Healthy treats can require lots of special and high-powered equipment to break down the whole food ingredients. Here I took a shortcut and chose only ingredients that would blend well- soft dates, ground nuts, nut butter, powdered cacao and vanilla extract. As long as the dates are fairly fresh they can be chopped up with a knife then the whole mixture can be mixed by hand, by massaging everything until it becomes a cohesive batter. Continue Reading →
Orange Carrot Smoothie
Adding fresh juice (ideally cold-pressed for maximum nutrient retention) to a smoothie can really make the flavors pop. Both juices and smoothies are full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes. When consumed on an empty stomach they are very easy to digest and absorb- this means that the nutrients will be well utilized and replenish or build up our stores. Continue Reading →
Blueberry Banana Pancakes
Health food is a multi-billion dollar industry that continues to grow every year. Products with tag lines like “vegan”, “gluten-free”, “low carb”, “natural”, “smarter”, “better-for-you” and “organic” can make a company massive profits. While some of these companies are devoted to making products that live up to the claims on their boxes, there are many that will take any shortcut and cost-cutting method available. For us, the consumers, this means that we cannot assume that a processed food product is all that it lives up to be. In the quest to eat healthier it is easy to start defining our diet with labels, when I was a hardcore vegan a box of waffles pretty much always made its way into my grocery cart and I ignored the list of preservatives and additives because what it didn’t contain was more important to me. Continue Reading →
Simple Tomato Sauce
Growing up, I learned about cooking by watching the Food Network, it would enthrall me for hours on end and I sometimes even faked a sick day if one of my favorite chefs was making something I wanted to learn about (this was before the days of YouTube). No matter their background or what type of cuisine they were creating, the chefs emphasized building a dish in stages and layering the flavors- this is especially obvious in sauces and soups. Continue Reading →
Coconut Lime Tamari Stir Fry
Coconut oil has a mild coconut flavor and it is one of the few plant oils to contain enough saturated fat to stay stable at high heats, making it ideal for stir frys. Tamari is a Japanese soy sauce with a richer but less salty flavor than regular soy sauce and it is generally made without wheat. Freshly squeezed lime juice is a great source of vitamin C and it really brightens up the flavors of a dish when squeezed on at the end. To get the most juice out leave the limes at room temperature then roll them firmly between your palm and the counter a few times before slicing and squeezing. Add these three ingredients together and you get a light sauce with some sweetness, some saltiness, a slight acidity and a fresh tropical flavor. Continue Reading →
Coconut Lime Chia Pudding
Chia seeds are small and nearly flavorless but add them to liquid and they plump up, forming a gel, and take on the flavors of whatever other ingredients are added in. They are very filling and are one of the best plant based sources of essential omega-3 fatty acids, along with all the essential amino acids (making them a “complete” protein), fiber, antioxidants, calcium and iron. They were originally cultivated as a staple crop of the Mayans, the word “chia” means “strength” in their language. Continue Reading →
Pecan Date Bites
These are so easy they do not require a recipe at all but I wanted to share them because they are a really great pre- or post-workout snack or sweet craving buster. Simply cut open a date, take out the pit and insert a pecan. They taste kind of like pecan pie and since both ingredients store well, an airtight container of these can be kept in your gym bag, desk, pantry or car for quick snacks and emergency hunger pangs. Continue Reading →
Apple Dijon Roasted Beet Salad
Beets are beautiful in a salad with their dark red color (or pink or gold- depending on the variety) and they add a unique earthy flavor, density and sweetness. Back in ancient times they were prized for their health properties and were thought to help with fevers and skin and digestive ailments. We now know them to be potent sources of antioxidants and very high in fiber and several vitamins and minerals. Technically they do help out with blood and liver “purification” because they have some nutrients that help the liver efficiently perform a crucial stage of detoxification (a task it is continually fulfilling). Since different cultures have been eating beets for many centuries there is lots of interesting folklore that has erupted around them pertaining to blood, love and the heart. Continue Reading →
Roasted Balsamic Orange Carrots
Carrots are a special vegetable in that most people like them, even those who don’t voluntarily eat or enjoy other vegetables. They have a natural sweetness and nice crunchy texture when raw, but roast them and the sugars caramelize and the taste gets richer and deeper, taking on a whole new level of deliciousness. Continue Reading →
Portobello Egg Cups
Portobello mushrooms are a versatile vegetable (technically they are actually a fungi) with a meaty texture and their large round shape makes them an ideal container for stuffing with other ingredients. They are a good source of many different antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, but what’s even more interesting is the potential of their phytonutrients to enhance immunity. Continue Reading →