Parsnip & Pear Purée with coconut granola & smoked salt

This is a requested post by Samantha, a super cool yoga instructor from Toronto that The Fooding Company had the pleasure of cooking for last weekend. This soup is vegan friendly and absolutely delicious, not to mention it's pretty damn easy to make if you've got an immersion blender and 30 minutes or so. You'll need to go out and find the specialty black volcanic sea salt, or you could skip this ingredient if you can't be bothered. Be warned though the salt definitely adds a certain je ne sais quoi that can't be replaced by anything else.

*Check out Samantha's fb page for Yogabodii her in home yoga practice. 

INGREDIENTS: 

2 bosch pears - rough chop

2 anjou pears - rough chop

1 shallot - rough chopped

2 medium parsnips - rough chop

about 1 tsp or so dried thyme 

1/2 cup light coconut milk 

1/2 - 1 cup water (depending on how thick you like your soup)

large flaked sweetened coconut - toasted (for garnish)

salt & pepper - to taste

drizzle  olive oil or infused oil 

pinch black volcanic smoked salt - (for garnish) 

FOR SOUP: Rough chop all veg. Heat a drizzle of infused oil in a pot, add shallots and cook until translucent. Add parsnips, s&p and continue cooking for 5 mins (parsnips will take longer to soften then the supple pears). Add pears & thyme continue to cook everything until golden (you want everything to have a nice caramelized look). Turn your heat down and add coconut milk & water. Let that cook for another minute or so then turn heat off completely before blending. Add more or less water to obtain desired consistency. 

FOR COCONUT GRANOLA: Add a handful or two of coconut to a non stick pan and toast on medium high, constantly agitating the pan. Watch carefully the coconut can burn very quickly because of it's sugar. Remove from pan immediately after desired colour has been achieved or coconut will continue to cook - and burn if left in the pan. 

SERVE: With a sprinkle of coconut, black salt and drizzle of olive oil.

Oh hello, remember me? Orange glazed tofu with Chinese broccoli & enoki mushrooms

INGREDIENTS: 

firm tofu

garlic

ginger

sesame oil

sunflower oil

brown rice

enoki mushrooms

tangerines 

gai lan (Chinese broccoli)

Chinese 5 spice

cilantro 

soy sauce

cayanne (optional)

black pepper

veg stock 

star anise

Howdy all. I'm sure you've been wondering when I would come back with a new post. Unfortunately I'm still not feeling 100%, kinda run down and weak, but I just couldn't put you all though another Monday without a post. Today I'm going to keep it short and sweet since I don't really have a "recipe" for this dish. The dinner was really thrown together   simply and ended up being delicious not to mention #healthy. Don't be intimidated by the long list of Asian ingredients - they really aren't that scary. They definitely inject a lot of pungent yumminess "umami" to this veganlicious dish. 

BASIC METHODS: 

For rice - 1 cup of rice to two cups of vegetable stock (or water). Add a 1 inch knob of ginger, a smashed clove of garlic, and star anise to the liquid plus a drizzle of sesame oil & soy sauce. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower the heat to medium (simmer) for 20 mins or until all the liquid has evaporated. Add some chopped cilantro to the rice before serving - if you're not a fan of cilantro mint or parsley will also work.

For the gai lan - "blanch & shock" bring a pot of salted water to a boil, cook the broccoli for 30- 45 seconds then straight into cold water. Then quick stir fry in a hot pan with sesame oil or cold infused olive oil. 

For the mushrooms - sautée mushrooms in a small drizzle of oil for 2 mins then hit it with a splash of soy sauce.

For the tofu - slice tofu into two or three thinner slices and press between paper towel to remove the excess moisture. Dust each slice with Chinese 5 spice & salt. Bring a tbsp of sunflower oil with a drop of sesame oil to a high heat. Then fry the tofu until crispy on each side (about 2 mins), then squeeze the a tangerine's juice over to create the simple glaze. 

I have faith that all you Tomato Snobs can handle these easy instructions. Chow for now. xo

Tofu steak with soba noodles and stir fried summer veg

Isn't this just one of the most appetizing pieces of tofu you've ever seen? Well believe it or not it taste great as well. I know you're out there. You think tofu is a gnarly ingredient only used by vegans and meatless freaks who live off of compressed soy based products. You think it's completely tasteless and has the ability to turn you into a granola hippie, tree hugging, flatulent maniac. Well it wont and it's not tasteless at all. It's like the blank canvas for the health conscious culinarian. Some of the health benefits include
* can help lower LDL bad cholesterol
*  raise HDL good cholesterol 
* for women with menopause can lessen symptoms 
* most tofu's are calcium enriched 
* rich in energizing minerals 
* contains selenium which has antioxidant qualities, can help prevent cancer 
* good source of iron
and so on... 
INGREDIENTS: 
1 tsp chinese 5 spice 
block of firm tofu - cut in two .5 inch steaks (you can use semi firm if you prefer, but not silken it will not fry the same way)
1 small cooking onion - sliced .5 inch thick and halved
1 zucchini - sliced into .5 inch rounds 
1 summer squash - sliced into .5 inch rounds 

1 red pepper - cut into .5 inch slices and halved

bunch of Japanese soba noodles - boiled and rinsed in cold water (prevents sticking)

1 cup frozen shelled edamame - blanched in water 

2 cloves garlic - minced 

1 tbs ginger - minced

soya sauce - a few tbs (to your taste) 

rice wine vinegar - splash

1 tbs sesame oil - for finishing 

canola oil - drizzle for stir frying 

szechuan peppercorn - pinch of ground (optional)

This dish can be eaten hot or room temp. 

PREP: Chop all veg. Bring water to boil and cook the edamame for 2-3 mins. Remove from water and transfer into ice cold water to stop the cooking. Dry with paper towel and place off to the side. Then reuse the boiling water for the soba  noodles. Cook about 8 mins (do not salt the water like for pasta). Remove from boiling water and place them in a cool water bath, then into a colander and let the noodles drain. Cut the tofu into steaks then press between a sheet of paper towel to remove any extra liquid. Dust the tofu with 5 spice before frying. 

COOK: Heat a non stick pan  with a drizzle of canola oil for the tofu. You want the oil very hot to create a crispy skin on the tofu. In  wok or a deeper fry pan heat another drizzle of canola oil to a medium high heat. Add onions to the hot oil, cook for a few mins (until translucent) then add garlic and ginger. When you can smell the ginger and garlic add the zucchini and summer squash and cook for 2-3 mins add peppers, soy sauce and sesame oil then continue cooking another 2-3 mins. I prefer my veg just slightly cooked, you can cook the stir fry longer if preferred. Before serving toss noodles in a small drizzle of sesame oil splash of rice wine vinegar and drop of soy. 

SERVE: Just use my photo as a guideline for plating, then wait for the ooohhh's and ahhh's. You can also top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds. 

Spicy carrot coconut soup

The lost post... Sometimes I write a bunch of posts and don't publish them right away. Friday afternoon I wrote a great post about feeding a vegan or vegetarian lunch without putting too much effort into it. I described one of my favorite Kensington bakeries and dished about using spices like ground toasted coriander and fennel using a mortar and pestle. I saved the post and returned back to it yesterday when I had time to upload my photo and add it to the article. However in doing so I ended up deleting the entire thing, making my boyfriend and I very late for a dinner with friends on the other side of town- GEEZE. Now i'll just have to save if for another post. The most important  part was all about the recipe for this delicious soup anyways. Spicy carrot and coconut soup. Great anytime 
of the year, and a real hit with the vegan crowd. 
INGREDIENTS: 
8 medium carrots - shredded
1 sweet onion - rough chop
3 cloved garlic - rough chop
1tbs ginger - minced
2 tsp toasted coriander - ground
2tsp toasted fennel - ground
6 cups water or veg stock
splash citrus - orange
1 can coconut milk 
olive oil
crushed red pepper - pinch or more if you like it hot
salt & pepper - to taste 
COOK: Sautee onions garlic and ginger add the spices s&p and cook until translucent. Add the carrots cook 5 mins. Add water or stock bring to a boil, then add the coconut milk. Let cook for another 5-10 mins. Reduce heat - puree everything transfer back into the pot, adjust seasoning and cook for 25 mins. Let sit for an hour before serving or overnight for best taste. Serve with chopped parsley or cilantro.