Well, the weather has turned! Today I had a scarf and jacket on. I can’t say I was disappointed this week, as I needed to cook up some vegan soups! My friend Shez has just had an operation and is resting at home; and Bethy just had her third baby boy! I was inspired to cook for my friends laying in bed; and what better comfort food than a beautiful bowl of vegan soup. I couldn’t pass over this fantastic velvety vegan cream of spinach soup which is just simply scrumptious. I cooked this vegan spinach soup for a lunch and lecture at Dr Elaine Carter’s office and received rave reviews from people that “didn’t know they liked spinach”! I had originally planned to serve a vegan lemon asparagus soup, but there were people on the guest list that... Keep Reading
I don’t know about you, but I just can’t eat enough eggs. Boiled, poached, scrambled -- I will take them any way I can get them. They would be in my top 5 favourite foods, and I never mind having egg on my face. If the trough was filled with eggs every day my snout would just chow down with joy and never look up. I always make sure I eat organic, free range eggs that have a healthier Omega 3 – 6 ratio; and to be honest, I eat as many as I want, and my snout keeps singing out for more. I love them on their own, sprinkled with a bit of Celtic sea salt; and about once a week I blend up a vegetarian omelette and throw in whatever left over veggies are screaming to be used. Vegetarian omelettes are just so quick and easy, and OH SO good for... Keep Reading
If I share an affinity with any cartoon character, it would have to be Popeye. No, I am not a crook-eyed sailor with a scary voice and monster muscles. But boy, do I love raw spinach! And like Popeye, enjoy the magical benefits of this green leafy wonder. It is one of the best plant based sources of iron; loaded with antioxidants; and got slapped with the super “nutrient-rich” stick. Being a female non-meat eater, I eat spinach almost every day. We all know that spinach loses some of its nutritional density when overcooked and canned (sorry Popeye), so I try to eat it raw wherever possible. Baby spinach is my favorite variety, cause it is so easy to wash and prepare, and is perfect for raw salads. It also contains less oxalic acid than... Keep Reading
I love a great vegetarian omelette. Well, heck, I even enjoy a good omelette. But I must admit, that I cannot lower my standards any further. The worst kind of omelette? The cheese drowned, limp filled, soggy, sad omelette that I have to open up with a spoon. Those kind of omelettes require me to “coat check my liver and colon” before I can even stomach looking at them. I know a lot of you are thinking, “well how do you get any flavour?”. Well, one bite of this flavour-filled Persian omelette, and you will never ask me that question again. The secret to this baked omelette? Blending the fresh herbs. For those of you already celebrating the vegan, or at least, dairy free path of no return, this simple fact comes as no surprise. However,... Keep Reading
OK, so I promised I would post some more of the fabulous vegetarian recipes I made with Beth. So here is my favourite recipe! The piece de resistance. You won’t see me speechless about very much. But Beth and I were so overwhelmed by the surprising depth of flavour of this roasted sweet potato soup, that we could barely contain ourselves, and were literally speechless. I blended this vegan sweet potato soup up, gave Beth a taste, and she stood over the stove and just closed her eyes, as if she couldn’t quite get the full flavour burst unless she shut off her other senses and just focused on her taste buds. I dished the soup up into bowls, and we both sat down to enjoy an overflowing bowl, of what we both described as, “one of the best... Keep Reading
My friend Beth and I cooked together this week, and it was so much fun. She has a phenomenal natural flare for flavours. I love watching her cook, cooking with her, and talking about food with her. Most of all, I love eating with her! I don’t think I have a friend who is as passionate, and gets as excited about the pleasures of vegetarian food like I do. I utterly adore her. I have so many fond memories with her -- eating and celebrating great food all over the world. I have a grin from ear to ear when I think about the countless times we have bitten into some special treats together, and giggled and moaned with delight; then tried to deconstruct the recipe, and plot how we would recreate the present masterpiece. Today was no exception.... Keep Reading
I have probably given this vegan lentil soup recipe to over 100 people. That is not an exaggeration. This soup is really that good! This pumpkin coconut soup was inspired by another version given to me by Steven Acuff over 12 years ago, and I have been revisiting this coconut, pumpkin and red lentil soup trough with gratitude and snouting to my good health regularly ever since. Steven is an American nutritional consultant who changed my life, and reframed my thinking about health. He has a long history with macrobiotics and whole foods, and like so many others, was taught by Michio Kushi, and inspired by the great Sally Fallon and Weston A Price. He passed his wealth of knowledge onto me in a series of group lectures and 1:1 private... Keep Reading
When I have people over for dinner in the Winter, I pretty much always start with a beautiful bowl of vegan soup. I have to admit, when I love a movie or a song, I have been known to play it over and over again until it also makes me insane. Come on, if it aint broke don’t fix it! I kind of feel like that about this vegan cream of cauliflower soup. However, so often in college I would play an album over and over again while I was studying, only to find that tune replaying in my head like Chinese water torture, distracting me during a much dreaded exam. I could then never play the album again, as it had so unfortunately attached itself to one of my more frustrating memories. But, I pledge to you, that only happy memories will be... Keep Reading
Hearty, nourishing, delicious, nutritious, and dead easy to make. This vegan garlic and potato soup, which I affectionately refer to, as my “Happy Peasant Soup” (do you like the smiley face I made in my photo?) is quite simply phenomenal. I don’t know about you, but when I travel, I always seek out the local peasant food in order to get a really authentic taste of the culture. Not to mention the fact that it is always the best food on offer! You just can’t go past rustic country food to feed the body and the soul. I fell in love with this hearty chunky vegan potato soup on a family trip to Ireland many years ago. Maybe it’s the Irish in me, but give me a chunky vegan soup or stew, and I am happy as a pig in shit! This chunky garlic and... Keep Reading
I came home last night and couldn’t decide what to cook, I was tired, feeling uninspired, and the cupboard was bare. It seems that I had not been quite organised enough to grocery shop before our latest snow storm. I had a bell pepper in the crisper, some green onions, and a bunch of cilantro that had been left wanting all weekend. While I was bemoaning my lack of foresight and organization, the eggs cried out to me, and reminded me of my frolics with the the quick and easy gluten free corn fritters that had saved my life many a night in college when the cupboard was once again bare. I have always loved savoury pancakes, gluten free corn cakes and other vegetable fritters. Not only are they quick, easy, and delicious. But they are... Keep Reading
