Vegan Poutine!

VEGAN POUTINE!

Serves 3-4
On baking sheets:

2 large sweet potatoes, cut into fries
dressed with :
oil (mustard, grapeseed, olive, etc.)
1 small Spanish onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
paprika, cumin, sea salt and pepper,
dash of cayenne pepper/chili powder
Bake at 350 for 25 mins

1 large zucchini, cut into halved disks
1 can of white beans
1 large beet, shredded or cut into small cubes
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
Bake at 350 for 15 mins

Prepare a bowl of 5-6 med-large carrots, shredded
Serve as topping or mix with creamy curry sauce and serve as "gravy"

Creamy Curry Sauce
4 tbsp vegan mayonaise
1 tbsp rice milk
1 avocado
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp curry powder
add crumbled tofu for desired consistency
mix in a blender, especially for larger portions!

Serve with option of balsamic vinegar dressing, chimichurri sauce, or ketchup!

Serve sweet potato fries as the base, the zucchini and bean mix as a "cheese curd replacement" topping and the creamy curry sauce with carrots as the "gravy". I suppose another option could be to use vegan shredded cheese and vegan gravy of some kind. Of course, not the traditional French Canadian poutine you'll find available to your average Francophone! This is a dish my friend and I experienced in Nova Scotia at the annual Evolve Music Festival. They serve a vegan poutine dish which inspired this one, in a place in the green hills dubbed "Sunflower Valley": hence, "Sunflower Valley Vegan Poutine"! Find another variation from my blog here. Thanks so much for reading about this dish which is very special to me to serve. Can be made as a small side dish or cooked in large quantities, like for London Food Not Bombs! It is a great option for festivals and camping in nature, as ingredients can be easily accomodated and
CAN BE SERVED ENTIRELY RAW!

Thanks to Reduce Footprints for helping to share this glorious feast for veggie eyes!

Vegan Suet: Baking for Birds and Squirrels!

My yard is full of beautiful creatures mowin down!

I cannot hide my exitement in this early morning post, as trying out a suet recipe for the birds is proving fruitfull....at least so far for the squirrels! This is the recipe that I found which has been altered as shown. I threw a few cubes out the window into the yard when I got up and the squirrels have gotten to it with speed! SUPERCUTE to see them chowin down on amazing peanut butter suet thats vegan! I had to resist the stuff myself....hmmm maybe I'm a little deprived in the sweet snack department!

Homemade Peanut Butter Suet from 10000birds.com

Melt 1 cup shortening. Add 16-20 ounces of crunchy peanut butter.
Heat and stir until melted.
Add 1 cup of raisins, 1 cup of black oil sunflower seeds, 6 cups of cornmeal and 4 cups of flour.
Spoon into a 13X9 pan. Chill until it is hard. Cut into chunks for suet feeders (or stuff into cracks and crevices in logs).

BECOMES

Homemade Vegan Peanut Butter Suet

Melt 2-3 sticks or 1 cup of vegan shortening
Add 8-10 ounces crunchy peanut butter
HEAT AND STIR UNTIL MELTED TOGETHER
Add 4 cups of cornmeal
Add 1 cup black oil seed for wild birds or any other (bird)seed to the brew
Slowly stir in 2 cups of whole wheat flour
Pour into pan(s) or casserole dish(es) and chill in the fridgidare
Cut into cubes and put into bird feeders, specific suet feeders, in the cracks of trees and benches, wait and enjoy as the animals do too!

*use organic ingredients if possible to make things critter friendly

Creamy, Lentil and Vegan!

Creamy, Lentil, and Vegan!
with tamarind chutney and za'atar

In a skillet with grapeseed or olive oil:

1 cup previously cooked lentils
2 med. sized carrots, chopped into disks
5-6 large radishes, grated
1/2 onion or 2 tsp onion powder
1-2 lare garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
1/4 tsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp curry paste
1-2 tbsp tahini
1-2 tbsp almond (or rice) milk
juice of one lemon wedge

garnish with Za'atar and (tamarind) chutney!

Zatoun Za'atar Ingredients: Traditional Palestinian recipe made in Jenin

• Ground Dried Thyme
• Roasted Sesame Seeds
• Sumac
• Sea Salt

New Food Not Bombs Blog London, ON

ALL TAKEN FROM THE NEW LONDON, ON
FOOD NOT BOMBS COMMUNITY BLOG:

http://www.londonfoodnotbombs.blogspot.com/

Here is the link to the first amazing London, Ontario Food Not Bombs newsletter! Find out more about the international movement of Food Not Bombs here.

UPCOMING SERVING:

EVAC Serving: 12:00 (collection & cooking) 6:00 (serving)

Jan 29, 2012 12:00 PM

"January 14th Dundas & Richmond Serving"

"Thanks to all of the wonderful help we had today the whole process today ended up being a lot of fun and less stressful than we anticipated. We were able to get a lot of donations from the Covenant Garden Market and Nicole was able to drop off two boxes of tomatoes, some peppers, leeks and potatoes off to us from the Western Fair! We had a lot of help in the kitchen and were able to make a salad, pasta, lentil and vegetable curry, TVP sloppy joes, rosemary french fries, avocado butter-bread and bruschetta, and Laura brought muffins and a sweet potato mash! It was mighty cold out at Dundas and Richmond but we had many people who were interested in having a warm meal and some free groceries. Most of the food got eaten and what did not actually froze! We received some grand donations and one of our vendors actually came by and got to see what we do! It was a lot of fun. For next time: lettuce freezes easily. "

Winter Solstice Quinoa

HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE, HOLIDAYS & NEW YEAR!

WINTER SOLSTICE - DEC. 21st

DEC. 22nd 2011- 12:30am Southern Ontario, Canada EST

Many happy tidings of the new cycle, whenever it is you celebrate it!

clean!

give things away

honour the four directions, the elements and seasons

rejoice in the winter solstice as it begins of the new cycle towards light (summer solstice)

ceremoniously set your intentions

light candles and burn a yule log in honour of the coming sun's ascent

meditate on gratitude in the darkness

cook, share and feast with friends and family!

Solstice Quinoa Vessel

Fill a special vessel/bowl with these ingredients and offer in celebration:

1 cup quinoa, cooked

1 avocado, cubed

2 small sprigs of wormwood, chopped

handful of dates, halved

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

salt & pepper

fresh grated ginger or ginger powder to taste

*WORMWOOD is a sacred herb often used medicinally that is also symbolically used for protection and also to make absinthe and vermouth. Brewed as a tea it aids digestion, it can be garden grown or specialty store purchased. It is spiritually useful for celebrating pagan holidays and rituals. It has a pleasant and fragrant aroma! It should not be taken during pregnancy and used with sensitivity as it should not be taken in large quantities! The oil of this perennial herb is actually poisionous! In my experience of growing it (below) it is generally easy to tend to, can handle direct sun light and likes lots of water.

(below) wormwood (left)