What I Ate Wednesday #119

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

The other day I made reservations at a restaurant, and asked if they could accommodate vegans. The person on the phone said “Vegan, huh? That must be tough not eating any grains at all.” I replied “oh, I eat grains; I just don’t eat animal products.” “Well…. I’m sure the kitchen could give you some …ah…fruit?”

The interaction was a good reminder that many people don’t know what it means to be vegan or can’t imagine the diversity of delicious healthy foods there to choose from. This would be a good time for another What I Ate Wednesday: a tour of the foods I eat in a typical day, a blog game I haven’t played in a while that’s been going strong for 119 weeks now!

Pre-Breakfast: a cup of warm water and lemon juice, great for digestion, followed by a cup of chai green tea.

Breakfast: Strawberry-Almond Oatmeal. I took my Date and Walnut Oatmeal, subbed almonds for the walnuts, and topped with all-fruit (unsweetened) jam and granola. Yum!

Lunch: Hummus Tempeh Wrap: whole wheat pita, Red Pepper & Hemp Heart Hummus (recipe here), baby spinach, kale, tempeh, sun-dried tomatoes and Cashew Sour Cream (recipe from Meghan Telpner here).

Snacks: a banana, and later, a handful of almonds and a few pieces of Camino dark chocolate with coconut. Camino bars are little pieces of heaven.

Dinner: Buffalo cauliflower wings and deluxe veggie pizza. I’ve mentioned the buffalo cauliflower wings before, they are awesome! Check out Keepin’ It Kind for the recipe. It’s one of the few ways I can get my kids to eat cauliflower. Instead of topping our pizza with it, we used the cauliflower as a side dish and loaded a store-bought pizza with all the toppings we could: Daiya, mushrooms, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, pineapple, Italian Seasoning, veggie peperoni, asparagus and red onion. Delicious! One of our favourite dinners we’ve had in a while.

I’m submitting this wonderful day of eating to What I Ate Wednesdays #119, with thanks to Peas and Crayons for hosting.

Creamy Red Pepper and Hemp Heart Hummus

Posted on February 23, 2013 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

I wasn’t a fan of red pepper until it became obvious when my daughter was a toddler that it was one of her favourite foods. I then looked for new ways to incorporate the healthy veggie into more recipes and grew to like it more myself. She loves red peppers so much she’ll eat them raw like an apple. (Only red ones though, don’t even think about offering her a green one). Despite not being the biggest red pepper fan myself, I LOVE the addition of red pepper to my usual hummus and lately I’ve been making it more than my traditional hummus (recipe here). I’ve also added in the olive oil to the puree instead of drizzling on top as per tradition, which makes for a creamier, more decadent hummus. In the summer, I love making this hummus with peppers freshly picked from my garden.

Red Pepper Hummus
One 540 ml can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
half of a red pepper, cored and roughly chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
1/3 cup hemp hearts
1/3 cup filtered water
1/2 – 1 tsp cumin (to taste)
Herbamare seasoning or sea salt to taste
about 1 tbsp hemp hearts and about 1/2 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Combine all ingredients except garnishes in a food processor until well blended and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings. For serving as a dip, sprinkle with hemp hearts and garnish with chopped parsley.

It’s wonderful as a dip with veggies and crackers or on a sandwich with your favourite fixings!

This recipe has been shared on Healthy Vegan Fridays and Gluten Free Fridays.

The secret to great hummus

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Here’s your fun fact for the day: hummus is Arabic for “chickpea”. I know you were always wondering, so you’re welcome.

As you may have guessed from my previous posts, I adore Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine. My mother’s roots are Middle Eastern, so dishes like hummus, tabouleh and stuffed vine leaves have been staples in my diet all my life. Hummus is traditionally made with tahini which is sesame seed butter but I find that too much tahini makes hummus taste bitter. The secret to great hummus, in my humble opinion, is adding… hemp hearts! And lots of cumin. Hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds) have a delicious nutty and slightly sweet taste that goes great in hummus.

The combination of chickpeas plus sesame (tahini) makes hummus a complete protein and hemp hearts (a complete protein on their own) adds important Omega 3 fatty acids as well as other health benefits. While hemp hearts are my “secret” hummus ingredient, I’d say that the real secret to great hummus is experimenting with the ingredient amounts, since it contains many strong flavours, to see what makes a great hummus for your taste: Lots of garlic? Lots of lemon? No cumin at all? Try and see.

I can’t take credit for the idea of adding hemp hearts to hummus, the tip came from my mother, though the recipe below is my own after lots of tweaking.

I’ve provided two measurements: one for using an entire can of chickpeas (for when you’re making dip for a party) and one that uses 1 cup of cooked chickpeas (for when you’re making a few sandwiches).

Sarina’s Hummus

Small serving
1 cup cooked chickpeas (if using chickpeas from a can, rinse and drain)
1-2 cloves garlic minced
1/8 cup tahini
1/8 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
1/8 cup hemp hearts
1/8 cup filtered water
1/4-1/2 tsp cumin (to taste)
Herbamare seasoning or sea salt to taste
olive oil and about 1 tbsp of chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Large serving (using one large can of chickpeas)
One 540 ml can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
1/3 cup hemp hearts
1/3 cup filtered water
1/2 – 1 tsp cumin (to taste)
Herbamare seasoning or sea salt to taste
olive oil and about 1/2 tbsp of chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Combine all ingredients except garnishes in a food processor until well blended and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings. For serving as a dip, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with chopped parsley. Many hummus recipes blend the olive oil into the dressing; I like using the oil the traditional way, drizzled on top. You could also garnish with some toasted pine nuts or chopped olives. Serve with pita chips or crackers. I love hummus with my Nacho Crackers; click here for the recipe.
A cute way to serve hummus as a party appetizer or to kids is a dollop in a shot glass with veggie sticks. The credit for the preparation of these in the photo go to my sister.

There is no sandwich I love better in summer than hummus with fresh tomatoes and other veggies fresh from the garden. Not like you really need a recipe to figure out how to put it together, but here it is anyway:

Hummus Summer Sandwich
two slices of your favourite bread
Sarina’s Hummus (recipe above)
fresh tomatoes slices
your favourite fresh greens– I like to use basil, baby spinach, cucumber and sprouts
sweet onion slices
a few sprinkles of black pepper on the tomato

Assemble and enjoy immediately!
Update: I am submitting my hummus to the blog hops Wellness Weekends, Allergy-Friendly Fridays, Healthy Vegan Fridays & Gluten Free Fridays Check out the link up party for a collection of delicious recipes.

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.

Vegan dinner party and my favourite curry

Posted on August 7, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

One of my favourite dishes to prepare when guests come over is my Thai-inspired curry so that when they walk in the door, they’ll be greeted by the lovely smells of curried coconut, ginger and pineapple cooking. Mmmmmm…. The dish is easily made ahead of time and kept in the fridge, then tossed on the stove to simmer for about half an hour before guests arrive, making it easy for dinner parties when you want everything done ahead of time. You can even make it a day or more in advance and freeze, then defrost in the fridge over night.

The dinner party menu:
Cool Hummus Pizza Bites
Nacho Kale Chips
Spinach and Cranberry Salad
Baguette with Herbed Garlic Butter
Thai Pineapple Coconut Curry
Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes
Fresh raspberries

I chose it to be the main course when we had our friends Mary and Paul over for dinner. This dinner party happened some weeks ago but I delayed posting as I kept tweaking the recipe for the curry, but now I think it’s perfect.

Mary runs my favourite blog This Is Vegan and is a wonderful cook and baker. As a newbie vegan, I’ve deeply appreciated Mary’s advice on everything from restaurant reviews to blogging tips. I don’t know how successful my first year as a vegan would have been without her, and I certainly wouldn’t have had as much fun, so thanks, Mary! I’ve gotten to share some adventures with her like our girls’ weekend at the vegetarian bed and breakfast that turned out to be a secret beef farm, a fact that wasn’t revealed to us until we had checked out. (“Isn’t it wonderful these people are using their farm as a sanctuary for these cows?… Wait a minute, why are their ears tagged?”) . Back to the dinner party. Mary brought her cool hummus pizza bites and they were a fabulous appetizer. Baked crescent dough topped with hummus and garden vegetables! She posted her recipe for them here.

The recipe for my nacho kale chips are found here.

My Thai curry is adapted from the Vegetarian Meat and Potatoes Cookbook by Robin Robertson. The curry is a bit time intensive as the flavours need an hour or so to simmer for best results. I like to cook a big pot of brown rice every few days and keep the cooked and cooled rice in the fridge for quick meals; it keeps for about three days. If you don’t have 2 cups of rice made, you can cook the rice while the curry simmers.

Thai Pineapple Coconut Curry
2 packages of extra firm tofu
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, grated
6 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp each brown sugar, cardamon, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric and cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups cooked brown rice
3 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 onion
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups diced potatoes (we used red potatoes and purple yams)
1 cup pineapple chunks (fresh if you can find it, or canned)
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (optional)
1 cup coconut milk
fresh cilantro or pea sprouts

Rinse the tofu, then remove excess liquid by wrapping in a clean kitchen towel and pressing gently. Chop into 1 inch cubes.

Combine the sugar (try it with coconut sugar if you can!), shallots, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and spices in a food processor. Add the oil as well as 1/2 cup water.

Warm 2 tbsp of the coconut oil in a pan and cook the onions on medium heat for about five minutes, until softened. Add the spice mixture, then the potatoes and stir. Cook for about three minutes, then add in the vegetable broth, cover and cook until the potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.

In a separate pan, warm the other 1 tbsp of coconut oil over medium-high, then add the tofu, stirring every minute or so, so that all sides of the tofu cubes are brown and a bit crispy (you can skip this step if you want softer tofu). Add the tofu, pineapple, chickpeas (if using) and coconut milk, stir, and let simmer for at least 10 minutes. Serve hot. Top with fresh cilantro or pea sprouts and serve.

The best dish of all that night was the chocolate molten lava cakes with raspberries from my garden. I can take no credit for cake recipe as they are the creation of the amazing Chloe Coscarelli. I haven’t found a recipe for the cakes online, so you’ll just have to go out and get the Chloe’s Kitchen cookbook, but I promise it’s well worth it. It’s one of my very favourite cookbooks.

What are your favourite dishes to serve at dinner parties?

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.

Farmer’s market, Seven Shores and frozen treats

Posted on July 4, 2012 by Sarina @ Earthgiven Kitchen

Every Thursday in the summer, a small Farmer’s Market runs in Waterloo’s town square. My family and I visited last week and bought apples and cherries (assured they were picked from the tree that morning!), strawberries, curly kale and garlic as well as fresh bread from Downie Street Bakehouse in Stratford.

I appreciated that–unlike many other farmer’s markets around–the produce sold is required to be organic only and the vendors are truly local (from within a two hour drive). While I shopped, the kids made free crafts at the art table. A very nice market experience indeed!

After the market, we walked to Seven Shores cafe for a casual dinner. The owners used to run Seven Shores Trading Company in Kitchener. It sold fair-trade furnishings, clothing and artisan crafts from around the world and it’s where I bought my favourite bamboo t-shirt. They closed their store in 2008 to open a cafe in Waterloo but they continue to sell some artisan crafts in the cafe as well as a mini produce market outside. The owner told me they focus on fair-trade practices, pay their staff a living wage and promote local, organic eating.

Their menu has options for gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and omnivore eaters. They even offer Daiya to make vegan grilled cheese. I ordered the veggie wrap. It was served on a soft tortilla with hummus, veggies and a side salad. When the chef overheard me tell the counter staff that I was allergic to alcohol and couldn’t have the balsamic dressing on the salad, she offered to make me a dressing with fresh strawberries and olive oil instead and it was delicious!

Seven Shores had no vegan desserts, so we headed to Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt after dinner. We had never eaten there before but heard that they offer at least one vegan sorbet option each day and lots of vegan toppings. You help yourself to as much yogurt or sorbet and toppings as you like, then head to the cash register where you pay by weight. The vegan option that day was peach sorbet. The ingredients of the sorbet base are nothing special: water, liquid sugar, corn syrup solids, stabilizer (guar gum, pectin, dextrose). I didn’t have the heart to ask to see the ingredients in the peach flavouring but I’m going to guess that none of them actually came from a peach.

Our vegan toppings: fresh mango, coconut, Oreos and walnuts. We got a waffle cone for the kids but note that their cones contain egg yolk. Our sorbet rang in at almost $9.00 which seemed pretty steep to me for what was mostly frozen sugar water. Still, it was a fun family outing and on a blazing hot day, the sorbet hit the spot.