Category: Summer Recipes

Stove Top Baked Beans

Leave a comment

Hey guys! The weather is finally getting nicer and nicer, and I’m really starting to miss those summer barbecues! While we’re all stuck at home, you can still have a taste of summer time. These Stove-Top Baked Beans bring together caramelized onions, garlic, vinegar, and spices to make the perfect side dish.

I feel like all of my recipes are super versatile right now, because it can be hard to get super specific ingredients. You can use pretty much whatever canned beans you’d like in this recipe. I used black beans and red kidney beans to keep it interesting. Beans are so good man! They’re definitely underrated but are a great source of protein. In this dish, they’re great as a side with another protein, or just with some pita or bread. The recipe below makes a pretty big batch, which you can always halve if you don’t want to make too much. Or double it and freeze some for later- I haven’t tried that yet but I’m sure it would be great for when you’re in a pinch and are craving some beans. And lets be honest, that was me all the time before quarantine started. Now I’m still carving beans but I have more than enough time to make em.

I also caramelized the onions more than usual in these beans, to give them extra flavour. You want them nice and soft and brown. Maple syrup gives this recipe some sweetness, and red wine vinegar cuts through the sugar. The result are some seriously good beans! And since I made them on the stove they take less time to make as well. How can you go wrong? Here’s the recipe.

Stove Top Baked Beans

Serves: 8 as a side (I have a lot of bean eating to do)

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 a medium sized yellow onion, diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp shawarma spice (or use smoked paprika)
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
  • 2 cans of beans, drained and rinsed (I used black and red kidney)
  • 2 tsp pure maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add in the shawarma spice or paprika and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and caramelized. Add water or more oil if the pot starts drying out.
  2. Put the beans, tomatoes, vinegar, maple syrup, cumin, and cayenne pepper in the pot and stir until combined. Bring the mixture to a simmer and then turn the heat to low.
  3. Cover the beans and let them cook for about 20-30 minutes. Remove from the heat, season liberally with salt and pepper, and enjoy;)

Hope these beans transport you to an awesome summer BBQ!

Yours Truly,

Olivia;))))

Loaded Maple Balsamic Salad

1 Comment

How’s it going guys? It’s starting to feel like summer vacation because the weather is finally warming up! I’m starting to establish some rhythm and being more productive, so that’s a plus. These posts are keeping me busy and thinking!

Sooooo I heard that lots of people don’t like salads. What’s up with that? I don’t know what kind of salads that they’re eating, but in my world, salads have hot veggies, cold veggies, protein, mashed avocado, and SICK dressings. Making salads is actually so much fun because you can play around with flavour combos and pretty much add whatever you want. Today I’m sharing the recipe for this Loaded Maple Balsamic Salad. And before you ask, yes, it is VERY loaded. You’ve got sauteed peppers and golden brown butternut squash, corn, carrots, cucs, spinach, avo, hemp hearts, and an awesome maple balsamic dressing. Is it even physically possible not to like that combo? I think not. Go check out the recipe!

Loaded Maple Balsamic Salad

Serves: 1 very hungry person

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Salad:

  • A handful of baby spinach
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Half a bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup cooked corn (I used frozen)
  • 3/4 cup frozen butternut squash chunks (If you don’t have these you can use roasted squash or sweet potato, and skip the steps related to the frozen squash)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 of a large cucumber, diced
  • 1/2 a large carrot, shredded
  • 1/2 an avocado, mashed
  • A sprinkle of hemp hearts

For the Maple Balsamic Dressing:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp maple syrup
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat, and add in the peppers to saute.
  3. While the peppers are cooking, bring some water to boil in a small pot and add in the frozen butternut squash chunks. Cook them for about 2 minutes, then drain and add them to the pan with the peppers.
  4. Cook the squash and the peppers until they’re soft and have some browning going on on the outside, about 6 minutes. Then remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.
  5. In a large bowl, arrange the spinach, peppers and squash, carrots, cucumber, and corn. Place the mashed avocado in the centre, and top with the hemp hearts and maple balsamic dressing.
  6. Enjoy!!

I hope this salad changes your mind about salads. It’s the salad to end all salad discrimination!

Yours Truly,

Olivia;))

Curried Sweet Potato Pita Pockets

Leave a comment

Hi guys! Today I have an AWESOME recipe for you guys; these Curried Potato Pita Pockets are one of my favourite recipes ever! They’re super quick and easy to make, plus they pack in SO much flavour and freshness. Sweet potatoes are life my friends, so they had to be included in this recipe too. I was inspired by a veggie samosa wrap by VeganRicha, but I changed and simplified the recipe and it turned out great! The sweet potatoes are roasted with some red bell peppers in cumin and curry powder, then mashed a bit and paired with a fresh cilantro-y bean salad in a warm pita. Basically, my dreams in a pocket of bread. These pitas make great leftovers to, and will definitely be one of my go-to lunch recipes when I’m back at school. Enjoy the recipe;)

Curried Sweet Potato Pita Pockets

Serves: 3

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 large sweet potato or yam
  • 1/2 a red bell pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp +1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed (chickpeas or black beans can be used in a pinch)
  • 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
  • 1/4 of a red onion, diced
  • 1 tomato, diced
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 3 whole wheat pitas
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (after 200 posts I finally managed to spell Fahrenheit right the first time!)
  2. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into very small cubes, a little less than a centimetre in size. Chop the bell pepper into the same sized cubes and place the veggies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
  3. Toss the veggies in the olive oil, curry powder, 1 tsp of cumin and some salt and pepper. Place the pan into the oven and roast for about 20-25 minutes, until the sweet potatoes and peppers are soft.
  4. Meanwhile, toss the red kidney beans, tomato, red onion, cilantro, 1/2 tsp of cumin and lemon juice together in a bowl and set aside.
  5. Once the veggies are roasted, remove them from the oven and transfer to a large bowl. Use a fork to mash the mixture, leaving some sweet potato chunks whole.
  6. Warm up the pitas in the microwave and cut or rip them in half. Open up each half so that it forms a pocket, and scoop equal amounts of the roasted veggies and bean salad into them.
  7. Enjoy!

Hope you guys love this recipe as much as I do! Thank you for reading and I’ll see you on Friday;))

Yours Truly,

Olivia;)

Lemon French Toast

1 Comment

Hey there! I’m kind of starting to settle into a rhythm of schoolwork and just hanging out, which usually means that I make some toast or a yogurt bowl for breakfast. But sometimes I’m in the mood for something more fun, which calls for some French Toast! French Toast is so tasty and super simple, and to make it even better I added some lemon to mine. This version is vegan, but if you don’t have any plant milk on hand feel free to just use regular milk. Anyways, what’s really special about this breakfast is the carameliaztion that happens because of the bananas in the batter. Do you call it a batter? I guess it’s more of a dredge or a dip….. I just looked it up- it’s a custard. Yeah, the bananas in the custard give it some nice sugar that’s just DYING to get all brown and crisp. And the lemon just gives it some interest and zing. Some blueberries and maple syrup would be perfect with this French Toast. Give it a try and break up your monotonous breakfast cycle!

Lemon French Toast

Serves: 2

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 4 slices of sprouted grain bread (or any kind of bread you like)
  • 1 ripe banana
  • 1/2 cup of almond milk
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • Zest of half a lemon
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

  1. Mash the banana in a medium sized bowl. Mix in the almond milk, vanilla, lemon juice and zest.
  2. Heat a small pan over medium-low heat. Soak both sides of a piece of bread in the almond milk mixture, making sure that it’s fully coated, but don’t soak it for so long that the middle becomes mushy.
  3. Cook the bread in the pan until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes, and then flip, doing the same on the other side. Check the French Toast every so often to make sure that it doesn’t burn.
  4. Soak and cook the remaining slices of bread, then serve warm with more lemon zest, berries, and maple syrup:)

Enjoy!

Yours Truly,

Olivia;)

Chocolate Shake

3 Comments

Hello! The last couple of weeks I’ve been kind of disorganised, which is why my posting schedule has been off. But I’m taking this weekend to plan things out a bit better, so I can post better content more consistently! Anyways, I’m really excited about this Chocolate Shake because it’s simple, healthy, delicious, and EVERYTHING YOU NEED RIGHT NOW! It’s also very thick and creamy. With just three ingredients (one being water), you can make yourself a delicious treat that’s kind of like a frosty;))) Because of its healthy simplicity, it can be enjoyed any time of day. It would be great in the morning with some granola! Here’s the recipe;))

Chocolate Shake

Serves: 1

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 ripe banana, frozen in slices
  • 1 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp water (or more if you’re a crazy person who likes a thin milkshake)

Directions:

  1. Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender.
  2. Enjoy!

Hope this Chocolate Shake brightens up your day a bit! Stay tuned for awesome posts coming your way this week;))

Yours Truly,

MyDayIsBooked;))