Plant-based breakfast: Banana Pancakes

Looking for a fluffy yummy plant based pancakes that hold their ground against regular American pancake? Look no further!

One of the complains about plant-based pancakes is that they are often flat and lifeless and hard to cook. I have to agree that often they miss the body and softness of the regular American pancake. However, it does not have to be the case, as it is very easy to add this attribute to plant based or vegan pancakes. 

Ingredients

Recipe makes approximately 10

260 ml plant based milk of choice (I like oat milk)

240 g spelt flour (or barley flour or other whole grain flour of choice)

2 tsp of chia seeds

2 ripe bananas

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda 

0.5 tsp real vanilla powder

Instructions

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

2. Let it sit for about 10 minutes. In a meantime heat the pan. 

3. Fry them without oil on a well-heated good quality non stick pan.

4. Enjoy them with anything your soul desires! 

Pumpkin smoothie

"One little pumpkin smiling smiling. One little pumpkin is happy." 

Every year I look forward to fall to enjoy this pumpkin smoothie. I swear it is better than the best dessert or ice cream.

Ingredients:

1 small pumpkin, baked then peeled and deseeded 

1 ripe banana

2-3 dates

4 cloves

4 cardamom pods, shell removed

0.5 tsp Ceylon cinnamon 

Pinch of sea salt 

1 cup of oat milk, coconut milk, coconut water, or just water 

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Enjoy it right away or for a snack later.

2. If you tried the recipe, share it and tag it @healthywithjoanna 

Dill chickpeas salad

I love salads as my mid afternoon snack.
Usually people look at me strangely when I tell them that my favourite food is salad ... but I really love them!

Ingredients:
2 cups arugula
1 cup chickpeas
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
1 whole red pepper
0.5 cup fresh dill

Dressing:
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
0.75 tsp  cumin
0.5 tsp turmeric
pepper and sea salt to taste

White bean salad with parsley

After all this rich Christmas food I had been craving some good bean salad.


Ingredients:
1.5 cup White beans
1 whole red pepper
0.3 red onion
0.5 cup fresh parsley
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Steps:
1. Cut red pepper and onion into strips
2. Finely chop parsley
3. Crush the garlic clove
4. Mix all ingredients together
5. Enjoy!

Sweet potato waffles

Quick breakfast before morning yoga class. And weekend = waffles.
According to my son these are the best waffles ever.

Ingredients:
1 cup millet (milled)
1 large sweet potato (steamed)
2 very ripe bananas
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp flax seeds (milled)
1-1.5 cup water

Steps:
1. Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth
2. Bake waffles
3. Enjoy!

Polish Christmas: Tofu á la Grec

One of the Traditional Christmas dishes in Poland is fish with vegetables in Greek style. I tried this receipt with other things besides fish and it works great.

The dish is very flexible in terms of vegetables; you can pretty much use any veggies you have on hand. Another advantage of this dish is that it can be made in advance even 2-3 days ahead. The flavours penetrate the tofu, beans, meat or fish and make it even more delicious.

Ingredients:
1 block of tofu (semi firm)
1 onion
1 large zucchini
1 red pepper
1 large carrot
1 parsnip
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp ground coriander seeds
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
4 large tomatoes
3 tbsp tomato paste
salt, pepper to taste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Optional: veggie stock, oil



Steps:
1. Sauté onion and garlic for a few minutes
2. Julien all other vegetables (except tomatoes), then add them to the onion. Reduce gas mark to 2.2-2.6.
3. Add 1-2 tbsp of water (or veggie stock or oil). Cook for 10 minutes before proceeding with the next step.
4. Chop tomatoes, and add them to the vegetable. Add tomato paste and all remaining spices and vinegar. Continue cooking on a low gas mark.
5. Slice tofu and place on the baking sheet. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes.
6. Place baked tofu in a baking pan, cover with cooked veggies and its sauce. I like to keep it in the fridge for a day or two before reheating and serving for dinner.
7. Enjoy!

Pierogi Fillings - mushrooms, cabbage and mushrooms, potato and cheese

For Christmas I usually make 3 different fillings, mushrooms and cabbage and mushrooms are traditional filling at Christmas time. My son only likes the potato and cheese filling so I make this most common in Poland pierogi filling as well.

Mushroom filling
Ingredients:
1 cup of dried wild mushrooms, soak (water from soaking can be added to the cabbage stew, cabbage and mushroom filling, or barszcz)
2 cups of mixed mushrooms. Usually I opt for mushrooms like oysters, shittake, chanterelles, or any mushroom available locally
1 large onion
sea salt, pepper to taste

Steps:
Sauté finely chopped onion for a few minutes
Add finely chopped mushrooms (both soaked dried and fresh) to the pot
season with salt and pepper
Usually there is no need to add any water as salt will pull water from mushrooms so you will have enough juice for cooking.
Cook on a very low heat for several hours (gas mark 1.6-2.2 for 4-6 hours), stirring occasionally (once every 30 min or so).


Cabbage and mushrooms filling
Ingredients:
0.5 cup of sauerkraut (drained)
0.75 cup of fresh cabbage
1 large onion
1 cup of mushrooms (dry and fresh)
0.25 tsp caraway seeds
salt and pepper to taste
2 prunes (might be needed if your sauerkraut is very sour)

Steps:
Sauté finely chopped onion for a few minutes
Add finely chopped sauerkraut, fresh cabbage, and mushrooms
Add the spices - caraway seeds, salt, and pepper
Cook on a very low heat for several hours (gas mark 1.6-2.2 for 4-6 hours), stirring occasionally (once every 30 minutes or so).


Potato and cheese filling
Ingredients:
500 g of cooked potatoes (soft like for mashed potatoes)
500 g of quark or pressed cottage cheese (you can make your own with milk and yoghurt)
1 onion
1 tbsp ground cumin
salt, pepper to taste

Steps:
Sauté finely chopped onion for a few minute
Mash potatoes with cheese
Mix all ingredients together

Polish Christmas: Millet with Poppy seeds

Over the last couple of years I made another twist on my favourite Christmas Dish - Pasta with Poppy seeds. I decided to replace pasta with millet; and it turned out to be my favourite version!

Wheat berries that are often used instead on pasta in the traditional kutia, the Christmas dish very popular in the Eastern Poland close to the Ukrainian border, are very hard to find in my region of Canada.



Ingredients:
1.5 cup of cooked millet (I like to rinse it a couple of times before cooking, at times I soak it)
1.5 cup of poppy seeds (soaked in hot water for 2 days and rinsed 4 times)
0.5 cup of dried fruits - I use figs and dates, raising work well too
0.5 cup of nuts - I like the best pistachios and almonds in this recipe
1 lemon - juice and zest
4 tbsp of raw honey






Steps:
1. Place soaked and drained poppy seeds in the blender with honey and lemon juice. Blend until it is fairly smooth and poppy seeds are crushed. This is very important step and may require few minutes. Whole poppy seeds are quite bitter and you may need more honey to compensate if you do not crush them enough.
2. Add all remaining ingredients, and mix well.
3. Traditionally it is a Christmas dessert. I also enjoy it for breakfast after Christmas. It can be stored in the fridge for a week.
4. Enjoy!

Condiments: Home Made Horseradish

Horseradish is one of my favourite condiments. In Canada I find it very challenging to find one that is actually tasty, as they are either too creamy and mild, or too vinegary. Making horseradish at home is very simple. Yet, usually it is a clean up session for your eyes if you try to grate it so many stay away from this function. But there is a solution - blend it!

Ingredients:
One medium size horseradish root
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tsp of sea salt
3 tsp of sugar
Around 1.5 cups of ice cubes
If desired you can add some cream (I don't as I like it very strong)

Preparation:
Peel and clean the horseradish. Then add all ingredients into a fast speed blender. Blend until it is a smooth consistency.

Enjoy with cooked eggs, meats, cheeses, or as an ingredient in sauces and soups. 

Banana Oatbran muffins with Cacao Nibs

This week we let the bananas overripe, not on purpose of course. I hate throwing out food and usually I try to create the recipe to use the food before it goes bad.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups of red fife flour (or eincorn flour)
1 cup of oatbran
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of coconut water
3 overripe bananas, mashed (I mashed them with a fork)
2 tbsp of cacao nibs
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt

Process:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. I did not take the blender out, just used a regular spoon.
Place the dough in the muffin forms.
Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes. Let them cool off in the over for 5-10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Rosemary mustard sauce

This sauce goes great with white fish, or white meats.

Ingredients:
2 cups Vegetable stock
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosmary
0.5 cup of white wine
1 tbsp mustard
0.3 tap turmeric
1 tsp flour

1. Cool the stock with rosemary on a low heat for 10-15 minutes.
2. Stir in wine, mustard, and turmeric, cook for further 5-10 minutes.
3. Stir in flour to thicken the sauce.
4. Serve hot.

Vegan Oatmeal

Some people wonder whether they will need to give up oatmeal once they start their vegan journey.
The answer is: of course not!

While there are many alternative plant milks on the market, all of them have additives that I am less than comfortable consuming on a regular basis. Hence, I go with milk and mylk-less version of the oatmeal, which tastes delicious.

Ingredients:
0.5 cup uncooked Scottish oats
1.5 cup water
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ripe banana
1 ripe peach
1 tbsp cocoa nibs
3 tbsp shivered almonds

1. Cook the oats with water and cinnamon for about 7 minutes, until it thickens.
2. Then place oatmeal with a banana and peach in a blender and blend until it is smooth.
3. Serve the oatmeal in a bowl, topped with almonds and cocoa nibs.

#cocoanibs #almonds #veganoatmeal #healthyliving #easymeals #healthywithjoanna

Healthy Lunch Box Series

Many of the snacks found in kids lunch boxes are packaged snacks, such as chips, pretzels, candy bars, granola bars, and cookies. While some are worse than others, and occasionally you might find something that is not loaded with fats, sugars, and chemicals. 

I want to show that preparing healthy snacks at home is not a rocket science and can become an adventure and lesson in healthy living.

Savoury Chickpea Flour Muffins

Who does not love muffins? Although often they are associated with sweet cakes, they can be a perfect savoury snack. Today's recipe is inspired by my exploration of chickpea flour recipes. While I tried many sweet recipes, I like chickpea four more in savoury dishes.

Chickpea Flour

I love chickpea flour as it is one of the healthiest flours, comprising of 25% protein, 14% fat, and 61% carbs. According to the nutrition data it is a great source of folate, B6, thiamin, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese, and fibre.

 Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups of chickpea four (aka besam flour)

2 tbsp flax, milled and combined with 4 tbsp water

1 tsp baking powder

0.5 tsp baking soda

50g sun-dried tomatoes, socked (reserve water)

4 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

10 olives, pitted and chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp organo

15 tbsp water from soaking sun-dried tomatoes

Preparation:

1. Mix all ingredients together.

2. Add it to the muffin forms, to about 2/3rd of each form.

3. Bake in a preheated oven at 375F (177c) for 25 minutes.

4. Enjoy!

Carrot and apple muffin - vegan and gluten free option

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #muffin #carrot

Today my son asked for muffins. I asked what does he want in his muffin...he said carrots and apples!

So we pulled a big bowl and set my son in his muffin mixing position with a measuring cup in one hand and a spoon in the other.

Ingredients:

1.5 c millet, milled into a flour

0.75 c buckwheat flour 

4 tbsp flax, milled and mixed with 6 tbsp of water and set aside for a few minutes

2 sweet apples

2 medium size carrots

2 handfuls of raisins

0.25 c honey

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1.5 tbsp of cinnamon 

1 tsp vanilla powder

1 tbsp of grape seed oil

1. In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients.

2. Grate carrots and add to the mix. I grated them on the small eye grater.

3. Place cored apples in the blender and blend until you have apple sauce. Add to the bowl.

4. Add flax mix, honey, and oil to the bowl and mix everything well.

5. Add raisins and mix everything together.

6. Place mixture in the muffin forms.

7. Bake in a preheated oven at 177c for 30-35 minutes

8. Enjoy!

Red Cabbage Delight

#easyfoodcreations #healthyeating #rawvegan

Red cabbage often is listed as one of the most potent vegetables for cancers and aging. While it was one of the vegetables I absolutely hated as a kid, I fell in love with red cabbage but only in a raw or lightly steemed forms.

Here is one simple creation that I made from few ingredients I always have in the house.

Ingredients:

0.5 head of medium red cabbage

1 Apple 

1 medium carrot

4 tbsp dried cranberries

4 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

3 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

1. Finely chop cabbage, grate Apple and carrot.

2. Add cranberries and pumpkin seeds. Mix everything together. 

3. Mix lemon juice with olive oil and add to the other ingredients; mix everything together.

4. Enjoy!

Polish Christmas: Kutia (Wheat berries with poppy seeds)

#healthyeating #easyfoodcreation #PolishChristmas

Kutia is pretty much the same dish as pasta with poppy seeds except that it is popular during Christmas Eve primarily in the Eastern regions of Poland. It is healthier option but I still favour the taste of the pasta with poppy seeds I grew up with.

Ingredients:

1c poppy seeds

0.5c honey

0.25c Dried fruits: apricots, dates, figs, prunes

0.5c nuts and almonds

2tbsp whipping cream (optional)

0.5 (can be more) lemon or orange - juice and peel 

1c wheat berries

spices (optional): 3 cloves, 1 pot cardamom, 0.25 tsp nutmeg - grind into powder

1. Run boiling water through poppy seeds 3-4 times. Then pour 1c of  boiling water into a bowl, add poppy seeds and let it sit overnight.

2. Remove excess water. Place poppy seeds in a blender, add honey and lemon juice. Process for a few minutes; you should see milky liquid. 

3. Chop dried fruits and nuts into small pieces.

4. Cook wheat berries like all grains - 1:3 grain to water proportions, for about 40 minutes on a lower heat. Drain.

5. Mix all ingredients together.

6. Serve warm or at room temperature. If it becomes dry after a couple of days you can stir in more cream, honey, and/or orange or lemon juice. It keeps well in the fridge for a week.

7. Enjoy!

Salad: Get your Super Power

I find that some food gives me a lot of energy right after eating it and other drain anything that is left. This salad is one of the dishes that brings me to life, that is why it's perfect for lunch!

I composed it from a number of super foods for maximum nutrition.

Ingredients:

2c of young cabbage

2 kale leaves, stems removed 

1 large Apple (I like Granny Smith)

1 large carrot

2-3 tbsp dried cranberries

6 tbsp sunflower seeds

6 tbsp pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

4 tbsp olive oil

Juice from half lemon (about 3-4 tbsp)

Juice from 2 inch grated ginger (about 1-2 tbsp)

2 tbsp poppy seeds

Salt and pepper

1. Grate cabbage like you would for coleslaw.

2. Chop kale into small thin strips.

3. Grate Apple and carrot ( large eye grater).

4. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

5. Mix the dressing and pour into the salad. Mix everything well.

6. Enjoy!

The salad is best served the same day, but can stay in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. 

Polish Christmas Eve: Barszcz (vegan beet soup)

#easyfoodcreations #Christmas #healthyeating #PolishFood

Barszcz takes a little bit of time to cook that is why we always make a big batch; It never lasts too long.
I love anything with beets - soups, salads, smoothies, juices, cookies - but peeling beets is one of my least favourite activities as it severely stains your skin and it is extremely difficult to remove. Hence when handling beets I use latex gloves which effectively solve the problem.

Important note - never cover beet soup while cooking it as it will become brown; you want to maintain beets beautiful ruby colour.

Ingredients:

4 carrots

2 parsnips

0.25 large celery root

9 medium sized beets

1 leek

1 onion

3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half

3 whole allspice

10 black pepper corns

3-4 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice (helps in preserving the colour)

10 dried mushrooms

1. Peel and clean carrots, celery root, parsnip, leek, onion. Cut into large chunks, it will be taken out later and used in a Polish Vegetable salad.

2. Soak dried mushrooms for about 15 minutes.

3. Place carrots, celery, parsnip, leek, onion, dried mushrooms, and all spices (other than garlic and lemon/vinegar) in a large pot, add 2-3 litres of water. Bring to boil then lower the heat to gas mark 2.4 and cook for about an hour.

4. Peel beets, but into 6-8 pieces each. Set aside.

5. Take out all vegetables from the soup leaving mushrooms in. Set them aside to cool.

Add beets, vinegar and garlic. Cook on a low heat 1.8 - 2.0 for another 3-4 hours. Add more water if needed. If you use too high heat you will lose the ruby colour of beets. 

6. Take beets and all other spices and vegetables out. Since we don't like wasting food we keep the beets and use them in salads.

7. Serve clear soup in a cup or a bowl.

Beet soup can be served with uszka - Polish dumpligs with mushrooms. This way it would be served in a bowl.

Other alternatives are pasztecik - yeast cakes, or kulebiak - cabbage cake. This way we serve it in a cup as a drinking soup.

8. Enjoy!