Easier than you thought?

Last Sunday was a lot of fun for me. My friend wants to pull off some extra weight, and invited me to help him with a meal plan for the week.... Loads of groceries later (more -allegedly - than have ever graced his countertop in a year) we were cooking.

I knew I was in trouble when she came downstairs in hysterics. She had run upstairs to shower before dinner. As she opened the door of the bathroom, she smelled something different... What her nose must have identified as a warm, heated molecular scent. She concluded "the house must be on fire!!!!". Nope - it was just the smell of us cooking! I love these two!

We started with two simple techniques that almost every single dish begins with. Chopping an onion, and smashing and mincing some garlic. Armed with lots of both, we began. I had no meal plan to speak of... just loads of fresh vegetables and raw materials, and what I hoped was a healthy dose of inspiration...

On the advice of both me, and his personal trainer, we are trying to cram as many fruits and veggies into him as possible. The omnivores think the secret is "limiting" the protiens and the carbs, but that's his problem since I think the solution is to just eat lots of plants instead. My new, vegangelical self...

We hollowed out some gorgeous whole peppers, and stuffed them with a combination of cubed eggplant, garlic, a can of cubed tomatoes, peppers, onions, a can of black beans, some chopped green onions and some cubed zucchini.

Next, we blanched a TONNE of green veggies by boiling a pot of salted water, with a separate bowl of iced water next to it on the counter. Once the veggies go seriously green, out they go into the shockingly cold ice water which simultaneously stops the cooking, perserves the green and is actually quite fun to do. Lots of veggies for munching, hummus-dipping or adding to salads.

Then, we made a homemade tomato sauce. We sauteed more chopped onion and garlic in olive oil. When they got to know each other we added a can of cubed tomatoes, some red wine, some balsamic vinegar, some salt and pepper and some italian spices. Simmer and serve over whole wheat pasta (I brought him a brand which has ONE ingredient! Whole wheat) Imagine....

Next, the better half of the partnership joined me in the kitchen as male boredom set in. We made a gorgeous thai stir-fry by simmering some coconut cream in a sautee pan, adding more chopped onion and garlic, some ginger, some red pepper, some hot sauce and finally tossing it with some of the blanched broccoli hubby had made. It took about 2 minutes.

We peeled three huge sweet potatoes and cut them into discs. Let's go African, I thought. We poured the balance of the coconut milk into another sautee pan, added a half a cup of peanut butter, more hot sauce, more onion, garlic and ginger and some cinnamon. We added some apple juice to the pan to make it liquid, and then tossed it over the sweet potatoes in a bowl. Adding some chopped dried fruit (apricots, mangos, apples, plums?) we put the slices into a roasting pan for the oven. I almost left it uncovered, but Melanie's instinct was to put some foil over top... And it was a great one. The potatoes would definitely cook faster, and the steam would keep the potatoes tender.

I have got to check in with them today to see how the week has unfolded, and to get some new appliances and tools for our session on Sunday. For starters, although they had a fabulous cleaver, they are in need of a good chef's knife. And a BIG cutting board. And a magic bullet blender. And beyond that? I think they're well on their way...

A Veal Picatta by any other name would taste as good...

My friends often ask me, when they learn about my vegan choices, "don't you miss meat?". And every so often, I do.

I was obsessed with the flavour of ribs last week, and satisfied that craving with a nice healthy dipping of smoky BBQ sauce for some nice wedge potatoes, or a hearty, smoky baked bean dish.

When I can't get the thought of a steak out of my mind, I grill a portobello with steak spices, and then make a nice red wine reduction for the top.

When I crave a nice chicken sandwich, I ask Rock Bottom to substitute two onion rings in my usual cajun chicken sandwich, or in a spicy midwest crispy chicken wrap.

When I want burgers, there are the BEST veggie burgers called Amy's California Veggie Burgers - and you can actually identify and pronounce all the ingredients! I throw mine on the George Foreman grill and they're a great fast food.

Meatballs are also easy - President's Choice makes a great meatless version, called ironically "World's Best Meatless Meatball".

Chicken Wings are the yummiest. President's Choice also makes a "World's Best Meatless Chicken Nugget" which goes great with any type of wing sauce, which I have perfected, using a combination of melted Earth Balance, coconut oil, hot sauce and dijon mustard... and my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Most of these cravings can't be separated from scent - from how great things smell as we're eating them... and that's where it is quite easy to fake out your palate and still love every morsel that you eat.

But the last impression I would ever want to leave a reader with is that the transition is effortless. Most of the time it's not. But I am conscious of the immense savings to my arteries, my budget, my figure, my immune system and my time - and that keeps me motivated to keep eating this way.

Except... we were at a Gala last week, and they put the most perfectly cooked beef tenderloin at the table. Bill and I had our vegan entree, a delicious stuffed pepper with zucchini, garlic, tomato, and rice that was just a poem of flavours. But I couldn't help myself - so I had a bite or two of tenderloin.

Yes, it was good (ie: perfectly cooked, and tasted the way it should have) but it wasn't great. I ate maybe a bite or two and didn't finish it. When met with judgmental stares from my beloved, I exclaimed "Honey, it doesn't mean anything! It was only a piece of meat!" which did NOT amuse him either...

His reasons for being so disciplined are different from mine, and he is almost never ever tempted. Having said that, he doesn't share the same core-rocking passion for food that I have, so I suppose that is to be expected.

As long as dinner is filling, voluminous and delicious, he just doesn't see what the big deal is about meat. He also hates it when I try to "veganize" traditional meat dishes like veal picatta or beef bourguignon and give them meaty names - he'd prefer just to call it vegetable stew or zuchini with pasta.

Like it's all about an eat an run! Like there's no romance at all in what it's called! Like a dish can't be made even more delectable by how it's described.

Maybe it's the name (of course, Bill's real name is William)... and it was another William who wrote "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet"...

So, here is my shakespearian tribute... "A Veal Picatta by any other name would taste as good".

Zucchini, cut into 1/3 inch strips, coated with olive oil and panko bread crumbs, were sauteed on both sides in a hot pan until the crumbs were golden.

Add some finely diced shallots to a pan with minced garlic, olive oil and the zest of one lemon. Sautee until shalots are translucent. Add 1/4 cup of white wine and 1/4 cup of vegetable stock, and 1 teaspoon of flour. Stir until thickened. Add the juice of the lemon, and 1 - 2 tablespoons of capers. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Right and Wrong Bread

I am obsessed with making bread lately. It is the only recipe I know that gets better the LESS you do! But, there is a right and a wrong way. What better way to turn 3.5 cups of flour, 11 mg of yeast, 1.25 cups of tepid water and 2 tbsp of salt into a heavenly and satisfying bite of "I-can't believe I made this...". Listen to the SOUND! It's gorgeous. The second picture is of a loaf that went "wrong-side-down" onto the pizza stone for baking, and you can see what a difference it made in volume - although it tasted quite good in any event.

Speedy raw foodie

One day in my office, I was joking with my assistant about an idea I thought was particularly brilliant. To reinforce the point and highlight my perception of my own genius, and in a complete mish-mosh of grammar, I uttered the phrase "to excellent my awesomeness".

It makes no sense, and is really quite cocky and self-centred - however, in this particular blog entry it applies....

I always joke that being a vegetarian requires a bit more creativity than meat-eating, because a head of broccoli doesn't just jump out at you as a dinner the way a chicken breast does or a steak. You usually have to work at "something" to make it into dinner.

Except yesterday!!!

I turned a pot on, added 1 1/2 cups of water, salted the water and brought it to a boil. Added one cup of whole wheat couscous, and stared at the crown of broccoli I bought. And it actually inspired me to make it into dinner!!! I took a sharp paring knife, and sliced off the florets into little bite sized bunches, and dropped them into the pot. By the time I was done this (20 seconds?) the couscous had absorbed the water, and was nicely steaming the broccoli - just barely, and enough to turn it a brilliant emerald green!

I minced a clove of garlic, handed Bill the microplane to zest and juice the lemon and melted 1 tbsp of coconut oil in the microwave. We tossed everything together, sliced some beautiful Essex County cherry tomatoes into the bowls and ate!

It literally took about 2 minutes to prep and was absolutely delicious! Because the broccoli wasn't "cooked" it had a beautiful crunch, tasted great with the lemon-garlic-coconut, and was a nice colour contrast with the bright red tomato.

I know Alicia's kids would love this - as would the little broccoli-loving 2 year olds, Avery and Abby - as would my friend Renee (who could not look any more gorgeous at 6 months pregnant), as would my hopefully newest mom friend Carolyn - who will have absolutely NO time for long recipies for the next 3 months.

It doesn't even need an ingredient list! It's just a title!!!! Lemon Garlic Broccoli Couscous with Coconut Oil and Cherry Tomatoes

This recipie was a total success in every field - taste, cost, speed and nutrition.

And I mention it on the blog just to excellent my awesomeness

;)

The Pesto Taste Test

I love "payday". Some people probably splurge on shoes, or clothes, or electronics on the days they get paid, but I splurge on food:) (if you read regularly, you are not surprised by this...)

So yesterday I bought five versions of our favourite prepared pesto. Tradizionale, Medeterraneo, Azteca, Provenzale and Thai. We got a prepared pizza crust and some vegan mozzarella, and divided the pizza into five sections - each with a different pesto.

(p.s. the taste test was Harrison's idea, as he didn't realize there were FIVE versions of the prepared pesto that I usually get when I need a "fast food" night. He loves the flavours and would put pesto on everything...)

(p.p.s. yes, Pesto is my version of "fast food")

We baked them off on my new pizza stone and all three of us tested each one.

While I love my own pesto because I can eliminate the cheese and add lemon and dijon, I can live with the quick versions in a pinch.

Try a taste test with your kids - it is a great excuse to have them think about what they like, how slightly similar tastes can evoke a preference, and how to read an ingredient label. We have actually done this a lot at our house - with everything from soup to oatmeal.

The verdict?

Bill loved the azteca version, with jalapenos, parsley and smoked paprika.

Harrison - ever the classicist - loved the traditional version.

Me? Hands down, the Thai version was incredible - with peanuts, thai basil and chiles.

Classic Vegan Pesto:
Fresh bunch of Basil Leaves (no need to discard the stems, since they are being blended into a puree)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
Zest of 1 organic lemon
Juice of the same lemon (strain out the pits)
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts

Toss the ingredients into a magic bullet or blender and puree until smooth.

It will take longer to write this...

than it did to make dinner. Tonight, Harrison wanted to buy a box of prepared "Indian Butter Chicken". He did put forth an excuse for why he should be "allowed" to eat chicken ("their brain activity is already over because they're dead") and I didn't want to fight him, so I agreed. He's trying to heat it up right now, and I'm making him read the instructions - secretly racing the blog writing.

I bought a prepared jar of butter chicken sauce (there are vegan versions available)(he just got the box open) and dumped a can of chickpeas, which you should thoroughly rinse under running water to avoid digestion issues, a cut up "Gardein breast" (which tastes just like chicken, especially with a strong sauce), and some frozen cauliflower florets in a pot. (he has the box open and hit the 5 minute button on the microwave). As it was simmering on low - medium heat, I peeled a potato and cubed it, added it to the pot and added about 1/4 cup of water.

The mixture simmered for about a 25 minutes, but I was out of the kitchen in less time than it took for Harrison's "meal" to thaw.

Fast Forward a half hour - even though Harrison's meal was "ready" in 5 minutes, it had about eight tiny pieces of chicken and some white basmati rice - what I consider to be virtually no nutrition at all.

My indian stew was hearty, with soft cubes of potatoes, sturdy chickpeas, and chicken-y pieces of vegetable protein. It had lots of fibre, lots of flavour, had no fat at all, and no cholesterol.

When asked which he preferred, Harrison said that my sauce was a bit too thin, so if I could make it thicker, mine was better.

That was a five minute experiment worth trying.

How to find the extra time every day to eat properly...

Don't you hate misleading titles?

Here's a little tip from me to you - there IS NO time. So we need to stop complaining about it and make the time! Yesterday was a crazy day - in and out of important meetings where it was important to be relaxed, casual, positive and focussed. Talk about a connundrum. It wasn't a day to be frazzled by no time, nothing to eat, running on coffee, aggravated by a red-light because I've just lost 60 seconds kind of day... But "mama said there'd be days like this" so I just suck it up and do my best.

Walked in the house at 8:05 after having no lunch (unless a bag of S+V Lays counts as lunch)and hungry. The Ratatouille from yesterday went to Bill hours earlier. I always find it funny how I go to great lengths to ensure Harrison and Bill are really well fed, and will neglect myself... I was tempted to just eat popcorn but decided against it. Motivated by the killer potatoes from yesterday, I wanted to duplicate the dish because it was so insanely good.

It's rare that I run home and do a dish two days in a row, but this one was just that good. A great tip is DO NOT CHANGE OUT OF YOUR WORK CLOTHES BEFORE GETTING DINNER GOING! Put an apron on if you're 'Chanel'd, but those 15 minutes on the front end mean dinner that much sooner. And would you rather eat at 8:45 or 9?

I peeled potatoes quickly, and Harrison helped. Sliced them into thin slices, and then grabbed the leftover chopped onions from the freezer, sprinkled them over top. Crushed two cloves of garlic, and sprinkled those too. Covered with remaining layers of potatoes (saving the prettier slices for the top) and again poured the last of the mushroom broth filling to 2/3 full. Turned oven on to 350 and sure enough? Heavenly scent in 10 minutes (while I was slipping on my jeans and a t-shirt) and dinner was ready by 8:40.

I could have skipped it.

I could have ordered in.

I could have heated up some boxed prepared factory cardboard thing.

I'm glad I tried, because nothing was more comforting on a schedule-silly day than a beautiful potato mushroom gratin.

"Find Time" With These Crazy-Busy Tips:

* Have an apron in your kitchen and let it be the first thing you put on after you take off your coat.
* Dice an onion or two and keep it in the freezer in a plastic bag.
* There is no "time". Get over it and eat real food anyway.
* Remember flavour bases like onion, garlic, lemon, tomato, basil, paprika and dijon mustard - they are your best friend when rushed.

Home cooked food is a great band-aid for chaos.

Eating something real is better than skipping a meal entirely - especially if it's something homey and comfortable and delicious. It can counteract a crazy day.