Lemony Lemon Soup

Hi there,
Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. I have been busy cooking up a storm, holiday parties and I still have to work with all of that going on :). Life gets busy as we get closer and closer to the holidays. I am sure many of you are in the same boat right about now!
Anyhoo, today I came home and felt like some warming lentil soup. It is chilly outside here in the GTA and I thought what better time to whip up a fresh batch of wholesome lentil soup. I love cooking without a recipe. It is so much fun and you never know what you are going to come up with!
I felt like having something with a lemon zing to it, so here is what I came up with.

LEMONY LENTIL SOUP
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp butter
Saute onions over medium low in butter until translucent. For about 5 minutes.
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks
3 cloves of garlic
Add the carrots, celery and garlic. Saute for another 3 minutes.
Then add;
1/2 cup red lentils
1 container of low sodium organic vegetable broth
Season with sea salt and pepper
Bring to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes.
2 cups of chopped swiss chard
1/2 juice of 1 lemon
The zest of 1 lemon
Add chard, lemon juice and zest. Stir until chard is slightly wilted.
ENJOY~
This soup is absolutely delish....if i do say so myself :)

Creamy Miso Dressing

Here is another way to get the nourishing benefits of miso into your diet. See my previous post to learn some of the health benefits of miso and get my miso soup recipe.

This recipe is slightly adapted from Get It Ripe, By Jae Steele. Jae Steele is a local nutritionist who is also a vegan. Her two cookbooks are great learning tools on how to do vegan RIGHT! There is a big difference between being vegan and being a healthy vegan.

Even if you are not vegan (which i am not) it is important for the health of our bodies and the health of the environment to enjoy vegan or vegetarian meals on a regular basis. Jae Steele's recipes show us that we can eat vegan foods that are healthy and taste great....with a focus on eating locally and sustainably!

Check out her blog here; http://domesticaffair.blogspot.com/

I am sure once you try this amazing dressing you will no longer want to buy the stuff off the shelf. It is creamy, tangy, and delicious! ENJOY!

1 tbsp traditionally fermented miso (find at your local health food store)
1 tbsp cashew or almond butter
1 tbsp agave syrup or honey (honey would not be vegan)
1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup flax or hemp oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined. Store the extras in a glass jar!

Veggielicious Miso Soup

Miso is a true superfood in my eyes. What the heck is it, you might ask? Miso is a fermented soy bean paste that is delightfully delicious and super healthy for you. Move over chicken soup when you are feeling under the weather..... and say hello to miso soup. I still am a huge fan of good 'ol chicken soup anytime especially when you are feeling under the weather but miso soup is also a great alternative for vegetarians or those who want to shake things up and add some variety. The best part = it is much easier to make!

Here are some of miso's nutritional highlights;

• Antiviral -- miso is very alkalizing and strengthening to the immune system helping to combat a viral infection.
• Natural source of healthy bacteria which is essential for a healthy digestive and immune system
• Great source of Zinc; important for immune health, prostate health, etc.
• High in many health supporting nutrients; protein, vitamin B12, vitamin B2, vitamin E, vitamin K, tryptophan, choline, dietary fiber, linoleic acid and lecithin.
• Can help ease menopausal symptoms due to the natural phytoestrogens

The important thing when purchasing miso is to look for a organic and naturally fermented variety. I recommend going to your local health food store to buy miso. Also, the darker the miso paste the more intense the flavour. I have a very dark miso paste at home but if you are just trying it for the 1st time you might want to get a lighter variety.

Veggielicious Miso Soup
1 1/2 cups of veggie broth (use homemade or low sodium Imagine Soup Vegetable Broth)

1/2 cup of veggies of choice ( I use carrots and cabbage, julienne sliced)
2 shiitake mushrooms, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 tsp of coconut oil or sesame oil
1 tbsp of high quality organic miso


Bring broth to a soft boil. Turn down to a simmer. Place your veggies in the broth. Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes or so until veggies are soft. Take off heat. Add 1 tsp of oil and miso. Stir well until miso is dissolved. Enjoy!

SHARE WITH ME ~ What is your favorite warming soup during these cooler months of the year???

Last of the pumpkin craze....

First of all I would like to clear something up. Remember in my previous post, I had said that pumpkins do not taste good on their own?? I went on to say that they need some sweetness to be palatable. Well, I am here to tell you that I take it back!! I roasted my own pumpkin (yes, and it is really not that hard), pureed it, tried it on its own and it was delicious!! I enjoyed a big 'ol bowl of it this week and am going to get some more pumpkin to enjoy it again! The only pumpkin I had tried on its own in the past was canned pumpkin and while canned pumpkin is okay to use in recipes...it is not the same as freshly roasted pumpkins. Learn how easy it is to roast your own pumpkin here!!! I highly recommend trying it! And with Halloween being this weekend, what better time to try roasting your own pumpkin with the family?? And don't forget about the nourishing and tasty pumpkin seeds.

Okay, for all of you crazy pumpkin 'like minded' people like me out there.......I have my final pumpkin recipe coming but first I want to share with you a few of my fellow Blogger's amazing pumpkin ideas;

1.Pumpkin Porrage from the creative Meghan Telpner

2. Roasted Pumpkin Medley...another one from Meghan Telpner
3.Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream from the gluten free goddess @ Elana's Pantry
4.Chocolate Pumpkin Pots (yes chocolate and pumpkin..Mmmm) by the lovely Ricki Heller

Okay now for my recipe. I was looking for a pumpkin pie type dessert without all of the added sugar and calories and here is what I came up with.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie



1/2 cup of pumpkin puree (you can make you own or purchase)
1 heaping tsp of pumpkin pie spice (check out Meghan Telpners Pumpkin porrage recipe to get the recipe for pumpkin pie spice...see above)
1 egg
1 tbsp of pure maple syrup or 10 drops of stevia (or 2 tbsp of maple syrup)
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup of light or full fat coconut milk ( I used light this time because I wanted something light....but go ahead and use the full fat)

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Set a pot of water on the stove to bring to a boil.

Combine pumpkin and spices in one bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and add the rest of the ingredients and mix.
Whisk the egg mixture with the pumpkin mixture.
Pour custard into 3 ramekins (1/2 cup). Place ramekins in a deep baking pan. Add water to cover ½ of the ramekins. Carefully place in the oven and bake for 1 hour + 10 minutes or until firm.
Serve warm or chilled.

Share with me!!! What are you doing to make this Halloween weekend just a touch healthier for you and your family???

Pumpkin Loving Smoothie

I promised another amazing pumpkin recipe and here it is.....
If you are a fan of pumpkin pie, this smoothie is sure to please. It is sweet, fragrant, creamy and delicious all in one cup! Pumpkins are low in calories, high in fiber and beta carotene. This is a great way to enjoy pumpkin without all of the added sugar and calories that is in pumpkin pie, custards and cheesecakes. With this smoothie you are getting all of that pumpkin goodness without affecting your waist line!

½ banana
1 tsp pumpkin spice (or mixture of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg)
¼ cup pumpkin puree
1 cup almond milk
1 serving of vanilla protein powder


Blend all ingredients; expect protein powder until well blended. Add the protein powder, pulse until mixed in. Enjoy!


One more amazing pumpkin recipe to come! Stay tuned!!!!

Share with me in the comments section below! What is your favorite thing to do at this time of year??? It could be about food (like enjoying amazing pumpkin recipes), something you like to do outdoors, halloween related, etc.

Always enjoy hearing your comments and feedback!

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

It is pumpkin season and I have been hard at work to find some great things to do with pumpkins that doesn't have a ton of added sugar and calories. Have you ever tasted cooked pumpkin without added sugar?? Well, it is not very tasty (in my opinion anyway). It needs some spices and sweetness to make it palatable. But when you find the right mix of pizazz it can be magical. Can you tell I like pumpkins. Well, I do ;O) 
I have been on a mission to create pumpkin recipes that have minimal sugar (and using natural sugars) and calories but still taste amazing! And I believe I have been successful.
These pumpkin pie muffins are gluten free, high in fiber, low calories, and taste amazing! Try them for yourself.
The almighty pumpkins nutritional  highlights are that it is very low in calories, fiber packed and a great source of beta carotene.
I actually took a trip to my local farmers market, bought a fresh pumpkin, seeded it, roasted it and then made my own puree. You can also purchase canned pumpkin.

I have another pumpkin recipe coming next week. Stay tuned!

Ingredients~ 
3 eggs
2 tbsp coconut oil or butter
¼ cup coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
¼ cup pumpkin puree
10 drops of stevia + 1 tbsp agave or maple syrup OR 2 tbsp of agave syrup or maple syrup
¼ cup +2 tbsp coconut flour
¼ tsp baking powder

Pinch of sea salt + 1 tbsp of pumpkin spice

Directions~

Preheat oven to 350F.

Process eggs, coconut oil, milk, pumpkin puree, stevia and agave syrup in a food processor. Pulse until combined. Add in coconut flour, baking powder, sea salt and pumpkin spice. Pulse until well combined.

The batter is thick! Fill 6 muffin tins (grease the pan with some coconut oil or butter) just over half way. Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Until muffins are set and the edges become golden brown.


Please note: You can purchase Organic Coconut Flour from the Bulk Barn. If you are celiac, you should purchase pre-packed gluten free flours do to risk of cross contamination. But for the rest of us, this is a much more cost effective way to purchase coconut flour.


These muffins contain 108 calories each + 4 grams of fibre + 4 grams of protein.

PLEASE SHARE!!!

What is your favorite fall vegetable and how do you like to enjoy it????

Roasted Cauliflower with a “Cheesy Sauce”!

I made this for dinner last night and let me tell you it sure was a treat. This vegan “cheesy sauce” even past the test of my dairy loving family. It was creamy, cheesy and delicious!

The yellowish colour of nutritional yeast comes from the concentration of the B vitamin riboflavin. Riboflavin helps protect your cells from oxygen damage, supports energy production and helps with absorption of other B vitamins. Also a great source of vitamins niacin, thiamine, biotin, and folic acid and minerals selenium, chromium, zinc, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Roasted Cauliflower

• ½ head of cauliflower, broken up into bite size pieces
• 2 tsp olive oil
Preheat oven to 350F. Place in an oven safe dish. Drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil. Cover with foil wrap and bake for 30-35 minutes or until tender.

“Cheesy Sauce”
• 3-4 tbsp of nutritional yeast

• 3 tbsp of tahini, cashew butter or combination of the two. I used Cashini Butter By: Artisana

• ½ juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup water
• 1 small clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp of diced onion
• Pinch of sea salt, to taste
Place in a food processor or high powered blender and blend until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Combining the two

When cauliflower is fully cooked, take out of oven and top with the cheesy sauce. Enjoy!