RECIPE: Apple Sauce

RECIPE: Apple Sauce
for BC Living column “From Scratch”
October 2021

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Some things are just better when they're made from scratch—and making something with your own two hands provides such satisfaction. When you cook from scratch, you know exactly what ingredients go into your meals, and it offers you the flexibility to adjust your recipe for dietary or taste preferences.

It’s apple season, and I just happened to get a huge bag of them for super cheap. I’m not a big pie person, so I knew I wanted to make applesauce. Not only is a great little side dish for all ages, but it's incredibly easy to make. (And it can be used to replace eggs in vegan baking!) By making it from scratch, you can also control the sweetness. 
 
I recommend not putting any sugar into it while you’re cooking. Depending on the apples you have, they might be sweet enough already. You can add sugar in afterwards when you taste test, or on an individual basis when serving. Try just sprinkling some cinnamon sugar on top for an added kick!

INGREDIENTS

• 4 lbs of apples (about 10 medium)

• ½ cup water

• Juice of half a lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel and core the apples. I have an apple peeler which makes this job take far less time, but a regular peeler will do as well. Next, dice into small pieces.

2. Place the apples into a large pot, and pour juice over the apples to help stop them from browning.

3. Add the ½ cup of water and set over medium-high heat until the water starts to boil.

4. Bring it down to a simmer and cover, cooking for about 20 minutes until the apples are fully cooked and easy to mash.

5. For chunky applesauce, use a potato masher and roughly go over them until you have your desired consistency. Alternatively, process until smooth in a blender or with an immersion blender.

6. Serve warm or cold, and optionally sprinkle with cinnamon.

Makes approximately four cups

RECIPE: Cold Soba Noodle Salad

Soba Noodle Salad
for BC Greenhouse
August 22, 2021

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This light, refreshing and veggie-forward noodle salad is an excellent lunch or starter. The vegetables themselves take center stage, and the dressing is just enough to add a flavorful punch. 
 
INGREDIENTS 
 
For the Salad: 
- ~125g soba noodles 
- 1.5 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow or a mix), thinly sliced 
- 1 medium carrot, peels and then shaved into ribbons 
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped 
- green onions, chopped 
- sesame seeds (white and/or black) 

For the Sauce: 
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, or tamari 
- 3 tbsp sesame oil 
- 1 tbsp lime juice 
- 2 cloves of minced garlic 
- 1 tsp ginger (fresh), finely minced 
 
INSTRUCTIONS 

Cook the soba noodles according to package instructions, then drain and immediately run under cold water to stop the cooking process. 

While the noodles are cooking, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Taste for seasoning, you may want to add a bit more soy sauce, or water to thin it down. 

Place the drained/cooled noodles in a bowl, add in the carrot, peppers, cilantro and green onions. 
Add in some of the dressing at toss until combined, adding more dressing as needed. 
 
If you are not serving right away, reserved some of the sauce until right before serving to loosen everything up. 
Top with sesame seeds in serving bowl or in individual portions. 
 
Serves Approx. 4 

CHICKEN & CABBAGE WONTONS 
for BC Living “From Scratch” Column

Everyone is starting to gather again, and the prospect of BBQ parties and park potlucks are super tempting. Finger food where everyone can take their own individual portions is a smart way to go, and sure, you could go to the frozen food section and pick up some generic flavourless appies, but it’s super easy to make some from scratch, and you can put whatever you’d like in them. 
 
These are easy to modify to be vegetarian by switching out the chicken for more veggies or crumbled tofu. And to make it vegan, make another binder to use in lieu of the egg white. The sweet and sour sauce on the side cools them nicely, or you can go for a spicier dipping sauce. 
Plus, you can bake them, so they’re healthier than their fried counterparts. 

 
Makes ~24 (but can be doubled) 

INGREDIENTS 
 
- wonton wrappers 
- 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded 
- 1 small carrot, peeled and shredded 
- ½ cup cabbage, shredded 
- ¼ cup of water chestnuts, chopped finely 
- 2 green onions, finely diced 
- 1 clove garlic, minced 
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced 
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium) 
- 1 egg white 
- sweet & sour sauce for dipping 
 

INSTRUCTIONS 
 
Finely dice your cooked chicken breast (can pulse in a food processor to make it even easier), and place in a bowl. 
 
Add shredded carrot and cabbage, chopped water chestnuts, green onions, and mix. Then add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and egg white, and stir until evenly distributed. 
Preheat the oven to 425 or 450 degrees (if your oven runs hot, choose the lower setting). 
 
Lay out the wonton wrappers and place 2 tsp of the mix into the center. Get a small bowl of water for sealing them and set it next to the wontons. Dip your finger in the water and wet the edges of the wontons, and then roll them into logs, sealing the edge, and pinching the sides until they are closed. 

Repeat until the mix is used up. Cover the wontons as you finish them so they don’t dry out. 
You can also freeze them at this stage by placing them on a parchment paper lined tray and freezing for about 30 mins, and then place in an air-tight freezer bag to bring out when you want to cook them. 
 
Place finished logs on a greased baking sheet, and spray with cooking spray on the top (or lightly brush with oil). 
Bake for 10-15 minutes – you'll have to watch to make sure you don’t burn them, but you want them to be nice and toasty brown, a bit of a bubble and crisp to them. 
 
Plate and serve with dipping sauce – optionally top with some sesame seeds or green onions. 

If cooking from the freezer, they may need some extra time, so use the low setting so the insides have enough time to thaw and heat up, and the outsides can cook properly. 
 
ENJOY! 
 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip – But Make It Vegan
for Environment911.org

I love a good spinach and artichoke dip and miss sharing some with my friends. This one is easily sharable if you bring plates and a serving spoon and everyone can choose their own dipping materials. 

Usually, this dish is full of cheese and dairy, but using white kidney beans as the base and tapioca starch to keep it together, you won't even know it’s dairy-free.  

Serves 6-8 (approx.) 
 
INGREDIENTS: 

- 1 large onion chopped 
- 1 tbsp olive oil 
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced (more or less doesn't hurt, it's all preference) 
- about 6 cups of baby spinach or kale (or combo of both) 
*- 1/2 cup of soaked raw cashews 
- 3/4 cup of almond milk 
- 1 tsp lemon juice 
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar 
- salt & pepper 
- 1 tsp onion powder 
- 1/2 tsp dried basil 
- 2 tbsp of tapioca starch 
- 1 395mL can of white kidney beans 
- 1 can of artichokes (in water, not oil), drained 
- 3-4 tbsp of nutritional yeast, additional for sprinkling on top 
 
- veggies, pita, corn chips to dip 
 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

*Soak cashews overnight, or for a least 3-4 hrs, or for an hour in boiling water* 

Preheat oven to 425. 

Sauté chopped onions in olive oil in a pan over medium heat for a few minutes until soft and translucent. Add in garlic and stir. 

In batches add in the spinach or kale and stir until it wilts (I used a lid to help this along), until all of the greens have been added and they have wilted. Take off the heat and set aside. 

In a blender or food processor, add the drained cashews and blend until broken down. 

In a small bowl add some of the almond milk to the tapioca starch to dissolve it then add it and another 1/4 cup of the almond milk to the blender with the cashews, along with the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, salt & pepper, onion powder, dried basil and 2 tbsp of the nutritional yeast. Blend until smooth adding some almond milk if needed. 

Next toss in the kidney beans and the artichokes, as well as the remaining almond milk, and again blend until smooth. You can add a bit more milk if required, but try not to make it soupy! 

Pour the processed mixture into a baking dish, then stir in the remaining nutritional yeast, and fold in the greens-onion-and-garlic until it's evenly distributed in the dish. 

Sprinkle the top with some more nutritional yeast and you have the option to drizzle some olive oil on the top too. 

Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until bubbling, and starting to brown. Switch oven to broil to get a nice toasty layer on the top should only take about 3-5 minutes, just watch it closely. 

Carefully remove and let stand for a few minutes, and then serve with whatever sides you'd like! 

3 Cocktails for Summer At The Pool, Campground & Beach
for BCLiving
July 2021

The heat is definitely on, and you deserve a cocktail while you try to keep cool. Here are three drinks designed specifically for summer fun.  
A punch you can have while you dip your toes into the pool, kiddie or otherwise, a woods-inspired gin frizz to enough after you set up camp, and a sangria to sip while you read a book at the beach. 
 
Pool-Blue Punch 
 
This is a fun one because you get to match the blue of the cocktail to the blue of the pool! It’s pretty boozy, so maybe make some blue Kool-Aid for the kids if you need to. Fun tip if you don’t have a reservoir for ice in your bowl, freeze some grapes and toss them in if it starts to warm up, this way the punch won’t get watered down. 

 
Makes: ~3L of Punch 
Ingredients: 
 
- 750ml Vodka 
- 2L of lemonade 
- several splashes of Blue Curacao  
- 2-3 lemons 
- sugar or simple syrup (optional) 
- lemon flavored sparkling water (optional) 
 
Instructions: 
 
Mix vodka and lemonade together in whatever you’ll be serving the punch in. Add small amounts of blue curacao and stir until you get the color you want. 
 
Give the punch a try and decide if you want it more on the tart-side or sugary-side. If you want more sugar, you can either stir in some white or raw sugar, or add it via a simple syrup. 
 
Slice a lemon into rounds and add to the punch just before it’s ready to be served (or else they’ll start to become quite blue). 
 
For serving, add a lemon wedge, and if you’d like some bubbles, or to cut it down a bit, you can top off with some sparkling water or soda. 

Into The Woods Rosemary Gin Fizz 
 
When you’re surrounded by nature and the fresh woodland air, it just makes sense to have a drink with botanicals in it. Prep the simple syrup before you head to the campground, and bring some fresh rosemary along for garnish. You can use the extra for camping potatoes at breakfast the next day. 
And you can make the drink even prettier by using some purple gin from Victoria Distillers. 
 
Makes: 1 Cocktail 
Ingredients: 
 
- 1.5oz gin 
- 1oz rosemary simple syrup 
- 0.5oz lemon juice (approx. half a lemon) 
- fresh rosemary sprigs (additional for garnish) 
- club soda 
- ice 

Instructions: 
 
To make the simple syrup, bring ½ cup of water to a boil, turn off the heat, then add ½ cup of sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Add a large sprig of rosemary and let steep for an hour then remove the rosemary and cool the syrup in the fridge. 
This can be doubled and should keep for about a week in the fridge. 
 
To make the cocktail, fill your camping glass with ice, then add the gin, simple syrup and lemon juice. Top with soda (you don’t need tonic as you’re using the simple syrup), and garnish with rosemary and admire your camp set up. 
 
Sand & Sunshine Sangria 
 
One of the best things about sangria is that it’s hard to mess it up and it’s incredibly versatile. You can pick the fruit that you enjoy, the wine you prefer, and the sweetness level. 
I went with a dry white wine for this one, so be sure to give the mix a taste and then determine if you’d like more sweetness (add in some simple syrup). 
I also wanted some bubbles, so I added in sparkling wine too right into the glasses at the beach. 

If you want to skip the alcohol, use a dry non-alcoholic wine, and add half a cup of orange juice instead of the triple sec, and ginger ale to top it off. 
 
Ingredients: 
 
- 750mL bottle of white wine (I used a Pinot Grigio) 
- ½ cup triple sec 
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced 
- 1 granny smith apple, thinly sliced 
- 1.5 cup of grapes 
- 1 lemon, sliced into rounds 
- fresh mint, for garnish (optional) 
- sparkling wine, to top (optional) 
 
Instructions: 
 
Slice up your fruit and add to the base of your pitcher. Fill with the white wine, add the triple sec and stir. 
 
Give it a taste and decide if you’d like to add some simple syrup/sugar, and tweak until you have it the way you’d like it. 
Chill for at least a few hours. 
 
Pour into glasses (ice optional), top with sparkling wine, and garnish with fresh mint. 
Should be consumed within 24 hours. 

CHEERS! 

Curry "Chicken" Sandwich – But Make It Vegan
for Environment911.org
July 2021

I've made a similar type dish with chickpeas before, which are much quicker if you want something stat, but if you want to try a new texture, give soy curls a try. 
 
It was my first foray into them as a chicken substitute and honestly, I was quite impressed. They really hold the flavor well, and it was even better the second day – so I’d recommend making it the day before you’re going to eat it. 
 
Many health food and vegan shops will have the soy curls, but you can also purchase bags from the internet. 

Serves 2-3  
(Can be doubled) 
 
INGREDIENTS: 

- ¾ cup soy curls  
- 1 1/4 veg broth or a vegan chicken-style broth  
- ½ cup finely diced celery 
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion 
- 1/3 cup vegan mayo, more if needed 
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder  
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder  
- 2 tsp of curry powder (more to taste) 
- salt and pepper, to taste 

- bun or lettuce cups for serving 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Bring the broth to a low boil (or use a cup of water and add a vegan Boullion cube and dissolve) and then remove from heat. 

Place the dried soy curls in the broth and gently stir around until they are fully covered with it. 
 
Chop the onion and celery into finely diced pieces. In a small bowl, place the vegan mayo, and the rest of the spice and mix until evenly distributed. 
 
After the curls have soaked for 8-10 mins, drain them and place them on a tea towel to dry. 
 
You can chop them up at this stage and use them as is, but you can also toast them lightly in a very lightly oiled frying pan until they get slightly browned. 
 
Once ready, combine everything into a bowl, adding more mayo if needed. Taste for seasoning, esp. the curry powder. And either serve straight away or let cool in the fridge.