Tag Archives: vegan

The only thing I can take credit for is eating this. I love this recipe exactly the way it is in The Power of Food by Adam Hart. This a fantastic cookbook for anyone looking to add nutrient dense, high prana, foods to their diet. There are chapters dedicated to hemp seeds, chia,cashews, garlic, ginger, avocados… I think you get the point!!!

I like to refer to this “dessert” as a power snack which justifies me eating it for breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner..which happens!

The ingredients are superior to most granola bar or protein bar recipes, and with the hemp seeds and almond butter, this packs a punch! This recipe is not only rich in protein, but also in omega 3 thanks to the walnuts and calcium from the sesame seeds and tahini. Lastly, it’s raw and has all the enzymes for optimal digestion and assimilation!

This is a must try!

Ingredients

1/2 cup walnuts, ground

1/4 cup sesame seeds, ground

1/4 cup hemp seeds

3 Tbsp tahini

3 Tbsp honey

2 Tbs[, almond butter

1/2 tsp Himalayan crystal salt

Extra hemp seeds for sprinkling on top

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the topping. Line an 8 inch square baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle some hempseed overtop and place the halvah in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Cut into small squares and serve. Store your halvah in an airtight glass container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Want chocolate halvah??? Add 2 Tbsp of Cacao!

Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing {vegan}

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This is one of my favourite, can’t go without salad dressings. It is so creamy and might just be the best caesar salad dressing I have ever had. The best part is it’s homemade, which means it doesn’t include any of those preservatives or low quality oils and refined sugars found in most store bought dressings.

Next time you are going to a party, offer to make the caesar salad. No one will disagree, since it is usually loved by all. They will have no idea that it’s vegan or made with cashews.

Cashews not only give it the thick and creamy texture, but offer you a boost of the amino acid L-trypophan which acts as a natural anti depressant!

photo from feedmephoebe.com

Creamy Cashew Caesar Salad Dressing

Ingredients

1.5 T capers, with liquid

2 cloves garlic (or try garlic scapes for a more mild flavour!)

2 T lemon juice

2 t dijon

1 T apple cider vinegar, preferable Bragg’s raw unfiltered

1 T light miso paste (made from soy beans, can be found at health food store or asian market)

1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashews, soaked for 2-3 hours

1/2 t salt

3/4 t pepper

1/4 cup water

1/2 oil

Directions

Soak cashew for up to 3 hours. Place all ingredients, except oil, in a blender and blend until smooth. Slowly begin adding oil. Add more water if required (sometimes the dressing is too thick for the blender.) Add more or less garlic based on your preferences.

Right now I am loving this dressing with fresh, soft, kale leaves, but it is just as great with mixed greens or classical romaine.

Feel free to add croutons or parmesan. I have also been making tempeh “bacon bits” which are amazing and satisfy just as much as bacon. The latter is also an option if you can get good quality.

photo from sondibruner.com

Delicious whole grain bread (it’s steamed!) {gluten-free}

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It is so important for me to know exactly what’s in my food. I have began to make as much as I can from scratch… including bread. Although I love my grandmas homemade bread recipe, I could see this being more of a staple in my kitchen. If you like to make home made bread, I suggest giving this one a try. It is made with gluten free whole grains , brown rice and rolled oats. It is not grain free, but if you like, check out my paleo bread recipe. I had never even heard about steaming bread before this recipe, but I must admit it was delicious and so moist. I’m sure you could play around with flavors adding either fresh herbs for a more savory taste, or seeds and dried fruit for a sweeter breakfast bread. I definitely recommend a bamboo basket steamer for this recipe!

Steamed Gluten Free Bread

Makes 1 loaf

1.5 cups cooked squash (or sweet potato)

1.5 cups brown rice flour (best to make your own by grinding brown rice in a vitamix)

1 cup oat flour (purchased, or again, make your own from rolled oats)

1/4 cup ground flax

3 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

2.5 t salt

2.5 t active yeast

3/4 cup warm water

2 T honey or maple syrup

1/4 cup coconut oil or olive oil for coating bread

Cube squash and boil until tender.

Meanwhile, grind brown rice and oats to make a flour.

Combine flours, flax, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In a measuring cup, combine warm water, sugar and yeast and let is sit for 5 minutes or until it gets foamy.

Once squash is cooked, drain and pulse with honey in a food processor. Add yeast and water.

Add squash mixture to flour mixture and mix into a ball (best to use your hands here!) Oil hands to shape the bread into a big round ball.

Use a bamboo basket steamer for the next step and place over a pot of boiling water.

Place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the steamer and add bread dough.

*Preheat oven to 375*

Steam for 30 minutes. Remove bread from steamer, add more oil to the exterior and bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes or until the exterior gets firm.

Best enjoyed as fresh bread with a delicious soup!

Banana-Date muffins {gluten-free}

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This is the first gluten free muffin I’ve made that I actually enjoyed. It had a nice crumbly lightness to it, without falling apart. It comes from an Ayurvedic cookbook filled with excellent recipes for balancing the 3 doshas: kapha, pitta, vata.

I made ghee for the first time this week, which also comes from Ayurveda and it taste sooo good with the muffin! I don’t eat muffins often but they are great for a quick snack!

Makes 12 muffins
4 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup sunflower seed oil (or substitute for coconut oil )
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 t nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
12 dates, 6 chopped +6 halved, set aside for topping the muffin
2 1/2 cups Bob’s red mill all purpose gluten free flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 t sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash the bananas in a medium mixing bowl and stir in the oil and syrup. Mix in the spices and the dry ingredients. Spoon into well-oiled muffin tin. Top each muffin with half a date, sliced lengthwise, for decoration. Bake 25 minutes or until done. Enjoy warm with ghee, nut butter or your favorite jam

Sunflower Seed Paleo Bread

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I absolutely love this bread recipe. It is quite simple to make, flourless, really tasty and so light! It is always exciting to find new bread recipes that work and actually resemble bread! I also enjoy flaxseed focaccia, or raw crackers, but I am really loving this new recipe (created by Jamie at The Blissful Kitchen.)I know that some people following paleo do avoid flaxseed but I’ll call it paleo bread since that’s what her recipe is.

I like to use it for sandwiches like a vegan BLT with marinated eggplant bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and a red pepper cashew mayo, or a sweet breakfast sammy with PB and local honey!

It would be great as toast, served with soup or for any sandwich of choice!

Paleo Bread

2 cups sunflower seeds
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
2 T coconut flour
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
5 large eggs, preferably organic and local
1 T extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil, melted
1 T honey
1 T apple cider vinegar, I like Bragg’s raw unfiltered

Preheat oven to 350.

In a food processor, pulse together sunflower seeds, coconut flour, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, oil, honey, apple cider vinegar until well combined. Pulse in ground flax.

Prepare a loaf pan with parchment paper to prevent the bread from sticking. Place batter in loaf pan and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Let cool for 1 hour before removing from pan or slicing.

Makes 1 loaf

Raw Superfood Demo at Shanti Retreat

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This weekend, I offered a raw superfood demo at Shanti Retreat as well as a conscious cooking workshop. My intention was to educate and inspire people to include more whole foods in the diet and to increase the amount of raw, enzyme rich foods and supplements.

Here are some highlights and recipes from the demo!

Raw Soaked Muesli with goji berries

Directions:

Combine any amounts of the following ingredients (according to preferences and what’s in your pantry!) and soak overnight with double the amount of liquid, either almond, coconut or soy milk. In the morning, add fresh berries and sliced bananas and more milk if needed.

Rolled Oats

Chia Seeds

Pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Almonds

Dried Fruit (goji berries, dates, cranberries, raisins, figs, apricots)

cinnamon

vanilla

sea salt

maple syrup

almond, coconut or soy milk

My favorite superfoods and their benefits

Raw Cacao (powder, nibs, beans): high in magnesium, minerals, iron and antioxidants

Sea Veggies (spirulina, chlorella, kelp, algea, E3live): increases energy, complete protein, reduces stress, alkalizing, anti-aging, full of vitamins and minerals, detoxifies, improves mental clarity.

Maca: increases vitality and energy, balances endocrine system and hormones, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants

Carob: source of calcium, fiber and vitamin D

Leafy Greens: fibre, chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals

Parsley: alkalizing high in vitamin K and C

Hemp Seeds: complete protein, omega fatty acids, minerals

Coconut Water: nature’s gatorade, replenishes electrolytes

Better than coffee Energy BURST superfood smoothie

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Essentially… This is a healthy chocolate milkshake … Minus the milk, sugar and additives.
After an hour on the stand paddle board this morning, I had 10 minutes before having to teach yoga and needed an energy burst!

The cacao and Maca give you that energy burst and the coconut oil fills you up and makes the shake extra frothy, vega powder and almond butter for protein and banana and maple syrup to sweeten naturally.

Here’s what I came up… Best smoothie in a long time!

1 frozen banana
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 scoop vanilla vega sport performance
2 big tablespoons of raw cacao powder
1 tbsp Maple syrup or 2 medjool dates
1 tsp Maca
1 tbsp almond butter
1-2 cups almond milk

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip and Cranberry Cookies (w/ oat pulp)

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Oatmeal chocolate chip and cranberry cookies… (Made from steel cut oat pulp after making delicious banana oat milk for granola and smoothies)

If it’s up to me, nothing goes to waste..especially in the kitchen! I love to make homemade almond and hempseed milk, and was feeling inspired to make banana oat milk which I had tried at Hridaya Yoga Center in Mazunte, Mexico.

I found an easy and delicious recipe from Oh She Glows and then added a banana for creaminess and sweetness (I add banana to anything if I can get away with it!)

When I noticed I had all this leftover steel cut oat pulp, I wondered how I could get creative with it. The recipe I came up with is so tasty and satisfying for dessert, pre-workout or breakfast.

Oatmeal chocolate chip and cranberry cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup oat pulp (leftover from oat milk)

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground

1 tsp vanilla

1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 2 tbsp hot water)

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 cup light spelt flour or gluten free baking flour (look for a buckwheat base)

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips