Friday, December 20, 2013

Happy Herbivore Light & Leans Q&A, recipe & giveaway

 

I’ve been lucky enough to review all of Lindsey (Happy Herbivore) cookbooks now and Light & Lean is my new favorite!

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Each of her cookbooks are filled with quick & easy low fat vegan recipes! And bonus – the recipes all have ingredients you most likely already have in your cupboard!

This awesome book is loaded with tasty recipes (I’ve made about 10 already) and it also has a section on workouts you can do anywhere!  There is a fantastic section all about 100 calories too – which was very enlightening for me – and something I now think about on a daily basis (can’t share though  - you must get the book!)

 

I am lucky to be apart of this virtual book tour and got to ask Lindsey a few questions, share a recipe AND host a giveaway! So here ya go!

Interview with the Happy Herbivore herself!

DFB Question #1 If you had to “wow” someone with an appetizer, entre, side and desert from this book which would you choose? 

HH Answer #1 – Any dish.

DFB Question #2 – Many of my readers have kids with dairy allergies – can you give me a few of your recipes from this book that have been a hit with younger kids? 

HH Answer #2  - All of ‘em—my testers all have kids or grandkids. I don’t put recipes in my books they don’t eat. :)

DFB Question #3  - What’s the best tip you can give someone that is needing to go dairy-free (vegan) for health reasons? 

HH Answer #3 - Keep your motivations in focus when times feel tough.

DFB Question #4 – A personal one, I’m sure many can relate too.   I have tried adopting a plant based diet – and loved it.  I also dropped quite a few pounds easily, and really enjoyed the food – however – I found it hard to stick to living with a meat eating husband (who has no interested in giving up meat) and a busy little guy (so making separate meals isn’t an option).  Do you have any tips for someone who wants to try to eat this way, but has time constraints, or opposition from family members? 

HH Answer #4 - You’ve got to be a little bit selfish. You’re no good to anyone if you’re sick or not feeling your best. Make plant based meals and charge hubby with cooking his own meat if he wants to add it to the meal.

 

Caribbean Bowl

Caribbean BowlSingle serving

Soy-free, Gluten-free, Quick, Budget, Single Serving

I love the pairing of black beans and pineapple! Inspired by the Caribbean Chili (in full cookbook), now you have a Caribbean Bowl too! Avocado and guacamole also make a nice addition.

2 c kale, chopped

½ c cooked quinoa

½ c black beans

½ c pineapple salsa

½ c diced or crushed pineapple

2 green onions, sliced

Line a pot with a thin layer of water, bring to a boil, add kale, and cover for about a minute (the kale will

turn bright green). Give it a stir so all of the kale is bright green and softer, then drain. Mix in quinoa

and/or beans to warm it up a bit, if desired. (I like to serve this with everything warm except the salsa,

pineapple, and green onion, which are chilled.) Transfer to a bowl and toss with salsa, pineapple,

and green onions, leaving a few onion pieces for garnish. You can also drizzle hot sauce on top if desired.

Variation

Make it a Wrap: Divide ingredients (skipping quinoa and using spinach instead of kale) into two wraps, for approximately 196 calories each.

Per bowl

Calories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

Fat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.9g

Carbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65.6g

Fiber. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.6g

Sugars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8.3g

Protein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.7g

WW Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

 

And giveaway time!  All you have to do is answer 1 question on here or on my facebook page (which I will transfer over to my blog)  Open to anyone in Canada or US (excluding PO boxes!) Contest closes Dec 27th at 8pm – winner will be announced on my facebook page & will have 48 hours to respond!

Since I got inspiration from the “100 Calorie” part of this cookbook;

What’s one healthy tip that’s stuck with you overtime?

 

**Thanks to BenBella for hosting this giveaway!

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Apple Butter

Well hello!

So I won’t go on about my lack of posting – I’ll just say HI!  Miss you guys & lets get down to business!

 

Apple butter by Dairy Free Betty

Apple butter… have you tried it?   It has to be one of the easiest and tastiest things out there!

What you need -

Crockpot

Blender

Apples (I used about 6) cut the core and seeds out and quarter (leave skins on) – I used an assortment of what was in the fridge – Fuji, gala, Ambrosia.

Cinnamon

Sprinkle of ground ginger (optional)

1/2 Lemon

Process

Put apples in crockpot – turn crockpot on high for about 3 hours.  Once apples have broken down to an apple sauce consistency – blend all apples in a blender until smooth!  If you are lucky enough to have a high powered blender – it should take about 30 seconds!  You shouldn’t have to add any liquid – if you do have to remember the more liquid you add – the longer you will have to cook it for!

Once it is smooth add the apples back into the crockpot and add cinnamon (to taste) and juice from 1/2 lemon.   Cook with the lid off for another 3-4 hours or until you can’t handle the smell anymore and you need to eat it and/or it becomes a caramel color!

Yup – that’s all folks!

This stuff is amazing!  It’s smooooth like butter (probably where it got it’s name) and caramelly sweet!  SO GOOD!  I love it smothered on my favorite muffins!  And is great eaten off the spoon!   My little guy is a huge fan too!

This stuff is TOTALLY giftable!

NOTE – I’ve also added pears – it does make the butter a bit more gritty – but still good!

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Hey! It’s almost Christmas! I feel SO uninspired to do any baking this year – but here’s a post from a few years ago when Christmas baking was my thing!  (now chasing around an almost walking 9.5 month old entertains my days!)  I HIGHLY recommend the peanut butter cups!

PS. I did decorate though – and my hubby and I have been doing Elf on a Shelf for each other every night (so fun) our Elf’s name is Starsky Waffleplums – awesome no?

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Just to keep you coming back for more! December 20th – I am hosting another giveaway for the new Happy Herbavoire Cookbook – which is EASILY in my top 3 favorite books right now!  I also got the chance to do a Happy Herbavoire Interview AND will be posting a recipe or two from the book!

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PSS…  I really love and appreciate you guys!  I know I don’t post often, but I’m always just an email or message away! And I try to have a presence on Facebook so join the fun there! 

Ciao,

Jessica xo

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