Pineapple Not-So-Fried Rice.

I sort of thought the Cheesy Broccoli Soup was going to be my favourite recipe from Chloe Coscarelli's cookbook, Chloe's Kitchen. I was wrong. I already have another favourite.

The Pineapple Not-S0-Fried Rice brought me back to my most recent trip to Thailand in 2011. Almost one year ago to the date. I went with my sister to the Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok, where I ordered pineapple fried rice. It was amazing and served in a pineapple which was pretty amazing. Today, I put my serving in a pineapple too! So much fun - it's the small things.

Pineapple Not-So-Fried Rice (adapted from Chloe's Kitchen)


Ingredients:


3 cups cooked rice (I used brown rice but she recommends jasmine)
1 pineapple or 1 1/2 cups diced pineapple
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. chili-garlic sauce (or if you're me, you will use WAY more)
3/4 cup cashews (I didn't have any so I used macadamia nuts)
1 carrot, peeled and shredded
1/4 cup vegetable broth


Directions:

In a large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions until soft and lightly browned. Season with salt. Add garlic, curry, coriander, and chili-garlic sauce. Stir and cook for another minute or two. Add the pineapple, brown rice, vegetable broth, carrot, and cashews. Cook until heated through and adjust salt to taste. If you want to be super fun, serve it in a pineapple shell!


If you're me, you don't read directions well. Clearly. As I was writing this out, I discovered why mine was stodgy - I used 3/4 cup vegetable broth instead of 1/4. Whoops! I still think it's amazing though but don't mind my photo. I'm excited to try it again and do it the right way. Also, the original recipe called for tofu, frozen peas, and raisins but I'm not a fan so I omitted. Delicious recipe! It's a must try.

(Ridiculously excited to finally use my chopsticks from Japan!)

Buckwheat Hot Cereal.

Source

I ventured down to Pro Organics Saturday market with my mom this past weekend and picked up some Buckwheat Kasha along with an amalgamation of vegetables. I have never cooked with buckwheat before so I was excited for a new experience! (Super huge shout out to my mom for soaking her quinoa she bought at the market prior to cooking - love this!!!)

Buckwheat Hot Cereal

Ingredients:

1 cup buckwheat groats {soaked}

3 cups water

2 cups almond milk

2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:

Bring the above ingredients to a boil and then simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cooking time will depend on how thick you like your cereal. I added two Tbsp. of organic maple syrup and 1/4 cup of butter. Cook until melted, stirring.

If you like a thicker cereal, I would recommend reducing the amount of water. You could also add some fruit or sliced banana which would be delicious!

PS. I have a confession. I will continue using butter throughout this month. I don't have positive feelings about artificial vegan spreads, etc. so for health reasons I'll continue using it! I will substitute for coconut oil where I can though!

Quinoa Salad.

I made copious quantities of quinoa the other night. This happened to be the same night my parents got home from a holiday in Hawaii and brought me back raw macadamia nuts. I knew the two had to be combined. This was the result.

Miss Ashley's Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

2 cups quinoa, cooked

1 red onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. organic extra-virgin olive oil

6 organic lemons, juiced

small amount of lemon zest

1/2 cup organic cranberries

1/2 cup raw macadamia nuts

salt & pepper to taste

red pepper flakes {optional}

Directions:

In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest. In a separate bowl, mix room temperature quinoa, red onion, cranberries, macadamia nuts, and spices. Add in the liquid and mix.

I'm sure adding cilantro or parsley would only enhance this recipe but my taste testers approved as is!

Cheesy Broccoli Soup.

Oh dear, vegan broccoli soup is absolutely delicious. You need to try it. I served it with some roasted garlic bread from A Bread Affair and some delicious quinoa salad {recipe to come!}. The soup was so "cheesy" and filling! Perfection!

Cheesy Broccoli Soup by Chloe Coscarelli

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

1 onion, chopped

Sea salt to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups almond milk

1 bunch broccoli, florets cut, stems trimmed, peeled, and chopped

3/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

2 tsp. lemon juice

Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat, and sauté onions until soft. Season generously with salt, add garlic, and let cook a few more minutes.

Add broth, nondairy milk, and broccoli. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes un

til broccoli is tender.

Spoon out a small amount of broccoli florets and reserve. In batches, transfer the remaining contents of the pot to a blender an

d puree. Return pureed soup to the pot and add the reserved broccoli florets. Over low heat, stir in nutritional yeast until incorporated. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

The Month of Veganism Begins!

April has finally arrived and I couldn't be more excited! I have been anxiously anticipating it's arrival since I decided to go vegan for the month back in early March!

You might be wondering why I want to do this? It's really out of curiosity and experimentation. I want to know how how my body feels without animal products, how difficult it is when you're out for dinner, and have fun experimenting with different recipes. We'll just have to wait and see if I fall in love with it by the end of April. I have already started experimenting with recipes, so you may be bombarded this month with vegan friendly eats. I hope you're excited too.

Today's recipe is from Chloe's Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli.

Thai Chickpea Burgers

Ingredients:

1 15oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained {If you aren't up to cooking your own chickpeas, the best canned brand to use is Eden organics - but try to cook your own when possible!}

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/2 small jalapeño or green chill, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 Tbsp. lime juice

1 tsp. sea salt

2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted

Directions:

Place chickpeas, onions, garlic, ginger, jalapeño, cilantro, bread crumbs, lime juice, and salt in a food processor and pulse until just combined, stopping frequently to scrape down sides. Using the palms of your hands, form mixture into six burger patties.

In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and pan-fry patties, letting them cook about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Once patties are nicely browned, remove from heat and drain on paper towels.

These patties were good, but they were very crumbly. I didn't end up putting them onto buns and instead mixed them with a sautéed red onion, a few celery stalks, and a yellow pepper as well as a cup of quinoa and an amalgamation of different spices. It turned out great! These patties definitely didn't lack flavour in the least!