wiaw #30- welcoming back some sweetness

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

hello everyone!

sorry i’ve been absent from the blogging world for a while. i have been so busy lately it seems like there has been no time for sleeping let alone blogging. but i finally got a night at home to relax so i thought i’d throw together a post about what i’ve been eating lately since i reintroduced a little sweetness back into my life. plus there’s a couple recipes in it for you!

so, for those of you who don’t know, i am participating in sarah wilson’s 8 week pre-christmas sugar-free challenge. it’s all about eliminating sugars in all forms, then gradually reintroducing small amounts back in to see how it goes. so far i have invited back in a few fruits and a tiny little bit of natural sweetener to see how it goes. it’s amazing how going without sugar for a few weeks can make you so sensitive to sweetness! fruit tastes like candy and now a little natural sweetener goes a long way. since i’ve been without sugar for so long, i am limiting my sweetener intake to only natural sweeteners (maple syrup, brown rice syrup, coconut sugar/nectar and stevia) and not letting any others in. and i’m using very miniscule amounts. it feels nice to not need it like i used to.

anyway, today is what i ate wednesday so here are my eats from yesterday (tuesday). thank you as always to jenn @ peas and crayons for hosting! sorry for the bad photos. it seems like whenever i have time to take pictures the lighting is terrible and yesterday was especially dreary here…

started with 2 glasses of warm water with apple cider vinegar (unpictured)

breakfast: green smoothie

being done with my sugar free diet means i am welcoming back green smoothies! oh how i missed them :) this one is a clementine, half a frozen banana, bok choy, a scoop of protein powder, maca powder, spirulina, coconut oil and water topped with goji berries, coconut and the last of some sugar-free sprouted grain cereal.

snack: insert an unpictured clementine and herbal tea

lunch: salad with maple mustard flax dressing (recipe below) and raw pizza bites

this was my school lunch, photo taken at home since i knew i’d forget to later on. a salad with spinach, quinoa, tomato, raw beet, dulse flakes, hemp seeds and a dressing. this dressing is honestly so amazing- i missed it so much on my sugar-free diet, so i decided to make a batch up. there’s a little maple syrup in it, but not too much. i highly recommend it. also had one of these raw pizza bites- packed two but didn’t end up eating one.

maple mustard flax dressing (vegan, gluten-free, naturally sweetened, high-raw)

this dressing is a little sweet, a little tangy and very delicious! it includes some flax oil in addition to olive oil to get some essential fatty acids in!

ingredients (~1 cup)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup flax oil
1/4 cup raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp maple syrup (not raw)
1 tbsp mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
sea salt and pepper (to taste)

instructions

place all ingredients in a blender and blend!

snack: hummus with mary’s crackers and tonic wild blueberry kombucha

i avoided kombucha which on the “absolutely no sugars” phase of this challenge since kombucha is made with sugar. but since it’s fermented, very little sugar actually remains in the final product, so i’m welcoming it back in. this is tonica, a lovely toronto-based kombucha company.. i ate a lot of hummus and crackers, not going to lie…

dinner: chilli-spiced black beans with cilantro-lime rice (recipe below)

and this was my dinner! i don’t think i mentioned this on the blog yet, but i signed up for an organic produce delivery service a couple weeks ago! it’s great because you can choose from a bunch of different boxes (including all veggies which came in handy), but as a result i’ve been getting some interesting produce i wouldn’t normally buy. that’s why i put bok choy in my smoothie and that’s why i ended up with a ton of cilantro. so to use it, i got in my head that i wanted to make cilantro-lime rice. and what goes better with that than chilli-spiced black beans?? nothing. that’s what i thought ;)

this meal was very filling and so easy to prepare. the longest part is waiting for the rice to cook, but everything else comes together in less that 20 min. i left it pretty mildly spiced, since i know i have some readers who aren’t into spicy foods but feel free to add more chilli powder or serve with hot sauce as i did.

chilli-spiced black beans with cilantro-lime rice (vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free)

rice adapted from fresh city farms

ingredients (3 servings)

cilantro-lime rice

3/4 cup short-grain brown rice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove

chilli-spiced black beans

oil for the pan (like coconut oil)
1/2 an onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well (I like eden foods brand since it's organic and BPA-free)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/4 tsp chilli powder
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
Juice of 1/2 lime

instructions

in a medium saucepan, rice and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. add a little salt and reduce heat to a simmer. cover and cook until water is absorbed and rice is just tender, about 50 min.

in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and add the coconut oil. cook the onion for a few minutes till translucent then add the garlic and sauté for another minute. add the tomato paste and spices and stir for about 30 seconds to incorporate.

add the beans and the broth. simmer over low heat uncovered, stirring occasionally until most of the broth has been absorbed, about 10 minutes.

meanwhile, in a blender, blend the cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, and 2 tablespoons water. don't worry about getting it perfectly smooth. chunks of cilantro are fine! stir into cooked rice.

serve the rice with some beans spooned on top. top with some chopped tomatoes and cilantro if desired and serve!

later on there was an apple with cinnamon (unpictured)

and that’s it for me, have a great day everyone!

sweet potato pecan granola

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

in my non-foodie world, my favourite colours are kind of bland. i am always a little embarrassed to admit to people that my favourite colour is charcoal. i mean really, charcoal? how dull can you get? followed by deep forest green and deep blue, there’s not too much excitement there. sereneness, peacefulness and calmness, yes. but excitement? no way.

but something changes in the autumn. i become completely enamoured by the colour orange. loud and in your face, yet warm and comforting orange. the colour of the leaves as they fall of the trees, the faces of the pumpkins carved into jackolanterns, and the insides of my favourite fall produce- squash and sweet potatoes. when you see the colour orange in these foods, it holds the promise of rich sweet flavour, warming you inside out, providing a satisfying, hearty meal or snack. in short, in my foodie world, it promises bliss :)

i don’t think this is a coincidence either. sweet potatoes are rich in fiber helping to fill you up and keep you full. loaded with antioxidants like vitamin C and beta-carotene, they help keep our skin, hair and bones healthy and protect our eyesight. beta-carotene is also really important for growth and helps reduce inflammation. rich it vitamin b6 and folate, sweet potatoes and squash contribute to your body’s production of serotonin, helping to elevate your mood. so not only do these orange beauties keep your body feeling good, they keep you happy too!

i know i’ve been posting a lot of recipes with squash lately, but i hope you’re not sick of that flavour profile yet. because this sweet potato pecan granola is seriously out of this world! i ate almost the entire batch in 2 days and literally had to force myself to not eat the last bowl so i could snap pictures of it in good daylight. it’s one of those recipes that makes you wonder how any commercially produced granola ever sells. why would anyone buy something in a box that is so amazing when made at home?

i paired the earthy sweetness of the sweet potato with decadently sweet pecans and dates and a little maple syrup to tie the whole thing together. this granola is amazing just eaten on its own or sprinkled on vegan ice cream, smoothies or with some apple and milk. no matter how you eat your granola, this one will be a winner, and it’s so seasonally appropriate!

sweet potato pecan granola (vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free)

ingredients (~4 1/2 cups)

dry

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup chopped dates (i used california dates, sweeter and not as soft as medjool)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt

wet

2/3 cup mashed sweet potato (bake it to get a caramelized, deep sweet flavour instead of steaming/boiling)
1/4 cup maple syrup (coconut nectar or brown rice syrup could work)
1/4 cup coconut sugar (or sucanat or date sugar)
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

instructions

preheat oven to 250f*.

combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.

combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl and mix into the dry.

bake for about 1 1/2 hours, until desired crunchiness.

*i like to bake my granolas at low temperature to protect the fats in the nuts. but if in a hurry, try 350f for 30 min or so!

and in case orange deliciousness for breakfast wasn’t enough, why not try some kabocha almond patties for lunch, pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for a snack and some sweet and savoury acorn squash for dessert?

i'm sharing this recipe on allergy-free wednesdays and wellness weekends!

hope you all have wonderful weeks bursting with bright colours and delicious flavours :)

miso, sea veggies and an avocado banana nori wrap

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Hello chickpeas!

So sorry I didn’t get a chance to post over the weekend! I ended up being pretty busy and the time I actually had to write the post was spent struggling with my laptop and photo editing software. Things seems to be working all right now, fingers crossed!

Speaking of the weekend, I hope you all had a great one! Mine was spent doing school work, working, but also some much needed relaxing and spending time with some awesome people, you know who you are :)

Did you all see my post Thursday on maple miso tahini spread? If you didn’t head over here to check it out!

Today’s recipe uses that spread to make a delicious and unique wrap that would be great for breakfast, lunch or even a snack! It’s salty, sweet and all kinds of healthy.

But wait, you’re thinking. How can this be salty, sweet and healthy? Well, it’s all thanks to some help from my once of my favourite ingredients, miso and some sea veggies.

Miso is one of the forms of soy no one should be hesitant to include as a part of their diet. As a fermented form of soy, it provides your digestive system with loads of beneficial bacteria, is a complete protein and a good source of vitamin B_12,and it helps with digestion by helping your small intestine synthesize and absorb nutrients. It’s packed with antioxidants, and despite it’s high sodium content, research suggests this sodium doesn’t negatively impact your cardiovascular system the way highly processed refined salt does. It’s a whole, unprocessed form of sodium, something our bodies need to function properly!

When choosing a miso remember these things:

- miso soup in a restaurant can be great, but they often used a highly processed powder to make it, taking away the health benefits. Sad day right?
- choose organic, non-GMO miso paste. This ensures the soybeans are high quality, free of pesticides and free from the potentially harmful effects of genetically modified foods
- choose unpasteurized miso- this retains all the living enzymes!
- there are 2 main varieties- red and white, sweet and more savoury so try them out and see what you like best!

Sea veggies are another very beneficial source of healthy, whole sodium in the diet. They are extremely anti-inflammatory through a substance called fucoidans, are very high in anti-oxidants, are an important source of iodine and other minerals, are a concentrated iron source, can help prevent estrogen-related cancers like breast cancer, as well as being anticoagulant and antiviral! And since they do contain a good source of sodium, they can be used to add a salty flavour to foods without actually adding refined salt.

Some things to think about when purchasing sea veggies:

there are so many varieties! Nori, arame, wakame, kombu, dulse, kelp, spirulina, chlorella….try them all! They all have unique flavours and uses
some are sold as tiny flakes, making them great condiments- try looking for kelp and dulse granules
look for raw, organic sea vegetables, especially nori which is more commonly found roasted. When served sushi in restaurants, unless specified raw, they use roasted which while good, doesn’t retain the complete nutritional profile and thus you don`t reap all the benefits! Upaya Naturals sells great raw nori sheets.

Now I bet you want that recipe don’t you?

The banana and maple in the spread plays off the saltiness of the nori and miso. The avocado adds a great creaminess and I used some Thai purple sticky rice to increase the staying power of this wrap, but feel free to use any grain you like, or none at all! I liked the colour the purple rice added.

Banana, Avocado and Rice Nori Miso Roll (Vegan, Gluten-free, Refined Sugar-free)

Ingredients (1 roll)

1 raw nori wrap
1 tbsp maple miso tahini spread
1/4 of an avocado, sliced
1/2 a banana, sliced
1/2 cup purple rice, cooked, or grain of choice

Instructions

Lay the nori sheet so the lines are parallel to the edge of your counter. About 1 inch from the edge spread the maple miso tahini spread in a line parallel to your counter. Add the rest of the ingredients along that same line. Roll it up, slice and eat!

I'm sharing this recipe on Allergy-Free Wednesdays and Wellness Weekends!!

I hope you all try this wrap out- or really any wrap in nori- it’s such a great alternative to grain based wraps- nothing refined about it, gluten-free and so mineral-rich!

Have a great Monday everyone, hope the week starts out on the right foot!

maple miso tahini spread

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Gabby @ the veggie nook

Life is always better when you have a balance.

A balance between work and play.

Between activity and relaxation.

Between calm and excitement.

Healthy and treats.

Sweet and Salty.

I feel I am starting to perfect many of these, especially the last one. Clearly the most important don’t you think? ;)

This spread was actually inspired by a recipe in Amber’s book Practically Raw for Maple Miso Butter. I was so intrigued by the flavour combination of maple and miso and suspected it would really shine with the creamy and nutty tahini as the back drop.

It’s sweet, salty, mysterious, intriguing, and all around fantastic. It satisfies pretty much every taste you could be craving!

This spread is delicious on toast (try cinnamon raisin! I like Ezekiel), on fruit, or just eaten straight from the jar! This recipe makes a small amount, but you might want to double it, just in case ;)

Maple Miso Tahini Spread (Vegan, Gluten-free, Refined Sugar-free)

Ingredients (6 tbsp)

4 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 + 1/8 tsp miso paste

Instructions

Stir everything together in a bowl. Easy!

I'm sharing this recipe on Allergy-Free Wednesdays and Wellness Weekends!

And in case you need more ways to use this delicious spread, I have a really unique wrap where this spread plays a starring role! Check back here this weekend for the recipe!

Have a lovely Thursday and make sure to come back tomorrow for Healthy Vegan Friday!