STEEMIT CULINARY CHALLENGE #38: VEGAN CANADIAN POUTINE

[natashahall]

Happy Sunday guys!

If a vegan came to Canada what would they eat? Vegan poutine of course! And it would have to be made with locally grown sweet potatoes and topped with vegan "cheese curds" and gravy. A healthy vegan take on the Classic Canadian dish.

Poutine is actually Canada's national dish and originated in Quebec in 1957. The dish was initially rejected by the province’s upper class, and according to the merriam-webster's dictionary the word "poutine" comes from Quebecquois French slang for "a mess." Today poutine has become a trend all across Canada and around the world. So of course this would have to the the first thing a Vegan visiting our country would eat.

I made the vegan "cheese curds" with chickpeas which can be grown in various places throughout Canada. And I added some lemon juice, for more of a cheese flavour. Lemons can be grown here though it's not common. Then the gravy consists mainly of vegan "butter," onions, garlic and soy sauce, which can all be grown and found in Canada. And of course sweet potatoes are grown here as well.

Health benefits of sweet potatoes

The reason I used sweet potatoes here instead of regular potatoes was just a personal preference (and that's what I had in my pantry), but you could definitely opt for white potatoes here as well.

Sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamin C, which assists the body with digestion and healing, and helps protect against toxins, prevents aging and contributes to a strong immune system.

Health benefits of chickpeas

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are packed with protein. They also assist with weight loss, because due to their high protein they increase that feeling of being full, which prevents the need for further eating. Chickpeas are a complex carb, which means that they break down slowly in the body. Unlike simple carbs like pasta, processed flour, and white bread, which break down very quickly in the body, creating a spike of energy and then a crash. Therefore chickpeas are a much healthier form of carbohydrate.

Here’s how I did it

Ingredients

For the fries

2 large organic sweet potatoes
1/3 cup organic avocado oil
sea salt and ground pepper to taste

For the vegan “cheese”

2 tbsp organic avocado oil
1 can organic chickpeas (398 ml)
1 lemon juiced
1/4 tsp sea salt

For the vegan gravy

1 onion minced
5 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup vegan butter (I recommend Earth Balance)
1/3 cup organic flour
1.5 cups water
2 tbsp organic soy sauce

This recipe serves 3 large plates with approximately 590 calories per plate.

Directions

Cut your sweet potatoes into fries cover them in avocado oil and salt and pepper. Then bake them at 350 F for 10 minutes. Take them out, flip them, and add more salt and pepper to taste. Then bake again for 10 minutes or until they're crispy and have just started to brown slightly.

Then take a frying pan and place 2 tbsp of avocado oil, your chickpeas and their liquid and your lemon juice in the pan. Cook on medium heat for 5 - 10 minutes. Then mash your chicpeas in a large bowl.

Next in a saucepan on medium heat combine your butter, garlic, and onion. And cook for 1 - 2 minutes until the onions and garlic are golden brown. Then add your flour in gradually (so as to prevent lumps). Next add your soy sauce and water, and stir continually in the saucepan until well combined.

Then plate your fries, "cheese curds" and gravy on top, eh voila! Vegan Canadian Poutine.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and feel inspired to make it at home. And if you do, I'd love your feedback.

Much love,

Natasha

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And for more of my healthy recipes and guilt-free sweet treats click the links below:

Vegan Chocolate Chip Superfood Granola

Vegan Chocolate Date Truffles

Vegan Chickpea Curry

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cups

Vegan Chocolate Ginger Cookies

Banana Nut Butter Crepes

Cinnamon Chia Overnight Oats

Zucchini Fritters and Homemade Tzatziki

Vegan Pizza and Homemade Pesto

Raw Chocolate Fudge Bites

Double Chocolate Banana Muffins a.k.a Chocolate Banana Bread

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Donuts

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Photos and recipe are mine and original.

For more about me check out my Introduceyourself

And you can also connect with me on Instagram

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If you liked this don’t forget to vote, follow and resteem. And thank you for all your support!

Comments

[margaretwise]

So many recipes I discover thanks to you and I am very pleased with it. Culinary world is a beautiful adventure with you. Thank you. Up

[natashahall]

Thank you @margaretwise! You're so kind and I really appreciate the support :)

[margaretwise]

You are so welcome @natashahall, makes me so happy my friend ;)))

[lenasveganliving]

Amazing Natasha, you made such an unhealthy dish super healthy and delicious. I am Canadian for over twenty years, but I never ate Poutine lol. Well now I will, after seen your recipe.Well done and best of luck with the challenge. UPV & RSD 🍇🍍🍑🌸🍑🍍🍉

[natashahall]

Thanks @lenasveganliving! That's what I was going for, turning junk food into health food, haha. I appreciate the wonderful feedback :)

[inzeen]

Thanks for the recipe. Looking forward for next yummy recipe.

[natashahall]

Thanks @inzeen!

[gustoo]

Sweet potatoes are great :)

[natashahall]

They really are! Thanks for stopping by @gustoo :)

[jlufer]

Excellent work dear friend @natashahall, the history of this dish is very interesting, there are several dishes with the same story, begin to be rejected and finally are inside the dishes more top.
Thank you very much for sharing the recipe.
I wish you a great day.

[natashahall]

Thanks @jlufer! Agreed, and I like discovering the history of dishes like this, it's quite interesting :) Hope you have a great day as well!

[throughmyeyes]

Ah now this looks solidly tasty! I would make more though...I generally cook 20 or more sweet potatoes or yams at a time (for hikes I just grab one to take along). But this, this looks really great :D

[natashahall]

Thanks so much @throughmyeyes! I'm glad you liked it :) I'm definitely a leftovers kind of person. It's just practical I think. And this dish keeps really well in the fridge for a few days.

[throughmyeyes]

Yes. Leftovers are delicious and so handy...

[jenniferhosein]

Wow! I'm going to make this poutine!

[natashahall]

Yay! Let me know how it goes :D

[flatearthvegan]

Those look awesome!! Thanks for sharing :P

[natashahall]

Thanks @flatearthvegan! Appreciate the feedback :)

[alinalisa]

Wow what a great idea to veganize canadin poutine. I never tried that out before. It is a really well done entry for this weeks SCC @natashahall! :) Upvoted and resteemed!

[natashahall]

Thanks so much @alinalinalisa! Glad you liked it :)

[creativewoman]

Nice dish!!! Here also in Mauritius they made poutine but they prepared it differently, I like the sweet potatoes am cooking it in my tagine with different vegetables, I like it because it gives one great flavor to our food and healthy.
Thank you for your amazing recipe!!

[natashahall]

Many thanks @creativewoman! I would be interested to see what poutine is like in Mauritius :)

[creativewoman]

Next time i will do it, and i will post it.

[babettxx]

Looks very yummy! I wish you good luck in challenge! :)

[natashahall]

Thanks so much @babettxx!

[vegetarianbaker]

I've never had poutine, but can't wait to try it now. :)

[natashahall]

Awesome! Glad to hear that :)

[woman-onthe-wing]

I LOVE the look of this dish @natashahall... not only have you used good quality healthy ingredients with a good range of nutrients, but it looks super appealing too and I wish I could try some! Fab presentation with great photos and easy-to-follow instructions. I also like that you included nutritional information for us, that's really helpful. Good luck!

[natashahall]

Thanks @woman-onthe-wing! I really appreciate that :)

[machhour]

awesome post , like always:)

[natashahall]

thanks so much @machhour!

[rezachaisar]

yammyyy,, NICE POST

[natashahall]

Thank you!

[goldygoody]

Wow! following you now, i'd like to take photos of those! haha i'm a food photographer somewhat and its kinda my hobby.

As for feedback, not so knowledgeable with vegan food but as for the photo, it could be better with a tint of blue or white as it is a tad bit yellow. Nothing a good filter can't fix! :) although yellow makes it more appetizing however it pays to strike a balance :)

[natashahall]

Thanks for the in-depth feedback @goldygoody!

[aesthetickale]

Nice!

[natashahall]

Thanks!

[progressivechef]

I'm always so happy in discovering cuisines around the world and you made my day today with this take on the Canadian Poutine!
Lovely recipe and so healthy for sure!
I love these sweet potatoes @natashahall!
Good luck for the contest!
@progressivechef

[natashahall]

Thank you for the wonderful feedback @progressivechef :)

[ikaputri3]

Now I know how Canadian Poutine looks like. I've heard about this dish from my partner but never checked it out. I'd like to try it but I dont know if I can find it here in Belgium, or should I go to Canada? :-D Anyway, nice entry and good luck @natashahall! :-)

[natashahall]

Thanks, glad you like it @ikaputri3 :)

[tioluis]

mmmm I have some sweet potatoes that are sprouting I need to learn how to grow them and eat the rest! hahaha
Delicious
Great job <3

[natashahall]

Thanks so much @tioluis!

[crunchyvegangal]

Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing!

[natashahall]

Many thanks @crunchyvegangal!

[heart-to-heart]

Hi @natashahall YUM! You did a fantastic job for the challenge this week! Being Canadian born myself, I know all too well the famous poutine ;) When I first joined on here I made a recipe and posted it as well for Canada Day (feeling all sentimental and missing home) =D This looks wonderful! A chickpea gravy is surely going to hit the tastebuds! I will definitely try your version- I agree with you about the use of sweet potatoes, my choice as well!

Good luck this week, thank you for making my job as judge so delicious- we will be posting the results soon =D

[natashahall]

Thanks for the lovely feedback @heart-to-heart! Oh wow a fellow Canadian, yay! Sounds great :D

[woman-onthe-wing]

A superb dish that delighted our judge so much she awarded you first prize! Congratulations @natashahall, this is a very well-deserved win!

[natashahall]

Thank you @woman-on-the-wing! :)

[creadordelfuturo]

Oh my god, my dear! It's for me! I'm vegan! So tasty! Love you! 😘😗😙😗😙😍😍😍😍😍😍🤗

[natashahall]

Thanks @creadordelfuturo! Glad you liked it :D