Baked Strawberry Lemon French Toast

This dish a a WINNER and great to serve for guests!! Delicious and easy. I prepared the toast the night before and when I woke up all I had to do was place in the oven.

I added hemp seeds to the dish, after baking, which added extra omega acids and protein. You can use three eggs, or if you are watching your calories, you can use just egg whites. While egg whites have minimal fat, a bit more protein and a good supply of riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and potassium, egg yolk supplies a rich amount of fat soluble vitamins (A,E,D,K), folate, calcium, iron and B12. I would recommend using at least one egg yolk to get some of those good nutrients in your body.

Baked Strawberry Lemon French Toast

4 slices whole grain bread, high fiber

1 tsp non-dairy butter

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

2 organic eggs (or 4 egg whites)

1/2 tsp vanilla

zest of one organic lemon

10 strawberries, diced

2 TBSP fresh lemon juice (juice from one lemon)

1/8 cup agave or honey

1/8 cup coconut (optional)

dash of salt

honey, banana and hemp seeds for topping (optional)

1. Combine almond milk, vanilla, zest, and eggs and mix till creamy.

2. Arrange bread flat in a pan, spread a thin layer of sunflower spread (non-diary butter) and pour egg mixture over bread. Place in fridge overnight.

3. In morning, puree half the strawberries and mix with lemon juice and agave; drizzle over bread.

4. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 180C. Take off foil and bake for 10 more minutes.

5. Drizzle with honey/hemp seeds/coconut.

If serving for brunch, you could add white chocolate chips, before you bake, to make the dish a bit naughty!

The bubble battle- who will win?

Organic vs Conventional (meaning full of chemicals- SLS, SELS, and Paraben)

Since I have started the blog and further educating myself on topics related to health and wellness I have made the commitment to update our household items, one at time, to something better for our health. The truth is I love my body and I love my boyfriend (of course I love his body too...) and I want to make sure we are increasing our longevity and vitality.

Today it looks like the battle is even, 1-1, organic vs. conventional (as far as our shower products go). I have been using the best of what I can find here in Greece, which is severly limited compared to what is offered in the states, not to mention EXPENSIVE!! I need to know that what I am paying for is acutally 1) good for our health and 2) going to produce nice results- like clean, fresh-smelling hair and squeeky clean skin.

Some of the ingredients I have found in the conventional products include:

1) Sodium Laureth Sulfate- A more moderate form of SLS but even more dangerous as our liver cannot metabolize this substance and it therefore stays in our body (tissues) longer.

2) Paraffinum Liquidum- otherwise known as a mineral oil. A cheap ingredient meant to moisturize. Increases penetration of other toxic substances in the product, May be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are potential human carcinogens linked with breast cancer.

3) Methyllisothiazolinone- a neurotoxin, causes nerve damage

And in the organic products:

1) Ammonium Laureth Sulfate- Coconut based cleaning agent

2) Polysorbate 20-vegetable derived emulsifier

3) Geraniol-a monoterpenoid and an alcohol. It is the primary part of rose oil, palmarosa oil, and citronella oil

Of course, we are never 100% sure of where all this stuff is derived from unless we make it ourselves but I know that for myself, making the effort feels really good, and I feel as though I am gifting my body with something positive. I don't know about you but I am willing to pay 10 euros more per month (5 euros extra per bottle) for shampoo/conditioner that does not have the first three ingredients.

I would like to comment that it feels good knowing that everyday the choices I have been making our better ones, better for our health and therefore better for the environment. I believe that we all come together as one and therefore as each one of us grows healthier, so does everyone else. I will be trying new products from this day forward and will include a list on my website of which ones I find to be worth the money. I am on the prowl to find great products at reasonable prices :)

Sweet Delight Tofu

This tofu is baked till crispy on the outside and moist on the inside-full of flavor and sweet delight!

Sweet Delight Tofu

300g tofu, cubed

1/4 cup agave (1/3 cup if you would like a sweeter tofu)

1 TBSP mustard

2 TBSP cup soy sauce

1 TBSP tamari

2 TBSP dried onion

1 clove garlic, mined (or 1 TBSP garlic paste)

1 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

2 TBSP honey (optional)

1. Mix all ingredients together, except for tofu and honey.

2. Add tofu and mix till all pieces are finely coated. Set aside to soak up juices for about 30 minutes (up to 24 hours if you have time).

3. Bake at 180C for 40 minutes, stirring at 20 minutes so more than one side has a chance to brown.

4. This can be served hot with steamed veggies or cold on salads, sandwiches or alone as a snack.

Starwberry Nectarcakes- gluten/dairy free & agave sweetened!

These are gluten free, vegan and sweetened with agave. Delicious, unique and easy to make. If you are feeling creative you can use different spices, nuts and extracts to change the flavor! Some people with celiac are sensitive to oats, as oats are usually processed around wheat plants, but this is case specific. If you are unsure about your reaction to oats, please use an alternate gluten free flour, just to be safe :)

Strawberry Nectarcakes

4 TBSP vegan butter (I use sunflower spread)

3 eggs

1/3 cup agave nectar

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup oat flour (coconut, chickpea, br

own rice, or buckwheat flour work too)

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 cup finely ground almonds

10 organic strawberries

dash cinnamon

1. Melt the butter, set aside to cool.

2. Blend eggs, agave, salt and almond extract for about 3 minutes, till thick and yellow.

3. Add butter mixture, flour, baking powder, and almonds, one at a time.

4. Put one strawberry in each cupcake liner and pour batter till strawberry is covered (or mostly covered). Sprinkle with cinnamon.

5. Bake at 200C for 20 minutes.

To wow your guests, serve warm with vanilla ice cream (dairy-free if desired) and sliced strawberries!

Baked Coconut Lemon Linguini- Vegan and Delicious

Vegan Baked Coconut Lemon Linguini

400g linguini

2 TBSP vegan butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium red onion, diced

juice of 3 small lemons

zest of 3 small lemons

250 ml of light soy cream

250 ml of light coconut milk

one handful fresh mint, chopped

200g of light parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

1. Melt butter, garlic and onions over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes.

2. Add cream, coconut milk, lemon juice and lemon zest; reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, stir in 150g of cheese and fresh mint.

4. Place in casserole dish and bake for 25 minutes at 200C.

5. Top with fresh parmesan, salt and pepper before serving.