Curried Cauliflower Soup

A warm curried cauliflower soup is the perfect thing for cold gray days. I first tried a curried cauliflower soup at a restaurant called Greens.  It's a wonderful vegan-friendly place where all the dishes are elegant and served with panache.  I whipped up an easy Vitamix soup in recollection of that tasty meal.

Start by roasting the florets of a cauliflower and a medium starch potato.  I like to drizzle with a bit of olive oil and place in the cold oven.  Then, allow the oven to preheat to 400˚F and continue baking until the potatoes are cooked through.  This method causes nice browning on the cauliflower and potatoes.  While thongs are roasting, dice and sautee a red onion in olive oil.

Allow the ingredients - onions, cauliflower and potatoes - to cool slightly before adding them to the Vitamix.  Add in a hand full of cashews and enough water to cover all the mix.  Blend on medium to allow the ingredients to break down.  Then, add salt, curry powder and adjust the water to your desired thickness. (Clearly, this is a very flexible recipe, so make it your own!)

Serve garnished with chopped roasted cashews and tarragon.

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!

Baked Brains! (Baked Cauliflower)

The perfect thing for Halloween.  Baked brains, but really it's just pizza over a whole head of cauliflower.

Start by setting out the spice profile: basil, onion powder, salt, garlic and oregano.  Stir it in the tomato paste and mix thoroughly.  Wash and shake dry a head of cauliflower.

Spread the spiced tomato paste on the cauliflower and cover with thinly-sliced vegetables.

Bake at 350F for 30-45min.  Doneness can be tested when a knife can be easily inserted.

Slice and serve drizzled with olive oil and sliced green onions.

Vegan Karelian Pastry

I've found a great new Youtube channel!   http://www.youtube.com/frenchguycookingIf you want to expand your taste in French food and international cuisine, this is a great channel!

Recently, French Guy made a video about Karelian, a Finnish rye pastry:  http://youtu.be/MzOtBft2vRY  Watch the video and Subscribe!

First, make a rice pudding: half cup of rice and a litre of almond milk; a bit of sugar and salt. I also added vanilla and almond extract for a bit of extra flavour.

While the rice is cooking, prepare the dough. Two cups of rye flour, one cup of all-purpose flour, a bit of salt and a cup of water. So simple! Work the ingredients into a dough, roll flat (half centimeter thickness). Cut out circles, and roll out extra thin.

Then, place a bit of rice pudding in the middle of the pastry.  Fold in two of the sides and begin pinching the sides.  It should cause the pastry to form an oval shape.

Place the pastry on parchment and bake at 500F until golden brown (~10 minutes). When it's done, remove from the oven and brush with vegan-butter spread.

French Guy added a twist by adding fruit and seeds. I liked it! I thought, "what else can I do?" So I made a savoury karelian pastry: sauteed oninon and chopped pecan. Such flavour!

Give it a try! It's sure to delight. Remember to subscribe to French Guy Cooking!

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.

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!

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

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.

Grilled Courgette with Spaghetti and Vegan Cream Sauce

Fresh from the garden grilled zucchini snuggling a nest of spaghetti.

First, cut strips of, and grill, the zucchini.  Not too long on the grill - just hot and fast.  Be sure to take the nice even strips from the middle of the zucchini.

Hack up the remainder of the zucchini and add whatever else you've got: a few green beans, tomatoes, onions, peppers.  Caramelize over medium-high heat with a bit of olive oil and salt.

Deglaze the pan with water and allow the mixture to cool slightly.  Then add soaked walnuts and the veg mixture to the blender and puree until creamy.  Season to taste.

Arrange the plate with the cream sauce as a base, followed by spaghetti (seasoned with salt and olive oil) and wrap with the grilled courgettes.

Pasta and Vegan Cream Sauce

Made from scratch pasta and a vegan cream sauce that doesn't taste like puke!

Start making the pasta with equal parts of semolina and spelt flour.  Add in water, olive oil and a bit of salt and knead until it forms a ball.

Let is rest for a while; wrapped in cling film or under an inverted bowl.

Puree soaked walnuts, sauteed onions, peppers and celery along with stewed tomatoes.  I used cashews in this recipe and was slightly disappointed.  It just made the sauce too sweet.  Since the vegetables have already been cooked (sauteed and stewed) the sauce is ready at this point.  Simply warm it if needed.

Shape the dough into the desired shapes.  I'm a fan of fettuccine.

Serve with the sauce - a tasty and authentic vegan dish.  It's simple and, although it's a "cream sauce," it stands on it's own rather than merely imitating a dairy version.

Everything is Math

λ ≃ 400nm-700nm (with a few gaps)Art, meet gardening, meet science.

Fresh picked from the jLAmode garden.

Breakfast Wedge

Inspired by the chaps at Sorted Food [http://sortedfood.com/], a vegetarian version of an easy breakfast dish:

Check out their process here: http://youtu.be/D1mPghz6jjw

Naturally, serve it the British way - with (vegetarian) baked beans!  Also served with fresh tomatoes and basil.

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!

Spring Planting 2013

Tomato seedlings:

More seedlings:

I'm trying no-till gardening for the second year.  It did well for potatoes last year, so I'll do it again.  This year I'm using more lawn space for the garden, so I set out cardboard and sprinkled it with soil.

Cover with mulch:

Repeat:

Onion sets, peeking out:

Garlic, still growing from the fall planting:

Roses:

Winter salad

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

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

Butternut Squash Soup

Butternut Squash Soup served with Greek Youghurt, shreds of beet leaf and kale.

This soup, like most takes a while to prepare, but it's worth it!

Made from:

• roasted butternut squash
• parsnips
• onions
• peppers
• smoked paprika
• turmeric

[Omit the youghurt or substitute it with a vegan alternative]

Home Grown Salsa

A nice light side dish or appetizer:

Dice the tomatoes.  You may wish to blanch and peel them first, but it's also delicious with the skins.

Roast the corn and cut it from the cob.

Diced jalapeños

Mix in onions and salt. Serve with Geek youghurt - or leave it off for a purely vegan meal.