow it to firm up.

4) Place almond milk in one bowl, and the panko in another bowl. Take out tvp mixture and prepare to make the strips.

 When breading the strips, keep one hand 'wet' and one hand 'dry'. It will save you a big mess!

5) Take out a large baking sheet, cover with tinfoil, and grease with vegetable oil. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

6) Take a chunk of tvp mixture and quickly roll into a strip. Careful not to handle it too much.

7) Dunk into almond milk and then immediately place in panko. Cover with breadcrumbs and shape into a nice strip shape.

8) Place on baking sheet. Continue preparing the strips until all the tvp mixture is gone.

9) Bake the strips for 10 minutes.

10) While the strips are baking, prepare the mustard agave sauce. Mix mustard, agave and veganaise in a bowl and stir to combine.

 11) After the strip have cooked for 10 minute, flip then gently so they crisp on both side. Continue cooking for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until they are firm and golden brown.

12) Serve with agave mustard sauce and enjoy!



* Chef's Note: TVP often comes dried, so you will need to reconstitute it by soaking with hot water for about an hour. You can also leave to soak overnight. You can add extra flavor by soaking in a broth instead of plain water. If chunks are not available, you can also use the tvp flakes, which are smaller and reconstitute faster. Use these if you are in a time crunch.

These crispy, tender strips are kid approved!

Random dinner photo #1 - Asian fusion noodle bowl

I had a few odds and ends lying about the fridge, so I decided to use them up in this lovely asian fusion noodle bowl!


No recipe needed. Udon noodles, tofu, soy bean sprouts, pickled cucumber, marinated beam curd, pickled garlic stems, peas and fresh basil. Drizzle with miso broth, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and Korean chili paste.

Yum :)

Rosemary Garlic Artisan Bread Braid, filled with Mediterranean Eggplant Dip

This is a real show stopper! If you want to impress your guests with your artisan bread making skills, this will surely do the trick. This woven-loaf features rustic rosemary-garlic bread, filled with a creamy Mediterranean eggplant dip. The bread is crusty on the outside and chewy and moist in the middle.

Cut hearty, thick slices to take for lunch, or enjoy with a crisp salad for a light summer supper!

Ingredients

2 packages quick rise yeast ( Roughly 4 1/2 tsp)

1 tbsp. organic cane sugar

1 1/2 cup warm water

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp ground flax seed

2 1/2 cups unbleached organic flour

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup garlic cloves, chopped in half (Chop smaller if you dislike large amounts of garlic)

2 tbsp chopped rosemary

3 tbsp olive oil

3 fresh basil leaves (optional)

Special equipment- Stand mixer. If you don't have a stand mixer you can knead by hand.

Directions

1) Place water, sugar, and yeast in the stand mixer bowl. Stir gently and let rest for a few minutes.

2) In another bowl, mix together salt, 3 cups of the flour (reserve 1/2 cup), flax seed, rosemary and garlic.

Run away to Italy with the flavors of rosemary and garlic!





3) Mix the flour mixture with the yeast mixture until combined. Switch to the dough hook attachment.

4) Mix for 7 minutes, until the dough is soft and smooth. (If kneading by hand this could take longer). Add the remaining 1/2 cup of flour gradually until it is all incorporated.

5) Place into a large bowl, greased with olive oil. Cover with a damp towel.

6) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

7) Microwave dough for 25 seconds, then let it rest for 5 minutes.

8) Microwave for 25 seconds, then let rest for 10 to 15 minutes (or until dough has doubled).



Make sure you oil the bowl or you won't be able to get the dough out!



9) Roll dough onto a floured surface in a rectangle shape.





Use lots of flour on your rolling pin and rolling surface.



10) Cut slices 1/4 of the way in towards the centre all around the dough. These will form the woven sections later on.



Try to cut the slices symmetrically, so you can weave them easier later.

11) Fill the centre with Mediterranean eggplant dip and top with a few fresh basil leaves.



Spread the dip just to the edges of the cuts in the dough.

12) Begin weaving the dough. Start at one end, and fold the pieces downwards and towards the centre of the loaf, alternating sides. Once you reach half way stop and start at the other end. Continue weaving until all pieces are woven and the filling is covered completely.

Make sure you cover all the filling!

13) Gently transfer the loaf to a greased baking sheet cover in tin foil. Lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt.

14) Bake for 30 minutes, or until the bread is golden and crusty on the outside and the dough is cooked completely through.



Mediterranean Eggplant Dip

This is a creamy, garlicky dip very similar to a baba ganoush. I used Japanese eggplants as they are tender and sweet. This makes a delicious spread for sandwiches, dip for veggies, or a savory filling for an artisan bread.

Creamy and garlicky, and completely healthy!

Ingredients

1 Japanese eggplant

1 tbsp olive oil

6 cloves garlic
1 block firm tofu
Juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp tahini
1/3 cup fresh basil
Salt and pepper

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2) Slice eggplant in half lengthwise and lop off the head. Sprinkle with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. This will remove any bitterness from the flesh.

3) Rise eggplant with water and place on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil and bake til tender, about 25 minutes.

Eggplant, roasted til tender and sweet. A good salt soak has removed any bitterness.

4) Cut eggplant into chunks and place in food processor with garlic, tofu, lemon juice, miso paste, and tahini.

If the mixture is too thick, add water to make it smooth.

5) Blend till creamy. If the mixture is too thick, feel free to add a few tablespoons of water.



6) Once the mixture is creamy and smooth, add the basil leaves and pulse until roughly chopped.

7) Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Dairy Industry Pulls Offensive Ads Claiming Women Should Drink Milk To Cure PMS

After a whirlwind of outrage from women, vegans and vegetarians, men, physicians and politicians alike, the dairy industry pulls it's controversial "Got Milk" campaign. One ad features a man, scared of his wife's PMS-fueled anger, offering her milk to curb her symptoms.

You can read more about the campaign here, at the dairy industry's own website.

So what do you think? Are the ads offensive or do people just need to calm down?





Chewy Chocolate Vegan Brownies

These are so yummy and chewy, you won't even notice that they are vegan :)

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup Enriched Unbleached White Flour Organic
• 8 tbsp Purified Water
• 6 tbsp Egg Replacer
• 1/3 cup Cocoa Dark 100% Cocao
• 1 tsp Magic Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 cup Brown Rice Syrup
• 4 tbsp Margarine
• 1 cup Carob Chips

Directions

1) Mix water and egg replacer together til smooth.
2) Sift all dry ingredients into mixing bowl and stir to combine.
3) Melt Earth Balance vegan margerine. Add to mixture with rice syrup. Mix well.
4) Stir in carob chips.
5) Pour into a greased and floured 9 x 9 inch baking pan
6) Bake at 375 degrees or until a toothpick comes out clean.