I should have called this salad, “Clinging onto Summer for Dear Life Salad,” but that is a bit too long yet it is accurate. I find myself going outside in the brutal summer heat just to get some sunshine before the days turn grey. This summer has been hot and more blissful than other summers before it and I am sad to see it go.

Fall brings out delicious things and cooler weather, I can’t say I am craving the famous PSL quite yet. Nothing beats berry season, especially when paired with other seasonal produce. 

I haven’t been eating enough corn or peaches this summer so I wanted to get my fill with this salad and lots of blueberry vinaigrette. The vibrant colours, fresh taste, and antioxidant-packed dressing will have me missing the summer season. Cheers to summer, you have been good to me. 

10 recipes down, 20 more to go! See you tomorrow for Day 11: Nutrient Focused Recipe. Missed Day 9? Check it out here.

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Made this recipe? I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #screcipe on your social media. 

Peach Millet Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

This salad is burst with summer flavour! Ripe peaches, fresh corn, and blueberries on greens with lots of flavourful blueberry vinaigrette. The millet is optional but pairs well with this salad and makes it a little bit more of a meal than just a plain salad. You can use any grain you like! 1 cup of uncooked millet makes about 3½ cup of cooked millet. Use the leftovers in big vegan bowls, salad, or morning grain bowls. The dressing will keep for about a week in the fridge.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Salad, Dressing

Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

• For The Blueberry Vinaigrette:
• ½ cup fresh blueberries, rinsed
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cracked mustard
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 
  
• For the Salad:
• 1 cup cooked millet (or grain of choice)
• 4 cups of greens, I used baby spinach
• 1 cup fresh corn, raw or lightly cooked
• 2 ripe peaches, cut into slices
• ¼ cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

1. To cook the millet:Rinse 1 cup uncooked millet in a fine mesh strainer. Add millet to 2½ cups of water (or stock) in a medium pot. Bring to boil over high heat, turn down heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain, fluff, and let cool. It will make more than 1 cup of cooked grains so you will have leftovers.
2. For the Dressing:
3. Add all the ingredients for the dressing except the olive oil. While the blender is running, steam the oil slowly into the top. Blend until very smooth. Set aside until you are ready to dress the salad.
4. For the salad: Add greens to a large serving bowl or two smaller bowls. Add all the ingredients to the dish or divided amongst the dishes, dress to your liking, and serve.

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The post Day 10 Vegan MoFo: Peach Millet Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

Thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart.

If you want to receive a free copy of my eBook, subscribe on the right hand side bar or at the bottom of this post. Redefining Sprouts & Chocolate was a bit terrifying and I tried to convince myself out of it. Just 12 ingredients? For ALL future recipes? Once I started making lists of the recipes, it wasn’t as hard as I imagined. Starting is the hardest part but do whatever it takes to get your ideas in motion. You got this! Minimalist living has been on my mind for a little while but I did not know how to put it into practice for my life and not just in my recipes. As I looked around my apartment, I felt burdened by my possessions but felt like I couldn’t part with them. Mark and I live in a 600 square-foot apartment so space is tight. We felt like we were outgrowing this apartment at an alarming rate but it wasn’t the square footage that was the problem, it was the stuff. Just the stuff piled onto more stuff, littered around with more stuff. On Friday, my copy of The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing came in the mail and during the weekend I read it cover to cover. After each chapter, I could feel my mindset shifting and it became easier to accept discarding my possessions. Mark and I turned our teeny apartment upside down, giving our cramped space some much needed breathing room. In a single afternoon, we managed to get rid of:

• 5- 45L bags of clothes to donate
• 4- 45L bags of junk and garbage
• 40 books (that one was tough)
• 38 old food magazines
• 35 VHS tapes
• 28 DVDs
• 2-68L Rubbermaid containers with duplicate or unused kitchen supplies
• 1 large unused cabinet

Every object Mark and I own now has a specific place instead of just cramming something wherever we could find room. This is just the start but like anything, simple living just takes a bit of habit reforming. Sure, I don’t live in one of those Tiny Homes and I did not want to part with all my books but it is a step toward something greater. If you are interested in minimalist living, start by looking around your home and see what it is collecting dust. Do you love it? Does it serve a purpose? Do you use it? If not, I suggest you donate if possible or discard the item. It became also thrilling to see the unneeded things leave my space and I hope you find the same joy. 

What is one thing you can do today, just today, to achieve your goal?

FYI: This post contains an Amazon Affiliate link but I really love Marie Kondo’s book! 

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Made this recipe? I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #screcipe on your social media. 

Buffalo Chickpea Caesar Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

A revision on an old favourite! I wanted to recreate an older recipe of mine with new life, less ingredients, no oven, and that had a nut-free dressing. Sunflower seeds, when soaked and blended, are wonderfully creamy, light, and delicious. The extra oil in the dressing is needed since sunflower seeds are naturally lower in fat than cashews. The chickpeas crisp up well in a cast iron skillet, however if you do not own one, they will do just fine in a regular pan, it might just take an extra minute or two. This recipe is vegan, gluten free, nut free, and serves 2 generous salads or 4 light sides.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Ingredients

For the Nut Free Caesar Dressing

• ½ cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked for 2 hours
• Juice of 1 lemon, about 4 tablespoons
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• ½ tablespoon white miso
• 5 tablespoons water, or to desired consistency

For the Buffalo Chickpeas

• 2 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Frank's Hot Sauce
• 2 heads of Romaine lettuce, chopped, washed and dried
• Extra lemon wedges (optional)

Instructions

For the Nut Free Caesar Dressing

1. Add all the dressing ingredient to a high power blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth. The blender is faster but the food processor will do the trick.
2. Transfer dressing to a glass jar or bottle and chill in the fridge until ready to use. You may have to add a splash of water to the dressing since it will thicken as it cools.

For the Buffalo Chickpeas

1. Dry the drained chickpeas between two sheets of paper towels. Gently roll the beans between the paper towels until the chickpeas are fairly dry. Do not skip this step! Your chickpeas will not crisp up if they are wet.
2. Transfer the dried chickpeas to a medium bowl, add the arrowroot, paprika, salt and olive oil and gently stir to coat the beans.
3. Heat up a skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add the chickpeas, and cooked for 10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes so they do not burn. Wipe out the medium sized bowl that you dressed the chickpeas in.
4. Try a few chickpeas before taking the pan off the heat to check if they chickpeas are to your desired crispiness. I like mine just crispy on the outside but still meaty on the inside. If you desire a very crisp chickpea, add a few minutes to the cooking time.
5. Transfer chickpeas to the clean medium sized bowl and add the buffalo sauce. Toss to coat.
6. Dress the lettuce with the Nut Free Caesar Dressing, top with Buffalo Chickpeas, and serve with additional lemon wedges. Enjoy!

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The post Buffalo Chickpea Caesar Salad {Nut Free} appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

This is the big announcement part….

Moving forward, each recipe featured on Sprouts & Chocolate will be 12 ingredients or less! My archived recipes will remain on my site for you to access but any new recipe posted will follow this new rule. What counts as an ingredient? Any ingredient that isn’t water, salt or pepper.

I am excited to start this new chapter of my site and I hope you readers love these easy methods and ingredients! Within this eBook, there are over 15 vegan and gluten free summer recipes that don’t require an oven or stove PLUS are 12 ingredients or less. Recipes include:

Frozen PB+ Fudge Squares (on cover)

Rainbow Kale + Cabbage Slaw No-Cook Tomato Sauce over Zoodles Black Cherry Nice Cream Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Pops This project was challenging but whenever I started to waiver, I remembered that any accomplishment started with trying. I feel a lot of us drown ourselves in the details of a project, creating long to-do lists and feeling defeated before we even started. I know I did with this eBook but I just looked at my list and started. Just start. The first thing I did was pick a topic, and from there, one by one, my tasks list became smaller. A person can only do one thing at a time, so pick your one thing and start today! You just have to try. 

You don’t have to do it alone. Two months ago, I knew nothing about creating an eBook so I reached out to fellow bloggers. With their experience, they become an invaluable source of information to me. I attended The Healthy Maven‘s How to Create an Ebook seminar and purchased Minimalist Baker‘s How to Publish and Sell Your eBook video tutorials. With these resources, I went from being technology-illiterate to creating my own eBook. A huge thanks to Minimalist Baker for creating the best and most comprehensive video tutorials. If you want to create your own eBook for your site, I highly recommend purchasing this tutorial package.

Crossing this goal off my list has made the unpleasant parts of this experience worth it. Yes, even that time I had to restart my entire eBook because my external drive wasn’t plugged in all the way. Each struggle I faced getting to my goal has made the accomplishment that much better.

So how do you get your FREE copy of Sprouts & Chocolate: Uncooked? Subscribe on the sidebar, confirm your address and you will receive an email on how to download it to your device at zero cost to you.

Thanks again to my readers for continuing to follow me throughout this experience! Here is to another year blogging! 

Sincerely,

Jessica DeMarra
Sprouts & Chocolate

The post Sprouts & Chocolate: Uncooked eBook + Big Announcement! appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. 

The post Summer Farmer’s Market Salad appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

My potted plants could have waited and I did not need those groceries right that second. I needed to take care of my body since it was in need of some rest and repair. I would have scolded a friend if she told me that she had surgery one day and ran errands like a crazy person the next day. Why was it so easy to let myself do these things?

Now, I am fully recovered from my surgery and back to my routine but with a little more balance. There are two important things I have learned from this experience: I do not need to do everything in a day and I do not need to do it alone. Will I survive if I didn’t accomplish X amount of things on my list? Yes. Would it be an epic failure on my part if someone helped me out? Not even a little. Over the next few days of recovery, Mark was helpful with things around the house that I committed to do exclusively myself over the past three years. I had rejected his help in the past. He also helped ensure I stayed in bed by bringing me tea, watching some Brooklyn Nine-Nine together and he took my glasses off my face when I fell asleep reading. Sure, it isn’t the stuff of a paperback romance novel but it was romantic to me. Along with the importance of balance, I realized that romance did not have to be grand gestures but the sweet little things that someone does for you to make your life better. Thank you Mark xoxo.

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook! 

P.S. Though I am behind from the surgery, the eBook is scheduled to come out on Thursday, July 16th and it is FREE to any subscriber! Subscribe by adding your email address to the right side bar and click subscribe!

P.P.S I used my Maple Sriracha Tempeh Bacon recipe for this one as well. If you like, add a few dashes of liquid smoke to the marinade for a really bacon-y flavour. 

BLT + Potato Chip Salad {Vegan & Gluten-Free}

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

This dish reminds me on a super healthy version of the classic deli style meal of a BLT served with potato chips. Turns out potato chips in a sandwich are totally boss but totally terrible for you. Put it on a salad. Vegan and gluten free.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: vegan, gluten free

Ingredients

• 1 batch Maple Sriracha Tempeh Bacon + a few dashes of liquid smoke (optional)
• 1 sweet potato, unpeeled
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• ½ pint of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• ½ ripe avocado, pitted and sliced thin
• Greens of your choice, I used baby spinach but romaine would be good too
• Creamy Garlic Dressing:
• ¼ cup eggless mayo (I used Follow Your Heart Brand)
• 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 small garlic cloves, grated fine through a microplane
• A few cracks of black pepper
• Finely chopped chives, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. While the oven is preheating, marinate the tempeh, flipping once. Slice the unpeeled sweet potatoes very thin; I used a mandolin. Toss the sweet potatoes chips with oil + salt. Transfer to the baking sheet and line in a single layer. Transfer the marinated tempeh to the other baking sheet.
2. Bake chips and tempeh for 17-20 minutes, turning halfway. If the chips or tempeh look too dark, remove from the oven; the chips will further crisp up as they cool to room temperature. While the chips and tempeh are cooking, prepare the dressing.
3. Add all the ingredients to a large measuring cup or bowl and whisk until fully combined and smooth.
4. Divide the tomatoes, avocado and greens amongst your serving dishes. Top with chips and tempeh. Drizzle with Creamy Garlic dressing and sprinkle with chives. Serve!
5. Any leftover tempeh bacon can be stored for about 5 days in the fridge.

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