HookedOnPlants

When getting hooked is a good thing

Appetizers

Perfect French Fries | Crispy & Oil-Free

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Don’t be a afraid of the tater! Especially when they’re perfect french fries made right.

The poor potato has such a bad reputation.

I’m here to tell you: it’s not the potato’s fault, it’s the way humans have prepared it. Fryin’ it up into french fries or chips creates a saturated calorie bomb with all the wrong fats. Hydrogenated fat being the worst of them all.

The reason being,“hydrogenated fats are difficult for the body to “grab onto” and metabolize, and can neither be incorporated into cell structures nor excreted in the normal fashion. Thus, hydrogenated or “trans-” fats tend to remain “stuck” in blood circulation, becoming oxidized and most importantly, contributing significantly to an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and possibly also cancer.” ~ World’s Healthiest Foods.com 

So, we go back to that simple fact that eating a food in it’s whole form is just the bomb dot com.

A potato is actually one of the most perfect foods around… if you eat it in it’s whole form as a potato, baked or boiled without any extra oils or deep fryin’.

Come as you are potato! Come as you are.

Of course, upping the anti and adding spices or healthy sauces to the experience makes the naked spud shine brighter than the best potato chip or french fry you’ve ever bought!

This can be done with sweet potatoes too! But, you might be surprise to know that they’re not much different in nutrition than the white potato!

My favourite way to eat these is in a boat. Get that romaine out, throw a fry in there, then take a dip.

Savoury heaven.

Benefits of potatoes:

  • packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre
  • no saturated fat, sodium or cholesterol
  • more potassium than a banana
  • a great source of vitamin B6 (for mood, brain function and eyesight),
  • magnesium is in these babies to reduce anxiety, plus relieve muscle aches and migraines
  • antioxidants are in there for combat disease and protect your cells from free radicals

 


Perfect French Fries | Crispy & Oil-Free
 
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These fries are crispy and completely guilt-free. Let's fall in love with the potato again in it's whole-food, naked form. This is a go-to simple dinner idea, or a great appetizer dish for a potluck.
Author:
Recipe type: dinner, appetizer
Cuisine: Canadian, potluck, simple
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 3-4 Russet potatoes
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp salt (optional)
  • (Get creative with your spices! These are good: curry, cumin, onion powder, tarragon)

  • Curry Ketchup Sauce:
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp maple syrup

  • 1 head romaine lettuce (optional)
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F
  2. Chop potatoes into thick fry-shape slices
  3. Pour them into a zip-lock bag with the spices and shake shake shake until evenly coated (kitchen dancing recommended)
  4. Spread the fries evenly across a parchment or silicone mat- covered baking tray (if you want em' crisp, don't let them touch)
  5. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip each one over.
  6. Bake for another 15 minutes, or until you can see the golden brown edges puffing up
  7. Mix all sauce ingredients together
  8. Serve in a romaine leaf and dip it all in your sauce!

 

Curried Collard Greens with Sweet Potato

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For those times that your fridge is bustin’ at the seams with greens.

I had this problem (not really a problem) at the end of this growing season. The garden created SO MANY GREENS, I didn’t know what to do with them.

Do you have this problem ever?

If so, here are some good ideas for you:

  • Kale chips or collard green chips
  • Chop and freeze for your smoothies or soups
  • Use them as wraps
  • Use this recipe to curry them up and stew them down!

This recipe does an awesome job of compressing a countertop full of greens into a pot of green goodness.

What are you waiting for? Get em’ in ya!

Benefits:

  • Greens are packed with protein and fibre. Keeps those muscles ripped, and your digestion smooth
  • Collard greens and kale are part of the cruciferous family, making them incredibly detoxifying and anti-inflammatory
  • Turmeric and ginger act together as an anti-inflammatory and antibiotic.


Curried Collard Greens + Sweet Potato
 
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A delicious way to eat as many greens as your pot can handle.
Author:
Recipe type: dinner, lunch
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 sweet potato, diced
  • 2 sweet onions, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
  • 2 tbsp miso paste
  • 1 tsp ginger powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ can coconut milk
  • 1½ cups water
  • As many collards and kale you can fit in your pot, de-stemmed and chopped
  • Vegan parmesan from this recipe
  • Sunflower seeds to top
Instructions
  1. Pre-heat oven to 375 F
  2. Bake sweet potato for 20 minutes (on parchment paper covered pan)
  3. Meanwhile, oil-free sauté onions and garlic for about 10 minutes (heat frying pan to medium, add chopped onions, let sizzle for 2 minutes, then add ½ cup water to get the caramelization off the pan, add a bit more water if it's still sticking after a few minutes).
  4. Add miso, ginger, turmeric and coconut milk. Mix until combined.
  5. Add 1 cup of water and all the greens.
  6. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
  7. Add sweet potato to greens just before they're done simmering.
  8. Serve in your favourite bowl and top with vegan parm and sunflower seeds

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Creamy Cashew Sour Cream | Raw Vegan | 5 Ingredients

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It’s not all about carrots and celery (all though… dip those in this and you are winning).

This creamy, easy recipe is living proof that ‘vegan comfort food’ is NOT an oxymoron.

With just 5 ingredients and a blender you will have yourself a decadent, tangy, sour cream-like sauce for your tacos, stuffed taters, lunch wraps, to drizzle on roasted veggies, and… and… and…

You should probably have a jar of this in your fridge at all times. It makes life better.

Just sayin’.

Sauces are the spice of this plant-based life. So get a few recipes in your repertoire and keep stocking that fridge of yours with your faves!

Benefits:

  • Avoiding dairy (in the form of sour cream, cheese, milk, ice cream, whey, butter) means your avoiding IGF-1, hormones (naturally occuring and sythetic), antibiotics (in some cases), carcinogenic casein, addictive casomorphins (opiate-like substances formed by consuming dairy, that leave you craving more), steroids, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, veterinary medications, synthetic preservatives, additives, cholesterol, saturated fat and white blood cells (aka pus).
  • Cashews are packed with vitamins B6, E, and K, minerals like copper, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, iron, and the antioxidant, selenium. The magnesium in these kidney-shaped nuts helps regulate calcium and balance your muscles and nerves. The monounsaturated fats in cashews are great for your heart health and blood sugar regulation.
  • Lemon helps to create an alkaline environment in your body. If you’re alkaline, and not acidic, your chance of disease, sickness and cancer is extremely low!


Creamy Cashew Sour Cream | Raw Vegan | 5 Ingredients
 
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A delicious, creamy, vegan sour cream for your tacos, potatoes, and bowls! By the way make sure you soak your nuts before you start!
Author:
Recipe type: sauce, condiment
Serves: 5
Ingredients
  • 1 cup raw cashews, soaked 8 hours, then strained (or Quick Soak: boil water, pour over cashews, let sit 2 hours)
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp water (or unflavoured, unsweetened almond milk)
  • **optional, chopped chives for topping
Instructions
  1. Add all ingredients to high speed blender or food processor (works best with the smallest container attachment)
  2. Blend!
  3. And done! Top with chives 🙂

 

What else happened this week?

We paddled a river, hiked 8 hours, slept on top of a mountain, and round mountain bikes.

All in between eating delicious plant-based meals 😉

For more of this, follow my daily adventures on instagram:  @hookedonplants and @juliamurrayski 

Having so many amazing trails around Whistler to ride on makes me so happy. #Fuelledbyplants 😉

 

Literally walking in my backyard. Holy #grateful. Loving my Maloja clothing for hikes and adventuring!

 

Taking the Elaho Kahuna Paddle Board for a river rip.

Garlicky Dill Pickle Kale Chips

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An abundance of kale + pickle cravings = Dill Pickle Kale Chips!

 

It was like a light flicked on when this combo popped into my head.

Dill pickle anything? Amazing.

But, on Dill Pickle Kale Chips? YES.

There’s an on-going mission to find a crunchy, salty, crispy snack that’s actually good for the bod’.

That hand-to-mouth satisfaction is what all humans crave from time to time… or all the time.

With all of this kale bursting out of my garden, I think I’ve found it.

Here’s a great way to get all of that satisfaction with out the ‘potato chip guilt’.

Not to mention the dill flavour is off the hoooook!

Get your hands in there and let me know how you like it.

Kale Chip Tips:

  1. Make sure the kale is dry to begin with
  2. Single layer it
  3. Tear the kale into large chunks (not too small because they shrink)
  4. Load up on the dressing
  5. If using an oven – us parchment paper for crispness
  6. Don’t over bake them in the oven. They can go from perfect to burnt in a matter of a couple minutes
  7. Store in a tupperware with dry rice to keep your chips crispy! (more on this below)

Garlickly Dill Pickle Kale Chips

Serves: 4-6 snackers

Prep Time: 2 hours soaking time, 10 minutes hands-on

Cook Time: Oven ~ 20 minutes OR Dehydrator ~ 6 hours

Ingredients:

  • 2-3 large heads of kale, de-stemmed, torn, rinsed and spin-dried

Sauce ingredients (use on it’s own for dressing, or sauce to add tang to any savoury dish!)

  • 1 cup cashews, soaked 2 hours then strained
  • 3/4 cup dill pickle brine
  • 2 dill pickles
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp dill spice OR 5 sprigs fresh dill

Directions:

  1. If using oven, pre-heat to 300 °F
  2. Add all sauce ingredients into blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.
  3. With your hands, massage the sauce into the torn kale
  4. If using the:
    • dehydrator: Spread dressed kale out on dehydrator sheets in a single layer. Dehydrate for 5-6 hours at 115°F
    • oven: spread dressed kale out on parchment covered pan in a single layer. Bake for 9-12 minutes, flip kale, then bake for another 10. Your oven may be slightly different, so be sure to check the kale chips near the end so they don’t burn!
  5. Munch away!
  6. Storage: Sprinkle some dry rice at the bottom of the tupperware, and store kale chips in that tupperware in the fridge for the week. The rice will absorb the moisture and keep your kale chips crispy!

If you make this tag me so I can see! @hookedonplants  #hookedonplants

 

Easy Chia Berry Jam | Date-Sweetened

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Ahhhhh berry season.

You complete me.

I won’t need to buy jam ever again. This recipe is so easy, it would be ridiculous not to make it.

If you have berries, chia seeds and dates in your kitchen right now, you could have jam in literally 10 minutes.

In Whistler, one of the best parts of the week is visiting the berry babes at the Farmer’s Market to load up on Berry Mobile‘s ripe, mega-juicy, fresh, local berries of all kinds. Going berry crazy and ending up with boxes of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries means … recipe time.

The first thing that popped into my head was JAM.

So today… we be berry jammin’.

This jam starts with date paste (easiest thing ever, and can be devoured on it’s own or for dipping your apple slices in), and ends with chia and berries.

Yes. It’s THAT SIMPLE.

No preservatives or refined sugars in this berry jammin’.

Benefits:

  • Chia seeds provide a protein punch and fibre to satiate you. While these chia seeds sit in the jam, they will absorb the moisture and begin the sprouting process, making it easier for your body to absorb all of the nutrients they carry!
  • Berries of all kinds are PACKED with antioxidants. These antioxidants will prevent oxidative stress, and there for help prevent cancer, keep your mind sharp and slow your aging process!
  • Dates are nature’s way of loving us. They’re delish. But also noutrish. They are packed with minerals, vitamins and fibre. If you need more iron, magnesium, and zinc, dip your apples in this date paste!

On a life note… It’s pretty dang smokey here in BC. My thoughts go out to those who have had to leave their homes from all the wildfires!

Whistler is getting smokey again, too. Here’s a shot from last night’s little adventure. Stand Up Paddling down the river in a smokey sunset. This is a mellow part, but we love hitting the rapids on our Kahuna paddle boards! It definitely keeps things interesting:)

OK, onto the recipe.

Easy Chia Berry Jam

Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 1 full medium mason jar

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup pitted dates (about 10), soaked 5 minutes then strained
  • 1/2 cup water (or coconut water)
  • 2 cups of berries (raspberries and strawberries for a runnier jam, blackberries or blueberries for a thicker jam)
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds

Directions:

  1. Make caramelly Date Paste: blend dates and water together until smooth paste forms
  2. Add berries and chia seeds to blender, blend until smooth
  3. Pour into a jar, cover and place in fridge to set for 20 minutes.
  4. Keeps in fridge for about 2 weeks. Or freeze until you need it!

If you make it, tag me so I can see! #hookedonplants @hookedonplants