Category Archives: Recipes

The Return of the Green Smoothie

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I’ve always loved my green smoothies, but then it all changed.a few years ago when Breville entered my life.

Soon enough, my morning green smoothie was replaced with my morning green juice.

Even though I still enjoyed my green smoothie from time-to-time, I found that whenever I made myself a smoothie I opted for more of the fruit & avocado based combos sans the leafy greens since I was already getting a great deal through my juices, not to mention the large amounts I was consuming in my daily salads.

But…things changed again, as they so often do, and over the past few months I’ve had a strong desire to reintroduce more of these glowing green smoothies into my daily repertoire. Not as a replacement to my green juice but more of an accompaniment.

Here’s one of my favourite recipes below. I enjoyed this earlier today as a delicious post-yoga snack. It hit the spot perfectly and was just what I wanted!

Glorious “Glowing” Green Smoothie (Mango-Style)
1/2 cup of frozen mango (if using fresh mango add some ice cubes)
1 banana
4-5 leafs of kale de-stemmed
1 cup of pure water or coconut water
Blend until smooth.

 

If you want your green smoothie to glow bright green as pictured above, be sure to use lighter coloured fruits like mango, apple, pear, banana,etc. If you don’t mind it looking a bit swampy than feel free to add in those dark and delicious berries.

Another tip is to swap the banana for 1/2 an avocado to give it a little more density and some added healthy fats to boot!  I love using avocados in my smoothies as it makes them super creamy tasting. If you’re using avocado just be sure to pair it with a sweeter tasting fruit or use a hint of natural sweetener.

Now go get your glow-on!

xo Elaine

No Soup for You!

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Well…I suppose I could share with you;)

As I’m sitting here writing a post about soup, of course I can’t help but be reminded of the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld. Never, heard of the Soup Nazi? See the bottom of the post!

It seems I’ve been on a definite soup kick as of late. I suppose it’s been brought on by the chilly weather and my need for dishes that are both warming and nourishing. Plus I’ve always been a lover of soup in the winter.

In the past week or so I’ve made 3 big batches of soup. It started off with roasted cauliflower, followed by vegetable mung bean, and then on to my latest and greatest – sweet potato & lentil which I’ll share with you below.

All my soups are determined by what produce is in my kitchen at the moment. I always start with the biggest pot I have, add all my veggies and whatever else I choose to throw in such as beans and all the extras like garlic, spices, fresh & dried herbs, etc. I don’t really like store-bought broths and don’t really use them except on rare occasions. If you have the right seasonings on-hand there really isn’t a need for store-bought broths or bouillon cubes.

The great thing about making large batches of soup is that you can eat it for days – lunch, dinner, snacks, you name it! Last Saturday I made a huge pot of soup and that was my go-to for the whole weekend. If you live on your own and don’t think you will finish it all within 3 days or so, feel free to freeze serving size portions so you can grab them quickly for lunches.

When I make soups I don’t really measure anything but I included rough measurements below because I knew I would be sharing the recipe. Feel free to deviate! You can also substitute ingredients for whatever you have on-hand. If you’re using dried beans (which are preferable over canned) soak them overnight to reduce cooking time, otherwise add canned beans about half way through (rather than at the beginning) since they’ve already been cooked.

Sweet Potato & Lentil Soup

 

Ingredients
1 tbs of coconut oil
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 Spanish onion chopped
4-5 carrots diced
3-4 stalks of celery diced
1 large sweet potato peeled and chopped
1 ½ cups of green lentils (pre-soaked overnight and rinsed)
10 cups of pure water (This will vary on size of pot – leave a bit of room at top so soup doesn’t boil over!)
½ cup of chopped parsley
2 tsp of dried basil
½ – 1 tsp of sea salt
Feel free to add a few bay leaves or any other dried spices/herbs you have on-hand.

 

Instructions:
In a large pot add coconut oil and place over medium heat.
Add minced garlic and onion and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add 5 cups of water (or half the full amount you’ll be using) and add pre-soaked lentils, carrot, celery, and sweet potato.
As you bring to a boil slowly add the remaining 5 cups of water.
Add sea salt and dried basil (and any other dried spices/herbs you desire).
Boil for 5-10 minutes and reduce heat to a simmer.
Stir in fresh parsley and simmer for approx 30 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

 

You’ll find that with homemade soup it always tastes even more flavourful the next day. All the more reason to make a big batch!

And now, I’ll leave you with this…

 

Have a great weekend – filled with lots of soup!

This is how I do it! (Acorn Squash)

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It’s been brought to my attention that I talk about squash a lot. I can’t deny this because it’s absolutely true! There’s probably not a nutrition consultation that goes by where I’m not telling one client or another about the deliciousness of winter squashes, including spaghetti, butternut and my latest fave – acorn squash. If you caught me on Breakfast Television (Toronto) on Monday, you would have even seen me with an acorn squash in hand spreading the love!

Why do I love these winter squashes? Put simply they are nourishing, satisfying, and starchy, making them the perfect replacement for grain.They also breakdown seamlessly in the body, making them a lot easier to digest than grain. In my opinion, most people could do with replacing much of their grain products like bread, pasta, rice and such with starchy veggies like winter squashes and sweet potatoes (another one of my absolute faves).

Never bought a squash before? You can usually find them right next to the potatoes or somewhere in that vicinity in most grocery stores. And if you’ve never prepared one before don’t be intimidated!

Seeing as I’m always promoting them, I figured I’d do a step-by-step pictorial to demonstrate just how easy they are to prepare.

On the menu tonight – acorn squash!

Instructions: How to Prepare an Acorn Squash

(These instructions can be used for almost any type of squash)

1. Cut squash in half using a sharp knife.

2. Removes seeds.

3. Place straight on oven rack face up OR if you have a roasting pan you can place the two halves face down.

Oven time varies but I find 30 to 40 minutes in a preheated oven at 375 degrees does the trick.

4. Remove from oven. Feel free to top with a little organic butter, sea salt and cinnamon as pictured below. Just scoop straight out with a spoon. No dish required!

The perfect comfort food for cool winter nights.

Enjoy!

xo Elaine

Happy New Year (and a warming recipe for chilly nights!)

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Need a little something to warm you up on cold winter nights? Look no further!

Recipe – Creamy Almond Milk Hot Chocolate
1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1 heaping tbsp of unsweetened chocolate powder or raw cacao
Natural Sweetener of choice (i.e. 5-6 drops of stevia ,1 tsp of raw honey, or 1 heaping tsp of coconut sugar)
Optional: Spices (cayenne, nutmeg, cinnamon)

 

Instructions: Combine almond milk and chocolate powder in a saucepan and heat over low temperature. Once it comes to a low boil remove from heat and pour into a big mug. Add your natural sweetener of choice. Top with your favourite spices and enjoy!

 

All the best for a brand spanking new year!!

xo Elaine

Brickworks, Sunchokes and Hazelnut Butter Cups!

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I honestly meant to get this post out yesterday but it didn’t quite happen.

In any case, hope you all had a fantastic weekend! I sure did:)

Here’s a little preview of what I got up to over here.

Saturday Morning

Fun at Evergreen Brickworks Farmers’ Market with Jenn & Lacie-Lu (Jenn’s pooch).

Saturday Market at Brickworks

Purchases made: Sunchokes from Vicki’s Veggies, Goat’s Milk Cheddar from Montforte Dairy & Arugula from some farm which I cannot remember the name (although the people working the booth were really quite kind).

Sunchokes (aka Jerusalem Artichokes) were a first-time purchase for me. The guy manning the booth told me they were similar in texture to potatoes, and after doing my own research I noted that they aren’t even actually artichokes.

You can see what I conjured up with these little guys further below.

Apparently the market moves indoors next weekend for the cooler months ahead, so I’m happy we were able to make it out one last time while still outdoors. It was quite the beautiful day considering we’re nearing the end of November!

Market Goods

And one of yours truly sporting a big bag of Arugula…

Next (after throwing our goods in the car) we hit up the beautiful trails behind the market grounds so Lacie could get a little off-leash exercise while Jenn and I enjoyed the fresh autumn air and scenic surroundings.

Once home from the market it was time to delve into my market goods. Lunch was a giant Arugula Salad topped with grated goat’s milk cheddar. Sorry – no pic.

As for the Sunchokes – check out what I had for Sunday night dinner.

Garlic-Roasted Sunchokes – Recipe

Give your sunchokes a good wash then slice them into ½ inch thick pieces. Toss them in a little EVO, sea salt and minced garlic (1 clove will do) and place them in a baking dish.

Washed Sunchokes

Place in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Voila!

Garlic Roasted Sunchokes

I served them over a bed of millet and arugula. The taste did resemble an artichoke, although the texture was more like a potato (sort of) as the market-man informed me.

Hope I did Vicki proud;)

And last of all…

Saturday evening my good friend was throwing a Housewarming Party. I wanted to bring something delicious to share so I whipped up these little treats below. Sooo delicious and way better than Reese’s Peanut Buttercups! In my opinion anyways.

Hazelnut Butter love Cups – Recipe

Hazelnut Butter Cups

*makes approx 45+ bite-size cups

You’ll likely want to cut the below recipe in half, unless you’re bringing them to a party or trust yourself with having that many in your fridge! I made a few adult-sized cups as well (as you can see pictured above on the left).

Also note, the ones pictured above look a little bit goopy, but if you actually leave them in the freezer for a while the hazelnut butter hardens and you end up with a beautifully uniform buttercup – just like Reese’s! Either way though they still taste great.

______________________

Ingredients

2 x bars of dark chocolate (70% cocoa content or higher)

Hazelnut butter – 4 heaping tablespoons (or any natural nut butter of choice)

Pinch of sea (*the right ratio of sea salt to hazelnut butter is key – see instructions below)

Instructions: In a small saucepan, melt one of the bars over low heat until it’s liquid in consistency. Remove from heat and pour into bite-size paper baking cups lined on a baking sheet or tray. Pour chocolate into each cup filling just below half way.

Place baking sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes so the chocolate sets.

In a separate bowl mix the hazelnut butter with a dash of sea salt. Stir the mixture well so it’s creamy and smooth in consistency. If your nut butter has been in the fridge for a while or you’re near the bottom of the jar, you may want to add a touch of coconut oil to facilitate mixing. You’ll want to taste the mixture and then decide if you need more sea salt or not. While you’re doing this melt the second bar of chocolate. Remember to keep the temperature low so it doesn’t burn!

Hazelnut butter filling

Remove “cups” from the freezer and add a small dollop of hazelnut butter onto the centre of each. You may need to spread it a little bit with a spoon.

Next, pour the remaining melted chocolate over each cup and fill to the top.

Pop back in freezer (or fridge) and let the chocolate set. It only takes about 10-15 minutes in the freezer and a little bit longer in the fridge.

Keep them in the freezer or fridge until they are ready to serve.

Next, watch these little decadent treats fly off the plate!

Yum!

With the holidays just around the corner, these would make the perfect treat for all your holiday party/gathering needs. Just swap the white baking cups for the holiday-themed ones!

Guaranteed not to disappoint!

xo Elaine

All Dressed up and Nowhere to Go!

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Well, except for the pit of my tummy!

And I’m talking about salads here – not kitty cats! That would be just wrong. I thought the above picture was fitting for the blog title though:)

Let’s face it, the salad dressing can either make or break the salad. While the perfect dressing can turn even the most basic salad into a delicious masterpiece, the wrong dressing on the other hand can turn the most beautiful salad into a deal breaker. Boo-urns!

A good salad I must say really comes down to what you dress it up with. So many people claim to hate salads, and yes for some, salads are an acquired taste if they’re used to eating dead, over-cooked food all day long. However, I personally think the people who hate salads are the same people who are dousing their salad in store-bought salad dressing or who perhaps equate salad with iceberg lettuce and a few chunks of unripened tomato. I think it’s suffice to say that the majority of bottled salad dressings out there just don’t make the cut. All it takes is to flip that store-bought dressing over and check out the long list of ingredients that read like a science experiment. Yikes – no thank you!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the equation for making a really tasty salad dressing is really quite simple. Basically all bottled salad dressings are comprised of the three following tastes:

Acid + Fat + Sweet = Salad Dressing

If you’re buying store-bought there’s usually a number of additional additives in there as well, but if you’re making it at home you just need to make sure that you have these 3 key tastes covered. Next you can get creative with high quality sea salt, fresh herbs, garlic and spices to dream up any number of combinations.

Let me break it down:

Acid = Lemon or lime juice, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, etc.

Fat = Extra Virgin Olive Oil or if you have a fatty ingredient in the salad such as an avocado you can forgo the oil all together as the avocado will act as the fat and give it a creamy consistency. Oil on top of avocado is really quite unnecessary especially for people who are trying to lose weight. Although these are both “healthy” fats, there is no need to double up where you don’t need to!

Sweet = Natural sweetener of your choice (stevia, raw honey, raw agave, etc). Just remember that these natural sweeteners with the exception of stevia are still “sugar” so they should be used in moderation. If you’re eating a lot of salad and making your own dressings, which let’s face it you should be, then all that sugar (albeit natural) can really add up. Stevia is great for people who are watching their sugar intake and is the only natural sweetener that doesn’t feed yeast. I know I go on about stevia a lot but honestly I have found it to be one of the best tools for eliminating sugar from the diet.

Oftentimes my clients tell me that they don’t add sweetener to their salad dressings. What these people often don’t realize though is that practically every single bottled dressing contains sugar in one form or another, even if it’s artificial. This is the reason why when they make the switch to an oil and vinegar prepared at home it’s not long before they start to feel like something is missing (the sweet component) and go reaching for the store-bought dressing again because they don’t truly enjoy their homemade version.

Here are three super easy + delicious dressings that will make you fall in love with your salad;)

#1 Basic Dressing

* This is my “go-to” salad dressing of choice because it’s the quickest to prepare. I love this dressing on a salad topped with avocado or goat cheese. In either case I omit the oil.

Here’s the Basic Dressing in action topped on my favourite – Avocado Salad pictured below and Guacamole salad that I shared over on Joyous Health.

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lemon or approx 1/3 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar (depends on the size of your salad)

Stevia to taste (or natural sweetener of choice)

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Feel free to add fresh herbs, garlic, sea salt, etc.

Mix it up and pour over your salad.

#2 Classic Creamy Tahini Dressing

* This recipe makes approx 1 cup. Feel free to add your choice of fresh herbs or spices (i.e. cayenne) to change-up the flavour. This is a great one for those who love cream-based dressings but want to avoid the dairy.

**If you want to keep your food combinations straight, this dressing is best paired with vegetable salad. Feel free to throw some additional raw nuts or seeds into the mix (you likely won’t need it though as this dressing is pretty filling on its own) or some dried organic fruit if you desire. No avocado or cheese though if you are food-combining!

Ingredients

½ cup of raw Tahini (sesame seed paste)

½ cup of lemon juice (approx 2 x lemons)

1 tbsp of Tamari ( or ¼ tsp of sea salt)

1 clove of minced garlic

¼ cup of pure water

Stevia to taste or ½ tsp of raw honey (optional)

Pinch of cumin (optional)

Whisk all ingredients in a bowl or mix in a blender for a smooth consistency.

This dressing is also great as a dip and can be used in place of hummus. It basically contains the same ingredients as hummus minus the dense chickpeas so makes for a lighter (well-combined) alternative.

Who doesn’t love raw veggies with a tasty and delicious dip? Betcha can’t eat just one!

#3 Honey Dijon Dressing

This dressing pairs really nicely with a goat cheese & roasted-beet salad as pictured below.

Ingredients

½ cup of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

1 heaping tbsp of Dijon mustard

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil (optional)

1 clove of minced garlic

Sprinkle of sea salt

1 tsp of raw honey (or 4-5 drops of liquid stevia)

Mix well and serve over your salad.

For more salad love check out my earlier post here.

Here’s to dressing those salads to impress!

xo Elaine

Blueberry & Greens Avocado Smoothie

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Have you ever made a smoothie with an avocado?

It makes it so rich and creamy that is negates the need for any type of milk to thicken things up.

Here’s my favourite smoothie as of late…

I drank (or ate might be a better description) this glass of deliciousness all throughout the summer when fresh blueberries were in season, and now that we’re well into the Fall I’ve been using the local blueberries that I stored away in my freezer.

I entered the below recipe in the Organic Week Breakfast Challenge over at www.organicweek.ca. This week is organic week all across Canada (in case you didn’t know)!

*Blueberry and Greens Avocado Smoothie (Recipe)
*All ingredients are organic and/or local
1 cup of frozen blueberries
2 handfuls of baby spinach
1/2 an avocado
1 cup of filtered water
Cinnamon and a touch of raw honey to taste (or stevia)

Blend and serve.

If greens aren’t your thing you won’t even taste them. This recipe is kid approved too!

Slurp’s Up!

Comforting Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup (Raw Recipe)

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I love this soup.

Brimming with vitality, this soup is chock-full of enzymes, vitamins and minerals in their most useable forms. It’s the perfect addition to a meal or enjoyed out of a mug for a light and energizing snack.

Despite the fact that it’s a raw (non-cooked) soup it is actually still quite comforting and perfect for cool autumn weather. The addition of ginger and cinnamon spice it up and give it a warming effect in the body.

Comforting Sweet Potato and Carrot Soup (Raw Recipe)

4 cups of fresh carrot juice

1 large sweet potato peeled and cut into chunks

1 small avocado (or half a large one)

½ tsp of grated ginger

½ tsp of cinnamon

Stevia to taste (4-5 drops) – optional

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Serve immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for later. Do not heat.

Note: This recipe was inspired and adapted from Natalia Rose’s Pumpkin Pie in a Bowl Recipe from her book Detox for Women.

Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.

 

Love,

Elaine

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower (3 in 1 Recipe)

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Cauliflower.

Not the most popular of vegetables, and definitely not at the top of most grocery lists. People either seem to like it or they don’t. It’s never one of the first crudités to get gobbled up on the veggie tray at a party, nor does it often get packed in the school lunch among the carrot and celery sticks.

Strangely enough, when I was a kid it was one of my favourite veggies. And it wasn’t because I knew it came from the family of cancer-fighting cruciferous veggies, or that it was rich in Vitamins C & K, Folic Acid, Potassium and phytonutrients such as indole-3-carbinol and quercetin among others. If only I knew then what I know now I may have convinced all my little kiddo friends to reevaluate their feelings about cauliflower and give it the chance it truly deserved.

Although cauliflower can be enjoyed raw, especially when paired with a really delicious dip such as hummus, I find most people are won over by its taste when they try it in one of its many cooked forms.

Here’s a classic recipe that is super-duper easy to prepare. It can be eaten in its basic form or taken a step further in a few different directions to create two additional tasty dishes that can be added to your weekly arsenal of recipes!

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower

1 ½ tbsps of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2-3 cloves of garlic minced

*Pecorino Romano grated (optional)

(*A hard cheese made from sheep’s milk that is often used interchangeably with parmesan)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 F

Cut the cauliflower into florets and toss it with the olive oil and minced garlic in a casserole dish.

Place in oven for approx 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and top with grated Pecorino Romano (approx 2 tbsps)

Place back in oven under broiler for 3-5 minutes so cheese melts.

Serve up!

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower

Or…take the recipe one step further and create a delicious and healthier substitute for mashed potatoes (same same but different…and better!!!)

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower Mash

Repeat the same steps as above but place the final product into a blender omitting the Pecorino Romano.

Add ¼ cup liquid of your choice for a creamy texture. For a really creamy texture reminiscent of mashed potatoes I suggest adding 100% pure organic cream, or you can add your own dairy substitute of choice.

Add 1 tbsp of chopped chives or thyme.

Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender or food processor until it is the consistency of mashed potatoes.

Serve and enjoy!

Or, if you’re craving a warming bowl of soup…

Garlic Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Make the original recipe but omit the second step where you top with grated cheese.

Put the final product in the blender (as with the “mash” recipe) with the addition of 3-4 cups of veggie broth (more or less depending on the consistency of soup you desire).

Blend until smooth.

Pour into serving bowls and top with grated Pecorino Romano and/or chopped herbs of choice (both optional).

Here’s to cancer-fighting cauliflower in all its delicious forms!

Elaine

Quinoa Salad – A Crowd Pleaser

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Here’s one of my favourite “go-to” dishes when attending dinner parties, potlucks and the like. It’s super simple to make and takes almost no time at all to prepare. Secrets out! Most importantly though, people always love it!

This is what I brought last night to a “healthy foodie” potluck hosted by a fellow nutritionist. At these types of gatherings there are usually always at least a couple of people in attendance who have one food restriction or another. Vegan? Intolerant to gluten? Bring it!!

Quinoa Salad Recipe

2 cups of quinoa cooked on the stove top per instructions. (Use 2 cups of water per 1 cup of quinoa. If the you didn’t buy the quinoa pre-rinsed ensure you rinse it in a strainer prior to cooking to wash off the *saponins.)

*soap-like chemicals that interfere with digestion

5 radishes chopped

1 bunch of Italian parsley chopped

2 celery stalks sliced finely

2 spring onions sliced finely

Dressing: Juice of 1 lemon + a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil + sea salt to taste

After the quinoa has cooled, mix in all veggies and drizzle with the dressing and mix again.

 

Easy Peasy.

xo Elaine