From Scratch Hot Sauce

Getting used to having a "real job" is weird. I've been so used to being able to pull either 12 hour days working on websites, this blog and taking courses, or just vedging out that getting used to have to be doing a certain task 5 days a week that isn't working towards total independence is just odd.

BUT I havent wavered on my true passion, I've found that even after an 8 hour day of training on the phone and on the computer, I still look forward to making dinner. It's one of the bestparts of my day (although the dishes are a whole other story!) 

Making things like hot sauce and salsa from scratch is something that I picked up in Costa Rica, mostly because the ones available there we're both very expensive AND full of nasties. I've found that although I have a serious Sriracha food fetish, making my own hot sauce is just too awesome to stop doing.

I made two versions so far, one with jalapeños and one with habanero peppers, but in this recipe you can use whatever hot pepper you want or have access to. Don't be shy to whip out those scotch bonnets if you love heat!

I've found that hot sauce is one of those things that people LOVE and put on everything (me!) or something that is occasional or avoided at all costs. I made 2 liters of this stuff one week and it lasted about 2 weeks. I think we may have an addiction...

Use the freshest produce available to get the best results. You can also change up the vinegars you use. I only had access to regular white vinegar, but to make this even healthier you could use apple cider vinegar instead.

Basic Hot Sauce

Ingredients:

- 1 lb hot peppers of choice

- 1 large roasted tomato

- 3 large roasted red peppers

- 1 cup vinegar

- 1 tsp salt

To mellow the sauce a little, or create a more smokey flavor, you can roast the peppers. I roasted them for both the recipes pictured (jalapeño and habanero). Stem and seed them, unless you want an extra hot sauce in which case keep the seeds.

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. 

Can be used right away but it gets even better overnight.

Enjoy!

Baked Falafels

This months has passed in a crazy fast whirlwind of busyness. Although I haven't been blogging much due to some complicated internet issues, I have been working hardcore behind the scenes to get a few things complete for the next step of Plates for Plants

My partner and I have been working lonnng hours to get the new Plates for Plants website up and running. It is looking pretty darn good if I do say so myself and will blow what it currently looks like out of the water! I've been on  steady learning binge with HTML and CSS terms being crammed into my brain. I'm loving it!

Also, I;ve been working hard on the next eBook. I'm planning for a July release, just in time for this blog's first anniversary! I can't believe it's already coming up fast. I'll be releasing sneak peeks and details throughout June to get you guys as excited as I am about it!

Now let's get to the REALLY important stuff. The food! This was my first time making falafels, not to mention oil and fat free ones. They come out a bit denser than their fried counterparts, but just as delicious. I used the traditional method of using chickpea that haven't been cooked prior. They just soaked overnight and I poured some boiling water over them the next morning to soften them a bit. That being said, since these are being baked I think that a short 10 minute par-boil would make them less dense. I'll try that next time I make some.

These are perfect for a late afternoon snack on their own, or on a salad as pictured. I'm excited to try them in a wrap as well! The salad was fairly simple, just leaf lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, olive and parley with some hummus for a dressing. A simpel Tahini-Lemon dressing would also be great here.

Baked Falafels

Ingredients:

- 1 lb dried chickpeas, soaked overnight

- 1 large onion, minced

- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped fine

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 2 tbsp lemon juice

- 1 tbsp cumin

- 1 tsp fresh ground pepper

- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

- 1 hot pepper, minced (opt)

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Drain your chickpeas and toss them into your food processor or blender. I had to do this in batches, so I added a relatively proportionate amount of the other ingredients in the blender per batch.

Pulse until everything is well incorporated and ressembles a paste. But be careful not to make it a mush either! This isn't hummus. It should still be visibly flakey. 

Toss everything into a large bowl and mix in with your hands to get everything evenly distributed.

Test to see if the mixture holds together, if it's too wet add a bit of flour, if too dry, add a little water.

With your trusty hands, start forming balls of equal size, then lay them out on a parchment paper line baking sheet and flattem them to disks as pictured.

Bake for about 30 minutes. I found that I didn't have to flip them, but you can do so if desired at the halfway mark.

Enjoy!

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

It's finally starting to rain here, which is a welcome break from the humidity we've been getting lately. Although I hear that Mother Nature is being quite moody back in Canada, so I am feeling good about having to deal with humidity instead of snow...

That beign said, we get colder days now and a nice warm bowl of oatmeal is a nice treat in the evenings to enjoy warm food again without sweating. Although, mango season is now in full swing and I cannot get enough of them. They are like nature's candy!

As a kid, I usually had my oatmeal the same way every time; plain with heaps of brown sugar on top. Simple and delicious paired with a few slices of toast to dip in. Now I like to play around with the flavors I can achieve. The Carrot Cake oatmeal is a result of said play time.

The first gluten free cake I ever baked (successfully) was a heavily spiced carrot cake smothered in cream cheese icing. While this bowl lack the icing portion, it more than satisfies any craving that may arise.

I also noticed lately that oatmeal has become somewhat of a food trend in the blogging world, overnighted, baked it comes in a million different methods and flavors now. Gone are the days of pouches of quicks oats with mystery powders and dried fruit to bring flavor to a staple.

I have to say, that I am very happy I will never eat one of those again. I mean, I loved them at the time, but looking at the long list of ingredients on those things now has me running for the produce aisle.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup coarse raw sugar*

- 1/3 cup water

- 2 cups quick oats

- 2 cups finely shredded carrots

- 1 tbsp cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp nutmeg

- 1/2 tsp ground ginger

- 3/4 cup raisins

* If you are using a fine sugar, reduce to 1/2 cup

In a medium sauce pan, bring the sugar and water to a boil and let thicken. Keep an eye on it so that is doesn't burn and stir often.

In another pot, cook the oatmeal with the carrots and spices with as much water as you prefer. I usually use a 1:1 ratio.

Once the oatmeal is cooked, stir in the caramel and raisins.

Enjoy!

Tex-Mex Stacks

This post is officially the most time consuming one I have ever posted. 

Not because the recipe was complicated or anything. But because our internet suddenly decided to go back in time to the 90's and act like dial up. 

I think the total time with page loading, image uploading and waiting for other various things to work properly, this will have taken me 6-7 hours to get up on here. If that doesn't display passion and perseverance, I don't know what does!

On the other hand, this may be curbing my social media obsession, Pinterest is impossible to load right now...

Back to the food! This little beauty came to life from various leftovers and odd and ends I had to use up. It comes together in a second if you have cooked rice and potatoes ready to go. The tex-Mex flavors are strong and delicious. You can also amp up the heat with a generous coating of hot sauce.

I was going through quite the roasting phase for awhile and I think the way the tomatoes came out on this was the reason for it. I've started making my own salsa and hot sauces as a result and I don;t think I'll ever go back to buying them pre-made.

You can easily make this recipe fat-free by omitting the guac and the coconut cream if you are monitoring those macros. Although the plantains dipped in guac are sooooo good!

Tex-Mex Stacks

Ingredients:

1.5 cups refried beans

4 tomatoes, sliced

4 cups rice, cooked

2 large potatoes, sliced

1 recipe guacamole
4 tbsp coconut cream (coconut meat and water blended)
Oregano, cumin, red pepper flakes, S/P

In a casserole dish layer the ingredients as follows: potato, refried beans, rice, potato, tomato. Sprinkle with the spices as desired.

Bake at 350F until heated through and the tomatoes are cooked.

Top with guacamole and coconut cream and serve with baked plantains. 

Enjoy!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

Breakfast around here always involves fruit, which is why not many traditional breakfasty and sweet recipes make it to this blog. But I am working to change that since all of us have sweet tooths and I want to start including many more fruit-centric recipes.

This Apple Pie Oatmeal reminds me of being a kid, but 1000% times better since we used to eat the instant sachets of oatmeal before school and had the more wholesome stuff on the weekends with brown sugar.

The apples are easily prepared in advance so if you do want to have this for breakfast you can whip it all up in no time (we have it for dinner since eating fruit all day works the best for me).

I used Royal Gala apples since they are my favorite. I've read that they aren't the best choice for this kind of recipe but I'm not really one to follow rules. They kept their shape and the texture was my cup of tea. I think softer apples are usually chosen to make pies.

Although it's all green and sunny in these pictures, this recipe is perfect for those cold winter days. Nothing like a little warm comforting oatmeal with toast to brighten up a dreary cloudy day. Is it weird that I find oatmeal to be one of the most comforting foods?

I guess comfort food to me is warm, nourishing and familiar, for the most part. Really, I think that all food is comforting in it's own way and I like to stick to the healthier stuff. Associating healthy and nutritious foods to comfort make being healthy delicious and satisfying.

Apple Pie Oatmeal

 Ingredients:

- 4 medium apples, diced

- 3/4 cup sugar

- Cinnamon to taste

- 1.5 cups quick oats

Start off making the apple caramel. In a medium pot, combine apples with the sugar and cinnamon and a splash of water. One medium-high heat, cook until syrupy and the apples have softened up. This can be made beforehand and stored in the fridge until needed.

When ready to eat, cook oatmeal according to instructions and add in half the apple caramel. Use the rest to top or just throw it all in.

Enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Tortilla Pizza from Scratch

I have been lazy these past few days.

I'm making excuses to not do much work and read my days away (or watch season 5 of Grey's Anatomy) because it's my "birthday week" and all. But then again, I'm making massive amounts of banana ice cream that could count as testing for my next ebook...

On the other hand, I really don't think having a few days "off" is a bad idea at all. We all have this mentality drilled into us that always being busy is good and means we're being productive. Down time is a necessity and I have been working 6-7 days a week lately. Off days usually involve going to the market and the odd beach day. I'm definitely planning on taking more days to enjoy this amazing country.

What do you do to unwind?

I like to sleep in (which now means anytime past 7) and take my sweeeet time getting out of bed. An easy breakfast before a short yoga session, then either reading a book, taking a walk or lazing around watching a movie. The day just continues this way. I make easy simple meals, or if I feel like it's an "indulge" day, I'll make 3 recipes in a day. Sometimes my lazy days mean eating days. In comes the tortilla pizza.

This is one recipe that would fit in nicely between either of my favorite lazy days. It isn't too complex and doesn't take very long, but it tastes indulgent and makes for a great movie meal. I can easily eat 5-6 of them... Pizza doesn't have to be junk food! Make it in a  tortilla and it becomes an easy meal to whip up any day of the week.

I made this one south-american themed, but you can easily make it more traditional with your toppings of choice.

Tortilla Pizza

Fixings:

-       Crust:

o   1 cup masa harina

o   ½ cup water

-       Toppings:

o   Steamed kale

o   Roasted red peppers

o   Fresh tomatoes

o   Refried Beans

Mix the crust ingredients together until a firm dough is formed. Separate the ball into two roughly even ones and roll them out with the method detailed here, but thicker and with a tiny crust if desired. Also, leave it on until crisp instead of still soft, you want that crunch for your pizza.

You can also use store bought tortillas to make this extra fast and convenient.

Add on your toppings of choice, I used refried beans topped with sautéed kale and red peppers plus fresh tomatoes and a sprinkle of nooch.

Put the assembled deliciousness back into the pan or into the over to crisp up and heat the toppings up.

*** SIDENOTE***

I've just release a FREE ebook "12 Quick and Decadent Smoothie Recipes". You can get it right now by signing up for my newsletter in the right sidebar. Enjoy!

Starfruit Limeade

So I've decided to start blogging three times a week again. It just seems like a better flow to me. Besides I can't resist sharing what I'm making with all of you, especially that I've had some very productive days this past week with making 2-3 recipes a day.

Admittedly, this is a very summery recipe for a time of year when most of my readers are in the cold. But I always love to make summery things in the winter to remind me that it won't last forever. That, and I've been drinking a ton of it this past week. I'm varying it up though. Plain limeade is definitely one of my favorite drinks in the world, probably after fresh sugar cane juice, but having some variety in it means that I won't overdose on it and then not drink it for months (or years) afterwards.

Since we have a starfruit tree in our backyard at this new house of ours, I figured why not try it out?

Now, I've never had it, but I have it on good authority that this lemonade actually tastes like Tang. So if it's something that you loved/love, then I suggest you try it out! It's definitely a much much much healthier version of it.

We've also found quite a few more fruit trees on the property, which I'll be using to experiment with new fruits and sharing them with you! I want to use these Wednesday posts as featuring a fruit or vegetable of the week in a simple recipe that showcases it's awesomeness.

Onto the recipe!

 Starfruit Limeade

Ingredients:

- 1.5 cups lime juice

- 2 cup starfruit juice or puree

- 1 starfruit, sliced thin.

- 1 large orange , sliced thin.

- 1-2 cup raw sugar

- 3 liters water

In a large jug, combine all ingredients with a healthy dose of ice. 

Enjoy!

*** SIDENOTE***

I've just release a FREE ebook "12 Quick and Decadent Smoothie Recipes". You can get it right now by signing up for my newsletter in the right sidebar. 

Meatless Monday's: Creamy Chipotle Potato Soup

I think that the food group people worry about missing the most when going plant-based is dairy. Which isn't surprising because not only is it actually addictive, the taste and texture is seen as hard to mimic.

Nowadays, this couldn't be further from the truth.

With the development of nut cheeses as well as the soy and tapioca based ones, there is a wide array to choose from on that end. They are great transition foods, and a treat now and again.

There are some things that can make creamy delicious dishes without any of them AND be low-fat. The magic is in the potatoes! (or cauliflower, but that's for another post)

I also used a little homemade coconut milk to make it even more decadent, but it isn't essential if you want to keep this meal fat-free.

You can choose to top this with any vegetables, but I found that roasted broccoli was the perfect compliment. Any wilted greens would also work very well.

Creamy Chipotle Potato Soup

-       10-12 medium potatoes (I used a mix of red and yellow)

-       2-3 cup of water or veggie broth

-       1 onion, diced.

-       ¾ cup nutritional yeast

-       1 tbsp chipotle flakes (or more depending on how spicy you like it)

-       1 cup coconut milk (I used homemade)

-       S/P

Toppings:

-       1 head broccoli, cut into florets

-       1 onion, sliced

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.

On a cookie sheet, spread out the toppings and roast for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through.

In a large pot, boil the potatoes until tender. I always slice them into smaller pieces to speed up the process. Whole potatoes take an eternity.

Drain the cooking water and in batches, blend the potatoes with the rest of the ingredients, making sure to use enough liquid for each batch to get super smooth and creamy. Put it all back in the same pot, or soup container thing (see pictures, I can’t think of the proper name…). Either top the serving bowl with the broccoli mix, or each individual bowl.

Serve hot, with a simple salad.

Enjoy!!

ALSO: as I have mentioned I have some plans to grow the blog. I would LOVE your input and have put together a short 2 minute survey. I would be eternally grateful if you could fill it out.
Here's the link. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YJ6PH75

Like what you see?

Check out and LIKE the Plates for Plants FACEBOOK PAGE and see updates, pictures and new posts and sign up for our NEWSLETTER for exclusive content! (See the top right corner to sign up!)