Feel Good Guru

There’s a reason asparagus is wildly abundant at this time of year at farmers’ markets across North America. Nature knows our body is in need of a spring cleanse, and asparagus is a superb and succulent detox veg.

Asparagus is a natural diuretic, and fills our gut with friendly bacteria, aiding digestion and making it difficult for unhealthy bacteria to take up residence.

Nurture your inner beauty by scooping up as much asparagus at the market as your local farmer will let you and use it daily while it’s at its peak. You’ll help to kick start the lightening and brightening that takes place naturally as we shed the heaviness of winter from body and mind. (more…)

Hummus, a lifesaving staple for chuppies, isn’t just for chickpeas. I like to make hummus with pinto beans, great northern beans, black beans or green lentils. For a totally raw and totally delish version of this yummy Mediterranean dip, grab a handful of organic almonds and whip up a fast batch of almond hummus. It’s easy-shmeasy.

Serve it with raw carrot sticks, endive leaflettes, corn chips or crackers, or use it as a spread on sandwiches or wraps, as a layer in terrines or raw lasagne, or as a side or accompaniment to just about anything, anytime. Here’s the easy how-to: (more…)

Spring has turned up at the markets in the form of fresh, fleshy asparagus, crisp kale, dainty greens and baby broccoli. The spirit in nature right now calls for simplicity in cooking.

Savor spring market foods at their naked best, unadorned with heavy winter sauces. Spring veggies are particularly rich in nutrients and cleansing properties to help us shed our winter layer, tone our internal organs and ready our bodies for the active summer ahead.

This Spring Macro Special is more an assembly than a “recipe” and it couldn’t be simpler. (more…)

As the weather warms, the days lengthen and our winter’s excess starts to melt away from our bellies, our bodies naturally start to crave lighter, fruitier, more tropical foods. When we’re in tune with our bodies and the seasons, we’ll eat what nature intended and feel incredible.

One of the amazing foods that shows up in March – perfect timing to help us get a jump start on spring cleansing from the inside, is the pineapple. Loaded in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds and digestive enzymes, pineapples are imbued with almost magical healing powers. Slice one open and eat it raw, chop it into a fruit salad, or whip up this beautiful easy-shmeasy Pina Mimosa Smoothie… (more…)

This is one of my ultimate favorite comforting soups on a cold fall or winter day, and it has also become a fave of some of my clients in my Toronto lunchtime organic vegan soup and smoothie delivery service.

It’s a simple dreamy creamy cleansing vegan soup, made rich and nourishing by blending sweet yams and cashews in with the collards, giving your greens a lovely warm balance – a soup you could sip all day and be entirely sustained by the powerhouse of nutrition it contains. (more…)

These easy-shmeasy Banana Almond Cocoa Coconut Gooey Crunchy Delicious Oat-free Oil-free Raw Date Squares are the perfect food to grab either before or after a workout or a hike or just about any time you need an energy boost and a powerful pick-me-up between meals.

They’re simple to whip up in a food processor in five minutes and ready to eat immediately. They won’t last long once they’re sitting out on the counter, but if you’re able to ration, they’ll improve with a little rest in the fridge or an overnight, counter-top. (more…)

The list of health benefits that chocolate provides is long, but the reason we associate it with V-day is that it contains a natural substance which triggers the same reaction in the body as falling in love.

Raw cacao is particularly good for us because in its purest, whole food form it contains no added sugar, emulsifiers or dairy. Cacao is noted to have very high levels of magnesium, which perhaps explains why women crave chocolate during their menstrual cycles, as magnesium balances brain chemistry and combats depression. Raw cacao is also purported to contain 28 times more heart-protecting, cancer-fighting antioxidants than black tea. (more…)

This is a perfect breakfast to have on a cold winter day. Toasted buckwheat porridge, or kasha as it’s called in Eastern Europe, is actually a seed, though it looks and tastes like a grain. It’s high in iron, is full of B vitamins, calcium and fiber, and contains all 8 essential amino acids.

Because it’s not a grain, it contains no gluten, so people with wheat sensitivities or allergies can usually eat buckwheat. Read all about its incredible health benefits, including how it can lower blood pressure and help prevent diabetes, here. Dig in! Kasha’s cleansing! (more…)

So many ways to make a pesto, so many ways to eat it! Traditionally you’d blend basil with olive oil, garlic, and parmesan cheese and toss it with pasta – easy-shmeasy.

This one’s a fresh green version with arugula and spinach, ripe avocado instead of olive oil and a generous blob of mild miso for a “cheesy” flavor. The avocado gives it a great creaminess that sticks to the noodles.

An awesome parmesan cheese replacement for plant-powered peeps is a blend of walnuts and nutritional yeast sprinkled over the whole thing. (more…)

Ah! Big meaty fava beans! Fountain of youth! Low in calories and fat with no cholesterol, high in protein, iron, fiber and vitamins, these wonderful beans with a complex nutty, slightly bitter but buttery flavor and a mild grassy finish are also high in brain-feeding dopamine, which helps to keep our sense of well-being intact (along with memory, energy and sex-drive).

Every culture in the world but ours, from China to Italy to the Middle East enjoys the benefits of the fava, celebrating and revering the broad bean for its youth-giving energy. Get in on some of that delicious woowoo! (more…)

These fancy little seasonal beauties are a cinch to prepare and they’re so good for you there’s no need for a special occasion to indulge.

I have some left over from a dinner party and discovered they’re awesome as healthy breakfast balls. They’re very lightly sweetened so the goodness of the main ingredients comes through.

Cranberries are loaded in antioxidants and phyto-nutrients, especially needed at this time of year to keep the winter nasties at bay. Raw cocoa is also incredibly rich in nutrients, raw coconut butter is so creamy, delish and full of enzymes, vitamins and protein, and don’t worry about the fat content in raw cashews – 75% of the fat in cashews is the same heart-healthy fat as found in olive oil. (more…)

You don’t have to be a hemp-wearing, weed-puffing, dreadlocked dude or dudette to love this holiday feast. Even Sarah Palin, if this vegan came over for dinner, would have to admit my Hippy Holiday Roast is tastier than anything she can shoot from a helicopter and throw on a fire. And boy, I’d sure like to cook a meal for her;)

If you’ve seen Food, Inc., a fantastic film detailing where our food comes from in North America, or some of the shocking videos on YouTube of what happens at some of America’s turkey factories, you might be thinking twice about picking up your frozen Butterball for the family this holiday season. Even Martha Stewart’s going veg for Thanksgiving this year! What a world of change. Lap up the goodness!

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Low in fat, high in quality protein, rich in soluble and insoluble fiber, good for the heart, stabilizing blood sugar, low in calories, high in iron, kidney beans have it all. Bonus – they’re great at absorbing flavors, so bring ‘em on!

I always think of kidney beans as the “red meat” of veggies. Combined with brown rice, millet or any grain, you can get a big hit of protein without all the moo.

The fresh ginger and mint in this recipe give the beans a special fresh flavor, the red chilis bring the capsaicin and the heat. These herbs are also used in ayurvedic medicine to ease digestion, cleanse and make your skin glow. So good, and so good for you! Eat your Extra Special K-Beans often! (more…)

It’s really hard to find a good prepared polenta crust for pizza, yet it’s soooo easy to make. People get intimidated by polenta because they think they have to stand over the stove stirring constantly for an hour and who has time for that?

With this easy-shmeasy polenta crust, you whip it up, cover it and walk away. The polenta takes the shape and size of the pan you cook it in and browns up in the oven on a cookie sheet. Top with your favorite sauce and toppings, or follow the recipe below for a perfect wheat-free, dairy-free polenta party pizza! (more…)

This chili is a substantial meal and will fill any hungry belly with more protein than you’ll need to get you through the day. I always prefer to use dried beans rather than canned. It’s two extra steps, but worth it for quality & taste.

The combo of chili with spicy corn muffin makes for a majorly satisfying meal even your meat-lovin’ friends will devour. It’s a good recipe to keep as a chilly day standard, and make your own unique variations each time.

A lot of vegetarian chili recipes will use TVP for filler and texture. Texturized vegetable protein is way to processed for us. Soothing, alkaline millet will give you the same “meaty” texture and help complete the protein of the beans.  (more…)

This is my favorite super-healthy super-speedy insta-meal. If you have the ingredients on hand, this is a wonderful 5-minute creation.

It’s sometimes hard to find 100% buckwheat noodles. Most so called buckwheat noodles will contain about 30% wheat. Buckwheat isn’t wheat at all, but a seed, and is therefore much easier to digest and acceptable for most people with wheat allergies.

Eden brand makes an excellent quality organic buckwheat noodle you can find at good health food stores. And all Japanese specialty shops will carry them. Slurp on! (more…)

This is a super fast and super simple way to get your super food breakfast in you on the way out the door. Make up a pan in advance and you’ll be good to go for several days. It’s a wonderful, hearty cross between oatmeal porridge and a granola bar.

Goji berries, also known as “wolfberries” have been revered in China for generations for their health-giving qualities. Eat’em up for longevity, or to treat high blood pressure, fever and to balance blood sugar. Gojis are filled with antioxidants, which as we now know can help prevent serious diseases like cancer and heart disease… (more…)

Some of us have already had the heat on once or twice as cozy season closes in. It’s time to bring out the extra blanket, time to gather our furry pets around us, and time to get our soups and autumn veggie stews a simmerin’. We’ll be posting some great warming recipes here so stay tuned.

Meantime, I just wanted to point out a few fall superfoods that are sitting right under our noses at the market, just waiting to be added to that rawesome ratatouille, real food ragout or cosmic concoction. You don’t need to import from China or shop at the exotic foods emporium to max out on high density goodness.

These simple market foods are available everywhere ~ and they’re super: (more…)

It’s pumpkin season! You know it’s officially autumn when you can’t get past the doors of Whole Foods or through the gates of the local market without falling into the great pumpkin patch at the entrance.

Take this cosmic blip of fall to make yourself some beautiful soothing, spleen-tonifying, belly-warming, blood-cleansing soup instead of wasting all that gorgeous orange flesh on scary jack-o-lanterns.

There are countless varieties of pumpkins and squashes for cookin’ – at this time of year, there’s no need to use that canned stuff. Get your pretty pumpkin on with this easy and delish Curried Pumpkin and Coconut Soup: (more…)

There is almost nothing better in the world than a ripe market fresh heirloom tomato and they’re out in their full splendor right now. If ever there’s a time to eat tomatoes, it’s in the next few weeks. We all know in January a tomato just doesn’t taste like a tomato. So get ‘em while you can!

Heirlooms are painstakingly grown by smaller scale farmers for their extra juicy flavor and sweetness. They’re bursting with intense goodness, containing more nutrition than your average everyday tomato.

Tomatoes are rich in Vitamin C, which increases as it ripens on the vine, and they help rid the body of toxins. Lycopene, the antioxidant media darling du jour, present in tomatoes, can help prevent heart disease and certain types of cancer. It seems to be better absorbed by the body when we cook the tomatoes with a little oil. Easy shmeasy! Let’s do it!

Here’s a beautiful Roasted Heirloom Tomato and Basil Soup recipe:

Roasted Heirloom Tomato & Basil Soup

roughly 2 lbs of ripe juicy heirloom tomatoes (or any ripe juicy market fresh organic tomatoes)
8 cloves of garlic, whole
2 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 Tbsp red wine or apple cider vinegar
1 small bunch of fresh basil, chopped
1 cup of water
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 450. Cut tomatoes into quarters and place face up in a lightly oiled roasting pan with garlic. Drizzle the whole thing with olive oil and roast for half an hour or until sizzling and caramelized.

Remove from the oven and blend all ingredients to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust.

Serve hot, garnished with fresh basil.