Breakfast Fajitas

Recipe by Aine Davis

Honestly, I’m pretty boring when it comes to breakfast. Every morning I have granola and almond milk or granola and vegan yogurt, or if I’m feeling a little adventurous, hummus on sourdough. Exciting. Every day. Wow. But I recently had a friend stay with me for a few nights and I wanted to impress her with my ~cooking skills~, so I whipped up this quick and healthy breakfast in less than 30 minutes so we still had time to go see the beautiful blossoming Sakura Trees in High Park. Here’s my recipe for my quick and easy breakfast fajitas:

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 yellow bell peppers
• 2 red onions
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 tbsp tamari
• 1 tsp Adobo seasoning*
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped scallions

METHOD:

1. Slice bell peppers and onions into long, thick strips.
2. In a large pan, heat avocado oil on high heat. Once the pan is very hot, stir in the bell peppers and onions. It’s going to be very hot so make sure to stir often so it doesn’t burn!
3. Stir in soy sauce, adobo seasoning, garlic powder and juice of half a lemon.
4. Once cooked to your desired texture (I like the peppers to have a little bite and to be a little blackened), remove from heat and top with cilantro and scallions.
5. Serve on your favourite corn tortillas with favourite sauces! I like mine with Mad Mexican Chunky Guacamole and Valentina Hot Sauce. Enjoy!

Spicy Italian Arrabiata

Post by Aine Davis

Full disclosure: I’m not Italian. Not even close. But I am #1 Big Time Italian Food Fan Extreme. That being said, this is one of my favourite Italian dishes, I learned it when I was in Italy and over the years its grown into my own delicious concoction. If you’re looking for a carb-filled splendor well then look no further, and feast your eyes on my spicy Italian Arrabiata.

INGREDIENTS

• 660ml strained, crushed, organic tomato puree
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh basil, divided in half
• 1/2 cup chopped Kalamata olives
• 1 tbsp dry red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dry oregano
• 1 tsp dry thyme
• 1 tsp dry parsley
• Salt, to taste
• Pasta of your choice, to serve 2

METHOD

1. In a large, heavy bottom pot with a lid, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. While the olive oil is heating, thinly slice the garlic cloves and rough chop the fresh basil.
2. Once the olive oil is hot, add garlic, dry red pepper flakes, and freshly ground black pepper. Once the oil is fragrant and a little red from the dry red pepper flakes, add half of the fresh basil. Saute for about a minute.
3. Add the tomato puree, olives, oregano, thyme, parsley and salt. Stir together until combined. Put the lid on the pot and simmer over medium-low heat, making sure to stir it every so often so that the bottom doesn’t burn.
4. If you want extra yummy sauce, simmer for a few hours. If you’re in a time crunch, no problem! Prepare your pasta and by the time it’s ready, your sauce will be ready too.
5. Once ready to serve, stir in the other half of the chopped basil. Serve immediately over pasta.

Enjoy! Serves 2.

Vegan Girlfriend’s Tofu Pad Thai!

Post by Aine Davis, Megan Stulberg and Alexandra Courts

We all live very busy lives (Megan works full-time as a social media specialist, Aine’s a sketch comedian and Alex has her own no-bake dessert company), so it’s a rarity that the 3 of us get to produce content for Vegan Girlfriend as a group. But, lo and behold, we managed to whip up this delicious tofu pad thai together!

We even created a video to accompany the recipe, which you can watch here. A huge thank you to our friend Andrew Olivares for filming and editing this video for us! We’ve also *finally* set up a YouTube account, we’ll have toooons more videos coming your way soon, so subscribe to us here.

INGREDIENTS:

For the sauce…

• 1 cup organic peanut butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup wheat-free tamari
• 1/4 cup Sriracha or hot sauce of your choice
• Juice of 3 limes

For the rest…

• One package of organic nigari firm tofu, pressed and cubed
• One package of rice noodles, prepared as per package’s directions.
• 1 cup chopped shiitake mushrooms
• 1 cup bok choy, washed and broken apart
• 1/4 cup green onions, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• Handful cilantro

DIRECTIONS:

1. Prepare rice noodles by placing on large bowl full of boiling water.
2. In a hot skillet, heat coconut oil. Add garlic. Sautée until garlic is fragrant.
3. Add in chopped mushrooms.
4. Once mushrooms have reduced in size, add in cubed tofu.
5. Squeeze the juice of one lime over mushrooms and tofu. Cook evenly on all sides, flipping throughout.
6. To make the sauce… In a pot, boil one cup of water. When the water reaches a rolling boil, whisk in peanut butter, tamari, sriracha and lime juice. Reduce to medium heat.
7. Once all the ingredients have been combined, pour half of the sauce into skillet with tofu. Sautée the mushrooms and tofu in the sauce until the tofu is slightly crispy.
8. While mushrooms and tofu saute, heat bok choy in separate skillet on medium heat until slightly wilted.
9. Serve tofu over warm rice noodles. Use ladle to coat with sauce. Top with cilantro, bok choy, green onions, and lime slices. Voila!

Makes approximately 4 meal-sized servings.

 

Recipe: Fresh Veggie Rice Paper Wraps

By contributors Megan Stulberg and Alexandra Courts

Want a quick, easy and healthy way to combine all of your favourite ingredients into one meal? Wrap ’em up in rice papers!

Ingredients…

• 1 250g package tempeh
• 1/2 package rice paper sheets
• 1 medium zucchini
• 1 medium cucumber
• 1 large carrot
• 1 bunch alfalfa sprouts
• 1 bunch kale
• 1 bunch chives

Directions…

1. Wash and dry all vegetables thoroughly, then slice into thin pieces. Set aside.
2. Slice tempeh into thin pieces or larger chunks if desired.
3. Heat a dash of coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Once it sizzles, place tempeh strips into pan and season with salt, pepper, and herbs of your choice. Flip tempeh regularly until both sides are golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. To prepare the rice paper sheets, fill a large bowl with warm water. Individually soak each sheet until malleable. Lay the sheet flat on a kitchen towel or cutting board. Line up all ingredients on centre of sheet.
5. To wrap, fold both sides in and then fold down the top. From the bottom, roll up to the top and seal the wrap securely. A touch of water can be added if necessary.
6. Repeat steps 4-5 for each wrap. Serve with your favourite dip — we used plum sauce! Enjoy.

Yields 6 rolls (2-3 servings).

Summer Recipe: Balsamic Pesto Pasta

From contributor Aine Davis

I am madly, truly, deeply in love with Italian food. After visiting Italy a few summers ago, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about all of the rich and flavourful foods I devoured abroad.

I recently whipped up this dish for a romantic evening with my “fidanzato” and the results were to die for. Use my following recipe for a hearty dish that takes only 15 minutes to make:

Ingredients…

• 1 box rice pasta
• 4 cups fresh basil
• 1 cup fresh arugula
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 large head of garlic (roughly 10 cloves)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Directions 

1. Boil water in large pot on stovetop.
2. Place basil, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes in blender or food processor. Combine until smooth.
3. Following box’s instructions, cook pasta accordingly. Drain, then mix thoroughly with pesto.

Serve immediately on a bed of arugula. Makes 4 large portions.

Bellisimo!

Tortilla Mini-Pizzas

By contributor Megan Stulberg

I left my grocery list at home the other day while picking up pizza ingredients and, of course, forgot to buy gluten-free flour. I was pretty bummed, but then I stumbled across a package of corn tortillas in my kitchen that made quite the delicious crust substitute! 

Ingredients….

• 4 corn tortillas
• 2 cups tomatoes (fresh or canned), chopped 
• 2 cups raw spinach, shredded 
• 1 cup Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, sliced
• 1/2 cup sweet onion 
• 1/3 cup raw mushrooms, diced
• 4 leaves fresh basil
• 2 cloves garlic
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of pepper

Directions…

1. In a large saucepot, add a splash of olive oil. Once heated, add garlic and onion. Sauté until translucent. 
2. Add tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper to saucepot. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly until fluid consistency has been reached. Cool and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
4. On a lined baking sheet, lay out corn tortillas. Evenly spread a thin layer of tomato sauce on each tortilla. Add Daiya, pineapple, spinach, mushrooms and any additional toppings.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes until crust has crisped and toppings have melted. 

Makes 2 servings (2 tortillas each). Enjoy! 

 

Avocado Pesto Linguine

By contributor Alexandra Courts

I am absolutely obsessed with avocado. Avocados contain ‘good’ fats, are a source of dietary fibre, reduce cholesterol, and help the body absorb nutrients. They’re incredibly versatile too, so I thought it’d be fun to incorporate avocado directly into a recipe instead of as a garnish!    Ingredients…

• 8oz box brown rice linguine (or any gluten-free pasta of your choice) 
• 2 medium avocados, ripe
• 1/2 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt

Directions….

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring water to a boil. Following the box’s instructions, cook pasta until tender. Drain and set aside. 
3. On a lined baking sheet, spread pine nuts out evenly. Bake in oven for 5 minutes. 
4. Cut avocado in half and scoop its “meat” out. Blend avocado, handful of toasted pine nuts, garlic, basil, lemon juice, and salt until combined thoroughly. 
5. Toss pasta in freshly blended sauce. Sprinkle remaining pine nuts and nutritional yeast on top. 

Serve immediately. Makes 2 large portions. 

Recipe: Healthy “Refried Beans”

Post by Aine Davis

If you follow us on Instagram (which you should!) then you know that we post photos of Mexican dishes on a regular basis. What can we say? Vegan girls loooove guacamole.

After spending the summer in Mexico a few years ago, I fell in love with how fresh and flavourful their food is. In my opinion, there’s nothing better than sinking your teeth into a warm corn tortilla stuffed with creamy refried beans. Instead of recreating this dish with canned refried beans that are loaded with sodium, saturated fats and unpronounceable ingredients, try out this much healthier version from scratch:

 

Ingredients…

• 1.5 cups re-hydrated black beans (Follow your pressure cooker’s instructions. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, use this alternative)
• 1 cup Spanish onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 chipotle peppers, finely chopped
• 3 limes, juiced
• zest of one lime
• 4 tbsp water, as needed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp coconut oil (For frying)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions…

1. On medium, heat coconut oil in large pan. Add garlic and onions, then fry until golden.
2. Remove garlic and onion from heat and place in blender or food processor. Add black beans, pepper, lime, lemon, water, olive oil, and seasoning.
3. Process until smooth. If consistency is thicker than desired, add additional tablespoons of water and continue blending.

Serve the beans with warm corn tortillas, green onions, avocado, hot sauce and additional vegetables. ¡Buen provecho!

Alexandra’s Favourite Summer Smoothie Recipes

By contributor Alexandra Courts

Smoothies are a healthy and refreshing way to start your day. The right combination of fruits (and sometimes vegetables) will give your body the fuel it needs to push through that dreadfully long morning.

Here are some of my favourite smoothie combinations! Just pop all ingredients into a high speed blender and blend away until a desired consistency is reached.

STRAWBERRY WATERMELON LEMONADE SMOOTHIE

Ingredients…

• 4 lemons, juiced
• 8 cups watermelon chunks
• 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries

MIXED BERRY SMOOTHIE

Ingredients…

• 2-3 frozen bananas
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and blackberries)
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup frozen dark cherries

ORANGE MANGO SMOOTHIE

Ingredients…

• 3-4 frozen bananas
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1 cup fresh orange segments
• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 cup orange juice

CHOCOLATE BANANA SMOOTHIE

Ingredients…

• 4-5 frozen bananas
• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 cup cold water
• 2 tbsp raw cacao powder

TROPICAL GREEN SMOOTHIE

Ingredients…

• 3-4 frozen bananas
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1 cup orange juice

Black Bean and Quinoa Burger with Purple Sweet Potato Fries: vegan, gf, sugar-free, oil-free

By Alexandra Courts

Summer is here! It’s time to fire up the grill and invite your friends over for a backyard feast. Store-bought veggie patties (as most fake meat products do) often contain gluten. By using whole foods and spending a bit of extra time in the kitchen, you can make a tasty plant-based version of the BBQ’d classic.

BLACK BEAN AND QUINOA PATTY:

Patty Ingredients…

• 1 standard can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup quinoa, rinsed until water runs clear
• 1/4 cup red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
• 1/2 cup gluten-free vegetable broth (can substitute for water)
• 1/2 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Additional Ingredients…

• 1 package gluten-free hamburger buns
• 1 large avocado, sliced
• Handful of fresh spinach or lettuce
• Ketchup, mustard, onions, pickles, whatever you want!

Directions…

1. Bring pot of water to a boil. Cook quinoa covered on low heat for 12-15 minutes.
2. Drain and rinse black beans, then mash beans with fork thoroughly.
3. Combine cooked quinoa and black beans in large bowl.
4. Add mushrooms, red pepper, flour, garlic, cumin and salt to mixture. Mix ingredients together until incorporated.
5. With hands, form mixture into round patties.
6. Using a lightly greased pan, cook each patty individually for 5 minutes on each side until lightly browned. If preferred, cook on barbecue instead for a smoky taste.
7. Lightly toast hamburger buns, then serve with desired toppings.

Makes 4 servings.

PURPLE SWEET POTATO FRIES:

Fries Ingredients…

• 4 purple yams, washed
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions…

1. Preheat oven to 420F.
2. Cut unpeeled potatoes into thin rectangular pieces. Spread out evenly on baking pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle cumin and salt overtop.
3. Bake for 25 minutes until lightly browned. Flip fries halfway through baking time.

Makes 4 servings.