Polenta Canapes

We recently had a double baby shower at the office, so of course I brought some vegan snacks along so I wouldn't go hungry. Besides the standard carrot and cucumber sticks with homemade hummus, I wanted to bring something special because I enjoy impressing non-vegan people with delicious vegan food. And they were impressed - yay!

These are very simple, but their canape miniature-ness makes them look all fancy and gourmet, and they are very tasty. I used my homemade onion and thyme jam, but this could easily be replaced with a store bought version. I also topped them with some homegrown origanum leaves, which gives a fresh herby flavour.

Ingredients:

1 cup polenta
3 cups boiling water
1 tsp Himalayan salt
1/2 cup vegan mayo (I use B-Well)
1 butternut (you will only use half)
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup onion and thyme jam
1 small bunch fresh origanum

Place the boiling water in a large pot on medium to high heat. Add the polenta and salt and stir consistently until the polenta is fully cooked and as much water as possible has evaporated. You want it to be very thick so that it sets nicely. This takes only about 10-15 minutes.  Pour the polenta into a rectangular dish, about 30cm x 20cm in dimension and smooth with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon so that is is fairly flat. Leave to cool completely, then place in the fridge to set. I cooked mine a day ahead so that it could set very well, but it should be ready in about three hours if you want to do it in one day.

Cut the long part of the butternut into 1cm thick medallions, coat with olive oil and roast on high heat for about 10 minutes on each side or until it is tender. Allow to cool.

Use a small cookie cutter (mine is blossom shaped and about 3cm in diameter) to cut the polenta into bites and place on a tray. Do the same with the butternut. You should get about two to three per medallion, depending on the diameter of the butternut.

Top the polenta bites with a teaspoon of vegan mayo, then with a piece of butternut, then onion jam and finish off with fresh oreganum leaves. Serve on a pretty platter and let the compliments roll in!

Tip: Coat the polenta off-cuts in a little olive oil and place under the grill for about 15 minutes for some oddly shaped but delicious polenta chips. Use the roast butternut off-cuts in a brown rice, beetroot and rocket salad. No need for waste :)

Grilled Tempeh Breakfast

What an incredibly fateful morning! I was on my way to buy some supplies for my next blog post when I took a wrong turn. I ended up having to make a detour and got caught behind a vegan/animal rights protest called Animals Matter to Africa. I pulled over and ran to join them. I only caught the tail end of it, but I was so happy to see a bunch of vegans getting together to spread the word and stand up against animal cruelty.

Photo from Animals Matter to Africa event page

So, on to breakfast! This week I bought some tempeh from Tempestuous Tempeh. I hadn't tried it until now and was so glad to discover a local supplier who uses all organic ingredients. I was also very pleased to find how delicious it is, since I went out on a limb and bought an entire kilogram of the stuff!

If you're not sure what tempeh is, have a read here.

 

It's a pretty chilly morning in Sea Point, so I felt like something roasty and warm to start the day. I decided on a toast stack with grilled veggies and tempeh bacon. We usually don't have white bread in the house, but Kyle had to buy some yesterday when there were no healthier options at the little shop near his work. I have to admit, good old white bread is pretty delicious now and then.  

 

Fresh zucchini slices and whole garlic cloves make a lovely grilled combo.

Ingredients:

80-100g tempeh
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs water
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp brown sugar or xylitol
2 medium zucchini's, sliced length ways
2 medium tomatoes, sliced into 3
12 cloves garlic, peeled
2-3 tbs olive oil
2 slices toast
2 tbs B-Well vegan mayo
salt + pepper

Cut the tempeh into thin 3-4mm slices and marinate in a mixture of the soy sauce, water, liquid smoke and brown sugar for about 15 minutes. Place the zucchini and garlic on an oven tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and place under the grill at 250 degrees C until golden brown. Turn them over half way so both sides are well grilled.

While the zucchini's and garlic are grilling, fry the tomato slices in a pan with a little olive oil until they are soft and slightly charred on either side. Do the same with the marinated tempeh.

Spread a tablespoon of mayo onto each slice of toast and stack all the ingredients on top, like a tower of delicious breakfasty goodness! Serves two, enjoy! xxx