☼ Grow your own damn Food! ☼

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These weekly posts are to share the progress of our garden; sharing photos and our gardening experiments and will hopefully inspire you to grow your own garden too! :) 

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Exciting week, watching all the starts getting bigger and all coming up! 

Most of the tomatoes have come up now, broccoli and collards are getting bigger. The kale, pok choi, and swiss chard have all come up as well and are outgrowing everything else. One little pepper plant has just peeked up so hopefully the rest will follow soon. 

[tomatoes and broccoli (left) / kale, pok choi, swiss chard (right)]

We planted some mustard greens earlier in the week in the outdoor greenhouse and they have all popped up now as well. And the radishes are getting bigger!

This week was also eventful and full of poop. Literally, full of poop. Cory and our landlords went out to a nearby riding club to get a couple truck loads of manure for the garden beds. Manure is amazing for gardening. I know it sounds icky if you're unfamiliar with gardening, but manure is like the gold of soil. It's rich with minerals and nutrients and plants love it. Manure is composted for at least a year or two before you use it in your garden, turning it to soil. It was funny though because getting the manure, some of it still looked like poop which threw me off a bit. Cory on the other hand was right in there. He's separated it between our already built garden beds, breaking it up into soil. The front beds will soon be ready now that we have the manure as well, since we didn't want to plant with just what was there for veggies that need something a little richer.

[big pile of poop]

Tomorrow we're going to build the last garden bed--but I'll share that next week. ;) 

Lastly, last night we planted some romaine lettuce in more of our little biodegradable pots to transplant once it warms up.  

Oh, and we've also decided that this year we're going to be doing all our gardening barefoot! Why? To ground ourselves, to release all the positive ions in our bodies and fill up on the good negative ions that our bodies are lacking living in the type of world we do now. I spent all day on Sunday barefoot and it felt amazing, you could Feel the good energy enter my body, it was wonderful and relaxing. :)

We've had a beautiful week as far as weather goes too which is always nice for getting in the gardening spirit. Yesterday was actually 20°C!!! Feels like summer over here! Although we are forecast for rain starting thursday and all the rest of the week. Ah well, we can't complain, it's only just April and we've already had a nice March instead of cold and snow up here in Canada. ;) 

Hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend! Tell me about your gardening plans! :)  

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☼ Grow your own damn Food! ☼

. . . . . . . . . .

These weekly posts are to share the progress of our garden; sharing photos and our gardening experiments and will hopefully inspire you to grow your own garden too! :) 

. . . . . . . . . .

Our starts are coming up! The broccoli are doing really well and so are the collards. A couple tomatoes are starting to peek out of the soil as well. No peppers yet.  

This week we planted our kale starts; 3 types, lacinato (black), red russian, and siberian husk. We also planted our swiss chard and pok choi stars. Again I'm going to say how much I love our planter pots this year for all our starts! I mean, we get to plant the pots right into the garden beds without disturbing the roots and the pots will compost instead of using yucky plastic that will never ever degrade. Glad these were introduced to us!

What else this week?

The radishes in our outdoor greenhouse have popped up! The swiss chard we planted out there hasn't, likely due to the cold snaps we've been having at night. There are also mice that have decided to build their homes in the straw of the garden beds so we have to try and nudge them along to somewhere else. The other bump we've ran into with the straw is that there are seeds in it. Cory spent some time trying to pick some out but I guess we're going to have to figure that one out still as picking them out one by one would be rather tedious.  

[Radishes]

I believe that's all for this week. The indoor greenhouse is doing so awesome, very happy that it gets so much natural sunlight and that we barely even have to use the grow lights with all the sunshine we've been getting this week. 

The weather is supposed to warm up this week, so very exciting. Spring is in the air! How is your garden doing?  

[Lyla supervising her daddy in the greenhouse]

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Ⓥ 10 Minute - Grilled Tofu Tortillas! Ⓥ

Here's a super easy ten minute recipe for you! 

This makes a great lunch, supper, or even snack. Gluten free and vegan as always. :)

Grilled Tofu Tortillas

1/2 pound Tofu (anything from soft to firm works great)

1/2 medium Zucchini 

1 Tbsp (wheat-free) Tamari 

1-2 tsp of spices (I usually grab a dash of everything; Garlic Powder, Black Pepper, Cumin, ground Mustard, Chili Powder, Parsley)

touch of oil or water

4 Corn Tortillas

Daiya Cheese (or whatever your favourite vegan cheese may be)

You can also use whatever veggies you have handy really, the fun of this is it's easy to play around with and fast to make! 

In a medium pot or frying pan, sauté the tofu and veggies in the tamari and spices on medium-high heat until lightly browned and veggies are tender. Add a little oil to prevent any sticking--I usually just use a little bit of water, but I cook in eco-non-stick pans). 

Top the 4 corn tortillas with the tofu mixture, sprinkle cheese on top, and grill in the oven until the cheese is melty and the tortillas are a little toasty. 

Voila! Food in ten minutes! 

Makes 2 servings.

Enjoy!  

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Ⓥ Peanut Pumpkin Thai Curry Ⓥ

I've only made this once but I thought it was good enough to share immediately. ;) Next time I make it I'll try to make the measurements better for a larger serving instead of a single, but it's great if you have bits and pieces and are making dinner for one. Super easy, quick, creamy and delicious! An explosion of flavours to tantalize your tastebuds! 

Peanut Pumpkin Thai Curry

1 tsp Red Curry Paste

1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree 

1 Tbsp Peanut Butter

1/2 cup Coconut Milk Beverage (not the canned stuff)

1/4 block firm Tofu, cubed 

1 Tbsp Tamari

1/4 cup Vegetable Stock

1/4 tsp Ginger, ground 

1/4 tsp Cumin, ground

Black Pepper to taste

Cauliflower, Broccoli, spinach, or any other veggies you want to add

In a medium sauce pan, sauté the tofu in the tamari, curry, and spices until it browns a bit. Add the remaining ingredients, minus the vegetables, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the veggies and cook another 5-10 minutes or until the veggies are tender. Slowly add the coconut milk, and add more or less to get your desired consistency. 

Serve over rice or quinoa. 

Makes 1 large serving or two small servings. 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Potato Pea Curry! Ⓥ

Here's a new lovely curry recipe for my lovelies. This makes a lovely dish, especially if you can get your potatoes and peas from your own garden or locally! It makes a lovely dish either way and is a milder curry for the spicy sensitive. 

Pure goodness! 

Potato Pea Curry

1-2 medium Sweet Potatoes or regular Potatoes, cut into small chunks

1 cup Peas

1 1/2 Tsp Red Curry Paste*

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Garam Masala

1/4 cup Vegetable Stock/Broth

2 Tsp Tamari or Soy Sauce

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 cup Red Lentils (+ 2 cups Water)

1/4-1/2 cup Coconut Milk (beverage kind, not canned kind)

1 tbsp Coconut Oil

1 can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)(optional)

Optional; ground chilies (if you like it extra spicy) 

*depending on what brand of curry paste you use will depend on how much you want to add, and depends on how spicy you like your curry. This curry is milder. 

In a large saucepan, sauté the spices and curry with the chopped potatoes on medium-high heat for a minute and then add the broth, lentils and water. Simmer on medium heat. Once the potatoes are tender and the lentils get softer (around 15 minutes), add the peas, chickpeas, coconut milk and cook another ten minutes.  

Add more liquid if necessary and you can play around with other veggies, spices, etc if you desire. 

Serve over rice or quinoa. 

Makes about 6 servings. 

Enjoy! 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Lentil Curry! Ⓥ

Another curry recipe for you because I love curries and I think that everyone should. ;) Healthy, spicy, yummy! The lentils add a wonderfully creamy texture, just make sure you cook them long enough that they dissolve into your liquids.

This may take some time to make but the actual preparation is easy and you don't have to do much except stir it every so often. I like to dance around the kitchen while I keep an eye on things. ;) 

Lentil Curry

1 medium Sweet Potatoes, cut into small chunks

2-3 medium Carrots, thinly sliced

1 head of Broccoli 

1/2 cup Red Lentils

1 400ml can Coconut Milk

1 can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1-2 Tbsp Yellow Curry Paste*

1 cup Vegetable Stock/Broth 

1-2 cups Water

1 Tbsp Tamari

1/4 tsp Cumin

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

3/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Garlic Powder

*depending on what brand of curry paste you use will depend on how much you want to add, and depends on how spicy you like your curry. We make it pretty spicy but not overpoweringly so. You'll definitely have to play around with whatever curry paste you use. My favourite by far is the Namjai brand. :)

In a large saucepan, sauté the sweet potatoes and carrots on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Add in the curry paste and spices and sauté another minute. Add in the lentils, water, and vegetable broth and simmer on medium heat for about 40 minutes, stirring every so often so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add more water if necessary as the lentils soak it up. Add in the coconut milk and remaining ingredients and simmer another 15-20 minutes of low-medium heat, until you can easily poke the sweet potatoes with a fork and the lentils have become extra soft. I never measure the water I add so if it looks like it needs more then add more. 

The curry sauce is usually nice and creamy but has a fairly thin consistency. Serve over cumin-spiced rice or quinoa! 

Makes about 4 servings. Enjoy!

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Shepherd's Pie Ⓥ

 

When I was a child, my cousin told me there were actual shepherds in Shepherd's Pie. My childlike innocence and weariness made me not want to eat it for a while. Then, as an adult, I discovered I didn't want to eat something that had animals in it. Now, I can enjoy this delicious vegan spin on the classic, without having to worry about shepherds or animals hiding in my food. ;)

My favourite way to make this is by adding a little sweet potato to the potato topping (adds a bit more nutritional value, and colour!). Or you can also substitute half cauliflower instead of as much starchy potato, but I haven't tried this yet so I can't vouch for the flavour, it just sounds amazing to me--I'll let you know when I try it next. The other awesome thing about this recipe is you can pretty much throw whatever vegetables you have in your fridge and it will taste fantastic. You still get a lovely colour, rich protein, and packed full of flavour and goodness! 

This recipe takes a little while to cook and prepare but is super easy to actually make and put together, you can read a book during waiting times or dance around your kitchen listening to your favourite tunes as I do. ;)

Makes awesome comfort food. Perfect for cozy rainy days! 

Shepherd's Pie:

Potatoes:

4 large Potatoes (or 3 Potatoes and 1 Sweet Potato)

2 Tbsp Vegan Margarine (I use Earth Balance)

1/4- 1/3 cup vegan milk (I use almond)

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

Black Pepper to taste

Filling:

1 cup French or Green Lentils, soaked for 40 minutes

1-2 cups water 

4 medium Carrots, diced

2 Tbsp Oil

Veggies: parsnips, celery, corn, peas, zucchini, spinach, or whatever veggies you have on hand or leftover.

1-2 Tbsp Soy Sauce, Tamari, or Braggs (if you're gluten intolerant go with wheat-free tamari like I do)

3 Garlic Cloves

2 cups Vegetable Broth

3 Tbsp Rice Flour (or other flour)

1/2 tsp Cumin

2 tsp Thyme

1 Tbsp Parsley

1/2 tsp Salt and Pepper (to taste)

In a large pot, fry the garlic and carrots in oil for a few minutes until they start to lightly brown. Add the rest of you veggies and fry for another five minutes on medium-high heat . Add in the lentils, flour, water, vegetable broth, and soy sauce and simmer for 25 minutes or until the liquid reduces. Add remaining herbs and spices and stir well. Taste and add more salt if necessary. I prefer my filling to be a little creamier instead of dry so I like to add a bit more water, but it will be up to you to get your desired consistency.  

Preheat oven to 375°. 

In a medium pot, boil the potatoes until soft--about 20 minutes. 

Drain potatoes and then add the milk, margarine, and salt. Mash until pureed--they should be a little dry. 

Spoon lentil and veggie mixture into a casserole dish and top with the potatoes. Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is golden and bubbly. 

Makes about 6 servings. Enjoy! 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: "Butter" Chickpeas! Ⓥ

Another one of my favourite recipes for you. :) Packed full of flavour and goodness! And pretty quick and easy to make! 

"Butter" Chickpeas:

1-2 medium Sweet Potatoes, cut into chunks

1 Tbsp Oil

1 tsp Garlic Powder

2 tsp Curry Powder

1 tsp Green Curry Paste

2 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Ground Ginger

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Salt

dash of Tamari

2 tsp Vegan Margarine (I use Earth Balance)

1 can Chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1 can Crushed Tomatoes

2/3 cup Rice Milk (or other unsweetened vegan milk)

Veggies of your choice (I like Broccoli & Cauliflower)

*depending on what curry powder and paste you are using may depend on how much you want to add. Generally this recipe isn't overly spicy so you can adjust it to your desired liking. 

In a medium pot, boil the sweet potatoes until almost cooked. 

While potatoes are boiling:

Add oil and spices in a large saucepan and cook for a minute on medium heat. Add the chickpeas and sauté another couple minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding in the sweet potatoes at the end. Cook until veggies are tender and the sweet potatoes are fully cooked.  

Serve over rice or quinoa! 

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Ⓥ Vegan Kitchen: Vegan Cashew Alfredo Sauce! Ⓥ

I am absolutely falling in love with the versatility of cashews! They are truly amazing and you can do so much with them, particularly in vegan recipes calling for a cheesy substitute. They work perfectly, especially if you have the right recipe. You've already seen the "Mac n Shews" recipe, so here is another one! :)

Cashew Alfredo Sauce:

1 cup Cashews (soaked for 10 minutes or longer)

2 cups Vegetable Broth

2 Tbsp Olive Oil (or other oil)

1/2 tsp Salt

dash of Black Pepper

Place ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Takes approx. 5 minutes. 

Heat and Voila!

If you want to thin it out more you can add a little water, add it slowly so you don't add too much. This makes the recipe go a little further as well. 

My favourite recipe to do is to make this with chopped up Broccoli, Kale, and Zucchini. Heat up the veggies in the sauce for about ten minutes until the veggies are lightly cooked. Top over pasta or eat by itself. Amazing! :)

Makes approx. 2-4 servings depending on what you're making it with. 

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