I’ve been saving this recipe for this last (tear) column of the year as a sort of parting gift to The Daily and its readers … because, well, it’s just that good. I reckon it would make a delicious summer treat to welcome the sun, and an even better apartment-warming gift. Spring’s-a-coming, and this yummy banana bread will get your baking back in gear. Bon voyage and bon appetite, friends.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 big or 3 small bananas)
3/4 cups sugar
1 egg’s worth of egg replacement (I suggest Ener-G!)
1/4 cup vegetable oil or olive oil
1/2 bag chocolate chips

Directions:
1. Grease and flour loaf pan.
2. Stir flour, salt, baking soda, and chocolate chips in large bowl
3. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and oil, stir together in separate bowl
4. Pour banana mixture into dry ingredients and fold until completely moist
5. Bake for 50 to 55 mins, or until toothpick comes out clean!

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The first I tried was “Purely Poppy,” slightly sweetened with coconut sugar and kept true to its roots with unhulled sesame seeds. I believe this dressing is as close to a classic creamy Cesar dressing as a raw, vegan product can get. It’s the most viscous of three I tried, and would be great over a simple salad – the dressing stands on its own.

Next, I dabbled in “Glorious Greek,” only to discover that it tastes exactly how it sounds: like Greek salad dressing. It only lacks the tangy aftertaste that preservatives and artificial sweeteners can sometimes leave in more typical household brands. My only reservation about “Glorious Greek” was the amount that it had settled and fermented in the few short days it was sitting in my fridge. A minute or two of stirring and shaking quickly solved the problem, and I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t a fair compromise for the pure ingredients and fresh, feta-like flavour that it offers.

Finally, I tested their “Japanese Joy” flavour, and discovered my favourite of the three. I was thrilled to see three superfoods on the ingredient list: apple cider vinegar, sprouted brown rice, and chia seeds – which are all nutrient-packed and delicious. This dressing would be great alongside homemade sushi or tempura, or mixed into the marinade for a tofu and vegetable stir-fry. The flavour is bright and creamy, and the dressing stays true to its original orangey-brown colour.

RawFoodz is a relatively new company, run by Michelle Cass and Sher Kopman in Toronto. Their website claims that their mantra includes Hippocrates’ oath: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, and – from what I have sampled – they certainly fulfill that mandate.

The post That’s raw appeared first on The McGill Daily.

Truffles for the Spender:

Maccheroncini alla Boscaiuola (literally translates to “pasta in the style of the wood-cutter’s wife”)

Serves 4-6

1 handful of dried Italian porcini

2 tablespoons vegan butter (I recommend Earth Balance)

2 cups vegan cream

1 pound macaroni pasta

1 fresh white truffle, sliced

1 ½ cups grated vegan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

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1. Soak dried porcini for 20 minutes in warm water, squeeze dry. Put soaking water aside.

2. Heat butter until melted, add porcini and cook until golden.

3. Stir in cream and ¼ cup of mushroom soaked water. Cool until mixture thickens.

4. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente.

5. Drain pasta and add to sauce.  Add truffle and cheese, toss over low heat.

6. Add salt and pepper to taste, serve immediately.

Truffles for The Rest of Us:

Simple Truffle Pizza

Serves 4-6

1 cup wild mushrooms

1/2 onion, sliced

2 red peppers, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp sundried tomatoes

White wine

Italian seasoning: salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme, rosemary

Truffle oil (a much less expensive alternative to the mushroom itself)

Truffle salt

Pizza dough

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1. Saute a mix of wild mushrooms, ½ an onion, red peppers, garlic, and sundried tomatoes. Mix with a splash of white wine, and a sprinkle generously with Italian seasoning.

2. Splash truffle oil and a pinch of salt and pepper onto pizza dough, add sautéed vegetables, and bake at 450 degrees for 8 to 9 minutes.

3. Finish with a touch more of truffle oil and truffle salt.

4. Add toppings to pizza dough, and bake for approximately 15 minutes at 425°.

The post Truffles, two ways appeared first on The McGill Daily.

So the next time you need a minute to sit back and reflect on the changes we’re undeniably witnessing take place at McGill, in Montreal, and within ourselves, curl up to your thoughts with something warm and soothing to take the edge off of the brilliant, but intense energy circulating around campus these days. With that in mind, I bring you my two favourite winter drinks for when you need a little comfort to find your courage.

Vegan Hot chocolate
Serves 4

1 cup canned coconut milk
4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
A few dashes of ground cinnamon
4 cups boiling water

1. Stir together the coconut milk, vanilla, sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon.
2. Pour in boiling water, stirring constantly.

Apple Cider
Serves 4

4 cups apple cider
2 tbsp. maple syrup
4 small cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
4 whole allspice berries
4 strips of orange peel
4 strips of lemon peel
1 empty tea bag or steeper

1. Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a saucepan.
2. Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel, and lemon peel into an empty tea bag or steeper, and carefully place them into the cider mixture.
3. Place the saucepan over moderate heat until the cider is very hot, but not boiling.
4. Ladle into mugs, and serve with an additional cinnamon stick, if desired.

The post It’s hot in here appeared first on The McGill Daily.

With tart green apples, delicious candy coating, and their avoidance of most dietary restrictions and preferences, this recipe is fully certified for the newly kitchen-curious. Satisfy your post-Halloween, pre-holiday sweet tooth with this simple recipe.

Makes 6 Apples
– 6 apples, washed and dried
– 6 wooden sticks
– ½ cup superfine sugar
– 1 ½ cups water
– 1 ½ cups regular sugar
– 1 ½ cups light corn syrup
– 2 tsp. natural red food colouring
– ½ cup of chopped peanuts (any
variety of nut will do)

Directions
1. Spear each apple with a wooden stick, and line a cookie sheet with aluminium foil. Sprinkle sheet with superfine sugar.
2. Over high heat, bring water, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheight (candy thermometers are ideal). Remove from heat, and pour in food colouring while slowly stirring.
3. Tilt saucepan to the side to pool candy mixture, and quickly dip each apple into the pan until completely coated. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts. Place onto the prepared cookie sheet and let cool in refrigerator for two hours. Yum!

Variations
Instead of peanuts, try sprinkling your still-wet candy apples with hard candy, soft candy, dried mint leaves, orange zest, chocolate sprinkles, marshmallows, a sprinkle of cinnamon, or a handful of crushed mints.

The post Sugar-coating fall with candy apples appeared first on The McGill Daily.

As a vegetarian, it was not an unfamiliar proposition, nor was it an unfair one. Bonding over food is something that most cultures have in common, and dates back for as long as humans have existed. However, in today’s climate, it would appear that the state of the planet has become an equally important topic of communal interest. With that in mind, I would like to thank green-washing marketing trends. You have made my food choices, as a vegetarian, so much easier to explain.

Environmental vegetarianism is based on the premise that animal production is environmentally unsustainable, consuming an undeniably concerning amount of fossil fuels, water, and agricultural land. Environmentalists have been telling us for years: a little bit of action goes a long way.
It’s become widely acknowledged that a vegetarian or vegan diet is better for the planet. Producing one pound of beef requires approximately 2500 gallons of water – 10 times more the amount needed to produce a pound of soy.

In other words, with the water used to produce a single hamburger, you could take a shower every day for two and a half weeks. Conservationists have even begun referring to beef cows as “hoofed locusts,” suggesting their significant role in deforestation, water scarcity, and loss of biodiversity. With facts like these, it’s hard to justify that late night burger – unless you’re willing to skip a few weeks of showering to make up for it.

Now, the surprising part: according to a new analysis by public health expert Dr. Mike Rayner in a Friends of the Earth report, we can save more than 45,000 human lives a year if everyone began eating meat no more than two or three times a week.

Navin Ramankutty, associate professor in the Department of Geography at McGill, addresses meat as a main concern in a newly published blueprint for doubling the global food supply. By using prime cropland to grow food for humans, as opposed to biofuels or animal feed, we could increase food production by nearly 50 per cent.

Eating less meat requires little or no work at all, and is remarkably cost-efficient. Without even going vegetarian or vegan, you can choose to eat meat less frequently and still be making a significant reduction on the environmental impact of your food choices, while increasing the total amount of food produced for humans. Talk about a win-win situation.

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