Black Bean Paste

This makes about 2 cups of black paste but it is a great Asian base for recipes such as black bean sauce and hoisin.

Black Bean Paste

Ingredients

500 g (31/2 oz) salted black beans (Asian store), rinsed to get off extra salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 tsp ginger, chopped finely
2 Tbls soy sauce (I use Tamari)
1 tsp grated peeled gingerroot
1 tsp grated orange rind
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper/sambol olak/chilli paste
2 Tbls rice vinegar
1/4-1/2 cup of vegan sugar (taste and add as desired)


Method

Place all ingredients except vinegar  and sugar in a saucepan and bring to boil.
Reduce to a simmer and cover for 20 minutes.
Remove from heat and mix in sugar & vinegar.
Pulse in a food processor until smooth.
For black bean sauce add paste to water and whisk.

Hoisin;

Zucchini Dill Sauce

This is a fantastic dipping sauce my Hungarian grandmother makes. Delicious with potatoes, any kind of fritter, patty or faux seafood.

Zucchini Dill Sauce

Ingredients

2 Zucchinis, grated
1/2 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1 Tbls GF flour
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbls white vinegar
150ml vegan sour cream
1 tsp salt
oil


Method

Place grated zucchinis in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and leave.
Simmer 3 tsp oil and onion in a pan.
Add dill and stir until onion is clear and tender.
Squeeze liquid out of zucchinis and add to onion mix.
Add 1/2 cup water and bring to boil.
Cover and simmer for 10-15mins on low.
In a small saucepan add 1 Tbls oil and flour, simmer to create roux.
Add 1 cup water, bring to boil then take off heat but continue stirring.
Add sugar to zucchini mix, and then add flour roux, paprika and vinegar.
Add sour cream, stir gently.
Add more sugar, salt or vinegar to taste.

Becky's Christmas Jelly

This easy but delicious recipe comes courtesy of my mother-in-law. It is great on vegan cheese & crackers, vegan faux meats and on toast :)

Becky's Christmas Jelly

Ingredients

7 cups vegan sugar

3 cups cranberry juice

1/4 tsp ground clove

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup port

2x 3oz packets of fruit pectin

Method

Combine sugar, juice & spices in a large pot.

Bring to boil.

Stir to dissolve all sugar.

Boil for 1 min.

Add in port and pectin.

Skim with a spoon if needed.

Pour into sterilized jam jars.

Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries & Walnuts

This recipe is from Veggie Primer and the dressing is from Forks Over Knives. I ended up using half wild rice and half black rice. I dried the cranberries myself in my dehydrator because I couldn't find any pre-made that didn't contain sugar :(

Wild Rice Salad with Cranberries & Walnuts

Ingredients

4 cups cooked wild brown rice mix (2 cups uncooked)
� medium red onion
2 stalks of celery
2 packed cups fresh baby kale (I used baby spinach)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup dried cranberries
Magical Applesauce Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Method

If you do not have cooked rice on hand, cook rice in advance, fluff with fork and allow to cool.
Prepare Magical Applesauce Vinaigrette.
Place onion in a food processor fitted with the S blade and pulse until onion is finely chopped.
Scrape onion into a bowl and repeat the process with the celery and baby kale, separately.
Add walnuts and cranberries to chopped vegetables and stir until well combined.
Scape cooled rice into chopped vegetables with a fork (to help separate the grains) and stir until well combine. You may find it helpful to scrape and stir ? of the rice at a time.
Add vinaigrette and diced apples to the salad, stir and serve or refrigerate for 1-2 days for later use.


Magical Applesauce Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tsp mild miso
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 Tbls apple cider vinegar
2 Tbls balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbls pure maple syrup
1/2 rounded teaspoon sea salt (or more)
Freshly ground black pepper


Method

Place the applesauce, miso, cumin, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, and salt and pepper in an immersion blender with a deep cup, and blend until very smooth. I just whisked it by hand and it came out fine.

Homemade Dill Pickles

You can can these to make their shelf life longer but I just used the easiest method, just make sure to eat them within a few weeks...definitely not an issue in our house!
Original recipe from The Kitchn. Make sure you sterilize your jars first - wash in hot soapy water then rinse and place in the oven on 400F for 10-20 minutes. Lids can go in the last few minutes, if you put them in the whole time the rubber will burn.

Homemade Dill Pickles
Makes 2 pint jars

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Kirby or Persian cucumbers
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 tsp dill seed
2 tsp pickling spice
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons pickling or kosher salt


Method

Wash and dry the cucumbers.
Trim away the blossom end of the cucumber.
Leave the pickles whole, cut them into spears, or slice them into coins, as preferred.
Add the spices to the jars: Divide the garlic, dill seed, and red pepper flakes (if using) between the pint jars.
Pack the pickles into the jars, trim the ends if they stand more than 1/2 inch below the top of the jar. Pack them in as tightly as you can without smashing the cucumbers.
Combine the vinegar, water, and salt in a small sauce pan over high heat.
Bring to a rolling boil.
Pour the brine over the pickles, filling each jar to within 1/2-inch of the top.
Gently tap the jars against the counter a few times to remove all the air bubbles.
Top off with more pickling brine if necessary.
Once cooler place the lids over the jars and screw on the rings until tight.
Leave until cooled and store the pickles in the fridge.
The pickles will improve with flavor as they age � try to wait at least 48 hours before cracking them open.


Optional � For longer storage, place the jars in a boiling pot of water.
When the water comes back to a boil, set the timer for 5 minutes and remove the jars immediately. Make sure the lids pop down; if they do not, refrigerate those pickles and eat them first.
Let the jars cool to room temperature.
If you processed the jars, they can be stored on the shelf.
Canned pickles will keep for at least a year on the shelf and for several weeks in the refrigerator once opened; refrigerator pickles will keep for several weeks.

Creamy Mustard Mayo Dressing

Creamy Mustard Mayo Dressing

Ingredients

1/4 mayo
1 Tbls mustard
1 Tbls agave
1 tsp coconut aminos
1 Tbls olive oil (garlic)
splash flavored vinegar


Method

Whisk ingredients together.

Freezing Stewed Tomatoes

If you don't have a canner and don't want botchelism this is a great way to preserve your tomatoes.

I started with sterilizing my jars;

Wash jars with dish soap and rinse well with hot water.

Preheat oven to 120C and place jars in the over for 20 mins. 

I add the lids 5 mins before the end otherwise the rubber can burn.

Next I washed the tomatoes and boiled on the stove until the skin splits and is coming away from the flesh.

Once tomatoes are cool enough to touch peel the skin off.

You can also de-seed if you like but I didn't.

At this point you can freeze them whole or puree them in a blender before freezing.

I added some fresh herbs to mine and heated so that they were ready as a sauce base.

Defrost completely before using.