HookedOnPlants

When getting hooked is a good thing

Oil Free

6 Vegan Halloween Candy Bars You Need in Your Life

By

Trick or Treat or give me something VEGAN, SCRUMPTIOUS, & HEALTHY to eat! (AKA vegan halloween candy bars).

I’ll take the third option. And yes, ‘healthy’, ‘vegan’, and ‘scrumptious’ can happen simultaneously.

…even on Halloween.

It’s easy to bring out the tickle trunk and throw on your creepy wig, but it’s not so easy to skip the treats flowing to you from every dark corner.

Mars Bars, Snickers, Twix and Kit Kats… Coffee Crisp, Caramilk, Reece’s Peanut Butter cups and Oh Henrys, OH MY.

As a kid, I always went for the treat of course (what kid doesn’t??), followed by a full blown sprint to the next house, just to make sure I had enough time to hit up the haunted houses for a second round. Then came the organizing of the mega-bag of trick-or-treat goodies into their appropriate category, while gobbling down candy until the goblins came home. After the first night of indulgence, the ‘Goblin’ came by the house while we were sleeping and stole half of my earnings. At least he always left a cute, scribbly note…. right, MOM?

Anyways…I’m thankful for that because those halloween treats may pack a tasteful punch, but along with that comes additives, refined sugar, milk fat, preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, gelatine, artificial colours and flavours, and hydrogenated palm oil. Not only are these ingredients harsh on your body, mood, energy, cholesterol level, blood sugar level and digestion, but Mother Nature pays a price too. Yes, animal agriculture is number 1 when it comes to rainforest deforestation, green house gas emissions, water use and ocean dead zones, but the mass production of palm and corn for processed foods (like Halloween faves) is not far behind.

OK enough of the goblins and ghouls, witches and spiders, doom and gloom, talk… It’s time to get into these delicious Halloween  alternatives to your favourite childhood treats!

I scoured the web to find delicious halloween candy bars from a few of my favourite bloggers and rounded them up for you!

Which one will you try??

Twix Bars by Forks and Beans

Coffee Crisp Bars by Plant Based Kindness

Peanut Butter Cups by It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken

Rolo Balls by Oh She Glows

Vegan Mars Bars by the Good Food Goddess

Classic Vegan Chocolate Bar by To Die For

 

Ratatouille Smoked Tofu Pasta Bake

By

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
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
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.

Sign up here for your free PDF “7 Steps to Add More Plants to Your Life”

(+ exclusive resources & tips)!

 

Chocolate Blueberry Turmeric Smoothie

By

Smoothies….The best way trick your body into eating an entire head of greens.

My day isn’t complete without one.

Typically, the blender is packed 3/4 with greens, then topped off with a big handful of berries, and a couple frozen ‘nanas.

Sounds like a whole forest of greens, but once you blend it all up they hide from your taste buds just like black beans in brownies.

Blending is one of the best ways to get your fruits and veggies in. In smoothie-town, you get to keep the fibre, along with all of the vitamins, phytonutrients, and minerals. Efficient or what!

The more whole, plant foods you can get into your day, the better your body will feel, and the more energy you will have. In other words… a blender is definite BFF material.

Adding in a scoop of this chocolate vegan protein powder that packs in sacha inchi, spirulina, chlorella, maca, greens and all 22 amino acids, takes this smoothie to the next level! The beauty of adding this powder is that you can add even more veggies, and the bitterness of extra kale or chard will be masked by the chocolatey goodness.

And it’s chocolate goodness to the max, with the only sweetener being stevia (a zero calorie plant that’s 200 times as sweet as sugar and related to the daisy!).

Smoothie tips:

  • chew your smoothie! This is why I like to add less liquid sometimes and make it into a smoothie bowl I eat like a soup. Sounds weird, I know, but it’s important to chew your smoothie to start the production of digestive enzyme, amylase, in your saliva. The mouth is where the breakdown of carbohydrates starts. Adding cacao nibs to your smoothie is a great way to remind yourself to chew your smoothie, rather than guzzling it down in a hurry. This makes sure you’re not sending undigested chunks of food down to your stomach.
  • add the greens and additional powders first, then the heavy stuff like berries and bananas on top. This order of things will help the greens blend up without air bubbles and stalls.
  • start your blender on low and pulse a few times, then crank er’ up to the top speed. If it’s not blending, use a tamper.
  • make a mega smoothie in the morning (fill your blender to the brim). Then you’ll have a smoothie in the morning and more waiting for you in the fridge for the afternoon. Having a smoothie ready to grab all day long will kick that afternoon junk food craving in the a$$ and give you a burst of clean energy.

Benefits:

  • Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and vitamin C. The vitamin C helps you absorb all of the iron from the spinach and other greens, and the antioxidants protect you from cell oxidation that comes from pollutants and other stressors leading to early aging, illness or cancer.
  • Turmeric is nature’s anti-inflammatory. All disease begins with inflammation, so the less inflammation you have, the healthier you’ll be and the better you’ll feel!
  • Greens are the most nutrient-dense food group, packed with minerals, vitamins and fibre. Get them in ya whenever you can. Pack that blender with greens… then add one more handful.


Chocolate Blueberry Turmeric Smoothie
 
Save Print
Prep time
Total time
 
An easy, chocolate-y smoothie recipe packed to the brim with greens, with a kick of anti-inflammatory turmeric.
Author:
Recipe type: breakfast, snack
Cuisine: Raw Vegan
Serves: 2 large full mason jars
Ingredients
  • 1-2 cups blueberries (or other berries of choice)
  • 3 cups (or more) of packed greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, collards)
  • 1 cm of fresh turmeric, or ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 -3 frozen bananas (un-frozen works too)
  • 1½ cups almond milk or this hemp milk
  • 1 scoop of chocolate Ground Based Nutrition powder
  • 1 tbsp cacao nibs (optional)
  • water (optional)
Instructions
  1. Add everything except the cacao nibs to the blender. Start with the greens, turmeric and powder on the bottom, then top it with everything else
  2. Blend! Pulse a few times, then slowly increase the speed to max and blend until smooth.
  3. Add water if you want a thinner consistency
  4. Pour into your fave jar and top with cacao nibs

Don’t forget to sign up here for your free PDF “7 Ways to Add More Plants to your Life” !

 

No-Pork Pulled Jackfruit Tacos

By

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
 
Save Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
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.

Don’t forget to Sign Up to my weekly emails for a free, downloadable PDF on how to ‘Get Hooked’ on plants.

Plus exclusive nutrition & lifestyle tips and resources! 

Creamy Cashew Sour Cream | Raw Vegan | 5 Ingredients

By

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
 
Save Print
Prep time
Total time
 
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.