Orange Zested Chocolate Chip Scones

Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's of every variety out there. 

In addition to copious amounts of cooking, I also am a con-ner. No, I do not commit scams and rob people of their hard earned money, I go to conventions. Nerdy nerdy conventions full of things like cosplays, bronies, trekkie, and jedis. There awesome. I apologize for nothing. I went to one in early April. I crashed at my cousin's house afterwards. As a thank you for letting me couch surf, I baked them breakfast scones! My niece found them salty. But I liked them.  They tasted like a Terry's chocolate orange. 

Note 1: I had no chocolate chips, so I used semi-sweet chocolate bar that I chopped up.  

Orange Zested Chocolate Chip Scones - Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen pg. 190. 

Ingredients

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
• 1/3 cup of sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 tbsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 cup of vegan margarine or refined coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of non diary milk (almond, soy, or rice milk) plus extra for brushing
• 1tbsp of freshly squeezed orange juice
• zest of one medium orange
• 2/3 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, dairy free

Directions

Note 2: I am writing about the method using the food processor, cause that's what I used. There is also a method using your hands

Note 3: Don't forget parchment paper! I just oil the pan and my scones burned a little. 

1) preheat over to 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper

2) In a food processor, process the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon until combined

3) Add the margarine, and pulse until crumbly. Add the non-dairy milk, orange zest, orange juice,  and pulse until the dough just comes together. Don't overmix

4) Transfer dough to a bowl and fold in chocolate chips. 

5) Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and liberally flour the top of the dough. Pat the dough into a circle about one inch thick. 

6) Using a sharp knife, cut the dough like a pizza into 8 triangular slices. Transfer each slice to the prepared baking sheet. Leave two inches in between each slice. Brush the tops with non-dairy milk and sprinkle with sugar.

7) Bake for 15 minutes. Until golden on top. Let cool and serve.

semi-sweet chocolate bar, all chopped up. 

Other ingredients. 

folding the chocolate into the dough

floured surface

GIANT COOKIE SCONE. NOM.

On the oiled pan. Use the parchment paper. 

SCONES 

Nourished on the Go.

Remember my post about convenience food? In that post I discussed Rawlicious and how it offered healthy clean eating when I didn't feel like cooking.

Well. There was a fire.

Don't worry!!! The Rawlicious is intact! However, the building directly beside it is not. It was gutted. The Rawlicious and adjacent buildings actually share walls, everything is connected. Also, they are all historical buildings. So until things are repaired/torn down, I have no take out.

Enter Groupon!

A friend posted a Groupon on her Facebook Page for Nourished on the Go . It advertises as "healthy vegan fast food restaurant". I was intrigued. I looked at the menu online and saw many things I wished to try. So I bought the Groupon and checked it out.

It's not a place where you're likely to sit down for a meal, it's simply not big enough. But because it wasn't too busy when I went, I got to chat with the chef while she was working. In particular, I was curious about the artwork on the walls, all of which is for sale. Very reasonable prices too! Yes, she knew the artists. Yes, they were all local artists. One of them very fond of painting carrots. She showed me some more carrot paintings. I want one for my walls. Also featured was peppers, and a giant beet. The painting was called "Queen Beet".

I also learned there was a vegetarian association in my area! I had thought the only chapter was in Toronto. Exciting day!

I got the Thai coconut green curry soup, a Cesar salad, and the strawberry cheesecake. Everything. Was. Delicious. I liked the salad best. The dressing was creamy and garlicky and zippy, just as a Cesar dressing should be. She added fake bacon strips to the top. They were nice and smokey. The cheesecake was cashew-based and the strawberry topping was very refreshing.

My only complaint about the soup was that it was thin. That's not to say that it wasn't filling. It had loads of broccoli, leeks onions, carrots, and some chilies for a kick. I mean the broth was thin. I prefer soups to be a little thicker. Maybe next time I will get a stew. Nevertheless, I was very pleased with my meal.

Nourished on the go insures that ALL of it's take away containers are compostable or recyclable. Even their cutlery can be placed in the compost. This is HUGE for me. To see a restaurant take it's responsibility to the environment so seriously, makes me very happy.

With my Groupon, I paid $12 for my dinner. the normal price would have been closer to $21. For a soup salad and dessert? I consider that a fair price. Certainly it's on par with Rawlicious.

I will be back!

Thai Coconut Green Curry Soup

Cesar Salad

Strawberry Cheesecake

Crowd pleasing Tex Mex Casserole

This recipe is got gooey, and most importantly, taste like Mexican food. Which if you didn't know, is the most superior of all foods. As you can see, there's a LOT of ingredients, but the actual cooking is very straightforward. So once your done with the chopping, it doesn't take too long. Which is par for the course with casseroles. It has a nice kick to it and good flavour. 

Also, the recipe makes a ton of food, enough for lunches for a week. However, I did need to pair it with a salad to feel full until dinner. 

Note 1: Again, I didn't preheat my oven until the casserole was ready to go. 

Note: I used salsa and avocado as my toppings. Along with some more vegan cheese. 

Crowd Pleasing Tex-Mex Casserole - Oh She Glows pg 149-150

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp of chili powder
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp of paprika
• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper (plus more as needed)
• 1 1/4 fine grain sea salt
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander (optional)
• 1.5 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 red onion diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced 
• 1 jalapeno, seeded if desired, and diced 
• fine grain sea salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn
• 1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes and juices
• 1 cup of tomato sauce or tomato puree
• 2-3 cups of chopped kale leaves or baby spinach
• 1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 cups of cooked wild rice or brown rice
• 1/2 of vegan shredded cheese
• 1-2 handfuls of corn chips, crushed. 
• Optional toppings: salsa, avocado, cashew cream 

Directions

1) In a small bowl, mix the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt and coriander if using. Set aside

2) Oil a large casserole dish (4-5 qt/4-5 L) and preheat over to 375 degrees F, 190 degree C. 

3) In a large wok, heat oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell peppers, and jalapeno and saute for 7-8 minutes until softened. Season with salt and black pepper.

4) Stir in the Tex-mex spice blend, corm, diced tomatoes and juice, tomato sauce, kale, beans, rice and a 1/4 cup of the vegan shredded cheese. Saute for a few more minutes and season to taste. 

5) Pour mixture into the prepared casserole dish and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the crushed chips over the casserole mixture along with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. Cover with a lid or foil and bake for 15 minutes. 

6) Uncover the casserole and cook for 5-10 minutes more, until bubbly and lightly golden around the edges.

7) scoop into bowls and serve with desired toppings

ingredients for spice blend

spice blend

other ingredients 

Woking it up. 

Giant bowl of food. Giant bowl.

before baking. 

After baking (it doesn't look much different I know. But it was all hot and bubbly.

"Meatball" Sliders (A favourite)

For this recipe I return to Chloe Coscarelli and "Chloe's Vegan Italian Kitchen". 

This was the very first recipe I made from this book. And it started my obsession with the book in general. The sliders are easy to make, but labour intensive. However, the results are SO worth it. Everyone I have ever made these sliders for loves them. The majority of my close friends are meat-eaters, and they adore them. To the point where one friend told me not to show up at her party without them. I obliged of course. 

The results are a savory saucy snack sandwich which are the ideal appetizer. I wouldn't really recommend them as a meal though, unless paired with quinoa or a chickpea salad. Something with a high protein count. The brown rice in the "meatballs" doesn't seem like enough to me. 

Note 1: the "meatballs" freeze really well. The pictures below is actually a double batch being made. I froze half of the "meatballs" and waited 2 weeks before thawing them out and frying them. Still just as good. When freezing, simply place the prepared balls in a plastic container and cover. I've actually used ice cube trays and covered them with foil. It worked. The balls will need several hours to thaw completely. So place them in the fridge the night before you need them. 

Note 2: the book calls for making Chloe's version of "Classic pesto sauce" pg 233. I don't bother. Instead I buy Sunflower Kitchen pesto. Picture below. Sunflower pesto does not contain any dairy, the way traditional pesto does. BUT! It also does not contain any nuts. This is key for me. Traditional pesto uses pine nuts. As I said, I often make this dish for friends. Two of whom have nut allergies. One of the allergies is quite severe, anaphylaxis is a risk. Vegan cooking often involves nuts. So it's great that I can make something like this, which everyone can eat and enjoy! PS. Sunflower Kitchen pesto is delicious. They also make a Kale pesto which is very nice, and lots of different hummus. 

Meatball Sliders - Chloes Vegan Italian Kitchen pg. 98 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp of olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1.5 cups of cooked brown rice - cooled
• 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs
• 1/4 all purpose flour
• 1 tsp of dried basil
• 1.5 tsp of sea salt
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• 1/4 of crushed red pepper (optional)
• canola oil for frying
• slider buns or dinner rolls
• 1 cup of tomato sauce
• Pesto sauce
• Fresh basil leave for assembly 

Directions

1) heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until soft and lightly browned. 

2) Add garlic a cook for a few more minutes, transfer to a food processor. Save skillet for later use.

3) Add the cooled brown rice, bread crumbs, flour, basil, salt, pepper and red pepper (if using), to the food processor. Pulse the mixture until it just comes together. If needed, transfer to a bowl and mix with your (clean) hands. Season to taste and let it cool slightly. 

4) Form mixture into 1-2 inch balls. Form your balls to fit your buns. (yes you can laugh at that. I did. #mature) 

5) Heat canola oil in the saved skillet over medium high heat. Pan-fry meatballs in batches (usually 4-5 at a time depending on the size of the pan). Add more oil as needed.

6) Slice the buns in half and brush the insides with olive oil. Toast in a saute pan over medium heat until lightly browned on the edges. Layer a spoonful of tomato sauce, a meatball, a spoonful of pesto, and a basil leaf in each slider. Stick each slider with a party pick to hold together and serve. 

Note 3: Make the brown rice before you do anything else. While it is cooling, you can be frying the mushroom and onion and whatnot. 

Note 4: The recipe doesn't specify what type of mushroom to use. I find that some baby-bello (baby portobello mushrooms) taste best. You can find pre-sliced 8 ounce packages of shrooms to save time. 

Note 5: Although the crushed red pepper is optional, I wouldn't leave it out. It provides a subtle kick which give the meatball more depth. 

Note 6: I don't toast my buns in a skillet. Instead, I lay them out, sliced side up, on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven at 350 degrees for 6 minutes. I nix the oil too. 

Note 7: Remind your guests about the picks. I had a friend eat one once. 

Ingredients 

mushroom and onion in a pan. Remember, this is a double batch.

Soft and browned 

Food processor mixture, prior to pulsing 

from the top

After pulsing. Looks like dog food. Tastes like WIN!

Meatballs before frying 

Frying my balls. 

Browned and ready to go!

Sunflower Kitchen Pesto. Dairy and Nut free!

Assembling the sliders. Tomato sauce on one side, pesto on the other, lay down a basil leaf.

Add a meatball and you're done!

So tasty.....

NONA - Product post

I am very interested in environmental friendly living. A big part of my interest in veganism stems from the wish to be as enviro-friendly as I can. 

So when the "Green Living Show" came to Toronto, I went. I got in for free after flashing my presto card. It was a great show, albeit somewhat small. Got to see all the nifty electric cars. I drooled a little. 

In and amongst the petitions to save farmland, and wood carvings were several foodie items. My friend Sandy, who runs the blog "Milk and Eggs " recommended I try Nona, cashew based sauced made right here in Toronto. 

Pureed Cashews are a common feature in vegan cooking. Cashews lend a thick, creamy texture to a dish, very similar to dairy. At my annual Oscar party in February, I made an "Imitation Cheese Dip" in honour of The Imitation Game.  The dish was actually a recipe from Oh She Glows called "Life Affirming Warm Nacho Dip. Here's a link to another blog where someone else made it: http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/oh-she-glows-cookbook/

The dish uses cashews to get that thick creamy texture. Until I mentioned it was made from nuts, people actually thought it was cheese! Unfortunately, I don't own a high power blender like a  Vitamix, so my dip wasn't perfectly smooth, even after soaking the nuts overnight. But based on my dip's performance, I had high hopes for these sauces. 

And boy I was not disappointed. 

The Alfredo sauce on the right is spot on. Thick, garlicky, and creamy. The cheese sauce on the left is a close to perfect as a vegan cheese sauce will come. I used both with pasta and I gobbled it up. Gobble gobble. I loved both of them. I will buy it again. Definitely. They are a tad expensive, so they wont be a regular item of purchase. But when I am craving some fettuccine or mac and cheese, I now know where to go. 

Link to Nona's website is above the picture.  

  

http://www.nonavegan.com/

Roasted chickpea and broccoli burritos

My last in a series of Thug Kitchen recipes. This one features chickpeas! I love chickpeas, they are pretty common in Indian food, the stuff I was raised on. I consider them familiar comfort food. They are also very nutrient dense, particularly when it comes to protein. Best thing? Very economical. A 15 oz can of chickpeas can form the base of 4-5 meals, all for 77 cents. 

Chickpeas good. Any questions?

Broccoli is another good thing about this recipes. Broccoli is a good source of calcium. And they look like little trees. Which is cool.....I think it's cool. Pack some floss and you're good to go!

This recipes makes a LOT of food, I grew bored of the burritos, so I started throwing the chickpea mixture on salads. It provided a smokey, spicy kick to my greens. Mmmmm. 

Letz go!

Roasted chickpea and broccoli burritos - Thug Kitchen pg 165

Ingredients

• 1 large yellow onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 large crown of broccoli
• 3 cups of cooked chickpeas (or 2, 15oz cans) 
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari 
• 2 tsp of chili powder
• 1 tsp of ground cumin
• 1 tsp of smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp of ground coriander (or more cumin) 
• cayenne pepper to taste
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 lime
• 4-6 flour tortillas
• burrito "trimmings" : spinach, cilantro, salsa, sliced avocado 

Note 1: The recipe suggests making the "fire roasted salsa" on pg 124. I used store bought Salsa. 

Note 2: the recipe provides the option of using more cumin instead of coriander. That's what I did. 

Note 3: recipes always call for pre-heating the oven at the beginning. I don't do that. I usually start pre-heating about halfway through a recipe. My oven heats pretty fast and I don't like wasting power. 

Note 4: I restructured this recipe and removed the swearing. As I did with my other two Thug Kitchen  recipes. If you want the original, buy the book. 

Directions

1) Chop up the red pepper, onion, and broccoli to about the size of a chickpea

2) Place all the veggies in a large bowl with the cooked chickpeas

3) add the oil and soy sauce, stir, add the rest of the spices and stir. Mix until the chickpeas and veggies are covered. 

4) Place mixture on a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit (218 degrees Celsius of us Canadians) 

5) Remove from oven, add the garlic and stir. Bake for another 15 minutes

Note 5: Things might look a little burnt by now. It's supposed to look like that. No worries. 

6) Remove from oven a second time and squeeze the lime juice all over the pan and stir again. 

7) Adjust seasoning to taste.   

Note 6: I added LOTS more lime juice. Mmmmm sour. 

8) Make a burrito. Spoon a good amount of the chickpea mixture onto a tortilla. Add your "trimmings". Fold, Eat. Be full. 

Chickpea sized veggies 

Ingredients for the marinade-dressing 

Spiced up chickpea mixture 

Before Oven

After the round in the oven 

After the second round in the oven. The mixture condenses somewhat. 

BURRITO! 

Savory Tempeh and Carrot Sandwiches

More marinated tempeh! I was impressed with my first attempt from Oh She glows  and wanted to try it again. This recipe from Thug Kitchen called for a smokey marinade. 

The sandwiches were my lunch for a good 4 days. They were flavorful and crunchy. They were also filling. Which is important, no midday snacking. 

Once again, I restructured this recipe. If you want it in all it's foul mouthed glory, check out the Thug Kitchen blog or buy the book. 

Note 1: the carrots and tempeh need about 4-8 hours. Don't start this recipe when hungry. 

Savory Tempeh and Carrot Sandwiches - Thug Kitchen pg 55

Ingredients 

Sandwiches

8 onces of tempeh

2 medium carrots

1tbsp of olive oil 

lettuce

slice tomato

avocado

mustard

red onion

bread

Smokey Marinade

1 cup of vegetable broth

1/4 cup of soy sauce or tamari

2 tbsp of lemon juice

1.5 tbsp of liquid smoke

2 tsp of maple syrup or some other syrup sweetener

4 cloves of garlic - cut into thick slices

1/2 tsp of ground cumin

Directions

1) Slice the tempeh and carrots into planks about 1/4 inch thick and 2 inches long (see picture). Eyeball it, no need to be exact.

2) Combine all the ingredients for marinade in a saucepan and stir. Bring to a simmer over medium heat

3) Add the tempeh and carrots to the saucepan and stir them around. Don't worry about covering them. Continue to simmer for about 30 seconds

4) Pour the marinade, carrots and tempeh into a shallow dish. Cover with foil, and place in fridge for 4-8 hours

5) When ready, heat oil (medium heat) in a large skillet or wok. Place carrots and tempeh in the wok in a single layer. Cook until Tempeh starts to brown (2-3 minutes). Brown both sides. Add marinade as needed to prevent dish from drying out or sticking. 

6) Assemble sandwiches. Toast bread and add mustard. Place toppings (lettuce, avocado, tomato, onion) on the bread. Add a layer of tempeh and carrots. Close Sandwich. Eat. 

Note 2: I didn't use red onion, avocado, or tomato. Cause I didn't wanna. 

Note 3: The book warns to keep an eye on the carrots when in the wok. They can cook faster. 

Ingredients for marinade minus the broth

Planks of carrot and tempeh

Simmering in Marinade 

To quote the book "pour it all into a shallow dish like a pie pan or some shit." I said ....."okay". And found a pie pan. #literal

Single layer cooking in wok

Browned carrots and tempeh 

The toppings I chose 

Bad ass sandwich.