HookedOnPlants

When getting hooked is a good thing

julia

Hooked On People Interview Series | Sisley Killam AKA ‘The Pure Life’

By

Welcome to the first ever Hooked On People Interview!
Today we have Sisley Killam from The Pure Life. She is a fellow Registered Holistic Nutritionist, and is all about ‘empowering women through delicious plant-based foods and healthy, mindful living.’ Her and I met at Dana’s (The Minimalist Baker) book signing in Vancouver, and hit it off right away. She’s carries with her a great energy, she’s an inspiration to me as a blogger, and a cutie in the kitchen making positive changes in the holistic wellness world. It’s all about getting hooked on plants, and Sisley is making that easy for people with her beautiful blog and delicious recipes.
Let’s get into it!
Why did you start The Pure Life? 
I started my Instagram account when I was transitioning into healthier eating. It was a way for me to keep track of the fun recipes I was creating and to connect with like-minded teens who were going through the same things as me. I launched the blog in late 2015 to share more extensive posts and my love for food and knowledge of nutrition!
When and why did you start eating a plant-based diet?
 
When I was 17, I began struggling with severe digestive issues. After months of tests, surgery and pills I was pretty fed up. I began analyzing my diet, which foods made me feel good and which didn’t. I slowly (and I mean very slowly) cut out gluten, dairy and refined sugar. I was forced to become experimental in the kitchen due to a lack of alternatives in the grocery store. I found inspiration from The Whole Pantry App and the Deliciously Ella blog and simply fell in love with healthy cooking. I was very experimental with different diets, raw vegan, low fat, high fat, high carbohydrate, etc. etc. but finally found a diet that works for me, which is plant-based! I am forever changing and evolving and love that about the health & food industry.
 
What are your top 3 blogging tips? 
1) Be authentic, be yourself.
2) Engage with your online and offline community. Talk to your readers and connect, this is why I love blogging!
3) Just do it. Blogging takes time and patience, but it is such a rewarding job.
 Top 3 photography tips? 
1) Use natural lighting! I love shooting my food outside in the shade on a sunny day. Such a beautiful combination.
2) Learn how to use your camera. I use a super basic camera that I have recently learned how to properly use. Once you learn how to use your camera’s functions, you will be snapping professional looking photos in no time. But I have noticed the new iPhone 7 is also incredible!
3) For food, styling is really important to me. Use fresh ingredients like herbs and greens as a prop, or old rusted pans as a backdrop.
 
Tell us one thing people may not know about you?
I am half German and I speak it! I was born in Germany and have tons of family all over Europe, which is why you’ll see me over there a few times a year. Travelling is in my blood. Plus, the food *drools*.
Top 3 tips for eating more plants? 
1) Drink a green smoothie every day
2) Chop up veggies and keep them in glass Tupperware with about an inch of cold water – this keeps them crisp and fresh in the fridge and easy to grab!
3) Get creative. Try a new vegetable every time you go grocery shopping. This week for me is bok choy – yum!
 
What are you working on right now that we can look forward to?
Setting up my 1 on 1 Nutritional Consulting and working on packages and programs for everybody! I am so excited about this as it has been something my readers have been requesting for years. When I first started blogging, I used to write up meal plans and personalized recipes for my friends all the time. Now I get to do this for a living – it’s incredible!
I also just became an ambassador for SPUD, which I couldn’t be more excited about. So stay tuned for lots of fun things with that!
What is your favourite recipe right now?
Oh man, I have to pick just one?
Well I made these Vegan Salted Caramel Slices the other day and we devoured them so quickly! They are amazing!
Thanks to Sisley for being first up on the Hooked On People inspiring interview series!
You can follow Sisley here:
Instagram @thepurelife

Cucumber Cups with Almond Lime Ginger Butter

By

Simple and flavourful. Perfect for your next canapé party.

Because you throw those all the time, right?

Screen shot 2017-01-25 at 1.47.01 PM

These little cucumber cups are wayyyy too easy to make.

If you need to throw something together quickly and impress some taste buds, look no further.

Screen shot 2017-01-25 at 1.47.38 PM

The crispy, fresh cucumber with the creamy, smooth almond lime ginger butter is a FANTASTIC contrast and a surprise burst of flavour.

The butter is a bit like thai peanut sauce, but has more of a tangy punch.

Crunchy

Creamy

Fresh

Easy

Screen shot 2017-01-25 at 1.47.16 PM

Benefits:

Cucumbers are super hydrating and packed with vitamins and minerals. Eat the green skin people! The anti-inflammatory flavonol, fisetin, plays an important role in brain health. The antioxidants will combat disease, and the B vitamins will help lower stress.

Miso is a fermented food, which means it will do wonders for your gut bacterial health. Miso (and other fermented foods like kombucha, sauerkraut, and kimchi) will help restore the beneficial probiotics in your intestine, which then will improve mood, digestion, absorption, immunity and reduce risk for many diseases.

Carrots as most of us know are very high in beta-carotene which is then converted to Vitamin A in the liver, which will help your vision. It’s also converted into an antioxidant, which combats disease and helps oxidized cells, therefore, slows down aging and helps the skin. So, eat them up!

Screen shot 2017-01-25 at 2.24.38 PM

Cucumber Cups with Almond Lime Ginger Butter

Serves: 6-8

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 long english cucumbers
  • 1 large carrot, grated
  • 2 green onions, chopped thinly
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Almond Lime Ginger butter:

  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 4 tbsp almond butter
  • 1 tbsp + 1 tsp tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder

Directions:

  1. Slice cucumber discs 1/2 inch thick. Then spoon out the middle to create a cucumber cup (don’t scoop all the way through).
  2. Make almond lime ginger butter: Blend all ingredients together (mini food processor works best)
  3. Place a dollop of the ‘butter’ into the cucumber cups
  4. Sprinkle each cucumber cup with grated carrot, sesame seeds and green onion.

**Note: The almond lime butter can be made into a sauce by adding water until desired consistency. This will make an amazing ‘Glory Bowl’ dressing!  Alternatively make it into a dip by adding a bit of water and 1/2 of a zucchini !

Sweet Potato Guacamole Bites

By

Talk about a burst of heaven in your mouth.

Screen shot 2017-01-17 at 10.08.13 AM

Sweet

Savoury

Crunchy

Creamy

These bites have it all.

Screen shot 2017-01-17 at 10.08.05 AM

Not to mention simplicity.

Some of the best creations are just a few delicious and complementary ingredients.

After some easy steps of roasting, mashing, and assembling, you’ll have a vegan appetizer that will impress even the fanciest cook.

Screen shot 2017-01-17 at 10.08.27 AM

The warmth and chewiness of the sweet potato along with the creamy guacamole and crunchy mung beans…let’s just say it’s a party in your mouth.

These are a great start to any shindig.

Screen shot 2017-01-17 at 10.08.35 AM

Benefits:

Mung bean sprouts are high in vitamin K (for healthy bone density), C (immune boosting), and folate (for healthy blood cells). All raw sprouts are total superfoods. Since they have started their growing process, they are an easily digestible, living food with more nutrients per calorie than any other food.

Sweet potatoes have been a staple in the diet of some of the longest living peoples in history (Okinawans). They have more Vitamin A than any other food, they are packed with healthy carbohydrates, antioxidants, and are stars for combatting inflammation and oxidation. Eat em’ up! I always get delicious, organic sweet potatoes from Spud to my door every Tuesday. Man, I love Tuesdays!! Use my code CRVAN-MURJUB for 20$ off your first order.

Avocados are packed with monounsaturated fatty acids. Great for the hair, skin and nails!

Screen shot 2017-01-17 at 10.08.48 AM

Sweet Potato Guacamole Bites

Serves: 6-8

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 sweet potatoes, sliced in 1/4 inch thick discs
  • pinch of salt and pepper
  • 2 avocados
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 garlic clove
  • As many mung bean sprouts (or sprout of choice) as you like

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
  2. Lay out discs on parchment covered baking sheet. Sprinkle with pepper and salt
  3. Bake sweet potato discs for 25 minutes, flipping once
  4. Meanwhile, prepare the guacamole: mash the avocados with garlic and lime juice.
  5. Assemble the artwork. Place sweet potatoes on a plate with a dollop of guac, and a few sprouts.

Thai Cashew Cream Cheese Endive Boats | Raw Vegan

By

These 2-bite boats are a fun and fresh way to start off a dinner party.

Screen shot 2017-01-15 at 9.35.06 AM

So simple to put together and really, really delicious.

They have a pop of sweet and tangy flavours with a creamy and crispy textures.

Verrrrry interestingly delicious!

Screen shot 2017-01-15 at 9.34.08 AM

PLUS you get to learn how EASY it is to make vegan cream cheese (this time with curry and cilantro)!

Screen shot 2017-01-15 at 9.34.22 AM

Endives make the perfect boat for just about anything when it comes to small bites. There’s something so fancy about holding a canapé in your hand and savouring each bite.
Screen shot 2017-01-15 at 9.35.52 AM

These guys are great to make ahead of time, and I highly suggest you make enough Thai curry cashew cream cheese to keep in the fridge for that cheese craving later on (amazing in sandwiches, wraps, or with crackers).

Benefits:

Endives have vitamin A, which is great for eyes, plus helps maintain healthy mucus membranes and skin. B vitamins are in there too to help with healthy metabolism of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Cashews help lower blood pressure, and helps hair, bones and nerves. Too much of a good thing in this case isn’t ideal though. Cashews are decadent and packed with calories from beneficial fat, so too many of these creamy morsels could lead to some extra pounds. In this recipe, we just use a small dollop on each endive for decadence and thai flavour!

Mango help lower cholesterol, clear skin, alkalinize the body, improve digestion, improve eye health, and combat cancer.

Screen shot 2017-01-15 at 9.27.10 AM

Thai Cashew Endive Boats

Time: 20 minutes (must soak cashews before hand for a few hours or overnight)

Serves: 20 plus extra cashew ‘cheeze’ is left over for you!

Ingredients:

  • Two heads of endives
  • 2 cups cashews, soaked overnight or for 3 hours in water then drained
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup water, or just enough to blend cashews
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp green curry paste
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 3/4 cup cilantro
  • 1 mango, sliced thinly in batonnet cuts
  • 2 green onions, chopped diagonally

Directions:

  1. Make the Thai cashew cream cheese: Blend the soaked cashews, lemon, and water (not too much!) in food processor until cream cheese consistency. Then blend in curry paste, onion powder, and cilantro.
  2. Fill your endives with cashew cheese, mango, green onion. Top with cilantro.
  3. Store your extra cream cheese in the fridge for about a week in a sealed jar.

Simple Green Curry | Oil-Free | Vegan

By

Brrrr. It’s cold and time for a fave bowl of Thai comfort and flavour.

This green curry couldn’t get any easier.

IMG_3585

Veggies.

Potatoes.

Coconut milk.

Curry paste.

That’s it, that’s all folks!

Plus, it’s oil-free. Why, you ask?

Well, let me tell ya.

IMG_3579

Oil is a refined and has more calories per teaspoon than any other food group out there, with minimal nutrients. For the same amount of calories in 1 tbsp of oil (120 calories), we can eat 3 cups of kale, or 4 red peppers, or 4 cups of cauliflower, or 1 cup of potatoes. When we consume 1 tbsp of oil, it takes up a tiny amount of room in our stomach, therefore, won’t do the job of telling our brain that we are full and won’t lead to satiation. So, oil makes it’s super easy to dose yourself with high-fat, nutrient-deficient calories (in other words, gain unwanted weight).

We want as many nutrients, and as much bulk per calorie as possible.

IMG_3582

This is great! This means, if we choose the right kinds of foods (whole, un-refined, plant foods), then we can eat in absolute abundance! High fives all-around for that!

You can check out Mic the Vegan’s video all about oil.

Below, you’ll see the way to saute without using oil that gives you a great flavour and caramelization.

IMG_3587

Benefits:

Broccoli is like a broom for your intestines. It goes in there and cleans everything up (especially in it’s raw form, but lightly cooked is amazing too. It’s packed with vitamin C and K. It’s detoxifying and anti-inflammatory. As a cruciferous vegetable it’s packed with phytonutrients and fights off cancer and disease.

Onions and garlic have organosulfur compounds that have huge antioxidant properties to ward off disease, oxidative stress and cancer.

Sprouts are the most nutrient dense things you can consume! The opposite of oil. They’re raw and live, easily digestible and packed with nutrients, vitamins and minerals.  Powerful little morsels.

IMG_3589

Serves: 6

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • large sweet onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2cm ginger thumb, minced
  • 2 heads of broccoli, chopped
  • 2 red peppers, chopped
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 jar green curry paste (112 grams)
  • 3-4 potatoes, cubed (could replace with 2 cups brown rice, cooked)
  • 1 cup green peas
  • sprouts for topping (mung bean, peashoots or sunflower sprouts)
  • cilantro, chopped, for topping
  • cashews, chopped, for topping (optional)

Directions:

  1. Steam potatoes until your fork can pierce through them (about 15 minutes). On the other hand, cook up some rice if you like rice more!
  2. Oil-free saute: Heat up a large, deep pan to medium. You know when it’s hot enough be doing the water test (sprinkle pan with water, and if a mercury ball forms, you’re good to go). Add onions to the heated pan. Stir frequently, until the pan is browned (about 5 minutes). Add enough water to de-glaze the pan (the onions should look brown and caramelized).
  3.  Add garlic and ginger. Saute 1 minute.
  4.  Add peppers and broccoli. Saute 1 minute.
  5.  Add half of the coconut milk with the whole jar of green curry. Mix these liquids together with the veggies until the curry is all mixed in. Then add the rest of the coconut milk.
  6. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add in the potatoes and green peas for the last 2 minutes.
  7. Serve it up in your favourite big bowl and top it with sprouts, cilantro and cashews.