Dirt 4 Life

Avocado Papaya Salad

Homemade Ginger Ale

This is a delicous alternative to pop and a great refreshing drink especially in the summer on those nice hot days.

1 large piece of Ginger chopped coarsely / half the size of your fist

2 Dates Diced and Soaked

150 ml of water

Juice from 2 Lemons

1 – 3 Tablespoons of Agave Nector – Sweeten to taste

1 Litre of Sparkling water

Add chopped Ginger, Diced Date and 150ml of water to a container and blend using hand blender. Once blended pour mixture through a strainer into a measuring cup. Using a spoon push all liquid out of the mixture. Add Agave Nector to liquid and mix with a spoon.

This has now made your concentrate. You can either add all of this to 1 litre of sparkling water and enjoy or add small amounts of it to individual glasses of sparkling water which ever you prefer.

Hope you like it.

Blender Breakie

From Jane Sprocket

1.25 cups of coconut milk (coconut milk in a can add one can of water)

1/4 cup of Chia Seeds – freshly ground or whole

1 Banana

1 pack of Vega Plant based protein – or one serving of protein any flavour

1 blob of nut butter (almond) or equivalent

Blend all ingredients together in a blender add more coconut milk to get mixture to turn over if needed.

This makes 4 servings. Keep extra in the freezer but get it out the night before.

Serve on Granola or cereal with Blueberries or fruit of choice.

Learn more about Chia seeds.

Gluten Free Banana Muffins

Do you have some bananas going a little too ripe? Here’s a great recipe to use them up.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup of packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1.5 cups of mashed ripe bananas

2 cups all purpose gluten free flour

3 teaspoons baking soda

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs, bananas and vanilla. Combine flour and baking soda; add to creamed mixture just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill paper lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire racks.

Spinach Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Here is a great recipe for summer. A nice light Salad which is great as a side or perfect for a whole meal if you so desire.

Salad:

Large bowl of freshly rinsed Spinach

10 regular to large sized strawberries sliced

1/2 Cup of Crumbled Feta Cheese

1 Tablespoon of hulled hemp hearts

Garnish with toasted sliced almonds

Dressing: 

1/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 1/2 teaspoons of regular mustard

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 tablespoon agave nector or honey

Place all ingredents in a container and blend using a hand blender. Blend until creamy. Pour dressing over salad and enjoy.

Avocado Dip

1 ripe avocado

2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

Lemon juice from 1/2 of lemon

1/2 jalepeno pepper (optional)

Mash avocado in a bowl and add all ingredients – mix and serve.

Fluffy Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse made from Avocado!

1/2 cup water

4 soaked dates

1 large Avocado

or 2 small Avocados

1/8 cup + 1 Table Spoon  Agave

1/4 cup Cacao Powder

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Place all the ingredients in a small hand held blender cup and blend using hand held blender. Once smooth serve with fresh fruit. Delicous and good for you.

Greek Quinoa Salad

1 1/3 cup (330 mL) water,
2/3 cup ( 160 mL) quinoa,

1 cup (250 mL) diced Cucumber,
1 cup (250 mL) red pepper,
½ cup (125 mL) sliced black olives,
½ cup (125 mL) crumbled feta,
½ cup (60 mL) diced red onion,
½ cup (125 mL) diced Tomato

3 Tbsp (45 mL) olive oil,
3 Tbsp (45 mL) lemon juice,
1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano,
1 clove of garlic

Cook quinoa and set aside to cool. Dice all the vegitables, cheese and olives and place in large bowl. Blend olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and garlic. Mix the dressing and quinoa together. In a large bowl combine quinoa and all other ingredients and enjoy.

Gluten Free Pancakes

Healthy Pancakes that even kids would like. These pancakes taste just as good as wheat flour pancakes but are way lighter and better for you.

3/4 Cup All Purpose Gluten Fee Flour

1 Tbls Gluten Free Baking Powder

1/3 Cup Arrowroot Flour

1/2 Cup Quinoa Flour

1/4 Cup Puffed Amarath

2 Tbls Sugar (optional)

1 Egg

1 1/4 Cups Almond Milk

3 Tbls Oil

In a small bowl mix together flours, baking powder, sugar, and puffed amarath. In a medium bowl mix all wet ingredients and whisk. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined. (should still have some lumps.) Cook on a hot oiled or non stick griddle, flip when bubbles form and pop and stay open. Serve with Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup with fresh fruit.

Tortilla, Chicken and Salsa Soup

Delicious soup that some good friends from Texas introduced us to. I could not remember the recipe so I have improvised over the years.

900 ml Chicken Broth

900 ml Water

3 carrots peeled and diced

5 Cellery Stalks diced

1 Red Pepper diced

1 Green Pepper diced

1 Cup Sugar Snap Peas chopped

1/2 Red Onion Diced and Sauted

1/2 bag of Rice Vermicelli

6 Chicken Thighs

Oregano

5 Cloves Garlic

Basil

Pepper

Sour Cream

1 Ripe Avocado

Tortilla Chips

Homemade Salsa (click here for recipe)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, Marinade Chicken thighs in mixture of pressed garlic, Oregano, Basil, Pepper, and Lime Juice. Bake Chicken in oven until juices run clear. Cube Chicken.

Add together Chicken, Chicken stock, Water, Carrots, Celery, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Sugar Snap Peas, Sauted Red Onion. Cook until carrots are soft. Add uncooked Vermicelli to the soup. Cook until vermicelli is soft. Add salt, pepper, oregano, basil until desired taste.

Serve with Sour Cream, Salsa, cubed Avocado and Tortilla chips.