mmmMonday :: easy peasy Energy Bars

Recently, Jack and I have been trying to eat healthier. Since moderation is not really in either of our vocabularies, we attempt to avoid starch, dairy and sugar Monday through Friday, noon. Once the weekend hits, all bets are off and we gorge ourselves stupid ...well, not really [okay sometimes].

This tends to work fairly well. Come 3pm however, things can get a little dicey. My heart beats a little faster, my eyes get dart-y and I can't concentrate. All my thoughts are stolen by daydreams of macaroons, lemon tarts, cookies, gummy bears and milkshakes - basically, anything and everything I'm trying to avoid. 

These bars are perfect for when you're jonesing for sugar but you're trying to layoff the cookies. I mean, what's more healthy than getting your sugar fix from dates. I don't know if you know this, they're fruit!! 

The original recipe only had three ingredients but since I'm full-time fancy, I threw in some coconut. If you add coconut you'll have to offset it with a few more dates. I added 1/2 cup coconut and then an additional 1/4 dates... so three, because they're massive.

INGREDIENTS 
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup craisins [or raisins]
1 cup almonds

If you have a good food processor, go ahead and throw all the ingredients in and set to chop. I forgot about my beautiful KitchenAid blender and used my chop-o-matic. It did nothing. Actually no, scratch that. It did the almonds and then broke. Just gave up. Enter KitchenAid blender.

I then added the almonds and coconut to the fruit and let it combine for another 2 minutes. It should be fairly sticky at this point. If it's not, blend a little longer. If it still isn't, add more dates or craisins - it should help. If there's still no luck, you probably weren't meant to eat these.

Once the texture is sticky enough to not crumble, roll into a ball and place between two sheets of saran wrap. Roll out to your desired thickness and then slice into bars. These guys may not look like much but they pack a punch so don't make them too big.

Since having these my 3pm sugar rage has subsided and my coworkers no longer avoid my meeting requests.

mmmMonday: Mushroom soup

I must admit that this was the first mushroom soup I've ever made and therefore do not have much to compare it to. Even still, I have a feeling this one's a keeper. The ingredients remind of a symphony; a perfect medley, each part in its rightful place adding to the overall experience. Didn't you know? I take soup seriously.

INGREDIENTS:

	1 pound mixed mushrooms		.25 cups cognac
	1 pound cremini mushrooms		3 tablespoons olive oil
	.5 cups minced shallots		4 cups chicken [or veg] stock
	6 sprigs thyme		.25 cups whipping cream
	1 sprig rosemary		.25 cups chopped chives

Begin by de-stemming the mushrooms, setting the caps to the side. Roughly chop the stems and put them to simmer in the chicken broth for about an hour.

While your broth simmers, chop the mushroom caps into about 1/2" slices. Honestly, I found this to be a little thick which added to the cook time, so I may chop them smaller next time.

Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the shallots until they're transparent. Add the herbs and some salt and pepper.

Add the mushrooms to the shallots and herbs. Turn the heat down to low allowing the mushrooms to gently cook until the liquid is released and then reabsorbed. About 15 minutes.

Turn the heat up once the mushrooms have softened and add the cognac. I didn't flame it because I'm a klutz and cannot be trusted near an open flame, however feel free to give it a try if you're more trustworthy.

Lower the heat slightly and allow the mushroom mixture to cook until the liquid has reduced further and the mushrooms are golden around the edges. 

Strain the mushroom stems from the broth and add the mushroom cap mixture heating gently. Add cream and chives to the soup and stir. Serve right away, or save for lunch the next day. 

original recipe

mmmMonday: CPK Greek Salad

Lately, all I've been able to think about is the leafy stuff. Christmas is far enough gone that I have kicked my need for a diet of breads, cheeses and sweets, sending me on the hunt for all things healthy. 

Under regular circumstances I would be wary to suggest a dish inspired by the cpk as being healthy. I have only eaten there once but I got the feeling this wasn't their forte. But as everyone knows, it's all about modesty. ...modesty and feigning ignorance about the differences between sour cream and restaurant sour cream.

This salad is all about layers. Begin by chopping your fresh veggies into modest chunks and combine in a bowl.

fresh INGREDIENTS

2 cups chopped lettuce

1 tomato

1/2 green pepper

1/2 cucumber

1/4 red onion

2 stalks green onion

*makes two salads

Next, mix the lemon, olive oil, pepper and oregano and immediately drizzle onto the chopped veggies. Set aside to chill. 

dressing INGREDIENTS

1.5 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

dash of salt and pepper

Put your sundried tomatoes to blanch and then cut into thin strips. Chop up the olives. Set both aside.

fun INGREDIENTS

6 kalamata olives

4 or 5 sundried tomatoes

4 Tablespoons hummus

2 Tablespoon tzatziki 

Spread two tablespoons of hummus on each plate - if you're dangerous, spread more! If you're allergic to chickpeas - skip it. ...unless of course you're allergic to chick peas and dangerous. If that's the case, you know what to do.

Layer a cup or two of the fresh salad mixture onto the hummus. Since I'm part rabbit I tend to be very generous and end up with a  heaping pile. 

Sprinkle the chopped olives and sundried tomatoes overtop your veggie mound.

Finish it all off by drizzling / tossing a little less than a tablespoon of tzatziki over it all. Serve with pita, and/or souvlaki skewers.

mmmMonday: Creamy Vegan Parsnip Soup

With winter settling in my thoughts have turned to soups, stews and all kinds of baked goods. Tracking down new amazing soup recipes is one of my favourite parts of winter! I used to stick to the classics - leek, broccoli or asparagus - but this year I'm using my old friend, food52 to keep things interesting. What I love the most about this site is all I've got to do is search my main ingredients and BAM! inspiration.

This particular recipe, Creamy Vegan Parsnip Soup, was beyond easy and needed next to no ingredients - perfect answer to a nutty week with zero time for groceries. PLUS it was vegan, so I got to feel super healthy and all kinds of fancy. 

INGREDIENTS

	3 small parsnips, chopped		1 cup white beans
	1 white onion		1t caraway seeds
	1t olive oil		1t mustard seeds

2cups vegetable stock

Heat the oil in a nice, big pot. Add the onion, caraway and mustard seeds. You may have noticed I used a full onion.. it wasn't a cooking decision but rather a lack of attention to detail during my first read of the recipe. It tasted fine; go with your gut. Add the stock once the onions have browned, followed by the beans and parsnips once the broth has warmed.

Bring it to a boil and then turned it down to simmer for about 20 minutes. Once the parsnips have softened blend the soup and add salt and pepper to taste. If you find it too thick, just add a little extra water until you find the right consistency.

Super easy & super delicious. Seriously perfect for busy week!

mmmMonday: Smoked Salmon Salad

I got a lot of feedback the other day about an instagram of a healthy dinner Jack and I made and I thought well, sheeeeit this will be an awesome post to kick off my mmmmmMondays*

Eating healthy is important to me, and something I strive for on a daily basis**. I don't tend to talk about it much though because who likes listening to some chick with a blog explanabrag about all the things she thinks she's doing right? Exactly. No one. I mean we barely tolerate that behavior from friends and family***. Besides, I like to focus on the deliciousness of food. Healthy or not all that matters to me is how good it tastes. 

This salad was dreamt up as a byproduct of a nearly empty fridge. We had smoked salmon and then picked out the veggies that usually taste best with it. 

	Smoked salmon		Lettuce
	Red pepper		Tomatoes
	Orange pepper		Red onions
	Yellow pepper

I was inspired to chop everything up extra tiny because I'd never had smoked salmon on a salad and was turned off by the traditional salad-with-choice-of-protein rules - chunks of this fish on a pile of veggie chunks. Don't why, thought made me gag. So small veggies it is!

For the dressing, jack googled "smoked salmon salad" and we whipped up the first one we had the ingredients for and would complement our veggie choices. There's an old saying in my family, "when in doubt, go for tablespoons". Throw a tablespoon of each of the below into a processor and mix - except the salt and pepper, only use a dash of those!

Since salad as a meal rarely fills either of us up in any significant way, we made a nice little side of navy beans. It kind of slipped our minds to take photos of the in-between parts but this is essentially the process. We began with a tablespoon of coconut oil in a frying pan, added diced garlic and onions to sauté, and then tossed in the rest; a can of navy beans, quarter cup of chopped artichoke heats and teaspoon of red chilli flakes. Then you cook everything until it's crispy and delicious. 

OUR HEALTHY DINNER****!

*same as what I ate Wednesdays and food Fridays but now on Mondays! 

**This may be hard to believe because of all my sugar inspired food porn but I swears it! 

***Oh that's very uninteresting please tell me more about the hours you spent at the gym
****brag brag brag brag

Food Friday: Fattoush & Halloum

Never fails, the heat sets in and my appetite plummets. What I could pack away in the winter quickly becomes a pipe dream and I turn to smoothies, salads and other light fare*. While this cycle of eating is surely good for me [as a break from lasagna would be good for anyone] it can also be a little sad [remember, that cheesy lasagna I'm missing?], and that's where you've got to get creative! 

Just because my appetite is smaller doesn't mean I don't still crave all the cheesy, bready goodness of winter foods, it just means I can't eat the same quantities in the same forms. Enter, Fattoush Salad with Halloum i.e. CHEESE FOR DINNER!
I know, right? Who thought eating cheese as your main course would be acceptable? I mean sure, there's a giant salad involved but who cares!? All that matters is the salad is delicious, and because it's there, the cheese counts as contributing to the meal. Obviously, this quickly became a favourite in our house. Aside from it being all so delicious, throwing it together is incredibly easy making it the perfect meal to have on the run - lunch or dinner.

FATTOUSH
Fattoush is like greek salads' less known, much cooler, younger cousin. It's fresh, stuffed with veggies and has crunchy pita in it. I definitely think the key to a great fattoush is seasoning. Make sure you have lemon, oil, sumac, mint and parsley on hand or else you just will not do it justice.

Chop all your veggies and then toss them together in a big bowl. Also, chop up your mint, parsley and pita chips but set those aside. Next, mix together your dressing ingredients - sumac, olive oil & lemon, and pour it over the veggies, tossing as you go. Stir in the mint and parsley, hold off on the pita chips, refrigerate until the halloum is ready.

Right before serving add the pita chips. This helps to make sure they don't go soggy while waiting.

HALLOUM
Cut the halloum into strips - I like mine a little thicker, 1 - 2 cm. Brush each piece in olive oil and then place in a cold pan over medium to high heat. Let the pan and cheese heat up, it will sear the bottom. Once golden brown flip over to the other side. Squeeze some lemon over the pan at this point for added flavouring. Once golden brown on both sides, serve with fattoush salad.

*Includes burgers... obviously. It's the summer, how could it not?

Food Friday: spanakopita

There's nothing like spanakopita in the summer. This meal is light, full of spinach and completely delicious. I'm still attempting to perfect a feta dill sauce so, for the time being I eat my spanakopita plain, with a side of salad. 

I've used a couple of spanakopita recipes over the years, but this one was my most recent find. Although I can't say this was the best recipe ever* I can, and will, say it was pretty tasty!  

INGREDIENTS

1.5 lb frozen spinach, thawed and chopped   1 medium onion, chopped 1 bunch scallions, chopped 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped* 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

2 tablespoons butter  2/3 cup olive oil  1/2 pound feta 1 1/2 cup ricotta** 8 ounces cream cheese***

*I only had dry parsley so I used half 
**I used cottage cheese instead since I had some around
***I used half the cream cheese because it scared me

The best thing about this particular recipe is it barely makes a mess - one pot, one baking dish and voila! 

Begin by preheating the over to 400. Grab a big pot, heat it over medium on the stove. Add in the butter, spinach, onions and scallions and saute until tender. Add cheeses, oil, herbs; mix well. Add a dash of salt and pepper to taste. Set aside. 

The recipe that I used [here], made their own phyllo pastry... me? not so much. I bought President's Choice brand and then used it as you would the fresh, amazing kind. 

Line a greased 9x13 inch baking dish with a sheet of phyllo. Use at least ten layers of phyllo on the bottom, buttering between layers. Add the spinach mixture and fold the bottom layers up and over the mixture. Add another ten layers of phyllo on top, buttering between each.

Brush the top layer of phyllo with a beaten egg and then bake for 45 minutes.  

Notes:

Reasons I can't say this is the best recipe ever:

1. Because I've had equally delicious spanakopita that did not include cream cheese and a recipe that has fewer ingredients that still tastes amazing, obviously is a winner.

2. The phyllo ratio was not the best... this is likely totally my fault 


I will be attempting, and blogging, a different spanakopita sometime in the future... 
be excited, I will be making triangles!

Food Friday: Quinoa Salad a la Mexicana

Oh quinoa, what a tricky little grain you are. So delicious when prepared properly, so horrible when not. Perfect for breakfast [recipe to come soon] but also amazing as dinner. So quick to make me look like a fool in a restaurant [I'll have the quinn-no-ah?] and then a snob in the grocery store [where can I find your keen-wa?]. With all your little quirks it's no wonder I will never rid myself of you.

As you can see quinoa and I got wayy back - like a whole 3 years back. It's been a great run but recently my eye started to wander. Couscous, millet and multi-grain rice began to tempt me with their novelty and versatility. I started to paint my poor friend quinoa as a grain who only liked to play with olives, feta & tomato. Lucky for quinoa and I, I had a fit of inspiration that has not only rekindled my love but has allowed me to see quinoa in a whole new light.

Grain salads are delicious, simple recipes that can be eaten at lunch or dinner and usually offer enough food to last an entire week of lunches!

INGREDIENTS:

1cup Quinoa 1 Avocado 1 Red Pepper 1 Green Pepper   1cup Corn kernels  1 Grape Tomatoes

Dressing: 1 Tbsp Cilantro 2 Tbsp Lime 2 Tbsp Olive Oil 2 tsp Chili Pepper Flakes

METHOD:

Now pay attention because this is so easy you may blink and miss something. First I cooked the quinoa - Add 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups boiling water. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. While the quinoa was cooking I began chopping the veggies. Once it was ready I fluffed the cooked quinoa with a fork and then placed it in the freezer to help with the cooling process.

Toss together the dressing while the quinoa is cooling [I tend to like a very light dressing so if you like more double or triple the above dressing recipe]. Take the dressing and toss with the cooled quinoa. Add the veggies, toss and eat! 

Notes:

By the time I finished the salad, I had doubled all the veggies and the dressing. The doubled recipe is above, however the photos are of my initial light-on-veggies attempt.

I think black beans may also be a great addition to this salad.

I used frozen corn that I thawed over a couple hours before adding.