Tag Archive for: Dairy Free

Chickpea Pancakes with White Bean and Basil Tapenade

Chickpea Pancakes with White Bean and Basil Tapenade

This recipe is very easy to prepare and the chickpea pancake is a nice break from the regular cracker or pita that is normally served with bean dips. This would go great as a starter to a Greek or Mexican meal, or on it`s own as a light meal.

Serves 8

1 cup chickpea flour (also called garbanzo bean flour)
5 tbsp olive oil
1 cup canned or cooked cannellini beans or white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp chpped fresh basil
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste
fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 450°
2. Prepare pancake: pour 1 1/3 cups water into a medium bowl. Add flour to bowl slowly, whisking in until smooth. Allow mixture to stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour. When hour is complete, stir in 2 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt.
3. Heat a 10 inch cast iron or oven-safe heavy skillet on medium-high. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, pour in vatter and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the edges of the pancake begin to turn golden brown. Do not flip. Place skillet in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, until crisp around edges and light golden brown. Slide pancake onto a cutting board and slice into 8 wedges.
4. Prepare tapenade by placing white beans, remaining 1 tbsp olive oil, 3 tbsp water, basil, and garlic in a food processor and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Scrape mixture into a sealable container, and set aside until needed, or dollop directly onto chickpea pancakes and enjoy.

This recipe is from Clean Eating magazine.

Cashew Pudding with Rhubarb compote

Cashew Pudding with Rhubarb compote

This recipe is an all time favorite during rhubarb season. The nutty sweetness of the cashews blends deliciously with the tartness of the rhubarb. Serve for Tuesday night dinner or at a dinner party to guests, everyone will be licking their bowls.

Serves 6

The Pudding
1 cup cashews
3 cups boiling water
6 tbsp arrowroot powder
3 tbsp honey
2 tsp vanilla

Rhubarb compote
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup honey

1. Grind the cashews in the blender. Add the boiling water until creamy. This makes about 3 1/2 cups of cashew milk.
2. Pour 1 cup of cashew milk into a boil and mix in the arrowroot powder until it is quite smooth.
3. Pour this mixture and the rest of the cashew milk into a saucepan. Add the honey and vanilla.
4. Heat over low to medium heat until thickened, stirring all the while so it doesn’t boil.
5. Pour into individual serving dishes, the pudding will continue to thicken as it cools.
6. To make the compote, put the chopped rhubarb and water in a saucepan over medium heat until the rhubarb is quite soft. Keep watching and stirring it as it doesn’t take long to cook. Add the honey and stir to combine.
7. Spoon a bit of compote over each pudding, serve warm or cold and enjoy.

 

Garlic-Lemon Salmon on Spinach

Garlic-Lemon Salmon on Spinach

This uber-easy recipe was actually a pod cast from the website by Jerry Seinfeld’s wife Jessica called; www.doitdelicious.com
The recipe is so easy that I watched the video once and remembered the whole thing – well, almost  (and I changed the fish from halibut to salmon).

4 4oz pieces of salmon with skin removed
1 lemon cut into slices
10oz baby spinach (about 3-4 handfuls from bag or box)
1tbsp olive oil
1 1/4tsp salt
1 clove of garlic smashed and cut in half

1. Preheat oven to 450˚.
2. Rub a baking pan thoroughly with the two halves.
3. Toss spinach with olive oil and 1/4tsp of salt, and spread evenly over the pan.
4. Place fish on spinach bed.  Salt each piece of fish with remaining 1tsp of salt.  Place 2-3 slices of lemon on each piece of fish.
5. Place fish in oven for 7-8 minutes, or until the fish is no longer translucent in the middle.

Moroccan Yam Burgers

Ryan’s Moroccan Yam Burgers

My husband Ryan is a talented guy in many ways. Cooking, however, is not one of them; this is not his recipe :) I’ll likely be posting many many vegetarian burger type recipes as I love a good burger. And though I will occassionally go all out and indulge in a grass-fed, organic, free-range beef or buffalo burger, I usually prefer to go for a lighter option. Really, it’s just an excuse to layer all of my favorite toppings between two buns! Who can resist sauteed mushrooms, crisp red onions, garlic aoili, all the varieties of lettuce, cheese (sometimes), unpasterized saurkraut,  etc etc etc. It’s got to be lunchtime somewhere…….

Makes 12 patties

6 cups grated yams
2 tbsp garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1-19oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cup unsalted mixed nuts
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp egg replacer mixed with 3 tbsp water (or 2 eggs)
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs (use wheat-free or gluten free breadcrumbs to suit your diet)
vegetable oil for sauteing

1. Peel the yams and grate them in a food processor or by hand. Put grate yams in a large mixing bowl.
2. Put the garlic and ginger in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.
3. Add hald of the chickpeas to the garlic and ginger and process until fairly smooth. Add this mixture to the shredded yams. Put the remaining chickpeas in a bowl and mash them slightly with a potato masher or a large metal spoon. Add them to the yam mixture.
4. Add nuts to the food processor and grind until coarsely chopped. Add them to the yam mixture.
5. Add cilantro, cumin, chili powder, coriander, cinnamon, and black pepper to the yam mixture and mix well.
6. Mix the egg powder mixture, or eggs, in a small bowl and set aside.
7. Add soy sauce or tamari and sesame oil to the yam mixture and mix well.
8. Add eggs or egg replacer and breadcrumbs. You may need a bit more breadcrumbs to make the patties stick together. Measure into 1/2 cup portions and form into patties.
9. Saute on medium low, approximately 5 minutes on each side.
10. Serve on Ezekiel buns or your favorite whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomato, sliced red onions, and tzatziki.

This is another recipe from the ‘Whitewater Cooks at home’ cookbook by Shelley Adams. 

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

This pudding knocks everybody’s socks off. Kids and adults fight for the last spoonful, and nobody realizes they’re also lapping up B vitamins, fiber, as well as vitamins C, E, and K.  Ti’s smooth, chocolatey, and everything a good pudding should be. For those of us living in British Columbia (or similar cold winter climates) this recipe is best for the summer months because tropical fruits such as avocados cool our bodies down, when we need to conserve that warmth.

Serves 2-3

2 large or 3 small avocados
1/4 cup cocoa powder (use a gluten free brand such as Dragoba if you are sensitive to gluten)
1/4-1/3 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
dash of cinnamon

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more sweetener if needed, and enjoy.

 

Apple Raisin Spelt Muffins

Fruit Sweetened Apple Raisin Spelt Muffins

These muffins remind me of my home town because they come from an old vegetarian restaurant called ‘The Big Carrot’.  Now, they remind me of my mom, because she makes them all the time. We can be at an airport, a beach, or any old family gathering, and these muffins are too! How can you go wrong with a sugar-free muffin!  Don’t be scared by the large scale ingredients, they freeze well and you’ll never have trouble finding people to eat them for you. 

Makes 24 large muffins

Dry ingredients:
     
6 cups spelt flour
      1 cup raisins         
      1tbsp cream of tartar
      1tbsp baking soda
      ½ tbsp. sea salt

 Wet ingredients:
     
2 cups whole pitted dates
      4 cups chopped apples
      1½ cups sunflower oil
      2 cups apple juice
      1/8 cup vanilla extract
      1¼ cups water

 1. Preheat oven to 350˚

2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.

3. In a small pot, cover dates with water. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and let cool. Puree in a blender or food processor.

4. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl.

5. Add wet to dry and gently fold together being careful not to over mix. Add large spoonfuls to well-greased muffin tins so that batter is just over the tops of the muffin tins.

6. Bake for 20 minutes, and then rotate tins.

7. Bake for an additional 10 minutes.  If baking large muffins or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. 

This recipe was taken from The Bar None Cookbook, a great cookbook from an even better vegetarian restaurant in Courtenay BC which is sadly no longer open. 

Mochanana smoothie

Mochanana smoothie

I found this recipe watching a British show called,”you are what you eat”. This show features a dietitian by the name of Gillian McKeith transforming people’s lives by changing their horrendous diets.  Gillian created this recipe for a woman who was addicted to cafe lattes, and despite the fact that it’s caffeine-free, she loved it! You’ll love it too, even if you’re not a coffee-aholic. 

Makes 1 smoothie

         2 tsp cafe-lib or any coffee substitute
         1 tbsp boiled water
         1 ripe banana
         200 mls rice, soy, or almond milk

1. Put coffee substitute on a blender or food processor and add hot water and stir.  Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.  Enjoy!   

Mediterranean Chard

Mediterranean Chard

This lovely recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, “The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook” by Alissa Segersten and Tom Malterre.  This Naturopathic duo have created a super healthy cookbook that beats the pants off your tastebuds.  This recipe is no exception.  A great way to enjoy this nutritious green. 

         1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
         1/2 cup pine nuts
         4-5 cloves garlic
         2 bunches of chard
         1/2-1 lemon, juiced
         1/4-1/2 cup kalamata oilves, pitted and chopped
         1/4 tsp sea salt, or to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot or skillet over medium heat. Add pine nuts and saute until slightly golden, about 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds more.

2. Then add wet greens and saute until wilted and bright green, making sure all greens reach the heat, about 3-4 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and add half of the lemon juice (when I made this recipe recently, it was really lemony. I would add 1/2 the lemon juice, then taste before adding more), olives, and sea salt. Serve immediately.

Avocado Salad with Black Olive Dressing

Avocado Salad with Black Olive Dressing

A taste of the Mediterranean!

Serves 4

  • 3 tablespoons orange juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • 1 firm, ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into thin wedges
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
  • 1/2 head romaine lettuce, washed, dried and sliced into thin strips
  • dash sugar

In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, olive oil, olives, garlic, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper. In a bowl, combine avocados and onions. Pour the olive dressing over the avocado mixture and toss lightly. Serve on a bed of sliced romaine.

Authored By: Polly Pitchford, Full Spectrum Health™