Classic Potato Fries

Potatoes are great. I don't think I've ever met someone who doesn't like potatoes... Don't get me wrong, I like sweet potatoes as well, but fries made from white potatoes cannot be replaced. Today I made some for my lunch and decided to photograph the experience.

Classic Potato Fries (serves ~ 2 - 4)

4 medium sized white potatoes - I used yellow-fleshed, but use whatever you have on hand!
1/2 tsp olive oil
1.5 tsp dried basil
2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 425F. Chop the potatoes in half lengthways, and then again on either side (as if cutting into quarters lengthways). Cut each of these pieces into your desired fry thickness and place in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and spread out the fries evenly and bake for about 25 - 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Serve with ketchup and enjoy!

Vegetable Curry Rice Dish

For some reason, having seen a lot of rice around the internet these past couple weeks, I had a hankering for a warm vegetable curry dish. I was particularly after the thick curry sauce that accompanies these dishes which I had only been able to replicate with coconut milk previously. However, I was looking to make a dish free of any oils or fat so I did some research (ok, it was very minimal...) and discovered a great fix.

This dish would definitely be good on a cold night in the middle of winter but who says you can't enjoy it in the middle of summer too?!

Vegetable Curry Rice Dish (serves ~ 4)

1.5 cups basmati rice
1.5 cups water or vegetable stock (low sodium)

1 medium onion (red or white)
2 medium carrots
1 zucchini
1 bell pepper
2 cloves of garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
1 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp curry
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Begin by adding the rice and water/broth to a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to low heat and cook for approximately 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop your vegetables into bite sized pieces (as seen in the first picture). Add the onion and garlic into a pan on medium heat, along with a few tablespoons of water, and cook until the onion starts to become transparent. Add the other vegetables, along with the ginger, curry, coriander and cumin and continue to cook for 3 - 5 minutes (adding additional water if the vegetables start to stick to the pan).

Once the vegetables have softened, add the cup of water and cornstarch (dissolved previously or not, it doesn't really matter) into the pan and mix well. Turn the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer for about 8 - 10 minutes. The liquid should thicken as it reduces, making for a great sauce over rice.

Serve over rice and enjoy!

Apple Carrot Juice

I got a juicer for my birthday last month and haven't always had time to try some delicious juice recipes. Sometimes simple is best though. My Dad and sister can't drink apple juice from the store because of the preservatives and the processing it's gone through, however, the real, fresh stuff they CAN! 

I can understand why too... it tastes so fresh. There's something about juicing your own fruit and veggies. I used to just add them into our Vitamix, blend them up with a little water and strain the pulp to make juice. This works just as well, but when you have a legit juicer on hand... it's even easier!

There's something about apple and carrot together. I can find fresh apple juice a little too sweet, so adding carrot is a nice way to tone it down and add a pretty orange colour :) Try this simple, delicious and refreshing juice to remind you of those summer days that are just around the corner. Or so I keep telling myself...

Apple Carrot Juice (serves ~ 1 - 4)

5 - 6 apples
2 carrots

Juice away (on the higher setting)! Serve cold or over ice.. yum :)

Blueberry Banana Smoothie

This morning I woke up, just craving a banana blueberry smoothie. Sometimes all you need is a couple ingredients in the blender to make something delicious. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a complicated recipe... but it was one I wanted to share.

I made a lot of smoothie, but if you were pairing this with something else for breakfast I would go by the recipe below. Just double or triple if you're serving more than yourself! Or want to drink more of this awesome smoothie....

Blueberry Banana Smoothie (serves ~ 1 - 2)

2 bananas
2/3 cup frozen blueberries
1 - 2 cups of almond milk (depending on how thick you like it)
Cinnamon to taste

Blend! If you aren't using any frozen fruit, add in a couple ice cubes to keep it cool. Enjoy :)

Almond Coconut Granola

Last month I made a nutty chocolate granola that I baked at a temperature that was.... too toasty. It ended up a little crisp but I finished it off. This time, I wanted to make something with the leftover almond pulp I had from making almond milk last weekend.

I found a recipe and made a few substitutions and came up with this brilliant and golden GRANOLA!

Almond Coconut Granola (serves many :)

2 cups almond pulp
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
4 tbsp honey
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup walnuts
1/3 cup slivered almonds
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp cinnamon

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, mix thoroughly and then combine with the wet. Mix until well combined and then lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 300F for 20 - 25 minutes - until golden!

**If your almond pulp isn't exactly dry, throw it on the baking sheet first and bake for about 10 minutes until slightly toasted and drier.

Serve by itself as a snack, or with almond milk and fruit for breakfast :)

Simple Mango Smoothie

All week I've had this craving for mango. Luckily we were able to buy some frozen in bulk. Naturally the first thing I do is throw it in a smoothie. A delicious smoothie.

I honestly just would have thawed it and eaten it as is, but I thought blending it with another simple ingredient would be just as good. That ingredient is..... coconut milk! If you want a tropical feel to your smoothies I suggest adding coconut milk. And who doesn't want that in the middle of a cold, snowy winter?

Yes I had this whole thing to myself (boy was it good) but it was a whole meal for me :)

Simple Mango Smoothie (serves ~ 1 - 3)

4 cups of frozen mango chunks
1 cup light coconut milk
2 cups cold water (add more if it isn't blending smoothly)

Blend with a high speed blender, making sure everything is fully combined and serve immediately!

Purple Velvet Beet Tart

We receive this monthly (I think?) magazine from the people at Presidents Choice called Fresh Juice, and within this magazine are scrumptious recipes.  I laid eyes on this particular picture of a beet pie or tart.  It look so vibrantly purple and delicious.  How could I not make it?

The lighting wasn't great, but the food WAS.  This is my version of the Purple Velvet Beet Tart :)

The crust was gluten free (part of the recipe) and the filling used agave nectar, which I've never actually tried but heard so much about.  My Nana was in town, so we set off to the grocery store, list in hand, and made it back with all the necessary ingredients.

Purple Velvet Beet Tart (serves ~12)

Gluten Free Crust
1.5 cups almond meal/flour
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup potato starch
1 tbsp organic coconut oil
2 tbsp liquid honey
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beet Filling
2.5 cups roughly chopped, cooked, peeled beets
1 cup agave nectar
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 tbsp orange zest (mmmmmm)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F.

Begin by mixing together the almond meal, flaxseed and potato starch in a large bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and slowly add in 1/4 cup of water (I think I used the whole 1/4 cup) until it forms a slighly moist, malleable dough.  Press into the bottom of a lightly greased 9 inch pie pan.  Bake for about 12 minutes until lightly browned.

Now onto the filling!  Cook the beets however works best for you - just make sure you are left with skinned, cooked beets. Place the beets into a food processor and puree with the agave until smooth.  Add everything else in and blend until smooth.

Pour the batter into the shell and bake on the center rack for about 45 minutes, or until it no longer jiggles when you shake it in the oven (gently....). Wait for it to cool (about 1 hour) and then serve with whatever toppings you'd like!  We whipped some cream (a rare occasion in our house!), blueberries and sliced strawberries.  It was delish!

Oh and don't forget to artfully sift some cocoa powder over your creation ;)

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie

This recipe has been made countless times over the past couple of years.  Not only is it super delicious, it has no flour, eggs, butter and is high in fiber!  I can almost guarantee that whoever you serve this to will have no idea what the main ingredient is.  Can you guess?

CHICKPEAS!  This bean is incredibly versatile.  You can roast them, toss them in a salad, blend them into hummus and now into a chocolate chip cookie pie!  I don't think you'll ever go back to regular chocolate chip cookies after this recipe.  Trust me :)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie (serves ~24, depending on how you slice it ;)

1 can chickpeas
1 cup oats
2 cups pitted dates
8 drops liquid stevia
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup applesauce
2/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (or water)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Blend all of the ingredients (except chocolate chips) in a food processor, starting with the chickpeas, until smooth.  Transfer into a bowl and mix in the chocolate chips.  Pour into a baking pan (preferably 9 x 13, or a circular pan around 10" wide) and bake for ~35 minutes or until browned.

Tart Fruity Smoothie

Today is the day I start my raw adventure.  I'm going to take it day by day, but I'm truly interested to see what this way of eating does for my energy, my skin and essentially my body!  I will be making my best effort to eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible.

Breakfast this morning was an apple with this beautifully coloured smoothie.  I knew it was going to be tart (somehow I forgot as I took my first sip..) but it was also very refreshing after my 11km bike ride.

Tart Fruity Smoothie (serves 1)

1 orange peeled
4 frozen strawberries
2/3 cup frozen raspberries
2 - 3 cups cold water

Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender and serve immediately :)