Like baobab.

When Minvita offered to send me an item from their site, this superfruit powder instantly stood out. Baobab comes from inside of the hard-shelled fruit of the African Baobab tree. It’s rich in vitamin E, calcium, iron, vitamin C, fibre, and potassium – so it’s a great supplement to a plant-based diet and I find it gives me a nice energy boost.

Baobab has a mild, slightly tangy taste that blends into things easily without adding much to the flavour profile. I enjoy eating a teaspoon stirred into a bowl of yogurt, served with fresh fruit and a sprinkling of granola or cacao.

Raw energy balls made from a combination of nuts and medjool dates are one of my favourite homemade snacks to have on hand. They’re the perfect little energy boost to curb my hunger between meals.

This recipe from Deliciously Ella incorporates baobab powder and coconut oil to create a snack that helps balance your blood sugar and satiates my growling tummy so that I don’t reach for a packet of crisps instead.

And baobab has also become a regular addition to my morning smoothies. This one was spinach, cucumber, pineapple, banana, grapefruit juice, and baobab – but I’m itching to try it in Jessica’s Pina Colada smoothie recipe.

What about you: are you on a particular superfood kick at the moment? Do you know any yummy ways to eat baobab?

Love & chocolate-flavoured everything,

Second photo from Deliciously Ella.

Even though the colder weather seems to mean just one thing for most people: pumpkin-spiced everything, the grey days already have me dreaming of sunshine and tropical vacations. Since flavours have such a powerful ability to transport our minds to another place, I decided to use this as inspiration for creating an over-the-top dessert that reminds me of sunny holidays and afternoons at the beach.

This Key Lime Tart is mostly raw, so you won’t even have to turn on the oven. But filled with a creamy lime custard, spiked with ‘drunk pineapple,’ and covered in coconut rum caramel sauce, I think it’ll prove to even the most die-hard skeptics that vegan desserts can be just as delicious and decadent as any other.

Here’s what you’ll need…

Pineapple Topping
1 cup chopped pineapple
2 tbsp Malibu Rum

Crust
1 heaping cup dates, soaked in warm water for 10 minutes and drained, then finely chopped
3/4 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt

Lime Custard
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and then drained
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp maple syrup
juice of 2 limes

Coconut Rum Caramel Sauce
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp Malibu rum
1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Soak pineapple in rum in an airtight container in the fridge, preferably overnight.
2. Thoroughly combine crust ingredients, using your hands to form a thick dough. Or, if  you have a food processor, blitz ingredients a few times until dough forms.
3. Press dough into pie tin and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. While your pie crust is setting, combine your lime custard ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy.
5. Pour custard into your pie crust.
6. Squeeze pineapple gently and drain excess juice/rum (I recommend setting it aside for a cocktail).
7. Press pineapple into the custard.
8. Place pie into the fridge for at least 2 hours.
9. To make your caramel, add maple syrup, coconut sugar, and coconut oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves.
10. Add rum and sea salt to the caramel sauce and simmer, continuing to stir, for three minutes.
11. Remove caramel sauce from heat and allow it to come to room temperature (it will thicken as it does).
12. Drizzle pie with caramel sauce right before serving. Serve pie chilled.

The pie will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. This recipe makes way more caramel sauce then you’ll need, so keep it in the fridge and use it for dunking cookies, topping ice cream, or whatever else your heart desires. If the coconut oil solidifies, just put the jar of caramel into a bowl of warm water until it melts.

My friend Daisy said this tart is, “almost as good as sex” and vegans and carnivores alike were singing its praises when I served it to them. I think it tastes even better served with a cocktail – especially pina coladas or a pineapple mojito. Go ahead, pretend you’re on holiday!

Let me know if you give it a try. And I’d love to know, have you ever tried baking with rum? Even if you’re a dyed in the wool carnivore, will you try making something vegan this Saturday?

Love, cocktails in coconuts, & floppy sun hats,

“The beet is the most intense of vegetables. The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.

Slavic peoples get their physical characteristics from potatoes, their smoldering inquietude from radishes, their seriousness from beets.

The beet is the melancholy vegetable, the one most willing to suffer. You can’t squeeze blood out of a turnip…

The beet is the murderer returned to the scene of the crime. The beet is what happens when the cherry finishes with the carrot. The beet is the ancient ancestor of the autumn moon, bearded, buried, all but fossilized; the dark green sails of the grounded moon-boat stitched with veins of primordial plasma; the kite string that once connected the moon to the Earth now a muddy whisker drilling desperately for rubies.

The beet was Rasputin’s favorite vegetable. You could see it in his eyes.”               –          Tom Robbins

When I hosted my blogiversary giveaway and asked you what you’d like to see more of, a lot of people asked for recipes of the delicious veggie (and mostly healthy) food I like to eat.

Well, ask and you shall receive! And today’s recipe is an especially good one.

I rediscovered my love of beetroot when I read Jitterbug Perfume in 2008 and I’ve been obsessed ever since.

I often get into food ruts – eating the same meals week after week because it’s easier when I’m pressed for time and trying to eat on a budget. But lately I’ve been craving new flavour combinations and itching to try new recipes. So when I saw a recipe for beetroot and halloumi burgers, I decided to make it my own by adding fresh mint for a fresh, zingy flavour to accompany the earthy beets and salty cheese. The result was absolutely delicious.

Beetroot and Halloumi Burgers

Adapted from Wanderlusting

3 small steamed beets, grated
125g (half a block) of halloumi, grated
half a cup of quick cook oats
1 large egg, beaten
10 mint leaves, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil (for frying)

1. Mix all of the ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a bowl.
2. Divide the mixture into four and form into patties. Set them on a plate and put them in a fridge for at least 30 minutes.
3. After 30 minutes, lightly line the bottom of a frying with olive oil and place over medium heat.
4. Fry patties until golden brown and then flip. Approximately 3-4 minutes per side.

These burgers are great on a bun with all of the traditional fixings, but I loved them even more on a bed of lettuce topped with smashed avocado and served with a side of roasted sweet potato fries. Mega yum!

Now I can’t wait to concoct all sorts of other burger recipes. Sweet potato, cheddar, & jalapeno. Chipotle, chickpea, & kale. Mushroom, walnut, & sage. The possibilities are endless!

What’s in your favourite burger?

Let me know if you decide to give these ones a try!

Love & foodgasms,

To celebrate their new range of KitchenAid appliances, Curry’s brought together a group of bloggers for an evening at CakeBoy, learning about baking and sampling cakes with celebrity chef Eric Lanlard. We were greeted at the door with a glass of champagne (my favourite greeting!) and had a chance to mingle with the other bloggers while sampling delicious canapés before getting down to business.

Eric used his favourite Kitchenaid appliances to demonstrate making two of his own recipes: a red velvet cheesecake and West Indes chocolate tart, before we had a chance to try icing our own little red velvet cakes. All through the evening Eric dished out his top tips for becoming a master baker and creating perfect cakes every time. Today I’m going to share my favourites with you.

“You’re having a bad day? Bake a cake. … Bake to put a smile on someone’s face.” – Eric Lanlard

If you’re baking with food colouring be sure to buy bake stable food colourings, not the generic ones from the grocery store. Otherwise your gorgeous rainbow cake will come out looking like a muddy mess.

Use the highest speed on your hand mixer when creaming butter. Use the lowest speed for mixing in eggs and add them in one at a time to avoid curdling. If  the mixture does curdle, add a little bit of flour to recombine it.

Always sift your dry ingredients, even if the recipe doesn’t call for it. Especially in a humid climate like Britain’s, it’s inevitable that a little bit of moisture will get into your flour and cause clumping (no one wants a clumpy cake, right!?)

For the perfect cake, use self-raising flour plus a little bit of plain flour to give it “bite” (Eric argues that grocery store cakes are too fluffy).

It’s no longer true that you need to avoid opening the oven door to check on your cake while it’s baking – in fact he encourages it (how else are you going to properly ogle that beauty?). Modern ovens can maintain their temperature, as long as you don’t hold it open for too long.

Think of your hand mixture as an extension of your arm and move it around in figure 8’s for best results.

If your ganache separates add in a couple of tablespoons of COLD cream and fold it in by hand. Ta-da! Problem solved.

Start by mixing icing sugar into your frosting by hand so that it doesn’t make a mess when you turn on your mixer.

Use lots of flour on your counter when rolling out pastry so that it doesn’t stretch, because if it does stretch it will “stretch back” in the oven and you’ll be left with a thick crust.

Push the crust of a tart a little bit higher than the top of the tin so that it will stand slightly above the filling.

Baking beads should be piled high in your baking tin to keep the sides of your crust from sinking down.

Just like a fine wine, you should serve chocolate desserts at room temperature for best texture and full flavour (my favourite tip of the night! Who knew?).

What could be better than an evening of cake, blogger babes, and champagne? Well, I suppose the fact that we were all sent home with a KitchenAid hand mixer of our own. You better believe that as soon as I get moved into my new house, I’ll be getting busy in the kitchen and putting these tips to good use. I might not be ready for a spot on GBBO, but that won’t stop me from practicing!

What are your favourite baking tips? Please, teach me your secrets!

Love, chocolate ganache, & glittery sugar lips,

This recipe was inspired by Sarah and my most recent trip to the farmers’ market. It’s exactly what I want in a summer meal: light yet filling, full of veggies and flavours with a balance of fibre, protein, and healthy fats. The avocado and hummus make this bowl deliciously creamy, with earthy flavours from the beet, a slight spiciness from the radishes, and the zingy freshness of mint. I’m completely in love with this particular flavour combination, but think of it more as a formula than a recipe, as it will lend itself well to any seasonal farmers’ market bounty.

Beautiful Abundance Bowl
2 cups mixed salad greens
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 large beet, steamed and diced
1 small avocado, diced
1/2 bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
3 slices of halloumi (approximately half an inch wide)*
1/4 cup hummus
3tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds
10 mint leaves, thinly slices
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add halloumi slices.
2. Flip slices when they begin to brown, approximately one minute per side.
3. Assemble lettuce, quinoa, beet, avocado, radishes, and halloumi in a bowl.
4. Top with hummus and pumpkin seeds.
5. Squeeze lemon juice over top.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired.

*for a vegan version, substitute marinated tofu for the halloumi. My favourite version is from the Fresh at Home cookbook.

As it feels like summer is closer and closer to ending (say it ain’t so!), is anyone else trying to soak up every last drop of seasonal goodness while they can? All I want to do is BBQ, eat ice cream, and snack on farm fresh berries – which is exactly why I’m planning a picnic for Saturday! What are you up to this weekend?

Love, studded sandals, & rainbow sundresses,

I saw this recipe for coconut chocolate bars that I knew would be reminiscent of the Bounty bars I used to devour on the reg. I adapted the recipe to use simpler, less specialized ingredients and added a Canadian twist with a dash of maple syrup, but you could easily substitute honey or regular sugar. Although it’s no longer paleo-friendly, the result is a rich, coconutty chocolate bar that’s just the right level of sweetness for my new palate.

Vegan Better-Than-Bounty Chocolate Bar Recipe
Makes 5 chocolate bars
Adapted from The Nourished Caveman

1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup coconut cream
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
100g dark chocolate
1 tsp coconut oil (optional)

1. Mix shredded coconut, coconut cream, vanilla extract, and maple syrup until well blended.
2. Place the shredded coconut mixture on a small cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Shape it into a flat rectangle approximately 1-inch high.
4. Freeze  for 2 hours.
5. Remove from the freezer and cut into 5 bars.
6. Melt chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler and mix thoroughly.
7. Dip the bars in chocolate and coat on all sides. Pick up with a fork to allow excess chocolate to drip off before putting them back on the cookie sheet.
8. When all bars are all coated put them in the refrigerator to harden.

The bars can be kept in the fridge for harder consistency or at room temperature if you’d like them softer.

Do let me know if you give them a try; I’d love to hear what you think!

Big hugs & chocolate kisses,

Over the past few months I’ve been slowly restocking my cupboards with the super foods and healthy staples that I usually rely on. It would’ve been way too expensive to pick them up all at once and I faced the added complication of not being familiar with many of the brands here. Unfortunately there’s a lot of health washing and product claims aren’t always regulated, so you need to do a bit of research to get the most bang for your buck.

Enter GECO.

They make a line of greens powders that are formulated to enhance the bioavailability of their nutrients, so your body can soak up all of that green goodness. When they offered to send me a sample of one of their products, I pounced on it like it was the last glass of champagne at a NYE party. And it turns out that not only does GECO sell great products, they also have great customer service and fast delivery.

I chose chlorella – a blue green algae that’s one of the only plant-based sources of vitamin B12 and is a superstar at helping to detoxify your liver.

I’ve been stirring a teaspoon into a glass of orange juice on days when I don’t have time for a smoothie. It blends in easily and is a lot more palatable than other greens powders I’ve tried. But in case the thought of green juice makes you cringe, I took it upon myself to find the most fun and delicious ways to get this good stuff into your bod.

She-Hulk Chocolate Smoothie
1 banana
1/2 cup frozen black cherries
a large handful of spinach
1 heaping tbsp of pure cocoa powder or raw cacao
1 serving protein powder of choice
1/2 tbsp almond butter
2 tsp chlorella
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 cups water

Blend until smooth and drink up! This tastes a little bit like chocolate cake batter, so you might have a hard time convincing yourself it’s even healthy.

Spicy Green Almond Sauce
1 can coconut milk
2 cloves garlic minced
half cup almond butter
juice of one lime
2 heaping teaspoons chlorella powder
~1/3 of a sodium-free bouillon cube
1/2t ground ginger
2-3T tamari
hot sauce to taste (I used ~T Sriracha)

Blend everything until smooth. Substitute peanut butter for the almond butter if you prefer it. In this photo I’ve eaten it over brown rice noodles with a handful of raw sesame seeds – an almost instant meal that’s delicious, satisfying, and not without it’s nutritional  merit. This sauce is also great as a dip for raw vegetables, with rice wraps, or drizzled over cooked vegetables – or any way you’d normally eat peanut sauce. Store in your fridge in an airtight container and it will last for 3-4 days.

Chlorella Chocolate Shots
1 cup almond milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder or raw cacao
1 tbsp almond butter
1 tsp chlorella
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
pinch of ground ginger

Blend until fully combined and serve chilled.

Kermit’s Curried Hummus
While I’m usually a huge advocate of making everything from scratch, my current blender isn’t up to the task of pureeing chickpeas. If you’re in the same boat, try this ‘recipe’ for amping up the store bought variety or play with the proportions to get the same flavour with your homemade hummus.

200g tub of hummus
1  heaping tbsp curry powder
2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp chlorella powder

Stir until fully combined. Serve with crackers, veggies, on salads or in wraps.

Emerald Caramel Drizzle
Adapted from My New Roots.

1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tbsp tahini
1/2 tsp chlorella

Stir together until fully combined.

Drizzle over fruit, stir into yogurt, or serve over your porridge.

As  you can tell, I’ve gotten a little bit obsessed with turning all of my food green – and I’ve got no plans to stop! I’m hoping to try GECO‘s other products to see what other creations I can come up with. I’m thinking green bread and  green truffles, but what would you like to see me try my hand at? And if you have any tips for sneaking extra greens into your food, share them in the comments!

Love, smoothies, & sunshine,

This recipe was one of those rare times when I achieved exactly what I wanted on the first go. I’ve since made it three more times (I’m obsessed) and it’s definitely ready to share.

I’d wanted to recreate the Mushroom Ramen I’d fallen in love with at Wagamama because, after living in Toronto where all varieties of cheap and delicious Asian food are around ever corner, £9 for a bowl of soup seems a little bit steep. This dish is flavourful and hearty and dare I say it? I like it even more than the original!

For a vegan version, use 1/2 cup of crumbled silken tofu in place of the egg and use egg-free ramen or rice noodles.

Eggy Mushroom Ramen
Makes 1 meal-sized portion, or serves 2 as sides

4 cups vegetable broth
1 ‘nest’ medium egg noodles
1 cup chopped mushrooms
2 eggs
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp tamari
1/2 tsp sambal olek
pinch of ground ginger
8 basil leaves, torn
tamari and toasted sesame oil, for garnish
hot sauce, to taste (optional)

1. Break eggs into a small bowl and whisk thoroughly with a fork. Set aside.
2. Put olive oil in a pan over medium heat and add garlic. Sauté for a couple of minutes and then add mushrooms.
3. Cook mushrooms, stirring regularly, until they release their juices. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat broth with ginger and sambal olek in a medium sauce pan.
5. When broth begins to boil, reduce to a simmer and add egg and noodles.
6. Stir regularly until noodles are soft (usually 4-5 minutes, depending on the brand) and then remove from heat.
7. Spoon mushrooms and basil into a large soup bowl or divide between two.
8. Pour eggy broth and noodles over top. Drizzle with tamari and toasted sesame oil. Add hot sauce if using and serve immediately.

This soup is also great with a handful of chopped spinach thrown in at the end (adding greens always makes a dish seem more “complete” to me) and bean sprouts or pea shoots are great additions for added garnish.

The food options in Toronto are one of the things I miss most about the city, so I’m glad to have this soup in my arsenal for days when all that will do is a big bowl of comforting noodles.

Please let me know if you give it a try! And tell me, what dishes are in constant rotation at your house this month?

Come on now! Salads are the most customizable and dynamic meal option out there.

I suppose if you grew up thinking salad means wilted iceberg lettuce and bottled dressing, I can understand your distaste for them. But a salad can be built around any flavour palate and if you’re smart about it, they can definitely eat like a meal.

Enter my latest culinary creation.

It’s hearty, chock full of vegetables, and incredibly flavourful. Plus, it actually keeps me full (and amazing feat).

Unfortunately there wasn’t a lick of sunlight the last time I made it, so the photos I took aren’t particularly appetizing. For now, you’re going to have to trust me.

A Salad You Can Make Friends With
1/2 cup lentils
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp curry powder
2 cups kale, de-stemmed and torn into small pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of half a lemon
1.5 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1/2 cup sweet potato, cut into 1″ cubes
salt & pepper
2 cups salad greens
Asian hot sauce (optional)
Plain yogurt (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Add lentils, broth, and curry powder to a small pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat and then reduce to a simmer. Stir frequently and continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.
3. While lentils are cooking, toss the sweet potato in 1/2 tbsp olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet in the oven until fork tender (15-20 minutes).
4. Heat 1tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat for one minute.
5. Add garlic to the pan and sauté until it starts to brown.
6. Add kale to the pan and stir to coat it in oil.
7. Cook for a couple of minutes and add lemon juice. Cook for a couple more minutes.
8. Place salad greens on a plate. Top with kale, sweet potato, and lentils. Garnish with Asian hot sauce (I’ve gotten hooked on this one) to taste and a dollop of yogurt if desired.

Let me know if you’re brave and give this a try despite the awful photo. I know it’s going to be on regular rotation in my kitchen.

And do tell: what’s in your favourite salad?

This porridge reminds me of chocolate drop cookies that my mom used to make at Christmas, except that it’s hot and best of all, healthy! There are no refined sugars here, friends. Although it’s so rich and chocolatey, you’d probably never guess that.

All said and done, it takes less than 10 minutes to whip up, so give yourself a few extra minutes in the morning and start your day with something filling and delicious.

Chocolate Coconut Porridge
1 cup non-dairy milk
1/2 rolled oats
2 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tbsp pure cacao chocolate
1 medjool date, pitted and chopped
1/2 tsp honey
large pinch of cinnamon
small pinch of salt
handful of fresh berries

1) Melt chocolate in a saucepan over LOW heat, stirring frequently to avoid burning. 2) Add oats and non-dairy milk, stirring briskly to incorporate chocolate. 3) Raise heat to medium and bring to a simmer. 4) Stir in cinnamon and salt. 5) Stir regularly until oats are fully cooked. 6) Remove from heat and stir in coconut, walnuts, chopped date, and honey. 7) Garnish with fresh berries and serve hot with your morning cuppa.

As a side note, I think this recipe would be perfect for incorporating a bit of green powder into as the deep chocolate flavour would cover up any hint of greenness. Unfortunately, I don’t have any on hand at the moment, but once I do I’ll be giving that addition a whirl.

What’s your favourite winter breakfast? Let me know if you give this one a try!

To chocolatey mornings,