My travels inspired me to add this amazing fruit to my smoothies. Passion fruit has a distinct taste, a bit tart, but still sweet. Its seeds give an added texture to smoothies. Next time you need a vitamin c boost, make this delicious smoothie!

1/2 a pineapple
1 large mango
2 passion fruit

Serves 2

Blend well and enjoy!

Breakfast or Dessert?

You’ll never know with this raw cacao smoothie bowl. Did you know that cacao has 20x more antioxidants than blueberries!! Switch up your breakfast with this yummy treat perfect for you or your kids

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 1 cup organic quick oats
• 2 Bananas
• 2 tbsp organic cacao powder
• 1 cup of Vanilla Rice Milk or milk of choice
• 2 tbsp natural peanut butter

Directions

• Blend well
• Sprinkle with shaved organic chocolate or carob chips

If you’re a cookie-dough lover, here’s a quick and healthy option that satisfies the craving!

Although I’m not a vegan, I gravitate towards making a ton of vegan treats. With no eggs and dairy, and no baking required, these bites get made pretty quickly. I don’t love working with a lot of ingredients and perhaps that’s why I love making these so much!

The nuts provide healthy fats and protein, while the oats are full of fiber and whole-grain goodness. Hope you enjoy this simple and tasty treat:) I bet you can’t just have one…..

Ingredients

• 1 cup Cashews
• 1/2 cup organic old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tbsp organic liquid honey
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Organic chocolate chips
• Hemp seeds

Directions

• Blend all dry ingredients until fine. Then add wet ingredients
• Dough will harden and form into a ball in your blender. Once this happens, separate into size or shape of preference.
• Add chocolate chips or roll in hemp seeds

Pasta is considered a comfort food for many people. Growing up in an Italian household, it was a staple. I certainly never ate rice pasta with kale….but I must say, it’s quite delicious. I’m all about adding vegetables when I can, and above all I want it taste good. Hopefully you think so too:)
Serves 4

Ingredients

• Fresh Kale
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper
• 500 grams of rice pasta. I use a brand called Rizopia, which is found in most grocery stores
• 1.5 cups of fresh additive-free ricotta

Directions

1. Brush olive oil on to kale leaves and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven at 350F until crispy. Once complete, crumble several kale leaves for pasta garnish and enjoy the rest of them as kale chips!
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. I like my pasta al dente! And be sure to reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
3. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add some extra virgin olive oil and cooking water as required to ensure pasta is moist.
4. Transfer pasta to serving bowls and scoop about 1/3 cup of ricotta into each bowl. Garnish with crumbled kale and enjoy!

Not only are white kidney beans a good source of protein, but they stabilize blood-sugar and lower cholesterol due to their high-fiber content. Enjoy this super easy, super healthy appetizer at your next party!! I topped this over Ace Bakery Rosemary baguette crisps.

Ingredients

• 1/4 of red or white onion
• 1-2 garlic cloves
• 2 cups of washed canned white kidney beans. (or cook dry ones!
• 6-8 cherry tomatoes
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Crisps or crostini’s

Directions

1. Mince the onion and garlic.
2. Cut the cherry tomatoes in halves or thirds
3. Sautée garlic and onion until golden.
4. Add beans and cherry tomatoes and cook util mushy
5. Place in bowl and add salt and extra virgin olive oil as desired.
6. Serve hot or cold with crisps

Dessert or snack, pears are full of vitamins C, E & B2 and high in fiber. Ricotta cheese is whey, and so it is a great source of protein. I grew up eating this delicious cheese and love its smooth and sweet taste. Purchasing fresh ricotta without additives is always best.

Directions

1. Slice pear of choice in half and bake with skin at 350F for 30min or until soft. I prefer Bosc pears!
2. Top with fresh ricotta cheese
3. Add granola of choice. I used my sesame-hemp granola with raisins.

Get into the season with one of my Holiday favourites. It’s not just pretty, it’s simply delicious and healthy too. I think it’s important to eat fruits and veggies that are in-season. Pomegranates are an incredible fruit filled with powerful antioxidants, and when paired with the sweet liquorice taste of fennel, the combination is really delicious.

Ingredients

• Sliced Fennel
• Sectioned Orange
• Pomegranate Seeds
• green onion
• Pine Nuts
• Dress with olive oil, honey, salt and pepper

I switched up this traditional family recipe and used pecans and chocolate chips instead of almonds. A simple, nutritious and very quick treat to add to your Holiday baking.

Directions

1. slice figs horizontally part way through
2. fill organic chocolate-chips into the top layer (I used 3)
3. fill a pecan halve into the bottom layer
4. bake for about 10 minutes at 350f

I had a look in my cupboards…and came up with this. Simple, yummy and nutritious. I prefer jarred peaches over canned peaches. Fortunately, my family picks and jars peaches every summer and so I always have them on hand.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of quick oats
• 1 cup of sunflower seeds
• 4 tbsp of agave or honey
• canned peaches
• cinnamon
  (Makes approximately 24 mini tarts)

Directions

1. For dough, mix quick oats, sunflower seed and agave or honey and blend until dough is formed.
2. Place muffin-tin liners in your muffin tray and press mould your dough to the shape of the cup
3. For filling, slice jarred peaches, add cinnamon and fill cups
4. Bake for 10min at 350f

If you need a simple and healthy snack or dessert for yourself or your kids, this is a great guilt-free one!  Chickpeas are naturally sweet and high in fiber, making them a perfect go-to base for baking.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp of flax meal
• 6 tbsp of water
• 2 cups of organic chickpeas
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
• 3-4 tbsp of natural smooth peanut butter
• Large organic chocolate or chocolate chips as desired

Directions

1. First prepare your flax-eggs by mixing 2 tbsp of flax with 6 tbsp of water. Stir well and refrigerate for 10 minutes
2. In your food processor, blend organic chickpeas, agave or maple syrup, vanilla extract and peanut butter and flax-eggs.
3. Stir in chocolate or carob chips.
4. Scoop generous tablespoon size cookies onto your baking tray on parchment paper.
5. Bake for 20 minutes at 350f
6. Let cookies cool for 20 minutes uncovered.