19 Jul 2016
Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Recipes
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Mom’s Grits Extravaganza

grits-extravaganza

I love southern comfort food… even in the hot summer months!

It is always challenging to take a favorite comfort food and make it delicious, healthy, and vegan. This easy vegan recipe takes a classic, grits, and gives you a dish that you can feel good about eating. It is yummy, creamy, and extremely satisfying!

 Grits Extravaganza

  • 1/4 cup organic yellow stone ground grits (polenta)
  • 1 cup vegetable broth (low or no sodium)
  • 3/4 cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 1/2 cup bell pepper of choice, diced
  • 1/2 cup onion, chopped
  • 1/3 cup cooked vegan sausage crumbles
  • 2  sun dried tomatoes, chopped (optional)
  • 1/2 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Spread
  • 1/4 cup vegan cheese shreds of choice
  • dash hot sauce (optional)
  • sea salt to taste
  • black ground pepper to taste
Cook grits according to package directions, using the vegetable broth instead of water.
Saute the vegan sausage crumbles, bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms in a little olive oil and add to cooked grits.
Add the sun dried tomatoes, earth balance, vegan cheese, hot sauce, pepper and salt to taste. Stir over low heat until cheese has melted.
Enjoy!
19 Apr 2016
Vegan Recipes
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Mom’s Easy No-Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

vegan soup recipe

This easy vegan soup recipe was created by my own mother on her last trip to visit me.

My mom is not much of a chef (she would tell you that herself), but when she comes to visit she seems inspired to make soups that always turn out amazing. She goes for the most simple, uncomplicated vegan recipes possible, which makes them all the more appealing. This trip she was feelin’ some vegan chicken noodle soup and it turned out fantastic! She’s all about comfort foods and this recipe definitely qualifies as one to cure a craving for comfort.
If you are trying to keep your pasta/flour intake low, you can always substitute the orzo for chickpea pasta or edamame and mung bean pasta. Another option is using quinoa (I haven’t tried it but I’m guessing it would work well). 
Here is her recipe…

No-Chicken Noodle Vegan Soup

Ingredients:
  • 1 onion
  • 3 stalks of celery, diced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic 
  • 1 package of Beyond Meat Grilled Chicken Strips – cut into little pieces
  • 1 32-oz box of organic vegetable broth (low sodium if possible)
  • a touch of olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
  • dash of hot sauce of choice (optional)
  • sea salt and pepper to taste
Saute the onion, celery, carrots and garlic in a little olive oil on medium/medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the Beyond Meat pieces and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Add the vegetable broth. Add the parsley, thyme, a dash of hot sauce (or whatever seasoning you like), and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a low boil and add 1/2 cup uncooked orzo or pasta of choice. Simmer for about 20 minutes.
 
Tip: This is one of those soups that tastes even better when heated up the next day!
Enjoy!
Easy vegan soup
16 Feb 2016
Going Vegan Tips, Guest Blog Posts, Uncategorized, Vegan Recipes
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5 Quick Power Packed Breakfasts

Carrot-Cake-Baked-Oatmeal

We’ve all heard it hundreds of times….breakfast is important!  

I think the reason a lot of us skip it is because we are pressed for time, bored with the usual options or have failed to plan ahead.  Here are five recipes that will hopefully not only have you eating breakfast everyday, but loving it too. It’s my favourite meal of the day!

You will notice that these are all of the sweet/fruity category, as I tend to gravitate to towards fruit in the morning and generally I have found savoury breakfasts to be more time consuming.  The first three are quick and easy to make in the morning, and the last two you need to make the night before.  Also I would strongly encourage investing in a high speed blender…I use mine multiple times daily and it really makes getting all those fruits and vegetable into your diet a breeze.

Nice-Cream

Mixed Berry Nice Cream

The simplest of them all!  Nice Cream is literally frozen bananas (they must be ripe!) blended with a splash or two of non-dairy milk and the add ins of your choosing.  Here I  have used 1 banana with 1/2 C of frozen mixed berries and topped with sliced almonds. But you can add whatever you want….cocoa powder, peanut butter, different mixed fruit…the possibilities are endless. Just throw it in the blender and you have breakfast in seconds.

Pumpkin-Spice-Breakfast-Bowl

Pumpkin Spice Protein Smoothie Bowl

A variation on nice cream is the smoothie bowl.  Same concept, different texture, and you can get a bit fancier 🙂  Again you can play around with it but this is one of my favourite versions:

  • 1 1/2 ripe frozen bananas
  • 1/2 C canned pumpkin
  • 3/4 C non dairy milk ( I used unsweetened almond milk)
  • 1 scoop of vanilla or unflavoured vegan protein powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp allspice

Add all ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Top with raw pumpkin seeds. granola and unsweetened coconut.  Recipe adapted from Pumpkin Pie Smoothie Bowl.

Protein-Pudding

Chocolate Protein Pudding

  • 1 package of soft tofu
  • 2 ripe bananas (not frozen)
  • 1 Tbsp almond butter
  • 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp chia seeds
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • Fresh fruit

Combine all ingredients in a high speed blender and voila… chocolate, high protein deliciousness. Top with fresh fruit. This makes a couple of  servings and the pudding keeps well in the fridge.

Chia-Pudding

Chia Pudding

The basic ratio for chia pudding is 3 Tbsp of chia seeds to 1 C of non dairy milk.  After that you can add what you want.  Here I have combined the chia seeds with 2 tsp of maple syrup and a 1/2 tsp of vanilla.  Whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate over night.  I find that if you can whisk again a couple of hours into the cooling process it helps to get the consistency really smooth and lump free.  In the morning layer with whatever fruits and nuts you like.  Here I have added raspberries and granola.

Carrot-Cake-Baked-Oatmeal

Heavenly Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal

I love oatmeal and baked oatmeal was a revelation for me.  I can now make a big batch and just throw a serving in the microwave in the morning. This recipe is from Oh She Glows and is amazing…I could eat in for breakfast, lunch and dinner with this meal on hand!  It does contain maple syrup but I have made it both with and without it and it tastes good both ways so if you are looking to reduce sugar in your diet try it without.

ENJOY!

Kirsten

29 Oct 2015
Going Vegan Tips, Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Nutrition, Vegan Recipes
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Blend Your Breakfast for Fast and Simple Nutrition!

Smoothie-vegan-breakfast

Simple solution for starting your day off with a blast of nutrition!

If you are like me and start your day long before the sun comes up chances are that you hit the snooze alarm 3 or 12 times then never have enough time to get everything done before heading out the door and dealing with morning traffic on the way to work.

With this type of schedule the most important meal of the day often becomes the most skipped meal of the day. One of my favorite ways to get fast, and more importantly healthy, meal in on the run is to make a smoothie for breakfast. These take less than 10 minutes to make.

You can even pre-stage the ingredients the night before by storing all the fruit, seeds, and greens you plan to blend in a container in the refrigerator so that all you ha4907987ve to do is dump it in your blender, add your choice of liquid base and blend!

In addition to being easy and quick to make, green smoothies are incredibly healthy and a great way to get a ton of fruits and vegetables in your diet.

One of my favorite recipes that will give you 2 servings of fruits, 2-4 servings of greens and boost of superfoods is my typical go-to early morning breakfast.

In a high-powered blender (I use a Vitamix) combine the following:

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  • 2 cups of non-dairy milk (I like almond or cashew) or water
  • 1 cup of strawberries
  • 1 banana
  • 2-4 cups of leafy greens (I like kale, spinach, collard greens, and dandelion greens — if you are new to green smoothies use equal amounts of fruits and greens until you can handle the bitterness of the greens! Then go wild with them, I usually use 3-5 cups of greens.)
  • 1-2 tbsp. of peanut or almond butter
  • 1 tbsp. of chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp. of hemp seeds
  • 1-2 tbsp. of ground flax seeds / flax meal
  • Blend for 30-60 seconds and enjoy. If you’re in a hurry throw it in a blender bottle and go!
  • Extra large Beavis and Butthead mug is optional!

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Stay Strong AND Healthy!

Scott

13 Jun 2015
Vegan Recipes
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Salad Recipe with a Kick

Salad Recipe with a Kick

Salads don’t have to be boring… Add a kick!

As simple as it is, I just don’t seem to get tired of this easy vegan salad recipe. I am purposely not giving you exact amounts of the ingredients in order to empower you to get creative and figure out what YOU like. That way you’ll be better equipped to whip up your own awesome salad creations on a whim!

You can switch up the greens and veggies, and add plant-based proteins like edamame, tempeh, or tofu. Adjust the wasabi amount to your liking. The wakame seaweed is not only a tasty addition that goes well with wasabi, but it is also said to help burn fat, and contains some very important nutrients such as magnesium, iron, vitamins A, C, E, K, D, and Riboflavin.   

Salad with a KickWakame Seaweed for Salad Recipe

  • organic greens of your choice
  • cucumber
  • tomato
  • avocado
  • red cabbage shreds
  • carrot shreds
  • bean sprouts
  • sesame seeds
  • dried wakame seaweed
  • Pick one: organic shelled edamame, tempeh, tofu or quinoa

Dressing (3-4 servings)

  • 2 TBSP wasabi paste
  • 4 TBSP Liquid Braggs Amino Acids or Low Sodium Gluten Free Tamari
  • 4 TBSP organic, extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 TBSP champagne vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

EAT UP and ENJOY!!!

*Interested in transforming your lifestyle? Attend my life-changing Master Class HERE!

25 Apr 2015
Vegan Recipes
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Easy Vegan Recipe: No Bake Gluten Free Protein Bars

vegan cacao nibs

These healthy vegan bars have a chewy brownie crust, a thick peanut butter layer and a chocolate drizzle and hemp seed topping.  They are an easy vegan recipe to make, and at 16 grams of protein per bar they are power packed and delicious!  For those of you with nut allergies the peanut butter could easily be swapped out for almond butter.  Recipe adapted from thefitchen.com.

IMG_1762

Crust:
1 1/2 C GF oat flour
12 dried apricots chopped
1/4 cocoa powder
1/4 brown rice syrup
1 Tbsp coconut oil melted

Peanut Butter Layer:
1 C GF oat flour
1/2 C GF rolled oats
1/2 C vegan protein powder (chocolate or unflavoured)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp chia seeds
1 1/2 Tbsp hemp seeds
1/2 C peanut or almond butter
1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flax mixed with 3 Tbsp water)
1/4 C agave
1/2 C almond or coconut milk (I used unsweetened chocolate almond milk)
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted

Topping:
1/4 C vegan chocolate chips, melted
hemp seeds

Grease an 8×8 baking dish with coconut oil.
Combine flax and water in a small bowl and set aside.
Add all the ingredients for the crust into a food processor and process until a crumbly dough is formed.  Transfer into the baking dish and press downs firmly until you have an even layer.
In a large bowl combine oat flour, rolled oats, protein powder, salt, chia seeds and hemp seeds.  Add agave, peanut butter, milk, flax egg and coconut oil.  Mix until just combined and then transfer to the food processor.  Process until well combined, adding a splash of milk if necessary.  Mixture will be thick and sticky.
Spread peanut butter layer over crust until even and smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour then drizzle with melted chocolate and hemp seeds. Return to the fridge for another hour. Enjoy!
Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or they freeze really well too.

Check out the original recipe HERE. 

IMG_1758

 

 

 

21 Mar 2014
Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Recipes
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Easy Cauliflower Chickpea Stew

Easy Vegan Recipe- Cauliflower Stew

I love one-pot meals and I love them even more if they are ready in under 30 minutes!  

This bowl is a quick, easy, warming, flavorful vegan recipe packed full of nutritional benefits.

Chickpeas are one of my favorite sources of protein. One cup gives you approximately 15 grams of protein and they are also high in iron, fiber, and have a  low glycemic index. And  because of their mild flavor they are very versatile and can be used in all sorts of different ways.  Even cookies!  But that’s another post….

Cauliflower is high in Vitamin C and is also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits and this recipe also contains spinach which is pretty much power packed with everything your body needs.  Let’s get our health on!

Easy Cauliflower Chickpea Stew

IMG_3585

 Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
  • 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
  • 1/2 C raisins
  • 1/2 C vegetable broth
  • 2 C (or more if you like) baby spinach
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes.  Add garlic, cumin and ginger and cook for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, chickpeas, cauliflower, raisins and vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, approximately 15-20 minutes.  Add spinach, salt and pepper and cook 1/-2 minutes more until spinach is wilted.

Enjoy!

Kirsten