Recipe: Moroccan Orange Salad

Travelling Through Taste

One of my favourite souvenirs of my travels are photos. The other- recipes and dinner inspiration. I love trying different foods when I'm exploring but even more so - I love playing around in my kitchen once I'm home again to try to recreate the different dishes I've tasted abroad.

Visiting Morocco was amazing because there were so many delicious foods to eat and try - many of them were ones featuring fruits and vegetables.



Since it's a freezing February day, I thought I'd share this recipe which takes me back to the exotic rooftop restaurants of Marrakech.

This dish was literally a show stopper and the reason was the spice blend that was sprinkled on top: Ras-El-Hanout. In Arabic it means, "the best of the shop" and is often a combination of cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, anise, mace and various peppers. All I knew, was I wasn't leaving Marrakech without a bag full of these fresh ground spices in my luggage.

If you don't have Ras-El-Hanout, you can get a similar taste by using cinnamon.

This dish can be served as a super simple salad or as a light and refreshing dessert plate.

Either way, it's an incredible combination of spice and sweetness, which always transports me back to Morocco.

Moroccan Orange Salad

Serves 2

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

2 navel oranges, peeled and sliced
1 tsp. Ras El Hanout or Cinnamon
1 tbsp. crushed pistachio
1 tbsp. pomegranate seeds
mint for garnish

Step 1) Arrange the sliced oranges on a beautiful plate. (You eat with your eyes first)
Step 2) Sprinkle the spices, pistachios and pomegranates over the oranges.
Step 3) Garnish with mint leaves.

Enjoy!

It's really that simple. Just one word of advice, slow down and really taste the flavour combination if
you do make this at home- for a minute, you may just forget that you haven't left your kitchen.

Recipe: Greek Yogurt Breakfast Bowls

Easily the Prettiest Breakfast

Naturally, I'm not much of a breakfast eater so I'm always looking for light and delicious foods that I can prep the night before or quickly in the morning and take with me on the go.
I don't have much of an appetite at 7 am but by mid-morning, I'm ready to eat!

I love making these yogurt bowls because they are delicious, quick, healthy and easy! Also, they travel quite well so they are the perfect solution if you need a morning snack or if you have your breakfast on the go.

Greek Yogurt is the base of this breakfast and it's a great source of calcium as well as vegetarian protein so it will keep you full for awhile!

Greek Yogurt Breakfast Bowls

1 1/2 cups of Greek Yogurt (vanilla or plain) 

             *I use Greek for added protein but you can use any yogurt you like

2-3 strawberries, sliced

1/2 banana, sliced

1/2 Tbsp of chia seeds (I used white chia seeds)

1/2 tsp of dehydrated coconut

some blueberries

optional- sliced almonds or granola for added crunch, honey or maple syrup for sweetness

Note: You can really use any fruit you like in this recipe. I like to use combinations that give it a pretty colour and look. You can use peaches, cherries and other berries or nuts too. It's fun to try different things and get creative in the kitchen.

1) Place your yogurt in a bowl or travel container and smooth out the surface with the back of a spoon

2) Decorate your bowl using the sliced fruits

3) If you're using plain yogurt, you can drizzle some honey or maple syrup on top for a little sweetness

4) Add chia seeds, coconut and nuts if using

If you are making this the night before, you can keep the seeds and nuts out until the morning and also keep your sliced fruit in a separate container. When you get to work or school, mix everything up for a delicious morning snack!

Hope you enjoy making this at home and that it makes your mornings just a little sweeter!

XO Angelie

Recipe: Stuffed Jalepeno Peppers

Easy Appetizer

Sometimes it's nice to have a few go-to recipes in your back pocket. These are dishes you can default to when you have unexpected company or you just feel like having a delicious bite with drinks on a random evening.

These stuffed jalapeno poppers are quick, easy crowd-pleasers. They are also vegetarian which helps me out as many of my family members don't eat meat or fish. 

If you like spicy eats, this is an app you will love and it comes together in no time.

Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

fresh Jalapeno peppers
garlic and herb cream cheese

shredded cheese (I like to use something with spice like a tex-mex mix or pepper jack)

bacon bits (optional)

panko bread crumbs (optional)

Directions

1) Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut each pepper in half. Using a grapefruit spoon or serrated knife, remove the white pith and seeds (this is the spicy part of the pepper)

2) Place all the peppers cut side down on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes or until softened

3) Let the peppers cool so you can work with them and then using a spoon, fill them with the cream cheese

4) Add additional toppings like panko for crunch and shredded cheese. (I've also tried them with bacon bits and the meat-eaters were all about it)

5) Put them back in the oven for another ten minutes or until the cheese has melted

6) Serve on their own or with marinara sauce (chopped green onions would also make a great garnish)