A few years ago, on a chilly end-of-summer evening, my mother in law prepared this simple chickpea stew for the family. As simple as this dish was, it was far from it in terms of flavour and texture. A few scoops of this hearty vegan stew warmed me up instantly and comforted me the way those more traditional stick-to-your-ribs kind of meals do. I’m talking beef stew, mac n’ cheese, and every other comfort food – that also happen to not be vegan-friendly. This chickpea stew has quickly become one of my favourite vegan dishes to prepare for the family. The simplicity of this dish makes it so delicious – the tangy tomatoes, nutty chickpeas, the addition of healthy greens, and not to mention the earthy spices. This is not a swanky dish by any means, but it’s perfect for the cold weather and so flavourful and satisfying. The best part is it’s relatively cheap to prepare and can feed the family or dinner guests without breaking the bank.

There’s a few ways you can go about preparing this meal – either boiling dried chickpeas beforehand then adding to cooked sauce (homemade or not) heating through for 5-10 minutes before serving. Or you can grab a jar of canned and drained chickpeas and add directly to your sauce. The result is the same – a chunky, hearty stew however, I can vouch for the fact that dried cooked chickpeas are so much more flavourful and have such a better texture than the canned variety. On that note, the flexibility of this dish means that when you are pressed for time you can still whip up this healthy recipe in under 30 minutes on a busy weeknight, or you can prepare a large batch on the weekend and store portions in the freezer for quick evening meals.

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Sunday mornings are reserved for pancakes. On that note, we’ve been so busy lately that I’ve been resorting to cereal, even on Sunday mornings when I should have the extra time to prepare them! Albeit the kids love cereal and happily oblige whenever it’s served to them, they do love mom’s pancakes and get so excited whenever discover I’m making them for breakfast. There’s just something about sitting around the table all together on a lazy Sunday morning, enjoying a delicious homemade breakfast with all the fixings. More importantly, these pancakes are easily stored in the freezer, which means they make a quick and easy weekday breakfast for the family, or even easy school lunches for the kids.

This recipe for cinnamon flax pancakes is a relatively old recipe, and has been stashed in my archives for quite some time now. How unfortunate for us that I haven’t taken advantage of this delicious recipe for so long! We all devoured them – me, mostly while I was preparing them! You’ll be amazed at how fluffy and thick these pancakes pillow up as you cook them, all while the sides turn crispy and browned. It’s the perfect combination of a crispy exterior and an airy and light interior. They’re so tasty and delicious on their own, but of course taste even better smothered with rich maple syrup. Serve them any which way your heart desires – whichever way you choose, these pancakes will be the star of the show, and the family will be begging for more.

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Let me preface this post by saying that I nearly saved enough of these banana sushi to document any proof of it. Not only is this snack delicious (and addictive – but who cares? It’s healthy!), it’s incredibly easy to make, which means toddlers and big kids can help you prepare these. It’s a fun way to get the kids in the kitchen, and clean up is not nearly as stressful as it is when kids help with other recipes, say baked goods, or full-on meals. Having said that, although it is an easy recipe, there is some degree of mess, in the form of the creamy Nutella that sticks to your fingers while preparing these. Prep sort of involves, scooping out the Nutella, spreading it on the banana, lick your fingers and the butter knife, then repeat. No complaints on my end, and definitely no complaints from the kids!

What’s great about this recipe is that you can customize it however you like. The combinations are endless – just combine Nutella, peanut butter, almond butter, or a school-friendly nut-free butter with any crunchy component such as hemp hearts, chia seeds, crispy rice, crushed nuts, coconut flakes, and so on.

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Since choosing to follow a plant-based diet a few years ago, I’ve come to the realization that cauliflower is one of the most versatile vegetables, and makes for an ideal key ingredient in so many different vegetarian dishes. It’s filling and flavourful, and is a perfect substitute for rice and ground meats, thanks to its grainy texture. It also packs a punch of nutrition – one serving contains 77% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C, and it’s a great source of other vitamins.

My family is not as keen on cauliflower as I am, but I am convinced that one day I will convert them. Almost every Wednesday’s dinner is Tex-Mex-inspired, whether it be tostadas, quesadillas, or rice dishes. This healthy vegetable rice is a tasty way to ease them into vegan fare – it’s delicious and filling, and tastes delicious with Tex-Mex flavours. This vegan rice has plenty of serving options – wrapped in lettuce for a gluten-free meal option, stuffed in tacos or quesadillas, or as a topping for nachos. This recipe is also a cinch to personalize by adding whichever vegan or non-vegan garnish you prefer – fresh cilantro or parsley, olives, Greek yogurt or sour cream, scallions, red onions, Sriracha or jalapenos, plant-based or regular cheese, fresh avocado or tomatoes, or fresh lime juice, to name a few.

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There’s a long story behind the creation of these cheeseburger burritos wraps, but I’ll try to keep it short and sweet. Since moving to Canada from Italy over ten years ago, it’s become an ongoing joke in the family that my husband has yet to taste all of the different types of North American fast food. Truthfully, he’s neither tempted nor curious about Kentucky Fried Chicken and the rest of the lot-surely due to the fact that he grew up in a country that savours and appreciates REAL, quality food.

My brother has come up with a game plan. A sort of around the North American fast food chains dinner game, where once a month when he comes by for dinner he brings a fast food dinner of choice (which by the way, neither I nor the kids take part in). Taco Bell was on tonight’s menu. In light of my brothers’ dinner plans, I decided to prepare healthy burritos for the kids (I made a vegan version for myself with mashed lentils).

While the kids sat at the dinner table patiently waiting for their burritos to be served they were (of course) tempted by the smorgasbord of Taco Bell randoms on the table, so they tasted them. Their first official run for the border. And they didn’t like it.

These cheeseburger burrito wraps however, were devoured. The moral of my story? Don’t run for the border for dinner, and just stick to the REAL stuff!

For toppings I added a cubed avocado, some thinly sliced tomatoes and a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. You can personalize these by adding your favourite ingredients, like salsa, sauteed mushrooms, shredded lettuce, scallions, caramelized onions, guacamole, and goat cheese or feta cheese!

If you try this recipe (and love it!) be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram with #bitesforfoodies so I can see your creation!

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Rice bowls (or in this case, quinoa bowls) will revolutionize your notion of what is a quick dinner. In fact, they will save your life. Well, not literally. They will however, save your life in terms of how much less of it will be spent in the kitchen! Rice bowls unify all those ingredients wasting away in the fridge. Plus, tossing everything into one bowl means less kitchen clean-up. Have I reeled you in yet? We all know that one less dish to wash on a busy and exhausting weeknight is almost like winning the lottery, right?

A little advanced planning is necessary in order to make this 15-minute meal. My regular Sunday prep includes cooking up a pot of rice or quinoa (or both), which I then store in the fridge as a base for meals throughout the week. My weekly recipes often alternate between Tex-Mex-inspired-with salsa, black beans, avocado, corn, scallions, salmon with pesto and pine nuts, and a Middle-Eastern-inspired lentil bowl with raisins, caramelized onions, and cumin. This recipe is foolproof. Simply add your condiment of choice-the flavour combinations are endless, and serve.

On a side note, Murphy’s Law would have it that the one time I prepare a meal and purposefully double the recipe for lunch leftovers the following day, my kids decide that they do in fact, like shrimp. *Sigh* I’m also quite certain that had I prepared this for the kids intentionally, it wouldn’t have been as well-received. Why does everything look so much tastier to them….when it’s not on their own plates?! Needless to say, despite my frustration over the kids ‘stealing’ my leftovers (which in turn required me to whip up another quick lunch), I’m happy that this warm shrimp quinoa bowl has been toddler-approved and can now be added to my recipe rotation.

If you try this recipe (and love it!) be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram with #bitesforfoodies so I can see your creation!

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If there is only one recipe that you make from this Blog, this should be the one!

These crunchy peanut butter granola bars are DEE-licious.

Not only are they are made with super rich (and healthi-er) ingredients, their texture is sheer perfection-super crunchy on the outside, dense and chewy on the inside.

One bite and you’ll be hooked. Trust me.

Wanna know why? Firstly, how can you go wrong with the combination of creamy peanut butter and rich chocolate?

Secondly, these crunchy peanut butter granola bars are the epitome of ‘healthy’ decadence.

Thirdly, these are just DEE-licious! (Have I mentioned that already?)

Sure, peanut butter and chocolate aren’t commonly referred to as ‘healthy’ snacks, however, on a positive note, a little goes a long way in this recipe.

As for the other ingredients, no one can deny that raw honey, omega 3-rich coconut oil, and fiber-rich oats aren’t healthier options than what you regularly find in traditional granola bars.

Word to the wise; double or triple the recipe when you prepare these. I’ve made them a few times already and forget to do so each time-which means they are gone before I can even stock a few in the freezer.

On a side note, be sure to allow these to cool for 5-7 minutes before cutting them. If they are too hot they will stick to the knife and will be difficult to cut properly.

On the other hand, do not wait too long to cut them. If they harden completely before cutting there’s a greater chance they will break apart when you do cut them.

If you try this recipe (and love it!) be sure to snap a pic and tag me onInstagram with #bitesforfoodies so I can see your creation!

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Healthy cookies are a way of life for me. So much so that I can’t even remember the last time I made a real cookie, as my husband calls them – the ones laden with butter, sugar, and refined flour. Since converting to a predominantly clean diet, traditional cookies no longer appeal to me as much as they used to. Why would they when recipes like these banana coconut quinoa cookies – which also happen to also be the perfect healthy breakfast cookie, are just as delicious and satisfying! These cookies incorporate all of the ideal components of a really good cookie; sweet, chewy, moist, and crumbly.

These clean eating cookies have quickly become a family favourite. I often double the recipe and store extra cookies in the freezer for a quick grab n’ go snack or a healthy breakfast option for the family – dipped in the kid’s cappuccinos (caffeine-free, of course) and enjoyed along with a homemade morning espresso for myself and the hubby.

My son’s mouth was watering as he waited, so very patiently might I add, for my photo shoot to come to an end. Before I had time to offer my little guy a cookie, he had already swiped one from the tray. After eating three in a row, I can assume that they were well-received. And not to mention, these cookies are the perfect size for little hands to hold onto and the perfect chewy texture for toddlers and self-feeders.

As a general rule of thumb, baking with non-traditional ingredients results in texture variations. Although they’re tasty, these cookies are much denser and not-so buttery and sweet as traditional ones. For a sweeter cookie replace the maple syrup with regular sugar. Also, adding extra chocolate chips will add more decadence to these.

If you try this recipe (and love it!) be sure to snap a pic and tag me onInstagram with #bitesforfoodies so I can see your creation!

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Lentils make for a great meat substitute – they mimic the texture of ground beef fairly well and add an earthy flair and creamy consistency to dishes. There are so many reasons to love lentils-they are a rich source of fiber, iron, protein, and folate and happen to be one of the easiest legumes to digest.

Traditional bolognese sauce is served with tagliatelle pasta. This vegan lentil bolognese mimics the original and is served over a bed of fresh zoodles (spiralized zucchini-turned pasta). The zucchini noodles can be served raw, maintaining their slightly crunchy texture, and are easily heated through when mixed with the piping hot sauce. Since zucchini is one of those vegetables that just doesn’t appeal to me in it’s raw state, I prefer cooking the zoodles for a few minutes, until they are just al dente and take on the texture of a starchy noodle. On a side note, the size and texture of your zoodles will depend greatly on the quality of your spiralizer. You can also prepare zoodles with a knife and peeler, but I’ve yet to try that.

If you try this recipe (and love it!) be sure to snap a pic and tag me onInstagram with #bitesforfoodies so I can see your creation!

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This recipe has quickly become a family favourite-the kids love it because of the combination of fresh flavours, and I love it because it literally takes minutes to prepare. With this marinara risotto, you get the flavour and texture of traditional risotto without the lengthy cooking process or long list of ingredients.

My Sundays are dedicated to weekly meal preps, which mainly consist of healthy grains such as rice or quinoa. The beauty of preparing large batches of grains means a pre-prepared blank canvas that lends well to a variety of condiments, and ultimately an array of delicious meals throughout the week.

With just a few fresh, simple ingredients (most of which you probably already have on hand in your fridge or pantry) and some leftover rice, you can prepare a quick and easy risotto that the family will love.

Simply toss pre-cooked rice with tangy marinara sauce, salty Parmesan cheese, a spoonful of good quality extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with some earthy oregano.

Although there are many delicious varieties of marinara sauce on the market, I prefer making my own, using only a few quality ingredients.

If making your own marinara sauce, simply add a dollop of extra virgin olive oil to good quality tomato puree, and season with sea salt and black pepper. Add your favourite spices, such as garlic salt and oregano, to suit your own taste preference.

If you try this recipe (and love it!) be sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram with #bitesforfoodies so I can see your creation!

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