5 recipes I’m loving lately

Posted on January 27, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Hi friends,

As much as I love developing recipes, I’ve been short on time these days, and haven’t been branching out beyond my repertoire of tried, tested and true recipes. In addition to full-time work, I started grad school this month! I am equally excited and freaking out. A master’s degree has been on my to-do list for a while, and this year felt like the right time to dive in. The extra activity on my plate is why you haven’t heard much from me these past few weeks, and while I may be posting less often than previously. (Though, I can be a terrible procrastinator when I’m under deadline, so perhaps when the school work gets intense, I’ll be blogging plentifully. During my last round of school I took up hand-stitching baby quilts and my house was always very clean).

I can’t take credit for any of the following wonderful recipes, but I’ve linked to the original blog post or book’s website. Here’s what I’ve been whipping up lately…..

Apple Pie Oatmeal from Oh She Glows. Recipe here. When I give my kids this oatmeal for breakfast, they think they are getting a treat. It tastes like the sweet cinnamon filling of apple pie, but with plenty of protein thanks to the oats and nuts. Filling and delicious! If you want to change it up, Angela has plenty more oatmeal recipes to choose from on her blog, like the Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole.

Pasta with Easy Breezy Cheesy Sauce from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and posted here on her blog The Post Punk Kitchen. I reduce the amount of water to make it thicker and creamier. For the fastest mac ‘n cheese ever, I keep a container of the dry mix in the pantry, then mix with hot water and a smidge of mustard, blend, and add to cooked pasta and veggies. To keep it really simple, I reserve the pasta cooking water for the sauce. Use it any place you’d use a creamy cheese sauce: over steamed broccoli, poured on baked potatoes or nachos (thanks, Mary, for that idea!). In the photo above I’ve used the cheesy sauce over perogies with fresh herbs and coconut bacon.
Cinnamon Bun Granola from Tiny Treats by Lisa Pitman and Nicole Axworthy. This granola is so good we have it for breakfast, for snacks and as an ice cream topping for dessert! I never would have thought to add buckwheat to my granola, but what a great texture it adds! You can buy the e-cookbook through the authors’ blogs A Dash of Compassion or Vegan Culinary Crusade. A lovely bonus is a third of the proceeds are donated to the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary in Northern Thailand, if you need one more reason to support this awesome project!

Jambalaya from Peas and Thank You by Sarah Matheny. A hearty and filling meal that’s fast and easy, if rice is already cooked. In the photo above, I’ve used a mix of brown rice and millet instead of just rice, to change it up. I use Field Roast Apple Sage sausages which add just a bit of sweetness to the Jambalaya. If you can handle spicy foods, try the Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages — they would compliment the jambalaya perfectly but are too spicy for me!

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies, another winner from Nicole of A Dash of Compassion. Recipe here. Just eight ingredients mean you can whip these babies up in five minutes. These not-so-sweet cookies are flour-less, high in protein, and their texture is like a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread! Try adding the ingredients into the pot of melted coconut oil and the heat will melt the chips into a chocolate swirl.
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In other news, I’ve organized a vegan potluck in Waterloo next Saturday, February 2nd at noon. I love potlucks and hope it will be a nice opportunity for vegans and vegan-friendly people in the Waterloo area to connect. All are welcome: vegans, non-vegans, adults, kids. If you’re able to join us, please see the event page on facebook here. Join us if you can!
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Breaking the Breakfast Routine

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Hi friends,

Happy holiday season! I hope you are feeling more peaceful and organized than I am — my To Do Before Christmas list seems to be getting longer not shorter! Still, it’s my favourite time of year and I’m looking forward to Christmas full of family time and good food!

I’ve already introduced you to my friend Kimmy, a holistic nutritionist who blogs at Rock My Vegan Socks. I have invited her to join me at Earthgiven Kitchen with a guest post on healthy eating. Read on below as she shares her tips to break out of a food rut with six gluten-free, soy-free vegan recipes to supercharge your breakfast. Think outside the cereal box! (Especially if it’s full of sugar, salt and additives like many of them out there.) I don’t know about you, but I pretty much stick to the same three options for breakfast: smoothie, green juice or granola. Thanks to these great recipes, I’ll be changing it up! And starting the day off first with a nice glass of warm water and lemon juice. Thanks, Kimmy!

Breaking the Breakfast Routine
guest post by Kimmy from Rocky My Vegan Socks

Are you guilty of having the same thing for breaky, day in and day out? Or do you perhaps grab something in your mad rush out the door after having promised yourself to make time the previous morning as your rushed out the door? I know, I know – you are busy! You have a job to get to, and kidlets to get out the door and breakfast isn’t exactly one of your priorities. I get it, trust me.

What if I helped you get out of that breakfast rut and back in love with the most important meal of the day? I have the magic! I have loads of great ideas for super quick and easy breakfasts, along with a few more complicated ones when you’re in the mood and have time.

Before we get to the good stuff, let’s take a closer look at breakfast and mornings. When you get up in the morning, your body has just finished detoxing after (hopefully) a good night’s sleep. Your body wants a gentle wake up, so instead of jolting it awake with caffeine, try a nice cup of warm water with some fresh squeezed lemon. This will help get your digestive juices flowing. While you’re getting ready, try pausing to drink a glass of water to rehydrate yourself (this helps with energy for the day as well as keep your joints lubricated and help combat dry skin). Try waiting until you feel true hunger before eating your breakfast. This may mean having to take it to go, which is fine, just be sure to eat it in a calm & relaxed environment and to thoroughly chew it. This will give you energy and keep you going until lunch if you just don’t have time for a mid-morning snack. And it’ll keep you from grabbing a doughnut to stave off your hunger.

If you just don’t have time to make breakfast in the morning, make it the night before and take it with you. I adapted this recipe from Oh She Glows’ Easy Vegan Overnight Oats.

Chocominty Overnight Oats

1 medium banana
1/3 cup gluten free oats
3/4 cup almond milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp carob powder
a few drops of mint extract

Before going to bed, place the banana in your favourite breakfast bowl and mash up a banana. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir really well. Pop in your fridge until the next morning and enjoy cold. This one is a nice spin on my favourite chocolate mint combination but is stimulant free.

If you have even just a few minutes in the morning, make yourself a nice, green smoothie. This is also something you could make the night before and have in the morning before you head out (or take with you).

Another important tip for breakfast fare (and all day eating) is the importance of rotating your grains. Do you remember not being able to bring peanut butter to school when you were a kid? It was unheard of when I went to school, but seems to be some sort of epidemic nowadays. Food sensitivities are on the rise and one of the largest contributing factors is overeating a particular food. Switch it up! Don’t eat the same things day in and day out. Try a 4-day rotation with your grains. Have Millet Mondays and Teff-rific Tuesdays. Try some new grains like teff and amaranth and buckwheat, which all make wonderful breakfast options. You could even just have a large serving of fresh fruit for breakfast some days. Get creative and have fun!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Millet Porridge

1/2 cup millet
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp maple syrup or agave
cinnamon to taste (optional)
toppings: fresh fruit, nuts, coconut, etc.

Cook up the millet in the coconut milk and add maple syrup or agave. I like adding cinnamon to mine as well. Bring it to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone. Put it into a bowl and add some fresh fruit and chopped nuts (I also added flaked unsweetened coconut).

Amaranth Pudding

1/4 amaranth
1 cup liquid (I used 1/4 cup almond milk and 3/4 cup of water)
1/2 tsp maple syrup or sweetener or your choice
topping: chopped nuts, hemp seeds, etc.

Place amaranth into 1 cup of liquid. Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring frequently and then simmer it on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes until liquid is mostly gone. Add 1/2 tsp maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice) with some chopped nuts. Try adding some flax or hemp seeds.

Green Smoothie

I’m sure you have your own ideas for smoothies, here are a few more for you to consider. Start with some greens (spinach, romaine, mixed, kale), add some frozen fruit, some almond milk and some add-ins (flax seeds, chia seeds, goji berries, hemp seeds, maca powder, lacuma powder, spirulina, cinnamon, carob or cacao powder, coconut flakes etc) and blend away. I always seem to buy too many berries when I head to the market on Saturdays and always have some leftover by the end of the week which I like freezing for smoothies.

Buckwheat Parfait

I love soaking and dehydrating buckwheat as it is so versatile! You can add buckwheat to smoothies, cereal, trail mix or make your own little breakfast out of it. This is coconut yogurt layered with fresh fruit and dehydrated buckwheat. I got this idea from Sarina of course =) Check out her recipe here.

Homemade Cereal (adapted from Oh She Glows)

1/3 cup oats
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp maple syrup
chopped nuts
topping: fresh fruit

I also got this idea from Oh She Glows. I start with oats and add a pinch of sea salt, cinnamon (careful – if you aren’t used to adding cinnamon, start out small and work your way up), maple syrup and I chop whatever nuts I have on hand (I’m always pretty psyched if I have almonds, pecans, walnuts and cashews all on hand) and mix it with the oats and then add some chopped fresh fruit on top.

Bon Appétit!

The Chocominty Overnight Oats were submitted to Wellness Weekends blog hop.

Pumpkin Spice Scones and Vegan Clotted Cream

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I recently hosted a tea party to celebrate the birthday of a dear friend. We both love tea and sweets and opportunities to speak in fake British accents so we had a jolly good time!

On the menu:

Pumpkin spice scones

Crumpets

Clotted cream and strawberry jam

Cucumber sandwiches

Gingersnaps

Fresh strawberries

Assorted teas

The gingersnaps, crumpets and jam were store-bought to save on time. The gingersnaps are Nyakers brand and they were thin and crispy, just right for dunking in tea. They were also perfect as the base for pumpkin pie crust instead of graham crackers that I made the next day. I can’t recall the brand of the vegan crumpets but found them at FreshCo.

The sandwiches were filled with Tofutti Garlic and Herb Better Than Cream Cheese, baby spinach and cucumbers. The scones were an adaptation of the sweet potato biscuits that I’ve been making for years (see below). Being October, I thought pumpkin would be a nice variation.

So, what is the difference between a scone and a biscuit anyway? It seems there is a fine line between the terms but biscuits are more of a savoury dinner food (often accompanied by gravy) and scones are a bit sweeter and more of an accompaniment for tea or breakfast. In the UK, biscuits are more what we think of as cookies in North America, and as we were having as proper an Enligh tea party as we could, scones they were. I used 2 tbsp of sugar for a not-too-sweet scone since I knew I’d be slathering them in jam, but you may want to increase to 3 tbsp to have them taste more like dessert.

Pumpkin Spice Scones

1/3 cup soy milk
1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2-3 tbsp dry sweetener
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
6 tbsp chilled vegan margarine
3/4 cup pumpkin puree

Pour the lemon juice or vinegar into the soy milk and let sit for a few minutes to make a buttermilk. Meanwhile, add all dry ingredients in a food processor and mix well. Add the chilled margarine until it resembles coarse meal. Add the pumpkin purée to the buttermilk and mix well. Stir the wet mixture into the flour mixture, careful not to over-mix. Drop large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Makes 6-8 scones.

Variation: Sweet Potato Dinner Biscuits: Substitute sweet potato purée for the pumpkin purée (you can use a small jar of baby food to save time) and use 2 tbsp of dry sweetener and omit the cinnamon and nutmeg.

I was enchanted with the idea of making my own vegan clotted cream. The inspiration came from Steph’s Cup of Tea blog though I’ve changed the measurements to be have more a cream cheese taste.

Clotted Cream
6 tbsp Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
4 tbsp vegan margarine
2 tsp agave or maple syrup

Blend in a food processor, taste and add more sweetener if desired. Use as a spread on scones or muffins.

Happy birthday, Melanie!

Date and Walnut Oatmeal

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Brrrrr, the weather cooled down fast! Here’s a warm, healthy breakfast recipe my kids and I have been enjoying lately. Protein, fibre, essential fatty acids and more in dish that’s ready in less than ten minutes — a great way to start the day! So many variations are possible: swap the walnuts for your favourite nut or swap the dates for raisins, dried cranberries or other fruit.

Date and Walnut Oatmeal

1 cup filtered water
1/3 cup oats
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp chia seeds
1/4 cup nondairy milk
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 dates, pitted and chopped
2 tbsp walnuts, chopped
optional: maple syrup

In a medium sized pot, bring the water to a boil. Add sea salt, oats and chia and stir. Reduce heat to simmer, add the nondairy milk, dates and cinnamon and stir again. While the oatmeal cooks, toast the walnuts under a broiler or in a fry pan on medium heat for a minute or two — be careful they don’t burn. When the oats are cooked (if you’ve used quick oats, they will only need 3-5 minutes), spoon into two bowls. Top each bowl with 1 tbsp nuts and a drizzle of maple syrup if you like.

This dish is gluten-free with GF oats, and soy-free. Serves two.

Vegan Brunch: Savory Scrambles and Sweet Parfaits

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Shortly after I became vegan, I learned a little tidbit I’ll share with you: Brunch is a big deal to vegans. Waffles, pancakes, scrambles, muffins, lattes, even bacon and omelets….. we can do it all vegan, deliciously!
My primary brunch staple for about a year was Oh She Glows’ Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole. It’s excellent, like everything Angela creates. Then Tofu Scramble with Coconut Bacon took over as my main go-to. Click the link for the recipe.

When I hosted a brunch a few weekends ago, I wanted to create a special dish for a friend with severe allergies. Not only is she vegan, she also needs to avoid soy and gluten. Before cutting out soy, she adored tofu scramble. I wondered if I could possibly make a tofu scramble without tofu and still be delicious and full of protein? I decided to try swapping the tofu in my scramble with white beans and potatoes and I think it turned out wonderfully! All the flavours of my Tofu Scramble with potato and white beans substituting the tofu. Perfect for anyone wanting to change up their scramble or just wanting to reduce their soy intake.

White Bean and Potato Breakfast Scramble
1 cup onion, chopped
coconut or olive oil
2 medium potatoes, chopped into bite sized chunks
14 oz cooked white beans, drained and rinsed if using a can
1 heaping tbsp of spice mix (below)
3 tbsp Bragg’s all-purpose seasoning, nama shoyu or soy sauce
2 1/2 cups chopped veggies (we like red pepper, massaged kale, mushrooms and spinach)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1 tomato, chopped
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, minced

Scramble Spice Mix
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp Herbamare seasoning or sea salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp sage

Mix the spices together and keep in a glass jar. Makes enough for 6 servings of the scramble.

Sautée the onion in a bit of oil over medium heat in a large pan and cook for about five minutes. Add the potatoes and white beans to the pan with the onion and continue cooking, stirring frequently. Add 1 tbsp of the spice mix to 3 tbsp of water, stir, then add to pan and stir well. Add the Bragg’s, veggies and nutritional yeast to the pan and cook for another several minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender and veggies are soft. Use a metal spatula to scrape the bottom if the beans start to stick. Taste and add more Bragg’s, spice mixture or nutritional yeast if desired. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm topped with chopped tomatoes and cilantro.
The scramble also makes a great entrée.

I also served my traditional Tofu Scramble with avocado, fresh fruit, raw almonds (brought by a friend from California where nuts are unpasteurized and truly raw), and cherry coconut parfaits! The parfaits can be nearly sugar free if you choose no-sugar added jam and granola, making it a not-too-decadent treat for breakfast, brunch or dessert.
Cherry Coconut Parfaits

cultured coconut milk (also called coconut yogurt. I used So Delicious brand)
your favourite jam (I used homemade chia-berry jam)
granola (I used homemade raw coconut granola, recipe coming soon)
one cherry per parfait to top

Spoon about a two tablespoons of cultured coconut into the bottom of a glass cup or wine glass. Top with two tablespoons of jam followed by enough granola to cover the jam. Repeat the layers of coconut, jam and granola, then top with a cherry. Serve immediately.

I am submitting my White Bean and Potato Breakfast Scramble to the Allergy Friendly Fridays, Gluten Free Fridays, Healthy Vegan Fridays, Foodtastic Fridays, Wellness Weekends and Meatless Mondays blog hops. I’m sharing the Parfaits with the Slightly Indulgent blog hop.
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Peaches, tomatoes and my favourite sandwich

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Is there anything better than a lazy summer Sunday afternoon to do nothing but hang with your favourite people and eat good food? I had one of those lovely days this weekend which makes it the perfect day for a “What I Ate Wednesdays” submission to Peas and Crayons, the weekly blog link-up.

Two weeks ago, a friend gave me an organic tree-ripened Ontario peach and I couldn’t believe the taste difference between it and grocery store peaches. Not only that, Ontario peaches are hard to find right now due to the insane spring weather we had –summer temperatures in March brought out fruit flowers, then an April frost damaged most of them, leaving no fruit to ripen. A heartbreak to the tune of $100 million for Ontario fruit farmers. My friend shared the source of her stash: The Petters, a family business that organizes and disperses orders of organic produce from Palatine, a farm in Niagara known for its commitment to ethical farming and amazing tree-ripened fruit. They reportedly were immensely lucky that their trees survived when neighbouring farms were ruined. I understand that they are not certified organic but don’t use traditional pesticides. We also ordered a basket of heirloom tomatoes and they are just as spectacularly fresh and delicious as the peaches.
Above: Zabu inspects our produce order

There are 8 locations in southern Ontario where you can pick up Palatine produce, thanks to the Petters. I’ve been eating fresh peaches and tomatoes daily and will be sorry when summer is over and these wonderful local gems are gone for another year.

Here’s what I ate Sunday:

Breafkast: Spinach-banana smoothie, a cup of chocolate hazelnut tea and a fresh peach

Snack: Mary’s organic crackers and Daiya wedges with garlic-stuffed olives.

I have been eagerly anticipating the launch of Daiya wedges for months. I finally found them a week ago and the verdict is: good but not quite the texture I was hoping for. The cheddar one tastes too artificial for my liking, bringing me memories of Cheez Whiz, something I haven’t eaten since I was about 10. The jack style one and havarti were tastier.

Lunch: Tomato and hummus sandwich with fresh greens, another peach and two chocolate banana cookies (currently my most popular recipe, click the link for the recipe).

I’m slightly obsessed with fresh tomato and hummus sandwiches these days. Definitely my favourite sandwich and a summer staple. I make my own hummus with a secret ingredient! I’ll reveal when I post the recipe soon. Also on the sandwich: baby spinach, onion, cucumber and black pepper. Delish!

Dinner: Delicious and a bit indulgent creamy avocado chickpea pasta (click the link for the recipe) and carrot sticks. We ate on the deck, enjoying the wonderful weather.

Dessert: Frozen chocolate banana bites (click the link for the recipe). Bananas dipped in chocolate, coconut and sprinkles and frozen until they taste like chunks of ice cream. Heavenly on a summer day!

Thanks to Jenn for hosting another What I Ate Wednesdays.

Muffins and Magical Jam

Posted on August 16, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I think I’ve perfected my blueberry cornmeal muffins! I love the texture: juicy blueberries with the crunch of the cornmeal, plus they are wheat free for those who are sensitive or just want a break from wheat. (Note that it uses spelt flour which is wheat-free but not gluten-free).

I used the coconut sugar that my vegan food swap partner Sasha sent me in July and thought it turned out lovely. Knowing the health benefits of coconut sugar (it’s a whole unprocessed food product containing many vitamins and minerals plus it’s low glycemic index), I’ll certainly be using coconut sugar as often as possible over cane sugar. Plus it tastes delicious! It naturally has a caramel-like flavour; much tastier than agave, stevia or cane sugar. If you only have white sugar, you can swap it for coconut sugar one to one. If you don’t have coconut sugar or spelt flour on hand, I’ve made this recipe with white sugar and all purpose wheat flour and they also turn out great.

Blueberry Cornmeal Spelt Muffins
1 1/2 cup almond or soy milk
1 tsp vinegar (I used coconut vinegar)
2 tbsp ground flax
3/4 cup canola oil
2 cups unbleached all-purpose spelt flour
1 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup coconut sugar or other dry sweetener
1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

Add the vinegar to the milk and stir. Add the flax and stir then let sit for five minutes to form a buttermilk that will help the muffins rise. Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the canola oil to the milk mixture and mix well. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined ( over-mixing leads to unhappy muffins).

Pour into muffin cups and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes for large muffins or 25 minutes for mini muffins.

They were delicious just as they were, but for a sweet treat, I like to add jam….
We used to buy sugary grocery store jam, but have since switched to organic sugar-free jam. Even better, I’ve started making my own sugar-free jam with organic berries from my garden. It is sweetened only with a little bit of maple syrup. Instead of pectin, I use healthy chia seeds, which thicken the jam while adding some nutrition. No fancy canning equipment needed! I can’t take credit for the idea of using chia as the “magical” ingredient, I saw it on Oh She Glows (doesn’t she have the best ideas?!) Her recipe for Magical Blueberry Vanilla Chia Seed Jam is found here.

Homemade muffins topped with homemade jam?! Heavenly!

I am submitting my muffin recipe to weekly blog parties Wellness Weekend, Healthy Vegan Fridays and Allergy Friendly Fridays.

Vegan at the cottage

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Our family vacation this summer was a week at a cottage in beautiful Muskoka, Ontario and the ten of us had a wonderful time.

I’m grateful that even though I’m the lone vegan in the family, the rest of my family members are either nearly vegan, semi-vegetarian or veg-supportive. All family meals were predominantly vegan. We saved time and stress by preparing many of the meals ahead of time and freezing them, like my BBQ burritos and my sister’s delicious vegan shepherd’s pie. I made sure to pack with me all the foods I wouldn’t want to go a week without and wouldn’t be able to find in the nearest grocery store, like my sandwich spread (Vegenaise + mustard + fresh herbs from my garden), Tofurky slices, hemp seeds, organic fruit, almond milk, etc.

So, for What I ate Wednesday‘s submission #2, here is what I ate one day last week at the cottage:

Breakfast: Raw cherry almond granola. Recipe coming soon. We adored getting to see this view every day as we ate. So peaceful. August’s WIAW theme is “summer staples”, celebrating the foods in season right now. For me, nothing says summer like fresh berries, and I used both raw strawberries and cherries in my granola. Summer food staples in my house are also burgers and anything else barbecued, which we certainly enjoyed at the cottage.

Lunch: Mountain Veggie Burger with Daiya, relish and tomatoes and almonds and watermelon for dessert. This was my first time trying this brand and I really liked it. It’s made from vegetables and beans and only 3 grams of fat per burger, a nice break from the fatty and soy-based (though delicious) burgers out there. They were bought at Organic Garage in Oakville. Snack of tortilla chips and salsa, Barbara’s blueberry fig bars and dried apricots.

Dinner: Sweet potato black bean burritos with cilantro lime sauce! Recipe coming soon. These were a big hit. I made them a few weeks before hand, wrapped them individually in aluminum foil and froze them before the trip. They defrosted over night in the fridge then barbecued about five minutes each side so they will be hot all the way through. We served them with Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream, guacamole and salsa. Delicious! Easily my favourite meal at the cottage.

Dessert: Birthday cake! We treated ourselves to Sweets from the Earth chocolate cheesecake for my son’s birthday celebration. I adored cheesecake before I went vegan and so far have not had lucky myself creating an excellent vegan cheesecake, but that’s okay because we can always get a delicious Sweets from the Earth cake to satisfy our cheesecake cravings. Their very best cake, in my opinion, is their carrot cake. Completely addictive. All Sweets from the Earth foods are made from natural vegan ingredients; no preservatives, GMOs, hydrogenated food or refined sugars. And they are from Toronto! Sweet indeed.

Thanks, Jenn from Peas and Crayons, for hosting another WIAW.

What does a vegan eat anyway? (Inaugural WIAW post)

Posted on July 18, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

What I Ate Wednesdays is a weekly blog party hosted by Peas and Crayons that celebrates food. The entries mostly focus on healthy plant-based eating, but not exclusively. Every Wednesday, bloggers are invited to share what they ate one day that week. Since I’m often asked by omnivores “what the heck does a vegan eat anyway?”, participating in WIAW seemed a fun way to answer that question.

So here’s what I ate last Sunday….

Breakfast: Chocolate banana smoothie (frozen banana, Vega chocolate protein powder and coconut milk), fresh organic fruit and walnuts for breakfast.

Lunch: Cherry chocolate chip banana muffins and raspberries and strawberries from my garden. The muffins were fresh from the oven and delicious. I think I had three, plus I couldn’t help eating some muffin batter (no raw eggs!) The recipe for the muffins is coming soon!

Snack of hummus and crackers.

Dinner at my parents’ house: I made gardein (wheat and soy protein) marinated in garlic, sesame oil and soy sauce and stir fried. I also ate potato salad, spinach and pine nut salad and corn on the cob with Earth Balance butter. Yum!

Look at the fruit salad in a watermelon my mother made for dessert! Creative and beautiful, just like my mom.

I intentionally ate fairly healthy through the day because I had made a decadent dessert to share and was looking forward to indulging….

Almond fudge rice crispy bars! Click for the recipe for this addictive dessert. I had two pieces. Okay, maybe three. I have no willpower when it comes to these chocolatey squares.

Thanks, Jenn at Peas and Crayons, for creating and hosting WIAW! I look forward to reading everyone’s posts.

Tofu Scramble and Coconut Bacon

Posted on July 17, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I’ve never been a fan of eggs; even as a meat-eating kid I wouldn’t touch them. It was no hardship at all giving them up entirely for veganism. When I was first served tofu scramble a couple of years ago, I didn’t find it particularly appetizing to look at, since it resembles scrambled eggs, but one taste and I was sold. Tofu scramble is also a winner with my kids, they will eat every bite.

Tofu scramble makes a superb dish for brunches or dinner entrées. Tofu is an excellent source of protein, calcium and iron, plus it’s not highly processed like some other soy foods. Add some vegetables and nutritional yeast and you have one super healthy dish! I make up a spice mix for the tofu scramble and keep in a glass jar in my pantry so I don’t have to measure out seven spices every time I want tofu scramble.

Tofu Scramble
1 cup onion, chopped
coconut or olive oil
2 14-oz packages of extra firm tofu
1 heaping tbsp of spice mix (below)
3 tbsp Bragg’s all-purpose seasoning, nama shoyu or soy sauce
2 1/2 cups chopped veggies (we like red pepper, massaged kale, mushrooms and spinach)
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
optional topping: fresh herbs, Daiya, coconut bacon (see below)

Tofu Scramble Spice Mix
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp Herbamare seasoning or sea salt
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp sage

Mix the spices together and keep in a glass jar. Makes enough for 6 servings of the tofu scramble.

Sautée the onion in a bit of oil over medium heat in a large pan and cook for about five minutes. While the onion cooks, drain and rinse the tofu, then wrap in a clean kitchen towel and press gently to remove excess liquid. Add the tofu to the pan with the onion and use a metal spatula to chop it up into chunks; it will continue crumbling into smaller pieces as it cooks. Add the spice mix to 3 tbsp of water, stir, then add to pan. Cook the tofu, scraping the bottom with the metal spatula as the tofu becomes brown and crispy on the bottom. Add the Bragg’s, veggies and nutritional yeast to the pan and cook for another several minutes, until the veggies are soft. Taste and add more Bragg’s or nutritional yeast if desired. Serve warm. Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste.

The scramble tastes excellent on its own, or you can top it with melted Daiya and even crispy coconut bacon for a higher-fat treat. I first heard of coconut bacon when I read Mary’s rave review of Aux Vivres on her blog This is Vegan and was intrigued. If you don’t like that’s it’s called “bacon”, just think of it as “smoky coconut crisps”. I was excited to make my own crispy treat and was happy to find the recipe for Aux Vivres’ coconut bacon at Kirsten’s Kitchen here. I used large flaked dried coconut since I couldn’t get my hands on a fresh coconut and it worked just fine.

I found that the recipe resulted in a surprisingly sweet taste; in future I will reduce the maple syrup to 2 tbsp for a more savoury taste. The coconut bacon was also lovely in sandwiches and topped on salads, crackers, pastas and pizza. Crispy and delicious!