Mini Vegan Lasagna's

I love my husband! I seriously bagged one of the good ones and I say a little prayer every day that I have him in my life. Not only does he love me for who I am, he also understands me and accepts me for the way I live my life. And I couldn’t be more grateful for that because it is truly one of the hardest things in life to find.

One of the most recent examples of his awesomeness is on Sunday the Riders were playing and we were going over to our friends house to watch the game. Devon had gone golfing in the morning and I had gone to get groceries for the week. While I was there I called him and asked if he wanted any game time snacks, and usually its just chips of some sort or a drink. However this time he asked if I would pick him up dry ribs….dun dun dunnn. As the main grocery-getter in the family and a vegan he knows that I do not pick up meat or eggs unless asked, I might get cheese for him but that’s where I draw the line. Most of the times he come with me to pick out what he wants for meat products (which is rare), so I don’t have too.

So I reluctantly say yes and go to the death (meat) section to find them and get out ASAP. Well with my luck they are no where to be found and I am caught in the viscous cycle of wandering around trying to find them. With no one around to help me, I start to have an slight anxiety attack and got that feeling of just wanting to get the hell out of the section. So I grabbed chicken wings instead and literally run to the living (produce) section.

When I got home one of the first things I said was “Please understand how difficult it was for me to pick these up…” then I started to cry my eyes out (I'm a crier!!)  Instead of him asking why I was crying or telling me to stop, he just pulled me in for a hug and said “I will never ask you to get those again, I can pick them next time” THIS IS WHY I LOVE THIS MAN! He is understanding and loves me! So thank you to the powers that be for bringing him into my life.

So in light of this event I thought it was time for something amazingly vegan, and one of Devon’s favourite meals. Mini Vegan Lasagnas! Every time I make my vegan lasagna he so kindly reminds me that it is amazing and that it can hold up to any meaty lasagna out there. Another great reason why I love him, he knows how to compliment a lady!

I have been meaning to make these for about two months now but I just haven’t been inspired to do so, until this weekend. They are cute individual sized lasagnas that are cooked in a muffin tin and enjoyed by all! I'm not too sure what was drawing me to make these but they seemed so much fun to make and it was a fun twist on a traditional meal. Plus I wanted to see how the quinoa tasted instead of using regular lasagna noodles.

I was a little wary because I wasn’t sure if they would hold their shape after they were removed from the tin, and that was one of the reasons why I liked them. They were mini lasagnas! Basically anything mini is so much better! And as you can see by the pictures they came out beautifully and tasted amazing!

I truly and utterly feel that the reason why these taste so great is because of the cashew cheese. If you plan on altering my recipe please do not omit the cashew cheese, trust me when I say that it is worth the extra step!

Mini Vegan Lasagna’s

2 cups quinoa, cooked

1 jar of vegan pasta sauce

2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly lengthwise, for 12 servings you will need 24 slices
1 tbsp of coconut oil

½ of medium onion, diced

1 cups of mushrooms, diced

2 red bell pepper, diced

4 cups of fresh spinach

2 cups of Daiya Cheese, mozzarella flavour (optional).

Cashew Cheese

1 cup of cashews, soaked overnight

1/2 cup of fresh basil

¼ cup of fresh lemon juice

2 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp of nutritional yeast

¼ cup of water or vegan broth

Place all of the ingredients into a blender or a food processor and blend until smooth.

**While you are cutting up and cooking your veggies and making the cashew cheese, place the sliced zucchini on a baking sheet and put in the oven on the lowest temperature. That way you can cook off some of the excess water that they contain. I happened to do a load of dishes while cooking these so I would say I left them in for about 25 mins and they turned out perfect. If you don’t have time for this step, don’t worry because the quinoa will absorb some of the moisture too!

Sauté all of the veggie in a large frying pan until fork tender. Grease the muffin tins with some coconut oil so they are easier to remove. Then layer each muffin tin like so:

1)    2 zucchini slices
2)    1 large tbsp of Quinoa
3)    1 large tbsp of veggies
4)    1 large tbsp of sauce
5)    1 large tbsp of cashew cheese
6)    Optional - top with some Daiya

Take the ends of the zucchini and fold over until completely covered. I used some cashew cheese to secure the ends down if they kept popping up. Heat up the remainder of the pasta sauce and put aside.

Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 mins and serve with the left over sauce! Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Xoxo -N

Easy Vegan Banana Muffins

I promised about a month ago that I would post these awesome Vegan Banana Muffins my sister in law brought to my Vegan TGIF party. Well better late than never!
Out of all the vegan banana bread/muffins I have tasted these are by far my favourite. Not only are they super moist, they are super simple to make with no complicated ingredients.
Everyone at the party was reaching for these when Jen placed them at the table, even the kids were asking for seconds and thirds! I hope you enjoy these as much as we did! Thanks Jen for sharing the recipe!

Easy Vegan Banana Muffins
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 large bananas, mashed
3/4 organic coconut palm sugar
1 flax egg, 1tbsp ground flax and 3 tbsp. water (let sit until thickened)
1/3 cup apple sauce

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tin with muffin liners.
Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl combine banana, sugar, flax egg and apple sauce. Fold into flour mixture until smooth (do not over mix as that will make them dry). The batter will be very thick and kinda fluffy.
Scoop into muffin liners.
Bake for 13-15 mins.
Muffins are done when they spring back when lightly tapped.
Makes about 12 medium sized muffins.
Thanks for reading!
xoxo -N

Fresh Rolls with Low Fat Lime Peanut Sauce

I am on that mission again! Trying to find another sauce that holds up to my fresh rolls original peanut hoisen sauce. I swear it is my lot in life to try as many dipping sauces as I can, yes I am that addicted. And this new Lime Peanut sauce is pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. I am really satisfied with the results, especially since its low fat!

As usual I was craving fresh rolls for lunch while at work and I was thinking of that sweet and salty sauce that accompanies them. Which got my brain thinking about how I can adjust my original sauce to make it low fat. Cue in zucchini and you got your self a Low Fat Party! Zucchini is really the best kept secret in the cooking world. It can be used in so many ways its ridiculous.

Low Fat Lime Peanut Sauce

1 zucchini peeled

1 tbsp peanut butter

1 lime juiced

1 handful cilantro

½ clove garlic

Salt to taste

Puree in a high speed blender until smooth and serve with your favorite fresh rolls. My recipe can be found here!

Seven Stages of Veganism

Making any lifestyle change can be exciting, adventurous, exhilarating or it can be scary, stressful and daunting. But when you think about it - if it wasn’t any of the above mentioned, would it be even worth doing? Sometimes going out of our comfort zones makes us a better person and may bring out something in us that we didn’t even know was there.

When transitioning to a vegan diet I went through a lot of emotions and I now realize that it was kind of like a 7 step program. I was sitting at work one day thinking about veganie stuff and this sort of outline popped into my head, so I started to write it down. Not only did it all come together nicely, it all made sense and could apply to almost everyone in a lot of dietary situations (not just people turning vegan).

Not everyone will have all of these seven emotions or even in this order but as I was writing this I thought that some people might relate to this and find some answers about what it is like to turn vegan. If you are a strong minded person like me you may find that it can be easier to transition from a SAD (Standard American Diet) to a plant based diet like veganism. Once I made the decision it was like something clicked in me and I knew I would never look back. Others may find it harder and fall of the wagon a few times while they are getting used to saying 'no I don’t eat cheese anymore' to their family and friends. Especially the ones who say “its okay, just cheat today, it’s no big deal”. Just know that your decisions are your own and you don’t have to answer to anyone you don’t want too.

The Seven Stages of Veganism

1.    Denial – when it comes to people who want to turn vegan I find that there is a lot of denial in the first stages. Denial that they either eat meat, dairy or eggs in their day to day life or they deny the feelings that they have towards eating animals. I know when I used to eat meat I would deny how I felt about eating chicken or red meat. I would get Devon to cut the meat off of the bone so I could remove myself from the feeling like it was an animal once. Its very common for us to disengage ourselves and our feelings when eating animal products because we might naturally be against or repulsed by the thought of eating them. So by disengaging ourselves we are denying our true feelings which then can lead to guilty and poor thoughts towards ourselves.

2.    Guilt – after the denial some may start to become aware of their feelings and feel guilty that they were denying themselves of how they truly feel. Also they may start to feel guilty about eating animals in the first place. When I turned it was quite an emotional rollercoaster, I started to feel guilty that I even ate meat or dairy at all.

3.    Anger – I would say that almost everyone feels some sort of anger when turning vegan. Its hard not to, especially if you have turned for ethical reasons, like myself. You see other people out there eating animal products and you just want to jam your beliefs down their throat. Because once you see that you can survive off of a plant based diet you don’t understand why everyone else doesn’t see the same way you do. Just remember that you were once a meat eater too and it wasn’t just an instant change for you, it took time and thought to make the lifestyle change.

4.    Loneliness – if you are the only one vegan in your social group or family it can seem very lonely out there on your own. Bringing your own food to social events or family suppers can bring up judgment from others and cause criticism towards your new lifestyle. I don’t know how many times people have said to me that my life must suck because I don’t eat dairy or meat, or that they think that I am not getting enough vitamins, protein ect. because I am not eating animal products. Just know that you are not alone, there are so many people out there that are willing to support you and encourage you in your lifestyle change (people like food & fabric, Naturally Ashley and MJ Vegan Living!). You just need to believe in yourself and trust that what you are doing in right and for YOUR own health and the well being of animals!

5.    Upward turn – as weeks and months go by things start to get less complicated and you start feeling better in both body and mind. Some of the guilt and denial you were feeling is going away and you are feeling better about your eating choices. You are more prepared for meals with the meat eaters in your family and when going out for meals with friends. You start finding good, dependable and delicious vegan recipes that not only you like but your family and friends like too.

6.    Working through – though sometimes you still feel guilty, sad or angry, you are now getting a stronger grasp of what it truly means to be vegan in your eyes. Some people find that they turn vegan because they have poor digestion, bad ache, weight loss, ethical reasons, ect. And after time you become more and more involved in those reasons and almost become a public speaker about it. When people make a lifestyle change, their friends and family often have a lot of questions of why you decided to go against the norm. So you will find that you are constantly answering questions of how you get your protein, vitamins ect. You will most likely come to love the questions they ask, because you will want them to know how great you feel and that they can too!

7.    Acceptance and hope – this is the best part of the journey, accepting that your new lifestyle is here to stay! It can take time to get to the last step, but know that you will get there eventually, just keep going on the path that makes the most sense to you. Once you get to this place you will feel such a relief in your day to day life. You will have come to the understanding that you are where you are meant to be in life and that you are not wanting to go back to your previous way of life. You will have let go of some of the anger, sadness and loneness that you might have felt before and now you only feel happiness because not only are you making your life better, but the animals life as well. All that’s left is hope for other people in that they might see this way of life for themselves too.

Thanks for reading!

xoxo -N