Tag Archives: recipe

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

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

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

Cranberry Seed Hippy Granola for Kids and Life Lessons Learned in the Kitchen

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I always like getting adventurous in the kitchen, and yesterday Sunday afternoon I set out to do just that! My mission was to create a healthy nut-free granola bar for school lunches, chock full of nutritious goodness that children would love. A recipe that even the busiest parent could muster up the time and energy to pull off – and best part, no baking required!

See I’m giving a corporate talk tomorrow today on the topic of meal planning for busy parents and I wanted to give them a healthy replacement option for all the garbage granola bars out there on grocery store shelves. You know the ones…laden with hydrogenated oils and rancid fats, artificial this and that, refined sugar and grain? Yeah, those ones! So I was going to make them, refrigerate them, and then bring them in tomorrow today for all the parents to try. I wanted to impress them with my mad skills in the kitchen and hopefully sway them from ever buying another mainstream granola bar again!

Here they are! They look pretty tasty and granola bar-like, eh?

Don’t be deceived. No-bake granola bar attempt #1 = FAIL!!

See in the pic above they look really great because they just came out of the freezer after being in there for about 30 minutes. As soon as they sat out on the counter for a little while (after cutting them), these little babies started to crumble. Big time! How could I bring these into my corporate talk on Tuesday today? My granola bars would be the laughing-stock of the boardroom. Furthermore, what parent in their right mind would want to put a granola bar in their child’s lunchbox if it crumbled before they even packed it. “Might as well have just bought the store-bought ones” I could imagine them exclaiming. And more so, what kid wants to be “the kid” with the crumbly granola bar on the first day of school. Not cool! No kid wants sticky granola crumble stuck in their pony-tail or to the front of their shirt.

Not being one to give up very easily I started to ponder how I could turn this crumbling situation around.

Voila!

Here we have Cranberry Seed Hippy Granola for Kiddos (I basically just pulled the bars apart)! For all of you granola lovers out there this is for you. Toss it in your yogurt if that’s your thing, or sprinkle it over top of your “healthier” cereal for a little added sweetness. My method of choice?  Sprinkled over a sliced banana with a splash of almond milk (pictured below).

(Actually, I think I may have added that splash of almond milk after I snapped the picture.)

Now, remember this is more like a treat than an everyday staple, it’s sweet, granted using natural raw honey. If you are transitioning your child away from their “Fruit Loops” or other sugary breakfast cereal, a few tbsps of this mixed in with a lower sugar alternative would a nice option, or half a cup of this mixed in with some sliced up fruit would be another. They could even eat it straight up! It can also still be a replacement for a granola bar (my original intention), you’ll just need to include a reusable container and spoon to go along with! And remember, it’s still way better than all those mainstream granola bars.

Recipe: Organic Cranberry Seed Hippy Granola (Nut-free)

2 cups of organic rolled oats

½ cup of raw sunflower seeds

½ cup of raw sesame seeds

½ cup of raw pumpkin seeds (not pictured above bc I didn’t have any on hand)

1 cup of dried organic cranberries (or other dried fruit of choice)

1 tbsp of ground cinnamon

½ cup of organic chocolate chips (optional)

¾ cup of raw honey (you can try tapering it back to ½ cup to start) – honey must be liquid consistency for blending purposes. You might also try mixing 1/2 cup of raw honey with 1/4 cup of black strap molasses for a different flavour.

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients except the honey in a large bowl and mix well.

Next slowly drizzle the honey over the mixture and mix well so that all dry ingredients are covered. I suppose you could just omit the honey, however, seeing as this was made with the kiddos in mind as a “treat” or alternative to all those sweet granola bars, the sweetness is key here.

* Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container

 

Life Lesson Learned?

Don’t assume a recipe is going to work out if you’ve never tried it before and better yet, don’t wait until the last-minute to attempt a first-time trial when you need the goods in a pinch. Procrastinating never gets you ahead of the game. That’s just the way the cookie (er, granola bar?) crumbles.

Be back soon!!

Elaine

Green Juicing it, Baby!

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Imagine injecting yourself with a liquid so abundant in vitality that it goes to work immediately, nourishing every single cell, tissue, gland and organ of your body. Brimming with live enzymes, vitamins and minerals, chlorophyll and deep organic hydration, green juice is a refreshing way to begin your day.

In order to obtain all these wonderful benefits, the juice must be fresh (not store-bought) with raw veggies and a little fruit (if desired), including a nice helping of alkalinizing leafy greens. Virtually all store-bought juices are heated through pasteurization rendering it lifeless. This is why food manufacturers have to add back in a handful of synthetic vitamins and minerals to make their label claims. Heating and processing also destroys the enzymes, so fresh juices are a great way to ensure you are taking in lots of live enzymes needed for digestion and other metabolic functions. Our bodies do produce enzymes naturally, but with age our enzyme stores become depleted, and the more cooked and processed food we eat, the more enzymes our bodies need to produce to breakdown the devitalized food. When you drink fresh juices (and eat raw, unprocessed food) essentially you are making a deposit into your body’s enzyme bank for future use!

The Gold is in the Green

All fresh fruits and veggies carry the sun’s energy, but it’s the leafy greens that are most abundant in this synthesized sunlight, otherwise known as chlorophyll. Imagine guzzling down a glass of liquid sunshine! Chlorophyll is considered the “life blood” of the plant, and it’s no surprise that it also happens to be a powerful blood builder, delivering oxygen to all our cells and tissues.

Greens are also highly alkalinizing, a welcoming change to the acidic nature of the modern western diet. The pH of our body is slightly alkaline, the natural state our bodies fight to maintain, even if it means leaching alkaline minerals from our own bones to neutralize the acidity of the food taken in. This is one of the many reasons why diets that are primarily plant-based are so healing. However, you don’t have to be a vegan or vegetarian to incorporate more of the good stuff into your daily mix!

What about the Fibre? (Juicing vs. Blending)

During the juicing process, the vital liquid of the plant is extracted from the indigestible fibre. Without any fibre to break-down, the juice is absorbed and assimilated by your body in a matter of minutes.  This means that the juice can go straight to work nourishing and revitalizing every cell in your body, bypassing the digestive process. This is the difference between juicing and blending because blended juices and smoothies still contain the fibre so are unable to revitalize our cells in the same way as fresh juices can. Now before you go dumping your kale smoothie down the drain, I’m not by any means saying you don’t need fibre.  Fibre is a vital intestinal broom and very much needed by our bodies.  This is why in addition to fresh-pressed juices, whole veggies and fruits should still be an integral part of your daily food-intake. Think fresh salads, blended smoothies and soups, green wraps, and sautéd, steamed and baked veggies. The sky’s the limit! 

Perfect Timing

The best time to drink your fresh juice is on an empty stomach, ideally before you have your first meal of the day. This allows for optimal absorption and assimilation because once you throw food into the mix your digestive system has to work harder. You can enjoy your green juice anytime of the day though as long as it’s on an empty stomach. It’s also great as a late afternoon snack about 3 hours or so after your last meal or an hour or so before dinner. Try swapping your 3pm coffee for an emerald-green juice!

Optimally, juice is best taken in immediately after it’s prepared because once it’s exposed to oxygen and light the enzymatic integrity is compromised. With that said though, you’ll still benefit greatly from drinking the juice even hours after it’s made just as long as you store it in an airtight container and keep it cold in the refrigerator. A day old green juice is WAY better than no green juice at all. For some people, making the juice the night before works better with their schedule. I say whatever makes it easier for you to incorporate these elixirs into your daily routine is the best way to go!

Tips on juicing

1. Frequenting juice bars can weigh heavy on the wallet so I wholeheartedly recommend buying a juicer. It’s a small price to pay when you think of it as an investment in your health. Breville has a great line of juicers that range from lower end prices to higher end. I payed in the $150-$180 range for my Breville and I really do love it. I actually just saw the same model on sale a few weeks ago for $135 (at the Bay) – a steal!

My Breville!

2. Use organic produce (and in-season) as often as possible. If you must use non-organic, make sure to peel the skin from your lemons, cucumbers and apples to avoid pesticides and waxes.

3. You want your juices to be green but not overly green. Dark greens can taste quite medicinal and that’s definitely not the goal. Lighter greens such as cucumber and celery have a high water content so you get a lot of bang for your buck. Make these lighter greens the bulk of your juice with the addition of a big handful of leafy greens.

4. If you desire a little added sweetness throw in 1-2 apples. I especially recommend this for beginners because it will truly make the green juice delicious. The kiddos will love it too! Keep in mind though that citrus fruits such as lemons and limes cut the taste of bitter greens really nicely without the added sugars (in case you’re avoiding fruit sugars for any reason). Carrots and beets will also sweeten things up nicely as well.

5. Herbs such as parsley, mint, and cilantro are great additions for a little additional zip.

6. For a touch of heat try a small slice of jalapeño pepper or ginger but remember a little goes a long way!

7. If you’re still enjoying your cup of coffee in the morning just be sure to drink your green juice at least 30 minutes on either side of it because coffee is acidic in the body.

Here are two of my favorite detoxifying green juice recipes:

Green Citrus Elixir
5-6 leave of kale, swiss chard or collard greens
½ head of celery
1 lemon
Slice of ginger (optional)

 

Green Refresher
Spinach
1 cucumber
A few sprigs of mint
1 lemon
1 apple (optional)

An inaugural green juice! I brought Michelle to Kale Organic Eatery for her very first green juice experience. I think she was sold!

On a final note, I’d just like to say that my daily green juice has become a sacred part of my morning routine, and on the days when I’m rushed and don’t make time for it, my body truly misses it. If you’re at all interested in deep tissue cleansing, fresh-pressed green juices are a mandatory.

Here’s to green juicing it all the way to the bank – the enzyme bank that is!

Elaine