Breakfast with Poached Eggs in White Wine

 Use a white wine here that you wouldn't mind drinking the remainder of.

1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
2 shallots, minced
1 bay leaf
a pinch of thyme
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
2-4 large eggs
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons flour
to serve: toasted bread, avocado, chives

In a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat combine the wine, water, shallots, bay leaf, thyme, and salt. Boil for five minutes. Dial back the heat a bit, before carefully cracking eggs into the skillet (you can crack each egg into a separate small bowl, and then transfer, if you're not comfortable going direct to the skillet). Cover and simmer for another five minutes or so - until the eggs whites are opaque, and the yolks are set to your liking. Once poached, remove the eggs with a slotted spoon from the skillet and set aside. Cook the liquid in the pan down a bit more, until you have about 1/2 cup of liquid left, then strain the liquid into a small saucepan. Whisk the butter and flour into a paste, then add this to the strained sauce, stirring until smooth, taste and add a bit of salt if needed.
Serve each egg on a piece of toast over a bit of smashed avocado, drizzled with a bit of sauce, and sprinkled with chives.
Serves 2-4.
Prep time: 5 min - Cook time: 10 min

Green Smoothie Cool Drinks

 
Refreshing Green Smoothie
4 cups frozen mixed green grapes, pineapples, green apples and pears.
3 cups kale, baby spinach and lettuce leaves
1 cup cucumber and broccoli stems
1 cup cold water or ice blocks (if you want it very cold/icy)
Freeze four cups of mixed green grapes, pineapple pieces, green apples (chopped up) and pears overnight.

Wash the vegetables to remove any dirt or other unwanted substance. If you have a high powered blender like Vitamix, add all the ingredients in and push down with the food tamper, or add the frozen parts first and blend, then add the vegetables and water/ice.
Give the smoothie a great, huge blend until everything is completely smooth.

Green Smoothie Cool Drinks

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

• 4 cups frozen mixed green grapes, pineapples, green apples and pears.
• 3 cups kale, baby spinach and lettuce leaves
• 1 cup cucumber and broccoli stems
• 1 cup cold water or ice blocks (if you want it very cold/icy)

Instructions

1. Freeze four cups of mixed green grapes, pineapple pieces, green apples (chopped up) and pears overnight.
2. Wash the vegetables to remove any dirt or other unwanted substance. If you have a high powered blender like Vitamix, add all the ingredients in and push down with the food tamper, or add the frozen parts first and blend, then add the vegetables and water/ice.
3. Give the smoothie a great, huge blend until everything is completely smooth.

During the holidays, I love making candied walnuts (and any kind of nut) to sprinkle on top of salads. It adds just the right amount of crunch and the hard caramel exterior melts into the dressing for an extra bit of sweetness. I’m kind of addicted to them. To change things up, this year I made an extra big batch of spicy and salty vegan candied walnuts just for salads, or the occasional snack. I swapped out the butter for vegan margarine to make these dairy-free. It just makes it a bit more friendly to take to parties because I never know what kind of dietary restrictions other party goers will have and I want everyone to enjoy what I bring.
They get their spicy kick from a good pinch of cayenne pepper. If you don’t want them to be super spicy, use less cayenne or leave it out completely. They will still be extra delicious from the other spices.

Spicy and Salty Vegan Candied Walnuts

Ingredients:

2 cups whole nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. vegan butter or coconut oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use more or less depending on how spicy you want it to be)

Instructions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, or grease well. Do not use waxed paper!
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt the vegan butter or coconut oil. Add the sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cayenne. Stir to combine then add the nuts. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar caramelizes and turns golden and the nuts are toasted. Remove from heat and sdd the vanilla extract. It will bubble up and splatter a bit, so be careful! Stir well.
Pour the nuts out onto the prepared baking sheet. Use a fork or wooden spoon to separate the nuts into a single layer. Work quickly because the caramel will harden faster than you think. Let cool completely. Use whole or roughly chop. Store in an airtight container or jar.
Sprinkle on salads or eat as a snack.
Yield: about 2 cups

These spicy and salty vegan candied walnuts are very delicious sprinkled on this simple holiday green salad. Get the recipe here.

Savory Vegan Eggplant Tomato Burger

I would almost call this “The best vegan burger I’ve ever put in my mouth” but then again, it would be weird calling a burger that. Seriously, I hold 100% to that, because this is seriously the best tasting thing I’ve had in a while! I don’t know what, it’s the combination, I say. The sweetness!
I think a huge part of it has to do with Rao’s Arrabiata sauce just fitting in perfectly, so if you can get your hands on that, you must use it here. Otherwise, it simply won’t be the same.

Today’s a sad day for me, because I’m getting BRACES. I shouldn’t say sad, but more like – life won’t be the same afterwards, because there’s a bunch of foods I won’t be able to eat, or if I wanted eat this burger, I’d have to throw it in the blender or something (just kidding, why would you blend a burger?!) but chop it in tiny pieces. Not only that, I’d have to brush my teeth after every meal, which is going to be a huge challenge. Let’s see how long I can keep that up! No, I MUST do it, MUUUST!
So anyway, back to appreciating biting into a whole burger one last time.

OH MAN this was good. Seriously, I don’t know why though because eggplants and bell peppers are something I can get sick of easily, especially bell peppers, they’re nice but definitely not a “favourite food” but made this way, they are simply the best tasting things ever. I think this has taught me that sometimes, it’s not about what food you’re eating, but the combination.
This kind of reminds me that when you’re eating bananas on its own, they taste like bananas, but freeze and blend them, they’re like ICE CREAM and even banana haters may like it.
So anyway, if you’re making this, make enough for two, or ten!Not exactly, haha. But you get my point. You would probably want more, and MORE, and MORE AND MORE! My recipe is only enough for one burger, and one person!

Savory Vegan Eggplant Tomato Burger
2 slices large, round eggplant
2 slices red bell pepper
1/2 cup sliced red onion
2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
A sprinkle of fennel seeds
1 whole wheat burger bun (or 1/3 whole grain bun)
1 tablespoon high quality pasta sauce (I used Rao’s Arrabbiata)
1 purple/Boston lettuce leaf
1 slice tomato
A sprinkle of pepper
Chop two slices of eggplant (not too thin or thick), two slices of red bell pepper and about 1/2 cup of red onions.
Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).

Mix the three in a large bowl and add the extra light olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and fennel seeds. Give it a good stir and make sure the spices marinate all the vegetables.
Place them in an oven tray without overlapping and bake for about 15-20 minutes until the eggplants and onions are soft.
Meanwhile, prepare the bread or bun by cutting it in the middle so the bun splits in two and put it in the toaster oven or oven for a few minutes until the edges have browned. Also, prepare the sliced tomatoes and pasta sauce.
Once the veggies are ready, lay the bread out on the table.

Assembling the Burger: First, add the lettuce leaves, then an eggplant, tomato slice, pepper slice, some onions, another eggplant slice, another bell pepper slice and top it off with any remaining onions. Finally, add the pasta sauce and some pepper, and close the burger.

Of course, you can assemble it in any order you want, because it really doesn’t matter which goes first. Though I will say that having the lettuce in the bottom does make things much easier.
Note: This burger tastes better if it’s warm, so don’t let it cool down too much. You may also want to warm up the sauce.

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Savory Vegan Eggplant Tomato Burger

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

• 2 slices large, round eggplant
• 2 slices red bell pepper
• ½ cup sliced red onion
• 2 teaspoons extra light olive oil
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
• A sprinkle of fennel seeds
• 1 whole wheat burger bun (or ⅓ whole grain bun)
• 1 tablespoon high quality pasta sauce (I used Rao’s Arrabbiata)
• 1 purple/Boston lettuce leaf
• 1 slice tomato
• A sprinkle of pepper

Instructions

1. Chop two slices of eggplant (not too thin or thick), two slices of red bell pepper and about ½ cup of red onions.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
3. Mix the three in a large bowl and add the extra light olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt and fennel seeds. Give it a good stir and make sure the spices marinate all the vegetables.
4. Place them in an oven tray without overlapping and bake for about 15-20 minutes until the eggplants and onions are soft.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the bread or bun by cutting it in the middle so the bun splits in two and put it in the toaster oven or oven for a few minutes until the edges have browned. Also, prepare the sliced tomatoes and pasta sauce.
6. Once the veggies are ready, lay the bread out on the table.
7. Assembling the Burger: First, add the lettuce leaves, then an eggplant, tomato slice, pepper slice, some onions, another eggplant slice, another bell pepper slice and top it off with any remaining onions. Finally, add the pasta sauce and some pepper, and close the burger.
8. Of course, you can assemble it in any order you want, because it really doesn’t matter which goes first. Though I will say that having the lettuce in the bottom does make things much easier.
9. Note: This burger tastes better if it’s warm, so don’t let it cool down too much. You may also want to warm up the sauce.

Whole Wheat Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Before I start on my usual talks about the recipe, I will say the bread on its own is NOT sweet, and I intended it to be this way, because the filling and glaze is sweet, I don’t see the need to make the bread sweet, plus yeast eats so much sugar I really didn’t want to start pouring in cups of sugar. This won’t be as overly sweet as you probably would be expecting, but enjoy the subtle sweetness, it’s so much healthier!

Anyway, now that I got that out of the way, I have to say HOORAY I finally made these WORK! Every other time I made it, they turned out way too thin or didn’t rise enough, or was too hard. I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS WORKED OUT!
I have been researching a bit more on how to make this, and it paid off. Also, it helps that I’ve been baking quite a lot of bread or cakes lately.

So why did I decide to make the bread un-sweet? Because I realised that with yeast, it would take way too much sugar to sweeten it and I really didn’t want to add that much. I find that when you’ve got a bread or something that’s not sweet but add some frosting or a layer that’s sweet, it’s just as good!
Again with the frosting, all the recipes I’ve seen use a lot of powered sugar, but seriously – one teaspoon of pure maple syrup is all that I needed to make it really lovely and sweet. I used coconut milk and coconut milk powder for this, and found the coconut milk powder in the regular grocery store, but it was in a small packet near all the Asian things.

Whole Wheat Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Bread
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/3 cup white grape juice
1 tablespoon dry active yeast
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (and 1 tablespoon for kneading)
1/4 cup spelt flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon coconut sugar (or other unrefined sugar)
1 tablespoons baking powder
A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
Filling
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tablespoon & 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon crushed pecans
Glaze
3 tablespoons coconut/rice milk powder
2 tablespoons coconut milk
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
Put the almond milk and white grape juice in a bowl. If it’s cold, heat it in the microwave for about 25-30 seconds until it’s lukewarm. Do not let it become too hot! Add the tablespoon of yeast and stir until the yeast dissolves. You should also see little bubbles.
Combine the 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour and 1/4 cup spelt flour (you can also use only one or the other) in a large bowl, along with the applesauce, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and olive oil. Give it a good stir until clumps form.

Use your hands and knead the dough until it’s pretty much solid (should still be a little sticky), add a tablespoon more of whole wheat pastry flour and knead until the dough is no longer sticky, and is silky and smooth. (You may need to add more/less flour, so adjust accordingly)
Heat your oven to the lowest setting.
Once the dough has been kneaded, put it back into the large bowl and cover it with a lid or damp cloth. Turn the oven off, open the door and place the bowl of dough outside on the door, so that it can be in a warm place but not too hot.
Leave it there for a couple of hours to rise.

Meanwhile, combine the applesauce, cinnamon, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and crushed pecans (try and make them as small as you can with your hands) in a bowl and stir.
Once the dough has risen about half its size, punch it down and add a few sprinkles of flour and knead it until it no longer sticks. Lay it out on a flat surface and make a rectangle out of it, the thickness should be like your pinky. Don’t make it too thin or thick! Flatten both ends so that it’s easier for the dough to stick.

Spoon the cinnamon mixture on the surface of the rectangle and make sure it evens out. Roll the dough lengthwise so it becomes a long stick that has a swirl shape.
Heat the oven up to the lowest setting again and grease a 9 x 13 inch oven tray with non-stick cooking oil. Use a knife and carefully cut the ends off, then slice the dough into 6 or 7 even rolls and place them on the tray, with the swirly side facing upwards.
(Do this very carefully for all of them, and try make sure they don’t clump together or break.)
Place all the rolls next to each other on the oven tray and cover it with foil or a lid. Turn off the oven. Leave the door open and place it at the same place for about 20 minutes. Now, you should see that the dough has risen again into big plumps.
Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Take the foil or lid off the tray and let it sit for another 10 minutes before putting the rolls in the oven. Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes. If you don’t want a hard top, bake the rolls with foil covered on top.

To make the Glaze: Add the coconut/rice milk powder, coconut milk, cornstarch and maple syrup. Stir until all the little parts are dissolved. If you find that the syrup is too thick, add another tablespoon of coconut milk.
Once the rolls are done, drizzle the glaze on top and serve.

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Whole Wheat Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

Bread

• ⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk
• ⅓ cup white grape juice
• 1 tablespoon dry active yeast
• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (and 1 tablespoon for kneading)
• ¼ cup spelt flour
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened applesauce
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar (or other unrefined sugar)
• 1 tablespoons baking powder
• A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil

Filling

• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tablespoon & 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon crushed pecans

Glaze

• 3 tablespoons coconut/rice milk powder
• 2 tablespoons coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup

Instructions

1. Put the almond milk and white grape juice in a bowl. If it’s cold, heat it in the microwave for about 25-30 seconds until it’s lukewarm. Do not let it become too hot! Add the tablespoon of yeast and stir until the yeast dissolves. You should also see little bubbles.
2. Combine the 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour and ¼ cup spelt flour (you can also use only one or the other) in a large bowl, along with the applesauce, coconut sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and olive oil. Give it a good stir until clumps form.
3. Use your hands and knead the dough until it’s pretty much solid (should still be a little sticky), add a tablespoon more of whole wheat pastry flour and knead until the dough is no longer sticky, and is silky and smooth. (You may need to add more/less flour, so adjust accordingly)
4. Heat your oven to the lowest setting.
5. Once the dough has been kneaded, put it back into the large bowl and cover it with a lid or damp cloth. Turn the oven off, open the door and place the bowl of dough outside on the door, so that it can be in a warm place but not too hot.
6. Leave it there for a couple of hours to rise.
7. Meanwhile, combine the applesauce, cinnamon, coconut sugar, vanilla extract and crushed pecans (try and make them as small as you can with your hands) in a bowl and stir.
8. Once the dough has risen about half its size, punch it down and add a few sprinkles of flour and knead it until it no longer sticks. Lay it out on a flat surface and make a rectangle out of it, the thickness should be like your pinky. Don’t make it too thin or thick! Flatten both ends so that it’s easier for the dough to stick.
9. Spoon the cinnamon mixture on the surface of the rectangle and make sure it evens out. Roll the dough lengthwise so it becomes a long stick that has a swirl shape.
10. Heat the oven up to the lowest setting again and grease a 9 x 13 inch oven tray with non-stick cooking oil. Use a knife and carefully cut the ends off, then slice the dough into 6 or 7 even rolls and place them on the tray, with the swirly side facing upwards.
11. (Do this very carefully for all of them, and try make sure they don’t clump together or break.)
12. Place all the rolls next to each other on the oven tray and cover it with foil or a lid. Turn off the oven. Leave the door open and place it at the same place for about 20 minutes. Now, you should see that the dough has risen again into big plumps.
13. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Take the foil or lid off the tray and let it sit for another 10 minutes before putting the rolls in the oven. Bake the rolls for about 20 minutes. If you don’t want a hard top, bake the rolls with foil covered on top.
14. To make the Glaze: Add the coconut/rice milk powder, coconut milk, cornstarch and maple syrup. Stir until all the little parts are dissolved. If you find that the syrup is too thick, add another tablespoon of coconut milk.
15. Once the rolls are done, drizzle the glaze on top and serve.

Zucchini Chocolate Bread

Wow, zucchini in bread is like one amazing thing you wouldn’t have even expected!
Ever wanted a super moist bread, and also a reason to eat your veggies in a form of a dessert where you can’t even tell it’s there? This is it! You cannot taste the zucchini at all, so please don’t make this thinking you’re making vegetable bread, because this is like any other cake/bread/muffin, it’s deliciously SINFULLY GOOD, yet it’s pretty much healthy! (Given that you don’t eat too much at once.)

So with the zucchini, be sure you use a grater because if you use a blender/food processor, some pieces come out big and it will show in the bread when it’s baked. If you can chop them into very small pieces hardly see-able, then they will be well hidden in the bread.

Be aware that the toothpick test may be a little tricky because you may insert it and it comes out clean, but in reality it still needs a few minutes. So what I suggest is to cut a piece of the bread, taste it and then decide.
You can add one more tablespoon of oil (coconut or olive) if you like it more buttery and rich. If you prefer it sweeter, you may want to add a little more coconut sugar.

Zucchini Chocolate Bread
3/4 cup finely grated zucchini
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/4 cup oat flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s special dark)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3 tablespoons coconut sugar
1/4 cup white grape juice
1 tablespoon almond milk
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 tablespoons refined coconut oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
Use a grater to grate one or two zucchini until you end up with 3/4 cup of very finely grated zucchini mash. If you’re using a food processor, be sure that there are no big pieces, as big pieces will show in the bread.
Add the grated zucchini in a large bowl, along with all the other ingredients and stir with a spoon until everything is well blended and mixed.

Spray some non-stick cooking oil on a mini bread loaf tray and spoon the mixture into it.
Bake in the oven for about an hour, then do the toothpick test by pricking a toothpick or sharp object like that into the middle. If it comes out clean with a few crumbs, then it’s ready. Otherwise, bake for a little longer and try the test again.

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Zucchini Chocolate Bread

Serves: 2

 

Ingredients

• ¾ cup finely grated zucchini
• ½ cup spelt flour
• ¼ cup oat flour
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
• 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder (I used Hershey’s special dark)
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon cloves
• 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
• ¼ cup white grape juice
• 1 tablespoon almond milk
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• ¼ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
• 1 tablespoons refined coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1 tablespoon tapioca starch

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
2. Use a grater to grate one or two zucchini until you end up with ¾ cup of very finely grated zucchini mash. If you’re using a food processor, be sure that there are no big pieces, as big pieces will show in the bread.
3. Add the grated zucchini in a large bowl, along with all the other ingredients and stir with a spoon until everything is well blended and mixed.
4. Spray some non-stick cooking oil on a mini bread loaf tray and spoon the mixture into it.
5. Bake in the oven for about an hour, then do the toothpick test by pricking a toothpick or sharp object like that into the middle. If it comes out clean with a few crumbs, then it’s ready. Otherwise, bake for a little longer and try the test again.

Grapefruit-Lovers Smoothie

Usually when I'm making a citrus-infused smoothie I reach for orange, but today I made a Grapefruit-lovers Energy Smoothie infused with sassy sweet pink grapefruit juice.

Grapefruit-Lovers Smoothie
serves 2

1 1/2 cups pink grapefruit juice
3/4 cup wild blueberries
1/2 cup organic strawberries
1/2 cup ice
1 ripe banana
1 kiwi, peeled (optional)
1/2 tsp spirulina powder

Blend. Pour. Sip.