So Sloppy, Sloppy Joe!

Holy mackerel it's been a long time since I've blogged! So much has happened! I swear I'm not just slacking, I swear! 

I had a bakesale for the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, which was AWESOME! R&R Cafe was super super amazing and let me take over for a day and between the cafe sales and home sales I was able to donate $900 to Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary. ❤️️👍

Then it was time to gear up for Niagara Veg Fest! I baked my little heart out and made about 350 Macaroons! Good grief!! Once they were all stuffed into a bin they looked so sad and cramped! Poor BB's. Eventually most were eaten, which is a strangely better fate. 

Now, let's get to the sloppy joes! You'll have to forgive me and use some of your own judgement because I'm not 100% sure how these happened but hot darn they were good! 

So Sloppy, Sloppy Joes!

Ingredients:

Onions, diced

Peppers, diced

Fire roasted tomatoes

Green lentils, rinsed, boiled and "ready"

Garlic salt

Smoked paprika 

Powdered Habanero (aka THE FOOD OF THE GODS!!! I add it into everything!)

Vegetable oil 

BBQ sauce (I used a no name plain)

Black Strap molasses 

Sauté the onions and peppers in the olive oil and add the spices. Use as much as you like. I used Swedish chef amounts. (Mutter "horgy porgy" and toss in indiscriminately until you feel you've added enough) Reserve the habanero!

Then add in the fire roasted tomato and lentils and stir well. Douce with BBQ sauce and molasses. I did a ratio of about 4:1, respectively. 

Shake the habanero on top and let cook down on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. The sauce will thicken, but if it doesn't you can always add a tablespoon of tomato paste. 

I had previously made the cole slaw. It was in a basic vinaigrette which was a mix of:

Apple cider vinegar

Raw cane sugar

Bold mustard

Vegetable oil

Garlic powder... And I think that's it. Haha

The final product? Once the Joe mix was spooned over a whole wheat toasted bun... TA DA!!

Ethiopian Sweet Potato & Lentil Stew

In our house anything with lots and lots of spice is always a hit, so when I saw a recipe for an Ethiopian dry spice called "Berbere" I knew I had to make it and use it immediately. I suggest you make this in bulk (I quadrupled the recipe) and use it as often as you can. It is amazing.

I cheated and used my NutriBullet to grind up the seeds, flakes and whatnot but if you're insistent you can use the old fashioned mortar and pestle way. When you're done just keep it in a mason jar. 

Berbere Spice Blend:

• 4 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 Tbsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground clove
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Now for the stew. I LOVE lentils. Like, really really love them. And I also love a good stew. We volunteer at Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary in Ontario (Canada) and the farm work visits are potluck. There is something about working your butt off and then sitting down to stew that just feels sooooo good. Stew is also a really easy way to feed a lot of people :)

Anyhow, the ingredients for the stew are:

• 2 large onions, finely diced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp berbere spice
• 1.5L Broth
• 1 tbsp minced ginger
• 3 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/4 of a cabbage (red or green) finely chopped
• 6 small-medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup green lentils (or 1 can)
• 1 can organic tomato paste

• In a large pot, sauté the onions in the olive oil. After a few minutes add the garlic and ginger. Next add the berbere and stir well. Now add the cabbage and cook covered for a minute or two. Now you're ready for the broth and potatoes. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil before lowering heat and simmering for 20-25 minutes. Lastly add the tomato paste to thicken. 

When the potatoes are done and the broth had thickened I like to give it a once over with the immersion blender to make it extra thick and stewy. Enjoy! 

#goodfoodbadpicture haha

PS - my formatting is all off on this post but I can't be bothered to boot up the laptop and fix it. So I have a bulletted paragraph that shouldn't be. If you didn't already notice, now you will. If you did 8 am painfully aware but totally apathetic. Ha! 

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. 

Banh Mi Chay!

I apologize if the spelling is off on the title of this delicious comfort food, but I am relying on Google :)

I'm sure at this point you all think that I love most of what I make. This is totally untrue. Only about 1/4 of what I make ends up on the blog. I'm a touch neurotic and sometimes if I can't get a good picture, or if it's too much of a hassle I don't bother. I want to post easy and delicious meals. Not stuff that will make your left eye twitch. 

So, having said that... SANDWICHES, am I right?? There is something about a stuffed to the brim, slopping everywhere, practically a meal left on your plate at the end sandwich that is just awesome. 

That is exactly what Banh Mi Chay is. A vegan version of a Vietnamese sandwich. (They typically come with pork from what I gather...) 

I was unable to find the pickled daikon and carrots so I made my own. (Salt and sugar the matchstick veg, rinse, and brine with a mix of vinegar and sugar)

For the sandwich, the other ingredients:

1 large crusty baguette

Cucumber, thinly sliced

Tofu 

Starch (I used potato)

Cilantro

Vegan mayo 

Lime juice

Green onion 

Oil

First mix the vegan mayo with cilantro and a dash of lime juice. Then spread on both sides of the baguette, which has been sliced in half and rationed into sandwich size. 

Then heat a flat bottom pan with oil. Take your tofu and slice any way you'd like. You can to strips, or flat rectangles. Coat evenly in starch and dry until golden brown; about 2 minutes per side. Then set aside on a paper towel. I threw in some green onion for fun.

With your sandwich sauced on both sides, start assembling! (This sandwich gets awfully full, a helpful hint is to hollow the bread out of the middle and just use the crust!) 

I layered as follows (bottom to top):

Bread /sauce/ tofu/ green onions/

pickled carrots and daikon/ 

cucumber/ sauce/ bread

Hold on tight and enjoy! 

A little spelt goes a long way...

I am so excited about tonight's dinner I can barely contain myself. 

I bought a pre-made spelt dough ball, which comes around the size of a softball. I had a hankering for a nice baked flatbread and after slicing off the right size and making flatbread there was tons more leftover. Naturally, I thought CALZONES!! 

For the flatbread, I used a wooden rolling pin to get it to the size I wanted and then added some matchstick sweet potato and hand torn baby kale. I used a silicone brush to add some olive oil and seasoning and then topped with caramelized onions and some sea salt. 

LOOK AT THIS BEAUTY!!!

Then the calzone. I rolled out the remaining dough into a large "circle". I spread some pesto, topped with baby kale and sliced roasted red peppers, then some vegan mozzarella and more kale. Sealed it up and brushed with olive oil.

HOT DAMN!!!

I'm off to enjoy the fruits of my labour now. Toodles!!!