How to: Make Your Breakfast..at Night!

No matter how much I try, I'm just not a breakfast person... except on weekends when I live for brunch. But on weekdays (when it really counts) it's hard for me to leave myself enough time to have a substantial meal before I rush out the door. As we all know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and as such...I had to get on board with it somehow.

Cue the Girl Guide value of being prepared!
I find that if I think and prep ahead, I am more likely to ensure I am getting a healthy and hearty breakfast...even if I'm pressed for time in the morning.

Here I share my favourite recipe to make ahead of time...especially when I know I have a busy day ahead. This is a healthy, delicious way to ensure you are getting your morning nutrition before the day gets away from you. Hope you enjoy making this at home and that it helps make your mornings just a little easier.

Much Ado About Matcha!

Lately as we have had more spring weather,  I've been looking to a lighter, fresher hot drink when I need a little morning or afternoon boost. It's one of the reasons I have come to be so in love with Matcha.

Matcha is traditionally used in Japanese tea ceremonies and is a very concentrated form of green tea. The leaves are carefully ground into a powder that ends up having a creamy texture.

To understand matcha, we first have to know a little more about green tea.

Green tea is appreciated across the world for its many health benefits. It goes through minimal processing which makes it very attractive to those who are interested in health and nutrition.
Green tea contains catechins which are powerful antioxidants. As a refresher- antioxidants are your bodies defenders. They are chemical compounds that can prevent and ward off aging and disease.
Green tea is full of them. Green tea is also known to improve blood flow, lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar and some studies have even shown it prevents the formation of plaques on your brain which can lead to the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Pretty powerful stuff.

Some people also believe that green tea can help in weight loss. While there is no scientific evidence to support that claim, if you choose green tea instead of drinking sugary juices or colas, you will definitely consume less calories and inadvertently trigger weight loss or weight maintenance.

On to the "matcha" talked about.... (ha ha)

They say that one serving of Matcha has the equivalent health benefits of ten cups of regularly brewed green tea (in terms of the nutritional content). It is the highest quality of green tea available for consumption. When you drink it, you are drinking the entire leaf after it has been steamed, deveined and ground into a fine, rich powder. Since you are drinking the whole leaf, you receive 100% of the nutrients available. It is said to contain 137 times more antioxidants than green tea does.

Additionally, matcha boosts metabolism, is rich in fiber, chlorophyll (great for detoxing), vitamins, lowers cholesterol and blood sugar, prevents disease and is a source of vitamin C, zinc and magnesium. Matcha is also said to improve your concentration and improve your mood. In short- it's one of the most powerful superfoods out there.

Matcha has more antioxidants than (ready for a mini brain explosion?): goji berries, blueberries, spinach, acai, broccoli and pomegranate! So the question is...why are you not yet making this a part of your daily life?

Matcha is super simple to make and tea shops as well as asian grocery stores sell whisks and wide bowls that will help you to prepare your matcha at home. While I love the taste of it and think it's delicious, I think matcha is an acquired taste. So before you spend money on the tea and accessories, try it out at a cafe or tea shop.

If you are a fan, it's super simple to make at home.

How to Make Matcha

You will need:
a wide, flat bottom bowl, a bamboo whisk, matcha tea powder, a scoop or spoon and hot water

1) Place a tea scoop or 1/2 tsp. of matcha powder into the bowl
2) Add a little hot water (about 2 ounces) and whisk it with a fast motion, back and forth until it combines and becomes frothy
3) Add more water to make the tea the consistency you are looking for
4) Transfer it to a cup and enjoy

Traditionally, matcha is enjoyed without any additional ingredients, but you can add hot milk to make a latte, a sweetner, or even ice if you'd like to enjoy an iced matcha.

Matcha is also added to smoothies, milkshakes, sifted onto cake and desserts...the list goes on and on.
Hope you enjoy making matcha at home! Would love to know what you think of it in the comments below!

Panko-crusted Masala Cauliflower Steaks

This week I'm going meat-free and eating delicious, flavourful vegetarian food has become an exciting project to work on. I walked up and down the aisles of my local grocery store looking for inspiration and found it in the international foods aisle where my eyes happened to rest on panko crumbs. They are so easy to work with and add an instant crunch to whatever you're working with. This recipe for masala panko crusted cauliflower steaks will be sure to please the most skeptical vegetarian, but as it really brings the heat--don't be afraid to dial down the amount of spices if you are into a more milder flavour or pair it with something cooling like a cucumber-yogurt dip. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cauliflower 

Panko bread crumbs 

Masala mixture-

1/3 tsp garam masala

1/3 tsp corriander powder

1/3 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp tandoori powder

Juice of half a lemon

2 tbsp olive oil 

Salt to taste

Chilli flakes to taste

Mix the spices, oil and lemon juice.

Cut cauliflower into 1 inch thick steaks and baste with the masala mixture and spread them out on a baking sheet.

Roast in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.

Sprinkle Japanese-style panko crumbs on the cauliflower steaks, creating a crust. 

Continue to bake the cauliflower for 5 more minutes, carefully watching to make sure the panko is crisp but not burnt. 

Enjoy and serve with cucumber yogurt dip, corriander chutney or as an accompaniment to a salad.

Persimmon, Prosciutto and Arugula...oh my!

Today I am sharing a recipe that is perfect for entertaining as it is quick, easy and it is great as a make ahead appetizer but also looks impressive and tastes delicious.
In my opinion, that makes it a total win!

I love that this app keeps me out of the kitchen and leaves my guests feeling like it's a special occasion.
It truly can't be easier and while we are still enjoying the end of persimmon season, we might as well use them when we entertain.

Persimmon-Prosciutto Rolls

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

3 ripe persimmons

1 pkg prosciutto

a handful of arugula or mixed greens

Method:

Step One Peel the skin off a persimmon and cut it into slices about a centimeter thick and a few centimeters wide

Step Two Carefully remove a piece of prosciutto from the packaging. Be careful to pull the ham back very slowly as it tears easily

Step Three Cut the prosciutto into two long strips

Step Four Make a “bouquet” of a few pieces of arugula by holding them together at the ends

Step Five Place the lettuce bouquet and the persimmon onto the end of the piece of ham and slowly roll it while holding on to the other fillings. Roll the hall the way you would a piece of sushi or a place mat

Step Six Arrange your rolls on a  platter, keeping the “seam” side down on the plate

Love is in the air...

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, so of course- love is in the air.
I personally, love this time of year. There's something about white snow, red and pink window displays and chocolate that can put anyone in a good mood. One of my favourite things actually, is to see men both young and old crowding around the flower displays in grocery stores, trying to buy that perfect bouquet for their significant other.

I know some say it's a commercial holiday but to me, there ain't nothing wrong with something that makes you want to write a card, listen to a love song, pick a flower or cook something special for the one you love.

I always like to bake or make something a little extra special for those I love and so today is the perfect day to prep a few things in my kitchen for the day of love.

One of the most delicious and undoubtably symbolic foods at valentines is chocolate. Especially chocolate fondue. It's hard to work with at home if you don't have a fool proof technique. Chocolate can burn easily and the smell is anything but romantic. Many may think if they buy a "proper" fondue kit they will be all set. While it's great to have a nice fondue kit for dinner parties, I for one just don't have the space to store it in my teeny tiny kitchen cupboards.

So, this Valentine's Day I'm sharing with you my quick and easy tips for melting chocolate. I use this to make chocolate covered strawberries but you can also use this as a chocolate dip for pretzels or any other chopped fruit. If you want, you can even set up a fruit platter and have your special someone dip their own fruits with a small skewer or toothpick.

All you need to make this happen are chocolate chips, a medium size bowl, a spoon or small silicon spatula and a saucepan. I'm on a bit of a health kick so I chose to work with dark chocolate chips today. Dark chocolate (look for at least 70% cocoa) has great health benefits as it contains flavonols which are powerful antioxidants. Recent research has shown that a daily dose of dark chocolate can help lower and maintain blood pressure, increases blood flow to the brain and can help control stress. Plus- it tastes good. If, however you are not into dark chocolate you can use milk chocolate (I feel this is a little too sweet) or semi-sweet.

                                    

Fill your saucepan about 1/3 of the way with water and bring it to a simmer (low to medium heat). Place your chocolate chips (I'd use about half of a 250 g package) into the bowl and lower the bowl into the water. This is called a double boiler in the food industry. Using a double boiler is a great way to melt chocolate because it keeps the chocolate itself away from direct heat. Use your spoon or spatula to gently stir your chocolate chips until they melt.

Once your chocolate has melted (it really only takes a few minutes) you can dry off your bowl and add it to your fruit platter. You will want to heat your chocolate immediately before serving so you have ample time to dip away. If your chocolate does harden again, just bring it back to the double boiler and reheat.

If you'd like to make chocolate dipped fruit, use a skewer to dip the fruit into the boil once the chocolate has melted. Place the fruit skewer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Keep dipping until your baking sheet or plate is full (you don't want your chocolate dipped treats to be touching each other) and then move it into the fridge to set. Once your chocolate has hardened, you can transfer your treats to a serving dish or pack them into a container to give as a gift.

Tis the Season...So Eat With It!

Now that winter is here, it means the weather's changing and different fruits and vegetables are in abundance. While we will all always have our favourites, it is so important to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables whenever possible and here's why:

Seasonal produce that grows locally is inexpensive to buy. When a fruit is in season, it is widely available. When it's available locally and on every other corner, the shops can source it easily and quickly and therefore can keep up with the demand. In fact, they often have more of one particular fruit than they need and since every store has that same access to it, they lower their prices.

Seasonal produce tastes delicious. When you eat a fruit or vegetable when it was meant to be eaten and close to where it was grown, it ripens naturally on the tree or bush instead of on the back of a truck. That means it stays where nature intended it to for a longer period of time and is allowed to reach it's full taste potential. 

Seasonal fruits and veggies are also so festive! At this time of year, the sweet treats are abundant but nothing will fulfill my craving for something sweet and juicy like a persimmon or some jewel-like pomegranate seeds. 

While taste, price and accessibility is so important, the most important thing to me is the nutritional value. It's as if nature had intended us to eat what we are meant to at the right time...which is to say, at the time when we need it most. For example, pomegranates have tons of antioxidants and clementines and tangerines are filled with vitamin c. It seems to be more than a coincidence that these become naturally available during the peak of cold and flu season. Similarly, in the summer, we have access to cooling fruits like watermelon and cherries. 

So what fruits and vegetables are in season now? When you hit the grocery store or market, keep your eye out for fun winter favourites that add a festive touch to your plates and table. Some of my winter favourites are brussel sprouts, collard greens, sweet potatoes, kale, kiwi, mandarins, tangerines, persimmons, pomegranate, pears, red currants, leeks and turnips. Also don't forget to pick up some chesnuts and walnuts, perfect to keep you warm from the inside out during the cold winter months.

Stay tuned for more recipe posts using seasonal ingredients. I'd love to hear what your favourite seasonal fruits and vegetables are at this time of year. Share them in the comments! 

For me, persimmon wins hands down. What's your favourite?