ASPARAGUS WITH MAPLE SYRUP

I bought purple asparagus today and guess what when roasted they turn green!

When cooking fresh asparagus, I’ve found that simple recipes are best. A quick roast in a hot oven and a drizzle of dressing is all that’s needed.  Purple asparagus is more tender and sweeter than the green variety and it is not often found in a supermarket, you may need to make a trip to your local farmers market .

I like to think that purple asparagus is special because,well, it is purple!

I found some today at Fiesta Farms.

This recipe is so simple.

Ingredients:

For the asparagus:
2 pounds asparagus (trimmed and cleaned)
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the drizzle:
1 – 2 tablespoons maple syrup ( to taste)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Coarse salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup almond , roughly chopped by hand(you can lightly toast them if you like).

Directions:
1. Toss the asparagus in the oil.
2. Arrange the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 15-20 minutes. (Note: Roasting time can vary greatly depending on how thick your asparagus is).
4. Mix the  maple syrup, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
5. Toss or drizzle the asparagus with the maple dijon dressing and serve garnished with the almond slices.

THE COLLARD WRAP (RAW)

Yesterday Yale and I went to the Toronto Raw/Vegan Festival, we tried zucchini pasta, drank coconut water from fresh young coconuts, bought organic chocolate and met raw chef Douglas McNish, author of the new cookbook EatRaw, Eat Well. OK, I can see some of you now rolling your eyes (Gordy) – wondering what will I be eating next!  Well it is almost lunch time and Yale and I have been busy in the kitchen…

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Yale’s hand written recipe.

This recipe will make enough chickpea beet spread for 4 collard wraps. I like to mash up the avocado instead of stacking slices because it gives a nice creamy texture. The bigger the collard leaves the better.  This recipe is adapted from Honest Fare. Thank you for such a delicious recipe.

The Collard Wrap:

You will need:

•  8 large collard leaves
•  Veggies of choice (avocado, sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, sprouts, etc.) and even quinoa or sunflower seeds are nice in there too!
•  Chickpea beet spread

For Chickpea beet spread:

•  10 oz soaked or canned garbanzo beans, ( we used dried and soaked over night) – if using dried you need to ccok them for about 20 minutes.
•  1/2 a med-sized beet, peeled
•  2 carrots, peeled
•  Juice from one lemon
•  2 tablespoons tahini
•  3 teaspoons olive oil
•  Salt to taste
•  Cracked black pepper to taste
•  1-2 tablespoons honey
•  A few sprigs of fresh parsley
•  1/4 fresh garlic clove

Directions:

1. Place carrots into food processor and pulse until consistency of rolled oats. Remove and set aside. Put garbanzos, beets, parsley, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice in food processor and pulse until creamy. Add a little water, one tablespoon at a time, if necessary to thin a little. Scrape sides of food processor and add salt (like 1/4 teaspoon), some pepper, tahini and agave and pulse again a few times. Taste and add any additional salt or pepper. Fold in carrots until well combines. Place in fridge to chill.
2. Remove the healthiest looking collard leaves from the bunch and trim off the white stalk that does not have any green leaves attached. Soak leaves in warm water and vinegar bath for a few minutes to clean and bring to room temp.
3. Dry leaves completely. Place leaves flat (rough side up) on a cutting board and gently glide a sharp paring knife across the length of the stem, shaving it down to the same thickness as the rest of the leaf (refer to image in post). Do this for each leaf. Careful not to nick or tear the leaf with the tip of your knife.

Each wrap will require two leaves for rolling. Place two leaves head to foot (with stalks at opposite ends) and overlapping about half way (refer to image in post). Apply a good amount of spread at the center where the two leaves overlap and pile up veggies of your choice. Fold in sides and tightly roll like you would a burrito. Leave whole if traveling or saving for later, but cut through center before eating.

KELP NOODLE PAD THAI (RAW)

Kelp noodles?
Curious, so was I!

And so was Gordy, well actually he was a bit scared knowing that being the official  in-house taster, he had a job to do… you are not going to make me try these are you?

Ok, the truth is I was a bit wary so just in case I had a pot of water boiling on the stove for a back up dinner of pasta.

Here is my report…

Made of only kelp (a sea vegetable), sodium alginate (sodium salt extracted from a brown seaweed), and water, Kelp Noodles are fat-free, gluten-free, and very low in carbohydrates and calories.  Best of all, no cooking is required. Just rinse and add the noodles to any dish and they are ready to eat! 

So, what do they taste like? They are neutral in taste, clear in colour and a have a crunchy texture, but once you cover them in a sauce they become much softer and soak up all the flavour. They make a great alternative to pasta and rice noodles.

I did get Gordy to try them and he was quite surprised at how good they tasted, but he ended up eating the pasta with Rowe Farms sausage. I ate the pad thai. We were both happy.

This is definitely not a traditional pad thai recipe, but I think you will like it.

Ingredients:

• 1 package raw kelp noodles
• 2-3 heaping tablespoons raw almond butter or any other nut butter you like. I sometimes use raw hemp butter.
• 1 small cloves garlic
• ½ onion
• 2 tablespoons sriracha
• 4 tablespoons shoyu or tamari sauce
• 2 to 3 Medjool dates
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 1 cup cabbage, shredded
• ½ cup baby spinach
• 3 green onion, diced
• ½ Cilantro, chopped
• ½ Cashews, crushed
• lime wedges
• bean sprouts

Feel free to use any veggies you like.

Directions: 

1. Place the almond butter, garlic, onion, sriracha, shoyu, dates and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor.
2. Process until everything is well mixed.
3. Taste for sweetness. If you like it a bit sweeter add another date.
4.  If sauce is to thick you can add a bit of water.
5. Toss the sauce with the kelp noodles and mix well.
6. Add the carrots, cabbage, spinach, green onion and cilantro and toss again.
7. Garnish with the bean sprouts,  cashews and lime wedges.

3 to 4 servings 

 Kelp Noodles from the Sea Tangle Noodle Company.

I bought these at Fiesta Farms.

 An entire bag of these kelp noodles contains only 18 calories (yes, the entire bag)!

ZUCCHINI LEEK FRITTERS (MADE WITH QUINOA FLOUR)

Here is a recipe for zucchini leek fritters, which look a lot like potato latkes, except without the potato and white flour.

According to Gordy  -  these fritters are amazing, OK it was 3:30 and he  had not had lunch, he was eating them as I was frying them, and I was beginning to wonder if there would be any left over for our friends tonight. I will be serving them as an appetizer with a dollop of greek yogourt mixed with lemon juice, zest, salt and garlic.

This recipe makes about 20 2 1/2 inch fritters, perfect appetizer size.

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 zucchini
• 1 teaspoon coarse or Kosher salt, plus extra to taste
• 2 leeks, split lengthwise and sliced thin, white part only
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
• 2 large egg, lightly beaten
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup quinoa flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Olive or another oil of your choice, for frying – I like to use grapeseed oil

Topping or dip for fritters

• 1 cup sour cream or plain, full-fat yogurt (I like Greek yogourt)
• 1 to 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• Pinches of salt
• 1 small minced or crushed clove of garlic (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Have a baking sheet lined with parchment paper ready.

Directions:

1. Trim ends off zucchini and grate them either on the large holes of a box grater or, if you have one, using the shredding blade of a food processor.
2. In a large bowl, toss zucchini with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
3. With your hands squeeze out as much water as you can from the zucchini. or you can wrap  in a clean dishtowel and wringing away take out as much of the liquid as you can. This prevents the fritters from sogginess.
4. Return zucchini shreds to bowl and add ¼ teaspoon of salt.
5. Stir in leeks, eggs, parsley and some freshly ground pepper.
6. Add the quinoa flour and baking powder and mix well.
7. In a large heavy skillet heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat.
8. Drop small bunches of the zucchini mixture onto the skillet ( I am making appetizer size but feel free to make them any size you like) only a few at a time so they don’t become crowded and  flatter with the back of your spatula.
9. Cook the fritters over medium high heat until the edges underneath are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes.Flip the fritters and fry them on the other side until browned underneath again, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
10. Drain briefly on paper towels then transfer to baking sheet and then into the warm oven until needed.
11. Repeat process, keeping the pan well-oiled, with remaining batter.
12. The fritters  should have at least 10 minutes in the oven to finish setting and this will make them extra crispy.
13. Just before serving sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.
14. For the topping, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice, zest, salt and garlic and adjust the flavors to your taste. Dollop on each fritter before serving. (you can make this ahead of time to let the flavours develop).

Do ahead: These fritters keep well, either chilled in the fridge  or frozen in a ziploc for months. When you’re ready to use them, spread them out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in a 400 degree oven until they’re hot and crisp again.

Note : You can substitute white flour if you do not have quinoa flour.

HOMEMADE MUESLI

I am having organic and natural food thoughts. In other words this recipe is healthy for you!

This recipe makes a lot of muesli.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled organic oats
• 1 cup spelt flakes
• 1 cup almonds, chopped
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped
• ¾ cup chopped dates
• 3/4 dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup sultanas raisins
• 1/4 cup cranberries or cherries
• ½ cup flax seed
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 2 cups shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients
2. Put in glass container
3. Serve with fruit and yogurt and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

I store our muesli in a big glass jar and like to leave it on the counter, it’s hard to pass by without eating a handful!

MILLET BURGERS

After the long weekend of eating BBQ it is time to shake things up with some veggie burgers!

I think that homemade veggie burgers are always better than store-bought and these are easy to make, just remember that for this recipe you need to soak the millet overnight.

Oh, and in case you were just wondering Gordy did not eat these burgers, he had shrimp.

This recipe was adapted from my new book that Yale gave me  for Mother’s Day, The Beauty Detox Solution.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups water
• ½ cup dry millet
• ¼ cup water
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 large onion, finely minced
• 3 cups swiss chard, finely chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, finely minced
• 2 small carrots, minced
• sea salt
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup amaranth flour
• 1 Tbsp oil, for pan cooking ( I like coconut or grapeseed oil)

Directions:

1. Rinse and soak the millet in water overnight before preparing the burgers.
2. When you are ready to make the burgers add the millet to boiling water, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes until the millet is soft.
3. When millet is ready let cool.
4. Sauté the garlic and onion in 1 tbsp of oil until the onions are translucent.
5. Add the swiss chard, celery, and carrots and cook for a few minutes, then mix in the sea salt and additional seasonings.
6. Add the cooked millet and stir well.
7. Take pan off the heat and add the amaranth flour to the mixture.
8. Mix well.
9. When the mixture has cooled form into small round burgers.
10. When ready to eat heat a large pan and add oil.
11. Cook each burger on both side until golden brown.

Good with dijon mustard.

MUSHROOM SOUP WITH SHERRY AND TRUFFLE OIL

Do you love mushrooms?  I do!

Whenever I make this soup I am often asked for the recipe.  You will be surprised how easy it is to make.  I love how simple recipes can taste complex.

 You can make this soup a day in advance of when you want to serve it. This gives the soup some time to develop great flavours.  And if you really want to up your soup into pretentious (but deliciousness), drizzle a few tiny drops of truffle oil over the soup  just before serving.  And please do not omit the dried wild mushrooms, they are loaded with earthy flavour and are an essential to this soup. I use a mix of dried porcini, oyster and shiitake. You can usually find dried mushrooms in the produce section in small packages.

 So, invite some friends over and enjoy this soup with people you love!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil or butter, a bit more if needed or a mix of both - if you want to keep if vegan omit the butter
1 ½ pounds of brown mushrooms or a variety of mushrooms
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large carrots, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ cup dried mushrooms, covered and soaked in warm water for 15 minutes
5 cups of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Chives or flat leaf parsley for garnish
a big splash of sherry to taste
truffle oil a few drops to garnish, optional

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil over medium heat and add the onion, celery and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent.

2. Then add the fresh mushrooms, dried mushrooms (with the water they were soaking in, taking care not add any of the dirt which may be in the bottom), carrots and more oil or butter if necessary.

3. Let the mixture cook over medium heat for about 8 to 10 minutes taking care that the onion doesn’t take on any brown colour.

4. Stir in the water and bring to a boil.

5. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer (covered) for about an hour.

6. Let soup cool for a few minutes then transfer to a blender or food processor and carefully blend at high speed until smooth. Do this in stages and remember to hold the blender lid down.

7. When blended, return the mix to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and bring up to a simmer again. Add the sherry, mix well, and serve immediately with a drizzle of truffle oil and a sprinkle of fresh chives.

Cooks Notes

I do not blend the whole pot of soup, I do about half the soup as I like my soup to have some texture and some sliced mushrooms to bite into.
I like to make this soup a day ahead, I find the flavours more intense.  But it is delicious the same day too.

QUINOA SALAD WITH FRESH MINT AND PISTACHIOS

It’s lunch time and I feel like eating something grainy and crunchy and healthy. 

I don’t usually use a recipe when I make a quinoa salad; I just see whatever I have kicking around in the kitchen.

 For example today, I have a jar of pistachios on the counter, fresh mint in the fridge and a ripe tomato in the fruit bowl.

 Thirty minutes later I was eating this delicious salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa (cook according to package directions)
• Zest from 1 lemon
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 TBS. honey
• 1  cup chopped  pistachios (toasted if you like)
• 1 cup finely chopped flat parsley
• 1 cucumber, finely chopped (3/4 cup)
• 1 medium tomato, finely chopped, discard seeds
• 3 to 4 green onions, finely chopped (⅓ cup)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Place cooked quinoa in large bowl.
2.  Stir in lemon juice and honey and let cool for 15 minutes.
3.  Stir in remaining ingredients.
4.  Season with salt and pepper and mix well

The longer this salad sits the better it gets, so if you have time make it early in the day.

CHOCOLATE COVERED TOFFEE MATZAH

I first tasted chocolate covered matzah at my friend Sheila MacRae’s home.  She had over a group of women for wine and merry matzah making, from then on I was a devotee and (almost) every year at Passover I make this recipe.  However, last year I decided not to make it (only because I cannot stop eating it myself),  and there were a lot of unhappy guests, this year I gave in… so for my niece Alison and my daughter Yale this recipe is dedicated to  you.

BTW – My friend Sheila is a first-class pie maker, butter tart maker, and excellent cook. Many of her recipes hail from her Scottish roots.  You can imagine how surprised I was when I first tasted her chocolate covered Matzah for Passover. I’m “Jew-ish” she exclaimed when I asked for “just one more piece”. BTW Sheila can make any holiday meal special and is one of the best Jewish cooks I know. Not bad for a Scottish girl from Winnipeg.

More holiday recipes from LoveThyCarrot!

Macaroons, The Official Cookie of Passover
Romanian Eggplant Salad
Chocolate Covered Toffee Matzah
This is my Great-Grandmother Gefilte Fish
My Mother's Potato Kugel
My Favourite Chicken Soup
Latkes From My Mother's Kitchen
Pistachio and Dried Fruit Haroseth

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Chocolate Covered Toffee Matzah

Ingredients:

• 4 to 6 sheets unsalted matzohs
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into chunks
• 1 cup firmly-packed light brown sugar
• big pinch of sea salt
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips (a combination of white and dark looks really nice).
• 1 cup toasted sliced almonds, or your favourite nuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2.  Line a rimmed baking sheet completely with foil, making sure the foil goes up and over the edges. Cover the foil with a sheet of parchment paper.( Don’t skip the tin foil you will thank me when you clean up).
3. Line the baking sheet with matzoh, breaking extra pieces as necessary to fill in any spaces.
4.  In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar together, and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the butter is melted and the mixture is beginning to boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add the salt, and pour over matzoh, spreading with a heatproof spatula.
5. Put the pan in the oven and  bake for 5 to 7 minutes. As it bakes, it will bubble up but make sure it’s not burning.
6. Remove from oven and immediately cover with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes, then spread the chocolate with a spatula.
7.  This is optional , sprinkle with toasted almonds or your favourite nuts.
8. Let cool completely, then break into pieces and store in an airtight container or ziplock bags until ready to serve.

Cooks Notes:

• I like to store and serve this directly from the freezer.
• This chocolate covered matzah is addictive.

BLACK BEAN AND QUINOA BURGERS

I am married to a burger lover  – I did try to pass these off one night for dinner but I have to be honest they did not go over well , but what can I say I Ioved these burgers and will be making them again.

Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers
Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup dry quinoa
• 1/2 cup of corn meal (I sometimes use quick cooking oats)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 small onion, finely chopped
• dash of hot sauce
• Dash of salt

Directions:
1. In a small sauce pan, toast the quinoa in olive oil for a few minutes. Add a cup of water and a pinch of salt, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

2. Put the black beans, cooked quinoa, corn meal or oats, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, hot sauce, tomato paste and salt into a mixing bowl. Mix everything together with your hands until it’s evenly mixed. 

3.Divide the burger mixture into four equal pieces. Use your hands to form the burgers.

4. Preheat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Pour some olive oil into the pan. Cook the patties for 5 minutes on each side, until they are a deep brown.