The Bohemian Stove

A vegetarian food journal

Asparagus salad with broccolini and pea shoots ~ in a sesame soy dressing

Finally, local asparagus is here! Up in Canada, we are way behind all of you southern folks… 

When spring finally hits Ontario (and we’re having a late spring this year), I’m in the mood for lots of fresh, green food. I know a lot of asparagus recipes can be heavy - rich risottos and cheesy tarts - but all I want right now is salad. This spring, I’ve been loving this Asian-inspired asparagus salad. It has lots of bright flavours and it’s hard to stop eating once you start! Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1 pound fresh asparagus
  • 1/2 pound broccolini (optional; you can use all asparagus if you like)
  • handful of pea shoots or other sprouts
  • 2 green onions, slivered
  • 3 tablespoons lightly toasted sesame seeds

Dressing

  • 3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce (celiacs, use gluten free tamari!)
  • 2.5 teaspoons sugar
  • 1.5 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1.5 tablespoons sake
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon chili paste (I used Sambal Oelek, available in the Asian section of most well-stocked grocery stores)

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

Trim the tough ends of the asparagus and broccolini. Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the asparagus to the water; be sure there is enough water to cover the vegetables. Bring the water back to a boil and blanch the asparagus for 1-2 minutes until tender but still crisp. Transfer immediately to a cold water bath to stop from cooking. Repeat this process with the broccolini, if using. The broccolini will take slightly longer to blanch; 3-4 minutes worked well for me. When the vegetables have cooled, drain in a colander. Place the vegetables in a bowl, along with green onions, pea shoots and sesame seeds. Toss with the dressing and chill for at least 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with more pea shoots. Enjoy!

Recipe is adapted from the cookbook New Recipes from the Moosewood Restaurant, as well as being inspired by some of Heidi Swanson’s salads from 101 Cookbooks.

Here’s the recipe for Nigel Slater’s delicious carrot cake with orange mascarpone frosting, with my minor revisions.

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 3 eggs, room temperature
  • 250 grams all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 200 ml sunflower oil
  • 250 grams muscovado sugar (or dark brown sugar)
  • 150 grams carrots, grated
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 100 grams walnuts, coarsely chopped

For the frosting:

  • 250 grams mascarpone cheese
  • 200 grams cream cheese
  • 150 grams icing sugar
  • zest of 1 orange

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare two 8 or 9 inch cake pans and set aside. 

Separate the eggs. Sift together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Next, using a mixer, beat together the sugar and oil until well creamed. Add the egg yolks one at a time while continuing to mix. Then, add the grated carrots, lemon juice and walnuts, mixing after each addition.

Blend the dry ingredients into the mixture with the machine on low. The batter may be pretty thick at this point, but don’t despair; it will lighten up after the egg whites are added! 

In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Fold them gently into the batter using a large metal spoon. (Nigel says that a wooden spoon will knock the air out of your carefully beaten egg whites!)

Divide the mixture between the two cake pans and bake until done, approximately 40-45 minutes. (This happens WAY faster in my oven, although it is wacky… Just be sure to keep an eye on the baking process.)

To make the frosting, beat the mascarpone cheese and cream cheese together with a mixer. Add the icing sugar and continue beating until smooth and creamy. Mix in the orange zest.

When the cake is cool, sandwich the two cakes together with about 1/3 of the frosting. Use the rest of the frosting to cover the sides and top of the cake. (When I make this cake, I often use 1/2 the frosting recipe, and leave the sides unfrosted. To fancy things up a bit, I will make the whole frosting recipe, apply 1/3 frosting between the cake layers, and pipe the remaining frosting onto the top in pretty roses).

~~~

Check out Nigel’s fantastic book.

Slater, N. (2009). Tender: Volume 1. London: HarperCollins.

My favourite cake of all. Nigel Slater’s most excellent carrot cake with orange mascarpone frosting… recipe to follow shortly!

Smokey Black Bean Burrito with Pepitas and Baby Spinach Well, this was a quick dinner I whipped up a few nights ago. I wasn’t intending to post it, so I hadn’t been taking pictures. But it looked so pretty when it was all done and ready to roll up, I snapped a photo and decided to share it! I’ve been making this recipe for years, all thanks to Fine Cooking. Here it is, with a few minor adjustments: Ingredients 4 large flour tortillas (I use whole grain tortillas) 15 cherry tomatoes, quartered 2 tablespoons lime juice 1/4 cup chopped cilantro 1/2 clove garlic, minced sea salt 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 cup raw pepitas 1 teaspoon minced chipotle and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (you can buy small jars of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce; if you can’t find this you can substitute dried chipotle powder) 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (approximately 1 can) 2 tablespoons water (I often use about 1/2 chopped tomato instead) 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar 1 1/2 cups baby spinach 1 avocado, sliced 1/4-1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt (optional) Directions Wrap the tortillas in foil and warm in the oven at 250°F. Toss the tomatoes in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat. Add the pepitas and cook, stirring, until puffed and golden. Remove pan from heat and transfer the pepitas to a paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt. Return pan to medium heat and add the rest of the oil. Add the chipotle, adobo sauce and cumin. Cook briefly, and then add the beans and water (or chopped tomato). Simmer for two or three minutes. Reduce the heat to low and mash about 1/2 the beans. Stir in the rest of the cilantro, lime juice and the cheese. Season with salt.  To assemble, lay a tortilla on the counter. In the middle of tortilla, add 1/4 of the bean filling. Top with the cherry tomato salsa, a small handful of baby spinach, a spoonful of sour cream or yogurt, and several slices of avocado. Top with the toasted pepitas. Fold the sides in, and roll up the burrito. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. ~~~ Optionally, vegans should omit the sour cream and cheese. You can use a vegan cheese if that’s the way you roll. It will still be super tasty!

Smokey Black Bean Burrito with Pepitas and Baby Spinach

Well, this was a quick dinner I whipped up a few nights ago. I wasn’t intending to post it, so I hadn’t been taking pictures. But it looked so pretty when it was all done and ready to roll up, I snapped a photo and decided to share it! I’ve been making this recipe for years, all thanks to Fine Cooking. Here it is, with a few minor adjustments:

Ingredients

  • 4 large flour tortillas (I use whole grain tortillas)
  • 15 cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 clove garlic, minced
  • sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup raw pepitas
  • 1 teaspoon minced chipotle and 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (you can buy small jars of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce; if you can’t find this you can substitute dried chipotle powder)
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (approximately 1 can)
  • 2 tablespoons water (I often use about 1/2 chopped tomato instead)
  • 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar
  • 1 1/2 cups baby spinach
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1/4-1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt (optional)

Directions

Wrap the tortillas in foil and warm in the oven at 250°F.

Toss the tomatoes in a small bowl with 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 1/2 tablespoons cilantro, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium heat. Add the pepitas and cook, stirring, until puffed and golden. Remove pan from heat and transfer the pepitas to a paper towel and sprinkle with sea salt.

Return pan to medium heat and add the rest of the oil. Add the chipotle, adobo sauce and cumin. Cook briefly, and then add the beans and water (or chopped tomato). Simmer for two or three minutes. Reduce the heat to low and mash about 1/2 the beans. Stir in the rest of the cilantro, lime juice and the cheese. Season with salt. 

To assemble, lay a tortilla on the counter. In the middle of tortilla, add 1/4 of the bean filling. Top with the cherry tomato salsa, a small handful of baby spinach, a spoonful of sour cream or yogurt, and several slices of avocado. Top with the toasted pepitas. Fold the sides in, and roll up the burrito. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

~~~

Optionally, vegans should omit the sour cream and cheese. You can use a vegan cheese if that’s the way you roll. It will still be super tasty!

Mejadra ~ Spiced Basmati Rice and Lentils with Fried Onions This recipe has simple ingredients, straightforward cooking instructions, and the authenticity that is often missing when one tries to recreate ethnic dishes at home. Score, on all counts. Here’s the recipe: Ingredients 1 1/4 cups green lentils 4 medium onions 3 tablespoons flour 3/4 cup sunflower or safflower oil, for frying 2 teaspoons cumin seeds 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds 1 cup basmati rice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon sugar 2 cups water salt and pepper Directions Put the lentils in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and parcook for approximately 12 minutes. Drain the lentils and set aside. Meanwhile, peel the onions and slice thinly. Put them in a bowl and toss with flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy bottomed pan (I use a cast iron frying pan) over high heat. Make sure the oil is hot enough for frying by throwing in a small piece of onion; it should sizzle. Carefully add 1/3 of the onion to the oil and reduce heat to medium high. Fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are nicely browned. Remove from heat and place on a paper towel-lined plate or colander. Repeat with remaining onion. Heat a medium sized pot over medium; add the cumin and coriander seeds and toast for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the rice, olive oil, turmeric, all spice, cinnamon, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat the rice with the spice mixture, and then add the lentils and water. Cover the pot with a lid, bring to a boil, and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, lift off the lid, and quickly cover the rice mixture with a clean tea towel. Seal the pot tightly with the lid again and set aside for 10 minutes. Add 1/2 the fried onions to the rice and lentils and stir to combine. Put the mixture in a serving dish and top with remaining onions. Enjoy! ~~~ Ottolenghi & Tamimi. (2012). Jerusalem: A cookbook. Toronto: Random House.

Mejadra ~ Spiced Basmati Rice and Lentils with Fried Onions


This recipe has simple ingredients, straightforward cooking instructions, and the authenticity that is often missing when one tries to recreate ethnic dishes at home. Score, on all counts.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups green lentils
  • 4 medium onions
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 3/4 cup sunflower or safflower oil, for frying
  • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • salt and pepper

Directions

Put the lentils in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and parcook for approximately 12 minutes. Drain the lentils and set aside.

Meanwhile, peel the onions and slice thinly. Put them in a bowl and toss with flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Heat the sunflower oil in a heavy bottomed pan (I use a cast iron frying pan) over high heat. Make sure the oil is hot enough for frying by throwing in a small piece of onion; it should sizzle. Carefully add 1/3 of the onion to the oil and reduce heat to medium high. Fry for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are nicely browned. Remove from heat and place on a paper towel-lined plate or colander. Repeat with remaining onion.

Heat a medium sized pot over medium; add the cumin and coriander seeds and toast for about a minute, until fragrant. Add the rice, olive oil, turmeric, all spice, cinnamon, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat the rice with the spice mixture, and then add the lentils and water. Cover the pot with a lid, bring to a boil, and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, lift off the lid, and quickly cover the rice mixture with a clean tea towel. Seal the pot tightly with the lid again and set aside for 10 minutes.

Add 1/2 the fried onions to the rice and lentils and stir to combine. Put the mixture in a serving dish and top with remaining onions. Enjoy!

~~~

Ottolenghi & Tamimi. (2012). Jerusalem: A cookbook. Toronto: Random House.

Strawberry and pistachio brittle à la Ottolenghi = Success!

Tempering chocolate at home? Meh, not so hard. There are lots of great instructions to follow online, as I did. David Lebovitz provides some pretty easy-to-follow directions on his blog; I recommend checking them out!

With my chocolate successfully tempered, I spread it out on some parchment to make brittle, and topped it with freeze dried, organic berries and chopped pistachios. (I got the idea from Ottolenghi’s online store; I loved the photos of his brittle, but was not about to get it shipped from the UK!)

Happy Easter, all!

Flax-ume dressing for a sunny salad bowl

Hands down, this has got to be the simplest dressing ever. Golden, cold-pressed flax oil and tangy, pink-hued ume plum vinegar. Nothing else. The ume plum vinegar is already flavourful and salty, so there is no need to add anymore seasoning. And the flax oil, which is a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids for vegetarians (and non-vegetarians!) has a rich, almost buttery quality.

This dressing can be great on a fresh salad of greens, sprouts, seeds and grated beets or carrots. But I like it best over lightly steamed veggies. Today, I steamed broccoli, carrots and golden beets. To round out the meal, I cooked a small pot of quinoa and baked up some tofu. So easy! 

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup organic, cold pressed flax oil
  • 1 tablespoon ume plum vinegar

Directions

Mix together the oil and vinegar in a small bowl. The dressing will separate, so whisk to combine just before using. (Alternately, you may want to keep the dressing in a small container and shake it up to combine).

~~~

Ume plum vinegar is traditionally a Japanese product - it’s the pickling brine from making umeboshi plums. You can pick it up in most health food stores or in some well-stocked grocery stores. I buy Eden brand ume plum vinegar.

Green Day!   There are other ways to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day than with green beer… This year, why not skip the green dye and have regular beer with a healthy, savory green snack - wasabi kale chips! They are super easy to make, deliciously addictive, and full of minerals and fibre. Here’s the recipe: Ingredients 1/2 bunch of kale 2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted 2 teaspoons tamari (low sodium tamari is preferable, if you have it) 1/2 teaspoon wasabi (more or less, depending on your taste) sesame seeds Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the coconut oil, tamari and wasabi together in the bottom of a bowl. Wash the leaves of kale thoroughly and pat dry. Cut out the tough stems from the middle of the leaves, and cut or tear the leaves into 3-4 inch pieces. Put the kale in the bowl and toss, using your hand to rub the tamari/wasabi mixture into the leaves. Spread the kale leaves on baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the oven, so watch carefully! You want the chips to be crispy, not burnt. When done, remove from oven and cool briefly before devouring. Note: I have used both curly kale and the more flat-leaved Lacinato kale for this recipe. I preferred the curly kale for chips; the kale retained a brighter green colour when cooked and had a more satisfying crispness.  Also, you can try making kale chips with seasoned whole leaves (as seen here). These look very pretty, but the drawback is that the chips retain the chewy center stem. It’s your call… For all you celiacs, be sure to use a gluten-free tamari! ~~~ Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Green Day!  

There are other ways to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day than with green beer… This year, why not skip the green dye and have regular beer with a healthy, savory green snack - wasabi kale chips! They are super easy to make, deliciously addictive, and full of minerals and fibre.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

  • 1/2 bunch of kale
  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted
  • 2 teaspoons tamari (low sodium tamari is preferable, if you have it)
  • 1/2 teaspoon wasabi (more or less, depending on your taste)
  • sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the coconut oil, tamari and wasabi together in the bottom of a bowl. Wash the leaves of kale thoroughly and pat dry. Cut out the tough stems from the middle of the leaves, and cut or tear the leaves into 3-4 inch pieces. Put the kale in the bowl and toss, using your hand to rub the tamari/wasabi mixture into the leaves. Spread the kale leaves on baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the oven, so watch carefully! You want the chips to be crispy, not burnt. When done, remove from oven and cool briefly before devouring.

Note: I have used both curly kale and the more flat-leaved Lacinato kale for this recipe. I preferred the curly kale for chips; the kale retained a brighter green colour when cooked and had a more satisfying crispness. 

Also, you can try making kale chips with seasoned whole leaves (as seen here). These look very pretty, but the drawback is that the chips retain the chewy center stem. It’s your call…

For all you celiacs, be sure to use a gluten-free tamari!

~~~

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Oven roasted wasabi kale chips… recipe here.