This green smoothie recipe with spinach & almond butter is ah-mazing! This is how the creation came to life: I was at home, hard at work and, as per usual, I forgot to eat lunch and it was 2pm – yikes! I didn’t have a lot of time and needed something to fill up my belly quick. I had the following ingredients in the fridge: spinach, almond milk & almond butter. I whipped them together and voila! So simple and SO SO VERY delicious!!
The combination of apple and almond butter is the best! My body doesn’t like peanut butter so I always use almond butter in anything that I would use peanut butter in and it never disappoints! (Aside: apple + almond butter also makes a super quick and protein packed snack).
If you are nut free though, use sun butter (or any other nut free “peanut” butter). My nephew is severely allergic to peanuts so nuts are a big no no at my brother’s house. Whenever I’m at their place, I eat sun butter as my almond butter replacer and it tastes great! (I think almost exactly like peanut butter). So, in case you are nut free, feel free to replace the almond butter with sun butter and I’m sure it will taste super. I’ll be trying this recipe with sun butter instead of almond butter the next time I go to my bro’s house.
I’ll definitely be making this again and again. 🙂
Serves: 1
Ingredients for Green Smoothie Recipe Spinach Almond Milk
1 cup almond milk
1 apple, cored
2 handfuls of spinach, washed
2 tbsp of almond butter (or a nut free version, like sun butter)
1-2 tbsp of maple syrup (or any other sweetener), optional
1-2 tbsp hemp seeds (gives an extra 10.6 grams of protein!), optional (if you have it handy)
Directions for Green Smoothie Recipe Spinach Almond Milk
Throw all the ingredients into a blender (I used a Blendtec) and mix it up!
I love me some real simple quinoa salad. It’s the perfect quick, yummy and nutritious weekday meal.
I’m lazy and so I need meals that are complete and packed with protein. Adopting mostly a plant-based lifestyle this isn’t always so easy and so I’m always on the look out for quick, delicious and complete meals. I’ve curated the best real simple quinoa salad recipes that are both vegan and are complete meals with protein.
See my roundup below for the the best real simple quinoa salad recipes.
All of the recipes are vegan but I have also indicated whether they are:
Ingredients: 11 Main items:
chickpeas,
tomatoes, cucumber, cilantro
✓ Gluten free
✓ Soy free
✓ Nut free
✓ Sugar free
Why this makes the cut: Full disclaimer, this is my recipe. 🙂 If you like zesty loaded with garlic and lemon, you will like this one! It’s one of my go-to staple weekday meals.
This is by far the best tandoori tofu recipe. I have tried many over the years and this one takes the cake! (or tofu, hehe).
My aunt who is a fabulous cook uses this recipe for chicken, I just replaced the chicken for tofu and it was delicious! Not only that, but it was incredibly easy to make – the perfect quick weekday meal.
Ideally, you will want to prep this the night before.
Ingredients for Tandoori Tofu
1 block extra firm tofu, sliced
1 cup yogurt (use vegan yogurt if you’re vegan)
2 tbsp fresh garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2-2 tsp red chilli powder (I use 2 but I like it spicy!)
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Directions for Tandoori Tofu
Combine all the ingredients, except the tofu, into a bowl
Add tofu slices to the sauce mixture and ensure that all the tofu is covered with the sauce
Marinade overnight in the fridge (or a couple of hours)
Pre-heat oven to 400 on bake
Oil a baking tray and place tofu onto tray (you will have excess sauce, use it as a dip if you please!)
Cover baking dish with foil and bake for about 40 minutes
Remove the foil paper and broil each side for about 5-10 minutes
O man, I love me some recipe for baked butternut squash with maple syrup. This is absolute perfect Fall/Winter meal. It’s sweet, delicious and so cozy. A great side to any meal.
The one annoying thing about making any type of squash recipes is that they are so difficult to peel! The fabulous thing is about baking the squash is that it becomes oh so easy to peel, it scrapes off so easily! Plus, baking squash tastes amazing! It’s a win win. 🙂
I ended up eating one half of the butternut squash as soon as I made it (:)) and used the second half for butternut squash soup.
Best.
Meal.
Ever.
🙂
Feel free to use this recipe as a base and then go nuts! I’m sure there are so many other variations that would go delicious with a recipe for baked butternut squash with maple syrup. I’m thinking pecans, walnuts, chilli, coconut and the list goes on and on!
Ingredients for Recipe for Baked Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup
1 butternut squash
4 tbsp olive oil
2-4 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp thyme
1 tbsp rosemary
Directions for Recipe for Baked Butternut Squash with Maple Syrup
Preheat oven to 350
Cut butternut squash lengthwise and remove seeds with spoon (you can roast these as well!)
Drizzle maple syrup (as much as you desire), olive oil and sprinkle the spices
Bake for about 1.5 hours or until the squash is soft enough that your forks pokes through it easily
Remove from oven and let cool
Remove skin or scoop out the squash and serve as you wish! (You could leave it as it, it looks pretty in the shape, and have people scoop out their squash as they life. Or, you can remove the skins and cut the squash into pieces.)
This zucchini curry recipe is a special treat for y’all! This is my 2nd mama’s (i.e. my mama-in-law) mama’s, aka Nani Ma’s, special recipe! It is such a gift and so incredibly delicious.
Unfortunately, Nani Ma is no longer with us and I never did get to meet her. 🙁 I hear though that she was an incredibly special and an incredibly sweet lady. I am blessed with the best Mama-in-Law (shout out to Mama P!) and I think she’s the sweetest lady ever! Irfan, my partner, says that Nani Ma was 100x sweeter than my Mama P! If this is in fact true, it is unbelievable!
As Irfan says, “they just don’t make ’em like they used to.”
I’m sure Nani Ma had no idea that her recipe would end up on the “internet” on a “blog” called “HappyGut” by her granddaughter-in-law. Life is funny and wonderful (and sometimes hard). 🙂
This one is for you Mama P and Nani Ma!
Serves 2-4
Ingredients for Zucchini Curry Recipe
2 medium zucchinis, thinly sliced
1 medium eggplant, thinly sliced
2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced into rings (do you see a theme here :P)
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1-2 green chillies, chopped (use depending on how spicy you want it)
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp coconut oil
3/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
3/4 can of coconut milk
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Directions for Zucchini Curry Recipe
Place oil in a small sauce pan or large frying pan over medium – high heat.
Add fenugreek seeds and garlic and cook until the garlic starts to grown
Remove from heat and add the turmeric and the coconut milk (you can use just the solid coconut part of the can if you like, the more coconut liquid you use, the more watery it will be, that’s fine but you just may have to cook it longer to have the coconut milk evaporate)
Now you will have to decide whether you want to make the dish over the stove top or in the oven. If you want to use the oven, you will use a casserole dish type thing, or if you are using the stove, you will use any non-stick large pot/pan where you can layer the veggies. I will provide directions for both options below.
Layer all the sliced veggies (zucchini, potato, eggplant and onions) into your casserole dish or non-stick stove top pan. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, green chillies and coriander in between the layers, as you are layering.
Pour the coconut mixture over top of the veggie layers ensuring that the mixture goes in between the veggies. Coat the veggies as much as you can (you can kind of move the dish around to swish the coconut mixture).
If you are using the stove top, turn heat to high until the mixture just starts to boil then reduce the heat to medium low and cook covered for about 30 minutes.
If you are using the oven, place dish in oven and bake for about an hour on 350 degrees (or until the veggies are very soft).
You can garnish with chopped coriander.
Note: Mama P also told me that sometimes she garnishes with thinly sliced tomatoes before baking the mixture because it looks pretty, we didn’t do this for this recipe but feel free to go for it if you’d like!
I love doing pancake round-ups, yes this is true. I searched long and hard to find the very BEST grain free pancake recipes for both you and I. 🙂 Between this post and my post for the best vegan gluten free dairy free pancakes from scratch, I should have everyone covered!
Note most grain free pancakes have eggs and so all but one of the recipes (mine) have eggs. If you can’t have eggs, and want/need grain free pancakes see my post for grain free egg free pancakes.
Otherwise, check out all of your wonderful grain free pancake recipes below. Most of them have bananas and so I’ve separated the grain free pancake recipes with bananas from the grain free pancake recipes without bananas. I have also indicated whether they are:
Only of them of is vegan (mine), but all of them are dairy free. None of them are raw.
You can make all of them vegan by replacing eggs with a chia egg.
Substitute 1 egg with 1 tbsp ground chia + 3 tbsp of water. Let this chia + water mixture sit for a few minutes and it will get very gooey. It works great as an egg replacer in most baked goods! I haven’t tried it with any of the recipes below, so if you do, let me know how it comes out! 🙂
Why this makes the cut: This is my recipe. 🙂 I wanted grain free pancakes that were also vegan. I couldn’t find anything online so I made one myself – it turned out terrific!
What are the best type of kale chips? Kale chips indian style! I grew up eating amazing Indian-Pakistani style foods so I take any chance I can to make stuff with an indian twist! I had a couple of friends coming for dinner and needed a delicious appetizer. This did the trick and was such a hit!
See my recipe for kale chips indian style below. 🙂
Ingredients for Kale Chips Indian Style
large bunch of kale (you can 1/2 the recipe if you have a smaller bunch)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 salt
1/4 – 1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp olive oil
Directions for Kale Chips Indian Style
If using oven, preheat oven to 300
Wash and dry kale (make sure it’s completely try)
Remove stems and rip kale into bite sized pieces
Combine all the spices in a small bowl and mix well
Massage the olive oil into the kale and add the spices, coating each kale piece as best you can
Place the kale pieces onto a baking sheet, or dehydrator sheet if using, and make sure not to stack them at all (this may require multiple sheets)
If using oven, bake for 10 minutes, and then flip the chips and bake for another 10-15 or until very crispy (but be careful not to burn!)
Is using dehydrator, “cook” until crispy (this will vary depending on your humidity level, it is quite dry during this time of year in my apartment so it took about 2 hours).
A non alcoholic mulled wine recipe, absolutely perfect for winter. Yes it’s winter. This is a sad sad fact. Although I must say that I live in Toronto and it’s the mildest winter that I can remember! I used to live in Alberta for 3 wonderful (the mountains are absolutely majestic!) but incredibly cold years!
Side rant: People often ask me how cold it was in Alberta. Well, let me tell you. I moved to Alberta in the summer and noticed that all the cars had these plugs sticking out of the front hood. “Hmm, that’s pretty weird,” I thought. Then winter rolled around and I figured it out. Folks, it is so cold in Alberta that people have to plug in their cars so the engine doesn’t freeze to death! It’s true, this is a thing. Humans should not live in such cold places. Luckily the mountains and the summer months and perhaps if you are into winter activities (which I am definitely not), make up for the frigid frigid weather!
Anywho, after living in Alberta I have learned not to complain about Toronto weather (suck it up Torontians!). This winter (so far) has been especially amazing! As I type this, it’s (hold up, lemme check my trusty iphone), +4 degrees celsius! PLUS 4 people! It dun’t get no better than this folks. Perhaps I should have made virgin pina colada instead of a non alcoholic mulled wine recipe. 😛
Okay back to my non alcoholic mulled wine recipe. It’s a Sunday afternoon and what better way to spend it, then working on my blog and sipping on some mulled wine.
I am counting my blessings.
Non Alcoholic Mulled Wine Recipe | Happygut.ca
Makes 4 cups
Ingredients for Non Alcoholic Mulled Wine Recipe
2 cups grape juice
2 cups apple juice
2 cinnamon sticks
4 slices of orange
8 cloves
2-4 tablespoons maple syrup (or honey, if not vegan) to taste
Directions for Non Alcoholic Mulled Wine Recipe
Combine all ingredients in a pot and let simmer for about 15-20 minutes
I was so very excited to research for this post on the best gluten free dairy free pancakes from scratch. I, along with you, have 7 amazing vegan recipes to choose from.
I generally try to eat the same simple breakfast during the week (usually my anti inflammatory cereal – the super power breakfast), but I give myself permission to spice it up on the weekends. “Spicing” it up usually means some type of gluten free pancakes. Now I have so many options on the weekend! Woohooo! This is especially helpful depending on who I’m cooking for, as well. You see, I have so many different diets and preferences in my family.
Let me give you an example: I am mostly vegan, grain free and sugar free, my nephew is nut free, my other nephew is dairy free, gluten free and mostly grain free. It can get complicated o so quickly!
See my round up below for the best recipes I could find for gluten free dairy free pancakes from scratch. I have highlighted whether they are the following:
None of the pancake recipes are raw (although while I type this, I should definitely add a few options! If you come across any yummy raw recipes, let me know in the comments below!).
Gluten Free Dairy Free Pancakes From Scratch Vegan with…
Why this makes the cut: Who isn’t a sucker for blueberry pancakes? No one! Plus, it has flax in it and calls for blueberry chia jam – this makes it guilt free. 🙂
A turkey stuffing without bread recipes….a challenging task.
I was looking for turkey (actually Tofurky 😉 ) Thanksgiving stuffing without bread recipes, and one that was preferably grain free, dairy free and, as a bonus, vegan. This criteria was not very easy to find. There are a number of grain free thanksgiving stuffing out there but most of them call for meat. I guess this makes sense if you are stuffing a turkey. I was not stuffing turkey though, and wanted both a grain free and vegan option. See the results for my turkey stuffing without bread recipes below. Let me know what you think and if you find any others! The first list is vegan, whereas the second list contains egg/dairy. I provide substitutions though to make all recipes vegan.
I’ve indicated whether the recipes are the following:
✓ Gluten free
✓ Grain free
✓ Vegan
✓ Soy free
✓ Nut free
✓ Sugar free
✓ Raw
✓ Nightshade free
If you don’t see a certain condition noted, you can assume that it doesn’t fulfill it’s criteria.
Why this makes the cut: I’m a sucker for cauliflower rice, you get rice without the grain. 🙂 Complete with veggies, “rice” and pecans, this makes for a delicious holiday recipe.
Note: calls for eggs, butter & chicken stock, to make veggie/vegan replace the following with:
1 egg –> 1 tablespoon ground chia + 3 tablespoons water
butter –> vegan butter
chicken stock –> veggie broth
Why this makes the cut: Similar to the recipe above, this grain free stuffing is sweetened with honey and cranberries. It’s perfect for those who like dessert with dinner. 🙂
