HookedOnPlants

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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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Chocolate Blueberry Turmeric Smoothie

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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
 
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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

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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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Hooked On People Interview with Big City Hippies + Black Rice Breakfast Bowl

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Meet Maddy!

Madeline Sloan is a beautiful, firey, very interesting and lovable Big City Hippie from East Vancouver. I’m proud to call her my cousin;) She’s all about holistic health, the environment, and social innovation. Not only that, she’s a stroke survivor who believes that everything you need is already within you. Maddy believes everything comes back to nature; yet society is disconnected from the impact of planetary health on human health. She’s the Wellness & Sustainability Lead at a natural health supplement company, and she has founded Big City Hippies to educate and energize others in their holistic, green journey. Maddy approaches problems mindfully and with an empathetic heart, and she’s endlessly curious. You can usually find her hanging out with her hubby, John, and dog (#GunnarThePooch), taking photos, cooking, doing EDx Courses, advocating for the environment, listening to podcasts, reading everything from Neuroscience books to Heart & Brain comics, and generally practicing hygge (in a nutshell, the Danish word for comfy relaxation). ​

Let’s get into the interview with…

What inspired you to start Big City Hippies?

In December 2012, I had a Brain Haemorrhage/Stroke, which put my work & life on hold. For over 2 years, I was committed to serious rehab, and Big City Hippies was started as my creative outlet. I wanted a place to share my values, ideals, information, and perspective on all the facets of my personality and lifestyle. My sister, Penelope (Penelope Sloan Design) helped me with the name and encouraged me to “just start it”. It’s still a work in progress, and post-stroke me is committed to maintaining my own health & wellness, so Big City Hippies isn’t always a priority. If anyone in Vancouver resonates with my perspective and wants to get involved, contact me! Big City Hippies is meant to be a collective!

Tell us in a nutshell what Big City Hippies stands for!

Big City Living, Hippie Ideals! It’s the intersection of sustainability and wellness, because #SustainabilityIsWellness. Currently, it’s a social media and blog platform to educate, promote, and inspire others on Eco-Health Living in the city.

You’re always up to date with the most recent environmental happenings. What are you most hopeful and excited about at the moment?

The new GreeNDP Government in BC. I am hopeful that some concrete steps will be taken now that they have the “majority”. I am hopeful that the Kinder Morgan pipeline will be shut down, that the Site C Dam will be shut down (and arable farmland restored), that clean energy will take precedent, that environmental protection will become much stronger, and that our MPs will put the pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to keep his word & campaign promises. The list is pretty endless! I’m also pretty excited about the advancements in science connecting nature and health/wellness. Even though this is innate wisdom, this type of research data is needed to sway policy makers & businesses in the right direction to make decisions that nurture our Mind,Body & Soul along with Mother Earth.

Name 3 environmentalists/groups we should all be following:

  1. The Dogwood Initiative (if you live in BC)
  2. The David Suzuki Foundation (if you live in Canada)
  3. Greenpeace (the whole world)
  4. Also, for in depth databases, reports, and scorecards on topics such as food, farming, toxins, and more, I follow The Environmental Working Group (EWG)  and The Cornucopia Institute. They are both US-based, but their information is often very pertinent to Canada, since we live & trade so closely.

What are 3 things you can’t live without in the morning?

  1. My Passion Planner (agenda/journal/everything book)
  2. tongue scraping  and  teeth brushing
  3. H20 & breakfast

What’s coming up next?

I just started the Instagram @joybundling. Joy Bundling is purposeful pleasure: bundles of joy, for you, by you. It is creating intentional space for self love & self care. It’s doing a few things that bring you joy with intention + thought behind it. It’s elevating everyday routines and moments into euphoric states;  maximizing pleasure, while reducing pain and apathy.

This will be crowd-sourced by out global community and collected on the instagram page – follow along!

Fruitfully Spiced Black Rice Breakfast Bowl
 
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A hearty, creative breakfast idea with black rice, spice and everything nice.
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
  • 1 cup organic black rice
  • 1 can organic full fat coconut milk
  • ½ cup of water
  • small knob of organic ginger, diced up
  • 1-2 tsp true ceylon cinnamon
  • 1 mango, chopped into bite-size chunks
  • handful of organic strawberries (sliced)
  • 1 tsp coconut (shredded)
  • handful of walnuts
  • 1 tbs coconut oil
  • generous handful of chia seeds
Instructions
  1. Soak the rice overnight (cover with fresh water), rinse, and drain, then cook in ¾ can of coconut milk (reserve the remaining ¼ of can for topping) and ½ cup of water (soaked rice needs less liquid to cook it - start with the coconut milk, add a ½ cup of water and see how far that gets you).
  2. Cook with ginger, spices, and coconut oil in the pot, and add diced mango (ours was frozen organic mango chunks) halfway through to infuse that fruity flavour (we just placed it on top of the rice and let it "steam" itself thaw with the lid on). If using fresh, simply stir in, but reserve some for topping!
  3. Cook till the rice is al dente (a little chewy), which should be about 35-45 minutes. Stir it a few times, and see if you need to add more water. If you add too much, don't worry, you can drain some off or just leave it as additional "sauce" - it'll still be creamy & coconutty).
  4. Once cooked (about 35-45 minutes), stir in other ingredients like the chia seeds.
  5. Serve in your favourite bowl, and top with additional fruit, shredded coconut, nuts, and cinnamon.
  6. Pour your reserved coconut milk on top, or add your favourite milk instead.
Notes
*This recipe is very flexible, with the nutty rice and sweet coconut being the base to add whatever flavours you want. Get creative and add any healthy doodads or spices you have in your fridge and pantry! A masala spice mix (usually referred to as Chai) would be a phenomenal flavour option. Use any seasonal fruit available!

*Double the recipe so you have breakfast for a few days (add water when reheating to re-constitute the creaminess)! Use local, seasonal, organic fruit (peaches and apricots would be amazing) for the best flavour and nutritional profile! Shop at your neighbourhood farmers market for an amazing selection of seasonal fruit and buy organic to support nature, your health, and the farmers' health.

 

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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.