Chocolate Tahini Brownie

Our first episode at home and it's a beauty! Today we're making a chocolate tahini brownie that's vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free (don't mind the scoop of ice cream). This recipe is super simple and yields amazing results! We came across this recipe in Bon Appetit a few years ago and it's been on regular rotation ever since! The original recipe can be found here: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/glu...

The recipe below makes a double-batch. We always double up, because it's too delicious to only have one batch.

CHOCOLATE TAHINI BROWNIE

Ingredients:

• 6 tbsp coconut oil

• 2 tbsp tahini

• 12 oz (about 1.5 cups) dark chocolate

• 4 eggs, room temperature

• 2/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 2 tsp salt

• 6 tbsp cornstarch

• 4 tbsp dark cocoa powder

Directions:

Melt coconut oil, tahini, and chocolate over medium heat - be careful not to scortch! Set aside to cool. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk eggs, sugars and salt on high until they have doubled in volume (about 5 minutes). Once whipped set the mixer to low and slowly pour chocolate in and mix until incorporated. Mix cornstarch and cocoa powder together then slowly add to chocolate mixture until just incorporated. Pour into a greased and parchment paper-lined 9"x13" pan, drizzle tahini over the batter and make a pattern on the surface using a knife, toothpick or skewer. Bake at 350F for 25-35 minutes.

Let cool and dig in!

Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup

Today, during our month of healthy(ish) recipes, we are making a super simple and extra delicious Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Soup. This vegetarian (or vegan) soup can be made quickly with ingredients readily available in your house or at your local grocery store. We like our version of this soup to be on the spicy side, but by omitting the chilies it is quite mild. Serve with naan bread or pappadums. It will keep in the fridge for several days and only get better with age.

RED LENTIL & SWEET POTATO SOUP

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil

• 8 cloves garlic; thinly sliced

• 1” piece of ginger; peeled & minced

• 1 onion; thinly sliced

• 1tbsp turmeric

• 1tbsp cumin

• 1tbsp coriander

• 1.5 cups red lentils

• 1 medium sweet potatoes; diced

• 3 cups coconut milk

• 2 cups water or vegetable stock

• 1 cup cilantro; chopped

• 2 limes

• 1 Thai red chili, sliced (optional)

• 1tbsp mint chutney (optional)

Directions:

Heat the coconut oil in a pot; add the garlic & ginger; cook about 3 minutes until it starts to brown. Add onion and a pinch of salt and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Once the onion has cooked add the spices and cook 30 seconds; add the lentils, sweet potatoes and stir for a minute. Add coconut milk and water. Season with salt and add 1/2 of the chopped cilantro. Add the Thai chili if using. Cook for 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sweet potato is cooked and the lentils have broken down. Taste for seasoning and add the juice of the limes, the mint chutney and the remainder of the chopped cilantro.

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New Year Grain Bowl

New Year. New You. New Grain Bowl! We're all trying to get ourselves healthier this January. One way to start is with this amazing grain bowl recipe. This simple recipe is vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free! This one thing that it isn't missing is flavor. We've included a list of ingredients for this grain bowl, as well as a recipe for both the Crunchy Seed Granola and the Roasted Sweet Potato & Tempeh.

GRAIN BOWL

Ingredients:

• brown rice, cooked and tossed with lemon vinaigrette

• quinoa, cooked and tossed with lemon vinaigrette

• edamame, shelled

• radish, thinly sliced

• avocado

• kale, marinated with lemon vinaigrette

• red cabbage

• mixed fresh herbs (such as parsley, dill & cilantro)

• roasted sweet potato & tempeh (see recipe below)

• crunchy seed granola (see recipe below)

• lemon vinaigrette (see Episode 3 for recipe: https://youtu.be/EmpvN1feBz4)

• tahini vinaigrette (see Episode 3 for recipe: https://youtu.be/EmpvN1feBz4)

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ROASTED SWEET POTATO & TEMPEH

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato, cubed

• 1/4lb tempeh, sliced

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• salt

• pinch cayenne pepper

• pinch cumin, ground

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Toss all ingredients in a bowl or until the sweet potatoes and tempeh are completely coated. Spread out on a sheet pan and roast for 10-15 or until sweet potatoes are cooked through.

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CRUNCHY SEED GRANOLA

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup quinoa

• 1/4 cup flax seeds

• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds

• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp maple syrup

• salt

• pinch cayenne pepper

• pinch cumin, ground

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Spread out on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Place in preheated for 5-10 minutes or until roasted to a golden brown. Make sure to stir frequently (every 2 minutes). Removed from oven, let cool. Break up with hands once cooled.

Loaded Holiday Fruit Cake

We have lots of food traditions around the holidays - and fruitcake is a big one! Love it or hate it fruitcake is here to stay. It's surprisingly simple to make and it turns out that it's a great gift for any fruitcake lovers in your life. Check out the recipe below:

HOLIDAY FRUIT CAKE

Ingredients:

• 1cup melted butter

• 5 eggs

• 1tsp vanilla

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 cups AP flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 oz brandy (optional)

• 1 cup pitted prunes; chopped

• 1 cup dates; chopped

• 1cup apricots; chopped

• 1 cup pecans; broken up

• 1 cup candied peel

• 1/2 cup candied ginger; chopped

Directions:

Beat eggs, combine with melted butter and vanilla. In a separate bowl add dry ingredients - flour, sugar, baking powder. Mix in wet ingredients and add brandy. Mix the fruit into the batter and pour into a greased 10" cake pan. Bake at 325F (168C) for 1 1/2 hours. Once baked, let cool on a wire rack and poke holes in it with a skewer, and douse liberally with the liquor of choice (rum, brandy, etc). Wrap in tin foil and place in airtight container. Add liquor every week and age for 1 month. The cake can be eaten right away, but we think that it gets better with age.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Renée's Super Cheesy Nachos

On Episode 4 of The Canteen Cooks, Renée shares her love of nachos. She goes a little over the top with her ultimate super-duper cheesy version. In this video, you will learn recipes for a basic, yet delicious guacamole and velvety queso cheese sauce that'll be sure to give your heart a workout. We've included the recipes below:

GUACAMOLE

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados, pitted, peeled & mashed

• 1 lime, juiced

• 2 tbsp tomatillo salsa (we used the President's Choice storebought version)

• 2 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

Mashup avocados until chunky. Add lemon juice, tomatillo salsa, and a healthy pinch of salt. Combine until guacamole is chunky but loose. Cover with plastic wrap if you don't plan on using it right away

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QUESO CHEESE SAUCE

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup salted butter

• 1/4 cup AP flour

• 3 cups whole (3%) milk

• 2 cups melting cheese (we used scamorza)

• 1 tbsp pickled jalapeno juice

• salt & pepper; to taste

Directions:

Melt butter over medium heat then add flour. Stir vigorously for several minutes until the mixture starts to bubble. Continue to stir until slightly toasty. Add cold milk and continue to whisk to ensure that there are no lumps. Continue to cook until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Add cheese and pickled jalapeno juice until the mixture is melted and smooth.

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ASSEMBLY

Layer the ingredients in the order below. There are no specific measurements, so do it to your own liking. Renée went wild in this video, so you want to be slightly more conservative. :)

1 - tortilla chips

2 - queso

3 - chili (optional) - Renee's recipe is coming soon

4 - pickled jalapenos, sliced (store-bought versions can work well)

5 - mix of scamorza, old cheddar & havarti (or any other mild melting cheese), grated

6 - a few tablespoons of pico de gallo (great recipe here: https://natashaskitchen.com/pico-de-g...)

7 - a solid scattering of curtido (optional)

Repeat layers 1-7 a second time. Finish with: a healthy scoop of guacamole a healthy scoop of full-fat sour cream a shower of your favourite hot sauce some torn up cilantro

SOUR GUIDE:

Sour Beast Cutido - Offbeat Farm (https://offbeetfarm.com/sourbeast)

Roma Cheese Scamorza (https://www.facebook.com/Roma-Cheese-...)

The Master Vinaigrette

On Episode 3 of The Canteen Cooks, Renée shares her master vinaigrette recipe which is used as a base to create three easy, healthy salads. This video walks you through how one vinaigrette can easily be transformed by using a few simple ingredients. We received a number of requests to make salads - something Renée is well known for. The three salads include Carrot Slaw, Farrod Salad, Kale Salad. All three of these salads can easily be made ahead of time and are perfect for lunch or as a side for dinner. We've included the recipes below:

MASTER VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves garlic; minced

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 1/2 cup canola oil

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• salt & pepper; to taste

Directions:

Combine lemon juice, garlic a healthy pinch of salt and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Whisk in canola oil and olive oil until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Vinaigrette will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

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CARROT SLAW

Ingredients:

• 4 carrots; grated

• 1/4 cup currants or dried cranberries

• 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

• 1/4 cup cilantro; chopped

• salt & pepper; to taste

** master vinaigrette, PLUS:

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 2 tsp maple syrup

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl, add vinaigrette and toss until combined. Garnish with additional cilantro, olive oil, and a pinch of Maldon salt.

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FARRO SALAD

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked farro (follow the instructions on the package)

• 1/2 cup feta; crumbled

• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes; halved

• 1/2 cup cucumber; diced

• 1/4 cup dill; chopped

• salt & pepper; to taste

** master vinaigrette, PLUS:

• 1 tbsp tahini

• 2 tsp sumac

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together in a bowl, add vinaigrette and toss until combined. Garnish with additional dill, crumbled feta, olive oil, and a pinch of Maldon salt.

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KALE SALAD

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale; removed from stem and torn

• 1/2 cup asiago; grated

• salt; to taste

** master vinaigrette, PLUS:

• 2 tsp Worcestershire

• 1/2 tsp chili flakes

Directions:

Toss torn kale and vinaigrette in a bowl. Be sure to give the kale a good workout with the vinaigrette to ensure every leaf is coated. Add grated asiago and season with salt.

Sweet Potato Pie Vs. Pumpkin Pie

On Episode 2 of The Canteen Cooks, we compare our sweet potato pie recipe to our pumpkin pie recipe to see which we prefer! Renée also walks you through her basic pie crust recipe that she uses for both pies. Although Canadian Thanksgiving has already passed, American Thanksgiving is just around the corner as are the holidays. These pies are a perfect finish to any family feast and they're surprisingly easy to make. We've included the recipes below:

PIE CRUST

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-pupose flour

• 1 cup COLD butter or lard (cut into cubes)

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup COLD water

Directions:

Mix flour, salt and fat by hand or in a food processor, until it resembles oatmeal. Add cold water, a little at a time until the dough comes together. Form into a flat ball and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1/2 hour or until ready to use.

HOW TO BLIND BAKE YOUR PIE CRUST: https://youtu.be/USBB8u-fuQA

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SWEET POTATO PIE FILLING

Ingredients:

• 2 cups cooked sweet potato (mashed)

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup melted butter

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cups evaporated milk

• 1 tsp vanilla

PUMPKIN PIE FILLING

Ingredients:

• 2 cups pumpkin puree (not prepared pumpkin pie filling)

• 2 cups brown sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 can of evaporated milk

• 1/4 tsp each of: allspice, nutmeg, ginger & cinnamon

Directions (for both pies):

Whisk all ingredients together and pour into prepared pie shell. Bake in a 375°F over for 45-60 minutes or until the pie filling has set and no longer jiggles.

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

In our first ever The Canteen Cooks episode, Renée makes two versions of a grilled cheese sandwich and her super simple creamy tomato soup.

Grilled Cheese Recipe #1 - The Basic: Classic grilled cheese on white bread with processed (American) cheese

Grilled Cheese Recipe #2 - The Gourmet: Grilled cheese on sourdough with Oka, Fontina and Gruyere chesses (using Birdie's Bread Co.: https://www.birdiesbreadco.com/)

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Creamy Tomato Soup Recipe - The perfect accompaniment to any grilled cheese sandwich and one of the easiest soups on earth to make.

Ingredients:

• 28 oz can of San Marzano tomatoes

• 1 whited onion, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp fennel seeds

• 1/2 tsp chili flakes (optional)

• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 c heavy cream

• canola or olive oil

• salt