Tag Archives: Recipe

The top 10 recipes from Eathgiven Kitchen

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I’ve just past my first blog-iversary!  My Earthgiven blog was born May 10th, 2012.  I was a woman of few words and blogged about my multi-grain bread, fresh out of the oven.  One year later, I’ve had 25,000 views– that astounds me!

Here’s a quick run-down of the most popular recipes from Earthgiven Kitchen’s first year.…

Creamy Avocado Chickpea Pasta1. Creamy Avocado Chickpea Pasta

Chocolate Banana Cookies (1)2. Chocolate Banana CookiesCrispy Breaded Tofu Strips Earthgiven Kitchen (2)3. Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips

Sarina's Hummus Earthgiven (10)4. Sarina’s Hummus

May 2012 Nacho Kale Chips5. Nacho Kale Chips

Coconut & Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies by Earthgiven Kitchen6. Coconut & Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

White Bean and Potato Breakfast Scramble Earthgiven collage7. White Bean and Potato Breakfast Scramble

Cherry Coconut Parfaits collage Earthgiven8. Cherry Coconut ParfaitsCoconut Lavender Shampoo9. Coconut Lavender Shampoo and Body WashCookie dough balls 10. Cookie dough balls

Thank you to everyone who visited, commented, liked me on facebook, subscribed and tried my recipes!  I’ve appreciated all the support.  The vegan community is so kind!

Portobello, Leek and Walnut Turnovers for the Virtual Vegan Potluck!

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Happy Virtual Vegan Potluck!  Welcome, welcome!  I’m pleased to be participating for the second time.  For more appetizer ideas, check out the Crispy Breaded Tofu Strips I submitted last year.

Virtual Vegan PotluckThese delectable turnovers are a big hit at potlucks; everyone will think you slaved for hours over the dough when in fact using regular store-bought sliced bread is the secret time-saver.  Be sure to choose soft bread.  The mustard and thyme pair really well with the mushrooms, leeks and walnuts.
Portobello Leek and Walnut Turnovers Earthgiven Kitchen (4)Portobello, Leek and Walnut Turnovers
by Earthgiven Kitchen

2 cloves garlic, minced (about ½ tbsp)
1 leek, finely diced and washed well (about 2 cups chopped)
3 tbsp vegan margarine
6 cups chopped Portobello mushrooms (or other mushroom variety)
1 tsp dried thyme
¼ cup vegetable broth (I use homemade broth)
½ tbsp mustard
¼ cup vegan cream cheese
½ cup walnuts, chopped
24 slices of soft bread (I used whole wheat)
coconut oil (optional)

Melt the margarine on a large pot on the stove set to medium heat.  Add the garlic and leek and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the mushrooms, stir and cook another 5 minutes until most of the liquid is evaporated.   Meanwhile, toast the walnuts for a few minutes on a stove-top pan or broil in the oven.  Add the thyme, broth and simmer on medium heat until nearly dry, then add the mustard and cream cheese and stir.  Stir in the walnuts and remove from heat.

While the veggies cook on the stove, take out the bread and roll flat with a rolling pin, then trim the crusts off.  I enlist my kids for the rolling, which they love to do.  Save the crusts to make breadcrumbs or croutons later.   Keep the bread in plastic wrap or under a kitchen towel so that it doesn’t dry out.

Portobello Leek and Walnut Turnovers Earthgiven Kitchen (5)Fill a bowl halfway full with water; this will be used to keep your fingers wet while you form the turnovers.

Mound a small scoop of the veggie filling in one corner of the bread slice.  With wet fingers, fold the bread into a triangle and press the edges firmly to be sure that they are tightly sealed.  Repeat with the remaining bread and filling.   Optional: brush the outsides of the turnovers with melted coconut oil.

Portobello Leek and Walnut Turnovers Earthgiven Kitchen (2)Arrange turnovers in one layer on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, or until golden.

Serve warm with mustard or your favourite dipping sauce.

Portobello Leek and Walnut Turnovers Earthgiven Kitchen (3)Makes 24 turnovers.  Depending on how full you filled the triangles, you may have filling leftover.  It makes awesome filling for grilled cheese the next day!  Just add some Daiya or your favourite cheesy spread and you’ll have a gourmet sandwich, bonus!

Portobello Leek and Walnut Turnovers Earthgiven Kitchen (1)Thank you to An Unrefined Vegan and Vegan Bloggers Unite for hosting and coordinating this great celebration of vegan eating!

If you liked this recipe and want more Earthgiven Kitchen goodies, you can subscribe to this blog with the doohickey near the top right of the sidebar or like me on facebook here:

Stick around and enjoy more potluck fun…..

Go Back and see the hot spinach and artichoke dip from Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes!

Go Forward and see the Muhammara from Anne Sture Tucker!

For a list of all VVP participants, click here.

thanks2-300x176

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup with Lemon and Cilantro

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If you’ve been following my blog, you know I love to throw sweet potatoes into everything from burgers to burritos to blondies.  I recently took my favourite lemony lentil soup recipe, added sweet potatoes, altered a few other ingredients, and came up with what I think is the most delicious soup ever!

It’s perfect to make in large batches as per the recipe below and either feed a whole crowd or make and freeze some for later.  I almost always have a container of this lentil sweet potato soup in the freezer.  Whenever I know I’ll have a hectic schedule the next day, I’ll move the soup from the freezer to the fridge and by the next day it’s defrosted and ready to take a few minutes to warm on the stove for a quick and easy dinner.

Sweet potato lentil soup Earthgiven Kitchen.jpgThis recipe is adapted from A Quiet Soup from Orangette blog who in turn adapted it from “In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite” by Melissa Clark.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup with Lemon and Cilantro

4 Tbsp olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp sea salt (or more to taste)
a few grinds of black pepper
pinch of cayenne or chipotle pepper, optional
6 cups vegetable broth (learn how to make your own here) or water
2 cups red lentils, washed and picked through for stones
1 large sweet potato, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (save a few sprigs for garnish)

In a large pot, warm the olive oil over medium-high.  Add the onions and garlic and cook a few minutes until soft and golden.  Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper and cayenne/chipotle if using and cook another few minutes.

In a large pot, warm the oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering.  Add the onions and garlic and cook until golden, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the tomato paste, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne/chipotle if using, and cook for 2 minutes longer.  Add the broth, the lentils, sweet potato and carrot and stir.  Lower to the heat to a low simmer and partially cover pot. Continue to cook until the vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste, and add more seasonings if desired.  If it looks too thick, add some more broth or water, stir and heat through.  I like Orangette’s idea to use an immersion blender to puree until about half is smooth, so it’s just a bit chunky.  Stir in the lemon juice and cilantro.   I garnish the soup with a sprig of cilantro, drizzle it with olive oil and serve with crusty bread.

Makes about 16 cups (8 large servings or 12 – 14 smaller servings).

This recipe has been shared with Wellness Weekends and Healthy Vegan Fridays blog linkups.

Spinach Black Bean Brownies with Vanilla Cream Frosting and a giveaway!

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I was delighted when I was contacted by Carrie of Carrie on Vegan blog and offered a free download of her vegan recipe app Vegan Delish.  I had the app downloaded for less than five minutes before I was in the kitchen whipping up Carrie’s brownies.  It seems recipes for black bean brownies are ubiquitous these days though I hadn’t tried making any yet, and I was most intrigued by Carrie’s spinach black bean brownies that were completely whole foods based: no sugar, salt or oil.

Spinach & Black Bean BrowniesThe result: the brownies were super easy to make and they have the perfect fudgy texture.  On their own the brownies aren’t very sweet (if you’re used to typical brownies), but the vanilla cream frosting is a perfect sweet topping without sugar. When the kids asked for seconds, I didn’t hesitate to give in!  I even had one for breakfast the next day!  I’ll certainly be making them again.

Carrie has kindly given me permission to publish her recipes for Spinach Black Bean Brownies and Vanilla Cream Frosting here.  Photos are courtesy of Vegan Delish.

Spinach Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups medjool dates, pitted
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (if needed to blend)
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats
  • nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 3 cups black beans
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup carob powder
  • 1/2 cup unsalted almond butter

Instructions

1. Bring dates to room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 300° F or 150° C.
3. Lightly spray a large baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
4. Combine beans, dates, almond butter, oats, vanilla extract, chia seeds, spinach and carob powder in a high-speed blender and process until as smooth as possible, using the tamper to push the ingredients into the blade. Add unsweetened soy milk if necessary to blend.
5. Pour batter into baking dish and bake for one hour. Drop the temperature to 250° F or 120° C and bake for another hour or until the top of the brownies have started to brown slightly.
6. Alternatively, you can bake the brownies at 375° F or 190° C for 45 minutes. If the top of the brownies begins to burn during the last 10-15 minutes of baking, drop the temperature to 350° F or 180° C.
7. Let brownies chill completely before serving, preferably overnight in the refrigerator. Serve with Vanilla Cream Frosting, if desired.

Vanilla Cream Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1 cup medjool dates, pitted
  • 1/2 cup unsalted cashews
  • 2/3 cup unsweetened soy milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Combine cashews, soy milk, dates and vanilla in a high-speed blender and process until smooth.

Enjoy!

chocolate cherry bomb vegan delish

Other recipes in the app that look great that I’ll try soon are Chocolate Buckwheat Brittle, Sweet Potato Cookies and The Ultimate Tofu Burger (that comes with a great tip for freezing and defrosting tofu to get the perfect burger texture).  I appreciate the organization of the app: you can search by category like Breakfast or Gluten-Free, keep track of your favourites, write recipe reviews and export an ingredient shopping list.  All recipes have colour photos (I’m really not a fan of cookbooks without photos, I need the photos!).  You can get the Vegan Delish app for your iPhone or iPad for the introductory price of $1.99; not bad for 75 recipes!  Find out more at Vegan Delish.com.

Carrie has kindy donated one free download of the Vegan Delish app to a lucky Earthgiven Kitchen reader.  To enter, leave a comment on this post by Thursday, March 21st — tell me what you’re most looking forward to this spring!  On March 22nd I’ll randomly select one winner from everyone who comments.  You’ll have to act fast if you’re the winner as the code must be downloaded by March 26th.  Good luck!

March 22nd Update: And the winner is….. April! Congratulations!  I will send your email to Carrie who will email you your download code.  Thanks for playing!

Creamy Red Pepper and Hemp Heart Hummus

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I wasn’t a fan of red pepper until it became obvious when my daughter was a toddler that it was one of her favourite foods.  I then looked for new ways to incorporate the healthy veggie into more recipes and grew to like it more myself.  She loves red peppers so much she’ll eat them raw like an apple.  (Only red ones though, don’t even think about offering her a green one).  Despite not being the biggest red pepper fan myself, I LOVE the addition of red pepper to my usual hummus and lately I’ve been making it more than my traditional hummus (recipe here).  I’ve also added in the olive oil to the puree instead of drizzling on top as per tradition, which makes for a creamier, more decadent hummus.  In the summer, I love making this hummus with peppers freshly picked from my garden.

Red Pepper Hemp Heart Hummus Earthgiven KitchenRed Pepper Hummus
One 540 ml can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
half of a red pepper, cored and roughly chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
1/3 cup hemp hearts
1/3 cup filtered water
1/2 – 1 tsp cumin (to taste)
Herbamare seasoning or sea salt to taste
about 1 tbsp hemp hearts and about 1/2 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Combine all ingredients except garnishes in a food processor until well blended and creamy.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  For serving as a dip, sprinkle with hemp hearts and garnish with chopped parsley.

It’s wonderful as a dip with veggies and crackers or on a sandwich with your favourite fixings!

Sarina's Hummus Earthgiven (6)This recipe has been shared on Healthy Vegan Fridays and Gluten Free Fridays.

My favourite chocolate chip cookie with a surprising healthy ingredient

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These are one of my most favourite recipes, and certainly my favourite cookie.  Better than a basic chocolate chip cookie, these have the lovely texture of flaked coconut and something that tastes almost like a soft macadamia nut.  It’s not a nut at all, it’s super-healthy chickpeas, low if fat and packed with protein, fiber, zinc and folate.  Baked into a chocolate chip cookie, the chickpea flavour is undetectable.  I love that I can put these into my kid’s school lunch as a nut-free treat.

Coconut & Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies by Earthgiven Kitchen I can’t take credit for the idea of adding chickpeas to cookies, that came from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld’s wife).  Her book isn’t vegetarian but it does have some great idea for hiding healthy ingredients into treat foods.  Beyond veganizing Mrs. Seinfeld’s recipe, I’ve decreased the sugar and added whole grain flours, flax, molasses, cinnamon and coconut.  You can’t get healthier cookies that taste this decadent!

Coconut & Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup sugar (I use turbinado)
3/4 cup Earth Balance Organic Coconut Flavoured Spread or other vegan margarine
2 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp flax in 3 tbsp water, mixed and set aside
2 tsp alcohol-free vanilla extract
2 cup flour (I used half whole wheat or whole spelt and half all-purpose flour)
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
 1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup mini vegan chocolate chips (I use Camino Semi-Sweet chips which are also organic and fair trade)

Start by pinching the skins off the chickpeas.  It doesn’t take that long (I enlist my oldest child for this task) and you’ll get a much nicer texture if you remove and discard the skins.  Cream the sugar and margarine, then add the molasses, flax mixture and vanilla.  In a bowl, combine the flours, oats, coconut, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.  Add to the wet mixture and combine.   Add in the chickpeas and chocolate chips and stir gently.

Form into cookies about 2 tbsp each (I use a 2″ spring-loaded ice cream scoop) and drop onto cookie sheet topped with parchment paper.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.  Yield = about 18 cookies.Coconut & Chickpea Chocolate Chip Cookies by Earthgiven Kitchen2 I am submitting this recipe to Healthy Vegan Fridays.

5 recipes I’m loving lately

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Hi friends,

As much as I love developing recipes, I’ve been short on time these days, and haven’t been branching out beyond my repertoire of tried, tested and true recipes.  In addition to full-time work, I started grad school this month!   I am equally excited and freaking out.   A master’s degree has been on my to-do list for a while, and this year felt like the right time to dive in.  The extra activity on my plate is why you haven’t heard much from me these past few weeks, and while I may be posting less often than previously.  (Though, I can be a terrible procrastinator when I’m under deadline, so perhaps when the school work gets intense, I’ll be blogging plentifully.  During my last round of school I took up hand-stitching baby quilts and my house was always very clean).

I can’t take credit for any of the following wonderful recipes, but I’ve linked to the original blog post or book’s website.  Here’s what I’ve been whipping up lately…..

Apple Pie Oatmeal (1)Apple Pie Oatmeal from Oh She Glows. Recipe here.  When I give my kids this oatmeal for breakfast, they think they are getting a treat.  It tastes like the sweet cinnamon filling of apple pie, but with plenty of protein thanks to the oats and nuts.  Filling and delicious!  If you want to change it up, Angela has plenty more oatmeal recipes to choose from on her blog, like the Sweet Potato Oatmeal Breakfast Casserole.

Perogies with easy breezy cheesy sauce (1)Pasta with Easy Breezy Cheesy Sauce from Appetite for Reduction by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, and posted here on her blog The Post Punk Kitchen.   I reduce the amount of water to make it thicker and creamier.  For the fastest mac ‘n cheese ever, I keep a container of the dry mix in the pantry, then mix with hot water and a smidge of mustard, blend, and add to cooked pasta and veggies.   To keep it really simple, I reserve the pasta cooking water for the sauce.  Use it any place you’d use a creamy cheese sauce: over steamed broccoli, poured on baked potatoes or nachos (thanks, Mary, for that idea!).  In the photo above I’ve used the cheesy sauce over perogies with fresh herbs and coconut bacon.
Cinnamon Bun Granola from Tiny Treats (1)Cinnamon Bun Granola from Tiny Treats by Lisa Pitman and Nicole Axworthy.  This granola is so good we have it for breakfast, for snacks and as an ice cream topping for dessert!  I never would have thought to add buckwheat to my granola, but what a great texture it adds!  You can buy the e-cookbook through the authors’ blogs A Dash of Compassion or Vegan Culinary Crusade.  A lovely bonus is a third of the proceeds are donated to the Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary in Northern Thailand, if you need one more reason to support this awesome project!

Jambalaya from Peas and Thank You (1)Jambalaya from Peas and Thank You by Sarah Matheny.  A hearty and filling meal that’s fast and easy, if rice is already cooked.  In the photo above, I’ve used a mix of brown rice and millet instead of just rice, to change it up.  I use Field Roast Apple Sage sausages which add just a bit of sweetness to the Jambalaya.  If you can handle spicy foods, try the Field Roast Mexican Chipotle sausages — they would compliment the jambalaya perfectly but are too spicy for me!

Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Almond cookies (7)Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Almond Cookies, another winner from Nicole of A Dash of Compassion.  Recipe here.  Just eight ingredients mean you can whip these babies up in five minutes.  These not-so-sweet cookies are flour-less, high in protein, and their texture is like a melt-in-your-mouth shortbread!  Try adding the ingredients into the pot of melted coconut oil and the heat will melt the chips into a chocolate swirl.
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Vegan Brunch by EarthgivenIn other news, I’ve organized a vegan potluck in Waterloo next Saturday, February 2nd at noon.  I love potlucks and hope it will be a nice opportunity for vegans and vegan-friendly people in the Waterloo area to connect.  All are welcome: vegans, non-vegans, adults, kids.   If you’re able to join us, please see the event page on facebook here.  Join us if you can!
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Breaking the Breakfast Routine

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Hi friends,

Happy holiday season!  I hope you are feeling more peaceful and organized than I am — my To Do Before Christmas list seems to be getting longer not shorter!  Still, it’s my favourite time of year and I’m looking forward to Christmas full of family time and good food!

November 2012 (4)I’ve already introduced you to my friend Kimmy, a holistic nutritionist who blogs at Rock My Vegan Socks.  I have invited her to join me at Earthgiven Kitchen with a guest post on healthy eating.  Read on below as she shares her tips to break out of a food rut with six gluten-free, soy-free vegan recipes to supercharge your breakfast.  Think outside the cereal box!  (Especially if it’s full of sugar, salt and additives like many of them out there.)   I don’t know about you, but I pretty much stick to the same three options for breakfast: smoothie, green juice or granola.   Thanks to these great recipes, I’ll be changing it up!   And starting the day off first with a nice glass of warm water and lemon juice. Thanks, Kimmy!

Breaking the Breakfast Routine
guest post by Kimmy from Rocky My Vegan Socks

Are you guilty of having the same thing for breaky, day in and day out?  Or do you perhaps grab something in your mad rush out the door after having promised yourself to make time the previous morning as your rushed out the door?  I know, I know – you are busy!  You have a job to get to, and kidlets to get out the door and breakfast isn’t exactly one of your priorities.  I get it, trust me.

What if I helped you get out of that breakfast rut and back in love with the most important meal of the day?  I have the magic!  I have loads of great ideas for super quick and easy breakfasts, along with a few more complicated ones when you’re in the mood and have time.

Before we get to the good stuff, let’s take a closer look at breakfast and mornings.  When you get up in the morning, your body has just finished detoxing after (hopefully) a good night’s sleep.  Your body wants a gentle wake up, so instead of jolting it awake with caffeine, try a nice cup of warm water with some fresh squeezed lemon.  This will help get your digestive juices flowing.  While you’re getting ready, try pausing to drink a glass of water to rehydrate yourself (this helps with energy for the day as well as keep your joints lubricated and help combat dry skin).  Try waiting until you feel true hunger before eating your breakfast.  This may mean having to take it to go, which is fine, just be sure to eat it in a calm & relaxed environment and to thoroughly chew it.  This will give you energy and keep you going until lunch if you just don’t have time for a mid-morning snack.  And it’ll keep you from grabbing a doughnut to stave off your hunger.

If you just don’t have time to make breakfast in the morning, make it the night before and take it with you.  I adapted this recipe from Oh She Glows’ Easy Vegan Overnight Oats.

breakfastoatmealChocominty Overnight Oats

1 medium banana
1/3 cup gluten free oats
3/4 cup almond milk
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp carob powder
a few drops of mint extract

Before going to bed, place the banana in your favourite breakfast bowl and mash up a banana.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir really well.  Pop in your fridge until the next morning and enjoy cold.  This one is a nice spin on my favourite chocolate mint combination but is stimulant free.

If you have even just a few minutes in the morning, make yourself a nice, green smoothie. This is also something you could make the night before and have in the morning before you head out (or take with you).

Another important tip for breakfast fare (and all day eating) is the importance of rotating your grains.  Do you remember not being able to bring peanut butter to school when you were a kid?  It was unheard of when I went to school, but seems to be some sort of epidemic nowadays.  Food sensitivities are on the rise and one of the largest contributing factors is overeating a particular food.  Switch it up!  Don’t eat the same things day in and day out.  Try a 4-day rotation with your grains.  Have Millet Mondays and Teff-rific Tuesdays.  Try some new grains like teff and amaranth and buckwheat, which all make wonderful breakfast options.  You could even just have a large serving of fresh fruit for breakfast some days.  Get creative and have fun!

Here are some ideas to get you started:

breakfastmillet Millet Porridge

1/2 cup millet
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp maple syrup or agave
cinnamon to taste (optional)
toppings: fresh fruit, nuts, coconut, etc.

Cook up the millet in the coconut milk and add maple syrup or agave.  I like adding cinnamon to mine as well.  Bring it to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.  Put it into a bowl and add some fresh fruit and chopped nuts (I also added flaked unsweetened coconut).

breakfastamaranthAmaranth Pudding

1/4 amaranth
1 cup liquid (I used 1/4 cup almond milk and 3/4 cup of water)
1/2 tsp maple syrup or sweetener or your choice
topping: chopped nuts, hemp seeds, etc.

Place  amaranth into 1 cup of liquid.  Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring frequently and then simmer it on low-medium heat for 15-20 minutes until liquid is mostly gone.  Add 1/2 tsp maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice) with some chopped nuts.  Try adding some flax or hemp seeds.

breakfastsmoothie

Green Smoothie

I’m sure you have your own ideas for smoothies, here are a few more for you to consider.  Start with some greens (spinach, romaine, mixed, kale), add some frozen fruit, some almond milk and some add-ins (flax seeds, chia seeds, goji berries, hemp seeds, maca powder, lacuma powder, spirulina, cinnamon, carob or cacao powder, coconut flakes etc) and blend away.  I always seem to buy too many berries when I head to the market on Saturdays and always have some leftover by the end of the week which I like freezing for smoothies.

breakfastbuckwheatparfaitBuckwheat Parfait

I love soaking and dehydrating buckwheat as it is so versatile!  You can add buckwheat to smoothies, cereal, trail mix or make your own little breakfast out of it. This is coconut yogurt layered with fresh fruit and dehydrated buckwheat.  I got this idea from Sarina of course =) Check out her recipe here.

breakfastparfait

Homemade Cereal (adapted from Oh She Glows)

1/3 cup oats
pinch of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp maple syrup
chopped nuts
topping: fresh fruit

I also got this idea from Oh She Glows. I start with oats and add a pinch of sea salt, cinnamon (careful – if you aren’t used to adding cinnamon, start out small and work your way up), maple syrup and I chop whatever nuts I have on hand (I’m always pretty psyched if I have almonds, pecans, walnuts and cashews all on hand) and mix it with the oats and then add some chopped fresh fruit on top.

Bon Appétit!

The Chocominty Overnight Oats were submitted to Wellness Weekends blog hop.

Smoky Maple Sweet Potato Tempeh Burgers

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Hello,

Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends!  I hope that wherever you are, you are finding yourself surrounded by family and friends and wonderful food and counting your many blessings!

It’s been a while since I posted a recipe.  I think you’ll find this one was worth the wait; this is my all-time favourite burger, hands down.  They have wowed many a herbivore and omnivore!

Smoky Maple Sweet Potato Tempeh Burgers
1 large sweet potato
1 clove garlic, minced (2 cloves if you love garlic)
1 leek, diced
canola oil
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 package of Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh (by Turtle Foods)
1 cup cooked brown rice (or a mix of brown and wild rice)
1/2 cup packed cilantro, minced
1/2 tsp liquid smoke (optional)
1/3 cup sesame oil
1/8 cup ketchup
2 tbsp Bragg’s/soy sauce/nama shoyu
1 tsp mustard
Herbamare seasoning or sea salt + black pepper
approximately 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Cut the sweet potato into large pieces and steam until tender, then mash. If you don’t have cooked rice yet, cook the rice while the sweet potato is steaming.  (Want to know how to cook rice perfectly?  Check out Big Apple Curry’s  Rice 101 post here.  No more sticky rice.)  Meanwhile, sauté the garlic and leek in the canola oil on med-high heat in a large fry pan for a few minutes.  Chop up the tempeh and add to the pan.  Take a few minutes to toast the sunflower seeds lightly under a broiler or in another pan, being careful not to overcook.

In a large bowl, add the ketchup, Bragg’s/soy sauce/nama shoyu, sesame oil, mustard, liquid smoke, Herbamare/sea salt and black pepper.  Add the all vegetables, tempeh, rice, sunflower seeds and cilantro to the bowl and stir until combined.  The mixture will be too wet to form into patties, so start sprinkling some breadcrumbs in, a few tablespoons at a time and stir gently, until the mixture has the right consistency to form patties.

Pour enough canola oil to thinly cover the large fry pan again and heat on medium-high.  Scoop out 1/3 cup and flatten into patties with your fingers.  Pan fry the patties about five minutes each side.  Makes 6-8 burgers.

This recipe is gluten-free when choosing GF breadcrumbs and GF soy sauce.

I am sharing this recipe with the Wellness Weekends and Healthy Vegan Fridays blog hop.

Pizza Bagels

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These are my kids’ favourite after-school snack these days and they’ve made appearances at weekend brunches.  You probably don’t need a recipe to figure this one out, but here it is just in case…
Pizza Bagels

whole grain bagels
pizza sauce (try my BBQ sauce here)
Daiya shreds
Italian seasoning
your favourite pizza toppings

Slice bagels in half and place cut-side up on a cookie sheet.  Spread on pizza sauce, sprinkle on Daiya, Italian seasoning and your favourite toppings.   In the photo above, I’ve used Fieldroast Smoked Apple Sage sausage and fresh basil.

Broil under medium heat for a few minutes until the Daiya is golden and bubbly but watch it doesn’t burn.   Serve warm and enjoy!