DINOSAUR EGG

TOFU + HUMMUS + SPINACH + AVOCADO SANDWICH

DINOSAUR EGG is back! Happy Holidays, everyone!

Your favorite bread
Extra firm tofu
Avocado
Baby spinach
Hummus
Breadcrumbs
Cornmeal (optional)
Salt & pepper

Slice up your tofu and press it for two hours.

Tip: It’s best to do this first step as soon as you purchase your tofu and put it in a sealed container afterwards. That way, you cut your prep time in most tofu meals.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Bread your pressed tofu with crumbs, cornmeal, salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes (or until golden brown), flipping half way through. 

To assemble, warm up your bread slices and spread them with a generous amount of hummus. Place your bottom slice on a plate and lay the tofu, plenty of baby spinach and avocado slices on top. Cover with the other slice and enjoy immediately! Yum!

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BUTTERNUT SQUASH LEEK LASAGNA

Serves 6

Layers of whole-wheat pasta, grated butternut squash, creamy leek sauce and roasted pine nuts come together in this seasonal, warm and filling dish. Its earthy sweetness would be best accompanied by a greens and tomato salad lightly dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette.

12 whole-wheat lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon earth balance or unsalted butter
2 large leeks, pale green and white parts only, thinly sliced and washed thoroughly (about 3 cups)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups soy or nonfat milk
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon fine grain salt
3 tablespoons freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 2-pound butternut squash, peeled, halved, seeded and grated
1/2 cup vegan parmesan alternative or grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup fresh basil, julienned

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles per package instructions. Drain and return the noodles to the pot and covering with cold water.

Melt the earth balance or butter over medium heat. Add leeks and stir them often, until softened, for about 6 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the leeks and mix well. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 more minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook, whisking constantly, until thick, 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk in thyme, salt, nutmeg, garlic powder, cumin and pepper. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Assemble lasagna in the prepared baking dish by layering four noodles, slightly overlapping, creamy leek sauce, grated squash and cheese. A second layer with four more noodles, some more sauce, all of the pine nuts, grated squash and half the remaining cheese. Finish by layering four more noodles, the remaining sauce, remaining squash and all the remaining cheese.

Cover very tightly with both parchment paper and foil.

Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until bubbling and golden, 35 to 45 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving and top with fresh basil.

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CURRIED BROCCOLI PEA SOUP

Serves 4

Warm up with a bowl of this yummy green soup!

2 teaspoons green curry paste
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup broccoli florets
2 cups fresh peas
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1/4 cup coconut milk
4 tablespoons freshly chopped raw almonds

In a large thick bottom pot over medium heat whisk the curry paste with the salt until well blended and warm. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant. Add the vegetable broth, tarragon and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the peas and the rice vinegar, simmer for another 5 minutes.

Using a blender, puree the soup in two batches until very smooth. Taste, and adjust seasonings if needed. Return the soup to the pot over medium heat, slowly whisk in the coconut milk and simmer for a minute or two, just enough to warm it up. Ladle into bowls and top each serving with a tablespoon of chopped almonds.

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CREAM OF STEEL CUT OATS

Serves 3

By grinding the oats in a blender, you cut the cooking time down to a mere 5 minutes. The result is very similar to the old classic, “cream of wheat”. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon, maple syrup, nuts and fresh fruit for a quick, satisfying and healthy breakfast!

3/4 cup steel cut oats flour*
2 cups water
cinnamon, to taste
few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg
6 tablespoons vanilla soy milk, plus more for serving if desired
3/4 cup cubed fresh fruit
3 tablespoons sunflower seed kernels, or any nut variety
3 tablespoons raisins
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons maple syrup

*Pulse steel cut oats in a blender until you obtain a flour-like consistency

In a saucepan, combine oats, water, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg over medium heat. Whisk as the mixture starts to come to a low boil. Reduce heat to medium low as it is thickening and starting to bubble. Once thickened, whisk in the vanilla soy milk.

Serve oatmeal immediately, topping with another drizzle of soy milk, maple syrup, fresh fruit, raisins and nuts.

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ROASTED CHICKPEA SNACK

Serves 3

A healthy and simple snack loaded with fiber, zinc, protein and flavor. You can adjust the spices on this recipe to your own taste, or use a whole different set of your favorite spices.

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
chili pepper powder, to taste
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Combine all the spices in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Let the chickpeas dry completely and arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for about 30-35 minutes, shaking the pan every ten minutes to prevent them from sticking. Temperature might vary depending on your oven, so keep an eye on them and make sure they don’t burn. Remove chickpeas from the oven and coat with the olive oil. Immediately toss with spices while still hot. Best enjoyed at room temperature.

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PUMPKIN FETA SAVORY MUFFINS

Makes 12

These savory muffins are the perfect companion to your Thanksgiving dinner!

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cubed pumpkin or any winter squash
1 large handful of baby spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped parsley or cilantro
3 tablespoons sunflower seed kernels
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup cubed feta
2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup milk
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Preheat oven to 405°F.

Use the butter to grease your muffin pan and set aside.

Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle some salt and pepper over the pumpkin. Toss well and arrange on a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until cooked through entirely. Set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine two thirds of the pumpkin with the spinach, parsley, sunflower seeds, Parmesan, two thirds of the feta, and all of the mustard.

In a separate mixing bowl, beat the eggs and milk together, adding some salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Add to the pumpkin mix. Sift the flour and baking powder and combine. Be careful not to over mix.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan. Fill each hole 3/4 of the way and top with a bit of the remaining pumpkin and feta.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Let them cool for a couple minutes and enjoy!

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NO-SPIRALIZER RAW GREEN NOODLES

Serves 2

I’m very excited to share this recipe with you because perhaps among my readers there’s someone in the position I was a few months back when I saw a recipe that called for a spiral peeler that I didn’t own to make zucchini noodles, and was quickly discouraged.

A couple of weeks later, I decided to experiment with a hand peeler and peeled long thin zucchini sheets.

I carefully piled them up one on top of the other and ran my knife vertically to cut thick noodles, much like fettuccine. I was pleased and very excited with the result but I still craved thin noodles that you could twirl around as you would spaghetti.

So the second time around, I used the technique one would employ when ‘chiffonading’ basil, for example. I stacked up my zucchini sheets, rolled them up and gently but firmly cut longer and thinner strips than before.

Eureka! These resembled the spaghetti-like noodles I craved to begin with! Thinner noodles helped the zucchini to soak in the flavors of my sauces a lot better.

Do not get discouraged if you don’t nail it the first time around. You should know that this a process that gets easier and easier over time and is worth learning. It’s also a very impressive and fresh dish that never disappoints.

4 thin zucchinis
2 tomatoes, cubed
2 tablespoons of fresh basil pesto

Cut off the ends of your zucchinis. Using a hand peeler, peel thin yet wide zucchini strips and set aside. Stack your zucchini sheets, only 5-10 at a time, depending on how much you can handle. Always start with very little and with more experience and confidence work your way up.

Roll them lengthwise and with a sharp knife, begin slicing the roll perpendicularly, creating fine, thin strips. You want to be very gentle here as it is very easy for the crunchy, raw zucchini strips to just snap.

Dress your noodles with the pesto, top with fresh tomatoes and enjoy immediately.

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FRESH BASIL PESTO

Makes about 1 cup

I don’t know if this happens to you, but every time I get basil in my hands, I can’t use it up fast enough. I add it to salads, sandwiches, soups, you name it, and I still have half of a sad wilting bunch at the end of the week. One day I had enough of throwing away rotting herbs and welcomed home-made pesto into my life. This pesto recipe is flavorful and wonderfully imprecise. It keeps for a couple of days when refrigerated and for long periods of time when frozen or canned.

After making my own pesto a couple of times, I noticed some things that I’d like to share:

First of all, I made a decision to avoid food processors or hand blenders at all cost. As convenient as they are, blended pesto lacked the texture I looked for. I realized chopping all the ingredients by hand prevents them from becoming a homogenized emulsion and allows each ingredient to stand on its own and flavors are highlighted in a way they wouldn’t had they been blended into a runny paste.

Second, the addition of Parmesan cheese isn’t really necessary. It really isn’t. As long as you have a handful of the freshest ingredients you can find, trust me, you won’t miss the dairy.

Last, chopping the ingredients is not as dreadful of a process as most might think. Whenever I make it, I set up a chopping station, get a good playlist going and run my knife through fresh basil leaves for approximately twenty minutes and actually enjoy it. The smell of crushed fresh herbs is absolutely intoxicating and the end result? delicious!

Always remember that whatever you decide to use to chop has to be very, very sharp or your basil will darken. As I’ve said before in other posts, this is a good basic recipe that stands great alone but you can always customize to personal taste and build on it by experimenting with your favorite ingredients.

1 bunch basil, leaves only, washed and dried
3-4 garlic cloves
roughly 1/2 cup of raw pine nuts
a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Start by chopping the garlic along with one quarter of your basil leaves. Once this is loosely chopped add another quarter of your basil and chop some more. Add the rest of your basil gradually until it is finely minced. Now, add about half of your pine nuts and chop them to bits. Add the rest, and chop. You want to chop it all very, very finely. Finally, transfer your mixture into a bowl and drizzle with a bit of olive oil, not much, just a few tablespoons.

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TOMATO, OLIVE & GOAT CHEESE
RUSTIC TART ON BALSAMIC CRUST

Serves 4

This is a wonderful yet simple tart. Ideal for lunch or a light dinner, served with a fresh seasonal tossed salad. These juicy tomatoes melt over a creamy layer of goat cheese, topped with julienned basil, toasted pine nuts, a drizzle of olive oil and black olives which serve as the contrasting ingredient in both flavor and color.

As for the crust, I decided to elaborate on a basic tart dough recipe by adding balsamic vinegar, which compliments the flavor of tomato very well. 

A tart pan with scalloped edges is not necessary, any shallow pan will do. As always, I highly recommend using the freshest ingredients you can get your hands on.

3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup chilled water
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup goat cheese, approx.

1/8 cup black olives
, sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 bunch basil, julienned

In a deep mixing bowl, combine the flour and butter using a knife/fork or pastry blender. Add the vinegar and water gradually and mix (I use my hands) until just combined. Do not overwork the dough. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before using.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Sprinkle your work area and dough with a little bit of flour to prevent from sticking and roll out into a thin round. Place the rolled dough into a pie pan and work the edges.

Place the goat cheese in an even layer, then add the tomatoes in an even layer, as well. Sprinkle the top with the chopped olives and a pinch of salt.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the tart shell turns golden.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle the basil, toasted pine puts and add a drizzle of olive oil.

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PEANUT BUTTER & CHOCOLATE OATMEAL BALLS

Makes 8-10 balls

I started making these teeny-tiny treats to take with me on long bike rides, but I quickly discovered they’re great for more than just snacking. Make ahead of time and pair up with fresh fruit and milk for a quick breakfast.

1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon brown rice syrup
1 tablespoon natural chunky peanut butter
1 tablespoon semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon raisins
1 tablespoon ground flax seed

Mix together all the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. 

Put a tablespoon of the mixture into a piece of plastic wrap. Using both of your hands, roll into balls pressing very tightly to hold together. Repeat to form the rest.

Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!

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HASPERAT

Serves 2

Who knew ingredients out of a hummus dipping platter would make such a great warm sandwich? The Hasperat, a Bajoran delicacy, is another one of my Star Trek inspired recipes. Its crunchy exterior and juicy interior make this delicious sandwich an addictive treat.

2 wheat tortillas
hummus*
1/2 cup baby spinach
1 small cucumber or 1/2 english cucumber
1 carrot, grated
1 1/2 tablespoons tamari
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
salt and pepper, to taste

*If you like spicier foods, I suggest using horseradish or jalapeño hummus.

Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, slice the cucumber very thinly and place in a large bowl and add the carrot, tamari, rice vinegar, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and toss. Allow the mixture to marinate for a minimum of 10 minutes.

In the meantime, spread the tortillas with hummus, covering its entire surface. Arrange the cucumber slices in one layer, slightly overlapping and sprinkle additional carrots.

Add a layer of baby spinach.

Tucking the sides, carefully wrap the Hasperat, it will get a little messy, but don’t let this discourage you. Just be sure to have some paper towels or a kitchen cloth handy. Place on a hot griddle or skillet to toast the exterior on every side. Slice and eat immediately.

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CURRIED CAULIFLOWER AND CHICKPEA STEW

Serves 3

This is a hearty yet simple warm meal that comes together in a jiffy, the kind of meal I crave most as the weather gets colder. The curry powder and toasted cumin deliver an aromatic earthy taste that plays very well with the creaminess of the coconut milk. Crunchy cashews and fresh cilantro are the perfect finishing touch. Feel free to experiment with or substitute ingredients, it’s hard to go wrong with it.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 potato, diced
3 tablespoons curry powder*
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons coriander
1 15 oz. can diced tomato
1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small head of cauliflower, florets only
1/2 to 1 can coconut milk, depending on personal taste
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, to taste
1/4 cup cashews, toasted
1/2 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped

*the amount may vary depending on the potency of your curry powder, flavor accordingly

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and cook the red pepper flakes, curry powder, coriander, cumin and paprika for about a minute or so. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and garlic and give everything a good stir.

Add the tomatoes, chickpeas, cauliflower. Then slowly whisk in the vegetable broth and coconut milk. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If at any point the mixture becomes too thick, you can thin it out by adding some vegetable broth. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.

Serve over Jasmine or Basmati rice and top with cilantro and toasted cashews.

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