What I eat for breaky when it’s too cold out for smoothies. My first contract tree-planting last summer, my planting boss ate what we joked to be “green gorp” every morning before heading out to the block. While the rest of us were shoveling eggs, pancakes, sugar-filled oatmeal, molasses covered beans, sausages, pea-meal bacon and greasy potatoes into our mouths, she ate this green gorp. Now I eat and love this green gorp, and will never eat any of those cholesterol and animal product filled breakfast items again.
I’m not sure exactly what my planting boss’s gorp contained, but here’s the recipe for mine. 1/3 cup chia seeds 1/3 cup hemp hearts 1/3 cup oats handful of goji berries handful of dried cranberries 2 chopped dates 1 Tbsp maple syrup 1 Tbso Spirulina 1/2 cup warm water, or warmed vegan milk.
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My favorite vegan restaurant in Halifax is the Heartwood on Quinpool Road. They do this fantastic dish called the Heartwood Bowl. You can choose from three different sauces, spicy peanut, coconut curry and tomato ginger. They serve this over a mix of steamed veggies, tofu and sweet potato, as well as a serving of brown rice or brown rice noodles. This is my version of the bowl. I skipped on the tofu, because I don't like to eat too much of the stuff. It is so easy to rely on tofu as a "meat replacer". I don't like the idea of planning my diet that way. Also, most of our soy products are heavily processed and full of GMO's. If you eat tofu, please splurge on organic. I've had some mad love going on for brown rice right now. I just can't seem to get enough of it. To cook it to perfection, ad equal parts rice and water, a small amount of your favorite oil, I used coconut and a sprinkle of sea salt. Put on high heat and allow to reach a rollllling boil, give it a stir, allow it to boil again. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until all the liquid is gone. DON'T open the lid to check for a good 10 minutes. If there is still some water, re-cover and let sit another 5. For the veggies, just grab some of your all time favorites. I used organic kale, broccoli and cauliflower. I lightly steamed them and put them on top of the rice. Spicy Sunflower and Coconut Sauce 1/3 red onion, minced
large clove garlic, minced 1 inch fresh ginger minced Sautee on medium heat with your favorite oil until onions are translucent. Add, 1 Tbsp curry powder 1 Tbsp tumeric 2 Tbsp coconut manna 2 Tbsp sunflower butter 1/2 cup vegan milk 1 Tbsp agave nectar 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar Simmer on low heat until thick and creamy. Yeah, you read that right. Light and fluffy and rich and decadent. But my favorite part... super good for you! I'm not a huge sweet person, but I am learning that has more to do with my dislike of sugar rather than my distaste for sweet things. This was the perfect cap on a healthy meal. I cooked down the last of my leftovers of the Lentil Dahl soup posted in the last entry, added a spoon full of peanut butter and served it over a giant pile of steamed organic kale. So damned good! So what is in it? Raw Vegan Chocolate Mousse 1 avocado
1 Tbsp Coconut Manna (found at your local health food store, made from the coconut flesh) 2-3 dates 2 Tbsp raw cacao powder 3/4 cup vegan milk ( I used almond) Whip up until frothy, and serve! I topped mine with some yummy goji berries and a sprinkle of cinnamon! Om nom. Nothing says "Brrrrr" quite like the first blizzard. Time for soup! All I wanted all day was a warm bowl of soup. So here ya go! It started off such an easy day, then the order came in at work (lots of heavy lifting) and then the snow came, and kept coming. Dark, cold and blizzardy was my drive home. Nothing quite like a warm bowl of curried red lentils to fix you right up. Here's the recipe! (This will make enough for 4)
Sautee in pot with 2 Tbsp coconut oil 1 white onion 4 cloves garlic 2 inches of fresh ginger 1 tsp sea salt Add after onion is translucent: 2 Tbsp curry powder 2 Tbsp tumeric 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes pinch nutmeg and cinnamon Sautee until fragrant. Add 450 grams of dried red lentils, and enough water to cover. Add 1/2 cup cashews and 1 cup of vegan milk while boiling. Cook until lentils are falling apart. Blend with an immersion blender and thin out as necessary. Season to I found this in the organic section and was a little stunned! Finding this HUGE of an avocado means recipe time! If I'd needed to bring something for a party I would have made some guac, but instead I made one of my favorite salads. This insanely giant creature made more salad than I could eat in one sitting... Avocado Bean Salad with citrus dressing If you don't have an enormous avocado and just his regular sized brother or sister, use approximately 2-4 avocados for this recipe. Start by chopping them up. I open the avocado, and make a criss-cross slice in the flesh while it is still in the shell, them scoop it out. But whatever works. One giant avocado, or 2-4 smaller ones 1 minced garlic clove 1Tbsp minced fresh ginger 6-7 cherry tomatoes, sliced 1 can beans juice of one lemon 2 Tbsp hemp hearts pinch sea salt 1/2 tsp pepper Eating on this diet has from day one been about being healthy and good to myself and the environment. It was never a goal of mine to lose weight or drop dress sizes. But after a while it is hard to ignore the visible difference in the mirror. I've been shopping at second hand stores for the most part to avoid the consumerist world we are constantly bombarded with when we walk out the door. Also, to not contribute to this culture of waste and over production we live in. A side effect of that is I haven't really known my own dress size for quite some time. Second hand clothing is usually sized from a different time, or has shrunk over time. At the Superstore buying the additions I needed for this salad I was bitten by a curiosity bug... so I ventured over to the Joe brand selections, and I tried on a pair of pants. I brought 3 in with me, because I had no idea my size. Tried the biggest on first.. nope. I had only brought the smallest in by chance, thinking, no friggin' way I'm that small. I had to do a double take.
So I feel No guilt eating my own weight in avocado, on of the fattiest of the vegan food. Get those noms in me! Oh yummy-yum-yum! Oh so very nom-worthy! Anyone who ever thought that eating a vegan diet meant giving up on flavour, put this recipe in your mouth, and suck it! Cause you are wrong! Oh so very very wrong. Full of garlic and sweetness and spice, and all of the right things. Not to mention loads good for you! Rich and creamy and full of vitamins and happy calories. Okay so for the salad innerds I chopped up some savoy cabbage (any cabbage would do) and some kale. I also put in one of my favorite ingredients, the oh so lovely russet apple, which is now in season and oh so tasty! Yeah, that's a big picture of an apple. What? I friggin' love the things! Okay, for the sauce!! Cause aside from the apple, it is the crowning glory of this oh so fantastic salad! Creamy Sweet and Salty Cashew Dressing 3/4 cup soaked cashews (soak in water for approx. 10-20 minutes) 1 clove garlic 2 Tsp real maple syrup 1 Tsp apple cider vinegar pinch sea salt and pinch pepper Grind in food processor until smooth, then add approximately 1/4 cup vegan milk. Add enough to reach a good creamy consistency. Add some dried fruit and seeds, I added sunflower seeds, hemp hearts and some raisins! Then toss 'er all up! You can leave it there, or add some extra tasty bits! I sauteed some mushies and garlic to put on the side, and put a heaping serving of my classic hummus with some organic blue corn chips, topped the salad with some sprouts and gobbled the whole thing up!
Having worked for two Lebanese establishments for a total of, gosh, 7 years of my life, let's just say middle Eastern food remains one of my all time favorite comfort foods. Sam's Macchiato, a little cafe owned by Bassam and Salaam Karam that was across the street from my school NSCAD (Nova Scotia College of Art and Design) University, was my second home and only source of income for the duration of my studies. During those years I survived on daily falafels and copious amounts of caffeine. The falafels were handmade by the owner one morning a week. I remember opening on those mornings and eating them fresh out of the fryer just smothered in tahini sauce. Tonight I made a gluten free version of the pita wrap I love so much. However I ate it too fast to document the process, sorry guys. Inside another savoy cabbage leaf is...approximately: 1/4 cup sliced kale 1/4 cup sliced fennel 4 slices of lightly pickled cucumber ( I just soaked em in some apple cider vinegar for 10 minutes) 1/4 cup cooked green lentils 1/4 cup cooked rice (I put 1 Tbsp coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt in with rice when fluffing.) This is just what I added, anything can go in these tasty wraps. Pickles would be great! Tomatoes when they are in season. For perfect rice, add amounts directed on package, usually equal parts rice to H20. Put on high heat until it comes to a rolllllling boil. Cover and put heat on low. Easiest to make with a glass lid, but it should be ready after about 10 minutes. Don't open the lid before that to check! You will ruin your rice. Hummus! This is my favorite hummus recipe! No fancy additions, just plain ol' hummus.
1 can of chick peas (washed and drained) 1 large clove garlic 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice 2 Tbsp tahini 1 Tbsp coconut oil 1/4 tsp sea salt Blend in food processor, adding approximately 1/8 cup of water. If the mixture is too thick, add more water. First snowy drive home in the dark...Bring on the veggies!I'm on a salad binge ladies and gents. Be prepared for a number of super-salad recipes coming your way. Damn do I love vegetables!!! For this epic salad creation, I basically just chopped up a whole bunch of veggies and made a dressing. The chopping would be a bunch easier if you had a mandolin slicer, but otherwise, a sharp knife will do ya just fine. (And a little patience.) The thinner you slice everything, the more the sauce clings to everything. 1/2 cup sliced fennel 1/2 cup sliced savoy cabbage 1/2 cup sliced carrot 1/2 cup sliced kale (You can swap out veggies for ones you have on hand, or prefer. After eating this, I realized some sliced apple would have really improved the dish. Try it out!) |
By Nomes
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