Worth the Blistering Heat.

There are times that I really just dont think things through. My mind focuses in on one thing, and all else is lost.

Its nearly 100 degrees today. Im sitting in my room browsing through food recipes, nearly suffocating with this humid, sticky, and hot air. Yet after seeing the Chocolate Chip Blondies on CCK's page, I not only forget the heat- but I TURN THE OVEN ON to make them for myself.

When my mom walked in the door she almost lost her head. Apparently 100 degree weather and baking is not recommended and our poor window air conditioner was not impressed either.

BUT despite my lapse in judgement, the Blondies (with a few tweaks here and there) turned out better than expected and I guarantee once my mom gets a taste, it will be impossible to be anything but lost in deliciousness.

Chocolate Chip Blondies
adapted from CCK's recipe

• 1 1/2c. chickpeas (cooked or canned, drained and rinsed)
  
• 3/4t baking powder
• 1/8t baking soda
• 1/8t salt
• 1/4c. maple syrup
• 1T honey, brown rice syrup, or agave
• 1" of a banana
  
• 1/3c. shredded unsweetened coconut
  
• 1t vanilla extract
• 2T ground flax
  
• 2T peanut flour
  
• 2T peanut butter
  
• 1/3c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients (except chips) until very smooth. Mix in chips, and scoop into 12 muffin cup liners (I sprayed mine with coconut cooking spray first). Bake for 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown.

Raw Food

Shortly after going vegan I stumbled upon 'raw foodism' and since have dabbled in raw food recipes from time to time, even tried to go all/high raw. I love the idea of it, I really do enjoy the food, and Im aware of the health benefits. Yet, I know I wont fully commit to an all raw lifestyle and to be honest, Ive learned that its not something I would want to do. Everyone is different and we all have to come to understand what works best for us individually. For me, I need to include a variety of both raw AND cooked vegan foods in my diet to both nourish and enjoy myself.

So tonights dinner was a mix of raw and cooked foods. Gluten free quinoa bread from Organic Works Bakery right here in London, Ontario, organic smoked tofu, daiya, onion sprouts, and a high raw homemade hummus (recipe below)! Yum! The picture doesnt look too appetizing but I promise you, it was delicious.



75% Raw Zucchini Hummus

1/3c. cooked or canned chickpeas
1/2c. chopped zucchini
1 1/2 cloves garlic
2T raw tahini
1T braggs liquid aminos
1T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4t black pepper

Process until mostly smooth in a food processor. Makes 3/4 cup.

Simple Red Lentil Stew

1 1/2c. water
1/2 GF veggie boullion cube
1/2c. dry red lentils
1/2c. yellow zucchini, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1/4c. bell pepper, diced
1/2c. butternut squash, diced
1/2c. sweet potato, mashed
1 bay leaf
1t. tumeric
1/8 tsp. each ginger, garlic powder, and cinnamon
1t. fresh thyme

Bring water and boullion cube to a boil and add all ingredients up to (and including) the bay leaf.
Let the stew come back to a boil and reduce heat to medium.
Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until all veggies are soft and lentil have become mush.
Add in remaining herbs and spices.

MAKES 2 1/2 cups.

Chipotle Coconut Wrap with Avocado and Sunflower Seeds PLUS a Brilliant Chickpea Secret

The possibilities are endless when it comes to wraps. Whatever youre in the mood for, toss it in, wrap it up, and (if your feeling adventurous) pop it in a panini press to make it no less than gourmet deliciousness. Quick, easy, who can complain?

Ive been know to put all kinds of strange treats inside a GF brown rice wrap and call it a lunch. Today was no different and the flavours created a crunchy, creamy, spicy, meal that I honestly couldnt improve on. (Well, maybe with some melty Daiya cheese...)



Chipotle Coconut Wrap with Avocado and Sunflower Seeds

1 GF brown rice wrap (Food for Life)
1-2 thin slices vidalia onion
1/8 med. avocado (1-2T)
2t sprouted/dehydrated sunflower seeds
2t flaked toasted coconut OR 1/2T toasted coconut shreds (unsweetened)
1-2T (or more!) daiya or other vegan cheese

FILLING:
1/3c. canned or **home cooked** chickpeas
1/4t olive oil (or coconut oil!)
2T canned coconut milk
2t nutritional yeast
season to taste with salt, pepper, chipotle pepper powder, garlic, and a touch of cinnamon

Heat pan over medium high and add chickpeas and oil. Cook until they brown up.
Turn heat down to medium low and add coconut milk and spices to taste and stir for 30-60 seconds or so until the liquid becomes thicker. Remove from heat and stir in yeast.
TO ASSEMBLE WRAP: Mash avocado in the center of the wrap, top with chickpea mixture and remaining ingredients. Wrap and toast in a panini press or (if you dont have a press) in the oven or stovetop.


NOW... are you ready? I mentioned an ingenious secret, did I not??

(Im preparing to make myself look really stupid if Im the only one who just figured this out...)

Chickpeas. I thought I was doomed buying them in cans for the rest of eternity. It was just IMPOSSIBLE to get that same creamy texture, the soft delicious chickpea that comes from a can. I all but gave up on cooking them at home. I mean, really. Who wants chickpeas that are hard? They dont mash, they wont puree right, theyre just all wrong. No matter how long I soaked them, how long I cooked them- nothing mattered. All I could produce was hard unwanted peas that ruined the enjoyment of eating one of my favourite foods.

BUT!

I came across some information a few days ago that changed my life. And here's the secret..






BAKING SODA!

Seriously! If you add baking soda to the dry chickpeas, cover them with water to soak overnight, and drain them before cooking- you will have PERFECT soft, creamy chickpeas in 45 minutes on the stovetop. Just like canned!

Excuse my (possibly) excessive excitement about this discovery but its pretty amazing if I do say so myself.

In Progress: Vegan Coconut Blueberry Muffins (GF)

They smell delicious. The flavour combination is perfect. It has all the elements to be absolutely amazing.

These muffins over at Gluten-Free Bay seem like absolute perfection. But this recipe flopped (despite looking like total yum). The original recipe , unfortunately, isnt vegan.. so I made some minor substitutions such as egg replacer for the 3 eggs and 1/4c. xylitol plus 1T extra coconut milk for the honey. The house smelled wonderful but the muffins came out mushy (uncooked?) even after 15 EXTRA minutes, they didnt turn golden brown at all nor did they rise, and they crumbled to pieces much too easily.

Ive got some experimenting to do but Im not giving up on these until theyre perfect! I have a few ideas to test out on the next batch:

- agave nectar or maple syrup instead of the xylitol and extra coconut milk (as a closer sub for the honey)
- substitute a portion of the coconut flour for another GF flour (to make it less dense and cook through)
- add a bit of baking soda (for leavening)
- a touch of xanthan gum (to stabilize the muffin)
- frozen wild blueberries instead fresh ones that I froze (wild blueberries tend to be smaller instead of the jumbo ones I used)
- maybe melted coconut oil or Earth Balance instead of the olive oil I used (for taste!)


Keep an eye out for a follow up post! And hopefully much better results!

Homemade Larabars

At two dollars each, Im going broke! Larabars are just so delicious, that I thought it was worth it. But now Im making my own!

I subbed in apricots and raisins for the dates because thats what I had on hand. The apricots made them a bit dry and they werent sticking together so I tossed in a bit of Trader Joes peanut flour mixed with a sprinkle of water and it did the trick. In the end, they came out wonderful.



Apricot Cashew Coconut Bar

1/3c. apricots
1/4c. raisins
2T cashews
1/2c. toasted coconut flakes
1/2T TJ's peanut flour mixed with 2t water
pinch of salt

Put all ingredients in a food processor (I used my mini food chopper) and process until its crumbly and starting to stick together.
Form into three or four bars or cookie shapes and put in the fridge or freezer.

*INFO: 215 calories per 1/3 recipe (one bar).

Chocolate (or Avocado and Banana) Covered Pancakes

A few months back I used to make nearly ALL of the recipes on Chocolate Covered Katie's blog. So delicious and fun (especially fun eating them!) But now that Im off gluten and soy AND a lot of veggies (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, brussel sprouts), I cant eat most of the things I read about. I saw this recipe for Red Velvet Pancakes for One and wanted to try it. Now I know, CCK has a good amount of GF adaptations but I truly despise Bob's Red Mill GF flour mix (its the bean flour!). So I made my own version, gluten free with banana avocado creme.



GF Chocolate Pancakes with Avocado Banana Creme

1 1/2T sweet sorghum flour
1/2T tapioca flour (or starch)
2T + 1t GF oat flour
2T cocoa powder
1/2t baking powder
1/8t salt
1 1/2 packets stevia powder
1/2t egg replacer powder mixed w 1T warm water
1/4c. non dairy milk (I used homemade almond cashew)
1 1/2-2T water

Mix together the dry ingredients (everything up to and including the stevia) and the wet ingredients separately, then pour the wet into the dry and combine. Cook like regular pancakes.
Meanwhile whip together 1/8 avocado and about 4-5 inches of a banana in a food processor.
Once pancakes are done, plate up and top with avocado banana creme and the remaining banana.

SERVES: One (makes about 5 small pancakes and creme to top).


If I had them, I would've added toasted coconut flakes on top as well. That would have made it phenomenal!

Cantaloupe Juice? Yes, please!

A while back I bought a Jack Lalanne juicer on Kijiji. (Only 40$!!). Ive been juicing up a storm lately.

This morning I whipped up a big glass of cantaloupe juice!! And I know I know... they say not to eat melon with anything but itself, but I broke a cardinal rule and added a pear.



SO worth it.

My First Raw Soup!

Todays soup was definitely a leap of faith. Ive contemplated making raw soups before, but.. I do not have a Vita mix, I do not have a Blendtec, I dont even have a food processor. No. My blender is a different sort.



Yes. That is what my beast of a blender looks like. (Its actually an older model than that one.) Suffice to say it does its job... but raw carrots? Turning those raw carrots into a smooth puree? Hmmm... I dont know.

But alas! It not only pureed those pesky little carrots, it made an amazing meal. I wont be underestimating my elderly blender again.

Carrot Garlic Cream Soup (RAW!)

3/4c. chopped carrots
1/2c.-2/3c. warm water
1/2c. baby spinach
1 tbsp. avocado
2 tbsp. cashew garlic creme**
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
pinch each of salt, pepper, and chipotle powder

Blend the carrots and water first, then add the spinach and blend, and lastly add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

**Cashew Garlic Creme

1/4c. cashews, soaked
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
salt and pepper
water to equal 1/2c.

Puree in blender until smooth.

Tropical Inspiration

Todays smoothie was, hands down, one of the most delicious creations Ive ever tasted. Seriously.

Inspired by Kathy's salad HERE, I came up with this recipe.

Mango Avocado Smoothie


JUICE (fresh):
-2c. baby spinach
-1 tart apple
-2 carrots
1/2c. mango
1/4 avocado
5 ice cubes
pinch of pumpkin pie spice

Blend!

Oh my yum. You have to try this. The only downside is that its quite unphotogenic.



Well... dont say I didnt try.

Curried Carrot and Parsnip Soup

This recipe has been on my radar for quite a while. (CLICK HERE for the original.)

There were a lot few changes to this recipe than my other experiments. There were the major adaptations (veganizing and making it soy free) and some minor ones (adding a little more oomph where it was lacking). The breakdown is as follows:

Substitutions:

-5 3/4c. water and 2 veggie boullion cubes for the chicken stock
-160ml (one small can) coconut milk for the tofu

Additions:

- 2tbsp + 2tsp. extra curry powder
- 1tsp. cumin
- extra bay leaf
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
-1/2 tbsp. olive oil

I also decided to saute the onions and garlic in olive oil before adding the ingredients to the pot. The rest of the instructions remained the same.



It made 7 cups of soup at 155 calories per cup and was absolute YUM.


Ive been making so much soup lately Im surprised its not coming out of my ears! Not only did I make this soup today, I made a Tomato Soup as well just to use up some cherry tomatoes I got at 50% off at the grocery store a few days prior. So keep an eye out for that recipe in the near future! (Also get excited for my Vanilla Cashew Milk recipe and another delicious wrap!)

Wheat Free Vegan Coconut Cashew Granola

Is anyone else but me absolutely in shock over how high the price of granola is?? ESPECIALLY gluten free granola. Nearly 7$ for 6 little servings!!

This became a perfect excuse to make my own. (Now, Bobs Red Mill makes wheat free rolled oats. So its not necessarily 100% gluten free but some people with gluten intolerances aren't affected by uncontaminated oats.) My idea came from this recipe for Tropical Granola.

I played around with the portions and ingredients so much, it really doesnt look much like the original at all. But I, in all my sincere embarrassed glory, couldnt wait to have a bowl until morning and I had it for dinner last night when I made it.

Wheat Free Vegan Coconut Cashew Granola





2 cups wheat free rolled oats (bobs red mill)
2 cups puffed brown rice cereal
1/2 cup chopped cashews
3 tbsp. sunflower seeds
2 tbsp. whole flax seeds
6 tbsp. maple sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp. agave nectar
2 tbsp. coconut butter, melted
1 tbsp. original almond milk
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup diced dried apricot, preferably unsweetened & unsulfured
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

There were also a few changes to the instructions as well but other than the following, they remained the same.

1. I added the nuts with the oats.
2. For the coconut butter, melt in the microwave with the almond milk and mix with agave/applesauce mixture.
3. Add dried fruit the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.

Makes 4 3/4 cups.
Each 1/2 cup serving is 205 calories.



*NOTE: In the future I would probably sub out 1 tsp. of the coconut butter for an extra 2/3 cup or so of puffed rice just to make it an even 5 cups, therefore yielding exactly 10 servings at 195 calories each.

Sweet Potato (fry) Soup

Soups fill a big piece of my meal plan as of late. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, Im having a lot of digestive problems lately and that means, no more delicious creations, big plates of veggies, or much solid food at all. (Insert sad face here.)

Lunch for the past two weeks has been pretty much the exact same (super boring) fast and simple carrot soup (aka cut up a bunch of carrots and some a garlic close, measure out a half table spoon of miso, cover with water, microwave until mushy, and puree... adding spices at the end to taste). As I said, super boring.



Anyways, in steps this amazing recipe... Sweet Potato (fry) Soup. Clearly, being me... I mixed everything up, changed it all around, added, subtracted, and came up with my own version.

Roasted potatoes

7c. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1c. carrots, cut into 1 ” pieces
1/2 tsp each of cayenne pepper, dried thyme, garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp olive oil

Soup

Roasted potatoes (see above)
1 medium onion, diced
3 carrots, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp olive oil
6 1/2c. water
2 GF veggie boullion cubes
1/2 cup original almond milk

The recipe made 8 and a half cups of soup! And only 190 calories per cup. Its simply amazing and well worth the extra time.

After portioning myself a bowl for lunch, I put the soup back in the blender and added another 1/4c. of almond milk, 1 cup of raw baby spinach leaves, and 1/4c. of canned chickpeas to boost its nutrition. Then I topped it all off with toasted pumpkin seeds and nutritional yeast.

Baby Shower Baking!

What is one to do when invited to a baby shower.. yet cant think of a single idea in regards to gifts for the new mom??

BRING THE COOKIES OF COURSE!

Its also important to take note that I have merely a spattering of random baking ingredients in my cupboards at the moment and my pay day being tomorrow, I really didnt have the means to go out and stock up. I wanted to make something fitting my new diet, restrictions and all so I could indulge alongside everyone else. But really, with the limited amount of supplies, it was starting to look like I was going to show up empty handed.

I was perusing 'gluten free cookie' recipes on Tastespotting, coming up only with long complicated recipes with things Ive never heard of- nevermind had in my possession.

Finally, FINALLY I stumbled upon one that looked promising. Short ingredient list, easy subsitutions, vegan and gluten free. Perfect?

You can find the original recipe HERE and I made the following adaptations:

- 1c. brown rice flour became 3/4c. plus 1/4c. of both sweet sorghum flour and tapioca flour
- 1/2c. sugar was reduced to 1/4c. plus 1 tbsp. agave nectar
- 1/2c. dried fruit and nuts became 1/4c. of both raisins and chopped dark chocolate
- I replaced the oil with an equal amount of melted coconut butter
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract.
- refridgerated the batter before putting onto the cookie sheet (just about five minutes)

The remainder of the recipe I left as originally instructed except for a minor mistake that I made (that in turn led to the addition of the flax, the tapioca flour, and the refridgeration). Due to my lack of reading through directions prior to baking, I ended up adding all the liquid at once, turning the 'batter' into cookie soup. Clearly it needed a little thickening up.

Despite the mishap, they came out deliciously, albeit slightly chewier than your average cookie. This could be due to my alterations or my overzealous dumping in of the liquid ingredients. After a taste test, they were still deemed worth of the baby shower and Im sure anyone would be shocked to learn these are not only gluten free but vegan as well. Im just hoping there will be enough! There was only enough batter for 18 and I ate two (to make sure they were okay... clearly.)

SOY: Superfood? Or poison?

There is so much controversy over soy products. Is it a super food?? Will it give you cancer and kill you?? No one really seems to know.

Honestly... in my non-professional opinion as a tofu and soy milk lover, I see it just as I do any other food. It hasn't hurt and it hasn't particularly made my life any more spectacular either. I do although, believe in the saying "everything in moderation". And I'm pretty sure my soy product consumption is slightly over the 'moderate' limit.

Lunch today was my wrap from my prior post here, BUT with one minor adjustment. I did a tiny experiment and replaced the crumbled tofu with a third cup of chickpeas (mashed after measuring).

The wrap came out just as delicious, if not MORE delicious, than its tofu twin. Substitution success!

So.. whether you believe that soy is a miracle food or that it will cause suffering and possibly an unfortunate death, dont hesitate to try this soy free version of my tomato basil wrap. Its not worth passing by without a second glance- guaranteed.

One word for you: YUM!

Yet again, I find myself failing to blog as much as Id like and for that I apologize. Lately Ive been having quite a few stomach issues and unfortunately, cant eat much of what I used to and at the moment I am on a mostly liquid diet. (NOT FUN.) I miss cooking and obviously, the eating that comes afterwards. Its driving me crazy!

So Im going to make an attempt to update more often. For now, with older recipes and creations, as well as a few restaurant adventures, that I had never gotten around to posting.

Today, I have my all time FAVOURITE lunch. This is so good, I cant even explain. Before all this stomach rebellion, I was eating is pretty darn close to every day.



What is this amazing meal?? A Tofu Tomato-Basil Wrap with Avocado. (Gluten free, vegan, and delicious!) Its so simple and easy to adapt however you like. Heres the basic recipe:

1 Food for Life GF brown rice wrap
3/4 serving of extra firm tofu
2-3 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp braggs liquid aminos
pinch of pepper
1 tbsp. sundried tomato, chopped
1 tbsp. avocado, mashed
fresh basil*

First of all, defrost the wrap (you have to keep them frozen). Just take it out of the freezer before you start prepping everything else and by the time you need to fill it, it will be unthawed. Preheat a panini press or, if you dont have one, the oven to 450F.
Now, all you have to do is crumble the tofu into a ricotta cheese-like consistency.. mix with braggs first and then add garlic, pepper, and mix again. Lastly, mix in the nutritional yeast. Then simply spread avocado in the center of the wrap, lay down enough fresh basil leaves to cover the avocado and add the tofu, then the tomato! Roll up the wrap and place in panini press or oven until slightly golden on the outside. *If you dont have fresh basil, dried will work just fine too. Just mix it into the tofu with the pepper and use about 1 1/2 tsp.

Now tell me that isnt amazing! Like I mentioned earlier, its also super easy to adapt. Ive been know to add things to give it a bit of an extra nutritional kick or just for taste.

These are a few of my favourites:

1/2 tbsp. hemp hearts
1/4 c. finely shredded carrot
1/6 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp miso instead of the braggs (make sure you mix this really well though)
some diced onion

Pretty much anything you think would taste good! Enjoy!

Little O's.

Every day for breakfast I have the same thing. Every single day, no fail. But as much as I love my daily routine of Natures Path pumpkin flax granola, rice puffs, banana, and vanilla soy milk, I felt the need to switch things up a bit.

Enter, Natures Path Whole O's (gluten free and organic). These little O's are made from corn and whole grain rice and, like all Natures Path products, no artificial preservatives or additives and made without harming the environment (or any animals). At first taste, dry straight out of the box, theyre much lighter than Cheerios... with a lot more crunch. But once you add milk (soy of course), I doubt anyone could tell the difference. I love them. And it was a much needed stepping out of the box, though I couldnt help but add a bit of granola, a banana, and soy milk. This may be the start of a new breakfast tradition.

Purple Carrot Pasta (Raw) with Tasty Bite Bengal Lentils

And dont forget the nutritional yeast!

Its been a while!

Ive been a horrible blogger lately. Ive created so many delicious dishes and tried out a number of recipes and Ive just been too busy (or lazy) to post. Well, thats the end of that. I'll start with lunch today and back track for the next few days to catch everyone up on whats been going on in my kitchen!

Cheezy Nacho Hemp Dip
adapted from Kristen's Raw

1/3c. water
1/4c. hemp seed hearts
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4c. nutritional yeast
1-2 garlic clove
1 tsp braggs liquid aminos
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
pinch of salt

Toss into a blender and blend until smooth.

Makes about a half cup.
INFO: 45 calories per tablespoon.

Now for lunch, I ripped up three leaves of kale tossed them with two tablespoons of the dip (diluted with about 2 tsp water just to coat the leaves better) and baked them for about 10-12 minutes at 375F. In the future I would do two things differently: one, keep a better eye on them so I dont get any burnt kale chips and two, add more of the dip. The taste was barely there... still good but I like intense flavours.

On the side I made a quick tofu and carrot salad. Simple mixing frozen and dethawed medium firm tofu with 1/4 cup finely shredded carrot, a splash of braggs, 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast, salt/pepper, and garlic powder. Just crumble the tofu into a dish and mix everything together.



Dinner wasnt too special but it was (is... Im still working on it as Im posting) pretty tasty. I picked up some veggie california rolls at the supermarket today as well as some mushroom that I marinated in braggs (diluted with water) and I finished up the last of my edamame. Ive never had raw marinated mushrooms before and I have to say, Im VERY impressed.





The other thing I just wanted to mention is that for some reason unknown to me... Im unable to comment on ANY blogs hosted by Blogger. Its getting EXTREMELY frusterating as I want to be able to let you know how awesome all of your recipes are and than you all for your kindness! So just a heads up, Im not ignoring anyone. And if anyone has a clue whats going on let me know! Thank you so much.

Carrot Pancakes with Maple Cashew Cream

The second I saw this recipe, I knew I HAD to try it out for myself. Carrot pancakes? Who would've thought! And anything with maple and cashews is a clear winner. Thank you Spabettie for this amazing idea!



Pancakes:

1 cup carrot juice
2 teaspoons oil
1/2 cup gluten free all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 teaspoon chia seeds (mixed with 1 tbsp water)
1 teaspoon baking powder

Now the original recipe said to put everything in a blender to mix, though I ended up just using a whisk.
Cook in a pan (lightly greased) over medium until cooked through, flipping when one side is dry to the touch.
Makes 12 small carrot pancakes!

Cashew Cream:
3 tbsp. raw cashew butter
3 tbsp. soy creamer (I used Silk)
1 tbsp. maple syrup

I made my own adaptation for the cream out of convenience but it came out amazing.
Just whisk together with a small whisk and pour over pancakes.

SERVES: 2-3

Raw Carrot Pasta with Almond Butter Sauce and Seaweed Crisps

I ordered a Saladacco Spiralizer off of Ebay a few weeks ago and I finally got it in the mail. Its not officially my favourite kitchen appliance. They had run out of zucchini in the supermarket today, so I figured Id try it out with carrots instead.



1 large carrot
1 tbsp. raw almond butter
1 tbsp. soy milk (or other non dairy milk)
1/2 tbsp. Braggs liquid aminos
1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tbsp. water (add more to reach desired consistency)
3 sheets Trader Joes Roasted Seaweed Snacks (crumbled)

Use a spiralizer to make the carrot pasta. If you dont have a spiralizer, you can use a potato peeler and peel the carrot until you have as little of the carrot as possible left (this will result in a "fettucine" type noodle rather than "angel hair").
Mix together remaining ingredients except the seaweed.
Pour over pasta, mix, and top with seaweed crumbles.

SERVES: One.
INFO: 155 calories.

Sweet Potatoes with Maple Vanilla Almond Sauce

After learning this method of cooking sweet potatoes, I dont think I could ever do it another way again. Its the Low and Slow method (read more HERE). I made a few adjustments... just nixing the oil and adding salt, pepper, and a bit of cinnamon. And dont forget to poke some holes with a fork so the sap will leak out and carmalize!

I whipped up a quick sauce to go with them, though, honestly... they'd be just perfect all by themselves. Play with the spices if you want, anything that you think sounds good.

Maple Vanilla Almond Butter Sauce

1 tbsp raw (or regular) almond butter
40g soft tofu
1/2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp maple sugar
1/8 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of salt and spices (I used chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper)

Mix together either by hand or in a magic bullet and serve with sweet potatoes.

SERVES: one. (Sauce recipe only.)
INFO: 125 calories.

Whats for lunch? Quinoa!

The initial inspiration for this dish came from Oh She Glows (Mandarin Maple Spiced Quinoa) but I ended up making so many substitutions and additions that it became a completely different recipe all together.



2 tbsp. quinoa, toasted
1/2 c. water
1 c. packed baby spinach, minced
3 tbsp. canned chickpeas
1/2 tbsp. raisins
1 pitted date, chopped
2 mini honey mandarins
1/2 tbsp. raw almond butter (regular is fine too)
1 tsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. pepitas, toasted
a pinch each of salt, pepper, cinnamon and garlic powder
sprinkle of nutritional yeast (optional)

Cook quinoa according to directions.
Add minced spinach (I mince mine in a food processor), chickpeas, date, and raisins and cook for about 5 minutes until all water is absorbed.
Add spices, almond butter, and agave and stir until combined.
Transfer to a bowl and top with pepitas and yeast!

SERVES: one. (This recipe is very adaptable, so feel free to play with measurements.)
INFO: 260 calories.

And the best part??



Look how tiny the mandarin sections are!

Blueberries for breakfast, blueberries for lunch!

After quite a while of cereal and green monster smoothies for breakfast, I decided to revisit an old favourite. Oatmeal! Banana Bread Blueberry Oatmeal that is.





But by lunch time, I was missing my green monster (although, in reality, it looked blackish).. so I made this lovely creation.



1 frozen banana
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp. vega protein powder (vanilla)
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
2.4 cup baby spinach
1/4 cup water

Blend it up until its smooth.

SERVES: one.
INFO: 220 calories.

Quinoa Salad with Grapes, Apple, and Toasted Sunflower Seeds

3 tbsp. dry quinoa
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup grapes, sliced in halves
1/6 golden delicious apple, diced
1 tsp. sunflower seeds, toasted
1/2 tsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. Vegenaise
1 tsp. unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp. nutritional yeast
sprinkle of salt, pepper, cinnamon, and chipotle pepper powder

Cook quinoa according to directions.
Meanwhile, prepare the fruit and toast the sunflower seeds.
Once quinoa is finished, add to a bowl with the agave, Vegenaise, almond milk, and spices.
Mix and add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine.
Sprinkle with a little extra nutritional yeast if desired.
*This can be eaten cool or directly after the quinoa is done, leaving it luke warm.

SERVES: one.
INFO: 230 calories.