I have been using balsamic vinegar on my salads forever. There's something about that rich, tangy flavour that I love.

Yet I had never used it in baking until a few years ago, when I came across a balsamic fudge cookie recipe on SusanV's Fat Free Vegan Kitchen. The chocolate and balsamic seemed like a very interesting flavour combination. And wow, is it ever! The vinegar acts as an enhancer of the chocolate rather than a discreet flavour, and I now make these cookies regularly to feed my husband's cookies-and-tea addiction.


But there's a problem. Over the course of the last year I have been making the transition to more organic and fair trade whole foods ingredients in my baking. As much as I love how vegan Earth Balance margarine makes for perfectly textured, melt-in-your-mouth cookies, I can no longer bring myself to use it as much as I used to (SusanV also makes a fat-free version with prunes, but that just doesn't work for me). The white flour and the high sugar content in the recipe also turn me off.

So, I began working on recreating the recipe to include spelt flour, less sugar and no margarine. What came out of this experiment was a wonderful surprise–it turns out you can replicate that fudgy flavour in a more healthful way! I am so happy with this recipe that I have to share it with you all.

I should note, however, that the type of balsamic vinegar does make a difference in the outcome of these cookies. When I first started making SusanV's version, I used inexpensive, no-name balsamic vinegar, and it did make a great cookie. But I was fortunate to receive a pricey bottle of aged Belazu balsamic vinegar as a gift earlier this year, and the whole bottle has since been used to make these cookies. Yes, it's that good. If you aren't able to get the good stuff, I recommend reducing an inexpensive brand so that it becomes thick and syrupy. Please see my note at the bottom for instructions.


Balsamic fudge cookies
1 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted
1/4 cup muscovado sugar
2 tbsp arrowroot
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup canola or sunflower oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, cocoa, sugar, arrowroot, baking powder, baking soda and sea salt.
2. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, oil, balsamic vinegar and vanilla extract.
3. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
4. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for about 20 minutes.
5. Line a cookie pan with parchment paper and drop the dough by tablespoons onto the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are cracked. Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in a tightly covered tin container at room temperature.

Note: To reduce inexpensive balsamic vinegar, pour a bottle or two into a large pot, and simmer it all down until it is reduced by about 1/4-1/6 and is thick, syrupy, and coats the back of a spoon. Be careful not too let it simmer too long or it will burn your pot! Once thickened, pour it back into one of the bottles and keep it in your pantry.

My week started off on the right foot when I came home last evening to find the latest issue of VegNews in my mailbox. I've been subscribing to the magazine for years, but this is probably one of my favourite issues to date. Why? Because it's their annual food issue and it includes a feature article about Canada's awesome veg community!


Reading the "Oh Canada!" article made me feel grateful for living in one of the most veg-friendly metropolitan cities of the Great White North. The article featured a number of Toronto entrepreneurs who make our Canadian cruelty-free community so great, from Ruth Shamai of Ruth's Hemp Foods, Ruth Tal of Fresh Restaurants, to Ken Bontius of Panacea and the Animal Rights Kollective (ARK II), and Angela Liddon of Glo Bakery and Oh She Glows.

The article also featured a sidebar of some of the popular vegan restaurants this side of the border that are helping to make our "alternative" meals more accessible and mainstream. I was particularly happy to see Guelph's Cornerstone Cafe and London's Veg Out listed. Smaller towns in Ontario have come a long way since I went veg almost 20 years ago! Even my hometown of Brantford, which had no veg options in sight when I was growing up, now has a vegetarian cafe called Stir It Up that opened a few years ago.


Although not mentioned in the article, Toronto's seasonal farmers' markets are also fantastic places to celebrate vegetarian fare. This summer, I've been making regular trips to Evergreen Brick Works. This past Saturday, many of the market vendors showcased fresh peaches, which were just too irresistable to pass up. Guess what I did with them when I got home? I incorporated them into a fantastic recipe that highlights their juicy goodness. This is an excellent treat if you're looking for a little something for an afternoon tea break or even for breakfast with fruit jam.


Peach-cardamom quick bread
2 cups spelt flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup Sucanat
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup nondairy milk
6 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup soy yogourt
2 soft peaches, peeled and diced

1. Lightly oil a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and set aside.
2. Whisk together the spelt flour, baking powder, Sucanat, cardamom and salt in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the nondairy milk, coconut oil and soy yogourt.
4. Combine the wet and dry mixtures and stir until just mixed, and then add the peaches. It will be a thick batter.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely before slicing.

Ever since I was a little girl, I've had a thing for peanut butter. That smooth, nutty butter melts so perfectly in between a slice of toasted whole-grain bread and just-ripened banana slices, or on a square of dark chocolate that is dipped into the PB jar when nobody is looking.

And then I discovered a new love: sunbutter. Made of roasted sunflower seeds, it resembles the appearance and texture of PB, but with a milder, toasty flavour. With less saturated fat and a higher protein, iron and fiber content, it is the perfect base for my new health snack. You can buy sunbutter in most grocery stores these days, but making your own is cheap and easy, so why not? I add flax to my version for an extra punch of minerals and omega-3.


1/2 cup sunbutter
1/4 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
1/4 cup brown rice syrup
2 tbsp agar flakes*
1 1/2 cups crispy brown rice cereal
1/2 cup kamut flakes
1 cup granola (preferably homemade)

Optional additions: handful of hemp hearts, dried fruit, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds, ancient grain cereal flakes,etc.

1. In a medium saucepan, mix together the sunbutter, maple syrup and agar flakes and heat on low, stirring occasionally, until the mixture comes to a light boil. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in the crispy brown rice cereal, kamut flakes and granola. The mixture should stick together well.
3. Spoon the mixture into an 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and refrigerate until firm (about an hour). Cut into bars or squares and enjoy!

*Please note that the amount of agar depends on how much oil you used in your homemade sunbutter. If you used little to no oil or if you are using store-bought sunbutter, reduce the agar amount to 1 tbsp.

I attended a Wild Blueberry Festival at Toronto's Evergreen Brick Works yesterday. It was a beautiful celebration of all things blueberry: interesting food (even blueberry soup and blueberry coffee!), live bluegrass music, children's activities, and a pie contest.

Oh, a pie contest! After finding out about the contest a few days ago, I felt intimidated yet intrigued by the idea of entering because it meant going up against traditional, "mainstream" bakers. But then I thought, Wouldn't it be great if a vegan pie won this contest? I don't do traditional pie crusts made of shortening, butter and white flour, or pie fillings that are full of white sugar, so I came up with a healthier yet tasty vegan substitute. My "Not like the others" blueberry pie was a combination of raw, vegan and tradition.

"Not like the others" blueberry pie

It consisted of a vegan flaky pastry crust made with organic canola oil; a blueberry-cashew cream filling that was inspired by the raw desserts I've been playing with lately; as well as a traditional sweet blueberry topping.


It was a very tough competition--I was up against 16 other pies! When the pies were put out on display, everyone crowded around to photograph and critique them before they were cut and served to the waiting judges. Some of the pies were traditional, while others were very unique. I'm pretty sure mine was the only vegan pie there.


Occasionally I get caught off guard with the realization that not everyone lives in a vegan bubble like I do. This event was one of those occasions. In other words,  I'm not sure if my vegan desserts are quite ready for mainstream just yet, but it was a good challenge nonetheless. The winner was the "Not like your momma's PB&J" pie. Congratulations!

"Not your momma's PB&J" pie

Perhaps the Toronto Vegetarian Association's Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off coming up in October is a better bet.

Last night I attended an excellent raw vegan cooking demo with Toronto's finest raw chef, Doug McNish. I'm still learning about the raw food lifestyle, and this workshop was the perfect introduction.

Doug has a captivating personality and knows raw ingredients and nutritional facts like the back of his heavily-tattooed hand. He taught us that raw vegan cuisine can be simple yet satisfying, and has enormous health benefits, and I'm totally inspired to get in the kitchen and uncook!


Doug showed us how to make a delicious gingered sunflower seed pate to roll in raw sushi.


He also made an avocado lemon dressing to marinate and massage into a killer hempy greek kale salad.


We got a small portion of each of his recipes to try. Yum! This kale salad was delicious and I'm definitely going to make this at home.


Doug showed us the magic of a spiralizer (using a carrot) and made zucchini noodles with a simple tomato basil marinara sauce.



I loved this dish! I'm now tempted to go out and buy a spiralizer. The marinara sauce was just like the cooked version, only better. The herbs and spices in raw dishes really stand out.


For dessert, he demonstrated how to put together two easy-to-make yet decadent treats: blueberry peach cobbler and lime avocado truffles.


The flavours in this cobbler were just like the baked version! The juicy, in-season berries made it that much better.


This turned out to be a fantastic event. Doug took questions from the audience throughout the evening, and the lovely Lisa, a Toronto Vegetarian Associaton volunteer and host of the evening, put us through a grueling set of raw food questions to win amazing prices like give certificates and cookbooks. I didn't win anything, but maybe next time!

Because I'm so happy with the outcome of the first recipe I submitted to the SOS Kitchen Challenge, I decided to attempt another minty treat idea I had floating around in my head for the last two days.


For the crust:
1/2 cup almonds, toasted
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp sunflower or canola oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Grind the almonds in a food processor. Add the whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, salt and cocoa, and pulse several times. Pour into a medium mixing bowl.
2. Whisk the oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a small bowl until well blended. Pour into the dry mixture and mix until combined. A piece squeezed between your fingers should hold together well.
3. Press dough into the bottom and sides of well-oiled individual tart pans and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.
4. Bake at 350 on the center rack of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the crust looks dry. Cool on a wire rack.

For the cream filling:
1 cup nondairy milk
2 tbsp evaporated cane juice (or other natural sweetener)
4 or 5 fresh peppermint leaves
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp agar flakes
2 tsp arrowroot + 1 tbsp water
1/4 cup unsweetened soy yogourt

1. Put non-dairy milk, sugar, peppermint leaves and salt into a small saucepan. Sprinkle the agar flakes on top, swirl the pan slightly but no not stir, and let sit for at least 10 minutes.
2. Bring the mixture to a light simmer on low heat, with saucepan lid slightly ajar to let out steam. Watch carefully because it can easily boil over or burn. Let simmer on very low heat for about 15 minutes until agar is completely dissolved (occasionally examine a large spoonful for any specks of agar).
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the arrowroot and water and add to the agar mixture. Whisk constantly on low heat until it thickens.
4. Remove from heat and remove the peppermint leaves. Add the soy yogourt and whisk until smooth.
5. Spoon cream into cooled tart crusts and refrigerate until set, about an hour.


You may have leftover cream filling, in which case you can pour it into individual ramekins. You can also do what I did and swirl pureed strawberries into the cream before refrigerating, or decorate with chocolate sauce and mint leaves.