Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

These muffins are delicious! I'm so excited to have finally found a muffin recipe that's moist and actually good for you. Give them a try, I promise you will NOT be disappointed. They are great for those with a dairy allergy or for vegans too.

Ingredients:
1 cup organic almond milk
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or coconut oil, I'm going to try that next time)
1/2 cup 100% pure Canadian maple syrup
1 tsp. pure vanilla
1/4 tsp. pure almond extract
1 3/4 cups organic whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups local organic blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line muffin tin with paper liners (better yet, use the parchment kind). Mix wet ingredients in a large bowl and dry ingredients in another medium sized bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet and whisk by hand until just combined. Add blueberries last. Bake for about 17 minutes until muffin top springs back to the touch. Yields about 16-18 muffins depending on how big you make them. Sprinkle with cinnamon right when they come out of the oven. Let cool for at least 10-15 minutes, (if you can stand it) the blueberries are piping hot.

Pico de Gallo

I've been looking for a tasty pico recipe lately and let me tell you, this one does not disappoint. It has the perfect balance of tangy tomatoes, lime juice, sweet onion, fresh cilantro, spicy jalapeno, salt and pepper. Pair that with some multigrain low-sodium nachos and you've got yourself a party. This would be amazing for taco night.

Pico:
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed (stems removed), roughly chopped
1 red jalapeno, seeds removed, diced very small
Juice from 1 lime (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Dice and combine ingredients, serve immediately. Keeps for 2 days

I was so excited about how delicious this pico was, that I whipped up a batch of homemade black bean dip to go with it.

Black Bean Dip:
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed (twice)
3 large cloves of garlic
1 heaping tbsp. cumin
5-6 sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
2-4 tbsp. water
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Combine ingredients in a food processor, until a coarse paste forms. You may need to add more water so it isn't too thick. Scoop and enjoy with nachos and pico, yum!

It's hard to tell from this picture but I put the bean dip in the bottom of a pyrex dish and topped it with (in this order) mild salsa, green onion, orange peppers and pico. The taste was to die for. Delicious and nutritious! My favourite combination.

Pantry Makeover

I've been inspired lately to give my baking cupboard a makeover. When I pulled everything out of there I realized how bad it really was. Refined sugars, dyed sprinkles, Splenda, candied cherries, sweetened cacao, icing sugar, sweetened coconut, processed chocolate chips, food colouring and the list go on. Nothing about that stuff is good or good for you for that matter.

I forgave myself pretty quickly and filled it back up again with some much better choices and whipped up a delicious (yet surprisingly nutritious) dessert in no time. Here's what I've got in there now:

Organic unsulphured shredded coconut
Organic Raw Cacao Powder
Carob powder
Vegan chocolate chips
homemade sodium-free trail mix
Pure vanilla extract
Organic extra virgin coconut oil
Medjool dates
Organic fair-trade chocolate

I'm missing raw organic sugar and sea salt for now but they are on my grocery list and I think I'm going to try some nutritional yeast as well. If anyone has suggestions for things I should look for I would be happy to hear all about it! What's in your pantry?

Beach Project: Sand Cast Hands

While enjoying a beautiful day at Kits Beach, Colin, Jayden and I met my cousin Brad, his family and their friends for a picnic last weekend. I brought along a tub of plaster of paris thinking Brad & Ali's girls, Maddy & Kenzie would be game for a little sand crafting. Turns out they were!

After digging down to expose the soft wet sand, we each made a 2 inch deep hand print in the sand to serve as our molds. We collected shells and sea glass to decorate them, being careful to place the side we wanted up, face down in the sand. Be careful to place the shells gently (not pressed into the sand) so the plaster can pick up the design.

We mixed 2 cups plaster of paris with one cup sea water and the result was a perfect mixture that set in 30 minutes (although the longer you leave it the better, they are very fragile). Note: After removing your cast from the sand, leave it in the sun to dry out until you leave then place it in a towel or sweater and wrap it up carefully. It will take 24 hours to fully cure.

Here's how mine turned out! So cool! We also made various turtles and star fish from inverted sand toys, but I let the girls take those ones home. Fun!

No-Bake Vegan Date Squares

I guess I've been busy lately because it's been a while since I blogged! Colin was off for 8 weeks so we've enjoyed some major beach time and we had an amazing vacation in Eugene. It was so nice to see old friends and bring Jayden to see such a special place. Hopefully we will all be back next August for my friend Ashley's wedding. But in the meantime, Go Ducks!

I found this great recipe from the blog "Oh She Glows" - you can find the details here: http://ohsheglows.com/2011/03/28/5-ingredient-no-bake-vegan-date-squares/

These date squares were super easy to make and have only 5 ingredients. Even better yet they don't require sugar or butter so you can enjoy them guilt free! Tasty!

Organic Chickpea Garden Burgers

These garden burgers are so amazing and taste much better than any store-bought brand you're going to find. They are also soy-free, nitrate free, and free of fillers and preservatives.

Ingredients:

2 cups dry, organic, split (or whole) chick peas (soaked overnight in a large bowl of water with 2 tbsp. cider vinegar) Drain and rinse. ~Boil for 18-20 min (split) or 20-30 min (whole) or until tender. If using canned, go with 2 full cans, drained and rinsed.

2 organic eggs (or egg replacer)

1/4 cup fresh organic parsley

1/4 cup fresh organic dill

8 tbsp. organic whole wheat flour

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

8 large cloves of garlic

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cayenne

4 tsp. cumin

1 1/4 cup vegan breadcrumbs 

1 cup organic peas, steamed 

1 cup organic corn, steamed

Method:
Combine ingredients (except bread crumbs, peas and corn) in a food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl and fold in breadcrumbs, peas and corn. Cut squares of wax paper, press mixture into patties and freeze in a large Ziploc bag. Should make about 12 patties. BBQ (best from frozen), bake or pan fry and serve with desired toppings on a whole wheat or multigrain bun. For vegan patties, substitute the eggs for egg replacer.

Pita Bread

Use the dough from the Artesian Bread "master recipe." It also works well using 4 1/2 cups white and 2 cups whole grain, whole wheat flour.

Twenty five minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 500F with a baking stone. You won’t be using a broiler tray and shelf placement of the stone is not crucial. For one pita you will need: a plum sized piece of dough and flour for dusting.

Flour and cut off a small piece of dough from your bucket. Dust the piece with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides rotating the ball a quarter turn as you go. Place the dough on a flour dusted pizza peel or wooden cutting board.

Using your hands and a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a round with a uniform thickness of ¼ inch throughout. This is crucial because if its too thick it may not puff. You will need to sprinkle the peel lightly with flour as you work, occasionally flipping the bread to prevent sticking to the rolling pin or board. Use a dough scraper to remove the round of dough from the peel if it sticks. Do not slash the pita or it will not puff. No rest/rise time is needed. 

If you have a ventilation fan, turn it on now, some of the stray flour may smoke. Slide the loaf directly onto the hot stone (it may take a number of back and forth shakes to dislodge the pita). Bake for about 5-7 minutes until lightly browned and puffed. Repeat process 4-6 times or as many times as you like.

For the most authentic, soft crusted result, wrap in a clean cotton dish towel and set on a cooling rack when baking is complete. The pitas will deflate slightly as they cool, the space between the crusts will still be there but may need to be nudged apart with a fork.

Store in plastic air-tight bags to keep soft and moist.