I was inspired to make these vegan corn fritters with vegan sweet chili sauce after trying corn fritters for the first time at my boyfriend’s house. His family is from New Zealand, and I think corn fritters might be a bit popular there. After some research googling, there seems to be quite a few recipes for them! His mom made super delicious sweet corn fritters and served them with sweet chili sauce- they were so good!! I decided to make a veganized version so that my readers at One Green Planet could enjoy corn fritters, too! These are a little crisper and a bit different to the ones I first tried, but delicious nonetheless. And if you’re wondering why I bothered to homemake sweet chili sauce, it’s because most bottled versions contain fish sauce, which isn’t vegan. I have to say that I loved the homemade sweet chili- you can adjust the spice to suit your palette and there are no icky ingredients that you can’t pronounce!

*There seems to be some confusion as to what peaches & cream corn is. It’s simply a type of corn- the kernels are two different colours, resembling peaches & cream. Use any kind of frozen corn you want, just let it thaw and drain it.

Head over to One Green Planet to check out the recipe!

Mmmmm….Alaskan Black Cod is one of my favourite kinds of fish. To me, it tastes like butter- just decadent and rich! I’ve only really had it in a miso based sauce before, so when I saw this recipe for it using a red coconut curry sauce (looove coconut curry!), I knew I had to make it.

Alaskan Black Cod in Thai Red Coconut Curry (adapted from here)

• 2 tablespoons butter (preferably from grass-fed cows)
• 1 medium sweet onion, cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced crosswise
• 1 small red or green bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
• 1 14 ounce can coconut milk (unsweetened), shaken well
• 1 1/2- 3 tablespoons red curry paste (start with 1 1/2 tbsp, but taste-test and adjust accordingly- you may need more depending on the brand used)
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce (nam pla)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1-2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar, to taste (optional)
• 4 dried kaffir lime leaves
•  2 or 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 cup roasted cashews (optional)
• 1 to 1/2 pounds wild-caught cod fillets (I used 1 large fillet)
• sea salt

Okay okay, so these are really just crab cakes, but you can’t blame me for fantasizing about trying one of Spongebob’s favourite foods.

This was actually the first time I had made crab cakes and I was very pleased with the recipe. It didn’t involve eggs as a binding agent and was very light on the bread crumbs (It calls for one cup, but I used maybe a 1/4 cup just coating the top and bottom of the cake lightly.). I also replaced the mayonnaise with a vegan mayo, so these crab cakes were egg free! I had also never made chimichurri sauce, and that turned out to be a total breeze. Just chuck the ingredients in a food processor and you’re good to go!

Crab Cakes in Chimichurri Sauce (adapted from here)

Sauce:

• 3 large garlic cloves
• 2 cups fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley
• ¼ cup sherry vinegar
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne

I bought nutritional yeast (nooch) quite awhile ago and I was very curious as to what it tasted like. I found a recipe for a vegan alfredo sauce and thought that might be a good starting point. In case you don’t know, nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that has a ‘nutty’ or ‘cheesy’ flavour, which is why so many vegan recipes use it. I can’t say that it is my favourite flavour in the world, but I’m glad I tried it, and I would like to try it in other recipes. Although this doesn’t taste identical to true alfredo sauce, if you know anyone that is vegan, this could be a great option for a pasta dish. You could easily add in tomatoes, broccoli florets, or peas to add some more flavour to the dish. I used a gluten free pasta made from brown rice, but any pasta will do.

Vegan Alfredo Sauce with Pasta (adapted from Oh She Glows, originally from VeganYumYum)

• Pasta of your choice
• 1/3 heaping cup raw cashews
• 1 garlic clove
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond milk
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp non-dairy butter (I just used regular butter)
• 2 tsp organic Tamari soy sauce, or to taste
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp Tahini (sesame seed paste)
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Kosher salt, to taste (I used 1/4-1/2 tsp I think)
• 1/2 tsp Paprika, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Herbs or veggies to add into Alfredo, if desired

Directions: Cook your pasta until al dente and then drain, and rinse with cold water.

While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce: Add all ingredients except pasta into a blender and blend until smooth.

Add the drained pasta back into the pot and pour on your desired amount of sauce into the pot. Heat over medium stirring frequently. Add in vegetables if you desire and cook until heated through. Enjoy!

POM was so kind to send me some coupons for free POM juice and I was excited to use the juice in a way that I hadn’t before. I frequently use POM juice when I make cocktails…but I have never used POM in a recipe for food. I decided to make a sweet pomegranate reduction and serve it over warm brie with crusty baguettes….ohh my gosh, was this ever good! The gooey salty brie, and the sweet pomegranate were such a good combination!! I served it with with a cheese platter when I had my friends over for dinner. They loved it!

Pomegranate Reduction (adapted from here)

I used this over a nice brie cheese, but I’m sure it would taste great over other cheeses. This recipe makes a lot of syrup! Keep it in the fridge and find a use for it :p

• Brie cheese, however much you like, warmed in the oven… 350F for 10-15 minutes or so.
• 1 1/2 cups POM 100% pomegranate juice (You could use their other flavours but I like the plain pomegranate!)
• 2-3 tbsp raspberry jam
• 1/2 balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups sugar

Combine juice, jam, and balsamic vinegar in a saucepan and heat to a simmer. Add sugar and heat until desired thickness is reached….I left mine on the stove for about 40 minutes lol it was pretty thick!

Heat brie up in the oven and drizzle with reduction. Serve with crackers or bread….yum!

Stay tuned for a Thirsty Thursday recipe of my go-to martini using POM!

I had been debating what to do with the beautiful and GIGANTIC rhubarb growing in my garden for several weeks now. It got to the point where it had to be picked, before it turned hard and stringy. I settled on scones, because I had never made them with rhubarb before- usually I stick to sauces and such. Although I did make a rhubarb sauce to top them with! I had just found a giant bag of spelt flour (which I love!) at Costco, and took advantage of the opportunity to use it.

Check out the size of just one leaf! To me it looks prehistoric…like something you’d see with dinosaurs around it…but then again I was always a huge fan of Land Before Time as a child.

Rhubarb Spelt Scones

• 1 3/4 cup spelt flour
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup unrefined sugar
• 6 tbsp butter, cubed and cold
• 1/2 cup rhubarb, chopped into small pieces
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Combine the almond milk and apple cider vinegar and let stand a few minutes, until curdled. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Add the butter, and cut it in with a pastry cutter, until only pea-sized pieces remain. Add the rhubarb and the curdled almond milk. Mix until it just comes together. If it is too crumbly, just add a bit more almond milk little by little until you can form a ball with the dough. On a lightly floured surface, make the dough into a circle, about an inch thick, and cut into 8 pieces, brush tops with almond milk and sprinkle with a bit of sugar. Place on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Rhubarb Topping (adapted from here)

• 4 stalks rhubarb, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• sprinkle of nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine rhubarb and water in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes- until rhubarb begins to soften. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, salt. Continue to simmer until rhubarb is completely softened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in honey and vanilla extract. Let cool.

Serve the scones smothered in rhubarb sauce, with clotted cream or whipped cream, or of course with some nice, cold butter. Enjoy!

I thought I would also share some of my favourite pics from the summer so far, because I know my blogging hasn’t exactly been regular. At least you can see a bit of what I’ve been up to!

Kayaking in Whistler

Attending a concert- Trace Adkins & Toby Keith! Any excuse to wear my cowboy boots!

Ummm...stealing Yoshi's head

Forcing my brother to take a picture with me

Drinking bellinis...possibly after a beer garden...tough work to say the least!

And there you go!

One last thing I have been doing is writing for Examiner.com as their Vancouver Vegetarian Restaurant Examiner. Please check out my first couple of articles, and feel free to subscribe, comment or share on Facebook or Twitter!

Isn’t Summer awesome? Even though it hasn’t been very sunny in Vancouver lately (boooo!), I’ve been trying to make the most of it by jumping outside to soak up the sun when it actually decides to come out, and taking advantage of the long days for relaxing chats and crazy dancing over drinks with friends. Ooh! And riding my bike, how could I forget! Of course, I have also been in the kitchen whipping up cookies, pizza, plenty of salads, and trying to perfect a granola recipe.

Tonight I decided to eat something that I rarely eat- pasta! I was inspired by Heidi of 101 Cookbooks…but if you know me, you know that I see the  word miso and I’m sold! I was really curious as to what the miso would taste like when blended with almonds. It was light and creamy with a touch of garlic flavour and I think this could be a very versatile sauce for using on different vegetables and pastas.

Walnut-Miso Spaghetti (adapted from 101 cookbooks)

• 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped in florets
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup of walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons white miso
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1/8 tsp red chili flakes
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup + warm water
• drizzle of lemon juice
• sesame seeds for garnish
• fresh chives for garnish
• walnuts, chopped for garnish

For the sauce:

In a food processor, combine the toasted walnuts, olive oil, miso paste, vinegar, lemon juice, chili flakes, garlic, honey and salt. Blend until smooth. Add water little by little until the consistency of heavy cream is achieved.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta as directed, until al dente.

Steam or boil the broccoli until it can just be pierced easily by a knife.

Drain pasta and toss with broccoli and raw red pepper, add sauce as needed, and top with walnuts, chives, and sesame seeds.

Enjoy!

P.S. Thursday is Canada Day! Take a look back at the cupcakes I made to celebrate last year if you need some cute decorating ideas.

These potatoes taste exactly like a samosa. I’m not a huge potato eater (yams on the otherhand, I adore!) but I really did enjoy these, and it was great to not have to worry about making a dough like you would for a samosa. Same great flavour, though!

Sorry for the slowdown in posts (this has been sitting in my drafts folder for a long time now!), but I am in Whistler, like I said before. I’ll be home very soon, though (with a review on a fantastic restaurant I went to).

In the mean time…this is what most of the weekend looked like- plenty of birthday fun

Samosa Stuffed Baked Potatoes (adapted from Veganomicon)

• 4 large russet potatoes, scrubbed, baked, cooled (to bake a potato, preheat the oven to 400 F, poke the potato with a fork several times, bake for about an hour until easily pierced with a fork)
• 1/4 unsweetened soy milk
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp fresh ginger
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• juice of 1/2 lemon

Slice the baked potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the insides, leaving about 1/4 inch of potato in the skin. Be careful, so you don’t break the skin! Mash the scooped out potato with the soymilk and set the skin aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mustard and coriander seeds and heat for a minute or two until they start to pop. Add the onions and carrots and saute for 7-10 minutes until the onions begin to brown.

Add the garlic and ginger and saute for a minute. Add the cumin, turmeric, and salt, along with a splash of water. Stir well, then add the potatoes mixing well. Add a little more water if it looks to dry. Cook until the potatoes are heated through. Add the lemon juice to taste, and stir.

Brush the insides of the potato skins with a little bit of olive oil. Scoop the filling into the skins. Line a baking sheet with the stuffed potatoes and bake for 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh cilantro, and enjoy with Mango Chutney.

Mango Chutney (adapted from Veganomicon)

• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp dried chili
• 1 large mango, sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tbsp unrefined sugar
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp curry powder

Preheat a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the oil, garlic, ginger, and chili to the pan. Saute for 1 minute. Add the mango, sugar, water and turn up to medium. Cover and cook for 3 minutes, until boiling. Add the red wine vinegar and curry powder and cook for another minute, uncovered. Chill until ready to use.

Ketchup is probably my favourite condiment…just slightly ahead of honey mustard. I know that most commercially made ketchup is extremely high in sugar, preservatives, and artificial colours and so I began my quest for a great homemade ketchup! This ketchup is so easy- basically throw a few ingredients in a pot and let it simmer for 45 minutes or so, and then puree in a blender. It makes a giant batch, so leave a little container in your fridge and freeze the rest! Don’t expect this to taste like Heinz…because it doesn’t. It has great flavour, almost like a barbecue sauce ketchup. I’ve already used it on potatoes, calamari, and on a veggie dog. It’s a little more versatile than regular ketchup and it tastes great! In regards to sugar, I used dates instead of white sugar. Still a sweetener, but not processed and refined. I hope you like it

Homemade Ketchup

• 1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
• 1 can (5.5 fl. oz) of tomato paste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup dates
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 2 bay leaves

Combine all the ingredients in a large saucepot and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Let simmer for about 45 minutes until the mixture had reduced. Blend with an immersion blender, or let cool and blend in a blender. Enjoy with whatever you like!

Homemade ketchup aside, I have a couple of crazy weekends coming up! I can’t remember if I mentioned that I’m in bartending school right now, but my exam is coming up this weekend and I hope I pass! I’ve just been introduced to the show Lost (6 years fashionably late…..) so I have become completely addicted to it and almost finished two seasons in a week….which has left little time to study up on all the drinks I may have to make! The reason I’m going to bartending school is because I want to travel in the future and bartending certification is universal- I could use it on a working exchange, or even to make some money if I’m running low while travelling. I want to travel alllll throughout Europe, and definitely head back to Greece for little while.

My garden’s lettuce box has been growing like crazy and we have an abundance of arugula, salad bowl lettuce, mesclun green, and romaine. I love love love our romaine- it’s sooo crisp and fresh and you can’t get more local than your very own backyard. I decided to make a caesar salad, because it was a perfect way to showcase this lovely lettuce. My friend was over for dinner and she couldn’t get over how good the salad tasted- she was sure it was the homegrown lettuce! This is a really neat Caesar salad dressing, because it’s completely raw. There is no mayo, or eggs, or anything like that, yet it’s creamy and garlicky, just like regular caesar salad dressing. Instead of using croutons, I just used cashews, as I’m not eating yeast right now. I know the argument that cashews aren’t technically “raw” but I don’t eat 100% so it’s not a big deal for me.

I took some pictures of the other wonderful things we have growing here, too. I think the only things I left out were our tomatoes, marionberry, strawberries, some herbs, and the several kinds of beans that I have yet to plant.

Romaine:

Lettuce Box:

One of the raspberry ‘bushes’….gotta give this little baby some love for the next couple years!

Parsley:

Peas (and those little containers contain personal cantaloupe!):

Rosemary- my favourite herb!!

Rhubarb:

Garlic (I cannot WAIT to harvest this and eat it…mmm….garlic….)

I found this recipe on the internet, but apparently it is adapted from Natalia Rose’s Raw Food Detox Diet Book. It makes about 3 cups, and keeps for about 10 days.

Raw Caesar Salad

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp miso
• 5 dates
• 4 celery stalks
• freshly ground black pepper

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.