Baby Spinach Salad with Bosc Pear and Pecans
October 8, 2009
This recipe is from Living Cuisine by Renee Loux. Her books exude the passion and joy of whole foods, in both the recipes and the explanation of how to lovingly prepare the food. Every recipe I have made has turned out 100% delicious!
Tender baby spinach and sweet pear slices are tossed with a simple dressing for a gorgeous salad. Use another type of pear if Bosc is unavailable.
Makes 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 firm Bosc pear, peeled, cored and sliced
- 4 green onions finely chopped
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 pound (454g) baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
- ½ cup chopped parsley and cilantro leaves
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
- Fresh black pepper
Procedure:
Toss pear and green onions with sea salt, olive oil, vinegars, lemon juice and maple syrup. Allow to marinate for 5 to 10 minutes. Add baby spinach leaves, chopped herbs and pecans, and toss gently with salad servers. Season with additional salt and black pepper if necessary, serve immediately.
Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries and Hazelnuts
October 8, 2009
This recipe is from The Balanced Plate by Renee Loux. This book exudes the passion and joy of whole foods, in both the recipes and the explanation of how to lovingly prepare the food. Every recipe I have made has turned out 100% delicious!
Wild rice is packed protein, B vitamins and minerals like calcium and magnesium, and is gluten free like all rice.
Take the time to roast the hazelnuts, it only takes a few minutes and is worth it! Purchase naturally sweetened organic cranberries for the best results, available at all health food stores.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- sea salt
- 1-2 shallots finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic pressed
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp umeboshi plum vinegar (or extra balsamic)
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup olive or walnut oil
- ground black pepper
- 4 cups cooked or sprouted and blanched wild rice
- 1 1/2 cups flat-leaf parsley
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. spread the hazelnuts in a baking pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, stirring a few times for even toasting. Immediately pour the toasted nuts onto one-half of a cloth kitchen towel on a work surface. Fold the other half over the nuts and rub vigorously to remove as much of the skins as possible. Chop roughly and set aside.
- Toss the cranberries with the orange juice and a pinch of salt. let stand, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or so to soften.
- Whisk together the shallots, garlic and vinegars, and maple syrup. Drizzle in the oil a little at a time whisking until it emulsifies. Add a pinch of salt and pepper
- Toss the dressing with the wild rice, parsley, hazelnuts and cranberries (including the extra orange juice). Season with salt and pepper.
Celebration Tart
October 8, 2009
This Tart recipe is from Canadian cookbook author Dreena Burton, http://viveleveganrecipes.blogspot.com/, from VegNews Magazine November 2010. I’ve made this recipe numerous times and it is always a hit; use store-bought vegan pie crust or use the recipe below to make your own.
Savoury, scrumptious, and so unexpected, this tart really has it all. Combining the most prominent flavours of the holiday season—namely savoury thyme, crisp cranberries, homey spinach, and hearty chickpeas—this dish is guaranteed to satisfy. With the added benefit of not having to explain your taste for Tofurky to family members who love to ask, “Why d’ya eat stuff that looks like meat, but not real meat?” this stunning tart makes a memorable centerpiece. Want to indulge both your savoury and sweet sides? Go ahead and dollop your favourite cranberry sauce on top of your freshly baked wedge.
Nutritionally, you can’t beat the one-two punch of cranberries and walnuts. Cranberries boast their awesome antioxidant power, and walnuts provide the very necessary omega-3s, omega-6s, and vitamin B6. Oh, and did we mention they—along with the chickpeas—provide a snappy answer to the other inevitable family-gathering question? Yes, that would be the one about protein. For any other questions, respond with an irresistible slice of tart—everyone will be too busy chewing to ask anything else.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 3/4 cup celery, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 14-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed (reserving 1/4 cup)
- 3/4 cup walnuts
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons tamari
- 1-1/4 cups frozen chopped spinach
- 3-1/2 tablespoons dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 9-inch prepared whole-wheat pie shell, thawed
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil (for brushing)
- 1 teaspoon tamari (for brushing)
- 2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped (garnish)
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (garnish)
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook for 7 to 9 minutes until onions soften and begin to caramelize. Set aside.
- In a food processor, add chickpeas (except 1/4 reserved cup), walnuts, lemon juice, and tamari, and pulse to lightly chop (do not purée). Remove half of chopped mixture from food processor and transfer to a large bowl.
- Transfer sautéed onions to the remaining mixture in food processor. Purée until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
- Transfer purée to bowl with lightly chopped chickpea and walnut mixture. Add spinach, cranberries, parsley, thyme, and cup of reserved chickpeas. Stir to combine and transfer to prepared pie shell, spreading evenly.
- Combine oil and tamari, and brush on top of pie and crust. Sprinkle with walnuts. Bake for 33 to 38 minutes until lightly browned. Half way through baking cover the edge of the crust with tin foil to keep it from getting too brown
- Garnish with parsley, cut in wedges, and serve.
Flaky Pie Crust for Thanksgiving Tart
In the Balanced Plate, this pie crust is suggested for the pumpkin pie, from all the research I’ve done it looks like it would be perfect for the Thanksgiving Tart as well. You can double the recipe and use it for the Pumpkin pie as well or use a Graham Cracker crust for the pie, that’s what I do – yummy
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 cup spelt flour or additional whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tbsp organic sugar or brown sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 8 tbsp or roughly ½ cup, cold pressed coconut butter, organic grapeseed of safflower oil or Earth Balance Vegan shortening
- 3-6 tbsp cold water
Procedure
- Sift the flours, sugar baking powder and salt into a bowl
- Mix in the coconut butter, oil or shortening, and 3 tbsp of the water, first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands until a dough forms. If the dough is too dry, add another tbsp or two of water.
- Press into a 9” or 10” pie plate
Porcini Mushroom Soup
October 8, 2009
This recipe is adapted from the no-fail recipe on 101cookbooks.com
Ingredients
- 2 ounces of dried porcini mushrooms, or 1 ounce dried and 1 1/2 – 2 cups thinly sliced button mushrooms
- 2 – 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds small new potatoes, small dice
- 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 cups organic low-salt vegetable broth (store bought or homemade)
- 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons salt
Procedure
- Soak the porcini mushrooms in 2 cups of hot water for about 15 minutes, or until they are soft. Set aside. Slice larger mushrooms.
- Heat a splash of the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot, sauté the shallots for a couple of minutes, then stir in the rosemary and potatoes. Add extra olive oil if desired and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, the porcini, and button mushrooms if using, along with the soaking liquid, the 4 cups of broth, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook for ten minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Taste; if the broth is too intense, you may want to add more water a bit at a time. If you feel it needs more salt just add a little at a time, do not over-salt.
Serves 4-6.