Angel Food Cake Trifle

A bright coloured dessert for celebrating the New Year.  Whipped cream and angel food cake provide a visual contrast and taste complement for the pomegranate.

1. I started with a pack mix cake - because it's easy, and making one from scratch requires a dozen egg whites.  Once the cake cools, remove the crust.
2. Make a simple sauce of sugar, a small bit of cornstarch and pomegranate juice.  Bring to a boil, but remove from heat promptly.
3. Whip the cream with a bit of sugar, vanilla bean and a few drops of Fiori di Sicilia.
4. Extract the pomegranate arils and the zest of lemon (and/or orange, tangerine, lime).
5. Add a bit of sauce to the glass and pile in the cream, cake and fruit.

For a richer dessert, use a chocolate sauce (melted chocolate and cream - or non-dairy milk).

Raspberry-Pomegranate Parfait

Start with fresh pomegranate and extract the juice.  I used a ricer: Good Grips Ricer Mix raspberries, the pomegranate juice, a bit of vanilla and a smidgen of sugar. Muddle the ingredients and spoon a portion into a clear glass. Add Greek youghurt to a piping bag (I prefer vanilla or honey) and carefully add a layer atop the raspberries.  Continue alternating layers of fruit and youghurt until the glass is full. Top the arrangement with sugared raspberries and a sprig of mint.

Serve chilled. Sweet citrus flavours are an excellent complement to the raspberries.

Chocolate & Mixed Nut Tarte [Vegan and Gluten Free]

The crust is made from ground almonds, walnuts, pecans and oats.  Add in a bit of cocoa powder and sugar to make it delightful.

Press the crust into a tarte pan and bake for half an hour.  Allow to cool while preparing the filling.

Melt the chocolate - non-dairy dark chocolate - and add a slash of milk and coconut oil.  Once melted, stir in an assortment of roasted nuts.  I used cashews, pecans, pistachios and hazelnuts.  Finally top it with select nuts, coconut flakes and Himalayan pink salt.

Once it's chilled, it's ready to devour!

Creme d'asperges [Cream of Asparagus Soup]

This amazingly creamy, yet vegan, soup is the perfect thing for a cold winter's day.

First, remove the woody ends of the asparagus; slice the shallots, the leek and crush the garlic.  Since it's all getting blended, precision isn't essential.  Beth Le Manach, an inspirational chef, shares her secret for ultra creamy soup - a medium-large potato.

Saute the shallots, garlic and leek, giving them a bit of colour.  Then, add in water, the potato and bring to a boil.  After 5 minutes of ferocious boiling, add in the chopped asparagus stems, reserving several of the tips for garnish.  Boil another 5 minutes, or until the potatoes and asparagus is completely tender.  Blend it up and flavour with a squeeze of lemon.

I first tested with an immersion blender.  The results were alright.  But, the soup wasn't super creamy until I sent it through the Vitamix.  Afterwords, it was ultra smooth, with a there-has-to-be-heavy-cream-in-this mouth feel:

Apple tarte

First, make a pastry crust.  This is whole wheat flour, pecans and coconut oil - just enough ice water to make it stick together.  It's a thick, hearty and rustic crust.

Then press into a spring form pan, fill with sliced apples and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Bake at 350F until the apples are tender.

When done (~one hour), remove from oven and brush with a pastry glaze (prepared from apricot jam).

Serve with (vegan) ice cream or froyo.

Breakfast Wraps

The perfect weekend food - breakfast wraps.  Full of veg, egg scramble and hashed browned 'taters, these wraps start your day off right!

First, start the tater tots, or any hashed potatoes, baking.  Make sure they're crispy to give a satisfying crunch.  Then sauteing mixed vegetables: zucchini, onions, tomatoes, peppers and carrots.  Once they're tender, set aside and keep warm.  In the same pan, add beaten eggs and a hearty spice blend: sriracha, onion powder, smoky paprika, turmeric and salt.  Some fresh spinach completes the dish, but any lettuce will do.

Wrap it up and enjoy!

Chewy Peanut Butter & Honey Cookies

Peanut butter cookies with a twist.  The childhood treat of a peanut butter and honey sandwich is translated into these tasty treats.  Grinding the wheat gives a hearty, yet pleasing, whole grain flavour.  Using coconut oil, instead of butter makes this treat enjoyable for those with dairy allergy/intolerance.

They're a delight without embellishment, but the addition of peanut halves and fleur de sel just before baking creates a complex, salty-sweet taste sensation.

Gateau de figues fraîches

Egg white genoise with youghurt and figs.

A light cake with fresh fruit is always a delight.  This sponge is made with egg whites and coconut oil instead of the traditional whole eggs and butter.  It bakes nicely and plates attractively with an apricot glaze.

The sky's the limit, but fresh figs are irresistible.  A light youghurt, instead of heavy cream, brightens the flavour.

Although it was a tasty composition, it lacked the desired sweetness.  Next time it should be prepared with extra honey and vanilla in the youghurt and, perhaps a sprinkle of sugar on the figs.

Gluten Free Stir-Fry

Often the stri-fry premix seasonings contain gluten or wheat ingredients.  Mixing the spices individually and using tamari (gluten free soy sauce), gluten can be eliminated from this delicious dish.  Deep frying tofu and marinating it overnight allows it to have a pleasant texture and full taste (which is a rare trait for tofu).

Classic flavours compose the seasoning: sesame, soy, onion, garlic, turmeric, chili and ginger.  Mixing Jasmine and black Forbidden rice yield a uniquely hued rice side-dish.

Open-weave, rough-edged hipster-style pullover

In the spirit of autumn and layering, this pullover drapes comfortably over a base layer.  All seams are serged and the rough edges are sewn to prevent uncontrolled unraveling.

The original fabric:

Autumn Gardening 2013

Growing happily in the cool weather: spinach, kale, lettuce, garlic, and beets.

Soba Noodles with Oyster Mushrooms and Spinach

Fresh oyster mushrooms make this dish a classic.  Add a bit of chili for a kick and spinach for colour and flavour.  It's the perfect thing for a cool autumn evening.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

The perfect thing for leftover pumpkin! Roasted pumpkin soup, served with panfried pumpkin strips, morel mushrooms and a drizzle of olive oil.

First, wash, peel and slice the pumpkin and beet root.  Add the pumpkin and beet to a baking dish with a chopped onion, a few bay leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.  Cover with foil and roast at 350F until the everything is tender.  Then, remove the bay leaves and puree the mix - adding water as necessary.  Season with salt and simmer to allow the flavours to develop.

This handy peeler is fairly amazing: Update International Pro-Grip Carbon Steel Peeler

Pommes de terre brûlées

A simple mash can be turned into a classy side dish.  Simply pipe seasoned mashed potatoes into a shallow dish - the shallower the dish, but more surface area can get toasted.

Be adventurous with this dish.  Season with salt and enhance the flavour with one, or a mix of the following: turmeric, smoky paprika, chives, onion powder, roasted garlic, etc.

This dish can be prepared completely vegan, or fortified with the addition of fat free Greek youghurt and/or grated gruyère.

Gluten Free, Vegan Mac & Cheese (that actually tastes good)

I thought it couldn't be done - vegan cheese that isn't massively fake and processed or gluten free pasta that's not chewy or slimy.  Cashews and brown rice pasta make this an incredible dish.

Like usual, I didn't measure anything - pure chaos cooking.  All the same, here's the process:

• Cashew butter (blended cashews) seasoned with nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, turmeric and lemon juice.
• Puree it in a high-speed blender with twice as much water.
• Bring to a boil on the stove - it will turn lumpy as it cooks.
• Return to the blender to liquify - sweet merciful creamy goodness.

Mix it up by adding tomatoes:

Génoise Framboise

Light layers of wholewheat lemon génoise cake, raspberry jam and vanilla whipped cream!  Génoise is made without any baking powder or soda - it's leavened entirely by whipped eggs.

Here's how it's made:

Roses 2013

Edamame and Chick Pea Hummus

A delicious vegan and gluten-free side dish packed with protein and fibre, this hummus is made from a purée of garbanzos and green soybeans.

First, take equal portions of cooked and cooled chick peas and edamame.  Caned or frozen are the easiest to make use of.

Add to a powerful blender and grind on low with water, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and seasonings (garlic, onion powder, etc) until well mixed.  Then, ultra puree the mix until smooth.  A similar result can be achieved with a food processor, but lower powered blenders (less than 1kw) will probably require adding more water to the mix.

Garnish with olive oil, a few whole beans and paprika.  Serve with tortilla chips or fresh vegetables.

Matcha Cake

Matcha is a special green tea powder.  It adds a unique flavour when added to other foods.

Using the regular cake recipe 1:1:1:1 (eggs, butter, flour sugar), add a few tablespoons of matcha powder.

Bake and cool as normal.

The bright and earthy flavours of matcha paired well with the floral tastes of rosewater and whipped cream.

International Coffee Day 2013!

Happy Coffee Day!  I've found a new love: Chemex! Find yours here: Chemex 6-Cup Glass Handle Series Coffeemaker (and filters - they're amazing: Chemex Coffee Filters)