Broccoli Risotto

For some odd reason I had a hankering for risotto the other day. So I made some. Maybe it's because I have not had risotto for a while, maybe it was the broccoli, or maybe it was the nooch, but I totally loved this dish and could not get enough. It could also be the fact that I made my own veggie broth. Usually I just use water, thinking, "Hey, I'm cooking with veggies so it'll turn into veggie broth on its own. Right?" I did not make a real production of it, just 7 cups of water, a diced onion, carrot, celery stalk and leaves, and some parsley boiled for 30 mins. Easy. And totally worth it.

INGREDIENTS
- 7 cups veggie broth, warm
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp margarine
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- freshly ground pepper
- 2 cups arborio rice
- 2 cups small broccoli florets (or just chopped)
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (or more to taste)
- 2 tbsp margarine

METHOD
1. Heat large saucepan over med-hi heat. Add oil and margarine and saute shallots and garlic for a few mins, until soft but not brown.
2. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, for a few mins until it gets that translucent look. Add salt and pepper, then about 1/2 cup of broth. Bring to bubbling, stirring, until reduced. Then add wine and repeat.
3. Keep adding broth and stirring, letting to reduce each time (the whole process is going to take about 20 minutes). You will probably want to reduce the heat to medium.
4. When you are down to your last cup and a half or so of broth (about 5-8 minutes from being done), add the broccoli. They key is to have small florets so they cook quickly. Keep adding broth as per usual, until rice is tender and broccoli is cooked. You may not use all the broth.
5. Remove from heat and stir in nooch and margarine. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

This is a nice, simple soup, perfect with the baguettes you see in the background.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
- about 3 cups water
- 2 cups cashew cream (or soy creamer/soy milk/coconut milk)
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onion, shallot, celery, and garlic for 15 mins, until nice and soft and stating to get golden.
2. Add broccoli and enough water to cover about 3/4 of the way up (about 3 cups). You don't want too much water or the final soup will be too thin. Cover and simmer for 15-20 mins, until veggies are soft.
3. Blend broccoli mixture with an immersion blender (or what have you) until very smooth. Add in cashew cream and season to taste. Heat to desired temperature, then serve.

Easy Green Curry

I love green curry, but I find I rarely make it and gravitate more to a sweet and sour red curry. This dish came together quite quickly from the veggies still kicking around in the fridge at the end of the shopping week. As you can see from the pic, this is a drier curry, but you could add more coconut milk to make it more saucy to be served over rice. I really like the black beans with the broccoli--an unexpected and tasty combination.

INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp, oil
- 1 shallot, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1" piece of ginger, minced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
- 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed
- green curry paste, to taste
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup coconut milk, or more as desired
- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD
1. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium heat. Saute shallot, garlic, and ginger for a few mins, until fragrant and lightly browned. Add sweet potato and fry for 5 mins.
2. Add broccoli and cook for about 15 mins, adding splashed of water as needed to help stem/cook the veggies and keep them from sticking to the pan.
3. Add curry paste, along with 1/4 cup of water and mix well. Add soy sauce and beans and cook for about 5 mins, making sure the veggies are now fully cooked.
4. Add coconut milk, season to taste, and serve.

Light and Lemony Pasta

I've been meaning to blog this since Valentine's Day when Vegan Mom and I ate it. Needless to say, things have been busy, busy, busy lately. If I have not responded to a question you left on a post, just send me an email and I will get back to you. This dish, as the name indicates, is light and lemony. Even though it is pasta (which we seem to be eating a lot of lately), the bright flavour and wine sauce make it a refreshing meal.

INGREDIENTS

- 250g capellini

- 1/2 head broccoli, cut into small florets, steamed

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 tbsp margarine

- 1 red onion, halved and sliced

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 1 1/2 cup white wine

- juice of 1 lemon

- zest of 1 lemon

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- 1 can white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

- 2 cups cubed chicken-style seitan (optional)

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1. Get your pasta cooking, and get steaming your broccoli.

2. Heat oil and margarine in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic for 5-7 mins, until softened.

3. Add wine to the pan with the lemon juice. Let reduce for about 5 mins. Add zest and nutritional yeast and mix well. Add beans, seitan, if using, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Drain pasta and return to post over medium heat. Pour sauce over top and bring to bubbling. Cook for a few mins to let sauce absorb into pasta a bit. Stir in broccoli and parsley and serve.

Cream of Potato and Broccoli Soup

Ah, the news year is here. I am desperately trying to ignore the fact that I have two courses to teach on Monday, starting at 8:30 in the morning. Gack! On the other hand, it is high time the kids stop kicking around the house and get back to school. I am not really one for new year's resolutions, so I think I will just try to keep on keepin' on (as a wise man once said). 2009 promises to bring many new challenges, not the least of which is a 4th addition to our Vegan Family. Yep. 4 kids. Wow, eh? My very own vegan commune. If your kids are like mine, they like broccoli and they like potatoes. Why not put them together in a creamy soup? I keep the skins on for this recipe, but you can peel your potatoes if that is more your style.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 large sweet onion, small dice

- 1 stalk celery, minced

- 1 clove garlic, minced

- 4-5 medium red potatoes, skins on, small dice

- 1 cup water, or veggie broth

- 3 cups plain soy milk

- 1 head broccoli, cut into small florets

- 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

- 1/2 cup soy creamer, or coconut milk cream (i.e. place a can of coconut milk in the fridge to let the fat separate from the water)

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute onions, celery, and garlic for 5 mins, until softened. Add potatoes and saute for 2 mins.

2. Add water and soy milk to the pot (should cover most of the potatoes--add more if needed). Bring to bubbling, then lower heat, cover, and simmer for 15-20 mins, until potatoes are soft.

3. Remove half of the soup from the pot and blend until smooth. Return to pot along with the broccoli. Return to bubbling, and cook for 5-7 mins, until broccoli is cooked (soft, but not mushy).

4. Add nutritional yeast, creamer, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with some baguettes. Look at these awesome baguette forms Vegan Mom got me for Christmas!

Veggies in a Clay Baker

Not really a recipe tonight, more of an idea/method. I love cooking stuff in cast iron pans on the BBQ, and in clay bakers like the one seen here. This particular pig is happy that no one is eating his body. Tonight I filled him up with cauliflower and broccoli, about an inch of water, and placed in on the grill for about 20 mins.

Sweet and Hot Stirfry

When I am pressed for time I usually reach for my wok. This time I thought I would stir fry without the oil to try and cut the fat. I also used plain tofu (instead of crispy tofu, which I usually do) to make the dish a little more healthy. Plus, I think I was trying to compensate for the fact that I also made a second dish with coconut milk (which I will post tomorrow).

INGREDIENTS

- 100g rice vermicelli (aka cellophane noodles)

- 1/4 cup water

- 1/2 head of broccoli, cut into small florets

- 6 white mushrooms, sliced

- 1 carrot, sliced ultra thin with a vegetable peeler

- 1/2 pkg firm tofu, cut into strips

- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce

- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- juice of 1 lime

- 2-4 tbsp soy sauce

METHOD

1. Put vermicelli in a bowl and cover with boiling hot water. Let sit for 3-4 mins, until soft. Drain and rinse with cold water.

2. Bring the 1/4 cup of water to boiling in a wok. Add in broccoli and stir fry for 2 mins. Add in mushrooms and cook another 2 mins, or until mushrooms begin to soften. Add in carrots and cook another 2 mins. Watch the water level--if it gets to dry add another tbsp or two.

3. Add in tofu, vermicelli, and all sauces and lime juice. Mix well. Adjust sauces to taste (I made it fairly mild for the kids). Ideally, the dish will have some bite from the chili garlic sauce that is tempered by the sweetness of the hoisin sauce and sugar. Bring sauce to bubbling and let absorb into the noodles a bit. Serve

Cheesy Creamy Casserole

You may have noticed a few new things on the blog. I have put in a video bar that links to PETA's "Meet Your Meat," and to Morgan Spurlock's "Supersize Me." Actually, watching "Supersize Me" is what started me on the road to veganism. After seeing the film I started reading the books of the people he interviewed: John Robbins' Diet For a New America; Marion Nestle's Food Politics; Eric Scholsser's Fast Food Nation. There was no turning back from there. In the spirit of "Supersize Me," I also have started posting fast food "nutritional" info (although I know I will largely be preaching to the choir). It always blows my mind that vegans are seen as dietary weirdos, but eating a burger with 55 grams of fat is considered normal.

Tonight's meal was an attempt to use up the broccoli and cauliflower in the fridge in a way the boys would like. They loved it.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets

- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets

- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

- large handful baby spinach

Sauce

- 1 pkg firm tofu

- 1 onion, chopped

- 1 clove of garlic, minced

- 1/3 cup raw cashews

- 3/4 cup roasted red pepper (I used bottled peppers)

- 1-2 tsp salt

- freshly ground pepper

- 3/4 cup nutritional yeast

- 1/2 tsp tumeric

- 1 tsp mustard

- 1/4 cup arrowroot powder

- 3 cups soy milk

Topping

- 1/2 cup bread crumbs

- 1/3 cup ground almonds

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Steam broccoli and cauliflower for 5-6 mins, until softened but still firm.

2. While veggies are steaming, make the sauce. Place sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and bring to bubbling, whisking constantly.

3. Mix together steamed veggies, chickpeas, and spinach with sauce and pour into a large casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs and almonds. Bake for 40 mins, until bubbling and top is browned.

Hearty Broccoli Soup

A few days ago I asked Son#1 what he wanted for dinner and he said, "broccoli soup!" That was kind of weird. I mean, what kid asks for broccoli soup? Well, tonight Vegan Mom made his dreams come true with this tasty and hearty soup that is perfect for those days when there is still a chill in the air.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp margarine

- 1 large onion, diced

- 1 rib of celery, diced

- 1 clove of garlic, minced

- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

- 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets

- water

- 1 cup soy milk

- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

- salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Melt margarine in a soup pot over medium heat. Saute onion, celery, and garlic for 5 mins, until onion is translucent. Add potatoes and three quarters of the broccoli florets. Add enough water to barely cover the veggies (some veggies should still be sticking out of the water). Bring to bubbling, lower heat, and cover and cook 15-20 mins, until veggies are very soft.

2. Blend veggies with a hand blender until smooth. Add soy milk and nutritional yeast. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add in remaining florets and cook, uncovered, until florets are soft. Serve.