Butternut Squash Risotto

Here's a nice recipe for when you feel like spending a little more time in the kitchen. I always find cooking grounding, especially when making risotto... the constant stirring is a meditation of its own.

I usually add some veggies when making this recipe, in this one I added broccoli, tomatos and mushrooms. I used traditional Arborio Italian rice instead of the suggested brown rice.

butternut risotto with spinach salad and spring roll

recipe from Get it Ripe by Jae Steele available at Luna Yoga

Vegan Brunch

Jason makes an awesome brunch. Usually he does it with tofu scramble, but we didn't have any tofu when we put this one together, so here's what we came up with...

spicy veggie sausage, baked beans, homefries, mango

we got these at Rachelle-Bery, but you can also get beans in maple syrup at the depanneur

spicy veggie sausage from Rachelle-Bery

home sweet homefries

recipe from Jae Steele's Ripe from Around Here vegan cookbook

Dragon Bowl

One of our favorite meals. It's quick to make and super versatile. We switch from using quinoa, couscous or rice, with whatever veggies we have in the fridge. If it's cold outside we'll fry/roast/boil some onions, carrots, zuccini, sweet potato and layer it with kale/spinach (grain, then greens, then veggies, topped with sauce), and if it's warm out, we'll go more raw with shredded carrots, beets, peppers, bok choy, and occasionally some fried tofu or tempeh. You can pretty much put this sauce over anything. I often cook by color, making sure I have a combination of reds, yellows, greens, etc.

On the side, we'll have brussel sprouts, dumplings, spring rolls, or Jason likes fake ginger chicken from Yuan.

we like to rate recipes... this one got a 12 on 10

Dragon Bowl served with red quinoa and dumplings

Dragon Bowl recipe from Jae Steele's Ripe from Around Here vegan cookbook

Vegan Challenge

A little while ago I wrote a blog about a documentary called Vegucated, I liked it so much I decided to screen it at the studio. It's a "feature-length documentary that follows three meat- and cheese-loving New Yorkers who agree to adopt a vegan diet for six weeks". To follow up the movie, Frances (one of our lovely Jivamukti teachers) suggested we host a vegan challenge of our own. I thought it was an amazing idea... We invited as many vegan/vegetarian friendly businesses to get involved and created a fun filled Vegan Challenge for the month of June, 2012.

As part of my duties I will be posting vegan recipes daily on my blog throughout the month of June. Most will be tried and tested by myself & family, with a couple recipes submitted by our generous sponsors.

Good luck to all those who are taking the challenge! 

Vegan Challenge
June 1st-30th, 2012
In honor of the Vegucated screening, we will be holding a vegan challenge throughout the month of June. If you’ve ever considered being vegan, here’s your chance to be part of a group exploring the realities of veganism, and debunking the myths.
The month will include:
- Unlimited yoga for the month of June at Luna Yoga
- A Screening of Vegucated
- Get it Ripe vegan cookbook
- A guided trip to the grocery store
- Discounts on local vegan restaurants and shops,
- Daily recipes (posted on Jennifer’s blog)
- A vegan cooking course
- Weekly gatherings 
June 1st-30th
Cost: $100
Take the challenge

Vegan Challenge participants will also receive discounts from Crudessence, Green Panther & lole, samples from Tonic, Rise Kombucha & Cocos Pure, 2 week gift membership from My Yoga Online, and 25% off at the Yoga Festival Montreal 

Thanks to all our sponsors for their generosity! 
Please feel free to add your comments, feedback and questions

Happiness is Healthiness

A couple of years ago I read a review about a vegan cookbook called Get It Ripe. I told Jason about it, and soon after he gave it to me for our 12 year anniversary (I know, it's been a while!). I fell in love with it right away; it's written by a local woman (Jae Steele), it's vegan (with lots of gluten, sugar, and dairy substitutes), and most of all Jae feels like someone I can really relate to, she is passionate about her work, and she seems to be doing a lot of it herself.

The first 100 pages of the cookbook talks about everything from vitamins and nutrients, to eating locally and organically. Usually I skip the intros to cookbooks and go straight to the recipes, but I thoroughly read and enjoyed this one.

The recipes are super tasty. I've cooked with them for many friends and family members, vegetarians and meat-eaters both love them! I've never had so many requests for recipes before. I liked it so much I started selling the books at our studio, and giving them as gifts. My Mom has been using it to cook for my Dad and Grandmother (who are both very traditional, old-school foodies). At first she tried to sneak in the tofu, telling my Grandmother it was chicken, but she knew something was up. Oma's favorite meal used to be meat & potatoes, now it's portobello mushroom burgers!

Even the baked goods are amazing, and that says a lot. Vegan desserts have a reputation for being dry, crumbly, and tasteless. Jae's Cowgrrrl Cookies are my nephews favorite, and some friends called us last week to say their son, who had been sick, was smiling after eating the Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Jason had brought over.

After cooking many delicious meals from her book, I looked up Jae's contact info, and sent her an email inviting her to the studio... after some time, she accepted, and is now coming to give a workshop Happiness is Healthiness and promote her new book Ripe from Around Here next week!

Although we are friends on facebook, I've never met Jae Steele. I love to cook, I love good food, and I definitely think healthiness plays a huge role in our happiness, so I'm super excited to meet Jae, take her workshop, and get a copy of her new cookbook! Hope you can join us.

Here are some of our favorite recipes from Get It Ripe:
Sesame Miso Dressing, Perfect Peanut Sauce, Simple Dal, Coconut Cauliflower Chana, Barbecue-Baked Tofu with Mushrooms and Bell Peppers, The Good Shepherd's Pie, Double-Whammy Ginger Cookies

Happiness is Healthiness
Thursday June 3, 7:30-9:30pm @ Centre Luna Yoga
$45 (includes a copy of Jae's new cookbook Ripe from around Here)
info & registration