Peace, Love, and Applesauce - ~Peace, Love, and Applesauce ~ Easy and delicious whole food vegetarian and vegan recipes. Clean eating made easy! You don't have to be a vegetarian to incorporate meatless dishes into your life!

Janine's Favorite Vegan Granola

3/17/2018

Janine's Favorite Vegan Granola

Ingredients

2 1/2 Cups Organic Rolled Oats
1 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1 Cup Hulled Pumpkin Seeds
1/4 Teaspoon of Pink Himalayan Salt
1/4 Cup Unrefined Coconut Oil
1/4 Cup Almond Butter
1/3 Cup Real Maple Syrup
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 340*.
Mix the oats, coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, and salt in a large bowl.
In a small sauce pan, heat the coconut oil, maple syrup, and almond butter on low heat. Stir often and heat until smooth. When smooth, stir in the vanilla and remove from the stove.
Stir the stove top mixture into the dry ingredients.
Spread everything evenly onto a large sheet pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, making sure to turn the granola with a spatula halfway through. You want your granola to look lightly toasted.
Cool thoroughly.
Store in Mason Jars or another airtight container.
Enjoy!

DISCLOSURE

I’m using the following modified disclosure that I copied from Chris Wark. (Thanks Chris!)

This blog is not financially driven. I started this primarily to share my experience and information with anyone who is interested in natural health and become the healthiest person that you can be.
Ads and affiliate programs help cover the costs involved with running this site.

I only promote products and people that I believe in.

I get a small kickback from amazon for adds on my site. By small, I mean less than 6%. This only happens when you click on a link located on my site and end up purchasing.
If a receive a free product for a review or promotion, I will disclose that in the article. Again, I only support products and people that I believe in!

Thank you,

Janine :)

Janine's Vegan Apple Crisp

11/17/2017

Janine's Vegan Apple Crisp

I love apple crisp! This recipe is so flavorful and delicious whether you are vegan or not. Quick, healthy, simple!

Ingredients
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or peacans
1/2 cup shredded coconut
pinch of salt
4-6 apples peeled and cored

Method
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Peel, core, and slice apples.
-Place them in a lightly greased 9x11 glass baking dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
-Then pour the mixture over the apples and spread evenly.
-Place in the oven for 40 minutes. If your mixture begins to brown too quickly, you can put aluminum foil over the top to discourage this.
-Bake 15-20 minutes longer and at 325 degrees if you would like your apples to be a bit more mushy.
-Enjoy!

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast

10/17/2017

Baked Pumpkin Oatmeal Breakfast

What better way to start a cool Fall morning than with a warm pumpkin breakfast that tastes more like a treat than the healthy meal that it is!
Mix all ingredients the night before. Let the mixture chill overnight. Pop it into the oven while you sip your morning tea or take your shower. Then enjoy a great breakfast with your family that is packed with nutrients. Quick, easy, and healthy!

I think of Fall foods and Pumpkin comes to mind immediately. I love the pumpkin spice flavor! However, so many pumpkin flavored baked goods are loaded with sugar, artificial coloring, and preservatives. To me, it's just not worth it.
This baked pumpkin oatmeal has NONE of those! You should leave your breakfast table feeling satisfied and energized, not heavy, bloated, and sluggish. Plus, it is "Picky Kid Approved!" Part oatmeal, part oatmeal bar, part "cookie" as my daughter calls it.

Real pumpkin, or butternut squash is loaded with beta-carotene, which is an antioxidant and converted to vitamin A in the body. Research indicates that beta-carotene rich foods are powerful in fighting cancer cells and heart disease. Pumpkin is a great source of potassium and contains notable amounts of vitamin c, magnesium, and folate as well!

Ingredients
2 Cups Old Fashioned Organic Oats
I Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
3/4 Cup Canned Organic Unsweetened/Unspiced Pumpkin
1 Large Organic Egg Beaten (try 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce to be Vegan)
2 Teaspoons of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 Teaspoon Real Vanilla (alcohol free)
2-3 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup
3/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
A dash or 2 of Himalayan salt

Method
Mix all ingredients together.
Lightly grease a 9X11 baking dish with coconut or olive oil.
Pour mixture into the pan and level with a spatula.
Cover and place in the refrigerator over night.
In the morning, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Serve warm. Try scooping into bowls with a bit of almond milk or cut into bars for a breakfast bar to go!
ENJOY!

Pumpkin nutrition information-University of Illinois
Recipe adapted from Briana Thomas' Pumpkin Chip Baked Oatmeal.

Summer Soba Noodle Salad

6/14/2017

~Summer Soba Noodle Salad~

By Janine Bibeau

This salad is perfect for summer nights! It can be made ahead, but is also a quick meal when you don't want to heat up your kitchen any more than it already is. The cilantro and cucumber are both cooling to help keep Pitta in check. I love the crunch and the incorporation of fresh herbs as well.
I always try to buy organic ingredients. Right now we have chives and cilantro in our garden. It won't be long before the cucumbers and carrots are ready too!
If this is served as a main dish it makes about 6 servings.

Ingredients

1 nine and a half ounce package of organic soba noodles

3 Tablespoons of rice vinegar
3 Tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce of coconut aminos
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1.5 Tablespoon sesame oil
1.5 Tablespoon real maple syrup

1/2 small red cabbage finely chopped (about 1 to 1.5 cups)
2 medium carrots shredded
1 bunch of chives chopped
1 cucumber or 1/2 of an English cucumber cut in half and sliced
2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
1 bunch of fresh cilantro

Method

1. Boil soba noodles according to package. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Prepare all vegetables as described in the ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, whisk rice vinegar, soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, and maple syrup together.
3. In a large bowl, combine the noodles and chopped vegetables and herbs.
4. Pour the dressing over the mixture of noodles and vegetables and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5. Enjoy!

Recipe modified from Parents Magazine June 2016.

Janine's Green Smoothie : Eat Your Greens!

5/26/2017

~Janine's Green Smoothie : Eat Your Greens~

By Janine Bibeau

Greens are essential!

But don't add toxins to your gut by buying non-organic greens. You can only process so many toxins(chemicals, stress, environmental toxins, sugar, caffeine etc). Your body is resilient, but it does have a breaking point. Strengthen your body by eating organic and whole foods...meaning the less processed the better!

Ingredients

A total of one handful of 1/2 baby kale and 1/2 Swiss chard(or other greens)
1 frozen ripe organic banana
1/2 cup frozen organic mango
1 scoop of doTerra's Terragreens
2 organic strawberries
1/4 cup organic blueberries
1 cup unsweetened almond milk

organic bee pollen and help hearts

Method

Blend all ingredients except the bee pollen and hemp hearts in a blender. It helps to put the leafy greens in first and add the Terragreens in the middle. it just makes the blending go a bit smoother. Add more almond milk if your mixture is too this for your liking. Top with bee pollen and help hearts.

References
Dr. Mercola-http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/08/eating-sprouts.aspx#!
Dr. Craig-https://vegetarian-nutrition.info/green-leafy-vegetables/

Island Hippie Smoothie

3/14/2017

~Island Hippie Smoothie~

It's snowing ...again. I love the snow, but we are creeping into Spring and I am ready to see nature awaken again. It's hard to believe that things will be coming back to life when all you see is a thick blanket of snow. Today, my time in the kitchen has been spent dreaming of Spring. This smoothie is a great transition smoothie. It's a bit more heavy than traditional morning smoothies and tastes more like a shake.

As we move into Spring, our foods should become lighter, but it's still very Winter-like here in New Hampshire, so this is perfect. This smoothie will have you channeling the islands and is really quite satisfying. I love smoothies, but find myself hungry an hour later no matter what I put in it. This one keeps me going for hours.

Hemp hearts typically contain 33 percent protein, 9 percent omega-3 essential fatty acids, and are an excellent source of iron, vitamin E and GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), an Omega-6 fatty acid. They are gaining a lot of popularity as a super food because of the nutritional benefits, but also because they really do satisfy your appetite.

Ingredients

1 can of full fat coconut milk
1 cup almond milk
1 large very ripe organic banana
1/2 cup hemp hearts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon alcohol free vanilla
6 or 7 fresh or frozen organic strawberries
Optional-1 scoop of vegan vanilla protein powder
Optional topping- Bee Pollen

Instructions

Scoop 1/2 of the coconut cream (the hard white stuff) from the can and put into a blender. Pour half of the coconut water (the liquid in the can) into the blender. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth.
Enjoy!

http://nutiva.com/hemp/organic-hemp-hearts-health-benefits/

Easy Weeknight Shrimp

3/1/2017

~Easy Weeknight Shrimp~
By Janine Bibeau
This is one of our "go to" recipes during the week. It is delicious, quick, and healthy. We always make enough to have for lunch the next day.

Ingredients
1 box of fresh organic baby spinach
1 bag of raw shrimp (we like the larger shrimp, but then you will have less of them)
1 small box of organic sliced baby portobella or white mushrooms chopped
1 organic white onion chopped
2-3 cloves of organic garlic minced
3/4 of a bag of organic spaghetti or linguini
3oz of organic sun dried tomatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Remove the shells from your shrimp.

Boil a large pan of water and begin cooking your pasta.

In a large saute pan, heat 3 TBS olive oil on medium.

Add chopped onions and mushrooms. Cook until soft.

Add shrimp and minced garlic.

Season with 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne.

When the shrimp become almost entirely pink, add 2 ladles full of pasta water to the saute pan.

Add the sun dried tomatoes (chop them up if they are large).

Add the spinach and cover. Simmer on low while the pasta finishes up and until the spinach begins to wilt.

When your pasta is finished, strain and combine with the rest of the ingredients in the saute pan.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I am dairy free, but my husband does like to add feta cheese to his!
Makes 4 -5 servings.

Enjoy!

Janine's Chocolate Avocado Pudding

1/28/2017

~Janine's Chocolate Avocado Pudding~
By Janine Bibeau
This pudding tastes like a true indulgence, but without the guilt! Four ingredients and a food processor and you have yourself a super easy and really healthy dessert. I have been making this treat at least once a week. I just can't get enough!
Let's talk about avocado for a minute here. Avocados actually contain more potassium than bananas! Potassium is important to help maintain a healthy blood pressure and by doing that, they decrease your risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure.
They also contain healthy fats. The majority of fat in an avocado is oleic acid. Oleic acid has been linked to reduced inflammation and also to reducing the risk of cancer!
In addition to that, they are loaded with fiber which helps to maintain digestive health. They are anti inflammatory and contain a ton of antioxidants. Go Avocado!
Why not try this pudding for Valentine's Day and show your body some LOVE!

Ingredients

2 Ripe Avocados
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk
4 to 5 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
4 to 5 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup

Instructions

Put all ingredients into the food processor.

Blend well. You may have to stop the food processor and scrape the inside with a rubber spatula, sending all of the pudding back down to the bottom. Then give it another whirl in the food processor until you cannot see any bits of green avocado.

Scoop into fancy cups or just place the whole food processor in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. This is very important! If you do not do this, the cocoa flavor does not come out fully and your pudding will taste like avocado.

Garnish with a strawberry if you want to get fancy.

Enjoy!

Makes 2-3 servings.

A Smash Cake With Benefits - Nutrient Packed Cupcakes

1/16/2017

~A Smash Cake With Benefits - Nutrient Packed Cupcakes~
By Janine Bibeau

We all know that sugar is not good for us. For more information on why, check out my blog post on why sugar is not so sweet.
This post, however, is all about cake!

As my daughter’s first birthday approached, I started to sweat about what I was going to let her smash into at her birthday party. Guests love to watch the little birthday boy or girl delve into their first birthday cake. I wanted that too. BUT, I am kind of a health nut and she is allergic to dairy...And so began my quest for the healthiest and most delicious birthday cake I could make.

This cake and it's frosting is tasty, healthy, and contains no white sugar, dairy, eggs, or other common allergens. It is also loaded with good stuff too! Potassium, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, manganese, iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, protein, magnesium, phosphorous, and vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5 and B6. The sweetener in the frosting is alkaline, so if you use gluten-free oats, this is a whole food cleanse friendly recipe as well!

Okay, so it might not be real "cake," more like a delicious breakfast muffin. But to my daughter...it's cake!

There is no need to frost these. I eat them as breakfast muffins or a healthy snack when it's not my daughter's first birthday. They are delicious and satisfying on their own. The frosting was for show...but ended up tasting great and is super healthy.

"Cake" Ingredients

2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Oat Flour or grind up your own gluten free oats!
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
4 ripe bananas
1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup filtered water
¾ cup unsweetened organic applesauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350º F.

Line a muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners.

Put oat flour in a large bowl and add all the other dry ingredients.

Puree bananas in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Add the water, applesauce, extract, and apple cider vinegar. Process again until combined.

Pour over dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Scoop into muffin liners filling about 2⁄3 full or into a 9-inch round cake pan.

Bake for 20-22 minutes until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

If you want to boost the antioxidant power: gently stir in 2 cups of frozen blueberries for blueberry banana cake/muffins and increase baking time 8-10 minutes, but do be cautious if little ones will be eating them!

Let them cool thoroughly before eating if you have used paper muffin liners or they will stick.

Frosting Ingredients

2 cans organic coconut milk
2-4 drops liquid stevia
1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries
3 tablespoons chia seeds

Instructions

Do not shake your cans of coconut milk!

You want the coconut cream to be at the top. When you open them, scoop out the thick white coconut cream and put it into the food processor.

Add a few tablespoons of the coconut milk from each can.

Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse a few times until the blueberries are pureed into the mixture.

Do not over blend.

Scoop your frosting into a glass container and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. The chia seeds will gel and make your frosting fluffy.

Keep refrigerated and just before serving, frost your cupcakes.

Enjoy the show!

Muffins adapted from Daily Om-21 Day Yoga Shred . Frosting is purely my own perfected experiment!

Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

12/29/2016

~Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies~
By Janine Bibeau

Today I wanted to introduce peanut butter into my 1 year old daughter's diet. This morning I was given 2 very ripe bananas....so, a cookie emerged!

I am so pleased with these. They are tasty, moist, and healthy! Sweet enough for dessert, but healthy enough for breakfast, or snack.

These have to be the easiest cookies to make and they are 1 year old and yogini approved!

Ingredients

2 Very Ripe Mashed Organic Bananas

1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/3 Cup Organic Creamy Peanut Butter
2 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup

1/4 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Rice Flour

Instructions

Preheat Oven to 300 degrees.
Spray a cookie sheet with olive or coconut oil.
Mix ingredients well.
Spoon clumps onto the pan.
Bake for 16 minutes.
Enjoy!

Makes 12 cookies.