Vanilla Bean Chia Parfait

Vanilla Bean Berry Chia Pudding - serves 2

A perfect light snack! It’s parfait!

1 cup coconut milk, plus more if desired

1 banana

1/4 large vanilla bean, seed scraped + pods reserved

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 T coconut sugar or brown sugar

pinch of salt

3 T chia seeds

1 T unsweetened coconut

1 T slivered almonds or granola

1/4 C fresh red berries or mango or other fruit of choice.

In blender, combine first 6 ingredients.

In large mixing bowl, add chia, and then pour liquid mixture over top, whisking as you do so.

Allow chia to rest for 15 minutes in refrigerator. To serve, pour 1/4 chia into bottom of serving glass/take-away container, add 1/4 of the coconut, berries, and almonds. Top with 1/4 more of the chia, and add a last layer of berries, almonds, coconut. Serve.

Chia keeps for up to 3 days in sealed glass container in refrigerator (do not layer until ready to serve)

Banana Pancake Smoothie

Banana Pancake Smoothie

Thick, creamy, and satisfying! This drink will fuel you through the morning!

1 C almond or coconut milk

1.5 frozen bananas

1/4 C old-fashioned oats

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 t ground cinnamon

1/4 ground nutmeg

1/8 t salt

Blend!

Festive Chickpea Roast w/ Miso Gravy

Ah, the holidays. It’s an annual event; a period that allows for legitimate excuses to imbibe, indulge and go overboard with all things decadent. Gingerbread, cider, candy canes, hot cocoa, and shortbread; the list goes on and on! Let me first say, that there is NO shame in enjoying all that comes with this time of year. Heck, I actually tried to commence a 12 day cleanse yesterday, but awoke this morning thinking, "what the HECK am I doing!?"! I am supposed to revel in the 12 days of Christmas, not restrict and deny (full disclosure, the Wild Rose Herbal Cleanse I was going to start is not at all difficult, as you still get to enjoy most of the foods we love!).

And what other traditional ingredients really say “festive season”? Well, dried fruit and all your usual poultry seasonings; rosemary, thyme and sage. And who can forget citrus, cinnamon and roasted chestnuts!

My mission: create a tasty main dish to share over the holidays that included all of the flavours familiar to everyone this time of year, vegan and omnivore alike. I also wanted a dish that would please even the most particular of palates (like those of my young veggie-hating nephews) and that would still express my playfulness when it comes creating full on collisions of different classical cuisines. So what did I come up with? A delightfully simple seasonal roast with deeply complex sweet and savoury flavours to boot. A dish that I can already say will make a repeat appearance on my holiday table for many years to come.

(originally publiched in Village Living Magazine)

Festive Chickpea Roast w/ Miso Gravy

2 tsp (10 mL) olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 stack celery, diced

1 lrg carrot, grated

1 C button mushrooms, diced

½ C Vegan veggie stock powder

1 T fresh sage, minced (about 3 leaves)

1 T fresh rosemary, minced

1 T fresh thyme, stem removed

2 T chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 T fresh lemon zest

1 T ground cinnamon

2 T sunflower seeds

½ C roast chestnuts, chopped*

1 can (19 oz/540 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 flax egg(4 Tbsp ground flax seed mixed with 1/2 C warm water )

1 C bread crumbs (I used gluten free)

1/4 C dried cranberriesor currants

1 t baking soda

Sea salt & pepper

Prepare flax egg replacer. Set aside. Line a loaf baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

In medium sauté pan, heat oil over med-low heat. Add onion, and cook for 1-2 minutes until sweating and slightly translucent. Add carrot, celery, mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add stock, cranberries and salt and pepper to taste (be liberal) and then let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.

In food processor, puree chickpeas until almost entirely broken down.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the chickpea puree plus all the remaining ingredients including the flax egg. Stir well to combine.

Dump mixture into loaf pan and press firmly into place. Smooth out top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes until lightly golden and stiff on top.

Miso Gravy

2 T miso paste

¾ C warm water

2.5 T nutritional yeast

½ t sea salt

1 t powdered ginger

1 t garlic powder

2 T soy milk powder (can be found at health & bulk food stores)

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Just before serving the roast, heat gravy in a small saucepan, reducing to desired consistency.

This is also a fantastic gravy to use with a batch of sautéed mushrooms and onions. Savoury mushroom gravy anyone? Yum!