Will Run For I Can't Believe It's Not Ricotta

pasta with vegetables and tofu ricotta

I am not sure what makes someone think "oh, a tofu ricotta recipe that looks delicious.  I should make that" or what makes someone think "I should make this for J.  I know that she said that she would love barbecued ribs or sausage but why not make tofu ricotta instead".


When I initially saw the recipe for tofu ricotta in the April/May issue of Clean Eating Magazine I thought it looked kind of interesting.  Making it for company meant that I wouldn't have to eat it for days (so it could have been horrible but there was always dessert).  After some tweaking here is the recipe:

Tofu Ricotta 

(2 cups)

Ingredients

12 oz firm silken tofu (I used MORI-NU Extra Firm for grilling, stir frying & sauteing)

2 garlic cloves pressed (local is best!)

1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 TBSP olive oil 

1 TBSP nutritional yeast flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

Pass tofu through a potato ricer (you could try to grate it or crumble it but no promises about the texture).

Pass garlic through garlic press or finely chop.

Add lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast and salt and pepper and mix until combined.

The penne with ricotta is a really flexible recipe.  Add more vegetables, less pasta, more ricotta.  You also use leftover ricotta to make stuffed pasta shells (maybe when it's not so hot outside).

Penne with Ricotta

(serves 4)

Ingredients

2 Cups cooked pasta (penne)

4 Cups of broccoli flowerets, asparagus, carrots, green beans, now peas (or your favourite seasonal vegetables) 

1 large ripe tomato (chopped)

1/2 C tofu ricotta (or light dairy ricotta)

2 tsp white balsamic vinegar 

2 teaspoon olive oil

1 clove garlic

3 Tablespoon Fresh Basil (torn into bits)

salt & pepper to taste

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  During the last 3 minutes of cooking add seasonal vegetables (e.g. broccoli, asparagus, etc.)

In a medium bowl combine tomato, tofu ricotta, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper.  Let sit.  If you are using pepper I would add them to this mixture.

Drain vegetables and pasta.  Combine.  You can serve this dish hot or cold although I prefer hot.

I failed to tell my dinner guest that her ricotta wasn't actually ricotta and she didn't run screaming from the table looking for a chicken leg in the bathroom so I would say that dinner was a success!

peppers, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, vinegar

add tofu ricotta

add pasta and enjoy

Will Run For Strawberry Shortcake

happiness in a basket

I can't think of a better excuse to make strawberry shortcake than local strawberries and one of my favourite dinner guests (despite the fact that she threatened to stuff a chicken leg in her purse and eat it in the bathroom).  Luckily, there was no need for anything with a face or a mother to be stuffed anywhere (that I know of anyway).

This recipe started as a mixed berry shortcake recipe from Better Homes And Gardens: Cooking For Two (again, don't ask).  The biscuits are now vegan friendly and with a little bit of reworking the whipped cream filling can be too (stay tuned).

Strawberry Shortcake

(4 servings) 

Shortcakes

1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour

1 TBSP + 1 tsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 TBSP Earth Balance ( butter, margarine)

1/2 C sour soy milk (  place 2 tsp of lemon juice in a 1/2 C measuring cup, add soy milk to to make 1/2 C of liquid total.  Ideally let sit for 5 minutes)

course sugar (optional)

2/3 C whipping cream

4 C sliced strawberries

1 TBSP maple syrup or buckwheat honey

In a medium bowl (preferably one made by your dinner guest) mix sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar and baking soda.  Use your hands to mix together until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Make a hole in the centre of the flour mixture.  Add soy milk and mix until just moistened.

Divide the dough in 4 and drop onto baking sheet ( I used a baking stone).  Sprinkle with course sugar if you wish.  Bake for 10 minutes at 450 F.

While waiting impatiently whip cream.   An important note to self: whipping cream (35%) and table cream (18%) and NOT the same thing at all.  Second note to self:  after realizing that table cream will not whip do not try to pour it back into it's original container.  It won't fit (imagine)!

Slice strawberries.  Add maple syrup or buckwheat honey to strawberries.

Allow shortcakes to cool.  Cut each in half.   Place copious amount of whipped cream and berries on the bottom layer.  Place top layer of shortcake on top.

crumbly

dough

buttermilk biscuits

maple sweetened strawberries

maple sweetened strawberries, whipped cream and buttermilk biscuits

Will Run For Banana Coconut French Toast

french toast and tropical fruit salad

My first french toast memory (because I'm sure that you are dying to know) is one of my cousin J making me french toast after a sleepover.  J is a year older than me and growing up I always thought she was so cool (how you can be cool with the claw for bangs or a bowl haircut I'm not quite sure).  J hadn't quite mastered french toast at this point so what I had for breakfast was pretty much bread dipped in raw egg.

Banana coconut french toast is definately an improvement over bread and raw eggs.  Try it for yourself (umm J this means you)!

BANANA COCONUT FRENCH TOAST

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

2 medium ripe bananas

2/3 coconut milk (soy or almond work as well)

1-2 TBSP maple syrup (Try not to use table syrup.  I think it's made from tables)

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (and/or nutmeg, allspice, ginger, cloves)

8 slices of slightly stale high fibre bread (I used Rudolph's)

Blend all ingredients in your blender except for bread (obvious) dip bread in banana mixture, cook in a pan with a generous amount of olive or sunflower oil.  Make sure that your oil is hot before you place the bread in the pan in order to avoid the bread absorbing all of the oil.  You will need to cook each side for 3-5 minutes.  Eat all of the bits that stick to the pan.

banana, coconut milk, cinnamon & grated nutmeg

dip bread until both sides are covered (not soggy)

Enjoy!

Will Run For Triple Ginger Crackle Cookie Ice Scream Sandwiches

Triple Ginger Crackle Cookie with Pumpkin Ice-Scream

I love everything ginger, everything cookie and everything ice cream!  I've reworked my favourite gingersnap recipe from Homemaker's magazine (don't ask) with some help from Jae Steele's Get It Ripe From Around Here  and Mama Pea from peasandthankyou.com .

I won't lie. I was half expecting the cookies to either turn out like cardboard or a mushy mess.  I figured worst case scenario I would just eat the dough out of the bowl (what isn't there to love about molasses, three kinds of ginger, and brown sugar?) or freeze it and add it to my pumpkin ice scream.  Luckily the cookies were delicious!

TRIPLE GINGER CRACKLE COOKIES
Makes 24 + 3 (the ones that you need to taste test)

Ingredients

1/4 C crystallized ginger (finely chopped)
1 Tbsp fresh ginger (finely chopped)
2 C whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 earth balance (or butter/margarine)
1/2 C demerara sugar (or brown sugar)
1/2 C granulated sugar ( I used Camino Golden Cane Sugar) * save 1/4 C for rolling
2 Tbsp molasses (fancy)
1 flax egg (equals 1/4 C)
1/4 C pureed pumpkin (I used canned pumpkin)

Preheat oven to 350F

In a medium sized bowl (save your biggest bowl for the wet ingredients) combine flour with baking soda, ground ginger, finely chopped fresh and crystallized ginger, cinnamon and salt.

In a separate bowl beat Earth Balance with brown sugar and 1/2 C of granulated sugar with an electric mixer (if you have one) until smooth.  Add molasses, pumpkin and flax egg mixing until also smooth.   Placing the bowl in the refrigerator for a few minutes makes it much easier to roll the cookies into balls.

Place remaining granulated sugar in a large shallow bowl.  Form small dough balls (eat one of two or maybe three).  Roll balls in sugar.  Place on cookie sheets (I used a baking stone that I preheated in the oven).  Flatten with a fork or your hand.  Place about 5 cm apart.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Let cool on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Enjoy soft chewy goodness!

finely chop ginger

finely chop crystallized ginger

make sure there are no ginger clumps...hot!

add dry ingredients to wet ingredients

roll balls in granulated sugar

remember to flatten with fingers or fork

oh my goodness!

If you manage not to eat all of the cookies ice-scream sandwiches are the next step. 

 PUMPKIN ICE-SCREAM

(2 large servings)

I mostly just throw everything in the blender until it "looks right" (said in my grandmother's voice) but here is a tasty recipe.

Ingredients

*2 C frozen pureed pumpkin

2 C soy, almond or dairy milk (I use So Nice Unsweetened Soy)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg (I used freshly ground)

1 tsp allspice

2 tsp vanilla paste (or use vanilla bean or worst case scenario vanilla extract)

**2 scoops PC Vanilla Soy Protein Powder (optional)

Blend everything together in your blender.  Blend, blend and blend some more until it has the consistency of soft serve.  Whatever you do make sure there are no pumpkin chunks because that's enough to send anyone over the edge.  Or you could make sure that there are chunks and then you'll never have to share again.   I like to add 1 3/4 C milk and then add the last 1/4 C as needed.  Elbows out and enjoy! 

 If you are making ice-scream sandwiches it can be helpful to place the ice-scream in the freezer for 10 minutes or so until it firms up.  You can store these tasty treats in the freezer for a few days if you wrap them in wax paper.

* I freeze pureed roasted pumpkin in silicone muffin cups in 1/2 C portions.

** If you choose not to use the protein powder you might want to add maple syrup or molasses as a sweetener or use a sweetened soy milk or add a very ripe frozen banana. 

Pumpkin ice-scream on it's own

blend

save some for ice-scream sandwiches

hide in freezer behind frozen tempeh

Will Run For Rhubarb Lemonade

rhubarb lemonade

Summer vacation officially begins today (for me anyway)!   

The day started with a 6K run in what my running partner and I call the "the frying pan".   The frying pan is hot, sometimes smells like exhaust, and we usually have to dodge pedestrians, bikes, and/or cars and occasionally someone will ask us for directions (can't they see that we are running?  The wheezing and shuffling should give it away shouldn't it?) but it's close to home.  It was the "perfect" run.  In other words no one got run over by a bus and no one asked us for directions.

What better than rhubarb lemonade to celebrate the end of a run?  Maybe lychee martinis or pina coladas  would have worked as well but it wasn't even 9:00.

Rhubarb Lemonade (6 servings)

2 C diced rhubarb

1/2 C wildflower honey

1/2 tsp lemonrind

1/2 C freshly juiced lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

3/4 C + 5 C water (you could also use carbonated water or replace some of the water with ice)

5 lemon slices for garnish

In a medium saucepan combine diced rhubarb, honey and 3/4 C water.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft. 

Remove from heat.  Strain rhubarb solids from liquids and let cool (if you are that patient).  In the meantime juice 2 lemons.  Mix rhubarb syrup, lemon juice, and water.  Serve in your favourite pitcher or mason jar.

simmer rhubarb, honey, water for 10 min or so

strain rhubarb from liquids

rhubarb syrup

juice lemons

rhubarb syrup + lemon juice + water + lemon slices  

Enjoy!

Will Run For Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

Last week I ate the most delicious rhubarb cake at my granny's house.  When I called her this morning for the recipe she reminded me that it was important that I follow the recipe EXACTLY.   In other words no whole wheat flour, no yogurt, lots of sugar, etc., etc. 

     I recently decided that I want to eat less eggs and dairy.  More specifically, I want to eat less eggs and dairy in delicious vegan baked goods that I can enjoy as a treat every now and then.  Poor Granny has had to endure sawdust cake and shoe leather muffins on more than one occasion so I understand why she was a little apprehensive.  She just doesn't appreciate black-bean brownies and chocolate avocado mousse the way that I do.

While these muffins do include wholewheat flour and yogurt I think even your Granny will enjoy them! 

Rhubarb Crumble Muffins

MUFFIN

1 1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour

1 C whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1 1/2 C diced rhubarb

Combine dry ingredients thoroughly.  Add diced rhubarb.

1 C vanilla soy yogurt (you can also use 1 cup of soy milk, cow's milk, almond milk + 1 Tbsp lemon juice )

3/4 C demerara sugar (or regular brown sugar)

1/2 C olive oil

1 flax egg*

2 tsp vanilla bean paste (you could also use vanilla extract)

In a separate bowl, mix well together.   Stir in dry ingredients until just moistened (over mixed will lead to shoe leather).  Fill greased muffin tins two-thirds full (I used both aluminum and silicone muffin tins).

CRUMBLE

1/4 C demerara sugar

1 Tbsp Earth Balance (or butter or margarine of your choice) 

2 TBSP rolled oats (not quick cooking.  Personally I like LoonSong Garden's rolled oats)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp flour

Combine and sprinkle on top of batter.  Bake in preheated oven at 375F for 20 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool on wire racks for 5+ minutes.

Eat leftover batter and crumble.  Yum!

rhubarb from backyard

diced rhubarb

add rhubarb to dry ingredients

mix diced rhubarb with dry ingredients

combine sugar, yogurt, oil, flax egg and vanilla bean paste

crumble

sprinkle crumble on batter

bake for 20 minutes or so

Sunday run + muffins = awesome 

They passed the test of a family barbecue!

* About flax eggs.  I can't lie.  My flax eggs reminded me a bit of making slime with my kindergarden class last year but they  work so that's all that really matters right?  Before you decide to follow my advice on how to make flax eggs I  must confess to once telling 25+ CSA customers that it was a great idea to place their wet salad greens in a pillow case and swing the pillow case around several times until there wasn't any water left.  When I tried this myself ( in an old and fairly worn pillowcase) after sharing my tip in a weekly CSA newsletter  I ended up with MUD ALL OVER THE ENTIRE KITCHEN.  So use at own risk.

FLAX EGGS

1/2 C flax seed (either whole or briefly pulsed in the blender)

3 C water

Bring to boil in a small sauce pan.  Simmer for 20 minutes stirring frequently (you really do have to stir otherwise you are going to have burnt slime that is fused to your pot.  Don't ask how I know this.).  Strain slime from flax seeds.  1/4 C slime equals one egg.  You may find that you don't have to simmer the mixture for 20 minutes.  It was much easier to separate slime from flax when I didn't let it simmer nearly as long (also don't ask how I figured this out). 

whole flax seed

bring to a boil.  simmer until slimy.

strain slime from flax

Like I said use at own risk.  Or you could always just use 1 T of ground flax + 3 T of warm water.  But that would be easy.