Life and how I've been living it

Lately, I have been incredibly busy with work commitments, but have still somehow managed to find some time to get out and enjoy my favourite season.  Here are some photos from my journeys.

Last week, I was recipe testing for my friend Laurie's soon to be published cookbook!  I can't go into too many details about what I was testing, but I can let you know that her first book, "The Allergy-Free Cook Bakes Bread", will be coming out at the end of this month.  It is the first in a three-part series and boasts "an amazing collection of gluten-free bagels, biscuits, loaves, muffins, scones, and specialty breads that rival their traditional counterparts in every imaginable way."  The books are also gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, as well as free of many allergens and 100% vegan.  As soon as the second book is out I'll post my reviews of the recipes I tested. ***Hint: I've already made them twice.....nom, nom, nom!

Drop me a message if you are interested in attending
Laurie's book launch later this month!

Saturday, I started my day by going to the Welland Farmer's Market. While I love the Spring and Summer hauls, the Fall harvest is really le pièce de résistance pour moi! The colours of the delicious bounty have begun to change, much like the leaves on the trees.

Mixed Bell Peppers

Last of the Sweet Corn?

Yellow and Green Beans:
One of my favourite raw snacks! 

Festive Fall Stand

Heirloom Tomatoes

Absolutely GORGEOUS Kale!!
I bought all of this for $1.50!!

Plenty of gourds!

They have arrived ;)

Beans, Italian plums, Royal Galas,
White Eggplant, KALE and cider

The next day the girls and I went to Windwood Farms, a local "pick your own" farm, for some fresh apple picking!

Picked with love

On the way home we stopped at a Sunday market in Beamsville.  I'm told that this market has fallen on some harder times due to a competing stand up the road, but we still found some gems.

Madison thought this sign was brilliant!

Beautiful!

I couldn't agree more!

Attending the Niagara Food Festival has been an annual tradition for my famjam and this year was no different.  I didn't get too many photos because my hands were full of delicious food (plus I was trying not to loose the babies in the huge crowd). I chose roasted yams and an ear of corn (no butter) from The Ontario Corn Roasters,  and vegetarian/GF "rip" from Mazie. The rip's were a mixture of refried beans, roasted veg, fresh veg, and guacamole stuffed in a delightful crispy homemade cornbread pocket topped with a spicy pepper sauce.  It was so amazing and I didn't even get a photo :(

The impressive hungry crowd

Enjoying our treats

A guilty pleasure of mine is deep fried foods, but I have
 to say that this deep fried obsession is getting out of hand!
This was only 1/3 of what they had to offer.

I had the pleasure of attending Soupalicious, an event that took place in Toronto this past weekend. This event was co-orginized by a friend of mine and put on by the Plant a Row, Grow a Row program, "a national initiative that encourages folks to grow an extra row of food and share extras from their harvest with those in need." I had an amazing time and as if the soup wasn't good enough, I even got to catch demos by Meghan over at Making Love in the Kitchen and Marni over at Fully Nourished.  I had such a good time that I think I might get a table next year! Fair warning for all you potential soup testers out there ;) 
*Keep an eye out for the soup photos because I plan to do a separate post in the coming weeks.

They're in love

Marni's Demo

Meghan's Demo

While in Toronto and sans children (!!) we decided to stay the night and visit some friends.  Our night began with a dinner at Fresh and ended with Nuit Blanche festivities. Perfect date night? I think so!

City Scape

Jesse exploring the menu 

Quinoa Onion Rings
with Avocado Chipotle 

The Modern Vampire
Beet, Raspberry, Ginger and Orange
*I've made this thrice already!

Macro Greens Bowl with Brown Basmati,
Toasted Nut & Seed Mix and Wasbi Dill Dressing   

Sam Houston Burrito 

Think about it...

Is it?

Smells Like Teen Spirit played

144 times consecutively, never the same twice.

While there you have it! My last few journeys in and around the region. This weekend should prove to be just as busy as I prepare for 4 Thanksgiving dinners in 4 days. I'll keep you posted!

I also wanted to take this moment to let you know that while I truly love connecting with all my cyberspace friends, I'd like to remind everyone to step away from this alternate universe and get out there and enjoy all the wonderful things life has to offer.  As Steve Jobs put it "Right now is the new you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away." Embrace each day/moment as if it were your last because you deserve nothing less my friends.

Stay hungry. Stay foolish 

JorDanna

Rosemary and Butternut Squash Risotto and Carrot-Ginger Soup with Curried Tofu

As promised, here are my remaining dishes from this week.  I haven't gotten the chance to make my Pumpkin Butter or Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Breakfast Bake yet, but I have high hopes for next week!

Everyone needs a good risotto recipe and this Rosemary and Butternut Squash Risotto absolutely has the potential to be yours.  It was full of flavour and was enjoyed by everyone in the family. Although in the end,  I felt it was missing a hefty dose of mushrooms.  When I make this again, I will surely add shrooms!

I found this over at The Vegan Foodie after I followed a link on one of Angela's posts over at Hol:Fit. It seems as though the blog isn't tended to anymore, but I still bookmarked a couple of things that looked tasty!

Rosemary and Butternut Squash Risotto

1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes

5.5 cups veg stock

3/4 cups chopped shallots

1 rosemary spring

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine (I subbed for apple juice)

2 garlic cloves

1 Tbsp Earth balance

Grape seed oil

Himalayan salt and ground pepper

Lastly, I made a Carrot-Ginger Soup with Curried Tofu from the Great and Easy Meals cookbook I told you about last time.  This fell a little short for me and didn't pack the punch I was hoping for but the hubby seemed to like it just fine :) Give it a try and let me know what you think!

Carrot-Ginger Soup with Curried Tofu 

1/2 cup grape seed oil

1 1lb bag of baby carrots

1 2-3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

Himalayan salt and ground pepper

1 star anise pod

2 cups carrot juice

1 pound extra-firm tofu

1/2 cup arrowroot powder

2 tsp curry powder

Torn fresh cilantro

I didn't get to any cooking today, but I do have a pretty amazing meal plan in place for this week, so stay tuned!!!!

Peace and Love,

JorDanna

Boy did I need these today!

These are my mala beads, and they are what got me through the day today. My mantra for the rest of the week will be "Meditate. Live purely. Be quite. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine" This is speaking true to me at the moment.

The Tiny Devotions site sates the white jade mala will assist:  

"..in concentration and unwanted distractions. It also aids in emotional balance - grounding and healing the heart. This stone will help you reach your highest potential - helping you focus your attention on your goal and filter out any distractive forces along the way."

I often tell people that this mala "found me" because it came into my life when I needed it, and it has continually helped me ever since.

I hope you have/find something that helps you stay "present to the beauty of life."

Namaste,

JorDanna

Yes, Yes, Yes, It's My Autumn Almanac : September Meal Ideas

As mentioned, even amidst my busy weekend I still found time to mess around in my kitchen! :D However by late Sunday morning I still hadn't made my meal plan or looked at my flyers so I was behind and running out of time.  I quickly pursued a blog or two, a cookbook I had left out the weekend before, decided on a few dishes and figured I'd wing the rest!  My theme for this week was/is apparently ORANGE.

Roasted Veg Sandwiches were first up because I have been obsessing over these for the past week or so.  So simple, yet so full of flavour.  You really can't go wrong with roasting veg EVER! ;) This week's blend consisted of:

Roasted Veg Sandwich with Sprouts and Sweet Potato Hummus 

• Red and Green Peppers
• Red and Yellow Onions
• Eggplant
• Mushrooms *I used button, cremini, and shiitake because that is what I had on hand but you could use any variety.
• Garlic 

CUT your veg in similar sized pieces and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs of your choice.  I used herb de provence.  

ROAST in a 400 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or until desired tenderness is achieved. 

ENJOY

*I had every intention of fire roasting my peppers but my BBQ was acting up on me :(  

**Fire roasted peppers in the fall totally reminds me of my Grandma's house.  Funny how food gives you flashbacks, huh?!

5 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking gave me enough for 2 lunches and 1 dinner for 2 people!

Next I chose Sweet Potato Hummus because a girlfriend of mine had requested I forward some tasty hummus recipes to her. Hummus is great for a mid morning/afternoon snack, as a spread on sandwiches and wraps, or if your like me, for dinner when you return from a late class at the gym.  There are SO many variations on this that I'm not sure it's even possible to name them all.  Basically, add whatever veg/fruit/nut/seed/superfood/spice to your staple hummus recipe and your got a new taste sensation.  Here is a nice version I stumbled upon over at Your Vegan Girlfriend . Arielle uses no oil and less tahini in her version in an attempt to save some calories. Heck ya!!

Sweet Potato Hummus

• 1 can of chickpeas rinsed and drained reserving the canning liquid
• Garlic (I never measure, start low)
• Curry (I never measure, start low)
• Cumin (I never measure, start low)
• Himalayan salt (I never measure, start low)
• 2 heaping Tbsp of tahini  
• 1 large sweet potato (I only had two smaller ones on hand so mine isn't super orange but add as much as you'd like.  I've been known to add up to three in some of my other recipes)

Next up: Carrot-Mushroom-Barley Soup. I haven't made much soup yet this year and with the brisk Saturday breeze, it seemed like the perfect meal for the coming week. This came from a cookbook called Great Easy Meals which was given to me as a gift. There aren't a lot of vegetarian or vegan recipes in the book, but I can fit anything to work how I need it to! This recipe was pretty veg friendly to start with.

Carrot-Mushroom-Barley Soup

Carrot-Mushroom-Barley Soup 

• 2 cups carrot juice 
• 10 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and set aside, caps sliced (I added other varieties I had in the fridge as well) 
• 2 Tbsp earth balance
• 1 cup instant barley (I used pearled)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 stalk of celery with leaves, diced
• Dried rosemary 
• Salt and Pepper
• 4 medium carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used baby carrots, approx 1.5-2 cups)
• 4 cups of kale or mustard greens, stems removed and leaves torn
• 1 Tbsp peeled and grated ginger

Are you ready?!?!? Vegan Pumpkin Baked Pasta is next. This was chosen because I LOVE pumpkin and try my best to eat it in everything.....even in March ;) This is taken from Veganomicon which might be one of my most favourite cookbooks, vegan or not.

Vegan Pumpkin Baked Pasta with Sage Bread Crumbs

Vegan Pumpkin Baked Pasta with Sage Bread Crumbs 

• 1 lb pasta, cooked (I didn't measure, just eyeballed)
• 2 onions, sliced thinly
• Olive oil
• 1 recipe cashew ricotta, see below (this quickly became one of my favourites because it is so yummy on its own)
• 1 Tbsp sucanat
• 1/4 tbs ground nutmeg
• White pepper and cayenne (I also added chipotle powder)
• 2 cups pumpkin puree, not fie filling (I made my own but canned would be fine)
• 1/4 cup veg stock (I made my own but boxed would be fine)

Cashew Ricotta

• 1/2 cup cashew pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves roasted garlic (don't skip the roasting, it adds amazing flavour)
• 1 lb firm tofu, drained and crumbled
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp salt

Sage Bread Crumbs 

• 2 cups bread crumbs (3-4 slices of bread in your food processor)
• 1/4 cup earth balance 
• 2 tsp dried rubbed sage
• 1/2 tsp paprika (I used smoked)
• Salt and pepper

I hope these dishes have inspired you to get in the kitchen and enjoy cooking during this beautiful month!  I'm already working on my next post which will feature my remaining recipes for this week.  Stay tuned for Rosemary and Butternut Squash Risotto, Carrot and Ginger Soup with Curry Tofu, Pumpkin Butter and Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Breakfast Bake.  I can't wait!

Rosemary and Butternut Squash
Risotto

Interesting citrouille

She is SO boss!

Carrot Ginger Soup with Curry Tofu

As my title would suggest, here is one of my favourite seasonal tunes.  The girls start to ask about it around the beginning of August and are thrilled when I play it in the car again.  Enjoy!

Thanks for stopping by :)

Peace and Love,

JorDanna

Fall = Family, Food, and FUN!!!

I've missed you friends! I know it's been a while so lets get reacquainted, shall we?! Boy this weekend was a busy one for us:

Jesse and I took in a Hammer Of The Gods and W.S. Walcott Medicine show on Friday.

Hammer Of The Gods

This right here is my weakness folks!

W.S. Walcott Medicine 

Visited a local Farmer's Market The HandMade Market, B.R.O Niagara's scavenger run, the Grape and Wine festival, and The Niagara Regional Exhibition on Saturday.

My haul from the Farmer's Market

Some of the bikes at B.R.O Niagara's scavenger run

Outside one of the tents at The HandMade Market

Wine, pie, and dancing at the Grape and Wine festival
Does it get any better? 

One of my favourite local restaurants, Pan Cafe, was there with delicious fare! 

The Niagara Regional Exhibition

I'd take me home ;)

And attended the opening weekend at our local pumpkin patch on Sunday.

Watching Rex eat a pumpkin at our pumpkin patch

Maddy wasn't feeling too well so she stayed home. This photo seems empty without her.

Whew! I know it sounds like madness, but this is my family's favourite time of year, and as you can see we take full advantage of the season and all it has to offer :) I have to admit though, I stood back (on more than one occasion) and thought about the day when my ladies will no longer want to partake in our silly family outings.  I know (I hope) I have a few more years, but the mere thought of it one day ending has helped me to embrace and relish every single second we share together as a family. In my opinion, it's moments like these that make life worth living.

Sometimes I'm hard on myself for not accomplishing "enough" with my cooking, the blog, networking, etc, especially in comparison to others I follow. I often wonder how they find the time to do all they do. This week it hit me, the vast majority of those folk don't have kids!!!  We all have our own sets of challenges and responsibilities, but boy do your priorities change once you become a parent. Suddenly it isn't all about you anymore, is it?!  I find myself in this strange place of having more "me" time than I've had in the past 10 years, yet still in a place where those little ladies need me for so much.  My goal for the remainder of this year has become to find that balance that lets me be the best mom I can be AND allows me to rediscover myself through various activities that I love. I'm fortunate to have an extremely supportive family so I have high hopes of reaching (or at least starting my journey towards) this goal.

All of that and I still managed to fit in football and cooking!  Stay tuned for my Roasted Veg Sandwich, Sweet Potato Hummus, Vegan Pumpkin Baked Pasta, and Carrot-Mushroom-Barley Stew recipes/links.  Yum yum ;)

Lastly, I wanted to give some love to one my my best friends who went into labour 5 weeks early today.  I was concerned when I first got the news this morning, but was thrilled to hear that at 3:30 pm she gave birth to a healthy 5lb 2oz baby boy :D This is their first child and I'd like to send lots of love to their new little family, xo.

Peace and Love,

JorDanna

A long time ago, we used to be friends

I can't help it, I love them!

Hello all you cats!

I must apologize for my lack of contributions lately, however work, kids, and the preverbal grind have all been standing between me and the computer these days. My goal for the summer months is to get 1-2 posts up a month so I hope you'll all help me stick to it!

I know that most of you like to message me on Facebook (which I love) so continue to feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions or comments. I still tend to get a lot of messages through there, so if I don't get back to you right away it never hurts to give me a gentle reminder ;)

I wanted to share with you one of my more recent dishes that I am madly in love with. I decided to make this after reading my cousin's Facebook comments about her (presumably) delicious veggie burger that she was having for lunch. I LOVE burgers and needed little persuasion to whip up this tasty salmon burger that I had seen on Elana's Pantry the week before. This is a quick and easy recipe using staple ingredients and the result was amazing! I hope you enjoy.

Sesame Salmon

Burgers

1 pound salmon, with skin

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 clove of garlic, pressed

1 tsp peeled and minced ginger

1/4 cup chopped green onions (white and green parts)

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

1 large egg

olive oil for frying

Rinse the salmon, pat dry and cut into 1/4-inch cubes

Combine salmon, sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, green onions, and egg in a large bowl

Toast sesame seeds in a pan on medium heat being carful not to scorch (do not skip this step! The added flavour is SO worth the extra time)

Add toasted seeds to salmon mixture

Form mixture into patties

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat

Cook the patties for 4-6 minutes per side, until golden brown

Serve Hot and Enjoy!

As luck would have it, when I went to Elana's site to retrieve the burger recipe, she had also posted a complimenting veg recipe!! After reviewing the ingredients and realizing that I had all components for said recipe too, I decided to go with it! Who was I to argue with the food Gods that were apparently trying to tell me something ;)

Garlic Ginger

Bok Choy and Mushrooms

1 1/4 pounds baby bok choy

2 cups mushrooms (I used cremini and portobello)

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp agave

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

4 green onions , sliced

2 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp ginger, minced

1/4 cup hemp seeds

Slice bottoms off bok choy

Slice bok choy into lengthwise strips

Combine fish sauce, agave, sesame oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl

Dissolve the cornstarch to make a slurry

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat

Add bok choy and salt once oil is hot

Cook, tossing frequently until slightly wilted

Add mushrooms, green onions, ginger, and garlic and stir until fragrant

Stir in sauce and quickly mix with veg, until thickened

Add hemp seeds and mix well

Serve hot and enjoy!

Well there you have it! An impromptu dinner that will likely remain one of my family's favourites well into the cold months. I love it when things just "come together".

Peace and Love,

Ladystardust

A side note: T.Rex, one of the bands that had the greatest influence on me during my teenage years, just started releasing FREE demos of their albums on Marc Bolan's Facebook page. Electric Warrior and the SLIDER are two of my most beloved albums of all time and listening to the demos was like hearing the albums for the first time :) Check them out, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Tea for the Tillerman: A few ideas on how to incorporate more tea into your daily routine

I LOVE TEA! I can easily drink two litres of it a day without even thinking about it, which also means I'm getting my recommended 8 glasses of water a day without even thinking about it! I have my first cup as soon as I wake up in the morning and then I switch back to drinking tea after consuming at least one (maybe two) cup(s) of coffee at work ;) I also drink a large amount of tea during and post workouts. I converted to loose leaf tea about a year ago upon the recommendation of my trainer and I haven't looked back since. The benefits of loose leaf for me include extensive flavour options, superior quality of tea, and a lower price point. I like all varieties including white, black, and oolong, but green is my favourite. Some of my "go to" green tea blends include:

"Goji Green"

Green tea that also includes goji berries

"Matcha-iri Genmaicha"

Japanese rice tea with matcha. My all time favourite!!

"Green Goddess"

The blend incorporates walnuts

Some health benefits of green tea include:

• A natural metabolism booster (bonus!)
• The potential to fight cancer and heart disease
• High anti-oxident levels
• The ability to improve cholesterol levels

I drink my tea black and it's how I recommend everyone enjoy it to truly reap the health benefits. Trust me, once you have a beautiful pot of tea you don't want to spoil it with milk, sugar, or anything else for that matter. If you aren't fond of drinking things hot, try boiling a large pot of green tea in the evening then placing it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, add lemons and lemon juice and enjoy your homemade iced tea! If you need a bit of sweetness, try adding stevia or honey to taste.

My kids love green tea and drink it quite often, with my youngest even taking it to school. However I do understand that it isn't always as easy for youngsters (or adults) to enjoy a pot of tea since we are so accustomed to added flavours and sugars in our drinks. This is why I was SO excited when I was recently introduced to a "juice" recipe that is made using tea!!! Below is the recipe that I was given. Please note that I was taught this using "eyeball" measurements, so I've been trying to work with this the best I can. As always, I recommend this as a guideline and encourage you to do what works best for you while making this. One batch of "concentrate" lasts our family about one week.

Always in the fridge "Juice"

3 litres of water

10 fruit tea bags *These can be whatever your heart desires or your taste-buds crave. Think of flavour combinations that you enjoy. My last batch was peach, raspberry, pomegranate, blueberry!

2 cups of honey

2 packages of stevia

2 lemons

Any fresh fruit you fancy

Add water to a large pot and bring to a boil

Add teabags and remove from heat

Let steep for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally

Remove teabags

Add 2 cups* of honey

This mixture becomes your "juice"concentrate. When you are ready to make the juice:

Add two cups of concentrate to a large mason jar or pitcher

Add two packages of stevia

Add the juice from two lemons

Add 1.5* litre of water

Add fresh fruit, stir, and enjoy!

*The first time I made this I only used 1 cup of honey because 2 cups just seemed like so much to me. Now I leave the honey out all together because I find that the stevia adds more than enough sweetness on it's own.

**The 1.5 litres of water is a rough estimate. When I use a mason jar, I really have no idea how much I'm adding because I just add it to taste. My pitcher however, has measurements and I believe that 1.5 litres was how much I added last time.

Using flavour combinations that inspire/appeal to you will allow you to enjoy all the wonderful health benefits of tea under the clever guise of delicious juice! Think summer, think spritzers, think this recipe :D YUM!!!!

My other love is Matcha Green Tea Lattes. Matcha is powdered green tea and since you are actually ingesting the whole green tea leaf when drinking matcha, you receive more health benefits. Matcha provides you with approximately 10 times more of the health-promoting nutrients of steeped green tea and it is a powerful detoxifier and extremely healthy energizer. Benefits of Matcha can include:

• A natural raise in energy levels with no negative side affects
• An induced sate of relaxation and clam mental alertness
• Up to a 40% increase in metabolism upon regular consumption
• Regulation of healthy blood sugar levels
• It can act as a strong blood detoxifier and alkalizer

Matcha Green Tea Latte using "Matcha-iri Genmaicha"

The following is how I make my Match Green Tea Lattes. Of note: we recently had a RIDICULOUS European espresso machine installed at work, so truthfully, I let it do most of the work for me, but this is how I used to prepare my lattes. BTW, I LOVE having an automatic frother and I'm looking into getting one for home because I'm finding that I can't live without it!! The recipe is as follows:

Home version of the standard

"Matcha Green Tea Latte"

1-2 tsp of matcha powder

2 oz hot water

Organic vanilla soy milk. Enough to fill your cup

Place matcha powder in a cup

Add hot water to make a paste

Take a separate cup and fill it about 3/4 full with the soy milk.

Heat the milk in the microwave for about 1 minute or until steam rises from the cup

Place a wire whisk in the milk and twirl the whisk by rapidly rolling the handle between your palms until the desired froth is achieved.

Pour the milk into the cup with the matcha paste being sure to hold back the froth with a spoon.

Spoon the froth on top of the latte

Sprinkle with additional matcha powder if desired.

Tips:

• If I'm short on time I make my latte using "Matcha-iri Genmaicha" rather than making a matcha paste
• If I'm really short on time I only heat the milk rather than frothing it.

I challenge you to add (more) tea to your daily routine and see if you notice any health benefits.

Thanks for stopping by :)

Peace and Love,

Lady