White Bean and Kale Stew

Another chilly day, another soup!

This one is another favourite of Jamie's and mine - not so much with the kids, but that just means more for us:-) I think the apple cider vinegar REALLY makes all the difference, yum!

4 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 cups (packed) thinly sliced kale (about 1 large bunch)
1 Tbl apple cider vinegar
2 cups soup stock
1 tsp dried basil (1 Tbl fresh)
1 tsp dried thyme (2 tsp fresh)
1 pound white beans (cannellini or white navy - I use one can)
1 pound finely diced tomatoes (I use one large can in the winter)

salt and pepper to taste

optional garnish: olive oil and grated Romano cheese

In a large heavy pot, heat olive oil and garlic over medium heat for one minute. Add kale, vinegar and broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat; add basil and thyme. Cover and simmer until kale wilts, about seven minutes. Add beans and tomatoes with juice. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This recipe is from a well-worn issue of Natural Home magazine (May/June 2009)

Vegetable Coconut Curry

The local organic market had little bags of fresh curry leaves. I only used a small handful, so I can make curry for at least another 50 people with the leaves I have left! Apparently they don't keep for very long when fresh, so maybe I will make an attempt to dry them.

This would have been good with any combination of vegetables and greens! I used seitan, because I had some left over, but you could add tempeh, tofu, or no protein at all.

Serve with wild rice, noodles or potatoes! And it's a one pot meal, perfect for a week night when you don't want to do many dishes.

Vegetable Coconut Curry

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tblsp. fresh grated ginger

2 tblsp. ghee

1 tblsp. olive oil

a small handful of fresh curry leaves

1 tsp. turmeric

cayenne and/or hot sauce to taste

1 can coconut milk

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1/2 tsp fennel

1/2 tsp cumin

salt

black pepper

4-5 cups chopped mixed veggies (I used asparagus, a red bell pepper, carrots and dandelion greens)

1-2 cups seitan (or tofu or tempeh)

Heat the ghee and olive oil in a pan. When hot, add the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Add onions, garlic and ginger and stir over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add coconut milk and vegetable broth. Add spices, salt and pepper to taste.

When the sauce is hot, add the veggies that will take the longest to cook (carrots and peppers in my case). Stir occasionally and add other veggies and protein. Mix in the greens at the end, so that they just wilt, without overcooking.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse (with a little coconut love)

I spent the day at home alone, and it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to make myself a nice, decadent chocolate dessert! :)

It's completely rich and creamy, with a subtle coconut flavor. It keeps for several days, if you can stay away!

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

1 1/2 cups soy or any other kind of non-dairy milk

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

vanilla

1 cup organic, extra virgin coconut oil

12 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips (or you could add unsweetened chocolate and mix some maple syrup into the mousse)

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave or over a water bath. (When melting chocolate in the microwave I always run it for 30 seconds, then stir, then another 30 seconds, because it's easy to burn chocolate). Place all ingredients, except for the chocolate in a food processor and blend well. While the machine is running, add the chocolate. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Enjoy!!

Orange Hazelnut Waffles with Raspberry Sauce

I know, I know, we just had waffles. But I'm telling you about these anyway, because they were delicious, and breakfast is the most important meal after all, and you can really never have too many waffles! Also, this was the only meal I've made in the last two weeks, and I feel like I should honor that momentous achievement with a post!
We've been exploring Brooklyn lately, so we've had several of our meals there, all of them excellent, which will warrant their own blog entry sometime soon.

For the waffles, I made a variation of Alton Brown's pancake mix, and stored the leftovers in the fridge for the next batch (it keeps for at least 3 months). If you're not a fan of hazelnuts, these can easily be made with only AP flour. I also used ghee (clarified butter), which, I think, intensified the flavors, but regular butter would have been fine. The raspberry sauce was amazing, but almost too much of a good thing (because it added two more strong flavors, raspberries and maple syrup), so we ate the second batch with just syrup. A little tempeh bacon on the side...hooray for weekend brunch!

Waffle Mix

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups hazelnut flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

Orange Hazelnut Waffles

2 eggs, separated

2 cups buttermilk (made by mixing 2 cups of milk with 2 tablespoons of vinegar)

4 tblsp. ghee or butter, melted and cooled

2-3 cups waffle mix

2 tblsp. honey

1/4 cup orange juice

peel of 2 organic oranges

a swig of orange liquor, such as cointreau (optional)

Mix the egg yolks with the melted butter. Whisk together the buttermilk and the egg whites. Combine the 2 mixtures and whisk in the waffle mix, until lumps disappear. The batter should thickly coat a spoon, so you have to eyeball the amount of dry ingredients you add. Mix in the honey, orange juice, peel and liquor (if using).

Cook in waffle iron as directed by manufacturer.

Raspberry Sauce

Melt 1-2 cups of frozen raspberries in a pot over low heat. When warm, add as much maple syrup as desired. Done.

Baby Elephant Cupcakes

My friend Jenny and I are exchanging baked goods for personal training sessions! :) Baked goods are a great bartering tool!! She has a baby shower to go to today, so I made cupcakes for her to bring. They're vanilla (same recipe as always, which makes about 26 cupcakes), with fresh blueberry buttercream (recipe here. I cooked down blueberries to make a thick syrup, then strained out the skins and added to the cream). The flavor is sort of subtle but I wanted that blueish grey color.
Here's the invitation they were based on: