Meatless Mondays aren’t so bad with recipes like these! We’re giving you the opportunity to try our favourite plant-based dishes and the chance to win a $100 President’s Choice gift card. Scroll to the very bottom of this post to enter.
When picking your fruits and veggies, there’s a simple trick to getting the best: shop local, seasonal, and fresh. Loblaws is shining a light on good food and local growers and we, at Vv Magazine, recently had the opportunity to play with some of that good, good produce with Michael Abramson, the king of meatless ‘meat’ and the man behind, YamChops.
We created a handful of delicious plant-based dishes, that are super easy to make at home. A few of my favourites include the Watermelon ‘Steak’, Tomato Sushi with Sugared Wasabi, and Cauliflower Chocolate Pudding. Check out the recipes at below:
Watermelon Steak
What you need
- 1 medium seedless watermelon
- 1 tbsp PC® New World EVOO Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp PC® 100% Pure Medium Maple Syrup
Instructions
1. Cut off approximately two inches from both sides of the watermelon.
2. Stand the watermelon on one end and cut from top to bottom in small strips.
3. Trim off all of the white rind under the skin.
4. Lay watermelon on its side and slice into ¾ – 1 inch slices. Trim slices into rectangular “steak” like pieces.
5. Wrap steaks individually in paper towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
6. Heat olive oil in a pan until very hot – just before the point where the oil begins to smoke.
7. Remove paper towel from watermelon steaks and gently place watermelon in pan. If any excessive splattering occurs, decrease heat slightly.
8. Cook until bottom begins to blacken. Gently flip and cook second side until it begins to blacken.
9. Gently remove steaks with a spatula and place on a cutting board. Brush steaks with maple syrup on all sides and return to hot pan. Cook until blackened.
10. Slice steaks in ¼ inch diagonal planks and plate.
Tomato Sushi with Sugared Wasabi
What you Need
Tomato Sushi
- 2 medium PC® Flavour Burst Tomato of Yore Beefsteak Tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup Water
- 1 cup PC® Premium Medium Grain Sticky Rice
Marinade
- ½ cup Rice vinegar
- ¼ cup Sugar
Sugared Wasabi
- 1 tsp Wasabi powder
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tsp Water
Instructions
Tomato Filets
- Bring 3 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, prepare an ice bath with water and ice cubes.
- Lightly score an “X” on the bottom end of the tomato (the end opposite the stem), just breaking the skin.
- Gently place tomato in boiling water for 30 seconds. Once the skin begins to lift where it has been scored, remove with slotted spoon and immediately place in ice bath to halt the cooking process.
- Gently lift the edge of the tomato skin and peel skin back to remove.
- Slice tomato in half and remove seeds. Gently flatten tomato and slice into 4 filets.
- Repeat with second tomato.
Marinade
- Mix vinegar and sugar in a small pot over low heat. Cook until sugar melts, whisking regularly.
- Place tomato filets in a bowl with the marinade. Allow to marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Rice
- Bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil and add rice. Stir once. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and cook for 20 minutes until rice has absorbed all of the water.
- Remove from heat and let rest, covered, for an additional 10 minutes.
- Fluff rice with a fork and place in a large bowl to cool slightly. Gently mix in 3 tbsp of marinade.
Sugared Wasabi
- Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Allow to rest for 15 minutes for flavours to meld.
Assembly
- Dampen hands and place a heaping tablespoon of rice in the palm of one hand. Gently squeeze into a football shape.
- Gently place one tomato filet on top.
- Top with ¼ tsp of sugared wasabi.
Cauliflower Chocolate Pudding
What you Need
- 3 cups (385 g) Cauliflower, divided
- 1 cup and ¼ cup Almond Milk
- 1/3 cup Cocoa powder
- 10 Medjool dates
- 1 tbsp PC® 100% Pure Medium Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp PC® Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Wash cauliflower and break into small florets.
- Steam cauliflower until very tender and easily pierced with a skewer.
- Pit dates.
- Add dates and steamed cauliflower to a high-speed blender along with one cup of almond milk, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Blend until very smooth. Thin to desired consistency with remaining ¼ cup almond milk.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve. The pudding will thicken slightly in the refrigerator and can stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Make the dishes at home & enter to win a $100 President’s Choice gift card by following the instructions below:
- Follow @ViewtheVibe and @LoblawsON on Twitter
- Tweet us and let us know why you think supporting local growers is important. Be sure to tag @ViewtheVibe, @LoblawsON and use the hashtags #WeLoveFood and #NearYou. (ex. “Hey @ViewtheVibe @LoblawsON, supporting local growers is important because they keep our kitchen full! #nearyou #welovefood”)
Terms and Conditions:
- One (1) winner will receive one (1) $100 President’s Choice gift card
- Entrants must live in Canada (excluding Quebec)
- The prize will be delivered to the winner’s home
- Contest closes Sunday, August 28, 2016 at 11:59 pm EST
- One winner will be contacted via email on Monday, August 29, 2016
- Winners will have until Wednesday, August 31, 2016 to claim their prize. If the winner does not respond, they forfeit the prize & a new winner will be picked