Some Like It HOTTT!!!!

By Pam Hadder


Call me crazy, but I love hot and spicy food year-round; even on the most scorching days of  summer. My latest quest was to find a great vegan Hot and Sour soup recipe - my best friend just had surgery, and, like me, she's a soup lover, so that was the nudge I needed.

The resulting recipe is my version drawn from a number of non-vegan recipes found on the Internet - I should add that it's important for me to have all of the authentic flavours, but hopefully not requiring too many hard-to-find ingredients!   I made this last night with a peanut/veg/pasta stir fry, and it was a big hit.  The ultimate compliment came from my friend who said the best hot and sour soup she'd ever had was from the (now closed!) River Mandarin, and that my soup was even better (wow... humbled).

So, I hope you will try this recipe and enjoy the exhilarating warmth that radiates down your throat and into your body.  xox


Pam's Vegan Hot 'N Sour Soup
Ingredients:
1 small pkg. dried wood mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
4 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
7-8 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 - 1/2 tsp. dried red chilies (flakes)
1 - 500g pkg. firm tofu, cut into bite-size cubes6 cups vegetable broth (or 6 cups water and 3 Tbsp. vegan chick'n broth mix)
1 -  450g pkg. fresh shitake mushrooms
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots, chopped
2 Tbsp. red pepper sauce (I use Frank's Red Hot, Regular)
3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. pure sesame oil
1/3 cup finely cut chives or scallion greens, for garnish


Method:
Pour the boiling water over the dried mushrooms in a small heat-safe bowl and set them aside to soak for about 20 minutes - they will rehydrate.  Reserve the water they are soaking in.

Meanwhile, dice your tofu (I like small cubes - a bit smaller than 1/2", but some folks cut the tofu in small strips or larger cubes - just preference!).  Combine all of the soy and rice vinegar with the chilies and the corn starch in a medium bowl - stir until smooth.  Toss the tofu in the soy mixture and set aside.  


Pour the six cups of broth into a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Slice the shitakes, and drain and slice the wood mushrooms and bamboo shoots - add all three kinds of mushrooms and the shoots to the hot broth, and stir in the soy/tofu mixture and the hot sauce.

Bring soup to a slow boil for 3 minutes, then reduce to a simmer, drizzle in the sesame oil.  Garnish with green onion at serving time, if desired.

Note: a cup or two of diagonally cut carrots, sweet cabbage and broccoli florets can be added to amp up the veg, if the soup is all you are serving.  

Vegan Mayo!!!

By Pamela Hadder

What's summer without a bit of edible indulgence, and what's more indulgent than creamy, dreamy mayonnaise?  A little dollop of high quality mayo goes a long way to add some interest to your food - from dipping your yam fries, making killer veggie dip, or trying to duplicate Mom's potato salad recipe, they'd all be a tad ho-hum without mayo in the mix!

The good news is that tasty mayonnaise can be made that meets vegan dietary needs - no eggs; no dairy, but loads of delicious flavour!  

Long before I began to follow a vegan diet, I made homemade mayo, hollandaise and bearnaise sauces - all are easy to do with simple, everyday ingredients, using a blender or food processor.  There is vegan mayo available at local health food and organic product stores, and one vegan restaurant in my city sells jars of their house mayo, but I have not found the flavours of either variety to be that great. Plus they are expensive to purchase! 

Hope you will try this easy recipe and whip up some devilishly good nibblins this summer!  xoxo

Pam's Zippy Vegan Mayo

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice (NOT bottled - ugh!)

1/2 cup plain soy milk (unsweetened, unflavoured)

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/4 tsp. sweet paprika

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

6 Tbsp. canola or extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Place all ingredients with the exception of the oil  in your blender or food processor and blend on lowest speed.  With the machine running, gradually drizzle in the oil, blending until the mixture begins to thicken.  Transfer to a small glass jar and keep refrigerated.

Mayo will remain fresh for 7-10 days.

Try experimenting with different oils and seasonings: i.e. sesame or herb infused oils, dill weed or curry powder, and hot pepper sauce all make interesting variations, depending on you use for the mayo!

Always use the freshest, highest quality oil and soy milk available - your mayo will taste funky if you use cheap, stale ingredients.

No-Bake Chocolate Fix!

By Pam Hadder

It's hot and sticky and you are craving something sweet with your cuppa joe.  But who wants to fire up the oven? 

The answer is no-bake chocolate macaroons!  The recipe is adapted from a family favourite to be vegan-friendly.  When my Mom was in the hospital giving birth to my youngest brother, an elderly neighbour came and cooked, cleaned and mothered.  She made these no-bake drop cookies called Cocoa Quickies (I know, sounds pervy...but perhaps a bit fun too!), which we kids promptly re-named Chocolate Haystacks!

True confessions... In high school, I'd make a quarter recipe of these and just eat the stuff from a mug - the full recipe makes 2 or 2-1/2 dozen, so you do the math re: the caloric destruction of that teenage craving!

Hope you will have fun making these - the vegan version uses soy milk and margarine versus the good ole butter and milk in the original recipe.  If you eat dairy, just sub the milk and butter.  The vegan macaroons are softer and shinier than the original, but they hold together nicely and taste amazing xox

Chocolate Macaroons

Ingredients:
1/2 cup margarine
1 - 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup plain soy milk
6 Tbsp. cocoa powder
a tiny pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup long shred dried coconut, unsweetened
3 cups quick oats/plain quick cooking oatmeal
Waxed paper

Method:
Measure out the oatmeal and coconut in a medium bowl, stir to combine and set aside. Melt margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Combine the sugar, salt and cocoa, and whisk them into the margarine along with the soy milk.  Bring the ingredients to a gentle boil, stirring continuously - boil for 5 minutes. Immediately stir in the vanilla and the coconut/oatmeal mixture.  Spoon the warm mixture onto sheets of waxed paper - about 2 tsp. of mixture per macaroon.  Allow to cool at room temp. 

I usually place the wax paper on cookie sheets - then if you need to set these quickly, it is easy to pop them in the fridge.  Store in wax paper lined container with wax paper between the layers of cookies in the fridge - these freeze well too.

Yummy Vegan Crepes!

By Pam Hadder


My kids and I love going to Kawaii Crepe, and the best part is the vegan versions they have available at all times - that and the bubble tea... oh, and in my case,  the organic coffee... yummmm!


But how to make tasty crepes without eggs... this is a newly acquired skill for me, and one that I was eager to learn, as crepes are a very versatile item.  Sweet or savoury, they are simply delightful - although my preference is definitely skewed toward the savoury ones.... in this case, filled with spinach and mushroomy goodness  :)  


So, here is the best vegan crepe recipe I have found - the flavour is great and there are no hard-to-find ingredients - just simple, straightforward stuff that most of us have at home.  Hope you will try them and let me know about your favourite fillin's and toppings too xo xo xo

Yummy Vegan Crepes

Ingredients - Batter:
I cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup plain, unsweetened soy milk (or almond milk!)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. water
3 Tbsp. full fat coconut milk
1-3 Tbsp. brown sugar (adjust to your desired sweetness)


Ingredients - Filling:
4 cups fresh spinach leaves
1-1/2 cups sliced mushrooms - any variety, but shitake are especially nice
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tbsp. Fresh oregano, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated smoked Gouda flavour vegan cheese


Method:
In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and sugar.  Then combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl.  Gradually add the wet to the dry ingredients, stirring to form a smooth batter. Lightly grease a medium griddle - I like the buttery flavour of vegan margarine in this instance.  Heat the pan to medium temperature, and bear in mind that these crepes cook a bit more quickly than other crepes!  


Use 1/4 cup of batter per crepe, making one at a time.  Try and swirl the batter to distribute it as evenly as possible in the pan.  Cook for about one minute or until small bubbles begin to appear on the surface - then carefully turn the crepe with a spatula, cooking the second side until light golden in colour.  Repeat until all batter is used, setting the finished crepes on a plate.


To make the filling, heat the oil in a large fry pan over high heat, and add in the onions, mushrooms, salt and pepper, stirring constantly.  When the onions are soft and clear, add in the oregano and spinach leaves.  Once the spinach is wilted, reduce the heat and fold in the grate cheese - remove from the heat.  Spoon into the prepared crepes and roll - I like to drizzle these with some vegan pesto and a half and half mixture of ketchup and vegan mayo.  The basil flavour and tangy ketchup-mayo sauce really make these crepes extra special.


A simple side salad of fresh greens dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette and a lemon wedge is a nice accompaniment. Enjoy!