Tag Archive: Vegan

Skillet Cabbage, Kale, Broccolini and Corn

April 13, 2012

Vegetables are so fun to cook. Most of us cook and serve them on their open but mingling them can produce a fun unexpected and delicious combination of textures and flavours. Cabbage can be combined with potatoes, grains and other vegetables. It is a part of almost every international cuisine and is good flavoured with Mediterranean, Asian or eastern European flavours. I slightly undercook the cabbage and kale because I like to retain their colour... View Article

Red Lentil Soup with Brown Rice

April 13, 2012

Red lentils make a wonderful soup. They cook to a creamy consistency creating a hearty, full-bodied soup. I usually add some grain to this soup, often brown rice but sometimes barley. This recipe has tomatoes but I don’t always use them. The red lentils also lend themselves to a variety of spices, as you see here. Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 /2 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon... View Article

Tartine with Bean Spread and Purple Basil

April 13, 2012

I make this bean spread often as an appetizer to spoon onto small crostini. Here I use it to top grilled bread for a lunch or a light supper. Serve accompanied by a small salad with crisp vinaigrette. For a vegan version leave the pecorino out. Ingredients:   Long slices of country bread Olive oil Parmesan or pecorino, shaved or chopped  roasted peppers Purple basil   Bean spread:   4 tablespoons olive oil 1 small... View Article

Lentil Soup with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

April 13, 2012

A hearty lentil soup is comfort food for anyone with a Mediterranean palate. I make it in many different ways but it’s all variations on the same theme of aromatics (onion, garlic, carrot, celery) sautéed in olive oil and then the lentils are added with stock and cooked until softened. I sometimes add a grain such as rice or barley. Sometimes I add roasted peppers or another vegetable and sometimes I even add thin pasta,... View Article

Barley and Bean Soup

April 13, 2012

Barley and beans is a nice combination for either soups or salads. See the salad category for the salad version of this pair. I often have cooked grains in the fridge and it’s easy to make a quick and delicious soup with them. Barley however cooks quickly so this soup can be prepared on a short notice. You can use vegetable stock but I find that chicken stock gives it a wonderful flavour. Ingredients: 3... View Article

Bean Soup

April 13, 2012

If I had to choose a couple of favourite soups this would certainly be one of them. Simple, wholesome and easy to make, this is a delicious soup and has been part of my soup repertoire for many years. I make it with small white cannelini beans that have been soaked overnight. If you are in a hurry and wish to make the soup the same day you can boil the beans, leave them in... View Article

Fresh Corn and Potato Chowder

April 13, 2012

I make this corn chowder with fresh corn scraped with a knife straight off the cob. In addition I do not throw away the cobs but rather use them to flavour the stock. It sounds like a lot of work but really, it isn’t, and the resulting soup is delicate and flavourful. The potatoes make the soup thick and velvety and the corn give it a lovely texture. I suggest that you use an immersion... View Article

Roasted White Pumpkin and Coconut Soup

April 13, 2012

I found these giant white pumpkins at a farmers market in Kelowna and brought them home to Calgary at the end of the summer. After sitting on my kitchen counter for a couple of weeks observing the scene, they ended up being cut in half, rubbed with butter, sprinkled with brown sugar and roasted in the oven until tender soft. We ate one half just at it was, scooping the sweet flesh out of the... View Article

Apples

April 12, 2012

Apples It’s hard to think of an apple as a seasonal fruit because a good selection of apples is available all year round, flown in from wherever they happens to be in season. The apple, however, is a fall fruit and if you have ever seen an apple orchard, those trees laden with golden, red, green or pink fruit in September and October are as exciting as anything I have ever seen (I live a... View Article

Cactus Pears / Prickly Pears

April 12, 2012

Cactus pears arrive at the market in early fall and remain there, keeping an eye on the going on, until springtime. Like it’s name indicates, a cactus pear is the fruit of the cactus plant and true to the origin, it is protected by sharp and prickly thorns from the would be cactus pear assassins. Do not give up though. By the time the cacti fruit makes it to the market it has been stripped... View Article

Hazelnut Vinaigrette

April 12, 2012

Salads, especially those that include nuts and cheese, are particularly good when you add some nut oil to the dressing. Here is a dressing using hazelnut oil and some ground hazelnuts as well that give the dressing body and texture. Instead of using all hazelnut oil I divide the amount and use half vegetable oil and half hazelnut oil, for a slightly milder version of the dressing. You can however use all nut oil. Ingredients:... View Article

Mustard Vinaigrette

April 12, 2012

Classic vinaigrette made with Dijon mustard, garlic, vinegar and olive oil. Use the best ingredients you can find. Extra virgin olive oil from a reliable producer and good quality vinegar. What you put in is what you get out in flavour. Ingredients: 1 garlic clove, mashed or finely grated 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 tablespoons wine vinegar, red or white 1/2 cup olive oil, best quality extra virgin Directions: ... View Article