vegan BLAT

Tags

avocado, coconut bacon, cooking, food, recipe, vegan

I get a lot of questions about my vegetarianism from people that can’t seem to wrap their heads around it.

“But isn’t it hard?” 

“Don’t you miss meat?”

“Not even bacon?”

The answers are no, no, and no.

There are many different reasons for vegetarianism, personal, political, ethical, religious, ecological, and so on. Mine is pretty simple – I plain old just don’t like meat. I don’t like the taste, the texture, or the concept.

I don’t do much in the fake meat department, but this coconut bacon is a total game changer. When I posted the recipe back in July someone mentioned doing a BLT with coconut bacon and I knew it had to happen. And since everything is better with avocado, I decided to go for a vegan BLAT.

If you’ve got the coconut bacon already made, this is one of the easiest meals you could throw together. Lightly toasted whole grain bread (I used a delicious beer bread with cracked rye) is smeared with avocado, sprinkled with coconut bacon, and topped with fresh sliced tomatoes and lettuce.

Folks, this sandwich is good. Really, really good.

I’m not sure how well it would pack as the coconut bacon tends to lose it’s crispness, so I’d recommend either making these to order or packing the coconut bacon in a separate container to be added to your sandwich at the last minute. But I must warn you, last time I took a container of coconut bacon to the office I had all kinds of people dipping their fingers in for a taste.

Made to order or packed in components, this vegan BLAT would make a great breakfast, lunch, dinner, picnic, or late night snack. Enjoy it while the late summer tomatoes are starting to make their appearance – you won’t regret it.

Four years ago: Trant Road Blackberries, Two Ways

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Vegan BLAT Recipe:

When a recipe is as simple as this one, I always try to strive for the best possible ingredients. There are only four, plus the bread, so quality matters here.

Makes one sandwich

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2 slices whole grain bread, lightly toasted
1/2 a ripe avocado
1/4 cup coconut bacon, or more as desired
4 thick slices of tomato
2 large leaves of lettuce

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To assemble your BLAT, spread one slice of lightly toasted bread with the avocado. Sprinkle coconut bacon over top, then layer the tomatoes and lettuce on top. Finish with the second slice of bread. Enjoy!

Coconut is contains saturated fats, which, for ages were demonized as being ‘bad fat’s. Current research indicates there are actually different types of saturated fats, and some types of saturated fats, including those found in coconut, are good for you. Everything in moderation.

Around 80% of the calories in an avocado come from fat, which is about 20 x higher than most fruit. However, about 65% of this fat is healthy monounsaturated fat, in particular oleic acid. Avocados also contain an incredible range of phytonutrients, and many vitamins and minerals. Avocados are a good source of vitamin K, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, and potassium – more potassium than a banana even!

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2014

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toast for dinner – herbed ricotta, 4 ways

Tags

cooking, food, quick and easy, recipe, toast, vegetarian

I’ve been a student for 9 of the last 10 years, and have worked full time for all but two of those years. I turned in and defended my thesis last month, and Friday was my last day at the office for four whole weeks.

Paul was away over the weekend, racing (and winning!) a crazy swim-run race in Switzerland, so I had a quiet weekend to myself. On Sunday morning I got out of bed, made some tea, and read a book (I just finished reading Wild, which I loved). As I sat in the quiet of my apartment it dawned on me that this was the first time in quite possibly an entire decade that I had literally nothing to do. No commitments. No responsibilities. No studying. No research. No thesis to write. No lunches to pack. No busy week to strategize for. No trip to pack for. Nothing.

It felt so good.

In the spirit of keeping things simple, it’s time for another instalment in the toast for dinner series!

This time we’re keeping it easy and summery with ricotta cheese fancied up with fresh herbs and whatever toppings your heart desires.

If you’ve got some extra time on your hands and you want a fun DIY project, you can make your own ricotta. It’s pretty much the easiest thing going, but you do need to babysit it as the milk boils. But please don’t feel that making your own ricotta is necessary for this recipe. The point is keeping it quick and easy, and although I do love making my own ricotta, I didn’t bother this time.

I’ll let you in on another secret: you don’t have to herb up the ricotta if you don’t want to. Sure, it’s nice, but there are those moments where we’re hardly capable of more than smearing some plain old ricotta on a cracker and calling that dinner. Judge not, it happens.

If you can muster it, a couple of handfuls of fresh herbs (I used basil and oregano from my balcony garden) roughly chopped and stirred into ricotta with a touch of salt and pepper is practically perfect.

Then all you’ve got to do is toast your bread (I’ve got a beautiful wholegrain beer bread going here), slather with ricotta, and dinner is ready.

You can, of course, go one step further and set out a selection of toppings. This would be the perfect thing to do family style: set out a bowl of ricotta and a platter of toppings so everyone can choose their own adventure. I’ve used sliced tomatoes with basil, cucumbers, and strawberries with a drizzle of really good balsamic vinegar; everything got sprinkled with a bit of flaky sea salt.

Other topping ideas? Sliced pickles, grilled vegetables, a drizzle of olive oil, melon, caramelized onions… what else?

Toast for dinner, previously: The Smashy Smashy
(You should also check out these gorgeous tartines from my friend Kellie with figs and labneh. She is a fancier lady than I.)
Three years ago: Baked Ricotta (and how to make your own ricotta)
Four years ago: Banana Spelt Weekend Muffins

Toast for Dinner – Herbed Ricotta Recipe:

A 250g / 1 cup tub of ricotta should serve four people two toasts each, depending on the size of your toast and how thick you spread the ricotta. Mix up the herbs and toppings depending on what’s in season and what you like. Herbed ricotta should keep for about a week in an airtight container in the fridge if you don’t use it all at once.

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250g / 1 cup ricotta
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves
salt and pepper

8 slices of whole grain toast

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Wash and roughly chop the herbs. Stir into the ricotta and season with salt and pepper. Toast bread, spread with ricotta, and top with any desired toppings. Enjoy!

Ricotta is an Italian curd cheese. Traditionally made from whey, a protein-rich by-product of making cheeses, ricotta means ‘cooked again’. Ricotta has a rich but delicate flavour and a grainy texture. The fat content can vary quite a bit, so if you’re watching your weight or cholesterol, you may want to choose part-skim ricotta. Ricotta cheese is rich in protein, calcium, vitamin A and B12.

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2014

toast for dinner – smashy smashy

Tags

avocado, cooking, eggs, food, quick and easy, recipe, toast

Lately I’ve been making lists of various things I could put on toast and reasonably call dinner. This is what one does when one is one-week from thesis deadline, right? Make lists of terribly important things. Much more important than working on one’s thesis, right? So we’re in a toast-for-dinner situation, and I thought I’d share one of my favourites: the smashy smashy.

This is the kind of thing I can use to talk myself out of ordering a pizza for dinner. Or when I get home from work tired and hungry on a Friday and the husband wants to do some ridiculous chore before we even think about dinner. Because I get hangry something fierce, it’s better for everyone that I just feed myself as fast as possible.

Because that’s a six-minute egg smashed up on that toast, I can get this bad boy from concept into mah belly in just about 10 minutes. If things were really desperate, I could have already polished off the smashed avocado toast (which, by the way, is drizzled with pistachio oil and topped with sea salt) before the egg was done. And things do get that desperate, let me tell you.

I think that toast is highly underrated when it comes to a quick and easy dinner. With the right bread for your base and the right toppings, it can be a very nutritious meal. Fast, easy, and easily adaptable, what’s not to love? I like my toast for dinner on a pretty plate with some sliced tomatoes on the side, and a cloth napkin, because come on, toast or no toast, I’m still a lady.

What’s your favourite toast for dinner combination? I’m making a list!

One year ago: Nada.
Two years ago: Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (my favourite!)
Three years ago: Rhubarb, Apricot, and Ginger Muffins

Smashy Smashy Recipe:

Ok, this isn’t much of a recipe, but more of a suggestion. For perfect soft-boiled eggs I use this technique and let the egg cook for six minutes (set a timer!) and then let it sit on the counter for half a minute or so to cool slightly before I peel it. If you don’t have pistachio oil you can sub in another nutritious nut oil like walnut or almond, or even use avocado or olive oil instead. Or skip the oil drizzle altogether and go for a splash of hot sauce!

Serves 1

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2 slices whole grain bread
1 egg
1/2 an avocado
pistachio oil (or other, see headnotes) for drizzling
salt and pepper

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Set a small pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Using a spoon, carefully dip the egg in and out of the water a few times, then lower it into the pot. Set a timer for six minutes.

When the timer is around the three-minute mark, pop the bread into the toaster. Get the avocado organized: I like to score it with a sharp knife and then scoop it out with a spoon.

The toast should be ready slightly before the egg is. Go ahead and smash the avocado on one slice. Once the egg timer goes, remove from the water and let cool slightly, only 30 seconds or so. Tap against the counter to break the shell, and peel carefully. Smash the egg onto the other piece of toast.

Drizzle a touch of oil over the avocado, if desired, and salt and pepper over both the avocado and the smashed egg. Serve immediately.

Avocados are awesome! Around 80% of the calories in an avocado come from fat, which is about 20 x higher than most fruit. However, about 65% of this fat is healthy monounsaturated fat, in particular oleic acid. Avocados also contain an incredible range of phytonutrients, and many vitamins and minerals. Avocados are a good source of vitamin K, fiber, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, and potassium – more potassium than a banana even!

Eggs are an amazing source of high quality protein, vitamin B12, choline (important for your brain), carbohydrates, and healthy fats. Eggs are satiating; a study found that those eating a low fat diet which included 2 eggs a day for breakfast lost nearly *twice* as much weight as those eating a bagel breakfast with the same calories and mass, with no increase in blood cholesterol levels.

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2014

chipotle black bean burgers

Tags

a weekend affair, beans and legumes, cooking, food, gluten free, plan ahead make ahead, recipe, vegan

The last couple of weeks have been a tad on the bonkers side. There were several really long days and one super late night at the office, the morning after which I dragged my tired self out of bed and gave myself a pat on the back for having pre-packed my lunches for the week (hello, humblebrag).

I know I keep harping on about this, but for real, I don’t know how I’d be feeding myself right now if I didn’t spend those hours on the weekend prepping for the week. When I think back to this time three years ago when I was in the final stages of my last degree, I remember really missing this. Paul had already moved to Sweden and I was living with my Mom in Vancouver (and my dad was living in a tent trailer on the coast building their new house – it was kind of an intense time for all of us, in retrospect), and while my Mom definitely took top notch care of me, I remember struggling without the routine I was used to.

Right now feels a little like organize or die. Which is realistically more like, organize or eat crackers for dinner. And lunch. And maybe breakfast. Our weekly food routine helps a lot, as does packing my breakfasts (I eat breakfast at the office) and lunches in advance, and since unlike Paul I switch up my breakfasts and lunches a bit each week, the advance planning I do by writing it all out really helps with that.

One of my biggest allies in meal prep is my freezer, and one of my favourite things to have on hand in the freezer is a good veggie burger patty. A really good veggie burger patty has been an elusive thing to me for a long time, but these chipotle black bean burgers are something else. I find most veggie burgers are either packed with breadcrumbs or cheese, and this recipe uses neither. They’re vegan, easily gluten free, and because they’re not super bready, I’m equally comfortable sandwiching these between a toasted whole-wheat bun, a couple of lettuce leaves, or going altogether bun-less and crumbling them into a salad or a wrap. And, they’re jam packed with flavour.

These burgers are a bit of work, but the recipe makes a lot and they freeze well. I’ve made a batch every other week for the past few weeks, and find them invaluable for quick and easy or grab and go meals. I’d categorize these as a bit of a weekend project, but one you definitely won’t regret.

One year ago: Game Changing Hummus
Two years ago: Roasted Chickpeas with Three Paprikas
Three years ago: Milk and Honey Pudding

Chipotle Black Bean Burger Recipe:

Make a big batch of these burgers and keep them on hand in your freezer. They’re perfect for grilling season, or to fancy up a weekday salad.

Makes 12 patties. Recipe adapted from the Oh She Glows Cookbook

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3 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1/3 cup warm water
3/4 cup rolled oats (use gluten-free oats if you like)
3 cups cooked black beans
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1 cup grated carrot
1/3 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
2 large cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce or liquid aminos (I use Braggs)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

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Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat, and brush with olive oil. Set aside.

Combine the ground flax and 1/3 cup water in a small bowl. Set aside for about 10 min while it firms up into a gel.

Place the oats in the bowl of a food processor and process into a flour. Remove the oat flour and place into a large bowl.

Now put 2 cups of the black beans into the food processor, together with the chipotle peppers. Pulse a few times, then run the food processor until they are well combined and the beans have a bit of a paste-like consistency. Add the remaining 1 cup of black beans, and pulse a few times to combine. You want the beans to be a bit broken up, but still have some texture to them.

Scrape the bean / chipotle mixture into the large bowl with the oat flour, and then add all remaining ingredients together with the gelled flax seed mixture. Use a wooden spoon or your clean hands to mix everything together until well combined. Using your hands, form the mixture into 12 patties – wet hands help make this easier.

Place the patties onto the prepared baking sheet, and brush the tops with a bit of olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the tray from the oven and very carefully turn the patties over. Bake for an additional 15 – 20minutes, until they are nicely browned. Remove from the oven and enjoy them hot!

Do ahead:
If you want to grill the patties, reduce the 2nd baking time to 10 minutes, and then finish the patties on the grill. You can also reheat cold or thawed patties on the grill.

If you want to freeze the patties, cool them on a wire rack before placing them into a freezer storage bag. You can make a stack and separate the burgers with squares of parchment paper, or you can freeze them in a single layer so they don’t stick together.

Cooking up a batch of black bean for this recipe? Cook twice as much as you need and freeze the extras for next time.

Black beans are a good source of folate, dietary fiber, protein, phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium and vitamin K. The protein-fiber combination in black beans is one of the things that makes them special. A one cup serving contains 15g of fiber (over half of the daily recommended intake), and 15g of protein. Much of the fiber is indigestible, which supports digestive health, particularly in the lower part of our digestive tract. The protein-fiber combination is also key in stabilizing blood sugar levels, as both protein and fiber move through our digestive systems at a moderate pace. Black beans are also rich in soluble fiber, which is helpful for lowering blood cholesterol levels and supporting cardiovascular health. You know what they say, beans beans good for the heart… but if the second part of that rhyme concerns you, be sure to discard the soaking water when cooking dried beans. You’ll be tossing out a good amount of flatulence causing compounds, as well as some of the phytates and tannins that lower nutrient availability.

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2014

panisse, two ways

Tags

chickpeas, cooking, food, panisse, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

Although I have been vegetarian for over 20 years now, there isn’t any profound moral, political, or ethical reason behind it. I’m a vegetarian because I’m a picky eater, and the thing I’m picky about is meat. I plain old just don’t want to eat it. People ask me all the time if I miss meat or if it’s hard being vegetarian and the answer is no. But I’ll tell you, I do have burger envy. Straight up.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy veggie burgers, but more often than not I don’t eat them in a bun. Most veggie burgers are held together with bread crumbs or rice or potatoes, so it seems kind of crazy to me to slap that breadiness in the middle of more bread. Is it just me?

What I want in a burger is a slab of protein, a load of veggies, probably some cheese, and a nice toasted bun. Is that too much to ask?

Not long ago I was experimenting with a lentil burger, and I decided to try replacing the breadcrumbs with chickpea flour to try and avoid said breadiness. The burger was nothing to write home about, but it got the wheels turning. Could I make a burger patty out of chickpea flour? Yes, yes I could. It’s called panisse.

You know what else you can make with panisse? Chickpea fries! If you’re on the polenta fry bandwagon (I make polenta fries all the time using this recipe), I fully encourage you to give chickpea fries a try. The concept is similar –  whisking chickpea flour, water, and seasoning into a thick porridge, spreading that out in a greased baking pan, and then once cooled, slicing and baking. (Remember when I made porridge nuggets? Same deal.)

Chickpea fries have a nuttier, slightly more complex flavour than polenta fries do, and are definitely more nutrition rich. We like ours served with a chipotle dip, which is nothing more than Greek yoghurt, chipotle peppers, and a bit of salt all whisked together.

So, chickpea patties, or chickpea fries. Panisse, two ways! Other things to do with panisse? I haven’t tried it, but I’m willing to bet that grilled panisse would be pretty good. Or cut into little squares for panisse croutons? Give it a try!

One year ago: Spinach Salad with Summer Berries and Sesame Crusted Goats Cheese
 Two years ago: Black Bean Salad with Spelt Berries
Three years ago: Wild Rice and Chickpea Salad

Panisse Recipe:

This recipe makes quite a lot of panisse. I got 4 burger patties (the one above I sliced in half because it’s quite thick and I wanted to maximize on crispy edges) and two batches of chickpea fries (for two people) out of this quantity. The panisse freezes well, so I simply sliced it into large squares and froze separated by parchment paper. That way I’ve got panisse on hand in the freezer and I’m a simple slice and bake away from chickpea fries or a chickpea burger patty any time I want. If you don’t want to end up with quite so much, I suggest you reduce the recipe by 1/3.

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6 cups of water
3 cups chickpea flour
salt and black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil

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Generously butter or oil a 9 x 11 baking sheet and set aside.

In a large pot, bring the water to the boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the chickpea flour all at once. Continue whisking for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and smooth (I find that a few lumps are unavoidable, but you won’t notice them later). Stir in the olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper to taste. Pour the chickpea mixture into the greased baking sheet and spread out into an even layer. Once it has cooled slightly, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Pre-heat your oven to 400F / 200C (this is a good place for your convection fan, if you’ve got one). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Slice the firm batter into sticks for chickpea fries, or larger squares for burger or sandwich patties. Line them up on the baking sheet, and brush with a bit of olive oil or melted butter. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn to the other side, brush again, and replace in the oven to bake for another 10 minutes. They should be slightly golden and crispy on the outside. Remove from the oven, salt generously, and serve with dip (for fries) or assemble your burger.

Chickpeas are a super food! They’re a very good source of folate, protein, dietary fiber, phosphorus and iron. The fiber in chickpeas is mostly insoluble, which is really good for our digestive tracts. You can read more about the health benefits of eating chickpeas here.

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2013

honey roasted carrot and hummus sandwiches

Tags

cooking, food, recipe, sandwiches, vegetarian

This time next week I’ll be sitting in class. Sitting. In. Class. It kind of snuck up on me, and now I’m alternating between being really excited and really terrified. I’m excited about pursuing my dreams, meeting new and presumably like-minded people, learning more about nutrition. I’m terrified I won’t know enough, people won’t like me, I’ll be the old lady of the class. Bah, nerves. We’ve all got ’em, right?

I’m going to try to keep working as much as possible while I’m in school, and I’m lucky to have two employers who are both being extremely flexible with me. Most days I’ll be going directly from school to work, so I’ve been brainstorming things to pack along to keep me fuelled over the course of a very long day.

Can I tell you something? Making sandwiches stresses me out. Not A sandwich, I can do that just fine, but sandwiches. Paul is the mastermind behind the Sandwich System, and he is a sandwich making genius. He can get the lettuce barrier just so and bang out a week’s worth of water-tight sandwiches in a breeze. Me, I fuss and fiddle and can never get the lettuce barrier quite right and I don’t like it one bit. We’ve worked out a sub-system where I often prep the ingredients; slice the tomatoes and cucumbers and whatnot, then he builds the sandwiches. Or I bake off a week’s worth of muffins while he does the sandwiches. It’s team work, our weekly lunch prep.

Hey, but this sandwich? It’s all golden honey roasted carrots and a healthy smear of hummus. It doesn’t need a lettuce barrier; it’s a low-stress operation. Unless you find roasting carrots or making hummus stressful, in which case I apologize. Let’s just all relax and have a sandwich. School isn’t here quite yet.

One year ago: Grilled Corn and Tomato Frittata
Two years ago: BC Summer Muffins

Honey Roasted Carrot and Hummus Sandwiches Recipe:

Fat, diagonal slices of carrot are tossed in a honey and olive oil glaze, sprinkled with sea salt, and roasted until golden. While they’re roasting you can whip up a batch of basic hummus, or fancy it up if you like. This recipe makes way more hummus than you need for the sandwiches, enjoy the leftovers as a dip with veggies, or with some crackers.

Makes 2 sandwiches with a thick carrot layer, or 4 with a single layer of carrots.

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For the Honey Roasted Carrots:

4 large carrots
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp coarse sea salt

For the Basic Hummus

3 cups cooked chickpeas
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp water
1/4 – 1/3 cup lemon juice
2 Tbsp tahini paste
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cumin

4-8 slices of nice multigrain bread, depending on how many sandwiches you want to make.

Preheat your oven to 200 C / 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Peel your carrots if you like (I did only for aesthetics, if you’re using organic carrots don’t bother, just give ’em a good scrub, but if your carrots aren’t organic then please peel them), then slice them on a sharp diagonal so you get long slices, about 1/2 cm thick. In a large bowl, whisk together honey and olive oil. If your honey isn’t the runny type just heat it slightly until it is a bit liquidy. Add the carrot slices to the bowl, then toss so everything is well coated in the honey glaze. Arrange carrot slices on the lined baking sheet in a single layer. Pop into the oven, and roast until they are soft and slightly brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool.

While the carrots are roasting you can make the hummus. In the bowl of a food processor combine, chickpeas, olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, water, and tahini. Pulse a few times, then process, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Taste the hummus and decide whether you want to use the rest of the lemon juice (I did). Add a bit of salt and pepper, and the cumin. Process again, then taste again and decide whether you need more salt.

Decide how many sandwiches you want to make. I always start my sandwiches by toasting the bread, especially if I’m making a few at a time to pack for lunches. For each sandwich, spread both slices of bread generously with hummus. Arrange slices of honey roasted carrots in either a single layer (for four sandwiches) or a double layer (for two extra carroty sandwiches) over one slice of the bread (No, YOU licked the extra honey glaze off the parchment). Top with the other slice of bread, and either pack away into your sandwich stowage device (sandwich keeper? plastic baggie? parchment paper?) or enjoy immediately.

Carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, as well as vitamin C, and dietary fiber. Chickpeas are a super food! They’re a very good source of folate, protein, dietary fiber, phosphorus and iron. The fiber in chickpeas is mostly insoluble, which is really good for our digestive tracts. Chickpeas plus the whole wheat / multigrain bread forms a complete protein. Win!

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2012

goat cheese, arugula, and honey baguette, and a trip to London

Tags

cooking, food, London, recipe, sandwich

One of the best things about living in Sweden is the glorious long summer days. We’ve had absolutely crap weather for most of June, but thankfully last week on June 21st, the longest day of the year, the weather behaved and so we sat outside with a mish mash group of expats and had a lovely picnic into the wee hours of the morning. This is what 12:30am looked like (thanks Limor for the photo!):

Later the next morning we dusted ourselves off and headed over to London for the weekend. My sister Emily has lived in London for nearly 9 years, and one of the best parts about living in Stockholm is that we get to see each other  way more often now. We flew with Ryanair, which is pretty much the cheapest and also the most skid airline going. It’s infuriating that they are so much cheaper than any of the other options because we feel like we always have to choose them. Flying with Ryanair out of Stockholm means taking a 90 minute bus ride out to Skavsta, the smallest and most skid airport I’ve ever been to. I made these sandwiches to take with us because it’s a bit of a long day with the bus ride factored in, and Ryanair gives you absolutely nothing for free and their for-purchase food is expensive and pretty gross. My sandwiches were delicious and inexpensive because I made them myself. I jury rigged a panini press and toasted ’em up, then wrapped them in tinfoil for the road.

Here’s another Ryanair tip: wear a big jacket with big pockets. They are super strict about the size and weight of your one piece of carry on baggage, but nobody ever checks your pockets. I wear a second carry on bag under my jacket, then zip up my jacket and put my backpack on top. Works every time.

We arrived at Emily and Andy’s flat in Wandsworth (not the dodgy end*) and popped the cork on some local fizz to start the weekend off. This bottle of Chapel Down was exceptionally good, I highly recommend trying some out if you can get your hands on a bottle. Once we were nice and warmed up we hopped on a train and headed to East London where we met up with Andy and had a few pints at a proper British pub with the Euro Cup blaring in the background. After a pit stop at another pub, we wandered over to Brick Lane and haggled deals for a curry dinner. The curry was nothing to speak about, but the experience was grand. After dinner we rolled our full selves along and went to see DJ Andy Smith spin 45’s at one of the most eclectic venues I’ve ever been to. Then it was home to bed – thankfully we had inflated the airbeds before we went out. Smart move. 

* a dozen cookies to the first person in either Stockholm or Vancouver who gets that reference.

Andy had asked us to come over this particular weekend because he wanted to do the Warrior Dash and had signed Paul up as well. The race was unfortunately cancelled, so we filled the time with more eating and drinking. The above photo is Andy And Paul around the time they were supposed to be crawling through mud and leaping over flames; they don’t look too terribly disappointed to be drinking beer instead. We went to Covenant Garden (I think) and stumbled upon a market where there was food and drink a plenty. We bought a lot of cheese. We took local beers in to-go cups and wandered along the river bank. We watched some break dancing. I scored a hat for Paul.

We did a lot of wandering and took in some sights. I have been to London many times to visit Emily but it had been at least 10 years since I had been into central London, and the first time for Paul. We peered up at the London Eye and over at Big Ben. We wandered towards Buckingham Palace but couldn’t get the whole way because they’re constructing a beach volleyball court for the Olympics in front of it. We walked through Trafalgar Square. We drank beer and Pimms at Punch and Judy. Then we dragged our tired selves back to Wandsworth and spread out all the cheese and olives and other bits we had bought throughout the day and sampled another bottle of local fizz (can’t remember the name, but wasn’t as good as the Chapel Down) followed by a barbeque dinner with a few more friends.

Sunday breakfast of tea and crumpets. That’s properly British, right? I forgot how much I like crumpets. I stuffed the remainder of the pack, and a pack of English muffins (just called toaster muffins there) and the remainder of a brick of good English cheddar into my suitcase. And! Emily gave me a new cookbook. I can’t wait to start working through this one.

To round off the British experience we hopped in the car and headed off to Richmond for a proper Sunday pub lunch. We drove through Richmond Park and saw herds of deer just chilling out. We wandered around Richmond, settled on a pub, then played musical tables. Three outside, then two inside to avoid the rain. Andy had half a chicken. Paul had lamb. Emily and I had the veggie option which was an exceptionally greasy veggie rarebit bake. All came with the traditional trimmings; Yorkshire pudding (yum!), gravy (they had veggie gravy for the veggie option!), potatoes, and boiled veg, and was washed down with some tasty beers. Honeydew on tap!

We headed back to the airport very, very full, to say the least. It was a grand old time, and I’m already looking forward to the next visit.

One year ago: Vij’s Spicy Cauliflower Steak

Goat Cheese, Arugula, and Honey Baguette Recipe:This tasty little sandwich is inspired by a cafe in Stockholm my friend Erin and I like to meet up at. They do a similar grilled sandwich, but it is made with three layers of white bread, which I think it just unnecessary. Here I used a small multigrain baguette instead.Recipe from The Muffin Myth.For each sandwich:

one small multigrain baguette
rounds of soft goat cheese (the kind with a soft rind, or chevre would work fine too)
honey
a handful of walnuts
a handful of baby arugula leaves

.

Slice each baguette in half and smear both sides with honey. Top one side with rounds of goats cheese, lined up beside each other. Top goat cheese with a row of walnuts, then a good handful of arugula. Close the sandwich with the top layer of baguette.

If you want to toast it, use a panini press. If you, like me, don’t own a panini press, simply heat two heavy skillets, one inside the other, on medium-high heat for about five minutes. Place the sandwiches carefully in one skillet, top with the second skillet, and put something heavy (like a pot) on top of it all. Grill for a few minutes until the bread is toasty and the cheese is slightly melted, then remove from the heat. Enjoy immediately, or wrap in foil and take to eat on your Ryainair flight (if this is what you’re doing, enjoy it smugly while the other passengers look longingly at your delicious sandwich).

This sandwich is full of good stuff, but with all those rounds of cheese it is definitely a moderation situation. It’s the kind of sandwich I’d enjoy as a weekend or travel treat, not an every day sandwich. Enjoy it every once in a while, but maybe consider these Chickpea Salad Sandwiches for your weekday lunches.

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2012

chickpea salad sandwich

Tags

chickpeas, cooking, food, recipe, sandwiches, vegetarian

Last year this time I talked about the sandwich system, so I thought now I’d help soften the back-to-school and back-to-work blues with a tasty vegetarian sandwich filling. I find that vegetarian sandwich options can be repetitive and I get tired of simple bread, veg, cheese combinations. I’m doing a lot of running around these days and find that I’m hungry almost all of the time, so I’m on the hunt for a sandwich filling that is a) tasty, and b) won’t make the bread soggy, and c) will keep me fueled for a good chunk of the day.

This chickpea salad sandwich meets all of the above criteria. I went through several test batches before I nailed down what I was looking for. I wanted the filling to mimic somewhat the texture of an egg salad sandwich filling but I didn’t want the chickpea salad to be goopey or overly loaded with mayonnaise. A blend of mayo and Greek yoghurt do the trick. I also didn’t want to have to add any extra veggies to my sandwich if I didn’t want to (read:  trying to avoid soggy bread) but wanted to know that I would be getting nutritious veggies in my lunch, so in went finely diced red pepper and green onion as well as grated carrot.

I’ve been enjoying this sandwich on thin but sturdy slices of Swedish rye bread. It dresses up nicely as a little tea party sandwich if you want to get fancy. Heck, you could even serve the filling as a dip or use it as a topping for little canapes at a cocktail party. Paul has been spreading a little on a tortilla and making a wrap out of it with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a little bit of cheese. Give it a try for your lunch this week, I think you’ll like it.

One year ago: Chocolate Zucchini Loaf with Quinoa  and The Sandwich System

Chickpea Salad Sandwich Recipe:

I wanted the chickpeas in this recipe to be mashed but not totally smooth, so I used the bottom of a cup to give them a good mashing and ended up with the texture I was after (Also, I do not own a food processor or a blender. Or a masher for that matter, so a cup was pretty much my best option.) I like my chickpea salad to be a little spicy, so I’ve used some dijon mustard and a little cayenne pepper here, along with a squeeze of lemon for a little acidity. I imagine that subbing in some diced chipotle pepper or some smokey cumin would be nice also. Let me know if you try any other flavour combinations.

…….

2 cups cooked chickpeas

2 Tbsp plain yoghurt

2 Tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 carrot, grated

2 green onions, finely diced

1/2 of a large red bell pepper, finely diced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

…….

In a large bowl roughly mash chickpeas with the bottom of a cup or other mashing device. Alternately you could pulse the chickpeas in a food processor. Stir in carrots, green onion, and red pepper. Add mayo, yoghurt, dijon, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Use as a sandwich filling on your favourite bread.

Do ahead: chickpea salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2011

crispy skillet tofu

Tags

cooking, food, nutritional yeast, recipe, tofu and tempeh, vegetarian

Three weeks ago when I left Sweden for the Sunshine Coast of BC to marry off my sister, Emily, I made the decision to not lug my beast of a laptop with me. Though barely over two years old, my computer seems to me now like a clunky chugging station wagon; the kind with fake wood paneling on the sides and those oh-so safe rear facing seats in the trunk. I’m tired of lugging it around. I’ve dragged it back and forth between Vancouver and Stockholm no less than six times in the last 18 months, and I schlepped it all around Costa Rica this past December. No more! Thinking I was clever, I uploaded pictures for a few posts onto the server so that while I was away I could use any old computer with which to blog, as surely everyone but me would have brought their computer with them to the coast. I planned to post at least twice in the two weeks I was in Canada. Ha!

Clearly I didn’t. As I suspected, there were laptops a plenty, but other than email checks on my iPod, I pretty much unplugged for the two weeks I was away. And I don’t regret it.  I’ll try to wrangle through my photos this weekend and post some of them with a recipe next week so you can see what it is I was doing while I was busy not being here. For now, here I am, back on my clunky beast of a laptop, clinging to the remaining shreds of summer.

There is something summery and picnic-y about this crispy skillet tofu. Its double dipped in a savory coating with a nutritional yeast base, then pan fried until nice and crispy. For those of you who are new to nutritional yeast as an ingredient, it is a non leavening strain of yeast that is grown on molasses. It has a pungent, cheesy flavour, and is rich in B vitamins. I am so addicted to nutritional yeast on my popcorn, and also use it frequently in sauces and gravies, or just sprinkled straight up on some steamed veg.

The trick to a nice crispy crust on the tofu is threefold; make sure your tofu is good and dry, double dip into the coating, and don’t hold back on the oil. Without enough oil in your skillet the coating will be dry and crumbly and not good at all. Think about how much oil would be used if you were deep frying rather than using a shallow skillet, relax, and enjoy your meal.

I like this tofu best straight up hot out of the skillet. It’s also great on a salad, in a sandwich, or chopped up and put in a wrap. It’ll never be quite as crispy as when you first made it, but will still be delicious as leftovers. 

One year ago: Trant Road Blackberries Two Ways and Muslimix Spice Muffins

Crispy Skillet Tofu Recipe:

I season the coating in this recipe with Old Bay Seasoning, which I first bought forever ago for an attempt at home made seitan I never got around to trying. I adore it on popcorn with nutritional yeast, so the pairing seemed logical here also. If you can’t find it try another spice blend, paprika, cayenne, pepper, or whatever strikes your fancy.

…….

1 250g block extra firm tofu

1 egg

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 tsp Old Bay, or other seasoning

oil for skillet (I used olive oil)

…….

Remove tofu from packaging and drain. Wrap in a few layers of paper towel, and set on a plate or cutting board with another heavy plate on top. Let sit and press for about 10 min. Slice into 1-2 cm thick slices, and set aside.

Whisk egg in a shallow bowl.

In another shallow bowl, toss together flour, nutritional yeast, and seasoning.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, and cover the bottom with oil. Dip a slice of tofu first into the flour / yeast mixture to ensure the outside is really dry, then into the egg, then back into the first coating. Place coated tofu directly into hot pan. Repeat with all slices. Fry until golden brown on one side, then turn over until golden on the the other side. Remove from the pan onto a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately for the crispiest tofu.

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2011

baked eggplant parmesan caprese sandwiches

Tags

caprese, cooking, eggplant, food, parmesan, recipe, vegetarian

Back in April when Paul popped through Vancouver for a few days en route to a conference we had dinner with his parents one evening. Because it was Easter weekend, there was a ham. And pierogies. Because I am vegetarian and my in-laws always make sure there is enough for me to eat, there was also a baked Eggplant Parmesan. At some point in the evening I heard my father-in-law say, “the leftovers are going to make great sandwiches”, and because my brain is wired a little differently I thought he was referring to the leftover eggplant, not the ham, and I sat and quietly drooled over the thought of eggplant parmesan sandwiches.

A little while later, the idea still hand’t left my consciousness, and when I started to see luscious looking eggplants turning up in the markets I thought I had better get to it. But then I had another thought; what if, instead of making the eggplant parmesan and stuffing it between two slices of bread with some cheese and tomatoes, what if the eggplant was the bread?

So here we are.

This recipe really couldn’t be easier. Thin slices of eggplant are dunked in an egg-wash bath, dredged in a mixture of breadcrumbs and finely shredded Parmesan cheese, then baked in the oven until they are soft on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside. Once your ‘bread’ is ready, you can add any combination of fillings. I’ve gone with a caprese salad concept; thick sliced juicy tomatoes, soft fresh bocconcini cheese, a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil and a tangy balsamic vinegar, fresh basil leaves, and a smattering of salt and pepper. I think a soft goats cheese and some sundried tomatoes and salty black olives would be a great combination as well. You could use long, thin, Japanese eggplants and make this into cocktail party fair. This will be a repeat item in my kitchen to be certain. 
One year ago:Cold Rice Noodles with Cashews

Baked Eggplant Parmesan Caprese Sandwiches Recipe:

When you’re breading the eggplant, use a dry hand wet hand system where one hand deals with dunking the eggplant into the egg-wash, and the other deals only with lifting the eggplant out of the bowl of bread crumbs. Otherwise your hands will be a gummy mess. A helper is good for this too.

My medium eggplant yielded six sandwiches.

…….

1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1.5cm thick slices

1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tbsp of water

1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup unseasoned bread crumbs

salt and pepper

.

1 large ball of bocconcini cheese, or similar

1 large tomato

fresh basil leaves

olive oil

balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper

…….

Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or brush it lightly with olive oil. Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan in a wide bowl, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Mix well. In another bowl whisk the egg and water together. Dunk slices of eggplant first in the egg, and then into the bread crumbs. Press on each side to ensure the bread crumbs are well adhered, and then place the breaded slice on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until you’ve run out of eggplant. Bake for 15 min, then remove from the oven and carefully turn each slice over. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until eggplant is soft and the breading is crispy and golden. Remove from the oven.

Allow the eggplant to cool slightly while you ready the sandwich fillings. Pair up eggplant slices of similar sizes, and then begin layering sandwich fillings. First a slice of tomato, then a slice of bocconcini cheese. A sprinkle of salt and pepper, then a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then a a few basil leaves. Top with the second slice of eggplant.

Serve immediately.

All text and photos © The Muffin Myth 2011