She eats plants

adventures in plant based living

When Facebook inspires dinner…

By: comment

Pasta in Slow Roasted Tomato Sauce

I turned to my Facebook feed this afternoon hoping for an update on the current situation with Autism funding in Ontario but wound up instead running to the kitchen to get started on dinner.  Chef Michael Smith posted a recipe for a pasta in roasted tomato sauce.

I have to say the recipe is great.  A nice, no fuss dinner for those nights when you’re not really inspired.  The house smelled divine as the sauce roasted in the oven and my husband was very happy when he arrived home!  To round out the pasta I added some white beans to the mix to boost the nutritional profile but even without the beans it’s still a nice healthy family recipe.

Chef Michael Smith appears to be spearheading a campaign for getting more of us to eat our vegetables.  It’s called Half Your Plate and if you check out their website you can find other recipes you might find interesting as well. Here’s to #halfyourplate and more of us eating better everyday!

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

By: comment

I went to Costco on Friday and left with three types of berries and a need to use them quickly so they wouldn’t go bad.  This past weekend was the weekend of the berry you might say. I made waffles and muffins and we ate berries by the handful.  One of my favourite ways to use berries is in baking as they add some healthful benefits and delicious taste.  I turned to my favourite muffin recipe for the blueberries that found there way here and we were not disappointed!

I’ve made these Lemon Blueberry Muffins from The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau many times and they were good but along the way I found myself thinking of ways to make them better.  There was depth missing in the flavour and too much oil to eat regularly.  When I pulled out the ingredients to make these muffins yesterday I realized it was finally time to insert the notes I’ve jotted down each time and insert it into the instructions in the book.  Now the book looks like this:

Changed Recipe

And in looking like this I’ve realized I’ve changed so much there half mine now.  It’s like that sometimes with recipes.  Things that were ok become spectacular when you make them over and over again with little changes along the way.  This morning I give you the adapted version.  The version we love and will continue to make as the years go by.  While I’m grateful to Colleen Patrick-Goudreau for getting me started I have to think even she would appreciate what they have become.

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Lemon Blueberry Muffins
Adapted from The Joy of Vegan Baking 
Makes 12 large muffins

Ingredients: 
2 c all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
zest of one large lemon
1 c + 2 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 c canola oil
3/4 c white sugar
1 1/2 tsp lemon extract
1 1/2 c fresh blueberries

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare your muffin tins with cups or spray.

Combine milk and vinegar in a medium sized bowl.  Set aside.

Whisk together the dry ingredients and lemon zest.

Add the sugar, oil and lemon extract to the milk mixture.  Stir until well combined.

Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Fold in the berries gently.

Fill the muffin tins.  This makes enough for 12 muffins that are about two-thirds full.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before enjoying as the muffins need time to set.

Enjoy!

The oh so tasty Tempeh Burgers we’ve been enjoying this summer.

By: comment

Oh so tasty tempeh burgers

Why is there a picture of uncooked Tempeh burgers on my blog you’re asking? The answer is simple. These burgers are so tasty that we eat them the second they’re off the grill. By the time I remember that I wanted to take a picture the burger is half-eaten and unattractive. Today as I was putting them together I realized the only way I’d get a picture was to take it before they were cooked!

These are the burgers we’ve been eating this summer. While I love a good bean burger I was missing the dense meaty quality of well let’s face it a meat burger. I wanted a burger that was firm, that could handle piles of toppings and that didn’t require cooking before it hit the BBQ. This hits the spot nicely. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

She Eats Plants Tempeh Burgers 
Makes 8 (or 6 if you’re really hungry) [Read more…]

Black Bean Dip

By: comment

Black Bean Dip

The tiny one in our house has presented us with a challenge of sorts. Our family which used to love chickpeas and eat them in many different ways must now find ways to avoid them. The tiny one is allergic you see.  Apparently chickpea allergies are common in Spain and India. It’s not something I’d ever heard of until we discovered our son’s allergy but now that we’re reading about it seems to be more common than one would think. Thankfully we’re okay with peanuts!

What does this allergy have to do with my blog? Aside from the obvious need for us to avoid the problem ingredient I’ve found myself having to come up with alternative solutions to our go to recipes. No longer can we turn to hummus when a dip craving hits. I’ve had to get creative in the kitchen. Out of this struggle was born a new dip, a better dip in some ways. This black bean dip is light and frothy with flavours that were made for summer. We eat it like crazy and since it’s introduction my oldest son has stopped asking for hummus. Well that’s not entirely true as he calls this brown hummus but he likes the change and as a child with Autism who’s used to routine, change can be hard.

What can I say other than give this a try. Everyone who’s eaten it has enjoyed it. It’s perfect for afternoon snacking on the deck with a drink and some good friends. If you’re looking to get fancy I’d throw some diced tomatoes on top to make it look special.

Black Bean Dip
Serves at least 8 hungry people

Ingredients: [Read more…]

Homemade Granola

By: comment

Granola

It’s been ages since I posted as life has been a swirl of activity and adventure. I’m addicted to my Fitbit so I’m constantly searching for ways to get steps. Therapy for the eldest has been doing great things and we find ourselves able to enjoy mini conversations and engage in new ways. The tiny one is our very own Curious George constantly finding ways to get into trouble because he just has to see everything and really discover what it’s all about. With all of this activity I found myself drifting from stillness and while this is a good thing sometimes, the art and practice of being still is an important one. Equally important is the art of waiting. Sometimes the best things are those we wait for.

This desire to get back into the practice of stillness and waiting has brought me to this homemade granola. I am loathe to admit this as I’ve been making granola for years but I had been lazily buying it from Farm Boy every time we made our way into London as I was ‘too busy’ to make it myself. This is ridiculous. Granola is perhaps the easiest of all breakfasts to make. You mix the ingredients in a bowl, bake it in the oven and then wait for it to be completely cool. It takes a good 1/2 day to complete and the waiting at the end is the hardest part for someone like me. I want to bake and be done. I like to clean up as soon as it’s over. The waiting is good, it’s important even. Bag it too soon and you have soggy cereal. You can ruin your efforts if you’re not willing to wait.

So here it is, the new and improved version of the original From Ministry to Motherhood Homemade Granola. It used to be good, delicious even. Now it’s something even better. The addition of peanut butter in place of coconut oil adds a rich flavour that rounds out each mouthful. I’ve lightened up on the sweetener and have found raisins to be an excellent sub for the previous dried fruit combo. This version is what we’re eating now and it’s the healthful simplicity that makes it the perfect breakfast.

Homemade Granola

Ingredients: [Read more…]

Lotsa Cherry and Bran Muffins

By: comment

Lotsa Cherry and Bran Muffins
I have been craving Bran Muffins with raisins lately.  I know, it’s a weird craving to have.  The thing is I love them. I especially love homemade muffins that are not too big, have beautiful texture and just the right amount of sweetness.  My big problem with bran muffins in general is that many of them are overly sweetened as if to hide the fact that they are in fact filled with bran.  This is a no-no for me.  Muffins in my opinion should not be cupcakes without icing.  Muffins should be a quick handheld snack that’s got style and flavour of it’s own.  I want them to be healthy (or healthy-ish) and provide my family with the boost of energy needed to make it to the next meal.  It’s hard to find a good muffin recipe that meets these criteria.

With these requirements in my pocket and a weekend worth of reading up on bran muffins and what it takes to create a good one this morning I set about making the perfect bran muffin.  I had everything ready to go and was about to get the raisins to mix in when I discovered that there were in fact no raisins left in the container.  It would seem that our house has an elf who sneaks into the cupboard and eats all the raisins.  I wonder who that might be?  A quick switch was required and I pulled some dried cherries out instead.  Can I just say that it was perfection?  Seriously delicious and not something I would have thought to do had raisins been available.

Lotsa Cherry and Bran Muffins
Makes 12

Ingredients: [Read more…]

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

By: comment

I own entirely too many cookbooks. It’s bordering on an obsession really. Over time the cookbooks have begun to take over my office and slowly but surely other books have found their way elsewhere in the home.  I read cookbooks before bed.  I look for inspiration and truthfully beautiful pictures. I like the stories behind certain meals and particularly delight when I find a book which has wit and wisdom alongside tasty food options. One such book that I rely on constantly is Isa Does it by Isa Chandra Moskowitz. The food is delicious. Her introductions to recipes are friendly and accessible. It feels as though you’re cooking alongside her in many ways. I love this book.

I found myself reaching for this book once more around 9 am this morning.  It was a grey spring day here.  The rain was falling and while that’s good for snow removal, it does little to enliven the spirit. Isa Does it has the perfect recipe for days like today. Called ‘Jumbo Oatmeal Raisin Cookies’ in the book for good reason, one cannot go wrong with this recipe. I’ve made a few adjustments over the many times I’ve made these but the recipe is hers. If you’re looking for a gateway book into healthy plant based living, give this one a try. The recipes are a great mix of familiar and new and the dessert section is to die for.

Here’s the recipe (as I’ve adapted it) as a bit of a sneak peak:

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Adapted from Isa Does It
Makes 8-10 cookies

Ingredients: [Read more…]

Shut the front door bars.

By: comment

It’s absolutely beautiful here today.  The sun is streaming in through the windows.  There are birds chirping in the trees.  It’s lovely.  Cold as all get out but beautiful.  I’m thrilled to see and hear signs of new life as spring moves slowly in our direction.  As a family we’ve been embracing the freedom that comes from not needing 10 layers each time you leave the house.  There have been trips to the market and walks throughout the neighbourhood. We’ve allowed ourselves time to linger in the outdoors and embrace sunshine on our faces. It’s a nice reprieve after a long winter.

On these adventures we find ourselves needing sustenance from time to time.  While I have found some bought granola bars that are fairly healthy and tasty, there is nothing that compares to the homemade variety.  Homemade granola bars are filled with whatever excites you as your making them.  I have been working on perfecting our recipe and this past week finally discovered the perfect combination of savoury and sweet.  These bars were devoured and made again quickly as my boys loved them.  I may have snuck a few myself. They are really tasty. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Shut the front door bars
Makes 16

Shut the front door bars

Ingredients: [Read more…]

Baked Oatmeal

By: comment

This winter has been particularly long and unpleasant.  I’ve been waiting for spring and longing for daffodils and tulips to flood the neighbourhood.  It hasn’t been as bad here as other places.  I’m very grateful we escaped the winter blast that Atlantic Canada got this week.  Regardless it does feel like it’s time for it to be over.  I’m done with snow.  I want to break out the sandals once more.

In our house you can generally gauge the seasons based on the types of food we serve.  Winter brings with it hearty fare and as the seasons shift we find ourselves looking for something lighter.  This baked oatmeal recipe is the perfect transition from winter to spring.  It’s still warm and hearty for those crisp spring mornings but the flavours seem lighter somehow.  It’s filled with healthy fats, whole grains and a good amount of protein which helps sustain me until lunch and it tastes delicious.

IMG_1408
Baked Oatmeal
serves 4-6

Ingredients:
 [Read more…]

Vanilla Cupcake Perfection

By: comment

Vanilla Cupcakes

I had to begin with a bang, right?

These are the honest to goodness most delicious cupcake we’ve had in quite some time.  I’ve been working on this recipe.  Tweaking it to create the absolute best dreamy vanilla cupcake that we all desire but never get.  You know what I’m talking about.  Vanilla cupcakes tend to be dry and dense. They often lack that fluffy quality that makes a cupcake perfection.  These cupcakes are light, fluffy and are full of rich flavour.  I’m in heaven.

I’ve been working on these for a while now.  Almost every gathering or holiday we’ve had in the last few months has featured one form of these or another.  I’ve finally found perfection.  It’s the perfect indulgence when you need one.

Vanilla Cupcake Perfection

Ingredients: 

[Read more…]

Skip to toolbar