The Best Kale Salad. A claim I'm willing to back up after eating it for weeks at a time (seriously, weeks) without getting sick of it. I've also tested it on numerous family members and friends who are not as excited about kale as I- and they've loved it as well. 

The key to the deliciousness is the nutritional yeast blended with roasted nuts, so don't skip it! Nutritional yeast, if you haven't had it, is a flaky powder that tastes like cheese (ideal for vegans or other non-cheese eaters!). It's also packed with a ridiculous amount of vitamins. A quarter cup of Bob's Red Mill nutritional yeast has over 200% of your daily value of thiamin, niacin, folate, riboflavin, B6 and B12 (i.e. most of your B vitamins!). It's extremely hard to get B12 in a vegetarian or vegan diet, so it's an awesome thing to add in if you avoid meat. 

Nutritional yeast is also amazing on popcorn. I'll post a recipe later on so if you have nutritional yeast left over from making the salad, you can use it on your popcorn! 

Two Colors- Follow You ft. Muringa

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch kale, washed and dried
2 large carrots
¼ cup dried cranberries or 1 small apple, chopped into small cubes

For the dressing:
¼  cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
½   tsp Dijon mustard
¼  tsp honey
¼ tsp sea salt
¼  tsp ground pepper

For the vegan parmesan:
1 cup pecans
¼  cup nutritional yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp sea salt
¼  tsp fresh ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F. Roast pecans for 10-15 minutes until fragrant and golden brown. When cool, add all ingredients for the topping to a food processor and pulse until well combined but still slightly chunky. Set aside. In a small bowl, add all the ingredients for dressing and whisk until well combined, and set aside. Chop the washed kale finely and add to a large bowl. Pour a small amount of dressing on top and massage the dressing into the kale. You can add more dressing to taste, but start with a small quantity so you don't have too much! Once the kale is tender, grate carrots and add them to the salad. Add the dried cranberries or apple and toss. Top with the nutritional yeast mixture and serve. 

Note: if you won't be eating all of the salad right away, only put the pecans on the amount that you will be eating, and save the rest for later. I find that if you add all the pecans immediately, it loses some flavour and crunch in the fridge overnight.

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows
 

Disclaimer: Information can be empowering, but we all have unique health profiles and needs. Health-related information contained in this post is intended to be general in nature and should not be used as a substitute for a visit with a Naturopathic Doctor. The advice is intended to offer only a general basis for individuals to discuss their medical condition with their health care provider.  Always consult your licensed Naturopathic Physician.

This brie is the bomb. 

When I was little, I hated all cheese- except for this one. My mom would make it for Christmas parties and it was always a huge hit. She used to make it with regular brie, but as neither of us can have cow's milk now, we've switched to using goat cheese brie: it's even better than before! 

 It's creamy, warm, delicious, and is such an easy but impressive dish for entertaining. You can make the chutney beforehand then simply warm it up before serving. I usually serve it with gluten-free crackers and/or apple slices for dipping, and of course some champagne to wash it down.

Ziggy Alberts- Runaway

INGREDIENTS

1 round goat cheese brie
1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp green onions, chopped
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp pickled jalapeños, chopped finely
sea salt and ground pepper
crackers for serving
apple slices for serving (optional)

 INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium sized pot, simmer the cranberries, brown sugar and water until soft, about five minutes. Add the remainder of the ingredients (not including brie), stir, and add salt and pepper to taste. Line a small, round pan with parchment paper, and place the brie in the pan. Score the top of the brie. Spoon the cranberry mixture on top, and bake for about 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Enjoy while it's hot; you can always re-warm it if the cheese hardens! 

Is it really as good as it sounds? YES. I make this soup allll the time. Need something comforting? Butternut soup. Cold? Butternut soup. Bored? Butternut soup. You get the idea. 

It's also the taste I most associate with fall (sorry, pumpkin spice lattes). October is squash season, and you can usually get cheap squash at any farm. Now that farm season is over, I like to get my squash from farmer's markets, but you can find them at any grocery store too. 

When I lived in Kelowna, one of my roommates loved to chop things. She'd chop all the butternut squash for me when I made soup- it was the BEST! I now (sadly) do all my own chopping. Costco sometimes has pre-cubed butternut squash in the fresh produce section, which is an amazing option for those of us on a time crunch as well. 

I love making this soup on the weekend when I have time to hang out while the squash roasts. It makes a big batch so you have soup all week! The soup is best with a piece of crusty bread or toast to dip/scrape the sides of the bowl. For gluten-free Vancouverites, my favorite gluten-free bread is the sourdough from Alkeme.

Avett Brothers- I and Love and You

INGREDIENTS

1 medium butternut squash, chopped in 1 inch cubes, approx. 4 cups
4 apples, chopped in 1 inch cubes (sweeter varieties work best)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
¼ olive oil
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups water
1 tbsp cinnamon
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
sea salt and ground pepper
honey, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Spread the chopped squash, apples, onions and peeled whole garlic cloves over the cookie sheets. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper (approximately. 1/4 tsp of each). Roast in oven until squash is golden brown, approximately 1 hour, stirring every twenty minutes or so. 

Add the roasted vegetables to a large pot, and pour in the vegetable stock and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and let simmer. You may need to add more water as it boils off- the liquid should be just covering the vegetables. When the squash and apples are soft, blend with an immersion blender until smooth. You can also transfer to a stand blender to blend, but be cautious as the steam can blow off the lid if it's too hot. After it's all smooth, add the cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Some squash are slightly bitter, so you can add honey in small amounts (a tablespoon at a time) to taste.