Vegan Sausage and Pepper Pasta

I'm always looking for ways to make meals healthier, and sausages are one of the things that I like but that really need an update.  I usually cut one up into smaller pieces so that it flavours the entire dish without adding a ton of calories or unhealthy fat.  However, this vegan gluten-free sausage is a great way to get the flavour in a much healthier way.  It is based on a recipe by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl and is a bit like a falafel.  If you don't want a vegan sausage or don't have the time to make them, you can still make the pasta dish with a bit of regular Italian sausage.

After going to three stores to find basil, I struck out and opted for fresh oregano, but I would definitely use basil, if possible.

You will need cheese cloth and kitchen string to make the sausages.

Makes 5 sausages.  Pasta serves two as a main course (uses two of the sausages).

Sausage Ingredients:

1/2 cup ready-to-eat sundried tomatoes
3/4 cup toasted cashews
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1/2 small red chili, seeded and chopped
6 unsulphured dried apricots
1/2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp shiro miso (optional)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1-2 garlic cloves
1 tsp oregano

1 cup brown rice flour
1 Tbsp xanthan gum
1 Tbsp ground flax seeds or ground chia seeds

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water

4 1//2 cups vegetable stock

1 Tbsp olive oil, for frying

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse together the first 11 ingredients.

2. Add the next three ingredients and pulse until completely combined.

3. Add the olive oil and the water and pulse until mixture forms a dough ball.

4. Separate into five equal portions and roll into sausage shapes.  Wrap in cheese cloth and tie each end with kitchen string.

5. Bring the vegetable stock to a simmer in a large frying pan and simmer the sausages for 45 minutes, turning half-way through.

6. Remove the cheese cloth by cutting off the ends.  Then, fry the sausages in olive oil until they are brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.

7. If you are making the pasta, do so while the sausages are frying.  If you have leftovers, cool and freeze them.

Pasta Ingredients:

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic
8 cocktail tomatoes
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped or torn
salt, pepper
fresh parmesan (optional)

1/2 lb short pasta

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of salted water for the pasta.  Start the rest of the recipe while the water comes to a boil.  When the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions.

2. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and red pepper flakes.

3. Add the onion, peppers and a bit of salt to the oil and sauté until the peppers are just tender.

4. When there is about 3 minutes left in the cooking time of the pasta, add the garlic and tomatoes.

5. Add the cooked pasta to the peppers and toss to coat.  Add black pepper as desired.  Add slices sausage.  Serve topped with basil and parmesan (optional). Enjoy!

** If you would like a saucier pasta, you can use a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes instead of the fresh tomatoes.

Shopping Tips:

1. Rice flour and xanthan gum (pronounced zanthan) can be purchased at an organic or health food store.

2. So can unsulphured dried apricots.  If you can't find them, though, just use regular ones.

3. When they are in season, you can find many different colours of peppers at the Farmers Market or Italian Store.  Try different combinations.

Crunchy Baked Strawberry and Rhubarb Oatmeal

This recipe is adapted from one in Vegetarian Everyday by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl.  I call for this to be prepared the night before, in fact, the first time I made it, I took it to a breakfast potluck at work.  But, in a real pinch, it can be made the morning of.  It definitely benefits from sitting, though.  It can also easily be made vegan if you substitute almond milk and a flax or chia egg*.  If you use gluten-free oats, it is also a filling gluten-free breakfast.  One more option: If you pair it with ice cream, you can eat it for dessert!

Serves 4 - 6.

Ingredients:

2 stalks rhubarb, sliced
2 cups fresh strawberries, sliced
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 large eggs
21/4 cups milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 to 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, depending on your preference
1 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup flaked coconut, pieces as large as you can find (I use dehydrated flakes)

Directions:

The night before you want to eat this...

1. Place the almonds and hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5 - 7 minutes. Chop to large chunks.

2. Place the sliced rhubarb and strawberries in a large round baking dish.

3. In a bowl, combine the oats, baking powder, salt, ginger, and cinnamon.  Spread on top of the fruit.

4. In the same, now empty bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla.  Pour on top of the oats, making sure everything is soaked.  Cover and refrigerate.

5. In the morning, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

6. Combine the coconut oil, nuts, and maple syrup.  Spread on top of the oats.

7. Bake oatmeal for 40 - 50 minutes.  Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.  Serve with yogurt, if you wish.  Enjoy!

*Vegan Egg:

For an egg alternative with no sacrificing in taste, combine 2 Tbsp chia seeds or ground flax seeds with 1/3 cup of water.  Let sit for 15 minutes.  This will replace the two eggs in the recipe.

Warm Halloumi Salad

Several years ago when we lived in England, Scott discovered donair kebabs (pronounced donner  kebahbs, for some reason).  These are not kebabs as we Canadians know them, but are actually donairs.  At the time, I was a fish-eating vegetarian (otherwise know as a pescetarian) and couldn't eat the meat donairs that he was eating; however, there was one little Lebanese shop down the street from us that served vegetarian halloumi donair kebabs.  I had never heard of halloumi before, but it is a wonderfully mild cheese that you can grill because it doesn't melt.  Depending on the kind you buy, it can be a bit salty and might need to be rinsed, but otherwise it is a great addition to many savoury meals.  This recipe is a healthy way to incorporate halloumi into a warm salad that makes a very filling meal.

Serves two as a main or four as a side.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole grains (spelt, wheat berries, farro)
2 Tbsp pine nuts
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or more or less to taste
1 large or 2 small leeks, cleaned and sliced into half moons
1 tbsp ready-to-eat sun-dried tomatoes (or packed in oil)
6 kalamata olives
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 clamshell of baby spinach, chard, kale
juice of half of one lemon
1 tsp honey
4 1/4 inch slices of halloumi
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp fresh basil
pepper

Directions:

1. Cook whole grains ahead of time.  Most will need to be soaked overnight.  I used spelt for this recipe.  Because I forgot to soak it, I poured boiling water over it and let it sit for two hours, did the same thing again, and then cooked it for about 25 minutes.  However, it can take up to 60 minutes of cooking time.  For that reason, it is always easier to cook whole grains ahead of time and then throw them into boiling water for 30 seconds when you need them.  You can even freeze them and then throw them in the pot, frozen, when you need them.

2. In a dry medium pan, toast pine nuts.  Keep an eye on them.  You want them to be brown, but they burn quickly.  Set aside to cool.

3. In the same pan, sauté oil, red pepper flakes, and leeks until leeks are tender, about 5 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes, olives, garlic, and basil.  Slice the halloumi and rinse, if needed.

5. When the leeks are tender, add the garlic and baby spinach.  Continue cooking until the spinach has wilted.  Add in the lemon juice, honey, and a bit more oil, if needed.  Add pepper but do not add salt as the olives and haloumi are both salty.

6. Add the cooked spelt to the leeks and spinach.  Toss to coat with the dressing in the pan.  Add in the olives and sun-dried tomatoes and set aside.

7. Heat a small pan.  Brush both sides of the halloumi with oil and sprinkle each piece with the Italian seasoning.  Grill the cheese in the hot pan on both sides until it is brown.  Place on top of the salad and top with fresh basil.  Enjoy!

This salad is great warm, cold, or room temperature although the cheese is best served hot.

Shopping Tips:

1. Halloumi is not sold in all grocery stores.  It is sold at Superstore as "halloom".  This is what I buy as it is not as salty as the haloumi that I have bought from specialty stores in the past.  They also sell a herbed version if you do not have Italian seasoning.

2. I buy the plastic clamshells of mixed baby spinach, chard, and kale, but if you can only get spinach, that's perfectly fine.

3. Whole grains are becoming more available, but I make a special trip to the organic store to buy them in bulk.  I then store them in 1L canning jars.  If you are going to use them quickly, you can store them in the pantry, otherwise, you can keep them in the freezer to keep them from going rancid. The same goes for nuts.

Perogy Bites

Every August, I go to the Heritage Festival in Edmonton where there are more than one hundred tents representing cuisines from all over the world.  I am ashamed to admit it, but each year I make a bee-line for the Ukrainian tent so that I can eat pierogies.  Why would I go to such a wonderful event and focus on pierogies, which I can get any day of the year?  Because I feel guilty eating them normally.  Full of white flour, cheese, butter, and potato, they are not exactly the healthiest dumplings on the planet.  I have been searching for a way to make them a bit healthier, and I've finally done it.  The greatest thing about these perogy bites is that they can be an appetizer or a meal, and if you leave off the bacon (or substitute it with coconut bacon), they are even vegan!  But don't worry, they taste just like pierogies - maybe even better - they are a cross between perogies, a baked potato, and chips.  To make this easier, make the cheesy cream a day ahead.

Makes 20 - 24 pierogie bites.

Ingredients:

Cheesy Cream:
1 cup plain, raw cashews (soak in water overnight, or at least 4 hours)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
pinch cayenne pepper

1 long, skinny russet potato
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 large onions
2 green onions
1 rasher of bacon (optional)

Directions:

1. To make the Cheesy Cream, drain and rinse the cashews and then combine them with the water, nutritional yeast, vinegar, lemon juice, salt, onion powder, and cayenne pepper in a blender or bullet.  Blend until a smooth paste results, about 3 - 5 minutes.  Refrigerate until cool.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Slice the unpeeled potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds.  brush them with 1 Tbsp of the olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and then bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 30 - 35 minutes, turning over halfway through.

3. Slice the onions into half-moon slices and sauté in the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil on medium heat until they are caramelized and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

4. Slice the green onions into very thin slices, including the green bits.  If you are using the bacon, slice it into bits, and fry in a small dry pan until it is crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pan using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel.  Set aside.

5. When the potatoes and onions are ready, assemble the bites.  On top of each potato round, smother about 1 tsp Cheesy Cream, add some caramelized onions, green onion, and bacon pieces, if using.  Enjoy!

Shopping Tips:

1. Russet potatoes are also called baking potatoes.  They are the ones with the scabby skin that look dirty, even when they are not.

2. Nutritional yeast is not yeast, but is a by-product of molasses.  It is an important source of vitamin B12, and it looks like yellow flakes.  See this recipe for a picture.  It smells like the cheese package in KD.  It can usually be found in the organic section of the grocery store, usually in the bulk bin.  Try sprinkling it on your popcorn for a cheesy alternative...

That's it.  Don't be scared by the planning required to make this recipe.  It comes together really easily.  If you can make perogies, you can make this recipe!

Spring Pasta

Easter is over and it seems that spring has finally arrived - or at least it is definitely on its way.  I realized that I have posted a summer pasta and a winter pasta, but there was no spring pasta.  Well, here it is.  With bright green flavours including spring fresh vegetables like asparagus and leeks, this is sure to be another meal that you will make again and again.

It makes two large portions or four sides.

Ingredients

170 g short pasta like bow ties

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 large or 2 small leeks, cleaned

8 asparagus spears, ends trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen sweetlet peas

1 cup cottage cheese

2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

1. Put pasta water on to boil.  Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.

2. Cut leeks into half-moon slices and sauté in a large pan with olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

3. When leeks start to soften, about 4 - 5 minutes, add the asparagus spears.

4. When there is about three minutes left on the cooking time for the pasta, add the garlic and the peas.

5. When the pasta is drained, remove the pan of vegetables from the stove, add the cottage cheese and pasta and toss. Adjust seasoning.

6. Serve in pasta bowls and top with basil.  Add freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.  Enjoy!

Ravishing Radishes

What is the most under-rated spring vegetable? The radish!  Radishes are detoxifying and great for digestion, they are high in vitamin C and low in calories, and they can even help with bug bites.  Why then are they so ignored?  In most homes, radishes show up on veggie trays or on top of green salads, and they are almost never on restaurant menus, but there are so many wonderful ways to eat them!  Did you know that radishes can be cooked or even roasted?  They can! In fact, cooking them reduces their pungency and gives them a more subtle flavour.  Although at this time of year, they are usually a little milder already.  What's even better is that you can even eat the radish greens.  They are tender like spinach and taste a bit like watercress.

Since I will not be posting next week, here are two ravishing radish recipes to hold you over.

Fennel and Radish Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 large leek, washed, quartered, and sliced
1 large fennel bulb, chopped
1 bunch radishes, quartered and sliced

1 lb frozen shrimp, thawed and peeled
1 clove garlic, minced

juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp light miso
1 tsp honey
salt pepper

fresh dill, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large pan, sauté the oil, butter, leek, salt, and pepper for 4 - 5 minutes.

2. Add the radishes and sauté for another 2 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and shrimp and sauté for 2 minutes.

4. Combine the lemon juice, honey, and miso into a paste.  Add to the pan and sauté for approximately 2 minutes or until the shrimp curl and turn pink.

5. Season with salt and pepper.  Remove from heat and top with fresh dill.

Options:

1. This can be eaten on its own or is great when tossed with a short pasta like bow tie.


Radishes on Rye

Spread a fresh piece of rye bread with butter, add sliced raw radishes, and top with flaked salt such as Maldon.  Even if you have very pungent radishes, this combination will remove some of the heat. As an alternative, add sliced raw radishes to your avocado toast from this previously posted recipe. Enjoy!

 

Dill Pickle Roasted Chickpeas

What do you do with your old pickle juice?  You probably throw it out, right?  Well, I usually use a bit of mine to make potato salad, but I too throw most of it away.  That is until I received the newly released cookbook, "Oh She Glows".  This new book by Canadian blogger Angela Lidden has received rave reviews, so when I saw a recipe for salt and vinegar roasted chickpeas, I immediately had the idea to use my leftover pickle juice instead of vinegar.

The greatest thing about this snack is that it is both healthy and delicious.  Try it out, and then check out Oh She Glows for the salt and vinegar version.

Serves two to four.

Ingredients:

1 19 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups dill pickle juice
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp fine grained sea salt
1 tsp dried dill

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a small pot, bring chickpeas and pickle juice to a boil for 30 seconds.  Remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for about 30 minutes.

3. Drain the chickpeas, drizzle with olive oil, spread on a parchment covered baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and bake for 20 minutes.

4. After 20 minutes, shake the chickpeas on the sheet, sprinkle with the dried dill, and bake for another 20 minutes until charred and crunchy.  If they are at all soft, they are not done.

5. Let cool for about 5 minutes to further crisp up, and then enjoy!

Tips:

1. If you have any leftover, pop them back in the oven to get crisp again before eating.

Chipotle Orange Braised Pork

I love when I taste something new that blows my mind.  A combination of flavours that I've never tasted before yet seem so perfect together that I can't actually believe it is the first time I'm tasting them.  Since I've been experimenting with food for so long, that rarely happens to me anymore, but years ago when I tried the combination of orange and chipotle together for the first time, that was the reaction I had.

This is a big recipe, so it feeds many or is great as leftovers.  Actually, like most braises, it is better when made a day ahead of time so that the flavours have time to mingle and the fat can separate.  Pork shoulder is a very fatty meat, so you either need to separate it out in a fat separator, or cool it and skim the fat off the top.  Because this is a slow braise, it is better with cheaper, tougher cuts of meat (like shoulder).  Don't try to make it with pork loin in order to cut down on the fat content (Mom!).  This recipe takes at least five hours to cook, so it's great to make on a Sunday afternoon and then eat for leftovers during the week.

Serve with brown rice, farro, or other whole grain ( I tried it with both rice and farro, and it was definitely better with chewy farro).  It's even better when served with sweet cooked carrots.  Yield: Approximately 6 - 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp salt

14 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 -1 whole chipotle pepper, minced (depending on how hot you like it)
1 tsp cumin

1 4-5 pound pork shoulder

fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. In a heavy dutch oven, sauté the onion in the oil with the salt until it is translucent.

3. While the onion is sautéing, combine the tomatoes, orange juice, honey, vinegar, mustard, salt, garlic, chipotle, and cumin in a small bowl.

4. Cut the string off the pork shoulder roast if it has it.  Trim the roast of any excess fat and cut into four quarters.

5. Push the onions to the side of the pot, and place the pork on the bottom of the pot. Cover with the liquid mixture.

6. Cover with a lid and place in the oven.  Turn the oven temperature down to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

7. Cook for 5 - 6 hours (mine took 6, but I think my oven runs cool) without opening the oven door or until the meat falls apart when you pull on it with two forks. Separate the fat from the sauce or skim off any fat that is siting on the surface.

8. Serve on top of rice, farro, or other whole grain, and garnish with cilantro.  Enjoy!

Shopping Tips:

1. Chipotle peppers can be found in any grocery store by the taco ingredients.  They come in a very small can packed in adobe sauce.  You only need one, so you will have to buy way more than you need, but they can be frozen for a later use.  They are a great addition to salsa.

2. The handy dandy fat separator that you see pictured above was an awesome present from my brother and sister-in-law.  I'd been putting off buying one for years (even though they only cost about $10) because I kept telling myself that I didn't really need one, but trust me, they are soooooo handy!

This can be made at any time of the year, but is a great warmer on a chilly night.

Curry Roasted Cauliflower

My childhood memories of cauliflower are one of two things: raw florets dredged in dill dip from
a Tupperware veggie tray, or steamed with cheese sauce on top.  To some, these are fond memories, and to others, the reason for a hatred of the vegetable.  I happen to really like cauliflower, but then again, I also like brussels sprouts, cabbage, and rutabaga.

If you haven't tried roasted cauliflower yet, today is the day.  Roasting it at a high heat caramelizes the edges and changes the flavour profile completely.  This recipe goes one step further and adds curry powder for even greater complexity.

You can use either dill or cilantro.  I was intending to use cilantro, but my local grocery store tends to always be out of the one herb I am looking for.  If I want basil, they don't have it, but if I don't need it, they do have it.  Same goes for dill and thyme.  However, they seem to always have parsley and cilantro, so I thought I'd be safe.  Today, though, they did not have cilantro, but instead had bunches and bunches of fenugreek - an unusual herb used in Indian cooking.  I can only assume that someone made a pretty big mistake in the ordering....

Anyway, this can be made as a side or an appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 cup of plain yogurt
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic, crushed
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1 tsp capers, drained and finely chopped
salt, pepper

1 head of cauliflower, sliced
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp curry powder
salt, pepper

Directions:

1. Combine the yogurt, garlic, dijon, dill, caper, salt, and pepper and refrigerate for at least two hours to allow flavours to come together.

2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Mix the oil and curry powder together.  Set aside.  Slice the cauliflower into discs and drizzle with the curry oil.  Mix well.

4. Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Bake the cauliflower for 15 minutes, turn, and bake for another 10 minutes.

6. Serve immediately with the yogurt dip on the side.

Shopping Tips:

1. Capers are the marinated buds of a Mediterranean flower although they taste nothing like it.  They are a great acidic addition to many dishes and are regularly found in tartar sauce.  They can be found in small jars in the pickle section of any grocery store.

Green Pea Crostini

One of my favourite restaurants in Edmonton, Corso 32, used to have a fava bean crostini on their menu that was to die for.  It's the kind of thing that would keep you going back even if that were the only thing on the menu, which, luckily, it isn't.  This is my take on that recipe since fava beans are not always the easiest things to find.  It may not be the time of year for fresh peas from the garden, but the sun is out, and it is almost time to start putting those pea seeds in the ground, so I thought that was good enough.  This recipe is almost as good with thawed frozen peas, so why not?

If you have a day-old baguette, slice it into thin rounds, brush with extra-virgin olive oil, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until brown and crispy.  When they come out of the oven, rub a piece of raw garlic over the toast. If you don't have a baguette, just use crostini from the store.

Ingredients:

12 garlic crostini

1 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 - 3 Tbsp good quality extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for garnish)
4 basil leaves
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp pine nuts
salt, pepper

Directions:

1. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan on the stove or on a baking sheet in the oven for a couple of minutes, being very careful not to burn them (I always do!).

2. In a food processor, combine the peas, olive oil, parmesan, basil, and lemon juice until smooth.

3. Season the pea puree with salt and pepper to taste.

4. On top of each crostini, put a spoonful of pea puree, a few pine nuts, and some grated parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

Shopping Tips:

1. The best, but most expensive, kind of parmesan cheese is parmegiano reggiano.  Do NOT use the parmesan that comes in the green can from the pasta aisle.  I'm not sure what that stuff is, but it is not cheese.

2. I use sweetlet or summer sweet peas for this recipe.  They are smaller and sweeter and have a more tender texture that the large green peas.

3. Pine nuts are expensive and go rancid quickly, so I keep them in the fridge.

The pea puree will keep in the fridge for several days, so it is really easy to make ahead of time - just don't put it on the toast until the last minute!

Sun Dried Tomato and Mung Bean Dip

I really like dips for a snack.  They are a quick and easy way to tie me over after work and until supper is ready.  It is often this snack that gives me the energy to make dinner instead of just devouring whatever is at hand when I open the fridge.

My standby as of late has been tzatziki, but with the main ingredient being yogurt, it is not that substantial, and I end up eating quite a few pretzel chips.  So, when I was looking for substitutes, I came across a recipe for a mung bean hummus.  I had never tried mung beans before, even though I had seen them in the store several times, because "mung" sounds gross and they are also a weird dark green colour.  The combination together just put me off.  But, then I heard that they are actually quite neutral tasting, so I decided to give them a try.  In addition, I decided that a cross between a hummus and a tzatziki would be the perfect combination of light and satisfying.  By the way, mung beans are a great source of protein, iron, and vitamin B6!

This recipe makes about 2 cups of dip.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dried mung beans
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
a handful of fresh dill
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 clove garlic 

Directions:

1. Simmer mung beans in 3 cups of water for 40 - 50 minutes or until tender and starting to split.  Cool

2. In a small food processor, combine all ingredients.  You may need to add up to 1/4 cup of water to adjust the consistency.  It should not be too thick.

3. Refrigerate for several hours to allow flavours to come together. Enjoy!

Shopping Tips:

1. Mung beans are usually either sold in the bulk section or the "international foods" section of the grocery store.  Alternatively, you can find them at natural foods stores.

2. Sun dried tomatoes come in three forms: moist and ready to eat, dried, or packed in olive oil.  You can use any version in this recipe, but if you use the dried kind, you will need to reconstitute them in boiling water.  I used the moist and ready to eat kind.

Options:

1. If you can't find mung beans, you could use white beans instead.

2. Serve with dipping crackers or raw vegetables.

If you store this for more than a day, it may become thicker.  Just put it back in the food processor with a bit of water to loosen it up.

Portobello Tuna Melts

Okay, I promise, I do not eat tuna melts every week, although I did just realize that I posted a version of a tuna melt just two weeks ago...

I really like to include tuna in recipes because it is easily accessible (can be stored in the pantry), is inexpensive, and makes it easy to include a serving of fish in my week.  For anyone who is gluten-free, this is a great way to have a tuna melt as there is no bread in the recipe.  I often make this when I'm looking to eat a bit lighter, which usually occurs right after Christmas or as the weather starts to warm up and I realize that the over-sized sweaters are going to have to be retired soon.  Seeing how it's March and the temperature this weekend was below -40 degrees celsius, I guess I also make it when I'm looking for something quick and easy.

This recipe serves two people.

Ingredients:

2 portobello mushrooms
extra virgin olive oil
1 can chunked light tuna, drained
2 Tbsp mayo (I use reduced fat veganaise)
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp fresh dill
1 handful of baby kale or spinach
1 small tomato
1/4 cup cheddar or gruyere cheese, grated
salt, pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Take out the stem of the mushrooms, and use a spoon to scrape out the gills.

3. Place the mushrooms on a baking sheet and brush with oil.  Bake for 10 minutes, turning halfway through.

4. While the mushrooms are baking, in a medium-sized bowl, mix together tuna, mayo, dijon, dill, kale, salt, and pepper.

5. When the mushrooms are tender, fill each cap with the tuna mixture and top with tomatoes and cheese.

6. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is brown and bubbling.  Enjoy!

Shopping Tips

1. Portobello mushrooms are the really big ones.  They can now be found in all grocery stores.

2. Some tunas are more pungent than others.  I like the light taste of light tuna.

These tuna melts are great served with salad.