Raspberries with Orange Lemon Sauce

Sitting at home nursing a minor hangover, I was watching one of my favourite shows, Chef at Home. I love Michael Smith and even though he is not a vegan chef by any means I love his style of cooking without recipes. as he put together this awesome dessert, all I could think about was making it vegan. Unfortunately (or maybe not) I did not bother to write down what the recipe was... so I am following his mantra and cooking without a recipe.

This recipe is not for the sweet tooth's of the world. It is very, very tart. However, if you like lemon and you like raspberries, you must give this a try. Sublime on a hot summer night .

If you like your desserts sweeter, I would just adjust the sauce and add some agave or maple syrup. If you like sour treats, make and serve!

Raspberries with Orange-Lemon Sauce
*Inspired by Chef at Home
Serves 2

• 1 cup of fresh raspberries (or other berry of choice)
• 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 1/2 cup milk (I used soy, but almond would be a great choice too)
• 1/4 cup sugar (Use more if you like it sweeter or other sweetener)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 lemons, zest and juice
• 1/2 cup corn starch
• Graham Cracker crumbs (or any vegan cookie)
• 1 Tbsp Maple syrup
• Mint leaf for garnish

In a sauce pot, add the orange juice, milk, sugar, vanilla, salt and lemon zest and juice. Whisk the sauce and heat over medium low heat. Once everything is combined, add the corn starch slowly and whisk constantly until dissolved to avoid lumps. Continue to whisk until the sauce is simmering and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool a bit.

Wash your berries and get a martini glass or other single serving dish. Fill the dish half way with the berries and drizzle maple syrup. Cover with sauce and repeat to make a couple layers. On the top, sprinkle the cookie crumbs and drizzle again with the remaining syrup. Let chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. The sauce will thicken and set. Once cool, garnish with a mint leaf and serve.

How easy is that? if it wasn't for the cooling of the sauce, this dessert would take 10 minutes to make. Next time, I am going to try and sweeten the sauce a bit and use a mixture of berries. So good and refreshing. If you can, enjoy this one outdoors.

Planning Ahead for Vegan Un-Friendly Event



Photo credit: http://ranger.gamebanana.com

You want to see an angry vegan? Invite them to an event with no vegan food. This blog post is for my sister who is going to try a seven day vegan challenge. First - congrats and it is going to be fun! We are both attending a wedding next weekend and  she will be officially in day two of her challenge. I am really glad she didn't change the date of the challenge because of the wedding. I think if you want to really get a taste of a vegan lifestyle, going to an event where you don't know if you will be accommodated or not is actually probably the biggest challenge.


As someone that goes to events regularly, I have learned some ways to ensure I don't die of starvation or turn into a rabbit. It is not that hard, but does take a little planning ahead. My suggestions are not the only way to prepare, but hopefully give you some ideas on what you can do to ensure you have a good time and aren't wasting the day stressing over food.

1.  Make sure your host knows you are vegan - So easy to forget this, but it really isn't fair to just show up somewhere and then expect them to be ready for you. The sad truth is, most people don't know how easy it is to accommodate you. Make sure to tell the host with your RSVP and then I usually remind them about a week out again in case they forgot. Maybe it is overkill, but I also remind someone on staff when I get there as well. Sometimes even when the venue is told about your dietary request, they forget. Do you due diligence to ensure that kitchen has the time to plan for your meal.
2. Be specific with your request - If you are like me, you do not want to spend a day eating lettuce and berries while everyone around you is getting served meat dishes, rich sides and decadent desserts. In my experience a lot of venues really take the cheap way out when they accommodate for a vegan. If you aer going somewhere all day and night, make sure your request is specific. some people have a letter ready that goes so far as to explain what they specifically want. Ask in your request that there is a protein source and a grain with your dish. It is amazing how many times I am served a plate of roasted vegetables and that is considered a meal. Never assume that people can read your mind. If you are really worried, you can even ask to speak with the chef. most places will allow this as they want you to be happy.
3. Don't complain - There is already a stigma out there about vegans. We are often told we are preachy, we think we are better than everyone else and we are know-it-alls. I am sure there are other things people think.. The fact is, food is political and I don't know why, but people can be threatened by the diet choices of others. If you show up to an event and people aren't accommodating, don't whine; try to solve the problem in a polite way (and take to your blog after!). Sometimes, regardless of planning I end up eating green salad for days on end at conferences. After a while, I start to get cranky. I do like salad, but I do not consider it a meal if it just greens. To fix the problem, I ask the kitchen if they can make me a smoothie with soy milk or add beans to the salad or maybe get me hummus and bread with my meal. Even just asking for a bow of mixed nuts can make the difference. I try to keep things more positive so they don;t just think I am complaining or being picky. Say things like, 'The salad is great, but would I be able to get ___ with it?' Don't just ask for vegan protein, be specific.
4. Leave your feedback - after the event, always make sure to get some feedback to the venue. This is so important. People will never learn if they don;t hear from the customer. If the food was good and planned well, say so. If it wasn't, say so! This is where you can put in your complaint and I always try to put a suggestion as well.
5. Always thank the host / venue - This is just common sense, but if someone goes out of their way to work with your dietary needs, thank them.

Now, keeping the above in mind, it doesn't hurt to plan ahead. Just like when I go to BBQ's and a plan a vegan BBQ kit, I think it never hurts to be ready when attending a conference, wedding, or whatever it is you are going to. I don't always make a pack, but every time I have, I am thankful I did. It is pretty easy to do and depending on the length of the event, whether you have access to a fridge or not and where you are going should be factored in. Below are a couple of examples of things that I pack with me.

One-Day Event Vegan Kit

• Soy milk (the single juice box style)
• bag of mixed nuts with dried fruit (Or try these - Sugar and Spice Almonds)
• Apple or other packable fruit... but apples are great because I find them more filling
• Protein bar
• Packable dessert (Vegan cupcake or vegan rice krispie squares are good examples)
• Hummus and crackers or bagel

Photo credit: http://www.quarrygirl.com

Multi-day Events

• Soy milk (the single juice box style)
• Instant oatmeal
• bag of mixed nuts with dried fruit
• Apple or other packable fruit
• Protein bar (one per day with different flavours)
• Quinoa with basil, lemon and olive oil
• Succotash or other bean salad
• Packable desserts
• Vegan granola
• Hummus and crackers or bagels

Photo credit: http://ohsheglows.com

So, for a multi-day event, the list is similar, but I just pack a bit more and plan for a variety. I think one of things that makes me grouchy more than anything is eating the same thing every day. I don't know why, but it truly drives me crazy. Sometimes I really wish I could just eat the same thing day after day. Life would be a bit easier, but then I wouldn't have much to blog about!

So, I hope this was helpful. It probably seems like common sense, but it's this common sense that can be the difference between a cranky day of hunger and enjoying wherever you are with a fully belly.

Night!

Lentil salad - Healthy alternative to rabbit food

I have been trying (with limited success) to eat healthier this summer. However, I find that when I do try to do this, I end up eating a lot of green salad. It is easy to bring to work, you don't need to heat anything up, it is cheap and easy to make. However, I get bored of it and sometimes just want something a bit more filling. I have been meaning to try a lentil salad for quite sometime and today was the day!

Photo credit:http://www.chiropractic-help.com/lentil-protein.html

Lentils are amazingly healthy and filling. They can be eaten warm or cold and added to stews and soups to get some extra protein in your diet. One cup of lentils has about 230 calories, more than 17 g (35% of your daily requirement) of protein and 15 g (62% daily requirement) fibre and are an excellent source of folate, molybdenum, B1, Iron and much, much more! They are also free of saturated fat (as is pretty much everything vegan). They help lower cholesterol and help moderate  blood sugar levels.

Lentils have been a valuable food source dating back into prehistoric times. They are found in hundreds of cultures, so while they may not be considered mainstream in North American diets, they are found just about everywhere else. There are many types of lentils as well, black, green, red are the most common. Black and green will hold their shape well in salads and soups and red will get really soft and I usually use them in stews.

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has a great podcast on lentils and she makes them sound so delicious I figured if I was to try to recipe, I should start there.

Warm Lentil Salad
Adapted from Colour me Vegan
Serves 4-6

Time: 1 hour from scratch, 15 minutes if you have cooked lentils

• 1 cup black lentils
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or water, but broth is better)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped coarsely
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (or other fresh herb, basil would be a good one)
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/4 cup yellow pepper, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• pepper to taste
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

Note: Use whatever vegetables you have. The original recipe did not have the pepper, red onion, tomato. I added these after testing the recipe.

First, cook your lentils, combine the lentils and broth in a pot and bring to a boil, stir, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes or until the water is absorbed. While it is cooking, chop up all the veggies. In a frying pan heat 1 Tbsp of the oil and add the onions and the peppers. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Set aside.

Prep, prep, prep - makes cooking a million times easier!

Once the lentils are cooked let them cool for a bit (you could also cook in advance and serve cold). Combine all the ingredients now in a large bowl and stir well. Serve in a bowl or on romaine lettuce and enjoy warm or cold!

When I put the salad on lettuce, I made some lettuce wraps with it and it was really good. I nice way to serve them, though a little messy.

Lentil salad, served with purple and yellow potatoes

What an easy way to add some nutrition to lunch! :)