Pineapple Carrot Ginger Muffins

I love carrot cake, especially when there's pineapple in it. These muffins are healthy carrot cake you can have for breakfast! The ginger is prominent (freshly grated) but not too strong. I found the texture a bit wet, but that could be because I used flax eggs instead of regular eggs - and maybe I should have just added 2 tablespoons of ground flax and no additional water instead? Something to try for next time.

Random personal tidbit for the day - Thursday is my favourite TV day. I love Grey's Anatomy, Vampire Diaries and Secret Circle. More so the first two, but I'm a sucker for any supernatural show.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Healthy Carrot Cake Power Scuffins
Garden Harvest Cake
Morning Glory Muffins
Spiced Carrot Muffins

Pineapple Carrot Ginger Muffins
Adapted from The Muffin Myth

Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat bran
1/3 cup loose packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tin (398ml) crushed pineapple – don’t drain!
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp water, let it sit for 5 minutes)
2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 cups grated carrot (about 3 carrots)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare muffin tins and set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift dry ingredients together. In a slightly larger bowl, whisk together crushed pineapple, flax eggs, olive oil, and grated ginger. Add the dry ingredients all at once, and stir until just combined. Add grated carrot and walnuts, stirring to distribute evenly through the batter. Spoon into prepared muffin tins. Bake for 30 min, rotating the tins half way through. Gently release the muffins from the tins, and turn onto their sides in the tins to cool.

Red and White Cauliflower Bake

I've tried various vegan cream sauces but I don't like most of them which is why I never post them on here. I think it's the nutritional yeast and the soy milk. I used to always drink Silk unsweetened plain soy, but have just switched to Silk unsweetened almond and am really enjoying it. (So much better than Almond Breeze, which I know tons of people love.) I'm hoping that in future vegan cream sauces, the almond will blend more smoothly versus standing out like the soy milk. Anyway, I made this cauliflower bake with soy milk and while I could taste the soy, it was a really nice homey dish that I'd happily eat again. I love when tomato sauce is combined with cream (or in this case tofu, cauliflower, soy milk and nutritional yeast). This photo was taken the day after, so it cut out a nice slice, but it'll be a bit of a soft (delicious) mess when you serve it hot from the oven.

Sunday night we were lucky to be invited to the Cirque du Soleil Michael Jackson Immortal World Tour! Cirque is my favourite and we always go when they come to town. I haven't been to Vegas but when we go I plan on watching as many as I can. I don't have any pictures of the show but it was amazing. They did such a great job given that Cirque is usually in small tents, and the venue they had this time was huge in comparison. I tend not to share a lot about myself and my life (aside from food related things) on my blog, but I always love reading random tidbits about other people's lives on their blogs, so I'm going to try and share more than just Abby photos. We'll see how it goes! :)

Abby likes to squish herself into any boxes we leave around.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Red and White Tortellini
Lentil Veggie Burrito Casserole
Cauliflower and Parmesan Cake
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Red and White Cauliflower Bake
Adapted from Vegan Yum Yum

Makes 4 servings

Simple Marinara
1/2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp dried basil
3/4 tsp dried marjoram
3/4 tsp dried oregano
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes, blended
1/4 tsp salt
4 cups cauliflower, chopped small and steamed

Herbed Tofu Ricotta
1 pkg extra firm tofu, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water

White Sauce
1/4 cup Earth Balance butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp stone ground mustard
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper, to taste
1 cup bread crumbs (I toast whole grain bread then grind it up in a food processor)

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Marinara
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the herbs and saute for a minute or two, being careful not to burn. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, chop the cauliflower into very small pieces and steam.

Herbed Tofu Ricotta
Mix together the tofu, salt, basil, rosemary, marjoram, lemon juice, yeast, pepper and the cornstarch/water mixture.

White Sauce
Whisk the margarine in a saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and whisk into a paste. Add the tahini, lemon juice, mustard, and the yeast and whisk well. Slowly add the soy milk, whisking well to make a smooth sauce. Add the salt and pepper and whisk over medium-high heat until mixture is thickened; it should coat the back of a spoon thickly.

Assemble the Casserole
Place the tofu ricotta in a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish - shallow and long works better than deep and narrow. Press it down to form an even layer.

Mix the cauliflower with the white sauce and spread it over the tofu in an even layer. Add the tomato sauce on top of the cauliflower, top with bread crumbs, and bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and browned.

Let stand at least 5-10 minutes before serving sot he casserole can set.

High Protein Quinoa Almond Fruit Salad

I know I'm terrible for posting dishes that involve out of season fruit or vegetables. But things can always be substituted or recipes can be saved for next year! I thought this quinoa fruit salad was really interesting. It's such a unique way to combine fruit and protein for a great snack. I used yellow plums, blueberries and cherries but I'm sure other fruit like apples, oranges (mandarin oranges!) and persimmons would be good too. Whatever you like, really.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Cocoa Nibbles
Apple Fennel Celery Salad
Coconut Raspberry Walnut Power Bars
Sunny Jungle Bars

High Protein Quinoa Almond Fruit Salad
Adapted from Oh She Glows

Makes about 4-5 snack size servings

3/4 cup dry quinoa
3 cups plums
2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup cherries, pitted and sliced
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 cup almonds, chopped

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, chop the fruit and place in a large bowl.

3. Mix the dressing ingredients (maple syrup, balsamic, lime juice, salt) in a small jar and adjust to taste if necessary. Note: You may have to double the dressing recipe if your salad is quite large.

4. Fluff cooked quinoa with a fork and add to large bowl with fruit. Combine. Pour on dressing and mix well. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until serving time.

Vegan Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have two new favourite vegan cookie recipes. I know there are a million chocolate chip cookie recipes but these are too good not to post about. Not to mention ridiculously easy to put together. They don't spread too much, don't puff too much. They have nice crisp edges, and soft but not cakey middles. I've tried them with all purpose flour and with spelt (all purpose was better with crispy edges, spelt resulted in a cookie that spread more and was softer - light spelt might work well though). I've tried them with chocolate chips and with M&Ms (not vegan, I know). It's a great base cookie recipe to add in whatever you like.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Chocolate Dipped Cherry Shortbread
Chocolate Oatmeal Coconut Cookies
Chocolate Marble Chunk Cookies
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vegan Homestyle Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Vive le Vegan!

Makes 8-10 large cookies

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup unrefined sugar (I use sucanat)
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup oil (I usually use olive oil but safflower or canola would be good too)
1/3-1/2 cup non dairy chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, vanilla and oil. Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just well combined (do not overmix).

Place large spoonfuls of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat, and flatten a little. Bake for 11 minutes, until just golden (if you bake longer, they'll dry out). Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Spicy Potato & Corn Salad

I love potato salad, as I'm sure most of us do. I don't eat it often and never make it though, as I don't want to eat tons of mayonnaise. But this potato salad has no mayonnaise and just 2 teaspoons of oil. And I love that it has beans, chipotle peppers, cilantro and of course my favourite corn.

It's a nice twist on traditional potato salad and makes a great meal salad. I liked eating it warm better than cold. It's too bad I didn't post in the summer when corn was in season! But I've added in instructions for using frozen corn which I'm sure would be just as good.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Know Your Roots Salad
Back On Track Wheat Berry and Chickpea Salad
Quinoa Corn Salad
Spiced Squash, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad

Spicy Potato & Corn Salad
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

Serves 6

3 ears corn, shucked (or about 1 1/2 cups frozen corn)
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used red, white and blue)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 canned chipotles, mashed into a paste
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp agave
2 tbsp water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic, grated on a Microplane grater or minced very finely
2 cups pinto beans, cooked (a little less than 1 cup dry or a 16 oz can drained and rinsed)
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Mixed greens, for serving

Prepare your steaming apparatus while you prep your veggies.

First, if using fresh corn, steam the corn for about 5 minutes. Remove from the steamer and set aside until cool enough to handle. If using frozen corn, warm it in the microwave or on the stove with water, drain, then set aside.

Place the potatoes in the steamer, and steam for 7 to 10 minutes. The potatoes should be tender enough to pierce with a fork, but not falling apart. Remove from the steamer and set aside to cool.

In the meantime, prepare the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, stir together vinegar, chipotles, oil, agave, water, and salt. Grate in the garlic.

When the corn is cool enough to handle, cut it from the cob: Place it directly in a large mixing bowl, pointy side up, and use your chef's knife to cut down the sides. Once all the corn is in there, just break it up with your fingers. If using frozen corn, add the drained corn to the mixing bowl. Fold in the cooled potatoes, pinto beans, and red onion.

Add the dressing and toss to coat. Mix in the cilantro and taste for salt. Add more chipotle if desired. Either serve immediately over mixed greens, or if you want it cold then chill until ready to serve, then serve over mixed greens.