People do a lot of crazy things when they are about to turn 40. I had just had my annual checkup and a warning from my doctor about high blood pressure. I had migraines, was sick all the time, lacked energy, and all the rest. I was at the end of my rope. So I visited a holistic nutritionist and put her to work. CleanseHer prescription was 3 months, vegan, gluten-free, no sugar, no alcohol, no caffeine. No problem, right? Did I mention that we started in October? Friends and family were convinced that I was ripping all the joy out of the holiday season. And no one believed me that it was REALLY NOT THAT BAD. In fact, I was feeling great and it took almost no time to be completely hooked. Added benefit - no after Holiday bloated, guilt-ridden, angst-laden resolutions. Pistache even came up with some awesome recipes. Some were twists from new found authors and bloggers, others were made up on the spot. Maybe we will put together a book. Truth be told, it was painless. Except for eating out {which was mostly a big diappointment} we were very successful. What I did notice was that the options for "vegan, gluten-free, etc" eaters was not nearly up to standard with our usual foodie palates. Obviously, our food was outstanding {no inflated ego here} but there was a real need to up the flavour quotien in a lot of recipes. Still GoingI have to admit that when I started the cleanse, I had no intention of continuing. In December I was already discussing how to reintroduce foods. Yet when the end was in sight and I was feeling anticlimactic because there were not a lot of foods that I wanted to bring back into the regular rotation. Which brings me to the reason we are still eating mostly vegan. It tastes awesome! I definitely have more energy, there is no crash at 3:00, and my mind is clearer. Getting through the Holiday season and sticking to our cleanse was a real confidence booster as well. I realized that I didn't need to overindulge to appreciate the holidays. In fact, when you are eat less and drinking less, there is more time for conversation and connection. At the moment, I am still on the Cleanse 90% of the time. Breakfast and lunches just became habit. Dinners are flexible 1 or 2 nights a week. When you lose refined sugars from your diet and go to just eating vegetables, there is a period of adjustment. Yes, you need to embrace herbs and spices. Yes, you need to lose your fear of the green things. But you in no way have to give up on taste. Pistache's Curry in a Hurry was a hit, full of flavour and textures. If you like the recipe, I will ask him to write down more! Curry in a Hurry
Saute onion in oil until translucent; Add curry and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes; Add Zucchini and saute until almost cooked through; Add Haricot verts, chickpeas, potatoes and currents. Saute for 3 minutes or until heated through; Add Coconut milk and banana. Bring to a simmer; Season with Salt, pepper and honey. Add extra coconut milk as needed. Garnish with nuts and herbs of your choice. We like Cashews and Thai Basil. ResourcesIt's true that both Pistache and I have culinary backgrounds but we did not just turn on the stove and wave our magic foodie wands to make delightful dishes appear every night. I found some amazing chefs and authors who gave me inspiration and who I would recommend you check out, whether or not you want to be totally vegan, paris vegan, vegan before 6, or whatever. Here is the list.
Oh she glows Joyous Health Nutrition Stripped It doesn't taste like Chicken If you are in the Montreal area and are looking for a similiar Cleanse. I recommend the following wholistic nutritionists Kassandra Kernisan of EnVie Natural Health Solutions Sandra Power of Sandra Power, Nutrition, Mind Detox, and Mind Calm I must also note that Vegans on Instagram are Awesome! Check out the hashtags #vegansofig #gourmetvegan #veganfood and #vegansofinstagram They are a very supportive bunch and there is a lot of inspiration out there. I hope that you enjoy exploring vegetable dishes as much as I have. Please let me know of any recipes or sites that I should check out! And don't forget to follow us on Instagram to see more vegan dishes! The cheese plate is a reliable presence at many events both big and small. The formula for building a cheese plate is most always the same and includes a variety of cheeses, something sweet and something savory, and bread or hard fruit on which to eat your cheese. Wine is also a requirement at my events. To build a cheese plate you only really need three things; cheese, accompaniments, and a plate. CheeseTo build a balanced cheese plate, you want to include a medium-hard cheese {like manchego}, a soft cheese {like camembert}, a goat cheese {like herbed chevre}, and either a sassy cheese {like roqefort} or a hard cheese {like parmigiano}. This gives you a nice range of textures. If you are planning a smaller plate, try to have a minimum of two different styles of cheese. On my vacation to Michigan I was fortunate enough to tour and taste the cheeses from Evergreen Lane Creamery. This lovely farm is home to hand-crafted artisan cheeses made from goat and cow's milks. After tasting the five varieties, we settled on of their cheeses - The Garden Herb Chevre {with parsley, lovage, and chives}, The Tribute Tomme {named after the owner's prized goat}, and April Showers {a camembert style tomme made from cow's milk} AccompanimentsThe next thing to think about is what will accompany your cheese. I tend to include fresh fruits, nuts, croutons, and a savory jam. In the summer fresh seasonal fruits are my preference. Since I am in Michigan, I included blueberries, peaches, pluots or plums, and grapes. During the winter, I would include dried fruits like apricots and cherries along with apples and pears. Nuts can be simply roasted with a bit or salt or glazed with maple or spiced with shallots and rosemary. Pistache loves to make nuts with maple and dukkah {recipe below}. Along with fruits, I will include savory jams, chutneys, conserves or salsa. This is not a must but it adds another dimension to the plate. Balsamic Onion jam, Chipotle Peach Salsa, or Mango Chutney are my favorites but test out whatever you have on hand. Finally you need something to put your lovely creation on. Toasts, crackers, baguette or ciabatta will all do nicely. PlatesMy cheese plates tend to turn into cheese platters but either way I have to put it on something. A large platter works well but it can be fun to try out a different material depending on the occasion. For our cottage plate, I used a large piece of wood {untreated}. The more interesting the material, the more interesting the final look. The above plates are from the Williams-Sonoma new wine country series. But all you really need to build a fabulous cheese plate is a food safe surface that is large enough to hold your cheeses and accompaniments. Spiced NutsTo make 1 cup of spiced nuts 1 cup nuts of your choice 1 Tbsp oil {I use coconut oil or butter} 1 Tbsp maple syrup 1 to 2 Tbsp of spice of your choice {cinnamon, dukkah, garam masala, etc.} Spray a piece of aluminum foil lightly with oil. Heat oil and maple until boiling. Allow to boil for 2 minutes and then pour over nuts. {The mixture will be very HOT!} Stir the nuts and add the spice. Stir again. Allow to cool on aluminum foil and use as needed. If you don't eat them all, they can be stored in a cool and dry area, in an air tight container for about 4 days. Nuts can also be enjoyed in salads or by the handful. Enjoy!
- pistache and rose Some of our favorite meals happen on vacation. It must have something to do with the lazy breakfasts and lunches that proceed the lazy dinners. Or maybe we just take a little more time with our meals. Whatever the case, we enjoyed our recipe free days. We threw together morning omelets. And of course there were the amazing snacks and appetizers! How about you? Do you make your vacation special with a little extra special food?
If you find yourself in need of a last minute appetizer, fear not. You most likely already have the ingredients on hand to make impressive little bites.
Use a pipping bag to get a more finished look and garnish with smoked paprika, dukka or spiced chickpeas. Just remember - Presentation is Everything {pistache}
Basic HummusAdapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi Serves 6 3 2/3 cups Chickpeas 1 cup Tahini Paste 4 Tbsp Lemon Juice, freshly squeezed 4 cloves Garlic, crushed 6 ½ Tbsp Water, ice cold Salt Place chickpeas in the food processor and blend until you get a stiff paste. With the machine still running add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and 1 ½ tsp salt. Finally, very slowly add the ice water and allow it to mix for about 5 minutes until you have a very smooth and creamy paste. Transfer the hummus to a bowl and cover. Allow it to rest for 30 minutes before serving. If you are not using it right away, place in the refrigerator but allow it to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. I was so lucky to have Elisa Elliot, photographer and master story teller, to record some of the memories of our Ice Cream Social. It is her beautiful work that starts off this post on building a toppings bar and it puts me in the mood to shop for candy! Now if you don't have little people to help you choose the toppings, you will have to tap into your inner child and think of the biggest and best ice cream sundae that could ever be - those are the toppings you want to include. Your bar should include something chocolate, something crunchy, and something sprinkly. How many of each is completely up to you but as they say variety is the spice of life. And of course, there must be chocolate sauce. Feel free to add caramel, strawberry, and pineapple if you want more of a banana split feel. If children are invited I would leave out items that contain nuts. I like to mix purchased and prepared items, so I made the chocolate sauce and brownies but left the Salted Caramel to Genevieve Grandbois (a local chocolatier}. And while you can pick up several things at the local bulk barn, it is nice to have some more sophisticated items as well. Finally, the fun thing about a bar of any sort is the variety of containers and heights that you use to display your items. I tried to stick with glass and porcelain but played with the shapes of containers that I used from a square vase to a retro lemon juicer. Pistache always says that you eat with your eyes first, so make sure to give the toppings visual appeal. I am including a checklist for your next ice cream social. You just have to print out the invitations from my last post and get to shopping! Click here to download your checklist! |
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