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Apricot Butternut Squash Lentil Loaf | Vegan | Oil-Free | Salt-Free

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With Christmas is just around the corner, the best way to show your love to your family and friends is through their taste buds.

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Welcome, lentil loaf.

It’s sweet and savoury, packed with plant nutrients, and a mouth-watering replacement for the usual meaty main on the plate.

Roasted butternut squash, nutritional yeast, flax meal and oat flour hold this baby together, and a maple-y, molasses glaze tops it right off!

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Who says Christmas has to be about guilty indulgence? This lentil loaf will benefit your bod, yet taste comforting and decadent.

Impress your family with a vegan main for Christmas dinner. Be a rebel and switch up the tradition 😉

You can make this ahead of time and throw it into the freezer once it’s cooled. Just de-thaw by letting it sit in room temperature for at least 1 hour (or in a pool of warm water in the sink for 30 minutes), then bake again at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or so.

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Benefits:

–Lentils are one of the most healthy ingredients in the world. They’re packed with antioxidants, lower cholesterol and have anti-inflammatory effects. Eating these morsels and any other plant foods help protect the skin and ward off wrinkles too.

–Butternut squash is low in fat, high in fibre and high in beneficial plant carbohydrates. Plus it does wonders for immunity, and bone health.

–Apricots protect against free radical damage and inflammation. They also help your eyesight with all that vitamin A.

–Salt-free and Oil-free! Salt leads to water retention, which leads to bloating, a puffy face, and water weight. Go without it for a week and see if you notice a difference! Oil is a fat, packed with calories, and zero fibre. Even if it is said to be ‘health promoting’, it is still a processed ingredient that will aid in weight gain.

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Serves: 8-10

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Loaf:

  • 1 cup green lentils uncooked
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
  • 1 cup butternut squash, chopped in 1 cm cubes
  • 1 cup carrot, grated
  • 1 cup apple, grated
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water)
  • 8 dried apricots, diced
  • 3 tbsp flax meal
  • 1/2 cup oat flour
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 6 sprigs-worth of fresh thyme, de-stemmed
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tsp tarragon
  • Dash of pepper

Glaze:

  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup  ketchup
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F
  2. Cook lentils according to package
  3. Spread pumpkin seeds and walnuts on cookie sheet, then toast in the oven for 8 minutes
  4. Turn oven up to 350 degrees F
  5. Roast butternut squash for 20 minutes
  6. While squash is roasting, heat a pot to medium heat
  7. Oil-free sautéing time. Add onions to pot, and stir until you see browning/caramelization on the bottom (about 5 minutes). Then add garlic and saute for another 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup vegetable broth (or water) to deglaze the pot. The onions and garlic should have a brown tinge to them
  8. Add carrots, celery, apple, tarragon, oregano and black pepper to pot. Let simmer 10 minutes
  9. In food processor, blend 1/2 cup of the roasted butternut squash with 3/4 cup of the cooked green lentils. Once blended smooth, add in flax meal, nutritional yeast, oat flour, and thyme. Blend until smooth again
  10. Transfer blended mixture to the pot. Add pumpkin seeds, walnuts and apricot. Mix together well
  11. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper (leave some out along edges so you can use it as handles to pull out loaf when it’s done)
  12. Press loaf mix evenly into the pan
  13. Make the glaze: Mix together all ingredients in small food processor, or in a small sauce pan on low heat (this will help the molasses mix together)
  14. Use spatula to spread the glaze over the loaf evenly
  15. Bake for 45-50 minutes in the 350 degree F oven
  16. Let cool 5 minutes, then move from the pan onto a cooling rack.
  17. Enjoy with your favourite sides! Vegan mashed potatoes coming soon!

Play by play:

Toastimg_3282 Simmerimg_3283 Grateimg_3284 Roast & BLENDimg_3286

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Miximg_3291 Pressimg_3292

Then Glaze & Bake!

 

Vegan Pear Tarte Tatin | Mom’s Specialty

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HOOOOLLLLYYYY cow.

You know that moment when you take a bite of something, then immediately you forget what conversation you were having, the eyelids fall down, the eyeballs roll back, everything rolls in slow-mo, and you don’t even know what kind of sound comes out of your closed and full mouth?

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Beware. This will trigger that moment.

My Mom, known as the ‘dessert queen’ among the neighbourhood (despite her uber-healthy lifestyle and diet), has made a Tarte Tatin for special dinner parties for as many years as I can remember. Becoming the queen of Sacertorte, Galettes and Tarte de Anything; all originated from her years of living in Europe as a World Cup freestyle skier. She would never shy away from taking in the different cultures of food between her competitions.

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Bringing this mega-dessert to the dinner party is a big ordeal. It may look like a boring upside down pan.

BUT THEN: The big flip.

Everyone comes around to check out what’s under that over-sized, mysterious plate while my Step-Dad uses his muscles to flip the whole thing over without a drop of caramel dislodging from the masterpiece. He’s got this down by now.

Seriously so drool-worthy.

Over the last year, my Mom and Step-Dad, like I, have been educating themselves about plant-based living and getting excited about creating new recipes and transitioning to a vegan lifestyle for longevity, the environment and the animals.

They are is loving it.

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So, of course, changing to Veganism couldn’t mean ‘no more Tarte Tatin’… NO WAY.

Last week she came over to a dinner party with the masterpiece. Veganized.

No one could tell any difference! Top it off with coconut whipped cream, and you’re taste-buds are singing all the way to French dessert heaven.

I will admit, that this isn’t the healthiest recipe you will find on my blog. BUT no animals were harmed, and it is a really REALLY amazing treat, so it is worth it. #YoLo (isn’t that what you’re supposed to say here?)

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Benefits:

–Pears are packed with fibre, vitamin C, vitamin K and copper. They’ve got those antioxidant too to ward off disease and keep your insides happy.

-Vegan Butter isn’t quite a health food, but it’s a heck of a lot better than the typical butter from a cow. Normal butter has the same negative health effects as any dairy product out there. It’s a growth-promoting ingredient, that we really aren’t meant to digest. Dairy is something meant for a calf to grow from a calf to a 400 lb cow. It’s packed with saturated fat, indigestible proteins, and hormones that are meant to lead to weight gain. The dairy industry and the way the animals are treated isn’t something I’ll get into here, but go to the ‘why plant-based‘ page and scroll down to the animal section for more information on that. Here we used Earth Balance, but there are some delicious homemade vegan butters that you can make as well. More on that to come! Earth Balance is working with Palm-Oil farms to help with sustainability on that as well. 

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MOM’S VEGAN TARTE TATIN  – Size Large

**Makes a 14″ diameter pie (half all of the ingredients if you don’t have a pan that big!)

Time: Day Ahead: make pastry and chill coconut milk in fridge. On the day about 1 hour.

Ingredients:

You will need:

-oven-safe pan

-a plate that over laps the edges of your pan

–stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachment

Pastry:

  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1 tbsp organic cane sugar
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp vegan butter (we used Earth Balance) chopped into chucks and chilled in the fridge 10 minutes at least
  • 4-5 tbsp cold water

Filling:

  • 3/4 cup vegan butter (we used Earth Balance)
  • 1.5 cups brown sugar
  • 9 bartlett pears (they don’t have to be ripe!), halved lengthwise

Coconut Whipped Cream:

  • 1 can of cold coconut milk (chill in fridge for at least 24 hours
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

  1. Make pastry: Add flour and sugar in mix master. Then add chilled butter chunks to flour mixture and blend until pea-sized. Then add cold water and mix into a ball. Shape into flattened ball, wrap in Saran Wrap, and chill in the fridge OVERNIGHT. Also – be sure to put your coconut milk can in the fridge at least the day before.
  2. Next day. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F
  3. In a deep pan, melt vegan butter with brown sugar over low-medium heat. Let caramelize for about 5 minutes. The mixture should be bubbling but prevent burning by consistently stirring.
  4. Turn element down to low, carefully place pears cut-side down (careful not to burn yourself on the caramel mixture), in a pattern you’d like to see on the tarte once it’s flipped! You may have to cut some pears into quarters to fill spaces between the halved pears.
  5. Cover with a lid to keep moisture in and let simmer for 5-10 minutes or until you can easily poke a knife through the pears (the harder the pear, the longer you will need to simmer it).
  6. Remove pan from element to let cool for 10 minutes
  7. While cooling roll out the pastry from the fridge: Sprinkle some flour on a clean surface, and use rolling pin from the centre out to create a circular dough that is about 1/4 inch thick. It’s ok if it is bigger than the pan, because the extra width will be tucked under.
  8. To easily maneuver the rolled-out pastry, fold once in half, then again in quarter.
  9. Lift the folded pastry onto the pear pan, then unfold to completely cover the pan. Tuck the overhanging pastry into the pan (doesn’t have to be pretty or perfect).
  10. Bake for 20 minutes
  11. Let sit for 10 minutes
  12. Make coconut whipped cream: Flip coconut can upside down after it’s been chilled in the fridge, open the can and pour the coconut water off the top (drink it!). Use just the thick, white cream. Blend the cream and maple syrup together in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
  13. THE FLIP (aka the show, or the tricky part). Wear an apron and oven mitts. With a spatula, gently separate pastry from the sides of the pan. Start by placing your plate upside-down on the pan. Then, get low, and place your hands so your fingers are on top gripping the bottom of the plate, and your thumbs are gripping the bottom of the pan. In a swift motion, and a flick of the wrist, flip them together as a unit (flip AWAY from you) so the plate ends up underneath the now upside-down pan. Slowly lift the pan off to show the world your piece of delicious art work.

Vegan Butternut Squash Shepherd’s Pie

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Colourful, flavourful, subtly spicy and a crowd-pleaser.

This shepherd’s pie ain’t yo mama’s!

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(Unless you’re lucky enough to have a Mom like mine who gives me a run for my money at this whole plant-based chef thing)….
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Unusual and SUPER healthy, this new and improved version features lentils instead of beef, and bright butternut squash instead of potatoes (not that there’s anything wrong with taters, but squash is mega-abundant right now and needs to be gobbled up).
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And of course, it just gets better by the day as the ingredients infuse each other to enhance each flavour in the mix. Leftovers for the win.

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Have fun with this one, and serve it at your next dinner party to get a reaction. Let me know how it goes!

Here’s to comforting fall dishes and dinner parties.
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Benefits:

–Butternut Squash is packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and fibre. The bright orange colour of this squash means it’s packed with beta-carotene, an antioxidant that will combat cancer, asthma and help strengthen your immunity. The potassium will help lower blood pressure, and the vitamin A will help your skin and nails!

–Lentils are nutrient-dense, fibre rich, low in fat, and give you digestible and usable plant protein. We should all be eating some type of legume or bean daily. So, here’s your fix.

–Kale. Can I get a kale yeah!!? A super-green packed with vitamins and minerals galore. Fibre, vitamin C, vitamin A and vitamin K are also packed in there. Here’s a good run-down of 10 benefits!

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Vegan Butternut Squash Sheperd’s Pie

Serves: 10

Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients:

For squash topping:

  • 1 large butternut squash, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1-2 tbsp vegan butter (Earth Balance from Spud Vancouver is what I use. You can use my code for a discount at check-out ‘CRVAN-MURJUB’)
  • 1-2 tsp oregano

For lentil filling:

  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2-3 celery stalks, diced
  • 3 tbsp curry paste
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 cups green, brown, or French lentils, rinsed
  • 4 kale leaves, stemmed and torn
  • 3-4 cups of vegetable broth
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Directions:

  1. Steam butternut squash until tender. Pour over a strainer and let sit until all liquid is gone.
  2. Heat large pot over medium heat. Add some water and the onions, carrots, and celery (no need for oil!)
  3. Let sweat for 10 minutes, adding more water if it’s sticking. Then add in garlic and shallot. Let sweat for another 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add curry paste, thyme, cumin and salt. Stir to coat.
  5. Add pre-rinsed lentils and enough vegetable broth to just cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until lentils are just tender.
  6. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
  7. While this is simmering, place butternut squash, vegan butter, oregano, salt and pepper into a bowl and use potato masher or fork to mash until almost smooth.
  8. Mix frozen green peas and torn kale in the lentil mixture, then pour into oven dish (about 12″ by 8″ and 2-3″ deep (there shouldn’t be extra water in the mixture, if so, drain it out).
  9. Spread mashed butternut squash evenly over top off the lentil mixture.
  10. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
  11. Broil on low for 2 minutes to brown that colourful squash.
  12. Let sit a few minutes before serving!
  13. Let cool completely before storing in the fridge.

No-Bake Spicy Chocolate Cream Pie

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Creamy and decadent with out the whole cream, butter or egg yolks.

YES. It’s possible. You’ll see.

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American friends! If you want to impress your Thanksgiving guests (or yourself) with a lighter, healthier, vegan alternative to something usually seen as a sinful, ‘I’ll just have one bite’ type of dessert, this will do the trick.

Don’t even tell them it’s vegan. See what happens.

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The sneaky chipotle really gives this pie a unique kick of flavour.

This one is inspired by Rouxbe Culinary School. I’m more than half way through my plant-based cooking course and am loving the kitchen creations of 100% vegan recipes and experiments they have me doing. But, what I’m loving even more is that I get to share the delicious-ness with all of you!

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Benefits:

–Tofu is a health food, when you buy organic, non-GMO! There is a myth about soy products leading to ‘man boobs’ or breast cancer by raising estrogen levels. This just isn’t the case. In comparison to dairy and animal products, soy is a major upgrade. It’s easily digestible plant-based protein. For more about the myths check out this article. And for more research check out Dr. Gregor here.

–Chocolate in it’s dark form without dairy isn’t so bad! It releases endorphins, and has antioxidants to ward off cancer and disease.

–Pecans contain more than 19 vitamins and minerals, including magnesium for all those anti-inflammatory benefits.
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Serves 12

Time 40 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust:

  • 1  1/2  cups raw pecans
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1  1/2 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp chipotle powder

Filling:

  • 2 cups vegan dark chocolate chips
  • 2 packages organic silken tofu (260g packages), or soft block tofu (300g packages)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch sea salt

Topping:

  • Organic raspberries
  • 1 tbsp cacao powder

Directions:

  1. Make crust: Pulse the sugar and pecans in food processor until a meal forms. Then add rest of crust ingredients and pulse to combine.
  2. Spread crust layer out on bottom and up the sides of pie plate (about 8″ diameter).
  3. Make filling: Melt chocolate by using a double boiler. While it’s melting, add tofu, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt to food processor and blend until smooth. Add melted chocolate, blend until combined.
  4. Pour filling over pie crust.
  5. Chill in fridge for 20 minutes.
  6. Serve with raspberries and a sprinkle of cacao powder.

 

Easy Vegan Pizza

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Going plant-based doesn’t mean you have to miss out on pizza parties. No way. You can make that pizza and eat it too.

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Vegan pizza can be just as delish, yet way more nourishing than your usual suspects on the pizzeria menu.

Homemade roasted tomato sauce, thinly sliced potatoes, a truck load of veggies, and you’re on your way to a pizza party packed with pizzaz. There will be more than enough satisfying tastes and textures so that you can call it comfort food.
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The thinly sliced potatoes first up on the layering order, give the pizza a decadent texture when you bite into it. These spuds laying on top of the italian roasted, roma tomato pizza sauce will sky-rocket your taste buds to pizza heaven.

I like mine without the vegan cheese, but Davey still doesn’t get how pizza can be pizza without some kind of cheese 😉 I’m sure lots of you are in the same boat.

So, we used Follow Your Heart mozzarella shreds for his, and a healthy sprinkle of nutritional yeast for mine.

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Benefits:

-Roasting tomatoes actually increases the availability of their phytochemicals. Eating plants in their raw form is usually the way to make sure you receive all the nutrients they are carrying, but tomatoes are one of the very few  that actually become more beneficial to your body when you cook them.

–Red Peppers bring you some of the highest amounts of vitamin C (for immunity), vitamin A (for eye health), antioxidants, and folate (to help prevent anemia). Green peppers are actually just unripe red peppers with half the vitamin C, and a bitter taste! Go for the most colourful red option.

–Nutritional yeast (I wish there was a better name for this!) is packed with B Vitamins! B vitamins are vital for your nervous system and energy. It’s also antiviral, anti-bacterial and immune-boosting. Plus it’s a great source of protein and B12 (great for vegans).
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Serves 6 (great for left overs)

Takes 1 hour

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce:

  • 8 roma tomatoes
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp basil
  • Pinch of Himalayan rock salt

Pizza:

  • Pizza dough for 3 pizzas- use your favourite store-bought, or here is a good recipe
  • 5 new potatoes, thinly sliced with mandolin (or by hand)
  • 1 red onion, diced
  • 2 red peppers, chopped
  • 5 white or crimini mushrooms, sliced
  • zucchini, diced
  • a few handfuls of spinach
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour, or your flour of choice (for rolling dough out)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil (to spread on pan for non-stickyness) ALTERNATIVELY just use parchment paper
  • Follow your Heart mozzarella vegan cheese
  • OR….
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

  1. Make tomato sauce: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F, slice roma tomatoes length-wise and place cut-side up, single layered on parchment paper covered pan and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 25 minutes (you will see caramelization in action). Blend tomatoes in high speed blender with spices until smooth.
  2. Lightly oil pizza pans with coconut oil, or just use parchment paper. I often use my cookie sheets, and make square pizzas.
  3. Sprinkle coconut flour (this is gluten free, but you can use any flour) on clean counter and roll out pizza dough as best you can! I’m no expert here.
  4. Spread dough onto pan. Cover with pizza sauce.
  5. Layer the thinly sliced potatoes all over the pizza.
  6. Layer the rest of vegetables on the pizza.
  7. Sprinkle with cheese (or don’t).
  8. Bake in 425F oven on the middle rack for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown crust.
  9. With one minute remaining, sprinkle the spinach across your pizza.
  10. Sprinkle on nutritional yeast when served.