Blog Post

Meet Ellexis, our healthy baking instructor

Andrea Potter • Dec 31, 2016

Ellexis bakes plant-based and healthy, but her goods manage to taste just like those traditional ooey-gooey, tender, flaky sweets that we all love.


Tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a plant-based baker. I was trained in Bread and Pastry Arts at North West Culinary Academy of Vancouver and after working in chocolate, catering and restaurants, I found my happy place as a baking instructor. If I was stranded on a desert island and could only choose 3 foods it would be beer, bread and chocolate. If I could only choose two, it would be beer and bread and if I could only choose one food, it would be sourdough bread!

What inspired you to teach healthy cooking/baking?

When I was training in pastry, I became more and more aware of the need for baked goods that did not rely on highly refined products (i.e. white flour and white sugar), wheat, eggs and dairy products. I get a lot of satisfaction from helping people and so I wanted to create and share recipes for great baked goods that were friendlier to people’s specific diets, allergies and or ethics. I also gain so much from others experience and knowledge so teaching lets me create, share and learn all at the same time!

What do you love most about healthy cooking/baking?

Plant-based baking is a very creative process for me. I get a lot out of the process of testing, failing and eventually problem solving baked goods that match our sensory memories (such as a brownie or ice cream). I also grow my own veggies so getting to use them in my baking is really satisfying! Most of all, I love sharing treats with others and seeing them experience joy at being able to eat them.

How does learning to use whole and plant-based foods benefit you and those who you teach?

In addition to helping people find foods and recipes that they can reintroduce into their diets that suit them, I think it provides connection, inspires confidence in people and pleasure in cooking and baking. It also enhances the quality of our nutrition by integrating new and more plant based foods into our diets.

What makes your cooking/baking classes different from the norm?

I strongly believe that great plant based baking is a combination of good technique and the right ingredients. So I really try to make baking methods approachable, low tech, and accessible to students so that they can gain confidence and have fun in learning new recipes and new skills without feeling intimidated. I also have no expectation that people who are in my class are plant based. There is no expectation that you need to change any of your practices or eliminate anything from your current diet. It’s simply about learning new things and having fun no matter where you are at in your food journey.

What was your favourite experience cooking/baking healthy?

Getting to work with Andrea Potter who inspires me to be a better teacher and baker and seeing folks who had previously given up on sweets being able to integrate them into their diets again!

How has healthy cooking/baking enhanced your life and the lives' of your students?

Honestly, it has helped me to find my place in the world! Working in this area of baking/food is very meaningful to me and keeps me learning all of the time: from my own mistakes, from my students, from the continuing sophistication of ingredients and methods. I see it enhance the lives of students when they tell me how they are able to eat the foods that bring them joy and gain confidence in their own cooking so that they share it with others.

Any advice for students thinking of getting into healthy cooking/baking?

Our classes are really approachable and we are open minded so just give it a try. We’re here to offer you plant based options and then you then can decide for yourself what you want to try and integrate! No fancy equipment needed. Oh, and it’s delicious!


By Andrea Potter 15 May, 2021
GF, Dairy-free option, low sugar, nut-free option If you missed our recent Healthier Sweets workshop hosted by the Eastside Family Place in Vancouver, here is one of the recipes we made together. Whip up a batch in no time and enjoy! This recipe is a great base for a healthier muffin! They are versatile and they freeze well. (Just thaw overnight on the counter) You can modify it with the subs below to: • Become a banana muffin • Be nut-free (sub 100% oat flour) • Choose dairy-free option Ingredients Wet 1 cup unsweetened applesauce (or sub 1 banana, mashed) ½ cup coconut sugar (1/2 cup cane sugar works too) ½ tsp vanilla (opt) or almond extract if you want a stronger almond flavour 3 Tbsp coconut oil or butter, melted 1 egg Dry 1 cup almond flour or oat flour (or a mixture of the 2) 1 Tbsp coconut flour 1 tsp baking soda ¼ tsp baking powder Pinch of salt 1 tsp cinnamon (opt) Optional: add ¼ cup of any of your favourite inclusions such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, chopped nuts or seeds Directions Preheat oven to 350F Line the muffin tin with papers. In one bowl, mix wet ingredients (if using banana, mash it with a fork first in the bowl then add other wet ingredients) In the other bowl, measure dry ingredients and stir to combine Add wet to dry and stir to combine Use 1/3 cup to fill muffin tins Bake for 30 min, checking for doneness by pressing the center of a muffin. If it springs back (or toothpick inserted comes out dry), it’s ready! Cool and enjoy! Equipment Measuring cups and spoons 2 medium mixing bowls Spatula or wooden spoon 1 tray of muffin tins Muffin tin papers/liners
By Andrea Potter 04 May, 2020
These are right at home on a baked potato or raosted yam for dinner, as they are on sourdough toast for breakfast. Check out the pre-broadcast FB Live video of me making these here Serves 4-8 20 mins prep time 4-8 hours cooking time This is a braised recipe and is best done in the oven (3hrs), where the dry heat created a nice crust on the beans. It can, however, be cooked in a slow cooker (6+hrs) instead or even the quicker cooking method on the stovetop (30 min). Ingredients 1 cup dried beans soaked and cooked. Or 3 cups of cooked, frozen or canned beans. (Kidney, navy, black, cannelini...) (A 28oz can is about the right amount) 1 Tbsp cooking oil (Use avocado, coconut, ghee…) ½ large onion, diced 1 large clove garlic, whole or minced (your choice!) ½ bell pepper, diced (optional) fresh herbs either sage or oregano, chopped 1 chipotle pepper, canned in adobo sauce or ½ of a dried chipotle pepper (sub 1-2 tsp smoked paprika if you don't want them spicy but still want the smokey flavour) 2 Tbsp maple syrup 2 Tbsp molasses salt to taste 2 ½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar, pickle juice or sauerkraut juice 1 fresh tomato, chopped, a couple of sun-dried tomatoes, or about 1 Tbsp tomato paste Water to cover about 1 inch above the beans. To add after cooking: 1/4 cup miso paste mixed with 2 Tbsp water Directions • If cooking beans from scratch soak beans in plenty of water with 1 tsp vinegar, drain and rinse and cook beans in fresh water. Stay on the side of slightly under-cooking them- about 75-80% cooked if possible. (Otherwise they will end up slightly mushy). • If using canned beans, just drain and rinse. • Preheat the oven to 300F if you are baking them or get your slow-cooker out. • In a large, heavy bottomed pot, sauté onion, garlic and peppers in oil until softened. (I find a cast iron is best.) • Add all other ingredients except for the miso and stir. Note: Add less water if using a slow cooker method. The mixture should look like a thick and beany soup. • Bring to a boil on the stove top. Quick method (stovetop) This is a bit 'cheating' because it's not baked... Leave them to simmer on the stovetop until it thickens- about 20 minutes. Take off of heat and stir in miso mixture. or Slow-Cooked Method Either bake uncovered for 3 hours at 300F OR cook for 6-8 hours in the slow cooker on high. If baked in the oven, the top will look pretty dark- almost burned. Don't despair! This crust is very tasty. It is just the caramelized sugars from the maple and molasses. Just stir it into the batch with a spoon Once most of the liquid has absorbed it is done. In a bowl, mix miso and water and add this to the beans once they come out of the oven. To re-heat, just put a bit (¼ cup) of water in a small pot and add cold beans. Stir and cover with a lid. Leave them on medium heat for a few minutes to gently warm through.
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Hi guys! Like a lot of 'recipes', I make this one by eyeing up ingredients, but after years of tinkering with it to get the right sweetness, crunch and nutrition, here is the basic recipe. It makes one baking-sheet, or about 1.5 liters. Doubles easily and makes a thoughtful gift in a pretty jar. See pre-broadcast video on FB Live here (My 3yr old helper is showing us how it's done) Here's what you need: 1 cup nuts, chopped (I used almonds) 1 cup seeds (I used pumpkin seeds) 1 cup dried coconut (desicated or flaked/chips) 3 cups slow cooking rolled oats 1/4 cup chia seeds (or sub ground flax) Cinnamon and ground cardamom (about 2tsp each) Pinch salt 2 chopped, raw apples (or pears or bananas) With 2Tbsp coconut oil (or oil of your choice) With 1/4 cup maple syrup (or sweetener of your choice) Dried fruit (optional) Method: (Optional but most nutritious) Soak nuts and seeds the night before. (This makes nuts/seeds more bio-available, reducing phytic acid, an anti-nutrient) In a big bowl, combine dry ingredients (second list) with the soaked nuts and seeds (or just add nuts and seeds dry) Blend together fruit, oil and sweetener Add wet mixture from the blender to dry, mix it well Bake at 300F for 30 min or until it starts to brown, stirring occasionally Turn down to 170F Dehydrate for a few hours till crunchy Add dried fruit if you like Cool completely before storing it in an airtight container (I use mason jars or tupperware) Keeps fresh for at least a week, usually 2 weeks. ♥️♥️♥️ Variations- Switch up the nuts and seeds as well as the dried fruit, and you have a ton of variations! Also try these ones: Pumpkin Spice: Replace apples with cooked squash like butternut, acorn, pumpkin (canned works too!) Add pumpkin pie spices (nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, allspice) Gingerbread: Use molasses as sweetener and add dried ginger. Soak some dates and add them to the apple mixture in the blender Chocolate For Breakfast: Add 3 Tbsp-1/4 cup cacao powder and optional some cacao nibs (this makes the almond milk chocolatey! So tasty!)
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