Category: Recipes

Cranberry Orange Muffins

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These muffins took a few weeks to perfect but they were worth the wait!  The recipe makes 15 muffins because each time I tried to change the amount of batter, the muffins didn’t turn out as well as this exact recipe.  I ended up just placing the 3 extra silicone muffin cups on top of the filled muffin tin (each at a joint between 4 muffins in the tin).  I hope that makes perfect sense to you…  If I overfilled the silicone cups, the muffins would cook over the edges and were impossible to remove.

I happen to have xylitol in the pantry, so if you don’t you can either skip it or use a pinch of sugar.  I love the extra hint of sweetness on top since cranberries are quite tart.

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Cranberry Orange Muffins

  • 1.5 cups + 2 tbsp almond flour
  • 3 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla powder (vanilla extract works also)
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1 tbsp orange zest (zest of 2 naval oranges)
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries
  • xylitol for garnish

Line a muffin tin with silicone cups.

In a large bowl, mix together almond flour, chia seeds, baking soda, vanilla powder, and sea salt.

In a separate bowl, mash the banana, and add the orange zest, orange juice, eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil.  Mix well and add to the dry mixture.

Mix in cranberries.

Scoop the muffin batter into the silicone muffin cups, filling them each 3/4 of the way.

Bake for 25 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan to avoid muffins falling apart!

Enjoy!

 

 

Candied Walnuts

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A quick easy snack to cure the hangry monster in those “I’m starving and can’t wait for dinner” moments.  If you don’t like cayenne, just leave it out!

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Candied Walnuts

  • 1 1/2 cups walnuts
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup

In a very small bowl, combine sea salt, cayenne, and cinnamon.

In a frying pan, lightly roast walnuts over medium heat until they become fragrant – just a few minutes.

Add butter and mix well.

Sprinkle spice mixture over top and mix well.

Add maple syrup and stir well once again until syrup candies (about 30 seconds).

Remove from heat and dump the mixture on a non-stick surface and let cool.

Roasted Tomato Salmon

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On a day when I thought I had no food in the house, this recipe was born.  I’d never attempted a fish recipe before because admittedly, I am NOT a fish person.  Historically, the only fish I’ve ever really liked is smoked salmon, and even then it had to be accompanied with loads of cream cheese, capers, red onion, dill, and lemon juice.

SO, when I came up with this recipe it was a pretty big shock at how amazing it is.  I think it’s probably the new house favourite.  It was so good that I had seconds.  Everyone had seconds – even the kids.  I would go so far as to say that this is probably my new favourite dinner recipe, so if you’re reading these words I kindly ask you to make it asap and report back here!

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Roasted Tomato Salmon

  • 2 lbs salmon (3 fillets)
  • 1 14 oz can organic diced tomatoes
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, milled (or powdered coriander)
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds, milled (or powdered fennel)
  • 1.5 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 400F.

Place two large pieces of tin foil side by side on a baking sheet and fold them together accordion style so they make one large piece of tin foil.

Chop up the onion and garlic and toss it in a large bowl along with the diced tomatoes (including the juice).

If you have coriander and fennel seeds, place them in a coffee grinder and grind until fine.  I like to grind my seeds myself so they are fresh and aromatic. I find buying seeds in their powdered form don’t have quite as much flavour.  Add the fennel, coriander, paprika, cumin, salt, and pepper to the tomato mixture and stir well.

Spoon 1/4 of the tomato mixture onto the middle of the tin foil and place the salmon on top, pink side up.

Spoon the rest of the tomato mixture over the salmon and then fold the foil together on top followed by the sides so that it is airtight.

Place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes at 400 F.

When you take the salmon out of the oven, the salmon should be slightly pink/raw in the middle. This is exactly what you want. Let it sit and rest for 5-10 minutes so it can rest/finish cooking and then enjoy!

Pine Nut and Pea Sprouted Brown Rice

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I’ve looked everywhere for sprouted brown rice since I tried it this summer and I finally came across it this week at the Bulk Barn!  I couldn’t wait to make something like this and it is exactly what I was envisioning.  Not only did we love it, but the kids actually sat down and ate like civilized human beings for once.  Score!

We ate this along with salmon and salad for dinner.  If I were making as a stand alone lunch dish I would add a few large handfuls of spinach to the last step and let the heat of the rice wilt it, which is exactly what’s on the lunch menu tomorrow!

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Pine Nut and Pea Sprouted Brown Rice

  • 2 cups sprouted brown rice
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp coconut aminos
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Cook the sprouted brown rice as per the package directions.

While the rice is cooking, place the pine nuts in a large pot over low to moderate heat and lightly toast them, tossing frequently.  Be sure to keep an eye on them because they can go from lightly browned to black pretty quickly!  Alternatively, you can leave them untoasted.

Empty the pine nuts into a bowl and set aside.

Using the same large pot, cook the onion in the coconut oil over medium heat until translucent.  Add the garlic and peas and cook for 2 more minutes.  Turn off the heat, toss in the pine nuts and set aside.

Once the rice has finished cooking, add it to the onion mixture along with the coconut aminos, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.  Mix well and serve!

Banana Chocolate Walnut Muffins

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Photo 2014-09-14, 10 30 07 AM

I have finally found the perfect recipe base for muffins!  I am so excited for where my Saturdays are going.  This recipe was first on my list to tackle and I am proud to say that the recipe is finally finished!

If you love walnuts you can add a few handfuls to base of the recipe as well.  I was scared the kids wouldn’t eat them if I loaded the recipe with them but several test batches later and apparently they love walnuts as much as we do.  Though I do measure chocolate chips/chunks generously so maybe that’s why they don’t have a problem with it!

Banana Chocolate Walnut Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

  • 2 overripe bananas
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp vanilla powder (vanilla extract works also)
  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup chocolate chunks
  • walnuts for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a muffin pan with silicon muffin cups.

Mash bananas, and mix in eggs and maple syrup.

Add almond flour, vanilla powder, chia seeds, baking soda, and sea salt.  Mix well.

Warm coconut oil until just melted and mix in.

Lastly, mix in chocolate chunks.

Full muffin cups 3/4 full, and top muffins with walnuts.

Bake for 20-25 minutes (I usually do 23) and let cool in the pan for best results.

Once cooled, gently pull the muffins away from the silicon cups and they will pop out perfectly!

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Peanut Butter Balls

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I realize there are about a million peanut butter ball recipes out there but I just had to add one more.  I’ve been craving these like mad lately and got hit by some inspiration this morning to add coconut flour as a thickening agent, so here they are!  These are about as healthy as peanut butter balls can possibly get, and they taste so much better than their graham cracker and butter counterpart.  If you can get your hands on some coconut milk powder, it is an amazing addition.

Obviously these are a hit with everyone in the house, and we seem to have a never-ending supply since I keep trying to perfect the recipe.  Most of the recipes I’ve been playing around with lately include protein powder to increase the acceptability of me eating them for breakfast – see notes below. Of course, they also make a great post-workout treat!

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Peanut Butter Balls

  • 1 cup natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1 tsp coconut flour
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • optional: 2 tbsp coconut milk powder

Chocolate Covering:

  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tbsp coconut oil

Mix the first 5 (or 6)  ingredients together in a bowl.

Let sit for a few minutes to let the coconut flour absorb thicken the mixture and then form into tablespoon sized balls.

Refrigerate while you melt the chocolate.

Using a double boiler, or a bowl placed over a pot of simmering water, melt the chocolate chips and coconut oil, stirring frequently. If the chocolate mixture seems too thick, just add a little more coconut oil to thin it out.

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Roll peanut butter balls in chocolate using a spoon and place on a silpat sheet or any other non-stick paper.  A plate will do!

Store in the refrigerator.

Notes:

  • If you want to increase the protein content of the balls you can add 1/4 cup of protein powder and decrease the almond flour to 1/4 cup.
  • If you want the coconut taste but don’t have coconut milk powder, you can use 1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup coconut/almond butter by MaraNatha.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sour Cream Kale Chips

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I make sure there is a healthy supply of these kale chips in the pantry at all times.  They put packaged sour cream chips to shame in both the health and flavour categories and are the perfect no guilt snack for movie night!

I used to grab a bag of kale chips for $8.99 every time I went to the health food store.  The thing is, they’re actually really easy to make, and your dollar will stretch further.  Here is the catch: a food dehydrator is highly recommended.  We have the Excalibur 9-tray, which runs around $260 CAN – totally worth the price tag.

You can always make them in the oven by using the lowest heat setting, but you’ll have to check and mix often to avoid burning.  Since I pretty much forget everything all the time, I prefer to use the dehydrator rather than end up with burnt kale chips!

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Sour Cream Kale Chips

  • 1 large head of kale
  • 1 1/2 cups cashews
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds
  • 1/4 cup diced chives
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Pull kale leaves off of stalk and rip into bite sized pieces.  Wash and dry using a salad spinner, getting as much water off as possible.  Set aside.

Place the rest of the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.  Add more water if necessary.

If you don’t have a high speed blender, blend ingredients in a regular blender until as smooth as possible.  Let sit in the blender for 30 minutes and then re-blend until smooth!  This is my “pre-soak the cashews” life hack.

Pour the sour cream mixture onto the kale and mix thoroughly.  Use your hands and get messy to ensure every tiny piece of kale is covered!

Spread kale out onto non-stick dehydrator sheets and dehydrate at 118 F until the top is dry and crisp, about 2-3 hours.  Turn over onto the mesh screen (removing the non-stick sheet) and dehydrate until fully dry.  Store in an air-tight container or devour all at once.  You know you want to.

Chickpea “Tuna” Salad

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This mock tuna salad recipe always makes me feel so good because I get to pretend I’m eating a lot of mayonnaise without all the guilt.  Use it to top a salad, use it as a dip, or do what our 21 month old did and eat it with a spoon.  Either way, it’s something that you can feel good about eating! IMG_7774.JPG Chickpea “Tuna” Salad

  • 1 can chick peas, rinsed
  • 1 rib celery, minced
  • 1/4 red onion, minced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/3 cup cashew mayo
  • 1 tsp celery salt

Pulse chickpeas in a food processor until broken up but not fine.  Mix well with the rest of the ingredients.

Strawberry Chia Pudding

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This pudding immediately became the household go-to breakfast meal.  It’s more filling than your basic almond milk and chia variety and it’s way more delicious.  It tastes like strawberry shortcake, if strawberry shortcake was healthy and even more tasty.  I currently have 3L of this in the fridge because it gets eaten so fast.  Of course there is a chocolate version coming to the blog in the very near future.  The recipe has finally been perfected and you’re going to LOVE it!

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Strawberry Chia Pudding

  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 1  1/2 cups fresh strawberries
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients except the chia seeds in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.  Pour into any container that closes liquid tight, add chia seeds, screw lid on tightly and vigorously shake until mixed.  Alternatively, but less fun is to just stir the chia seeds in with a spoon…

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, shaking occasionally initially so the seeds don’t clump together.  Best results if refrigerated overnight.

Raw Key Lime Pie

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We were in Montreal this week for a family wedding, and after it was all over it felt like we had pretty much eaten non-stop for 36 hours.  Feeling that we needed to get back on track instantly, we went for a grueling morning run to Mont Royal and then up and down, up, down, up, and down the staircase of death that is the Mont Royal Staircase.

Starving and barely able to walk, we were so excited to try out Montreal’s raw food restaurant: Crudessence.  Once there, we were bitten by the raw food bug once again.  When we got home I dug out my dusty raw food word docs and pulled out this gem!  Here is a recipe that I initially wrote 8 YEARS ago, back when I discovered raw food, David Wolfe, and was attending the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition!

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Raw Key Lime Pie

Crust:

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Place walnuts and pecans in food processor and pulse until nuts start to stick together.  Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until well combined.  Press into the bottom of a tart pan and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Filling:

  • 2 cups cashews
  • 1 cup coconut cream (the solid mass in one can of coconut milk)
  • 2/3 cup fresh key lime juice (or regular lime juice)
  • 1/3 cup local honey
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

Pour into your tart shell and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.