Vegan Caesar Salad w/Sourdough Croutons

Dan    Recipes, Vegan    

What you’ll need…

1 loaf sourdough bread

1 head romaine lettuce

1/2 red onion

1/2 bulb roasted garlic

1 cup soft tofu

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1 cup olive oil

4 TBSP lemon juice

2 TBSP white wine vinegar

2 TSP soy sauce

salt & pepper

This salad dressing could change lives! It is so tasty! This is for anyone out there who is vegan, and also for that little piece of us who will always hate the thought of anchovies (thank TMNT for that) in anything. Or wait, did you not know that there were anchovies in caesar dressing? Ignorance is bliss…

To make your sourdough croutons, start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees. Chop up the sourdough loaf into 1″ cubes and toss them into a large bowl. Toss them in some olive oil, salt & pepper, and place onto a baking sheet. Let them bake for about 20 minutes, checking periodically.

While you’re waiting for the croutons to get all crispy, chop up the head of romaine, and finely slice the red onion. Set aside until everything is ready to be tossed together.

Now for the dressing…take all remaining ingredients and place into a food processor or blender, blending until smooth. Take a quick taste and add a little salt & pepper if needed. Keep in the fridge to chill.

Now that your croutons are nice and crisp, let them cool for about 5 minutes. Ok, it’s time…if you’re tossing each salad individually, just grab a handful of romaine, a handful of croutons, some red onion slivers, and enough dressing to coat evenly. If it’s a serve-yourself-type setting, just mix everything together in a great big bowl. Enjoy!

You’ll have some dressing leftover, so why not try it on a sandwich or in a wrap the next day?

Serves 5-6

Total cook time…30 minutes

Brown Sugar Apple Cake

Dan    Recipes, Something Sweet, Vegan     apples, dessert, tasty, vegan

What you’ll need…

4 medium-sized gala apples

3 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 cup plain oats

1 1/4 cups butter (or margarine if vegan)

3/4 cup whole milk (or soy/almond milk if vegan)

3 TBSP cinnamon

2 eggs (or egg replacer equiv. if vegan)

1 TBSP baking powder

1 TSP salt

So, this is kind of like if a bear claw was not deep-fried, or covered in glaze, and better for you. Ok, maybe not THAT much better for you, but what did you expect? It is cake after all…

First things first, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. This dough is going to fit into a 12″ rectangle dish, so grease that up before you start making the dough.

Using an electric mixer, mix the flour, white sugar, 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 2 TBSP of cinnamon, baking powder, and the salt. Now, add in 1 cup of the butter (or margarine) and mix on a medium-setting, until everything is nicely combined. Gradually pour in the milk, and then the eggs (or soy/almond milk and egg replacer). Let it mix until the dough starts pulling away from the sides of the bowl.

*Since soy milk is on the sweet side, you may want to put in a tad less sugar if you’re going this route.*

Before putting the dough into the baking dish, finely chop (core first) one apple. Gently fold the apple pieces into the dough. Now you can flatten the dough into the dish. Slice the remainder of the apples as thinly as possible and place on top of the dough. If cut thinly and placed evenly, this should be about 3 rows.

Now for the topping…melt the remaining butter and combine with the oats, leftover cinnamon and brown sugar, then spread on top of the apples using a spoon or spatula. Place in your preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Topping with vanilla ice cream is deliciously recommended.

Serves 8

Total cook time…1 hour

Shaken, not tossed: The Martini Salad

Dan    Recipes, Vegan     booze, fun, gin, salad, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

1 pack baby spinach

1 apple

1 cup red grapes

1 pack cherry tomatoes

1 red onion

2 celery stalks

2 carrots

1 can artichoke hearts

for the dressing…

2 ounces lemon gin

1 lemon

1 TSP dried oregano

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

olive oil

salt & pepper

Slightly James Bond-inspired, I present to you my martini salad. It was part of a rock star themed dinner party I had a couple weeks back. Taking the term salad bar literally, I decided to let guests pick what went into their salad, then shook it up in a martini shaker (of course!). Fun times were had. A little bit of booze in salad dressing never hurt anyone, right?

The presentation might look fancy, but this is the easiest recipe. Start off by chilling some martini glasses. For the dressing, mince the garlic clove, and zest half the lemon. Place in a bowl with juice from the lemon, gin, vinegar, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt & pepper. Whisk to combine. Set aside until you’re ready to shake up them salads!

Chop all the veggies into salad-appropriate pieces. When everything is chopped and ready to go, shake portions with about a tablespoon of dressing, and serve in a chilled martini glass.

Wowing your friends has never been so easy!

Serves 6

Total cook time…15 minutes

Roasted Squash & Brussel Sprout Stoup

Dan    Recipes, Soups, Vegan     autumn, awesome, soup, squash, vegan, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

1 medium-sized butternut squash

1 medium-sized acorn squash

1 cup broccoli florets

2 cup brussel sprouts

2 cups baby potatoes

1 yellow onion

3 cloves garlic

1/2 bulb roasted garlic

2 cups vegetable stock

2 soy milk

2 TBSP cider vinegar

1 TBSP dried tarragon

1 TBSP dried basil

olive oil

salt & pepper

Whomever started the rumour amoung children that brussel sprouts are gross definitely has a spot on my bad side. For the record, brussel sprouts are awesome, and without a doubt, deserve to be part of a tasty soup. That meaning said, I’ve promoted this soup to ‘stoup’ level because it is so hearty. I think I’ve been going all soup-crazy lately, but, really, it is autumn after all…

This soup is (dare I say) slightly labour intensive. Start this off by pre-heating your oven to 425 degrees. Next, halve the squashes, reserving the seeds for later use, and placing them onto a baking tray. Rub with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt & pepper and place into your pre-heated oven. Let them roast for 35 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, chop up the broccoli, brussel sprouts, and baby potatoes into bite-size pieces. Set aside for now. Next, rinse of the squash seeds, and pat dry with some paper towel or cloth. Toss them with some olive oil and salt & pepper, place onto a small baking sheet and pop them into the oven until they’re nice and crunchy (about 15 minutes). Check periodically. Remove from heat, and set aside as well.

Now that we’re approaching the 40 minute mark…chop up the onion and raw garlic. Place into a large pot on the stove with some olive oil on medium-high heat. Once the onions soften, add the cider vinegar and vegetable broth to the pot. Cover, and turn down to low heat.

Alright, the 40 minutes are up! Take the squash out of the oven. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then, using a large spoon, scoop out the soft insides into a bowl. Using a blender, puree the squash, roasted garlic with the soy milk. Depending on the size of your blender, this may need to be done in several batches. Take the puree, add to the pot, and stir until evenly mixed. If the soup seems too thick, just add in an extra cup of water or broth.

Add-in the remaining vegetables, tarragon, basil, stir, turn up to medium heat. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Salt & pepper to taste.

Ladle out and love it!

Serves 4-5

Total cook time…1 hour

Jann Arden

Dan    Thoughts    

Now, it would just be plain insensitive of me to not mention one of my long-time favourite Canadian artists on here! When Jann Arden is not serenading the country with her awesome voice, she’s either sending out hilarious tweets, or chatting it up with some of her favourite people on her CBC Radio show Being Jann. It’s on CBC Radio 1, Saturdays at 11AM, or CBC Radio 2, Fridays at 6PM. Tuning in is highly recommended!

Her newest single ‘I can’t make you stay’ is currently on the airwaves, and on iTunes, so grab it now!

In short, Jann rocks! Following her on twitter is also highly recommended!

www.twitter.com/jannarden

www.jannarden.com

Mashed Celery Root & Bacon

Dan    Appetizers & Co., Recipes     bacon, delicious, holidays, possibly fattening, root veg, vegetables

What you’ll need…

2 heads celery root

6 strips bacon

1/2 cup green onions

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

2 TBSP butter

salt & pepper

This is not a very healthy dish. My sincerest apologies…So tasty, so creamy, so bacon-y…

Until recently I had not discovered the tastiness that is celery root! Amazing! Chop the celery root into 1″ pieces. Place the chunks in a large pot, add a generous amount of salt, fill with water, and let them boil until they’re nice and soft (about 8 minutes).

In the meantime, mince the green onions and fry up the bacon until it’s nice and crispy. Set aside. Once it’s cooled down a bit, chop up into tiny pieces. By this time the celery root will be ready. Drain the water, and mash the root with the milk, cheese, and butter. Once it’s evenly mashed, fold in the bacon and the green onions. Add a touch of pepper. There, simple as that!

Serves 4-5

Total cook time…15 min