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. 

Homemade Fruit Leather Roll-Ups
for BCLiving
July 2021

Making your own fruit leather rolls is way easier than you might think, and the oven or the dehydrator does most of the work for you. Basically, you can make them out of any kind of mixture of fruit you want, and right now is a great time, as there are tons of fruit coming into season.  
Plus, you can make them with frozen fruit, so even after the season is over, pull the fruit out of the freezer! 
One more bonus? They’re great to take camping, on a hike or with you to the beach for a snack.  
 
Makes 6-8 rolls per flavor (depends how long you make them) 

Strawberry-Rhubarb 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
- 1 cup strawberries 
- 1 cup rhubarb chopped 
- 1 tsp honey (or maple syrup) 
 

INSTRUCTIONS: 
Boil some water and blanche the rhubarb for one minute and then drain. 
 
Blend the rhubarb, strawberries and honey in a high-speed blender. and then strain into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve if you want to remove the seeds. 
 
If you are going to use a food dehydrator, follow the instruction for your own machine. 
For the oven, pre-heat it to the lowest possible setting. 
 
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or silicone mat) and then pour mixture onto the baking sheet and spread evenly into a rectangle. 
Place in oven and bake for 5 to 6 hours until no longer wet (just tacky to the touch) - keep an eye on it! 
 
Remove from oven and let cool. Cut leather (and parchment) into desired sizes/shapes and roll, tying with string. 
Store in an air tight container so it doesn't dry out for up to 2 weeks, but fresher the better. 
 

Mango-Blueberry 
 
INGREDIENTS: 
- 1 cup blueberries 
- 1 cup mango 
- 1 tsp honey (or maple syrup) 
 

INSTRUCTIONS: 
Boil some water and blanche the rhubarb for one minute and then drain. 
 
Blend the blueberries, mango, and honey in a high-speed blender. and then strain into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve if you want to remove the seeds. 
 
If you are going to use a food dehydrator, follow the instruction for your own machine. 
For the oven, pre-heat it to the lowest possible setting. 
 
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or silicone mat) and then pour mixture onto the baking sheet and spread evenly into a rectangle. 
Place in oven and bake for 5 to 6 hours until no longer wet (just tacky to the touch) - keep an eye on it! 
 
Remove from oven and let cool. Cut leather (and parchment) into desired sizes/shapes and roll, tying with string. 
Store in an air tight container so it doesn't dry out for up to 2 weeks, but fresher the better. 

Radio Hosts from 102.7 The Peak
Portraits
July 2021

Sunset
at Kearsley Creek Rec Site
June 24, 2021

Lentil Bolognese
for “But Make It Vegan” - Environment911.org
June 2021

I was craving something hearty, and considered making a vegan chili, but I thought a good vegan Bolognese might do the trick.  

I made enough to freeze some for future cravings, and have eaten it both with whole wheat spaghetti and zoodles. Next up will be with homemade pasta. 

Sauces like Bolognese are a great way to sneak in healthy foods like nutritional yeast, or hemp hearts. You won't notice them in the sauce, but your body will take note! 

Serves 4  
(Can be doubled) 
 
INGREDIENTS: 

- 1 tbsp of olive oil 
- 1 onion, finely minced 
- 2 cloves garlic, minced 
- 1/2 cup finely chopped carrots 
- 1/2 cup finely chopped celery 
- 1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms (your choice, I used shiitake) 
- 1/2 cup dry brown or red lentils 
- salt & pepper 
- 1/2 tsp dried basil 
- 2 tbsp tomato paste 
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, if you like heat you can add more) 
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast 
- 2 bay leaves 
- 1/4 cup of white wine 
- 2 cup vegetable stock (or water) 
- 2 tsp chopped parsley to top 
- vegan parmesan 
- pasta to serve 

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and mushrooms. I did these in a food processor to get it super fine, but you can also do it by hand. 
 
In a frying pan with high sides, heat the olive oil over medium heat, and then add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery and mushrooms mix. Cook until soft (approx. 15mins). 

Add in the tomato paste and cook for another minute until it begins to caramelize. 
Pour in the white wine and deglaze the pan, getting any browned bits loose and letting the wine evaporate. 

Then add the lentils, vegetable stock, basil, optional red pepper flakes, nutritional yeast, bay leaves and some salt and pepper. 

Stir to combine, cover and then cook over medium heat until lentils are cooked through - this will take about 30 mins to an hour. You may want to add more water if the lentils need more cooking time. Test them to see how soft they are and go from there – you don’t want it to be watery. 

When done, remove from the heat and check the spices, adding anything more that might be needed. 
 
Cook the pasta you’re using until just al dente, and then reserve some of the pasta water and drain. 
In the warm pasta pot, add the pasta back and scoop some of the Bolognese into it, adding some of the pasta water to finish cooking the pasta and making the Bolognese creamier. You can add vegan parmesan here as well. 
 
Plate the noodles, then top with a small extra scoop of the Bolognese, and sprinkle on some chopped parsley and more vegan parm! 

Stephanie
Maternity Photo Shoot
June 18, 2021