Curried Carrots (vegan)

I still don't think I like carrots.  These were okay, but I'm still not convinced carrots are for me.  These had a lot of flavour and definitely something different and worth trying (if you like carrots).

You will need:

• 2 cups of baby carrots
• 3/4 cup apple juice
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 tbsp. curry paste
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• Salt and pepper

I boiled the carrots until half way done and drained the water off.  Add apple juice, raisins, curry paste, garlic and onion.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Boil with the lid off until all liquid disappears.  Add olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Chickpea Dinner Salad

This is a salad we partly made up and partly got from the Longos magazine.  It is really good.  I can see eating this on the back patio in the summer at least once a week.

You will need:

• 1 package of salad greens
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 mango, chopped
• 1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup goat cheese
• 3 tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. liquid honey
• Salt

Toss greens, pepper, mango, chickpeas, walnuts and goat cheese. 

To make the dressing, mix honey, white white vinegar, olive oil and vinegar. 

Plate salad, and spoon over desired amount of dressing.  Lightly salt before serving.

Carrots and Snow Peas (vegan)

This is a nice colourful dish and something different than just plain carrots.

You will need:

• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 bag of baby carrots
• 2 cups snow peas
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper

Boil carrots and garlic in vegetable stock until almost done.  Add snow peas and cook for another 5 minutes or so. 

Drain off the vegetable stock and add olive oil.  Toss with salt and pepper to taste.

Scalloped Potatoes

Rach and I tried these, but think we can do better next time. Rach thinks we should sub in chives for the onion and add some 3-year-old cheddar into the cream sauce next time. For now, this is what we tried tonight.

You will need:

• 6 potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 1/2 cups of milk
• 1/3 cup corn starch
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• Salt and pepper
• Non stick cooking spray

Spray a rectangular casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.  

In a sauce pan add cornstarch, thyme and salt and pepper to taste.  Add milk, a bring to a boil of low to medium head, stirring constantly.  Once bubbling, stir for another 1 or 2 minutes.

Layer potatoes in casserole dish, then onion, another layer of potatoes and onion, topping with a final layer of potatoes.  Pour cream sauce over potatoes and use a butter knife to help distribute cream sauce through all the layers of potatoes.

Bake covered in a 350F oven for one hour.  Bake for another 30 minutes uncovered.

Bloody Eyeball Soup

I found this recipe on Allyouneedischeese.ca.  We were duberish on how it would taste.  You can't see the "bloody eyeball" in this picture, but it's a tablespoon of whole cranberry sauce.  It sort of sunk to the bottom in this picture.

We were pleasantly surprised how good this is.  It's a fairly rich soup with sour cream and 3-year-old cheddar, but the cranberry counteracts that. I'm not overly keen on cranberries, but I like this.

You will need:

• 4 potatoes, peels and chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• 2 cups white cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup whole cranberry sauce
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Saute onion, garlic and chili flakes in olive oil.  Add potatoes and vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil and simmer for about half an hour. When the potatoes are soft, I mashed them right in the broth.  You could also use an immersion blender.

Stir in sour cream and cheese until cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into bowls and spoon a heaping tablespoon of cranberries in the middle of the bowl.  Serve. 

Guacamole (vegan)

Rach really wanted to try guacamole, so we got some avocados from the St. Lawrence Market.  To pick a good avocado, feel around the stem.  It should give a little, but not mushy.  Make sure you get the HAAS avocados.  This is naturally creamy and the dip is vegan.  If you garnish with sour cream, then not.  Avocados have the good fat we need and are high in fibre.

You will need:

• 2 avocados
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tbsp. onion, chopped
• Juice of half of lemon
• Salt and pepper
• Sour cream and salsa for garnish (optional)
• Chips or cut up veggies for dipping

Wash and cut the avocados in half.  Scoop up the inside into a bowl and mash.

Add olive oil, onion, lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  That's all there is to it.

If you're using the sour cream and salsa, just use a little dollop of each.

Cover any leftovers to minimize the guacamole turning dark. 

Vegetarian Chef's Salad

This salad turned out really nice and is a meal in itself . Avocados and chickpeas replace the deli ham.  I left the egg out due to my egg allergy.  It was great without it, so it can go either way,.

You will need:

• 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 2 cups radicchio lettuce, torn
• 1/2 cup alfalfa spouts
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup cucumber, sliced
• 1/3 cup sweet onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup chick peas, rinsed and drained
• 3 eggs, hard boiled 
• 1 tomato, cut into wedges
• 1 avocado
• 2 oz. Swiss cheese
• 2 oz. cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup Miracle Whip
• 1 tbsp. dill pickle, minced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. capers, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• Salt  and pepper

Scoop all the good green part out of the avocado and toss with 1 tsp. of lemon juice. Set aside.

To make the dressing:  Mix Miracle Whip, dill pickle, olive oil, 1 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, capers and Dijon mustard.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Mix vegetables and chickpeas in a bowl. Hold back the avocado and cheeses.

Put salad in bowls or plates.  Top with avocado and cheeses.  You don't need a lot of dressing for this.  All the flavours really work together.