Vegan: Creamy dreamy balsamic dressing

Ever wanted to lick the plate clean after a salad? I have.....hello creamy dreamy balsamic dressing.

What you will need:

2 Tbs Nayonaise vegan (or regular mayo if you are non-vegan)
6 Tbs olive oil
3 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
1 Tsp Agave
pinch cayenne pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a jar or a squirt bottle like I used. Shake vigorously for a few minutes until a smooth light mocha coloured dressing is evenly blended. Alternatively you can use a small food processor using the pulse function.

Options:

Want different flavours like maple balsamic? - Add maple syrup instead of agave to sweeten. YUM!

Want to use as bread dipper- add more olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Just that easy folks.

**Notes**

What the heck is Nayonaise anyways? website- http://www.nasoya.com/products/original-nayonaise/original.html. I bought mine locally at Planet Organic, and you can also get it at AtlanticSuperStore.

Pass the Pesto!

Ingredients

2 cups of fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese (VO: leave off/use vegan cheese/nutritional yeast flakes)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup of pine nuts
3 garlic cloves (minced)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Add pine nuts and basil in food processor & grind

Add garlic to food processor & grind

While processing... slowly add olive oil...

Finally add parmesan cheese salt and pepper

Serve in any pasta, as a dip for bread, or with cooked veggies
Tip:add basil pesto to mayonnaise for a nice pesto mayo in your sandwich!(half and half)

Tip: Add a squeeze of lemon to give it a bit of zing

Dinner or Side: Tofu Almondine

Tofu Almondine

This is a personal favourite of mine as an entree- this time I served it separate over basmati rice, but often I make it with quinoa or CousCous too for a crunchier texture.

What you will need:

2 lb. tofu, drained, pressed and cut into cube size of your choice
**note if you are using quinoa or CousCous you can also incorporate silken tofu into the mix which helps bind everything together and is less tofuish- for the nouveau tofu eaters**
4 tablespoons tamari (sub 2 tablespoons soy sauce if you don't have tamari)
1/2 cup almond butter
2 cups water or veggie broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion finely chopped
1 green pepper chopped
3 medium carrots chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
2 cups chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup tamari or regular almonds sliced (optional:garnish)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, place tofu cubes in baking dish and coat with 4 tablespoons tamari, bake for 20 minutes- middle rack of the oven.

While your tofu is baking, heat a deep frying pan over medium heat and fry your chopped onion in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add celery, carrots (if you have I didn't this time-oops) and green pepper. Sautee for 5-10 minutes and reduce heat.

Prepare basmati, cous-cous or quinoa as per package directions (or rice cooker directions)

Remove tofu from oven and toss in frying pan with veggies. Add mushrooms, veggie broth, almond butter and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer back into baking dish that tofu was baked in. Let everything settle into the pan and then sprinkle with sliced almonds. bake for 10-15 minutes.

Serve over grain of choice. Enjoy!

  

Entree Starter or Side: Candy Cane Beat salad with grilled veggies and goats cheese

Entrée, Starter or Side

Candy Cane Beat Salad with grilled veggies and goats cheese

What you will need:

4 medium sized candy cane beats (these guys are brilliantly pretty)

2 handfuls cheery tomatoes

Quarter white/Spanish onion sliced

1 green zucchini, peeled and thinly sliced

1 yellow zucchini, peeled and thinly sliced

Half a red bell pepper, cut into large chunks or slices

½ Bag of baby spinach

4 large medallions of goats cheese (disk shapes)

3 TBS Olive oil

1TBS cayenne pepper

Salt & Pepper to taste

Dressing of choice *(I used maple balsamic dressing)

Directions:

Scrub down beats with vegetable scrubber, or with clean wet rag. Cut off top and bottom of beat salvaging as much of the body as you can to slice. Slice beats in medium thickness disks so they will withstand boiling without falling apart.

Bring water in a soup pot to boil; just enough water to cover beats (using full pot of water just takes longer to boil and risks boiling over, and hello it’s wasteful!!! J) Add 1 TBS olive oil, Cayenne pepper and salt to taste into water. Boil beats until fork slides easily through flesh or el dente, (*I don’t like eating mushy food) drain away water and fill pot with cold water then set aside on counter or in sink so beats don’t continue to cook.

Heat up grill pan, BBQ, Oven or in my case Panini grill for grilling your veggies. Grill (BBQ or Bake; on baking sheet) onion, zucchini, and red bell pepper, adding 2 TBS olive oil so it won’t stick to Panini grill. Grill for aprox. 10 minutes until Zucchini are almost falling apart.

Arrange clean, dry baby spinach leaves in two pasta bowls or on plates, cut cherry tomatoes in half’s and arrange evenly on top of spinach. Arrange goats cheese medallions (as a whole disks or crumble), then top with warm grilled veggies, and finish with drained cooled beats slices. Finish with the dressing of your choice and pepper to taste.

Something so magical about these guys, like Dr. Seuss, or Willy Wanka invented them.

Layer warm veggies on top of your goats cheese; it melts and blankets your spinach to perfection!

YUM!!!!!

Dip: White bean, parmesan, and oven roasted garlic

White bean Dip

What you will need:

Whole head of garlic

16 oz Can of navy white beans

6 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs sweetener (or sugar)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tps Cayenne pepper

1 ½ cups Parmesan cheese

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut top and bottom off garlic head; peel off skins and place cloves in tinfoil pouch drizzle with 2 Tbs olive oil season with salt and pepper. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and cloves fall apart with fork.

Rinse navy beans with cold water, drain and place in food processor. Add in roasted garlic, drizzle in remaining 4 Tbs olive oil. Add 2 tps cayenne pepper, sweetener and Parmesan cheese. Pulse on high for 3-5 minutes until mostly smooth.

Transfer mixture into casserole dish and mix in most of the cheddar cheese and sprinkle small amount on top. Bake for 10 minutes until top is bubbly

Serve with chips, crackers and cut vegetables.