Fajitas

I love Mexican food. I could eat fajitas every day. Here is a vegan/gluten-free/low carb vegan recipe:

Veggies (all chopped):
red onion
mushrooms
bell peppers

zucchini
others (eggplant, asparagus, etc)

Protein:
organic smoked tofu (cubed)
1 can of black beans thoroughly rinsed and drained

Spices:
1 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of cayenne
1/2 tsp of chili powder
1 tsp of lime juice

Toppings:
lettuce (in pieces or shredded)
guacamole
salsa
vegan shredded cheese
vegan sour cream

Chop the onion. Fry up in some coconut oil until starting to become translucent. If using tofu, mushrooms, or eggplant, add at this point. After a couple of minutes, add the dry spices and the remainder of the veggies. Stir frequently until the veggies are lightly cooked, about 3-5 minutes. If using beans, add and stir until heated. Add the lime juice last. Remove from heat. Assemble with toppings as desired.

Gelato!

I've been in a bit of a gelato making mode recently. It's super fun to make, it's fun to think of new recipes, and it's a dessert that fits my goals right now (low carb, vegan, and gluten-free). Here are the 3 gelati I made in the past two weekends:

Avocado Gelato
3 avocados
1 can of coconut milk
3 tbsp of coconut sugar (optional, adjust based on how sweet you need it to be, and stevia could be substituted as well)
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Pistachio Gelato
1 cup of pistachios pureed
1 can of coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp limejuice
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp of coconut sugar (optional, adjust based on how sweet you need it to be, and stevia could be substituted as well)

Pumpkin Spice Gelato
1 can of pumpkin puree (approx 350-400 ml)
1 can of coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 tbsp of coconut sugar (optional, adjust based on how sweet you need it to be, and stevia could be substituted as well)

Thoroughly blend ingredients (using blender, food processor or immersion blender). Pour into a small metal mixing bowl. Cover and freeze. Every half hour remove from freezer and give it a good stir, scaping the sides of the bowl. Ready in 4-6 hours.

Pasta!

I love pasta! Here's an easy mix and match recipe. Add, remove, substitute what you like. For low carb use shirataki noodles, or no pasta - just veggies. For higher carb, don't add the shirataki noodles, and instead boil some pasta to mix in at the end.

Put a large wok or frying pan on medium heat.
Add:
1 tbsp of coconut oil;
1 chopped red onion;
a few chopped garlic cloves;
Saute for a few minutes, until the onions are a little translucent.

Then add:
Approx 1 cup of chopped mushrooms;

Saute for a few more minutes;

Then add, in this order:
1 cup of chopped broccoli;
1 cup of halved cherry or grape tomatoes;
2 chopped bell peppers;
2 bags of shirataki noodes - drained, rinsed, and chopped;
1 bunch of chopped asparagus;
1 package of organic smoked tofu, chopped;
1 bunch of kale, ripped into pieces, stems removed;
A few tablespoons of chopped sundried tomatoes (either soaked in oil, or, if using dried sundried tomatoes, soak in a small amount of boiling water for a few minutes before chopping);
Saute, until the asparagus is al dente;

Add:
A few handfuls of spinach;
Stir until the spinach is starting to wilt, then remove from heat;

Top with fresh basil and vegan cheese or nutritional yeast.

Feeling the fear

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear."
Nelson Mandela

Mixed seed, mixed rice, blueberry breakfast pudding - vegan, gluten-free and low sugar!

Ingredients:
1 cup mixed brown & wild rice (I buy big canisters of mixed rice from Costco)
1/4 cup each flax seeds, dried blueberries (or raisins), sunflower
seeds, pumpkin seeds
4 cups water
1 can coconut milk
Cinnamon to taste (I use about 1/4 cup but that might be too much for some)

Directions
Put all ingredients in rice cooker, turn on.
Makes approximately 4-6 large servings.

Time Saving Tip - You can mix 4 cups of mixed rice with 1 cup each of the pumpkin,
sunflower, flax seeds and dried blueberries, and then just use 2 cups
of mixture when preparing.

Pizza!

Delicious Pizza (vegan but not gluten free)

6 sheets of Mountain Bread (http://www.mountainbread.com.au/cgi-bin/index.pl - from Costco)
1/3 cup of tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 tsp of coconut oil
1 pepper, sliced
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
handful of black olives, sliced

Fry onion in coconut oil until caramelized. Meanwhile, put 2 sheets of mountain bread next to each other on a cookie sheet. Brush with water. Add 2 more sheets, brush with water, and top with 2 more sheets, so you have 2 stacks of 3 sheets.  Spread with tomato sauce. Arrange veggies and caramelized onions over and bake in 400 degree oven for 20 mins.

Of course, you can substitute any sort of pizza toppings. Here's a hint though, when making a normally cheesy dish like pizza cheeseless, it helps to add savoury ingredients, such a olives, capers, onions, mushrooms and artichokes. Vegan cheese can always be added too! I tried the best smoky vegan cheese at a party last week that would be a delicious addition to any pizza!

What do me and Georges Laraque have in common?

Besides a love of hockey, Edmonton, the Green Party, that we both had a radio show on Power 92? (Just kidding about that last one...).

Answer: We both went vegan after seeing Earthlings.

If you haven't seen it, I recommend it, but don't watch it alone: http://www.earthlings.com/