Raspberry Chia Jam Bars

By contributor Alexandra Courts 

Ch-ch-ch-chia! Chia seeds are packed with fibre and healthy omega-3 fats.

Ingredients:

For the base…

• 1.5 cups medjool dates
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup flax meal
• 1/4 cup raw cacao powder

For the chia jam…

• 1.5 cups frozen raspberries
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 3 tbsp white chia seeds

For the topping…

• 2 cups raw cashews, soaked
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions:

1. Line a 9-inch square cake pan (bottom and sides) with plastic wrap.
2. For the base: blend raw almonds, shredded coconut, cacao powder and flax meal. Add dates and blend until combined.
3. Pack and level base mixture with fork tightly into bottom of pan.
4. For the chia jam: blend raspberries, maple syrup, and water. Pour mixture into small bowl and mix with white chia seeds. Set jam aside in fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour until mixture obtains a gel consistency.
5. For the topping: process ingredients listed above in high-speed blender until smooth.
6. Remove jam from fridge and spread evenly across panned crust.
7. Add topping layer. Top with frozen raspberry chunks. Let pan sit in freezer for 1 hour.
8. Remove dessert from pan. Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve and enjoy! Leftovers can be frozen.

Peanut Butter and Jam Mousse Tarts (Gluten-free, vegan, no-bake, raw option)

By contributor Alexandra Courts 

I’m not a huge fan of gluten-free bread, but sometimes I do miss being able to snack on peanut butter and jam sandwiches! These mousse tarts incorporate nothing but healthy and natural ingredients, making them equally appropriate for both dessert and breakfast.

Ingredients:

Crust…

• 2 cups pitted dates
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Filling…

• 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight
• 1 cup natural peanut butter (alternatively can use raw almond or raw cashew butter, if preferred)
• 1 cup canned full-fat coconut milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Topping…

• 1 cup strawberry or raspberry jam (organic if possible)

Directions…

1. Combine crust ingredients (dates, almonds, coconut) in a high-speed blender until incorporated.
2. Line 1 standard cupcake pan with plastic wrap and press the mixture tightly into bottom of each cup.
3. Blend filling ingredients (cashews, nut butter, coconut milk and maple syrup) in blender until very smooth.
4. Pour filling mixture into cups, equally coating each mini crust.
5. Place tray in freezer for 1 hour to allow filling to set.
6. Remove cups from pan and allow to thaw for 30 minutes.
7. Top each tart with dollop of jam. Serve immediately.

Makes 12 cupcake-sized tarts.

Raw Key Lime Pie

By contributor Alexandra Courts 

This key lime pie recipe of mine is raw, gluten-free and vegan! And since it’s no bake, it’s a snap to make! What’s not to like?

Ingredients:

Crust…

• 2 1/2 cups pitted dates
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 cup raw almonds

Filling…

• 2 1/2 cups cashews, soaked overnight and drained
• 3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1/2 cup lime juice (from 4-5 limes)
• 1/4 cup agave syrup

Directions:

1. In a high-speed blender, blend the raw almonds. Add the remaining crust ingredients and blend until combined.
2. Line an 8 inch round cake pan with plastic wrap. Press the mixture into the pan to form the crust.
3. Blend all of the filling ingredients together in a high-speed blender until smooth.
4. Pour filling into crust. Level the mixture with a spatula and place pie in freezer for about an hour or until it has set.
5. Let the pie thaw before slicing. Serve and enjoy! Keep leftovers in fridge.

Makes 1 pie (about 6 servings)

Recipe: Tofu Vegetable Curry

By contributor Megan Stulberg

Suddenly it’s winter already in Toronto, but we might as well make the most of it and embrace being able to enjoy hot dishes once again!

This curry recipe provides comfort food at its finest:

Ingredients:

• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 standard package tofu, extra firm or pressed
• 1 large sweet potato, baked and cut into cubes
• 1 standard can light coconut milk
• 2 cups white rice, cooked
• 2 cups kale, fresh
• 1/2 cup green peas, fresh or frozen
• 1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp ginger powder
• 1 tbsp dried basil
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• Dash of sea salt
• Dash of black pepper

Directions:

1. Wash, dry, peel and chop all vegetables accordingly.

2. Drain tofu and cut into small cubes. In saucepan, heat dash of olive oil until it sizzles. Flipping regularly, cook tofu with soy sauce and nutritional yeast until golden in colour and firm in texture. Set aside.

3. In large skillet on medium heat combine coconut milk, curry powder, oregano, basil, ginger and soy sauce. Bring to a boil.

4. Mix in green peas, kale and sweet potato. Stir regularly and continue cooking for 4-6 minutes until vegetables have tendered. Add tofu chunks to skillet and combine thoroughly. Add salt, pepper and any additional desired spices/ingredients.

5. Remove from heat. Serve on top of rice.

Makes 2 portions.

(5)00 Kales of Summer: Creamy Dill Pickle Kale Chips

By Aine Davis

Whenever I go grocery shopping I can’t help but sneak a peek at the snack aisle and drool for a minute or two. It would be so easy to simply devour a bag of store-bought BBQ potato chips, but I know from experience that the consequences are heinous. Instead, I make a healthier version at home whenever possible! 

What you’ll need:

• Blender
• Dehydrator (Alternatively, you can use this guide for oven-baked kale chips)

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of kale
• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

1. Soak cashews in water for 1-4 hours. Drain. 
2. Rinse kale and dry as thoroughly as possible.  
3. Devein kale. Not sure what we’re talking about? Use this method. 
4. Roughly chop kale into bite-size pieces. 
5. Blend cashews, vinegar, dill, nutritional yeast, garlic, salt and pepper until liquid in consistency. 
6. Toss kale in dressing, coating as evenly as possible. 
7. Line dehydrator with wax paper and spread kale pieces out. Be sure to avoid any overlap. 
8. Dehydrate for roughly 6 hours at 115 degrees, or following your dehydrator’s specifications. The longer you dehydrate for, the crisper your chips will be. 

Makes 2 servings. Extra dressing can be used as a raw veggie dip. 

 

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

Lemon Pomegranate Muffins

By contributor Megan Stulberg 

I’ve never been a huge fan of summer because I’m a wimp when it comes to humidity…but I do love that pomegranates are finally back in season! Pomegranates are packed with antioxidants and do wonders for your health. To learn more about the benefits of adding pomegranate to your diet, click here.

LEMON POMEGRANATE MUFFINS RECIPE

(vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free)

Ingredients…

• 2 standard bananas, mashed
• 1/2 pomegranate, seeded
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 1/2 cups almond meal
• 1 cup gluten-free flour of your choice (sorghum is recommended)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance “butter” (can use coconut butter or nut butter if preferred, taste will differ)
• 4 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
• 3 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Directions…

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Using electric mixer beat together flour, starch, meal, xanthan gum, butter, milk, baking soda, vanilla extract and banana on low speed for 2 minutes until smooth.
3. Add lemon juice, pomegranate seeds, chia seeds, coconut and salt. Whisk by hand to thoroughly combine.
4. Pour batter until lined muffin tray, filling 3/4 of each cup. Top with additional pomegranate seeds and coconut if desired.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until slightly golden. Let fully cool before serving.

Makes 12-15 servings.

Ta da! Your muffins will (theoretically) look like this:

Vegan Seed Lovin’ Protein “Powder”

Recipe by Aine Davis

“You’re vegan? But where do you get your protein?”

I am the complete opposite of a morning person and heavily rely on coffee to get me through the workday. I wish caffeine could cure all, but sometimes a more sustainable energy source is needed! We’ve found a delicious way to sneak some protein into your morning routine.

Here’s a simple protein “powder” recipe that you can make in bulk, store in your pantry, and use scoop-by-scoop as needed:

Ingredients…

• Hemp hearts
• Flaxseed
• Chia seeds
• Soy, almond, or other nut milk of your choice
• Vanilla extract (for taste)

Directions…

1) Using a blender, combine equal parts of all dry ingredients. Store in airtight container.

2) Add 1 tbsp protein mix to 1 medium-sized glass of nut milk with dash of vanilla extract. Stir and drink immediately.

Barista Hack: Want an additional boost? Add a shot of espresso.