Easy coconut pancakes

So, um, hi. I still exist. I still cook. I'm still really bad at this blog upkeep thing. BUT it's September... a new school year, a fresh start, etc. etc. Who's to say how often I'll update the ol' Birdie, but I've had this recipe lurking around on my desktop for months and honestly it's just too darn tasty not to share! 

Now let's get real here; I’m not really a big pancake person. I'm not even really a brunch person. But when I do venture into the daunting world of vegan brunch, I often forego sweets and opt instead for a savoury menu item. However, I went out on a limb with this recipe and these homemade pancakes turned out wonderfully. There is actually no sugar in the batter because the shredded coconut adds just the right amount of sweetness (not to mention a nice hit of texture). Top them off with fresh berries and maple syrup and you’ve got yourself a brunch dish yummy enough to rival even its saltiest of counterparts. Really. So good.

Vegan coconut pancakes

Serves 2

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup shredded coconut

3 tbsp oil

Fresh blueberries

Pure maple syrup

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking powder. Next, whisk in the milk, water, and coconut until smooth. Heat the oil (about 1 tsbp per batch of pancakes) over medium heat. Finally, ladle in the batter and cook pancakes until golden brown and slightly crispy (about 3 minutes per side). Serve with fresh berries and maple syrup and enjoy!

P.S. Look familiar? Here's why!

Lighten up

In the colder months, I usually crave warm, hearty, and rich meals. But, oddly enough, I've been on a bit of a salad kick lately. I know, I know, I'm only contributing to the widespread myth that we vegans only eat salad. And although that's clearly not true (exhibit A, exhibit B, you get the picture), I do love me a big old bowl o' veggies sometimes! I wanted to do a spin on a classic nicoise salad- minus the totally unnecessary, totally un-vegan items. So in lieu of the egg and the tuna, I added creamy white beans for protein, which contrast nicely with the sharpness of the onion (olives would work too but we don't really get along). The real stars of this humble little lunch though are the potatoes! While still warm, I tossed them in a lemon, dill, and dijon dressing, giving them tons of savoury flavour. So next time you're making this classic salad, consider foregoing the animal products for this pared down version which is much healthier and a whole lot kinder.

Vegan nicoise salad
Serves 2


For the salad:
1 cup small potatoes
2 cups shredded romain lettuce
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 cup white beans

For the vinaigrette:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by boiling the potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients until well combined. Once potatoes are cooked, toss them in the vinaigrette. Once thoroughly coated, transfer potatoes into separate bowl to cool slightly, while preserving the remaining dressing. Toss the lettuce in what is left of the vinaigrette before splitting it evenly into your two serving bowls. Top the lettuce with the potatoes, onion, tomatoes, and beans and MUNCH!

Blog birthday!

Today is a special day around here. It's The Hungry Birdie's first birthday! I started this blog mostly as a challenge for myself. I had just made the decision to become vegan and figured a food blog would be a great way to motivate me to try new recipes. It certainly worked! I have never once regretted my decision to adopt a plant-based diet and this blog has been a great incentive for me to connect with other vegans and keep coming up with creative recipes. So, in honour of the HB b-day, I thought a countdown was in order. Here you have my personal top ten fav recipes of the past year: 

10. Grilled "cheese" with jalapeño pesto- Melted vegan cheese and jalapeño pesto, what's not to love? 

9. Spicy sweet potato salad- I mean come on, it's just so pretty!

8. Creamy butternut squash rigatoni- Rich and velvety, the perfect pasta dish in my eyes.

7. Chocolate chip quinoa cookies- Quinoa, chocolate, coconut, and banana, these babies have it all!

6. Scrumptious spinach salad- Candied pecans and clemmies take this weekday salad to the next level.

5. Sweet 'n sour tempeh- Sticky, savoury, and full of texture, this is one of my favourite dinners.

4. Garlicky mushroom crostini- This never fails. Really, it's insanely good.

3. Buffalo chickpeas with cauliflower mash- Healthy in a totally non-boring way. Delish!

2. Asian dumplings two ways- A lot of work but absolutely worth it. Wonderful for wowing guests!

1. Sweet potato fry soup- This continues to be the most popular HB recipe by a mile. Sweet potato fries transformed into a soup complete with aioli on top. Ahh-mazing!

So although the top ten will be pretty hard to beat, I look forward to sharing another year of scrumptious vegan eats with you all. Thank you so much for following The Hungry Birdie!

xo Robin

Twenty twelve

Hello!

I've been a bad blogger... it's true. It's been weeks since I've posted and I feel a teensy bit worse about it each day. Honestly, I was so wrapped up in the frenzy of exams followed by the holidays (and all the visiting/eating/partying that they entail) that I've been painfully neglecting my poor little HB. But no more! It's a new year with lots to look forward to, including The Hungry Birdie's first birthday on January 23rd! Does that make me an official, legit blogger?! I'm thinking it does...

To start it off, here are some of my favourite pictures from the last few weeks. In no specific order they include feasts at my parents' house, sing-a-longs with the fam, New Years with my besties, and a few random shots for good measure.

Happy new year everyone! xo

P.S. The way January's shaping up, 2012 is going to be a social media-ridden kinda year. But hey, nothing wrong with that right?

Clicky here for more HB updates and some personal stuff too!

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Bloglovin'
• Pinterest {I still have a few invites left, email me if you need one!}
• Instagram {username: @thehungrybirdie}

Winter warmth

I came up with this soup as a spin on one I used to make when I first learned to cook. It's full of white beans, celery and kale. To replace the meat, we added an Yves Italian veggie sausage (always a hit with the boy). The soup is equal parts hearty and savoury, plus I threw in a pinch of chili flakes for a little bit of heat. I've been really big on soups these days. There's something about throwing ingredients in a pot and letting them simmer while you occupy yourself with other things (cough, studying, cough). It's true... I'm still in my law school cocoon of exams, caffeine, and stress-induced tummy aches. But I'll be all done this Wednesday and then it's back to London for family time before heading to Toronto to catch up with friends, eat at my favourite veggie restaurants, and engage in some much needed retail therapy. Wednesday can't come soon enough!

White bean, kale & veggie sausage soup
Serves 4-6

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cans white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups veggie broth
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/2 bunch kale, chopped
2 veggie sausages, sliced crosswise
Salt to taste

Begin by heating the oil in a large pot. Throw in the onion, garlic, celery, chili flakes and pepper and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, if desired, sear the chopped veggie sausages in a small pan until golden brown. Add in the beans, broth, water, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes before adding in the kale and the sausage. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes and enjoy on the couch with crusty bread and a holiday movie!

Sweets from the Earth

Oh my goodness guys. So here I am minding my business, doing my homework, when I get an offer I can't refuse! Sweets from the Earth asked me to try some of their 100% vegan, all natural treats. Obviously, I agreed! Paul and I had a field day trying all kinds of goodies, but these three were hands-down the best of the bunch. The wild blueberry cheesecake was a dead ringer for the real thing (and shhh, I didn't even like cheesecake before going vegan, but this is SO good), and the organic medjool date squares taste just healthy enough to enjoy with a morning cup of coffee. Finally, the chocolate fudge cake (!!!) was moist, rich and insanely delicious. I've been a fan of Sweets from the Earth's carrot cake for a long time now, but trying these new products has turned me into a loyal devotee. Check our their website for even more vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free treats.

Okay, now back to studying for exams! xo

Friday Five: Allyson K.

Hey guys, this week's Friday Five features the lovely Allyson from the beautiful blog Manifest Vegan. Her site is pretty and polished with tons of gorgeous photos (food porn, much?)! Take a look at Allyson's thoughtful answers below:

Butternut Bliss

Why is butternut squash so good? Not only is it versatile and comforting but it just happens to be beautifully hued, doesn’t it? This simple pasta dish showcases all of squash’s best features, including its lovely colour! The sauce is rich and velvety, and the wilted kale adds a nice bite, making this a wonderful meal to share with family over the holidays if you ask me!


Also, we have a new recipe page! Now you can search for recipes, easy peasy. A huge thank you to the bf for putting this together! 

Rigatoni with Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Sauce {last seen here}
Serves 4


1 head garlic, topped trimmed, drizzled with olive oil
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes
2 cups veggie broth
1 package whole wheat rigatoni
2 cups kale, chopped
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
¼ cup almond milk
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
¼ cup fresh sage, chopped

Wrap garlic in aluminum foil and roast at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes

Meanwhile, in a large pot cover the squash with the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer until squash is very tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Once tender, purée the squash, veggie broth and roasted garlic until smooth. Stir in the nutritional yeast, almond milk, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste.

Season a pot of boiling water with salt and add the rigatoni. When it is nearly cooked to al dente, add the kale into the pot so it wilts and tenderizes. Cook for the last couple of minutes and strain pasta and kale.

Finally, toss the rigatoni and kale with the sauce and garnish with fresh sage.

Friday Five: Angela L.

I'm so excited for this week's Friday Five, although I'm sure you already know her, it's Angela from Oh She Glows! Angela's recipes are insane (I'd eat this daily if I could) and her writing is warm and candid. If you aren't familiar with her wonderful blog yet, have a look and I know you'll love it.

You know what else is awesome? Classes finish next week! Exam craziness has set in and I'll be spending the weekend in the library but the end is in sight. It's snowing in Ottawa today which puts me in the holiday spirit, are you guys feeling festive yet?

Happy weekend lovelies!

The Hungry Birdie has moved!

picture by kev chapman (flickr)

Welcome to the new site on Blogspot. We love the clean, modern look of the new site and really hope you do too!

To all our lovely email subscribers, we ask that you pleeease sign up on this new page (below on the sidebar) so you can continue to receive updates.

The site address will still be www.thehungrybirdie.com so no worries there. Thanks for joining us in the move and let us know what you think!

I also wanted to explain for my relative lack of recipe posts lately… school is really demanding right now and will be until December 21st, so I’m sorry for neglecting the blog. On the plus side, I’m already brewing up tons of holiday recipes and my mum is even excited about writing a guest post!

Finally, thank you ALL for following my journey. The Hungry Birdie will be turning one year old very soon (aww little baybay), and it’s all thanks to you, the readers!


xo Robin

Friday Five: Jess N.

Hi all!

It's Friday (and almost December?!), crazy! This week the lovely Jess from Cupcakes and Kale was kind enough to answer the Friday Five. Her blog is the perfect balance between sweet and savoury, which is great for vegans like me who are considerably baking-challenged. These cupcakes are her recipe and- let me tell you- they were a huuuge hit! So check out her answers (and her site!) and I'm sure you'll like this sweet vegan lady as much as I do :)

Happy weekend friends! xo

The little things

Soooo I'm in the thick of it right now. School is pretty all-consuming these days. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel though, cannot wait to spend time relaxing with family and friends over the holidays. Before I get back to work I wanted to remind myself of the things that I love, and that I'm thankful for, some of which I've been enjoying lately, some of which I've been craving desperately...

Things like massive mugs of tea. accidental good hair days. singing while alone. doing puzzles. the smell of vanilla. sleeping in. late night movie dates. long drives. cooking for people i love. freshly painted nails. impromptu naps. winter walks. clean skin. giggling with friends. the first sip of beer. fresh sheets. perfectly crisp apples. good dreams. good songs. the colour a ripe mango. compliments on a bad day. half awake i love yous. board games. yummy kitchen smells. hauntingly beautiful photographs. lingering hugs. cracking my knuckles. peppermint lattes. wearing something new for the first time. the perfect chewy cookie. feeling cold air on my face. homemade soup. confessions to new friends. long chats with old ones. the first day of a holiday. family dinners over wine. and so so much more... xo

What little things make you happy?

Guest post: Curry in a hurry

Hi everyone!

My name is Caroline and I’m super excited to share this post with you all. Like the Hungry Birdie herself, I am also a law student – studying across the pond in a town called Canterbury (yes from the tales!). As a self-professed cheese aficionado, I have to admit I wasn’t always so thrilled with the idea of vegan cooking. I expected the ingredients to be completely foreign and inaccessible, but reading Robin’s blog inspired me to try a few new recipes (Winter potato salad, Penne with sun dried tomatoes and walnuts… Mmmmm!). And while you probably won’t catch me with a forkful of tofu any day soon, I’m getting a little closer… Enjoy!

Vegetable curry

Serves: 4

1 onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp curry paste
4 plum tomatoes, or similar
2 red bell peppers
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
½  can coconut milk
4 cups of spinach or other dark green

Halve and peel one onion and slice into very thin half-moons. In deep pan, sauté onions in olive oil and a pinch of salt until golden and translucent (bonus points if you have the patience to caramelize them slightly). When golden, add two finely chopped cloves of garlic and two tablespoons of your favourite curry paste.

Add a few chopped tomatoes, sliced bell pepper and one can of chickpeas. Shake and pour in half a can of coconut milk. (I freeze the other half in an ice cube tray, pop them out and keep them in the freezer for next time!) Add about a cup of recently boiled water until you are happy with the consistency. Simmer away for a few minutes, add salt if needed.

At the end, wilt in a few handfuls of dark greens – I used organic spinach here. Serve alongside rice, quinoa, or nan bread, and a cold ale if you so fancy it. Enjoy!

If you’re in the mood for a nice light dessert to go with your spicy curry, try…



Baked Plums with Golden Sugar and Allspice

Serves: 4

4 plums, halved and pitted
2 tbsp golden brown sugar
1 ½ tsp allspice

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Coat the exposed side of each plum in the allspice and sugar. Bake cut-side up for 20-25 minutes, until slightly scorched and soft in the middle. (This works better with firm plums.)

Serve warm or room temperature, with chopped nuts or a nice soymilk ice cream!

Friday Five: Nikki H.

Hi little birdies!

Many of you may already know the lovely lady featured in today's Friday Five. She's Nikki of the amazing blog, The Tolerant Vegan (seriously, these are making me drool!). Her site is chock-full of great recipes, step-by-step photos, and plenty of pics of her adorable cats! So what are you waiting for? Click click!

P.S. Guys! I'm being all 21st century lately, I just got Instagram! My username is TheHungryBirdie, come follow me :)

Lazy fare

Some days I feel like preparing fresh dough, making homemade tomato sauce and scouring the freshest ingredients in order to make knock-out vegan pizzas. Lately though, amidst the mountains of readings, case comments, and legal memos, I've started to think that less is more. Less work in the kitchen that is! I'm not quite back to my undergrad days of Kraft Dinner, canned soup and peanut butter off a spoon (okay, fine, I still do that last one sometimes...), but being so busy has forced me to come up with quick and satisfying weeknight dinners. These vegan pita pizzas have become a staple around my house. I recommend using whole wheat pitas, broccoli, and chia seeds to up the nutritional factor on these bad boys!

Easy pita pizzas
Makes 2 

2 whole grain pitas
1/2 package of Daiya mozzarella
1/2 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp of chia seeds
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste

Place pitas on baking tray lined with aluminum foil and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread tomato sauce on the surface of both pitas, sprinkle on the oregano, chili flakes, salt and pepper before adding a generous layer of Daiya. Next, add the broccoli florets and chia seeds and bake for about 20 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and cheese is bubbly.

Aaannd then get back to studying!

Friday Five: Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Post Punk Kitchen)

Guys! This week's Friday Five comes from one my all-time favourite food bloggers, Isa Chandra from Post Punk Kitchen! I mean,come on, her site is amazing, she has a bagillion cookbooks, and her cookie recipes are to die for (exhibit A, exhibit B)! So take a second to find out why she's a loveable vegan with an affinity for squash butts. Yup.

Thai it up

Good morning! Just a quick recipe today as I'm running late for school. What can I say about this soup? It's simple to prepare, makes enough for leftovers, and is just really damn tasty!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Thai corn and cilantro soup
Serves 4-6 

1 tbsp veggie oil
1 tbsp chopped hot pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp ginger
6 cups veggie stock
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cups corn
1 can coconut milk
1/2 package tofu, cut into 1/2" cubes
3/4 cups fresh cilantro, chopped

Begin by heating the oil on medium heat and cook the onions, garlic, ginger, and hot pepper until just soft (about 5 minutes).

Add veggie stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in the soy sauce, corn, tofu, coconut milk and 1/2 cup of cilantro (save the rest for garnish).

Allow soup to simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes (longer= more flavour) before serving. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and enjoy!