Hi there - My name is Clare and I absolutely love making, testing and eating healthy vegan dishes.. yum yum! :) I also love belly dance, bikram yoga, hula hoop, photography & my kitty and puppy.
Summer is a great time for cold drinks, fruit and salads! One of the the main things that can transform a salad is the dressing. I usually go pretty simple with it, but occasionally it's nice to put in the extra few minutes. All that's needed is a blender...
A very versatile and deliciously creamy "cheese" sauce for vegan mac n' cheese, casseroles, drizzled on veggies (like steamed broccoli...yum!), veggie burger/ hot dog spread, added to a soup to make it cheesy and creamy...and so much more! It's pretty...
With the warmer weather, I've been getting back into eating raw veggies, especially sliced cucumber, bell pepper, small mushrooms and cauliflower. Dip veggies in hummus or another yummy dip, like the recipe here, and you've got a delicious fresh snack...
I love oats, zucchini and pumpkin! Add a little spice, maple syrup, coconut and ground almonds (and a couple of other things) and you've got a yummy bake that is great as a breakfast or sweet little treat! Ingredients 2/3 cup old-fashioned oat...
There is nothing revolutionary with this recipe, but it's a super tasty combo, the mixture holds together nicely, it isn't too sweet and bakes in just 7-8 minutes! Plus, it's a forgiving recipe, so you can eyeball the ingredients and play around with...
Vegan Fudge! And it isn't too, too bad for you either! :) Tahini has a lot of nutritional benefits and can aid weight loss. I've listed a few of the benefits at the end of this post. You could also add coconut, cacao nibs, nuts, raisins, seeds and so...
I made these cookies for Christmas, last week for a potluck, and for an Easter treat for some friends. They are super delicious! This recipe makes a relatively small amount - around 13-15 small/medium-sized cookies. Omit the cacao powder if you want ...
I noticed a small bag of tapioca pearls at my local health food store for under $3, so I decided to pick some up and make a bubble tea smoothie using frozen fruit and non-caffeinated green tea. I didn't have a wide enough glass straw, so that didn't ...
I thought I'd share something that I made for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day. I've never really "celebrated" the day, but since this is the first year that I'm with such a lovely fella, I thought I would try to replicate one of his favorite non-vegan...
Mmm stuffing This is a breadless stuffing/filling adapted from a non-vegetarian/vegan recipe that would go great as a side, as a filling for mushroom, bell peppers, veggie "meats", in a wrap, rice paper roll filling...etc. This would be nice for a vegan...
It is tempting to want to grab the Tofutti when it's on sale, but I believe some of those treats contain less than desirable ingredients. As long as you have a blender, you should be able to have healthy homemade cold treats in no time. It will be faster...
If I "fall out" of eating salads for a while, the thought of going back is initially, "Blah, boring, unsatisfying..." but I'm always proved wrong, because salads can be amazing, delicious, satisfying and leave you feeling energized and wonderful. I'm...
Grocery shopping can get expensive, regardless of if you're on a tight budget or not. Why spend extra money when you don't have to? I was thinking of things to write about for the Flaming Vegan, and I thought I'd share 10 tips that I use when shopping...
Apple chips are a healthy crunchy snack that take a bit of time to bake, but are very easy to make. Because one apple shrinks down quite a bit when in the oven, I would suggest making these when apples are on sale and baking a few at a time. I'm surprised...
Keeping Bananas Fresh for Longer: Have you ever seen a bit of plastic at the top of a bunch of bananas? I never really clued in to why this was done, but it apparently helps to keep bananas fresh for longer. Hanging your bananas will also prevent them...
I was making breakfast with oats for a few weeks, but I didn't feel like it really energized me or made me feel particularly good. I love using oats, but I wanted to switch it up. I forgot that quinoa (Pronounced "Keen-wah" - last week I heard a cashier...
I don't usually announce that I eat a vegan diet to anyone. However, when it does end up coming up in conversation, a common response I get is, "Wow, I could never give up cheese!". I'd be lying if I said that I don't look at platters of cheese and get...
Hummus is a delicious and healthy way to help get more vegetables into your diet. Today, I had some garden vegetable hummus and took a cucumber, sliced it in half and then ate that as a snack. Later, I roasted some sweet potato, carrot, brussel sprouts...
A few weeks ago a popular food blog I follow mentioned that they had tested popping popcorn kernels with oil and with water in a pot and they came to the conclusion that water didn't work, or had very little success. Their photos showed that most of ...
Have you had Coconut Butter before? It is sooo heavenly. I got a sample pack of some last year and I couldn't get over how creamy and melty it was. I had had Coconut butter in other items, but never on its own. I warmed it up in my hands (while it was...
There are so many benefits to Neem, so I will just be touching upon some of them and hopefully you can give it a try if you haven’t already! I have only heard about Neem for a few months and have been very interested in learning as much as I can about...
I re-discovered some tapioca pearls in my parents' pantry whilst I was visiting them, so I made some tapioca pudding! I usually go for chia pudding (the texture is similar), but I didn't have any at the time. You can add in cacao powder to make a chocolate...
When I started getting into high-intensity physical activities as well as hot yoga, I learned more about the importance of electrolytes and knowing how to replenish them. Unfortunately, many people often go straight to energy drinks like Gatorade or ...
Just like headaches, toothaches can be debilitating and excruciating. I don't get them too often, but before I had one of my wisdom teeth removed, I would get toothaches that would leave me unable to do anything else but hide underneath the covers. I...
Some fluffy healthy blueberry muffins! I live by myself, so I just made two small/medium muffins, but you can duplicate / triple the recipe to suit you. There is something about blueberries, banana and chocolate that I find so tasty, so I've been making...
In a food processor/blender or bowl, blend the cooked sweet potato into a smooth consistency. Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well until you have a smooth dough. It shouldn't be really sticky, but it won't be really dry either. You should ...
I've been playing around a lot with using sweet potato, turnips, spinach...etc in cookies, pizza crusts and whatnot. These cookies were a little experiment so the amounts only make a small batch (around 6-7 cookies). I think they taste best when they...
I've made this for the past two mornings. It is a single serving and is quite quick to get ready. The first time I baked it in a ramekin (shown in the photo), and this morning I just spread it onto a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet and made...
I was making some relatively plain baked oatmeal (mostly because I was out of a lot of ingredients :P) and it usually needs to bake for around 25 minutes, so as I was groggily waiting for my coffee to finish brewing and my oatmeal to finish baking, I...
I prefer these once they have gotten closer to room temperature, but they are still nice warm too, especially since the chocolate is still gooey. :} I added some raw granola on top, which had some nuts and seeds in it, so that's why they are visible ...
I got a few discounted zucchinis at the market for $1.99. There was nothing wrong with them, but the market near me is pretty "fancy", so I guess if something doesn't look really plump, they will be it over to the side at a discounted price. Good for...
I'm recovering from being sick and eating only soup and bland crackers for almost every meal for the last 2 days (As seen in my last Flaming Vegan post ;)). Now I am happy to move to some different foods. This is what I whipped up for lunch today. Very...
I finally got sick last week and it lasted for a good 5 days. I wasn't wanting to make a new meal each time I ate, and I didn't want to create lots of dishes and I had already eaten myself into a naughty "cookie comfort food coma", so that made me feel...
Another sweet potato recipe, but this time they are baked in chunks instead of shredded and stir fried. They are delicious and slightly spicy from the curry powder, and the nutritional yeast gives a cheesy flavour which goes perfectly with the sweetness...
After weeks of making stir fried shredded sweet potato, I have partially switched to cabbage, since I can get a huge savoy cabbage for $2.99 and it is super filling. It's a good bang for your buck, it lasts a good amount of time in the fridge, and can...
I am back on my pumpkin cravings. I have been using it to spread on gluten free tortillas that I bake in the oven, but I decided to use it to make a dessert this time. This is an easy pudding to make. I sometimes use silken tofu to make it creamy, but...
To assist in continuing to eat healthy, I have been keeping some chopped crudité / raw vegetables in the fridge to eat if I become peckish. To make it a little more enticing, I made some creamy dill vegetable dip that is soooo good. It is also great...
I posted some chickpea-based cookies a couple of months ago, but I know some people prefer to not use bananas in cookie/pancake/baking recipes. It also had 2 tbs of coconut sugar/cane sugar, so this time I have omitted the banana and coconut sugar, as...
I haven't been very good with my relatively healthy diet this past week. I felt under the weather, and this usually means that I either don't have much of an appetite, or I crave "Comfort foods", which was the case this time. As a result, I just feel...
I've wanted to try using pistachios in a recipe for a while, since they make a lovely green color. When making raw treats, I usually use ground up almonds, walnuts or cashews, so this was a nice change. These are very yummy and I gave a couple to friends...
I accidentally overcooked a sweet potato and bought a bag of discounted mushrooms that were still pretty fresh and decided to make a quick mushroom sweet potato pate that only used a few nuts (A bunch of recipes often use quite a large ratio of walnuts...
Have you ever done any pickling or fermenting? This can be a great way to save leftover foods you have in the fridge, and also a great way to get added probiotics into your system (with fermented foods). I find tons of mason jars / jam jars at the thrift...
It is easy to save food and money with some easy tips to keep in mind. There are plenty more than the ones I listed, but these tips help me out. Here is a handy website that tells you how long hundreds of foods last: How Long Foods Last 1. Leftover...
It is almost the start of 2014, and I have been working on a new workout schedule. I have been doing quite well for weeks and am in a good groove, but I also know that I fall out of good practices at least a few times a year, whether I am super stressed...
With the Holidays, some people might find themselves with some mixed feelings. While there are so many lovely things about this time of year, it can also bring about some stress, and perhaps some unhealthy eating due to treats being brought in by co-...
I just finished making around 60 of these to bring to an event and some as gifts for family. I have eaten about 5 of them in the process. They are super tasty. I made some last night and they taste even better today now that they've been in the fridge...
There has been another snow day here, and I have been finding myself incredibly low on groceries for a couple of weeks. I only buy a couple things when I go, and then I'm stuck with close to nothing again. This is partly to do with the fact that I'm ...
I had plain biscuits (similar to digestives) in the house and was craving chocolate, but we had a large snow storm yesterday, so I definitely wasn't venturing out there just to get chocolate. I made some chocolate-covered digestive type of treat by mixing...
These make lovely gifts during the holidays or to take to a potluck or gathering. They are small and easy to make a bunch of at once. You can stick a toothpick in them to make them even easier to handle. If your mixture doesn't hold together as well ...
My family doesn't go too nuts or very "traditional" during the holidays, but one thing we like to do is make hand made cards for each other and make healthy yummy foods. I also have a potluck to go to this week, and I know I'm expected to make some vegan...
I have made these a couple of times now, and I am going to be making more to give as holiday gifts for my friends and family. They are a bit like sugar cookies, but without the sugar, butter, eggs, white flour... They are slightly chewy and slightly ...
I am really hooked on this. I was quite low on cash for the past couple of weeks, but I had a bunch of sweet potatoes. I usually put off making them, since they take around 45-50 minutes to cook in the oven, but I tried pan-frying them in a small amount...
I rarely go to Starbucks, but this is the time of year where I start fawning over their pretty lattes. I am not sure if this is always the case, but I recently learned that their soy lattes aren't necessarily vegan, and still contain dairy. I haven't...
Portobello mushrooms were on sale at my local market, so I grabbed 6 of them and have made these burgers twice in the last two days. Sooo yummy. I don't eat them with any bread, but wrap them in romaine leaves instead. I know Portobellos are pricier ...
I have been sooo digging the caribbean sweet potatoes lately. Firstly, a quick note: In Canada and the States, I think these are often labelled as (Caribbean) yams, but they are not actually yams. I thought I'd mention it in case you want to try to find...
These are the healthiest cookies I have ever made. I have made around 5 (small) batches using a different combination of ingredients. I still want to tweak this but these are still so delicious! Only thing I want to try changing is to not use the banana...
I don't get Okra all that often, but when I do, I made these baked and battered okra "fries". They only take 15 minutes in the oven and are a nice side meal or healthy snack. Ingredients 10 pieces of okra (or however many you like - I only had 10...
So quick and easy to whip up when you are cravin' some chocolate. :) This can easily be raw if you just let the coconut oil melt without putting it on the stovetop, but I just melted and mixed everything on the stove. I always eyeball the ingredients...
I had an extremely busy day yesterday that went from 5am - 11pm and no time to shop for food. This morning I checked in the fridge and had 3 zucchinis, almond milk, carrots and dry coleslaw. Hmm. I also had some brown flour leftover from another food...
The rest of November is going to fly by, so I'm trying to think of little Vegan-Friendly Gift "Kits" to give out this year. I don't have too much money to spend, so most things will be hand made, but I think gift kits / baskets are really fun to receive...
Whenever I have a bit of leftover canned pumpkin, I often make this fast pumpkin pie pudding! Adjust the sweetness level to your liking. This would probably be good if you added a tablespoon of peanut butter, or chocolate chips...mmm. You could ...
Yum yum. Have you tried Plantains before? I ate this for breakfast, along with a green smoothie. Plantains are a popular food in Bermuda, which is where I spent most of my life. It wasn't until I moved to Canada that I started cooking with plantains ...
Yummy raw treats with only a few ingredients that are quick to whip up are some of my favourite treats to make and eat. :) These are really nice with tea or coffee and are very decadent and melt in your mouth. Ingredients 1 cup Pitted Dates (Soak...
I love having miso soup when I have sushi, and now that it is getting chillier here, I have been wanting warm soups. This miso soup is really quick to whip up and you can use whichever veggies you'd like. I used what I had on hand. Ingredients handful...
Firstly, I drink (caffeinated) coffee. I love the smell, the taste...but I do try to keep my coffee intake at one cup a day. I recently had a huge workload to complete and my coffee-intake rose to about 3-4 cups a day, and I felt lousy. I have been switching...
I had tried to make biscotti twice in previous years, but it always turned out too hard. I've been trying to really clean up my diet, but have been missing something yummy to eat with my coffee. I looked at some gluten free biscottis at the store, but...
I have been eating these for breakfast for the past couple of weeks. I switch around different berries that I add into them, and sometimes I replace the pumpkin with banana or apple sauce, but pumpkin is my favourite! This makes a small batch - 2-3 oat...
Ingredients 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 1 tbs ground flaxseed 1/4 cup applesauce 4. 2-4 packets xylitol (8-16g) - (use another sweetener if you wish) 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbs lemon juice 1 1/4 cup oat flour 1/4 cup tapioca flour (you...
Here is a fresh and healthy meal for any meal of the day. I serve one or two or these with a big salad. Ingredient 6 small corn tortillas (I used Sprouted Corn Tortillas by Food for Life) 3 tomatoes, diced 1 bunch of fresh basil, chopped 1 1/2...
This is super simple and refreshing on a hot day. It is also a great chocolate milk alternative. I love Silk's Dark Chocolate milk, but it does contain cane sugar, so the following recipe is a nice switch up since it uses xylitol/stevia instead. Raw...
I was craving Sesame Snaps today, but they are pretty much all sugar, along with sesame seeds of course. Here are the ingredients of certain brands: Sesame seeds, glucose syrup, sugar. Yeah...not so great. I decided to make something similar. They are...
I was at the drug store the other night and saw the bags of caramel popcorn and was really craving some of it, but they are really quite horrible for you. The first two ingredients is "Sugar" and "Corn Syrup". I had some popcorn kernals at home by Eden...
Delicious fast "chocolatey" pudding made with chia seeds. I usually use all xylitol as the sweetener and don't add in any maple syrup or agave, but use what you prefer! Very filling and a great way to satisfy a chocolate-craving. I'd even eat this for...
I went to a health store / grocery last week and bought a delicious large cauliflower lentil type of pakora. It was sooo delicious. I also picked up some more chickpea flour, so I decided to make some baked broccoli and cauliflower pakoras. I made them...
Who doesn't love having an incredible spreadable dip in their repertoire? I made some falafel last night using a few cans of blended chickpeas. While soaking and cooking beans is often preferable, we all occasionally need to grab a can or two when we...
I have tried to clean my diet up a bit by not buying packaged cookies. I've also been going on a pumpkin rampage, as well as finding meals and snacks I can make ahead of time and freeze so I don't have to make new things every day. These pumpkin cookies...
Another colllllld refreshing recipe! I love coffee, but I have been somewhat regretting pouring myself steaming cup while it is crazy hot outside. I didn't want to spend $3-$5+ iced beverage at a coffee shop, so I have been making my own and it doesn...
*You don't need an ice cream maker, but you will need a relatively high powered blender. Hi everyone! It has been a while. I started a new job so it took me a while to get back into the groove of things. I will take a look at what you guys have been...
I’ve been running low on certain flours I use in my pancakes (again…I’m always running out! ), but I had some gluten free rolled oats and a bit of chickpea flour, so I ground up the oats into a flour and added it with the chickpea flour…and I was seriously...
In the past I have been tempted by some of the "caramel syrups" and such on the market, but a lot of the time, the ingredients are horrible and mostly made up of artificial ingredients. Ick. I have used dates to make a caramel-type spread before, but...
I was all ready to make pancakes when I realized I was out of most of my gluten-free flours... no GF all purpose, no sorghum, no coconut flour...running low on buckwheat flour. Oh dear! But, the little switch up I ended up doing make some delicious pancakes...
With the weather becoming warmer here in Nova Scotia (thank goodness!), my desire to switch from a hot beverage to a more refreshing cold one has increased. The starbucks Frap drinks were 1/2 price for about a week, but they are still pricey and they...
This is a pseudo-icecream recipe. It is aimed more towards those without a powerful blender or icecream machine. I use a very old and not so powerful blender, and it does the trick when I am wanting something icecreamy and chocolately! It also stops ...
So I have been waiting for like a year to try my hand at baked vegan donuts! I just didn't have a donut pan and was holding off, since it isn't really that multi-purpose and I only do freelance work right now and try to be savvy with the money-spending...
Sometimes I get a 12 year old-type of craving for grilled cheese and ketchup. I haven't eaten the "traditional" version of this for years, but I am happy to have a revamped version that is vegan, gluten free and quite a bit healthier. Still going strong...
I'm sure a lot of you have heard of black bean brownies and making vegan cookie dough or cookies using blended chickpeas. Have you ever tried any before? I made some deep dish cookie pies in little ramekins a few weeks ago that were just too good... ...
I have been loving chickpea flour lately! It is so delicious and easy to work with. In order to keep my portions and meals easy and managable, I have been enjoying making "mini" or "single serving" dishes. The other night I made mini vegan pot pies, ...
The other day a friend asked what I ate, since he didn't like salads. Not sure why people always assume that the only option for a vegan diet are salads, but in any case... I do love salads and they can be absolutely hearty, delicious and satisfying. ...
My new favourite pancake to make a bunch of and freeze so I am not caught out without a healthy breakfast! I have been eating 2 with either a banana, chopped plum, sliced strawberries or a pile of blueberries. I also either spread a small amount of Earth...
I had picked up some GoBio Chocolate pudding the other day and have been craving it again, but it usually costs around $1.99-$2.99 and the store that carries it is quite out of the way. I looked at the ingredients and there are only a few simple ingredients...
This is one of my favourite recipes and healthy foods to make as a side to my meals or a light snack on some crackers in as a filling in a couple of rice paper rolls. The ingredients and measurements always vary slightly. I actually don't measure out...
Are you a fan of pumpkin and sour cream? I had made a mac and cheesey type sauce with some canned pumpkin and had a little bit left over, so I decided to make some vegan sour cream and try adding the left over pumpkin to it, and it is very tasty! Great...
I have been craving some not-so great things lately, and I've unfortunately caved a few times and it is time to get back on track! Do you ever have wicked chocolate cravings? I had totally forgotten about chocolate chia pudding until a few minutes ago...
I've been trying to think of meals to make for my boyfriend and I, in order to get him more acquainted with vegan meals. He isn't vegetarian or vegan, but is relatively open to trying whatever I make (within reason.. he is a bit picky ;)), so I tried...
After spending a few weeks at my parents' house, I now am back to living on my own and have run into the problem several times where I suddenly think, "I want to bake some yummy things!!" I end up making way too many, so they end up either going stale...
After being vegetarian for quite a few years and vegan for around 3 now, I have researched my butt off and have become aware of many things that aren't vegan, even if they may seem to be. However, upon further research, there are a few things in this...
I don't know about you, but I have had a lot of unfortunate vegan pancake experiences in the past. So many wasted batches due to them sticking like crazy to the pan, falling apart, not cooking on the inside properly but burning on the outside. Ughhh!...
Want to indulge in your french fry cravings without them sabotaging a healthy diet? Maybe you also would like an alternative to potatoes. Have you tried turnips before? They make really delicious fries! I had no idea, as I had never even bought or knowingly...
Are you crazy about spaghetti, pasta, and noodles? Do you have a love/hate relationship because they make you feel weighed down? Or maybe you just wish you could find an alternative that is gluten-free, low carb, and quick? While something like ramen...
Whether you have a gluten intorerance and find it hard to locate gluten-free breads (Not to mention that they are usually pretty darn expensive), or would just like some "lighter" options to the conventional sandwich or wrap, I have tried to come up ...
find that I am able to keep to a healthier diet/lifestyle if I do a bit of prep work. I'll triple a breakfast / lunch / dinner recipe and leave a couple of servings in the fridge and place the rest in the freezer (obviously not if I'm making salad......
So I'm sure I'm not alone, but I tend to leave my sweets/treats till the end of the day, when I am curled up with a tea and a movie and my cat...this sometimes results in me eating either too much or going for not so great pre-packaged vegan desserts...
During my insanely busy university years and work schedule, I would often fall off the “healthy wagon” for a couple to a few weeks and eat horribly. I don’t eat takeout (except sushi…guilty!), but I wouldn’t make good choices at the store and I would...
Talk about feeling good! I’ve been on a buckwheat kick for the past week or so. I have only started using buckwheat for the past couple of months, and I am hooked! Buckwheat is full of healthful easily digestible proteins, it draws out retained water...
Have you ever wanted to make your own vegan chocolate? I know it wasn't on the top of my list for a while, as I thought it would be a complicated and arduous task. I have been creating raw dishes and desserts for about two years and once I had educated...
Certain fruits & vegetables contain more pesticides than others. A test was done on the 2010 harvest and a 2011 “dirty dozen” list was created. Even though the list may now be seen as slightly outdated, the fruits and vegetables on this list have been...
I got into juicing about 2 years ago. I don't do it as much in the winter, but it started to replace coffee for me for a while (I now drink coffee again, but limit myself to 1-2 cups) as it gave me loads of energy. I would also take a huge container ...
I only eat pizza about four or five times a year, but when I get a pizza craving... It's a BIG craving and I pretty much drop all other dinner ideas. They don't have to be a "naughty" meal. You can ditch the bread-crust altogether and use portobello ...
I feel like if I neglect myself from eating any sweets (healthy sweets.. not packaged processed stuff ;)), that's when I will be more likely to overeat unhealthy foods. I always allow myself to have a day (or two!) out of the week to indulge in vegan...
I've been really enjoying chopping up a bunch of veggies and wrapping them in rice paper. It's super fast and very healthy! Won't weigh you down or make you feel lethargic. They are basically salads wrapped in a convenient edible wrapper. I like to do...
'm in Canada, so the winters can get quite bone-chilling. I love making soup during the chilly months...hearty, healthy and full of different vegetables. I also like thick curry soups, chilis, cabbage soups... mmm. I try to make at least one a week. ...
Seasonings are a mixture of various herbs and spices. Herbs and spices allow us to play and be creative in the kitchen as they can drastically alter the taste of a meal (negatively, if you're not careful! Hopefully, they will make an otherwise bland ...
Who doesn't love the comfort of biting into a crunchy, flavorful, ultimately satisfying veggie burger? Sure, from a health perspective, we don't want to dive into a burger and fries for every meal, but some days you gotta' dance, am I right? While packaged...
Through numerous conversations with people who are either unfamiliar with vegan recipes, or are just starting out with a vegan diet, it seems that the general consensus is that vegan baking means you have to kiss your chocolately, gooey, fluffy and decadent...
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