Healthy recipes, vegetarian recipes, vegan recipes, gluten free recipes

Join Earthy Family for fun and seasonal family recipes. Our recipes tend to be dairy-free and gluten-free and are mostly vegetarian. Don't worry, though, they are still very yummy besides being incredibly healthy. We recommend you use organic ingredients and local produce when possible.

"Cooking should be a carefully balanced reflection
of all the good things of the earth."
- Jean Pierre Troisgros

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Autumn Recipes

Leek and Potato Soup

Our 3-year-old’s absolutely favourite meal – we usually serve this one in front of the fireplace on a chilly day. Rounded out with a green salad, it’s very filling, tasty as can be and healthy too!

2 leeks
1 tbsp cold-pressed oil
1-2 tbsp dried tarragon
2 cloves garlic
pepper to taste

6 potatoes, well scrubbed and chopped
2 bay leaves
7 cups of water or vegetable stock (or combo)
2 vegetable bouillon cubes dissolved in a little hot water
3-4 tbsp tamari soy sauce

Cut the ends off of the leeks, slice them in half length-wise and wash well between the layers to remove all dirt and sand. Chop thinly and sauté with garlic, tarragon and pepper in oil in a large pot until soft. Add potatoes, bay leaves, water or stock, dissolved bouillon cubes and tamari. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft. Adjust seasonings to taste and puree ½ - ¾ of the soup in a blender for a creamy texture. Serve hot, garnish with chopped chives or a sprinkle of fresh tarragon if desired.

Yummy Yammy Stew

This Moroccan-style stew was given to me by a wonderful cook and is incredibly tasty! The flavour is phenomenal, it’s a quick and easy meal and it makes a great big pot full of hearty stew to tame the chills.

1 Tbsp cold-pressed olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
½ bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic

3 Cups vegetable broth
3 Cups well scrubbed or peeled yams or sweet potatoes, cubed
2 Cups diced tomatoes (canned will work)
2 Cups cooked chickpeas (canned will work)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp grated ginger
1-2 tsps each: ground cumin, curry powder, ground coriander, chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

1/3 Cup raisins or currants
3 Tbsp nut butter (peanut or almond work best)
Handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Sauté the onions, celery, peppers and garlic in olive oil until veggies soften. Add the rest of the ingredients except the raisins, nut butter and cilantro and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 20-30 minutes. Add raisins, nut butter and cilantro and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Sweet Potato Soup

From In A Vegetarian Kitchen with Nava Atlas

SOULFUL SOUPS
The following recipe is adapted from Vegetarian Soups for All Seasons.

Have you ever noticed how often the phrase "soul-satisfying" accompanies the word "soup"? I happen to agree that a good soup does as much for the spirit as it does for the stomach. I can think of no other food that gives as much comfort.

Generally, the process of making soup is nearly as satisfying as the enjoyment of the result. Soup-making, of all forms of cookery, is to my mind, the best exercise in mindfulness. And its usually a simple process, too. Even if there are a number of ingredients, generally, little more needs to be done with them than to cut them and throw them into the pot.

6 servings

A warming soup with an appealing golden color. The natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes gives this soup a surprising flavor twist.

2 tablespoons light olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 large celery stalk, diced
Handful of celery leaves
6 cups peeled, diced (about 1/2 inch) sweet potatoes
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup low-fat milk, rice milk, or soymilk, or as needed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté over low heat until the onions are golden. Add the celery leaves and sweet potato dice. Add just enough water to cover all but about an inch of the vegetables. Bring to a simmer, then stir in the bay leaves and seasonings. Simmer gently, covered, until the sweet potatoes and vegetables are quite tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

With a slotted spoon, remove about half of the solid ingredients and transfer to a food processor along with about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. Process until smoothly pureed, then stir back into the soup pot. Add the milk or soymilk as needed to achieve a slightly thick consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer over very low heat for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve at once, or let stand off the heat for an hour or two before serving, then heat through as needed.

Roasted Squash & Carrot Soup

1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin seed
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
½ Tbsp marjoram
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
½ medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into small chunks
2 Tbsp sunflower or safflower oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
5-6 cups vegetable stock (reserve 1 cup)
1 Tbsp tamari
sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Toast spices and marjoram in a hot pan on the stove until they become fragrant.

Toss carrots and squash in 1 Tbsp of the sunflower oil, spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes in preheated oven, until they soften and start to turn golden. Remove from heat.

While veggies are roasting, heat remaining oil in a soup pot. Add onions and garlic and cook until soft and translucent. Add toasted spices, stir to coat the onions and cook 2-3 minutes.

Add roasted veggies, stir to blend with onion mixture, then add 5 cups of soup stock. Boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat, blend smooth in a food processor, and then return to stovetop. Add reserved stock if too thick , season with tamari, sea salt and pepper and serve garnished with fresh cilantro.

Toasted Trail Mix

Trail mix packs along just about anywhere quite easily. Try this toasted mix with cranberries for a seasonal taste. This mix is also great eaten when the nuts and seeds are still warm from the pan.

Pecans
Almonds
Cashews
Sunflower Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Puffed or Crispy Rice Cereal
Dried Cranberries (organic if possible)

Use as many of each of the above ingredients as desired. Toast the pecans and almonds in a heavy-bottomed frying pan for a few minutes (cast iron pans work great and will add a wee iron boost as well). Stir frequently and add the seeds as the nuts start to brown. Stir constantly until the seeds pop and remove from heat. Toss nuts and seeds with the cereal and dried fruit. Eat warm, or let it cool and store in the refrigerator until needed.

Apple Pumpkin Shake

A scrumptious shake rich in protein, vitamins and taste. Great for breakfast or as an after-school or work snack.

½ Cup of Cooked Pumpkin (canned will work)**
¾ Cup soymilk
¾ Cup organic apple cider
1-2 Scoops Protein Powder (Natural Factors makes a great mix called Learning Factors)
1-2 Tbsp ground flax seed
¼ tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a blender and enjoy! For a slightly sweeter treat, you can replace the soymilk with apple cider. Adjust spices to your taste and liking – ginger can also be added, or you could try using pre-mixed pumpkin pie spice.

**To cook a pumpkin, you can boil it whole (if it’s small enough and you have a pot big enough) until soft, or cut it in half, seed it and bake it until it’s very soft. Cool it enough to handle, peel and mash. It’s actually a lot easier than one would think.

Scrambled Tofu

This high-protein dish is quick to prepare, especially if you keep some chopped up veggies ready to just throw into the pan. Easy enough to prepare before work or school and nutrient-packed enough to start the day off right.

1 Tbsp cold-pressed vegetable oil
1 cup assorted chopped veggies (any or all of the following: onions, mushrooms, bell peppers, spinach, grated carrots)
1 package of extra-firm tofu
2 Tbsp tamari soy sauce
a couple drops hot sauce, to taste
½ tsp turmeric
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
½ medium tomato, chopped OR 3 Tbsp salsa

Sauté the veggies until soft, then crumble the tofu into the pan, and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir and heat through, then serve. This is a very filling breakfast if served with a hearty piece of whole grain toast.

Apple Muffins

From In a Vegetarian Kitchen with Nava Atlas

These may not be a Monday morning creation, but they’re great for week-ends, or, made-ahead, they make a very quick breakfast for any day of the week.

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup natural granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (8 ounces) vanilla low-fat yogurt or soy yogurt
1/4 cup low-fat milk, rice milk, or soymilk
2 tablespoons light vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped apple
¼ cup raisins or chopped walnuts (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour, sugar. baking powder, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and stir together. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the remaining ingredients. Stir together until well blended, but don't overbeat. The batter should be medium-thick. If it seems too stiff or dry, add a small amount of additional milk.

Stir in the apple, and nuts or raisins and cinnamon, if using, then divide the batter among 12 oiled or foil-lined muffin tins.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool until just warm to the touch, then transfer the muffins to a plate. When the muffins are completely cooled, store in an airtight container.

Super Yummy Apple Dip

Mix together in a small bowl and serve with plenty of apple slices

Warmed, Spiced Apple Cider

Heat this yummy drink up in a crockpot to enjoy after a fall hike or bout of leaf raking.

6 cups organic apple cider or apple juice
¼ cup maple syrup (optional for those who like it sweet)
6 whole allspice
6 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
1 whole nutmeg

Pour cider and syrup into a medium sized stainless steel pot, add spices tied into a square of cheesecloth with cotton string and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Serve and enjoy. Alternatively, place tied spices, syrup and cider into crockpot. Simmer at low for several hours and enjoy the wonderful fragrance as well as the yummy taste. Cider is a real treat when garnished with whole cinnamon sticks

Cinnamon Apples

Besides the fantastic taste of this delightful and super-easy dish, it’s also incredibly great smelling and will fill your house with the scent of autumn itself. This is a great toddler meal, family breakfast or dessert.

7-9 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
½ cup apple cider

Toss the apples with the cinnamon in an oven-safe casserole dish. Pour cider over top, cover and bake at 350F until you can’t resist the smell and just have to eat it (about 30-45 minutes, depending on how soft you want the apples to be). Serve warm or cold, alone or topped with a splash of your preferred milk (rice, soy or cow’s).

Cornbread

This is absolutely sublime when made in a cast iron skillet and served hot from the oven. Combine it with soup and/or salad made from garden veggies for a hearty harvest meal - truly a meal designed to leave you feeling divinely connected to the cycle of the seasons.

2 Cups Corn Meal
4 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
1 egg (or equivalent in egg replacer)
1 ½ cups milk (cow, soy, rice, or whatever you normally use)
2 Tbsp cold-pressed vegetable oil (canola, safflower or sunflower preferably)

Pour the oil into a cast iron skillet or 8 inch square baking pan. Place in a cold oven and preheat to 400 F.

Mix the corn meal, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl. In a 2-cup measuring cup, whisk the egg and milk together, then pour into the dry ingredients. Stir the mixture smooth, pour into the heated skillet or baking pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve warm.