My cooking-mojo is back.

Hello everyone!

I am officially in Montreal!  Mom and I got into the city about three hours ago, and now I'm at work sitting here, downloading video games, and looking at food blogs, shhh there isn't much work for me to do yet!  That's definitely okay with me though!  I still feel like I'm in vacation mode, and am highly enjoying this, plus it allows me to update my blog since I feel like it's been forever since I've done so.

This weekend was nice, I didn't see many friends that's for sure, but it was a nice relaxing weekend.  Friday night I went to a restaurant/bar... saw some friends, but didn't last there long.  It's not fun when you're one of the only sober ones, just getting off of a plane, and not in the greatest of moods, so I went home and tried to sleep.  Saturday it was absolutely gorgeous outside, I mean, the weather was warm, it wasn't very windy and it wasn't raining (there was definitely A LOT of rain in British Columbia)!  I was supposed to do breakfast with my dad but he "forgot" in other words, he probably wasn't listening and thought I said Sunday.  I had made some really nice black bean burgers so I called him up and asked if he wanted to do lunch instead, he said okay.

I headed over to my dads, after I bought hair dye, a card for my mom for Mother's Day and roses for her as well.  I then went to my dads.  For lunch, as I said I made black bean burgers and zucchini fries.  This lunch was super delicious, my dad was definitely skeptical that's for sure.  I had made the burgers at home so he didn't know what was in them... however, seeing as I don't eat meat he knew they were vegan so he stuffing himself with chicken and broccoli pizza prior to having my dishes, le sigh.  Lately I have been on a sweet potato and black bean kick.  When I saw a new recipe for Black Bean Burgers I knew I would make some so that I can have some frozen burgers for Montreal.  These ones were delicious.  They aren't my usual flavours... since I really dislike peppers (I eat them anyway but I really don't enjoy the flavour), but these were good, really good.  My dad actually let out a "hmmm, these are actually really good!", well of course they are pops.

While I was making the zucchini fries my dad was definitely skeptical oh boy... I made them vegan... since I don't have egg replacement other than chia seeds or flax seed, well it looked a little odd.  I coated the bad boys in flax-egg and his eyes definitely darted over the brown goop a couple of times.  The result?  He loved them!  He even asked me for the recipe, doubt he would ever make them, but he was surely impressed with the meal and that meant a lot.  This was a quick lunch to put together and was certainly satisfying, this would be perfect for a barbecue in the summer where there is a lot of meat... you can sneak these in and I'm sure they would be a hit.

Zucchini Fries

Recipe by me

Ingredients:

• 1 zucchini
• 1 egg replacement - 1 tbsp flaxseed + 3 tbsp water 
• Pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Seasoning salt
• Oregano
• Other spices if desired - get creative
• 1/3 cup of Panko crumbs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Wash and cut your zucchini into fry-like shapes.  Mix together your flax-egg and let sit for a couple of minutes so that it thickens.  In another bowl mix your spices into your Panko crumbs. 

Once your flax-egg is ready, cover your "fries" into the flax-egg then mix into the Panko crumbs until evenly coated.

Place onto lined baking sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes then flip your fries over and cook for another 20 minutes until crisp and golden.

Now onto the Veggie Burgers

Recipe adapted from here

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 tbsp diced red onion
• 2 tbsp diced black olives
• 2 tbsp diced red/yellow/orange bell peppers
• 2 tsp banana peppers
• 1 1/2 tbp diced garlic

Dry Ingredients:

• 2 cups rolled oats (or old-fashioned oatmeal)
• 2 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 12 ounces black beans, drained
• 1 flax-egg - 1 tbsp flaxseed + 3 tbsp water

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a a saute pan over medium heat. Add all of the raw vegetables except the beans. Saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove and cool.

In a medium bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a large bowl, gently combine the beans. Add the sauteed vegetables, and mix thoroughly. Stir in the dry ingredients, along with the flax-egg.  Using your hands, thoroughly mix the ingredients. Form into 4 patties for large burgers or 8 patties for smaller ones. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan, and cook patties 2 to 3 minutes per side. (If you’re making 8 patties, you’ll need to cook them in two batches.)

My dad and I then just hung around for a bit.  I went home did some packing, spent time with my cat and then a little while later my friend came over.  It wasn't an exciting night, no, I ate a million and one chocolate covered raisins (...why?  I don't know.  How many times have I said I dislike chocolate, how many?!  I think I was craving fats and sugars, because... I just couldn't stop.  We watched many, many episodes of Harry's Law, love that show!  No, not exciting, but I had fun, and I really wasn't in the mood to go to a bar or any of that business so it was nice.

Sunday morning, Mother's Day!  Saturday night my mom's boyfriend took her out to a "secret destination"... to think of it I still don't know where they went, oi.  But, they didn't come back until almost 1:00 pm.  I wanted a nice breakfast, I've said it time and time again, weekends are my days to go all out on breakfast, so I did.  I had no one to celebrate with, but I enjoyed it with my cats so it was nice.  I have seen many versions of vegan French toast.  Actually, let's back up the train, I have never been a fan of French toast.  The whole concept just kind of grosses me out for some reason.  Dipping bread in egg just reminds me of chicken cutlets/chicken/pork Parmesan... having bread dipped in eggs, it just doesn't seem right.  However, as I mentioned I've seen many vegan recipes for French toast.  A couple of months ago I actually saved this exact recipe, I had planned to make it, never did, then got rid of the link.  I came across it last week and figured it was destiny I had to try it out, so I did.

It was nothing like I remember.  This French toast was out of this world.  Seriously, it was to die for.  I had tried the batter before dipping the toast in it, and I have to admit... I had a little more then I should have, but it was SO good.  Come to think of it, I haven't tasted any batter before baking it in over a year, why did I try the pancake batter... or ... why don't I try batter anymore is the better question.  Who knows, but heck yes this was a winner.

I had made homemade bread the night before (yes, being away in British Columbia I was not able to do ... anything really in the kitchen other than my smoothies so I definitely had a party).  Before I continue with the French toast recipe, this bread recipe.  This bread recipe claimed to be the "easiest bread you'll ever make".  I don't know about you, but I really do not find it difficult to make bread, why I was so drawn into make this because of it's darn title is beyond me... obviously it suckered me in though.  Yes, this recipe might of been "easy", but it was disgusting.  I would not recommend this recipe, there are so many better recipes... yes, the "rising" time is between 12-14 hours, then you simply toss with more flour so it's "less" sticky (it reminded me of the movie Flubber... I hate things that are sticky, I am constantly washing my hands while I bake/cook this... was the worst thing I could have ever made).  I added 1 tbsp chia seeds + 1/2 tbsp caraway seeds + 1 tbsp black sesame seeds.  Followed the rest of the recipe... it turned out well, yes, but, honestly, I much rather make a bread recipe with less rising time, more flour, less stick and have it in 1/4 of the time.  This recipe however, the crust is freakin-fantastic, crunchy to max and soft and holey on the interior.  I really like the bread, but, the process, le sigh, not for me.

Onto the French toast.  What I loved about this bread is that I had added chia seeds so I had some protein in it... okay, it's not as much as a smoothie with 1 tbsp of chia/flaxseed since it was dispersed, but it was okay.  I had done a huge bike ride, sweating to the max, yes even my chin was sweating, ew, does that happen to anyone else?  Just weird.  Anywho, this bread was marvelous for the French toast, I loooove caraway seeds but definitely think I am allergic... yeah.

This breakfast was meant for royalty.  I really did feel like royalty.  I can't even begin to describe how good it was, I mean seriously you need to try it for yourself.  Vegan or non-vegan I guarantee you will absolutely love this breakfast.  Heck, if I could make this everyday for the next week with out feeling like a complete glutton I would.  Definitely, definitely a keeper especially if you're a fan of French toast.

Vegan Berry-licious French Toast

Recipe taken from here

 

Batter:

• 1 banana
• 1/3 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1 tsp cane sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp flour
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 4 slices of bread (I used the above recipe)

Topping:

• 3/4 fresh raspberries/blueberries
• Sliced banana
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Directions:

Heat skillet over medium heat and add ~2 tbsp of Earth Balance or other vegan butter.

Add batter ingredients to blender (or mash with a fork like I did) and blend until smooth; pour into shallow bowl.  Dip bread into batter and place on heated skillet.

BE PATIENT and allow to cook 3-4 minutes on each side. 

Note: It is very important to keep the skillet well greased so that the toast does not stick

While toast is cooking: in a separate small pan, add canola or coconut oil and heat over medium-low heat. Add in frozen berries and cook ~4-5 minutes or until berries are soft and juicy.

Plate up: pour the berry topping over your French toast... I may of had a little bit of leftover batter and instead of maple syrup might of added that on top of the French toast... yes it was delicious.

This was definitely a great way to start the day.  I then also found out from my mom that we were not going to drive to Montreal that day since she was tired, so I got to spend an extra day at home, woohoo!  It was nice, because I packed more things that I probably wouldn't of thought of before, I even snuck in more kitchen supplies (yes... it added up to three huge boxes... I'm horrible), I spent more time with my cat (I know, but I love her), and then went over to my dad's girlfriends for dinner.  It was nice because I'm not sure if I'll be flying home at any point during the summer and it was nice to see her family + spend more time with my dad.

I had told her the day before that my diet 95% of the time is vegan... and seeing as she was making pasta with a meat sauce told me to bring tofu.  Well, I had made an amazing black bean salad the day before so I brought that along with me, and she made me a salad... however, forgetting that I don't eat cheese... and after frustration made a side salad for me, I told her not to worry but she wanted me to have salad... so I did.

This salad was deeeeelightful.  As I said black beans are my current obsession, any chance I get I try to sneak them in, well I had a can of black beans and figured hey, Cinco de Mayo just passed why not try another Mexican dish... or something like that.

Mexican Bean Salad

Recipe thoroughly adapted from here

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp EVOO
• 2 cups of corn, yellow/green beans, and carrots (2 cups altogether)
• 1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed
• 1 Roma tomato, cored, seeded and chopped medium
• 1 tbsp red onion
• 1 1/2 freshly squeezed limes
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• Sea salt and pepper
• 1 avocados, pitted, peeled and cubed

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together the corn, beans, and tomato.

In a separate bowl, whisk the red onions, lime juice, maple syrup, and oil together. Pour over the salad and toss gently to coat.

Gently fold in the avocado and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving. 

To make ahead: Prepare through step 2, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Season with additional lime juice to taste before continuing with step 3.

... this definitely went quickly, and, for a quick afternoon snack served in a burrito, with nachos, or eaten alone it is definitely filling.  The last thing on my list that I made was hummus.  I had many sweet potatoes in our vegetable drawer and I had a can of chickpeas so I figured why not.  I looked up a recipe and oh goodness.  I followed the directions that were stated, heat chickpeas/keep water for added starch... yes, this is definitely a smooth hummus.  I've never made sweet potato hummus before but heck yes it's good.  It is certainly sweet, if you're not a fan of sweet I would say cut down the amount of sweet potato, but I definitely loved this.

Sweet Potato Hummus

Recipe slightly adapted from here

Ingredients:

• 2 small or 1 very large sweet potato, cooked, skin removed, and cut into chunks - mine were baked but but if you’re in a big rush, you can steam them or nuke them)
• 1 can of chickpeas, drained, but with the liquid reserved
• 1 1/2 tsp sesame oil 
• 2 1/2 tbsp tahini
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• Black pepper to taste 
• Smoked paprika 

Directions:

Place sweet potatoes in the processor.

Optional step (but I definitely recommend) warm up your beans. This really isn’t necessary for great hummus, but guess what? It’s a really, really good trick of the trade. Either microwave your chickpeas for 1 minute (OK, for the record, I don’t much like microwave cooking, but I don’t think it’s going to murder any of us if we do it once upon a hummus), or pour the chickpeas and their canning liquid into a little saucepot and get them warm. Drain them after, but reserve the liquid. That’s it — not a lot of effort for a step that will really improve your hummus.

Place chickpeas (warm or not) into the processor along with the sesame oil, tahini, cumin, salt and pepper. Run the processor. Take 1/2 cup (this should be all that’s left) of the canning liquid from the beans (it’s got starch in it, which will help make the hummus super delicious) and drizzle it into the processor to help create the perfect texture.

If you run out of liquid but the hummus needs to be thinner start drizzling in regular old water. Stop now and then to scrape the bowl. When the consistency is even, smooth, and thick but not pasty, you’re done.

Sprinkle hummus with paprika, and serve.

... so yes, this was definitely a jam packed weekend, from all of the cooking, packing, working out, lounging, getting ready, list-making, I was definitely in need of some well deserved home cooked meals and I surely got that. 

How about you?  Did you spend a lot of time baking/cooking, if so what did you make?

Taking care of business.

Hi everyone,

I wanted to start this post off by apologizing, I'm sorry that I haven't been updating on a regular basis. If I'm correct It's been a week since my last post. I just can't seem to be motivated to put words and pictures together. I'm still making things but I just seem to be in a lull. Working these long hours is quickly getting to me. I'm still waking up at 4:45 am to do The 30 Day Shred, which doesn't seem to be that hard to do since I've been going to bed at a reasonable time. However everything else just seems to be such an ordeal, I mean, at a slug pace. I don't even want to dress nice for work, which is weird because I love dressing up, I mean, I'm still doing it, but I much rather be sitting in Lululemon pants with a huge baggy Bench sweater, but I know that isn't the most beautiful look so I'm skipping doing that. My meals have been relatively unimaginative, i.e. I make something really nice then I just throw the rest together. I need to get out of this lull because my body is seriously feeling it.

Before I start talking about food I want to write a little blurb about what happened on Monday! I woke up very early, cleaned my room, walked around the house in anticipation for quite some time. I waited for my friend to get to my house, then my morning began. Where was I heading to you ask? To get my license. Yes at the age of twenty-one I still didn't have my license, until Monday that is! It started off badly though. The driveway was mad icy, I actually slipped while getting into my car and it was raining. I put gas in the car for my first time... I feel as though now that I can drive, when it's cold out my mom is going to make ME get out of the car, yuck. We continued on our trek and went to the drivers place. Here is where my anxiety and anger came though. It turned out you have to cancel your appointment 48 hours in advance, and I only canceled 24 so I had to pay an ADDITIONAL $40.00. Well, I wasn't happy since I'd already paid a couple times. I had to wait on stand by since I didn't have an appointment, but I had an amazing guy. He was nice right from the start. My test was literally 1/4 of the time my last one was, and I merely had to park in forward, it was awesome! I'm still so happy, I mean the day of I was definitely on a natural high it was amaziiiiing how great it felt to finally have some freedom, unfortunately it only took five years to gain the courage, eek.

This morning I made a beautiful Green Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie. It was so delicious, smoothe, and refreshing especially after my work out. It was definitely filling too. I love smoothies due to them being easily transportable and if you have all your fruits frozen already it's a cinch to throw together. This morning I was craving some peanut butter and bananas and since we had some greens that needed to be used I tossed them in. I even threw in some lettuce, I had never tried that before, I knew there wasn't going to be any harsh taste so I figured why not, I loved this, yummy!

Green Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 frozen avocado
• 1/2 scoop peanut butter whey powder (any flavour will work)
• 1 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
• 1 cup spinach
• 2 cups lettuce
• 1/2 tbsp homemade peanut butter

Directions:

Whiz everything in the blender, drink and enjoy!

The remaining recipes on this post are going to be from the weekend. On Friday my mom and I stayed home from work, there was supposed to be a horrible storm, plus I had my driver's test that day. Well my test ended up being cancelled, and we never got a storm.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus Crackers

Recipe adapted from here

When I woke up at that morning I was definitely in the mood to be in the kitchen. Working forteen hours a day hasn't allowed me much time in the kitchen, needless to say I took advantage of the situation. After having some leftover chick peas from the Sweet Potato Chickpea Patties I decided to make more of the ever-so delicious Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus, I fell in love when I first made it, and definitely fell in love the second time I made it. This time however, I wasn't making the hummus to eat it as a dip, no, I was making the hummus so I could have a sweet cracker. I found a recipe using hummus as half of the ingredients to make crackers. I was a little skeptical, but the images of the hummus crackers were gorgeous, and I figured with something as delicious as the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus there's no way these crackers could taste bad if they turned out. Well they turned out, and boy did they turn out beautifully. I literally ate the whole batch within the first hour of making them. I mean, it's my fault I made the most amazingly sweet hummus in the world. These crackers were fantastic, they were so simple to make, delicious, if you have leftover hummus they are definitely a good way of ridding your fridge of that, and they are full of healthy fats and protein, woohoo! I will certainly make these again, whether it's with a different hummus or the same I am positive they will be just as fantastic.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup hummus
• 1/3 cup ground flax seed
• Salt (optional) - I omitted since this was a sweet cracker

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mix ingredients together until you have a stiff ball of “dough.” Place ball of dough on a sheet of parchment on a cookie sheet. Pat down into a rough square. Place another sheet of parchment on top of the dough, and roll dough with a rolling pin until fairly thin. Peel off parchment. Sprinkle dough with optional salt.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes. Cut crackers into desired shapes with a pizza roller. Return to oven and continue baking until crackers are crisp – up to 10 more minutes. Your baking time will vary depending on the wetness of your hummus.

The following thing that was made was a Red Pepper-Cilantro Pesto, as mentioned before I really am not a pesto person, however, after making Coriander and Kale Mixed Nut Pesto it seemed as though my palette was more in touch with those earthy flavours than before. I gave it another chance, and honestly I can definitely see myself being a fan of pesto, however, that being any pesto but parsley. Parsley to me is like eating wild grass that a dog has peed on, I absolutely detest the flavour and am always able to notice it in a dish a mile away. This pesto is awesome though, it isn't too thick, and not too thin either, I've used it as a dip, salad dressing and this weekend I plan on making an Israeli couscous pasta salad with it.

Red Pepper-Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients:

• 2 roasted red peppers, chopped
• 3 tbsp slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Place roasted red bell peppers in the bowl of a food processor. Add slivered almonds, garlic, cilantro, Parmesan cheese, and lime juice. Pulse until combined. While the food processor is running, slowly pour in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set the pesto aside.

Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies

Recipe adapted from here

Next I made some of the best cookies ever. I seriously devoured these bad boys. Homemade almond butter definitely made a significant impact in these cookies. Everyone I gave them too loved them as well, which is always nice to hear, especially when it's vegan, because we all know how skeptical some people can be. These cookies reminded me of a chocolatey-vegan shortbread cookie, the reason I say that is because of the amount of "butter" that was called for in the recipe. The cookie had a harder exterior with a real beautiful center I'm even really sure what I would consider it, chewy-soft perhaps, I'm not sure, but these cookies were fantastic. The original recipe calls to add a chocolate bar to the dough, but I seriously thought it was sweet enough with my homemade almond butter, to be honest, I could have even reduced the brown sugar by a bit, but the additional sweetness from it was definitely sweet. The cinnamon, although not a hefty amount was still prevalent, it was really nice. Unfortunately they only lasted two or three days, I was rather sad when they were gone, but this gives me an opportunity to try a new cookie, yeehaw!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup carob chip cranberry almond butter, or any almond butter of your choice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsp flax meal plus 3 tbsp water

Directions:

In a small bowl mix the flax meal and water. In a mixer, cream the almond butter and brown sugar. Whisk the other dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Add flax mixture to almond/sugar mixture, then add in dry ingredients. Mix until incorporated. Using your hands grab off 1" size balls , roll into balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Hummus for dessert? You got it!

So yesterday I had mentioned I was all out of peanut butter. The reason for this lie's in this post. I made dessert hummus. Now I wish I was the genius behind this idea, however, I certainly am not. I saw this recipe and knew that I would certainly be making it very soon. I've had a can of garbanzo beans sitting in my cupboard for who knows how long. What I was keeping them for was when my mom wouldn't have any hummus in the fridge, and I would take the opportunity to make the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus I made in the summer. It was so fantastic, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who ate it. However, dessert hummus just sounded far too good to pass up.

At first I couldn't decide between the Snickerdoodle hummus, and the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip hummus. Why I was debating was beyond me. This is why math exists, we are able to make recipe's into smaller quantities. Well, this certainly solved my qualm and I was able to make both kinds!

The first recipe I made was the peanut butter chocolate chip hummus. Let's just start off by saying the aroma that came off from the food processor was absolutely fantastic. I was so tempted to lick the blade, but something just really freaks me out about licking sharp objects. While scooping the hummus from the bowl of the food processor into the bowl I was seriously on a high. The smell, the texture, the appearance everything was fantastic. While reading the directions, I read that peeling the skin off the garbanzo beans lends the hummus a much smoother and creamier texture. Well, it might have taken a while to do, it was certainly worth it. There weren't any clumps anywhere, it was as smoothe as ice cream. When I took the first bite, I did go to heaven. It was so delicious; it tasted like peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough, could anything be any better? I smothered this stuff on everything. I even toasted my cinnamon raisin bread and spread it on there, it was glorious.

The next dessert recipe I made was the Snickerdoodle hummus. Now I enjoyed it, but I didn't like it as much as the peanut butter chocolate chip one. I loved the combination of cinnamon, almond butter and garbanzo beans but I think the maple syrup was too much for this one. It was however very tasty especially when paired with the cinnamon raisin bread. It just was not my preference when it came to the two. I would certainly make both again though, very different, and very satisfying... it even allowed me to have hummus for breakfast, what can be better?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Hummus

Recipe taken from here

Ingredients:

• 2 cups chickpeas
• 1/4 cup homemade peanut butter
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Drain, measure, wash, and peel your chickpeas. Peeling them isn’t absolutely necessary but it makes for the creamiest hummus and really is worth the effort.

In a food processor, add the first 4 ingredients and process until the hummus is smooth and emulsified (the one thing no one wants for dessert is chunky chickpea pieces in their dessert).

Remove the blade and fold in the chocolate chips. Move into a deep serving bowl.

Snickerdoodle Dessert Hummus

Recipe taken from here

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chickpeas, drained and washed
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• Cinnamon sugar for garnish

Directions:

Peel your chickpeas and add them in a food processor with the almond butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Process for about 30 seconds to a minute, until all the ingredients have mixed and the dip is smoothe.

Move to a serving bowl and garnish with cinnamon sugar on top.

The obvious question is “How do you serve these?” Well, I would lay it out on a platter with

• graham crackers
• apple slice
• baby carrots
• cinnamon pita chips
• mini-chocolate bars
• cinnamon raisin bread

Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Bread

Recipe adapted from here

Since I could remember I have always loved the flavour and aroma of cinnamon, it just brightens the soul. When I was younger one of my favourite cookies were these cinnamon raisin cookies with heavy frosting that my grandmother used to buy. At a young age I wasn't a huge fan of raisins but with the pairing of cinnamon I could handle it. Now, I'm a much bigger fan, and look for things to find goods that include raisins, when I saw a recipe for oatmeal bread I knew it would be perfect with cinnamon and raisins. Well, I certainly was right. This bread was delicious. It was so darn tasty when it was toasted, eaten by itself, matched with the dessert hummus', and some other meals that you will soon see.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp + 2 tbsp agave, divided
• 2 tsp yeast
• 1 1/2 cups soy milk + 1 tsp lemon juice, or buttermilk
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 5 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups raisins
• 2 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

Set aside 1/4 cup rolled oats. Place the remaining oats into a medium bowl. Cover with boiling water. Mix with spoon and let sit uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Whisk 1 tsp agave with 1/4 cup of warm water in a bowl then sprinkle yeast on top. Let rest for 5 minutes. Add soaked oats, buttermilk, oil, 2 tbsp agave, flour, cinnamon, raisins and salt. Stir to combine, then knead 8-10 min. Dough should be wet but have a satiny finish.

Place dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm area for 1 hour, or until about doubled in size.

Place dough onto a floured surface and flatten to release excess air bubbles. Form dough into a 12 x 6-inch rectangle and position it so that a long side is facing you. Fold the 2 short ends onto the top so they meet in the middle. Starting with the closest end, roll dough away from you into a log. Let loaf rest on its seam for a few minutes.

Transfer loaf to an oiled loaf pan, pressing dough into the corners. Mix remaining agave with ½ tsp with very hot water. Brush over the top of the loaf and sprinkle with the remaining oats. Let sit 35-45 minutes, until loaf rises just over the top of the pan.

While loaf is rising, preheat oven to 385 F. Bake for 1 hour, transfer loaf to wire rack and allow to cool completely before cutting.

What is your favourite hummus flavour?

Peach and Blueberry Upside Down Cake + Ginger Peach Bread + Honey Crystallized Ginger Cookies + Ginger Scones + Peach Salsa

Here is an entry all about peaches and ginger! These were basically my favourite flavours this summer, I played around with them in many different recipes and enjoyed them as much every single time. Ginger has been a long time favourite since I was introduced to molasses cookies and then again to sushi. Peaches, well they're juicy, sweet, refreshing and cute, could you possibly hate something so beautiful? I think not. I'm going to start you guys off with my FAVOURITE peach recipe that I tried this summer.

Peach and Blueberry Upside Down Cake

Recipe adapted from here

Holy cow, there are no words to describe this amazing object. I had never had an upside down cake, and my mom had bought a whole case of peaches that no one seemed to be eating. This being perfect since I was in the mood for cake and was also craving some peaches. I immediately started looking for recipes containing peaches in cake, and I found the perfect one. This was so so good. There was none left for the next day, the WHOLE thing went. I changed the recipe up slightly and am really glad I did because I didn't feel as bad eating it. Oh my goodness though, the smell that was brought into the house while this was baking was unbelievable. Then, when you cut the cake and the beautiful blue hues stained the sides of the cake and you bit into the sweet, sugary cake oh, there is nothing like it. This is a fantastic summer-time cake and if I ever need to make an upside down cake again this will certainly be it, modified to how I did it and all, I will not even search for another recipe because this is it!

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 4 large, ripe peaches, peeled and cut into thin slices
• 2 cup blueberries
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup vanilla fortified soy milk

Directions:

Set oven to 350F. Place the 3 tbsp butter and brown sugar in a deep, 9-inch round cake pan and place in the oven while it heats. Once the butter has fully melted, remove the pan from the oven. Stir the butter and sugar until they’re well blended and evenly coat the bottom of the pan.
Peel and slice the peaches. Sprinkle the peaches evenly over the bottom of the pan. Insert the blueberries, rounded side down, between the peaches.

In a large bowl, cream the 1/3 cup applesauce and sugar together. Add the egg, and vanilla, beat until combined.

Sift the flour and baking powder together. Add a third of the flour to the batter and stir until blended. Add half the milk and stir until blended. Add the remaining flour and milk, alternately, being sure to end with the flour. This is important to the texture of the cake.
Spoon the batter gently over the fruit.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown all over and springs back when tapped.

Cool on a rack for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake. Invert the cake onto a plate.
Ginger Peach Bread

Recipe taken from here

This was the another recipe that I used that case of peaches for. This was such an extremely moist bread from the oil and the applesauce. It was fluffy. Full of flavour from the peaches, ginger, cinnamon and brown sugar. It was filling but it wasn't heavy. It hit the spot with just the right amount of sweetness but hitting you with a perfect balance of spice. This was so good. The smell that wafted through the house too while the peaches were cooking down and then baking in the oven, undescribable, so good. This was the perfect summer time afternoond snack with a cup of tea. This will certainly be made next year, and possibly with some crystallized ginger pieces snuck in ;).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 eggs
• 1/2 cup cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 4 tbsp applesauce
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 large peaches
• 1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 8 x 4 inch loaf pan.

You can do the peaches 2 ways: Either peel and dice and set aside to simply add into batter later. Or you can peel and cut into wedges and cook (medium low heat) with a couple tablespoons of sugar, and about ½ a cup of water. Cook about 15 minutes covered and then 15 uncovered until you have a thick compote and water has mostly evaporated. Mash with fork and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs lightly and remove 2 tablespoons (that equals about 1/2 an egg so you can meet the 1 1/2 eggs this recipe calls for). Blend in the sugar, oil, applesauce and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and ginger. Mix just to combine.

Stir in the peaches (either compote or diced pieces or a combination of both). Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for about 30-35 mins, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Honey Crystallized Ginger Cookies

Recipe taken from here

I saw this recipe and was so incredibly excited. I had just bought candied ginger and was really wanting to use them in a cookie recipe, well I found the perfect one. Plus it was from Lovin' From the Oven and I've used a few of her recipes before and wasn't let down so I was confident that this one would be a winner as well. This was such a delicious cookie. I had it in the morning and loved the smell that the cookies gave to the house for the better part of the day. These were perfect ingredients too, plus if there is ONE ingredient that can make the ginger peach combination even more lustworthy it's honey. I love honey because it adds the perfect amount of sweetness without overpowering the rests of the flavours. Plus it's natural so it doesn't make me feel as bad when I used it. These were such delicious cookies. Everything about them was delectable plus they were so so soft, even after I froze them and munched on some every now and then they were still just as pillowy soft. Ahhh, I'm wishing I still had some stashed away... darn, but yeah, definitely a good cookie recipe, different, spicy, sweet, soft, chewy, delicious.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup candied ginger, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup sugar
• Pinch of cinnamon
• Pinch of ground ginger

Directions:

Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar, egg and honey.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and combine well. Fold in the ginger and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine 1/3 cup sugar with a pinch of cinnamon and ground ginger in a small bowl. Preheat oven to 375° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Once the dough has chilled, roll the dough into small Tablespoon sized balls and roll in the sugar mixture. Place on baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.

Ginger Scones

Recipe taken from here

Then there is THIS recipe. Holy moly, this was sooooooooooooo good. I've mentioned before how I am a gigantic scone fan, well these, oh boy did they ever hit the spot. I can't even tell you why they were so good but they were just PERFECT. I still have one that I'm saving for a rainy day... no, not really, I just, I want to save it because it was so good. I've never had a scone that tastes' like that. It was simply delicious. I don't even want to descripbe it I just want you to try it, they were so good too to have with a cup of Chai tea, ahhhh... maybe I'll head downstairs and have that scone now... see you later.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
• 2/3 cup candied ginger, finely chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup vanilla fortified soy milk

Directions:

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder, and pulse or mix on low to incorporate. Add the lemon zest and butter, and pulse on and off, or mix on low, untl the mixture is pale yellow and the consistency of fine meal.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and stir in the ginger. Make a well in the center and pour in the cream. Using one hand, draw in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Wash and dry your hands and dust them with flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead a few times to gather it into a ball. Roll or pat the dough into a circle about 3/4 inch thick. Cut out the circles, cutting as closely together as possible and keeping the trimmings intact.

Gather the scraps, pat and press the pieces back together, and cut out the remaining dough. Place the scones 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Brush the tops with the remaining cream.

Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, until the surface cracks and they are slightly browned.

Peach Salsa

I had some peaches left and I wasn't in the mood to bake or cook them, I just wanted something simple to do with them, (other than simply eating them like that). I had some other random vegetables left so with what I had left it was perfect for a salsa. Perfect indeed. I'm not much a fan of salsa but this was delicious, it had the same consistency, it had crunch, bite, sweetness, some zing, yes some zing from the mint leaves and garlic, it was just great. I ate it as is, I didn't even bother taking out the pita chips or anything. It was a healthy and delicious snack and would definitely be perfect as a party appetizer or just a random chip and dip afternoon snack, and it's pretty, it looks like Mexico with all the beautiful colours!

Ingredients:

• 2 peaches
• 1 tomato
• 1/8 cup mint leaves
• 1 cup red onion
• 1 tsp garlic
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Let the salsa sit for 30 minutes to let the juices mesh. Then gobble it up!

Go on, and get your party on with these delicious treats!

Blueberry Foccacia + Raspberry Vanilla Fruit Leather + Canteloupe with Mint, Lime and Sea Salt + Baileys Fruit Dip

When you think of the summer, what do you think of? To me I think of:

Hot weather
Vacation
Bathing Suits
Beach
Outdoors
Cold drinks
Exercising
Picnic's
Sand
Sun
Flowers
Lemonade
Grass

The thing that pretty much comes to the top of the list for me is fruit. Fresh, juicy, sweet fruit. With that, also comes cheap fruit. Every Sunday my dad and I hang out. We take our turns making lunch, and then following lunch we go out and do groceries. It's nice because what I don't get done during the week, I get to get at the end of the week with pops. Last week we went to two different stores for our groceries because we couldn't seem to find nice fruit. Well, we sort of gave up because it was the end of the day and the fruit just wasn't nice. Yesterday we went to three different grocery stores, again the same situation. What did this make me realize? Summer is pretty much over. Sure, the weather MAY still be nice (currently raining and 10 degrees Celcius... hopefully the hot weather comes out a couple more times), but the great fruit is gone, and soon the winter fruits come out, which isn't a terrible thing, but I will really miss the summer.

For this post I decided I wanted to make it an ode to summer, and post recipes that included summer fruits, because to me they are very special.

Blueberry Foccacia

Recipe taken from here

So to start off, we have a blueberry foccacia. This was insanely delicious, plus I made it for my family in Montreal, and well, it was gone the next morning. You tell me whether or not it was successful ;).

Ingredients:

• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp grated lemon zest
• 3 to 3 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 packet (1⁄4 oz) rapid-rise active dry yeast
• 3⁄4 tsp salt
• 1 1⁄4 cups whole milk
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1⁄2 stick (1⁄4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups blueberries

Directions:

Pulse sugar and lemon zest in food processor until zest is finely ground and incorporated into the sugar. In a large bowl, whisk 1⁄3 cup of the lemon sugar, 3 cups of the flour, the yeast and salt until blended.

Heat milk in a 2-cup measure in microwave on high 1 1⁄2 minutes, or until temperature registers 130°F on an instant-read thermometer; add to flour mixture with egg and butter. Mix with a rubber spatula until a soft, sticky dough forms; scrape dough onto a floured surface. Using a dough scraper to assist, knead with some of the remaining 1⁄2 cup flour to form a smooth and pliable dough, about 2 minutes. Cover the dough with the mixing bowl; let rest 10 minutes.

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough in half. Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, stretch and pat out on parchment into a 12-in. free-form rectangle, about 1⁄4 in. thick. Scatter with half the blueberries and half of the remaining lemon sugar. On floured surface, pat out and stretch remaining dough slightly larger than the first piece and place over bottom dough. Press edges together and tuck under the loaf. Cover with a sheet of greased plastic wrap. Place baking sheet in a warm area. Let rise 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350°F. With floured fingers, dimple surface of loaf (pierce any bubbling with a knife tip to release air pockets). Scatter top of loaf with remaining blueberries and lemon sugar. Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. Slide focaccia onto a wire rack and cool slightly. Serve warm.

Raspberry Vanilla Fruit Leather

Recipe taken from here

I had tried to make fruit leather before, and as delicious as it was, it still didn't come close to your artificial fruit roll-up. This recipe however, came very very close, and it tasted just as delicious. This is such an easy recipe to make, you can put it on make it while you're sleeping, I mean really, could you ask for anything more? Perhaps some little fairies who would do the cleaning for you afterwards... but since we don't live in a world with fairies why not take what gifts you can get right?

Ingredients:

• 1 pint of raspberries
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of honey (more or less to taste)

Directions:

Place raspberries in a blender and blend until liquified. I didn't want seeds in my leather so I strained the raspberry puree through a fine mesh sieve using a spatula to force the juice through while leaving the seeds behind. Pour the seedless puree back in the blender . Add the vanilla seeds, extract and honey and blend until well mixed. Taste the puree to see if it needs any more honey.

For drying in an oven: Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Pour mixture onto parchment paper and spread evenly until it is about 1/4 of an inch thick. Dehydrate for 4-6 hours (or until completely dry) at the lowest temperature possible (145F or so)

When your leather is completely dry cut using a pizza cutter or scissors, roll up and enjoy!

To store, put in a airtight glass container and keep it in the pantry. But let me warn you...you might eat them all in one day!

Canteloupe with Mint, Lime and Sea Salt

Recipe taken from here

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my goooooshh! This has got to be one of the BEST things to do with fruit after chocolate... actually, it may be BETTER than chocolate and fruit. I have never really done anything with fruit when eating it raw, I mean, obviously I've baked with it, and eaten it with chocolate but as for adding different ingredients to my fruit, nope, never. This, was... honestly, AMAZING. It brought out the flavours of the canteloupe and just oh I can't even tell you. It seriously was a party in my mouth. It was just, bliss, pure bliss. This is something I will definitely do over and over again, especially if you get a canteloupe that isn't as sweet as it should be this would do WONDERRRSSS to it, ahhh! Must try, must try.

Ingredients:

• 1 canteloupe, sliced, rind removed
• Fresh mint, chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• Pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Place melon slices on a large platter. Sprinkle melon slices with fresh mint.

Squeeze fresh lime juice over the melon slices. Sprinkle each slice gently with sea salt.

*Note-chill the melon before cutting/serving, if possible.

Baileys Fruit Dip

Recipe taken from here

And the final recipe I want to show you, is not fruit per se, but is a devilishly delicious fruit dip. Again, I've never even mixed fruit with dip... it kind of weirds me out. Fruit is so awesome by itself, I don't know why you'd want to mask it's beautiful flavours with a dip... that is until you have this. This was... just sinful. Sinful, sinful, sinful. Baileys for one is a weakness of mine, the creaminess, the sweetness, the taste, just everything it really gets to me. Then brown sugar, I mean really, must I describe brown sugar and go into detail about why it's amazing? Then sour cream, really, I used to lick my bowl clearn when I was younger if there was sour cream left over from my meal that hadn't been used up. Therefore, these three ingredients in a menage-a-trois combo, ugh say no more!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2-3 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream
• 1 tub of sour cream

Directions:

Mix it all together and DIVE IN!

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus + Tzatziki + Feta Sun-Dried Tomato Spread + Sun-Dried Tomatoes

What is summer with out any dips? I realize that it's not really summer anymore, considering we've been in the transition to fall for a couple of weeks now. However, my computer has been on the frits for a while, and I couldn't put it off any longer and had to take it in... just when I was finally getting caught up with my recipes, something has to happen to push me back again, sigh... I didn't make many dips over the summer, since I can't really eat store bought bread/nachos and don't always feel like making an insane amount of food just to have a little something. I did however make these when I was wanting to fulfill my vegetable desire with a little dip. With that being said, I have three excellent dips that pair well with vegetables, pitas, nachos, on breads as a spread in sandwiches or even as is, if you're feeling a little glutinous ;), onto the recipes shall we?

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Recipe adapted from here

To start this recipe off, I want to show you guys something. Let's go back a couple of months time and take a look at one of my first posts: hummus. I look back just a few months back and see already how much I've learnt in so little time. I mean, really, look at that disgusting mess that I called "hummus". I was so proud of myself too, really, I thought I was the cat's meow. Ha, I was quite naive. I mean, not to say I'm so amazing now, but I mean comparing that swamp meat to this, oh yeah... this was heavenly. I mean, it was smoothe, LOOKED and TASTED like hummus, and was just blissful. Really, I'm not the BIGGEST fan of hummus, but this hit the nail on the head, this is THE recipe for hummus. It was insanely delicious, oh yeah, this recipe is certainly a keeper, and will definitely be made time and time again.

Ingredients:

• 4 large roasted red peppers, skin and seeds removed
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup raw tahini
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Garnish:

• EVOO
• Sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Directions:

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients (except for garnish). Blend until smoothe. You may want to scrape down the sides of the blender/food processor bowl with a spatula a few times to incorporate all the ingredients.

Drizzle with EVOO and cayenne pepper.

Tzatziki

Recipe taken from here

Next on our list is the traditional Greek dip tzatziki. When I was younger, every Friday night, my parents would take my brother and I to Mr. Greek. I absolutely loved the food, I got the same thing EVERY time, really, I loved the dish I got so much and never had any desire to switch it up. By going to this restaurant I fell madly in-love with tzatziki, really, if I hadn't finished up the tzatziki with my meal I would scrape at the dish with my fingers and lick it. Gross I know, but it was just so darn good. Then, a couple of years later my dad became really good friends with a Greek, who was married to this Greek woman who made an insanely sinful tzatziki dip, from there, I knew at one point in my life I had to try and make it. I can't believe it took me so long to try, but I'm glad I did finally get to making it. It was good, not AS good as Mr. Greeks, but it definitely hit the spot. It was light, refreshing, and to top it all off its really healthy, what could be better than that?

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

While growing up, I can always remember in the summer my mom leaving the oven on over night and making sun-dried tomatoes. I loved the smell, hated the taste. Really, I still hate the taste but I'm more open to eating them now. The smell of the house while these were baking was so aromatic, it was nice, it really put me at ease. It made me happy too, it reminded me of when my mom would make them, really I think that is why I made them. She always used to say, "I eat these like candy". Really? Candy to me is fruit, or CANDY, but these, no way. However, I'll leave the candy-eating tomatoes to her, and save sun-dried tomatoes when I make them for the following dip!

Ingredients:

• 2 Romano tomatoes
• EVOO
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Oregano

Directions:

Preheat oven to the lowest temperature it goes to. Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise. Arrange with the insides facing up.

Depending on the size of the tomatoes your time will vary. I left mine in the oven for 8 hours.

Feta Sun-Dried Tomato Spread

Recipe taken from here

Last but certainly not least on our list is this devilishly good dip. I had just made sundried tomatoes and was so excited when I saw this recipe come up one of the blogs I follow. Once the tomatoes were cooled, I had started to assemble this dip together. It was GREAT. It was fluffy, full of fresh flavour, comforting, just, really really great. I definitely recommend this dip to anyone who is a dip fan, this would be so divine with a bag of original potato chips, oh yes!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb feta cheese
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Greek-style plain yoghurt
• 1 small clove of garlic, minced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 green onion, sliced

Directions:

Place all of your ingredients excluding the green onions in the bowl of a food processor and process until smoothe.

Add the green onions and pulse until just mixed.

Invite some friends over, have a game night and take out some of these delicious dips, and dig in!