A few weeks ago, my sister, good friend Amy (check out her new YouTube Channel!) and myself attended Ottawa Veg Fest. We sampled amazing food, met genuinely kind people and discovered awesome new vegan companies we could support! All in all, it was a whole lot of fun and a whole lot of food! 

One of the brands at the event was NONA. They were serving samples of their rich and creamy vegan sauces. We tried their selection of flavours including Cheesy, Alfredo and speciality Carbonara (a perfect collaboration with MAGIC VEGAN BACON GREASE). The flavours were a spectacle for the tastebuds! So rich and satisfying. So here is what we made with with Carbonara sauce!

The best, most loving, delicious, satisfying, peaceful alternative to pig bacon... coconut bacon! Join me in the fun video with the recipe and step-by-step guide to making your own coconut bacon! 

Sometimes you just want a big hearty burger right? I don't... but these are good either way! Such a healthy alternative, loaded with a complete, plant-based protein (Quinoa) and lots of fibre! It also has Riboflavin and iron. The lentils are also leaded with protein and low in fat and sodium! Red lentils are the most alkaline forming protein out there! (GOOD NEWS FOR YOUR HEALTH!) I ate these with a lettuce bun because the burger itself is almost bread like. In fact, my sister took two as the buns and put the lettuce, cucumber, tomato and toppings in between them and called it and inside out burger! Eat it however you want, you'll love 'em! 

Hot Chili... sounds like an oxymoron. When you are feeling chilly in the winter months, warm up with some hot chili. Anyways, It's good! ;) 

I was craving a veggie soup to help knock this cold out of my body so I used whatever I had in the fridge and cupboards and it turned out amazing! Can't wait to have it again for dinner tonight! 

No Salt, No Oil, Delicious, healthy FRIES! 
Preheat oven to 375 F and put your pan or cookie sheet in there to heat. 
Cut up your potatoes into french fry shapes, cover them in herbs and spices (like Paprika!). 
Cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the pans and once oven is heated, place the paper on the pans! (Remember they are HOT! this will help the fries get crispy without oil!)
Bake for 35 mins and then broil for 2 minutes to brown the top! ENJOY! 

I will post a ketchup recipe once I have perfected my healthy ketchup <3

Oh my gosh.. the options!! First I will talk about RAW rice rolls. These are so yummy and so filling and you can use ANY veggies and even some fruits in theses to mix it up each time! I used my food processor grater to do the carrots, sliced the cucumber, cut up romaine or use baby leaf lettuces. You can use pepper, mango, pickled veggies, cabbage, cilantro, parsley, tomato, broccoli, beets, avocado, spinach, snow peas, green/yellow beans... Whatever your beautiful heart desires.

The Sauce I made though... Amazing. You can switch up the ingredients to your liking to keep it raw or not fully raw. I used the mini magic bullet for this sauce.

Kinda sweet, kinda spicy, kinda super totally delicious!!! I used to love Chicken Thai bites back in the day... and I have made an alternative! They are SO yum!! You can serve them whatever way you like and you can also use whatever flavours or sauces you'd like! We ended up eating them with lettuce and cucumber slices rolled up in rice wraps and it was an amazing combo!! To use rice wraps, just boil some water and place in a pie dish and sit the wrap in the water for about 10 seconds, until it is soft, then place on your place and add your fillings. The thai flavour really makes the whole thing taste amazing!

Pizza is something you think you'll never eat again when changing to a vegan and gluten free lifestyle. Luckily, many pizzerias are starting to offer gluten free options but the no cheese thing is what makes it difficult for most people. I was craving pizza and I had a mix from The Mix Company called "Pizza Crust or Flat Bread". I also had their "Cream Sauce Mix". I decided to play around and create and amazing pizza... and it worked! 

MY NEW FAVOURITE MEAL!!! These are amazing, easy and cheap!!! You can buy rice wraps in the asian section of your local grocery store. I just keep using whatever veggies I have left before another grocery trip. I start by frying up some onion, then add whatever veggies you want!! I shred the carrot with a peeler until its gone so its thin and softens easily. Broccoli in little pieces, pepper, tomato, celery, kale, spinach, whatever!! Use a tbsp of olive or coconut oil to cook all the veggies. Add some pink himalayan sea salt, pepper, paprika, basil and then pour in some Tamari sauce. I also cut up fresh cucumber and left it raw. You can do it all raw if you like as well! 

Quick, easy and healthy dinner right here!! Use all of your favourite veggies or whatever is left in your fridge! 

Start with 1 tsp olive oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and cook until browning. Add 2 cloves of garlic, pressed. Add chopped pepper, celery, kale, spinach etc. peel carrots into long, thin shaved strips (the whole carrot!) and toss them in. Consistantly string. Add a splash of water if the pan is getting dry. Lower heat and add a drizzle of Tamari sauce (gluten free). Add some pink sea salt, pepper and voila! 

I'm totally in love with The Mix Company's "Cream Sauce" mix. As always, it is gluten free and vegan and incredibly delicious! 

I decided to do a sort of scalloped potato dish for dinner with this sauce but I added zucchini and sweet potato! You can add whatever veggies you want. This turned out amazing!!!

WOW. I'm so impressed.. this has become a favourite of mine! I've made it 3 times, each differently so I could post the best recipe but they all turned out AMAZING! I will give you all of my ideas and you can play around too! 

Basically when you are going Vegan AND Gluten-Free, you would expect to be giving up anything close to Mac and cheese. Most people have a hard time thinking about giving up cheese. I thought I would but honestly.. you get over it. This dish will fulfil any cheese craving and it's actually healthy.. and VEGAN!  

It's getting colder!! The leaves are changing colours.. and falling to the ground! Sometimes you just crave a nice warm soup to warm you up! That is how I felt ... so I made this! Its delicious, flavourful and warmmmmmm. 
You can put whatever veggies you like but I used:
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- mushrooms
- 1 tomato
- 3 Kale Leaves 

I LOOOVEEE Pumpkin Pie. LOVE. In fact I have a minor addiction to pumpkin spice soy frappuccino at Starbucks... but I am trying to find ways around that. Working and a perfect recipe, but this one is DELICIOUS! And instead of syrups and sugar, its pure, vegan protein! 

Easy peasy and SOOO filling! Just put everything in a blender until smooth and then enjoy!! You can add more stevia or sweetener if you want, or more almond milk if you find it too think! 
- 4 ice cubes
- 1 cup almond milk
- 3 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp cinnamon 
- 1 tsp all spice
- 1 tsp flax meal
- 2 Scoops of Arbonne Protein Powder

Super easy recipe and perfect for fall!! Pure Veggies with a bit of spice! I love it! You can add whatever veggies or spices. 
What you need:
- 1 Large Butternut Squash
- 1 large onion
- 3 carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 tomato
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp yellow curry powder
- 2 tsp fresh ginger (shredded or minced)
- sea salt
-pepper

Think you'll miss double stuffed potatoes eating healthy? Well, we made them and they were fabulous. 

Bake the potatoes [poke holes in them with a fork first] at 350 for 30- 45 minutes or until soft. 

In a frying pan with a tiny bit of olive oil, cook chopped onions and garlic. Add tomato chopped and whatever other veggies you like. When the potatoes are done, cut them in half and scoop out most of the insides, put them in a bowl.  Mash them up and add them to the other veggies and mix it all together. You can add sea salt, pepper and whatever spices of you choice. I also added a bit of avocado.

I did hair and makeup for a wedding this weekend and was there from 11:30-3.. meaning no lunch. I got home and was about to rampage the kitchen. Luckily I had barely anything left and was in need of a grocery run. I had a cucumber and a yellow pepper sitting there. I wanted to dip it in something!! All I could see was ketchup and mayonnaise and bottled sauces. 
I opened the pantry cupboard and saw a can of chick peas. LIGHTBULB! Hummus!! I had a jar of tahini, 1 lemon, garlic and all sorts of spices!! I had a meeting in 10 minutes so was hurrying as much as possible. 
1 can of organic chick peas, 1 tsp tahini, juice of 1/2 a lemon, 2 cloves of garlic (pressed), some spices, popped in a blender for about 10 seconds (until smooth). VOILA! So simple and boy, was it ever satisfying!! I'm so glad I had a healthy snack! 

You will absolutely love this dinner. It's great to make for a group or just as a delicious dinner! Its all veggies with quinoa! Quinoa ["KEEN-Wah"] is an ancient grain filled with nutrients, essential amino acids and protein. It is one of nature's incredibly formulated, complete proteins!

You can basically use whatever veggies you want to in this recipe and whatever flavors! You could do more of an indian curry flavor, an asian infused teriyaki flavor or a garlic, onion and lemon flavor.  For this one, I used Coconut Aminos (instead do soy sauce) with some spices! (omit corn for 30 day detox program) 

It's hard to get healthier fries but if you are really craving them, I suggest making them this way!! Along with some baked/broiled veggies, yum! 

Usually fries are deep fried in oil that cooks all sorts of meats and goes all day. So fatty and gross! These fries are actually clean. They are baked in just a tsp of coconut oil and some flavorful spices! 

Well do the fries first as they take longer and then the recipe for the veggies! This is a super easy dinner. You could also just do a salad if you want to be even healthier!

I LOOOVE pasta. Going gluten free, I was worried I wouldn't really be able to eat it anymore. WRONG! Brown rice and quinoa pastas are my favorite alternatives (Other than Spaghetti Squash!!). They taste just as good and you don't feel heavy and tired like you do with regular gluten pasta! 

I want to start making my own pasta sauce (recipe as soon as I perfect it) but for this I took my favorite local organic sauce and added a bunch of VEG!! you can use whatever veggies you want! Here's what I did this time:

In a large pan, stir fry 1 onion and 2 pressed garlic cloves in a tsp of coconut oil. Once the onion goes clear, add 1 pepper, mushrooms 1 zucchini all chopped. After they soften up a but you can mix in chopped kale or baby spinach leaves and tomato. Anything that doesn't take long to cook. Use a low- medium heat the whole time. It takes longer but it's much better! Add a jar of your tomato sauce and mix it all together. Serve with your gluten free pasta and voila!!