Autumn Pumpkin Cream Cheese - Recipe

After a summer-long hiatus from the blogosphere, I have decided to kick this lovely season off with a very autumn-appropriate and delectable recipe. "Pumpkin cream cheese?! Woahhh," you say, with much uncertainty. I advise you to trust me, and succumb to the delicious flavours of fall, by stirring up these ingredients and spreading a thick layer of the stuff onto a toasted cinnamon bagel. Just...give in, okaaay! :)

Mash all ingredients together in a bowl, container, glass tupperware... Whatever vessel you please:

1 brick of Philadelphia light cream cheese
about 4 generous whopping spoonfuls of canned pumpkin puree
2 ish teaspoons worth of cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
just a spoonful of sugar (Mary Poppins style heheh)

Avocado Sushi Rolls - Recipe

All you need:

• Nori sheets
• 1/2 Avocado
• Sushi Rice (1 cup)
• 2 spoonfuls of Rice Vinegar
• Wasabi + Soy Sauce

I recommend using one of those sushi rolling things as well! I found one in my house. It's do-able though if you do not have one, just roll carefully and tightly
 
Firstly, bring 1 cup of sushi rice and 1 1/2 cups of water with the 2 spoonfuls of rice vinegar to a boil
Then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 12 min ish, stir every so often. After this, remove from heat and let stand covered for 5-7 min.

Place a nori sheet (seaweed) on your sushi roller, and throw down a layer of rice (not very much). Slice up your avocado. Place the innards of half the avocado on the side of nori closest to you, if you're rolling away from yourself. The rice should be sticky and thus be able to keep everything intact nicely.

Then roll away! It's so simple and you can basically put any ingredients you please in the roll... Serve with a dish of soy sauce and a bit of wasabi, depending how much wasabi flava you'd like!

Leftovers Soup - Recipe

Sunday was a day of weekend recovery before final exam week. The fridge contained limited ingredients and my body was overcome with laziness. When I spotted some potatoes, and onion, I knew what had to be done. I spent the midday making a sort of leftovers/peasant soup that turned out to be filling and tasty. Thought I'd share this super simple recipe I threw together!

Firstly, gotta peel them potatoes and onions.
Then you gotta chop em up and throw them into a bowl with a spoonful of olive oil along with some cumin and ground ginger powder.
Crush in a couple of garlic cloves as well. Set the oven to 300 F.
Mix the ingredients all up, then throw the contents of the bowl onto a baking tray.
Chuck it into the oven for about 20 min before putting them into a pot to boil with 1 cup of veg broth plus 3-4 cups of steeped Ginger Pu'erh Tea (David's Tea has the best!)
Serve that business with a dollop of nonfat plain yogurt, or else melt some cheese on top, I'm sure that'd be delicious too. Dash of pepper is always nice.
I like to rip pieces of pita bread and throw em into the soup.
Mmmmm! There's some Sunday soup for yah

Matcha Coconut Smoothie - Recipe

I have been back in Vancouver for a few months now, but I haven't been keeping up the blog. My days have been filled up with work and school, and my mealtimes have been primarily out and about around town. My mornings however are mostly spent in my kitchen (beautiful large room that allows for lots of light all day long!) with a cup of tea, or a smoothie. I have been feelin' creative with smoothies, and the uses of matcha in these creations. Matcha is finely-ground Japanese green tea leaves and is traditionally whisked up with warm water. This tradition of matcha preparation and drinking has been around for a very long time and its uses today are varied (baking, cooking). Matcha is chock-full of antioxidants which contain vital vitamins, and may thus help in preventing cancer, and even promote longevity in lifespan. It's also a great morning kickstart to your day; you basically drink the contents of the tea leaf, so you're loading up on energy. So drink up, everybody!

Throw these ingredients into a blender...
a banana
1/2 cup plain or vanilla nonfat yogurt (Olympia brand sooo good)
small handful of unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp matcha
1/4 cup or so of unsweetened coconut water
a spoonful of agave nectar (optional for sweetness)

The Greatest Sandwich in the World - Recipe

This is inspired by a meal I had last summer, when I was with my friends in Montreal. We were invited over to a friend-of-a-friend's farm in St. Jean sur Richelieu, a suburb of Montreal with lots of fields. Her family ran a cheese and bread farm, so we were in for a real treat. She made us this truly delectable sandwiches for dinner, that I still remember to this day. They had the creamiest Brie I had ever consumed, my mouth waters at the very thought of the texture of the bread, cheese, honey, and walnuts. I have since attempted to re-create this sandwich, not with complete success, but this is as close as I have gotten. Nothing compares to the cheese straight from the farm or the fresh bread, but we do what we can!

Take a baguette, slice it so the two faces are exposed
Cut a few hunks of Brie cheese and place them strategically upon the bread, but only on one slice
On the other face, drizzle some honey and break some walnuts upon it
Toast both sides in a toaster oven for a min or so (or for 8 secs in a microwave)
Place some arugula atop the Brie
Bring both slices into each other to create a sandwich
Bite, drool, delve, reflect, fall in love with The Greatest Sandwich in the World

Tahini Miso Quinoa Salad Extravaganza - Recipe

Since returning to Vancouver, I have resumed my addiction to shopping at Caper's Market. They have everything and more that I dream of, food-wise. It's a healthy addiction, however my wallet is not so pleased. They have this amazing salad bar, with an assortment of lovely dressings and toppings. The dressing for this salad was inspired greatly by Caper's Tahini Miso Dressing, and this is a sort of homage, if you will. Enjoy the deliciousness that is Quinoa and tasty sauce with some serious veggie action!

Firstly, gotta cook that quinoa. Boil 1 1/4 cup of water in a pot then pour in 1 cup of quinoa (This yields enough to save a bunch of quinoa for later). Turn down the heat a bit, and leave that business, covered, for 12 mins. Afterwards, you will take the pot off the heat and stir it a bit then put the lid back on to let it sit for about 5 mins.
Meanwhile, chop up some...
Red Pepper (or whatever colours you so please)
Red Onion
Various vegetables of your choice
Tofu
...and put those into a frypan with a drizzle of olive oil and throw down some oregano and pepper on there if you wish

Once those ingredients are ready, turn the heat way down and drizzle some of the dressing from the bottom of this recipe into the frypan, so the tofu is super flavourful

Put the frypan ingredients onto a bed of lettuce/mixed herbs in a bowl. Then you can put some additional toppings onto your salad!...
You could throw down some thawed, shelled edamame beans
Apple chunks are always a nice addition, I like to use Granny Smith
Raisins are cool, too
Feta cheese rocks my salad usually
Then, add your cooked quinoa and stir it all up real nice!


For the dressing, put the following ingredients into a food processor...
1/3 cup Tahini, or Sesame paste
juice of half a lemon
a small handful of cashews (optional, for thickness and yumminess)
a solid tablespoon of White Miso

Lemon Dill Tofu with Feta & Veggies - Recipe

Soo I haven't posted in a while, the reason being I was moving from Banff back to Vancouver. Since the return to the West coast, I have been spending lots of time dining around town at restaurants and breakfast joints and haven't been cooking a whole lot. Tonight, I decided to whip up a little dinner with the few groceries I have purchased. What to do with some tofu, serious veg, herbs, and feta cheese? Get funky and figure somethin' out, I say...

Chop as much firm tofu as you please into lil' cubes
Marinade with a solid squeeze of honey for an hour or more
Pour the honey-glazed tofu into a hot pan where 1/2 a tbsp of olive oil is already heated
Let those suckers crisp a bit and add chopped...
Red pepper
Red onion
Cucumber (I know, riiiight!)

aand last but not least
a smidgeon of grated ginger, for something fun
...throw in a hefty dash of dill too, and squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the mix as well

Once all the ingredients in the pan are cooked up and mixed well, pour that business into a bowl
Top it off with crumbled feta and enjoy hot or cold. Tastyyy!

Whole Wheat Vegan Bread - Recipe

Pour 2 1/2 cups of warm water in a large bowl

Mix in... 

1 tbsp of molasses

2 tbsp of yeast

3 cups of whole wheat flour

...leave in bowl, covered with a towel or cloth for at least 30 min

Then mix in...

1/3 cup more of molasses

1/4 cup each of vegetable oil and milk

1 tsp salt

Gradually add 3 1/2 cups of white flour

...knead all ingredients together as you add the flour

Split dough into 2 separate, greased bread pans

Let rise for at least 2 hours or so

Preheat oven to 350. Bake for 40 min!

If you wanna get experimental, you could steep chai spices into the warm water, delish!

Super Simple Epic Guac - Recipe

This is some EPIC guac, right here, esseh!! It's creamy, avocado-y and delicious, I swear, meng!

Firstly, mash the innards of 1 avocado
Add 1/4 cup of fatfree plain Organic yogurt (Olympia brand, as per usual, is awesome!)
Throw in a dash of cumin, cracked pepper (a sprinkle of salt if you so please)
A few drops of your hot sauce of choice
Squeeze half a lime into the mix
...and stirrrrrr it all up!
Hint: My mother's secret was to add a generous dollop of salsa, so do it up if you have salsa in the fridge.

Enjoy with unsalted Que Pasa chips, awww yeah!

Carrot, Ginger & Broccoli Soup with Vegan Bread - Recipe

In a medium skillet, heat a little bit of olive oil
Throw down 1/2 a red onion, chopped, plus a garlic clove, chopped, and a big nub of grated ginger

Separately, pour about 2 inches deep of water, and a metal strainer across the rim of the pot (setup for steaming)
chop broccoli and carrots, and steam those baybays until they're soft. Add those to the separate skillet, then pour 3 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth, reduce the heat
Sprinkle a tablespoon of cumin
Crack some pepper into the mix as well
Some chilli flakes add a solid kick
a tsp of ground ginger (optional)
a pinch of salt

Using a handblender, or a food processor, or some sort of other blender-type device and smooth the soup to soup-consistency

Serve warm with a slice of Vegan Bread http://emilietarianism.blogspot.com/2011/06/vegan-whole-wheat-bread-recipe.html

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus - Recipe

The hummus addiction continues... This time, with cumin and oregano roasted red peppers!

Preheat that oven to 350, first off...
Throw all these ingredients into a bowl and stirrrrr it up...
2 tbsp olive oil
a few hefty teaspoons each of cumin and oregano
one seeded, quartered red bell pepper
...pour onto a baking sheet, and put that sucker into the oven. Roast those up for a good 25-30 min


In a food processor...
1-2 cups of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (same diff)
a spoonful each of cumin and oregano
lotsa pepper and a pinch sea salt to taste
a shot of rice vinegar
When the peppers are ready, throw them in as well

Serve with unsalted tortilla chips :)

Falafel Quesadilla - Recipe

Inspired by The Coup's Falafel Quesadillas http://www.thecoup.ca/ , this recipe is my own take on my favourite lunch meal from Calgary's most radically amazing vegetarian restaurant. I couple this quesadilla in all its warm, spicy goodness, with some Homemade Tzadziki 
http://emilietarianism.blogspot.com/2011/03/super-easy-homemade-tzadziki.html

First off, you require a whole grain tortilla in which you will eventually enclose around the ingredients.
Heat the oven to 350. In a bowl, drizzle some olive oil. Sprinkle some cumin into there as well, and a dash of oregano. Mix it up, then add a seeded, quartered red bell pepper, and coat up that baybay. Place the pepper pieces onto a baking sheet and roast for about 25-30 min, or until the pepper is soft and bendy.

Meanwhile, in a pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat
Throw down some chopped red onion and some chopped garlic...with your choice of a few drops of your fave hot sauce
Each falafel ball should yield about 4 or 5 discs when you cut them up. (I buy the falafel balls from Community Natural Foods) Use however many you please, but usually one ball should suffice per tortilla

Heat a separate pan on medium heat. I like to spray the pan with this olive oil spray I found, then throw down that tortilla. Now, when you're filling that thing, make sure you pile your ingredients onto half of the tortilla, because you're going to fold over the other side (I thought I'd better explain if there are any quesadilla virgins out there)

Place the red onion and garlic combo, falafel discs, Decide whether you feel like some crumbled light feta, or whether goat's cheese is what you'd rather. Either one rocks!
Some lettuce is cool, too, or mixed greens type thing, if you so please

Remove the now-roasted red peppers from the oven and chop them up into smaller sliced before loading them into the tortilla
Fold that in half, and flip, because the one side should be crisping up, but not charred. Vital that it's not charred, unless you like it like that...

Once it's been cookin' on both sides, flip 'er onto a plate, chop it down the middle so you have 2 perfect-sized quesadilla pockets. Dip it in the Tzadziki (recipe near the top of this post!) and put on a sombrero or somethin'!

Honey Mustard-Glazed Baked Tofu & Steamed Broccoli w/ Yogurt Dill Dressing - Recipe

Long story short, I had a rough weekend of starchy foods and rich sauces, so come Monday, I'm feeling like having a dinner that'll fill me up and taste divine. This creation incorporates sweetness and spice; a lovely balance of flavours!

Start out with...
extra firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

In a separate bowl, whisk together...
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of cayenne
Salt + pepper to taste
1 tsp Amano brand Genmai (brown rice) miso
1 tsp yellow mustard
a squirt of honey
3 drops of Sriracha
...once those are all whisked up, pour into a plastic bag
Throw the tofu cubes in too, and let marinade for 45min-1hr...Keep in mind, the flavours intensify the longer you let the tofu marinade!

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425

Once the tofu is all marinaded, place onto a parchment paper-lined baking dish. Pour a bit of the marinade over the tofu before placing in oven
Bake on one side for 6 min, flip pieces, bake 6-8 more min

For the broccoli, pour about 2 inches deep of water into a pot. Bring to a boil, and place a metal strainer above the pot, filled with chopped broccoli. Put a lid to cover the strainer, allow to steam for about 5-7 min

While broccoli is steaming, in a small bowl, mix...
1/4 cup fatfree plain yogurt
1 tbsp dill
1 garlic clove, minced
Pepper

Pour yogurt sauce over broccoli once finished steaming

Once the tofu is all baked, separately mix equal amounts of honey and yellow mustard to pour over prepared tofu. Serve with broccoli as a side. Enjoy! :)

Gnocchi alla Emilia with Caprese Balsamic Salad - Recipe

There are (several) evenings where I return from work, or class, or outings, and I crave a hearty, flavourful, wine-accompanied pasta dinner. Gnocchi pasta is succulent, filling, and delicious. I also could drink Balsamic glaze straight from the bottle, however instead, we will use it as a drizzle for the pasta and some Balsamic vinegar and olive oil for the salad dressing. It is with great passion, and romantic Italian spirit, that I present to you, Gnocchi alla Emilia (me! hehe) with a side of crisp salad to balance the richness of the pasta dish. I have not included a solid source of protein with this recipe, but this allows you to add your choice of chickpeas, tofu, things of that nature.

Gnocchi takes 3 mins to cook, tops. So, we'll bring a pot of water to a boil, but ya don't have to throw the gnocchis in until you're basically done making your sauce. Have your package of whole wheat or spinach gnocchi handy for later, or make your own from a separate online recipe...

To begin, in a skillet/pan on medium heat, fry up a small puddle of olive oil and throw in...
1 garlic clove, chopped
a bit of julienned red onion
some chopped bell peppers
4 chopped basil leaves (or however much you like)
a few dashes of oregano
...Once these ingredients are cooked and soft, you can add your protein if you so choose

Then, reduce heat and add...
1/4 cup basic Marinara sauce (Newman's makes great stuff)
Cracked pepper to taste
1/8 cup fatfree organic yogurt (for creaminess!)
...Stirrrrrr it up. Add gnocchi to the boiling water when your sauce is under control

For the salad...
some torn Romaine lettuce leaves
a few halved cherry tomatoes (they're the cutest!)
3-4 small bulbs of Bufala Mozzarella cheese
...in a separate bowl, pour some olive oil and balsamic vinegar together, and whisk in some pepper and oregano with a fork. Drizzle atop the salad ingredients

Drain your gnocchi, reserving about 1/8 cup of the water. Pour reserved water into sauce, separately. Stir sauce, then remove from stove. Pour over pasta, drizzle with Balsamic glaze (Blaze is a great brand)

Enjoy with a rich, oak-y red wine (a glass...or the whole bottle!)
Muah! Molto Bene!

Fruitastic Pizza Pie with Vanilla Matcha Frosting - Recipe

If you are still REALLY hungry after dinner, or have some guests over, this makes a great sharing-style dessert! And it's super yummy too!

For the crust, I just used an already-made mini pizza crust. I heated it, from room temp, in the microwave for about 10 sec

For the frosting...
1/4 cup cream cheese
2 tsp Matcha powder
1 tbsp icing sugar (or more to get your desired consistency)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
....mix all the frosting ingredients and then spread onto warmed crust

Top with mixed berries and a sprinkling of icing sugar! Pour some agave if you so please

Suuuper duper easy to make, and deliciously sweet :)

Vegetarian Shopping List + Menu

Sometimes, it's difficult for some people to know where to begin when switching to a vegetarian lifestyle. Initial grocery shopping can be difficult for the converted veggie as well, so I just thought I should share some of the staples that I like to keep around, in the fridge, freezer and cupboard...

Cupboard

- Garbanzo beans/chickpeas (they're the same thing... and have lotsa proteeeein!)
- Black beans (proteeein!)
- Pitted dates (fibreeee!)
- Unsalted tortilla chips (Que Pasa is my fave)
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Curry powder
- Wasabi powder
- Rosemary
- Cayenne
- Dill
- Balsamic Glaze (Blaze is the good stuff)
- Gnocchi pasta
- Cocoa powder
- Agave

- Bananas

- Avocado (healthy fats!)

- Salt + Pepper

- Olive oil

Fridge

- Soymilk

- Fat-Free Organic Yogurt (I looove Olympia!)

- Firm Tofu (proteeein!)

- Lemon

- Mushrooms

- Peppers

- Red Onion

- Cucumber

- Broccoli

- Garlic

- Ginger

- Apples

- Organic coleslaw-style greens, or mixed greens

- basic Marinara Sauce (with which you can mix herbs, garlic and spices to your taste!)

- Miso

- Udon Noodles

- Unsalted, Unsweetened, All-Natural Peanut Butter (I keep it in the fridge once I stir it because I find it becomes quite soft)

- Feta cheese

Freezer

- Frozen Fruit (mixed berries)

- Frozen Corn

- Frozen shelled Edamame (proteeein!)

- Whole grain tortilla wraps or pita bread

Veggie Salad Rolls with Peanut Ginger Lime Sauce - Recipe

Salad Rolls are WAYYY healthier than deep fried take-out spring rolls (and yummier too!) so if you're in the mood for a fresh low-fat and super tasty lunch or dinner, have at these, I'm tellin ya!

To prepare the rice paper, soak in boiled water (that's been boiled in a separate saucepan and poured into a dish, say) for 3-5 minutes

While the rice paper is soaking in the boiled water, you can prepare your filling...
2 cups of cooked couscous
1/4 chopped yellow pepper or red pepper or orange pepper (I like yellow peppers because they're sweet)
a handful of chickpeas, possibly chopped if you have a slapchop-type device. It's difficult with a knife
some shredded carrot
some finely chopped red onion
a teeny bit of chopped fresh cilantro

Mix the filling ingredients well, makes a great salad on its own as well!

Have a separate dish with cool water ready to dip the rice paper in immediately after soaking. Before placing the filling onto the rice paper, dip the rice paper once more into the boiled water dish for a few seconds. Then lay the rice paper flat onto a plate.
Fill 'er up with that fresh delicious filling you've prepared
TIP: Rolling rice paper is easier even than making a sandwich wrap, because the rice paper sticks shut.
Once you've rolled the rice paper not too tightly, but not to loosely, let the rolls sit for a bit in order to completely seal and dry. A few drops of Sriracha sauce and some cilantro is a nice finish to the top of each roll!

Peanut Ginger Lime Sauce

Place all the following ingredients in a food processor until desired consistency...
2 tbsp all-natural peanut butter (I used smooth)
2 tbsp plain fat free yogurt (as per usual, Olympia makes a great one!)
juice from half a lime
5 cashews
Garnish with some chopped cilantro, if that's your thing, and there you have it :)

Dip the salad rolls in the sauce to consume. Great to make the night before to bring to lunch!

Summertime Fresh Broccoli Salad - Recipe

Summertime. Many words come to  mind when I think of summertime..... 

sunshine, margaritas, good friends, BBQ... etc etc

When you're in charge of the salad for BBQ, here's a super healthy, protein-packed, fresh and delicious recipe you can make to impress your friends and family. Or just to enjoy on your own in a park on a sunny day, wearing your shades, with the company of a great summer read. Whatever goes, this salad is super fresh and I hope you like it as much as I do!

For salad...

- chopped broccoli, LOTS!

- half a handful or so of thinly sliced red onion

- 3 chopped dates

- 1/4 chopped yellow pepper

- a handful of chickpeas (for protein)

- some already-cooked mixed grain rice (good opportunity to use leftovers!)

For dressing...use a fork and mix up...

- 2 tablespoons of Organic Vegannaise

- 2 tablespoon of Organic plain yogurt (Olympia makes some awesome fat-free yogurt!)

- lotsa dill

- juice of half a lemon

- dash of cumin

- 1 tablespoon of Amano Genmai Miso for seasoning

Pour dressing over salad, mix well :)

Cranberry Cashew Dip - Recipe

 

Behold, a dip unlike any other! A dip that will satisfy your tastebuds with delicate sweet flavours and your nose with its fruity aroma. Best part about it, is that it is as simple as it is inexpensive!

Throw all these ingredients into a food processor...

- generous handful of chickpeas (or garbanzo beans, same dealio)

- a regular handful of frozen (now thawed) cranberries

- 1/2 a handful of cashews

- a dash of cinnamon

- about 2 tablespoons of honey

- about a teaspoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice

It rocks if you have it with unsalted Que Pasa chips, but it also makes for a great replacement for jam in a peanut butter & jam sandwich! I guess for you meat-lovers, it work in a turkey sandwich or as a sweet marinade for chicken.

Watermelon Banana (Boozie) Smoothie - Recipe

 

This is a yummy breakfast smoothie (or anytime smoothie!) where that filling protein we all need is rampant in the yogurt, hemp seeds, and soymilk. I also have another recipe for a Good Morning Smoothie, with lots of berries and topped with granola http://emilietarianism.blogspot.com/2011/03/good-morning-smoothie-recipe.html !

Sip it with style and put a slice of watermelon on the edge of the glass if you wanna enjoy it on the patio. On a hot summer day, throw in some booze (rum) and lots of ice and subtract the hemp seeds, yogurt and replace soymilk with some fruit juice, and you have a watermelon daiquiri drink!

Blend...
- 2 handfuls of chopped watermelon
- 1/2 a banana
- 1/4 cup soymilk (light vanilla by Soygood is super tasty!)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I use fat-free Plain Olympia organic yogurt)
- sprinkling of shelled hemp seeds

Voila! :)