Category:

VegEssential Snacks

8/11/2015

VegEssential is a plant-based protein powder that we recommend at the clinic. In each scoop it has 27g of protein, 7g of fiber, 2g Omega 3 plant oils, ~5000 ORAC units (antioxidants), 6-8 servings of vegetables and over 100% of RDA of 13 vitamins and minerals. We recommend having a scoop in your smoothie but if you are looking for other ways to get this super powder in your diet here are 2 recipes to consider.

VegEssential Raw Dark Chocolate Brownies

·        1/2 cup any nut flower (raw almonds, pecans, cashews etc.) – can grind from whole nuts

·         1/2 cup VegEssential

·         1 cup hemp hearts

·         1 cup cacao powder

·         4 tsp vanilla extract

·         6 tbsp coconut sugar

·         1/4-1/2 cup water

·         Pinch of sea salt

If needed grind nuts first into powder in food processor. Add all other ingredients to a food processor until combined (start with the lower amount of water). Texture should not be too dry nor too wet. Add water if needed until it forms a ball in the food processor. Grease an 8 inch square pan with coconut oil and press mixture into. Refrigerate until set.

VegEssential Raw Chocolate Balls

·         1 cup organic oats

·         3 scoops VegEssential

·         4 tbsp raw almond butter or peanut butter

·         1 tbsp ground flax seeds

·         ½ cup milk (coconut, almond etc.)

·         1 tsp cacao powder

·         1 tbsp unpasteurized honey

·         1 tbsp coconut oil

·         1 tsp vanilla extract

·         Shredded raw coconut for rolling (optional)

Add organic oats to food processor and process until powder. Add all other ingredients to food processor and process until blended. Roll mixture into balls and then into coconut if desired. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours until firm.

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The Joys of Cacao Powder

2/12/2014

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Cacao powder in its raw form is high in fiber and a great source of iron and magnesium. It is also is a very powerful antioxidant which makes it a good addition to the daily diet. It is best to buy a high quality organic cacao powder which you can typically purchase at any health food store – we like to use the Organic Traditions brand. Cacao powder can be used in baking, smoothies and to make your own homemade hot chocolate. Premade hot chocolate from the grocery store is loaded with refined sugar, milk powder and other unnecessary ingredients. Also, 'cocoa' powder is very different from 'cacao' as it is processed and mixed with sugars to sweeten it. The recipe below is delicious and can warm you up on a cold winter day. (It’s even better served with coconut whipped cream – see previous blog post). Cacao powder can also be used in baking and is especially good in healthy brownie recipes.

Simple Homemade Dark Hot Chocolate Recipe

Serves 1

·         1 cup organic soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk

·         1 tbsp organic cacao powder

·         1 tbsp local unpasteurized honey

·         Pinch of vanilla powder and cinnamon (optional)

Add all ingredients into a small pot and whisk together on medium to high heat. Continually whisk until cacao powder mixes in and milk heats up. Alternatively, if you have a high speed blender like a Vita-mix or Blend-tec you can put it in here and run it until it heats up.

Chocolate Chai Recipe

·         1 tsp of coffee substitute (like Inka, Krakus)

·         1 tsp of cacao powder

·         ½-1 tsp cinnamon

·         ¼-½ tsp cardamom powder

·         ½-1 tsp honey

·         1 cup boiling water

·         Splash of organic soy milk, almond milk or coconut milk (optional)

Add all ingredients to a mug and add boiling water. Mix well

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Brown Rice Banana Bread

3/27/2013

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This is a healthy and easy to make gluten, dairy and refined sugar free banana bread. They key is to use extra ripe bananas. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1/4-1/3 cup coconut oil (melted) or grapeseed oil
1/3 cup unpasteurized local honey
2 large local eggs
1/4 cup any non-dairy milk (soy milk, rice milk or almond milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups brown rice flour
1 tbsp arrowroot powder
1 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
1/2 tsp baking soda (aluminum free)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups really ripe bananas mashed bananas in a separate bowl
1/2 cup chopped raw nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans) (optional)
1/4 cup Camino brand chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Use a cloth to coat bread pan with coconut oil. Mix oil and honey together. Add eggs and beat well. Add milk and vanilla and beat again. Mix dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and add alternately with mashed banana to egg mixture. Stir in chopped nuts and/or chocolate chips if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until browned and tooth pick comes out clean in the middle. (If the top starts to brown early on in baking turn the oven down to 300 degrees).

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An Easy Way to Increase Fiber - Eat an Avocado

5/2/2012

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Avocados are packed with many nutrients and healthy fats which makes them an ideal part of our daily diet. Avocados are very high in fiber (14 grams per serving!) and antioxidants and contain anti-inflammatory properties. This means that they can promote cardiovascular health, blood sugar regulation, prevent chronic disease, and help with inflammatory conditions. Avocados are tasty in salads and shakes, on sandwiches, as guacamole with rice crackers or blue/red corn chips and can even be baked into muffins as a substitute for butter or oil. We've also made them into a pie - they are really versatile!

Avocados are ripe when they are darker on the outside and slightly soft.   It is good to leave them out on the counter in your fruit bowl as they will ripen more quickly from green to black. Once ripe the best way to cut an avocado is to cut lengthwise or vertically around the whole avocado. Be careful as there is a large pit in the middle which can then be removed. At this point you will have two halves which can be sliced or cubed right in their skin and then scooped out with a spoon. Once cut it is best to eat the avocado right away as the flesh goes brown. We have stored a half in the fridge in a tight container for one day and it is okay, but not recommended. Rubbing lemon juice on the flesh helps prevent the browning.

Super Easy Guacamole

·         1 avocado

·         1 clove of garlic minced

·         1 lemon or lime wedge

·         Fresh ground pepper to taste

·         Sliced green onions and tomatoes (optional)

Cut avocado and scoop out flesh into a bowl. Mash with a fork until desired consistency. Add garlic, lemon or lime and pepper and mix. Can mix in sliced green onion and tomatoes if desired. Enjoy!

Avocado “French Fries”

·         2 avocados

·         ½ cup ground flaxseeds

·         1 tbsp chili powder

·         ½ tsp cumin

·         1/8 tsp cayenne

·         1/8 tsp fresh ground pepper

·         Pinch of sea salt

Preheat oven 350 F. Combine all ingredients except avocado into a bowl. Prepare avocados by cutting straight down longitudinally (from top to bottom) and turn avocado to slice into two halves and remove pits.   Slice each of the halves into 4-5 longitudinal slices depending on how large your avocado is. Gently spoon out avocado from skin. Coat each slice singly in the spice mixture and place on a baking sheet lined with foil.   Bake for 10 minutes and then turn and bake an additional 10 minutes. If you like it crunchier bake longer, if you like it softer bake for a shorter amount of time. Serve with organic ketchup.

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Cold Rolls

4/5/2012

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If you made it to our open house these were a popular item so we thought it was definitely a good time to post this blog and recipe.

Have you ever been out to a Thai restaurant and wanted a healthy alternative to spring rolls? Thai cold rolls are usually the alternative option typically filled with shrimp or tofu. These rolls can be fairly expensive so today we will share the recipe to make them right in the comfort of your own home. They are incredibly easy to make and can be served with a homemade almond or peanut sauce making them even more delicious. You can essentially put whatever you would like in these rolls. We have experimented and this is our favourite but feel free to try many different combinations. The amount of ingredients really depends on how many rolls you would like to make so we have just put some estimates beside each of the ingredients. If you have extra almond or peanut sauce, tofu and vermicelli left over it is also delicious with some stir fried veggies.

Cold Rolls Recipe

·         Rice papers (round and dried)

·         Brown rice vermicelli (1/2 package)

·         Sprouts (Make your own-see previous blog post)

·         Lettuce (Boston leaf, red leaf, romaine or argula –really whatever you prefer) (can rip pieces off as you go)

·         Shredded carrots (about ¼ cup)

·         Cucumber cut in long strips (about ½ cup)

·         Green onion cut in long strips (about 4 onions)

·         Extra Firm Tofu (preferably organic) cut in strips (1 package)

·         1 tbsp coconut oil

Directions

Heat coconut oil in a pan over medium heat. Cut tofu in strips and stir fry till browned and set aside. Boil a pot with water and prepare brown rice vermicelli as listed on package (typically boil 3 minutes) and rinse with cold water. Prepare vegetables as instructed above. Now you are ready to assemble the rolls. Note: if tofu is still warm place in freezer till cooled down.

Place 1 rice paper in a flat bowl of water and soak for 1 minute and then towel it dry. Transfer to a cutting board. Place another rice paper in water to let it soak. With the rice paper on the cutting board place all ingredients horizontally in the centre of the wrap. Start by rolling the wrap and then fold in the sides and continue rolling. Be careful not to roll too tight or they will break. Repeat until you have rolled the desired amount.

Almond or Peanut Sauce

·         1/3 cup Natural almond butter or peanut butter

·         2 tbsp Bragg’s liquid aminos or tamari sauce

·         ¼ cup water

·         1 ½ tbsp. rice vinegar

·         1-2 garlic cloves minced

·         ¼ tsp chilis

·         ½ tsp agave nectar

Directions

Whisk together all ingredients together.

Dip cold rolls in sauce and enjoy!

2 Comments

Make Your Own Granola

1/11/2012

2 Comments

There are very few brands out there that make a clean, wholesome granola. If you don’t want to spend the time reading label after label then why not make your own? (Although, you should check some of the labels out there for granola as you wouldn’t believe what kind of additives end up in there). Granola is very simple and easy to make and can be done in roughly 30 minutes. It’s nice to be able to make large batches so you don’t have to keep on making it even though I’m sure you will want to.

You can enjoy the granola as a snack or breakfast cereal. It’s a great way to get in nuts and seeds that have many nutrients, protein, fiber and are a source of healthy fats. You also get to control the type of sweetener and the amount that is used. As well you get the benefits of one of my favourite oils-coconut oil which will be discussed in a future post. Overall, granola (when made properly) is a wholesome cereal that is high in fiber, healthy fats and many vitamins and minerals.

Granola Recipe

·         6 cups rolled oats (Gluten free use Bob’s Red Mill Oats)

·         1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

·         1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds

·         2 cups nuts chopped (or can use food processor to grind up) or can leave whole or buy pieces

- raw almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans

·         Pinch of fine sea salt (about 1/8 tsp)

·         1 cup dried fruit

- non-sulfured raisins, dates, gogi berries or combination

·         2 tsp cinnamon

·         ½ cup coconut oil melted

·         1/2 cup 100% pure maple syrup or honey or 1/4 cup 100% maple syrup or honey and 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

·         1 tsp pure vanilla extract or vanilla powder

Preheat oven 250 F. Mix oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts and salt together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Measure dried fruit, but set aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir together coconut oil, syrup or honey (and applesauce if using), cinnamon and vanilla extract. Mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients stirring with a large wooden spoon. Line 2 large baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and transfer mixture in a layer (about ½ inch). Ensure mixture is in a thick enough layer otherwise it may burn. Bake 10-15 minutes until top is slightly browned. Mix and stir around and bake 10-15 more minutes. Mix and stir around again and bake for the last 5-10 more minutes until browned or until cooked to your liking. Put back into large bowl and mix in dried fruit. Cool and store in container. Enjoy!

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VegEssential Snacks

The Joys of Cacao Powder

Brown Rice Banana Bread

An Easy Way to Increase Fiber - Eat an Avocado

Cold Rolls

Make Your Own Granola

Chris and Darcie

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VegEssential Snacks

The Joys of Cacao Powder

Brown Rice Banana Bread

An Easy Way to Increase Fiber - Eat an Avocado

Cold Rolls

Make Your Own Granola

Chris and Darcie

Archives

Categories

Book an appointment today!

Get natural health updates delivered to your email!Tips on whole foods, gluten and dairy free cooking, healthy living and more. We keep your information private and confidential and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Get natural health updates delivered to your email!
Tips on whole foods, gluten and dairy free cooking, healthy living and more. We keep your information private and confidential and you can unsubscribe at any time.