Impromptu Mexican spicy black bean soup #vegan style

Hello old friends,

I'm in  desperate need for some time off lately, I'm sure that this time of year you're all feeling the need for rest, relaxation and all day pajamas, I hear ya!  I've been dreaming about my upcoming vacation to Mexico, pretty much counting down the moments until I feel the sand and sun. I've been recovering over the last few weeks from whiplash, after recently being in a car accident. Yes I'm going to completely skip over what happened because luckily nobody was hurt and thankfully it wasn't my fault, but I'm ready for some days off, like 14 of them in a row - at least. 

In the meantime I crave flavors of spicy, smoky and sweet, you know anytime any day I'm ready to enjoy a big bowl of soup so I was super inspired when I whipped this deliciousness up.

I had some black beans I had cooked the day before, yes most of us health nuts actually cook our own beans, it's so much better then opening a can and way healthier. I wanted to do something satisfying, spicy and vegetarian. Soup is the ultimate way to pack vital nutrients into your body and it just happens to also be my favorite thing to cook as you've noticed if you've been following me the last five years. This soup takes roughly 30 minutes and will knock your sox off!


INGREDIENTS:
2 small carrots - fine chop
2 small celery - fine chop
1 large Spanish onion - fine chop
1/2 small butternut squash - fine chop 
4 garlic cloves - minced
black beans - about 1.5 cups or a can
tomato passatta - 1/3 cup 
1 dried guajillo chilies - fine chop
2 dried chili de arbol - fine chop
1L vegetable stock
fresh cilantro stems - 2 tbsp fine chop
dried Mexican oregano - big pinch crumbled
Miguelito - about 1 tbsp
cumin - about 1tsp
smoky paprika - about 1tsp
cinnamon - small pinch
tamarind paste - optional 1-2 tbsp
lime juice - 1-2 limes
Coconut oil - 1-2 tbsp

COOK: 
Sautee the onion in coconut oil, add garlic and continue until translucent then add in the carrot, celery and squash. Cook until everything is soft about 5 -10 mins. Add pasatta, chillies, dry spiced and herbs and continue to cook for another minute then add stock, beans and cilantro. Simmer until veggies have softened then add in the tamarind paste. 

SERVE:
A splash of lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro leaves. 

Monday Moong Dal

 I've literally tried to write this post three times. Sometimes technology isn't our friend and I have to say apple (iphones/computers) really aren't as streamline as you need them to be. For example why isn't there a "command z" short cut on your phone. It would really come in handy and yes I am blaming my phone, partially for not posting this sooner. Anyways as I'm averaging one blog post every three or four months, it seems like I'm due for a recipe. I will not apologize for being such an occasional blogger anymore. I hope you enjoy what I offer up, healthy easy to follow recipes, once in a rare blue moon. This one is the bomb dot com if I do say so myself. It's easy to digest, vegan and excellent for it's anti inflammatory qualities. I created this recipe on some wildly inspired whim a few months back, when I was trying to eat less meat (right now I haven't had meat in almost 2 months - WOAH!). No I'm not going vegan, but I am still on my journey to understanding how to heal my psoriasis. I'll try anything natural. Food is our most powerful medicine or our most perilous poison. What's good for one body can be lethal to another. Right now I'm off meat, diary, gluten, soy, eggs and.... ahh fuck it. I'm happy and I'm feeling good so hopefully my skin will acknowledge that. It's challenging when people invite me over for dinner or  out to a restaurant but I'm just trying to go with the flow. Pushing myself as a chef by limiting my pantry is never a bad thing, I'm always up for a challenge.

Back to the important stuff, the recipe. This warm vegetarian stew uses Indian spices and is some serious comfort food, perfect for the cooler weather coming in. The dish also freezes well, so make extra. You will not be disappointed! 

INGREDIENTS: 
2 cups moong dal (yellow split mung beans)
2 sweet onions - fine chop
4 cloves of garlic - minced 
2 tbs ginger - minced 
1- 2 red bird chilies - fine chop
2 tbs of tomato paste OR 1/2 c. chopped tomatoes
2 tbs cilantro stems - fine chop + leaves to finish
1 can of coconut milk
1L of water or vegetable stock
Tbs coconut oil 
1 tsp cumin
1tsp turmeric
1 tsp mustard seed
1tsp coriander seed
1/2 tsp fenugreek
Celtic sea salt to taste
1/2 lemon - juice (optional)

METHOD: 
Rinse the dal three times, I like to soak them for a few hours but it's not necessary. Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger in coconut oil add the chilies and spices then the dal. Add the liquids, tomato, pinch of salt and cilantro stems, then simmer until the lentils are tender, you may need to add more liquids, monitor it. 

TIPS: 
keep ginger in the freezer and grate it in using a microplane, you can also keep the bird chilies in the freezer, one of my favorite cooking hacks. 

SERVE: 
You can add a spritz of fresh lemon once the dish is cooked, some chopped fresh cilantro leaves are nice too. I like to serve with blanched broccoli or wilted greens and a side of brown Jasmin rice.

Make this and let me know if you love it as much as I do. Chow for now!

Tomato fennel soup - an elegant take on tomato soup!

Good Monday foodies. Today I'm going to give you a recipe that's so delicious even tomato soup haters will enjoy it. This is one of my very favorite soups ever. I can't remember the first time I had it but my mom's been making it for years and everyone in my family knows and loves it. It's so elegant and complex in flavor yet so simple to make. Try it at your next dinner party or better yet holiday celebration. 

PREP: Remove the green part & root of the leek, fingers & core of the fennel - reserve to make your own veg stock if you are so inclined. Roughly chop all veg. 
COOK: In a medium pot, saute leeks & garlic until translucent. Season with a pinch of salt & pepper then add fennel + seeds and continue to cook everything on medium until it all starts to caramelize. Add pasatta or a can of crushed tomatoes as well as your desired liquid. Allow everything to cook together for 20 - 30 mins. Remove from the heat and puree. If you want a super luxurious soup stir in a few tbs of crème fraîche or a touch of cream.
TIP - Always add  dairy components to soups off the direct heat to prevent the milk fats from separating which creates a nasty chalky texture.
SERVE: With some toasted fennel seeds or a few sprigs of the fennel frond. Instead of stirring in the dairy you can finish with it on top of the soup for a pop of white. 

Pesto fusilli - how to keep your pesto vibrant green

Oh hello snobs and snobettes. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying all of falls beautiful offerings. Since it was 17º here in Toronto yesterday it really got me thinking about summer and one of my favorite homemade condiments... pesto. This versatile sauce originated from Genoa (Italiay) and is made traditionally from fresh basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil and pine nuts. When I make it I leave out the pine nuts which can cut back on some calories and $$$ but certainly doesn't cut back on any flavor. You can also substitute the pine nuts for walnuts or hazelnuts for a modern twist. One thing about pesto that drives me completely crazy is when the herbs oxidize and you end up with a murky dark coloured pesto. If you follow my simple steps you'll end up with vibrant gorgeous green every time. 

PREP: For the pesto combine a bunch fresh basil (discard stems), 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 lemon juiced, about a half a cup of grated parmesan, a pinch of salt & pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Blend everything up using a hand blender (or standing blender). If mixture is too thick continue to drizzle more olive oil as you blend. Taste and season with more lemon or cheese to your liking. For the vegetables slice the zucchini and eggplant about 1/2 inch length wise. Brush with olive oil & sprinkle with salt & pepper. One of my tips would be to buy pre roasted peppers from the antipasto bar at your grocery store or the jarred variety which can be a much needed time saver for busy home cooks.

COOK: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente. Strain pasta and toss in a small amount of olive oil before spreading it out on a large baking sheet or pan to cool. The olive oil will prevent the pasta from sticking and clumping up into a solid mass. Using a cast iron grill pan (or bbq) grill up the zucchini and eggplant for a few mins on each side (the eggplant will take slightly longer). Let everything cool then cut into strips.

TIPS: Make sure the pasta and the veg are all cooled before combining everything with the pesto - this is they key to keeping your pesto pasta looking good.  If you follow that rule you will never have dirty brown looking sauce again. 

- Chow for now

Grilled peach salsa from the new Certified Good Food Fighter

Hey yall. Just wanted to wish you all a great weekend and let you know about an awesome organization I will be blogging for called the Good Food Revolution. This photo is from my very first post for a delicious summer grilled peach salsa. Chow for now! xo j. 

Spring Has Sprung-ish Pasta - Detox diet

Good day mates. Hope you all enjoyed the beautiful taste of spring we had in Ontario last week. Almost felt like summer for a hot minute, but at last it seems winter is still upon us judging by the major drop in temperature we've seen over the last few days. After an extremely long weekend (I had a cocktail event for 70 followed by a lunch cooking demo) I finally have some down time to blog about my culinary adventures in detoxing. Eating gluten and dairy free has been challenging but you really do start to get the hang of it after a few weeks. Pasta is just one of those things that needs cheese, or meat or something with fair amount of fat or richness, or so I thought until I concocted this delicious combination. They key is to fold a raw egg into the hot pasta to create a creamy carbonara type texture. This pasta is filled with lots fiber and yummy nutrients. Definitely a dish to try.

INGREDIENTS: 

TruRoots gluten free organic spaghetti 

fresh or frozen green peas 

frozen edamame - blanched 

hearts of palm (canned) - rinsed & chopped

artichoke (canned) - rinsed & chopped 

French beans - blanched & chopped 

infused olive oil (herbs, zest, garlic etc...)

apple cider vinegar - splash

garlic - minced 

lemon - zested & juiced 

egg

s & p 

fresh copped parsley 

PREP: Marinate canned veg in minced garlic, infused oil, lemon, vinegar, parsley, s & p. 

COOK: Blanch veg in pasta water after pasta is cooked until al dente. Toss a raw egg into the hot cooked pasta as well as all the veg and toss quickly to insure that it creates a creamy coating. Adjust seasoning.

Purple potato salad

After another round of fridge survivor (that's when you don't go grocery shopping and have to create a dish from the left over contents of your fridge) I created this colourful plate of deliciousness. I'm really pushing myself to write this post in an effort to get my mind off of my discomfort. The pain in my ear comes and goes and right now it's here with a vengeance. This damn ear infection better go away soon because I'm falling behind on this weeks to do list and I don't want to have to give up my weekend again. Oh well a Tomato Snobs gotta do what a Tomato Snobs gotta do! I have to say if I didn't care about my lovely readers I wouldn't bother writing this evening. Instead I'd curl up on the couch and watch "Touch" Keifer Southerland's new show that premiering right now - I pvr'ed it for later instead. I'm going to make this short and sweet. Purple potatoes make me happy! They have a stunning vibrant colour and subtle earthy sweetness. I think it's just more fun to eat colourful food. Doctors always say you should eat the rainbow and I'm pretty sure they aren't talking about skittles candy. This salad speaks to that concept in spades.

Purple Potato Salad 

INGREDIENTS: 

purple potatoes - boiled and chopped 

green beans - blanched and chopped

radishes - chopped

marinated artichoke hearts - chopped

celery - chopped

cucumber - seeded and chopped

feta cheese - crumbled 

orange - juiced

lemon - juiced

cold infused olive oil - for dressing

salt & pepper

PREP: Boil the potatoes until tender, let them sit in a colander above the boiling water so that the steam can allow any excess water to evaporate. Blanch (in salted water) and shock the green beans, then chop. Chop the remaining veg and toss in 2 tbs or so of the cold infused olive oil, citrus juices and season with s & p to taste. *If I had parsley, mint or I would have chopped some up and added it to the salad. Crumble feta on top and enjoy. 

Chow for now.