Polenta Lasagna with Roasted Vegetables

I know it says polenta in the title, but I actually just used cornmeal. While I like the heartier texture of polenta, I never did like having to cook it for 20 minutes. Cornmeal cooks in a jiffy and has pretty much the same taste. Tomatoes and polenta go very well together, and roasting the other veggies adds a wonderfully smoky and sweet flavour to the whole dish.

INGREDIENTS

- 6 cups water

- 3 cups cornmeal

- 1-2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1 tsp basil

- 1 tsp parsley

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

- 1/4 cup margarine

- 6 cloves garlic, roasted, chopped

- 2 cups frozen corn

- 12 cherry tomatoes, halved

- 8 oz thickly sliced mushrooms

- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

- 1/2 jar pasta sauce, plus 1/2 cup

- 1 yellow pepper, roasted, sliced

- 1 red pepper, roasted, sliced

- olive oil for brushing

- vegan mozzarella cheese

METHOD:

1. Bring water to boiling in a large pot. Add salt and spices to the water, then whisk in cornmeal. When cornmeal has thickened, remove from heat and mix in margarine and nutritional yeast with a spoon. Working quickly, spread cornmeal mixture as thinly as possible on 2 cookie sheets (or one large sheet). Set aside to cool. When cool, slice into 9 strips.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees

2. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, dry roast corn until it beings to lightly brown. Add in cherry tomatoes and mushroom, stirring constantly, until mushrooms begin to brown and soften. If veggies are sticking, add a few tbsp of water. Add in tomatoes and pasta sauce and bring to bubbling. Add in roasted pepper slices.

3. Spread extra 1/2 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place 3 strips of polenta over the sauce, and top with 1/2 of the tomato mixture. Repeat with 3 more strips and the other half of the sauce. Top with 3 more polenta strips, and brush lightly with olive oil. Top with vegan cheese.

4. Bake for 35-45 mins, or until bubbling and the cheese has melted.

Mandarin Chickpeas and Asparagus Sushi

It must be spring elsewhere because we are finally getting a better selection of produce in the grocery store. This week, it meant cheap mandarin oranges and asparagus. I steamed the asparagus and rolled it with tofu, rice, and a splash of hoisin sauce in a sheet of nori. The hoisin makes the sushi more palatable for the boys who still whine about eating seaweed. The plan for the mandarin oranges was to pair them with chickpeas, almonds, and a sweet and salty sauce. But, I did not have almonds, so I went with cashews. Actually, now that I think about it, this dish is very closely related to the cashew chickpea dish I made in January. That dish was tasty, and so is this one.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- a few drops of sesame oil

- 1 onion, cut in half, and sliced

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 1 inch piece of ginger, minced

- 1 red pepper, diced

- 3/4 cup raw cashews

- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- 4 mini bok choy, thinly sliced

- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce

- 2-3 tbsp hoisin sauce

- 1 tsp chili garlic sauce

- 6 mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned

METHOD

1. Heat oils in a wok over med-hi heat. Stir fry onion, garlic, and ginger for a few mins, until onions start to soften. Add in red pepper and cashews and stir fry for 2 mins.

2. Add in chickpeas and mix well. Add in bok choy and stir fry until it begins to wilt. Add in sauces and adjust to taste.

3. Remove from heat and stir in mandarin orange sections. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Spicy White Bean Soup

Today started all spring-like at 8 degrees above zero (46 F) and raining, but as the day wore on rain turned to snow and the temperature sank to -8 (18 F). It's enough to make you want to cry, especially when other bloggers have already have harvested radishes from their gardens! Check out tonight's view from my back porch. Anyway, this hearty soup hit the spot tonight, and it comes courtesy of Vegan Mom. The white beans and potatoes provide texture and a mellow undertone, while the pepperoni gives the broth a smoky flavour and bursts of spice.

INGREDIENTS

Soup like this is all about chucking a bunch of stuff in a pot, so the amount of each ingredient you use is totally up to you.

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 large onion, diced

- 2 ribs celery, sliced

- potatoes, peeled and diced

- 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

- dried macaroni

- pepperoni, cut into chunks

- water, or veggie broth

- frozen peas

- frozen corn

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion and celery for about 5 mins, until onion is translucent. Add in potatoes, beans, macaroni, pepperoni, and water. Bring to bubbling, reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender and pasta is cooked.

2. Add in peas and corn and heat through. Serve with crusty bread.

Tofu Omelette Strips with Roasted Salsa

This one takes a little bit of time but it is totally worth it. Plus, it is a very nice looking dish that is perfect for impressing your friends at your next fiesta.

Omelette Strips

- 1 double recipe of Susan's vegan omelette

Note: I changed the recipe slightly. I am not sure this made any difference. The strips were pretty durable, but it could be because I cooked them for a while. I added 2 tbsp instant tapioca, and began the recipe by first soaking the tapioca for 10 mins in 4 tbsp soy milk (up from the 2 tbsp the recipe calls for). Once soft, I added the rest of the ingredients and blended.

METHOD

1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over med-lo heat. When hot, spray with cooking oil and spread one fourth of the omelette mixture as thinly as possible on the pan. Cook until sides begin to dry up a bit and you are able to flip the omelette (about 3-4 mins). Flip and cook other side for another 3-4 mins. You want to make sure the omelette is completely cooked through, so lower the heat if it is getting too brown. Remove from heat and cool. Repeat with remaining mixture.

2. Once cool, cut into strips.

Roasted Salsa

While you are cooking the omelette you can make the salsa

- 4 ripe plum tomatoes

- 6 cloves of garlic, skins on

- 2 onions, sliced in half, skins left on

- 1-2 whole fresh jalapeno peppers

- 1/2 tsp oregano

- 1/4 tsp cumin

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1-2 tbsp tomato paste

METHOD

1. Heat a heavy (cast iron) skillet over medium heat. When hot, add whole tomatoes, turning to let the skins roast/lightly char. When uniformly roasted, remove from pan and let cool.

2. Add garlic, onions, and peppers to the pan and roast. Be careful to keep the garlic moving/rotating so it does not burn. Flip the onions and peppers occasionally as well. When roasted, remove from pan.

3. Remove skins from onions and garlic, slice and de-seed the pepper, and roughly chop the lot. Chop tomatoes as well and place it all into a food processor. Pulse to a chunky puree.

4. Pour mixture into a saucepan and add spices. Bring to bubbling, then add enough tomato paste to get the consistency you want. Let simmer for as long as you can, and adjust seasonings before serving.

To assemble to dish: make a "nest" of strips on a plate and top with a generous amount of warm salsa. Garnish with cilantro and serve. If you want, reheat the strips a bit first in the microwave, or on a warm skillet.

Black Bean Burritos

The kids absolutely loved these wee little burritos. Son#1 ate eight. Hmmm . . . I hope there aren't any repercussions from such excessive bean intake.

INGREDIENTS

- 8 small wheat tortillas

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 onion, diced

- 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

- 1/4 cup water

- 1 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp chili powder

- 1 tsp salt

- vegan cheese

- salsa

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat and saute onions for 10 mins,until deep golden brown. Add beans and cook for 2 mins, until heated through. Roughly mash beans.

2. Add water and spices and mix well. Remove from heat.

3. Heat a clean pan over medium heat. Heat up a tortilla on pan for a few seconds. Spread 1/8 of the bean mixture over 3/4 of the tortilla. Top with some cheese and a heaping tsp of salsa. Roll up tortilla, starting at end with beans/salsa/cheese. Place burrito back on pan and brown top and bottom. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

4. Cut each burrito into three. Serve.