Quinoa Herb Salad

Fresh and satisfying, this salad really hits the spot. Full of fresh herbs and veggies, it is simple and quick to prepare. I especially love quinoa for is subtle flavour and delicateness.

1/2 c. dry quinoa
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 medium cucumbers, diced
1 can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
1/3 medium red onion, diced
1/3 c. cilantro, finely chopped
1/3 c. fresh basil, finely chopped

Dressing
juice of 1 lemon
3 tbs oil oil
1 tsp agave syrup
1tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
tsp cumin

Rinse and put quinoa to a small pot with 1 cup water. Bring to boil, then cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Mix and the chopped vegetables and herbs in salad bowl. Mix dressing in separate bowl. Once quinoa is cooked, add to salad bowl with dressing and toss everything together.

Juicing!

Lately I have been really into watching social/health documentaries and have finally decided to jump on the juice wagon! If you haven’t already watched Fat Sick and Nearly Dead or Hungry for Change, watch them! I love learning about different ways to incorporate healthy changes into my life, therefore I knew I had to do some more research to see if this was something that would be good for me.

Now maybe you are thinking the same thing I was before learning about juicing. What about the fiber, and all the waste after juicing? After lots of reading and research, I learned that when you juice, you remove the fiber which can actually be hard for the body to digest. By drinking only the juice you get nutrient rich liquid which is very quickly absorbed by your body. Although fiber is necessary and good for you, when juicing, your body’s digestive system gets a rest from breaking down the fiber. You can possibly feel the effects as soon as 30 minutes after drinking leafy green vegetable juice. Others support it can cure ailments and disease, detoxify toxins from your body, boost your immune system, and improve your overall health. Oh, and the waste, well you can incorporate the left over pulp to make veggie burgers, crackers etc.

Smoothies are another great way to get a nutrient charged glass of goodness. The problem is when you mix kale, spinach, collard greens and an apple in your blender, you will have to dilute it, and second, it will taste like thick cold soup. The main reason I have decided to start juicing is to fuel my body daily with leafy greens that I couldn’t possibly eat at once. For example, a head of lettuce, and a full cucumber for breakfast.

If you are deciding whether juicing is something you want to try, check out this youtube video where he compares some of the industry’s top juicers. Juicer Comparison Video Everyone has different opinions because everyone has unique preferences about what they want to juice. If you plan on juicing mainly leafy greens, the hands down best option is a masticating juicer. However if you plan on juicing harder fruits and vegetables like apples, carrots and beets, a centrifugal juicer might be a better option. Do your research! I ended up ordering the Omega 8006 Masticating Juicer from Amazon yesterday. It is on the expensive side ($300) however, it is the only juicer I found with a 15 year warranty. A popular saying I like is, I’m not rich enough to buy cheap things :)

Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yum Yum, ooey gooey goodness! Chocolate chip cookies are my favourite indulgence! Unfortunately, if I make them, I end up eating the entire batch, so I either have to give them to friends, or try to compensate my stepping up my yoga and running routine. I have tried ample “healthy” recipes which end up tasting like a health cookie. This here is a healthier cookie and is delicious! I’ve swapped some of the regular ingredients like butter and sugar for coconut oil, homemade apple sauce, and coconut palm sugar. Even if you aren’t a fan of coconut, rest assured these don’t have a heavy coconut flavour in the least. On top of all that, they are gluten free!

Coconut Palm Sugar has a lower glycemic index than regular sugar so it doesn’t affect your blood sugar levels drastically. It is similar in caramel flavour to brown sugar. Check out some more info here http://coconutpalmsugar.com/Health_Attributes.html

1/4 c. liquid coconut oil (either melt in microwave or warm jar in warm water bath)
1/3 c. no sugar added applesauce
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. coconut palm sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 c. all purpose gluten free flour
3/4 c. oats
3/4c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Makes 36 cookies (if you have the will power not to eat the cookie dough)

Mix or beat together melted coconut oil, applesauce, eggs, vanilla and coconut palm sugar.
In a separate bowl mix salt, baking soda, cinnamon, flour and oats. Stir in liquid ingredients until well blended, add and stir in chocolate chips.

Spray cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Drop 1tbs size balls of dough. Slightly press them down, 12 cookies per sheet. Bake for 8-9 minutes. Mine were perfect at 8 minutes, lightly golden on the outside, but still moist and soft on the inside. Pour some [almond]milk and enjoy a cookie or three.

Watch out for cute little dogs trying to get a cookie!

Crispy, Chewy Baked Tofu

Tofu is a great protein source, however it has gotten a bad reputation amongst meat eaters. When most people think of tofu, bland and mushy are two things that come to mind. This is a fantastic way to get a real chewy tofu, that tastes meatier and more delicious than most tofu recipes. I like to keep some handy  for a quick add on to salads, stirfrys and curries. Kid you not, you will probably just eat straight out of the tupperware its so tasty. I was able to get my meat loving boyfriend to try it...now he goes and buys me tofu to makes this!

3 tbs Bragg’s all purpose Liquid Soy or regular soy sauce
1.5 tbs sesame oil
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder (use instead of fresh, as raw garlic tends to burn in the oven)

1 package extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2-1 inch cubes

There is lots of room to play around with this recipe. If you are making a curry dish, you may want to add cumin and coriander.


Heat oven to 400 degrees
In a medium size bowl, stir all ingredients together except the tofu. Add the tofu and toss with spoon. Alternatively, place everything in large zip lock bag which will coat tofu evenly and won’t crumble the tofu. Let tofu marinate for at least 10-15 min.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray. Spoon tofu onto baking sheet ensuring pieces are spread out evenly. Cook for 30-40 min, tossing once half way through. Tofu should be crispy and chewy on the inside. Pop into mouth and enjoy!

New Year, new Recipes!

January is full new beginnings, one of them being, this blog! I welcome you to The Healthy Half Herbivore, where I plan to share with you my healthy inspired recipes which are [mostly] vegetarian. Although I am not 100% vegetarian, I try to eat plant based dishes most of the time. Once you start seeing how great you feel and how awesome fresh vegetables taste, you don’t even want to eat meat. I am a big fan of eating locally and visit farmer’s markets year round for the best, and tastiest produce. I have also started canning, which is a fantastic way to preserve the abundance of local produce. Vanilla bean peaches with ice cream anyone?

Today, I will start with one of my favourite winter soups that will fool even the biggest skeptics into eating tofu. The tofu adds extra protein, but more importantly, it makes the soup rich and creamy without the fat. I hope you enjoy!

African Yam and Peanut Soup

2 yellow onions, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 inch piece of ginger, minced
2 large sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and diced into bite size pieces
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 red peppers, diced
1.5 tbs cumin
1.5 tbs coriander
4-5 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 can of diced tomatoes, low sodium
1 package of silken tofu- OR- 1 can of low fat coconut milk
1/2 cup almond butter or natural crunchy peanut butter
1-2 limes, juiced
cilantro and peanuts to garnish

In your soup pot, sauté onions, garlic, ginger a bit of olive oil, or coconut oil for a couple minutes. Add yams and carrots and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add red pepper, cumin and coriander and sauté for 3 more minutes. Add stock and diced tomatoes and scrape the bottom of the pot to release the sticky bits. Bring to a boil and then simmer and cover for 20-30 min until everything is soft. Stir in the nut butter of your choice. I prefer a crunchy nut butter for the texture. Remove from heat.

In a blender, add 2-3 cups of the soup along with the silken tofu. Roughly blend it together and pour back into the pot and stir. At this point you can take more of the soup to blend or leave as is. I like it thick and stew like, with bit of the vegetables still in tact. Add the juice of 1 or 2 limes.

Serve as soup or over brown rice or quinoa for a heartier meal. Garnish with peanuts and a few sprigs of cilantro. Shhh, don’t tell anyone there’s tofu in it, they’ll never know!