I may post twice today. 

I'm home sick from work and feeling restless. 

I'm so restless I added another way to make hummus to this blog post. It was going to be Hummus 2 Ways, but then I threw in another way at the last minute, alas, the awkward photos. All three don't appear in the same photo....

I'm not sure if anyone has noticed a change in the food on here lately.  Anyone noticing a trend?  You could go hunting now, but no need. I'm gonna tell ya anyway.

I've always had a section on this site for vegetarians and vegans, as I've always had a love for cooking vegan. It's just so damn easy and full of flavour. Serous love for vegan food.

Well, if you haven't figured it out yet, it's been one year now since our household has gone completely meat-free. Myself, vegan, my husband and kiddo vegetarian. Their love for cheese is a strong one. For various reasons, we decided to stop buying meat on the grocery runs. We wanted to see what it did to our grocery bill, bellies, and meal planning. Well, one year down, and I think it's safe to assess the situation now and perhaps be a little more honest with the world. We are sold, folks. This was the easiest 'change' if there ever was one. It actually just made more sense and made our love for food and cooking even stronger.

We are proud to admit to the world that we absolutely have fallen in love with our food, all over again. Lee and I both have noticed only changes for the better in all three areas that interested us - our budget, our bellies, and our meal planning. We eat gorgeous meals, every night. Delicious meals. Meals we go back for seconds, thirds for each night. Easy to prepare, full of taste and flavour, and ridicously healthy meals. We spend less at the grocery store, and more at the local markets and on our own backyard gardens. But best of all, we feel amazing. Full of energy, contentment, and love for all things grown in the ground. It just feels so right, eating things full of nutrients, super healthy for us, and not harming the Earth in the process. Actually, what's best of all, really, is watching our daughter feel the same way, at the young age of 3. Her love for vegetables is heartwarming. She'll gladly try any green thing on her plate and gets excited over a hemp seeds sprinkled over her banana soft serve ice cream. Not sure how long it will last, but we we'll take it while we can. It feels good to see her so pumped about meal times and be so open to trying food. 

So, today's post is a little celebration of our one year meat-free grocery bill. We quietly decided to make the change for our family in hopes of living healthy and happy. It's now a way of being here in our home now. A great way of being. I think I'll go enjoy some hummus now. (Hannah's current favourite food)

Simple Hummus
1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed, skins removed
1 tbsp tahini
half lemon squeeze
vinegar 1-2 tbsp to taste
sea salt sprinkle
1-2 cloves garlic, to taste
cumin
drizzle oil

What to do:
1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend. Blend. Blend. Add a bit of water or vinegar to get it to the consistency you like if it's still too thick. 
2. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for about a week or so. You'll eat it all up by then anyway. 

Cheezy Hummus
1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed, skins removed
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1-2 tbsp vinegar
1/2 lemon squeeze
sea salt
1 clove garlic
smoked paprika
drizzle oil

What to do:
1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend. Blend. Blend. Add a bit of water or vinegar to get it to the consistency you like if it's still too thick. 
2. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for about a week or so. You'll eat it all up by then anyway. 

Bonus! Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 can of rinsed chickpeas, skins removed
1 roasted red pepper (in the oven or from a jar of roasted red pepper)
2 tbsp tahini
1/2 lemon squeeze
sea salt
1 large clove garlic
cumin
drizzle oil
drizzle vinegar

​What to do:
1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and blend. Blend. Blend. Add a bit of water or vinegar to get it to the consistency you like if it's still too thick. 
2. Store in the refrigerator in an air tight container for about a week or so. You'll eat it all up by then anyway. 

Life is nuts. Super crazy busy. Especially when you're working hard to continue living your dreams, while also feeling like you're constantly living against the grain by choosing an eating lifestyle for yourself that goes against tradition, against how you were raised, and against mainstream. It can be tough. Workable, but tough. Especially when holidays roll around. But no worries, we survived Easter. With chocolate.  Chocolate macaroons. 

We survived Easter with a 2 1/2 year old and little to no typical Easter chocolates. How did we do it? We hosted, to start. We also strayed from tradition, as per usual for us. Lunch of fresh soup, salads, and sandwiches and we didn't provide any typical Easter treats at all. Sorry tradition, but we're trying to be kind to ourselves. The Easter got the hint though! The hidden eggs throughout the house were filled with blueberries, grapes, strawberries and stickers. And a delicious morning treat of banana ice cream for breakfast and a chocolate Larabar tucked in a stuffed bunny's arms in an Easter basket. Our granola Easter bunny is the best! And then, to top it all off, a lovely spaghetti supper with cousins and a hike through the woods. 

Easter was lovely. It brought many good times with family and good food in our bellies. It also brought our little Hannah new crocs, water bottle, paints, and a watering can. Couldn't have been better. Great memories. Little time spent on the phone and lots of time in the kitchen. Aaaahhh. 

Best of all? I now have this recipe. Without Easter and the attempt to have new traditional Easter treats, we wouldn't have adapted these Chocolate Macaroons that now fit with the ingredients in our kitchen. Our bellies and tastebuds were thankful for the few leftovers shared the next evening! 

Chocolate Macaroons

Total Time: 10 minutes + time to cool in refrigerator  

1/3 cup coconut oil
1 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup almond milk
1/3 cup cocoa
3 cups oats

What to do:

1) Melt coconut oil over low-medium heat. 

2) Add sugar and milk. Mix well.

3) Add cocoa and oats. Mix until well incorporated, adding a bit more milk if needed. 

4) Scoop by the spoonful onto baking sheet and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Enjoy!! 

I think Spring has arrived. Maybe? 

It's often too soon to tell. I'm probably jinxing it right now by even mentioning it. A snowstorm could be forecasted at any minute, I guess. But with the crocuses making an appearance on the front lawn, 20 degrees forecasted for Tuesday, and being able to get into the car in the early morning without defrosting the windshield, I think we can safely assume spring is here or near. 

And, if you take a stroll at any local farm market, spring is most definitely here! The beginnings of delicious veggies are on the menu - shoots! Pea shoots! Kale shoots! Excellent power packed greens that are quite versatile to use. We often blend them up into a pesto, but tonight, we were in the mood for something light and fresh. Salad rolls. Complete with fresh pea shoots from the market. 

Salad rolls make a common appearance around this household. However, we recognize they may not be on the menu for many others. Especially, since most times they're mentioned, people have no idea what we're talking about! I'm not even sure what prompted us one day to buy rice paper and try them out, but it was a few years ago now, and once we did, we were hooked! So easy to prepare, a great alternative to 'salad', which is my least favourite way to eat veggies, and fun to eat! Actually, it is a fantastic way to get your toddler to eat a salad.  They can easily help prepare them and roll them up. And then you get to eat them with your hands! Win win, I'd say. 

Well, tonight's salad rolls featured locally picked pea shoots, and I thought, hey! I don't think these are on the blog! So, they got a front row seat for the month of April. I bumped the next two posts aside (Vegetarian Lasagna with Cashew Cheese and Curried Cauliflower - oh they are delicious and hopefully will get them up soon for ya!) Spring took over tonight! 

Enjoy these tasty rolls as a main, a side, or an appetizer! They pair well with a BBQ dish or a rice dish. We often have them as a side with Pad Thai noodles. I've included a few variations for sauces that we make fresh to go with them to dip. So yummy! We usually mix up the dressings in a jar and just eat as is, but if you like a thicker sauce, add a tsp. of corn starch and water to the mixture and stir evenly over medium heat until it starts to thicken. This will give a thicker sauce, which sticks to the rice wrap a little better.

​Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out for you!

Spring Salad Rolls
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
Rice Paper & a bowl of warm water
Salad filling: shredded cabbage and carrot, pea shoots, thinly sliced peppers, etc. 
Spicy Dressing:
-2 tbsp oil (olive or sesame are our favourites)
-1 tbsp vinegar (white or rice are our favourites)
-1 tbsp honey
-1 tbsp water
-1 tsp each chilli powder, garlic powder, ginger, powder
-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or hot pepper flakes
-dash sea salt/pepper
Sweet Dressing:
-2 tbsp oil (olive or sesame are our favourites)
-1 tbsp vinegar (white or rice are our favourites)
-1 tbsp honey
-1 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce
-1 tsp each garlic, ginger powder
-dash sea salt/pepper
Nutty Dressing:
-2 tbsp nut or seed butter (peanut butter or sesame seed butter are our favourites)
-1 tbsp vinegar (white or rice are our favourites)
-1 tbsp honey
-1 tbsp water
-t tsp garlic, ginger
-1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
-dash sea salt/pepper

*Optional: Mix up sauce as is by whisking or shaking in a jar until combined. Or, if you like a thicker sauce, add in 1 tsp. of corn starch and water, and heat over medium heat, story constantly, until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and serve as dipping sauce. It will stick to the rice paper better this way. 

What to do:

1) Submerge one sheet of rice paper in warm water with fingertips.

2) In about 30-60 seconds, it should turn soft and pliable. Remove from water and lay on dry towel. Add salad filling to the middle of the wet paper.

3) When the paper becomes sticky, about 30 seconds after laying on the towel, roll one edge around the salad filling, fold in the sides, and roll up until sealed. Place on a plate, uncovered. Continue with the rest of your rolls (We usually eat 2-4 rolls each!), careful not to let them touch once rolled on the plate or they will stick together. 

4) Store in fridge, wrapped separately in an airtight package. 

5) For Dressing, mix up as is in a bowl by whisking or in a sealed jar by shaking. See note about wanting a thicker sauce* above.