Since I can’t be hiking long distance all the time, I’ve decided to start a little business that feeds my other passion, which is cooking.
Specifically, I’m baking, and using my nutritionist education to make treats that are delicious and healthy-ish!
I’m kicking it off on Saturday, July 5th! I’ll be doing a pop-up at the fabulous Wandering Albatross bookshop in Bloomfield on Saturday, July 5 from 11am until sold out.
Paper Kite Farm will also be carrying my cookies, muffins, squares and other treats in their great farm store, too.
That’s it for now, but I may also sell from my Diggers bookshop, and maybe a café in town. Stay tuned for more by following here (for the insider scoop) and in facebook and Instagram. I hope to see you sometime soon!
It’s all about healthy eating and moving to a plant predominant diet for our health, the health of the planet and for animals. It’s a lot of fun and inspiring to learn in community this way, face to face, and not online. Especially outside of the social media vortex.
Following our gatherings, I send out additional information on the topics discussed via e-mail a few days later. If this is of interest, simply send me an email to be added to the mailing list at: christinesvegkitchen@gmail.com
Here’s what was sent after our first get together:
Good Monday morning,
As mentioned, I’m organizing to make this into a monthly club so we can keep learning and sharing together.
Our upcoming meet up will be on Monday, February 10th at 6pm at The Learning Centre. Thereafter, it will be every second Monday of the month.
My vision is having our get together go something as described below, with the goal to educate and inspire each other.
– I’ll do 5-10 minute maximum presentation on topics like: understanding nutrients we need for healthy living, foods that fill us up without filling us out ;), meal prep and planning, low cost meals, easy and fast meals, plant based dishes for disease prevention and management, kitchen tips, making homemade staples like mixes and sauces, etc.
I welcome any topics you’d like me to include!
– Then, Q & A about the topic or any other questions you might have.
– Sharing, if comfortable, any particular challenge or struggle we might have about food, meals, etc., and then we can brainstorms ways to help, using the experiences of the group to help each other.
– Let’s Eat A Bit: I’ll bring tasty food samples to try and provide the recipe. Anyone else who would like to bring a little something to share – completely vegan, of course – is welcome to, but please don’t feel obligated at all!
The Veg Club is meant to make life easier and healthier, not add any obligation to already busy lives.
In the meantime, this article has useful tip to moving toward eating more plants from the folks at Forks over Knives – also the name of a great documentary if you haven’t seen it. Watch it with a friend or the family. It’s from 2011 and the stats have actually increased substantially. Still a powerful motivator to eat healthier. Or, if you have Netflix, You are What You Eat: the twins study is an excellent docu-series, and current. Here’s the trailer.
Hope to see you on Monday, February 10th!
Stay cozy,
Christine
I usually end with a recipe. Here’s on for indulging once in a while on a healthy treat. Easy High Protein Chickpea Blondies
Ingredients
1 cup oat flour
1 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed, if using canned)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp small vegan chocolate chips.
How to
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. -Line an 8×8” pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
-Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in food processor and process until smooth.
-Transfer to pan and smooth top.
-Sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
-Bake 25 minutes or until slightly browned and edges start pulling away from the edges of the pan.
-Let cool fully before removing from pan. If too soft, refrigerate for a while.
So it’s been a minute, as they say. My last post here was November 2015, 10 years ago! Life got busy, and I started writing another blog chronicling my long distance hiking adventures.
But, I am back to both blogs and more enthusiastic than ever about my vegan life, especially since I’ve been studying Plant Based Nutrition at the University of Guelph. This is ongoing. I’m now in year 2. I’m also developing recipes, doing talks on how to move to plant based eating (and the benefits) and I’m soon starting a support group in my community for vegans and those wanting to explore a healthy vegan diet. This is where we’ll share struggles, ideas, camaraderie and, undoubtedly, tasty plant based food! I am interested in helping folks find resources, providing support and, hopefully, inspiration. I want to provide some of that here, too, and sharing some of the knowledge I’m gaining with my studies. As I mentioned, I’m also an avid hiker and was a fitness instructor, so if you want to talk fitness and hiking, I’m game to chat about that as well. Meanwhile, please scroll back in the archives of this blog to see some of my previous recipes, or just see a new one below. And if you’d like to get future blog posts with recipes, please consider signing up and you’ll receive an email of the post when I upload it. I’ll soon be off social media, so that will be the only way to know when I post. Happy New Year and best wishes for healthy 2025!
Edamame Toast (For Avocado Toast lover but this one’s high protein, low fat, no avocado)
80g Edamame frozen, shelled 2 tsp Tahini 1 tbsp Nutritional yeast 1 tsp fresh lemon juice 1 clove raw garlic, pressed 0.25 tsp Salt 0.25 tsp Pepper black 20g Green peas, frozen, defrosted 2 tbsp vegetable broth
Put all in a blender or food processor until smooth, though I like a bit of texture, so it doesn’t have to be creamy. You can add an avocado to this and it’s delicious, too, but then the fat and calorie count will, of course, go up.
The request for these two recipes came from a discussion at a Tools for Change workshop I did on feeding large groups. The recipe for the bread pudding itself was born of a need to use up a huge donation of bread to our PEC Food Not Bombs group. The Peanut Sauce we had with the Spring Rolls we made. Yum!
Mixed and ready for the oven
Savoury Bread Pudding
1 cups kale, or spinach, or broccoli, cooked and finely chopped
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
*1 cup caramelized onions, or 1 cup sautéed mushrooms, sliced (or both)
1 yellow onion, diced finely
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 cloves of garlic
8 cups cubed stale bread
2 Tbsp flax seed mixed with ¼ cup water
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 cups almond milk or soy milk
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
*This is a pretty versatile dish, so put in what you like. I’ve mixed in sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers and even a can of drained and finely chopped artichoke hearts on different occasions. Experiment!
A layer of cashew cheese on this is pretty spectacular. Cashew cheese recipes are all over the internet. Also great with vegan gravy.
How to:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9 X 12 pan.
Cook and chop all the veggies you plan on adding (you can make these ahead, leave them in the fridge to add. Drain all liquid that might come off them from advanced prep)
Saute the onion and garlic.
Mix the flax seed with the water and set aside to set for 5 minutes or so.
In a blender or bowl with a whisk, blend together the cornstarch, almond or soy milk, mustard, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Stir in the flax mixture.
In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, herbs, the cooked veggies, and gently toss to combine.
Add the liquid mixture and let it soak into the bread mixture for at least 20 minutes.
Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
Place in the oven and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour uncovered, or until puffed up and browned.
If adding cashew cheese to the top, add it during the last 20 minutes of cooking.
Serve warm. Freezable.
Thai Peanut Sauce
Great with Fresh Spring Rolls or in rice bowls.
4 or 5 cloves of pressed garlic
1 or 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped finely
4 tbsp tamari
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 and a half cups unsalted peanut butter
2 cups veg broth
Mix well, heat through on low heat. This burns easily so stir while heating.
It started with a post about ‘des pets de soeurs’, a reference to a Quebecois treat I enjoyed every time my mother made pie in my youth. Literally “nun’s farts” – it sounds so much better in French, huh? – these were made with leftover scraps of pie dough, and some mixture of brown sugar and butter or a splash of milk, then rolled up into little sweet treats.
Soon the facebook thread included “la tarte au sucre” and “pouding chômeur” which was one of my absolute favourites as a kid. It’s sweet, sticky and not healthy at all. Of course, I’d had to concoct a vegan version a few years ago, and it’s just as great. That led to the question on facebook, “vegan, but how?” and a need when I got home from work last night to mix one up.
Here’s the result, along with the recipe.
The name, by the way, means pudding of the unemployed, or poor person’s pudding and was supposedly created by Quebec women factory workers early on before the Great Depression.
Makes one 9X9″ cake
Ingredients for cake
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups flour
2 tbsp baking powder
1 and 1/4 cups soy or nut milk
Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar (can use 1 cup if not using maple syrup)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp vegan margarine
1 cup boiling water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 375ºF
Blend dry ingredients fully.
Mix soy milk, oil and vanilla extract.
Mix wet into dry until completely incorporated but do not overmix. Mixture will be thick.
Spread into oiled cake pan.
Combine sauce ingredients making sure sugar is dissolved.
Carefully pour evenly over cake.
Bake for 35 minutes or until top of cake is golden.
Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
People often ask what I eat as a vegan, that is, not consuming any meat, dairy or eggs, so I’ve put together a collection of photos of some of my favourite dishes. These are things I make fairly regularly, usually when the ingredients are in season, or with food I’ve preserved, like pesto.
And yeah, it’s all delicious!
Dragon bowl – brown rice with tofu, lots of peanut sauce, avocado, bean sprouts and cilantro
Simple pasta with homemade pesto
Fluffy pancakes, County maple syrup standing by
Blueberry biscuits
I make and eat a lot of soup! This one’s Gingered Carrot
Chocolate cupcakes with toasted coconut topping
Tempeh slices and salad with citrus dressing & avocado
Creamy Veg Chowder with homemade croutons
Leftovers (often)- rice, peas and crispy baked tofu
Layered taco casserole
Lemony Chickpea with Kale filling for wraps or on its own
Roasted Potatoes with Roasted Garlic
Maple tarts
Carrot cake…or what was left of it when I remembered to take the pic
Potato with mixed herb pesto and garlic, cold or hot, so good!
Oatmeal with blueberries and almond milk
Tofu sundried tomato and spinach savoury pie
One of my favourite snacks, vegan cream cheese with Portland Bridge’s Blueberry Jalapeno jelly
Chickpea Salad Sandwich. Love to take this to work for lunch.
Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
Mexican style veg stew with avocado & cilantro
Mixed spring greens with maple balsamic dressing
Grilled peach or any fruit with whipped coconut cream
Bread salad – good bread, heirloom tomatoes, sweet red onion or shallots, fresh basil, garlic olive oil dressing
Homemade pita for stuffing, dipping in hummus or sopping up stew or soup
Breakfast scramble with kale and roasted sweet peppers
Pie!
Creamy mac & no cheese with broccoli
Marrakech stew on basmati rice
Retro style pineapple upside down cake
Kale chips
Chai rice pudding
Veggie sweet heat chili (usually with cornbread)
Rich chocolate torte
Best Breakfast Benny -love this when the asparagus comes up!
“Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living.” Louis P. De Gouy, ‘The Soup Book’ (1949)
I have one word for you for September – Soupalicious! If you’re a fan of soup, then check this out in Toronto on the 30th at Artscape Wychwood Barns.
The funds raised from Soupalicious are dedicated to the support of Plant a Row-Grow a Row, which encourages the sharing of harvest from people’s gardens with neighbours in need.
I’ll be there serving up my Roasted Veggie Chowder with garlic croutons and there’ll be lots of great chefs and restaurants represented ladling their soups, too. I took part in this event last year and it was fantastic!
This time around it took me the better part of the month of July to decide what I wanted to make, and then most of August to come up with a new recipe I was happy with. I have to admit that the sweltering summer days were not conducive to making soup!
My self-imposed criteria was to create a soup that would be simple to make and versatile so that you can feature your favourite veggies in the mix. I also didn’t want it to include expensive or hard-to-find ingredients. Above all it had to be tasty – a comforting soup, creamy without the cream and fat. I think I got it!
The secret is two-fold: roasting chunky pieces of vegetables rather than boiling them, and using a roasted garlic infused cannellini bean base that’s puréed to create a healthy, satisfying and delicious soup without dairy.
Simply seasoned with thyme, bay leaf and parsley, and finished with a few homemade croutons, it’s got both comfort and crunch in a bowl.
So come on down and “Sip, Slurp and Savour” this soup and many more on September 30th. I’ll have copies of the recipe on hand, too.
My kale is gorgeous this year and I’m so happy to be able to toss it into any salad I make. This recipe is simple and unendingly versatile and healthy. I make batches of it and take it to work for lunch in a mason jar. The flavour improves with time and the salad keeps in the fridge for at least 2 or three days.
Kale & Bean Salad
1 can of chickpeas (you can also use red or black beans, or a mixture)
1 mild onion finely diced
2 stalks of celery finely diced
1 sweet red pepper finely diced 2 cloves pressed garlic
¼ cup finely chopped chives
lots of finely chopped kale (at least 1 cup)
fresh thyme if you have it
Toss all in a large bowl.
In a jar, shake together vigorously:
3 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsps apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup or other sweetener
dash salt and pepper
Pour over salad. Adjust seasonings.
Best after chilling for a couple of hours, but I always end up having a bowl when I first make it!
The idea of holding a vegan dinner came to me when I realized that my dream of opening a vegan restaurant is likely not going to happen – at least not in the foreseeable future. That, however, did not dampen my determination to do something in a restaurant setting to serve up some tasty veg cuisine. Ultimately, it was my love of cooking and turning people on to vegan food colliding with my passion for the public library that provided the solution and eureka! The Vegan Fundraising Dinner was born.
I approached restaurant owners Renata and Zbig Lenc with the idea of renting the Painted Peppercorn to hold the event. When Renata heard what I wanted to do, she offered the use of their restaurant for free. How generous was that?! And she helped me immensely on the night of the dinner, too. As the plans came together, I contacted Vicki and Tim of Vicki’s Veggies to ask for a donation of some fresh greens. That’s how we came to have the most beautiful, fresh, organic arugula for the salad.
Two days before the big night, I realized we needed chaffing dishes since we were setting the dinner up as a buffet. I called Chef Michael Hoy – undoubtedly one of the best chefs and nicest people around. He not only provided the chaffing dishes, but made sure I had new Sternos, too (yes, I might well have forgotten those all important components).
When I first came up with the idea for the dinner, I have to admit that I was a little concerned. I thought most people would hesitate to try a full vegan dinner. I was pleasantly surprised when I sold out within just a little over a week. .
So with the help of many wonderful people, including my husband Gren who chopped tons of veggies, and my daughter Sarah helping me on the big day in the kitchen along with Renata, we held a super fun event. Everyone loved the vegan food and helped us raise $600 for the library.
Next: a vegan breakfast. Let me know if you want a seat at the table!
Note to self: take photos before the food is almost all gone!
I love biscuits but I have to admit that I’m picky and don’t like the heavier ones I’ve often come across, so I was really happy with how this version that I veganized and adapted from Anne Lindsay’s Lighthearted Cooking came out. They’re a bit sweet and perfect for breakfast or with afternoon tea.
I plan on eventually playing with the recipe to make a savory version to serve with soup.
This version is very simple to make and pretty healthy, too. The secret to biscuits is to mix them very lightly – just until blended and then drop the dough onto the baking sheet, don’t use a scoop or pat them down at all.
These come together so quickly that I made a batch in time for my daughter to have a couple for breakfast before heading out to catch her bus on Friday morning. When the temperature plunges overnight, there’s nothing like something warm and comforting in your tummy to start the day off right.
Ingredients
1 cup “buttamilk”, that is, soy or nut milk soured with 2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ cup Earth Balance vegan margarine
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
(I recommend using as many organic ingredients as possible)
How to:
-In one-cup measure, mix soy or nut milk and add lemon juice. Set aside.
-In bowl of food processor, mix next 7 ingredients. If not using a food processor, rub in the margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs
-Transfer to large bowl
-Stir in blueberries
-Add the buttamilk and mix very lightly until flour mixture is incorporated
-Drop by large spoonfuls onto parchment paper covered cookie sheet (or oiled)
You should have about 10 biscuits
– Bake at 425F° 12 to 15 minutes
Serve plain or with a bit of vegan margarine, or a drizzle of maple syrup.
Christine's Vegan Kitchen Adventures 