Showing posts with label strawberry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label strawberry. Show all posts

Chocolate Strawberry Pancakes, Smile

A lovely Sunday brunch recipe you can try this weekend, hurray, while you can still get strawberries or raspberries ... or wait, are they still in season in Ontario.

Either way, you can still make this very yummy pancake brunch using any of your favourite in season fruits.  I found this recipe online when I needed something, quick, easy, and vegan and something that my 13 year-old niece would like.  So I took the recipe and added fruit and chocolate, because everything tastes better with chocolate.


A smiley face pancake for my niece, which, well, actually looks kind of creepy but the good intention was there! LOL


These pancakes were delicious and a nice treat that I wouldn't suggest to eating everyday but once in a  while it's nice to treat yourself and/or your family.


Chocolate Strawberry Pancakes
See the original recipe here.

  • 1 cup spelt flour
  • 1 tbsp organic cane sugar
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 cup soy milk
  • 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
  • 1/2 cup of fresh strawberries, chopped into small pieces
  • 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until well mixed.

2. Mix in the soy milk and oil and beat together until batter is smooth.

3. Fold in the strawberries and chocolate chips until just combined.

4. Drop about a 1/4 cup of batter at a time onto a hot oiled griddle or well greased frying pan over medium high heat.

5. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake, approximately 2-3 minutes, flip, and cook the other side for a few more minutes.

Enjoy! 

Urban Garden Update: Orange

Lettuce, I love you and I want to eat you but you look way too pretty to cut down just yet.


I guess I am waiting to see just how big this bunch can get!

We have colour! (other then green of course) One of our tomatoes is turning orange, it's very exciting.

Just 67 more colour changes to go! That's right, at last count, we had 67 tomatoes growing.
Eek! It's salsa time soon.

Our strawberry plant is spreading like wild fire, I love it! No strawberries since the last couple that grew but I see many, many strawberries in the future.

Kale Cupid - I have paired and re-potted my kale plants.  Grow my pretties, grow!

What More Could a Girl Can Ask For

But a wonderful, amazing and loving boyfriend who surprises you with a nice dinner!  Full-time work plus part-time school has been keeping me super busy these days so it's always lovely to come home to a nice home cooked meal not made by me.

On the menu...
Mixed greens with strawberries and toasted sunflower seeds (and yes, he actually toasted them himself) with dressing.

Brown rice with broccoli and stuffed mushrooms (all vegan) and delicious!

A close up of the stuffed mushroom, can't quite explain what was in it, tasted good, it did have some TVP (textured vegetable protein) and bread crumbs, a bunch of stuff that even he didn't know lol ...

It was a fantastic dinner surprise, which included some nice white wine.  It was especially nice of him because he hates mushrooms, so to work with and cook them for me was a big deal.
 
♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥   ♥ 

Family Lunch


For my father's birthday weekend and as a treat for my family I made them a lunch, which included: salad, butter chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, vegetables and rice.

Strawberry Spinach Salad with cashews and balsamic vinigarette
A very basic salad I tossed together which included spinach, fresh sliced strawberries, cashews and balsamic vinigarette.

Asparagus and Carrots in Spicy Maple Glaze
I found this gluten-free recipe at a great website called Recipegirl.com, here's the link:  Asparagus and Carrots with maple butter sauce

Amazing Sweet Potato Wedges
I also found this recipe online, the original recipe is from this site: Cate's World Kitchen.  I altered the recipe a bit, I only used all-natural peanut butter (no almond butter) and cut my sweet potatoes in to wedges and baked them that way.  They were still soooooooo yummy!

Last but not least I did make butter chicken, which tasted amazing and was a lot easier to make then I thought just a bit time consuming.  To perfect this recipe it's all about timing.  I found this recipe on the Key Ingredient website (that's where I get my recipes to load my Demy).

Butter Chicken
4 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Black Pepper
½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander
¼ teaspoons Cumin
¼ teaspoons Cardamom
1 whole Lime, Juiced
1 whole Onion, Diced
¼ cups Butter
1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 pint Whipping Cream
1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste
2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want)

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.

Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream (can use light cream or half-and-half instead) and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice.

And for dessert .... Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes!

Raw Dinner Delights!



Made this fabulous dinner for friend and myself last weekend - we both loved it! Still can't believe the whole thing is raw and it tastes amazing.  Thank goodness for almond butter!

Raw Pad Thai with Almond Sauce
(Original recipe from The Raw Gourment by Nomi Shannon)

Serves 8 to 10 (I made about half the recipe and it still lasted me for 3 days!)

Noodles
- 4 large zucchini
- 2 large carrots
- 1/2 cup coarsley chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts

Peel the zucchini, then shave the flesh into thick strips with a vegetable peeler.  Cut the carrots into thin matchsticks with either a mandoline or a sharp knife.  Combine the zucchini, carrots, cilantro, and bean sprouts in a bowl and toss together gently.

Pad Thai Almond Sauce
- 2 cups raw almond butter
- 2 oranges, juiced
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 pitted soft dates
- 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp crushed dried chiles (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. If necessary, add small amounts of water to facilitate blending.  The sauce should be thick.  Add the sauce to the noodle salad and mix well.

Garnish
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 4 tbsp chopped thai basil leaves
- 10 to 12 wedges of fresh lime
- 8 raw almonds, chopped

Sprinkle the green onions, basil, lime wedges, and almonds over the salad just before serving.

Note: When I put my salad together I kind of just placed everything together, scooped some of the sauce to each place and let the person mix it together for themselves.

Enjoy!



Raw Strawberry Pie
(Original recipe from The Raw Gourment by Nomi Shannon)

Basic Almond-Maple Crust
- 1-2 cups almonds, soaked 8-12 hours
- 3-4 tsp maple syrup (I actually used agave nectar)

After draining the almonds, dry them for 30-60 minutes in the sun or simply with a clean towel.  In a food processor, chop the almonds until they are uniformly very fine.  Gradually add the syrup, using just enough for the almond meal to hold together.  Sprinkle the mixture into a 8- or 9-inch pie pan and then gently press it into the bottom and up the sides.  Makes 1 pie.

Strawberry Filling

- 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Binder
- 6 pitted dates, soaked 4-8 hours (reserve soak water (I actually used 10 dried dates, soaked)
- 2 cups quartered strawberries
- Maple syrup or agave nectar to taste (optional)
- 4 tsp psyllium (I didn't this ingredient, now thinking I really should have!)

In a blender, comine the strawberries with the dates and enough of the date soak water to achieve a thck purée.  Taste and add sweetner, if required.  While the blender is still running, gradually add the psyllium.  When the mixture is very thick and smooth, immediately pour it over the strawberries in the crust, being sure to cover all areas of the pie.  Using a spatula, smooth the binder around and into the berries.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

I added fresh strawberry slices to the top of my pie for a decorative touch.



mmm ... strawberry pie!


My Detox Week of Mostly Raw Eating


After finding out that my fight was cancelled and with the Easter long weekend coming up I did what any normal person would do, I ate very, very bad food! Wait, is that normal? Well, it's not my norm and I don't condone it although falling off the health wagon once in a while is okay if done in moderation... unfortunately however, I don't do anything in moderation, I turned that one day of bad eating into 1 week!

It was not good. So, to detox, cleanse and clear my conscious I decided to focus on getting back to my healthy lifestyle and having mroe fun with my raw food meals!

Food I made, ate and loved this week ...

I revisited my ever wonderful Cranberry Kale Salad and ate it two nights in a row ... mmm, kale!

I also created a new, simple yet colourful little salad topped with, what is now most favourite dressing ever, a Japanese Ginger dressing (see picture above for the salad I made).


Trio Lunch Salad
A Sarah-Lyn original recipe :)

- 1/2 a head of romaine lettuce, shredded
- 1 small or medium carrot, julienned
- 1 med red pepper, julienned
- 1 small zucchini, shredded
- 4-5 cherry tomatoes
- 1-2 tbsp of your favourite dressing

1. Place the lettuce in a bowl, as the base layer, then add the carrots, red pepper and zucchini on top, keeping them separate.
2. Add the cherry or grape tomatoes to the middle of the trio of veggies.
3. Top off with the dressing or keep it in a separate small bowl for dipping.

I like to dip each bite of veggies into the dressing, that way I get some with every bite!


For dinner Tuesday night (and again for my lunch Wednesday) I made a fabulous fruit juice drink and raw tacos for myself and a friend. We both loved it!

Hot Pink
Recipe from the amazing book Raw Food/real World:100 Recipes To Get The Glowow by Matthew Kenney

- 1 medium beet
- 1/2 medium pineapple
- 1/2 pint of strawberries, stems removed
- 1 thumb-size knob of fresh ginger
Run all the ingredients through a juicer. Enjoy!

I found the pineapple juice really cuts the taste of the beet and the ginger really gives it some spice!

If you imagine really hard you can almost convince yourself it's wine!


Lettuce Shell Tacos
Original recipe from the book The Raw 50 by Carol Alt

- 2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 medium spanish onion
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I omitted this, I hate parsley!)
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, soaked for 2hrs
- 1.2 jalapeno peppers
- 1/2 tsp salt (I omitted this too)
- 1/4 block of firm tofu, cut into bite size pieces (I added this for protein)
- 6 medium romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dryed

1. Cut the avocado into bite-size chunks and sprinkle with the lemon juice. Chop the onion a food processor, and then add the cumin, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and jalapenos. Process the mixture until it is smooth and creamy.
2. Add the mixture to the chopped avocado and add the tofu, mixing just enough so it's mostly covered.
3. Distribute the taco filling equally among the six lettuce leaves and then fold the ends of the lettuce together like a taco. (I folded it more like a burrito, to keep the mixture in)


For Thursday night dinner I wanted to experiment a little with the kale satayed salads I've been making and come up with this one:

Raisins and Apples and Kale, oh my!
A Sarah-Lyn original recipe :)

- 5-6 leafy branches of fresh kale
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 tsp apple cidar vinegar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 medium apple, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup of raisins (I used golden raisins)
- 1/4 block of firm tofu (for added protein, optional)

1. Wash, dry and chop Kale into pieces.
2. Scrub kales in olive oil then add to frying pan, satay at med-high for about 5 minutes.
3. Add cinnamon and apple cidar vinegar, mixing well and sataying for another minute.
4. Add the tofu.  Satay long enough until the kale is warm and darker green but not burnt or soupy - or until however you like it.
5. Add the apples and raisins last, remove from heat.
6. Stir just enough to mix it up and serve.  Enjoy!
Not as tasty as the Cranberry Kale salad but still yummy and filling, could add more cinnamon for a stronger spicy flavour.


I didn't want to leave breakfast out of the mix, so this morning I made this:

Raw Granola with Fruit
Original recipe from the book The Raw 50 by Carol Alt

1/4 cup raw rolled oats, soaked overnight and drained
1/4 cup raw almonds, soaked overnight and drained
Small handful of raisins, mix of yellow and brown
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Seasonal berries or sliced fruit of your choice
Raw honey to taste
1 cup of raw milk (optional)

In a bowl, mix together the rolled oats, almonds, raisins and cranberries.  Top the mixture with your choice of fruit and drizzle with honey to taste.  Add raw milk or Almond milk if desired.


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Need a coffee break? Visit i bake cupcakes blog today for my Dark Cherry Mocha cupcake recipe.

I Can't Eat These Ripe Strawberries Fast Enough!

Living in Toronto has been an amazing 10+ years experience so far.  One of my most favourite things about the city, is the varitety of places you can go to get your groceries, from supermarkets to Asian markets to farmers markets - you name it!  Besides Farmers' markets in the summer my next favourite place to go is the local Asian fruit & veg markets, which are basically spread out all over the city.  It's true, in almost any given Toronto neighbourhood you are sure to find one.

One of the things I love about these markets is that you can always find ripe, ready to eat produce at very affordable prices, although the items are not always local I do my best to buy Ontario grown produce.  The problem I find, is that sometimes the food is a little too ripe that by the time I get it home and to my kitchen it's starting to turn. I encounter this problem mostly with the berries - more specificaly strawberries!

Hence, my dilemma - I can't always eat the strawberries fast enough!  My solution - gluten-free / fat-free honey strawberry bread! This bread was very yummy and freezes well if you want to save and savour it.



Strawberry Honey Bread
(Gluten-free & Fat-free)

Ingredients:
- 2 cups gluten-free flour
- 2 tsp baking powder (GF)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup diced fresh strawberries
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup fat-free soy milk
- 1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 1/2 honey
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375F

2. Lightly coat a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan with coconut oil

3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda

4. In a small bowl, lightly toss the strawberries with 1 Tbsp. of the flour mixture until strawberries are well coated and set aside

5. In another small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, orange juice concentrate, honey and oil.

6. Stir liquid ingredients with the dry ingredients until dry ingredients are moistened

7. Gently fold in the strawberries and spoon the batter into the pan.

8. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean

9. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack