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Entertain, Occasions, Wine & Cocktails, Winter

CLASSIC WINTER CITRUS RED SANGRIA

Remember when I mentioned all the seasonal recipes I have in my backlog? Well, today I’m finally publishing the very first sangria recipe I ever developed — almost 10 years ago (yikes!). I honestly can’t even tell you how many times I’ve made this Classic Winter Citrus Red Sangria with friends and family over the years, but I bet it’s more than 50. In fact, it was this recipe that inspired my sangria craze — it’s the original! It was singlehandedly responsible for a large portion of my 20’s being a bit hazy and escalating some of my favourite entertaining memories (or lack there of!) in our first homes over the years! This classic red sangria never fails to get the party started (now that’s the understatement of the century!) and is my all time favourite beverage to make when we’re hosting or attending a party, especially during the cooler months. It’s absolutely delicious and approved by friends, moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and inlaws — even the non-wine drinkers rave about it! So, I figured it was finally time to unleash the recipe on the world — however, I will not be held liable for any life altering hangovers that ensue after a few too many glasses (hey, it goes down easy — consider yourself warned!).

My Classic Winter Citrus Red Sangria is the quintessential holiday cocktail, marrying fruity zinfandel and apricot brandy with festive, seasonal flavours of satsuma, lime, lemon, pomegranate and a hint of cozy cinnamon. This better-for-you holiday cocktail is free of added sugar and brimming with clean, plant based ingredients plus a mega dose of antioxidants. If you love to entertain, this simple, jubilant sangria will leave your guests feeling merry and bright! And to help spread some holiday cheer, my Connecting Over Cocktails crew and I are back at it again — and this time, we’re thrilled to bring you our Holiday Edition. If you’re planning a festive celebration and looking to take the party up a notch this year, check out the bottom of this post for 5 gorgeous, seasonal sips from a handful of my favourite cocktail connoisseurs!

November 24, 2017 by Justine

Baking, Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert & Treats, Food, Gluten Free, Vegetarian

GLUTEN FREE SPICED SWEET POTATO BREAD

Wow, it’s been a minute since I published a bread recipe here at JustineCelina! Today I’m so happy to finally share one of the very first loaves I ever developed — seriously you guys, this recipe is ancient. It’s funny — there are so many old recipes like this that I’ve never had the chance to share with you! Currently I have about ten autumn recipes in my archives that have accumulated over the years — since I like to share things seasonally and don’t blog about food exclusively, you can see how they’d really add up. Well, this is one of them! My friends and family are very familiar with my Spiced Sweet Potato Bread recipe, however, this autumn I revamped it to be free of dairy, gluten (both of which I now have sensitivities to), refined sugar and oil. Sounds like a drag right?! Wrong!

My Gluten Free Spiced Sweet Potato Bread tastes like a beautifully spiced, indulgent, autumnal cake — I promise absolutely no one will know it’s a ‘free from’ recipe! A mega dose of nutritious, mashed sweet potatoes and decadent coconut milk mix and mingle with fall spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice to create a dense, cake-like loaf enjoyed by plant baser eaters, people with food allergies and sensitivities and anyone that loves delicious seasonal baking! If you’re looking for healthier or allergy free alternative to seasonal desserts for Thanksgiving or holiday festivities, this Gluten Free Spiced Sweet Potato Bread is my top recommendation. I brought it to a family Thanksgiving dinner and it was a hit — even the picky eaters and little ones loved it! It also makes a fantastic breakfast, snack or clean dessert anytime you’re craving something sweet, spicy and nourishing. If you’re in the mood to bake this weekend (bonus: it makes your home smell amazing!), fix yourself a delicious chai latte, haul out your mixing bowls and throw on your coziest sweater — I have just the recipe!

November 11, 2017 by Justine

Dairy Free, Dessert & Treats, Fall, Food, Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

PLANT BASED PUMPKIN PIE ENERGY BITES

How was your Thanksgiving weekend, Canadian friends? We had a very busy one traveling all over Alberta celebrating with family and friends before heading to a mountain wedding on Sunday. So, today I’m so excited to bring you a new recipe inspired by my favourite Thanksgiving treat (that sadly I’m unable to fully enjoy due to my dairy and gluten intolerances!) — Plant Based Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites! I’m sure I wasn’t the only one looking to eat a bit cleaner and lighter this week after an indulgent weekend — and that’s was exactly the thinking behind this recipe! It offers all the flavours of traditional pumpkin pie, rolled up into a tasty, nutrition packed little bite. I created them for all my fellow plant based eaters who may also have food intolerances and sensitivities — these simple, no bake little balls of goodness are free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar and they seriously taste exactly like pumpkin pie!

If you love pumpkin pie so much you’d like to eat it for breakfast and dessert… and well, anytime you need a little extra fuel to power your busy lifestyle, this recipe is for you! My Plant Based Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites combine pumpkin puree with a powerhouse medley of nuts and seeds, oats, shredded coconut, medjool dates and local honey (or maple syrup, if you’re vegan!) with cozy, autumnal spices for a portable dose of pumpkin pie whenever and wherever you need it. Make them in bulk, freeze them, pack them for lunch (or for your childrens lunches!), or throw a few in a Ziplock bag and tuck them away in your purse for an autumn inspired, nourishing snack on the run! If you have 15 minutes and a well stocked pantry, I bet you can whip these tasty little bites up right now!

October 13, 2017 by Justine

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Fall, Food, Gluten Free, Smoothies & Juices, Vegan, Vegetarian

RADIANT RED JUICE

Can you believe it’s been almost a year since I published a fresh juice recipe?! I tend to go through phases with food and 2017 has definitely been full of more smoothie bowls than it has fresh juices. But today I’ve dusted off our juicer to bring you my Radiant Red Juice — a beautiful, summer-meets-fall elixir celebrating the best produce our bountiful Canadian landscape has to offer during this transitional time of year. Like last autumn’s fresh juice, this recipe is also inspired by colour — but this time, it’s a nod to Autumn 2017’s hottest hue (here I go with that PANTONE Fall 2017 Fashion Color Report again)… red!

I came up with this recipe on a Thursday after a huge farmer’s market run the weekend prior — it was fruit overload in the best way possible. My boyfriend had also just returned from a business trip with tons of Okanagan peaches — plus some gorgeous apples, blackberries and plums straight from a colleague’s mini orchard! We were headed out of town the next day for a weekend wedding, I was researching A/W17 trends and kept seeing red popping up everywhere (hint: there’s going to be a bit of a theme here at JustineCelina next month!) — and before I knew it I was in the kitchen combining all the red (or close to red!) produce we had available for a juice so it wouldn’t spoil while we away. My Radiant Red Juice was the result — a comforting, vivacious juice comprised of heirloom apples, red plums, red pears, blackberries, carrots, ginger, lime and a kiss of cinnamon. This nutritional, crimson powerhouse is loaded with a mega dose of vitamins, antioxidants, phytonutrients and flavonoids to help to promote a healthy immune system and a radiant complexion. If you’re looking for some fresh juicing ideas as we head into autumn, you’ve come to the right place!

September 29, 2017 by Justine

Dairy Free, Dinner, Food, Gluten Free, Lunch, Salads & Bowls, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegetarian

VEGAN FIESTA BUFFALO TOFU BOWLS WITH TAHINI LIME CREMA

Wait I’m confused… what season is it? Watermelon is still front and centre at my local grocer and yet it’s snowing (oh, how I wish I was kidding). As I edit this post, I’m enjoying a glass of crisp rosé in a poncho and fuzzy slippers — and I finally have to cave and turn the heat on! While the weather in Calgary has been less than desirable, late summer harvest has been kind to us with local tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces popping up everywhere — and I’m taking full advantage. If you, too are in the mood for some healthy comfort food to weather the storm, you’ve come to the right place! Today I’m elated to continue my partnership with Inspired Greens and bring you my Vegan Fiesta Buffalo Tofu Bowls with Tahini Lime Crema — the meal that kept us nourished during our paint-a-thon this summer. I literally came up with this recipe by throwing what we had on hand into a big salad bowl, mixing it up and serving it. Upon first bite, I knew I’d be publishing it — after all, unusual circumstances typically lead to some of my most inventive recipe ideas!

My Vegan Fiesta Buffalo Tofu Bowls with Tahini Lime Crema are a healthy, plant based, 30-minute meal alternative to the pub food that my delicate stomach can absolutely not handle anymore. Seriously though — if chicken wings, a plate of loaded nachos and a burrito had a vegan love child, this would be it! These festive, protein rich bowls are brimming with Alberta grown, seasonal produce including Inspired Greens Red Butter Lettuce — remixed with JustineCelina kitchen staples like quinoa, black beans, olives, Buffalo Tofu (a completely addictive, plant based alternative to hot wings!) and Tahini Lime Crema — a versatile sauce we always have in our fridge that’s good on just about anything. This, my friends, is the ultimate vegan comfort food with a fresh, early autumn spin!

September 24, 2017 by Justine

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Fall, Gluten Free, Paleo, Smoothies & Juices, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

SUPERFOOD PEACH PIE SMOOTHIE BOWLS

Are you ready for autumn, friends? It’s been a crazy hot, smoky summer this year and I never thought I would say it, but I’m finally ready for fall. I had 2 food related epiphanies as I worked on this post — first, I really seem to love creating dessert-inspired breakfast recipes (I mean… who doesn’t love pie for breakfast?!) and second, I’ve never published a peach recipe here at JustineCelina. If you knew just how much I loved peaches, you’d be as shocked as I am! Each year we receive a shipment of peaches straight from a family friend’s orchard in British Columbia (if you’re keeping track, yes – it’s the same orchard where our apple surplus and endless supply of homemade stewed tomatoes come from!). It seems every year I find a different way to work with them and they end up trickling into almost every meal for a week or two until we get through them all. And alas, another seasonal recipe is born!

Today I’m bringing you my Superfood Peach Pie Smoothie Bowls — a simple, seasonal breakfast bowl inspired by the classic late summer pie and brimming with powerhouse ingredients, plant based protein, antioxidants and healing, autumnal spices. The best part? If you, too are experiencing peach overload, this recipe actually gives variations for frozen and fresh peaches (I just finished freezing a whole ziplock bag full!). I even snuck a vegetable in there — if you’ve made my Cherry Crumble Smoothie or Autumn Energizer Juice, you may have an idea what it is! Try my Superfood Peach Pie Smoothie Bowls while those juicy Okanagan peaches are at peak ripeness or freeze them now and indulge in a peach pie inspired smoothie bowl anytime you want to treat yourself to a quick, nourishing breakfast this autumn. As always, it’s free of dairy, gluten and refined sugar — and absolutely delish!

September 13, 2017 by Justine

Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl with Citrus Ponzu & Siracha Aioli | #sponsored by @inspiredleafygreens #dairyfree #glutenfree #sustainable // JustineCelina.com

Dairy Free, Dinner, Food, Gluten Free, Lunch, Salads & Bowls, Sponsored, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

AHI TUNA POKE BOWLS WITH CITRUS PONZU + SRIRACHA AIOLI

To say I went poke crazy in Vancouver this spring would be a major understatement. Typically, I don’t eat meat very often (I’m actually not vegan, although I eat that way about 90% of the time and have included a vegan option in this recipe) — but anytime I travel, I love to immerse myself in local cuisine. It’s such a treat to be able to indulge in fresh seafood on the coast! After making one too many poke runs when I landed back home in Alberta, I decided to take matters into my own hands and develop a recipe for the ultimate gluten and dairy free poke bowls at home! My Ahi Tuna Poke Bowls with Citrus Ponzu & Sriracha Aioli are an explosion of traditional Japanese flavours infused with a west coast vibe and all the fixings — a mashup of sustainable, sashimi grade ahi tuna, avocado, carrot, cucumber, mango and grilled asparagus adorn a bed of organic brown rice and tender greens, topped with a scratch made, Gluten Free Citrus Ponzu, drizzled with Sriracha Garlic Aioli and garnished with roasted sesame seeds, nori and scallions. They’re even better than the poke bowls I fell in love with by the sea!

I’ve partnered with Inspired Greens to bring you a lightened up version of the classic poke bowl where I’ve used a blend of Inspired Greens MultiLeaf Trio and organic brown rice as the Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl base. If you follow along with my adventures over on Instagram, you may remember their beautiful bouquet of Alberta grown living lettuce from earlier this summer — and as someone who’s passionate about local, plant based eats, I’m elated to continue working Inspired Greens and officially introduce you here at JustineCelina. Their greens add a fresh, flourishing texture and gourmet flair to these summer friendly poke bowls — they’re also a breeze to work with, helping to reduce meal prep time!

August 25, 2017 by Justine

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