Vegan Minestrone

Although it's summer out and Toronto is a balmy 25 most days, I was craving soup the other day. Minestrone in particular, so I set out to make some. Maybe I was just missing the cosiness of being home in Vancouver, or maybe some devious thing inside me is getting excited for fall and sweaters and boots. Either way, the soup pot was the only pot I hadn't yet used from a new set I purchased recently, so it was time to break it in.

Making soup for one person is difficult. With inspiration from a few other recipes, I sort of cobbled this variation together, but I think I have enough to last me until next year. I've been mixing the leftovers into stir fry's for a sort of weird pasta sauce/stew hybrid. It sounds a bit bizarre, but if there's anything being a vegan has taught me is to be open to strange combinations. If most of the ingredients sound like they taste good on their own, they usually taste good together. Usually.

In IIN they've been discussing the principles of macrobiotics, which is more a way of life than an exact diet. It involves the quest of always searching for balance, in your life and in your diet. If you are feeling more on one side of the scale, you can try to bring yourself back by eating things more on the other spectrum. I've been feeling a bit out of sorts at the moment regarding the future, and since soup is such a grounding, comforting food, and it helps bring you back.

You could replace the quinoa with another pasta, if you like, but I like the thickness and extra protein quinoa provides.

Minestrone

1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic
1 can of diced tomatoes, blended(14 oz)
1 carrot, diced
1 zucchini, diced
6 cups vegetable stock(low sodium preferred)
1 small tin of tomato paste
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup dry quinoa
2 cups packed shredded kale
dried basil, parsley, and a bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
juice of half a lemon

Cook quinoa in 1 1/3 cups water with a lid on the pot. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and leave to simmer for 15 minutes. Don't peek! Fluff with a fork after.

To a large stock pot add the onion, garlic, and oil, and cook til soft(about 10 mins).

Add in the tomatoes, stir and simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Add carrot, zucchini, chickpeas, and stock and let simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste.

Turn off heat, add quinoa, herbs, s&p, lemon juice, and kale.

This soup tastes better after it's had a couple hours to let the flavours meld, and thickens up a bit!

Blueberry Peach Parfaits

Summer is my favorite season for eating. All the fruit, berries, and vegetables in the stores looks luscious and vibrant, and all my favorite fruits are in season. I find that the simplest ways to enjoy them are sometimes the best, as they taste so great they don't really need much done to them. I picked up some peaches recently, and we had a fridge overflowing in blueberries, so I decided to throw them together, make some extra blueberry sauce for topping, and make some parfaits.

I've tried some brands of soy yogurt previously, but wasn't all to impressed with the flavours. When some genius (Amande, which is French for almond by the way), started making almond milk into yogurt. Probiotics and almond milk, what's not to like?! I tried vanilla, and it tasted great to me. The texture is remarkably similar to dairy yogurt, and it has a similar sweet tanginess.

Whilst in Whole Foods I was overwhelmed with the choices of dairy free whipped cream toppings, so I decided to purchase them all so I could determine which one I liked best, and then share that knowledge with you. In the past faux whipped cream has been very hit or miss(more misses than hits, really). While it's not too difficult to make your own using agar, I missed the joy of squeezing whipped cream out of a can into pretty shapes. Presentation is everything, my friends. And while yes I could just get my own piping tubes, I'm not really that motivated in that direction.

Soyatoo makes both a soy whipped topping and a rice milk one, which both contain about 16 calories per tablespoon. They don't have any strange ingredients on the label, which is a plus in my books(I'm looking at you Cool Whip)! The soy one tasted a little strange on it's own, but when mixed with other ingredients, it passed muster. It was a bit harder to get out of the can, and was a bit more solid than most whipping creams, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There was a bit of a weird sweetness to it though. I'd eat it again however!

The rice milk one was definitely my favorite in terms of taste and resembling real whipped cream texture. It came out of the can a little easier, and didn't have the weird sweet flavor to it. I've still yet to try the nut milk whipped cream, which comes in a carton and you have to whip it yourself. I'll report back on that one soon!

Blueberry Peach Parfaits

Blueberry Sauce(recipe to follow)
1/2 cup blueberries
1 peach, chopped finely
1/4 cup puffed quinoa
1/2 cup dairy free yogurt
Vegan whipped cream to top

Layer some blueberries in a glass, cover with a layer of yogurt, puffed quinoa, and peaches. Repeat in both glasses til all ingredients are used up, then top with blueberry sauce, more quinoa puffs and whipped cream.

If you can't find puffed quinoa substitute granola or buckwheat.

Blueberry Sauce

2 cups blueberries
2-3 packets stevia
juice and zest from half a lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
dash of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Turn down to medium low and let simmer until reduced into a thick sauce.

Mango Coconut Bites

I can't stop with coconut lately. Or granola bars for that matter. These were intended to be granola bars, but I figured I should give them a break and made these into smaller bite sized treats. Then dipped them in chocolate, because that was the obvious choice!

Dipping them in chocolate proved a bit difficult since I don't have any toothpicks, and so I tried using a fork but kept dropping them into the chocolate and not being able to retrieve them. I ended up just drizzling the rest of them with chocolate and sprinkling some more coconut on top!

These are best when stored in the freezer, it gives them a nice chewy texture which slows you down so you enjoy them a little longer. That works in theory, but I'm pretty sure I was swallowing them whole. You could make them into bars as well if you'd rather go that route.

Mango Coconut Bites


1/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup puffed quinoa
1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 cup dates
1/4 cup fresh mango
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Grind the almonds to a powder in blender, then mix with puffed quinoa, buckwheat, oats, and coconut in a bowl. In the blender blend the dates, mango, coconut oil, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Mix into dry mixture in bowl, then roll spoonfuls into balls. Place in freezer to set and store.

If dipping in chocolate let set in freezer for about an hour, then melt some chocolate in a bowl and dip bites in to cover. Or drizzle on top and top with coconut!

The dates are sometimes easier to blend if you soak them in water for 10 minutes before.

Tropical Superfood Bars

A huge part of being successful in keeping healthy eating habits, or being a vegan is being prepared. I bring snacks everywhere, and energy/protein bars are super handy and easy to carry. A lot of bars available though are packed with not so healthy for you ingredients, and are more like glorified candy bars. In general you want to steer clear of bars with ingredients that you aren't aware what they are, isolate powders, artificial sweeteners, or anything you can't pronounce. I look for ones that are within the 200-300 calorie range, with a decent protein/fiber content(5g and over usually for protein), and not too much sugar. A few favorites are Larabars, Macrobars, and the occasional Clif Bar or Luna Bar, although they're a little more processed than I generally like.

Bars are incredibly easy to make, and much more cost effective! I like to wrap them individually and store them in the freezer so they stay fresh and are ready to grab on the go. These ones come together in minutes, and are slightly tropical flavoured. There's no baking involved, you simply mix them and pop the tray in the freezer.

While superfood is a broad, unregulated term, and I don't really think that stuffing your face with superfoods will cure all what ails you, any foods that pack an extra nutritional punch are a plus! The goji berries in here are high in antioxidants, protein and iron. Puffed quinoa adds some complete protein and fiber, buckwheat is packed with magnesium and trytophan. Oats help reduce cholestrol, and digest slowly to prevent spikes in blood sugar. Coconut oil is a healthy fat and a great source of energy. So overall, they're pretty amazing for you!

Tropical Superfood Bars


1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup puffed quinoa(available in the cereal section of most health food stores)
1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1/4 cup almond flour
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbspns coconut oil
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/2 mashed banana
pinch of salt
1/4 cup dried pineapple chunks
1/4 cup goji berries
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Mix oats, quinoa, buckwheat, pineapple, goji berries, coconut, chocolate chips, and almond flour in a bowl. Mix coconut oil, vanilla, agave, and banana in a seperate bowl. Mix wet with dry ingredients, and press into a 9x9 pan firmly(line the pan with tin foil for ease in removal). Let set in freezer, then cut into bars.

Black Bean Quina Burgers

Continuing along in my attempt to start trying to incorporate more beans into my diet, I decided to give black bean burgers a try. I've been on a quinoa binge as of late, so I decided to throw that in too. I recently watched the documentary Simply Raw:Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days, and it was so awe inspiring the amazing changes that happened to these people simply by adopting a completely raw vegan diet. It's so inspiring to me to see people who had been told that they would spend the rest of their life taking insulin and pricking their fingers be able to completely stop taking any of their medications(it's Doctor supervised, of course), and halt their insulin use. Yet another testament to a medical system which is failing it's patients by simply trying to bandaid the problem with drugs, instead of treating the cause for disease.

These burgers aren't raw, but I ate them on top of a huge green salad. David Wolfe, a raw food health expert, mentions that if you incorporate at least 51 % of raw foods into each meal it stops your body from reacting towards (cooked)food as a toxin. A study by Dr. Paul Kouchakoff shows when you eat cooked food your body increases white blood cell count,  a phenomenon called 'digestive leukocytosis'. This is the same reaction your body has to infection, or exposure to toxic chemicals or trauma.  


I started this blog as a raw blog, but drifted away from raw foodism since I found it restrictive, and the mental pattern of thinking I had 'failed' if I ate anything not raw wasn't really conductive to recovery. Exploring and including more raw foods in my diet is something I think I'm going to try to make an effort at, especially since I noticeably felt the effects of eating a high raw diet at the time. Plus all the summer produce available now is definitely making it easier!! I don't think I'm going to try to make a commitment to going all raw again, but I'm definitely going to make more of an effort to incorporate more raw foods into my diet.


Black Bean Quinoa Burgers


This recipe made about 9 smaller burgers, you could make them larger or smaller depending on your preference. I topped mine with sauteed mushrooms and hummus.


1/4 cup dry quinoa
2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp sea salt and pepper(or to taste)

Cook the quiona in 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil on stove(with a lid), then turn heat to low and leave to sit for 15 minutes. Don't stir or peek!

Mix the black beans and seasonings together, and place half the mixture in a food processor or blender. Blend or process until chunky, then mix in with the rest of the black beans in a bowl. Add quinoa when finished, and stir to combine(using your hands is easier). Cook in a skillet with a little bit of coconut oil, or on a BBQ.