Chili Soup (Kidney Bean Soup w/ Guacamole)

Chili Soup (Kidney Bean Soup) - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Check out this awesome kidney bean soup. Until I made this the other day, I had never had a kidney-bean based soup before – just the usual black or white bean variety. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think we have a new favorite. I’ve nicknamed it “chili soup” because it has a wonderful comforting and … Read more

Spicy Peanut Quinoa Salad

Spicy Peanut Quinoa Salad (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I love peanut butter. Peanut butter cookies, peanut butter dipping sauce, peanut butter out of the jar… peanut butter anything! So when a late-night Google search returned a recipe for quinoa salad with spicy peanut dressing, I didn’t hesitate to bookmark it and use it as inspiration for my lunch the next day, this Spicy Peanut … Read more

Healthy Vegan Quinoa Chili

Quinoa Chili - Vegan and Gluten-Free

About 5 years ago, I veganized my mom’s chili recipe by replacing the ground beef with Yves veggie ground round. I made it like that for years, doubling the recipe, and freezing it so that there was always a warm comforting meal available at the drop of a hat. Then I moved to Sydney, Australia, … Read more

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa

The next topic in my What’s That? series is… Quinoa! I’ve got a few amazing quinoa recipes on the way, and thought it might be nice to first explain the origins and benefits of this genius little grain. Chances are that you’ve seen this ingredient pop-up everywhere over the past couple years – from recipes … Read more

Fried Cauliflower, Chickpea and Swiss Chard

Fried Cauliflower, Chickpea and Swiss Chard - Vegan and Gluten-Free

Back in December, I enjoyed a lovely salad of fried cauliflower, chickpeas and silverbeet at Bodega Tapas Bar here in Sydney. It was hardy yet light with highlights of fresh lemon and toasted cumin seeds. As you can tell, I was making a mental note of the ingredients and flavors because I figured that it … Read more

Roasted Butternut Squash, Lime & Coconut Soup

Roasted Butternut Squash, Lime & Coconut Soup (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

I cut this soup recipe out of the Ottawa Citizen newspaper many years ago – and it’s been one of my favorites ever since. The coconut milk makes it so rich and creamy and the cilantro (fresh coriander) and lime give it such a fresh, summer-taste, any time of the year. I veganized the original … Read more

Cauliflower Purée with Mushroom Compote, Seared King Mushroom and Shitake Bacon

Cauliflower Puree with Mushroom Compote, Seared King Mushroom and Shitake Bacon - Vegan & Gluten-Free

Warning: if you suffer from Mycophobia (fear of mushrooms), you should turn back now or maybe read this nice post on swiss chard. For everyone else, welcome to the mushroom orgy! I cut the Cauliflower Purée with Mushroom Compote recipe from the LCBO’s Food&Drink magazine back in 2009 and have been lugging it around with me … Read more

Roasted Cauliflower in Lemon-Tahini Sauce

Roasted Cauliflower in Lemon-Tahini Sauce - Vegan and Gluten-Free

I came across this recipe for Roasted Cauliflower in Lemon-Tahini Sauce on the Vegetarian Times website and it’s really awesome. While I don’t particularly love raw cauliflower, I do love it in low-carb risotto or simply roasted. Even if you’re not a huge cauliflower fan, I still really recommend trying this recipe. Just roasting the cauliflower … Read more

Roasted Fresh Tomato Soup

Roasted Fresh Tomato Soup - The smell of the fresh tomatoes roasting is intoxicating! Vegan & Gluten-Free.

The best part of this roasted fresh tomato soup (other than the taste), is the aroma that will fill your home when making it! I got a little carried away at the farmer’s market last week and found myself with too many tomatoes. I didn’t really feel like making the obvious thing (pasta sauce) so … Read more

Pistachio-Crusted Maple Dijon Tofu

Pistachio-Crusted Maple Dijon Tofu - Vegan & Gluten-Free

This pistachio-crusted maple dijon tofu looks quite decadent, but it only requires 5 ingredients, is actually very easy to prepare, and is ready in under 30 minutes. Background I saw this recipe for Pistachio-Crusted Salmon a couple years ago in Canadian Living magazine and decided to try it using tofu instead. It works really well, … Read more

Spiked Gazpacho

Vegan Spiked Gazpacho

I came across Joel Luks’ Vegan Good Eats blog a while back and bookmarked just about every recipe on there. The food that he makes is creative and beautiful, and his quirky sense of humor shows in every comment and detail. I finally got around to making one of his recipes the other day. It … Read more

Avocado Macadamia Pear Salad

Avocado Macadamia Pear Salad - Vegan & Gluten-Free

I came across this Avocado Macadamia Pear Salad recipe in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Sheila magazine. It looked so decadent, I just had to try it. The trick is to have “ripe but firm” avocados on hand when the pears are just ripe. But once you’ve got that under control, the actual salad itself … Read more

The Raw Ice Cream that Changed my Life

Raw Vegan Ice Cream

Pretty epic title, huh? Well, it’s totally true. The other day, while watching a boring movie (can’t even remember the title, it was THAT bad), I was Googling vegan raw recipes on my iPhone. I was in the mood for something sweet, yet healthy, and I eventually settled on some raw vegan brownies. They turned … Read more

Broccoli Guacamole

Healthy Hidden Broccoli Guacamole - Vegan and Gluten-Free

I bookmarked Allyson from Manifest Vegan’s Ghastly Tortilla Chips & Ghoul-camole back in October. Although I’ve made regular guacamole many times since then, it only just occurred to me today to try her version, which includes “broccoli confetti”. All I can say is WOW! I’m actually a bit mad at myself for not trying it … Read more

Avocado & Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts

Vegan Avocado & Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts

2011 has been pretty crazy for me. From hosting a good friend from back home over the holidays, to moving into a new pad downtown, to traveling back to Canada for a work conference and my mother’s surprise 60th birthday, and finally meeting-up with my partner for 5 days of sight-seeing and wine tasting in … Read more

Avocado Mango Black Bean Salad / Dip

Avocado Mango Black Bean Salad

My mom used to make this recipe and it’s one of my all-time favorites. If you manage to find yourself in that perfect space-time-continuum where you have access to ripe mangoes and avocados at the same time, then this is the perfect recipe. I can’t tell you how great this is – you just have … Read more

Fresh Tomato & Basil Salad

I just couldn’t resist bringing home these gorgeous grape tomatoes and figured that the best way to enjoy them would be as a light and fresh tomato & basil salad. Fresh basil and a high-quality olive oil are the key to making this easy salad taste very gourmet. So I don’t have a big post … Read more

Mushroom Tapenade

Two-Mushroom Tapenade - Vegan & Gluten-Free

I printed out this recipe years ago, but have no idea where it came from. I even did a Google search but couldn’t locate it. Anyway, I’ve made it many times and it’s always been a hit, including last week when I made it for a get-together with friends. I’ve only ever used fresh thyme … Read more