Once upon a time, there was a woman named Eve, who, unable to resist the luring temptation of a fragrant orchard, took a bite of forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge. Perhaps Eve was bored. Perhaps she was ovulating and had a desperate craving for something sweet. Perhaps life in the little garden was becoming stressful or claustrophobic. Perhaps she felt out of control or lacked passion in her life and in order to numb her emotions or soothe herself from Adam's lack of attention or his ambivalence in starting a family, she chose to indulge. Perhaps Eve was an emotional eater. But as Eve soon discovered, neither the bite, nor the whole fruit fulfilled her as she had hoped. Not only did she realize she was naked but that she had contempt for the way she looked. Perhaps Eve suffered with body dismorphia. Eve tried to stop eating the forbidden fruit and eventually avoided eating altogether but that didn't work and she ended up eating until she could no longer breathe. The point of this is that Eve lost her intuitive ability to nourish herself. She no longer had balance in her life and was willing to do any and everything to get that back. 
Ooey Gooey Banana Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding
In the mood for some healthy Sunday baking? This is hands down the most delicious bread pudding I have ever had and it comes from Tosca Reno’s Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook!
Transformation does not mean deprivation! You can still enjoy delicious food, in the correct portion sizes and this will lead to long lasting weight/fat loss, rather than intense deprivation and yo-yo dieting.
If 2013 is your year of transformation or if you are just looking to boost your energy, look great and feel fantastic, I recommend stocking your bookshelf with the Eat Clean Diet Series of books. Loaded with fantastic recipes and information, these books will transform your view on what healthy truly means.
Ooey gooey banana chocolate chip bread pudding and a lean figure? YES PLEASE!!!
YIELD: 13 x ½-cup servings
PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes active + 10 minutes inactive
COOKING TIME: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
• Unrefined virgin coconut oil, for coating dish
• 2½ cups / 600 ml plain unsweetened soy, rice, almond, coconut or other milk substitute
• 3 Tbsp / 45 ml arrowroot starch
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml Sucanat or other unrefined sugar
• 2 Tbsp / 30 ml brown-rice syrup or yacon syrup
• 1 tsp / 5 ml pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp / 1.25 ml ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp / 0.625 ml ground nutmeg
• Pinch sea salt
• 5 cups / 1.2 L day-old whole grain bread, torn into 1- to 2-inch pieces, lightly packed
• 2 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds
• ½ cup / 120 ml vegan semisweet chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Coat inside of a 1.5- to 2-quart ceramic dish with coconut oil.
2. In a large bowl, add all ingredients except bread, bananas and chocolate chips. Whisk together thoroughly until no lumps remain.
3. Add bread, bananas and chocolate chips and stir to combine, mashing up bananas a little and allowing bread to absorb most of the liquid.
4. Scrape into greased dish and press down to smooth top. Let sit for 10 minutes so bread can absorb liquid.
5. Bake uncovered until lightly browned and firm to the touch, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly before serving. Best served warm so it’s “ooey gooey.”
Zain’s White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Dough Bark *featuring DavidsTea*
Who doesn’t LOVE fresh white chocolate macadamia nut cookies warm out of the oven? But then again, who wants all that fat, sugar and white flour?
What if I told you that you can fully indulge in this creamy & decadent white chocolate macadamia bark and still remain on Santa’s ‘nice’ list? Its true!
Featuring DavidsTea Cookie Dough white tea from the incredible Winter Collection this recipe makes for another PERFECT handmade Christmas gift for your loved ones with the added bonus that you can feel great about giving the gift of health!
Ingredients:
1 Cup Coconut Butter
1/3 Cup Grated Cocoa Butter
1 Scoop SUNWARRIOR protein OR Vegan Protein Of Your Choice - Optional
20-30 Drops Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia OR Vegan Sweetener of Your Choice (1/4 Cup maple syrup works great too)
1/3 Cup Macadamia Nuts (raw, unsalted, halved)
Sugar-Free Sprinkles - Optional
For Cookie Dough Chunks:
1/4 Cup Cookie Dough Tea (strongly brewed)
1/2 Cup Uncontaminated Oat Flour (ground oats)
1/4 Cup Gluten-Free Cornstarch
1/4 Cup Sucanat OR Stevia (blended to a fine powder)
Directions:
1. Blend all ingredients for Cookie Dough Chunks and place in the freezer for an hour.
2. Place a small pan on very low heat just enough to melt the coconut butter & cacao butter together.
3. Add remaining ingredients for the bark into the butters and mix well.
4. Remove Cookie Dough from freezer (dough should be firm) and roll into little 1/2 cm balls fold into the butter mixture (you may not use all the dough).
4. Pour into a freezer safe, square dish (non-stick or bpa plastic-free works best here), sprinkle with sugar-free sprinkles cover and freeze for about 20 minutes.
5. Remove from freezer and cut or break into pieces.
Today’s Lunch: Butternut and Bean Soup & Kale-Wrapped Leek and Sweet Potato Mini Quiches
I am so excited about today’s lunch, inspired by the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook
Nothing is quite as satisfying as a warm and hearty soup on a rainy, fall day. I am pretty much in love with roasted butternut squash and TOSCA has created some gorgeous recipes using this versatile starchy vegetable in the EAT CLEAN DIET VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK.
This particular recipe is lush as it combines the richness of squash thickened with folate-rich white beans and enhances the flavour and spice with fresh nutmeg, vanilla, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. I added a personal touch to this recipe by adding 1/4 cup of soaked organic walnuts for a delicious little crunch.
This soul-warming soup is hearty, complex in flavours and is definitely one I plan to make again and again.
I have also whipped up a batch of Kale-Wrapped Leek and Sweet Potato Mini Quiches, which is one of my all time favourite recipes from the EAT CLEAN DIET VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK! These are SO GOOD!! The combo of the sweet potato with the slightly crispy kale tastes like heaven not to mention, these little quiches are high in protein, contain healthy carbs and are super easy to make.
Have you picked up your copy of the EAT CLEAN DIET VEGETARIAN COOKBOOK yet? It’s the perfect Christmas gift of health!
Zain’s Forever Nuts Squares *featuring DavidsTea* (Raw & Vegan)
The perfect handmade Christmas gift!!
For those of you familiar with DavidsTea brace yourselves because this recipe is about to blow your minds. This decadent and delicious raw, vegan recipe is made with my all time favourite tea in the whole wide world…Forever Nuts!
Chalk full of nutrients, omegas and healthy proteins, this sweet treat recipe can be added to your list of handmade gifts to give away in tins or boxes…after all, why not give the gift of health to your family and friends rather than a box of sugary cakes & cookies.
You’ll be amazed at how easy these are to make and the best part is…you don’t even have to turn on your oven!
Ingredients:
Crust Layer
1 Cup Ground Uncontaminated Oats (OR Almond Flour)
2 Tbsp Sunwarrior Protein Powder OR Vegan Protein Powder of Your Choice (whey, brown rice, pumpkin seed etc) - Optional
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Coconut Oil (if using protein powder, add another 1/4 - 1/2 oil until the crust clumps)
25-30 Drops Vanilla Creme Stevia OR Sweetener of Your Choice (2 Tbsp Maple Syrup works great here too!)
Pinch Pink Himalayan Crystal Salt
Forever Nuts Layer
1 Cup Medjool Dates (soaked for at least 2 hours, I soak mine overnight)
1 Cup Pecans
1/2 Cup DavidsTea Forever Nuts (strongly brewed)
2 Tbsp Maca Root Powder - Optional
1 Ripe Banana
2 Tsp Natural Vanilla Extract
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
1/8 Tsp Nutmeg
Pecans OR Nuts Of Your Choice to Top (optional)
Directions:
1. In a food processor, blend all ingredients for Crust into a dough-like consistency.
2. Pat crust into an 8 X 8 inch square non-stick pan.
3. In a food processor, blend all ingredients for Forever Nuts Layer until thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides if necessary (if the consistency is too liquidy add another 1/4 cup pecans).
4. Using a spatula smother ForeverNuts Layer over the Crust Layer. Level off with a spatula or spoon to even it out.
4. Top with pecans or nuts of your choice, if you wish, and freeze for at least 3 hours (I freeze mine overnight)
5. Remove from freezer and cut into squares
Halloween Special - Coconut Butter & Chia Seed Eyeballs
From all-things-pumpkin to clean treats that satisfy the sweet tooth, Halloween has definitely inspired many of my recipes in the past few weeks. And now the 31st has finally arrived!
Perhaps this explains why something incredible happened in my kitchen yesterday. I was making Tosca’s Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook’s Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Backpack Kisses as a clean treat for my friend’s children for Halloween and my creativity got the better of me. What resulted was more like Vegan Coconut Butter Chia Seed Eyeballs!
These ‘Eyeballs’ and full recipe will be featured today for Halloween on Tosca Reno’s blog and the Eat Clean Diet Facebook page!
This is a clean and delicious gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free treat perfect for the kids or yourself for a clean Halloween treat!
So looking forward to diving (head first) into this delicious creation that I just whipped up…from the November issue of Oxygen Magazine, pg. 60.
I followed the recipe for Mac ‘N’ Cheese Makeover and suped it up with 2 Tbsp of Homemade Pesto from the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook!
Now you’ll have to excuse me while I go pig out!!
Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook’s - Red Pepper Cheesecake with Apricot Peach Compote
This is one of my favourite recipes from the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook.
A savoury cheesecake, this gorgeous recipe marries the tastes of red pepper with the slight sweetness of the apricot and peach compote for a truly remarkable and unforgettable taste (of course the fact that this recipe gives the permission to have cheesecake for lunch or dinner is pretty much the best thing ever! Thanks Tosca!)
PREP: 15 minutes | COOK: 60 minutes | YIELD: 12 slices
Don’t be confused by the word “cheesecake” – this savory dish actually makes a delicious appetizer or side dish! Made with yogurt, tofu and egg whites, it’s high in protein, yet very low in fat. Bonus: It features a sweet and spicy topping that will send your taste buds on a roller-coaster ride.
2 cups (480 ml) low-fat Yogurt Cheese*
2 x 12-oz (340 g) packages silken firm tofu, drained
2 egg whites
1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon zest
Pinch sea salt
1 cup (240 ml) roasted red peppers, drained
and liquid squeezed out, cut into thin strips 1⁄2 cup (120 ml) frozen peach slices,
thawed slightly
1⁄2 cup (120 ml) dried apricots
1⁄2 cup (120 ml) orange juice
1 tsp (5 ml) orange zest
1 tsp (5 ml) arrowroot powder
1 tsp (5 ml) pure honey
Pinch red pepper flakes or 1⁄4 tsp (1.25 ml)
fresh chili paste
Yogurt Cheese
- To prepare yogurt cheese place 4 layers of damp cheesecloth in a fine mesh sieve or colander, place the colander over a bowl.
- Add 2 quarts (1.9L) low-fat, plain yogurt, dairy or soy based and let it drain overnight in the refrigerator.
- Discard water from the bowl.
Preheat oven to 3250F (1600C).
In a food processor, blend Yogurt Cheese, tofu, egg whites, lemon zest and salt until smooth. Add red peppers and pulse-blend a few times until they are mixed in. Pour mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and bake on middle oven rack until edges are golden and center jiggles slightly when pan is shaken gently, about 60 minutes. Cake will firm up as it chills. Transfer cake to a wire rack to cool for about 1 hour.
While cheesecake cools, in a clean food processor, pulse-chop peaches and apricots into small chunks. Transfer to a small saucepan and stir in orange juice and zest, arrowroot powder, honey and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and stir over low heat for about 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Can be served at room temperature or chilled.
To serve cheesecake, remove outer ring of springform pan, keep cake on bottom of pan, and transfer to a platter. Cut slices, top with a little Peach Apricot Compote and serve with baked whole grain pita chips or whole grain crackers.
Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook: Tri-Color Pasta with Tuna, Spinach and Artichoke Hearts
This fresh and wholesome dish can be easily adapted to suit a variety of audiences. Sub in brown rice pasta to make it gluten free or try tri-colored bowties to give it a fun twist for the kids (what a great way to get them to eat their spinach!).
I love this recipe! I love that it can be easily adapted for vegans and vegetarians alike by substituting the tuna for tofu or seitan. Full of whole-grain carbs and rich in protein and fiber-rich vegetables, this is the perfect post-workout meal!
There were a few amendements that I made to the original recipe, see my notes below and check out my YouTube Channel for a video on how I prepared this awesome recipe!
Ingredients:
12 oz (340 g) tri-color pasta (such as farfalle, penne or shells) *I used linguini and rainbow ravioli
15 oz (425 g) no-salt-added solid white albacore tuna in water, drained *I used freshly seared tuna and also made a version with pan-fried tofu
8 cups (1.9 L) fresh baby spinach
1 x 13- to 14-oz (385 to 414 ml) BPA-free can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
1½ cups (360 ml) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
½ cup (120 ml) chopped pepperoncini *I used orange habaneros
½ cup (120 ml) chopped fresh basil
¼ cup (60 ml) chopped fresh dill
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 Tbsp (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp (2.5 ml) each sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add the pasta and stir. Cook according to package
directions until al dente. Drain, reserving ¼ cup (60 ml) of the cooking water. Transfer pasta
to a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Add reserved cooking water, and toss to
combine. Can be served warm, at room temperature or cold.
Chill Out
This dish will keep in the refrigerator for up to two days.
On the GO
This dish travels well! Why not double the recipe and have planned leftovers?
**If you will recall, my teammate and friend Theresa was also recently featured on Tosca’s blog and she put together a fantastic recipe round up where the Tri-Colour Pasta was featured! Check out here post, here.
Zain Saraswati Jamal on Tosca Reno’s Blog!!
I am so excited and honoured to be featured today on Tosca Reno’s blog! I would love for you to check out my personal feature.
As you may know, Tosca is one of my mentors. Her personal transformation to a fit and fabulous woman, as well as all of the incredible resources that she has created and shared over the years including her Eat Clean Diet Series of books, has been a guiding light to me on my path to greater health and wellness and has been one of the inspirations for me to create my own clean recipes which I am so excited to share with you here on my blog and on my website:
A few months ago, I was gifted Tosca’s brand new book (thank you once again Tosca!), the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook (which, as a vegetarian, was hoping she would create for year) and have been posting some the incredible images from the recipes that I have made from this book.
In honour of Tosca Reno, the late, great Robert Kennedy, and this wonderful opportunity to be featured on Tosca’s blog, I prepared a luncheon (featured in this video) with some of my favourite recipes from the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook to give some of my friends and loved ones a chance to same a few of Tosca’s incredible recipes.
Here’s What Was On The Menu:
- Red Pepper Cheesecake with Apricot Peach Compote
- Kale-Wrapped Leek and Sweet Potato Mini Quiches
- Seven Citrus Salad with Mint
- Butternut Squash, Portobello Mushroom, Caramelized Onion and Hazelnut Pizza
- Smoked Paprika Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
- Tricolour Pasta with Tuna, Spinach and Artichoke Hearts
- Fresh Strawberries with Chocolate-Orange Avocado Mousse
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Backpack Kisses
My friends who attended this luncheon come from all courses and walks of life. Some are vegan, others vegetarian whilst others thrive on an omniverous diet. It was wonderful to share and experience these delicious recipes and even shift the perception of how satisfying and delicious a plant-based diet can be.
For more images and information of the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian luncheon, click here.
Over the next few weeks, I will be posting four incredible recipes from the Eat Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook with the first recipe coming later today!
