Rice, Veggies and Broth

This dish is quick to make and I find it very comforting. You can make it with whatever veggies you have in the fridge.

I am sure there is a proper name for this dish but I have no idea what it might be. I leave some of the veggies cold while others I cook. I like the contrast while I am eating this but if you want you could cook everything.

Rice, Veggies and Broth

1 cup basmati or jasmine rice
12 mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 green onion, diced finely
3 - 4 cups of veggie broth (I use broth cubes and water)
Sesame seeds to garnish

Firstly cook your rice according to the package. Usually it's a one to one ratio rice to water but you might have your own rice cooking tricks!

Meanwhile cook your mushrooms in olive oil until they are browned. Right at the end add the maple syrup and cider vinegar and cook for one more minute. Set aside.

To assemble put about a 3/ 4 cup or so of rice into a bowl. Top with some of the hot mushrooms, cold red pepper slices and some green onion. Ladle in a cup or two of hot broth and garnish with sesame seeds.

Pasta Puttanesca and Scallops

For this month's Secret Recipe Club I was given the blog Lisa's Cooking Adventures. I read in one of her posts that the her blog is more about her cooking failures than successes but after looking through tons of yummy recipes I don't think that can actually be true!

Lisa cooks a lot of different things but this recipe for Puttanesca sauce really jumped out at me. Although P and I are mostly vegan we have added fish and seafood back into our diet so I thought I would give this sauce a try. I absolutely LOVED it but P (Who hates olives) wasn't fooled and about half way through the dish asked "does this have olives in it?".

The original recipe called for black olives but I used green as that is what I had. I also cooked up some scallops to go with the dish and they were delightful. Thanks Lisa for the wonderful recipe!

Pasta Puttanesca and Scallops
From Lisa's Cooking Adventure

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tin anchovy fillets, rolled with capers
1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 can of sliced black olives (I used green)
1 (32-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
A few grinds black pepper
1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped
6 medium scallops
Pasta 

Directions

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, garlic, anchovies, and crushed pepper. Sauté mixture until anchovies melt into oil and completely dissolve and garlic is tender, about 3 minutes: Add capers, tomatoes, black pepper, and parsley. Bring sauce to a bubble, reduce heat, and simmer 8 to 10 minutes.

In a small skillet heat some olive oil over medium high heat. Add scallops to pan and let cook for 1 minute. Turn over and cook on other side for 1 - 2 minutes. Scallops should have a lovely caramelization on the outside.

Toss sauce with cooked pasta and topped with scallops. Enjoy.

Beautiful Vegan Borscht

What a better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with this gorgeous coloured borscht soup. The original recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks Get it Ripe by Jae Steele. (Also how cute is this tea towel. It comes in a set of three from Anthropologie. Before P and I got married my mother in law gave these to me and said "you can't get married without new dish towels". She's the best)

Make sure to use fresh dill in the recipe as the dried just doesn't cut it. I topped mine with a little vegan sour cream but the soup is awesome on its own.

Vegan Borscht
Adapted from Get it Ripe

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
6 cups veggie broth
1 large sweet potato, cubed
2 - 3 large beets, cubed
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp agave / maple syrup
3 Tbsp fresh dill
Fresh ground pepper
Soy sour cream to garnish (optional)

Heat oil  in a soup pot on medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Add the carrot and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Add the stock sweet potatoes and beets and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes or until beets and potatoes are tender.

Add the vinegar, agave or syrup, dill and pepper. Stir and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes. If you like serve with a dollop of soy sour cream. And don't wear white while eating this soup!