Quick Thai Peanut Sauce

I strongly believe that I would eat anything smothered in Thai peanut sauce. Why? Because it's absolutely delicious. Now, this version is not 100% authentic, but it is easy to make because the ingredients are always on hand and it mimics the flavor profiles present in the original lovely sauce. I use this on everything: veggies, salads, beans, rice, and stir fries. So. Good.

2 T of natural peanut butter (I'm using chunky because I enjoy the extra pieces of peanuts)

.5 T of soy sauce

.5 T apple cider vinegar or lime juice

1 tsp of sesame oil

a generous squirt of sriracha

a generous spoonful of red chili paste

Mix and enjoy. If you find it difficult to mix, heat up your PB for a couple of seconds in the microwave. I tossed in some steamed broccoli therefore the PB melted beautifully. You can also alter this to your specific taste, like more or less spicy. I drizzled more sriracha afterwards because I just love the brine-y burn. Enjoy!

Chickpea and Spinach Pesto

It has been a while, and I apologize! I have been swamped with work and school and have been eating the same variation of oatmeal for the past couple of weeks. However, I finally got some time to actually cook up something, like with a stove...and utensils; it was crazy. I bring you a mild, mellow version of a somewhat cult classic: Pesto.

Everyone I know seems to have their own opinions on it. There are purist who reject anything but the traditional recipe and enthusiast, which will eat anything. This version, I think, combines the best of both worlds. You have your garlic-y, green-y goodness combined with a surprising element.

5 cups of baby spinach
1 can of chickpeas
1 T. of extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. of sea salt
1/4 cup of pistachios
3 cloves of garlic
pinch of red pepper flake (omit if you aren't a fan of the spicy; I understand)
3 T. of water to thin out the sauce

Put inside your food processor and let it whirl until you arrive at a semi-thick consistency (remember to add water as you go to get it perfect). Toss with your favourite pasta shape and enjoy!

Carrot and Ginger Potato Puree

I'm a sucker for pretty colours, especially if I can eat them because we all know we eat with our eyes first. This dish came to me after wanting some carrot and ginger juice, but only having baby carrots. I'm not sure if any of you have tried to juice baby carrots, it just doesn't work! However, I'm glad it didn't because this puree is just delicious. I was scraping all of the goodness out of the blender, you'd think I hadn't eaten in days.

I chopped up four baby russet potatoes, a stalk of celery, four handfuls of baby carrots, two big cloves of garlic and a 1" slice of ginger. I let them steam for about 15 minutes, or until the vegetables were tender. Then I added them into a blender, let it whirl until it was a creamy emulsion of goodness and served it in a bowl with sliced tomatoes, red onions and avocado topped with some salt and pepper. 

Lunchbox Chronicles, vol. I

I apologize for the terrible absence! After days of no power and lack of time to make something substantial, it almost felt like I fell of the horse. But I have devised an excellent lunchbox favourite to share with you all.

Now, in order for me to call a packed lunch a favourite, it has to pass a couple of tests. One being keeping me full, obviously. The other is easy travel and, of course, god darn tasty. Here I have some steamed green beans in a soy and chili sauce (1 T of soy sauce, 1 tsp of chili paste, garlic and white pepper) with sauteed black beans (sesame oil and garlic) and marinated sweet and spicy tofu, thanks to some agave and chili paste.

This was a success.

Move Over Potatoes

Those aren't mashed potatoes--I know! Me too! This uncontrollable feeling came over me when I saw the loneliest head of cauliflower in my fridge. It was practically begging to be used in some way, shape or form. Yet there's only so much you can do with cauliflower, I mean...there isn't a definitive way of using cauliflower considering there in a number of different dished. However something about pureeing it really appealed to me and I'm ever so glad it did because this might be my new favourite way of enjoying broccoli's underrated cousin. First, I chopped up the cauliflower and quickly steamed it. Now while I used the microwave, I'm sure purest will go the stove route. After about 7 minutes, I placed it in my food processor with a clove of garlic some salt and a bit of pepper. I pulsed it until it became a smooth consistency, similar to that of mashed potatoes and that's it! A little drizzle of olive oil, a pad of butter or coconut oil and you have a guilt free side dish that will please even the pickiest eaters. I literally could not get enough! Next time I think I'll add some lemon zest and a bit of crushed red pepper for some brightness and bite. Enjoy.

{CUISINE FROM GENESIS} Summer on a Plate

Happy June 21st! Or also knows as the first day of summer/longest day of the year! I welcome it with open arms and colourful plates of grilled vegetables. Here I have halved red onions, spears of asparagus, roasted yellow and red peppers and a portabello mushroom cap. They all received the same treatment: a bit of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Throw onto a hot grill for about 5 - 7 minutes of each side and wait for them to cool down a bit before digging in. I think grilled vegetables taste a bit better at least at room temperature. To make them a bit more fancy, squeeze some lemon juice over them. It instantly brightens up the vegetables. But don't stop there, you can experiment with your vegetables by using different combinations (zucchini, eggplant and peppers is amazing) and changing up your spices (paprika or chili powder, anyone?).

{CUISINE BY GENESIS} Stir Fry

The weather is finally allowing some cooking to be done as it hasn't been as blistering. Therefore I decided to put together a quick, satisfying stir fry. I used a mix of veggies (as you can see): carrots, broccoli, snap peas, red peppers, mushrooms and water chestnuts. I also made a homemade "stir fry sauce" if you will.

2 T of soy sauce

1 tsp of chili paste

finely minces garlic clove

1/2 tsp of sesame oil

Of course it needed something to soak up that sauce once it was done cooking and I quickly cooked up some brown rice to go with it. Put one cups of rice in a pot with 2.5 - 3 cups of water and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Put the brown rice and stir fry in a bowl and grab your favourite spoon. 

A Cooked Salad

A salad isn't normally cook, I know. But sometimes we need a change to our crispy veggies, and that comes with heat.

What you need to do, and quickly really, is just to sautee them. It's quite simple. Something about warming your veggies gives them just enough contrast--they're still crisp, but just cooked enough to soak up anything you dress them in. I use my favourite: lemon and salt; you can never go wrong. 

For my cooked salad I used cabbage, onions, pepper, tomato and romaine. I didn't cook the romaine because personally I think grilling them would be much better (but that's another post). I added a small spoonful of coconut oil--I seriously think this taste like butter but without the commitment of butter--and added my veggies for no more than five minutes at a medium heat. Then I just arranged them on my plate, dressed them and began to munch! Enjoy.

A New Wave

I think I may integrate something different into my weekly posts. I recently (like yesterday) started a new job and have had to start packing my lunches again because I firmly believe everything you create is ten times better than something bought through a drive thru. I will be showing you guys what I prepare as a fast, easy and fulfilling lunch for those grueling long hours you wish you were doing something else. Sleeping, perhaps? Anyway, I don't particularly have a recipe for you guys this week, I promise to allow myself to be more adventurous with something as simple as "lunch" and I hope it does the same for you--whatever your particular  job is. Plus, lunchboxes are fun as there is something so nostalgic about opening one and seeing things neatly organized for consumption, like an assembly line of deliciousness or an Ikea entirely made of cake.

So let the lunchbox madness--and regular madness--begin.

Summertime, and the living is easy

It's officially summer break for most university goers. For me, the first week is usually the laziest. I catch up on my sleep and everything else I have been missing when I was slaving away at a perfect GPA like books, movies and guilty television. Therefore, my eating is kind of grab-and-go, but really when is it not? I still want to feel like what I'm eating had effort put into it and that's when Fancy Salads come in. It's like all of a sudden I'm transported into a French bistro and I am sophisticated and have everything put together--imagination never goes away, folks.

This combination is my favourite: you have your greens, your acid, your binder, your salty and sweet and, of course, your hunger is satiated. Here is what you'll need...

2 handfuls of mixed greens (spinach, romaine, green and red leaf lettuce, dandelion, kale, chard. The possibilities are endless! And thankfully, sometimes, the medley is already made for you at your local grocery store!)

1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil

your tolerated amount of slivered onions (thinly sliced cuts back on the "bite" that onions notoriously have when they're raw)

2 T of balsamic vinegar

1 T of dijon mustard

Layer your plate with your greens, lay your onions on top, mix your oil, vinegar and mustard together then drizzle on top. For good measure I add more mustard--the quantity is really up to the individual, so go ahead! Enjoy!

Easy Spring Salad

While the weather has been unpredictable to say the least, it has indeed been warming up. So, its only necessary that when the weather warms up, our dishes get cooler (That is a pun. You're welcome). I composed a simple salad using spring vegetables that left me wanting more--as any good dish should. 

It contains:

- 10 grape tomatoes cut in half

- some sliced red onion

- sliced mushrooms

- sliced red pepper

- chopped asparagus

- some balsamic vinegar

- salt and pepper

Throw them all in a bowl and allow all of the vegetables and vinegar to get to know each other, mingle, marinade for about an hour or so (overnight for more flavour). Then eat! Simplicity at its best. I like this dish on top of a grain: rice, bulgur, quinoa or even potatoes to soak up that tart vinegar. 

A French Twist

Lately I have been a bit obsessed with French food, or at least I think I am. I am been gawking at the glossy pages of French cookbooks for what seems hours. I have researched indigenous ingredients and have developed quite a craving for them. This is my attempt at making something resemble the French philosophy: quick and simple, but oh so satisfying. It's a take on a classic mushroom salad with some extras. 

You'll need:

Four button mushrooms

1/4 c of chopped parsley

1/2 a lemon

1 tsp of olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

To assemble, thinly slice your mushrooms (actually, wash them first!) and chop your parsley. In a bowl mix the juice of half of your lemons (or a whole lemon if you prefer your dressing on the acidic side), the olive oil, salt and pepper and them add your parsley and mushrooms. Toss until all incorporated and eat. I find the dish does well when marinated in the fridge for about an hour. The mushrooms kind of cook in the acid and become soft, absorbing all of the dressing. 

I served mine with a side of savory oats (that recipe will be coming soon). Enjoy!

All great things come in small packages, but...

that just means I get to eat more of them! Right? That's how that works...Anyway, I like making mini versions of things because they're cute and you can fool yourself into thinking you are eating more, but really you're eating the same amount of the normal sized stuff. I present my latest mini creation: Mushroom Paninis!

They were done on mini loaves (MINI LOAVES?! THE CUTEST!) from my local bakery--all bread should be fresh and baked by magic hands, believe me on this. You'll need:

- Bread for you paninis
- mushrooms
- roasted red pepper (they come in jars, thanks supply and demand!)
- chopped garlic
- olive oil
- 1/4 of a chopped onion

First, preheat a bit of olive oil in a skillet and toss in your chopped garlic and onions. Stir them around a bit until they start looking transparent. Next, add your mushrooms. Now, I didn't specify the cut (slice, chop, etc) because that's totally up to you. I suggest slicing them up so they lie perfectly on the bread. Allow them to cook for about 10 minutes or so until the mushrooms are nice and brown and mixed with the fragrant garlic and onions.

Panini assembling time! I used a George Foreman (he's adorable and makes good grills!) but another skillet is perfectly fine. Brush your bread (or drizzle) with a bit more olive oil and place your mushroom mixture inside (brush/drizzle on the final slice and place on top, but you guys know sandwich mechanics, right?). Then place it on the grill and press, or on the skillet and press with a spatula, wait about two minutes or so and flip to the other side to repeat the process.

And you're done! Slice in half, or just eat it all!

Sweet blasts

I love snacks. I love easy snacks that make me appreciate snack time. Have you ever had a snack that just made your whole day better? It fills you up just enough to go on with your day. This one does just that. It's a slice of petite toast with almond butter slices strawberries and bananas. So good. Not only good, but it's a nutritional powerhouse with whole grains, healthy fats, vitamins and protein. I use whole wheat dinner rolls, which I slice lengthwise with an electric knife to get it just perfect, but I'm sure a bread nice and a steady hand would be just fine. Next I slice up about three strawberries and half of a banana (and munch on the rest while constructing the snack. Multitasking, people). Now for the almond butter, I prefer mine a little warm so I pop the jar in the microwave for forty five seconds or so until it reaches perfect viscosity. Then I slather some on the slice of bread and layer on my toppings. 

Literally one of the best things ever. Especially drizzles with some agave or maple syrup on top. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Get it?

The Perfect Avocado Toast

As you might have all figured by now I'm a lover of the simple, quick, easy and, of course, tasty--but that is obvious. One of my favourite things to eat require less than three ingredients and one of those things is avocado toast. After years of enjoying them, I have found what works and what doesn't. The simpler, the better is the motto when it comes to this. You need good, hearty bread, a ripe avocado, sea salt and chili powder (which is optional. This combination is also excellent with a squeeze of lemon if you're not a fan of spicy) 

Personally, I like to toast my bread. Not only does it bring out the natural sweetness of the wheat, but it also makes it a bit easier to spread the avocado. Next, your avocado. Hass avocados are wonderful for this because they are perfectly creamy for spreading. Finally, sprinkle on some sea salt and/or lemon, then eat!

For when you are feeling under the weather

Well, this week, in terms of food, things remained that same. I came down with a bizarre cold and couldn't smell anything. Hot trash and freshly baked bread were in the same category and that should never happen. Therefore, I spent most of the week sipping on soup and nibbling on toast. However I do have a fantastic recipe for when you feeling under the weather or just need something to warm you up from the inside out.

Mushroom Broth:

2 cups of dried mushrooms (I used shiitake, they provide a much more meatier flavour)
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of olive oil
1 small onion
1 vegetable bouillon to get everything going
10 cups of water

Saute your onion and garlic in the olive oil until nice and translucent. Be careful not to burn your garlic--not good. Add your water, bouillon and dried mushrooms and allow to simmer for 45 minutes to and hour. And you're done! This recipe is really easy and great to use in a number of ways, but I love to just pour it into a cup and dip fresh bread in it. Enjoy!

Quick and easy use of sweet potatoes

This happened when I spotted a lonely sweet potato in my basket and more lonely ingredients in my fridge (it was the even before grocery shopping). I'm really, really happy with how this turned out. After it was done I was lonely and sad and added this to my regular repeated meals because it was so delicious and simple! Baked sweet potato cubes and a tangy "salsa" or "relish."

First, rinse and cut your sweet potato into about 1/2" cubes, lay them on a cookie sheet sprayed with a bit of nonstick cooking spray. Now, bake them for about 10 - 15 or until they are fork tender and start browning up a bit.

For the salsa/relish, you'll need:

half an onion
marinated artichoke hearts
1/2 c. of sliced grape tomatoes

Slice your onion thinly and add as many artichoke hearts--including the liquid!--as your heart desires. Finally toss in the grape tomatoes and mix it all up.

Now, after you have removed your sweet potato from the oven and it has cooled down a bit, transfer it into a plate or bowl of your choice and add the salsa/relish right on top.

See! Super simple and exceptionally delicious. Enjoy!

The reddest of all the velvets

This past weekend I celebrate my belated birthday. Hello, 20, how are you doing?! Now, this cake...boy, oh boy. This cake was delicious. And the decorations are so cute (courtesy of my best friend's mother)! It's a basic red velvet with butter cream frosting, but the real treat is the filling: it's raspberry jam! Chocolate AND raspberries?! I know, I'm salivating too.

*Note: all of the decorations are done with fondant. Therefore, they were happily eaten.

 For the cake:
    3 cups of all purpose flour
    1.5 cups of sugar
    2 tsp of baking soda
    1 tsp of salt
    1 tbp of cocoa powder
    3 tbp of red food colouring
    2 cups of nondairy milk
    1 tbp of distilled vinegar
    2 tsp of vanilla extract

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees (the magic oven number because I swear almost every recipe calls for it...and when in doubt this is the number I go to...shh...). Next combine all of your dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. After you've done that, add in all of the wet ingredients and slowly combine them to form the batter. Finally, separate your batter into two 8-in. pans or three 6-in. pans and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick (or knife) comes out clean. Once you take  them out, allow them to cool for about 10 - 15 minutes. This ensures that when you put the frosting/filling on the cake, it won't melt off. I know, longest 10 - 15 minutes ever. 


For the frosting:
    .5 cup of buttery spread (this recipe has Earth Balance)
    3 cups of powdered sugar
    1.5 tsp of vanilla extract
    2 tbp of nondairy milk
    optional: add some food colouring to this if you'd like! 3 - 5 drops.

With a hand or stand mixer, whip the spread until it's fluffy. Then, with the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar. I emphasis slowly because...a mess can happen. Add your vanilla, milk, and food colouring if you decided to do so. Once everything is well-combined, you can up the speed and mix for about 2 - 3 minutes to regain fluffy-ness. If it's too thick, you can add more milk (tbp at a time!).

The filling is regular raspberry jam that you find at your grocery store. But if you are feeling ambitious, you can totally make it from scratch.

To assemble the cake, just remove both (or all three) from their pans and flip them upside down so the flat side is facing up. Spread the jam between the cake layers and then with a knife, or spatula, cover the top and sides with your frosting. Finally, cut yourself a piece! Or eat the whole thing...including the left over frosting...I won't judge.

Single Serving Blueberry Corn Cake

Funny thing happening here: I was so excited to dig into this blueberry filled square that I almost forgot to take a picture of it! Now that I got that out of the way--and into my belly--we can talk about it.

I think we're into the realm of desserts, but even then I (I mean you) could eat this anytime of day! It's sweet, tangy, moist, and creamy; what dreams are made of, really. And what is even better is that it is a single serving! Unless...you...want...more...? That is totally okay too. Let's get started!

**preheat your oven to 350 degrees

For mini blueberry corn cake: 

2 T. of blueberries, fresh or frozen

3 T. whole wheat flour

3 T. corn meal

3/4 c. of liquid. Now, I'm fairly vague here because there are so many choices. Milk, water, fresh fruit juice, a mix--its all  up to you! I used almond milk in this specific one.

1/8 tsp of baking soda

1 T. of agave, maple syrup, honey or you can substitute 2 T of plain sugar

- Mix all of the ingredients in an oven-safe dish (make sure to spray your dish with cooking spray!); Place in oven for 10 - 15 minutes

For creamy almond butter sauce:

2 T of almond butter

2 T of almond milk to thin out

1/2 T. of agave

- Place in microwave safe dish and heat for about 30 seconds or until it is all melted

Remove mini-cake and dress in sauce. Enjoy!

Cuisine from Genesis...

Now, I have a declaration...which might seem a bit odd--if so, forgive me--but breakfast foods are the best foods. No matter the time of day, I could always go for breakfast-y foods (pancakes for dinner are never wrong in my book). I decided to go a sweeter route with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). This super South American grain is full of vitamins and all of this other great stuff, but the best thing about it in my opinion is that it's a blank canvas for a multitude of flavours. Savory, sweet, I've even seen it used in place of flour in baking--fun stuff right?! Alright, let's get started. You're going to need:

1/4 c. of dry quinoa

1/3 c. of coconut milk

3/4 c. water

1/4 tsp of cinnamon

fruit of your choice (blueberries and mangoes were mine)

optional: nut butters, chopped nuts, dried fruits, nutmeg, vanilla extract, cocoa powder, your kitchen sink...kidding.

I used a rice cooker, but if you don't have one, a small pot will do the trick. Pour the quinoa and water into the pot, turn the rice cooker on or place under medium-to-low heat for about 25 minutes, or the quinoa is tender to your liking. Transfer the fluffy quinoa into your breakfast bowl and pour the coconut milk over it (or condensed milk, if you are feeling extravagant). And finally, chop up or throw in your favourite fruits or any other thing you can think of. This really is a base for anything. Now, eat!