Tabbouleh is a middle eastern salad consisting of lots of fresh herbs, (parsley and mint) bulgur, tomato, cucumber and is dressed with olive oil and lemon. You will often see tabbouleh having a higher ratio of bulgur to herbs, but traditionally the herbs are the star. This is just my little spin on it, more inspired by tabbouleh than being tabbouleh perhaps. The black rice is striking, and makes for a visually appealing side dish if you want to impress. 

Tomatoes
I decided to slice the tomatoes and plate them around the rice for the visual appeal. Mix them in if you want to.

Vegan Feta
I garnish this with Vegan Feta (I used VioLife brand, it works really well in this recipe) and toasted walnuts. This particular brand of vegan feta is really rich and creamy. I don't think every vegan feta would do what I want it to do in this dish. Alternatively, I would just drizzle more olive oil over top.

Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Keywords: Power Bowl, Buddha Bowl, Vegan, Mung Beans, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Portobello Mushrooms

Power Bowls, Buddha Bowls.....whatever you want to call them...they are one of my favourite ways to eat. Pick basically any cuisine and build in roasted and fresh veggies, pulses and grains, whatever your heart desires basically...and add appropriate dressings/condiments. I can't think of an easier entry level way to eat for someone looking to adopt a whole food plant based diet. 

This bowl has greens, roasted broccoli, sweet potato, portobello mushrooms, steamed edamame, avocado, sprouts and a mixture of green lentils and brown rice. I drizzle everything with a simple Sesame Ginger Dressing, which is the recipe I am sharing it's naturally sweetened and delicious. It's quite thick and creamy in consistency. I really love it. I photographed my bowl before drizzling dressing over top, because I pour on a lot and mix it all together and then it looks less pretty lol. 

What's in the Sesame Ginger Dressing?

• ginger
• garlic
• olive oil
• sesame oil
• rice wine vinegar
• dates
• soy sauce
• white miso paste
• fresh lemon juice​

​How I build my power bowl.
I cook large batches of each ingredient and keep them in my fridge for easy meals throughout the week. I don't serve this as a hot meal. I like everything to be room temp. I will build my bowl and let it sit out for a bit. Heating up the dressing a bit is a good way to kind of bring it all to room temperature quickly. Warm dressing over a bit too cold veg evens everything out. 

• Brown Rice Cooked in boiling salted water with a bit of olive oil drizzled in. I cook it like pasta. When it's ready, strain. 
• Mung Beans (or green/brown lentils are great too) I cover my mung beans with hot water and soak 4-6 hours. Then cook in boiling salted water until softened but still with a bite. The package said this would take an hour. It took less than 15 minutes. Probably depends on how long you soak them. 
• Roasted Sweet Potato, Broccoli & Portobello Mushrooms. (I cut everything into slices or chunks, toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. I roast the broccoli and mushrooms at 425F, and sweet potato at 400F keeping an eye flipping when golden on bottom side)
• Edamame I just toss edamame in a small pan with a bit of water and cook for a few minutes. If water hasn't evaporated when they are tender I just strain it off. 
• Greens I often use local organic lettuces, but you could also use wilted spinach, chard or kale.
• Avocado I like serving half of a sliced avocado on top of each bowl.
• Sprouts If I can get my hands on sprouts of any variety, I like adding them
• Nuts or seeds A sprinkle of toasted walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds or sunflower seeds are always a nice addition.
• Ginger Miso Dressing I like making a double batch of this. Delicious on these power bowls, as a dressing for a crunchy slaw, or drizzled over noodles. 

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Recipe Difficulty: Easy

Recipe Tags: 

• Spelt Flour Pizza Crust
• Vegan Pizza
  
• Whole Grain Pizza
  
• Veggie Pizza
  

Spelt Flour Pizza Recipe Notes
When asked what my favourite food is, I always respond with "Pizza." As much as I love a million other cuisines and meals, there's just something about a flatbread covered with delicious toppings and cheese. I love making a classic pizza crust with bread flour, I don't feel bad about eating things made with white flour on occasion. Sometimes though, I'm just in the mood for whole grains, and that is where this recipe comes in. I love spelt flour. I use it to make my favourite spelt pancakes, and I really like using it to make a nutty wholesome pizza crust. 

​​What is Spelt Flour

• Spelt flour is an ancient grain that has been cultivated for thousands of years. It was a popular grain in Europe until it was replaced by wheat.
• Spelt flour is a good source of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals, including magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc.
• Spelt flour has a nutty, slightly sweet flavor, and it is often used in breads, muffins, cakes, and other baked goods.
• Spelt flour contains gluten, but some people with gluten sensitivities find that they can tolerate spelt flour better than wheat flour.

Tips for delicious Vegan Pizza

• Use a preheated baking stone to cook your pizza, the crust will crisp up a lot easier!
• With many types of store bought shredded vegan cheese, I find it melts best when you put it under the veggies instead of on top. There are probably exceptions to this rule, but it is what I have found in most cases. Parmela Creamery is one of my favourite brands for using on pizza. (photo below), I also buy Violife brand regularly because it is readily available and I like it. 
• Make your own marinara. A good pizza sauce doesn't need a million ingredients. You can always use store bought in a pinch, but I find making my own to be incredibly quick and simple. 
• Garnish with green. I love adding fresh basil if it suits the flavour profile of my pizza. Arugula is also nice, (sometimes I dress it with lemon and salt if the pizza needs some brightness) but I wouldn't make my tomato sauce spicy if I were using peppery arugula. 
• If you are someone who enjoys vegan meats on occasion, I think they add delicious flavour to pizza. I don't consume them often, but you only need a small portion for a pizza. Veggie bacon or sausage is an easy choice. 
• If you want to make a vegan pizza without any cheese, (sometimes I do) I pile a lot more  veggies/ toppings onto my crust. It's kind of like a bruschetta. Then I stir a bit of minced garlic into extra virgin olive oil, and drizzle it over top after the pizza has come out of the oven. My favourite take out pizza that I get with no cheese (and where I drizzle garlicky oil on top) has peppers, tomatoes, olives, pineapple, onion and mushrooms. 

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These spelt flour pancakes are my new favourite pancake!!!! They are so delicious, and no more difficult to prepare than any other pancake. Spelt flour is a species of wheat that has been cultivated since 5000 BC. Compared to regular wheat it has a lower amount of gluten and a higher level of protein. It is also water soluble which makes it easier for the body to digest and absorb it's nutrients. It is a wholegrain flour that is most able to mimic all purpose white flour in cooking. I honestly was so impressed with the flavour and texture of these pancakes, so this fact is not surprising to me. A bit of nuttiness as it's a whole grain flour, but it wasn't as dense as regular whole wheat flour. Try swapping 25% of your all purpose flour with spelt in baked goods. I definitely would use it in muffins or fruit crisps. 

Nutritional Breakdown of Spelt flour
In 1 cup of spelt flour (amount used in this recipe)

Carlories : 480 cal
Fat : 4 grams
Carbs 88 grams
Protein : 16 grams
Fiber : 16 grams

Vitamins and minerals
Spelt flour contains vitamins B, E and is a source of magnesium, calcium, potassium & Iron. 
Iron is often thought of to be something we need meat in order to have sufficient levels but it is also found in beans, lentils, and vegetables. Iron aids blood circulation in the body, helps to metabolize proteins and is involved in the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells in the body. Hemoglobin is a part of red blood cells that carry oxygen and remove carbon dioxide (a waste product) from the body. Low iron levels can cause anemia. Consuming iron rich plant based foods (and apparently pairing it with vitamin C) can help prevent and treat anemia, though supplementation may be necessary for some people. 

Quick chat about Date Caramel.
If you haven't made date caramel before, let me tell you, it's easy AF and is life changing. Blend up dates with water or plant milk.....yup, that simple. I added vanilla, salt & fresh ginger to make this lovely caramel that you could use in a variety of contexts. I loved it with these pancakes. Eat it with yogurt, spoon onto vegan ice cream, use in tarts or in any which way. You can make DELICIOUS things using whole foods, and avoid all the processed crap. 
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OK moving on to what you really want, the recipe!

Spelt Flour Pancakes
Serves 2

My Granola Recipe Notes
Who doesn't love granola. This is my go to recipe. The oats are a bit chewy and the nuts add crunch. It's sweet, coconut-y and delicious. Use any combination of nuts, seeds & dried fruit. Chocolate chips are a worthy addition if that is your thing. I don't always mix my dried fruit into the entire batch. Instead I just add it whenever I'm using a portion so that I can switch it up if I want to. If I'm in the mood for raisins one day, dried cranberries the next, or some chocolate here and there I can make it happen. I love granola with vegan yogurt or oat milk, or as a garnish on smoothie bowls or even sprinkled into a green salad with fresh berries. I also sometimes build dessert parfaits, especially with my strawberry granola. Layers of fresh strawberries, vanilla pudding, coco whip, and granola. Simple and yum. 

In the past I have used coconut oil in my recipe, but most recently I didn't have any, and because everything is so expensive I chose to go with canola oil, which I already had on hand. Honestly, that's probably what I'm going to do from now on so that's what you will find in the recipe. Also worth mentioning, coconut oil isn't the right choice for people who want to eliminate saturated fats from their diet. 

Strawberry Granola  
For whatever reason making my granola recipe during strawberry season has become a ritual. 2 pints of strawberries sliced and spread out onto the four trays that fit in my dehydrator is the right amount for this recipe. I will let them dehydrate for a few hours then I start checking on them. Inevitably some (the thinner ones) are ready first. They should be chewy and pliable when ready. 

Of course, you can use whatever dried fruit you want! Next time, I'd love to try this with dried mangos and maybe pumpkin seeds. I rarely buy dried mangoes because they are so expensive, but I really like "Elan" brand. I always read the label and avoid ones with added sugar. (the ones I have had with added sugar simply don't taste as good!) WIth that being said, I'd love to find a good sale on mangoes and dehydrate them myself.

To dehydrate my strawberries, I sliced 2 pints put them in my dehydrator at 140F. After 3 hours some of them were ready. However, some of the thicker ones took 4 times longer. I just keep checking every couple hours and removing any that are ready. For the record, dehydrated strawberries taste like candy, but are definitely a lot better for you!

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