Roasted Beet and Candied Pecan Salad

I had a salad similar to this at the Delux Burger Bar on the west end (Restaurant Review in a Minute: The food was good but overpriced, the decor was minimal but tacky, the service was friendly but the polo shirt uniforms were off-putting). Having decided not to put the restaurant in my regular rotation, I still wanted to have the salad again, so here is my version. I made it for Mother’s Day this year and it was a big hit.

P.S. I’ve decided that after today, I’m going to start posting every other day rather than every day. I think that this will be better for me and for you, but please feel free to leave me a comment if you disagree.

Roasted Beet and Candied Pecan Salad

3 large beets, diced (about 2 cups)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. cumin
½ tsp. salt

½ cup pecan halves
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 Tbsp. light brown sugar

¼ cup fresh dill, snipped
1 cup goat feta, crumbled
5 oz. mixed greens

¼ cup olive oil
4 tsp. balsamic vinegar
3 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ tsp. maple syrup
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450F. Cut the beets into ½-inch dice and put them in an 8-inch baking pan. Pour oil, salt and cumin over them and coat to toss. Roast the beets for 30 minutes, turning once during the process. Cool and set aside.
2. In a large non-stick skillet. Heat the butter or margarine over medium high heat. Add the pecans and sauté until fragrant and toasty, about five minutes. Add the brown sugar and heat until it absorbs the oil and sticks to the pecans. Stir constantly throughout this process. Cool and set aside.
3. Mix olive oil, vinegar, mustard, syrup and pepper. Set aside.
4. Arrange greens in a serving platter or bowl. Arrange snipped dill, crumbled feta, beets, pecans on top. Pour on dressing. Toss immediately before serving.

Asparagus Soup

I failed in my goal to use 2 pounds of asparagus in a single week and after 9 days in my fridge, the asparagus was not at its prime. Luckily, I have a few tricks up my sleeve and know that asparagus soup is a stellar way to use asparagus that is no longer perfect but still edible. This is a classic cream of asparagus soup with a twist – I’ve forgone the traditional roux (butter and flour mixture) and used soymilk instead of cream in order to make this version vegan and gluten free. The soup is thickened by adding relatively little liquid, and allowing much of it to boil off, thereby concentrating the flavour and maintaining a traditional texture.

Asparagus Soup
Makes 2 large servings

1 lb. asparagus
1 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup soymilk
salt and pepper to taste

1. Trim the asparagus by snapping off the tough ends and discarding (you can skip this step if using fresh asparagus from a farmer’s market). Cut off the asparagus tips and chop the rest of the asparagus roughly.
2. Heat butter or oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add asparagus and cook until bright green, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a rolling simmer (still bubbling) and add the soymilk. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until only enough liquid remains to just cover the asparagus.
4. Using a food processor or blender or hand blender, blend the soup to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Nachos Around Town

Nachos are one of my favourite guilty pleasures, right up there with What Not to Wear marathons and really bad jokes. I know that nachos go against everything I stand for; they aren’t healthy, the ingredients are rarely organic or locally sourced, they can’t easily be successfully veganized, and the list goes on. However, I am also in favour of occasional hedonism, so my partner and I went on a quest last year to find the best nachos in Edmonton. We based our judging on a number of factors: quality of ingredients, price, serving size, variety of toppings, sturdiness of chips, and atmosphere of the joint being top on the list.

So, without further ado, and in order from worst to best:

7. Chili’s provided (not surprisingly) the worst nachos we tried. We actually sent them back and left. (Why did we even go there? I couldn’t tell you). The chips were store-bought and some of the saltiest I’d ever tasted. We had to order it without the (very meaty) chili, which turned out to be the only topping that the nachos really had. We got a pile of chips with cheese (but only on one side), tomatoes, and a scoop (still in scoop shape) of sour cream. There wasn’t even any salsa, which was pretty disappointing given that the place has in its kitchen not only salsa, but guacamole, jalapenos, fajita vegetables and beans. The atmosphere was doubly depressing, it being pretty clear that the plastic cactus staring me down was the same plastic cactus in the same place in every Chili’s restaurant across North America.

6.Teddy’s (11361 Jasper Avenue) rated high for atmosphere (it’s nearly 60 years old and used to be the place to propose to your lady friend in Edmonton; now its stained-glass windows and overstuffed mahogany chairs are juxtaposed against the VLT room to your right), but their cheese seemed to be Velveeta or something similar so we simply couldn’t consider poor old Teddy’s as a finalist.

5. Cafe Mosaics (10844 Whyte Avenue) is one of the only places that serves beans with their nachos, which is a welcome addition. However, the other toppings are sparse and the salsa is from a bottle. Besides which, there are so many better things on their menu that the nachos rarely tempt me.

4. Martini’s Bar and Grill (9910 – 109 Street) has nachos at a decent price ($7.95), but the portion size is small for nachos (just a regular dinner plate) and the chips and salsa are store-bought. The toppings (tomatoes, green onions, olives and jalapenos) are generously portioned, but the nachos rarely provide serious competition with the free popcorn for me. That being said, the bar is one of my favourites (a cute neighborhood pub that really is just that – everyone from barflies to hipsters to business people frequent the place) and the dinner menu goes beyond pub food to some really decent fare.

3.The Sherlock Holmes (10012 – 101A Avenue, and Capilano and “The Mall”) has a decent dark pub atmosphere and a long beer list. Their salsa is the best that we sampled; definitely homemade and with a refreshing hint of cucumber. Their nachos ($10.95), though, are only mediocre. The toppings (tomatoes, onions, jalapeno) are minimal, and tend to get overpowered by cheese and chips. The chips are straight out of a bag, but the portion size is good (enough for 2 people to treat as “lunch”).

2. Julio’s Barrio (10450 Whyte Ave, and the West End, and Calgary) tries a bit too hard for “authentic” Mexican atmosphere and ends up coming up a bit tacky, but their nachos ($13.50, pictured above) are the penultimate in Edmonton snacky cuisine. The chips are the sturdiest that we sampled, and both chips and salsa are certainly homemade. The toppings (olives, tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers and onions) are varied and plentiful. If that’s not enough for you, you can also order veggie ground round ($4) or a side of refried beans ($2.50). Their beer menu is not extensive, but does have some good choices and they have margaritas. The portion size is a bit smaller than our winner, Original Joe’s, but there is certainly still enough food. The only complaints? The price with added beans is a bit steep ($15.00) and the ratio of toppings to chips is so high that you almost need a fork, and you certainly need about half a dozen napkins, to finish these things.

And the winner?

1. Original Joe’s (10520 – 102 Avenue, and all over Alberta, apparently) is our favourite nachos place. The atmosphere is nothing special, but the patio is gorgeous (complete with enclosed deck and water feature) and the beer list is long, with a focus on microbreweries. The nachos, though, are obviously the main event. They offer two sizes: 1. “big enough for two people to eat as their sole dinner” ($10) and 2. “too big for four people to eat as a late-night snack” ($15, pictured below). It was the value for our dollar that first attracted us. The toppings (red and green onion, tomatoes, jalapenos and olives) are the most varied of any nachos we tried. The tri-colour chips are homemade, flavourful and sturdy, and everything is well-proportioned. There are enough toppings to last until the finish but not so many that the chips get soggy. The only disadvantages? The salsa is store-bought and the guacamole ($2.49 extra) tastes like it’s been frozen.

So, enjoy!

Greek Salad for Company

I have always have a problem with greek salad recipes, because they always make such a large amount and are hard to modify since the quantities are generally “1 cucumber” rather than “1 cup cucumber.” So, this recipe makes a very large amount but I’ve tried to make it easier to modify by including metric measurements. If you want a smaller recipe, check out this post. This is fantastic for taking to work for lunch during the week with a pita.

Greek Salad
Makes 4 large or 8 small servings

2 bell peppers (2 cups), assorted colours, chopped
1 red onion (¾ cup), chopped
1 cucumber (2 cups), chopped
4 Roma tomatoes (3 cups), chopped
1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
6 oz. (1½ cups) goat feta, cubed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1½ tsp. dried basil (or 1 Tbsp. fresh)
1½ tsp. dried oregano (or 1 Tbsp. fresh)
1 Tbsp. fresh dill (or 1 tsp. dried)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Chop the vegetables and feta. Toss together.
2. Toss in oil, vinegar and herbs.

Potato and Green Bean Salad

This is a classic recipe that I found years ago (in an old Vegetarian Times magazine?) and have modified a million times since (generally making it simpler and simpler). This is the more or less final version. It’s perfect for picnics, BBQs, potlucks and even taking to work for lunch. I found some delightfully small potatoes at the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market (check out Riverbend Gardens for the most flavourful potatoes you’ve ever tried), but if you can only find regular sized new potatoes, you will have to halve or quarter them. This recipe requires freshly ground black pepper. It just won’t be as good with pre-ground pepper.

Green Bean and Potato Salad

6 cups (4 lbs) new potatoes
3 cups (1 lb) green beans
1 cup (4 oz.) feta, finely crumbled
1½ Tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. olive oil (optional)
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Halve or quarter the potatoes if necessary. Steam or boil the potatoes until they are tender but still holding together, about 25 minutes for steaming.
2. Trim the green beans and cut them into 1-inch strips. Blanch them by putting them into boiling water for 5 minutes or steaming them for 10 minutes.
3. When the vegetables have cooked, drain them and run them under cold water. Let them cool for about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, chop the dill and crumble the feta. Toss the potatoes, green beans, dill, feta and pepper. If the salad needs more moisture to make the ingredients stick, add the olive oil and toss again.

Vegetable and Tofu Kebabs

This weekend, my extended family came up from Calgary to go see Body Worlds and instead of tagging along, I made the food for an evening BBQ. Catering the non-meat dishes for 8 meat-eaters (plus Sean and me) at a BBQ was a super fun challenge, and the next four posts will be a sampling of what I came up with: Kebabs, Potato and Green Bean Salad and Greek Salad for Company.

And what are those things on the end, you ask? My aunt thought that they were wooden knobs to keep the veggies from slipping, Sean thought they were olives, and my dad thought they were mushrooms. They’re actually black zebra tomatoes, an heirloom variety that is firmer than regular varieties and so stands up better on the grill. Of course, you can use regular cherry tomatoes – but why not look for black zebras at your local farmer’s market? They can definitely be found at the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market in Edmonton, which operates in the old bus barns on 104 St. and 83 Ave. every Saturday from 8am to 3pm.

The marinade for the Kebabs was heavily modified from 1000 Vegetarian Recipes by Carol Gelles. Enjoy!

Vegetable and Tofu Kebabs
Makes 15 Kebabs

½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. ginger, grated

1 – 1 lb. package extra firm tofu
2 bell peppers (I used ½ each yellow, orange, red and green peppers for colour)
½ red onion
1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes
10 button mushrooms

1. Mix together the ingredients for the marinade. Set aside.
2. Cut the tofu into 1-inch cubes. Cut the bell peppers and onion into large chunks (remember that you’ll have to get a skewer through them without splitting them).
3. Layer the vegetables in one container, with mushrooms on the bottom, then peppers and onions, then cherry tomatoes. Place tofu in another container. (This will maximize flavour absorption).
4. Pour half of the marinade into each of the containers. Marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
5. If you are using bamboo or wood skewers, soak them for about 20 minutes before using them so that they don’t burn.
6. Skewer the tofu and the vegetables, making pretty patterns if you like. I did it like this:

Tofu Kebabs:

Tofu-Tofu-Onion-Tofu-Tofu-Tomato-Tofu-Tofu-Pepper-Tofu-Tofu

Vegetable Kebabs:

Tomato-Onion-Pepper-Onion-Pepper-Onion-Mushroom-Pepper-Onion-Pepper-Onion-Pepper-Tomato

California Summer Salad

Mmm! I just threw this salad together last night as a side dish to go with the Vegan Tamale Pie that we were having, and I was surprised at how well it turned out. The textures of the avocado, cucumber and sunflower seeds worked out really well, and the dressing was light, refreshing, and super easy. I doubled the recipe here so that you can eat it as a main dish.

California Summer Salad
Serves 2 as a Main Dish, or 4 as a Side

5 cups Romaine lettuce, roughly torn
½ cup cucumber, sliced and quartered
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced and chopped
¼ cup sunflower seeds
1 avocado, cubed
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a medium bowl, combine lettuce, cucumber, red onion and sunflower seeds. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix together lime juice, olive oil and black pepper.
3. Toss avocado in dressing to prevent the avocados from browning.
4. Pour avocado and dressing over the salad.
5. Serve immediately.

Vegan Tamale Pie

In our house, we are always on the look out for delicious dinners that make good leftovers for lunches, and this is one of our favourites. This is another recipe that’s been modified from The Garden of Vegan by Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer. Seriously, check this book out!

Vegan Tamale Pie
Makes 4-6 Servings

1 medium onion, chopped (approximately 1½ cups)
1 medium bell pepper, chopped (approximately 1 cup)
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. chili powder or hot paprika
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. hot sauce
½ tsp. allspice
¼ tsp. salt
1 – 12oz. package vegetarian ground “beef”, plain or “Mexican” flavour
1 – 14oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup corn
1 cup frozen spinach (or 4 cups fresh, added with the onions)
1 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 Tbsp. unrefined sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
3 Tbsp. olive oil
¾ cup soy milk
1 – 4oz. can green chiles

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. In a large saucepan, saute onion, garlic and bell pepper (and spinach, if using fresh) until the onions are soft and translucent.
3. Add spices and saute 1 minute more, until spices are fragrant and absorbed into the vegetables.
4. Add “beef”, tomato sauce, corn and Worcestershire sauce. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer.
5. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, olive oil, soymilk and green chiles. Be careful not to overmix.
6. Pour vegetable mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch casserole dish. Spoon cornmeal mixture over the top to cover.
7. Bake 25-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.

Blue Plate Diner

My oh my! We’ve been eating out quite a lot lately, so it’s probably a good thing that I didn’t put “Recipes” anywhere in the title of this blog! I’ll be back in the kitchen soon, I promise, but in the meantime, here is a review for one of the best (in my estimation) restaurants in Edmonton.

The Blue Plate Diner (10145 – 104 Street) is a favourite for lunch, dinner, snacks and weekend brunch – so you know it’s good. A member of the Original Fare association of independent restaurants, the Blue Plate Diner places an emphasis on local sourcing and partners with the independently owned deVine Wines for its wine, beer (generally small breweries), and spirits (1950’s style cocktails, anyone?).

The decor fits in with the Diner’s insistence that it’s “in the heart of Edmonton’s Warehouse District,” although I didn’t really know that we had one. The bare brick walls are covered with a rotating selection of locally produced art for sale, and my partner is a huge fan of the kitschy retro lamps that have been fitted with various coloured light bulbs. The mismatched dishes come straight to you from 1952, a fact that’s celebrated in a mural sized painting of the assorted coffee cups of the Blue Plate Diner.

My partner and I went to the Blue Plate last night with all four of our collective parents, which gave us an opportunity to sample a fair portion of the menu. We started with the Indian Platter ($16), which includes Cauliflower Pakoras, Samosas, Rice Fritters, Papadams, Spicy Roasted Chickpeas and two chutneys. It requires at least four people to finish it, unless you aren’t planning on a second course. The Rice Fritters are my personal favourite because of the textural balance between the crispy outside and the wonderfully fluffy rice inside. My partner prefers the tiny samosas, which are packed with delicate potatoes and good curry flavour, while my mom loves the crispy, flavourful papadams. In any case, the platter made everyone happy.

On to our main courses, we ordered 3 vegetarian dishes between us: Curried Chickpeas, Lentil & Nut Loaf and Blue Waldorf Salad. The Curried Chickpeas ($12, Vegan, Gluten Free) are a perennial favourite, in a surprisingly authentic tandoori sauce and served over savoury saffron rice. It comes with a side of grilled veggies, including carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and zucchini. The Lentil & Nut Loaf ($14, Vegan) is moist and bursting with flavour. Both of our omnivorous mothers agreed that it is as good as, if not better than, the New England Meatloaf ($14), which our table also ordered. The lentil loaf comes with intensely delicious mashed potatoes (not vegan) and the Blue Plate’s ubiquitous grilled veggies. The Blue Waldorf Salad ($4.50/$8.50, Gluten Free) was excellent, although the small turned out to be slightly too small as a main course, even sandwiched between an appetizer and dessert. The ingredients were all very fresh and flavourful and the different crunchy textures of the apples, celery and pecans worked well together. The blue cheese was mixed into the dressing, pleasantly infusing its flavour through the whole salad.

And, finally, dessert! My favourite is the Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake ($8). Oh, and the Chocolate Pecan Pie ($8)! And the Beet Cake ($7)! Yum! Luckily, the table agreed with my top choices (with very little prodding) and I got to sample them all. The Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cake is a rich dark (Callebaut) chocolate torte, infused with and drizzled with fresh raspberry sauce. The Chocolate Pecan Pie is a crazy confection of caramel, chocolate and pecan halves in a flaky and unobtrusive crust. It’s honestly almost too rich, but worth every ounce of potential adult onset diabetes. But wait! Did you say “Beet Cake”?! Why, yes I did! The Beet Cake is a clever take on a classic carrot cake, which apparently developed when the Diner got a monster shipment of beets and didn’t know what else to do with them. It is especially delicious, with sweet, tangy, spicy and vegetably flavours competing in what is ultimately a complex and flavourful dessert.

As if all of this wasn’t enough, the service at the Blue Plate is always impeccable. The Blue Plate, in short, exemplifies everything that I like about eating at small, locally owned restaurants: comfortable and original atmosphere, good servers who seem to like their jobs, and, above all, excellent food and drink. Put this at the top of your to-do list if you haven’t already.

Tofu Jerky

This is a healthy, savoury vegetarian snack that is perfect for road trips or camping because it takes a long time to go bad. (I once drove to Vancouver with a friend, left half the tofu jerky in her car for a week and then happily ate it on the way back home. I’m not sure that I can recommend this course of action specifically, but should it keep through a weekend camping trip or road trip). I mentioned to my partner that I was planning to make tofu jerky for an upcoming camping trip and he said, “Would you be mad if I pretended I was going camping and got you to make some tofu jerky, but then I didn’t actually go camping?” I laughed and told him that I would make it this weekend. And I did.

Don’t be scared by the long list of ingredients. The main things are the tofu and soy sauce. If you don’t like or don’t have some of the spices, just omit them or replace them with ones that suit you better. Pressed tofu works best for this recipe, but you can use regular firm or extra firm tofu as well. Medium, soft and silken tofus will all fall apart.

Tofu Jerky

1 package (400g) pressed tofu
3/4 cup dark soy sauce
1 Tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce (or 1/4 cup additional soy sauce)
1/4 cup water
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. nutritional yeast
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried dill
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. Sriracha or other hot sauce
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut tofu into slices, as thinly as possible. Arrange in a reusable plastic container that fits them snugly (about a 4 cup container).
2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, water and spices.
3. Pour the sauce over the tofu, and then fill the container up with water until the tofu is fully covered. Put the lid on the container and shake until the tofu is well coated.
4. Marinate the tofu 8 hours or overnight (it can be left for a few days if you don’t get around to it).
5. Preheat the oven to 200F.
6. Arrange the marinated tofu on a lightly greased baking sheet, making sure that they are in a single layer. (This may take more than one baking sheet).
7. Bake the tofu for 3-5 hours, or until desired toughness is reached. Turn the tofu every 20 minutes at first, and then every half hour. (If desired, you can baste tofu with some of the sauce for the first few turns to up the flavour, but this will increase baking time since the tofu won’t dry out as quickly).
8. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!