Vegan Gingerbread Rye Scones

For my first post of December, I thought it would only be appropriate to share a holiday recipe! As I'm sure you've all noticed, as soon as American Thanksgiving was over last week, bloggers couldn't wait to get into the Christmas spirit, and I'm definitely one of those bloggers! 

My holiday baking started last week with our annual cookie swap at school, and even though I had just gotten back from a conference and didn't have much time to prepare for it, I couldn't miss the opportunity to try out a Christmas cookie recipe - and to sample everyone else's Christmas baking! 

I brought these cranberry apple crumble squares from Sweet Twist of Blogging, and I loved how they turned out! And for the record, I think it was our best cookie swap yet, everyone's treats were so good (as evidenced by the rate at which my stash disappeared afterwards)!

My second holiday themed treat so far this year were these gingerbread scones. These aren't your average fluffy white scones, since they're made with a mix of whole wheat and rye flour and use coconut oil instead of butter. I liked how the darker flours gave the scones a bit of a deeper flavour though and complemented the gingerbread notes well too.

Lightly sweetened with a bit of maple syrup and molasses and spiced with both ground and fresh ginger, these scones have a subtle kick to them. You could leave them plain to highlight the gingerbread, or you could add a few whole cranberries to each scone like I did to double up on the Christmassy flavours! 

Hopefully I'll have more treats to share with you in the next few weeks!

Gingerbread Rye Scones
Adapted from Gnom-Gnom

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup dark rye flour

1/2 tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp allspice

Dash of salt

3 tbsp solid coconut oil

3 tbsp almond milk

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp molasses

1/2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice

1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp vanilla

~1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (optional; if frozen let them thaw a bit first)

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours to salt). Add the coconut oil and use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients until it is fully broken down and the dry ingredients are crumbly.

In a separate bowl, mix the almond milk, maple syrup, molasses, vinegar, ginger, and vanilla. If your molasses is really thick, you can blend the ingredients in a blender until smooth (I used this method). Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Transfer mixture to a clean surface and pat it into a thick round circle. Cut into four equal wedges. Press a few cranberries into the tops of each scone if desired.

Place scones on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 17-20 minutes, until they are browned on the bottom and firm on top. Let cool on a wire rack.

Best served warm, spread with a bit of margarine or vegan butter.

Makes 4 small scones (recipe can be doubled for a larger batch - just cut the dough circle into 8 wedges instead of 4).

Autumn Pear & Roasted Squash Salad

I started craving squash and pumpkin a few weeks ago when I finally admitted to myself that fall was here to stay, but it wasn't until last week that I actually opened my first can of pumpkin and roasted my first squash!

While I like all types of squash (including delicata, acorn, and spaghetti), butternut squash is still my favourite of the bunch. Just give me a bowl of roasted butternut squash for dinner and I'll be happy! Of course, I'd have to kick it up a notch to turn that roasted squash into a recipe worth sharing with you guys, which is just what this Autumn salad is!

This recipe was adapted from the "Autumn Salad Plate" in my new cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Favorites (thanks to Janet of the taste space for the giveaway!). I loved the sounds of a giant salad full of fall flavours and ingredients like squash, pears, toasted nuts, dried cranberries, and a fruity pear dressing, so I naturally chose that recipe as the first one to try from the book.

And the best part about salad plates like this one is that you can easily adapt them to suit your own tastes - I added sliced red onion, goat cheese, and some toasted walnuts in addition to the pepitas, but you could leave any of those ingredients out and still have a delicious salad (I actually forgot to add the goat cheese until I was almost done eating and I liked it both with and without it).

This was definitely a jam-packed plate, which is just how I like my main dish salads to be! It had a nice balance of ingredients with the crisp pears and onion, the warm roasted squash, and crunchy nuts and seeds, all tossed in the sweet and creamy pear dressing.

With Canadian Thanksgiving coming up this weekend, I might end up making this recipe again because I think it would be the perfect salad to serve with the rest of the meal!

Pear & Roasted Squash Salad

Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Favorites

Pear Dressing

1 ripe pear, cored and chopped (I used a Bosc pear)

2 tbsp water

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1-2 tsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt

Ground pepper

Pinch of cayenne (optional)

Place the pear, water, vinegar, oil, mustard, and 1 tsp maple syrup in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the spices and blend again. Taste and add more seasoning or maple syrup if desired.

Makes about 1 cup of dressing.

Salad

1 medium-sized butternut squash

1 tbsp olive oil

Half a red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 pears

~8 cups mixed salad greens

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Goat cheese (optional - I used a fig flavoured goat cheese))

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise (I find it easier to do this after pricking it several times with a fork and microwaving it for 1 minute first). Scoop out the seeds and remove the skin using a knife. Cut each half into ½” horizontal slices (half-moon shapes). Toss squash pieces with the oil and spread out onto a large baking sheet (line the baking sheet with foil first if desired for easier cleanup). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, place the red onion slices in a bowl of water to soak for at least 10 minutes, then drain and set aside (this will help remove some of their bite). Place the pepitas and walnuts on a small baking sheet and toast in the oven with the squash for 5-8 minutes, until they are lighly browned and fragrant. Remove and transfer to a plate to cool.

Slice each pear into quarters and remove the core. Cut each quarter into very thin slices. Toss with a bit of lemon juice to prevent browning if desired.

Place desired amount of salad greens in a bowl (about 2 cups per serving) and pour a bit of the dressing over top. Toss to mix. Place salad greens on a plate and top each plate with 1/4 of the squash (you might want to cut the larger pieces in half first), 1/4 of the pear slices, 1/4 of the red onion slices, about 1 tbsp of cranberries, 1 tbsp each of the toasted pepitas and walnuts. Crumble a bit of goat cheese over top if desired. Drizzle more dressing over top of everything (you may not need all of the dressing).

 Makes about 4 large servings.

Bran Flake Cereal with Almonds and Cranberries

When it comes to snacking, I'm not one to shy away from having an evening snack while watching TV, but I do like to keep my snack options pretty healthy.  I like to munch on things like rice cakes and mini bags of popcorn, and my current favourite late-night treat is a bag of these apple cinnamon snack sticks that I picked up from Trader Joes.

Most often, my snack of choice is a box of cereal. I do have a few criteria though - it has to be on the healthier side with lower sugar, and it has to have a mixture of flakey pieces with smaller crunchy clusters for variety, and bonus points for having extra ingredients like nuts and dried cranberries.

Since I always have a hard time finding a cereal at the grocery store that matches those requirements, I finally decided to make my own mix, and I couldn't be happier with the results!

The inspiration to make my own cereal came from a recipe I saw on Pom Wonderful's site. It sounded pretty easy once you have the right ingredients, and I knew that I could customize the recipe a bit to make a personalized cereal mix.

When I went to the bulk bins of the nearest organic store to pick up my ingredients, I had a bit of a setback when I couldn't find any bran flakes other than the ones that come in a giant bag. Since I didn't need a huge bag, and the packaged variety also contained more sugar than I wanted, I changed directions a bit and decided to make my own bran flakes!

Using a recipe I found online, it was actually easier that I would have thought to make bran flakes using common pantry ingredients like whole wheat flour, wheat bran and ground nuts. The trick is to make sure you roll your dough out really thin so that you end up with light and crispy flakes, shown below:

Once you've made the bran flakes, you combine them with a mixture of other dry flakes and sliced almonds with a healthy dose of cinnamon and vanilla for flavour. The process is basically the same as making your own granola - mix the dry and wet ingredients, then bake in the oven - except this cereal stays looser rather than clumping up like a crunchy granola.

The only sweetness in the cereal comes from a bit of pure maple syrup, plus some dried cranberries that I added after baking.  I loved that I was able to control all of the ingredients that went into my cereal, as well as the amount of sugar. I thought it had just enough sweetness and I loved the notes of cinnamon and vanilla that came through.

This makes a great snacking cereal (my favourite bits were the larger bran flakes!), but I also tried it as a breakfast cereal with almond milk and really liked it that way too.

While I don't think I'll be making my own cereal all the time from now on, I learned that it's easier than you may think, and it's fun to be able to customize your own mix yourself!

Bran Flake Cereal with Almonds and Cranberries
Adapted from PomWonderful and Mr. Breakfast

1 cup bran flakes, purchased or homemade from this recipe*
1 cup other mixed dry flakes (I used 1/3 cup each of rye flakes, spelt flakes and barley flakes)
1/3 cup oat flakes
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat bran (can substitute wheat germ)
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/3 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 275ºF and prepare a large baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.

Mix all the dry ingredients (bran flakes through to salt) in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the maple syrup and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and add the coconut oil. Gently mix everything together.

Spread cereal in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 40-45 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Remove from oven and add cranberries. Let cool completey, then transfer to a sealed container to store.

Makes 1 large batch.

*Note: I cut the bran flake recipe in half, which gave me 1 cup. If you prefer a higher ratio of bran flakes in your cereal, feel free to make the whole bran flake recipe and reduce the amount of other flakes in your cereal.

Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpea Salad with Warm Cranberry Chutney Dressing

After posting a couple of holiday recipes that have been on the sweet side, I thought it would be good to share a savory dish that could fit into your upcoming holiday meal plans too!

I love adding fresh cranberries to baked goods, like scones or my cranberry orange almond loaf, but I wanted to try out a dinner recipe highlighting cranberries in a different way.  I saw this recipe for a roasted sweet potato salad with cranberry-chipotle dressing from Cooking Light and thought it would be the perfect base for my own version of a holiday salad.

Along with the roasted sweet potatoes, which I spiced up a bit with chili powder, I added canned chickpeas to bulk up the dish a bit more.  The sweet potato and chickpeas are then tossed in a warm, chunky dressing of fresh cranberries simmered with a bit of orange juice, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and chili flakes for a touch of heat.

Finally, I added some dried cranberries to the mix for even more cranberry flavour, along with some pumpkin seeds and chopped fresh parsley.

I loved everything about this salad - the potatoes were nice and tender, and I especially loved the cranberry dressing with its mix of sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy notes.

I would definitely consider serving this as a Christmas side dish, since all of the flavours together really did remind me of the holidays. Plus the red cranberries paired with the green pepitas and parsley make for a very festive looking salad!

Of course, you don't have to wait until Christmas to make this - I enjoyed it for lunches and dinner last week when I was busy making treats for our annual school cookie swap, and I was glad to have a healthy yet still filling meal to look forward to once I got sick of eating cookies!

Roasted Sweet Potato & Chickpea Salad with Warm Cranberry Chutney Dressing

Inspired by Cooking Light 

~1.5 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper
1/2 a shallot, finely minced

1 tsp minced fresh ginger

Heaping 1/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

2 tbsp orange juice

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp maple syrup

1/8 tsp chili flakes (optional)

1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

2 tbsp dried cranberries

1 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss diced sweet potatoes with 1 tbsp of olive oil, chili powder, and season with salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish and roast in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, stirring once, until tender.

To make the dressing, heat the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat.  Add the shallot and ginger and sauté for about 1 minute.  Add the cranberries, orange juice, balsamic, maple syrup, and chili flakes. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries have started to break down.  Remove from heat and mash the cranberries to make a chunky sauce. Keep sauce warm over low heat until the potatoes are ready.

When the potatoes are done, remove from oven and transfer to a bowl. Add the chickpeas, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and parsley, and toss to combine.  Add the sauce and toss until the potatoes and chickpeas are evenly coated.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Makes 3-4 large servings, or more as a side dish

Cranberry Orange Almond Loaf

It's almost December and like many other food bloggers, I've already started my holiday baking!

Fresh cranberries are one ingredient that I always try to incorporate in my plans for holiday baked goods and desserts. I love their tartness, especially when combined with other sweet ingredients to balance them out. And even though both are sour, cranberries also seem to pair especially well with citrus flavours like lemon and orange.

For this loaf, I wanted to use the classic combination of fresh cranberries and orange, along with a third flavour: almond.  The bread itself is a soft, delicate loaf made with whole wheat and spelt flour, and studded with juicy cranberries and thinly sliced almonds.

I added orange zest and almond extract to both the loaf itself and the glaze, which is a simple icing sugar glaze made with orange juice. Finally, I used almond milk nog in the batter to add one more touch of holiday flavour!

This is a light and sweet loaf that can be served as either breakfast or dessert.  The loaf itself actually wasn't very sweet, but adding the glaze on top while it's still warm helps to add an extra layer of sweetness that absorbs into the top of each slice.

The almond flavour came through pretty strongly, which made this cake different from most of the other baked goods that I'm used to.  I also loved the sliced almonds throughout the loaf - they added a touch of crunch without being too prominent, really letting the cranberries shine!

This loaf definitely got me excited for the holiday baking season, and I can't wait to make more treats using some of my other favourite holiday ingredients, like gingerbread, eggnog, and candy cane!

Vegan Cranberry Orange Almond Loaf
Adapted from Ripe from Around Here

1 tsp egg replacer + 2 tbsp water (or 1 flax egg)

1 cup light spelt flour (or all-purpose)

1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup organic cane sugar

1 1/4 cups non-dairy milk (I used almond nog)

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup melted coconut oil

1 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp orange zest

1.5 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1 tbsp cider vinegar

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp fresh orange juice

1 tsp orange zest

1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare an 8.5x4.5” loaf pan by spraying with cooking spray or lining with parchment paper.

First, make your egg replacer – mix 1 tsp powdered egg replacer with 2 tbsp water and set aside for at least 5 minutes.

Whisk together all dry ingredients (flour through to sugar) in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, mix the non-dairy milk, applesauce, coconut oil, almond and vanilla extracts and orange zest.  Pour the wet ingredients and the egg replacer mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are just incorporated.  Fold in the cranberries, almonds, and cider vinegar.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, until the tops are domed, the sides are starting to pull away from the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack. Meanwhile, make your glaze by stirring together all ingredients until a thick, smooth glaze forms.  Pour the glaze over the top of the warm loaf and let it drip down the sides (you may want to put newspaper underneath to catch the drippings). Once cool, cut into slices. 

*Note: I would recommend not covering this loaf for the first day, and storing leftovers in the fridge, then warming up pieces as needed (I covered mine with saran wrap at room temperature overnight, and it got a bit mushy). 

Toasted Buckwheat & Millet Granola

I'm finally back with another post!  If you noticed that things were a bit quiet on here for the past week and a half, the reason is that I was away at another conference, which kept me extremely busy! My sister and I were both invited to attend a conference in Seoul, South Korea and I just got back this weekend.  It was nice to return to some slightly warmer weather here in Ontario, since it was freezing in Seoul!

I was planning on doing another travel post to share some of the food that I ate on my trip, but it turns out that I really didn't have any interesting meals while I was there.  The only authentic Korean dish that I tried was a vegetarian bibambap (rice with lots of different vegetables and spicy Korean red pepper paste), which I shared on my Facebook page.  If you're interested in seeing more, you can check out my sister Natalie's post about our trip on her blog Once Upon a Cutting Board.

Since there wasn't a lot of vegetarian food readily available in Seoul, I was glad that I had brought some of my own snacks with me.  The day before I left, I made a batch of granola to bring along, and I liked it so much that I had to recreate it as soon as I got home so I could share the recipe with you!

Ever since I tried this buckwheat snack from SaSha Co., I've been wanting to make my own version of a granola using toasted buckwheat (also called kasha). Kasha is a heart-healthy whole grain made by toasting raw buckwheat groats, and is a great option to use as a base for gluten-free granola instead of oats.

I also added some uncooked millet to my granola, both for its nutrients and to add extra crunch! Along with the millet, I included slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, cherries and raisins as additional mix-ins.  Everything got coated in a mixture of almond butter and agave syrup and baked in the oven in a single layer to help it clump together.

After coming out of the oven, the kasha and millet took on an even stronger toasted, nutty flavour that I loved.  This is an extremely crunchy granola, so it's perfect for adding to milk or yogurt without getting mushy - this is actually the first cereal that I've been able to enjoy in a bowl with almond milk in a long time - it survived a photo shoot and was still perfectly crunchy by the time I was able to eat it afterwards!

I also liked that it wasn't too sweet, so it made a good snack for munching on its own too, which I did throughout my long journey to and from Korea!

Toasted Buckwheat & Millet Granola
Adapted from Mitten Machen

1 cup toasted buckwheat (kasha)

2 tbsp uncooked millet

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Dash of kosher salt

2 tbsp almond butter

2 tbsp agave syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

2 tbsp sunflower seeds

1/4 cup dried fruit such as cranberries, cherries, and/or blueberries

2 tbsp sultana raisins

Preheat oven to 325°F.

In a large bowl, mix together the toasted buckwheat, millet, coconut, almonds, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

If your almond butter is on the thick/harder side, microwave it on medium power for 15-30 seconds, until it is thin and pourable.  Add the agave and vanilla to the almond butter and whisk to mix together. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until the dry ingredients are evenly coated.

Spread mixture onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Press down with a rubber spatula to form a large rectangle that holds together. Place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.  Remove and add the pepitas and sunflower seeds. Flip the mixture with a spatula and press together again to form a rectangle.  Return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the dried fruit and raisins over the mixture, then press them down with a spatula. Let cool completely on the baking sheet without stirring. Once cool, break granola up into pieces. Store in a bag or airtight container. 

This was submitted to Wellness Weekend at Diet, Dessert & Dogs. 

Blueberry-Jicama Kale Salad

Last weekend, I bought my first pint of local blueberries this summer from the farmers' market.  I don't usually consider blueberries to be one of my favourite fruits, but eating the local ones reminded me how sweet, juicy and flavourful they can be!

After eating some of my blueberries by the handful, I wanted to save the rest to use in a couple of recipes that I had planned.  One of those recipes was a fruity kale salad that I had marked in my new Blissful Bites cookbook from vegan chef Christy Morgan.  The recipe called for strawberries as the main fruit in the salad, but since strawberry season has pretty much ended, I thought blueberries would make a nice substitution and would pair well with the other salad ingredients.

The other main ingredient in the recipe was sliced jicama. Jicama - a Mexican root vegetable that tastes like a cross between an apple and a turnip - is one of my favourite ingredients to eat raw because it's so crisp and juicy. If you haven't tried jicama, I definitely recommend seeking it out at either your local market or an Asian grocery store!

I also added a few of my other favourite salad ingredients: cucumbers, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries.  To keep it from being boring or bland, the recipe also calls for fresh mint and flaked coconut, which I toasted first in a pan, and finally everything is tossed in a sweet maple and lime dressing.

This was such a fresh salad with both the crisp veggies and juicy berries. I thought all of the ingredients came together so well and the maple syrup in the dressing added just the right amount of sweetness. If you like raw kale, this is a nice way to dress it up with seasonal ingredients!

Blueberry-Jicama Kale Salad
Adapted from Blissful Bites: Vegan Meals That Nourish Mind, Body, and Planet

~2 cups chopped kale leaves

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp white balsamic vinegar

1/8 tsp herbamare seasoning (can substitute with a pinch of salt if you don't have this)

1/2 cup jicama, peeled and sliced into matchsticks

1/4 cup diced cucumber

1/4 cup blueberries

1 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp pure maple syrup

1 tsbp fresh mint (about 5 leaves), chopped

1 tbsp large flaked coconut, toasted in a dry skillet if desired

2 tbsp dried cranberries

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds

Place the kale in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, balsamic and herbamare.  Massage the leaves with your fingers for a couple minutes, until they are softened.  Add the jicama, cucumber and blueberries to the bowl.  Pour the lime juice and maple syrup over everything and toss to combine.

Stir in the mint, coconut, cranberries and seeds. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Makes 1 large serving or 2-3 side salads.

-       

Tropical Granola

If I had to choose my favourite thing to eat for breakfast, it would probably have to be a bowl of yogurt with sliced fruit and granola.  Even though I eat a lot of granola, surprisingly I haven't posted a recipe for it yet on my blog, so I thought it was about time to change that!

Typically, what I look for in a granola is a mix of textures and ingredients that tastes good both eaten on its own as a snack, and also mixed into yogurt.  My favourite storebought brand of granola right now is Nature's Path Love Crunch granola in their Carrot Cake flavour. I love the combination of the sweet chunks of granola, crunchy pecans, chewy dried pineapple and the yogurt chips.

While there are some great packaged brands of granola, they can be a bit expensive.  I've learned that it's pretty easy to make your own homemade granola, and the best part is that you can customize it with whatever ingredients you like!

Since I love tropical flavors like banana, pineapple, and coconut, I knew that I wanted to create my own tropical granola.  I actually decided to make this granola as part of my Mother's Day gift to my mom, who also loves coconut!

To get the tropical flavour I wanted, I used four different coconut products: coconut butter (which I made from processing unsweetened coconut in a food processor), coconut nectar, coconut flakes, and coconut extract.  I also added dried pineapple and cranberries, banana chips, sliced almonds and pecans.

I loved that this granola was chock-full of different ingredients so that every handful or spoonful had something special in it! This was a light and crunchy granola that was a great snack to eat on its own, but I also liked it in yogurt - a thicker yogurt works best. I actually tried it in this Liberte coconut yogurt and it was amazing!

Although I didn't get to taste-test much of this granola because I gave it away as a gift, my Mom told me that she really liked it too, and confirmed that the recipe was blog-worthy!

Tropical Granola

2.5 cups rolled oats

1 cup puffed rice

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp melted coconut butter (homemade or from a jar)

1/4 cup applesauce (at room temperature)

1/4 cup coconut nectar

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp coconut extract

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/3 cup chopped banana chips

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped dried pineapple

Preheat oven to 325°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix the first four ingredients together in a large bowl.  Mix the wet ingredients (coconut butter to coconut extract) in a separate bowl, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until all the dry ingredients are coated.

Spread mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer and bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Remove from oven, give the granola one more stir, and add the sliced almonds and coconut flakes.  Return to oven for 10-15 more minutes, until the coconut and almonds are lightly toasted (be careful not to burn them).

Remove from oven and add the banana chips and dried fruit. Let cool completely before transferring to a container. 

Mango Millet & Kale Salad

As I've mentioned before, one of my favourite things to make over the past year has been quinoa because I find it so easy to work with and there's so much you can do with it!  I can always throw together a quick and easy quinoa salad using whatever ingredients I have in the fridge and pantry and the leftovers make a great lunch to bring to the office too.

Lately, I've been hearing more about other grains like barley, buckwheat, farro, and kasha.  I haven't ventured into cooking with any of those yet, but I'm working my way there!

As a first step, I bought a small amount of millet from the bulk bin recently and I've used it in a couple of salads.  Millet is a small grain that looks like tiny yellow beads and it can be prepared in the same way as quinoa.

I haven't tried it on just its own yet, but I've discovered that cooking a combination of millet and quinoa together makes a nice fluffy, thick mixture that is a great base for a variety of fruits and veggies!

My favourite millet creation so far is this mango millet and kale salad that I adapted slightly from the blog Healthful Pursuit.  I made a few changes to the recipe, like using kale instead of spinach because I thought the kale would hold up nicely for leftovers.  I also left out the onion and added some diced cucumber, pepitas and cilantro in addition to the mango, almonds and cranberries.

I loved the combination of the sweet fruit and fresh cucumber with the soft millet and crunchy almonds.  The best part about this salad though was the lemon poppyseed dressing - it was the perfect balance of sweet and tangy and went so well with the rest of the ingredients. I also liked the way the poppy seeds dotted each grain of millet!

This salad is a nice light and fresh dish that's perfect for Spring. It's also a great recipe to make a big batch of and then store the leftovers in the fridge to bring for lunches throughout the week, since it keeps well (as long as your mango isn't already overly ripe). I actually have a potluck lunch coming up next week with the theme of "Spring Fling", so this would be the perfect dish to bring!

And for more tasty and gluten-free salad ideas, check out this round-up from Healthful Pursuit, where I got this recipe!

Mango Millet & Kale Salad
Adapted from Healthful Pursuit

1/2 cup dry millet

1/4 cup dry quinoa

1.5 cups water

2 cups shredded kale

1/2 cup diced cucumber

1 cup diced ripe mango

1/4 cup slivered almonds

2 tbsp pepitas

1/4 cup dried cranberries

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Dressing

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tbsp raw honey (could substitute agave for a vegan version)

1 tbsp honey mustard (could substitute dijon mustard)

1/2 tbsp poppy seeds

1/8 tsp herbamare

Combine the millet, quinoa and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the water is absorbed.  Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes, then remove lid and fluff with a fork.  Place in a large bowl and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare the kale, cucumber and mango and set aside.  Prepare the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the almonds and pepitas. Toast for a few minutes, until the nuts are lightly browned and fragrant.   Transfer to the bowl with the millet mixture and stir to mix.

Add the kale to the millet while it is still warm and stir to mix thoroughly.  Next, pour the dressing into the bowl and stir again (you can even use your hands to massage the dressing into the kale if you want it to be a bit softer).

Add the cucumber, mango, cranberries and cilantro and toss to combine.

Chill in the fridge, or serve at room temperature.

Makes 3 large servings, or more as a side dish.


This was submitted to Wellness Weekend at Diet, Dessert, and Dogs. 

Quinoa Granola Bars

I've mentioned before that I like to make healthy baked goods to take with me to school in the morning as a portable breakfast. When I think about it, I actually can't remember the last time I've eaten a storebought granola bar -  I've learned that making your own homemade granola bars doesn't take much time or effort, and they are almost guaranteed to be healthier and tastier!

I've bookmarked a ton of different variations of granola bars that I want to try, but the most recent version that caught my eye was these quinoa breakfast bars from Eighty Twenty.  I love the idea of incorporating grains and seeds like quinoa into baked goods, because they provide extra fiber and protein to help keep me full for longer.

I modified the original recipe by replacing the egg with mashed banana to keep them vegan.  I also eliminated all of the extra sugar because I prefer my granola bars to be less sweet for breakfast.  For the add-ins, I used dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, but feel free to use your own favourite combination of dried fruit and nuts.

These turned out dense and chewy, kind of like a cross between a muffin and a flatbread.  The quinoa wasn't detectable once they were baked, but helped to bulk up the granola bar.  They had just enough sweetness for me from the banana and cranberries, but if you're not a fan of reduced sugar baked goods, you might want to add a couple tablespoons of brown sugar.

These make a super healthy breakfast or snack, and they're a great way to use up leftover quinoa!

Sugar-Free Quinoa Granola Bars
Adapted from Eighty Twenty

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 a banana, mashed (about 3 tbsp)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup cooked and cooled quinoa
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Preheat oven to 375° and prepare an 8x8 square baking pan by spraying with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In a separate bowl, mix the mashed banana, applesauce, molasses, and vanilla.  Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the cooked quinoa, oats, cranberries and pumpkin seeds.

Spread mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-14 minutes, until the top feels firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (I cooked mine for 12 minutes).

Remove from oven and let cool before cutting into bars.

Makes 6 bars.

Cranberry Apple-Cinnamon Quinoa

I don’t usually write about my personal life on my blog, but today marks a bit of a personal milestone that I wanted to share – it's my one year anniversary of being vegetarian!  I had already considered myself a 'flexitarian' for awhile, but one year ago today marks the official day that I made the decision to stop eating meat completely....and I’m happy to say that I haven’t looked back since!

I thought it would be difficult to give up some of my favourite fish or chicken meals, but honestly I haven’t ever craved them.  I would definitely say I’ve grown a lot in the past year in terms of my cooking style, what I eat, and what products I buy, and through this process I’ve learned a lot of new things and enjoyed cooking more than ever! 

It's funny to think that just one year ago, I had never even tried certain foods like quinoa - and now it's one of my favourite things to make!  So in honour of this occasion, I thought it would be appropriate to share a recipe for a simple and healthy vegetarian quinoa dish.

The recipe comes from a great blog, Daily Garnish. Her recipe looked perfect already, so the only change I made was to add the diced apples at the end rather than cooking them with the quinoa, since I wanted them to stay crisp. I also thought the cinnamon stick didn't provide enough flavour, so I added some extra ground cinnamon to each serving. 


Cooking the quinoa in orange juice gives it a fruity flavour that goes well with the apples and cranberries. This makes a nice light dish suitable for breakfast or lunch, and is a good recipe for the winter months when many other fresh fruits aren't available. 

Cranberry Apple-Cinnamon Quinoa
Slightly Adapted from Daily Garnish

1 cup dry red quinoa
1 cinnamon stick
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup water
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1 medium apple, diced
Additional cinnamon for sprinkling

Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and lay the cinnamon stick in the middle of the quinoa. Add the orange juice and water to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes of cooking to allow the remaining moisture to escape.

Once the quinoa is done cooking, remove the cinnamon stick and add the cranberries, pumpkin seeds and apples, tossing to combine. Sprinkle some extra cinnamon over each serving if desired.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Pumpkin Chickpea Granola Bars

I feel like pumpkin season is practically over already, yet I've only posted one pumpkin recipe so far on my blog! So before it's too late, here's one more pumpkin treat that I made recently...

This is actually just an adaptation of my Chickpea Granola Bars that I posted earlier - since I loved them so much, I thought it would be fun to try a more seasonal version.  So I changed up the original recipe by replacing the peanut butter with canned pumpkin puree. I also added some pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin granola, and used maple syrup instead of agave.

I wasn't sure whether all of the changes would work, but luckily the granola bars turned out great! The pumpkin flavour wasn't that strong, but all of the other ingredients came together to make a tasty and healthy Fall snack! These were a bit more fragile than the original version since they didn't have the peanut butter to help hold them together, but as long as you keep them refrigerated, they should hold up fine. I bet they would also be good crumbled up and eaten as a topping for yogurt or oatmeal!

Pumpkin Chickpea Granola Bars
Adapted from these Chickpea Granola Bars

1/2 tbsp ground flax

2 tbsp warm water

1 cup + 2 tbsp canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1.5 tbsp melted coconut oil

1/2 cup  rolled oats + 1/4 cup granola (or ¾ cup oats) - I used this pumpkin spice granola

1/2 cup puffed rice cereal

1/4 cup dried cranberries and raisins (about 2 tbsp of each)

about 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Combine the flax with water and set aside.

Combine the chickpeas with brown sugar and cinnamon in a baking dish. Bake for 8 minutes, stir, then bake 8 more minutes. Let cool and then mash until there are no whole chickpeas left.

In a large bowl, mix together the oats, granola, puffed rice, pumpkin seeds and dried fruit, with the pumpkin pie spice and pinch of salt. Then add in mashed chickpeas and stir together.

In a separate bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and coconut oil. Then stir in the flax mixture.

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir to incorporate.

Pour mixture into a greased 8 x 8 pan (Mine filled about 2/3 of the pan). Press down firmly with a rubber spatula. 

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting. Store in the fridge or freezer.

Makes 6 bars.

This recipe is being shared at Wellness Weekends hosted by Diet, Dessert and Dogs.

Thanksgiving Week - Day 6: Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa

It's the second-last day of vegan Thanksgiving Week, and that means its time for the main course! I knew that I wanted to incorporate squash into my menu in some way, but instead of relegating it to a side dish, I wanted to give it more of a starring role in the meal.

I think it can be hard for people to come up with a main dish to serve vegetarians or vegans at Thanksgiving as an alternative to turkey... But for me, I'm not looking for a meat substitute in my Thanksgiving meal like Tofurky - I would rather just fill up with more vegetables! But to turn this into a dish that packs a bit more protein than just vegetables, I added quinoa to create a heartier salad full of seasonal ingredients - butternut squash, apples, shallots, pecans, cranberries and pumpkin seeds!

All of these ingredients came together really well to make a delicious and colourful dish! I loved how every bite had so much going on, but at the same time, all of the flavours and textures were perfectly balanced. I'm sure any vegetarians at your dinner table will be happy to eat this instead of turkey, and everyone else will probably want to try it too!

Butternut Squash and Apple Quinoa
Adapted from 20 Minute Supper Club and Bret's Table

2 cups of peeled and diced butternut squash
3 tsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 cup uncooked quinoa (I used the tricolour variety)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 small shallots, peeled and diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced peeled ginger
1 large apple, diced
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Dressing:
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper


Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare your squash and toss with 2 tsp of olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, until tender.

Meanwhile, bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the quinoa, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes (or according to the package directions). Remove from heat and add the cranberries to the pot. Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes. Remove lid and fluff quinoa with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

Place the pecans and pepitas in a dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from the pan and add to the quinoa.

Add the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the shallots, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Then add the apple to the pan and cook for a few more minutes, until the apple just begins to soften. Remove from heat and add everything to the quinoa mixture, stirring to distribute all the ingredients.


Make the dressing by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture and stir to incorporate. Finally, mix in the chopped parsley.

Serve warm or at room temperature. (This also stores well in the fridge if you want to make it ahead of time).

Makes 4 servings as a main course, or 6-8 servings as a side dish.


This is my submission to the SOS Kitchen Challenge for October at Diet, Dessert and Dogs.

Don't Miss:
Thanksgiving Week - Day 6 at Once Upon a Cutting Board - Roasted Vegetable Galette - this would make another great vegetarian main dish!