Pumpkin Pie Happy Fall! With the season approaching, I figured it was time to share one of my favourite Thanksgiving recipes from my blog. This is a wonderful pie that’s full of whole foods, naturally sweetened, nut-free and easy to make. Whether you use pumpkin or sweet potato, know that your pie will be full of carotenoids. Carotenoids are potent antioxidants, and help to reduce the free radicals in our bodies. Pumpkins are also high in antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, which are especially good for your eyes. So eat up with the knowledge that this pie will nourish your family this holiday weekend.   Pumpkin Pie Recipe Crust: 1 cup pumpkin seeds 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut 7 medjool dates, pits removed and chopped pinch Celtic sea salt pinch cinnamon and ground ginger Filling: 4 cups cooked pumpkin, squash or sweet potato 4 tbsp coconut oil  or coconut butter 1 tsp vanilla essence 1.5 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger pinch ground cloves ½ tsp grated nutmeg 2 tbsp sucanat or coconut sugar Optional: a few tablespoons of coconut cream (the thick cream that sits on top of your coconut milk when you open the can) to serve Pulse pumpkin seeds and coconut in a blender or food processor until roughly combined. Add dates, sea salt, cinnamon and ginger. Pulse to combine. You want the mixture to look like rough crumbs. Remove from blender and press into a pie plate with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Put in freezer to set. While the crust is setting, put all filling ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until the mixture is smooth. Scoop into pie shell and decorate with [...]

By Tannis McLaren N.D. Spring has sprung and it's so instinctual that we start to open our windows to air out the house, we clean out our closets and start thinking of a new fresh wardrobe. But for some reason, we forget that our bodies who have worked so hard through a long cold winter need some cleaning too. Green foods are one of the best foods for cleansing. If you think of what is growing right now, it's green i.e. asparagus, lettuce, sprouts, etc. This is by far my favorite green drink. I have a vita-mixer (the most amazing blender) but you can do it in a regular blender too but it just won't be as smooth. And remember, if you don't have all of the ingredients then just substitute it for something else i.e. lettuce for spinach, collards for kale. 1                   Banana 1                   Apple, cored and cut into chunks 1                   Pear, cored and cut into chunks 1                    Lemon, juiced 3 - 4             Lettuce or spinach leaves, rinsed 3 - 4             Kale leaves, rinsed 1/4 cup        Parsley leaves 2 - 3 tbsp.    Fresh mint leaves 2 - 3 cups     Water Remove the tough stems from the kale and break the kale into pieces. Place the banana, apple, pear, lemon juice, and water into the blender. Blend on high, stopping as needed to push the fruit down. Add the lettuce or spinach, kale, parsley and mint leaves; blend again until very smooth. Add more water if needed and blend until completely smooth.

By Tannis McLaren, ND This chili is so easy and tastes great, too.  Double the batch to make sure you have plenty of leftovers! 2 tbsp.             Extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves          Garlic, minced 1 medium       Onion, chopped 2                     Carrots, sliced 6                     Mushrooms, sliced 1                     Red bell pepper, chopped 1                     Green pepper, chopped 1 can               Diced tomatoes (28oz/796ml) 3 cups              Black beans or 2 cans (19oz/540ml), drained and rinsed 1                      Jalapeno pepper, minced 1 tbsp.             Chilli powder 1 tsp.               Ground cumin 1 tsp.               Dried oregano 1 tsp.               Salt In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and sauté garlic, onion, carrot, mushrooms and peppers for approximately 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans and jalapeno peppers. Simmer, uncovered, for approximately 20 minutes. Add chilli, ground cumin, dried oregano and salt and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Serve over a bowl of brown rice or with whole grain bread.

By Tannis McLaren, Naturopathic Doctor and Lifestyle Expert This is a soup that you won’t want to stop eating. If you don’t have sweet potatoes, try butternut squash. 1 Tbsp.            Extra virgin olive oil 1 medium        Onion, chopped 2 Tbsp.            Gingerroot, chopped fine 1 tsp.               Mild or medium curry powder 6 cups              Sweet potatoes, peeled, diced 2                      Apples, peeled, cored and diced 5 cups              Chicken or vegetable stock 1 can               Coconut milk ¼ tsp.              Each salt and pepper l Tbsp.             Lime juice 2 Tbsp.            Fresh cilantro, green onion or parsley, chopped In large saucepan, heat oil over low heat; cook onions and ginger until tender, about 4 minutes. Add curry powder; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add sweet potatoes, apples and stock; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat and cook gently until vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Add coconut milk; cook for 5 minutes. In batches, transfer to blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in lime juice; garnish with coriander. Makes 5 to 10 servings.

Chicken Stock by Tannis Mclaren ND Why is chicken soup superior to all the things we have, even more relaxing than 'Tylenol'? It is because chicken soup has a natural ingredient which feeds, repairs and calms the mucous lining in the small intestine. The inner lining is the beginning or ending of the nervous system. Chicken soup heals the nerves, improves digestion, reduces allergies, relaxes and gives strength. Stocks are used almost universally in traditional cuisines but, in our present culture, the use of homemade broths to produce nourishing and flavourful soups and sauces has almost completely disappeared. Properly prepared stocks are extremely nutritious, containing minerals and electrolytes which are easy to assimilate. Vinegar is added during the cooking to help draw out the minerals from the bone into the broth. 1 whole organic chicken or 2 – 3lbs of bony chicken parts 4 litres cold water 2 tbsp. vinegar 1 large onion 2 carrots, peeled and chopped 2 celery, with leaves if possible, chopped Handful fresh parsley Few sprigs fresh thyme (¾ tsp. dried) 1 – 2 Bay leaves 10 Black peppercorns, lightly crushed Place everything in a large pot except the parsley. Bring to a boil, and remove scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 6 – 24 hours. The longer you cook the stock, the richer and more flavourful it will be. About 10 minutes before finishing the stock, add parsley. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon. If you are using a whole chicken remove chicken meat from the carcass and reserve for other uses. Strain the stock into a large bowl and reserve in your refrigerator until the fat rises to the top and congeals. Skim off this fat and reserve the stock in covered containers in your refrigerator [...]

In March, Sharon Booy (Holistic Chef) and Tannis McLaren (Naturopathic Doctor) paired up to teach a series of cooking classes. The classes have been a great success and everyone walked away with a vast amount of nutritional knowledge and amazing culinary tips and tricks. Here is one the recipes that Sharon created. Muesli 1 1/2 cups     Whole oat flakes 1/2 cup          Unsweetened coconut 1/2 cup          Pepitas (raw pumpkin seeds) 1/2 cup          Raw almonds, roughly chopped 3/4 cup          Dates, chopped (approximately 7 large medjool dates) 2 tbsp.            Flax seeds 2 tbsp.            Chia seeds In a large bowl, add all of the ingredients and mix well. Store in the fridge in an airtight container or jar. To serve, place 1/2 cup of muesli in a bowl and pour milk (almond, rice, or soy), yogurt or apple juice over it. Chop a banana or grate an apple into the muesli. Enjoy immediately, or let sit for 30 minutes or more if desired.