Vanilla Blueberry ‘Cheat’ Jam

Dan    Recipes, Something Sweet, Vegan     berries, breakfast, jam, no pectin, quick and easy, vegan

What you’ll need…

1 pint fresh blueberries (approx. 2 cups)

1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)

1/2 cup apple juice

1 1/2 TSP vanilla extract

2 TBSP corn starch

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This is going to be easier than, well, I don’t know…most things in life? The reason I’ll call it ‘cheat’ jam, for lack of a better term, is the fact that there is no pectin, nor jarring required. Not that I’m knocking preserving at all. I just think it’s best left to the autumn months. Not to mention, it makes a superb grandson-grandmother bonding activity.

Super simple. Combine the first four ingredients in a small pot. Stir a few times to combine, and bring to a simmer on medium-high heat. Now, reduce to medium heat and let the mixture bubble away for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. After this time, the berries will have broken down and the sauce should have a nice blue colour to it (we are using blueberries after all…).

Now, to thicken things up a bit…In a small bowl, whisk together 2 TBSP of corn starch and a 1/4 cup of water. Pour into the pot, stirring until the combo has been completely absorbed into the mix. Within about a minute, the sauce should thicken up considerably. If it’s still a bit runny, just add a bit more corn starch/water to the equation. Problem solved.

Remove the pot from heat and let cool. Transfer to an air-tight container and into the fridge. This ‘cheat’ jam will last up to two weeks. Keep ‘er covered.

Now, shall we toast to the jam?

Yields 2 1/2 cups of jam

Total cook time…20 min

Ginger & Coconut Cauliflower Bisque

Dan    Recipes, Soups, Vegan     coconut, gluten-free, soup, spicy, Thai, vegan

What you’ll need…

1 yellow onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

olive oil

4 cups cauliflower florets (chopped)

2 TSP five star spice

4 cups coconut milk

1 TBSP red curry paste

1 TBSP sambal oelek

2 cups  chicken stock (or veggie to keep things vegan)

1 lemongrass stalk (cut into 1/4s)

1 lime

1 TBSP sesame oil

2 cups carrot (thinly sliced)

2 cups fresh spinach

1 cup green onions (thinly sliced)

salt & pepper

Cold weather always puts me on a soup kick. I mean, what better way to stay warm right? I’ve had an on-again-off-again relationship with cauliflower since I was about 14 (it’s complicated, don’t ask..and just between you and me, she recently un-friended me on Facebook, so it’s a touchy subject…), but I always find myself coming back to the cauli when I need a good quality ‘warm my bones’ kind of dinner. In addition to being delicious, this soup is also gluten and lactose free, which can also be made vegan if using vegetable stock. Culinary minorities rejoice!

Let’s start things off by throwing the onion and garlic into a medium-sized pot. Drizzle with some olive oil and let cook on medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes or so. Next, turn down to medium heat, add-in the cauliflower and five star spice. Give everything a good stir and let cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the 5 minutes are up, add the coconut milk, curry paste, and sambal oelek. Stir, and let come the soup simmer away for 10 more minutes.

Now, using a hand-held emulsifier or blender puree soup until smooth. Add the chicken stock, lemongrass, 1/2 lime (reserve remainig half for garnishing slices), and sesame oil to the pot. Once the soup returns to a bubble, take a sip and salt & pepper to taste. Just an FYI, you might need a decent amount of salt, we’ve added none thus far! Once that’s all taken care off portion out the carrot and spinach into each bowl. Pour the hot soup over top and garnish with a lime slice and green onions.

Sip back and enjoy!

**note: feel free to add chicken for some solid protein content!**

Serves 4-5

Total cook time…30 min

Vegan London Fog Crème Brulée

Dan    Recipes, Something Sweet, Vegan     deceivingly delicious, dessert, quick and easy, tea, vegan, vegetarian

What you’ll need…

2 cups brewed earl grey tea

1/2 cup white sugar

3 cups soft tofu

1 10 oz can coconut milk

1 TSP vanilla

1/4 cup icing sugar

1 TBSP agar powder

*in lieu of agar, substitute with 1 cup of raw cashews, although the crème will not taste as ‘creamy’*

1/4 cup brown sugar (for topping)

Vegans will rejoice and meat-eaters shall be fooled. This recipe for vegan crème brulée is, dare I say, easier than the original version, and tastes just as delicious. I promise! Aside from the agar powder, all ingredients can be easily found at your local grocery store.

This one’s going to be nice and easy…Start off by placing the brewed tea in a small pot on the stove and add the white sugar, stirring until dissolved. Bring mixture to a simmer, and let bubble until it has reduced by half, about 15 minutes or so. In the meantime, place the tofu, coconut milk, vanilla, and icing sugar (and cashews if applicable) into a blender. Puree until smooth. Leave mixture in the blender for now.

Once the tea & sugar combo has reduced, add-in the agar powder and whisk until fully dissolved, about a 1 minute. Now, remove the lid cap of the blender, and pour the hot liquid in while ‘pulsing’. Once the liquid has blended with the puree, pour out into ramekins or small bowls, then into your refrigerator to chill until serving. The agar powder helps to thicken and set the mixture, to give it the same consistency as real crème brulée.

When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle some brown sugar on top of each ramekin, then torch (fun) or place under a broiler (not as fun) to caramelize the sugar. Serve and enjoy. Do me a favour and don’t even mention to your guests that it’s vegan until after they’ve devoured it. Good conversation topic.

Yields 6 desserts (approx. 8oz servings)

Total prep time…20 min (add at least 1 hour for chilling)

Tandoori Carrot & Apple Bisque

Dan    Recipes, Soups, Vegan     carrots, quick & easy, soup, squash, vegan, winter

What you’ll need…

2 yellow onions

3 garlic cloves

6 carrots

1 medium-sized zucchini

1 gala apple

3 TBSP cider vinegar

4 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock

2 TBSP masala tandoori powder

1 TSP fennel seeds

olive oil

salt & pepper

You know what they say: ‘Tandoori is the spice or life’ or maybe that’s not exactly what they say…Anyway, this may the ‘odd couple’ of soup ingredients, but the result is a slightly sweet, amazingly rich tasting soup. Not to mention, it’s a good conversational piece if you’re meeting in-laws/first time cooking for a girlfriend or boyfriend/cooking for a stranger you just let into your house, which is bad, don’t do that, etc…Awkward silence? Just say: ‘Hey! There’s apple in this soup! Crazy, right?’

First off, as always, chop the onion and mince the garlic cloves. Place them into a medium-sized pot and cook with some extra virgin olive on medium-high heat until the onions soften. While you’re waiting peel and chop the carrots into 1/2″ pieces. Once the onions soften, add the carrots to the pot along with the cider vinegar and a bit of salt & pepper. Reduce to medium heat, stir, and let cook for 5 minutes.

During that time you can chop up your zucchini and apple and add them to the pot. Give everything a good stir and let cook for another 5 minutes. Next, place all remaining ingredients in the pot, stir, and let the soup come to a simmer. Cover, turn to low heat, and let the soup bubble away for 15 minutes. Using a blender or food processor blend the contents of the pot until smooth. Place the puree back into the pot, along with 3 cups of water. Heat until the soup is simmering again. Salt & pepper to taste. If soup is still too thick add an additional cup of water, or stock if desired.

Ladle out into bowls, sit by a window, and sip while watching the snow fall!

Serves 5-6

Total cook time…30 min

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