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Crispy Cheesy Kale Chips

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~ It’s time to turn yummy kale into yummier kale chips ~

This is one of the easiest ways to get our kids to eat a whole ‘bunch’ of kale in one sitting. But it’s not just kids who like these “chips” – this recipe is for anyone who is looking for a healthier alternative to the crispy texture and salty flavour of potato chips.

There are a few keys to making these kale chips which are important in getting the finished product that you want. Here they are:

  • Curly kale seems to be the best variety to make kale chips
  • Wash and thoroughly dry your kale before using
  • Use your hands to massage the olive oil into the leaves
  • Arrange the prepared kale leaves into a single layer on the baking sheet

    Propping open the oven door just a crack allows moisture escape

    Propping open the oven door just a crack allows moisture escape

… And I have to share my secret to getting crispy kale chips every time — prop the oven door open, just a bit, with a tea towel, wash cloth, or oven mitt! This allows the moisture to escape, so what you’re left with is as close to dehydrated as you’ll get in 20 mins.

We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as our family does. Let us know how you like them, and if you have any questions about the process!

Crispy Cheesy Kale Chips
 
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The measurements and baking times to this recipe will vary depending on the size of the bunch of kale you use and your oven's temperament.. As you make more and more batches, they will get better & better!
Author:
Cuisine: vegetarian
Ingredients
  • one bunch of curly kale
  • 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
  • ½-1tsp sea salt
  • ⅓ - ½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Wash and thoroughly dry each kale leaf.
  3. Remove the leaves from the stem, ripping the leaves into fairly large bite-sized pieces
  4. Place leaves into a large bowl
  5. Pour olive oil over leaves and massage oil into leaves with your hands until each pieces has some oil on it (add more oil if necessary)
  6. Start with ½ tsp salt and mix it into the leaves to coat evenly. Taste and add more if necessary (Be conservative with the salt as you can always add more at the end of baking, but its not possible to take salt out)
  7. Sprinkle nutritional yeast over the leaves, turning the leaves to get them evenly coat (start with ⅓ cup and gradually add more to get the right seasoning for you)
  8. Arrange prepared kale leaves onto a baking sheet and spread them out so there is only a single layer of kale. You may need to use 2 baking sheets if you started with a large bunch of kale.
  9. Put the kale into the oven to bake, and be sure to use a wash cloth, tea towel or oven mitt to prop open the oven door just a crack to allow moisture to escape.
  10. After about 10 mins, turn & mix your kale (especially if your oven has hot spots) to get an even bake throughout the batch as the ones on the edges tend to cook quicker
  11. Bake for 15-18 mins (or even up to 20 mins), depending on your oven.
  12. Doneness is shown by dark green leaves with slight/light brown edges (*Don't let your kale burn, as it isn't very pleasing to the palate...)

Before baking

What kale leaves look like BEFORE BAKING

After baking

What kale chips look like AFTER BAKING

 

Adzuki Bean, Yam & Kale Salad (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

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Another delicious way to enjoy kale

Another delicious way to enjoy kale

This is actually the first “meal” that I made for Nicholas while in Naturopathic College. He was working a long day at the school’s clinic, and I had the day off, so I invited him to meet me at a park during his lunch break where I brought along a little picnic with this salad as the highlight. We’ve made this salad many times since then, and we’ve been asked a few times at potlucks & dinners to share this recipe. It is healthy, hearty & is a great year-round side dish, but it is especially delicious in the fall when kale & yams are at their sweetest.

This vegetarian salad is so easy to make, and can be done relatively quickly if you use canned beans (we suggest Eden Organics as they use BPA free cans). However, if using dried beans, you’ll need to plan a bit ahead of time to soak the beans for 8-12 hours, boiling them for about 45 mins, and letting cool slightly before using the beans in the dish.

Adzuki Bean, Yam & Kale Salad
 
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This side dish can be prepared ahead of time, stored in the fridge, and served cold, but it is an especially charming dish when served warm.
Author:
Cuisine: gluten free, dairy free, vegan
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oil, plus a bit more if needed
  • 1 large yam, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 2 cups adzuki beans, soaked, cooked & drained (or 1 can works too)
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2-4 Tbsp ground cumin (fresh ground is best)
  • 6-7 stalks black (lacinato) kale, sliced thin
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • juice of ½ of lime
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Scrub & dry the yam, and remove any obvious blemishes from the yam, but otherwise you can leave the skin on.
  3. Cut yam into ½ inch cubes and place them into a bowl and toss with olive oil to coat. Spread yam cubes onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 mins or until soft & slightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.
  4. In a large bowl, toss together cooked yam cubes with the rest of the ingredients. Mix together well. Add more olive oil, if needed.
  5. Add salt & pepper to taste, along with a splash of fresh lime.
  6. Enjoy!

Seed cycling snack balls (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

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Seed cycling is a natural way to help balance and support your the hormonal shifts that happen during your menstrual cycle.

Seed cycling involves rotating certain seeds in your diet to best support the hormonal phases of your menstrual cycle. This is because seeds contain nutrients and oils to help with the production and metabolism of the hormones. The four seeds used are pumpkin & flax seeds, and sunflower & sesame seeds. The pumpkin & flax seeds are taken together during the first half of your cycle, and the sunflower & sesame seeds are taken together during the last half of your cycle. Ideally, we would menstruate with the lunar cycle, where we would have 28 day cycles, ovulating on the Full Moon and menstruating on the New/Dark Moon. This is optimal, however many women have cycles that are shorter or longer than 28 days. This is why it’s so important to become aware of your body’s rhythms and signals, and to support your cycle through its different phases. 

To get started on Seed Cycling, here are a few important things to know about your cycle:

Follicular phase: Day 1 is the first day of menstruation. This begins the follicular phase, which is when the follicle grows and matures. The follicular phase generally lasts around 14-18 days, however this varies among women and is influenced by stress, travel, diet, exercise, and other lifestyle habits. During this phase, you want to support healthy estrogen levels, which is the main hormone released by the ovaries during this time. The follicular phase ends at ovulation.

Eat 1 Tbsp each pumpkin & flax seeds – organic, raw & ground – each day. Pumpkin & flax seeds supports the estrogenic phase of the cycle (menses to ovulation) by providing omega 3’s, fiber & lignans, which help produce & metabolize estrogens.

Luteal phase: This phase begins the day after ovulation, and lasts around 14 days. There is not a whole lot of variation in this phase because the released ovum has a finite life span. During this phase the ovaries release progesterone, which makes the uterine lining ‘juicy’ and prepares it for implantation, as in pregnancy. However if pregnancy is not achieved, progesterone levels drop at the end of this phase, signalling the release of estrogen and subsequent shedding of the uterine lining (menstruation), which starts you back at Day 1.

Eat 1 Tbsp each sesame & sunflower seeds – organic, raw & ground – each day. Sesame & sunflower seeds supports the progestogenic phase of the cycle (2nd half of the cycle) by providing omega 6’s, protein, and nutrients to support this phase. Eating organic meats also assist this phase.

Seed cycling diagram

This chart shows the seeds to cycle alongside fluctuating hormones and the physiological changes of the ovarian follicle and uterus lining.

You can sprinkle the seeds in a salad, yogurt, smoothie, sandwich, wrap – or on anything you’d like, really… Here is a recipe for a batch of delicious Seed Cycling Snack Balls (aka Lady Balls) for you to try. It’s a tasty way to get your seeds in and enjoy them too. Eat 3-4 snack balls per day to get an adequate amount of seeds to fully benefit from Seed Cycling.

Seed Cycling Snack Balls (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)
 
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These slightly sweet & nutty little treats leaves you feeling nourished & balanced. Enjoy 3-4 snack balls per day to get an adequate amount of seeds to reap the benefits of seed cycling.
Author:
Recipe type: snack
Serves: 25-27 balls
Ingredients
  • ½ cup almond, cashew, or peanut butter
  • ½ cup pumpkin seed butter (for menses → ovulation) or sunflower seed butter or tahini (for ovulation → menses)
  • 3-4 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 cup organic flax & pumpkin seed, raw & ground (menses → ovulation) 1:1 ratio or 1 cup organic sesame and sunflower seed, raw & ground (ovulation → menses) 1:1 ratio
  • ½ cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, chopped dates, currants, etc.)
  • ½ cup unsweetened medium shred coconut
  • ½ cup brown rice cereal (ie. ‘rice krispies’)
  • spices of your choice, to taste (ground cinnamon, cocoa powder, ground nutmeg, ginger powder, chopped crystallized ginger chunks, pure vanilla extract, etc.)
Instructions
  1. In a small mixing bowl, add nut/seed butter and maple syrup and stir well. Add spices of your choice, or leave it plain and enjoy the maple or honey flavour. Stir well.
  2. Add ground seeds and stir to combine.
  3. Gradually, add dried fruit, shredded coconut, and brown rice cereal and stir until evenly distributed.
  4. Use your Tablespoon measure to scoop up mixture and form into balls.
  5. Place in a glass container and store in the freezer for best texture.
  6. Enjoy!

Easy Black Bean Dip (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

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Black beans are a great vegetarian source of protein, and also provide a healthy dose of fibre.

This dip serves well as part of a snack or meal. You can serve it with crackers & veggies, with nachos, or scoop it onto a wrap with some veggies and other fixings for a tasty burrito. It’s a nice alternative to hummus but it can also be served alongside hummus and other dips such as guacamole, salsa, and coconut sour cream/yogurt. For a quick & easy vegetarian meal, we like to pair this dip with a green salad, and rice jazzed up with chopped veggies, ground cumin, lime, and salt & pepper to taste.

Bean dips are a great way to sneak some protein into your child’s diet… serve it with veggies and they could be chomping on celery sticks in no time!

Easy Black Bean Dip (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)
 
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Serve this dip as a snack with cut veggies and crackers, or scoop it into a pita, wrap, or alongside a green salad and rice dish and enjoy a quick & healthy vegetarian supper.
Author:
Recipe type: gluten-free, dairy-free
Cuisine: dips
Serves: 2 cup
Ingredients
  • 2 cans (398mL) black beans
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ½ onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 red thai chili pepper, chopped (optional)
  • 3-4 Tbsp water
  • 3-4 tsp ground cumin
  • ¾ - 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • chopped chives, green onion, cilantro or parsley for garnish
Instructions
  1. Place 2 Tbsp olive oil, chopped onions, garlic, and thai chili pepper into a small saucepan and heat on medium heat for about 5 mins or until onions begin to soften, stirring often.
  2. Remove from heat & set aside.
  3. Drain & rinse beans.
  4. Add beans, water, 2 Tbsp olive oil, cumin, salt & pepper into a blender. Add onion mixture scraping the pan with a spatula to get all of the oil.
  5. Blend on high for about 1 minute until smooth.
  6. Add more water if needed, and seasoning to taste.
  7. Add garnish & serve immediately, or store in fridge to serve later adding garnish just before serving.

 

Potato Leek Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

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Nature’s beautiful symmetric designs in sliced leeks

Simple and delicious, this is a classic winter soup that is easy and quick to prepare – it just involves a little prep time to cut the veggies and then time to let them soften before you blend it up into a creamy and flavourful soup. The thyme gives it the classic savoury flavour that you’re looking for. I mostly use dried thyme since I usually make this soup in the winter and many herbs don’t make it through our snow-packed, chilly winters. But if you live in a milder climate and have fresh thyme on hand, that is always the way to go.

We like to serve this creamy comfort soup with a slice of gluten-free toast for a satisfying meal. Check out our ‘Favourite gluten-free foods‘ post for a list of gluten-free breads we like.  FYI: if you’re new to gluten-free breads, many homemade breads are delicious when eaten fresh. But the store-bought breads are best toasted, and are found in the freezer section of the ‘health food/organic’ section of grocery and health food stores.

Potato Leek Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)
 
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This creamy soup can be served as a meal with your favourite crackers or toast, and some pumpkin seeds for garnish and extra nutrition.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan
Serves: 5-6
Ingredients
  • 3-4 Tbsp olive oil
  • 6-8 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1" cubes
  • 2 large leeks, sliced into rounds
  • 6 cups veggie stock or 6 cups water + 1 veggie bouillon cube
  • 2 tsp dried thyme, or 1-2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  • ½ tsp dried dill, or 1 tsp chopped fresh dill (optional)
  • 1-2 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper, and more to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  2. Add leeks and potatoes, and sauté for about 5 mins, stirring constantly.
  3. Add in thyme, salt, & pepper, and dill if using. Saute for another 5-10 minutes.
  4. Add veggie stock and bring soup to a near boil. Reduce to low heat, cover pot, and simmer for about 45 minutes.
  5. At the end of simmering, use a stainless steel immersion blender to puree of the soup in the pot until you reach the desired level of smoothness.
  6. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
  7. Garnish with fresh parsley or pumpkin seeds, and serve along side your favourite gluten-free toast.

Gluten-free Chocolate Protein Bar (also dairy-free)

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The combination of dark chocolate, nuts & seeds make for a healthy treat & a delicious snack

There are several sources of protein in these bars – nut butter, sunflower and sesame seeds, hemp hearts, and pumpkin seed protein powder. The whole recipe contains about 100 g protein. So if you cut the bars into 12, you get just over 8g of protein for each bar. The protein content in these bars combined with nutritious sources of carbohydrates and healthy fat helps stabilize blood sugar levels, provides energy, and will help you feel satisfied. And we can’t forget the star ingredient – dark cocoa powder – that makes these protein bars decadent!

We like pumpkin seed protein powder because it is a high quality and easy-to-digest protein source.  It is naturally high in vitamin K and important minerals such as zinc, magnesium, and iron. The mild flavour also makes it a versatile protein powder that can be easily added many recipes and smoothies. We use Omega Nutrition Organic Pumpkin Seed Protein Powder. If you’re a ‘Monctonian’, you can find this product at Corn Crib, otherwise check with your local health food store.

*Inside Scoop: So, after the first experiment with this recipe, I was feeling pretty good about myself – this recipe came intuitively to me and I got the exact flavour that I wanted! But ,the texture was a little runny… so I thought I would try to tweak a few things to get the right texture. But that didn’t work out so well, so I tried again. And again… and again… It wasn’t until ‘Experiment #12’ that I finally got the bar that I had envisioned – taste, texture, and all – so I hope you enjoy these little bars of imperfect perfection as much as we do 🙂

Gluten-free Chocolate Protein Bar (dairy-free)
 
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These soft, chewy protein bars are perfectly sweet & balanced with nut butter & seeds. We try to always have a batch of these bars in the freezer for a tasty snack.
Author:
Recipe type: gluten-free snacks
Serves: 12 bars
Ingredients
dry ingredients:
  • ½ cup pumpkin seed protein powder
  • ¼ cup dark cocoa powder
  • ½ cup roasted sunflower seeds or raw pumpkin seeds
  • ¼ cup sesame seeds, raw
  • ¼ cup hemp hearts
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut (optional)
wet ingredients:
  • 6 Tbsp natural peanut butter or roasted almond butter
  • 3 Tbsp honey (& maybe a few squirts more, if needed)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
other ingredients:
  • ⅔ cup dates, pitted
  • ¼ cup hot water
Instructions
  1. Line a 10"x6" or 8"x8"glass baking dish with wax paper. Set aside.
  2. In a kettle, heat some water to near boil.
  3. Place chopped dates in a blender (a magic bullet works well, or immersion blender), add hot water, and cover. Let sit for 10 mins.
  4. Place all dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Mix together well.
  5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together a little bit. (At this point, there won’t be enough wet ingredients to combine with the dry).
  6. When dates are done soaking, blend on high for about 20 seconds (stopping to scrape down the sides) until you get a date paste. A magic bullet-like blender works really well here.
  7. Add date paste to dry & wet ingredients. Mix together really well with a large spoon. If you need a little more moisture, add a few extra squirts of honey.
  8. Spoon ingredients into wax paper-lined baking dish.
  9. Wet your hand, and smooth out mixture - this prevents the mixture from sticking.
  10. Refrigerate for 3-24 hours.
  11. Cut into bars and store in a covered container in fridge (for 10 days) or freezer (for 3 months or more). Place wax paper between the layers of bars to prevent bars from sticking together.

Don’t have pumpkin seed protein powder? If you’d rather use whey protein powder, you can substitute in 1/2 cup whey protein powder and 1/4 cup almond meal in order to get the a nice chewy texture. But, since whey is derived from milk, it is no longer dairy-free. As well, whey contains small amounts of lactose, so if you are really sensitive to lactose, whey could cause digestive upset. Whey protein isolate, however, goes through an extra filtering process to remove the carbohydrate (lactose). If you think you’re lactose intolerant but whey protein isolate still wreaks havoc on your digestive system, then it is likely the whey protein itself that you’re reacting to.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookie Bars

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DSC_5189These cookie bars were created with breastfeeding mothers in mind as they contain a few ingredients that are believed to help promote a healthy milk supply. One ingredient is Oats, which are very nutritious, and are a good source of fiber; Flax, which contain omega-3 fatty acids and are also a source of fiber; and Brewer’s yeast, which has traditionally been known to help enrich milk supply due to its high B-vitamin content. These bars are chewy, sweet, and hearty – and best of all, they work! So feel free to indulge in these little treats Mama, because you deserve it!

In the article ‘Healthy Foods to Nurture the New Mom’, I state that chocolate is on the ‘limited or avoid’ list of foods for new moms to eat, but if you aren’t super sensitive to chocolate, then the amount of chocolate in these bars shouldn’t bother you or your baby. But in the event that it does, just omit the chocolate chips and substitute in your favourite nut or seed, shredded coconut, or even carob chips. But if you can tolerate chocolate, then I highly suggest keeping it in since it seems to be the key ingredient to take the edge off the taste of brewer’s yeast.

Gluten-sensitive or Celiac? Oats themselves do  do not contain gluten, but they are so frequently contaminated with wheat during processing that you will need to look for certified ‘Gluten-free Oats’ if you are concerned about having gluten in your diet. As well, because brewer’s yeast is a by-product of beer, it is often contaminated with barley which is a gluten-containing grain. So, if you have Celiac disease, these bars are not gluten-free but you could make them gluten-free by omitting the brewer’s yeast and selecting gluten-free oats. For those who are gluten-sensitive, these bars are gluten-limited since we are using gluten-free flours such as almond flour and coconut flour.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookie Bars
 
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If you’d rather enjoy these bars as cookies, simply swap out the coconut oil for organic butter, spoon dough onto a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper, gently flatten, and bake for 10-12 mins.
Author:
Recipe type: baking
Serves: 24-28 bars
Ingredients
dry ingredients:
  • 3 cups large flake oats
  • ½ cup almond flour
  • ½ cup coconut flour
  • ¼ cup brewer’s yeast
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp sea salt
wet ingredients:
  • ½ cup ground flax
  • ¾ cup hot water (+ 1-2 Tbsp, if needed)
  • ½ cup coconut oil, melted
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
other ingredients:
  • ½ cup raisins (soaked in hot water for at least 15mins, and drained)
  • ½ cup dark chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar piece
optional ingredients:
  • walnuts pieces
  • shredded coconut
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Grease a large 13"x 9" baking dish with coconut oil.
  3. Add hot water to raisins and let sit for 15 mins. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix together well.
  5. In a medium sized bowl, mix ground flax with wet ingredients, and blend together with a hand blender.
  6. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir together until all ingredients are incorporated. Don’t worry about over mixing.
  7. Drain raisins. Fold raisins and chocolate chips into mixture. If you need more moisture, add 1-2 Tbsp more water and mix together well.
  8. Scoop dough into greased baking dish. Smooth out the top evenly with your hand or the back of a spoon.
  9. Bake for 30-35 mins, or until edges are browned.
  10. Let cool completely before cutting into 24-28 bars.
  11. Enjoy these bars when fresh, or store them in an airtight container in the freezer. These bars freeze really well and straight out of the freezer is my favourite way to eat them!

*Please note: Even though these are special for nursing Moms, other family members can safely eat them without any unwanted milk-making effects. But,  you can also make them without brewer’s yeast for a delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bar treat! 

Jenna’s Creamy Garlic ‘Cheese’ Sauce with Spaghetti Squash Noodles (gluten-free, dairy-free option)

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A creamy pasta dish all made from veggies

My sister, Jenna, created this recipe. If you know her, you probably didn’t know that she’s a fantastic cook – a very intuitive and brilliant cook! She has a taste for savoury flavours and can create delicious, healthy dishes intuitively just by adding a bit of this and a bit of that… You should hear her explain one of her recipes to me…”Then you add some dijon, and maybe DSC_5101a bit of lemon juice. Stir it around and just before its done, add whatever else you want”…. Not exactly easy to interpret into an easy-to-follow recipe ;) And she doesn’t use measuring cups… ever. So, when I can catch her, I follow her around the kitchen, taking pictures so I don’t forget anything, and eventually we create a recipe.

This “cheese” sauce gets its cheesy flavour from  nutritional yeast, which is a deactivated yeast that is high in B vitamins (don’t be alarmed when your pee turns bright yellow-green colour after eating this stuff – its just your body excreting the extra B vitamins that it doesn’t absorb). In the culinary world, you’ll see many people sprinkle nutritional yeast on popcorn or kale chips to give a cheesy flavour without the cheese.

If you want to make this dairy-free & vegan, substitute Earth Balance instead of butter, omit chicken and parmesan garnish. 

Jenna's dairy-free mac & cheese with spaghetti squash (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)
 
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Other veggies that are good with this combination: broccoli florets, green peas, chopped carrots, sliced zucchini, and shredded purple cabbage.
Author:
Recipe type: gluten-free supper, gluten-free pasta
Serves: 5-6
Ingredients
  • 1 medium spaghetti squash
  • 2 chicken breast, cut into pieces
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 6-8 mini portabello or white button mushrooms, chopped
  • 8-10 asparagus spears, chopped into ½" slices
  • 3-4 cups spinach, chopped
sauce:
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, whole
  • 2 Tbsp brown rice flour
  • 1½ - 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
  • 2 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • ¼ - ⅓ cup nutritional yeast flakes
  • salt & pepper, to taste
optional ingredients:
  • fresh parmesan, grated
Instructions
  1. Preparing the Squash:
  2. Preheat oven to 375.
  3. Wash outside of squash and poke several shallow holes in the skin to allow air to escape.
  4. Place squash in a baking dish and bake for 1 hour.
  5. Remove from oven and let cool.
  6. Cut squash lengthwise with a serrated knife, and scoop the seeds into the compost.
  7. With a fork, grate lengthwise along the inside of the squash to make "spaghetti" and place spaghetti in a large bowl. Set aside.
  8. Discard outer squash shell
  9. Preparing the veggies:
  10. Chop all veggies to desired size, including chopped spinach. Set aside.
  11. In a large skillet, heat 1-2 Tbsp olive oil. Add chicken pieces and cook 5-7 mins, stirring often.
  12. When chicken is done, add veggies (except spinach) and sautee until almost done (about 10 mins). This will take about the same amount of time to make the sauce, so you can start the sauce while sautéing the veggies.
  13. Preparing the sauce:
  14. As veggies are sautéing, in a small saucepan, over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp butter. While butter is melting, grate 3 cloves of garlic into butter. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper, and 2 Tbsp brown rice flour. Stir quickly to mix together well.
  15. Add 1½ cup unsweetened almond milk, stirring continuously. As the sauce thickens, add about ½ cup more almond milk. Continue stirring for 3-5 more minutes.
  16. Add 2 Tbsp dijon mustard, juice from ½ lemon, and about ⅓ cup nutritional yeast flakes, starting with ¼ cup and adding more until you get the desired taste. Add more salt and pepper, if needed.
  17. Remove sauce from heat.
  18. Putting it all together:
  19. To the large skillet of sautéed veggies and chicken, add spaghetti squash and chopped spinach. Stir to combine.
  20. Pour sauce over veggies and stir to mix all ingredients together. Add more salt & pepper, to taste.
  21. Garnish with grated parmesan, if using. Serve it on its own, or with a green salad for an extra serving of veggies.
  22. Enjoy!

Luscious Lentil Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

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The cumin adds an aromatic twist to this hearty soup.

Fresh ground cumin & garam masala add an aromatic twist to this hearty soup.

The spices in this soup make it so flavourful – cumin and garam masala. We find that its best to  grind your own cumin from cumin seeds rather than buying ground cumin. You’ll get a  more intense and fresh flavour, and you’ll likely notice that you need less spice to get the flavour that you’re looking for. The same goes for coriander seeds, cardamom, and cloves. You can either use a seed grinder, a good blender, or pestle and mortar. You can also grate nutmeg with a fine grater to get fresh nutmeg which makes a big difference when added to baking. And if you’re feeling really adventurous, you can mix up your own garam masala too – we use Vij’s recipe from his cookbook: Vij’s Elegant and Inspired Indian Cuisine. 

If you don’t have any veggie stock, you can use a bouillon cube. Generally bouillon cubes are higher in sodium than homemade veggie stock, but adding a bouillon cube can help boost the flavour quite a bit. We like GoBio organic yeast-free vegetable bouillon cube, which can be found at most grocery stores and also at Corn Crib. If you use a bouillon cube, you’ll probably only need to add 1 tsp salt.

Cooking Tip: When cooking with dried lentils and beans, it is best to avoid adding salt before or during cooking, because it will cause the outside of the bean or lentil to become hard and the inside will separate from the outer shell and become mushy. However, after the beans and lentils are fully cooked, adding salt to season is a good idea. Often bean or lentil soups are better the next day and won’t taste as ‘fresh’ because, with time, the spices and seasonings will be absorbed by the beans & lentils.

Luscious Lentil Soup (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)
 
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This simple lentil soup recipe is made 'luscious' by adding garam marsala and freshly ground cumin.
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 3 carrots, chopped
  • 2-3 tsp garam marsala
  • 2-3 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 cups green lentils, rinsed & drained
  • 8-10 cups veggie stock or water +1 organic veggie bouillon cube
  • 4 large handfuls of baby kale or baby spinach leaves
  • 1-2 tsp sea salt, to taste
  • pepper, to taste
  • splash of red wine vinegar (optional)
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion & garlic. Sauté for 3-5 mins, or until onions begin to soften.
  2. Add carrots & spices; sauté for about 5 mins more.
  3. Rinse lentils and add to pot with water.
  4. Cover pot, bring to a boil, and simmer 35-40 mins.
  5. Add salt & pepper (and bouillon cube, if using), and simmer another 10 mins. Add spinach or kale toward the end of this 10 mins and stir the soup to incorporate the greens.
  6. Add a splash of red wine vinegar, if using. Season with a little more salt and pepper, to taste.
  7. And, Serve!

Spirulina Energy Balls (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)

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These energy balls as great as part of breakfast, as a snack on-the-go, or dessert!

These energy balls as great as part of breakfast, as a snack on-the-go, or dessert!

 I got this idea from Rita Mustafa’s ‘Gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free recipes’ cookbook. These energy balls are quick to prepare and quick to disappear! People of all ages love them – the combination of sweet, nutty, and crunchy rolled into a little ball is irresistible even for the ‘little people’ in our lives – what a great way to get some protein into our children! 

All of the ingredients are likely something that you already have in your cupboard… except, spirulina. So, if you don’t have spirulina, you can just omit it and they will turn out just as tasty and will still contain a generous amount of protein from the almonds, almond butter, and hemp hearts.

Enjoy!

Spirulina Energy Balls (gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan)
 
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These energy balls are a good vegan source of protein - hemp hearts, almonds, and spirulina
Recipe type: gluten & dairy free dessert or snack
Serves: 16-18 balls
Ingredients
  • ½ cup almonds, chopped well
  • ⅓ cup dates, pitted and chopped
  • ⅔ cup gluten-free ‘crispy rice’ cereal
  • ⅓ cup almond butter
  • ⅓ cup raisins or dried cranberries
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 2 Tbsp hemp hearts
  • 1 Tbsp spirulina powder
optional ingredients:
  • ¼ cup chopped almonds for garnish
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut for garnish
Instructions
  1. Chop almonds well and set aside ¼ cup for garnish.
  2. Place remaining chopped almonds and other ingredients into a food processor or blender. (I used our Vitamix)
  3. Process until mixture turns sticky and will form into a ball. You’ll need to pulse and scrape down the sides a few times.
  4. Scoop mixture out by the Tbsp, roll into a ball and them roll through reserved chopped almonds, if using.
  5. Continue until remaining mixture is gone.
  6. Serve immediately or chill before serving.
  7. Store in fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for longer.