VEGAN ICE UN-CREAM

Ice Un-Cream is a dessert favourite around our home!  Ice un-cream takes less than five minutes to make, you could eat it for breakfast, it is healthy AND it tastes delicious!  

Ingredients:  
FROZEN fruit of your choice
A drizzle of nut milk or coconut milk
Optional ingredients such as ground cacao nibs, finely chopped nuts, unsweetened coconut shreds, nut butter, dried fruit bits...

Directions: 
1. Take out your food processor or high speed blender (eg Vitamix).  I find the vitamix works best.  
2.  Add your fruit to the blender.  I usually add banana because it make the ice un-cream smoother!  
3.  While drizzling in as little nut milk as possible, blend the frozen fruit on med-hi only until blended.  If you are using a vitamix, use the tamper to help push the fruit down. Don't overmix or your un-ice cream will get too melty!  
4.  Add optional ingredients and pulse a couple times.  Enjoy!  

Some favourite combos around our house: 
1 Banana, 3 handfuls of raspberries, 3 handfuls of blueberries and drizzle of raw almond milk.
1 Banana, 1 mango and a drizzle of coconut milk.
1 Banana, 1 cup of pineapple, 2 handfuls of strawberries and a drizzle of coconut milk.
2 or more bananas, 1/4 c nut butter, 1 T roughly ground cacao nibs.

If you have extra, add a bit more nut milk, blend and pour into popsicle molds for another day!  

VEGAN CARROT PINEAPPLE MUFFINS

Lately I've been trying to make cookies and muffins sweetened with healthy sweeteners such as dried fruit, coconut sugar, maple syrup, agave syrup and molasses.  Unlike processed sugars these products feed our bodies nutrients.  

I made a dozen of these muffins last night and they were gone by the morning!  They passed the blog test!  

Ingredients:  
2 c whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 medium sized bananas
2 T molasses
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c + 1 T water or nut milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 c pitted dates
1 c fresh pineapple, cut finely
1 c carrot, coarsely grated 
1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  
Sift together the first four ingredients in a medium sized bowl.  Set aside.  Put the bananas, molasses, maple syrup, water (or nut milk), dates and vinegar in your blender and blend until smooth.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix gently.  Add the pineapple, carrot and coconut and fold in.  Put the batter in 12 greased muffin tins and bake for about 25 minutes.  

DELISH RASPBERRY CHIA PUDDING

I made a few different chia puddings a few weeks ago and my family voted this one as #1!  

Ingredients: 
1/2 c almond milk or other plant milk
1/2 c coconut milk
2 T maple syrup or 4 dates
1/4 t pure vanilla extract
1/3 - 1/2 c frozen or fresh raspberries (or other fruit)
4 T chia seeds
lemon rind from half a lemon
Optional: coconut shreds 

Directions: 
Put the ingredients in a bowl in the order given.  Mix well.  Put in a serving bowl or individual ramekins. Put in the fridge for at least two hours.   Before serving sprinkle coconut on top if desired.  This makes 4 small servings.  (We have to double it!)

SPICY ASIAN NUT SAUCE

I made this sauce the other day to go along with our Vietnamese Salad Rolls.  It was a hit!  I used peanut butter but if you would like to use a more nutrient-rich cholesterol reducing nut I'd suggest almond butter.  

Ingredients: 
1/2 c nut butter
1-3 T sambal oelek
1T maple syrup
1T tamari or Braggs
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 T finely grated fresh ginger
2-3 T lime or lemon juice
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/3 -1/2 c water 

Directions:
Put all ingredients into a blender and mix well! Add enough water to create a desired consistency. Enjoy with Vietnamese Salad Rolls (in another blog post). Store extra in a glass jar in the fridge.  

VIETNAMESE SALAD ROLLS

These are a favourite "fast food" around our house.  They are easy, healthy and delicious!  

Ingredients: 
Rice paper
Brown rice vermicelli 
lettuce, kale, spinach and/or sprouts
whole green onions
avocado, sliced thinly
mango, sliced thinly
cucumber, sliced thinly
carrots, grated or julienned 
cilantro, chopped
firm tofu, marinated and sliced 
white or black sesame seeds
dressing (miso salad dressing or 
spicy peanut sauce)

Directions:  
1.  If using, marinate the tofu.
2.  Wash and prepare all your vegetables/fruit.  
3.  Put about 5-10 cm warm water in the bottom of a bowl or pan. Dip one rice paper into the bowl for about 5 seconds.  Turn it over and soak for 5 more seconds.  Place the paper on your work surface.  It will get softer.  
4.  Place your noodles and other filling ingredients on the third of the rice paper nearest you.  Make a pile about 3-4 cm high and wide.  Leave space on the edges to fold the paper in.  
5.  Carefully fold in one or two edges.  Roll the paper nearest you over the filling ingredients and continue rolling pressing gently as you roll.  

6. Serve with miso salad dressing or spicy Asian nut sauce (see other blog posts!). 

AVOCADO EDAMAME DIP

I stumbled upon this delicious dip last week.  I wanted to make an edamame based dip so just opened the fridge and added some ingredients.  It didn't seem creamy enough so I added the avocado!  

Ingredients: 
1c shelled edamame
1/2 a ripe avocado
1T extra virgin olive oil
3/4 - 1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves
1/2c fresh parsley
3T tahini
3T water
3T fresh lemon juice

Directions: 
Put everything in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  Serve with fresh veggies or crackers!