Calypso Pineapple Bean Pot

I have been blogging for over 5 years and one thing I have learned to keep this a sustainable hobby is: don’t sweat the small stuff. This recipe has been sitting in my draft folder for a while and I keep on hesitating to share it with its lackluster photos. However, the recipe is stellar and for some reason, once the snow hits, I am all about the tropical eats.

I used canned beans here. One can of red kidney beans (they never seem to get too much love in my kitchen) along with mixed beans (who remembers my Symphonic Mixed Bean Salad? With Mr Goudas’ 9th Symphony Bean Mix? YAH!). It still cracks me up: Eat and music will follow. Get ready to listen. I swear, it is written on the label. it almost sounds like Trader Joe’s would love.

In any case, the beans are mixed with a lime infused tomato broth spiked with pineapple and spiced with oregano and a hint of chile flakes. Serve with your favourite grainy side to sop of the juices.

I promise to return with some prettier photos (along with a giveaway) next week. 🙂

PS. I am sharing this with this month’s My Legume Love Affair and Simple and In Season.

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Hemp and Orange + Greens 24/7 Review + Giveaway

Wowzers, have you ever seen such a pretty salad before?? Filled with all things green (spinach, arugula, Brussels sprouts, avocado and hemp seeds), you feel almost virtuous for eating it, too.

The salad is courtesy of Jessica’s new cookbook, Greens 24/7. As a fellow Canadian, I have been following her blog, Cupcakes and Kale, for years. I highly recommend her High Protein Creamy Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta and was eager to eat my way through her cookbook.

All her recipes include something green. Lots of leafy greens, but also cucumbers, avocado, broccoli, zucchini, nori, spirulina,and celery. They span the gamut from drinks (Cherry Kale Quencher Smoothie), breakfast (Green Goddess Granola), sides (Cool Ranch Kale Chips), soups (Lemony Miso Soup with Chinese Broccoli), salads (Mediterranean Broccoli and Barley Salad), green mains (Ginger Bok Choy and Sweet Peas with Miso-Glazed Tofu, Samosa Burritos with Peas) and the ultra creative green desserts (Brownies with Spinach, Spinach Ginger Cookies, Lemon and Parsley Olive Oil Cake and Cabbage Strudel).

Suffice it to say, if you are looking for ways to eat more greens, this is your cookbook. My favourite recipe so far has been the Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes with Broccoli, Swiss Chard and Hummus. We also both enjoyed the Creamy Spinach Curry with Tofu Paneer. However, I had prettier photos for the salad, so that is what I am sharing today. 🙂

No stranger to raw shredded Brussels sprout salads (see this Maple-Dijon Brussels Sprouts Salad), this is yet another way for me to eat eat one of my favourite vegetables. I chose to thinly slice them instead of using the food processor which made for cute mini cabbage creations in the salad. The vinaigrette was simple and allowed the produce’s own flavours shine with a faint sweetness from the juicy clementines.

One of the great things about this cookbook, are the pretty photos of nearly every recipe.The photos were done by Jackie Sobon (check our her teaser portfolio from the cookbook here). This is the photo from the cookbook below and the Superfood Salad in the rear.

Recipes from Greens 24/7 spotted elsewhere:

Green Juice without a Juicer (with a UK giveaway)

Mediterranean Broccoli and Barley Salad (with a giveaway)

Mushroom and Spinach Galette (with a giveaway)

Shredded Rainbow Salad with Lemony Avocado Dressing

 Thankfully, the publisher allowed me to giveaway the cookbook to a reader living in the United States or Canada. To be entered in the random draw for the book, please leave a comment below telling me about your favourite green ingredient and how you prepare it. The winner will be selected at random on February 5, 2015. Good luck!

PS. I am sharing this with Souper Sundays.

PPS. Check out my giveaway for Vegan Without Borders going on now.

Jackfruit Vegan Gyros with Vegan Tzatziki Sauce + Vegan Without Borders Giveaway

See below for the worldwide (!!) giveaway.

I don’t pay attention to food trends, mostly because I have learned I am usually ahead of the pack! Quinoa before the masses. I was talking about amaranth in 2010! Kale and cauliflower, I have you covered… Although I am still waiting for the world to catch on to the love of beans.

Anyways, Bon Appetit top prediction for 2015 is gyros.

Vegans need not fret. I am presenting to you: jackfruit vegan gyros for 2015.

Gyros sound finicky and complex. They are probably confused mostly in their pronunciation (hint: it sounds more like euro).

And yes, I also think jackfruit is looking to be the next culinary trend (and humble-brag alert, I’ve been eating jackfruit since 2012).

This recipe is courtesy of Robin Robertson’s Vegan Without Borders. A very prolific author, this particular cookbook has focused on mostly authentic vegan recipes from around the world. The cookbook is divided into sections based on geography and highlights recipes from Europe (Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, Greece, Eastern Europe, British Isles), The Americas (United States, Mexico, The Caribbean, South America, Africa, The Middle East, India, and Asia (China, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Southeast Asia Islands).

The recipes, so far, have been solid. They are earmarked as gluten-free, soy-free, low oil/no oil and quick and easy. Because Robin has tried to maintain authenticity to the dishes, there are a bit more convenience foods as ingredients than I like (sour cream, cream cheese, etc) but you could definitely try substituting homemade versions, too.

These gyros, though, were fabulous. The jackfruit had an excellent texture, similar to pulled pork and the flavours were bright and fresh. Because I didn’t have yogurt or sour cream on hand, I made my own version of tzatziki which complemented the pita well. I opted for a tofu base since I thought the meal needed an extra hit of protein.

As leftovers, once I ran out of the pita, this was also excellent as a quinoa bowl, with the jackfruit and veggies piled high and a generous serving of the tzatziki overtop.

Recipes from Vegan Without Borders spotted elsewhere:

Baked Eggplant Fries

Bibimbap

Chickpea and Kale Wat

Cucumber and White Bean Ceviche

Farinata with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Olives

Injera

Mango Rice Verrines

Pina Colada Squares

Pissaladiere

Roasted Ratatouille with Basil Pistou

Seitan Jagerschnitzel

Szechuan Bok Choy

Tzatziki Sauce

Umbrian Lentil Salad

Vegetable Paella

Vegetable Tagine

Watermelon Paletas

Thankfully, the publisher allowed me to giveaway the cookbook to a reader living anywhere in the world. To be entered in the random draw for the book, please leave a comment below telling me about your favourite cuisine (Thai, German, etc). The winner will be selected at random on February 1, 2015. Good luck!

PS. I am sharing this with Souper Sundays.

Cajun Beans and Greens

I planned on making this with grits.

Cajun beans and greens with grits. Obviously.

I even smuggled some grits home from Trader Joe’s when we left Houston.

As I prepped the ingredients for this quick and easy bean skillet, I nonchalantly brought out the grits. Another 30 minutes? No way the sun would last for them, so I photographed the beans as the sun quickly faded away and then waited for quinoa. I was worried I would have to tend to the grits continuous, like polenta, so I chickened out in the end.

Next time, there will be grits.

 

Japanese Tomato Miso Soup

Curious here, guys: Do you listen to podcasts?

I ask because I couldn’t fathom any time to actually have the time to listen to anything with pure intent. I don’t drive, and even if I did, I would be focusing on the road. I certainly don’t listen to anything when cycling (and definitely not cycling right now). And at work, well, I work, and pretty happy I can play any music I want in my office.

But this weekend, I figured out the perfect time to listen to podcasts: when you are sick.

Sick in bed, possibly from influenza, or whatever virus/bacteria/etc has me bedridden, with itchy eyes that I don’t even want to open and pretty darn sleepy from the sleepless nights and possibly the nyquil side effects.

This is how I listened to the much hyped Serial podcast season one in one day. Somehow I lost my weekend.. but I gained a podcast.

Rob was great trying to keep me full of tea and soup (making my favourite Lemon Ginger Miso Soup with some added parsnips which he associates with healing soups) and eventually the flu subsided. But guys, it was a doozy. Tis a shame the vaccine didn’t work this year. I get the vaccine every year but it reminded exactly what I was trying to avoid each and every year.

If you listen to podcasts, which do you like? Did you like Serial, too?

I am sharing this with Souper Sundays.

Roasty Smoky Brussels Sprouts with Chickpeas

With all this talk of cold going around here, you might be reasoning it is because I forgot what winter was like while I was in Texas. I assure you, this is not the case. But it does kind of make me resent it slightly and appreciate the cold spells.

Truth be told, we have been having difficulties with our furnace. During the coldest days, it also goes on strike. I spoke about it briefly here and thought a new thermostat was going to keep us warm over the winter. Imagine my dismay as I come home after work to a frigid home… and I could not get the furnace to work. Our landlord told us to sit tight, he would get us a space heater and the repair man would arrive the next morning.

Um, yeah. Not a happy camper. I went upstairs and decided to warm up the bed. It would be a cold night.

Turns out when Rob came home, he had a bit more patience in the freezing basement and reset the furnace. We were saved!

Obviously I didn’t make this with our frigid kitchen but it would have quickly warmed it up. (I opted for a quickie rewarming of leftover broccoli dal instead). It is a rather simple combination of spices and nooch for roasted chickpeas and brussels sprouts. Easy peasy and quite delicious. Definitely give it a try and let me know what you think.

If you like this, you may also like these:

Roasted Chickpeas and Cauliflower with Dukkah

Forty Clove Roasted Chickpeas and Broccoli

Salt and Vinegar Roasted Chickpeas

I am sharing this with Extra Veg.

Yellow Moong Dal and Spinach Curry

There is a special kind of familiarity to the Indian curries Rob and I cook up each week. Certainly, we have our favourites on a constant rotation, but most of our curries involve simmering some beans with garlic, ginger and turmeric with some tomatoes, perhaps some greens with a finishing tarka with cumin and a spritz from lemon or lime juice and a cilantro garnish.

This curry hits on nearly all those points. It did not disappoint.

As the weather remains cold, I am honestly considering making a curry each week. Definitely comfort food. My how things have changed. There was a time I would not have touched Indian food but over the years, Rob has shown me the way.

Other lentil-like curries spotted here:

 Red Lentil and Root Veggie Dal

Vegan Tikka Masala (Red Lentil and Spinach Curry)

Indian Lentils and Spinach (Dal Palak)

Split Pea Dal with Ginger and Lime

I am sharing this with Shaheen’s Eat Your Greens and Lisa’s My Legume Love Affair.

Jamaican Jerk Plantain Soup

Woosh! Can you see the steam? One perk of the black background, although it also picks up the dust, too! HA!

Hope you are keeping yourself warm during this recent freeze. It was -30C/-22F overnight with wind chill. It is times like this that you can remind yourself: only a few short months until our wedding/honeymoon in the Caribbean. And then you remind yourself: WHAT ELSE DO I NEED TO DO???? Thankfully my Mom keeps reminding me of all things I don’t know: making the veil, finding something borrowed, etc. While Rob and I take care of the very hard decisions: garifuna dancers vs firedancer (we chose both!!) and where to go for photos (beach vs jungle… vs where are cliffs.. we want cliffs).

In any case, here is another bowl of a warm, vibrant soup/stew. Jamaican jerk inspired with allspice and thyme (and also cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) with colourful red bell peppers, yellow plantains and chickpeas with a sprinkle of green onions swimming in a fragrant coconut broth. This is not a hot and spicy soup (like most things jerk), so add as much heat as you like.

Are you already longing for the summer?

I am sharing this with Souper Sundays, Recipe Clippings, and Vegetable Palette.

Cozy Red Lentil and Kale Soup

I don’t know how many of you were working last Friday. Friday, January 2nd. It was a weird sensation. Both a Monday feeling, with a mountain of work, combined with the excitement by the time it was 4:30pm and I realized the weekend was so close!

But yesterday was a brutal Monday. I missed my bus because I shovelled the snow that morning, all the time freezing in the cold gust of wintry air. Work was mostly back to usual and the gym, well, let’s say we nearly doubled our gym goers.. you know, from the regular 5 people to over 10. I had to learn to share.

Suffice it to say, I was a bit cranky by the time I returned home. Thank goodness I knew it would be a delicious week. This is another one of my new simple recipes. I figured I already have a ton of red lentil soups that I have shared, this time, I winged it with what I had in my kitchen.

I loved your encouragement to share the recipe inspirations. Unlike the last time, this time I have a recipe. Red lentils, carrot, tomatoes and kale were combined in a flavourful broth made with smoked paprika, Old Bay Seasoning and Worcestershire sauce. I don’t know what made it so flippin fantastic, but it was a nicely sweet soup (from the carrots??) that was balanced by the Worcestershire sauce and fresh garlic finish. It worked really, really well. And it was perfect to comfort me after my first day back.

Red lentil soups spotted here previously:

Red Lentil, Spinach and Lemon Soup

Red Lentil Soup with Spinach and Lime

Turkish Red Lentil Peasant Soup with Sizzling Mint

Red Lentil and Spinach Curry (Vegan Tikka Masala)

Greek Red Lentil Soup with Lemon and Rosemary

 

I am sharing this with Souper Sundays and No Croutons Required.

Simple Lentil Chilaquiles

When I said our meals have become more simple, this is probably not what you had in mind.  I had not planned on sharing this either, but the meal was delicious and I scooped together the little bits left unclaimed and snapped photos to share. I loved the meal, I loved these photos, and had to share.

In an honesty, Rob is a great cook. I merely helped to assemble the ingredients. Rob was making an off-the-cuff version of our tofu migas but as we ate it, we thought it reminded us of the chilaquiles we would devour from Radical Eats in Houston. Minus the deep-fried tortillas. Eerily enough, Erica shared her baked version of chilaquiles (recipe here with black beans and kale), which I read afterwards. Great minds think alike! We opted not to make it sopping in a tomato-broth, as we used sun-dried tomatoes to help keep the chips crispy.

In any case, while these were simple to make, it brought together a few components we already had. Namely, we made JL’s Lentil TVP Taco Filling earlier in the week (I changed the spices slightly) as our ground meat substitute. My cousin also gifted us some homemade tomatillo salsa. It was quite spicy but worked well when mixed directly with the other ingredients.

In short, we started by using almost stale corn tortilla chips by baking them in the oven. Rob sauteed some sweet onions (reserving some for the topping) and sprinkled them with garlic granules (too lazy to pull the real garlic from the fridge). Next, he added the Lentil-TVP taco filling, heating it up. Because we were out of plain tofu, he added 4 eggs along with some soy milk and the tomatillo salsa, scrambling all the ingredients together. Once fully cooked, he stirred in the baked tortilla chips, heating all the way through. A sprinkle of fresh lime juice and a side of tomato salsa solidified this as a perfect New Year’s Day brunch.

I am not sure if quasi-recipes like this help you. What do you think?

PS. I am sharing this with Credit Crunch Munch.

My 12 Favourite Recipes from 2014

If I thought 2013 was filled with change, it was nothing compared to 2014. Moving from Houston back to Toronto was bittersweet, leaving a community and friends I still miss dearly. However, I am finally working at my “forever” job, and it only took 14 years of school after high school. After a somewhat heart-wrenching vacation in Madagascar and South Africa wherein I broke my leg, and now lengthy rehab process, my health has remained important. In the kitchen, this has meant more simple recipes and now that I am back in the gym, I only go a few times a week. 2015 is going to be a wonderful year. At least the first part will be spent preparing for our upcoming wedding. Best wishes for all of you this upcoming year as well, wherever that may bring you.

These were my favourite eats from 2014:

1. Roasted Cauliflower and Mustard-Hummus Rice Bowl with Garlicky Spinach & A Vegan Mustard Tasting Party

As we embrace more minimalism, I certainly don’t have enough mustards to host a party right now, but this bowl of my favourite foods was a delicious result.

2. Laotian Larb Tofu Lettuce Wraps

Perhaps an odd choice for recipe #2, but I veritably feasted on these wraps in Houston and this is a way to bring a small part of Houston wherever I may be.

3. Roasted Creole Cauliflower

Another fabulously oft-repeated recipe. A flavourful tomato-based marinade for roasted cauliflower.

4. Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Fried Capers and Pickled Currants

It is no surprise that 2014 was year of the cauliflower (Rob thinks it was year of the taco), but this was a delicious salad with roasted cauliflower, creamy avocado and my newest obsession: pickled capers!

5. Cali-Coco BLT Quinoa Salad

Another favourite salad combination from this year: coconut bacon, creamy avocado and smoked tofu with quinoa and arugula.

6. Cuban Beer-Infused Black Beans

One cannot forget to include beans and this was one brew that was utterly delicious.

 

7. Mango Chana Masala

Certainly not authentic (my Indian Chickpea Curry with Mango Powder is more traditional), but this curry uses mangoes instead of mango powder for a fun twist on chickpea curry.

8. Manchurian Chickpea Bowls

Probably the quintessential 2014 dish with both beans and roasted cauliflower, the spiced saucy sauce made this a wonderful bowl of goodness.

9. Coconut Chana Saag

While I only shared this a few days ago, this has been repeated a few times over the year and it has yet to disappoint. Hearty leafy greens like kale work well against the flavourful broth.

10. Raw Brownie Cake with a Chocolate Avocado Frosting

In my quest to use massive amount of coconut flour, this was a delicious no-bake cake that was a deliciously decadent dessert.

Bonus: 11. Angela’s Glo Bars

This recipe was the beginning of a relove of granola and granola-type bars. This was my favourite of the bunch packed with oats, chia seeds and sunflower seeds.

Bonus 12. Chai Spiced Rice Pudding

These are a bit labour intensive to make (which is why they are a bonus favourite) but the flavours cannot be beat. A luscious dessert that is sure to please.

 

What were your favourite finds from the year? Did I miss any of your favourites?

Here’s to a happy new year!

Favourite here, previously:

My 10 Favourite Recipes from 2010

My 11 Favourite Recipes from 2011

My 12 Favourite Recipes from 2012

My 13 Favourite Recipes from 2013

Top 13 Reader Favourite Recipes from 2013

My Ongoing List of Favourite Recipes