thanks so much for the <3! The lemony lentil salad is a great place to start :) Would love to hear what you think of it!
Category: Vegan Recipes

Cornmeal Crusted Chick’n with Warm Corn, Tomato and Fennel Salad

So being in the kitchen has it’s ups and downs. On one hand I have the exquisite joy of being able to create and enjoy new and exciting dishes whenever I please. On the other, literally, manicures never last. If this evening’s dish didn’t work out, I might have been a lot more annoyed but seeing as this is one of my favorite dishes to date, my $11 polish change is acceptable carnage. So much for Ahisma…

Right, back to the food. The best thing about May is the influx of fresh produce, albeit not entirely local or seasonal, it  is available. Today during my Hartman’s hunt, I found corn on the cob. So. Exciting. You see I love the fresh, clean, crunch of corn off the cob. The frozen stuff does a very respectable job, but nothing can replace the burst of sweet goodness of freshly hulled husk.

Clearly the ears were coming with me. Now, what would I adorn them with? Tomatoes are a classic pairing, check. Love fennel, check. Throw in some dill, parsley and lemon for good measure and I’m counting the minutes to prep time in the checkout line.

I wasn’t positive the dill was gonna work but I’ve been on a kick lately and thought I’d give it a go. Not only does it work but it firmly keeps the dish from feeling southwest. Tall order with the corn but we (the Dill and I) emerged victorious!

Adorable Side Note: My daughter Bella thinks corn “has hair like Bert“. Almost died laughing. I’m sure those behind me at Hartman’s were convinced I’d lost it. I’m not convinced they’re wrong.

Cornmeal Crusted Chick’n with Warm Corn, Tomato and Fennel Salad

Would Rather Gather original, roughly inspired by Gourmet, 2000
Prep time: 20 minutes, Active time: 15 minutes, Serves 2

For the Chick’n
2 Lemon Dijon Gardien Chick’n Breasts, rinsed of marinade and pat dry
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp freshly cracked pepper
1 tbsp fine sea salt
enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan to 1/2 inch depth

For the Salad:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Earth Balance
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
1 pint miniature heirloom tomatoes
2 ears of corn, husked and kernels removed from cob
1 cup fennel, diced to approximately the same size as corn
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced to approximately the same size as corn
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

1/4 Israeli couscous

Method Coucous:
1. Bring a sauce pan of salted water to boil and cook couscous until el dente as per package instructions. Drain and set aside until ready to incorporate into the salad.

Method Chick’n:
1. Remove Chick’n breasts from packaging, rinse/wipe clean of marinade and pat dry.
2. Combine cornmeal, cayenne, salt and pepper on plate.
3. Coat each breast evenly by pressing both sides of piece into the cornmeal mixture.
4. In a saute pan, bring oil up to temperature (should be lightly bubbling, like champagne)
5. Fry chick’n for 3-4 minutes on each side or until they are crisp and golden, drain on paper towel and serve immediately.

For the Salad:
1. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, bring olive oil and Earth Balance up to temperature. Add garlic and chilis and saute until golden.
2. Add onion to pan and saute until translucent. Add corn, fennel and tomatoes and saute until corn is crisp tender, about 4-6 minutes.
3. Add dill, parsley, lemon juice and couscous. Season salad mixture with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Top with cornmeal crusted and chicken and enjoy!

No Comments Posted by Shawna on May 13, 2010
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Lemony Lentil and Rice Salad

I love a good rice salad. They’re perfect for lunches, potlucks and sometimes in-car eating on road trips. Boston is a 7-hour drive from Ottawa, so anyway your slice it, you’re going to need something to eat at some point. As it’s not exactly to find vegan-friendly roadside options, I thought I’d try making this salad and see how well it travelled. As it turns out, pretty darn well.

If you stuff all of the ingredients into a large ziplock bag, keeping the nuts and dressing separate until you’re ready eat, the crunch of the pecans and the zing of the dressing come through loud and clear.

When lunchtime rolled around, we were nowhere near a good stop point so we kept rolling. I added the nuts and dressing to the bag, rolled and shook the salad until it was evenly coated and served in bowls en route. Not only were we satisfied, but we saved the 30 minutes it would have taken to stop. Who doesn’t love a salad that is both delicious and car-service freindly?

Clearly the photo compliment above is not the salad I made in the ziplock but the second go round. Hope you like it enought to make it twice too!

Crunchy Lentil and Rice Salad

loosely based on recipe from Gourmet, 2000
Prep Time: 30 minutes / Active Time: 5 minutes / Serves: 4

For the salad:

1 cup basmati rice, cooked as per instructions on packaging
1 cup french green or beluga lentils
1 tbsp vegetable stock cube, powder or paste
1 clove garlic, peeled & smashed
4 green onions, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 cup english cucumber, seeded and diced
1 cup quartered heirloom tomatoes
1 small bulb fennel, shaved
1/2 cup red seedless grapes, halved
1/2 cup spiced pecans

For the dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
3 tbsp white balsamic vinigar
2 tbsp lemon juice + zest of one lemon
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Method:

1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to boil, add vegetable stock, garlic and lentils. Stir well and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Drain and set aside to cool.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, including pecans, add dressing, toss until evenly coated and serve.

Everything should be this easy.

6 Comments Posted by Shawna on May 3, 2010
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Heirloom Lettuce, Sweet Pea and Asparagus Pasta

Sunday nights in late spring are the perfect occasion to make a deliciously light bowl of pasta and enjoy a glass of wine on the balcony in the warm night air before the cold reality of Monday settles in and ruins what’s left of my weekend buzz.

Unfortunately the weather didn’t hold long enough for my plan to materialize today, but it was what drove me to hunt through my back issues of Bon Appétit to find this recipe. The texture of this pasta is brilliant. Once tossed in the pan with the warm ingredients, the lettuce takes on a velvety texture and in combination with the sweetness of the peas, crispness of the asparagus and heat of the sausage creates a nearly perfect bite. Add the previously mentioned glass of wine and a fresh playlist of summer jams like Drake’s “Find Your Love” and your evening is set, balcony or no.

Heirloom Lettuce, Sweet Pea and Asparagus Pasta

adapted from Bon Appétit, April 2009
Prep time: 15 minutes / Active time: 15 minutes / Serves: 2

For the pasta:

1 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Stick
1 tbsp olive oil
1 spicy Italian vegan sausage, in 1/4″ dice
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced into discs
small pinch of red chili flakes
2 shallots, cut into fine wedges
12-14 stalks asparagus, cut into 2-3 inch lengths
1 cup freshly shelled or frozen peas
8-10 green onions, white and pale parts only and cut into 1/4″ slices
1/4 cup white wine
2 servings of medium shell or tube pasta
1 tbsp vegetable stock paste or powder
2 cups heirloom/butter/boston lettuce,torn into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley leafs, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp lemon zest
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Method:
1. In a saute pan over medium-high heat, bring Earth Balance and olive oil up to temperature. Add sausage and saute until crispy. Remove from pan, drain on paper towel and set aside.
2. In same saute pan, add chilies, garlic and toast until golden.
3. In a medium sauce pan bring water to a boil with vegetable stock. Add pasta and cook as per instructions on package until el dente. 3-4 minutes before the pasta is done, add asparagus and cook until both are tender. Drain and add pasta and asparagus directly to the saute pan.
4. Add shallots and green onions to the saute pan and cook until translucent. Add white wine, peas and return sausage to pan.
5. Once pasta and asparagus are ready, add them to the saute pan with lettuce, parsley, lemon juice, zest and toss until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

No Comments Posted by Shawna on May 3, 2010
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Savoury Chickpea Cakes with Lemon Garlic Aioli and Arugula Fennel Salad

Chickpeas cakes are such a great alternative to veggie burgers or other traditional vegan main proteins. Over a salad and topped with a lemon garlic aioli, it’a a sophisticated main course perfect for a dinner party.
Stuffed in a soft, crusty bun, it’s brilliant for a picnic or Tuesday night.

As with most things, it all comes down to knowing your audience and applying the appropriate medium. In this case, I’ve gone with the traditional Dinner Party execution method.

Looking at the list of ingredients and the method for this dish, you’d assume this would take forever and be a giant pain in the ass. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just made this in under 20 minutes flat. Prep to plate and it was lovely. Consider it a challenge to see if you can do the same.

Savoury Chickpeacakes with Lemon Garlic Aioli and Arugula Fennel Salad

Combination of common knowledge and Would Rather Gather originals
Prep Time: 40 mins / Active Time: 15 mins / Serves: 2

For the chickpea cakes:
1 tbsp Earth Balance buttery stick
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup red pepper, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup bread crumbs, finely chopped
1/4 cup cashew cream
1 tbsp tomato paste
14 oz. can chickpeas, drained and mashed
chickpea flour, salt, pepper mixture for dusting
fresh cracked sea salt and black pepper to taste
enough canola oil to coast the bottom of the pan to 1/4 inch

For the salad:
3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red onion, in fine rings
1/2 cup fennel bulb, shaved
1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
2 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup, cherry tomatoes, quartered
fresh cracked sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the aioli:
1/4 cup of veganaise
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Method aioli:
1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, cover and place in fridge to keep cool until ready for use.

Method chickpea cakes:
1. In a saute pan, over medium heat, bring oilive oil and Earth Balance up to temperature, saute garlic with chili flakes until golden, add onion, red pepper and saute until soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. While onion red pepper mixture softens, combine breads crumbs with cashew cream. Let stand for 5 minutes, then using a fork mash bread and cream together to create a paste.
3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mash chick peas until mostly smooth. Add onion and red pepper mixture, nutritional yeast, breadcrumb paste, tomato paste, parsley and mix until well combined. Salt and pepper to taste.
NOTE: I like to use a pastry cutter but if you don’t have one or a masher on hand, the back of a fork always works – it just takes a little more elbow grease and time.
4. Form mixture into cakes and dust with chickpea flour mixture (1/4 cup flour with 1 tsp salt and tsp pepper)
5. In a large heavy bottom pan, bring canola oil up to temperature (bread will immediately become golden) and fry cakes for 3 minutes or until golden and crispy on each side. Drain on paper towel and serve over salad with a dollop of aioli.

Method Salad:
1. Just as the chickpeas are draining, toss all ingredient together until salad is evenly coated. Salt and pepper to taste.

2 Comments Posted by Shawna on May 1, 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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Linguini with Salsa Verde, Gremolata and Tomatoes

Last night I finally got around to reviewing the gluten-free, vegan challenge episode of Top Chef Masters I’ve had stored on the PVR forever. It started off a little rough but once the Chefs got over themselves and stopped whining about “how they had both hands tied behind their back”, a few really great dishes were born.  Michael Chiarello’s pasta was really well received by everyone regardless of their dietary status. Not only did it win best dish that episode but it looked damn tasty. I had to try and make this super yummy dish.

Now, normally I try to adapt “regular” recipes to fit vegan requirements, but this time the challenge was to try and replicate the already vegan recipe without a full ingredient list or the method available for reference. Suffice to say pause and rewind function of my remote got a really good workout. Adding to the difficulty level was the fact that I knew neither what differentiated a salsa verde from a pesto (they looked the same) nor did I have a good idea of what a gremolata was. Hummmm.

Apparently a salsa verde is a chopped herb condiment with parsley, vinegar, capers, garlic, onion and olive oil and is similar to a pesto except it doesn’t have the pine nuts or parmesan. Clearly the parmesan wasn’t gonna fly here but I’ve ad-libbed a little somethin’ somethin’ below to make this verde very fine.

Gremolatas are drier simplified version of a salsa verde composed of just parsley, garlic and lemon zest. Due the non-meatness of this dish, Chef Chiarello wanted to give this past a “little crunch and a lot more heft” so he elevated it by adding some gluten free crackers and pine nuts for good measure. Yum. Since I’m very cool with all things gluten, I used fresh breadcrumbs in place of the crackers, although I’m sure they were awesome too.

Considering more than 75% of the recipe was missing at the onset and the learning curve was a little steeper than usual, this turned out well. It’s a really well-rounded dish that will fill you up without filling you out. All of the components are pretty fantabulous but my favourite part has to be the oven-dried tomatoes drizzled with aged balsamic. So. Very. Yummy.

So once you get into the salsa verde recipe it looks like a ton of ingredients and a lot of work but I promise you it’s not. The food processor does all of the heavy lifting. If you’re really not feeling the effort, as long as you remove all of the stems from the herbs, you can throw almost everything in whole and just blend it a little longer. No biggie. If you complete all of the steps in the order outlined in the method the pasta, gremolata and tomatoes should finish within minutes of each other. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

Linguini with Salsa Verde, Gremolata and Tomatoes

divined from Michael Chiarello, Top Chef Masters Season 1, serves 4
Prep time: 30 minutes / Active Time: 30 minutes (with some overlap)

For the Tomatoes:

2 pints of mini heirloom tomoatoes or sherry tomatoes
old balsamic vinegar you can get your hands on, 3 yr age minimum

For the Salsa Verde:

3 cups fresh parsley
2 cups olive oil
1 cup green onion
3/4 cup drained, rinsed capers
1/2 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp chopped basil
1 tbsp chopped oregano
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 1/2 tsp fresh sage
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
freshly cracked pepper to taste

For the Gremolata

1 tbsp Earth balance Buttery Stick
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of baguette, very finely diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp lemon rind, coarsely grated
2 tbsp basil, roughly chopped
small pinch of red chili flakes

For the Pasta:

4 servings of linguini
1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp sea salt to season the water

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375℉.
2. Halve tomatoes and place sliced side up on a lined, neutral oil sprayed baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes until soft and slightly caramelized on the bottoms. Once out of the oven drizzle balsamic over the tops of each tomato and set aside until ready to serve.
3. While tomatoes are roasting, place all of the ingredients for the Salsa Verde in a food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside until ready for use.
4. Bring a large pot of water seasoned with sea salt and olive oil to a boil and cook pasta until el dente according to instructions on package. Drain and cover with lid to keep warm and set aside.
5. In a non-stick saute pan over medium high heat melt the Earth Balance and olive oil up to temperature. Add chili flakes, bread crumbs and garlic and toss to evenly coat in oil. Toast mixture in saute pan by shaking and tossing frequently to ensure mixture evenly browns. Once mixture begins to brown add, basil and pine nuts and continue to toast until entire mixture is golden brown. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a ceramic plate to halt the cooking process.
6. Add salsa verde to warm pasta and toss until evenly coated and serve in deep pasta bowls.
7. Spoon an even amount of tomatoes around the edge of each bowl, top with a big handful of gremolata and enjoy!

Note: The Salsa Verde can be done up to 3 days ahead of time when stored in a air-tight container in the fridge.

1 Comment Posted by Shawna on April 18, 2010
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Grain and Parsley Crusted “Chicken” with Mustard Maple Pan Sauce and Broccoli Rabe

I love Gardein. A lot. So much so in fact, I burned 20 minutes on epicurious looking for the perfect recipe to adapt for it, making me late for daycare pick-up and it was totally worth it!

This is everything I love all together on one plate. Sweet, spicy, crunchy and green with enough richness and weight to elicit audible yummy-in-my-tummy noises. After a “Thursday Night” class, I was starving and this was relatively quick (I completed prep before I left for class) to make when I got home. Needless to say, it lasted a whole four minutes on my plate with no sauce to spare. I wouldn’t say it’s 100% “healthy” but nothing this good ever is…..

Grain and Parsley Crusted Chick’n with Mustard Maple Pan Sauce and Broccoli Rabe

adapted from Bon Appétit, October 2009

Makes 2 servings (doubles perfectly for 4)

Prep Time: 30 minutes / Active Time, 30 minutes

For the Crust:

1 slice of whole grain bread with crusts, diced to 1″ cubes

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

1 tbsp flour (any kind will do – I’ve used organic white)

freshly cracked pepper and sea salt to taste

For the Gardein™

4 lightly seasoned Gardein Chick’n filets, with original marinade removed and patted dry

2 tbsp of dijon mustard

1 tbsp of Eath Balance Buttery Sticks

enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the saute pan

For the Broccoli Rabe

1 tsp Better than Bouillon vegetable stock concentrate

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 large bunch of broccoli rabe, washed and trimmed

For the Mustard Maple Pan Sauce

1/2 cup Broccoli Rabe Cooking liquid, reserved

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Stick

1 good splash of White Wine

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp grainy mustard

freshly cracked pepper and sea salt to taste

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients for the crust in a food processor (mini works well here) and pulse until a fine crumb forms. Dump mixture out onto small plate and set aside.

2. Pre-heat oven to 200℉.

3. In a pot large enough to hold all the broccoli rabe, fill with water to 2/3 mark and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, add the tsp of vegetable stock concentrate, smashed garlic cloves, broccoli rabe and cook until just tender, 4-5 minutes. Once tender, strain rabe (reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid for sauce) and place in a cold water to stop cooking. Place cooled rabe on tea towels to drain and dry.

4. In a non-stick saute pan over med-high heat, add 1 tbsp Earth Balance and enough canola oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Don’t skip on the oil, you’ll never achieve a good crunch in the coasting without it.

5. While oil in saute pan heats, evenly coat Gardein™ filets with dijon mustard and press in crust mixture until well-coated with no bare patches visible.

6. Once saute pan has reached temperature (oil and Earth Balance mixture is lightly bubbling) gently place Gardein in pan. Cook each side for about 3 minutes or until golden and crispy. Once both side are done, place the Gardein on a paper towel-lined oven-proof dish and place in the oven to keep warm while you make the pan sauce.

7. Rinse or wipe out saute pan from Gardein , add 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of Earth Balance over medium heat. Once at temperature (same as Gardein above) add minced garlic and saute until golden. Add splash of white wine and saute for about 1 minute until the alcohol burns off.  Whisk in mustards, maple syrup and thin out with reserved rabe cooking liquid until desire consistency is achieved. Salt and pepper to taste. Add rabe and saute in sauce until warmed through.

8. Divide rabe and sauce evenly between plates, top with Gardein filets and enjoy!

No Comments Posted by Shawna on April 4, 2010
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Lemon Scented Sugar Cookies

It’s nearly Easter and my daughter has a special day planned for tomorrow. She and her daycare buddies and going to run around in their jammies, watch a movie and eat a special treat. What treat is this you ask? Sugar cookies in the shapes of bunnies of course.

Confused because sugar cookies have a fair amount of sugar but also a lot of eggs and butter? No need. Once again there’s a work around. These cookies aren’t as sweet as their lacto-ovo counterparts but they are just as crisp and delicious. In bunny form they’re totally adorable.

The process of making these cookies is time consuming but they are so cute when you’re done you won’t care. Clearly this batch of dough has been dedicated to rabbit-form but it could have just as easily been hippos or butterflies. It really doesn’t matter what you shape them into, they’ll be just as good.

Lemon Scented Sugar Cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart, makes 24, 3″ bunnies.
Prep time 5 minutes / Active time: 2.25 hours

For the dough:

1 cup or 2 sticks of Earth Balance Buttery Sticks, softened to room temperature
1 cup raw granulated sugar
1 cup course turbino sugar
1 serving tofu dessert
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest of two lemons
4 cups all-purpose flour + more to flour work area
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 xanthum gum
1/2 tsp salt

Method:
1. Pre-heat oven to 325℉
2. Using a stand mixer, whip butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Should be a pale yellow.
3. Add vanilla. lemon juice and tofu dessert and beat again, until light and fluffy.
4. In a medium-size bowl, combine lemon zest, flour, salt. baking powder, baking baking soda and xanthum gum and sift or whisk all dry ingredients together.
5. Add to the butter and sugar mixture on lowest speed. Integrate the dry ingredients in a slow and steady stream until just combined. Cover and chill completely in refrigerator, about 45-50 minutes and up to a day in advance.
6. Once dough is chilled, divide into 4 sections. You may need to collect scraps left by cutter and roll out again. Generously flour workspace and roll each section of dough out to a 1/4 inch thick rounds . Cut out desired shapes, place on baking sheets and chill for another 15 minutes then bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just beginning to get golden.
7. Repeat until all dough has been exhausted and enjoy!

No Comments Posted by Shawna on April 1, 2010
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“Sausage”, Tomato and Broccoli Rabe Casarecce

So at this point, it might be apparent that I have a thing for tomatoes and pine nuts. I’ll eat almost anything containing those two items. The challenge lies in creating new dishes that employ their delicious contrast without becoming completely redundant. So, what could I do to make this new? Answer: Spicy Italian Vegan Sausage.

When creating a dish, you’re always hoping to strike a balance in taste and texture. In this we have the soft acidity of the tomatoes, the creamy crunch of the toasted pine nuts, the silky sweetness of the cippolini onions and the bite and heat of the sausage and yet the dish seemed incomplete. Enter the crisp, bitter beauty of broccoli rabe.

This was truly tasty and has since become one of my favourites. It’s relatively quick and very simple to make. And, the best part is, when you sear the sausage properly, you can fool carnivores. Which, if you read the About section, is what I’m aiming for. Yehoo!

“Sausage”, Tomato and Broccoli Rabe Casarecce

Would Rather Gather Original, serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes / Active time 20 minutes

For the Pasta:

4 cups casarecce pasta
2 bunches broccoli rabe, rinsed, leaves removed and trimmed to 4″ lengths
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
16 – 20 cippolini onions, peeled and left whole
4 Yves Spicy Italian Sausages., cut into 1/4″ discs
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil + 1 tbsp, divided
2 tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Stick
generous pinch of red pepper chili flakes
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
garnish with toasted pine nuts

Method:
 1. In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, bring the olive oil and Earth Balance up to temperature. Place discs of sausage in pans and sear on each side until very crispy and black in spots. Once each side is seared, remove discs from saute pan, drain on paper towel and set aside.
2. While sausage is searing, bring water to boil in a medium sized sauce pan over high heat. Season water with sea salt, tbsp of olive oil and add casarecce pasta. Cook as per instructions on package instructions or until el dente. Drain and set in cold water bath to halt cooking, drain again and set aside until ready for use.
3. Once sausages have been seared, bring another medium-sized sauce pan of water to boil over high heat. Season with sea salt and add broccoli rabe. Cook until firm, just 23 minutes tops. Drain and submerge in ice bath to halt cooking process and leave in water until ready for use.
4. Using same sauce pan as the sausage, bring the residual oil up to temperature again, this time over medium heat. Add garlic and chilis and saute until garlic is golden brown.
5. Add tomatoes and cippolini onions to garlic chili oil and toss to evenly coat.
6. After tomatoes and onions have softened, 8 – 10 minutes, return rabe and casarecce to saute pan. Toss to evenly combine and saute until heated though evenly.
7. Season with Sea salt and pepper to taste, garnish with toasted pine nuts and enjoy!!!

No Comments Posted by Shawna on April 1, 2010
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Spring Fling Salad

So I understand that it’s not quite spring yet but I really can’t help myself when the skies are sunny, the temperature 7 degrees and a produce section overflowing with asparagus. Once I had them in my basket I had to find something lovely and light to apply them to. That’s the best thing about really great produce, just finding some can inspire something to create something entirely new and who could say no to these beauties? Man I love food.

So I had the asparagus but now what? How did I want this to play out? For me a salad needs to have a roundness in both flavour and texture. It’s all well and good to have something that tastes really good but without some solid acoustics to back it up (crunch, crunch, crunch) it falls flat.  So, after way too much time pacing the produce aisle I produced this.

It’s got a little softness in the greens, crunch in the fennel and walnuts, sweetness in the grapes, green in the asparagus and edamame, heat from the red onion and the all important acid from the lemon to balance it all out. Given that I ate half a loaf of Lemon Poppy Seed Bread yesterday, this was exactly what I needed. Hope you enjoy this little flirtation as much as I did.

Spring Fling Salad

Would Rather Gather Original, serves 4
Prep Time: 25 minutes / Active Time: 5 minutes

For the Salad:

6 cups of spring greens, washed and dried
1/2 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced into half moons
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
1 bunch thin to medium asparagus spears, trimmed*
1 cup edamame beans (frozen is actually preferable here)
1 cup red seedless grapes
1 cup spiced toasted walnuts
1 tbsp fresh chives, snipped
*tips should be 1.5 inches and the remainder of the stalks cut into 1 inch sections

For the Dressing:

1 small shallot very finely diced
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste

Method:
1. Make dressing by placing all ingredients in a bowl and whisk or use an immersion blender to puree until emulsified or creamy. Chill in refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil and cook asparagus and edamame until they’re firm but tender, approx. 3-4 minutes. Once they’re cooked, submerge them in a bowl of iced water to halt to cooking process and keep them crisp. Drain aside.
3. Drain and pat dry asparagus and edamame then combine all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Add enough dressing to lightly coat the entire salad, toss and serve garnished with spiced, toasted walnuts.

Add some toasted crusty bread slathered with Earth Balance Butter you’re good as golden.

NOTE: If you’ve never worked with asparagus before, you may not know you can’t use the entire spear. The bottoms are quite woody and tough. To ensure you’re only working with the usable parts, hold the each end of the spear in your hands and bend until it breaks. Everything attached to the tip goes in your belly. Everything attached to the end goes in the bin. Cool?

1 Comment Posted by Shawna on March 11, 2010
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