After a Long Absence....Easy Baked Swiss Chard Gratin

Oh my! How time has flown these past months. Everyday I have been looking at this blog with a pinch in my heart trying to squeeze some time in for a little recipe to share. I've have been taking pictures though and recording new recipes that I've tried since coming to Canada. But writing them up just didn't seem to be able to happen somehow. At some point I felt like I would have to give up on blogging but how can I? After all, this is part of what I've come to be.
I guess like anything that I do, I tend to sometimes need some time to take a step back, reflect and then continue.

So, going through all the photos and draft recipes that I've saved, I thought this one would be a good one to re-start with.
Swiss chard is a new green that I have introduced in my diet after I found them in my local store. They taste fabulous and they can be used pretty much like spinach. So if you can't find any swiss chard, you can substitute with spinach.

This was an easy recipe and a satisfying dish that I'll definitely make again.




Easy Baked Swiss Chard Gratin

Ingredients
Gratin base
200ml oatmilk
1/4 cup flour
100ml water
handful grated vegan cheese (can be omitted if not available. If omitting, add 1 teaspoon of oil)

Swiss Chard (about 15 - 18 leaves)

5 - 6 Potatoes (about 400g)

5 - 6 Fresh mushrooms, sliced

Breadcrumbs and grated vegan cheese for topping

Lasagna dish or other square / rectangular glass / stoneware dish.

• Prepare potatoes first. Slice them to 2 - 3 mm thickness. 
• Place on greaseproof paper on an oven tray. 
• Bake at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Farenheit) for about 30 - 40 minutes or until they are done. Should be golden but not brown. You can remove them gradually as they are ready as they may not cook within the same time.

Meanwhile prepare the swiss chards and gratin base.

• Cut off stalks from chards. Slice them into half lengthwise then into 2-inches length. 
• Cut the leaves into wide ribbons.

• Heat a little oil in a pan, add the stalks first. 
• Sautee for a few minutes until a little tender. 
• Add leaves and sautee for 3 minutes.

 Leaves will reduce to half their size. Don't cook them through. They will cook further in the oven.

Make the gratin sauce:

• Dissolve the flour in the water (use a whisk or fork if required to avoid lumps).
• Heat a deep pan on medium for a few minutes. 
• If not using cheese, add 1 teaspoon of oil. Pour in the oatmilk and flour mixture. Stir and let thicken. The consistency should not be runny but not extra thick either. 
• Add the cheese if using. Stir and let it melt in the liquid.

Gratin base should reach a smooth silky texture.

• Pour the gratin sauce onto the lightly cooked swiss chard and mix thoroughly in between all the leaves.
• Grease the lasagna dish. 
• Arrange the baked potato slices on the bottom. 

• Layer with the fresh mushrooms.

• Spoon the swiss chard-gratin mixture on the potatoes and spread evenly.

• Sprinkle with some breadcrumbs and grated vegan cheese (optional).

• Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Farenheit). 
• Remove from oven, uncover and let stand for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. 

Roasted Radish Salad

Radishes have always been a raw vegetable in my salads or sandwiches. Two weeks ago I purchased a whole bunch of them as I had not had them in a while. But I went a little overboard with grocery shopping the last time and bought too many salad items, way more than I could eat before they start to go off. After 10 days the radishes were still sitting in the bottom drawer of the fridge with all the leaves starting to disintegrate.
There was about 10 radishes and eaten raw I could probably just eat 1 or 2. Then it came to my mind that I could try roasting them and maybe could eat more than two then.
So I did! Brushed with a little vegetable oil and sprinkled with some dried thyme and oregano, I got a nice tasty vegetable which I still enjoyed as part of a salad with some steamed sweet potato.
And I could definitely eat more than two when they are roasted. The skin of some of them (the bigger ones) did turn out a little chewy but it was okay nonetheless.

Zinio Giveaway Winners!

The Zinio Digital Magazine Subscription Giveaway is over. Thank you to all of you who participated. Here are the winners:

1. Ben Freeman
2. bohemiatura
3. Claire
4. Meghan Duce
5. Leyla
6. bitt
7. Fiona O Reilly
8. Jhanelle Golding
9. Charice Carrasco

Please contact me on veganlovlie at gmail dot com or leave me a comment below with your email address so that I can forward it to Zinio.
Congratulations to you all! And I hope you will enjoy reading your magazine.

For those of you who didn't win, there will be some more giveaways soon to come, so see you then!

Edit:

I still need the contact details of the following winners:

1. Ben Freeman
2. bohemiatura (eliminated - could not get in touch)
3. Claire
4. Meghan Duce (eliminated - could not get email address)
5. Leyla
6. bitt
7. Fiona O Reilly (eliminated - could not get in touch)
8. Jhanelle Golding
9. Charice Carrasco

Can you please get in touch asap with your email address to claim your prize?

I generated three more winners since I could not get in touch or the email address of three winners above. The three new winners are:
Em-Jee
Mary Duncan
Jessica Caneal

Fruity Romaine Lettuce Smoothie

While romaine lettuce would probably not be able to compete with kale on nutritional value, it has however quite a good amount of nutrients. It is infact a complete protein having all 8 amino acids needed in our body! Wow, that's good news!

I do like to include greens in my smoothies. Usually kale or spinach find their way in most them, but it is good to rotate your green smoothies. This way I can get a variety of nutrients from different plant sources, since each type of green has different nutrients.

My previous kale and cranberry smoothie has been my all time favourite green smoothie. But for a change, I tried romaine lettuce today and the mild flavour blends well with anything.

So, what goodies are in romaine lettuce?
A cup of romaine lettuce provides 2 grams of carbs, 1 gram of protein, 4% (of your daily value of) dietary fiber, 82% (of your daily value of) vitamin A, 60% of vitamin K, 19% vitamin C, 16% folate, 4% (of your daily value of) manganese, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc (2 to 3% of your DV range).

The Vitamin C & Beta-Carotene provides many heart health benefits, prevents the oxidation of cholesterol and reduces the risk of stroke and heart attack.
The folic acid helps keep blood vessels healthy and also reduces the risk of heart attacks and stroke.
The potassium helps lower high blood pressure, improves muscle strength and boosts muscle building.
Fiber contributes to heart health benefits and removes bile salts (which requires cholesterol, thereby lowering high cholesterol as well).

So, I that's pretty much more than a winner green for me!



I wanted to be a little fancier with my smoothie today, so I made a layered one! But you can just blend everything together; it will still taste great!

Ingredients (serves 2)
4 leaves romaine lettuce, chopped into fine ribbons
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 cup pineapple, small diced
1 apple, peeled and finely chopped
3 medjool dates (more if required to taste)
Water as needed for blending

• Soak the medjool dates for about 10 minutes in warm water until they are soft. Finely chop them.
• Divide the apple pieces and dates into 3 equal portions.
• Blend each layer separately, starting with the romaine lettuce.
• Add a portion of apple and dates with the romaine lettuce and water. Blend until liquid.
• Pour in glasses.
• Next blend the pineapple with another portion of apple and dates. Add water as required to reach desired consistency.
• Pour on top of the green layer.
• Lastly blend the remaining portion of apples and dates with the carrot. Add water as required to reach desired consistency.
• Pour on top of the pineapple layer.
• Garnish with a mint leaf.

This smoothie taste great even stirred altogether.



References:
http://www.incrediblesmoothies.com/nutrition/10-surprising-nutrition-facts-about-romaine-lettuce/
http://www.fatburningfurnace.com/blog/romaine-lettuce-nutrition-facts-%E2%80%93-health-benefits-of-romaine-lettuce/

No-Mayo Coleslaw and Cutlet

The Veganomicon favourite recipe - The ever-so-famous Chickpea Cutlets, have probably hit a good number of vegan kitchens and probably loved by a number of non-vegans alike! Believe it or not, I had never tried the recipe before. Not that I didn't want to, I was infact dying to try it one day. One day when I'd find vital wheat gluten! That's right, the only ingredient that has prevented me from trying this legendary recipe all this time. Although I could have ordered wheat gluten online while I was in Ireland, it was oh so expensive! So, I passed and just substituted for cornstarch in my cutlets. They were actually good too and that made them gluten-free. But I really wanted to try what these awesome cutlets was like with the gluten. I finally found vital wheat gluten in the health shops close to my place. I was reluctant to buy it as gluten isn't that great for the body but I don't particularly have any issues when consuming it.
So, I'll just limit myself on consuming too much of it.

I don't usually follow recipes to the letter though and I did tweak the cutlet recipe a little because I neither had any vegetable broth nor sage. So, I used water and oregano instead as substitutes. And they worked perfectly! At last I could taste the famous Chickpea Cutlets over a bed of coleslaw. I loved the texture which was less beany, different from the cornstarch substitute.

I made the coleslaw dressing with no mayo. I'm having a hard time finding vegan mayonnaise that doesn't contain mustard over here. So, I made a mayo-free dressing which didn't lack in taste. I don't actually like raisins in my coleslaw; pineapple tasted a lot better and was refreshing!

Easy No-Mayo Coleslaw

2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
1 medium carrot, cut into fine julienne
1/4 cup fresh pineapple
1/2 avocado, mashed
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
Salt to taste

Mix sugar with shredded cabbage and let marinade for 15 minutes. Drain, discard liquid and place cabbage in a salad bowl.
Add rest of ingredients, toss and mix well. Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

That's it!

Hope you enjoy!

By the way, the Zinio Giveaway is still on, 3 days left to enter. Don't miss your chance, go here to enter.

Pre-Workout Chocolate Coated Protein Bar (Gluten-Free too!)

Valentine's day is almost round the corner. Not that I actually look forward to it or do anything special, I don't actually do anything on Valentine's day. But at least, I think the day isn't complete without a little chocolate treat! According to recent studies*, dark chocolate, or more so the flavanols present in chocolate, are actually very beneficial for the body as a pre-workout snack. These flavanols reduce muscle fatigue by 30% and increase performance by 50%. But don't go eat a whole block, only a little amount (about 5g) is recommended before exercise.

I am a serious chocolate lover and I only buy dark chocolate. I've never actually paid much attention in having a little bit of chocolate before exercise. But if this can improve my exercise performance, then I'm in! And a pre-workout protein bar is something that Boyfriendlovlie has been requesting for a long time to assist with his training.

Although I made this as a pre-workout protein bar, it was so good that I actually had it anytime I wanted a sweet healthier snack. Boyfriendlovlie absolutely loved it too! When I make little sweet snacks, he usually doesn't remember that they are there to be eaten (until I remind him) but for these ones, he came looking for them by himself! They definitely appealed to him!

Make sure you use dark chocolate that is above 70% as lower than this contains too much sugar and is not as effective.
Here's a little treat that will appeal to young and old alike. A chocolate covered protein bar that kids can enjoy and adults can fill up on for a protein-rich snack.

Ingredients (approx. 12 bars)
2 1/4 cup mixed red kidney beans and chickpeas
150ml pear puree (apple sauce is fine too, I use 1 1/2 ripe pears, peeled)
6 medjool dates
1 tablespoon coconut milk (thick consistency)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

200g Semi-sweet dark chocolate for coating (use dark chocolate about 70%)

• Soak the dates in some hot water for about 10 minutes or until soft enough to blend to a smooth paste.
• Preheat oven at 350 degrees Farenheit (or 180 degrees Celsius).
• Mash the beans to a paste, I used a hand blender which left a few small chunks in. It is fine to use a blender too but pulse to break into small chunks first.
• Remove dates from water, remove pits, chop into small pieces and add to the blender.
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend until all ingredients are well mixed.
• Lay a sheet of parchment paper on a rectangular oven dish. Pour mixture in the dish and smooth out evenly.
• Bake for one and a half hours or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Leave to cool completely.
• Lift parchment paper and remove from pan. Leave cake onto the parchment paper and cut into logs or squares, whichever shape you like.

For chocolate coating:

• Melt about 150g chocolate in a double boiler. You can make your own by using a smaller pan inside a larger one. Fill the larger one with enough water so the smaller pan floats. Place chocolate in smaller pan and heat the water until it melts.

• Coat each log on the three sides.

• Place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile you can melt the remaining 50g of chocolate.
• Remove and turn the uncoated side up. Coat with a layer of chocolate.
• Put back in the freezer for 15 minutes. Then remove and store in the fridge.

Nutrition Facts per bar:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 11 serving (57.6 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 116116 Calories from Fat 88

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.9g0.9 1%1

Saturated Fat 0.5g0.5 3%3

Cholesterol 0mg0 0%0

Sodium 6mg6 0%0

Total Carbohydrates 24.9g24.9 8%8

Dietary Fiber 3.6g3.6 14%14

Sugars 16.2g16.2

Protein 3.3g3.3

Vitamin A 0%0 • Vitamin C 1%1 Calcium 3%3 • Iron 6%6

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

*Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21788351

Closed: Zinio Digital Subscription Giveway!

Update: The Giveaway is over. Scroll down to see the winners.

As you may know (if you've been reading this blog), when I'm not blogging, I am a Graphic Designer. And during my years of experience working in various industries, I have witnessed less and less demand for printed magazines (not that to have a magazine subscription was actually a norm). But have readers moved on? Well, right now I am writing this blog and you are reading it on some sort of digital device, be it on iPad, iPhone, Android mobile phones, tablets, laptop or desktop.
With the advancement of technology, instant access to information is now a whole new dimension in itself. For myself, as a blogger, getting instant feedback and comments really adds to the interest of writing for an interested audience. So what has happened to the world of magazines? Well, they have gone virtual too. So, it's not a lesser demand for reading material that has caused this decline. I find quite the contrary.
Not only is digital more convenient - you can access your favourite titles anywhere you are - it is also cheaper and lighter (you don't have to carry so many of them around). And the best part is, they don't clutter your house! At the tip of your fingers you get access to any areas of interest to you.

Well, even if you've never had a printed magazine subscription in your life, here's your chance to get a digital one! Zinio is an online magazine subscription provider, home of the largest newsstand, that carries thousands (more than 5,000 magazine titles, in 33 languages) of top magazines from around the world. Since we each have our own likes and individual interests, there's definitely more than enough choice there to please everyone!

With Zinio, you can browse and purchase subscriptions or single issues instantly from your computer or mobile device to read wherever and whenever you like. The "Explore" section lets you read - even without a subscription - thousands of articles from your favorite magazines and share them with friends.

I infact got one free subscription from Zinio for myself. But guess what?

Zinio is offering 9 more free subscriptions for grabs to the readers of this blog! 

That's right, it's a giveaway for not 1 but 9 lucky winners!! Each winner gets to choose one subscription for ANY titles (not just related to health or recipes or crafts, but anything you like) on Zinio for free!  Subscription lengths vary, some are for 6 months, some for a year, some are just 1 issue... it depends on the title that you will choose.

Rules To Enter This Giveaway:

All you have to do is ONE or MORE of the following :

• Share this post on Facebook, and supply the link where you've shared it in the comments below (make sure your post settings on Facebook is set to Public, otherwise I won't be able to see it if I don't have you in my friends list)
• Tweet this post with the tags @veganlovlie @zinio #zinio
• Blog about this post and giveaway on your blog and link back to here.
• If you can't do any of the above 3, you can still get one chance of winning by just leaving a comment sharing your thoughts about the new virtual world of reading magazines online or share your favorite online magazines.
  

Then leave a comment below (not on Facebook) for each of the 4 above that you've done. 

If you do all 4 that's 4 chances of winning!

This giveaway ends on Thursday 14th February 2013 at 11:59pm EST (or GMT -5). This giveaway is open to anywhere in the world, since you will receive your subscription digitally.

Make sure you read this too:
Winners will be chosen by a random number generator. Make sure you don't comment as anonymous. Also leave some contact details so I can identify you. Although I will not chase winners up, you will have to check back here as from Friday 15th February to see if you are a winner and claim your subscription. (So, the email or details you leave in the comment box should match the one you contact me with). If winners don't claim their prize within 3 days, I will generate winners again for unclaimed subscriptions. So make sure you check back this blog.

Best way not to miss out is to follow me on Facebook, Twitter or subscribe to this blog by email or in a reader.

The Winners Are:

1. Ben Freeman
2. bohemiatura
3. Claire
4. Meghan Duce
5. Leyla
6. bitt
7. Fiona O Reilly
8. Jhanelle Golding
9. Charice Carrasco

The Giveaway Is Not All!

If you do miss your chance then there are still some Special Promotions on Zinio currently:
Best of 2012 - Editors’ Choices
Ends 21st Feb
Save 50% on these selected great issues

WatchWorld UK
Ends 15th Feb
50% off regular already-discounted Zinio price

Follow Zinio on...
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And if you are a winner, here are a few recommendations if you're looking for inspiration on what to subscribe to (but don't limit yourself to these only, as I have said before, there are thousands of titles on Zinio!):





I hope you enjoy this giveaway and good luck to all!

Spicing Up My Avocado Addiction!

I love avocadoes, be it for breakfast, lunch or even dessert! If you've been reading this blog, you'll know that I love my avocado on the sweet side. I do enjoy it in salads, smoothies and not forgetting sushi too. But most of the time, I love them just sliced in half, pit removed and drizzled with something sweet: brown sugar, molasses, agave, maple syrup...
Today, I added a few dashes of spicy paprika with a bit of maple syrup. I don't know why I didn't think of that before; I loved the combination!

Next time, I'll try it with a few drops of lemon juice too, I think a subtle tanginess will add even more depth to this spicy-sweet combo.

Scrambling...

One of the most famous vegan classic meal is without a doubt the tofu scramble. As such, this recipe is so versatile that probably hardly anyone needs a recipe for it.
At the Lovlie Coccoon, tofu scramble is much enjoyed for breakfast with slices of homemade bread, lunch in a wrap as well as dinner over sphagetti ! May I even dare think, scrambled tofu is what keeps veganism alive?!

How you want to enjoy your tofu scramble is up to your imagination and really the sky is the limit! How about with some taco shells?

Taco shells indeed is a fun and tasty way of enjoying scrambled tofu and would even work when inviting friends over.

As mentioned, tofu scramble is infinitely flexible in terms of vegetable ingredients. So, this is probably more of a guide than it would be a recipe.



Vegetable Tofu Scramble

Ingredients (Serves 2)
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 small zucchini (courgette), diced
3 button mushrooms, finely diced
250g extra-firm tofu, coarsely crumbled
1 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
Handful freshly sprouted mung beans (or beansprouts)

Tacos Shells

• Add oil in a skillet or non-stick pan, tilt and turn pan to coat oil evenly. Heat for 1 minute.
• Add tofu pieces.
• Stir fry for a few minutes until lightly golden. You can press against big chunks in the pan and cut them with your wooden spatula if you like to make them smaller.
• Add soy sauce and let cook for a few more minutes (about 5 minutes).
• Add carrot, mushrooms and zucchini. Sprinkle nutritional yeast and thyme.
• Stir fry for another 3 - 4 minutes until vegetables are soft (but don't allow them to turn mushy).
• Add paprika and salt to taste.
• Turn off heat.
• Toss a handful of sprouted mung beans.
• Warm tacos shells according to package instructions. Spoon scramble into shells and serve warm.

Crochet Baskets Project

I'm getting more and more into the crochet gear these days, all curled up in bed with a cup of tea! Crochet is a really relaxing activity I find. My latest project are these square baskets which I'm going to use to organise my spices pots in the cupboard.







I've stiffened the basket with a cornstarch solution; it holds its shape better this way.



More on the way...
By the way, have a look at Zoom Yummy's awesome crochet creations and crafty ideas!

Meet My New Kitchen Friend: Fox Run Mini Cupcake Spatula

You know what the fun is to move into a new country again? You get to buy some new fun stuffs and gadjets for the kitchen again! The cost of bringing all my utensils from Ireland was proving to be quite pricey. I ended up selling a good number of them before leaving. Having lived on the move for the past years has got me buying things that are rather functional and on the cheap. I did have some good utensils but I never quite went for anything fancy; parting with them would have been too hard!

While I've already gotten most of the kitchen basics, I still had not yet bought a spatula when, quite by chance, I fell on this cute Fox Run Cupcake Shaped Spatula while browsing on amazon.ca.

I got mine on amazon.ca but you can also find these on amazon.com:



The price was good on amazon.ca and they come in three colours: pink, blue and green. I wanted the blue but the mini one was out of stock, so I got the green instead. Despite its fanciness, this spatula is actually really good; it is well made and does a good scraping job. I've used it already a number of times and I've found it to be particularly handy in mixing bread dough just before starting to knead. And of course, it's great for scraping cake batters too!



The mini one that I got is actually a decent size, although I might get the larger one as well next time I'm ordering something from amazon. These babies qualify for free shipping which is an added bonus; you know how sometimes you're just short of a few dollars in the cart to get the free shipping on amazon, I'll sure add the large one next time I need to make up a few dollars.



This cutie has definitely added a playful touch to the spoon holder; it's starting to feel cosy around now. I might just not leave the kitchen at all anymore.



After getting the spatula, I was curious about what other products was available in the Fox Run brand, so I had a peek at their website. They've got some quite nice kitchen utensils, containers and tools. I just wished they had an online store of their own because I not quite sure where to get some of them.

Full disclosure: I was not contacted by Fox Run or Amazon.com to write up this post. I liked this product and thought about sharing my experience of it with you. All opinions and reviews here are my own.