Blueberry frozen dessert with lime and maple accented ginger sesame sauce

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A little sweet, a little sour, a little spicy.

Ingredients

For the blueberries
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 medium frozen banana (about 3/4 cups)
1T maple syrup (or to taste)
1/4t vanilla extract

Option: 1t powdered maca

For the sesame ginger sauce
2t sesame seed butter
1t lime juice
1T warm water
1/4t fresh grated ginger (or to taste)
1T maple syrup
A pinch coarse sea salt

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients for the sesame ginger sauce until smooth and thick. Let stand 15 minutes.
Puree the blueberries, banana, vanilla, and maple syrup until smooth. Add the maca if you’ll be using it. Season to taste.
Spoon out the blueberries into an appropriate dish, spoon the sesame ginger sauce on top and enjoy.

Orange, coffee and black cherry frozen dessert

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Rich colours and flavours; use decaf if you prefer.

Ingredients

A shot of freshly brewed espresso (short), chilled
1-2T marmalade* (depending on how orange you want it)
2 large frozen bananas (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4t vanilla extract
1 cup frozen dark cherries
Sweeten to taste

Option: 1t powdered maca

Directions

Make the espresso and chill in the freezer for 2 minutes.
Puree the banana, vanilla, espresso and marmalade until smooth. Add the maca if you’ll be using it.
Sweeten to taste, and spoon out into an appropriate dish
Puree the cherries until smooth (or leave it a little chunky if you prefer)
Sweeten to taste and top the bananas with the cherries.

*I use an organic brand to ensure the sugar isn’t bleached with animal bone charcoal.

Roasted golden and red beets with mixed baby greens in lime and oil

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A simple, but colorful side salad. The greens shown here are a mix of spinach, chard, bok choy, and kale, but use what you like. Add some black lentils, white beans or chick peas and sun-dried tomatoes or cubed tofu and chopped walnuts for lunch or a light dinner.

Ingredients

For the beets
1T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 cup golden beets in 1/2″ cubes
1 cup red beets in 1/2″ cubes
2 cups baby greens

For the dressing
1T olive oil
1/4t coarse sea salt
2t lime juice
1T black sesame seeds
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: 1T nutritional yeast

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Peel and cube the beets, toss them in the cooking oil and sea salt. In a roasting pan, roast the beets for about 20-30 minutes until they are lightly fork tender but still firm, turning periodically.
Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the beets as a guide. When done, Remove the beets from the oven and let stand to cool about 15 minutes.

When the beets are cool, whisk the olive oil, sea salt and lime juice. Add the beets to the greens in a large bowl.
Dress and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and nutritional yeast if you’ll be using it. Season to taste and serve.

 

 

Tamari, chili, and nori popcorn

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A light snack seasoned with toasted sesame oil, nutritional yeast and sea salt.

Ingredients

1/2 cup popcorn (I use blue)
2T plant-only margarine, melted
1/4t toasted sesame oil
1/2T tamari
1t red Thai chili paste (or similar/to taste)
2T nutritional yeast
1T toasted nori flakes
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Pop the popcorn either by stove top method or using a popper. For the stove top version, use a frying pan with a lid and around 2T canola or avocado oil depending on the size of the pan. Heat the oil on medium high. Add 2-3 kernels when the pan is warm, cover and wait for them to pop. Add the remaining kernels in a single layer, cover and pop. Shake the pan once they start to pop in earnest, and remove from heat once the they start to slow down.

Pour the popcorn into a bowl when it has settled.Melt the margarine and whisk with the sesame oil, chili and tamari. Mix in the nutritional yeast. Pour over the popcorn (or down the sides of the bowl, if you want more even coverage). Toss thoroughly and garnish with nori flakes, sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Mocha frozen dessert sweetened with stevia

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Fresh espresso and cocoa make this dessert (or breakfast) rich and flavourful Although quite sweet, stevia can still be an acquired taste and hard to find. Sweeten instead with 2 tablespoons maple syrup or agave nectar if you prefer, or 3 tablespoons coconut sugar, and so on.

Ingredients

3 medium frozen bananas (about 2 cups)
1 shot espresso (short)
2T cacao powder (I use a fair-trade, Dutch-processed brand)
A pinch of sea salt
Stevia to taste

Optional: 1t maca powder

Instructions

Make the espresso, mix it with the stevia and flash chill in the freezer for a minute. It should be fairly sweet (so that it sweetens the banana and cocoa sufficiently). A scant teaspoon of powdered or several drops of liquid stevia should be sufficient. When the espresso has cooled, puree everything together until smooth. Sweeten to taste and serve.

Strawberry, vanilla, and white miso frozen dessert with chopped walnuts.

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A flavorful but light dessert or rich breakfast.

Ingredients

For the bananas
2 medium frozen bananas (about 1.5 cups)
1T sweet white miso
2t white pickling vinegar
1/4t vanilla extract
1-2T maple syrup (or to taste)

Optional: 1t maca powder

For the strawberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2T maple syrup
1/2T lemon juice

For garnish
1t chopped walnuts

Directions

Puree the banana first and its ingredients first, including the maca if you’ll be using it. Let the flavours mingle for about 3-5 minutes in the freezer. Puree the strawberries with their ingredients. Spoon the bananas out into an appropriate dish. Swirl about 1/3 of the strawberry mix with the bananas and top with the strawberries. Garnish with walnuts and serve.

Note: If you’re not accustomed to white vinegar or white miso, start with smaller amounts and add more to your taste, or try apple cider vinegar instead. The flavours will mellow after a few minutes.

Pistachio, ginger, and coffee frozen dessert

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A rich breakfast or a light dessert. You can substitute a couple tablespoons of brewed coffee for the espresso, but the flavor won’t be as rich.

Ingredients

3 medium frozen bananas (about 2 – 2 1/2 cups)
1t fresh ginger, grated
1T and 1t chopped pistachios, separated, the 1t reserved for garnish
1/4t vanilla extract
A half shot of espresso (short)
Sweeten with stevia, maple syrup or agave nectar to taste

Optional: 1t maca powder

Directions

Puree everything except the 1t pistachios reserved. Add the maca if you’ll be using it. Sweeten to taste. Spoon out to an appropriate glass. Garnish with 1t chopped pistachios and serve.

Potato, cauliflower and cabbage roasted in coconut milk and curry spices with chick peas and baby spinach.

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A very simple, but a very delicious dish.

Ingredients

2 cups yellow potato in 1/2″ dice
1/2 cup sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded cabbage (I used coleslaw mix)
4 cups cauliflower florets in 1″ – 2″ pieces
1 12oz can of coconut milk
3T curry powder (1)
1T fresh garlic, minced
1t fresh ginger, grated
1/2t coarse sea salt
1 cup cooked chick peas (2)
2 cups baby spinach greens
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven for 400F. In a shallow, wide baking dish with sides, layer the potatoes, then the onion, the cabbage, then the cauliflower florets on top. Mix the garlic, ginger, curry and coconut milk with the sea salt until combined. Pour the mixture evenly over the vegetables in the pan.

Bake on the middle rack for approximately 30 minutes, stir, and bake another 20 -30 minutes, stirring infrequently, until the potatoes are fork tender and the vegetables are lightly browned. Add the chick peas at the 40 minute market. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture as a guide.

When the vegetables are done, remove from the oven and toss with the baby spinach. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool and for the spinach to wilt. Season to taste and serve.

  1. Using powder keeps it simple, but that means the quality of the curry powder makes a big difference to this dish. Use a high quality powder.

  2. If you make the chick peas from scratch for this dish, about 1/2 scant cup will yield slightly more than 1 cup cooked, and that will be fine for this dish. I slow cook mine in larger batches with kombu so that I have them on hand.

Chocolate frozen dessert with almonds

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Four ingredients, simple, creamy and delicious.

3 frozen bananas (about 2 1/2 cups)
2T cocoa (I use a Dutch-processed, fairly traded brand)

1/4 cup soft dates, pitted and finely chopped.
1t sliced almonds, crushed

Optional: 1t powdered maca

Puree the bananas, cocoa and dates until smooth, spoon out, and garnish with almonds.

Mocha, chocolate fudge frozen dessert with walnuts

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Simple and delicious.

Ingredients

For the bananas
2 medium frozen bananas (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 shot fresh espresso, short (I use a fairly traded brand)
Sweetened to taste
1t walnuts for garnish

For the fudge
1/2T cashew butter
2t cocoa powder (I use a fairly traded, Dutch-processed brand)
1T cold water
1t coconut sugar (or other sweetener to taste)

Optional: 1t powdered maca root. Dates, stevia, maple syrup, agave nectar, coconut sugar, etc., will all work as sweeteners for the bananas. I use coconut sugar for the fudge, but other sweeteners will work as well.

Method

Make and then flash chill the espresso in the freezer while you make the rest of the fudge. Mix the ingredients for the fudge until smooth and thick. Puree the bananas and espresso. Sweeten to taste. Add the fudge and stir lightly to ripple. Spoon out, garnish with walnuts and serve.