Creamy, savoury, satisfying, and always a big hit at parties, this middle eastern dish is a great addition to your crudités boards, snack-game, on sandwiches, in Whole Bowls, or simply on its own! For this recipe, I drizzled the eggplant with some honey before roasting for a hint of sweet, and then used a special smoked sea salt from Vancouver Island Sea Salt Co. to give it a delightfully smokey flavour…
Read moreSuper Caesar Salad
Crisp, creamy, rich and decadent, there’s no question Caesar is the glorious emperor of salads. And there’s no wonder it’s one of the most popular dressings!From a nutritional perspective, there’s nothing really inherently wrong with a traditional Caesar dressing as long as you’re using high quality components...
Read moreRaspberry Red Velvet Power Pudding
Valentine’s Day. An oft-deemed “Hallmark holiday” that for many, inflicts feelings of anxiety, profound loneliness, or simply a sense of nausea coupled with give-me-a-break’s and an eye-roll or two. Yes, I understand that the historical significance of Valentine’s Day has been lost on most, or that the socially constructed pressure of one little day in February seems ridiculous, but what if we shifted our paradigm? What if we see February 14th as an invitation to honour and celebrate LOVE...
Read moreCreamy Roasted Beet Dip
Beets are one of the most incredible vegetables. They contain a number of important substances, including betaine, fibre, iron, betacyanin, folate, and pectin, all of which aid in detoxification and digestion. For example, pectin helps clean the toxins that have been removed from the liver, allowing them to be flushed out of the system instead of reabsorbed by the body, and betaine is the substance that encourages the liver cells to get rid of toxins...
Read moreSpiced Butternut Squash with Greek Yogurt, Walnuts, and Black Currents
Not only is butternut one of the most delicious (and popular) of all squashes, but it’s incredible fibre content make sit a fantastic prebiotic (yes, that's right PREbiotic), supporting a balance of healthy bacteria in the gut. High fibre foods also help with blood sugar management, reduce inflammation and diseases associated with inflammation (cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity), and increase immune function, not to mention butternut squash’s high vitamin C content, which as we all know is also integral for immune support...
Read moreRoasted Beets with Fennel
The nutrient-density of beets is rivalled by few, but one other veg that is up for the task is fennel – the licoricey-flavoured plant used for both culinary and medical purposes for thousands of years. The health benefits of fennel are numerous, some of which include relief from anemia, gas and bloating, constipation or diarrhea, colic, respiratory disorders, as well as menstrual and other hormonal disorders. It also boasts numerous benefits for vision and eye health, and has been shown to support cognitive and immune function...
Read moreSimple Seasonal Dark Chocolate Mousse, Four Ways
Enter the following incredibly simple, and seriously tasty delight that, with an All-Clad immersion blender, takes only a few minutes to make. Plus, it’s free of grains and gluten, dairy, refined sugar, eggs, and is completely paleo and vegan friendly. Best part of all, you can whip it up the day before so that it’s all ready to go when the dessert course arrives and you’re a rummy eggnog or two deep...
Read moreApple Cranberry Chutney
I’m a big fan of flavour, and one of the best ways to infuse some pizazz into your foods is with a dip, dressing, or sauce. Chutney is one of my favourite sauces. Calming to spice, uplifting to savoury, there’s nothing this sweet and tangy taster can’t do! And there are endless directions you can go in in terms of making it your own. Many people think of mango when it comes to chutney, but as long as you have some sort of fruity base and vinegary buddy, you’re on your way to chutney-ville...
Read moreDecadent Dark Chocolate Espresso Cashew “Cheesecake”
This decadent dark chocolate espresso cake is grain/gluten-free, refined-sugar free, dairy-free, egg-free (in fact it’s totally plant-based), and therefore hopefully pleasing to a number of your brunch guests with dietary considerations. And the mocha flavour goes smashingly with a latte, espresso shot, or even Bailey’s and coffee (hey, this is a no-judgement zone), as the feasting comes to a close. Best part of all, you can make it the day before and let it set in the fridge overnight so it’s ready to go without a fuss as the stunning centrepiece of your sweet-treat side table...
Read morePakora Fritters
Many people don’t realize how easy fritters are to make until they try them. They're so versatile, and provide a tasty and seemingly impressive side to bring to dinner parties and potlucks. Fritters also make great batch-cooking snacks, whereby they refrigerate and freeze easily, ready to go when you need a little somethin’-somethin’ at the flick of an oven nob...
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