Zesty & Spicy

If you like food, we'll get along *^_^*

Mango & Persimmon Smoothie

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I bought a pack of rock hard fuyu persimmons, a few days ago, thinking it would take at least a month before they start to softened.  Surprisingly enough, they only took a few days leaving me with 10 ripen juicy and custardy persimmons to bake with.  One of Max favourite way to start the day is with a fresh smoothie that is both sweet and filling so here we go!

The mango really balance the extreme sweetness of the persimmon while adding a little “zing” to it.  The softened oats are there to add a silky texture and give you enough consistence to make it a perfectly filling way to start your day.

Hope you get to try it *^_^*

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Vegetable soup with ginger & lemongrass

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The inspiration comes from a vegetable soup my grand mother used to make.  She used to cut all the vegetables in super small pieces and I always enjoyed the aesthetic of her presentation.  You could probably chop everything finely by hand but, if you’re in the lazy club (like me), a hand blender or a food processor work wonders.

This recipe isn’t the soup she used to make but, I would like to think it is as good or at least pretty close.

 Delicate, slightly sweet and made with our homemade vegetable broth.  The fennel leaves used as garnish but also as a component in the soup really shine with the star anise in the broth.  The ginger giving it a nice kick and the lemongrass as the last taste hitting your palate.  When it comes time to buy fennel, I always try to get the complete plant with the long rods and a lot of bright green leaves.  Back home, I’ll cut it up in “parts” and keep the leaves in a separate container to use them like any other fresh herbs.  Next time, I’ll probably add a little extra lemongrass because the taste could have been more pungent and, I would encourage you to do the same if you’re a big fan of lemongrass.

Makes three big portions or four smaller ones. Bon appétit!

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Vegan “Ground Unicorn Meat”

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Trying to eat less meat, sometimes it gets a little complicated because you wished you had some sort of “ground meat” type like protein but those store bought versions often contain too much salt, carrageenan or even worst, ingredients we can barely pronounced.

This is my own version for vegan “ground beef” which obviously isn’t beef but has some sort of beefy flavour although I like to call it unicorn meat since they are kind trendy right now and it always make people smile when I present them a dish made with this little concoction.  Use it pretty much like you would use ground meat, it’s perfect for taco, stuffed peppers, spaghetti sauce, lasagna and more!  Get creative, this recipe wont disappoint.

The only small detail to remember is when you shred your tofu block with your hands, make sure you keep decently big pieces or reduce the cooking time a little, if you have a lot of small pieces, so they don’t burn.

Have fun!

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The Green Soup

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This is a nice example of simple who met amazing.

For you, an humble green soup made with fresh, seasonal ingredients and a dash of love.  I hope the creamy taste and texture of the end result will comfort you while you’re cuddled up in a warm blanket looking outside at the colour of the leaves dancing in front of your eyes.

Fall, a time for cuddles and great soups.

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Quick & Easy Kimchi Soup + Tempeh & Lentils Bowl

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Today’s post is a 2 in 1…

Just the kimchi soup on it’s own is already delicious but once it a while I use to it make something a little bit more filling like this grilled smokey tempeh with lentils and rice filling bowl.

Two very simple, fully vegan recipes that can save you some precious time in the kitchen and keep you healthy and happy *^_^*

Bon Appétit!

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Coconut Bacon

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We all love the taste of bacon but bacon doesn’t always love us…

Hopefully, there is a few “bacon like” alternatives that can help us quench our need for delicious bacon while respecting our diet!  Today, I’m presenting you a personal favourite: Coconut Bacon!  You can easily take this same recipe and use thin slices of almonds instead if you’re not a fan of coconut.  Take note that the end result might taste a slight different, there is something with the soft texture of the coconut flakes that really remind you of real bacon while almond bacon will keep a harder, crunchier texture.

Although, both version are delicious but….. my favourite is really coconut!

Enjoy this recipe!

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The Very Green Smoothie

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Because you haven’t be able to come up with a good enough reasons against eating spinach and kale for breakfast…

Today we are boosting your immune system, one green smoothie at the time *^_^*

Enjoy!

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Sweet Potato, Spinach, Broccoli Risotto

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I hope you’ll enjoy this fun vegan and gluten free risotto, perfect for a busy week night and a next day lunch! 🙂

Sweet Potato, Spinach, Broccoli Risotto
 
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Ingredients
  • 4 cups of hot water
  • ½ cup of Glutenberg/Chartier maple beer **
  • 1½ cup of shredded sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup of finely chopped spinach
  • ¾ cup of finely chopped broccoli
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 cup of Arborio rice
  • 2 big fresh garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper
  • Garnish idea:
  • Finely chopped basic leaves
  • **  The recipe calls for ½ cup because that's all I have left in my fridge but you could easily add one full cup of beer (and or white dry wine if you can find this beer anywhere) and remove ½ cup out of the water quantity.
Instructions
  1. - In a flat bottom pan, on the stove top, at MEDIUM/HIGH heat - Start by adding the tablespoon of olive oil with the garlic.  Wait till it start sizzling, then add your raw, uncooked Arborio rice and stir well to make sure the all little grains of rice are well covered with the oil and garlic.  Keep stirring non stop for an extra 1 to 2 minutes while making sure that nothing is sticking at the bottom of the pan.  If it does, lower the heat a bit.
  2. - Pour the beer and keep stirring while all the rice absorb the precious liquid.
  3. - Start adding your water, add the first cup, keep stirring constantly, add the veggies all in one shot and keep adding the rest of the water ½ cup at the time.  The whole process should be about 15-20 minutes maybe less.
  4. - Never stop stirring while everything get's absorb and when you're getting close to the end of your water and the texture is getting nice and creamy, start lowering your heat to MEDIUM/LOW.
  5. - Stir in the nutritional yeast, add the salt and pepper and you're done!