Foodie Friday : Fried Pickles!

The best part about having pregnant pals is having people to regularly snack with. It was Canada Day in the Great White North not long ago, my pal Amanda of Siver Moose Arts and I hit Osborne Village for Streetfest and experienced all sorts of walking, talking, laughing and grumbly stomachs. Amanda also experienced "frickles", which are cheesy, eggy deep fried pickles that I haven't had in a minute. Our evening ended some early. I worked on the Etsy shop, pet two VIP bunnies, then made the greasiest decision of my long weekend. This recipe makes about 20 little "coins" - don't let the guilty-of-being-hungry photo fool you.

Ingredients I - Batter
1 cup soy milk
2 tbsp lemon juice

Ingredients II - Dry
1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp white flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Massive pinch of salt

Dill pickles - sliced or quartered

Oil for frying

I used a tiny vintage enameled cast iron pan and filled with 1/4" oil. Turn your stovetop up to medium high (I hit mine up to 5/7)

Combine Ingredients I in a cereal bowl, let sit for five minutes. 

In a separate, small bowl, combine all of Ingredients II.

Cut pickles. Be extra sure to dry them on paper towels! Ever had an oil burn? Ever struggle to sound like that resulting scar tissue was from something way cooler? Dry the pickles up good. Toss them in the bowl of batter, which is acting as your buttermilk, with one hand. Drop in your bowl of dry starch, and mix with your other, clean hand.

Slowly slide them pickles in the hot oil. I fried mine for about 2 minutes per side. These little dandies are done when golden brown. Place on a plate with newspaper to get some of that grease outta there.

Eat 'em up with spicy mayo, ranch, etc. Essentially, any of Follow Your Heart's dressings will do the job JUST fine.

Need a dip quick? Mix up 2 tbsp vegan mayo + 1 tsp Sriracha and thank me later.

Find more recipes over at The Hardcore Herbivore!

Foodie Friday ft Peanut Curry

Foodie Friday with Caitlin of Real Swanky! Today in Caitlin's kitchen, we whip up a rich, peanutty massaman curry served with rice and garnished with peanuts. Vegan friendly, gluten-free friendly, and can be easily subbed with ingredients of your choosing to be mindful of likes/dislikes/allergens, etc. Enjoy!

A rich, nutty curry with a slight bit of heat to it. I served mine over rice with a peanut garnish. If you've ever stepped foot down the ethnic aisle at your grocer I'm sure you've seen Cock Brand canned and bottled goods. The little rooster logo isn't quick to miss, and the items are always very reasonably priced. Here are just a few familiar items. The curry pastes are my FAVOURITE and set me back a toonie at the best of times. They last ages and refuse to expire, really. I highly recommend 'em. On to the recipe.

*If serving with rice, get started on this now before prepping your curry.

Ingredients I

4 cardamom pods

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

Ingredients II

1/2 white onion

1/2 cup coconut cream

1 tbsp curry paste (I used this brand) or to taste

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp lemon grass

2 tsp vegan fish sauce or Kikkoman soy sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp course black pepper

(Toast all of Ingredients I in a frying pan on medium for 3-5 minutes. Place in a coffee grinder/mortar and pestel until ground to a dust then place Ingredients II and grind to a paste.)

Ingredients III

1 can coconut milk

3/4 cup peanut butter

Place all Ingredients I, II, and III in a small pot and stick on medium high. Allow this to come to a boil for a few minutes, than simmer on low to thicken.

Bring to a boil 2 cups of vegetables. I used: potatoes, broccoli and onions. Boil until fairly tender with a slight bit of crunch. 

Place the vegetables in the simmering curry and stir well.

Serve with rice. Top with peanuts.

Find more rad recipes over at Caitlin's blog, The Hardcore Herbivore!

Foodie Friday : Slow Cooker Borscht for 2-4

Excellent for your 2qt slow cooker, and serves 2-4 for about $2! Recipe by Caitlin of Real Swanky.

Ingredients
1 large beet (yielding approximately 1 1/2 cups), peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes or shredded
1 small onion (yielding approximately 3/4 cups), chopped
2 potatoes (yielding approximately 1 1/2 cups), chopped
1 cup cabbage, shredded
2 tbsp fresh dill
1 1/2 cups water + pinch of salt or vegetable broth

Place all ingredients in your slow cooker on high for 4 1/2 hours, or, on low for 8 1/2 hours. Taste test to ensure the beets are soft yet a little firm, and no longer crunchy.

Optional: Place 1/3 to half of the solid ingredients in a blender with a small scoop of the brother. Blend. For a bisque, blend all until smooth.

Optional: top with a variety of garnishes such as dairy free sour cream, cashew cream, lemon juice, vineagar, more fresh dill, etc!

Find more recipes on Caitlin's blog,

The Hardcore Herbivore!

Foodie Friday : veggie meatballs - great for pasta, potatoes,subs and more!

Recipe from Caitlin, over at Real Swanky!

Baked veggie-based meatballs that hold their form! Finally. Made up of tofu, TVP, vital wheat gluten and a whole heap of spices, these bake up in under 20 minutes with 10 minutes prep time. Because of the hearty amount of spices and small amounts of typical "binders" and meat-substitute staples, you don't get the overwhelming amount of tofu / TVP / wheat gluten which is a welcome change. Don't be overwhelmed by the ingredients list - a huge part of the list is spices. Add your favourite spices if these seem too 'Italian' for you. Try Cajun themed, garlic and onion based, and so on. Allowing these to cool for about 5 minutes will yield a firmer meatball. 

Upon calculating the grand total for this recipe, I found this entire recipe to cost me approximately $3.20 - right on!

For storage: Freeze, refrigerate, or eat 'em in a worrisome hurry - it's up to you. To re-heat: bake, fry, or nuke 'em.

This batch makes 25-30, depending on the size. I used a heaping teaspoon of the mixture for mine and got 26.

This recipe takes 1 bowl, a few spoons and a food processor. Not bad! Reserve the extra tomato paste from this recipe and check out my recipe for Meatball Subs here.

Ingredients I

4 oz extra firm tofu (1/2 cup, or, 1/3 package of Sunrise Extra Firm Tofu)

½ onion

¼ cup sunflower seeds (use any kind: raw, roasted, salted, unsalted..)

Ingredients II

¾ cup TVP

1 tsp garlic (freshly minced or jarred)

¼ cup parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp arrowroot powder

½ cup nutritional yeast flakes

¼ cup panko

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp BBQ sauce

1 tbsp vegetable stock powder

1 ½ tsp basil

1 ½ tsp oregano

1 ½ tsp coriander powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp hot chili flakes

¾ tsp fennel seed

¾ tsp mustard powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients III

6 tbsp vital wheat gluten

2-4 tbsp water, reserved

In a food processor, place all of Ingredients I in and select the "chop" function (anything but puree/mince will do). The mixture should resemble something like this:

Next, place this mixture in a bowl and add in Ingredients II. Mix this up a heap until well-combined, and taste test for spices. Add in salt and pepper to your liking. I used 1/2 tsp salt and a big pinch of pepper.

Lastly, add in the vital wheat gluten and stir up until the mixture is good and firm, able to be rolled into balls. Should this mixture be a little dry, add the water in 1 tbsp at a time. I used a total of 2 tbsp water. If your mix is a bit too wet, add in 1-2 tbsp vital wheat gluten.

Roll into balls. I used a heaping teaspoon and rolled up tight. They were about 7/8" in diameter. Grease up a pan (I baked in 2 batches. but feel free to use 2 pans) and fit no more than 6 x 3 meatballs to a pan.

Bake for 10 minutes, flip the meatballs, and bake for 9-10 minutes longer. Remove from oven and let cool.

Serve with pasta, or gravy and mashed potatoes. Enjoy in a sub. Alternatively, brave the storm and create your own IKEA poutine.

Find more recipes over at The Hardcore Herbivore!

Foodie Friday : sesame 'chicken' with lo mein noodles

Caitlin from Real Swanky here, sharing my latest favourite recipe: sesame chick'n with pan fried lo mein noodles. This recipe is quick, easy, adaptable and easy on the change purse! With lo mein noodles setting you back approximately $1.50 (to serve 4-6) and Soya Slices at $1.19 (to serve 6-8), breathe easy knowing you can feed an army on a budget no worries. :) 

Eerily similar to sesame "chicken" at vegan friendly Chinese restaurants. Which are, oddly, freakishly similar to sesame actually-chicken at non-vegan friendly spots in town. Whip this recipe up in 

I picked up my soya slices at Dino's Grocery in Winnipeg's West End. I like Luxmi brand soya slices. Alternatively, check out Bulk Barn for their "So Soya Slices" in Bulk near the TVP and quinoa. One "Bulk Barn"-sized scoop costs approximately $1.25, the slices typically double in thickness after soaking.

Ingredients for Soya Slices

3/4 cup dehydrated soy slices*

2 cups hot water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic, minced

-- Oil, for frying

-- Cornstarch, for frying

-- Sesame seeds, to garnish

Ingredients for Sesame Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced / 1 tsp jarred garlic

1 inch fresh ginger / 1 tsp jarred ginger

1/2 onion, chopped

1/4 cup rice vinegar

2 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 cup orange juice**

2 tbsp agave

1 tsp Sriracha

1 tsp sesame oil

-- 1 tbsp corn starch + 1/4 cup water, mixed in a cup, kept aside

Ingredients for Lo Mein

Lo Mein noodles

Water for boiling

1-2 tbsp sesame oil

-- Sesame seeds, to garnish

Method for Soya Slices

Soya slices need marinating in hot water to bring them to a chewy, textured, hearty consistency. Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Pour 2 cups of this hot water in a large bowl and add remaining ingredients, all but the ingredients beginning with two dashes. Place a plate on top and let sit for 15 minutes. When 15 minutes is up, it ought to look like this:

Method for Lo Mein

Bring a pot of water to a boil, place your lo mein noodles in. Turn down to a simmer and cook about 4-5 minutes. Drain, then drizzle with sesame oil. In a large pan, fry up noodles on medium high. Stir and break up noodles as they start to brown and crisp up in the pan.

Frying the Soya Slices

In a large pan, pour enough oil in to lightly cover the base of the pan - about 4 tbsp.

Squeeze out the soy slices without breaking them. Coat lightly in cornstarch.

Fry in 1-2 batches (fresh oil for a second batch) for 5-6 minutes, turning as each side turns golden brown and crispy.

Method for Sesame Sauce

Place all ingredients minus cornstarch + water in a pot and bring to a simmer. Once bubbling, add in cornstarch + water mixture. Whisk until thickened and glossy.

**Alternatively, sub the OJ and sweeteners for apricot jelly!

Toss soya slices in sauce, being mindful not to stir in too much sauce.

Top with sesame seeds and serve alongside lo mein.

Sub the soya slices out for any protein of your choosing - just be sure to make up this awesome sesame sauce that keeps for up to a week in the fridge! (Not that you'll have leftovers ;)!)

Find more rad recipes over at

The Hardcore Herbivore !