banana & pb2 smoothie

i eat a lot of  bananas.  i'm prone to a lot of foot cramps and bananas are one of the only things that help temper them.  luckily, the are one of my favouite fruits and make amazingly creamy smoothies.  i whipped this one up after a visit to the gym and got to use my new glass straw!  lauren over at ginger is the new pink features these a lot and i've wanted one for a while.  i finally picked one up at a festival a couple weeks ago.  it makes drinking so awesome and it's eco-friendly!

• 2 bananas
• 5 ice cubes
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon of pb2

pb2 is a peanut butter powder with a lot of the fatty oils removed.  essentially you add water to create a peanut butter paste.  i like to use it in smoothies, cupcakes, icings, etc. to get the flavour without all the fat.

for this recipe, just toss everything in blender and blend until smoothie.  drink with a glass straw if you have one!

citrus breakfast smoothie

i haven't grapefruit in such a long time, but they were on sale the other day so i picked a few up. this is super citrus, super healthy breakfast smoothie packed with lots of vitamins. you can add a little sweetener if you like, but i thought the orange and rhubarb mellowed out the grapefruit tartness enough. but i tend to like things less sweet, so adjust according to your taste.

• 1 red or pink grapefruit, peeled
  
• 1 navel orange, peeled
  
• 1 quarter cup rhubarb
• 1/3 cup ice
• stevia/sweetener (optional)
  

i put everything in the blender and pulsed until the ice was significantly chopped. then i put it on the blend/puree mode and let it go to work. my grapefruit and orange were super juicy so i didn't need any water to aid the blending, but if you do, just add a tablespoon at a time to get it going. again, add a little sweetener of your choice if it's too tart.

lettuce wrap burritos

i love the combination of hot and cold with these burritos - you don't often find lettuce wraps stuffed with a warm inside. not to mention that these burritos are pretty healthy, and serving them lettuce-wrap-style gives them a fun crunchy texture you wouldn't get with a regular tortilla. be sure and have lots of napkins around - if these are overstuffed, you might run into some messy eating. :)

• 1 head fresh broccoli
• 1/2 large zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1/2 can rotel
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 4-5 large romaine leaves
• fixins: guac, olives, salsa, jalapenos

heat coconut oil in large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. chop the broccoli, zucchini and pepper down and toss them into the skillet. saute for 1-2 minutes, then add in the water to help soften the veggies. when veggies start to become tender, add the kidney beans, rotel and spices.

saute/simmer for approximately 10 minutes, or until the liquids have cooked off. remove from heat and let cool a little before spooning mixture into the lettuce leaves. add your favourite burrito fixins' and enjoy!

POM wonderful green smoothie

to pom or not to pom... that was my question. many may know that POM (makers of the flavourful POM wonderful juice) once had a shady past with animal rights. thankfully, through the urging of PETA and many other animal lovers, they decided to cease those practices. i originally wasn't sure if was ready to accept them back, but i believe that they deserve kudos for changing their ways. i once ate meat, and i would hate to be punished for my former transgressions. so, thanks POM! now let's drink!

• 2 oranges, peeled
• 6-8 strawberries
• 1½ cups baby spinach leaves
• 3/4 cup POM Wonderful juice

as with my typical green smoothies, you could use any other green, but i like the baby spinach most often because it doesn't overpower the fruit. however, when i'm feeling up for a more 'green' juice, i'll use kale, romaine, etc.

put everything in a blender for about 45 seconds. so easy! i find that this recipe is so filling that when i mix it up for lunch, i'm not hungry again until dinner. beyond awesome!

baked cabbage rolls

i'm a long time cabbage fan - in fact one of the first recipes i posted on this blog was a cabbage salad of sorts. i came up with this recipe after we received a head of cabbage from door to door organics and i wanted something warm, filling and fairly healthy. my first instinct was to stuff them with rice, but we didn't have any. luckily i found some yellow split peas laying around, and they made the perfect substitute.

• 12 cabbage leaves
• 1/2 pack of tofu, crumbled
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon low sodium soy
• pinch salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup veggie broth
• 5 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 whole carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 cup cooked yellow split peas
• 1/2 tablespoon adobe seasoning
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
• 1 small can tomato sauce (80z)

there are a number of ways to get your cabbage leaves. my method involves de-coring the cabbage, and placing the whole head in a steamer for about 10-15 minutes. after it cools a minute, then i peel off the leaves and they are pliable enough for wraps. you could also peel the leaves off without steaming, but i find that they rip less when slightly cooked.

heat the sesame oil in a large skillet on high. dump in the crumbled tofu and fry for about 7-8 minutes until it starts to brown on all sides. turn your heat down a notch to medium-high and add in the onion, garlic, salt & pepper, and soy. continue sautéing for a few minutes to really season the tofu.

next, pour in the veggie broth and rest of the vegetables. do not add the last two spices or canned tomatoes yet. cook your mixture on medium high, stirring frequently, until the liquid runs low. now add in the canned tomatoes - partially drained. to 'partially drain' my canned tomatoes i usually open the can 95% with the lid still attached, turn over once and let drain, but i don't press the lid to force any more liquid out. add the tomatoes to the mix, along with the curry and adobo seasoning. simmer for about 2 mintues until most of the tomato juice has been absorbed.

in an 8x11 casserole dish, spread 1 tablespoon of the canned tomato sauce in the bottom to prevent the cabbage rolls from sticking. then wrap each leaf like burrito, stuffed with your veggie mixture, and place in the casserole dish. once all the leaves have been assembled, pour the remaining can of tomato sauce over the top.


bake at 375°f for 25 minutes, remove and sprinkle vegan parmesean on top. i just used nutritional yeast as i didn't have any vegan parm.