vegan

growing up and making soup…

~ Maya C ~ Leave a comment

I fell asleep reading last night. At 11pm.
This has become my new weekend routine.

A few years ago, I used to start my Saturdays at 11pm. I’d stumble into bed at 6am, praying that I’d fall asleep before the sun rose and confirmed by zombie status. Around 2 the next afternoon, I’d roll out of bed, maybe work on an essay for a few hours, and then repeat.

It was great while it lasted and I was very ready for it to end when it did.

Fast forward five years to this morning when I woke up with a slight twinge of remorse for the days that once were. I think that’s natural – we all tend to romanticize the past. But whenever that happens, I let myself really stew in those memories until I remember all of the less-than-glorious aspects.

And then I quickly realize that I really, truly love where I am now. I love being a grown-up… and aging is fun! Whether we choose to mourn the past and dread aging OR we say, “that was fun, what’s next?!” is totally up to us.

  

Blah, blah, blah… onto soup! 🙂

I made two delicious pots of soup this week. I made my mom’s Sweet Potato Carrot Soup (yum, yum) AND I made a un-creamy broccoli soup (it’s vegan) inspired by the most beautiful blog there ever was: Green Kitchen Stories.

 

Here is my interpretation of their recipe, my un-Creamy Broccoli Soup:

  • 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil 
  • 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
  • 1 yellow onion, finely chopped 
  • 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes 
  • 2 heads of broccoli, cut into smaller florets and slice the stalk 
  • 4 cups water or veggie stock to cover 
  • 1 x 400 ml can coconut milk 
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • Big pinch or two of salt, to taste
  • 1 tsp curry powder (optional)
  • 2 cups of fresh spinach (optional)
  • 5-10 of fresh basil leaves (optional)
  • Garnish: roasted pumpkin seeds and cilantro. 

Heat up the oil on medium with the red chili flakes and garlic until fragrant – you don’t want to burn the garlic! Toss in the onion and reduce the heat so that the onion sweats (rather than being fried crisp). Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broccoli, cover with stock/ water, bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and let it cook for 20-30 minutes. Remove a few cups of the broth (you can always add it back in). Add coconut milk, basil, spinach, curry and tahini. Blend, blend, blend until creamy (hand blender is best but my food processor works well too, it’s just messier). If it’s too thick, add in some of the removed liquid. Cook for another 5-10 minutes. Serve with garnish. Enjoy!

It’s vegan, gluten-free and totally yummy.

I froze a big jar-full for a quick weekday meal. Also, freeze the leftover water! It makes for an awesome stock for future soups. I can’t wait until their cookbook hits the shelves!

Be kind to yourself!
mxo

P.S. I do wonder if we ever feel like grown-ups…

sunday, soup and heart…

~ Maya C ~ Leave a comment

Today has been the most lovely of lovely Sundays.

I woke up early, refreshed.
I called my grandma in Poland. I love grandmas.
I drank coffee and read magazines, and lazily got ready for my day.
Hubby and I went errand-running, which I really, really enjoy.
We got everything done super duper quickly.
And then stunk in a round of golf practice at the Golf Dome. 
I kept to my 2013 commitment to drive one way wherever we go (more on this one day soon).
Then I made soup, and the most glorious lunch for tomorrow, and read some more.
After I finish this, I’m heading upstairs to do some yoga (am hooked on www.yogaglo.com)
Then a light dinner, maybe a movie, a bath and an early night.
Joy, joy, and more joy.

Today I made a version of my mom’s Sweet Potato Carrot Soup. Yum, yum.

Ingredients:

  • Two big sweet potatoes, peeled and diced.
  • Four large carrots, diced (peeled if not organic).
  • About 1 litre of stock or water (enough to cover the veggies).
  • Big pinch of salt.
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, crushed.
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
  • 1-2 tbsp curry powder.
  • 2-4 tbsp tahini.
  • 1/2 can of coconut milk (optional, I just happened to have an open can in the fridge).
  • Garnish: oranges and/ or cilantro. 

Method:
Now, this soup really couldn’t be easier. All you need to do is:

  • Dice up the veggies and throw them in a big pot.
  • Cover them in water/ stock and add a pinch of salt.  
  • Bring everything to a boil then cover and simmer until the veggies are tender. 
  • When tender, toss in the garlic, curry, tahini and coconut milk, and any additional salt. 
  • Blend, blend, blend. 
  • DONE!  

And really, you can completely ignore my measurements – just add things in until it tastes perfect to you.
Happy, healthy, soupy love.

Finally, I leave you with my favourite quote from the weekend:

“Here is my secret. It’s quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”  
Says the tamed fox to the little prince in The Little Prince. 
The Little Prince and a delicious almond mylk latte. Joy!

Hope you’re having a joyous Sunday!

Much love,
mxo

baked coconut chickpeas

~ Maya C ~ Leave a comment

The response to my last post has been absolutely overwhelming. Thank you, thank you, thank you… and I plan to cover more soon. 🙂

But for now, it’s Meatless Monday and it sure is a rainy one! 


Yesterday, I stumbled upon a recipe for jerk chickpeas on one of my favourite blogs, Oh She Glows. I wanted those badboy peas then and there, except that I didn’t have most of the ingredients and I was already in comfy pants (it’s a violation on a Sunday afternoon to trade comfy pants for real clothes).

Dressed in comfy pants and without ingredients, I was forced to get creative with what was in my pantry and boy oh boy, did it work out!
I made up a super easy peasy recipe for baked coconut chickpeas!
Ingredients:
  • 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed.
  • 2-3 tbsps freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice.
  • 2 tbsp tamari (organic and gluten-free if possible).
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil.
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk (the thicker, full-fat version works well).
  • 1 tbsp maple syrup.
  • 1 tsp cinnamon.
  • 1 tsp tumeric (you could also use curry if you’re feeling sassy).
  • 2 large garlic gloves, smashed and chopped.
  • 1/2 of a red pepper, finely chopped.
  • 1/2 cup red onions, finely diced.
  • Few pinches of red chili flakes. 
  • Pinch of salt and pepper.
  • 2 tbsp parsley or cilantro and/or a big handful of arugula and/or chopped avocado and chives for garnish. 

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 375. 
  2. Combine all ingredients in a baking dish, except the garnish. Give it a loving stir.
  3. Cover and bake for 30 mins. Uncover and bake for another 15 mins if you’d like it drier.
  4. Throw peas over some quinoa or brown rice, or serve as a side.
  5. Garnish with your greens of choice… and enjoy!
Really, it’s one of those recipes where you can throw out the recipe and just mix ingredients until it tastes yummy.
Happy rainy Monday of tumbling & stumbling!
mxo

sweet potato kale quinoa yum…

~ Maya C ~ Leave a comment

Happy Monday!

Last week I shared my perfect lunch with you. 

Today I’m going to deconstruct it. You’re getting one of my very favourite go-to recipes:  
baked sweet potato with kale and quinoa.

Ingredients:
  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1 red onion
  • 5 kale leaves (I used flat green and curly red)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • Big pinch sea salt
  • 1 cup quinoa, cooked

Chop onion and baked potato into large, bite-sized chunks. De-stem kale leaves and rip up into pieces.

 
Place onion and baked potato into a casserole dish. Top with coconut oil and salt. Bake at 375f for 40-45 minutes. Reduce heat to 350f, add kale to casserole dish and bake another 10-15 minutes. The potato should be tender, but be careful not to burn the kale. That’s it… oh, and enjoy! 🙂

It’s a perfectly balanced meal with protein (quinoa), complex carbs (sweet potato), greens (kale), and healthy fats (coconut oil). 
You can also skip the quinoa and just serve the potatoes as a lovely side.



Happy t&s!
mxo


courage and coco…

~ Maya C ~ Leave a comment

This is what last night looked like:
  • Comfy pants
  • Organic red wine
  • Dark chocolate
  • Charlie (my cat) and I on the couch…
  • Watching We Bought a Zoo.
It was perfect. 
I’ll admit, I chose the movie because Matt Damon was in it (he’s dreamy), but it ended up being so very sweet and even better, inspiring!
I picked up one very important life lesson from the flick:
“All you need is just 20 seconds of insane courage 
and I promise you, amazing things will happen.”


What would life be like if you infused every single day with just 20 seconds of insane courage… 🙂



It’s a rainy spring Saturday in Toronto, perfect for staying home and taking care of some outstanding to dos.

It’s also perfect for making coconut protein bliss bites!

Ingredients:
MIA: one date… because I ate it. 🙂
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup flavoured protein powder (I used vanilla Sunwarrior, my fav)
  • 1/2 cup grated coconut (sulfite-free), reserve half
  • 8-10 soft medjol dates, pits removed
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 1 tsp pure organic vanilla extract
  • Optional: 1 tbsp nut butter (if your mixture is dry, you can use some nut butter to help bind everything)

Method:
Place all ingredients (but only half of the coconut) into a food processor and blend until small pebbles form. Roll into balls and roll balls in remaining coconut. Refrigerate. Makes approximately 10-15 bite-sized balls.

Perfectly delicious snack for the mid-afternoon munchies! Enjoy.
Happy Saturday of tumbling & stumbling!
mxo

april of meatless mondays and tuesday and…

~ Maya C ~ Leave a comment

It’s April. Yay!

Fun fact: I love spring because it is synonymous with cleaning, cleansing, detoxing, lightening, rebirth, etc… I love all of these things!

Fun fact: The past weekend of absolute gluttony (and often quite meat-heavy gluttony) has left me longing for a cleaner, lighter, completely plant-based diet.

Combine the fun facts above and you get this: a month of meatless Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (otherwise known as a meatless month)!!
Now, last time I was a vegetarian, I wasn’t particularly wise about it. I have always consumed lots of veggies, but my protein intake was replaced by copious amounts of carbs. Not ideal. A plant-based diet can be extremely healthy if you do your homework (I love homework!)… and this homework is non-negotiable. You need to plan your meals to ensure that you are getting all of the right nutrients. Hopefully, through doing my own homework, I can help.

For today’s Meatless Monday, I am sharing one of my favourite and easiest veggie recipes: hummus!

Hummus is a nutritional power house. The chickpeas are a great source of protein, complex carbs and fiber. The healthy oils in the tahini and the oil you blend with will make your hair shiny and your skin glow. Tahini is also loaded with iron and calcium. Hummus is a vegan superfood.

Hummus Recipe:

  • 1 can organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil (or any other healthy oil like flax, walnut, hemp seed, etc)
  • 1 tbsp tahini
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1-2 crushed garlic cloves (more if you like it garlicky)
  • 2 tsp cumin (optional, as I often forget this step)
  • Pinch of salt and dash of pepper.

Combine in a food processor or blender, and whirl into healthy deliciousness. Enjoy with veggie sticks, crackers or pita bread, or just with a spoon (my favourite method).

You can then make a moat for some extra oil with lemon juice and/ or sprinkle some paprika and parsley on top. How pretty!
This hummus tastes great on its own and it also works amazingly as a base for any sassy additions you can dream up (perhaps some maple and chipotle or some beets or peas for colour, or how about some curry for international flare).

Happy Monday of tumbling & stumbling! 🙂
xo