photographic evidence

I'm always a little bummed out when I don't have a photo post for every yummy recipe I make. And because there is no photo in sight for this post, please do not make the mistake that the recipe below is hum-drum, bland or just plain ugly. Not so! This week I made some great vegan dinners but I am lacking the photographic evidence. Don't worry, the proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes.

When my friend arrived onto Vancouver soil, I had made up a butternut squash and chickpea soup flavoured with ginger and orange. You'll have to trust me when I say that it was tasty! The next night I made a veggie yakiudon with tons of ginger and cauliflower...oh my! However, it was Tuesday night's dinner that was the true stand out. Fretting over what to make, I came up with a Mexican salad with a grapefruit juice dressing, crushed tortilla chips and blackbeans served over mixed greens that I made up on the fly. This was my crowning salad achievement of the week and alas, no colourful photo. I guess I'll have to make due with happy memories. My recipe is a bit fuzzy since I'm recounting ingredients and measurements from a couple days ago rather than just a few hours. I'm sure it will be great. Trust me.

mexican black bean & tortilla salad
1 can of black beans, rinsed & drained
1 rib of celery, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced fine
juice of half a grapefruit
olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t cumin
1 t dijon mustard
1 t red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
salad greens
tortilla chips, slightly crushed
fresh salsa

1. In a medium sized bowl, add the black beans, celery, red pepper and onion and combine.

2. In a small measuring cup, add the grapefruit juice and red wine vinegar. Add an equal part of olive oil and stir. Mix in the cumin, dijon, garlic and red wine vinegar and mix well until combined. Pour dressing over black beans and let sit for a few minutes, tossing occassionally.

3. In your own individual salad bowl, add in some salad greens. Crush some tortilla chips over top and drop in a couple big spoonfuls of the black bean mixture. Top with some fresh salsa. Eat and repeat, if necessary.

photographic evidence

I'm always a little bummed out when I don't have a photo post for every yummy recipe I make. And because there is no photo in sight for this post, please do not make the mistake that the recipe below is hum-drum, bland or just plain ugly. Not so! This week I made some great vegan dinners but I am lacking the photographic evidence. Don't worry, the proof is in the pudding, as the saying goes.

When my friend arrived onto Vancouver soil, I had made up a butternut squash and chickpea soup flavoured with ginger and orange. You'll have to trust me when I say that it was tasty! The next night I made a veggie yakiudon with tons of ginger and cauliflower...oh my! However, it was Tuesday night's dinner that was the true stand out. Fretting over what to make, I came up with a Mexican salad with a grapefruit juice dressing, crushed tortilla chips and blackbeans served over mixed greens that I made up on the fly. This was my crowning salad achievement of the week and alas, no colourful photo. I guess I'll have to make due with happy memories. My recipe is a bit fuzzy since I'm recounting ingredients and measurements from a couple days ago rather than just a few hours. I'm sure it will be great. Trust me.

mexican black bean & tortilla salad
1 can of black beans, rinsed & drained
1 rib of celery, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced fine
juice of half a grapefruit
olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t cumin
1 t dijon mustard
1 t red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
salad greens
tortilla chips, slightly crushed
fresh salsa

1. In a medium sized bowl, add the black beans, celery, red pepper and onion and combine.

2. In a small measuring cup, add the grapefruit juice and red wine vinegar. Add an equal part of olive oil and stir. Mix in the cumin, dijon, garlic and red wine vinegar and mix well until combined. Pour dressing over black beans and let sit for a few minutes, tossing occassionally.

3. In your own individual salad bowl, add in some salad greens. Crush some tortilla chips over top and drop in a couple big spoonfuls of the black bean mixture. Top with some fresh salsa. Eat and repeat, if necessary.

lazy sundays

I love Sunday mornings. The New York Times Sunday crossword, slippers, strong coffee and a hot breakfast. This morning I made migas with bacon. Normally, I keep my migas a strictly vegetarian affair, however, I'm having vegan company for an extended period of time and decided to use up the last rashes of bacon in the fridge before the vegan invasion. A little while ago, I wrote about my good friend Kristen who was riding her bicycle from Vancouver to Mexico. She got as far as San Deigo and then got offered her dream job back in Vancouver, so this afternoon she'll be arriving in Vancouver and will be living at my apartment until she can find a permanent place to live. I'm excited that she's back and though it will be cramped having 3 people living in a 450 sq. ft. apartment, I'm sure we'll all manage fine. So expect vegan recipes and spotty blog updates for the next little while.

In the meantime, check out some of my favorite archived vegan recipes listed below. I've got some Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies in the oven and I'm already chopping up vegetables for a butternut squash and chickpea soup (recipe to come, I'm sure).

African Yam & Peanut Soup
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Couscous Yam Salad
Tofu Tenders
Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Softies
Red, White & Green Barley Salad
Cashew Chili

migas
3 corn torillas, sliced into strips or diced into 1 inch squares
3 strips of bacon, diced
1/4 c small dice onion
1 t mexican chili powder
1/4 t chipotle powder
2 T small dice sweet red peppers
4 eggs, beaten with a bit of skim milk & a dash of salt
2 T grated partly skimmed mozerella cheese
4 T salsa

1. In a large cast iron pan, heat up bacon until crispy. Drain some of the fat and add in the onion, red peppers, chili powder, chipotle, and corn tortillas. Gently stir around until onions and peppers have slightly softened. Reduce heat.

2. Pour egg mixture over top of tortilla hash and gently scramble eggs. Add in grated cheese and stir about until melted. Plate and top with salsa.

lazy sundays

I love Sunday mornings. The New York Times Sunday crossword, slippers, strong coffee and a hot breakfast. This morning I made migas with bacon. Normally, I keep my migas a strictly vegetarian affair, however, I'm having vegan company for an extended period of time and decided to use up the last rashes of bacon in the fridge before the vegan invasion. A little while ago, I wrote about my good friend Kristen who was riding her bicycle from Vancouver to Mexico. She got as far as San Deigo and then got offered her dream job back in Vancouver, so this afternoon she'll be arriving in Vancouver and will be living at my apartment until she can find a permanent place to live. I'm excited that she's back and though it will be cramped having 3 people living in a 450 sq. ft. apartment, I'm sure we'll all manage fine. So expect vegan recipes and spotty blog updates for the next little while.

In the meantime, check out some of my favorite archived vegan recipes listed below. I've got some Double Chocolate Chip Oatmeal cookies in the oven and I'm already chopping up vegetables for a butternut squash and chickpea soup (recipe to come, I'm sure).

African Yam & Peanut Soup
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Couscous Yam Salad
Tofu Tenders
Chocolate Chip Gingerbread Softies
Red, White & Green Barley Salad
Cashew Chili

migas
3 corn torillas, sliced into strips or diced into 1 inch squares
3 strips of bacon, diced
1/4 c small dice onion
1 t mexican chili powder
1/4 t chipotle powder
2 T small dice sweet red peppers
4 eggs, beaten with a bit of skim milk & a dash of salt
2 T grated partly skimmed mozerella cheese
4 T salsa

1. In a large cast iron pan, heat up bacon until crispy. Drain some of the fat and add in the onion, red peppers, chili powder, chipotle, and corn tortillas. Gently stir around until onions and peppers have slightly softened. Reduce heat.

2. Pour egg mixture over top of tortilla hash and gently scramble eggs. Add in grated cheese and stir about until melted. Plate and top with salsa.

headache for two

Yesterday both Cornelius and I had splitting headaches. I think it was due to our lack of caffine (we ran out and were too lazy to get more). By dinnertime, we both couldn't get off the couch but we realized that we couldn't survive on Gilmore Girl repeats alone. We needed something quick and simple and then I remembered Crystal's package and the small packets of Mexican macaroni. She taped a short recipe to the package and a simple and satisfying dinner for two was born.


simple sopa de conchas
1. Saute the pasta in a bit of olive oil until the pasta browns a little, stirring frequently.

2. Add 1 can (14.5 oz) of diced tomatoes, 1½ - 2 cans of water, salt and pepper and stir.

3. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked.

* I added a couple cloves of crushed garlic to the sauteed pasta.
** Crystal eats this in bowls with avocados. We ate it topped with grated mozzerella cheese since we were avocado-less. So good!!

Crystal has a slightly more elaborate version on her blog, which you can find here.

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Next Day:

Yes, dinner was another lazy meal and I took the above recipe and expanded it. It turned out fabulous. I sauteed bacon until crisp and added chopped garlic and onion, and followed the rest of the recipe. Five minutes before the meal was ready, I added some chopped broccoli to the mix for a bit of green. Tasty!

Thanks Crystal for a great base to a fantastic meal that will definitely be a repeat in this tiny kitchen!!