Opa's Pflaumenkuchen Plumcake

Following is a recipe to make a delicious plum cake from my opa. The combination of lightness, tartness and sweetness is perfect for enjoying with friends (preferably on a front stoop with that spring sun shining)!

Dough:
Mix 2 eggs, 3/4 cups of sugar (or honey), add 2 tbsp of mayo.
Add and mix with 1 1/2 cups of instant blending flour, add a bit of water (1tsp at a time).
Spread well in a shallow, greased pan. Cover with plums

Topping:
Combine 1/2 cup of sugar (or honey), 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 3/4 cup of cold cutter. Crumble together, spread on dough.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Picture taken from: http://www.passionateaboutbaking.com/food%20pictures%20PAB/2011/08/German-Plum-Cake-Pflaumenkuchen-With-Ricotta-Fresh-Thyme-4.jpg

Apple Crisp

Bring some warmth to wintry nights in Montreal with this apple crisp recipe from my grandmother! Most of the ingredients can be found locally, for the brown sugar I substituted it with honey and used buckwheat flour instead of regular flour. Enjoy!

4 cups apples--sliced
⅓ cup butter
1 cup of brown sugar (or honey)
⅓ cup of flour (any flour will work)
⅔ cups of oats
1 pinch of salt, nutmeg, cinnamon

Pour fruit in buttered baking dish. Cream butter and brown sugar, nutmeg, flour, oats, salt, mix well. Pour over fruit.

Bake at 375°F for 40 minutes.

Croustade aux pommes

Cette recette de croustade aux pommes de ma grand-mère est superbe pour les nuits d’hiver à Montréal! La plupart des ingrédients peuvent se trouvés localement. Pour la cassonade je l'ai remplacé avec du miel et au lieu de la farine blanche, la farine de sarrasin. Miam!

4 tasses de pommes, tranchés
⅓ tasse de beurre
1 tasse de cassonade (ou du miel)
⅓ tasse de farine
⅔ tasse d'avoine
1 pincée de sel, la muscade, la cannelle

Verser les fruits dans un plat beurré. Crémer le beurre et la cassonade, la muscade, la farine, l'avoine, le sel, mélanger bien. Verser sur les fruits.

Cuire au four à 375 ° F pendant 40 minutes.

A Plethora of Organic Blogs for You!

Hello fellow organic enthusiasts,

We recently had a helpful article sent to us from an unlikely source which outlines 15 organic blogs worth checking out. The article is entitled "15 Best Organic Cooking Blogs to Bookmark" and features mostly organic cooking blogs, though there are several ones with content concerning food politics, veganism, nutrition, and sustainable living. The article can be found at http://www.onlinecertificateprograms.org/blog/2010/15-best-organic-cooking-blogs-to-bookmark/.

If you are going to check one out, take a look at the blog Eat Drink Better which has a great focus on local and vegan cooking. There are also complete sections dedicated to food policy and nutrition, so it's quite the one-stop-shop!

Dig it!

Organic Campus

Sweet and Sour Borscht

We at Organic Campus know that at times after hauling your bag of veggies back home, the last thing you want to do is search through your stack of cookbooks to find that ideal recipe. Naturally we'd like to lend a hand and share some of our favourite recipes that incorporate local fruits and veggies yet still dazzle the taste buds and boast great nutrition.

The recipe for this week is borscht: a traditional Eastern European soup most commonly associated with its Ukrainian and Russian version which is made with beet roots as the principle ingredient and served hot. With a dark ruby red colour, it is an appealing dish on the table and is complemented well with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. The dish is also a power house of nutrition with its preponderance of beets, cabbage, and carrots. According to The World's Healthiest Foods website, beets derive their rich colour from a pigment called betacyanin which also acts as a powerful cancer-fighting agent. The are also a great source of folate, potassium, magnesium, and a good source of iron, dietary fibre, copper, vitamin C, and potassium.

4 medium or 3 large beets
1 large onion, diced.
2 large carrots
2 cups of shredded red or green cabbage
4-5 medium sized jerusalem artichokes or small potatoes (optional).
6 cups of vegetable stock or 3 cups of stock and 3 cups of organic miso.
1/4-1/3 cup of lemon juice, depending on desired acidity, or use 1 tbs-2tbs of lemon grass or
lemon balm if you have this local herb at hand.
1 tps of dillweed.
2 tbs of olive or vegetable oil.
salt and pepper to taste.

1. Heat oil in a large pot and add the diced onion.
2. While the onion cooks and becomes translucent, peel beets and carrots and shred in food processor or by hand. Shred the cabbage coarsely by hand at this point if not already done. You can put it in the food processor as well, though it will make the dish lack variety in texture.
3. Halfway through the shredding phase, throw in the jerusalem artichokes, sliced, into the pot with the onions.
4. Add beets, carrots, cabbage, lemon juice or lemon herbs, dill, and stock to the pot. Bring mix to a gradual boil then reduce to a simmer.
5. Cover and continue to simmer while stirring occasionally until the beets, cabbage, and carrots become soft.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste and more lemon juice/herbs if desired.

Serve hot with some yogurt on top if you'd like or some crusty garlic bread. Serves approximately six.

Recipes&Photos from February's Cooking Workshop

In late February, Organic Campus hosted a cooking workshop featuring recipes for a complete organic vegan breakfast. Check out below to find photos from the workshop and recipes for a Good Morning Juice, "Can't be Beet" Muffins, Garlic Roasted Potatoes, Tofu Scramble, and Winter Squash Pancakes.



1.)Good Morning Juice
Both the betaine in beets and the gingerols in ginger have been linked to reducing inflammation within the body. Ginger in particular can help in reducing chronic pain for people with Osteoarthritis and can also aid in digestion. Beets are very high in folate, manganese and potassium.**source: whfoods.com Serves 3.

Ingredients:
2 medium sized beets, cut into chunks
3 OC-sized (small) carrots, washed
3 OC-sized (small)apples, peels on
1 inch of ginger

Directions:
Run all ingredients through a juicer, stir and serve. Best when consumed immediately.
Also, it's good to add some of the beet greens for additional nutritional value. Parsley is another popular addition.


2) "Can't Be Beet" Muffins
Now that you have juiced all those rich vegetables and fruit, it's time to clean out the juicer and put all that pulp to good use! Save all the pulp from juicing the beets, carrots, apples and ginger, stir the pulp together and set some aside for this baked vegan treat. Any pulp you don't want to use right away, freeze and later thaw out on a rainy day when you want a healthy baked treat to warm you up from the inside. Makes a dozen.
Ingredients:
2 c. organic whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. organic soy milk or milk alternative
1/4 vegetable oil, preferably linseed or walnut for added omega 3, especially for vegetarian/vegan diets.
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4-1 c. organic cane sugar or 1/2-3/4 c. honey (depending on how sweet you'd like them)
1 tbsp. of ground flax mixed with 2-3 tbsp water until viscous. This is the binding agent, so if you don't have flax on hand try one banana or 1/2 c. apple sauce with 1 tsp of baking powder.
2 tbsp. of wheat germ (optional) for added vitamin E and fibre. Note: if added, reduce flour amount by 2 tbsps.
1 c. pulp mix unthawed
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. clove or allspice
1/4 tsp. ground ginger (If ginger was omitted from the juice recipe and thus missing in the pulp)
1/2 c. crushed walnuts.

Directions:
Mix together all the dry ingredients in a bowl, while in a separate bowl combine all wet ingredients including the sugar, flax mixture, and pulp. Gradually add wet mixture to dry and gentle mix, but do not overmix. Fill a greased muffin tray with the mixture and sprinkle some walnut crumbs on top but pack them down to ensure they don't roll off after they bake. Then you bake the muffins in a preheated oven at 350 F for 25-30 mins.


3) Garlic Roasted Potatoes
This is a relatively quick way to roast potatoes. Garlic and spices can be adjusted to taste
Serves 6.

Ingredients:
6 medium sized potatoes or 4 large potatoes, washed and sliced into 1 inch cubes (do not peel)
2 medium sized onions cut into chunks
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried rosemary (or 2 tbsp fresh)
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss until potatoes and onions are coated (try not to break up the onion chunks).
3. Dump contents of the bowl onto a roasting pan (if it's not nonstick, coat pan with a little oil). Place in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping over the potatoes and onions half way through cooking time.


4) Tofu Scramble
This is a great vegan equivalent to scrambled eggs yet can be jammed packed with veggies. The soy comprising the tofu is also a complete protein like eggs but you are able to avoid the purported cholesterol issue. Soy also tends to be fortified with calcium and does not perish easily so this dish should last in your fridge for a good while, ready to be taken out whenever you want a nice protein and veggie kick to start your day. Serves 4-7 people depending on how many veggies are added.


Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pepper (green or red)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound (=1 standard package) firm organic tofu, pressed* and crumbled
2 tbsp. fortified nutritional yeast flakes (non-fortified is fine but lacks the B6&12 boost)
1 tbsp. tamari
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. pepper, preferrably ground.

* to press your tofu, remove the tofu from the fridge and package the night before and place it between two plates, or a plate and some flat surface like a cutting board. Then place a weight on top of the second plate/flat surface so it will press down upon the tofu overnight. By morning enough water should have been expelled to reduce the tofu's cooking time and assist it in absorbing flavors. For this recipe, an easier method is to cut the tofu into 6-8 cubes and then squeeze the cubes over the sink until most of the water comes out. It may take a bit of muscle, but you will end up quasi-crumbling the tofu already for the recipe.

OC Tip: Feel free to add whatever veggies and spices you'd like to this dish, it is quite versatile and can host a plethora of flavors. Some definite suggestions would be to add spinach/swiss chard, mushrooms, broccoli, and/or zucchini, as well as some chili powder. The additional vegetables will increase the necessary cooking time however and will require some more spices, so if you were to add 2-3 extra vegetables you should probably double the aforementioned spices including the nutritional yeast, mustard, and tamari.

Directions:
In a large saucepan on medium heat, saute the onions until translucent. Meanwhile, crumble the tofu into a large bowl and add the garlic, nutritional yeast, turmeric, tamari, mustard, sage, basil, pepper, ginger, and chili powder (opt). Mix lightly then add vegetables and mix again. The crumbled tofu should now be bright yellow due to the turmeric and should be coated with the spices and other ingredients as they were added before the vegetables. If you added spinach or another green and it seems they are dominating the bowl don't panic, they will reduce to only a fraction of their size when fried. Add tofu mixture to onions and mix together in the pan, spreading the mixture about evenly. Stir mixture every few minutes until the tofu browns a bit and is not terribly moist. Depending on how many vegetables you added, cooking can take anywhere from 15 min. to 30. Serve immediately either on its own, between two slices of toast, or in a wrap to make a breakfast burrito!




5) Winter Squash Pancakes
(adapted from a recipe by Laura Klein for http://www.organicauthority.com/)
These pancakes are hearty and delicious for breakfast or dessert. I have veganized this recipe for the workshop's sake, but the original called for animal products. Adjust the spices to your liking.
One final note, unless you are very comfortable using flax in baking, I would suggest going with a store-bought egg replacer. It will give you the volume that you need. Bob's makes a really useful brand available in the "natural foods" section of most large grocery stores. Serves six and makes approximately 1 dozen large pancakes.

Ingredients:
1 small organic butternut squash
2 egg substitutes (flax seed* or store bought)
1 cup of organic non-dairy milk (soy works best because of fat content)
2 cups organic whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

* flax eggs can be made by adding one table spoon of ground flax seeds to three table spoons of water, mix well and use immediately.

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350ş F.
2. Cut squash in half, and remove seeds with a spoon. Bake squash in a roasting pan until tender about 40 minutes. 20 minutes into baking the squash, add 1cup of water to the roasting pan (this will keep the squash from drying out). As one of the lovely ladies at the workshop pointed out, you can roast the squash seeds for a delicious snack.
3. Scoop out squash with a spoon and cool. Mash squash with a fork. In a bowl, combine the wet ingredients: squash, "eggs" and milk.
4. In another bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Let stand 20 minutes.
5. Heat the oil to medium high heat in a pan.
6. Pour or ladle batter into the pan and cook 3 minutes per side.

Turkish Cooking With Emre: Mercimekli Kabak

"Mercimekli Kabak"

(Lentil Zucchini)

This dish is also known as Eksili Kabak, which means Lemon Zucchini. The magic ingredients are lemon, mint, and garlic. A grateful bunch of people prepared and enjoyed it with Emre last year but we didn't have a blog to post it back then!

We made it in larger quantities, so this is somewhat of an estimate. It should serve 3-4 people as a meal with some bread and a salad. It takes about 40 minutes if you're really fast at chopping and have help, but you should probably allow an hour.

-- Chop 4-5 zucchinis.

-- Chop finely and then saute 2 small onions in some olive oil.

-- While the onions are "getting killed" (as they say in Turkish), rinse and then start boiling about 1 C of brown lentils in another pot, but only for 10 minutes or so, until the skin comes off and they are still slightly crunchy.

-- Once the onions are slightly translucent (about 5-7 minutes), add 1 T of tomato paste. If you can get your hands on paprika paste, that is a wonderful substitute.

-- Add the zucchini to the onions and tomatoes, and cook for about 5-10 minutes, until they are softened but retain a slight crunch.

-- The lentils will probably be done about 5 minutes after putting the zucchini in the other pot. Drain most of the water from them, and then add them to the zucchini, onions, and tomato paste, along with about 1 C of water, give or take.

-- Add 5+ cloves of crushed garlic to everything, and let it all simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes, and as long as it takes for everything to get soft and blended and delicious.

-- Add 1/2 C+ of lemon juice, and after about a minute, turn the heat off.

-- Sprinkle generously with about 4 T dried peppermint (must be peppermint, no substitutes will do, this is a magic ingredient), put the cover on and let it get ready for about 5 minutes.

-- Stir, serve, and enjoy!

Cooking workshop recipes: Braised ginger-mustard Tofu Sandwich and Basil Nayonnaise

Braised ginger-mustard Tofu Sandwich

This is a great way to introduce tofu to those that may have found it offensive in the past. If you choose not to press the tofu, please allow for an extra 3-5 minutes cooking time for each side.

Serves 8

1 block extra firm organic tofu, preferably pressed and frozen overnight*
1/4 cup organic canola or peanut oil(this will give it a slightly peanutty flavour)
1 inch ginger, minced
2 tbsp organic whole grain mustard
2 tsp low-sodium organic tamari, soy sauce or bragg's liquid aminos
2 tsp organic maple syrup (most maple syrup is organic, but w/o certification)
1 tbsp organic orange juice (can substitute for pineapple juice)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp miso paste(optional)
Ground pepper to taste
1/2 tsp chili sauce or dried red chili flakes(optional)

preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Cut tofu into 8 slabs (cutting widthwise). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or cooking spray and place the tofu slabs onto to sheet. in a bowl, whisk together oil, ginger, maple syrup, tamari, juice, garlic powder, maple syrup and chili sauce. Add mustard and stir carefully, taking care not to damage the grains, season with ground pepper (the tamari is salty so additional salt is not needed). Spoon 1/2 of the mixture onto tofu slabs ensuring that each is coated well. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turn tofu over after 8 minutes and baste with additional mustard mixture.Bake until golden brown.

Serve on Organic whole wheat toast with basil nayonnaise, organic red onions, organic tomatoes and organic lettuce mix.

Other options:

- omit chilis and add 1/2 tsp dried organic rosemary
- increase chili amount, add 1 tsp of vegetarian fish sauce and 2 tsp dried organic basil, use peanut oil for this.

*To press tofu, cut block into half slabs widthwise and place on a plate lined with paper towel. Cover the tofu with another plate (right side down), ensuring that the plate entirely covers the tofu. Place a 5 lb weight on the top plate-make sure that the press is stable (ie. not about to tip over)-and leave for 30 minutes, drain off excess water. I find two or three hard-cover first year science text books work great as weights. Freeze drained tofu and thaw in fridge or microwave before use.


Basil Nayonnaise

to serve on sandwiches or as a dip for veggies.

1/4 cup vegannaise, nayonnaise or some other vegan mayonnaise (or mayo if you swing that way)
1 tbsp dried organic basil or 2 tbsp fresh organic basil finely chopped
1 tsp organic maple syrup
1 tsp rice vinegar or organic dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove of organic minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a bowl, for best results cover and let flavours mix in the fridge for 30 minutes prior to serving.

makes approx 8 servings (depending on how much you love nayo)

Cooking workshop recipes: Ginger-Walnut-Coconut-Carrot Cake

Ginger-Walnut-Coconut-Carrot Cake
Yield: One cake or 24 cupcakes
2 1/3 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 c pineapple juice
½ c canola oil
¾ c sugar
½ c pure maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c walnuts, chopped
¼ c crystallized ginger, chopped
1 c unsweetened shredded coconut
2 c carrots, grated

Preheat oven 350 F. Have ready two 8-inches round cake pans, 9 x 13 inch pan, or 24 muffin tins lightly greased.
In a large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ground spices.
In a separate bowl, mix together the pineapple juice, oil, sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in batches, and combine well with a hand mixer or strong fork. Fold in the walnuts, ginger, coconut, and carrots.
Divide the batter evenly among the two 8-inch pans, 24 muffins or one 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake 40-45 minutes for the 8-inch pans or 9 x 13 inch pan and 15-20 minutes for the muffins. Test with toothpick for doneness. Let cool in pans and ice with coconut icing.

Coconut Icing

¼ c non-hydrogenated margarine, at room temperature
¼ c coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c confectioners' icing sugar, sifted
1 c unsweetened coconut

Cream the margarine until light and fluffy. Add the coconut milk and vanilla and combine. Add the sifted confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth. Add the unsweetened coconut and combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cooking workshop recipes: Vegan Latkes

Vegan Latkes
Yield: 12-15 Latkes
6 large potatoes, grated
1 large carrot, grated
1 small onion, grated
1/3 c oatmeal
¼ c matzo meal or flour
Salt & pepper
Oil, for frying

Place large skillet on stove over medium to medium-high heat. In a large mixing bowl mix oatmeal and 1 1/3 c of boiling water. Let stand for a few minutes until softened. Put grated potatoes in clean dish towel and wring out all of the water. Add to the bowl with oatmeal, and then add carrot and onion. Mix ingredients. Add matzo meal or flour, salt and pepper. Mixture should be fairly thick and hold together. Pour approximately 1 tbsp of oil in skillet. When oil is hot dollop potato mixture into 2-3 inch wide circles. Let them cook for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Flip over and cook 4-5 minutes on the other side. Latkes should be crisp on the outside but soft on the inside when done. Enjoy with applesauce (see recipe below) or sour cream.

Roasted Applesauce
Yield: 5 cups
3 lbs McIntosh apples (about 10 apples)
Juice on 1 lemon
2 tbsp canola oil
¼ c maple syrup
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp freshly grated lemon zest
Pinch ground allspice
¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven 400 F.
Peel, core and slice apples into 1-inch chunks. Sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.
Combine the oil, maple syrup, sugar, cinnamon, and zest in a glass baking dish, and whisk together. Add the apples and toss to coat.
Roast until apples are very tender, about 25 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and mash. If you prefer a smoother applesauce, you can pulse it in a blender or food processor. You can serve this warm, at room temperature or chilled.

Cooking Ideas For The Spring Break!

In need of some recipe ideas? Check out Marie-Christine and Stephanie's weekly column in the McGill Daily Mind & Body section for simply tasty recipes. January/February recipes included Astro Quinoa salad, Mediterranean hummus, Macaroni and broccoli, Anytime asparagus soup, Caponatta soup and Consommé à la madrilène.

Bon Appétit!

New! Weekly recipes available in the McGill Daily

Some of you might have noticed that since mid-November, Organic Campus has been contributing weekly to the Mind & Body section of the McGill Daily. We will bring you a new recipe every week that is simple, fast, and absolutely scrumptious. Click on the links to browse the McGill Daily archives and find recipes for delicious vegetable couscous and butternut squash soup.

Squash Soup

This makes a creamy sweet soup which is a great way to use up these squashes we've been getting every week! My mom found this recipe on Google, but I believe the original credits go back to The Vineyard Kitchen by Maria Helm Sinskey.




Cut and remove seeds of a large squash, or about 4 lbs total
Bake at 400F for 45 min

Meanwhile, sautee 1 medium onion, chopped, in 1 tbsp of olive oil until soft.
Add 1 tbsp honey and cook until it bubbles
Remove squash from shell and cut into rough chunks and add to pot
Add 6 chopped sage leaves and 4 cups chicken/veggie stock

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes until tender
Puree in the blender or with a handheld.
Serve with crème fraiche (optional) and salt/pepper to taste

Kale, Chard, Potato, Celery Root and Collard Greens Gratin

This is how I used up lots of those winter veggies, loosely based on a recipe for Kale and Potato Gratin from "Joy of Cooking"

Preheat 350 F

Steam about 8-10 min until almost tender:
Kale, stemmed
Chard, stemmed
Collard Greens, stemmed
About one big bunch total
Chop coarsely when cool

Slice 1/8 inches thick:
potatoes
celery root
2 small onions
You want enough potatoes/celery root to roughly equal four medium sized potatoes

In a casserole or gratin dish:
Layer in alternating rows of Potatoes/Celery root, onions, veggies.
Begin and end with potatoes
On the onion rows also dot with butter/margarine, 1/2 tsp minced fresh tarragon, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp (or more if you like) ground black pepper

Pour over everything 1.5 cups milk or half and half (or a mix of the two...)

Cover and bake about 30-45 minutes until potatoes/celery roots are tender
(Good idea to put the dish on a cookie sheet to catch any milk that boils over)
Boil for a couple minutes to brown the top

Yum!