Roasted garlic and red pepper hummus

It is Grey cup Sunday here in Canada. While I'm not much of a football fan I do love using it as a excuse to spend time with family and eat appetizers for dinner. Every year my mom asks me to make hummus, for some reason hers never turns out like mine. With her kids grown and flown the coop my moms food processor gets little use these days except for making hummus. Since she prefers my hummus she has passed on the food processor and the hummus making duty to me. I find that the key to a good hummus is using good beans. I have never had good hummus from no name brand beans. I will ONLY buy Scarpone canned beans. I have tried cooking the garbanzo beans myself and they just leave something lacking. Since Orion has a sesame allergy I substitute sunflower butter instead, you could leave it out but I find it lacks something in flavour without it. This year I am switching it up a little and making red pepper hummus.

Roasted Garlic and red pepper Hummus
1 medium pepper cut in half
1 head garlic peeled
Scant 2/3 cup lemon juice
2 little cans  (Just under 600ml total)Scarpone Garbanzo beans drained with 4 tbsp of liquid reserved
1/4 cup Sunflower butter (If you run the measuring cup under hot water before measuring the sunflower butter it will slide out easily)
1/4 cup EVOO
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
Paprika to garnish if you would like

Preheat oven to 400F
Take pepper halves and spray with Olive oil, Wrap head of garlic in foil. Bake in oven for 1 hour. Let cool.
Put beans, liquid, peppers and garlic in food processor and process until chopped,  Dump in Sunflower butter, lemon juice, blend again. while food processor is going drizzle in olive oil. Taste, then add salt and pepper (Some beans are saltier then others) (I find that  by not rinsing the beans you don't need much other flavourings.
Let sit at least an hour before serving

Vegan chocolate shortbread bars

I was reading the Presidents choice insiders report today, it always makes me crave all sorts of things. Since I already had supper in the crockpot, I decided to indulge my sweet tooth and bake. I have a sink load of dishes waiting to go in the dishwasher so I didn't really want to make a huge mess. I settled for something simple, quick and chocolately. This is in no way shape or form anything that resembles healthy. It is full of white flour, refined sugar and chocolate. Sometimes you have to live a little though, ;) Everything in moderation right?. I couldn't find any recipes that were vegan, so I just winged it and substituted it a bit.

Here is the original recipe "non vegan recipe" from About.com

Here is my version:

Vegan Chocolate chip shortbread bars

2-1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup white sugar,
1 cup Earth Balance shortening, cold and cut into cubes
1 cup Dairy free chocolate chips,  (I used 1/2 cup Enjoy life chocolate chips, 1/2 chopped Lindt Dark chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Place flour and sugar in large bowl. Mix with wire whisk. 

Add cut shortening. toss lightly with your hands or a fork to coat the cubes.

 Use a pastry cutter, to blend shortening into flour/sugar mixture until crumbly. 

Hand stir in the mini chocolate chips. 

Dump mixed ingredients into 9x13 pan. Press firmly with fingers and level-out.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly brown on top.

 Remove from oven.  Cool for 5 minutes then cut shortbread into squares, DO NOT REMOVE FROM PAN

Cool completely before serving.

Hot out of the oven!

Sour leaf lazy cabbage rolls

I grew up eating sour leaf cabbage rolls. I love them so much. Hand rolling cabbage rolls takes so much time. Last time I made cabbage rolls I froze the leftover filling and little bits of sour cabbage that were not suitable for rolling, I baked it like a casserole and it was so good! This time I am fine tuning the recipe to make it into lazy cabbage rolls. This recipe is sans tomatoes since that is the way my family eats sour cabbage rolls. You could use sauerkraut instead of the sour head if you like, just make sure that you use non pasteurized sauerkraut. You can fine it in the produce section or a good European deli/grocer , then stuff in jars is nothing compared to the real stuff. I really like Kissel Cabbage.  This is dairy free yet still has the richness of flavour that you expect from sour leaf cabbage rolls. This recipe makes enough for two casseroles.

Yield: 12 servings
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water

3 cups brown Calrose rice

Sourhead Cabbage

1 Sourhead cabbage diced into 1 inch pieces or 2 bags of sauerkraut (My favourite is made by Kissel Cabbage)
3 medium onions. diced
1 package of bacon, diced into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp pepper
1 cup Dairy free margarine (I like earth balance or vegan becel)
1/4 Coconut oil (Make sure it is descented, I like Omega  Organic coconut oil for this)
1/4 cup bacon fat (I always save my fat in the freezer, so I have or for recipes like this or frying perogies. If you don't have any just add another 1/4 cup of coconut oil instead)
1/4 cup water

Bring chicken stock and water to boil in a large pot on stove, add rice lower heat to just barely simmering. Cook for 55 minutes until all  the water is absorbed.

Bacon frying

Fry bacon until crispy, remove bacon (Leave the grease in the pan)

Add onions to pan, fry until just starting to turn translucent,
Turn heat down, add margarine, coconut oil, additional bacon fat and pepper to pan, cover, simmer for 15 min.
Place diced cabbage. bacon and cooked rice in a large bowl mix well,
Put rice mixture in two greased casserole dishes
Ladle onion mixture over top, add 1/8 of a cup of water to each casserole dish
Cook covered at 350F 45 minutues OR freeze.

To make from frozen, Thaw the casserole, then cook at 350 until the internal temp is 165.

Casseroles ready for the oven/ freezer

Cooked and ready to eat :)

Meal planning

Meal planning is pretty easy and quick once you get the hang of it, it takes the stress out of figuring out what you want for dinner every night. I meal plan for a week at a time, but you could do it for 2 weeks if you prefer. I like to go every week to get my fresh produce from Kingsland farmer's market. We have been going to the market almost weekly since it has opened. It is really nice to see the same vendors every week and to get a sense of where your food is coming from (The majority of them offer to let you visit the farms) Even they stands that buy the food directly from the farmers and sell it can tell you where it is coming from. I can trust them and they often give me awesome deals. It is really interesting to see how the market has changed since it has been opened, some vendors have left, others have opened. Stalls have moved around and grown or shrunk. The one thing that has stayed the same is the feeling of the market, it is cozy and always smells great, the produce is fresh and often organic or pesticide free. If you are local to Calgary I encourage you to go to Kingslands market.

Now back to the topic at hand, meal planning. Like I said I meal plan one week at a time. We almost never eat what I plan for that night, I never seem to want what I have planned. We will eat the planned meals on different days. I have a guideline for what to make on certain days, this is for ease of planning. It has been tailored to our eating habits and life situation. I encourage you to make a guideline like ours for your family, it makes life so much easier. Here is ours:

Monday is a crockpot meal (I do laundry and clean the house on Mondays, so I need something that I don't have to spend much time on)
Tuesday is a vegan meal (We do vegan because we don't eat eggs or dairy anyways)
Wednesday is beef 
Thursday is leftovers (My husband has a class, so we have to eat early)
Friday is Pork or chicken
Saturday is what I call a flex day, really it just means we have whatever I feel like making, if anything. In times of plenty it can mean eating out. In nice weather my husband barbecues.
Sunday we rotate between family dinners at my parents or here, so it will vary.

Something I also do is keep a list of meals we enjoy and take a look through those, the list is always changing. As I add more to the blog I will use this as a list to choose from. Orion and Clay really don't mind eating the same things often. I myself can not stand it, I need variety! So I take the list and apply what I want to the days, then write a grocery list of things I need to buy, often I will have multiple lists. One for Costco, one for the market, and one for other stores. I keep a very stocked pantry and cold room, I buy the majority of staples in large quantities at a time and store them. We buy meat every few months from a butcher in large enough quantities to get a good deal.
That is pretty much it, If I don't feel like making what I have planned, I don't but I do make sure to use the ingredients I have on hand.
I will start posting my meal plans for the week to give an idea of the things we eat. Eventually I will start calculating out how much each meal costs.

Happy meal planning!

Mini Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips

Like I said last week I love pumpkin bread. Actually I love almost every baked good there is. I've been thinking about making some pumpkin bread since last week. Time just hadn't allowed me to do so, finally I got a chance today and seized it! I'm fairly confident when it comes to making cooking recipes up from scratch, baking is another story. I usually will alter a recipe but I have had my fair share of hockey puck blobs so I don't venture off to creating my own baking recipes. I googled for a vegan pumpkin bread recipe and found one that looked great at the "Happy Herbivore."  I have a thing about chocolate chips and baking, I like to add them to just about everything I make (Enjoy life makes awesome dairy free chocolate chips and chunks)  Since I was adding chocolate chips I needed to adjust the sugar down. I also like have extra of baking to freeze. I recently bought some mini loaf pans from Epicure and love them! 4 of them equal one large loaf, they  make loaves  the perfect size to freeze and look so cute! When using them I have to adjust the baking time since they are smaller.
What is your favourite baked good?

So without further ado here is the altered recipe:




 Mini Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips (Original unaltered recipe here)

• ¼ cup plant-based milk (I used coconut)
• ¼ tsp lemon juice
• 2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp Maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp Epicure Pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips
• 
  

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Grease or spray a standard bread pan. 

Whisk non-dairy milk and lemon juice together until bubbly and set aside. 

In a medium mixing bowl, cream pumpkin, sugar, syrup and extract together.

In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin pie spice, flour, baking soda, chocolate chips and baking powder together. 

Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined. 

Pour into bread pans (I used silicone mini loaf pans), using a spatula to evenly distribute and smooth out the top. Grab a large piece of aluminum foil and make a tent over the pan. 

Bake for 1 hour for one large loaf or 30 minutes for 4 mini loaves, To test doneness insert a toothpick in the center, when the it comes out clean it is done. 

Once the bread has cooled but is still slightly warm, gently remove it from the pan and on to a serving plate.

Four mini loaves cooling

Easy crockpot tortilla soup

I love Tortilla soup, it is filling and so delicious. It  really hits the spots after a long day canning. It is also really easy to toss in the crockpot. Clay and Orion loved it as well, they enjoy just about any soup I make.

3 cups cooked black beans (I used my recipe for Pinto beans and just used black beans instead, just remember to watch them to see if they need more water)
1 cup of corn
1 litre Chicken or vegetable broth
1 minced jalapeno
1 onion, diced
1 diced bell pepper
1 can organic tomato sauce
1 tbsp garlic powder
4 tbsp lime juice

Chili powder to taste, I used chipotle chili powder, I didn't measure. The amount will really depend on your families taste buds, I just taste the broth and added enough to make it just spicy enough.

Toppings:
Corn tortilla chips or fried tortilla strips
Chopped cilantro
Avocados, sliced

Put everything in the crockpot except for the toppings, cook on high for 5 hours or on low for around 8. I usually wait until about an hour before serving to put the bell pepper in, I don't like them mushy. Serve with fried tortilla strips on top and cilantro and sliced avocados.

Mmm, Beef dip, a lovely comforting meal on a dreary day. I really enjoyed this, Orion picked out all the meat, ate it. He wouldn't touch the bun, he isn't a fan of white flour. He also dipped his cucumbers in the "jus"

Beef dip 
1 lb beef I just used stewing beef cubes, but you can use whatever cut you would like
2 cups beef broth
3 tsp 3 onion dip mix (Epicure)
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup red wine
1 1/2 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground dry mustard
1 tsp Vegan Worcestershire sauce (You could use regular but we have a fish allergy)
French rolls (I used this recipe, usually I make whole wheat rolls but I have been having trouble with making hockey pucks so I switched to all white for a batch)


Put all in crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours,
About 1 hour before serving remove meat with a slotted spoon and shred, Place back in juice in the crockpot on low.
Scoop meat out with slotted spoon and place in rolls (You can toast them and sprinkle with garlic powder before if you would like), if you want you can put a piece if cheese on it. (We don't because I don't like any of the cheese subs) Serve a bowl of the sauce on the side for dipping.

Sauteed spinach with mushrooms and bacon

I served this dish for a dinner with my parents, it is an easy side that has a great flavour. Do not overcook the spinach, when it is all just wilted it is done, it will still continue wilting after you take it out of the pan.

Sauteed spinach with mushrooms and bacon
Serves 5

6 cups loosely packed washed organic baby spinach
1/2 cup bacon bits
4 cups mushrooms sliced (I used cremini because I really enjoy the flavour)
5 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp of coconut oil  plus 1 tbsp

Mix, garlic, coconut oil mushrooms in a large pan, Over medium heat cook until mushrooms are browned.
Stir in spinach and additional coconut oil stirring often, until spinach is just wilted.

Bruschetta and Bruschetta chicken

We love bruschetta in this house, Orion will eat with a spoon on its own, we can easily go through an entire 500ml of home canned bruschetta in a sitting. We have started a new family tradition with my parents that we alternate hosting Sunday dinner. This week is our week to host. My dad has celiac disease so in addition to our normal dietary restrictions we have to do gluten free. Last dinner over here I served an appetizer of our bruschetta and it disappeared very quickly. I decided to take the bruschetta idea and run with it. The recipe that follows in my interpretation of a bruschetta chicken. I wanted to make bruschetta fresh since it would take 2-3 jars worth to have enough and I really wanted to save my jars for eating at a later date. I used my favourite home canning recipe and altered it. I have always had the recipes from Bernardin turn out, they are always delicious. These alterations make it NOT safe for canning, only for eating fresh.
Original recipe SAFE for canning is here  Dinner was a huge hit! Everyone loved it, this will go into my make again list, in theory you could use any type of chicken pieces you wanted with this.

Sorry for the not so great picture, I was in a hurry to get dinner on the table.

Marikas Fresh Bruschetta (Original unaltered recipe found here) Yield 3.5 cups 4.5 cups  chopped roma tomatoes about 10 medium  3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup  white wine vinegar 1/4 cup red wine vinegar 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup  water 1 tbsp granulated sugar 3 1/2 tbsp  fresh basil 1 tbsp dried oregano 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1) Wash and chop tomatoes into 1/2 inch (1cm) pieces put in pot  2)Combine garlic, white wine, wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, water, sugar, basil and oregano tomatoes in a deep stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a full boil; reduce heat. Stirring occasionally, boil gently, covered, 5 minutes.  3)Remove from heat. Stir in Olive oil 4) Chill for  at least 2 hours. Bruschetta chicken 3 1/2 cups prepared bruschetta (If your bruschetta does not contain olive oil you will need to add 2tbsp) 6 Bone in chicken breasts Optional: Parmesan cheese, or fake parmesan cheese Salt, Pepper Remove the skin from your chicken breasts, wash well Drain  1 1/2 cups liquid from bruschetta, reserve Put remain bruschetta back to chill Place chicken in large plastic bag or marinating tub, pour in bruschetta liquid, Place chicken bag in fridge for at least 1 hour no longer than four. Preheat oven to 375F Place chicken bone side up and liquid in oiled glass pan cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes, Take bruschetta out of fridge, bring to room temp, Flip chicken so breast side is up  Pour bruschetta over chicken and bake for 15 more minutes or until internal temp of chicken is 165 If you are using real cheese in last five minutes  sprinkle cheese over everything. Serve on a bed of sauteed spinach with rice.

Crock pot pumpkin pie oat pudding

Yesterday was Samhain. We celebrate it together as a family with a special meal and family time, I had all sorts of plans to make pumpkin tarts with the pumpkin puree from the other day. I ran out of time so I thought for a minute and came up with this recipe, it is like a rice pudding but made with steel cut oats. It isn't very sweet, so if you like your desserts really sweet add some more maple syrup :) I didn't take any pictures of the steps this time as I was all about spending as much time with our family as possible.

Enjoy!

What is your favourite special dessert?

Crock pot pumpkin pie oat pudding


1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup cut steel cut oats
1 apple diced
1/4 cup organic unsweetened raisins
4 cups non dairy milk  (I used half Quiona and half coconut)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (Epicure makes a really great one)
2 tbsp maple syrup

Whisk pumpkin, spice and maple syrup into milk,
Put milk mixture into Crockpot
Place in Crockpot, Heat on high for 2 hours (If on high make sure you stir often) or low for 4-6

Alternate: For gluten free just make sure your oats and spice is gluten free :)