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Category: Essentials

Thyme Roasted Carrot Soup with Avocado Creme

If I were Catholic, I’d be sitting in a confessional asking for fatherly forgiveness – it’s been seven months since my last post. How on earth did this happen? Seriously, seven months ?!? Where did the time go? I honestly have no idea how so much time has past since I last posted but I do know this – I fell off the culinary cart – hard. I hope you can forgive me.

I’ve been letting this new grind of single mommyhood and consultancy get the best of me. I’ve been too tapped to create anything new, until now. The crazy thing about American Thanksgiving is foodbloggers go hogwild for this holiday. Food52 has been a fav of mine for a long time and the featured side of the day, thyme roasted carrots with goat cheese. The simplicity of the side struck me as something that would make for a sexy little soup. A quick peak at the ingredient list left me wanting to build on this a little more – if this was going to be a soup – it should have a little more complexity and certainly a lot of creaminess.

As I’m working this out in my head, two things come to mind. Bringing more flavour to this soup might like in a common base, mirepoix! The base of all french cooking would bring this soup up to snuff. The leeks and celery would balance the sweetness of the carrots and smooth the whole thing out. Now….what could I do to give the upgraded flavour profile a little va-va-voom? Avocado. Yup you heard me right, avocado.

In the back of my mind I remembered making a wingnut of a salad I found on Smitten Kitten with roasted carrots and avocado. What I thought would be a trainwreck was actually a wonder in texture. The avocado was a smooth, brilliant foil to the earthly goodness of the carrots and could help my soup go from good to oh-my-creamy-goodness.

So I set out to set my Sunday afternoon to simmer with these two kinda crazy but complimentary ideas in mind and a sincere intent to create a soup so smooth and velvety you’d swear up and down it was packing 35% cream. A fabulous 45 minutes later this ladle of love was born. The only concern I had was how I was going to be able to wait until I got back from yoga. Patience is a virtue and this soup was SO worth the wait!

Hope you enjoy my odd little combo as much as I do. See you soon, XOS

Thyme Roasted Carrot Soup with Avocado Creme

Would Rather Gather Original, with inspiration from Smitten Kitchen and Food52
Prep time: 20 minutes / Active time: 45 minutes / Makes 4 cups

For the soup:

12 medium-sized carrots, peeled & cut length-wise into halves or quarter of even size
1/2 stalk celery, finely diced
1 small leek, quartered, finely sliced and rinsed well
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 avocado, pitted and
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley
splash of white wine
3 cups vegetable stock
3 tbsp olive oil (split)
1 tbsp Earth Balance buttery stick
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch red chili flakes
pinch fennel seeds
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375°, line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with canola oil.
2. Toss carrots in 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, sea salt, freshly creaked black pepper and a pinch of cayenne.
3. Arrange evenly and roast in oven until tender and slightly browned, approximately 20 minutes.
4. While carrots are roasting, prep the rest of the vegetables. When you’re ready to start the soup base, bring remaining tbsp of olive oil and tbsp of Earth Balance up to med-high temperature in a large soup pot.

NOTE: I love my Le Creuset for most things because the enamel makes it essentially a non-stick surface and the cast iron keeps the heat nice and even for a super subtle simmer. If you haven’t had a chance to try one out – they really do make a difference and are totally worth the investment. I’ve used mine at least twice a week for the 5 years I’ve owned it and have been thankful each time I bring it out. Any way you work it – it’s good culinary math!

5. Add garlic, red chili flakes and fennel seeds and saute until garlic is golden. Add leeks and celery and saute until soft then deglaze with white wine and saute until the wine evaporates.
6. Once the carrots are roasted, give them a rough chop, add them to the celery leek mixture with the tbsp of parsley and saute for a few more minutes to combine all of the flavours then add the vegetable stock and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Once the soup has simmered, add the avocado and puree the soup using a food processor or hand immersion blender until smooth and velvety.
8. Using a fine mesh, strain the soup back into the soup pot using a ladle to help push the soup through. Heat the soup through until warm, season with salt and pepper to taste and soup is officially on.

If you wanted to add another layer of flavour and don’t mind a little dairy, goat cheese would add a hint of sour acidity and even more creamy goodness. Add some toasted 12 grain bread and Sunday Night Soup is in session!

No Comments Posted by Shawna on November 28, 2011
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Weekend Worthy Waffles

Saturdays are beautiful. So much unstructured time to putter around in. You can clean out that drawer you’ve been meaning to get to, tackle the mountain of laundry threatening to take over your closet or finally get around to putting your summer shoes is storage. The possibilities are endless. The day is yours.

So what did I do with mine? I broke out my weekend breakfast bible, the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and made waffles. As you might have gleaned from another post, my daughter B loves pancakes. She also loves waffles. In fact, to her, it’s not Saturday if we don’t make one or the other together. Donning the matching Mommy and Me aprons is a non-negotiable.

Aprons on, our mission is to waffle-fy her apple cinnamon pancakes and boy were we successful. The final product was fresh out of the iron fantastic. The best part is we have enough left over to toast for breakfast throughout the week. Leggo of eggos altogether.

I’ve also made a pumpkin spice version of these waffles and they were pretty darned delicious too. See the edits below if you’d rather get your gourd on.

Now if you excuse me, I’m going to completely ignore the to-do list above and go take a nap. We’ve had a big morning and B and I need our beauty sleep.

Cinnamon Apple Waffles

Adapted from the Better Homes and Garden Cookbook
Prep Time: 10 minutes  / Active time: 30 Minutes / Makes 8-10 waffles

For Apple Cinnamon waffles:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp vital wheat gluten
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp demerera sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon**
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp silken tofu pureed with 1 tsp olive oil until light and fluffy
1 cup soy / coconut milk
1/2 cup belsoy cream
2 tsp vanilla**
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 cup melted Earth Balance butter or margarine
1 1/2 apples shredded** (we ate the other half while making these…)

For Pumpkin Spice waffles, replace the ** items with the following

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger and cloves
1 cup pumpkin puree

Method Cinnamon Apple:
1. Pre-heat oven to 250° or warm setting.
2. In a 2 cup measure add the soy/coconut cream, belsoy cream, vanilla and cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
4. Once wet ingredients have separated (should look like spoiled milk) add the melted butter and vanilla.
5. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Working from the inside of the well out, gently work the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.
6. Peel apple and grate into waffle batter and fold in to combine.
7. Plug in waffle iron and once up to temperature, scoop a 2 tbsp serving of batter onto each side and cook according to the iron’s instructions. Approx 7-8 mins.
NOTE: Waffles are close to being done after the steam releases from the batter. Once this stage has passed, you’re about a minute out from showtime.
8. Store finished waffles in the oven until you’ve made your way though all of the batter and bring them to the table. If you house is anything like mine, every one will already be waiting there.

Method Pumpkin Spice:
1. Pre-heat oven to 250° or warm setting.
2. In a 2 cup measure add the soy/coconut cream, belsoy cream, vanilla and cider vinegar. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
4. Once wet ingredients have separated (should look like spoiled milk) add the melted butter and vanilla.
5. In another medium mixing bowl, add pumpkin puree then the wet mixture and whisk until smooth
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in thirds, combining each third until just combined then giving it one final stir for good measure.
From here it’s the same cooking process as above. I found the pumpkin waffles took a minute longer to cook due to the wetness of the batter. Be sure to check them for golden goodness before taking them out!

No Comments Posted by Shawna on November 20, 2010
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Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Most of my weekend mornings begin exactly the same way. This is my version of pillow talk.

Bella: “Mummy? Muuuummmmmy? Are you awake yet? Pancakes”.
Me: “What’s missing from your question?”
Bella: “Mummy. May I have pancakes PLEASE?”
Me: “Yes you may baby let’s go.”

What an adorable way to wake up. Who doesn’t love making pancakes for the person they love most in the world, especially when they enjoy them so much they wake up craving them and forget their carefully constructed manners when asking for them? Grumps. Since I’m no grump so I make them often.

The only variable in this little weekend exchange is a swap in breakfast items. Saturday is pancakes. Sunday is waffles, which I’ll also post my recipe for very soon, promise.

Even if you don’t have the cutest kid on the planet (no bias here) waking you up with the request, there’s something about the fall air that makes you want to stay inside a little longer. With the warmest mornings behind us, there’s no longer a rush to get out and enjoy the day. The first crisp mornings of fall are perfect for pancakes. So stay in, enjoy the Suburbs and make the most of the day but doing as little as possible.

Now I know that making pancakes sounds like a lot of work and I’ve just suggest you do nothing but, I assure you, it is not. Once you’ve done this once, it’s a 20 minute project tops, including frying time. If you apply a “this is going to be SO worth it” attitude, put on a pot of coffee and some solid tunes, you might even enjoy the process. When you’re looking at a delicious stack of pancake goodness topped with streaks of maple syrup, you’ll be happy you decided to commit to this bit. Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up with a weekend ritual of your own.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Would Rather Gather Original
Prep Time: 10 minutes / Active time: 10 minutes / Serves 4 conservatively or 2 enthusiastically

For the pancakes:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp demerrera sugar
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 large apple, peeled and coarsely grated
1 serving tofu dessert
1/4 Earth Balance buttery stick, melted + more for the pan
1/2 cup Soy or Almond milk
1 tsp cider vinegar

Method pancakes:
 1. Place tofu dessert in a tall container. Melt butter and pour over tofu dessert and puree until light and fluffy with immersion blender.
2. Combine soy milk and cider vinegar in a small bowl and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to remove all clumps and evenly combine.
4. Add soy milk mixture to tofu mixture with the vanilla and whisk until just combined.
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture. Using your whisk gently fold in the wet ingredients with the dry until just combined. Add the gated apple and stir again until just combined.
6. Over medium heat in a non-stick pan, melt enough Earth Balance to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add spoonfuls of batter until you’ve reached the desired size and shape.
7. When the bubbles begin to appear around the edges and through the centre of the pancake, they’re ready to flip over. The second side always cooks a lot faster than the first so watch them carefully!
8. Repeat until you’ve run out of batter, slather with Earth Balance, maple syrup and enjoy!

Pancakes can be wrapped in saran and kept in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for a few months and popped in the toaster for midweek morning enjoyment. Eggo might have pioneered this process but they don’t have exclusivity so double up this recipe for a yummier start to your weekday mornings.

1 Comment Posted by Shawna on September 26, 2010
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Market Challenge #1: Grilled Vegetable Torte

So one of the very best things about summer is the sheer abundance of produce. Our Sunday trip to the farmers market at Lansdowne Park was an embarrassment of riches. It has been said that you can have too much of a good thing and this plethora posed a problem: too much possibility. I needed a focus for my work and thus the market challenge was born.

The rules of the market challenge are simple. The majority of the ingredients for the dish must come from the market. I’ve made some concessions for proteins like soy, items unavailable locally like citrus or nutritional yeast and pantry items like vinegars or spices because they’re crucial to the balance of a dish. Otherwise, if it’s not found in the stalls of Lansdowne, it won’t be part of this showcase showdown.

My beau and I collected a classic combination of vegetables perfect for grilling and enough basil and fresh “Art-is-in” bread to create something truly great but what would that be? A salad? Snoresville. A sandwich? Nope, not special enough for Sunday night dinner pour deux. Then it came to me: a torte. Why just grill vegetables when you could layer them in a dish with tons of basil, beautiful balsamic then top it all off with tofu ricotta and a breadcrumb gremolata just to put things over the top?

So how did it turn out? Brilliantly. The veggies were grilled to greatness and then made better by the basil and balsamic. Both added a bold layer of flavour to the dish upping the complexity considerably. Add to the mix some super creamy tofu ricotta to round things out with richness and a crisp, crunchy gremolata to provide some texture and a balance-achieving zing and we had a real winner on our hands. The only thing we felt was missing from the dish was missing from the Market: mushrooms. When I created this dish, it was still too early for Le Coprin to grace us and our torte with their stunning wares. Their mushrooms are in such high demand by local restaurants and organic groceries that they didn’t have enough product to bring to market until the first week of August. The good news is they’re currently stallside enabling you to take advantage of their marvelous mushrooms should you choose to accept this challenge and make the dish for yourself.

This challenge was a ton of fun and the perfect way to make the most of the local growing season. In fact, we liked it so much we’re going to do it again. Stay tuned to see what comes of the next trip. Sundays have now become fundays.


Newbie Note: Balsamic glaze is simple to make but it does require some patience and consistent supervision. You don’t need to hover but frequent check-ins will be necessary unless you want to make it twice. Like all reductions, for a long time it seems like nothing is happening until the heat hits critical mass, then reduction happens quite rapidly and sometimes too rapidly. It’s tempting to up the heat to reduce the time but if you do, you’ll run the risk of burning the glaze as the sugar count in balsamic is quite high. Once you’ve burned it you can’t save it and you’ll need to start over again. Instead, try to remember slow and steady will win this race. Swirling the balsamic around the pan will help diffuse the heat if the simmer turns to a boil. Just be sure to keep your eyes and nose out of the way as the fumes produced by a vinegar reducing are acrid. If you forget this bit and lean into the stove for a sniff as you swirl, don’t worry, the smell will offend you so much you’ll never do it again. Finally, it’s best to remove the glaze from the heat once it’s thick enough to coat a spoon with a second or two of hang time. The residual heat will be enough to take the balsamic down to half and significantly reduce your chances of burning or overcooking it. Now enough with the mother-henning, you’ve got a torte to turn out!

Market Challenge #1: Grilled Vegetable Torte

Loosely adapted from Mark Bittman’s column in the New York Times, July, 21, 2010
Prep time: 30 minutes / Active time: 30 minutes / Bake time: 30 minutes / Serves 6 generously
Special equipment: Microplane or box grater with razor sharp fine setting

For the balsamic glaze:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

For the tofu ricotta:
1/2 brick of firm tofu
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 lemon, juice only
1/4 cup cashew cream or belsoy
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

For the gremolata:
2 tbsp Earth Balance buttery stick
6-8 inches of baguette, toasted and cut into 1/2′ cubes
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
1/2 lemon, zest only
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

For the torte:
4 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 lemon, juice and zest
1 tbsp dried thyme
pinch of red chili flakes
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
3-6 tomatoes, depending on the size, sliced into 1/4″ slices, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 zucchini, sliced into 1/4″ discs or strips
2 summer squash, sliced into 1/4″ discs or strip
2 eggplants, sliced into 1/4″ discs or strip (I’ve used Japanese)
2 red onions, 1/2″ wedges, reserving the core to help keep the wedges intact
1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, in chiffonade

Method balsamic glaze:
1. In a sauce pan over medium-low heat simmer balsamic until reduced by half, stirring occasionally to ensure the bottom doesn’t get too sticky. Set aside until ready to use.
NOTE: If you’ve just skipped down to this nitty gritty, you may want to scroll up for some helpful tips on how to get this glaze right the first time around.

Method tofu ricotta:
1. Over a medium-sized bowl, grate all of the tofu. Once done, run the grated tofu through your fingers until the texture resembles the course ground of ricotta.
2. Add the cashew cream/belsoy, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and stir to combine well.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper and chill in refrigerator until ready to use,

Method gremolata:
1. Combine all ingredients, save the Earth Balance in a food processor and pulse until a course meal forms and season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Add earth balance to mixture. Using your fingers run the Earth Balance through the breadcrumb mixture until evenly distributed and set aside until ready to use.

Method torte:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400° and spray a medium-sized oven proof dish with a neutral oil.
1. In a large bowl combine olive oil, garlic, thyme, lemon rind, peel, sea salt and pepper and whisk until well combined.
2. Add all vegetables, except the tomatoes to the olive oil mixture and toss until all are evenly coated.
3. Lay tomato slices on a flat surface and season lightly with salt and pepper.
4. Over high heat, grill all the vegetables and set aside.
5. Begin layering the torte beginning with an even mixture of the grilled vegetables, drizzle with balsamic glaze, followed by a layer of basil chiffonade and tomatoes. Repeat this sequence until you only have a 1/2″ distance from the top of the pan remaining. Spread tofu ricotta over the torte in an even layer, top with gremolata and bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling and top is golden brown and crispy.
6. Remove from oven, let stand on a cooling rack for 20 minutes, serve and enjoy!

You could probably serve this over pasta or with a nice green salad but we were happy to eat it all alone. A lot of it.

2 Comments Posted by Shawna on August 27, 2010
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Spiced Pecans

Mummmmm salty, spicy, sweet pecans. Spiced pecans are the ultimate caliber player.

Not only do they amp up every dish you apply them to but they’re amazing enough to shine all on their own. Salad soulmate and snack superstar. Spiced pecans are a staple I can’t live without.

You’ll notice they’re present in more than a few recipes I post so I had to include them as a Would Rather Gather Essential. Hope you love ‘em as much as I do!

Spiced Pecans

Would Rather Gather original
Prep Time: 5 mins / Active Time: 20 mins / Makes: 2 cups

For the pecans:

2 cups whole pecan halves
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup demerrera sugar
1 tbsp fresh cracked black pepper
1 tbsp fresh cracked sea salt
1 tsp cayanne powder

Method:
1. Preheat over to 325℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat.
2. Combine all ingredients on a medium sized mixing bowl and tossed until evenly coated.
3. Evenly distribute nut mixture over lined baking sheet and bake in over for 17-20 minutes until deep golden brown and most of the syrup has been absorbed.
4. Once out of the oven, transfer to ceramic plate and cool for 10 minutes on the counter then chill in the fridge for an additional 10 minutes and enjoy!

Pecans will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Although, I’ve never had the chance to test this out, they never last more than 3 days in mine.

2 Comments Posted by Shawna on May 1, 2010
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Cashew Cream

Cashew Cream has been well known to vegan bakers for years but it’s only recently gained ground in the savory cooking world. It’s the key to converting traditional french and new american dishes to vegan.

As anyone who has seen Julia Child or her good friend Jacques Pepin cook knows, it’s all about butter and cream. You cannot have enough of either. Finding the Earth Balance buttery stick was relatively easy, but a replacement for cream, not so much.

You can buy lots of cow milk substitutes: soy, almond, rice but none of them really do the job. They’re too watery, won’t reduce and don’t have enough fat to really hold anything together or have any kind of richness or weight. Enter cashew cream.

Raw cashews have no flavour of their own they’re just a great source of fat and creaminess. Once converted to cream, they’re actually more stable than dairy cream. Cashew cream is less likely to “break” in a sauce, whips up like a dream and reduces faster than their Holstein counterparts. Keep a stash in your fridge at all times and you’ll never be disappointed by a cream sauce again.

Note the cream only keeps for about 3-4 days in the fridge so I only make it a cup at a time so I’m not wasting more than I’m using.

Cashew Cream is insanely easy to make so you really have no reason not to use it in any and everything you’d like. The ingredient list is one item long so I’m gonna skip right into the method. Cool?

In a large airtight container cover 1 cup of whole, raw cashews with enough water to cover them by one inch, cover and place in the refrigerator overnight. Each cup of cashews should yield 1.25 cups of cream. Multiply as your need dictate.

NOTE: Whole cashews, while more expensive, yield the best results. Cashew pieces tend to dry out and produce a grittier, less creamy cream. Shell out for the good stuff, it’s worth it.

Drain cashews and rinse under cold water. Cashews should appear to be a little plump and be slightly soft to the touch. Place the cashews in either a full-size food processor or high-powered blender, cover with enough fresh cold water to cover them again by one inch. Blend on high until very smooth, anywhere between 5 and 7 minutes. If after blending for as long a 10 minutes you still don’t have a very smooth cream, drain the mixture through a fine mesh sleeve or some cheesecloth.

And there you have it, delicious cashew cream. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

2 Comments Posted by Shawna on February 6, 2010
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