Chef's Corner: Vegging out on meatless dishes
With the Canadian governments continued refusal to live up to the ecological promises made by signing the Kyoto Accord, it has become imperative that individuals do what they can to improve the health of our ailing planet. Everyone knows the positive effects that changing our light bulbs, recycling, carpooling and planting trees can have, but what is often over looked is how our eating habits can have incredible impact on the environment.
In Canada, 2.5 hectares of land are used to feed each citizen every year. This is almost quadruple the land use of most countries and 67 percent of this land is used for grazing and raising of animals. Furthermore, it is estimated that five litres of oil is used in the production and delivery of meat every day for every Canadian. As such, if every Canadian were to not eat meat only one day out of the week, over the course of year our atmosphere could be spared the emissions from up to 7.8 billion litres of oil. Just ONE DAY! And with these recipes for delicious, meatless entrees, you won't even have to eat tofu!
Avocado Stuffed Cornmeal Pancakes
As a child, my favourite night of the year was Shrove Tuesday, as in my house it was called “Pancake Tuesday,” and I, consequently, got pancakes for dinner. After moving out of my house I would lament about not getting pancakes for dinner anymore-ever, until I realized that I could, theoretically, have pancakes for dinner every night. What followed was what I fondly remember as the “Week of Pancakes.” The following recipe was borne of this week and remains a particular favourite of mine as the filling keeps well when in a sealed container in the fridge and also makes a rather lovely dip or sandwich spread.
- 1/2 cup fine cornmeal (or polenta)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk (or just regular milk, really)
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp butter
- oil
- 1 avocado
- 4 green onions, finely sliced
- 3 tomatoes, seeded, chopped into 1cm cubes
- 1/2 red onion, chopped into 1cm cube
- 1 540 ml can of black beans, drained and rinsed (store leftover beans in airtight container in the fridge for up to four weeks)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt
- Pepper
In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar with a whisk and se aside. Melt butter in the microwave in large microwaveable bowl, or in a four-cup class measuring cup. Once melted, add milk and eggs to the butter then beat to combine. Next, make a “well” in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in beaten butter, milk and eggs then whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Cover with clean kitchen towel and set aside for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut avocado lengthwise with the edge of the knife next to the pit and twist halves apart. To remove pit, hold avocado in hand opposite the knife-wielding one then with the heel of the knife, strike the pit then twist and pull. (**If you wash the pit then half-submerge it in a glass of water by poking toothpicks through the sides to suspend it from the rim, it will sprout a mini avocado tree) Remove avocado flesh with a large spoon into a medium-sized bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in lemon juice then add green and red onions, tomatoes and black beans, stirring to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste then set aside.
To make pancakes: brush small, 6”, frying pan with oil and heat over medium-high setting. When you can feel the heat rising from the pan, pour in enough pancake batter to thinly coat the entire bottom of the pan then cook until bubbles appear all over the upside of the pancake then flip and cook other side until golden-brown, about three to four minutes on each side. When fully cooked, transfer to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm and repeat process until all batter is used. To serve, spoon avocado filling into middle of the pancakes and fold over. Top with sour cream.
Bloody Bean Stew
Who doesn't love stew and cocktails? Why not combine the two? This chunky and flavourful stew is influenced by the spices in a Bloody Mary and is so tasty no one will notice the absence of meat. This stew freezes quite well but requires a little added liquid when reheating, I use wine, but water works just fine, too.
- 5 large tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 leek, sliced lengthwise, thoroughly washed then chopped crosswise into 1cm slices
- 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped in 1cm slices
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp celery salt
- 1 tbsp ground thyme
- Salt
- Pepper
- 3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
- 5 large white potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
- 540 ml can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (though any hardy bean such as navy beans, white beans or cannellini beans will do)
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 cup white wine (or water will do)
In a large pot, bring eight cups of salted water to a boil then add chopped potatoes. Meanwhile, over medium temperature, heat oil in a large stockpot then add tomatoes, leeks, onion and celery. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft then stir in garlic, Worcestershire, celery salt, thyme and season to taste then continue to heat, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender. (Check for potato-doneness by inserting the top of a paring knife into a potato, if it falls off, the potatoes are done) Drain potatoes then add to the stockpot along with drained and rinsed beans, stock and wine. Mix ingredients together gingerly, reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Serve warm.
In Canada, 2.5 hectares of land are used to feed each citizen every year. This is almost quadruple the land use of most countries and 67 percent of this land is used for grazing and raising of animals. Furthermore, it is estimated that five litres of oil is used in the production and delivery of meat every day for every Canadian. As such, if every Canadian were to not eat meat only one day out of the week, over the course of year our atmosphere could be spared the emissions from up to 7.8 billion litres of oil. Just ONE DAY! And with these recipes for delicious, meatless entrees, you won't even have to eat tofu!
Avocado Stuffed Cornmeal Pancakes
As a child, my favourite night of the year was Shrove Tuesday, as in my house it was called “Pancake Tuesday,” and I, consequently, got pancakes for dinner. After moving out of my house I would lament about not getting pancakes for dinner anymore-ever, until I realized that I could, theoretically, have pancakes for dinner every night. What followed was what I fondly remember as the “Week of Pancakes.” The following recipe was borne of this week and remains a particular favourite of mine as the filling keeps well when in a sealed container in the fridge and also makes a rather lovely dip or sandwich spread.
- 1/2 cup fine cornmeal (or polenta)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup buttermilk (or just regular milk, really)
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp butter
- oil
- 1 avocado
- 4 green onions, finely sliced
- 3 tomatoes, seeded, chopped into 1cm cubes
- 1/2 red onion, chopped into 1cm cube
- 1 540 ml can of black beans, drained and rinsed (store leftover beans in airtight container in the fridge for up to four weeks)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt
- Pepper
In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar with a whisk and se aside. Melt butter in the microwave in large microwaveable bowl, or in a four-cup class measuring cup. Once melted, add milk and eggs to the butter then beat to combine. Next, make a “well” in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in beaten butter, milk and eggs then whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Cover with clean kitchen towel and set aside for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut avocado lengthwise with the edge of the knife next to the pit and twist halves apart. To remove pit, hold avocado in hand opposite the knife-wielding one then with the heel of the knife, strike the pit then twist and pull. (**If you wash the pit then half-submerge it in a glass of water by poking toothpicks through the sides to suspend it from the rim, it will sprout a mini avocado tree) Remove avocado flesh with a large spoon into a medium-sized bowl and mash with a fork. Stir in lemon juice then add green and red onions, tomatoes and black beans, stirring to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste then set aside.
To make pancakes: brush small, 6”, frying pan with oil and heat over medium-high setting. When you can feel the heat rising from the pan, pour in enough pancake batter to thinly coat the entire bottom of the pan then cook until bubbles appear all over the upside of the pancake then flip and cook other side until golden-brown, about three to four minutes on each side. When fully cooked, transfer to a plate and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm and repeat process until all batter is used. To serve, spoon avocado filling into middle of the pancakes and fold over. Top with sour cream.
Bloody Bean Stew
Who doesn't love stew and cocktails? Why not combine the two? This chunky and flavourful stew is influenced by the spices in a Bloody Mary and is so tasty no one will notice the absence of meat. This stew freezes quite well but requires a little added liquid when reheating, I use wine, but water works just fine, too.
- 5 large tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 leek, sliced lengthwise, thoroughly washed then chopped crosswise into 1cm slices
- 1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped in 1cm slices
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp celery salt
- 1 tbsp ground thyme
- Salt
- Pepper
- 3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
- 5 large white potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2cm cubes
- 540 ml can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (though any hardy bean such as navy beans, white beans or cannellini beans will do)
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 1 cup white wine (or water will do)
In a large pot, bring eight cups of salted water to a boil then add chopped potatoes. Meanwhile, over medium temperature, heat oil in a large stockpot then add tomatoes, leeks, onion and celery. Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are soft then stir in garlic, Worcestershire, celery salt, thyme and season to taste then continue to heat, stirring occasionally until potatoes are tender. (Check for potato-doneness by inserting the top of a paring knife into a potato, if it falls off, the potatoes are done) Drain potatoes then add to the stockpot along with drained and rinsed beans, stock and wine. Mix ingredients together gingerly, reduce heat to medium-low and allow to simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes. Serve warm.
