New Beginings

Well SORRY to all my followers (if I still have any), I have been MIA for so long now, but I am officially back at it :) This has been an insane past year for me with becoming vegan, getting engaged, moving province and starting a new job....but here I am, and I am so excited to share so many yummy recipes with you all. I am going to be adding a lot more fitness tips since my new profession is as a Personal Trainer! So this week I will have my first official blog post of 2011...lets get ready for an amazing year!

xo this is a pic of me and my fiance in Punta Cana in December <3

Simplicity as it's Finest!

Mmmm summer = salads! A girl at my work made this yummy salad so I had to share it with you and I have made it pretty much everyday now.

I cut one medium sized tomato, 1/4 avocado, 3 medium sized fresh basil leaves cut into small pieces and the juice of about 1/2 one medium lemon seasoned with salt and pepper...and that's it!! YUMMY enjoy :)

Summer Time= BBQ Time!!

So obviously things that make you think of summer is the sunshine, smell of fresh cut grass and BBQ's!!!! This is my First BBQ season eating cruelty free so I am taking it on full force! Yesterday my man friend and I fired up the barbe and had a scrumptious meal. First we made some home made humus (recipe to come...I didn't write it down oops!!) and then followed that with a childhood fave of mine (turned vegan) that we always had in the summer, a Curry Pasta Salad with Green Grapes and Toasted Pine nuts, yum. And to finish it all off we had a yumo veggie burger (Amy's brand...too lazy to make my own!) on a thin whole wheat bun with tomato, avocado and grilled portabello....Delish!! I only have a picture of the Pasta Salad, so here it is with the recipe. This would be an awesome hit to bring or have at your own summer party AND it is cruelty free :) Enjoy...

Curry Pasta Salad with Green Grapes and Toasted Pine Nuts

**I would just like to add that this is the EASIEST recipe ever**

So just boil up an appropriate amount of pasta, depending on how many peeps are having it, I use brown rice pasta. Then once cooked rinse the pasta with some cold water to make sure with the heat the pasta doesn't continue to cook and become soggy. Drain and drizzle with some oil (olive or safflower) to help keep the pasta from sticking together.

Once the pasta has cooled add some 'veganise' or any other vegan mayonnaise, start with a little and add more if necessary...you want it to coat the past not be saucy. The add some curry powder, again start with 1 tablespoon and add more if you need, tasting to make sure you don't over do it.

In a small dry pan on a low-med heat toast some pine nuts of slivered almonds tossing for a few min...make sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn, just lightly browns.

Quarter as many seedless grapes as you like, then add quartered grapes and toasted nuts to the pasta. Season with salt and pepper (Again, start with a little and add more if necessary). Stir together and keep in the fridge until serving time. Feel free to saute up some mushrooms or roast some veggies and add to the pasta salad.

Here is a sneak peak at what I am making right now...post to come!!

Chickpea, tomato and sweet potato soup with Crunchy corn

Yummy yummy in my tummy!

Well since my last blog was about desserts, and so is this one I think I can officially say I am on a sweat kick and I LOVE it!! So I have a few other blogs I had planned to write first, but I just made these delish little guys and they are too good to wait to write about! So they are from Alicia Silverstone’s book 'The Kind Diet', which if you still don't own, get on it, so many great recipes mmm. They are conveniently called 'My Favourite Cupcakes', and soon they will be yours too! Here goes....

Cupcakes

2/3 cup hemp or soy milk (I used soy)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

2/3 cup agave nectar (instead of using sugar...this stuff is to die for, almost caramel in taste, YUM)

1/3 cup safflower oil (this is super light in taste, that’s why you don't use olive oil, too strong)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)

1/3 cup pastry flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of fine sea salt

Fudge Frosting

1/2 cup Earth Balance butter

1/2 cup agave nectar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup soy milk powder (like powder milk, but soy...duh)

**Note: All of these things I simply found at the Bulk Barn...Love it there. Also I used the full 1/2 cup of Soy milk powder, and next time I would probably use only 1/3 cup. I found the 1/2 cup made it a bit too heavy and powdery tasting.

**Me a proud momma of these cupcakes, pre frosting**

Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

Combine the milk and vinegar in a medium bowl, and set aside for about 5 min. until the mixture begins to bubble. If it does not bubble, stir the mixture until it does. Add the agave nectar, oil and vanilla and stir.

In a separate bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add in the wet ingredients to the dry, mixing until no lumps remain.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tin, and bake for 18-22 minutes (I only did 18 and they were perfect, so keep an eye on them) or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out clean and the tops are slightly springy when pressed. Allow the cupcakes to cool.

To make the fudge frosting, use a mixer to cream the butter and agave nectar until very smooth. Add the vanilla extract and half of the cocoa powder mix on a low speed until combined, then add the remaining cocoa powder. Add in the soy milk powder, and mix at med-high until fluffy.

Enjoy!!

Mmmm best dessert EVER!!!

When I was at the Wooden Monkey I had a chocolate Ganashe torte...and I decided to create my own! So here it is, SO GOOD and totally vegan. Super easy and fast too...yum yum!!

Here it is...believe it!!

For the Crust:

1/2 cup of melted Earth Balance butter

1/4 cup Almonds

3/4 cup Oats

1/4 cup Cashews

1/2 cup Walnuts

1/4 cup Brown rice syrup

Dash of both salt and cinnamon *optional

Pre-heat oven to 400 F. In a food processor blitz together all dry ingredients so they are finer, but some nut chunks are ok. Then in a bowl mix together with a spoon the blitzed up mixture with the melted 'butter' and syrup. Press mixture into an ungreased spring pan (the kind you make a cheesecake in) just along the bottom. Cook for 4-8 minutes until edges turn golden. Remove and let cool.

Ganache Filling (yum)

Two 283g pkgs of non-dairy chips. I used "Enjoy Life" semi-sweet chocolate chips, you can get these in any health food store or health food isle.

One 340g pkg soft Silken tofu

1 tsp pure vanilla extract.

Get a large pot and fill 1/4-1/2 with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling lower to medium heat and wait until slightly simmering. Then place a large metal bowl over the heat (you can rest it right on the pot). This helps to not burn the chocolate. So place both pkgs of chocolate in the bowl and begin stirring until almost melted. In a food processor blitz the pkg of tofu until smooth. Add this to the melted chocolate and continue to stir until completely smooth. Then pour mixture into the crust, let cool at room temp. for about 5 min, then store in the fridge until set (1+ hours).

**When serving, before releasing the spring on the pan, get a hot knife and run along the pan where the torte mixture meets it to separate it. Then cut and ENJOY!! YUMMM

Okkkkk

Worst blogger ever!! I know I am sorry it has been a while, but I do have lots of new and exciting things to write and tell you about :) First things first, I have a DELISH Chocolate Ganache vegan pie in the fridge as we speak...pictures, reviews and recipe to come!!

So yesterday was my 25th birthday...dun dun dun, still not to sure how I feel about this, we'll see. So I spent the day with my lovely man friend. We went to this diamond expo which was pretty cool, and went for dinner to a great vegan friendly restaurant called 'The Wooden Monkey' in DT Halifax. I had this yummy lental patty with baked organic fries and stole my boyfriends super yummy blueberry martini and stuck him with my 'interesting' lime and absinthe martini. Anyways SO delish!! Great way to celebrate the start to my 25th year.

Justin & I

My Dinner

I put the heart there because I had a toothpaste stain on my shirt!! grr

A few weeks ago I experimented with Tempeh. 'Tempeh is a fermented food made by the controlled fermentation of cooked soybeans with a Rhizopus mold (tempeh starter). Tempeh has a firm texture and a nutty mushroom flavour.' I got a curry flavoured one, it was so good. You can find it in any health food isle in a grocery store or at a health food shop. I crumbled it up in pasta and some stir fry veggies.

The Tempeh I used

My Tempeh Creation

Versatile Meals

I LOVE food that you can have as leftovers and make different things rather than the same meal over and over! My manfriend and I made a vegan chilli the other day...A LOT of it! So that night we had chilli, then next day I had chilli with veggie sticks to dip in it and for the past couple days I have had an Ezekiel wrap with a handful of spinach and chilli all wrapped up. Messy but delish!! It is so filling and just feels like good eating. What will I have next....?? You can make your own home made chilli, or buy some from the health food isle in your supermarket (Amy's Organic makes great chilli and soups!), just read the ingredients and check the sugar and salt amouts. The benifit of making your own is you control what goes in it. Yes it takes a little time, but provides lots of leftovers :)

Motivation!!!

So here is how I stay motivated to go to the gym and keep healthy. I have a set of rules I created for myself, and they go like this:

- Always go to the gym on Monday (I go 4-5 days a week)

- Never let more than 2 days go by without going to the gym...once day 3, then 4 hit of no gym I am out of my routine

- Always work out in the morning

- 30 min is better than 0 min!

- Always push myself that little harder...if I am already at 15 reps, whats another 3??

- Keep a record of what you are doing

- Look at your upcoming week and schedule in gym time

These are my rules, make your own or use mine as a guideline. I find having these rules inplace it keeps me on my toes and holds myself acountable. If you have any good 'rules' let us know!

If you haven't already checked out 'Oxygen' magazine give it a look. I love it!! Don't be scared off by the strong women on the front, there is TONS of awesome advice, tips, work-outs and recipes. You can also visit http://www.oxygenmag.com/

More to come...

Seitan...mmm

Seitan, pronounced SAY-TAN is delish!! Not hard to find eaither, should be at any major grocery store in the refridgerated section or at a health store. Check out http://www.happycow.net/ to find a place near you!

Definition: Although it is made from wheat, seitan has little in common with flour or bread. Also called “wheat meat”, “wheat gluten” or simply “gluten”, seitan becomes surprisingly similar to the look and texture of meat when cooked, making it a popular meat substitute. Seitan is also high in protein, making it a popular protein source for vegetarians. Asian restaurants often use seitan as a vegetarian mock meat, and seitan is also the base for several commercially available products such as Tofurky deli slices.

Needless to say if you have a gluten allergy, this is not for you. I got some at the farmers market the other day and made a little 'scramble' with it. First I heated my skillet to medium and put in some veg oil and sautéed some mushrooms, added a little garlic and tore up some Seitan and let it sizzle away for a few, tossing it like a chef :) Then I shredded up some spinach (also from the farmers market) and added that with chopped tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and pepper. I toasted my bread, from a local bakery and brushed it with some Organic Earth Balance and topped with my 'scramble'. Fast, easy and delicious...what more could you ask for???

Yum Yum...enjoy! Honestly, this is soooo good and satisfying!!

Vegan Community

So the more I venture into veganism, the more I want to be a part of the vegan community. People have all kinds of places to come together and share, talk and learn about their common interest...church, sports teams, gyms, etc. So far online has so many outlets for vegans...but I want REAL people face to face to share with! I went to a local vegan restaurant 'Heartwood' yesterday and it was awesome! Not too expensive, and such a variety. It is not totally vegan, but it is completely vegetarian, and you can make mostly anything vegan and/or gluten free. It is a cute little artsy place, seats about 25 max and has daily specials. Yesterdays was a vegan chilli with a homemade cornbread, and the soup was squash and pear served with sourdough bread (homemade). Not to mention all of the yummy treats! I tried a hazelnut brownie...a little dry but got me thinking how I could make it more moist with some brown rice syrup. So I had the bean burrito...so good! It was huge, I took half home with me, and it was served with brown rice, salsa and corn chips...wowza!! Justin had the bean burger, good too, but not as good as mine!! :) They have all kinds of tea and free trade, organic coffee...mmm. Check out www.heartwoodbakerycafe.ca to see the full delish menu. Also to find out some vegan restaurants in your community visit www.happycow.net such a cool site!

Get out there and talk yummy!

To Detox or Not to Detox....

Raw food detox, juice fast, master cleanse, mono fruit detox and soooo many more!! So what’s the deal? What does it mean to 'Detox' your body? Well...Detox, short for detoxification, is the body's natural, ongoing process of neutralizing or eliminating toxins from the body. Toxins (anything that can potentially harm body tissue) are transformed chemically to less harmful compounds and excreted via stools or urine. Sources of toxins include those produced in the body during normal functions, such as the ammonia produced during the breakdown of protein, and chemicals such as pesticides, household cleaners, food additives, drugs, pollution, cigarette smoke, and heavy metals like lead that enter the body when we ingest or inhale them. So to sum it up it is just to rid your body of harmful or unwanted 'things' from your body that may be all cramped up and stuck in your tummy/intestines.

So I am going to complete a homemade, 7 day detox...thanks to some inspiration from my sister Christina, thanks girlfriend!! Here is what I am going to do, drink LOTS and I mean Lots of water, and herbal teas (3 teas a day...one already down for today), fruits, veggies. So lots of water and high fibre foods...lets call it Jessica's HIGH Detox!! So there will be little limitations on the consumption of fruits and veggies...more veg than fruits though. So every day I will start with a large (700ml-1 ltr) of water with some added citrus (lemon, lime...whatever you have), followed by some tea, no sweeteners not even honey...just a date if you need some sweet. Then when you start feeling a bit peckish have a banana. Basically you can eat what you want fruit wise, just have a variety and try to stay away from tropical fruits, they tend to have a high sugar content. I am going to consume fruits in the first half of my day and veggies in the later half, drink lots of fluids all day and eating when hungry. Some keys things for this detox is I will be consuming vitamins 2 times a day (just a multi-vitamin) and eating the veg and fruits RAW or lightly steamed...no oils or salt and pepper, just au natural! Mmmm!! So I will keep you posted on my day by day progress. I will have avocados in a shake so I won't get all dizzy and what not since they are full of good for you fats!! Mmm I love avocados!!

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil | Organic Coconut Oil | Organic Oils

The following link will let you know the amazing benefits of Coconut oil...after are a few ways to eat/cook with it.

Health Benefits of Coconut Oil Organic Coconut Oil Organic Oils

A shake I love full of tons of nutritious things is with...

- One handful...or 1 cup of spinach

- 1/4 Avocado

- 1/2 an apple

- 1/2 banana

- 1 tbsp Coconut oil

- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup of Almond milk/Rice/Soy

Blitz it all and enjoy! You can add more or less water or 'milk' if you want it runnier or thicker!

Also you can use it instead of olive oil, mix it in with some rice (make sure it melts)

You should try to consume 1-3 tbsp of coconut oil daily.

Happy April!!

So here is a yummy wrap using lots of leftovers!! For bread I usually buy Ezekiel bread from the freezer in the health food isle. They also make great wraps, buns, english muffins and a few others. You have to keep them in the freezer until you need one, and you can just leave it on the counter to defrost, or place it in the oven to warm it up a bit. The reason you have to keep in the freezer is they are sprouted grains, live food...so that’s all that’s in it, no weird funky stuff. Visit http://www.foodforlife.com/ for more info!


All you need for this delish wrap is one Ezekiel wrap, some hummus (homemade or store bought...don't forget to read ingredients), 1/4 cup of brown rice, 1/4 cup lentils (I just cook up a whole bunch and leave in the fridge for fast easy meals), some diced tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste and a handful of spinach. This is so satisfying and fulfills my constant need for a yummy sandwich!! So enjoy!!

Pass It On

So I was watching a clip about Ellen DeGeneres becoming a vegan and why she did. One thing she talked about was the 'Earthlings' movie....in one word SAD. We all know deep down unruly things happen to animals, but I guess we look at it like outta sight outta mind. But it is time to WAKE up and do something, ANYTHING to create a change. There is power in numbers, so let’s all come together and make this world more peaceful for one and all. Here is the link for the trailer of 'Earthlings' http://www.earthlings.com/ . I hope you watch the whole thing...if you can watch a horror movie you can and should watch this, remember ignorance is NOT bliss.

Some ideas to make a change is to get mailing addresses for you major grocery stores and start writing them about bringing in fairly treated meat products. The more we demand the more change can occur. Also spread the word...don't stop talking about this matter until something is being done. This is a movement, and one that you should want to be a part of. We don't accept slavery anymore, so why should we accept the brutal torture and murdering of helpless animals for our own selfish desires and wants? Do you have some ideas about making a change? Share them!!!

Much love...

Uh Oh!

So confession time!! Last night I had some lamb :( Here is how it all went down...I wanted some salmon, so I said if I can find some wild/organic salmon I will have 1/2 of a portion. However there was none!! Nowhere...I went to 3 different grocery stores and told them what I was looking for but nothing!! So I checked out what kind of meats there were that were first local and then next if it was 'free from'. At the superstore there are sections in the meat isle that are called 'free from', that are usually local and defiantly free from chemicals and hormones, which is good. So anyways I got some 'good' lamb for me and Justin and had maybe 3 ounces and automatically felt heavy. It was so weird...because all I had with it were some roasted veggies, no grains. Anyways I can't even remember before then when I had meat...and I can tell you it will be a long time before I do it again, that heavy feeling was just so blah!!

Nutrition Notes

Brussels sprouts are full of nutrients and contain significant amounts of vitamin C. In fact, gram for gram, Brussels sprouts contain nearly fifty percent more vitamin C than an orange. Just four to six Brussels sprouts contain the adult daily requirement for vitamin C.
Like other cruciferous vegetables, Brussels sprouts contain nitrogen compounds called indoles, known for their cancer fighting properties. Brussels sprouts are also a good source of folate, potassium, vitamin K, fibre and beta carotene.
Nutritional information per serving (4 sprouts): 33 kcal, 7 g carbohydrate, 0 g fat, 3 g protein, 3 g fibre

Delightfully Delish Vegan Pattie

It has been about a week since my last blog...oopsy!! Anywho I'll make this a good one to make up for it :) I made these super yummy veggie/grain patties that you could put on a bun OR just eat alone with some avocado or tomato so here goes...

1/2 can of black beans, 1/2 can of chickpeas, 1 cup cooked brown rice (or Arborio rice), 1 cup cooked lentils, 1/2 medium zucchini chopped, 1/2 small onion chopped, 2-4 cloves of garlic, 1/2 radicchio sliced, 10 broken up dates (I used honey dates), salt and pepper to taste, 1/4 tbsp or cayenne and oregano (or basil). Blitz all with a hand blender or in a blender. If it is too hard to blitz add some veg stock or water....just a touch!! If too liquidy add some oats or whole wheat flour. From there form into balls...depending how big you want your patties. I cook these to order, I like them better that way, and just cover the leftover mix in the fridge until I want some more. So heat a pan to about a 6-7 just over medium. When hot add oil (safflower, veg whatever you want) then place 'ball' in pan and smooch down with hands to flatten. Leave about 3-5 min then flip and leave the same on that side. NOTE they are a bit mushy so be gentle flipping they are a little tricky until you get the hang!! That’s it..like I said I put avocado on mine and stacked two. I served it with some roasted brussel sprout YUMMMMMM!!! Enjoy!!

Also check out www.herbivoreclothing.com. I love it! I just got a cute tee saying 'Im vegan and I love you' with a little elephant on it, a few stickers and a cool stainless steel lunch box!!

Awesomenesssss

SO cool news for me!! A girl who works with Kamut saw my blog about using Kamut noodles in a recipe and asked if she could quote me and post a link to my blog on the Kamut facebook!! Sweet!! You guys should check it out and find out more about Kamut, so good for you and yummy too.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/KAMUT/298321243950?ref=ts

Spring Is Here!!!

I find when the sun is shining I want delicious good for me food more than ever! This morning I had a little medley that I have used a few different ways over the past few days. Just using up some produce in my fridge so it doesn't go to waste. The first thing I made was a pizza...I even made the whole wheat vegan friendly crust myself (I am awesome). It wasn't the best crust ever BUT it was my first attempt, so I will perfect it. Then I made my pizza topping with sliced radicchio so it was in thread like pieces. Then I quartered up some mushrooms LOVE them and used 1/2 and avocado. I sautéed up the mushrooms first for a minute in safflower oil, but you can use any oil you'd like. Then I added in the sliced radicchio (yum yum) and tossed it around a little...OH and I grated up one garlic clove and tossed that in with the radicchio. From there I just added in the cubed avocado just to warm it up a little, adding some salt and pepper. I then put it on the cooked pizza crust and voila!! Since then I have used the same mix for a wrap and then this morning I had it on a slice of toast. It is one of those yummy things that while you eat it you are saying to yourself....how can this taste so good and not be so bad? But is not only scrumptious but your body will love you too with all of the wonderful fats you are getting from the avocado which will make your hair shiny and your skin glow, who can refuse that? Here’s a little about radicchio 'Good for you… Radicchio is especially high in antioxidants such as flavonoids and phenylic acid. Interestingly, radicchio contains much more antioxidants than other varieties of chicories (such as escarole or curly endive). It also provides vitamins A and C and phosphorus.'

So try something new today and I hope you can realize how simple and easy making nutritious yummy food is. Make the time to help develop your best you!!

Who Said?!?!

So I am writing this exciting blog as I 'mop' up my breakfast mmmm breakfast, even though it is 1:28pm (damn spring forward!!).

Who said that breakfast had to consist of typical breakfast type food??? I wanted pasta dang it so I had pasta!! Plus I just had a great workout, therefore I needed to refuel. So I had my kamut udon noodles which have 15g of protein per 3oz serving which is essential after a workout. Did you know it is so important to get protein in your system ASAP after a workout? Your muscles are hungry and protein is their fave food...so get it in you and the sooner the better. If too much time passes (2 hours past your workout) your workout is borderline pointless because your muscles depend on that protein fuel to shape and grow. Anyways back to the pasta breakfast! So on my udon kamut noodles I added a load of homemade tomato sauce yum yum thanks to my man friend, and topped with sunflower seeds and used my cute rose bowl again (she is getting very good use!!) From there I toasted a slice of organic 12 grain bread made by a local baker, no sugar and all readable ingredients, and smothered it with Earths Balance organic buttery spread....hence the mopping up my breakfast. I couldn't let all of that yummy sauce go to waste :)

Eat up!!

http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm Check out this link for some other vegan friendly protien sources

I love cute bowls...

Check out this awesome bowl! I got it from Winners for $4.99, I love it :) It makes eating anything that much more exciting. For lunch I used it today and had a yummy spinach salad with raw unsalted sunflower seeds, organic raisins and a dressing made with organic Olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some Dijon mustard mmmm!! Then after that I had a homemade butternut squash soup made by my man friend, totally vegan (recipe to come). Question to ask yourself today "Where did this food I am eating come from???"