My New Favourite Cookbook!

A few weeks ago I worked a day shift (this never happens) and had time to go to the library... ALONE.  This also never happens so I was pretty excited to spend at least 1/2 hour in the cookbook section.  I'd seen the Canadian Living-Vegetarian Collection book around but hadn't had a chance to actually look through it so it was the first book I picked up.  I love it.  REALLY REALLY love it.  So far we've had our version of the tofu salad sandwich, the chili fries and tonight (our version) of the Curried Lentil and Cashew burgers.  It was the first page I stuck a post it to because it had 3 of my favourite things (LENTILS! CURRY! and BURGERS?!) and I was not disappointed.  Even knowing that I was going for a run less than an hour after dinner I still ate 2, that good.  We served the burgers with a wild rice/brown rice pilaf and some steamed asparagus.

Curried Lentil and Cashew Burgers

3 cups cooked lentils

2 cups roasted (unsalted) cashews

1 chopped onion

4 cloves minced garlic

2 cups sliced white mushrooms

3 tbsp curry paste

salt and pepper

2 tsp cumin

handful of fresh cilantro

1 cup bread crumbs

*In a food processor, pulse cashews until crumbled

*Add lentils and mix well

*In a frying pan, saute together onion, garlic and mushrooms until soft.

*Add curry paste, cumin, and salt and pepper.

*Add onion mixture to food  processor and pulse together.

*Transfer to a large bowl and add cilantro and bread crumbs, allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.

*Form into patties and cook on a grill or a well oiled frying pan for at least 8 minutes per side.

Moroccan Lentil Balls and Couscous

Moroccan Lentil Balls and Couscous  adapted from Vegetarian Times: Fast and Easy

1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous

2 tbsp olive oil

1 diced onion

1 batch of lentil balls 

5 cloves of minced garlic

3 large chopped tomatoes

1 cup vegetable stock

1 cup halved dried apricots

1/2 cup pomegranate juice

3 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper

*Cook couscous according to package instructions.

*In a large saucepan, cook onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes.  Add lentil balls and cook an additional 5 minutes.

*Stir in remaining ingredients and cook for 10-12 minutes.

*Top couscous with lentil ball mixture and serve.

Repeats and a Blueberry Tart Dessert.

Happy Canada Day!  We spent the day as a family not. doing. anything.  Maybe I should be more specific... we didn't have any plans to go anywhere, or do anything.  We did clean out the garage and do some housework.  We played (and played and played and played...), but we didn't have to do anything.  And that is very strange for our family.  We ended up inviting my parents and brother over for supper, we had lentil burgers, corn on the cob, and a green salad with a delicious balsamic vinaigrette (wondering if I've shared the recipe before?).  I saw this recipe a few days ago and figured today was the perfect day to try it.  It went over very very well.  There wasn't a cumb left!  I made a few minor changes to the recipe, so here is my take on it!

Blueberry Tart 

 

Crust:

3/4 cup toasted walnuts

3/4 graham crackers

2 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp oil

pinch of salt

filling:

1 cup softened cream cheese

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup real maple syrup + 2 tbsp more

juice from 1/2 lemon

2 cups blueberries

*In a food processor, pulse together graham cracker and walnuts until it resembles a fine crumb.

*Transfer to a large bowl and add butter, oil, and salt.  Mix well.
*Press into bottom of a tart pan (or pie pan) and up the sides at least 1/2 inch.

*Bake at 325 for 13-14 minutes.  Allow to cool.

*In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, sour cream, 1/4 cup maple syrup and lemon juice.

*Pour into crust and top with blueberries.

*Drizzle remaining 2 tbsp syrup on top of berries and transfer to freezer for at least 1 hour

I don't often post pictures of my children on this blog but I had to share this one.  I think he enjoyed his dessert, don't you?!  :)

Best Day, Ever.

Today was the best day, ever.  We went on a hike, had a wiener roast, played in the yard (and the neighbour's yard), I went to hot yoga, and it ended with an impromptu family bbq.  Needless to say, I don't have a supper post to share!  BUT, I did make something from Simple Suppers that I never got around to posting on Thursday.  We had a warm lentil salad with french bread and it was delicious. 

Warm Lentil Salad

1 cup (french) lentils I never found french and this salad was still great

1/2 tsp salt

1 medium head of escarole

1 fennel bulb

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves of minced garlic

2 tsp ground fennel seed

 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup chopped walnuts I forgot to add these, oops!

*Cook lentils according to package instructions

*Rinse, drain and chop the escarole.  Thinly slice fennel bulb.

*In a large skillet, saute garlic, ground fennel and thyme for 2 minutes.  

*Add fresh fennel and salt and cook for 2 more minutes.

*Add escarole and stir and cook for a few minutes.

*Remove from heat and drain of liquid.

*Stir in lentils and tomatoes (and walnuts-oops) and serve at room temperature

Lentil Tacos!

I have had a life-long love affair with tacos; it's the only thing I can remember loving as a meat eater.  I've tried a lot of different ways to make vegetarian tacos and most have turned out okay but today I think I have officially perfected it!  The only thing is that this was not nearly enough for our family.  Everyone wanted seconds (and thirds) but only 1 person was able to do that....and that someone ate it in the pantry so nobody would know ;)  I served the tacos with leftover tomato soup and some raw broccoli and carrots.

Lentil Tacos

3 cups cooked lentils

2 tbsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

3 tbsp tomato paste

2 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp paprika

2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

*Place half of the lentils in a food processor and pulse several times with 1 tbsp olive oil

*Saute onion, garlic and ginger in remaining olive oil until soft.

*Add both whole lentils and pureed lentils along with spices and tomato paste and cook for 8-10 minutes on low.

*Warm taco shells in oven at 350 for 5 minutes.

*Spoon lentils and whatever toppings you like into shells and enjoy!

Lentil and Carrot Soup with Coconut

 On most Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a very busy morning, particularly before lunch when I'm getting my daughter to and from nursery school and then getting my son from kindergarten. Today was different because my son had a playdate! In anticipation of a quiet, less hectic morning I decided to make things even easier by preparing the soup last night while I played cribbage with my husband. This morning I got up and put it in the crock pot and enjoyed a quiet(ish) morning just as planned (even if I didn't get the nap I had hoped for)! I got this recipe out of (surprise!) the 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes cookbook.  I love this cookbook but I'm starting to think I may need a couple more to choose from.  I served the soup with some garlic naan bread and a simple green salad, everyone seemed to enjoy it although it was a little spicy for the kids.  My husband had 3 bowls full though so I'm guessing he didn't mind :)

Red Lentil and Carrot Soup with Coconut

olive oil

2 chopped onions

3 sliced carrots

4 cloves minced garlic

2 cups red lentils

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1-28 oz can diced tomatoes

6 cups vegetable stock

1 can coconut milk

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 finely chopped jalapeno

*In a skillet, heat olive oil and saute onion and carrot until soft

*Add garlic, turmeric, salt, and pepper and stir for 1 minute

*Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil, add lentils and stock

*Transfer mixture to slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  

*Stir in coconut milk, lemon juice and jalapeno and cook for 30 minutes on high.

Another Monday of trying to please a 2 year old...

I'm pretty sure the only reason any of this meal got eaten by our favourite Monday dinner guest is because we were having chocolate pudding for dessert.  Another Monday, another fail!  You just never know with a 2 year old!  Tonight we had spaghetti with a super easy (super delicious) lentil sauce and a tofu and veggie salad.  I just kind of threw the salad together at lunch and it went over so well I will definitely be making it again.  Possibly even this week, ha!  I basically just marinated the tofu in a simple balsamic vinegar marinade and then baked it in the oven for 30 minutes.  Then I threw it in a bowl with some tomatoes, cucumber, yellow pepper, carrots and the leftover marinade!  So for next week all I know is that our little friend likes bread and... well that is actually all I know for sure :)

Spaghetti and Lentil Sauce

2 small chopped onions

3 cloves minced garlic

1 1/2 cups of dried green lentils

3 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp parsley

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

freshly ground black pepper

1 can tomato paste

*Saute onion and garlic until soft

*Add lentils, broth, and spices and bring to a boil.

*Lower heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes (until lentils are cooked)

*Add tomato paste and mix well.

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

I combined some of my favourite things for tonight's meal: lentils, potatoes, carrots and apples.  Thursdays are usually a casserole type of day because I can make the meal in the morning when baby is napping and the other kids are out.  Then when we get home from hockey in the afternoon I am just putting it in the oven and not having to worry about much else.  I LOVE shepherd's pie, it is definitely one of my personal faves although probably not up there on the rest of the family's lists.  I served it with a carrot and apple salad (with edamame and walnuts!) and some steamed green beans.  Nobody complained - I think they all enjoyed the meal - but no one enjoyed it as much as I did. <3

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

1 1/2 cups dried green lentils

1 onion

2-3 cloves minced garlic

3 sliced carrots

2 chopped celery

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp braggs

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tsp oregano

1/2 cup vegetable stock

2 tbsp chopped sage

handful of chopped parsley

1 can corn

6 chopped potatoes (skin on)
butter and milk

*Cook lentils according to package instructions

*Fill large pot with potatoes and enough water to cover them.  Bring to a boil and let simmer until easily pierced with a fork.
*While lentils and potatoes are cooking, saute onion and garlic in a large skillet.
*Add carrots and celery and cook until soft.
*Add worcestershire, braggs, ketchup, and spices
*Add cooked lentils and vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Let simmer until reduced.
*Mash potatoes with butter and milk.
*Pour lentil mixture into a casserole dish, cover with canned corn, then potatoes
*Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We all know that I love themes, so it should come as no surprise that I made a themed meal for St. Patrick's day!  It took me awhile to find a recipe for Irish stew that didn't have a flavoured soy fake meat product as the main ingredient.  I try to feed my children as little processed food as possible.  Do they eat it occasionally?  Of course, but I try to avoid it as often as I can.  I finally found this one with tvp and lentils which automatically made it the perfect recipe for me.  I made a few modifications but just for personal taste preference.  I remember when I first became a vegetarian (my reasons made for a GREAT story, lol) I survived on pb&j on rice cakes, and a friend used to sing the praises of tvp.  Being a teenager I never wanted to try it... it was toooo weird, but now... YUM!  We love it.  I couldn't find the chunks that this recipe called for so I just used flakes, they worked out just fine.  I served it with some homemade Irish soda bread which took a lot longer to cook than the recipe said it would.  The best part about this recipe was how easy it was, perfect meal for a dreary, wet day!

 Irish Stew

2 chopped onions 

1/4 cup unbleached flour 

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup sliced carrots  

1/2 cup chopped parsnips

1 cup chopped turnips

1 cup diced celery

1 cup split red lentils 

1/2 cup fresh parsley 

1/4 cup soy sauce 

1 bay leaf 

2 teaspoons marmite 

1 teaspoon sugar 

1/4 teaspoon thyme 

1/4 teaspoon rosemary 

1/4 teaspoon marjoram 

 salt and pepper  

1 cup textured vegetable protein

*Saute onions in oil for 5 minutes

*Add flour and stir quickly

*Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30(ish) minutes

Lentil Burgers

I spend a lot of time looking at recipes.  I mean, A LOT of time.  When I'm holding a sleeping baby, nursing a hungry baby, or just having a minute to myself I am usually looking through different cookbooks/blogs/websites.  I found myself doing that this morning when I had already started my lentil burgers for tonight's meal.  I like to start the burgers right after my two older kids have gotten on the school bus, and then I just put them in the oven about 20 minutes before supper.  The littlest kids are usually happiest at that time of day so its my most uninterrupted time in the kitchen.  The burgers were almost ready and I was just giving the bread crumbs a bit of time to soak up the extra moisture when I found this recipe on the savvy vegetarian site.  Sunflower seeds?  in a burger?  I went into the pantry and realized I had some leftover from the granola bars I made a few weeks ago so I threw them in last minute.  It was a great idea, these burgers were absolutely delicious.  I served the burgers with a wild rice and quinoa pilaf and some raw carrots and red pepper.

Lentil Burgers

3 cups cooked lentils, divided

1 1/2 cups ground rolled oats

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

3 tbsp ground flax seed

1 cup ground sunflower seeds

1 diced onion

3 cloves minced garlic

3 finely diced carrots

1 finely diced red pepper

3 stalks finely diced celery

2 tbsp curry paste

3 tsp cumin

3 tsp mustard

1/2-3/4 cup chopped parsley

*Place half the lentils in a food processor and pulse several times

*Mix together all the lentils, oats, bread crumbs, flax, sunflower seeds, spices.

*Fold in veggies and parsley

*Let sit for 10 minutes (and find new recipe, haha) and cook in lightly oiled frying pan for 5-6 minutes on each side

*Cook at 375 for 15-20 minutes

Lentil Loaf

Today we are celebrating my brother's 29th birthday with some pie and ice cream!  Wish I could say I made the pie but sadly there was no time for that today.  We did however enjoy a lentil loaf with mashed potatoes, gravy, and steamed vegetables.  Last spring while very pregnant and nesting I made at least 5 lentil loaves to freeze for my babymoon, so I had a lot of time to perfect my non-recipe.  I think this is the final version.

Lentil Loaf

*Topping

1 can tomato paste

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 chopped onion

2 tsp minced garlic

1 chopped green pepper

1 chopped red pepper

3 stalks chopped celery

3 cups cooked lentils

1 cup cooked brown rice

3 tbsp cornmeal

1 1/2 cups oatmeal

2 tbsp topping mixture from above

2 tbsp ground flax

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 tsp cumin

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp basil

2 tsp ground mustard

salt and pepper

*Mix together the topping ingredients first in a small bowl

*Saute onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes

*Add peppers, and celery and saute a few more minutes

*Mash lentils or pulse a few times in a food processor

*In large bowl combine onion mixture, lentils, rice, and remaining ingredients until just mixed.

 *Pour mixture into greased loaf pan and cover the top with tomato paste topping

*Bake at 375 (covered) for 45 minutes.  Remove cover and bake for 15 more minutes.

*Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes so it firms up

And now I'm off to enjoy some more delicious food with some good friends at Elephant and Castle <3

Sweet and Sour Lentils

Have I spoken about my love of lentils?  Haha.  But really, lentils are (in my opinion) the most versatile and delicious legume.  There is so much you can do with them, we eat them at least a couple of times a week.  One of our favourites is this recipe.  Served with rice and a green salad, sweet and sour lentils are a quick, healthy, and hearty meal.

Sweet and Sour Lentils

1 chopped onion

3 cloves minced garlic

2 cups lentils

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper

1 tbsp cornstarch

*Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft

*Add lentils, broth, water and bay leaf and bring to a boil

*Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes

*Remove bay leaf and add sugar, apple juice, vinegar, salt and pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes

*Add sifted cornstarch and stir quickly until thickened

Lentil Love

I looked for a good vegetarian slow cooker cookbook for a long time.  A lot of them called for either too much processed foods, or had recipes that only needed to be cooked for 2 hours or so.  Neither one of those kinds worked for me.  I needed something I could leave in all day, and something with more fresh foods.  I finally came upon 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes, it isn't perfect but I think its pretty close!  This lentil soup recipe is one of my favourites.  I remember when my third child was born, I ate this soup every day for weeks!  I was lucky tonight, my Mom had just dropped off some fresh bannock to go with it!

Mediterranean Lentil Soup with Spinach

 1 cup dried green lentils

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, peeled and chopped

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds (crushed)

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 potato, peeled and grated (I don't bother with peeling)

6 cups vegetable stock

8 oz fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

*In a colander, rinse lentils thoroughly under cold running water.  Set aside.

*In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onions, celery and carrots and cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, cumin seeds and lemon zest and cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Transfer mixture to slow cooker.  Add reserved lentils, potato and stock.

*Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on High for 4-6, until vegetables are tender.  Add spinach and lemon juice.  Cover and cook on High for 20 minutes, until spinach is cooked and mixture is hot and bubbling.

Did you miss me?

After a full 48 hours stuck in bed with a migraine, I honestly could not wait to get back in the kitchen.  The kids (except baby) are at their grandparents for the night so I took full advantage.  Lentils are one of my favourite foods as you will soon find out, and this is one of our favourite dishes!  Lentil casserole (or lentil bake as my kids love to call it) is super easy, super filling, and really just all around delicious.  I have been asked for the recipe so many times that I have now just saved it as a document to attach to the emails.

The quinoa rolls are a newer one around here.  We had our first totally vegetarian Christmas last year (past years were spent with family with our food on the side) and I wanted to find the "perfect roll" but due to chef error they did not turn out.  I  made the rolls entirely too big and they were less than appetizing.  No chef error tonight, they were delicious!

Lentil Casserole

1 chopped onion

2 minced garlic clove

3 sliced carrots

3 sliced celery

2 cups of cooked lentils

1 batch (or 3-4 cups) of chunky pasta sauce
some shakes of red pepper flakes and/or hot sauce

lots of cheddar cheese!

*Saute onions and garlic until translucent

*Add carrots and celery add saute until soft

*Add lentils, spices and sauce to mix

*Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish and top with shredded cheese

*Bake at 400 for 30 minuts

*Broil for another 5

Quinoa Dinner Rolls

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

3 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp active dried yeast

1 cup warm water

1/2 cup honey plus 1 tbsp

1 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs whites (or you can skip and add more oil/cooked quinoa water instead)

2 cups whole wheat flour

4 cups bread flour

*Cook quinoa in 2 cups of water with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp of honey (bring to a boil and simmer covered for 15 minutes)

*In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in one cup of warm water

*Add the honey, eggs, and oil. Add the 2 cups of whole wheat flour and mix well

*Add 2 teaspoons salt and 2 cups of the bread flour and mix well

*Add quinoa (minus 1/4 cup-save for later!) and 1 more cup of flour and knead dough, adding last cup of flour as needed 

*Knead dough until dough is smooth and fairly stiff

*Place dough in oiled bowl and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours

*Punch down and divide into (at least) 16 rolls.

 *Place seam down on baking sheet, and brush tops with margarine and reserved quinoa

*Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then lower the heat and bake for another 15-20 minutes

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'll spare you the details of my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad (moving to Australia kind of) day and just mention that today I really needed some comfort food.  And what is more comforting than spaghetti and meat (lentil) balls?  And for good measure, even some chocolate cake!

Anyone that knows me, knows that I LOVE lentils.  I firmly believe that you can make anything with them.  So while searching for some kind of non-meat meat balls a few months ago, I was most excited to find this recipe.  Super simple, super delicious, and super consistency when mixed with the sauce.  Its one of my favourite vegan recipes!  I also made a side salad and a very chunky vegetable tomato sauce.

Chunky Pasta Sauce

Olive oil

1 chopped onion

3 cloves of finely chopped garlic

3 sliced carrots

3 sliced celery stalks

1 chopped red pepper

as many tomatoes as you can find! (chopped and seeded)

1 tsp each cumin, parsley, basil, oregano

salt and pepper

1 cup of vegetable broth

Tomato Paste

1 tbsp brown sugar

*Saute onion and garlic in oil until translucent

*Add rest of the vegetables (minus tomatoes) and continue sauteing until soft

*add spices, broth, paste and sugar and bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until reduced

*add tomatoes and simmer on low for as long as you can (at least 45 minutes in this house)

*Use immersion blender (or food processor or blender) and blend until desired consistency!

Lentil Balls 

I usually have to double this recipe to feed our family

1 cup cooked lentils
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for spraying/brushing on lentil-balls
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs 

1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried parsley

(and I always add cumin 1/2 tsp)

*preheat oven to 375

*In a blender or food processor or using an immersion blender, puree the lentils with the olive oil, soy sauce, and vegetable broth

*mix together the dry ingredients and the spices

*Add the lentil puree to the dry ingredients and stir until a ball is formed. Knead the ball for a few minutes until the gluten is stringy. The ball will also "pull together" a little at this point. If it seems really wet and isn't coming together, add extra gluten 1 tbsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency

*Roll out about 2 tbsp of dough into balls and put them on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone sheet, or sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Spray or brush the balls lightly with olive oil, then flip them over and get the bottom oiled too

*Bake for 20 minutes, then turn them over, and bake for another 15 minutes. They will firm up more once they're out of the oven 

 I know I said we don't usually eat dessert.  But, today was an exception! Mini heart shaped chocolate cakes with delicious butter cream icing.  Just what I needed!