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Rich Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

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Rich-Zucchini-Muffins

I’m always looking for ways to sneak veggies into my kids’ diets. They flat out refuse vegetables most of time, so I have to hide them in foods they’ll eat – like chocolate. That’s where these muffins come in.

Vegan-Chocolate-Zucchini-Muffins

Zucchini and black beans are my favourite to use in chocolate muffins/brownies/cakes/anything with chocolate, but I had no black beans and one medium sized zucchini in my fridge – so zucchini and chocolate it was. I made muffins, since my kids love them.

The verdict? 2 thumbs up – from both kids!

Of course, with chocolate, it’s hard to go wrong, right?

Rich-Chocolate-Zucchini-Muffins

You can’t taste a single hint of zucchini in this recipe, just chocolate, which is why my kids kept begging for more and more muffins, until eventually they were gone (in just 2 days)… okay fine, I may have eaten one three myself, too!

Rich Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
 
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Recipe type: Snack, Dessert
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
  • 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed, 3 tbsp water)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • ¾ cup coconut or brown sugar
  • ⅓ cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup dairy-free milk (I used soy)
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¾ cup grated zucchini
  • ¾ cup chocolate chips
  • ½ cup water
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax seed and water for your flax egg. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder , cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
  4. In another bowl, whisk together non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, vanilla and flax egg, until combined.
  5. Pour wet mixture over dry mixture and mix well, until all the flour is incorporated.
  6. Stir in the zucchini, ½ cup chocolate chips and water.
  7. Fill muffin liners (almost to the top), sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips and bake for 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate-Zucchini-Muffins-Vegan

20 Minute Garlic & Tomato Pasta

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Tomato-Garlic-Pasta

My love for pasta cannot be put into words – it’s that strong. If I could eat breakfast for every meal of the day, I’d be one happy girl (I’ve been known to cook up a pot of pasta for breakfast on really cold mornings! I’m weird, I know.).

Alas, this is not possible, so I indulge whenever I can. And when I do make pasta, I try not to complicate things. Simple is often best. Like this pasta here, for example.

Pastas

There is very little added to it (just tomatoes, garlic, basil, parsley, lemon juice and some herbs), and it tastes amazing. Also, because there are so few ingredients, it takes no time at all to prepare!

I love simple pastas!

Vegan-Tomato-Garlic-Pasta

Isn’t it pretty?

Use any kind of pasta you want for this – it will work with almost all kinds, but I love linguine. Spaghetti and spiral noodles work well, too. This was just an organic white pasta, but I usually use spelt, whole wheat or brown rice pastas – and they all work well in this recipe!

Garlic-Tomato-Pasta

Garlic & Tomato Pasta
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Pasta
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 8 oz. pasta (or ½-1 cup per person)
  • 4 medium garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ cup tomatoes, diced
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
  • ½ tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Boil pasta according to package directions.
  2. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once warm, add garlic and cook until lightly browned, then add in the tomatoes and cook for another few minutes (3 or 4).
  3. Drain your cooked pasta and add it to the pan. Mix everything together, and then add in your basil, parsley, lemon juice, salt and black pepper. Mix again.
  4. Serve immediately.

 

Spicy Cumin Carrots with Coriander Tahini Sauce

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Cumin-Coriander-Carrots

I received a bunch of gorgeous, organic carrots in my farm share box last week! This was my first time getting carrots with the greens still attached (I had to trim them down quite a bit) – I always bought them in a bag.

And wow – they are so small and adorable and TASTY. My husband and I were both marveling at the fact that these were the best carrots we’ve ever had. I don’t know if I can go back to the bagged variety.

Cumin-Spiced-Carrots

Look at how different they all look, too. I love the one that’s all bent! I snatched it up first, right after I was done taking photos. It was delicious – just like the others.

Instead of just roasting these carrots, I rolled them in some cumin, salt & pepper, then drizzled a tahini & coriander dressing over top. Yum, yum – big time YUM.

Spiced-Cumin-Carrots

 

Spicy Cumin Carrots with Coriander Tahini Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Side Dish
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Carrots
  • 1 bunch carrots (5 per person), washed and dried
  • ½ tbsp avocado oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp paprika
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (more or less, depending on your heat preference)
  • ½ tsp poppy seeds (optional)
Tahini & Coriander Dressing
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp coriander
Instructions
Carrots
  1. Preheat your oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with a non-stick mat or parchment paper.
  2. Place carrots on your baking sheet and drizzle with avocado oil, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. Roll the carrots around until they are all completely covered.
  3. Roast for 15 minutes, or until fork-tender.
Coriander Tahini Sauce
  1. In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and coriander. Drizzle over roasted carrots, sprinkle with poppy seeds (if desired) and serve immediately.

 

Vegan Rhubarb Crisp

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I’ll admit it – I was a bit skeptical of rhubarb.

For a long time, I balked at people that told me they made yummy desserts with it, because um hello – IT’S A VEGETABLE. Desserts aren’t made with vegetables. That’s just gross!

But I was proven wrong. Yet again. I tried my mother-in-law’s rhubarb crisp the other day (veganized), and fell in love. Then I begged her for the recipe.

Rhubarb-Crisp

The rhubarb has a very sour taste to it, so you just dump a bunch of sugar on it and BOOM. Deliciousness. I hate how sugar makes everything better.

Sigh. Oh well. A treat like this is fine every once in awhile, right? RIGHT.

Rhubarb-Crisp-Vegan

Look at that caramel-y gooey pile of oats and rhubarb and sweetness. It was Amazing with a capital “A”.

This vegan rhubarb crisp is crumbly and tart and sweet and YUM. It’s also perfect for summer.

If you are scared of rhubarb, like I was, try this recipe. You won’t be sorry and you will end up loving rhubarb – because it’s freakin’ good!

Vegan-Rhubarb-Crisp

Vegan Rhubarb Crisp
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 6-9
Ingredients
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3½ cups rhubarb stalks, chopped small (I did ½" pieces)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup kamut flour
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ⅓ cup vegan butter, melted (I used Earth Balance)
  • 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used almond milk)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350F.
  2. Lightly grease an 8x8 baking dish with coconut oil or non-stick cooking spray.
  3. In a small pot, mix together the maple syrup, water and cornstarch over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, mix together the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, melted vegan butter and non-dairy milk. Crumble everything together with your fingers.
  5. Press half of the crumb mixture into your baking pan, add the rhubarb, drizzle in the maple syrup mixture, then top with the remaining crumb mixture.
  6. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the rhubarb can easily be pierced through with a knife and the top of the crisp is a light golden brown.

 

The Breakfast Smoothie Bowl

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I must have been living under a rock for awhile, because I hadn’t heard of smoothie bowls until last month.

Now, they seem to be popping up everywhere I look! Not that I’m complaining or anything…

Smoothie-Bowl

What is a smoothie bowl, you ask? Simple: a smoothie – in a bowl (made a bit thicker). Yes, I’m serious. Yes, it’s way more fun than it sounds. Yes, it’s just as tasty in a bowl as it would be in a glass.

This was my first every smoothie bowl that I made last week. It’s just frozen blueberries, a large banana, some ground flax seed and a bit of almond milk, topped with homemade granola, coconut and fresh raspberries.

Big-Smoothie-Bowl

It did not disappoint. I love that I can add all kinds of toppings, which you can’t really do with a “regular” smoothie (drinking shredded coconut and granola would probably not work very well)!

Now, what can I make next? If you’ve made smoothie bowls before, what do you like putting in yours?

Berry-Smoothie-Bowl

 

The Breakfast Smoothie Bowl
 
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Recipe type: Smoothie
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 1 large ripe banana
  • 1 cup frozen mixed berries
  • 1 tbsp ground flax seed (optional)
  • 1 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
  • Topping of choice (I used granola, coconut and fresh raspberries)
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients (except toppings) to your blender, and blend until smooth & creamy. You want it to be a bit thicker than a traditional smoothie that you would drink.
  2. If the mixture is too thin, add another ½-1 banana or more berries.
  3. Scoop mixture into your bowl and top with your toppings of choice. Eat with a spoon!

 

Warm Potato & Lentil Salad

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Vegan-Lentil-Potato-Salad

It seems as though there are people that love lentils and people that hate lentils – but no one in between. You don’t hear people say “lentils are okay” or “lentils are good, but not great”.

No – you hear “lentils are awesome!” or “lentils are gross!”.

Which one are you? I hope you’re the “lentils are awesome!” person, because if not, I’m afraid you won’t be too eager to try this recipe (but you should, because it’s SO SO good).

Vegan-Lentil-and-Potato-Salad

I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen back in February, and put it on my to-make list, then promptly forgot about it.

Until last week when I was cleaning up the files and bookmarks on my computer and I found it again. I emailed myself the link so I wouldn’t lose the recipe for a second time, and then made it the next day for lunch.

The only thing I did differently, was that I omitted the shallots from Deb’s recipe, partly because I didn’t have any, and partly because my husband despises them. I also used less red wine vinegar and less chopped parsley. I also added a bit of onion powder to make up for the missing shallots (kind of). Otherwise, I stuck to this recipe quite close.

Warm-Potato-and-Lentil-Salad

 

And I’m not gonna lie – I was skeptical. This salad has a lot going on.

But – as soon as I took my first bite, I was in love. The creaminess of the potatoes, the tangy-ness (is that a word?) of the dressing and the meatiness of the lentils – it all works so well together and makes for a very tasty and satisfying dish.

 

Warm Potato & Lentil Salad
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Entree, Lunch
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Lentils
  • 1 cup green lentils, uncooked
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1 small bay leaf
  • Pinch of salt
Potatoes
  • 1 pound small potatoes (I used russet and chopped them up, but fingerling would be nice, so would baby red or yellow potatoes)
Dressing
  • 1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons capers, roughly chopped (if they're salted, rinse them off)
  • 2 tablespoons dill pickles, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Instructions
Lentils
  1. Rinse well, then place your lentils in a medium pot with the thyme, bay leaf, a pinch of salt and 4 cups of water.
  2. Simmer lentils over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until firm-tender. Drain (discarding the bay leaf) and keep them warm.
Potatoes
  1. While you are cooking the lentils, cover potatoes with 1-2 inches of water in a large pot. Cook for 10-20 minutes (depending on the size of your potatoes/potato chunks), or until they can be pierced with a knife. Do not overcook.
  2. Drain and keep them warm.
Dessing
  1. While the potatoes and lentils are cooking, you can prepare your dressing. This is where the magic happens! Add red wine vinegar, minced garlic, onion powder, Dijon mustard, olive oil, and salt & pepper to taste, to a small bowl. Whisk together well, then add the in capers and pickle. Mix everything together until combined.
Putting it all together
  1. If using fingerling or baby potatoes, cut them into bite size pieces. Put all potatoes in a large bowl, add lentils and dressing, and mix well (but be gentle with the potatoes).
  2. Add more salt & pepper, if necessary.
  3. Serve in individual bowls, with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top.
Notes
Adapted slightly from Smitten Kitchen.

 

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Oven Roasted Garlic Sweet Potatoes

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We went to my mother-in-law’s house yesterday, and we brought these delicious roasted sweet potatoes with us. They were so good, that the first thing I’m doing this morning is writing up a post telling you all about them – because – YUMMY.

Oven-Roasted-Sweet-Potatoes

Honestly, I’m not usually big on sweet potatoes because I find them too, well, sweet. Something about a potato that is sweet just weirds me right out.

But – my husband loves them and so does my mother-in-law, so I made them for our visit yesterday. And strangely enough – I actually LOVED these sweet potatoes, too! Hence why I am so eager to share this recipe with you.

Roasted-Sweet-Potatoes

Not only are these sweet potatoes super easy to throw together, but they’re so versatile, that you can serve them with pretty much anything and they will likely go really well (they’re really tasty in a quinoa bowl, that’s how I ate them yesterday, and my husband, mother-in-law, and kids ate them on their own).

Roasted-Sweet-Potatoes-Vegan

You can switch up the seasonings to your own tastes. If you like things really hot, you can add more paprika, or even a dash of cayenne pepper. If you like things sweeter, add a drizzle of maple syrup or agave.

Vegan-Sweet-Potatoes

Oven Roasted Garlic Sweet Potatoes
 
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Recipe type: Sides, Snack, Lunch, Dinner
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into medium chunks
  • ⅓ cup vegan butter (I used soy-free Earth Balance)
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and put your sweet potato chunks in a large bowl.
  2. Add the paprika, salt & pepper to a small bowl.
  3. Add the vegan butter and minced garlic to another small bowl, and melt in the microwave.
  4. Mix together the butter/garlic and spices, and pour over the sweet potatoes. Mix everything really well, so that every sweet potato chunk is covered.
  5. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until you can easily pierce through the largest chunk with a knife.

 

Best Ever Vegan Fried Rice with Scrambled Tofu

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075

I can’t even explain how good this fried rice is. I came up with the recipe on a whim awhile back. It was my first time making fried rice since becoming vegan in September of last year, and I wanted it to taste as good as I remembered fried rice tasting.

Thankfully, with a few additions (and subtractions!), this dish turned out remarkable. Even my husband, who only groans like crazy when his food is MEGA GOOD, couldn’t keep his mouth shut about it.

“You HAVE to blog this”, he said. “You HAVE TO. It’s SO GOOD.”

And so, here I am. Blogging it.

Fried-Rice-Vegan-Homemade

Traditional fried rice is made with fried egg and some kind of meat. Usually bacon – at least, that’s what was always in my fried rice growing up.

So, I had to either eliminate those ingredients, or come up with some substitutions.

I went the substitution route.

Fried-Rice-Vegan

Instead of fried egg, I added scrambled tofu, which gave the dish that yellow colour that cooked eggs do.

For bacon, I had a few options. I could use fake meat, but didn’t want to, I could use coconut bacon – but I’m not a big fan of coconut bacon, and I didn’t feel like making anything bacon-like, so I did the next best thing – I used liquid smoke in the sauce.

And guess what – it worked like a charm. Bacon flavour without the bacon. Hurrah!

Homemade-Vegan-Fried-Rice

Vegan-Fried-Rice

This is now one of my go-to meals when I am too tired to dream up something creative.

If you can cook the rice in advance, that will save you a lot of cooking time, since rice can take up to 45 minutes to cook (depending on the type you use – brown rice takes me 45 minutes to cook).

Vegan-Fried-Rice

Best Ever Vegan Fried Rice with Scrambled Tofu
 
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Whether you serve it for lunch or dinner, this vegan fried rice is one of the best you'll ever make! It's simple, delicious, and healthy - what more could you ask for?
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 4
Ingredients
Rice
  • 1½ cups uncooked rice (I used brown rice)
Scrambled Tofu
  • ½ block extra firm tofu, pressed for at least 20 minutes
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tbsp nutritional yeast
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
Vegetables
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 medium carrot, diced (very small!)
  • ⅔ cup frozen peas
  • Green onions for garnish (optional)
Sauce
  • 2 tbsp tamari
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ tsp liquid smoke
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 medium garlic clove, minced or grated
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • 1½ tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tsp sriracha sauce (or to the heat of your liking!)
Instructions
Rice
  1. Cook rice according to package directions and set aside.
Scrambled Tofu
  1. Crumble the pressed tofu in a small bowl. Add in the turmeric, nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat.
  3. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute or so, or until the garlic has browned lightly.
  4. Add in the tofu mixture and cook for about 5-7 minutes more, stirring often. Remove from pan and set aside.
Vegetables
  1. In the same pan that you used to cook your tofu, heat 2 tsp olive oil over medium heat, then add in the carrots and peas.
  2. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the carrots can easily be pierced with a sharp knife. Set aside.
Sauce
  1. Whisk together all of the sauce ingredients and set aside.
Putting it all together
  1. In a large pan or wok over medium heat, add your sauce, then the rice, then the vegetables, then the scrambled tofu.
  2. Mix everything together very well, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.
  3. Serve, topped with a sprinkling of chopped green onions, if desired.