Cooking Up a Storm
January 6, 2010
For Christmas I was given a great new cookbook (I love cookbooks!), called The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen , the title reads “Delicious Meatless recipes that will Change the Way you Eat.” Ok let’s give it a try!
So for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day I cooked and cooked and cooked.
First of all I made the Cashew Cream and the Celery Root Soup with Granny Smith Apples. Both these recipes are on the Oprah Website . The Cashew Cream is a vegan substitution for dairy, simply soak raw cashews overnight in water, drain and combine with fresh water in a blender until smooth, the less water the more creamy and thick it is. The soup was very easy to make (all the ingredients were available at the Superstore) and it was delicious!!! I brought it to a friends house for dinner and it was a big hit. I used the leftover Cashew Cream as a base for smoothies with frozen bananas and strawberries to make healthy milk shakes. Yum!
Inspired by the success of the soup I decided to create a four-course meal for a few girlfriends. The menu was:
Quinoa Maki with Avocado and Cajun Portobello Fillets
Tomato Bisque
Agave-Lime Grilled Tofu with Asian Slaw and Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cake with Whipped Cashew Cream
My two girlfriends love food as I do, in fact they catered gourmet dinners for a while, but neither eat a strictly vegan diet, so throwing tofu in the menu was adventurous and it paid off – it was delicious.
The quinoa replaces sticky rice which is a great idea as quinoa when hot is quite sticky, I had leftover brown rice in the fridge, didn’t want to waste it so I used that – Mistake – it’s not sticky at all! The Portobello Fillets however were delicious, marinated for one hour in garlic, shallots, white wine, wine vinegar and cajun seasonings and then dried and blackened in a cast iron skillet – they made a great addition to the Maki, even if the rolls themselves fell apart without the sticky quinoa- we just scooped everything up with our fingers and enjoyed.
The Tomato Bisque a simple one-pot soup using organic canned tomatoes and cashew cream – I had to remember to start soaking the cashews the night before (yes this meal took some prep and some thought – but my girlfriends are worth it). We loved the soup – and there was enough for leftovers the next day.
The tofu was outstanding, all because of the flavours in the marinade – agave nectar, soy sauce, garlic, pepper, lime juice and a touch of brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours, bake in the oven for 15 minutes, reduce the leftover marinade to a glaze, then grill the tofu in a cast iron pan brushing with the glaze – sweet saucy and yummy. Complimenting the tofu was a Slaw made carrot, daikon radish and nappa cabbage, rice vinegar, agave and lime juice make the dressing. Pile the slaw and tofu on top of steamed sweet potaotes mashed with cashew cream. Outstanding – and by now we were getting very full, thank goodness for Lulu Pants!
OK we took a break, had some tea and finished off with the Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cake and I used leftover Cashew Cream to make the whipped cream, agave and coconut butter are added to the cashew cream and my husband announced “it tastes just like the real thing.”
The three of us emailed each other the next day and the next, announcing that we were still full and not only was the meal a huge tasty hit, but we loved knowing that it was good for us, the environment and the animals 
My last go at the Conscious Cook was at the cottage New Year’s Eve, Whole Wheat Penne with San Marzano Tomatoes, ridiculously easy to make and if you like olives you will love it! And a dessert you would only have time to make while relaxing on holidays, Oven-Roasted Banana Run Cheesecake with Spiced Pecan Crust and Maple Rum Sauce! There is a great vegan cream cheese product that you can get locally at Rainbow Foods and the Natural Food Pantry which replaces the dairy, roasting the bananas brings out all the banana flavour and the crust is made with ground pecans and spelt flour. This dessert was divine – and I believe I topped off the holidays by having it the next day for breakfast.
Every recipe I made was delicious, the soups were easy to make they just took a tiny bit of planning to remember to soak the cashews and I have a new way to cook tofu but – Thank Goodness we are back to Boot Camp and Running Classes, I’m fortified with healthy food and haven’t gotten out of my Lulu’s since Dec 25th!
If you tried any vegetarian recipes over the holidays - please let me know and we’ll post them! And if you need to get our of your Lulu’s meet us at Boot Camp!
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