St. Patrick’s Day is coming up! Are you doing anything fun? I’m hosting a get together on Tuesday, so I’ve been planning a green themed menu to serve on the big day.
Smoothie bowls have been quite the sensation for a long time now, but I think this might be only the second smoothie bowl I’ve made. The truth is, I just love the efficiency of throwing things into a blender and guzzling it down in a glass – a few minutes seems to be all the time I have in the morning. I don’t want to fuss with smoothie bowls. But I figured it would be nice for a special themed breakfast! Plus, sometimes I need to remind myself not to inhale my food and sitting down to a bowl helps me slooooow down a bit. So instead of taking me 20 seconds to inhale it now takes me 60 (breastfeeding hunger is no joke). Anyway, this bowl is a nutritious way to kick off the day, especially if you plan on indulging later on!
The flavour is inspired by the popular Key Lime Pie, but with a green tea twist. Get it – TEA lime pie instead of KEY? I truly outdid myself with this title, I know. Imagine what I could do on a full night’s sleep?!
Ok joking aside, Matcha Green Tea Powder happens to pair lovely with banana and avocado, but it’s an optional booster ingredient so not to worry if you don’t have any on hand. The smoothie is still amazing without it. However, if you do stock Matcha it adds a wonderful energizing element to smoothies and a nice antioxidant boost. Since it’s fairly bitter, a little bit goes a long way; I only used 1/4 teaspoon in this smoothie. If you don’t think you will consume a whole tin, you might want to try out the single serving packs that are available in many grocery stores now. I store my opened tin in the fridge for maximum freshness.
The hydrating base is made up with coconut water which might be a great way to start the day if you plan on indulging in drinks later on. A frozen banana and avocado make it ultra creamy and lightly sweet, while lime juice and lots of zest give it a tangy, aromatic kick. It’s basically all of my favourite flavours wrapped into one kick butt smoothie bowl! We all know that smoothie bowls are so fun because of all the toppings you get to add, so I topped my bowl with melted coconut butter (which solidifies upon hitting the cold smoothie), granola, hemp hearts, and large flake coconut. I purposely made the smoothie on the thicker side so the toppings would sit nicely on the top and not sink through – that’s key!
Green Tea Lime Pie Smoothie Bowl
Vegan, gluten-free, no bake/raw, nut-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
By Angela Liddon
Enjoy the tropical flavours of lime, coconut, banana, and avocado with some baby spinach and Matcha green tea powder thrown in for an extra boost. The flavour reminds me of the creamy, tart and sweet, Key Lime Pie.
Yield 2 cups/1 bowl
Prep Time
Cook time 0 Minutes
Total Time
Ingredients:
For the smoothie:
3/4 cup coconut water
1 cup fresh baby spinach
1 large frozen banana
packed 1/4 cup avocado
2 teaspoons lime zest
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
2 ice cubes
1-2 teaspoons pure maple syrup, to taste
1/4 teaspoon Matcha green tea powder, optional
Topping ideas:
granola
melted coconut butter
large flake dried coconut
Matcha green tea powder
lime zest
hemp hearts
Directions:
Add all the smoothie ingredients into a high speed blender and blend on high until smooth. Adjust sweetness if desired.
Pour into a bowl and sprinkle on the toppings of your choice. Enjoy with a spoon!
Tips: 1) It's easiest to zest the lime before juicing. 2) For a homemade granola recipe, try the Ultimate Nutty Granola Clusters in The Oh She Glows Cookbook (p. 31) or my Lightened Up Summer Granola.
Should go without saying that smartphones make our lives easier in many ways. They help us find directions to our next destination, we maintain communication with your near and dear ones, and Chan lose valuable time playing games like Words with Friends and Angry Birds. We take our phones with us at all locations We Go - When it comes to our living room, workspace, or Chan bathroom - so why not venture Chung kitchen? Kitchen applications are the next step in the complete mobile acquisition, which provides detailed step-by-step how to make good oven fried chimichanga, curator of a weekly meal plan, or say apple Chan Chi Cuá is perfectly ripe. The application market is loaded with bonuses and CA freemium offers available on iOS, Android and Windows Phone. While some cater more to the executive head of five local stars, another SE Those of you who are still learning to help chop an onion or boil water.
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I’m starting to twitch. That usually happens if it’s been longer than couple weeks without a blog post. Can you tell it’s been a bit crazy over here? I’ve had this draft open for over two weeks on my computer. As much as I don’t like being away from blogging, it’s refreshing to step back now and then. I’m really enjoying soaking up as much time with Adriana as I can. The weeks are flying by and it’s bittersweet when I think about how fast she’s growing. The second cookbook is also coming together really well. I’m so encouraged by how well the recipe development is going this time around! The recipes are turning out eyeball popping delicious. I’m so proud of each and every recipe that’s going into this book and I can’t wait for you to enjoy them with your loved ones!
Before I forget, I want to update you on my call for recipe testers. I know some of you assumed that you weren’t selected, but I actually haven’t contacted anyone yet as I’m running behind. I’m sorry for the delay; things tend to move at a glacial pace with a baby around! hah. It reminds me of one of my favourite quotes from the movie Devil Wears Prada: “By all means, move at a glacial pace…you know how that thrills me.” Oh Meryl, I love you. Anyway, I hope to send out email invites within the next month. We had a huge amount of volunteers – about 10,000 of you – crazy, right? Your enthusiasm is amazing. I will only be able to invite about 40 or 50 to start off with – I wish I could take you all up on your generous offer to help. Thank you all again so much!
If you’d like to see some cookbook teasers and what I’m up to behind the scenes, be sure to check out my Instagram account – I created a new hashtag called #osgcookbook2 where I will be sharing recipe teasers for the next several months.
OK, now onto this recipe! I’ve been working on the dessert chapter for my cookbook. One thing you told me loud and clear about the first book is that you want more desserts (especially cookies). And you know what? I totally agree! So for this next book, I’ve created a bigger, more awesome dessert chapter. It’s gonna blow ya mind…trust me on this one. I decided these nut-free dream cups were just too good to hold onto. This recipe is inspired by one of the most popular recipes from 2013 – my Raw Almond Butter Cups. Many of you asked for an almond-free version so I made it nut-free and added a third layer for fun. While I love the almond butter cup recipe, these are my new favourite for sure. The snappy coconut butter base provides a great contrast to the creamy middle and chocolate topping.
I have recently fallen back in love with coconut butter during my recipe testing pursuits. It’s so darn easy to make at home (the first time I made it at home was back in 2010). Have you made it before? It’s pretty life-changing. The store-bought stuff is super expensive for some reason (why are those jars soooo much?), but making it at home is really cheap! I use a 400 gram bag of No Name unsweetened medium coconut (see below). You want to be sure you are using unsweetened shredded coconut and not flaked, sweetened, or low-fat kinds. Ontario folks, you can find this No Name bag at Fortinos and I’m guessing other grocers too. I find some shredded coconut to be hit or miss when making homemade coconut butter, but this bag works perfectly every single time! I’ve also found processing 3-4 cups at a time works best – anything less and it might not break down into butter. Also, make sure the coconut you are using is fresh – if the coconut is stale it most likely won’t turn into butter. The beauty is that the leftover coconut butter will keep for a very long time in the fridge or pantry and you’ll always have some handy for baking.
It’s such a treat to eat a spoonful of this warm homemade coconut butter!
To start off with, I added a scant teaspoon of coconut butter into each mini silicone mold. This is the one I use. They pop out so easily! I love using it for making homemade chocolate too. You can probably also use mini (or standard size if that’s all you have) cupcake paper liners.
Pop those in the freezer while you stir together the filling.
I made a very easy homemade chocolate for the topping using unsweetened cocoa powder, maple syrup, and coconut oil. All topped with large coconut flakes for a crunchy texture. Easily one of my favourite quick and easy desserts to come out of my kitchen in a while!
3-Layer Nut-Free Dream Cups
Vegan, gluten-free, grain-free, no bake/raw, nut-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free
By Angela Liddon
These dream cups are free of nuts, but you'd never know it! The bottom layer is made up with pure coconut butter. It adds a firm, snappy texture contrast to the naturally sweetened sunflower seed butter and homemade chocolate layers. Try these cups as a nut-free alternative to my popular Raw Almond Butter Cups.
Yield 8 mini cups
Freeze time 25 minutes
Prep Time
Cook time 0 Minutes
Total Time
Ingredients:
For the base layer:
3 tablespoons melted coconut butter (from a packed 1/4 cup solid coconut butter)
For the middle layer:
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, softened
pinch fine sea salt
For the top layer:
1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
pinch fine sea salt
2 1/2-3 tablespoons unsweetened large flake coconut
Directions:
If necessary, melt the coconut butter over the lowest heat in a saucepan until liquid.
Spoon a scant teaspoon of melted coconut butter into a mini silicone cupcake mold and spread out evenly. You can probably use mini paper liners if you don't have silicone. Repeat for the rest (I made 8 mini cups). Place in the freezer.
Prepare the middle layer: In a small bowl, stir together the sunflower butter, maple syrup, oil, and salt until smooth. Add a scant tablespoon of filling on top of each coconut butter layer. Smooth out and place in the freezer.
Prepare the top layer: Add the coconut oil into a small saucepan and melt over low heat. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder, maple syrup, and salt until smooth.
Add a tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each cup. Top with a teaspoon of large flake coconut and gently press down.
Freeze for about 25 minutes until solid. Allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before enjoying. Store leftovers in the fridge, or for longer storage, the freezer.
Tip: To make homemade coconut butter, process 3-4 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut in a heavy-duty food processor for 7-10 minutes, until smooth and liquid. Make sure the coconut you are using isn't stale or it won't turn into butter. Leftovers will keep in the fridge in an air tight container for at least a month, but often much longer. You can also use store-bought coconut butter.
This is one item you cannot miss on the menu card of any Chinese restaurant. In fact, it has become so popular that it is there on almost all restaurant menus and that of buffets and party spreads as well. The famous Hot and Sour Soup is a tongue-tickling combination of sautéed vegetables, in a base of vegetable stock flavoured with Oriental sauces. The interplay of flavours and the exciting intervention of crunchy vegetables makes this soup a blockbuster hit.
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Preparation Time: Cooking Time: Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
2 tbspoil 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun) 2 tsp finely chopped green chillies 1/2 cupshredded cabbage 1/2 cupgrated carrot 1/2 cup finely chopped cauliflower 1/4 cupchopped spring onions 3 1/2 cupsclear vegetable stock 1 tspvinegar 1 tspsoy sauce 1 tspchilli sauce 1 tbspchopped coriander (dhania) 3 tbspcornflour salt and freshly ground black pepper (kalimirch) to taste
Method
Combine the cornflour and ½ cup of water in a bowl and mix well. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a wok over a high flame, add the garlic and green chillies and sauté on a medium flame for a few seconds.
Add the cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, spring onions and sauté on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
Add the stock, vinegar, soya sauce, chilli sauce, coriander, salt and pepper, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 2 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
Add the cornflour-water mixture, mix well and cook on a medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
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A brilliant combination of capsicum, bean sprouts and spring onions flavoured with soy sauce, this delightful Oriental soup is not only tantalizingly tasty, but also conveniently quick to prepare! Unlike most soups, which call for cooking the veggies first, this Bean Sprouts Soup makes use of stir-frying, a comparatively fast procedure, which also imparts a classic flavour to the dish.
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Preparation Time: Cooking Time: Makes 4 cups
Ingredients
1/2 cup finely chopped spring onions whites 1/4 cup finely chopped red capsicum 1/4 cup finely chopped capsicum 3/4 cupbean sprouts 2 tspsoy sauce 2 tbspoil salt and to taste To Serve soy sauce chillies in vinegar
Method
Boil 3 cups of water. Keep aside.
Heat the oil in a wok over a high flame, add the spring onions whites, red capsicum and green capsicum and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry for another minute.
Add the boiling water, salt and pepper and bring to boil.
Add the soya sauce and mix well.
Serve hot with soya sauce and chillies in vinegar.