Jicama Mango Salad with Cilantro and Lime

It's not easy to find jicamas in Montreal so I don't have much experience with them. I love this salad but my husband thought there was too much lime. He rarely complains about anything I make, so I would go easy on the lime next time.

Ingredients:

• 1 large jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks                       
• 1 small red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks                                             
• 1 large firm mango, peeled and cut into matchsticks                                             
• 1/2 red onion, cut into matchsticks (or green onions)                                                                           
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 lime, juiced (original recipe calls for 2 limes)           
• 1/4 cup honey (or sweetener of choice)                        
• 1 teaspoon salt                    
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste                                             

 

Instructions:

1. Toss jicama, red pepper, mango and red onion in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix cilantro, lime, honey, salt and cayenne pepper together.
3. Mix it all together and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes before serving, to let the flavours blend. 

Macaccino

Maca is a Peruvian "superfood" which can apparently relieve symptoms of menopause, fatigue, sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis and various other ailments. It's most often recommended as a morning energizer, without the caffeine. I can't comment on the actual benefits of maca but the Golden Mean Cafe in Santa Monica introduced me to the macaccino and I instantly fell in love with roasted maca.

Due to its popularity, they created their own blend of macaccino using roasted maca, cocoa, mesquite, cinnamon and nutmeg (and have added new flavours since I first tried it). I don't remember how the beverage is supposed to taste but here is my version:

 

Ingredients:

• 1 ts maca (roasted)
• 1 ts cocoa powder (or carob)
• 1 ts coconut sugar
• 1 cup almond milk

 

Instructions:

1. Heat all ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat. Use a hand mixer for a few minutes to get the macaccino frothy and to ensure everything is blended well. Some recipes simply add the powdered mix to hot water or milk but I find it doesn't mix that well.

Notes:

• To roast the maca, place a thin layer of maca powder on a baking sheet and bake at 250 for a few minutes, until it turns golden brown. Keep it in a container in the fridge.
• Make a batch of powder in advance and keep it in the fridge:  24 ts = 1/2 cup so it's easy to measure. Use one TB for each cup of milk.
• Some people experience side effects from maca; more than 1 tablespoon per day is not recommended.

Cardamom Banana Smoothie

This recipe was given to me as part of the Studio Vie "smoothie challenge". It's easy to get into a smoothie rut so the challenge is to try new recipes and share your thoughts (and pics) with the community of new moms aiming to stay fit and healthy.  If you like cardamom, you will LOVE this shake. It's my all-time favourite.

 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of plain raw cashews (I usually soak mine overnight and rinse)
• 2 pods of cardamom (I like to use more)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1 1/2 frozen bananas
• 1 cup of baby spinach
• 1 Tb of honey (or sweetener of choice)
• pinch of salt

 

Instructions: 

1. Remove cardamom seeds from pods and crush the seeds using a pestle and mortar or coffee/spice grinder). Discard the pods.
2. Blend cashews, cardamom, lemon juice and water in a high speed blender. Add frozen bananas, spinach, honey and salt and blend until smooth.

Vegan Mayo

Most vegan mayonnaise and aïoli brands use canola oil. Even the sriracha and chipotle-flavoured versions can't hide the funky taste, in my opinion. I love spicy condiments so I was motivated to find a solution.

In my research, I discovered the amazing world of aquafaba. It's magical. I can't believe that I have been recklessly pouring this stuff down the drain for all these years.

Here is a simple recipe that makes about 3/4 cup of plain mayo:

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas, at room temperature)
• 3/4-1 Cup neutral-tasting oil like grapeseed or avocado

Instructions:

1. Using a hand mixer or immersion blender, blend all ingredients except for the oil. A taller bowl or container will reduce oil splatter on your walls :) 
2. Slowly pour in the oil, a bit at a time and keep blending. In a few minutes, all of the oil will be whipped up into a mayo-like consistency. It will thicken up a bit more in the fridge.

For chipotle mayo, I like to add fresh garlic, lime, coconut sugar and crushed, dried chipotle peppers. Play around with different ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, lemon & garlic, horseradish, dijon mustard or fresh basil.

Note about oils: A few recipes warn against using extra virgin olive oil because the end result will be bitter. I tried it anyhow and guess what? It was bitter. Unfortunately, there isn't much agreement on which vegetable oils are reasonably healthy so choose one you feel most comfortable with and eat your homemade mayonnaise in moderation.

Daikon hash browns

I'm still not sure why, but my mother bought us daikon radish recently and I had no idea what to do with it. At first, we shredded it and put it in a salad. It wasn't that good. I found this amazing recipe and had to buy more daikon to make it again! It's the unique combination of mild-flavoured radish and ginger that makes these hash browns irresistible.

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 1 daikon (600g), peeled and cut into large chunks
• 2 cm piece fresh ginger (10g), grated
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 organic egg
• 1/3 cup (60g) potato starch
• 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose, gluten-free flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• Pepper, to taste
• Olive oil, for shallow-frying

 

Instructions

1. Place daikon in a large saucepan covered with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered for about 25 minutes or until tender; drain and cool.
2. Coarsely grate daikon into a medium bowl. Place in a nut bag and squeeze out excess moisture.
3. Place daikon back in the bowl and add onion, ginger, parsley and egg. Stir in potato starch, flour, pepper and salt.
4. Fill a cast iron skillet with enough oil to come up 5mm on the side and heat on medium high . Working in batches, drop tablespoons of mixture into the oil. Flatten mixture with back of a spoon or spatula.
5. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until crisp and golden. Drain on absorbent paper and serve.

 

Vegan Corn Chowder

FashionableFoods.com refers to this recipe as a summer chowder but I bet it's just as delightful in the winter.

Use frozen, organic, non-GMO corn if you can't find it on the cob.

 

Ingredients

• 6 ears organic sweet corn, removed from the cob. Reserve cobs for the stock (or about 4 cups of frozen corn)
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil, warmed
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 cups coconut milk (I used canned milk, but author suggests unsweetened, refrigerated milk in a carton)
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 small carrots, grated
• 1 cup potatoes, diced
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 475º.
2. On a baking sheet, toss the corn kernels with warmed coconut oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the corn for 15-20 minutes or until the corn begins to caramelize a bit.
3. In a large pot, add 4 cups of the coconut milk and 1 cup of the vegetable broth. Add cobs. Bring the stock to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer for at least 20 minutes.
4. In a soup pot, melt remaining coconut oil over high heat and add in the onion and pepper. Sauté the vegetables for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add in the carrots and potatoes and cook for 1 minute longer; season the mixture with salt and pepper.
5. Discard the corn cobs from the stock and pour the stock in with the vegetables. Add in the remaining 2 cups of coconut milk, 1 cup of vegetable broth, thyme, and cayenne pepper. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
6. Ladle into soup bowls and serve.

 

Crispy Tofu Tacos and Spicy Cilantro Sauce

Ever since I bought a tortilla press, we've had a lot of "taco nights". No one is complaining because homemade corn tortillas are ridiculously good. This week, we made tofu tacos with extra firm silken tofu which was a very happy accident and a welcome change. Tonight's meal was superb. A special shout out to Maegan for all of her help in the kitchen!

Ingredients

• 1 package extra firm silken tofu (or firm tofu if you prefer) 
• 1/2 tablespoon Sriracha (use a full TB if you like it very spicy)
• 1 tablespoon honey (or vegan sweetener of choice)
• 1 cup organic corn meal (you can use less but 1 cup will coat nicely)
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Recommended filling: avocado, green onion, red peppers, corn.  

Instructions 

1. Cut the tofu into 3/4 inch cubes

2. In a bowl, combine the Sriracha and sweetener and gently toss the tofu in the mixture.

3. In another bowl, combine the semolina, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Toss   

    the tofu in this dry mixture until it is well coated.

4. In a cast iron pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the tofu and allow the pieces to 

    crisp up on all sides.

5. Build your tacos with *tortillas, sauce and choice of toppings. 

*To make the tortillas, follow these "how-to" instructions but make sure you follow the recipe for your particular brand of masa harina. Bob's Red Mill masa harina is widely available but not organic. Apparently it's GMO-free. Gold Mine makes an organic masa harina with white, yellow or blue corn. While the taste and texture of the tortillas are amazing, the product is mostly sold in specialty stores and doesn't include the recipe for tortillas on the bag! (The recipe is for tamales. Oops. I didn't realize and couldn't figure out why my "tortillas" were disgusting). For Gold Mine, mix 2 cups masa harina, 1/2 tsp sea salt and 1.5 cups hot water.

SPICY CILANTRO SAUCE 

The recipe above includes a yogourt-based cilantro sauce, so we made this mouthwatering spicy cilantro sauce instead. If you're willing to shake things up a bit, you won't miss the more traditional salsa or guacamole on your tacos. It only makes 3/4 of a cup so you might consider doubling it.