Tofu Pad See Ew

This is one of my favourite dishes.  It's so flavourful and it's carb heavy :) First, this isn't totally authentic.  Fish sauce plays a major role in Thai cooking.  I like to substitute tamari sauce - its vegan and gluten free.

Start with wide rice noodles.  Soak them in warm water until they're rubberband-like.  They should be flexible and have a bit of stretch.  While they're soaking, fry up some extra-firm tofu.  It's not essential to fry it, but it keeps the tofu from crumbling so much.  Also, fried food is delicious.

Then mix up a seasoning blend.  I use: tamari, tamarind, palm sugar, a whisper of red curry paste and some coconut milk to keep it all liquid in the pan.  I experimented with black soy sauce in this dish.  It's basically soy sauce with molasses.  It's tasty, but contains gluten.  If that's a deal breaker for you, skip the black soy sauce in favour of tamari and a smidgen of molasses.

Add the seasoning and coconut milk mix to a hot pan and drop in the noodles.  Stir it, jostle it, shake the pan a bit.  Be sure to keep the noodles moving to prevent them from clumping.  Coconut milk is high in fat and it helps keep the noodles moving.

When the rice noodles are starting to get tender, add in some chopped vegetables.  I use bok choi, green onions and carrots.  Continue to cook until the vege is slightly cooked - it should still have some bite; not at all mushy.

Finally, add the tofu.  Adding it last will keep it from getting smashed and crumbly.  Give it a final stir and plate it up with some fresh Thai basil.

Goulash braised Cabbage

This is a perfect warm and filling dish for the winter months.  It's like a goulash, but without the meat.  Of course, it's possible to add fake meat, but I like to let the natural flavours of the ingredients stand on their own.

I use a seasoning mix of caraway seeds, garlic and paprika.  To add extra umami dimensions, I use just a bit of tamari sauce.

Begin by sauteing the caraway seeds in olive oil.  Toast them lightly and keep a watchful eye since they can burn easily.  To the hot oil and caraway, add chopped onions, celery, carrots and peppers.  Allow them to soften, but not brown - browning can add bitterness.

Then, add shredded or chopped red and white cabbage.  I also like to add a can of stewed tomatoes since fresh ones are hard to come by in the winter.  Fill the pan with enough water so that the mixture is submerged.  Add a bit of salt to suit your taste, keeping in mind that the stew will reduce while cooking.  You can always add more salt to finish the dish, but you can't take any out.

Bring the stew to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer.  Continue cooking until the cabbage is tender.

I like to serve it over rice!

Bulgar? Bulgar!

One of the most simple and tasty foods I sampled in Turkey: Bulgar.  It's a type of wheat that's been parboiled and dried.  There are several ways to prepare it, but my favourite dish was a simple vegetable and bulgar casserole.

It's fairly easy to make and it's delicious.  Start an assortment of veg.  I used carrots, onions, peppers and sauteed them for just a bit of colour.  Then puree them with a can of stewed tomatoes.  Add seasoning: salt or soy sauce - something to give it a good savour.

I rinsed the bulgar and added the wheat to the veg puree and simmered the mixture until thickened.  It's ready when the wheat is tender - like brown rice.

This is a perfect dish for chilly evenings and is full of vegetables, fibre and energy.

Sheperdless Pie

Sheperdless pie is the vegetarian version of the classic lamb dish.  It takes a while to make from scratch, but it's worth is.

Start with a mix of veg: sauteed peppers, mushrooms and onions; green beans, peas and carrots; tofu or soy crumbles.

Mix in a gravy.  If you're in a hurry, you can use premix.

Make a smooth mash.  Again, if you're in a hurry, you can use instant mash.

Fill the baking dish, leaving space for adding the mash.  If you're going for a rich dish, top it with gruyère.  Since everything's already cooked, simply place the pies in a cold oven and preheat to 350F.  If the top isn't brown, simply broil until the top is golden brown.

It works alright to spread the mash atop the dish, but I like to pipe the mash - it since it allows steam to escape without boiling the contents over the edge of the baking dish.  It's also perfectly delicious vegan!

Thai Lettuce Wraps

So many of my favourite textures and flavours in one dish.

Start with base flavours: onions, sweet peppers, carrots and celery.  Saute until lightly caramelized.  Allow to cool.

Prepare the lettuce.  Romaine works well:  it's crunchy and its shape holds the filling well.

Fill the lettuce leaves with the sauteed vegetables, tofu and fresh veg. Julienned fresh carrots, tomatoes, bean sprouts and Thai basil complete the flavour and texture palette.  Served with a peanut dipping sauce:

Chopping the lettuce and mixing all the ingredients makes for a perfect spicy salad.  Add cashews for extra protein.

Baked Summer Squash

A delicious, fresh from the garden and vegan dish; baked and stuffed summer squash.  Many squashes, scallop, patty pan, rond-de-nice, don't slice well.  Rather than chunking them in a stew, this preparation provides an elegant presentation.

Select the chunky and round squash.

Slice the bottom to flatten it, scoop out the insides with a melon-baller and save them for the filling.  Then coat each of them with olive oil and bake at 35oF.  To keep them from moving, ramekins or muffin tins can be used.  Thirty minutes is usually long enough - just make sure they're tender.

While they're baking, saute a mirepoix (carrots, celery, onions), adding tomatoes, peppers and the scooped out parts of the squash.

When it's reduced, it should nice and thick.

Spoon the filling into the squash and garnish with fresh herbs.

Chopped Salad with Carrot Ribbons

Red bell pepper, carrots, tomatoes, cauliflower and basil. Dressed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt.

I used these peelers to make the carrot ribbon:

Thai Noodles and Veg

This tasty dish is rich, warm and packed with lots of fresh veg.

Soak and drain the rice noodles:

Prepare the seasonings: curry paste, peanut paste, lemongrass, salt, red curry paste:

Cashews for protein:

Chop the veg - carrots, onions, green onions, lettuce, sweet peppers:

Heat a can of coconut mild; add the seasonings and veg:

Promptly add in the noodles and cook until done:

Warm yet spicy comfort food!

Roast Roots and Chèvre

Fresh from the spring garden, carrots, beets and greens.

Start by cleaning and peeling the produce.

Place in a lined baking dish, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt.  Roast at 175C (350F) until fork tender.

Depending on taste, serve warm, or allow to cool before plating with fresh greens and goat's cheese.

Veggie Bars

First, bake the crescent rolls - flat.

Mix ranch dressing powder in unflavoured Greek youghurt.

When cooled, spread the crescent rolls with the youghurt mix and top with fresh veg: alfalfa sprouts, broccoli, carrots, green onions and tomatoes.  Top with pistachios.

Winter salad

Fresh grown salad in winter?!  That's the way how I grow.

Fresh: lettuce, beet leaves, broccoli, carrots, onions

Roasted Tomato and Fennel Soup

I've never cooked with fennel, so I though I'd give it a go.

Start by roasting some tomatoes and red peppers.

Then saute onions until caramelized (I added beet leaves for extra red colour).

Make a broth (I used carrots, fennel bulb, mushrooms, kale)

Blend the roasted tomatoes and peppers along with enough broth to make a proper soup)

Roast a slice of fennel bulb for each serving.  Finish caramelizing the fennel in a frying pan.

Thai Green Curry (winter)

That curry is unbelievably good.  It can range from mildly warming to a searing sweat-inducing  spice.  Served with brown jasmine rice and cashews.

For a hot moderately hot curry, start with 2 tablespoons of curry paste, a teaspoon of crushed peanuts or crunchy peanut butter and a teaspoon of salt.  Add these ingredients to a can of coconut milk and simmer.

The oil will start to separate out of the coconut milk when it's ready.

Add sliced or julienned vegetables, bamboo strips and Thai basil.Unfortunately, in the winter, basil doesn't grow.  This dish is prepared with carrots, onions, peppers, napa cabbage and fennel.

In the summer, I'll post a proper green curry.

Fall Gardening 2012

Fresh baby carrots:

Russian, Black and Curly Kale:

The open air garden patch: carrots, kale, broccoli, beets, mixed greens.

Lettuce in the cold frame:

Hot & Sour Soup

The broth is made from veg stock, lime juice and red curry paste. The vegetables consist of napa cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, tomotoes and garnish with Thai basil.

Mediterranean Grilled Tofu Sandwich

Marinate and grill extra firm tofu to desired colour.

This compilation includes:

• fresh lettuce
• fresh from the garden tomatoes
• grilled bell pepper
• feta & olive relish