Creamy Broccoli & Spicy Veggie Rice.

I've been out of town this summer and have found myself creating meals from basic foods-because I am running low on funds and not in my own properly stocked kitchen. Two days into my summer vacation I stocked up on whole grains (pasta, rice) and a lot of frozen veggies. This meal proves that as long as you have a basic whole grain, fiber and some sort of seasoning-you can make an excellent tasting meal for yourself while you're away from home.

Rice:

1/2 cup whole wheat (brown) rice. I'm a fan of Uncle Ben-because he's super easy. I NEVER add the salt or "butter" to the rice..there's totally no need for it.

1- 1 1/2 cups of water

1 cup frozen veggies

"Middle Eastern Spice" (I found this in the Beau's cupboard-it's a mixture of curry, turmeric and cordiner.)

Black Pepper

Montreal Steak Spice *it's vegan-shut up! Not just for steaks!*

Bring to a boil and let simmer covered on medium-low heat, stir every now and then. About 5 minutes into the simmer process, add 2 tbsp of low-sodium soy sauce.

Creamy Broccoli

1-2 cups frozen broccoli

2 generous tbsp of organic peanut butter

3-4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce * If you've got BRAGGS-use it in replacement of the soy sauce and add according to taste*

3-4 tbsp orange juice

garlic powder to taste

While the broccoli is being steamed, combine the remaining ingredients into a saucepan on medium heat, starting with the peanut butter. Add steamed broccoli and toss to coat!

Pasta Date

Mmmm. It's nice to enjoy a later dinner sometimes on a Saturday evening. I've been recovering from a cold, and haven't felt like cooking much lately as I have been eating very lightly. But this evening around 7pm I had a craving for pasta, and made a very lovely and simple dish.

I also enjoyed a nice bottle of white wine with the meal. An Ontario unoaked white wine called Naked Grape. Normally I am a Pino girl, but their Chardonnay hits the spot nicely, and goes well with the asparagus in the dish!

What You'll Need (2 sauce servings, cook pasta accordingly)

1 cup whole wheat fusili
1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 zucchini
1 carrot
8-10 pieces of asparagus cut into strips
2-5 cloves garlic
1 tsp oregano
1/2-1 tsp red chillies

1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
Nutritional Yeast to garnish.

How To:

Boil pasta.
In frying pan, add all of the ingredients and let simmer while pasta cooks, until carrots are soft and tender.

Oh-My! Sin-Free Shepard's Pie!!!

I really love Shepard's Pie!

Growing up as a child, nothing was more of a comfort food than my Dad's homecooked French Canadian Shepard's Pie. I would come home from a long day of elementry school seeing the kitchen in a fog and my Pops looking rather exhausted. This meant one thing: HOME COOKED SHEPARD'S PIE! OH MY! This food is so high among my favorites that it is the exact dish that had converted me back to the dark side two years ago, when my ex's Mother brought out her homestyle French Canadian Shepard's Pie..I could not resist!

Luckily for us all, I have veganized this wonderful comfort food and I promise that it is still jam-packed with flavor and love. AS A MATTER OF FACT, this dish is popular amongst omnivores. It has the Pops seal of approval, and Ma has been known to savor the taste of this dish as well. If you're having to prepare dinner for some omnivores and have no idea what to make for the skeptic meat eater- think about making this dish because it is a crowd pleaser.
You really don't have to be a French Canadian to enjoy making and eating this dish, but it makes the cooking process a bit more fun if you talk to yourself in French while in the kitchen!

MmMM BONJOUR!

What You'll Need: (Serves four hearty portions, and up to six with a side dish)

1 large white onion
2-3 carrots
1 cup corn niblets
1 cup green peas
1/2 package ground soy (St. Yves or PC makes some nice tasty ground soy.)
2-3 tbsp basil
Soy sauce (to taste. I don't measure the amount I use anymore. Start with 3tbsp and see how you feel.)
3 white potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup plain soy milk
2 tbsp Earth Balance
Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350-
1) Peel and put your potatoes on the stove to boil. Ever made mashed potatoes before? This is going to be the topping of our pie. Nothing is worse then undercooked mashed potatoes so it's best to start the boil now.
2) Dice your carrots and onion, in a large skillet add the olive oil with the onion and carrots. Let the mixture cook until onions are translucent and carrots are tender&soft.
3) Add in the corn, peas, basil and soy sauce. Let it cook for no more than 5 minutes, keep stiring mixture to avoiding sticking. Once the mixture is almost done, add in the ground soy and cook for an additional 4 minutes.

4) Once the mixture is ready transfer it to a casserole dish and pack it in tight.

5) Time to mash those potatoes! Add the soymilk and Earth Balance and MASH!MASH!MASH! The ideal here is a lump-free mixture, soft and fluffy like clouds.

6) Add potatoes on top of mixture, pack it neat and compact. Stick in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Eggplant and Red Pepper Bake

Bonjourno!

Oh, the wonderful world of blogging. I am so excited to share this blog with all of you. Before we get onto the tasty eggplant bake-I'd like to do somewhat of an introduction of my journey to vegetarianism.
It all started in grade four with a science video presented to us by a substitute teacher, the video was about eco systems or biology..something of the sort. There was a brief but very graphically honest 20 second clip of where and how our hamburgers were made. My relationship with meat changed forever. Flash forward to two years ago when I was introduced to the cooking of my ex's Mother. Homestyle Country cooking ya'll! After six months of smelling and craving the foods placed in front of me during Sunday dinners (and looking down in boredom at my crackers and cream cheese severed to me on my plate) I could not resist, and enjoyed my fair share of meaty foods. Five months ago I started upon my journey of self-cleansing and reflection (*ahem* naturally brought on by a break-up.) and this meant the first thing to go was my consumption of meat. After a week of cooking and eating healthy vegetarian meals again, my body instantly felt at peace-I was home again.
So here I am in the present starting my first ever blog, and I could not be happier to share my cooking and learning experiences with you all. There is so much satisfaction in cooking your own healthy meals. This is a huge learning process for me, as I was not born with a natural knack for gracefully applying myself in the kitchen. However I've got a creative mind and some sensational taste buds, which really-are the two most important things when it comes having a way with food.
Now onto the bake!

Eggplant and Red Pepper Bake (Serves 4)

What You'll Need:

1 eggplant cut into slices. About 1/4-inch thick, but it really depends on your casserole dish.
1 large white onion diced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 red pepper diced

1 zucchinni grated, cut in half lengthwise and diced
4 oz mushrooms. Pre-cut triple washed mushrooms help keep this bake simple
1 cup nutritional yeast
8 oz tomato sauce
3 tbsp Italian Seasoning
*1 cup spelt bread crumbs
* I didn't use any when I cooked this and it still turned out tasty. Bread crumbs are an option if you want to soak up more of the moisture, which will help hold the bake together. If you use bread crumbs, layer them in between the veggies and the tomato sauce.

Directions:
1) Preheat broiler, set oven at 375.
2) Arrange eggplant slices on a baking sheet lightly coated with coconut oil/olive oil. Broil each side for six minutes, turn over and broil for another six minutes.Eggplant is tricky to bake and you really want it to be nice and soft. Perhaps you'll keep it in a few minutes longer depending on your oven.

3) Heat large stir-fry pan coated with coconut oil over medium heat. Add in your onion,mushrooms, garlic and Italian seasoning. Do not move onto step four until your onions are translucent.

4) Add in zucchini and red peppers, stir into the mixture and let cook for about two minutes.

5) Add veggie mixture to the bottom of your casserole dish,spread tomato sauce on top,spoon out the nutritional yeast and arrange eggplant slices on top. Continue this layering process until all your ingredients are in the casserole dish, with the tomato sauce being on the top visable layer. Sprinkle remaining nutritional yeast to the top of your bake, cover and bake for an hour.

ENJOY!