Move over marinara. There`s a new sauce in town. This SUPER EASY sundried tomato sauce is my current obsession. Blitz up a few ingredients with an immersion blender and that's IT. I do heat it up when I'm using it in a dish, but I'm embarrassed to say I've even just microwaved it when I was in a hurry. It's stupid simple and packs a huge flavour punch thanks to oil packed sundried tomatoes. Add in sweet vermouth, red wine vinegar, olive oil & garlic and you've got yourself a balanced & versatile condiment. I originally made it to go on top of some seared herb marinated tofu; then my mind was swirling with the possibilities. Think of all the pasta possibilities.... part of a lasagna, as a pizza sauce instead of marinara or tucked into a grilled cheese sandwich. I even kind of want to try adding some heat to it and use it to make patatas bravas. A Spanish tapas dish of crispy potatoes, spicy marinara and garlicky mayo. Why not. Given how simple it is to make, I'll no doubt be throwing it on all sorts of quick meals as I can't see why I wouldn't always have a jar of this stuff kicking around in my fridge.  

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup sundried tomatoes in their oil​
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• leaves from 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic
• 6 tbsp sweet vermouth
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• couple pinches of salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method:

1.  Combine all ingredients into a litre container and blend with your immersion blender until smooth. Store in the fridge, heat to serve. 

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Quite possibly one of the best pasta dishes I have ever prepared. I didn't measure everything exactly but I'm going to break it down. Do yourself a favour and make this...or if we are real life friends ask me to make it for you next time we hang. Cause I will...and you'll love it. Unless you don't like mushrooms or sundried tomatoes....thennnn we probably can't be friends anymore. Kidding. 

Ingredients: 

•  250 g spaghetti
•  200 grams mushrooms, sliced
•  a few dashes of liquid smoke
•  6 cloves garlic, minced
•  6 soup spoon fulls of sundried tomato sauce
•  3 soup spoon fulls of Creamy Sheese (Sheese is the brand and it's a cream cheese alternative)
•  Chopped Parsley
•  Olive Oil
•  Handful of arugula
•  Chile Flakes

Method:

1. I get a big pot of salted water on the stove and start bringing it to a boil, in the meantime begin by sautéing my mushrooms in olive oil (in a pan large enough to hold the spaghetti for tossing later), adding garlic towards the end, followed by several dashes of liquid smoke (give it a taste)
2.  If the mushrooms are finished before the pasta, just turn off the heat until the next step.
3.  Now for cooking the spaghetti. DO NOT cook it all the way. As soon as it becomes pliable, and still has a crunch to it, I use tongs to transfer the pasta to the mushroom pan, along with two big ladles of pasta water. Turn the heat back up as you need to finish cooking the pasta and distribute the sauce
4.  Add sundried tomato sauce and creamy sheese, a bit more olive oil, chopped parsley & lots of cracked black pepper. 
5.  Toss as the water evaporates and the sauce starts to thicken and coat your spaghetti. 
6.  Add in a big handful of arugula last second. Don't over wilt the arugula, a few tosses around in the hot pasta is enough. 
7.  Try eating your pasta a little more al dente than you might be used to. We tend to prefer it a little more done than they do in Italy, but now that I've learned better and have been undercooking it by North American standards, I do get it. Toothsome, delicious. 
8.  Garnish pasta with more chopped parsley and a sprinkle of chile flakes. 
9.  Dig into this big pile of creamy sundried tomato deliciousness with smoky mushrooms and tell me it's not the best damn pasta ever, vegan or otherwise. 

 OK folks, I'm excited about this one. (Well I think it's safe to say I'm excited about anything I take the time to write a blog post about...because I need to document, share, and remember the deliciousness)

The truth is, I don't eat a ton of potatoes. Kind of crazy considering I live on an Island that grows 86,000 acres of them each year; but I'm just more of a bread girl when it comes to carbs. I'll choose bread over potatoes 99% of the time. Grain bread, French bread, naan bread, pita bread, tortillas.....ok ok...this post isn't about my love of bread, even though I could easily spend the next 5 paragraphs explaining this fact to you. 

Back to potatoes, and this recipe....

For dinner the other night I was planning to make sesame roasted potatoes as a side dish, but then I started browsing menus online that a friend had forwarded to me. I skimmed through and noticed "Za'atar" as a component in one of the vegan offerings. Lightbulb moment. What's better than potatoes roasted with sesame seeds? Potatoes with Za'atar. A  Middle Eastern spice blend where sesame seeds are combined with the tart citrusy flavour of Sumac, dried herbs & salt. A little trial and error later I made a quick batch of hummus to join the plate. Good call. Crispy potatoes, creamy garlicky hummus garnished with a generous sprinkling of Za'atar & fresh chopped parsley. Swoon. I could see this dish on a tapas menu or as a side dish to round out a meal.

I made tofu with a quick sundried tomato sauce to have with it and it was somehow perfect together. I'll be sharing up that recipe soon, so stay tuned. For veg I sautéed some carrots and snow peas with a bit of Korean chile powder and a drizzle of honey. I was like dayum, my vegan food is getting better all the time. So much flavour.

Ok, now to the recipe...

I used baby white potatoes.

• Put potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until you can pierce easily with a knife.
• Strain & once cool enough to handle use the palms of your hands to smash each potato to flatten it. I kept some potatoes in their whole smashed state, but the more broken apart they are, the more edges there are to crisp up. 
• Toss with lots of veg oil, salt & pepper and roast in 425 F oven until browed and crispy around the edges. Make sure to toss them around a few times to cook evenly. Mine took a good 45 minutes.

I made a big batch because it's a fun thing to have on hand for quick snacking or garnish. I referenced a few recipes to make this and I'm fairly certain I added different ratios of ingredients. I made it to taste, & this is how I like it. As always in cooking,  do what you like...this really makes a lot so you might want to halve or even 1/3 the recipe. I however prefer big batch cooking.  

Ingredients:

•  1/2 cup dried thyme
•  1/4 cup cumin
•  1/2 cup sumac
•  2 tsp salt
•  1 cup sesame seeds, toasted
•  2 T coriander

Method: 

1.  Simply mix everything together and store in a mason jar. 

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​Ingredients

• 1 x 540 ml can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup tahini
• salt and pepper​ to taste

Method

1.  Start by adding chickpeas to food processor, blitz and scrape down sides.
2. Add garlic and blitz to combine.
3. Add remaining ingredients and puree mixture scraping down the sides a couple of times. I really let my food processor do some work here to make the hummus as creamy and smooth as possible. 

After being away on holiday for over 2 weeks in Switzerland, I feel like I normally do after a long vacation. A bit depleted, a bit jet lagged & ready to be embrace a healthier routine. I did my best over Christmas not to over do it too much...but it`s inevitable (especially without access to a gym when I'm staying with my brother) that I'm not going to feel at the top of my game by the time I am home. It's all worth it though. It was great to connect with my family over a lot of great food and ohhhhh...the cocktails...there were ugh...lets say a few. 

I wasn't sure how the vegan thing was going to play out, but most restaurants had something I could order, and a few times my expectations were exceeded (doesn't happen often). Richard and his girlfriend Phoebe went out of their way more than once with meals so that I could enjoy too. I didn't expect it, but it was really nice. Sometimes vegan food sucks, but what I'm constantly being reminded of (and I think in turn other people learn by trying something I'm having like my niece did during the visit), is that oh, that's vegan? and it's delicious? Yeah...that's what I'm saying! Anyway the whole point of this pre recipe rant is that I need to nourish my body ASAP. OK so it IS January, and it's a storm day on PEI, so while yes I want healthy, I also want my meal to be warm & comforting. This recipe definitely does the trick. 

I created this meal using beyond meat sausages. I think most people have probably heard of this product by now. In Fredericton NB, I found them at Victory Meat Market. In PEI I haven't noticed any in stores, but I was able to buy them through Sysco because I work at a restaurant. (Not ideal because they come in a giant case) I also saw them in Switzerland at the local grocery store. If you can track some down it's worth it.
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Beyond meat sausages are one of the most convincing meat alternative products I've tried. They really are spiced like a real meat sausage, and the texture is on point too. I really can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring in terms of vegan product development. I know one thing, it's going to get better and better. 

This stew is :

•  Hearty
•  Satisfying
•  Simple
•  Meaty
•  Delicious 
•  Comforting
•  Best served with Crusty bread for dunking
•  Flavoured with Red Wine, Rosemary, Lemon, Olive oil, Garlic & Smoked Paprika
  

When I make soup even if I'm consulting a recipe, I never follow it to a T. One must taste, adjust, balance. Next time I'll probably add even more garlic to this stew because I'm a huge fan of garlic. Maybe I'll add a touch more smoked paprika and use dried herbs if I don't have fresh. Maybe your fresh herbs aren't so fresh and therefore less potent meaning you need to add a bit more. A recipe can never replace your taste buds, and we all taste differently. Roll with it.

I wasn't expecting to be sharing recipes while on vacation... but when someone goes out of their way to make something delicious and vegan for me I 
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(A) need to document that shit  so I can make it again and
(B) need to share it with people. 

This soup is So. Damn. Good.

It reminds me so much of a Laura Calder recipe I used to make. I think that one was just peas and cream pureed into a delicious simple soup. Phoebe made this version for the whole family which was really thoughtful as I'm the only vegan at the table. She picked up vegan butter and vegan creme fraiche. When I'm back in Canada vegan butter is easy to find but I'm not sure I can find a similar product to the creme fraiche that's available here in Switzerland. The brand here is called Dr. Oetker and it's one of the most convincing mock dairy products I've ever tried. It didn't have that awful taste that I've experienced with soy yogurts. Yuck. Instead it was super thick, rich, creamy & slightly tangy. I'll be investigating. The rest of the family garnished their soup with parmesan cheese. I went with fresh mint and olive oil. I think a dollop of vegan pesto would be lovely too. Crusty bread for dipping is a must.

This vegan pea soup is:

- rich
- creamy
- full of sweet pea flavour
- delicious 
- easy af

Method:
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1. ​Sautee onions in vegan butter until softened.
2. Deglaze with white wine
3. Add 400 grams of the peas (the remaining 100 grams will be added later)
4. Add Veg stock and season with a bit of salt and pepper
5. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Add creme fraiche and with an immersion blender, blend everything until smooth. 
7. Add the remaining 100 grams of peas, heat, taste & season with more salt and pepper as         needed. 

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I arrived to my brothers place in Schaffhausen, Switzerland at 7am after a 15 hour trip from Canada. It was my first time meeting his girlfriend Phoebe, they got together shortly after I was there the previous Christmas. I was a bit apprehensive about how the whole vegan thing would go with family dinners, and my brother (Richard) being the type to poke fun at anything and everything that doesn't align with how he thinks. Maybe Phoebe is rubbing off on him because they have been super kind and accommodating. More so than I would ever expect from anyone. When I arrived Phoebe told me she had made me some vegan cookies, that it was her first attempt baking anything vegan, and that they weren't very pretty. I tried one and I was like ughhh, why is your first attempt at vegan baking so damn good when I've made so many garbage cookies. I guess to be fair I am not always following a tested recipe but still. These were SO GOOD. I've done my best to translate the recipe from German. I haven't tested it myself yet, but I will when I'm back in Canada.

The recipe calls for egg replacement powder. I have never purchased this in Canada, as I've always used either a flax or chia egg substitute, but I'm assuming it will be available somewhere, I just haven't looked yet. Maybe a flax egg would work too, I'll have to give that a shot sometime too. 

These cookies are:

- delicious
- full of chocolate and peanuts
- crisp
- sweet and have a caramel taste, probably from the cane sugar
- my new favourite vegan cookie  

Method:

The only instructions I was giving was to mix everything together and bake at 180C (350F)

I think I would combine wet and dry ingredients separately then combine from there. The peanuts and chocolate were chopped VERY small, and I liked it like that. 

I'm assuming they were rolled into balls and flattened before baking, but I'll have to see how wet the dough is when I try it. If it's on the wetter side it might just be a drop cookie. 

This recipe is a bit sketchy but it's not rocket science. Though sometimes vegan baking can feel that way. 

Her cookies were quite thin so I doubt they take long in the oven. They are done when golden brown.

I'll update this sometime...but I'll probably need a break from sweets for awhile before I give it a shot, as I'm starting to feel the side effects from an over indulgent holiday. 

******UPDATE I finally got around to testing this recipe. I didn't have any chocolate so just subbed extra peanuts. My cookies turned out very different. But delicious none the less. Peanut butter and banana is one of my all time favourite combinations, and that's what mine tasted like. I sprinkled the tops with sea salt before baking, which was a good idea. I would consider dipping them in chocolate ( or drizzling with chocolate). I do still want to try and see if I can reproduce the first version I ate while in Switzerland, but I'm not disappointed I discovered these either. With all that being said, I am going to write the recipe out again, I switched it from grams to cups etc to suit the way we do it here in North America.