The Mighty Veggie

All the different types of honey!

2008-08-16T18:08:25-07:00

Here is a great honey glossary - a list of the various honeys and their palettes. From uber sweet and rich to mild and delicate. I recently read this breakdown in Martha Stewart magazine and I thought it was wonderful information to share.

1. Honeycomb
Arresting appearance and pleasantly chewy, waxy texture.

2. Hawaiian White Honey
Off-white hue, buttery texture, mild flavor with a hint of vanilla.

3. Corbezzolo Honey
Rare Italian variety with a complex woodsy color, tast and aroma and a slightly bitter aftertaste.

4. Acacia Honey
Pale intensely sweet, mellower than most.

5. Buckwheat Honey
Reminiscent of maloasses, but less bitter and slightly smoky.

6. Scottish Heather Honey
Thick, rich.

7. Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey
Creamy, spicy, floral.

8. Orange Blossom Honey
Lingering citrus and floral notes.

Time to make 12 bean vegetarian chili!

2008-08-11T20:58:11-07:00

Mmmmm good!
Everyone loves a good chili once in a while. It's a hardy and nutritious meal that always warms my soul. I make it when I need comfort and decadence all wrapped into one. Decadence and Chili - don't see like they go together, do they? Well, they do when you mix them with rich strong tasting gooey cheese and full fat sour cream. It is the way chili should be had.

So, I digress, recipe ahead for Tamara's special 12 bean vegetarian chili. Did I mention it's actually really easy to make too?

* Makes 4 servings and is very freezable.

INGREDIENTS:

Chilli Paste (sold in tubes at the grocery store, usually near the fresh spices)
1 cup of dry beans or 3 cups cooked
1 large can of crushed tomatoes & basil (suggest you buy organic on this one) alternatively
Two cloves of fresh garlic, crushed
3 tbs of olive oil
1 portobello mushroom
1 large red onion
Spices, cumin, paprika, oregano

Salt & Pepper to taste

Cilantro, sour cream and rich cheese for garnish (cheese such as really old cheddar or goats cheese work well

DIRECTIONS:

Soak beans and then cook for 1-2 hours on a medium heat until soft and useable
Chop up the onion & mushroom into whatever size pieces you like, I like them quite small
Add oil, garlic, spices, chopped mushroons and onion into a frying pan and fry on a medium heat for 5-10 minutes (until the sharpness of the onions is gone and their more translucent but not clear
Add chilli paste, crushed tomatoes & corn
heat for 10-15 minutes (making sure the beans are soft & cooked
Ladle into a bowl over rice or even on it's own with a hunk of bread and butter.
Dallop on a generous helping of sour cream, cheese & serve!

** photo is garnished with optional fresh cilantro too!

Summer Fresh Veggie Salad: Tomato & Coloured Peppers

2008-07-19T18:08:35-07:00

Craving a jam packed dose of crucial and colorful veggies? Try my new favorite side salad or a great addition to spinach or arugula.

Summer Fresh Veggie Salad:
- 10 baby vine tomatoes, cut in quarters or half, depending on size
- 1 yellow pepper, chopped in small pieces
- 1 red pepper, chopped in small pieces
- 2 tablespoons of pine nuts
- 2 fresh chopped mint leaves
- 1 chopped handful of parsley
- 1 chopped handful of cilantro
- 1/2 of a lemon
- 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar

Mix together and serve chilled. Voila.. tasty and healthy! Jam packed with good vitamins.

Summer Hangover after house party drink: Perrier, Lime & Mint.

2008-07-19T17:30:38-07:00

I'm a little hung-over and very tired today. I had my 'drink for the cure' house party last night to raise funds for breast cancer. I'm doing a 19km run tomorrow so I have to hydrate up. So, since we have leftover lime from the party I thought I'd make:

Summer spritzer:
- 1 small bottle of Perrier (1.5 cups)
- 1 wedge of lime
- 1 leaf of lime
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- ice

Add it all together and mix around. Really smash the mint up against the glass to get it to release some flavor. Then, you have a refreshing after-house-party hangover drink!

Calling all Veggies: Local Vancouver Farmer's Markets (2008)

2008-07-16T15:33:39-07:00

Local Vancouver Farmer's Markets

East Vancouver
Saturdays: 9am - 2pm
15th Ave & Victoria Drive

West End
Saturdays: 9am - 2pm
1100 Block Comox St.

Riley Park
Wednesdays: 12.30pm - 5.30pm
30th Ave & Ontario St.

Kitsilano
Sundays: 10.30am - 2pm
10th Ave & Larch St.

Check out their website for information on volunteering too!
www.eatlocal.org

Want to learn more about what type of market it is?

Farm Vendors - fruit, vegetable and plant growers, wild harvesters of fish and non-timber forest products, dairy and cheese producers and ranchers of meat and poultry. Everything is grown or harvested in BC. Farm Vendor Listing

Prepared Food Vendors - purveyors of baked goods, preserves and pickles, candy and chocolate, spices and seasonings and more. Everything is made in BC and sold by the producer. Prepared Food Vendor Listing

Craft Vendors - potters, textile artists, painters, photographers, wood workers and more. All products are juried by an independent jury of craft professionals. Craft Vendor Listing
Interested in selling craft items at the market? Subscribe to our craft jury mailing list for updated info. Just click this link and press send.

Service Providers - vendors who provide a service at the market - everything from bike repairs to massage therapy to hot food and coffee served on-site. Service Provider Listing

Here's a link to their fun festivals too:
http://www.eatlocal.org/events.html
Cookbook Swap - East Vancouver July 19
Tomato Festival - East Vancouver Aug 23, Kitsilano Aug 24, West End Aug 16, Riley Park Aug 27
Harvest Festival - East Vancouver Sept 20, Kitsilano Sept 21, West End Sept 13, Riley Park Sept 24

Mexican Marinade for Tofu Tacos!

2008-07-11T16:20:23-07:00

I love marinading tofu. You just whip it up quickly and let it soak for 30 minutes. Try it tonight and soak up the rewards!

MEXICAN TOFU (or Seitan or tempeh) MARINADE:
1 pkg of taco seasoning
2 tbs of lime juice
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp of lime zest
1/4 tsp. chipolte hot sauce (Any kind will do really, be flexible here)

Whisk all these yummy seasonings together with 1 & 1/2 cups of water. Season with salt, ground black pepper and a dash more hot sauce if you dare.

Let the protein sit for 30 minutes and voila... a Mexican Marinaded for Tofu Tacos!
(You can also soak sliced green onions & red bell peppers too, if you're feeling CRAZY!)

Buy at AMAZON: Taco Shells
Need Salsa? California Style Mandarin Avocado Fire Roasted Salsa
Who doesn't love Guacamole: All Natural Guacamole Mix

Update: Gardein Vegetarian Chicken is back at Costco

2008-06-30T20:15:28-07:00

Who the hell knows where it went all this time.. but it's back (maybe by popular demand by me?). Good old Gardein Chicken Protein has found its way back into the freezer section of the Downtown Vancouver Costco.

Glad to see it back.

I still never heard back from the Gardein people from my third email to them asking where else we could buy their products. Good product, shit customer service.

Boo for Starbucks!They're not serving organic milk anymore.

2008-06-26T17:14:59-07:00

Can you beleive Starbucks dropped organic mil from it's menu? The company *had* offered organic mil to it's customers since 2001 (According to Vegetarian Times magazine). However, "drinks made with organic milk have been a small percentage of total orders," said Michelle Grass, the company's senior vice president of global strategy.

As you guys know, people often purchase and request organic milm because of lack of rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone). Starbucks and others argue that regular milk also is rBGH-free but we know the truth. The Organic Consumers Association reminds us that Organic Milk is rBGH-free, but also requires that cows have access to a pasture and eat pesticide-free feed. So really.. Starbucks, just say what it is.. an excuse to cut costs. Is it so awful for us to expect you to serve only organic milk in the future?

Boooooooooo from me to Starbucks.

Garlic Green Pea and Goats Cheese Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Crisps

2008-06-24T22:12:26-07:00

Garlic Green Pea and Goats Cheese Dip with Whole Wheat Pita Crisps Recipes

This is my at-home and I-don't-have-the-right-ingredients take on the Earls Restaurants Warm Feta and Spinach Dip. The real one has chopped spinach and artichokes with cream cheese, feta, mozzarella and provolone, served with herbed pita wedges. My one is a Garlic Green Pea and Goats Cheese Puree with whole wheat pita crisps.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cans of green peas or 1/2 bag of frozen peas, defrosted
1/3rd cup of goats cheese
To cloves of garlic (three if you want to go CRAZY!)
1/2 a lemon juice
1/8tth of a cup or two good handfuls of parsley or marjoram leaves
Salt & Pepper to season
Alfalfa sprouts to garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix. Tough, isn't it? Then just slice up your pita into quarters or eighths and toast away. Place the alfalfa sprouts on top to garnish. Enjoy!

Summer strawberry picking & storing tips!

2008-06-23T15:55:42-07:00

Don't you just hate it when you get home from buying a fresh quart of strawberries only to find the ones in the middle or bottom are mushy and starting to grow that white fuzzy mold?

Here's my tips on how to buy and store fresh strawberries:

Smaller and redder is better. A lot of jumbo strawberries look good but contain large air pockets and thus taste band. You want smaller berries that don't have the unripe white or green tips (or tops).
Try to pick berries that look dry with leaves that aren't starting to wilt. You'll find that just by checking the bottom of the basket --- juice stains are a sign of crushed strawberries (and soon to be mold!).
Buy organic: Strawberries are the dirty list for environmental havoc. They are on of the biggest of conventionally grown fruits and vegtables that contain the most pesticide residues

Store strawberries unwashed in a colander in the fridge and rinse just before serving.
Make these delicious strawberries last all winter long by placing the berries on a signle layer baking sheet and freeze until solid. Once they're ready you can transfer them into a freezer bag for long term storage (and winter smoothies!).