Homemade Ginger Stir Fry Sauce

I certainly do not profess to being prepared for the onslaught of emotions, fatigue and physical recovery following birth. Despite being on bedrest for nearly 2 months, I think we were even less prepared than had I been at home and able to move around. It takes a village to raise a child, right?  My parents and Rob helped out tremendously in the first few weeks, making sure the house was clean and we were fed. My small contribution was selecting a few recipes for others to make. 😉

Three-Bean Salad with Asparagus and Coconut Dressing + Whole Bowls cookbook GIVEAWAY

Three beans, sweet peas, asparagus, butter beans and pecans with a coconut-lime dressing. YES! Don’t mind if I steal Allison Day‘s gorgeous photo as my lead photo. It is just too pretty to bury inside my post.

This is a fun summer salad that is perfect for your next gathering or more simply, your next meal.

Warm Barley Bowl with Roasted Brussels and a Coconut Curry Dressing

Between holiday parties, preparing for your own holiday (lights, decorations, etc) and always more busy at work, December has to be one of the busiest months of the year. I was not prepared to join in Sam and Andrew‘s Vegan Mystery Box Challenge but once I heard the three ingredients were cranberries, pistachios and coconut milk, I just had join in.

Japanese Vegetables and Tempeh with Ponzu Sauce

My lunches do not normally look like this. But it was so pretty, I had to snap a picture of my lunch to-go earlier this month.

One of the first things I moved into my office was a mini-fridge so I could easily store leftovers. I might bring a big batch of beans and a large salad and keep them in the fridge all week until nothing is left, replenishing through the week and supplementing with a fresh apple each day. By the end of the week, I might cobble together all the remnants for a take-away lunch.

Green and White Chili Bowl + Vegan Bowls cookbook GIVEAWAY

While I have never eaten a white chili, this definitely reminded me of my time in Houston.

This chili has no red in sight. No tomatoes. No red chiles. No red kidney beans.

Instead, we use all the white and green counterparts: green Anaheim peppers. White kidney beans and even some chickpeas. Spinach adds another punch of green. And corn, technically yellow, is almost white. The original recipe called for hominy, which is actually white, so I was the one deviating from the white/green template.

Caramelized Fennel and Mushroom Quinoa Salad

So, I don’t know if you remember our car fiasco from last year. The time when our car broke down en route to Toronto, the day before starting my first day at work. It was due to an electrical problem and we eventually drove it into the ground, necessitating being towed to the dealer for a paltry trade-in value.

We bought a new fuel-efficient car and figured we were all set.

Tangled Thai Salad with a Lime Peanut Dressing + Cookbook GIVEAWAY

I am holding onto summer as long as possible.

Our last trip to the farmer’s market had us splitting a basket of summer peaches with our friend. We sampled the offerings and found the stall that had the ripest, juiciest peaces. It was the stall we had been purchasing from all summer long.

Just as I am keeping up with the salads as we roll into October.

Quick and Easy Black Bean Dip + tip for ultra creamy bean dips

Sometimes I have no clue which recipe will appear next on my blog.

I didn’t even think I would post anything this weekend, to be honest, but I made this wicked awesome black bean dip for my cousins and it was gobbled up. I knew I had to share it soon.

Mojito-Dressed Roasted Plantain and Black Bean Salad

As the weather cools off slightly, instead of gravitating towards my closest root vegetable (in due time), it seems I am gravitating towards meals that keep summer in my kitchen. Almost a fusion of my recent Jerk Tofu and Plantain Bowl and my Mojito-Inspired Tofu Skewers, I used a Mojito marinade for a black bean and plantain salad.

Jerk Tofu and Fried Plantains with Quinoa and Avocado

A few weeks ago, Rob told me he was taking Friday off of work.

He couldn’t bear to have a full 5-day work week.

I finally was able to join the 4-day workweek for the last few weeks as Rob and I headed out for the weekend to see friends and family via a fun roadtrip. 

Thai Quinoa Salad

Some of you may have noticed I changed the look of the blog. Please come over, have a look if you subscribe through email or RSS and tell me what you think.

I have also updated some of my other channels on social media.

I finally signed up for twitter and slowly figuring it out. I am also now on instagram, too, but I haven’t done much (yet). I am still on pinterest (lots of pins there!) and you can follow me on facebook now, too.

A bit slow on the uptake, but check it out and follow me, if you’re already there. 🙂

I am trying to declutter my life but we’ll see how that contributes (or not).

Mojito-Inspired Tofu Skewers + Vegan al Fresco cookbook GIVEAWAY

This is how we roll.

Rob and I have been hosting non-stop gatherings this summer and we finally had a weekend to ourselves.

We continued our summer grilling. The only difference is that this time I took a photo of my plate of food before I dug in.

Southwestern Mixed Bean Salad with a Chile-Lime Dressing

This summer has been a lot of tofu.

Jamaican tofu skewers

Grilled tofu steaks

Even a tofu salad

I’ve been missing my beans.. and then all of a sudden, I had a craving for a mixed bean salad.

My last mixed bean salad was Symphony in a Can aka My 5-Minute Symphonic Mixed Bean Salad which has a more classic flavour profile: lemon, mustard and onion for the mixed beans.

This time I went with a Southwestern inspired bean salad with a chile-lime dressing. Lots of vegetables including bell peppers and tomatoes along with fresh cilantro. I worked with a medley of beans and then added in extra red kidney beans. They are perfect for salads and I don’t use them nearly enough.

I think my chile powder has been losing its freshness/spiciness so my newest trend (you may have already spotted it) is adding some Sweet Mesquite Seasoning which has plenty of oomph. Either that or my palate is warming up… Probably the former.

In any case, this salad received a lot of praise during my last barbecue. I think you will like it, too. Enjoy!

I am sharing this with My Legume Love Affair, Meat Free Mondays, and Cooking with Herbs.

Portobello Carpaccio with Grilled Tofu Steaks

Onwards with the BBQ experimenting.

My natural instinct when I hear BBQ is to buy portobello mushrooms. As I said, I love salads and dishes I can prepare in advance, and the Portobello Carpaccio in But I Could Never Go Vegan sounded perfect.

Similar, but not identical to my grilled balsamic portobellos, these portobello mushrooms are marinated and roasted in the oven. The marinade is Italian-inspired with dried herbs and a red wine vinaigrette. I suppose the barbecue could work, too, but the barbecue was for later in the day. Once the mushrooms were cool, you slice them super thin (and had I known what on a bias meant, I would have done more of a diagonal to the horizontal plane). Then I popped them in the fridge for a few hours prior to serving. A sprinkle of capers and rosemary finished this as a really fun appetizer, with portobello mushrooms masquerading as rare meat.

Because mushrooms alone do not make a meal, and I had used up most of my culinary energies, we opted for something so simple, I was worried it might not work.

I had seen Tiffany’s post about tofu cheeseburgers where she simply grilled slabs of tofu and called it a burger. She isn’t even vegan and loved it. I was intrigued so we tried something similar.

We cut up a package of super firm tofu into four slices, cut longitudinally, and grilled it. Nothing added, not even salt and pepper. Rob said it stuck a bit on the grill but otherwise it was perfect. Slightly smoky and a blank canvas to work nicely against the vibrant portobello carpaccio.

Next time, we might try oiling the grills or brushing the tofu with some oil before placing it on the grill.

What do you think? Have you grilled plain tofu before?

I am sharing this with Meat Free Mondays.

 

Soba Noodle Salad with Mango, Red Pepper and Cashews

Whups, I was hoping to get back to sharing three recipes a week but plans changed. At the last minute, Rob abandoned his plan to bike to Niagara Falls (I was planning to stay at home and relax) but instead, we both headed out to a friend’s cottage for the weekend. It was a doozy of a stressful week and it was wonderful to relax amongst the water, forest and a touch of biking the hills.

Unseasoned cottage goers, we were stuck in Sunday traffic and forgot that grocery stores close early (at least our favourites close to home) so we had to make do with limited produce and a lonely mango. Soba noodles to the rescue! Tossed with a pleasantly sweet lime dressing, this is a summer pasta salad sure to please the masses.

I am sharing this with Meat Free Mondays, Bookmarked Recipes and Cooking with Herbs.