Category: vegetarian

Cajun Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

These stuffed peppers are so colourful and tasty – enough to impress guests, or just a beautiful meal for yourself.  It’s not too tough to make, and it’s all good for you, even vegetarian!  You just cook up some veggies and mix them with quinoa, beans and spices, stuff it into the peppers and bake.  The pecans on the top of the finished product give it that something extra special.

I love that it’s a meal all on its own, but you can add any side dish you like.

What you need:

3/4 cup quinoa

4-5 peppers, multi-coloured if possible

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

3/4 -1 cup chopped mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, diced

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

3 teaspoons cajun spice mix

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, rinsed

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup cajun pecans

What you do:

1.  Rinse the quinoa, then bring to a boil in 1 & 1/4 cups water.  Cook for 15 minutes, then let rest for 10 minutes.

2. Cook the onion in butter or olive oil until slightly browned, then add mushrooms and garlic and cook until the mushrooms are done.  Add wine, if you want, and cook until it is evaporated.

3.  Add cajun spice mix and stir, then add the corn, beans and cilantro, and stir until it’s all mixed evenly.

4. Cut the tops off the peppers and empty them of their seeds and membrane.

5.  Fill the peppers with the quinoa mix, then pop them in a 350F oven for about 30 minutes.

6. Top with the chopped pecans and serve them up!

Cajun Pecans

I made these to top my Cajun Quinoa Stuffed Peppers, but they’d be great on a salad or just as a treat on their own.

What you need:

1/2 cup pecans

2 teaspoons butter or olive oil

2 teaspoons cajun spice mix

What you do:

1.  Melt the butter or oil in a frying pan.  Add the pecans and stir until they are coated.

2.  Add the spice mix and stir until all the nuts are thoroughly coated.

3.  Cook on medium-low heat, stirring from time to time so they won’t burn.

4.  After 5-8 minutes remove the nuts from the pan and let them cool.

Use them whole or chopped up however you wish!  Leave a comment below if you’ve discovered a new way to use them, or if you just like them!

Cajun Spice Mix

No need to buy a package of pre-mixed cajun spices.  If you’ve got a spice rack/drawer/bin going, you probably have all of these ingredients already.  There are so many cajun spice mixes out there, so I looked at a whole bunch of them and used the ingredients they all have in common, then added the ones that I thought would make it taste the best.  I happened to be staying with friends who had gumbo filé in their collection, but it’s not necessary to add if you don’t happen to have it in your rack/drawer/bin.

I’ve used this mix on my Cajun Pecans and in Cajun Quinoa Stuffed Peppers.

What you need:

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 & 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

1/2 teaspoon gumbo filé  (if you have it)

What you do:

1.  Mix it all together!  Store it with your spices.

London Fog Tea with homemade vanilla syrup

This picture actually shows London Fog teas with whiskey, on a gorgeous early spring day in the sunshine.  It was still a little chilly, so the hot tea and whiskey warmed us up a bit!

It’s ridiculously easy to make the syrup, and you can substitute the vanilla for your favourite extract for other uses.  Almond is great too.

This tea is pennies a serving, saving you the many dollars that coffee shops charge.

What you need:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon pure vanilla

milk/ plain soy milk

strong Earl Grey tea

What you do:

1.  Heat the water and sugar in a pot and bring to a boil.  Boil, stirring for about a minute, then add the vanilla, stir and remove from the heat.  This syrup will keep indefinitely, so pour it into a jar, and stick whatever you don’t use into your cupboard for next time.

2.  Make some very strong Earl Grey tea.

3.  Heat some milk/soy milk.

4.  Pour about 1/3 cup of the tea into a heated mug, then add 2/3 cup of milk.  If you’ve got a frother, go ahead and add some frothy milk to the top.

5.  Add about a tablespoon of the syrup and stir it in.  Taste it to see if it’s sweet enough for you.

Sit down and enjoy your hot cuppa with a friend, or take a quiet moment to yourself.

The view from Rudy and Maureen’s, where we enjoyed a hot cuppa.

Pepita Pesto on Spaghetti Squash

I told a friend that I’d make a green meal for St. Patrick’s Day.  I wanted to use natural greens (no food colouring), so here’s what I came up with – green pepitas, or pumpkin seeds, in basil pesto.  I chose spaghetti squash because it’s nice and light.

What you need:

1 spaghetti squash

1/4 cup  toasted pepitas (otherwise known as pumpkin seeds)

3/4 – 1 cup basil

1/2 clove of garlic

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan (I use lactose-free l’Ancetre brand)

olive oil

salt

pepper

What you do:

1.  Cut the spaghetti squash in half and bake for 30-40 minutes on 400F, or until you can remove the squash easily with a fork in stringy strands.

2.  Toast the pepitas lightly.

3. Place the pepitas in the food processor and grind well.

4.  Add basil, garlic, salt and a bit of pepper to the pepitas and add as much olive oil  as you need to make it smooth.  Then add the parmesan and give it one last whirl.

5.  Remove the squash from its shell with a fork.  Top with pesto.

I’m serving it with peas, but that’s just to add more green for St. Paddy’s Day!

Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan

This one is so easy – just snap the woody ends off the asparagus, and steam them for a minute or two.  Plate them, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice on top, grate a little parmesan on, and a little salt.  Done – tasty, easy, delicious.

Maple Butternut Squash Soup

The sun came out today and reminded me that I only have a little more time to make winter soups!  So here is a squash soup I’ve been meaning to post for a long time, one that I’ve been making for years.  The baked cauliflower topping, however, is a new addition, and I’m going to make it like this again.

I know that the sticker on your squash probably tells you that the easiest way to cook it is in the microwave.  This may be true, however, I find oven-baking it makes it taste sweeter, and it’s also more satisfying.  Also, you can cook the cauliflower while the squash is baking.

What you need:

1 medium-sized butternut squash

2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)

2 stalks celery

1/2 large sweet onion (I cry less over sweet onions – you can use a regular one if you wish)

1 red or yellow sweet pepper

1/4 cup white wine (I used riesling)

1/4 teaspoon dry tarragon leaves, crumbled (1/2 teaspoon fresh)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

3-4 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock

maple syrup to taste

salt to taste, unless your stock already has salt in it

1/4 cup dry sherry – optional but amazing!

1 cauliflower, an optional topping

What you do:

1.  Cut the squash in half, de-seed and lay on a baking sheet.  Bake at 400F for about 30 minutes or until it pierces easily with a knife.  At the same time you can cut the cauliflower into florets and bake for the same amount of time, until browned.

2.  Cook the onion, celery and pepper in butter for several minutes.  Add the spices, then the wine, and cook for a few more minutes.  Add half of the stock and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.

3.  When the squash is cooked, allow it to cool enough to be handled.  Puree it, along with a cup of the stock, then add it to the vegetables.

4.  Heat the soup through, then add the maple syrup, sherry, and salt to taste.

5.  Top with chopped roasted cauliflower to serve.

Lemon Olive Oil Coffee Cake with Cranberries and Raspberries

After browsing  the recipes on Lottie and Doof I chose to make this recipe for an afternoon tea cake.  I added a sprinkling of ground almonds on top, and used frozen cranberries and a few raspberries instead of the fresh fruit mentioned in the original recipe.  Love this cake, even after a bit of a mistake on my part – I baked it in an 8-inch pan rather than the 9-inch pan that the recipe called for.  I had to leave it in the oven a lot longer than the recipe called for, and even then it was a little soft in the middle – but still so good!  The outside was a little crispy, which I actually liked – some mistakes are worth making!

What you need:

200 grams granulated sugar (about 1 cup)

zest of 2 lemons

100 grams melted butter (just less than 1/2 cup)

200 grams olive oil (just less than 1 cup)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

250 grams all-purpose flour (about 2 & 1/2 cups)

1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

about 1-1 & 1/2 cups fruit (I used cranberries and a few raspberries, but be creative or use what you’ve got on hand!)

What you do:

1.  Line the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350F.  Melt the butter and allow to cool a little.

2.  Mix the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips to release the oils.

3.  Crack the eggs into a large bowl and mix them with the sugar and salt.  Beat with an electric mixer for quite a while, until it has about doubled in volume.

4.  Very gradually beat in the olive oil, butter and lemon juice.

5.  Fold in the flour and baking powder, being careful not to mix too much.

6.  Pour half the batter into the pan, put a layer of fruit down, then add the rest of the batter on top of the fruit.

7.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.  You can check it by inserting a toothpick and seeing if it comes out clean.  After cooling a bit you can remove it from the pan by running a knife around the edge and inverting onto a wire rack.

Chili-Lime Nuts

This my attempt to make nuts like the Trader-Joe’s Thai lime and chili nuts.  These have less salt and no added oil.  You can adjust the amount of cayenne, if you don’t like things to get too hot.  This is really easy to make, and makes a nice treat to nibble on.

What you need:

juice of 1 lime

1 cup mixed nuts (I used red-skin peanuts, pistachios, walnuts, pecans and cashew – almonds would be great!)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 dried chili, crumbled

pinch of sugar

3 lime leaves, sliced – optional

What you do:

1.  Put all the ingredients in a bowl and coat all the nuts.

2.  Bake at 220F for 40-60 minutes.  Check them and stir every 10-15 minutes, especially near the end.  They will be done when they are dry inside – check by tasting!  You’ll want to scrape the dried juice and spices off the pan as you go along to combine with the nuts.

3.  These will keep for a few weeks.

Oven-baked Onion Rings

I’ve been trying for a while to find the right way to do this.  I tried one recipe that had cornmeal, and they were awful and cardboardy.  And a lot of the recipes I googled were coated in potato chips – pretty much defeating the purpose of oven-baking.  I wanted them to be delicious AND healthy – too much to ask?  Apparently not!

I just did what I usually do with breaded foods, but I added some yogurt to the egg coating to make them a little more tender.  And yum, it worked!  And it’s easy!

What you need:

1 egg

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

salt and pepper

1 sweet or red onion

What you do:

1.  Crack the egg into a bowl and add the yogurt.  Mix well with a fork.

2.  Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl with some salt and pepper.

3.  Cut the onion into thick rings, about 2cm wide.

4.  Dip each ring into the egg mixture, then coat thoroughly with the breadcrumb mixture.

5.  Place the breaded rings on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 400F.  Flip the rings over and bake for another 10-15 minutes.  They are done when they are quite browned.

Serve with a yogurt dip.  I like to add a bit of dill, salt and pepper to some plain yogurt.  Adding some curry powder to the plain yogurt is nice too.