Joelle’s Veg.ca Challenge

I started working with Marni 2.5 weeks ago and since then I have been immersed in the wonderful world of a plant-based diets. The topic really interests me as I have always been interested in health and nutrition through the consumption and preparation of food. Since working for Marni my exposure to this lifestyle has increase immensely as I have had the opportunity to research the topic further, have read Marni’s eBooks and interacted with her clients who are also focused on a nutritious lifestyle.

Because of my interest in and recent exposure to plant-based diets, I’ve decided to take on veg.ca‘s Veggie Challenge as my first experimental step to practising a plant-based diet. I signed up last week and thought it was only a week long, until I received an email yesterday at the end of the first week giving me the option to extend the challenge by 3 more weeks. Since the first week wasn’t too challenging (yet!) I decided to take on the next 3 weeks as a full fledged vegetarian! I’m looking forward to the challenge and am lucky to have Marni by my side so that I can ask her questions that come up along the way. Upon reading her eBook, Weekday Meal Planning, Marni and I went through the grocery list that I made of key ingredients to stock my cupboard with, that are healthy but also all around nutritious. I have always enjoyed eating healthy, nutritious food but see this challenge as a stepping stone to build on my basic foundation and to know when to incorporate really nutritious foods in my diet that are strategically eaten when for example, I need to consume more magnesium or iron.

Thanks Marni and veg.ca for providing me with amazing resources and helping me begin this journey!

Stay tuned for my next update. I went Marni’s CalciYUM cooking class on Thursday night so I’ll have some great tips to share!

xoxo,

Joelle

Homemade veggie burger love

It’s Burger season! The May long weekend has come and gone and people are lighting up their barbeques and throwing on a piece of meat, often overcooking it and tossing it on a white bun. This seems to be the tradition, but it doesn’t have to be!

As you have just learned meat does not equate protein or a healthful part of the diet. In fact, once cooked or shall I say putrefied as it is on a grill your meat becomes less edible and your body has to work extra hard just to break it down. That being said, there is a time and place for everything. If you are going to choose to eat meat, please source natural and organic suppliers such as The Healthy Butcher or other local choices and don’t over-cook your meat!

However, eating a veggie burger which is much easier for your body to digest, tastes amazing and is loaded with healthful plant based protein is a great way to go this summer. Now I have to admit, even some veggie burgers can be made with poor quality ingredients. Especially if made from the wrong kind of soy or some other derivative that is not natural. There can be so many preservatives and sodium shoved into a “natural” veggie patty. Then it is frozen, packaged and sold as a health food. This is where you need to do your homework and look at those labels!

What I am talking about here is a whole food veggie burger make with whole grains, seeds, veggies and love! It can be quite easy, just following a certain formula to get the right consistency and texture, and even if you don’t and it still tastes good, than that works too.

So I decided to take some of my favourite gluten free and vegan ingredients and blend them all together in a food processor for form patties that look like this.

Kind of looks like a real burger…right?

Once the patties are formed and baked, the next step is to pop them in the oven. Of course you can throw them on the BBQ as well, I would suggest putting them on a pan on some parchment as you wouldn’t want them to fall apart or get too overcooked.

Then once they are done, you can load them onto a sprouted bun, wrap, top on a salad, wrap in some collard greens or eat just as is.

Beet Quinoa Veggie Burger

What’s in it:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1/2 red onion, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup grated carrot

3/4 cup cooked white beans

2 tbsp grated beets

1 tbsp tamari

2 tbsp brown rice flour

1 tsp kelp granules

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp tapioca powder

3 tbsp fresh parsley

How it’s made:

Line a tray with parchment paper and pre-heat oven to 350F (optional).

1. In the bowl of a food processor place sunflower seeds and grind until a fine flour is made. Add the quinoa, garlic, parsley, onion and carrot, pulse until combined.

2. Add the white beans and continue to blend until smooth.

3. Put this mixture in the mixing bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir until everything is mixed together.

4. Take approx 1/4 cup of the mixture out, divide and form into 6-8 patties.

5. Place on baking tray and place into the oven for 20 minuts. 10 minutes each side to get them crispy.

6. Alternatively, place the patties on a grill for 3-5 minutes.

You can get more delicious knowledge by checking out Marni’s Weekday Meal Planning e-book, available here: http://www.marniwasserman.com/ebooks/

Do you make your own veggie burgers? What in them?

My thoughts on the Oprah show…

It has taken me almost a week to collect my thoughts on the Oprah show from last week. If you missed it…find out more here. But just to give you some background on the show,  Oprah and 378 of the Harpo staff went vegan for one week. Well it all sounds good in theory but when I thought about the show and broke it down, there is a lot that needs to be said. Of course I don’t have all the answers, so I encourage you to share as well.

To start out (my starter kit):

The new  term “Vegan-ish” was coined on the show which I actually like – as long as it means fresh whole foods. However I am afraid that is not the message viewers got from this show. I know that most people after this show are thinking about attempting to “lean” into veganism to see how it works for them and their lifestyle – but if “vegan-ish” gets the reputation that experimenting with processed and packaged foods – then that is clearly the wrong message. Anyways, there is so much to share, and that is why it has taken me so long to post my thoughts.

I have decided to organize and summarize my thoughts in terms of what I liked and what I didn’t like . You will see my points emphasized and then in italics beside are my suggestions and thoughts on what could have been done!

What I didn’t like:

In the beginning of the show Oprah mentions how she has access to good free range eggs….great but what about America? Why couldn’t other suggestions be made of how those without access can get their hands on farm fresh organic eggs?

There was not much education on how + why one would choose to go vegan. It seemed like the staff was given the challenge, given a bag of groceries, fed vegan food for lunch – but did not have a full understanding of health + ethical implications of a vegan diet. Why couldn’t cooking classes, info sessions or workshops or cookbooks been given throughout the week to go into depth on the benefits + different topics, not to convert people to veganism but just to make them aware and enlighten them?

On that note, why were there grocery bags to take home filled with Junk Food – when they clearly mentioned on the show that a vegan diet can be junk based unless people make healthy choices. The staff weren’t left to make healthy choices, they were snacking on cereal, chips, cookies all week long, but that is okay because it was vegan…right?

It was pointed out, as it is always an area of interest that vegans do not have enough nutrients or get enough protein etc… Yes, this is absolutely the truth when eating a vegan junk food diet. This will of course create imbalances and cause people to become ill or malnourished. If people are shown how to eat a balanced, whole and fresh diet as a vegan, these imbalances are much less likely!

Because Kathy Freston is clearly not a nutritionist, the staff should have been told of some of the adjustments and changes they might experience during the week (gas, bloating, more bowel movements, lethargy, headaches) having this information beforehand might have helped the process. Also this may potentially help to increase the follow through rate of staying on a plant  based diet for longer knowing that your body will change over the course of a few weeks and that it takes time for your body to adjust.

Kathy Freston also took a family grocery shopping  to “restock” their kitchen (after being unloaded of processed food) so that they can make “healthy meals” at home using faux meat substitues- the kids clearly demonstrated that they didn’t like the meal that was prepared. That is never a good sign, especially for national TV and people considering going vegan. How good can a ground up soy concoction taste as the basis of a meal – at least take this opportunity to show the family how to cook with fresh whole foods? Even using organic ground turkey would have been a better choice!

Just to reiterate…America was shown (even in a Whole Foods Market) that a vegan diet comes from a package or a freezer- America got to see the Tofurky and Earth Balance define the basis of a vegan diet! Eating truly vegan to me means eating plants, neither of those options are plants.. why wasn’t quinoa, beans, yams or a head of kale shown to viewers of the show?

The produce aisle was completely over looked in the store, not even mentioned. That is where people need to be shopping!

And lastly it infuriated me, that they showed  Cargill is our “friendly neighborhood” meat slaughtering/meat packing plant. Okay, so it is clean and well managed, but the cows still eat genetically modified corn and other “grains” which are most likely just ground up sugars and potentially other meats. The cows were packed into a feedlot, sad, unhappy etc. They weren’t making any noise or moo-ing because they were tired, sluggish, overweight and mostly likely have just given up. (Okay I am going on here). But the fact that a meat plant was glorified – made me very angry. Why couldn’t they feature organic farmers like Joel Salatin or other places where America can be shown where naturally-happy raised animals are raised and that their innate diet should be weeds, grass and herbs?

What I did like:

That the Vegan movement was recognized and got the big OK from Oprah and was featured on TV. That is always exciting!
That so many staff made the commitment to go Veg for a week! I mean, what have they go to lose?

That Michael Pollan was on the show and made it clear that if you do eat meat- eat it fresh, local and organic. It’s the only way to go!

That a vegan diet can be high enough in protein as long as you choose whole foods like greens, beans legumes. This was mentioned on the show = 1 point, but not explained or showed  = -2 points.
That it takes time to transition to plant based foods and no one can make these changes over night. This goes for anything. It is all about small steps and little changes. But as long as people understand the benefits, than anything can happen!

There is room for error – you don’t  have to be 100% vegetarian or vegan. Just trust what is right for you and to be more aware. That is the message at the end of the day!

Oprah and her staff made mention and are going to embrace Meatless Mondays. This is a bold move for the Harpo staff to take on, it may just encourage more people around the world to take this on!

Final Thoughts:

I understand that a bridge needs to be gaped in order for America to make some changes, but it is away from all packaged and processed foods that we need to emphasize. America is already eating the worst foods from a package but changing that over to “vegan” junk is not the way to go. It wouldn’t have been that difficult to introduce quinoa, brown rice or even and spelt flour. Even a can of Eden organic beans could have been used as an example if necessary. The whole concept and benefits of VEGETABLES I think was not emphasized enough in this show. This could open a whole new chapter of information for viewers.

Now don’t get me wrong, Kathy Freston definitely did present some great points, but this was a chance to truly show everyone watching the power of plant based foods – I just wish it was taken advantage of!

Whats next…

There needs to be a few more follow up episodes to see how people are doing or to bring more WHOLE FOOD HEALTH information to America.

More experts in the field should have a chance to be featured. (Like me?)

More tools and key information that makes it EASY for people to make this transition to whole foods is essential – a cooking class, informative workshops/info sessions, a trip to the farmers market or an organic farm or building a community garden and at the very least… showing people how to shop properly and effectively in a grocery store.

See my tips on how to GO VEG and cut down on meat here!

I truly hope that those of you who watched the episode and who read my blog know that it is so much simpler then it appears to make changes to eat more healthfully. It can be as simple as adding greens to your smoothie or an extra salad a day! Read my article about going veg here!

If you are thinking of trying plants out or leaning in to veggie foods or being “vegan-ish” then you may want to continue to read my blog and get your hands on a copy of my book Veggin’ Comfortably. This will be available online via my website next week!

I didn’t cover everything, so please share your thoughts on the show, express points that I missed or things that were relevant to you.

What you liked, didn’t like. I want to hear!

What would be included in your Vegan Starter Kit?

If your going to use Supplements….

I am not big on pills, supplements or vitamins. However, there are those times when our body just need an extra boost to get through a bad cold, a bout of low energy or giving our bones a little strength. So when this is the case, your supplements should be sourced from whole foods and better yet raw ingredients. When I discovered Garden of Life’s Vitamin Code raw line, I tested it out, asked my questions and felt comfortable enough that  I had something that I could recommend and stand behind. I don’t “push pills” in my practice, I am a true foodie, and food always comes first. Even when I do consultations! I always provide a whole food meal plan and then make some supplement based suggestions based on what people are going through. This usually includes extra dose of pure vitamin C, iron or B- complex.  But other than that it is always a well rounded diet based in loads of fruits and vegetables!

I started taking Garden of Life’s Raw Vitamin C about a month ago, and I plan to take everyday throughout this season. I truly feel that is has kept my immune system protected so far! But who knows if it’s these capsules or the mega green juices that I make in the mornings along with at least 3 more servings of fruits and veg throughout the day?

But what I do know is that ingredients are from these products are from pure organic, raw fruits and vegetables. They also contain enzymes, and probiotics which allows your body to get the most out of each capsule (which may even shorten the length of time you actually have to take them). There are no fillers, preservatives, gelatin’s or sugars added. They are not heat treated like most other supplements (sorry, I can’t mention any name brands). When you heat treat natures natural vitamins and minerals and then pack it up into a capsule, it looses all of it enzyme integrity and there is nothing left for your body to soak up. There are way too many supplements available right now that are low quality, mostly synthetic and your body excretes them faster than they are absorbed.

It is also not necessarily true that everyone needs to be on supplements every single day, but as I said – as needed. Do your research first. Don’t just self prescribe, read through the information, feel what your body is going through and take supplements accordingly. Don’t just pop something because your friend does or you heard it on TV or in magazine. Find out what YOU need first and go from there. All I am trying to show you is that better versions do exist, so if you are going to take supplements, choose WHOLE and RAW ones!

This is directly from the Garden of Life website:

Vitamin Code^™ RAW targeted nutrients are comprehensive, whole-food formulas made with RAW Food-Created Nutrients^™. Cultivated with their unique Code Factors^™ intact, the RAW Food-Created Nutrients enable natural recognition of nutrients by your body, just as nature intended. Code Factors, compounds found in food, are necessary for proper nutrient delivery. Enhancing these formulas is the addition of a RAW pro biotic and enzyme blend along with a RAW organic fruit and vegetable blend for added nutritional support.

Get the best whole food experience – by adding SUPER FOODS into your diet! Join my Workshop “Super Foods for Super Health” on November 30th.

Have you tried any of their products? If so, which ones and why do you like them?

Confessions of a True Foodie

Some may call me a picky eater– but they don’t really know what’s going on. Yes it is true, have my likes dislikes which may come across in a rather food snobbish manner, but the truth is I have formed my valued and educated opinion over many years about what and why I like to eat what I eat! I have been doing this for so many years now that it is second nature to me. I always get asked, How do I do it? How do I stay so committed ALL the time?  Don’t I ever cheat or crave something? Well the truth is no. I don’t. I have no need to. I am not only am I so aware of all the healthy alternative that exist, but I also know how to make them. Anything that I may be craving or wanting, I know how to make the healthy veggie – even vegan or raw version of it. So I am not left feeling deprived. I think that is why I am a teacher, as I am passionate about sharing this knowledge so that others too can make or find the “healthy version” of the things that they crave or desire.

Also when I travel, my morals, values and dedication to being a foodie is the same.  Just because you are traveling doesn’t mean that you have to give in and eat crap because it’s too hard to stay on track. I don’t look at the way I eat as staying on track or following a diet plan. It is my way of life and I am proud of it. Those who know me well, know that I am that girl who will bring her own food to a dinner party,  always have spelt or sprouted bread on me just in case it needs to be dipped or create my very own menu item at any given restaurant. That way I can still dine out at restaurants and enjoy my meal. I can also be found in the airport munching on kale chips, flat bread or scooping the flesh out of an avocado. As I said, I don’t settle and I don’t give in. There are no excuses. When food is as important to you as it is to me – there is no other way! It may sound extreme – but this is me, and how I live my life everyday.

I prepare all of my meals pretty much all of the time. I rarely eat out or pick up on the go. So that is why it is nice to get away once in a while and be spoiled by healthy and delicious options when I am traveling. It also gives me some inspiration to go back home and create with some new ideas!

I was just in Los Angeles, visiting my brother, Dan Wasserman (a chiropractor in Santa Monica) and together we explored all the yummy places to eat out there. Luckily he is on board with me, and I don’t ever have to feel judged around him as he likes to eat the way I do. So together we dined at several tasty places. I am going to share my experiences and pictures here – the foods I encountered, the desserts I indulged in – all while being happy, healthy and active.

Real Food Daily – a definite must when coming to LA.  It has everything that a vegan wants to eat. Whether you want to be adventurous with a cashew cheese pizza or go simple clean with brown rice, kale, tempeh and miso soup along with a slice of their rustic corn bread with miso tahini spread. This is one of my all time fav’s!

The Best Corn Bread in Town!

Sweet and Savoury Miso Soup

Cashew Kale Corn Meal Pizza – Scrumptious!

Kind Kreme – A new discovery and truly heaven on earth as far as frozen desserts go. The absolute BEST vegan, raw ice cream I have ever had. They had everything from soft serve to several varieties of hard scoops. A cute quaint little spot near Universal Studios. I wish more places like this existed. If there is one thing I loved for dessert while grown up it was frozen yogurt – so this satisfied all my needs as far as dessert goes. I can’t even compare it to anything else I have ever had.

Coconut Cashew Choc-Vanilla Swirl with Dark Chips

Planet Earth - in Hermosa Beach. A cute little raw lunch cafe. All of 10 items on the menu – so there was definitely a lot of love put into each item. We had a yummy pesto cracker appetizer  and a raw burger on sprouted bread. It was somewhat hearty, the bread and burger were rather tasty with a unique flavour and lots of texture.  I was pleasantly satisfied and would definitely come back.

Rahel’s Ethiopian - My brother and I discovered this amazing little place on Fairfax in little Ethiopia a few years back. It is the only vegan restaurant on the block. I can be easily turned off of ethnic foods, simply because they are meat-centered, loaded with dairy and often spicy. Well not here! They are more than accommodating (especially for me and my lack of palette for spicy foods), they have so many items to choose from and they also now feature a tasty gluten free injera bread. I can truly eat here without any worries. Oh and don’t forget to order the mango juice or a thai young coconut to sip on between those spicy bites! (see picture at top)

Cru – Loved it here. A small raw, vegan cafe that features very specific items that are all crafted beautifully. It was hard to decide what to have. But I settled with a mezze platter with a fig dip, beet and apple salad, kale slaw, cashew cheeze and cucumber salad – served with flax crackers it was totally scrumptious! Of course this was a green juice paired with my meal as well.

M Cafe - This is one of my favourite spots to stop for a simple, clean macro meal. They always have fresh salads, veggie nori rolls and lots of other items. This is a great place to stop if you are on the go as the food comes out rather quick and it always tastes fresh!

So as you can see – LA makes it very easy for me to eat well. There are so many amazing places to choose from. I know not all destinations are not as well equipped as LA, but you have to do your research. The next stop for me on this trip was to Scottsdale and Sedona Arizona. This happens to be a frequent destination for my family and I am always on the lookout for new places to eat. I gave a little intro to Scottsdale restaurants last year with some of my usual destinations like TRUE FOOD KITCHEN – but this year I have discovered a few more!

Luckily I was here with my foodie buddie and good friend Marti Wolfson from Culinary school in New York. So there was no doubt that we weren’t going to eat well and make sure that our “bellies” were totally satisfied. We had the chance to discover some new places along the way…from a juicy tempeh burger to a raw falafel platter and gluten free pizza we had our fair share of delicious meals. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures to prove this but you’ll just have to take my word. Then the other night I was lucky enough to discover a new restaurant in Scottsdale called Nourish – which I literally stumbled upon after doing a search for “vegetarian Scottsdale”. So excited to have found this place! They have a wide menu with lots to choose from and a one-of-a-kind coconut ice cream for dessert!

Okay, that pretty much wraps up my trip. I don’t really like to eat out this much, but when I am traveling or on the go, this is what takes place and the choices that I make. Food comes first (sometimes)…. as I love to eat and I love to discover new things all the time. It may have seemed  like I was indulging – but it was all healthy, clean and delicious! I have also been continuously active – swimming, hiking, biking and yoga! Of course there has to be a balance…and on that note I am actually looking forward (after being so inspired) to making some home-made meals and post some new recipes when I return back to Toronto!

Are you a foodie? If so…please share!

A Veggie-Q for my QT!

Being a vegetarian does not mean that you can’t enjoy summer parties, potlucks and BBQ’s. You just need to get a little creative and have fun with it. So this past weekend was my fiances birthday. He  wanted a low key night, a dinner in with some family and close friends. Of course what this means, is that I am making dinner! Which is no problem of course, I  love providing delicious goodies, especially things that everyone can enjoy! Not everyone who was coming was a vegetarian, but that didn’t matter, my mom took care of some chicken for the group, and I handled the rest!

Make sure that when you are in this situation, you find out what all your hunny’s favourites are – and go from there (hopefully you know them already!). Luckily everything that Ryan loves, are things that everyone could enjoy – and they also make great compliments to the main meal.

So we started off with some yummy appetizers,  There was a  home made guacamole, parsley-hummus, along with an organic store bought salsa – lots of spelt flatbread and organic corn chips for dipping. Then we had a selection of side dishes – Ryan’s favourites include (quinoa tabule,  pasta salad, yam fries and “caesar” salad) and the main meal for us was Organic Sunshine Burgers (which  are truly scrumptious) simple ingredients and are so easy to enjoy at a summer-Q with or without a bun!

Of course the night was topped of with Ryan’s all time favourite – a tender Chocolate Cake – made from spelt flour (all vegan and sweetened with maple syrup) crowned by an almond butter, cocoa icing – this is his number one request on a annual (or more like weekly) basis! So I paired this with coconut-mint (from my garden) cacao ice cream (the colour green in the ice cream is actually from Ormus Super Greens). No one even questioned why the ice cream was so bright green! I may even post this recipe too since it was soooo fantastic!

So there you have it, an amazing, wholesome meal that everyone can enjoy – lots of variety, flavour and texture. You want to keep your crowd happy, but most importantly you want to make your CUTIE smile on his birthday!

If you are in need of some delicious summer recipes – there are still a few spots open in this weeks SENSATIONAL SUMMER RECIPES CLASS on Wednesday night!

The Dips – post enjoyment!

I meant to take this picture before they were all devoured!

Quinoa Tabule – a perfect summer recipe!

Brown Rice Pasta Salad with Garden Snow Peas!

My Delicious Plate of Goodness!

Vegan Caesar on left and Sunshine Burger on right- under the guac and hummus

My Award- Winning Vegan Chocolate Cake!

Vegan – Mint Cacao Coconut Ice Cream

Chocolate Cake with Mint-Cacao Ice Cream

Me and my QT (Ryan)

Mint-Cacao Coconut Ice Cream

2 cans of organic coconut milk

1/4 cup vanilla rice milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp fresh stevia leaves (only the fresh leaves or else leave it out!)

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (or you can use a few drops of peppermint oil)

1-2 tbsp Ormus Super Greens (it has a minty flavour)

1/4 cup cacao nibs

Place all the ingredients except the cacao nibs in a blender and blend until smooth, creamy, and green.

If you have an ice cream maker, pour the mixture in and begin to churn, adding the cacao nibs after a few minutes.

If you don’t have an ice cream maker, freeze the mixture in a large bowl for about an hour, then remove and stir in cacao (so they don’t all sink to the bottom).

Then continue to freeze for another hour or two (depending on the consistency you like).

ENJOY!!

If you are in need of some delicious summer recipes – there are still a few spots open in this weeks SENSATIONAL SUMMER RECIPES CLASS on Wednesday night!

Please share what veggie dishes you like to make in the summer for special events and occasions!

Bring the Rainbow into Your Kitchen!

How does one bring a Rainbow into their kitchen you ask – all you need is a wide variety of colourful fruits and vegetables – and there you have it – a rainbow in your kitchen!

This week’s “Taste the Rainbow” cooking class was themed around the colourful veggies. I couldn’t help but inspire others to learn how to make meals that are bursting full of vibrant colour and of course delicious flavours – as this is how I eat on daily basis.
We made so many colourfully healthy recipes that even a child who believes that the only rainbow in your kitchen comes from a box of lucky charms – would have been impressed!

The good news is that with colourful foods – from nature and not a box – you are not only getting something that is beautiful on your plate – but you are loading your body up full of antioxidants, vitamins and essential minerals. In each colour category: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple – you are providing your body with separate and very different elements of something called phytochemicals. These little guys help to protect us from diseases and keep our immune system strong. So make sure to EAT YOUR COLOURS!

Some highLIGHTS on the menu in last nights class included- mango rice paper wraps, cabbage, carrot, beet slaw, sauteed swiss chard, wild rice with oranges and cranberries and a wild blueberry tart (with a gluten free crust of course!)

So tonight – to keep up with the rainbow theme my good friend came over a for a night of creation. We do this every once in a while – get together and cook up a storm of delicious and of course colourful recipes. Just because it was rainy outside didn’t mean that we had to settle for anything less than a delicious meal – even without the sunshine we brought a rainbow into the kitchen. In fact we even called our meal the “veggie-Q” our version of a typical BBQ – rain or shine the rainbow was on our plates!

Since the slaw salad was such a hit last night – I really wanted to make it again – and what is a “veggie- Q” without a good slaw salad? Of course there had to be burgers and fries thrown into the mix – so we made flax – almond burgers, served in a collard wrap with a pesto made from fresh basil and arugula from my garden, and yam “fries” baked in the oven on a low temp with coconut oil, pumpkin seeds, garlic and oregano (Inspired by Brenden Brazier’s Thrive Diet).
For a sweet and colourful ending to this meal, what better than a bowl of ice cream – yup you got it – vegan creamy goodness made from coconut milk, banana’s and mango and topped with sprouted buckwheat, blueberry compote and cacao nibs – can you say YUM!!!

Once again – I leave it to you to get creative and have fun. There are a whole slew of colourful veggies out there – take advantage of them, have some fun and bring the rainbow into your kitchen this summer with this colourful recipe!

Carrot, Cabbage and Beet Slaw

Ingredients:

1 savoy or nappa cabbage, shredded
2 ½ cups grated beet (approx. 2 beets)
2 cups grated carrots (approx. 4 carrots)
1 fennel (optional)
1 green apple (optional)
5 Radishes (optional)
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1/3- ¼ cup agave syrup
1 ½ Tbs. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. chopped fresh parsley

Procedure:

1. Shred beets and carrots (fennel and apple) using a food processor
2. Chop cabbage into long shreds or shred in food processor.
3. Mix the dressing and toss over cabbage mixture and let it sit and marinate for 1 hour before serving.