Recipes — The Renata Collective

Oat Cups

These Oat Cups are healthy and delicious, with protein, healthy fat and carbs – a perfect combo to fuel efficiently for busy mamas, grown-ups and kiddies alike! Great to have on hand for a quick and nutritious breakfast, snack or dessert that feels like a wonderful indulgence but is actually healthy for you. Fill with your choice of filling – dark chocolate melted with PB, cashew cream and diced fruit, yogurt and berries, yogurt and granola, PB and Chia Jam... the combinations are endless and delicious!

Bang Bang Sauce

I love to have homemade condiments in the fridge to add to burgers, sandwiches, wraps, meat dishes, roasted veggies… My version of the spicy mayo Bang Bang Sauce is always available in our fridge as it’s super easy to make up and adds fabulous flavour to what you add it to. Mayo and sour cream (the two main ingredients) are higher in fat so go easy using it. Luckily, a little goes a long way of this spicy mayo deliciousness!

Gluten Free, Tip, Vegetarian, CondimentRenata RichardsonNovember 15, 2021Spicy Mayo, Bang Bang Sauce, Sour Cream, Spicy Comments

Perfect Pumpkin Loaf (GF, DF)

This delicious and nutritious perfect Pumpkin Loaf fits in perfectly with all the ‘cozy’ we crave this time of year and through the winter months – in the clothes we wear, the blankets we use to throw over ourselves, the food we eat and the warm beverages we drink. This loaf is soft and flavourful, has a crunch to it with the walnuts or pecans that are chopped up in the loaf and with the pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top. Add a hot cup or tea or a latte and you have cozy wrapped up tight!

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Vanilla adds that special quality to baked goods. With the crazy price that store bought vanilla is these days, due to its labour-intensive hand pollinating the vanilla flower production process, and with the quality questionable for a lot of brands that I have tried, I started to make my own vanilla extract. It is so simple to make.

Pumpkin Spice Granola

This granola recipe is super easy to make and delicious to eat. It’s healthy and versatile as you can serve it plain with milk, add some berries or sliced banana, make a parfait with layering yogurt, the granola and some berries, you can sprinkle it on your peanut butter or almond butter toast, or eat a spoonful plain for an energy pick-me up. This granola is FULL of goodness and fabulous nutrition!

Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Mushrooms, Beans and Greens

Pan-frying gnocchi is new to me and I LOVE IT! I had always boiled gnocchi and scooped it out when it rose to the surface. Pan-frying gnocchi is so easy and so delicious – you need gnocchi (store bought is fine to use), a little olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, a grind or two of fresh pepper, fry until nicely browned and they will be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Heaven!

Simple 5+1 Ingredient PB Oatmeal Bliss Bites

5 pantry ingredients are all you need to make this simple, healthy, delicious and satisfying treat: oatmeal, peanut butter, cinnamon, maple syrup and vanilla. If you want to drizzle with chocolate, then that’s a 6th ingredient!

These are great to make and have on hand for a quick energy snack when that mid-morning or afternoon energy slump kicks in and those tummy grumblies happen. One, maybe two, are all you need to feel satisfied and ready to tackle your next task!

Pumpkin Spice Mix

How many pumpkin spice mix recipes have you seen the past few weeks? Loads? Me too! And here is one more! Most recipes have the same ingredients, just in different quantities of each. I have been playing around with my ratios of spices and landed on the mix I really like! I also add an ingredient that I haven’t seen in ANY OTHER pumpkin spine mix posts or recipes – a touch of cocoa. It adds a little something something that I really liked – as did those I tested the mix on! Since it’s SO simple to mix together, I make a small batch use it up, then make more as I need it so it’s fresh.

Oatmeal Banana Loaf – Gluten Dairy Egg Free

A banana loaf recipe that is gluten, dairy and egg free! It’s so good and you won’t miss the ingredients it doesn’t have! If you want it nut free (for school lunches) or don’t have ground almonds, use additional oat flour. It really is a lovely, delicious treat!

Best Black Bean and Quinoa Burgers

This is my version of this popular veggie burger and it’s fabulous if I do say so myself! And it has passed the taste test many times for many people and even those who swear by a beef burger have asked for this recipe! I love that my recipe gives the veggie burger structure to bite into and holds up loaded with toppings. And the best part is that it makes up and cooks up in a short period of time to have lunch or dinner on the table quickly.

Secret Ingredient Absolutely Fabulous Smoothie

A smoothie in October? Sure! A smoothie is for any time of year! I came up with this simple, nourishing healthy and delicious recipe when I started seeing a trend of *this* healthy secret ingredient included in smoothie recipes and I thought How Brilliant! I believe it replaces the banana that is the healthy thickening constant in SO many smoothie recipes! What is this secret ingredient? Frozen Cauliflower! Yup! Give this healthy smoothie recipe a try and tell me how absolutely fabulous it is!

In a Pinch ‘Turkey’ Gravy

I love how a rich gravy enhances the flavour of turkey, or roast chicken, perfectly and how it’s the gravy that keeps the meat hot on your plate as it cools so quickly when sliced and served. As much as I make gravy from the defatted pan drippings, depending on your bird you may not have a lot of drippings to make that rich gravy. And, honestly, it’s the butter (or ghee), the onion and garlic and the spices that make a flavourful gravy. This recipe is great to make and serve with roast turkey breast or turkey roll throughout the year, and it makes a fabulous topping for a hot turkey or chicken sandwich!

Dairy Free, Dinner, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Mix, Side Dishes, VegetarianRenata RichardsonOctober 8, 2021In a Pinch Turkey Gravy, Gravy, ThanksgivingComment

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Tahini Sauce

Whole roasted cauliflower is quite a fabulous side dish! Basted with the Lemon Tahini Sauce and roasted until tender, it’s easy to prepare, impressive when presented and delicious when served and devoured. This will be on our Thanksgiving menu! Trust me, you will want it on yours too!

.This is a great dish to serve for those who are vegan and sharing your table! The cauliflower is toothsome and with this sauce – it’s just so delicious! Leftovers are so good reheated or eaten cold, so have them as a snack, add to a salad or as a side to dinner the next night!

Hearty Spinach Salad with Grains, Roasted Red Peppers and White Beans

I enjoy salads year-round and especially ones that double as a whole meal – for lunch or a light dinner. This recipe fits the bill. If you have some leftover rice, as in this recipe, or quinoa, include them in your salad to make it hearty and delicious. I love that this salad has the balance of protein, carbs and fat, and is so fresh and full of wonderful nutrients to nourish your body and to satisfy your hunger and your taste buds!

Quinoa Veggie Pilaf

I love this recipe! It’s one that I have used at workshops for a couple of years now, and a recipe I make and share with friends, to demonstrate how you can pack a lot of plant-based nutrition into your meal, how balanced it is with protein, carbs and healthy fat, how quick and easy it is to make, and to turn those who don’t like quinoa into liking quinoa! Really, it truly is delicious and nutrition packed, gluten and dairy free, a one-pan recipe that is quick and easy to make. It is also super versatile – use whatever veggies you have in your fridge, and during our long Canadian winters, you can use frozen veggies.