Sourdough Bread for The ABM

Sourdough Bread for The ABM

Who doesn't love fresh bread right out of the oven. With the help of the bread maker, this is an easy to make loaf that pairs nicely with a big bowl of soup. This bread is on the sweet side. If you prefer you can leave the stevia out or reduce it.

Ingredients

1 cup water
3/4 cup sourdough starter
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp stevia, or equivalent sugar, Optional
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup rye flour
1/3 cup wheat bran
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Directions

Add ingredients to bread maker in order suggested by the manufacturer

Set machine to dough cycle and hit start.

When the dough cycle is complete, punch dough down and place in a loaf pan. I used a round cast iron pan.

Brush top of dough with a little water.

Place in a warm spot until almost doubled in size.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. When dough has risen, brush the top gently with a little water and place in preheated oven. Bake for approximately 35 minutes until golden.

Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by Madge Rosenberg's cookbook The Best Low Fat, No Sugar Bread Machine Cookbook Ever.

Mushroom Cannelloni

Mushroom Cannelloni

The mushroom mixture that I use for my cabbage rolls and burgers is so versatile. Here I have used the same mixture and stuffed oven ready cannelloni shells. I had some leftover  Greek mushroom pastitsio filling  and used that as my sauce, but any sauce will do.

Ingredients

1/2 recipe mushroom mixture from my cabbage roll recipe
1 package oven ready cannelloni shells,
4-6 cups pasta sauce, more as required

Directions

Carefully stuff shells, being careful not to break the shells.

Place stuffed shells in a single layer in two 9x13 inch pans.

Cover with sauce and bake for approximately 1 hour in a preheated 350 oven. 

Enjoy!

Kettle "Fried" Potato Chips

Kettle "Fried" Potato Chips

I have made oil free potato chips in the microwave many times, using parchment paper. But you are limited with the amount you can make because of the size of the microwave plate and it is so time consuming. But somewhere on the internet, I saw an ingenious idea. I wish I remembered where I saw this so I could give  credit. Using a wooden skewer, pierce each chip onto the skewer and then microwave. I took this one step further and used my spiral cutter. To my surprise, they turned out just like kettle fried potato chips, minus all that oil of course.

Ingredients

1 Potato
skewers ( size depends on the size of pan used)
microwaveable pan with sides ( skewers should be able to sit on top of each side, off the bottom of the pan)

Directions


 Spiral cut the potato using the smallest cutter. Place slices into water to avoid discolouration.

Thread the potato onto the skewer. Make sure you pierce the slices so they stay on the skewer. Do not crowd the slices.

Lay the filled skewers over top of the microwaveable pan. You do not want the slices to sit on the bottom. The skewer should be balanced on the sides of the pan.

Start microwaving. I start with 3 minutes and add time until the chips are nice and golden.The more potato slices on the skewer the longer it is going to take to cook  But be CAREFUL. These will burn quickly. I also found that sometimes the pieces on the end finish cooking before the centers. These pieces can be removed and then continue cooking the rest. But when you remove the chips from the skewer, they will be HOT.

Repeat until all the slices are used up

Enjoy.

Swiss Chard Sushi

Swiss Chard Sushi

Sushi is one of the most popular dishes in our house. Swiss Chard is one of our most popular greens. So I decided to try and combine the two and see how it turned out. I added in a spicy southern style BBQ sauce to add a kick. Wow. What an explosion of flavour. I used Happy Herbivores mustard based southern style BBQ sauce from her cookbook, The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, but you could use any mustard based BBQ sauce.

Ingredients

2 cups sushi rice

1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 Tblsp sugar or sweetener, ( I used 1/2 tsp stevia powder), or to taste

2 carrots, cut into long thin sticks
1/2 large English cucumber, cut into long thin sticks
Pickled hot pepper rings, drained
pickled ginger, drained
1/4 cup spicy Mustard based BBQ sauce,
1 cup swiss chard, chiffonade or cut into thin strips
1 package Nori ( you will not need all 10 sheets)


Directions


Cook Sushi rice according to package directions.

Mix vinegar and sweetener. You may need to heat the mixture in the microwave to ensure the sweetener dissolves.

Steam Swiss Chard in the microwave in a little bit of water, until tender, about 3 minutes.


Assembling the Sushi

Once the rice is cooked, place it in a large bowl  and pour the vinegar mixture over the rice.


Gently stir to combine well. The rice should become somewhat sticky.

Lay out a nori sheet and cover about 80% of it with a thin layer of rice. Leave about an inch at the top uncovered.

Using a spoon, place a thin line of mustard sauce across the width of the sushi rice, at the end closest to you. 

Layer the vegetables on top of the sauce.  I usually start with ginger and the pickled banana peppers. Then add on the Swiss chard, carrots, and cucumber  on top.

Now starting at the bottom short end where the vegetables are, roll up the sushi. It is important to gently squeeze the sushi as you roll so that it holds together well.

Continue until all of the nori and rice are used up.

Place sushi rolls in fridge until ready to eat. Using a serrated knife, or other sharp knife, cut the sushi into pieces.

Enjoy.

Asian Ginger Sauce

Asian Ginger Sauce

This is one of my husbands favourite meals. He says he could eat it almost everyday and never tire of it. We typically steam fresh broccoli, green peppers and thinly sliced carrots in the microwave and place over cooked rice. Top with the sauce and dinner is done. 

2 cups water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp stevia or sugar ( about 8 Tsp sugar)
3 Tblsp cornstarch
1 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, minced ( it can be left whole if using a high speed blender), about 3 Tblsp  
 2 tsp chili garlic sauce, or to taste

Put everything into a high speed blender and process for about a minute, until smooth.( If you do not have a high speed blender, use the minced ginger and just add to the pot along with the rest of the ingredients). 

After blending the mixture, transfer  to a pan a heat until hot and bubbly. Stirring occasionally.

Serve over veggies and rice.

Enjoy!

Sticky Tofu and Mushrooms

Sticky Tofu and Mushrooms

Sometimes I crave something different and a little sweet for dinner. This recipe will surprise you with how flavourful it is. It does take a little while to cook in the oven and a little babysitting, but the end result will be worth it. For the tofu, I used a soft tofu sold in bulk at Asian markets, but I think you could substitute any tofu, although I have only tried it with the soft kind.

Ingredients

Flour mixture 

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp black pepper

Other Ingredients

2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 Tblsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 3/4 lb tofu, soft, cut into large cubes about 2"x3"
1 lb mushrooms, cut into quarters if large

Directions 

Mix all the flour ingredients together in a wide bowl.

If tofu is thick, cut it in half, although this step is optional, it does
allow the sticky sauce more surface space to adhere to.

Line 9x13 inch shallow pan with parchment paper. You may need a larger pan if you half cut your tofu in half. Do not crowd the pan as you want the sauce to spread out and thicken as it cooks

Dredge tofu and mushrooms in the flour mixture. 

Mix the remaining together and pour the sauce over the tofu and mushrooms.

Bake at 375 F for about an hour basting frequently.

After an hour the sauce should have thickened  and be the consistency of maple syrup.

If you have used soft tofu, remove from pan carefully, so that  the tofu remains intact. Top with the mushrooms and sauce.

Enjoy!

TIP. Carrots also taste wonderful in this recipe.

Inspired by this recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/sticken-chicken-106715

Vegan 'Oat' Cheese in a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Variations of 'cheese' sauce made using oatmeal are all over the internet. This version is a little different as it uses more nutritional yeast than most. I think it gives it a richer flavour. It is easy to make too. This is such a versatile sauce. I use it as a topping when I serve a potato bar, over steamed veggies, or as a topping on pizza after it has baked etc.

Ingredients

Sliced Bread


Cheese Sauce

1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
1 tsp vegetable stock powder or salt to taste
1/2 tsp onion powder
dash cayenne pepper
dash black pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup quick oats
2-2 1/8 cups water
1 Tblsp cornstarch
1/4 cup roasted red peppers



Place all of the cheese sauce ingredients into a blender and blend for about a minute.

Transfer the mixture to a pot and bring it to a boil making sure to stir/whisk it frequently.  It will stick to the bottom of the pot otherwise.

If the mixture is too thick add a little water to thin it out. But when making grilled cheese, I like the mixture a bit thicker.

Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

To Make the Grilled Cheese

 Take a slice of bread and place it in a fry pan. You can preheat the pan if you choose.

Add some of the oat cheese sauce to the top of the slice of bread. Top with another slice of bread.

Brown the bottom of the sandwich and flip and brown the other side.

Enjoy!

 This recipe was inspired by this recipe: http://www.mrsplantintexas.com/2015/06/oat-cheese-sauce.html