Hearty Smoked Tofu and Chard Casserole with Millet Topping

It's snowed yesterday. A wonderful, blowy, billowing snow that didn't last too long, but just long enough to me me feel like winter is saying hello. The sky is clear and the air is frosty and chilly and it's the perfect day for a winter adventure, even if it's just a small one. We have somewhat of a winter tradition of warming up during our winter walks with Tim Horton's hot chocolate. I love summer and fall, but I also love winter and everything that comes with it.

I'm all for snuggly, pj days spent watching movies and drinking endless cups of hot drinks, but winter adventures get my blood flowing and bring all the cool, crisp oxygen to my brain -- something that helps me stay focused at work and happy at home. But after winter adventures, it's always nice to warm up to something hearty and comforting when supper time rolls around. This nice casserole fits the bill perfectly. It's filled with hearty winter greens, red lentils, smoked tofu (although you could use any firm tofu) and a unique, creamy and crunchy millet topping. It's kind of like a vegan shepherd's pie -- the kind of stick-to-your-ribs meal that reminds you of all the good things winter has to offer.  It's also the kind of relaxing meal that you can make while the wind howls at your balcony door and you sing along with your favourite album -- lots of chopping and stirring, nothing too complicated.

If you've never cooked millet before, it's pretty easy. I used a 1-2 millet-water ratio, but for a real flavour kick, use some veggie stock instead. Some people like to toast their millet in a dry pan before adding the water, which is totally cool as well. Once the millet is made, the rest of the recipe comes together in a snap. It's made even easier if you have a dutch oven that can go directly from the stove-top to the oven. But if you don't, it's no sweat. Just transfer your beautiful stew to a casserole dish, top with the millet crust and pop under the broiler. And if you can't find smoked tofu, just use regular firm tofu and add a nice sprinkling of sweet smoked paprika. It's a meal that you can make on Sunday and enjoy all snowy week long.

Smoked Tofu and Chard Casserole with Millet Topping
adapted from Project Foodie
serves 4-5, generously

1/2 cup of millet
1 cup of water or stock
1 teaspoon of olive oil

3 small carrots, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small bunch of swiss chard, stems diced, leaves cut into ribbons
1/3 cup of red lentils, rinsed well
4-6 ounces of smoked of regular tofu, cut into cubes
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 teaspoon of herbes de Provence
1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce
2 cups of vegetable stock

1. In small pot, bring water and millet to boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the millet has absorbed all the liquid. Set aside.

2. In a large pot of dutch oven, sweat the onions and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until they start to soften and become fragrant. Add the carrots, celery, red bell pepper, chard stems and stir well. Add salt, pepper and herbes to provence. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the lentils, and vegetable stock and stir well. Cover, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the stew cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the lentils start to break down and the vegetables start to soften.

4. Add the chard leaves and tofu. Stir well. Cook for another 5-7 minutes, uncovered to let the liquid reduce a little more. Stir in the soy sauce and taste. Adjust seasoning as desired.

5. Turn off the heat. If you're not using a dutch oven, pour your stew out into a large casserole dish (try to choose one that's more deep and not too wide). Spoon the cooked millet on top of the stew. Drizzle with olive oil.

6. Put your casserole under the broiler for about 5-6 minutes, or until you see a nice brown crust. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

A Chocolate Kick

Sometimes, when you're feeling down, or just a little un-energized, you need a little kick. I'm not sure what got into my system this week, but despite the post-Halloween sugar fix that the children were on, I just couldn't seem to keep from yawning every five minutes. Usually when the students have lots of energy, it makes me have lots of energy. Not this week. I nearly fell asleep in the middle of a class.

It's during weeks like this where I need a serious kick. Coffee would do it, but we've already been over the coffee days. After my Second Cup fun on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday felt like an eternity of caffeine headaches, dropping eyelids and overall sluggishness. Don't get my started on Monday. Usually my weekend coffees are enough to carry me on Monday, but not this week. I crashed on the couch at 8:00pm after nodding off during my prep periods all day.



Not fun. I could have used a serious kick .. a chocolate kick, to be specific. Nothing too ooey-gooey and sticky, nothing too sugary .. just some serious chocolate to get my engine running properly again. For starters, I could have made this cocoa banana millet porridge for breakfast. That would have set me on the right path. The millet is so unique in flavour -- very rich and nutty and wholesome. The banana provides just the right amount of sweetness to round out that deep, dark cocoa flavour. I wouldn't have been yawning on this breakfast, and it would definitely have kept me going until lunch. Millet is incredibly filling!



I could have also used a slice of this vegan chocolate cake at around 3:00pm when I'm getting ready for my last class, but wishing it were bedtime. This cake is incredibly easy to make, has a wonderful, tender crumb and it's vegan! I first had it when my love made it for me for my birthday, in a heart shaped pan and topped with a vegan chocolate glaze. But for everyday snacking, just bake it up in a loaf pan and slice away. We didn't fiddle too much with the recipe, except for using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour. It's light, chocolatey and guaranteed to give you a nice kick when you need it.

Oooh chocolate. I needed you this week. I'll never forget about you again!

Cocoa Banana Millet Porridge

1/4 cup of millet
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of almond milk
1 teaspoon of honey
1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
a splash of vanilla
1/2 a banana, chopped
1 teaspoon of almond butter
a handful of frozen sour cherries (if you have them!)

1. Toast the millet in a dry saucepan for about 2-3 minutes, or until it starts popping and smelling toasty. Add the water and almond milk and bring to a soft boil. Add the chopped banana and stir.

2. Turn the heat down, cover the pot and let it cook for about 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is soaked up.

3. Stir in the honey, cocoa powder, vanilla, frozen cherries and almond butter and cook uncovered for about 3 minutes until the liquid thickens a little.

4. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

A Brand New Grain

During my cleanse I discovered many different things. First, quinoa is more versatile and tasty than I thought. Second, bananas are a good replacement for sugar. Third, all you need is a blender and frozen fruit to make ice cream. Fourth, giving up gluten is not that easy. And last of all, millet is delicious. I had never tried it before, though I've seen many delicious-looking recipes, including a recent one that I'm aching to try now that I've jumped on the millet band wagon.

I did a little research online and found that it was easy enough to prepare, and fit within the boundaries of my cleanse (ie. gluten free). I also read that you should toast millet before cooking it up -- it gives it a deeper, richer, nuttier flavour. This I definitely needed, since added salt and fat were out of the question. I also toasted up some spices along with the millet before dumping it into a pot of water and letting it do it's magic thing. It cooks up fairly quickly -- about 20 minutes, so not much longer than rice or pasta -- and tastes magical. It's filling, hearty and a perfect, healthy cleansing supper. I ate it topped with some dressed up green veggies and smiled at every bite. I didn't even want to taste the spinach-infused noodles tossed with broccoli, barbecue pork and soy sauce that was being slurped up and savoured beside me.



Would I make it again, now that I'm not cleansing? Yes, definitely. Although I'd probably add a soft-boiled egg on top to bump up the protein factor, or even a little sprinkling of chopped walnuts or pecans. Next time we cleanse though, I'll get my act together a little bit better and experiment with dried legumes, and fat-free, gluten-free baking ...

Spicy Lime-Scented Millet with Dressed Veggies
serves 2

1/2 cup of millet
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of Mexican chili powder (or curry powder)
1 cup of water
1 bay leaf
1/2 a tomato, diced
juice and zest of half a lime

1 cup of broccoli florets
1 large handful of green beans, trimmed
juice of half a lime
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
a big grind of pepper

1. Blanch your veggies in boiling water until tender. Drain and toss in the lime juice, balsamic vinegar and pepper. Set aside while you make your millet -- the veggies will soak up all the yummy dressing goodness.

2. In the meantime, make your millet by first toasting it along with the cumin and chili powder in a dry pan until it becomes fragrant - about 2-3 minutes. Add it to a pot with the water and bay leaf. Bring it up to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the mixture cook, covered until most of the liquid is absorbed - about 15 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, lime juice and zest and give it a good stir. Cook uncovered for another 5 minutes or until the tomatoes break down and all the liquid is absorbed.

4. Serve topped with the dressed veggies.

Coffee Update!

The Rooster - cappucino, regular coffee and double chocolate rooibos latte, enjoyed at home because it sooooooooooooo crowded!

Linux Cafe - maple soy latte, mochaccino and soy ginseng (!!) latte: kept me up all night!

The Tampered Press - cappuccinos and latte with homemade oreo, apple loaf slice and shortbread