The Tastiest Vegan Sandwich with Avocado, Hummus and Sauteed Mushrooms

    This  sandwich is so quick and tasty! The meaty texture of the sauteed mushrooms and the protein in the hummus will make any meat eater forget they are missing anything. I make this all of the time!

Ingredients:

Sliced red onion

Crushed garlic

Sliced mushrooms

Garlic salt 

Black pepper

Hummus

Avocado

Sliced tomato (optional)

Mixed greens

Vinaigrette

Franks Hot Sauce (optional)

Toasted whole grain bread- I like Ezekiel

Method:

1.Saute sliced onions, garlic and mushrooms. Season mushroom mixture with garlic salt and black pepper to taste.

2. Assemble rest of the ingredients in the sandwich along with the mushroom mixture.

3. Enjoy! =)

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The Good Karma Diet: Vegan Banana Ice Cream

The Good Karma Diet: Vegan Banana Ice Cream: "My boyfriend got me a KitchenAid Food Processor for my birthday last week, and I have been using it daily! I cannot believe I have gone this..."

Vegan Banana Ice Cream

My boyfriend got me a KitchenAid Food Processor for my birthday last week, and I have been using it daily! I cannot believe I have gone this long without it!  One of my new favorite desserts and recipes to make in my food processor is this raw, vegan ice cream that was inspired by, Muddy Spoon and Choosing Raw. It is honestly SO delicious and surprisingly healthy!

Ingredients:

1-2 frozen bananas (I highly recommend peeling and slicing the banana before freezing it)
1-2 tbs of a non-dairy milk, I love So Good Coconut Beverage for this
Dash of real vanilla extract (optional)
Dash of cinnamon (optional)
Dash of nutmeg (optional)
            
Blend all ingredients in the food processor until it is a smooth, creamy consistency. Anything can be added in here, other fruit, peanut butter, chocolate chips etc. I like mine with chocolate syrup, made of equal parts cocoa power and agave nectar mixed well together.

A Day at the Market

So much delicious food!

I love food!  And I love the Halifax Farmer's Market.  If you haven't been yet, I suggest you go...soon!  The new market space at Pier 20 is wonderful.  http://www.halifaxfarmersmarket.com/ .  The best part about the market is being in direct contact with your farmer.  You can ask questions about the life of your food and where it's come from, if it's been sprayed, what variety it is, and even cooking ideas.  If you're like me, you could even go to the cheese counter and ask them to explain about the life of their cows.  Everyone is happy to talk about their product at the market because no one has anything to hide.  It's a wonderful feeling of being surrounded by people who are proud of their product and to know that there has been very little 'damage' (environmentally, ethically and morally) in the process of getting that product from seed to grocery bag.

The market is going to be open more often now which will allow us to be a step closer to natural food sources.  Instead of buying apples from New Zealand at the grocery store we can pick up some Nova Scotian varieties from the market.  Better to buy what's local, less travelled and more nutritious and support our provincial farmers. 

I bought basil, which I made into pesto, purple potatoes which I hallowed out after boiling and then baked them until crispy and finally filled with the pesto, collard greens which I steamed and tossed with the pesto and orange cherry tomatoes which I tossed in a hot pan until they were ready to burst.  With the potato filling I mixed in some pesto and mashed it together forming patties which I then fried.  It was a superb meal and one that I could use each part of with other meals, appetizers or sides.  For a more detailed description of what I made, be sure to look at My Little Vegetarian Kitchen blog in which I post some recipes and show you my cooking experiments.  www.mylittlevegetariankitchen.blogspot.com  

Remember to find enjoyment in food.  Look at it as an energy source and question which energy it has developed in.  Use it to nourish your body and entice your taste buds, and slow down and enjoy the process of shopping, creating, cooking and eating. 

Day Tripping by Andrea Lussing

Republished with permission from Andrea Lussing  

What better place to head to for a few hours on a misty, overcast, warm, fall day in Nova Scotia but the Valley. Spotted with wineries, farm markets and and farm animals, the Valley is one of my favourite places to go. There's such a sense of home-grown goodness there. Stress levels plummet as you drive past the one and only fair trade and organic 'Just Us' coffee roasting house, the Tangled Garden with homemade jams and jellies from their garden and the beautiful Grand Pré winery nestled just outside of Wolfville. The Valley helps you make a connection with the earth.

The businesses that line the main streets of Wolfville and surrounding areas feature local arts and crafts, produce, coffee, wine and meat. Touching the grapes on the vine at Grand Pré, then enjoying a glass of their finest really takes you from seed to table and makes you feel like part of the cycle. The beef in my friend's lunchtime hamburger came from local, grass fed cows that had surely enjoyed the beautiful summer, grazing the fields overlooking the Minus Basin a few short weeks ago. The feta cheese in my salad came from the Fox Hill cheese farm down the road, and I enjoyed a cold pint of 100% Nova Scotian, Keith's beer as I waited for my lunch.

Eating local and buying local is our way of saying that we appreciate the land, our land, that surrounds our communities. It means helping your neighbours put food on their tables by supporting their businesses, and it means using fewer resources and less energy from the earth. In a word, it means respect.

I encourage anyone to start to read the labels and stickers on your food and goods. Ask yourself where the item that you may purchase came from and how long ago it was in its natural state, and what was the process of getting it f from that state, to your bag. Choosing local is a small effort that can make a major change in our world in areas of your health, to the environment, to global finances. Wherever you are, enjoy what is there to be offered, in all its glory.

The Walk for Farm Animals

Reposted with permission by Andrea Lussing

On Sunday October 3rd, 21 compassionate citizens of Halifax joined together for the international 'Walk for Farm Animals'. Throughout Canada and the United States in September and October, different cities hold their fundraising and awareness building walks to promote compassion for farm animals and awareness of factory farming.  Myself, above on the right, and my friend Aime on the left, also holding the banner on the right below, donated some money, got a T-shirt and some posters, and walked with our small group down the Halifax Waterfront.  For the first year of this walk in Halifax, I believe it was a great success.  Men, woman and (one) child shared stories and bonded over their compassion towards animals and the ethical treatment of them.  Surely next year will be bigger and better, and slowly, change happens.  For more information on the walk visitwww.walkforfarmanimals.org, or for information about the Farm Sanctuary, the United State's leading farm animal protection agency, and factory farming, visitwww.farmsanctuary.org.

Cookies and Brownies Inspired by the Happy Herbivore

Black Bean Brownies from The Happy Herbivore

Ingredients:

15 ounces black beans, drained and rinsed

2 whole bananas

⅓ cup agave nectar (I used brown rice syrup)

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup raw sugar (optional)

¼ cup instant oats

I also added vegan chocolate chips and chopped walnuts and drizzled the baked brownies with melted chocolate.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and 8x8" pan and set aside. Combine all ingredients, except oats, in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth, scrapping sides as needed. Stir in the oats and pour batter into the pan. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before slicing. Chef's Note: if you find these brownies are too soft or too fudge-y, add another 1/4 cup oats or flour.

Butter Bean Cookies from The Happy Herbivore

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp cinnamon (optional)

a dash of ground cardamon (optional)

½ cup canned white beans, liquids reserved

(I used chickpeas)

½ cup raw sugar

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ cup vegan chocolate chips

a dash of salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a large cookie sheet or line with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer 3/4 cup of the oats to a food processor and pulse, about 15x, until crumbly but not powder. Transfer to a mixing bowl and combine with flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cardamon. Whisk to incorporate and set aside. Transfer beans to processor then add applesauce, sugar, vanilla extract and 1 tbsp of the bean liquid. Whiz until smooth. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir about 10 times. Add chips, remaining 1/4 cup oats and the rest of the bean liquid, stirring until combined. If the mixture is too wet, add more oats. If it's too dry, add a little water. Drop tablespoons of batter onto the cookie sheet, leaving an inch of room between each. Bake 15 minutes, until edges are just turning light brown and middles are firm. They will firm a bit more as they cool. Check the bottoms to make sure they are golden brown. 

Per cookie: 61 calories, 0.7g fat, 12.4g carbs, 1.4g fiber, 5.2g sugar, 1.3g protein