Beet Soup

Beet Soup

There are so many ways to make beet soup. My Aunt, who was a wonderful cook, always made a clear beet broth and served it with tiny mushroom dumplings nestled into the bottom of the bowl every Christmas Eve. My soup is very different as it is loaded with vegetables, and while I have never tested it, I am sure a wooden spoon could stand upright on its own if inserted into the pot. I tend to make large quantities when I cook and this recipe is no exception. I use my 9L pot and it is filled almost to the top. I start boiling the beets the day before I want to make the soup.

Ingredients

5 lb beets, washed but left whole

1 1/2 cup onion, diced
1 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 Tblsp garlic, minced

6 cups cabbage, thinly sliced
6 large potatoes, peeled and cut into a bite size dice, about 6 cups
2 large carrots, sliced
1/2 tsp black pepper
3-6 tsp vegetable stock powder, or to taste

Directions

Place the beets in a very large pot and cover with water by about an inch. Cover and simmer until the beets are soft. This will take anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on the size of your beets.

Once the beets are cooked DO NOT DRAIN. Refrigerate the beets and the liquid overnight.

The next day, remove the beets from the liquid , being sure to reserve the broth.

Slip the skins off the beets and either grate or process in the food processor.

Return the beets to the broth. Start to heat the broth and beets.

Meanwhile, while the broth is heating:

Fry onion, mushroom and garlic until cooked. You may need to add a little water at the beginning. Once cooked all of the liquid should be evaporated.

Add the sliced cabbage to the broth and boil for about 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes, carrots, black pepper and vegetable stock powder to taste. Stir well and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Enjoy!

 

Mushroom Pastitsio

Mushroom Pastitsio



This is one of my families favourite entrees. It does take some effort, but you will not be disappointed. This recipe will make a 11x13 inch pan. It is a hefty amount of food. This recipes freezes well so you may want to divide it up between two smaller casseroles and eat one now and freeze one for later. If you are making two smaller pans, it may be necessary to double the topping.

 Ingredients

For the Mushroom Filling

2 lbs mushroom, large dice
1 cup onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup red wine
38 oz canned tomatoes, diced ( or 1 1/2 - 19 oz cans)
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vegetable stock powder, ( more or less to taste)
1/8 tsp black pepper

Topping

1 lb soft tofu
1 cup cooked and cubed potato
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp vegetable stock powder
2 Tblsp lemon juice
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Sauce to mix with Pasta

1/2 cup water
6 Tblsp whole wheat flour
2 cups soy milk, unsweetened
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 Tblsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp vegetable stock powder, or to taste
2 Tblsp cornstarch

Other Ingredients

6 cups cooked pasta, I like tube shaped

Directions

For the Mushroom Filling

Add mushrooms, onions and garlic to a pan. Cook until most of the liquid has been evaporated.

Add wine, tomatoes, oregano, cinnamon, stock powder and black pepper. Cook until the liquid has evaporated.  If you are pressed for time, you could drain the tomatoes. This mixture should not be runny.

While the mushrooms are cooking, make the topping and sauce to mix with the pasta.

Topping

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and mix until well combined. Set aside.

Sauce to mix with the Pasta 

In a separate pot, add the the water and bring to a boil. Add in the flour stirring well so that there are no lumps. If lumps develop, carefully use an emersion blender to blend until smooth.

Combine the soy milk and cornstarch together. Pour into the boiling liquid and cook for a minute.

Add in remaining ingredients. Stirring well. cook for about a minute, stirring constantly to avoid burning.

Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.

To Assemble

Preheat oven to 350 F.


Use a 11x13 inch pan.

In the pan, layer in the following order:

  -2/3 of the pasta on the bottom

  -All of the mushroom mixture

  -Remaining pasta, it will not completely cover the mushroom mixture

  -All of the topping

Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 40-45 minutes until golden. 


Enjoy!

Tip

Sometimes I double the topping mixture to make a creamier top to the pastitsio. 

Adapted from the cookbook Vegan Eats World by Terry Hope

Korean Rice Cakes

Korean Rice Cakes

Korean Rice cakes are an amazing food. They have such an unusual texture. This recipe makes a lot because this is an incredibly popular dish in my house. It can be easily reduced if you do not want to make so much. Here is a link to the mushroom seasoning that I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006NJJBWU/ref=pd_lpo_325_bs_tr_img_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=27F22VEHPS8B97WP5DNR

Ingredients

6 cups water
6 Tblsp mushroom seasoning
3 Tblsp soy sauce
1 1/2 Tblsp Korean Red Pepper Paste or to taste
6 Tblsp maple syrup ( you could sub 4 Tblsp maple syrup , plus 2 Tblsp water and 1/2 tsp stevia)
3 - 1 lb packages of Korean rice cakes, sliced if possible

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and simmer for about 20 minutes. Stirring frequently and scrapping the bottom of the pot.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

TIP

If you have been unable to find the sliced rice cakes and only have the tube shape, it may require additional cooking time.

If you prefer a runnier sauce, then cover the pot while you are cooking the rice cakes. If you want a thick sauce, keep the lid off.  If you want the thicker sauce be aware that once the leftovers have cooled they will stick together. My family love the thicker sauce.

Adapted from: http://www.klunkerskitchen.com/2015/08/ddoekbokki.html

Chocolate Banana Cake

Chocolate Banana Cake


This cake is sweet without using any sugar. It will satisfy any sweet cravings that you might have. I use pressed dates for this cake.

 

 Wet Ingredients

1/2 cup pressed dates
3 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup water
1 tsp apple cider vinegar ( rice vinegar will also work)
1 tsp vanilla

Dry Ingredients

1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Place all of the wet ingredients into a blender and process until smooth.

Place all of the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix.

Combine the two bowls making sure to incorporate all the flour.

Pour the batter into a parchment lined 8x8 inch pan.

Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 38 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Trifle

Vanilla Trifle

Usually I make everything from scratch, but recently I found a box of custard mix that I wanted to try. It was a vanilla custard made by National ( http://www.dmartsupermarket.com/dry-groceries/miscellinious/custard-powder-jelly/national-vanilla-custard-powder-300-grm.html) that turned out really well. I found it at my local No Frills Grocery store. I did however reduce the amount of sugar by half and it was perfect for my family. The ingredient quantities are for the brand that I used and should only be used as a guide. Quantities below are for a triple batch. 

Ingredients

1 vanilla cake, recipe found here:http://barbsplantbasedkitchen.blogspot.ca/p/vanilla-cake.html

Custard

You will need about 10-11 cups of custard, so you may need to double or triple the recipe on the package. Remember these quantities are for a triple batch as per the brand that I used.
 
6 Tblsp custard powder, I used National Brand
6 cups plant based milk, I used silk brand soy milk
6 Tblsp sugar, depending on how sweet you like your dessert and if your milk has any sugar added.
3 tsp vanilla extract, optional

1- 2 bananas thinly sliced

Directions

Make the vanilla cake as directed and set aside to cool.

Cut cake into small pieces and set aside.

Cook custard as per package directions adding additional vanilla if desired, adjusting sugar to personal taste. My soy milk was sweetened so I cut the sugar by half the recommendation on the package. Be sure to use a large pan as the custard will increase in volume as it cooks.

To assemble trifle,  layer cake, custard, banana, custard, cake and custard.

Enjoy!

Vanilla Cake

Vanilla Cake

I found a recipe for a plant based vanilla cake online, but it was loaded with sugar and I do not like things sweet, so I adapted it to suit our tastes.Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of the actual cake, but since I used it to make a trifle, I am showing a picture of that.

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Dry Ingredients

1 1/2 cup boiling water
3/4 cup applesauce, unsweetened, plus
2 Tblsp applesauce, unsweetened
2 Tblsp vanilla
3 Tblsp lemon juice

Directions

Line a 8 inch square pan with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix the wet ingredients in a bowl.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

Combine the two bowls and whisk.

Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool on a rack.  Peel off parchment.

Enjoy!

Tip 

I used this cake in a trifle. I made it ahead of time and froze it. I let it defrost for 24 hours on the counter before using it.

Three Ingredient Fruit Cake

Recently my sister sent me a recipe for  a fruit cake recipe. It was delicious. The recipe called for self rising flour so I subbed in 3 tsp of baking powder, 3 cups all purpose flour and 1/2 tsp of salt for the 3 cups of self rising flour. The original recipe can be found here http://thewhoot.com.au/whoot-news/recipes/3-ingredient-fruit-cake. Here is my version.

Ingredients

3    cups white tea

1    kg dried fruit, I used papaya, pineapple, raisins and prunes, cut into a small dice

3    cups self rising flour or   3    cups all purpose flour

                                                  1/2  tsp  salt

                                                   3    tsp baking powder

Method

1.  Line a 8.5 x 4 inch round springform pan with parchment paper

2.  Soak fruit overnight in the tea.

3.  Stir in flour. If necessary add extra tea to make a stiff batter. Pour into lined pan. 

4.  Bake cake at 270 F for approximately 2.5 hours . Adjust baking time if 

      you are using a different sized pan .  

 

TIP

Substitute 1/4 cup of the tea for rum. My sister used 1/4 cup brandy for 1/4 cup tea and said it was really good too.

While I have yet to try this, I think substituting some of the dried fruit with your favourite nut, would be delicious.

 

Loaded Miso Soup

Loaded Miso Soup

A simple soup to make, but loaded with flavour. Any of your favourite Asian Style vegetable can be used. Snow peas or bok choy would be good additions.

Ingredients

5 Cups vegetable or mushroom broth ( I used 5 cups water plus 3 Tblsp mushroom seasoning)
2 Tblsp white miso
5 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cups carrots, julienned
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
2 Tblsp parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tsp chili garlic paste, or to taste
2 Tblsp uncooked quick oatmeal, optional but it does thicken the soup slightly

200  udon noodles
1/2 cups broccoli , cut into tiny florets

Directions

Place all of the ingredients, except noodles and broccoli into and pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until vegetables reach desired tenderness.

Add broccoli and noodles. Stir and simmer for about 3 minutes or until noodles are fully cooked.

Adjust seasoning to taste.

Enjoy!

Tip

Add additional broccoli if desired.

Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf

Chocolate Pumpkin Loaf

This is a rich tasting easy to make loaf. A family favourite in my house.

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup boiling water
2 Tblsp water
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup pressed dates

Dry Ingredients

1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp cloves
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Optional Ingredients

1/2 cup raisins


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F

Combine all wet ingredients in a high speed blender.

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and mix well

Combine the two bowls. Mix carefully. The batter will be thick.

Add raisins if using.

Spoon into a parchment lined loaf pan.

Bake for about 55 minutes to an hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven to a cooling rack.

Carefully grabbing the parchment, remove from pan and set on cooling.

Let cool completely. Remove parchment.

Enjoy!