vegan » Living Lou

Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables and a Maison Le Grand Giveaway

It’s OK to start grilling vegetables, right? I know technically summer isn’t for another month or so, but I feel like I’ve been in the summer mindset forever – I started grilling in April!

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but it will come as no surprise that I love, love, love Julia Child. I had a phase where I would watch her cooking DVDs every night, even today, I’ll put on her DVDs if I’m feeling stressed out or just need a break. But did you know that Julia Child hated grilled vegetables? She once said “There’s nothing worse than grilled vegetables!” I’m sorry Julia, but I’ll have to disagree with you on that. The grilled vegetables in this Pasta Salad add a nice smokey touch to the dish.

Along with the smokey flavour from grilling the vegetables, the other flavour element of this dish is an amazing Spicy Rosée Sauce made by Maison Le Grand. Usually pasta salad can be a heavy dish, filled with mayonnaise, but using this healthy sauce to bring the dish together was not only really easy, but also delicious.

I don’t know about all of you, but I find vegan/dairy free cooking to be pretty intimidating (confession, I have never cooked with tofu!) and with all the substitutes out there, it almost feels like cooking with your eyes closed. This Spicy Rosée Sauce literally eliminates the fear because Maison Le Grand does it for you – it’s pretty tough to make a delicious dairy-free rosée sauce but Maison Le Grand has cracked the code.

Since I loved the sauces so much, I’m so excited to give one lucky reader a selection of pesto and rosée sauces valued at $50 courtesy of Maison Le Grand.

To enter, leave a comment letting me know what your favourite Maison Le Grand product or which would you like to try? You can also earn additional entries by filling out the contest widget to increase your chance of winning!

Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables (serves 4-6)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 zucchini, sliced 1/4″ thick (roughly 20 rounds)
1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2′ thick rounds
1 red pepper, cut in 8 pieces
1/2 cup Maison Le Grand Spicy Rosée Sauce (or any of their rosée sauces)
1 375g box of whole wheat pasta (you can also use your favourite gluten free pasta)

For dressing:

1/2 cup Maison Le Grand Spicy Rosée Sauce (or any of their rosée sauces)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions

In a large bowl, toss vegetables with spicy rosée sauce.Cover and refrigerate for an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare your dressing. Whisk spicy rosée sauce with balsamic vinegar and lemon juice. Slowly add olive oil in a steady stream to emulsify.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Toss with half of the dressing mixture.

Preheat grill to medium-low heat. Cook eggplant and peppers for 5 minutes per side. Slice grilled eggplant into long strips, and grilled peppers into bite sized chunks.

Next, cook zucchini for 2 minutes per side. Remove grilled vegetables and add to pasta. Toss with remaining dressing.

Give this Pasta Salad with Grilled Vegetables a try at your next barbecue, you’re vegan friends will thank you!

- Lou

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway is open to residents of Ontario and Quebec over the age of 18.
See widget for terms and conditions.

Disclaimer: I was provided with samples of Maison Le Grand’s line of pestos and rosée sauces. 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.

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

Roasted Eggplant Dip

When I received my July assignment for The Secret Recipe Club I was a little bit nervous. You see, I was assigned the lovely blog Smells Like Brownies which would normally be the perfect fit because I love brownies, but…

I’m in Greece! And baking on a small island in Greece is completely different from baking in Toronto. The flours are different and the sugar is different. What if I didn’t have the right tools? What kind of impact would the change in altitude have? Luckily, Melissa from Smells Like Brownies has such a variety of recipes on her blog that I found the perfect recipe, a popular Greek dip, Melitzanosalata, also known as Roasted Eggplant Dip. The best part – eggplants straight from the garden.

My grandparents grow a ton of vegetables. Talk about a food bloggers dream, literally having a farmer’s market in your own backyard. Typically a Melitzanosalata uses just parsley instead of rosemary, but I loved the addition of rosemary – plus we have about three massive bushes of rosemary growing in the garden. If you’re looking for another one of my favourite eggplant recipes, checkout my Eggplant Salad – it’s too good.

Roasted Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata) (serves 2-4)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 onion
1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 tbsp fresh parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Poke the eggplant all over with a fork and roast for 40 minutes or until tender.

Once eggplant is done, slice in half and scoop out the inside.

In a food processor, combine the eggplant, garlic, onion, rosemary, parsley and olive oil. Pulse until desired consistency.

Serve with crackers or pita, I served mine with melba toast and it was delicious.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Lou

Oven Fries

Aren’t oven fries the best? They are homier and more comforting than regular fries, right? Plus they’re healthier because they’re baked not fried.

I don’t know about you, but I’m sold on oven fries. Have I sold you on them yet? Aside from oven fries, I have another recent obsession. I like to call it “puppy in an Ugg boot”. Meet Sophie!!! She’s a Morkie – half Maltese, half Yorkie.

Sophie is such a little rascal, here she is playing with my sweet Mother. I’ve talked about my good ‘ol Dad on here before, but have somehow not really talked about my Mom. I think these photos say it all – isn’t she the best. She’s also obsessed with soup, so many of the soup recipes on here have been inspired by her.

Have I mentioned that I’m obsessed with my pup? She’s insane but so cute.

So, that explains my slight absence, plus we’re deep in finals, my friends. Deep. As in I will be spending the entire weekend preparing for my THREE exams happening on Monday and Tuesday. Hold me.

Oven Fries (serves 2-4)
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

2 lbs potatoes, cut into wedges
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss potato wedges in olive oil. Add spices, toss to coat.

Arrange, in one layer, on a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes.

A super easy, and tasty side dish or snack. I love to dip them in a lot of ketchup. Mmm!

- Lou

Eggplant Salad

Today, I’m sharing a recipe for a somewhat, purple dish: Eggplant Salad. It is an easy meatless, and vegan dish that is perfect to bring to a potluck. Fresh tasting, it goes well on its own or served on a piece of toast as a little crostini type dish. It’s got a little bit of a Mediterranean flare, and makes a super healthy and easy appetizer or side dish.

A little side note from the yummy recipe, March 26th is Purple Day - The Global Day of Epilepsy Awareness. Epilepsy is something close to my heart because my sister is one of the 1% of people that have epilepsy. Epilepsy is a disease that has been mistreated and condemned for centuries, but it’s something that is very real for many people. I wanted to write a little something about Epilepsy in hopes that my little spot here on the internet can help raise awareness. If you want to learn more about Purple Day and what you can do to raise awareness, take a look at the official website, Purpleday.org

Eggplant Salad
Recipe by Lou

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
1 large tomato, diced
1 tbsp diced onion
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp vinegar
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

On a baking dish, bake eggplant for an hour. Allow to cool and cut into bite sized pieces.

Add tomato, onion and garlic to bowl. Add in the eggplant.

Toss with olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar and parsley.

I hope you enjoy this Eggplant Salad.

- Lou