For many non vegans, pesto isn't pesto without Parmesan cheese. Indeed most store bought versions also contain some sort of cheese so if you're a strict vegan, homemade pesto is the way to go. 

In my opinion, the best parts about pesto is the strong garlic flavour, the saltiness, and richness of nuts and olive oil. Pesto goes a long way in creating delicious pastas, as a pizza sauce, as a veggie and cracker dip, on oven roasted potatoes, in dressings and more. 

Here's what you need: a 'green' base, garlic, olive oil, salt, nuts, and nutritional yeast. Be creative- instead of the traditional basil, why not try cilantro, spinach, or kale? Instead of pine nuts, how about sunflower seeds or walnuts? 

Spinach Pesto
(Makes enough for one box of penne or bow-tie pasta)

3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup whole walnuts (less if walnuts are chopped)
1 tsp salt
3 cups loosely packed spinach (I used two cups spinach, one cup kale)
1/3 cup olive oil or more to get a smooth consistency 
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
pepper, to taste

In a food processor, blend the garlic cloves and walnuts until uniform. Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste, and add more salt, pepper or oil if desired. 


* For a delicious meal, I roasted a head of chopped broccoli florets and a red pepper, cut and tossed in a little olive oil and S&P at 375F for about 30 min, or until cooked and broccoli quite golden brown. I used bow tie pasta, tossed in the pesto, roasted veggies and some fresh chopped black olive and mixed everything together. Two thumbs up! 

There's nothing like a good old fashioned vegan smorgasbord of homemade goodies. Though this snack tray pictured may be missing something sweet, it was loaded with lots of savory snacks and dips including hummus, guacamole, olive tapenade, and a cheezy cashew spread. 

I love this flavourful and naturally coloured cheezy spread. It's delicious on rice crackers, homemade baguette crisps, Mary's Original crackers, carrots or with some nacho chips. It could also be the base for a nice sandwich or wrap.  Enjoy! 





Cheezy Cashew Spread 

2 cups soaked cashews (in a bowl, add enough water to cover cashews and let sit for at least an hour; rinse and drain when they're finished soaking)
1 cup orange or red bell pepper, roughly chopped (about one medium pepper)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2.5 tbsp light miso
1 tsp onion powder
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/2 tsp salt if needed (but miso tends to be salty enough)

In a food processor, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth- the smoother the better. Put in a covered container and let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours or longer. The spread will become harder and nicely spreadable. 

It's so interesting how 'comfort food' is simply a must at times. If we look at it, it most likely means that we're really just craving fat, carbs or salt... or sometimes all three. Such was the case yesterday, and for this, I give you... sweet potato fries with curry mayo.

Luckily at the Toronto Vegetarian Food Festival last weekend I scored two mini bottles of Vegenaise (delicious vegan mayonnaise). Yes, there are other vegan mayos on the market, but I must say that Vegenaise is a cut above the rest. *was not paid to say that   ;)

A few people asked me for the recipe for these fries, mentioning how they looked quite crispy. The truth is that although they're delicious, they're not that crispy.  But the recipe is still worth sharing.

Sweet Potato Fries with Curry Mayo
(Serves 2-3)

Preheat oven to 400F.

1 extra large sweet potato, or 4 small, sliced thickly
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tsp onion powder
3 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Toss the cut potato slices with oil and seasonings until evenly coated. Lay fries in a single layer on a baking sheet, careful that they're not touching others. Bake for 15 minutes, flip once (I use tongs to flip them), and continue baking for another 15 minutes. If fries are not yet brown and crispy looking, leave them in for a while longer. When finished, remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before moving them. 

Note: an extra step to assure crispier fries is to toss raw, cut fries in a couple tablespoons of cornstarch in a bag before adding oil and seasoning.  Shake fries in the bag vigorously to coat evenly with cornstarch.

Curry Mayo

Using just one sample size of Vegenaise (about 1/3 cup, as shown on left) I added 1 tbsp of curry powder and 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast. Prepare this ahead of time so the flavours  can marry. Enjoy with fries, on a sandwich or in a wrap. 

Personal growth is writing down a recipe as I make it. 

Okay, so I could probably aim a little higher in my personal growth but this is a new development for me and will surely lead to many more tried and tested recipes to come!

I've made this dressing many times and use it for kale salad, romaine salad, and kale chips. It would also be great as a sandwich spread or a zesty dressing in a wrap. Once you have your ingredients together, this dressing takes no time to make. It yields about 1/2 a cup when mixed together.


Nutritional Yeast-Tahini Dressing

1/2 cup nutritional yeast (from organic/natural food section at your grocery store)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp water 
2 Tbsp tahini
1 Tbsp light miso
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
black pepper  

Mix and enjoy right away or refrigerate and use within a couple of weeks.

Today I used all of this dressing for one bunch of washed, and chopped kale. I massaged the dressing into the kale for a couple of minutes. I ate half the kale and put the other half in the fridge. Kale softens with the dressing so it becomes even better the second day.  

Are you afraid of fat?? You should be! Unless you're talking about whole foods, plant based fats of course. ;)

Although fat is a high calorie nutrient, it is an extremely important one as a nutrient. The kind of fats you should be afraid of are ones that are nutritionally void, clog your arteries and lead to weight gain; those found in fast food, deep fried, and highly processed food, or animal products. Nuts, avocados and seeds are staples in my diet and provide me with healthy fats that keep me full, lower cholesterol, control my weight and balance my moods.  So am I afraid of fat? Not at all! 

I often prepare cashew based creams and sauces and this maple cashew cream is one that will add a satisfying sweetness on top of berries, over granola, to have on a dessert, or even on top of peanut butter, as pictured. 

Maple Cashew Cream 

1 cup blanched cashews (Soak them in water for 2 hours prior to using them in this recipe. This will soften them, and activate living enzymes and nutrients so they are easier to digest and offer more nutrition.)
1 or 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup non dairy milk (more or less, just enough to get your blender to pureed the nuts)

Add soaked and drained cashews to a high speed blender along with maple syrup, vanilla and non dairy milk. Blend until silky smooth. You can store this in the fridge for a couple of weeks.