Are you looking for a quick and clean spring brunch idea this long weekend? I’ve got you covered! These drool-worthy Banana Maca Pancakes are made with just 3 main ingredients, packed full of nutrition and protein, plus they’re dairy free, gluten free and vegetarian. Topped with my fresh Raspberry Maple Syrup, they’re always a hit!
Foodie friends, who’s up for some healthier, pre-holiday baking? I’m thrilled to finally share my Gluten Free Mapled Pumpkin Chai Bread with you today after just over a year of recipe development! I’ve mentioned previously that due to my extensive recipe testing and development process and focus on seasonal ingredients, oftentimes recipes take over a year to make it to JustineCelina. As with any piece of content I share on this pages, quality is my top priority! Over the course of the five times (yes, really!) I’ve baked, tweaked and meticulously tested this delicious seasonal loaf, it’s become one of our all-time-favourite recipes — and I hope you enjoy it just as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it for you. I’ve also included a handful of my favourite local grocers and vendors where I picked up all of the ingredients I’ve used in this recipe. Now more than ever, local businesses need our support and I’d like to ask you to consider how you can support your local economy (in whatever capacity you’re able to) as we transition into the holiday season.
My Gluten Free Mapled Pumpkin Chai Bread typifies late autumn by combining two of my favourite seasonal flavour profiles in one deceptively decadent, easy-to-bake loaf that’s free of dairy, gluten, refined sugar and oil. Exceptionally moist and perfectly spiced, this simple, seasonal pumpkin bread tastes like an indulgent fall cake, but is loaded with nourishing ingredients and warm, healing spices! Pumpkin puree, creamy coconut milk, pure Canadian maple syrup and a splash of Mexican vanilla extract are beautifully complimented by a rich melange of quintessential chai spices — including cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, cardamon and anise. The result is an incredibly delicious ‘free from’ pumpkin loaf to be enjoyed by plant based eaters, those with food allergies and sensitivities and anyone that loves delicious seasonal baking! Consider adding my festive Gluten Free Mapled Pumpkin Chai Bread to your holiday baking menu this season for an inventive, better-for-you spin on classic seasonal flavours that the whole family can enjoy. Throw on your coziest sweater and your fuzziest slippers and let’s bake up some chai-inspired seasonal goodness, shall we?
Craft cocktail lovers, I’m back today with fall’s first libation in celebration of Autumn Equinox! If you frequent my FOOD or COCKTAIL sections, you’ll know that my most inspired creations are born out of making use of what we have on hand to yield unexpected combinations — and that’s exactly how this recipe came together. Late August is when our annual case of Okanagan peaches arrives and every year I end up going into peach recipe overdrive, while simultaneously eating my body weight in peaches. I’ve explored peaches in smoothies, sangrias and crumbles (that recipe will have to wait until next summer), but this year I had an itch to experiment with my favourite summer stone fruit in a proper cocktail. We’d been grilling up a storm for dinner one Friday evening and Adam had some delicious Smoked Maple Bourbon kicking around — and voila, my Smoked Peach Maple Bourbon Smash came to life right there on our patio!
This summer-meets-autumn sip juxtaposes the essence of juicy late summer fruit with a smoky grilled edge, infused with spicy autumnal warmth to create the ultimate transitional cocktail that’s equal parts sweet ‘n spicy. If you still haven’t had your fill of late summer peaches, get your grill on and imbibe this simple but sassy cocktail sure to impress both bourbon lovers and bourbon skeptics (believe it or not, I was the latter prior to this cocktail!). As always, my Smoked Peach Maple Bourbon Smash is free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar — and brimming with better-for-you ingredients, because I believe in balance in all areas of life. Grilled Okanagan peaches, Smoked Maple Bourbon, 100% pure Canadian maple syrup, fresh thyme, spicy ginger beer, fresh lemon juice, a splash of soda water and a dash of bitters are shaken to perfection and served over ice in this quintessentially September libation!
I’m back with some beautiful, orchard-fresh Ambrosia apples, a new recipe and a grateful, renewed mindset! Happy belated Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers, I hope you all enjoyed a weekend full of family, friends, delicious food and a few good drinks. It’s been a week since my last post because I decided to take this weekend off from blogging. It was a combination of events that led me to decide another unplugged weekend was exactly what I needed (nothing serious, but I definitely needed the time away!). I’ll get more into that later in this post — but for now, let’s get to chatting about this recipe!
My Apple Pie Steel Cut Oats with Candied Maple Pecans is inspired by comfort food, holiday flavours and warming, autumnal spices. They’re a simple, delicious way to celebrate fall’s freshly harvested apples and they can be on your table in less than 45 minutes. Who says you can’t indulge an apple pie craving to start your day? This powerhouse breakfast bowl is free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar — and bursting with natural sweetness, spices and wholesome nutrition. And yes, it really does taste just like apple pie! Throw on your coziest sweater and let’s make an apple pie inspired dish that you can eat for breakfast — all week long!
Who else is totally pumpkin obsessed? With the height of pumpkin season upon us, I’m excited to bring you a roundup of 5 Plant Based Pumpkin Recipes to Try This Fall! Each October here at JustineCelina, my pumpkin recipes begin trending — so I thought it was the perfect time to round them all up in one post for easy browsing reference (complete with a Pinterest friendly graphic!). This year our Country Garden produced a whopping 55 pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and varieties — and you can bet I’ve been cooking, baking and recipe making with the abundance. If you love pumpkin as much as I do and you’re looking for some fresh, delicious, plant based recipe ideas, you’ve come to the right place! Whether you’re making pumpkin purée from scratch (I have a post explaining exactly how I do it!), using a quality canned variety or roasting it up to use in savoury applications — I’ve got you covered!
With Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween just around the corner, this versatile gourd abounds at every patch, local grocer and farmers market as we eagerly bring them into our homes. If you’ve got some extra pumpkin to use up or are simply in search of healthy, easy and nourishing recipes, this roundup is for you! Inside, you’ll find all sorts of pumpkin-laden goodness in the form of Pumpkin Spice Steel Cut Oat Breakfast Bowls, Plant Based Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites, Gluten Free Pumpkin Turmeric Muffins, Gluten Free Mapled Pumpkin Chai Bread and a Spicy Pumpkin Persimmon Smoothie. Of course, I’m always working on something new (I may or may not have 12 pumpkin recipes currently in development!) — so this post will be updated periodically as new content publishes. As always, each recipe featured is free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar for those of us with allergies and intolerances (along with ingredient substitution suggestions if you don’t have these dietary requirements). I invite you to slip into a cozy sweater, preheat your oven and join me for some quintessentially October pumpkin recipe inspiration!
In preparation for the holidays each year, I relish in the process of pouring over all the festive content I’ve created here at JustineCelina over the course of my blogging career to get inspired (now 30 posts and counting!). With each year that passes, it seems holiday content begins trending earlier than ever — so I thought it was the perfect time to compile this Ultimate Holiday Inspiration Roundup post, featuring a collection of my favourite holiday-themed posts across categories, for easy browsing reference! I’m committed to finding joy, continuing to create and make things beautiful, embracing new traditions and making new memories — and I hope I can inspire you to do the same. If you’re looking for creative, fun and attainable ideas to inspire you to eat, drink, DIY, decorate, entertain, dress and glam in style this holiday season, you’ve come to the right place!
Whether you’re in search of modern decor ideas, casual holiday-at-home outfit ideas, how to choose the perfect red lip, gift ideas for the ladies in your life, easy cocktails or plant-based festive recipes, simple DIY projects, flower arranging tips, or entertaining inspiration for 2 – 4, I’ve got you covered! You know the drill — put on your coziest robe, pour yourself a delicious glass of your favourite festive libation (may I suggest my Homemade Dairy Free Coconut Rum Eggnog?) and cozy up with me to celebrate the holidays JustineCelina style. Cheers to a happy, healthy and joyous holiday season!
Autumn is definitely approaching here on the Alberta prairies! The leaves are changing, the temperatures are dropping and I find myself craving all things warm, cozy and comforting. This transitional time of year is also my favourite for gorgeous, seasonal produce — and I’ve spent the past couple of weeks pouring over my RECIPE archives, adding our most loved fall recipes to the menu! If you follow along with my socials you’ve likely seen these delicious seasonal dishes trickle into my feeds, but I wanted to round up my 20+ Favourite Plant Based Fall Recipes for you here at JustineCelina for easy reference. It’s been so much fun taking a walk down memory lane and digging up my old recipes (and old, pre-professional photos!) to appreciate just how far I’ve come on my blogging and recipe development journey over the past 6 and a half years! And what a delicious ride it’s been.
While I’m always working on something new, I’ve also published so many incredible recipes over the years. Today I’ve scoured my virtual recipe box to share the very best of the season with you — I’ve rounded up my all-time-favourite fall recipes across culinary categories, from breakfast through happy hour! As always, my recipes are simple, seasonal, free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar and and packed full of fresh, nourishing ingredients — perfect to make after a weekend grocery run or trip to the farmer’s market! These whole food dishes are also budget friendly, with many yielding large batches (perfect for families, fall meal prep or batch cooking and freezing!). If you’re looking for some fresh, veggie-centric culinary inspiration as we transition into fall, you’ve come to the right place. From my kitchen to yours, I hope this roundup of tested-till-perfect, plant based fall eats (and drinks!) inspires you enjoy autumn in all its abundance!