An Opera Singer in the Kitchen

Virgin Jamaica Sangria

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Wed, 23 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Anyone else around here need a drink? Summer is nearing and all I can think about are iced drinks. I have been making Mighty Leaf's Mango Iced Tea for the last week and a half and mixing it with hibiscus flowers. YUM!

I have also been enjoying the occasional beer, like Blue Moon. Ahhh...but as a nursing mother, I really try not to drink and so I brought out this bottle of dealcoholized wine I had purchased when I was still pregnant. I could still use it now!

I found this at our local store and decided that since it was the only non-alcoholic wine I should snag it.

It is known to be the world's best non-alcoholic wine made in California. This particular blend, Rouge, was made with Merlot, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon.The website describes it as it offering "aromas of cranberry, strawberry, and plum with good balance, soft tannins and a dry finish."

I was really glad to have some wine again because even though I am told it is okay to have the occasional glass, I really do not like doing it. Here is a safe way to enjoy the same drink with no guilt! I even fooled my hubby for a bit before he found the bottle and cringed at the non-alcoholic part of the recipe. Oh well.

I chose fresh kiwis, apples, and grapes, even though you could add plums, strawberries and cranberries to super enhance the flavor of the wine. I made the hibiscus punch I have prepared before, like my Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Punch)

The key to sangria is to refrigerate overnight so it was hard to wait but it was worthwhile.

Make this version of sangria for your guests or for your spouse during the summer days and it is bound to cool you off. You can even pretend that it gives you a buzz. I know I did! :-)

Virgin Jamaica Sangria

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: overnight

Keywords: refrigerate boil beverage appetizer hibiscus flowers Cinco de Mayo Parties

Ingredients (6 to 8 glasses)

For Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Punch)

1/2 cup dried hibicus flowers (can be purchased at International markets)
3 cups hot water
2 piloncillo cones (Mexican brown sugar) or 1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup lime juice

For Sangria

1-750ml bottle Ariel Rouge Premium Dealcoholized Wine (or regular wine)
2 kiwis, peeled and diced
1 cup grapes, cut in half
2 apples, peeled, seeded, and diced

Assembly

Ice
Sparkling water

Instructions

For Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Punch)

Place hibiscus flowers in a pot. Boil hot water in a teapot or pour water over leaves and pour over hibiscus flowers. If you boil water and flowers, boil water for 10 minutes then remove from heat and let the flowers sit in water for 15-20 minutes.

Make sure to add piloncillo to hot water so that sugar will melt. Depends on how sweet you want your beverage but 2 cones will probably be sweet and can always be diluted or add 1/2 cup agave nectar. Allow liquid to cool.

Using a strainer, strain the flowers and drain the liquid in a large pitcher and add the lime juice.

Sangria Preparation

Add the whole bottle of wine and diced fruit and place pitcher in fridge overnight.

When serving, add some fruit to each glass, some 4 cubes of ice, 3/4 sangria and 1/4 sparkling water. Enjoy! Serves 6 -eight ounce glasses.

Learning How to Eat like a Big Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:17:00 +0000

I know that this blog has morphed into more about my daily life than a food blog, but I think that is how life happens right? Changes and seasons come through life and we embrace then, or at least I do. Even though I love sharing about my singing gigs and sharing food pictures of recent recipes, I also like sharing about our life and the new addition to our family.

I simply cannot believe that 6 1/2 months have gone by and I have a big girl with a big personality. She is definitely easier to read now that I have gotten used to her cries and the signs she gives when she is tired. I believe even Ryan enjoys the stage Julianne is in right now because she loves to play and she is in the discovery period.

One thing that has definitely changed for me is the amount I read. Here the 6 month mark was approaching and I wanted to make sure I knew enough to start feeding Julianne solids. Should I wait or should I start her later? I know that I had many allergies as a child because I was fed solids earlier than my sister was. She does not suffer from allergies!

We live in an age with SO much reading material especially having the internet at our fingertips. When is reading too much? I'll tell you. I just kept getting frustrated reading so many different point of views that I started obsessing whether I was going to make the right choice. The pediatrician tells you something then I get advice from mothers and then I read an array of books and articles. When does it stop?

I was given advice a while ago, and I believe it brought my mind at ease. I was told to STOP reading and to read only material that seemed to be along the same standards I wanted to use with our baby girl. It made a lot of sense to me.

So here I was, close to 6 months, and I did not know whether I wanted to start feeding Julianne. She was at the point where she was putting everything in her mouth but I knew it had nothing to do with hunger. How was I to know if she was truly hungry. I have been one to also obsess about not having enough breast milk to feed her. Questions I asked myself: "She seems to be crying, maybe she is still hungry, maybe she is not getting enough from me?" I had the fear of having to supplement with formula, which I knew I totally did not want to do.

In comes the Baby-led Weaning.book. I read the whole thing in 2 days and learned a lot! It was a very informative book about when to start feeding your baby, what foods to feed and the reality of not breaking your back on making purees.

Is it okay for a 6 month old to already be an independent eater? Will giving slices of bananas, avocados or other soft or light steamed foods cause my baby to choke? Why can't I just do purees? The book talked about the fact that making purees for a baby and FEEDING them does not help them be independent. Why does the baby spit out her food when fed with a spoon? Well, either they are not ready because they have not achieved tongue thrust.

At this point the book talks about eating not being the target but about learning about food. If she gets to eat, great, but breastfeeding is still the baby's main source of nutrition.

I was just plain nervous my baby would choke. The book also discusses this when feeding your baby slices of fresh fruits and veggies. The baby will naturally gag EVEN if you are feeding them purees or whole foods. She will not choke, but will gag and naturally spit out the food until she is ready to chew and swallow.

How did Julianne do? I mean, I had to REALLY monitor her and see what she would. I started almost 3 weeks ago and I gave her slices of avocado and sweet potato. She did gag and cough a bit so I pureed them and she fed a little better.

She started wondering about swallowing and out of 2 Tablespoons of food, she ate about 1 teaspoon.

At the second week, I started giving her bananas and apples. She did not like to be fed! She grabbed the spoon forcefully and just gnawed at it. (She is presently cutting her first tooth, so I can imagine she just wants comfort). She has great hand control, grabs the 2-inch long banana slices and sweet potatoes and places them in her mouth. She gnaws, chews and starts swallowing.

Here we are week three, and I believe she really enjoys eating. I really feel that pureeing is a waste of time since she does NOT like being fed. She forcefully takes the spoon away from me when I try, so I continue giving her the slices of food and she has been processing the whole eating procedure really well!

Another beauty about the book is that it explains that it really is not necessary trying one food at a time like the pediatricians discuss. The importance lies in introducing a variety of foods to develop their palate. It is NOT necessary to just do rice cereal because it does not have real nutritional value. I will start feeding her brown rice cereal along with her veggies soon though.

Yes, allowing my child to feed herself, now, at such a early age will be quite messy but if she is happy and she is eating then I will choose not to fight what she naturally should be doing. Of course, all this is to say, that she is in constant supervision and she eats while WE eat so she continues to imitate us eating.

Another plus? She has been sleeping A LOT longer at nights even though I have heard that feeding solids does not guarantee that, it seems to be working FOR NOW.

Whew...here is another stage I continue to learn more about daily, but I am really enjoying it and I want it to be a smooth transition. I think it is quite important knowing my child and I feel like I am successfully working at it, by God's grace.

What is on the menu today? Avocados and Butternut / Sweet Potato Mash. :-)

Amazon.com Widgets

Cola de Mono (Spiked Coffee Cocktail)

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Wed, 16 May 2012 02:39:00 +0000

Do you like Bailey's Irish Cream? Well this is a version that folks in Chile drink and I veganized it and gave it some twist with delicious spices. (I did not know if you knew I am HALF Chilean. :-) ) I have taken this to evening parties as a night cap or to go with desserts. YUM!

Who does not like coffee and alcohol?

This recipe is featured in the So Much to love contest! Voting is open all of this week, and you can vote once a day, every day this week for it to get it to Top 1.

Please consider voting for my recipe, Cola de Mono (Spiked Coffee Cocktail) in this week's So Delicious® Dairy Free SO Much to Love Giveaway!

You'll be entered to win daily prizes, and if my recipe gets the most votes, YOU'LL be entered to win a great weekly prize. Thanks for voting, if you do! :-)

Cola de Mono (Spiked Coffee Cocktail)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

1 cup water
4 cups So Delicious® Dairy Free Vanilla or Original Coconut Milk
2 cinnamon sticks
8 cloves
2 star anise
1 tsp orange rind, dried or 2 Tbsp freshly grated orange rind
1½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of nutmeg
1¼ cups brown sugar
1 cup espresso

Directions

In a large pot, add the water, coconut milk, and the rest of the ingredients (except for the espresso) and bring the mixture to a boil.
Boil for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes.
Add the espresso and stir mixture.
Cool completely at room temperature and then place in a clean bottle, seal tightly.
Drink will be ready the next day.
In a sealed container, the cocktail will last a month in the fridge.

My First Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:00:00 +0000

I hope every one of you mothers out there had a terrific day! I was so sad I did not get to spend it with my mother but I was able to send off my sister, who lives near her, to take my mom out for a nice dinner.

It has been a beautiful blessing knowing that God has given me the gift of being a mother to our little girl. The picture posted above was taken in New York last February after I announced that I was pregnant. I had a food blogger meet-up and a friend gifted me with this little tee, which Julianne will be wearing soon!

Fast forward 6 1/2 months and here is my big girl! She is rolling around, sitting up and eating food already (more on that later)! She is such a character and has such a personality already. She is so much fun and both my husband I agree this has been an easier stage than when we first began as new parents.

No one really lays it out for you, that motherhood is going to be hard. Well, maybe not hard, but challenging. No it is hard because it is something different, but somehow God has wired us to be strong and wise to bring up our children.

How did my Mother's Day begin? Julianne woke up at 6:30am (ugh) and Ryan promptly took her out of the bedroom and let me sleep for more than an hour before we got ready for church. It was SO nice to sleep in. Ryan did get a nap later for being such a great daddy!

Coffee was brewing and a nice bouquet of flowers and cards were awaiting. It was beautiful!

We celebrated early, the evening before because we knew places would be crowded so I got to choose the place: Sultan's Middle-Eastern Restaurant.

This is probably one of my favorite restaurants in the Lansing area because the food is fresh and authentic.

I started with a raw juice called Raw Potassium, which was made with juiced carrots, celery, spinach, and parsley. SO delicious and good. Ryan even took a swig of it and realized it really did not have much of his least favorite veggie: celery. :-)

For an appetizer, we had some delicious lamb sliders (not pictured).

Our second appetizer were plates piled with fresh tabbouleh and a basket of mini pita breads. Can I eat this every day? I would just be plain content.

What did we have for dinner? We waited too long for our entree but it finally came and I did not have time and forgot to take a picture of our Sultan's Combo which came with Chicken Kebab, Lamb Kofta, Kibbee, Falafel, rice and veggies. It was so much food but we were glad to have leftovers for today. So good!

The highlight of the evening was Julianne, of course! She got to sit a high chair for the first time and she ate dinner with us. I brought some mashed avocado and a sweet potato / butternut squash combo for her to eat while we ate. It was fun! She was so calm and was very eager for every bite.

See that table behind the picture behind Julianne? They came up to us afterwards and beamed at how great she was during our whole dinner. WHEW. I was really trying not to be nervous that she would throw a fit but she was an angel. She followed people around with her gaze and waitresses came by making her smile. This truly made my Mother's Day for sure!

I thank God for the opportunity and blessing of being a mother and I thank my mother for being such a hard working and God-fearing mother. I believe it truly has made me the person I am and to be a persevering person. Thank you Mom and God!

If you get a chance visit my friend's post On Becoming A Mother. It is so poignant and it is powerful. Thank you for your beautiful writing and words Larissa!~

What was something special that was done for you or that you did for your mother?

Two Opera Recordings and Blackberry Baked Oatmeal

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Tue, 08 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

This has been a long time a coming and I finally got all the pictures together and video from the performance in March 23rd. This truly shows that I am actually performing! Hee hee.

This was my first performance after having our daughter on November 2nd and I have to say I was not sure I was going to be able to memorize and physically get back into vocal shape to make it happen. Somehow, with my husband's encouragement and God's strength, I learned my music and I was able to go to several voice lessons. My voice lesson told me that I was in great vocal shape and the fact I kept on singing up until I had the baby and even after made it possible. How exciting and what a blessing! As a member of the Holland Chorale, I was happy to be able to participate in a great show with other friends.

How was my experience as I performed and what was different in this performance? I was VERY surprised that I was not nervous. We did not have a babysitter that night so Ryan and I alternated taking care of her in the church nursery. We both agreed, afterwards, that that was probably not the best because it might have made me unfocused. Whew, it was a little stressful but it all went well, thank God.

I was thrilled to say that I believe that by having natural, drug-free childbirth helped me find a renowned sense of confidence I did not have before. Let me just say that if you have a child, you can do ANYTHING! At least this is how I feel.

In the first half of the concert I sang my aria, "Un bel di, vedremo" from Madama Butterfly.

After a brief intermission I sang The Flower Duet from Lakmé with a friend from the chorale. Here is the video you can watch on YouTube and I have the recording if you want that.

Hope you enjoy them!

Blackberry Baked Oatmeal

On another note, one of my recipe creations was chosen in the Breakfast category in the So Much To Love Giveaway hosted by So Delicious Dairy Free company.

Would you mind checking it out HERE and voting for my recipe? When you vote you also get entered for a chance to win some prizes. That can't be bad right?

Here is the recipe as well if you want to try it out. Thanks for voting for this recipe!

Blackberry Baked Oatmeal

Serves 8

Ingredients

1/3 cup coconut oil
½ cup agave nectar
2 Tbsp flax seed with 6 Tbsp warm water (egg substitute)
1 cup So Delicious® Dairy Free Original Almond Plus Almond Milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups oats (can use gluten-free oats)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1½ cups fresh or frozen blackberries (may substitute with other sliced berries or fruit)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spray an 8x8 baking dish with nonstick spray. Evenly scatter berries on the bottom on the dish.
Next, add wet ingredients to dry and mix well. Pour mixture into baking dish. Bake for 45 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Note: To make a larger batch, double recipe and add to a 9x13 pan and bake for an extra 10–15 minutes.

Secret Recipe Club: Mexican Black Bean Pizza

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:00:00 +0000

It was very hard not to be able to post this last week because Cinco de Mayo was this past weekend. When I pinned this recipe on Pinterest I had so many people repin it that I knew it would be a favorite already! Who cares if Cinco de Mayo is past us, you need to make this pizza ASAP.

This month, as part of the Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned The Cookin' Chemist blog, the blog about food, life and edible experiments. Tessa loves to cook and boy does she have a lot of recipes on her blog. She posts delicious recipes very often and she had then nicely categorized too!

When I was trying to choose a recipe I mostly perused the Tex-Mex cuisine. I almost chose the Southwestern Quinoa Casserole but I knew I would be the only one eating leftovers. Well, guess what? I still was the only one eating this pizza because my hubby is a stickler about eating black beans. All I know is I cannot wait for my little girl to grow up because I know she will have a developed palate. :-)

Before I get to the recipe I want to say that I have a bit in common with Tessa other than the fact that we both love to cook. We both are in the pharmaceutical field! I also minored in chemistry and am a registered pharmacy technician. Looking forward perusing more recipes and so should you! Go check out her blog after making this yummy pizza.

I did make some changes using my own recipe for pizza dough and I made this a lot more easier to handle.I added all the toppings to a hot pizza instead of cooking the jalapenos, tomatoes and cilantro. I liked it a lot and would make it this way again.

You can add vegan cheese if you are vegan, or try Mozzarella cheese like the original recipe indicates. Thanks Tessa, for posting such a yummy recipe!

Mexican Black Bean Pizza

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 60 minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes

Keywords: bake lunch entree vegetarian black beans Cinco de Mayo Mexican

Adapted from:http://cookinchemist.blogspot.com/2010/09/black-bean-mexican-pizza.html

Ingredients (4 slices)

Crust

1 cup whole wheat white flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 & ¼ teaspoon pizza yeast or instant yeast
1 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup very warm water
More flour for surface when kneading

Pizza Toppings

1/2 cup canned black beans
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 Tablespoon chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces Muenster cheese, shredded
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 avocado, chopped
2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
10 pickled jalapeno pepper slices
1-2 cups shredded romaine lettuce

Instructions

For the Crust

Spray a pizza pan with non-stick spray and sprinkle with some cornmeal (optional) and preheat oven to 500 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together 1 cup of flour, salt, oregano, garlic powder, and yeast. Stir well. Now quickly add in 1/3 cup of very warm water along with your 3 tbsp of oil. Stir well.

Grab the dough and place on floured surface. Knead the dough for 5 minutes, adding flour if it gets tacky. After 5 minutes the dough should be smooth and not sticky. Form into a ball and place in a large, oiled bowl.

Cover the ball with a bit of oil so it doesn’t dry out. Now cover the bowl and let it rise for 45 minutes. You can punch out the air once half way through. Cooking time will vary but my pizza took 14-15 mins at 500F.

For the Pizza Topping

Meanwhile, prepare the black bean layer. In a medium skillet, saute' onions, garlic, and black beans in 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Add the spices and cook for 5-10 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash the beans.

Once the pizza dough has risen, roll out the dough on a floured surface and place on the pizza pan. Spread the black bean puree on the pizza crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. This will be more of a think crust pizza than a thick crust. Top with the cheese and place in the oven for 14 minutes.

After it is cooked, remove the pan from the oven and transfer the pizza to a work surface. Add the jalapenos, cilantro, avocado, tomatoes, and top with romaine lettuce.

Cinco de Mayo Recipe Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:58:00 +0000

Cinco de Mayo is upon upon us and well, even though we forget what this holiday is all about, we always seem to turn to food and beverages, eh? Wait, what is Cinco de Mayo all about? The Huffington Post came out with an interesting article called "How a Mexican Battle Became An American Party."

Despite that, I know everyone will be on themed parties and foods for their meals tomorrow so I thought I would share some of my favorite recipes I've made in the past. I made a DELICIOUS recipe last night that I cannot feature until Monday, so I will be sharing my POST-Cinco de Mayo recipe late. It just means you will have an excuse to make it even after the holiday is over.

Since when do we stop eating Mexican after a holiday has gone by? Never!

Enjoy this little recipe round-up!

Do you know what you are eating this weekend?

Spicy Black Bean Enchiladas

Portabella-Poblano Fajitas

Tofu Rancheros

Watermelon Margaritas

Bean Sopes

Chilaquiles

Vegetarian Tostadas

Flautas with Tomatillo Salsa and Pine Nut Crema

Fresh Prickly Pear Lemonade

Strawberry Vegan Overnight Oats

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Thu, 03 May 2012 09:00:00 +0000

As of Monday I have completed my 2 week trial going without sweets. It has been great and I plan to continue limiting desserts until the weekend. I have been excited that my energy levels have been great and I have been able to be the mother I need to be for my daughter.

I'd prepare fruits for breakfast meals and for dessert options. One of these was this amazing recipe for overnight oats. I cannot believe I have not had this before and why I decided to make them now came on a whim. Take fruits that are in-season and mix with oats, milk, and chia seeds and you have a complete meal. I was full for most of the morning too!

The beautiful thing about this recipe and limiting sugar intake is that I am almost 4 pounds lighter in the past 2 weeks. It is quite empowering deciding what actually can make me feel great so that I can help my little one achieve her next step: crawling!

Julianne has been having lots of fun rolling from back to tummy and vice versa since she started almost 2 weeks ago. She seems to entertain herself much better and has even been having longer naps!

I say this now, but the last 2-3 days have been rough because I cannot tell whether she has been teething or going through a growth spurt. She has been staying awake for 4 hours instead of 2 hours and we are back to her sleeping in my lap and in my wrap. It is hard to see her tired but so excited to continue playing and rolling around This too shall pass!

She resorts to playing with blankets and even covering her face for fun. Luckily I am around to make sure she does not do anything silly. She simply loves the comfort of a blanket and I can somehow see a blankie being a friend in the future.

What puts me at ease is the fact that she has more control of her hands. She stares at her fingers and watches them move. She grabs items at her side and has wonderful control. Notice her holding this marble pestle. She picked it up so quickly it was hard to imagine she has such control!

We have lots of fun in the kitchen and we are soon going to start solids. Baby-led weaning here we come!

I believe she will like these oats sometime next year or two but in the meantime, you can enjoy this simple breakfast. Feel free to substitute any fruits of your choice.

Strawberry Vegan Overnight Oats

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: raw refrigerate breakfast gluten-free soy-free vegan strawberries

Ingredients (1 serving)

1/2 cup raw oats, I ground mine (use gluten-free oats)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 Tablespoons PB2 powdered peanut butter
1 Tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 cup fresh strawberries, diced

Instructions

Mix all together and place in desired dish. Cover and place in fridge overnight.

Unjunk Your Junk Food {Book Review}

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 03:57:00 +0000

I realized when I said I was not going to be able to post anymore this week or weekend due to a busy schedule I knew I had to be wrong. I knew I had a certain deadline to meet with a book review and I thought I would get it in at the tail end of my dessert and sweets-free 2 weeks.

Thanks to Naturally Savvy, I recently have become part of their blogger program or a "Naturally Savvy Approved Blogger." The first assignment was to read UnJunk Your Junk Food, written by the creators of this site, so I was really excited.

I am so glad I finished my 2 weeks of going sugar-free with completing this book. I highly recommend reading it because it will change your mind about the "danger" foods you might have in your pantry. Some might say they rather NOT read it because they would not want to get rid or stop eating certain foods but isn't health more important?

There are 11 chapters in this attractive and colorful book. Here are the titles of each chapter:

Chapter 1: The Key to Unjunking
Chapter 2: Back-to-Basics Nutrition
Chapter 3: The Worst Ingredients
Chapter 4: Chips, Dips, & Party Foods
Chapter 5: Ice Cream & Other Frozen Treats
Chapter 6: Cookies
Chapter 7: Chocolate
Chapter 8: Cakes & Others Desserts
Chapter 9: Granola Bars & Other On-the-Go Snacks
Chapter 10: Candy
Chapter 11: Soda & Other Drinks

Are these not interesting chapters? It is wonderful that this book has been written in order to educate us on how to read labels so that the more we can help them to make better (and healthier) food choices when shopping for groceries. I certainly know I have been doing it a lot more than what I've been doing in the past.

The biggest focus of this book is to inform the reader about how important it is to not consume highly processed foods and to also inform how many packaged foods have certain dangerous additives and chemicals. Some of them have names that seem safe but in reality can harm he body over time. The book focuses on Seven DAngerous Additives called the "Scary Seven"

High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Partially Hydrogenated Oils (trans fats)
Artificial Colors
Artificial Sweeteners (including acesulfame potassium, or Ace-K; sucralose [Splenda], and aspartame)
Artificial Flavors
Preservatives (including: sodium benzoate, sulphites (sulphur dioxide), polysorbate 60, 65 or 80, nitrites, TBHQ, and BHT/BHA

Did you know that these were harmful?

I was happy that I knew a lot of these facts in the book but there was SO much more information about smaller additive and preservative names that I was not aware of.

My husband and I have been married almost 4 years. When we got married I had been vegetarian for 2 years before abandoning my healthy eating and started eating the way my husband had been eating. What kind of foods? These were the following foods I started consuming:

Diet sodas
Processed foods
Doritos
White flour tortillas
Fried foods

How did these affect me? I have to say that I loved being married, but my dietary choices caused a lot of harm to me emotionally, physically and mentally. I started suffering from horrendous and painful migraines. I gained A LOT of weight and I was very unhappy person.

Anyone else gone through something like this? I kept crying and moaning to my husband telling him that my choices were causing my pains. Even though my husband, at the time, did not believe me, I fooled myself and kept on eating the junk.

After we moved to MI almost 3 years ago I decided to follow a vegan lifestyle, cold turkey. I was adamant not wanting to be sad, depressed, unhappy, in pain, and overweight so I was glad I made the change.

It is very true that after removing the foods I had been eating stopped my migraines and I started losing weight and feeling great.

What surprises did I STILL find in my pantry after reading this book? Well, it was not actually in my pantry but on occasion I would eat it and even ate in a few months ago at a friend's home. It IS vegan but NOT healthy.

Oreos

Yes, Oreos have high-fructose corn syrup and vanillin, which is an artificial flavor.

There are other food items in my pantry that at the time my husband is used to eating and cannot give up eating because he likes the flavor but hopefully some day he would choose other options. All I can do is choose the best foods for our family as best as I can the more I read about food labels.

I know that the biggest thing I can take-away form reading this book is to look even more closely to packaged foods and look for specific names that could be disguised as even healthy ingredients. This means it will affect EVEN more the way I shop.

Why not make my life easier by eating more foods closer to their natural state, eh?

Another plus to the book is that the authors have a HUGE list of recommendations for healthier alternatives for the more processed foods in stores. Now I know I can stick to just buying Newman's O's, Creme-Filled Chocolate Cookies even if they do cost a little more, it just means I will prevent from having any artificial ingredients into my life and body.

I think that is the biggest factor for folks. The desire is present but the excuse is that organic and healthier options are way to expensive, so why CHOOSE to buy the cheaper, full-of-fake-ingredients products? Better not to purchase anything at all. Better yet, make it at home!

New incentive for sure. I hope this has been eye-opening to anyone reading this because there is a food industry that is sure interested in SELLING unhealthy foods causing people major health issues.

Choose to be informed!

What to know more about Naturally Savvy? Like their page on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for more interesting facts and stories.

Raw Chocolate-Banana Chia Pudding and Sugar-Free Week #1

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:05:00 +0000

Hello beautiful Monday! This weekend went by so quickly but we enjoyed a nice stay in Holland for the weekend. Even though we had 2 sunny days, they were nippy and windy! Despite that we had this view:

Julianne and I enjoyed a 30 minute walk with blankets because despite the winds and cool air, I thought it important to take a lovely walk. We both enjoyed it a lot!

After I mentioned Friday that Julianne was almost on the verge of rolling, she finally rolled and now loves it! After I worked with her for 2 days, she rolled for her daddy after I walked out of the room. It was funny!

Something else I completed for this week was going fully sugar-free. I did not overdo it on fruit but when I wanted something sweet I would incorporate fruits and grains. It was most satisfying and it turned to be a wonderful week.

I expected to go through worse withdrawals. I believe I had nausea the first two days and maybe a slight headache but overall I cannot believe how incredibly easy it has been. My energy level is high and I am not having feelings of sadness and apathy nor did I feel anxious.

I also have to say that my clothing feels a little better. I do not actually know how much weight I lost but all I can say is that I have felt pretty great. Here is to week 2! Check out the pictures of the yummy sugar-free treats I have been posting on Instagram. If you are on there follow singerinkitchen!

One of the recipes I want to share is what I made last night. It was super easy and even my husband asked if he could have the second serving, wha??? Hey, sure thing baby! My babe is an ice cream man, so I am amazed when he wants to taste my creations. It was SO creamy, thick and delicious that I cannot wait to make it again. Enjoy this simple recipe1

Have you ever gone strictly sugar-free? How long?

Raw Chocolate-Banana Chia Pudding

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: raw breakfast dessert vegan vegetarian sugar-free low-carb wheat-free chia seeds bananas

Ingredients (2 servings)

2 ripe bananas
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/4 cup soaked pearled barley
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
2 Tablespoons PB2 powdered peanut butter
2 Tablespoons chia seeds

Instructions

Add all the ingredients except the chia seeds into a high powdered blender and blend until smooth.

*How to soak barley: Cover barley in water and soak for 2 hours or overnight in the fridge. Drain water and add to recipe.

Divide into two ramekins and stir into 1 Tablespoon of chia seeds into each ramekin. Place ramekins in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Chia seeds will expand and make this pudding-like.

Amazon.com Widgets

5 1/2 months and counting

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:38:00 +0000

Our little one has been growing SO quickly! I cannot believe that 6 months is approaching. As Ryan reminded me last night, "Hey, she has 10 days until she can eat real food!" Which meant Cheerios for him. More on that later!

Yes, I cannot believe we are approaching the time when we will shortly be introducing real food to our little girl. Her hands have been super active as she places every item she picks up in her mouth. Does it mean, though, that she wants to eat? No, of course not.

This past weekend I took Julianne to PF Changs to meet some friends and when my food arrived I almost lost the plate. She went towards the plate of vegetables and wanted in on everything mommy was doing.

Now I know how hard it is to hold a baby that is in the curious stage and to eat dinner.

What have we been enjoying lately? Walks! Even though I am trying to vary my exercise during the week, we do go walking now that it is starting to get nicer. I go to Zumba twice a week and Ryan takes Julianne for walks or he does errands with her.

She loves being in her Ergo and I think someone is also starting to be a Daddy's girl. Julianne seems to have gotten oujt of the stage of crying when she sees new people. Instead, she becomes bashful and hides her head in my neck. It is so CUTE!

Every time Ryan comes into a room she REALLY lights up. If she hears his voice, she stops what she is doing and turns around to see where he is. It truly melts my heart.

We recently were gifted an exersaucer, so Julianne seems to have been waiting for it. We promptly placed her in it and she started bouncing her little bum in it. We have been laughing with her and she gets super excited jumping up and down. She even figured out very quickly how to rotate around in her seat.

Julianne has not quite learned how to roll even though she has done it once all by herself. She went from tummy to back, then from back to tummy in order to get a toy. I try putting her on my tummy a lot so she continues to strengthen her neck but sometimes we get like this:

Hahaha. Cutie Patootie! I actually have been trying different things in order for her to start rolling. I feel like the play mats restrict from moving to the tummies but that is just my opinion over this past week. I love trying new things to see how she will start moving more. I am taking one day at a time and really just being patient.

I believe taking a break from sugar will help a lot of things. I will be writing about my experience soon and how it has already helped my moods and my stamina. It has been great for this working-at-home mommy.

What are your tips or tricks for staying more alert and energetic during the day?

BBQ Chickpea Burgers and Weekend celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:08:00 +0000

This was a lovely weekend for us. We enjoyed some sunshine, walks, great meals and some celebrations. I'll get to the celebration part in a second.

This weekend was the last weekend for our indoor Winter Farmer's Market located in the mall. I missed it last year and I almost missed going this year because I told myself I had too many cleaning duties. Well, forget that! I packed up my stuff and Julianne and I had our outing.

The farmer's market was lovely but small so we continued to walk around the mall for a little more exercise. We would have walked outside but it was strangely humid and terribly overcast. I wanted to protect Julianne from those rays!

The rest of our outing was spent buying groceries, buying a NEW brush at Ulta and checking out the NEWLY remodeled Target. It was hard not getting sucked into buying too many unnecessary items. HA, but now that it is a SUPER Target it is hard to get in and out as quickly as possible.

We returned home and I quickly took a shower and got ready for a big night. Why?

My husband has officially completed his doctoral degree in Choral Conducting. He defended his document and took his last test and well, that was cause for some celebrating!

We got dressed and headed to a fancy restaurant with some friends where we proceeded to have a lovely time over delicious food and wine. I think the best part was trying to share this lovely carrot cake:

Sorry babe! Phone pics kinda stick inside this place!

We definitely had leftovers! Overall, we had a lovely weekend

Well, as promised, I have been meaning to post some savory posts. As of today, I am taking a 2 week sugar break. No baking, no icing, no taste testing. Yes, it will be hard and challenging but I desperately need to take a step back and analyze my intake.

Any one else taking a sugar break?

This is nothing new in everyday life but after reading this ARTICLE I knew I needed to take a break. With that said, here is a yummy lunch option I prepared inspired by several recipes. It was delicious even when I made mine a double decker!

Do you have a FAVORITE veggie burger recipe?

BBQ Chickpea Burgers

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Keywords: grill lunch sandwich vegan chickpeas

adapated from http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/03/bbq-cheddar-chickpea-burgers/

Ingredients (4 patties)

1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup asparagus stalks
1 medium-sized peeled carrot, chopped
1/4 cup red pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 Tablespoons barbeque sauce + more for topping
1 teaspoon maple syrup
4 Tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/8 teaspoon onion powder

Assembly

Sandwich thins or Ezekiel Bread
4 romaine leaves
8 tomato slices
red onion slices
banana peppers
BBQ sauce

Instructions

In your food processor, add asparagus, carrot, red pepper, garlic, and red onions pulsing until chopped very finely. Add chickpeas, BBQ sauce, maple syrup, flour, salt, pepper, paprika and onion powder. Process and pulse until completely combined but not pureed. Carefully remove from processor bowl and form into 4 burgers. If you feel that your burgers and somewhat delicate, refrigerate for about 30 minutes. ( I just formed the burgers and cooked them as is)

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Once hot, add burgers to the skillet and cook on each side until golden brown and crispy on the outsides, about 5 minutes. Be gentle when flipping and removing burgers so they don’t crack or fall apart. Serve on sandwich thins with lettuce, onions, banana peppers, tomatoes and more BBQ sauce.

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

So have I been making too many desserts lately?

No, don't answer that.

No, really, don't. What can I say? Desserts are my favorite course to make and even though I will be taking a break here in the next few weeks, I will be planning my dessert recipe.

Ever since I saw Katie's recipe for her little Coconut Cookie Chicks, I knew I had to try her recipe. I have never actually ever made regular macaroons even though I have had regular egg white-ladened macaroons before.

I actually had enough unsweetened coconut to make this recipe. The beauty of this recipe is that it calls for so little ingredients. I had all the ingredients in my pantry and I could not wait to make them.

I adapted her recipe a tad because even after following her instructions the mixture did not thicken as stated. I had to add one more tablespoon of coconut flour, so perhaps it did depend on the type of flour that was originally used even though it was stated that I could use any type of flour.

I decided to use coconut flour since the recipe had coconut flakes and coconut milk.

Now if you have been reading my blog for a while you know I post a lot of recipes with chocolate so I HAD to dip these beauties in DARK chocolate.

One of my favorite chocolate bars is Equal Exchange's 71% Dark Chocolate which is vegan. I melted it in a glass bowl over hot water and then dipped the cooled macaroons.

Something else I did differently was cool these macaroons a little further by placing them in the fridge. Trust me. You need to do this. Not only are they tasty but as you dip them into the chocolate, the chocolate will set much quicker.

After I dip them I place them on a cookie sheet to finish cooling and then place them in an air-tight container separating each level with wax paper.

I am sad to report that I only have one left in the fridge and I hope my hubby does not get to it before I do.

We'll see! Thanks Katie for a lovely recipe!

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: bake cook dessert gluten-free vegan coconut

Ingredients (14 macaroons)

1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
2 Tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
tiny bit over 1/16 tsp salt
3.5 ounces 71% dark chocolate (I used Equal Exchange chocolate bar which is vegan)

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and cook on the stovetop until it’s firm enough to scoop out in ball shapes. I added an additional Tablespoon flour to help bind. There was still too much liquid.

Scoop 1-2 Tablespoons on a cookie tray, forming in small mounds. Cook at 350 F for 14-16 minutes. Let cool before removing from tray. Makes 14 macaroons. I refrigerated them to harden them more.

Melt chocolate in the microwave for a minute in high heat or over a hot water bath.

Once the macaroons are cooled, I dipped each macaroon into the melted chocolate and place on a cookie sheet.

These are so delicious cooled in the fridge.

Mini Pumpkin Scones with Coconut Glaze

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:00:00 +0000

It is Secret Recipe Club time and boy do I have a treat for you!

This time around I was assigned to make something from Sweet Beginnings, the home to sweets, treats, and home cooked meals. Jaida, the creator of the blog, really likes to cook, bake and peruse blogs. There are many recipes to choose from, so when I saw the recipe for pumpkin scones I knew I had to make it.

Some of you might remember but I chose a pumpkin recipe last month called Pumpkin Spice Cake with Maple Cinnamon Glaze. I shared with you how much I like pumpkin and well I simply had to chose another pumpkin recipe this month.

No worries. I promise I won't choose another pumpkin recipe next month. Wait. Should I make that promise???

So, back to the scones. Am I the only one that likes Starbucks Pumpkin Scones? I usually have one when they are in season but other times I just wish I had time to make my own.

Do you ever feel guilty having purchased a huge baked good, wishing you had a good friend by you so that you could split with them? HA ha ha ha, yeah no. Me neither, but I decided to change this recipe a bit.

Pumpkin Scones made into mini scones. There is something to be said when baked goods are made smaller. You can eat more and not feel so sad that once you eat the regular size goodie that you can't go back for more.

This was a simple recipe and very quick to make. I adapted and veganized Jaida's Pumpkin Scone recipe and instead of 12 large scones, the mini scone recipe made 36 mini scones. If I remember correctly, my husband was out of town and after I put the baby to sleep, I decided to take advantage of some baking time, seeing that I had had a busy day with the baby.

I prepare the scones, cut them up, bake them, and cool them and BAM, the baby starts crying! The baby never wakes up an hour and a half after going to bed. I go in give her the pacifier and walk out.

I make the glaze and let it cool. I remove the scones from the oven and BAM, again, the baby wakes up. Whoa. What is going on?

Either way, I am happy I got these cuties out of the oven but they had to wait to be glazed the next morning. I did enjoy 3 or 4 of these before going to bed. I ended up going to bed early and bringing the baby with me. I think she missed her daddy.

Anyway, the coconut glaze is totally optional for this recipe, but it is a nice touch for those of you who like some more sweetness to their scones. My husband usually does not like scones because they are either too try or not sweet. Oh well.

These were great and delicious and MINI! They go well with some morning coffee and nothing else.

Thanks Jaida for posting this lovely recipe!

Mini Pumpkin Scones with Coconut Glaze

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 11-12 minutes

Keywords: bake brunch breakfast dessert snack soy-free vegan pumpkin

Ingredients (36 mini scones)

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
6 Tablespoons coconut oil
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
3 Tablespoons So Delicious coconut creamer
1 flax "egg" { 1 Tbsp flax seed meal plus 3 Tbsp water}

For glaze

1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
4 Tablespoons coconut milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and ginger in a large bowl. Use a fork to cut the coconut oil into the dry ingredients until mixture is crumbly.

Mix the flax seed meal and water together and set aside for 3 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, coconut cream, and flax egg. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, and form the dough into a ball. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1/2-inch thick rectangle about 3 times as long as wide. Cut the rectangle in 3 strips.

Cut each strip in alternating triangles, cutting in diagonals. Each strip will have 12 triangles totaling 36 pieces.
Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes, or until light brown. Place on wire rack to cool.

Glaze can be optional. They are so delicious on their own.

Prepare the glaze while the scones are cooking. Brush each scone with some coconut glaze. Allow to dry before storing.

For glaze

In a small saucepan, mix the milk and sugar and heat until dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil for 5 minutes and until sugar is completely melted. Set aside to cool.

PB Crave Peanut Butter winner

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 03:17:00 +0000

I did say I was going to announce the winner today right?? I am 50 minutes away from it being a new day and hear I get a chance to post the winner for the giveaway from earlier this week.

Thanks to all who entered. Remember if you did not win, you can order these yummy peanut butters with FREE shipping until May 6th. Go to PB Crave's SHOP and select what you want and then enter this code:

singerFS

So who won the giveaway? Kristina @Whipped. She has lovely recipes and a great site. Go check her site! Kristina, email me your address so the company can send you the goodies and so that I can get that cupcake corer to you. Thanks for entering!

Have a blessed weekend folks. Keep in mind that Easter is about the risen Savior, Jesus Christ, and not about bunnies, Easter baskets, and dyed eggs. It is not another holiday to celebrate food or trivialities, but about the reason we live and why we, as human beings, were created to do; to thank God for sending His Son to die for our sins.

Quick and Easy Stuffed Grape Leaves

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

I know I have not had a chance to post savory recipes like I have been in the past but it almost feels like I hardly have time to post them! What has this mother been making? Well, I have been forced to prepare foods the night before so that Ryan and I could both eat the next day. Lately, I have had a hankering for Mediterranean food but I have not had time to make even hummus! How sad is that?

Look at this cute face I get to watch over all day!

Even so, I know I need to make healthy quick lunches or even dinner. When it comes to Mediterranean, I enjoy chickpeas a lot but I am usually the only one that likes them at home. Ryan likes hummus but, like he told me tonight, he likes hummus to taste like oil. Whaaaa??? He totally does not like the flavor of chickpeas. Silly silly.

Oil has too many calories honey! Anyway, every time he goes off to his weekly night meetings I take advantage of preparing something he would not normally eat. Tonight I felt like eating stuffed grape leaves but I was not going to buy them from my local restaurant. I wanted to make them!

After I got home from over an hour walking the mall with Julianne, at almost 7pm, I knew I was NOT going to make the recipe that I had laid out on the counter. I was SO disappointed and I STILL was not going to order out. What to do?

Grape leaves normally cook in boiling water and then they are doused in olive oil and lemon juice. I did not have an hour or more for this process. I took out my jar of grape leaves in brine and took out about 10 leaves and soaked them in hot water for 10 minutes. I drained and dried them and set them aside. Luckily I had already prepared my brown rice before leaving for our walk.

Next, I took a 1/2 cup of cooked brown rice and mixed it with a 1/2 cup of canned chickpeas. I added lemon juice, minced garlic, dill, red onion, sea salt and chopped tomatoes and mixed well. I divided the mixture between the ten grape leaves. I rolled them and ate them. All this took 15 minutes! SCORE! I drizzled a little olive oil.

What were these like? Well, they were like Mediterranean tacos if I say so. They were quick, easy, and delicious. I am so happy I made them. I was so satisfied and hope to make these again this week.

Try them and let me know what you think.

Quick Stuffed Grape Leaves

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Keywords: lunch entree gluten-free low-carb vegan grape leaves chickpeas Mediterranean

Ingredients (10 stuffed grape leaves)

1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/2 cup chickpeas, canned or cooked
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons dill
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
10 grape leaves, from a glass jar in brine

Instructions

Grape Leaves

Rinse the grape leaves and pour hot water over the leaves. Let the water sit for 10 minutes. Then drain the water, and dry each leaf. Separate each leaf on a bamboo board.

Filling

Cook rice according to packaged directions. Add rice warm or hot to a bowl and mix all the ingredients in a medium bowl.

Assembly

Add 2 Tablespoons to the center of each grape leaf. Fold the sides of each leaf and then the roll the leaf to look like a cigar. You can also leave open like a hand roll or a taco.

Eat immediately with a side of hummus, tahini sauce, or simply drizzle with a little of olive oil.

Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Raspberry Peanut Butter Icing and GIVEAWAY

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:00:00 +0000

How did this weekend fly by? I was not ready to start a new week but here it is, April, and well, might as well embrace it.

I got to do a lot of baking this past weekend and even created a recipe! It has been a chocolate-themed weekend for sure.

I recently was given the opportunity to review some peanut butter. I have been enjoying eating it with Fuji apples, carrots, and pretzels for my snacks or even my lunch.

Have you heard of PB Crave? It is peanut butter with a twist and unfortunately it is not vegan because it uses milk products in 3 of its flavors and honey in all 4 flavors. Either way, I was glad to be able to taste and review this product because the company has created a great cause.

Curt's Peanut Butter Company, based in Minnesota, creates 4 unique peanut butter flavors with premium ingredients.

Choco Choco Peanut Butter--made with sweet and dark chocolate

CoCo Bananas Peanut Butter--made with dark chocolate and banana flavor

Razzle Dazzle Peanut Butter--made with white and dark chocolate and raspberry flavors

Cookie Nookie Peanut Butter--made with chocolate chips and cookie dough flavor

All their peanut butters are made with palm oil, peanuts, and cocoa butter and their chocolate is Belgium chocolate too! While I have had 2 weeks to savor these flavors I only liked 2 of them.

The Razzle Dazzle and the Choco Choco flavors were by far my favorites. The Cookie Nookie and CoCo Bananas flavoring did not appeal to me. The blend of flavors was nice but it was not my favorite even though I like bananas and all.

Did you know that with every bottle the company sells that 2% of the proceeds go a non-profit organization called Project Peanut Butter that focuses on treating malnourished children.

I plan to continue purchasing the flavors that I enjoyed. I even created a recipe using the Razzle Dazzle peanut butter too. Feel free to substitute your favorite vegan peanut butter to make this recipe vegan.

The cupcake is vegan but the frosting is not. I made 26 cupcakes and took it to a party with more than 10 kids and they all liked it!

The process was fun because I finally got to use my cupcake corer. I had been hand carving my own cores when preparing cupcakes that I caved in and finally bought one. Ha! They are fun and easy to use too!

Thanks PB Crave for letting me have a chance to review your yummy products!

Chocolate Cupcakes with White Chocolate Raspberry Peanut Butter Icing

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 45-60 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate peanut butter cupcakes

Ingredients (26 cupcakes)

Chocolate Cupcakes

2 cups So Delicious coconut milk
2/3 cups vegetable oil
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Icing

1 cup PB Crave White Chocolate Raspberry Peanut Butter ( or vegan peanut butter)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 sticks Earth Balance margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 Tablespoons So Delicious coconut milk

Instructions

For Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350. Use regular cupcake tins and line with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar let it sit for 3-5 minutes until it curdles like buttermilk. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract.

Now add the wet ingredients to the dry and stirring with a spoon, fold and mix together until the batter is fairly smooth--a few dry spots will be okay--you don't want to over mix--thus the spoon technique. Use a 1/4 measuring cup for smaller--either way, fill the cupcake holders to 1/2 full.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cool completely for about 45 minutes. Prepare icing.

For Icing

In a mixer, add the peanut butter and margarine and whip until combined. Sift the powdered sugar and add the coconut milk and vanilla extract. Mix until all ingredients are combined well and smooth.

Assembly

Using a cupcake corer or a serrated knife, make a hole midway into the center of the cupcake. Add half the icing into a pastry bag and add 1-2 Tablespoons to the center of the cupcake. Add the cupcake center on top of the icing.

Ice each cupcake with 2-3 Tablespoons of icing using a flat icing knife or spoon. Top with one chocolate cup for decoration.

*note* To make recipe vegan, use vegan peanut butter. This PB Crave product contains honey.

I FORGOT the giveaway friends!

ONE person (US Reader) will win

A PB Crave Natural Peanut Butter Variety Pack (3 pack / 16 ounce jars) given by the company:

1 CoCo Banana

1 Cookie Nookie

1 Razzle Dazzle

and

I will throw in one of those CUPCAKE Corer

What are the ways to enter?

Just tell me which flavor you would love to taste! (mandatory)

extra entries: (leave a comment for each)

Follow Opera Singer in the Kitchen on Twitter and Facebook
Follow PB Crave on Twitter and Facebook
Tweet giveaway "Artisan crafted peanut butters--Enter for a chance to win a 3 pack & a cupcake corer #giveaway http://bit.ly/HDc0MW"

Make sure you leave your email address so I can contact you!

If you can't wait to try these peanut butters, order them with FREE SHIPPING, just use this code:

singerFS

This code is only valid until May 2nd and this code becomes active tonight at 6pm central

You have until THURSDAY, April 5th midnight EST to enter

Chocolate Stout Brownies

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 04:54:00 +0000

I finally got a recipe in this week! Yay for this busy mama....I am totally not being sarcastic.

I've been doing a lot of cooking, but the blogging and writing has been really hard especially this week.

Julianne has pulled a different card on us these last 3 weeks and it got a little challenging last night. Perhaps it is a growth spurt or maybe teething but hey, am I supposed to know all the signs now?

As a new mom, I know that I probably know my daughter the best but lately I feel like she knows me too well. For the last 3 weeks she simply refuses to sleep in her crib, so this means that while I work, I am either holding her, having her sleep on my boppy on my lap, or she is sleeping the Moby wrap or Ergo carrier.

Sigh. I feel so bad for my daughter, but I believe she is going through separation anxiety. I have read about it. I understand it completely.She loves feeling the warmth of my hand as she grabs it and holds it with all her might.

I simply cannot know what a baby feels but it really does break my heart. I constantly give her kisses and hugs and tell her how much mama and dadda love her.

As I held her last night, after she really could not sleep at around 4 am, I remember carrying her in my womb. I really feel blessed to have carried her for more than 9 months, and I almost miss being pregnant. I too go through separation anxiety especially since we have had to have an occasional babysitter. It has been hard not to have family around, to really have people you know you can trust.

So, I lean not on the sleepless nights or cranky mornings because I know it is for a time. As I hear my baby girl call out my name (ama) from her crib now at midnight, I know this is a gift I have been given and much is required of me. How will I respond? Taking it one day at a time.

So why am I talking about my life when we have chocolate before our eyes? Well, talking about my week and my life as a new mom helps me as much as baking as well.

This past week I was asked a few baked goods to a reunion party and I decided to make my Rocky Road Bars and a new recipe I stumbled upon last week: Chocolate Stout Brownies

Yes. You might be asking yourself why I made these seeing that St. Patty's is over, but hey, what can I say? I did not get to make anything during that time so I am making up for it, besides, I had a bottle of a double chocolate stout in my fridge and it was calling my name.

While I do claim these as vegan, the only thing that really does not make it vegan is the beer. I photographed the brownies with Guinness, which is not vegan, but in fact I used a double chocolate stout that is also not vegan. Oh, well! If you are hardcore vegan you can find yourself some vegan beer and make these.

These brownies are so fudgy and decadent that I decided to cut them in 16 squares instead of 9 large squares. Do it. You'll thank me and you;ll be proud of how disciplined you are. Yes, that you only had one small square.

Do you enjoy that occasional piece of dark chocolate?

I know I do and this is that one square plus a little more! The espresso granules give the brownies depth and the coconut oil a little tropical flavor, while the stout give it a rich flavor.

Have I tempted you enough? Make it for your next party and I bet you'll it will be a hit.

It's chocolate! Enough said.

Chocolate Stout Brownies

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert vegan chocolate

Ingredients (Yields one 9×9 pan --16 small)

Brownies

3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon flax, ground
1 cup stout
1 3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
6 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 Tablespoons So Delicious coconut milk

Stout Glaze

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup reduced stout
2 tablespoons coconut oil

Instructions

Place your oven rack on it’s lowest position and preheat your oven to 350F.

For the Brownies

Line an 9 x 9 inch glass baking dish with parchment paper allowing excess parchment paper on opposite sides so you can pull the brownies out of the baking dish later.

Bring stout to a boil in a medium sauce- pan; cook until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 12 minutes. Let cool. Reserve 1/4 cup stout for the glaze.

Stir 2 ounces chocolate and coconut oil in a medium glass bowl and place in microwave. Set for 1 minute on high. Stir mixture until well mixed.

In a small mixing bowl whisk together the water and flax meal. Let it sit for about 3 minutes so it can set.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, espresso, vanilla, 1/4 cup of the reduced stout, coconut milk, flax mixture and melted chocolate mixture, mix until smooth and combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined. The mixture will become extremely thick.

Spread mixture with a spatula into the glass pan. Bake for 30 minutes and no more. This will be a decadent and fudgy.

Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Prepare the glaze.

For the Glaze

Stir remaining 4 ounces chocolate and coconut oil in a small glass bowl and melt in the microwave for 45 seconds. Add reserved 1/4 cup reduced stout and mix with a whisk until all combined.

Pour warm glaze over brownies. Let stand at room temperature until glaze is set, about 40 minutes or overnight.

Weekend Highlights

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0000

I told my husband I was going to bed at 10:30pm but here I am writing a quick post to be ready for Monday morning. I realized tonight that I was not able to post a lot this past week because we were so busy.

Some exciting things happened as well this past week that I plan to continue doing in the upcoming weeks. I went on a nice walk with a Russian gal and her 9 month son. It was not quite a play date but more of a let's- take-ourselves-on-a-walk kind of date. It was lots of fun and very hot.

Julianne has been a dear these past 2 weeks. She has been quite verbal with shrieking noises and exclamatory screeching sounds that I fear our neighbors will be disturbed but oh well, they know we have a little one. I believe she has been teething somewhat so we have tried having her chew on different toys in order to soothe her pain. I believe she is getting cuter by the day!

It has been a challenge getting Julianne to play on her tummy but I am not worrying because the time will come when she will enjoy it. As I was working this past week I noticed her roll from her back to her tummy for the first time! I love talking to her and telling her what a great job she is doing. She coos and smiles like she understands me and I take it all in.

I have put away a lot of Julianne's clothing away...sniff....sniff. She is already wearing 6 month clothing because she is pretty snug in her 3-6 month clothing. Here I wake up daily thinking my child is not growing and I constantly have to be changing her out of clothing because it no longer fits. My little one is getting so big.

Something else that was pretty exciting this past weekend were my TWO singing gigs. Yes, after almost 5 months after giving birth to my precious baby, I am back performing and in a better way.

On Friday night I participated in a concert called The Great Showstoppers with 15 or so singers from the group we belong to in Holland, MI. We all wore our fancy dresses and went on stage to perform our numbers. I have to say that this was the first time I have not felt jittery with nerves.

I first started with Un bel di, vedremo from Madama Butterfly. I quickly got into character after leaving my poor baby crying with my husband in the nursery next to the room where we were performing. I was VERY scared that I was not going to be able to concentrate knowing that Julianne was refusing to go to sleep at her normal hour. Anyway, I got on stage and I decided to perform and sing, and boy did I feel great about it! I walked off stage with a tear in my eye. Note to self: having to much emotion can mess up the way one sings a piece but if done correctly it is fine.

We had intermission, so I went to check on Ryan and Julianne. Little did I know that she had been shrieking for a while and Ryan had to move her to another room in the nursery. Baby girl sure knew that mama was doing something else other than being at home hanging out with her daddy. I felt so bad that she did not want to go to sleep but she WAS asleep finally when I checked on her during intermission. I picked her up and placed her in the pack n'play so she could be a lot more comfortable.

That was my true test as a professional. Do I blow off performing and singing to take care of a baby who refuses to sleep like she always does, or do I trust that my husband or anyone taking care of her will be able to handle and take care of her? Yes, it was hard but at the end I know it will get easier for both Julianne and myself.

Intermission was over my next number was a duet. The flower duet from Lakme' went really well and it was nice singing with a rich sounding mezzo. It was also lots of fun singing in 2 different languages too.

I will be sharing the recordings soon after my husband sends them to me. I cannot wait to hear how it sounded. All I know is that I got lots of people coming up afterwards telling me how I made them cry. Really? Yay!!! I know, I know, it does not sounds nice, but I thank God for the gift of singing so I can share my passion and delight to other people. Stay tuned!

What did you do on your weekend? Anything fun?

Vegan Chocolate Matcha Bundt Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:49:00 +0000

Are you tired of seeing bundt cakes? They are so many different types of recipes that I seem to not be able to escape them.

My posting is a little on the slow side this week. I am really not trying to stress about all the music I need to learn. Well, actually, I am not stressed, it just feels like I have a lot on my plate but it is doable.

When do I practice my music? Well, the baby goes to sleep around 7 or 8pm and then we eat dinner and watch a little something and then I practice from 9:30pm to 11pm or even midnight, like I did last night.

I know I should be in bed but when I know how much there is to do I simply cannot go to sleep.

This past weekend we got to spend some time with friends who recently moved away. It was sad because our babies are so close in age, like 2 days apart! My friend also has a little girl in addition to her little boy and she wanted to hold her this weekend. How cute is this?

Sigh....babies!

Anyway....we had lunch with them after our church service and I was in charge of dessert. Remember when I said I only make dessert when we are going somewhere? Well, I had to choose wisely cause you know this girl likes her dessert.

When I saw a recipe on Bakerella's site from 2009, I wondered why I had not seen it before. I am big on chocolate and on green tea, but adding the two together? Yes please.

Anyone use matcha before? Matcha equals finely ground green tea. When I lived back in Houston I would go to Jamba Juice OFTEN and order a smoothie with vanilla soy milk, matcha, and protein powder after a workout and be so energetic. Why?

Matcha is an energy booster, a calorie burner, and full of antioxidants to say the least.

Add a tablespoon to your smoothie and tell me how you feel the next day or even during the day. I purchased my bag from the local Asian market, which is SO much cheaper than buying it at some fancy tea place.

How did it taste in this cake? Well, even though the powder is light green, it did not come across as a vibrant green in my cake. I wondered if it had to do with the fact that I used non-dairy milk as opposed to regular milk, but then I wonder if the originator used green food coloring. Hmmm.

The process and preparation was fun. Swirling two cake batters is always fun and different. The finished product looks pretty rad too!

This was a moist cake with chocolate undertones and a bit of tea flavoring, not to much. If you want to make the green come out more..add some NATURAL green coloring.

I am glad I got to make this and I hope you find an excuse to make it too!

Chocolate Matcha Bundt Cake

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 50-55 minutes

Ingredients (12-16 slices)

adapted from Bakerella's recipe

Chocolate Mixture

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Matcha mixture

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons matcha powder (green tea powder)
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

2 1/2 cups vegan sugar
1/2 cup Earth Balance Coconut Spread, melted
3 Tablespoons flax seed meal
9 Tablespoons water
1 3/4 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan.

With a wire whisk, mix the dry ingredients for the chocolate mixture in a small bowl and set aside.

In another small bowl, do the same for the matcha mixture.

Using a mixer, cream the coconut spread and sugar. Mix the flax seed meal and water together and set aside for 3 minutes. In a medium bowl mix the coconut milk and apple cider vinegar together. (This makes a vegan "buttermilk") Add the flax mixture to the coconut milk and vanilla and mix until thoroughly combined.

Divide the creamed mixture evenly in two separate bowls.

Slowly add the chocolate mixture to one half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.

Then, add the matcha mixture to the other half of the creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.

Drop alternating spoonfuls of each mixture into the bundt pan until it’s about 3/4 full.

For a marbled effect, gently run a knife through the two batters in a swirling motion.

Bake for about 50-55 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

So Delicious Product Winners!

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Hope you all had a great weekend. We soaked up a lot of sunshine and enjoyed our weekend. Even though it went by fast we are happy we had what we had.

Now to the winners of this nice giveaway. Each winner gets a coupon for a FREE So Delicious product of their choice, so hopefully you all will wait to try the Almond Plus Milk products.

If you would like to try them you can sign up to receive coupons HERE.

Here are the 5 winners. Please email me your mailing address. Please respond by Wednesday. If I do not hear from everyone by then I will be picking another winner.

Thanks to all 150 entries! Until next time...go out and try this product.

Mama J--I am most excited about Cherry Amaretto .... YUM!

ThymeX--Cherry Amaretto sounds yummy

Danielle--I can't wait to try all the flavors! I think the Cherry Amaretto sounds fantastic!

Ashlei--The cherry amaretto is the one I want to try the most!

Bethany S.--I love adding chocolate chips to Cherry Amaretto flavor to make it more like a cherry cordial!

Almond Quinoa Hot Cereal

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 15:04:00 +0000

Happy Thursday folks!

I am so glad to the weekend in the horizon because I am in dire need of some downtime with my family. We have one little fussy baby on our hands and sleep has been quite erratic especially during the day time. My husband is finishing his dissertation so he is up to 3 or 4 am so I will be glad to see him sleep a little more after he turns in his work tomorrow. What a sigh of relief right? I always find that our weekends are for catching up on sleep so here is to this weekend.

After the baby goes to sleep around 8pm, our evenings are spent watching an episode of a favorite show then in recent evenings it is mostly focused on learning music. What am I learning music for? If anyone in West Michigan is interested, our Holland Chorale is holding a concert called The Great Showstoppers featuring an array of soloists and ensemble groups performing show tunes and works from operas.I actually have been having lots of fun just making myself spend more time with music since having the baby. It is relaxing and therapeutic.

You know what also has been helping? Having good meals during the day. One of my favorite go-to breakfasts, that my husband simply will not touch, is breakfast cereal made with quinoa.

Several weeks back, on my birthday weekend, I bought some tricolor quinoa from Trader Joes because it looked so exciting! I have only had white or red but never black or a mixture so I was glad to make that purchase.

Picture from 52KitchenAdventures

You know what I also purchased from there? This bottle of fig butter. I talked about it on my Facebook page several days back and raved about it because it is just about delicious on everything. I added it to my quinoa cereal and I added it to a toasted slice of Ezekiel toast with some Earth Balance smeared on it. YUM!

Here is how I used my tricolor quinoa. I added some of So Delicious Almond Plus Milk that has 5 grams of protein per serving so a bowl of this cereal packs some big protein.

Did I mention that this breakfast is super filling??? Try it soon.

Remember, tomorrow is the last day to enter the So Delicious Giveaway so if you want to try it in this cereal, enter now. :-)

Almond Quinoa Hot Cereal

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Keywords: cook breakfast soy-free vegan vegetarian gluten-free quinoa

Ingredients (three 1 cup servings)

1 cup tricolor or any other color quinoa
1 cup So Delicious Almond Plus Milk
1 cup water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 banana, sliced
3 Tablespoons fig butter (optional)
4 Tablespoons coconut palm sugar (optional)

Instructions

Rinse the quinoa under cold water and drain.

Add the quinoa in a small pot and cover with almond milk and water. Stir in the cinnamon and vanilla extract.

Cook cereal for 25 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed the liquid. Once it is cooked, add the sliced bananas, almonds and fig butter.

(The Almond Milk was sweetened so I really did not need the sweetener especially with a banana but you can add the sugar if wanted)

So Delicious Almond Plus Milk Review and Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 12:41:00 +0000

What a way to start Monday, eh? I look at this stash I got a few weeks ago and I can't believe that I am seeing it, even now.

So Delicious contacted me several weeks ago asking me if I would like to sample their new products made with almond milk and I immediately said yes.

If you do not know already, Turtle Mountain, the company that makes So Delicious coconut products and soy products, just came out with a new line of almond products

Here is the list of the products that will be rolling out next month:

Almond Plus Milk: unsweetened, original, and vanilla
Almond Milk ice cream

Mocha Almond Fudge
Mint Chip
Butter Pecan
Cherry Amaretto
Chocolate
Cookies N'Cream
Vanilla
Mocha Almond Fudge Mini Bars
Chocolate-Covered Vanilla Mini Bars
Vanilla Mini Sandwiches

I was surprised with almost every flavor and am happy to report that this line of products are delicious!

What is so special about this new almond products? I mean are there not so many other companies out there that already have options for us non-dairy drinkers? Yes, but there is something different that So Delicious has offered with their milk beverages.

Protein.

Yes, the ever infamous protein. The one thing that so many people are concerned (mainly vegetarians and vegans) when it comes to intake.

So Delicious has created a milk beverage that provides 5 grams of dairy-free and soy-free protein with every serving. It also has 1/3 less sugar than a glass of skim milk.

The protein is derived from a blend of pea and rice protein which delivers a perfect balance of all nine essential amino acids.

So Delicious is the first to offer an almond milk with a protein boost! How about that?

The Almond Plus Milk scored really high in our home. I am pretty much to only non-dairy drinker at home but even so, my husband wanted to sample the products since he has on occasion tried my coconut milks and ice creams.

We have had the Almond Milk with oatmeal, quinoa and other breakfast items. I have even added it to my coffee. My husband stated that he really liked the flavor and that there was no real aftertaste like the other milks he has tasted.

Thumbs up!

Here is a snippet on each ice cream I was able to try.

The vanilla almond ice cream was creamy but I was not particularly wild about the aftertaste. It was pretty much the only flavor I was not happy with but when I added it with some dark ale, it made a nice float, how about that?

The Butter Pecan was VERY tasty. I like the pecan pieces in every bite and the blend of flavors are perfect. Buttery goodness. It would be perfect in a Peanut Butter cookie or in a Whoopie Pie recipe.

Who can go wrong with the Chocolate flavor? This definitely was VERY good and rich in flavor. It was the perfect dark chocolate that I like and I liked the caloric value for every serving.

Cherries. One of my favorite fruits. Cherry Amaretto flavor is great in the coconut milk ice cream and I like it just as much made with almond milk. Even though you can taste the coconut flavors in the ice cream version, I believe it is hard for ME to pick a favorite for this flavor. Both are great!

The Mocha Almond Fudge was my FAVORITE bar and ice cream flavor. The mocha crunch was so good that I was sad to see the last bar go in this box. My husband had one and he REALLY liked the blend of flavors as well as the fact that there was no strange aftertaste.

Look at this creamy goodness!

Overall folks, I like the almond products and I am glad that I will have an alternative to the coconut products, but I am partial. I really like the coconut products and treats. :-)

The calorie value is definitely lower with the almond treats so this will have some impact in my consumption. How about alternating every night with the almond products? Oh yes I will!

I have been asked if I would post the ingredients for these products but I will just give you a link because So Delicious has it posted now. Every flavor has a link to the company's website, so click on the nutrition info and it will list the ingredients for each flavor.

Do you want to try this product?

FIVE lucky readers will have a chance to try a new product. If you simply cannot wait, go HERE and fill out a form to receive coupons.

ENTER NOW: (leave a comment for each)

1. Mandatory entry: "Which flavor tantalizes you the most?"

2. Like Opera Singer in the Kitchen on Facebook

3. Follow Opera Singer in the Kitchen on Twitter

4. Tweet the following message "I just entered to win @singerinkitchen @So_Delicious product giveaway http://bit.ly/xbBvEi #win #giveaway "

5. Follow Opera Singer in the Kitchen on Pinterest and pin the contest

6. Like So Delicious on Facebook

7. Follow So Delicious on Twitter

8. Follow So Delicious on Pinterest

9. Follow me on Google Connect or subscribe to my blog.

The giveaway will run until Friday, March 16th midnight, EST. I will announce the winners on Monday, March 19th.

The contest is only open to US readers.

I was not compensated for this review is solely based on my own opinions.

Play Date, Warm Weather and Naps

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:48:00 +0000

What a great weekend for us here. I always feel like I embrace my weekends because it is all about not working and spending time with the baby and the husband. It also means catching up on house work too!

Friday night was a go-out-to-eat-before-Noelle-gets-batty night. Sometimes my weeks feel like I spend too much time indoors so Ryan suggested we go out to eat and go for a walk after an early dinner. Unfortunately it did not happen because baby girl was very fussy and we had to return home. :-( I then claimed that Saturday was a new day and we would make up for it.

Have I mentioned that Julianne has stopped sleeping with a swaddle?? After countless times finding her with her busting out of her swaddle, I figured she was ready to be in a sleep sack. She has had several good nights of rest.

Saturday we got up and started our day and began to get prepared to go see a friend and her baby. This was probably Julianne's first play date and it was fun to experience it. My friend's son reached out his hand to touch Julianne and she just looked at me. Hahaha.

They both played well and I was really surprised that Julianne did not bust out crying even though she started tearing up here and there but I reassured her everything was fine.

After overstaying my visit, for 5 hours, we headed back home for a restful Saturday.

Julianne has been teething and so naps have been quite erratic. She just fights them constantly but when she finally goes down, she is happy. Last week she slept in my lap for an hour and a half!

Overall, she is such a happy baby, especially in the mornings and it is fun to play with her. All I know is that this time change is going to be super tough!

Sunday comes rolling around and we wake up realizing we have less than an hour to prep before heading to church. Did we make it? Yes we did! I feel like we are becoming super parents being able to head out so quickly even with a babe in tote.

We welcomed our Sunday nap with open arms. We lost an hour and I was feeling it by 11am. How sad, eh?

We slept for over 2 1/2 hours and we felt rested, don't you think? I think Julianne likes taking pictures. She is getting fussy trying to grab my phone when I start taking pictures. So cute!

The highlight of our Sunday was our hour walk. It was almost 70 degrees with wonderful sunshine so we ventured out for a stroll. This was Julianne's first stroll in her big girl stroller and she seemed to like it.

Her little giraffe keeps her company and I made sure that no random bugs came crawling on her. I only found one! Eeek!

After we came back from walking I realized her eyes were a little red.

Is it normal for a baby to suffer from allergies already????

Anyway, our weekend was wonderful and even though it will be challenging with the new time change, I am looking forward to lighter mornings.

How was everyone's weekend? Any fun go on?

Chilled Cranberry-Cherry Soup

noreply@blogger.com (Noelle) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:58:00 +0000

Wow where has this week gone by? I realized I have not posted since Monday but then I also realized I have been busy. :-)

My evenings are usually filled with chores that I have not completed during the day or with deadlines I must meet, for example, memorize all the music that I will be performing in the next 3-5 weeks. Eeek!

If you have not noticed, I have set up a new tab labeled "Schedule." Seeing that I am starting to perform a little more now that the baby is getting bigger I figured that those who follow and read my blog would be interested in what is going on in my life, professionally. I also will be adding more recordings under the separate tab labeled, "Watch and Listen." Go check out what I will be performing in a couple of weeks.

I have many recipes to post but I figure the time spent on getting things done around the house is a little more important even though blogging is relaxing.

Last week I was intrigued by Kitchen Play's Progressive Party sponsoring one of my favorite fruits, CHERRIES! Even though I have never participated I knew I had to try one of their recipes this time around.

Kitchen Play as stated on their site is "devoted to connecting food bloggers and PR professionals through sponsored events such as the Progressive Party, the SideCar Series, the Pampered Pantry and more. Participating bloggers are compensated for their work creating original recipes or reviewing products."

The Progressive Party includes posts by 6 bloggers who have created recipes with the sponsored product which then, Kitchen Play turns around and challenges readers to remake or recreate one of the dishes for chances to win a prize.

In February, Kitchen Play celebrated National Cherry Month which was sponsored by the Cherry Marketing Institute. I actually know them through Twitter and Facebook as Choose Cherries.

As I perused the recipes, I decided to recreate the Tart Cherry Soup created by Quyen at Kitchen Runway because growing up my grandmother would make chilled cherry soup for the holidays. I was always disappointed that we could not get the soup any other time so i decided I could make it for myself!

Instead of tart cherries I used frozen black cherries and unsweetened cranberry juice. I also decided to thicken it a little by using cornstarch or arrowroot powder. I left the red wine in it and added to some spices.

One of my favorite parts was subbing the sour cream dollop for some So Delicious coconut yogurt.

There was a delicious depth to this cold soup and I encourage you to try this recipe or Quyen's for that matter. It can act as an appetizer, dessert, or EVEN breakfast! :-)

Thanks for sponsoring a wonderful party Kitchen Play!

Chilled Cranberry-Cherry Soup

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (4 servings)

2 cups Dark Sweet Cherries
1 cup unsweetened 100% cranberry juice
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar (or other sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 Tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
8 Tablespoons So Delicious vanilla or plain coconut yogurt

Instructions

In a medium pot, gently whisk together tart cherry juice, red wine, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and lemon juice. Add frozen cherries. Heat over medium high heat until it comes to a boil for about 5-7 minutes.

Remove 1/4 cup of the liquid in a ramekin and add the 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Blend well. Add mixture back into the soup and let the soup boil for another 5 minutes.

Using an immersion blender or regular blender, blend the soup a little in order to keep some cherry chunks.

Remove the soup from the stove and allow to cool. Refrigerate over 4-6 hours or overnight.

When serving, divide into 4 bowls and dollop with 2 Tablespoons of coconut yogurt,

UPDATE: I have picked a winner for the Saucy Mama Gourmet Mustard giveaway lest you thought I forgot!

Thanks for your patience!

Blessedmama won the giveaway! Please email me your info so the company can send you the goodies.

blessedmama, 1Hi, I just found your blog, and I guess it's lucky that I did. Thank you for this giveaway. I'm vegan, so if any of these are vegan flavors, I'd pick any of them. Could you surprise me? I love mustard, too! And, those "fish" sticks look easy and tasty.

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1 CoCo Banana 1 Cookie Nookie 1 Razzle Dazzle and I will throw in one of those CUPCAKE Corer

Chocolate Stout Brownies

Weekend Highlights

Vegan Chocolate Matcha Bundt Cake

So Delicious Product Winners!

Almond Quinoa Hot Cereal

So Delicious Almond Plus Milk Review and Giveaway

Play Date, Warm Weather and Naps

Chilled Cranberry-Cherry Soup

1 CoCo Banana

1 Cookie Nookie

1 Razzle Dazzle

and

I will throw in one of those CUPCAKE Corer