Good Morning Smoothie - Recipe

I love a sweet smoothie to start my day off right.. Wow that sounded lame, but it's true! This smoothie is packed with enough protein to help you stay energized until lunch, and it tastes lovely too. As all the recipes I share, it's easy to make :)

Blend all the following ingredients together
- a cup and a half of frozen mixed fruit. Berries, mango, peach, strawbs, bluebs...put together any fruit combo that you dig (Western Family brand, unsweetened is great)
- 1/2 cup soymilk
- 1/2 cup no fat yogurt (Olympic brand is what I like)
- a palmful of hemp seeds (proteeeein!)
- 3 dates

Top it off with your fave granola mix for a happy morning!

Edamame Wasabi Hummus - Recipe

  

I'm sort of obsessed with hummus. For several years, I have been experimenting with variations on this classic; spinach feta, roasted eggplant, sundried tomato...the list goes on. Point is, I love this stuff, and when I discovered edamame hummus, from that day onwards, I could never get enough. Or so I thought....Until I discovered wasabi powder... Amazing.

Here it goes!

All you gotta do, is put all these ingredients and spices into a food processor and blend the bejeezus out of 'em.

- 1 cup of frozen shelled edamame beans, thawed

- 1 clove of minced garlic

- 1 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp wasabi powder (an amazing ingredient to have around!)

- 1 tsp oregano

- the juice of 1/2 a fresh lemon

- drizzle of olive oil

- dollop of sour cream

- optional sprinkle of red pepper flakes for a kick

All that stuff, into the food processor, and out comes yummy hummus! 

Warning: addictive

Beany Nachos - Recipe

Everyone has that food they resort to consuming when they are intoxicated and thus giving in to an extreme craving. For me, that food is nachos. I love the crunchiness of the warm chips and their flavourful toppings. However, typical nachos are packed with unnecessary fat and lots of morning-after guilt. Fear not! For I have discovered a healthy alternative to these nachos some of us crave; and the recipe is so easy to follow, that you can be totally intoxicated while making them!
First off, preheat the oven to about 250

You'll need:
- Tortilla Chips (I can't get enough of the unsalted Que Pasa ones!) spread on a parchment paper-covered baking sheet
- a can of Amy's refried beans (they have traditional flavour, green chili flavour, oh the options!!) dolloped onto the chips
- a can of Corn packaged in water, drained and rinsed
- chopped red onion
- some diced tofu (tossed separately before adding with a pinch of cayenne or cumin)

Bake that dish of tastiness for about 7-10 mins or so. Depends how you like 'em

Serve with some Homemade Tzadziki http://emilietarianism.blogspot.com/2011/03/super-easy-homemade-tzadziki.html

Pile on these ingredients, layer it up until you're satisfied :)

Fave Food Places in Banff

Sooo I'm currently participating in this amazing workstudy in Banff! Since living here for 3 months already, I've begun to discover the gems of Banff. Each of my fave places is awarded a different title as follows:

Best Scones, Cake, Baked Goods and all the rest - Wild Flour 

http://www.wildflourbakery.ca/

I have dreams about this place. The atmosphere, the smells, the and decor make this place a super chill hang out. By bringing a book with me, I can spend hours reading and snacking and sipping at Wild Flour. Their coconut carrot cake (in the pic above) makes my mouth water just by conjuring an image of it in my mind. Their tea lattes are made with tea from The Banff Tea Company down the street http://www.banffteaco.com/. Some days I can't even handle how great this place is, and I have to leave and recompose myself before returning and ordering a variety of baked goods, intended to last me the week. These usually don't last me until the end of that work day. They make these cookies. Fig and Anise. Sounds wrong and strange, but they taste unreal and so different, that you can't stop! Amazing. And their Mexican chocolate cookies have a pleasant hint of spice. Their scones are also sweet and fruity, I especially love the raspberry ones when they're in. The bread, oh the bread. Their dark beer bread is delicious and I have to stop myself from going overboard on it. Soooooo tasty! The ladies (it's mostly always ladies) who work here are my kinda people too, which makes for good vibes. Overall, I just love this place! It gets nice sunlight too, so reading a book, or just reflecting with a chai tea latte (pictured canoodling next to the coconut carrot cake) are my fave ways to spend a winter/spring afternoon. I'M IN LOVE!

Best Pita - Barpa Bill's http://www.barpabills.com/
There's no menu on their website, in fact it's quite hidden in general. My first time eating here was with my family, and we had only heard of the legend of Barpa Bill's. We found it! Tucked away, sandwiched between a hairdressing salon and a skigear shop, a small tiled room, with smells of souvlaki wafting about. They have fantastic meat options too if you are accompanied by a carnivore, or you wish to cheat a little on your vegetarian ways. I personally have a love affair with their veggie pita. Warm roasted red peppers, onions, and lettuce packed and rolled into a pita. The creamy tzadziki can get a little messy, as it will ooze from the bottom until you master the Pita Grip, but no complaints about copious tzadziki, as it is super tasty. You can also buy their hummus to take home. This unsuspecting, basically fast-food joint is a winner.

Best Vegeterian Comfort Food - Nourish Bistro http://nourishbistro.com/contact.html

I love this place, especially because they make their hearty veggie sharing meals for delivery as well! Their King Kong Noodles kick ass and their Falafel salad (pictured above, topped with an edible flower) is large and very filling. Their plates are intended for sharing, but I have in the past polished off a plate myself. Their drinks are also sweet and delicious! Their Kundalini Ice Whip is basically a veggie-and-fruit smoothie, with the added touch of a few cute cannabis leaf-shaped ice cubes. They also have a liquor license and serve nice wines and such, which makes some people very happy. The decor is funky too! The ceiling is embellished with a lovely tree with flowers painting and the wall colour is very warm and accommodating. It's a little hard to find, as it's on the 2nd floor of this small mall on the main street in Banff, but totally worth it once found!

Farm Restaurant in Calgary

This past weekend, my sister was in town! And naturally, both of us being complete foodies, we hit up one of our (many) favourite 17th Ave culinary heavens, FARM. We ordered the Farm salad, a delicate blend of mixed greens, green apple slices, pecans, and aged cheddar, at the same time as their legendary, macaroni and cheese. Now, their macaroni and cheese isn't just any old mac and cheese. They use melt-in-your-mouth, soft, fondue-like cheese with penne noodles mixed in, topped with a crunch of breadcrumbs. This dish has a bit of a jalapeno spice, and its richness will have you needing to share, however this meal is the very definition of foodgasm. http://www.farm-restaurant.com/ Here's their website. If you are ever in the Calgary area and crave cheesy deliciousness, I highly thumbs-up FARM. They have extensive non-veggie choices too, so you can enjoy your amazing Mac&Cheese while your companion may wish to enjoy some local meats.

Another fun part is Farm's proximity to Steeling Home http://steelinghomestore.com/, one of my sister and mine's fave gift goodie shops. They have the cutest jewelry, odd books, and entertaining little gifts and gadgets. Nice place to stop after your meal!

Choco Drank - Recipe

Choco Drank may be enjoyed at any time of day, can be served hot or cold, you can drink one cup or several; very versatile! Ps. check out the awesome view from my living room that I am so lucky to look out to as I enjoy my Choco Drank creation.

- 1 tbsp of cocoa powder (unsweetened is cool) at the bottom of a coffee/tea cup (like the one pictured above)
- pour in some soymilk, fill the cup about an inch
- Using a matcha whisk (forks could work if you do not own one of these awesome drink tools) whisk vigorously, without spilling. It's an art!
- Then, when cocoa powder is all mixed in, fill the rest of the cup with soymilk
- Pour some agave business all up in there, give it a stir, or a whisk
- Top it off with a spoonful of cinnamon


If you prefer your drank warm, heat the soymilk in a frying pan (yes, a frying pan) before adding to cocoa powder and pouring agave and sprinkling cinnamon. h the heating milk with your matcha whisk.  It's a cheap way to froth it up. Be careful not to let the pan get too hot, make sure it don't get a-boilin'.

Enjoy yo drank!

Cinnamon-Spiced Pecan Salad - Recipe

Being lucky enough to work close to Caper's Market in Vancouver meant lots of breaks spent delighting in their scrumptious foods, ranging from unreal vegan cookies to full-deal breakfast burritos. One of their salads inspired this recipe.

Firstly, you've gotta get those pecans all roasted and flavoured up! Preheat the oven to 250. in a bowl, throw in some whole pecans and drizzle them with agave. A few dashes of cinnamon, and mix so the pecans are all coated and nice. Stick those babies on a baking sheet lined with some parchment paper, and let those roast for about 5-7 mins (go for 3-5 mins if you have a super spiffy new-ish oven)

Meanwhile, crumble up some blue cheese. Now, I know that blue cheese can be on the pricey side, but you don't need to use that much. And plus, it's amazing, so it's worth spending a few extra dollars on.
Get those crumbly cubes of blue cheese onto a bed of mixed greens
get about 3 dates, chopped, throw those in as well. Of if you'd rather have dried cranberries or raisins around, use those instead
Add 1/4 of a green apple, chopped

When the pecans are finito, top the salad off with 'em. Drizzle some Balsamic Glaze (Blaze is an excellent brand that I recommend if you can get your hands on it) And there ya have it! So tastyyyy