HookedOnPlants

When getting hooked is a good thing

Dinner

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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Ratatouille Smoked Tofu Pasta Bake

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A vegan Thanksgiving dish to bring to any dinner to curb those fall comfort food feels!

Rainbow forests, crunchy leaves, crisp mornings & cozy teas.

Does that count as poetry?

But really, I do love fall. Seasons make you truly appreciate each one when you’re in it. The summer (as usual) went by in a blink. We always pack it to the brim with as much adventure in the sun as we can fit.

Paddle boarding. Biking. Camping. Hiking. Dancing.

Now is the time, with the changing of seasons, to have an excuse to take a step back.

Cooking, minimizing the closet, dinner catch ups, catching up on … everything?!

Well, here is a recipe to add to your autumn vibes. Even if this holiday is traditional with the turkey and all, this is a perfect vegan Thanksgiving recipe to bring for everyone to try.

After living in France for years in her 20s, ratatouille is something my Mom has conquered and makes all the time. I decided to give it a bit of a twist this time to make it even more comfort-food approved.

This recipe tastes ‘melt in your mouth-y’, and gives you that feeling of eating something heavy, but it’s actually packed with veggies and nutrients, light on the tummy, great on the digestion, and nice to your waist-line.

Win win.

This passed the comfort-food taste test from the comfort-food lover (aka Davey), so I’m confident that you’ll get those comforting vibes from this dish too.

I always get my smoked tofu from Spud, but if you head to any vegan meat section of the grocery store these days, you’ll be able to find an organic smoked tofu block.

You can use any vegan cheese for the topping (this is optional, but totally takes it to next level awesomeness).

Or, top it off with some vegan parmesano with this easy recipe from here.

Benefits:

  • Eggplant is a great veggie for weight loss because it’s packed with fibre, with no fat or cholesterol. It’s also beneficial for bone health, not only because of the calcium content, but also the potassium content to help the uptake of the calcium! Also, if you’re worried about anemia, eggplant is the veggie for you because it’s packed with iron. It’s brain food too because of all the phytonutrients it packs!
  • Brown rice pasta has just 2 ingredients; brown rice & water. SO many people are afraid of pasta, or any carbs for that matter. But white pasta, refined sugars, and overly processed or fried carbohydrates with a bunch of ingredients are giving carbohydrates a bad name. Carbohydrates, even pasta with minimal whole food ingredients, are what our body thrives on. So go for it with the brown rice pasta, quinoa pasta, soba noodles, baked potatoes, and brown rice! It’s brain food and good energy that our body loves.
  • Veggies galore! This recipe is a great way to pack in a bunch of veggies. The more veggies we have in our diet, the longer we’ll live and the better we’ll feel. Duh.

 

 

Baked Ratatoullie Pasta with Smoked Tofu
 
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A perfect vegan Thanksgiving dish to bring to dinner this year!
Author:
Recipe type: vegan thanksgiving main, comfort food dinner, dinner
Cuisine: french, Canadian
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 3 onions, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 10 small cremini or white mushrooms, diced
  • 2 red peppers, diced
  • 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder (or 1 cube, or ½ cup vegetable broth)
  • 1 tbsp garam masala spice
  • 1 large eggplant, cubed
  • 2 zucchinis, cubed
  • 1 small can organic diced tomatoes, OR 5 chopped roma tomatoes
  • 1 package smoked tofu, diced
  • 1 package brown rice pasta
  • Vegan cheeze of choice for topping (I used Gusta) or top with Vegan Parmesan
Instructions
  1. Oil-free sauté the onions, add garlic after a few minutes
  2. Add mushrooms, red pepper, zucchini and eggplant. Sauté for a few minutes with ½ cup water.
  3. Add diced tomatoes (or can of tomatoes).
  4. Stir, then let simmer 20 minutes.
  5. Pre-Heat oven to 350°F.
  6. Bring pasta water to a boil.
  7. Cook pasta according to directions, then strain.
  8. Mix pasta and smoked tofu into the ratatouille pot.
  9. Sprinkle with cheeze (the Gusta was amazing. It's easy to grate and browns up!)
  10. Bake, lid-on for 5-10 minutes, and continue baking with the lid off for 3 more minutes to brown to top layer.

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No-Pork Pulled Jackfruit Tacos

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I know, I know what you’re thinking… Fruit in a taco???

YES and, you gotta try it.

Vegan Jackfruit Tacos… it must be 2017.

Vegan Jackfruit Tacos

Jackfruit falls nothing short of magical when it comes to a whole, unprocessed, vegan meat substitute.

It’s going to absorb all of the flavours you douse it with. Plus it easily and tenderly pulls apart with a fork, and the texture is perfecto.

It’s lighter on your belly, easier to digest, packed with nutrients, and spares the little piggies.

No-Pork Pulled Jackfruit Tacos

These Jackfruit tacos go (insert Mexican accent here) muchos buenos with guacamole, salsa, vegan Cashew Sour Cream, and a side of margarita!

Jackfruit tacos

Plus, they’re carnivore-approved. SO, next time you need to impress your friends with a comfort food, meaty kind of soirée, resort to this recipe and you won’t disappoint.

 

What is Jackfruit?

Jackfruit, AKA the ‘Jack of all fruits’, is grown in Southeast Asia, Hawaii, Brazil, and Africa. If you buy the whole fruit in the tropics, it’s super sticky when you cut it open, so you have to use coconut oil on your knife (believe me, I’ve tried). Otherwise, buy it dried (to eat as is, and it tastes like bubblegum), or if you want to cook with it, you can buy it in a brine like this can from Cha’s Organics, or baggy that’s pre-marinated and ready to heat and eat. It has zero cholesterol or saturated fats. It’s packed with vitamins like vitamin C (immunity), vitamin A (healthy hair) and minerals like magnesium, zinc, iron and niacin. It’s also packed with antioxidants to fight free radicals and phytonutrients for optimal health. Plus, it has the texture of pulled pork, and takes on any flavours you give it. Miracle fruit or what?!

Vegan Jackfruit BBQ tacos! Mexican fiesta time.

No-Pork Pulled Jackfruit Tacos
 
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A delicious BBQ flavoured, non-pork, pulled jackfruit taco recipe that's perfect for your next mexican fiesta!
Author:
Recipe type: Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
Pulled jackfruit:
  • 2 cans of jackfruit (I used Cha's Organics jackfruit)
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
BBQ sauce:
  • ¼ cup tamari
  • ⅛ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • ¼ cup hemp seeds
  • ½ cup onion, diced
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • small pinch ginger powder
  • ⅛ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
Taco makings:
  • 1 package organic corn tortillas (or iceberg or romaine lettuce boats)
  • avocado, mashed
  • 2-3 tomatoes, diced
  • ½ red onion, minced
  • fresh cilantro
  • cashew sour cream
  • sriracha (optional spicyness)
Instructions
  1. Rinse the jackfruit. Strain and set aside.
  2. In a your pot, bring the vegetable stock to a boil.
  3. Add the jackfruit to the pot, then simmer for about 20 minutes, or until most of the stock is absorbed.
  4. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
  5. During the simmering time, add all of the BBQ sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
  6. Scoop jackfruit out of the pot and into a bowl. Crush the pieces with a potato masher to get the “pulled pork” texture.
  7. Mix the BBQ sauce in with the jackfruit.
  8. Spread the sauced-jackfruit on a parchment paper-lined (or on a reusable baking sheet) baking pan and bake for 15 minutes turning over once at the half way mark.
  9. In the meantime, prepare your taco toppings!
  10. Assemble your tacos and enjoy.

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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.

Smoky Coconut Bacon

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I would go vegan… but BACON!

I’ve heard it countless times. Really, what everyone is saying is that they love that umami flavour… that savoury, salty, sweet, bitter flavour, all in one. Or that certain fattiness and texture of a food like bacon.

Have no fear. The re-creation of this is TOTALLY do-able in the plant-based realm.

Instead of coconut, you can experiment with this recipe by using thinly sliced zucchini, sliced rice paper, or even thinly sliced carrots.

I think coconut does the crispy trick.

Add these delish morsels to sandwiches, wraps, salads, vegan egg’s benny, or just eat it straight off the plate.

The salty, smoky, savoury kick your tastebuds will experience is somethin’ else. Trust.

 

Benefits:

-Coconut is packed with calcium, magnesium, potassium and electrolytes!

-Smoked Paprika is antioxidant rich and fights disease! Since paprika is made from peppers, it’s packed with the antioxidant beta-carotene, plus it regulates blood sugar levels and prevents diabetes. It also keeps your heart strong and is good for your eyes.

-Tamari is similar to soy sauce. It’s the saltiness you need for a recipe like this. It’s fermented, rich in minerals, has less sodium than soy sauce, and makes this recipe gluten-free.

Smoky Vegan Coconut Bacon

Time: 20 minutes (or 7 hours if dehytrating)

Serves: 2 cups worth

Ingredients:

Marinade:

  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp coconut oil, melted
  • 2tbsp tamari (or coconut aminos, if you have it)
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Directions:

  1. If using an oven, preheat to 325°F, and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together all marinade ingredients.
  3. Pour marinade over coconut ribbons and mix evenly.
  4. Let it all marinade for 1 hour (this is optional, but will bring out the flavours even more)
  5. Crisp them up by either:
    • Dehydrating for 6-8 hours at 115°F  (this will keep all the enzymes in tact by keeping it raw)
    • Baking at 325°F for 5 minutes, stir them around, then bake another 5 or more (until crispy, but not burnt!)
  6. Once removed, these bacon bits will continue to crisp.
  7. Store left overs (if there is any) at room temperature for up to a week, or in a freezer bag for up to a month or two!