Creamy Hemp Seed Hummus

Going Gluten free is quite easy as long as you change your frame of mind. Once you get over what you can't eat, you can focus on what you can eat, and it just takes that little tweak in your brain, not to mention the fact that you feel so much better. Since I have been gluten free I have felt incredible! No more tummy troubles which had become such a part of my life that I didn't even realize they existed. They weren't absolutely unbearable but they were there and not all that pleasant! I wanted to share this dish with you because its beautiful and tasty!

Hemp seeds add the perfect creamy and nuttiness to this hummus, I didn't have any tahini and it seemed to be a blessing in disguise. I ate it with zucchini shaved into ribbons and rolled it up into deliciousness - I love things that are rolled up!

1 Can of Chick Peas (Drained and Rinsed thoroughly - to prevent any tummy troubles!)
1/4 C Hemp Seeds
3 Large Garlic Cloves (I love lots of garlic, please use as much or as little as you like)
Juice of a lemon
Big pinch of Salt

First grind the Hemp Seeds in a food processor until they are fine, add the garlic until its not to chunky and then add everything else. If your feeling like a little extra naughtiness add a couple of table spoons of olive oil slowly as it is whizzing to stay a little cleaner feel free to use water to make everything smooth.

I added a bit of the hummus to a ribbon of zucchini and with some I rolled it up like you see the beauty in the middle and others I made into little packages, both were equally delicious but i think I prefered the spirals. I added some sliced tomatoe and drizzled with a bit of balsamic - and it was amazing! You could easily serve this as a snack, appetizer or enjoy as a meal - the hummus makes it very filling!

Sweet and Sour Veggie Ribbon Salad

I set out to make a simple salad using up a couple of veggie that I had in my fridge and was absolutely blown away by its simplicity, freshness and vibrant flavour. Honestly there is as much flavor in these carrots and zucchini as there is color! Lets have a look:

And an even closer look:

All that I did was use my vegetable peeler to make ribbons of carrots and zucchini, I added some chopped green onions and then came the magic!

I added a third of a cup of rice wine vinegar to a small saucepan with a couple of table spoons of sugar (the same ratio as you would for making sushi rice) 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 3 tbsp white sugar and warm until the sugar melts, I poured some of that over the veggies and added some fresh cracked black pepper and a small drizzle of soy sauce and it was so surprisingly yummy!

I also have some great news! I am moving into a new house! With a real Kitchen! I can't wait to share the creations I make in there with you! I am so excited right now, I have a great new job, am getting a whole house with a yard for less rent then my current 1 bedroom apartment! (Its in a small town not in the city, but this small town is my home and right on a big beautiful lake!) and I just feel that this whole year is going to be fantastic!

I hope that this year is shaping up excellently for you too!

PS : Seriously try this when you are in a rush, or just feel like something light!

Pour me a tall glass of Almond Milk

I have began a brand new job that I am really excited about, but it involves a bit of a commute and I am now coming home 2 hours later. This week a I made a big pot of beans and rice so I don't have to much to share with you. Well, to say not much is actually an understatement.

I have a tall glass of creamy and sweet almond milk to share with you.

I am trying to get away from Dairy and while I haven't yet tried to use this for anything other then drinking. But my oh my is it a tasty drink! I have really been enjoying it almost as an energy drink. It is full of calcium and protein but more importantly is creamy and sweet.
I love things that are creamy and sweet.

The recipe is simple:

2 cups of almonds
4 cups of water
A big squeeze of honey

Soak the almonds in water for a few hours. I usually do this over night then rinse them really well, they do get kind of slimy so rinse them until they are nice and clean and put them in a blender with the water and a squeeze of honey. Blitz in the blender for a few minutes until the almonds are finely ground. Give it a taste and see if it is sweet enough for your liking. Adjust accordingly. You can also use maple syrup, agave, you could even dissolve the sugar in some of the water. I happen to love honey so I use it as often as I can.

I have even bee washing my face with it.... but I think that will have to be another post!

Once it has whizzed up and all become friendly strain it through a nut milk bag or cheese cloth and enjoy!

Some people like it un-strained and thick - I am not one of those people but if you are, I won't hold it against you!

A new twist on Brussel Slaw

This has become a staple of my diet. It is so tasty and full of crunchy, chewy textures. It is sweet and savoury, creamy and fresh. All at once! I swear!

For the Salad I use my food processor to shred the vegetables, go ahead and throw in 1 good size beet, 1 large carrot, 1/4 - 1/2 a medium sized red onion (to your personal onion-liking), process these on a big shred so you end up with match stick type pieces, you could also use a mandolin, but I don't have one of those - yet. Now you have a lot of crunch, and even a spice, now comes the other texture, the chewy - The Brussel Sprout!
Change the blade to the slice blade, I suppose you could do this some other way, but really brussel sprouts are small and the food processor will be the best way to shred them and keep all of your fingers. Then add a big handful of chopped cilantro; toss with the dressing and you have yourself one dreamy side dish. Bring this to a potluck and you can trick all of your non-brussel sprout loving friends, or maybe you could try this recipe and trick yourself!

The flavour and texture are very different when a brussel sprout is raw, and being one of the best things nutrient-wise that you can buy in the grocery store, I say we should all incorporate them into our diet, especially raw as that way you get the full impact of all of their goodness.

Recipe

1 large beet
1 large carrot
1/4 - 1/2 red onion
About 24 Brussel Sprouts
Handful of Cilantro

1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Yogurt
1/8 Cup Lemon Juice
1 tbsp honey
salt & pepper

Stay Healthy Smoothie

Fresh Berries are chock-full of antioxidants. In this smoothie I added fresh raspberry and blueberries, bulked it up with a banana, ground flax and kicked it up with some mango black tea.

Here's the recipe:

1 Banana
1 cup Raspberries
1 cup Blueberries
2 tsp ground flax
1/4 - 1 Cup cold brewed mango black tea

Add the first 4 ingredients to a blender and blend. Use the tea to make it as thin or thick as you would like it. I have a smoothie like this everyday for breakfast, and it really is good to boost antioxidants. What are antioxidants you ask? The are in your body already and they attack free radicals to help keep us healthy. In other words they are the Chuck Norris' of the body; performing round house kicks to any 'bad guys'!

Refreshing Apple and Fennel Salad

What a great salad for a warm day, and man have these days been warm! We are so lucky to be having such a beautiful spring here on the Island. After such a cold winter, an early summer is just what we need. Who am I kidding I always love an early summer it is just so rare around these damp parts I hardly consider it possible!

Anyways on to the salad. I use thin slices of apple and fennel with a little bit of red onion. That's it! Dress it up with the juice of a lemon, a splash of red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Maybe a little honey if you like it sweeter. Honestly how much better could it get when you get a simple recipe for a refreshing salad, so that you can get back out into that beautiful sunshine!

Refreshing Cucumber Melon Juice

I've mentioned it before, I love juicing! Here is a most refreshing juice option:

Cucumber and Cantaloupe Juice:

1 Cucumber
1 Cantaloupe
1 Lime

I just peel, chop and Juice. Although I did add the lime whole because its nice to have the zestiness as well.




When you mix the two together you get a real swampy color - really, it looks like something from the swamp, but my oh my, is it tasty!