Almond-chocolate Yogurt

What do these 4 simple ingredients make? Pure yumminess, that's what!!!

This quick snack is easy-peasy to make!! Just put 3/4c of yogurt in a bowl (I used Greek yogurt), add in 1tbsp of nut butter (I used almond-hazelnut butter), 1tsp of coconut sugar for a little sweetness, and then finely grate 1 square of good dark chocolate on top (I used Theo dark chocolate with coconut and inlet grated with a microplane ).

Simply mix everything together & enjoy!!!

It's so good!! Great for that 3 PM sweets craving, or for dessert!!

Overnight Creamy Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

I used to make this pumpkin pie oatmeal in a single serving, daily.  It didn't take too long, but needless to say, mornings are always a rush, so I wanted an easier method.  Well, I found one, so here it is!  This recipe makes 4 generous servings, it could easily be doubled, or halved, depending on how many people you need to serve.

I use my Le Cruset cast iron pot for this.  A heavy-bottomed pot should work, but if you have a dutch oven like this, I suggest using it.

To start, place 4 cups of water into a large pot and add in two heaping 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice. I know that two half tsp make a whole, but that is the measuring spoon I always use (i'm a creature of habit).  You can probably add just one heaping tsp of pumpkin pie spice -- feel free to adjust to suit your taste!  Then add in a large splash of vanilla.  I'm always generous with my vanilla and free-pour it -- I probably use about 1-2 tbsp or so.

Place the pot over high-heat and bring the spiced water to a boil.

Then add 1-1/3 cups of flat old-fashioned rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind).

Give it a stir, let it come back to a boil and then place the lid on the pot and turn off the heat.

Leave it turned off for about 3 hours or overnight.  I usually put it on before I go to bed, then turn off the heat and finish these next steps in the morning.  

The oats will have absorbed all the water and will be cool at room temperature.  If you have let them stand for three hours, they will still be warm -- you can still proceed to the next step.  You just want to ensure they have soaked up all the water.

Next place a carton of egg whites (500 g) and a small can of pumpkin (398 mL can; or 1-1/3 cups of pure pumpkin) into the cooled oats and mix well.

Place the pot back onto the stove and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until the whites have cooked.  The colour will change to a nice light brown.

I then portion it out into one bowl and three containers!  I put the containers in the fridge.  To warm it up, I just put it into a bowl and microwave for 2.5 minutes.  You can add coconut sugar and nut milk, or milk to garnish.

It is so good.  SO GOOD!  I think I've been having this for breakfast almost every day for the last 6 months!

Kale Turkey Burgers

When I don't feel like making my turkey-zucchini muffins, these are my other go-to.  Easy, quick and totally yum!

Chop up 200 g of a sweet onion (~1/2 an onion).

Chop up 100 g of kale into small pieces.

Place the kale and onion in a mixing bowl, along with 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 tbsp grainy mustard, 1.5 tsp paprika, 1.5 tsp chili powder, 1.5 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.

Add in 1 lb of ground turkey and mix well to combine (I use my hands to mix it all together).

Portion it out into 6 patties and bake them on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 400F for 40 minutes.  They are pretty yum!!  Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

I love all things pumpkin.  I had been manually adding the various spices individually to my morning oatmeal, and I figured it was high-time I came up with a spice blend.  So here it is!  I think it's the perfect combination of cinnamon, all-spice, nutmeg, ginger and cloves!  Try it out -- it take minutes to make!!

Pumpkin Pie Spice

3 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground ginger

1 tbsp ground all-spice

1/2 tsp nutmeg (I freshly grate about 1/2 a nutmeg clove)

1 tsp cloves

Place all the spice in a bowl and mix well.  Store in a sealed jar.  Enjoy!!!

Hazelnut Coconut Milk

I love nut milks.  Since I have started making them myself these last few months, I actually now prefer my home made nut milks in my morning lattes over cow's milk or boxed nut milks.  

I had been making almond-hazelnut milk for a few months, and decided to try something new.  This latest combination is my new favourite and a go-to every morning for my latte.  

Making nut milk is easy and really just takes minutes.  I think the hardest part, is actually remembering to soak your nuts BEFORE running of nut milk from a previous batch you would have made.

So the first step to this recipe is to soak 3/4 cup of hazelnuts for 3 hours (or overnight). After they have soaked, drain them and rinse them well with fresh cold water -- no need to remove the skins.

Next measure out 1/4 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut.

Add 5 cups of fresh water to a high-powered blender along with the soaked nuts and the coconut (do not pre-soak the coconut).

Turn the blender on high for 2 minutes.

While the blender is doing its thing, place a nut milk bag over a large pitcher.

Once the 2 minutes is up, pour the mixture through the bag, and let the milk filter through.  I like hanging mine from the cupboard and just letting it slowly drain.  Patience is a bit of a virtue here, but you don't have to babysit it while it's draining.

You can use the strained nut milk as it, but I like to do a second straining through a fine-mesh reusable coffee filter.  I find the nut milk lasts longer by doing this additional filtering step.

Pour the strained nut milk through the coffee filter to take out any small pieces that may have remained from the first straining (via the bag).

Pour the finished milk into glass jars for storage!  This recipe makes about 1L of nut milk and lasts for about 4 days....if you can manage keep it around that long!!  

Enjoy!! I highly recommend it in a latte.  Mmmmm, soooo gooooood!!!!  

It also tastes great in smoothies!  

Pumpkin-Spice Muffins

It's been a cooler than usual summer around here, which makes me think of fall.  And when you think about fall, who can't think about pumpkin!!!  So, I decided to make up a new pumpkin recipe -- pumpkin-spice muffins!  These are so good -- they are dense and moist -- a great treat for the sweet tooth, but with no refined sugar, they are good for you too!!!  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do -- I've been snacking on them daily since I made them!

This is one of my super easy, pour everything into the Vitamix recipes!  I used canned pure pumpkin for this recipe.  You can probably swap it out for sweet potato too, which would also be extremely tasty!

So here is what I did:  To the Vitamix beaker, I added 1 can of pure pumpkin puree (398 mL can), 2 cups of regular rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind), 1 egg, 1 cup of egg whites, 1/2 cup of almond milk, 2 bananas, 1 tbsp vanilla, 1 tbsp coconut oil, 2 tbsp coconut flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1-1/2 tsp baking powder, 1.5 tbsp pumpkin pie spice.  Blend it together until smooth (it's rather thick, so you will have to use the plunger to ensure it is mixed well.  Pour the batter into a large bowl and whisk in 2 scoops of vanilla whey protein powder.  

Use a 1/4c ice cream scoop to portion into muffin tins.  I line my muffin tins with papers and spray them lightly with oil.  Pop them into a 350F oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let them cool and enjoy!!!  Recipe makes about 21 muffins.

Here is the nutritional info:

Asian Turkey Salad

A few years ago, I had an Asian-style beef dish that a friend had prepared from "Supper Works".  It was quite tasty, so I replicated it at home.  I've switched out the beef for turkey in this recipe, but any lean ground meat would work well with the flavours!

This is a super easy dish to make -- it's quick and would be a forerunner for a busy weeknight dinner!  Here's the step by step:

Warm a heavy pot or large frying pan over medium-high heat and add in 2 onions that have been diced and sautee until golden brown.  I usually add a dash of salt for flavour as well while I am sauteing the onions.  I use my Le Cruset pot so I don't need any added oil, but you may have to give your pan a light mist of oil to fry up the onions. 

Once the onions are translucent, add in 1lb of extra lean ground turkey.

Break it up with a spoon and cook it until it's almost done.

While the turkey is cooking, strain one can of sliced water chestnuts and chop them up into a large dice.  

Add the water chestnuts to the turkey mixture along with 3 tbsp of Hoisin sauce.  You can buy Hoisin sauce, or you can make your own clean version -- like this one or this one.  

Chop up a few green onions and a handful of fresh basil (Thai basil works best if you have that available to you) and add it to the works just before serving.

Easy as that, dinner is ready!  I simply chop up a bed of lettuce and add the Asian Turkey ontop and finish it off with a little more fresh basil!  Yum!!  Enjoy!!

Asian Turkey Salad

Makes 3 - 4 servings

2 onions (about 200 g each), diced
1 tsp salt
1 lb extra lean ground turkey
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
3 tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 bunch of green onions (green part only), chopped
large handful of basil, finely chopped + additional for garnish
1-2 heads of butter lettuce, chopped

1. Over a large skillet or Le Cruset pot on medium-high heat, sautee the onion until translucent.  Add in a pinch of salt or so for added flavour.
2. Add in the ground turkey and break it up with a spoon, while mixing occasionally
3. When the turkey is almost done, add in the water chesnuts and Hoisin sauce and heat through until the turkey is finished cooking
4. Before serving, stir in the green onion and basil.
5. Chop up the lettuce and arrange on dinner plates
6. Top each plate of lettuce with the Asian turkey and garish with some additional basil.