La Nourricière

Super quick, cheap & delicious – to conquer your “junk food” cravings a healthy way.  Prep time 5 minutes, cook time about 8.

Note: You can even use the stir fry part & omit the bread, putting the warm thai ginger veggies on some quinoa, a salad, etc. 

What you’ll need for 1 serving: 

To cook — >

1/4 bell pepper – cut long & thin

1 teaspoon chopped ginger

1 tablespoon chopped red onion

1.5 tablespoon’s worth of fresh chopped cilantro

1/2 garlic clove

a mere SPLASH of soy sauce (we’re talkin like two seconds worth of pouring…VERY minimal!)

1/3 of a large portabello mushroom, cut into thin, long slices

1 tablespoon coconut oil – you can also use olive if ya want!

1/8 of a hot red pepper (optional)

salt & pepper, to taste

To serve — >>> 

Vegenaise (vegan “mayo”) – I use the soy free version (use however much you like)

BREAD TO STUFF – I’ve used sprouted wraps, sprouted rolls, or sandwich slices… your choice, whatever you have laying around!

.25 cup Alfalfa sprouts (optional)

***Anything you need for a side – serving of fruit, steamed veg, salad, cassava root chips, etc… be creative and healthy ***

How To: 

1. Place pan (with a cover that fits) on stove at medium heat. Put coconut oil/olive oil in the pan with the onion, garlic & ginger. Sauté for about 3 minutes uncovered.

2. Put the pepper, cilantro and mushroom in pan along with some salt, pepper and the dash of soy sauce. Mix around and cover, stirring occasionally and re-covering every couple of minutes. 

3. Prep the bread with some mayo & sprouts, then when the mushrooms have started to brown take the sauté off the heat and spoon it onto the bread. 

(I’ll post a picture for this later!) 

Important to note: I usually do this the night before I’m going to make it for the morning, as the coffee beans need to soak before blended and the flavors needs to marry each other in a happy harmony of deliciousness. 

What you’ll need:

(Most importantly, a REALLY good blender)

1 banana

1/3 cup roasted, ORGANIC & FAIR-TRADE coffee beans 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground gloves

1/2 cup milk (hemp, soy, almond, etc.)

3 big ol ice cubes

1/3 cup water

Optional Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon raw cacao (optional)

1 tablespoon raw maca powder (optional)

.5 tablespoon “butter” (peanut, cashew, almond, sunflower, etc.)

Method: 

Combine water and milk together with all other dry ingredients (don’t mix in the banana or ice until you blend it) and let sit overnight, covered. When you’re ready to drink it, throw it in the blender WITH the banana & ice and blend until smooth. Voila! Nourishing, flavorful, perfect “chai”like spiced coffee fit for the god(dess)s. Let me know how this works out for you!

SuperNOURISHING Holiday Spiced Chocolate Chia Pudding

Layered with fruit & nuts or enjoyed on its own, this is a desert I always come back to. Raw, vegan, gluten free and oh-so-nourishing, it takes about 5 minutes to make and merely an hour to “ripen” to perfection. A healthy snack, a yummy end to a home-cooked dinner or a big bowl of nutrition that you bring along as a party favor and decorate the heck out of, this recipe makes it easy to shock your friends, proving that healthy food is absolutely delicious ! C’mon people, get with it : ).

Packs a ton of Omega-3s, fiber, antioxidants, protein, iron… the list goes on and on. 

WARNING: If you’re weird about textures, this might not be for you. It comes out to be the consistency of tapioca, so if that’s cool with your taste buds, then read on.

What you’ll need:

1.5 cup milk substitute (I use hemp milk, but almond or soy works too) – OR you can go half and half with the milk sub & some coconut water

1/3 cup chia seeds

2 tablespoons sweetener (either REAL maple syrup, REAL honey, or 1/3 cup medjool dates food processed with 1/3 cup water)

1.5 table spoons raw cocoa powder

These are the things I personally add to spice it up, but it tastes amazing as is too: 

1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

1 tablespoon ground flax (optional)

1 tablespoon raw shelled hemp seeds (optional)

Method:

Combine all in either a big ol bottle with a cover that will allow you to shake it up, or a big bowl and get stirring. It’s literally THAT easy. Combine all ingredients , then let sit in the fridge for at least an hour for the chia to expand into that tapioca-like deliciousness. 

AND then there’s the toppings! Walnuts, almond slices, strawberries, raspberries, banana, sliced orange… this honestly works with anything, so go crazy to top it off if you wish. 

A SandWISH to make your middle-of-the-day-dreams of healthy-yet-hearty munching come true.

What you’ll need:

2 slices of bread (preferably a vegan, sprouted loaf, but those are hard to come by)

2 thinly sliced strips of zucchini, lengthwise (about the thickness of half your pinky nail – that’s the only way I know how to describe it, I’m horrible with measurements)

1 teaspoon dried oregano, sage, & parsley

1 fresh n small tomato – thinly sliced

Vegenaise – It’s “mayo” for vegans – tastes better and IS way better for you – get the no-soy kind 😉

Sprouts – pea sprouts, sunflower sprouts, alfalfa sprouts – anything will do!

A few onion “rings” (I prefer red)

8 leaves spinach

What to do:

Heat up a frying pan on medium heat, with a splash of water in it (just a splash, like a split second under the faucet kind of splash). Lay the zucchini strips down in the pan and sprinkle on the oregano, sage & parsley and dash with some salt and pepper. Cover and let the heat wilt the zucchini for about 2 minutes, then flip the zucchini strips over (kind of how you would if you were making pig-bacon).

————> While that’s going on, toast your bread lightly, and when it pops up lay a THIN layer of Vegenaise on one side. Layer down the spinach, tomatoes, onion, then the sprouts. Once the zucchini strips have begun to brown, take then out and plop them onto the loaded slice of bread atop the other yummy veg. Other slice-o-bread goes on the tippity top, then slice it however which way you like it-  we all have a favourite sandwich cut.

******** Pair with lotsa water and a fruit, and something crunchy! (Here I used cassava chips because, oddly enough I wasn’t in a kale-chip kind of mood.) I’ve done this with a side of carrot and celery sticks, too. It’s all yummy – be cre8ive! ********

Here’s the brand of Cassava Chip I use:

Sensational Sesame Munchin’ – one of my favourite meals to date, this dish is full of Asian flare. It quenches that hunger for something that feels hearty – but it’s actually light and crisp, getting many of those beautiful green foods into your BEAUTIFUL body in a yummy way. A nourishing summertime dinner for one OR the whole fam : ).

Note: Below is the recipe I use for ONE, so multiply it accordingly for however many you’re cooking for!

What you’ll need:

– 4 pieces of cut eggplant (slices = a little less than half an inch thick)

– 1/4 cup Raw hulled sesame seeds

– Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or any kind of non GMO, low-sodium soy sauce)

– half a cup of chopped rapinni (baby broccoli) OR “adult” broccoli 

– half a cup of chopped asparagus

– 1 serving of rice noodles or buckwheat soba noodles

– 1/4 cup fresh chopped green onion

– Annie’s lite GODDESS dressing (You could also just use soy sauce/liquid aminos for the noodles as well, but the Goddess dressing adds a little more flavor with less of the salt)

Now:

1. Boil a the appropriate amount of water for 1 serving of the noodles of your choice (read package for instructions). Buckwheat soba & rice noodles usually take under 10 minutes to cook. 

2. While the noodles cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet with REAL olive oil or coconut oil. Lay the eggplant slices down on the sheet, drip about 4 drops of liquid aminos OR soy sauce on the top of each slice, and sprinkle an even layer of a little less than ONE tablespoon sesame seeds atop each slice. Bake for 5 minutes, then broil for 4. 

3. Put the chopped rapini/broc & asparagus in a sauce pan, and when the noodles have finished cooking, drain them and place them atop your green veggies. Turn stove onto low heat, and add 2 tablespoons Goddess dressing, or 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce. Toss all together then cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes until the veggies turn into a beautiful green (don’t overcook them, as you’ll lose most of the nutrients if you do!)

4. After you’ve taken your beauteous eggplant out of the oven, lay the noodle/veggie “stir fry” onto a plate and place the slices of eggplant atop the veggie mountain. Dress with your green onion, and VOILA! Tutti a tavoli à mangare! (Everybody to the table to eat!)

Easy salad with lots of vitamins and minerals for your beautiful body! It’s a little tangy, “rocket salady”, and sharp.

What you’ll need:

1 cup arugula 

1/2 cup purple kale – chopped into bite sized pieces

1 cup baby spinach

1/2 cup grape tomatoes

1/3 cup red/purple cabbage – chopped into thin little strips

1/2 cup bean sprouts

juice of 1 big lemon or two small

1/4 cup Bragg’s apple cider vinegar

a few doses of REAL olive oil (MAKE SURE IT’S REAL!! OTHERWISE IT’s NOT HEALTHY)

salt and pepper, to taste

                    THINK: could you get these ingredients local? or organic? fresh from a farm stand  

                    near you? Try to steer clear of the GMO stuff for you and your family’s health, but

                    ALSO know that everything tastes better when it’s real anyway, naturally : )

Now ——>>>>>

Wash all the ingredients thoroughly, then mix ’em all together and voiila! Serves 2 as a side salad, 1 as a meal. Pairs extremely well with asparagus !

Cuatro Colores Taco – Four Colors Taco – Where the tastebuds meet the soul : )

What you’ll need for the taco’s “shell”:

—>> unbroken cabbage leaves! (a.k.a. when you peel them off the head of cabbage try to do it gently so there are no holes in your cabbage wrap, otherwise what you stuff it with will fall through and be all messy)

Note: purple cabbage LOOKS the best AND it maintains extremely high levels of Vitimin C, Vitimin K, Folate, Vitiman A, magnesium, and potassium in massively noteworthy quantities. Cooking cabbage saps the nutrients from the food as it is so watery, so consuming it RAW is a huge message of lovin’ on that bod of yours.

What you’ll need for the “meat”:

1 can black beans, washed and drained (Tip: look for NO SALT ADDED on the can)

1 batch of the rice of your choice (Note: I use BLACK RICE because it’s delicious, beautiful, and packs a punch of nutrients – many more antioxidants than more common rices (black rice can be hard to find), but brown or wild will do just fine! No refined white rice please! For this just cook up whatever the directions say and you can use any extra for a leftover meal tomorrow. ; )

What you’ll need for the salsa & garnish:

juice of 2 limes

Avocado (just enough to put in each wrap, so how many of these you need depends on how many people you are feeding. When I just cook for myself, i use 1 small hass avo)

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

1 orange OR yellow bell pepper – chopped into small 1/2 inch pieces for food processor prep

1 medium sized carrot, washed and shredded (or cut into thin strips)

a PINCH of cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/3 fresh red onion – chopped for food processor prep

1 tablespoon REAL olive oil (beware the back-alley nasty stuff… always check ingredients and try to get this at a legitimate store – good, real, pure olive oil is hard to find in the big supermarkets)

1.5 cartons grape tomatos

1 teaspoon salt TOPS or less to taste (I use pink Himalayan but yes I’m aware not everyone is that anal about their food so use whatever you like!)

(Note: whole salsa batch makes about 11/2 cup of salsa and you CAN make this without a food processor)

Let’s Get Cookin’: 

1. Start your rice first before anything else, as this takes the longest to cook. While it’s cooking you can prep up the rest!

2. Get your cabbage wraps all peeled off the head and rinsed & dried. I eat about two as a meal, so use that to figure how many leaves you need for however many people you’re serving.

3. Rinse all the black beans if you haven’t yet 😉

4. SALSA – I used a food processor, but you can still do this even if you don’t have one, just by chopping all the salsa ingredients up pretty small and mixing them together. It’ll still be delicious and beautiful, promise!

—–>>> Combine all the salsa ingredients into the food processor, blending not until it’s super smooth but still leaving it a little chunky. YUM! try not to lick the spoon…

5. Once the rice is done, spoon a little into the middle of the cabbage wraps, and do the same with the black beans and the salsa. garnish with some small avo pieces and a wedge of lime, and serve beside a nice big GREEN salad : )

Happy munchin’, folks! ❤

SO SO easy to make, super quick… it’s one of my favourite just-home-from-school snacks :))) (p.s. Those are purple kale “chips”, I’ll let ya’ll know how I make those in another post soonly)

What you’ll need:

1 small pita (I use either Joseph’s flax seed pita OR Ezekiel’s Pocket Bread)

2.5 tablespoons hummus (I use Sabra Spicy Hummus)

1/3 cucumber – chopped into long slender strips

1/2 carrot – cut into long slender strips

.5 cup of baby spinach, rinsed

red onion chopped into strips – to taste

The How To:

Spread the hummus all over the pita (I VERY lightly toast mine – you don’t want it too toasted or it will break when you fold it into its lovely taco shape). Layer on the spinach as thinly and evenly as possible – it’ll stick to the hummus which is what you want :))

—- >>> THEN – layer in the cucumber, carrot and onion. Fold in half…. VOILA. Yes, it’s that easy, people!

Tip-a-doodle-dooooo: If you want it warm and a little more crunchy, put it on a baking sheet with something like a metal utensil on top of it to hold down its taco shape. Throw it in the oven on 350 & keep it in there for a few minutes and it’ll warm up and toast in its taco shape. YUMCH!