And Now For The Best Part... Dessert

No Bake Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Ingredients:

For the wet ingredients:

  • 3 tablespoons (45 mL) virgin coconut oil
  • 2 tablespoons (30 mL) sunflower seed butter
  • 1/4 cup (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup, or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the dry ingredients:

  • 7 tablespoons (50 g) gluten-free rolled oats
  • 6 tablespoons (35 g) unsweetened shredded coconut
  • 2 tablespoons (25 g) chia seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste

Directions:

  1. Line a large plate with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium pot, melt the coconut oil over low heat. Whisk in the sunflower seed butter, cocoa powder, and maple syrup until smooth. Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the vanilla.
  3. Add the oats, coconut, chia seeds, and salt into the pot and stir well until combined. The mixture will be thick, dense, oily, and gel-like (from the chia seeds), but this is normal. Swear.
  4. Using a retractable ice cream scoop (approximately 2 tablespoons/30 mL) or simply a spoon, scoop the dough and place the mound onto the plate, leaving a bit of space between each cookie.
  5. Place the cookies in the freezer to set for about 10 to 15 minutes, until firm, or simply chill in the fridge if you have the patience.
  6. Store leftover cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week, or freeze them for up to 4 to 6 weeks. 

Recipe and photo courtesy of ohsheglows.com

Vegan Valentine's Day Dinner for Two

A special Valentine's Day Dinner made for two.

TOMATO ONION FLAXSEED BREAD

·  5 ripe Roma tomatoes
-   1 small red onion
-  3 cloves garlic
-  
¼ cup sundried tomatoes in olive oil and Italian herbs
-  ½ cup golden flaxseed meal

-  2 tablespoons brown rice flour
-  1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-  
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
-  1 teaspoon onion powder
-  1 teaspoon garlic powder
-  1 teaspoon dried basil
-  1 teaspoon smoked paprika
-  ½ teaspoon Himalayan/sea salt

BABY SPINACH SALAD

-  2 cups baby spinach
-  
1 tablespoon pine nuts
-  1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
-  1 tablespoon lemon juice
-  
A few sprinkles Himalayan/sea salt
-  A few sprinkles freshly ground pepper

GRILLED BREADED TOFU STEAKS

-  ½ block firm or extra firm tofu
-  1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
-  1 teaspoon tomato paste
-  1 teaspoon miso paste
-  1 teaspoon sesame oil/extra light olive oil

-  ½ teaspoon pure maple syrup
-  ¼ cup high quality breadcrumbs

INSTRUCTIONS

TOMATO ONION FLAXSEED BREAD

1.  Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C).

2.  Chop the Roma tomatoes, red onion and garlic in relatively small pieces. They don’t have to be tiny but it will help with the chopping process.

3.  Put all the chopped vegetables and sundried tomatoes in the blender (or food processor) and pulse it briefly to chop it up. DO NOT PUREE IT! It’s important that if you’re using something like Vitamix, you pulse it for a second quickly, then stir, and pulse until most of the stuff is chopped but not a complete mush.

4.  Pour the mixture into a fine mesh sieve and squeeze out about a cup of juice. You can keep the juice in a container to use as broth for other things! (It will be a total waste to throw it out.)

5.  Pour the chunky mashed vegetables in a large bowl and add the flaxseed meal, brown rice flour, olive oil, onion powder, garlic powder, basil, paprika and salt. Stir until everything is well mixed.

6.  Align baking parchment paper on an 9×13 inch oven tray and grease the baking paper with non-stick cooking oil.

7.  Pour the mixture on the baking tray with parchment paper underneath, and spread it out across the entire tray, so the layer is nice and thin, and even.

8.  If you want the bread to be thin and crunchy, you will need to use a larger oven tray so the layer can be thinner. It will take shorter time to bake so you MUST check every 10 minutes or so after it’s been baking for 25 minutes, because the bottom may burn easily.

9.  Bake in the oven for 50 minutes to an hour and 15 minutes (depending on the thickness). Allow it to cool before cutting it up. Be careful though, some thinner parts may burn, so every 5 minutes or so after it’s been baking for 40 minutes.

BABY SPINACH SALAD

1. Add all the ingredients in a bowl and toss and turn it around until the spinach leaves is coated by everything pretty evenly.

GRILLED BREADED TOFU STEAKS

1. Cut half of a regular block of tofu out and squeeze out as much water as you can without breaking the tofu. Once water is squeezed, use some paper towels to get more water out from all sides.

2. Carefully cut the tofu block in three layers, then slice across to make 6 small rectangles. (But you can really cut them in any sized pieces you want). You will see that more water will emerge from the middle, so once again, get more paper towels to squeeze out even more water.

3. You may even want to leave it out for a little while to dry off. The more water you squeeze out, the better the outcome.

4. In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, tomato paste, miso paste, sesame or olive oil and maple syrup and stir until the sauce is even.

5. In a separate shallow dish, pour the breadcrumbs on it. I used Trader Joe’s.

6. Dip the tofu steaks in the sauce, then quickly coat them with breadcrumbs. Do this to each of the tofu steaks.

7. Spray some non-stick cooking oil on a ribbed grill pan and lay the tofu steaks neatly on the pan.

8. Turn the heat on medium high (between 5-6) and cook the tofu on one side for about 10-13 minutes until you see it brown, then flip it over as carefully as you can, and cook the other side for another 6-10 minutes until the other side has browned as well.

 Recipes and photos courtesy of Vegan Lifestyle Magazine

Eco-Friendly Travel Tips

Your journey to becoming an eco-friendly tourist starts with a few simple ideas. We have put together just a few green tips for your next trip. 

Pack for the Planet - 2 million people pass through US customs on any given day. Many of their suitcases and bags are filled with ziplocks, batteries, water bottles and disposable snacks. To cut down on all this garbage, pack reusable water bottles, use rechargeable batteries and tupperware containers can hold your snacks and your toiletries. Make sure your sunscreen is reef safe too! Also, the less you pack, the lighter your load and the more fuel-efficient you will be.

Stay at an Eco-Friendly Hotel - Since green has become the new black, these are easy to find with a quick google search. It's simple, the more we support these types of vacation spots, the more of them will follow our dollars.

Take a Volunteer Holiday - Rebuilding reefs, assisting at a turtle rescue or volunteering at a local animal shelter are just a few of the options you can include in your vacation. If you are booking a volunteer holiday be sure and check that the organization is legit first.

Walk, Bike or Take Public Transit - While you are away on your vacation, get out and see the area by taking a hike or renting a bike. Using public transit can cut down on your travel expenses as well as helping the planet!

Take Only Memories and Leave Only Footprints - Stick to marked trails to avoid causing harm to the local flora, and consider bringing a bag with you to pick up trash along the way. It helps to keep the area beautiful but also protects animals from eating it or getting tangled.

Finally, before you leave home, be sure to unplug your tv's, microwaves and all your chargers. Even on standby mode, they all use up electricity.

It may seem that the eco-friendly actions of one person traveling are insignificant, but multiply that by millions each day and the impact makes a world of difference!

Shopping Local This Holiday Season

Where you decide to shop this holiday season could have a major impact on both the economy and our environment.

Consider This... Shopping locally cuts down on processing, packaging and transportation waste, leading to much less pollution!

Your independent retailers and restaurants generally stock a greater percentage of locally produced goods, meaning less fuel consumption, and these goods typically will come from smaller scale farms, factories, artists and producers. As well, local and independent companies are much more likely to reuse materials. 

These businesses are usually owned by people who live in your area and are more invested in the community’s future. A great deal of the money you spend with them stays in the community. Best of all, studies show that local businesses support non-profits by 250% more than large ones.

If you don’t like the idea of becoming a “clone town” filled with the same retail and fast food chains as the next town, then consider spending your money locally this holiday season.

Our One and Only World

Absolutely everything we do in our daily lives has some type of impact on our environment. Many of our daily habits may have more of an impact that you might have realized, so for today, I would like you to Consider This…

Eating with disposable chopsticks – not one I ever considered, but over 80 billion pairs are thrown out each year. They all end up in landfills. The plastic ones don’t biodegrade and their wooden counterparts take over 4 million trees a year to produce just in China! Sulfur, paraffin and insect repellents are used in the production. 

Easy fix:  Buy a few pairs of reusable sticks and put them in your home, car, your purse or briefcase.

Here is one we like.

If you prefer made in the USA, try these.

Vegan Cauliflower Bites - Yum!

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER BITES with NACHO CHEESE

- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tsp each: chili powder, cumin, garlic powder
- ½ tsp of each: salt, pepper, smoked paprika

SAUCE:
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- Large pinch of each: salt, dry mustard, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin
- ½ cup of salsa

DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
- Rinse cauliflower and shake off water.
- Combine all spices and sprinkle over cauliflower.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then stir and cook for another 15 minutes.
- While cauliflower is cooking, make sauce.
- Put all ingredients in a blender except salsa, and blend until smooth.
- Pour into pan - cook over medium high heat until it boils. Turn down, stir and cook until thick.
- Remove from heat and stir in salsa. 

Campi ya Kanzi, Kenya - Luxury and Eco Friendly!

Italian owners, Luca and Antonella are hands on at this amazing luxury retreat.

Several beautiful tented cottages and suites are located on 283,000 acres of Maasai conservation area with spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Incredible safari's and hikes take place in this diverse eco system with the special treat of no other tourists! Tembo House (the heart of the camp) has been constructed with lava rocks, thatch and sustainable wood, and is where the main dining takes place. Fine Italian and local dishes are prepared using organic ingredients and are served by friendly Maasai waiters. 

Their mandate is to have the lowest impact possible on the environment. Each day of your stay contributes $101 to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust, which among many other things, compensates Maasai farmers for lost livestock due to predators, and is responsible for tripling the local lion population over the last three years. 

Photovoltaic panels are used for electricity and the water catchment systems provides a carbon footprint of ZERO! Low energy appliances, recycling of all water, eco-friendly soaps, composting and sustainable farming all add to the true ecotourism practiced by Campi ya Kanzi. 

BOTTOM LINE:  If you are looking for a truly amazing experience, filled with genuine and unique adventures, then the luxury filled Campi ya Kenzi is your pick!

Thanksgiving Desserts - Yum!

The very best part of any dinner is the dessert!! These vegan choices are a perfect ending for your Thanksgiving dinner.

APPLE CRISP – 4 servings

- 4 medium apples, peeled and chopped, sprinkled with a little lime or lemon juice
- ½ cup of walnuts or pecans, chopped
- 1/3 cup each: brown sugar, flour and rolled oats
- 3 Tbsp of Vegan butter or coconut oil
- 1 tsp each: cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg
- Pinch of sea salt

DIRECTIONS:
- Heat oven to 375 F.
- Mix oats, flour, nuts, spices and butter or oil until it becomes crumbly.
- Butter or oil four small ramekins or one large  or 8 x 8 baking dish and add apples.
- Add topping, sprinkle with salt, and bake covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for 10 minutes.

OPTIONS:
- Use a combination of pears and apples.
- Add ½ cup of raisins in with the apples.

PUMPKIN PIE – SERVES 8

- 2 cups of canned Pureed Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup full fat Coconut milk
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup each: organic cornstarch and maple syrup
- 1 tsp each: vanilla and cinnamon
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp each: salt and nutmeg
- 1 Store bought vegan pie crust – do not precook

DIRECTIONS:
- Heat oven to 350 F.
- Add all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix well. You can use a hand mixer.
- Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for 60 minutes. The middle should be a bit wobbly.
- Let cool and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight.

OPTIONS:
- Top with Vegan whipped cream and a light sprinkle of cinnamon.
- Serve with Vegan ice cream.

RICE PUDDING – 4-6 servings

- 1 cup of cooked rice (basmati rice works good)
- 2 cups vanilla almond milk
- 1 can of full fat coconut milk
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup each: flaked coconut, raisins and chopped pistachios
- 1 tsp each: cardamom, cinnamon, vanilla

DIRECTIONS:
- In a large pan over medium heat cook rice and milk until it starts to boils, turn down and cook for 5 more minutes.
-  Increase heat to medium and add coconut milk, sugar, cardamom and cinnamon. Cook until it starts to thicken about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla, coconut, raisins and pistachios.
- Eat warm or cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge. 

 

Thanksgiving Main Dishes

For a lot of families, it is all about the turkey. Our Vegan Thanksgiving is all about the taste! Check out these great ideas for an amazing meat-free dinner.

Our holiday dinners always include a holiday roast from Gardein. They offer full stuffed roasts with gravy and cranberry sauce, or for a smaller meal you can use their delicious individual Turk'y cutlets. Either way you will definitely not miss the meat!

ROASTED ACORN SQUASH WITH WILD RICE

Roasted Acorn Squash
- 2 acorn squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
- 1 Tbsp. Vegan butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
- salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees F and place the rack in the center of the oven.
- Place the 4 squash halves, cut side up on a baking sheet, brush each half with the melted butter. Make sure to brush the tops and the centers of each squash so that the entire surface area has been coated. Sprinkle each half with some of the brown sugar and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until just fork tender, about 20-30 minutes.

Wild Rice Salad
- 2 cups freshly cooked wild rice (1 cup uncooked)
- 3/4 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
- Grated zest of 1 naval orange
- Juice of 2 naval oranges
- Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
- Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm wild rice, pecans, cranberries, basil, and orange zest. Stir well to combine and pour in the orange juice and season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
- Divide the wild rice mixture among the squash halves, about a 1/2 cup each. Return the stuffed squash to the oven and continue to bake at 350 degrees F for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the squash are fork tender and golden brown around the edges.
- When ready to serve garnish with additional chopped basil and orange zest if desired

Recipe courtesy of Beardandbonnet.com

Coming up next - it is all about the desserts!

 

Thanksgiving Side Dishes

Thanksgiving is all about family, friends and food. These easy side dishes can make your day a little easier! These recipes are about 4 servings but can easily be doubled or tripled.

SPICY CORN
- 2 cups of frozen organic corn
- 1 tsp each: garlic powder, chili powder, lime juice
-  ½ tsp cayenne
- 1-2 Tbsp of Vegan Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

DIRECTIONS:
- Mix all spices and add to frozen corn.
- Heat up in microwave or on stove top.
- Sprinkle with cheese or yeast and serve.
 

HONEY CARROTS:
- 5-6 medium carrots, sliced on diagonal
- 1 Tbsp each: Vegan butter and maple syrup
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- Salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
- Boil carrots in water for about 15 minutes.
- Drain and stir in maple syrup, butter, rosemar.y, salt and pepper.
 

ROASTED ROOT VEGGIES WITH CURRY
- 4-5 cups of peeled and chopped root veggies: carrots, parsnips, turnip
- 1 large onion, chopped in big chunks
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine 
Salt & pepper
- 2-3 Tbsp Cilantro or parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 425. Toss all ingredients except cilantro together and layer on to two baking sheets. Cook for 15 minutes and turn over (or just stir them around). Cook another 15 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

OPTIONS:
- Replace curry powder with 1 tsp each: rosemary and thyme
 

ASIAN STYLE GREEN BEANS
- 2 cups of frozen or fresh green beans
- 1/4 cup organic soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp each: garlic-minced, brown sugar and sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:
Mix in medium bowl soy, garlic, brown sugar and pepper flakes.
- Toss green beans on mixture.
- Heat up sesame oil over medium heat. Add green beans and cook for 3-5 minutes –keep stirring.

OPTIONS:
- Use broccoli instead of green beans. Add sliced mushrooms or red pepper.
- Change up the spices - use olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper-delete soy, sugar and sesame oil.
 

CREAMED KALE
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 big bunch of kale cut into bite size pieces
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- Salt & pepper
- Grated coconut (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
- Heat oil over medium high heat in a large pan. Add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add kale, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add coconut milk, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Top with coconut flakes if using.
 

GARLIC MASHED POTATOES
- 8 medium potatoes cut in chunks, peel if you prefer
- 3-4 Tbsp of vegan butter
- 5 cloves of roasted garlic (see note)
- salt, pepper and chives

DIRECTIONS
- Put potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Boil for about 30 minutes.
- Drain potatoes and add to a large bowl. Add butter, salt and pepper.
- Mash with a potato masher or use a hand mixer (don't over mix).
- Mash the roasted garlic and stir into potatoes.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

NOTE:
- To roast garlic, wrap cloves in tin foil add a few drops of olive oil and roast in oven at 400 for 30 minutes.

OPTIONS:
- Replace potatoes with sweet potatoes. Replace garlic with a small sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg.
 

BASIC VEGAN STUFFING
- 2 Tbsp of olive oil or vegan butter
- 2 of each, chopped: celery stock, carrot and onion
- 1 cup of mushrooms
- 1 cup each: cooked rice and bread cut into cubes
- 1 cup of vegetable or mushroom stock
- 1 tsp each: sage, thyme, rosemary, salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS
- Heat up oil or butter in a large pan on medium heat, add celery, carrots, onions, mushrooms and spices.
- Cook for about 5-6 minutes.
- Place rice, bread and veggie mixture into a large bowl and add as much stock as you need to make the mixture moist. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Put the mixture into a baking dish that has been greased with oil or butter. Cover with foil and cook at 375 for about 30 minutes. 

OPTIONS
- The sky is the limit with stuffing, add nuts, dried fruit or other vegetables.