Hey guys! Today I’m sharing the fastest little instant cake you have ever seen! It’s not only quick to make but tastes super delicious too!
We don’t always have time to be baking in the kitchen so this recipe helps for those times you need something fast! This time saving little cake is whipped up in literally no time at all! If a craving hits you do you really want to start a long process of baking a treat?Not me on most days! I can easily make this treat and be satisfied in minutes!
The recipe is also healthy and still keeps my wellness goals in mind still. I use healthy ingredients that are easy to find in pretty much anyone’s home. I love using staple ingredients because it just makes life easier. I always try creating recipes that use easy to source items that are regular everyday home pantry ingredients.
Carrots are loaded with nutritional value and they taste great! They have vitamin A (from beta Carotene), Vitamin K, Fiber, Biotin, Potassium, Vitamin B6 as well as many other nutritional benefits. Carrots are great for the skin and hair, boosts immune system, facilitates digestion and is most widely known for improving eye health. They also contain other minerals such as iron, manganese and copper. I feel great about enjoying this dessert because carrots are such power houses of nutrition!
If you wanted to jazz the carrot cake a little and extra calories are no issue then you can also add frosting on top. A yummy maple icing / frosting would work amazing on this recipe. You can add icing sugar in a small bowl with some pure maple syrup. Whisk it and add a tiny amount of plant based milk until you get a nice consistency. This will add such a nice decadent addition! If you make this dessert for a guest I would go with this added option. It will look pretty too! I would also add a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the icing / frosting for an even prettier presentation.
I know some of you like watching a video version of the recipes so I will add my YouTube recipe video below. Thank you for the support on the channel as well. If you haven’t already Subscribed to the channel then please consider doing so for more healthy recipes!
I love having a comforting cozy warm dessert from time to time. This harsh Canadian winter is becoming too much for me. We have been hitting record cold temperatures this week. It’s just bitterly cold and depressing in general. The warming spices in this cake are a lovely treat and help tremendously. I’m really enjoying a good snuggly blanket and this warm cozy carrot cake lately. It’s becoming our go to recipe!
Instant Microwave Carrot Cake
Dry Ingredients:
1 cup Brown Rice Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
Wet Ingredients:
1 cup Plant Based Milk of choice
2 Tbsp. Apple Sauce
5 Tbsp. Shredded Carrot
Dash of Vanilla Extract
Spices:
Sprinkle of Cinnamon
Sprinkle of Nutmeg
Kitchen Gadgets you will need:
1 medium sized bowl
1 mixing spoon
1 small microwave safe baking dish or large wide mug
Grater (for the carrot)
* You can also add Pumpkin Pie Spice as the seasoning for this recipe *
Method:
1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and combine well.
2. Transfer to small Microwave safe baking dish or large wide Mug.
3. Place in the microwave for approximately 3 minutes & 30 seconds. Check on it at the 3 minute mark to see if you need the extra 30 seconds. Keep a close eye on the cake during the whole baking process.
4. Allow to cool off a bit because it will be very hot! You also want the cake to set nicely before digging in.
We are definitely in the heart of the fall season and cozy recipes are required! It’s the time of year where we feel the need for those comfort meals as the days get darker, quieter and colder. We crave the cozy warm recipes that just make us feel good inside. This is my favourite season to create recipes. I get so inspired by all the foods in season during this time. Everything looks absolutely delicious and I start to think of all the recipes I want to try making. It’s just simply a wonderful time of year!
Many people will say that during this time of year they typically put on weight because they eat more decadent meals. Some say they crave “bad” foods. I feel like anything that’s a favourite cozy fall meal can be made into a healthier version. You can enjoy the wonderful much loved meal and still stay on track with wellness goals. I love to create meals that are guilt free and healthy but still taste fabulous. I know I’ve said this before but you CAN have it all! No more beating yourself up about eating naughty meals! You just have to get in the mindset of adjusting the recipe to meet your health and wellness goals. Also I’d like to add that if you do enjoy indulgent meals here and there, that’s also totally ok. It’s all about balance in life. I say just clean up your act and eat as clean as possible after that meal. It will be just fine.
I created this very simple butternut squash soup recipe using wholesome ingredients and it tastes fantastic. This recipe is a crowd pleaser and it’s perfect for entertaining during the holiday season as well. Now that covid restrictions have lightened up and families can get together we can finally start having guests over! Wow this is exciting! Everyone will enjoy this soup! My feedback after posting this recipe on my YouTube channel was excellent. I feel so good knowing that people are enjoying this hearty yet healthy soup!
Squash is abundant in every grocery store or farmer’s market this time of year. It’s definitely easy to find because they seem to be the star of the show in October and on into the colder months. Squash can be inexpensive as well and it’s quite hearty. You can make this whole recipe using just one butternut squash. A little goes a long way. My recipe will serve 4 people, so if you want to make it for a larger gathering then just make sure you pick up extra squash. I bought mine from Costco and they actually came in a two pack which is great. They worked out to 3.5 lbs each.
What if you don’t have fresh produce available to you? Depending on where you live or your budget you might not be able to get fresh squash. That’s totally ok! You can definitely use canned squash of any variety to make this recipe if needed. They do sell butternut squash in cans so this might be a good solution for you. You can also use frozen squash if that’s all you can find as well. Find whatever works for you because my recipe is very adaptable. Creating these healthier options doesn’t have to be complicated. I find sometimes we get into these rigid rules when cooking and that is just way too stressful. We tend to over complicate things and it doesn’t have to be this way.
Butternut Squash is full of Vitamins, Fiber and Antioxidants. It’s loaded with vitamin C, vitamin A, and B Vitamin’s as well. It’s rich with magnesium and potassium which plays an important role for us in our bone health. It’s so nice to know that something so delicious is actually really beneficial to our health.
I decided to add some apples to this recipe because we had picked a whole bunch from our tree in the backyard. They needed to be used up and they taste so incredibly good! I’m not sure what the variety is but they grow perfect and I love how sweet they are. I don’t put any pesticides on my tree and they still turn out perfect. No bugs either! The only battle I have is the Toronto raccoons eating them on the tree and then throwing half away onto the ground. They basically eat half of the apple and throw away the rest! Ugh! Why can’t they just eat the whole thing?
Fresh Apples from my Backyard!
I hope you enjoy my easy Butternut Squash Soup recipe. Let me know if you make it and if you make an adjustments to the recipe. I will post the video version of this recipe below if you would like to watch me cook this lovely soup. Enjoy this amazing time of year and the gorgeous fall season!
Easy ButternutSquashSoup
Ingredients:
⁃ 1 Butternut Squash, peeled & chopped Look for one around 3.5 lbs.
⁃ 1 tbsp. Bouillon
⁃ 4 1/4 cups water
⁃ 1/2 onion, chopped
⁃ 3 medium sized apples, chopped
⁃ 3 cloves of garlic
Herbs & Spices:
⁃ Paprika
⁃ Curry powder
⁃ Onion powder
⁃ Cumin powder
⁃ Dry Oregano
⁃ Black pepper
⁃ Himalayan pink salt
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 400F
3. Peel & chop the butternut squash. Add it to a lined baking pan.
4. Peel and chop apples and add them to the baking pan.
5. Chop up onion and peel garlic cloves. Toss into the pan. Add the spices to the mixture as well.
6. Pop the baking pan into the oven at 400F for 30 minutes. I gave it a mix at the half way mark.
7. Add the butternut squash mixture to a large pot. Add the bouillon, and water as well.
8. Use a hand blender to purée the soup or add it in batches to a blender.
9. Add more spices if necessary according to you taste.
10. Add the soup to bowls and enjoy!
Note: garnish with some pumpkin or squash seeds on top if desired.
I’m sharing my Best Ever Vegan Lasagna with you all today! Welcome back to my blog! This recipe is seriously pretty epic and I’m so excited to share it with you!
It has such a depth of flavours and it’s easy to put together. I feel like even a beginner cook could make this lasagna pretty easily. The only time consuming part is cooking the elements for the layers of the Lasagna. Assembly goes quite fast and then it does it’s thing cooking up in the oven for 1 hour. You don’t have to keep checking it while it cooks up either. I suggest just uncovering it for the last 10 minutes.
My lasagna is made using wholesome ingredients and you can feel good about eating it all up. Trust me you will want to eat every last bite of it! As always with my recipes I always make sure I’m using easy to find ingredients. All of the components to this lasagna are super easy to find at any grocery store. I feel like there is nothing more annoying than having to search multiple grocery stores looking for certain ingredients. You won’t be doing that with this one. You actually probably already have most of the ingredients on hand at home. I love making pantry staple meals. I don’t like having to buy too many ingredients for my meals.
The cheese sauce used in my recipe is a modified version of a recipe I found on YouTube. I will make sure to add it to this post for your reference. The thing I love about homemade “cheese” is that you can customize it to your liking and needs. You can make it thick and spreadable or on the runny side depending on what your cooking.
I love how little money I spent on the ingredients needed for this recipe as well. Most of the ingredients are staple items I always have at home. I love when meals are low cost and provide an abundance of nutrition. You can find cans or a jars of tomato sauce for pretty cheap at pretty much every grocery store. Just make sure it’s pure tomato sauce without any added oil. This will keep the calories lower by skipping any added unnecessary oil to the meal. Lasagna noodles are inexpensive as well and a fantastic variety can be found depending on where you shop. Organic tofu is often on sale, and frozen veggies are the cheapest to buy at the grocery store. The only ingredient I find that can be sometimes costly is the nutritional yeast. If you can buy it in bulk that will save money. You only need a little amount for this lasagna and the rest will store for a long time in the pantry.
This recipe will be enjoyed by even the most picky eaters. I’ve even served it to meat eaters and they loved it too! I think that says a lot because they tend to be quite reluctant to try meals like this in my experience.
Best Ever Vegan Lasagna
Ingredients:
– 2 680 ml cans of tomato sauce – 500g firm tofu – 2 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast – 2 tbsp. better than boullion – 2 tbsp. Garlic power – 2 tsp. Onion powder – 1 tsp. Dry Oregano – 1/3 cup fresh Basil – 3 cups frozen mixed veggies – 1 cup frozen edamame – 1 package frozen spinach, thawed – 1 box 375g whole wheat lasagna noodles – homemade cheese sauce or a bag of vegan shredded cheese
Method:
1. Thaw out the spinach before hand.
2. Preheat the oven to 400° F.
3.In a frying pan cook up the frozen vegetables and spinach. Use water instead of oil to cook them up. Add 1 tbsp. Of better than boullion, 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder and 1 tsp. Onion Powder to the vegetables. Set aside until ready to use.
4. Add the tofu to a pan and crumble it up using your spatula. Saute in water instead of oil. Add 1 tbsp. of Better Than Boullion and 1 tbsp. Nutritional yeast. Cook well and set aside until you need it.
5. Add the tomato sauce to a pan and add 1 tbsp. Garlic Powder, 1 tsp. Onion Powder, 1 tsp. Dry Oregano and 1/3 cup fresh Basil. Heat up on a medium heat for 10 minutes with the lid on.
6. Make cheese sauce or skip this step and just use store bought vegan cheese. The homemade cheese sauce only takes a few minutes to make in the blender. Just heat it through in a pan on the stove top.
7. Cook the lasagna noodles as per box instructions. I splash some cool water on them in the colander just to make sure they don’t stick together too much.
8. Grab your lasagna baking dish and start to assemble the lasagna. I add tomato sauce to the pan first and the lasagna noodles. Then I add the veggie mix, a drizzle of tomato sauce, tofu mixture and then the cheese sauce on top. Keep repeating until you’ve filled the lasagna dish. Finish with tomato sauce. Add more cheese sauce on top too if desired.
9. Cover with foil and cook for 1 hour at 400° F. Uncover for the last 10 minutes.
10. Allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing it up.
ENJOY!
NOTE:
I used a modified version of Jill McKeever cheese recipe. I added lots of garlic powder, extra onion powder, black pepper and extra water to the sauce when I made it. I also transfered the sauce from the blender to a pot to thicken up. Keep a close eye on the sauce because it will stick to the bottom of the pan easily.
I will add a link to Jill’s recipe video below.
I will also add my video version of my recipe below. I know many of you prefer to watch the recipe video.
Thank you for the support and love on my YouTube Channel. If you find my recipes helpful on your health journey then please Subscribe to the channel. Please give the video a Like as well because this helps my little channel tremendously. Thank you!
The last couple weeks have been difficult. I’m still on the mend after feeling super ill. I had to get tested for COVID-19 and thankfully it came back negative. It’s just a regular flu that needs to run its course.
I’ve been focusing on getting lots of vegetables into my diet. I need those extra nutrients more than ever right now! Packing a variety of fresh and frozen vegetables and fruits will help my body fight illness and provide me with extra energy.
I decided to create a healthy veggie sauce using frozen vegetables to add to my meals. I used this sauce on my pasta and it worked out fabulously. It’s a completely guilt free sauce using only two ingredients. I used a frozen mix of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots to make my veggie sauce. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand to make this delicious veggie sauce. I’m sure the possibilities are endless and many combinations would be fantastic.
I used beetroot noodles for my pasta dish because that’s what I had on hand. They ended up being absolutely delicious. I actually found them at my local Dollar Store. They only cost my $1.50 and provided meals for two days. I ate large portions along with my partner and we still had lots left over for lunch the next day. I love saving money! I will definitely buy those again if I see them at the store. You can use whatever type of pasta you have or prefer for this recipe. I suggest using something like a whole grain pasta for added nutrition.
This is also a great way of cleaning out your fridge and making sure all the veggies you bought get used up. I hate food waste so I try creating recipes like this one in order to use everything up. We tend to buy a lot and don’t plan out our meals very well. Creating recipes like this is great to use it all up and not waste hard earned money. Nobody wants to throw away spoiled food.
Many people are also cutting back on food spending and trying to create cheaper meals. Grocery store spending can be quite high for all of us no matter what our diet is these days. If you live in a place where you can’t grow anything yourself due to the climate then these costs can be even higher unfortunately. I’m in that boat myself because it’s too cold most if the year where I live sadly. I can only grow my veggies for a short time every summer.
I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I do! I need quick and easy recipes because life is just too busy! I also need to keep my diet as clean as possible so I can feel at my absolute optimal. This is why I create simple and healthy recipes like this one. If you enjoy these fuss free recipes then consider Subscribing to my YouTube Channel where I have loads of quick and healthy video recipes.
2 Ingredient Veggie Pasta
Ingredients
– 300-400g of Pasta – 5-6 cups of veggies (I used frozen broccoli, Cauliflower and carrots).
– Save 2 cups of the pasta water for the sauce. This will add great consistency and flavor.
Optional: – Seasonings and spices of choice (optional) – 1 tsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
Method
1. Boil a large pot of water for the pasta.
2. Add the veggies to a pan and cook them up. Just use water or veggie broth to cook them up. Don’t use oil because that will increase the calories significantly.
3. Add the cooked veggies to a blender. Add spices, seasonings and nutritional yeast if you are using them.
4. Add the pasta water to the blender. Start with 1 cup and decide how thick you want your sauce.
5. Drain and plate your pasta. Add the sauce. Combine well.
ENJOY!
I will add my video of how to make my easy veggie pasta below in this blog post for those of you who enjoy watching recipe videos.
I will make my best effort to get more recipes up on this blog this year. I’ve had a lot of people asking me to post more often here. I will do my best my friends! Thanks for the support, encouragement and love.
Calling all Pesto sauce lovers!!! I have a recipe that you will not only love but it’s actually healthy too.
Do you love Pesto but hate all the calories associated with it? Traditional pesto is loaded with oil which is just empty calories. Did you know that each tablespoon you use will add on 120 calories to your meal? I don’t know about you but I’m not interested in adding on all these extra unneccessary calories. I also don’t know any person that just adds one tablespoon of oil to their food when they cook. Think about how much oil is called for in traditional pesto recipes. Add up all those extra calories. It’s actually pretty horrifying. If those extra calories came from wholesome unrefined foods then I wouldn’t worry about it. Oil of any kind has been refined and adds no benefits to our health contrary to popular belief however.
If you want to read more about the hazards of including oil in your diet I recommend you check out Dr. Mcdougall’s website and pick up some of his amazing books. The Starch Solution will open your eyes to a weath of information and practical tips.
My recipe for pesto is oil free, nut free and dairy free. I eliminated a ton of calories and I only use real whole foods. I believe that the food we eat should be full of nutrients and vitamins. This is the food of vitality and wellness. This is the food I want to fuel my body with and I hope you do too.
So what if pasta isn’t your thing? Yes some people just aren’t big pasta fans. It’s true but hard to believe I know! Don’t fret because you can also use this fresh oil free pesto sauce on baked or boiled potatoes which is amazing. It will take your plain potatoes to a whole new level trust me! It’s also a great alternative to adding unhealthy butter or sour cream to your potatoes. I also like to top my rice with a little of this pesto sauce too. It gives your rice a bit of extra flavour and colour which is really nice.
Here is my healthy and super easy to make recipe for Pesto. This recipe is made using Arugula and Spinach which is probably very easy to find for everyone. I do like to use Fresh Basil when I have it but it doesn’t have to be the staple ingredient in pesto. I love how you can play around with different healthy greens to create new and wonderful pesto recipes. You can never get sick of pesto sauce when you try new greens and create new ways of making this fabulous sauce.
Healthy Arugula & Spinach Pesto Pasta
Ingredients:
• 3 cups Arugula & Spinach Mix • Juice of 1 large lemon • 5 cloves of garlic • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Seeds or Sunflower seeds • Salt & Pepper • 1 cup chopped Tomatoes • 1-2 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast • 5 cups pasta of choice. I used Quinoa Pasta.
Method:
1. Boil large pot of water and add in the pasta. Cook according to directions on pasta packaging.
2. Add all ingredients to a food processor. Combine well.
3. In a large bowl add the pasta and mix in the pesto sauce.
* Serves 4 people *
Enjoy!
If you want to see how I made my recipe then just take a peek at my video below. It’s my latest recipe video on my YouTube channel.
~Vegan Mommy Dee~ 
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