Amanda Laird

I am a firm believer in eating real food. To me that means fresh food that will go bad in a few days. Fresh greens, veggies and fruits preferably grown close to home. Whole grains. Organic lean proteins like chicken, turkey and sustainable fish. But eating real food also means eating chips when I want them. Or maybe a slice of cake or a brownie. I’ve never been in to the fake out. You know, carrot sticks instead of tortillas or fruit instead of candy.

Banana soft serve is nothing new, it’s been around for years now. And every time I saw a blog post or a pin singing it’s praises I’d roll my eyes and think, just eat the ice cream if you want the ice cream! Unless of course you had ice cream yesterday and the day before, in which case it might be a good idea to skip the ice cream. But I digress…

One day I found myself with a couple of frozen bananas and I thought what the heck, let’s throw them in the Vitamix and see what the fuss is all about. Seconds later we had a cup or so of the softest “ice cream” I’d ever had. Smooth and cold with only a mild banana flavour, you wouldn’t have known that it was just a bunch of blended up frozen bananas unless I told you!

Since then we’ve kept a stockpile of frozen bananas in the freezer for when we want a treat without investing in an indulgence. I started playing around with recipes, adding in a scoop of nut butter and a splash of almond milk. Topping it with cacao nibs makes it feel like a sundae. Out of all the combinations I’ve come up with, this is our favourite and by far the one that tastes the most like a rich, indulgent treat. I love Gidy Yoyo‘s raw cacao powder, especially here where the chocolate really stands out.

Now this is real food!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana Soft Serve
Serves 2, generously

Ingredients
2-3 large bananas, frozen
2 heaping tablespoons raw cacao powder
2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter (or any other nut butter you prefer)
Splash of almond milk (about 1/4 cup)
Cacao nibs, shredded coconut, chopped nuts, etc. for topping

Method
Slice the frozen bananas up into half inch rounds. Throw everything in to the blender and blend until smooth. Throw on some toppings and enjoy!

Lunch is no joke around our office. There are those that brown bag it every day. Those that dine daily with The Chef and those that partake in the Buffeteria lunch special. And then there is Lunch Club.

Designed to ease the stress of lunch and encourage weekday home cooking, each member brings lunch for the other members on a specified day of the week. Fridays are free reign. I’ve participated in Lunch Club in the past, but the stress of not planning my own meals and not sticking to my particular weekday eating rules meant that I didn’t last long as a member.

A few weeks ago another colleague who is also trying to eat as healthfully as possible proposed an Alternative Lunch Club. Same deal, only there were a few ground rules. Lunches had to be mainly plant-based, vegetarian, gluten free — think Gwyneth Paltrow’s version of Lunch Club. And you had to tell the other person what you were planning to make the week before; I was game.

For Thursday’s lunch I had planned to make kale and Brussels sprouts salad tossed with soba noodles, my favourite recipe from Vegetable Literacy. But when Wednesday evening rolled around and it was time to make lunch I was craving something spicy. Heidi Swanson’s otsu, another favourite around here, came to mind. I had a little sprouted tofu left over in the fridge and so this mash-up was born.

Teeming with greens and high in protein this was a pretty perfect lunch. Using gluten free noodles ensured there would be no mid-afternoon carb crash to keep us going through the afternoon. I’m not gluten free by any means, but these days I prefer gluten free noodles to avoid the bloat that comes with regular pasta. My grocery store was out of buckwheat noodles so I tried out a millet brown rice blend instead. The noodles were good but missing the sturdy chew of buckwheat which meant they were a little mushy next to the raw greens. I topped everything with my new favourite garnish, Gomashio, but a few toasted sesame seeds would do just the trick!

Spicy Noodle Bowl with Greens and Tofu

A mash-up from here and here

Ingredients:

For the salad
1 big bunch of lacinato kale (aka black kale or dinosaur kale), shredded
4 Brussels Sprouts, shredded
2 bunches of baby bok choy, shredded
1 teaspoon sesame oil
8 oz buckwheat soba noodles (or whatever you want)

For the dressing
Zest of 1 lemon
1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon raw honey
3/4 teaspoon cayenne
3/4 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed, duh)
1/4 cup brown-rice vinegar
1/3 cup tamari
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil

To garnish
7 or 8 oz of extra firm, sprouted tofu
3 green onions, sliced white and light green parts only
Gomashio or toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Method:

Place all your greens in a big bowl and dress with 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and a pinch of salt. Massage with your hands until all of the greens are shiny and glistening (that’s my favourite part of this recipe). Set aside.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain well and rinse with cold water, draining again. Once the noodles have been drained add to greens mixture.

Meanwhile whiz lemon zest and juice, ginger, honey, cayenne, sea salt, brown rice vinegar, tamari, olive oil and sesame oil in a food processor or blender. Add about 3/4 of the dressing to the greens and noodle mixture. Mix well and let is sit while you make the tofu.

Heat pan over medium. Slice tofu in to thin slabs and then place in a hot pan with no oil or water. Fry until golden, about 3 minutes, and then toss and fry until golden on the other side.

Pile greens and noodles in to your favourite bowl; top with Gomashio, green onions and tofu.

Enjoy!

Amanda Laird

peanut butter chocolate banana soft serve

spicy noodle bowl with greens and tofu