A quinoa bowl fit for Fall

The cold weather has arrived which means it's time to turn on the oven and enjoy warm grains and Fall crops. I've talked about my love of roasted brussels sprouts before, so you can imagine how tickled pink I was to see them at the grocery store last week. I roasted up a batch in garlic and lemon juice (recipe here), stir-fried some zucchini, red pepper, onion, and chickpeas and nestled it all into a bed of quinoa. I topped the dish with a generous squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. The best part was enjoying it all over again for lunch the next day :)

Wishing you tasty meals and happy days,
Rebecca

Pancakes...or something like it.

Happy Thanksgiving y'all! On this beautiful morning I woke up craving pancakes. This never happens and as a result I admittedly have no idea how to make pancakes. Instead of following a recipe I got a little carried away. One thing lead to another, I swapped this for that and that for this, added a dash here and a dash there and all of a sudden I had something that somewhat resembled a pancake...kind of.  It doesn't exactly look like a pancake and doesn't really taste like a pancake either. These cakes are hearty with a lot of texture and while they are thick they aren't what you would call fluffy. Bottom line is that they tasted good and are chocked full of nutritious ingredients.

A note on nutrition: the oats, whole wheat flour, flaxseed and apple bump up the fibre content of this recipe. The ground flaxseed and almonds provide heart healthy fats.

Recipe:
Makes: about 12 small cakes

Ingredients: 
Large flake oats, 1/2 cup
Almond milk (you can use any type of milk you like), 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup
Whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup
Ground flaxseed, 2 Tbsp
Warm water, 3 Tbsp
Apple, diced, 1
Almonds, 1/4 cup
Coconut, 1 heaping Tbsp
Maple syrup, 2 Tbsp
Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp
Baking powder, 1 tsp

Directions:
1. Soak oats in 1/2 cup of almond milk. Ideally you should let them soak for 20 minutes. I'm a tad impatient so I let mine soak for 10 minutes and the earth did not shatter, so that should do.
2. While the oats are soaking, cut an apple into small pieces and cook over medium heat until soft(ish). Depending on the type of pan you use, you may need to add a small amount of oil to the apples to avoiding sticking.
3. Combine the ground flaxseed and water and let sit for about 5 minutes.

4. Place almonds in a bag, take a hammer, and smash the almonds into small pieces (my favourite part!). When the apples are almost finished cooking, add smashed almonds and coconut to the pan.  Remove from heat once the coconut and nuts are toasted and fragrant (just a couple of minutes).

5. Mix flour into the oat mixture.
6. Combine all ingredients into the oat and flour mixture.
7. On medium heat, add a tablespoon of oil to your pan and drop a heaping tablespoon of the mixture onto the pan. Cook until golden brown on both sides, flipping the pancake after about two minutes.
8. Drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy!

Wishing you happy days, tasty meals, and a delightful Thanksgiving,

Rebecca 

Happy dessert

Get ready. Cause I'm about to make you happy.

You know when you want a really delicious dessert but you don't want to leave the house and you don't want to put in any effort and you'd prefer to eat guilt free? Well here it is folks: Apple Maple Coconut Cinnamon Oat-y goodness (that's the official name).

I think I know what's going through your mind...  how good could an apple dessert really be? No sign of pie crust, no ice cream in sight, not even a drizzle of caramel or chocolate. I understand, but it's time you trust me. It tastes a lot like apple crisp but its faster to make, mess-free, and most importantly has a fraction of the sugar.  Plus, it's apple season! Apples are particularly delicious these days so you may as well take advantage :) 

Recipe: 

Serves: 1  (It could be shared into two small portions, but once you take a bite you probably won't want to share. Plan accordingly). 

Ingredients: 

Apple 

Maple Syrup 

Oil/margarine/butter 

Unsweetened shredded coconut 

Cinnamon 

Large flake oats 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. 

Cut an apple into medium sized chunks. 

Drizzle with oil and maple syrup. 

Sprinkle with coconut, cinnamon, and oats. 

Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes or until apples are nice and soft. You may want to give it a little stir half way through. 

Wishing you tasty meals and happy days,
Rebecca

Friday Smiles

Happy Friday! I'm back from vacation and have so many pictures of delicious eats to share and hopefully some tasty recipes too! Until I get back into the groove of real life (it's been a week, but I'm still not there), I leave you with a good old fashion food pun. 

Wishing you a happy weekend, 

Rebecca

Home again home again, jiggity jig

It's summer vacation time!  I'm off to enjoy endless ocean, fresh salty air, and the best people on the planet. This year's destination: home.

Wishing you happy days,

Rebecca

Fogo, Newfoundland
Photo Credit: Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism

St. John's, Newfoundland
Photo credit: Lyndon Keating

Humpback Whale
Photo Credit: Rolf Hicker Photography 

If I had my little way I'd eat peaches every day.

One day I told my friend that peaches were my favourite fruit. Her reaction was unsettling and far from what I expected. She passionately disagreed. Her argument: bananas are much more versatile. Well, yes. The versatility of banana will not be argued. Bananas certainly have their role - they scream winter, warm the soul and satisfy hunger. However, I find something so boring about how they are just so available. Twelve months of the year, a beautiful green/yellow/brown (whatever you fancy) banana is right there. 

I wait 10 months of the year for peach season. Anxiously and with anticipation. I day dream of their refreshing, juicy taste and their invigorating aroma. A peach energizes me with thoughts of summer, sunshine, and blissfully frolicking through an unkempt meadow (which by the way, never actually happens).  This charming video from Roost sings ode to the peach and quite elegantly captures the pureness and happiness of this precious little fruit (as in, I bruise like a peach, kind of precious).

video from: www.roostblog.com

Please do take a visit over to Roost to enjoy the stunning photography, charming videos and delicious recipes. Your eyes will be forever grateful. 

And just to prove that peaches can rival bananas in terms of versatility, here are some recipes that may please your palate:

PB&J Makeover
Peach Tart
Peach Mango Popsicles 
Spinach Salad with Grilled Peaches and Gorgonzola
Grilled Pork Chops with Ginger Peach Chutney
Peach and Tomato Gazpacho with Cucumber Yogurt 
Peach and Pecan Oat Crumble Bars 
Frozen Peach Bellini 
Peach Crisp 

Wishing you fragrant, juicy peaches and happy days,

Rebecca

Too hot to cook

Growing up my grandmother's famous excuse for not cooking was that it was simply "too hot to cook." Now, I didn't grow up on a tropical island, houses didn't normally have air conditioning, and some years it seemed like it never topped 25 degrees celcius. However, it was a great excuse to avoid the stove and simply have tea and toast for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (because apparently it is never too hot for tea and toast). When I'm feeling a little lazy, I dance to my dear nanny's words that it is simply too hot to cook.

However, in all honesty, this month I may as well be living on a tropical island because Toronto has been HOT. Real hot. Too hot to cook hot.  Which fits in perfectly with the Recipe ReDux Challenge this month: Beat the Summer Heat with No Cook Meals. 

Cashew Lemon Creamy Salad Dressing

Makes: about 1 cup of dressing

Recipe: 

3/4 cup cashews

1/2 cup water

1/2 lemon

1 clove garlic

2 basil leaves

1 tbsp fresh cilantro 

1 tsp coconut (optional)

1/2 tbsp Maple Syrup (you can also use honey or agave)

Directions: 

1. Throw cashews and juice from half a lemon (I actually added some more in after, so maybe a little more than half a lemon, depending on how much you like lemon) in a food processor. Process until cashews become smooth. To help the process add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Keep processing. It took about 10 minutes and 1/2 cup of water (8 Tbsp) for my dressing to get the desired consistency. 

2. Add garlic, herbs, coconut, and syrup and process until well blended. 

3. Take a taste test - is it sweet enough? sour enough? garlic-y enough? Take the time to play with the recipe a little bit and add more of whatever it needs. 

4. Once your dressing tastes delicious and is the desired consistency add it to your favourite salad. 

My salad had arugula, corn, match stick carrots, and raisins. I topped it off with smashed cashew pieces.

Before you leave be sure to check out some of the amazing recipes posted by other Recipe ReDuxers.

Wishing you tasty meals and happy days,
Rebecca