Vegan Mexican Crescent Moons
From the kitchen of Daphnee Martinez
“These are my all-time favourite cookies.”
1/2 cup vegan butter substitute (such as Earth Balance)
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
2 1/2 cups unbleached spelt flour
2/3 cup sugar (fair trade organic is best)
1 cup finely ground almonds (or almond flour)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350F and prepare a baking sheet by lightly greasing or
lining it with parchment paper.
Put about 1/2 a cup of powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside.
Cream the vegan butter, shortening, and sugar using an electric beater or a
whisk and strong arms.
Add vanilla and beat until combined.
Now add the flour and ground nuts. Mix well to combine.
Shape about 1 tablespoon of dough into logs, and bend the logs into
crescents. Place crescents on prepared baking sheets about one inch
apart.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, until light brown.
Let the cookies cool about 3 minutes. While the cookies are still very warm,
carefully place crescents in powdered sugar and flip them over to coat.
Transfer them to cooling racks to cool completely. Store in a tightly sealed
container.
Shiny Lemon Cleanser
From the kitchen of Lea Tran
“Lemon helps your skin maintain a healthy pH balance. Sour cream
contains lactic acid, which gently exfoliates. Olive oil is hydrating.”
1 tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup sour cream
1 tbsp olive oil
In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, sour cream, and oil. Mix well.
Application: Wash your face and neck with this cleanser only at night. Rinse
off with warm water. In the morning, splash your face and neck with cold
water.
From Return to Beauty by Narine Nikogosian
Mulled Wine
From the kitchen of Holly Jones
“This is the perfect thing for a winter party. It’s delicious and it makes the
house smell so warm and inviting after coming in from the cold.”
1 cup boiling water
½ cup sugar
1 orange, thinly sliced
12 whole cloves
12 whole allspice
1 4” cinnamon stick
1 750 ml bottle dry red wine
raisins
Combine all ingredients except wine in a pot. Bring to boil. Simmer 5 to 10
minutes.
Add wine and bring near to boil without boiling.
Strain when serving. Serve with raisins.
Savory Stuffed Veggies
From the kitchen of Lea Tran
“These stuffing like filled veggies are flavorful and satisfying without being
to heavy on the body. Have fun with this and choose a wide variety of
vegetables to fill including romaine leaves or radicchio.”
Vegetables to stuff:
bell pepper-remove stem and seeds
cucumber, cut cucumber lengthwise, remove seeds
roma tomatoes, cut in half, remove seeds and pulp
1 cup almonds, soaked for 6-8 hours, strained and rinsed well
1 cup hemp seeds
1 large red bell pepper, diced small
2-3 shallots, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic
2 celery stalks, diced small
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, soaked until soft (about 20 minutes)
1/4 cup olive oil
2-4 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
1 tsp chipotle powder
Start by processing the almonds into a coarse meal. Empty into a large
mixing bowl then process the hemp seeds just until they are broken up
and add them to the almond meal. Finally, process the sundried tomatoes
until well blended and add them to the mixture along with the finely
chopped vegetables and herbs.
Dress with olive oil and lemon juice, and season to taste with sea salt and
freshly cracked black pepper. The mixture should be crumbly and moist.
Once desired flavour is reached, stuff the mixture into the selected
vegetables and serve.
From Alive From Bali by Franky Giglio
Gluten-free Honey Spice Cake
From the kitchen of Daphnee Martinez
2 tsp vegetable oil (to grease the pan)
2 cups of all purpose gluten-free flour blend (Bob's Red Mill is great)**
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2/3 cup of honey (or agave nectar)
1/3 cup of molasses
1 1/2 cups soy, almond, or coconut milk
1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup of pecans (optional)
1/4 cup of candied ginger (optional)
Preheat oven to 350F.
Grease bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
Combine the milk, honey (or agave), and molasses in a small saucepan.
Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until ingredients have blended.
Remove from heat. Do not allow this mixture to boil!
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, xanthan gum,
and all the spices in a medium sized bowl.
Pour the honey mixture into the dry ingredients and gently mix until flour is
incorporated. Now add the optional nuts and candies if desired.
Make sure the oven is preheated and your pan is ready for this next step.
Add the apple cider vinegar to the batter and gently but swiftly fold to
combine. Once vinegar is distributed throughout the batter, immediately
pour into pan and place in the oven. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a
toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Cool on rack for 20 minutes before taking cake out of pan. Wrap in plastic
wrap and store in refrigerator. This cake is best eaten the day after it is
made.
** To make this using wheat or spelt flour, just substitute the gluten-free
flour for your favourite kind of flour 1:1. Also, reduce the amount of baking
soda to 1 teaspoon, and remove the xanthan gum and cider vinegar.
Proceed with the recipe as before.
Cheeseball Appetizer
From the kitchen of Colette Babin
1 pkg organic cream cheese
1 cup old white cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp old fashioned prepared mustard
6 finely chopped green olives
1/4 cup red pepper finely chopped
1/4 cup green onions finely chopped
Mix above ingredients thoroughly, refrigerate overnight and serve with rice
crackers.
Raw Caesar Dressing or Mayonnaise Substitute
From the kitchen of Lea Tran
“This dressing adds a nice zesty flavour to raw salads.”
¼ cup cold-pressed olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 medium stalks celery, cut into thirds
½ cup water
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup Nama Shoyu soy sauces
2 tbsp sweet white miso
5 organic unsulfured dates
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Blend all ingredients in blender and serve over romaine lettuce of other
greens. This is a neutral dressing that may also be used as mayonnaise (use
less water for a thicker consistency). Makes 3 cups. Keeps for about 10 days
in fridge.
From The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose
Lentil Soup
From the kitchen of Brenda Ahern
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove of garlic
1 1/2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp cumin
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 cup red lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 black pepper
4 tsp plain yogurt
In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic;
cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in curry
powder and cumin; cook for 2 minutes. Add carrot, celery, lentils and
vegetable broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered,
stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes or until soup has thickened.
Stir in half of the parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust
seasoning as needed. Ladle into warmed soup bowls; garnish with
remaining parsley.
Blend in the blender. Swirl a teaspoon of plain yogurt into each bowl to
serve.
Serves 4. This recipe doubles well.
Preserved Lemons
From the kitchen of Holly Jones
“I don’t make lentil stew without them, and they are a key ingredient in many
Moroccan and Middle Eastern dishes. For an extra kick, try them in
Brenda’s recipe above!”
8-10 organic Meyer lemons, scrubbed very clean
Fresh squeezed lemon juice
½ cup kosher salt
6 cardamom pods
1-quart canning jar
Cut the lemons as though you are going to quarter them, but do not cut
them all the way through, so they are still attached at the base. Sprinkle salt
over the insides and outsides of the lemons. Place 2 tablespoons of salt at
the bottom of jar along with half the cardamom pods. Squish the lemons
into the jar, squeezing out some of the juice, but not too much. Add more of
the salt over each lemon. Place rest of cardamom pods on top and pour
freshly squeezed lemon juice over the lemons until they are just covered.
Seal and leave at room temperature for a couple of days, turning the jar
upside down from time to time. Refrigerate for 3 weeks before using.
Banana Bread
From the kitchen of Erin Copeland
“This recipe is from the Looneyspoons Cookbook. I’ve tried a lot of
banana bread recipes but this one is definitely my favourite. It’s delicious
and healthy!”
2 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unpacked brown sugar
1 – ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
3 egg whites
2 tbsp melted butter
¾ cup yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups mashed bananas
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Combine flours, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and
salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat egg whites, butter, yogurt and vanilla with a whisk
until smooth. Add bananas and whisk again.
Add banana mixture to flour mixture. Stir until dry ingredients are
moistened.
Pour batter into a greased loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
Cranberry Cookies
From the kitchen of Linda Pierce
1 1/2 cups almond meal
1 cup whey protein
1/2 cup butter
4 oz. cream cheese
2 eggs
1/2 cup sweetener (honey, sugar, or agave)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup cranberries
Preheat oven to 350ºC
Cream butter and cream cheese. Add sweetener, cinnamon, salt and
eggs. Beat well.
Add almond flour, protein powder and baking soda.
Mix in cranberries and walnuts.
Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake about 7-9 minutes.
