Raw Vegan Recipe: Rock My Broccoli Salad with Orange Hemp Dressing

*Contest is over! I’ve chosen Tina’s name “Rock My Broccoli Salad” for the title!

Hey everyone. So I kind of need your help.

You see, I made a delicious salad the other day and I absolutely loved it, but because it has so many ingredients I couldn’t really decide on what to call it. So I want hear some suggestions from you.

In fact, I’ll even give a little prize to the person who comes up with the best name for this salad recipe. (I’m going to put it in my next salad recipe ebook you see so it needs a catchy title.)

So please let me know what name you think suits this salad and it’s ingredients that make it sound delicious and appetizing. I’ll announce the winner later this week. And since it’s open to everyone (and some of you may have already purchased one or two of my recipe ebooks) I want to offer the winner a copy of any one of my ebooks they don’t already have. So if you’ve been dying for a particular ebook, please don’t miss out on this chance to enter! Plus it’s a fun way for me to get feedback from you.

I usually stick to all raw ingredients when I make my salads and dressings, but not always. This one however is pretty much all raw and super fresh (depending on the cranberries, but you can use something else instead if you wish.)

Once this salad is tossed together with the orange hemp dressing and the avocado chunks get all broken up and creamy, it’s a super tasty and decadent salad, but it’s jam packed full of vegetables and still light. I never use any oil in my salads and try to keep them zesty and flavorful but lower fat at the same time.

If you’re going to make this salad and not use it all in one meal, it’s best to portion it out and keep the remaining dressing separate so it doesn’t wilt the lettuce. Use the dressing within 3 days as it is fresh.

Rock My Broccoli Salad

Serves 2 dinner salads or 4 side salads

Salad Ingredients:

1 small head of broccoli cut into small florets
3 cups baby spinach or spring mix
2 cups romaine lettuce
1 8 oz. package sugar snap peas
1 apple peeled and sliced into match sticks
2 small seedless cucumbers (Persian or Iranian), sliced
1 8 oz. package plum tomatoes, sliced
2 small or 1 large avocado, seeded and sliced into chunks
2 green onions, chopped
3 tbsp pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries

Orange Hemp Dressing:

1 cup fresh squeezed clementine or mandarin orange juice (please don’t use store bought it’s too sour)
2 tbsp hemp seeds
2-4 dates, pitted and chopped
dash of kelp flakes *optional
dash of salt
dash of pepper

Directions:

  1. Arrange salad ingredients into a very large salad bowl as desired.
  2. Combine salad dressing ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
  3. Serve salad and top with dressing as desired.

Additional Tips:

Store leftovers in separate containers and consume within 3 days.

**Contest Over**

Name this salad and get a chance to win a copy of any of my recipe ebooks!

Winner: Tina with “Rock My Broccoli Salad” Congratulations Tina!

Engine2 Inspired Tempeh Mushroom Panini Melts

I was watching Engine 2 Kitchen to the Rescue on Netflix the other day and got a hankering for a homemade panini melt like Rip was showing in the recipe section of the film. This recipe is DELICIOUS! I’m definitely going to be making this regularly because the combination of mushrooms and caramelized onions is one of my favorites.

Hummus is a great cheese-free way to make an ooey gooey panini melt because it adds some nice flavor and moisture to it and gets all melty when heated. So make sure to slather it on thick! For a healthier oil free version of hummus be sure to check out my recipe link below.

This is an adaptation of Engine2’s recipe and I’ve added more ingredients to the panini.  🙂

Vegan Hummus Mushroom Tempeh Panini Melts

Makes 2 panini

Ingredients:

4 slices whole wheat bread (look for oil free) *use GF if desired
low fat hummus (see my recipe)
4-6 strips of tempeh (I used sesame garlic tempeh)
6-8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 slice of onion cut into strips
1 tsp soy sauce or gluten free tamari
1 tsp maple syrup *optional
handful of baby spinach
2 pieces of fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. In a small non stick pan, cook the tempeh strips over medium heat until lightly browned on both sides. Set aside. (You do not need any oil.)

2. Sauté the mushrooms and onion slices in a non-stick pan in soy sauce and maple syrup for 5-6 minutes until soft. Set aside.

3. Spread all 4 slices of bread with a thick layer of hummus (you don’t want it to be too dry!) and top 2 slices with tempeh, mushrooms and onions. Lay some spinach leaves on top and sprinkle on a few bits of cilantro. Top with the other slice of bread.

4. In a non stick or cast iron skillet place the sandwiches one at a time over medium low heat. Top with something heavy such as a cast iron skillet, pot or plate with a weight on it. Cook on each side for 3-4 minutes until browned being careful to not let them burn. *Alternatively you can use a sandwich press (cut it in half first) or a panini press and cook for 4-5 minutes.

place the sandwich on a non stick pan with something heavy on top of it

*Or use a sandwich maker or panini press and close the top down on the sandwiches

5. When done slice in half and serve.

panini made in the sandwich maker

panini made in the pan with weight on top

Variations:

If you don’t want to include the tempeh, feel free to leave it out. I like adding it so it’s a little higher in protein and more filling.

You can also mix up your panini by using a different flavored hummus, adding roasted bell peppers, jalapeños, artichokes or smoked tofu instead of the original ingredients.

What’s your favorite vegan grilled sandwich or panini?

(Low Fat Vegan) Easy Mini Lasagna Casserole

Who doesn’t love lasagna right? Well what about vegan lasagna?

Unless you’ve had it at a vegetarian restaurant chances are you haven’t had much vegan lasagna in your life, so that’s why I want to share this delicious recipe with you!

This past week a friend of mine was staying with me and we were going through all my cupboards (I have a lot of them!) and were trying to see if there was something we could throw together for lunch without going to the store. I have a plethora of the basics plus a smattering of random ingredients I never got a chance to use up yet so we had a lot of possibilities.

She asked if I had a box of lasagna noodles and I admitted “No unfortunately I don’t have any” but while rummaging I did find a bag of mini lasagna noodles I got from The Gourmet Warehouse in Vancouver. I thought they looked so cute and it would be neat for a mini lasagna casserole sometime, but I just never got a chance to use them before.

We also found some jars of pasta sauce, along with some tofu and frozen spinach so we were pretty much covered to make a basic casserole. One of the things that makes preparing healthy meals at home easy is making sure you have things like canned tomatoes or pasta sauce, dried noodles, frozen veggies and a variety of seasonings to work with.

So we whipped this vegan lasagna casserole together and it didn’t take very long at all which was great because we were starving! LOL.  I have a lasagna recipe that’s coming out in my next ebook (called Comfort Foods From Around The World) that I’m trying to have ready by the end of this month and it was SO much quicker to put together than that so I was pretty impressed.

The mini lasagna noodles are not really essential for this recipe, any pasta will do, but for the photos’ sake it helps to have the pretty ruffled edges. 🙂 You can also break regular lasagna noodles into chunks, or use more common noodles such as penne if that’s all you can find. It’s pretty much going to taste the same, just have a different texture and mouth feel. Some specialty stores or gourmet kitchen supply stores might carry mini lasagna noodles so keep your eyes peeled.

I like to keep my lasagnas fairly healthy so I omit the vegan processed cheese or nut cheese and just make a homemade tangy tofu ricotta instead. (This also keeps the fat and salt content much lower too.) I have tried both regular firm and silken tofu for my vegan ricotta and I have to say that the silken tofu wins hands down. It’s just a nicer texture, creamier and melts in your mouth like real ricotta. Feel free to use whatever tofu you prefer but I really think silken tofu makes a difference especially when you’re looking for a creamier texture in your cheese-less vegan lasagna.

Scroll down for the recipe…

(Low Fat Vegan) Easy Mini Lasagna Casserole

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 454 g/1 lb. package mini lasagna (mafalda, or similar) noodles *GF if desired
2 709 g/45 oz jars pasta sauce (mushroom, garlic, basil flavored etc.)
1/4 cup chopped basil
2 packages firm silken tofu, drained (I used mori-nu)
8-10 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup-2/3 cup nutritional yeast
3 tbsp miso paste (Genmai brown rice)
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1 283g/10 oz. package of frozen spinach thawed and moisture squeezed out

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (176 C)

2. In a large 4-5 qt. pot bring water to a boil and then add 1 tbsp salt and stir. Add mini lasagna noodles (or pasta of choice) and cook for about 5-6 minutes (less for smaller pasta). Stir occasionally to prevent noodles from sticking to bottom of pot. Drain and rinse to remove excess salt if desired. Let noodles cool slightly before handling (because you’re going to be layering them in.)

3. In a mixing bowl, crumble the tofu and add the chopped basil and seasonings adjusting the nutritional yeast and lemon to your tastes. Add the spinach and mix together.

4. In a large 9×13 lasagna casserole pan (or 2 smaller pans) pour in some sauce just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Next layer in 2-3 layers of noodles (you can make it as neat or messy as you like) and then top with the tofu/spinach mixture. Add another layer of sauce and spread it out so it covers everything.

Middle layer with sauce on the bottom, 2 layers of noodles, tofu ricotta and spinach, and sauce.

Start the next layer with 2-3 more layers of noodles and repeat twice more. Cover the top layer with the remaining sauce and make sure all the noodles are covered. Garnish with some tofu/spinach mixture or vegan cheese if desired (optional)

5. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes until noodles are al dente or at desired tenderness. Allow lasagna to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving so the sauce thickens.

6. Serve with your favorite salad or garlic bread.

Let the mini lasagna casserole cool slightly before serving

Variations:

Add a chopped onion and a pound of mushrooms and sauté with a little soy sauce and brown sugar or maple syrup and mix in with the spinach. Add some vegan cheese like Daiya cheese for a more decadent option (increases the fat content though). Use a different type of pasta like giant shells or rotini or fusilli. Use homemade tomato sauce seasoned with your favorite flavors like garlic, basil, oregano, mushrooms, onions etc.

Mini lasagna casserole baked and ready to serve

Bon appétit!

Have you ever had vegan lasagna before or tried mini lasagna noodles before? What do you think?

 

 

80/10/10 Recipe: Raw Vegan Watermelon Banana Peach Green Smoothie and 7 Ways To Enjoy Watermelon This Summer

Ah Summer… who doesn’t love enjoying a hot summer day and diving into some ice cold juicy watermelon?

Watermelon is the PERFECT Summer fruit and it can be enjoyed so many ways.

7 Different Ways To Enjoy Watermelon This Summer:

#1. Sliced up and served traditionally

#2. Diced into a fruit salad (or use a melon baller)

#3. Blended into fruit smoothies

#4. Juiced (you can even juice the rind!)

#5. Cut into thin slices and dehydrated into watermelon “candy” or fruit roll ups

#6. Grilled and served over a salad

I know right, grilled watermelon?  That sounds so weird… But I was at a vegetarian restaurant once that had a grilled watermelon salad on the menu. I thought it was odd, but who knows maybe it could be delicious! I don’t have a barbecue though, so if you try it out let me know what you think!

You should definitely try out dehydrated watermelon slices though if you have access to a dehydrator. It’s like a homemade fruit rollup but tastes like watermelon candy! Kids really love these things and it’s a fun way to get them involved in making healthy treats at home. I was really impressed by how tasty dehydrated watermelon was.

And #7… You can make a watermelon birthday cake like this one I found online!

This watermelon fruit cake would be great for kids with gluten, dairy or egg allergies or if you just want to offer something fresh and wholesome instead of a standard sugary birthday cake. The fruit kabobs make it really easy for kids to eat as well.

Really watermelon is such a versatile fruit and there are so many ways to enjoy it! It makes the perfect base to fruit smoothies too.

Check out my watermelon green smoothie recipe below…

80/10/10 Watermelon Banana Peach Green Smoothie

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

4 cups/20 oz. watermelon chunks
2 ripe bananas
3/4 cup frozen peaches
1 cup packed baby spinach (or other mild greens like lettuce, Swiss chard etc)

Directions:

Place ingredients in Vitamix or blender in the order provided and blend until smooth. Garnish with a spinach leaf or slice of watermelon if desired.

Variations:

Try out different melons! Cantaloup or honeydew will be delicious as well and make for a great variety.

What’s your favourite way to eat watermelon or favourite watermelon recipe?

Super Protein Packed Spinach Salad With Quinoa, Chickpeas and Creamy Orange Hemp Seed Dressing

I think it’s time for more salads. Yes, sometimes you can get tired of the same old ones, so I wanted to create a better recipe that was all around tasty, just like you’d find at a vegetarian restaurant.

All salads are not created equal of course… sometimes you just eat one because they’re good for you and you feel you’re “supposed to”. Other times you might have a delicious and gourmet salad at a restaurant, but it’s not really on the healthy side as it’s loaded with things like feta cheese, creamy dressing, bacon, battered chicken strips etc. If you’re vegan you may have a love/hate relationship with eating salads at restaurants.  Sometimes they are ok but often they don’t have many ingredients in them so you can have a rather small meal and let’s face it vegan salad dressing options at restaurants flat out SUCK.



Never fear, I am here to bring to you…

THE ONE SPINACH SALAD TO RULE THEM ALL!

This salad is so good that you will actually crave more of it… You might even gets your kids or husband begging for it regularly. In fact I would bet that any vegetarian restaurant would be thrilled to have my super spinach salad on their menu.

What’s the secret to an amazing salad? Well several things, first picking delicious ready-to-go  ingredients that go well together, second that are healthy and lastly and more importantly are satisfying and filling but without all the guilt! (And it doesn’t hurt to top this salad off with my killer Creamy Orange Hemp Seed Dressing either).

I am NOT a fan of store bought dressing. In fact I despise it. If you’re in North America like I am you know there is often an ENTIRE wall of salad dressings at the grocery store. And yet still picking out a dressing that is tasty, healthy and you don’t get tired of is really hard.

Could it be that your taste buds are smart enough to know your body shouldn’t be consuming the same oily, vinegary, high fructose corn syrupy dressing all the time?



That may well be… Even just reading the ingredients in most salad dressings is enough to make me want to gag. Where’s the real ingredients and real flavour?

Well your salad dressing problem is solved! I guarantee that you’re going to love this protein packed spinach salad. I know it’s definitely going into my weekly lunch menu for myself. And my Creamy Orange Hemp Dressing is very delicious and will complement it perfectly.

BTW did I mention the dressing is also completely oil free? (Your pants should be rejoicing right now!)

Eat To Live fans will be happy to know that this is a Dr. Fuhrman style salad packed with nutrient dense ingredients that will curb your appetite and stimulate weight-loss as well.



Let there be salad:

Super Protein Packed Spinach Salad With Quinoa, Chickpeas, Tempeh and Cranberries

Serves 1

Ingredients:

2-3 cups packed baby spinach
1/4 cup cooked quinoa (see my post here on how to cook quinoa)
1/3 cup cooked chickpeas (I used Eden Organics)
2 strips of cooked tempeh (I used Sesame Garlic Marinated Tempeh) or smoked tofu (optional)
1/4 cup shredded carrot (store bought is fine)
1 tbsp dried cranberries (I used apple juice sweetened ones)
small handful of micro greens or sprouts

Directions:

Arrange salad ingredients into a large bowl and garnish with micro greens or sprouts as desired. Top with dressing.



Raw Vegan Creamy Orange Hemp Heart Dressing:

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1/3 cup fresh orange juice from 1 medium orange (use sweet oranges)
1 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tbsp hemp hearts/seeds (sub sesame or tahini if you can’t find)
1 tsp fresh ginger
2 small dates pitted and chopped (soaked if you don’t have a Vitamix)
1/8 tsp Herbamare or salt

Directions:

Place all ingredients in Vitamix or blender and blend until smooth. Taste test and add more ginger, vinegar or salt if desired. Blend again.

Yields 1/2 cup of dressing. Best used within 3 days due to the nature of raw ingredients.

Variations:

You can add a plethora of other ingredients into your protein packed spinach salad such as tomatoes, cucumbers, apple slices, other dried fruits, etc. What really makes this salad filling is the addition of quinoa and chickpeas, so it’s also a great salad to take to work without needing a giant salad container.



What’s your favourite dressing for spinach salad? 

Like this recipe? Get more here.


Raw Vegan Creamy Avocado Banana Green Smoothie Recipe!

This heavenly avocado banana green smoothie is a real treat.  I normally don’t add any nuts or seeds to my smoothies, but I was inspired from our trip to Hawaii a few months ago to make one of these.

In many tropical countries the locals use avocados in sweet drinks and desserts instead of just the standard salad topping or guacamole. Avocado is a very versatile fruit and it’s extremely creamy and satisfying to eat. Kind of like nature’s butter! On it’s own it has a very mild taste and is not very overpowering but season it right and it can be out of this world delicious!

For this recipe we’re only going to use 1/2 an avocado because they are so rich in fat and calories. Generally I don’t recommend that anyone eat a whole avocado a day, especially on top of any other nuts, seeds and oils consumed in other meals as well. For a woman 1/2 small to medium avocado is plenty, for a man up to one avocado a day can work as they generally have higher caloric needs.




This smoothie is already slightly green with the avocado, but to really make it a beautiful green colour I added some spinach to it. In a Vitamix it really turns out beautiful.

So enjoy this smoothie on a nice hot summer day with either some frozen bananas or ice to for a cool refreshing treat! (And of course you don’t have to eat the avocado pit!)

Avocado Banana Green Smoothie

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas
1/2 small-medium ripe avocado (skin will turn black and give to pressure)
1-2 cups of baby spinach
1/4-1/2 cup water
Handful of ice (or use 1 frozen banana instead of fresh)

Directions:

1. Place ingredients into Vitamix or blender in order listed and blend until well combined.

Variation:

You can use almond milk instead of water if you want the smoothie even creamier.

Have you ever used avocados in a green smoothie recipe? What’s your recipe?