homemade Archives - Womens Post

Recipe November 20, 2017

How to make your own Instagram-worthy ice cream

Fancy ice cream sandwiches or crazy cones are all the rage, but the wait to get one of these trendy desserts can sometimes take all the fun out of eating them. Instead, try to make your own at home. Dust with fun ingredients and make these desserts as Instagram-worthy as those $20 cones from downtown Toronto!

The first step is, obviously, to create the ice cream. If you have an ice cream maker…well, you shouldn’t need to go out for ice cream to begin with. If you don’t, it’s quite easy to make using some items you find around the house.

First, stir together two cups of heavy cream and one can of condensed milk. Whip it until the cream creates peaks. Add in a flavour (cocoa powder, vanilla, strawberries, ect.) and fold in to the cream mixture. Put it in a freezer-safe container and freeze overnight. Use an ice cream scoop to get circular scoops.

If you want to go the old fashioned route, you can also make ice cream with Ziploc freezer bags. Fill one with half and half cream as well as a few tablespoons of sugar. Mix in your flavours and put these items in a medium size bag. Place the bag in the larger bag and fill the large bag with ice and table salt. Shake until it creates a ice cream consistency.

This process can take a while and is better performed with groups so that everyone has a turn shaking!

If you want to make a vegan alternative, try using coconut milk or almond milk as the base and add your sweetener. You can also create an ice cream by using puree banana and swirling in peanut butter and chocolate chips! No milk-base required.

Top your ice cream with chocolate sauce and fruit. If you want, you can melt chocolate chips in the microwave (or in a glass bowl on top of a pot on the stove) and dip your ice cream in it. Make sure your ice cream is really frozen so nothing slides off. Then, top with sprinkles, marshmallows, or cookies. Get creative and use whatever you have in the cupboard!

If you want to use a cone, make sure to do any “fancy-ing” to it before putting the ice cream on top. Fill the inside with melted chocolate and dip the ring in white chocolate. Stick some sprinkles, cotton candy, chopped nuts, or any other toping on the chocolate. Let dry – this only should take a few minutes.

The best part — once you have the ingredients, you can indulge in much more than a single ice cream cone!

Recipe May 21, 2017

Recipe: Vegan Taco Pizza

What are the two best comfort foods in the world? Pizza and tacos. If you put them together, it creates the ultimate treat that will leave you wanting more. Homemade pizza is easy to make and absolutely delicious. It is also surprisingly healthy if made with vegetables. Over the long weekend, give this pizza a try!

Ingredients:

Homemade Pizza Crust:

A packet of active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup warm water
2 ½ cups flour
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Toppings:

1 can of black beans
1 can of Pizza Sauce
Chopped tomatoes
Avocado
Crushed tortilla chips
Handful of chopped onion
Vegan ground round with taco spices (if desired)
Daiya cheese or another vegan cheese alternative (if desired)

Directions:

Make homemade vegan pizza crust by mixing all ingredients and turn dough out onto a flat surface that has been sprinkled with flour.
Roll the dough into a circular shape and roll up edges to create a crust.
Put the toppings on the pizza, beginning by spreading the tomato paste on the crust first.
Put all other toppings on the pizza and the vegan cheese as the final ingredient. Feel free to mix in some ingredients not mentioned in this recipe!
Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy this delicious combination on a pizza and pass it on to all of your vegan friends! Homemade pizza is a great comfort food and you can put as little or as much of the toppings on, depending upon preference. It is the perfect meal for the long weekend, and goes well with a glass of red wine and a relaxing patio chair.

Home & Garden May 8, 2017

RECIPE: warm Spring salad

Spring is on its way (supposedly) and nothing says it’s time to spend time in the outdoors like a bowl of fresh greens. Unfortunately, the rainy weather is keeping everyone from eating cold foods and during these weird rain/snow storms, sometimes it’s necessary to have a delicious warm meal instead of a chill-inducing salad. Luckily, there is a solution: warm salads! This mouth-watering mealtime option brings together fresh vegetables and fruits with a heart-warming grain option. It is the perfect thing to eat as the seasons change. Feel free to play around with this recipe and add your own preferences.

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup diced strawberries (optional)
3/4 cup fresh peas
1 bunch of spinach
1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt & lots of pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook the quinoa (1/2:1 ratio with boiling water) and allow to cool slightly while prepping the rest of the salad.
Combine strawberries, peas, spinach, and parsley in a bowl and toss.
Mix olive oil, garlic cloves, lemon juice, maple syrup, sea salt and pepper in a separate bowl to make the dressing. Taste and spice until satisfied.
Add to the plant mix to the warm quinoa and add dressing.
Enjoy while warm!

A warm salad will make you feel cozy while at the same time completely refreshed. It is easy to make and will fulfill your nutrient requirements, especially with a protein packed quinoa. Enjoy while the weather is rainy and cold!

Pairs wonderfully with a light beer or glass of white wine!

Recipe April 17, 2017

Delicious vegan, easy-to-make chickpea burgers

Chickpea burgers are one of my favourite vegan burger options because they are nutritious, yet still feels and tastes like a delicious treat. Mashed chickpeas are extremely easy to work with and form into balls, and with oats and peanut butter, it creates the heavy texture needed to make a truly filling burger. Additionally, the siracha and BBQ sauce give the burgers an extra kick, straying away from the typical bland store-bought veggie burger. It is quick and easy to make homemade vegan burgers, and there will surely be enough for lunch the next day as well!

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas
1/3 cup Barbecue Sauce
1 medium zucchini, grated
½ red onion, diced
1/3 cup cilantro leaves
1 tbsp peanut butter
I cup of walnuts
1 tbsp sriracha
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup rolled oats

Directions:

Add chickpeas, zucchini, red, onion, cilantro, peanut butter, walnuts, siracha, red wine vinegar, BBQ sauce and spices into a food processor. Blend until ingredients are combined and still a little chunky. Pour the contents into a large bowl, then stir in one cup of rolled oats.
To fry the burgers, heat a pan with two tbsp of olive oil, then cook the patties for 3-5 minutes on each side on medium heat. Alternatively, try it on the barbecue!
Place your burgers on a whole wheat bun top with fresh tomato, avocado, sprouts, red onion, and whatever sauces you desire!

Enjoy these delicious burgers, and prepare to feel full and content afterwards. This vegan treat also pairs well with a Caesar salad using tahini instead of anchovies and it will leave you completely satisfied. Another successful plant-based meal for the win!

Living April 15, 2017

My harrowing journey trying to find vegan Easter eggs

There is no way around it. Finding affordable vegan Easter eggs for kids is a challenge.

First of all, it’s a miracle in itself that there are vegan Easter eggs in stores. It is fairly easy to find a chocolate bunny, vegan cream eggs, and even little dark chocolate bunnies at health food stores, but impossible to find anything affordable for kids! One cream egg is around five to six dollars. Imagine buying dozens for an Easter egg hunt?

I was unprepared for this dilemma when I committed to host a vegan Easter egg hunt for my daughter’s Girl Guide group. Lo and behold, I found myself panicking at some non-descript health food centre trying to price crunch seven dollar chocolate bars for 20 children. As a vegan mom though, it is necessary to think quickly in such situations and I opted for the plastic eggs filled with skittles and jujubes (both surprisingly vegan) and non-dairy chocolate chips. The problem was solved, but there was an unexpected twist that forced me to pull out my vegan mommy powers again.

When I hid the eggs outside for the scavenger hunt and nature walk, the slugs took over. I quite literally mean the little slimy bugs that manifested and decided to make their new homes on the cheerful looking plastic eggs. It was ironic that the vegan eggs I’d worked so hard to make were very nearly ruined by an animal. Did the slugs not know I was trying to save them?

When my daughter and the other little girls noticed the slugs, pandemonium erupted with shrill screams and a flurry of little ladies running around panicking. I quickly took the egg with the biggest slug and scooped him onto my finger. I began talking about how amazing he was, how slugs function in the forest and joked about how much they loved Easter eggs. The girls took this in and stopped being afraid of the interesting critter. The vegan eggs turned the nature walk into a very interesting learning experience.

For future egg hunts, I will decidedly abandon buying the eggs all together. Instead, making vegan Easter eggs at home with a mould. Vegan chocolate will be a much cheaper and yummier alternative. Simply takes cocoa, sugar, and other select ingredients depending on what type of eggs you would like and a mould. It is also healthier to make your own eggs because it won’t contain the additives found in mass-produced chocolate.

Be sure to use the weekend to get outside, soak in some rays, and smile because the days of seasonal depression are finally behind us. Just watch out for the slugs!

Happy Easter from everyone at Women’s Post!

Recipe December 16, 2016

Holiday Baking: homemade grape leaves

Stuffed grape leaves are a delicious snack and can often be found in Greek and Middle Eastern restaurants. Homemade grape leave wraps, also known as Dolmades, provide a delicious vegan treat not only during the holidays, but year-round. They are surprisingly easy and affordable to make, and combine some of the best spices out there, including dill, mint and lemon with rice and pine nuts. Can you say yummy?

Begin by making the filling of the grape leaves with rice:

½ cup pine nuts
1 ½ cups basmati rice
1 small onion
½ cup of fresh dill
¼ cup fresh mint
1 tbsp lemon
2 cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Begin by roasting the pine nuts and onion in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil. After a few minutes, add the rice, one cup vegetable broth and cook rice al dente. If you completely cook the rice, it will be mushy in the grape leaves so only half cook. Once the rice is complete, add dill, mint, lemon, salt and pepper and allow to cool.

Prepping the grape leaves:

Grape Leaves
Salt

Take the grape leaves (either jarred or fresh) and put into a pot of boiling water with salt. Allow the leaves to soften until pliable, but do not over-soften or they will tear. Remove from water and pat dry.

Wrapping and cooking the grape leaves:

Once dry, spread the grape leaf out and put two scoops of filling in near the base of the leaf. Fold the two bottom sections of the leaf up and then the sides of the leaf before rolling tightly into a grape leaf roll. Repeat.

Once the grape leaves are wrapped, pack firmly into a pot in layers. Pour the remaining vegetable broth, lemon juice and ¼ cup of olive oil over the wraps. Bring to a simmer on medium heat, but do not boil or the leaves will fall apart. Lower heat once simmering and use a plate that can be heated to press down on the grape leaves and keep them in place. Let the leaves simmer for 30 minutes until tender. Drain excess water and enjoy once cool.

The grape leaves are relatively easy to make and will give you a healthy snack to munch on while waiting for that main holiday meal. They also keep well, so you can eat them throughout the week once your leftovers run out. Enjoy!

Sustainability August 5, 2016

How to host an eco-friendly BBQ

There is nothing better than a delicious BBQ. The smell of the smoke, eating barefoot in the grass, drinking wine out of plastic cups — plus, everything tastes better when cooked with fire! But, as a vegan and strict environmentalist, my planning typically includes a lot of eco-friendly adaptations.

You may be asking: what do you mean by an eco-friendly barbecue? Is that even possible? Well my fellow readers, I am here to tell you that it is. To help you out, here are a few tips:

Fresh organic farmers market fruit and vegetable on display

Use in-season vegetables and fruits

Hit up your local farmer’s market and grab organic cucumbers, zucchini, watermelon and any other refreshing options to include as inexpensive and healthy side dishes at your BBQ. I always fry zucchini drizzled in chilli powder and olive oil. It is quite the with party guests.

Keep it simple

Planning and attempting complex recipes hours before guests arrive is a fast-track way to give yourself a heart attack. No need for unnecessary stress! Keep things simple with fresh foods that can be easily chopped or thrown on the BBQ. Provide kettle-cooked chips or sweet potato fries as an easy appetizer. Keeping it simple can also be said of decorations. Grab a vase or a floating dish with flowers from the garden and use homemade candles at night instead of outdoor lightings.

Use your own dishes

Paper plates and plastic utensils are my mortal enemy. They are wasteful and often difficult to recycle. Instead use your own dishes and convince your lovely party guests to help with dishes once the drinks are flowing and their bellies are full. I always enjoyed doing dishes after a great meal with my cousins while sipping a beer.

Potluck style

Another option instead of hosting a BBQ solo is to challenge guests to bring a healthy side dish along with them. Something small such as a light dessert or wine also helps. This creates and fosters a sense of shared community and makes meals versatile and fun for trying new foods.

Make your own BBQ sauce

BBQ sauce is often full of sugar and preservatives. Instead, making a personalized sauce adds individualized taste to the meal. Try this: add one can of chopped tomatoes, 75 ml unsweetened apple juice, 2 tbps brown sugar, 1 tbps apple cider vinegar and ¼ tsp tabasco sauce to a pan and heat until boiling. This also makes your BBQ vegan for your animal-loving friends!

Remember to enjoy yourself. Planning a BBQ shouldn’t be a stressful affair. ALSO, don’t forget to have a vegetarian hot dog in the fridge just in case you get a surprise vegan guest! Bon Appetit!