Sunshine Juice

 

Today was a pretty gloomy day outside, so I decided to make a juice to bring some light into it! We went to the Root Cellar today and loaded up on fruits and veggies so I had tons of options. I ended up using a whole fresh pineapple, 5 navel oranges, and a thumb of ginger which made a beautiful yellow colour. (Hence the name!)

Ingredients: 

1 whole fresh pineapple

5 navel oranges

1 thumb of ginger

Directions:

Wash all your fruit, then dry well.

Cut both ends off your pineapple. Stand it upright and cut the skin off the sides. Still upright, cut the pineapple in half, then cut each half into strips that will fit easily into your juicer.

For your oranges, cut them the same way as the pineapple, leaving as much white on them as possible, but just cut them into quarters instead of strips.

Put all ingredients through juicer making sure to take your time.

Serve immediately to reap all the nutritious benefits! 🙂

Cranberry Apple Carrot Pulp Bread

Will and I recently started juicing, and I really wanted to find a way to start using the pulp so that it didn’t go to waste. There’s a bunch of options out there which is amazing, but this one I loved because you could really use any type of pulp mixed with carrot pulp and it will make a great bread! In this recipe I used carrot and apple pulp, but feel free to experiment!

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups carrot & apple pulp

1 medium carrot, grated (leave peel on if organic, peel if not!)

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup agave nectar

2 flax eggs (1 tbsp  ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water mixed and refrigerated for at least 15 minutes)

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In large mixing bowl, combine oil and agave together and mix well. Add in flax eggs, vanilla, apple and carrot pulp, and grated carrot.

In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, mix until blended, then add to dry ingredients mixing until smooth.

Add in walnuts and cranberries and fold into the mixture.

Pour into a greased 9″ loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool for 10 minutes before enjoying!

Simple Lentil Loaf

This is a recipe that I love for when money is tight! It’s very inexpensive, tasty, and nutritious! What more could you ask for?!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups dried green lentils

4 cups water

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cups uncooked rice

1/4 cup ketchup + 4 tbsp ketchup

1/2 ts salt

1/ 2 ts dried sage

A pinch of the following dried spices: Thyme, oregano, savoury, marjoram, basil, sage, rosemary.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook rice according to instructions, and set aside.

Cook lentils in water until soft, about 30 minutes.

While lentils are cooking, sauté onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent, then remove from heat.

Once lentils are done, drain well, and mash until about half them are pureed. Add in onions, garlic, rice, ketchup, seasonings, and mix well.

Lightly grease a loaf pan, then line with parchment paper so that on either side you have about an inch extra hanging out. (This makes taking your loaf out of the pan so so easy!)

Press your mixture into your lined pan, cover with foil, and put in your preheated oven for 50 minute.

Remove from oven, take off foil, and using a pastry brush or spatula, spread a thin layer of ketchup over the loaf.

Put the loaf back in the oven uncovered for 10 minutes.

Remove, and let cool for 20 minutes before enjoying!

❤

Yam Fries with Chipotle Aioli

Will and I have been trying for the longest time to figure out how to make crispy yam fries in the oven, and after much trial and error, we’ve finally done it! I made two versions of fries, one is regular salted, the other is cajun spiced! Hope you enjoy!

Yam Fries Ingredients:

1-2 Yams

Cornstarch

Olive Oil

Sea Salt OR Cajun Spice

Parchment Paper

Chipotle Aioli Ingredients:

1 Cup Vegan Mayonnaise

2 Chipotle Chiles in Adobe

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

Cajun Spice Ingredients:

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

1 1/4 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

3/4 tsp Dried Oregano

3/4 tsp dried Thyme

(Just mix all ingredients in a bowl to make cajun spice!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Peel and cut your yams into 1/2″ fry shapes. Wash yams in strainer, then dry throughly.

Put all your cut into a plastic bag, and sprinkle enough cornstarch on the fries that they get evenly coated.

Place yams in a large bowl, drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on top, and mix until all fries are coated. Add either sea salt or cajun spice, and mix well.

Place on baking sheets in a single layer, making sure none of the fries are touching each other. (They are really sticky with the cornstarch!)

Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until underside is golden brown. Using tongs, flip each fry (very gently,) and bake for another 10 minutes.

To make Aioli, combine all ingredients in a blender, or magic bullet, and blend until smooth.

Banana Chips, the Healthy Way!

Banana chips have always been one of my favourite snacks, but when you buy them from a grocery store, they have so many unnecessary ingredients in them! I made a batch of banana chips with no added sugars, there’s only two ingredients in this recipe…Bananas, and lemon juice. The lemon is optional, I use it so the banana’s keep their colour!

Ingredients:

Bananas, (as many as you want, but for this recipe I used 8)

3 Tbsp. Lemon juice, mixed with about 1 litre of water (4 cups)

Directions:

Peel your banana’s and slice them about 1/4 inch thick.

Dip them in your lemon/water mixture, then place on your dehydrator tray in a single layer.

Turn your dehydrator on to 135F for about 12 hours, or until they reach your desired consistency.

Once they’re done, let them cool for a couple hours before munching! Enjoy!

*Note: If you have a round dehydrator, make sure that half-way through your timer, you rotate the trays so ensure even dehydrating!

Guilt-Free Banana Split

I’m sure many of you have already been to her site, but I just had to post this recipe I tried today because it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I am a huge sweets fan, but have always struggled with weight, so I find myself feeling very deprived at times! This recipe is 40 calories per bite, so really, how can you go wrong? The only thing I changed with the recipe is I omitted the oil, and just melted chocolate by itself. I got this recipe from one of my favourite vegan sites ohsheglows.com

Here is the link to the recipe, I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

Mess-Free Banana Split Bites

Wild-Rice Stuffed Acorn Squash

This is another recipe from the Martha Stewert website, (she has a ton of great vegan recipes!) This to me is a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s easy, inexpensive, and bursts with holiday flavours! I followed the recipe for the most part. What I did change was I added chunks of carrot and celery for some added crunch, and I forgot to buy the cherries so I didn’t put them in, but I’m sure it’s delicious with them lol! I also didn’t use any butter just because I like to cut down on grease when I feel it’s not necessary. This squash was a big hit when I made it, and I will probably make it this Thanksgiving too! Click the link below to get the recipe:

Wild-Rice Stuffed Squash Recipe

End of Summer Salad

Yesterday really felt like the last day of summer, so I decided to make a nice colourful salad to say goodbye to the summer and greet the fall! This salad is great for a main, or you could make a smaller version an have it as a side. Happy fall everyone!

Ingredients:

(Makes 2 main course size salads)

1/2 bunch spinach, cut into bite size pieces

1/2 head lettuce, cut into bite size pieces

1 red pepper, cut into chunks

1 yellow pepper, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1 tomato, cut into chunks

2 Tbsp raw pumpkin seeds

2 Tbsp raw sliced almonds

2 Tbsp flame raisins, or your favourite kind!

2 Tbsp balsamic dressing, see “Bean Burgers with Mango Salsa and Caesar Salad” for recipe

Put lettuce on plates, evenly place peppers, celery, and tomato on lettuce. Sprinkle pumpkin seeds, almonds, and raisins on top. Drizzle with salad dressing, and serve!

Chocolate Dipped Pears

I saw this dessert idea on the Martha Stewart website and I decided to put a bit of a twist on it to make it a little more fun. After dipping the pears I rolled the bottom half in shredded coconut and it tasted and looked great in the end. Some other ideas I had were rolling the bottom half in sliced almonds. For this recipe, see the link below:

Chocolate-Dipped Pears

Mexican Salad in Tortilla Bowls

Before Will and I went vegan, we ate a lot of crap! Some of the crap we loved to eat was mexican fast food. I remember buying the salads in tortilla bowls thinking it was a healthy choice, but in reality the bowl was deep fried, the salad was drenched in sour cream, shredded cheese, and guacamole, and all the vegetables had next to no nutrients in them. Now, even though that dish was so, so bad for us, the taste I will admit was very addicting! I wanted to try and make my own healthy vegan version of this so we can still enjoy a mexican salad without all the junk!

Ingredients:

4 whole wheat soft-shell tortillas

1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped into bite size pieces

2 tbs cilantro, minced

1 red pepper, chopped into 1″ pieced

1 tomato, chopped into 1″ pieces

1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked

1 cup red kidney beans, cooked

1 beet, sliced using potato peeler

6 wooden skewers

balsamic dressing, see “Bean Burger with Mango Salsa & Caesar Salad” for recipe

To make the tortilla bowls, I took 6 wooden skewers and broke them all in half. Next, I pinched a corner at a time and put 1 skewer through each 2 pinches I made until I had a bowl shape. Once all 4 were done, I put them in a preheated oven for about 5 minutes, or until the tortillas are stiff to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool, then remove skewers.

To make the beet crisps, take a whole beet, cut off the ends, and peel it. Then, using a potato peeler, slice the whole beet so you have paper thin circular slices. In a bowl, add 1 tbs of olive oil and toss the beets until they are evenly covered. Lay them on a baking sheet making sure not to overlap, and cook in your preheated oven for about 5 minutes, or until the outsides are coming to a nice crisp. Remove from oven, let cool on baking sheet until ready to use.

To assemble your salad bowls, fill the tortilla bowls with lettuce, top with tomato, pepper,  corn, and beans. Garnish with beet crisps and cilantro, and drizzle balsamic dressing on top.