Orzo Greek-ish salad

So the past month has been crazy, I honesty don't know where time has gone.... The holidays were awesome, but busy. I have had the past ten days off, and it really doesn't feel like I had time off at all. I mean that in the best way possible though.... December consisted of shopping, baking, wrapping, coffee-dates with girlfriends, Spa days, and lots of time spent with family and my man.  

I have fallen in love with clean-eating cookbooks, and thought I would share a few recipes that I have put my own spin on recently. 

Ingredients
1 c orzo pasta
1/2 c diced cucumber
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 c bell pepper, diced
1/8 - 1/4 c feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
- bring medium size pot of water to a boil, add orzo. Follow cooking directions on package.
- once pasta is cooked, strain and place in large mixing bowl. 
- add olive oil, lemon juice, balsamic and spices to orzo pasta. Let pasta cool. (I like to add dressing while pasta is still warm, as it absorbs into the pasta better)
-once orzo is cooled, add cucumber, tomato, bell pepper, and feta. Mix until combined. 
- add more olive oil or lemon/balsamic is desired. Sometimes I add a little more olive oil. 

*note: you could add red onion and black olives to this as well. 

ENJOY!! 



Ok, so maybe this recipe doesn't have olives or red onion..... But I was out of red onion and I don't like olives :)

Fried Rice

If I haven't already mentioned, I am the worst at cooking for two people. For some reason I think I am feeding a small army when it comes to making dinner. This means leftovers, and sometimes LOTS of leftovers. I made my Butter Chik'n recipe the other night and had tons of rice left over. So, fried rice made an appearance tonight.

Fried rice is so easy when you already have the rice. Chop up some veggies, fry it up, and you're basically done. 

Ingredients
-1 tbsp coconut oil
-2 celery stalks, diced
-1 large carrot, diced
-1/2 a medium onion, diced
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-2 C pre-cooked rice
-1/2 package of firm tofu
-2 eggs
-soy sauce
-pepper


Directions
-Heat large skillet or wok pan over medium heat.
-Add coconut oil to skillet, along with celery, carrot and onion. Cook until vegetables are just starting to get tender.
-Add rice and garlic. Cook another five minutes. Make sure to stir continuously so the rice does not burn. 
-Add tofu. Egg can either be cooked in a separate pan or in the same pan as the rest of the ingredients. I sometimes will push the mixture to one side of the pan and crack the eggs onto the clean side and scramble. 
-Once eggs are fully cooked, make sure all ingredients are incorporated evenly. Add soy sauce and pepper to taste. For this amount, I used about 3 tbsp. 

ENJOY!! xo

Veggie Lasagna (Gluten-free)

I realized this week that I have never made lasagna! Not even a meat variation back in my meat eating days. So, I figured what better time to try. I found a great recipe that I have adapted from the website "Oh She Glows". This is probably my favourite blog, because her recipes are easy, vegan and delicious!

This recipe has a layer of cashew basil sauce, which takes the place of a ricotta in a regular meat or veggie lasagna. I could have just eaten the sauce by itself because it is that good! This sauce needs to be started before the rest of the lasagna, as the cashews need to soak in water for a bit to soften them up. 

Basil Cashew Sauce

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked in water for 30 mins
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water (or more as needed)
• 1.5 cups fresh basil leaves (lightly packed)
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast 
• 3/4-1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste) + freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)

Directions

-Place cashews in a medium size bowl and cover with water. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. 

-Once cashews have softened, place all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend until all ingredients are combined and have turned into a smooth sauce. Add more vegetable broth if sauce is too thick. (I added a couple more tablespoons to mine).

Lasagna Ingredients

• 454 g Box of gluten-free lasagna noodles (I used tinkyada brand)
• 1.5 bottles of pasta sauce or use homemade marinara sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 sweet onion, chopped (2.5 cups)
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1.5 C broccoli, diced very small
• 1 large red pepper, chopped
• Cashew Basil Sauce (from above)
• Vegan or Organic cheese 

Directions

 1. Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet, sautee onion and garlic over low-medium heat for 5 minutes. Now add in the rest of the veggies and sautee for another 10-15 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Boil lasagna noodles for 8 minutes, drain, and rinse immediately with cold water.

3. Add 1 cup of pasta sauce on the bottom of your casserole dish. Add a layer of noodles, half the cashew basil sauce, half the vegetables, more pasta sauce, another layer of noodles, the rest of the cashew basil sauce, the rest of the vegetables, more pasta sauce, another layer of noodles, and finally a sprinkle of cheese.

4. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 400F for 40-45 minutes. Remove tinfoil and broil for 5 minutes on medium. Watch closely so you don’t burn the edges. Remove and serve.

Enjoy!!! xo

Apple Cranberry Quinoa Salad

Every so often at work we have a potluck. Until recently, I was the only vegetarian. This meant that most of the time my menu was very limited. Seeing as I love quinoa, I felt the need to always bring some sort of quinoa dish. I have now become famous for my quinoa salads, and always try to switch it up. There is one that is definitely a favorite,and I figured it was sort of fitting for this time of year.

This recipe is super easy and can be made the night before (minus the mint).

Ingredients
-1 C dry quinoa
-2-3 gala apples
-1/2 C dried cranberries
-1/2 C walnuts, chopped
-2 tbsp olive oil
-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
-2 tsp agave 
-mint
-salt and pepper 

Directions
-Cook quinoa and let cool.
-Dice apples and place in a salad bowl. Add a small amount of apple cider vinegar to bowl and make sure that apples are completely covered. This will prevent them from turning brown.
-Add dried cranberries and walnuts.
-Add in cooled quinoa.
-In a seperate bowl, mix together olive oil, apple cider vinegar and agave. Add salt and pepper to taste ( I added a good amount of fresh cracked pepper, just to give it a little spice).
-Add dressing to salad mixture, combine until everything is combined. (You may not need to use all of the dressing, depending on your taste)
-Right before serving, dice approximately 10 large mint leaves and stir into salad. 

ENJOY xo

Tex-Mex Casserole

I'm really bad at cooking for two... I cook for an army. This recipe is a perfect example... It feeds about eight... or as I like to think of it, Kyle for about 2 days :)

I looooove casseroles because they are so easy to make, and you can basically put anything in them. I saw a dish similar to this on another blog, but it called for pasta... and sometimes... well, pasta is just too heavy for me. I prefer to use rice, and I figured that rice went better with these ingredients anyway :)

Ingredients

- 2 C Rice (uncooked)

-4 C water

-1 tsp olive oil

-1 onion, chopped

-2 green onions, copped

-1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

-3 medium tomatos

-3 bell peppers (I used 1 red, 1 orange, and 1 yellow), chopped

-1 large handful of cilantro, chopped

-1-3 tbsp taco seasoning mix, to taste

-1 can black beans (or 2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed

-1.5-2 cups homemade enchilada sauce 

-1/3-1/2 cup organic or non-dairy cheese

-1 cup chopped green onions

-salt & pepper, to taste

-20 tortilla chips (about 2 handfuls), crushed

-Avocado, salsa, sour cream, etc, to garnish

                                         

Directions

-Preheat oven to 350F and grab a 2-quart casserole dish. Add dry rice to a pot along with water and cook until done. 

-In a large skillet, sauté the chopped onion, jalapeno, and peppers in the olive oil over medium heat for about 7-8 mins.

-Add the taco seasoning, drained and rinsed black beans, and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir well and cook for another 5 mins.

Stir in the cheese, rice, chopped green onion, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

-Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom of the casserole dish. Scoop on the skillet mixture and spread out evenly. Spoon on the rest of the sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese.

-Bake for 15-20 mins at 350F until heated through. Sprinkle with crushed nacho chips, chopped avocado, salsa, and sour cream if desired just before serving.

                               

                                                          ENJOY! xo

Easy Vegan Dinner

Sometimes I have those days where I am really not in the mood in creating something for dinner. I often get off looks from Kyle as to what I have served up... it is often a random mix of different sides made into a "meal". 

Well, this week I found a fantastic new product! I had read about the brand Field Roast on another vegan blog, and knew I had to try them. Found at our local health food store, Naked Naturals (seriously, my favorite store, EVER!). I bought two of the three flavors.

Last night we tried the Potato and Apple, they are the bomb. I actually sent a text to one of my good friends (also a non-meat eater) and actually said they were "the bomb". I don't know why I feel the need to say this all of the time now..... 



This meal was super easy, and delicious! We are big brussel sprout lovers in our house, so I try to cook them as often as I can around this time of the year.


Garlicky Brussels and Potatoes
-brussel sprouts 
-potatoes
-garlic cloves, minced
-olive oil
-salt and pepper

*Please note, prepare as many brussel sprouts and potatoes as you would like. Also, add as much garlic as you would like. We love garlic, so I add more than most people would :) 

Directions
-Preheat over to 400 C
-Slice brussel sprouts in half, vertically. If you cut them horizontally, they wont stay together well.
-Slice potatoes into thin wedges
-Place brussel sprouts and potatoes in baking dish. Toss with olive oil, garlic,salt and pepper.



-Place dish in oven and bake approximately 30 minutes. Once veggies get golden and tender, they're done. 

Sausages
-Preheat skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add sausages, cook until golden brown on all sides. Slice and serve.

The final product :) Enjoy!! xo

Pumpkin Cranberry Loaf

For the last two months, I have been seeing pumpkin recipes EVERYWHERE! Don't get me wrong, I love a good pumpkin pie... but I just wasn't convinced when I was seeing pumpkin risotto, and pumpkin smoothies.... So, I thought I would take the first step and purchase a pumpkin and roast it. This turned out to be extremely easy... but then, the pumpkin sat in my fridge for a few days. But, after all my skepticism I finally have a recipe to share :)

Ingredients

Cinnamon Streusel:
2 tbsp organic sugar
2 tbsp vegan margarine2 tbsp oat flour or finely ground old-fashioned oats 
4 tbsp old-fashioned oats 
2 tsp cinnamon

For the Loaf:
1 C oat flour or finely ground old-fashioned oats 
1/2 C white rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 C non-dairy or organic milk
1 C pumpkin puree
1/4 C vegan margarine 
1/2 C organic sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To prepare streusel, combine sugar, margarine, oat flour, oats and cinnamon. Set aside.

For loaf, in a large bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a smaller bowl, mix pumpkin, milk, margarine  sugar, vanilla and cranberries. Fold wet ingredients into dry and stir until just moistened.

Spoon into a standard loaf pan that has been greased or liberally sprayed with cooking spray. Top with streusel. 

Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

*I found that if I left the loaf overnight it set-up much better. 

Enjoy!!! xo