As Spring and Summer start to roll in, my workouts seem to increase automatically…not to mention that I’m training for the Sun Run (my first 10k!!). I’ve been trying to keep my protein intake up, and so I used this shake as yet another excuse to give the Vita-Mix a workout, too! I’ve been using my new Vita-Mix blender like it’s my job…I can’t get enough of it! Despite the hefty price tag, I think it’s my best purchase ever! This is a great post-exercise drink, and I used my usual protein powder. I loved the light chai taste…doesn’t it almost look like a latte!?

I thought I’d share this smoothie recipe with you today. This is a variation of a recipe I learned in my Raw Food Class, as I will be getting my Raw Chef Certification in about a month. I really love learning about raw foods….the ingredients used are so packed with nutrients, and it’s so exciting to learn about. I hope that you will enjoy more raw food recipes from Koko’s Kitchen in the future.

This particular smoothie is great anytime, but especially after a workout. The coconut water is amazing for rehydration, and the sweeteners used (coconut sugar and lucuma powder) are extremely low glycemic, and won’t spike your blood sugar levels. The cacao powder is a fantastic, healthy source of energy.

For those of you wondering what lucuma powder is, wonder no more. Lucuma is actually a fruit from Peru, and the powdered form is becoming easily available. You can add the powder to smoothies, puddings, baked goods, and frozen desserts. It’s slightly sweet and can be used instead of sugar…since it’s so low glycemic, it’s a great option for diabetics. It also helps to emulsify fats and oils with sugars, which is why it can be used in ice creams and frozen desserts. Try this new superfood in your next smoothie!!

Raw “Post Workout” Smoothie

• 1 young thai coconut, meat and water
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tbsp lucuma powder
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder

I decided to make this recipe after seeing it on the morning news. The recipe comes courtesy of Laura Calder, one of my favourite Food Network Canada hosts. I love the soft, roasted peppers in this recipe, the healthy olive oil and tangy citrus flavour. Make sure you use a good baguette for this…I don’t eat bread often, so the crusty, toasted outside and soft inside of the rustic French baguette we bought was quite a treat. I was quite surprised that there was no cheese in this recipe, and I thought about adding some but after biting into the sandwich, I realized it doesn’t need anything else. This ain’t your mama’s brown bag tuna sandwich!

TUNA AND WHITE BEAN SALAD ON TOASTED BAGUETTE

Recipe Courtesy of Laura Calder – French Cooking at Home

• 2 red peppers
• 1 yellow pepper
• 1 orange pepper
• About 1/2 cup olive oil, more for the baguette
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 celery ribs, sliced
• A scant cup (100 g) pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped
• A few handfuls of fresh parsley leaves
• 2 cups cooked cannellini beans (use white kidney if you can’t find cannellini)
• Salt and pepper
• Zest and juice of 2 lemons, more to taste
• 14 ounces (390 g) high-quality tuna chunks packed in olive oil, drained (about 3 cans)
• 1 to 1 1/2 baguettes

Heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Seed and julienne the peppers, toss on a baking sheet with a few tablespoons of olive oil, spread into a single layer, and bake until soft, about half an hour. Remove from the oven and turn the heat up to 400°F (200°C).

Tip the peppers into a large bowl. Add the garlic, celery, olives, parsley, and beans. Season with salt and pepper, and toss with the lemon zest and juice and the remaining olive oil. Add the tuna last and carefully mix it in with your hands so the chunks don’t break up too much. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Slice the baguette(s) in half lengthwise and then into pieces the length of the palm of your hand. Arrange on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toast until golden and crisp on top but still squishy within, about 5 minutes.

Put a piece of toast on each plate and top with a generous heap of the salad, including the juices.

Okay okay, so these are really just crab cakes, but you can’t blame me for fantasizing about trying one of Spongebob’s favourite foods.

This was actually the first time I had made crab cakes and I was very pleased with the recipe. It didn’t involve eggs as a binding agent and was very light on the bread crumbs (It calls for one cup, but I used maybe a 1/4 cup just coating the top and bottom of the cake lightly.). I also replaced the mayonnaise with a vegan mayo, so these crab cakes were egg free! I had also never made chimichurri sauce, and that turned out to be a total breeze. Just chuck the ingredients in a food processor and you’re good to go!

Crab Cakes in Chimichurri Sauce (adapted from here)

Sauce:

• 3 large garlic cloves
• 2 cups fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley
• ¼ cup sherry vinegar
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne

Another delicious summer salad recipe for ya today! This one features plump, juicy, ripe peaches that are warmed and caramelized on the grill. They pair up with toasty walnuts, blue cheese, and peppery arugula and it’s all tied together with a honey & balsamic reduction. What’s not to like!? I’ve included a variation of this recipe that I think would be delicious to try!

Grilled Peach Salad (adapted from here)

• 2-3 ripe peaches, cut in half
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper
• butter (or olive oil/Earth Balance/etc. to veganize the recipe)
• 5 oz baby arugula
• 2 oz blue cheese, crumbled

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 4-6 minutes until they are aromatic. Set them aside to cool. Once cooled, give them a rough chop.

In a small saucepan, heat the honey, balsamic vinegar, thyme, black pepper and salt over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the honey and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is slightly thickened and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the honey balsamic syrup cool a bit – it will continue to thicken as it cools.

Preheat a grill pan to high heat. Spread a thin layer of butter over the cut side of the peaches. Place the peaches on the grill, cut side down. Grill until peaches are softened and grill marks appear- 4 to 5 minutes.

Arrange the peaches cut side up over the baby arugula and top with blue cheese crumbles and toasted walnuts. Drizzle with dressing and enjoy!

**Variation: Try using apricots instead of peaches, goat cheese instead of blue cheese, basil instead of thyme, and pine nuts instead of walnuts.

I recently spent the weekend on Saltspring Island (one of my favourite gulf islands here in British Columbia, Canada). Saltspring is known for it’s self-sustaining community. For this small island, you can literally get anything you need. There are plenty of beautiful farms producing everything from fresh dairy  and vegetables to lavender and wine. Every Saturday there is a market in the heart of town that showcases all of the great products of the island. I love seeing all of the fresh organic vegetables, hand crafted jewellery and clothing, and of course the raw, or vegan baked goods.

A trip to Saltspring Island reminds me of everything summer, which leads me to this salad. A caprese salad just screams summer, to me. Using tomatoes straight from the garden or farmer’s market for the fullest of flavours, along with fresh basil, and soft mozzarella cheese, you just can’t beat the taste that these simple ingredients provide. A quick vinaigrette to drizzle over top and this colourful salad is ready to serve.

Caprese Salad

• 2 large tomatoes, red or yellow or both, sliced
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 lb soft mozzarella, sliced or bocconcini
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp altogether of dried italian herbs (ie. basil, oregano, thyme)
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

This recipe is very easy to make, and you can easily adapt it to include other delicious ingredients- mushrooms, red onion, or sun dried tomatoes would all be great add ins. Make this for a light meal or serve it as a delicious summer appetizer.

Grilled Veggie Tart

• 15oz puff pastry, thawed ( I used Tenderflake, which is vegan, but any kind will do!)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 lb asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup red pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1 tsp dried basil
• sea salt and pepper
• 2 oz mozzarella
• 2 oz feta
• 2 oz parmesan

I’ve been trying to eat gluten free as much as possible lately, as I suspect I have a gluten sensitivity. When I eat totally gluten free, I find that my regularly occurring migraines disappear, as does the brain fog and fatigue.

I’ve never been a huge fan of rice but lately I have been eating more of it, as rice and rice flour are gluten free. Since the summer I have been wanting to make rice paper wraps and I finally got my act together! These wraps are so versatile, and once you get the basic steps of softening and rolling the wraps, you can really fill them with anything that you want.

Rice Paper Wraps with Almond Butter Sauce

• carrots, cut into matchsticks
• cucumbers, cut into strips
• green onions, cut into strips
• bell peppers, cut into strips
• parsley, chopped
• prawns, cut in half, de-tailed
• rice noodles, cooked, and cut into smaller lengths
• avocado, cut into strips

Almond Butter Sauce:

• 1/4 cup smooth almond butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp honey
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sambal oelek
• 1/4 cup tamari
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Blend all ingredients in food processor, or by hand, with a whisk.

Prep your ingredients

I used pre-cooked frozen shrimp in some of the wraps. I thawed it by running it under cold water for a couple minutes. I took the tails off and slice them in half.

I used a handful of rice noodles and put them in boiling water for one minute. I drained them and rinsed them under cold water to end the cooking process.

Lay out the things you will need to prepare the rice paper wraps. A big bowl of water, three damp tea towels or kitchen towels, and your wraps!

Handle the wraps carefully when pulling them out of the package ‘cuz they are fraaaaaaaaagile.

Lay out a damp tea towel and quickly submerge the rice paper wrap in the bowl of water. Don’t let it sit in the water literally cover it in the water and take it out right away. Otherwise, it will be too soft and you won’t be able to roll it without it ripping. Place it on the tea towel, and do a 2nd one. Cover them with another damp tea towel.

I did 4 wraps at a time- 2 on each towel, stacked on top of eachother. After all 4 are wet and covered, flip the wraps over. I did this by folding the sides of the towels and flipping it all at once.

Rice paper wraps are SO sticky. And my patience went from almost non-existant to completely non-existant pretty fast haha. If you try to pick them up and move them, they will just stick together like saran wrap. Instead….leave them on the damp towel and fill them there, it will save you some trouble!!

It was about this time, after wrapping half the wraps that I realized I had forgotten the spinach!!

Roll them up tight, tucking in the edges as you go.

Cut in half, or do like I did and cut into three’s. Use a very sharp knife (not serrated!).

Make your sauce and Enjoy!!!

I like coming up with other foods to use in the place of bread or wraps. Using toasted nori sheets as a wrap is one of my favourites. In this case, though, I’m using big lettuce leaves to encase this yummy asian filling.

This is a great meal because you can use all your favourite veggies and your favourite protein, or use up all of those odds-n-ends you have sitting in your fridge. I decided to use prawns as my protein, but you could easily use chicken, beef, tofu, etc.

I made one large pan full of filling, but add in the vegetables and just eyeball how much you want to make.

Hoisin Lettuce Wraps

• olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• button mushrooms, chopped
• red and yellow bell peppers, diced
• celery, diced
• 1 can baby corn, drained and chopped
• 1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• prawns (I used frozen, pre-cooked prawns, so that all I had to do was thaw, remove the tails, and chop. I used about 15 prawns in total.)
• red chili flakes
• tamari (maybe a tbsp for a big pan)
• rice wine vinegar (1/2 tbsp maybe)
• hoisin (a couple tbsp)
• sesame oil (a tsp maybe)
• 1 head iceberg lettuce, leaves seperated

Heat the oil in a skillet, add the onions and cooking, stirring, until translucent. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and cook a minute or two more. Add the celery, bell peppers, ginger, and baby corn. Cook for a couple minutes, and then add the water chestnuts and green onions and chili flakes. Add the prawns, just to heat through. Add a splash of tamari, hoisin, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar. Just taste, and experiment!! Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

I always keep fish in the freezer, so I can thaw it and make a nice healthy meal in not too much time. I like all white fish, and in this dish I used red snapper. I’m not going to post any amounts because you will just use the amount of vegetables that will fill your baking dish, and however many filets you want.

• kalamata olives, sliced
• cherry tomatoes, slice in half
• red bell pepper, sliced
• broccoli florets, sliced
• fresh thyme
• fresh rosemary, chopped
• fresh basil, chopped
• lemon zest
• lemon juice
• salt & pepper
• red snapper filets

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare the vegetables and herbs, and combine in a baking dish suited to the amount of ingredients you are using. Toss in olive oil and spread evenly into baking dish.

Roast for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are nearly done– about ten minutes away from carmelisation.

Drizzle each side of filets with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Remove vegetables from the oven and add the fish to the mix.

Bake for another 10-12 minutes, until fish is opaque and flaky, and vegetables are tender. Enjoy!