Sunday, August 30, 2015

Cheese Pizza on Sourdough

I always love getting kids in the kitchen, and when I was given the chance to bring a touch of Home Ec to the little(r) ones at Summer Camp, I wanted to give them something they would have a fun time doing, would enjoy eating and actually participated in creating. Pizza making felt like a completely obvious choice, since even if I did the "grownup" work of baking the crust and shredding the cheese, they could have complete control over stirring together a simple sauce with hand-torn fresh herbs(and a secret flavour booster), as well as sprinkling the mozzarella onto the par-baked Herbed Sourdough Pizza Dough

Cheesy Sourdough Pizza

In retrospect, I should have had the kids make two of these - not only did they all polish off a sizeable piece (and that was after lunch!), but the staff wanted a taste too! Even the children who, while making the sauce, adamantly declared that the basil and garlic "smelled yucky" wanted seconds... I would say that's a pretty ringing endorsement! Besides, who doesn't love stringy, melty, ooey gooey cheese, a crispy crust and even the little crispy bits on the edges? 

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Herbed Sourdough Pizza Dough

Is there a person who doesn't love pizza? The idea of a topped flatbread is so appealing that it spans cultures, generations and dietary preferences, leading to regional "standard" favourites like Chicago deep-dish and blistered, cracker-thin Neapolitan as well as international variations on the theme like Turkish pide, German flammkuchen, and Macedonian pastrmajlija. Here at home - especially at my house - the more or less traditional Italian style of pizza takes precedence, but it's more often enjoyed via a phone call to the local delivery guys. My stepbrother, however, discovered the delights of homemade pizza and from what I hear has since been making some fabulous ones for himself and his wife. After tasting one of these, my mom started talking about the possibilities of homemade pizza too - especially now that she's retired and getting back into the foodie scene. All she needed was a recipe!

Sourdough Pizza Crust

Luckily, I had a few options that I was keen on trying out, from the sweeter Dessert Pizza crust I shared a few weeks back to a re-tooling of the Higher Protein Pizza Dough, a crispy semolina and spelt base (riffed from this one) and even a recipe touted as the key to "Light-as-Air" Pizza. In the end, though, the need to both use up some sourdough toss-off and make a larger batch of dough to account for my Summer Camp group brought me to KAF's Sourdough Pizza Crust, and I have to say the results tasted better than any other pizza dough I've had. As sourdough lovers, both Mom and I were easily drawn to the tangy, yeasty aroma the dough had as it was rising and, later, par-baking. I wound up freezing half a batch for later, since Mom declared she could eat the whole pizza herself as well as the leftover crusts! That said, the dough both freezes and thaws perfectly, and the ability of it to slowly thaw and rise in the fridge afterwards, in my opinion, improves the flavour even more.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Oven Simmered Asian BBQ Chicken #SundaySupper

I love finding leftovers in the fridge or freezer, even if I know I've put them in there for a specific reason. I mean really, leftovers from a whole roasted chicken have so much potential - there's the meat, of course, but also the lovely flavour-rich bones waiting to be cooked down into stock. The same thing happens when it's time to clean out the pantry - ours is a double-deep, one and a half times wide behmoth that holds everything we could hope for and more... sometimes to the extent that we lose items bought for a single recipe and never thought of again.

Oven Simmered Asian BBQ Chicken

It was in pursuit of more organized kitchen storage facilities that this recipe came to fruition. Between a hunk of roasted chicken meat from an early Summer roast, a half of a red onion from recent Greek salad making, green garlic from the farmer's market and some Asian BBQ Sauce from San J, I knew exactly where I was headed... a twist on my old favourite pulled BBQ meat sandwich filling. Since the meat was already cooked (albeit not dried out), I oped to tenderize it by marinating it overnight in the sauce, vinegar, ginger and garlic. The next day, mixed with onions and a little more chicken broth, it cooked it low and slow in the oven until the meat had absorbed all the flavour and was back to falling-apart tenderness. There was just enough sauce clinging to the meat and in the bottom of the dish to make proper sloppy sandwiches on toasted rolls or topping a bowl of freshly steamed rice and greens - and if my family is any indication a forkful right out of the fridge makes for a divine midnight snack!

This week, Amy of kimchi MOM is hosting a #SundaySupper celebrating Asian (and Asian-inspired) cuisine. Whether authentic or Asian-esque, you're sue to find something delicious!

Small Bites

Soupy Goodness

Big Plates

On the Lighter Side

Cheers!

Oodles of Noodles
Sunday Supper Movement 
Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Vegetable Beef Couscous Soup #TheRecipeRedux

While we don't start school for another couple weeks (thankfully!), I'm always thinking about ways to plan ahead for easier weeknight dinners. These days, with the beginnings of the garden harvest coming in (there's already a zucchini overload!), we're trying to clear out space in the fridge and freezer so we can re-fill it to our heart's content.

Luckily, produce (which is really only thing causing the freezer overflow) is perfect for tossing into sauces, stews, and most of all, soup. My latest foray into the frozen depths of the kitchen gleaned me a sizable container of last year's Harvest Ragoût as well as a bag full of cubed sirloin steak trimmed off of some behemoth cuts we brought home a month or so ago. With those two treasures as starting points, I knew I had the makings of a delicious, hearty soup on my hands! A dip into the pantry, herb garden and liquor cabinet gave me the finishing touches I needed - rich beef broth, hearty red wine, classical herbs and whole grain Israeli couscous. A little over an hour later, a nice big Dutch oven of stick-to-your-ribs flavour was waiting for the family to enjoy for dinner - perfect timing too, since the weather was just cooling off from the humid afternoon!

Vegetable Beef Couscous Soup

After the hustle and bustle of the holiday/vacation season, August is the time many families get ‘back to routine.’ The Recipe Redux gang is sharing our favorite recipes to help families get ‘back to the dinner table.’



Thursday, August 20, 2015

Chewy Vegan Velvet Brownies

There are three "main" camps when it comes to brownies - the chewy, the fudgy, and the cakey. Actually, if I wanted to be mean, I could say there were only two - the chewy/fudgy hybrid and "wrong". To me, any brownie with a cakey texture is just a single layered, possibly frosted, undecorated snacking cake that's acceptable to eat before dinner. But that's just me, and I won't judge (too much).

Chewy Vegan Velvet Brownies

Needless to say, this post is about the chewy, moreish variety of my favourite bar cookies. Now, most of the "good" or "best ever" brownie recipes out there rely on the copious use of butter and/or eggs in addition to melted chocolate (see this article for "official" ingredient tests), and I have nothing against those at all - these and these look scarily close to the decadent squares I used to scarf down in my youth - but these days so many of the people I bake for are vegan or trying to eat a "little better" even when indulging, and since I'm supplying the calories I figure I should probably make them a little less empty, don't you think?

I had been playing with the idea of gluten development and the "chewiness" factor in baked goods since having delicious success with Alton Brown's "The Chewy" chocolate chip cookie recipe, and while I love the flavour of whole-grain Kamut® flour in chocolate baked goods it lacks the structural protein that bread or all purpose flour contains. My solution? Try adding a spoonful of straight gluten to a vegan, melted chocolate brownie recipe and see what happens! The low-fat bars (adapted from Eggless Cooking and Amy's Healthy Baking) got extra flavour, sweetness and moisture from heirloom beets I had roasted and frozen from last year's crop and turned out spectacularly - just the right amount of chew without being tough, moist and full of slightly nutty, rich dark chocolate.

Chewy Vegan Velvet BrowniesOf course, I had to gild the lily after all that - why not give one of the queens of my personal brownie kingdom a crown? The topping I chose took the form of a contrasting light and silky tofu mousse which set up beautifully and added just a touch of "oomph" to the finished bars. While the combination of ingredients is highly unconventional, it is definitely one I will make again!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Tiny Berries in Lemon Balm Syrup

How has everyone's Summer been treating them?

Ah, yes... #sandbanksbeach #sandbanks #summer

Well, for the first time in forever, I was able to get away to Prince Edward County with my Dad and sister for a weekend of a little R&R. Between the sun, the sand and the water, it was fantastic and I can't wait to do it again next year. Dad and I took a drive around the area, making fantastic use of a morning to afternoon and popping into local artisans and funky shops along the way.

A fresh batch of #tomatoes @vickisveggies - DELICIOUS!Then, of course, there was the food that PEC is known for. First up on the "grand tour" was a farm I already knew and loved from their presence at the Brickworks Farmers' Market -Vicki's Veggies. There, I picked up a container of freshly-picked heirloom tomatoes that tasted like candied sunshine, while Dad grabbed a nifty looking weeding tool and some to-die-for hot sauce along with some green leafies. That hot sauce really was something - and as a self-proclaimed aficionado of the stuff I wouldn't have hesitated to buy one of each (and two of the "smokehouse" variety), had I the cash!

Picked up a little something for Mom @fifthtown #cheese #buffalomilk #wherethebuffalosroam #princeedwardcounty #eatlocalNext up came the Fifth Town Artisan Cheese Co., where I picked up a half-wheel of a cave-aged, washed rind buffalo milk cheese for Mom. While I couldn't taste it (curse you dairy intolerance), Dad gave it his seal of approval and eventually, so did Mom.

We capped our tour off with a visit to Picton's Bean Counter Cafe for a fabulous cuppa (me) and a gelato (Dad). The atmosphere there is enough to make you want to spend a whole day there, and with their veritable library of books lying around for guests to read you very well could!

As fantastic as the side trips through the County were, I actually came home with the most precious cargo courtesy of the very same trailer park we were camping in. The edges of the park's common "open field" areas were lined with bush upon bush of raspberries, and while I was a little late in the season I still managed to take two hours Sunday morning and pick a sizeable bowl to enjoy as a mid morning snack. I knew what I couldn't eat right away wouldn't last long in the fridge, and I really wanted to savour the flavour as long as I could while keeping the integrity of the berries as much as possible. The lemon balm on my kitchen counter flicked the "aha" switch over to overdrive and in entered this concoction: the tiny berries floating in a lightly flavoured lemon balm syrup, processed quickly in a waterbath. I'd love to tell you both the 1/2 cup jars I made are sitting prettily on the shelf, but only one got that far... the other became a moreish topping for my oatmeal midweek. I suppose it would be ideal on ice cream, yoghurt or pound cake too, but that involves waiting for dessert!

Hand picked #wild #raspberries from Prince Edward County. .. NEVER complain about the price of wild berries! #eatlocal #foragedfood #foodie #healthyfood


Sunday, August 16, 2015

Caramel Apple Granola - Back to School with #SundaySupper

Every year in the middle of August, I look at the calendar and immediately think "WHAT? School only just let out!". The thing I've come to realize is that the vacation season progresses in direct proportion to the amount of enjoyment experienced, which this year means that my break is almost over before it starts! That said, I will count myself lucky that I'm not in the boat some people are, where school is already back in session. To me, that's just so not right! August is one of the best months of the year, and perfect for enjoying outside - either in the markets, tending the garden, on the golf course or (like me) all three.

Caramel Apple Granola

Thinking ahead to the inevitable start of school, though, one thing always comes to mind - starting the day off right. Breakfast and snacks are beyond important for kids (and adults) during the busy day, and making sure they're a wholesome, balanced blend of protein, complex carbs and good fats means that the vending machines and cafeteria food don't beckon at 11AM. This granola, inspired by Flippin' Delicious, is packed full of large flake oats, protein powder, flax seed, apple butter and home-dried apples and sweetened with homemade vegan caramel sauce (I made this one with unsweetened soy milk). Definitely more of a snack or "addition" than a stand alone cereal (as most granola is) it makes for killer parfaits, pancakes and fruit compote bowls - not to mention decadent fruit crumbles for dessert!

This week, the #SundaySupper gang is sharing recipes for all things back to school – great lunches to pack, after-school snacks, quick and easy meals for busy school nights, sweet treats, and more. Our hosts this week are DB aka Foodie Stuntman of Crazy Foodie Stunts and Caroline at Caroline’s Cooking - thanks guys!

Getting Started On School Days

Ideas for the Lunchbox

After School Snacks

School Night Suppers

Sweets to End the Day

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? Its easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Dessert Pizza

When I was teaching toddlers last year, one of the songs I used to sing at "circle time" was affectionately known by them as "the pizza song". Originally by Charlotte Diamond, a Canadian children's entertainer, the story of a pizza being made, baked and subsequently dropped was a favourite that I grew up with and that the kids couldn't get enough of. For a while, the class was so obsessed with pizza that we could have done a whole theme week on the food, playing games, colouring pictures and singing the song over and over. I kept promising we'd make "real" pizza too, but there just never seemed to be enough time in the day to do it, especially near the end of the year. 

"Dessert Pizza"

Enter Summer Camp, with it's more relaxed schedule of events! We had a fabulous themed week at the end of July that I mentioned before - "food from around the world" - and I seized the opportunity to use "Italy" for pizza-making. While I did make "normal" pizza with the older children, I started preparing the goods for a sweeter, fruit laden pizza with my toddlers first. While I call this "dessert pizza" - and it is - it's not super-sweet, nor is it loaded with refined sugar or fake junk. What it is packed with is flavour - I couldn't tell whether the finished treat was a bigger hit with the kids or the staff! After all, when you top a honey-wheat crust with honeyed cream cheese, 100% fruit strawberry jam, strawberry "pepperoni ", mint "basil" and a dash of icing sugar "Parmesan", how can you resist a slice?  

Opadipity Greek Yogurt Dips from Litehouse

I was given the opportunity to try out some of the new Greek yogurt-based dips from Litehouse a while back. While our family are generally not "creamy" dip fans (we'll take salsa over ranch), the meat-eaters do love the occasional Greek-inspired meal of marinated chicken or pork souvlaki with rice and tzatziki, or Greek salad, potatoes and pita bread with the same cool, cucumber-dill dip. With the Opadipity "Cucumber Dill" product, it made prepping for family BBQs a little less hectic (no need to grate cucumbers and mince garlic), and we even discovered a new topping for our burgers! Spread onto foccacia or pita bread, the Cucumber Dill Dip was delicious, especially with turkey and salmon burgers, and with only 50 calories per two-tablespoon serving (as opposed to mayonnaise, which has 200 calories for the same amount!) it's a lighter, more flavourful way to jazz up summer eating. 

While I can't speak for the other flavours (like I said, we're not a huge fan of "ranch" dressings, nor are we huge spinach dip people), the Cucumber Dill is definitely a winner and I recommend it!

Here's the official press release -  
 

Skinny Dip This Summer: Litehouse Launches New 
Opadipity Greek Yogurt Dips
Expanding the Consumer Favorite OPA Line, Litehouse Gives Consumers a New Way to Enjoy Big Flavor with Fewer Calories

 
Sandpoint, Idaho –  The combination of Greek Yogurt and savory flavors for a creamy, delicious and better-for-you dip seems like serendipity – but it didn’t happen by chance – it happened by Opadipity. Litehouse® Foods, the nation’s premier salad dressing, dip, herb and cheese company, is expanding last year’s sensation, OPA! Greek Yogurt Dressing, into a new category with the launch of Opadipity Greek Yogurt Dips to give consumers even more ways to enjoy the delicious flavors Litehouse is known for combined with the low calorie creaminess of Greek yogurt.

“Opadipity is right in line with several trends: consumers are seeking Greek yogurt and products that include it as an ingredient, they are snacking at a higher rate than ever before and are looking for healthier options,” said Jake Oliver, Assistant Brand Manager, Litehouse Foods. “Opadipity delivers a better-for-you snack that is delicious, convenient and can be used in a myriad of ways.”

The exploding growth of Greek yogurt, coupled with the success of OPA sets the stage (or should we say table), for Opadipity, which uses Greek yogurt as a base, allowing for a thick, creamy consistency with fewer calories and more protein. The dips are also gluten-free with no preservatives or MSG. 

They come in four mouth-watering and crowd-pleasing flavors:

About Litehouse Foods                                                                                                                                 
Litehouse started in the Hope, Idaho restaurant of the Hawkins family over 50 years ago. Since that time, it has become the leader in refrigerated salad dressings, veggie dips, sauces, instantly fresh herbs, blue cheese, caramel dips, fruit dips, glazes and fresh pressed apple cider, manufacturing these delicious products at its three U.S. facilities based in Michigan, Utah and Idaho. Litehouse has been an employee-owned company since 2006, and each one of the employee/owners is proud to carry on the high standards of quality and innovation, living up to the slogan… Because Taste Matters.

For more information, visit www.LitehouseFoods.com.


I was given samples of the Opadipity Cucumber Dill Dip from Litehouse for purposes of testing and review. All opinions expressed above the press release are my own and I did not receive any monetary compensation for this review.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Studded Zucchini Yeast Bread (A #BreadBakers Summer Bounty Recipe)

It's prime zucchini weather here. I don't know why I'm still surprised that we're pulling behemoth Summer squashes out of the garden every other afternoon, since in the past 5 years there were only two Summers that yielded a less-than-robust harvest. One thing's for sure, though, and that's the fact that once again, we're putting zucchini into almost everything we can think of - alongside the "usual" zucchini bread, I've thrown it into soups, stir fries, tomato sauces and brownies, tossed it on the grill for a side dish and even sliced it into sticks for crudite platters. Last year I shredded and froze a ton of  the squash into 1-cup "zucchini pucks" for baking with, and even then I wound up dehydrating some for pantry storage... we were running out of freezer space!

You would never guess the secret ingredient in this tender, trail mix studded loaf was shredded zucchini!

I was excited to find a "zucchini bread" from Green Gourmet Giraffe that not only used up a good amount of the vegetable but wasn't a sweet quickbread. Since I'm baking loaves for Mom most weeks anyway, this one made it into rotation and has been her (very vocalized!) favourite of the most recent few. The zucchini does what it does best in baking, disappearing without leaving any trace of flavour but lending a moisture and tenderness to the crumb. The trail mix peppers the dough with bits of crunch and a light sweetness, and the combination makes slices great for French toast in the morning or supporting a roasted chicken or turkey sandwich for lunch. Of course, smearing your favourite Toast Topper on a slice is always a delicious and quick option - especially if it's over peanut butter!

The #BreadBakers are serving up the best of Summer's bounty this time around!

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com.

BreadBakers

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Gilded Bluebarb Jam (Toast Topper #62) #SundaySupper

I've been slow to get into the canning kitchen this year. Between all the nitty gritty details of finishing the school year and jumping right into Summer Camp counsellor duty, the weekends provided barely enough time for me to get to the gym, shop for groceries and prepare for the next week! I knew that August (which I booked off of work) would be my great "catch up" month, letting me tend the garden, clean my closets, travel out to my dad's trailer and get preserving!

Canning in the height of Summer is a bit of a catch-22, especially this year where we've had some ridiculously warm weeks. I was finally driven to drag out the beast of a water bath canner after having not one, but two bags of fruit leap out of the freezer onto the floor when I went to grab some bread. I had carefully prepped and measured peaches, plumcots, strawberries and mangoes as I picked them up from farmers markets or supermarket sales, and eventually the freezer just got too full - a fact which was accompanied by a somewhat insistent nagging poking from Mother Dearest to "please do something with all that stuff in the freezer!". Given that I had bags of local wild blueberries (scored at an excellent price from the market) that I had IQF'ed recently and a seemingly neverending supply of rhubarb in the backyard (my stepfather bought two - yes, two - new plants this year to add to the three we already had), I figured bluebarb would be my first canning foray.

Of course, I could never just make blueberry-rhubarb jam. Not the traditional way. The first thing I did was choose a no-sugar-needed pectin as my thickener, allowing me to slash the sugar and allow the true fruity flavour of the berries to come through. I had a little jar of decadent, local honey in my pantry that I had bought from the  Brickworks Farmers' Market downtown and used that to add a flavourful, bitter-sweet note to the mixture, and completed the sweetness trifecta with a few packets of Truvia. For kicks (and because I was canning some of this for holiday gift giving), I sprinkled in some gold flakes, lending an opulence to the jars as they sat on the counter, cooling. 

Gilded Blueberry Rhubarb Jam

The two jars I didn't process went into the fridge - where, upon being discovered by Mom and Grandma, they met an untimely demise on home baked bread. The only thing that made this better was a smear of creamy peanut butter underneath! 

This week, #SundaySupper is sharing recipes for canning, freezing and all types of preserving the goodness of our gardens and markets this Summer season. Our hosts this week are Stacy of Food Lust People Love and Heather at Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- thanks ladies!

Check out what we're saving up below:

Canning
 
Dehydrating

 
Fermentation

 
Freezing

 
Infusing

 
Pickling

 
Preserving in oil or butter

 
And for even more help check out  Food Preservation Tips from Sunday Supper Movement

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter every Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7 p.m. ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat.

To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement. 

Friday, August 7, 2015

Métis Celebration Bannock

It's not often that I get to embrace my paternal history - in the kitchen or otherwise. My dad's family is half Métis (a mixture of Native North American and usually French European ancestry), but during grandpa's time Native background was something to hide, not celebrate. As such, the family's status was never claimed and, while I'm sure we wouldn't be shunned from gatherings like potlach or circles, we don't have a true "tie" to the community. Instead, I embrace my heritage from the sidelines, learning what I can from books, television and the internet and sharing aspects that I find interesting with those around me.

At Summer Camp this year, we had a themed week of "food from around the world ", and I took the opportunity to share this aspect of Canadian culture with the kids. Now, bannock is not a specifically Native bread, and is certainly not exclusive to Métis culture. However, it is one of the world's "bush breads" and is definitely something that makes for great eating when camping, preferably warm with butter or maple syrup on top. This particular recipe - hailing from a Native American cookbook I bought years ago - is geared towards appreciating Summer bounty with the addition of fresh wild (or cultivated) blueberries, cornmeal and the last of the Spring's dark, rich maple syrup. Unlike "traditional" bannock, which is either fried (a la beignets) or cooked on a stick over the fire, I baked a pan of this, adding a touch of smoked salt for the "campfire" aspect. While I would not ever call this a sweet bread, it is definitely a breakfasty type of food that is ideal for serving with eggs or peameal back bacon. If you do want more of a sweet flavour, though, 2-3 tbsp of (maple) sugar to the flour mixture will do the trick nicely!

Blueberry Bannock Bread

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Banana Crumb Cake

Are you a fan of bananas? To me, they are only palatable one of two ways - almost green and starchy, or baked into chocolate chip banana bread. If it was going to be banana bread on my plate growing up, it had to have chocolate chips in it, was preferably whole wheat (it was the only "whole wheat" baked good I liked as a young kid) and don't you even dare think about adding nuts. I'd like to say I've loosened my stance on the whole banana front, but truthfully, I just never developed my mom and sister's taste for the fruit. It's not bad mashed into a pseudo-soft serve in the middle of Summer, provided there's a hefty scoop of cocoa powder in there too, but smoothies, cereal and eating straight? I'll take a crunchy apple or some berries, thanks. 

Ironically, some of the treats I'm best known for making are banana-based - there's my infamous (with friends and family, anyway) banana bread (a variation of this one), gluten free banana muffins (post up soon!), cookies and now, this coffee cake packed with graham cracker streusel and dried banana slices. I think what makes my banana treats pop is that they always have a little twist to them, and I almost never make them the same way twice because I'm always trying out new flours, additions and techniques. This cake, though, was such a MAJOR hit at work that I was obliged to make it as per the recipe three times - and given the hefty amount of graham cracker streusel I managed to shove into the first batch it really is easy to see why a repeat performance was demanded!

Banana - Graham Crumb Cake

Now, I'll admit - the original didn't have the dehydrated bananas in the middle. That said, when I finally got to try it out I knew it would be a winner. I wasn't wrong! The only thing that would have made it better - in my very humble opinion - would be chocolate. But hey, I guess you can't win them all!

Banana - Graham Crumb Cake

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

Aztec Chicken Soup

One of the catch-22's of the growing season finally taking off is the fact that now we have to clear out the freezer and refrigerator in order to make room for the goods. Thankfully, Summer's not going away any time soon, and although a hot bowl of soup may not be what you'd think of when it comes to warm-weather fare, I promise you this pot of veggies, chicken and grains has more than enough Summer flavour to fit in. The richness of roasted tomatoes and the spice of the jalapeno pepper is present, but not overwhelming, making it perfect for a cool evening outside after an afternoon thunderstorm (of which we've had many!). 

Taste, nutrition and general deliciousness aside, for us the true joy of making (and enjoying) this chunky soup was being able to clean our (overburdened) fridge and freezer - just in time to stuff it full of fresh Ontario (not to mention backyard) produce. With a season this short and sweet, you need to snatch the opportunities when they present themselves! To add a little extra heartiness to our bowls, I dug into my dry storage and chose a rice and legume mixture called Aztec Blend™ that added a wholesome, slightly nutty aspect to the rest of the meal. 

Aztec Chicken Soup

Is it truly Aztec? I'm going to say no... so don't email me to tell me how off I am. But is it delicious and golden enough to win over Cuzco? You bet!

Shared with Waste Not Want Not Wednesday and Gluten Free Fridays

Hungry for more South American-inspired superfood? Don't forget to enter my Qi'a Superfood Snack Bar GIVEAWAY!

Monday, August 3, 2015

Qi'a Superfood Snack Bar GIVEAWAY! @NaturesPathOrganic #OnMyPath

Need a healthy snack to tide you over until dinner after the BBQ fest of the weekend? Or perhaps, like me, you're one of the early morning gym rats who needs an empty stomach to work out but afterwards find yourself ravenous... either way, finding a nutritious, long-lasting snack is key to avoiding the sugar crash and subsequent pantry raids or break room treats. The folks at Nature’s Path sent me a few boxes of their new gluten free, vegan Qi’a Superfood Snack Bars to try out, and not only am I hooked, but I've got some of the trainers and instructors at the gym falling for them too! Each bar is packed with plant-based protein, fibre & ALA Omegas - not to mention just the right amount of decadence - thanks to ingredients like chia, hemp, coconut, dark chocolate, blueberries, hazelnuts and cashews. Hop on over to my nutrition blog - A NEW-tritious Digest - to read more, then come on back to enter a killer giveaway!

There's also a great Instagram campaign going on - Simply upload your own #OnMyPath photos and tag @NaturesPathOrganic... who knows? You might see your Qi'a moment regrammed!

Ready for the gym! #onmypath @naturespathorganic

After reading all about the fabulous benefits of Nature’s Path Qi’a Superfood Snack Bars on A NEW-tritious Digest,  you're probably hankering for that giveaway I mentioned too. Well, your wait is over! Here's your opportunity to score an awesome prize pack valued at $100!


Winners will receive:

4 boxes of Qi'a Superfood Snack Bars
1 copy of Desiree Nielsen’s latest book,
Unjunk Your Diet

Contest closes Monday, August 10 2015 @ 11:59PM. Open to Canadian and US residents only. US or Canadian shipping address must be provided.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*Note: I was provided a prize pack for the purposes of testing and review by Nature's Path, but did not receive any monetary compensation. Opinions expressed are entirely my own.