Odds and Ends

Here are some fun treats that I enjoyed over the weekend. 

Vegan pancakes drizzled with maple syrup with canned lychees and blueberries on the side. 

Blackberries with almond milk and maple crisp cereal for breakfast another day.

Some gouda and marble cheese with apples, pretzels and pickles for a snack.

Have you heard of this now local fav? A friend brought it over for us to try since we've heard so much buzz about it. Tastes pretty good! Glad to see some Manitobans getting some deals with The Dragons. Check out the pitch/deal here.

We had a couple friends over for dinner and we asked for them to bring dessert because they never disappoint in this category. My girlfriend was being super creative with this dessert. She combined an element from three desserts that she loved and ended up making a play on a vegan chocolate coconut cream pie! 

The bottom is a cookie crumble crust with shredded coconut topped with chocolate ganache and then a coconut cream layer on top. 

Let's do the math, shall we? A pie serves 8 pieces and a piece were given out to all 4 individuals that evening and so 4 pieces are left. How many additional pieces did Stephanie eat? 

I don't want to talk about it. 

What I am pumped to talk about is this...

... but that can wait until the next post. :p

Field Trip

M. and I have started establishing our routine when it comes to completing chores including grocery shopping in our new neighbourhood. We usually alternate between Superstore and Costco every week but last weekend I wanted to venture out and try something new. Through friends and co-workers, people kept talking about the really nice and fancy Sobeys in Sage Creek.  I am sure that you must have heard the radio commercials about Sobey's new mission statement on healthy eating thanks to Jaime Oliver. Well, I have not made my way to that part of the city in quite some time so M. and I were up for a field trip. 

Corner of Bishop and Lagimodiere. I am shocked how developed this area has become. 

This part of the world feels like Calgary or Edmonton.

A sea of beautiful greens. The produce was very attractive but expensive! Also, we found that there wasn't much of a selection.

Jaime sure has his stamp on everything.

I have never seen frozen macaroons before! Should have bought them. 

Impulse purchase! 

We didn't find that it was worth the price especially considering how small it was.

All in all, this upscale Sobey's gave off a Whole Food's vibe but, it's prices are higher than what we are used to and it's not a drive that we plan to do on a regular basis.

Overall, it's fun to take a field trip once in awhile.

Adapting a Fav

I love baked oatmeal. It's a very easy recipe and one of my favourites. And since I posted this recipe a year ago I have tweaked it a bit. Gussied it up a little if you will. I have created a new version with frozen berries, vanilla protein powder and maple syrup. Just for old times, click here for the original. But, if you have a sweet tooth like I do, then you are going to love this new recipe.

A Very Berry Oatmeal

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of rolled oats
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1/4 tsp of kosher salt
• 1/3 cup of protein powder of your choice (I like vanilla flavoured)
• 1 egg, beat
• 1 1/2 cups of almond milk
• 1 1/2 cups of a mixture of frozen berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries)
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Combine the oats, baking powder, protein powder, salt and cinnamon in a medium size bowl
• Combine egg, almond milk, vanilla and maple syrup together in a separate bowl 
• Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. 
• Grease an 8 inch baking pan 
• Layer the bottom of the dish with half of the berries and then pour over half of the mixture over top of the berries. Layer half of the berries that are left over on top of the first layer of the oatmeal mixture and then pour the remainder of the mixture in the pan.  Sprinkle the rest of the berries on top of the mixture in the pan.
• Then pop the dish in the oven for 25 minutes. You can tell that its done by the sides of the dish bubbling over or the the oatmeal mixture feels like it has solidified.

Now if you'll excuse me, E. Bouchard is playing up next in the Australian Open. Must. Watch. Now!

Crusty Bread

I have never made bread from scratch. That is my confession for the day.

I have toyed with the idea of making bread but, I have never really had that "I need to make bread today" feeling. Bread and I (and M.) have a love/ hate relationship. It's not a staple in our home because it doesn't last very long. Also, when we want bread we can't eat rye, spelt or multigrain bread because when we crave or want bread it must be french bread preferably freshly baked from the local bakery. We become bread snobs.

This all changed when one day when my friends on Facebook were sharing a "crusty bread" recipe and  I noticed that people kept boasting about how easy it was and about all the different varieties they were going to try to make. The recipe is also vegan friendly! When I saw these Facebook posts during the cold spell we were having in December/ early January that is when I proudly yelled in my kitchen, "I am going to be making bread today!" M. was very excited.

Don't you love it when you decide to make a recipe and you want to make it ASAP but then realize that you are missing 70% of the ingredients especially after you just went grocery shopping? Nothing can be more frustrating. It can also not be pleasant for your partner when you ask them to pick up the ingredients on their way home from work.

M. "You need me to buy salt? Why? We have 7 different kinds of salt in the cupboards!"
Me- "But the recipe calls for KOSHER salt, not sea salt or himalayan pink sea salt but KOSHER salt."
M. "Will it really make a difference?"
Me- "In my mind it does."
M. "Kosher salt it is"

Gorgeous!

It was a welcome addition to the white bean stew we were having that evening. You can find the stew recipe on a previous post here.

A great midnight snack as well. 

Crusty Bread 

From Simply so Good

3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 3/4 teaspoons of KOSHER salt

1/2 teaspoon Instant or Rapid-rise yeast

1 1/2 cups water

You will need at least a 5.5 quart cast iron pot

• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt and yeast.
• Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.  
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12 - 18 hours. 
• Heat oven to 450 degrees.  When the oven has reached 450 degrees place a cast iron pot with a lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes.  
• Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball.  Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.  
• Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough.  
• Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes.  
• After 30 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes.  
• Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack to cool.  

There are many varieties of this bread that you can try. Next time I will try a roasted red pepper and feta!

Milos, Milos, MILOS!

Happy Australian Open everyone!

So happy to see that Milos Raonic made it to the second round. Can't wait to see him play again today!

However, trying to watch 3-4 hours of Tennis a night has not slowed down my baking in this kitchen. I will be talking about this beauty in the next post.

Looking for something Delicious?

This weekend we had friends over and ordered take out from Delicious Vegetarian Restaurant. Located on Pembina, it's a vegetarian (and vegan) only restaurant play on Chinese/ Vietnamese food. You can find your chop suey, sweet and sour 'pork' and 'chicken' chow mein but the 'meat' is a soy-based substitute similar in texture, look, and taste. Also, there is never a worry of beef or chicken stock ending up in your soup or fish oil/ sauce as part of a base of a dish. We have been eating there for years and despite the always eclectic owner, the food is usually never a disappointment. M. and I usually order the sweet and sour tofu, fried rice, chow mein. and beef and broccoli. This time we decided to switch it up slightly with:

Wonton soup

Sweet and sour tofu, Delicious Chow Mein, and brown rice. 

As hard as I tried, I could not make this shot look pretty. There was also some eggplant in black bean sauce and spring rolls but I am not a fan of eggplant. Too bad because everyone else loved it!

M. and I really love eating there and it's a perfect place to go to or order from if you are eating with vegans as well. Something for everyone! 

Remember to pay cash and to check out the menu. 

 For dessert I made a play on German Chocolate Cake and adapted it into a cupcake. I made a chocolate cupcake and then a coconut and pecan frosting. It turned out very well! I found the recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz' Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

To end the night, we all played a fantabulous game of Dice Town. All throughout the evening everyone randomly said Dice Town with a light twang. 

Good eats, sweets and company.

Old vs New

Okay, okay, the last few posts were about my new house, and I know I haven't given you too many details quite yet except for some sneak peaks through more recent pictures of what my new counters and counter tops look like. But, before I share the new, I should share the old.

Unfortunately, I really did not take proper pictures of my old kitchen. Honestly, it was never pretty enough to really share but now I regret not taking a picture. Ah well, c'est la vie.

Here are some pictures through the moving chaos:

Old residence: Here is a shot of one side of the apartment kitchen. On the other side were the cabinets, stove etc... 

Old residence: Beginning of the moving process as shown in the apartment hallway.

New residence: My kitchen in my new home that faces South, so it's very bright and warm. I love the large counter space and oven. I can actually have two large casseroles cook side by side (on the same rack) and they will cook evenly! It's also a convection oven which will be fun to play around with when experimenting with new recipes since I have never really used one before. This is quite an upgrade from an apartment size oven where I couldn't bake more than one thing at a time without raising the temperature.

New residence: This is a U-shaped kitchen and on this side, I have a bit more space to put my plants, vases and radio. Helps give the kitchen some personality.

Here is our very large pantry but what are those white doors lurking behind the pantry?

A second pantry!!! Perfect for storing the not-so-often used Tupperware containers or extra tubs of protein powder. 

We had quite a few people helping us with moving day and I loved how my friends who unpacked my kitchen kept saying- how did you fit all this kitchen stuff in that apartment?! You are filling all the cupboards up already!

Now that you have seen some of the old and my new cooking space, I have been busy baking/ cooking up a storm. Stay tuned to read on posts about home made bread (vegan friendly), seitan and vegetable stir fry and finally a spin on a German cake in a form of a cupcake that I made for a friends birthday.

Christmas Morning Breakfast Pictures- Not Deleted!

*Phew*

I thought my Christmas morning pictures were deleted or lost but turns out that I took pictures with M.'s phone and forgot. Also, because I am not used to that phone, most of the pictures came out very blurry but I managed to find a winner! This is definitely late but, I am happy that I found them and I wanted to share.

I made a french toast casserole (recipe that M.'s mother shared with me) and a citrus salad with navel oranges and grapefruit. I used an apple glaze that I made from apple juice and cornstarch and chopped pistachios and raspberries for garnish. The casserole is something that I've made every Christmas morning for the past three years and it makes awesome cold left overs.

Here is the recipe for:

The French Toast Casserole

Ingredients:

• You will need a 9 x 11 dish
• some butter to grease the dish
• a large loaf of french bread
• 8 large eggs
• 1 cup of frozen mixed berries
• 1 cup of half and half cream
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1/2 cup of cream cheese (or more if desired does not affect the recipe to add more)

Directions:

• Cut the bread in one inch thick slices and set aside
• Grease the dish with the butter
• Mix all the eggs, cream, cinnamon and vanilla together
• Dip each slice of bread to cover on both sides and layer (one layer only) in the dish (first of two layers)
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup of berries and 1/4 brick of cream cheese over the layer
• Dip and layer the rest of the bread- if there is any egg mixture left over take the remainder and spread it over the layer 
• Sprinkle the remainder of the berries and cream cheese on the top layer
• Cover with foil and let it sit in the fridge for 1 hour at least. We want the egg to soak into the bread.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40mins or until the egg is cooked (not gooey) in between the layers. If the top layer starts to get a little crispy that's okay. The crunch is good. If you decide to use a convection oven, it will cook closer to 30 minutes.
• Let it cool for 10 mins and then cut into pieces.

Enjoy!

Spoils

Here are some fun kitchen related Christmas presents I was generously given this year.

Now that I don't have to count amps anymore (hate knob and tube wiring) I can now own this...

My Kitchen Aid mixer that I have been lusting over for the past 4 years is finally mine! With some help from family, my savings, a boxing day sale at The Bay and a house that has a 200amp electrical panel (can't believe that I lived in an apartment for 2 years where I couldn't surpass 15 amps per circuit) I am finally a proud owner of this amazing kitchen tool.  I have done my research for years and always knew that I would own an ice blue kitchen aid mixer, but when I was all ready to purchase it I realized that I preferred a bigger mixing bowl (5 quarts) and that option limited my colour choices. But, I saw this pearl cocoa colour and I was really digging it. Quite a drastic change from getting an electric colour like ice blue to a more neutral colour, but, well, it works well in my kitchen and I couldn't be happier.

A serving plate and bowl with some pazazz.

A gorgeous tall pitcher. Perfect for entertaining.

A salt and pepper Le Creuset shaker in my signature blue colour.

Works well with the olive cheese board I received for my birthday, the tequila bottle that once had creamed tequila in it that M. and I picked up in Mexico and finally a bamboo pinch bowl filled with the cilantro and garlic salt mix M.'s sister brought back for me from Victoria. All cozied up next to the stove.

I felt very spoiled this Christmas and I am so happy for all these beautiful items to be nestled in my new home.

Cheers to 2014!

Happy New Year Everyone!

This year is a BIG year for me!  I have also been thinking about my New Years resolutions, and I want to share them with you but at this moment, I am still trying to unpack/ organize my new home. I will share all the details with you soon, but, before I dive into that, here are some eats I have been enjoying over the holidays.

I made a red pepper cream soup and snacked on a cheese kaiser sandwich.

Drunken noodles and summer rolls from Sabai Thai on Corydon ave. All of their sauces are veggie based. Great options for vegetarians and vegans.

Christmas supper with M.'s family.

What a beautiful table.

Perogies, lemon potatoes, cranberry sauce, baked cauliflower and broccoli with a spring greens salad and a stuffing with while rice and 'sausage'. 

The stuffing was my favourite. 

Veggie burger and fries from The Grove on Stafford.

My first breakfast in my new home. Coffee, muffin and an orange. Keeping it real.

My first meal made in my new home. Roasted potatoes, marinated tofu, corn on the cob and steamed cauliflower mashed with dill and cream.

My cousin's girlfriend baked these treats for our family. Those snowflake sugar cookies are gorgeous! They were very scrumptious.

What was your favourite food consumed over the holiday season?