Choco Coconut Almont Banana Smoothie

Chocolate! Coconut! Almond! Banana! In a smoothie! This is my go-to quick breakfast of late, but it could also double as a dessert!

Makes 1 Super Delicious Smoothie

1 banana
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon almond butter
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1 scoop unsweetened protein powder (optional)
1 teaspoon flax seed meal (optional)

For breakfast smoothie, I include the protein powder and flax. For dessert smoothie, I omit those and include the vanilla.

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and mix on high until well blended. For an icy treat, add 4-5 ice cubes to the blender.

Thai Chicken and Cashew Nuts

This is one of my ultimate favourite Thai dishes. The chicken recipe is adapted from Six Sister's Stuff. The chicken is cooked in a slow cooker but you could very easily adapt the recipe to be straight stir-fry. You can also omit the chicken to make a delicious Thai vegan stir fry.

Serves 2-4

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce or Bragg's Aminos
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste or ketchup
1 tablespoon sucanat
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or Thai chili paste
1/2 cup water
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup whole cashews
2 green onions, chopped
handful of cilantro, rough chopped

1. Trim fat off chicken and place in slow cooker.

2. In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, vinegar, tomato paste, sucanat, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes and water. Pour sauce over chicken.

3. Cook on low for 3 hours for breasts and 3 1/2 to 4 hours for thighs.

4. Once chicken is cooked, remove from slow cooker and set on a plate to cool slightly. Once cooled, roughly chop chicken into cubes. Reserve sauce.

5. In a walk over medium heart, stir-fry onions and peppers for 2-3 minutes. Pour in sauce from the slow cooker and bring to a boil to reduce slightly. Cook for another 4-5 minutes.

6. Add chicken and cashews to wok and mix together. Remove from heat and mix in green onion and cilantro. Serve immediately with rice or quinoa. If you aren't serving immediately, do not add the cilantro until just before serving.

If you plan to modify the recipe so it is not a slow cooker recipe, I would cut the chicken into small pieces and stir fry it in a small amount of sesame oil. Once chicken is browned, remove from wok and set aside, then begin with step five.

To make this recipe vegan, omit the chicken and use extra veggies or tofu in the stir fry (step five).

Green Smoothies

I was thinking of buying a juicer so I could drink my vegetables. I even had a juicer all picked out and ready to buy. Then I came across Tera Warner's Green Smoothie Challenge. Instead of juicing her veggies, Tera just blends them up into what she affectionately calls "lawn mower pulp". No expensive, messy juicer required. And by blending your veggies instead of juicing, you keep all that wonderful fiber!

For green smoothie newbies, Tara recommends the following green concoction:

Green Smoothie for Newbies

1 cup water
1 banana
1 handful spinach

Add water and banana to blender and blend until smooth. Add in spinach and blend together.

Instead of water, I had some Green Goodness juicer from Bolthouse Farms. It added a bit of extra sweetness and made the spinach much more palatable.

My next green smoothie experiment included even more greens:

Orange, Red and Green All Over

1/2 cup carrot juice (or carrot/fruit blend)
1/2 cup water
2-3 strawberries
1 handful spinach leaves
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 handful fresh parsley leaves

Add liquid and strawberries to blender and mix well. Add in spinach, parsley and celery and blend on high until everything is pulverized and juicy green!

Next up I'm going to try kale. I'm not sure how that one will go but I'm willing to try it out!

Strawberry Chocolate Almond Milk

The other day I experimented by making homemade almond milk. I looked through a few of my clean eating & raw food cookbooks and browsed online before settling on this recipe from Tasty Kitchen, mostly because it included photographs with step by step instructions. The recipe calls for the addition of vanilla and honey, but I opted to omit those ingredients as I prefer using plain, unsweetened almond milk.

The process was simple enough. Soak the almonds, add them to food processor with water and blend, strain through cheesecloth (I used mesh jelly bags from my canning supplies). Overall I found the experience messy and not really worth the time and effort. Homemade is less expensive than store bought (1 cup of almonds yields approximately 1 litre of almond milk), but the ease and convenience of store bought just cannot be beat.

If you do give homemade a try, be sure to keep the resulting almond meal. Many people throw the byproduct of homemade nut milk production away but almond meal is very nutritious and useful in its own way. You can add it to baking, toss on salads, serve over yogurt, mix in with oatmeal or use it any number of different ways.

With an abundance of homemade almond milk on hand (another downfall - it only lasts a few days), this morning I mixed up a concoction using fresh local strawberries. It was quite refreshing and perfect for my post run pick-me-up.

Strawberry Chocolate Almond Milk (serves 2)

- 2 cups almond milk
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup fresh, whole strawberries, stems removed
- 1/2 tbsp agave syrup (optional)

1. Add everything to a blender and blend on high until mixed.

2. Pour into glasses and serve immediately

Raw Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate

I got this idea and recipe from a co-worker. Homemade raw, vegan chocolate is a great substitution for a expensive dark chocolate bars I usually have on hand. When I have a craving, I enjoy one or two pieces and that is usually enough to satisfy the chocolate monster within. The cocoa powder has a slightly bitter after-taste, which you can mitigate by adding more sweetener. I don't mind the bitter taste and find it's actually beneficial as it stops me from over indulging!

Raw Vegan Coconut Oil Chocolate

- 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil, melted slightly if solid
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp agave nectar
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)
- 1/4 cup macadamia nuts, whole or chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp dried cranberries (optional)

1. Line a small, shallow dish, pan or tray with parchment or waxed paper. A larger size pan will produce thinner bark type chocolate. A smaller pan will produce a thicker bar type chocolate. You may also have to make more than one batch to fill your tray. I usually make two batches at once, which fills a 8" x 5" tray perfectly.

2. Add coconut oil, cocoa powder, vanilla and agave to a small bowl and whisk until well blended and smooth.

3. Add in coconut, macadamia nuts and cranberries. Stir together.

4. Pour mixture into lined dish. Using a spatula, spread mixture around to evenly coat the pan.

5. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When set, remove from fridge and break into chunks.

6. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated when not in use. Coconut oil has a low melting point so if you leave your chocolate out, you will end up with a big mess!

This recipe is incredibly versatile. The only required ingredients are coconut oil and cocoa powder. Other than that, you are free to experiment and add in or remove whatever you'd like. You can also make bonbons by using mini muffin tins or make chocolate bars by scoring the chocolate after it has set slightly, then cutting it into bars when completely set.

Quick Dinner - Vegan Burger

When I'm on the go and don't have time to cook, or when it's too hot outside to even consider turning on the stove, I throw together a burger. It's so quick and easy to make, I quite literally, throw it all together and eat in about 5 minutes.

Take two patties of your favourite veggie burger. You could also use meat patties if you wish. Heat patties as per package directions. Top one patty with whatever condiments suit your fancy. I used ketchup, mustard, red onion, tomato, spinach and spicy dill pickles. Top it off with the other patty.

There you have it. An easy, quick and tasty meal. Amy's Gluten Free Sonoma Veggie Burger's are gluten, soy and dairy free and work great for this. If you are okay with eating soy and gluten you can also try Yves Veggie Burgers. They are good also.

The only complaint about this concoction is the mess! This one requires a knife and fork. :)

Peach Kombucha Smoothie

Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage that is thought to have similar health benefits as Kefir and other cultured foods. It has been served for centuries in Europe and Asia, where it is considered a health tonic. Read more about Kombucha here.

I have read much about this supposed wonder drink but I had yet to try it myself. I bought two bottles ($3.49 each!) and set about taste testing.

Kombucha is, in a word, bad. It smells like vinegar and tastes about the same. But that didn't deter me. Instead of drinking it straight up, I did what I do with Kefir and poured it into a blender to make a smoothie. The results were pretty darn tasty. This particular smoothie is vegan but you could add a bit of greek yogourt if you wanted. I added a bit of flax seed meal to boost the fibre.

Peach Kombucha Smoothie

Serves 2

- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup Kombucha (plain or peach flavour)
- 2 whole fresh peaches, skin on, sliced or 2 cups frozen peach segments or combination of fresh & frozen peaches to equal 2 cups
- add ins of your choice, about 2 teaspoons (flax meal, chia, protein powder, wheat germ etc)
- 1 cup ice

1. Add the first 4 ingredients to a blender and blend well.

2. Add ice and blend again to crush. Pour into two tall glasses.

Clean Out The Fridge Vegetable Soup

I'm terrible when it comes to eating my vegetables. I throw out so much produce, it's ridiculous. Last week I had some limp celery, wilting carrots, a wrinkled zucchini and a soft bell pepper. Not wanting to put them to waste (yet again) I decided to chop everything up and throw it in a pot. The resulting soup was easy and fast to make and quite tasty. The below recipe is what I put into my soup, but you can add anything you have on hand.

1 zucchini, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock (or any stock)
2 cups water
salt & pepper
dried herbs of your choice (parsley, basil, celery seed etc.)

1. Add everything to a stock pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

2. Remove pot from heat. Using an immersion blender, puree mixture until desired consistency reached. Serve immediately. Freezes well too!

*You don't have to puree your soup, I just prefer puree over chunky.

Braised Red Cabbage & Apples

I picked up some Bratwurst from the Redl's Home Grown Beef stand at the market last week. When I think of Bratwurst, normally I think of a huge juicy hot dog. But it's a new day my friends. I'm going to Mexico in two months. I need to think about my "figure". Instead of brats on crusty rolls, slathered in condiments, I'm sticking with the German theme and cooking up a big pot of braised red cabbage.

Adapted from "A Cook's Bible: Gluten Free, Wheat Free & Dairy Free Recipes.

1 medium red cabbage, 1.5 - 2lbs - halved, cored and sliced thinly
3 large baking apples - peeled, cored and diced
1 medium onion, halved and sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground allspice, divided
3 tablespoons honey*
salt & pepper to taste
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons butter*

1. Pre-heat oven to 300°F. Grease a large baking dish or dutch oven with butter.

2. Arrange half the shredded cabbage in the bottom of the dish. Top with half the apples, onion and garlic. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 2 tablespoons honey and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Repeat process with a second layer using remaining ingredients.

3. Pour vinegar over top of everything. Dot small pieces of butter over top. Cover dish with a lid and bake in pre-heated oven for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes, until cabbage is tender. Remove from oven and serve with grilled or broiled bratwursts. (Mashed potatoes makes a great accompaniment too!)

*Sub out non-dairy margarine for butter and agave syrup for honey and you have a vegan side dish!*

This post is part of Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade.

Holiday Gifts from the Kitchen - Spicy Dill Beans

It's that time of year again! Time to start thinking about Christmas gifts and holiday menus! Last year I made several tasty creations in my kitchen and gave them out to friends and family. More great gifts from the kitchen will be coming over the next couple months!


At the request of my mother, I spent an afternoon canning Spicy Dill Beans. I use a recipe that Vancity Rock Girl posted over two years ago. I first canned beans using this recipe before Christmas in 2008. I had labels and little cards with the Mott's Caesar recipe, printed through Vistaprint. I wrapped the jars up all pretty and gave them out to extended family and friends. They were a HUGE hit! I continued to get requests for these tasty beans throughout 2009. Now the supplies are running short and people are in need of more beans! You can't drink a Caesar without a Spicy Dill Bean to garnish! They are also great for munching as a snack. This recipe also works for carrots and asparagus... especially asparagus!

Vancity Rock Girl's Spicy Dill Beans:

Yields 4 pints

2 lbs green beans, trimmed to about 3 1/2 inches
4 red jalapeño peppers, cut in half lengthwise
8 sprigs of fresh dill
8 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 tbsp mustard seeds
2 1/2 cups water
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
2 tbsp picking salt

1. See here for instructions on how to prepare jars for canning and here for how to prepare your boiling-water canner.

2. In a large saucepan, mix water, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Keep warm on the stove top while you finish the next step.

3. To each jar, add 2 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds, two halves of hot peppers and two sprigs of fresh dill. Tightly pack the beans into each jar.

4. Pour the hot vinegar mixture into each jar and fill, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top. Cover with a hot snap lid and secure with a ring. (You want air & water to be able to circulate during the water bath, so don't tighten the ring too much.)

5. Place jars into boiling water bath canner. Ensure water comes up 1 inch above the top of the jars. Bring to a boil again and process the jars for 10 minutes (15 minutes if above 1000ft elevation). Turn off the heat. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars from water (to stabilize pressure inside jars). Remove jars from water and place them on a towel. Let jars sit, undisturbed, to cool at room temperature overnight. Remove rings, label jars with contents and date, and store jars in a cool, dark place. (If you are giving as gifts, leave rings on, or replace rings just before gifting.) Let sit at least 2 weeks before using.


Check Vistaprint for cheap custom labels and business cards. They have daily deals where you get the printing on several items free and just pay shipping. I have custom printed stationary, envelopes, pens, post-it's, note cards and note pads. It can be quite addictive at first and the products make great gifts!

Beet Hummus - Guest Post from Marianne

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a guest post by Marianne, of From French Fries to Flax Seeds. Marianne went to high school with me eons ago and last year, we reconnected over Facebook. Turns out she likes food as much as I do so we became Farmer's Market buddies! Marianne is training to be a registered dietitian, so along with having great recipes, she is also extremely knowledgeable about dietary health and nutrition. This may just be the longest post I have ever posted and include the most pictures, but is also one of the best! I cannot wait to make my own batch of beet hummus!

Beet It!
by Marianne of From French Fries to Flax Seeds

There are plenty of foods I may declare that I don’t like, but it’s not always true. It’s just easier to say “I don’t like (blank)” than to try and explain the situations in which I enjoy said food. Take tomatoes, for example. I often say I don’t like them, but I do eat them in things like salsa, ketchup, soups, stews, and of course Caesars ;) But tomatoes in salads or sandwiches, or in a pasta sauce? No thanks. I’ll pass. Because “I don’t like tomatoes”.

But this post isn’t about tomatoes. It’s about beets.

Check out the rest of Marianne's awesome post, mouth watering photos and great recipe for Beet Hummus after the jump.

Homemade Granola Bar Makeover

I found this recipe for healthy homemade granola bars. How health is it when it uses refined brown sugar, all-purpose flour and vegetable oil? Gross, gross and gross. I was going on a little weekend vacation with my cousin and her baby and I wanted to bring homemade granola bars along for a snack. My goal was to re-vamp the recipe using non-refined ingredients and eliminate the eggs since my cousin's son is allergic to them. Flax seed meal is a great egg substitute for baking; One tablespoon of ground flax meal mixed with two tablespoons of water is the equivalent of one egg.

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup sucanat
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 cup whole wheat flour or spelt flour
1 cup raisins, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, raw cocoa nibs (any combination of things to equal 1 cup - I used a bit of everything!)
3/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp ground flax seed meal mixed with 2 tbsp water
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a square or rectangle baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sucanat, wheat germ, cinnamon, wheat flour, raisins, cranberries, cocoa nibs, shredded coconut and salt. Make a well in the centre, and pour in the honey, flax, coconut oil and vanilla. If it is very dry, add a bit of water, a tablespoon at a time. Mix well using your hands if needed. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. After cutting, let cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

Grandma's Pickles in a Bucket

More pickling for week 3 of the Preserve the Bounty Challenge!

This recipe comes from my Grandma. My Grandmother is the Queen of Canning. Her canned tomatoes and pickled beets are stuff of legends (seriously)! I've always said if there is a natural disaster or the Armageddon, I'm going to Grandma's house. There is enough canned food there to feed an army, or my large family! While over for lunch one day she put a dish of the sweetest, most delicious pickles on the table. I ate the entire bowl full myself - and I didn't feel bad about it either because Grandma just went to the fridge and filled the bowl right up again. I might have eaten those ones too!

These are no cook, refrigerator pickles. Grandma keeps her pickles in a giant plastic ice cream pail. I don't have a pail quite that large, nor the space to store it, so I made my pickles in batches and packed them into 1 litre canning jars. Grandma's original recipe also calls for TWICE as much sugar as vinegar. I reduced the sugar slightly in my own brine, but for the recipe post I have left it as is.

2 cups white vinegar
4 cups sugar
2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp celery seed (or celery salt)
1 tsp mustard seed
2 long English cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 1L canning jars, sanitized per manufacturers directions

1. Add sugar, vinegar, salt, turmeric, celery seed and mustard seed to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and stir until it becomes a syrupy consistency and sugar is completely dissolved.

2. Pack sliced veggies into sanitized 1L canning jars. Fill jars with syrup to just below the neck, leaving at least 1/2 inch of head space.

3. Leave in the fridge for at least 48 hours before eating. Shake jars a few times a day.

4. Keep refrigerated. Will keep in the fridge for up to one year.

Pickled Garlic

For week three of Preserve the Bounty Jenny challenged us to preserve something in vinegar. I love this challenge. The pickling possibilities are endless! My first creation - pickled garlic. I made one jar with thyme and chilies and one jar with thyme, oregano, mustard seed and chilies. The basic recipe is below. Adjust as you see fit - use any dried herb or seasoning blend that suits your fancy!



6-8 heads of garlic
2 cups white vinegar
3/4 cup dry white wine (substitute water)
3 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp mustard seed
4 whole dried Thai chilies

1. Peel and separate garlic into cloves. Place into a bowl and set aside.

2. Sterilize two 500ml canning jars according to manufactures directions (I run mine through the dishwasher. The heat cycle does a great job at sanitizing).

3. In a large saucepan, bring vinegar, wine, salt, sugar, thyme and mustard seed to a boil. Stir to ensure salt and sugar is dissolved. Add garlic cloves to the mixture and bring to a boil. Immediately remove from heat. Remove garlic from vinegar mixture using a slotted spoon.

4. Fill each jar with garlic and two chili peppers. Ladle hot vinegar mixture into jars. Fill up jar to just below the neck, leaving 1/2 inch head space at the top. Seal with heated snap lid and band.

5. Let cool to room temperature then place in the refrigerator. Leave at least 2-3 weeks before eating. The longer they sit, the better. After opening, keep refrigerated. Will last in fridge indefinitely, as long as garlic is immersed in vinegar solution.

Note: What does it mean if your pickled garlic turns blue?! Apparently it's normal. A few of my pieces had a blue tinge to them, near the root ends. Garlic contains sulfate which reacts with copper, creating a compound that will trun the garlic blue. It is still safe to eat and should not affect the taste. To prevent the reaction, the garlic needs to be heated through to de-activate the sulfer (this is why you add the cloves to the boiled vinegar mixture before canning). Another way to avoid the blue is to use purified water if you rinse your garlic cloves as standard tap water may contain trace amounts of copper, and avoid using copper pots.

Clean Iced Tea

Nothing says summer like a tall, cool glass of sweet iced tea! Iced tea is my favourite (non-alcoholic) beverage. Unfortunately, most commercially produced iced tea brands contain MORE sugar per serving than a can of pop! I don't know about you, but I could do without all that added sugar... and water (even with a wedge of lemon or lime) just isn't quite refreshing enough on a hot summer day. Instead, I brew my own iced tea and sweeten it with natural, low GI agave syrup. I can adjust the sweetness and use different tea flavours to suit my tastes.

4 Individual Bags of your favourite Tea (I used plain old Lipton black tea today)
1 lemon, sliced thin
3 tbsp agave syrup
5 cups boiling water

1. Place tea bags and half the lemon slices in a large pitcher. If your tea bags have paper label tabs, remove them prior to adding the bags to the pitcher.

2. Add water to pitcher and stir. Measure in agave syrup and stir again. Steep tea for 10 minutes or longer if you like it strong.

3. Remove tea bags from pitcher and place pitcher in refrigerator to cool. Once cooled, add more agave if desired.

4. Serve over ice with a slice of lemon.

Variations: Experiment with different flavours of tea. Also try making tea blends, using a few bags of flavoured tea and a few bags of regular black tea. My favourite is using 3 bags of green tea with 1 bag of black tea. For added flavour, add a teaspoon or two of honey - just be sure to reduce the amount of agave!

Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

I never liked Tomato Soup until I tried it at Fix at Bellagio in Las Vegas. It was simply described as "Old School Tomato Soup" and was served with an "Aged Vermont Cheddar Grilled Cheese" sandwich. It was absolutely divine and it's a shame that it does not appear to be on the menu anymore. I have no idea what was in that soup but it made me a Tomato Soup fan from that day forward.

This recipe is adapted from the Barefoot Contessa.

Yields enough to fill two large soup bowls.

There are a lot of steps in this recipe but it doesn't make much more than an hour and the results are worth it! And as shown in step 7, you will also end up with about a cup of Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce to use over pasta for dinner! If you'd like more soup for your efforts, double the recipe.

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus 1 tsp
1 red pepper, cored and cut into 4 large pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 firm Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 tsp sucanat
2 tbsp tomato paste
large handful fresh basil, chopped (plus more basil leaves for garnish)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pinch salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup milk or cream (or any milk of your choice)

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Rub olive oil over both sides of red pepper pieces. Place peppers skin side up on a baking sheet. Roast in heated oven for 15-20 minutes until skins start to brown and blister. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

2. While peppers are cooling, heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrots and saute for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and everything is very fragrant.

3. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.

4. In the meantime, once peppers have cooled, remove the skins. They should come off easily with your fingers but if needed, use a knife to scrape the skin away. Chop peppers and Add peppers to soup pot.

5. Add stock, sucanat, tomato paste, fresh & dried basil, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes.

6. Remove pot from heat and blend well with an immersion blender. Ensure there are no large chunks remaining.

7. Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Pour the blended soup, a cup at a time, into the strainer. Use a spatula to move the soup around and force it through the strainer. Remove any pulp left in the strainer and spoon it into a bowl for use later. You've also made a nice Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Sauce!



8. Once you have strained all the soup, pour it back into the soup pot. Add milk and stir well. Heat to a simmer before serving. Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with more fresh basil.



Optional Garnish: These remove the "gluten free", "dairy free" and "vegan" designations assigned to this recipe, but if you are so inclined, garnish the soup with a handful of croutons or shredded Parmesan cheese. I also served my soup with a couple of Baked Zucchini Fries!

Clean Strawberry Skillet Jam

I did a bad thing yesterday and left a colander full of fresh strawberries out all day and night. When I found them today they were pretty soft and starting to bruise in some spots. Not good enough to eat as is, passable in a smoothie but best in jam!

This skillet jam is a no-brainer. It doesn't take a large amount of fruit and takes no time at all to cook up a batch. Spoon it over toast, scones, or my favourite way, over top of ice cream.

The strawberries are so sweet on their own that a whole lot of added sugar isn't necessary. The apricot preserves add extra sweetness as well as act as a thickening agent. The vanilla is optional but it adds such great flavour and makes your kitchen smell fabulous. You don't want to skip the vanilla!

Yields about 1 1/2 cups

2 cups small diced strawberries
1 tbsp sucanat
1 tbsp low-cal apricot preserves
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Add diced strawberries to a saucepan. Using a potato masher or the back of a spoon, gently mash the strawberries a little bit to extract some juice.Add the sucanat and apricot preserves and stir well.

2. Cook mixture over medium-high heat, stirring often. When a liquid consistency is reached, add vanilla extract. Continue to mash up any large pieces using the back of a spoon or a small masher. Bring to a low boil and continue cooking jam for about 10 minutes until syrup thickens.



3. Remove from heat and let cool. It will continue to thicken as it cools. If you prefer a smoother jam, use an immersion blender to puree mixture, or leave as is for a chunky, rustic texture. I did a half & half and pulsed my mixture with the immersion blender a couple times, but kept some chunks as well.

4. Spoon into a glass jar or other container with a tight fitting lid. Jam keeps in the refrigerator for a couple weeks, but it probably won't last that long!



For a different flavour combination, substitute another flavour of preserves in place of apricot. Blackberry would be fantastic!

Use it over vanilla ice cream. Trust me. :)

A Little More Than Five Minute Tomato Sauce

I'm going on vacation for a couple weeks; leaving Wednesday. I've been trying to use up all my fresh produce so I don't have to throw it out before I go. I had four tomatoes that weren't quite fresh enough to eat raw but weren't quite rotten enough to throw out. I figured I would make a batch of tomato sauce and freeze it for use when I returned home. I spent quite a bit of time searching online to find a quick and easy tomato sauce recipe that called for the basic ingredients I had on hand, namely tomatoes.

I found this one at 101 Cookbooks. It's called Five Minute Tomato Sauce and only uses canned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and seasonings. I adapted the recipe slightly since I used fresh tomatoes and added some onion. I also added a can of my Grandma's home-canned stewed tomatoes.

A little more than five minutes, but this sauce is so simple and tasty, I will definitely be adding it to my repertoire.

A Little More Than Five Minute Tomato Sauce:

Makes about 4 cups



4 tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes (or your Grandma's homemade stewed tomatoes if you are so lucky!)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/2 onion, diced small
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1. Prepare the fresh tomatoes by gently cutting a shallow X shape into the bottoms. Immerse the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes to soften the skins. Drain and run cold water over the tomatoes. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove from the pot and peel the skins off, by pulling the sides where the X was cut. The skins should remove easily.

2. Place fresh tomatoes in a blender and pulse a couple times. Don't over do it! You do not want to puree the tomatoes.

3. Heat oil in sauce pan over medium. Add onion and saute for a couple minutes until they turn translucent. Add garlic, salt and chili flakes. Saute for 45 seconds.

4. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and blended tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add Italian seasoning and stir well. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20-30 minutes. (Since we are using fresh tomatoes, there is more liquid to boil off so a longer cooking time is required.)

5. Taste sauce and more salt if needed.

6. Spoon sauce over pasta of your choice & enjoy!

I had a friend over for dinner last night and served the sauce over spinach & cheese ravioli with a sprinkle of fresh grated Parmesan. The sauce was simple and delightful. Very fresh tasting, with a bit of a kick.

Heirloom Cherry Tomato Salad

This salad is very quick and easy to toss together. It only uses 4 main ingredients (plus seasonings) and is the perfect lunch or side dish on a warm spring or summer day.

2 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes, assorted colours
1/2 one small shallot, diced fine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp fresh parsley or basil, chopped
sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

1. Rinse tomatoes and cut in half vertically. Add to a serving bowl.

2. Add diced shallot, vinegar and olive oil. Gently toss everything to mix together.

3. Add herbs and a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If you are not planning on serving the salad immediately, do not add the salt until just before serving. Salt will draw the juices out of the tomatoes making the salad very watery.

Chickpea Vegetable Salad

I had some left over veggies and dressing from my Greek Salad the other night so I put together a super quick salad. Perfect for lunch because Chickpeas (aka Garbanzo Beans) are high in protein to keep you kicking all day long. They are also loaded with fiber and I'm sure we can all use a little more fiber in our diets!

Chickpea Salad:

1 28oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/4 English cucmber, quartered and chopped
1/4 red pepper, diced
1/4 yellow pepper, diced
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
handful Italian parsley, chopped
Greek Salad Dressing (see below)

1. Toss everything into a bowl and mix well. Add some crumbled feta if you're feeling really sassy!

Greek Salad Dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp Greek seasoning
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dijon mustard
dash balsamic vinegar
pinch salt & pepper to taste

1. Add everything to a Mason Jar or salad dressing cruet. Shake well to mix. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Shake again before using. Store in fridge for up to a week.