Sammich time

photo by pwisenberg

I made this meal for a friend as a thank-you for her hospitality a while back. I felt a hearty grilled vegetable sandwich was the perfect display of gratitude for such a lovely girl. The recipe is simple really: grill some vegetables, pile 'em on some good bread, add a dollop of hummus and a handful of leafy greens and you're good to go!

Grilled vegetable sandwich
Makes 2

4 slices bread (whole wheat, spelt or sourdough would all work)
2 tbsp hummus (add hot sauce if you dare!)
1 handful of arugula (or spinach)
1 red onion, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 portobello mushroom caps
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by heating 1 tbsp of the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium to low heat until soft and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, toss the bell pepper and portobello caps in the remaining oil, basil, oregano, garlic, lemon juice and salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat (ideally on a grill pan) until soft and slightly charred, about 10 minutes, turning often.

Grill the slices of bread until heated through and slightly crispy. Apply a generous layer of hummus (and hot sauce if desired) to one slice per sandwich. Top with the caramelized onions, grilled vegetables and fresh arugula.

Enjoy the sandwich while it's still warm and eat outside if the weather allows it!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I will be busy hosting a dinner party, celebrating a friend's birthday and doing some much anticipated back to school shopping! Hey, if I'm going to be law student, I have to look the part, right?

xo Robin

Tasty trio

photo by me

Isn't this trio of crostini just the prettiest thing you ever did see? We had this for dinner recently and enjoyed it outside with a glass of wine. The toppings were actually very simple to prepare and they were all distinct in their flavours- a fresh bruschetta, ginger soy mushrooms and lemon maple asparagus all topped on grilled slices of bread, mmm mmm!

Trio of crostini
Serves 2 as a meal

12 slices whole grain baguette, lightly brushed with oil

Bruschetta 

2 tomatoes, diced
1 bunch basil, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Ginger soy mushrooms

1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp chilli garlic sauce
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger

Lemon maple asparagus

1/2 bunch of asparagus, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp dijon mustard
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by turning on your grill (or stove) to medium-high heat. While the grill heats up, combine all of the mushroom ingredients in one bowl and the asparagus ingredients in another. Spread them out on a grill pan but keep the two toppings separate (or add them to 2 pans on the stove if you don't have a grill). Cook for about 10 minutes, until golden and slightly charred. Meanwhile, prepare the bruschetta mixture by simply combining all of the ingredients in a bowl then set it aside until ready to eat. Lastly, grill the baguette slices (or toast them in the oven) until golden and crispy. Top the bread with the delicious toppings and dig in!

Side note: I hate to choose favourites but if you can only make one of these little beauties, I implore you to make the ginger soy mushrooms. They are rich and savoury with just the right amount of kick from the chilli sauce, a winner if I do say so myself!

Happy summer eating my friends! xo

Twirly whirl

photos by pwisenberg

Despite our proximity to summer, we've still been getting steady doses of gloomy weather here in Toronto. Friday evening was chilly and grey so a warm pasta seemed like the perfect dinner. I knew I wanted to include asparagus and mushrooms and Paul couldn't resist the urge to grill them. The charred veggies wound up being the perfect compliment to the smooth spaghetti which I tossed in a light cream sauce (onions, garlic, white wine and Tofutti cream cheese did the trick). I added cherry tomatoes at the last minute for some colour and acidity. And voila! A simple pasta perfect for a cool summer night.

Creamy spaghetti with grilled vegetables
Serves 4

1 package whole wheat spaghetti
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into thirds
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
salt and pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup Tofutti vegan cream cheese
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
starchy pasta water

Begin by coating the asparagus and mushrooms in the veg oil, chilli flakes, rosemary and salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until slightly charred, about 6-8 minutes. Back in the kitchen, bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt and add the spaghetti.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the onion and garlic. Season with S & P and cook until soft. Add the white wine and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in the cream cheese until it has melted to form a smooth sauce. Thin with starchy pasta water if desired, one or two ladle-fulls should do. Stir in the grilled mushrooms and asparagus along with the cherry tomatoes and toss so that all the veggies are coated in the sauce. Lastly, drain the spaghetti and toss in with the vegetables and the sauce.

Enjoy piping hot with a glass of wine and some good company.

El hamburguesa

photo by pwisenberg

Doesn't it look like it's just comin' right at you? Nom, nom, nom! This was my first attempt at making homemade veggie burgers and they were mighty successful! I adapted the recipe from one found in this book, but added several of my own touches. The patties are made from a combo of black beans, mushrooms, onions and bread crumbs and came out crispy on the outside yet soft and creamy in the centre. Since the burgers were seasoned with cumin and chili powder I figured I'd go with the tex-mex theme and top them with salsa, fresh tomato and guacamole. Seriously seriously delicious.

Black bean burgers with guacamole
Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 package button mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, diced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp mexican chili powder
2 tbsp beer (optional)
1 can black beans, drained but not rinsed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
4 whole wheat burger buns
4 thick slices of tomato
salsa
lettuce

Easy-peasy guac

2 perfectly ripe avocados
zest and juice of half a lime
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1 tbsp jarred or fresh jalapeno, chopped (if using jarred, I add a splash of the liquid too)
salt and pepper to taste

Begin by heating up the BBQ to medium-hot. Next, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat on the stove. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic and jalapeno. Season with salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder and cook the veggies until soft and slightly golden, about 10 minutes. To soak up all the bits of flavour on the bottom of the pan, deglaze with a splash of beer (whatever you happen to be drinking is fine) and simmer until the liquid has been cooked off.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and pulse together with the beans and cilantro until well-combined but still quite chunky. Rectify the seasoning with more salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon into a bowl and stir in the bread crumbs (roughly 1/2 a cup is what I used, but you may need slightly more or less). Form the mixture into 4 large patties (or 6 smaller ones) and brush them each lightly with oil to prevent them from sticking to the grill.

Grill the burgers until crispy on the outside and thoroughly heated through, roughly 5 minutes per side. Meanwhile, combine all of the guacamole ingredients and set aside until ready to serve. Serve the burgers on grilled buns with salsa, tomato, lettuce and tons of guac!

Fire it up

photos by pwisenberg

A trip to my neighbourhood organic grocery store inspired me to make this recipe. The ingredients looked so gorgeous, they practically begged me to take them home- thick green spears of asparagus, hearty portobello mushrooms and beautifully-hued bite-sized grape tomatoes. This warm salad was easy to make and satisfying enough to eat for dinner. Plus, it just feels so spring-like with the seasonal asparagus and charred taste from the grill. The veggies were marinated in olive oil, herbs, garlic, dijon mustard and balsamic vinegar, a flavourful bunch if I do say so. The thick slices of portobello are so savoury and filling and the grape tomatoes add a much-needed burst of freshness. I garnished the salad with toasted pumpkin seeds for some extra crunch and served it with grilled crusty bread, perfect for sopping up that delicious marinade.

Warm asparagus and portobello salad
Serves 4

3 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed and thickly sliced
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
1/2 red onion, thickly sliced
1/2 package grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
8 small slices whole grain bread, brushed with olive oil

Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste

To make the marinade, whisk together all of the ingredient in a bowl until well combined. Taste and rectify the seasoning if necessary. To assemble the salad, begin by coating the mushrooms, asparagus and onions in the marinade and brushing the bread with olive oil (a little sprinkling of sea salt doesn't hurt either). Grill the veggies over high heat (we used a grill pan for the mushrooms and onions, but it isn't necessary), until the asparagus spears are just fork-tender and the mushrooms begin to get a golden brown crust, about 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, grill the bread on the periphery of the grill where the heat is not so high, about 3 minutes per side. Top warm vegetables with the grape tomatoes and pumpkin seeds and serve with the grilled bread. Couldn't be more simple, couldn't be more yummy!