October Vegan Food Swap

This month I was sent goodies from Maggie in Newfoundland. I didn't realize Maggie was in Newfoundland though until I received my parcel and it was all packed snugly in pages from The Telegram (local paper). It was nice to see since I remember it from growing up there and gave me that "awww I miss home" kinda feeling. Maggie sent me her recipe for Pumpkin Spice Granola and I immediately made it just because it sounded so good. My mom is seriously in love with this stuff, she won't stop talking about it and how amazing it is. I think she is hinting she wants me to make more...what do you think?

Maggie also sent me:

- Patak's Garlic Paddadums: I have seen these at the grocery store and have never bought them because I will admit I had no clue what they were. I am glad she sent them! Next time I cook up something with Indian flavours these will be getting used.

- a bag of Cinnamon Crunch Somersaults: I have never tried these either and they are so good! The bag is gone now since we all loved them. I left them on the kitchen table and every night after supper we would all have a few and they quickly disappeared.

- a few Tazo Refresh tea bags: I am a non-caffeinated person, crazy I know but that stuff makes me jittery in the worst way. I really appreciated the herbal tea as I am turning into a tea person lately. It made a great after dinner tea with the mint.

- a pack of Panda All-Natural Soft Licorice: Lucky me since I love black licorice. I know it's one of those love it or hate it things but I love it! I really enjoyed this little treat too!

- a bag of Rhythm Superfoods Kool Ranch Kale Chips: I love me some kale chips and these are no exception. I have tried some of the flavours from Rhythm Superfoods before but Kool Ranch was a new one. Very tasty!

Thank you so much Maggie! I really loved it all and my mom says thank you for sending the granola recipe! I love it too so thank you from me too!

As always, if you would like to join in, check out http://meshell.ca/blog/veganfoodswap/ for details and sign up sheet.

Around the World in 80 Plates: Lebanon

Again, for this entry, I had to ask for my mom's help and the recipe I used is from World Vegan Feast. This time it was Yellow Semolina Cake with Lemon Syrup (Sfoof) from Lebanon. As the name would indicate, it is made with semolina flour and is soaked with a lemon syrup after it's baked. It also has a traditional ingredient of turmeric to give it a bright yellow hue (and no joke, it's yellow!). Bryanna says in the header of the recipe that she added the less traditional lemon flavouring to the cake and a lemon syrup as well but I think it was a great addition. I love lemon cakes, they may just be my favourite of all the cakes so when I read over this recipe, I knew I had to try it.

It goes together quite quickly with the assistance of a stand mixer and the top is studded with slivered almonds which makes it quite pretty. I also love that it will hold for a few days though I'm not sure how long it will last around here. This cake is seriously moreish. It is dense and moist and full of lemony flavour. It's surprisingly not as sweet as I would have imagined with the syrup poured over top. Its just right. Mac loved it too and the fact that we are eating cake at 10:30 am too!

Also, you have until tomorrow morning at 10am EST to enter to win one of nine cookbooks (you get to choose). It is open to anyone, worldwide and all you have to do is leave a comment on this post (http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/10/around-world-in-80-plates-finland.html).

This is my final Vegan Mofo post, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. I found some great new blogs to follow and ate a bunch of delicious food thanks to some wonderful vegan cookbook authors. I do plan to keep up on the trip around the world just not at this pace. Hope you will come back to join me for those as well!  

Around the World in 80 Plates: Turkey

I couldn't resist making Turkish Delight for this Mofo Project. When I spotted Pomegranate and Walnut Turkish Delight in Bryanna Clark Grogan's World Vegan Feast my inner nine year old instantly screamed out that I had to make it. I loved C.S. Lewis' Narnia books and I will always remember imagining what Turkish Delight might taste like while I was reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I was intrigued by the process to make it and the pomegranate juice that is used as flavouring. Then I hurt my arm and I thought I wasn't going to be able to get it made but my mom came to the rescue and made it for me and only left the cutting and tossing in powdered sugar for me to finish up. 

I quickly tasted a piece once I had just one tossed in the sugar to keep it from sticking to me and it was delicious and sticky and nutty with the addition of the walnuts. I swear my imagination went wild finally getting to taste what I had dreamed about when I was a little girl. I could now see why Edmund was taken with the White Witch since she kept bribing him with candy. I had (and still do have) a very overactive imagination as a kid and loved being pulled into another world of magic and fairy tales. I have very deep attachments to these books even still and can't wait until I can read them with Mac.

Around the World in 80 Plates: Greece

This next post features all kinds of yummy Greek food from Vegan Eats World and The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe but I'll let you in on a little secret...it was enjoyed all the way back at the beginning of the month for our Thanksgiving feast (better late than never right). Around this house there is always the usual discussion of what to make for big meals, you know, your Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter kind of meals. These meals always feature certain things in most families and these things get repeated every year in the name of tradition. This tradition I have thrown out the window, not because I can't recreate these things (because I can!) but just because I don't want to make the same thing year after year. I've decided to honor tradition in a different way, every year for these meals, I will make something awesome that takes a bit more time and effort than I am willing to put in on any other day and most importantly, I will share it with my family. When you really get down to it, that is the part you love about those big holidays. Sitting around the table and sharing time with your family and friends and enjoying each other's company. There, I got that out of the way...on to the food!

This year, I went with a Greek themed meal using recipes I knew I loved from testing for Vegan Eats World. It had been awhile since I made any of them so I was really looking forward to it too. I decided the centrepiece of this meal would be the Tomatoes and Peppers (though I left it at just tomatoes) Stuffed with Dill Rice or Yemista. Like I mentioned, I skipped the peppers this time but only because I bought a big flat of Ontario tomatoes at Costco, both are equally delicious! The filling is super flavourful in these, full of walnuts, fresh herbs and onions/garlic. They are impressive to serve but really are easy to make but shhh...let them be wowed!

Stuffed Tomatoes with Dill Rice
(from Vegan Eats World)

I also made the Lemon Garlic Roasted Potatoes which are also quick and easy but super yummy! Kiddo loves these big time too. Another hit at the table this Thanksgiving was the Greek Creamy Lemon Rice Soup. Everyone loved this as a starter with the veggies, beans and rice seasoned with dill and oregano. Also on the table for our feast were some souvlaki soy curls. I have yet to really write down and perfect this recipe but basically I soak and drain/squeeze the soy curls then marinate them in lemon juice (fresh squeezed really works best here), lots of garlic that I finely grate (like a whole head), a big pinch of dried oregano and some salt and pepper. Then all you have to do is pan fry them until they are golden and a bit crispy on the outside. I always taste a few as I cook and adjust the seasoning as I go. I served these up and made sure to have lots of thick Greek style pitas, sliced tomatoes and red onions and some homemade tzatziki too. To make the tzatziki, I pressed out some of the homemade yogurt from Artisan Vegan Cheese until it was thick and creamy in my Tofu Xpress. Then I added one small Lebanese style cucumber that I grated finely and the juice that came out while grating, a splash of lemon juice, about a tablespoon of fresh minced dill, one glove of garlic grated finely as well with a bit of salt and pepper to taste. It was perfect too, kinda of dry like goat's milk tzatziki would be but still creamy and it was excellent with the soy curls and potatoes too.

Greek Creamy Lemon Rice Soup
(from Vegan Eats World)

Souvlaki Soy Curls (my little improv recipe) and
 Lemon Garlic Roasted Potatoes (from Vegan Eats World)

Homemade Tzatziki

I also added in something new that I have never tried, Dolmas, from The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe. I had picked up some vine leaves in a Middle Eastern market recently and the only thing that came to mind was dolmas. They were similar in filling to the tomatoes in that it was rice based but they were different. I was a little hesitant at first about eating a leaf but I decided to say what the heck and go for it and they were so worth the chance. They were especially good dipped in the tzatziki too.

Dolmas (from The 30 Minute Vegan's Taste of Europe)

Put it all together!

And of course there was dessert and what better dessert to have with our Greek feast than Hazelnut Orange Blossom Baklava from Vegan Eats World?? This is some seriously delicious baklava made with a mix of butter and olive oil and I swear I will never go back to any other way of making it. The nuts and the syrup mix together to make a sticky sweet nutty flavour party. Plus it looks pretty too, right?!

Hazelnut Orange Blossom Baklava (from Vegan Eats World)

Around the World in 80 Plates: Poland

Again I hit up my copy of The 30 Minute Vegan Taste of Europe for inspiration and found Stuffed Cabbage in the European Fusion section of the book. While different versions of these stuffed cabbage rolls are served all over the world, they are considered serious comfort food in Poland. From my internet searching I found out in Poland they would be called Gołąbki which means little pigeons referring to their size. I seriously loved cabbage rolls but I haven't made them much since being vegan so I was super excited to try these out. I enlisted my mom to help me with them to speed up the process and was happy I did when we decided our cabbage needed a little help letting go of its leaves. They were not coming off without cracking so we boiled a big pot of water and put the giant head of cabbage in there. That was the easy part...the harder part was how to get the giant, now boiling hot, head of cabbage out of the pot! It was tricky and involved us both, some kitchen utensils and two oven mitts but we got it out of there. The filling was quick and easy to make but we did make a quick substitution for the tempeh it called for on account that my mom won't touch the stuff. We decided to add in chopped walnuts in their place and it worked perfectly. They added a nice textural contrast and flavour.  The sauce was tasty but there really wasn't enough of it so we had to add more, about another two times the recipe. I served them up with some homemade sour cream and steamed veggies to the whole family, in-laws included and everyone loved them. I even convinced Mac to give them a try figuring he would quickly change his mind but he ate up almost a whole one. They really tasted just like what I loved before, hearty, filling, savoury with a bit of sweetness from the tomato sauce. I loved the dill in them and did served them with a bit of homemade sour cream as well that added a nice richness to them. They probably could have been baked a bit longer than the recipe stated but that might differ based on your cabbage. It's definitely a recipe I will be revisiting sometime soon!

Around the World in 80 Plates: Ukraine

You know those things that you've always heard about but never tasted and you think you aren't going to like them so you never try them? One of those for me was always Borscht. I was always curious about it but since my experience with beets had always been pickled when I was younger I thought "how could that make a yummy soup?" but again...I was wrong! This has been my experience since becoming vegan for so many things. The borscht I made is less traditional since it is usually made with beef or pork broth but it still features beetroot and other veggies that are found in recipes. The recipe I used is actually from The 30 Minute Vegan Taste of Europe and it did come together quite quickly. I started supper late and was worried about it taking a long time but it really was around 30 minutes once I did the 15 minutes or so of prepping. It is flavourful and warming like a good soup should be. My mom commented that it doesn't taste like beets but I got the earthiness of them in there. Like I said, we were both raised where pickled beets are on every supper table and I had never had them any other way until very recently. I made a homemade sour cream to served with it that was sort of an amalgam of different recipes I have tried. I quickly mixed homemade yogurt with Vegenaise, a splash of lemon juice and some fresh dill and put a small dollop in the borscht. It really added something too so I recommend it if you are trying this out.

I had thought ahead about supper a bit though since I also wanted to make Pampushki to serve alongside it. I knew right away that I was going to use Megan's Homemade Newfoundland White Bread recipe for the buns. I had been eyeing it since she posted it and now was the perfect time to try it. I followed all the directions in Megan's recipe up until the shaping where I just shaped it into small buns and placed them into a well greased 9" cake pan then I followed again to rise a second time just to the top of the pan and baked in a 400F oven for about 30 minutes. While they were baking I mixed up some olive oil, about six big cloves of minced garlic, a generous tablespoon of fresh dill and a touch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. When the buns came out of the oven I immediately brushed them with the garlic/dill oil and served them warm along with the borscht. They were so good! The bread was soft and moreish and the garlic and dill on top was perfect. Even my five year old loved it and was eating up that raw garlic like there was no tomorrow. My mom on the other hand scraped it off but loved the buns. And I literally had to tear Ryan away from the pan. This bread recipe is perfection Megan!! Thank you for sharing it!

Don't forget, there is still time to enter to win one of nine different cookbooks, including The 30 Minute Vegan Taste of Europe. Just head over to this post (http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/10/around-world-in-80-plates-finland.html) and leave a comment to enter before November 1st at 10am EST. It is open to anyone in the world!

Around the World in 80 Plates: Russia (cont)

Another dish from Russia that I couldn't resist were Piroshki! I am a huge fan of pierogi and these are similar but baked (or fried) in a yeasted bread dough instead. The idea was totally intriguing to me and Mac was on board as soon as I said they were like bread and potato together. My mom, however, was a bit skeptical. She wasn't sold on the whole mashed potato inside bread but I thought I could sell her on them once they were made and she saw how good they looked.

I searched online for a recipe and found a few for the dough that all varied. Most had egg, butter and milk so I had to put my veganizing skills to work. I went with this recipe in the end (http://russianrecipes.net/piroshki/) and it worked out well I think. I followed it to the tee subbing Earth Balance buttery sticks for the butter it called for, soy milk in place of milk in equal measure and for the 2 eggs called for, I went with a 1/2 cup of homemade yogurt (of course, recipe from Artisan Vegan Cheese). I mixed it up and let it rise and it really did make a soft, smooth dough that was easy to work with. Rolling it out and cutting the circles was exactly the same as making pierogi so I was all set for that. The fillings they suggest in the recipe I used were meat, mushroom or buckwheat but I decided to go with potato. I made a big batch of mashed potatoes using Yukon Gold potatoes and once they were boiled and drained I added a big handful of finely sliced green onions, a generous tablespoon of minced fresh dill and another 1/3 cup of homemade yogurt. It was seriously the most delicious mashed potatoes ever. I really recommend you try the combo of flavourings even if you don't want to go through the fuss of making the piroshki. The yogurt itself is the best thing to add since it gives you a slight tang in them like if you added sour cream or buttermilk. Seriously...amazing...you need to try it! I decided to bake my piroshki instead of frying so after stuffing and sealing them up, I placed them on a baking sheet that I sprayed with oil and then sprayed the tops as well. Usually they have an egg wash to give them a golden colour but I skipped trying to sub that so mine are lighter but you could totally do it. I know I have seen different types of vegan eggwash solutions in cookbooks and blogs from just using soy milk or oil or water. The recipes says to bake for 10 minutes, mine weren't done by then. They took about 15 but I'm sure it would depend on the dough and your oven so just set a timer for 10 and check them after that until they are starting to brown and feel like the dough is baked through. I also took them out at 10 minutes and sprayed them again with the spray oil to get them to brown a bit more.

They are super tasty and we all loved them. I even converted the doubter! The filling is flavourful and doesn't get lost in the dough which can happen. The dough baked up soft and tender too. I even pressed a little of the same homemade yogurt in my Tofu Xpress (lined with cheesecloth and just used the regular spring) for 30 minutes and added just a touch of lemon juice and salt to make some sour cream to dip them in. It was a nice addition to the plate. Mac said that they were awesome but that he still loved pierogi the bestest. He then asked if there were enough to have them again for lunch the next day so maybe we'll call it a tie!

Don't forget, I'm giving away a cookbook that you can choose from the list. All you have to do to enter is comment on this post (http://threeandahalfvegans.blogspot.ca/2012/10/around-world-in-80-plates-finland.html?showComment=1351004358748#c4746573022444667543) and you will be entered and it is open to everyone WORLDWIDE!