banana, ab & j cups

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Life is full of tough decisions.

saving or spending? buy or rent?

school or work? exercise or sleep in?

superman or batman?

healthy or indulgent? PB & J or PB & banana?

Good news is, I can help with those last 2. Because I have a treat for you that is not only healthy AND indulgent, but it also combines the 2 greatest sandwiches ever created!

I firmly believe that when it comes to nutrition and taste, one should never have to sacrifice either. The trick is simply knowing how to marry both worlds. Being healthy shouldn’t feel like a chore or depriving. It should be fun and exciting!

Enter in some of my absolutely favourite ingredients that help bridge the gap between health and taste. Natural nut butters and coconut oil.

Both are packed full of healthy fats so they are nourishing to your body (better skin, higher metabolism, balanced hormones) but also taste rich and decadent. Almond butter is packed with fat soluble vitamins and minerals like calcium, and coconut oil has incredible antimicrobial properties. So you are doing both your body and taste buds a favour by eating them!

I’m really excited about these treats too because they combine 2 sandwiches that whenever I would eat them, make me feel like a kid again. Peanut butter and jam and peanut butter and banana. Both extremely delicious and soul-satisfying. And that’s why I always want them both! So why not combine them? I opted to use almond butter since its a more nutritious option and since I’m not eating grains I had to find another way to get my fix. Enter these little morsels…

These are adapted from my recipe for frozen tahini banana cups which are another awesome variation on this idea. Check them out if you haven’t yet!

Raw, Gluten-Free, Refined Sugar-Free, Grain-Free, Paleo, SCD-Friendly and of course Vegan, these are an easy choice. So make them and save your brain power for debating the more important issues in life.

To be or not to be…Oh screw it, I have treats ;)

Banana, AB & J Cups (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Paleo, SCD)

Feel free to use any nut butter you want, or try sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option!

Ingredients (14 mini cups)

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond butter
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp liquid sweetener
pinch salt
1 banana, sliced thinly
~12 or so raspberries, mashed

Instructions

Over low heat, melt the coconut oil. Add the almond butter to it so it softens and mix well. Add your sweetener of choice and the pinch of salt and mix.

Line up your muffin cups. Put a spoonful of the almond butter and coconut oil mixture into the bottom of the cups. Put in the fridge to harden.

Once hard, remove and place one small scoop of mashed raspberries and on top, one thin slice of banana. Try and make this as flat as possible. Put another scoop of the almond butter mixture over top so it covers the banana and spreads all the way to the sides of the cups. Put back in the fridge to harden.

Store in the fridge or freezer and take out only right before you're going to eat them. I liked these ones in the fridge, but if you freeze them the banana takes on an almost ice cream-like texture which is delicious too!

I'm sharing this on Allergy-Free Wednesdays.

Enjoy and I’ll be back tomorrow with a guest post! Have a great Tuesday :)

healthy vegan friday #45

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Summer glorious summer is here! I happily went out yesterday and ran errands in a skirt and t-shirt and was actually too warm! First time yet this year and I LOVE it. I’ve been eating really high raw lately because of it and simple can’t get enough fresh fruit. I even treated myself to a fresh green juice the other day. Celebration was in order!

Welcome to this week’s Healthy Vegan Friday!

We had 49 delicious submissions last week! In case you haven’t seen the post or all the awesome submissions, head on over to check it out.

For those of you who don’t know, Healthy Vegan Fridays is a weekly blog hop hosted by myself, Carrie @ Carrie on Vegan and Katherine @ Green Thickies. it is a place to share your healthy vegan recipes that make use of whole ingredients and minimize the use of processed and refined foods. The recipes shared on this link up are intended to emphasis the beauty, creativity and benefits of a healthy, plant-based diet!

First though a recap of last week:

Most Popular Submissions

We have 4 submissions for you this week! Janet stole the show with 2 posts in the top 3 so we decided to showcase a third blogger as well!

Spanish Chickpeas and Spinach with Roasted Garlic

Spanish Chickpeas with Spinach and Roasted Garlic from Janet @ the taste space

I can never get enough chickpeas- good thing Janet is always there with a chickpea or bean recipe (or 5!)

Creamy Cashew Kale and Chickpeas from Janet @ the taste space

Case and point! Another delicious chickpea recipe that comes together quickly- perfect for weeknights.

smoothie formula

Simple Green Smoothie Formula from Chastity @ My Healthy Chef

If you’ve never made a green smoothie before this is a great tutorial on how to make ones that’s delicious and nutritious. Or even if you’re a green smoothie veteran, we can always use more ideas ;)

Digestive Health and a Bulk Green Drink from Amber @ The Tasty Alternative

I love posts on digestive health, especially since I seem to struggle with my own digestion so much. Amber offers great tips on how to improve digestion, mostly without supplements! A great recipe for a green drink that will last you a while too.

My Top Picks

Favourite-Named Nosh: Vegan Knock-You-Naked Brownie Protein Pancakes from Living Learning Eating

With a name like that, how could you not try them???

Favourite Main Event: Stuffed and Roasted Onions from Vicky @ Gluten Free SCD and Veggie

These sound super packed with flavour and what a great way to get your veggies in!

Favourite Indulgence: Raw Caramel Trails Ice Cream from Kimmy @ Rock My Vegan Socks

This sounds absolutely divine and no ice cream maker required!

Now for Healthy Vegan Friday #45!

My Submission for the Week:

Grain-Free Berry Crisp

Now that berries are getting affordable and in season, let’s make this with fresh berries and make mornings that much sweeter!

And just a quick request- PLEASE put a LINK BACK to this blog party on the post you are linking. We want to try and spread the word about Healthy Vegan Friday and would really appreciate your help doing so!

So, if you have a healthy vegan recipe (or 2) to share, please add it to the list below! If not, feel free to browse the submissions and get inspired! You can also check out our Facebook page,Pinterest board and feel free to tweet about it using the hashtag #VeganFridays. Feel free to grab our button (code is on the sidebar) to help promote this even and show your vegan pride.

You don’t have to be vegan to submit, just needs to be a vegan recipe. so share that creativity of yours!

Thanks and happy Friday!

Submission Guidelines

maximum of 2 submissions per week

you do not have to be a vegan food blogger to link up, but all recipes must be 100% vegan.
all recipe submissions should focus on the most whole, unprocessed and unrefined ingredients as much as possible, although we will still accept recipes that make use of some processed/refined ingredients.
you may submit current or past recipes, just make sure they are not ones that you have shared previously on this blog hop.
besides recipes, feel free to submit informative posts that are aimed at promoting vegan, plant-based diets.
you must provide a link back to this blog party on your submitted post. You can either grab our badge to display or a clickable link back somewhere on the post you are submitting.
when linking up, please make sure to link back to the post you are submitting, not the homepage of your blog

Legal Disclaimer

By linking up to Healthy Vegan Fridays, you guarantee that the pictures and posts are your own and not that of someone else. You also agree to give permission to all hostesses (Gabby, Katherine and Carrie) to make use of your pictures and posts on our own Healthy Vegan Friday posts, as well as giving us permission to re-post them on Pinterest, Twitter and/or Facebook.

KOGE: convenient supplements with a conscience

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Supplements are a tricky business. They are confusing. Different forms of the vitamins, different doses, a million companies and a ton of formulations. And then once you pick out the right one(s) you have to remember to take all of them. When you are getting low you need to remember to go out and buy them. And finding the same supplement you got the last time can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

It’s a pretty confusing world out there so it’s nice when you find a supplement company that is trying to make things easier. All your supplements in one bottle with the added bonus of monthly delivery and donating to a charity every time you buy them. Sounds great right?

Medium

KOGE is a premium supplement company that was started right here in Toronto. In fact, they are so close to my door, that I actually got to sit down with one of the founders, Andrew, and chat about the company. It was such a cool experience and wonderful to see such a genuine person making high quality supplements at a great price, that also help make a difference in the world.

Koge-way

KOGE operated by skipping all the middle men. The supplements are made, sent to KOGE then sent right to you, not to a store front first meaning the products are a great price (about $30 for 4 supplements to last you 1 month!!). They also donate money to providing much needed vitamins to children in poor countries with each purchase! And while their packaging can be a little bulky, it’s entirely recyclable and 100% carbon neutral! Pretty awesome right?

Now what exactly are the supplements like. Well at the moment they offer 5 products: The Daily Essentials, Antioxidant Collection, Weight Management, Energy Pack and Whey Protein. Click here to check out the offerings. I got to try the Antioxidant collection which is group of supplements including: a highly absorbable form of selenium, grape seed extract with resveratrol and coenzyme Q10 with L-taurine. It comes packages all nicely into 30 little packets so each day you open one up and take the 3 capsules enclosed. So easy! I really enjoyed using the product and found the packaging to make taking the supplement really easy.

And that’s one of the best parts! It made taking supplements easy and you can even set up a delivery schedule so you get one delivered each month.

Note: while as of now, the supplements available online are not exclusively vegan, they will have vegan supplements available in the next month :)

Overall I thought the product was great: high quality, convenient and with a conscience. The owners are truly genuine, honest people and the company is Canadian! Pretty awesome, so check them out if you can. They ship internationally as far as I know. AND they are providing all Veggie Nook readers with a 20% discount- use the code VEGGIENOOK at checkout!

See you all back here tomorrow for Healthy Vegan Friday!

Disclaimer: I was provided with the supplements free of charge but was under no obligation to write a positive review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

shredded brussels sprout salad

Posted on May 27, 2013 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

There are people out there who hate brussels sprouts. I know they exist, but I have never understood them.

Roast them up with a little oil and sea salt and they become the most flavourful addition to a meal- soft on the inside, a little crispy on the outside. Or you could get fancy- maybe toss a little mustard on there or bathe them in a tahini dressing upon serving. You really can’t go wrong.

And this is how I would convince brussels sprout haters that they actually were brussels sprout lovers. They just hadn’t had them prepared the right way. Because I mean, OF COURSE you don’t like them raw or even lightly steamed. They MUST be roasted.

Oh how wrong I was.

Because now, I love raw brussels sprouts!

The trick is to shred them thin, like you would shred cabbage for a coleslaw. Then you pair it with other flavourful ingredients (like pear, pecans, and dried cranberries) and a knock out dressing (with apple cider vinegar and mustard) and you have yourself an amazing salad. No roasting, or turning on of an oven required. And guess what! That means it’s so much faster to eat them this way and you save precious energy!

Beyond the time and energy savings of eating brussels sprouts raw, there’s actually a nutritional advantage as well. You see, 1 cup of brussels sprouts contains 197% of your daily requirements for vitamin K and 125% of your daily vitamin C. But vitamins are not heat stable! Meaning even when you steam them, you are losing vitamin content. But by eating them raw, you are retaining all the vitamin K and C goodness! Brussels sprouts are also high in antioxidants, sulphur and fibre. They are definitely something we should all be adding to our diets.

This salad is one of those whose flavour improves as it sits. Make it the day before and cover and refrigerate overnight if possible, adding in the avocado right before serving.

So even if you are a brussels sprout hater. Even if you don’t like them roasted. Try this salad. You won’t be sorry!

Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad (Vegan, Gluten-free, Sugar-free, Raw, Paleo, SCD)

Ingredients (2 main dishes, 4 sides)

6 brussels sprouts, shredded
small handful pecans, chopped
small handful sunflower seeds
small handful dried cranberries, chopped
1/4-1/2 an avocado, diced

Dressing (Adapted from Choosing Raw's Tangy Mustard Dressing)

2 tsp Bragg’s or Tamari
2 T flax oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 T honey
1 T stoneground mustard
1/2 tsp curry powder

Instructions

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the dressing in a smaller, separate bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.

The dressing recipe makes a little more than you'll probably need (about enough for one meal-sized salad), so save it for another meal!

This salad tastes even better the next day so make ahead of time and refrigerate over night if you can, adding in the avocado right before serving.

I'm sharing this recipe on Raw Foods Thursdays and Allergy Free Wednesdays.

I’m super excited the weather is getting warmer out and that means more raw foods! I tend to eat a lot less raw in the winter but almost entirely raw in the summer!

Do you find your diet shifts to higher raw in the summer? What is one of your favourite raw dishes?