Japanese Style Fluffy Pancakes

Guys.. I haven't shared a recipe in FOREVER!! But these pancakes are awesome and when I posted a photo on instagram, a lot of my friends asked for the recipe so here it is! Even S liked them and he's not a big fan of pancakes.

A few weeks ago we took a long weekend and took off via Via 1 to Toronto and then onward to Hamilton and St Catharines. We were there for the biggest storm that the area has seen in a while.. or ever? We actually had to trade in our rental car in Hamilton for a Jeep, because they don't even have snow tires in that area. Ah well, it made for an adventure and was a great weekend seeing friends and family. Anyway, I picked up a magazine in the train station ( Via 1 lounge, one of the perks!) that had a recipe for these pancakes. It said you needed "3x 1 3/4 metal ring molds" (basically cookie cutters but taller). I ripped out the recipe for later, downed some espresso and got settled for a nice scenic ride.

Our first stop was in Toronto and we had a delicious lunch with Jamie in China Town. The dumplings from Dumpling House on Spadina were amazing!!

Sometimes a weekend away is exactly what you need! 

After lunch, Jamie told us about this amazing kitchen supply store that has everything you could ask for! Think of C-A Paradis meets a dollar store or general store. It was amazing and we searched the aisles until we found the moulds. Success!!

The great thing about this recipe is it doesn't make a huge amount. Of course you can double the recipe, but if you don't it makes just enough and you don't have leftovers.

Smoothie Bowl

I am late to jump on the smoothie bowl bandwagon but I am sure glad I did. These are great variations on smoothies for people looking for something a bit more filling and also for those prefer to eat something. I know a few people ( my sister and Anto included) who don't like smoothies because they prefer to eat their meals rather than drink them. Well voila- problem solved. I ate this bowl at 7:30am and it is now after 11am and I am not hungry yet. That is a good sign.

I had a great trip to Boston with the fam and of course ate a ton of delicious food. Note, if you are ever in the Boston area, you MUST try the cannoli from Mike's Pastry. They are amazing. I also recommend going to Neptune Oyster Bar, there is always a wait but it is well worth it. Also they text you when your table is ready so you can go enjoy the Boston Public Market (amazing!!) and some outdoor swinging benches while you wait. That is what we did and it was beautiful. The sun was shining and it was a lovely day. There are also so many nice little shops in the north end that you can explore.  We also went (twice) to my favourite cafe in Somerville- 3 little figs once for breakfast and once for coffee! We also had some great meals at home, including BBQ steak (yummm) and a delicious Ottolenghi chicken and rice dish that my mom made. Don't worry we also ate a ton of salad and veggies. I managed to go to the gym with Claire a total of once.. but on the bright side, my foot is feeling better and I can now walk places again. I am looking forward to getting back into more regular workouts and hopefully soccer.

While traveling we ate at a few good places. En route we ate at Tip Top Cafe in White River Junction - with a family friend- we all shared french fries that were just to die for. On the way home we stopped at Lou's Diner (my dad's fave) in Hanover and Snowdon Deli in MTL. Wow, when I see it written out, it seems like SO MUCH food. This was over the course of 5 days. Needless to say, it is time for some healthy and light food.

On a non-food related note, check out the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. There is currently a great exhibit on Dutch painters in the time of Rembrandt and Vermeer. I also love some of the contemporary art they have there and their bookstore is great. Of course their restaurant is also delish..

Okay so back to the smoothie bowls. I got the recipe from a wonderful cookbook that Stu gave me called Salad Samurai. It has mostly recipes for big main course filling salads but also has a few breakfast recipes. I modified it a bit to make it a bit thinner as my nutri bullet was having trouble with so little liquid.

Ingredients:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup frozen fruit ( I used mangos, strawberries, peaches)
- 1/2 cup almond milk
-  1/3 cup granola (I used Trader Joe's pumpkin Granola but any kind is great)
- fruit for topping (optional)

Blend together in blender or Nutribullet. Top with granola and fruit. Enjoy!!

Note this recipe could easily be modified, using any smoothie recipe and combination of fruits or veggies. Next time I will add in some spinach or kale.

OH she glows - Effortless Vegan Overnight Oats

My dearest beloved cousin El who runs this lovely blog gave me this fantastic Oh She Glows Cookbook by Angela London over a year ago and now I'm finally using it.

I've starting trying to watch more what I eat and what I eat when, now that I'm slowly getting bored of cereal for breakfast I made up my mind and decided to try and use a new recipe from the Oh She Glows cookbook at least once a week.

My first recipe I chose to make was the Effortless Vegan Overnight Oats.

I loved it so did dad and my aunt. I made this the first time two days ago and made another portion today so that I've got something delicious to eat for breakfast and dinner tomorrow and the day after :)

What you'll need:

1 cup oats the book uses (gluten-free rolled oats, I used what I had at home)
1 1/2 cups almond milk 
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 large banana, mashed 
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Dump all the ingredients into a bowl and mix them together like so:

Place in the fridge overnight and take out the next morning to enjoy :) The recipe makes three portions so place some in a bowl before adding whatever you want to it :)

This is what the overnight oats look like, simply delicious! 

I added honey, goji berries, cranberry powder from arctic power berries and some fresh blueberries. It was so delicious, filling and super healthy of course :) 

Raisin Bread

Photo Credit: Alex Budgell

I am very behind on posting this but really want to share this recipe.  About a month ago, my colleagues from my food photography course and I got together to experiment with lighting, setups and take some more photos. If you missed it, read about my food photography class here. The get together was a lot of fun! We thought it would be neat to practice on breads so I baked this bread in the morning before hand. The recipe is from Kitchen Aid 3 in 1 Cookbook. It was easy to make. Of course I used my beloved Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer. If you don't have a stand mixer you can kneed by hand.  I stole Alex's photo for the blog, as I really like it. And by stole, I mean I got permission of course.

Here are the photographers in action:

Here are a few of my favourite photos from the day:

The others got some great shots. It was a lot of fun to share photos after and see what everyone came up with.

Anyway back to the bread..

After tasting this bread,  I got a few requests from people for more. Not just more actually, they wanted their own loaves. My mom even said that I am generous about sharing my brussel sprouts.. not so much when it comes to breads. So I quickly got to work and whipped up some more. After all, I can't have that as my reputation.  Luckily the recipe makes 2 loaves so it was easy to oblige. This bread is delicious toasted with butter. It also keeps really well in the freezer.

Healthy veggie mini pancakes

Today for brunch I had these mini healthy veggie pancakes with some avocado and lemon, they were delicious with the recipe I found I managed to make 7 small pancakes which was more than enough to keep me satisfied throughout the day till dinner. They're quick and easy to make, the ingredients used are mixed together in a bowl and that's it!

What you'll need is;

1 egg

2 tsp water or milk (I used water) and 

2 tbsp flour 

The recipe should normally make 8 mini pancakes but wtv.. You can then add whatever veggie you want from carrots to peas and so on. I used tomatoes and shallots which ended up being a great match!  

Here is what mine looked like mhmmm

Enjoy!

Apple Pie Oatmeal

 

I love eating oatmeal in the morning. It's the only thing that keeps me from being starving all morning.

My friend Kristin recommended this recipe from http://www.alwaysorderdessert.com/ and decided to give it a try. I doubled the recipe and it turned out great.
Here is the recipe
Apple Pie Oatmeal
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
For the apple pie filling
2 large tart apples (such as honeycrisp, granny smith, etc.)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons maple syrup (substitute honey or just use another 2 tablespoons brown sugar)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup apple cider, juice, or water
For the oatmeal
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup whole milk (substitute almond milk or just use all water for dairy-free)
1 cup rolled old fashioned oats (not instant)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Directions
Core the apples and dice into small 1/2 inch cubes (no need to peel). Combine in a skillet over medium heat with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon, and apple cider or water. Stir until sugar is dissolved and let cook for about 5-10 minutes or until all the apples are soft and tender and the liquid has thickened. Taste and add more cinnamon or nutmeg, if desired. Set aside. (This portion can be made in advance and stored in an air-tight container or glass jar in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.)


Combine the water, whole milk, salt, and oats, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the oats are tender and the liquid has thickened. Stir in half the apple filling until fully hot. Remove from heat and serve with additional filling on top.


Personally I make my oatmeal in the microwave and just added the apples in. The filling part can also be served on yogurt with granola. I put in less butter, and I also recommend putting less sugar and maple syrup as it's a bit too sweet