Fraiche Food, Fuller Hearts: Wholesome Everyday Recipes Made With Love* is in bookstores now. Co-authored by cousins and notable influencers, Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer, Fraiche Food, Fuller Hearts contains over 135 all-day joyful recipes to help you whip up feel-good meals. The #1 best-selling authors created a plant-forward cookbook that contains feel good food. Harris and Wesszer share ways to adapt recipes for vegan versions wherever possible.
We are sharing three delicious recipes from Fraiche Food, Fuller Hearts so that you can be inspired by the smart hacks that Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer’s moms and granny used to whip up memorable, easy-to-make meals.
Autumn Rice Soup
Vegan option • Gluten-free option • Nut-free option
This rustic soup tastes like fall in a bowl, according to one of our recipe testers, and we couldn’t agree more. Filled with hearty vegetables and earthy herbs, this creamy vegan soup is filling
enough to be called dinner. Serve with thick slices of our No-Knead Bread (page 79) or a batch of Pull-Apart Garlic Bread Biscuits (page 87) for a match made in heaven.
Serves 6 to 8
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
2 tablespoons (30 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, butter, or vegan butter
1 cup (250 mL) finely chopped yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces (225 g) sliced cremini mushrooms (about 3 cups/750 mL)
1 butternut squash (1½ pounds/675 g), peeled and cut into ½-inch
(1 cm) cubes (4 cups/1 L) 2 stalks celery, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 can (19 ounces/540 mL) white beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons (30 mL) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (or 2 teaspoons/ 10 mL dried parsley)
1 tablespoon (15 mL) chopped fresh sage
½ teaspoon (2 mL) chopped fresh thyme
10 cups (2.4 L) vegetable stock
1 cup (250 mL) rice (we use jasmine) 1 cup (250 mL) Cashew Cream
(page 324)
1 cup (250 mL) roughly chopped curly kale leaves (stems removed)
½ cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan cheese or vegan parm
Salt and pepper
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and the mushrooms have softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the squash, celery, bay leaves, beans, parsley, sage, thyme, and vegetable Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the rice, cover, and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked, about 20 minutes.
- Add the Cashew Cream, kale, and Parmesan and stir until Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Vegan: Use vegan butter and vegan parm.
Gluten-free: Use gluten-free vegetable stock.
Nut-free: Use table (18%) cream or unsweetened soy creamer instead of Cashew Cream. (If using table cream, the recipe will not be vegan.)
Pierogi Mashed Potatoes
Vegan option • Vegetarian • Gluten-free • Nut-free option
We love a good dish of mashed potatoes, and this Ukrainian- inspired version of a classic is beyond delicious—a generous portion of sweet caramelized onions mashed with fluffy
boiled potatoes, cream or cashew cream, nutritional yeast (for that cheesy flavour), and fresh herbs. Leftovers make unbelievable savoury Pierogi Waffles (page 44)!
Serves 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
3 pounds (1.4 kg) russet potatoes, peeled
¼ cup (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons (60 mL) butter or vegan butter, divided
2 cups (500 mL) finely chopped yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
¾ cup (175 mL) table (18%) cream or Cashew Cream (page 324), plus more if needed
¼ cup (60 mL) nutritional yeast
¼ cup (60 mL) finely chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish
¼ cup (60 mL) roughly chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper
- Cut the peeled potatoes in half and place them in a large pot of salted Bring to a boil over high heat and cook the potatoes until fork- tender 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and mash with a potato masher or ricer until smooth.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the butter in a medium frying pan over low Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Stir the onion mixture into the mashed potatoes. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 mL) butter, cream, nutritional yeast, chives, and dill. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Add more cream if needed. Transfer to a serving dish and serve with dill and chives to garnish if desired.
Vegan: Use vegan butter and Cashew Cream.
Nut-free: Use table (18%) cream or unsweetened soy creamer instead of Cashew Cream.
Baked Apples with Oat Crumble
Vegan option • Vegetarian • Gluten-free option • Nut-free
This recipe is straight from the kitchen of Jillian’s mom Peggy. Growing up in Peace River, Alberta, we didn’t have much to choose from when it came to fresh produce, but we do remember there always being a supply of apples. As a treat, Jillian’s mom would prepare a baked apple for her, which she absolutely loved. Fast-forward to today, and Jillian makes baked apples with oat crumble for her own children, Leo and Annie, and they love them just as much as she did!
Assemble them ahead of time if desired and pop in the oven about an hour before serving. To give the caramel apple sauce an adult twist, replace half the apple juice with bourbon.
Serves 6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Baked Apples with Oat Crumble
6 medium apples (we use Gala)
1 cup (250 mL) old-fashioned rolled oats
¼ cup (60 mL) all-purpose flour
¼ cup (60 mL) lightly packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon (2 mL) cinnamon
1/3 cup (75 mL) butter or vegan
butter, melted Pinch of salt
Caramel Apple Sauce
¼ cup (60 mL) butter or vegan butter 1 tablespoon (15 mL) all-purpose
flour
½ cup (125 mL) lightly packed brown sugar
¼ cup (60 mL) pure apple juice
¼ cup (60 mL) whipping (35%) cream or coconut cream
1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Vanilla ice cream or dairy-free vanilla ice cream, for serving
Vegan: Use vegan butter, coconut cream, and dairy-free ice cream.
Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend instead of all-purpose flour. Use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
1. MAKE THE BAKED APPLES WITH OAT CRUMBLE: Preheat the oven to
350°F (180°C) and pour ½ inch (1 cm) of water into a 13 × 9-inch (3.5 L) baking dish.
2. If needed, shave the bottoms of the apples with a paring knife so they stand upright. Using an apple corer, paring knife, or melon baller, core the apples, creating a well about 2 inches (5 cm) wide, making sure not to go all the way to the bottom.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, and salt. Fill the apples with the oat mixture, packing it down. Place the filled apples in the prepared baking dish. Bake until you can poke the apples with the tip of a paring knife and not meet with much resistance, about 50 minutes.
4. MEANWHILE, MAKE THE CARAMEL APPLE SAUCE: In a small saucepan
over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and apple juice and simmer, whisking constantly, until the sugar is dis- solved and the sauce has slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cream and continue to simmer, stirring, until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla and salt.
5. Serve the baked apples warm with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of Caramel Apple Sauce. The baked apples are best served warm from the oven, but they can be stored in a resealable container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave.
Tip: Have leftover Baked Apples? Simply blend each apple with 1 cup (250 mL) of ice and 1 cup (250 mL) of milk or non-dairy milk to make a delicious smoothie. Garnish with extra cinnamon and an apple slice if desired.
*Excerpted from Fraiche Food, Fuller Hearts by Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer. Copyright © 2023 Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer. Photography by Rachelle Beatty. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.