It’s no secret that I am a huge cookie dough fan. As a child, I loved nothing more than eating cookie dough straight from the bowl. My best friend Allison and I used to buy those pre-made Pillsbury cookie dough packages and split the package for a snack. Totally normal. If you asked me what my favourite dessert was as a child, I probably would’ve told you cookie dough!

I also have the odd suspicion that I have told this exact story on the blog before. I may be senile…don’t hate.

Here are some of my favourite cookie dough inspired recipes:

• Cookie Dough Freezer Fudge
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Glazed Steel Cut Oatmeal
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Glazed Doughnuts
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Sandwiches

Given this obsession, I’m not quite sure why it took me so long to make chocolate chip cookie dough dip. As I’m sure many of you have seen, cookie dough dip has gone viral around the blogosphere (I hate myself for typing blogosphere…) thanks in large part to Jessica and Katie’s versions. I thought I would put my own spin on things by making a vegan, gluten-free, bean-free, and soy-free chocolate cookie dough dip. That means no tofu, no chickpeas, no navy beans, no vegan cream cheeze, etc. 

In my typical fashion, I decided to use a vegetable. Potatoes to be exact.

Why not, right?

It all started when I got lazy and used my food processor because I didn’t want to manually mash potatoes. Nothing unusual here. The processor worked so well at whipping my potatoes, I ended up making a cheezy fondue dip (see my instagram account for the pic). I thought to myself, “Potatoes would also make a killer base for a cookie dough dip.” Weird, I know, but the texture just screamed silky, sweet dip. With just 5 ingredients I was able to make a dip that gives cookie dough a run for its money.

My best tip for recipe success is to use hot, cooked potatoes (not cold), as the heat will literally melt the potato as it whips in the processor, creating a super silky texture. I tried one version using leftover cold potatoes and the result was fluffy mashed potatoes. Not what we’re shooting for here! Make sure you use steaming hot potatoes and you will be fine. Just be sure to chill the dip before adding in the chocolate chips. The dip tastes best chilled, although I had no problem shoving it into my mouth warm either.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookie Pota’Dough Dip

At first glance, you’d never guess that potatoes make up the base of this healthy, yet extremely decadent tasting, cookie dough dip! Cooked potatoes are pureed to create a silky, creamy, and luxurious dip, naturally sweetened with maple syrup. Cashew nut butter, vanilla, and fine grain sea salt enhance the cookie dough flavour, all topped off with dark chocolate chips. Make sure you use piping hot, freshly cooked potatoes for the silkiest dip texture. Cold, leftover potatoes result in a fluffy mashed potato texture which I did not care for in the slightest. Keep in mind that you will be able to detect the potato flavour slightly (less so when chilled), but we didn’t seem to mind one bit.

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Inspired by: Jessica and Katie.

Yield: 1 & 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp

Ingredients:

• 240 grams yellow-skinned cooked potatoes, peeled (approx. 1 & 1/3 cups cooked potato)
• 6-7 tbsp pure maple syrup*, or to taste
• 3 tbsp cashew nut butter*
• 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
• 1/4-1/3 cups dark chocolate chips

1. Peel and roughly chop the potatoes. Cook the potatoes in a pot of water on the stove-top until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain.

2. In a food processor, immediately add the cooked potatoes (still hot), nut butter, vanilla, and maple syrup. Do not use cold potatoes or the texture will be like mashed potatoes instead of a silky dip. Process until smooth for at least a couple minutes, stopping to scrape down the bowl as necessary. Make sure no clumps remain. You want it super smooth. Adjust sweetness if necessary and add salt to taste.

3. Place mixture in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes (preferably an hour) to chill and then stir in the chocolate chips just before serving. Serve the dip with graham crackers, fresh fruit, cookies, cinnamon sugar pita chips, or my favourite way, a spoon.

Nutritional info (per tablespoon, makes 25 tbsp, using 1/3 cup chips): 32 cals, 1 gram fat (0 sat fat), 45 grams sodium, 6 grams carbs, 0 grams fibre, 3 grams sugar, 1 gram protein.

Tips and Substitution questions: 1) I used yellow-skinned potatoes, however white skinned potatoes might also work. I don’t suggest using red or baking potatoes. 2) You can sub in peanut, almond, or macadamia nut butter if you wish. I love cashew butter because it has a subtle cookie dough flavour. 3) For a nut-free version, you can probably use sweetened sunflower seed butter in place of the nut butter, however please note flavour and colour will change. 4) Feel free to use other liquid sweeteners. 5) You may want more or less sweetener than I used depending on your taste buds. Adjust to taste.

I can’t emphasize enough that you need to use hot, freshly-cooked potatoes in this recipe for the best texture. When my potatoes were finished cooking, I drained them and then immediately placed the potatoes along with the cashew butter, maple syrup, and vanilla into the processor. I really didn’t think this idea was going to work.

I processed it for a couple minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl a few times. You want to make sure you get all the clumps out!

Well, I’ll be darned. It worked.

I placed the dip into a bowl and chilled it in the fridge for 30-60 minutes (remember the potatoes make the dip warm). When the dip is cold, stir in the chocolate chips just before serving.

Creamy, silky goodness.

After making this dip, I proceeded to make a few other versions…and I already have plans to try this with some of my favourite savoury dips. It’s so fun to play around with!

Here’s another idea…you can stuff strawberries with the dip and sprinkle them with crushed graham crackers. Easy finger food.

Who knew potatoes could look and taste so good?

Since I made my chocolate avocado tortes (see no bake version and cooked crust version), they quickly became a favourite warm weather dessert – cold, decadent, and also two of the 21 most popular dessert recipes on the blog in 2011. The avocado is masked by the chocolate and creates a cream-like texture, richness, and body as a great base for all that chocolate goodness.

I’ve had a few requests to make an avocado-free version due to allergies. For this version, I ended up making a no-bake almond-oat-date-coconut oil crust (instead of this raw chocolate crust) and I used a can of coconut milk and medjool dates as main ingredients in the chocolate cream part. The can of full fat coconut milk replaces the creamy avocado and the medjool dates replace the maple syrup. I replaced the maple syrup because I thought medjool dates would add thickness to the mixture since the coconut milk isn’t as thick as pureed avocado. I’m not saying that it’s not possible to make one with a liquid sweetener, but this was my first attempt. I’m sure there will be others too!

I love how this version turned out. It’s still decadent like the last version, but also a bit lighter because I left out the cup of chocolate chips. The chocolate filling reminds me a lot of chocolate coconut milk ice cream. Because of this, the torte doesn’t get quite as firm as the original because it has more of an ice cream texture. Originally, I tried chilling this version in the fridge overnight, but it never got firm enough. Once I transferred it to the freezer it was cold enough to set. The original torte firms up more because the chocolate chips harden as it chills. Either way, both versions need to be chilled and I like that this version is a bit lighter. Treat it like an ice cream cake and you are good to go!

Oh, and feel free to add sliced strawberries or other seasonal berries on top just before serving. A homemade berry sauce – just puree some berries with a touch of sweetener – would also be nice drizzled over top. Don’t make the same mistake that I did and freeze the strawberries along with the torte. Add them just before serving, and you’ll be in much better shape for slicing and eating.

Frozen strawberries, are also a pain in the butt to photograph!

As you can see:

I got fed up with photographing frozen strawberries (they turn pale and icy), so I added fresh ones on top.

Problem solved.

No-Bake Chocolate Coconut Ice Cream Torte

No-bake. All-natural. Vegan. Gluten-free option. Soy-free. Refined sugar-free. Chocolate Coconut Ice cream. Lovely almond-oat-date-coconut oil base. Fresh, seasonal berries on top. It’s light enough for summer, but rich enough for a special treat.

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Yield: 16 squares/triangles

for the crust:

• 1 cup whole raw almonds
• 1.5 cups rolled oats*
• 150 grams medjool dates (about 10), pitted*
• 1/4-1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup coconut oil

for the chocolate torte:

• 300 grams medjool dates (about 22-24), pitted*, to taste
• One can (398 ml) full-fat coconut milk
• 4 tbsp cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
• 2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder
• 2 tbsp cashew nut butter (or other nut butter)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener), or to taste
• 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
• Fresh strawberries or other berries, for garnish

1. Grease a 10 inch springform cake pan with coconut oil very well. I used a springform pan so it would be easy to slice and get out of the pan. Set aside.

2. In a food processor, process the crust ingredients together until crumbly and sticky. You want it to look a bit coarser than sand. Press this mixture into the prepared cake pan, evenly and firm.

3. In the processor (give it a quick wipe!), add all the torte ingredients except the agave, salt, and strawberries. Process until super smooth. Add the agave and salt to taste. Adjust sweetness if necessary. Pour this mixture on top of the prepared crust and smooth out.

4. Carefully place the torte in the freezer (uncovered is fine) for several hours until firm. I’m not entirely sure how long it will take to set since I started mine in the fridge. When it’s ready and firm enough, place on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften up a bit. Slice, garnish with berries, and serve immediately. Will melt quickly! I sliced my pieces into squares/triangles and made about 16 pieces.

For nutritional info, see here.

Note: I weighed the medjool dates with the pits still in them. I suggest weighing them if possible since medjool dates vary in size so much. For gluten-free version, use certified GF oats and check all other ingredients.

Yup, I’d say it’s a winner…

Enjoy!

Last Victoria Day long weekend, Eric and I were busy working on our house. He was trying to figure out how the heck to build his first deck and I was trying to figure out how the heck to plant my first vegetable garden and weed an acre of land.

One year later, we are at a completely different place in our lives, living in a new city that we adore. We have a fraction of the space, no yard for a garden, and are unable to renovate because it’s a rental. While this life change has taken time to get used to, we couldn’t be happier with our decision to move. Instead of spending all of our weekends (and money) on the house, we are now able to relax a bit more without feeling guilty for spending a couple days away on the weekend. We will buy another house at some point in the near future, but for now, we are content to be carefree renters for a little while. Eric wants to buy a fixer upper, so I might be in for it!

After a 3.5 hour drive in stop-and-go traffic on Friday, we finally arrived at my in laws eager to enjoy this beautiful weather. The forecast was calling for picture perfect long weekend weather, which I mentioned, is quite rare for Ontario in May!

Lake Ontario:

As always, I came with food in tote.

I made a spin-off of my Lightened Up Protein Power Goddess bowl. This has to be one of my all-time favourite recipes on the blog and I don’t think I’m alone – it’s one of the most popular salad recipes of 2011. I always forget how much I love it. Ok, not really, but I don’t make it enough!

Note: All this salad talk lately is foreshadowing a challenge coming up!

Here it is before the tahini lemon dressing is mixed in:

This time I subbed the green lentils for black beluga lentils and added sundried tomatoes and kale into the mix. I also omitted the tomato and cut the garlic in half. All finished off with a sprinkle of Herbamare and lots of pepper. The olive oil was reduced from 2 tbsp to 1.5 tbsp because I deemed it perfect as it was. The salad turned out incredible. You can eat it on its own, as a high-protein side, served over a bed of lettuce, or stuffed into a pita or wrap for lunch. It’s really versatile and makes perfect leftovers!

Click here for the full recipe.

Let’s see, what else did I bring?

I had bananas to use up before we left on Friday so I decided to make mini banana blueberry muffins. I just winged this recipe and it turned out pretty good, but I still want to make a couple tweaks on the recipe before sharing.

Other foods I packed:

Lunch foods:

• Raw flax wraps
• hummus (do I even need to tell you this?)
• 1 large avocado
• Crackers

Breakfast:

• Vegan overnight oats: Before leaving, I added two servings of vegan overnight oats into a large mason jar. Then I shook it all up and threw it into the cooler. It’s a super easy “travel” breakfast that you can pump up with fruit, granola, crumbled muffins, etc.
• Mini muffins (above)
• Berries and apples

Ok, so these technically weren’t vegan overnight “oats” as we know it. For a change, I used quinoa flakes instead of rolled oats, and I must say, I really, really didn’t like it. The quinoa flakes virtually disappeared in the mixture, save for the tiny quinoa “tails” giving a gritty texture on the tongue. Next time, I will certainly stick to rolled oats! How should I use up my quinoa flakes? Cookies? Granola bars?

Other highlights of the weekend included lots of red wine, dairy-free strawberry basil gelato, walks and lounging instead of “workouts”, catching up with family, three cats brawling on our bed at 3am, and my skin feeling sun for the first time in months. And there is still a day to go. What more could a girl ask for?

For the rest of the pictures, see the photo gallery below.

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As I was flipping through Let Them Eat Vegan the other day (yup, still obsessed), I came across an interesting way to prepare steel cut oats. Dreena’s “Instant Steel Cut Oats” caught my eye because it claimed I could enjoy a hot bowl of steel cut oats in just minutes.

I love steel cut oats, but I don’t make them often unless I prepare my Make-ahead Steel Cut Oatmeal for several breakfasts worth. It takes a bit of planning in the evening (and planning is so not my forte), but the upside is that the recipe will last for at least a few breakfasts. That is, if I can keep myself from spooning it into my mouth all day and night. Outlook not promising.

With this method, you simply blend the steel cut oats into a flour. Yes, you will lose the chewiness of steel cut oats that us fans tend to love, but by grinding them you slash the cooking time by over 80%! I wouldn’t say this method is for all the time (unless of course you prefer a porridge like consistency), but it’s great in a pinch when you want the nutrition of steel cut oats, but don’t have the time.

Here’s how you make them:

1. Grind the steel cut oats and chia seeds in a high-speed blender.

2. Once the oats and chia seeds are ground into a flour, add them into a pot.

3. Add some almond milk (or milk of your choice).

4. Now stir in some mashed and chopped ripe bananas, vanilla, spices, and sweetener for this batch. My goal was to make an ultra gooey banana bread flavour.

5. Heat this mixture for only about 4-5 minutes! You now have virtually instant steel cut oatmeal with all the nutrition that we love, but in a fraction of the time.

Served with walnuts, raisins, maple syrup, and a touch of shaved chocolate…you are left with a crazy gooey oatmeal that reminds me so much of banana bread batter! It’s to die for. This batch makes a few servings and I should also tell you that it tastes absolutely wonderful straight from the fridge, cold, in a vegan overnight oats sort of way. Serving it chilled is perfect for all these warm mornings we are having lately.

Gooey Banana Bread Batter Instant Steel Cut Oatmeal

Just like eating a big bowl of gooey banana bread batter, only better for you! If you like gooey, porridge-like breakfasts, you will go crazy for this one.

Inspired by Let Them Eat Vegan.

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Yield: 3 servings

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup steel cut oats, ground into a flour
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 ripe medium bananas (1 mashed and 1 chopped small)
• 2.5-3 cups almond milk, as needed
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup, divided
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt & dash nutmeg
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts, toasted if preferred, for garnish
• 2 tbsp raisins, for garnish
• Shaved dark chocolate, to garnish

1. In a high-speed blender, grind the steel cut oats and chia seeds into a flour. Remove and place into a medium-sized pot.

2. Stir in 2.5 cups of the milk and increase the heat to low-medium. Now stir in the mashed banana, the chopped banana, and 1 tbsp of maple syrup. Heat for 4-5 minutes, adding more milk if desired and reducing temperature if necessary.

3. Remove from heat and stir in the cinnamon (to taste), a pinch of salt, vanilla, and dash of nutmeg (optional).

4. Portion into bowls and top with chopped walnuts, raisins, and 1 tsp of pure maple syrup per bowl.

I encourage you to enjoy it cold, especially during warmer mornings, as I think I liked it even better served cold!

Looking for more oatmeal recipes?

Check out the top 5 most popular oatmeal recipes on my blog.

And if it’s too warm where you are to enjoy a hot bowl of oats, you can try one of my 12 Vegan Overnight Oats parfait recipes which are great on warmer mornings.

~~~

Well, we’re on the cusp of the Victoria Day long weekend here in Canada. Yippee. I don’t know about you guys, but our weather forecast is calling for sunshine all weekend and highs of 26C! Absolutely crazy and unexpected for this time of the year. We’re heading up to the in-laws to spend the entire weekend playing outdoors. I’ll be Instagraming a bit and I might even do a quick blog recap if I get a chance. Cheers to the weekend!

My birthday started off in the best way possible…with a bouquet of my favourite flowers. I almost never buy flowers, so when we have them in the house it’s such a treat. My favourite flower is the peony and I also love chrysanthemums, so Eric put both of those into the bouquet. A girl could get used to this.

Next up, Eric made me a “surprise Green Monster” for my birthday breakfast. I was instantly transported back to that time when he put an entire banana – including the peel – into my smoothie, not knowing that the peel wasn’t a normal part of a smoothie. Do you guys remember that? My stomach still flops over the thought of drinking an entire banana peel. I won’t ever let him live that one down.

Thankfully, no “surprise” banana peel this time! Just one delicious GM made up of mixed frozen greens, almond milk, a frozen banana, blueberries, chia seeds, and wheatgrass powder. The surprise? He threw in a few chunks of dark chocolate! I’ve always wondered why his smoothies always taste so good…now I know.

Despite the windy, rainy, and cool weather, we had a great 5k run complete with lots of walking breaks. I’m still taking it easy on my knee and so far it’s doing well.

We both worked for the morning and then headed to Toronto for lunch at Fresh on Crawford. No matter what we order we always know we will get a good meal at Fresh. We’ve been going for almost 3 years now and it’s become a tradition on my birthday. Here is a post from 2009, the very first time we went to Fresh.

We started with our go-to drinks: the All Green juice (cucumber, celery, parsley, kale, ginger, lemon) and the Lucky Charm smoothie (raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, mango).

For an appetizer, we devoured the Soho Falafel, made up of herbed falafel balls, quinoa & adzuki bean tabouleh, flax hummus (incredible!), and fluffy pita wedges.

It’s definitely my fav appetizer at Fresh, next to the quinoa-battered onion rings of course.

Eric ordered the insanely good BBQ Burger with tangy BBQ sauce, quinoa onion rings, garlic mayo, napa cabbage, hot banana chilies, tomato, lettuce, served with Fresh’s house-made vegan burger patty.

Eric said this is one of his fav burgers of all time! I snuck a couple bites and it was incredible.

I ordered the Tangled Thai salad made up of spiraled carrots and yellow beets, jicama, napa cabbage, chopped peanuts, cilantro, cucumber, Fresh salad topper, and creamy peanut lime dressing. This salad was a first for me, but it certainly won’t be the last!

On the side, my fav quinoa-battered onion rings.

A peppermint tea was the only thing that could fit in my belly for dessert. I was saving myself for cupcakes!

After lunch, we popped into Juicers 4 Life on Bloor and I bought some Paraflexx sheets for my dehydrator, something I have been meaning to do for 2 years now. They are non-stick reusable liners for the dehydrator trays.

When Eric asked me what I wanted for my birthday I said a homecooked dinner and night off from the kitchen would be amazing. He claims he is not a cook and tends to get overwhelmed when making recipes, but I tell you they always seem to turn out amazing. I think this is going to have to become a weekly occurrence!

On the menu? Dragon Bowls for two. It features vegetables such as sun-dried tomatoes, broccoli, golden raisins, and carrots, mixed up with cooked brown rice and a lovely maple-tamari-olive oil sauce. It’s served over a bed of lettuce. I absolutely love serving hot meals on top of lettuce and this was no exception. Oh and did I mention that I ate leftovers for breakfast this morning?

Eric adapted Nikki’s recipe which was originally inspired by a dish from 14 Carrots in NYC. For the dressing, Eric played around with this “Dragon Sauce” recipe found on Chowhound. I was so impressed that he pulled it off, not that I had any doubts. The look of pride on his face when I told him I loved it was just priceless. As he was finishing up the dishes he said, “I don’t know how you cook and bake all day long….I’m exhausted!” 

For dessert, we enjoyed my favourite chocolate cupcakes with strawberry jam coconut frosting. I successfully subbed half of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat pastry flour and all the olive oil for melted coconut oil. The cupcakes rose incredibly high like they always do.  One of my big complaints with some vegan cupcakes is that they can turn out gummy, but these are light and fluffy as you’d hope they would be.

I wanted a naturally coloured pink frosting and strawberry jam worked perfectly. I also subbed out the Earth Balance for coconut oil and it turned out quite nice. The consistency is a bit different (a bit more “slippery” than when using Earth Balance), but I managed ok when piping it. I might have to play around with this recipe a bit more, but here it is in case you want to as well.

Strawberry Coconut Frosting

This frosting needs to firm up in the fridge after piping, so keep that in mind. Also, I don’t suggest keeping the cupcakes out on the counter too long either. Store them in the fridge until ready to use.

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Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup coconut oil (you want it buttery in texture- not melted or super firm)
• 1/4 cup strawberry jam (stir before using)
• 1.5 cups sifted icing (confectioner’s) sugar, or a bit more if needed
• 1/4 tsp almond extract
• pinch of fine grain sea salt

1. Chill a bowl in the freezer for at least 15 minutes. This will help keep the frosting a bit more firm.

2. With an electric mixer, beat together the coconut oil, extract, and jam.

3. Gradually, add in the sifted icing sugar and beat until smooth. Add more icing sugar if needed and adjust everything to taste. Add a pinch of salt.

4. Pipe onto cupcakes and immediately place in the fridge to set. The frosting will become firm, but will soften at room temperature.

After dinner, we headed out for a walk along the lake and then cozied up for the night with a movie. A lovely birthday indeed…I’m liking 29 already.

Thank you for your birthday wishes in my last post! You really know how to make a girl feel loved.

Just in the nick of time, I ended up thinking of a few things to make for my get together on Saturday. I worked hard all afternoon and of course made a complete disaster of the place. Is it ever possible not to make a disaster just before hosting a party? Don’t think so. Not to mention the mirror backsplash in this kitchen seems to double the mess. I need a kitchen sign that reads: Objects in mirror are less messy than they appear…I swear!

Sadly, the incredible one-bite pizzas weren’t one of my ideas on Saturday, but they will be making a comeback for future get togethers, this I know.

I’ve been dying to make chocolate covered strawberries from scratch for a while now. I made traditional ones on our second wedding anniversary in 2010 using melted chocolate chips and a touch of coconut oil, but this time I made them without chocolate chips. You can check out this anniversary post for a wedding recap and a couple recipes – “love butter” strawberry muffins and the original chocolate covered strawberries!

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with homemade chocolate. I’ve made recipes using cocoa butter, coconut oil, cocoa powder, raw cacao powder, vanilla, natural sugars, and nut butter, using all kinds of variations and methods. I have this habit of testing out a million and one variations before I am happy with these types of recipes. I annoy myself so much, but the outcome is usually worth it!

When the chocolate ingredients are heated together, it creates a rich chocolate sauce that you can pour on just about anything. Or you can dip strawberries into it which is what I’ve done here. Instantly, you have yourself a classy party food, with barely any effort at all.

It gets better! When the chocolate sauce is chilled in the fridge it firms up, but not too firm. The chocolate doesn’t get super hard and break off the strawberry like with regular chocolate covered strawberries; it remains bendy and easy to bite into! Always an unexpected bonus. My friends commented that these were the best chocolate covered strawberries they’ve had and loved that the chocolate wasn’t really hard.  I like to call it “bendy chocolate”. You could also use this on sliced bananas too.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries From Scratch

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Ingredients:

• Approx. 24-28 fresh strawberries
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder or raw cacao powder, sifted
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or agave)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (no subs)
• 1 tbsp all-natural nut butter (I used cashew butter)*
• 1/4 scant tsp fine grain sea salt, or to taste
• Unsweetened shredded coconut, to garnish
• Optional pink glaze: 1/2 cup icing (confectioner’s) sugar, 1 large strawberry, 1/2-1 tbsp strawberry jam, processed in a mini blender (makes enough to glaze about 8-10)

1. Wash and pat the strawberries dry. Set aside.

2. In a small pot, whisk together the maple syrup, coconut oil, nut butter, and cocoa powder over low to medium heat. Whisk for a couple minutes until all the coconut oil is melted and remove from heat.

3. Dip strawberries into the chocolate mixture, coating most of the strawberry. Place onto a plate lined with parchment paper or on a wire rack. Repeat for the rest and sprinkle with coconut. Chill in the fridge to set.

4. If making the pink frosting: with a mini food processor, combine the icing sugar, strawberry, and jam until smooth. You may need to add a bit more icing sugar depending on the consistency of your jam. If you don’t have a mini processor I suggest not using the whole strawberry and just mixing in a bit more jam into the icing sugar until the right consistency is achieved.

5. Spoon the frosting into a baggie and snip off the end. Pipe frosting onto the strawberries and place back in the fridge until firm.

Here I am guarding my strawberries with my life!

In other news, today is my 29th birthday! Well, tomorrow if you are reading this Tuesday night. As my family jokingly tells me – it’s my first of very many 29th birthdays. hah. Time goes by faster every year I tell you..it’s a bit scary. I feel so blessed to be alive and healthy, even if it’s something I sometimes take for granted in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

It’s hard to believe that 29 years ago, I was just a wee baby with no idea of what my life would hold!

Word to my loving mama and big sis.

Well, my partner in crime is treating me to a fun-filled birthday, so I’ll be back with the recap soon!

I’m the type of person who racks my brain forever before I can think of anything decent to make my family and friends when we’re having a party or get together. Or better yet, I put off meal planning as long as possible until I find myself at the grocery store rushing around in a flurry, desperately throwing things into my cart. You’d think meal planning would come easy to me given how many hundreds of recipes I have made over the past few years, but unfortunately that’s rarely the case.

Plus, don’t people have expectations when you have a recipe blog? Bloggers, do you agree? Or maybe they don’t care and I stress about these made up things in my mind, which I like to do. It’s also possible that I’m just burnt out on the creative front by the time Friday evening rolls around and the thought of throwing a bag of chips on the table sounds very appealing.

Either way, I spent a long time thinking about what to make for my party this past weekend.

And you know what’s funny? These pizza bites weren’t on the menu. Nope. This was the product of my hungover creativity on Sunday morning. Go figure.

Have you ever made your own tortilla bowls? It’s such a fun technique that looks impressive but is really easy to do. I saw this idea on Pinterest last year and filed it away for the perfect time (note: a day late, but who’s counting). Basically, you can make all sizes of crispy tortilla bowls, depending on the mold used. For this one-bite pizza, I used a mini cupcake tin, but feel free to use regular-sized tins if need be. It might turn into a 3-bite pizza though! You can also make big bowls and homemade taco shells, both of which I plan on trying out soon. My mind is just spinning with ideas and thankfully no longer spinning from the tequila shots on Saturday night.

I used a cookie cutter to make circles (I got 8 circles per tortilla) and then I pushed one circle into each cupcake mold. No need to grease the tin- they pop right out after toasting. I toasted them for 12 minutes at 375F and they were perfectly crisp and golden! If you want to use a regular-sized cupcake tin, just cut the tortillas into quarters.

While those were baking, I got to work on my pizza sauce. Initially, I was going to use store-bought pizza sauce, but then I decided to make a “loaded” pizza sauce which was much more fun than anything I could’ve found at the grocery store.

I loaded this pizza sauce with vegetables like red pepper, sweet onion, garlic, cremini mushrooms, and herbs like fresh basil, oregano, and thyme. It’s so good straight from the bowl!

For the base, I used a 14-oz/398 ml can of Eden Organic Crushed Tomatoes and a few tablespoons of tomato paste.

Once the sauce was made, I scooped a bit into each toasted cup. Followed by a sprinkle of Daiya cheese. One of my homemade cheeze sauces would also be nice!

Then, I broiled it on high for a couple minutes until it bubbled.

You know, it’s a good thing I didn’t make these for my party because it would’ve been really hard to share. In no time at all, we devoured almost the entire batch, save for a few that I left in the fridge for cold “leftover pizza”. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds.

Easy One-Bite Pizzas with Loaded Pizza Sauce

I suggest serving these warm out of the oven, but you’ll be happy to know that the crispy tortilla bowls didn’t turn to mush after sitting for a couple hours in the fridge. They hold up very well and taste incredible straight from the fridge, cold, like leftover pizza! Have fun playing around with the toppings and mix-ins. Just like a regular pizza, it’s very versatile depending on what you have in your fridge. Feel free to use the loaded pizza sauce on a regular pizza too!

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Yield: 24 one-bite pizzas

for the loaded pizza sauce: (makes 2 cups)

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1.5 cups chopped cremini mushrooms
• 1 cup chopped red pepper
• One (14-oz/400ml) can crushed tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 20 grams or 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• salt & pepper, to taste (I used about 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt + some herbamare)

for the one-bite pizzas:

• large soft tortilla wraps (I used three 9-inch tortillas)
• About 1.5 cups loaded pizza sauce or store-bought
• Daiya cheese or homemade cheeze sauce

1. For the tortilla bowls: Preheat the oven to 375F and grab a mini cupcake tin or a regular sized tin. No need to grease it as they will pop right out.

2. With a cookie cutter (or even kitchen sheers), cut 2.5-inch circles out of the wraps and push into the mini cupcake molds. Repeat for the rest & save the scraps for later.

3. Toast at 375F for 10-12 minutes, watching very closely. They should be golden and crisp, but not too brown. If using regular-sized cupcake tins, cut your tortilla into quarters and push one into each mold. Cooking time may vary if using larger cupcake tins.

4. For the sauce (skip if using store-bought): In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Now add in the chopped onion and garlic, and sauté for a few minutes, reducing heat if necessary.

5. Add in the chopped mushrooms and red pepper and sauté for another 8-10 minutes over medium heat.

6. Now stir in the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, along with the basil, oregano, and thyme. Reduce the sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. To assemble: Preheat your oven to the highest broil setting. Add a couple teaspoons of pizza sauce into the center of each bowl. Sprinkle with cheeze and place into the oven to broil on high for 1-2 minutes, or until the cheeze bubbles a bit. Watch very closely or it will burn. Serve warm!

If you make the mini bites you will have leftover scraps of tortilla. I have a fun way that you can use them up:

Rip the scraps up into small pieces and place into a bowl. Stir in 2 tbsp of maple syrup, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg. Bake on a lined sheet at 350F for 8-10 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

You’ll be left with sweet chips that taste just like Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Oh yeah!

I feel like so many of my posts have started out with…

“On Facebook, I asked you about x,y, and z and you gave me 5 gazillion suggestions.”

Well, you’ve done it again. Do you charge a fee for this service? Maybe we can put it on my tab… =)

This time, I pestered you for tips on homemade or store-bought yoga mat cleaners.

It turns out there are a million and one ways to clean a yoga mat. Or maybe more. What began as an innocent journey into making my own mat cleaner, turned into a ton of reading and researching online.

There are as many different options as there are opinions on what to use. If you make your own mat cleaner, chances are you have your favourite mix. I think a good place to start when figuring out which mat cleaner will work for you is to check with your mat brand and see what they recommend. The “right” cleaning methods and ingredients can vary a lot from mat to mat.

Of course, I didn’t take my own advice! I started by making my cleaner first, only to find out later from a discussion with my mat brand- Lululemon – that they don’t recommend using essential oils on their mats because it can clog the pores of the mat.

Do as I say, not as I do!

However, I’m in the market for a new mat because my mat is cracking all over the place. The Manduka pro mat (or maybe the lite?) is high up on my list right now since it has a lifetime guarantee and is rated very well. I’m still not sure though.

I went on Manduka’s Facebook page and asked them if essentials oils would clog the pores of their mats.

Manduka: “Well, our mats don’t exactly have pores. We use a closed-cell technology on both sides of the PRO series mats and on the practice side (the one with the sea grass texture) of the eKO mats. Which means, essential oils after a cleaning should be just fine! A few drops in your cleanser is a great way to do both – that’s how we make our organic Manduka Mat Washes.”

good to know! I suggest checking with your mat brand to be sure.

This is what I used to make my mat cleaner:

• White vinegar
• purified water
• tea tree oil
• essential oil

I did a lot of reading online about various homemade cleaners and most people suggest using white vinegar. I used 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water, but the mixtures can vary a lot. You can also use witch hazel or lemon juice, but I find white vinegar to be more cost effective. If you are concerned about using vinegar on your mat, you can try using alcohol-free witch hazel which I’ve heard also works.

Here’s my yoga mat spray “recipe”

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 3 cups filtered water
• 1 tsp tea tree oil
• Essential oil (about 10-30 drops depending preference) peppermint, lavender, and thyme are nice, but use anything you like!

 

1. Place all ingredients into a large spray bottle and shake before each use.

2. Spray down your mat on one side and let it sit for a few minutes. With a damp cloth, wipe it down. Finally, wipe it with a dry towel or simply let it air dry.

3. Repeat on other side.

Thanks to ehow, 3 Healthy Chicks, and Eco Yogini for the tips.

Obviously this isn’t the only solution for cleaning your mat and I will probably play around with different methods at some point!

If you want to give your mat a super deep clean, you can place it in a bathtub with hot water (just an inch over your mat- not a full tub), some vinegar (maybe 1 cup?), and essential oil and let it soak for at least an hour. You can then rub it down on both sides with a soft cloth while it’s in the tub. Rinse it and then hang it on a clothing rack until completely air dry (note: this can often take 48 hours to dry completely, so be warned).

Also be careful with using liquid soap in your cleaner because it can get into the mat and suds can seep out while you practice. Some people get away with just adding a couple drops to a big bottle of water though, so I really think it depends on how much you add.

As for me, I’m still loving the classes that I’ve been doing since my knee injury:

• Hot yoga (in various styles) 1-2x week
• Hot Pilates 1x week
• Yoga with weights 1x week
• Yoga Spinn (45 mins spin class followed by 15 mins yoga!) 2x week
• Walking

It’s a wonderful balance of cardio, strength, and flexibility (and might I add, my spiritual practice and emotional well-being). I feel stronger than I think I ever have and I look forward to the variety each day.

My knee has been feeling great for the past couple weeks, so yesterday I finally decided to go for my first run in a month. It went very well and I had zero pain, although admittedly, I felt a bit out of my running groove. Regardless, it felt so good to be out there running again, even if it was just a shorter one. My plan right now is to slooowly build up my running, while still enjoying my other classes for variety. Injuries are frustrating, but sometimes they force us to try new things and discover a passion in other forms of exercise. For that, I’m very grateful.

I’ve grown to love the month of May. Weather wise, we just don’t know what we’re going to get. Some days it’s warm and sunny and other days it’s rainy and cool. Evening walks usually require a light jacket…or sometimes a heavier one when it’s raining and chilly…

Watching the days get longer and longer is also fun to do. I was previously never a big fan of the spring months because I only focused on the crummy weather, but I’m learning to enjoy the ups and downs that spring often brings.  Plus, it’s my birthday month so I have to like it!

With warmer temperatures in mind, I have not one, not two, but three snack recipes for you today!

It’s almost the weekend and I think you should celebrate all your hard work. Or maybe whip up a couple treats for your mom on Sunday and share the love.

First things first.

I’m on a popsicle making kick.

After a trip to Costco earlier this week, I was reunited with one of my favourite purchases- a huge bag of frozen mango chunks! It appeals to my lazy, don’t-like-to-peel-mangoes side and it lasts forever.

I think you know what happened next.

I ripped open the bag of sweet potato chips as soon as we got in the door.

Oh, right, we’re talking about popsicles here. I think you know what I did after ripping open the bag of chips that Eric said we should save for my party.

Oops.

I blended up mango, banana, almond milk, and a touch of coconut extract. Check out that action shot!

I proceeded to make a huge mess while pouring and snapping pictures simultaneously.

Then, I waited. Very impatiently. That’s the worst part about making popsicles! Maybe next time I will make them overnight so I don’t keep checking them every half hour.

Well, they were worth the wait and then some. Creamy, sweet, tropical…and best of all, just 3 ingredients. Don’t have a popsicle mold? Just use ice cube trays or drink it as a smoothie. It’s a reeeeally good smoothie.

I’m thinking I have to make margarita popsicles too?

(note: recipes will be at end of this post)

Up next, berry parfaits made with banana soft serve. It’s one of our go-to healthy desserts during the warmer months. Granted, I will happily consume this even when it’s chilly outside, but it’s even more fun to cool down with after a warm evening stroll.

It’s made with processed frozen bananas, my fav Lightened Up Summer Granola, coconut, instant chocolate sauce, and fresh berries.

Finally, a chocolate raspberry smoothie, also for two! This just might be my favourite out of all of them. Super creamy with a lovely chocolate raspberry flavour.

If my mom lived nearby I would be making her this smoothie on Mother’s Day. John, I’m leaving this as your special assignment!

As I mentioned, I’ve been loving raw cacao powder lately. It has a really intense chocolate flavour and so many health benefits. Feel free to use cocoa powder if preferred. Both will work!

Looking for more easy snack recipes? Check out my 22 Ways To Get Your Vegan Snack Attack On Post.

3 Ready-in-a-Jiffy Warm Weather Snack Recipes

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Tropical Mango Banana Popsicles

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 cups frozen mango chunks
• 1/2 cup almond milk (or coconut milk)
• splash of coconut extract (optional)

1. In a blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into popsicle molds (or ice cube trays) and freeze until set.

Easy Berry Parfaits

Ingredients:

• 2 large frozen, ripe bananas
• 1-1.5 cups fresh mixed berries
• 1/2 cup Lightened Up Summer Granola, or other granola
• Shredded coconut, to garnish
• Easy Chocolate sauce: Heat & whisk together: 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp pure maple syrup, 1 tsp cocoa powder

1. Peel and freeze your bananas until solid, preferably overnight. In a food processor, drop in the frozen banana chunks and process until creamy and smooth. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. You can also give it a splash of almond milk to help it along. Nut butter is also a nice add in too.

2. Add the banana soft serve, granola, and fresh fruit in layers in a couple glasses or parfait dishes. Pour the chocolate sauce on top and serve immediately.

Chocolate Raspberry Smoothie for Two

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond milk
• 3/4 cup frozen (or fresh raspberries)
• 2 large ripe frozen bananas
• 2 tbsp cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
• 1 tbsp chocolate + more for shaving on top
• 1-2 tbsp liquid sweetener (to taste)
• Shredded coconut, for garnish

1. Add ingredients to blender (except sweetener and coconut). Add sweetener to taste, pour into glasses, and then sprinkle coconut and shaved chocolate on top.

Don’t you love when you discover a new food that blows your mind, despite the fact that others have been raving about it for ages?

Some of mine:

• Avocado (I “hated” avocado until I ate my face off w/ guacamole in Mexico, 2007)
• Mushrooms (anyplace, anytime)
• Beets (raw, cooked, juiced, I like them all)
• Tofu
• raw cacao powder (a recent baking discovery…I’m obsessed!)
• Dark chocolate (it took me a while to appreciate the intensity, but now I love it)

My latest cooking discovery: Sundried Tomatoes!

Where have you been all my life?

I can’t seem to stop putting them in my food. My first recipe was Sundried Tomato Cheezy Kale Chips. Sundried tomatoes are just so flavourful and fun to add into so many dishes.

For some reason, I could not get the thought of sundried tomato basil pesto out of my mind.

I made two trials of this pesto using both oil-packed (shown today) and non-oil packed sundried tomatoes. Both worked wonderfully, however the recipe changes slightly which I will note below. If you are using non-oil packed tomatoes, be sure to soak them in water for at least 1-2 hours before making this pesto. Finally, look for organic, sulfite-free sundried tomatoes if you are concerned about consuming sulfites.

Don’t mind the upside down sea salt. It’s a long story that resulted in an exploded bottom with salt spilled over every nook and cranny of the kitchen. I won’t mention any names (cough, husband, cough). It now rests upside down with tin foil covering the jagged plastic bottom.

You will need about 20 grams of fresh basil which is equal to a 1/2 packed cup. Really pack it in so it’s overflowing!

Much like my Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto, this pesto isn’t the prettiest to look at, but it sure tastes incredible!

Ok, maybe it is kinda pretty with the right lighting! It’s a sunny & orange sundried pesto.

Lightened-Up Sundried Tomato Basil Pesto Pasta

This lightened up pesto has just 1/4 cup of olive oil, but I promise you won’t know the difference . The sundried tomatoes, walnuts, and basil create an extremely flavourful pesto that goes wonderfully with pasta, sandwiches or wraps, or mixed into some grilled vegetables. Can’t have nuts? Just leave them out. The addition of the walnuts was more of an afterthought than a main ingredient.

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Yield: 3/4 cup

For the pesto:

• 2 garlic cloves
• 20 grams fresh basil leaves (1/2 cup packed)
• 55 grams (about 7) oil-packed sundried tomatoes (see notes)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 6-8 tbsp water
• 3-4 tbsp walnuts (toasted, if preferred)
• Fine grain sea salt  + pepper, to taste (I used 1/4 tsp salt)
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
• Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

For the pasta:

• Your choice of pasta
• Walnuts, chopped and toasted
• Fresh basil
• Sundried tomatoes, chopped
• Pesto

1. In a food processor, with the machine running, drop in the 2 garlic cloves to mince. Now, drop in the basil and process until finely chopped.

2. Pour in the olive oil, with the machine running, along with the tomatoes, nutritional yeast (optional), and water (add slowly as needed). Process until mostly smooth.

3. Pulse in the walnuts until chunky and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: If using dry, non oil-packed sundried tomatoes, soak 30 grams in a bowl of water for 1-2 hours until very soft. Reserve the soaking water and use it in the pesto. I used 9 tbsp of soaking water, but you may need less or more depending on your preference.

Served with toasted crunchy bread, this meal was one to remember. I didn’t think I would ever like a pesto more than my Roasted Tomato Basil Pesto, but this one is now tied for first!

If you find yourself with leftover pesto, I recommend spreading it on a sandwich or wrap, along with roasted veggies, spinach, and avocado. Mmmmm, yes I highly recommend that. Or just mix some pesto into some roasted veggies for a tasty side dish. It should keep for a week in the fridge, but I doubt it will last that long.