Live Lighter

Blueberry Peach Almond Crisp

I seriously love summer. The weather is warmer, the days are longer, and the produce is fresh and abundant. I have been so busy enjoying the beautiful weather, time with loved ones, long walks with Bodhi, deepening my yoga practice, planning a trip and just taking some much needed time for reflection and developing an intentional lifestyle. I’ve been trying to prioritize self-care and meditation…

Four-Ingredient Vegan Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream

So yesterday was #NationalIceCreamDay and of course I had to celebrate. Luckily I already had some frozen bananas in my freezer (I always add them to smoothies), so I was in a perfect position to make banana “nice cream”. Most people are probably aware of how frozen bananas can magically be whipped up into amazing soft serve, but in case you aren’t – they can! So you have no excuse to try this…

The 80s are suddenly cool again and I’m digging the throwbacks to Jem and the Holograms, Care Bears, My Little Pony and  everything rainbow. Rainbow Bright. Reading Rainbow. Rainbow sweaters and leg warmers. Aaaaah memories. :) But the food in the 80s, I have to say, was not so great. From what I remember from commercials, it was a lot of Cheez Whiz, sugary food-dyed cereal and Wonder bread. I’ve…

Raw Vegan Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai

Yes. You read that right. Everything in this salad is raw. Noodles and veggies. And that’s because the noodles ARE vegetables. I am seriously loving my spiralizer now that the weather has become too hot to cook in Toronto. You’ve probably seen how this very cool device can make vegetable noodles out of zucchini, carrots or even sweet potato. It’s pretty amazing. The best part is that these…

Lemon Asparagus Sprouted Risotto

Nothing says spring like lemon and asparagus and both are paired deliciously in this simple vegan dish. Being a super busy time of year for me, with report cards and graduation preparations needed,I’ll be leaning on my tried and true recipes that require minimal prep but make great leftovers. Hence this risotto – and the lack of a very long pre-amble to the recipe. Suffice to say that it’s…

Creamy and Energizing Mocha “Coffee” Latte Alternative

Are you currently on a spring detox and or have to avoid coffee? Fear not! I have a delicious solution to your coffee woes. Personally, I was never a hardcore coffee drinker, but I always loved the smell and flavour of it in foods. No offence to Tim Horton’s, but it wasn’t until my trips to Europe in my early twenties when I fell in love with cappuccinos and dark rich coffee. They just know how…

Green smoothies are a staple in my food rotation (especially now that Toronto has suddenly embraced summer weather – hurray!) so I honestly don’t know why it’s taken me this long to post a recipe for it. I think it’s because I assume there’s a zillion recipes out there for green smoothies, so why post another. However, after blending probably close to a thousand smoothies, I think it’s fair to…

Mother’s Day Brunch

Happy Belated Mother’s Day to all the moms, mother’s-to-be and furmoms out there! I decided to show my mom some love with a brunch (which seems to have become a yearly tradition now) last Sunday. Brunch seems to be the meal en vogue, and I can see why when you get the best of both worlds! And as fancy as brunch seems, hosting brunch does NOT have to be complicated or difficult and can easily be…

Vegan Curried Singapore Rice Noodles

I’m going to be upfront by telling you that this recipe my version inspired by Singapore noodles and is not authentic. If you’re a stickler for the real deal here, I’d encourage you to look elsewhere. However, this version puts up a pretty good fight on its own. :) I had half a giant package of flat rice noodles when I experimented with making Pad Thai a few weeks ago and decided to use it to…

Smoked Tofu and Cabbage Slaw Noodles with Warm Sesame Dressing

This post is a little late on this Sunday, but better late than never! And let me tell you, this noodle bowl is worth the wait! I love making noodle bowls that remind me of ones I can get in restaurants (like Fresh in Toronto) since there’s a lot of versatility with what you can throw in it, but the base for me is always the sauce and the tofu. And this dish has does both really well. Smoked tofu…

Raw Vegan Taco Salad

So this weekend, the weather in Toronto has gone from winter to late spring (finally!) and I decided to take Bodhi to my local dog park for a well-deserved play sesh with his doggy pals and a long walk on Friday. When I got home, I noticed he was following me around, had trouble sitting without looking uncomfortable and his trademark waggy tail was unusually limp. I brought him to the vet the…

Slow Cooker Coconut Lentil Sweet Potato Curry

Another slow cooker recipe? Yup! I hope you aren’t getting sick of them, but honestly, if you are, I’m thinking you must not be using your slow cooker. I know I go on and on about it, but this essential kitchen tool has been one of my most time-saving appliances this winter. Having a busy full-time job and working as a part-time yoga teacher, I need to have meals prepped in advance if I want to…

Slow Cooker Black Bean Sweet Potato Soup

My slow cooker has seriously become my love this winter. There is nothing better than throwing ingredients in a pot, turning it on in the morning and arriving home to the comforting smell of dinner already made. In fact, in anticipation of the snow and below zero temperatures we’re expected to have this week in Toronto, I have a new slow cooker concoction brewing away while I’m at the Toronto…

Gluten-Free Coconut Flour Alfajores

While I was in Miami a few weeks ago, we stopped into local bakeries (often Cuban run) to grab breakfast or a snack which featured a variety of pastries, such as the beautiful alfajore (ahl-fah-hore), a staple in Latin America. An alfajore is a delicate shortbread-like sandwich cookie that is filled with dulce de leche (caramel) or jam. It literally brings together the best of indulgences:…

Enjoy this "All the Greens" veggie soup #recipe to get an extra boost of nutrition! #vegan

Last week I had just returned from a beautiful vacation in Miami on an early flight and was so exhausted I didn’t have a chance to finish up this post in time for last Sunday. So I’m posting this detox soup today with the promise of another recipe post tomorrow that’ll be worth the wait! After my trip to Miami, a detox was definitely in order, as it may also be for you after having indulged in…

Lemon Cranberry Coconut Quinoa Breakfast Cookies

Two weeks ago, I was in need of some quick breakfast options to throw in my rotation that I knew wouldn’t require any prep in the morning but were full of protein and fibre. In walked the breakfast cookie. Cookies for breakfast? Yes, please! These aren’t just any breakfast cookie. These are quinoa breakfast cookies. Using quinoa flakes means the cookie is full of gluten-free protein and fibre to…

Raw Gluten-Free Oreo Cookies

So my planner’s calendar tells me that today is National Oreo Day, so let’s all celebrate! While I loved those chocolatey little cookies when I was little, reading the ingredient list now does not make me want to revisit it. For one thing, the first ingredient is sugar. And further down the list? High fructose corn syrup. Yikes. Luckily there’s a healthier option! One that is based on whole food…