It’s the holidays and I want me some good ol’ fashioned shepherd’s pie (*insert southwestern accent). 🙂
Well, almost “good ol’ fashioned.” 😛 This vegetarian shepherd’s pie is vegan and made with lentils and sweet potato. Oh, and it’s absolutely satisfying!
Unfortunately, even though I LOVE sweet potato, my tummy does not and so I have to limit my consumption. This means that I have sweet potato, I have to make it count and completely worth it. Friends, the vegan shepherd’s pie made it worth it. 🙂
Ingredients for Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils & Sweet Potato
6 medium sized sweet potatoes
3 cups cooked mung beans
4 carrots, chopped
4 stalks of celery
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped (I love garlic but you can reduce if you please)
2 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1/2 chilli powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 tbsp almond milk (or any other dairy free milk)
Directions for Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils & Sweet Potato
Preheat oven to 350
Peel sweet potatoes and chop into chunks
Place sweet potatoes into boiling salted water and cool for 15 minutes, or until soft
In the meantime, add a tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
When the oil is hot, add onions and cook until translucent
Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes
Add carrots, celery, jalapeno (I add the seeds as well if you want it more spicy), all the spices, and the lentils
Cook for about 20 minutes until all the veggies are tender
Once the sweet potatoes are soft, mash them with a fork or masher while adding 1 tbsp of olive oil and the almond milk
Place the lentil mixture into an casserole dish
Smooth sweet potato mash on top
Bake for 45 minutes or until the mash starts to brown (note: if it’s still not brown after an hour, you can broil it for a few minutes, keep your eye on it though as it will burn very quickly!)
Friends, I like to eat super clean as you can tell from my grain free sugar free vegan brownie recipe. When deciding to make something to eat, this is what my thought process looks like:
“Is it clean?” I try to minimize sugar in all of it’s forms. This includes carbs!
“Are these foods happygut for my gut?” Our guts like different things. Things that can be happy for your gut may not be happy for mine and vice versa. For instance, although I love the idea of cabbage but my gut doesn’t. It makes me super farty! This makes for uncomfortable and embarrassing situations, not to mention an unpleasant scent for Irfan :S (Irfan is my partner is crime!).
“Is it easy to make?” & “Is it tasty?” These two are tied. I like cooking but I don’t LOVE cooking (which is weirdo because I have a food blog haha), and more importantly I don’t like to spend a lot of time cooking. There are more important things in life like meditation and spending time with people I like. Also, though I like to eat super clean and the prime reason for my food intake is healthy fuel, I like tasty dishes like the next gyal! I grew up with the best South Asian food (shoutout to my Mama!) and have been spoiled with amazing recipes bursting with flavour! I know that food can taste amazing. So, if we have to eat and we must eat clean, might as well make it tasty!
There, now you know what goes on between me and food. 🙂
Anyhow, back to my grain free sugar free brownie recipe. I had a couple of friends come over for dinner and needed to come up with a dessert (based on my criteria above) quick fast. I whipped up this grain free sugar free vegan brownie recipe is no time. It was an absolute hit! I plan on making these again and again 🙂
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…Â
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. 🙂Â
Why this makes the cut: I love the simplicity of this recipe and that it calls for applesauce (though you will need a pre-made gluten free flour mix).Â
Who would have thought that there would be so many variations for basic vegan mashed potatoes? Oh, but there is! I searched far and wide and came up with the following delicious recipes for basic vegan mashed potatoes. All the recipes have fewer than 10 ingredients (woohoo!) and are made with whole foods. I’ve separated the recipes from those of the traditional style of mashed potatoes (i.e. mostly potatoes) from those with a fun twist (see below for recipes with cauliflower and navy beans).
I’ve indicated whether the recipes are the following:
✓ Gluten free
✓ Grain free
✓ Vegan
✓ Soy free
✓ Nut free
✓ Sugar free
If you don’t see a certain condition noted, you can assume that it doesn’t fulfill it’s criteria. None of the recipes are raw and, as the name suggests, none of them are nightshade free as they all require potatoes. (I usually indicate on my posts whether recipes are raw and nightshade free).
Why this makes the cut: Disclaimer: this my creation. 🙂 I wanted mashed potatoes and I had almond milk. I couldn’t find a vegan mashed potato recipe that called for almond milk so I created one myself. It was really yummy! See how to veganize this recipe with the instructions above.Â
Why this makes the cut:Â I love that the main ingredients in these mashed potatoes are eggplant, cauliflower and cashews! It sounds absolutely delectable!Â
I call this one the best vegan gravy ever recipe. Why “the best gravy recipe ever”, you ask? I searched for the cleanest vegan gravy recipes online that IÂ came across many on different blogs. I picked out the ones that were (mostly) made from whole foods, with ingredients you would likely find in your pantry. I also curated the recipes based on some dietary restrictions.
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.
I’ve separated the vegan gravy recipes between those recipes that use mushrooms and those that don’t (some people love mushrooms while others don’t 🙂 ) . Do let me know what you think of my list and what improvements can be made. 🙂
I’m surprised I did a post on the best vegan lentil loaf recipe. To be honest, I never cared much for normal meatloaf growing up. I probably have had meatloaf only once in my life, and didn’t like it very much. The only thing I did like about meatloaf was the sauce or the gravy that accompanied it.
Fast forward about 20 years and I was craving that gravy. What can I eat with gravy, I thought. Well, being on a (mostly) anti-inflammatory diet I can’t have meatloaf or potatoes but what I can have is a lentil loaf. Aha! Brilliant! Well done Kiran. 🙂
And so, I was on the search for the best lentil loaf recipe. My friend Fatima was coming over for dinner and I need a recipe that would not disappoint.
I searched for a really long time for the best vegan lentil loaf recipe. In searching for the best vegan lentil loaf recipe I also came across of many vegan loafs that were made without lentils. I did a separate post on these non-lentil loafs recipes that you can find on my blog post for the best vegan meatloaf recipe.
I hunted for lentil loaf recipes that were clean, made with whole food ingredients, along with being easy to make and delicious. I tried to search for unique recipes that would cater to everyone’s unique dietary needs and preferences (God knows, I have my share of them!).
Let me know what you think of my curation for the best vegan lentil loaf recipe. Have I missed any lentil loafs that you think I should include? Let me know in the comments below. 🙂
Why this makes the cut: Full disclosure, this is my recipe creation. 🙂  This is the only nightshade free lentil loaf (this is the reason I created it) topped with a vegan mushroom gravy.Â
This post for the best vegan meatloaf recipe is similar to my post on the best vegan lentil loaf recipe. The difference is that the recipes found in this post are without lentils while the lentil loaf is made with lentils, as the name suggests. 🙂
For me, sometimes my gut is okay with lentils and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes my gut’s okay with beans and sometimes it’s not. Sometimes my gut’s okay with tempeh and sometimes it’s not. You get the drift. 😉
I originally was going to combine the lentil loaf recipes with this post on the best vegan meatloaf recipe but ended up with 14 recipes in total! I tried to cut some recipes out but they were but it was really hard. They all seemed unique, delicious and worthy of making the cut. In the end, I decided to do two separate posts, one for the best vegan meatloaf recipe and one for the best lentil loaf recipes.
Sorry for the long explanation, I was probably trying to justify separating the lists more to me than you to you. 😛
Anyway, see my curated list below best vegan meatloaf recipe. 🙂
Between this post and the post on the best lentil loaf recipe you should find a vegan loaf to fit all of your needs. Do let me know if there you are further limited in your diet and I will see if I can come up with one that fits your needs as well.
Baked stuffed acorn squash vegetarian, one of my personal favourites!
I love Fall, it is my third favourite season, after summer and spring. 🙂 Seriously though, Fall is amazing. I’ve lived in a few different parts of the world, and a couple of different provinces in Canada. What I’ve learned is that there are only a few places that that have a complete and beautiful fall. Fall is great because the weather is cold enough that you can wear a scarf (and who doesn’t love wearing scarfs?) but just warm enough that you can have a coffee (or in my case, a green tea) on a patio. The colours are absolutely breath-taking with bright reds, golden yellows, radiating oranges and sometimes even crimson purples. 🙂
Ever wondered why leaves change colour in Fall? Me too! This is why while writing this blog post I decided to call my genius 11 year old nephew, Faisal.
Here was our conversation:
Me: Hi Faisal, how’s it going?
Faisal: Good.
Me: I have a question for you, why do leaves change colour in Fall?
Faisal: Its because not enough chlorophyll gets through to the leaves and the other colour pigments take over.
Me: Why doesn’t enough chlorophyll get through?
Faisal: Because the days are shorter and there’s less sun.
Me: Oh, okay, that makes sense. Thanks Faisal!
Faisal: Okay bye!
Me: Bye!
My nephew Faisal is actually the smartest person I know!
So now you know why leaves change colour in the Fall. 🙂
Well, thank you chlorophyll for taking a backseat for a few months so that we can enjoy all the beauty that Fall has to offer. The beautiful changing leaf colours are my favourite thing about Fall. You want to know what my second favourite thing is? Acorn squash (see how I brought it back to the original theme of the blog post without you even noticing? Bam!). 🙂
Acorn squash is so cool! It actually looks like an acorn! Do you know of any other fruits that look like something that falls from a tree? I don’t!
Aside: I also learnt while writing this blog post that squash is a fruit and not a vegetable. Other sneaky vegetable lookalikes that are also fruit include avocado, pea pods, corn kernels, cucumbers, olives, peppers, pumpkin, and tomatoes.
Along with being a vegetable look-alike, acorn squash is also a good source of fiber and potassium, and has small amounts of vitamin B, C and magnesium.
Who would’ve thought this blog post would be so educational? I certainly didn’t when I started writing this post. 🙂
Though my love for acorn squash is all year round, it definitely intensifies in the winter.
My friend Zehra was coming over dinner and I knew I wanted to make something with acorn squash. After doing some quick googling, I decided to make a stuffed acorn squash as I’m a sucker for foods that can be used as bowls. 😛 Zehra is also a vegetarian (and has actually turned vegan, you go girl!) and so I was on a hunt for a baked stuffed acorn squash vegetarian recipe. Though in the end I decided to come up with my own recipe (a warm quinoa salad with roasted butternut squash), I discovered many other delicious recipes that are on my to-make-soon-list.
Here is my curated list for the best recipes for baked acorn squash vegetarian. All of them are made with healthy whole foods with items you are (likely) to find in your kitchen already. They are all vegetarian, as the name implies, with many vegan options that will cater to all diets (I hope!).
You will find many gluten free, grain free, nut free, soy free and sugar free options. Let me know what you think of my baked stuffed acorn squash vegetarian list, and if you find any other recipes that I have missed!
Baked Stuffed Acorn Squash Vegetarian with Quinoa and…
Why this recipe rocks: I’m all over any recipe that uses brussels sprouts and makes it sound amazing.  Though this is not an acorn squash, I couldn’t resist sharing the recipe!Â
Why this recipe rocks:Â With green chillies, cumin and coriander, I suspect this recipe will have a lovely indian-style flavour. I can’t wait to test it out!
Why this recipe rocks:Â A simple grain free meal that makes for a great side meal. Or, throw in some protein (beans, lentils, tofu, etc.) to make a complete meal.Â
Why this recipe rocks: A simple grain free meal with roasted veggies and molasses! A delightful side or add  in some protein (beans, lentils, tofu, etc.) to make a complete meal.Â
In the search for the best vegan pumpkin pie recipe, I looked at many options on different blogs. Though, in the end, I decided to make my own version, I wanted to share those recipes that I had marked “to make soon.” I always like to have different meal options available depending on who I am cooking for. We have many different dietary needs in my family so I have to be very careful. I can have a vegan pumpkin pie made out of tofu, for example, but my nephew cannot. I’ve laid out the best vegan pumpkin pie recipes I came across and their corresponding diet details. Let me know if you find this helpful.
You’ll find recipes that are gluten free, grain free, vegan, soy free, nut free, sugar free and raw. All of the recipes are nightshade free, as well.
The number of ingredients and main items listed are for the pie fillings only and not the crust.
Why this makes the cut: Full disclaimer, this is my recipe. 🙂 I created it because I couldn’t find another pie that was vegan with coconut milk. It came out absolutely delicious.Â
Why this makes the cut: I like that this recipe has oats in it, I suspects that it will add a denser (more like “regular” vegan pumpkin pie) texture. Â
✓ Gluten free
✓ Grain free
✓ Vegan (*recommends almond or dairy milk)
✓ Soy free
✓ Nut free (*recommends almond or dairy milk)
✓ Raw
Why this makes the cut:Â If you dig your no bake pies, this one will not disappoint. The recipe recommends almond or dairy milk, so choose whichever you have handy!Â
