Mango Mint Basil Pesto Noodle Jars

Sunday funday! The perfect time to get your fridge stocked with some meals for the busy week ahead.

When I lived in the city (Toronto, Canada) back in the day, I used to spend the majority of my Sunday mornings in the kitchen, prepping ingredients, sauces, and salads so that after my long day on the job I knew I could come home to a simple assembly-only dinner. This salad jar recipe is really just a version of my Mango Basil Summer Rolls, deconstructed. I was prepping some meals for a client and decided the rice paper wrappers might not stand up to the test of time should she not enjoy them straight away, and so I jarred that $hit!

Mango Mint Basil Pesto Noodle Jars

(packs about 2 X 340ml mason jars)

100 grams soba noodles

1/4 cup basil pesto recipe (follows)1 medium carrot– finely shredded or julienned

1/4 purple cabbage – thinly sliced

1 cup cooked chickpeas

4 cups kale, arugula or a mix, roughly chopped

1/2 ripe mango, diced large handful fresh mint leaves, chopped finely

Layer the above ingredients, divided, into 2 jars in the order listed. I like to dump it all into a big bowl and mix it before I eat to make sure all the goodies are melding.

Vegan Pesto

1/3 C firmly packed fresh organic basil*

5-6 organic kale leaves, washed, trimmed, and torn into pieces*

2-4 garlic cloves, depending on your tolerance!

1/3 C walnuts (raw, or toasted for a denser flavour)

1/4 C nutritional yeast***

2-3 T freshly squeezed lemon juice

1.5 t sea salt

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil to start, adding more as needed

#raw #vegan #salad #recipe

Sprouted Hummus

I love sprouting garbanzo beans! Ever since I tried it at home for the first time and met great success, it has become an almost weekly habit in my kitchen. I giggle a little when I remember one of the first rounds I brought to life, and the fear it had instilled in me. You see, that early batch was a lively bunch, and the snap, crackle and pop of the wee sprouts bursting from within the chickpea’s exterior wall had me padding through my apartment in the middle of the night convinced there was some sort of intruder in my home. But alas, it was no burglar, just the sweet sound of germination, water bringing to life the dormant enzymes within the walls of humble hummus-base

How do I sprout? Well for chickpeas, I simply soak the dried beans overnight in a bowl with enough water to cover them by a few inches. In the morning, I transfer the beans to a mesh colander (or nut milk bag), rinsing them well, and then for the next few days, I rinse them well in the morning, and then again at night with fresh water. Within a day or two, the little sprouts begin to grow. Sprouted chickpeas are raw, so this is any easy way to hop onto the raw food wagon, and a delicious way to incorporate some raw protein and fibre into your diet every day! Try this twist on your standard appetizer of hummus for a delicious and crowd-pleasing recipe to introduce these raw beans to your brood this holiday season.

What you Need

2 C sprouted chickpeas (mine had tails about ¾ inch in length)

2 T tahini (sesame butter)

1/3 C extra virgin olive oil

1 lrg clove garlic

1 T fresh lemon juice

½ t sea salt

½ t sweet paprika

1 T tamari or soy sauce

What you do

Add all ingredients to bowl of your food processor. Process on low until well incorporated and smooth. You will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula from time to time.

Enjoy with your fave crackers, bread, or fresh crudité! Stores well in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Variations

Purple - add in one chopped our roasted beet

Red - add in one fire roasted or raw, chopped sweet red pepper

Green - add in a big handful of fresh baby spinach

There is a lot more raw good ness where this came from! Check out my fully raw & vegan cookbook, MAPWellness Morsels here!

#raw #vegan #recipe

Strawberry Shortbread Squares

Summmmmmmer in Canada!

This sweet dessert was a hit with the cottage crowd this holiday long weekend - and we celebrated Oh, Canada with its fitting red and white to boot.

The original recipe made a lot of the base, and it was almost too thick (pictured) so rather than change the measurements, I am going to suggest that you make 2 pans of this dessert, as it will freeze well and you can enjoy the fruits of summer anytime!

Base

3 C coconut flour

1 C sunflower seeds, ground into a fine flour

1/2 C Canadian maple sysrup

1/4 C coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla powder

zest of 1 medium lemon

pinch sea salt

Topping

3 C fresh shrawberries, hulled and sliced

1 C soft dates, pitted and coarsely chopped

Prepare 2 8X8 baking pans with coconut oil to prevent sticking. Combine all base ingredients in bowl of food processor and process until a shortbread like dough forms and the mixture begins to come together.

Equally distribute the dough into 2 8X8 pans, pressing firmly into the pan with your clean hands. I used my fists. Be sure to press down all the edges.

Toss the topping ingredients in bowl of food processor and process smooth and jam-like.

Evenly distribute the topping over the 2 base pans. Put in the the freezer to set for 1 hour, or the fridge for 2-3 hours.

#raw #vegan #rawrecipe #mapwellness #dessert #recipe