Today, I want to share The Fresh 20 cookbook, the fabulous new collection of recipes from Melissa Lanz, founder of The Fresh 20 meal planning service. If you are a busy family and need quick health meals complete with shopping lists and easy directions for planning this is for you! Gluten-free and vegetarian options are available. In this new book, Melisssa shares 16 weeks of her favourite seasonal menus -- four weeks for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. This new book is not an exclusive vegetarian or vegan cookbook. However, I am aware that many of you come to this blog looking for quick easy healthy recipes to supplement your existing repertoire eating in a variety of ways. This company and book is so cool that I wanted to share... Keep Reading
It is DAY 15 of “Gluten Free Vegan Recipes with Breville", and I am thrilled to open the third week our Breville Sous Chef Food Processor Giveaway with another powerhouse from down under! Yesterday I featured the darling the Australian Health Movement; and today I celebrate the Hero of the Juicing World, Aussie bloke-next-door, Joe Cross, star of the hugely popular documentary, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. For those of you who have not seen the film (and I highly recommend you do) this chronicles Joe’s personal transformation and journey back to optimal health and vitality. After a realization at the age of 40, weighing more than 100lbs overweight, and heavily medicated for a chronic autoimmune disease, Joe Cross was facing an early... Keep Reading
It is the last day of our official Vitamix Recipe Center celebration, and we end with this fabulous Instant Vegan Pumpkin Soup. I say "instant" because this recipe utilizes canned pumpkin. Now, normally I don't use canned vegetables in any of my recipes. However, this recipe is a healthy lifesaver if you come home and don't have much in your fridge! You can whip up this tasty meal with ingredients in your panty in minutes. I also thought it timely that I post this this recipe leading into the holiday season as it is a fantastic way to use those leftover cans of pumpkin. Making soups in your Vitamix is so quick and easy! Check out my Soups Video on the Vitamix website. There are some delicious soup recipes in the Vitamix Recipe... Keep Reading
Today is the second last official day of our Vitamix Recipe Center celebration, and I couldn’t end the month without introducing you to the incredible woman behind many of the Vitamix Recipes: Vitamix Head Chef and Nutrition Coordinator, Bev Shaffer. Bev has become a dear friend of mine after we worked together on the Vitamix Videos. I fell in love with her instantly, and realized we were kindred spirits. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE her. Not only is she an extraordinary chef, she is an amazing human being, with a quick wit and hilarious sense of humour that always has me bending over with laughter. She, and the phenomenal Vitamix food stylist, Betty Karslake helped me enormously with the Vitamix shoots, making my job SO much easier, and more... Keep Reading
Today I am sharing one of my favourite super easy vegan chunky vegetable soup recipes! Those of you who wonder if I have surrended my teeth will be pleased to discover that I am, at long last, featuring another non blended soup! My father and I have had a 30 year debate about the virtues of chunk versus blended soups. We have agreed to disagree and acknowledge that there is room in the belly for both! I made a pot of this soup as a quick dinner last night and changed my mind about my scheduled post at the last minute and decided to share this recipe. Scott was so taken with it, I thought it deserved a mention. You know when you have been making a recipe for so long you take it for granted? It's kind of how I feel about this soup. It is... Keep Reading
Piggies! I was in artichoke HEAVEN the other night when I tasted this incredible cream of artichoke soup at a birthday party, and I simply HAD to share this quick easy recipe with you today in honour of St Patrick's Day. Being Irish, I look forward to it every year! Those of you who have been following me for a while would be familiar with my dear friend, Mika, and her two boys Rei and Kai, who I lived with when I first moved out to CA in 2010. They are my family here; and through Mika, I have met some of the most wonderful people I have ever known -- Liz and her adorable son Flynn; and the Mohr Family: Jim and Toshiko, and their gorgeous children, Selina and Sean. Our monthly "pot luck and games night" has become one of my "can't live... Keep Reading
Piggies! It is DAY 20 of "I LOVE Vitamix" and we have had an overwhelming response to our Vitamix 5200 blender giveaway. If you have entered yet, simply create a piggy name, enter your email address, and share on Twitter and Facebook for bonus entries. The more your piggy name is mentioned in subsequent entries by family, friends and followers, the more chances you have to get your hands on that blender! Good Luck! Today I am celebrating one of my favourite people in the whole world - Scott's mum, Sandra. She is one of the smartest, most interesting people I have ever met, and I absolutely ADORE her! She is a wonderful cook and I love spending time in the kitchen with her. We had a fantastic time cooking together for Thanksgiving, and even... Keep Reading
Piggies! It is DAY 14th in "I LOVE Vitamix" month to celebrate our amazing Vitamix 5200 Giveaway. Don't miss out on your chance to win this amazing high speed blender. Simply create a piggy name, enter your email address, and then share on Facebook and Twitter. Every time your piggy name is mentioned in a subsequent entry you get a bonus entry. So "share" is the name of the game! Good Luck! I spent a fabulous day with my friend Suzie Stitt. She just spent an amazing month travelling around the country with her two children and was heading back to Australia. Before I dropped her off at the airport, we whipped up this simple fresh soup for dinner, and I thought it was worthy of sharing today. Suzie has a wonderful flare for fresh flavours... Keep Reading
Piggies! It is DAY 7 of "I LOVE Vitamix" month in honour of my fabulous Vitamix Giveaway! If you haven't entered yet, don't miss out on a chance to get your hands on this amazing blender! Sign up for our amazing giveaways, create a piggy name, and then share it on Facebook and Twitter for bonus entries! Good Luck! This is a very short post today as I just picked up my surrogate sister, Kat from the airport. She was one of my best friends in high school when I lived in Singapore, and when her parents moved to Indonesia, she remained as a boarding student and my parents were her guardians. She became part of our family and will always think of her as my second sister. She is a Qantas flight attendant and manages to snag the odd trip to L.A.... Keep Reading
Piggies, the weather has finally turned in Southern California! In my world, that means it is “bug-in-a-rug” soup season! As much as I mourn the loss of “Hot Summer Nights”, daylight savings, and sunshine, I do look forward to cuddling up in front of the fire with a delicious bowl of steaming vegan soup. Those of you who know me will say that it doesn’t need to be Winter for me to extoll the virtues of a healthy bowl of soup, and you would be right. Whether, it is “Winter, Spring, Summer, or Fall” a delicious bowl of soup (hot or cold) never ceases to satisfy me. It is the ultimate comfort food that seems to nourish the body and the soul. But aside from the romantic “warm and fuzzies”, soup is practical! It is quick, easy, hearty,... Keep Reading
