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Almond Goji Cacao Chip Cookies

These are raw, gluten-free, lactose-free, and Awesome! My friend Lance made some for me a while back, and I loved them so much that I had to ask for the recipe. It’s from a raw foods cookbook by Ani Phyo. They are super easy to make, and will keep in the fridge or freezer for a long time. They are great for a snack on the road or trail, and my boyfriend likes them crumbled on some yogurt and fruit for breakfast.

What you need:

1/2 cup almond butter

3 tablespoons agave syrup

3 tablespoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 & 1/2 cups ground almonds

1/4 cup cacao nibs

1/4 cup dried goji berries

What you do:

1. Combine the almond butter, agave, vanilla and salt in a large bowl.

2. Stir in the ground almonds, cacao nibs and goji berries.

3. Form into small balls, about 1 tablespoon each, with your hands. Place them on parchment paper and flatten them a little.

Store in the fridge in an airtight container, or put some in the freezer to keep for longer.

Cauliflower and Cannelini Bean Soup

Continuing my love affair with cauliflower, I wanted to make a soup that was creamy and dairy-free. Rather than using potato to add creaminess and thickness, I pureed a can of cannelini beans. Adding the beans for protein also made it into a soup I could use as my main dish for lunch.

Roasting cauliflower brings out its sweetness; if you’ve never roasted a cauliflower before, you’re going to want to give this a try, and you might become as addicted to it as I am.

I crisped some sage leafs as a garnish when I first served it, but for a subsequent serving fried up a little chorizo and arranged it on top. Now I think a combination would probably be perfection.

What you need:

1 large cauliflower

1 garlic bulb

1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed

1 leek

4 cups chicken stock

2 teaspoons fresh sage, plus more for garnishing

olive oil

salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. As soon as you’ve turned it on you can toss in a bulb of garlic. Just slice off the end, wrap it in foil and throw it in the oven.

2. Cut the cauliflower into florets and then cut the larger ones in half if you need to. Roast for 25-40 minutes, or until the cauliflower has browned slightly.

3. While the cauliflower and garlic are roasting, heat the broth in a large pot.

4. Drain the cannelini beans and add them to the broth, and then add the sage.

5. Chop the leeks into rounds, rinse them, then add them to the broth. Bring this to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes.

6. When the cauliflower is ready, add it to the broth. The garlic should be ready when the cauliflower is done, so unwrap it from the foil and squeeze it into the pot as well. Let this simmer for about 10 minutes.

7. Remove the pot from the heat and puree the soup for several minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. For the garnish, heat a little olive oil in a small frying pan. Add several sage leaves and fry them until they have crisped. They can turn brown pretty quickly, so keep an eye on them and remove them from the pan while they are still green. Arrange on top of each serving of soup.

This soup freezes well, so you can make a big batch to save for a rainy day. It’ll warm you right up.

Portobello-Poached Egg

I had a spare portobello mushroom from a dinner I made last night, and I wanted to find way to eat it on salad, so I made this up. It is not a poached egg on top of a mushroom, but instead I cooked the egg right inside the mushroom cap. I made it soft-cooked so the egg yolk would ooze all over the salad. And it was good. Really good. I was even patting myself on the back as I was eating this one.

I served this one on top of this salad with Glory dressing, and it made my salad into a meal.

What you need:

1 large portobello mushroom

1 small egg

olive oil for the pan

salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Remove the stem from the mushroom.

2. Heat a frying pan to medium, then add a little olive oil. Put the mushroom into the pan, hollow side down.

3. Flip the mushroom over after a few minutes, then let the mushroom cook for a few more minutes. If the pan is getting dry, just splash in a little water and put a lid on it.

4. When the mushroom seems done, crack the egg into the hollow of the mushroom. Put a little water in the pan, then put a lid on it and let it sit for a minute. Check it to see if the egg looks cooked, making sure the egg yolk stays runny, but the white is cooked.

5. Serve it right away on top of a green salad and grate on a little fresh salt and pepper.

You could serve it with a piece of bread to soak up some of the yolk and dressing.

Green Salad with Beets and Mango

Here’s a simple salad with some tasty toppings and the amazing Glory dressing. Easy, light, and scrumptious!

What you need:

mixed salad greens

a beet, finely grated

a mango

Glory dressing

plus anything else you’d like; nuts would be great, maybe some toasted pumpkin seeds

What you do:

1. Make the dressing ahead of time.

2. Put lots of salad greens on each plate, then toss with a little dressing.

3. Grate the beet right onto the salad until it looks like enough

4. Cut some slices of mango and place them on top. Enjoy!

Whitewater Glory Salad Dressing

Yum! A friend recommended the Whitewater cookbook to me, so while waiting to get it out of the library, I did a search online. I found this salad dressing recipe and made it up for my salad tonight. I love the creaminess of it, and recall tasting a dressing like it once before in a restaurant, but couldn’t figure out how to replicate it. I know that not everyone has nutritional yeast sitting around, but if you buy it you can also put it on popcorn (recipe to come!)

I find making salad dressing to be so easy, even one like this that requires a blender. I like knowing exactly what is in the dressing, and I can add more or less of some ingredients if I want. It always tastes better than the store-bought ones, doesn’t have preservatives in it, and is way cheaper.

What you need (for a half recipe):

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon tahini

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup vegetable oil

What you do:

1. Put all the ingredients except the oil into a blender and give it a good mix. I used an immersion blender, so feel free to do the same.

2. In a steady slow stream, add the oil until it is all blended in.

Ready to go, although it’s great if you can let it sit a bit, or keep it in the fridge overnight. A jar of it should last a few weeks in the fridge.

Honey-Ginger-Lemon Healer

When my sweetheart was suffering from bronchitis, and everyone else around me seemed to be getting sick, I concocted this hot drink. It soothes a sore throat, with the honey acting as an anti-inflammatory, fighting infection and tasting great. Ginger has antibacterial and pain-killing properties, and warms you up. The lemon has vitamin C and boosts the immune system. Black pepper can help ease a sore throat and is an appetizer. The warmth of a hot drink itself makes you feel good, and drinking liquids is important, and since this is so yummy you should have no problem getting it down. You can also add whiskey, which will numb your throat a bit, and might make you sleepy so you can get the rest you need when you’re sick.

What you need:

a knob of ginger

black peppercorns

honey

fresh lemons

whiskey (optional)

What you do:

1. Slice the ginger and put it in a small pot with some water and 8-10 peppercorns. Let this boil for at least 10 minutes.

2. Boil some water.

3. Put about 1/3 cup of the ginger liquid into a mug.

4. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 a large lemon, or one whole small lemon. Pour this into the mug.

5. Add about a teaspoon of honey, or more to taste.

6. Add a shot of whiskey if you are using it. Top the mug up with the boiling water, give it a stir, and it’s ready to go.

Parmesan Rosemary Savoury Shortbread

I was looking for something to bring to a friend’s house to complement a glass of wine, and came across this tasty recipe. Unfortunately I didn’t know that this new friend was celiac, so she couldn’t eat any. So even though I seemed a little insensitive, the others who got to eat the leftovers were more than pleased to eat them up.

This is an Ina Garten/Barefoot Contessa recipe, with only a few little changes. I used rosemary instead of thyme, so feel free to substitute thyme if you wish. I also added some fleur de sel on top of the crackers, but if you need to have lower sodium content you can leave it out.

You need to refrigerate the dough for a little while, so it works great to make it a day or two in advance, then pull it out and bake it so you have some freshly baked crackers.

What you need:

1/2 cup unsalted butter (or add less salt)

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

1 – 1 & 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 & 1/4 cups flour

What you do:

1. Cream the butter. Mix in the parmesan, rosemary, salt and pepper on low speed.

2. Add the flour on low speed, mixing for one minute. You might need to add a teaspoon of water to hold it together a bit, but it will still be a bit of a crumbly mixture.

3. Turn the mixture out onto your counter top and knead it together, then form it into a 9 inch log. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 4 days.

4. Preheat the oven to 350F, then cut the log into slices about 1 cm thick with a small sharp knife.

5. Place the slices on a parchment-lined baking sheet and top each slice with a little fleur de sel. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until they are just slightly browned.

6. Remove the shortbread from the pan and let them cool on a cooling rack. Keep any spares in an airtight container.

Lentil Bacon Soup

I’m not usually a fan of canned soups, but my friend Sarah recently introduced me to Baxter’s Lentil and Bacon soup, and I thought it was pretty yummy. It inspired me to make up my own lentil bacon soup. I’ve made lentil soup before, but I like that in this one the lentils are pureed, and the little bit of bacon adds a lot of flavour. It’s pretty easy to make, and just takes a bit of time to cook the lentils.

What you need:

3/4 cup green lentils, uncooked

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1/2-1 cup dry white wine

about 1-2 cups water

2 stalks celery, chopped

3 carrots, in about 2 cm chunks

1 large potato, in about 2 cm chunks

1 leek, sliced into rounds and rinsed

4 whole cloves garlic

salt and pepper to taste

5-6 slices of bacon

What you do:

1. Put the lentils in a large pot with lots of water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 50 minutes.

2. Fry the bacon and let it cool on paper towel. Chop the bacon once it has cooled. I use a cast iron pan with a large capacity so I can add a lot more ingredients to it after frying the bacon. If you don’t have a frying pan large enough just do the next steps involving the vegetables, then transfer to the pot that you cooked the lentils in, which should be large enough to hold everything.

3. Remove most of the bacon fat from the frying pan. Chop the carrot, celery, leek and add it to the frying pan. Add the whole garlic cloves . Cook for about five minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the chopped potatoes. Now add the chicken stock and wine, along with enough water to cover the vegetables, and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

4. When the lentils are very soft you can drain them and add them to the vegetables and broth. I actually pour it all into the pot that the lentils were cooked in. Continue to simmer until all the veggies are tender.

5. Puree everything with an immersion blender or wait until it has cooled a bit and whiz it in a blender until it is smooth.

6. Stir in the chopped bacon, then add salt and pepper to taste.

This soup freezes well!

Scrumptiously Stuffed Mushroom Caps

I can’t remember ever making stuffed mushroom caps before, but the other day someone in the grocery store-bought all these fabulous mushrooms to make an appetizer, and that got me thinking. I love mushrooms, and there are so many fabulous things I could combine them with. So, for a party I was planning, I made up this recipe. I used faux cream cheese, but you could use the real thing if you prefer. Likewise, feel free to substitute faux cheese for the parmesan.

I baked and served mine in this antique mini-muffin pan, but you can use any kind of oven-proof dish that you have.

What you need:

about 32 button mushrooms; try to choose larger ones

1- 255 gram bag of spinach

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

8 slices bacon

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/3 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1/3 cup cream cheese/soy cream cheese

3 scallions

juice of 1/4 lemon

What you do:

1. Heat a frying pan, add a little water and let the spinach wilt, using tongs to move it around. When the spinach has wilted, put it in a colander to drain. Squeeze the liquid out once it has cooled, then chop it finely.

2. Fry the bacon until it is a little crispy and drain on paper towels. Chop it finely when it has cooled.

3. Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove the stems, then cut a little of the mushroom away to make room for the filling. Finely chop the mushroom bits and stems.

3. Remove the bacon fat from the frying pan and throw in a little olive oil, then the mushroom bits. Fry until the mushroom shrinks, then add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.

4. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and put them in a bowl where you will add the spinach, bacon, grated cheese and bread crumbs and mix it all together. Add some salt and pepper

5. Chop the scallions finely, then mix them with the cream cheese, lemon and a little salt. Scoop a little of this into each mushroom cap. Add about a tablespoonful of the spinach mixture, mounding it on top of the mushroom and pressing down.

6. You can make these an hour or two ahead of time, then pop them in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes, watching them for the last few minutes to make sure they don’t brown too much.

Serve them after they’ve rested for a few minutes; the mushroom is really hot when it first comes out of the oven. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge

This one is a take on my usual chocolate fudge recipe. It’s so easy to make, and if you love the chocolate-peanut butter combo, you’re gonna love this.

What you need:

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

2/3 cup evaporated milk

175 grams (6oz) semisweet chocolate chips

175 grams (6oz) peanut butter chips

1 7 0z jar marshmallow cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

What you do:

1. Coat a 9×13 inch pan with butter.

2. Place the sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a large saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil, then cook for 5 minutes on medium heat, stirring.

3. Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the marshmallow and vanilla.

4. Divide the mixture in half, placing one half in a bowl. Stir the chocolate chips into one half, and the peanut butter chips into the other half.

5. Pour the chocolate part into the bottom of the pan and smooth it out a bit with a spatula, then add the peanut butter mixture and spread it out over the top.

6. Allow to cool, and then refrigerate. Take it out of the fridge about 10 minutes before you cut it. I like to cut it into pretty small squares because it’s pretty sweet. And people can always have more than one piece.

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