Vegetables

HOW TO MAKE PAN ROASTED GARLIC PUREE

The Confident Kitchen Series

There are numerous techniques on the Internet and in cookbooks that describe how to roast garlic – almost all of them demonstrate or discuss the traditional oven roasting method. I have prepared roasted garlic this way for many years. However, I always felt that it was a bit wasteful because I could not totally remove all of the sticky, roasted goodness from the heads of garlic. Therefore, knowing How to Make Pan Roasted Garlic Puree is an important skill to learn because it is a simpler process with little or no waste. I will provide you with a step-by-step process which will show you how to peel cloves of garlic in an easy and efficient way, then pan roast the garlic cloves, puree them and then store them. As well, I have provided recipes and ideas regarding how to use the pureed roasted garlic. There are several advantages to this method: one, there is no waste, and two; you end up with a delicious bonus – garlic oil. Let’s get started.

Freezing Roasted Garlic Puree in silicone | urbnspice.com — Puree of Roasted Garlic in silicone trays ready for the freezer

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Panini Grilled Vegetable Platter with Balsamic Herb Dressing

By Denise Pare-Watson

We all have a go-to dish for our summertime get-togethers – my family favourite is a grilled vegetable platter. We love this dish because any type of grilled vegetables are delicious and nutritious and you can use any vegetables that are in season. It can be made ahead of time and served at room temperature which makes menu planning easy. I like to serve the vegetables with a simple dressing made from fresh herbs from my garden. Panini Grilled Vegetable Platter with Balsamic Herb Dressing is a dish that may well become your go-to summer favourite.

Panini Grilled Vegetable Platter with Balsamic Herb Dressing

This Panini Grilled Vegetable Platter is very easy to pull together. I have created a herb and spice seasoning for this recipe called Grilled Vegetable Seasoning Blend (recipe below) that compliments a variety of vegetables. To save time, I use a Panini grill rather than the bbq, which is very efficient as the Panini grill cooks both sides at once which negates the need to turn each piece. In addition, I can grill the vegetables in batches while I am puttering about in the kitchen doing other things. Once the vegetables are grilled and plated, I drizzle a little balsamic and fresh herb dressing on top (recipe included below). If you have any leftovers, store them in the refrigerator. Just be sure to bring them to room temperature before serving. This vegetarian summertime dish is gluten-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free and preservative free. For heartier fare, serve the grilled vegetable platter with cedar planked salmon and boiled whole new potatoes (buttered with fresh dill)….

Savoury Blenditarian Brunch Pork with Vegetables & Fine Herbs

By Denise Pare-Watson

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

Prelude: Blenditarian.Com has initiated a monthly challenge that incorporates their Blenditarian approach into interesting and fun dishes. To clarify for my readers, a Blenditarian is “one who believes the mighty, meaty mushroom makes meals more delicious, nutritious and sustainable.” This approach stretches ground meat by adding finely chopped mushrooms to create a flavourful and more nutritious dish. The theme for the month of June is all about incorporating“The Blend”(mushrooms + meat) into brunch dishes. For this reason, I have developed a recipe for Savoury Blenditarian Brunch Pork (or Turkey) with Vegetables & Fine Herbs.

A Thai dish called ‘larb’, which is one of the most popular street foods in Thailand, has inspired this Savoury Brunch Blenditarian Pork (or Turkey) with Vegetables & Fine Herbs dish. The addition of many types of vegetables just adds to the appeal. I enjoy having vegetables cooked in creative ways to produce different textures. I also like the idea that the dish can be served warm, cold or at room temperature.

Skip to Recipe

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HIDDEN VEGGIES from the Food Bloggers of Canada

By Denise Pare-Watson

from the Food Bloggers of Canada

Finding ways to use more vegetables sometimes means hiding them. The Food Bloggers of Canada has organized an excellent round-up of recipes from 25 fellow food bloggers and each of them shows you how to incorporate more vegetables into your diet in ingenious and delicious ways – Hidden Veggies.

I am so happy to be included in this recipe roundup with my post on Power Sauce. I hope you enjoy looking through all of the different recipes. Please visit the food blogs and their recipes and give them some comment love. Here is how you can find the excellent recipe roundup: http://bit.ly/FBCHiddenVeggies

Here is UrbnSpice’s post called Power Sauce that was also featured in this recipe roundup:

Hidden Veggies: Gluten Free Flatbread using Power Sauce and a few select topping ingredients

Have fun with these ‘hidden vegetables’ recipes!

You Might also enjoy these Recipe Roundups:

Homemade Candy Recipes by Food Bloggers of Canada

Super Bowl Snacks by Food Bloggers of Canada

Vegetable Tian – Gluten Free, Grain Free, Refined Sugar Free

By Denise Pare-Watson

CHC CANADA 150 FOOD BLOG CHALLENGE SERIES

I am a proud Canadian. When the Culinary Historians of Canada invited food bloggers to participate in the “CHC Canada 150 Food Blog Challenge”, I knew that I wanted in! What a great way to celebrate and honour Canada’s 150th birthday by featuring a different Canadian dish or discussing a topic which reflects on what it means to be Canadian. For the month of June, CHC invited food bloggers to share stories and recipes that relate to farmers’ markets, farm-gate stands, dockside fish purchases and other examples of purchasing food directly from the source. Vegetable Tian is my Farmer’s Market inspiration.

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Vegetable Tian using tomato, zucchini and eggplant

Some of my best food memories from my childhood were close to home in our market size vegetable garden. Every day, we would grab our shallow oblong basket called a trug and carry it to the backyard to pick fresh carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, lettuces or whatever was ripe at the time. Eating fresh-picked produce is a true pleasure to your taste buds.

I live in a produce paradise called the Okanagan Valley where Farmer’s Markets and wineries abound. For example, when I go to the farmer’s market or the roadside stands, the Sweet Strawberry Tomatoes, or the Savoy Cabbage is always irresistible. The vibrant colours and a wide variety of seasonal vegetables can represent that day’s inspiration. I enjoy making a Vegetable Tian with fresh young zucchini, tomato and eggplant. A tian (le tian) is a type of gratin dish. It is made by thinly slicing vegetables and layering them in a shallow earthenware dish and slow-baked until the vegetables are tender and flavourful. The hidden bottom layer of the tian is caramelized onion, which not only provides amazing flavour to the dish but also a stable foundation on which to lay and shingle the sliced vegetables.

Farmer’s Market vegetables

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How to Make Cauliflower Tabbouleh

By Denise Pare-Watson

The Inspiration of Urbnspice Series

I often make this Super Food Dish called Cauliflower Tabbouleh at the request of my family and friends. It is so delicious! I was inspired by one of my favourite chefs, Jamie Oliver and his Family Super Foods Cookbook. I have adapted his recipe for Herby Jewelled Tabbouleh Rice to accommodate grain free, gluten free and dairy free options by substituting the rice for cauliflower. The cauliflower can be steamed or roasted for this dish, which gives a completely different appearance and flavour. I use the fine shredding blade on a food processor or box grater to turn the steamed or roasted cauliflower into a rice-like product. It literally takes seconds to make an entire bowl of ‘cauliflower rice.’

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Vichy Carrots

By Denise Pare-Watson

One of the very first classes that I was taught in Professional Cooking Culinary Training was Vegetables & Starches Class. I gained a whole new appreciation for vegetables from my culinary instructors during this three-week segment. It was jam-packed with useful information pertaining to all types of vegetables. I was surprised how little tips and techniques made such a difference in the taste of a vegetable; for instance – peeling and cooking a rutabaga properly. I talk about exactly that in this post. But, the vegetable dish that sticks in my mind the most is Vichy Carrots.

The name of this dish originated from a village in France called – you guessed it – Vichy. Known for its slightly carbonated volcanic water, it is said to be one of the most mineral-rich waters in France. Although is not likely the average person will be able to obtain this magical Vichy water, there is nothing stopping us from making Vichy Carrots by substituting either water, carbonated water or chicken stock.

Pot Latch Salmon Papillote | urbnspice.com

Potlatch Salmon Papillote served with Vichy Carrots and Israeli Couscous

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Pan Roasted Sweet Potato with Lime

By Denise Pare-Watson

This recipe for Pan Roasted Sweet Potato with Lime is one of our personal family favourite side dishes. We have served it with breakfast with eggs and sausage as well as brunch, lunch or dinner. It is just one of those dishes that seems to fit on any menu plan. We have been known to happily devour the entire dish between the two of us.

What do you think of sweet potatoes? Growing up, sweet potatoes were not something that I remember eating as a child. Nowadays, sweet potatoes – particularly pan or oven roasted sweet potatoes, appear on our table once or twice a week in one way or another. We love them! You must try them simply baked or microwaved, whole, skin on until tender; split open and eaten with a pat of butter, salt and pepper. So delicious! Sweet potatoes are a super food and known as one of the world’s healthiest foods with sources of Vitamin A, C, B6, B3, B1, B2, potassium, fibre and many other healthful properties.

Pan Roasted Diced Sweet Potato with Lime | urbnspice.com

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Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

By Denise Pare-Watson

Here is the story behind these Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers: one of my daughters recently discovered that she had to temporarily adopt a gluten-free lifestyle due to some serious digestive and blood sugar issues. That can be quite challenging for some people to deal with. My work as a chef often touches on developing gluten-free recipes; however, concentrating on adapting familiar recipes that our family frequently made together became paramount to help our girl. She was getting tired of eating salads.

: Rock Star Veggie Burgers made for Kid of a Chef – Gluten Free Rock Star

One of the first recipes she wanted to adapt was Dad’s famous hamburger into a vegetarian version that would provide the protein and vegetables she required yet still give her the same satisfying feeling of satiety that his burgers gave her. And so, our family came up with these Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers.

I have to say that this is by far the best vegetarian burger I have ever had. They are a delicious and flavourful burger. I needed something that would hold the burgers together as a binding agent. Moistened gluten-free bread is always an option; however, why not step up the flavour component if you can?

In this gluten-free version of veggie burgers, I used rehydrated dried vegetable flakes. After rehydrating the vegetable flakes, I pureed them to make a paste and folded them into the vegetable burger mixture. As a flavour booster, it was amazing! So much so that we have used this technique in other gluten-free dishes. After trying them in the vegetarian version we now used them in regular hamburger mixture, meatloaf and meatball mixtures.

: Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted

NOTE: Dried vegetable flakes can be found in your grocer’s bulk food section. They usually contain a mixture of carrots, onions, celery, leeks and garlic, and occasionally bell peppers, potatoes, and cabbage. They are useful for many recipes, such as soups, stews, and these veggie burgers.

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

CHEF TALK: The combination of beans in this recipe is a favourite of mine due to the firmness of the chickpeas and the creaminess of the white beans, making a great texture for the burger mixture. Try making them slider size for a light meal with salad greens. For small plate sharing, or for an appetizer, make them Toonie size. The veggie burgers are gluten free, grain free, sugar-free, nut-free and dairy free. Note: for egg-free veggie burgers (if you cannot tolerate eggs or do not want to use the egg), substitute for 3 tablespoons of aquafaba liquid.

Yield: Approximately 24 slider-sized burgers, or 10 to 12 large burger sized portion.

INGREDIENTS:

Dried Vegetable Flakes	½ cup
White beans (white kidney, Cannellini bean)	1 can (19 oz., rinsed and drained)
Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans)	1 can (19 oz., rinsed and drained)
Vegetable Oil	1 – 2 Tbsp.
Green pepper	1 medium, diced fine
Onion, cooking	1 medium, diced fine
Mushrooms	½ cup, chopped fine
Garlic cloves	6 cloves, peeled, mashed finely
Tomato paste	1 Tbsp.
Chili Powder	1 Tbsp.
Ground Cumin	1 teaspoon
Coriander	1 teaspoon
Garlic salt	1 Tbsp.
Sea salt, fine	To taste
Pepper, ground	To Taste
Eggs (optional, if required)	1
Hot sauce (Tabasco or similar)	1 teaspoon
Lemon juice	1 Tbsp.
Lemon zest	1 teaspoon
Parsley, flat leaf	1/3 cup, chopped

Optional: Gluten Free Panko Crumbs to coat the burgers

METHOD:

Rehydrate vegetable flakes in 1 cup boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes. The vegetable flakes will soften and absorb the water. Drain and mash or puree the vegetable flakes to a paste.
Mash the beans in a large bowl with a fork (or food processor) until thick and pasty. Set aside.
In a large frying pan, sauté the diced vegetables (pepper, onion, mushrooms, garlic) in vegetable oil. (Alternatively, place all of the vegetables in a food processor and process until finely chopped).
Cook the vegetables over medium-low heat until caramelized. Add the rehydrated vegetable paste.
Add seasonings and tomato paste and cook for a few more minutes.
Add this mixture to the mashed beans.
Combine together hot sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, and parsley. Stir into the bean-vegetable mixture. If required for binding purposes, you may use an egg, beaten, if desired to achieve the texture you want for shaping the burgers – not too moist or too dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Using an ice cream scoop or another measuring tool, portion the mixture into large patties, or smaller slider burger portions, and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. I used gluten-free panko crumbs to coat the burgers. CHEF TIP: The burgers benefit from a quick chill of 30 minutes or so in the refrigerator. You can also make them ahead and refrigerate until you are ready to complete the recipe.

Vegetable Flakes: dried and reconstituted

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burger Mix

: Rock Star Veggie Burgers are scooped and coated with gluten-free panko crumbs

To cook the Rock Star Veggie Burgers:

Fry the burgers in a frying pan with a little vegetable oil until golden, or.
Alternatively, in a preheated 350oF oven, bake the prepared veggie burgers on a baking tray until golden, or.
Freeze the uncooked or cooked burgers until firm and store in an airtight container in between layers of parchment paper.

Serve in lettuce cups with slices of avocado and tomato, and cheese (if it is not a dietary restriction). The photo of the burger uses tiny gluten-free buns.

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Gluten-Free Flour Blends
Folding
Tweaking
__________

You Might Also Enjoy These Gluten Free Posts:

Gluten Free Rock Star (written by “Kid of a Chef”)

My Inspiration of the Day – Stuffed Whole Cabbage

Gluten-Free Tips and Techniques

Going Gluten Free

Gluten for Punishment

Gluten for Punishment, Too!

“It’s easy to impress me.

I don’t need a fancy party to be happy.

Just good friends, good food, and good laughs.

I’m happy.

I’m satisfied.

I’m content.”

Maria Sharapova

Happy Veggie Burger Making, Rock Stars!

If you give this recipe for Gluten Free Veggie Burgers a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback.

You can find me on social media (see links below) – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I am sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media

Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

And lastly, my cookbook called, Chocolate Desserts Made Easy and Delicious

Volume Four: Gluten Free Chocolate Desserts,

recipes created using some of my favourite and cherished recipes from my pastry chef career

and transformed them into gluten-free recipes just for you!

Thanks for your support!

This post is linked to Gluten Free and DIY Tuesday

Sausage & Potato Stuffing – Gluten Free

By Denise Pare-Watson

If your guest list this holiday season has you hesitant to face gluten-free or dairy-free restrictions, this gluten-free Sausage & Potato Stuffing is the perfect side dish for you. As it happens, my guest list this year includes gluten-free, dairy-free and grain free restrictions, so I can definitely relate.

Sausage & Potato Gluten Free Stuffing | urbnspice.com

Sausage and Potato Stuffing: Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Grain Free Stuffing

This is a no-fret recipe. It has all of the traditional ingredients of a classic stuffing without the bread and includes aromatic vegetables, rich chicken stock, a splash or two of white wine, flavourful sausage and crispy bacon. I can guarantee that after you taste this Potato “No Bread” Gluten Free Stuffing, you will want it to be part of your family holiday favourites.

Sausage & Potato Stuffing

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 6 – 8 servings

CHEF TALK: This gluten-free, make-ahead dish, is sure to become one of your go-to side dishes. It is delicious served with a ham or turkey dinner or for any occasion.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb mixed nugget potatoes
1/2 lb (226 g) of pork or breakfast sausage (I used gluten-free Bratwurst), removed from casings
2 slices of bacon, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced finely
1 stalk celery, diced finely
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried summer savoury
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock

METHOD:

Prepare the potatoes:

1. Pierce the potatoes once or twice with a skewer and place them on a microwave-safe dish.
2. Microwave for five minutes and remove from the microwave. Cool for a few minutes until they are easy to handle. (You can prepare these ahead).
3. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, quarter them or dice them into small pieces as shown in the photographs. Set aside.

For the Stuffing:

In a large fry pan over medium heat, fry the sausage meat, breaking it up into small crumbles, until it is caramelized.
CHEF TIP: This process of caramelizing adds flavour to the stuffing. Remove the cooked sausage meat from the frying pan and set aside.
Now add the diced bacon to the same fry pan and cook the bacon until it is brown and crispy.
Add the diced onion and stir together until the onion is starting to turn colour.
Add the diced carrot, celery and bell pepper and stir until the vegetables are softened.
Add the minced garlic and stir to cook for a minute or two.
Add the herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the white wine and cook until the wine evaporates – about one minute.
Return the sausage to the pan and stir in the cooked diced potatoes.
Stir all of the ingredients together and then add the chicken stock.
If you want to make this dish ahead, take the frying pan off of the heat and let it cool before you cover and refrigerate until you are ready to reheat at 325oF for 30 to 40 minutes.
If you wish to serve this dish right away, simmer for a few minutes until the chicken stock is absorbed by the vegetables and potatoes. Check and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
Keep the stuffing warm.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve. Enjoy!

Here is your visual step-by-step How to Make Sausage & Potato Gluten Free Stuffing:

The process of caramelization of bacon and onions and sausage will have people coming into your kitchen to see what’s cooking!

Sausage & Potato 'no bread' stuffing | urbnspice.com

Add the aromatic vegetables to the sausage and potato stuffing mixture.

Cooking the Vegetables for the potato stuffing

Adding the sausage and quartered potatoes to the stuffing

Sausage and Potato Stuffing: Gluten Free, Dairy Free and Grain Free Stuffing – A great make-ahead dish for the holidays!

LEARNING TIPS:

Please CLICK the link above to access my UrbnSpice LEARNING TIPS, which are listed alphabetically on the Learning Tips blog post under the following subheadings:

Tweaking

Bonus Learning Tip Post:

Gluten-Free Tips and Techniques
__________

Happy Gluten-Free Cooking, everyone!

As always, if you give this recipe for Sausage & Potato “No Bread” Stuffing – Gluten Free a try, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. You can find me on social media – just be sure to tag @urbnspice and #urbnspice so I’m sure to see it. Enjoy!

Denise Paré-Watson

The Urbnspice Chef

Follow me on Social Media:

Urbnspice Facebook Page (If you like what you see here, please LIKE my page)

Urbnspice is on Twitter

You will find lots of fun boards on Pinterest

I am also on Instagram

You Might Also Enjoy These UrbnSpice Posts:

Roasted Potato, Crispy Bacon & Chive Salad

Potato Crusted Quiche – A Gluten Free Crust made from Potato

How to Caramelize Onions

FURTHER READING:

Potato Nutritional Information: Potatoes are healthy!

The Carbohydrate Myth

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Vegetables

The Confident Kitchen Series

BLENDITARIAN CHALLENGE SERIES

CHC CANADA 150 FOOD BLOG CHALLENGE SERIES

… Read More »

The Inspiration of Urbnspice Series

Gluten Free Rock Star Veggie Burgers

Sausage & Potato Stuffing

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