Cauliflower Tabbouleh

Morning!

So I’ve been trying to eat a bit more grain free lately – due to tummy issues!  So I’ve done a ton of research and checked out tons and tons of recipes and cauliflower is basically a grain and dairy free person’s perfect food!    It really meld into anything you want it to be from super creamy alfredo type sauce, to a low carb stand in for mashed potatoes to chicken wings to a grain in salads!    Over the past few months we’ve eaten a lot of cauliflower recipes (and enjoyed them too!)

The other day I wanted a yummy salad but was bored of plain old greens.   I used to make a super yummy bulgur wheat tabbouleh & was totally craving that recipe so I got to thinking and this was created!  You can serve it with any protein you like – I did some leftover grilled salmon but chicken, tofu, tempeh would all be great as well!  Get that protein in to keep your belly full!

This salad is FRESH, bright and crisp and would be an awesome addition to a potatoes salad heavy BBQ!   The longer you let the flavours marinate the better – so make ahead of time if you can!

 

Cauliflower Tabbouleh

1 head cauliflower – chopped into small pieces – ideally rice sized but totally up to you!

1 bunch fresh parsley – washed, de-stemmed and chopped

1 handful of cherry tomatoes- cut in half

1/4 purple onion – diced

1-2 TBSP sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) ~ for crunch!

Dressing

Juice of 1 lemon

2 TBSP olive oil

No-salt added seasoning (I used Epicure sundried tomato) (optional)

Dash of stevia or 1/4-1/2 tsp honey, agave or maple syrup (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Toss chopped cauliflower, chopped parsley, tomatoes, onion & sunflower seeds into a bowl! 

Mix dressing together (my favourite way to mix dressings  is in a mason jar and shake shake shaken) pour dressing over salad and mix together!   Let the salad sit for a bit to let the flavours marinate together – overnight is best but work with what time you have!

NOTES

If you don’t like cauliflower you could easily sub bulgur wheat, quinoa or any grain in this recipe!

Cucumber is a great addition to this salad!

A few pieces of mint can be added for some extra freshness!

Enjoy and please let me know if you give it a try!

xo Jessica

Meal Plan January 13-19

Glad everyone enjoyed the meal plan so much!  It was one of my top posts of all times!

Anyways – here’s what’s on schedule for this coming week! 

Monday – Burger, Homemade Fries & Salad (I’m making myself these Lentil Walnut Burgers)

Tuesday – Chicken Soup with Homemade Bread ( Vegan Irish Soda Bread)

Wednesday – Family Dinner

Thursday -  Chicken & Brown Rice Casserole with asparagus and probably salad  - in the recipe – will sub unsweetened almond milk for milk & use the non condensed milk version.  

Friday – BBQ Pork and Veggies (peppers, onions and zucchini), roasted sweet potatoe (served with sweet chili sauce) – I will likely skip the pork and have BBQ tofu (marinated in hoisin sauce)

Weekend sometime – Turkey with all the Fixins – probably everything here – we went for dinner at people’s houses for Christmas and missed out on Turkey Leftovers!

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Other things I’m making for a successful week – So a bunch of girlfriends and I are doing the 90 day Bikini Body Mommy Challenge – it’s a free online workout challenge and we are officially done week #1!  It’s hard work – but I’ve seen results in the first week – WOOO!

To keep myself eating ok – I need to do prep on the weekend – so I will me making;

Kale Chips (sorry the recipe is a little wacky on here – but hopefully you can read it)

Quinoa Coconut Granola Bars

Some kind of hummus – (likely will be making the curry/raisin one which I love to eat with carrots)

My friend Tasha’s low fat Granola to go in cultured coconut milk yougert!

PS – if you are ever looking for Dairy Free Snack ideas – check out this post – huge list (with links!)

Hope you are enjoying these meal plans!!

Meal Plan January 5-10

Hey guys!

So I posted on facebook last night to see if anyone was interested in seeing our weekly meal plan – even if it didn’t include recipes and there was lots of interest!  So here is the first one!

So a few words about my eating – I have a husband that loves to eat meat – so I always include meat in our dinner meals – I really enjoy chicken and seafood but red meat and pork I could always pass on (and often do!) I typically eat pretty plant based for my breakfast/lunch and snacks.  We don’t often plan for dinner on Saturday or Sunday – we usually either throw something (think soup/stews) together or go out for dinner either at friends houses or restaurants or we plan last minute and make a big dinner like Newfoundland Jiggs Dinner or my husband cooks!! (which I love!)  

Breakfasts – for breakfast I often have toast with avocado, nooch and sea salt; sugar free cereal with fresh fruit and sees/nuts and almond milk; eggs and toast; coconut yogurt with berries and seeds; scrambled eggs with veggies; leftovers from dinner; green smoothies; rice or wasa crackers with nut butters and dates – you get the idea…  Mom’s muffins are one of my favorites!

Lunch – lunch is often the veggie left overs from dinner;  or a snack plate that’s full of veggies, hummus, crackers, fruit; salad rolls are another favorite with peanut butter sauce; stir-fried veggies; quinoa salad etc. 

Snacks – dates stuffed with nut/seed butter; kale chips; tortillas chips with salsa/guac, energy balls; apples or celery with nut butter; fruit & nut trail mix; banana with peanut butter and sunflower seeds; larabars; smoothies.

Are you interested in seeing more posts like this? 

Jessica

4 Ingredient Potato Salad (VEGAN)

 

I am trying to blog more – I really am!  I’ve been updating sections of my blog, and am thinking of doing a total blog overhaul in the next little bit to clean it up, add things like PIN IT buttons and just to give it new life!   Please let me know if you have any suggestions!  If anyone has any tips on moving from blogger – wordpress please contact me!!!

 

Ok moving on!

We were so lucky this summer to head out on our friend’s boat.  We spent the day out on the water enjoying the sunshine and the company – we even got to see some Orca whales towards the end of the evening – even though I’ve lived on the coast my whole life, I have never seen Orca’s up close and personal – check out a few of the photos I took!  Amazing!

Plus there was an incredible sunset that night…

Amazing. 

Anyways onto the food!  We had a BBQ on the boat and our friends made this awesome potato salad that I had to share!  With only 4 ingredients – it’s easy as can be!

 

4 Ingredient Vegan Pesto Potato Salad

2lbs potatoes of choice – cut into cubes

3/4 cup Veganise Pesto Mayonnaise

Juice from 1/2 lemon

1 cup frozen peas

Optional – daiya cheddar shreds.

 

Directions

Boil potatoes until soft about 10 minutes

Put frozen peas into a strainer

Pour the potatoes and the hot water over the peas

Let potatoes and peas cool.

Once cooled – add veganise and lemon juice (and any extras you choose – I added 1/4 red pepper and chives for added color and crunch – but it’s great as is also!)  Mix together.

Add salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Our friends also added daiya cheddar shreds which added even more creaminess to this – but totally optional!

 

There you have it – super simple and perfect for a BBQ or potluck – or a quick easy addition to dinner!

Lucky us – we got to enjoy this while gazing at this beautiful view.

Hope you enjoyed this quick and easy recipe!  Coming up in the next few days – a post about a few of my new favorite (and not so favorite) things!

Much love,

Jessica

Fiesta Quinoa Salad

Well hello…

It’s been SO long since I posted an actual – made by me recipe – I actually don’t know where to start!

Ever since having baby boy (3.5 months ago now) I’ve been struggling with finding inspiration to eat healthier – as many moms/busy people know – sometimes, you have to grab and eat whatever you can just to fill the void.  On top of that, I just had 0 inspiration to create or play around with recipes! (or even cook if I’m being honest) 

The other day during nap time, I was flipping through documentaries on Netflix and found “Forks Over Knives” watched it and proceeded to watch the Engine 2 Diet documentary afterwards and felt totally inspired by Rip.  I felt so inspired.  Plant strong… ok I can do this!  Not saying that I’ll follow it 100% but I will try to make “plant base”choices as much as possible. 

So guess what – I’ve been making recipes like crazy (kale, lemon and cilantro sandwhich – YUM).  And I even created one of mine own – check out this beauty.

Fiesta Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 cups water or broth
• 1 can corn drained
• 1 can rinsed and drained black beans
• 1/2 purple onion diced
• 5 tomatoes diced (seeded if you want it less runny)
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro (or more if you are a cilantro loving fool) – washed, de-stemmed and chopped
• 1 TBSP chili powder
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• Lime and zest from 2 limes
• Salt to taste

Directions – cook quinoa in water (broth) as per package instructions.

Toss together all ingredients and let sit for a few hours for the flavours to mix!

Done and done!  This makes a large portion perfect for a BBQ or pot luck!

Would be awesome;

• stuffed into a pepper and baked
• Served with lettuce for lettuce wrapped
• with avocado added
• with nacho chips

There you have it – a recipe from yours truly!

Hope you are all well!!  Loving the facebook interaction as always! Thank you for your support and I hope to start creating a bit more!  Summer and sunshine is always a good inspiration too!!

And a baby picture just for fun! Isn’t he the cutest!?

Ohhh I could just kiss those lil cheeks !

Sundried Tomato Dairy Free Pesto?

Hiya!

What’s shaken folks?

How about a little pesto recipe that is easy, flavourful and dairy free?

I know you want it?

 

Sundried Tomato Pesto (Dairy Free)

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/4 cup raw or toasted almonds

1/2 (or more) packed basil

1/2 cup chicken broth (or veggie)

2 TBSP oil – I used grape seed

1/4 cup sundried tomato in oil – rinsed of excess oil

1 TBSP nutritional yeast (optional)

1 clove of garlic (or more if you are a garlic lover)

Process all ingredients in a food processor! – You will probably have to scrape down the sidesa few times to get everything processed!   Yum that’s it!!  Add more liquid as required – this made a fairly thick pesto!

 

Now what to do with it you ask?

• I roasted a bunch of my favourite veggies, and tossed it with them and some pasta and topped with chicken.
• As a base for pizza instead of tomatoes sauce
• Spread for sandwiches
• Dip for crackers/veggies
• Spread on burgers
• Spread on chicken/fish/tofu
• Thinned out and used as a salad dressing
• Coating for kale chips (mmmmmm must try this!)
• Inside a lettuce or rice wrap

Now that summer is here, I’m hoping to do more cooking and start getting recipes out to you guys! I’ve had TONS of emails (thank you) encouraging me to get back into blogging, I’m so sorry for my absence – I lost my blogging mojo a bit – but hopefully I’ll be back soon!

 

Any recipe requests out there?  Also, any great ideas for Arugula?  I was gifted a big bag of garden fresh stuff, but haven’t used it much!?   Thank you!! 

 

Hope you guys  are all doing well!  My posts on facebook haven’t been reaching everyone – so if you’d like to make sure you receive all my posts – please sign up through  email!!   The link is at the very top of my page on the right hand side!! Thank you bunches for your support!

Much love,

Jessica

Curried Millet with Greens

Happy first day of summer!  I don’t know where you guys all live, but here – the weather is sub par to normal “Summer” weather!   I had a few hours off yesterday and was feeling cold to the bone – I wanted something creamy, filling, thick and with a spicy kick!

Drool….

Curried Millet w/Greens

1 tsp. oil

1 onion diced

1 clove garlic minced ( more if you love garlic flavour)

3 TBSP curry (I used mild spiced curry)

1 cup millet

1 red pepper sliced into short strips

2 cups chopped cauliflower

2 cups chicken broth

1 can rinsed and drained chickpeas

1 can full fat coconut milk

3 TBSP  (or to taste) fish sauce (sub 1.5 tsp. soy sauce for vegan)

1 TBSP sugar (or to taste)

5 cups packed greens!

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DIRECTIONS

• Sauté onion & garlic in oil
• Add in curry powder and millet (I find toasting the curry powder and millet adds to the flavour).
• Add in the rest of the ingredients (except greens)
• 
• Simmer on medium low for 30 – 40 mins or until millet has softened
• Taste – you may need to add in more fish sauce and or sugar – depending on your taste buds
• Final step – add in greens just before serving!

 

NOTES

• You may need to add extra water/broth  - depending on how thick you would like it.  It thickened up overnight!  
• I say add fish sauce and sugar to taste because everyone likes their flavours different – I am a huge fan of the salty – so it may be too salty for other’s taste buds!!
• All curries taste different and have different spice levels – so be sure to do lots of taste testing!

 

Hope you enjoyed this recipe!  I know I’m looking forward to the left overs!

On my plate

Morning!

So I mentioned on facebook that I am doing a post about how to gain weight while being dairy free – as per a readers request.  I don’t want to half ass the post – so I am taking some time and doing research on it – keep your eyes open for it next week!

I just uploaded the photos from my iPhone and didn’t realize I had so many meal photos!!   I know a few of you newly dairy free friends are having a hard time figuring out what to eat – so maybe these will help you out!   Just a snippet of my eats as of late!

I’ve been on a healthy eating kick lately – and feeling awesome!

Snack plate – one of my favourites!  Green peas, tomatoes & carrots.   Gluten free crackers, smoked salmon and guacamole (I only ate about 1/2 the guac and salmon!!)

 

Salmon – pan fried with BBQ spices.   Roasted veggies and black quinoa that I cooked with chicken broth and dried mushrooms.

 

Trout with BBq spices, steamed kale and asparagus with a grain medley from Costco – also cooked with mushrooms and chicken broth.

Smoked salmon, dairy free cream cheese with cucumbers on toast.   and a few olives.

Another snack plate – hummus, veggies, pickles, rice crackers and canned fish

Blackberries, multigrain cibbattta bun with mayo, nooch and cucumber

Green smoothie – mangos, mixed frozen fruit, orange juice, spinach and loads of macca

Lunch yesterday – steamed kale, chickpeas with oil & vinegar dressing & sweet potatoes fries.

Apparently I only take pictures of my food if it’s fish?  I also eat chicken and tofu!!

These meals are all pretty healthy, but I assure you sweets/treats were eaten too!  I try to keep my main meals as healthy as I can – but no one is perfect!! 

Hope this helps anyone struggling with what to eat!!

Better Late Than Never…

Well hello!

So glad you enjoyed the Salmon Chowder recipe. It turned out better than I expected and  I really enjoyed the creaminess of it (I miss creamy being dairy free)! 

Well as many of you know, it was Thanksgiving here awhile back – and I have yet to do a post about it!!  I didn’t take tooo many pictures since I was busy cooking, but I thought I’d show you the ones that I did – (and attach some recipes!)

While cooking – I decided to play with my camera a bit, and thought these pears were a great subject!!  I wish their was a better background – but this picture totally makes me say “awwwh”!

Anyways…

The table was set for 8 of us (and a sweet little baby girl)!!

Dinner was prepped as much as possible before.

I made homemade cranberry sauce.

Cranberry Sauce

1 bag of fresh cranberries

1 cup of water (or orange juice for more flavour)

1/2 cup sugar

cinnamon and orange zest to taste

Boil all ingredients for 1/2 hour or until desired consistency!!  It will gel up more once cooled!

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Our friends were in charge of appies, bread, and dessert!

The appie was incredible!!  Artichoke and Green Olive Dip!   I wish I could have eaten more it was awesome, but I was too busy cooking!!  It was gone FAST though!!  

Then there was the rest of the menu.

Turkey (of course)

2 types of bread pudding – cranberry spice and onion

Stuffing (may have been from a box? I haven’t ever tried to make it from scratch!)

Mashed Potatoes (I used chicken broth instead of milk!)

Sweet Potato Casserole.

I sort of used Angela’s recipe – but I tweaked it a bunch – it was fantastic!!

There were soda biscuits and fresh bread brought by friends too!

I also made a salad, roasted veggies and pan fried Brussels sprouts!

I’m sure I am missing something – but it was quite the feast!

For dessert (no picture ) a friend made a vegan blackberry and a vegan pumpkin pie!! (I don’t like pie – but the blackberry was to die for!).

It was a fantastic night with fantastic friends!

 

Thanksgiving is such a great time – it’s always fun to  have a big group of people enjoying a big huge meal!!

 

Also as promised – I finally got some picture of the Northern Lights – they are very rare around here (I’d never seen them before)!! Thank you to Y. for these pics!   We were at an end of summer beach fire and all of a sudden the sky lit up!

Beautiful hey? I’d never seen anything like it!!

Hope your day is going fantastic!! 

More recipes coming from me next week!

PS.  Dairy Free Caramel Apple Recipe?  Yes please!

Oh So West Coast Salmon Chowder

A post from my days of writing at Our Big Earth!!  Don’t mind the holidays reference, but enjoy this recipe!

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The holidays have come and gone and everyone has already been back to school and work for a week. It’s also this time of year that people are in the final stages of the “turkey hangover,” also know as; hot turkey sandwich, turkey soup and stew and any other turkey flavoured meal overload, and they are ready for something completely different.

We are so lucky as Vancouver Islanders, to be surrounded by the beautiful ocean and all the goodies it provides us, so this recipe is quite fitting for all of us, West Coasters!

I created this recipe after trying to find some good dairy-free corn chowder recipes. I found a few OK-sounding recipes, but nothing that really stood out to me. I decided to go to my kitchen and I play around with different flavours until this creamy delight was born!

This recipe is a beautiful fusion of West Coast Canadian flavour and Asian richness! It has the creaminess of regular corn chowder, but with the sweetness of coconut milk and the little kick of curry. It’s great for the crock pot or to make as quick dinner (provided the salmon is pre cooked). With all of our snow fall warnings and below zero temperatures, this chowder will warm up the coldest toes and noses in town!

Oh So West Coast Salmon Corn Chowder

2 slices of bacon – diced
1/2 yellow onion – diced
2 cloves garlic – diced
1 lb. salmon filet (no bones)
1 celery stalk – diced
3 medium sized yellow potatoes – skin left on cubed 1 inch cubes
8 asparagus stems – diced
4 cups chicken, veggie or fish stock
1 can cream corn
1/2 cup whole corn kernels
1 cup coconut milk (full fat)
1/2 tsp. curry powder (or to taste)
1 tsp. dried parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Season salmon with salt and pepper and cook until just flaky, set aside.

2. Sauté bacon, onions, garlic, celery, asparagus and curry powder together in a large pot until bacon is crispy and onions are translucent.

3. Add stock and potatoes – cook until potatoes are soft.
Totally optional, but if you want your chowder a little less chunky – use potato masher and mash together ingredients in pot until desired consistency.

4. Add in creamed corn, corn kernels, coconut milk, and stir until combined.

5.  Just before serving, flake salmon into chowder, checking for bones.

6. Add in parsley, and salt and pepper and cook until salmon is warmed.

Serve steaming hot in a big bowl, with a nice glass of white wine and some great crusty bread and you have yourself a soul warming, “oh so west coast” meal, perfect for a chilly evening.

Alternative Ideas:

• Can use chicken, shrimp/prawns, smoked salmon, BBQ salmon or canned salmon.
  
• Add hot sauce for more of a kick!
  
• Serve in a sour dough bread bowl for a fun alternative!
  
• Substitute coconut milk for heavy cream for a more authentic corn chowder taste.
  
• Substitute curry powder for fresh herbs such as parsley, rosemary, thyme, basil.
  
• For a vegan version, omit bacon and salmon and add more potatoes, asparagus, corn, celery and onions.

Notes:

For the crock-pot version –cook salmon and set aside and sauté bacon, onions, garlic, celery, asparagus and curry powder together in a pan until bacon is crispy and onions are translucent, transfer to crock-pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and set on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

Since my hubby to be isn’t a fan of chowder, and this makes far more than I can eat, I put cooled chowder into mason jars and gave them to friends for a tasty dinner.

Although I haven’t tried it myself, you could probably freeze this recipe for a quick dinner, just be sure to stir it well as coconut milk has a tendency to separate after being thawed.

Dairy Free Chicken Pot Pie–Guest Post

 

Chicken Pot Pie
-1 of your favourite store bought pie crusts (try generic brands, as they usually omit dairy as a way to cut costs)  

For the filling:
-3 tablespoons of your favourite dairy free butter
-½ medium yellow onion, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
-Salt and freshly ground pepper
-1-1½ lbs. cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken works well if you want a short cut)
-1½-2 cups frozen peas and carrots

For the sauce:
-8 tablespoons of your favourite dairy free butter
-1 cup all-purpose flour
-2½ cups chicken broth
-½ cup soy milk
-Dash of hot sauce
-Salt and freshly ground pepper
-Sprinkle of thyme or marjoram (optional)

Add the onion to the pan, and sauté for about 5 minutes.  Mix in the garlic, turn off the heat and mix in the chicken and the frozen peas and carrots. Stir in the thyme or marjoram (if using), red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth.  Gradually whisk in the chicken broth and cook over medium heat until it thickens to the consistency of a cream soup.  Mix in the soy milk, the hot sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour the cream sauce over the chicken and veggie mixture and stir to combine well.  Spoon the mixture into individual oven-safe dishes, such as bowls or large ramekin’s. 

Preheat the oven to 375° F.  Cut the dough to fit the dishes and place on top of the individual dishes.  Trim and crimp the edges and slice vents in the top.

Place the pot pie dishes on a baking sheet for easy transfer in and out of the oven.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Serve immediately.

These come out of the oven piping hot and oozing...completely irresistible.  Enjoy!
-Amanda

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Thanks Amanda – these sound fantastic!!  I haven’t had Chicken Pot Pie since I became dairy free, so this is on my list for sure!!

Please check out Amanda’s blog for more yummy recipes!

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Hope you are all doing good!  Thanks for sticking around – even if I’m not posting often!