Mango Upside Down Cake (Vegan & Gluten Free)

I found myself with an abundance of mangoes last week. My friend brought me a whole case of em when I had a potluck, along with a bunch of bananas and a coconut - how's that for an awesome tropical treat? Hah!

Well needless to say even I can't eat that many ultra-ripe mangoes within a few days. They were good to go. 12 delicious, succulent Ataulfo mangoes. I felt like freezing them is so cliche. I wanted to do something different.

I've felt like I've really been in a food rut, which is something I truly hate. Food needs to be exciting and awesome, not just a play on the same old favourite dishes ALL THE TIME! I was getting too comfortable with my flavours and ingredients.

I decided to do one savory and one sweet recipe. I actually was dying for a chutney, and I found this great recipe online which turned out AMAZING! I would just recommend pureeing it a bit in a processor to make it less chunky.Also, I didn't add the nuts and I didn't put it in an ice bath because I was too lazy, and I found it cooled just fine.



As for the sweet recipe, I'm really not sure how or why I decided to do an upside down cake, but as soon as the inspiration hit, I was surfing the internet everywhere so I could compare recipes. I do this with all types of dishes I don't normally do, just to see the general method of preparation, baking time, ingredient ratios, etc.

So I put together my own recipe based on all the others I saw. I always bake vegan (duh), and I even made this gluten free, which is how I've been eating the last month or so. I also always use coconut sugar (or another natural sweetener), and I didn't use vegan margarine - just coconut oil! I can honestly say I loved the cake, and my family and friends did as well. I hope you enjoy my healthy spin on this classic.

Mango Upside Down Cake

 
-3 tbsp + 1/2 cup coconut oil (divided)
-1/3 cup + 3/4 cup coconut sugar (divided)
-3-4 mangoes, peeled and sliced -1/2 cup brown rice flour 
-1 cup chickpea flour
-1/4 cup potato starch 
-2 tbsp chia seeds or milled flax 
seeds + 6 tbsp water 
-1 tsp vanilla extract 
-2 tsp baking powder
-1/2 cup almond/non dairy milk + 1 tbsp lemon juice (let it curdle. This is vegan buttermilk!)
 
1. Preheat oven to 350.
 
2. In a skillet, heat 3 tbsp coconut oil over low heat, then add 1/3 cup of sugar and 1 tbsp water. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth like caramel.
 
3. Transfer the sugar mixture to a circular (or square 9 x 9") baking pan and spread evenly. Now take your mango slices and layer them in the prettiest pattern you can.  Set aside for now.
 
4. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to fluff the remaining coconut oil and sugar. Now add the eggs and keep mixing. Add in the vanilla and the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Now add your vegan buttermilk and mix one last time 
 
5. Pour mixture over the mangoes and bake for 40 minutes. The cake will be golden and should spring back up when touched. 
 
6. Let it cool for about 5 minutes, then take a clean surface, such as a cutting board or a large, flat serving pan and put it over your cake pan. Then flip the cake pan over (carefully!) and let it sit for another minute. Now jiggle the cake pan off. This is your gorgeous cake!

Note: You never wanna let GF desserts sit in the pan too long. It'll dry them out like crazy! 

Also, I had leftover balsamic reduction which I drizzled on top... not necessary because it's such a sweet cake as is. But doesn't hurt. ;)

Joining the GF club + vacationing as a vegan

In my last post, I discussed my soy and gluten elimination diet. I wanna give you guys a little life update.

2 weeks before I went away on a recent vacation to Cuba, I gave up gluten and soy. You can read about it in my last post. I felt good, but I don't think I gave myself enough time to feel a difference or to even rebuild any gut damage that could have been there. Not by a long shot.

I reintroduced soy after only a week. I gotta admit, I was missing a lot of my protein sources. I mean I love beans but I missed my tempeh, tofu, and also my delicious flavour enhancing staples tamari and miso. I've decided, though, that I am definitely reducing my soy. I don't eat it daily anymore, but I also don't label it "off limits". As always, it must be organic and non GMO.

The gluten is something I've always suspected needs to go. But I also knew it was that much harder to look out for hidden gluten when dining out. I've gotten very used to knowing how to avoid dairy and obviously meat when eating out, but gluten is a whole new set of questions. Will all waitresses hate me forever?

I actually work at an awesome restaurant with so many vegan and gluten free items, so I'm very spoiled in knowing what I'm eating while I'm there at least, hah.

So that being said, I reintroduced the gluten in my first few days in Cuba. I normally would never eat white bread, but once your only option is a buffet in which the only (pretty much surefire) vegan food is salad, rice, beans (sometimes) and squash (sometimes) and lots of white potatoes (always), the soft and fresh daily bread starts to look quite appetizing to go along with my other carbs. ALL THE CARBS! Hah, seriously though... definitely no tempeh or tofu there! My diet was probably 75% carbs.

On a side note, I have become so sick of restrictions, with calories and macros, that I really didn't let myself say no to eating "bad" stuff while I was away from home. Did I go hog wild? No. I ate a ton of fruits and veggies, and even brought my own homemade cereal to have in the mornings with almond milk. I also brought maca and spirulina and some organic trail mix. I did it because I like feelin good, and that's how good food makes ya feel!

ANYWAY, I felt so bloated and gross after eating the pasta and bread. I decided then and there I don't need or want gluten. I know all about it's bad rap (still wanna read more but I get the jist of it), and I know I feel very bloated after eating it. I also know I have gut issues, so it's time to say goodbye.

It's been almost a week since I've been back, and I don't feel super different yet, but I am keeping in mind my gut needs time to get a grip on not digesting gluten. I plan on taking lots of enzymes and gut-healing foods.

I've also started eating intuitively, and that's made my digestion loads better already. I don't count calories, so now I'm slowly starting to recognize true hunger signals. It's a process, and it's not easy, but I am healing my gut!

Any GF vegans out there? How long and why?

xo
Tijana

Elimination diet - goodbye, soy and gluten!

 Hey, everyone.  This post is a little personal, which I don't typically do too much of here. I will be eliminating soy and gluten from my diet to reset my system, and here is why...

It's well into April, which means there are only a couple weeks until I'm jetting off to Cuba. Besides the sunshine and fun activities I'll enjoy with my boyfriend, I've also kept in mind we shall be taking many pictures... so I want to be in swim suit shape.

Swim suit shape? What does that even mean? As I've mentioned on my blog before, I used to think that meant weighing sub 120 lbs, fitting in a size 2, and eating strict 1200 calories a day, followed by excessive cardio exercise. Now I know this is known as disordered eating and negative body image. This is not a healthy way to live in the long term, emotionally or physically.


Now, thank goodness, I've learned a lot more about fitness and nutrition. I have started doing a lot more resistance training. I've also been more mindful of getting the right macronutrients and calories for my needs. I stopped relying on the scale and started eating and exercising to be healthy and just have an awesome quality of life.

After a long hiatus off of weighing myself, I was shocked that I had gained almost 20 pounds. I was so ashamed and just felt sickened with myself. The thoughts I have are sometimes so disturbing. I tried to lose weight, but I always broke down because it was so difficult. I eat only whole foods, I'm very active, I even began to manage my caloric intake... why am I such a failure?

None of my clothes fit right now. I am secretly freaking out about having so many pictures taken of me, because I know I will just judge myself like crazy, and maybe even enjoy my trip less because of it. These thoughts suck. I am trying my best to shut them up when they come around. I know that I am living a much healthier lifestyle than those extremely restrictive days when I thought I was so healthy. I am always learning, of course. It's a journey about finding your happy place balancing life, working out, eating well, and indulging at the right times and in the right ways.

Well, the purpose of this post is not exactly to just cry out my body image issues on my blog. I kinda did that a little bit, but there is a point...promise. Besides the fact that I know many of you reading this have probably (unfortunately) felt crappy about yourselves to some degree, I posted all this to explain part of a reason I want to do an elimination diet.

I did NOT decide to do it as a "get skinny quick" plan before my vacation. I have had symptoms such as bloating, brain fog, fatigue, and poor digestion for a long time. Sometimes it's worse than at other times. I know that food sensitivities can very well be a likely culprit of these symptoms. I thought an elimination diet for 2-3 weeks would be an excellent way to tell if it was either gluten or soy, two common allergens, which are causing the problem.



However, I also do know that my weight gain, or inability to lose weight, can very well be tied with my hormones being out of wack. Hopefully this elimination diet free of soy and gluten will keep some of my wonky hormones in check.

And of course I am looking beyond the weight gain. I have even felt much more well rested and had less brain fog since cutting out all gluten in the last week and about 90% soy (I finished off some tofu I had already opened recently). I am realizing that wellness is sooo not all about being slim. At. All. Having abundant energy, athletic performance, mood, and digestion are all much better indicators of health than fitting in a tiny size while starving your tired self, aren't they?

Anyway...

The gluten is very easy for me, because my diet is mostly all gluten free with the exception of occasional spelt, seitan or some sprouted grain bread once in a while. The soy is definitely tricky, because I rely on tofu and tempeh as protein sources frequently!



I will be eating a crap ton of beans lately. Vega is also my best friend to make sure I am getting my protein like a good little active vegan. But as we all know by now, plants are chock full of protein our bodies can use, and if you eat a whole foods diet, you can be rest assured you get enough.

You can follow my food posts on my Instagram - I've been excitedly coming up with lots of new stuff! @missveggievibes

I do want to mention that it is important to have knowledge and resources before going on any sort of elimination diet or new eating plan... please don't go out and stop eating everything in sight without consulting the help of a professional! I certainly don't have all the answers, and I don't even pretend I can prescribe an elimination diet for everyone. But if you do feel like you're having food sensitivities, it's always a good idea to see a naturopath!

I can say that if you can relate to some of these crappy body image issues, which I'm sure you can, please take this to heart: you are a beaut. Your body is capable of doing amazing things. Treat your body with respect, and it will reward you with energy, vitality, and amazing changes you never thought possible. You are so much more than someone ruled by dieting just to fit in some tiny pair of pants. If you are treating your body so nice by eating well and staying active, why the heck are you hating it so much?

Seriously, we all need to remember this. Myself included!

I am now focused on having a positive body image as I continue my healing journey. The mind and body are related - I can't keep being obsessed with changing my body, hating it, and then eating healthy and exercising and expecting it to listen to me. Self love must be there, no question.

Have a great night, guys. I'll keep you posted!

Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off recap + GF Nutty Mocha Brownie recipe!

Hey, friends! Happy spring...or as we call it in Canada, still-freezing-my-ass-off season.

But you know what? I actually can't complain, because there is so much awesomeness going on lately. Such as my favourite event of the year, which was last weekend: The 6th Annual Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off.

This is my third year in the Bake-Off. I know I've chatted a bit about it in past posts here. Basically anyone can enter - you just create your own special vegan recipes and bake your little butt off! Everyone can attend. It's expanding each and every year, and this year was the biggest yet - a totally packed venue!! It's 10 bucks for a ticket, which gets you two plates of your categories of choice. Each category has six entries, I believe. You then vote for which was your favourite in that category, and whoever gets the most votes WINS!

Check out that crowd!

I could not decide on one dessert, so I did two. I always try to push the envelope and try something different.

I was so torn between doing a gluten free cupcake or entering some sort of brownie. I really wanted to try something gluten free because I'd never done that category, and I know a lot of vegans are embracing the GF life. Also, it does pose a fun challenge. I soon realized, though, that some GF desserts are much more challenging than others.

Gluten free desserts can be delicious, don't get me wrong. But make one false move and you end up with a dry, cardboard-like brick on your plate. Not a good way to rep GF. I did my research and did some trails. This is what I found:

-Pick flours wisely, and always use a starch (corn starch, potato starch, etc). Some flours taste stronger than others, and some suck up moisture more than others, among many other factors. You need all the precious moisture you can get in GF baking!

-Use plentiful moistening ingredients - apple sauce, mashed banana, almond pulp, shredded zucchini, you name it. Just don't be shy. Again, avoid the dryness.

-Most other desserts and baked goods are okay to let cool in the pan for a while before removing. This will increase the likelihood of cardboard in GF stuff. As soon as you can, take that baby to a cooling rack.

-Often freezing baked goods then thawing will improve their texture.

I still have a lot of experimenting to do, and I'm far from an expert, but these tips are something I can take home with me for next time I go on GF ventures. When in doubt, buy a good GF AP flour and follow a recipe to a tee!

Anyway, I decided GF cupcakes are just too damn hard, and although I did have some success, it's just so dense... and it wasn't Bake-Off worthy. I decided I'd do spelt and kamut carrot cupcakes, and also a GF brownie (much easier to make gluten-free and keep that delicious moistness!).

The brownie was my fave of the two, although I was proud of both. The cupcakes were definitely more tedious. Spelt does not rise as much as wheat flour, because it is significantly lower in gluten content. Kamut helped the rise, so I eventually added it to the recipe. After many trails, I put out an amazing dessert I was proud of. The cream cheese icing was especially delish - my boyfriend ate it up by itself!

Creamy Carrot Cupcakes

The Bake-Off was by far the most packed one yet. I love how it gets bigger and better each year. With over 60 bakers, and hundreds of desserts, it was an awesome day to be a vegan with a sweet tooth. How it works is you buy a ticket in advance (they sell out quick!), which is $10 and gets you two plates of choice of dessert samples.

I'm just sharing the brownie recipe because they are much less tedious, make less dishes, and can be made without too many ingredients. You will not be dissapointed! Also, no refined sugars or oils added. Just Mama Nature.

PS, the mocha drizzle is optional......but highly encouraged for an over-the-top experience!

Nutty Mocha Brownies (GF and Vegan)

Wet ingredients:

-1 package Enjoy Life chocolate chunks, divided in half
-1 cup cooked sweet potato, mashed
-1/2 cup date paste*, or other liquid sweetener should work
-1/2 cup almond or peanut butter
-3/4 cup strong brewed coffee** (use double the amount of coffee you'd regularly use per amount of water)
-1 cup (preferably homemade) nut milk + 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
-2 tbsp flax seed + 6 tbsp water
-1 tsp vanilla extract

*To make date paste, blend 10-12 pitted Medjool dates with 1 cup of water until completely smooth. Pre-soak dates if you're not using a high powered blender. Make about one cup of date paste.

**Brew extra coffee if you're doing the mocha drizzle. See below.

Dry ingredients:

-1 1/3 cups almond flour/meal
-1 cup brown rice flour
-1/2 cup cacao powder
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp sea salt
-2/3 cup crushed walnuts

For the mocha drizzle (optional):

-1 cup soaked cashews (soak overnight or at least two hours)
-1/2 cup water
-1/2 cup leftover brewed coffee
-15 Medjool dates, pitted
-1/4 cup carob powder

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Over very low heat, melt half the bag of chocolate chips, stirring constantly. Set the other half aside for later. Meanwhile, mix your flax and water in your blender/food processor and let it set. In your measuring cup, combine the milk and vinegar and let it curdle.

3. Once the chocolate is melted, put it in your blender or processor with the flax, milk mixture, and remaining wet ingredients, and blend away until smooth.

4. Transfer everything to a large bowl and add the dry stuff slowly, except the walnuts. Mix well. GF desserts need not be feared to over-mix. Fold in your walnuts.

5. Lightly grease a brownie pan and pour your batter in evenly. Bake for 35 minutes.

6. Let your brownies cool for about five minutes, then immediately remove them delicately. I used a large baking sheet to put over the brownie pan, and used my oven mitts to quickly flip it over. I lifted the pan, and voila! Once they're totally cool, cut them into your desired size. Note: The middle will be considerably softer, but once they're cooled they won't be all fudgey and loose. I love when they're all soft, though... mmm. It's hard to make GF stuff cool totally evenly, I find.

Once they're totally cooled, you can make the mocha drizzle...

1. Blend your soaked cashews along with the water and coffee in a blender at high speed until smooth.

2. Add the dates and carob and blend until completely smooth.  If your dates are on the harder side, let them sit in the liquid for a bit before blending, unless you have a high powered blender which can just rough it out.

3. Using an icing piper, or a Ziploc bag with a little corner cut off, pour your drizzle in and put it over your brownies in a zig-zag motion. Or you can just use a flat rubber spatula and do it freestyle. Have some licks off the spoon along the way.

I topped mine with more crushed walnuts!

Hope you guys enjoy these as much as I did!! I got lots of great feedback on these babies. They made me proud, even though I didn't win.

Here are some more pics of the event:

My daddy and I

 I finally met a fellow vegan blogger! Lisa at Je Suis Alimenteuse

Myself and beautiful Aleks over at Dessert Art

Mr Fabulous

 Myself and my best friend

And some breathtaking presentations and plates... food porn, hello!!

Raw for two weeks - my cleanse experience

Hey friends. It's been a while since I've written here. That's mainly because I'm much more active on Instagram and Facebook, so be sure to check me out there if you haven't already! :)

So I've just finished off a two week detox. All raw, plant-based, whole foods for two weeks. This is the third time I've done this type of cleanse, and it is by far my favourite way to detox. I'm not one for liquid cleanses. I love my food! You can see how I fared with a juice fast on my post here.

Eating raw means you are getting all those beautiful enzymes that make you feel vibrant and give you oodles of energy. Cooking foods changes their chemical structure and kills valuable enzymes in the process. That being said, I do think cooked food has a place in a healthy diet. I do think that raw foods are very beneficial for vitality, but that doesn't mean you need to necessarily eat raw 100%. Some people argue that, and that's cool. This is just me speaking from my own experience!

In the beginning, by far the hardest part was giving up my morning coffee. Don't get me wrong, I still had some tea, and I wasn't limiting my caffeine (I had green or mate tea occasionally). Coffee is just something else. I always felt like I was never quite the same without my morning coffee. I can't even count how many times a week I say "I NEED a coffee before this class, workout, etc". After a few days, I actually started waking up feeling so energetic. I looked fresh and felt fresh. Even working out first thing in the morning without coffee I felt fantastic. I never noticed how I was really getting dependent on that caffeine.

And speaking of workouts, I noticed I was recovering quicker from tough gym sessions, and pushing even harder in my training. That could be that my training is advancing, and it is, but I attribute that success hugely to eating these bioavailable foods. :)

I planned to do all this elaborate "un-cooking". Raw food prep, if you will. I knew one thing: I cannot be stuck starving and eat a whole bag of cashews. It happened on one of my cleanses practically, and my tummy really hurt! Fail to plan, plan to fail couldn't apply more. Although I did adequately prep ingredients and meals, they certainly weren't fancy like I planned. I ate a lot of salads and collard wraps, as well as raw breakfast bowls. These were different each time, but certainly not too fancy. Hey, I'm a full time student and I work weekends. What did I expect?

What I did ensure was that I always had sprouts and my Sun Warrior raw protein. I did track my macros to make sure I wasn't eating insane carbs and fat, which I know doesn't make me feel good at all, and I didn't want to lose muscle. I know people who do that 80/10/10, but I know that's not for me. That could be a whole other post in itself...

Here are some tidbits from my cleanse.

Raw falafel in a salad with a tahini dressing

Banana ice cream bowl with a raw brownie on top

A wrap with raw hummus, sprouted chickpeas, and a very sloppily sliced pepper!

Zucchini pasta with raw tomato sauce

This is from Live, a wicked raw food restaurant. :)

I made these several times. Only 3 ingredients! Check out my IG for the recipe.

Tomorrow morning will be the official end of my cleanse. I actually made brownies for tomorrow (Valentine's Day. And I figured I need to test out some recipes for the Bake Off I'm entering!), which I did taste tonight. Can't lie. They are effing good!! I'll share the recipe after the Vegan Bake Off is done.

To conclude, I felt awesome and I would recommend this type of cleanse to anyone. All I can say is please try and ensure your calories are adequate. Drink lots of water. Don't make your diet all fat or sweet fruits! Get your protein from leafy greens, sprouts and I recommend a raw protein powder like Sun Warrior. 

Peace out for now, amigos. I'm gonna go make a green juice!

xo Tij

Epic Lasagna - Whole Grain, Vegan and Delicious!

So that sauce that I made for my last post? It was pretty much made with this lasagna in mind. I have had lasagna on the brain for weeks for some reason. Of course I didn't wanna settle for a simple sauce-and-cheese lasagna with store bought sauce and Daiya - although I'm sure it'd be terrific. But I love the satisfaction of creating a meal from scratch. I control which flavours are in it, the salt content, and of course no preservatives to boot.

I wasn't about to make the noodles though, so I bought kamut lasagna noodles. I saw some brown rice noodles (which would have made a gluten free lasagna), but opted for the kamut for the protein content, and the fact that it wasn't pre-cooked (I don't know why but pre-cooked stuff seems a bit sketchy to me...don't ask me why I think so!). I used these, by Artisan Acres:

As I said, I posted the recipe for the sauce in my last post. I made a ricotta style cheese out of tofu, and I really liked it both on it's own and in the lasagna. I had leftover toasted nuts that I combined with nutritional yeast to use as a parmesan to sprinkle on top. 

I also included plenty of roasted vegetables to balance out all those heavy ingredients. Can't ever have a recipe without some vegetables!

Of course lasagna has a gazillion variations. Feel free to use whatever cheese, sauce, noodles, or other filling ingredients you wish. You can also use the ricotta in other things like pasta or on pizza. Like I said, it's quite lovely on it's own!

The Best Ever Vegan Lasagna

Ingredients:

-1 box lasagna noodles of choice, cooked according to package directions

For the tofu ricotta:

-1 block organic tofu, medium firm to firm

-3-4 tbsp fresh basil, finely chopped

-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

-3 tbsp nutritional yeast

-1 tbsp lemon juice

-1 tbsp tahini

-1 tsp oregano

-1/2 tsp sea salt

For the sauce:

Use recipe here

For the veggies:

Use enough chopped vegetables, roughly the same size, to fill a large, lightly greased baking sheet. I used broccoli, bell peppers, red onions and zucchini. 

For the parmesan topping (optional):

-1/4 cup finely chopped toasted nuts (you can use a food processor and pulse)

-1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions:

*Note: I roasted my veggies the night before at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, until they looked "roasted enough", for lack of a better word. You can do this too to save time! Just toss with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. No need to add oil, except to lightly oil your baking sheet.

1. Preheat oven to 375. If you haven't roasted your veggies yet, you can turn the heat up higher. Roast them for about 20-30 minutes, checking that they don't burn. 

2. Meanwhile, fill a large pot with water and a pinch of sea salt or a kombu leaf, and cook the noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water gently. Set aside.

3. Take your block of tofu and crumble with your hands into a bowl until it resembles ricotta cheese. Take half of it, along with the other cheese ingredients, and process in a food processor or blender until fairly smooth. Return to bowl and toss with other half. This gives it some texture. If you don't have a processor or blender, I'm sure you can just keep the whole thing chunky and combine the ingredients in your bowl manually.

4. If your oven was turned up higher, bring the heat down to 375. In a lightly greased lasagna pan, layer cooked noodles, a generous dollop of sauce, ricotta, and vegetables, followed by another layer of noodles. Repeat until you have three layers of noodles, but don't put veggies on the top layer. So it's gonna be like this from the bottom: noodles, sauce, cheese, veggies. Noodles, sauce, cheese, veggies. Noodles, sauce, cheese. Now you can mix your parm ingredients, then sprinkle it on top if you're using it.

5. Cover your lasagna with aluminum foil, and pop it in the oven for 30-35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 5-10 minutes. Gently remove from the oven, let it cool for a bit, slice, and devour!

You're welcome. :) I added more fresh basil on top of mine!

What a housewife... excuse my messy hair. It's part of the look...

 

High Protein & Oil Free Tomato Sauce

Happy 2014 to all!!! This is an exciting time to start fresh and reevaluate our priorities, as we head into another year of our lives. Of course we have all made some resolutions, big or small, realistic and maybe not so realistic.

My personal resolutions have actually been the opposite of a lot of people's. I am NOT going to weigh myself or count calories any longer. I want to get to a point where I can just listen to my body. I eat whole and plant based foods, a lot of raw veggies (including a shit ton of leafy greens), so whatever size my body decides to be is gonna have to be okay. I am trying to lose some weight that I've gained, and truth be told it has been a huge mental battle, but with this strategy I think I'll win it. My "strategy" is to continue living a fit and active life, eat plenty of whole foods and drink tons of water. I do want to moderate desserts and definitely drinking alcohol. I know it sounds like a mixed message - to sum it up, I don't wanna care about my weight obsessively, but I'm hoping some comes off in this process. I'll keep you posted.

ANYWAY, to the recipe. I plan on making a lovely roasted vegetable lasagna from scratch this week, and I knew I had to bulk it up with some protein. I decided to add some fibre and protein by adding red lentils into my homemade sauce. The result was incredible. I licked my spoon with delight!

High Protein and Oil Free Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

-3/4 dry red lentils, rinsed

-1 796ml can crushed tomatoes (go for organic!)

-1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes

-1 tbsp raw honey or agave

-1 tsp each parsley, rosemary and oregano

-1/2 tsp each thyme and paprika

-Handful of fresh basil leaves

-2-3 cloves roasted garlic*

*For an awesome tutorial on how to roast garlic, click here

1. In a medium pot, bring lentils and 1 1/2 cups of water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on medium heat. Keep simmering uncovered for about 15-20 minutes, or until lentils are cooked. They will get mushy, and this is the idea!

2. While the lentils cook, soak the sun dried tomatoes in some water. 

3. When the lentils are done. transfer them to a blender and allow to cool for a couple minutes. 

4. Drain your sun dried tomatoes of water, and add them to the blender. Add in all the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. 

Enjoy over pasta, on a pizza, or off the spoon!

This will make a very thick sauce. When you wanna thin it out, just add a little water! 

Also note I did not add salt. I realized I (unintentionally) bought a can of tomatoes with salt added. If yours are salt free, you can add a little salt to taste.

Happy eating! I'll be making a delish kamut lasagna with this sauce, along with tofu ricotta and lots of roasted veggies. Stay tuned.

xo

Tij