Air-Popped Popcorn with Yummy Vegan Toppings

When I was a kid, my family used to always make popcorn using the air popped popcorn machine. I have so many fond memories of curling up on the couch to watch a movie or TV along with my family, with a big bowl of buttery, salty, delicious popcorn. It had been a while since I'd enjoyed some freshly popped popcorn, aside from buying some of the bags of organic salted popcorn at Whole Foods. Finally, I splurged and bought myself a popcorn popper!

I purchased the air popper at Bed Bath and Beyond (using a 20% off coupon, too....woo!) and chose this one by Nostalgia Electrics. It is a bit different than the one I had as a kid, where you pour the kernels into the bottom of the popper and a narrow metal arm moves the kernels around (so they don't burn) until they begin to pop. It wasn't too expensive and it definitely does the job of making a fluffy, crunchy, delicious treat!

When it comes to toppings and making some dairy-free vegan popcorn, it's easy! If you're looking for that classic, buttery popcorn, just melt down some Earth Balance or other vegan margarine in the microwave, and pour it on top. You can also use olive oil on the popcorn. Using the Earth Balance, coconut oil or olive oil allows any other toppings you put on top to stick to the popcorn.  My favourite popcorn right now uses melted Earth Balance, spoonfuls of nutritional yeast (a great way to add a cheesy taste and get your vitamin B12!), Trader Joe's garlic salt grinder (garlic, onion, parsley, and sea salt), and dried dill. 

Here are some other ideas for popcorn toppings!

* Classic - melted Earth Balance and salt
* Noochy - melted Earth Balance, nutritional yeast, and salt
* Spicy - melted Earth Balance with sriracha and garlic powder mixed in, along with nutritional yeast
* Asian-inspired flavors - sesame oil with sriracha and a tiny bit of soy sauce
* Sweet - olive oil and cinnamon sugar on top
* Kettle Corn - olive oil, sugar, and salt

If you don't like the nutritional yeast or other toppings falling to the bottom of the popcorn bowl, you can mix some of them into your melted Earth Balance first! With popcorn, feel free to add any of the spices that you love....smoked paprika, cayenne, chili pepper, thyme, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, curry....the possibilities are endless!

Chipotle Lentil Burgers and OMG Onion Rings!

I have owned the Appetite for Reduction cookbook for at least a year and I just never got around to making anything from it! That might sound pretty crazy as there are so many awesome looking recipes in it. I do tend to collect vegan cookbooks and then I find all kinds of amazing recipes online that I end up trying...and then I forget about the cookbooks I own! Well, I am very impressed these two recipes out of Appetite for Reduction - the Lentil Chipotle Burger and the OMG Onion Rings! The burgers are healthy, tasty, and all sorts of spicy. The onion rings are baked, not fried, and totally crispy!

The only substitutions that I made included using Panko bread crumbs in place of the whole wheat bread crumbs that the recipes call for. I couldn't find whole wheat bread crumbs at the grocery store, and the regular bread crumbs contained all sorts of icky ingredients...including milk! So, I went with the Panko bread crumbs that are vegan. They worked wonderfully for the onion rings in place of regular bread crumbs. For the burgers, I ended up adding more bread crumbs than the recipe called for because the burgers weren't quite sticking together at first. This is likely because the Panko bread crumbs are airy and lighter than regular ones. Adding more Panko crumbs definitely solved the problem as I was able to form the lentil burgers into patties without any issues.

Also, I would definitely omit the salt next time I make the onion rings. They ended up being a bit too salty. Otherwise, they are super delicious and crunchy.  Here are the recipes!

Lentil Chipotle Burgers (Makes 6):

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small red onion, cut into medium dice
1/2 pound zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/2 inch thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, chopped (stems and leaves)
1 (15 ounce) can cooked lentils, drained and rinsed (1 1/4 cups)
1 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chipotles, seeds removed, with adobe sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons red vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons smoked paprika

Preheat a large pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Saute the onion for about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, garlic, cilantro, and a pinch of salt, and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, until the zucchini is soft.

Transfer the zucchini mixture to a food processor. Add all the other ingredients except for 1/2 cup bread crumbs. Pulse until mostly smooth, but there should still be a little texture. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Preheat the pan (the same one you already used to saute in is fine) over medium heat. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of bread crumbs to the burger mixture and use a fork to thoroughly combine.
Divide the burger mixture into six equal pieces.

Form the burger portions into patties and cook for about 12 minutes, flipping the burgers often, until they are nicely browned on both sides. Add more olive oil as necessary. Do three at a time for best results.

OMG Onion Rings:

2 vidalia onions (about a pound), or other sweet onion
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup cold soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons olive oil

Slice onions into 3/4 inch thick rings. Separate the rings and place in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a rimmed 12×18 baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Now you’ll need two bowls for batter and breading. In one bowl, dump in the flour and cornstarch. Add about half of the almond milk and stir vigorously with a fork to dissolve. Add the rest of the almond milk and the apple cider vinegar, and stir to incorporate. Set aside.

In the other bowl, mix together the bread crumbs and salt. Drizzle in the oil and use your fingertips to mix it up well.

Get a conveyor belt going. From left to right, have the onions, the flour mixture, the breadcrumbs mixture and lastly the baking sheet. Dip each onion slice into the the flour, letting the excess drip off. Transfer to the breadcrumbs bowl and use the other hand to sprinkle a handful of breadcrumbs over the onion, to coat completely. This may take a bit of practice. Carefully transfer each onion to a single layer on the baking sheet. Make sure you use one hand for the wet batter and the other for the dry batter, or you’ll end up with club hand.

Spray rings lightly with cooking spray and bake for 8 minutes. Flip, and bake another 6 minutes. Rings should be varying shades of brown and crisp.

Baked Falafel and Hummus

I made this over the summer but didn't get around to posting about it until now! I was sorting through some old photos and remembered....hey, those falafels! That hummus! That was a delicious meal. I will definitely have to make this again sometime soon.

There are some vegan falafel balls that I'm able to buy at my local grocery store, but these ones blow them right out of the water. Plus, they are baked, making them healthier than other fried versions out there. (Feel free to fry these up if you'd prefer, of course!)

Baked Falafels (recipe originally posted on Epicurious):

1 cup dried chickpeas (2 1/2 cups cooked)
1/2 large onion, roughly chopped (1 cup)
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp baking powder
4-6 tbsp flour

1.  Soak the chickpeas for 8 hours or overnight.
2.  Drain the chickpeas well, and put into the food processor with onion, parsley, cilantro, salt, garlic, and cumin. Pulse the mixture until well chopped and blended, but not pureed. Sprinkle in the baking powder and flour; pulse. If the chickpea mixture doesn't stick together, you might need to add more flour.
3.  Move the mixture to a bowl with a lid and chill for several hours or overnight.
4.  Form patties out of the mixture and bake at 400 degrees F, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides (22-26 minutes).

What would a falafel  be without hummus! I made a small salad with baked falafels and hummus on the side to dip the falafels in, or to mix with the salad. Or, you could take the greens, falafels and hummus and put it into a wrap or pita bread.

The hummus recipe I used is from the amazing cookbook, Veganomicon (a must-own for anyone interested in healthy cooking!). At the time that I made this hummus, I had lots of fresh herbs growing in my garden. I added some fresh Zaa'tar leaves in this mixture, since it can be used sprinkled on the top of hummus. It was my first time ever growing zaa'tar and I hadn't even really heard of it until I bought it! It is a wild type of oregano that grows in Israel. It has a flavor similar to oregano, thyme, and marjoram.

Hummus (from Veganomicon):

2-15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 3 cups of soaked chickpeas from dried)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp sesame tahini
3 cloves garlic (or 1 head roasted garlic)
1/4 cup water (more or less for desired thickness)
ground cumin, coriander, and paprika, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix everything together in the food processor except for the water. Slowly add the water to the desired consistency.

I sprinkled zaa'tar and smoked paprika on top of the whole mixture! Yummmmm!

Fruit Popsicles

Now that it's getting hot outside, it's the perfect time to make popsicles! I went out and purchased a popsicle mold (they had a great selection at Bed Bath & Beyond) to make the frozen treats. I wanted to make them a bit healthier, so I made these ones using fruit. You really can use just about any kind of fruit juice combined with fruit and I used what I had on hand - pineapple juice, kiwi, raspberry, and mango sorbet. You could mix in another other kind of fruit or fruit juice that you wanted - orange juice, banana, watermelon, and the list goes on. You could even blend in some soy milk for a creamier treat, or make ones with chocolate soy milk and coconut for a delicious chocolate popsicle! The possibilities are endless!

I put some pineapple juice (probably about 2 cups worth), 2 chopped kiwis, a handful of strawberries, and a big scoop of mango sorbet into the blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds and throw it into the freezer.

Something that Paul also reminded me that I completely forgot (and I learned the hard way, when my first popsicle got half-stuck inside the mold!) was that if the popsicle gets stuck inside the mold when you are trying to get it out, you should run it under some warm water to loosen it up.

I think it is great to make your own frozen treats at home - I'm sure that many store-bought ones are not only expensive, but have lots of added sugar. These ones are 100% fruit and they are so yummy!

Refrigerator Pickled Green Beans

On the same day that I made these Refrigerator Pickles, I also made some Refrigerator Pickled Green Beans. The green beans required a little bit of extra time in the fridge before eating, so we did not eat them until today. After eating the refrigerator pickles and now these green beans, I have a new found love for homemade pickled vegetables. They are quite delicious and fresh. The green beans still have a crunch to them and have a mild sweetness to them, combined with spiciness from the hot pepper. These are assembled a little bit differently than the pickles, and they are pickled with apple cider vinegar rather than plain white vinegar.

I think that we'll be doing a lot more pickling around our house in the future! I also should mention that this is super easy to do - all you need is a mason jar and the following simple recipe:

Spicy Pickled Green Beans

1 lb green beans, trimmed
1 jalapeno (I used a few smaller hot peppers from the garden)
few sprigs of fresh dill
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp red chili flakes
1 small clove garlic, lightly crushed (I used several)

For extra spicy beans, make a cut in the jalapeno.  I cut all of the peppers in half for maximum heat!  Add all of the ingredients to a large jar, topping off with water if necessary to cover the beans. Refrigerate for 3 weeks before consuming.

The hardest part is waiting for three weeks before eating them!  Just put them at the back of your fridge and forget about them for a while. It will be a special treat the day you are able to crack open the jar and devour them!

Refrigerator Pickles

Refrigerator Pickles - Two Weeks Ago

I was reading some vegan blogs and saw that a few different bloggers had made "refrigerator pickles" using simple ingredients and non-complicated methods.  I decided to give it a shot a couple of weeks ago, so I have the official "before" and "after" results!  You need to combine the ingredients in a jar and let it sit for two weeks in the refrigerator before consuming.  That was tricky as we kept being tempted by these delicious looking pickles in the fridge.  You must wait at least two weeks for the delicious flavors to be soaked into the cucumbers and believe me - it was worth the wait!

Refrigerator Pickles - Two Weeks Later!

These do not taste like average pickles that you would buy at the grocery store.  They taste very crunchy and fresh like a cucumber, but tangy and spicy like pickles!  I find that they even have a very subtle sweetness to them.  After tasting them, Paul told me that they were the best pickles he's ever eaten!  If you love pickles but don't want to go to all of the trouble of making traditional homemade pickles, I would definitely give this a shot. 

Here's what you need:

1 cucumber or 2-3 pickling cucumbers (I used 6 baby cucumbers sliced in half)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
few sprigs fresh dill
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp pickling spices (I bought a pre-made one)
pinch red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, lightly crushed (I used several)
1 tbsp sugar
(I also added a few hot peppers, sliced in half, for extra heat)

Chop the cucumbers into spears, slice the majority of seeds off if you have cucumbers with lots of seeds (not necessary for the baby cucumbers).  Put all of the ingredients except the dill, cucumber, garlic, and hot peppers into a jar; cover and shake.  Put the cucumber, garlic, hot pepper and dill into the jar.  Top with water if necessary to cover the cucumbers.  Refrigerate for at least 10-14 days before consuming.

Pina Colada Trail Mix

Last month, we went on a little road trip for three days through New York and Pennsylvania.  On the last day, we stopped at an outlet mall to do a little bit of clothes shopping.  We went into a store called Harry & David, which from what I can tell, is a fairly popular chain of stores that make food gift baskets.  I stocked up on their coffee because it smelled amazing!  We also bought a bag of trail mix there called Pina Colada Trail Mix and it was so yummy!  When we got home, we ate it all up and are unable to purchase anything like that here since we don't have any Harry & David stores in Canada.

I looked at the ingredients and it actually seemed pretty simple to make.  Also, the pineapples were sweetened with sugar (aren't pineapples sweet enough?) and oil was added to the mix.  I thought to myself....I could probably make this on my own just as easily, and without the added oil or sugar!  As it turns out, I could!  It turned out great, and as my fiance, Paul tells me - "Better than the one we bought!" which definitely counts for something!

So, without further delay, here it is, Lauren's Pina Colada Trail Mix!

1 bag of dried pineapple, chopped (found this at Whole Foods, any kind of dried pineapple will do)
shredded coconut
macadamia nuts, chopped
almonds, chopped
cashews, chopped

I chopped all of the nuts and the pineapple into smaller pieces, put it in a bowl, and mixed it together.  That's it!  This trail mix will make you feel like you're on a tropical island!  Mmmmm!

Garden Fresh Salsa Recipe

Happy September everyone!  The summer has just flown by, hasn't it?

We have an abundance of fresh tomatoes and hot peppers growing in our garden, I've made a few batches of this delicious salsa so far this summer.  It is a really easy recipe that doesn't require too many measurements - just keep adding veggies to the mix and taste for your preferred level of hotness from the peppers.

I used a few different types of tomatoes in this - a couple of roma tomatoes, a handful of cherry tomatoes, and these really tiny "wild" cherry tomatoes (an heirloom variety I had growing this year).

Here is the recipe!  Nothing set in stone as you can add more or less of the ingredients that you like!

6 roma tomatoes, or handfuls of cherry tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large red onion, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
the juice of 1 lime
a couple of fresh hot peppers, chopped (we used Cayenne and Chinese Five Color Pepper from the garden)
a splash of white wine vinegar
salt to taste