HookedOnPlants

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Lunch

Butternut Mac & Peas + Vegan Parmesan

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In the spirit of Easter, it’s time to veganize an old-time fave.

Butternut squash and nutritional yeast make this a cheezy pasta that you can feel good about devouring.

Mac & Cheese, hold the cheese, add the peas.

Easter used to mean Mom’s famous Mac & Cheese with baked maple ham. This was a rare occurrence…. a special occasion kind of meal.

My Mom was always the first to tell me to get in my veggies and ditch the processed junk. All organic all the time and hotdogs were out of the question. I was the kid in school with carrot sticks, oranges, potato leek soup and veggie & cheese sandwiches while the other kids around me indulged in chips, pepperoni sticks and chocolate bars. I’d be lying if I didn’t try to make a few trades in elementary school… carrots for chips? I don’t think so…

I thank her for it now though, all the organic goodies and veggie snacks help me develop a palate for healthy deliciousness, and the ability to really taste the true ingredients of whole, organic, unprocessed foods.

But, we didn’t know as much then as we do now about nutrition, animal welfare and environmental impacts of our food system. So, like me, after books, documentaries and research, she has adopted a plant-based diet for longevity, energy, overall health and the environment and she is LOVing it.

Benefits:

  • Butternut squash is packed with dietary fibre to keep you regular, helps your eyesight with vitamin A, keeps your bones strong with manganese and vitamin C, and is chalk full of minerals to prevent osteoporosis. Plus with almost no fat and few calories, it’s a perfect weight loss food that will keep you satisfied, and nourished with antioxidants.
  • Nutritional yeast AKA ‘nooch’ is high in B vitamins, minerals and amino acids. These amino acids are easily digestible. It’s one of the best sources of vitamin B12 – something everyone should be making sure they get enough of, especially vegans!
  • Green peas are low-fat, low calorie, nutrient dense, plant-protein powerhouses. Eat them up! They’re great for weight loss, high in antioxidants for anti-aging, and high in vitamin K to help anchor calcium inside your bones.

Butternut Mac & Peas

Serves: 8-10 (makes great leftovers too, if you don’t have 8 people to serve)

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 1 bag/350g of pasta noodles of choice (go for brown rice or quinoa pasta to make it gluten-free!)
  • 1 head of broccoli, chop florets evenly
  • 1 cup green peas, frozen
  • 4 sprigs parsley or sage

For cheeze sauce:

  • 1  – 1  1/2 cups almond milk (unsweetened, plain)
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (or pressed with garlic press)
  • 1 large butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeds scooped out
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth, or 1 tbsp veggie broth powder
  • 3/4 cup nutritional yeast

Vegan Parmesan:

  • 1 cup cashews
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F
  2. Bake butternut squash: place face-down on parchment paper or reusable cooking sheet covered pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, water sauté onions and garlic: while veggies are roasting, heat a deep pot (the same one you will be using to cook the pasta) to medium, add chopped onions to the pan. When pan starts browning add 2 tbsp water to de-glaze the pan. Continue by stirring and adding more water if it’s sticking too much. Add minced garlic. Sauté until translucent (about 5-10 minutes)
  4. Pour the onions and garlic into your blender
  5. Cook pasta al denté: fill up that same pot with water and a pinch of salt, bring to a boil, add pasta and cook a couple minutes less than what the directions recommend
  6. Make sauce: add the roasted squash to the blender with the garlic and onion. Add nutritional yeast, vegetable broth, and 1 cup almond milk. Blend until smooth. Add more almond milk to blend if needed.
  7. Mix together: strain the pasta and pour it into a deep dish baking dish. Add sauce, peas and broccoli. Mix until combined
  8. Cover with tin foil and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove foil and broil on low for 2 minutes
  9. Make vegan parmesan: Blend all parm ingredients together in food processor or blender into a fine meal (can be stored in fridge for several weeks)
  10. Serve with a sprig of parsley and a sprinkle of parmesano.

*Note – you can skip the baking step, and just mix it all together, stove-top, in the deep pot

Tarragon Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers | No Pre-Cooking Needed

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Grill-able, flavourful, quick & easy.

Perfect for spring BBQ action!

You know how burgers recipes seem easy, but then you get into it and there’s all the pre-cooking you have to do before you even start to mix things together?

WELL, not this time!


You can whip this burger up without having to pre-cook any of the ingredients.

Just blend up the ingredients in your food processor, fire up the barby, and you’re good to go.

And yes, these patties stay together enough to throw them on the BBQ, just like your omnivore days.


My favourite is romaine bunning them up. It takes some messy skills to eat this, but you get all of the benefits of sticking to a whole-food plant-based meal. If you’re using buns I recommend finding some sprouted whole-grain buns at Spud for example. Sprouted breads are super nutrient-dense.

High fives to that.


Benefits:

  • Tarragon is a delicious spice that is great for your digestion because it aids in the production of bile by the liver. Also, it’s packed with antioxidants to neutralize free radicals. Plus, it helps build muscle mass by increasing muscle creatine absorption.
  • Sweet Potato is an ingredient you should learn to love, if you don’t love it already! It’s packed with beta-carotene (antioxidant), fibre, vitamins, minerals, plant-protein. In short, they “decrease the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and overall mortality while promoting a healthy complexion, increased energy, and overall lower weight”… all hale sweet potatoes!
  • Black Beans are legumes! And, every day needs some kind of legume. Dr. Gregor’s orders. Black beans are great for your digestion, cardiovascular system (form the soluble fibre, antioxidants and inflammatory attributes), blood sugar regulation (again that fibre), and they’re packed with phytonutrients (see ya later cancer).

Tarragon Black Bean Sweet Potato Burgers

Makes: 6 patties

Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Patties:

  • 1 can black beans (398ml can)
  • 1 cup sweet potato
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp tarragon
  • 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (Tamari works here instead)
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 1 tsp coconut oil (for cooking)

Toppings:

  • Whole wheat buns (or use romaine leaves)
  • Tomato
  • Avocado
  • Red onion
  • Dijon mustard
  • Sauerkraut
  • Dill pickles
  • Sprouts of choice
  • Dairy-free cheese (optional) – my favourite is Chao

Optional Cilantro Hummus:

  • 1 can chickpeas
  • 1/2 juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tsp tahini
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves

Directions:

  1. Grate sweet potato (easiest is the grater attachment in the food processor if you have it!). Set aside
  2. Blend oats into a rough flour in food processor
  3. Add dry spices, blend to mix evenly
  4. Add beans to flour mixture, blend until smooth.
  5. Add grated sweet potato, blend until evenly mixed.
  6. Heat pan to medium heat OR heat BBQ to medium heat
  7. Form 6 patties
  8. Add coconut oil to pan OR use baster to spread coconut oil on cook side of patty if BBQing.
  9. Cook 4 minutes per side. Add slice of dairy free cheese for last 2 minutes if you want!
  10. Get your toppings ready – slice pickles, red onion and tomatoes, mash avocado.
  11. Make hummus – blend all hummus ingredients until smooth in food processor
  12. Make your burger!
  13. Cool any leftover patties to room temperature, place a piece of parchment paper in between each one, and freeze. To reheat, just pop in the toaster.

Roasted Sweet Potato Red Pepper Baba Ganoush & Eve’s Crackers

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Warm and smooth with a kick of flava flave!

I wanted to share a recipe with my friend’s crackers, because honestly, anything goes well with Eve’s Crackers. 

Her crackers are vegan, gluten-free, with no added oil, sugar-free and delish!

She’s just starting out as a foodie-preneur, which I can relate to with my breakfast cereal, Jules Fuel. So happy for her!

She makes them by hand in Whistler, with love. You must try them 🙂

I mean, come on, look at these beauties.

And…this dip.

All the veggies with some spice.

Don’t get me wrong, I love hummus, but sometimes I want an all-veggie dip that has the same texture and satisfaction as your typical hummus. It gets you even more fab nutrients.

We’re sticking with the oil-free, sugar free theme with this dip.

All you have to do is:

Chop

Roast

Blend

Benefits:

  • Eve’s Crackers – a way to indulge in your cracker addiction without any hidden trans-fats, refined sugars, gluten, or oils. They’re held together with flax and chia, so they pack a nutrient-dense punch! Fibre, plant-protein, and omega 3s… hello.
  • Eggplant – are good for your heart because they’re packed with fiber, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, and phytonutrients). Plus, they help lower bad (LDL) cholesterol by having chlorogenic acid, one of the most powerful free radical scavengers found in plants. It also works as an antimicrobial, antiviral, and anti-carcinogenic agent!
  • Red Pepper – these guys are packed with vitamin C, vitamin E, antioxidants, fibre. Yet, they’re low in calories. Perfect for shedding the pounds, warding off disease (cell protection from free radicals), and your immune system!
  • Sweet potatoes – I’ve talked about these magic spuds so much already because I use them all the time! Head over to this recipe to see the benefits, or this one.

Roasted Sweet Potato Red Pepper Baba Ganoush

& Eve’s Crackers

Serves: 4-8

Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of Eve’s Crackers or crackers of choice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup red onion, quartered
  • 1 red pepper, cored and quartered
  • 1 eggplant, chopped into 1 inch cubes (stem discarded)
  • 2 sweet potatoes, chopped into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 tbsp sambal olek
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F
  2. Roast veggies: spread sweet potato, eggplant, pepper and onion on parchment covered baking sheet, roast for 30-40 minutes (until potatoes are soft)
  3. Let veggies cool for 5 minutes
  4. Blend roasted veggies, garlic, sambal oelek, tamari and nutritional yeast in your food processor or blender
  5. Scoop it into a bowl and serve along side the deliciousness of Eve’s Cracker’s and raw veggies of your choice!

Cacao RawNola | Raw Vegan

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Stop what you’re doing. Make this now. Thank me later.

Too demanding? It’s worth it.

This stuff should be illegal, it’s so good. Not to mention it’s simplicity. Raw food for dummies, people!

If you’re new to the raw food world, and this happens to be the first raw recipe you make, you’ll be hooked.

Move over cookie dough… there’s a new guy in town.

This time it’s healthy, and dare I say… tastier.

Sprinkle this on your thick and creamy smoothie bowl or banana ice cream… or you could even top your Jules Fuel with some of this sweetness!

Are mornings allowed to taste this good????

Yes. Yes they are.

This recipe is inspired by Loni Jane (thank you girl!)

Granolas these days… usually they’re packed with oil and refined sugars.

With this RawNola, the nutrients are still in tact without the disturbance of heat, plus there’s no refined sugar, it’s fat-free, vegan (of course), and SO EASY.

Benefits:

  • Dates are one of those ingredients… just too good to be true. They’re naturally sweet, gooey and delicious. Plus, they’re packed with fibre, minerals and vitamins. Yup, nutrient-dense powerhouses that you don’t have to feel guilty about eating, even though they taste so sinful! Want more? They’re packed with iron to help with anemia, they keep you regular, their amino acids help digestion, and their potassium reduces the risk of strokes.
  • Oats are fibre-rich to lower cholesterol and trigger to let your brain know you’re full. The manganese boost will help with anxiety. The antioxidants will combat cardiovascular disease. Oats will also help balance your blood sugar levels. Opt for the gluten-free version if you’re gluten-sensitive.
  • Coconut is packed with heart healthy omega medium-chain saturated fats are used by the body efficiently and transformed into energy. It’s also antibacterial and anti-inflammatory to decrease bacterial overgrowth, and inflammation in the body.

CACAO RAWNOLA 

Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup raw oats (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1/2 cup shredded coconut
  • 7-10 pitted dates
  • 1 tbsp cacao

Directions:

  1. Add oats, coconut, cacao and 3-4 dates to a food processor or high-speed blender, pulse until dates are evenly mixed
  2. Continue to add the dates until your desired texture is reached. You may need all of them, you may not… this depends on the gooeyness of your dates
  3. Top on your Banana Soft Serve or smoothie bowl, or Jules Fuel, or just pour some Vanilla Date Almond Milk over it in your favourite bowl and call it a day.

Hooked On People Interview Series ~ Priscilla AKA ‘Satisfy Your Soul’ + BANANA BREAD RECIPE

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Say hello to Priscilla Levac Cannon!

She has just started a beautiful new plant-based blog, so of course, I had to get know her a bit more.

Priscilla has lived in the Sea-to-Sky area for 20 years now, and used to be a pro-snowboarder. In 2005, she won the US Open, was named the ‘Best Female Rider of the Year’, plus she was featured in a couple of major snowboard movies.

Her passion now lies in sharing plant-based recipes (raw and cooked) as a Raw-Food Chef on her brand new blog, Satisfy Your Soul. It’s all about ‘soul-satisfying food’. She has been eating a vegan diet for the last 8 years as a Mom, an athlete, and someone who’s concerned about the state of our environment. After trying an array of different diets, and restricting herself over the years trying to find the right way of eating for her athletic endeavours, she’s finally found what seems to be the ‘big secret’. “With the balance I’ve cultivated, I now enjoy peace of mind, and my body weight and energy level is naturally on point,” she says. Check out her about page for more on her journey.

She’s all about sharing healthy vegan food without compromising the taste – AMEN!

Let’s get to know Priscilla a bit more… Plus get into some delish banana bread at the bottom!

Why did you start eating a vegan diet?

I’ve been eating vegan for nearly 8 years. I originally got into raw food to get healthier. Later on I watched the documentary Earthlings, which broke my heart and opened my eyes. I never touched meat again. And I’ve been so much healthier ever since; physically, mentally and spiritually.


How did you go vegan? Slowly, or overnight?

Overnight.

How long have you been a Raw Food Chef?
For about 6 years.

What is are the top 3 things you want people to know about the vegan lifestyle?
1. Eating vegan is a lot more flavourful and comforting than people think. It can be the healthiest way of eating if it’s done right, by consuming fresh, organic whole foods (verses tofu, fake meats, and other processed foods), and taking the right supplements if needed.
2. The whole “not enough protein” is a myth. There is protein in every plant-food, and the bigger issue is about getting too much protein. There are even plenty of professional athletes who are thriving and breaking records on a plant-based diet.
3. A vegan diet can prevent and even reverse most diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart diseases and more.
4. Lastly, eating vegan is the biggest contribution we can make for our planet and precious resources.

Top 3 tips for eating more plants?
1. Making lots of green smoothies, green juices, salads.
2. Using fresh organic whole foods as much as possible for most meals.
3. Bring your lunch everywhere you go!

What are you working on right now that excites you?
My new food blog! The response has been really great!

What is your favourite recipe?
Priscilla’s Kickstart Espresso-Chocolate Banana Bread
Prep Time: 15-20
Bake Time: 60 mins
Yields: 6-7 slices

Ingredients:

  • 4 Tbsp ground flax seeds.
  • 12 Tbsp warm water (180 ml).
  • 2 cups oat flour (gluten-free if needed).
  • 1 1/2 cup coconut sugar.
  • 1/2 cup cacao powder.
  • 2 tsp baking soda.
  • Pinch salt.
  • 3/4 cup dark chocolate chunks.
  • 4 very ripe bananas.
  • 1/3 cup almond milk.
  • 2 espresso shots.
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted.

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a small bowl, stir in ground flax seeds in the warm water. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients; oat flour, coconut sugar, cacao powder, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chunks. Set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, mash your ripe bananas with a masher or fork. Then add the rest of your wet ingredients; flax seed mixture, almond milk, espresso, and coconut oil. Mix well.
  5. Pour your wet ingredients into the dry ingredient’s bowl. Mix well.
  6. Pour mixture into a non-stick bread pan, then place in the oven. Bake for 60 minutes.
  7. When you’re banana bread is ready, simply pull it out of the oven, let it sit for 30 minutes and enjoy!

Note

Feel free to add an additional espresso shot to intensify the coffee flavour.
Find Priscilla here:
www.satisfyyoursoul.co
Instagram: @_satisfyyoursoul_
Facebook: Satisfy Your Soul