Friday FAQs: Storing sour cream, omnivore-friendly recipes, lentils, banana swaps, and more!

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Welcome to Friday FAQs—a new series on Oh She Glows! I’ve been meaning to start up my question and answer posts again, and since a couple of big projects are slowing down, I finally have a chance to do so. Woohoo! The questions featured in this series will be food related, so if you have any burning questions about any of my recipes, substitution ideas, cooking methods, ingredients, or tools, feel free to shoot them my way via social media or the blog! Each week I’ll select a handful to feature in my Friday FAQs post. My goal for this series is to share what I’ve learned in my kitchen over the past 8 years, and hopefully inspire you to try new plant-based ingredients, cooking methods, recipes, and more. You dig it?

Today, I’m sharing a few from social media and a few from my newsletter (I feature a Q+A in each issue). Let’s begin!

Q1: How long will your Cashew Sour Cream keep if refrigerated? I’m hoping to make your Favourite Vegan Chili Recipe. Thx!

A: Hi Michelle, The sour cream should keep in the fridge in an air-tight container for about 1 week. I recently discovered that you can also freeze cashew cream! I like to pour leftover cashew cream into a mini silicone muffin tray, freeze it, and then pop the cubes out and store them in a freezer zip bag for up to 3 to 4 weeks. This method is great for single servings. Thaw the cubes at room temperature or in the fridge overnight before using. Or throw a couple frozen cubes into a smoothie for a creamy twist!

Q2: Hi Angela, I’m wondering if green lentils would substitute well for red lentils in your Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup. Is there a difference between red and green lentils?

A: Hi Brandon, Great question! Red lentils are perfect for thickening and providing body to soups and curries (such as in my Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup and Golden Red Lentil Dal) and are also thought to be the sweetest and nuttiest of the lentil family. They break down while cooking and are not supposed to hold their shape. Green or brown lentils are somewhere in between—they do break down a bit, but they also hold their shape slightly better than red lentils while cooking (depending on how long you cook them, of course). I like to use green and brown lentils in veggie burgers, lentil loaves, and occasionally soups. While I haven’t tried using green or brown lentils in this particular soup, I do think it should work (the flavour will change a bit—green and brown lentils are a bit earthier tasting, but still delicious). French green lentils (or Le Puy lentils) are great for when you want the lentils to hold their shape and chewy texture (such as in a salad or pasta). I love using French green lentils in my Roasted Potato and Asparagus Lentil Salad (a spring fave!). I hope this helps and that you’ll be enjoying a delicious bowl of soup very soon! Be sure to let us know how it goes.

Q3: Good morning, My partner is a big meat eater and carb loader—I was wondering if you could let me know which recipes of yours you would recommend to try on him first to get him into it. Thank you so much.

A: Hi Alyce, Partner-friendly recipes…I’m all about those! If Eric doesn’t like a recipe, it doesn’t get posted on my blog. (And then I eat it all and tell him he’s nuts.) That said, below is a list of his favourite recipes (and general crowd-pleasing recipes). I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

  • Our Perfect Veggie Burger
  • Ultimate Vegan Lentil-Walnut Loaf
  • Crowd-Pleasing Vegan Caesar Salad
  • 10-Spice Vegetable Soup
  • Next Level Vegan Enchiladas
  • Ultimate Green Taco Wraps with Lentil-Walnut Taco Meat
  • Golden Red Lentil Dal with Cilantro-Speckled Basmati
  • My Favourite Vegan Chili with Homemade Sour Cream
  • Glowing Spiced Lentil Soup

 

Q4: Hi Angela, I’m wondering if you’ve tried your Vegan Overnight Oats recipe with fruits other than banana?

A: Hi Nathalie, It’s no secret that banana tends to be my preferred fruit in vegan overnight oats due to its natural sweetness and creamy texture, but it absolutely can work with many other add-ins! You can try mixing in mashed or puréed pear (2 peeled, very ripe pears work best here), shredded apple (I like to grate the apple on a grater box and stir it in), or even mango. Also, yogurt works really well and provides a creamy, thick texture. Simply mix in a bit of your preferred yogurt (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on how thick you like the oats), and then taste it in the morning and stir in some liquid sweetener if you’d like it sweeter. I hope this helps and leads you to some tasty banana-free options!

Q5: I have not tried Matcha green tea powder, but you have convinced me to try it. Where is the best place to purchase it?

A: Oh how I love Matcha. You can certainly find it many places online, and in some grocery stores. Right now I’m loving this “Do Matcha” brand. The tin lasts a long time. If you end up getting some, be sure to try it in my Green Tea Lime Pie Smoothie Bowl! It’s also lovely in a warm homemade latte or served cold with iced almond milk.

Comments of the week:

Evelyn writes, “Oh your app is so so beautiful!!! I just purchased it and I can’t stop playing with that feature where you click on a recipe, and when you scroll down the picture on top gets smaller, only to become full-screen again when I scroll upwards! Also all the new pictures, woman what a work that must’ve been! But they really glow and practically jump from my screen, and even though I just had dinner, I want to make alllll the things now. Congratulations on this beautiful app, and I totally understand why the blog has been a little quiet lately. Hell, I’m even deeply impressed you managed to make both the app and your second cookbook! The first one a friend of mine brought it from the US for me, and I can’t wait until it gets joined by no 2 :)”

Evelyn! We couldn’t be happier to hear how much you love our app!! Truly, thank you. I hope you—and everyone else who downloads it-—enjoy it for years to come.

Brenna writes, “I made your DIY Burrito Bowl last week and it was a huge success – including with two picky preschoolers! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!”

So happy to hear this Brenna! Thanks for letting us know.

Oh She Glows

Harissa Carrots and Fennel with Lentils

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My trip to Seattle to work on the Cody nutrition video series proved to be a pretty ragin’ food fest. The pre- and post-production days, along with nights off gave me some time to explore the city, meet the amazing locals, and sample, er, quite a bit of fantastic food. You know, for research purposes.

When I travel, I put wish-list restaurants in two groups: the vegetarian restaurant, and the non-vegetarian restaurant that has enough veg-friendly options to be worth the visit. As much as I find a lot of inspiration at both of these types of establishments, they can also have their drawbacks. First, the vegetarian restaurant, bless them, can tend towards the dated, you know what I mean? Overly-sauced, overly-cheesed, overly seitan-ed out places that offer satisfying, but not very health conscious dishes reminiscent of 1997. Yea. The second place is great if you want to eat out with meat-loving friends (and thank goodness most American restaurants recognize that vegetarians don’t always travel in packs!). The issue is that these places don’t recognize that we also need substance. There are plenty of creative veggie-centric plates, but nothing that is going to really fill me up! When I was in Seattle, I rarely saw a single bean, lentil or a cube of tempeh on a menu. If I was lucky enough to see a whole grain, it was a sprinkle on top like a garnish. I feel like I’m always compromising somehow, which sounds ridiculously gripe-y, but maybe this is my PSA to say that both types of restaurants are so close to getting it so right that it is worth putting it out there in hopes that someone hears my cry.

One of my most favourite dishes at a hip and trendy non-vegetarian spot was a roasted carrot, fennel, harissa and yogurt combination, that was as strong in its presentation as it was in flavour. The plate was literally piled with roasted carrots and fennel – a stellar sight for ravenous eyes – bathed in the silkiest scarlet sauce, all nestled in a generous swathe of thick yogurt. It was kind of thing I could barely wait to dig into (I had to share with the rest of my table…rough!), and sad to see the server remove the licked-clean plate. BUT! Where was the rest of it? I realize that this was intended to be a side dish, but there were literally no other options on the menu unless I was to join my table mates and dig into a roast chicken.

Being back home in Copenhagen in the thick of winter, I felt the urge to bring a little light and spice to the table. Fondly recalling the jolt to my taste buds that carrot dish conferred, I decided to make my own version that included a simple upgrade with lentils that any vegetarian would be happy to call dinner. Or anyone for that matter.

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Harissa is a north African chili pepper paste traditionally added to meat and fish stews, and to spice up couscous, but I think it’s delish with all the things, especially winter veg that could use a major flavour injection. If you have not made your own harissa before, it’s a relatively quick and painless process that can give your food a serious wake-up. It is bright, bold, spicy, smoky and just plain yummmm. It keeps well in the fridge and a delightful thing to have on hand when you’re not really sure what to do with that pumpkin (slather it in harissa and roast it!) or that tempeh (marinate it in harissa and fry it!) or that kale (dress it in harissa and stuff your face!). If you can’t wait another second to make this dish, you can also buy pre-made harissa paste at ethnic grocers and gourmet markets. It’s sold in small tins, tubes, or jars – just look for versions without any preservatives or unpronounce-ables (but it goes without saying that the homemade kind is best, obvi).

You can really use any kind of chili to make harissa, and I suggest a variety to achieve a deep and complex flavour. Some of the ones I chose (based solely on the fact that I already had them in my pantry) were smoked whole ñoras peppers, guajillo, and bird’s eye for some serious heat. Chipotle would be very tasty (it’s a good idea to have at least one smoked pepper variety), or de arbol, jalepeno, ancho…you get the idea. You can also make harissa with crushed chili flakes if that is all you have, just make sure that you balance it out with perhaps more tomato paste and roasted bell peppers. I believe that you should be able to eat a small spoonful of pure harissa without blowing your head off. You’re after something spicy, but also rich and savoury, so strike that balance as you’re choosing the ingredients.

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It’s Getting Hot in Here
Chili peppers are a fantastic food to add to your diet, especially in the colder months, as they actually heat us from the inside out! Chilies contain an active substance called capsaicin that significantly increase thermogenesis (a.k.a. heat production), in our bodies. This is precisely why eating spicy food makes us turn read. break a sweat, and can even aid weight loss, as thermogenesis literally burns calories! These burned calories translate into warmth in the cells and therefore heat in the body. This is the exact same process that takes place in hibernating animals to stay warm.

Other foods that have this thermogenic effect are horseradish, mustard, cinnamon, fennel seed, garlic, ginger, ginseng, and turmeric.

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I love this kind of dish from a construction standpoint. The first bites deliver the big bold flavours of the roasted veg dripping in smoky sauce alone, and then as you begin to go further and dig around, everything kind of melds together, creating mouthfuls with a little bit of this, a little bit of that. The lentils start hanging out with the lemon-spiked yogurt giving the smooth consistency some tooth and texture, which the veggies then become coated in. The harissa drippings work their way into all the nooks and crannies, and the mint pokes you every so often with a “hello, my name is FRESH!” It hits all the texture notes, the flavour notes, and you’re left feeling, well, really satisfied. Not to mention, full.

This dish is totally vegan aside from the yogurt, which could even be replaced with a cashew yogurt, like the one in my cookbook, or another plant-based one. You can even leave it out all together if you like, but it’s a great team player with the other elements. The lentils could easily be replaced by the beans of your choice, and the veg you can change up according to what you have available. You can even make the harissa dressing for any manner of green salad and serve it over raw things too. This dish would also be really tasty with some toasted nuts or seeds sprinkled on top.

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Note: If you are in Copenhagen and looking for high-quality organic spices for this recipe or any others, check out ASA spice shop in Torvehallerne! They are simply. the. best.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Oh yea, Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone’s 2016 has started off on the right foot.

Here are a couple things I’ve been up to:
Cody app and I have collaborated to create an online video series with 21 episodes geared towards anyone who wants to learn how to cook healthy, plant-based meals! I have been wanting to put together an educational + cooking video program for so long now, and I am very proud of how this has turned out. I hope you check it out.

Cody - Healthy, Whole, Fit

We’ve added four brand-new and exclusive recipes to the My New Roots app. These recipes are specifically for cleansing and detoxification, so if you’re January hasn’t been as “clean” as you would have liked, maybe this will give you some inspiration! Update your app or download it now and get this recipe for Nori wraps with Cleansing Broccoli Pesto along with three other delicious and detoxifying delights (use the filter button to select “Super Clean 2016″) Check out the recipes here.

My New Roots iPhone app

And I was invited to speak on Jessica Murnane’s podcast, The Things that Freaked my Week. It was fun. Listen here.

BIG love and best wishes for your year ahead.
xo, Sarah B

Show me your harissa on Instagram: #MNRharissa

The post Harissa Carrots and Fennel with Lentils appeared first on My New Roots.


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