Cooking With Hope – Globally Local & No Bake Pumpkin Bites

It’s here! It’s finally here! Globally Local has made its way to Windsor Essex. What is Globally Local you ask?

Aside from being one of my favourite places on Earth, it is Canada’s FIRST 100% all vegan fast food restaurant. With franchise chains in Ontario, our closest one before was London or Toronto.

Owners Kelly Neuber and Dave Robinson are from Mississauga, Ontario. Four years ago, they bought their retirement home in Kingsville and could not wait to move here.

Kelly has been a vegan for the last nine years now. She has always wanted to raise awareness of how living a vegan lifestyle is so good for one’s health, better for the environment and for the animals.

Two years ago, Kelly mentioned the idea to Dave about running their own Globally Local. The idea manifested into their current reality. After one year of searching for a good location, they chose 13458 Tecumseh Road East in Tecumseh near Little Caesars and Three Lambs Registry & Baby Boutique.

Globally Local is unique in that they offer affordable vegan fast food and have a very broad menu.

Breakfast lunch and dinner; from burgers, to multiple chick’un offerings, to wraps, to salads, to breakfast sandwiches, to soft serve ice cream and shakes!

With gluten free options as well, there is definitely something for everyone. Everything is made from scratch with absolutely no chemicals.

Their facility is also very clean and is taking all of the precautions due to current COVID-19 health guidelines.

They have hired a fantastic Manager (Karen Basque) and everything is set up so she pretty much runs the show!

Basque is very experienced, a great team leader, and really wants to be a part of the food evolution.

On August 1, a family and friends pre-grand opening event celebrated the opening of the Windsor/Tecumseh franchise. On August 6, a grand opening took place with a line up waiting before the doors opened! Kelly and Dave are so excited about opening at this time and to be able to provide 12 new jobs in Windsor Essex.

And on September 5 and 6, another grand opening for the all-day breakfast menu was held. Half of their day’s proceeds were donated to Charlotte’s Freedom Farm, a total of $5,000.

Kelly and Dave are so excited for the community to try out their incredible menu and to meet their incredibly hard-working and friendly staff.

Vegan or not, I promise you will fall in love with Globally Local.

To view their menu and more information check online. As well you can follow our local franchise on Instagram @globallylocalwindsor and on Facebook

Let’s get cooking:

With fall on its way, I am a top advocate for pumpkin anything as it’s not like all year round we incorporate pumpkin into our diets until now usually! So, I am going to enjoy it while it lasts, as I invite you to join me by making these delicious no bake pumpkin bites.

You will need . . .

• ¼ cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
• 1/3 cup cinnamon sugar

How to . . .

1. In a large bowl, add your pumpkin puree, peanut butter and maple syrup. Stir to combine.
2. Next add your coconut flour, sea salt, cinnamon and pumpkin spice and stir to combine everything together well, it should start to become a thick consistency.
3. Place your bowl in the fridge for 20 minutes to allow it to harden a little bit.
4. In a medium size bowl, add your cinnamon sugar.
5. Start to roll the mixture in your hands to create bite sized ball shapes.
6. Roll each pumpkin ball with a spoon in your cinnamon sugar to coat it. Continue the process with the rest of your mixture.
7. Place them in the freezer for 15 minutes, and store them in the freezer or in the fridge and enjoy!

The post Cooking With Hope – Globally Local & No Bake Pumpkin Bites appeared first on Biz X magazine.

Cooking With Hope – Tabouli By Eddy’s Lebanese Cuisine And Vegan Taco Salad

Twenty five years of experience, three generations of chefs, 58,916 customers served in 2019, open 364 days a year . . . Discover Windsor’s authentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine served in a classy dining atmosphere, Tabouli By Eddy’s.

Located at 1614 Lesperance Road, Unit #5 in Tecumseh you will find Tabouli By Eddy’s offering fresh and authentic made specialty dishes, such as their signature tabouli salad, baklava, spinach pies, fresh Shawarma and the traditional baklava dessert. The restaurant was opened December 2018.

Adding their own touch to the menu you can enjoy their unique creative dishes like their cauliflower forest, platters of all sorts, and their delicious chocolate fantasy cake. Providing a lunch, dinner and dessert menu, as well as multiple side dishes and even a kid’s menu. Every meal is fresh, delicious and cooked to perfection.

Owner Eddy Hammoud (also owner of Eddy’s Mediterranean Bistro, 420 Tecumseh Road East) and his staff treat their customers like family as they strive to make their experience something to cherish and are proud of what they do every single day. Their passion shows through their warm personalities from all of the workers, and through their delicious meals.

Their goal is to create incredible, authentic inspired food in an environment designed with individual touches unique to the Windsor area.

“When you come in to Eddy’s restaurant you feel like home,” says Hammoud. “The service and quality of the food we provide is the best in the city. Everything is made fresh, using high quality ingredients. We serve a traditional Arabic cuisine with a twist of Italian. We take care and make srue our customers are always 110% satisfied.”

Hammoud and his team would love to help you by preparing and delivering food for your next social gathering by offering catering services to help you. Call them up to seven days before your event and they will help you organize it all!

Dine on their beautiful welcoming patio that has fully shaded seating, while enjoying their live music entertainment that they have every weekend. Can’t make it out on the weekend? That’s okay! Enjoy 10% off all pickup orders on Take Out Tuesdays! Free delivery is offered on orders over $40 and within 15 kilometres.

To view special weekly deals that you do not want to miss, visit their website and their facebook page or follow them on Instagram @taboulibyeddys.

Now that you have enjoyed a great meal out, let’s get cooking….

Meatless Monday and Taco Tuesday just became a lot better!

Make a big batch of this lentil taco meat to use throughout the week, and you will have lots of leftovers.

This week we are adding a twist to your traditional romaine lettuce salad. This savoury salad is a filling lunch or dinner that is fun to make, as well as it can be made differently every time with whatever toppings you would like.

It is full of plant-based protein from the lentils. You will be able to trick any meat lover with this awesome substitution.

Vegan Taco Salad

For the lentil taco meat
1 cup cooked lentils
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
¼ teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons hot sauce

Salad
1-2 cups greens (lettuce, kale, spinach)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon hummus
2 tablespoons salsa
Pita bread or pita chips
Desired toppings
(Avocado, cherry tomatoes, cheese, onions, hummus, more hot sauce…)

How to
1. In a small bowl, add your cooked lentils with the taco seasoning, salt and hot sauce and stir to combine. You may use a pack of taco seasoning from the store. I used a mild taco seasoning.
2. In a medium sized bowl, add your greens as your base, and simply add all of your toppings.
3. Add your lentils, lime juice, hummus and salsa and all of your other toppings.
4. Add some pita bread or chips on top and enjoy!

Make sure to tag me on Instagram @localplanteater if you give this a try!

The post Cooking With Hope – Vegan Taco Salad appeared first on Biz X magazine.

COOKING WITH HOPE – Forgot The Flour & The Perfect Grilled Cheese

Since February of 2017, mother and daughter Sue Taranto and Kaylee Lett have been working out of their Board of Health Inspected Certified Kitchen at 1405 Morton Drive in LaSalle, cooking and baking for their small business, Forgot The Flour.

They operate this online bakeshop that focuses on gluten free comfort foods and baked goods. Baking not only gluten free goodies, but making reduced sugar, Keto and vegan items as well, using fresh produce and ingredients straight from their garden. Sue and Kaylee sure do make gluten free look, taste and sound amazing!

Kaylee is celiac, with many other allergies including eggs and dairy, this has helped them to understand the importance of offering a wide variety of products to serve all of their customers’ dietary needs. 

Sue and Kaylee absolutely love making gluten free comfort foods and specialty items that are top notch. Their mission is to make eating gluten free affordable, easy and of course, delicious and to win over the most stubborn gluten lovers.

One of their best seller vegan items is their salted caramel cookie dough cheesecake — I can’t wait to get my hands on that cheesecake! If there is something that you would like that is not on the menu, Sue and Kaylee are more than happy to make it for you as they are always striving to expand their menu.

Forgot The Flour would like the community to know that although they are a completely gluten-free bakery, celiac and non-celiac alike can enjoy their vegan products too!

You may also find some of their items stocked at DeMarco’s Fine Foods, Little Foot Foods and the Willow Tree market in Kingsville.

Orders may be placed through our online shop or via email. Once confirmation is received, your order will be ready for pick up in two to three days.

To place your order, check out their website On social media go to instagram and facebook to check out all of their delicious posts and to keep up with their menu.

Now onto the recipe section of my blog!

Nothing beats a grilled cheese sandwich.

This week, I am going to teach you how to make the perfect vegan grilled cheese. My family loves this grilled cheese and prefers it actually rather than using regular cheese! You can also make this gluten free by using gluten free bread. I paired mine with a kale olive oil and vinegar salad.

You will need…

• 2 pieces of your favourite bread
• Plant-based butter
• 1 handful or slice of Earth Islands vegan cheese

How to:

1. Using your plant- based butter, spread it on one side of your bread, then place the side with the butter on your frying pan on medium heat on the stove top.
2. Add your slice/handful of cheese on top of your bread.
3. Butter your second piece of bread on one side, and place your slice on top of your cheese, with the buttered side facing towards you.
4. Keep your pan on medium heat, waiting 3 to 4 minutes until it starts to turn golden brown.
5. When desired, flip your creation to grill the other side. This side will only take 1 to 2 minutes as your pan is heated now.
6. When it is grilled to your liking, add it to your serving plate and enjoy it with a side salad, or just as it is — enjoy!

Make sure to tag me on Instagram @localplanteater if you give this a try.

The post COOKING WITH HOPE – Forgot The Flour & The Perfect Grilled Cheese appeared first on Biz X magazine.

COOKING WITH HOPE – House of Pad Thai And Easy Zucchini Hummus

At 903 Wyandotte Street East in Windsor, you will find fresh, healthy, authentic Thai/Lao food at House of Pad Thai, where home-made, fresh off the grill and ready to order, Pad Thais are made and served.

What is Pad Thai? It is a signature stir-fried noodle dish made with soaked rice noodles that is stir-fried with eggs and tofu, flavored with tamarind pulp, fish sauce, and other spices such as red chili peppers. Sweetened with palm sugar and herbed with garlic or shallots to awaken one’s taste buds.

Served with lime/lemon wedges and often garnished with chopped roasted peanuts. It may also contain other vegetables like bean sprouts, garlic chives, cilantro, and usually complemented with fresh bean sprouts . . . delicious I know! You don’t have to tell me twice.

Husband and Wife Justin and Lam Harb own and have been running House of Pad Thai for the last five years. They wanted to share their culinary experience with Windsor as they learned so much about authentic their cuisines from their travels to Thailand.

They serve delicious starters, savoury soups, fresh salads, Pad Thais of course, Extra Add-Ons, coconut sticky rice dessert and Thai inspired beverages.

Everything tastes like a home cooked authentic meal!

Justin and Lam wanted to make sure that they include everyone, especially those with specific food requests like vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, halal and even those with allergies. They make their sauces from scratch right in house, and you may even purchase them.

They are very passionate about their cooking skills. At House of Pad Thai, they offer quick, fresh, healthy, On-the-GO, and convenient fast casual service for everyone, as well as catering services for groups up to six or more.

So, if you’re feeling up to a weekend get away, but are unable to actually get away, take a trip to House of Pad Thai for the feeling of a culinary adventure!

Check them out on facebook  or their website to learn more about their menu and hours, and on Instagram.

This week I have a summer recipe that has been a total hit at my house, and now can be at yours too! If you have a can of chickpeas sitting on your shelf and you aren’t sure what to do with it, wipe off the dust on it, because today is its day: it’s about to be hummus.

You will need . . .

• 1 zucchini washed and cut up into slices.
• 1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed. I removed the skin of each chickpea as it makes your hummus even smoother. This is optional!)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste

How to:

1. Wash and chop your zucchini and drain and rinse your chickpeas.
2. Remove the skin from your garlic and place everything into a high-speed blender or food processor.
3. Add your tahini, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
4. Blend everything until it is at the consistency that you would like.
5. Make sure to taste test it first to see if you would like to add any more garlic or lemon juice.
6. Use a spatula and place it into a serving dish.
7. You may leave it in the fridge for up to one week.

Make sure to tag me on Instagram @localplanteater if you give this a try!

The post COOKING WITH HOPE – House of Pad Thai And Easy Zucchini Hummus appeared first on Biz X magazine.

COOKING WITH HOPE – Nutrition 519 & Vegan Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins

What if someone told you that you could have a healthy alternative to your favourite dessert? Would you believe it if they told you it could come in the form of a smoothie? Allow myself to be the one to tell you this — Nutrition 519 (N519), located at 2345 Pillette Road in Windsor, does wonders.

N519 healthy shakes have 24g of protein, over 21 essential vitamins and minerals, are less than 300 calories and provide your body everything it needs for a complete healthy meal — AND they taste exactly like everyone’s favourite dessert!

All of their shake bases are plant-based protein. Also serving a certified vegetarian shake base made up of rice, quinoa and pea protein.

N519 is operated and owned by Dan and Kristin Labreche. They had a passion and drive of wanting to be able to make an impact and a difference in the community. Dan and Kristin wanted to bring a healthy alternative to the city so people can enjoy their favourite desserts, without the feeling of guilt.

As the rise of health and wellness continues to expand, N519 shows their customers that healthy foods don’t have to fall under the ‘boring’ category or be things that we dread. They can actually be quite enjoyable, delicious and even fun to make and enjoy.

I love Nutrition 519 and the idea behind their business, as I have such a big sweet tooth but love to always find a healthy alterative to treats so I am never missing out!

With incredible smoothie flavours that fall under categories — Fruit Lovers, Sweet Lovers, Peanut Butter Lovers, Coffee Lovers and Chocolate Lovers. All smoothies come with your choice of tea or a coffee. Their best seller is their white chocolate raspberry flavour.

Earlier in March, they launched a pay it forward project where people in the community donated money, and then N519 provided our essential workers with what they called a “We Care Kit.”  The kit included a healthy smoothie, a protein bar, a healthy energizing drink and a hydration drink. It was amazing was their way of saying thank you to the community.

Check out their facebook page for their hours and more information as well as their Instagram @nutrition519_ for all the good vibes!

Now onto the recipe portion of my blog…here is how to make some delicious blueberry muffins!

This week we are baking these easy vegan and gluten free blueberry muffins. There is the option to make them sugar free as well if you wish by not adding in the extra sugar and allowing the natural sweetness of the blueberries to do the trick. These are great for your busy lifestyle, as well as an easy breakfast to go.

You will need . . .

• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1 flax egg (3 tablespoons of water + 1 tablespoon flax meal mixed and left aside for 10 minutes)
• ¼ cup plant-based milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons vanilla
• 2 cups gluten free oat flour
• ½ cup raw date sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

How to . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2. Prepare your flax egg and mix it. Set it aside for 10 minutes checking on it every so often, until it becomes very thick. (It is a great alternative to eggs in vegan baking.)
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of your wet ingredients very well.
4. Add in your dry ingredients until a smooth batter is formed.
5. Fold in your blueberries and mix again.
6. Grease or line your muffin tin and fill each tin about halfway with the batter.
7. Bake for 25 minutes and enjoy!

Make sure to tag me on Instagram @localplanteater if you give these a try!

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