Homemade Granola

By Joanne Levesque, Registered Holistic Nutritionist

Home-made granola makes a wonderful, nutritious, and easy breakfast. It also makes a great gift for Christmas.

This recipe also has less sugar and fat than boxed granola. For those eating gluten-free, be sure to purchase pure oats that are guaranteed gluten-free. You can also play around with the nut butter, and try peanut, hazelnut, or almond nut butter. You can find these at your local health food store. You can also vary the flavours with your favourite nuts and seeds. Try hazelnut, walnuts or pumpkin, sesame, hemp, or flax seeds.

6 c rolled oats

1 c pecans, chopped

1/2 c sunflower seeds

1 c almonds, chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 c coconut oil, melted to a liquid

3/4 c macadamia nut butter

1/4 c maple syrup or honey

1 c dried fruit (raisins, apricots, cranberries, etc)

Preheat to 350˚F.  Grease two baking sheets with coconut oil.  In a large bowl, toss together oats, nuts, seeds, and salt (leave out the dried fruit for now).  

In a different bowl, gently whisk together the melted coconut oil, nut butter, and maple syrup or honey.  Pour the oil mixture over the oat mixture and stir well.  Spread the granola on the two baking sheets. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Oats will become dark and golden.  Allow to cool completely before tossing in dried fruit. Store in an airtight container. 

Serve with milk (almond, soy, cow, goat, hemp, rice, etc.) and fresh or frozen berries. Try it with homemade almond milk!

Spinach Strawberry Salad with Red Onions

Local strawberries are in season generally from mid June to early July.  These gems are bursting with flavour and flavonoids.  Pick them fresh from your local berry farm, or buy them from a roadside stand.

Incorporate antioxidant rich local strawberries into every meal from breakfast, lunch and supper to dessert.

This salad is simple and makes your taste buds tingle!

Salad

- 3 cups chopped spinach
- 1/2 cup sliced strawberries

- sliced red onion to taste

Balsamic Vinaigrette
Makes 1 cup
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp grainy mustard
- 1/4 tsp sea salt

Place salad ingredients in a large salad bowl. Dress with a few tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette and toss.

Asparagus with Brown and Wild Rice & White Kidney Beans

This recipe makes a refreshing seasonal salad that is macronutrient balanced and delicious.  Only choose fresh local asparagus.  Avoid asparagus from Peru or the US as it leaves a huge carbon footprint.

Ingredients

1 cup Brown and Wild Rice Blend (Lundberg Wild Blend is nice)

1 cup raw almonds, chopped

1 bunch local asparagus, trimmed and chopped in 2” pieces

1 cup cooked cannellini beans (white kidney beans)

¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Bean Preparation

It is best to soak dried cannellini beans in water for 24 hours and then cook them, as opposed to using canned beans.  Canned beans usually contain some sort of preservative and cause gas and bloating.  Try cooking beans every weekend.  They keep well in the fridge for about one week.  Use the beans in pasta dishes, salads, dips and stir-fry’s.

To prepare the beans, drain and rinse the beans after their 24 hour soak.  Place them in a large pot and cover with two inches of water.  Bring to a boil for 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse the beans and wash the pot.  Return the rinsed partially cooked beans to the clean pot and cover with two inches of water.  Bring to a boil again and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the beans are cooked through and tender.  Remove from heat and salt the beans with about a tablespoon of salt. Let the beans sit for five minutes or so before straining.  

Directions

Cook rice according to directions.  Cool to room temperature.  Add chopped asparagus to a pot of boiling water and cook for 2 minutes.  Drain and place asparagus in cold water to stop the cooking process and to preserve the vibrant green colour.  Once cool, drain the asparagus and add to the cooled rice.  Add cooled cooked beans and chopped almonds.  Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil.  Season with sea salt and pepper.

Cilantro Pesto

Cilantro is a detoxifier of toxic metals. Consuming fresh cilantro daily for 3 weeks helps remove mercury, lead and aluminium.

A flavourful topping for grilled fish, chicken or vegetables, cilantro pesto is also good as a dip, over pasta or grains and on sandwiches. This pesto keeps in the refrigerator for several days. You can also freeze it in ice cube trays and then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. For optimum flavour, bring it to room temperature before serving.

2 cups packed cilantro leaves  

2-4 cloves of garlic

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil

1/2 cup flax oil 

1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup of sunflower seeds

1/4 cup Brazil nuts

1/4-1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Juice of 1/2 lemon  

Combine all ingredients into a food processor and process until it is a uniform consistency.   

Serve on fish, chicken, vegetables, or use in sandwiches or as a vegetable dip.  It is amazing on cooked cauliflower!

Keeps well in a jar in the fridge for about one week.  Alternatively, freeze in ice cube trays then transfer the pesto cubes to a freezer bag.

Homemade Hummus

Hummus contains protein and fibre rich chickpeas, calcium from tahini, antioxidants from the garlic and lemon, and good fats from olive oil.

Most kids enjoy hummus as a vegetable dip.  Different variations can easily be made by adding sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, basil, sweet potato or chipotle sauce.

Basic Hummus Recipe
2 cups cooked chickpeas
3 tablespoons tahini
3 cloves garlic, chopped
juice of 2 lemons
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.  Serve with vegetables.

Favourite Variation
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons pureed chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.  It will give the hummus a pleasing orange colour and some spice!!

Guacamole

Guacamole is so easy to make that I delegated the task of making it to my son when he was eight or nine. 

Guacamole is based on avocado - a nutritional powerhouse of vitamins, minerals, good fats and phytonutrients.

I usually serve it with organic corn chips or add it to homemade tacos or fajitas.

Basic Guacamole Recipe
1 ripe avocado
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Cut avocado lengthwise along the pit and twist it open.  Remove the pit and scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

Mash avocado with a fork, add lemon juice and sea salt.  Done.

You can always add onion, tomato, cilantro, and garlic to it, but the basic recipe is fabulous as is.

How to Cook Dried Beans

Glorious Beans!


Most Canadians do not eat enough foods that have fiber. Besides reducing your chances for certain types of cancer and heart disease, high fiber foods keep your body regular. And since they are very filling, fiber-rich foods may help you to keep your weight down, too. 


Canned beans are convenient, yet expensive and usually contain chemical preservatives. I also find they are more likely to cause gas.


Dried beans are best because they are economical and store well.  Many people do not know how to properly cook dried beans. Proper preparation and cooking of dried beans will increase flavour and greatly reduce the "gas effect".


Following is the best way I have found to prepare and cook dried beans such as chickpea, white kidney beans (cannellini beans), red kidney beans, navy beans, and lima beans.

1. Soak beans in water for 24 hours. Yes this requires planning.
2. Drain and rinse the beans after their soak.  
3. Place them in a large pot and cover beans with one inch of water.  
4. Bring to a boil, and boil for 3 minutes. 
5. Drain and rinse the beans and wash the pot.  
6. Return the rinsed partially cooked beans to the clean pot and cover with two inches of water.  
7. Bring to a boil again and simmer for about 20 to 90 minutes depending on the bean.
   Chickpeas - 60 to 90 minutes
   Kidney Beans - 30 to 40 minutes
   Navy Beans - 30 to 40 minutes
   Lima Beans - 40 to 50 minutes
8. When the beans are cooked through and tender.  Remove from heat and salt the beans and water with about a tablespoon of sea salt. Let the beans sit for five to 10 minutes before straining.  
9. Strain but keep some of the cooking water to store with the beans in the fridge or to use in a recipe (for example, keep some chickpea cooking water to add to your hummus recipe).

Try cooking beans every weekend.  They keep well in the fridge for about one week.  Use the beans in pasta dishes, salads, dips and stir-fry’s.

Green Soup with Ginger

This soup recipe comes from the new Anna Thomas book - Love Soup.  I gave it a try one Sunday afternoon since it looked incredibly healthy and I thought it would make a great meal for lunch during the week. It's perfect for the flu season since it's packed with greens and ginger.

                                                                                         Nancy Morin, Pure Med Receptionist

1 large yellow onion (250g)

2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more to taste

1 large sweet potato (350 g)

1 large leek, white and light green parts (140 g)

1 bunch of spinach (225g)

1 large bunch of green chard (350g)

3 tablespoons (30g) chopped fresh ginger, plus more to taste

2 cups (500ml) good-tasting vegetable broth

2-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

freshly ground black pepper

Chop the onion and cook slowly in olive oil with a dash of salt, stirring now and then, over low heat until soft and golden, about half an hour .

Meanwhile, peel and dice the sweet potato and put in a large pot with 4 cups of water and a teaspoon of sea salt. Wash the leek, spinach and chard, chop them coarsely and add them to the pot with the chopped ginger.

Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the soup covered, for approximately 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Add the caramelized onions once ready. When the vegetables are soft, add the vegetable broth.

If you prefer a smooth texture, puree the soup in a blender in batches until smooth.

Where’s the Pumpkin? Pie (AKA Raw Pumpkin Pie)

I love this pie.  I usually make it once or twice per year.  It is rich and creamy and spicy and raw – meaning, you do not have to cook it.  It is gluten-free and dairy-free and delicious and does not have pumpkin as an ingredient.  Rather, it gets its colour from carrots.

You do need special equipment for this one.  A juicer to juice the carrots, a food processor – for the almond crust, a large chef’s knife to cut open the young coconut, and a Vita-Mix or high powered blender to blend the filling. 

If you do not have the equipment, try to borrow it from friends and family and then share the pie with them!

Joanne Levesque RHN, Pure Med Office Manager and Holistic Nutritionist

Serves 12 to 16

Crust

2 cups almonds

3 mejool dates, pits removed

2 tablespoons maple syrup

¼ cup coconut oil

Large pinch of sea salt

Place almonds in food processor and process until it is mealy looking. 

Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and process until all ingredients are well blended.  Place contents of food processor onto a nine inch pie plate.  Using your hands, press the crust into the plate creating a nice edge.  Refrigerate the crust while making the filling.

Filling

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours

1 cup young coconut meat (found at Farmboy or Asian Markets), see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPvhxeg_PUA to learn how to properly open a young coconut

2 cups fresh carrot juice

¾ cup coconut oil

6 mejool dates, pits removed

½ cup maple syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon sea salt

Place all ingredients in the Vita-Mix and blend on high until the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Pour filling into pie crust and refrigerate for eight hours or overnight.  This pie is very rich so it can serve a lot of people.

Kale Chips

Kale chips are amazing!  I have not met anyone, adult or child that does not like them.  If you like chips, and know that they are not the best for you, then you will most likely get addicted to kale chips.  The key to this recipe is the cashew “cheese” mixture you make first to coat the kale pieces. 

To make raw kale chips with all the enzymes intact, you need to dehydrate the kale in a dehydrator at 115F.  If you do not have a dehydrator, then you will have to bake the kale and lose the enzymes.

To bake kale chips, place kale on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.  Then bake at 250F for about 30 minutes or until the kale and cheese is crisp.  You may need to bake for longer or shorter as ovens vary. 

Below is the onion and garlic version, but feel free to make your own version by adding different herbs and seasonings.

Joanne Levesque RHN, Pure Med Office Manager and Holistic Nutritionist

Makes two large zip lock bags worth 2 large bunches curly kale or dino kale, stemmed removed, washed and torn into large bite size pieces. 2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water for 2 hours 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast 1 teaspoon sea salt Juice of one lemon 1 cup water 1 clove of garlic, chopped ½ of a small onion, chopped Drain and rinse the soaked cashews and place in a food processor.  Add nutritional yeast, sea salt, lemon juice, water, garlic and onion.  Process until the mixture looks like ricotta cheese.  Place kale in a very large bowl.  Pour cashew “cheese” over kale and toss with tongs or your hands to coat all of the kale. Place the kale on dehydrator racks, shake a little bit of sea salt over the kale and then dehydrate for 12 hours at 115F in a dehydrator.  Alternatively, you can bake the chips on parchment paper lined cookie sheets at 250F.  Bake for about 30 minutes then check kale chips to make sure they are crisp.  You may need to bake longer.

Tarragon Tomatoes

My garden has plenty of fresh herbs.  My son’s favourite herb is tarragon because it tastes like black licorice to him.  My garden also has lots of cherry tomatoes.  Tarragon and tomatoes are a classic French cooking combination.  Try this simple side dish to impress your kids and dinner guests.

Joanne Levesque RHN, Pure Med Office Manager and Holistic Nutritionist

2 cups whole cherry tomatoes, any colour will do 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped into ¼ to ½ inch pieces 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Sea salt to taste Combine all ingredients together in a bowl and serve.

Avocado Kale Salad

This is a great way to prepare kale, which is highly nutritious but difficult to eat raw for most people.  The kale is massaged with the rest of the ingredients – this wilts the kale and makes it easier on digestion and really tasty. Serves 2 as a meal, 4 to 6 as a side dish.

1 head kale, thick centre stem removed, sliced fine and then chopped further with a large knife
1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice 1 – 2 teaspoon sea salt 1 – 2 avocados, halved, flesh scooped out of peel 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil ½ red onion, sliced thin 1 tomato, cubed ½ red pepper, chopped 6 to 10 black olives, pitted and chopped

In a large salad bowl, toss together kale, salt and lemon juice, using your hands to squeeze as you mix to wilt the kale. Add avocado and oil.  Massage into kale until avocado is creamy.  Add tomatoes, onions, peppers, and olives and toss.  Serve immediately.  Keeps for up to 2 days in an air tight container.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Try this flavourful spin on classic pesto. You’ll find garlic scapes at your local farmers’ market in abundance this time of year. This recipe is adapted from Registered Holistic Nutritionist Jae Steele’s cookbook Ripe from Around Here.

1 cup chopped garlic scapes (about 10 scapes)

2/3 to 3/4 cup nuts or seeds (walnuts, cashews, almonds, sunflower or pumpkin seeds  or a combo)

3/4 tsp. sea salt

a good few twists of freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup olive, flax or walnut oil

1/4 to 1/2 cup filtered water

Throw the scapes, nuts or seeds, salt, pepper, and oil into a blender or food processor. Process until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides. While the machine is on, pour in the amount of water needed to get the desired pesto consistency.

Serve over pasta, on pizza, in salads, as a dip, or in sandwiches. Get creative!

Snow Peas and Garlic Scapes

June is such an exciting time of year as the local spring vegetables become abundant.  This recipe is courtesy of Seasonal Ontario Food Blog. 

Notice how deliciously green this side dish is.  Enjoy the local freshness!

15 minutes prep time
2 to 4 servings

Make the Sauce:
1 teaspoon arrowroot or corn starch
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1/2 teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons water

Mix the above in a small bowl and set it aside until you are ready to cook.

Cook the Peas & Garlic Scapes:
2 cups snow peas, topped and tailed
1 cup sliced garlic scapes (10 to 12 scapes)
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

Wash the peas and pinch off the stems. Wash the scapes and cut them diagonally in pieces about the same size as the snow peas.

Just before you are ready to eat the rest of the meal, heat the oil in a skillet. Add the garlic scapes and sauté them, stirring constantly, until they turn bright green; about one minute. Add the snow peas, with a tablespoon of water and cook them, stirring constantly, until bright green; about one or two minutes. Stir up the sauce and add it, mixing it in well until it thickens.

Serve at once. Total cooking time is only about 3 or 4 minutes, so don't start cooking until everything else is basically standing by.

Almond Butter Maple Cookies

Inspired by a recipe found in Alive Magazine, this recipe combines almond butter with spring’s gift of maple syrup for cookies that have the perfect mix of sweetness and crunchiness. 

  

½ cup almond butter

½ cup maple syrup

3 tablespoons grape seed oil

1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract

1 cup whole spelt flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup almonds, chopped


In a large bowl, mix together almond butter, maple syrup, oil, and extract.  In a separate bowl, blend together flour, baking soda, and sea salt.  Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Fold in almonds.


Refrigerate dough for at least one hour.


Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls, place onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and flatten to about 1/3 inch.  Bake at 350 for 10 minutes or until the edges begin to turn golden brown.


Yields 12 to 14 cookies.

Apple Chips

Apple chips are crispy and delicious, and they make an excellent snack both for adults and kids. If you have a food processor, you can use it to get the apple slices as thin as possible. If not, just slice your apples paper thin. Check often since you simply want to dry the apple slices, not roast them. Feel free to use a dehydrator if you have one.

4 to 6 apples, your favourite variety

2-3 tsp cinnamon

½-1 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 225°F. Core apples and slice as thin as possible or use a food processor with a slicing blade. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheets. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg. Bake apples for 30 to 40 minutes or until mostly dry. Serve warm, alone or with homemade granola. Store in airtight container. 

Roasted Pear, Ginger, and Squash Soup

Have you discovered winter squash? If so, try this delicious squash soup.


This winter soup comes from vegetarian chef and local food pioneer Deborah Madison. Her cookbook Vegetable Soups is full of simple recipes that highlight seasonal and nutritious vegetables. Although this soup takes several steps - roasting the squash and pears (which can be done a day ahead of time), cooking them, and finally pureeing the soup - none involve much from you. It's an easily made soup that will keep well for days. Serves 4 as a side dish.

Pear, ginger, squash soup

One 2 ½-pound butternut squash

Coconut or olive oil

3 pears (stems and seeds removed)

2” fresh ginger, thinly sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

Water or vegetable stock

Sea salt

1.    Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the squash in half, scrape out the seeds and strings (save them if making optional stock), and then cut each half into thirds. Place on large baking dish or roasting pan with the cut pears and all but a few slices of ginger. Brush squash with oil, season with salt, and bake until fragrant and tender, about 40 to 60 minutes. Turn the pieces once or twice so that they have a chance to caramelize on more than one surface. Remove from oven and scoop out flesh once cool enough to handle.

2.    Heat coconut or olive oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté until soft and browning. Add roasted pears, ginger, and squash, and 6 to 7 cups of water or vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Cool briefly, then puree until smooth. Serve with a drizzle of cream or coconut milk.

Optional:

While the squash is cooling, make your own stock of out the remaining squash, ginger and salt. Add 1 cup water to the empty squash pan and scrape to dissolve the juices from the squash.  Next, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the squash seeds and stringy pulp, squash skins, the remaining ginger, and ½ teaspoon salt. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Strain before using in step two above. 

Pure Med’s Favourite Green Drinks

Our new Greens First supplement is the best tasting greens on the market with a sweet mint flavour. Made with organic fruits and vegetables, it has 49 superfoods including wheat grass, green tea extract, aloe vera, and sea vegetables like kelp and spirulina. It is wheat-, dairy-, soy-, egg- and preservative-free (contains gluten from oats and barley). A Greens First drink is great with breakfast or as an afternoon snack. Now available at Pure Med.

Greens First

Mix one scoop with 3/4 to 1 cup of cold water. Shake in closed container or quickly blend.

Green Smoothie

2 c spinach

1 c kale

½ c frozen mango

1 scoop Greens First

1 tsp vanilla

Add water or ice to get your desired consistency

Hemp Smoothie

1 c hemp milk

1 c strawberries

1 c spinach

½ banana

2 tbsp hemp seeds

1 scoop Greens First

Handful ice


Like smoothies? Be sure to try our favourite vanilla protein smoothies.

Almond Milk

Making homemade almond milk is easier than you think! You can also try making milk with hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, or any of your favourite nuts and seeds.

1 c almonds, soaked overnight in filtered water

4 c cold water

2 tsp honey or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp lecithin (optional) as an emulsifier

Drain and rinse almonds.  Using a high speed blender on the highest setting, blend almonds with cold water for 1 minute.  Strain the almond milk through a cheesecloth (or a nut milk bag from a health food store) to remove excess pulp.  Discard pulp.  Return milk to blender and add honey or maple syrup, vanilla, sea salt and optional lecithin.  Blend on high for 15 seconds.  Serve with granola or as a refreshing drink. 

Pure Med’s Favourite Smoothies

Smoothies are a simple, delicious, and nutritious breakfast or snack. Sun Warrior’s 85% pure protein is made from sprouted, fermented, whole grain rice. It is 100% raw, vegan, hypoallergenic, non-GMO, and gluten-free. Each package has 50 servings. Blend all ingredients in your smoothie in a blender or hand blender.  Choose unsweetened when choosing alternative milks, such as almond, rice, and hemp, and modify any recipe according to your needs. Now available at Pure Med.

Hemp Smoothie

1 c hemp milk

1 c strawberries

1 c spinach

½ banana

2 tbsp hemp seeds

Handful ice

Morning Smoothie

1 c almond milk

1 c mix of fresh or frozen berries

½ banana

1 tbsp chia, hemp, or flax seeds

1 scoop Sun Warrior protein powder

Handful ice

  

Pumpkin Smoothie

2/3 cup almond milk

1 cup cooked pumpkin or squash
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp clove powder

1 scoop Sun Warrior protein powder
Handful ice

Almond-Banana Smoothie

1 c rice milk

½ banana

1 heaping tbsp almond butter

1 scoop Sun Warrior protein powder

Handful ice


Like smoothies? Try our new Green Smoothies.