Smoky Black Bean and Yam Soup

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

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.

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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Rooted Nutrition in our 11th year sees so many changes! Stay tuned :-)

It's that time of year... we're a month into the New Year, and as we flip the calendar, we may also be reflecting on how those New Year goals or resolutions are going... or not going. In my own practice, although they came from myrid backgrounds, nearly every Holistic Nutrition client who I worked with had the same main complaint: " I want more energy!" We know that diet can largely affect our energy levels and we are awash with health and diet advice and 'motivation'. However there is something for sale at the end of every fad diet article, so in all this, it is most helpful to come back to basics, and check those habits that we have most often. It is not whether you were 100% successful with your healthy eating goal in January that will determine your health, it is what you do most of the time, so making your goal a sliding scale that tips towards these eating guidelines is better than the 'all-or-nothing' model that we so often fall into. Give yourself grace, enjoy the occasional 'treats' thoroughly instead of feeling guilty for them, and they will hold less power. Eating for Energy and Longevity Key Guidelines: Great news! There’s no need to count calories or avoid fat! By following the guidelines here, you’re assuring a healthy diet with the benefits of sustained energy and longevity. The caveat of course is that there is no one-size-fits-all diet. This is meant to be a place to start, so you can substitute ingredients as needed. Choose Homemade over Corporate-Made foods. Even the most indulgent homemade items tend to have better ingredients than most packaged or fast food. Healthy fats are essential for nervous and brain function, hormone balance, metabolic function and feeling satisfied after a meal so we don’t crave empty carbohydrates and over-eat less-than-ideal foods. Sources are: whole nuts and seeds as well as avocados, olives, coconut their unrefined, cold-pressed oils. Grass-fed butter and ghee and whole-fat yogurt and cheese can be incorporated as well. Nutrient-Density= choosing foods rich in nutrients instead of ‘empty’, refined carbohydrates. Think of vegetables as your multi-vitamin. They are rich in anti-oxidants, have anti-inflammatory properties, fiber for reducing harmful cholesterol and regulating digestive function and much more. Balance meals with at least 50% vegetables. The rest can be protein and (optional) whole grains or starchy vegetables. Fruits can be included and are also high in vitamins, minerals and fiber. They should be eaten whole (not discarding edible peels or pulp), and should not be eaten in lieu of vegetables. Protein: whether you’re an omnivore or a herbivore, including more plant-based proteins benefits your health, your food budget and the environment.

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Making change in the diet may come from foresight; a preventative perspective or simply because you want to feel clearer, lighter or more flexible. Making the switch to eating more plants is a learning curve, but you do NOT need to learn how to cook complely new recipes every night of the week! ( BTW t hat scenario is a sure-fire way to get frustrated and fatigued of the new 'diet', setting you up for failure to make the change you want!) Below are some tips to get the benefits of eating more whole, plant foods that you can implement without having to reinvent the wheel in your culinary repetoire. Making these switches help you to gradually increase plant-powered nutrition in your diet and to make the change part of a permanent and positive transition towards better health. Tips for boosting the plant-powered nutrition of your favourite recipes: 1) Improve the overall quality of ingredients by using healthy fats, choosing organic and whole-grain vs. refined flour wherever you can. 2) When recipes call for ground meat, try subbing lentils, beans and/or quinoa. This trade-off increases fiber, helps keep blood-sugar balanced, is heart-healthy and contains lots of filling and satisfying veggie protein. How to sub: If you want to include meat, try halving the amount and replacing the other half with lentils, beans or quinoa. A rough estimate is that to replace 1 lb of ground meat, add 1 cup dried lentils (2 cups cooked) or 1 large can of beans or about 2 cups quinoa or a combination of these. This works great for meat loaf, meat balls, shepherd’s pie, soups and stews. 3) Hide vegetables where you can : I am a big fan of the taste and texture of vegetables- don’t get me wrong! But sometimes I hide them in soups and sauces to get even more nutrition with way less chewing work. Add a zucchini to almost any pureed soup or sauce with nearly no detectable flavour. Puree a handful of greens such as kale, chard or spinach into any pureed soup- them most noticeable change is the colour, so it works best when the soup base is green or white (not orange like carrot soup- that makes a yucky brown colour!) 4) Boost your pesto recipe by tossing in a handful of greens such as kale, chard, arugula or spinach . Put that pesto on everything. 5) When recipes call for potatoes, try subbing white sweet potatoes or celery root . Both these subs have a blood-sugar balancing effect and hand anti-inflammatory properties, compared to potatoes which can cause inflammation and weight gain. Another option is to use the potatoes but add in cauliflower, especially for mashed potatoes. 6) Thicken soups and sauces with vegetables instead of refined starches. 1 potato, sweet potato or a bit of celery root subs for flour or cornstarch to thicken a pot of soup or gravy. These 'slow carbs' have more fiber, and so release energy more slowly than refined carbs like flour and starches. In the short-term they prevent energy crashes from blood-sugar instability. In the long-term, since 'slow carbs' provide more vitamins minerals and fiber per calorie, they help maintain healthy blood-sugar and colon health. 7) Garnish with nuts and seeds . Add toasted chopped nuts, hemp hearts or sesame seeds to noodle dishes, pastas and salads, increasing healthy fats, trace minerals and protein.