Long Life Veggie Soup

By Pam Hadder

I have enjoyed making minestrone soup for many years. This vegan recipe is adapted from a recipe found in  Woman's World magazine, and it originates in Sardinia, the Italian island which is known to have the most centenarians in the world!  Apparently the locals of Sardinia attribute their long life to this wholesome vegetable soup.   The flavour is amazing -even better when I have my own fresh herbs (parsley, basil and oregano) from the garden.  But in the winter, I have to be content with dried herbs.  Serve it over fresh pasta and grate your favourite vegan cheese over top.  I hope you will try and enjoy this simple, delicious recipe - I think the deal maker with this recipe is the fennel, so don't leave it out xox

Long Life Veggie Soup

Ingredients:
1 can (approx. 19 ounces) white beans
1 can (approx. 19 ounces) chick peas
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium cooking onions (yellow onions), chopped finely
5-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced in 1/2" chunks
4 large carrots, peeled, quartered and chopped in 1/2" pieces
4 ribs celery, chopped finely
1/2 large fennel bulb plus 3 stalks fennel, chopped in 1/2" pieces
2- 28 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped fresh herbs - Italian parsley, basil and oregano
(or 3 Tbsp. dried herbs - 1 Tbsp each of the above herbs)
2 tsp. sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
4-6 cups water, depending on desired consistency

Other: fresh cooked pasta (oiled and or buttered - vegan butter); grated cheese

Method:
Add the oil to a large soup pot over medium heat.  Add in the chopped onion, salt and black pepper, stirring occasionally, loosely cover and cook onions until soft and translucent (about 7 minutes).  Add in the garlic, potatoes, carrots, celery, fennel and stir occasionally; cooking loosely covered for another 20 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and enough water to ensure all veggies are covered.  Reduce heat to medium-low or low, and cover tightly to simmer for 15 minutes.  Add in the herbs and canned beans, including the liquid from the beans - no need to rinse. Simmer another 10 minutes to heat through. Serve over a large scoop of hot, buttered pasta and garnish with grated cheese.

NOTE: this soup freezes very well; just reheat, make some fresh pasta to accompany it, and you are set. Also delicious on its own, but the pasta is a great addition.  I have substituted dill for the oregano and basil for a change - when I have had some awesome fresh dill on hand; it is also really wonderful. When using the dill, try cooking some basmati rice instead of the pasta as an accompaniment.

Vegan Chocolate-Walnut Biscotti

By Pam Hadder

Italy and I have this “thing” going on – well, at least I am certainly smitten, but she may care less, lol!  The cooler temps today are reminding me of my visit to Toscana in March 2010 with my son, Kelsen, and FC.  Kelsen was only nine years old, and it was such a treat to stop by a friend’s Firenze café and enjoy  espresso and a glorious assortment of fresh-baked biscotti.  Kelsen had frothed milk and honey.

Fortified from a long day of travel and instantly converted to all tastes Italiano, we faced the raw March air with renewed energy. I have been delighted to find many vegan biscotti recipes over the past years (I have been vegan since March 2012), and thankfully many vegan cooks and bakers share their tips and methods online. This recipe has been a favourite, and has been adapted from a number of online recipes - bake these one restful afternoon and please enjoy in the best of health xo

Ingredients:
Makes about 50 biscotti
1 cup walnut halves (or pecans, hazelnuts)
2-1/2 cups spelt flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
½ cup baking cocoa
3 Tbsp. espresso coffee (extra fine ground, dark roast coffee)
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. baking powder
Pinch of fine sea salt
4 flax eggs or other egg substitutes*
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Cold water as needed

For Chocolate Drizzle:
4 ounces vegan chocolate or chocolate chips
1-1/2 tsp. canola oil

Method:

Make the flax eggs first thing unless you are using ready-made egg subs. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Sift together spelt flour, cocoa, espresso grounds, salt, baking powder, baking soda and set aside. In a medium bowl, lightly beat the flax eggs, beating in the brown sugar gradually until well-blended and fluffy – stir in the vanilla extract. Stir flour mixture gradually into the wet mixture. If the dough seems dry, add some cold water a tablespoon at a time until it binds properly. I used 4 tablespoons of water the last time I made these – the variation depends on the quality of flour, cocoa, and other factors like humidity and the accuracy of measurement.  

Divide the dough in half and place one portion on a lightly floured surface – with lightly floured hands, pat the dough into a 6” square. Scatter half of the walnuts on the dough, pressing them into the surface. Roll the dough into a cylinder about 2” in diameter and 12 – 15” in length.  Place the roll on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat process with the second portion of dough.  Brush tops of both rolls with water, using a pastry brush.  Place in oven and bake 15-20 minutes, until firm to the touch. Transfer to a large cutting board, allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, and cut with a sharp, non-serrated blade into ¾” slices. Replace cut slices on the prepared baking sheet with cut interior surface facing up, and return to oven. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, flipping the biscotti midway. Finished biscotti will be crisp and dry on the exterior. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before drizzling with chocolate. 

To prepare the drizzle, measure chocolate and oil into a small microwave-safe bowl and heat on medium power for 2-3 minutes, checking and stirring at one minute intervals for the first two minutes, and every 15 seconds thereafter – you want to avoid scorching the chocolate. All pieces may not liquify, but if you remove the chocolate, and stir, it will become smooth in a few seconds. The drizzle can be spooned over the biscotti, or it can be brushed onto the flat sides.  Allow chocolate to set before storing in a loosely covered glass jar.

Note: I like my biscotti on the softer side – I’ve tasted some that are like a rock! If you find your finished biscotti are too dry, pop them into a plastic storage container with a tight sealing lid; they will soften in a day or two – until then, dunk them in some tasty espresso or cappuccino or…

*Pureed prunes, mashed bananas and apple sauce all work as egg subs for this recipe – they are all great vegan binders, but I find the flax eggs work best and enjoy the flavour the most.

Nirvana Black Bean Burgers

By Pam Hadder

The quest has ended!  After years of making so-so black bean burgers, I have found the perfect combo of ingredients to produce a moist, flavourful patty - this truly is black bean burger heaven, hence the name: Nirvana Black Bean Burgers.

The best part of this whole situation - they are super easy to make and require no unusual or hard-to-find ingredients.  Another wonderful aspect is how amazing the aroma is when they are baking!  Once baked and cooled, I individually bagged and froze these - then you can pan-fry, BBQ or microwave, depending on your time and preferences.  A quick and easy option is to microwave to thaw (1-2 minutes per patty), and then broil in the toaster oven to get a nice crispy, brown exterior - I place the patties on a square of foil and flip mid-way when preparing them in this way - also great way to add melted vegan cheese, mmmm. Hope you will enjoy making these yummy vegan burgers - my recipe was adapted from many recipes I have tried over the years, and I am so happy that I finally found ingredients and proportions that work for me - in the past I found many bean burgers too bland or very dry xox

Nirvana Black Bean Burgers

Makes 12 patties - approximately 4.5" across and 1/2" thickness

Ingredients:
2 cans of black beans, well rinsed and drained
1 medium cooking onion
8 baby carrots, or one large carrot
1 small bell pepper - any colour (I used yellow)
2 Tbsp. fresh crushed garlic, or approximately 6-8 cloves
6 Tbsp. chili sauce, ketchup or Sriracha sauce (chili for sweet 'n spicy, ketchup for milder flavour, and Sriracha for extra garlic and fire!)
2 Tbsp. corn starch
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. seasoning salt
1 cup wheat flour or ground spelt
Approximately 1 cup, fine bread crumbs* (I use Pastene brand, seasoned bread crumbs, but you could use any type, or even crush your favourite healthy crackers!)Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper, and spray lightly with vegetable oil.  If you don't have veg oil spray, just put a few drops of oil on your hands and lightly spread it over the parchment.

Mash the beans in a large bowl with a potato masher - I don't recommend blending or processing unless you have a really good appliance; you want the beans to be a bit coarse, not like a purée - this makes for a nicer texture.  Next place the onion, carrot, bell pepper, and Sriracha (or ketchup, chili sauce) into the blender - buzz until smooth.  In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt, seasoning salt, and flour - mix together to combine.  Add the wet mix from the blender to the mashed beans alternating with the dry spice and flour mix, then add in enough of the fine bread crumbs to make a good consistency for patties. For those of you that have worked with ground meat, the bean mixture will be slightly moister than meat-based burgers - this is how it should be. Add just enough crumbs to allow the mixture to bind together - no bits should be falling out.  *NOTE: it is hard to give a precise measure on the bread crumbs, as the size of the veggies and their moisture content will vary - you just have to get a feel for the right consistency - trust in your abilities and know you are very close to one kick-ass vegan burger!  

Using a small serving spoon or a tablespoon, scoop out about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the bean patty mixture and plop it on the prepared baking sheet - pat it into a circle or square about 1/2" thick and smooth the edges with your finger tips.  Place the patties about 2" apart on the sheets. Bake for 12-15 minutes, flip patties and return to bake second side for another 12-15 minutes. 

These are amazing as a traditional burger on a bun, or on top of a crunchy salad, or just as-is for a quick protein fix. Hope you will try and enjoy - they are really just so yummy!  xox