Vanilla & Spice

Cauliflower Pumpkin Mash

2014-10-09T10:38:00.000-04:00

Time still seems to be flying by for me lately, and somehow Canadian Thanksgiving has crept up so fast that it's only a few days away! I haven't even thought of any recipes or dishes that I could contribute to our family's meal this weekend, but I'm sure that it will be delicious no matter what!

I don't usually post side dish recipes on my blog because I tend to make one-dish meals for myself, but Thanksgiving for a vegetarian is the perfect opportunity to make a meal out of a bunch of side dishes, so I thought today's recipe would fit in perfectly with the upcoming holiday!

While I love regular mashed potatoes, I also like trying different versions of mashed vegetables, like this mashed rutabaga and this beet-parsnip mash I've made in the past.

This variation uses a mix of cauliflower and pureed pumpkin as the base of the mash, and since neither of those ingredients are particularly flavourful on their own, I added lots of extra herbs and spices like garlic, thyme, nutmeg, some cayenne for a bit of spice, and nutritional yeast to add a cheesy dimension.

I loved how fluffy and creamy this was, and while I was perfectly happy eating it on it's own, it also worked really well as a topping for thick and hearty slices of bread - I ate mine with my leftover pumpkin beer bread, which paired together nicely!

I hope my Canadian readers have a great long weekend filled with food, family, and relaxing! I plan on stuffing myself with veggies and pumpkin pie :)

Cauliflower Pumpkin Mash

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped

1 cup canned pureed pumpkin

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp plain yogurt (optional)

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp sea salt

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of cayenne (optional, for a spicier mash)

Ground pepper

Bring a medium pot of water (filled a couple of inches high) to a boil over medium-high heat. Place cauliflower pieces in a steamer basket and place the steamer in the pot. Steam, covered, for about 10 minutes, until cauliflower is tender. Remove from heat and let cool until safe to handle.

Place cauliflower and all remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until everything is pureed (you can leave it a bit chunky if you like). Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

Serve as a side dish or on top of toast.

Makes about 4 side servings

Pumpkin Amaranth Beer Bread

2014-10-02T11:06:00.000-04:00

Now that we're into October, I'm excited to share my first pumpkin recipe of the year with you! I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm one of those people who gets a bit obsessed with everything pumpkin related as soon as the weather starts getting cooler every year - I always look forward to pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, pumpkin scones and muffins, and pumpkin beer!

Last year, I made a variety of pumpkin based treats, but the one that didn't quite turn out was a pumpkin beer bread. I realized what my mistake was though (using a beer that was too strong and dark), so this year I was determined to try another beer bread.

I love beer bread because it's so simple to make, not to mention super fun watching the mixture bubble and fizz when you add the beer! I also like how versatile it is since it's like a cross between bread and a loaf cake - you can eat it plain or buttered, toasted or fresh, with savory or sweet toppings, as a side to soup or on its own for breakfast.

This particular recipe has lots of spices in it, a generous portion of pumpkin puree, and some maple syrup for a bit of sweetness to balance the bitterness of the beer. This time, I used a lighter blonde ale for the beer, but a light pumpkin beer would work really well too!

I also wanted to add a bit of texture to my loaf by mixing in a grain like quinoa or millet. Unfortunately, I didn't have either of those in my pantry, but I did have some amaranth so I decided to incorporate it instead. Rather than using it dry though, I popped the seeds first so that it puffed up like popcorn. If you've never tried popped amaranth before, there are some helpful tutorials on other blogs such as Edible Perspective.

The amaranth wasn't very noticeable in the baked loaf, but you could see some light speckles throughout and it added a hint of nutty flavour, not to mention a boost of nutrition since amaranth is high in protein, fiber, and vitamins.

I enjoyed most of this bread with Earth Balance coconut spread, but I also ate some with a delicious pumpkin mash which I'll be sharing on the blog next week!

Pumpkin Amaranth Beer Bread
Adapted from various sources, including Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes and Averie Cooks

1/4 cup dry amaranth grain (about 1 cup popped)

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup canned pureed pumpkin

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp molasses (I used blackstrap molasses)

1/2 tsp maple extract (optional, for more of a maple flavour)

12 oz bottle of light beer (I used a blonde ale)

Preheat oven to 375⁰F. Prepare a loaf pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper (optional) and spraying with cooking spray.

First, to pop the amaranth, place a medium sized pot on the stovetop over medium heat. Add a small amount of amaranth (about 1 tbsp) to the pot and heat until it starts to pop. Once it starts popping, cover pot with a lid and shake frequently until it stops popping. Immediately transfer popped amaranth to a bowl. Continue in small batches until all the amaranth has been popped. Note: You will likely need to throw out your first batch or two, as it won’t pop properly. Mine didn’t start going until the third attempt!

In a large bowl, add the flours, baking powder, spices, and salt. Whisk to mix thoroughly. Whisk in the popped amaranth.

In a separate bowl, stir together the pumpkin, maple syrup, oil, molasses, and maple extract. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir a few times. Pour in the beer and stir gently just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated.

Transfer mixture to the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Place in the preheated oven and bake for about 50-60 minutes (I baked mine for 60 minutes just to be sure it was cooked all the way through – this could depend on your oven and the size of your loaf pan). Remove and let cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then remove loaf from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Makes 1 loaf. *Note: After a couple of days, I stored my leftovers, pre-sliced and wrapped well, in the freezer and defrosted slices when I wanted a piece.

Vegetarian Borscht

2014-09-23T11:02:00.000-04:00

When the colder temperatures hit this month, all I wanted to eat for dinner was a big bowl of comforting soup with fresh bread.

Since I had a huge head of green cabbage sitting in my fridge and local beets are in season, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at a soup I've always wanted to make - borscht!

Rather than sticking with a traditional borscht, I made more of a vegetable stew with beets, potatoes, carrot, cabbage, and cauliflower. And since I was using a vegetable broth instead of beef broth, I tried to make it extra flavourful by cooking some onion, garlic and ginger first, and adding lots of spices and herbs like caraway, cumin, coriander, thyme, and bay leaves.

A bit of plain yogurt or sour cream works perfectly as a topping for this soup, and if I had some fresh dill, I would have added that as a garnish as well.

For a healthy broth-based vegetable soup, I thought this was actually really tasty and I didn't mind eating it for both lunch and dinner several days in a row, since it made such a big batch! Plus, how can you not enjoy eating something with such a pretty colour!

Vegetarian Borscht
Adapted from Canadian Living

1 tbsp oil or butter (I used Earth Balance coconut spread)

1 yellow onion, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1” piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

1 tsp caraway seeds

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp dried thyme

3 small yellow potatoes (about 1 lb), peeled and diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1.5 lbs beets (I used three large ones), stems removed, peeled and diced

1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped

5 cups shredded green cabbage

1.5 tsp salt

Ground pepper

4 cups low sodium vegetable broth (1 container)

4 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 tbsp agave nectar

3 tbsp white vinegar

Plain yogurt or sour cream for serving (optional)

Fresh dill for serving (optional)

Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the oil or butter. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, caraway, cumin, coriander, and thyme. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes (until the onion begins to soften).

Add the potatoes, carrot, beets, cauliflower, cabbage, salt, and some freshly ground pepper to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Then add the vegetable stock, water, and bay leaves and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low, partially cover with a lid, and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.

Remove pot from heat. Discard the bay leaves and stir in the agave and vinegar. Serve hot, topped with plain yogurt and a handful of chopped fresh dill if desired. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Makes 6-8 servings

Summer Recap

2014-09-18T12:31:00.000-04:00

Somehow another month has passed without a blog post or recipe to share with you, but I'm going to try to make it up with some new recipes starting next week! I made a big batch of soup this week that I'll be sharing here soon, and I hope to start making some pumpkin treats this weekend too!

In the meantime, I thought I would do a post about what I've been eating over the summer - even though I didn't spend as much time cooking or developing my own recipes, I still enjoyed lots of good food!

A lot of my meals were super simple dinners that I could throw together quickly as I was so busy working on my dissertation. I ate a lot of toast with various toppings like avocado or sliced radishes with butter or hummus, and I loved eating fresh tomato and basil sandwiches. I also added a cob of corn to my meals whenever I found local corn at the grocery store!

Near the beginning of the summer, I made a big batch of veggie burgers at my parents' house so that I could pull one out of the freezer any time I was there for dinner and needed a vegetarian option. I loved the flavour and texture of these BBQ chickpea burgers from Oh She Glows, and they made the perfect summer meal with a side of potato or pasta salad!

I always love eating panzanella in the summertime. I usually stick to traditional combinations of ingredients like tomatoes, cucumber, basil and sometimes cheese, but I really liked this fruity variation with strawberries and cantaloupe that I threw together!

On the right is a pasta salad that I made twice this summer - it's a variation of this recipe from the blog archives, but with some changes to the veggies (like corn instead of peas and extra zucchini and cucumber) and I left out the tofu and walnuts. My favourite part of this salad is the creamy lemony basil dressing!

For other quick and easy meals, I made pasta with avocado sauce (pictured on the right), following this recipe from Oh She Glows, and zucchini noodles with a sauce I whipped together using hummus (on the left). I didn't use my spiralizer as much this summer compared to last year, but I still love "zoodles"!

For Canada Day in July, I brought these red and white cream cheese-stuffed strawberries to a party and while they got pretty messy on the trip there, they were still a hit! I can't remember the exact recipe I followed, but this one from The Comfort of Cooking is a good example!

I managed to break out my ice cream maker once over the summer to make this chocolate stout ice cream. I followed a recipe from The Beeroness, but with a few minor changes (I reduced the sugar, left out the toasted coconut, and added a bit of arrowroot powder to thicken it). I thought it had just the right balance of chocolate and beer flavours, and I loved how it stayed creamy rather than turning icy in the freezer like other vegan ice creams tend to do.

Other than my homemade ice cream, I ate a lot of delicious ice cream treats over the summer, from countless bowls of self-serve frozen yogurt, to an amazing lemon meringue pie cone, to a couple of treats that I haven't had in ages - a cookies and cream milkshake and an ice cream float!

I also visited food trucks a few times over the summer, as my city has developed a pretty good food truck culture over the past couple of years. It's usually hard to find vegetarian options, but I loved this kale salad and flatbread with brie and peach chutney!

Finally, I also enjoyed many meals out at restaurants over the summer. Our patio weather seemed a bit limited this year, but I still tried to enjoy eating out on patios as much as I could! Pictured above clockwise is some halloumi and fried zucchini crostini, caramelized onion grilled cheese, a tofu sofritas burrito bowl from my very first visit to Chipotle, and more Mexican food with tacos, chips, and guacamole.

Hope you all had nice relaxing summers and are ready for all the exciting things that come with fall, like pumpkin, soups, and Thanksgiving food! Personally, I wouldn't mind a few more weeks of sunshine and warm weather though ;)

Roasted Strawberry & Goat Cheese Crostini

2014-08-19T11:13:00.001-04:00

Yikes, how has it been over a month since my last post? Sorry I haven't been around here in awhile, but life has been pretty busy lately with trying to finish my degree and helping to plan my sister's wedding, and as much as I wanted to keep up with my blog, I just haven't had the time.

While I expect to still be busy over the next couple weeks, I wanted to at least squeeze in a quick recipe to say that I'm still here, for anyone who might still be reading!

I actually made this recipe at the end of July for a strawberry-themed potluck, and I wasn't planning on sharing it on my blog but it turned out so tasty that I changed my mind!

When I was trying to think of a strawberry recipe that I could make for the potluck, I remembered this roasted strawberry, basil and goat cheese crostini from Confections of a Foodie Bride that I had made once and loved. I took that idea but changed things up a bit this time, adding some lemon flavoured greek yogurt to the goat cheese to make a super creamy and lemony spread. Instead of making a basil syrup or using fresh basil as a garnish, I added some basil to the goat cheese mixture instead.

The strawberries are roasted in the oven with maple syrup and balsamic so they get nice and sweet and juicy. Since I was making this ahead of time, I combined both components (the goat cheese-yogurt spread and the strawberries) into one dip that I spooned onto slices of bread (pictured above). For a prettier presentation, you could keep the components separate and assemble individual crostini pieces to serve instead (which I did with one piece for photo purposes before taking the rest to the potluck!).

This almost tastes more like a dessert than an appetizer with the sweet strawberries, their juices and the yogurt, but I'm a fan of using fruit in my meals, so I loved this! If you did want to serve this as a dessert though, I think it would work well spread onto graham crackers or cinnamon sugar pita chips too!

Roasted Strawberry & Goat Cheese Crostini
Inspired by Confections of a Foodie Bride

2 cups chopped strawberries

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tbsp balsamic

1 113g package plain goat cheese

2 100g containers lemon greek yogurt

2 tbsp chopped fresh basil

Baguette or crackers for serving

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place strawberries in a baking dish and toss with the maple syrup and balsamic. Roast in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until the strawberries are soft. Remove from oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, mix together the goat cheese, yogurt, and basil in a small bowl until smooth.

Option 1: Transfer the goat cheese mixture to a shallow bowl or container and smooth out into an even layer. Top with the roasted strawberries (you can add some of the leftover juices if you like, but I left most of the liquid behind). Cover and refrigerate until serving time. When ready to serve, slice a baguette (you can toast it first in the oven if you prefer, but I just left mine untoasted and it was good that way too) and serve as a dip to spread onto slices.

Option 2: Slice your baguette and toast in the oven if desired. Spread some of the goat cheese mixture onto each slice and top with a spoonful of the strawberries.

Option 2 is a prettier presentation but both ways taste equally delicious!

Cherry Blueberry Bran Muffins

2014-07-15T09:23:00.002-04:00

Hope you're not sick of cherry season yet, because I've got another cherry recipe to share with you today! After making my roasted cherry brownies, I still some more cherries to use up, so I thought they would be the perfect addition to some healthy breakfast muffins.

I'd had my eye on a recipe for blackberry bran muffins from the Straight From the Earth cookbook, so I used that recipe as my inspiration for these cherry blueberry muffins!

Besides using different fruits, I made a few other minor changes to the recipe, including the method of mixing the ingredients, and reducing the sugar a bit. I also added a touch of maple extract to add a bit more sweetness along with the fruit.

The bran was definitely the dominant flavour in these, so if you like bran muffins, you will love the flavour and texture of these muffins.

I liked how they tasted a bit nutty, they weren't too sweet, and they were just dense and hearty enough without being too filling. Of course, my favourite part was all the blueberries and cherries in every bite!

While bran muffins may not be the most popular muffin on the block, I ended up liking them a lot more than I was expecting to! And besides, if I'm going to eat a muffin for breakfast, I want it to still be somewhat nutritious, so I can feel good about eating one of these in the morning - my only complaint was that they were a little on the small side, but they still make a great addition to a smoothie or yogurt!

Cherry Blueberry Bran Muffins

Adapted from Straight From the Earth cookbook, as seen here

1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice

2 tbsp ground flax

1/4 cup warm water

2 cups wheat bran

1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup melted coconut oil (can substitute another oil)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp maple extract (optional)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cherries (pit removed)

1/2 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.

In a medium sized bowl, stir together the almond milk and vinegar and let sit for 5-10 minutes. In a separate small bowl, stir together the flax and water and let sit 5-10 minutes as well.

In a large bowl, whisk together the wheat bran, flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

Add the sugar, applesauce, oil, and extracts to the almond milk mixture and stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add the flax mixture and stir again. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the cherries and blueberries.

Divide batter into muffin cups, then bake in the preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes, until the muffins feel firm on top and a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes before removing muffins and transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Makes 12 small muffins.

Vegan Roasted Cherry Brownies

2014-07-09T10:53:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I brought home a couple of containers of fresh local cherries from the market and immediately started thinking of ways to use them (besides just eating them on their own!).

I'm not sure why, but whenever I think about cherry recipes, I always want to pair them with chocolate - it's one of those combos that just goes together so well! So after enjoying a chocolate coffee cherry smoothie for breakfast on Sunday, I decided to make cherry brownies as a treat that I could bring into work the next day.

Since I'm not usually the biggest fan of chocolatey desserts myself, I don't have a lot of experience making brownies. Luckily, some of the experts on vegan baking in the blogging world have already perfected their own brownie recipes that I was able to use as guides!

For my brownie base, I mostly followed Oh She Glows' recipe (also in her cookbook that I own), with some of these tips from Edible Perspective, except that I used a mix of oat flour and all purpose flours instead of almond meal, so mine are not gluten-free.

Instead of just adding the cherries as is to the batter, I was inspired by Annie's Eats to roast them first with a bit of maple syrup so they were nice and sweet and juicy!

While my coworkers could still tell that these were a "healthier" brownie (or maybe they just guessed because they know me and my baking by now), I loved how they turned out!

They held together well (a problem with vegan brownies I've tried in the past), and they were definitely chewy and fudgy in a stick-to-the-roof-of-your-mouth kind of way, with just the right amount of chocolate flavour. I also thought the roasted cherries were the perfect addition to add some extra sweetness and cut the richness of the brownies a bit.

I've still got some cherries leftover, so if you have any other favourite cherry recipes or ideas that I can use, feel free to let me know!

Vegan Roasted Cherry Brownies
Adapted from Oh She Glows, Edible Perspective, and Annie's Eats

1 cup (heaping) fresh cherries

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

1.5 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water

1 1/3 cups oat flour

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

100g dark chocolate, chopped (I used 1 Lindt bar), or ½ cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp coconut oil

1 cup sugar*

1/4 cup almond milk

1 tbsp instant coffee

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 450°F. Slice the cherries in half and remove the pit (or use a cherry pitter). Places halved cherries in a small baking pan and toss with the maple syrup. Roast in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, until they start to release their juices. Remove and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Mix flax and water in a small bowl and set aside to thicken (I find it helps to let it sit in the fridge until all the water is absorbed).

In a large bowl, whisk together the oat flour, all purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda.

Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil, either in the microwave or over a double boiler on the stove. Add the sugar (*I followed Ashley's tip to grind it in the blender first so it's more powdery), almond milk, instant coffee, vanilla extract, and the flax mixture to the melted chocolate and stir well to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until all the dry ingredients are incorporated (batter will be very thick and dry). Fold in the roasted cherries (with their juices) and the remaining chocolate chips.

Pour batter into an 8x8 or 9x9 pan (I used an 8x8) lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 30-37 minutes, until the edges have hardened and the surface is just barely firm (I baked mine for 35 minutes). Remove and let cool in the pan for at least 30-45 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to cool completely (you can remove brownies from the pan first and transfer to a wire rack). Once completely cooled, slice into pieces.

Makes 20-25 small brownies

Chilled Zucchini Avocado Soup

2014-06-25T11:07:00.000-04:00

Lately when I come home to my hot and humid apartment, the last thing I want to do is turn on the stove and add even more heat to my place, so refreshing no-bake meals are definitely needed!

This week, I decided that I wanted to make a chilled soup - one of my favourite things to eat in the summertime (and if you check the soup category in my Recipe Index, you'll find quite a few chilled ones there!).

I had a nice zucchini from the market sitting in my fridge, so I used that as my inspiration for this chilled zucchini avocado soup. While this is a no-bake recipe, it does require a bit of cooking on the stovetop first to saute some garlic and green onion, and get the zucchini nice and tender so that it will blend easily.

To make the soup extra creamy, I added an avocado and some plain yogurt which get blended up with the zucchini mixture until smooth. Finally, some fresh basil, lemon juice and a dash of cumin add even more layers of flavour to highlight the zucchini.

I loved how easy this was to whip up - I made it on a day when I got home late from the gym and then grocery shopping and I wanted dinner to be ready quickly, which it was!

The only hard part is waiting for it to chill, but you could definitely eat it warm if you like too. I actually ate it warm the first night and really enjoyed it that way, and then had the leftovers chilled, which was even more tasty and super refreshing!

This is also a very adaptable recipe, so feel free to add other herbs or veggies to the soup or as garnishes - some sliced radish, cucumber, or tomato would probably work well stirred in if you like extra texture in your soup!

Chilled Zucchini Avocado Soup
Partly inspired by this recipe

1 tbsp olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced

~4 green onions (about half a bunch), sliced

1 large zucchini, thinly sliced

2 cups water or vegetable stock (I used water)

1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped

2 tbsp fresh basil (can substitute another herb)

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cumin

Ground pepper

Heat oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Add garlic and green onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the water. Bring to a boil, cover pot and simmer for about 5 minutes, until zucchini is tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Pour contents of the pot into a blender (I did it in just one batch but you could do two batches if your liquid is still very hot to avoid it exploding!). Blend until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and blend again until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Transfer to a container and refrigerate until chilled.

Serve warm or chilled, with extra yogurt and basil on top if desired. (Note: the soup might thicken up after sitting in the fridge, so feel free to add extra water to thin it out if you prefer).

Makes 2-3 servings

Thai Peanut Cucumber Cups

2014-06-17T11:19:00.000-04:00

This week is especially hot and humid here in Ontario, and when the weather is this warm, all I want for dinner is cold and refreshing meals, like chilled soups and salads full of fresh veggies.

Of course, veggies can get a bit boring sometimes, so it helps to turn them into something more exciting, like these Thai peanut cucumber cups that I made as an appetizer last week!

The inspiration for these came from Courtney of The Fig Tree blog, who posted these peanut satay celery sticks a while back. I thought the idea of filling celery sticks with a peanut sauce, carrots, and sesame seeds sounded so creative! I'm not a huge fan of celery though, and I knew that cucumbers go well with cold peanut noodle dishes, so I thought cucumber cups would work really well as a base instead.

I've actually made cucumber cup appetizers before and they're always a hit, but I usually fill them with hummus or tzatziki, so this was a fun twist! If you've never seen this idea before, you just slice your cucumber and then scoop out some of the middle so that you have a nice little cup to fill with sauce, and then you can add whatever toppings you like too.

For these, I filled the cucumber cups with a thick peanut sauce, then sprinkled sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, and shredded carrot on top of each one (see above picture for a visual of the process). Everything comes together into one bite that's creamy, crunchy, a bit spicy, and refreshing all at once!

I shared these with a group of friends and everyone loved them, so I'm sure I'll be making them again whenever I need a light, veggie-based appetizer - which will probably be often this summer!

Thai Peanut Cucumber Cups
Inspired by The Fig Tree and Vegetarian Times

1/2 cup peanut butter

4 tsp sweet chile sauce

1.5 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

Dash of ground ginger (or fresh ginger, I just didn't have any!)
pinch of red pepper flakes

1 tbsp water

1 English cucumber

~1/3 cup shredded carrot

Sesame seeds

Chopped peanuts

To make the peanut sauce, stir together the peanut butter, chile sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger until smooth. Add the water to thin out a bit. Set aside or store in the fridge until needed.

Slice the cucumber into pieces about 1 inch thick. Use a melon baller or a ½ tsp measure to scoop out the middle seedy portion of each slice – don’t go all the way through, you still want a bit of cucumber at the bottom of each cup!

Lay out cucumber cups on a plate or serving dish. Spoon the peanut sauce into each cup (I just estimated how much to put in – you want a round mound in the middle of each cup but not too much that it overflows).

Sprinkle a bit of sesame seeds on top of the peanut sauce in each cup, followed by a bit of shredded carrot and crushed peanuts – it might help to do the peanuts first so they stick to the peanut butter, then finish with the carrots, but the order doesn’t really matter!

Refrigerated finished cucumber cups until serving time.

Makes enough for about 20-22 cups.

Rhubarb, Brie & Arugula Quesadillas

2014-06-11T10:36:00.000-04:00

Every year around this time, I go a little overboard trying to come up different ways of using rhubarb, whether its in savory dishes, baked goods, sauces and condiments, or desserts (check out last year's roundup of rhubarb recipes!). Rhubarb is probably one of my favourite ingredients, and since it's only available for a short time every year, I try to make the most of it!

This year so far, I've made curried lentils with rhubarb chutney, a sweet rhubarb compote, strawberry-rhubarb scones, and these quesadillas!

I was inspired by a recipe for honeyed rhubarb and brie paninis that I saw on The Miniature Moose blog. I thought the combination of rhubarb with creamy brie cheese sounded like the perfect idea for a sandwich, but then I thought of turning it into quesadillas instead.

I kept the ingredients pretty simple, so all you need is what you see above - tortillas, brie cheese, a rhubarb mixture that you make by cooking down rhubarb with some maple syrup on the stovetop, and some arugula to add a bit more substance to the filling and a bit of bite to cut down on the sweetness.

I was trying to come up with something else to make these extra special, like another ingredient for the filling, or some kind of salsa to serve them with, but it turned out that nothing else was needed - these were simple but perfect that way!

I loved the combination of the slightly melted creamy brie with the tart rhubarb sauce. These were nice and soft quesadillas - the kind you can pick up and fold over like a pizza slice without anything falling out!

I did have a bit of leftover rhubarb filling that I spooned on top of some of the quesadillas which worked well as a "salsa", but I liked them just as much plain too.

Hopefully I'll have more rhubarb recipes to share with you before it's all gone!

Rhubarb, Brie & Arugula Quesadillas

Inspired by The Miniature Moose

*Note: these are approximate amounts - use as much cheese and arugula as you like, and make however many quesadillas as you can with the amount of rhubarb sauce!

2 cups diced rhubarb

2 tbsp water

1.5 tbsp pure maple syrup

~4 whole wheat tortillas

Brie cheese, sliced

arugula

Place rhubarb, water, and maple syrup in a saucepan and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Once simmering, cover and reduce heat to medium low. Continue to simmer for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb has broken down and the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain out any remaining liquid if desired.

Heat two large skillets on medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Lay out tortillas and place slices of brie cheese on one half of each tortilla. Top cheese with a 2-3 tablespoons of the rhubarb mixture per tortilla (I just estimated how much to put on). Place a large handful of arugula on top, then fold each tortilla in half. Place two tortillas in each skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes, pressing down lightly with a spatula, until lightly browned. Carefully flip and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and cut each tortilla in half for smaller wedges.

Serve warm. Feel free to top with additional rhubarb sauce if you have any leftover.

Serves 2-3.

Blueberry Banana Snack Cake

2014-06-04T10:56:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's already June, but I'm so excited because that means not only will summer officially begin this month, but local summer fruits and veggies will be here soon too! I only just had my first rhubarb treats this past weekend (a delicious strawberry rhubarb pie that my sister made, and a rhubarb sauce that I made to eat on toast and in yogurt), and I can't wait for strawberries to arrive next!

Two years ago, I made a healthy strawberry banana snack cake that I really loved, so when I was looking through my old recipes for inspiration the other day, I wanted to try that cake out again.

This time, since local strawberries weren't available yet, I decided to use blueberries instead. I made a couple of other small changes to the recipe, like replacing the spelt flour with oat flour for a slightly different flavour and texture, adding cinnamon, a bit of lemon juice and zest, and a touch of coconut oil, and leaving out the nuts and extra sugar to make this cake less sweet.

I had mentioned in my original post that I thought blueberries would work well in this cake, and now I can say for sure that they do!

I loved the way all the fruit bursts after baking, and the blueberries paired perfectly with the coconut and banana flavours. I also love the chewy, dense texture of this cake, and how light it tastes at the same time - so you can easily eat a couple pieces for a mid-morning or afternoon snack!

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm still getting used to a new oven, so my cake browned just a tad too much even at the minimum baking time. Just be sure to keep an eye on yours, and in the meantime I'll have to test my oven temperature!

Blueberry Banana Snack Cake

Adapted from my previous recipe for Strawberry Banana Snack Cake

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup oat flour (I ground my own rolled oats in the blender)

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 ripe medium-sized bananas, mashed

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup pure maple syrup*

1 tbsp melted coconut oil

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries

*Note: You may want to add an extra 2 tbsp of sugar or cane sugar if you prefer a sweeter cake.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray an 8x8 pan with cooking spray.

Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flours through to salt). In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients (mashed banana through to vanilla extract).

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 35-45 minutes, until the sides start to brown and pull away from the pan, the top feels firm, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to finish cooling before cutting into squares.

Makes about 16 squares.

Roasted Veggie Spaghetti with Balsamic & Basil

2014-05-29T11:05:00.001-04:00

This past week has been a bit crazy for me, as I've had to pack up over three years worth of my belongings and move into a new place (I know three years isn't that long, but somehow I've accumulated a lot of stuff - mostly junk haha). Not surprisingly, I've been relying on quick and easy meals that don't involve much cooking to get me through the process!

Now that I'm finally settled into my new place, I'm looking forward to getting back into a routine and testing out my new kitchen! Although I'm not sure how my baking is going to turn out with a stove that currently only has one oven rack that appears to be stuck in the lower half of the oven...

The first actual meal that I cooked for myself after moving in was this simple summery pasta dish of thin spaghettini noodles tossed with a variety of colourful roasted veggies and balsamic vinegar, and topped with some fresh basil.

This dish was inspired by a recipe from the cookbook Appetite for Reduction, which used fusilli pasta and a slightly different mix of vegetables (I left out the yellow squash and added spinach and basil). The original recipe was called a pasta primavera, but to me primavera usually implies pasta with veggies in a creamy white sauce, and this dish is quite different!

Instead of adding a sauce, the vegetables are simply roasted until tender with lots of herbs and garlic, then tossed with the noodles in balsamic vinegar for a nice light meal that really highlighted the veggies - perfect for summer evenings!

The basil was a nice addition, and feel free to add other toppings you like, such as parmesan cheese, toasted pine nuts, or maybe even a touch of pesto!

Roasted Veggie Spaghetti with Balsamic & Basil
Adapted from Appetite for Reduction

1/2 bunch asparagus

1 large zucchini

1 small red onion

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes

1 bell pepper (I recommend orange, red, or yellow)

4-6 cloves garlic (4 large or 6 smaller)

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried thyme or basil (I used basil because I didn’t have thyme)

Salt and pepper

1/2 lb spaghettini (or another pasta)

2 cups packed baby spinach leaves

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

A few handfuls of fresh basil

Preheat oven to 450°F and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.

Prepare the veggies: snap the woody ends off the asparagus and slice the stalks into smaller pieces (3-4 pieces per stalk). Slice the zucchini into half-inch slices. Peel the onion and cut in half, then slice each half into thin slices. Cut the bell pepper in half, remove the seeds and core, and thinly slice. Peel the garlic and cut into thin slices as well.

Divide the veggies among the baking pans and toss with the olive oil. Sprinkle the dried herbs over top and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss to mix. Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then remove pans and give the veggies a toss. Return to oven for another 10-15 minutes, until tender and browned.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, then drain.

Add the pasta and roasted veggies to a large bowl. Stir in the spinach so that it wilts. Add balsamic vinegar and toss well to mix. Divide into serving bowls, top with some fresh basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. You might want to add another drizzle of balsamic vinegar as well.

Makes 4 servings.

Hearts of Palm, Orange & Avocado Salad

2014-05-21T11:10:00.000-04:00

I mentioned in my last post that I recently got two new vegan cookbooks as a gift, and I couldn't wait to try the recipes in Straight from the Earth.

One recipe that stood out that I decided to try my take on first was the grilled hearts of palm salad with grapefruit and avocado. I love the combination of avocado with citrus fruits, and I've been wanting to try hearts of palm for awhile so I was excited to try this!

I'm not a huge fan of grapefruit though, so I decided to use orange instead, which I thought worked really well as a substitute. I had to try a couple of stores before I found canned hearts of palm, but I was glad I managed to get them because I loved their unique taste and texture!

If you've never had hearts of palm, it's a vegetable that actually comes from a palm tree, and I would describe them as having a similar texture as artichokes, but with a milder flavour somewhat like water chestnuts.

The original recipe called for grilling the sliced hearts of palm, but I just sauteed them in a pan and that worked fine too! For the dressing, I modified it to have much less oil and I added some dijon and a bit more orange zest. I also added a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds to my salad for a little bit of crunch.

This was such a fresh tasting salad that would be perfect to eat on a warm summer night. I loved the combination of buttery, creamy avocado slices with the juicy oranges and the warm hearts of palm. The dressing was nice and light and tangy, and you can use whatever greens you like as the base - the original recipe called for arugula but I used baby spinach instead.

I hope to try more recipes from this cookbook soon, and if you've tried any that you recommend, please feel free to share in the comments!

Hearts of Palm, Orange & Avocado Salad
Adapted from Straight from the Earth

Dressing

2 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp agave

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

3/4 tsp orange zest

Salt and pepper to taste

Salad

1 seedless orange (*Note: you will need the zest first for the dressing before you slice it)
1 14oz can hearts of palm, drained and rinsed

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 ripe avocado

Baby spinach or other baby greens

To make the dressing, whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl (or place in a bowl with a lid and then shake to mix). Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

Use a knife to slice the peel off the orange. Carefully slice the orange into thin segments and set aside. Slice the hearts of palm in half lengthwise and let dry out a bit on paper towels.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Toast the pumpkin seeds just until fragrant and beginning to brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl. Add olive oil to the pan, then place the hearts of palm flat side down. Let cook for about 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned, then flip and cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate.

Cut avocado in half, remove the pit and scoop out the two halves. Slice each half lengthwise into thin pieces.

Place desired amount of spinach or greens in a bowl and drizzle some of the dressing over top. Toss well to mix, then lay out greens on plates. Top plates with the sliced avocado, oranges, hearts of palm, and toasted pumpkin seeds. Drizzle more dressing over top if desired.

Makes 2 large servings or 4 small servings.

Recipe Round Up: Spring 2014

2014-05-14T10:37:00.000-04:00

With our Mothers Day brunch and dinner this past weekend, and a month or two worth of other treats and snacks that I've made from other blogs, I thought it was time for another recipe round up to share some of kitchen successes I've had lately!

For my birthday last month, my sister Natalie got me a couple of new cookbooks that she knew would be exactly my style - the Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela Liddon (mine is the Canadian cover), and Straight from the Earth by mother-daughter duo Myra and Marea Goodman.

I knew I wanted my own copy of the Oh She Glows book after seeing so many other bloggers rave about the recipes, and I know from my own experience that Angela's recipes are not only healthy but they always turn out well!

I've only made one recipe from the book so far - the 15 minute creamy avocado pasta (one that I've made from her blog a few times before as well) and if it's any indication of the quality of the other recipes in the book, then I definitely can't wait to try more!

Another birthday treat that I haven't mentioned on my blog yet was the one I made for myself! Instead of making a cake this year, I opted for miniature "cheesecakes" that I could bring in to the office to share with people. I based the recipe off of Chocolate Covered Katie's greek yogurt cheesecake, except I used a regular (non-vegan) lemon greek yogurt and reduced the sweetener a bit.

Instead of making one large cake, I crumbled the graham cracker base into muffin liners and made individual cups that I baked for about 20-25 minutes. The texture was definitely different than a regular cheesecake, but it got better after one or two days in the fridge and I loved how creamy they were!

Another recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie's blog that I tried recently was her one-minute coffee cake in a mug (pictured below). I left out the topping and added cinnamon to the batter instead, and I also baked mine in a wider ramekin so it was a bit flatter, but it came out perfectly! I thought it did taste like coffee cake and had a nice texture - hard to believe you can make it so easily just in the microwave! Topped with some yogurt and a sprinkle of granola, this made a nice light breakfast along with a smoothie.

I've also been loving the recipes posted by Lauren on her blog Oatmeal with a Fork - she always has new ideas for healthy no-bake treats that I keep bookmarking!

I tried her double layer chocolate cookie bars recently and loved the combination of oat-based cookie dough on top with a cocoa and date layer on the bottom. I made a few changes based on the ingredients I had on hand, including adding some PB2 to the top layer for a bit of a peanut butter flavour which worked well.

Another healthy treat I made recently was this vegan banana bread chocolate chip snack cake from Ambitious Kitchen. I loved the flavour that the oat flour added (although I substituted half of the oat flour with whole wheat flour), and I thought they had the perfect amount of banana taste. These were nice and light with a touch of richness from the chocolate chips. I would definitely make these again!

I actually made the banana cake for a daytrip with my family that we organized for my dad's birthday. Along with the cake, I also made these no-bake fig newtons because my dad loves figs! I followed this recipe for date newtons by the Pancake Princess, adapted from the blog Rawified (who also made a fig version). The outside is made from ground up nuts, oats, and flax, and the inside is a paste made from dried black mission figs. They were soft and chewy, and pretty rich so you only need a small piece for a healthy snack!

Finally, I wanted to share a few of the recipes that I tried this past weekend for Mother's Day.

For brunch, my sisters and I got together to eat with our parents and we prepared a fun and interactive breakfast buffet! I set out a couple of kinds of yogurt with a variety of fruits and some granola so that everybody could make their own yogurt parfait, and my sister also made some amazing biscuits that we ate fresh out of the oven with different jams.

My favourite part of the meal though was this no-cook strawberry lemon chia curd from Edible Perspective that I made the night before and let thicken in the fridge overnight (I used all black chia seeds so mine turned out a little darker). It was the perfect addition to both the yogurt parfaits and the biscuits!

For dinner later on in the day, my sister made a strawberry goat cheese salad topped with chicken, and for a vegetarian option I decided to make some tofu to go with the salad. I followed this recipe for breaded tofu from Divine Healthy Food, making a couple of small changes to the marinade and sauteeing it rather than grilling. I've never made breaded tofu before but I loved how it turned out!

I also made this strawberry focaccia with maple-balsamic caramelized onions and basil from Saveur to go with the meal. The crust came out a little crispier than I wanted, but I loved the topping combination and I thought the leftovers were even better the next day because the crust had softened up a bit.

It was a great meal overall, complete with rhubarb and lemon custard tarts made by my sister for dessert! You can check out a more detailed post about our Mother's Day meals on my sister Natalie's blog Once Upon a Cutting Board.

Hope you're all enjoying the Spring weather and hopefully I'll be back soon with a new recipe to share!

Soft-Baked Fig, Hazelnut & Pumpkin Seed Granola Bars

2014-05-01T13:36:00.001-04:00

This past couple of weeks have been extra busy for me, as I've been trying to balance a stressful time in my graduate studies with other family and social events like Easter, my own birthday and my Dad's birthday which we are celebrating belatedly this weekend!

During times like this when I'm too busy to worry about cooking or grocery shopping, I like to make sure I have still have enough healthy and nutritious food options easily available, and homemade snacks like today's recipe are the perfect way to get in a boost of energy to keep me going!

I've tried a lot of granola bar recipes in the past, and while I've enjoyed all of them, I tend to prefer the chewy, soft-baked kind. I also like when they have an interesting texture and when their sweetness comes from fruit rather than added sweeteners.

So these dried fig, hazelnut, and pumpkin seed granola bars that I made recently were definitely my kind of tasty and healthy snack!

Not only are they soft and chewy while still holding together well, but the base of them is made up of a mix of ground hazelnuts and pumpkin seeds with oats and rice crisp cereal, giving them a lot more nutty flavour and texture than a regular oat-based granola bar.

They're also held together with some almond butter to add more richness and a bit of maple syrup for sweetness. What really made these unique though was the addition of dried figs. I've never really eaten dried figs before, but these dried black mission figs changed my mind - if you can find the black mission ones, they really make all the difference because they're so soft and sweet!

The original recipe for these bars called for only pumpkin seeds instead of any nuts, and used all rice cereal without any oats, so I was happy that they still turned out so well even after the changes I made.

While these involve a somewhat long list of ingredients and some more expensive ingredients than other homemade granola bars, I thought they were worth it!

Feel free to make some substitutions though, like using a different type of nut than the hazelnuts, or leaving out the chia seeds and cocoa powder (these were additions that I made but they're not necessary). You could also add extra fruit like raisins or currants, but I don't recommend skipping the dried figs!

Soft-Baked Fig, Hazelnut & Pumpkin Seed Granola Bars
Adapted from Daily Bites

2 tbsp ground flax, divided

3 tbsp water

Scant 1/2 cup raw hazelnuts

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup rice crisp cereal

1 tbsp chia seeds

1 tsp cinnamon

1.5 tsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup chopped dried black mission figs

1/4 cup + 2 tbsp almond butter (I used a homemade almond butter)

2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or up to ¼ cup if you prefer a sweeter snack)

2 tbsp almond milk

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F and line an 8x8 square baking pan with parchment paper.

Mix 1 tbsp of the ground flax with the water and set aside to thicken.

In a food processor, process the hazelnuts and pepitas until roughly ground. Add the oats, rice crisp cereal, remaining 1 tbsp of flax, chia seeds, cinnamon, cocoa, baking powder, and salt and process until everything is finely ground. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in the chopped figs.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond butter (you may need to microwave it a bit if yours isn’t very liquidy and smooth), maple syrup, almond milk, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth.

Pour liquid mixture into dry ingedients and stir with a rubber spatula or spoon until everything is mixed well. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan and press down firmly with your hands and/or a rubber spatula so that the mixture is evenly spread out across the pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, until the edges are starting to crisp. Remove and let the pan cool on a wire rack. Once cool, carefully remove the bars by pulling on the parchment paper (you might want to run a knife around the edges first) and cool completely before cutting into bars.

Makes 10 bars.

Easter 2014 Recap

2014-04-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine couldn't have been better - a three-day weekend full of sunshine and beautiful weather, friends, family, and lots of good food!

I ended the weekend Sunday night with our Easter dinner and since I enjoyed the meal so much, I thought I would share it with you today!

We started off with some appetizers which included three types of dips (red pepper hummus, baba ganoush, and sweet potato hummus) with an assortment of crackers, cheese and grapes.

Our main course was ham, and for a vegetarian option I made this asparagus gruyere tart from Martha Stewart. I had made it a few years ago for Easter and liked it, so I tried it again but with a different type of cheese this time (oka and some parmesan).

The puff pastry that I used ended up flaking off a lot so it was a bit messy to eat, but it still tasted really good!

My other contribution to the meal was a vegetable side dish. I saw these roasted baby carrots with lemony dill pesto on the blog With Food + Love recently and thought it looked so gorgeous that I wanted to make it for our Easter dinner. I used a mixture of orange, yellow, and purple baby carrots, along with some purple and pink radishes because I love roasted radishes.

The veggies didn't quite get roasted long enough because we were in a bit of a hurry to get dinner on the table, but the pesto turned out really well and was a nice accompaniment!

To round out the meal, my aunt made a delicious scalloped potato dish (recipe here) that had both regular potatoes and sweet potatoes, lots of cheese, and fresh thyme. I'm normally not a huge fan of scalloped potatoes, but I loved the addition of the sweet potatoes in this recipe!

My mom also made a nice light salad that had arugula, strawberries, red onion, and goat cheese.

Here's a pic of my beautiful meal all together before I devoured it!

Finally, for dessert my sister made a coconut lime bundt cake from a recipe in Ontario's Food & Drink magazine. It was nice and fluffy with lots of lime flavour, and we served it with lime ice cream from Marble Slab too, which was very refreshing!

Not only did I get to enjoy this meal, but I also got some gifts from the Easter bunny to take home with me. I got a tin of strawberry rhubarb loose leaf tea from David's Tea, which I can't wait to try because it smells amazing; a pretty ceramic travel mug, and a plastic wine glass with a lid that I'll use in the summer for sitting outside.

Great gifts, great food, and a great time overall!

Greek Pasta Salad with Tofu Feta

2014-04-16T10:50:00.000-04:00

With the Easter holiday coming up this weekend, normally I would be posting an Easter-themed recipe on my blog this week. But for some reason, my Easter inspiration just wasn't there this year - I couldn't come up with anything that hasn't already been done!

So if you're looking for a cute Easter idea, check out these peanut butter bunnies and raw cookie chicks that I made last year. Or if you're just here for the recipes, I've got a great pasta salad to share with you today!

I'm not typically a huge fan of pasta salad, as it can sometimes be a bit boring. For me, the keys to a memorable pasta salad are to add lots of veggies, some kind of protein, and a flavourful dressing - all of which are included in this recipe!

This dish is like a bulked-up Greek salad - besides the usual veggies that you would find in a Greek salad (tomatoes, cucumber, and peppers - I left out red onion based on personal preference), I added olives, artichokes, and capers for lots of salty, briny flavour, and rotini pasta to help soak up the dressing.

Instead of using traditional feta cheese, I decided to make "tofu feta". If you've never heard of this idea, you can mimic the flavour and texture of a salty cheese by marinating uncooked firm tofu in a dressing made with lots of lemon juice, miso, a bit of olive oil, and lots of herbs.

The tofu was actually my favourite part of this dish - I love the chewy texture and it really soaked up the marinade so it didn't just taste like bland tofu! I also loved how each bite was full of ingredients - the ratio of pasta to veggies was a bit skewed towards the veggie side, which is how I prefer my salads!

This makes a lot of pasta - enough to feed yourself for lunches for the week, or it would make a great potluck or BBQ dish to share with a group!

Greek Pasta Salad with Tofu Feta
Inspired by Katy's Kitchen; tofu adapted from Keepin' it Kind

Tofu

350g/12 oz package extra firm pressed tofu, drained and water squeezed out

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp white miso paste

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

Ground pepper

Salad

~450g dried pasta (I used rotini)

1 green pepper, seeded and chopped

2 tomatoes, diced (I removed most of the seeds as I chopped)

1/2 an English cucumber, sliced into half-moons

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced in half

6 oz jar of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (*save the oil for the dressing)

2 tbsp capers, drained

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Dressing

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tbsp oil (I used the oil from the jar of artichoke hearts, but you could use olive oil)

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

Salt and pepper

First, start marinating the tofu. If you don’t have already pressed tofu, press it between layers of paper towel with a heavy object on top for at least 15 minutes to remove excess water. Slice tofu into small cubes (about ½”). Whisk together the remaining ingredients to make the marinade. Place tofu slices in a shallow container and pour marinade over top. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to make sure all the tofu pieces get coated.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Cook for length of time specified by package directions, then drain and rinse with cold water.

Meanwhile, prepare the veggies (green pepper, tomatoes, and cucumber) and place in a large bowl. Add the olives, artichokes, and capers. When the pasta is done, add it to the bowl as well.

Make the dressing by whisking all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over pasta salad and toss to mix.

Add tofu to the bowl, including any leftover marinade. Add parsley and toss well to mix.

Chill until serving time.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Things I've Been Enjoying Lately

2014-04-11T11:08:00.000-04:00

Happy Friday! Instead of posting a new recipe this week, I wanted to clear out some of the pictures I've been holding onto and share some of the things I've been eating and enjoying lately with you. Hope you enjoy this little taste of my life and I'll be back next week with a new recipe!

Coconut Products

Coconut is one of my favourite flavours, so I tend to try a lot of coconut products!

I got a bag of coconut cacao nibs for Christmas and it disappeared pretty quickly - I mostly add them to smoothies, but I've also used them as an oatmeal topping, as an addition to energy balls, and as a chocolate chip replacement in baked goods. I don't actually find that these taste like coconut, as they're just coated in coconut sugar, but they are tasty!

I discovered the coconut spread from Earth Balance a while ago, and I love spreading it on toast or even cooking with it. I also found these toasted coconut flavoured almonds on my last visit to the US, and they make a great snack, or chopped and added to salads!

Toast

I've been hearing about toast being the new fad in the foodie world, but I've been enjoying it as a quick and easy meal for quite a while already! I recently found this hearty grains sliced bread that I think makes the perfect toast because it's still soft and fluffy but sturdy enough to hold lots of toppings. My favourite toast toppings are mashed avocado with lemon juice, or the coconut spread I mentioned above with sliced radishes, salt and pepper - or a combination of both as shown above!

Ice Cream

Now that the days are longer, the sun has come out, and temperatures are rising, I've already started to get back into my obsession of last summer - self-serve frozen yogurt (pictured above was a mix of caramel latte, white chocolate, and peanut butter flavours - yum!). I was also craving ice cream last weekend and the nearest ice cream shop was serving Kawartha Dairy products so I treated myself to this creamy orange and vanilla waffle cone - so good!

Smoothies

If I have time in the morning, I love to start my day with a smoothie. I'll usually stick with banana and almond milk, but sometimes I'll add instant coffee if I'm not in the mood for drinking a hot coffee. I've also been loving avocado smoothies - the next time you have a ripe avocado that you have no plans for, put it in the freezer and add it to a smoothie for extra creaminess! I also like to keep my smoothies nice and thick so that I can top them with granola and eat them with a spoon :)

Pineapple Pizza

I got to try a new wood fired pizza place (called Pie) a while ago that I wish would come to my own city because I wanted to try so many things on their menu! After much consideration, I finally decided on the St. Lucia pie, which came with pineapple and shredded coconut (I declined the bacon). The crust was thin and foldable, and I don't know why more pizza places don't offer coconut as a topping - I loved it!

Birthday Treats

I've celebrated a few friends' birthdays recently, and I always like the chance to make birthday treats! One of the treats I made was these peanut butter swirled black bean brownies from Minimalist Baker. I'm not much of a brownie person, but even I had a hard time staying away from these! I thought they had a nice texture and weren't too "healthy" tasting for a brownie.

It's been awhile since I've made a layer cake so I was nervous about this one, but luckily it came out perfectly! The cake was a simple vegan vanilla cake that I found on All Recipes, and I coated it with a basic buttercream frosting and some sliced strawberries on top. I thought the cake was nice and moist and I liked the dense crumb, and it went well served with extra strawberries and ice cream!

I also made these funfetti rice krispie squares for another friend's birthday this past month (there are plenty of recipes online, but I followed one from Sally's Baking Addiction). They have funfetti cake mix in them plus rainbow sprinkles, topped with a layer of chocolate glaze and more sprinkles! These were fun and easy to make and tasted good too!

St Patricks Day Potluck

In March, we had a St. Patrick's Day potluck, where we all had to bring in a green food. There were salads, dips, veggies and fruit, and some soda bread and Irish stew to go with the theme as well. My favourite dish was an avocado lime pie with oreo crust - I'll have to get the recipe! For my contribution, I made minty no-bake cheesecake cups layered with oreo crumbs and tinted green with some spinach. They didn't turn out quite how I was hoping so I'm not sharing the recipe, but I still liked them!

Sugar Bush

A couple of weeks ago, my family and I went on a tour of a sugar bush just north of the city. We took a horse drawn carriage ride around the area, learned about the different methods that have been used to make maple syrup in the past, and finished off the tour with a plate of giant pancakes served with three different types of local maple syrup. And of course I bought a bottle to take home too!

Thankfully the weather has warmed up since that weekend, and I'm hoping the sunshine and warm afternoons are here to stay! I'm already looking forward to being able to sit outside to read or eat lunch, and of course more frozen yogurt and frappuccinos!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Dirty Chai Breakfast Cookies

2014-04-01T10:42:00.000-04:00

A chai latte has always been one of my favourite drinks to order at coffee shops, but most of the time when I go Starbucks or other places, I'm in need of a bit more of a caffeine kick so I end up ordering some kind of latte (for those of you in Canada, I recommend the new maple macchiato!).

For those times when you're craving a chai latte but also want a bit more caffeine, a "dirty chai" - chai latte with a shot of espresso - should do the trick! Or if don't feel like going out to a coffee shop, you could make these cookies inspired by that drink (and by these caffeinated cookies from Healthy Food for Living) instead!

The original recipe was for healthier oat cookies with a dose of both brewed coffee and instant espresso in them. For my version, I used strong brewed chai tea for the liquid, with both instant chai and instant coffee added to the dry ingredients. And for even more chai flavour, I added some spices like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cardamom.

The first time I made these, I found them a bit too dry and not quite strong enough in the coffee flavour, so I adjusted the recipe a bit by reducing the flour and increasing the amount of coffee, and they came out just how I wanted - a soft and cakey cookie with a mix of both chai and coffee flavours!

I also replaced the oil with coconut oil and reduced the amount a bit to keep these cookies healthy enough to eat for breakfast, or any time of the day when you need a bit of an energy boost!

Dirty Chai Breakfast Cookies
Inspired by Healthy Food For Living

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup rolled oats

1 tbsp instant coffee

1 tsp dry chai mix powder (optional)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp allspice

Dash of cardamom

1/2 cup strong chai tea (I steeped one bag in ½ cup boiling water for about 5 minutes)

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

2 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp melted coconut oil

1/2 tbsp ground flax

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp finely chopped dates (about 3 dates)

2 tbsp cacao nibs

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour to cardamom).

In a separate bowl, stir together the chai tea, maple syrup, brown sugar, coconut oil, flax, and vanilla. Let cool a bit, then pour this mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Mix in the dates and cacao nibs.

Drop spoonfuls of the cookie mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and press down slightly to form a cookie shape. Since the dough will still be a bit warm (from the tea), place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 5 minutes so the cookies firm up. Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes. Let sit on the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 12-13 cookies.

Roasted Beet, Carrot & Lentil Salad

2014-03-25T11:15:00.000-04:00

Does anyone else feel like time is going by super quickly lately? I can't believe it's already near the end of March and I've only managed to write two blog posts this month!

Between schoolwork, spending time with family and friends, and going to classes at the gym, I've been keeping pretty busy and focusing less on developing new recipes. Instead, I've been trying more recipes from cookbooks or other blogs, and throwing together quick and easy meals using whatever I have in the fridge and pantry.

Last week, I picked up a can of lentils thinking I could just use them for another easy, throw-together meal. Taking a look at what I had in the fridge to use up though, I got a bit more inspired and came up with this delicious warm lentil and spinach salad topped with roasted beets and carrots.

The base of the salad was still pretty simple - just saute a bit of garlic, add a can of lentils to the pan to warm them up, and add in some baby spinach leaves so that they get slightly wilted. A sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds adds a bit of crunch, and a balsamic dressing brings it all together.

For the topping, I roasted some chopped beets and carrots with a bit of dried herbs, and then made a glaze with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup so the roasted veggies end up with a nice sweet and tangy caramelized coating.

This turned out to be one of those meals that seems simple and rustic, but with special touches that make it more memorable, like the boost of flavour from the balsamic vinegar and the sweet candy-like beets and carrots.

I always love warm salads like this one, but I'm excited to start eating more warm-weather meals with fresh veggies too (if the weather ever does warm up that is)!

Roasted Beet, Carrot & Lentil Salad

Partly adapted from Barbara Cooks

For the roasted veggies:

3 small beets, peeled and diced (about 1-1.5 cups)

2 large carrots, peeled and diced

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp dried herbs (I used a mix of dried parsley and thyme)

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp pure maple syrup

For the salad:

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

1/2 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 can lentils, drained and rinsed

~3 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves

Dressing:

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss the beets and carrots with 1 tsp olive oil, the herbs, and some salt and pepper, then place on the foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, tossing once halfway through.

Meanwhile, start preparing the salad: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and toast for a few minutes, until they start to pop. Transfer pumpkin seeds to a small bowl. Add olive oil to the pan, then add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, until it starts to brown. Add the lentils to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until the lentils are heated through. Transfer lentils to a large bowl and add the toasted pumpkin seeds and the spinach leaves.

You can keep the pan heated on the stovetop because you will use it to glaze the veggies. When the beets and carrots are done cooking, add them to the pan over medium heat with the balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. Let cook, stirring often, until the liquid is almost gone. Remove from heat.

Prepare the dressing by whisking all ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour dressing over the lentil-spinach mixture in the bowl and toss to mix. Divide salad onto plates and top with the glazed beets and carrots. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Serve warm.

Makes 2 main servings, or more as a side dish

Green Spinach Banana Muffins for St. Patrick's Day

2014-03-12T10:18:00.001-04:00

With St. Patrick's Day coming up in less than a week, I've been trying to think of something green and festive to make for it. I don't usually celebrate the holiday itself in any special way (I think I've only gone out to an Irish pub once), but I do like to wear green at least!

We're also doing a green-themed potluck in our office, so it should be fun to see what everyone comes up with! Last year I made pasta salad with a green avocado yogurt sauce, and this year I'm thinking of cucumber rollups (like these), but we'll see!

Besides the potluck, I wanted to share something green on my blog too. I figured that if blended spinach can make a green smoothie, why not use it in another breakfast food - healthy muffins!

It turns out I'm not the only one to try this idea, and this recipe for popeye muffins from The Green Forks looked perfect for adapting into my own version. By pureeing baby spinach with the wet ingredients, you end up with a pretty intense green batter (see below) that actually keeps its colour after baking.

To make my muffins a bit more nutritious, I reduced the sugar in the original recipe from 3/4 cup down to just 1/4 cup, since the recipe also uses a ripe banana to add some natural sweetness, and I replaced the oil with applesauce to make them fat-free. I also used a mix of spelt and whole wheat flours, added a flax egg, and mixed in some cacao nibs for a bit of chocolately crunch (chocolate chips would work really well too!).

I loved the texture of these muffins - fluffy and moist inside, and they had a nice mild taste with a hint of banana. And if you're worried about the spinach, I couldn't really taste it (although I did detect a slight spinach smell by the second day).

These would make a fun treat for St. Patrick's Day, or a healthy snack any time!

Spinach Banana Muffins
Adapted from The Green Forks

1 tbsp flax + 3 tbsp water

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup light spelt flour (or all purpose, or more whole wheat)

1/4 cup cane sugar (increase to 1/2 cup if you like a sweeter muffin)

2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 (5-6 oz) container baby spinach

1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (1 large banana)

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce*

3/4 cup almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)

1.5 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp cacao nibs (can substitute desired amount of chocolate chips)

*Note: If you don't like the texture of fat-free baked goods, feel free to use oil instead of the applesauce. You can also make these less "healthy" tasting by increasing the sugar and adding chocolate chips!

Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by lining with paper cups and spraying with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, stir together the flax and water and let sit for at least five minutes to thicken.

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flours to salt). In a blender or food processor, add the spinach, banana, applesauce, milk, and vanilla and puree until smooth. Pour the spinach mixture into the dry ingredients and add the flax mixture. Stir gently just until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Fold in the cacao nibs.

Divide batter evenly into the muffin cups, filling each one about 2/3 full. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until the muffins feel firm on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let muffins sit in pan for a few minutes, then remove them from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 small muffins.

Vegan Pancake Recipes for Pancake Tuesday

2014-03-03T10:11:00.000-05:00

In honour of one of my favourite traditions tomorrow, Pancake Tuesday, I thought I would share some pancake recipes that I've tried recently with you.

While I love pancakes - especially when they're topped with fruit and have interesting flavour combinations, I don't make them that often because I typically don't like to spend too much time on breakfast. That's why I like Pancake Tuesday - it gives me an excuse to make pancakes for dinner instead!

Whether you celebrate the holiday or not, hopefully you'll get a couple of new ideas for vegan pancake recipes from this post to add to your rotation!

Pancake Recipes I've Tried Recently

Peanut Butter Cookie Pancakes with Bananas

This past weekend I was craving some pancakes in anticipation of Pancake Tuesday, but since I didn't feel like going out to buy ingredients, I wanted a recipe that would make use of ingredients I already had. These peanut butter cookie pancakes from The Pancake Princess (a good source for more pancake recipes!) sounded perfect - vegan, minimal ingredients, and I could use my PB2 powder that I'm always looking for ways to use other than adding it to smoothies!

I wasn't sure how they would turn out by just adding ground flax to the batter instead of making a flax "egg", but they came out so fluffy and soft! I did change the original recipe a bit by using a mix of whole wheat pastry flour and light spelt flour so mine weren't gluten-free, and I also added a dash of cinnamon and increased the baking powder to 1 tsp.

Since I had a ripe banana, I followed the suggestion of topping my pancakes with sliced bananas, along with a quick and easy yogurt sauce that I whipped up instead of serving them with maple syrup (1/4 cup plain yogurt, 1 tbsp peanut butter, 2 tsp icing sugar). Filling and delicious!

Carrot Cake Pancakes

I had a chance to look through Isa Chandra Moscowitz's new cookbook Isa Does It recently, and the first recipe I tried from it were her carrot cake pancakes (recipe can also be found on her blog Post Punk Kitchen). With lots of spices and grated carrot added to the batter, these had a nice flavour and came out super thick and fluffy (as you can see in the photo). I topped mine with some chopped pecans and maple syrup to make them extra sweet!

If you're a fan of puffy pancakes, you could also give these puffy pillow pancakes from her cookbook and blog a try. I haven't made them yet, but they look great!

Other Pancake Recipes on Vanilla & Spice

Carrot Cake Pancakes with Orange Cashew Cream

Blueberry Pancakes with Persimmon Topping

Strawberry Banana Coconut Pancakes (one of the first recipes I posted on the blog!)

For more pancake ideas, including lots of vegan and gluten-free options, feel free to check out my pancakes Pinterest board!

I'll probably be revisiting that board myself so that I can choose another pancake recipe to make for the official day tomorrow...I'm thinking these sweet potato pancakes from Peachy Palate, or these zucchini pancakes from Lindsay Loves Veggies might be good dinner options since they include veggies, or these fluffy whole wheat pancakes from Running on Real Food would make a good plain base for any topping combination!

Moroccan Chickpea & Freekeh Salad with Mint-Orange Dressing

2014-02-26T11:57:00.000-05:00

Is anyone else getting sick of winter yet? I just spent some time last week enjoying outdoor activites like snowshoeing and skating, but usually by the time March rolls around, I've had my fill of snow and cold weather!

To help ward off the winter blahs, I've been incorporating more bright and fresh ingredients into my meals, like pineapple and citrus. I posted this citrus protein bowl recently, and this week I've been eating another orange-infused meal, this time with a Moroccan twist!

The recipe for this salad was inspired by a moroccan salad with cilantro-orange dressing that I saw on Pinch of Yum recently and immediately bookmarked. I love trying new combinations of ingredients in my meals that I don't normally eat for dinner, so I was intrigued by her addition of dates and pistachios into a bulgur salad.

For my version, I used freekeh instead of bulgur - a grain that is full of fiber and protein and has a sturdy, chewy texture that holds up well in salads like this one. I also added chickpeas to bulk up the dish a bit more into a main dish salad.

In addition to the orange, spinach, dates, and pistachios, I added some currants, olives, shallot, and parsley because I thought they would pair well with the other Moroccan flavours. I also changed up the dressing a bit, using mint instead of cilantro and adding some garlic and cumin for extra seasoning.

With all of those ingredients, this dish definitely had a lot of flavour! I liked the contrast of the salty olives against the sweetness of the dates and orange, with a bit of bite from the fresh parsley too. If you're not a fan of mint, I found it to be pretty subtle once the dressing was mixed in, but feel free to use the original suggestion of cilantro instead!

Moroccan Chickpea & Freekeh Salad with Mint-Orange Dressing
Adapted from Pinch of Yum

1 (145g) package freekeh (about 3/4 cup dry)

1 3/4 cups water

Dash of salt

1/2 cup dates, chopped (measure before chopping)

2 tbsp dried currants

2-3 cups packed baby spinach leaves (chopped if leaves are large)

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 large navel orange

1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 shallot, peeled and minced

1/4 cup unsalted pistachios

Dressing

1 navel orange

1/3 cup packed mint leaves

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 tsp honey or agave nectar

Scant 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cumin

Ground pepper

Prepare the dressing by adding all ingredients to a blender and pureeing until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.

Cook freekeh according to package directions (I brought the dry freekeh and water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan, then reduced the heat to low and cooked, covered, for 20-25 minutes). Remove from heat and add the chopped dates and currants to the pot. Keep covered for 5 minutes, then transfer everything to a large bowl.

Add the spinach and chickpeas to the bowl. Remove the skin of the orange using a knife and cut the orange into segments. Chop segments into smaller pieces and add to the bowl. Chop olives and add them as well, along with the parsley and shallot.

Heat a small skillet on medium heat and toast the pistachios for a few minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from heat and add to the bowl (you can skip the toasting part if you want).

Pour the dressing over everything and toss well to combine.

Makes 4 servings.

What I Ate in Seattle

2014-02-19T12:04:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I made my first trip over to the US West Coast for a conference in Seattle. I was only there for about four days, but I made sure to squeeze in as much touring and eating as I could in between conference sessions!

I know Seattle isn't the most exotic place, but it is known for having a great selection of food options and local beer, so I thought it was worth sharing my experience on the blog!

We were staying downtown just a few blocks from Pike Place Market, which worked out perfectly because that was the one tourist spot that I really wanted to see while I was there.

I absolutely loved the market area; there was so much to see and so many treats to sample that I had to keep coming back to make sure I got to try everything that I wanted to!

On my first visit to the market, I passed by Cinnamon Works, a bakery that I had heard about that offers plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. While they are famous for their cinnamon buns, I had my eye on their giant cookies instead! It took me probably twenty minutes to make up my mind on what I wanted, but I finally settled on the pumpkin cookie. I found the texture to be a bit too dry, but I loved the flavour!

I never got the chance to go back for one of their cinnamon buns, because I only had time for one breakfast at the market, and I wanted to make sure I tried The Crumpet Shop, where they make crumpets fresh every day and top them with a variety of sweet and savory combinations.

This time I didn't have as much trouble deciding what to order - I knew right away that I wanted the lemon curd and ricotta crumpet, and it was even better than I was expecting! I never liked crumpets that much as a kid, but it makes a big difference when you try one freshly made and topped with creamy lemon curd! I also tried a bite of my sister's pesto, tomato, and cheese crumpet which was amazing too.

I still had some room in my stomach after the crumpet so I went around the corner and found a greek yogurt place that I had also heard good things about - Ellenos Real Greek Yogurt. With flavours like marionberry pie, passionfruit, lemon curd, latte, and caramel, you're basically getting a treat that tastes like a decadent dessert!

I got the lemon cheesecake flavour, which had swirls of lemon curd and crumbles mixed in and it was heavenly! The yogurt is super thick and creamy while still tasting fresh and natural. I'd definitely recommend checking this place out if you're in Seattle - you can also try samples of any of the flavours!

While I loved the crumpet and yogurt, my favourite treat from the market was the famous piroshkies from Russian bakery Piroshky Piroshky. I had the chance to go there for lunch on our last day and when I saw the huge lineup, I knew that was a good sign!

While waiting in line, I could see the pastries being freshly made and you could definitely taste the freshness when you bit into them! I got one savory and one sweet because I couldn't decide what type I wanted and both of the ones I tried were so soft and still warm from the oven. On the left is a potato and cheese stuffed piroshky and on the right was a rhubarb cream filled piroshky - not the healthiest lunch but I'm so glad I tried them!

Also on the less healthy side were these doughnuts from Top Pot Doughnuts that we went to one morning for breakfast. I'm not really much of a doughnut fan, but we had to try this place because we had read a lot of good reviews about it and they were voted best doughnuts in Western Washington!

I tried a blueberry cake doughnut and a lemon glazed old fashioned. They definitely had a lot of flavour, but they were a bit too sweet and cakey for my tastes, so next time I would go for one of their other options.

Of course, I didn't just eat pastries the whole time! The conference actually provided us with some pretty healthy lunches. The vegetarian options over the three days were a veggie-filled wrap, a salad, and a caprese sandwich, each time accompanied with fruit and a dessert.

I also enjoyed a few nice dinners, two of which were at Tom Douglas's restaurants (American chef, cookbook author, Iron Chef America winner, and James Beard Award winner). I had a delicious beet and goat cheese salad as well as chesnut gnocchi at his Italian trattoria called Cuoco.

My favourite dinner was this potato and rosemary pizza at his more casual pizza restaurant, Serious Pie. If you like handmade, wood-fired pizza with a perfectly crisp thin crust, you should give this place a try!

Overall, I loved the city and found the people there to be so friendly. Of course, they had also just won the Super Bowl, so the happiness and excitement level all around was probably a bit higher than usual!

I'm sure there are plenty of other local landmarks, food shops, and restaurants that I missed on this trip, so feel free to share more recommendations in case I ever get the chance to go back (or for other readers who might be planning a visit there soon)!

Raspberry Salad or Flatbread with Cocoa Balsamic Vinaigrette

2014-02-11T11:31:00.000-05:00

With Valentine's Day coming up this week, I've been trying to come up with a cute Valentines-themed recipe to celebrate the holiday with.

In the past, I've made this miniature raw beet cheesecake, these baked banana, chocolate and strawberry wontons, and this pretty pink beet pasta, but this year I just couldn't seem to come up with anything unique that hasn't already been done.

So I gave up on trying to think of a heart-shaped or red-coloured dessert and instead decided to make something to serve as part of your Valentine's dinner menu - this elegant and tasty salad!

I happened to remember Courtney from The Fig Tree's Valentine's Day post from last year when she shared a raspberry salad with cocoa-balsamic dressing. I thought it was such a creative idea to use cocoa powder in a salad dressing, and of course her salad looked gorgeous too!

For my version, I made a couple of slight modifications to the dressing, and for the salad itself I used candied almonds to add more sweetness, goat cheese instead of parmesan, and added some fresh mint and cacao nibs. It may sound like a strange combination of ingredients, but I thought everything worked really well together!

I loved the crunch from the almonds and cacao nibs, and the raspberries paired perfectly with the subtle chocolate notes in the dressing. It almost tasted like eating dessert, but in the form of a salad that you can start off your dinner with instead!

Or if a salad doesn't fit into your menu, another option is to turn this into an easy flatbread - just toast a piece of naan bread in the oven, spread some goat cheese on it, and top with the rest of the salad ingredients. I usually like to have bread with my salad anyway, so this was a fun way to eat both together!

After trying the recipe both ways, I couldn't decide whether I liked the salad version or the flatbread best!

Whether you plan on celebrating Valentine's Day or not, this would still be a nice appetizer to impress a date or to share with a friend or loved one. I actually haven't figured out what I'll be eating on the day itself, but I do plan on making cookies to share - after all, even if a lot of people hate Valentine's Day, most of them still like cookies!

Raspberry Almond Salad or Flatbread with Cocoa-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Adapted from The Fig Tree

2 tbsp slivered almonds

1 tsp sugar

~4 cups spring mix or baby greens

fresh raspberries

1-2 tbsp goat cheese, crumbled

2-3 tsp cacao nibs (I used these coconut cacao nibs)

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

2 pieces of naan bread (optional for flatbread)

Dressing

1.5 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 tsp pure maple syrup

1/2 tsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp balsamic Dijon mustard (or whole grain Dijon)

Salt and pepper

If making the flatbread, preheat oven to 400°F.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and sugar and toast for a few minutes, stirring often as the sugar starts to melt and coat the almonds. Keep a close eye on them and once the almonds are lightly toasted, remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl.

To make the dressing, whisk together the first five ingredients in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place salad greens in a large bowl and toss with about a couple tablespoons of the dressing.

For salad: arrange dressed greens on two plates. Top each serving with a handful of raspberries (cut them in half first if they’re large), the goat cheese, cacao nibs, mint, and candied almonds. Drizzle remaining dressing over top.

For flatbread: Place two pieces of naan on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Spread the goat cheese over the naan, then top with the dressed salad greens, the raspberries, cacao nibs, mint, and candied almonds. Drizzle remaining dressing over top. Slice into pieces (I found it easier to slice the naan before adding the toppings).

Makes 2 servings