Ginger + Cumin Roasted Squash

Ginger + Cumin Roasted Squash

rsz_gingersquash

Hello all, today is the full moon, It’s shining in through my window as we speak.

Hard to believe another month has already passed, is it just me or is time speeding up?

We’re busy preparing for spring over here in western canada land. Getting the garden ready, building some new growing spaces and greenhouses. The more food we can grow the better, not only is homegrown the tastiest but its also brimming with love.

If you’re wanting to start growing some of your own food, even if its just a few pots on a balcony- I’ve put together a little resources page on how to start a garden and compost.

ginger and cumin roasted squash

My friend brought me a squash, it was really a sweet offering. I haven’t got any winter squashes left and baby Mav lurves them so much. Since he’s my spicy little guy I upped the ante with ginger,cumin and some garlic and we just went to town. Squash is so nourishing and really the perfect winter food. This is a really simply recipe thats perfect for a side dish or accompaniment to a salad. It also goes really well with my lemony tahini sauce.

Ginger + Cumin Roasted Squash
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Ingredients
  • 1 whole squash, preferably either carnival, kabocha or small pumpkin
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 inch piece of peeled ginger, minced or grated
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • sesame seeds
  • lime wedges
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425F
  2. Prepare squash by cutting into wedges, you can remove the peels but I tend to leave them on as most are edible.
  3. Combine oils with lime,cumin,ginger,garlic and salt.
  4. In a large bowl toss squash with the oil mixture and spread evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
  5. Roast for 30-40 minutes until nice and tender and sprinkle with sesame seeds, serve with fresh lime wedges and enjoy!

ginger and cumin roasted squash

Coconut Oil + Roasted Cashew Chocolate Bars

Coconut Oil + Roasted Cashew Chocolate Bars

Coconut Oil + Roasted Cashew Chocolate Bars

Hey it’s Sunday so I’m going to include a little playlist with my favourite jams lately. Perhaps the sweet sounds will inspire you to try these super simple addictingly delicious chocolate bars.

If your anything like me Sundays are a day for enjoying life’s sumptuous indulgements. Like loud music and luxuriating in the kitchen, lilting around in the sun and day dreaming about what’s to come. My dad got mad at me this morning for talking to him about work “I’m trying to enjoy my Sunday why are you talking to me about work?”…Ooops sorry pops, my bad.

 

Coconut Oil + Roasted Cashew Chocolate Bars

Too bad we live so far away or I’d give him some of these yummy chocolate bars too make up for it. Holy you guys, these are too good-literally I was thinking it would be economical to make my own raw chocolate bars but these are not going to last long. There’s always something about making your own chocolate, even if its as simple a recipe as this is. You could also just smash it all up and you’ll have chocolate bark if your feeling frisky.

With all the amazing benefits of coconut oil, raw cacao and raw honey this is some seriously nutrient dense chocolate. I read lately that they did a study comparing theobromine, a component in chocolate, to fluoride in repairing tooth enamel. Theobromine is actually more effective in rebuilding enamel than fluoride! Hopefully in the future our water supply will be spiked with theobromine instead of toxic fluoride.

 

Coconut Oil + Roasted Cashew Chocolate Bars
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Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • ¾ C raw cashew pieces OR roasted cashew pieces
  • ¾ C coconut oil
  • 3 Tbs raw honey or maple syrup
  • 4 Tbs raw cacao powder
  • pinch of coarse himalayan salt or maldon flakey sea salt (optional)
Instructions
  1. Melt coconut oil over a double boiler, mix in honey or maple syrup and cacao powder until smooth.
  2. Either use chocolate moulds or line a rectangular baking dish with parchment and pour chocolate in evenly.
  3. Sprinkle with cashews and salt and pop the chocolate in the fridge or freezer for an hour minimum.
  4. Store in the fridge or freezer as coconut oil is pretty melty and enjoy!
  5. Makes four large chocolate bars or as many squares as you want to cut or break up into pieces.

Coconut Oil + Roasted Cashew Chocolate Bars

Swiss Chard, Sprout and Toasted Almond Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Swiss Chard, Sprout and Toasted Almond Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

My giant 110 lb pooch is laying on me as I write this. He’s the sweetest bubba, biggest cuddle bug, and most loyal wolf companion. I think I’ll have to invent some special dog treats to share the recipe testing duties with Ranger.

Today I longed for summer, I pined for the warm water and even the mosquitos, the dragonflies, the bees. My feet are itching for the warm earth. The celebrations of true love filled with toasts and endless dancing. The thick mist that rolls through the mountains early in the morning while I weed the garden and sip strong coffee.

Are you pining for summer yet?

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

I was thinking also about strawberries, the sweet little ones, freshly picked just hours before they would lose their prime, still warm from the red hot sun. You know the kind right? You squeeze them gently between your fingers and they become instant jam. Impossible to compare  summers strawberries to those shipped from California barely ripe. I always aim to freeze ample amounts every summer. It never happens because they are too good, but I did have a little stash of berries in the freezer.

A humble amount of strawberries will do in this recipe. It’s delightfully summery, with the crisp red stalks of swiss chard and fresh sprouts locally procured. This strawberry balsamic vinaigrette will definitely be happening in bulk quantities as soon as those bright red berries come into my life again. I hope you’ll try this dressing with whatever salad variation you fancy and feel like summers right around the corner.

 

Swiss Chard, Sprout and Toasted Almond Salad with Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
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Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
  • 8 large swiss chard leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 C any sprouts, I used daikon sprouts
  • ½ C raw almonds (you could also use pre-roasted)
  • 6-8 large strawberries (can be frozen and thawed)
  • 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 4 Tbs olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp sea salt
Instructions
  1. Combine swiss chard, sprouts and almond in a large bowl.
  2. In a blender or food processor add strawberries, balsamic, olive oil, garlic and salt and blend until smooth.
  3. Drizze over salad and serve immediately.

 

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

Piri Piri Munchie Mix

Piri Piri Munchie Mix

piri piri munchie mix

Oh how I love snacks, zesty, salty and savoury treats that just help get you through the day are the best. Even better when they aren’t loaded with weird additives, MSG and its pseudonyms.  Piri piri is the swahili word for pepper pepper, the hot sauce is made from piri piri peppers also known as african birds eye chilis and a combination of spices, garlic and lemon peel. If you never tried it you’re in for a treat, there’s something about the spiciness paired with lemon that just hits the spot.

This paleo snack mix can easily be made milder by omitting the hot sauce and using smoked paprika instead. You’ll still get the richness and flavour without the spice. Perfect for the wee ones to munch, even though I have a theory that if you start them young on the hot peppers they’ll build up a good taste for them.

piri piri munchie mix

They do this in Thailand and places where they traditionally eat a lot of spicy foods. They’ll start with one thai chili and increase for every year, or so I hear. I’ve got my baby on mild spices, he loves curry, he absolutely devoured this kale and chicken curry I made one night. I’m sure it has a lot to do with how I ate when I was pregnant, and I certainly didn’t shy away from hot curries and the like. After all, at the time I was cooking in a restaurant for Thai night every week. I created some gorgeously spicy Thai creations that I taste tested until I was full. Get the babes started on immune strengthening foods early and they’re set for life, I’m still trying to coax him into gobbling up sauerkraut. He’s not quite there yet, to be honest it took me awhile to get there too, sauerkraut is intense!

I really didn’t know what to name this snack mix, so munchie mix it is because lets face it, everybody gets the munchies whether you live in Colorado or not.

 

Piri Piri Munchie Mix
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Serves: 4.5 C
 
Ingredients
  • 2 Tbs coconut oil (melted) or olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1 Tbs piri piri hot sauce OR ¼ tsp cayenne with 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 3 C large shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • 1 C pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
  • ½ raw cashews
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. In a large bowl combine oil, garlic, hot sauce and salt
  3. Add coconut, pumpkin seeds and cashews and mix well until thoroughly coated.
  4. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spread mixture evenly.
  5. Bake for 10-15 minutes until desired golden brown hue is reached.
  6. Allow to cool before munching.

 

piri piri munchie mix

Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding

Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding

Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding

Excuse me for being obsessed with chocolate this week, you see I was without my beloved cacao for some time and I’ve finally replenished my stocks. Raw cacao is the ultimate in magnesium density, in other words, it relieves stress and helps release happy hormones, yay!

The chocolate week isn’t over yet, in the next few days you are going to witness a marvel of brownies- the lentil brownie.

But not today. Today is reserved for this luscious, creamy, caffeinated pudding loaded with chia goodness.  Coconut mocha chia pudding may just be your new favourite breakfast or mid-day pick me up. I’m pretty much in love with the coffee, chocolate combination– nothing beats it.

Chia seeds are nutrient dense, high in omega-3’s and they can turn any liquid into a pudding, so what’s not to love. Well they aren’t easy to clean up when you leave a spoonful on the table and your little baby reaches up and pulls it down.

If you are in search of foods that will give you more energy and focus, this pudding is for you. There’s definitely a certain time of the month for me where my energy starts to go down the drain and I just want to eat chocolate…ladies, ya feel me?

Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding

Yesterday I wallowed while watching the hollywood version of Anna Karenina, which by the way, is pretty terrible. You know when you have tons of work to do, but you just don’t want to do it…yeah netflix is an instigator.

But the cure for all wallowing lies in chocolate, so I will continue to share with you loves my fave choco-freak recipes to inspire your inner energy to shine~ !!!

Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding
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Serves: 3
 
Ingredients
  • 1 C strong brewed coffee or 4 shots espresso
  • 3 Tbs raw cacao powder
  • 2-3 Tbs raw honey
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 6 Tbs chia seeds
Instructions
  1. In a blender, combine coffee, cacao and honey add coconut milk and blend on high until frothy. Allow to cool before adding to chia seeds.
  2. Add 2 Tbs chia seeds to 3 separate jars or bowls, pour equal amounts of mocha mix over top and stir each one.
  3. Leave pudding to gel for at least an hour.

 

Coconut Mocha Chia Pudding

Nutella Fudge Truffles

Nutella Fudge Truffles

nutella fudge truffles

You, me, four ingredients (!) and a bottle of wine, sound like a good date?

In honour of love, post valentines day love, I challenge YOU to make these for someone just.because.

Yeah, I’m a bit of a rebel…

because

 

 

I’m also a little sugar addict, yes I try and make healthy-er treats, but I know a sugar is a sugar is a sugar. Time for a little spring cleaning here soon folks. Whole 3o time? Perhaps I’ll wait it out see if it snows one last time, I’m guess it will, and I’m guessing cupcakes will be in order to quell those winter-almost-spring doldrums. Any plans for spring cleansing? Is it even spring yet?

 

nutella fudge truffles

 

These little truffles of love are absolutely the creamiest most closest thing to eating pure nutella out of the jar that you can get. Except that I didn’t actually use nutella, as it’s filled with a whole bunch of questionable ingredients.

Instead I started with making a butter from roasted hazelnuts and when it got really smooth and creamy I added melted dark chocolate and some coconut cream, a little bit of raw honey to sweeten the deal. Easy right? You could make this post valentines treat for your lover, your neighbour, your cat…okay maybe not your cat, in about 30 minutes. Ta da!

Oh and if you want something a little more involved but still reminiscent of eating nutella out of the jar, check out my homemade ferrero rochers, or better yet my homemade nutella!

 

Nutella Fudge Truffles
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Serves: 16
 
Ingredients
  • 2 C roasted hazelnuts, ½ C crushed and reserved for coating the truffles
  • ¾ C dark chocolate, melted over a double boiler
  • 3 Tbs coconut cream or milk
  • 1 Tbs raw honey
Instructions
  1. In a high powered blender or food processor, blend the hazelnuts until smooth and creamy, you may have to scrape the sides throughout.
  2. Add coconut cream and honey to melted chocolate and incorporate.
  3. In a large bowl combine hazelnut butter with chocolate mixture and pop in the freezer for 10-15 minutes.
  4. When the mixture is workable but not too soft, scoop 1 Tbs onto a piece of parchment and roll into a ball, coat with extra crushed hazelnuts and repeat.
  5. Let the truffles set in the fridge for an hour or so before indulging.

 

nutella fudge truffles