“Here it is, Halloween again, and once again, Mum has us decked in these silly costumes. . . seriously, Mum, Lady Gaga?? I mean, how many more years will I have to put up with such indignities? A bad romance, indeed. . . . “
“What do you mean, Elsie? I LOVED my costume this year! I was thrilled with it! I adored it! I could have a costume like this one every year! It was fantastic! It was stupendous! It was incredibly delicious!—slurp, slurp—
Um, what? What do you mean, I wasn’t supposed to EATthe dress? Ooops. . . ”
[Sometimes, you just want to eat something now. I've decided to offer a mini-post every once in a while, for a dish that comes together incredibly quickly or else is so easy to make that no recipe is required. Here's today's "Flash in the Pan." (For other FitP recipes, see "Categories" at right).]
So, are you all geared up for Halloween this year? I’m dizzy just thinking of all the Lady Gagas, Shreks, The Situations, Michael Jacksons, Alices in Wonderland, Mutant Ninja Turtles, Katy Perrys, Madonnas, Neytiris, Iron Men or SuperMarios (plus the usual array of vampires, zombies, mummies, witches, ghosts and skeletons).
Sadly, we in the DDD household have put Halloween on hiatus for the time being. No, it’s not because we don’t have children ourselves (even though we don’t). Nope, it’s also not because we’re wizened old spoil-sports who dismiss frivolous celebrations (even though the HH is, just a little bit). And it’s not because we don’t enjoy candy and treats (as if I needed to tell you that).
No, the reason we’ve shelved Halloween for now is because. . . The Girls won’t let us give out candy.
Seriously.
Elsie may have a sweet, docile face like this:
. . . and Chaser may have a clownish, entertaining demeanor like this:
. . . but put those two together, and the sum of the parts when faced with ever-chiming doorbells and chattering children and freakish costumes is one charging, hair-raising, snarling, tails-as-straight-as-flagpoles, child-terrorizing duo.
After trying as we might to control the hellacious reaction* every time the doorbell rang, we opted to simply set a bowl of candy on the porch with a note: “Help Yourself.” (Um, big mistake: our candies were gone in 8 minutes. So now we know to write, ”Help Yourself to ONE TREAT EACH.”) It’s not the same, of course, but at least there’s peace within the home, and the HH and I can hover in darkness at the upstairs window like VC Andrews’ flowers in the attic and silently observe the parade of costumes pass by on the street.
Heartbreaking, I know. But now, on to the food!
As I’ve mentioned before, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. In addition, I love scrambles for breakfast. In particular, I love tofu scrambles. I’m also always on the quest for any new tofu-based recipes in general. Also, really quick and easy recipes. So when I find a recipe that is tofu and scramble and something new and quick and easy, well, you just know I’ll just be elated. (Okay, maybe it doesn’t quite measure up to a trip to New York last week and meeting Lindsay, Gena and Patrick Stewart all within 36 hours, but it did make me crook my elbow, pump my fist toward my waist and yell, “Yesssssss!”).
So here’s my super easy tofu scramble recipe. Basically, it’s a variation on the Mex-Ital Scramble I wrote about waaaay back when exactly 86 people were reading my blog, so I figure it’s new to most of you.
And did I mention that it’s super easy and super quick?
Like most tofu recipes, I found that the flavor of this one intensified after lingering overnight in the fridge. The contrast of the creamy sauce and firm, chewy kale with softly baked pumpkin was extremely pleasing to the palate. I sprinkled the whole thing with sesame-seaweed seasoning that I received from iHerb in honor of this month’s SOS Challenge and it worked well to add a hint of salt and spice. If you don’t have something similar, you can mix up your own gomashio (a sesame-salt sprinkle that’s wonderful on almost anything; recipe here).
Don’t worry about the pungency of the garlic in the dressing; once you heat it through, the garlic mellows out and sweetens substantially, leaving a mild, creamy, perfectly balanced flavor.
This is my final contribution to the SOS Challenge this month. Stay tuned for a roundup first thing next month, and the reveal for our next yummy ingredient!
Oh, and hope you all have a wonderful Halloween weekend!
* that would be both a) the dogs’ frenzied furor; and b) the kids’ terrified shrieks as they hightail it down the stairs and back to the sidewalk.
DDD In Your Kitchen
As always,I love it when readers try my recipes and let me know that they did. I thought I’d share links to other people who made recipes from the blog and posted about it during the past few weeks.
Here’s a list of recent culinary creations based on DDD recipes. If I missed yours, let me know and I’d be happy to add it to the list!
1 block (12-16 ounces or about 400 g) firm or extra firm tofu, patted dry
1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut oil, preferably organic
1/4-1/2 cup (60-120 ml) vegetable broth or stock, as needed
5 leaves kale, midrib removed, coarsely chopped
2 cups cooked pumpkin, cut into 1″ (2.5 cm) cubes
1-1/2 to 2 cups creamy salad dressing (I used Caesar from Clean Food)
sprinkle of sesame seasoning (I used Eden Shake, or use gomashio)
Crumble the tofu into bite-sized pieces, or cut into small cubes. Heat the oil in a large nonstick frypan over medium-high heat and add the tofu. Brown on all sides until lightly golden.
Add the broth and kale and cook for another minute or two, until the kale begins to wilt a bit. Add the pumpkin and dressing and gently stir to coat everything. Lower heat to simmer, cover, and allow to heat through, stirring once or twice, about 10 minutes. Serve, garnished with sesame seasoning. Makes 4-6 servings. May be frozen.
A very heartfelt “THANK YOU” to everyone who left birthday wishes on Facebook, twitter, and via email! I loved hearing from all of you, and your comments and good wishes made this birthday one of the best ever. So thanks, everyone, for making my day that much brighter!
[Okay, so maybe mine look more like sausages than cigars. . . but they still tasted great!]
My, it has been a while since I posted a recipe on this site! And where the heck have I been for the past week or so, you ask? Imagine this scene:
Evening. Ricki is at home, sitting in front of the computer in her PJs, a cup of steaming herbal tea by her side. She is focused on her computer screen, when the phone rings. She grabs the receiver.
Ricki [slightly distracted by the blog she's reading]: Hello?
Babe: Okay, so here’s the story: my job is sending me to New York for 2 days, and I have a free hotel room to share. It happens to fall on your birthday. Are you interested in meeting me there? We could have dinner, see a couple of plays, you’d have the daytime to yourself. . . what do you think? [Pause]. Ric? Are you still there?
Ricki [hyperventilating]: ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Are you–KIDDING. ME–?? Whoo hoo! Whoopee! Yahoo! Yayyyy! New York! New York! NYC!! The Big Apple! The City of Light! The—
Babe: So do I take that as a “yes”?
And that, dear readers, is how I ended up spending my birthday last week in New York City, at this hotel. . . for free. (Well, okay, the airfare and meals weren’t free, but let’s not nitpick).
It had been quite a while since I last visited NYC, and I was just as enchanted this time round. Ah, New York, city of Broadway and global business, offering up a panoply of cultures and cuisines from at least fifty countries in a two-block span.
New York, where everyone–whether sporting runners or stilettoes–walks pretty much everywhere (apparently, the average New Yorker walks 5 miles a day). Where taxis will slow down, ask where you’re going, assess the income potential and then take off again if it’s not worth their economic while.
New York, where sleepy eyed denizens shuffle along the early morning streets with their dogs on plaid leather leashes, or sporting doggie booties, or doggie Burberrys for their morning walk, stooping and scooping as the canines do their business wherever they can, which usually means right on the concrete sidewalks (no green to be found for blocks at a time); where locals are so friendly that they’ll not only answer your touristy questions, but will also walk two blocks out of their way to lead you to your destination, advising you as you go that it’s pronounced “HOW-ston,” not “HEW-ston” so you won’t distinguish yourself as a redneck among the locals.
New York, where every attire you can think of graces the crowded streets in a welter of color and texture, highlighted by the current uniform du jour (riding boots, patterned tights, mini skirt or long sweater). Where celebrities can dine unaccosted at public restaurants with nary a glance from passing citizenry.
New York, where Times Square at midnight shines brighter than the blazing sun of noon; where a (mediocre) agave-sweetened, gluten-free cupcake can sell out at $4.50 a pop; where street buskers draw a crowd in the middle of lunch hour; where the energy is as palpable as a heavy fog as you stroll along Broadway, or Madison Avenue, or 47th Street–or just about anywhere, really.
Yep, that was New York for me this past week. New York, where I walked more in 1-1/2 days that I probably had in the previous week, where I indulged my inner glutton with abandon and still lost 2 pounds at the end of it.
All that–and being able to meet up with two of my favorite bloggers in less than two days!
Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself. First, observe this:
Sorry for the blur (squint really hard and you can almost make it out). . . that’s T.R. Knight and me! (Okay, so I didn’t know who T.R. Knight was before I got him to sign my Playbill and take a photo after Babe and I watched him on Broadway in David Mamet’s A Life in the Theater. But apparently, he was quite the little heart-throb on Grey’s Anatomy.)
And the co-star of Mamet’s play, here:
["Make it so!"]
Yes, it’s Jean Luc Picard himself, Captain of the Enterprise–aka Patrick Stewart! As a die-hard Star Trek fan, I was beyond thrilled to snag an autograph and snap this pic as he exited the theater. I am such a groupie!
That same evening, my friend Babe and I dined at Agra in celebration of the day of my birth. During the day, I wandered on my own and managed to trek to the Upper West Side, Columbus Circle and a new Whole Foods; SOHO; the Fashion District (had to check out the Manhattan Mall); Central Park; along with expeditions along Madison Avenue, Lexington, Park Avenue, and Times Square. Not bad for 36 hours!
But two high points of the visit, as I mentioned above, were meeting in person with a couple of fellow bloggers.
Lindsay of Happy Herbivore fame and I met up for a vegan breakfast. Lindsay’s blog is full of approachable fat-free recipes (some of which will appear in her upcoming cookbook). She’s also one of the best tweeters in twitterdom! We had planned to eat at Teany’s, but due to a scheduling glitch found it closed when we arrived. No matter: Whole Foods was a fine replacement instead.
After reading Lindsay’s blog for almost 3 years now, I felt as if I were greeting an old friend as we hugged hello. Our lively chatter was punctuated by giggles and guffaws as we gabbed about blogging (of course!), healthy eating, social media, and moving to exotic locales (hope the packing is going well, Lindsay!). Before I knew it, we’d spent over 2 hours together and it was time for me to head out. Lindsay was also kind enough to lead me to BabyCakes (a place I’ve been dying to visit since I first read about them in 2004 or so) and then guided me through the New York subway (a trip I am quite certain I would not have taken without her). Thanks for your vitality, your openness and your humor, Lindsay! (And I can’t believe it didn’t occur to me to snap a photo of us together–I am so sorry!).
[Does this photo look familiar? Then you must also have read Gena's post. . . thanks for the photo, Gena! ]
The following day, I was equally delighted to meet up with Gena of Choosing Raw for lunch at Bonobos, one of several raw food establishments in the city. Although I had been dreaming about a meal at Pure Food and Wine for ages, after examining the menus of both places, I knew that Bonobos was the better choice for me. And it was: Gena and I began by taking full advantage of the free samples on the counter. I loved the nori “cigars” (tightly wrapped nori rolls filled with nut or seed pâté, twisted at the ends to resemble cigars) and practically drenched myself downing one too many of the warm coconut chai drinks and incredible raw soups.
For lunch, I enjoyed sushi rolls while Gena feasted on soup and salad. I’ve been a huge fan of Gena’s blog, Choosing Raw, since she began writing it a few years ago. And Gena is a true inspiration for many with her engaging, welcoming and articulate approach to gaining and maintaining good health. Her affability shines through whether she’s posting about raw versus cooked foods, explaining why we shouldn’t use labels to describe our eating habits, considering whether agave nectar is friend or foe, or sharing some of her incredible recipes (I mean, who hasn’t tried Gena’s chocomole or banana soft serve?) With a few years of blog reading, comments, and emails behind us, we dove right in and started chattering like two teenagers, on topics as diverse as blogging (of course!), conferences, veganism, twitter, relationships, and our two cities. Before we knew it, her lunch hour was over and she had to return to work. Thanks so much, Gena, for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet up!
And while it was over all too quickly, I couldn’t have had a better birthday gift than my visit to the Big Apple. The only downside was that the HH couldn’t be there with me (darned job!), but we’ll be celebrating together here at home.
So long, New York, and thanks for the memories. . . . I won’t wait so long to return next time.
These are my take on the filled nori cigars that Gena and I sampled at Bonobos. The pumpkinseed filling, as I remembered it, was tangy with lemon, with just a hint of fresh parsley. If you have a sushi mat, you can probably make them much thinner than mine (as they were meant to be), but even if they’re a bit thick, they’re still delightful. I’d also recommend allowing the cigars to sit for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator, uncovered, to allow the nori sheet to firm up a bit for easier slicing.
1/2 cup (70 g) raw pumpkin seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp (10 ml) light miso
2 Tbsp (30 ml) raw cashews
1 Tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp (15 ml) coarsely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp (5 ml) finely ground flax seeds
salt and pepper to taste
2 nori sheets (for sushi)
In a medium-sized bowl, cover the pumpkin seeds with water. Allow to soak at room temperature for at least 2 hours, up to overnight. Drain well.
Place the seeds and remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until you have a thick paste. Add water only if necessary to create a spreadable pâté; you don’t want it too watery (a mistake I made with my filling), or the rolls will be too thick.
Place one nori sheet on a cutting board or clean countertop and spread with half the filling, leaving a 1/2 inch (1 cm) border on both longer sides and one shorter side. Starting with the short side with no border next to you, roll toward the other short side as tightly as you can. When you reach the edge, moisten it with water and seal across the “cigar,” then twist each end to seal those as well. Repeate with second nori sheet and filling. Cut into 8-10 pieces each. Makes 2-3 servings. Best served fresh.
I’m so excited to be able to share a yummy, healthy, gluten-free holiday with you all this year!
Anyone with food allergies or other dietary restrictions for health reasons (such as my lovely ACD, for instance) knows how important it is to serve holiday foods that are both safe and delicious. We want to help as many people as we can do just that this holiday season.
And just who is “we,” you ask?
Well, this year, I’ve been invited by the wonderfully gracious Amy (the friendly voice behind the popular blog Simply Sugar and Gluten Free) along with four of her other bloggy buddies to participate in this holiday event. The main impetus behind the event is to seek out the very best gluten free recipes for the holidays–ones that are both delicious and healthy!
And “we” includes all of you, too! Without all of you reading, commenting, and linking up for the event, it just wouldn’t be the same celebration! So we’re inviting all of you to participate, too.
How Will it Work?
On Thursdays in November and December, a different gluten-free blogger will host a link-up event where you can share your best gluten-free holiday dishes. The linky will be open until the following Wednesday at 10:00 pm CST.
Every week there will be give-aways, too. Amy, along with Shirley of Gluten Free Easily, has lined up some amazing giveaways–prizes that would make some great early Christmas presents (or perhaps a present for yourself)! I can’t wait to share all of these with you.
That’s me! I’m going to kick off the event by discussing how to navigate the holiday season on a healthier note. After 18 months on the ACD, I’ve learned a bit about approaching holiday (or any special-occasion) eating to avoid packing on pounds or veering too far from a set eating plan. For this event, you can contribute your own healthier dish, or perhaps tips for staying slim when there’s tempting food all around–anything to do with staying healthier through the holiday season.
Share your favorite gluten-free Thanksgiving dish from appetizers to desserts at Shirley’s place. We want to see your stuffing, turkey dishes, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, cranberry jelly…anything Thanksgiving goes. (And to Canadian readers–we’ve got a head start on the US readership for this theme–so please do share your own Thanksgiving dishes for this week, too!)
Who doesn’t love a gift made with love? Share your favorite foodie gift that’s gluten-free. Have a fabulous way to pack a yummy treat? We want to see that, too.
Bring your family’s favorite entrées and sides. Diane will be ready for them all. And while Hannukah starts on December 2nd this year, we hope you’ll still submit some of your favorite dishes as well.
December 9th – Holiday Breakfast & Brunch at Ginger Lemon Girl
A warm, cozy breakfast or brunch is a wonderful way to start off the holiday. This is a great time to help someone else whipping up your fabulous gluten-free cinnamon rolls or a crumb-topped coffee cake by sharing your favorite recipes.
December 16th – Holiday Desserts at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free
Just like it sounds – bring your favorite gluten-free Christmas desserts for all to share. Cookies, pies, truffles, cakes, and candies….we want to try them all.
So, get your recipe box out and start browsing…then get in the kitchen and start cooking for the best ever gluten-free holiday!
If you’d like to share the event on your own blog. . .
To share the event on your blog, simply right click on our event badge above, save it to your desktop, and upload it to your blog.
Feel free to share the event with your own readers, Facebook buddies, twitter followers and other friends!
Looking forward to “seeing” you there!
“Mum, we’re not too concerned about not packing on the pounds at the holidays. . . but we would definitely be interested in those gifts that taste good!”
“Zip it, Chaser–she said, ‘gifts of good taste,’ not ‘gifts that taste good.’ But don’t worry, we’ll be getting our own gifts this holiday season. . . just keep giving Mum that sad puppy stare and we’re all set.”
[This is the final recipe I have to share from this year's Thanksgiving feast--but what a way to end off the meal! We also had an interesting savory oat-stuffed squash, which I posted on my Facebook page if you're interested. ]
I do seem to be on a “pumpkin and chocolate” kick these days. I think it’s a throwback to my childhood Halloweens, when those two items always went together. Chocolate, more chocolate, topped with a few chunks of chocolate, coated in a sheath of chocolate, served up with a side of chocolate. Oh, and a plastic pumpkin used for collecting. . . . chocolate.
These days, my pumpkin is real and often home-roasted, and my chocolate is fair trade, organic, and unsweetened. But hey–it’s still chocolate.
The combination of pumpkin and sepia sweetness first occurred to me as an offshoot of Ellen Abraham’s genius brownies in Simple Treats. In that recipe, Abraham employs a smidge (isn’t that a great word?) of sweet potato purée to help bind and sweeten the brownies, and to approximate the dense fudginess of egg- and butter-based bars. I loved them and used to bake (and eat) them all the time pre-ACD.
This dessert is sort of like the evil twin of the mousse I posted recently: whereas that earlier version is virtuous and pure, this one is luxuriant and verging on debauchery, with a rich, velvety texture that beguiles. Tradtional pôts de crème are pillowy, light custards suffused with cream. Lighter and smoother than typical custards, they fairly float across the tongue, irresistibly. (For some enticing photos of a true pôt de crème, see this blog post). Not quite as solid as the real thing, this silky, smooth and airy vegan version is so reminiscent that I just had to use the French term. But who cares what we call it? This is one of the most decadent desserts you’ll ever eat.
The pumpkin and chocolate command equal roles in this mousse-like dessert, sharing the flavor spotlight much like chocolate and coffee do in mocha confections. Enhancing the squash is a breath of cinnamon, which adds depth and warmth. The small amount of agave softens the bitterness of the unsweetened chocolate just enough so that stevia can take over from there, resulting in a dark yet rich chocolate intensity.
Overall, the HH and I absolutely adored these. I ended up freezing leftovers so we wouldn’t over-indulge and I plan to use them for some mighty fine ice cream once we’ve had a chance to recover from the chocolate overload. (Okay, let’s be honest: once the HH has a chance to recover from his chocolate overload. There is no such thing where I’m concerned. ).
Because they taste so decadent and contain such healthy ingredients, I’m submitting these babies to Amy’s weekly Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays event. Hop on over and see what else is on the menu this week!
Chocolate Pumpkin Pôts de crème (suitable for ACD Stage 2 or beyond)
from Diet, Dessert and Dogs (http://dietdessertndogs.com)
The key to perfect pôts de crème is to mix the custard in a blender. Even though the pumpkin is already puréed, the blender smooths out the dessert just that much more to create a truly light-as-air treat.
2 Tbsp (30 ml) plain or vanilla rice milk
2 Tbsp (30 ml) agave nectar or maple syrup
2 Tbsp (30 ml) corn starch, tapioca or arrowroot starch
1 cup (240 ml) pumpkin purée, homemade or canned
1 can (12 oz or 400 ml) full fat coconut milk, preferably organic
In the bottom of a medium-sized pot, whisk together the rice milk and agave. Add the corn starch and whisk until smooth and there are no lumps. Mix in the pumpkin until smooth. Add the coconut milk, salt and cinnamon.
Heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it begins to bubble and thicken; continue to cook, stirring, for one minute and remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla, stevia and chocolate; allow to sit 30 seconds, then stir again until the chocolate is melted and completely blended. Pour into a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature, stirring once or twice during the first five minutes (this will help prevent a “skin” from forming on top; if one develops anyway, don’t worry too much, as everything will be blended later).
Once the mixture has cooled, pour it into a blender and add the xanthan gum. Blend on high until well combined and smooth, then return to the bowl. (It may appear quite liquid at this point–this is fine).
Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours before spooning or piping into serving dishes; garnish with cacao nibs or shaved chocolate, if desired. The mousse will be soft but should hold a shape. Makes 4-6 servings. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 4 days. Freeze leftovers for ice cream maker-free ice cream (see my method here).
[As promised, here's the other recipe from our Thanksgiving dinner last weekend. Who says you can't have a delicious feast that's vegan, gluten free and anti-candida friendly? This meal is from leftovers night on day two: vegan tortière, roasted zucchini and savory steel cut oat-stuffed squash (for those who are interested, I've posted the squash recipe on the DDD Facebook page, here.)]
Answer: Alex Trebek.
Question: Who first taught Ricki how to make classic tortière?
Yes, you may know him as “Mr. Jeopardy,” that dapper, affable host with a voice as smooth as a duckless pond on a clear, sunny day. The navy-suited, oft-mustachioed supplier of answers in advance of questions, for $200, $400, $600 or Super-Jeopardy please, Alex. The slick, handsome, game-show staple–Alex Trebek.
Okay, so maybe he didn’t actually teach me how to make tortièrein person, but he was, indirectly, responsible for my learning all about the classic Quebeçois meat pie. You see, it’s a little-known fact that Mr. Trebek hails from Sudbury, Ontario, one of the very few cities in Canada where people actually speak French,** and he grew up with a Francophone mom (which would explain why his accent is always spot on when he announces those answers from the “Heroes of the French Revolution” and “Movies Starring Brigitte Bardot” categories).
Well, when I first moved to Toronto as a fresh-faced PhD student back in the 80s, I was (like most students) too cash-strapped to afford much in the way of extra-curricular books and magazines, far too impecunious (or was it just cheap?) to pay for my own copy of TV Guide each week. There was a free guide inserted every Saturday in The Toronto Star (the only day I purchased the paper), called the TV Times. And the last page of said TV Times was always devoted to a recipe contributed by some famous person: one week, it might be apple pie from Wanda’s Pie in the Sky (a popular Toronto bakery); another, it could be Caesar Salad from Jeannie Beker (host of Fashion Television, the seminal “let’s watch those barely-clad sticks on stillettoes trundle down the runway” show). And then, one fateful week in winter, it featured tortière, courtesy of Alex Trebek.
Apparently, tortière was a favorite dish from Trebek’s childhood back in Sudbury. (Answer: only after many years of trial and error. Question: did a famous game-show host really make tortière all on his own?). I tore the recipe from the booklet and slipped it into my “recipes to try” collection, a beige cardboard file folder that was by then already straining with countless slips of paper, clipped magazine pages and newspaper columns. (Answer: only my current “recipes to try” folder on my computer’s “Favorites” list. Question: is there anything even bigger than that original recipes file folder?). Having been born in Quebec myself (land of “‘Mon pays, ce n’est pas un pays, c’est l’hiver,” Celine Dion, real ski hills, sugar pie and the Habs), I felt it was my civic duty to some day try out the recipe. Even though it contained pork, and ground beef, and probably suet, I figured I’d give it a try at some dinner party and serve it to all the guys, just so I could say I did.
[No, I didn't pre-slice the crust; that crack is due to my less-than-stellar crust skills. Still tasted great, though!]
Well, the poor recipe languished there for years–nay, decades–until finally, after adopting a vegan diet and switching to the ACD 1-1/2 years ago, in a rare fit of organizing, I finally threw it away. (Answer: just this type of impulsive purging of old papers, bills, income tax returns or recipes. Question: What is one activity that Ricki inevitably regrets weeks, months, or even years, later?)
For some reason, this Thanksgiving, I really wanted to make a vegan version of tortière. Along with poutine, sugar pie, and that Chez Cora’s-inspired Quebeçois classic, cretons (mmm! Couldn’t you go for some right now?), tortière is certainly one of the quintessentially “Canadian” foods. How could I pass up the opportunity? And though I’ve never actually had a ”real” tortière, the HH assured me it’s delicious and that he’d love to have it as well. (Answer: Yours truly. Question: Who in her right mind would attempt tortière when a) she doesn’t eat meat and b) she’s never made a successful pie crust of any kind before, gluten free or otherwise?).
It took all of 8 seconds to decide that my latest veg-based faux meat (the one I used in this lasagna) would be the perfect base for this tortière. I mean, doesn’t it look just like ground meat? And wouldn’t it work beautifully with the spectrum of spices that were called for in the original pie? I even had a big container just waiting in the freezer! So I pulled it out, gathered my newly-printed tortière recipes from around the Internet, and began to plot how I’d reproduce it.
The first hurdle was the crust. I was browsing through Maggie’s yummy blog a few weeks back and had tried out her pie crust for the first time with great success. So, with a few of my own little changes (I just can’t resist), I used her recipe here. It worked perfectly! The filling, too, came together easily; basically, it’s just sautéed onions and garlic, spices, and the faux meat. Couldn’t be simpler!
Answer: This vegan tortière. Question: What will you want to rush out and try as soon as you finish reading this blog post–maybe sooner?
[I know: that filling really looks like meat. Eerie, isn't it?]
The final product is dense without being solid, the spice-warmed bits of the meat mixture offering a moist, savory chew lightly sandwiched between a perfectly flaky crust. Like a piece of really good shepherd’s pie, it fills you up without being too heavy; it felt as if we were spooning up authentically-prepared comfort food at a local French bistro. As we sat eating out meals, the HH seemed to be enjoying his immensely, savoring his pie between bites of gravy-laden mashed potatoes, brussels sprouts and stuffed squash.
“Does it taste like real tortière ?” I asked. He paused. He inhaled the wafting scent of cloves, thyme and cinnamon and took another bite. He cocked his head and glanced across the room as he chewed contemplatively.
“Well, I think you’d eat it and you might know it wasn’t meat, but you wouldn’t be sure what it was instead. . . it just tastes really, really delicious. I’d say this was one of your more successful dishes. I’d definitely eat this again.” Wow. Coming from the usually-reticent HH, that was praise enough for me.
My answer? ”You can have it any time you like, sweetheart.” And the question? Well, sorry, that’s personal.
**I know that statement was a shock to many of you. But even though Canada does have two “official” languages, 90% of the country doesn’t speak one of them. (Answer: Um, it doesn’t make sense to me, either. Question: Then why is every single product produced or sold in our country required to display labeling in both English and French?) Quel bêtises!
Vegan Tortière (suitable for ACD Stage 2 and beyond)
Although it takes time to make the faux meat for the filling, I tend to mix up two or three batches at a time and then freeze them for later use. If you have frozen “meat” available, the recipe is actually very quick to prepare. Don’t tell people what’s in this and have fun listening to their guesses!
Dough for an unbaked, double pie crust (I used this recipe)
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil, preferably organic
1 to 1/4 cups (240-300 ml) vegetable broth or stock, depending on how moist you want the filling
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) dried thyme
1 tsp (5 ml) cinnamon
1 tsp (5 ml) herbs de provence (see here to make your own)
heaping 1/4 tsp (1.5 ml) ground cloves
ground pepper, to taste (see note)
1 batch (about 4 cups/1 liter) faux meat from this recipe
Preheat oven to 350F.
Prepare the crust: Fill the bottom and sides of a 9″ (22.5 cm) pie plate with crust and dock the crust by poking with a fork 6-8 times across the bottom. Roll out the top crust on waxed paper, into a circle about 1/2 inch (1 cm) larger than the pie plate all around and set aside.
Make the filling: Heat the oil in a large frypan (I used a cast iron pan). Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil over medium-high heat until onion is translucent, 7-10 minutes. Add the broth, herbs and spices and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add the faux meat and stir everything together to blend.
Turn the filling into the unbaked crust and spread to fill the crust entirely (do not pack). Fold the top crust into quarters and transfer over the filling; unfold and pinch the edges to join with the bottom crust, crimping or using a fork to seal the edges if desired. Cut small holes in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape. Brush with unflavored soy or almond milk, if desired (this will help the crust brown as it bakes).
Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes to one hour, rotating the pan about halfway through, until the crust is lightly browned. Allow to cool 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 6-8 servings. May be frozen.
Note: I didn’t need to add any extra salt because the “meat” was salted, as was the vegetable broth I used. However, if you used unsalted broth or like your food salty, feel free to add salt to taste.
This post is linked to Amy’s weekly event, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays. which collects dishes that are made a little bit healthier. Check it out–or post your own recipe!
Hope you all had a great weekend! Over here, it was Canadian Thanksgiving (and “Anti-Candida Thanksgiving,” all in one!). For a great tongue-in-cheek summary of the Canadian version of the holiday and how it came to be, take a look at Willie’s explanation, here.
Rather than visit with my family in Montreal or head over to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving this year, the HH and I decided to spend the time at home, just us and The Girls. And after a truly lovely, restorative weekend, I am feeling rather thankful indeed. Great weather, great food, great company (“Thanks, Mum, we think you’re lots of fun to spend time with, too”) and–best of all–an entire day off work! Whoo hoo!
Although the pile of marking perilously perched on the corner of my desk might protest otherwise, I knew it was essential that I take at least one day off over the weekend; I’ve been feeling bombarded with work lately and yearned for some down time. Since Environment Canada deemed Sunday the most meteorologically-friendly (though not pronunciation-friendly) day of the three, that’s the day I chose. And so glad I did!
On Sunday morning, The HH and I rolled out of bed at the leisurely hour of 8:14 AM (“You said it, Mum! We were waiting, like, over an hour for you two to get up!“). The HH rightly pointed out that it was probably the last weekend this year that we’d be able to stroll along the boardwalk at The Beaches** (a hip area of town abutting Lake Ontario), as the temperature was 21C (70F), the skies were clear, and the sun was brilliant. So we decided to treat The Girls to a little spontaneous jaunt downtown.
We piled in the car, drove down the Don Valley Parkway, and an hour later–voilà–there we were! As soon as we began to stroll toward the lake, however, I discovered two things: 1) Chaser, having been raised pretty much in the (suburban) area where we live, has never encountered a surfeit of squirrels such as wanders freely over those grassy knolls in the older parts of the city (needless to say, she went ballistic); and 2) I am not nearly as strong as I used to be (to wit, a 43-pound lab-border collie-shepherd mix was able to topple me without too much trouble at all as she raced after myriad unperturbed squirrels on the grassy knolls).
Clearly, the squirrels have been through this routine several thousand times and didn’t even twitch a whisker until Chaser was fairly on top of them, at which point they scooted up the closest tree trunk without a backward glance. After several near-misses, a nearly-twistsed ankle (mine, not Chaser’s) and some heavy-duty yelping and whining (both mine and Chaser’s), we all piled back in the car, drove north on the Don Valley Parkway and an hour later–voilà–we were back home again.
Our Thanksgiving feast that evening was a perfect end to the day. On the menu were tortière (recipe next post), greens with walnut-miso sauce, stuffed squash and pumpkin-chocolate mousse for dessert (seems I’m on a mousse kick these days). And though our meal was both substantial and filling, I am pleased to report that, at the end of it, I felt perfectly fine–not in the least bit stuffed. Could it be that these last 19 months on the ACD are finally beginning to teach me to pay attention to my body’s fullness signals? Now, wouldn’t that be a perfect end to an idllyic Sunday?
Which brings me to Thanksgiving Monday and. . . pancakes! I’ve been fiddling with a vegan coconut-flour pancake recipe for ages with mimimal success. But for some reason yesterday (perhaps it was my relaxed state of mind after the day off) all the stars–and gluten-free flours–aligned, and the cakes turned out perfectly! The HH and I each enjoyed a couple of high protein, grain-free pancakes while sipping on our respective hot beverages (his: hazelnut flavored coffee; mine: matcha green tea) and reading the newspapers (his: National Post; mine: Globe and Mail), basically just chillaxing as much as possible. The pancakes were topped with this quick and easy cranberry-apple compote (which the HH also smeared as a sauce over his leftover Thanksgiving turkey).
The inclusion of fresh apple (which is more ACD friendly than jarred applesauce) adds natural sweetness to mitigate the overpowering tartness of the cranberries. The compote cooks up quickly and was perfect slathered on the pancakes, but would be equally good on toast, rice cakes, or baked into muffins. All in all, a great way to close out the weekend.
”Actually, Mum, the perfect way to close it out would be for Dad to give us a big piece of that turkey, since it’s way too much for one person. . . okay, I guess we’ll take another walk on the beach as second choice.”
** a few years ago, the city voted that the official name of this district be changed to “The Beach” (singular). Sorry, but certain monikers–like Prince, SkyDome, Russia or The Beaches–will always remain the same in my mind.
Quick Fresh Apple and Cranberry Compote (suitable for ACD Stage 2 and beyond)
This makes a great topping for pancakes or spread for muffins, scones or toast. Or head over to the savory side of things and dollop it on burgers, tofu or curries.
2 cups (500 ml) fresh or frozen cranberries
1 large apple, cored (peel if desired, but not necessary)
1/2 tsp (2. 5 ml) ground ginger
2 Tbsp (30 ml) water
10-20 drops plain or vanilla stevia liquid, or 2 Tbsp (30 ml) agave nectar
Place the cranberries in a small, heavy-bottomed pot. Grate the apple into the pot and add the ginger and water; stir to combine. Turn heat to medium-low and cover the pot. Allow to cook, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes, until the apple is soft and the cranberries have popped. Stir well to combine the fruits. Add stevia to taste and stir well. Serve warm. Makes about 1-1/2 cups (360 ml). Store, covered, in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
“I know I’m sure looking forward to some play time this weekend. . . ball, anyone?”
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! (And Happy Weekend to everyone else!)
Even if you’re not in Canada, you can still join in the festive spirit this weekend! We’re going to have enviable weather (21C/70F and sunny on Sunday) and I’m determined to set the work aside for at least an afternoon and spend it with the HH and the Girls. (“Yes, Mum, some time at the trail would be much appreciated.”)
The HH and I will be spending the holiday here at home rather than in Montrreal with my family, so it will be a fairly low key affair. I do have something special planned for our dinner, though, which I will share after the weekend (and once I know the recipe works!).
[This is my first entry for the SOS Kitchen Challenge: Sesame Seeds this month: anti candida friendly, sugar-free, gluten-free halvah. If you've got a sesame-based recipe of your own to share, link up below--and win one of our eleven prizes!]
Have you ever noticed how some of the foods we loved as children seem entirely distaseteful once we’re adults? (This principle works equally well when you compare your teenaged years or early twenties to your 40s and 50s, too: just replace “some of the foods we loved” with “clothes we loved,” “music we loved,” “heartless cads** we loved”. . . you see what I mean).
These days, when I think of foods I ate–with gusto–as a child, I cringe a little. A few of them (Cocoa Puffs, Cherry Blossom) still sound appealing in theory, so the cringe-factor arises more from my current (and oh-so-mature) awareness of their nutritional deficiencies (plus the smattering of high fructose corn syrup, FD & C Red dye #40, sulfur dioxide and butylated hydroxytoluene). Others (Cap’n Crunch, Skittles) no longer tempt me at all.
(“Mum, we don’t have that problem. We still love all the foods we liked as puppies. In fact, if you won’t be eating that Cap’n Crunch, we’d be happy to help you out with it.”)
When we were kids, for instance, the CFO and I performed a Saturday breakfast ritual that involved soda crackers and peanut butter with huge sploshy glasses of chocolate milk. Sneaking into the kitchen while our mother slept (Dad had already left for his butcher shop by 6:30 AM), we’d slide a tray from the cupboard and load it up with a box of saltines, an opened jar of Kraft Smooth peanut butter and two butter knives. Next, we’d add a heaping teaspoon of Nestle’s Quik (after consuming at least one spoonful, dry, first, of course) to the bottom of two tumblers and fill them with milk. If we were really in luck, there would be a carton of chocolate milk already in the fridge–so we’d fill the glasses with that instead.
Then the CFO would grab the tray, I’d snatch the tumblers, and we’d pad down to the basement TV room where we’d station ourselves in front of Boris and Natasha, Bugs Bunny, The Prefab Four or whoever else danced across the TV screen for the next two hours as we slathered saltine after saltine with peanut butter and slurped our drinks. True, I suppose there were worse breakfasts we could have had (those cigarettes and coffee from my 20s come to mind), but we weren’t exactly poster children for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, either (and just thinking of all that sugar makes my fillings ache).
On the other hand, many foods I detested as a child have since become dearly beloved staples. Some of the obvious examples include oil-cured black olives, roasted garlic bulbs, broccoli or parsnip fries. It may be hard to believe, but as a tot I couldn’t face even the smallest tidbit of cheesecake. At my parents’ weekly card games, my mother would serve up cherry-topped cheesecakes, chocolate cheesecakes, no-bake cheesecakes, Farmer’s Cheesecakes, Cheese Danish–and I’d avoid them all. The thick, gloppy filling would stick in my throat and I’d feel slightly nauseated every time I tried to swallow some (too bad my negative response didn’t also stick). Fortunately (or, perhaps, unfortunately), I outgrew my cheesecake aversion by the time I hit my 20s, and the dessert even became one of my specialties in the days when I used to baked conventional sweets.
Another previously loathed–and now loved–sweet was halvah. It was one of my mother’s two favorite confections (the other was known as “Turkish Delight”–gooey, gelatin-based cubes of candy in an array of popsicle colors, each dusted with icing sugar and sold in a rectangular, waxed-paper lined cardboard box, from the local fruit market).
My mother’s preferred halvah, a Middle Eastern candy made primarily from tahini (sesame paste) and honey, was always purchased by the pound at the supermarket deli counter. To me, it resembled a discarded brick of concrete from some abandoned construction site, the oatmeal-gray block streaked with wayward marbling from the chocolate filling. Its texture was dry and grainy with crunchy layers that stuck in your teeth, a sensation I did not enjoy. And overriding the sesame taste was the strong flavor of honey, a sweetener to which I reacted rather viscerally as a child. Needless to say, the mere appearance of either one of those desserts on our kitchen table triggered my gag reflex.
It wasn’t until I hit my 40s and tasted halvah again at a raw foods restaurant that I became truly besotted. By that time, I’d been eating a healthy diet for several years, so both tahini and sesame were staples in my everyday cooking. The halvah this time was soft, with a fudge-like bite and a subtle sweetness (from agave nectar) that encouraged the true sesame flavor to reveal itself. That early sample was studded with bits of cheery green pistachios as well, and I fell in love. I’ve been making my own version of halvah ever since.
This recipe is an adaptation from the one in my cookbook, Sweet Freedom.I’ve used ACD-friendly sweeteners here so that all of us anti candida veterans can enjoy it just as well. Creating the chocolate swirl is easy and lends a bit of elegance to the candy, but if you prefer your halvah plain (or with chopped fruit or nuts), go for it. You can also simply blend the melted chocolate right into the sesame mixture for chocolate halvah, another decadent treat.
** you knew we had to be talking about Rocker Guy (he of the black leather pants), didn’t you?
This is the kind of dessert that looks great on a candy tray alongside chocolates or truffles. At the same time, it contains so many healthy ingredients and is so packed with nutrition that you can feel just fine eating a few pieces as an afternoon snack.
For the halvah base:
1/2 cup (80 g) cashews, lightly toasted
3/4 cup ( 180 ml) sesame tahini
1/4 cup (35 g) sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 tsp (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
pinch fine sea salt
3 Tbsp (45 ml) yacon syrup or agave nectar
10-20 drops plain, vanilla or chocolate stevia liquid, to your taste
For the Chocolate Swirl:
1 ounce (30 g) unsweetened chocolate, preferably organic (I used Cocoa Camino)
1 Tbsp (15 ml) vegetable glycerin or agave nectar (for ACD stage 2, use glycerin)
10-20 drops plain or vanilla stevia liquid, to your taste
Make the halvah base: In the bowl of a food processor, whir the cashews until they resemble a coarse cornmeal. There should be no pieces left bigger than a sesame seed.
Add remaining ingredients and blend until the mixture comes together in a ball. It should have the consistency of a thick dough (resist the temptation to add liquid to make it blend more easily; you want it to be fairly dry, but just moist enough to hold together). Break up the ball with your fingers or a spatula and crumble it evenly around the processor bowl. Set aside.
Make the chocolate swirl: Pour enough water into a small pot to fill it about 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to lowest possible heat. Place a larger metal or heatproof bowl over the pot (it should be large enough that the bottom doesn’t touch the water in the pot) and add the chocolate to the bowl. Stir constantly until the chocolate melts, a couple of minutes. Remove the bowl from the pot (turn off the heat) and then stir in the glycerin or agave and stevia. The mixture should remain smooth and pourable.
Finish the halvah: Drizzle the chocolate mixture directly over the halvah in the processor bowl, pouring in a ring shape. Don’t worry if it’s not even or if it doesn’t cover the entire halvah mixture. Replace the processor cover and pulse once or twice ONLY to barely incorporate the chocolate in rivulets through the mixture (any more than this and you will end up with chocolate halvah). You want the chocolate to be distributed between the bits of halvah, but not blended into it.
Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap on your counter and turn the mixture onto it. Folding the plastic over the halvah mixture, press the mixture into place to form a compact rectangle. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until firm. Once firm, cut into small squares for serving. Store, covered, in the refrigerator up to one week. Makes 20-30 small squares.
Anyone who has read my blog through all four seasonsfor at least a monthregularly once knows that I really (really) hate the cold weather. And while autumn also heralds delicious root vegetables, warming spices, Thanksgiving and Halloween, to me it’s just the precursor to winter. Bah! To help mitigate the chill this October, Kim of Affairs of Living and I present you with another Sweet or Savory Kitchen Challenge–this time, with a special twist. So read on, learn about our latest key ingredient, and join in on the fun!
Now, you’ve most likely heard or read about at least one of the “superfood” seeds currently being touted all over the internet: flax, chia, hemp. And while all three are wonderfully nutritious and offer all manner of health benefits, they sometimes overshadow the more common specimens that are equally healthy in their own right. This month, we’re focusing on one of those better-known seeds:
SESAME!
Sesame seeds are inexpensive, delicious, packed with nutritional benefits–and available year-round. In other words, a perfect ingredient for our first SOS Challenge of autumn!
According to one of my favorite websites, World’s Healthiest Foods, sesame seeds (sesamum indicum) “may be the oldest condiment known to man dating back to as early as 1600 BC.” One Assyrian myth, in fact, claims that the gods drank sesame wine right before they created the earth. They are also considered to be the first seed that was cultivated specifically for their unique taste and are the most cultivated seed at present. And who is not familiar with the common expression, “open sesame”? The term refers to the manner in which the seed pods burst open when the seeds are mature, and was introduced in the classic legend by Ali Baba in the Thousand and One Nights.
These tiny, oval gems (available in a varietyof shades from beige to brown to red to black) are also a highly nutritious food, one that is a staple in most vegan households because of their high calcium content. Tahini (sesame paste) or nondairy milk made with sesame can add a valuable boost to your calcium intake. In fact, sesame seeds offer up a good variety of other minerals, too: they’re considered a “very good” source of manganese and copper, plus a “good” source of magnesium, iron, phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc and dietary fiber. In addition, they contain two types of lignans (sesamin and sesamolin), antioxidant-like substances known to help stave off all kinds of chronic illnesses, from high blood pressure to liver damage; and they can help lower cholesterol levels.
And they’re not just for hamburger buns any more! Sesame seeds lend themselves to all kinds of cooking. Like many seeds and nuts, they can be lightly toasted to bring out their optimum flavor. If ground to a paste, they produce tahini, a key ingredient in all kinds of Middle Eastern foods from hummus to falafel. I also love using it in place of nut butters in much of my cooking, from sauces to desserts. They’re also the key ingredient in one of my favorite seasonings, Japanese gomashio, which I sprinkled here.
It’s worth noting that our digestive tracts are unable to break down the outer hull on the seeds, so whole seeds will serve only as a source of insoluble (unabsorbed) fiber and will pass through your system intact. To benefit from the sesame oil inside the seeds, they need to be cracked or ground.
Whole seeds can be stored at room temperature for several weeks; or freeze for longer storage periods. Once the hull is cracked, however, the seeds must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. An exception is sesame oil, which is incredibly stable and resists rancidity even over long periods of time and changes in temperature.
And now to make this month even more fun. . .
For the first time, October’s SOS event will feature a guest sponsor–and prizes!Our sponsor (sorry, BlogHer stipulates that I can’t write about them on my main page) is generously donating ELEVEN prizes! That’s right: the first ten entries will each receive a bag of organic sesame seeds, and one lucky (random) winner will win a $50 shopping spree to buy their own choice of healthy products. To enter the giveaway, you’ll need to register before linking up below (see details here), or you can simply share a recipe as you always have before without registering. The challenge will run until October 31st. (Please follow the usual SOS guidelines for recipe ingredients.) As always, at the end of the month we’ll post a roundup of all the recipes and showcase a few favorites.
Yep, autumn just keeps getting better and better. . .
Want to know more? Details about how to use the seeds and how you can win one of the prizes are posted here.
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