A few weeks ago I attended a very cool event for the launch of a vegan cookbook called The Edgy Veg.

It was a blind taste test where we were able to taste the items being served, guess the flavours, and also guess what we were eating. It was tons of fun. I was casually late (for a change) and the only seat available was next to the cookbook author, YouTube personality, chef and comedian, Candice Hutchings. #squeal.

At the end of the lunch, we all received a signed cookbook which I flipped through on the street car. I then decided that I was going to overcome my “fear of Seitan” and attempt the recipe.

The next day I found myself at Bulk Barn and bought the necessary ingredients: 100% Vital Wheat Gluten, nutritional yeast, poultry season, onion powder and tahini.

I was pumped but nervous at the same time. In fact I was so nervous that I tried TWO recipes …”chicken breast” and “chicken burgers”.

Here’s how to Become a Master of Seitan: Chicken (which is so versatile and can be used to make so many different “meat” like recipes.) Thanks to the Edgy Veg, I’m now a master a seitan due to this recipe.

Ingredients: 

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon vital wheat gluten (divided)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon poultry season

3/4 vegetable broth

1/4 cup tahini

Directions:

In a large bowl combine 1 cup of wheat gluten, sea salt, nutritional yeast, onion powder and poultry seasoning. Whisk to combine. (easy non?)

2. In another large bowl, combine vegetable broth and tahini, whisk until smooth.

3. Using a spatula carefully fold wheat gluten mixture into the vegetable broth mixture until combined (tip: use your hands)

4. Sprinkle work surface with a tablespoon of vital wheat gluten and knead the dough until it is elastic but not too dry.

I then took half of the dough and made “chicken burgers” – I put them into a covered ovenproof dish (um..my beautiful Le Creuset)  and then half-way covered them in more vegetable broth. Bake for 30 minutes (and flip them after 15 minutes).

Crazy delicious results.

I took the other half and made a “chicken breast” shape and then twisted it in tin foil. I baked it for 30 minutes. More deliciousness.

Happy Vegan Cooking!!

For more information:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theedgyveg/

Twitter and Instagram: @edgyveg

Website: www.theedgyveg.com

To purchase a cookbook, click here

True Story: I grew up with margarine. There was NEVER butter in the house as we were Jewish and kept meat and dairy separate. Therefore it was easier just to use margarine.

However when I had my first apartment, I decided to have a dairy kitchen and ONLY to buy butter. I have baked exclusively with butter for the last three decades.

But the other night I was invited to a “Bake with Canola” event. Here’s proof that I was actually baking with Canola!

Here’s another true story: In my cupboard at the moment is Vegetable Oil and Olive Oil.  No ideas why I have never considered buying Canola Oil. One could easily blame it on my mom – I have a good feeling she never bought Canola either!!

At the event, I learned a few reasons why I should be choosing Canola Oil.

1. It tastes good: Canola has a neutral flavour that won’t take over. It actually absorbs the flavours of the herbs and spices thats’ in the recipe!
2. It can “take” high heats: Canola oil has a really high heat tolerance which makes it ideal for frying.
3. Canola is farmed right here in Canada. Here’s a cool fact: There’s over 43,000 Canola Farmers in the Prairies.
4. It’s a healthy Choice: Canola Oil is a good source of Vitamin E and K, and is packed with Omega 3 fats. It also has the lowest amount of saturated fat.

The event took place at the Luxe Appliance Studio where we were divided into groups. Each group baked one item from this list.

The evening was hosted by Emily Richards who is a professional home economist, cookbook author, recipe developer and someone who I have been following since she was on TV back in the early 1990’s. Plus the recipes we used were from her new cookbook called Per La Famiglia: Memories and Recipes of Southern Italian Cooking.

At the end of the evening, there was a beautiful dessert buffet all made with Canola Oil!!

I can’t wait to start baking and frying with Canola Oil. My pantry now has a 3rd oil to select from and I have a feeling that it will be used very soon. You see, next month I will be frying up some delicious latkes for Chanuka using Canola Oil!!

Fore more information:

Website: Www.CanolaEatWell.Com

Twitter/Instagram: @CanolaEatWell

Disclosure: This is a sponsored blog post however all my opinions are my own.

 

 

Believe it or not, I occasionally use a few recipes from selected cookbooks that I still own. One such recipe is called “Spiced Bulghur Pilaf with Nuts and Raisins” from a cookbook called Gourmet Vegetarian Feasts by Martha Rose Shulman that was published in 1987!!

This side dish is full of flavour, simple to make and a nice alternative to rice or potatoes. The only issue you might have with this dish – is that you don’t have all the ingredients. I solved this problem with a quick trip to my local bulk store. I ONLY bought 2 tablespoons of what I needed and the one cup of bulghur that was required. Smart move, eh?

Please note: this dish will be that much better if you use fresh ginger and not powdered ginger!

Spiced Bulghur Pilaf with Nuts and Raisins.

INGREDIENTS.

1 cups of bulghar

1 tablespoons of vegetable oil

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

2 tablespoons of cashews

2 tablespoons of pine nuts

5 tablespoons of raisins

1/2 tsp of cumin

1/2 teaspoon cardammon

1 small onion, minced thin

1 clove garlic, minced

1 inch piece of FRESH ginger, grated

3 cups of water

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a saucepan or a frying pan and saute the onions.

2. Heat another frying pan and saute the cashews, pine nuts and almonds till fragrant and slightly brown. 

3. Add the sauteed onions to the nuts and then add the raisins, cumin,cardamon, and ginger,

4. Add the bulghur and stir together. Then add the water. Bring to a boil, add salt to taste and COVER WITH A LID. Reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and the bulghur is tender.

5. FINAL PRODUCT

 

Happy Cooking!

I had the opportunity the other day to visit the Chatelaine Kitchen and meet celebrated Chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. I was familiar with these two chefs as many of my friends have their cookbook and I’ve often leafed thru it while chatting with them in their kitchens.

When I posted on facebook that I was at this event. ..there was a lot of very positive feedback. Clearly they have a HUGE following!!

The lovely Claire Tansey who is the Chatelaine Food Director, introduced both chefs and then asked them a few questions while they prepared a salad. (which I forgot to take a photo of..arghh).

Questions from the floor were also taken:

-What are some under used ingredients: They answered – Tehina, Maple Syrup, Rose Water and Sumac.

-Who would they like to cook for?: They answered – Nigella Lawson!!

I was thrilled to find out that all the guests would be receiving an autographed copy of their recently launched cookbook: Ottolenghi: The Cookbook!!

I’ve been flipping thru it and have  spotted a few recipes I’m sure I will be trying in the near future. Specifically:

-Portobello Mushrooms with Pearled Barley and Preserved Lemons

-Danielle’s Sweet Potato Gratin

-Fennel Cherry Tomato and Crumble Gratin

This cookbook features 140 recipes with bold and flavorful ingredients. I’m sure I’m going to love it!!

Happy Cooking!!

Today I went to a pretty unique event. Seriously. I’m still pinching myself that I was invited to a meet and greet with the famous Aussie TV chef, Curtis Stone.  He was in the Chatelaine Kitchen Powered by GE Cafe, to demo a recipe from his new cookbook, “What’s for Dinner” with about 60 people. I was positively thrilled to be amongst this crowd!

Curtis was positively CHARMING. The fact that he was UBER handsome, should also be noted.  (and tall – 6 ft 4 to be exact) . His newly released “What’s for Dinner? Delicious Recipes for a Busy Life “ is bound to be a popular cookbook for many food enthusiasts. I love how his cookbook is broken down into seven different sections. T’is Brilliant!!

For example: Motivating Mondays, Time-Saving Tuesdays, One-Pot Wednesdays, Thrifty Thursdays, Five-Ingredient Fridays. Dinner Party Saturdays, and Family Supper Sundays!

The Chatelaine Kitchen powered by GE Cafe is pretty impressive too and the folks at Chatelaine sure know how to test and develop recipes. I’ve been a big fan for decades of this magazine, and have clipped out a few of those recipes over the years!!

One more thing: Chatelaine unveiled a state of the art “new recipe box tablet app” at this event as well. I missed the demo (grrrr….parking issues) but will be checking it out soon. I love my apps and I’m sure I will be a fan of this app too.

Many thanks to the team at Rogers Media for the invitation to this event.

Friday night dinner is a big deal in Jewish households. Not all households have this tradition but I grew up where Friday night dinner was important, and this tradition continues.

It’s also a great way to entertain. I realize I could entertain and host a Sunday brunch or have people over on a  Saturday night, but some traditions are hard to break!!

This week, my guests will be served the following:

-Challah (frozen then baked)

-Gazpacho (courtesy of Moosewood Original Cookbook)

-Pissaladiere (courtesy of New Recipes from Moosewood)

-Pebre (courtesy of Sundays at Moosewood)

-Pita Chips (courtesy of watching my mom make them for decades!)

-Brocoli crunch salad (courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)

-Yellow Bean Salad (courtesy of 101 Cookbooks)

-Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (courtesy of the Toronto Star).

It’s kind of a “Spring” menu – even if it’s not officially Spring yet!

In this blog post, I’m going to share the Pebre recipe which is also known as Salsa de Ciliantro! This is what you need:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup minced onion or scallions

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

4 medium field tomatoes, chopped

2 tablespoons of Tobasco or another hot sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, pressed or minced

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl and refrigerate.

Final Result:

Usually I buy frozen salmon filets at Costco, but last week I bought a beautiful fresh salmon filet with the intention of making Salmon Primavera. For some reason, I’ve only used this recipe on fresh salmon but now that I’m thinking of it, you could probably make with the frozen salmon pieces as well.  This recipe will certainly “wow” your family or dinner guests!!  It’s so pretty and so moist. Promise.

RECIPE: SALMON PRIMAVERA (taken from Kosher by Design: Entertains by Susie Fishbein)

2 1/2 – 3 pounds WIld Pacific or Sockey Salmon Filet

Salt

Pepper

Dijon mustard or thick honey mustard (I’ve only used this recipe with thick honey mustard like Honeycup Mustard or Woebers Honey Mustard)

1 small zucchini, with skin, thinly sliced

1 small yellow squash, with skin, thinly sliced – (use either yellow zucchini if you can find it it OR butternut squash slices but please pre-cook the slices)

1 Roma or plum tomato, thinly sliced

1/4 cup unflavored breadcrumbs or Panko (I use Panko)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Put the salmon on a parchment lined baking sheet and season the salmon fillet with salt and pepper. Brush an even thick coat of the (honey) mustard all over the salmon.

3. Place a layer of zucchini slices on the salmon. Then place a layer of the yellow zucchini or PRE COOKED butternut squash slices. Then place a player of thinly sliced tomatoes

4. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, panko or breadcrumbs (I use Panko) and the fresh dill.

5. Spread this mixture onto the entire salmon.

6. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Don’t be afraid to poke thru the fish to ensure that’s its all cooked!!

7. Serve hot or room temperature.

FINAL PRODUCT:

I served this with a strawberry spinach salad, roasted garlic from Stone Soup Farms, tomato basil tarts and roasted tri color carrots with fresh tarragon leaves.

The meal was a hit!!

Happy Cooking.

As you know, I have been trying to avoid carbs…. which means I try to avoid sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and more. (I’m not listing them so I don’t get depressed).

However there’s a list of vegetables I am allowed to enjoy and that list includes: bok choy and asparagus. Here are two recipes that I made this week.

I am a bit frustrated with the first recipe as I can’t find it. Don’t ask..it’s in a cookbook but I don’t know which one. I have given up looking. Sorry.

But I’m going to share it with you anyway with my own made up recipe.

Again, this dish is a perfect side dish for salmon and can be served warm or cold.

Gingered Asparagus

Ingredients

asparagus

Sauce:

1/2 tablespoon tamari

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 minced garlic clove

1 minced chunk of ginger (please oh please buy organic.It’s so much more flavorful)

a bit of honey (sorry I didn’t measure)

DIRECTIONS:

1. steam asparagus

2. combine the ingredients to make the sauce.

3. drizzle the sauce of the middle of the asparagus dish.

Nutty Bok Choy Salad (from Gatherings: A Collection of Recipes from Netivot Hatorah Parents Association)

Dressing

3 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons peanut butter

Topping

1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts

1 pk ramen noodles, crushed

Salad

5 cups bok choy, sliced

2 green onions, sliced

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, soy sauce, honey and peanut butter until well combined. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, saute peanuts and noodles until golden. Remove from heat

Put the salad ingredients in a shallow bowl. Right before serving, sprinkle the noodles and nuts over the salad.

Drizzle with dressing. Serve.

Happy Healthy Cooking

I’ve been a fan of the Original Moosewood cookbook by Mollie Katzen since 1990. I’m such a fan that I even went to the Moosewood restaurant in Ithica, NY about 10 years ago.

I’m also a huge fan of stocking up my freezer with soups. One could say, I’m slightly obsessed, however nothing beats having the convenience of just grabbing a soup from your freezer, defrosting it and starting off your meal with a delicious, hot bowl of soup.

Not to mention just about all soups freeze well.

Here’s a favorite recipe: Best Split Pea Soup ( from Moosewood cookbook by Mollie Katzen).

Before you start: Please note that you need a few hours (3 hours) for the split peas to simmer. You have been warned!!

STEP ONE:

3 cups dry green split peas

about 7 cups of water

1 bay leaf

2 tsp salt.

Instructions: Simmer, covered – for hours. (seriously). This is what the beans look like after simmering for a few hours.

STEP TWO:

1 cup minced onion

3 cloves crushed garlic cloves

1 cup minced celery

2 cups sliced carrots

1 cup thinly sliced potato

Instructions: saute in 2 tablespoons of oil (add water if necessary)

STEP THREE:

Add the tender vegetables to the split beans and just before serving add:

1/4 cup dry red wine

1/4 tsp mustard

1/4 tsp thyme

a few drops of sesame oil.

3 tablespoons vinegar (I use red wine vinegar)

1 cup chopped tomatoes (I missed this step)

1/4 cup fresh parsley

FINAL RESULT:

Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy.

 

I’m a huge sushi fan..infact on my chowhound profile, I had to answer this question: I wish I could eat_______everyday. My answer…..SUSHI.

Therefore this salad appeals to me on my different levels. I discovered it in a local school cookbook called Gatherings which was a school project put on by the parents of Netivot HaTorah Day School in 2003.

I would definitely serve gingered sushi salad with a piece of salmon and asparagus! #justsayin’

Here’s what you need:

GINGERED SUSHI SALAD

1 1/2 cups sushi rice, uncooked

1 3/4 cold water

DRESSING

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1/2 tsp garlic, minced

1/4 tsp wasabi powder

SALAD

1 carrot, peeled and grated

1/2 red pepper julienned

1/4 cup red onion

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted ( I used a mixture of white and black sesame seeds)

2 tablespoons, pickled ginger, diced

1 sheet nori cut in pieces

DIRECTIONS:

Cook sushi rice as directed on package.

In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients. Slowly add the dressing to the hot rice, tossing gently. Add carrot, red pepper, onion, sesame seeds, ginger and nori. Toss and sprinkle with reserved nori. (which I forgot to buy).

Many thanks to the USA Rice Federation  and Faye Clack Communications for inviting me to some fabulous events this past month and inspiring me to bring out my beloved rice cooker more often. Stay tuned for more posts about this delicious, healthy, ancient grain!!

Happy Cooking