Lemon Cranberry Loaf

I was in a pinch one evening wanting to have some kind of loaf in the house for a friend's weekend visit, but had no more time to run to the grocery store for anything.  The bananas I had on hand weren't ripe enough for banana bread, but I did have plenty of lemons and fresh / frozen cranberries.  I was more than happy with how the loaf turned out, tangy and sweet with the fresh pop of the cranberries.  The texture would fool anyone into thinking there were eggs in the batter, soft, moist and bouncy without being wet and heavy.

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups white flour
• 3/4 cup cane sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

• 1/2 350gm (12oz) pack firm silken tofu (so 175gm or 6oz)
• 1/3 cup light oil of your choice
• 1 cup soy (or rice, almond, etc.) milk
• 3 lemons, zested and squeezed
• 1 - 2 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• approx. 1 cup frozen / fresh cranberries (can use up to 1 1/2 cups)

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare a loaf pan by lining it with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients.

Zest the lemons, placing the zest in a medium bowl.

In a blender or bullet, combine the silken tofu, oil, soy milk, and lemon juice.  Pour mixture into the medium bowl with the lemon zest, add the extracts and stir to combine.

Make a well in the flour mixture and pour the wet mixture into it.  Stir gently until well combined.  If the batter feels a bit too thick, add a little bit more soy milk.  Fold in the cranberries.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake 45 minutes before checking.  The top should be a little golden, and the loaf should feel 'bouncy' when tapped lightly on top.   

Thai Red Lentil Soup

I was surprised to come across this completely vegan soup recipe in a Western Living Magazine.  It's an easy little soup to prepare and yields a surprising punch of flavour.

Makes about 4 servings.


ingredients:

• 4 oz sugar snap peas
• 3 Tbsp oil (recipe calls for sunflower, I use coconut)
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 stalks lemongrass, trimmed and gently bashed with a rolling pin
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

method:

Cook the sugar snap peas in a small saucepan of boiling water for 90 seconds. Drain, refresh under cold water, then spread out on a clean towel to dry. Cut the sugar snaps diagonally into very thin slices and set aside. 

In a large pot, heat oil over low heat. Add onion. Cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until onion is completely soft and sweet (10 to 15 minutes). Stir in curry paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute

Add water, lentils, lemongrass, lime leaves, coconut milk lime juice, soy sauce and salt.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until lentils are completely soft (about 15 minutes). Add snap peas if serving right away.  If preparing ahead of time, reheat gently and, once soup is almost boiling, add the sugar snap peas.

Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Add a scattering of cilantro for garnish.

Summer Squash Skillet

Photo coming soon...

My local farm market sells small bags of mixed mini-summer squash and zucchini - the really super tiny kind that are adorable but a pain to cut up if you want to make a big meal out of them! The little bags have a recipe on the front and I thought I'd give it a try.  It's so simple and tasty it's become a staple dinner side dish.  As with most of my recipes, this is a guideline, no exact amounts.

Ingredients:

• a collection of mini summer squash and zucchini, cut into small chunks
• oil of your choice for frying, I use coconut
• several cloves garlic, minced
• oregano, marjoram & basil, fresh or dried
• cherry or grape tomatoes

Method:

Heat oil in a large skillet, add squash, zucchini and garlic. Stir frequently until tender. When squash is tender add herbs and tomatoes, turn off heat, stir to combine. 

Apple Crumble

I have made a good number of crumbles in my time, in fact, apple crumble was the first vegan dessert I ever made back in 1992.  I find crumbles to be the perfect failproof treat to throw together as you can't really do anything wrong to them once you have an idea what proportions make a good base and a good topping. And it's easy to branch out from just apples to other berries and fruits.  Today I was in the mood for making just a really nice apple crumble, as I haven't made a plain apple one in a long time. I wanted to try something new with it, so made a very simple sauce in my NutriBullet (same, only larger version of a Magic Bullet) which I poured over the apples. I made a bit of a thicker topping than I normally do as well, to make it a bit more substantial. It turned out so well the "recipe" was worth keeping.

NOTE!!  As with many of my recipes, there are no exact proportions here, except for the topping, and even with this there's room to play around. Crumbles are not science, they'll turn out tasty pretty much whatever you do to them.

Dish Size: I use a corning-ware-style lasagna dish as anything smaller just doesn't last long enough in my house for the effort I put in. I figure if it's too much I can always freeze some.

Base:

• about a dozen small to medium sized apples, ones that are slightly tart work better
• 1/4 plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tablespoons corn starch or suitable replacement
• small amount lemon juice
• a few dashes cinnamon

Topping:

• 1 1/4 cup rolled oats (not quick oats)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/3 cup walnut pieces
• 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon light oil of your choice
• 1 tsp maple or almond extract (optional)
• a few dashes salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take four of the large apples, core and cut into chunks, put into NutriBullet (blender works fine too). Add the corn starch, maple syrup and vanilla extract and water and blend until smooth. (I never bother peeling the apples, btw)

Core the remaining apples and cut into small cubes, placing in a large bowl and tossing with a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning, then a few dashes cinnamon. Transfer to baking dish. 

Pour the blended mixture evenly overtop of the apples.

In a large bowl combine all the dry topping ingredients. Using a fork slowly drizzle in the oil while stirring until you have a crumbly consistency that's no longer dry, but not wet either.  Press this mixture firmly overtop of the apples, patting down so it's all nice and even.  

Place in oven and bake 35 min. 

Beet, Fig and Walnut Salad

Photo to go here

I came up with this recipe idea one afternoon while driving home and made it that same evening. I only had 2 large beets on hand, so I didn't make much and it was so tasty my husband and I ate it all before I could take a photo of it. Well, there was a tiny bit left over for the second day, but not enough to photograph, but enough to let me know that by the second day the dried figs become extra moist and juicy.

Note: This recipe is only a guideline, there are not proportions given

ingredients:

• beets
• dried black figs, cut into thick pieces
• walnut pieces
• light oil of your choice
• balsamic reduction
• dill, dried
• salt to taste

method:

Shred the beets using a food processor and transfer to a bowl.

Add the figs and walnut pieces.  Drizzle with the oil and balsamic reduction, then sprinkle with dill and salt.  Toss to mix well.  Adjust dressing as needed