Zuppa Toscana...

This may come as a surprise to ‘die-hard’ Zuppa Toscana fans but I have never had a bowl of this - seemingly - famous soup, until today. Unbeknownst to me this is everyone’s favorite soup at the ‘Italian’ Restaurant chain Olive Garden, and though I’ve eaten there many times I’ve never had it. So why did I decide to make a vegan version? Well, the answer is really quite simple, this past week I kept seeing recipes for homemade Zuppa Toscana popping up on Facebook and other social media. My first reaction after reading the ingrieients list was ‘gross’ and ‘so unhealthy’ as the original contains loads of sausage, bacon and heavy cream, but then my second thought was ‘but what if it was vegan?’ and so for the past few days I’ve been dreaming of a veganized version of a soup I’ve never eaten, crazy right?

Today, as it happens was also a perfect day for soup as it’s quite damp, cold and rainy outside. Wonderful soup weather and so I happily set to the kitchen to try my hand at this unknown delicacy. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting, something creamy, salty, smokey and spicy I guess, and really this soup did not disappoint. It’s loaded with so much delicious flavor, and made me go back for a second bowl. Further proof that food doesn’t need animal flesh or secretions to be tasty and decadent.

Zuppa Toscana 

1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1lb Vegan Italian Sausage Sliced - I used Field Roast
1 Large Yellow Onion diced
12 Garlic Cloves minced
1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
4 ½ C Vegan Chicken Broth - or Vegetable Broth
6-8 Russet or Yukon Gold Potatoes diced- I used 8 and made a  mix of both
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 C Kale torn into bite-sized pieces
½ to 2/3 of a 15oz Can Full Fat Coconut Milk - How much you use depends on how many potatoes you use.
1-2 tsp Liquid Smoke - I used 2 tsp.
Ground Black Pepper to taste
1/4 C Minced Parsley

- Heat half the Olive Oil in the medium sized sauce pan over medium-high heat.

- When sizzling, add in the sliced Italian Sausage and cook until browned. About 5 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pot, and place on a plate, set aside.

- Heat the remaining oil in the pot, and add the onions and garlic. Saute for 3-5 minutes until golden and fragrant.

- Add in the red pepper flakes, and fennel seeds, saute another 2 minutes.

- Add in the Vegan Chicken broth, the potatoes, and the salt. Bring to a boil, and cook for five minutes. Reduce to a simmer and cook an additional 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

- Using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon crush some of the potatoes to thicken the soup. Leave some potatoes whole because you want the soup chunky, you want to crush just enough to get a nice creamy thickness.

- Once potatoes have been crushed, add in the cooked Italian Sausage, and simmer for five minutes.

- Add in the Kale, and coconut milk and simmer for an additional 6 minutes until the kale is wilted and tender.

- Turn off the heat, add in the minced parsley, and liquid smoke and stir to combine. Add in black pepper as desired and taste for seasonings, adjust as needed. Let stand 10 minutes before serving so that the flavors have time to develop.

- Enjoy with some nice crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

*** Note - Field Roast is NOT gluten-free, but you can make this soup Gluten-Free buy using a GF Vegan Sausage.***

Spicy Beef and Spinach Lasagna...

It’s been unseasonably cool here the past week. Mostly the days are warm but in the evening it cools considerably and there’s a good breeze. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I love cooler weather - fall is my favorite time of year - but this kind of weather really makes me want to eat ‘out of season’ you know? The other day when it was particularly grey and quite cool I suddenly felt in the mood for lasagna. I have about a million different lasagna recipes in my arsenal but I didn’t want to use any of them. Instead, I wanted to get creative, so I took a look around and found a package of Beyond Meat Feisty Beef Crumbles that I’d bought when they were on sale but never used. I don’t normally buy these kinds of things but since they were new, my husband and I thought we’d try them out but I just never knew what to use them in, until I realized they would be perfect in lasagna.

Since I was only making a lasagna for my husband and I, and I only had one package of beef and one package of cheese I made a small one using my 8x8 baking pan. You could probably double the recipe for a larger lasagna if you needed to, but this dish is super hearty and filling, we only ate one slice each which is a real anomaly for us - especially my husband who’s been known to turn into Garfield at the site of lasagna. This recipe exceeded my expectations and I was quite happy with the end result. So next time you need to make a really hearty, meaty, cheesy lasagna for the omnivore in your life give this one a shot - provided they don’t mind a little heat of course!

Spicy Beef and Spinach Lasagna 

6 Square Lasagna Sheets (8x8)
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Yellow Onion Diced
8 Cloves Garlic Minced
*** 1 Package Feisty Beyond Meat Beef Crumbles thawed (Or your favorite vegan beef)
1 ½ tsp Crushed Fennel Seeds
14oz Can Diced Tomatoes
8oz Can Tomato Sauce
1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
1 Tbsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
2 Tbsp Capers
3-4 Tbsp Minced Pepperoni Peppers
10oz Fresh Baby Spinach
*** 1 Package Daiya Mozzarella Shreds (Or your favorite vegan Mozzarella)

Tomato Sauce for Topping 

1 8oz Can tomato sauce
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
4oz water
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp capers
2 tbsp minced pepperoni peppers
½ bunch minced parsley
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1 tsp Dried Basil

Noodles 

- Set a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. When boiling add the lasagna sheets and boil for 5-6 minutes until the sheets become soft and pliable. They don’t need to be fully cooked. Drain them, and rinse them.


Filling 

- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and saute for 5-6 minutes until softened.

- Add in the crushed fennel seeds and the beef crumbles. Saute for 5 minutes, until crumbles have browned.

- Add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, capers, red pepper flakes, and Pepperoni Peppers. Simmer for about 10 minutes then remove from the heat.

Sauce 

- Heat the olive oil in a small pot on the stove. Add in the garlic and saute for 4 minutes until golden.

- Add in all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Then decrease the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes.

- Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.

Assembly

- Preheat oven to 350'F

- Lightly grease an 8x8 baking pan. Layer in 2 of the lasagna noodles. Cover the lasagna noodles with enough spinach to cover them. Layer in enough of the meat filling mixture to cover the spinach. Then sprinkle enough of the cheese over the filling to cover.

- Layer 2 more lasagna sheets overtop, and repeat with remaining spinach, meat filling and cheese.

- Layer the last 2 lasagna noodles on top. Cover the top with the tomato sauce, and then cover in foil and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Alternately you can bake the lasagna without the sauce and spoon the sauce over top after it finishes baking.

- Once finished remove from the oven, garnish with fresh minced parsley, then cut and serve! Preferably with a nice side salad.

*** Note - Just because I used Beyond Meat crumbles and Daiya Cheese doesn’t mean you have to. Use whatever you favorite vegan meat and cheese are, though if you use a plainly seasoned vegan beef you may want to add a bit more heat to the dish, it’s up to you. Something to keep in mind that this dish is gluten-free and soy free - as long as you use gluten-free lasagna noodles -because both beyond meat and daiya are gluten and soy free products. If you're using other vegan products and gluten or soy is an issue you'll have to read the labels to make sure.*** 

Colleen's Tempeh Eggplant Pot Pie...

A few days ago I made the most delicious post pie. Now I’ve never really been a big fan of pot pies. The thought of eating greasy meat stuffed into a crust, with root vegetables and peas in a salty, gooey gravy doesn’t really get my mouth watering. I suppose since I was never a fan of that sort of pot pie, that once I became vegan I saw no need to try and veganize one, or eat a vegan pot pie. However despite any aversion I may have towards the pot pie category as a whole, something about Colleen Patrick-Goudreau’s recipe for Tempeh and Eggplant Pot Pie really called to me. I’ve owned this book for several years, and I’ve been wanting to make this recipe ever since, but for one reason or another it just never happened. Then last week I bought my first set of Ramekins and I instantly thought - what better recipe to christen them with but this?

I’ll admit that even though I’d been dying to make this for some time I wasn’t at all convinced that I was actually going to like it. Of course there’s only ever one way to find out if you’ll like something or not and so I decided to take the chance. It’s a super easy recipe and comes together really quick which for me was an added bonus.

First you start by steaming tempeh and eggplant together. While that’s going you saute onions - I also added garlic of course - then you add spices like fennel and red pepper flakes, - I added smoked paprika also - tomato sauce, and capers and let it simmer. Add the steamed tempeh and eggplant and let it simmer a bit longer. While that’s going you make your biscuit dough, and once everything is done you divide your filling into the ramekins spread some biscuit dough over top and bake, voila! Super easy right?

And let me tell you, I was worried about not liking them? Well they were incredible! Seriously one of the most delicious savory ‘pies’ I’ve ever eaten. In fact my husband and I loved this recipe so much we were happy that it made six pot pies, so we had some for dinner the next night as well. For a quick and easy side I served these pot pies along with some Brussels Sprouts that I seared in my cast iron pan with a bit of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and a few droplets of agave nectar. Delicious, and my husband and avid sprout hater even had a few sprouts too!

If you don’t already own a copy of Colleen’s “The Vegan Table” you should order one, this recipe is worth it, as are the many, many other things I’ve made from this book over the years.

Mediterranean Scramble...

My husband and I are suckers for a good tofu scramble. I think in the beginning we were both a little bit skeptical but we quickly came to the realization that tofu scrambles are the way to go. They look like scrambled eggs and taste a million times better, plus they’re so versatile. You can literally add anything in that you like.

I generally only make scrambles for special occasions, - I don’t know why since they’re so darn good! - and typically I only make one of two versions that have become my go too scramble recipes. One is just a basic garden scramble that I came up with. The other is a slightly sweeter tad spicier scramble that includes vegan chorizo, sort of meant to be like a Mexican Eggs and Chorizo sort of thing. Both are wonderful - I’ll have to post the recipes some time. - However when my husband requested a scramble for Easter breakfast, rather then the quiche I’d originally planned I decided to stick with the Mediterranean theme we’d set for dinner.

When I started out I just had a vague idea of what I wanted. Sausage and peppers to start, seasoned with Greek spices, but beyond that I didn’t really have a clue as to what I was going to do. So I picked through my cabinets, sorted through my fridge and pilfered my brain of every tiny bit of it’s culinary knowledge and Greek inspiration. What I ended up with was so utterly mind blowing that neither my husband nor I could resist the urge to utterly gorge ourselves silly. Everything about this scramble is perfect! The flavors are subtle and play off each other beautifully, the aroma is heavenly, and the entire dish transports you to a new level of culinary bliss. It must also be said that long ago my husband happened upon the realization that if you add a bit of ketchup to a tofu scramble it makes it taste all the more like eggs. Both of us know people who actually eat ketchup on real chicken’s eggs and both of us have always found this utterly sickening. However, ketchup on a scramble makes total sense and over time I’ve picked up this habit as well. Although, this is one scramble that definitely doesn’t need it. I gobbled my plate up as was, without making any alterations. If you like Mediterranean flair, and both Greek and Italian spices I strongly suggest you give this scramble a try, you won’t be sorry!

Mediterranean Scramble

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 lb Firm Tofu (Pressed and Drained)
1 lb Vegan Italian Style Sausage (I used Field Roast)
1 C chopped Mixed Peppers (I Used Red and Orange)
1 Small Yellow Onion Diced
10 Cloves Garlic Minced
10 Sun-dried tomatoes chopped
2 Large handfuls Baby Spinach
10-15 Kalamata Olives Halved
½-3/4 tsp ground Fenugreek ***
½ tsp ground Fennel ***
1 tsp ground Cumin
1 ½ tsp ground Thyme
1-2 tsp Dried Oregano
1/4-1/2 tsp Dried Crushed Rosemary
1/8 Ground Turmeric
Dash of Dried Dill
Dash of Smoked Paprika
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1/8-1/4 C Nutritional Yeast
Water as needed

- Put tofu in a tofu press - or wrap in a towel and place between two heavy objects - and press for about 2 hours.

- Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Slice Italian sausages into thin rounds and fry in the oil until nicely browned on both sides. Roughly 5-10 minutes. You can add a bit more oil or water if needed. Once browned, remove to a plate and set aside.

- Heat remaining tbsp of oil in the same pan. - No need to clean it out. - Add garlic, onion, and peppers and saute over medium heat for 5-8 minutes until flagrant, and onions are translucent and peppers are soft.

- Drain tofu and crumble into the pan. Alternately if you want large pieces you can cube it using a knife rather then just crumble it.

- Add in all your spices. The fenugreek, fennel, cumin, thyme, oregano, rosemary, turmeric, dill, smoked paprika, sea salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast. Adjust for personal taste preferences and color and stir until everything is well combines and tofu has taken on a yellow color. If the pan seems dry you can add in a bit more oil or water to de-glaze and moisten it, as needed.

- Add in the cooked Italian Sausage, Spinach and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir to combine and saute over medium for 2-4 minutes until tofu and sausage are well heated through and spinach has wilted. Add in the kalamata olives, saute another minute then taste for flavor, adjust as needed and serve.

*** Note - Both Fenugreek and Fennel may only be sold in seed form. If this Is the case no worries, just grind the seeds yourself in a spice or coffee grinder. It works perfectly. I actually have a coffee grinder for just this purpose. Also fenugreek may not be in everyone’s average grocery store depending on where you live. However grocery retailers such as Whole Foods, as well as specialty and spice shops, typically carry it. You could also check out your nearest Mediterranean, Indian, Turkish, Middle Eastern, or even Chinese Grocery as Fenugreek is used in all of these cuisines. Trust me when I say it’s worth your looking for!***


*** Note - Can be made Gluten-Free by using a GF Vegan Sausage*** 

Caramelized Fennel and Kale Soup...

Fennel I think is one of those things that people either love or hate, and for the longest time I hated it. I had eaten fennel in all sorts of ways trying to condition myself to enjoy it’s potent and aromatic flavor. I’d eaten it roasted, raw, sauteed, as a seasoning, as a spice as a seed but to no avail. There was absolutely nothing about fennel that ever succeeded in charming me, in fact I found it to taste quite a bit like licorice which I also dislike.

Then about a month or so ago I came across a recipe that required caramelized Fennel. Desperate to make the recipe I decided this would be my last dance with the culturally and historically rich foodstuff and if again I disliked it then I would never again attempt to enjoy it. To say that recipe was a success would be an understatement, and in fact the caramelized fennel was one of the best things about it. I dreamed of fennel afterwards it was that good! Newly won over to this intricate little bulb I’ve been playing around a bit with fennel in my cooking lately. I’ve made a few soups and stir-fries all of which were tasty but because I’m so ignorant as to what flavor combinations go well with fennel I’m still going through the learning curve stage.

However last week I did develop the most delicious soup recipe. It wildly exceeded my expectations and was the perfect accompaniment to a cold night. My husband and I huddled around the kitchen table with the wind howling outside and gulped down two huge steaming bowls of soup each. So delicious is the combination of fennel and kale that we could barely stop eating long enough to get a conversation in.

Aside from the great flavor of this soup there is the added benefit of it being relatively low fat and super packed with all sorts of antioxidant goodness thanks for the fennel, kale and garlic. I highly recommend it, and if you’re a fennel hater like I was I implore you to eat it caramelized with a bit of Agave, I swear you’ll never think of it in the same way again.

Caramelized Fennel and Kale Soup

2 tsp Olive Oil
18 Cloves Garlic minced
2 Bunches Kale
2 Fennel Bulbs sliced thin
1 Red Onion sliced thin
4 C Vegetable Broth
3 C Water
3-4 Tbsp Agave Nectar
2-3 tsp Gram Masala
2 Tbsp Fennel Leaves minced
Sea Salt and Black Pepper to taste

- First start by caramelizing your fennel and onion. Slice them very thin either using a knife or a mandolin as I did. Heat 1 tsp of the olive oil in a large pan over medium then add the sliced fennel and onion. Saute for about 10-20 minutes stirring briefly every 5 minutes or so to make sure the fennel doesn’t burn. If oil evaporates you can add in a bit more or use water instead as I did. Keep sauteeing until the fennel and onion turn a nice golden color. 5 or so minutes before the fennel is done add in 2 tbsp of the agave and stir until well combined. When finished caramelizing remove from the heat and set aside.

- Meanwhile heat remaining tsp of olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat and add minced garlic. Saute for 5-7 minutes until softened, fragrant and starting to turn golden.

- Add vegetable broth into the pot with the garlic and add the caramelized fennel and onion mixture. Stir to combine then bring to a boil.

- Tear or cut your kale into bite sized pieces removing the stems. Add the kale to the pot with the broth and reduce heat to let simmer. Stir in the kale. There will be a lot of kale so it’ll probably take some stirring to incorporate it all into the pot, but don’t worry it’ll get there. If soup is becoming too thick add in water 1 cup at a time. Depending on how large your fennel and kale are you may not need all the water or you may need a bit more.

- Once all kale and water has been incorporated add in the gram masala, salt, pepper and remaining tbsp of agave (optional) stir to combine and let the soup simmer for about 10 minutes until kale is wilted and bright green. You don’t want to over cook it, you want the kale to retain a little bit of texture.

- Serve with some crusty bread to dip into the broth and enjoy!

Baking Powder Biscuits with White Bean and Tempeh Sausage Gravy....

Can I confess something to you? Before I moved to the U.S. I’d had never heard of biscuits and gravy before. Well, I knew what biscuits were, and I knew what gravy was of course, but I’d never heard of the two being served together, and certainly not for breakfast. Yet it’s a dish that everyone I know here grew up with. Interestingly Biscuits and Gravy emerged as a popular regional dish after the American Revolutionary War, precisely because it was cheap, hearty and used ingredients that were readily available to the average person. As far as I know there is no Canadian equivalent, or at least not that I ever saw growing up. So it wasn’t until after I’d moved to the U.S. that I tried this dish for the first time.


Biscuits Fresh Out of the Oven




















I’d heard plenty about it by that time, lots of people raved about it, even going so far as to label it the quintessential American breakfast, so I was interested, and curious, though I have to say I was also skeptical. I was never really a meat in the morning kind of person, and for those of you who don’t know the gravy for traditional biscuits and gravy is made with ground pork sausage or ground beef, including the greasy drippings from said meat, mixed with flour, milk and a dash of this or that. I’ve also never really been a fan of milk, and honestly the idea of cooking ground beef in milk kind of put me off. The smell alone was horrendous, and then when I saw the finished product I thought it looked - advanced apologies for any former biscuits and gravy lovers - a lot like dog vomit. In any case it looked a lot more like something that should be coming out of you rather then going in, but scepticism aside I decided to give it a try. Well, I couldn’t get through more then a couple of bites before I wanted to retch - which is surprisingly exactly the reaction I had upon my first and only encounter with another popular American dish, Chicken Fried Steak. - There was absolutely nothing about it that I found appetizing aside form the biscuits and so I stared in awe as my husband continued to shovel mouthfuls of it into his mouth. Really the idea of cooking greasy ground beef in milk just gives me the shivers. Suffice to say I never ate biscuits and gravy again, nor had I any interest or intention of trying to veganize the dish.

Then last Thursday rolled around, and well you see I’ve set myself a little project. Since finishing vegan mofo I realized something. Though I own at least 20 or more cook books, I only ever use a handful of them. I’d never realized before that there are only about five or six books I consider to be me ‘go to’ cook books, while the rest I leave neglected in a pile to collect dust. After vegan mofo I decided to set myself the challenge of cooking at least 10 recipes from every one of my virtually unused cook books. I don’t have a specific time frame in mind, it’s just go at my own pace, and ever once and a while I’m sure I’ll share a recipe with you - as I’m doing today - So last Wednesday I was looking for something special to cook for my husband for breakfast on Thursday since he had that day off, and I happened upon the Baking Powder Biscuits with White Bean and Tempeh Sausage Gravy recipe from "Vegan with a Vengeance" As already stated my experience with biscuits and gravy was so bad that I’ve never thought about them for even a second since that day, but my husband has always been a fan. Since going vegetarian/vegan he hasn’t had them obviously, nor has he had a vegan version. Thinking it might be a nice treat for him I decided to take a moment to look over the recipe, and I don’t know something about it just started calling to me. The idea of blending up a can of white beans with vegetable broth to make a thick savory gravy, seasoned with Italian spices and loads of sage just got my mouth watering. I actually really like the idea of using white beans to make sauces, gravies and soup bases because they’re rich and creamy. I also love sage but don’t use it often enough.

White Bean and Tempeh Sausage Gravy

Now, tempeh I’m not such a fan of as I’ve mentioned before but I thought I’d give Isa the benefit of the doubt here. I liked the sound of her recipe for Tempeh Sausage Crumbles. It was relatively quick, and super easy, used ingredients I had on hand, and I’m always curious to try tempeh cooked in new ways to see if I like it any better. I think simmering it in water for twenty minutes as you do in this recipe goes a long way in cutting out that awful bitterness, while also loosening the tempeh up so that it can soak up other flavors. Once the water has been absorbed you then brown the tempeh in olive oil, and soy sauce and season it with garlic, oregano, marjoram, basil, sage, and fennel. I don’t particularly like fennel so instead of using 1 tbsp of fennel seed I used ½ tbsp and added 2 more cloves of minced garlic then required, and honestly it was fabulous!

Once your tempeh is all browned you add your blended gravy into the pan, warm it through then serve it over the biscuits, which by the way were exquisitely soft and doughy with just a slightly crisp outer edge just as I like them. I was completely blown away by this meal. I ate three biscuits and three generous scoops of gravy and I am more then willing to make this again. The tempeh sausage tasted just like what I remember Italian sausage to taste like - something else I never liked, but surprisingly don’t mind veganized - except a little milder, and not the slightest bit greasy. The fennel wasn’t overpowering and the sage was absolutely perfect, although I had to use dried sage because I didn’t have any fresh available. This breakfast couldn’t have turned out better. Although next time I think I might double the gravy recipe because I would have liked a bit more creamy liquid to soak my biscuits with.

Whether you were or weren’t a fan of biscuits and gravy I definitely recommend this recipe. If you were I imagine you’ll like this a lot, and If you weren’t you just might find yourself surprised. So if you own ‘Vegan with a Vengeance’ seriously, snap to it already!

PS: They taste good drizzled with a bit of Earth Balance then the gravy too! Yum1