This is for my mother, who taught me to love who I am and what I do,

Reading is my favourite thing to do beyond cooking, writing or photographing since books have been a wondrous habit of mine since I was young. My mom, a real champ about my book addiction, would stop at garage sales to look for new books for me, would fill out my order card for the book fair at school every year with at least three new books and we were frequent card users at our local library. She was a single parent for the majority of my life, worked two jobs to feed and clothe my sister and I but she never complained or questioned my need for books. Whenever we were at a family gathering and my social anxiety was at an all time high, she never pushed me to “go play with the other kids” since she knew I was most comfortable under a tree in the backyard reading a book. I had a bad habit of hiding in odd places to avoid my younger sister or cousins so I could read in peace. One of my favourite places to do this was the linen closet in the hallway. I would climb up the shelves, tuck myself in between the sheets or towels, turn on a battery-operated push light that my mom taped to the wall and read my book in a little space all to myself. It really freaked my mom out to see a small child’s head amongst the linen whenever she opened the closet. Her reactions were always very funny to me.

When I was eleven, I started reading the Harry Potter series and absolutely fell in love with the magical world, as I am sure all of us who read it did. Money was very tight during this time of my life but my mom, bless her heart, still bought me the newest Harry Potter books when they came out. She told me that there were worse things to spend money on than her daughter’s books and kept encouraging me to read. She hugged me when I sobbed over a character’s death and never once suggested that, “it wasn’t real,” even though I was sixteen when the seventh book came out. She knew that I was emotionally invested in the story and my feelings about it were very real to me. I will always appreciate her compassion. The Harry Potter series is still on my bookshelf, 17 years later, and I have refused to lend them out since they are my most special collection, thanks to my mom.

My sister and I played dress up quite often since we grew up with tinfoil covered rabbit-ear antennas and a VHS player that occasionally ate our beloved Disney tapes, we were left to entertain ourselves for the most part. For Halloween one year, I was Belle from Beauty and the Beast and I loved that bright golden dress with the matching gloves. I definitely pretended I was Belle and would hang out in the yard wearing that dress and reading a book. My mom never said anything about me wearing a Halloween costume in July but simply reminded me to bring out a blanket so I wouldn’t mess up my dress. 

My mother has helped me become a life-long reader and introduced me to my ultimate passion in life. She encouraged me to be myself, that odd book-reading kid who hides in the linen closest to catch up on her R.L. Stine and stood up for me whenever a family member questioned my desire of isolation. Sure, I was a weird kid that got really excited when I saw my mother carrying old dusty books in a grocery bag but she was more than happy to feed my addiction.

A special thanks to my mom for encouraging me to do the things that make me the happiest and allowing me to be myself, despite what others might think. Happy Mother’s Day to you.

Love, Jessica

This recipe is adapted from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen: Celebrating the Art of Eating Well

*This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a *teeny* commission if you make a purchase using this link.

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 I may be jumping the gun here with a typical mid-summer recipe but there is reason to celebrate: Mark is going to France next month! Mark is a bass player for the blues/jazz band Andria Simone and Those Guys and they have recently won the Hennessy Artistry Talent Quest. I could not be more proud of them and all of their hard work and believe me when I say it is hard work and (almost) completely unglamorous. Mark, who attends school full time, has a full time job and yet continues to go diligently to all rehearsals and gigs while he carrying his bass, amp and gear all on the subway. It is admirable to see their dedication to their passion for music by paying free gigs and rehearsing all hours to get ready for television gigs and music video recordings.

 I am so happy for him and I hope he enjoys his time in France while feasting on baguettes, drinking gallons of wine and sipping cognac which he had told me will be a daily occurrence if he has the time between performing at the music festival. Sadly I will not be joining him, as I will be stuck in my adult high school updating my math credits for 6 hours a day in a non-air conditioned room. This sacrifice is all for the greater good in hopes of applying to get my BSc. Siggghhh but I do dream of France so I thought I would make my favourite summer time dish with a French inspiration.

 When I think of France, I generally don’t think vegan food but this potato salad doesn’t have a lick of cream, eggs, bacon or anything in a liver pate form. It does contain some delicious vegan friendly French elements such as: spicy Dijon mustard, pebbly Puy lentils, crisp radishes, shallots, blanched asparagus and fleur de sel. Not exactly a French classic but it is fresh, summery and absolutely delicious. If you are going to France this summer, I am completely jealous but for those who aren’t this potato salad helps comfort your wanderlust soul.

French Inspired Creamy Lentil Potato Salad

2014-06-14 08:11:41

Serves 4

A fresh French twist on an all American classic summer time recipe.

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Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

1 hr

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

1 hr

Cashew Dijon Mayo

1. 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 2-8 hours, drained
2. 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3. 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4. ½ teaspoon fleur de sel
5. 6 tablespoons water
6. 2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I used 3 but I LOVE mustard)

Lentils+ Potatoes

1. ½ cup Puy lentils, picked through and rinsed
2. 1 ½ pounds mini red skinned potatoes, washed and steamed
3. 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4. ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel

Vegetables

1. 2 carrots, peeled and shaved with a vegetable peeler- cut the shaves into thin strips
2. ½ pound asparagus, trimmed and cut on the bias into medium pieces
3. 6-7 medium radishes, washed well, trimmed and sliced thin
4. 1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
5. 1/3 cup packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped roughly
6. 1½ tablespoons minced fresh shallot
7. ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel
8. ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper + more to season after the salad has rested for 1 hour

For the Cashew Dijon Mayo

1. Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and process until completely smooth.

For the Lentils + Potatoes

1. Place the lentils into a small pot of cold water so that they are covered by about 3 inches of water. I used ½ cup of dried lentils and 2 cups of water. Bring the water up to the boil. As soon as it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium/medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Test a few lentils at a time to check for doneness- they should have some bite to them and should not be bursting. Drain and rinse with cold running water, shaking out the water before adding the lentils to the potato bowl.
2. In a large pot, add water until about 2 inches deep and place the steamer basket inside the pot. Heat water over medium high until bubbly and add the potatoes. Keep a close eye on the water- if it gets too low you run the risk of burning out your pot. Cook potatoes until they are tender but the skins aren’t bursting. While the potatoes cook, add vinegar and salt to a large non-reactive bowl and set aside. Once potatoes are fully cooked, take off heat and cut the potatoes in half while they are still warm. Add all the potatoes to the bowl and toss with vinegar. Let stand in vinegar while you prepare your other ingredients.

For the Vegetables

1. To blanch the asparagus: add chopped asparagus to boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Dry gently with a clean dishtowel and add to the potato/lentil bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Pour the cashew Dijon mayo over the salad and with a rubber spatula gently coat the salad with the dressing.
2. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and let the salad rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour to let the flavours meld. The salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Notes

1. I steamed the potatoes in a pot with a steamer basket, cut them in half and then tossed them with apple cider vinegar and salt. Potatoes are most absorbent when hot so it soaks up all the tangy vinegar.
2. You don’t have to use all the vegetables I did for this recipe, use ones you prefer. I just don’t recommend beets since they will turn your salad a very vivid pink.
3. Green lentils are larger than the Puy lentils, which are darker (greeny blueish gray colour) and look like little pebbles. These lentils are grown in the French region of Le Puy.
4. After mixing everything together, refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavours have time to meld together.
5. I used Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider. Feel free to experiment with other vinegars like white wine, red wine or champagne vinegar.
6. No fleur de sel? Completely fine. Sub in your preferred non-ionized salt like kosher or fine grain sea salt and TASTE as you go before adding more salt. Fleur de sel has a very mild flavour.
7. Make the dressing first, put on the lentils, cook the potatoes and while the lentils and potatoes are cooking, prep your vegetables for the rest of the salad.

By Jessica DeMarra

Sprouts & Chocolate http://www.sproutsandchocolate.com/

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Adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Serves 4-6

Stock:

• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 1-tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
• 4 carrots, unpeeled, cut lengthwise and chopped into half moons (2 cups)
• 1 head of garlic, cloves separated, unpeeled and crushed with the back of a knife
• ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 1-750 ml bottle dry red wine
• 1/3 cup roughly chopped parsley (stems are ok too)
• 8 springs of thyme
• 2 bay leaves, crumbled
• ½ teaspoon whole black pepper corns
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 cups low sodium vegetable stock

 Garnish (Optional)

• 10 ounces pearl onions (any colour is good, I used red pearl onions)
• 1-tablespoon organic cane sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• ½ cup of water
• 1 teaspoon Earth Balance

 Stew:

• 1 ¼ pounds cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
• 5 teaspoons Earth Balance
• 5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 medium sized carrots, peeled and diced (medium dice about 1 cup)
• 1 cup green lentils or lentilles du puy, rinsed and picked over for pebbles or shriveled beans
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely grated through a microplane
• 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced (2 cups medium dice)
• ¼ cup fresh minced parsley

For the stock:

In a large pot melt the Earth Balance and oil over medium heat until bubbly. Add onions and carrots and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally until the vegetables are caramelized. They should be golden brown and very soft, not black. If you find that they are burning too quickly, turn down the heat. Add the crushed garlic cloves and stir until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add porcini mushrooms and cook for 1 minute, ensuring all garlic and mushrooms are coated in the oil. Add the wine, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Bring up to simmer and cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock and bring up to a simmer again. Allow the stock to simmer for another 15 minutes. Take stock off heat. Over a large bowl set a fine mesh strainer and ladle the stock over the strainer, gently pressing the vegetables to get most of the stock out. Discard the vegetables and continue with the rest of the stock, you should have about 6-6.5 cups of stock.

Wipe out the now empty stockpot with a paper towel and return the stock to the pot, cover and keep it warm over low heat until ready to use.

For the garnish:

In a small pot, bring 4 cups of water to rolling boil over high heat. Add pearl onions and cook for 4 minutes. Drain over a strainer and rinse with very cold water until cool to the touch. Cut the root and stem off and peel skin off the onion. Continue with the rest. In the now empty pot, bring ½ cup water, sugar, salt and pepper to a boil. Add the peeled onions, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and allow liquid to reduce to about 3 tablespoons. Add the butter and coat onions. It should be browned and glossy. Set onions aside until the stew is ready.

For the stew:

In another large (preferably cast iron) pot, heat 1 teaspoon Earth Balance with 1-teaspoon olive oil over medium heat until bubbly. Add a quarter of the mushrooms to the pot and spread out evenly so the mushrooms aren’t crowded.

I added more for the next batch but just don’t crowd them or they will  be grey and not browned. 

Brown all sides of the mushrooms for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Place the browned mushrooms in bowl and continue browning the raw mushrooms, adding the oil-butter mixture for each batch. I did mine in 4 batches. Set mushrooms aside. Add the last oil-butter mixture to the pot and add the carrots. Cook until the carrots are slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Add the rinsed lentils to the pot with 1/3 cup of the wine stock and partly cover the pot with the lid and cook for 7 minutes.

Add the salt, pepper and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rest of the stock to the pot and bring heat up to medium to medium high until a gentle boil. Cook lentils for 15 minutes, uncovered and then add the cubed potatoes, cook until tender, about another 15 minutes. Remove 1 cup of the stew and add it to a food processor or blender. Blend until very smooth, it will almost resemble a paste.

Add the puree back to the pot and gently stir until the stew has thickened.

Add the browned mushrooms and peas and cook until heated through, about 6 minutes. Add pearl onions and ladle stew into serving dishes. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with wine and warm crusty French bread. Bon Appetite!

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