Friday, August 23, 2013

a couple cheap vegan options

People often think being vegan is difficult and expensive, but there's lots of great options within non-vegan restaurants. Here's a couple of my favorite cheap vegan finds in Montreal...
Vietnamese veggie sandwiches in China Town
tofu dogs & fries at Lafleur
vendantanator sandwich (you can get it with no cheese) at Depanneur Le Pick Up

Thursday, July 25, 2013

Grilled Portobello & Peach Burgers

Every year we spend a weekend at our friends Pat & Marissa's camper. This year we were spoiled with a full menu of vegetarian delights! The Portobello & Peach Burgers were definitely a highlight. The combination of sweet peaches with salty mushrooms was perfection! I highly recommend these.
Grilled Portobello & Peach Burgers
Makes 6 burgers
Ingredients
6 portobello mushrooms
6 peaches6 sweet potatoes
6 burger buns of your choice (If you don’t eat gluten, we have a quick gluten-free bun recipe on the blog.)
100 g fresh pea sprouts
5 small roman tomatoes, sliced
5 small spring onions, sliced
fresh thyme
olive oil
salt & pepper
Marinade Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 tbsp fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves
1/2 lemon
salt & pepper
Guacamole Ingredients
4 avocados
5 small Roma tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup parsley
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
Preparation: Clean the portobello mushrooms by carefully removing dirt from the caps with a kitchen towel or cloth; you can use a little water if needed. Pat dry. Cut the peaches in halves and remove the pits.
Making the sweet potato fries: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut the sweet potatoes in 1-inch thick, 5-inch long sticks. Put them on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil, salt and thyme over them and put in the oven. The fries need around 30 minutes before they are ready, but you need to stir after 15 minutes.
Making the marinade: Pour olive oil in a small bowl. Add one chopped rosemary sprig, chopped thyme, mashed garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Stir around. Use the other rosemary sprig to brush the mushrooms and peaches with the marinade. When the grill is ready, grill the portobello and peaches for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, while you use the rosemary stick to brush the marinade over them one more time.
Making the guacamole: Chop avocados, tomatoes and parsley roughly. Add them to a small bowl with mashed garlic. Squeeze lemon juice over it, and mash everything with a fork. It’s okay if it stays a little chunky.
Assembling the burger: Slice the buns in halves. Let them get some color on the grill. When done, place a big dollop of guacamole on the bottom bun, and add pea sprouts, tomatoes, spring onion, one portobello mushroom and two peach halves. Add the top of the bun, and insert a stick to hold it all together. Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

String Bean & Cranberry Salad

This is a fresh easy salad that can be made in 10 minutes!
Fresh string beans
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Lemony Rice Salad

Summertime is a great time for fresh salads. You can throw this together in 10 minutes using leftover rice and whatever veggies you have in the fridge.
lemony rice salad
Lemony Rice Salad
1 cup cooked rice
1 green onion
1 pepper
1 carrot
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
 
Chop veggies, mix with rice. Add parsley & walnuts. Pour remaining ingredients over top. Stir and enjoy!

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins

Perfect muffins for strawberry rhubarb season! I made these with fresh rhubarb from my mom's garden, and strawberries from the market. They turned out delicious! New favorite recipe.

2.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup rhubarb cut in small pieces
2/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup applesauce
1/3 cup buttahmilk (1 tbsp apple cider vinegar + non-dairy milk)
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup sliced strawberries
Optional topping: 1 tbsp sugar + 1/4 tsp cinnamon 

Mix dry ingredients. Add rhubarb. Mix in wet ingredients.

Bake for 25 minutes at 375.

Recipe from Jae Steele's Ripe From Around Here cookbook

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Fennel, Sweet Potato & Kale

Just back from a holiday, I was keen on buying and cooking a whole bunch of fresh veggies. Here's a mix of delicious side dishes put together to create a colorful & yummy meal. Serve with your choice of grain.

served with couscous
Garlic Roasted Fennel & Pepper
Cut up fennel & pepper into chunks, add olive oil & garlic cloves (to your liking), sprinkle with thyme. Roast for 20 minutes, mix. Roast for 10 more minutes.

Sweet Potato
Cut into chunks. Boil for 10 minutes. Add vegan margarine, sea salt & pepper.

Kale
Steam kale (you can steam it over the boiling potatoes). In a frying pan, fry onion in oil. Add steamed kale, a dash of rice vinegar & tamari. Fry for a couple minutes to absorb flavors.

Monday, May 13, 2013

vegan handbag from co-lab

I've been looking for a new handbag for a while, so I was super excited to discover Christopher Kon's co-lab handbags at my favourite store in Hudson; facade. It can be challenging to find a good quality handbag that's not leather. Montreal's co-lab is a great vegan, local find!
colourful, cute & vegan