Happy Food Day!

Today is Food Day—and as a foodie myself, I intend to celebrate with some delicious eats. Food Day isn’t just about culinary prowess or gastronomic epiphanies, however; organizers also emphasize the importance of whole, minimally processed foods; of environmental and financial sustainability; of alleviating hunger nationwide; of prohibiting cruelty to animals; and of promoting fair conditions for small farmers and farm workers. Be sure to check out the website and sign the congressional agenda!

While I’ve already long incorporated those aforementioned principles into my personal and dietary philosophies, I still strive to spread positive messages about plant-based diets and clean eating through this blog and especially through the recipes I regularly post. I strongly believe that “a picture’s worth a thousand words,” so I also aim to snap the highest quality photos possible. Sometimes, however, as many other food bloggers have encountered, certain foods just aren’t that photogenic . . . of course, that doesn’t mean they’re inedible. Some of the ugliest dirt-coloured stews can be downright delicious, for example. With the two recipes I’m sharing today, the photos may be a bit boring and the food, a bit monochromatic, but just remember, “you can’t judge a book by its cover”!

North African Peanut Butter-Broccoli-Peach Salad

Inspired by this recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

½ cup peanut butter

2 Tbs. tomato paste

2 tsp. garam masala

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 large head of broccoli, florets and stems cut into bite-sized pieces and steamed

2 peaches, pitted and chopped

¼ cup raisins

4 scallions, chopped

1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

1. To make the sauce, combine peanut butter, tomato pasta, garam masala, minced garlic, and 2-3 Tbs. of water in a mini food processor. Blend, adding more water if necessary, until a smooth consistency is achieved. Set aside.
2. Toss together broccoli, peaches, raisins, scallions, and cilantro in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing, and stir thoroughly until everything is pretty evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired, and serve chilled, at room temperature, or heated over a cooked grain of choice.

Boyfriend tested and approved--he was particularly impressed with the combination of flavours in this dish.

This week’s huge one-pot meal was a delicious stew yet again featuring every foodie’s favourite winter squash—pumpkin! Because I went to the co-op and splurged again . . .

Buttercup and kabocha and acorn, oh my! And some other varieties, too. All I want to do right now is eat squash . . . XD

Pinto Bean-Pumpkin Stew

Inspired by a recipe in The Ultimate Book of Vegan Cooking

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 large onions, diced

6-8 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs. mustard powder

1 Tbs. dried rosemary

1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 large red bellpeppers, chopped

4 cups cooked pinto beans

1 small roasted pumpkin, cut into 1-inch cubes

½ vegan vegetable bouillon cube

1.5 Tbs. blackstrap molasses

Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large pot over high heat, sauté onion and garlic in oil for about 2 minutes. Stir in mustard powder, rosemary, and red pepper flakes, cooking for 30 more seconds or so before adding chopped bellpepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook about 3-4 minutes, until veggies are just tender,
2. Add cooked beans and pumpkin to the pot. Stir in bouillon and molasses, thoroughly mixing everything together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired, and serve hot over a cooked grain of choice.

Served here with shortgrain brown rice. So hearty, warming, and filling!

Vegan Soup for the Soul

I was so sorry to miss this week’s What I Ate Wednesday. I was CRAZY busy and too stressed to take pictures of my boring on-the-run food . . . next week, I’ll be sure to share some extra special, glorious eats!

In the meantime, I’m also here to share two delicious soups I made this week, both in the spirit of the season. Autumn is, after all, the beginning of soup season . . . which will continue well into winter, thankfully. I love soups! And chili. While I enjoy traditional chili flavours (such as my Ancient Aztec Chocolate Chili), I also challenge myself to blend cuisines and create “fusion” varieties. My most recent inspiration: a can of coconut milk that has been sitting on my pantry shelf for months.

Caribbean-Cajun Coconut Chili

This just gets better and better as it sits for a few days.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. minced garlic

2 onions, chopped

1 Scotch bonnet pepper (or 2 jalapeños), seeds removed and diced

1 Tbs. dried thyme

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin*

1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes

3 green bellpeppers, chopped

3 cups sweet corn kernels

4 cups cooked black beans

1 14-oz. can coconut milk (lite or full fat)

1 vegan vegetable bouillon cube

2 Tbs. lime juice

Salt & pepper to taste

Chopped cilantro, to serve

*If you have Jamaican Jerk Seasoning on hand, use 2 Tbs. of that.

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot, and sauté garlic, onion, and Scotch bonnet until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add spices, stirring well to coat everything thoroughly.
2. Add tomatoes, bellpeppers, corn, beans, coconut milk, bouillon cube, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce to low and cover, and cook for approximately 40-50 minutes, or until veggies are tender and desired chili consistency is reached. Stir in lime juice, salt and pepper, and serve hot, garnished with cilantro.

Serve with cornbread for dipping, of course.

I also made my first (ever!) chowder this week, with a twist on the traditional corn version.

Pumpkin, Corn, & Quinoa Chowder

As with the chili, this just gets better with age.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1-2 Tbs. minced garlic

1 Tbs. dried thyme

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 cups roasted pumpkin

2 cups plain, unsweetened milk alternative

½ vegan vegetable bouillon cube

2 cups sweet corn kernels

½ cup dry quinoa, cooked

Salt & pepper, to taste

Chopped parsley, to serve

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot, and sauté onion and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add thyme and cinnamon, stirring well, and cooking for about 30 more seconds before adding pumpkin puree, milk alternative, and bouillon cube.
2. Transfer ¾ of the mixture to a blender or food processor and purée before adding it back to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, and add corn and cooked quinoa. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper as desired, and serve garnished with parsley.

What I Ate Wednesday (7): Detox, Day 6

Well, six days into my detox, I’m feeling quite well indeed. My tummy hasn’t been torturing me at night, and my sugar cravings are nearly non-existent.

So, what exactly have I been eating on my detox quest? Well, let’s find out, shall we? Featuring my seventh What I Ate Wednesday, courtesy of Jenn.

Breakfast

One of my favourite breakfasts this time of year: Pumpkin Pie Oats! And the pumpkin wasn’t even from a can—I roasted it myself!

Mid-Morning Snack

When I visited Whole Foods last Friday, I indulged in a loaf of sourdough bread. It’s not whole grain, granted, but it’s fermented . . . and delicious! Even more so with a little homemade vegan pesto.

Lunch

I was craving Asian food, and this was what resulted:

A sort of "deconstructed" sushi bowl (recipe follows), alongside a braised daikon radish, and a pear.

Fruity Fusion “Deconstructed Sushi” Salad

This is sort of like lazy maki—no rolling necessary. A bit inspired by this recipe.

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 cup shredded red cabbage

½ nori sheet, cut into strips

½ cup shelled edamame

½ pear, chopped

1 Tbs. chopped cilantro

For the Dressing

1 tsp. brown rice vinegar

1 tsp. soy sauce, tamari, or shoyu

1 tsp. sesame oil

½ tsp. brown rice syrup (optional)

1 tsp. each minced ginger & garlic

Pepper, to taste

¼ cup dried shortgrain brown rice, cooked and cooled

Chopped walnuts, to serve

Pickled ginger, to serve

Directions

Combine dressing ingredients, and set aside. Toss together cabbage, nori strips, edamame, pear, and cilantro with dressing. Serve on top of rice, garnished with walnuts and served with pickled ginger.

You could also add some shredded carrots, chopped cucumber, red bellpepper, sweet potato, or even kabocha squash.

Afternoon Snack

Finally got around to trying a Blueberry Muffin Larabar. It was okay—not my favourite flavour, though.

Dinner

Whereas lunch was Asian-themed, dinner was delightfully Mediterranean.

An abundant spinach, roma tomato, cucumber, and parsley salad with hummus, whole wheat couscous, and a couple stuffed grapeleaves, otherwise known as "dolmas".

Dessert

Detox shouldn’t exclude occasional desserts . . . if they’re healthy, of course, and especially if they include HOMEMADE, low sugar vanilla soy yoghurt. Yes, my first attempt at making my own yoghurt went fabulously, thanks to this lovely machine. I will be posting a tutorial and recipe soon, I promise!

Homemade vanilla soy yoghurt, a little homemade granola, some pistachios & raspberries, and a chopped dried fig. Dried figs are sort of my weakness. <3

The Letter “P”

You may have noticed that, when it comes to “naming” recipes, I really like alliteration. It may be a bit cheesy sometimes, but hey, it’s catchy and cute, too. So, today, I’m back with two new recipes highlighting several yummy ingredients that all start with the letter “P,” as you may have already guessed.

Plum Pudding Porridge

As the days grow progressively colder, I’ve frequently found the approaching holiday season on my mind—first, pumpkin pie oats, now this, and there’ll be more to come, certainly!

Serves 1

Ingredients

½ cup oat bran

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*

Pinch of salt (optional)

½ cup milk alternative

½ tsp. lemon or orange zest

Chia seeds or ground flaxseed

½ plum, chopped

1 prune, chopped

1 dried apricot, chopped

1 tsp. raisins

1 tsp. chopped candied ginger (optional)

1 tsp. chopped walnuts

1 tsp. chopped pecans

*See my Carrot Cake Oats for a homemade blend.

Directions

In a saucepan, combine oat bran, spice, and salt, whisking with a fork to combine well before adding milk alternative, ½ cup water, and zest. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from stovetop, and add toppings as desired.

This week’s main dish (made in bulk on Sunday night) featured several more P’s, actually, and mucho deliciousness! I’d been craving pasta for ages, and considering we had, like, 10 boxes of Jovial Food’s Whole Grain Einkorn Linguine (which is excellent, might I add) in our pantry, I decided it was high time to make some Italian food.

Protein-Packed Pumpkin Spinach Pasta

Inspired by this recipe

Serves 8

2 cups dried soybeans, soaked overnight and cooked

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. cumin seeds

1 large onion, chopped

6-8 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. paprika

1 28-oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes

1 lb. fresh spinach leaves

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 29-oz. can pumpkin purée

2 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary

2 tsp. Italian seasoning

Salt & pepper, to taste

1 lb. whole grain spaghetti, linguine, or other long pasta variety

Roasted walnuts, to serve

Directions

1. Heat oil and cumin seeds on stovetop until seeds begin popping. Quickly add onion and garlic, sautéing until translucent. Stir in paprika, followed by tomatoes and spinach. Allow the spinach to wilt completely, about 2 minutes, before sprinkling in nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium-low, and allow to simmer for a few minutes, until excess tomato juice boils away.
2. Meanwhile, boil water for pasta. Add noodles plus a pinch of salt, and cook according to package directions until al dente.
3. Back to the sauce—stir in pumpkin, remaining herbs and spices, and, finally, cooked soybeans. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and pepper as desired. Serve over pasta, garnished with roasted walnuts.

The Cycle of Seasons

Greetings, fellow foodies! Summer is officially over: mornings here are now crisp and chilly, the leaves are falling, and few things sound more comforting than a turtleneck sweater and a hot bowl of oats for breakfast.

This morning, I opened my first can of pumpkin for the season. Why? Well, for one, we’re out of fresh fruit—grocery shopping will ensue later today—but as per the autumnal weather, a bowl of pumpkin-y goodness sounded delish.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I adore pie. I adore pumpkin. I adore pumpkin pie. Hence, I particularly adore this recipe. This breakfast is serious comfort food, but also wonderfully healthy.

Serves 1

Ingredients

½ cup rolled oats, oat bran, or steel-cut oats

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice*

Pinch of salt (optional)

½ cup milk alternative

½ cup canned pumpkin purée

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Chia seeds or ground flaxseed

Dried fruit & nuts of choice

*See my Carrot Cake Oats for a homemade blend.

Directions

Combine oats, spice, salt (if using), non-dairy milk, pumpkin, extract, and ½ cup of water in a saucepan. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until desired consistency and creaminess are achieved—remember, steel-cut oats take significantly longer to cook than rolled oats or oat bran. Stir in chia seeds or flaxseed, and garnish with dried fruit and nuts as desired.

You can tell the mornings are a bit grayer than usual, thanks to the subdued lighting.

This breakfast is SO filling!

Alongside pumpkin, I’ve also been enjoying lots of sweet potato, namely in the form of biscuits.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

When I visited my grandparents as a little girl, my grandma often served homemade biscuits with maple syrup for breakfast. They weren’t whole wheat, and they certainly weren’t vegan, so I’ve recreated the recipe with a special, sweet potato twist.

Serves 12

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes

¼ cup + 2 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce

1-2 Tbs. maple syrup (depending on how sweet you like your biscuits)

2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. salt

2 cups whole wheat pastry or spelt flour

1 Tbs. + 1 tsp. baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Stab sweet potatoes with a fork several times, place on a baking sweet, and roast at least 40 minutes, possibly even an hour. The softer the potatoes, the better—and even better if they are slightly caramelized. Once finished, allow potatoes to cool, but keep oven at 400° F for the biscuits.
2. In a large bowl, mash cooled sweet potatoes with a fork. You can leave the skins on for extra fiber if you like. Add applesauce, maple syrup, vinegar, and salt, stirring well.
3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour and baking powder. Add wet ingredients. Stir in 4 to 6 Tbs. of water as needed, just enough to adhere the dough. Then, on a greased baking sheet, divide dough into 12 balls and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned, crisp, and firm to the touch. Serve warm.

Hearty and wholesome. I made these on Wednesday, and today, there are only 2 left! I'll have to make another batch this weekend.

Finally, concerning my giveaway, I’m moving the entry date back a few more days, so you still have a chance to comment and perhaps become one of TWO lucky winners! Be sure to sign up!

I’m Gonna Chow Down My Vegetables

The other day, I discussed my passion for fruit. Well, I’m equally passionate about veggies, so much so that I really aim to get a serving with every meal and snack, including breakfast! I very, very rarely eat savoury breakfasts, and some people would definitely find it odd, if not altogether gross, to eat fruits and veggies together in a bowl of oatmeal, but with the help of complementary spices, it is not only possible; it is also delicious. Take my Carrot Cake Oats, for example—it’s seriously almost like dessert for breakfast. Lately, I’ve been adding chopped apple to the original recipe, and I’ve really come to prefer the addition, hence the new name, Carrot-Apple Spice Oats.

But carrots aren’t the only veggie that works well with oats. Zucchini is wonderfully versatile, too, especially now that it’s in season. Last week, I decided to make Zucchini Bread Oats (which I’ve yet to feature on this blog), but a sudden desire for autumnal flavours encouraged me to also add an element of pumpkin.

Zucchini-Pumpkin Bread Oats

Serves 1

Nighttime Ingredients

½ cup rolled oats or oat bran

½ tsp. pumpkin pie spice

½ cup milk alternative

¼ – ½ pumpkin purée

¼ – ½ cup grated zucchini

Directions

In a bowl, sift together oats and spice. Add milk alternative, then stir in pumpkin and zucchini until everything is thoroughly combined. Store in refrigerator overnight.

Morning Toppings Ideas

Chia seeds or ground flaxseed

Raisins

Walnuts and/or pecans

Sweetener of choice, to taste (optional)

Splash of extra milk alternative as needed

Eating in Season

In addition to veganism, another important diet philosophy I follow is eating in season. It’s better for the environment and better for your body, too, since the nutrients in a cucumber in July are superior to those of a cucumber purchased in the dead of winter, for example.

Eating in season also often includes eating locally. I’m an Iowa girl—and having lived here 22 years, I’ve eaten my fair share of sweet corn, especially since my grandfather is a farmer. We Iowans can literally make whole meals from corn-on-the-cob, the highlight of summer produce.

Corn is often a highlight in my cooking as well, as you may have noticed. It is both sweet and savoury and lends itself perfectly to dishes of all seasons, summer, winter, or otherwise. Despite being a traditional American staple, corn is also featured in some ethnic cuisine. When I discovered this Thai recipe, I just had to try it.

I pretty much followed the recipe, but I added roasted peanuts for crunch.

In France, I sampled empanadas for the first time. Granted, they contained cheese, but I will admit how much I enjoyed them, and I vowed to make vegan empanadas upon my return home. Well, this week, I achieved that goal, and the results were quite fabulous!

Southwestern Pumpkin Empanadas

Inspired by this recipe and this recipe

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the dough:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1.5 cups spelt flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup warm water

For the filling:

1 Tbs. olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, diced

1 medium zucchini, chopped

4 cups fresh spinach, steamed

1 cup cooked black beans

1 cup sweet corn kernels

1 15-oz. pumpkin purée

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbs. cumin

2 tsp. coriander

1 tsp. chili powder

Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400˚ F.
2. In a skillet over high heat, sauté onion and garlic in olive oil for a couple minutes, or until onion is beginning to turn translucent. Add zucchini and cook until tender. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl, combine sautéed vegetables to other filling ingredients, stirring well to combine.
4. To make the dough, combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Slowly add the oil and water, blending until the dough forms into a ball. Transfer to a floured surface, divide dough into 8 equal little balls, and flatten each into ¼-inch-thick circles.
5. Divide filling equally among the dough circles. Fold the empanadas and press each closed with a fork before placing each on a baking sheet sprayed with oil. Lightly brush each empanada with oil, too, before baking for 15-20 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

A relatively new summertime discovery was chard, and oh, am I in love! Not to say I’m cheating on kale or anything, but chard . . . well, leafy greens in general rock my socks. But I revamped a recipe (Sicilian Collard Greens with Raisins and Pine Nuts) from The Kind Diet last week, although I used rainbow chard, and the results were SO pretty and SO tasty, too.

I’ve also been relying heavily on my basil plants, which are thriving as per usual! Last week, I was desperately in need of a new snack, and after browsing my pantry and discovered a nearly empty package of sundried tomatoes, creative culinary genius struck.

Sundried Tomato-Basil Hummus

Ingredients

1 cup dry chickpeas, soaked overnight and cooked

½ cup packed basil leaves

½ cup sundried tomatoes, rehydrated

1/3 cup tahini

1/4 cup lemon juice

2-4 Tbs. olive oil

6 cloves garlic

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Just blend all ingredients in a food processor, adding water as necessary until desired consistency is achieved. Allow to chill before serving.

Great for sandwiches! Serve sprinkled with pine nuts for extra Italian goodness.