whole grains & vegetable soup

Yesterday I woke up and my eyeballs hurt. I was also walking around like a zombie. Despite having a good night's sleep, I just couldn't seem to wake up, so doing things like talking to clients and working on design mock-ups took incredible amounts of effort.

I'm fighting a cold bug and I don't want it to win, so for lunch I whipped up this vegetable and whole grains soup. Loaded with dark leafy greens (kale to the rescue?), garlic and anything else I could find from the crisper and pantry, it was the perfect meal. And today I feel better. I don't know if it was the soup, or the copious amounts of water I drank, or even the vitamins that I popped, but for the sake of a happy ending, let's say it was the soup!

As today is Wednesday, you can find this cold-busting soup recipe over at Poppytalk. And if you have any leftovers, you can always eat this as soup. Or you could do what I did this past summer and turned soup leftovers into veggie burgers. Your call.

leftover grain veggie burgers

Right about now, I'm probably cruising down one of the picturesque side highways in New Brunswick or I've set up camp around the Bay of Fundy and dipping my toes into its muddy banks. Or maybe I'm sucking face with a lobster in Maine. Who knows, but whatever it is that I'm doing, I'm sure that I've got a huge grin on my face. I'm sure my face had a similarly stupid grin when I ate this sandwich. This is one of those stupid simple recipes. Correct that, it's not even a recipe. Rather it's a list of ingredients that is more of an idea than a step-by-step process. I think a lot of people use recipes as a guideline rather than following things to a tee...it's what I've been doing since I was a kid. If you like to follow things to the letter of the law, then shake things up! Play with your food!

So often I have leftovers in the fridge....small amounts of grains, leftover veg and bits and bobs hiding in corners. I hate wasting food, so I try to use up as much as I can without anything going into the trash. This veggie burger was a result of thinking I had nothing in the fridge for our meal. So wrong! When I looked closer at our fridge fixin's, I found that I could try making some veggie burgers. Into a bowl went the Trader Joe's mixed grains that I had cooked up for a soup the day before. I also threw in some leftover chopped vegetables and a few squares of forlorn tofu. Heck, I didn't even have buns, so I just used whole wheat toast but upped the ante with a slice or two of brie. What started out as nothing, turned into something pretty dang tasty.

leftover grain veggie burgers
1 egg, beaten
cooked grains
cooked vegetables
tofu cubes
salt, pepper & whatever spices look appealing
ground almond meal
dijon mustard

Add in your leftovers and spices to a bowl, toss with a beaten egg, a plop of dijon, and add in some almond meal to help bind the mixture. Too dry? Add in another egg or some broth or milk. Too wet? Add in some more almond meal. The mixture should start clumping well and holding together. Make patties and put in the fridge for 15 minutes or so to let things meld. Fry in a little olive oil until both sides are golden. Serve in buns or on toast with your favorite condiments.

brown rice bowl with vegetables & roasted chickpeas

Sometimes when I'm getting dinner ready I don't even have a plan about what's going to happen. A few frantic moments to quickly catalogue what's the cupboard and fridge and something should happen. But sometimes it doesn't. The other weekend, I cooked up some brown rice with the intention that whipping up some fried rice the following evening would be perfect. But I didn't have a clue what I was going to make for dinner that night. I took stock and let a few ideas germinate and this is what I came up with.

This rice bowl is simple and delicious and I've really been digging on these healthy bowls lately as they're filling and really quite flavourful. The roasted chickpeas added a spicy, nutty crunch to the dish while the vegetables were just simply sauteed. I used what vegetables were in my crisper but this is highly adaptable, so throw in what you like! Cornelius topped his dish with a bit of soy sauce, but I used some mango chutney and a bit of hot sauce on mine. Delicious!

Oh, and if you want to get to know me a bit more, Scout Magazine did an interview with me. Take a look!

brown rice bowl with vegetables & roasted chickpeas
1 c brown rice
2 c water
1 t salt

1 can of chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1 T curry paste
1 T olive oil
1 T cumin seeds, toasted & lightly crushed
1/4 t salt
1 t hot sauce

1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch bit of ginger, diced
1/2 zucchini, sliced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 c leftover diced chicken or tofu (optional)

1. Boil water and add in salt and brown rice. Simmer covered over medium heat until most of the water has been absorbed. Turn down heat to low and simmer until ready.

2. Turn oven to 400F. In a bowl, mix up the chickpeas, curry paste, cumin seeds , salt and hot sauce. Spread onto a baking dish and bake for 30-45 minutes, until chickpeas shrink and get a bit crunchy. Shake the dish a few times to get things moving.

3. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat, adding garlic, ginger and onion. When soft, add in remaining vegetables and protien. Saute until the vegetables are bright and crisp and the protien is heated through.

4. Dish out brown rice into deep bowls and top with roasted chickpeas and vegetable mixture. Serve with soy sauce, mango chutney or hot sauce, if desired.

the calm before the storm: kung pao vegetables with tofu & udon

I'm back from Ontario and I'm a bit panicked. There's so much to do and Christmas is only a week away! I did a some pre-homemade gifting to take with me to my family, but there's still much stuff kicking my ass.

Here's just some of the things I'll be making from my own archives:

• Rum Balls
• Ginger Gems
  
• Fleur de Sel Caramels
  
• Candy Cane Chocolate Bark
  

And then there's all this yumminess from other blogs to consider:

• Gingerbread Popcorn
• Super-Cute Peppermint Yule Log
• Lemon Slice Cookies
• Chocolate Almond n' Toffee Squares
• Espresso Caramels
• Salt Lick Bars
  

But before panic takes hold of me completely, it's good to have something warm and nutritious in the belly. This recipe for Kung Pao vegetables was revamped from Thimble's recipe and it made for a super delicious and easy lunch. Filling and hearty to keep up your stamina during the holidays.

kung pao vegetables (+ tofu + udon)
1 t sesame oil
1 T canola oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 small head of broccoli, broken into florets
2 carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 rib of celery, sliced on the diagonal
1 small packet of prepared udon noodles
1/2 block tofu, cubed
1/4 c peanuts, chopped

sauce:
1/4 c soy sauce
1/4 c orange juice
1 T cider vinegar
1 T ginger, minced
1 T chili paste or asian hot sauce (the one with the rooster on the bottle)
1 T brown sugar
1 T bottled peanut sauce
1 T cornstarch

1. Mix sauce ingredients in and set aside.

2. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add carrots, celery and broccoli and stirfry until crisp-tender. Add the sauce and the udon noodles and combine well so everything gets saucy.

3. In a separate pan, fry up tofu in a bit of oil until brown on all sides. Add tofu and peanuts to the vegetable mixture, stirring gently to coat with sauce. Serve in deep bowls.

salad days

One of the qualities that my husband admires in me is my resourcefulness. He thinks I have the ability to turn what seems like nothing into something wonderful. I hate being wasteful and I'm thrifty by nature, so being resourceful just seems to come naturally. It's kind of like creative work in that respect. If I'm working on a design project where I have free reign to do what I want and no restrictions to hold me back, it can make the whole process seem way too easy. But throw in a couple of contraints and left turns and then I've got a real creative struggle. Many times, that's where some of my best work comes from. Looking for ideas in the kitchen can be the same. If your fridge is full and your cupboards are stacked, well, looking for inspiration is easy! But when you knock choice out of the equation, that's when your skills in making something out of nothing can really shine.


This past week, I made a couple salads just by throwing stuff into a bowl and calling in dinner. Salad #1 turned out pretty good. I shredded up some leftover cabbage, diced up some leftover jicama, carefully diced a lonely jalapeno and a sweet red pepper, and tossed everything with fresh orange slices, dried cherries, toasted walnuts and mustard/lime dressing. Not bad. It filled our bellies, tasted fresh and bright and I'll bet it would have tasted a hundred times better with some crumbled feta cheese. Next time.


Salad #2, however, was a wild success. A weird jumble of pasta, beans, lettuce and a super simple yet hella good vinegrette. Sure, this salad ain't fancy but it's perfect for those days cooking doesn't seem like an option and all you want to do is watch America's Next Top Model with a big bowl of something awesome on your lap. And by awesome, I mean this salad. If you do make this salad, throw in some diced avocados. That's what I'm gonna do next time. Or just throw in what you've got on hand and make it better.

southwest bean & pasta salad
250 g whole wheat rotini, cooked, drained and cooled
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c frozen corn, thawed
1/2 c salsa
a few romaine leaves, torn into bite-sized bits
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/4 of a red onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t cumin
1/4 c cheddar cheese, shredded

Dressing:
juice from 1 lime
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 t chili powder
1 T honey
salt & pepper to taste

Toss everything into a bowl and then pour dressing over top and mix until combined. Top with shredded cheese. Makes 2 super large servings.

hey, goodlooking

I've really been getting the hang of working full time...and it's only 2 more weeks before I go back to my slacker life of working from home. I've got my daily routine pretty much set and I've discovered that when I don't have too much freelance work to do in the evenings, I pretty much have my old life back. It's a good feeling even if it only means that I now have time to cook proper meals, tidy up my desk space and make it to the gym. I don't want to spend my precious evening hours searching for recipes or running out to the store to get ingredients so I just fell back on the old standbys. However, a trip to the farmer's market this past weekend gave me some new inspiration and so far, I've been cooking up a storm!

Sometimes the most comforting food doesn't end up looking so pretty, but when you can turn a few ordinary ingredients into a colourful dish full of texture and flavour, well, you've pretty much got it made. Tonight's dinner had colour, texture and flavour to spare. It not only was easy on the eyes but it's simple to prepare on the most hectic of days. Substitute ingredients as you wish.

pasta primavera
1 400g bag of spinach & cheese ravioli (frozen)
1 small zucchini, diced
1/2 red pepper, sliced thinly
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large handfuls of green beans, broken in half
3 T olive oil
1 t chili flakes
1 large pinch of dried basil
salt & pepper
parmesan cheese

1. In a large pot, cook pasta according to package instructions in salted water. Shortly before the pasta is finished cooking, add in the green beans and cook until bright green and tender-crisp. Reserve some of the pasta water for the sauce, but drain the pasta and beans and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a large cast iron pan, heat olive oil and add garlic and onion until translucent and fragrant. Add the celery, red pepper and zucchini along with the red pepper flakes and basil. Add salt and pepper. Stir about for a couple of minutes until the vegetables soften slightly. Add in the ravioli and green beans along with some of the reserved pasta water (a quarter of a cup should be good, but add more if necessary). Toss everything about and serve with a bit of grated parmesan cheese.

a fishy feast

Last night we wasted our evening by watching the horrible Woody Allen "thriller" Match Point which we borrowed from the library. We may never get those 2 hours back, but at least we had some delicious dinner settling in our bellies. Dinner was a fish dish so full of savory flavour that throughout the meal was complete and utter silence. Even Cornelius didn't mind digging around the olives because everything was so tasty. Normally, I cook fish either in an Asian style with soy sauce and ginger or panfried with a cornmeal crust, so this was a bit different but it was simple and something I'll definitely try again. Plus, it was a one dish meal with everything baked on a foil-lined tray for super easy clean up. As well, this meal could easily be turned into a vegetarian one dish feast by getting rid of the fish and throwing in some chunks of zucchini, yams and eggplant instead. What's not to love?

roasted fish with rosemary, olives and vegetables
2 large potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
1 small onion, quartered
4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 t dried rosemary (plus additional sprinkle for fish)
2 T olive oil
1 t coarse salt
pepper to taste
1/4 c green spicy olives
1 T capers
2 filets of fish
juice of half a lemon

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a foil-lined walled cookie sheet, evenly line the pan with the cubed potatoes and large onion chunks. Drizzle with half of the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper and toss everything around with your hands to coat. Bake in oven for about 25 minutes until starting to brown.

2. On a plate, season the fish and the cherry tomatoes with salt and pepper and a bit of rosemary and coat with the remaining olive oil. Use your hands to make sure everything is covered with the oil and spice.

3. Push the potatoes to one side of the cookie sheet and place the fish and the tomatoes on the other side. Fill in remaining gaps with olives and capers. Squeeze lemon juice onto the fish and tomatoes. Return tray to oven for another 20 minutes or so, until fish is cooked and tomatoes are roasted and wrinkled. Transfer onto plates and serve.

the small joys

I've totally been craving Shepard's Pie, or pretty much anything that comes from the oven all toasty with childhood memories. It's too hot for that now, but the days are getting shorter and summer is coming to an end (it really hurt me to say that!) and soon enough it will be time for Shepard's Pie and soups and all those other comforting foods. Last night I wanted all those cozy feelings of childhood but without the heat of the oven, and so dinner was a simple veggie burrito. Burritos don't hold any childhood memories for me since I had never even heard of salsa or burritos or refried beans as a child - a true shame. I don't have any photographic evidence of this meal (it was that good) and it was so easy to prepare that putting a recipe this dead simple on this blog seems kind of silly. But sometimes that is just how it goes.


And how about a little self promotion? Well, I've started a new blog in addition to this one. Yikes! It's not really food related, nor is it solely about shopping or crafts (tho there is some of that too). It's just a way for me to not lose track of the little things I find along the way. The small joys, is just that. Random small things I find along the way that I'd like to keep close to my heart. Anway, just a little invite to take a peek and say hello.

bean & veggie burrito
1 can of refried beans
1 t olive oil
salt
1 package of Yves Veggie Ground Round "Chicken"
1/4 c chili powder
1/2 c salsa plus extra for topping
1 onion, sliced into matchsticks
1 green pepper, sliced into matchsticks
flour tortillas
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
hot sauce

1. In a cast iron pan, heat up olive oil and add green peppers and onions and salt. Stir occassionally and add in some hot sauce if you wish. When it's all roasted and slightly charred, it's done.

2. Meanwhile, in a small pot, heat up the can of refried beans. About 5 minutes or so should do it.

3. Meanwhile again, heat up a larger fry pan, add a drop of olive oil and in the ground veggie "chicken". Stir and and in the chili powder. Mix until well combined and heated through.

4. Heat up tortillas one at a time over the gas flame of your stovetop. If you dont have a gas stove, heating in the microwave is fine. Add the toppings along with some extra salsa and grated cheese to the tortilla, roll it up with your prefered method and eat up.

summer in a bowl

It is HOTT outside! It rarely gets all humid and sticky like it does out east, but right now Vancouver is going through a little heatwave and I'm not used to all this humidity. Cooking just isn't an option. Yesterday we were invited to a bbq and I decided to whip up a salad. Unfortunately, I wasn't very inspired to make anything new (I blame the heat), but somehow after checking out what the local market had out for sale, I knew I couldn't let all that natual goodness go to waste. Armed with green beans, fresh corn on the cob, cucumbers, parsley and other yummy vegetables, I whipped up a salad that is the epitomy of summer in a bowl. Colourful, crisp, fresh and healthy, this salad was a delicious barbeque accompaniment and I'll definitely be making this again.

The key to this salad is to keep everything bike sized. Not only does it make the salad look extra pretty, but it makes for a tastier mouthful!

colourful chopped vegetable salad
1 lb green beans, chopped
1 bunch of radishes, sliced into discs
1 green onions, sliced
2 tomatos, seeded and chopped
1/2 english cucumber, chopped
2 ears of corn
1 orange pepper, diced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 small bunch of parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1 t cider vinegar
1 t honey
2 T olive oil
salt & pepper

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add green beans. Blanch until bright green and tender-crisp, about 1 minute. Drain and add to ice water to cool. Place green beans into bowl. With a sharp knife, remove the kernels from the corn cob and blanch for 2 minutes in salted water. Drain and cool. Add corn to bowl. Add remaining vegetables and parsley and mix.

2. Make dressing. Combine lemon juice, honey, vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Mix until thickened.

3. Toss dressing into salad and serve immediately.

portland, here we come!

My stomach is in a flurry of nervous excitement. I always get that way when I'm about to take flight, so to speak. This holiday long weekend I'm heading to my most favorite city ever, Portland, OR with a pitstop for sleep & breakfast in Seattle, WA. I love roadtrips!! I'm excited because we'll be visiting with my very best friend, Kyla & her sweet husband Sergio for some much needed belly-laughing, beer-drinking, game-playing, thrift-shopping and of course, eating. Fun times definitely ahead.

Road trips to the US of A usually involve foods not meant for daily (or yearly) consumption. Things like "Chicken Fried Steak" or "Biscuits N' Gravy" don't even exist on Canadian breakfast menus, so as tourists, we of course must oblige in the artery-clogging good times. All of this "local colour" requires a bit of preparation before-hand. Lots of greens and tofu and fresh vegetables are more than needed, so I've fashioned myself a lovely salad that lends itself to variation. Why have a meal that consists of a bit of protein, some vegetables on the side and a bit of salad when you can combine everything into one bowl as the real deal? Easy! This salad is great because it tastes like springtime even in the dead of winter and there's some nice contrasting textures because some of the vegetables are raw with bite and some others are steamed and yield nicely to the tooth. Perfection!

Like I said, this recipe works wonders with most vegetables. Play with what you've got on hand and personalize it with what you like best. I think some cubes of feta cheese or some avocado or steamed broccoli would taste great here. Enjoy!

easy vegetable salad
organic mixed greens
large handful of fresh dill
1 lb green beans, cut into bite sized pieces
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 large handful of toasted pumpkin seeds
parmesan, grated

dressing:
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 t lemon rind
1 t dijon mustard
olive oil
water
salt & pepper

1. Steam the green beans, until bright green and still crisp. Plunge into an ice bath until the cooking process has stopped and the beans are cool. Repeat process with the cauliflower.

2. In a large salad bowl, add the greens, dill, chickpeas and the cooled cauliflower and green beans. Toss until everything is well distributed.

3. Make dressing. In a measuring cup, add the lemon rind and lemon juice and add the mustard. Mix. Add an equal quantity of olive oil plus a bit (I'm not the most scientific here, but let your taste guide you) and add about 1 T or more of water. Add salt & pepper. Stir until everything is combined and slightly thickened.

4. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and the pumpkin seeds.

get your veg on.

It was so sunny and bright and warm this afternoon that I spent a lot of time wandering my neighbourhood. It was a welcome relief from being chained to the computer working on client projects. The sun was strong and it smelled like springtime -- a welcome relief from the cloudy drizzle that the Pacific Northwest is known for. I went to the little Italian market in my neighbourhood and picked up some beautiful looking vegetables that could, by their very presence, transform my kitchen into a bit of early spring.

With this recipe, any vegetable combination would work well. Use what's in your kitchen and I'm sure you'll be fine.

roast vegetable pasta bake
250 g dry short pasta (I used Creste di Gallo)
1 red onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 small zucchini
6 large mushrooms
1 small red pepper
1 small yellow pepper
2 large leafs of kale, torn into small pieces
salt & pepper
3 T olive oil
1 T dried basil
zest of 1 lemon
2 T capers
1 c grated mozzerella
1/2 c crumbled feta cheese
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
2 c cubed bread

1. Cook pasta as per box directions. Drain and set aside.

2. While pasta is cooking, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Chop onion into large chunks and roughly chop the garlic. Cut zucchini into 1/2" slices. Cut mushrooms into quarters and chop up the peppers into large pieces. In a large bowl, toss the vegetables with 2 T of olive oil, some salt & pepper and 1/2 of the basil. Dump the vegetable mixture into a large baking dish and roast until vegetables are somewhat soft, about 20 minutes.

3. Add the cooked pasta into a large bowl and toss with the capers, lemon zest, roasted vegetables, kale, feta cheese and the grated mozzerella. Add a bit more salt & pepper and throw in the rest of the basil. Pour out into a large baking dish.

4. For the topping, combine the bread and parmesan cheese with the reminder of the olive oil and spread over the pasta mixture. Bake uncovered for 400 degrees until golden, about 30 - 40 minutes.