Running out of food in the kitchen, I scrambled to find something delicious to eat for dinner. I spotted a lonely butternut squash sitting on the counter and quickly decided on a unique recipe for this soup.  The result was a pleasantly fresh tasting soup perfect for the end of winter.

Butternut Squash Recipe

1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped (1/2 inch pieces or smaller)

4 carrots, chopped (1/2 inch pieces or smaller)

2 Tbsp of finely minced ginger

100 ml of lite coconut milk

1/4 cup of cashews, ground

1/2 tsp salt

1. In a non-stick frying pan, put the carrots and squash in a 1/4 cup of water and simmer with a lid over the veggies.

2. Blend the coconut milk with ginger, cashews and about 1/2c of water until the liquid is smooth.

3. Add the liquid mixture into the frying pan with the vegetables and simmer until all the veggies are soft.

4. Pour the mixture in to a blender and blend until it is smooth...and salt or any alternative to taste.

Enjoy!

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The cool fall weather begs for warm foods and friendly company. Or is it friendly food and warm company...?

What better way to spend a Fall afternoon, than having buckwheat pancakes and an incredible topping of fruits. Perfect for brunch or a decedent snack. You can play around with this recipe and use a variety of seasonal fruits...we just bought a bushel of pears for $6 at a local farmers market...so keep your eyes out for deals! :)

Perfect <insert seasonal fruit> Compote

2 Tbsp Agave Nectar

1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract (just say 'NO' to artificial)

Dash of Nutmeg 

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

2 Smallish Pears

2 Ripe Peaches

Combine all the ingredients and simmer on the stove top until the fruits are soft. Add more sweetener if needed. Try not to add water or else you may dilute the flavour, if you have to use cider. 

Call over your best friends & enjoy! :)

  When you just need food in a hurry, there is nothing wrong with reaching in your freezer for some frozen veggies. I stock my freezer up with veggies for days when I just don't have the time or the desire to make foods from scratch. By just adding a few exotic Indian spices to a typically American staple, you'll have an exotic side dish to compliment your main dish.

Sweet and Spicy Chenai Corn
2 cups frozen or canned corn
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 Tbsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of onion powder
1/2 Tbsp canola oil
1 Tbsp of agave (or a sweetner of your choice)
salt and black pepper to taste

Lightly roast the cumin and mustard seeds in oil (you can also dry roast the spices) until you start hearing them sizzle. Then add the corn and  fry while adding the rest of the spices. Before serving, toss the corn with agave nectar or any other sweetener for help bring out the sweetness in the corn and give your taste buds something to enjoy!

I know it's easy to walk into a grocery store and look down a long aisle of various jams and jellys, but believe me, making your own is often healthier, more satisfying and oh so easy! I love to be able to experiment with a variety of spices and textures until I get the flavors just right.

Last night, I served this amazing marmalade over corn bread which just came out of the oven. It was delightful and I hope you enjoy it as much as we all did! :)

Recipe:
1 orange, flesh diced into 1/4 cubes
1 orange zest
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp vanilla
4-5 Tbsp agave nectar (or another sweetener to taste)
1 Tbsp of canola oil
pinch of sea salt

Heat the oil until it is warm (be careful to not overheat the oil). Then add the spices along with the orange zest and let the fragrances combine for about one minute. Then add in the diced orange, sweetener, and vanilla. Then stir the mixture until it starts to boil. After you see bubbles appearing, reduce the heat to a medium simmer and keep a lid over the pot, but slightly uncovered.  Cook this mixture down for 10-15 minutes depending on how chunky you'd like your marmalade to be. Let it cool for about 30 minutes or let it chill in the refrigerator until it is ready to serve. I'd suggest serving it with some freshly made corn bread...the combination is delicious!  :)

 How many times have you gone to a sushi restaurant, ordered sushi with tiny pieces of avocado and cucumber and just wanted more? Well, try this homemade sushi with the works and you'll never want to go to a sushi restaurant again!

My bro is a HUGE fan of sushi and we passed this sushi by him and even he couldn't resist. The next week he went home and taught himself to make sushi just so he could recreate this with lots of veggies and a lot of variations.  I'm not going to list out how to make sushi, because you can find lots of how to videos online...but what you won't see often is creativity with your sushi fillings. So here are some ideas for what to fill your sushi with:

Sushi Filling:
sliced avocados
sliced cucumbers
sliced and steamed or roasted sweet potatoes
finely sliced red peppers
sliced mangoes (my fav!)

This combo was amazing, but it's up to you to be creative. The touch of mango in the sushi added an exotic and unexpected flavor which I really loved......happy eating! :)

I just happened upon this wonderful soup which was inspired by a great cookbook (one of my favs) from the Toronto Vegetarian Association's Cookbook. Sweet potato is one of those super-foods which doctors say should be part of any healthy diet...so I like to include sweet potatoes in several meals throughout the week.

Here is this simple but hearty recipe...nice eaten by a warm fire and an adventurous book on the side!

African Sweet Potato Soup
1 large chopped jewelled yam (peeled and chopped)
2-3 chopped carrots
1/2 chopped onion
2-4 cups water (enough to cook the vegetable)
2-3 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp salt (optional)

Cook the soup for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft. Blend the veggies in a blender with the water from the soup until the soup is all smooth. Put the soup back in pot and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Add peanut butter at this time and any other spice which you think could jazz it up a bit...I just like it as is. Simple, creamy and so satisfying! :)