Category: Sides

French Onion Soup

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Hello guys! I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love French onion soup! I used to order it at every restaurant and even got to try some in Paris;) It’s one of my favourite soups to eat in the winter since it’s so rich. Over the weekend I developed a delicious recipe for it that’s Vegan and uses healthy ingredients. It tastes AMAZING and is really easy to make. You just need to make sure that the onions get super caramelized to lend a good depth of flavour. Here’s the recipe!

French Onion Soup

Serves: 4

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ground thyme
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tbs soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the sliced onions and cook until soft, brown and caramelized. Keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
  2. Once the onions are cooked, add in the water, garlic, thyme, rosemary and soy sauce. Cook together for 2 minutes.
  3. Pour the vegetable broth into the pot, and season generously with salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
  4. Scoop into bowls and enjoy with sprouted grain bread for dipping!

I’m going to make this soup again when it starts to snow… it’s the perfect thing to curl up by the fire with! Have a great week everyone;)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

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Hey there! I have a really neat recipe for you guys today. This Sweet Potato Gnocchi is super simple, yet super delicious! There are only two ingredients: Sweet Potatoes and Whole Wheat Flour, so these gnocchis are healthy as well. They’re great with tomato sauce, pesto, or even just some basil and olive oil. I hope you enjoy!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Serves: 2-3 as a main, 4-6 as a side

Total Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 small sweet potatoes
  • 2 1/2 – 3 cups whole wheat flour

Directions:

  1. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into small pieces, about a centimetre wide. Steam them for about 15-20 minutes, or until soft.
  2. Dump the potatoes into a bowl and mash them using a potato masher. Make sure that there aren’t any big clumps of sweet potato left.
  3. Transfer the mashed potatoes onto a clean countertop. Add a 1/2 cup of flour, and use your hands to mix it into the potatoes. Continue to add the flour in 1/2 cup increments, until a dough forms. It shouldn’t be very sticky, but you should also be able to easily knead it. Knead the dough a few times to make sure that the flour is mixed in well.
  4. Once the dough is ready, grab a handful and roll it into a long cylinder, about 1 1 /2 centimetres thick. Starting at the end, cut the “rope” of dough into pieces that are 1 1/2 centimetres wide. You can then take a fork and press down lightly on each gnocchi, leaving an imprint. Continue to do this with the rest of the dough. You should end up with dumplings that look something like this:
  5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and dump the gnocchis into the pot. Cook them for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the heat and drain the pasta. Serve with your favourite sauce.
  6. Enjoy!

I’ll see you guys later this week!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))

Asian Kale and Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing

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Hi! The recipe that I have for you guys today is a delicious Asian Kale and Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing. About a year ago, I tried making a salad with spinach, chicken, and a so called “peanut dressing” that I’m pretty sure was just peanut butter and soy sauce mixed together. Then last month I wanted to improve upon that Salad, and so I created a dressing that is about 1000 times better than my original attempt, and it doesn’t even have any soy sauce in it because we didn’t have any! I call it a dressing, but really it’s a super versatile sauce. This could go in stir-frys, on roasted veggie bowls, and would be killer in wraps. But for me, it really shines in this Salad full of kale, quinoa, cucumbers, carrots, chickpeas and cabbage. Hope you enjoy!

Asian Kale and Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing

Serves: 3 as a main, 6 as a side

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

  • 3 cups kale, chopped and with the stems removed
  • 3 cups purple cabbage, chopped
  • 1 grated carrot
  • 1/2 a cucumber, diced
  • 1/2 cup roasted chickpeas (optional)
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa

For the Peanut Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup natural peanut butter (salted or unsalted)
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp Chile flakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions:

  1. Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. If it’s still too thick, add more water until you reach the consistency of ranch dressing.
  2. In a larger bowl, toss together the Salad ingredients. Add in the dressing and mix until everything is coated.
  3. Enjoy!

Now that I think about it, adding some peanuts on top of this salad would definitely take it to the next level, as well as add some crunch. I’ll have to try that next time! So you Friday;)

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))))

Creamy Mushroom and Hummus Pasta

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Hello! I saw the idea for using hummus as a pasta sauce on Instagram, and it legit changed my life. In this recipe, the hummus is added in with fried onions, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes, then diluted with a little bit of water to give the sauce a creamy texture. The beauty is that you can use any kind of hummus that you want, and if you pick some up from the store, you can have a quick and easy dinner. However, I did include a hummus recipe in this post, which only takes about 10 minutes to make. You can also switch around the kind of pasta that you want to use- I used spaghetti made from lentil flour, but any kind works. I hope that you enjoy this delicious dish!

Creamy Mushroom and Hummus Pasta

Serves: 1

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Hummus (makes more than what you’ll need for the pasta):

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbs tahini
  • 1 clove of garlic
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

For the Pasta:

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1/4 of an onion, sliced into thin strips
  • 5 cherry tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
  • 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I used portobello)
  • 1 serving cooked pasta, about 85g
  • 1/2 cup hummus
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Blend all of the hummus ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a blender. Once the chickpeas have started break down, stream in the olive oil and continue to blend until a smooth consistency is reached.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the mushrooms and onions, and cook for about 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the mushrooms are soft.
  3. Add the tomatoes into the pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
  4. Next, the hummus and water get dumped into the pan. Stir to combine the two ingredients.
  5. Add in the cooked pasta and coat it and the vegetables with the hummus and water mixture. The sauce should be creamy, so if it’s too thick add more water, and if it’s too thin add more hummus.
  6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mmmmm! I’d love to try this recipe with a roasted red pepper or lemon and herb hummus. This simple garlicky one pairs wonderfully with the mushrooms though;) Have fun making and getting creative with this pasta!

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked

Greek Pasta Salad

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Hi there! When I think of summer I think of barbecues and potlucks, and at these gatherings there’s often a pasta salad. But it’s usually covered in a heavier mayo based dressing, and contains little to no veggies. This Greek Pasta Salad is full of different textures and flavours, while being super healthy at the same time. Crispy chickpeas, olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers, and pasta all get tossed together with a delicious greek dressing. You can even toss in some feta and red onion if you’d like. This is the perfect recipe to bring to a barbecue, or to enjoy as a light lunch;)

Greek Pasta Salad

Serves: 4 as a meal, 6-8 as a side

Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Roasted Chickpeas:

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 tbs cumin
  • 1/2 tbs Chilli powder
  • 1/2 tbs paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 two allspice
  • 1/2 the garlic powder

For the Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 2 tbs red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1 tbs dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad:

  • 2 1/2 cups cooked rotini ( I used pasta made from chickpea flour)
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1/2 a cucumber, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 a can of black olives, sliced

Directions:

  1. In a medium sized bowl, toss the chickpeas with the olive oil and spices. Place them on a lined baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes.
  2. Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients with the roasted chickpeas. Add in the dressing and toss until everything is coated.
  4. Enjoy!

I hope you like this summer recipe! I’ve posted a video of myself making it on Instagram if you need extra directions. See you Wednesday!

Your Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;)))