Category Archives: appetizers

Apr 1 2012

Breville Juicer Review and A Glass of Sass

Hey everyone! This video is a LONG one, but in it I review the Breville juicer that I just got! It deserves a long video! :)

I also mention a really cool raw vegan book I got, and use the juicer to make one of the recipes! So if you have the time, check it out! :)

Here’s the recipe I used for the Juice in the video!

A Glass of Sass

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole bunch spinach
  • 1 medium cucumber
  • 1/2 bunch celery
  • 1 small bunch parsley
  • 1/2 inch knob of ginger
  • 2 apples, cored
  • 1/2 lime, peeled
  • 1/2 lemon, peeled

Method:

  • Juice all ingredients one at a time in the order mentioned above.
  • Serve and enjoy! :)

The book title is: “Rawesomely Vegan! The ultimate raw vegan recipe book”, and the author is Mike Snyder. It’s definitely worth a read!

Here’s the juicer on the company website!

PS: Here’s the recipe for the Ruby Red Super Juice that I mention in this video! ;)

Jan 31 2012

Vegan Tortilla Pizza

This is probably one of the most simple things that I have thrown together, and surprisingly enough, one of the yummiest! :) The best part is the sauce made for this, which I will also give you all the recipe for! ;) This serves one, however you can save all of the extra sauce and make more!

Vegan Tortilla Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole wheat tortilla wrap
  • About 3 tbsp sauce (recipe below)
  • 1/4 cup Daiya Vegan Cheese (this is easily my favourite non-dairy, non-soy “cheese”! You would not be able to tell that it’s not real cheese, and I’m really picky when it comes to cheese…)
  • Basil for garnish, because it looks pretty. ;)

Method:

  • Set oven to broil at about 425 F.
  • Spread the sauce over the tortilla, leaving about 1cm around the edges.
  • Sprinkle the “cheese” over the saucy tortilla.
  • Pop it in the oven, and let it sit in there until the “cheese” is melted, and the edges of the tortilla are starting to brown.
  • Serve with some basil sprinkled on top, and enjoy! :)

Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes
  • 1 bunch of basil
  • 1/4 cup walnuts (I know, it seems weird! It tastes great though…)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Sauce Method:

  • Place all ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth! Simple as that. Store it in the fridge for 5 days at the most.

Now here’s some pictures, because I’m one of those people who likes to take pictures of their food. :)

Into the chopper you go! :)

Into the chopper you go! :)

 

If you haven't tried this stuff yet, you should!

If you haven't tried this stuff yet, you should!

 

Finished product, YUMMY! :)

Finished product, YUMMY! :)

Jan 21 2012

Late Night Snack Vlog – Hot Chickpeas

I had a huge urge to eat the bag of chips sitting in my pantry that a friend left here. They’re all-dressed Ruffles chips. I was really, really close to opening the bag… But I don’t want to put those in my body! I’m pretty good with resisting the majority of these junk foods, mind you I do slip up a few times… Tonight, I promised myself I wouldn’t give in [again]… So I decided to make something else that was spicy and crunchy! I also threw together a little something else for dinner this evening/lunch tomorrow! Click play to check it out! Enjoy! :)

Post-video posting thought: hmm… What a strange still of the video that shows up on the preview! Makes me look like the old lady on the episode of The Simpsons where Lisa gets lost on her way to the museum… The lady I’m talking about, she’s the one trying to get Lisa to buy an octopus or squid or something… Then she pushes it up against the window of a phone booth and says ”You buy it! You buy it!”… Ugh…

I also seem to talk with an upward inflection. Maybe it’s because I get nervous in front of a camera? <–That’s me mocking my upward inflections… ha… ha… ha…

Click below to see the written version of the recipe/method!

Continue reading →

Jan 13 2012

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Protein Balls

Here’s a quick and simple sweet fix for people seeking out some energy and protein before or after their workout session! As I was making them, I couldn’t help but eat a few because they were so tasty! I’ve used peanut butter this time around, but have made them in the past with almond butter, sunflower seed butter (not my favourite…), and a mixture of walnut and peanut butter. These are calorie dense because of the peanut butter, though you probably won’t be too hungry after eating a batch of these. Here’s the recipe, enjoy! :)

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Protein Balls

Ingredients:

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp carob chips
  • 3 tbsp natural peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
  • 2 tbsp honey

Method:

  • Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with your hands, and roll the dough out into little balls.
  • Place in a plastic baggie, and pop them in the fridge.
  • Let them harden for at least an hour. You can eat them right away if you like, but they taste better after being in the fridge for a bit.
An army of protein balls!

An army of protein balls!

Apr 24 2011

Spicy Lentil Veggie Burgers

Lentil veggie burgers :)
Lentil veggie burgers :)

Well, for some reason, WordPress is giving me a hard time when I try to format my posts. So today, you all get to see the picture of the finished recipe before reading the actual recipe. Which I don`t quite like, but that`s okay. Either way, here`s my post!

…
 

 Before I share this recipe, it should be noted that these are not meant to replace meat burgers. They don’t taste like, or look like, meat burgers. One of the things that threw me off of not eating meat was that when I tried to eat things in the place of meat, I often expected those things to taste so similar to meat that I wouldn’t notice a difference. This recipe is much closer to a falafel than anything else, and is just as tasty! However, if you are looking for a veggie burger that tastes like a meat-less burger, you could easily stick this between to halves of a bun. I really enjoy eating these over a bed of lettuce, or on a wrap. This recipe makes anywhere from 8-12 patties.

Also: If you have more raw food in your diet than cooked, this recipe can also be eaten raw. I have actually saved some of the recipe pre-mushing to eat as a meal on its own. It tastes wonderful raw, and I suggest you try it with some salad! :)

Spicy Lentil Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:

  • 1 can of lentils, drained and rinsed well
  • 6 cloves of garlic pressed through a garlic press
  • 2 stalks of celery, finely diced
  • 8 green onions (green and white parts), finely diced
  • 5 tbsp hot sauce (I used Cholula Original Hot Sauce)
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
  • 5 tsp whole grain Dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp tomato sauce (any type works really, or you can cut up 1 whole tomato into small pieces)
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 cup whole grain couscous (prepare by combining 1 cup each of couscous and boiling water in a bowl. Stir with a fork, and allow to stand for a couple of minutes.)
  • Light cooking spray

Method:

  • Pre heat oven to 375 F.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together and mush with your hands until everything has a mushy (raw ground meat) consistency.
  • Form the mixture into balls of whichever size you like, and carefully press each ball into a patty about 1 inch thick.
  • Set the patties aside.
  • Spray a pan with cooking spray, and place on the stove with medium heat. Allow to heat up fully for a minute or two. (Applying food to a preheated pan prevents the food from sticking to the pan.)
  • Cook a few patties at a time so that pan isn’t crowded. To cook each patty, simply place them on the pan and allow to cook for about 3 minutes. Then carefully flip them over, and allow to cook for 3 minutes on the other size. Set aside on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this until all of the patties are done.
  • Now cook the patties in the oven for 20 minutes total. (10 minutes, flip over, 10 more minutes.)
  • Allow to cool slightly before serving.
  • Eat, and enjoy! :)

 

This recipe was adapted from the “Meatless Lentil Burgers” on cleaneatingmag.com. Click here to view the original recipe!

Apr 4 2011

Strawberry & Date Jam

After making apple butter so many times, I decided I wanted to try some other fruit spreads. I wish I would have known how messy this jam was going to be… So be warned: this will splatter while cooking! Luckily the taste more than makes up for the mess… :D

The dates add a thickness to the jam that makes it taste quite rich, with a sweetness that isn’t too much to handle. The lemon zest and spices add a little “something else” that you won’t find in many other jams. I love fruit spreads, and find this to be pretty unique when compared to other ones I’ve had. I enjoyed some of this jam on some whole wheat bread with goat’s milk cheese, but you could really put it on anything!

This recipe filled one 310 ml jam jar. Enjoy! :)

Strawberry & Date Jam

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups strawberries, cleaned with the tops cut off
  • 1/2 cup pitted honey dates, finely chopped
  • Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar (you can add more if you like, but I found this to make the jam pretty sweet!)
  • 2 tbsp liquid honey

Method:

  • In a deep pot (trust me, it splashes…), place all ingredients and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
  • Using an immersion blender, puree the contents of the pot, and adjust the temperature to high heat.
  • It will come to a rolling boil pretty quickly, so you need to keep stirring or the bottom will burn. If you have a heavy bottom pot, use that.
  • Continue to stir the mixture for 20-25 minutes. I don’t use a thermometer, I judge it by eye. When the mixture is thick, it’s ready to come off the stove. A good way to judge the right thickness is to pull the spoon through the middle of the mixture. Once it’s at a perfect thickness, the mixture will fall back together quite slowly. Also, when you scoop some of it up on the spoon, and tip the spoon upside down, it will “glob” off of the spoon instead of pour off nicely. For me, with the quantities of ingredients I used, it was good to remove from the heat after 25 minutes exactly. Once it’s done, remove from heat and stir a few more times until it’s cooled slightly.
  • I didn’t make a recipe for preserving, and haven’t attempted to do so yet, however if stored in a sterile glass jar (old jam jars are great), or in a clean and sterile container, you can keep this in your fridge for up to 1 week. If you like, you can also freeze this for however long you’d keep jam in the freezer, but I’ve never really been a fan of freezer jam in the past. If you do preserve jams, you can preserve this and store for as long as you normally would any other jam.
Mmmmmmm!!!!!!!! It tastes best after having sat in the fridge over night... So fruity...

Mmmmmmm!!!!!!!! It tastes best after having sat in the fridge over night... So fruity...

Apr 4 2011

Balsamic Marinated Strawberries With Goat Cheese On A Whole Wheat Baguette

Some very good words: sweet, fruity, rich, creamy, decadent, tangy, spicy…

Some very good foods: strawberries, goat’s milk cheese, whole wheat baguette, balsamic vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg…

I know it’s not quite strawberry season, so I can’t get strawberries locally, but I just couldn’t resist grabbing some on my way home today anyways. On the weekend, I had a salad that consisted of simply: strawberries, goat’s milk cheese (so smooth and creamy!), candied pecans, and lettuce. It was so good that I’ve been craving something with a goat cheese and strawberry mixture constantly since eating that salad. I usually enjoy a strawberry or raspberry balsamic vinaigrette with my salads, but wanted something more filling for my pre-dinner snack. So I decided on this! Two things I can promise you: this is simple, and this is tasty.

Balsamic Marinated Strawberries with Goat Cheese on a Whole Wheat Baguette

Ingredients:

  • Skim goat’s milk cheese (less fat and calories than regular goat’s milk cheese!)
  • Whole wheat baguette
  • 1/2 lb strawberries (this will serve quite a few people, but if it’s just for you that’s okay, the left overs can be used to make some jam! Recipe coming soon! ;) )
  • About 4 tbsp raspberry balsamic vinegar (you can use regular balsamic vinegar, however I really love the taste of this stuff… I’ll post a picture of it at the end of this post!)
  • About 1 tbsp organic raw cane sugar (or any type of sugar you like)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of ground nutmeg

Method:

  • Wash the strawberries, and then thinly slice them. Place in a bowl.
  • Add the balsamic vinegar, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir, cover, and place in the fridge for about one hour.
  • Lightly toast as many slices of the baguette that you want, and spread some of the goat’s milk cheese on each slice.
  • Place a few slices of the marinated strawberries onto each slice of the baguette, and enjoy! :)

There’s nothing more to it! So simple, so tasty… Such an interesting blend of flavours! :)

You need to taste this! It tastes like it should be bad for you... But it's soooooo good! ;)

You need to taste this! It tastes like it should be bad for you... But it's soooooo good! ;)

The balsamic vinegar I really like :)

The balsamic vinegar I really like :)

Mar 29 2011

Whole Wheat and Flax Tortilla Wraps

I really like tortilla wraps, and I always buy the whole wheat ones believing that I’m eating something extremely healthy. When I actually looked at the ingredients, I started to doubt my decision… I’m not saying that I’ll never buy them again, but I know that the store-bought tortilla wraps will no longer be a pantry staple for me.

I’ve had a lot of failure and success when it comes to anything bread related, and I’ve got to happily say that this is one of my successes. :) Here’s a simple recipe for some flat tortilla wraps that you can either eat as a normal wrap, use to make enchiladas (and similar things), or simply cut the prepared wraps into quarters and bake at 350 F for 5-10 minutes to make tortilla chips!

Oh yeah, did I mention that these are healthy? They are. :) I made the dough in a stand mixer, however you can do it all by hand too! This recipe makes about 16 small wraps. Enjoy!

Whole Wheat and Flax Tortilla Wraps

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup ground flax-seed
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3/4 – 1 cup boiling water
  • pinch of salt

Method:

  • With a stand mixer, sift the flour, salt, and flax-seed together.
  •  While on the “stir” setting, add the extra virgin olive oil, and let the dough get crumbly.
  • Slowly, add the water, about 1/4 cup at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides when needed. *With the water and oil, it’s really a judgement call on whether you add less or more. I used the larger quantities mentioned for this batch.
  • Once all is mixed together, turn off the mixer and press the dough together with your hands. Turn it out onto the counter, knead it a little until a smooth ball forms.
  • Break the ball up into smaller balls, about the size of either a ping-pong ball or a golf ball (for small wraps), and set them aside on a plate covered with a small towel. Allow the dough balls to sit for about an hour.
  • After the hour is up, get a frying pan/skillet ready. Do not spray it with anything, you need to keep it dry. Put the pan over high heat, and start to roll out the first ball.
  • The wraps should be rolled out so that they’re just a little bit thicker than a piece of paper. Any thicker, and they won’t cook properly. Any thinner, and they’ll rip.
  • Place the first wrap in the frying pan, and allow to cook for about 10 seconds. (The wrap will start to bubble slightly, not big bubbles or anything, but you’ll notice it.) Flip the wrap over to the other side, and cook for another 10 seconds.
  • Remove the wrap onto a towel or plate, then repeat the rolling and cooking method for each ball until they’re all tasty little wraps waiting for whatever you want to eat them with. :)

Note: These wraps will only last a few days in “wrap form” before they dry out and taste stale. To prevent any waste, you can cut the recipe in half if you like. Or even better, slice each of the remaining cooked wraps into quarters, and bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes to make tortilla chips! :) (Sorry to repeat myself, but the tortilla chips that come from these are SO good! :) )

Sorry folks, no pictures this time around…

Mar 6 2011

Tasty Cold Pasta Salad

I really love pasta, but not the white stuff. When I crave my carbs, it’s whole wheat all the way! This pasta salad is light, healthy (FILLED with veggies), and filling! I was surprised how quickly the husband ate his, and you know it’s good when someone is trying to describe how much they like it but can’t stop eating it long enough to get a word out.

It’s really simple to make, and this recipe will give you 2 large dinner-sized portions, or 3 smaller portions (lunch, or side-dish).

Tasty Cold Pasta Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup whole wheat pasta (cooked, drained, and rinsed briefly in cold water. Don’t worry, rinsing off the starchy water won’t have an impact on the dressing of this salad sticking! :) )
  • 4 green onion stalks (green and white parts), chopped
  • 2 bell peppers, chopped (I used 1 orange and 1 yellow, I love the colours :) )
  • 1 large cucumber, chopped (I peel the cucumber, but you can leave the skin on. Make the pieces somewhat big, like cutting it into thick slices and cutting each slice into quarters)
  • About 1 cup roughly chopped parsley (leaves only, no stems!)
  • A few sun-dried tomatoes finely diced
  • About 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • About 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • Pinch of sea salt (fine, freshly ground, whatever you like) and black pepper (seasoned to taste of course)
  • About 2 tbsp Clubhouse Parmesan & Herbs seasoning (zero calories, fat, carbs, and sugar!)
  • Optional: a few tomatoes, chopped into thick chunks (I didn’t want any tomatoes, but put in 3 tomatoes for the husband’s serving as he loves them)

Method:

  • This is a tough one, I hope you’re ready… Take all ingredients, and toss together in a large bowl.
  • Pick up a fork, and dig in! :)
cold pasta salad - yummy! :)

cold pasta salad - yummy! :)

The above photo was edited by the Instagram app for the iPhone. I love it! :)

Feb 20 2011

Baked Falafel

Well this has been a busy time! I’ve barely had time to come up with new and random recipes because of school and work! Instead, my time is filled with working on assignments, studying for tests, and creating advertisements instead of tasty meals.

Sadly, I’ve also been eating out a lot more than I’d like to admit. However, there is a silver lining to that cloud! There’s this restaurant near my school that has a really tasty menu. One of the things on the menu is falafel. Deep fried… *gasp*

At home, we don’t have a deep fryer, but I really love a good falafel… So I did a bit of research, and found a way to make something very similar. The recipe I based my falafel on is here, but I’m going to post what I used including any changes. This recipe made about 16 medium-sized falafel, and they taste great on a whole wheat wrap with a little baba ganoush and shredded lettuce. And as much as I love the traditional method of cooking falafel, this is amazing! Enjoy! :)

Baked Falafel

Ingredients:

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed very well (I also remove any of those yucky skins off of them)
  • about 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground coriander seed
  • 1/2 tsp ground sea salt
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt
  • 1/2 – 3/4 cup prepared couscous

Method:

  • Pre heat oven to 425 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Combine all falafel ingredients (except couscous and 1 tbsp of the evoo) in a bowl, and blend with an immersion blender (or put through a food processor) until smooth.
  • Add the couscous, and stir until well incorporated.
  • Form the mixture into 16 equal sized balls, and place on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Brush each ball with some of the remaining evoo, and bake for about 20 minutes.
  • After the 20 minutes is up, flip the falafel balls over and bake for another 15-20 minutes until brown. (Not burnt, just lightly browned!)
  • Serve over a salad, or in a wrap!

Sorry folks, no picture of this one at the moment! If I get a chance to take a picture next time I make a wrap with one, I`ll post it. ;)