The awesome thing about being a vegan is that it’s always delicious.
Even if you throw the wrong ingredients together, sample a new recipe, or are just having fun in the kitchen, it’s always delicious.
The thing is, you can’t really go wrong with fresh, whole delicious foods.
(Frankly, the key here is that it is delicious.) Continue reading
I love sweet potatoes and can eat them in abundance. Pairing them with black beans and Mexican spices simply sings in my mouth.
When I stumbled upon this recipe I knew that I wanted to have some sort of version of it. So I did.
I nuked the potatoes in the microwave for about 6 minutes, just to get them started, because I got home a little late. Then I rubbed them with olive oil, poked them a few times, and baked then in the oven at 450F until they were soft, about 30 minutes. I wasn’t done the rest of the meal, so I turned it down to 325F, for about another 20 minutes, until they were extremely carmelized and creamy.
For the black beans, I used the same idea of taking advantage of the microwave, as I was simultaneously using a couple burners on the stove. I chopped up cherry tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and stirred in chili powder, cumin and salt, with 1 can of black beans. I nuked this mixture for 3 minutes.
I also threw together a quick “tofu sour cream”, but really changed it to more of a lovely, oniony topping. I pureed a box of firm, lite Mori-Nu silken tofu, and mixed with with about 1/3 cup chopped scallions (just the greens), about 3 to 4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, salt, and a couple dashes of garlic powder. On a whim, this was a great addition.
Highly recommended! Unfortunately, no photo, but I plated it similarly to the original.
Christmas II and III were successful in all areas – the pleasant gathering of families, all coming together to celebrate and toast each other in the holiday season; the uber consumption of holiday goodies, leaving our already stuffed bellies bursting at the seams; and the sneaky vegan menus I bestowed upon them all.
He, he, he.
dill potatoes
Christmas II was an enjoyable menu, featuring a lot of the basics with a couple of twists. My uncle and cousin, both of who said that “all they wanted was mashed potatoes”, loved the slightly altered version. Not a fan of the smushed spuds myself, this way I knew I would like better, allowing me to make something that I, too, would love. Based (but greatly altered) from a “classic” recipe of my mom’s, I made mashed, non-starchy potatoes (that I was forced to cooked only peeled, despite my claims of the importance of fibre and the earthy deliciousness) because my mom refused to have the guests eat peel. I guess, this time, she was right. I mashed them with almond milk, nutritional yeast, salt, fresh dill, and green onions (just the tops). They were fabulous! My uncle, the biggest potato lover I know, asked a few times for the recipe, but I shrugged him off, explaining I used “weird” ingredients. (I can only imagine trying to explain what “nutritional yeast” is).
white beans with chard
I also caramelized three large onions, then stirred in 2 cans of beans – butter beans and cannellini beans. Then I sauteed up a whole lot of chard with garlic, salt, and pepper, and tossed it all together. Really, I aimed to make this mostly for myself, but was surprised to see that everyone else enjoyed it, too.
I also made a caesar salad – my favourite recipe because everyone thinks it’s real caesar – from my book Mission in the Kitchen, with romaine and baby spinach.
The potatoes (and turkey) was served with a mushroom gravy. I used a mushroom/shiitake broth that I prepared the day before, then made a rich gravy with the broth, onions, shiitakes, portabellos, button mushroom. I added a pinch of poultry seasoning, and used sweet rice flour for thickening, since I planned to reheat leftovers for the following day.
I finally made a homemade cranberry sauce. I used 2 bags of cranberries and 2/3 cup of agave nectar. It turned out perfectly, although the next day I added about another tablespoon of agave, because I decided I wanted it a little sweeter. I also had used juice and zest from one orange, but couldn’t really taste it enough. However, it might have, unknowingly, added to the taste.
Before all this, we enjoyed veggies and hummus, alongside some Mary’s Gone Crackers. We put out a shrimp ring and a pickle tray also.
We smiled, laughed, ate, laughed some more, ate some more and had a great time. By the end of the night, my voice was gone (still from being sick), but I went to bed, excited with the childhood memories of Christmases past.
Christmas II, 2008, was a success.
(Note: I write a monthly column for my local paper, which is also published in its sister papers. I’ll always link to them here).
My latest article is featured in the Spectrum section of the St. Catharines Standard, the Niagara Falls Review, and The Welland Tribune, entitled Comfort Food – Vegan Style. Here are the photographs that correspond with it if you read it online, as opposed to having a hard copy. As always, all dishes are gluten-free and vegan.
Creamy Baked Penne with Broccoli
Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Sticky Maple Syrup Gravy with Cinnamon Walnuts
