Author: Anne Marie

Sunflower Seed Biscotti

Serves: 12 – 14 Biscotti

Source: Power Biscotti from Blissful Basil

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon (7 g) ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons (30 mL) filtered water
2 cups (300 g) raw shelled sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon (8 g) arrowroot starch
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup (60 g) dried cherries, cranberries, or blueberries, roughly chopped
1/3 cup (53 g) raw pepitas
2 tablespoons (18 g) cacao nibs (optional)
1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon (5 mL) pure vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Meanwhile, add the sunflower seeds to a food processor and process for 45–60 seconds, or until you have a coarse flour or fine meal, stopping to pulse several times to ensure even processing. The texture should be flour-like; be careful not to overprocess or you’ll end up with sunflower butter.
    Transfer the sunflower flour to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the arrowroot and sea salt. Stir in the dried fruit, pepitas, and cacao nibs (if using).
    Add the maple syrup and vanilla extract to the small mixing bowl with the flaxseed mixture and vigorously whisk to combine. Pour over the dry sunflower mixture, and use a large wooden spoon to mix well for about 30 seconds. At first it will seem like there isn’t enough liquid, but keep stirring until the liquid is evenly dispersed and you have a damp dough.
  3. Turn the dough out onto the lined baking sheet, and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Use lightly wet hands to shape and compact the dough into 2 tightly packed rectangles. Each rectangle should be approximately 4 × 6 inches, and just shy of 1 inch thick.
    Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown and each rectangle feels well set, yet retains a soft indentation when gently pressed. Remove from the oven and cool for about 20 minutes.
    Meanwhile, decrease the oven temperature to 275°F (135°C).
  4. Once the biscotti rectangles are mostly cool, use a sharp knife to cut them widthwise into 1-inch-thick slices, pressing straight down and rocking the knife back and forth to slice rather than using a sawing motion. You should have a total of 12–14 biscotti, 6–7 from each rectangle.
    Carefully return the biscotti to the lined baking sheet, sliced-side down. Bake for 16–18 minutes. Then, carefully flip each biscotti, and bake for another 16–18 minutes, or until a light golden brown and crisp to the touch. They’ll continue to crisp as they cool, so keep that in mind when testing for doneness.
    Carefully transfer the biscotti to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely. Store in an airtight glass container to maintain crispness. They’ll keep for up to 1 week at room temperature, or you can store them in the freezer for a bit longer.

Tips:

Oven temperatures may vary greatly, so be sure to keep an eye on the biscotti during all three stages of baking to avoid burning it.

Kale Wild Rice Salad

Serves: 4

Source: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/kale-and-wild-rice-salad/

Ingredients:

  • 1 large bunch kale (I like to use lacinato kale)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • Pinch of Kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 cup cooked wild rice
  • 1 large apple, chopped
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
  • 3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
For the Dressing;
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Dash of salt and ground black pepper

Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, add the kale, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. Massage the kale with your hands until the kale softens, about 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked wild rice, apple, avocado, dried cranberries, almonds, and goat cheese. Gently toss.
  2. To make the dressing, combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, maple syrup, and mustard in a small bowl or jar. Whisk until smooth. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
  3. Drizzle dressing over the salad and gently toss. Serve immediately.
  4. Note-if you don’t have wild rice, brown rice will work too. If you don’t like goat cheese, feta cheese is also good. The salad is best the day it is made, but you can keep it in the refrigerator in a container for up to one day. I like the leftovers the next day.

Choco PB Hemp Bars

Serves: 16

Source: Manitoba Harvest

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-natural peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil (plus more for greasing the dish)
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup Hemp Hearts
  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts
  • 1 1/4 cups dark chocolate chips (use Enjoy Life chips if making dairy-free)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Add the peanut butter, coconut oil and honey to a pot and melt over low heat, stirring often.
  2. Once the mixture is well combined, add in the chocolate chips and stir until they are melted.
  3. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients.
  4. Spoon the mixture into a 9×13 dish that has been greased with coconut oil.
    Place the dish in the fridge. Once it has set, cut into bars and serve. Make sure you store them in the fridge or freezer so the chocolate doesn’t melt.

Dairy Free Blueberry Truffles

Serves: 2 dozen

Source: Ricardo, Holidays 2016

Ingredients:

  • 8 ounces of chopped dark chocolate
  • 1 – 1 1/3 cups thawed blueberries, drained
  • sifted cocoa powder to dust the truffles

Instructions:

  1. Place chocolate in a bowl.
  2. Puree drained blueberries. You will need 1/2 cup of puree.
  3. Bring blueberries to a boil and pour blueberry puree over chocolate and let melt for 3 minutes without stirring. Then whisk chocolate and blueberries puree until it is a smooth ganache.
  4. Pour ganache (chocolate mixture) into an 8 inch glass dish and refrigerate for 2 hours.
  5. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Form the ganache into ball (about 1 tablespoon per ball. Roll each ball in cocoa powder. Let the truffles set for at least 3 hours in the fridge or freeze for up to 3 months.
  6. Bring to room temperature before serving.

***Note: I used some disposable food gloves to form the truffles.

Instant Cherry Sorbet

Serves: 2 Servings

Source: Chatelaine, 2016

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups frozen pitted black cherries
  • 2 tablespoons of super fine sugar
  • 2 tablespoons amaretto
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions:

  1. Whirl 2 cups of frozen black cherries along with 2 tablespoons of sugar in a food processor until crumbly.
  2. With the motor still running, gradually add amaretto and lemon juice until smooth but not runny.

Maple Brussels Sprouts Slaw

Serves: 5 to 6 cups

Source: Homegrown by Mairlyn Smith

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 t bsp grainy Dijon
  • 2 tbsp prepared horseradish, (mild or hot)
  • 1/2 tsp iodized salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
    1/4 cup canola oil
    SLAW
  • 4 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed
  • 6 radishes, trimmed
  • 1 large carrot, scrubbed well
  • 4 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup dried cranberries, (optional)

Instructions:

  1. In a large bowl, whisk vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, horseradish, salt and pepper together to make the dressing. Whisk in the oil until smooth and set aside.
  2. TO make the salad, use either the grating attachment on a food processor or a box grater to shred the sprouts, radishes and carrot. Transfer to the bowl.
  3. ADD the onions and cranberries (if using) and toss well to coat. Let the salad stand for 15 minutes to meld flavours. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve.

Health Bite
Brussels sprouts are a nutrient dense member of the cruciferous family of super vegetables. According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, several components within this family of veggies have been linked to a reduction of cancer risk.

“Your family will love this tangy slaw and (if you don’t tell them) they won’t even know that they are eating Brussels sprouts; they’ll think it’s cabbage.” — Amy Whitson, PHEc

Recipe from Homegrown, by Mairlyn Smith, Whitecap Books Ltd.

Nutrition

Calories 87
Protein 1.7 g
Carbohydrates 8 g
Fat 5.9 g
Fibre 2.5 g
Sodium 14 mg

Vegan Banana Bread

Serves: 1 9 x 5 Loaf

Source: Oh She Glows App

Ingredients:

  • 3 large bananas (about 1 1/3 cups mashed)
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
  • 1/3 cup plant based milk
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of coconut or cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups of light spelt flour or whole grain spelt flour
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a 9 x 5 loaf pan .
  2. In a large bowl, mash bananas until almost smooth. Stir in wet ingredients until combined.
  3. Stir in dry ingredients and add walnuts
  4. Spoon dough into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. The top of the loaf should spring back when touched. Slice when cooled.

Super Food Granola

Serves: 8 cups

Source: Chatelaine, May 2016

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil, or olive oil
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 cup quinoa flakes
  • 1 cup spelt flakes
  • 1 cup hemp hearts
  • 1 cup pepitas
  • 100 g Brazil nuts, finely chopped (I used almonds)
  • 2 tbsp flaxseeds
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup goji berries or dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup dried golden berries or golden raisins (I used chopped dried apricots)

Instructions:

  1. POSITION racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat to 300F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.
  2. WHISK oil with maple syrup and salt in a large bowl. Stir in quinoa, spelt, hemp hearts, pepitas, Brazil nuts, flaxseeds and chia seeds. Spread on baking sheets.
  3. BAKE in top and bottom thirds of oven until golden, stirring and switching sheets halfway, 20 to 25 min. Cool completely, then stir in goji berries and golden raisins. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal

Serves: 6

Source: Greg

Ingredients:

  • 2 Cups old fashioned oats
  • 1 tsp of baking powder
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 1 nutmeg freshly ground
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 1 cup of canned pumpkin
  • 1 tsp of vanilla
  • 1 egg

Instructions:

  1. Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls.  Then mix together and pour into a greased 8 inch square baking dish.  Bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes.

Shaved Asparagus Spring Salad

Serves: 4

Source: http://asparagus.on.ca/recipes/

Ingredients:

  • 1Lb Fresh Ontario Asparagus, about 20 large spears
  • ¼ Fennel Bulb, fronds reserved
  • 2 cups fresh salad greens
  • 1/2 Granny Smith Apple
  • 1/3 Cup Freshly Shaved Parmesan Cheese

Dressing

  • 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Juice of 1/2 Lemon, about 2 Tablespoons
  • ¼ Cup Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 teaspoon Honey
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste
  • 6-7 Chives, finely diced

Instructions:

  1. Toss together the sorrel and arugula leaves and spread out onto a serving platter or salad bowl.
  2. Slice the fennel and the apple as thinly as possible. Cut the sliced apple again into matchsticks. Add to the greens.
  3. Snap woody ends of the asparagus spears and wash well. Working with 1 asparagus spear at a time, use a vegetable peeler to cut spears into long, thin shavings. Top the salad with the shaved asparagus.
  4. In a small bowl or a mason jar with a lid, combine the apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk or shake well in the jar. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as necessary. Pour over prepared salad.
  5. Sprinkle over diced chives, reserved fennel fronds and with the vegetable peeler, slice over long parmesan shavings to serve.