These are from the cookbook of the month- Rebar. They are vegan brownies and they are oh-so-delicious. Decadent and cakey, no one would ever know that they are vegan. My boyfriend (who constantly reminds me of how much I am missing out on by not eating meat, or drinking milk, etc.) loved these! When I told him they were vegan he turned up his nose a bit, but soon asked for seconds!! I just love making people realize that ‘vegan’ doesn’t mean ‘bad-tasting’. The book says that these brownies are so popular, that they are made everyday in Rebar’s sister bakery, Cascadia, and they almost always sell out. I can see why!

The only negative is that they are made with purely white flour, and I’d love to play around with the recipe a bit using whole grain flours, changing sugars, etc. and I’ll be happy to post it when I do!

I’m also very pleased that Sophie of Sophies Foodie Files has given me another award!! How nice! She gave me the ‘your blog is over the top’ award, and with that comes some questions that I must answer. So here goes…..

Where is your cell phone? Right beside me

Your hair? Naturally dark brown, but has some blonde streaks in it right now

Your mother? Great cook!

Your father? Hardcore barbecue-er!

Your favourite food? Hmmm I would say any kind of fruit. I could eat it all day long, everyday, but unfortunately am not allowed to….naturopath’s orders!

Your dream last night? I can’t remember!

Your favourite drink? BELLINI!

Your dream/goal? To write my own cookbook and do the food styling and photography as well, and be on the FOOD NETWORK with a show based on healthy, delicious foods!!!

What room are you in? My bedroom

Your hobby? Cooking, baking, blogging, going to the gym, bike riding, reading, yoga

Your fear? Elevators! Being chased!

Where do you want to be in six years? On the food network…..

Where were you last night? Watching TV with my boyfriend

Something that you aren’t? Practical- I have no time for that! Anything is possible.

Muffins? Are good…though I don’t eat them too often

Wish list item? A hedgehog! They are so cute.

Where did you grow up? Same place I live now, outside of Vancouver!

Last thing you did? Ate breakfast- time for school soon!

What are you wearing? Flared Jeans, a black tank top with a black leopard print vest overtop

Your TV? Is off

Your pets? My AMAZING old little dog, Pepper and my cute little lovebird Peaches

Friends? My boyfriend- my best friend! And a few that now live out of town, and some great friends in town!

Your life? Wonderful, sometimes hectic and crazy, but I am glad for everything

Your mood? Sort of dreading a long, boring day at school, but looking forward to watching the CANUCKS play tonight

Missing someone?

Vehicle? An old blue one

Something you are not wearing? A jacket….

Your favourite store? Hmmmm Whole Foods

Your favourite colour? Yellow- so happy!

When was the last time you laughed? Last night

Last time you cried? Can’t remember…little while ago probably

Your best friend? Parker

One place that I go to over & over? School, work, the bar, local restaurants, the gym!

One person who emails me regularly? It’s all about  the Facebook or my mom’s ‘funny’ forwards…….

Favourie place to eat? The Cannery- an amazingly delicious (and expensive) restaurant that my family goes to about once a year to celebrate a birthday. Such a treat to go there, with it’s beautiful food, neat location, and my favourite…..their lobster infused olive oil for dipping your bread in….to die for!

Thanks so much Sophie! I will be awarding this award to:

Jennifer of Sweet On Veg for her great vegan blog

I have to start this by saying that it’s possibly the best quesadilla I have ever had. The combination seems strange but, even stranger is how well it works! I love roasted yams and put them in a healthy ancient grain tortilla with a mixture of monterray jack cheese and cheddar cheese (heavier on the first one) and toasted pepitas and you’ve got a meal that no one would turn down! I had mine with a little bit of Vegenaise with half an avocado mashed into it and some herbs + spices. This was a wonderful meal, and I think my family was jealous that I only made enough for myself! (Don’t worry, I gave them each a bite )

Here is the quesadilla open in the pan and getting that cheese melted!

Oh, P.S., this is another one from Rebar. It’s just hit after hit with this cookbook!!

I love Japanese food and I go out for Japanese food almost weekly. There are some great local sushi places that are super cheap and produce great food- I’m addicted. Some of my favourites are the crab miso soup, gomae (spinach in a peanut dressing), sunomono salad, california rolls, spider rolls (sushi with deep fried soft shell crab in it) and sesame broccoli salad. Instead of going out tonight (the Canucks are playing, I can’t miss that!) I decided to stay in and create a Japanese inspired meal of my own. I started with a Sunomono Salad straight out of the Cookbook of the Month, “Rebar”. It did not dissapoint! Though a different style than the ones I usually have, it was fantastic. I got to dust off the ol’ bottle of sake and use some ingredients I don’t use often. I realize that I love making Japanese food because the aesthetics of it are so key. It’s so much fun to make food and work extra hard to make it look beautiful.

Sunomono Salad (Adapted from Rebar Cookbook) Serves 2

• 1/4 cup sake
• 2 tbsp honey (or use mirin if you want it completely vegan)
• 1/4 cup tamari
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• fresh lemon juice to taste
• 100 g rice vermicelli (the really skinny ones)

Bring the sake to a boil in a small pot. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the honey. Allow to cool a bit, and then add the rest of the liquid ingredients. Chill. When ready to use, add lemon juice to taste.

Cook the rice noodles according to the package. Drain and rinse very well under cold water. Split between two serving bowls.

Add the liquid until the noodles are almost submerged. Garnish the dish with avocados, thinly sliced lemon, cucumber, julienne carrots and white sesame seeds.

A few days ago my mom bought me a lovely piece of tuna and I was eager to use it. I did a bit of searching to find something fun that would go with my sunomono salad, and I decided on a dish from….”Dish”. I don’t know if any of you are familiar with the show Dish on the food network, hosted by Trish Magwood, but she makes really simple and fun foods for various events for her clients. The tuna was originally supposed to be raw, but I thought a quick sear would make it better, as my tuna had spent some time in the freezer and I wanted to perk it up. I also used Vegenaise instead of mayonnaise, because frankly, I prefer the flavour and the fact there are no egg yolks in it.

Cucumber Tuna Rolls (Adapted from Dish)

• 1 English cucumber
• Enough tuna for how many rolls you need (about 1 lb  should do)
• 2 Tbsp black sesame seeds
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Wasabi
• 1/4 cup Vegenaise (or mayonnaise)
• 1/4 tsp Sambal Oelek (or hot chili paste)

Mix together the black sesame seeds, sesame oil, and freshly cracked pepper in a bowl.

Lightly oil a saute pan and heat to medium high heat. Season your tuna with salt and pepper, and place into pan. Sear for about 30 seconds one side and remove.

Dice tuna into a 1-inch dice and toss into sesame oil mixture. Reserve.

Use a mandolin or vegetable peeler to cut long strips from the cucumber.

Take a strip of cucumber, add a couple of pieces of diced tuna at one end, and a small dot of wasabi at the other end. Roll up the roll like sushi, and use the wasabi to secure the end. Repeat with the rest of tuna and cucumber.

Mix the Vegenaise and Sambal Oelek together and place a small dollop on top of each roll. Add black sesame seeds to garnish. Serve and enjoy!

All in all, this meal was a total winner, and I would love to recreate it sometime for friends. Try it yourself!

As you may have noticed the Cookbook of the Month is a book called Rebar. Rebar is a restaurant located in Victoria, British Columbia- just a ferry ride away from where I live! I actually haven’t been to Rebar though, but I’ve been eyeing this book in bookstores for a long time! I finally got the chance to use it when I took it out from my school’s library. I fell in love with it…I had to buy it!

One of the recipes I recently made from this book was a Mesclun and Fresh Pear Salad, with Brie, Hazelnuts, and a Blackberry-Thyme Vinaigrette. Man, was it good! I think this is the absolute perfect salad for late August, when you get the feeling that summer is turning into Fall. I also thought the addition of some roasted beets really added to this salad and matched the colour of the blackberry vinaigrette.

As you may know, I’m unable to taste many things in my culinary school due to meat stocks or meat itself being used in the cooking process. I took it upon myself to make a vegetarian vichyssoise at home, as I was intrigued and had never before tasted this cold potato-leek soup. The texture was so rich and creamy at school, and duplicating it was not difficult at all. In fact, this recipe comes together very quickly, minus the 45-minute simmering time. I was happy that I made this soup, as it’s such a classic French dish.

I was reading a book I had taken out from the school library about becoming a personal chef and all the business aspects of it, and I was happy to find some recipes in the back of it. As you all know, I cannot resist anything with the word pumpkin in it at this time of year, so when I saw Pumpkin Hummus, I knew I would be making it. It was a snap to make in the food processor and it’s actually quite healthy and low in calories. Use it as a dip or a spread! I think I may experiment with a sweeter version of this hummus as well, using familiar pumpkin pie spices instead of the savoury cumin and garlic etc. It would be nice to have both, come Halloween! I always seem to end up with an abundance of oddly shapen and very cut tiny pumpkins, along with the ones I carve. Is it weird that I just cannot resist buying a teeny little pumpkin every year!!? I was stoked when I thought of serving the hummus inside this little pumpkin- it’s too cute, and would look great on any festive Autumn table! Enjoy the recipes!

Pumpkin Hummus (Adapted from The Professional Personal Chef)

• 2 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/8- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• one 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 1/2 – 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds, toasted

Place the tahini, lemon juice, cumin, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, pumpkin, garlic and parsley in food processor. Blend until smooth.

Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and serve with pita bread, taco chips, etc.

Hello everyone! It’s been a little while since my last post and at last….something NOT pumpkin! After making a New England style clam chowder in my cooking class, I wanted to try to make MY version at home so I could actually taste it- sans pork, and chicken stock. I used vegetable stock with a bit of fish sauce mixed in because I could not find fish stock. The soup turned out fantastic, though not quite as thick as the one we made in school, the flavour was very nice and my family and I enjoyed it for dinner!

Koko’s New England Clam Chowder

• 25 g butter
• 50 g onions, diced
• 100 g celery, diced
• 50 g flour
• 3/4 L vegetable stock, warm, with 1/2 tbsp- 1 tbsp fish sauce added OR fish stock
• 300 mL clam nectar
• 1 sachet (herbs tied up in cheesecloth and left to float in the soup while cooking) consists of 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp peppercorns-crushed, 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
• 75 g potatoes, diced
• 350 mL baby clams, canned
• 125 mL Cream, 35%, or milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sweat onions with celery until translucent.

Add flour and cook roux until white/blond in colour.

Whisk in heated vegetable or fish stock until smooth.

Stir in clam nectar, add sachet and simmer 15 minutes.

Add potatoes and simmer until tender.

Stir in baby clams and their juice.

Return to simmer, add cream and adjust seasoning, enjoy!!

And now…back to pumpkin! You thought I had stopped!? Nooo…..try these pumpkin cheesecake brownies- they are SO rich you will only need one to satisfy your sweeth tooth, though they are absolutely delicious! The recipe comes from the Beantown Baker.

I have been dying to try pumpkin oatmeal for the longest time, and finally I decided on a recipe (there are so many floating around the internet to choose from!). The recipe comes from Give Me Some Oven and I chose it because it doesn’t contain a huge amount of sugar, and I was even able to reduce the sugar more. It was delicious topped with some soy milk and I love how it’s served in little individual ramekins.

Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal Recipe (Adapted from Gimme Some Oven, originally adapted from GoodLife Eats)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup old fashioned oats, not quick cook
• 1 Tbsp. whole flax seeds, optional
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. allspice
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup soymilk or almond milk or regular milk

Topping:

• 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• sprinkle of cinnamon

Method:

Preheat oven to 375F degrees.  Grease 4 individual-sized ramekins.  Set aside.

Combine the first eight ingredients (oat thru salt) in a medium-sized bowl.  Stir well.  In a separate bowl, combine the vanilla, butter, pumpkin, and milk.  Whisk thoroughly.  Pour the pumpkin mixture into the oats, and stir until combined.

Divide mixture evenly between the four ramekins. Place ramekins on a baking sheet (this makes it easier to move in and out of the oven.). Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine the ingredients for the topping: chopped pecans, butter, and brown sugar. After the oatmeal has baked for 10 minutes, remove and divide topping mixture evenly between the ramekins. Bake and additional 7 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with a splash of milk and raisins, if desired.

To everyone in Canada, I hope you have a fantastic Thanksgiving Weekend- eat lots!!!

Enjoy some delicious pumpkin scones like I did, with a great recipe from Pinch My Salt. These really embrace fall flavours and make a great treat on the weekend or for a special pick-me-up in the afternoon. I made some changes in the recipe, as I don’t usually eat cream or milk and I thought that dried cranberries would add more to the recipe than raisins. Enjoy!

P.S. Sorry for the short post but I’m working at way at getting my ‘Culinary’ section up and running, along with a pile of homework!!

Pumpkin Spice Scones

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose white flour)
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4  tsp allspice
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup unsweetened dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup plain soy milk
• 6 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine both flours, baking powder, salt, and all spices. Whisk together well.

In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin, soy milk, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk together well. Cut butter into pieces and put in bowl with the flour mixture. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or rub it in with your fingertips until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the dried cranberries if you are using them.

Pour liquid mixture into the flour mixture all at once. Stir with a wooden spoon until everything is just moistened. The dough will be very crumbly, this is the way it should be. Turn the mixture out onto the counter and push the pile together with your hands. It should stick together fairly well. Knead it just a couple of times until everything is together. Don’t knead it too much or the dough will get too sticky.
4. Pat the dough out into a rough circle, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Cut it like a pie into 8 pieces. Place pieces on the baking sheet so that they are not touching. Bake scones for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. They should be light brown on the bottom, the tops will darken as they cool.

Cinnamon Glaze

Mix together 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp soy milk, 1/4 – 1/2 t. cinnamon (to taste). Again, adjust amounts to change consistency. Icing can be brushed on or drizzled.

The other day I randomly thought about making ratatouille- I had never made it before but I wanted to try it. That night, the movie Ratatouille (so cute) was on TV and  so, I was convinced. I adapted the Ratatouille Provencale recipe from the Joy of Cooking. Ratatouille is usually a side dish but is also great as a main meal. I chose to serve mine over quinoa for some extra protein instead of rice, or noodles. Though not usually a part of ratatouille, I thought some mushrooms would have been nice and I will be sure to add them next time. I used chopped tomatoes but I felt that using canned tomatoes might have provided a juicier ratatouille, which is what I was looking for. Either will work depending on your preference! I chose to add parmesan cheese to mine but omit for this dish to remain vegan.

Ratatouille Provencale (adapted from the Joy of Cooking)

• 1/4 cup olive oil + 2 tbsp
• 2 chinese eggplants (about 1 pound)
• 1 pound zucchini
• 1 cup sliced onions
• 2 large red bell peppers
• 3 garlic cloves, fienely chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes or one 14 oz can diced tomatoes (drained)
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 chopped fresh basil
• parmesan cheese

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add eggplant and zucchini and cook, stirring, until golden and tender (about 10-12 minutes).

Remove the vegetables and reduce heat to medium high. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and onions and cook, stirring until the onions are slightly softened.

Add the bell peppers and garlic and cook until tender (about 8-12 minutes). Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add tomatoes, thyme and bay leaves. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the zucchini and eggplant back in and cook until everything is tender, about 20 minutes.

Taste and adjust seasoning. Stir in chopped basil, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve over quinoa, rice, noodles, or plain. Enjoy!

For the month of October, instead of having a Cookbook of the Month, I will be having a Flavour of the Month. This flavour will be the alllllllll too popular PUMPKIN! I adore pumpkin and could never get tired of it. I recently spent an entire day making everything pumpkin from oatmeal to scones and brownies and pie. I will be posting these recipes in future posts as well as others part of the flavour of the month. If you know of any interesting and unique pumpkin recipes, let me know because I would love to try them out!

I happen to love granola. I could probably eat it everyday without getting sick of it- with yogurt, almond milk, crumbly, or in bar form…. Unfortunately, almost all granola in stores is loaded with sugar and/or various kinds of corn syrup and even ingredients I cannot pronounce. I recently bought Ina Garten’s “Back to Basics” book which I am making the Cookbook of the Month for September. It has some really great recipes that all rely on fresh, good-quality ingredients. The first recipe I tried from the book happened to be Ina’s homemade granola bars. I was happy to see that there was no corn syrup in sight! I even adapted the recipe to make it slightly healthier than it was. I’ve enjoyed these granola bars for a couple days now and am very happy with the results- they just taste more….real than those storebought ones. This recipe is super adaptable and you can definitely change the add-ins such as the types of dried fruit and nuts.

On another note, I cannot believe it is September tomorrow. Shocking! Once again it feels weird not to be going ‘back to school’ yet. I’m only taking one cooking class right now and it’s food safety…no ACTUAL cooking yet. I won’t be getting out my new knives and my chef’s hat until about a month from now. So, without further ado, here is my recipe for Ina Garten’s homemade granola bars and a picture of me dressed up as an 80′s rock ‘n’ roll’er (for a costume party) just for kicks! Bahahah

Homemade Granola Bars (adapted from Ina Garten’s Back to Basics)

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/4 cup ground Salba or ground flaxseed (if you don’t have these, use an extra 1/4 cup of wheat germ)
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup honey (use 2/3 cup, if you don’t have Stevia, or you want less crumbly/more gooey bars)
• couple drops Stevia
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped, pitted dates (I used dried, but fresh would be better)
• 1 cup dried fruit (unsweetened is best) such as blueberries, cranberries, raisins, apricots

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 x 12-inch baking dish and line with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconuts together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the picture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the Salba/Flax and the wheat germ.

Reduce oven to 300 degrees.

Place the butter, honey, stevia, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Cook and stir for a minute, then pour into over the toasted oatmeal mixture.

Add the dates and dried fruit and stir.

Pour the mixture into the 8 x 12 pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 -3 hours before cutting into bars. Serve and enjoy!