Ah, Shepherd’s pie. This version takes the classic meat-and-pototoes dish out of the cozy British homestead, and plops it right into the sunny culinary traditions of Jamaica. If there are any Jamaican shepherds out there, this pie is for you… mon. Serves two.

Click here for a printable PDF copy of the recipe or here for an [...]]]>

Ah, Shepherd’s pie. This version takes the classic meat-and-pototoes dish out of the cozy British homestead, and plops it right into the sunny culinary traditions of Jamaica. If there are any Jamaican shepherds out there, this pie is for you… mon. Serves two.

Click here for a printable PDF copy of the recipe or here for an HTML version.

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Gentlemen – need some uplifting in the pants department?

According to Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D., a professor of food science at the University of Maine, “They’re loaded with soluble fiber, which helps push excess cholesterol through your digestive system before it can be broken down, absorbed, and deposited along the walls of your arteries.” [...]]]>

Burns so good...

Gentlemen – need some uplifting in the pants department?

According to Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D., a professor of food science at the University of Maine, “They’re loaded with soluble fiber, which helps push excess cholesterol through your digestive system before it can be broken down, absorbed, and deposited along the walls of your arteries.” She says “they’re also packed with compounds that help relax your blood vessels, improving circulation.” (Source: MensHealth.com)

In layman’s terms? Better blood circulation equals a stronger erection, as well as a myriad of other health benefits.

Blueberry season just ended but luckily, I’ve already eaten my fill of fresh BC blueberries. I’ve turned the rest into some mighty tasty spicy, sweet jam to keep the fire going all year long. I should add that you do not need to possess a male appendage in order to enjoy this jam.

Note: Never made your own jam before? I recommend you read up on what you need and how to do it here: http://www.pickyourown.org/jam.htm. You don’t want to end up burnt, sad, or even worse, jamless!

Makes 4 half pint jars.

4 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup of jalapenos (seeded for medium hot, unseeded for uber hot)
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup apple cidar vinegar
4 tablespoons liquid pectin
pinch of salt

In a large bowl, mash the blueberries and stir in the sugar. Pour into a saucepan and set aside.

Combine the jalapenos, vinegar, lemon juice, and vinegar in a blender or food processor and pulse it few times until smooth. Add the mixture into the saucepan with the blueberries.

Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.

Thoroughly stir in the pectin, raise the heat, and bring it to a boil. Continue boiling for one minute.

Remove from heat, skim off any foam and transfer into sterilized jam jars, leaving about a 1/4 inch from top. Wipe the rims of the jars clean and tightly seal the jars.

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It seems the former heavyweight champion and infamous ear biter, Mike Tyson, has been following a plant-based diet for nearly a year. He describes the result of changing his diet as extreme, but the results has made it worth sticking to. In a recent interview with Details Magazine, Mike said, “It’s been eight months with this [...]]]>

It seems the former heavyweight champion and infamous ear biter, Mike Tyson, has been following a plant-based diet for nearly a year. He describes the result of changing his diet as extreme, but the results has made it worth sticking to. In a recent interview with Details Magazine, Mike said, “It’s been eight months with this vegan stuff, but I get these explosions of energy. I don’t know how long they last, but they’re like explosions. So powerful.”

When the interviewer asked him whether he’s acquired “calm energy” from the diet, he said, “Oh, I don’t know if I’d go that far. I don’t think it’s been long enough for that kind of Zen shit.” Good ol’ Mike!

Mike isn’t the only uber-sport icon to see value in this “vegan stuff”. In 2007, Tony Gonzalez, a superstar tight end for the Atlanta Falcons, experimented with a plant-based diet after reading The China Study. He was concerned that the high fat, low nutrient diet that comes with football territory (think Campbell’s Chunky Soup) would eventually kill him. So he changed his diet and started eating more whole foods like nuts, soy protein, grains, and a whole lot of oatmeal. The results of his diet were stellar. “I was like, ‘OK, this is working.’ I have so much more energy when I’m out there” said Gonzales in an interview during his first meat-free season.

Gonzalez only experimented with a vegan diet for a brief time (he felt he needed a small amount of animal protein), but having broken the mold of the stereotypical manly footballer diet, he has proven that you can strike a balance a between elite performance and an entirely (or almost entirely) plant-based diet. The challenge in adopting such a diet lies in changing our eating habits and perspective on healthy, “manly” food.

Now, for the rest of us whose “elite” performances include taking out the trash, throwing kids up in the air, walking the dog, having a great day at work, or a good time in the sack, the thought of more energy will undoubtly be appealing and there are plenty of positive social, political, and environmental reasons to support your efforts. So take a chance and experiment, your manliness will thank you.

I suggest you kickstart this positive change with a nice Ballin’ Black Bean Burger and fries, hold the ears and pickles, please.

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Ah, potato salad – a staple on the North American picnic menu. This dish is appealing because of its rich and creamy good looks, but is notorious for its excessive use of eggs. Here’s a fresh take on the ol’ potato salad. An egg-free mayonnaise base adds the creaminess while losing the eggs, the cholesterol, and [...]]]>

Ah, potato salad – a staple on the North American picnic menu. This dish is appealing because of its rich and creamy good looks, but is notorious for its excessive use of eggs. Here’s a fresh take on the ol’ potato salad. An egg-free mayonnaise base adds the creaminess while losing the eggs, the cholesterol, and the extra fat. Fresh dill and tangy mustard kick the flavour up a notch, while peas or beans add a nice crunch.

Click here for a printable PDF copy of the recipe or here for an HTML version.

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Behold! A vegan mac and cheese dish and will satisfy even the most discriminating devotees of the more traditional, blue and yellow boxed version. The best part? It’s nearly just as quick to whip up and packs a satisfying cheesy, rich flavour punch, sans the dairy. Save the old box for a rainy day, or when [...]]]>

Behold! A vegan mac and cheese dish and will satisfy even the most discriminating devotees of the more traditional, blue and yellow boxed version. The best part? It’s nearly just as quick to whip up and packs a satisfying cheesy, rich flavour punch, sans the dairy. Save the old box for a rainy day, or when your dinner options are limited to KD or the condiments in the back of your fridge.

Wondering what the heck is nutritional yeast? It’s a deactivated yeast (similar to Brewer’s yeast) that comes in flakes and is high in B vitamins. It has an awesomely, rich cheese-like taste and texture when combined with other foods like pasta or even popcorn. You can find it in most natural food stores. I like to use the “Red Star” brand.

Click here for a printable PDF copy of the recipe or here for an HTML version.

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Panna cotta is a smooth, creamy Italian custard-type dessert that literally translates as “cooked cream” in English, which to me sounds as charming as a boiled onion. Thanks English. This fine dessert is traditionally made with sugar, vanilla, cream, and gelatin as it’s binding and gelling agent.

If you’re trying to reduce [...]]]>

Photo by Geoff Peters

Panna cotta is a smooth, creamy Italian custard-type dessert that literally translates as “cooked cream” in English, which to me sounds as charming as a boiled onion. Thanks English. This fine dessert is traditionally made with sugar, vanilla, cream, and gelatin as it’s binding and gelling agent.

If you’re trying to reduce your consumption of animal products, you might consider avoiding the typical gelatin as it’s made from collagen that’s been extracted from by-products of the meat industry. That’s right friends, Jell-o is actually wiggly, jiggly, colourful blobs of animal.

Luckily, there a few great plant-based gelling agents such as agar agar, derived from the cell walls of a red algae. Agar agar sets faster and at a higher temperature than animal gelatin, which translates to me as less waiting time ‘till dessert. Fancy, big box health food markets will carry it, but I recommend you look it at Asian food markets first, it’s way cheaper as it’s commonly used in Thai and Vietnamese sweets.

Here’s my take on a vanilla bean vegan panna cotta, while not true to its Italian heritage of using cream, it’s still kick-ass awesome and kinder to your ol’ belly.

Click here for printable, PDF copy of the recipe.

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This delicious soup hits all four corners of your taste buds, kind of like being kicked in the mouth by a seasoned muay thai fighter. Zing! You can find Thai curry paste in most Asian markets; it’s simply a fragrant concentrate of all the quintessential Thai flavours like dried chilli, garlic, lemon [...]]]>

Photo by Geoff Peters

This delicious soup hits all four corners of your taste buds, kind of like being kicked in the mouth by a seasoned muay thai fighter. Zing! You can find Thai curry paste in most Asian markets; it’s simply a fragrant concentrate of all the quintessential Thai flavours like dried chilli, garlic, lemon grass, galangal and keffir lime. Red Thai curry paste adds some real heat to this soup so if you’re a heat-o-phobe than I’d suggest you half the amount of paste used.

Click here for a printable, PDF copy of the recipe.

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