Amanda's Kitchen Blog

Vegan Chewy Chocolate Brownies

2009-12-07T14:47:00.006-05:00

My friend over at A Season to Taste has been asking for this recipe. It's taken a while to post it though! I first got it from a cooking workshop we put together at Le Frigo Vert over ten years ago, and the brownies are truly amazing! They are soft, rich and chewy. And very easy!Vegan Chewy Chocolate Brownies1/2 cup flour1 1/4 cup water2 2/3 cups sugar1 tsp salt2 tsp vanilla1 cup cocoa2/3 cup

Vegetarian Diets Get the Nod from the ADA

2009-07-08T10:27:00.003-04:00

The American Dietetic Association has had a positive position on vegetarian diets for well over a decade, possibly longer, with the publication of their position paper in 1997 (Journal of the American Dietetic Association, November 1997, Volume 97, Number 11).Well, now they've reaffirmed that a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet is "appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life

Salsa Time!

2009-06-03T06:55:00.004-04:00

Well, the weather outside may still be chilly, but I've already got my summer tastebuds on. This simple recipe for homemade salsa takes about 10 minutes to make. Serve it alongside slightly warmed corn tortillas as a dip, or to top off vegetarian burritos or tostadas. It also works really well on top of baked marinated tofu, veggie burgers, or vegetarian meat-style loafs. Or add a couple of cups

Top Vegetarian Athletes

2009-05-06T15:11:00.002-04:00

A neat slideshow from the folks over at treehugger.com"It's still a common question: can vegetarians perform as well as their carnivorous counterparts in physical competition? Take a look at each of the top level athletes in this slideshow, and you should have your answer. These 10 vegetarian athletes rose to the top of the sports world--without any help from meat."Watch slideshow.

Cauliflower Soup

2009-05-04T06:01:00.001-04:00

The other day the vegetable market near me had a special on cauliflower. I happen to love cauliflower, so a bought a few heads. My freezer was running low on prepared soups (great for lunches and unexpected guests!), so I decided to have an evening of soup-making. Or rather, about 30 minutes of soup making--this recipe is so easy. I also made a batch of cheese sauce for the freezer using a

Exploring Raw Food

2009-04-30T15:09:00.004-04:00

Raw foodism is philosophy and lifestyle that promotes consuming foods in their raw form. Some folks believe that raw or living food provides more vital energy and numerous health benefits, as well as leaving a smaller ecological footprint. I haven't looked into raw food extensively, but I have had the opportunity to taste some really interesting raw food meals over the years, and I've found them

2009-04-27T06:03:00.000-04:00

In my Corn Pudding recipe last week I said you could just omit the eggs in the recipe without much impact. I actually discovered this accidentally since I made the recipe once and forgot the eggs. But simply skipping eggs in recipes doesn't always work. Eggs are often used in baked products because of their binding and leavening properties. So what do you substitute when a recipe calls for eggs?

Smoothie Heaven

2009-04-24T06:51:00.001-04:00

I can tell when the season starts to change from winter to spring because I start to trade in my morning porridge and dried fruit for a bowl of yogourt and fresh fruit. Or, if fresh fruit isn't in season yet, a yogourt-based smoothie using frozen fruit. For me, it's important that I get a dose of protein and whole grains in my breakfast. This breakfast smoothie fits my bill, and fills my tummy,

Corn Pudding

2009-04-21T21:22:00.003-04:00

Every now and again I rediscover this recipe. A couple of weeks ago I was looking for a simple yet somewhat exotic recipe to bring to a potluck, and even though I probably haven't made this dish in years for some reason it sprung to mind. It was a definite success. For a vegan recipe, this dish can be made without the eggs and using soy milk and a vegan cheese.2 1/2 cups of frozen corn (about 2/3

What to Write

2009-04-21T21:06:00.003-04:00

I've spent the last month or so in a quandary because I recently find myself with time to start posting on this blog again. But what to say? I can't just suddenly start posting recipes and tips after a whole year hiatus. Well, I could, but it seems to odd to me. So I've been putting off writing about all the wonderful ideas perculating in my mind and the kitchen, because I simply didn't know

Testing Recipes

2008-04-12T12:00:00.003-04:00

I've spent the last few evenings making spiced pickled cabbage. It's the first time I've attempted this and the process was a bit more time consuming than I originally anticipated since I first had to salt the cabbage for 24 hours, then rinse and drain it for at least 8 hours before I could start canning it. Last night I also discovered that the recipe I was following did not make nearly enough

Vegan Spiced Chai

2008-04-07T18:20:00.004-04:00

I love a good cup of Indian spiced tea, chai masala. Not the horridly sweet stuff that is served up in cafes and coffee shops across the country often using chai-flavoured syrups, but the authentic chai masala infused with real spices.It seems that everyone has a different opinion about what spices should be used in chai masala, and in what quantities. It's also a recipe that varies regionally

Just Peachy

2008-04-03T17:41:00.003-04:00

Growing up in a diabetic household, we rarely ate desert. And when we did have an after dinner sweet, it was often fruit or recipes that Mum had adapted to have less, or no, sugar. Unlike these days where supermarket shelves seem to be full of sweet-tasting sugar-free products, in the 1970s and 1980s these products were hard to find--if they existed at all! Consequently, I find many deserts too

Of Squash and Apples

2008-03-26T09:27:00.003-04:00

It's been somewhat quiet at Amanda's Kitchen this week. Well, the physical kitchen has been busy preparing family feasts, which ironically means that the blog has not.I'm still using up my pantry stock, so the food at my family celebrations this past weekend once again consisted of a lot of root vegetables and preserved foods. Browsing through my recipes, I was inspired by my recipe for Apple and

Lola Rosa Café

2008-03-18T11:23:00.000-04:00

Last week I had the wonderful experience of having lunch at Lola Rosa Café, located at 545 Milton in the 'McGill Ghetto" district of the city. Despite its presence on the Montreal vegetarian scene for many years, I'd only recently heard about it. I'm not sure how it escape my 'veg-dar,' but it did. I can only assume that it's because I have never been a student at McGill and therefore never

Quiche Glorious Quiche

2008-03-14T10:55:00.003-04:00

So here’s my quiche story:I was working as a prep cook and server in a very busy and quite fancy corporate cafeteria. It was an aggressive sales oriented company with a young, sometimes "over-exuberant" staff (ahem-hem). I had a reputation as being friendly and accommodating but not one to suffer fools. One day, a huge group of corporate trainees were in the cafeteria

Stuffed Zucchini

2008-03-10T19:34:00.002-04:00

I love zucchini and incorporate them into many of my meals. Whether as a steamed or fried side vegetable, as fillers in pasta sauces and pizza or in the case of this recipe as a main course dish, zucchini are certainly versatile. Stuffed Zucchini 2 medium zucchini –about 6 oz (150-200g ) each1/3 cup finely minced onion1 small clove garlic1 Tbsp olive oil2 tsps all

Corn Scallop

2008-03-05T10:03:00.002-05:00

The period spanning 25 years on both sides of the 20th century was one that marked a profound change in the eating habits of North Americans. This was a time when mass produced processed foodstuffs began to buckle grocers shelves. Many of the brand names and pantry staples we grew up with have their origins in this period; notably amongst many others: Kraft, Nabisco, Kellogg; Oreos, Saltines, and

St. David's Day Fare

2008-03-01T10:22:00.001-05:00

St. David's Day is the Welsh equivalent of the better-known St. Patrick's day, which occurs later on this month. It's celebrated by Welsh around the world on March 1st. Having a spattering of Welsh in my blood as well, I often take the day, or the weekend nearest to it, to connect with some of my heritage and cook a bit of Welsh fare. It's always a pleasure since two of my favourite foods, leeks

Shredded Wheat-Molasses Sandwich Bread

2008-02-27T10:12:00.002-05:00

Bread: the Staff of Life. Well, it used to be. Todays commercial breads are far from being the nutritional cornerstone of a healthy diet. Bread in ancient times was quite fibrous and coarse being comprised of the whole wheat including the germ- the nutritious part of the grain- not to mention bits of straw and stone that passed the milling (grinding) process. Modern milling, combined with newer

Red Beans and Rice

2008-02-25T11:23:00.001-05:00

This recipe has become one of my standards over the last few years. It’s cheap, easy, tasty as left-overs and I am always sure to have the ingredients on hand. I have never really measured anything when I make this but I have written down fairly closely the proportions I use.Red Beans and Rice1-2 Tbsps olive oil1 large onion, chopped2 cloves garlic, pressed1 Tbsp organic Mexican chili powder*2

Butternut Risotto

2008-02-22T11:09:00.003-05:00

This recipe for risotto with butternut squash and sage is one of my favourite butternut squash recipes as well as one of my favourite risotto recipes. I adapted it from The One-dish Vegetarian and have been cooking it for years.I'd like to say the recipe is easy, but like any risotto it's quite time consuming and demands a lot of attention. The creaminess in a risotto is created by slowly adding

Low Fat Buckwheat Pancakes

2008-02-21T09:58:00.003-05:00

These delicious pancakes are wheat and gluten free for those with food intolerances. I am not sure where I found this recipe but have been making them for years. Try making extras and keeping them wrapped in the refrigerator or freezer. Pop them in the toaster when you want a quick breakfast without the muss and fuss. Low-Fat Buckwheat Pancakes 1 large ripe banana 4 egg whites or 2 whole organic

Garlicky Black Bean Soup

2008-02-17T15:37:00.001-05:00

I don’t remember where I found this great soup recipe but surely somewhere on the internet. Quick and hearty, this a simple fix on a cold day. The original suggested garnishing each bowl with both cheddar cheese and sour cream but I omit both and find it very satisfying anyway. Feel free to go for it if you like.Black Bean Soup2 tsp olive oil1/2 cup chopped onion1 medium carrot, diced5 cloves of

Valentine Vegan Sweet

2008-02-14T14:45:00.004-05:00

If you're still looking for a quick and decadent-tasting vegan desert to share with a special person this evening, here is one of my favorites: Vegan Chocoloate Pudding. It uses silken tofu (like Mori-Nu brand, available at most grocery stores) as its base, although you'd never know it. (And indeed, it has fooled many.) It's also very easy to adjust how sweet or chocolatey the pudding turns out

Red Lentil Soup

2008-02-11T14:39:00.000-05:00

This lentil soup is one of my stand-bys for a quick meal when I am not really in the mood to cook. No need of veggie stock, it uses spices to jazz itself up. I add leftover steamed veggies at the end of the cooking just to heat through, giving me a filling, nutritious lunch or supper. This is even better the next day as the lentils thicken further when chilled. Reheated and served over rice, it

Cheese Soufflé

2008-02-07T08:48:00.000-05:00

If you invite someone over for lunch -or say, a romantic Valentines dinner- and inform them that you are preparing a cheese soufflé, chances are their eyes will light up with respect (and possibly lust) at your apparent culinary genius.Let’s leave them to believe that, shall we?I was making this before I hit puberty. Since it was a family favourite it was one of the first things my mother taught

Korean-Style Winter Salad

2008-02-04T11:46:00.000-05:00

Another vegetable that my CSA is providing to me in abundance this winter is daikon radish. Before my winter CSA, I had never really cooked with daikon radish, and didn't really know much about it except that it was a big, long, white Asian root vegetable from the radish family. Since then I've tried a few recipes that used daikon radish, but this one is by far my favorite. It is liberally

About Vegetable Stock

2008-02-01T11:20:00.000-05:00

A good, rich vegetable stock is indispensable. Although decent commercial veggie stock can now be bought in most grocery stores, making your own is easy, practical and can even be creative.In the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cook book, they offer this advice: “The only vegetables to avoid are tomatoes, eggplants, bell peppers, asparagus, and all of those in the cabbage family, such as

The Myth of Meat

2008-01-29T10:10:00.000-05:00

Many people, when they think of food, think of meat. It is the center around which they plan their meals. For many, a vegetarian meal is unthinkable, especially to those who rarely or never eat fruit and vegetables at all. In Western culture, particularly in North America, there is a tendency to think of vegetarianism as an “alternative” lifestyle.Historically though, meat was not a part of the

Again With the Beets!

2008-01-26T11:00:00.000-05:00

I'm still working my way through the beetroot from my winter CSA. This week I adapted a recipe for cream of beet, potato and leek soup that I found in Harrowsmith magazine.For a plant that is believed to have originated in Northern Africa, it certainly has adapted well to harsher climates, and it is actually a very nutritious choice for the winter months. It's an excellent source of potassium and

Michael's Black Bean and Lemon Salsa Burritos

2008-01-24T14:08:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone! I thought I would start off my posting career here at Amanda's Kitchen Blog with one of my favorite and most appreciated recipes.A few blocks away from me on Sherbrooke in NDG is a shoe-box restaurant called "Burritoville" which has a small but excellent menu of vegetarian, organic Mexican food. Owned and run by the ever-friendly Johno and his wife Ruby, Burritoville is a

New Contributor

2008-01-22T14:06:00.000-05:00

I'd like to welcome my long-time friend Michael as a new contributor to this blog.Michael and I have been friends since we were four years old, and have been cooking together almost as long. Michael shares my love of cooking, eating and creating mouth-watering recipes that are simple to prepare and accessible; and I'm delighted that we can continue to share this life-long passion together on the

Mash It Up!

2008-01-15T12:09:00.000-05:00

Root vegetable mashes are a staple of mine over these winter months. Root vegetables can be harvested late in the season (some can even over-winter), and they store well in a cool, dark place. Mine are stored in a 'cold room' that I created in my basement stairwell to the outside.The trick with root mashes is to be creative. My mother layers a root mash of celeriac, turnip and potato with cheese.

It's All about the Beets

2008-01-09T12:23:00.000-05:00

This week was all about beetroot.I had been accumulating quite a few bags of beetroot thanks to our weekly CSA. This week I tackled it, making pickled beets and Russian borscht. I won't know how the pickles taste for a few weeks, since they need time to marinate. I discovered as I was slicing the beets to put in the jars that some of them hadn't cooked right through, so I'm somewhat curious to

Blueberry Muffins

2007-08-01T11:28:00.000-04:00

The beginning of August is blueberry season. One of my favourite feast foods for this time of year is blueberry muffins or bread. I made these this morning with blueberries harvested from my land, and local oil, eggs, maple syrup and milk purchased through our CSA or a local market.Blueberry Muffins1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour1/2 tsp coarse salt2 tsp baking powder1/2 cup maple syrup1/4 cup

Reconnecting with Food

2007-07-27T10:54:00.000-04:00

David Suzuki has a column today on reconnecting with food in the summer. He echoes just about all my own sentiments and beliefs. I also get annoyed that a lot of the organic produce in our local grocery store is from the United States. With all the amazing local goodness that I receive weekly in my CSA, most of the organic veggies in the Provigo down the street are still "product of the USA." I

Maple Zucchini Bread

2007-07-24T17:13:00.001-04:00

This one is my own adaptation of a Mennonite recipe and is useful for using up a glut of zucchini's at this time of the year.Maple Zucchini Bread3 large eggs3/4 cup maple syrup1/2 cup vegetable oil2 cups, raw, grated zucchini1 Tablespoon lemon juice3 cups flour (I used 2 c whole wheat + 1 c white)1 tsp salt1 tsp baking powder1 tsp baking soda2 tsp cinnamon1 tsp ginger1 cup coarsely chopped

Fennel Radicchio Crockpot

2007-07-24T17:10:00.000-04:00

I love fennel. However, I've been getting so much in my CSA basket, along with the requisite mass of salad of various varieties, that I was having a hard time using it all up. The fennel is also very sweet and packs an incredible anis-flavour punch, more than any fennel I've ever had before. I swear it is just like eating licorice! The other week I also got new potatoes, turnips and radicchio, so