Good Books: Oh She Glows Cookbook

As much as I would like to count this as another book read for my 25-book pledge...don't worry, I know better. I'm not going to be one of those sneaky readers who ups their book count with cookbooks, storybooks and goodnight moon. If you're over the age of 6 and counting goodnight moon for anything, get a hold of yourself! That does not count!

Anyways, all that being said, I actually have finished another book for my pledge. I recently finished The Giver by Lois Lowry but apparently I'm the only person in the universe who hadn't read this during grade school so I'm going to save you a review. To sum up - it was great, and the newly released movie trailer does not do it justice.

The book I'm actually here to tell you about is the Oh She Glows Cookbook. I first shared with you the wonders of the Oh She Glows vegan food blog in this post, and since the release of the cookbook, food has gotten so much better. I was wandering through the bookstore, caught sight of this beauty, and after just a couple page turns I knew I had to have it. It has honestly become one of the greatest cookbooks in my collection. Each recipe comes with a picture, is easy to follow, and leaves you with some of the tastiest dishes you'll ever try. From tortilla soup to homemade rolos to chickpea salad to lentil walnut meatloaf, everything in this cookbook is a win. If you're a vegan, vegetarian, healthy eater or food experimenter get this book in your collection stat, or at least check out the blog. Every recipe I've tried so far has been fantastic, and I can't wait to try a few more.

Vegan Tuna Salad

We're coming up to my one year vege-versary - nearly one year since I became a vegetarian! The year has flown by and I'm proud to say that I love this new lifestyle and change in eating habits. My body feels so much better (and so does my conscience - watch a few food docs and you'll understand). Though I have eaten fish occasionally (I know, I know, that technically makes me a pescitarian, but it made the transition easier) I usually prefer not to - my body just feels better when I don't. All that being said I'm always looking for new recipes that are simple to make, delicious, and easy to take on the go while still being nutritious and limited on animal products. Enter Oh She Glows. This is a fantastic food blog filled with so many delicious vegan recipes that are so incredibly easy to make - all with a very high score on the yum scale. I spent a good few hours browsing the blog and marking future food ideas, and the first one I decided to try was vegan tuna salad. It's filling, full of protein, and tastes so good you don't even need it in between bread, just grab a spoon! Here's my version of the recipe:

Ingredients 

1 cup raw almonds, soaked

1 celery stalk, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

1 cup cucumber, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons cultured coconut milk

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Pinch of black pepper

In a bowl, soak the almonds in cold water for up to 9 hours - they'll look all plumped up when they're ready. In a food processor, chop the almonds  until they are a fine, flakey consistency. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flaked almonds, celery, green onion, cucumber, cultured coconut milk, mustard and lemon. Sprinkle with desired amount of salt and pepper. Serve chilled. 

I used crackers to dip into it, but ate most of it with a spoon. It would also be great in a pita with some romaine and additional cucumber slices!

Note: Cultured coconut milk is similar to yogurt, but dairy free. Don't be scared of it! It's delicious! You could also opt to use veganaise, mayonnaise, or greek yogurt (the latter two making it non-vegan) depending on what you have on hand.

Almond Coconut Energy Bites

On some of my favourite food blogs, and all over my Pinterest feed, I keep seeing variations of these protein packed energy balls. They deceivingly look like they could be some sort of chocolate-coconut concoction but when I peek at the ingredients they're always filled with loads of ingredients that I definitely don't have in my cupboards (though a frequent whole foods shopper might). If you frequent any health food and vegan blogs you may have stumbled across ingredients such as maca powder, or carob powder and had the same thoughts as I did, what in the heck am I gonna do with those! Upon further reading they're supposed to have all sorts of benefits, but when 'creation mode' strikes I usually stick to what I already have on hand.

These energy bites are packed full of goodness with simple ingredients, a slight nuttiness, and a hint of sweetness. What started as following a recipe quickly became me dumping ingredients into the food processor until things seemed right. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

1/3 cup almond butter

12 pitted dates

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup oats

1/4 cup ground flax seeds

2 tablespoons chia seeds

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2-4 tablespoon maple syrup

In a food processor, combine the almond butter and dates until well blended. Add in the coconut, oats, flax, and chia seeds, and mix until it the mixture is similar to fine granules. Mix in the coconut oil and gradually add in the maple syrup until the mixture can hold itself in small balls. After everything is combined, roll the mixture into approximately 12 balls and roll into additional coconut (you could also leave them plain or roll them in sesame seeds or other nuts for something different!). Freeze until ready to eat! 

This recipe is great because you can adjust the ingredients to various nuts and seeds depending on what you have on hand or what your taste buds prefer. They're a great mid-afternoon pick me up without too much guilt!