Category: Nut-Free

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Leave a comment

Hi friends! Whenever I post a pancake recipe it is a GOOD DAY, and these pancakes are high in protein, super easy to whip up and very delicious, so make that an extra good day:)

After being at the grocery store twice in two days I STILL managed to forget to buy Greek yogurt, which is usually a staple in my breakfasts. However we did have some cottage cheese in the fridge, and while I’d never really tried it before because usually I have an aversion to cheese (unless it’s melted), I decided to add it to some pancakes because it would mask the taste and texture- especially since I was blending up the batter. So in my blender I added the cottage cheese, oats, some banana, cinnamon, an egg, and baking powder to make a super smooth batter. I then let everything sit for about five minutes so the oats absorbed some liquid and the whole thing got a bit thicker, before cooking them up in a pan.

I’ve been making my breakfasts the night before lately, which really saves me time in the mornings! Let me tell you, having a big plate of these pancakes waiting for me when I came downstairs was very nice. I ate them with some frozen blueberries, apple chips, and peanut butter, but they would also be delicious with maple syrup and other fruits. Hope you enjoy!!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

Ingredients

-1/2 cup cottage cheese (I used 2%)

-1/4 cup quick cooking steel-cut oats

-1/2 a ripe banana

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-1 egg


Directions

1. Add all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Let the batter sit for about 5 minutes so that the oats absorb some liquid and the batter thickens.

2. Scoop the batter by tablespoon fulls into a pan over medium heat. Let cook for about 2 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate and enjoy immediately, or freeze for a quick breakfast later!


Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet

Leave a comment

Hey guys! I know that usually I post plant-based or vegetarian recipes, although I’m not a vegan or a vegetarian. I just love my veggies- and honestly never really learned how to cook meat! I do eat meat almost every day though, and have recently started branching out into cooking more animal proteins. So far I’m just cooking pretty easy stuff, like shrimp, and today I’m sharing the recipe for this Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet. If you do prefer to omit meat from your diet, you can always substitute the meat in any of my recipes with plant based alternatives (like tofu or plant-based sausage in this case), or just omit them altogether. It should still be delicious! I’ll always have plenty of plant-based recipes on my site and will continue to post new ones as well, I just wanted to give you the heads up that I might be cooking more meat in the future:)

Lately I’ve been into really quick, simple, and delicious recipes, and this Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet hits ALL of those points. We’ve got three simple steps- chop, cook, and EAT. First you’re gonna chop up all of your amazing veggies- sweet potato, broccoli, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes, as well as your sausage. I was thinking about the kind of carb I wanted to include in this meal, originally wanting to make it into a kind of stir fry with quinoa or brown rice. But I didn’t feel like getting out an extra pot and waiting for any grains to cook. And also I really love sweet potatoes. So I thought, WHY DON’T I ADD THE SWEET POTATO RIGHT INTO THE SKILLET? I usually don’t cook sweet potatoes in the pan, but I diced them up really small so they cooked quickly, and it turned out SO GOOD.

I love all of the other veggies in here too- there’s such a nice rainbow going on! The sweet potatoes and the broccoli go into a hot pan with a bit of olive oil first since they take the longest to cook. After a few minutes, the rest of the skillet ingredients go into the pan until the sliced sausage is nice and browned on both sides. Lastly, the some spinach, garlic powder, red chilli flakes, salt and pepper, and a splash of water go in to finish everything off. Yum!

The kind of sausage that I used was a chicken, spinach and feta sausage from Costco. They’re really good and have pretty clean ingredients. Costco just rocks! When picking out a chicken sausage, look for one with simple ingredients and that doesn’t have preservatives.

This meal is super delicious and super simple! Perfect for meal prepping or a speedy, protein filled dinner. I added some sprouts and hummus to finish it off. Enjoy!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:)

Chicken Sausage and Sweet Potato Skillet

Ingredients

-1 chicken sausage, sliced

-1/2 tbsp olive oil

-1/2 cup broccoli florets

-1/2 a bell pepper, chopped

-5 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves

-1/2 a medium sweet potato, peeled and diced

-1/2 cup packed spinach

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-2 tbsp water

-Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add in the diced sweet potatoes and the broccoli and cook for about 4 minutes, until the sweet potato begins to soften.

2. Add the rest of the veggies, except for the spinach, to the pan, as well as the chicken sausage, Cook everything for 8 more minutes, until the sausage is golden brown on both sides.

3. Add the water, garlic powder, and spinach to the pan and cook until the spinach is wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Serve warm with some hummus and/or sprouts and enjoy!


Carrot Oat Cake

Leave a comment

Hello! I’ve got another delicious oat recipe for you guys today. I already have a stovetop Carrot Cake Oatmeal recipe up on here, but this recipe is definitely more cake like and is faster to make! It cooks in the microwave- not the oven- because although baked oats are so tasty, I’m waaaaay too impatient to wait for those.

I love love LOVE oats if you couldn’t tell- they’re such a fast, healthy, and filling breakfast. Not to mention that they’re the perfect blank canvas for any delicious flavours you’d like!

I feel like carrot cake is kind of a spring thing, right? People make carrot cake for Easter all the time. We don’t need any justification to enjoy these oats right now though because carrot cake is delicious any time of year. To make this delicious breakfast/snack/dessert, you only need a few ingredients that you for sure already have on hand. And if you don’t then GO PICK THEM UP because this recipe is one you don’t want to miss.

I started by mixing together some grated carrot, apple, oat flour (just blended oats- this really helps with the more cakey texture), baking powder, vanilla, water, and a bunch of great spices together in a lil ramekin. And then BOOM the hardest part is over. The microwave will take over from here. The microwave is so underrated, honestly. It makes oats, SWEET POTATOES, and….. warms up your food. Ok I’m sure there are many uses for it that I haven’t discovered yet but for now, oats and sweet potatoes are enough for me because they’re two of my favourite things.

So yeah, two minutes in the microwave and you’ve got a BEAUTIFUL little cake that is perfect as a quick breakfast, a healthy dessert, or a snack anytime you’re craving some carrot cake! I love how the carrot shines through because it’s not too sweet. If you like your carrot cake a bit sweeter though, you can add about a tablespoon of maple syrup. Plus- get creative with some add-ins too! I went very classic with mine, but chopped nuts, raisins, or even pineapple would be very tasty in here. Those things would all be great as toppings too! After I took nice pictures of this I scooped it into a bigger bowl and ate it with lots more yogurt, the rest of the apple, and some peanut butter.

Hope you love this super delicious and quick carrot cake recipe as much as I do!

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Carrot Oat Cake

Ingredients

-1/4 cup oat flour (blended oats)

-1 small carrot, grated (about 1/4 cup)

-1/2 an apple, grated

-1/2 tsp cinnamon

-1/4 tsp allspice

-1/4 tsp ground ginger

-1/2 tsp baking powder

-1/4 tsp vanilla

-1/4 cup + 2 tbsp water


Directions

1. Mix together all of the ingredients in a small bowl or ramekin.

2. Microwave on high for 1 1/2-2 minutes, until a cakey texture is reached.

3. Top with yogurt, apples, and more cinnamon and enjoy!


Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Bowls

1 Comment

Hey there! I took a bit of a break from posting for a while but I am coming back STRONG with these delicious Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Bowls.

I love shrimp so much- all seafood is so delicious! I was looking in the freezer the other day for an easy protein I could whip up for lunch and I locked in on the bag of frozen shrimp. I’ve never done much cooking of meat/fish/crustaceans, but I decided to give it a try! And you know what? Shrimp is probably one of the easiest proteins you can make. They’re super fast to cook and it’s not hard at all to tell when they’re done. They’re also full of protein with roughly 25 grams per 16 shrimp.

I used some frozen shrimp and defrosted them by running them under cold water, although it said not to do that on the bag. I would like to know what the problem with that is. (insert laughing face emoji here). If you know you’re going to be making these ahead of time though, you can always throw your shrimp in the fridge to defrost over night, or even use fresh shrimp.

To make these delicious bowls, I started by tossing the shrimp with a bunch of delicious spices, and then sauteeing them in some olive oil. They only need about two minutes per side, and are finished when they’re opaque and slightly pink. So easy! Next we have a bunch of veggies- we’re talking peppers, onions, olives and some carrot ribbons- that get cooked up with lemon juice, garlic powder, and some tahini for some extra flavour. Finally, for some green-ness there’s a tasty cucumber and avocado salad. Serve everything over quinoa and you’ve got a LUNCH.

Let me know how you like these bowls! I definitely want to keep making shrimp recipes because the deliciousness times the easiness factor is out of this world. Maybe I’ll venture out into some other animal proteins too?!? Who knows! Enjoy:)

Yours Truly,

Olivia:))

Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Bowls

Mediterranean Spiced Shrimp Bowls

Ingredients

For The Shrimp:

-20-25 medium shrimp, defrosted or fresh

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1/2 tsp cumin

-1/2 tsp chilli powder

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp cayenne powder

-1/2 tsp oregano

-Salt and pepper to taste

For The Sauteed Veggies:

-1/2 tbsp olive oil

-2 small carrots, made into ribbons with a veggie peeler

-1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

-1/4 of a white onion, sliced

-1 200ml can of sliced black olives, drained

-1/2 tsp garlic powder

-Juice of 1/2 a lemon

-1/2 tbsp tahini

-Salt and pepper to taste

For the Cucumber Avocado Salad:

-1/4 of a long English cucumber, diced

-1/4 of a ripe avocado

-2 tsp tahini

-Salt and pepper to taste

Other:

-Cooked quinoa for serving


Directions

1. Add the olive oil for the shrimp to a pan and heat over medium heat. Add your shrimp to a small bowl and mix them with all of the spices. Dump the shrimp into the pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until the shrimp are opaque and slightly pink. Transfer them to a plate and set aside.

2. Add the olive oil for the veggies into the still hot pan. Add the veggies in and sautee until the peppers are soft and the onions are translucent. Add in the lemon juice, garlic powder, tahini, and salt and pepper and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Mash the avocado for the salad in a small bowl, mix in the rest of the ingredients, and set aside.

4. To construct your bowls, start with some cooked quinoa, then add the veggies, shrimp, and cucumber salad. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice if desired and enjoy!


Red Pepper Savoury Oats

Leave a comment

Hey guys! I’ve made savoury oats before and honestly they weren’t very good- just sort of bland and blah. But I got some inspiration from Grace, @_thefreshavocado on Instagram, to make these delicious Red Pepper Savoury Oats!

These oats are definitely like risotto, but healthier, faster, and easier to make. Some red pepper hummus and an egg white makes them SUPER creamy, and of course they start with some sautéed garlic and onion, because that’s how all good things begin😍

I started by cooking up those onions and some chopped garlic, as well as thinly sliced red pepper. As soon as those get nice and soft and caramelized, the oats go in with equal parts water and almond milk for some extra creaminess. The egg white, hummus, and lots of salt and pepper get stirred in as well, and you’re going to simmer until your oats are cooked through but still creamy.

I used some quick-cooking steel cut oats for this recipe, which were perfect! They took around seven minutes until they were ready. But if all you have are quick oats or rolled oats, adjust the cooking time accordingly and this recipe will still be delicious:)

Enjoy these oats as a side, as a vessel for more veggies or some chicken or shrimp, or as a delicious savoury breakfast with a runny egg on top! They have so much flavour and the texture is everything🥰 Enjoy!

Red Pepper Savoury Oats

  • Servings: 1-2
  • Print

Ingredients

-1/4 cup quick cooking steel cut oats

-1/4 of a red bell pepper, thinly sliced

-1/4 of a yellow onion, thinly sliced

-1/2 a tomato, diced

-1 clove of garlic, minced

-1 tsp olive oil

-1/4 cup water

-1/4 cup almond milk (plus more as needed)

-1 egg white

-1 tbsp red pepper hummus

-Salt and Pepper to taste


Directions

1. In a pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the onion, pepper, tomato and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent and the pepper is soft, about 7 minutes.

2. Add in the oats, almond milk, water, hummus, egg white and salt and pepper and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook, continuing to stir until the oats are cooked through but still creamy, adding more almond milk as needed.

3. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy warm!