Hummus for days

What is up?! 

Who else has been trying out new recipes during this quarantine? I'm currently in Sweden so there is no actual quarantine going on but I am being especially careful! 

I decided to make some hummus because it's a beautiful day out and I love hummus! I mean who doesn't?

I don't remember where I found the recipe I used but here it goes! 

1 1/2 cups chickpeas (cooked)
1/3 cup tahini
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp salt
5 tbsp water (or as needed)

I obviously thought this wasn't going to make a lot of hummus so I decided to double the recipe and tweak it here and there. 

I used three garlic cloves (cuz I love garlic)
and
I added a bit more lemon juice than 4 tbsp.

Once you have all the ingredients together you just blend them! 

And that's that! 

Easy Peasy and totally delicious! 

Here are my step by step photos and end result *drool*

Beet hummus

Happy Sunday! Don't forget to put your clocks ahead an hour? I guess for the most parts your phones will do that for you. I forgot about the time change until now.. but I guess it makes sense as to why i'm extra tired.

This is another recipe from Run Fast Eat Slow that I made last weekend. I've tried the store-bought beet hummus from farm boy and really liked it, so I thought it would be fun.

A few short-cuts that made this recipe come together in 5 minutes:
- I had some cooked chickpeas in the freezer that I'd made from dried ones int he INSTANTPOT - so convenient to have on hand. If you have an instantpot you can cook chickpeas without even soaking them overnight in less than an hour-say what!!! love my instant pot. Canned chickpeas would work too.
- I cheated in terms of roasting the beet- I used "Just Beets" organic packaged cooked beets from Costco. They are awesome to have on hand. I highly recommend them. Alternatively cook up a few beets so you have them on hand for hummus, smoothies, etc..

I cut up a whole bunch of celery and carrots and Stefan made some pita chips to go with these. The cookbook also has a recipe for Chipotle Hummus, that I will try soon.

I highly recommend the butterfly exhibit at the museum of Nature in Ottawa for those who haven't checked it out yet.

Roasted Carrot Soup

Did you know Ottawa has been the coldest capital in the world for the past few days? yes that's right, colder than Ulan Bator, Astana, Reykjavik, Nuuk and Moscow. And not just by a little. 

It's the perfect time to put on those roots sweatpants, or better yet, stay in your cozy pjs all day and bust out that puzzle that you've been meaning to do, turn on Netflix or just relax. It's also a great time to whip up this delicious carrot soup.

I got inspired for this recipe by Greta Podleski's recipe in her new book, Yum and Yummer ( great cookbook,  I highly recommend it!). We followed the recipe loosely, but used curry paste instead of powder, and used some different herbs that Stefan crushed in his mortel and pestel and then roasted using a torch ( amazing birthday gift I got from Antonella). That combined with roasting the veggies just made the soup that much more flavourful and delicious. If you don't have fresh herbs or a torch no problemo, just use regular dried herbs and it'll still be good.

Spiralized Squash

Usually when I think of using my spiralizer I always think of making zucchini, but a friend of mine  said he was going to make squash noodles and I thought I would try it out. I had a whole bunch of butternut squash from my CSA to eat up. I read a few different recipes and articles. Key takeaway is that you can only use the long skinnier part of the squash (save the rest for a soup). I also found that after peeling the squash, it's good to microwave it for a few minutes to soften it enough so the spikes in the spiralizer can grip on.  If you don't have a spiralizer or it's too much effort, many grocery stores sell pre-made boxes of spiralized squash. Not too overpriced surprisingly and skips a lot of the hassle.

Once your squash is spiralized you can fry it or roast it. I drizzled it with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper and roasted at 400 for about 10 minutes. We topped with Stefan's homemade Bolognese meat sauce and it was delicious. I am a pasta lover and even i didn't miss it.

Stay tuned for many more squash recipes and some other ones from new cookbooks I got at the Food Blogger's conference. I've been really busy at work and at night haven't wanted to be on the computer much, but i've been cooking a fair bit and want to share some of the recipes!

Crostini

My mom gave me some salsa from Farm Boy, and we didn't have any tostitos- first world problems, I know. We did have a little bit of baguette left, so I decided to make some crostinis to tide us over until dinner.

They were so easy and delicious. I love using up food and not wasting anything. Stefan and I are both committed to eating things up before they go bad. It is challenging for me, as I always want to go out and buy more.. but i've halted my spending until we use up what we have on hand.  I find produce goes badly so quickly this time of year. I bought blackberries on Sunday and they were already moldy this morning :( Moral of the story, don't buy so much all at once.

Ingredients:
- baguette, slices thinly
- olive oil
- sea salt
- any topping you'd like: salsa, feta, balsamic reduction

Instructions:
- preheat oven on broil
- brush baguette slices with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt
- broil for 6-8 minutes flipping once
- remove from oven and top with topping of choice. Enjoy!

Greek Salad with Pistachios

After a terribly indulgent summer, Stefan and I are finally back to eating a bit healthier. I think we were just a bit too focused on food, always cooking elaborate meals for each other and eating way too much. One of Stefan's favourite things to eat is greek salad. Fresh tomatoes, olives, feta cheese (his mom's is the best).  I saw a recipe in Bon Appetit for a variation with roasted pistachios and decided to try it. The most important thing is the quality of the ingredients- especially the feta.  We also used fresh parsley from our (herb) garden and it was really nice.  Anto dropped by, and we were able to whip this together quickly for a nice, light, healthy, summery meal.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons pistachios ( I bought them with shells and shelled them)
1 pound mixed tomatoes, some sliced, some cut into wedges
cucumbers
olives
red onions, jalepenos, any other vegetable you want
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
Basic Lemon Vinaigrette ( the ratio should be 1/3 lemon juice to 2/3 good quality extra virgin olive oil)
¼ cup chopped parsley
feta ( I prefer it sliced to crumbled, but either works)

Instructions
- preheat oven to 350
- roast pistachios for 6-8 minutes
- crush pistachios using mortel and pestel
- Arrange tomatoes on a plate; season lightly with salt and pepper.
- Mix vinaigrette, ¼ cup parsley, and two-thirds of pistachios in a small bowl. Drizzle over tomatoes. - Top with feta, parsley leaves, and remaining pistachios.

Teriyaki Pasta Salad

Thanks to Stefan for taking these nice photos. I didn't even have to fold laundry this time-- what what!!

I saw a similar looking salad on Creme de la Crumb and couldn't get it out of my mind. I really wanted to make it for this potluck street party at Stefan's parents' street we were going to on Saturday evening. Sometimes, I get these ideas in my head and it's hard to change my mind. We had 4 bunches of asparagus and had talked about making some grilled asparagus..but then, despite having none of the ingredients for this salad, I decided to go out and buy them and make it. Stefan ended up doing most of it, as I was out at the rehearsal dinner for Kristin and Shawn's wedding. Stay tuned for an update and some photos on that. It was so much fun. What a busy weekend!!

How do you get a chef to follow a recipe? It ain't easy. Stefan was pretty good though, and mostly followed the instructions. I took the opportunity to show him how useful the ipad is for cooking and recipes. Stefan thinks my ipad is useless, as I have been rarely using it since I got my new laptop. He keeps threatening to get rid of it. Nooooo!!!!!

Our key takeaways- use good quality extra virgin olive oil. Not canola oil. It won't be the same.
Also don't mix everything together and then add dressing before serving. Instead put the dressing on the pasta right away so the flavour can develop and the pasta stays MOIST. When you are ready to serve, add spinach and the rest of the ingredients so the leaves don't get soggy.  Finally, always use fresh garlic if you have some instead of garlic powder. That's just a personal preference.

We brought it to the street party and it was a lot of fun. What a neat idea and nice way to get to know your neighbors and enjoy a nice spring evening outdoors.  There were so many delicious salads.

Our table was so beautiful! Notice the lemon and flowers in the water? What a nice touch from Stefan's mom.

One Skillet Steak and Veg

When S moved in, he brought with him a cast iron skillet- yes!! It's awesome. I came across some recipes in Bon Apetit for one-skillet meals with cast iron skillet, and decided to try this one- mainly because I love Steak. Also it is listed as "healthy-ish" and that appeals to me.   Asparagus was on sale at Farm Boy and I stole the peas from my parents. This recipe came together super quickly , thanks to S being a great sous-chef and helping with the mis-en-place/ chopping- all while he also made a delicious soup for us to have for the week. Where did I find this guy?  In the mornings I don't like too many cooks in the kitchen, but at night it's really nice, and sometimes, like this, it goes off without a hitch. The most important was that we had dinner ready in time to watch the Sens win! Go Sens Go!

The original recipe can be found here. I modified slightly mainly just used a different cut of steak and a different vinegar, and regular onion instead of shallots, and a bit less garlic than the original recipe.

Whole 30 -- Book Review and Giveaway

Have you been seeing a lot of Whole 30 reviews? I sure have. they have been popping up on my feed like crazy. There is something about the new year that just gives people that extra motivation. How can you tell? the gyms are packed and the fridges at work at filled with healthy food.   Unfortunately, this motivation doesn't always last. And although I will be grateful for the extra locker space at the gym, I sometimes wonder why people give up. I think part of it, is because of this all-or-nothing approach to fitness and nutrition. people think if they eat a chocolate bar, their day is ruined and they may as well gorge on junk food all day. Same mentally applies to the gym, if you miss a day, it quickly turns into two and three and before you know it it's hard to get back... GUILTY.

What I love about the Whole 30 program is that it isn't meant to be long term. It is designed to be only for 30 days. So it is manageable and doesn't feel overwhelming. 

If you are wondering what the Whole 30 is, find out more here.  In short, eat real food, don't eat added sugar, alcohol, grains, dairy, msg, and do not weigh yourself or take any measurements during the 30 days. 

I was lucky enough to receive a copy of  Melissa Hartwig's Whole 30 Cookbook by Penguin Random House Canada for review purposes.  All opinions are my own. 


Although I didn't do the Whole 30 for 30 days, I did try out a number of recipes, and I really like this book. It has so many resources to help you, and I love the way it's organized. It starts out by explaining the Whole 30, the Rules, and how to set up your Whole 30 kitchen. After that it is separated into chapters on eggs, red meat, poultry, fish, side dishes, sauces and dressings, nibbles and drinks and basics.

I tried out a few recipes from the book and my favourite was the Thai red Curry Beef with Green beans. it was so easy to make and delicious. I Will have a follow-up post with the recipe in the coming days.

Most of the recipes in the book are quick to make and will last for several meals which is great.

Enter to win a copy!

Giveaway is open to Canadian residents only (or those with a Canadian mailing address).


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Baked Trout

This recipe is a perfect, simple, one pan summer dinner. I made it a few times a while ago and have been meaning to share the recipe. Is it just me or has this summer been especially busy? I feel like I am rushing from one thing to the next trying to soak it all in and take advantage of the nice weather while it's here. I'll admit Ottawa has become a great place to be in the summer. New on my list of favourites: canoeing on the canal :)

I got the recipe inspiration from Fida over the Sweet and Savoury pursuits.  I met Fida last year at the food photography course at SPAO and her recipes are really great. her photography and setups are beautiful! I am looking forward to getting together with my photo buddies in a few weeks to get some motivation: time to dust off my camera and get back in the kitchen!

Carrot, Ginger Lemon Soup

So, the weather's not getting any better and I never know what to eat when I get home super late from the gym. So I thought i'd make a big pot of soup which will hopefully last me for the week.... Hadn't thought about my parents eating it too so I'll probably be making a new batch of soup soon :) 

The soup was okay to make. I've never really made soup before let alone with a double portion recipe, 1 kilo of carrots and cutting up 1 1/2 onions... 

The end result though was delicious.

I followed a recipe that I found online, though I must say I did whatever I wanted :p

Here's the list of ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons of oil (to fry the onion in)
- Around 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh ginger
- 3 small garlic cloves (my garlic press didn't work so I just chopped it up real small)
- 1 kilo peeled and chopped carrots
- 5 small tomatoes, chopped
- grated lemon peel
- 3 cups of veggie stock
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

-> chop up everything so you're nice and prepared.
-> heat up the oil and simmer the onions --- then add the ginger and garlic
-> once it smells good at the chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel
-> saute for a bit then add the broth mix :) 
-> put a lid on the pot and let cook on low heat for about 20-25 minutes (till the carrots are fully cooked)
-> Lastly puree it all together if you please :)

I had a couple of spoons of the soup normally and I have to say I think it tastes better pureed as all the tastes are blended together :) 

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Mason Jar Salad: Greek

A while ago, I saw the Jamie Oliver cookbook- Everyday Superfood- over at Stu's. He always has a big pile of random stuff that he buys for gifts for people. Anyway, I saw it and was like, I want this! It was supposed to be a gift for someone else but I hijacked it.  Then, it sat at my place pretty much untouched for a couple of months. I was starting to feel a bit bad. Maybe it should have gone to its intended recipient..nah!! I flipped through and saw so many great recipes that I can't wait to try. It has several recipes for different "Jam Jar" salads. I modified it a bit- replaced quinoa for barley, as I didn't have 1 hour to cook barley and quinoa takes only about 20 minutes. 

Mason jar salads are super convenient as you can make a few and then have lunches ready to go! I made some back in the day- recipe here . Wow my photos used to be a lot prettier. I forgot to take layer photos this time around. To eat them, I find it's best to pour out of jar into a bowl so you can mix it all up. If you don't have a bowl at work, you can eat it out of the jar. 

Ingredients:

- cooked quinoa

- fresh dill

- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (and maybe a dash of paprika or spice? it lacked a bit of je ne sais quoi in my opinion. maybe some sriracha)

- 1 tablespoon olive oil

- lettuce or arugula

- olives (I omitted because I didn't have any)

- tomato (optional- I omitted because I don't find they keep well. cherry tomatoes work best for jars)

-cucumber

- cooked chicken (I omitted because I didn't have any)

- Italian parsley

- 1 oz feta cheese

- toasted sesame seeds (I forgot these!)

- 1 wedge lemon for squeezing over the salad

Layer in jars and enjoy! 

Cherry Pumpkpin Nut Bread

Hello!! It has been a while :) Spring is in the air and the sunshine just feels so nice.

My friend Daniele came to visit a few weeks ago for March break. She mostly came to see her little baby nephew, who is so cute, but I got to see her and hangout for a few days which was really nice. Why is BC so far?

Hi Daniele! 

Anyway, Daniele said she was thinking of getting a stand mixer but wasn't sure if she would use it. I suggested she pick a  bread recipe from my Kitchen Aid cookbook and I could show her how it works. Well, she ended up picking a recipe that had didn't even use the Kitchen Aid. Oops. And it isn't so much a bread in the normal bread sense but more of a bread in the almost cake-banana bread variety. It is still pretty healthy and tasted really good. It was one of those times where the stars just lined up and I had all the ingredients on hand..dried cherries.. pumpkin puree.. walnuts.. what are the chances?

Full disclosure Daniele pretty much made it on her own. I didn't help much as I was busy preparing a chicken to cook.. wow who are we? so domestic ;)

We couldn't stop eating this and it didn't last long. Daniele brought some over to her sis and cousin and fam and they all really liked it too.

The only disappointment for me was when I forgot it had dried cherries and not chocolate chips..They  really look like melted chocolate once cooked. Might try with chocolate next time.

Cocoa Coffee Banana Smoothie

I guess one could say.. mocha banana?

I go back and forth on smoothies. I love drinking them in the summer, often post-running or yoga but in the winter I find myself craving something warm- usually oatmeal or eggs. However, with the unusually warm weather and the smoothie-kick that has been going around at work, I couldn't help try this one out when I saw it in this month's Bon Apetit magazine.

It saved me some time this morning as I didn't need to have a coffee and breakfast..instead just one super filling smoothie that included my caffeine fix.

Be sure to soak cashews (1/4 cup) and oats (3 Tablespoons) in boiling water the night before, and you are good to go.

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup cashews (soaked overnight)
- 3 Tablespoons (large) oats (soaked overnight)
- 2 medjol dates
- 1 frozen banana << Is it just me, why do my frozen bananas always turn to brown mush? I had to throw out so many yesterday..
- 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder (if possible a high quality cocoa- mine is from Vienna, but a good one you can get here is Fry's)
- 1/2 cup coffee - cold ( I just put mine in the freezer for a few minutes. You can also add some ice to cool it down)

Blend all ingredients, enjoy!

Breakfast Quinoa with Cashew Cream

Continuing through the Salad Samurai, I made this recipe this morning. The book calls it "Quinoa à la mode". It makes a lot and I put some in jars, so I will have breakfasts on the go for the rest of the week. Before I go any further, I must tell you, this cashew cream is delicious!!! I've never tried it before and it tastes so good. I would make it again to put on oatmeal or even drizzle on some fresh fruit to add in some protein. Do cashews have protein? I think so.

I texted Juliet this morning and told her about it and said, all you do is mix soaked almonds with some lemon, maple syrup and vanilla. She asked me why is it called Cashew cream if it's made with almonds? well, because it's not. it's made with cashews, lemon, maple syrup and vanilla and I was just half asleep..woops! Good catch Juliet ;).. clearly I need more coffee.

Many of the recipes in the cookbook use soaked cashews, so I took a trip to Bulk barn last night to stock up. In addition to the cashews, I bought some dried apples for this recipe and some hazelnuts for a salad recipe.

I also tried a boxing class at Beaver Boxing, and it was so much fun! I can't wait to go back. There were so many people in the class, it is packed. We did a warm-up, some shadow boxing, partner work, heavy bag and core and the time flew by. My foot held up fine and it felt great to get some exercise.

I would recommend making the quinoa beforehand as that saves a lot of time. I used Gwynyth's recipe for perfectly cooked quinoa.  The recipe says to chill the quinoa but you can also eat it hot.

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.

Juice Cleanse Day 2

If you missed the overview on the cleanse read about it here. Read about day 1 here.

Good morning! So I woke up this morning feeling a little bit weak and tired. I am probably just not used to having so few calories. It's good because I was actually craving my juice.  I had a 7am appointment to get my winter tires put on so i drank about half the juice and took the rest to go in the car.

Decided to wear this cozy sweater that used to be my grandma's <3

Juice #1-Time: 6:30am

The funny thing about this tire appointment is that I actually considered changing it, only because the dealership is right next to a Tim Hortons. It seems so ridiculous to me now. I actually thought,  'Hmm I usually go wait at Tim Hortons and have a coffee, but since I can't do that, maybe I should go another day'. What?? That is crazy talk. I actually called to change my appointment, but no one answered the phone. Probably for the best.

So once I got settled in the waiting area I saw that there were no herbal teas for the Keurig machine. They had Green tea and regular tea but I'm pretty sure even green tea is off limits. I was debating the less-than-tempting prospect of drinking plain hot water, when I discovered ginger-lime herbal tea bag bag in my purse. Perfect! Saves the day!

Herbal Tea- Time: 7:15am

I ended up waiting so long for my car. As 8:00 approached, I was not very pleased and expressed my dissatisfaction to the gentleman at the service desk.  I could tell i was starting to get more and more grumpy. My next juice was scheduled for 8:30 and I didn't want to wait longer than that. Note: DO NOT GET BETWEEN A WOMAN AND HER JUICE.  Well luckily for everyone, they finished with my car around 8:25 and decided to waive the fee because it shouldn't have taken so long.  Thank you juice cleanse for making me so grumpy and thereby saving me some money. See, this juice cleanse is starting to pay for itself!

Juice #2- Time 8:40am - Drinking it in the car, stuck in traffic

Any guesses as to which juice it was? Also yes, for those noticing, I still haven't washed my hair.. #dryshampooforthewin #dirtyhairlooksbetter #iswearididshower #actuallyihavebeenhavingbaths

As day 2 progresses I find it easier knowing what to expect and what is coming. I really like all the juices except Greens 201. It takes me about 15-30 minutes to drink each juice. 

Juice #3-Time: 10:45am

Herbal Tea- Time: 12:00pm

Starting to have a headache :( I definitely have a caffeine addiction. Starting to wish I had just done 1 day cleanse.. Hitting a bit of a low point here. Light headed and headache. Good thing it is almost time for the next juice. 

Juice #4-Time: 12:45pm

So Patrick had a juice at lunch in solidarity and therefore I cannot give up. So nice!! I have the best friends. He had the happy rabbit one, which is basically my breakfast.. along with 2 pieces of pizza! so jealous!! My parents also went for pizza at lunch.. wahhh..pizza envy 

Juice #5-Time: 2:30pm

I realize that we are more than half done. 14/27!! Wooohooooo 

Juice #6-Time: 4:15pm

Juice #7-Time: 6:00pm

Oh no, i have to go out into the real world (seeing people consume food and drinks) wahhh. 

Laughed so much I cried talking to Stu about the cleanse. We both couldn't stop laughing. I definitely recommend doing the cleanse with someone it helps a lot. I was saying how I was drinking every last drop to get all the calories but Stu topped me: he actually flipped over the cap to see if there was any left and also refilled the Happy rabbit one with water to get the leftover juice inside the bottle. Desperate times, desperate times.. but hey, good idea!! 

Juice #8-Time: 7:45pm

Herbal Tea- Time: 8:15pm

It smelled so good at Pub Italia.. mmm. Give me all of the food. 

I nearly bit my friend's head off when she asked me to taste her beer. "Noo!!! " haha, can't you see I am drinking this delicious chamomile tea? I am still glad I went and got to see those fine folk. See it is possible to be (semi) social while on the cleanse. That being said, I didn't stay late. 

Juice #9-Time: 9:30pm

Check out this documentary on Netflix called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" It is really good. I'm finding a lot of humour in it and find it very relatable. 

On that note, goodnight! Day 3 tomorrow, home stretch!

Read about Day 3.