simplicious food

This recipe has become a weekly staple in our household. The beauty of this dish is you can mix and match the basic ingredients: swap the spinach for kale, add some avocado, or sautéed mushrooms, swap the quinoa for wild rice, the tofu for a hard boiled egg… the possibilities are endless! This version happens to be vegan and gluten-free. The dressing contains nutritional yeast, which provides a wonderful savoury flavour and is often used as a cheese replacement in vegan recipes. Look for fortified nutritional yeast, as it supplies the much needed vitamin B12, which is naturally found only in animal-based foods, and can be more challenging to get enough of on a vegan diet.

Continue reading “Miso Tahini Power Bowl” →

This curry is so straight forward, I can almost make it with my eyes closed. It’s one of my go-to week night recipes because I know it will be on the table in 30 minutes. It also happens to be loaded with vegetables, just in time to help you get back on track for 2017! I suggest making it in a large soup pot and feel free to throw in any vegetables you have on hand.

Continue reading “Easy Coconut Curry” →

I gravitate towards warmer foods in the winter time. And when there is a bowl of warm oatmeal to look forward to when I wake up, it helps lure me out of bed on a cold winter morning. Overnight oats make a nourishing and convenient breakfast. You just need to prepare them the night before, and you can eat them cold or warm in the morning. No time to eat breakfast at home? Make your overnight oats in a jar or tupperware and bring them with you to work.

Continue reading “Festive Overnight Oats” →

These energy balls are a perfect healthy afternoon pick-me-up or an energizing pre-workout snack. Store them in the freezer until you need them. They are are guaranteed to satisfy your chocolate cravings without any added sugar.

Continue reading “Chocolate Hemp Energy Balls” →

Every time I make this recipe, I end up eating half of the chickpeas straight from the baking sheet just after taking them out of the oven. It’s very hard to stop eating them once you start. They have a very satisfying crunchiness, making them perfect snacking or as a topper for your salad. Chickpeas are also nutrition power houses. They offer protein, fibre, as well as calcium, magnesium and iron, to name a few. They are also very economical, especially if you buy them dried, then soak and cook them yourself. For this recipes, I used canned chickpeas for convenience.

Continue reading “Roasted Chickpeas” →

This recipe is a perfect side for a summer BBQ or picnic. It was a big hit at my sister’s wedding a few years ago! Luckily it’s very easy to prepare, because we had to make a lot of it. You can adjust the amount of jalapeño pepper, depending on how much heat you want. It’s also vegan and gluten-free.

Continue reading “Mexican Black Bean Salad” →

Roasted beets are one of my favourite salad ingredients. But have you ever wondered what to do with the tops of your beets, as known as beet greens? Believe it or not they are edible, and quite delicious. In this recipe I have paired them with rainbow chard leaves to make an unconventional, but extremely nutrient dense salad mix. Beet greens and chard are both great sources of vitamin A, vitamin K, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and manganese. Beets and chard also contain nitrate, which has been found to help lower blood pressure, and can improve athletic performance in athletes by improving blood flow to the muscles.

Continue reading “Summer Salad” →

Mojitos are my favourite summer cocktail because they are so simple and refreshing. Consuming them as a virgin cocktail is also a great way to stay hydrated on a hot day. If you enjoy this recipe you may want to pick up a little mint plant for your patio. My mom has a couple different varieties of mint in her garden that seem to survive through the winter each year, and I have been putting them to good use this summer! In my quest to perfect the mojtio, I have tried many recipes, and so far this one, by Jamie Oliver is by far my favourite. It’s also quite fun to make. Watch the video and you will see why. Cheers!

Continue reading “Mojito Recipe by Jamie Oliver” →

This recipe was inspired by my love for mangoes and Mexican food. I personally prefer ataulfos mangos, but any variety will do, as long as they’re ripe! If your mangos or avocados are not ripe yet, you can accelerate the ripening process by placing them in a brown paper bag with a banana for 24 hours. Not a fan of beans? No problem, you can swap out the black beans for grilled  fish, such as sole, halibut or tilapia, or grilled tofu. Tacos are all about the toppings anyway!

    Continue reading “Black Bean Tacos with Mango Salsa” →