I like this dish because it comes together quickly and it allows you to make use of any leftover veggies in your fridge. Eggs are not only for breakfast but can make a great dish for dinner with a side salad or roasted potatoes. 
Ingredients: 

• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup sour cream (or yogurt, coconut milk)
• 2/3 cup shredded or crumbled cheese (goat or feta cheese)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground pepper
• up to 3 cups chopped raw or previously cooked vegetables of your choice: zucchini, mushrooms, onions, garlic, bell pepper, peas, sun-dried tomatoes 
• optional: chopped ham, sliced sausages

Instructions: 
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2) Grease pie pan or oven-safe skillet with butter or oil
3) Place the eggs, sour cream, and the cheese in a medium size bowl. Whisk together and add the salt and pepper
4) Saute onions, garlic and any raw vegetables you want to use and leave in oven proof skillet or place in baking dish
5) Pour egg mixture over vegetables
6) Bake just until the eggs are set, 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

• coconut oil  or other oil for cooking
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 cups canned coconut milk
• 2 cups broth
• 1.5 cups dried red lentil
• 1/2 cup chopped cashews
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded dried coconut
• 1 tablespoon cilantro
• 2 cups frozen green peas (or mixed vegetables)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: 
1) Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat and saute onions until translucent
2) Add garlic and minced ginger and saute for another 30 seconds until fragrant. Avoid burning garlic!
3) Stir in curry powder, turmeric, and salt and saute for another 30 seconds.
4) Add coconut milk, broth, and cashews 
5) Rinse your lentils and then add them to the pot. Reduce heat and cook for another 15-20 minutes or until lentils soften. 
6) Stir in frozen vegetables, shredded coconut and cook for 3-5 minutes. 
7) Add lemon juice, and more salt and pepper to taste. 
8) Serve by itself or over rice, quinoa or millet. Top with chopped cilantro. 

These cookies have been a great success with my family and in my cooking classes with kids and adults. The recipe is very forgiving, meaning you can play with the ingredients and make modifications and it still always turns out just fine. For example, I have used leftover pumpkin seed pulp from making a pumpkin seed milk in place of ground pumpkin seeds and it turned out so delicious both times. I hope you enjoy these nutrient packed cookies as much as we do. 

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas, ripe, mashed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup coconut oil, slightly heated
• 2 cups rolled oats*
• 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup or other sweetener
• 1/3 cup ground pumpkin seeds/almond flour/or pulp from pumpkin milk
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 
• 5 oz chocolate chips
• 1-2 teaspoon Chaga mushroom powder (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the middle or top of oven
2. In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and heated coconut oil.
3. In another bowl, combine rest of the ingredients except chocolate chips. Mix dry ingredients until well combined and then add into wet ingredients. Mix everything together. If using seed pulp, use your hands to mix everything well together 
4. At the end, fold in chocolate chips.
5. Drop dollops of dough, each about 1-2 tablespoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
6. Bake for about 13-15 minutes or until golden on the bottoms. The cookies will fall apart if you try to pick them up right after taking them out of the oven so make sure to let them rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes and let them cool down before eating them. 

*Notes:
 - If you can’t have oats, try flattened rice, also called beaten rice or Rice Poha (found in Indian stores or Amazon). T
 - To sweeten the cookies, you can also use chopped dates instead of maple syrup
 - Store cookies in airtight container on counter for up to 3 days or store in fridge for up to 5 days. I think these cookies taste best straight out of the refrigerator. 
 - Inspired by the healthful double chocolate cookies recipe from 101 cookbooks

This is a simple dessert that doesn't require baking and is packed with nutritious ingredients. I promise that you will wow anyone with these pretty tartlets! What I also love about this dessert is that you can make the tartlet shells in advance and just store them in the fridge. Whenever you are ready to fill them, just take them out of the freezer and they are ready to eat within in a few minutes! Watch my video here on how to make these tartlets. 

(This recipe makes about 6 tartlets)
Ingredients: 

• 2 cups nuts or seeds (I like to use a mix of walnuts and almonds)
• 2 cups pitted dates 
• ~2 lbs fresh fruit chopped into bite size pieces (e.g. strawberries, mango, blueberries)
  
• Optional for dressing: 
  
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• Optional for decoration: mint leaves, shredded coconut, chopped pistachios

Instructions: 

1. Optional: Place individual pieces of saran wrap over each mold in a muffin tin and set aside for later. You may also freestyle and mold the tartlets with your hands without using a muffin tin. 
2. To make the tartlet shells, place nuts in food processor and pulse a few times until nuts are finely chopped but not powdery. 
3. Then, add about 1 ¾ of the dates to the food processor and keep pulsing until combined. Check if the mixture is sticky enough for your tartlet shells and add the rest of the dates and pulse if needed. You can also add 1 tablespoon of water and pulse to help everything come together and become slightly sticky.
4. Then place about 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture into each mold of the muffin tin and press the mixture into the mold to form a tartlet shell. You may want to moisten your hands to avoid getting them too sticky while forming the shells. 
   
5. Place in fridge for about 45 minutes or freezer for 15 minutes to let shell become harder. 
6. If you want to make the dressing for the fruit, mix together the orange juice, lemon juice, zest, sugar and vanilla in a bowl and add the fruit. Mix everything together. While not necessary, this adds a very nice depth of flavor to your tartlets. 
7. To assemble your tartlets, take the shells out of the muffin tins. Place 1 tablespoon of the whipped coconut cream (optional, see recipe below) in the shell and then place fruit on top. Make sure to use a slotted spoon to take fruits out to avoid making the tartlets soggy with the fruit juice. Decorate with mint leaves, shredded coconut or chopped pistachios (optional). 
8. Enjoy!

Coconut Whipped Cream Filling
This is a very simple, vegan filling for your tartlets. Add a dollop into the tartlets and then decorate with your fruit. Alternatively, you could also use a dollop of yogurt for your tartlets. 

Ingredients:

• 1 can full fat coconut milk (refrigerated overnight)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Instructions: 

1. Open up the can of coconut milk and scoop out the solid part into a bowl. (you can reserve the watery part for a smoothie)
2. Add powdered sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract to solid coconut milk fat and whip it with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Smoothies are a fun and delicious way to get your kids involved in the kitchen and get them exposed to a variety of nutritious ingredients such as fruits, vegetables, herbs, nuts, and spices.
This is a delicious recipe that I have made in many of my kid's cooking classes and it has always been a hit, even with the less adventurous eaters. 

Give this recipe a try and feel free to make modifications. The great thing about smoothies is that there is typically a lot of freedom for improvisation as long as you have somewhat of an idea how each ingredient contributes to the final outcome of the recipe.

​Feel free to ask questions in the comment section below or watch my fun FB video here of how to make this smoothie. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk (regular, hemp, coconut, etc.)
• 1/4 avocado (peeled)
• 1 banana (frozen or fresh)
• 1 handful of spinach (or chard, kale, parsley, etc.)
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp flax seeds (ground)
• 1/2 -1 tsp vanilla

Instructions: 
1) Pour hemp milk (or whatever liquid you're using) in your blender and then add all of the other ingredients to the blender. Adding liquids first and heavier ingredients at last will make it easier for a vortex to form and allow for a well blended smoothie. 
2) Keep the blender running until everything is pulverized and your smoothie is creamy. 
3) Enjoy!

Are mealtimes a joy for you and your family? Or do you dread them because they are all about power struggles between you and your picky eater who doesn't seem interested in the food you serve? ​​

​There are many reasons why your child might not be hungry enough or interested in trying new foods when it's time for dinner. Grazing and a lack of structure around snacks and meals can be one big contributor. For the month of March, I shared one of my favorite mealtime tips with my newsletter followers (to sign up, see bottom of page):

"Close" the kitchen at least 2 hours before dinner to allow your child to build up a healthy appetite. If possible, allow for lots of activity and fresh air prior to mealtime and they are more likely to eat well and even try new foods. 
​
Studies show that most kids spend more and more time in front of a screen and less time outside. Spending too much time inside not only leads to inactivity but kids are also more likely to ask for snacks around the clock.

What can you do? Try to plan ahead for your next family meal (make use of your slow cooker or Instant pot?) and take your kids outside! Even just half an hour of outside play before dinner can make a big difference in your child's appetite! Best of all, outside play doesn't only improve your child's appetite but can also increase his fitness level, decrease his risk for depression and anxiety and improve his sleep. 

Let me know if you give this a try and if you notice a change in your child's eating or feel free to share in the comment section below what other tricks and tips work for your family to make mealtimes a success? 

Did you know that I also offer nutrition consultations and in-home personalized cooking classes for families who struggle with picky eaters or need help with dietary restrictions/allergies? Leave a comment below or send me an email to find out more. 

Making your own plant-based milks is actually quiet simple. All you need is a blender, ideally a high-speed blender and your ingredients. For some nuts, you also need a nut milk bag to strain the milk and get a smoother consistency. Cashews are soft and after soaking, they pulverize completely in a high-speed blender that no straining is needed. 

Below is my basic cashew milk recipe or for an extra flavor and nutrient boost, try my strawberry, beet, rose milk version. This recipe was a big hit in a recent plant-based milk workshop I taught. 

Ingredients for Basic Recipe: 

• 1 cup cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight in fridge)
• 3 cups water (filtered for best flavor)
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Ingredients for Strawberry, Beet, Rose Cashew Milk: 

• 2 cups of basic cashew milk
• 1 cup strawberries, raw or thawed, previously frozen
• 1/2 teaspoon beet powder
• 1/2 fl. oz of rose scented water

Instructions:

1. Drain and rinse soaked cashews and throw in blender along with water, salt, maple syrup, and vanilla. 
2. Blend everything on high speed for about 2 minutes or until smooth. 
3. No need to strain this milk but if you want to achieve an even smoother consistency, you can try to strain it through a nut milk bag. 
4. For strawberry, beet, rose flavored milk, take 2 cups of the basic cashew milk and add strawberries, beet powder, and rose water and blend until combined and smooth. 
5. Enjoy as is or over ice. Decorate with a mint sprig and/or coconut flakes. You can store this milk in the fridge for 2-3 days but make sure to shake it well before consumption as it will separate over time.