Every summer, for as long as I can remember, my Grandma has been making strawberry and raspberry freezer jam with local berries. I love her jam so much that I refuse to buy store bought jam because I’m always disappointed.
BBQ’d Cauliflower with Curried Yogurt Dip
Truth be told, I haven’t always loved cauliflower because I don’t like it boiled, and I don’t really love it raw either. But when I started roasting cauliflower, it changed everything. It became a whole new vegetable! I usually roast cauliflower in the oven, but since summer is (sort of) here in Vancouver, I decided to try it on the BBQ this time. The results were pretty good, so I decided to share the recipe with you. Happy BBQ-ing!
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Power Smoothie
If you have ever tried the “nutter” smoothie from Whole Foods, this recipe is for you. I love that smoothie, so I decided to recreate my own rendition at home. I’ve replaced the almond butter with peanut butter (more affordable) and swapped the almond milk for soy milk (higher in protein), and added hemp seeds and frozen berries to boost the nutritional value, and because, they’re delicious.
Springtime Dinner Menu
This month I had some fun in the kitchen with my friend, fellow food blogger and dietitian, Marilyne Petitclerc, author of the French cooking blog, menoum.co. Together we created a springtime dinner menu featuring local, seasonal ingredients. We had a blast preparing this simple and nourishing meal, and I think our dinner guests can attest that it was a success! Although spring was slow to arrive in Toronto this year, the tulips are out, and so are some of our favourite local springtime vegetables: asparagus and fiddleheads. What the heck are fiddleheads? Yes, my thoughts exactly when I first encountered them. Fiddleheads are actually a type of fern that grows along river banks in Canada during the spring, and you can even harvest them yourself! We ‘foraged’ our fiddleheads at the St. Lawrence market in Toronto. Serve fiddleheads at your next springtime dinner gathering to intrigue and impress your guests.
The Springtime Dinner Menu and Recipes:
- Kale salad with blueberries and feta
- Roasted asparagus and fiddleheads
- Pasta with roasted golden beet pesto (see recipe below)
- Fresh rhubarb sauce over vanilla ice cream
In Season: May
Chocolate Avocado Mousse
One night I had a serious craving for chocolate mousse. The recipe I normally make is from Julia Child’s cookbook, but you have to make it the day before (or wait 8 hours) and there are many steps… Let’s just say it’s something you make for friends who you really love. So I decided to do a little experiment, and was shocked at how amazing it turned out! And what’s better – I didn’t even have to add sugar (sorry, dietitian moment). The coffee and sea salt intensify the flavour of the chocolate. To-die-for. And it takes no time to make. Dangerous, I know.
Tofu Peanut Bowl
This is one of our go-to weeknight favourites. And it makes delicious leftovers for your lunch the next day.
Granola Bars
It can be very tricky to find store-bought granola bars that don’t have loads of added sugars, and other unrecognizable ingredients. This recipe was born out of my frustration in finding a decent granola bar that met my nutritional standards, and didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Also, my boyfriend is training for an Ironman triathlon and he was getting tired of eating Cliff bars. So he was happy to test my granola bars during his long bike rides, and report back with a review. After a few rounds of baking, eating and tweaking, this is our favourite granola bar recipes so far.
Friends Don’t Let Friends Waste Food
Recently, I attended a screening of a documentary about food waste called, Just Eat It. I highly recommend watching it. Be prepared, the reality that this documentary presents is not pretty, and it might challenge your wasteful ways. I’ll share with you some of the messages that stuck with me, and hopefully, inspire you to become a part of the food waste solution, instead of the problem.
“The garbage can is not a mysterious black hole” – Just Eat It
simplicious food 