Ayah Young

Looking for a high protein breakfast or snack that comes in a sweet little package?

I felt like experimenting more with coconut flour this week since it’s such a great high fibre baking ingredient.

I decided to make some protein muffins to help recover after a workout, or to enjoy as a mid-day brain boosting snack.  These muffins are packed with protein from eggs as well as a big scoop of protein powder.

The good news?  They taste much more indulgent than a protein bar and so far have pleased some tough critics.

If you love the taste of coconut, these muffins are for you!  Enjoy!

Ayah gifted me this wonderful cookbook for my birthday this year.

I’m overwhelmed by all of the amazing recipes.  They’re all very approachable, healthy, family friendly, affordable vegan recipes that you can toss into your slow cooker as you go about your day.  

Even with a meat loving husband, there are a ton of recipes in here that will go over well in our household.  The first one to catch my eye was this smokin’ chipotle bean dip.

Over here, we love anything spicy, especially if it involves chipotle.

The recipe is very straight forward and combines pinto beans, salsa, water, chipotle and chili powder for a hearty crowd pleasing dip.

It gives you the option of serving with shredded vegan cheese on top, but I served this naked with a side of Mary’s crackers before dinner.

If you were having a crowd over you could easily use this as a base for a layered dip.  If the crowd is vegan, maybe layer with some guacamole, cashew cream and Daiya cheese?  The options are endless.

Here is the recipe, have fun with it!

The weekend started off cold, windy and wet.

Last night I was craving a warm comforting stew.  I looked over a list of recommended recipes a lovely nutritionist recently gave me, and immediately knew I had to try the African Nut Butter stew from Julie Daniluk’s book Meals That Heal Inflammation.

Since I’m not one to ever follow recipes precisely, I made a few modications, but you can find the original recipe here.

This is one of the most comforting stews I’ve ever tasted.  I’m going to have to pick up a copy of Julie’s book for myself.

Stay warm and enjoy!

Ever since I was a little kid I’ve loved a hearty plate of pasta and meat sauce.

Since it’s not always the most nutritionally dense dish, I amped up my version with brown rice pasta and bison and snuck in some healthy greens.

Bison is a very lean meat.  It has 1/3 the fat of beef and is packed with loads of zinc, iron and protein per serving.  

I like picking up some Carmen Creek Bison from Whole Foods since it’s additive and hormone free. Their animals are raised naturally on wide open pasture, with unrestricted access to clean air and fresh water.  Carmen Creek Bison are raised on pure vegetable feed and are not in contact with any animal products.

I stewed my bison with a jar of organic tomato sauce and added kale, spinach and broccoli to the mix.  Topped on brown rice pasta and served with a salad, it made for a perfect mid-week meal and even better leftovers the next day.

I love bringing Asian flavours to my table.

They brighten up regular old dishes and give them new life. This miso peanut dressing has the power to do that for various dishes.

I highly recommend doubling or tripling the recipe below so that you can use it on a variety of recipes.  Starting with a simple kale slaw…

This salad is inspired by Ayah’s amazing spicy kale slaw. I mixed up this dressing using what I had on hand and was very pleased with the results!

Since I made a huge batch of miso peanut dressing, I also threw a splash of it into my marinade the other night when I wanted to dress up a simple stir fry.  A small amount went a long way and really made this dinner extra special.

Yesterday, when I wanted to use up some leftover salmon and greens, I threw them all together in a hot cast iron pan, splashed on some miso peanut dressing, and came up with a gourmet dish.

So what are you waiting for?  Do up your dishes this week with this simple dressing.  Let me know what you think!

It’s the time of year when healthy living bloggers go crazy for all things orange.

Pumpkin, squash, sweet potato, bring it on!

This recipe combines two of my personal favourites, sweet potato and pumpkin, with a spicy chipotle twist.

This soup is easy enough to throw together for a week day meal, but you can also dress it up for a dinner party with a fine drizzle of balsamic reduction, a touch of lightly roasted and salted pumpkin seeds, and a few soft hunks of your favourite white cheese.

I used feta in this recipe, but I think a creamy goat cheese would be a fantastic touch.

This soup is even better heated up the next day, so go on and make your coworkers jealous.

With summer over I am still making an effort to eat my greens.

But light green salads don’t cut it on a cool fall day.  These days I crave heartier lunches that will get me through until dinner if needed.

This miso kale salad is  perfect.  It’s hearty, filling, comforting, and very green.

The miso dressing is one of my absolute favourites.  You can find the full recipe for miso ginger dressing recipe here.  The ginger is optional and this time I went without (powdered ginger also works in a pinch).

For my miso kale salad I simply washed my kale, dried it, put it in a big bowl, and massaged it with the miso dressing.

To add some protein and fats to the salad, I bulked it up with some quinoa, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and garlic flax.

The result is a healthy salad, packed with good things and great flavour that will keep you satisfied for hours. Enjoy!

The chilly fall breeze outside calls for my favourite cold weather dish: chili!

I like to pack my chili full of my favourite things: lean ground turkey, roasted sweet potato, black beans, chipotle, and a big kick of flavour.

This is a slightly leaner version of your regular chili thanks to the turkey.  The sweet potato also adds some healthy carbs while the black beans bulk up the fiber.

While I keep a stock of chili powder on hand, my favourite way to spice up my chili is with these packs of Simply Organic spicy chili.  They save me any worries over spicing my chili when I’m throwing everything into the crockpot in the morning.

The sweet potatoes add great bulk and texture to the chili.  I like to roast mine in the oven with a bit of coconut oil before hand and add them in last minute so that they stay nice and firm and don’t melt into the chili.

I like to serve up a big bowl with a nice salad, some garlic bread for the Mr, or if I’m feeling ambitious some homemade cornbread muffins.  Fall perfection.

Before I flew to France back in August I was trying to use up everything in my fridge.

At the time I had eggs, cheese, and a bunch of greens that needed to be used.  I knew the second I was gone the Mr. would be ordering a pizza so it was up to me to get creative.

That’s when I came up with my obsession for spicy green eggs.

I simply fry up some onions, hot banana peppers, kale, broccoli, and whatever else I have on hand with eggs, salsa and chili powder.  Top with either cheddar, feta, or a dollop of hummus and some sriracha and I’m in heaven.

This is a fast and filling breakfast to fuel a busy day or to for re-fuel your muscles after a workout.  I’m currently working from home and training for a 5k, so fast and healthy fits the bill.

It’s great to be back and I can’t wait to share some more recipes I’ve been enjoying lately.  Stay tuned for my turkey chipotle chili and my superfood smoothie!

We’ve got a couple of tomato plants in front of our house that are still kicking out the sungolds like nobody’s business. These orange hued cherry tomatoes are sweet and succulent and bursting with flavor. When I’m not eating them like grapes or throwing them into salads I’m working them into recipes like this one.

This fresh and simple couscous salad is the perfect dish to use up the last of your summer garden bounty and make your taste buds sing.