Friday 28 February 2014

Banana Churros

Ok, so I don't really know what to call these things. They taste like banana funnel cakes laced with crack. Ok, you can't taste any crack, but they're hella addictive and delicious. Make sure to share, because these bad boys are deep fried which means you may as well stuff them in your pants- cause that's where they're going! Haha You'll need:

3 1/2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tbsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups water
Oil for frying

Preheat your oil while you prepare your dough. I used a medium high heat. Mash all ingredients together in a bowl until a thick and sticky dough is formed. 

Using two spoons, spoon the dough into the hot oil. Because the dough is so sticky I use the second spoon to scrape the dough off of the first spoon. The batter only needs to cook for about 20-30 seconds (turn if you need to) until golden brown.

When they're looking nice and done scoop them out with a mesh/slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate to cool. 

Once you eat one of these bite size pieces of heaven you'll be hooked! I find they're sweet enough as they are but for presentation you could dust with icing sugar, or cinnamon sugar. 



 

Tuesday 25 February 2014

No-Chicken Noodle Soup

If you're in the cold that is Canada like I am, this is the soup for you. Hearty. Healthy. Delicious. No-Chicken Noodle Soup. You'll need:

Celery (I used half a bunch)
Carrots (I used a whole bunch of small organic ones)
Parsley (about a fist full)
Vegan Butter (I used Earth Balance)
1 tsp Habanero Powder
1 tbsp Dried Basil
1 tbsp fresh chopped garlic 
4 large white mushrooms, cubed 
4 cups of vegan chicken broth
2 cups boiling water
2 cups noodles of your choice

In a large pot, melt butter and add in garlic, basil and habanero. Then add fresh chopped parsley. Next, add celery and carrot and cook on low until the carrot begins to soften. Now add the mushroom, chicken broth and water and bring to a boil. Once boiling add in your noodles and cook until soft. Enjoy!  




Monday 24 February 2014

Bagels! Bagels! Bagels!

Who knew that bagels were so easy to bake? I have a previous post where I made cinnamon raisin bagels, which were amazing. I wanted something more savoury this time so I added some dried basil and garlic powder. 

I'm not going to get super technical, because I only loosely follow directions at best so here goes. You'll need:

1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tbsp of sugar
2 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast (or instant)
2 1/2 cups of flour
Pinch of salt 
1 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tbsp garlic powder 

First, in a bowl add the warm water (not hot to touch) and then add in the sugar. Stir and add in the yeast. Wait 5 minutes or so to make sure it's active. (It will start to "foam") 

Next, add the optional salt and then the flour. Knead until you're frustrated and want to give up. Usually about 10 minutes. (This is usually where I volunteer my daughter as manual labour...) The dough should be smooth and not sticky. At the halfway point I added about 1 tbsp of dried basil and 1/2 tbsp of garlic powder.  

Place your ball of dough on a cookie sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Set somewhere warm for 2 hours. It should double in size. 

*intermission* (At this point you can do laundry, watch a movie, yell at kids, pay bills, walk the dog etc...)

After two hours take your now giant ball of dough and break it into 6 (large) or 8 (medium) equal size pieces. Roll each one by hand into a ball and then break through the centre to make a hole. 

Place your bagel shaped dough on your lined cookie sheet (again) and let rise for another 30 minutes. 

*intermission 2*

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a wide pot, bring water to a boil. Place each bagel in boiling water for 1 minute on each side. The place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, sprinkled with corn meal. 

Now, bake the bagels for 18 to 20 minutes and OM NOM NOM. 


Friday 14 February 2014

Macaroons!

I've been getting really lazy with my blogging lately. But I'm kind of of the opinion that the people want food and recipes, not banter. Correct me if I'm wrong people!

Ingredients:
1 cup of organic sugar
1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk
2 tbsp of agave syrup
2 tsp organic vanilla 
1 tsp salt
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
3/4 cup organic flour 

Preheat oven to 350 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Mix first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Then add coconut and mix well. Lastly, mix in flour and then use an ice cream scoop to transfer onto baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on the size of your ice cream scoop but watch closely because they can burn quickly. 

When they're almost done, take about 1/4 cup of vegan chocolate chips and 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil and melt over double boiler or in microwave. Transfer to a piping bag (or ziplock with the corner cut) and drizzle over macaroon. 

Let cool for 15 minutes and enjoy! 


Monday 10 February 2014

Coconut Curry Red Lentil Soup

Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. That's what this soup should be called. It smells divine. It tastes divine and it's super healthy. Win-win. Huzzah!

Ingredients:
2-3 onions, diced
2 tbsp vegetable oil 
1.5 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp mild curry paste
1 tsp nutmeg 
Coconut milk (1 can)
1.5 tbsp tomato paste
4 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups red lentils 

Pour oil into a pre-heated pan. Add onions and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add curry powder, paste and nutmeg. Continue to cook until onions are soft but not mushy. Add in coconut milk and stir well to mix. Next, add tomato paste and broth and bring to a boil. Lastly, add the lentils in and cook on med-low heat for 20-30 minutes. 

Finally, gobble it up! It is nice and easy to make, with minimal prep and can easily be doubled. :) 



Sunday 9 February 2014

Late Night Brownies!

What kind of an introduction do brownies really need? None! That's what!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup cacao
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup oil
1 cup water 
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add wet ingredients. Pour into a non-stick/greased pan and bake for 40 minutes or until the top is evenly cooked and not shiny any more. Wait to cool for ten minutes and then, DEVOUR!



Tuesday 4 February 2014

Corn Chowder

There is something so comforting about a nice thick sweet corn chowder. Paired with the jalapeño biscuits it's divine! What's even better is that it's so simple to make!

Ingredients:
2 onions, diced
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp sugar
1 medium carrot, sliced and quartered 
3 medium potatoes, cubed 1/2"
2 ears of sweet corn (or two cans)
4 cups of vegetable stock
2 cups of water, 1/2 cup reserved
1 tbsp starch (potato or corn)
Salt to taste

On medium heat add oil and onion. When the onions are clear sprinkle the sugar and cook until browned, or caramelized. 

Add in the carrot and the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling add corn and potato cubes and cook until soft, about 20 minutes. Remove about half of the soup and set aside. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup into a "rough" texture. Then add in the soup set aside and bring back to a low boil. 

With the 1/2 cup of warm water set aside, stir in the tbsp of starch and once dissolved stir slowly into soup. Voila! Perfect corn chowder! If you like more vegetables in yours you can add them.