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Creamy and comforting, a delicious early Spring lunch or dinner  Prep and Cooking: 1 hour Serves: 4-6 Main Ingredients: 4 cups of mushrooms, chopped – use any variety you would like; cremini, portabellos and button mushrooms work well 1 medium yellow onion chopped finely – if you don’t have a white onion use what you have on hand 1-2 celery ribs, finely chopped (optional) 2 -3 cloves of garlic minced 2-3 tbsp fresh thyme 4 cups vegetable broth 1/3 cup pearl barley 2 tbsp corn starch or flour 1/2 cup plant based milk 2 tsp celery salt (optional) 2 tsp poultry seasoning salt and pepper to taste Method: In a large, high-sided pot, sauté the chopped onion over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the chopped mushrooms and celery, cooking until soft (approximately 3-5 minutes in total), being careful not to burn the onions. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for an additional few minutes. Add the broth and barley to the pot, stirring to mix all ingredients together. Allow the mixture to cook on low heat for 25-30 minutes. While the barley mixture is cooking, whisk together the flour and milk. The finished result will be a thickened sauce or loose paste consistency. When the barley is soft and cooked through add the thickening mixture and blend well to work out any lumps that may remain. Bring the mixture to a boil, this will ensure that the flour or cornstarch is cooked through. Return to medium heat, stirring to incorporate. Allow the soup to simmer on low for 10-15 minutes or until the soup has thickened. Garnish with additional fresh thyme and serve with a crusty roll or on its own.
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A simple snack or savoury side dish!  Prep & Cooking Time: 45-50 minutes Serves: 4-6 Pairs Well With: Baked BBQ Tofu Main Ingredients: 4 - 6 large russet potatoes rinsed and scrubbed (skin on) 2 tbsp olive oil Seasonings/Spices: 3 tsp garlic powder or 2 fresh cloves minced 2 tsp dried parsley ½ tsp chili powder ½ tsp paprika 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp salt Method: Pre-heat oven to 400°F and prepare a baking sheet (or two) by lining them with aluminium foil or parchment paper. Cut each rinsed and scrubbed potato into quarters and each quarter in half again. In a large bowl add oil and seasonings, whisk to combine. Add pre-cut potato wedges to the bowl and toss to coat evenly. Place seasoned wedges in a single layer on the baking sheet, brushing or pouring over any of the excess oil blend remaining in the bowl. Bake for 35-40 minutes, turning once at 20 minutes. Wedges should be golden and crisp. Cooking times and oven temperatures may vary, watch these closely during the last half of baking to avoid burning. Tips & Variations:
Warming ginger coupled with deep roasted flavours creates a welcomed Winter winner!  Prep & Cooking: 40-45 mins Serves: 4-6 Pairs well with: Whole Wheat Cornbread Muffins Main Ingredients: 2 cups cauliflower florets 2 cups carrots, diced 1 medium onion, diced 2-3 tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 1-2 tsp fresh garlic, minced OR ½ -1 tsp powdered 3 cups vegetable stock 1 tbsp (or more) grated fresh ginger Method: Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. In a large bowl, drizzle cauliflower and carrots with olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and toss to coat. Roast vegetables for 20-25 minutes, turning once halfway through until carrots are tender. In a large pot, warm 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat and sauté onions until translucent. Add fresh garlic, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Transfer cauliflower and carrots to the pot and stir to combine. Add the vegetable stock and turn heat up to medium-high. Allow the soup to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat and, using an immersion blender or standard blender, process the soup to desired thickness. If you prefer a chunkier soup, remove some of the carrots and cauliflower prior to blending. Return the soup to the heat and stir in the grated fresh ginger. Heat through on low. This soup will keep in a lidded container for up to a week in the refrigerator or in the freezer for months. We suggest single serving sizes for freezing. Tips & Variations:
A comforting & classic dish perfect for the Fall to Winter transition  Prep & Cooking: 1 hour Serves: 6-10 Main Ingredients Potato Toppings: 5-6 medium potatoes, peel if desired 1-2 medium sweet potatoes peeled *You can use only white or only sweet potatoes if you’d like, you want to have around 4 cups of mashed potato when you are finished cooking Salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp plant-based butter or oil of your choice (optional) 1 clove minced or ½ tsp garlic powder 1 tbsp fresh thyme (garnish) Lentil and Vegetable Base: 1 (540ml/19fl.oz.) can of brown lentils or 2 cups cooked lentils 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 1 large carrot, diced 2 cups total of additional bite diced vegetables – this is up to you, use what you like and what you have on hand. I used a bell pepper, celery, cremini mushrooms and green beans. If you want to keep things very simple, use 3 cups total of a frozen mixed vegetable medley 3-4 tbsp tomato paste, if you don’t have paste and you’re using tomato sauce add 4-6 tbsp 2-3 cloves of garlic or 1-1 ½ powdered garlic 2-3 tbsp liquid aminos (a soybean based sauce, usually found in a natural grocery department or health food store), tamari or soy sauce 1-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional) Method: Preheat your oven to 375°. In a large, high sided pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil and sauté onions until translucent; around 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic, carrots, and additional 2 cups of diced vegetables to the pan and continue to sauté for an additional 10-15 minutes until carrots are softened. Remember, this dish will be baked after it is assembled and therefore the carrots do not need to be cooked through, just softened. Add lentils to the pan and stir to combine. Add tomato paste, liquid aminos, and optional balsamic vinegar and stir to incorporate. As you stir the mixture some of the lentils are likely to breakdown, this is ok and creates a smoother filling that stays together better. In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook potatoes for around 10 minutes until soft enough to mash. Remove the potatoes from the heat and drain the water. Mash the potatoes and add garlic and butter or oil (optional), and stir to combine. In a 9x9 baking dish or equivalent, create a base layer for the pie using the lentil and vegetable mixture. Smooth the mixture out to meet the corners and make it as even as possible. Top the vegetable and lentil base with the mashed potato mixture and smooth into an even layer. You can use a fork or butter knife to create ridges in the top of the potato or leave it smooth, however, ridges will create a crispier topping. Top with fresh thyme and bake for 30-40 minutes, and allow to cool for around 10 minutes before serving. Like rays of golden sunshine in a bowl - perfect on a cool Fall day  Prep & Cooking: 1 hour to roast vegetables, 20 minutes to finish the soup Serves: 6-8 Main Ingredients: 1 acorn squash – this is the dark green variety that is shaped, you guessed it…like an acorn (seen photo below) 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1 inch pieces 1 large orange carrot, diced into 1 inch pieces 1 medium onion, small dice 2 cloves of garlic, crushed or 1-1 ½ tsp powdered garlic powder 4 tbsp olive oil 3 cups vegetable stock Salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp ground turmeric ½ tsp yellow curry powder (optional) ¼ tsp cumin Additional cumin, curry or turmeric and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for garnish (optional) Method: Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut the acorn squash in half and remove the stringy flesh and seeds using a metal spoon. Score the flesh; cutting ¼ - ½ inch deep depending on the thickness of the squash. You do not want to cut all the way through. Drizzle both sides with 1 tbsp of olive oil and add salt and pepper to season. Place squash, cut side up on a prepared baking sheet or in a shallow baking dish. Cut carrot and sweet potatoes into 1 inch pieces and drizzle with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Toss cut vegetables to coat and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the carrots and sweet potatoes to a prepared baking sheet or shallow baking dish and spread in a single layer. If you have a large enough tray or dish you may be able to fit all of the vegetables in together. Roast carrots, sweet potatoes and squash for 45-60 minutes, stirring the carrots and potatoes and turning the squash dish or pan (not the actual squash) at the halfway mark. When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the cooked flesh and set aside. In a large pot over medium heat, sauté chopped onion and garlic in 1 tbsp of oil until translucent; about 5 minutes. Add squash, carrots, and potatoes to the pot and cover with 3 cups of vegetable stock. Bring contents to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce to medium. Continue simmering for 10-15 minutes until all vegetable are soft enough to slice easily with a fork or knife. Remove the soup from the heat and blend. You can do this using a hand-held immersion blender or using a traditional blender. Blend until smooth and no lumps remain. When the soup is blended, return to the pot and add turmeric, cumin, salt & pepper, and curry (optional). Warm through over medium heat. Garnish by sprinkling with additional cumin, curry or turmeric and toasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) This soup keeps in a sealed container for up to a week in the refrigerator or for several months in the freezer. A make-ahead appetizer to cut cook and prep time on dinner day!  Prep & Cooking: Soaking cashews for 4-24 hours and 10-20 minutes to combine ingredients and process Serves: 6-8 as an appetizer Pairs well with: Fall Menu Plan Main Ingredients: 1 cup raw cashews – you can use whole or pieces, whole cashews are easier to work with if soaked longer 2 cloves or 2-3 tsp crushed garlic 2 tbsp fresh sage 2 tbsp fresh thyme 3-4 tbsp fresh dill 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground pepper Juice of half a lemon 2 tsp nutritional yeast (optional) Method: In a lidded container, soak 1 cup of raw cashews in water for a minimum of 4 hours, to a maximum of 24 hours. The longer you soak the cashews, the easier the nuts are to process and blend. If you will be using an older or low-power blender or food processor soak the nuts as long as possible. Drain the water and transfer the nuts to a blender or food processor. Add garlic, herbs, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt & pepper. Blend all ingredients until smooth. This will take awhile, up to 10-20 minutes depending on the power of your machine. You will need to stop the blender or processor several times to scrap the sides. Once you have reached a smooth consistency, transfer the nut cheese mixture to a lidded container and keep in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Serve with crackers, toast or flatbread and enjoy! Tips & Variations:
A tasty top-off to your holiday meal!  Prep & Cooking: 1 hour 30 minutes + 30-60 minutes chilling time Makes: 1 deep dish or 2 standard 9” pies Pairs well with: Coconut Whipped Topping & Fall Menu Plan Pie Shell: If you can find and want to use a pre-made plant-based pie shell, go for it! Otherwise, find the ingredients below to make your own; 1 cup flour – I use all purpose, but use what you have or substitute a gluten free blend if needed ½ cup cold plant-based butter, shortening or very cold coconut oil ¼ cup of ice water Filling: 1 can (15 oz) pureed pumpkin or 2 cups cooked, pureed pumpkin ½ cup maple syrup or ½ cup sugar 1 (10-12/300-400g) package of silken tofu, drained 2 tbsp corn starch 1 tsp vanilla Spices: 1 tsp ground all spice ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground nutmeg 1 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp ground cloves OR 2 tbsp of pre-blended pumpkin pie spice ¼ tsp salt Method: Preheat oven to 450°F. If you are creating your own pastry shell, follow the instructions below; In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and plant-based butter. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, or forks slice through the butter incorporating or “cutting” it into the flour. When the mixture is well blended and no large lumps remain, slowly add the water, a tablespoon or 2 at a time, and continue mixing until a dough forms and the mixture is no longer crumbly. Form the dough into a ball and wrap in a clean tea towel and refrigerate while you make your filling (see below). When you are ready, roll the dough out using a rolling pin on a floured surface. I suggest “blind baking” your pie shell, whether homemade or not, prior to pouring in the filling. This means pre-baking the crust for a short amount of time. I do this by pricking several holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork and baking for 10-12 minutes without any filling. You can also cover the pie shell in parchment paper and fill the cavity with pie weights or dry beans before blind baking to help the shell keep its shape; however this is not completely necessary. In a large mixing bowl, blend together all of the filling and spice ingredients listed above. Use an electric mixer, hand blender, or whisk to break up any tofu chunks. When all the ingredients are blended, and your mixture is smooth, pour the filling into the pie shell, and bake for 15 minutes. If you are using a premade pie shell choose a deep dish version. If you can’t find one or you have a small pie plate, you may be able to get two standard 9” pies from this filling. If you have extra filling left over, and only one pie shell or plate, you can also bake this filling in a baking dish sans shell or small individual oven safe cups; it just ends up more like a baked pumpkin custard. After 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 350°F and continue baking for an additional 45-60 minutes. Remove from the oven and test for doneness using a knife in the centre of the pie. When it comes out clean, it is baked through. Allow to cool for a minimum of 30 minutes before allowing to chill in the refrigerator for an additional minimum, 30 minutes. Serve on its own, or top with Coconut Whipped Topping. Tips & Variations:
A creamy, rich and comforting addition to your Fall meal!  Prep & Cooking: 20 minutes Serves: 6-8 Pairs well with: Fall Menu Plan Main Ingredients: 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes 3-6 parsnips – size varies, in the end you should have roughly the same amount of parsnips and potato pieces 2-3 cloves crushed fresh garlic or 2-3 tsp of garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dried parsley 1 tbsp fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill 1-2 tbsp plant-based butter (optional) Method: Clean and pat dry the potatoes and parsnips. It is not necessary to peel either vegetable, unless you really want to. Chop potatoes into approximately 1” dice and place in a large pot. Chop the parsnips into smaller pieces, around half the size of the potatoes. Parsnips will take a little bit longer to cook, cut them smaller than the potatoes and they will be done at the same time. Add the chopped parsnips to pot with the potatoes and fill with water to cover the veggies. Over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil and lower temperature to medium. Cover the pot and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes. Check the potatoes and parsnips by piercing the largest pieces with a sharp knife. When a knife easily cuts the vegetables, remove from heat and drain the water. Mash the potatoes and parsnips together in the pot and add garlic, salt and pepper, parsley, dill, and plant-based butter. Stir to combine and enjoy! Tips & Variations:
A rich and savoury compliment to your holiday menu  Prep & Cooking: 10 minutes Serves: 6-8 Pairs well with: Fall Menu Plan Main Ingredients: 3 tbsp plant-based butter or olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/8 cup finely chopped onion 1 cup cremini mushrooms, chopped 2 tbsp corn starch or flour 2 cups vegetable broth or use stock cubes, just follow the instructions to create 2 cups of stock 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce (optional) Seasonings: 1 tsp fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme 1 tsp fresh sage or ½ tsp dried sage 1 tsp fresh rosemary or ½ tsp dried rosemary – chop the rosemary leaves into small pieces to avoid a “chewy” gravy salt & pepper to taste Method: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt plant-based butter. Reduce heat to low and add garlic and onion; sautéing for a few minutes until the onion is soft. Be sure to watch the heat and reduce if the garlic is starting to brown. Add chopped mushrooms and continue to sauté over low heat, allowing the mushrooms some time to cook. Stir occasionally to avoid burning or sticking. While the mushrooms are cooking, combine the corn starch with 2-3 tablespoons of broth and whisk together. If you skip this step and add the corn starch directly to the gravy at the end, the corn starch will stay lumpy and your gravy won’t be smooth. Set the corn starch and broth mixture aside and add remaining stock to the saucepan. Use a wooden spoon to scrap the bottom of the pan and remove any bits that may have stuck to the bottom; the broth will help loosen them. Add the corn starch and broth mixture slowly, and whisk to incorporate. After the all ingredients are combined, turn the heat up to medium and bring the gravy to a boil; allow the mixture to gently boil for 1-2 minutes and reduce heat to low. The gravy will start to thicken. Continue to stir to avoid burning and whisk again if needed. After gravy has thickened, add salt and pepper and give it a taste. If you would like to add the tamari or soy sauce for an additional richness, add that now. This gravy keeps well in a lidded container, in the refrigerator for up to a week. Tips & Variations:
A herbed, hearty and simple addition to any Thanksgiving plate!  Prep & Cooking: 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your food processor) Makes: 8-10 patties or around 30 balls Pairs well with: Fall Menu Plan Main Ingredients: 1 can (540ml/19 fl oz.) lentils or 2 cups cooked lentils 1 can (540ml/19 fl oz.) white beans or 2 cups cooked beans 1 medium onion, chopped 2 ribs of celery, chopped 1 ½ cups rolled oats, divided into 1 cup and ½ cup amounts ½ cup walnuts 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 tbsp olive oil ¼ cup chopped red pepper (optional) Seasonings/Spices: 1 tsp salt 1 tsp ground pepper 1 tsp parsley 1 tsp sage 1 tsp rosemary *you can also use 3-4 tsp poultry seasoning, this blend easily available and contains a number of classic thanksgiving flavours and no poultry) ½ - 1 tsp dry mustard, or 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional) 3-10 drops liquid smoke (optional) Method: In a food processor or blender, combine walnuts and 1 cup of oats. Use a pulse function if your machine has it to break down the nuts and oats until a crumbly mixture similar to bread crumbs forms. Remove this mixture from the processor, and set aside. Combine all remaining ingredients in your blender or processor, except the remaining ½ cup of oats and blend until smooth. Depending on the size and power of your blender or processor you may need to do this in batches; don’t worry about evenly distributing the ingredients while you do this as it will all be mixed together at the end. A few lumps or pieces of celery, onion, or bean may remain and that’s ok. Remove the bean and lentil mixture from your blender or processor and in a large mixing bowl add the nut and oat mixture along with the remaining ½ cup of unprocessed rolled oats. Stir to combine. Line a cutting board, plate, or baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Form lentil and bean mixture into patties in whatever shape you like; try to keep them around 1/2” thick. Alternatively, you can roll the mixture into balls, keeping them around 1- 1 ½”. Stove Top: Over medium heat in a large large skillet, warm 1 tbsp of oil and place patties or balls in pan and cook 3-5 minutes per side. Patties and balls should be crispy outside and warmed through. Oven: Preheat oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet or shallow baking dish with parchment paper. Bake for 20-30 minutes, turning once midway through. Serve these patties with your favourite Holiday side dishes. If you have any left, use these in a traditional "Thanksgiving leftovers" sandwich! |
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