Delicious Mexican Rice dish!

This is one of those recipes that i keep coming back to. It's so simple to make, and tastes amazing. I use it for burritos, eat it on it's own, with some guacamole with added veggies, etc etc etc! Here it is in a yummy burrito with guac, lettuce, tomato and vegan cheese!

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 can black beans

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice.
Sprinkle with salt and cumin.
Stir rice constantly until it is golden.
Stir in onions and cook until tender.
Stir in tomato sauce and vegetable broth; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
(Half way through add in can of black beans, drained and rinsed)
Enjoy!

Gluten-Free Vegan Coconut Chocolate Chip Pancakes!

Wow. That's about all i can say about these things. They taste better than the traditional white flour, eggs, etc. etc. pancakes! And they are so easy to make! You can whip up the batter in less than 5 mins! I like to have them with a bit of maple syrup and some fresh fruit. Heavenly!

RECIPE:

1 cup gluten-free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour)
1 tbsp sweetener (cane sugar/agave nectar/honey if you eat it)
2 tbsp baking powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 cup milk substitute (i used unsweetened almond milk)
2 tbsp unrefined coconut oil
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup vegan chocolate chips (i use the EnjoyLife brand)


*Before you start put a medium sized pan on the stove on medium heat to warm up*

-Combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl.

-Add in milk, shredded coconut, and coconut oil (you may have to warm up the coconut oil a bit as it is solid at room temp).

-Fold in chocolate chips last.
-To cook pour about 1/4 cup of pancake batter into the pan. Flip pancakes when you see bubbles in the middle of the pancake, or if the edges are looking browned/cooked.

Makes about 6-8 medium sized pancakes!

VEGAN MAC AND CHEESE!

Okay you guys...this stuff is SO GOOD. like heavenly. you can BARELY even tell that it's vegan! I gave some to my dad and asked what he thought (without telling him it was vegan) and he said it was great! When i told him he was shocked! Make this with rice pasta if you want it gluten free too

Cheese Sauce:

1.5 cups Daiya Cheddar Cheese (you can find this in most health food stores, Whole Foods, etc)
3 tbs vegan butter (Earth Balance) or Ghee if you eat it
1 cup almond/rice/soy milk
1 tsp Nutritional Yeast (you can get this stuff at health food stores or bulk barn. not like brewer's yeast so safe for people with candida problems too! and PACKED with B vitamins )
1/2 tsp Sea Salt (use garlic salt if you want!)
Pinch of black pepper


Heat vegan butter and almond milk in saucepan on medium heat until melted. Then add in Daiya cheese and salt/pepper/nutritional yeast. Stir until completely melted. Might have to turn up the heat to high for a bit but watch it closely so it doesn't burn!

Then add to your favourite pasta and voila! Vegan mac and cheese! SO YUMMY! And this is just a very simply recipe, i plan to spice things up a bit by adding some paprika, garlic, mustard (probably not all at once! haha) and seeing what i can do with this stuff!

Vegan Apple Butternut Squash Soup!

Delicious and easy. My two fave things ;)



RECIPE:

2 tsbp olive oil or other oil
1 leeks sliced
2 medium onions diced
2 garlic cloves pressed
1 butternut squash peeled and diced
4 medium carrots sliced
2 apples peeled and diced
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
6.5 cups of vegetable broth (can use chicken broth if not vegan)
Salt & pepper to taste

Sautéed leek, onion, garlic and cayenne in olive oil.
Add squash and carrots and mix.
Add broth and bring to a boil.
Add apples and simmer for 25 minutes.
Blend with hand held mixer for a creamy texture.

Bon appétit!

Some new recipes!

Hey guys!

SO it has been forever, yet again. But i'm thinking of getting back into the whole blogging thing again. maybe for real this time? haha. my life has been pretty hectic, trying to balance living with a chronic illness, eating healthy and studying to become a holistic nutritionist! But the more i learn the more i want to share with everyone, so i thought it would be fun to share recipes/tips/info on the blog along the way!

I won't get into anything too complicated tonight, but i will post a couple DELICIOUS recipes ;)

First up: HEALTHY Chocolate Chip/Oatmeal/Banana/Coconut Cookies!

Now these things are insanely addictive, so make at your own risk. Whenever i make them in my house (makes about 50 bite sized cookies) they are gone in 2 days. max. so bake with caution!

These cookies have no added sugar...or honey, or any sweetener! The banana makes them sweet, along with the chocolate chips (and only a half cup for the whole batch so indulge away! lol!) They're also great for those who are on dairy free, egg free, gluten free diets (for dairy allergies make sure you use dairy free chocolate chips, for a gluten free recipe use gluten free oats!)

Ingredients:

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil or olive oil
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal (all this is is finely chopped almonds)
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 a cup of chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl mix the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Add chocolate chunks/chips. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a lined (or greased) baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes! Enjoy!