I recently was involved in a conversation where we discussed “what food would you feel funny about, if you didn’t eat it every day”?. I have to admit there are days where I don’t eat any fruit but there’s hardly a day that goes by without me eating vegetables. Here’s a few of my favorite QUICK and SIMPLE veggies dishes.
1. Roasted Brussel Sprouts: Wash, trim, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper …stick them on a tray in a 425 oven for 15 minutes. VOILA.
2. Kale with Red Pepper, Onions and Goat Cheese: Stir fry the onions, add some red pepper and then the chopped (washed) Kale. Add some goat cheese for some creamy-ness. SO SO good for you.
3. Stir Fried Veggies; No need to explain. Right? LOL
4. Roasted Root Veggies: Try Cookstown Greens…it’s worth the $$. Promise. Wash the veggies, stick them on a tray, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and bake in a 425 oven for 30 minutes. YUM.
5. I’m perfectly happy with a salad too!
What’s your favourite vegetable? Do share…
Next blog post…will be all about FRUIT. Stay tuned.
Out of nowhere…I’m noticing a lot of Cauliflower recipes. I strongly believe that Cauliflower is the new Kale!! I’ve noticed on Facebook this week, not just one cauliflower recipe but two.
For some reason, I’m wired to try new recipes..so I did. I liked the fact that I didn’t have to chop anything AND it was uber healthy. Not to mention pretty too!
1. Preheat the oven to 400° and lightly grease a small baking sheet with vegetable oil. Set aside.
2. Trim the base of the cauliflower to remove any green leaves and the woody stem.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt with the lime zest and juice, chile powder, cumin, garlic powder, curry powder, salt and pepper. NOTE: I used Nando’s PERI-PERI as I’m in love with this sauce plus I think most of my spices are stale!
4. Dunk the cauliflower into the bowl and use a brush or your hands to shmeer the marinade over its surface. I had so much fun with this step. When I was finished having fun, I sprinkled spice from Jaswant’s Kitchen for additional colour #smartmove.
5. Place the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet and roast until the surface is dry and lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. The marinade will make a crust on the surface of the cauliflower.
6. Let the cauliflower cool for 10 minutes before cutting it into wedges. This would make a great side dish with a piece of salmon, non?
I discovered Pukka via Twitter (does that surprise you?) and then found out that they recently opened up a little over a week ago on St. Clair Ave. West. I was eager to blog about Pukka seeing as I haven’t reviewed an Indian restaurant ever!!
Let’s start off with the space:
Not too dark. Not too bright. Plus I love the colour combos. It’s a pretty cool space for a restaurant in “North Toronto”. (in my humble opinion)
Now let’s talk about the food. Pukka has managed to make Indian food – INTERESTING. It’s not heavy, or greasy or boring at ALL.
Here’s four dishes that really were outstanding. They were interesting, fresh, extremely flavourful and light.
Top Left: Vegetable String Chaat – puffed rice, sprouts, chutneys and sweet yogurt
Top Right: Baby Kale Salad – dates, lotus chiops and spiced cashew dressing. See what I mean?
Right: Chai Pot Creme- candied pistachios, orange blossom creme anglaise, spiced shortbread (I loved the shortbread…hope they sell it separately one day)
Someone knows what they are doing in the kitchen and every dish was executed perfectly. I was super impressed with the flavours, textures, and presentation of each dish.
I have no doubt that the neighborhood is going to embrace Pukka. (which is pronounced PUCK – A).
For more information:
Pukka: 778 St. Clair Ave. West (West of Bathurst). 416 342 1906. They open everyday at 5 pm.
My good friend served a salad over the Jewish New Year that was so tasty that I asked her about it.
She told me that it was from Costco. I was SHOCKED. I then asked her “where can I find it?”. She told me to head to the cold produce area. I asked her to bring out the bag so that I could recognize it and she did!! Here’s the bag you should be looking for.
This bag contains 7 Superfoods: Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts,chicory, kale, roasted pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries. A lemon poppyseed dressing is even included.
How much is this tasty salad? Here’s the answer. I’m floored at how inexpensive this salad is. I mean seriously.
I’m off to Costco this week to buy a few bags!! Something tells me this is going to become a weekly staple in my fridge.
Thanks Costco for continuing to have amazing products at amazing prices.
-The Ultimate Filet O Fish Sammie courtesy of Food Network.
The meal will also include fresh salsa, tortilla cheese, a cheese platter and a rhubarb strawberry crisp!
Can you tell that I spent some time on -line researching some recipes. I love it though!!
Todays blog will feature two salads that I’m going to be serving, K?
First Salad: Oriental Edamame Salad
Ingredients
2 tablespoons sesame oil
Directions
Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat; cook almonds until lightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.
Whisk sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and ginger together in a bowl for the dressing; season with salt and black pepper.
Combine edamame, baby corn, water chestnuts, radishes, green onions, cilantro, and toasted almonds in a large bowl; toss with dressing until coated. Serve cold or at room temperature.
FINISHED SALAD
Second Salad: Green Goddess Kale Salad
For the salad:
5 cups chopped kale
2 cups finely chopped broccoli florets (I steamed them slightly)
3/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
1 medium carrot (I used multi colour baby carrots)
Handful of sprouts
Handful of pumpkin seeds
For the dressing:
1/2 medium ripe avocado, pitted
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk or regular milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
In a large bowl, combine the kale, broccoli, scallions, and carrot. Reserve the sprouts and pumpkin seeds for garnish.
Scoop the avocado flesh into a blender or food processor. Add the milk, lemon juice, maple syrup, vinegar, and mustard. Puree until smooth. The dressing will be thick, with the consistency of mayonnaise. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat everything thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish plates of the salad with the sprouts and pumpkin seeds.
As you know, I went to Jean-Talon Market last week. One of the items, I picked up was Kale. It was $2.50 and half the size of my arm – so I couldn’t resist. I knew I wanted to make a salad with it and headed over to google to see if I could find an interesting recipe to check out.
I swear I selected this recipe because the blogger made me laugh out loud. I’m being honest. This is what made me chuckle:
“I know you need another kale salad recipe like you need another artisanal pickle, but I swear you’ll love this one. And even if you don’t, I have a mixing technique to offer that you can apply to the other 37 kale salads in your life.”
Here’s the Kale and Anchovy Salad recipe that I found on a blog called Food52.
INGREDIENTS:
1 small garlic clove 2 anchovies Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 Meyer (or regular) lemon ( I used a regular lemon) 4 tablespoons olive oil 1/4 small red onion, very thinly sliced 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (forgot to buy fresh and ended up using dried thyme) 6 cups packed lacinato (dinosaur) kale
In a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and anchovy with a pinch of salt to a paste. Blend in the juice from half a Meyer lemon. Then beat in the olive oil. It should semi-emulsify; don’t worry if it doesn’t. (For some reason, I used my cuisinart).
2. In a small bowl, combine the onion and thyme leaves with a large pinch of salt, then rub the salt into the onions using your hands. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. Put the kale in a large bowl. Add the onion and thyme. Pour in half the dressing and using your hands, mix the greens — really get in there and work the salad;
You should almost knead the greens so they break down a bit and the dressing fully coats the leaves. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice, or dressing, as needed. Let the salad sit for 15-20 minutes. Taste and adjust once more. Then spread on a platter and serve.
NOTE: I decided to add a hard boiled egg for added protein and I also decided to add a touch of balsamic vinegar to the dressing
I made kale chips a few times last year but seeing as I’m on this no carb diet..I’ve kicked it up a notch and have been making Kale Chips on a regular basis. I will be honest with you…I MISS real potato chips and I miss my relationship with popcorn. However I know that eating Kale Chips is a much healthier option for me and my body is saying thank you in a different way!!
First step: Please go to a Farmers’ Market and buy your kale. Any Farmers’ Market will do. The stuff at the grocery store is OK but not nearly as beautiful as the kale you will see at a Farmers’ Market.
See what I mean?
2. Step Two: Wash the Kale and dry it really really well. Seriously..this is important. PS I’m not good at this step and rushing thru it but I really shouldn’t it.
3. Step Three: Take scissors and clip the leaves from the stem. This was a brilliant tip I picked up somewhere and makes your life A LOT easier when making Kale Chips
Scissors are the best for doing this step
4. Step Three: Lay the kale on a baking pan. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Someone on twitter (oops I forgot who this was) suggested I try sesame oil and tamari sauce. I did and I liked it but I think I prefer just the salt and the olive oil recipe
5. Step Four: Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Open the door and move the leaves around with a spatula. Close the door and continue to bake for another 3-5 minutes.
6. FINAL PRODUCT:
Healthy Healthy Healthy
I’m already to watch the last few days of the Olympics..I’ve got my snacks and my low carb beer. What more could I ask for? LOL
Hooray…I finally made it Dufferin Grove Farmers Market. I seriously don’t know what took me so long. This farmers market is pretty impressive and worth a visit (justsayin’).
Can’t Miss the Sign
What I love about this Farmers Market is the setting. There are HUGE MASSIVE trees which provides a lotA TON of shade for both the vendors and the shoppers.
See What I Mean?
Dufferin Grove Farmers Market is located at 875 Dufferin Park (just south of Bloor). They are open every Thursday from 3-7 p.m, ALL YEAR LONG. That’s right – they operate right thru the winter. You can tell that a lot of people go here for dinner, hang out on the grass, listen to live music, and also shop!! I also have a feeling that this is a real community meeting place as it seems as everyone is talking to everyone.
It’s also impressive that there seems to be as many prepared food vendors as produce vendors. I really like that and it seems as everyone else does too.
Now lets talk about the FOOD.
I was not a happy camper that I bought kale today from a grocery store and not kale from the Farmers Market (poor planning on my part). The kale at the farmers market is the size of my arm and the kale from the grocery store is the size of a large hand. Note to Self: Don’t Do That Again.
Dinosaur Kale
The lavender chocolate SHEEP ice cream from Best Baa Farm caught my attention too!! I could actually taste the lavender and was so impressed with this unique ice cream (which is easier to digest than cow’s milk). I’m on a carb free diet (week 5) so I only had a small sample but I wish I could have had more!!
not baaaa–d. HA HA…couldn’t resist
I also picked up a (raw) Nut Burger from Earth & City, that contains all sorts of super healthy ingredients: raw sunflower seeds, raw walnuts, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregeno, cumin, sundried tomatoes, raw almonds, flax seeds, lemon juice, sea salt, sunflower sprouts, collard greens, honey dates.
A Perfect Meal for Someone on a No Carb Diet
Guess who is going back to Dufferin Grove Farmers Market next Thursday. See you at 6 p.m! You will find me buying KALE!! (lesson learned). Join me.
The other nite, @HorriblePeanut sent me a photo of what he made for dinner. (only because I asked!!). He had prepared cod and kale. I asked him how he prepared the kale and he replied “with veggie stock – er, Knorr”. I then realized that this would be a good time to do a blog post called How to Make Your Own Vegetable Stock!!
Oh How I Love This Stock!!
Here’s what you need:
Ingredients:
2 carrots, peeled and chopped*
2 onions, peeled and chopped*
1 parsnip, peeled and chopped*
1 apple, cut in half
1 whole head of garlic, peeled (no chopping necessary0
1 sweet potato peeled and chopped*
and bunch of parsley
*:no one is going to see the vegetables so it doesn’t have to be pretty looking!! BONUS
Feel free to add celery, apples, bay leaves, zucchini, etc.a
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Boil water in a saucepan (please forgive me, I did not measure the quantity)
2. Add all the ingredients listed above. Cover the pan with a lid.
A Rough Chop is Just Fine!!
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Strain the vegetables
Voila…beautiful aromatic vegetable stock. By all means play around with this recipe: add celery, add bay leaves (which I did by the way) or add zucchini. Just don’t add anything bitter like broccoli or green pepper.
I like to freeze this soup is small ziploc containers so I can use it whenever a recipe calls for vegetable stock. It will make a HUGE difference and you won’t be buying any powdered soup stock anymore.
Happy Cooking (even if its 30 degrees outside)!!
By the way: I grew up in a household with a product called Croyden House. (kosher fake chicken stock poweder) My mom used it on EVERYTHING. (as still does). I promised myself when I moved out that I would never buy a jar of that stuff and guess what? I haven’t.
I bought a Fabfind coupon for $20 to attend 5 boxing classes at Punch Fitness (1968 Avenue Road). I couldnt resist. It was in my neighborhood and I knew I would like it. Infact, Im loving my workouts so much that after a few classes I tried “sparring”. The first time I watched two men spar, I said to myself “I can’t do that..how do you just go into a ring, and hit someone”. The next class I tried it and I have to admit, it was weird but I liked it. It was a great workout and fun. The following week I was actually EAGER to get into the ring.
momwhoruns is in the ring...sparring!!
When I get home, Im hungry but not really hunger (do you know what I mean) ? I really want to eat something FRESH. So I whipped up a batch of fresh salsa.
All you need is: a few tomatillos, a lime, 2-3 tomatoes, cilantro, white onion. Tomatillos are not something you find in grocery stores, so when I see them I usually pick up a few with the intention of making this delicious salsa.
ingredients for fresh salsa!!
All you do is chop up the veggies, squeeze some lime juice over it and bingo – you have the best-est salsa EVER. Sometimes I add jalapeno – but this time I didnt have them on hand.
5 minutes later - fresh salsa
Oh yeah – I ate them with the most delicious tortilla chips that I bought in the States. Naturally I only bought one bag -what was I thinking?
I also made a kale smoothie:
All you need is: kale, a banana, an apple and orange juice or water.
Kale, Banana, Apple
End Product…
It felt great to have an awesome workout and to eat healthy after the workout too.
