Blueberry Mango Chia Seed Pudding

This is a nice breakfast or a treat at night when you are craving "something sweet" but don't know what? I always crave something sweet after dinner, and this hits the spot!

I made this with blueberries and mangoes because that is what I happened to have on my counter but I have made it with mangoes and dried coconut before and it was equally as nice. You can use just about any fruit you have or like. Just make sure to make it the day before to let the chia seeds set.

Blueberry Mango Chia Seed Pudding

1 lb. blueberries or approximately 2 cups
1 cup chopped mango, fresh or frozen
2 cups almond milk or  regular milk
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon honey or to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
1/2 cup chia seeds

In a blender, blend the blueberries, mango, almond milk, Greek yogurt, honey, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour in a large bowl and mix in the chia seeds. Stir until the chia seeds are incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next day, the pudding should be thick and creamy. Serve.

m xo

Raw Thai Almond Kelp Noodle Salad

So, this is a first for my blog. A guest in my kitchen!!

Barbara, a Holistic Nutritionist

Over the years as a hairstylist, I have been very fortunate to meet some wonderful, interesting people. I have known Barbara Ollerenshaw for a few years and she has truly inspired me because she recently went back to school and became a Holistic Nutritionist. I asked her if she had a dish she would share with me on my blog and this is one of her favourite dishes. A raw Thai noodle salad. This is a healthy answer for when she gets a craving for Pad Thai.  I love Thai food! I was intrigued!

This really is a nutritious dish! I've never had kelp noodles before and I have to say they were very similar to rice noodles except they were a little on the rubbery side but not in a bad way! If I didn't know they weren't rice, I probably wouldn't have noticed. The salad itself was so refreshing and flavourful. It was amazing! The fact that it is also good for you is an added bonus. Here are just few reasons it's good for you.   

Kelp, a sea vegetable is very nutrient rich. Calcium, iron, manganese and complex B's, to name a few. It also aids in the healthy growth of nails and hair. And who doesn't want healthy hair and nails? I talk to a lot of women in my chair and hair and nail growth is one of our main concerns. The kelp noodles are found in the refrigerated section of the health food store. Garlic provides enzymes to help with digestion and alkalizes the body. Ginger is an antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and stimulates digestion and liver.

I urge to try this recipe, even if it's just to try something that you haven't had before. Trust me, you'll like it! 

Raw Thai Almond Kelp Noodle Salad

Noodles

massaging the kelp noodles

1 package of kelp noodles
Juice of 1/3 of a lemon
Himalayan salt

Dressing
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons tamari
1/2 cup lime juice, about 3 limes
1 tablespoon honey
1 jalapeño, or to taste
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 inch of ginger, peeled

Salad Vegetables
Red pepper, slivered
Carrots, slivered
Cilantro, chopped
Salad greens
Sprouts
Green onions, chopped
Sprouted mung beans(crunchy pea) to sprinkle on top, optional


For the noodles:
Put the noodle in a strainer and rinse with hot water. Drain well and place in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and a bit of salt. With your hands, message the kelp until soft. Cover and refridgerate.

For the dressing:
Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until thick and fluffy. This makes more than enough dressing for this salad. Keep leftovers in refrigerator for another salad.

To assemble the salad, cut the noodles with kitchen scissors because they tend to be on the long side. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of dressing on noodles and mix together. Add the veggies and add a little more dressing and mix. The amount of dressing you use depends on the amount of vegetables you have for the salad but don't be afraid to use most of it. The vegetables and the noodles tend to soak up a lot of it. Sprinkle with cilantro and sprouted mung beans, if using. Serve right away.

m xo

Pesto Alla Trapanese

I had a wonderful weekend spent with family and friends! We really lucked out because it was supposed to call for rain, pretty much both days. But on Saturday it only rained in the morning and on Sunday it started to rain late evening, just as our guests had all gotten in their cars. And we had just spent ALL afternoon, outside, eating wood burning oven pizza that my husband made. I really thought we had to cancel and reschedule another day, but John had faith all along that it wouldn't rain and my girlfriend Anna, put rosary beads outside just to make sure. Hahaha! See what the power of intention can do?

This recipe for pesto has been calling my name for a couple of months now. I always make the classic pesto with basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil. Especially this time of year when basil grows in my garden abundantly! I make a lot it and store it in the refrigerator or freezer. So nice in the middle of winter when all you have to do is boil pasta with some potatoes and green beans and you have Pasta alla Genovese. Mmm, mmm, good!

This pesto is a little different as it has almonds and tomatoes. The rest is pretty much the same. But can I tell you? The almonds make the sauce so creamy. Delicious! I ended up throwing it on everything. For lunch, I brushed some on merluzzo fillets and then I baked in the oven. So tasty. And then for dinner, I spiralled zucchini with my trusty vegetable spiral slicer, salted it to drain the water, wrung the zucchini with my hands and sautéed over high heat with a splash of olive oil. Then I tossed it with the pesto. A nice, light side dish.

 And of course, it's amazing on al dente pasta!

This makes enough for 1 generous cup of pesto but you can easily double it.

Pesto Alla Trapanese

1/2 cup almonds, toasted and cooled
A generous handful of basil, washed and dried
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup cherry tomates
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1 peperoncino
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

In a food processor or blender, drop in the garlic and blend. Add the almonds and blend until all the nuts are ground. Add the basil, cherry tomatoes, parmesan cheese, peperoncino and salt and blend again. Scrape everything down and blend again to make sure everything gets blitzed. With the machine still running, drizzle in the olive oil in a steady stream until it looks like a puree. You might have to add a little more oil. Make sure it's at room temperature when ready to serve or store in refrigerator for another time.

Enjoy!

m xo

Espresso Almond Cookies

I missed you. It's been awhile... This past week has been very hectic. I got back from NYC and a couple of days later it was my nieces, Ella and Emma's First Communion. It was a beautiful day and they looked even more beautiful. And then as soon as that was done, the very next day I got sick. Just a really bad cold but bad enough that I had to stay in bed for a couple days. But I'm much better now and ready to start blogging again. Yippee!!

Thank goodness I made these cookies the week before the communion and just stuck them in the freezer.  All I had to do was take them out the night before. I got this recipe from the blog, The Italian Dish and they have become  one of my go-to cookie recipes. It's SUPER easy. Right up my alley. They also happen to be gluten free.

Espresso Almond Cookies
(from The Italian Dish)

3 tablespoons espresso coffee
3 cups ground almonds
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
A pinch of salt
Whole coffee beans for garnish

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, mix together the ground almonds, coffee, sugar, egg whites and salt to form a paste.
Roll the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on baking sheet. Top each ball with an espresso bean.
Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes or until slightly firm to the touch and golden brown on the bottom.
Cool and store in an airtight container.

m xo

Fennel and Beet Salad with Tarragon-Shallot Vinaigrette

My go-to salad dressing is pretty basic: olive oil and vinegar. It's what I grew up with. Sometimes we would convince my mom to buy the bottled salad dressing because we wanted to be like everyone else, but inevitably we would have it once or twice and then go back to our usual oil and vinegar.

I came across this tarragon and shallot vinaigrette recipe awhile ago and filed it away for when I had tarragon to use up. This time it wasn't my tarragon but my sister's, who had leftover from something she made with it. Alexandra, from "Alexandra's Kitchen" blog, suggests you double the batch just to have on hand, well thank goodness I did because I loved it! The tarragon gives it a nice anise flavour and really enhanced the fennel that I made my salad with. I'm planning on making the salad the rest of the week!!

I combined all the ingredients in a mason jar. It was easy to shake up and store in refrigerator.

Tarragon-Shallot Vinaigrette
(from Alexandra's Kitchen)

4 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 tablespoons tarragon, finely chopped

Combine vinegar, shallots, sugar, mustard, salt, olive oil and tarragon. Macerate for a few minutes before using.

I just threw this salad together with what I happened to have in my refrigerator. The combination totally rocked!! 

Baby greens

Fennel

Roasted beets

Dried cranberries

Almonds

Feta cheese

 m xo

Just Imagine...Roasted Cauliflower and Quinoa Salad

Ok, so here's the thing. I really, really wanted to share this salad that I made with the leftover roasted cauliflower because it was that good! There is only one problem. I forgot to take a photo of it. Haha! I'm still getting used to this whole blogging thing. So sorry.

I love these kinds of salads and I rarely recreate the same one again because it depends entirely on what is in my pantry.

I like to include a grain of some sort, in this case quinoa, a vegetable, nuts or seeds for crunch, cheese for some saltiness, chopped herd or two and a little sweetness from dried fruit. Everything is to taste. You can sub the quinoa with any grain you have on hand really. If you don't like cilantro, sub in parsley or dill. Not a fan of almonds? Use pistachios or walnuts instead. Whatever floats your boat. Quantities are not even that important here.

I don't even make a dressing. A squeeze of lemon and oil of your choice.

I really hope you make this salad. It was yummy!

Quinoa with Roasted Cauliflower Salad

1/2 head of roasted cauliflower
2 cups cooked quinoa
1/3 cup marcona or toasted almonds, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
4-5 pitted chopped dates
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sumac
juice and zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons walnut oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

m xo

Roasted Cauliflower and Zucchini

Tonight was one of those nights where we really didn't want a big meal for dinner so I decided to make it a "veggie only" meal.

I simply roasted cauliflower and zucchini(separately) and made a couple of sauces for them based on what I had in the refrigerator. Dill and mint.

These would make wonderful side dishes to serve with anything really.

Roasted Cauliflower with Yogurt Dill Sauce

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
Olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450F. Place cauliflower on a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 30-35 minutes or until lightly browned.
In the meantime make the yogurt sauce.

Yogurt Dill Sauce

1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir all the ingredients until combined. Serve with the roasted cauliflower.

Roasted Zucchini with Mint Pesto

4-5 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise
olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 450F. Place zucchini on a roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
In the meantime make the mint pesto.

Mint Pesto

1 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup marcona almonds, (you can sub regular almonds)
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. Drizzle over the roasted zucchini.

  

m xo

Valentine's Day Dates for My ❤️

I know! I know! There are a lot of cynics out there when it comes to Valentine's Day…it's commercialized, someone else is dictating when you should buy flowers, jewelry and cards, go out to dinner and even declare your affection or love. Bah, humbug!! But I love it! I never say no to flowers, cards and definitely NOT jewelry! Bring it on!
What I don't like is, going out for dinner that night. Too crowded. The food is not that great and too expensive. Why not use that money for jewelry. Ha! I like to stay in and cook a nice meal. My husband usually surprises me with dessert but I thought I'd make a little treat that doesn't break the calorie bank and keep it healthy but still include some sort of chocolate. Another bonus…no baking involved!
If you are anything like me and need something sweet after dinner, these are perfect.

Coconut Date Bites

1 cup medjol dates, pitted
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
pinch of salt
1/3 cup shredded coconut, toasted

Place all the ingredients, except the shredded coconut, in a food processor. Pulse until crumbly. Roll teaspoonfuls in your hands to form balls. Press the balls in toasted coconut. Refridgerate for a few minutes. Voila! Ready to eat!

Happy Valentine's Day

m xo

Johnny's Granola

My husband John's go-to breakfast on the weekend is yogurt and granola. During the week it's a granola bar. No exceptions! He has been having a granola bar for breakfast for as long as I've known him. Only recently has he switched up his weekend breakfast to YOGURT and granola. Not a far stretch, I know. Ahhh, you gotta love him!
Granola is pretty easy to make. It's basically oats, whatever nuts and  dried fruit you like and some spices. I add shredded coconut because John likes it.
The dried fruit and coconut doesn't go in until the granola comes out of the oven, otherwise it would burn.
Just keep on eye on the granola because it could easily burn (or you could forget it) as I learned the hard way one summer. I put a batch in the oven and went out and sat on my stoop right outside the kitchen, chatting with my nieces. As I'm sitting there, I could smell something burning but thought it MUST be one of the neighbours. And I just kept talking and talking. Finally it hit me!! OMG!! My granola! Well needless to say I don't think I made granola for the next year. I was pissed…at myself of course. Hahaha!

Granola with Coconut and Cranberries

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slices almonds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup wheatgerm
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 300F.
Throw all the ingredients except the cranberries and coconut in a bowl and mix until combined. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake for 45- 55 minutes. Give it a stir after 30 minutes. When it is golden brown and your house smells amazing, it's ready. Take out of the oven and add the dried cranberries and coconut. Cool and store in air tight containers. I store mine in mason jars.

m xo

Devils on Horseback

I always have Medjool dates on my kitchen counter. Here's why. I have a sweet tooth, especially after dinner. I figure I will eat the dates instead of a cookie or candy. Right? Umm, no. My intentions are good but that doesn't happen all the time (ok, most the time). So last night I decided to make Devils on Horseback with my dates. I love these little appetizers because they are sweet and salty, my favorite combination. I'm sure you've seen this recipe everywhere. It's all over Pinterest. I made them once before without the cheese, just dates wrapped in bacon. I found them a little too sweet. This time I added parmesan cheese and almonds. They were de-lish!

Devils on Horseback

Medjool dates, pitted
Parmesan cheese, pieces
Almonds, sliced
Bacon, cut lengthwise
Toothpicks


Preheat oven to 400F.
Place a little piece of cheese and a couple slices of almonds in the centre of each date. Carefully wrap each one with bacon and secure with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes until crispy. Carefully remove toothpicks and serve.

Now I have to replace the dates that I used for these so that I have something sweet to eat after dinner. ;-)
m xo

Clementine Cake

Let me start by saying, baking is not my favorite thing to do. I'm not an exact measurer when I cook and I hate the fact that it's REALLY important when you bake. Trust me, I've tried to just throw ingredients in without measuring, hoping to get great results. Doesn't work. But I do like forgiving recipes like this one from Nigella Lawson. Few ingredients. One bowl. I tweaked the recipe a little by adding cardamom, cutting down the sugar and adding a pinch of salt. If you like citrus, this is the cake for you! And it's better the next day. It's almost like it was drenched in syrup. The only thing to remember is to cook your clementines ahead of time. 

Clementine Cake 
(adapted from How To Eat by Nigella Lawson)

4-5 clementines, 375g total weight 6 large eggs 200g sugar 250g ground almonds 1 heaping teaspoon baking powder 1 heaping teaspoon ground cardamom Pinch of salt

Place clementines in a pot, cover with water and cook for 2 hours. Drain and cool. Cut in half and remove any seeds.

Preheat oven 375°F. Place clementines in a food processor and pulse. Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse again. Pour in a greased, round springform pan. Bake for 35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let it completely cool before removing from pan.

PS   Let me tell you how forgiving this cake really is. 
After I put the pan in the oven and starting to clean up the kitchen, I noticed there were 6 eggs sitting on the counter. 
Uh oh! I FORGOT to put the eggs in!  Hahaha! So I took the cake out of the oven, put the batter back in the processor, let it cool a bit, added the eggs, pulsed, poured back in pan and back in the oven it went. How did the cake turn out you ask? Fabulous! No one knew a thing. You can tell from the photos for yourself. 

m xo