vegetarian

Roasted Tomato Soup

A handful of simple ingredients makes for a healthy soup loaded with flavour. This tomato soup is one that you can’t really screw up. I’ve made it time and time again and it always turns out deliciously good! However, I felt my mother was a tad uncertain when I started to wing a recipe in the midst of our organized soup marathon. But to her delight and at no real surprise, I did great and to quote  “this is the best tomato soup I’ve ever had”.

Here’s the dish and don’t be too worried about the measurements, you can’t really go wrong when combining these ingredients. The real trick here is roasting cherry tomatoes until they get a bit carmelized but be careful not to burn them.

Roasted Tomato Soup (yields 6-8 servings)

  • 6 pints of cherry tomatoes
  • 2-4 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1-2 cooking onions
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • handful of basil
  • handful of parsley
  • 28 oz. can of peeled san marzano tomatoes (plum work well too!)
  • 900 ml vegetable broth
  • himalayan sea salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasted Tomato Soup

  1. Drizzle cherry tomatoes with olive oil and roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes.
  2. While tomatoes are roasting, heat olive oil on low and sauté onion + garlic until soft.
  3. Add basil and/or parsley to onion and garlic.
  4. Add in can of tomatoes.
  5. Once tomatoes are roasted add to pot + vegetable broth.
  6. Season with S&P and purée.
  7. Feel free to add additional broth if needed.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Happy Fall! xx

Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Soup

It’s that time of year again when I like to stock pile my freezer full of warm cozy soups! It has become tradition that each year, my mom and I plan a weekend full of Fall things and soup making is always top of the list.

We made our lists, hit up the local market, made an action plan, cranked the tunes and got our cook on! Our organization and quick kitchen artistry  was so on point. Seriously, our soup game was so strong that we cranked out a selection of 7 soups for the season. I’ll be sure to share you these recipes over the next couple weeks.

Today I am dishing on one of my favourites – Roasted Cauliflower & Leek. YUM!!

Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Soup (yields 6-8 servings)

  •  whole cauliflower cut in 2-inch florets
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 2 tbsp earth balance butter (or unsalted butter/margarine of choice)
  • 2-3 leeks (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise and sliced crosswise
  • 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 900 ml package of vegetable broth (don’t be afraid to add more if needed)
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1/4 tsp himalayan sea salt (to taste)
  • 1 tsp ground pepper (to taste)

Roasted Cauliflower

  1. Place cauliflower on parchment lined baking sheet; drizzle with oil. Roast in oven at 425 F, turning occasionally, until very deep golden on all sides, about 45 minutes to an hour. The darker you roast it the richer the taste will be. Just do not burn!
  2. In soup pot, melt butter over medium heat; cook leeks and garlic, stirring, until leeks are softened, about 8-10 minutes.
  3. Add in dijon and mix.
  4. Add in vegetable broth + roasted cauliflower. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Use hand blender to puree the cauliflower and leek mixture. Blend until smooth. Add more broth if needed.
  6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Let simmer for 5 minutes and serve.

Roasted Cauliflower & LeeksRoasted Cauliflower & Leek Soupxx!

Baba Ghanoush

We have eggplants upon eggplants this summer and I have been running out of ideas on what to do with them.  I’m not the biggeest eggplant fan and am quite picky with how I like them, which makes it very challenging when you have a crisper full of them in the fridge. Of course I love them smothered in sugo and layered with cheese for a delectable Eggplant Parm, but I can’t eat that every day. Well, maybe I could, but I won’t. 🙂

High in dietary fiber, copper, vitamin B1 + a load of other nutrients, I really want to love this veg and not see them go to waste. I’ve put on my creative hat and dreamt up a batch of Baba Ghanoush and it’s real good! A recipe that’s better for you than what you would find at your local grocer, without all the extra’s, like mayonaise, sour cream, corn starch etc.

Eggplants

Creamy, tangy, savoury and slightly sweet; this recipe makes for a perfectly balanced dip. Simple in it’s ingredients and light on the extras, this dish packs loads of flavour and doesn’t compromise the nutritional value.

Baba Ghanoush

  • 1-2 eggplants
  • 1-2 lemons
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 2-4 tbsp tahini
  • 2-4 tbsp olive oil
  • Himalayan sea salt
  • pepper

Optional: fresh herbs or chilli peppers, for some extra flavour.

Eggplants Roasting

  1. Preheat oven to high broil  and position a rack at the top of the oven.
  2. Slice your eggplant into 1/4 inch rounds, sprinkle with sea salt. Drain any excess liquid by placing slices in a colander  for 10 minutes. Rinse slightly and pat dry between two towels.
  3. Arrange on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of Himalayan sea salt.
  4. Roast for 10 minutes. Flip rounds and roast for another 5-10 minutes. Roast until the eggplant is softened and golden brown.
  5. Remove from pan, wrap the rounds in foil to lock in moisture – wait 5 minutes.
  6. Peel away the skin of the eggplant and add flesh to a blender/food processor.
  7. Add lemon juice, garlic, tahini, a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix until creamy.
  8. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
  9. Serve with pita and/or pita chips and veggies. Will keep covered in the fridge for several days.

Roasted Eggplants

Baba Ghanoush

Happy Dipping! xx

Wild Mushroom Freekeh Salad

Freekeh is the new grain on the block and I can see why! This ancient super grain offers a ton of nutritional value and an earthy, smoky flavour that is super delicious.

When compared to other ancient grains, Freekeh ranks high in protein and fiber. Offering almost twice as much as our beloved quinoa. It’s also low in fat, low on the glycemic index, packed with iron, calcium and zinc – it really is a super grain! It’s versatility also offers you the ease of swapping out the other grains in your favourite dishes whether they are savoury or sweet and adding in this nutty substitute. Seriously, give it a try! I don’t think it’ll replace quinoa any time soon, but it is a very nice change. 🙂

A salad that I am super obsessed with this summer is this Wild Mushroom Freekeh Salad that I cam across on Canadian Living. So simple and so tasty, it was an instant household winner. Plus, it was a major bonus that the only thing I had to buy for this recipe were the mushrooms. Everything else I had on hand or growing in the garden – ahh the perks of summer!

While this recipe was perfect the way it was, I did make a few tweaks based on what I had on hand, and whenever I cook mushrooms I always add garlic and white wine (it just naturally  happens!). Here’s the  dish with a few of my modifications below.

Wild Mushroom Freekeh Salad

Wild Mushroom Freekeh Salad

Lemon Vinaigrette:

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon liquid honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • pinch pepper

Salad:

  • 1 cup freekeh rinsed
  • 1 teaspoon earth balance or butter
  • 2-3 cups oyster mushrooms torn
  • 1-2 cups shitake mushrooms torn
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 4 tbsp of white wine
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups diced vine-ripened or plum tomato
  • 4 cups packed baby arugula

Ingredients

  1. Lemon Vinaigrette – In large bowl, whisk together oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  2. Salad –  In large saucepan of boiling salted water, cook freekeh according to package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool. (Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 2 days.)
  3. In large nonstick skillet, melt earth balance or butter over medium heat; cook mushrooms and salt, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 6 minutes. Add in garlic and white wine and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add freekeh and tomatoes to vinaigrette; gently toss to coat. Gently stir in mushrooms and arugula.

Wild Mushroom Freekeh Salad

Get Freekeh. xx

Raw Key Lime Pie

“You attract what you are.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

And I’m happy to say many of my friends are like minded when it comes to food, lifestyle, interests and health. We spend A LOT of our time exchanging views, best practices, hidden gems and favourite recipes. With that being said, I would be remiss if I didn’t share their best ideas. 🙂

Which leads me to introduce, my friend Kieran Darcy, who I’m thrilled to say will guest blog with some of her favourite dish’s, along with some of her beautiful photography. You’ll quickly notice, her skills are much better than mine (she is a very talented photographer) and gets it right every time. Please check  out more of her amazing work here.

Kieran had my mouth watering when she first told me about her Raw Key Lime Pie recipe. And with each week she had a new variation to share and that’s when I knew I had to have her dish about it!

Without further ado, here’s Kieran’s Dish –

A few months ago I decided to make a key lime pie for my dad’s birthday. I don’t know why, but I’m glad I did. I started googling ‘raw key lime pie’ to find something that would suit his celiac & diabetic needs and came upon this. The amazing thing about this recipe is that it’s really just a launching pad for any dessert you want to make. For any of you who don’t like following instructions or baking, this is the dessert for you.Raw Key Lime Pie

Let’s take a moment and appreciate the fact that the main ingredient in this dessert is cashews. Maybe I’m just ignorant, but I had no idea what they were capable of. Sorry cashews, I underestimated you. Since mastering the key lime pie I have adapted the recipe to make pumpkin, chocolate-orange, chocolate-raspberry, and lemon pies. With the lemon pie I added some Astarte blueberry-lavender preserve to each slice when serving – Sooo good!Raw Pumpkin Pie

This dessert has become a staple for every family gathering and I get to pretend I’m a really great baker when all I’ve done is blended. Easy, healthy, and delicious. I will say that attaining all of the ingredients is a bit pricey but you won’t need to buy them every time.  So take this recipe and make whatever you want with it. Cover it in nuts, fruit, add peanut butter, make different flavour layers, increase the crust measurements…Do whatever you want.Raw Chocolate Orange Pie

Raw Key Lime Pie

Crust:
  • 1 cup dried dates
  • ½ cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup whole pecans, coarsely chopped
  • ¼ cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
  • 1 Tbsp coconut oil
  • Pinch of sea salt
Filling (Key Lime):
  • 2 cups cashews
  • ¾ cup fresh lime juice
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 tsp matcha powder (optional for color only)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  1. Put all the crust ingredients into a food processor, and process until the ingredients can just stick together. Pie Crust
  2. Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9­inch pie dish
    Pie Crust
  3. Place all the filling ingredients in your high-speed blender or food processor and blend until the filling is completely smooth and creamy.
  4. Pour the filling evenly over the pie crust, smooth with a spatula.
  5. Place the pie in the freezer covered to set for at least 3 hours, or overnight if possible.
  6. Let the pie sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and garnish before serving. I used coconut and lime zest on the Key Lime variation.Raw Pumpkin Pie

Enjoy!