small bites: artichoke & sun dried tomato bruschetta

this is the last post of my small bites series, and probably the most simple of 'recipes'.  it's actually just two ingredients, but the end result is super yummy.  i love artichoke hearts on... everything.  i want to create twist on the standard tomato bruschetta, and thought artichoke hearts would make a great ingredient to swap in.  and to give it a just another little zing, i used sun dried tomatoes, although i'm sure regular ones would make a nice flavour combo as well. the picture here is half a bowl of simple tomato bruschetta (left) and the artichoke and sun dried tomato on the right.  i didn't want to dirty up all of kim's dishes just for a pic!

• 6 oz. small jar of marinate artichoke hears
• 7-8 sun dried tomatoes, not oil packed

i buy sun dried tomatoes in bulk and just rehydrate them when i need.  in this case, i soaked them in a warm bowl of water for about 25 minutes, and then sliced each one into matchstick size pieces. next, drain the artichoke hearts. if you aren't using the marinated ones in a jar, i would suggest making a marinade of olive oil and some spices and letting them sit for a while.  the pre-marinated ones make this so much easier, though.

and that's it.  combine and let sit for a few hours.  no need to add garlic or other spices, cause the artichoke hearts take care of it for you!   

small bites: zesty olive tapenade

as i recently posted about, my friend kim and i had a delicious feast of italian tapenades and bruschetta for dinner one night.  kim used her new ninja to make this olive tapenade.  i love my magic bullet, but the ninja looked like it could hold a little bit more - i might have to consider getting one.  this tapenade was sooo good - it tasted a little zingy at first, but it was totally balanced out by the flat breads and crackers.

• 3/4 cup black olives
• 1/2 cup green olives (w/ pimentos)
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 fresh lemon, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 this is one of those simple throw together recipes - just toss everything in a ninja or food processor, and pulse several times.  you don't want a puree, but rather a finely minced tapenade.  it makes a good cup and  half - quite a bit of tapendade.  it's definitely an easy go to recipe, especially if you keep olives on hand.  thanks for the recipe, kim!

small bites: simple tomato bruschetta

my friend kim and i met for dinner recently and decided to make a fun dinner of small bites - all italian themed.  i love having the variety of dinners like these - it's satisfies so many cravings at once.  this night i made a tomato bruschetta, and an artichoke bruschetta and kim made a super zesty olive tapenade.  we served them on flatbread crackers and wheat crisps, but they would be awesome on some crunchy french bread as well.  i'll post the recipes for each in my upcoming blogs starting with the simple tomato bruschetta. enjoy!

• 3 large tomatoes
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

core and chop your tomatoes and place in a bowl.  add in the minced garlic and dried basil, and then drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top.  gently toss and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  some notes: i rarely eat onions, so i excluded and went for a straight forward tomato flavor.  also, you can sub in fresh basil, but i didn't have any on hand, so i just used dried.  letting it sit overnight really made the difference in flavor.

grilled nachos

it's officially grilling season in the heart of the midwest.  i love throwing anything i can find on the barbeque grill, from the standard things like burgers and kebabs, to the more daring items like pizza.  this was also a more interesting grill item. nachos were already on the menu for dinner, but the grill idea came from a 'slimcado' i had purchased, which is basically just a florida avocado.  it's firmer than the creamy hass avocados, so it can withstand the grill basket without turning to mush.

 

• 1 15oz. can red or black beans
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 2oz. can green chilies
• 1/2 florida avocado
• 1 small can black olives, whole
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• tortilla chips
• vegan queso

first, you need a grill basket with small holes like this one so you won't lose your beans or chilies. cut your tomatoes, avocado and chilies into larger pieces and toss in the basket with the beans and spices. this only needs to cook for about 5-10 minutes depending on the grill temperature. use a metal spatula to toss the mix occasionally.

scoop mixture on top of a bed of tortilla chips, and add your favourite vegan cheese or queso.

fusilli with butternut squash

the lack of posts lately are due to a combination of nice weather and some much needed vacation. i recently went to austin, tx to visit my aunt and walked a 10k with my grandma (who is almost 80!), my mom, and aunt. i had tons of vegan food while i was there (austin rocks for vegans). the night before the 10k, my aunt (who is a fabulous chef) whipped up this delicious pasta dish so we could carb-load. she made a goat cheese sauce for the rest of the family, but set aside some for me.  i added some raw parmesan and it was delicious!

• 1 pound fusilli pasta
• 1 butternut squash
• 1/2 small onion
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 3/4 cup fresh basil
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup parma raw parmesan

first peel and cube the butternut squash. place on a foil-lined baking and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, making sure each piece is coated. please in an oven at 425°f for 40 minutes. while the squash is baking, slice your onion and drizzle with olive oil on another foil-lined sheet. place in the oven for 25 minutes (with about half of the squash time left). honestly, i'm not a huge fan of onions, but they work well in this dish. ours got a little burnt, but i actually really liked the crispy flavor, so cook the onion to your preference.

while both of these are roasting, prepare the rest of the ingredients. cook pasta according to directions. chop walnuts and place on a baking sheet - these will need to roast in the oven at 425°f for about 5-6 minutes. wash and chop the basil.

when the pasta is done boiling, combine all the ingredients in one bowl and toss. i used some of the olive oil from the butternut squash pan to coat the pasta. finally toss in the parma, or your favourite vegan parmesan, and serve!

chile verde

crock pot chile is great for days when it's too warm to cook a lot inside, but gets a little chilly in the evening. this was my first time working with tomatillos - i get so excited when i try a new ingredient.  i wanted to make this recipe this because i *love* salsa verde, and what could be better than big bowl of it for dinner?  typically chile verde is made with pork, so i modified my pork chop recipe and used it in this recipe.  it was a fantastic addition, so don't forgo it!

for the shredded pork:

• 3/4 cups wheat gluten
• 1/2 cup veggie broth, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy
• 2 tablespoons cup cold water
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

for the chile:

• 10-12 small-medium tomatillos
• 1 poblano pepper
• 1 serano pepper 
• 2 jalapenos
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 cups veggie broth
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/8 small onion, finely minced

to make the shredded pork, mix the dry and wet ingredients (use only 1/4 cup of the veggie broth) in two separate bowls, then mix wet into dry and kneed for a few minutes.  once the gluten starts to form, create a large flattened 'chop' and place in glass baking dish with the 1/4 cup of veggie broth (to prevent sticking).  bake at 375°f for 40 minutes.  pull out and set aside.

peel the paper husk of each tomatillo and rinse thoroughly.  next, drill out the small core of the tomatillo and slice long-wise into thirds.  each slice should be no more than a 1/2 inch thick.  place the slice on a large foil-lined baking on 375°f for 20 minutes.  during this time, they will release a lot of water, so when they are done baking, i pull them out drain as much water off the pan as possible.  then turn on broiler, and broil for about 6 minutes until they start browning in spots.

next, de-seed the poblano, serano and jalapeno peppers and slice each pepper into quarters.  move the tomatillos to a separate dish and lay the other peppers on the baking sheet.  also, place the seitan pork with the peppers and broil for 10 minutes, flipping the pork at the 5 minute mark.   the seitan will start to bubble and crisp on the outside (don't let it burn), which makes for a nice texture in the chili. once the setian pork has cooled, cut it into bite size pieces.

put tomatillos and rest of peppers in a food processor and chop for about 20 seconds - until no peppers left. in a 3 quart sauce pan or small crock pot, add the blended peppers, rest of chili ingredients and cubed pork.  simmer on low for a minimum of 3 hours.

don't be scared off by all the peppers, it was surprisingly mild (with just a little heat).

french lentil potato salad

although the food network show 'diners, drive-ins dives' isn't exactly vegan-friendly, it was the inspiration behind this recipe.  i saw an episode where guy visited a french bistro and the chef made this lentil dressing from dijon mustard, red wine vinegar and soybean oil.  as soon as i saw that dressing, my heart felt all aflutter - i think that flavor combo was put on this earth just for me.  :)  i've made tangy lentil salads before, so i wanted to try something completely new.  it's a perfect early spring recipe - not too heavy, but still warming and savory.  i think it would make a great holiday side dish.

• 4 small yukon gold potatoes
• 10 stalks of asparagus
• 3/4 cup french green lentils
• 2 tablespoons olive olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon rosemary
• 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soybean oil

the first step it to start cooking the lentils - 1/3 cup dry will make about 3/4 cup cooked.  bring them to a boil and then let simmer.  as they are cooking, dice up the potatoes into cubes and lay on a cookie sheet covered in foil.  drizzle them with one tablespoon of olive oil and and sprinkle on the rosemary.   toss the potatoes around, making sure they are covered with the oil and rosemary mix.  place in the oven at 375°f for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 15 minutes.

cut about 2 inches off the tops of the asparagus stalks, and then halve those again. pull the cookie sheet out and scoot the potatoes to one side.  toss the asparagus cuts in the other tablespoon of olive oil and place on the other end of the cookie sheet.  pop back in the oven for another 15 minutes.  the potatoes will likely still need some browning up, so put them back in the oven as well.  if they are are too crispy or in danger of burning, remove them when you cook the asparagus. 

the lentils should finish up cooking after the asparagus has been in for a bit.  drain them and set aside.  in a jar, or dressing shaker, mix up the soybean oil, red wine vinegar and dijon mustard.  when the asparagus is done, combine them with the potatoes and lentils and gently toss in the dijon dressing. 

makes about 3 side dish servings.