Favourites of 2013: Food & Beverage Edition

Hello Foodies,

Here is a list of all my favourite foods and bevs for the year of 2013.

| Beverages |
Happy Planet Smoothies
Jugo Juice Smoothies
Arizona Green Tea - this one never gets old.
Tetley Raspberry White Tea
Good Earth Sweet & Spicy Tea - no joke, this tastes like cinnamon hearts
Lime Cordial with Carbonated water
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Soy Lattes, no whip cream
Chai Tea Soy Lattes
Hazelnut Cream coffee
Coffeemate Creamer in Pumpkin Spice & Cinnamon Vanilla Cream
Earl Grey Tea - loving the bergamot
Jasmine Green Tea - loving the floral taste

| Grains | Seeds | Nuts | Dried Fruits |
Diamond of California Macadamias
Pistachios
Chia Seeds
Golden Roasted Flax Seed Meal
Hemp Seeds
Dried Tart Cherries
Dried Apricots
Dried Blueberries
Craisins

| Candy | Chocolate |
Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses
Cinnamon Hearts
Ghirardelli Peppermint Bark
Lifesaver Gummies - YUM!!!

| Fruits | Vegetables |
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Peaches
Nectarines
Grapes
Pink Lady Apples
Grapefruit
Oranges
Persimmons
Pomegranate
Kale
Cauliflower
Zucchini
Celery
Carrots
Spinach

| Foods |
Spicy Salmon Roll
Kimchi Soup
Jap Chae (Korean Clear Noodle Stirfry)
Smoked Salmon
Spinach dip
Strawberry short cake
Prime Rib
Roasted Turkey
Duck
Caesar Salad - homemade dressing and all
Greek Salad
Pear & Goat Cheese
Olives - totally obsessed!
Pickled pearl onions - love these in the vindaloo
Lamb vindaloo
Butter Chicken
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino
Mushroom Risotto

What are some of your favourite foods and drinks for the year of 2013? Let me know in the comment box below. I hope I've spiked your attention to try something new and I'd like to try some of your favourites too.

- Vivian

Pear & Goat Cheese Salad

I've been in love with pears and goat cheese this winter. And now I'm here to share my recipe on how to make a simple pear and goat cheese salad. (Makes 2-3 servings)

You will need the following ingredients:

3 cups organic mixed greens
1 anjou pear thinly sliced
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
fresh cracked pepper
honey
toasted nuts (optional)

As simple as it will sound. You mix the greens with sliced pears in a large bowl. Crumble goat cheese over top. Drizzle with oil and vinegar as well as honey. Top with toasted nuts if you like. Serve.

Here's the salad without greens or nuts. Change it up however you desire.

Enjoy!

Vivian
from MayDayDesigns

Turkey Leftover Ideas

Are you sick of having turkey sandwiches? I am. Here are a few things that can freshen up the leftovers. Often turkey can be very dry from reheating. So I usually will eat it cold or mix it with a sauce of some sort.

Curry Turkey Pot Pie
Cube cold turkey meat and vegetables into 1/2" cubes. You will need 2 cups of cubed turkey. 1/2 cup cubed carrots. 1/2 cup cubed celery. 1/4 cup cubed white onion. 1/2 cup frozen peas. 1 can coconut cream. 2 tbsps yellow curry powder. Sautée the onions in a large pot until softened. Add carrots and celery; mix well. Add coconut milk and peas. Bring to a boil, while continually stirring. Salt and pepper to taste. Thicken liquid with cornstarch and water. Place filling into a pre-made pie shell and bake until golden brown.

Turkey Cobb Salad
1 romaine heart sliced into 1/4" ribbons. 2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and diced into 1/2" cubes. 1 Roma tomato diced. 1 avocado diced. 6 strips of extra crispy bacon, diced or crumbled. 1/4 cup blue cheese. 1/4 cup chopped white mushrooms. 1 cup cubed turkey. Layer the ingredients linearly separately. Serve with a salad dressing of your choice.

I hope you enjoy my leftover ideas. Let me know what you think.

Happy Turkeying~

Vegan Creamed Leafy Greens GF DF

Ingredients:

Rapini, one bundle, thoroughly washed. Chopped into bite size nibs. Leaves and florets can be cut into ribbons and bite size nibs also. Rapini is a source of vitamins A, C, K, potassium, calcium and iron.

1/2 cup red onion, minced
1/2 cup Soy creamer
2 tbsp vegan margarine
1 tsp sea salt
1-1/2 tbsp corn starch
2-1/2 tbsp water

In a large skillet on medium high heat melt margarine. Sautee onion and rapini till slightly wilted. Add creamer and salt. Keep stirring and turn heat down to medium heat. When the rapini is close to done, good clue is when it is a vibrant emerald green.

Mix cornstarch and water. Pour over vegetables and stir frequently as the sauce thickens. If you like garlic, I can suggest you grate a fresh clove in the sauce now. Mix well and serve warm.

This recipe can be replaced with spinach, kale or any leafy greens. Let me know how you liked the recipe or not in the comment box below.

Enjoy

Spicy Enoki & Spinach Stirfry

Ingredients:

1 enoki mushroom bunch (cleaned, trimmed and separated)
1 spinach bunch (cleaned with stems on)
1 tbsp chinese chilli oil (with peppers, not the oil only version)
2 tbsp gluten free tamari sauce
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic

In a large skillet, on medium high heat. Place oil, ginger and garlic. Sautée till fragrant and slightly golden.

Add spinach and tamari, stir around every minute so the bottom leaves don't over cook. Once the spinach has cooked down to half the size. Add mushrooms and cook for 2-5 minutes or until the stalks soften. Caution don't overcook these mushrooms as they get really chewy.

Plate with chilli oil drizzled over top. Serve with steamed brown rice or quinoa. This is a quick and delicious dish, who said vegan & gluten free cooking couldn't be easy?

Enjoy!

Creamy Spinach & Ham Soup DF GF

Ingredients:

6 Frozen chopped spinach pellets or 1/2 pack of the block form spinach
2 bouillon cubes or 2 tbsp bouillon powder
1/4 onion diced
1/2 cup of ham diced
4 - 6 cups water depending how thick you want your soup
Salt and pepper to taste

Thickening agent: mix well together
1 cup corn flour
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsps butter

In a large pot sautée the thickening agent until it forms a dough like consistency and is slightly transparent. Keep stirring as this mixture loves to stick to the bottom of the pot. Approximately 5-10 minutes on medium high heat.

Add the onions and ham into the thickening agent mixture. Break up the dough as much as you can. Add 4 cups of water and mash up the the dough bits as it boils. They should slowly melt away. I like to keep some of the dough in the soup for texture and dumplings. Add bouillon and spinach. Keep stirring as the soup thickens. Add remainder of water if the soup becomes too thick. Stir and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. This is the dairy free version. But if you like dairy, I would recommend making some cheese crisps to add on top when serving.

Hope you enjoy my recipe and until next time. Happy cooking and bon appetit.

Avocado Smoothie

I first got hooked on these shakes a couple years ago. They were always my before hot yoga meal. I later found them to be a quick and easy meal replacement when I'm on the go. They are also very easy to make.

Here's what you need:

1 small ripe avocado or 1/2 large ripe avocado, pitted and skinned
1 to 1-1/2 cups of milk, soy, rice or coconut milk
2 tbsps of honey or agave nectar or use 1/2 a ripe banana

Blend all ingredients together in a blender. Add more milk if you prefer it runnier. Blend till smooth and serve immediately.

Cheers