If you’ve ever been told that you need to eliminate dairy, it can seem overwhelming at first. Many of my acupuncture patients with digestive and menstrual issues do better without dairy. Nut milk is a good starting point for many other dairy-free items.

Have you ever tried to make your own nut milk? It’s actually very easy and quick. With the use of a nut milk bag, you can get away with even the lowest quality blender. The bag will filter out large chunks so that your milk is silky smooth. Can’t eat nuts? Try making coconut milk instead.

The cost of the nuts for 1L of nut milk is about the same as the cost of 1L of store bought non-dairy milk. So why would you even bother making your own? Firstly, you have complete control over what goes into your nutty beverage. Secondly, it tastes like nothing you could dream of finding from a store bought milk. And finally, you’re left with pulp at the end which you can make use of, making this a more economical option overall.

So, what can you make with the leftover pulp?

• My New Roots raw nut pulp hummus
• Walnut pate
• Pancakes
• Energy balls
• Crackers

Making the nut milk

What you need:

• Blender
• 1 L mason jar or glass container
• Nut milk bag
• Large bowl
• Fine mesh strainer (optional)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 1 L water
• Vanilla (optional)

The night before, or 12 hours ahead of the time:
Place the walnuts in a large bowl and completely cover with water. You’ll need to add a few extra inches of water because the walnuts will expand.

The next day, or after 12 hours of soaking the nuts, drain the soaking water and give the nuts a bit of a rinse. Using a fine mesh strainer will make this easier, but it’s not a requirement.

Next, add the nuts to your blender with 1L of water. Cover and blend on the highest setting for 60 seconds.

Place the nut milk bag in a large bowl. Pour the contents of the blender directly into the bag. I hope you like getting your hands dirty because this step involves squeezing as much fluid out of the bag as possible.

And there you go, you’ve got yourself some nut milk! Pour it into a mason jar and seal. I personally like to pour the contents from the large bowl into my rinsed blender. This makes it easier to then pour into the mason jar without spills.

Because it contains no emulsifiers, the milk will separate in the fridge. Simply give it a good shake before pouring. Since there are no preservatives, it also has a shorter shelf life. Well sealed and in the fridge, it will last about 4 days.

For someone aiming for very low sugar intake, the struggle to find a pumpkin spice smoothie recipe can be real. Recipes tend to be sweetened with bananas, maple syrup, or honey (or any combination of these). For those who can tolerate natural sugars, that’s great.

I’ve been focusing on completely sugar free foods for a number of reasons lately. For one, my hormones haven’t been cooperating with me. Over the last two months, all my sugar has come from vegetables (except for the occasional alcoholic beverage). It’s funny how much of a difference that alone can make. My energy levels are up, my moods are more stable, cramps have significantly reduced, and I’m more in control of my body in general.

The other main reason I’ve been experimenting with sugar free foods is that there has been a need for it with my clients. People who find their way to my office have all kinds of health concerns that require completely cutting out sugar. This ranges from Lyme Disease to leaky gut (digestive disturbances) and PCOS.

This pumpkin spice smoothie is surprisingly good. I was actually kind of skeptical it would be palatable when I was making it. I find that protein powders have a way of reducing the enjoyment factor of most smoothies. Usually, the stevia is too overpowering for me. It just blended right in with this recipe though. The texture is also great. It’s thick and creamy, no chunkiness. It tastes like a dessert which is perfectly acceptable to have for breakfast.

Pumpkin Spice Smoothie (Paleo, Vegan)

Ingredients
1/2 cup ice
1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used my homemade almond milk)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Genuine Health Fermented Vegan Proteins+)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp each: ground nutmeg, ground cloves, allspice
OR can sub in pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice
Optional: A few drops of Stevia

Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a blender in the order listed. Serve right away. Makes 2 cups (1 serving).

Hot foods, like stuffed peppers, somehow seem to make the transition into cool weather much easier. Usually, the arrival of fall means the beginning of my whining about Ottawa winters. However, this year, after having had such an amazing summer and a late arrival to fall, I couldn’t help but get lost in the beauty of fall.

Since I’ve been playing dodgeball about three times a week and been doing weight training workouts on the side, my body’s been begging me for more protein. A smoothie with 18 grams of protein just won’t do anymore. I decided to make stuffed peppers for breakfast instead. People generally tend to give me a look of “umm, okay, really?” when I eat dinner foods for breakfast, but dinner for breakfast is my absolute favourite.

I took 15 minutes last night to prepare the filling and stuff the peppers so that it would all be ready to go today. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s so quick. It can then be made in the oven or in the slowcooker while you’re at work or running errands.

Stuffed peppers (paleo)

Ingredients
4 medium or large bell peppers of different colours
1 lb ground meat of choice (I used chicken)
Small cooking onion, finely chopped
Small zucchini, quartered and chopped
1 tsp each: dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, black pepper
Salt to preference

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F (unless using slowcooker).

Mix together all the raw ingredients except for the bell peppers, then set aside. Cut off the tops of the bell peppers and remove the seeds. Pack the filling inside the peppers.

Cook in the oven for about an hour or in the slowcooker on low for 8 hours. Makes 4 servings.

Can be prepared in advance and cooked the next day as long as expiry dates of all ingredients are being respected.

This Mexican spiced chicken came to be because lately, I feel like I keep eating the same meals over and over. Finding time to constantly come up with something new and palatable feels draining at times. I don’t want to buy condiments or spices for something I’ll be making one time. Then I would have to store the remainders, and I so badly want to downsize my kitchen. Every time I move, I have more boxes for all my kitchen stuff than for the rest of my apartment combined.

Additionally, easy recipes tend to require ingredients I choose not to eat when I’m at home. Why when I’m at home? You may already know this about me, but I very much believe in an 80/20 lifestyle. 80% of the time, I eat really healthy things that makes other people cringe but that I absolutely enjoy. Then, when I go out, I’m free to enjoy anything I like, as long as it respects my food sensitivities.

This Mexican spiced chicken worked out well because I got to come up with something new to make using things I already had at home. It’s easy and quick to put together.

Mexican Spiced Chicken

Ingredients
4 chicken legs with backs, skin on, bone in
1 tsp each: cumin, chili powder, paprika, oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
To taste: salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
OR use a Mexican spice blend

Directions
Preheat oven to 375F.

Rinse the raw chicken and dry with paper towels. Mix the spices together in a small bowl and spread evenly between the four pieces of chicken.

Cook the chicken for about half an hour or until fully cooked. If you like your chicken extra crispy, broil until the top is brown, but watch it closely. Serve with vegetables for a complete meal. Makes 4 servings.

I present you with… curry kale chips! I have a confession to make. I’m addicted to curry. Honestly, I’ve thought of curry-ing pretty much everything I eat. I mean, things that you would never think of flavouring with curry spices. Like kale chips. Or roasted pumpkin seeds. At least my addiction consists of a healthy spice blend, instead of something bad.

I woke up in the morning and considered going to yoga, but since I did two back to back yoga classes the night before, I opted for a calm day, free of the stress of the one hour commute to the yoga studio (and the hour on the way back). So, I stayed home and made kale chips.

I like this snack because it contains antioxidants, minerals, and fibre. Plus, it can satisfy snack cravings really easily. It contributes to your daily intake of vegetables but has the flavour of a good afternoon snack. Don’t get me wrong. I would eat this as my morning snack in a heartbeat. Hell, I’d even make these curry kale chips part of my breakfast. But I do understand that others don’t enjoy savoury foods for breakfast.

Curry Kale Chips

Ingredients
1 small bunch kale
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp each: ground ginger, ground turmeric, ground cumin
1/4 tsp each: ground coriander, onion powder, garlic powder
1/8 tsp cardamom
Optional: cayenne pepper to taste
Salt to taste
(You can just use curry powder instead if you prefer)

Directions
Preheat over to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wash and dry the kale. Remove ribs, tear into bite-sized pieces, and place on the baking sheet. Add the oil and the spices and toss to coat evenly.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, taking it out halfway through to toss around.

I’m not the biggest fan of beets, but this beet radish salad is one way I’ll actually somewhat enjoy them. I make it when I need to incorporate raw beets into my diet. Beets and radishes support the liver, and I know that my liver can always take a bit of extra help. Raw beets are also a great food for platelet health, and they have anti-cancer properties.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), beets help build the blood. These means that your acupuncturist may recommend beets if you have anemia or have been feeling fatigued, in some cases.

If your digestive system has been known to cause you problems, proceed with caution. Raw beets can be difficult to digest because of its high insoluble fibre content, or, simply put, “roughage”. If you’re new to beets, it’s also important to note that in 10-15% of people, consuming beets can temporarily alter urine colour. The pigmentation will also show itself in stools, so don’t panic! You could probably make a movie (a funny one, too!) out of all my reactions when I’ve forgotten that I ate beets the night before.

If you haven’t worked with beets before, I will warn you that your hands will be a funky colour by the time you’re done cutting everything. You can wear gloves when cutting beets to avoid that. Otherwise, washing your hands with soap a few times should take care of it.

4 Ingredient Beet Radish Salad

Ingredients
1 large beet or 2-3 small beets, peeled
1 large watermelon radish (aka pink radish) or 2 small watermelon radishes, peeled
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2-1 tsp chili power (or to taste)

Directions
Peel and chop (or julienne) the beets and radishes. Zest the lime, and then juice it over the beets and radishes. Add the chili powder and mix well. This beet radish salad will store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

I have a tendency to buy pre-cut butternut squash, but today, I decided to peel and cut a whole one for ginger carrot butternut squash soup. My face has rarely come out of hiding from my books recently. When I was younger, my mother told me that cooking was an enjoyable break from her work, and I thought she was strange. I definitely understand the feeling now. As much as I enjoy what I study, it’s nice to see some colour, instead of black words on a white page.

I’m sad to say that we now have snow. I suppose I should expect it, but I never seem to get used to it. The weather’s been making me crave warming foods. A hot soup really helps, but I wanted that extra little bit of warmth, so I thought ginger was in order. No regrets.

Ginger Carrot Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients
1 small squash, chopped (Check my butternut squash recipe for help on chopping it)
4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 inches gingeroot, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, pressed
4-6 cups veggie broth (just enough to cover the rest)
Salt and pepper to taste
A bit of oil for frying

Directions
Heat a bit of oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Add the ginger and toss around for a minute or so, until the ginger starts to brown a bit. Then, add the onion and garlic and toss around until the onion is translucent. Add the carrots and squash and toss around for about a minute.

Pour in the broth. If you like your soup thick, add in just enough broth to cover the veggies. If you want a thinner soup, you can add an extra cup or so. Boil for about half an hour, or until the carrots and butternut squash are soft, then remove from heat.

With an immersion blender, puree the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste. Optionally, you can add a bit of coconut milk to make the soup extra creamy.

You may be wondering why I would choose to make a flatbread on the stove top. The most frustrating thing I found when I first moved in to my current place, back in May, is that the oven is so small that none of my nice stoneware pans fit in there. The only thing that seems to fit is those disposable grocery store aluminum pans, but in nutrition school, we’ve been taught that it’s unhealthy to cook on aluminum.

I love to eat bread. I get tons of bread cravings, but when that happens, I try to make my own bread as much as possible. However, when I don’t want to take the time to let a loaf of yeast bread rise, I usually opt for flatbread. Thanks to my tiny oven, this has been a bit more difficult to manage.

On Monday, I decided I’d had enough of letting this tiny oven run my life (well, so to speak). I decided I was going to make bread on my stove top, but I couldn’t really find a recipe I liked. I’ve recently noticed that I’ve become so familiar with the vegan/gluten free chemistry that I can invent recipes and get them right on the first try. My only complaint the first time I made this flatbread is that it didn’t look pretty enough to photograph, so I made it again on Wednesday and made sure to “roll” it out in a slightly more attractive manner.

Stove Top Flatbread (vegan, refined sugar free)

Ingredients
1/2 cup brown rice flour
2 tbsp tapioca starch
1 tbsp potato starch
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
sprinkle of salt
3-5 tbsp water (start with 3 and add more, 1 tbsp at a time until everything sticks together)
1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 tbsp maple syrup, honey, or agave (optional)
Oil for cooking

Directions
Mix the dry ingredients together. Add in the wet ingredients and mix well. You may need to go in with your hands.

Spread a bit of oil in a frying pan. Spread the dough in the pan until it’s about 1/4 inch thick, or just over 1/2 cm.

Once the dough is shaped how you like it, turn on the heat to medium low. Check the bottom every few minutes. When it looks nice and golden brown, flip the bread and continue cooking until the other side is also nicely coloured.

This recipe makes one medium flatbread so multiply as needed, or split the dough into two smaller breads.

Happy Halloween! I have chosen this day to come back from the dead to bring you some candied walnuts. In my rather long absence, a lot has changed in my life (for the better). I finally started nutrition school. I thought it was going to be great. In reality, it is so much more. I get to learn about the topic I love the most, in the method I love the most, that is, holistically, with amazing and supportive people around me.

I’ve been on a bit of a candied walnut kick, lately. I can’t tell you how many batches of these I’ve made since Canadian Thanksgiving. I don’t think I’ve made them twice the same way, though. Since starting nutrition school, I’ve made a commitment to myself never to buy white sugar again. So, I decided to provide you with two recipes of candied walnuts (which can also be used with pecans, by the way) in order to let you decide which way you prefer your refined-sugar-free candied walnuts. While I very much enjoy both recipes, my personal favourite is method #2, though it doesn’t win by much.

Healthy(ish) Candied Walnuts

Method #1

Ingredients
1 cup walnut halves
3 tbsp maple syrup

Directions
Line a baking sheet (or any flat surface) with parchment paper.

Over medium heat, combine the two ingredients in a medium saucepan. Toss the walnuts around in the maple syrup every minute or so until the maple syrup starts to bubble slightly. At that point, start mixing it more often. As the walnuts become more difficult to toss around, make sure to keep them moving, otherwise you’ll end up with a big sticky blob.

They’re done when there no longer is any maple syrup swimming at the bottom of the saucepan, and the syrup on the walnuts starts to look granulated (about 5-10 minutes). At that point, quickly transfer the walnuts to the baking sheet and spread them out to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Let cool and transfer to an airtight container.

Method #2

Ingredients
1 cup walnuts halves
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1 tbsp coconut oil

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Toss every 30 seconds or so for the first 2-3 minutes. After that point, keep the walnuts constantly moving.

They’re done when the oil-sugar starts to get really sticky and looks darker (about 5-10 minutes). At that point, quickly transfer the walnuts to the baking sheet and spread them out to prevent them from sticking to each other.

Let cool and transfer to an airtight container.

I decided to make these spicy double chocolate cookies because of a very specific craving. Have you ever tried that Lindt Chocolate Bar with jalapeno? I quite like it, but because of the dairy, I try to avoid eating it (though I do sometimes indulge in chocolate with dairy). I’m a fan of the combination of spiciness with chocolate.

Today was my first day off in a while. I had just worked seven days in a row, and the days off I’d had before that were spent studying for the last exam of my degree. I was able to relax for the first time in a long time. I got in the mood to bake, and I thought of Fettle Vegan’s Dark Chocolate Rosemary Cookies. I made these once, and they were quite tasty. However, because I’ve been craving spicy chocolate for a while, I decided to use the base for that recipe, but to change up the spice. By the way, if you ever do want to try making rosemary cookies, I strongly recommend you try Fettle Vegan’s recipe.

These are addictive, so make sure you have people to share these cookies with. The spice proportions I provide are just enough to give the cookies a bit of a kick, but if you want the cookies to actually be straight up spicy, you’re going to have to increase the amount of cayenne pepper.

Spicy Double Chocolate Cookies (vegan)

Ingredients
1 cup teff flour
1 cup almond flour
2/3 cups cocoa powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp flaxmeal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or up to 1/2 tsp for spicier)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup water or non-dairy milk
2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate chips to taste (I used 1/2-3/4 cups mini chocolate chips)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine all the dry ingredients. Add in the wet ingredients and mix well. Spoon out cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 11-12 minutes. Let cool for a minute or two, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.