Early Morning Pumpkin Seed Butter

It is 4:50am and I am trying to eat breakfast and have a cup of coffee. Why am I up so early? At 1:30pm today I'm going into the Manitoba Clinic to have an Upper GI Endoscopy. 17+ years of digestive distress and they're finally having a look inside (no bitterness there, eh?) When I was 11 years old I had a Barium Swallow. This showed signs of inflammation for which I was given some meds. There was no follow up. I suppose what happened (why I never had this testing before) is that the doctors felt there was not enough cause for this more invasive test and that IBS was the best diagnosis. However, symptoms grow, change, and mutate. My new GI whom I like WAY more than any I've had in the past (he treats me like a real live human being) has agreed to perform the test. I'm fairly certain this is mostly to satisfy my own curiosity and needs. Whether or not we learn anything from it, at least I'll know that someone has looked!

OK back to the early morning. The patient (me) must fast from all foods, solid & liquid (INCLUDING WATER, AHHHHH!) for 8 hours prior to testing. My appointment being in the afternoon makes it much harder to sleep away those hours, and makes for a longer fasting period. UNLESS the patient sets her alarm for 4:30am to get up and have a light breakfast, coffee (must fight off the eminent caffeine withdrawal), and as much water as one could possibly consume. Oh and uh right a blog to pass the time, so here's what I discovered this week. 

Many of my grocery trips used to consist of trying to find my favourite jar of over priced pumpkin seed butter. That was until I found out how easy it is to make your own seed butters at home!

What you'll need:

2 cups roasted pumpkin seeds
3 tbsp oil of your choice (I used flax, because I thought it would compliment the pumpkin seeds well)
1/4 tsp salt (or less, I thought the end result could do without it)

Directions:

Simply roast 2 cups of raw pumpkin seeds, or buy them roasted if you can find them unsalted. Don't know how to roast? It's easy. Wet the seeds down by placing them in a large measuring cup or other vessel, fill with water and drain. Place the seeds in a ungreased pan (non-stick is better) over medium heat, and roast until they begin to pop and brown a little.

 

Place the seeds in a food processor and process until they become a fine powder

 

Add in the oil one tablespoon at a time and process for about 30 seconds after you add each portion

 

My light morning cooking snack. I made this up last Sunday morning.

 

 

Continue processing until it all becomes smooth. Like this!

 

Transfer to a sealed container and store in the fridge. 

It tastes amazing fresh and warm from the roasting, but should be stored in the fridge to keep from spoiling.

Ok it is now the cut off time and I'm going to attempt to go back to bed as to hopefully sleep away some of this non-water time!

Wedding Shower = Indulgent Treats

One week ago I was host to a wedding shower for my best friend Destini. It was a small gathering of ladies (about 12) with WAY more food that we could all eat :) The menu consisted of my hummus wraps, veggies & dip (recipe follows), edamame dip & rice crackers, taco dip (recipe follows) with whole wheat tortilla chips, my mother's o-henry bars (which I plan to veganize and post in the future), my sister's vegan black bottom cupcakes (I'll get her recipe for you soon) fruit, and some sandwiches and dainties the mother of the groom brought. The taco dip is a super duper yummy dish that will be a hit with all your friends, vegan or meat eater. It does consist of a lot of processed junk, and is by no means good for you, but damn is it tasty! My sister and I make it for most BBQs or parties, and it comes from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet.

Alicia's Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip

1 (16oz) can refried beans (I've bought the cheapo no-name brands of these before and it makes a difference, Old El Paso seems to have the best flavour)
3 large avocados
3 tbsp lime juice
2 (8oz) containers non-dairy sour cream (the brand I use, Tofutti, comes in 12oz containers so just estimate)
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup diced mild green chiles (I used a tiny can of these and didn't use much of them, I'm not big on the spicy)
2-3 med tomatoes, chopped
2 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese, I love Daiya brand
the recipe also calls for 1/2 cup slices black olives, add them if you like, but I think they are gross!

Preheat the oven to 350F

Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8"x8" glass casserole dish. Pit and peel the avocados, mash in a bowl with the lime juice, then spread over the beans. Stir together the sour "cream" and taco seasoning, spread over the avocados. Sprinkle the chiles (and black olives if using) over the sour "cream". Before adding the chopped tomatoes, pick up a handful and squeeze out as much juice as possible. This helps from the dip getting to watery. Top it all off with the "cheese". Bake for 15 to 30 mins or until heated through and the cheese is melted.

 I realize this is a photo of cupcakes and edamame dip, but I totally forgot to take pics as I was getting things ready

The dip for the veggies is my sister's creation. It's incredibly simple and just a veganized version of her old classic dip. It's also great with plain ripple chips if you're feeling really indulgent.

1 container (12oz) Tofutti sour "cream"
2 big spoonfuls of Veganese (vegan mayo)
1 pkg Knorr's dry vegetable soup mix

Mix it all together in a medium sized bowl and your done! The mayo is estimated as you may have guessed. It just lightens up the sour cream a bit, and if the soup mix is too strong for you just add another spoonful of the Veganese.

For a nice light summer beverage we had sangria. This is by far my favourite summertime alcoholic beverage, although I had never made it myself before. My sister always does it, so here's her recipe. Warning: some things are just eye balled.

1 bottle of chilled red wine of your choice
1 lemon, lime, and orange sliced into rounds
1 cup of whole frozen berries
1 small can of diced pineapples with the juice
4 cups ginger ale
1 generous splash of orange juice (free pour by eye, start with a little you can always add more to taste)
Gin ( the recipe calls for 2 shots, but my sister always uses WAY more, I just free poured some in, maybe around 4-5 shots??)
Ice

Pour all ingredients into a large pitcher or punch bowl. You can make this up the night before to marinate all the flavours, but it's just fine if you serve it right away over ice.

There were so many leftovers of almost everything that I just grazed on it for a couple days. A very bad idea I know, but I was grieving and my body seemed to cut me some slack because of it.

I had meant to take some nice pictures once everything was set up, but I totally forgot, so in some of them the food is half eaten. Destini sent me a couple of good pics I've added in too.

 Destini and her cousin/bridesmaid Kelly

 That puppet represents a bridesmaid from out of town, Pam

 This is one of my favourite, lil fancy hats & I hardly ever get to wear it

What better occasion than a bridal shower?

I put together a group of some embarrassing photos of Destini to greet guests as they came in

I think everyone had a good time, I know I did. I was very happy to get to throw my girl a party and celebrate her marriage to a very wonderful man.

Congratulations Destini & George

Devastated

I wanted to share a happy post with you about my best friend's wedding shower I hosted yesterday, but I can't just yet. My four legged best friend Wicket died late last night. He was a very old man and didn't suffer long. He sustained some emotional trauma this past year with the loss of his best friends, Charlie (May 2000 - November 2010) & Casey (November 1995 - March 2011) RIP.  His mom, a very special lady named Libby, passed in 2006. He was ready to go and be with them. He will be laid to rest next to his mommy out in my parents yard.

 This is our favourite spot, The Point (a hiking trail at the cabin)

When I do my visual relaxation & meditation (a helpful trick to get through a painful attack), it's me and him here

RIP Wicket, I'll love you forever

Pie-Day Friday

For a while now my husband and I have occasionally participated in a little known tradition called Pie-Day Friday. Brought to our attention by the lovely Courtney Gilchrist, this holiday of sorts involves homemade pizzas for a Friday night dinner, usually with wine. In the past we've gone down to DeLucas to buy fresh made doughs, sauces, (meat for the boy) & fresh veggie toppings. Then this past Friday (and tonight, round 2) I've made gluten-free dough at home for me, and let the boy fend for himself at Superstore. Now I searched around and found what looked like a great recipe, but I did not have just one of the ingredients (agar agar), and at the time all the specialty store that may carry it were closed. Luckily, the "good" Safeway had a package of Bob's Red Mill's Gluten-Free Pizza Crust Mix.

This is the full recipe, but admittedly the mix was pretty darn convenient.

http://www.wheat-free.org/wheat-gluten-free-pizza-crust.html

 The dough needs to sit and rise for 20mins, the saran rose too

 My masterfully shaped crust

Bake it without toppings for 7 mins

 I didn't have any Daiya mozza, but I put a bit of vegan Parmesan

Just a light refreshing cooking snack this time

Cats like pizza too!

Like I said, the wine is usually an important part of any successful Pie-Day Friday

Enjoy!

Cure for the Chinese Food Craving

You know what kind of food I miss...Chinese food. Greasy, yummy bean cake in black bean sauce and spring rolls from this great little place near our house.  Not that those types of foods are entirely out of the question, but just limited to a couple of times a year...or less. Once you've been living healthy for a while and you're gut has had time to heal you can have an indulgence from time to time. Until you get to that point or for inbetween treats, try this recipe for sweet & sour tofu.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger powder
2 carrots, sliced diagonally
2 peppers, green, red, yellow, what have you, julienned
1 pkg (350g) extra firmed tofu, pressed and diced into 1 inch cubes
1 can (398ml) pineapple chunks, drained (save the juice!)

Sauce:
reserved pineapple juice
2 tbsp raw sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp soy sauce

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl (whisk the cornstarch chunks away) set aside.

 
In a large frying pan over medium heat, saute olive oil, onion, garlic & ginger for about 5 mins. Add carrots, peppers, tofu, & pineapple to the pan. Pour in the sauce & bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to minimum and simmer for 2-3 mins.

 
While it was simmering I had a light cooking snack. I'm trying, but not loving the veggie juices.

Serve on it's own or over brown rice.

Easy Soup, not so easy workout

Today when I got home I really wasn't feeling very hungry. My stomach had been hurting off and on, mixed with some bouts of heart burn. So making the tacos I was planning, didn't feel right anymore. I just wanted plain old soup broth. Without really looking I started to pull items out of the vegetable crisper, and this is what happened.

Follow Your Gut Soup

A generous handful of baby carrots or 2 reg ones, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
5 or 6 mushrooms, diced
1/4 of a large daikon, sliced into rounds & quartered
1 cup chopped spinach
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
the white ends of a few sprigs of green onion, chopped
oil of your choice
various spices of your choice
crush tomato
vegetable soup broth

Now I was pretty much just winging it here and I suggest you do the same. Just see where the soup takes you.

 Starting with the garlic and green onion, I sauteed them in a big soup pot with the oil for a couple of minutes on med high heat. Then I added in my spices. I choose cumin, coriander, turmeric, & ginger. Those are my go to spices and I just threw in a dash here and there. After a couple of mins I added in all the veggies, except for the spinach which I added about 5 minutes later.

Once the veggies were cooked but not too soft, I added in some soup broth and crush tomatoes by eye. Does it look like soup yet....? YA then that's enough

On the right is the oil I used. My Aunt just bought it for me and this is the first time I've used it for anything. I'm quite excited, I hear such great things about coconut oil. My Aunt tells me this is the best brand, and don't cheap out on it, you'll taste it.


I turned the heat down to minimum and decided to let the soup stew and lock in its flavours while I got in a quick workout. I've been practicing yoga for years, and you'll never catch me in one of those "hot" yoga classes (I have no desire to put myself through that kind of heat, I get light headed as it is) But my new yoga obsession is Jillian's Yoga Meltdown.

The DVD which I bought on impulse on Amazon includes 2 30 minute workouts that work your entire body. She uses the  great strengthening yoga poses that I love, but makes it more aerobic my making you go in and out of them repeatedly. I feel like such a yoga warrior when I'm done!

Since I didn't feel like any beans today, I sprinkled a generous spoonful of ground flax into my bowl to kick up the fibre content. Hope you enjoyed my lazy soup and remember to listen to what your body needs :)

So Much Tofu Lasagna!!

I've made many a vegan lasagnas over the years, most of them nearly like it's original recipe, with soy substitutes. This one is very different. It's also great if you are avoiding gluten as there are no noodles in it! It makes an awful lot and I don't think it would freeze well. I gave nearly half of it to my sister. In the future I'll likely half the recipe, but here it is in it's entirety.

No-Noodle Tofu Lasagna

2 tbsp olive oil (for frying)
1 zucchini, chopped
2 bell peppers (I like red, but you can use any 2)
1 med onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves coarsely chopped (or minced is fine not to mention easier if you have a press)
1 can/jar of your favourite tomato sauce (around 700ml)
1/2 tsp each oregano & basil (dried)
1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced and stems removed
1 pkg (300g) soft tofu
1 pkg (300g) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
2 pkgs (350g each) extra firm tofu, pressed
1 pkg (roughly 2 cups) Daiya mozza style shreds
 

Love this stuff. Its the only casein free cheese sub that really melts!

Preheat the oven to 350F. Heat oil in a frying pant over medium high heat, and saute the zucchini, peppers, onion & garlic until the onions are transparent.

In a large bowl mix the tomato sauce, spices and mushrooms. In another bowl mix the soft tofu and spinach.

Slice the extra firm tofu into 1/4 inch (or a bit thinner if you can) slices. These will act as the noodles.

Oil a 9x13 casserole pan with more olive oil or a spray. Pour a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom. Add a layer of tofu as you would lasagna noodles.

Top the "noodles" with the spinach tofu mixture

Next is the vegetables

Continue layering in this order until you run out (2 to 3 layers). Top with the Daiya mozzarella. I like to sprinkle a bit of oregano on top (because that's what my mother did) and some black pepper, just for flare.

Bake for 1 hour. Let cool a bit and enjoy!

 I had mine with a slice of the gluten-free bread I baked the other day.

Delicious!!!