vegetables » Living Lou

Vegetarian Chili

We’re getting a lot of rain and wind from Hurricane Sandy here in Toronto – as in, it’s raining every single day this week. I looked at the weather app on my phone the other day, and while I do love rain, I’m not sure I love it enough to deal with it every day. When it’s raining, and cold, I love to indulge in chili. It’s so comforting and flavorful and keeps you warm. I think it’s safe to say that it’s my favourite Winter meal.

About a month ago, I was invited to an event at Whole Foods Market in Yorkville where I got to taste their amazing Thanksgiving prepared foods. It was on this day that I learned one important thing about myself. I’m not a vegan, but if I were to become a vegan, I would eat their Vegan Pumpkin Pie every single day.

Other than tasting the yummy foods, the bloggers were asked to participate in the Blogger Gobbler Challenge. And I love a good challenge. We were given two secret ingredients – a la Iron Chef style – sweet potatoes and balsamic vinegar. The possibilities were endless but I could only think of one thing – chili. So I made a Vegetarian Chili that is so good you won’t even miss the meat and it’s packed with so many delicious vegetables I guarantee you will feel fabulous after this one. This chili is also vegan, but I like to add a lot of sour cream when serving because I’m that kind of girl.

Vegetarian Chili
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 cups diced sweet potatoes
1 green pepper, chopped
7-10 button mushrooms, quartered
1 jalapeno, diced and seeded
2 large carrots, diced
1 19 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
1 tbsp chipotle hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream for serving

Directions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat.

Saute onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes or until softened.

Add in spices and herbs, stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add all vegetables, cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, crushed tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil. Turn down heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes then simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in chipotle hot sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Serve piping hot with a dollop of sour cream.

I hope everyone stays safe during the hurricane and if you have power, I highly recommend making this Vegetarian Chili.

- Lou

Borscht

This year, I’m going to try and embrace Winter for a change. For everyone that knows me, this will be a huge surprise because I’ve always openly hated everything about Winter. That said, having spent every single Winter of my life in Toronto, I think it’s about time I start to try and enjoy it, instead of dreading it.

There is one thing that I’ve always loved about Winter, the comforting and warming foods; soups, chilis, curries…I could go on and on. What are your favourite Winter dishes?

The weather is definitely cooling down here, so soups and chili have already become a weekend constant – I just wish I had more time to create more recipes – I guess that’s what Christmas break is for. Already counting down…7 weeks to go.

This Borscht is an old family recipe from my Grandmother and is one of my Dad’s favourite soups. I love it now too, the colour is so vibrant and the taste is just divine, plus, beets are in season right now so this soup is actually perfect.

Alright – back to essay writing. Woo!

Borscht

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs stewing beef
10 cups water
2 medium onions, chopped
4 tbsp olive oil
6 cups diced beets
1 cup sliced green beans
1 cup diced potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
3 cups crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp each, salt and pepper
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)

Directions

Brown the stewing beef in a large frying pan on medium high for 5 minutes per side.

Transfer beef to a pot and add water.

Simmer partly covered for 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Strain the meat, reserve the stock and cut the meat into small pieces, removing any fat or bones.

Add the meat and stock back into the pot.

Meanwhile, sauté the onions in olive oil 5 minutes until softened. Add the beets, green beans, potatoes, carrots and celery and sauté for another 3 minutes.

Next, add crushed tomatoes, dill and sugar. Simmer for another 3 minutes.

Add the vegetable mixture to the beef and water and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

Add the vinegar, salt and pepper and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve, garnished with a teaspoon of sour cream (optional).

I hope this Borscht warms you up on a cold evening, it’s my go to soup right now.

- Lou

Zucchini Fritters

Zucchini is everywhere right now, but after looking at hundreds of recipes online on other blogs, I realized that I’m really lacking in zucchini recipes on here. Gasp! But don’t worry, I’ve got you covered. I’ve got a couple of zucchini recipes up my sleeve for those of you with bountiful zucchini growing in your garden or for those of you like me, who just really like zucchini. Zucchini Fritters are a pretty typical way to enjoy zucchini, I wanted to make mine a little different and I added fresh basil which compliments the zucchini wonderfully.

There aren’t many foods, other than the holy trifecta of bacon, eggs and toast, and we can’t forget pizza that you can eat for dinner and breakfast, but you can add these Zucchini Fritters to that list. I feel like these would even make a good packed lunch because they taste amazing when they’re cold. I like to eat mine with a little ketchup mixed with sriracha – it’s so good.

Zucchini Fritters (makes 6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 small onion, shredded
2 zucchini, shredded
1 tbsp minced fresh chives
1 tbsp minced fresh basil
1 egg
2 tbsp plain yogurt
2 tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 + 1/4 tsp salt
Oil for frying

Directions

In a colander lined with paper towels, place zucchini with 1 tsp of salt. Allow to sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, using more paper towel if necessary, squeeze out as much liquid from the zucchini as possible.

Combine zucchini with remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Cover the pan with oil, heat over medium-high heat. Using an ice cream scoop, drop one scoop per fritter into the hot oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side. If you find that the fritters are cooking too quickly, turn the heat down to medium and continue frying.

If you’re looking for more ways to use up your zucchini, try my Stuffed Mushrooms.

- Lou

Summer Roasted Vegetables

I love vegetables; grilled, roasted, sauteed or raw. These Summer Roasted Vegetables are just another way to enjoy the produce of the season. The tomatoes and red pepper are what add that nice summer touch that differentiates these from your typical potato, carrot and onion roasted vegetables.

What adds the easy touch is the use of Cookin’ Greens™ by The Toby Brand™. Cookin’ Greens™ are a range of products of dark-leafy greens. The greens are farm picked and within six hours, double-washed, double blanched, chopped and quick-frozen for your convenience, locking in all of their flavour and nutritional benefits. I was able to throw in a bag of the Designer Mix – chopped spinach, collards, rapini, yellow beans and onion - right into my pan without any prep. To me the best part is the no crying while chopping onion!

Before my experience with Cookin’ Greens™, I’d never really used a lot of frozen vegetables in my kitchen, but after my great experience with their products, I can definitely see myself including more frozen veggies into my recipes. While you can purchase straight kale, spinach and rapini, it’s the Designer Mix and the Athlete’s Mix that stood out to me because they really reduce prep time and they add another layer of flavour.

Summer Roasted Vegetables (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 500g bag Cookin’ Greens™ Designer Mix, frozen
6 mini potatoes, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
2 carrots, chopped into rounds
8 grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red pepper, chopped into 1-2 inch pieces
5 cloves of garlic, quartered
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large pan combine vegetables and thyme.

Toss with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes.

I hope you enjoy these Summer Roasted Vegetables as much as my family did!

- Lou

Disclosure: I was provided with two coupons for two free packages of Cookin’ Greens. I was not compensated in any other way for writing this post. The decision to write about the product was my own and all opinions are 100% mine.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes

I really love potatoes, especially in the summer, they are just such a great side dish to go along with grilled chicken or steak.

This recipe for Garlic Smashed Potatoes comes from the lovely Jen of Jen’s Journey, which was my assigned blog for this month’s Secret Recipe Club. Jen’s site is full of fun giveaways as well as many recipes, I was originally planning on making her Jalapeno Cilantro Hummus but these potatoes were calling my name. The only major change I made to the recipe was cutting down on the amount of butter. After reading many posts on Jen’s site, I feel like I’ve really grown to know her, she is so honest and open which is something that I really appreciate when reading a blog.

This recipe makes enough for about 3 people, but can easily be doubled.

Garlic Smashed Potatoes (serves 3)
Recipe from: Jen’s Journey

Ingredients
1 lbs of new potatoes
olive oil for the pan
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp melted butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400.

Boil potatoes for 12-15 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, prepare a baking sheet by spreading olive oil on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the baking sheet with salt. N

Next, combine garlic with butter in a bowl.

Place the potatoes 2 inches apart and using a potato masher, smash the potatoes. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper and paprika. Brush evenly with butter and garlic mixture.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are crispy.

I find that these Garlic Smashed Potatoes go really well with summer, like the way country music goes so well with summer. Am I right or am I right?

- Lou