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Category: Travel

Veggie Fajitas at Cocolores

Costa Rica: a vegetarian paradise

By melodiels Jan 18, 2015

Returning home from Costa Rica is rough, especially when you factor in the ridiculously cold weather that hit Montreal this January. Typically when I get home from vacay, I’ll comfort myself…

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Talkin' bout plant-based food & zero waste living in Montreal

I'm Melodie. Here is where I share my passion for plant-based cuisine, zero-waste living, and being a green mama. I post recipes, recommendations and resources.

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MUST TRY

Golden Chickpea Coconut Stew (Vegan/Gluten-free)
Crispylicious Cauliflower Wings (Vegan)
Vegan ramen in Montreal, get your noodle on!
Rosé Pasta Recipe with Spinach and Mushrooms (Vegan)
Raw vegan chocolate balls

mtlveg

Sunday comfort anyone? Vegan Mac & Cheese with but

Sunday comfort anyone? Vegan Mac & Cheese with butternut squash and tempeh bacon does not disappoint.😋 Recipe link in my bio 👆🏾.

This bowl of comfort is made with squash, cashews, nutritional yeast and spices. It’s bold, flavourful and full of nutrients. Not too bad for comfort food, right? There’s also hearty serving of protein with the added tempeh bacon.

Kid-friendly 👶🏽

This recipe is one of my toddler’s all-time favourites. She happens to love pasta or any carbs for that matter, so this recipe ranks high. Like many parents, I’m often concerned about nutrition and worry when my daughter doesn’t eat enough vegetables. Thankfully this sauce is full of squash, so it’s a sneaky way to get some plants in her diet. Butternut squash is an excellent source of provitamin A carotenoids, vitamin C, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and more.

Mix it up! 🥦

You can mix up this mac & cheese recipe any way you’d like. Add some spinach or broccoli for a little more veggies, or swap the homemade tempeh bacon for store-bought—nobody’s judging.

if you try it out, let me know how you like it!
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#veganfood #veganrecipes #veganmacandcheese #plantbasedrecipes #plantbasedbaby #recipe #plantbasedfamily

Do you still have your natural Christmas tree? Don

Do you still have your natural Christmas tree? Don’t forget to snap off a couple of branches to make some pine-infused vinegar. It’s so simple, just add a generous handful of pine branches and vinegar to a jar. Let it sit in a cool dark place for about 6 weeks or longer, then strain liquid into a spray bottle. Pine vinegar is one of our daily cleaning products for kitchen counters. I love that it’s completely natural and food-safe making it a great option for people with a little bébés. The scent of pine cuts the vinegar so you’re left with a sweeter smell. Every time I use it my husband goes “mmmm, what’s that yummy smell?”

One jar lasts me the full year but if you tend to use multipurpose cleaners more often then definitely make two jars. This whole project costs under a dollar.

🎄 ✂️ And if you don’t have a Christmas tree, just snap a couple branches off of someone else’s. Christmas trees are lining all the curbs right now so take advantage!
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#zerowastetip #zerowasterecipe #greencleaning #pinevinegar #greenliving #cleanliving

🍊 Tangerine Carrot Oat Bar #recipe. It’s a mu

🍊 Tangerine Carrot Oat Bar #recipe. It’s a must for toddlers (and adults too). 👆🏾link is in my bio. Over the last two months these oat bars have saved me. I had the hardest time figuring out what snacks to give to my daughter between meals. She’s pretty picky. Now I just keep a stash of these in the freezer and I’m good to go. She loves them! They are a little sweet but there is no added sugar, just dates. I used all-natural ingredients, including carrots, tangerine, almond butter (omit for a nut-free version) for flavouring and hemp and flax to up the nutritional value. They are chewy and not crunchy making them perfect for a little munchers. If you try them out, let me know!

👉🏾Food processor is required.
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#Veganrecipes #VeganMontreal #VeganBaby #PlantbasedBaby #plantbasedfamily #toddlerrecipes #toddlerfood #plantbasedrecipe #plantbasedmama

#ZeroWasteChallenge day 1. Well technically, day 1

#ZeroWasteChallenge day 1. Well technically, day 1 should’ve been yesterday but life happens. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Excited to get started and feeling inspired by @tiny.trash.can and @babystepstozerowaste fellow MTL zerowasters. I also recently discovered a project by Montreal-based @rachaelseatvet. She bought absolutely nothing new for a year and I found that really inspiring. So I’m also going to try really hard to buy nothing new this month too.

🗑🎄 Today started with getting organized. We had a lot of trash from the the holidays so we put out our very last bag of garbage this morning and replaced it with a small container for the month-long challenge. The goal is simple. All trash must fit in that small container (swipe to see 👉🏾). It’s the first time I do this challenge with a baby so we’ll see how we do. I’m allowing exceptions for dust(from sweeping), dental floss, cat liter and the occasional disposable baby wipe which goes in a separate garbage for sanitary reasons.

Today I also organized leftover Xmas decorations and gift wrap so we can repurpose next year. We did some groceries and picked up some frozen dumplings from @dumplingnationmtl. we’re all stocked up with package-free food.

I finished off my day with a little me time admiring how pretty ZW life can be. An added benefit.

I’ll post an update every week to keep myself motivated. 💪🏾

I’ll never take a dinner party, play date, coffe

I’ll never take a dinner party, play date, coffee break or holiday party for granted ever again! Every NYE I dreaded the crazy Montreal outings in the cold. It cost a fortune to go anywhere and impossible to get home with cabs full and night buses never on schedule. But this year, I’d gladly freeze my buns off just to be sipping wine with my friends again. My hopes for 2021 are simple: popping champagne 🍾 at a dinner party chez moi. 🤞🏽 And you know, no more deaths by Covid and an actual acknowledgement of systemic racism by our provincial gov. would be good too!

2021 be kind.

Happy New Year’s from my kitchen!🥳 💕This year was a bust in so many ways but at least I can bake like 10 kinds of bread. 👌🏾🍞 Silver lining. 🌈

Refill day! ♻️ 💪🏾We hit up our closest z

Refill day! ♻️ 💪🏾We hit up our closest zero waste grocery store @epicerieloco once a month to refill jars. ZW stores are the best because they have many items that are hard to find in bulk like TVP, tofu, nooch, mushrooms (dry and fresh), coconut sugar, spices or face cream. I love it. But since it’s far, there is no way I’m lugging all my jars. I bring freshly washed cloth bulk bags and a list that marks everything I need and how much (full jar/half/quarter). I also bring a couple bottles for liquid stuff like oil or soap and spice jars. A little prep before means things are smooth sailing at the shop and I can get out before bebe has a fit. 😅

🏠 When we get back home, I transfer all my bags to jars and toss them into the wash. Then I put everything away and admire the clean look of a [mostly] zero waste kitchen. It makes my heart go ba da boom boom. 💕

Wanna go on a January zero waste challenge with me

Wanna go on a January zero waste challenge with me? 👋🏽 😄

❄️I know New Year's resolutions are not everyone's thing, and many don't have much resolve left after 2020. But they can also be fun! I went on my first month-long zero waste challenge in 2017. I want to think I've always been green-minded, but it was only during the challenge that I noticed all the little ways I created unnecessary trash. Once the challenge was over, lots of habits stuck. I did another challenge in 2018, and even more green habits stuck after that. But after having a baby and a global pandemic, lots of habits unstuck. I did continue to make efforts to buy preloved items and avoid plastic, but I'm not perfect. You can see our waste this week in this picture, which is higher than normal because of Christmas but still way better than a few years ago.

Now that my daughter is a bit older, I'm finally ready for another zero waste challenge. For January, my husband and I will attempt to produce very little landfill waste. We'll still use recyclables but try to avoid plastic when possible.

Generally, my zero waste challenge means getting rid of my trash can and replacing it with a pickle jar. The goal is to fit all your landfill waste in there.

Other restrictions include:

• Compost food waste
• No plastic
• Reduce recyclables when possible. Opt for aluminum or other materials that are recycled easier.

Exceptions include:
•Kitty litter (still no solution for that 😭)

❇️ If you want to join me, I'd be thrilled. For peeps in Montreal, I have many suggestions of where to shop and a Facebook group set up. Check this link in my bio for details or what a challenge entails. And no pressure if you try and fail. It's about learning as you go, not about being perfect.

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#zerowastechallenge #zerowaste

I could share a cute family portrait but let’s f

I could share a cute family portrait but let’s face it, donuts are sexier. Merry Christmas 🎄 y’all. Covid Christmas was not too shabby especially with our new tradition of holi-donuts. Can’t wait to make these for the rest of the fam.
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#merrychristmas #christmas #vegandonuts #vegandessert

My new and improve bun recipe. 🌭 🍔 A few mon

My new and improve bun recipe. 🌭 🍔 A few months ago I posted a recipe for hot dog buns and that was the most popular post of the year! I guess you all really like hot dogs. 🤣 I actually revisited my bun recipe to try to make it a tiny bit healthier by swapping all purpose flour for spelt and adding in some turmeric. I’m happy to report that these turmeric buns are just as yummy as the plain old white ones. They’re great for hamburgers or hot dogs. Easy bread project and lots of fun.
Recipe for 8 to 10 buns.

1 packets active dry yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup soy milk (or any plant milk)
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 cup spelt flour
1.5 cups all purpose flour

👉🏾Dissolve the sugar, turmeric and yeast in the warm water. Add the milk, oil, salt and slowly incorporate flour until you have a sticky dough that pulls away from the side of the bowl. Feel free to add a little extra flour or water to get the right consistency.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 to 10 mins. You want to have a smooth elastic dough.

Proof dough in an oiled bowl covered with a towel for 1 hour or so in a warm place. It should double in size. If it doesn’t, let it proof longer. When it’s cold it takes more time.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and gently roll into a long cylinder. Using a knife or dough scraper, divide cylinder into 8 to 10 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a cylindrical bun with seams on the bottom. Dip top of buns into sesame seeds and place on an oiled flour dusted baking sheet 1/2 an inch apart. They may stick together for the second rise which is fine but I take the time to separate them again to avoid it baking into one giant lump. Of course if you have a hotdog baking pan, that would be perfect! But who has that?

Dust the top of buns with a little flour and cover with a tea towel to prove about another 30 to an 1 hour. Until they puff up and look ready to be baked.

Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes or until golden brown. For best results add a pan filled with water to the oven which will help the buns stay soft delaying any formation a crust.

I finally perfected my butternut squash vegan “c

I finally perfected my butternut squash vegan “cheese” sauce. I LOVE this stuff. It’s the perfect queso for nachos and makes a killer Mac and Cheese.

It’s also very popular with the bebe. This recipe is a sneaky way to get little ones to eat a little more veggies.

There are many recipes out there but this one is adapted from the @miyokoscreamery cooking show. I like it because it’s easy. It just requires a lot of different ingredients but many of them are cupboard staples.

Throw all this into a blender:

1 cooked butternut squash
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup cashews (presoak for 2 hours if your don’t have a high-speed blender)
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
1 cup of soy milk
1/2 cup of vegan kefir or yoghurt (if you don’t want to buy vegan yoghurt just for this, swap it for more soy milk)
1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth
2 tablespoons of miso
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

For queso style add:
3 to 5 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
Juice of 1 lime

Or Mac and Cheese style add:
1 teaspoon of chilli powder
Juice of half a lemon

Once blended, add to a large sauce pan over medium heat. Cook sauce, stirring constantly to avoid burning the bottom. After about 10 minutes, taste sauce. If you still taste raw onion, cook down a little longer. Once the sauce is ready you can add pasta right into it for mac & cheese or set it aside to cool down for a nacho dip or taco topper.
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#veganrecipes #plantbasedrecipes #healthyfood #recipe #healthyrecipes #veganfood #veganfoodshare #plantbased #iloveveggies

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