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I have always loved pizza! Of course, as a kid… there’s nothing better! But one thing I don’t miss is that doughy, oily, fat-dripping slice of junk.

Thank goodness that times have changed for me and I have embraced a healthier way of living. Now I love to recreate those foods I always loved but with healthier ingredients that are still delicious and good-for-you.

I made these Cauliflower Crust Pizzas over the weekend and they were a big hit!

CAULIFLOWER CRUST PIZZA
gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, vegan

Cauliflower Crust Ingredients :

2 cups packed shredded cauliflower (about 3/4 medium-sized cauliflower)
3 T ground flax seeds
2 T whole flax seeds
2 T nutritional yeast (optional)
1 T olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried basil or oregano
1 t sea salt
1/4 t freshly cracked black pepper

toppings :

1/2 can tomato paste mixed with a drizzle of olive oil and dried oregano and salt and pepper to make a pizza sauce
1 cup of spinach, chopped up
1 large ripe avocado, cut into thin strips
6-8 garlic-stuffed green olives
2 T sundried tomatoes, cut into small pieces

Directions :

First, in a small bowl, mix the flax with water and set aside until a jelly-like mixture forms to make a flax ‘egg’.

Wash the cauliflower and pull apart into chunks. Process in a food processor for about 3 minutes until fine ‘crumbs’ form. Set a pan on the stove with 1/4 cup of water and steam the cauliflower crumbs until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

In a medium-sized bowl (or back in the food processor) place the softened cauliflower along with the flax ‘egg’ and all other ingredients and mix to incorporate well.

On parchment-covered baking sheet, scoop out the mixture into 4 equal parts and press down with the back of a spoon to flatten to about 1/3 of an inch. Bake at 400 F for 20-30 minutes.

This bakes a softer crust which is harder to lift off with your hands. So it’s best to use utensils to enjoy them.

For a crispier crust that holds up better together, you will need to flip the pizza crusts halfway through the baking time. But they are very crumbly at this point so the best technique to do so is to place another parchment paper on top, then another baking sheet, pressing down to ‘sandwich’ the pizza crusts flip over the whole thing. Be sure to wear your oven mitts as one of the pans is still extremely hot. 

Once you have the crusts baked, top with your favourite toppings and enjoy!

I made these over the weekend and they were a big hit! My sister came and she is happily joining my ‘diet’ of no wheat and eating only healthy, plant-based and pescoterian food. So she really loved these! I thought you did need an acquired taste for indulging in Cauliflower-Crust Pizzas but apparently not – my husband who eats with no rules, really enjoyed these too and loved the crust! He is looking forward to more different toppings on his in the near future ;)

My ‘little’ sister came over from Quebec and stayed with us for the whole week. We had the best time cooking some great food (like these Cauliflower Crust Pizzas), making smoothies, experimenting with new fun ingredients and of course – hanging out with the kids! She is a wonderful aunt to my kids. And does not fear a dirty diaper or a red-flushed screaming 7 week-old! She is getting good practice with my kids for sure;) And on her last day I clearly admitted 10 days of her with us it wasn’t long enough! 

Looking at my girls I am overwhelmed with so much happiness that they too will say this to each other one day…. and make pizzas and just hang out ;)

Ohhh how I love bagel and cream cheese for breakfast! 

It’s my go-to meal-of-choice for a quick little something that’s packed in flavour and nutrition and oh yes, protein!  

Enter the amazing Dairy-free Quick and Easy Homemade Cream Cheese Bagel! All vegan, all gluten-free, all absolutely delicious!

I used to be a big dairy lover! I love my cheeses of all kinds and cream cheese was something that was always in the fridge. But guess what? Cheese didn’t love me back! It took me years to realize that I just didn’t feel well after I had dairy. It’s amazing how hard it is to connect the food we eat to how we feel… and especially when we enjoy that food, it’s the hardest! Eating food we enjoy becomes a habit, something we don’t even think of changing. It’s the norm. So when I finally started to dabble in changing the food I eat to improve my health, you betcha that dairy came up very quickly (that and sugar!) I knew it just had to go! But it wasn’t until I eliminated dairy for 2 weeks straight and then reintroduced it back to realize it was really making me sick!

It wasn’t overnight, but I learned to not care for it or miss it one bit! What I’ve done instead is to recreate an old favourite recipe dairy-free and LOVE it! ;)

Ever since I removed all dairy from my diet and made other changes, I have never felt better! If you’re like me living dairy-free or are trying to eat less dairy, this is a delicious recipe for you to know by heart and make any time any day… Dairy-free Quick and Easy Homemade ‘Cream Cheese’ ~ really is quick and easy, with just a few ingredients in comes together in about 3 minutes, not more (I had the timer on) really ;) 

DAIRY-FREE QUICK AND EASY PROTEIN PACKED ‘CREAM CHEESE’

VEGAN/ DAIRY-FREE, EGG-FREE, GLUTEN-FREE

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 package of Organic firm tofu*
• 2 heaping tablespoons of Vegenaise
• 1 tsp of dried sweet paprika
• 1/2 – 1 teaspoon sea salt
• pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp finally chopped sweet onion*
• chives for garnish

.

• gluten-free & vegan bagels (from KinniKinnick)
• toppings : organic cucumber, cherry tomatoes, pea shoots or other sprouts, extra chopped chives

DIRECTIONS:  

Mix all the ingredients except for the onions in a mixing bowl. Fold in the onions* (my 6 year old does not like onions and I do omit them for this recipe for her or have two batches going on.) I think a little onion is great though.

For a smaller quantity, for recipe above, the immersion blender is the best to use, or you could press all the ingredients down with a fork until well combined, if you don’t have an electric hand blender. For a full size (double all the ingredients) I would recommend using a food processor.

This Dairy-free ‘Cream Cheese’ recipe is fantastic as a sandwich spread (especially on these bagels if you can get your hands on some) – yum! It’s a great source of protein – a couple of sandwiches like that will keep you energized and full longer. The tofu spread really has a taste and texture of cream cheese, – hello, my husband (still a cheese lover) Loves it! Enough said ;)

This is really something I can whip up with my eyes closed. (with the immersion blender pointing down of course!) It’s such a simple recipe even for my busy mornings now with a babe in the house.

I also love it because I really prefer savoury breakfasts. I find that if I start the day with something sweet, I crave more sweet foods. This is really delicious and has a good serving of protein which your body needs most for breakfast. Although this is a divine lunch spread too…. I guess there’s no rules as to when you can enjoy this ;) 

 Give me a gluten-free bagel with dairy-free ‘cream cheese’ and I’m a happy girl! 

There was a time during my pregnancy that had my husband drive out to Wholefoods at 8am on a Saturday because I HAD to have this for breakfast ;) 
I miss those times…. the times I could ‘use’ my pregnancy to get what I want ;) Ha!

That said, I just buy a couple of bags of gf bagels and keep them in the freezer ~ those days are gone ;)
And the ingredients for the ‘cream cheese’ are a regular thing we often buy, so it’s all good… this is something I can’t wait to bite into very soon!

What’s your favourite breakfast? Do tell ;)

Summer is here and we couldn’t be more excited! Here is to sleep-in days, laid-back days, long walks, bike rides, pool days and living (and eating) in the backyard…

And who doesn’t love a summer menu when the food is light and vibrant and practically no-cooking required! At least that’s what our menu looks like! I love the summer heat and I tolerate it quite well… with lots of water on hand and very minimal clothing (tank top + short skirt + bare feet = summer love)… but my husband doesn’t stand up to heat very well. I guess it doesn’t help that our house doesn’t have the best air-conditioning and the front of the house (where the kitchen is) has very poor air flow and it doesn’t cool off that part of the house well at all. But this dilemma goes in my favour! I am banned from cooking on the stove! Seriously – this is great!! ;)

We still do a lot of grilling, but that’s usually a weekend thing and my husband does it. With the kids keeping me busy it’s impossible for me to stand by the grill. The Mr. is usually too busy to grill up anything on the weeknights – so I’m left to Not-Cook during the week! 

These Veggie Protein Tacos are so amazing and quick to put together, your whole family will love them too! Taco nights (whether it’d be taco tuesdays or taco thursdays or any other day of the week) are super fun to do. You can make homemade tacos that are gluten-free and vegan and still be packed in protein and be light and healthy. And drizzled with the Lime Avocado Cream – they are a must-try! Best of all, the cooking is so minimal and easy. I can’t wait to make these again!

Veggie Protein Tacos with Lime Avocado Cream| gluten-free and vegan

Serves 2-3 // Prep & Cook Time : 20 minutes

You will need :

8-10 organic corn hard taco shells

Veggie Protein Taco ‘Meat’ Ingredients :

1 cup organic vegetable protein
1/4 – 1/2 cup water
1-2 teaspoons chili powder*
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder*
1/4 teaspoon onion powder*
1/2 teaspoon paprika*
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder*
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

* or 2 tablespoons all-natural taco seasoning

Avocado Lime Cream Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons of avocado oil or EVOO
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion or shallots
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
freshly ground pepper to taste

Toppings :

handfuls of:
organic romaine lettuce
chopped tomato
a little chopped red onion (as little or as much as you like)
vegan cheddar cheese (optional) (we didn’t use any and they were great)

Directions :

Wash and dry all the topping vegetables and chop up very fine. Set aside.

To make the Avocado Lime Cream, simply halve the avocados and scoop out the flesh into a bowl. Add in the other ingredients and mix with a fork smashing the avocado until a creamy consistency forms. To get a completely smooth consistency, blend with an immersion blender before the onions are added in. Season to your liking and set aside.

To make the Veggie Protein Taco ‘Meat’, in a medium-sized skillet or pot, mix the vegetable protein with water and all seasoning and heat on the stovetop for just a few (about 3-5) minutes. Add a few tablespoons more water if the ‘meat’ looks too dry. Transfer onto a serving bowl.

For best, most fun way to eat, set the taco shells, Taco ‘Meat’ bowl, Avocado Lime Cream bowl and all the toppings spread onto a large platter onto the middle of the table for a self-serve taco station.

To assemble the tacos, layer a couple of tablespoons of the taco ‘meat’, add lettuce, tomato, (optional cheese) and top with the Avocado Lime Cream and a sprinkling of chopped red onions. And enjoy your delicious protein-rich, light-tasting, healthy, gluten-free and vegan taco night!! Yum! ;)

These Veggie Protein Tacos are one of our favourite meals! And it’s funny too because it’s my 6 year old daughter who requested a Taco Night! You know how she got the idea? From singing the ‘Cups‘ song… 

When I’m gone
When I’m gone
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone
You’re gonna miss me by my walk
You’re gonna miss me by my talk, oh
You’re gonna miss me when I’m gone

“talk, oh” just made her think of “taco”! and that’s how this summetime dinner idea was born ;) Kids are so fun!!! ;)
I am inspired by her thinking-outside-the-box! I want carefree inspirations like this ;)

Best part of this dinner, was just sitting down on our patio table and enjoying these delicious tacos! Oh yeah, the part with cooking time only being 2-3 minutes was pretty awesome too!! ;)

My daughter loved them and so did my ‘real’-meat-eating husband who loved them and who didn’t care there was no beef in them. I was happy that the flavour of the veggie protein was spot-on like taco meat that I remember. And working with vegetable protein is so quick and easy and no spoilage like you get with meat (or bacteria or antibiotics or hormones). And it’s so much healthier too!

Vegetable Protein is a mix of shredded dehydrated vegetables. It’s light on the digestive tract vs. meat and it’s packed with protein and other nutrients. I love working with it because it’s also incredibly convenient. I just always try to have a bag of it in the pantry so it’s at my finger tips if we need a quick meal. It’s so versatile too as it’s practically flavourless ~ which means, it quickly takes on the flavour of whatever you put on it! For example, you MUST try my Meaty-but-Meatless Spaghetti Sauce!

 So here’s to Summer and no-cooking (or very minimal cooking), the cups song on repeat with performances, and many more “talk, oh” nights! ;)

♥

Pure Ella