Rawkin Cabbage Roll Wraps!

If you are someone who is just transitioning from cooked vegan to raw vegan diet, this is a recipe for you! Cabbage rolls are one of the most popular comfort food dishes out there and when making a lifestyle change like switching to a raw diet its nice to have meals that are a healthy reminder to what you used to eat. So what better meal that raw cabbage rolls? Cabbage rolls are my all time favorite meal, growing up my mom would make them for my birthday supper every year. I had no idea how these raw ones were going to turn out but I was really excited.

I do have to give my sister Ashley credit for this one guys, it was her idea and I am envious that I didn’t think of it first. We were going for supper at my moms house on Family Day and she was making cabbage rolls, vegan and regular for everyone. Ash and I were talking about eating all raw for a couple days we were sad that we couldn’t eat the vegan ones my mom made. That’s when she thought about making raw cabbage rolls. She had just bought her non pasteurized sauerkraut and was wanting to use it, and what better way than on cabbage rolls. She came up with the filling and thought we could roll them in zucchini slices. It was a good idea, but why not wrap them in raw cabbage leafs? They are cabbage rolls! So I guess I can claim 10% of this awesome idea. Yay!

I think this recipe is such a great example of how eating clean and raw can be fun and tasty. I honestly wouldn’t have thought about eating raw cabbage rolls before I turned vegan, and that’s what I love about this lifestyle, it makes you think about food in a whole new light. And even if you aren’t raw, or vegan, try this out, be adventurous in your meals because you never know what flavors you might find and love.

Rawkin Cabbage Roll Wraps! 

1 cabbage head, carefully peel off layers of cabbage so that they are whole and perfect for wrapping. 

3 cups Cauliflower, riced in food processor/Vitamix(Pulsed)- set aside.

Tomato Sauce:
1 red pepper
1 garlic clove
2-5 soaked sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 fresh lemon juice
1/4c raw tahini
a few sprigs of each parsley and oregano

Blend ingredients in blender. Pulse Blend.

Pour onto riced cauliflower and mix well.
Use as filling in your cabbage rolls, I put in two tablespoons of filling, some diced tomatoes and a little bit of unpasteurized sauerkraut. Wrap it like a cabbage roll and eat fresh. They can get a little messy, but they sure taste good!!! 

Thanks for reading!
xoxo -N

3 Ingredient, Vegan Oatmeal Banana Cookies

Lately I have been really thinking about what I eat and what goes into it. Well lets be real, I am constantly thinking about what I eat, every single day, almost every minute. If you were having a conversation with me I probably think about food at least twice during our time together. Just ask me next time we are talking, and I bet I could list off a couple things that have been floating around in my head.

I have been seriously considering making some sort of change and what came to mind was only eating things that are one ingredient. I am able to mix and match, cook and freeze, what ever I want, but I am going to try and eat things with one ingredient on them. It is actually going to be a little harder than it might seem. I cant have my broth to flavour stir fries or soups, no hoisen sauce for my spring rolls or no Daiya! Yes I said Daiya. That one is going to be the hardest to give up because since I have come home from Mexico I have been eating it like crazy! Hence the need for cutting back on it.

So I guess this is my first challenge to all of you who are reading this. Can you go even one day with only eating things that are one ingredient? It might sound difficult, but aren’t you up for a new challenge in your life? I'm not saying to do this forever, heck I am not going to, but just try one or two days and see what it's like. You will be surprised at how much OTHER stuff you actually eat throughout the day.

A great example would be: Toast with jam and peanut butter, and a coffee with creamer in it.

A simple breakfast that I am sure a ton of people eat for breakfast. But when you break down the list of ingredients in just those “two” items that you might choose to have for breakfast you would be surprised at how many things are in it.

This is what their websites have listed:

Smuckers Strawberry Jam - STRAWBERRIES, SUGAR, GLUCOSE, GLUCOSE-FRUCTOSE, PECTIN, CITRIC ACID

Kraft Peanut Butter - Select roasted peanuts, soybean oil, corn dextrin, sugar, hydrogenated vegetable oil, salt

Dempsters Whole Wheat Bread - Whole grain whole wheat flour including the germ, water, glucose-fructose/sugar, yeast*, vegetable oil (canola or soybean), salt, wheat gluten, vinegar, calcium propionate, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, monoglycerides, acetylated tartaric acid esters of mono and diglycerides, sorbic acid. May contain calcium iodate, calcium carbonate, calcium sulphate, cornstarch, ammonium chloride. *order may change. May contain soybean, milk ingredients and sesame seeds

Coffee Mate Original - WATER, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED OIL, AND LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM CASEINATE (A MILK DERIVATIVE)**, DIPOTASSIUM PHOSPHATE, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SODIUM ALUMINOSILICATE, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, CARRAGEENAN.

In that 'simple' breakfast there are 40 different ingredients, and that’s not including the 'may contain' in the bread. I honestly couldn’t believe how many ingredients were in the bread alone and the Coffee Mate, I only recognize the corn syrup, water as recognizable food ingredients. 

This post is not about putting down what people eat, it's about wanting you to make informed decisions and realizing what you actually put into your bodies everyday. Because I think when we actually take a hard look at what we are eating, we make better choices in the long run.

So again, I challenge you to the “One ingredient day” and see what you could change in your daily eating habits. Who knows you might actually like the changes you make. 

In honor of the one ingredient challenge, I present you some pretty fricken awesome cookies! I saw this recipe on Pinterest and it looked really simple with only 3 ingredients in it, I knew as soon as I saw it that I had to try these out. Not only are they vegan, but they are diabetic friendly, and can be gluten free. I was at first wary of the recipe because I wasn't sure what the texture was going to be like, so I bought regular rolled oats from the bulk area, to save some money. But now I know that they are delicious I plan on buying Only Oats, the gluten free oats that my family can eat. 

For me I was instantly won over by the texture. They are moist, soft and chewy, almost like a granola/banana bread cookie. They are really good right out of the oven, but also remain soft days later. 

Also, I understand that chocolate chips do not follow my one ingredient rule, but it is just a suggestion and if you want chocolate flavored cookies you could reduce your rolled oats by one tbsp and add in one tbsp of raw cocoa powder! 

I did three batches of cookies, chocolate chips, dates and chia seeds!

Ingredients - 10 cookies

2 ripe spotted bananas

1 cup rolled oats, Gluten free or regular

1/4 cup one of your favorite filling

     - chocolate chips     - coconut flakes     - cranberries

     - dates                    - walnuts               - almonds

     - chai seeds            - raisins 

*You could even add some spices to the mix to add some different flavors to them, such as cinnamon or nutmeg. 

Pre heat oven at 350 degrees. Mash bananas, stir in rolled oats and your third ingredient. Grease cookie sheet with coconut oil. Spoon on tbsp sized balls onto pan, lightly smush them down into cookie forms (they don't change their shape much). Bake for 15 minutes and let cool for 5 before serving. DONE! And Enjoy! 

Thanks for reading!
xoxo -N

Quinoa Pizza Bake, Vegan Gluten Free

I wont lie, I have already tried making this before, but last time I made them I put them into a cupcake pan. They didn’t turn out that well. Not that they didn’t taste good, they just didn’t hold their shape and they were hard to get out. I think if I had a mini cupcake pan, it would have worked a bit better, but all I have is a regular one.

Devon then suggested that we put it on a baking sheet instead, mainly because he likes it when the cheesy edges get all crispy. Also the last time I didn’t put in the ground flax, which really helps bind things together. If you need an egg replacer, ground flax is an easy substitute. For one egg its 1 tbsp of flax and 3 tbsp of water, mixed well and let sit for 10 mins. For my recipe I just put the flax into the pot with the quinoa right before its done cooking, that way I eliminate adding more water to the quinoa after its done cooking, and why not save a step.

The ingredients I have listed at the bottom are only guidelines to what could be put into this. If you like pineapple, olives, hot peppers, go for it. You don’t have to mix them in either, you could top the quinoa mixture with the olives and pineapple too. The possibilities are endless!

Ingredients
1 cup of uncooked quinoa
2 heaping tbsp ground flax seed
2 cups of water
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 red pepper
1 small can tomato paste
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 pkg of shredded Daiya cheese

If your quinoa is not pre washed, you will need to run it under cold water to remove the extra starch. Then add one cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water and cook until almost all of the water has evaporated (it cooks just like rice!), then add the 2 tbsps of ground flax and mix until well blended.  

Pre heat a large frying pan on med/high heat and add the oil. Saute the onions and garlic first until browned. Chop up all of your vegetables into tiny pieces and sauté them for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl combine quinoa/flax mixture with the vegetables, tomato paste, seasonings, and Daiya Cheese and stir until well combined. 

Grease a cookie sheet with coconut oil. Pour the mixture onto the pan and using your hands or the back of a spoon spread out until even. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve! 

Thanks for reading!
xoxo -N

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Vegan Gluten Free

Recently I have had the need to bake something, mainly because I have been craving something chocolate. So I was looking around the internet for some chocolateness and came upon this recipe for chocolate muffins. The recipe looked fairly simple and I had most of the ingredients at my house which is usually a deciding factor for me. If the ingredients list has something new that I have to buy I am reluctant to use it. Mainly because if I have to buy a new ingredient that I will only use in this recipe, what happens if it sucks?! Then I have this random container sitting in my cupboard taking up space, and my kitchen is small as it is.

So after I made that amazing hashbrown casserole (found here) I decided to keep the ball rolling and try out this new recipe. I got the recipe from a vegan website but true to form I needed to make some changes to it. I never do things by the book, its not fun that way. I used zucchini to reduce the amount of oil I used, also I used carob power along with the cocoa to, again, reduce the cocoa in the mix, plus I had it in my cupboard and figured I should use it. If you want to look at the original recipe click here.

The muffins turned out really good, especially for gluten free and vegan. They are a dense muffin but still full of chocolaty flavour. The next time I try them I am going to do a regular gluten batch and I am going to put more zucchini in them, just to see how they compare. Once those are done I will let you know how they turn out!

Ingredients - Makes 12

1 cup of fresh orange juice, about 5 oranges

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 cup of rice flour

1 cup of coconut flour

1 tsp of baking powder

½ tsp of baking soda

¼ tsp of salt

¼ cup cocoa powder or carob powder

½ tsp of cinnamon

¼ cup of coconut oil, melted

¼ cup of zucchini, minced

½ cup of vegan chocolate chips

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and get out muffin pan and liners.

- In a medium mixing bowl combine juice and sugar together, whisk together until well combined.

- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour’s, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and carob powder and cinnamon.

- Add oil and zucchini to juice/sugar mixture and whish until well combined

- Add flour to oil mixture and stir until well blended together. Stir in chocolate chips, you can ever save some to top each muffin with.

- Divide batter between muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes.

- Let cool for 10 minutes and serve!

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo -N

Hashbrown Casserole, Vegan Gluten Free

Oh yeah this is happening! A vegan hashbrown casserole, something that many people are familiar with at Christmas time or on Mothers and Fathers Day. Devon's mom make this every Christmas morning and it is something I really missed eating. So about a month (I think right after Christmas) I had this idea about making a vegan version but I haven't had time to make a big breakfast. But today was the day to make some magic and Devon and I were super excited. 

I woke up this morning and started to make the Mushroom soup, not your typical breakfast food but it is definitely necessary for this dish. This is something you could make the night before if you have limited time to make breakfast in the morning. It doesn't take too long but its a step you can do before hand.

If you have followed my blog for a while you might recognize this recipe from my vegan poutine recipe (found here). I have altered it slightly to make it a soup instead of a sauce, and the final product turned out amazing. I gave a spoonful to Devon to try and he LOVED it. He came into the kitchen to help me mix the casserole together and when I turned around I saw him eating it out of the blender with a spoon, with a slight guilty look on his face. When ever I make something he likes he automatically says "Do you remember how you made this?" Thats how I know he really liked it because he wants to make sure I can make it again for him. Luckily I did remember and wrote it down! I am for sure going to make this again for lunch one day, probably paired with grilled cheese sandwiches! 



I was also able to share some of this with my sisters, Ashley and Chelsea. I shot them a text after it was done and extended an invitation to them to stop by and try it. Of course they showed up and gave their verdict on what they thought of my newest creation. No surprise, they also loved it, going back to eat out of the pan until it was almost all gone (they left us 3 bites left, thanks guys!) I am always happy to share my food with people, it makes me feel good knowing that other people enjoy my cooking just as much as I enjoy cooking it. I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we did, its something everyone can enjoy, even if you aren't vegan. 



Vegan Mushroom Soup - 2 cups
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 small pkg of white mushrooms, minced
1 tbsp of Better than Bouillon, vegetable broth
1 cup water
3 tbsp of coconut milk
1/3 cup quinoa flour, or any other gluten free flour
1 cup water

In a small sauce pan saute the onions and garlic until brown, add mushrooms and saute until soft. Mix the bouillon and water until dissolved and then add to the mushrooms, cook for 5 minutes, then add the coconut milk. Gradually alternate between the flour and water and stir until there are no clumps. Once done pour into a blender and blend until smooth. This should make about 2 cups of mushroom soup.

Hashbrown Casserole

8 cups of frozen hash browns

1 pkg shredded Daiya Cheese, cheddar flavoured

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups of mushroom soup

Grease a glass pan and pre heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl put hashbrowns, 1 cup of the Daiya, onion and 1 cup of the soup and mix until well blended. Pour into the glass pan and level it off with the back of the spoon. Top the casserole with the rest of the soup and the Daiya. Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 min, then bake uncovered for 15 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes and serve!

Thanks for reading!!!
xoxo -N

Mango Blueberry Salad

I often find myself craving salads, especially in the morning. I guess I have eaten so many salads for breakfast that my body now needs its leafy greens bright and early!! And this morning was no exception. I have been meaning to use up the blueberries in my fridge for a couple days because a couple were going moldy so today I made a mango blueberry salad. It was so fresh and delicious it has quickly become one of my favourites! Technically if you really look at the ingredients this salad is a fruit salad, that is if you count tomatoes as a fruit (I don't, to me they will always be a vegetable). It is super simple to throw together and because the fruit is so juicy there is no need for dressing.

I used my vegetable mandolin to slice up the cucumbers, zucchini and mango but if you don't have a mandolin you could make this a chunky salad, it should all taste the same, right?!

Ingredients for Single Serving

1/2 cucumber

1/2 zucchini

1 tomato

1 mango

1 cup blueberries

Pineapple Ginger Stir Fry Revised

When ever I make a stir fry I tend to get carried away with my vegetable proportions. My eyes have always been bigger than my stomach and I chop up way to many veggies which always leads to left overs. Yumm!

Two nights ago was no exception. I had chopped too much that it all couldn't fit into our large cast iron pan. Luckily Devon and I don't mind having the same thing two days in a row, I actually like it because it makes meal planning easier!

So there I was last night chopping up more vegetables and pineapple for another stir fry and I think to myself that I was out of cashews and rice. Crap. Well I just won't have cashews then and I will sub in brown rice vermicelli noodles instead! Then I got to thinking about making a sauce, something similar to last night's but different. I still had ginger and pineapple.... what else. ..? Date caramel sauce?.... Yay I think so!

I acquired this amazing sauce from my sister Ashley who had found it when she went down in the States in January. She had already eaten half of the jar and wanted it out of her house, so I was the lucky recipient. It’s a super thick, sweet, sticky sauce that is made out of just organic dates, organic caramel extract and sea salt. I have used this on top of my bananas, apples and on even on ice cream, it’s that good. This was the magical ingredient that was going to put my sauce over the top.

 

Results? Best sauce ever! Devon and I loved it. I wont lie though, I was tempted to eat the whole stir fry to myself but I am a nice person and saved some for Devon.

.

Ingredients
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1/4 head of cauliflower, chopped
5 stalks of celery, chopped
5-7 mushrooms, chopped
1/2 fresh pineapple, chopped (minus a large handful)
1 small can of baby corn (optional)
1 tbsp Better Than Bouillon broth, vegetable flavor
1/2 cup of water

 

Sauce
Large handful of pineapple
Ginger thumb sized, grated
1 tbsp Date Caramel Sauce
1 tsp soya sauce
1/2 cup of water
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop up all vegetables and fruit. Put aside a large handful of pineapple. Heat up a large frying pan on medium/high, add oil. Once melted add garlic and onions, sauté for 5 mins until browned. Add broccoli, cauliflower, celery, and sauté for 10 mins. Dissolve broth in water and add to pan. Add mushrooms, pineapple, and corn. Continue cooking until vegetables are fork tender.

With your hands squeeze the juice out of the pineapple, place all ingriedients (including the pineapple pulp) in a small sauce pan and put on medium/high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, let simmer until its reduced to a thicker consistancy. Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over stir fry and serve.

*If you don't have the date caramel sauce, this version wont be as sweet*

Sauce
Large handful of pineapple
Ginger thumb sized, grated
3 large, soaked majool dates, diced
1 tbsp of you favourite sweetener (vanilla, stevia)
1 tsp soya sauce1/2 -1 cup of water
Salt and pepper to taste

In a high speed blender blend the 3 dates with the water, adding a little water, bit by bit until its running smooth then add sweetener. Try to avoid using too much water, you want it to be a paste not a liquid. With your hands squeeze the juice out of the pineapple, place all ingriedients (including the pineapple pulp) in a small sauce pan and put on medium/high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat, let simmer until its reduced to a thicker consistancy. Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour over stir fry and serve.
Serve over rice, quinoa, or rice noodles! And Enjoy!!


Thanks for reading!
Xoxo -N