CHOCOLATE BREAKFAST LENTILS- Vegan, Grain-Free & Refined Sugar-Free

I love chocolate and I love lentils. So why not put them and enjoy them for breakfast?

Maybe because it sounds super weird and kind of gross? Well try them before you judge them! When red lentils cook they loose their shape and turn into a porridge-like consistency. Cover up their flavour with rich cacao powder, enhance the creaminess by adding some nut butter and top with cacao nibs for some texture and you’ve got a decadent breakfast that will keep you full for longer. Enjoying this dish for breakfast will also help keep your blood sugar levels in check when you eat lunch! I’m serious! Check out this video about the power of beans and legumes 🙂

And if you get addicted to having lentils for breakfast like I have, here’s a list of my other lentil breakfast creations:

Grain-Free Black Forest Porridge

Grain-Free Cinnamon Raisin “Oatmeal”

Grain-Free Peanut Butter Banana Porridge

Chocolate Breakfast Lentils

Creamy and chocolatey lentils that will fill your belly and stabilize your blood sugar for hours. The perfect decadent treat to start your day off on the right foot!

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dry red lentils
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
• 1 tbsp cacao (or cocoa) powder
• 1/2 tbsp almond butter
• 4-6 drops liquid chocolate stevia
• 1/2 tbsp cacao nibs (or chocolate chips)

Instructions:

1. Add lentils and water to a small sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil over high heat. Reduce to medium-low and let cook for approximately 10-12 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the lentils are soft. Remove from heat.
2. Stir in the almond butter and mix until the almond butter melts in completely.
3. Add the cacao powder, ground flax seeds and stevia. Mix until well combined.
4. Top with cacao nibs and enjoy!

*NOTE: If you prefer a thicker porridge, add 1 tbsp whole chia seeds instead of ground flax seeds.

xoxo Erin

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ULTIMATE “SUPERFOOD” ENERGY BITES- Vegan, Grain-Free, Refined Sugar-Free & Oil-Free

It seems like everywhere I go I see something labelled as a “superfood”. I don’t buy into it. I think all natural, plant-based foods are “superfood’s”. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans and legumes, yup, they’re all fantastic for the body. Some foods though are very useful for certain health conditions, while others are incredibly full of antioxidants. These are usually the foods that get labelled as “superfood’s”. I’ve labelled this recipe with the term “superfood” because everything in this recipe I’ve seen labelled as a “superfood”. And every ingredient is natural, plant-based, loaded with antioxidant and many are helpful for specific health conditions (e.g. amla powder for cancer).

Enough about labelling food, let’s get down to where my inspiration for this recipe came from! Every Christmas my mom makes chocolate truffles that are similar to these. The truffles she makes though are extra sweet and delicious, a truly special Christmas treat. Since I love them so much I wanted to recreate the truffles into a treat I could enjoy everyday and feel good about. These little bites are not overly sweet, but just sweet enough to satisfy a craving in 2 bites! The only source of sweetness in these beauties is medjool dates. That’s right, no sugar, no maple syrup, no agave, no nothing, just dates. Sweet and chewy with a slight caramel flavour, medjool dates really are natures candy! Here they are before they’re rolled in unsweetened shredded coconut:

Superfood Energy Bites

Soft and chewy chocolate bites, rolled in sweet coconut and loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 

Makes 12

Ingredients:

• 6 medjool dates, soaked for at least 30 minutes in boiling water
• 2 tbsp soaking water from dates
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp walnut pieces
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds
• 3 tbsp cacao powder
• 1 tsp amla powder
• 1 tsp maca powder
• 1 tsp lucuma powder
• unsweetened shredded coconut, for rolling (approximately 1/3 cup)

Instructions:

1. Add all seeds, nuts and powders to a high power blender and blend until the nuts and seeds are powdered.
2. Add the soaked dates and 2 tbsp of soaking water to blender.
3. Blend until a thick, sticky dough forms. It’s okay if a few chunks of dates remain.
4. Remove dough from blender and roll into bite-sized balls. Keeping your hands slightly wet with cold water will make it easier to form balls.
5. Roll balls in coconut, chill and store in fridge.
6. Indulge whenever you need a treat!

xoxo Erin

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UPDATE! This recipe has been shared at Wellness Weekend.

5-MINUTE VEGGIE SPAGHETTI- Vegan, Grain-Free & Oil-Free

I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I love quick and simple meals. After a long day of work it’s not unusual for me to arrive home with a growling belly and limited interest in spending more than 5 minutes in the kitchen. One of my go-to meals is oatmeal but I’ve noticed I have more energy at night if my dinner is loaded with veggies. And even though I do add veggies to my oatmeal sometimes, I’m definitely more likely to add fruit. Obviously I was in need of another go-to 5-minute dinner and boy does this recipe ever do the trick!

Raw zucchini noodles are what make this spaghetti so quick to throw together. Some people think that pasta is a quick dinner but boiling water takes far too long for my liking. This entire meal could actually be raw, but I prefer my broccoli gently steamed. In this recipe I also used jarred tomato sauce, but feel free to use homemade tomato sauce (raw or cooked, whatever you prefer).

So, what are zucchini noodles?

It’s raw zucchini that has been spiralled into noodle shape.  To do this I use this vegetable spiral slicer. I’ve only had it for a few months but so far I love it. It does a great job with little effort and is easy to clean. It also has suction cup legs, which adds to the ease of its use. You can spiral cut basically any veggie you want. I haven’t ventured out yet, but I’ve seen many recipes that call for spiral cutting carrots, beets, sweet potatoes and parsnips.

Healthy 5-Minute Veggie Spaghetti (with raw option)

Veggies, veggies and more veggies! This dish will fill you up and give you a boost of energy AND fibre!

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1 medium zucchini (a wider zucchini works best)
• 2 cups broccoli florets, steamed or raw
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• tomato sauce (as much, or as little, as you’d like)

Instructions:

1. Spiral cut zucchini and place in a medium sized bowl.
2. Add broccoli to bowl and then tomato sauce. Stir until the veggies are coated with sauce.
3. Sprinkle with hemp seeds and nutritional yeast and dig in!

Yes, it’s that easy 🙂

xoxo Erin

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BLUSHING BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE- Vegan, Grain-Free & Refined Sugar-Free

Apparently puppies are exhausting and time consuming. Luckily I expected no less and made sure I had lots of frozen fruits on hand to make smoothies with. I love smoothies as a meal because they are super quick to make, can be a multitude of flavours and keep me full for hours. I find if I add too much fruit to my smoothies though I get hungry rather quickly, so I like to keep a nice balance between fruits and veggies in my smoothies. With that said, if you’re newer to fruit and veggie smoothies or just like them on the sweeter side, feel free to substitute a ripe banana for the avocado. That will definitely make this smoothie sweeter. You could also always throw in a date or two to sweeten it up, or add extra blueberries.

Now let’s talk about two ingredients in this smoothie that might make you say “what is that?!?”…dried hisbiscus flowers and amla powder (a.k.a. Indian Goose Berry powder). I like to add both of these amazing foods to my smoothies because of their health benefits. Check out Dr. Greger’s video here about the power of amla powder and his video about dried hibiscus flower here. I buy both alma powder and dried hibiscus flowers from a health food store. A bag of amla powder may seem expensive, but it lasts a very long time so it’s definitely worth the money- especially when you consider all the health benefits!

Blushing Blueberry Smoothie

A meal-worthy smoothie that’s packed with vitamins, nutrients and antioxidant packed superfoods.  

Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen organic blueberries
• 1 small beet, peeled
• 2 cups spinach
• 2 cups kale
• 1/4 avocado (or 1 ripe banana)
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1 tbsp dried hibiscus flowers
• 1/2 tsp amla powder
• 1- 2 cups water (depending how thick you like your smoothie)

Ingredients:

1. Add all ingredients to a high power blender (I use my Vitamix).
2. Blend until smooth and enjoy!

xoxo Erin

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HOMEMADE ALMOND MILK- Vegan, Grain-Free & Refined Sugar-Free

Non-dairy milk can be expensive. It can also have hidden oil and sugars in it. So I make my own:

All you need to make your own almond milk is a nut bag and a high powered blender. Okay, so there is some investment needed in order to make your own almond milk, but if you can make that kind of investment you won’t regret it. The high powered blender is the expensive part, a nut bag will run you less than $10. But just think of all the fun things you can do with a high powered blender! Seriously, my VitaMix is my favourite thing I’ve ever bought, ever…EVER!!!

I not only love homemade almond milk because it’s cheaper and easy to make, I also love it because it tastes so fresh. I used to love drinking a glass of dairy milk. When I cut dairy out I tried to drink a glass of store bought almond milk  and just couldn’t do it. It tasted weird to me by itself. Now that I make my own almond milk though, I can enjoy a glass again 🙂 It’s great plain and it’s fabulous with a little vanilla liquid stevia. I won’t lie, I don’t always make my own almond milk. Sometimes I need some for a recipe and don’t want to wait 4 hours for my almonds to soak. When I do buy almond milk I opt for Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk. This brand does not have any added oils or sugars. I also buy soy milk from the store from time to time but only organic brands without sugar or oil.

Homemade Almond Milk

Fresh almond milk that comes together within minutes. Enjoy by itself, pour over cereal or use in recipes.

Makes 4-5  cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds, soaked for at least 4 hours
• 4 cups of water
• optional- vanilla liquid stevia (I use 5 drops)

Instructions:

1. Add soaked almonds and water to a high powered blender.
2. Blend for 30-60 seconds, or until the mixture looks white like dairy-milk.
3. Place milk bag over jug and pour approximately 1/4 of the milk into the nut bag.

4. Gently squeeze the bag to exact the liquid. What is left over is the almond pulp.

5. Continue adding more milk to the nut bag until all of the milk has been strained.

6.  Add liquid stevia, if desired, to the almond milk and keep in fridge for 3-4 days.

7. Freeze the almond pulp for later use.

8. Remember to shake the almond milk before using it as it does separate a little.

9. Clean up any spills- I’m really good at making a mess 🙂

xoxo Erin

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UPDATE! This recipe has been shared at Raw Food Thursdays.

EGGPLANT CHICKPEA SALAD- Vegan, Grain-Free & Oil-Free

It’s September and time for Vegan MoFO:

Basically meaning my kitchen will be a delicious mess all month long as I try to post as much as I can. I’m aiming for 20, we’ll see how I do 🙂 Check out Vegan MoFo website for more information. Lots of bloggers have picked themes, so it should be a very mouth-watering month. I decided not to pick a theme. Since it’s my first time I think trying to post daily will be enough of a challenge for me! So let’s get this show on the road and let the recipes begin!

I never liked eggplant. It was the one vegetable I had a hard time getting down. Initially I just avoided it, but it’s beautiful colour kept drawing me in and making me wish I liked it. How pretty it would look in so many dishes with it’s deep purple hue! And then one day I ate it, liked it and had an epiphany. It wasn’t the flavour that turned me off, it was the difference in texture between the skin and the fleshy part. Fruits and vegetables generally hold lots of nutrients in their brightly coloured skin and eggplant is no different. But just because their skins have lots of nutrients, doesn’t mean the rest of the fruit or vegetable doesn’t have any. Therefore, eating eggplant without the skin will give you more nutrients than not eating eggplant at all. And that, my friends, is how I started to enjoy eggplant- by peeling it.

If you like eggplant or if the difference in texture between the skin and the flesh doesn’t bother you than feel free not to peel the eggplant in this recipe. Either way you’re eating eggplant and your body will thank you 🙂

Healthy Eggplant Chickpea Salad

This fresh and healthy salad is filled with fresh greens, vibrant eggplant, protein packed chickpeas and a creamy citrus dressing. 

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 medium eggplant, sliced in half
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 8 cups greens (I used spinach)
• 2 tbsp hemp seeds
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 1 tbsp orange or lemon juice
• 1-2 tbsp water

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and place eggplant cut side up.
2. Roast eggplant for 30-40 minutes, or until it is fork tender and set it aside.
3. Steam broccoli and add them to a large mixing bowl with the chickpeas.
4. Steam greens and add them to the bowl as well.
5. Blend tahini, juice and water in a small blender (I used my Magic Bullet) and pour over the broccoli, chickpea and greens.
6. The eggplant should be cool enough to handle by now so you can peel off the skin, if you so desire.
7. Cut the eggplant into cubes and add it to the mixing bowl.
8. Mix the salad so all veggies are covered. Feel free to double the salad dressing ingredients if you like your salads more dressed.
9. Top with hemp seeds and serve.

xoxo Erin

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UPDATE! This recipe has been shared at Wellness Weekend.

CREAMY BANANA PROTEIN PUDDING- Vegan, Grain-Free & Refined Sugar-Free

I love bananas. I love them so much that I frequently buy more than I think I’ll eat in a week just so I have extra hanging around, ripening. And then I get fruit flies and I regret my decision. Not really, I love bananas more than I hate fruit flies 🙂 I not only love the taste of bananas, I also love how versatile they are. I use them in smoothies, baked goods and as a pre-workout snack. I also love to slice them up and freeze them to nibble on whenever I desire. Yum, so good.

Did I mention I often use bananas to make pudding? Because I do, and the result is fabulous! Creamy, naturally sweet and pairs well with most other flavours. One of my favourite combinations is with peanuts…because what isn’t made better with peanuts?

Peanut Butter Banana Protein Pudding

Sweet banana pairs perfectly with savoury peanut butter and creamy tofu for a pudding that’s sure to satisfy. 

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tbsp golden flax seed, ground
• 1/2 cup silken tofu
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• dash of cinnamon
• optional- 1 tbsp peanuts

Instructions:

1. Add banana, ground flax, tofu, water and peanut butter to a blender (I used my  Magic Bullet). Blend until smooth.
2. Pour into serving dish and stir in chia seeds. Let chill in fridge for 5-10 minutes.
3. Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with peanuts, if using.

xoxo Erin

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1000 ISLAND-ISH DRESSING- Vegan, Grain-Free, Refined Sugar-Free & Oil-Free

The other day I was feeling incredibly tired and lazy. I decided I wanted a salad but didn’t have the energy to put one together. I went to the store to grab a bag of prepared salad. While at the store I contemplated my tiredness and went to look at the pre-made salad dressings. After reading about 20 labels and finding nothing I wanted to eat I realized I could have made a dressing in the amount of time I had spent just reading the labels.

So I went home and made the easiest yet most delicious salad dressing:

Quick & Easy 1000 Island-ish Dressing

Creamy tomato dressing with chunks of tangy pickle relish and pop of protein. 

Makes approximately 1 cup

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup silken tofu
• 2-4 tbsp non-dairy milk (depending on how thick you like your dressing)
• 1/4 cup ketchup (I use this kind)
• 1/4 cup relish
• 1 tsp sriracha

Instructions:

1. Add tofu, non-dairy milk, ketchup, sriracha and half (2 tbsp) of the relish to a blender (I used my magic bullet) and blend until smooth.
2. Transfer to storage container and mix in the rest of the relish.
3. Keeps in fridge for a week, but if you’re like me it won’t last more than a few days 🙂

xoxo Erin

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STRAWBERRY ALMOND SQUARES- Vegan, Grain-Free, Refined Sugar-Free & Oil-Free

Is it still strawberry season? I have no idea. All I know is I saw strawberries on sale in the store yesterday and made a mental note to post this recipe ASAP before the strawberries went into hibernation.

These squares are the perfect summer treat. A sweet nutty crust topped with creamy strawberry goodness. They’re refreshing and decadent.

I am still pleasantly surprised with how well these bars stayed together. I’ve had far too many experiences of biting into a dessert, only to be wearing it a moment later! Not with these bars though. These bars are made to be picked up and enjoyed 🙂

Healthy Strawberries & Cream Squares

Filled with vitamin C, protein and healthy fat, these squares are a dessert that will satisfy your sweet tooth and your growling tummy!

Serves 16

Ingredients:

Crust-

• 2 cups ground almonds (or almond meal)
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Filling-

• 3 cups chopped fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup Mori-Nu firm tofu
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar (any granulated sugar will work)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup tapioca starch

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8 x 8 baking dish with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Prepare the crust first by mixing together all of the crust ingredients until well combined. If it appears too dry at the beginning, keep stirring, the almonds will release their oils as you stir.
3. Press the crust into the lined pan and bake for 10 minutes.
4. While the crust is baking add all of the filling ingredients into a high power blender and blend until smooth.
5. Pour the filling on top of the cooked crust, spread evenly over crust and bake for 35-37 more minutes. The top should be slightly browned and appear set (not giggling when slightly shaken).
6. Let cool completely and then let chill in the fridge for an extra 1-2 hours before cutting.

xoxo Erin

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CHOCOLATE SPOTTED MINT ICE CREAM with HIDDEN VEGGIES- Vegan, Gluten-Free & Refined Sugar-Free

Given how hot it’s been outside lately I don’t think any ice cream recipe needs an introduction. Especially when said ice cream recipe has not one, but two hidden veggies in it!

Okay, so avocado isn’t actually a vegetable…I guess there’s only one hidden veggie and two hidden fruits in this ice cream. Regardless, it’s darn nutritious and unbelievably delicious.

I love mint ice cream because it tastes so bright and refreshing. And this mint ice cream is no different. Eating this fresh and creamy mint ice cream that’s spotted with crunchy and sweet chocolate makes me feel like a kid again!

Chocolate Spotted Mint Ice Cream with Hidden Veggies

The best way to cool off from the summer heat and get in some fruit and veggies while you do it!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 avocado
• 1 banana
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 cup spinach
• 2 tsp peppermint extract
• 20-30 drops liquid chocolate stevia
• 1/3 cup cacao nibs

Instructions:

1. Add avocado, banana, coconut milk, almond milk, spinach, peppermint extract and liquid stevia to a high power blender (I used my Vitamix) and blend until very smooth.
2. Add mixture to ice cream maker and let run for 20 minutes (or follow manufacturers instructions).
3. Add the cacao nibs when the mixture has about 5 minutes left in the ice cream maker.
4. Enjoy right away or throw in the freezer for a firmer ice cream.

**NOTE- If you do not have an ice cream maker you can still enjoy this recipe! After step 1, pour the mixture into a container and place it in a freezer until it’s solid. You’ll have to pull it out of the freezer for about 20-30 minutes before you want to serve it though so you can get a nice scoop out of it.

xoxo Erin

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UPDATE! This recipe has been shared at Wellness Weekend.