Coconut Chocolate chip Almond Biscuits

A quick and easy snack to make and eat on the go!  
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup of almond meal (process raw almonds in food processor)
1/4 cup of coconut flakes
1/2 cup of brown rice flour
1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of salt
2 tbsp of coconut sugar
1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup of tapioca starch
mix dry ingredients together

Wet Ingredients:
1/4 cup of coconut oil (melted)
1/2 cup of almond milk
mix together then add to dry

Then bake at 375 for 15 mins

Enjoy!

Curried Lentils

This is a quick dinner option that only involves only a couple ingredients!
First:
1/2 cup of lentils, boil in 1 1/2 cups of water (about 15-20 mins)
Then:
in a large frying pan or skillet add 1 1/2 cups of coconut milk,
1tsp of curry powder,
1tsp of tumeric,
1/2 tsp of salt,
mix together while pan heats up to a medium heat
then add in cooked lentils,
1 clove of minced garlic 
1/4-1/2 cup of chopped leeks or onions
simmer for about 10 mins (thickens up)
Then serve on a bed of greens!

Enjoy!

Revamped Protein Pancakes with Berry Chia Jam

I already have have 2 pancake recipes but I have discovered a new one why combining the two I already have! Here it is...the new pancake recipe:
1/3 cup of quinoa
1/3 cup of rice
1/3 of raw buckwheat groats
These should all be raw uncooked grains, mix them in a cup of water and let them soak for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Then add:
1/4 cup of ground flax
1/3 cup of almond milk
Blend all together
Then add a scoop of protein powder of your choice (keeping in mind that flavoured ones will then flavour our pancakes.
Pour on pan and spread the mixture to desired thickness and cook.
Recipe makes about 5 large ones.

Now the new addition to the topping family, Chia Jam!
In a small pot mix:
1/3 cup of chia seeds
1 cup of water
a handful of frozen berries of your choice (I used strawberries)
2-3 tbsps of maple syrup
Bring mixture to a boil and stir every couple of mins, let boil for about 5 mins and then cool, make sure berries have been thawed and squish them using a spoon and stir in (so its not as lumpy)
Then spread on pancakes and sprinkle choice of nuts on top (I enjoy walnuts or chopped almonds)

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Sauce

Looking for a creamy filling winter pasta sauce? Check out this recipe for my Butternut Squash Sauce.
In a food processor add:
1/2 of a baked butternut squash (cut squash in half, remove seeds and lie on baking sheet with inside facing up, bake at 375 for about 40 mins or until soft when poked with fork, then let cool and peel off shell and break into pieces or spoon insides out)
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
1/2 cup of almond milk
1/4 cup of sesame seeds
1 tsp of salt
2 tsp of ginger
1 tsp of cumin
2 tbsp of melted coconut oil
blend until smooth

Mix in with your choice of pasta ( I used rice noodles), once mixed with noodles you can heat it up in a pot on the stove for a couple mins (dish can be served cold too), then add in some kale and sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top.
Enjoy!

Dinner Biscuits

Ever need dinner on the run?  How about a quick bite to eat for lunch?  We.ll this recipe is easy to prep and contains dinner in a biscuit.

First mix together all the dry ingredients.
Dry ingredients
1 ½ cups of chickpea flour
1 ½ tsp of salt
3 tsp of baking powder
1/8 tsp cayenne
½ tsp of cumin
2tsp of dried basil
1/3 cup of green or red chopped peppers
1 cup of shredded dinosaur kale
¼ cup of pumpkin seeds

Then in a separate bowl mix together all the wet ingredients.
Wet Ingredients
Let 3 tbsp of ground flax seeds sit in 6 tbsp of warm water for 5 mins
Then add in ½-1 cup of pureed squash or sweet potatoes (make sure they are cooked)
And a ¼ cup of olive oil
And mix together

Then add to dry mix and stir in and add ½ cup of almond milk
Stir all together into a batter
Then scoop onto a cookie sheet

Bake at 375 for 15-20 mins
Makes about 9 biscuits

Pumpkin Salad Dressing

Ever wonder what to do with your left over pureed pumpkin from a pie or Thanksgiving pumpkin treat?  Make a salad dressing out of it! This is a quick easy recipe that can easily be adapted for other types of squashes too!
In a blender add:
½ cup of pureed pumpkin
3 tbsp of olive oil
2 tsp of apple cider vinegar
1 tsp of ginger powder
½ tsp of salt
1 tsp of garlic powder
Blend together and serve on greens with pumpkin seeds or any other veggies you would like!

Enjoy!

Simple Green Smoothie

Smoothies are simple and a great way for your body to quickly absorb nutrients!  By blending things up together you are breaking down the enzymes before consuming them, saving your stomach from doing all that work and leaving your body to digest it faster to get all the energy from it quicker.  If you are starting on a smoothie journey here is a quick and simple recipe for one that can easily be built on to intensify your smoothie experience.
In a blender put
-the juice of one orange
-the juice of half a lemon
-1 cup of spinach
-3-4 frozen or fresh strawberries
-1/3-1/2 of a frozen or fresh banana

Blend all ingredients together for 2 mins or until all chunks are gone and drink!
Tips: To make your smoothie keep your stomach satisfied longer add a tbsp of coconut oil or a 1/4 of an avocado, or add a tbsp or ground flax or chia seeds, also consider adding a protein powder

Extra Crispy Apple Crisp

Looking for a great family dessert for fall?  Use something with apples since apples are in season!  I have been going fall recipe crazy and I have recently created my own extra crisp apple crisp! (aka apple crisp with an extra layer of crisp)
For the first layer:
In the food processor put
1 cup of raw almonds (or half almond, half another nut, such as hazelnut)
1 cup of oats
and blend that too a crumble
then add
3/4 cup of raisins
2 tbsp of coconut oil
1tsp of of vanilla extract
Then blend all of it together until well mixed and crumbled
Then empty into baking pan and press down into bottom

Middle layer:
Chop up a medium sized apple or 2 small apples (I used fresh Macintosh from the farmers market)
Put in a bowl with
2tsp of cinnamon
2 tbsps of maple syrup
Toss all of this together until apples are coated

Then spread out in baking pan on top of bottom layer
Top layer:
For the top layer in a bowl add....
1 cup of oats
1/4 cup of coconut sugar
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
1 tbsp of coconut oil
Now press ingredients into coconut oil to mix (as you would when using butter in a recipe) until it becomes a crumble then spread on very top

Then bake in oven at 375 degrees for about 30-45 mins (until apples have become cooked)
The cut and serve! Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup

Fall is here people and so we need to embrace it! Along with falling leaves and comfy sweaters, soup is one of my fav things about this season.  So here is a comforting recipe that will carry you through fall and into the long cold winter nights.
First:
-bake a medium sized butter nut squash at 375 degrees
use fork to poke it until it is soft, which should take around 40 mins, and let it sit and cool for about 20 mins

Second:
-scope out the seeds of the butternut squash and throw out
-scope out all of the inside of the squash and put it in the food processor with a whole can of coconut milk and a cup of whole cashews
-blend until smooth

Third:
-while your squash is cooking you can do the next steps
-sautee a medium sized onion (chopped) and minced 2 cloves of garlic in 2 tbsps of coconut oil

and..
-boil 1/2 cup of dry lentils with a large chopped carrot and a chopped celery stalk
-boil until lentils are cooked....about 20 mins

Fourth:
-add in the cooked onions, garlic, lentils, carrots and celery into the food processor with your already mixed squash with coconut milk and cashews.
-add 1 cup of water, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of ginger and 1/2 tsp of paprika
-then mix all the ingredients together in your food processor for about 3-5 mins
-if it is not warm enough you can reheat it in a pot and serve!

Enjoy!

Jam Packed Salsa

Unfortunately summer is coming to an end...but Im not ready to give up my summer foods yet!  I have what will probably be my last summer recipe to share...until next year, but why not go out with a bang?!
Here it is:
Dressing-
juice from half a lime
1-2 tbsp of olive oil
1tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/8 tsp of cayenne
-whisk all of the ingredients together and let sit while you make the rest of the recipe

Salsa-
1 cup of cooked black beans (I boiled mine myself before hand and rinsed them in cold water)
1 medium sized avocado diced
1 medium sized tomato diced
1/2 of a medium sized onion diced
1cup of finely chopped parsley
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 of a green pepper diced
-mix all together in a bowl and then add dressing and mix in.....leave for a couple hours in the fridge if you prefer dressing to soak in

This dish can either be eaten alone, or served with corn chips(organic non-gmo please), or served on a bed of rice or leafy greens.
Enjoy!

Cheese-free Cheesecake!

Cheesecake always seems to be a go to dessert that is a big hit with everyone, but what happens when you take the cheese out of cheesecake?  A healthy alternative, that's what! This recipe is guaranteed to satisfy all your cheesecake taste buds without the dairy issues.
Bottom layer:
1cup raw whole almonds
1/4 cup walnuts
1/2 cup of shredded coconut
blend until crumbs
add 1 cup of raisins
blend until clumping occurs

pour into pan and use a spoon to  press it down evenly into the bottom of the pan

Filling layer:
1cup coconut milk
1 1/2 cups of whole raw cashews
1/2 tsp  of vanilla extract
2 tbsp of maple syrup
blend until creamy (approx 5 mins)

once blended pour into the pan on top of the flattened bottom layer, smooth out, and place in freezer

After about an hour in the freezer you  can add the toppings.

Toppings:
any kind of fresh fruit
or
you can mix your fruit with some hot water, a lil maple syrup and slippery elm powder to make a layer of fruit on top.
Freeze the whole thing  for  about 3 plus hours or until solid all the way through.
Cut and enjoy! This ones peach.

I also made a blueberry one that turned out great!

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

If there is one thing you might miss when it comes to cutting out dairy is creamy sauces.....mmmm alfredo use to be one of my favorites! I recently just created a recipe where you can have your healthy creamy sauce and eat it too!

You will need:
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup or organic full fat coconut milk (fat in coconut milk is good fat so none of that half fat "light" stuff)
1 cup of whole cashews
1/2 cup of whole brazil nuts
1tbsp of nutritional yeast
1/4tsp of salt
1tsp basil (I used dried)
1tsp thyme (I used dried)

add all ingredients to a food processor and blend for 2-4 mins or until creamy

Mix into any pasta!....I used gluten free rice pasta and added some steamed snow peas!
Enjoy! :)

Strawberry Chocolate Pecan Tart

Ever feel like treating yourself to something special? Well you don't have to leave the house and go to a fancy bakery to do so! I felt like I deserved a little special dessert the other night but I  didn't want to have to leave the house to find something without sugar or milk, that was gluten free and would still satisfy my taste buds.  I ended up putting together this little creation  and thought I would share it with you!
First start with the....
Crust:
In a food processor first mix
1 cup of pecans
1/2 cup of sunflower seeds
1/4 cup of ground flax seeds
Then after they have been mixed to a crumble add in
1/3 cup of raisins
2 tbsps of maple syrup
1tsp of vanilla extract
-after mixed form into little tart shapes with your hands....see below

Next is  the....
Chocolate pudding filling
1/2 cup of cashews
1/2 cup  of water
mix till all blended
add a half of avocado
1tsp vanilla extract
1tbsp of maple syrup
1/4 cup  of cocoa powder
-once finished fill tart shells about 3/4 full of filling...see bellow

 Strawberry Jelly from a previous post:
a cup of water in a pot, 2 tbsps of maple syrup and 4-5 frozen strawberries...bring to a boil and boil for 5-10 mins (stirring and chopping strawberries with a spoon when mushy)
then turn off and as water cools add 1 tbsp of slippery elm powder.  Stir in and let sit, stirring every couple mins until it is cooled and thick.
-once cooled add to top of tarts and then freeze for 10-15 mins to let everything set then serve and keep left overs in fridge

Remember that you dont need  company to whip up a little treat, you deserve to treat yourself once in awhile and please try not to eat your feelings whenever your feeling down! 

The Herb Best Used to Replace Gelatin

I recently attended a cooking class as part of my credits for school.  The cooking class consisted of all vegan, gluten free cooking, which I have plenty of  experience with.  The person who put it on, who is also one of my teaches, was the one who wrote the cookbook we followed. 
Here is the link to her site (she is amazing, definitely one of my idols) http://www.livenutritionschool.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=59&Itemid=74 
There was one clever trick I did learn at this cooking class that I have used ever since.  The secret is a herb called....Slippery Elm.
Slippery Elm is a herb perfect for healing and soothing the digestive tract.  It is especially good for intestinal ulcers. 

The perfect part about Slippery Elm when it comes to cooking our baking is its texture can be used to replace a gelatin.  When added to water it has the same gelatinous texture.
One of my fav recipes to use it in is strawberry jelly!
All you need is:
a cup of water in a pot, 2 tbsps of maple syrup and 4-5 frozen strawberries...bring to a boil and boil for 5-10 mins (stirring and chopping strawberries with a spoon when mushy)
then turn off and as water cools add 1 tbsp of slippery elm powder.  Stir in and let sit, stirring every couple mins until it is cooled and thick.

And there you go...vegan strawberry jam thats good for your intestines!
Enjoy!

Stuffed Mega Mushroom

So I have been saving this recipe to post on this specific holiday.  Today is Fathers day and my dad loveeeesss mushrooms! We are both pretty big mushroom fans and this is a recipe for all you mushroom fans! So i dedicate this post to daddykins and will totally be making it for him next time I'm home. Here it is:
1 big portabello mushroom cut of the stem (and chop it to add to your quinoa mixture)

Then in a bowl mix the following:

1cup cooked quinoa
1/3 cooked lentils
1/4 cup onion chopped
1 garlic clove minced
1tsp salt (boiled with quinoa)
2 tbsp of coconut oil
1/2tsp thyme
1/8tsp paprika
1/4tsp cumin

After its all mixed together in a bowl pile it up inside the mushroom and place on a greased pan

cook at 375 degrees  for about 30-45 mins, you will smell the mushroom cooking and see the juices start to pour out.
Then take it out let it cool  off a little and add a cup of chopped up spinach to the top and serve.  You will need a knife and fork to go at this mound of juicy mushroom goodness.

Happy Fathers Day! :)

3 ingredient Protein Pancakes

I don't know about you but my fav weekend treat is PANCAKES! Thats right the secret is out...I am a nutritionist who LOVES pancakes!  If there is one thing I love more then pancakes, its convenience.  When I wake up on a Saturday I am not a fan of taking an hour to make breakfast, but I expect a breakfast that tastes so fabulous that it took an hour to prep.  So this past weekend I "unfortunately" had to make and eat pancakes everyday for breakfast to make this recipe just right for you. The best part is.....it only uses 3 ingredients....thats right....THREE! Here we go:

1/3 cup of soaked buckwheat (overnight) in 1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of ground flax seeds
add 1/4 cup of water
1tbsp of protein powder (vanilla or chocolate flavor, I use Vega performance protein but any one will do, you want a flavoured on to make it taste better just watch what your proteins are flavoured with)
Put all these ingredients in a blender (or I use a magic bullet because its a small serving) and blend for about 5 mins or less.
Then pour on a frying pan, flipping when bubbles form and it starts to cook through, make sure to spread batter thinly across frying pan because it wont cook through if its too thick.

This recipe will make about 4 medium sized pancakes.

To add a little more of a punch to your pancakes you can dress them up by using a nut butter spread or maple butter, add fruit (berries, bananas), or make your own berry drizzle by boiling a couple tbsp of maple syrup with frozen berries, or you can use plain old straight from the tree maple syrup, but they  are always good just by themselves too!

Enjoy your easy Sunday breakfast! :)

Almond Cranberry Cookies

Tasty little treat that is hard to call a cookie because its packed full of nutrition!
First take 2 cups of raw almonds and process them into almond meal in a food processor,
Then put the meal in a bowl and add 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil, 1/4 cup of ground flax seeds, 4tbsp of maple syrup and 1/3 cup of chopped dried cherries.....mix it all together then make into balls and place on cookie sheet, slightly press down about half way to help form the cookie shape (these are meant to be thick so don't press them down all the way so they are flat)
Then pop them into the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-15 mins or until edges are brown.
Let them cool and enjoy!

Curry in a Hurry

I have been trying to post this recipe for weeks now, just haven't found the time and FINALLY here it is!
A spicy dish before it gets unbelievably hot outside....
Start by cooking rice either with a rice cooker or boiling it and chick peas if you prefer to boil yours like me if not canned will do (but try and get bpa free and nothing added)...you will need about 2 cups of cooked rice and a cup of chickpeas
Fry a clove of garlic and a small chopped onion in 2 tbsps of coconut oil, while this is frying...
Chop up your choice of veggies I like to use:
2 carrots, a cup of chunked broccoli and a half cup of sliced bok choy
In a bowl mix 1/2 can of coconut milk (organic full fat is preferred, coconuts have a healthy fat so dont be scared its gonna add pounds), with 1/2 tsp of curry powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4tsp ginger powder, 1/8tsp cumin, 1/8tsp cayenne.
Then add your coconut milk with spices, veggies and chickpeas to the pan.
Let all of this simmer together for 15-20 mins
Then serve the curry on a bed of rice....or add green leafys under the rice and curry and make it into a curry salad!
Caution may be SPICY...Im not a huge spice fan so I try not too make it too extreme but feel free to spice yours up!

Corn chips with spicy bean spread

So I got home tonight and had no idea what to make for dinner....and then I found inspiration and this dish was created!  Dont ask how I think of these things cause I have no idea I just put a bunch of things together and when they turn out I share them with all of you! :)

So first you are going to need to start with boiling the beans....you need to boil a 1/2-1 cup of kidney beans and the same amount of black beans (the portion depends on how much you want).
While these are on the stove cooking you will need to add:
3/4 cup of corn meal (always buy organic corn because corn is one of the biggest GMOs, also beware that alot of people have corn sensitivities due to this)
11/2 cups of water
1tbsp of spices (I used an Italian mix but you can use thyme or rosemary or cumin or basil or a mix)
2tsp of salt (i always prefer sea salt or pink himalayan)
2tbsp of sesame oil (use an oil that you can heat such as sesame or grapeseed, please dont use olive oil its not meant to be heated)
to a pot and boil on med heat until it becomes thick and a lil doughy (5-10 mins)
preheat your oven to 400
on a greased cookie sheet take a spoon full of corn dough and press it into a circle (i used my fingers) and put as many of these circles on your baking sheet as you can just dont let them touch (press pretty thin to about a half a centimeter thin if they are too thick they will take longer to cook and may not cook all the way through)
now put them into bake until the edges start to brown and they seem to be cooked through in the middle (15-25 mins)
as your baking your whole batch of corn chips you put together the spread (assuming that your beans have finished cooking by now
in a food processor add:
your cooked beans (rinse the beans in cold water after cooking so the heat doesnt disturb the oil or plastic from the food processor)
3tbsp of olive oil
2tsp of salt (same as above applies)
1 small chopped onion ( i use cooking onions)
1 big clove of garlic (either minced or I use a garlic press)
1/4tsp chili powder
1/4tsp cayenne pepper
2tbsp of nutritional yeast
then processes it until it gets thick into a spread and everything is mixed in (approx 5 mins)
Then when chips are done spread on the chips and enjoy!
CAUTION this is a spicy dish and a diaphoretic so have some tissues and some water handy!

Wholey Guacamole

I recently had to do a food demo for class and decided to choose my fav recipe I created, which is my version of guacamole.
Because this is a raw a snack it is 100% healthy and has many health benefits!
First of all because this is raw it still has the enzymes in it to help your body break down the food (all raw foods have this benefit which is why every meal should contain raw food).
The main ingredient Avocados! They contain fat...good fat that is (omega 3) which takes longer to digest therefore leaving you full longer.  They have lots of health benefits such as supporting cardiovascular health, good absorption of antioxidants, helps with blood sugar regulation, and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Next up Onions! Yes raw onions... They have sulfur containing compounds which give off their strong odor (and make you cry while cutting them and I tend to cry alot when cutting them).  They also have health benefits such as good heart health (anti platelet clumping agents), benefits connective tissue, supports bones, anti-inflammatory benefits and prevent bacterial infections.

 Then we have garlic! Raw garlic the trick to having great breath! (im kidding, always serve something with mint or parsley in it after a garlic dish because it helps to mask the smell).  Garlic also has sulfur containing compounds that lower blood pressure, help cardiovascular health, its anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-viral, helps iron metabolism and helps prevent cancer.


(info found at  www.whfoods.com)

Recipe
Ingredients: -3 Avocados        -1 small onion (I use a cooking one)
-1or 2 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)
-2 tsps of salt (I prefer pink himayalian)      
-3 tbsps of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Optional- ¼ cup of sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, ½ cup of chickpeas or tomatoes (chopped)
Directions: -Chop onions and garlic cloves   -Put all ingredients in food processor and process for 5 mins (or until smooth, less time is you want it chunky) -serve with organic corn chips, veggies to dip, crackers or mix with pasta for a pasta salad
*also just made it with some dill today which added a unique taste to it!