Some Avocado Love and Recipe for Cherry Tomato and Avocado Relish

Oh avocado, how I love you.  In dips, spreads, and salsas.  Smashed, mashed and sliced on toast.  In rich chocolate puddings and cakes (and more on those to come).

But sometimes I want avocado to taste like avocado.  I want to enjoy its creamy flavour without too much seasoning.  As much as I love cilantro and cumin, sometimes they overpower avocado's mild freshness.  And as much as I love guacamole that is silky and smooth, fluffy and light, sometimes I enjoy biting into a perfectly ripe avocado's firm yet soft textured flesh.

So here I keep it simple. Serve it on toast, tortilla chips, or eat it au naturel. Light and fresh, with mild ingredients (tomato, lime, sea salt) that bring out all of the goodness that is avocado without overpowering its mild disposition. 

Cherry Tomato and Avocado Relish
Makes approx 1.5 cups

1 large or 2 small avocados
1/4 yellow onion, minced fine
2 garlic cloves, minced fine
5-6 cherry tomatoes, seeds removed and diced fine
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 dashes of hot sauce (I use Valentina's)
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
pepper to taste

Cut avocado(s) in half lenghwise by cutting through to the pit in a circle and twisting. Remove the pit with a spoon or a knife, then scoop out the flesh, intact, onto a cutting board.  Cut into 1/4 inch dice and transfer to a bowl.  Add remaining ingredients and mash lightly with a potato masher or the back of a fork.  You don't want to over-mash the avocado; make sure there are still plenty of chunks.

Pin It Now!

Veggie Burgers 101 and Recipe for Spicy Mexican Veggie Burger (vegan, gluten-free)

I love veggie burgers, and am always trying to create new flavours and textures.  My favourites are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  I have recently discovered that are a few basic steps when inventing a veggie burger: you need to start with a grain (quinoa, rice, bulger, spelt, etc.) and mix in something squishy/pasty (beans, sweet potatoes, potatoes).  You need a binder (egg replacer or flax eggs), and something to absorb the liquid (chickpea flour, breadcrumbs).  Then you can add whatever spices, veggies and sauces you desire.  

Today I felt like something spicy, so I whipped up these Mexican veggie burgers.  They are perfectly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and hold together amazingly well.  I served them with Asian Carrot Salad from Brendan Brazier's Thrive Foods cookbook.  Enjoy!

 
 
Spicy Mexican Veggie Burger
Makes 6 burgers

1/2 cup brown rice, cooked + 1/4 cup brown rice (reserved)
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 block extra firm tofu, pressed* and crumbled
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 jalepeno, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/4 c cilantro
1/3-1/2 c chickpea flour
1/4 c enchilada sauce
2 tbsp salsa
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 flax eggs (made by combining 2 tbsp ground flax and 6 tbsp warm water, let stand 5 min)

Buns, hot sauce, sprouts, tomato, avocado, hummus, and other toppings of choice

*to press tofu: rinse and pat dry, wrap in clean kitchen towel and place between dishes.  Put something heavy on the top plate and let stand for 15 minutes.

Add 1/2 c brown rice, beans, tofu, onion, red pepper, jalepeno, garlic and cilantro in food processor.  Pulse until well combined.  Transfer to bowl and add remaining ingredients, including reserved 1/4c rice (which adds texture). 

Mix until well combined.  Form into 6 patties and place on wax paper-lined dish or baking sheet.  Note that the patties will be really soft and sticky.  They will get firmer in the fridge. 

Refrigerate patties for at least 2 hours.   When ready to cook, remove from fridge and cook on indoor electric grill on "high" for 15 minutes.

Sandwich in buns and top with desired fixings.

Pin It Now!

Recipe: Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos

These burritos are our go-to frozen meal.  I make a big batch then freeze them wrapped individually, so when we need a quick meal we reheat them in the microwave.  They are a bit time consuming to make because of the steps involved, but are well worth it to have something healthy, vegan and meal-sized on hand. 

They are made up of a sweet potato layer, a black bean layer, and a sprinkling of Daiya cheese.  You can bake the sweet potatoes, but I prefer to microwave them since it is much quicker.
If you microwave them, pierce them all over with a fork.  Place them on a microwave-safe dish for 4 minutes on high.  Flip them over and microwave them for another 4 minutes.  Pinch them and if they are still hard, give them another couple minutes.  Cut them open and let them cool while you work on the black beans.

You'll first sautee your onions, then add the garlic and black beans.

Then you'll add water and smoosh your beans in the pan.  I don't have a potato masher so I use the top of my meat tenderizer. Smoosh away until you have a thick paste.  Add tamari (or soy sauce), hot sauce, dijon and spices.

Scoop the cooled sweet potato innards into a bowl and mash along with chopped adobe peppers.  Peppers in Adobe sauce come in a tin and can be found in grocery stores in the Mexican/Latin American area.  

Now its time to assemble.  Scoop a heaping tablespoon of sweet potato mixture first.  Top with heaping spoonful of beans.  Sprinkle Daiya (which is, by the way, the best vegan cheese out there, hands down).  Wrap into a burrito.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.  If you are using small tortillas you'll get 12-14.  If you are using large you'll get 8 or so and you'll have to adjust your fillings accordingly.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.  Cool completely then wrap individually and freeze.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos
Makes 12-14 small or 8 large burritos

1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes or yams, baked or microwaved (see above for instructions)
2 peppers in adobe sauce, chopped
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 c water
2 tbsp tamari (soy sauce)
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp chilli pepper
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c Daiya cheese (vegan)
14 small or 8 large tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Scoop out sweet potatoes and mash in a bowl along with chopped adobe peppers.  Set aside.  Saute onions for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for another minute.  Add black beans and water and mash slightly so a thick paste forms.  Add tamari, hot sauce, dijon, chilli pepper, cumin and salt and pepper.  Cook for another 5 minutes or so.  Turn off heat.

To assemble burritos: divide sweet potato mixture between tortillas.  Then divide bean mixture on top of sweet potato layer.  Sprinkle with Daiya cheese and wrap into burrito.  Place in on layer ungreased baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.  Cool completely then wrap individually and freeze.  If you make full-sized burritos, you can wrap each one in a paper towel before wrapping in plastic wrap.
To reheat, unwrap plastic and wrap in a paper towel.  Microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Pin It Now!

Election-Night Party Recipe: Vegan 7 Layer Dip

Ok, you got me, it wasn't much of a party.  It was just the hubs and I, but since 3 out of 4 people living in our household are American, the US election was even more of a big deal in our house.  Our 2 year old must have sensed something because he didn't once insist we put on "Buzz and Woody" instead of watching election results (which would qualify as a boring mommy and daddy show in his books for sure).  Sitting in front of the TV all night for what we knew would be a nail-biter demanded something we could snack on, so for dinner I made one of our favourites: 7 layer dip.


Here are the layers:

1. Smooshed black beans with onion and jalapeno: mince onion and jalapeno, add black beans, hot sauce, pinch of salt.  Mix and smoosh (I use the side of a tenderizer).  Spread into the bottom of a 8 by 8 baking dish.

2. Spiced quinoa: combine quinoa (I used red quinoa, its a bit less mushy than regular quinoa, but either will do), vegetable broth, water, and spices.  Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for 15 minutes then let stand 2 minutes covered.  Fluff with a fork.  Spread evenly over bean layer.

3. Vegan Queso: soaked cashews will form the base for the queso.  Soak cashews for at least 4 hours in water.  Drain cashews and puree in food processor.  Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.  Carefully spread over quinoa layer (the quinoa will want to stick to the queso so you'll have to do this gingerly).

4. Guacamole: combine all ingredients in food processor.  Blend until smooth.  Spread over queso layer.

5. Spicy olives and pickled jalapenos: in a small bowl, combine drained sliced black olives, pickled jalapenos and jalapeno juice.  Let stand for 5 minutes then drain so that the olives are coated with some of the spicy liquid.  Sprinkle over guacamole.

6. Salsa: spread salsa evenly over olive layer.

7. Green onions and shredded lettuce: sprinkle evenly over salsa layer, and your dip is complete!

This dip will keep for a couple days in the fridge, which is a good thing because otherwise we may have felt compelled to eat the entire thing.

Vegan 7-Layer Dip
Makes 1 8x8 dish full

Bean Layer
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jalapeno, seeds removed, minced finely
1/4 c onion, minced finely
2 tsp franks hot sauce
pinch of salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl.  Mash beans until they form a lumpy paste.  Spread into the bottom of an ungreased 8 x 8 baking dish.

Spiced Quinoa Layer
1/2 c red quinoa
3/4 c vegetable broth
1/4 c water
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt
pinch of cayenne


Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and stir well.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover.  Simmer for 15 minutes, then let stand, covered for 2 minutes.  Fluff with a fork.  Spread evenly over bean layer.

Queso layer
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4-8 hours
1/2 c water
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1 tbsp franks hot sauce
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
pinch of salt

Drain cashews and puree in food processor.  Slowly add water while processor is running.  Add lemon juice and garlic clove and puree.  Add remaining ingredients and puree until smooth and creamy.  Spread evenly over quinoa layer.

Guacamole
2 large or 3 small avocados
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic
juice from 1/2 lime
2 tbsp cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp franks hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached and all ingredients are well mixed.  Spread over queso layer.


Remaining Layers - Olive/Jalapeno, Salsa and Green onion/lettuce
1 can sliced green olives
1 can pickled jalapenos
1/2 c salsa
1 bunch of green onions (scallions), light green and white parts, minced
1 c romaine lettuce, shredded

Drain olives and place in small bowl with jalapenos and jalapeno juice.  Let stand for 5 minutes.  Drain and sprinkle over guacamole layer. Spread salsa over olive layer.  Sprinkle green onions and lettuce on top.  Chill in fridge covered for 30 minutes.  Serve with tortilla chips or veggies.



Pin It Now!

Recipe: Taco Salad and Best Ever Guacamole

This is probably my husband's favourite healthy dinner - a raw layered taco salad.  It packed with flavour and texture, and is meat and soy free.  Soaked nuts form the basis for both the taco "meat" and "sour cream".  It is a relatively easy recipe, but has a number of steps all requiring the food processor so it does take some time to clean and set up each step. 

Walnuts are soaked then drained and pulsed in a food processor with taco seasoning spices, and the result is surprisingly similar in taste to ground taco meat but with a lighter, less chewy texture.

After you soak your cashews, they will easily blend.  When you add water and a pinch of lemon juice, the pureed cashews become a rich cream, similar in creaminess and taste to sour cream.

The guacamole is foolproof: simply add all ingredients to the food processor and blend for about a minute, until all ingredients are pureed.  If you like a chunkier guacamole, simply mince your onions, garlic and cilantro before adding to the processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached.  I make mine creamy just because it involves less prep.

The result is fresh and creamy guacamole which can be used in this salad, as a dip for nacho chips, or even in a layer dip (vegan layer dip recipe coming soon!).

Now it's time to assemble your salad.  I use butter lettuce as I find it has a nice light crisp to it.  I have also made this salad with chopped romaine which works well.  Assemble your salads by starting with a bed of greens.  Sprinkle taco "meat" and layer on sour cream, guacamole and salsa. Enjoy!

Taco Salad 
Serves 2

Walnut "meat"
1/2 cup raw walnut pieces, soaked for 2-4 hours
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dried oregano 
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper
pinch of cumin
Drain walnuts.  Combine all ingredients in food processor and pulse until walnuts are in ground-beef-sized crumbs.

Cashew "sour cream"
1/2 c raw cashews, soaked for 2-4 hours
1/2 c + 2 tbsp water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp sea salt

Drain cashews and puree in food processor, stopping to scrape down processor sides.  With processor running, slowly add water until smooth paste forms.  Add lemon juice and sea salt to processor and puree.

Best Ever Guacamole
1 avocado
1/2 small onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 c cilantro
juice of 1 small lime
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients to food processor and mix for approx 1 minute until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.

To assemble Taco Salad
1 head of butter lettuce
1 recipe of Walnut "Meat"
1 recipe of Cashew "Sour Cream"
1 recipe of "Best Ever Guacamole"
1/4 c salsa

Divide butter lettuce leaves between 2 dishes.  Top each with even sprinkle of walnut meat, and dollops of cashew sour cream, guacamole and salsa, dividing each between the two salads..


Pin It Now!