Tiger Salad

When we were in Vancouver, we hit up a lot of coffee places. but we didn't always have time to eat at all those raved-about restaurants. We did make a list, but sometimes, stuff got in the way. Lunch was more often than not, peanut butter and banana sandwiches eaten during a long out-of-city hike or biking trip, and breakfast was usually cereal with a healthy helping of local berries purchased at a farmer's market. Dinner, well, that was where we got to experiment a little. But sometimes, we were just too exhausted. We sometimes ate take-out or walked a couple blocks and ate at a little Asian-style cafe, and once, we were so tired that we *gasp* ordered pizza.

Buuuuuuuuut, we did get to go out a bit and when we did, it was usually quite awesome. One of my favourite places that we ate at in Vancouver, was from a food truck called Le Tigre. We sampled almost all of the menu, including a pulled pork bao, popcorn chicken, crispy, lemony-parmesany brussels sprouts and cauliflower, amazingly addictive roasted beet fries and the most refreshing, filling, flavourful quinoa salad ever.

This quinoa salad was amazing. First, not only did it have quinoa, but there was brown and wild rice thrown into the mix, along with sweet roasted carrots and parsnips, crunchy cabbage, lots of fresh mint and a rich, tangy miso dressing. Since discovering the joys of miso not so long ago, I had to try making this salad at home.

My version is summered up a bit. I used roasted yellow zucchini and eggplant, some thinly sliced celery for a big crunch, and some left over blanched green beans, just because. I threw in lots of fresh mint and also a big hit of purple basil. And the dressing .. oh the dressing. Just a few teaspoons of white miso and big juicy lemon, but oh, the flavour was so big and bold. Because the miso is so intense there's no salt added to the rest of the salad, just a few big grinds of black pepper. And don't worry if the dressing tastes a little too zippy and salty when you try it -- all that lovely rice and quinoa soaks it all up. And while this salad isn't an exact replica of the one we ate from the truck, sitting by the Lonsdale quay and enjoying a perfect evening after hiking all day, it's pretty darn satisfying in it's own right.

Quinoa Rice Salad with Roasted Summer Veggies
inspired by Le Tigre
makes 3-4 servings

For the roasted veggies:
1 large, yellow zucchini, diced
1 small eggplant, diced
1 tablespoon or so of olive oil

a few grinds of black pepper

1. In a large bowl, toss the veggies with the olive oil and black pepper. Spread them out on a making sheet.
2. Roast (oven on broil), tossing occasionally for about 15-20 minutes, until the veggies get nicely golden brown and tender.

While the veggies are roasting, make the rest of the salad:

1/4 cup of brown rice + 1/4 cup of wild rice + 1 cup of water
1/3 cup of quinoa + 2/3 cup of water
1 large stalk of celery, sliced thinly
a small handful of green beans, trimmed
2 teaspoons of white miso
juice of a lemon
lots of freshly ground black pepper
a big handful each of fresh mint and basil, chopped roughly

1. First, cook your grains. Mix together the brown and wild rice with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn down the heat. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Same for the quinoa -- 1/3 cup of quinoa and 2/3 cup of water.

2. Blanch the green beans in water for about 2 minutes, or until they're tender. Cut them in half and put them in large bowl.

3. To the bowl, add in your cooked grains, roasted veggies, sliced celery and black pepper. Toss well.

4. Make your dressing! Carefully whisk together the miso and lemon juice until you get a creamy yummy sauce. Pour it over your salad and add the fresh herbs. Toss well and serve!

Superfood, Buttery Hearts and More..

Yikes! I've let two semi-major celebrations pass without a hit of a recipe. What's happening to my blog brain? I have no clue -- none at all, except to say that I've got lots of pictures for you and not one but two recipes to share. Yeah, I know it's a little late, but treats are good at anytime of the year, especially when there's no celebration except friendship or love. How sappy is that.

Well, let's get on with it then!

Last weekend was the Lunar New Year -- hello year of the Snake! Our festivities were small and condensed to spending time at home this year -- no dim sum or loud restaurants, but I was totally fine with that. I did make a few treats to share including these coconut sesame peanut cookies .. I used peanut butter and tahini this time and skipped the canola oil since I was all out. Totally snackable and delicious...

I also made these traditional barbecue pork buns (char siew bao) to bring over to my parents on New Year's Day. My dad made the filling and I made the dough. My favourite part is the sticky sweet glaze that goes on top.

And so that my New Year week would be filled with health and all things red (lucky colour of Asians!), I made these superfood quinoa muffins to take to work. They are packed with red quinoa, dried unsweetened sour cherries, brain-healthy walnuts and spelt. Recipe included below!

And what about Valentine's Day? A bit of a bust since it was the same day as parent-teacher interviews, but I managed to make this to-die-for chocolate silk tart with almond and date crust. It's got a secret ingredient that, when you find out, will just make you go back for another piece. My adoring Valentine enjoyed a piece while I was running after students outside their homerooms, and I had chocolicious bite right before bedtime when I got home.

Usually, I get it together and bake treats for my colleagues for Valentine's day, but this year I was too exhausted. Better late then never, right? I made these brown sugar chai-spiced butter cookies yesterday to take to my friends at work tomorrow. They're not too sweet, tender and buttery, with a crunchy, sparkly sprinkling of spicy raw sugar on top. They are perfect with a nice chai tea or latte or of course, coffee.

Enjoy!

Red Quinoa Superfood Muffins
adapted from Hungry Gnomes
makes 24 mini muffins

The original recipe for these super healthy babies, calls for fresh or frozen blueberries. Since we're in the dead of winter, I opted to sub in some unsweetened dried sour cherries. I also warmed it up with a healthy dose of cinnamon and cardamom. If I were making this during blueberry season, you can bet I would throw in a big handful of fresh berries, and I might also skip the spices and orange juice in favour of some lemon zest and juice. 

2 tablespoons of almond milk
1/4 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of cane sugar
2 tablespoon of tahini
1/4 cup of spelt flakes
1 cup of spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of cardamom
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of cooked red quinoa
1/4 cup of dried unsweetened sour cherries, chopped
1/4 cup of walnuts ,chopped

1. In a large bowl, combine the milk, juice, maple syrup, tahini and sugar. Whisk to combine.  Add the spelt flakes and let stand for 10 minutes.

2. Sift in the flour, spices and baking powder and soda. Stir gently. Add in the cooked quinoa, nuts and cherries. Stir until just combined.

3. Spoon the batter in prepared muffin tins and bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

Brown Sugar Chai-Spiced Butter Cookie Hearts
makes about 3 dozen little hearts

This little buttery hearts can be flavoured any which way you like if you're not into chai. A simple cinnamon sugar would be lovely, as would the combination of orange and cardamom, or just straight-up vanilla. 

Cookies
1/2 cup of butter, softened
1/3 cup of dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of cardamom
1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 good few grinds of black pepper
1 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of spelt flour

Sugar Topping
2 tablespoons of organic cane sugar, or turbinado sugar
a pinch each of ground cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom and ginger

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and well-combined. Add the egg and mix well.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until a stiff dough forms. Refrigerate for an hour or so, just so the dough firms up.

3. Take the chilled dough and divide into four balls. Take one of the balls, roll out on a flour surface, using a pastry scraper to turn after each roll to make sure it's not sticking. Roll the dough to about 1/4 -1/3 inch. Cut out your cookies with whatever shape your heart desires.

4. Place you cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather up the scraps, roll out the dough and repeat until you've worked through all your dough balls.

5. Sprinkle your cookies with the sugar-topping and pop them back in the fridge for about 10 minutes before they go in the oven. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until the sides get a little golden brown.

Taming the Sugar Craving

Well, it's back to work. I've had a glorious two weeks off: lots of coffee, lots of chocolate, lots of sleep, lots of runs and hikes and workouts, lots of brunches and giggles and coffee talks and catching up and even an awesome waffle party (!!), lots of Christmas cookies and baking, lots of time to clear my mind. It's back to the routine tomorrow, back to waking up at 4:50am, back to the blur of the classroom and exhaustion that follows. Except I won't have that stack of Christmas cookies to give me a sugar rush around 3pm, right when I need it. But it's January, the month of detoxes and juice diets and so forth.

Do you go for that? I've tried cleansing a couple times, and while I honestly felt detoxed after, I was generally lacking energy, something that can't happen in January, not with report cards due in just three short weeks. I don't know about you, but I still need that sugar fix. Is that wrong? Yeah, well, maybe a little, but I made a solution today: a beautiful, healthy, cleansing solution that doesn't involve juice diets or anything like that. I made this beautiful, fruity salad. I couldn't resist the insanely good deal on pineapple and strawberries at the supermarket, but I think this salad would work just as well with more seasonal fruit -- like blood oranges, crisp apples, grapefruit, and pomegranate. The base of this salad is red quinoa, a nice gluten-free super food to amp you up, grated carrots and parsley. Don't skip the parsley! Aside from it's detoxing qualities, just a little adds a beautiful green, almost citrusy freshness.

Because of all the beautiful fresh fruit in this salad, there's no need for a dressing, besides a nice big squeeze of lemon. If you're not feeling the quinoa love just yet, you might want to try brown rice or millet in your base. If you want some crunch and extra protein, a sprinkling of nuts or pumpkin seeds would be lovely as well. And, if you serve this over some baby spinach or massaged kale, you've got a salad that's definitely a detox and a sugar kick.

Don't sweat it if you're not psyched for a January juice cleanse. Eat your cleanse instead. Happy salad!

Sugar Kick Cleanse Salad
inspired by the Tropical Fruit Salad in Quinoa: the everyday superfood, by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming

For the Salad Base:
1/2 cup of red quinoa, rinsed well
1 cup of water
2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
juice of half a lemon

In my salad, I added:
half a small pineapple, chopped into small chunks
2 tangerine oranges, peeled and segmented
1 cup of chopped strawberries
1 small mango, chopped into small chunks

1. Put the quinoa and water in a small pot and bring it up to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and has absorbed all the water. Cool and set aside.

2. Place the cooled quinoa, grated carrots, fruit add-ins and parsley in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and mix well.

3. Enjoy! I plan on eating my salad for lunch over baby spinach. It would also be lovely in the morning with an added dollop of yogurt.

Citrus High

Yup, I'm still on a citrus high from all that marmalade. I have no idea why I waited so long to make it, but I'm so glad I finally did. I'm enjoying my last official day of March break and I'm up to my elbows in chocolate (more later .. I promise!). My taste buds are also craving tangy and sweet and that 2/5$ sale on bags of California cuties at Food Basics is totally egging on my citrus high.

So for lunch, I made a super healthy and delicious salad using my homemade marmalade and newly purchased mandarin oranges. It totally hit the spot -- warm quinoa and kale tossed in a sweet citrus tahini dressing with whole segments or mandarin oranges. I wanted my dressing to be sweet, but you could totally go all tangy by adding lemon juice instead of orange juice. It feels like a cleansing salad and the protein power of quinoa and iron-rich kale are bound to keep you energized. I'm sure it would make a great working lunch salad too .. if you can plan ahead that far.


Ok, I'm going back to my chocolate. I'll be back soon with details, and also a hearty, healthy supper post.

Happy Citrus!

Warm Quinoa and Kale Salad with Sweet Citrus Dressing
serves one!

For the dressing:
2 tablespoons of tahini
2 teaspoons of marmalade
1 tablespoon of orange juice
splash of hot water (if necessary)

Whisk all the ingredients together except the water. If the tahini seizes up (which is normal), add a splash of water and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

For the salad:
1/4 cup of quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup of water
1-2 kale leaves, stems removed, leaves cut into ribbons
1 mandarin orange

1. In a small pot, combine water and quinoa. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and cook, covered for about 10 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender and the water is almost all absorbed.

2. Add the kale leaves to the pot, cover and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the cover, and give it a good mix to toss up the leaves with the quinoa.

3. Pour your greens and grains into a bowl. Peel and segment your mandarin and scatter it over top. Drizzle your sweet citrus dressing over top and toss.

A Bowl of Warm and Good

It's been awhile since I've posted a nice porridge recipe. Since my first post on weekend oatmeal, my porridge-making has definitely diversified. Millet, quinoa, barely and buckwheat, baked with fruits -- yup! All kinds of different porridge. I've also stopped using quick-cooking oats in favour of the old fashioned rolled oats, that don't take that much longer to cook and have a better flavour and texture.



Today I'm going to bring you a baked porridge recipe that combines spelt flakes and quinoa. I enjoyed a nice warm bowl earlier in the week for lunch after being out in -27 degree weather and it really hit the spot. It makes me long for lazy never-ending weeks as I'm about the head back to work. Working lunches are never this interesting, so I'm probably going to save this one for a wintery cold weekend -- you know, one of those days where you never change out of your pjs or step foot out of the house. Winter has been pretty calm here in Toronto, but I have a feeling that it's just biding it's time ... And when that time comes, I'll have this baked porridge.




You can use whatever fruits and flavourings you like, but I put apples, tahini, a pinch of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg, and some chopped dates. Raisins would work just as well, as would dried cranberries, chopped banana, pear ... whatever you like. The quinoa really gives this porridge a great texture -- the little quinoa grains at the top get all crunchy and golden while the ones in the middle puff up and become chewy and toothsome. I had doubts about the spelt, since it tends to get mushy really quickly, but it baked up nice and fluffy. It's hearty, nutty and totally soothing on your tastebuds and tummy. And it's also great January food -- you know, comforting and warm because it's cold outside and you have to go back to work, but also wholesome and nutritious so you keep your healthy resolutions. Go on .. dig in!

Spelt and Quinoa Breakfast Bake
serves 3-4

1/4 cup of quinoa, rinsed well
1/2 cup of spelt flakes
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 little gratings of fresh nutmeg
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of soy milk
1 tablespoons of honey (reduce to 1/2 if your soy milk is sweetened)
2 tablespoons of tahini
4-5 chopped dates
1 large apple, grated

1. Put all your ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Pour into a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or when the top gets nice and brown and all the liquid has absorbed.

2. Serve warm, with toppings of your choice. Mine were: a dollop of yogurt, sunflower seeds and an extra drizzle of tahini.

I Need Colour

This past few days have been a bit grey and gloomy. The autumn chill has definitely set in, but instead of crisp, sunny, sweater weather, we're getting an icy drizzle and overcast skies. I know it comes with the seasons, but sometimes, you need a bit of help to keep a smile on your face. Coffee helps. Celebration adventures with loved ones help a lot. And colourful food -- for sure!



This quinoa dish definitely has many colours, enough to pick you up on a gloomy, drizzly weekend. It's inspired by a quinoa chowder from a book that my nest friend gifted me with for my 30th birthday that just past. It's a book dedicated to quinoa! I already want to make everything. But this was the first recipe that caught my eye. It's a simple stewy dish with lots of colourful vegetables -- yes, there's STILL fresh corn in the market and super ripe peppers if you hurry. And of course, I couldn't pass up this beautiful bunch of rainbow chard. My own chardlings from our balcony box gave me one last little bunch as well.




This dish is easy to put together, very healthy and definitely flavourful. It's comforting when served hot, but as it sits overnight, the quinoa kind of soaks up all the liquid and becomes kind of salad-like. It's also great cold, but feel free to add a splash of water or broth when re-heating to bring it back to it's chill-chasing stewy goodness. Keep warm and dry!

Quinoa Vegetable Stew
adapted from Quinoa: the everyday superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming

1 carrot, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 stalk of celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 cobs of corn, kernals removed
half a small bunch of rainbow chard, stalks diced, leaves cut into ribbons
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/2 cup of quinoa, rinsed well (I used red)
zest and juice of a lime
2-3 cups of vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste.

1. In a large pot, cook the onions, carrots, celery, pepper and chard stalks for about 5-7 minutes, until fragrant and starting to soften. Season and add the lime zest, cumin and smoked paprika.

2. Mix and cook for a minute or so, so the spices can toast. Add the lime juice and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the corn, quinoa and vegetable broth. Stir well.

3. Bring the stew up to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the quinoa is tender.

4. Remove the lid and add the chard leaves. Stir and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Enjoy with crusty bread or all by itself.

Spiced Quinoa Pilaf with Chickpeas and Spinach

The last time I cleansed, I made quinoa porridge with soy milk, mashed banana and frozen fruits. It was satisfying and comforting and I would make it again in an instant. This time around, I used quinoa for dinner instead of breakfast, and made this tasty, hearty pilaf full of yummy goodness like chickpeas, spinach and a big dose of spice.


Last time around, I used lemon and vinegar to flavour my savoury meals, and while they were tasty, I wanted something more comforting and mellow. Our cleanse dictated that no salt was to be added to our food. To make up for that, I made this pilaf lots of delicious spices and herbs: cumin, coriander, ginger, garam masala, curry leaves, dried oregano, lots of black pepper and even more chopped fresh parsley. It turned out wonderful and I almost didn't miss the salt at all. And it was really easy -- basically dumping everything in a pot to cook, and stirring in the chickpeas and fresh herbs and vegetables in at the last second. I made a big batch the night before my cleanse, and ate it both nights along with some fresh steamed broccoli.

Almost makes me want to cleanse more often ... almost... I said almost...

Spiced Quinoa Pilaf with Chickpeas and Spinach
makes 4 hearty servings

1/2 cup of quinoa
a handful each of dried yellow and green split peas
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon each of coriander and garam masala
4 curry leaves (use one bay leaf or lime leaf if you don't have curry leaves)
1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
a few good grinds of black pepper
half an onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 cups of water

a big handful of parsley, chopped, stems separated from leaves
a small bunch of baby spinach, rinsed and chopped
1 can of salt-free chickpeas, drained (you could be really virtuous and used dried)

1. Rinse the quinoa and split peas well. Put them in a large pot with all the spices, onion, garlic, curry leaves, water and chopped parsley stems. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to simmer. Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes, or until most of the water is gone.

2. Add the parsley leaves, spinach and chickpeas and stir well. Cook for another 5 or so minutes, until the chickpeas have warmed through and the spinach and parsley are just cooked and still bright green.

3. Enjoy a beautiful, cleansing dinner.

Cleansing

Ever been on a "cleanse?" Any type of cleanse? You know, where you try to clear your body of all the toxic bad stuff that we put into it everyday; kind of like a little holiday for your liver. During my first and second year of teaching, I heard the word "cleanse" every single day. Everyone at my school was obsessed with losing weight and "cleansing." Two teachers in particular, raved about this cleanse program where you have a smoothie made from this super expensive powder for breakfast and lunch, and then eat a prescribed dinner. I have to admit that I was tempted to try. But the idea of the powdered smoothie that had ingredients that I couldn't pronounced really freaked me out, so I passed.

I'm all about putting foods that feel good into my body, so that in turn, my body will feel good. I often am obligated to do so or my body will ultimately reject whatever I put into it. Go figure. Recently, during one of our three-coffee days, my best friend suggested that we try this weekend detox. You didn't have to by an expensive powder, most of the advice was common sense, and you don't do it every day. It looked doable. For 2 days (or however long), you drink lemon water before breakfast and abstain from alcohol, caffeine and sugar while drinking lots of water and exercising. They also suggest giving up red meat, gluten, wheat and dairy. We're taking it a little further by also eliminating all meat, potatoes, excessive sugar (including juice and dried fruit), salt, nuts and fat. We decided that the weekend would be difficult, so we're detoxing this Wednesday and Thursday.


As well giving my liver a break and cleansing my body for two days, I thought it would be a cool way to experiment with different foods and different ways to prepare foods. I've done a little test run by making a breakfast quinoa. I first saw a picture (scroll down till you hit January 26th) of this warm, comforting and satisfying meal over at simply breakfast awhile ago. There was also a link to a Martha Steward recipe that seemed simple enough to follow and adjust to fit the confines of the cleanse. I've had quinoa before, but never cooked into a porridge-like breakfast (or lunch in my case!) dish, so I gave it a shot. You know what? I didn't miss the diary, sugar or gluten one bit. It was still warm and satisfying and creamy but the quinoa held its unique, bubbly chewy texture. I definitely recommend it, even if you're not cleansing!

Next up .. millet ...

Breakfast Quinoa
adapted from Martha Stewart
My recipe makes only one portion -- Martha's, probably at least 2 if not 3.

1/4 cup of quinoa, rinsed
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of soy or almond milk
a splash of vanilla extract (or almond extract or dash of cinnamon)
1/4 of a banana, mashed (chop up the rest and freeze it!)
a handful of fresh or frozen berries (I used strawberries, blueberries and sour cherries)

1. Bring the water and soy/almond milk up to a boil. Add the quinoa and vanilla extract. Cook, covered on low heat for about 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

2. Add bananas and berries. Cook for another 3-5 minutes, stirring, until the porridge thickens.

3. Sit back, snack and let your liver relax.

Oh yeah! More on the coffee tour:


















Crema on Dundas: We had cappucinno, soy latte, americano and chocolate biscotti and blueberry almond cookie, all enjoyed on the patio. One more thing ...


Beautiful, old buildings on Dundas St. West ... I wonder what all those books are about ..