Fresh Lemon Vegan Cupcakes

"If you didn't tell me, I never would have guessed they were vegan" says one taster!

Ingredients:
1/4 Cup fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1/3 Cup vegan butter
1/2 Cup berry sugar (or white)
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp baking powder
1 Tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 Cups flour
1 Cup almond milk

Lemon Glaze:
2 Cups icing sugar
1/3 Cup vegan butter
1 Tbsp fresh lemon
1/2 Tsp lemon zest

Directions:
Mix vegan butter and sugar together. Add lemon juice and vanilla. Add dry ingredients then mix in almond milk. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until done. Cool and add glaze. (glaze makes enough for a double batch of cupcakes).

Vegan Pumpkin Craisin Bread

I've made pumpkin bread a few times now so I should really add it to the blog and this time I added Craisins (dried cranberries). Makes two loaves!

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup vegan butter
1 Cup brown sugar
1 Tsp vanilla
1 Tsp cinnamon
1 Tsp nutmeg
1/2 Tsp ground ginger
1 15oz Pure Pumpkin Puree
1 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Tsp baking powder
2 Cups all purpose flour
3/4 Cup craisins

Directions:
Combine wet ingredients then dry ingredients. Divide into two loaf dishes and bake at 350 for around 60 minutes.

Mushroom Kale Marinara

Oh yes my friends!

Ingredients:
2 x 26 oz Crushed tomatoes
1/8 Tsp Red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp Brown sugar
1+ Tbsp Italian seasoning blend
1/2 Large red onion diced
2 Cloves of garlic minced
1 Bunch of kale chopped
1 1/2 Cups of diced mushrooms

Directions:
Saute onion in olive oil, salt and pepper then add garlic. Combine the rest of the ingredients and simmer until sauce thickens. Final step is to blend!

I served mine on edamame noodles.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes with Apple Cinnamon Sauce

Weekend Fall breakfast delight!

Pancake Ingredients:
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp vegan butter/margarine
1 Flax egg
1/3 Cup pumpkin puree
1/4 Tsp cinnamon
1/4 Tsp nutmeg
1 Cup flour
1 Tsp baking powder
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1 Cup almond milk

Apple Cinnamon Sauce:
Peal and chop apples (Gala)
Liberally sprinkle cinnamon over top and add a little bit of water
Boil until soft, mixing occasionally and mash

Directions:
Combine sugar and "butter" then add wet and dry ingredients. Cook on a hot greased pan. Serve topped with Apple Cinnamon Sauce and Maple Syrup.

Strawberry Rhubarb Supreme Vegan Muffins

Supreme pretty much sums it up.

Ingredients:
2 Cups all purpose flour
1/2 Cup quick oats
1/2 Cup brown sugar
1 Flax egg
1/2 Cup margerine
1/4 Tsp cinnamon
1/4 Tsp nutmeg
1 Tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 Tsp baking powder
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Cup diced rhubarb
1 Cup diced strawberries
1 Defrosted banana
1 Cup almond milk

Combine dry ingredients to wet and bake in muffin cups for 22-27 minutes at 350 degrees.

Ginger-Miso Tofu Stirfry with Soba Noodles

My first time making tofu was a success! A couple tricks learned via youtube and here you go!

Ingredients:
Firm tofu
Onion
Garlic
Kale
Carrots
Celery
Mushrooms
Yellow pepper
Green Beans

Sauce:
1 Cup of water with veg stock
1/4 Cup soya sauce
1 Tbsp miso paste
1 Tsp Sriracha
2 inches of grated ginger

Directions:
Press out the moisture in the tofu, cut into small cups and pat dry again. Pan-fry in a pan until all edges are lightly golden then set aside. Sauté diced onion then add garlic and create the sauce in the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until tender. Top on cooked buckwheat soba noodles and add some extra starry sauce for deliciousness!

Vegan Banana-Carrot-Apple Muffins

Eat well friends.

You could always substitute for dairy products if you aren't vegan, or use GF flour if you're that!

Ingredients:
3 Defrosted frozen bananas mashed
3 Carrots grated
1 Apple peeled and grated
1/4 Cup margerine (becel olive oil)
2 Flax eggs (google it)
1/3 Cup brown sugar
1 Tsp vanilla
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
1/4 Tsp nutmeg
2 Cups flour
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/2 Cup original almond milk

Directions:
I mix margarine and brown sugar, then add in flax eggs, vanilla, spices then bananas, carrots and apple. Next I add the dry ingredients then finish by mixing in the almond milk. Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350 in muffin cups.

Colourful Asian Inspired Quinoa Salad

This salad tastes as good as it looks! So bright and pretty.

Ingredients:
1 Cup dried quinoa
1/4 Head red cabbage
2 Kale leafs
1 Cup edamame
1 Yellow pepper
1/4 Cup green onions
1 Celery stalk
1 Carrot small chunks
1 Cup diced cucumber

Dressing:
1 Tbsp fine grated ginger
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp soya sauce
1 Tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp Siracha sauce
1 Tsp maple syrup
Half lemon juiced (or lime)

Garnishing with sesame seeds would be perfection! This makes a BIG bowl.

Sweet and Tangy BBQ Pizza (V)

You know when you create food in your head and then finally have to make it?

Ingredients:
Homemade pizza dough (re: Mary's First Pizza recipe)
BBQ Sauce (store bought - cheat!)
Fresh pineapple chunks
Mushrooms
Yellow pepper diced
Half a large red onion soaked in balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Put as much of everything that you want on the pizza and bake until done! (25-30 minutes).

Enjoy!

Salad Rolls w/ Spicy Peanut Sauce

You could stuff it with anything pretty much...

Ingredients:
Rice paper
Vermicelli
Green onions
Cucumber
Carrots

Peanut sauce:
Peanut butter
Soya sauce
Sriracha
Maple syrup
Hot water (to thin)

Directions: Cut to textures you like, I thinly sliced the fresh veg, cooked the noodles and rolled in rice paper. So easy! Just a little assembly line. The sauce (for one serving) was probably a tbsp peanut butter, 1 tsp soya sauce, 1/2 tsp maple syrup, tsp Sriracha squeeze some fresh lemon and a little hot water to thin. Taste and go (could add fresh grated ginger too...)

Warm Beet and Potato Salad

Admittedly an Atlas Cafe knock-off without the goat cheese. So simple and satisfying.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
Romain lettuce
1 Beet
1 Yukon potato
1/2 Cup edamame
Balsamic dressing

Directions: Peel and slice potatoes and beets to similar sizes. Toss with olive oil and generously season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 25 minutes at 350, flipping sides halfway through roasting. Wash and chop salad (I used a market fresh head of romain) and top with edamame (I used defrosted frozen). Add the potatoes and beets while still hot and drizzle a homemade balsamic vinegar (mine had balsamic, olive oil, dijon, maple syrup and salt and pepper).

Gnocchi Corn Chowder

I've never made a chowder before so what better inspiration does one need than "nothing to bring for lunch" tomorrow? Delicious!

Ingredients:
1 Onion diced
2 Stalks of celery diced
2 Medium carrots diced
1 1/2 Cups of mushrooms diced
2 Cloves of garlic minced
1 Cup frozen corn
1 Cup frozen peas
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 Cup all purpose flour
4 Cups of chicken stock
2 Cups milk
1 Tsp Italian seasoning
1 Package small gnocchi


Directions:
Saute onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms in melted butter and olive oil until soft. Add garlic then flour. Cook for a couple minutes then slowly add stock. Add corn, peas, gnocchi, seasoning and milk. Bring to a simmer until gnocchi is done and serve! Chowder for days...

The Best Teriyaki Sauce

Holy SH!T I made Teriyaki sauce!!! I don't even know how to spell it without autocorrect. It's so simple, so quick and honestly better than any teriyaki sauce I can remember having. Recipe makes 2 cups.


Ingredients:
1 Cup of water
1/4 Cup of soya sauce (or Tamari)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Large garlic clove minced
2 Tbsp corn starch
1/4 cup of water







Directions:
In a. small pot combine 1 cup of water, soya sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic and bring to a boil. In a small cup combine corn starch and 1/4 cup of cold water until dissolved then add to the boiling mixture. You can turn the heat off or down and keep mixing until the sauce thickens which doesn't take long. Enjoy!

Mary's First Homemade Pizza

OMG I made pizza!!! It's actually pretty quick and simple! The toppings could vary but I used fresh pineapple, ham, yellow pepper, mushroom (store bought) pizza sauce and marble cheese.

Dough:
2 Cups of flour
1 Packet of quick rising yeast
3/4 Tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Cup warm water

Directions: Combin flour, yeast and salt then add olive oil and warm water (closer to hot). I mixed it with a fork until combined and added a little extra flour until dough was soft. Placed in an oiled bowl and let rest for 20-40 minutes. I then rolled out on a floured surfaced and baked for 10 minutes. Take out add toppings and bake for another 10-15 minutes at 350.

Everytime I make something homemade I wonder why I ever bought it before? So good!

Mediterranean Pizza Muffins

Weeknight pizza and beer? Sure! A little prep and you're good for quick and satisfying weeknight meals.

Toppings:

Cherry tomatoes
Sautéed mushroom and onions
Artichokes
Black Olives
Shredded marble cheese
Pizza sauce (store bought cheat but easy enough to make!)
(Roasted garlic would be nice...)

Directions:
Topped a whole wheat English muffin as desired bake at 350 for 10 minutes (on parchment paper - no mess) and enjoy with a cold one ;)

Directions:
Topped a whole wheat English muffin as desired bake at 350 for 10 minutes (on parchment paper - no mess) and enjoy with a cold one ;)

Potato & Cabbage Soup

The worlds most simple soup. Probably. I seem to be really into vegetable soups because it's too cold for salads yet!





Ingredients:
2-3 Potatoes diced
1/2 Head of cabbage chunked
3 Carrots diced
3 Stalks of celery diced
1 Large garlic clove minsed
1 Onion diced
1/2 Cup frozen corn
Chicken stock
1 Tsp Italian seasoning
Salt, Pepper & Olive oil










Directions:
Saute onions in salt, peper and olive oil until soft then add garlic, carrots and celery. Add desired amount of liquid and seasoning (amount of stock and seasoning depends on your taste as you go). Add cabbage then potatoes and finally corn. Let simmer until your desired texture.

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Yup. Flavourful. Comfort food. I roasted the garlic while cooking the chicken otherwise this magic may not have happened.

Ingredients: (use your own portions)
2 Potatoes
1/3 Head cauliflower
2 Cloves of garlic
Knob of butter
Splash of milk

Directions:
Boil cauliflower and potatoes together in water/ chicken stock. Drain, mash in butter, milk and garlic. Viola!

Market Vegetable and Bean Soup

A fresh comforting way to start off the year. Soup for days!!!

Ingredients:
1 Onion
2 Carrots
2 Stalks of celery
1 Clove of garlic
1/3 Cabbage
1/3 Cauliflower
1 Cup fresh green beans
1/2 Cup frozen corn
1 Can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 16oz Can diced tomatoes (drained)
1 Tbsp chicken stock powder (or to taste)
32oz Water
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

Directions:
Try to equally chop veggies. Start by sauteing diced onion in olive oil then add garlic carrots, celery with some salt and pepper. Add diced tomatoes, then the rest of the veg and water/chicken stock. I added the hardest to cook veggies first. Cook until your liking - this makes a big pot! Enjoy. Tip: Add additionally stock powder (or liquid) and seasoning to your liking (taste as you go).