Power Snacks

I made these this morning, and they are so easy! No cooking or baking required! These are a great alternative to the traditional granola bar that you get in the grocery store that is full of sugar and empty calories.

1 cup all natural peanut butter
1 cup agave nectar
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown rice crisps (like Rice Krispies, but made with brown rice. They can be found in the organic or all-natural section of your grocery store)
1/2 cup dried fruit of your choice. I used dried mixed berries
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut

In a large bowl, mix together peanut butter and agave necatar until smooth. Add all other ingredients, and stir until everything is evenly coated. Roll into 2 inch balls, and place into a muffin cup. Let air dry for a few hours. Makes about 20.

Summer Shrimp Salad

Yes, this blog is about vegetarian recipes, but my husband loves shrimp, so I do make it (and eat it) sometimes. Yesterday was beautiful outside, and salad seemed perfect for dinner. This absolutely hit the spot! It is so light and fresh.

Shrimp
About 20 shrimp
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp orange juice and lime juice
2 garlic cloves
1 ½ tsp chili powder

Salad
About 4 cups of lettuce of your choice. I used mixed greens
1 avocado, diced

Dressing
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice and orange juice
1 tbsp rice vinegar
Salt to taste

In a medium frying pan on medium/high heat, heat up olive oil. Add shrimp and cook for a couple of minutes. Add juices, garlic and chilli powder. Continue to cook for a couple of more minutes, or until shrimp are fully cooked.

In a large bowl, combine lettuce and avocado. Top with cooked shrimp and dressing. Toss well, and serve.

Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are delicious! For something that is whole grain and low fat, I can’t complain. My husband and I ate them with strawberries and vanilla frozen yogurt – perfect on a warm spring evening.

Modified from Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean cookbook

¾ cup dark chocolate, melted in a double boiler
½ cup organic sugar cane
1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
3 egg whites
2 whole eggs
¼ cup regularly brewed coffee
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup spelt flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, apple sauce, egg whites, whole eggs, coffee and vanilla. Once that is well mixed, add melted chocolate.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and baking powder.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Let brownies cool before cutting.

Vegetable Fajitas

This makes about 8 small fajitas or 4 large fajitas

Sauce
½ cup salsa
½ cup sour cream
½ cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Filling
1 tsp olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Salt to taste
Hot sauce to taste

8 small (or 4 large) whole grain, soft shell, tortillas


Preparation:

1. In a bowl, combine salsa, sour cream and cheese. Set aside.

2. In a pan, heat oil on medium/high. Add peppers and onions. Saute for about 5-7 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Add chili powder, cumin, salt and hot sauce. Cook for another minute.

3. While vegetables are cooking, warm tortillas in the oven at about 200 degrees for a few minutes. Remove from oven. The shells should just be warm, not starting to get crispy.

To assemble fajitas:
In each tortilla, add some of the vegetable filling and a couple spoonfuls of sauce, and wrap like a burrito.

These made for a delicious and very easy to prepare meal.

For an easy tutorial on how to wrap these up, check out this link - http://mexicanfood.about.com/od/techniques/ht/burritofolding.htm

Lentil Salad

This salad is super filling, and great as a lunch on its own, or as a side dish.

Salad
1 ½ cups green lentils, cooked according to package directions
3 tbsp crumbled goats cheese
1 avocado, diced
¼ cup red onion, finely chopped

Dressing
2 tbsp minced sundried tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp maple syrup
½ tsp salt

Additional Ingredients;
4 cups lettuce, any will do, I used mixed greens


Make dressing in a small dish. Combine salad ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour dressing over salad and toss well.

Refrigerate lentil salad with dressing for a couple of hours.

Serve on top of the lettuce.

Maple baked apples

½ cup oats
¼ cup spelt flour
¼ cup slivered almonds
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 apples, cut in half, and the core removed

Place halved and cored apples in an oven safe dish.

Mix together oats, flour, almonds, cinnamon, butter and maple syrup in a small bowl.

Fill the centre of the apples (where the core was) with the oat mixture. The mixture will overflow a little bit, but that is okay. Add about ¼ to ½ cup of water to bottom of dish to prevent apples from drying out.

Cook at 375 for 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla frozen yogurt.

Grilled Cheese with Apple

Okay, I will admit that there really isn't a recipe for this, but I do love it! It is great on those cold days with a bowl of soup - comfort food at its best.

This is enough to make one sandwich.

2 slices of whole grain bread
1/4 cup cheddar cheese (or your favourite kind)
Half an apple, cut into thin slices
1 tbsp dijon mustard

I use a panini press for this, but a frying pan could also work. Just make it like you would make a regular grilled cheese if using a pan.

In the panini press;
-drizzle olive oil on the grill
-spread mustard on one side of both slices of bread
-Pile half of cheese on one slice, followed by all the apple, and then the rest of the cheese
-Place the other slice of bread on top
-Let cook for about 5 minutes, or until bread is golden, and cheese is melted.

Vegetable Panini

I LOVE panini's, so I started making them at home, and they are super easy!

This is enough to make one panini.

2 whole wheat panini crusts. I buy the ones from Coscto. They come in a pack of 12 (I think) but keep well in the freezer.
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, packed in oil. I rinse off the oil before putting them into the panini
3 canned artichokes, cut into quarters (can be found next to the olives, roasted bell peppers etc. in the grocery store)
Half a portabella mushroom, sliced
Large handful of fresh spinach
2 tbsp chopped red onion
1/4 cup roasted red pepper, sliced (jarred is the easiest)
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated or sliced, whichever you prefer. I have also used Havarti, and it is VERY good.
1/4 cup hummus - I do have a recipe under snacks if you need a recipe. This is optional, and can easily be skipped if you don't like hummus.

Let your panini press heat up, and spray with an all natural oil spray, or drizzle a little bit of olive oil on the grill.

Place one of the panini crusts on the grill. Spread half of the hummus, and half of the cheese on the crust. Add all vegetables. Sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

On the other crust, spread remaining hummus. Add to the top of the panini already on the grill.

Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the crusts are golden brown.

Thai Curry (slowcooker)

1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 14oz can light coconut milk
1 tbsp red curry paste
1 tbsp minced ginger
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup all natural peanut butter
1 red pepper, julienned
1 orange pepper, julienned
1 small red onion, finely sliced into rings
1 ½ cups water
1 19oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2-3 cups roughly chopped bok choy
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup frozen peas
8oz brown rice noodles

In a slow cooker add all ingredients from soy sauce to chickpeas. Cook on low for 5 hours. At the end of the 5 hours, add bok choy, basil, peas and noodles. Make sure you stir the noodles in really well otherwise they will clump. Cook for another hour. Serve with more fresh basil if desired.
You can also cook the noodles in a separate pot just before serving to prevent any clumping.