Cheesy Eggplant Toasts Topped With Roasted Eggplant Bruschetta

Mmmm eggplant. My dad grew the eggplant used in these photos by the way, along with the tomatoes and basil. Go dad! 

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 small red onion
• 1 loaf of fresh bread
• 1/2 cup fresh basil 
• Old cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• a pinch of pepper, dried sage, salt,
• olive oil 

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375. Cut half of your eggplant into disks and set aside. Chop the other half into small pieces and mix in a bowl with olive oil to coat, salt, pepper and dried sage. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 min.

• Chop tomatoes, onion, and basil and throw into a bowl with a splash of olive oil. Set aside. 
• Cut your bread for the toasts. I chose an organic multigrain loaf for my toasts, which I bought this morning at Earth to Table Bread Bar on Locke St. in Hamilton. Yummmmm. Visit their website!!  http://breadbar.ca/

• Take the eggplant out of the oven and turn it, then put it in for another 5 minutes.
• In a frying pan, fry the eggplant disks on medium with some olive oil. For every toast you are making you will need 2 eggplant disks. After they are golden and soft, add the soya sauce and finish frying them for another 2 minutes or so. 

• Add cheese to the disks and turn heat to low, covering them to help the cheese melt.At the same time, start toasting your bread. While the cheese is melting, add the roasted eggplant to your bruschetta mix and combine evenly. 

• When the toast is ready, it is time to build! Starting with toast on bottom, place 2 melted disks on each slice. Then top with a generous amount of bruschetta. 

• I had lots of extra bruschetta mix, so you could easily double or triple to toast and eggplant disk part of the recipe if you are eating with guests. 

And that's it! This definitely requires lots of napkins, or to be eaten with a knife and fork. 

Warm Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Roasted Veggies, Goat Cheese, and Cilantro-Lime Dressing

So the other day I was standing in the produce aisle, wondering what flavours would go together the best for a quinoa salad. In the past I have always had it with fresh veggies such as cucumber and peppers, and feta. But I decided to go with something a little different this time. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 medium or 1 large sweet potato
• 1 small red onion
• 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
• 70 g goat cheese
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 lime
• pepper

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375. Cut the sweet potato and onion into small cubes. Toss in a medium-sized bowl with the balsamic vinegar and pepper.

• Spread mixture onto a baking sheet (mine is really old so I put a piece of tin foil down first to prevent sticking). Bake for 15 min.
• While the vegetables are baking, the dressing can be prepared. Combine the olive oil, juice and zest from your lime, and 3/4 of the cilantro in a food processor. blend until smooth.

• After 15 min, pull the veggies out and turn them. Put them in for another 15 min.

I chose PC Organics, but it is probably cheaper to get in bulk!



I only used half of this package.

• At this time you can start your quinoa. Combine 1 cup with 2 cups of water, bring to a boil, and turn the heat to low. Let cook for 15 min. Once it is done cooking, turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 min. before fluffing with a fork.

• Now the veggies are finished cooking, the quinoa is ready, and the dressing is made. In a large bowl combine quinoa and veggies with the goat cheese and the remainder of the cilantro. Pour the dressing on and mix well. I threw a couple more dashes of balsamic in to bring all of the elements of the salad together. The cheese will start to get creamy and you can serve it warm! Serves 3-4 people.  

The Amazing Quinoa! A Good Staple For Every Veg Diet

The quinoa plant is native to South America, and the quinoa we eat today has been cultivated there for around 5000 years.

In the 16th century when the Spanish invaded the Andes region, the Incas were actually banned from growing and producing quinoa because of its association with non-Christian ceremonies. But those Incas were too smart, and they grew small amounts in secret which has allowed it to survive until today! 

Here are some wicked health benefits to this plant:

• quinoa is a complete protein source, 
• a good source of heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fat,
• a source of folate, copper, and phosphorus,
• provides over twice the amount of calcium as found in whole wheat,
• full of antioxidant flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol, sometimes a higher amount is found in certain types of quinoa than cranberries
• anti-inflammatory benefits
• lowers total cholesterol

Here are some very basic quinoa cooking instructions I found online. I will be posting my own recipe for quinoa salad soon. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 1/4 tsp salt

1.  Rinse quinoa for about 30 seconds under running water using a fine mesh strainer.
2. Bring quinoa, water and salt to a boil, cover, and reduce heat (similar to rice).
3. Cook for 15 min.
4. Remove heat and allow to sit for 5 min, then fluff with a fork. 

Come back soon for my quinoa salad recipe!

References:

 "Quinoa." The World's Healthiest Foods. The George Mateljan Foundation, 2012. Web. 8 Aug 2012. <http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice>.

"How to Cook Quinoa." Savvy Vegetarian. The Savvy Vegetarian Inc., 2011. Web. 8 Aug 2012. <http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/basic-quinoa.php>.

Mom's Simple Salad Dressing

This is the most versatile salad dressing I have ever experienced. With only 4 basic ingredients that are found in most kitchens,  it can be made minutes before the salad is served, with hardly any preparation, and it tastes amazing with most combinations of fruits and veggies!

Ingredients:

• Olive oil 
• Vinegar (red wine, white wine, apple cider or balsamic)
• Mustard (honey, dijon, or french)
• salt and pepper

In the photo I combined the oil with red wine vinegar and honey mustard. Take the time to experiment with different combinations of vinegar and mustard. It is also good to add some lemon juice to some of the combinations too (especially with balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard, the way my mom makes it).

For dinner I made an omelette with broccoli, kalamata olives, feta and fresh basil.

Then with the dressing I made a side salad with feta, cucumber, tomato, and more fresh basil. Yummy!!! 

This meal is packed full of disease-fighting foods,including broccoli and tomatoes which are known for preventing cancer through antioxidants, basil which also contains antioxidants and is good for the skin, eggs which are an excellent source of vegetarian protein, and olives, which prevent bone loss and cancer. 

Asian Pesto Stir Fry Pasta

So I'm sure everyone has had pesto pasta before, and I'm sure everyone has also had some sort of Asian stir fry. But have you ever combined the two??

Ingredients:

• Whole wheat spaghetti
• Pesto sauce (home made is better but I happened to have a jar in my pantry that I needed to use. I will post a home made recipe next time!)
• Celery, mushrooms, carrots
• Fried Tofu- This can be bought at most Asian markets either near the produce or tofu, and it resembles big blocks of the tofu often used in Thai restaurants. At the Asian market near me it costs $2.00 for 5 big blocks!
• Boy Choy- aka Chinese cabbage-there are different types, I chose to use a smaller green one. Bok choy is great for stir fries because it is very low in calories, contains no fat, and is high in vitamins C,A and K!
• Water, olive oil

1. Bring a pot of water to boil (enough for 4 servings of spaghetti). While waiting on the water, cut the tofu into chunks, the carrot into thin slices, and chop the celery.
2. Throw the tofu, carrots and celery into a pan with water, not oil. This way they can steam first and most of the cooking process will be done sans oil, which is healthier! Cook on medium heat.
3. Add the whole wheat pasta to the boiling water.
4. Slice the mushrooms and cut the bottoms off the bok choy and add to the vegetables. Also add the olive oil at this stage so the veggies don't go too limp. 
5. The worst thing you can do to a stir fry, in my opinion, is overcook the vegetables. So once the mushrooms and bok choy is soft the other harder vegetables should be at the prime level of soft but still containing a crunch. The tofu's job is merely to soak up the flavours because it is already cooked.
6. Drain the pasta and add to the vegetables, slowly adding the pesto sauce until everything is evenly coated. Serve with chop sticks and enjoy!

First post- Apple Cider Vinegar love

Hellllooo!


So this is my first post in my veg blog, and I'm super excited. To start off, I am a college girl living on my own, cooking in a tiny kitchen in my bachelor apartment, living on a small budget and making delicious vegetarian food.


I am creating this blog to post articles, recipes, and tips to spend less and try new things. 


For my first post, I would like to talk about my absolute love for apple cider vinegar. I put a teaspoon or two into a glass of ice water in the morning and drink it with my breakfast.
 I find if you are an orange juice lover like I am then switching from orange juice to this will reduce your sugar levels at breakfast. Also, it is like a little mini digestive cleanse every morning! 


I actually find myself craving apple cider vinegar when I wake up now. It takes awhile to get used to the taste, and sometimes I have to mix it with a slice of lemon or lime, but I promise you will feel great. 


Some things to know when purchasing ACV:

• Go organic! A no name version of this stuff really won't do the trick, and even the organic type is inexpensive when you consider you are only going to be consuming a teaspoon a day (it's around 5 bucks for 355ml)
• Look for ACV with the "mother" enzyme.  "The mother is the dark, cloudy substance in the ACV formed from naturally occurring pectin and apple residues - it appears as molecules of protein connected in strand-like chains. The presence of the mother shows that the best part of the apple has not been destroyed. Vinegars containing the mother contain enzymes and minerals that other vinegars may not contain due to overprocessing, filtration and overheating."   http://bragg.com/products/acvFAQ.html
• Some brands I would recommend are Bragg and Omega Nutrition

Want to read more? Check out this article on how awesome this stuff is! http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/8-amazing-health-benefits-apple-cider-vinegar-144100036.html