My Favourite Beverages

I don't drink soda pop, I don't often drink juice and I hate plain water. What's a girl to do? Here are some of my go-to tricks for quenching my thirst.

Water with Cucumber Slices
I first fell in love with cucumber flavoured water while dining at my favourite local Thai restaurant. It's such a simple and refreshing twist on plain old tap water. And when the water is done, you can still eat the cucumbers! Try it with fresh mint leaves too.

Soda Water with Fresh Muddled Lime & Soda Water with Cranberry Juice
These are my "cocktails". Soda & lime is a staple at home and soda with a splash of cranberry juice is my "going out" treat. To kick it up a bit I occasionally add fresh mint. Make sure your soda water is sodium free. In a pinch Perrier Lime is tasty too.

Clean Iced Tea
Fresh brewed tea, lemon slices and a bit of agave. It doesn't get much simpler than that.

Chocolate Peppermint Tea
For an evening treat, I brew a cup of peppermint tea (which aids in digestion) and add a teaspoon of Torani Sugar Free White Chocolate Syrup. Chocolate and peppermint - it's dessert in a mug!

I also drink a lot of tea at home. My favourites are Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice, Twinning's Lemon & Ginger and when I'm sick, Traditional Medicinals Lemon Echinacea Throat Coat.

What are your favourite beverage alternatives?

Roast Beef with Red Wine Mushroom Gravy

I was in Toronto last week to visit some friends. While there I visited the famous St. Lawrence Market, where I bought a jar of deliciously potent Horseradish Mustard from Kozlik's Canadian Mustard. For three days I have been craving this mustard slathered over a juicy slice of roast beef. Incidentally, if you are interested in trying Kozlik's, they are sold at several stores in the Lower Mainland, including Thrifty Foods in Coquitlam!

Recipe adapted from the Canadian Beef Producers website.

Roast Beef

2-4 lb beef oven roast (I used an inside round roast)
6 cloves of garlic, cut into thin slivers (about 3 slices per clove)
course salt and fresh cracked pepper
beef & steak seasoning rub (optional)

1. Remove roast from refrigerator 1-2 hours before cooking to bring to room temperature. (A room temperature roast will brown better!)

2. Cut shallow slits all over roast and insert garlic slivers into slits. Sprinkle all over with salt and pepper. Rub with beef & steak seasoning rub if desired.


3. Place roast, fatty side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert an oven-safe meat thermometer into centre of the roast. Cook, uncovered at 450°F for 10 minutes, turning once. Reduce heat to 275°F and cook until thermometer reads 140°F for medium-rare to medium. For a small to medium roast this could take 1-1/4 to 2-1/4 hours. For a larger roast this could take 2-1/4 to 3 hours. Cooking times are estimates only and vary oven to oven. Different roast types and shape can also affect cooking times. Check the chart below for a guideline and be sure to check on your roast after 1 hour and ever 15 - 30 minutes thereafter. My 2.12 pound roast took 1 hour and 25 minutes reach 140°F internal temperature and it was cooked perfectly medium-rare. It would be even easier if you have a digital thermometer where you can set the desired temperature and it will notify you when that temperature is reached. Unfortunately, I don't have one of those!

4. When desired temperature is reached, remove roast from oven and cover loosely with foil. Let stand for 15-20 minutes before removing to a cutting board for slicing.



Red Wine Mushroom Gravy

3 tablespoons pan drippings from roasting pan
2 teaspoons butter
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
1 cup beef broth
1 cup red wine
2 teaspoons fresh cracked mixed peppercorns
1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with a splash or two of water.

1. Pour 3 tablespoons of drippings from the roasting pan into a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high heat. Add butter and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have browned and sauce reduced by half.

2. Add broth, wine and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer until mixture has reduced slightly, about 10 minutes.

3. Add cornstarch to pan and whisk continually until gravy has thickened. Pour over steak and mashed potatoes!

Oysters on the Half Shell with Pickled Shallot Vinegar

It's week four of my online cooking class, Surf & Turf at Cheeseslave. This week, Ann Marie taught us how to pick fresh seafood and we learned several recipes for uncooked seafood dishes, like ceviche and sashimi. She also showed us a great way to shuck raw oysters.


Oysters are extremely good for our health and are listed in The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth. According to author Johnny Bowden, a 1 cup serving of oysters supplies more than 100 percent of the recommended daily value of Zinc. Zinc is important to healthy immune function and fertility, among other things. Oysters are also a mood elevator as they are rich in the amino acid tyrosine, which the brain converts to dopamine. Before dealing with raw oysters at home, make sure you read up about how to buy and store fresh shellfish. Raw oysters are safe to eat, if handled properly.


A few weeks ago, I ordered an oyster knife online from Golda's Kitchen, in anticipation of this lesson. Yesterday I picked up 8 small fresh oysters from the market and today I got down to business! I was pretty apprehensive about the process. Not sure if any of you have seen Bob Blumer's Glutton For Punishment? He participated in an "Oyster Shuck Off" in one episode. Let's just say there was a lot of blood. As it turns out, oyster shucking is not that hard, or that dangerous! Actually, it's incredibly easy. I made it through my eight in under 10 minutes, and had only minor difficulties with two of them. But... this post isn't about how to shuck oysters. I am certainly no expert. There are loads of videos on YouTube that can help you out. All I can tell you is to make sure you have a proper oyster knife, a sturdy wooden cutting board, a clean dish towel and a steady hand! And DON'T STRESS! And if someone tells you a butter knife will work just fine to shuck an oyster, DO NOT BELIEVE IT. You need an oyster knife. You can pick one up at most any kitchen supply or speciality shop for about $10.

OXO Good Grips Oyster Knife
I love topping my raw oysters with a squeeze of fresh lemon, a dash of Tabasco, a little bit of grated fresh horseradish or pickled shallot vinegar - but not all together! I made the Pickled Shallots during week three of the Preserve the Bounty Challenge. French Food at Home does a pickled shallot on fresh oysters. My favourite seafood restaurant, Rodney's Oyster House also serves their fresh oysters on the half shell with a pickled shallot vinegar. It's delicious! Pickled shallots are also a great condiment for many other things, like salads, sandwiches, antipasti platters, meat and poultry!



Pickled Shallot Vinegar

2 large shallots
1 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 sprig fresh thyme

1. Peel shallots and slice thinly.

2. In a medium saucepan, mix together vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring often to dissolve sugar. Add shallots and stir.

3. Bring to a simmer and cook for one minute. Add thyme sprig. Remove from heat and let cool at room temperature.

4. Transfer mixture to a glass canning jar. Cover and refrigerate for at least one week before using. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two months.

Alternatively - if you want to heat process your canned shallots for shelf stable storage, complete the directions up to step 3, but do not let the mixture cool. Pack shallots into cleaned and sanitized jars with a small sprig of thyme. Fill with hot vinegar mixture to 1/2 inch below the rim. Cap your jars and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.

Adventures in Food Dehydrating

On a whim I went out and bought a food dehydrator. I did some online research and read some reviews and decided on the Nesco American Harvest. My main reasons for choosing this one were the price, the availability at my local London Drugs and the mostly positive reviews on Amazon. The pricier Nesco Gardenmaster didn't rate as well. I also like the square design and thought it might be easier to store than the larger, round units. (Just after posting this, the London Drugs flyer arrived at my door. The very same model I purchased is on sale for $20 less! Thankfully London Drugs offers 30 days for price adjustments. If you are looking for a food dehydrator, sale starts Tuesday!)

London Drugs offers a 15 day trial on all their electronics and small appliances so when I got the Nesco home, I immediately put it to use. I figured herbs would be a good place to start. Relatively mess free and easy to prepare. I clipped all the curly parsley in my garden as well as loads of basil and Italian parsley. I rinsed and patted dry everything then arranged it all on the trays. The instruction booklet says herbs can take 20-24 hours to dry. In reality - not even close. Most of my curly parsley was done after 29 hours. The basil was no where close. After removing the completed curly parsley, I re-arranged the trays and put the basil at the top (the drying mechanism is at the top so the air blows downwards). I anticipated the longer drying times because many of the customer reviews advised of this but I was surprised at just HOW MUCH LONGER it actually takes.

At the 49 hour point, my basil was STILL not dry, and actually no where close to being dry. I decided to scrap it all together because after two days, the flavour and natural oil was surely compromised. Next time I will dry air drying in a cool place. Despite the lengthly drying time, and the basil failure, I did end up with a nice little tin of dried parsley. It smells fantastic and I can't wait to use it!

Next up JERKY! Apparently this machine was made for jerky so I was expecting good things. I bought a package of inside round blade steaks (very, very thin). Four fair sized pieces only cost $4.50. I cut them into wide strips and placed in a bowl of jerky marinade (powdered mix that came with the dehydrator). I marinated the beef in the fridge for about 16 hours (they recommend 12-24 hours). Then I arranged the beef neatly on a drying try and turned the machine on to high. Within minutes my kitchen smelled wonderful. Only five hours later and I had delicious, tender jerky! The book said it could take anywhere from 4-14 hours. I should have checked it soon as it probably would have been ready at 4 hours. Some pieces are a bit tough but it's still really good. There would have been more in the picture but I ate quite a few pieces to "sample" it! Jerky success! Since the original batch, I have made more jerky using strip steak and tri-tip steak that I cut into thin slices, against the grain. The steaks were partially frozen so cutting them very thin was easier. These ones were good too, but I prefer the ease of using the inside round steaks. The inside rounds are leaner so the finished jerky it not oily and they tasted better.

My last experiment was blueberries from the Farmer's Market. After rinsing the blueberries, I drizzled some lemon juice over them, then arranged the berries on the drying trays. I was expecting completely dehydrated blueberries but after more than 15 hours, I got little raisin like things. I poured them into a ziplock and popped them in my freezer. I think I will use them in homemade granola mixes, yogurt and baking. Incidentally, after doing the blueberries, I learned there is a difference between drying an item and dehydrating it. Drying eliminates about 75% of the moisture content in foods. Dehydrating removes about 98% of it. Both can be done in a dehydrator, you just need to adjust the length of time. If I want fruits moist and chewy, they need to be dried, which takes less time. If I want they dehydrated and completely dry, they need more time. I'm learning that patience is a big part of food dehydrating. I'd still like to try cherries, but I'm waiting on a new cherry pitter. Mine is an old fashioned thing, like an old school syringe. It kills the finger and takes a fair bit of pressure to get the pit out (pictured right). I'm upgrading to an Oxo Good Grips Cherry Pitter. It looks a little more easy to use and less like a torture device.

So far I am pleased with my purchase. It isn't too loud when running (similar to medium setting on my range hood exhaust fan), it produces great results (aside from the oregano fiasco) and it's super easy to use! Future dehydrating experiments: flax crackers, Salmon jerky, fruit leathers, dried cherries, apples and mangoes! What else can I dehydrate??

Top and bottom photos in post from Google Images.

Hibiscus Tea Smoothie

Hibiscus Tea is often referred to as the "Super flower" tea. It is said that Hibiscus Tea can lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and, since it is rich in vitamin C, contribute to a healthy immune system. Sounds great, right? Only one problem. I can't stomach Hibiscus tea. The smell is too floral and overpowering so I have a very hard time getting it down. Instead I thought I would try to mask the strong scent by using the tea in a smoothie of frozen berries and yogurt.

Marianne has been looking for pure Hibiscus Tea all over Vancouver. I found mine while visiting the States (can't remember if it was in Palm Springs or North Carolina). If you have trouble finding Hibiscus Tea (or any other variety), check out The Republic of Tea.



Their Be Well Red Tea Collection is great; the Get Clean Tea for daily detox is my favourite. It's red rooibos based with milk thistle seed, sarsaparilla root, danelion root, chicory root and other things to help flush out your liver and kidneys. It's all natural and flavoured with a hint of vanilla and almond. Much tastier than drinking straight dandelion root tea!

Anyway, back to the Hibiscus Tea Smoothie...

Makes 1 large Smoothie

3/4 cup strongly brewed Hibiscus Tea, cooled slightly
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup plain or Greek yogurt
1/2 cup frozen berries (I used blueberries & strawberries this time. Raspberries are great too!)
1 tbsp ground flax seed or flax oil

1. Add everything to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Try Green Tea or other herbal teas in place of Hibiscus!

Healthy Eating Reference Books

Today I'd like to share with you all the books that forever changed the way I view food and the way I cook and eat. About two years ago I became far more conscious of where the food I eat was coming from, how it was produced and how it was affecting my body. You may have already seen (Food Inc.) or read (Skinny Bitch) some horror stories about the food industry. The four books listed below are different, in that they seek to educate, not scare.

1. The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth by Johnny Bowden


This is the first book I bought and the book that had the most impact on my diet. It was recommended by Lori, who affectionately refers to it as her "food bible". Rather than tell me what not to eat and why everything is bad for me (think Skinny Bitch), The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth tells me what I should be eating to get the optimum health benefits from food. Written by acclaimed health expert Johnny Bowden, the book contains a plethora of interesting facts about the food you love and explains why it is so good for our bodies. Bowden even encourages the inclusion of dairy (raw milk!) and red meat in our diets (organic, grass fed, pasture raised, of course). He's also big on the use of spices and promotes the consumption of chocolate & red wine (in moderation)! Marianne was pleased to see Bowden promote the healthy consumption of eggs - the whole egg - yolk and all. Another interesting thing is that Bowden is one of the few mainstream health experts to speak out against canola oil, saying that "high-temperature processing increases trans-fats in canola oil". Instead he favours butter, ghee, coconut oil and palm oil. Modern vegetable oils do not make an appearance in his list. Thank goodness!

2. In Defence of Food by Michael Pollan



"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." And so begins Michael Pollan's look at how the food industry and the Western diet is killing us. He says food has turned into science. Low fat, low calorie, low carb, high fibre. The food industry is making a killing off diet trends and killing us in the process. Pollan refers to it as the American Paradox: "The more we worry about nutrition, the less healthy we seem to become". We are a society living off refined, processed foods full of preservatives, additives, fillers and very little nutrients. It's said that this is the first generation of children not expected to live longer than their parents. It's shocking and it's an eye opener - especially when you learn how little the Government intervenes in food manufacturing and how big business and corporate lobbyists control how our food is grown and produced. (The movie Food Inc. also discusses this but it's much more sensationalized.) Of course Pollan has an agenda of his own, but his message is worth consideration.

3. The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating by Alisa Smith & James MacKinnon



From the book jacket: "When Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon learned that the average ingredient in a North American meal travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate, they decided to launch a simple experiment to reconnect with the people and places that produced what they ate. For one year, they would only consume food that came from within a 100-mile radius of their Vancouver apartment. The 100-Mile Diet was born."

Endearing and enlightening, the tale of Alisa & James struck a cord for me. I watched every episode of "The 100 Mile Challenge" on the Food Network (a reality based documentary where Alisa & James recruited six families in Mission, B.C. to take on the 100 Mile Challenge) and really began to consider how important local eating really is to our health, our environment and our economy. The true 100 Mile Diet may not be practical for every day living (no wheat, no olive oil, no soy sauce!) but there are changes we can all make to incorporate some of the 100 Mile philosophy into our lives and our kitchens.

4. Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds of ways to live to be 100 by Dr. Maoshing Ni



The author, Maoshing Ni is a world renowned doctor of Chinese medicine. Inspired by thousands of years of Chinese tradition Secrets of Longevity is full of wisdom and sage advise on diet, healing, exercise, relationships, and community. It's no surprise that some of the ancient secrets in the chapter on nutrition are echoed in The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth and some of the other tidbits on healthy living are touted by doctors and health experts all over the world. It's a quick and enjoyable read.

Of course there are dozens more books out there with similar messages as these four, but these are the ones that have had the most impact on me. I'm always open to new and interesting reads, so please, if you have any suggestions, share in the comments.

P.S. For those of you who have read Skinny Bitch and are wondering why I picked on it a bit, I really, really disliked the message in the book. Maybe you connected with the message and you consider it a book that changed your life, like some of the ones above changed mine. I, on the other hand, found it to be totally misleading and actually detrimental to those looking to live a truly healthy, well balanced life style. For those that haven't read it, Skinny Bitch, in my opinion, is nothing more than vegan propaganda and fear mongering at its best. I agree there are compelling reasons to live a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, but the arguments in Skinny Bitch do not help the cause.

P.S.S. All four books I posted are linked to their Chapters.ca listing in the side bar under "Required Reading". Click and buy!

My Favourite Kitchen Tools - Part Three: Cookware

My list of favourite kitchen items continues with... cookware! See Part One. See Part Two.

1. Cast Iron Fry Pan and Cast Iron Grill Pan - Sear on the stove and finish in the oven. Makes pretty grill marks when you don't feel like grilling outdoors. Easy to clean, in fact, barely any cleaning at all! Simply wipe out with a dry paper towel. For tough, baked on messes, use a paper towel soaked in vinegar. (This is up for debate, but occasionally, a very gentle cleaning with soap and water is okay in my books.)




2. Basket Steamer - Steams vegetables in no time at all without resorting to the microwave! I also like to use it when making mashed potatoes. Steamed potatoes mash nicer than boiled potatoes. Michael Smith told me so!


3. Dutch Oven - Stewing and braising with ease. Stove to oven to table is a breeze! Some may call this a French Oven - some being the French cookware company Le Creuset. There is absolutely no difference, and since I have Dutch heritage, I prefer the Dutch moniker. Although in France and the Netherlands I suspect they simply call this a "cocotte" or casserole dish. :)


4. All-Clad Sauté Pan - This was a gift from my mother last Christmas and I really don't know how I used to cook without it. A good quality sauté pan is a must! Large base, high sides, even heat distribution. A sauté pan IS NOT the same as a frying pan. And please - none of that non-stick nonsense. How are you supposed deglaze your pan and scrape up all those flavourful crunchy bits in a non-stick pan?


What are your favourite pieces of kitchen cookware?

My Favourite Kitchen Tools - Part Two: Appliances

My list of "must have" kitchen tools continues with... Appliances! See Part One.

1. Magic Bullet Blender - I have a mini food processor and a full size blender but I always come back to my bullet. Compact, powerful and easy to clean.


2. Rice Cooker - Perfect rice, every time, without burning the bottom of your pan. (Yes, I do that.)


3: Immersion Blender - Great for blending soups & sauces right in the pan. Saves time and clean up.


4. Slow Cooker - Soups, stews, pot roasts, shredded braised beef... perfect for winter comfort foods and perfect for a busy work week. Put everything in the crock pot, turn it on before you head to work and dinner is ready when you get home!


5. Electric Tea Kettle - (Cordless is best!) I use mine at least once every day. It boils water in a minute or less. Great to have for a quick cup of tea before I head to work.


What are your favourite applicances?

My Favourite Kitchen Tools - Part One: Gadgets

Being a kitchen cowgirl rather than an expert cook, I don't always use the right utensil for the job or use a utensil the way it is intended to be use. I do have a few favourites that I tend to stick with, no matter what I'm making. These are my go-to gadgets.

1. Silicone Locking Tongs - Heat resistant to 575 degrees F and extremely handy when cooking meat.


2. Silicon Spoon - My prefered tool for soups, sauces and stir fries.


3. Whiskie (Mini Whisk) - A silly, kitchy gadget but one I use ALL THE TIME. I love Whiskie! For eggs, sauces, dressings... you name it.


4. Microplane Grater/Zester - Grate hard cheese, nutmeg or chocolate and zest citrus with speed and ease.


5. Fine Mesh Strainer - Strain soups, sauces and rinse your quinoa. (Laura Calder has it on her list of top tools to have in a French kitchen!)


What are your favourite gadgets?

Thai Away - Meals in Minutes

I'm not usually one to purchase or promote pre-made, frozen meals but when I found Thai Away Meals in Minutes at IGA recently, I had to give it a try. I love Thai food, especially red curry.

Thai Away is a Vancouver based restaurant chain that also produces frozen prepared Thai entrees and sauces.

I bought and tried the Red Thai Curry with Chicken entree and the Yellow Thai Curry. It's meant to serve two. I am not kidding when I say this - it was absolutely FANTASTIC. The Red Thai curry contains fairly large chunks of chicken, butternut squash and Thai basil leaves. The package also includes a side of brown Jasmine rice. You simply boil a large pot of water and place the two frozen packages in the water for 10 minutes (or microwave). There are no preservatives. No MSG. Nothing you can't pronounce or recognize.

I will definitely be buying these frozen entrees again. They're absolutely perfect for an on-the-go or in-a-pinch meal.

See here for a list of other entrees available.

See here for a list of grocers that carry the Meals in Minutes products. Pretty well every IGA in the Lower Mainland is listed along with Wholefoods/Capers, Nestor's Markets and Choices.

Shopping Adventures

Yesterday Marianne and I went to Organic World's Specialty Meats to see what they had to offer. A couple of my co-workers had told me good things about Organic World and the reviews on Yelp were very positive so I was excited to check it out. Thankfully, the reviews and recommendations did not disappoint.



I picked up 4 organic, boneless, skinless chicken breast (2 marinated) and 1 lb of organic lean ground beef for the whopping price of $16 and change. The beef was $2.20. The chicken was about $7 per package, only a dollar or so more than the cost for non-organic chicken at a conventional grocery store.

Organic World has a huge selection of fresh and frozen meat, poultry, cold cuts and seafood. They even have game meat. Marianne picked up some Bison Pepperoni and Bison Cheese & Jalapeno Smokies (only $3.99)! Great prices, great selection, great quality.

Organic World's Specialty Meats
22268 Dewdney Trunk Road
Maple Ridge, BC V2X 3H9
(604) 476-0717

* * * * *

Next up was a visit to the Trout Lake Farmers Market in East Vancouver. It was crowded when we got there just after 9am. I immediately got in line for heirloom tomatoes from Celyddon Farms. Marianne wandered over to another booth to pick up farm fresh asparagus (the first of the season). I also picked up some green onions and rhubarb and a tub of Bean Boy Creations Organic Hummus (Smokey Tomato Chipotle flavour)!



The best part of the market was all the organic herb & plant vendors. I bought an italian parsley plant, a curly parsley plant, two basil plants, one Thai basil plant, three strawberry plants and one container of assorted lettuce plants. Prices varied from booth to booth but I think I did well in the deal department.

Lettuce Container Flat and Curly Pasley Italian Basil and Thai Basil


Trout Lake Farmers Market
EatLocal.Org
North Parking Lot of John Hendry Park
3300 Victoria Drive (At E. 15th Ave)
Vancouver, B.C.
Saturdays 9am - 2pm

All in all it was shopping success. Next Sunday I hope to visit the Coquitlam Farmers Market.

And... more recipes coming soon, including a strawberry rhubarb crisp and an heirloom cherry tomato salad!

Heirloom Tomato, Bocconcini & Basil Spinach Salad with Balsamic Reduction (Insalata Caprese)

I think this one takes the prize for longest title. Some fancier foodies/chefs/bloggers would call it Caprese Salad but it doesn't quite have the same ring to it as HTBBSS. It also takes the prize for quickest, tastiest and most gourmet lunch ever.

There is no recipe for this salad. I sliced some fresh heirloom tomatoes (pretty orange & yellow striped ones), tore up some fresh basil leaves, threw some spinach on the plate, topped it all with some baby bocconcini pieces, sprinkled it all with course salt and fresh cracked pepper and drizzled on a generous amount of reduced balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Delicious!

I've been making this salad for quite a while. It was inspired by a similar one I had at a local Irish Pub once. Normally I make my own balsamic reduction by simply simmering one cup of balsamic vinegar until it's been reduced by half. It's easy to do but it takes a while and smells up the kitchen.

Yesterday I went to the 18th Annual Vancouver Wellness Show and bought a bottle of Nonna Pia's Gourmet Classic Balsamic Reduction. It's produced and bottled in Whistler. It feels right to support a local, family run business. And it's a good product; a really, really good product. Saves time and no smelly kitchen!

Speaking of local eating, this month marks the opening of many community farmers markets. If you're in the Coquitlam area check here. Vancouver? Look here. Other cities across the province of BC? Check this one.

I will post more in depth about farmers markets and what it means to be "local", another day.

Cookies & Ice Cream

Last year, 10cent posted about a Dairy Free & Soy Free ice cream, made from coconut milk. The product had instant appeal to me since I'm trying to reduce my dairy intake and I have a strong disdain for most things soy based (aside from natural soy beans). Coconut milk ice cream seemed too good to be true.

I was at Whole Foods yesterday and finally located the coveted coconut milk ice cream. Made by Turtle Mountain, in my neck of the woods it is called "So Delicious" instead of "Purely Decadent" for some reason. This luscious treat contains SIX ingredients (Michael Pollan would be pleased) and is sweetened with Agave syrup which is perfect for the diabetic ice cream loving contingent of my family. The texture is so light and creamy, almost like soft serve. I hate hard ice cream so this is absolutely divine. Mint Chip is my favourite!

For an extra special treat, I topped my ice cream with a little gluten free chocolate chip cookie, made by KinniKinnick Foods. Made with pea starch, the Montanas Chocolate Chip Cookies are the BEST gluten free cookies I have ever tasted. The taste and texture is very similar to Dad's Chocolate Chip Cookies and for gluten free, that is a pretty good comparison. Unfortunately these are not "health food" cookies, so one or two every once in a while does a craving just fine.

Quejos Brazilian Cheesebuns

A few years ago, while at Granville Island Market, I picked up a couple bags of Quejos Cheesebuns. Back then, I didn't know what it meant to be "gluten free", I just knew that these buns were very, very good.

While at Whole Foods recently, I found Quejos again. Still wheat, gluten and yeast free and now a line of dairy free cheesebuns, made with soy, and another line made with coconut milk; Made in Vancouver, Quejos have come a long way, baby.

Spinach and Onion is my favourite but the Jalapeno ones are good too. I have mine with breakfast, as a snack, or use them to make a sandwich. Toasted then slathered with a bit of butter, they are chewy and doughy and just darn good. closer to "real" bread than any gluten free product I have encountered and they don't weigh the same as a brick! Bonus!

It's a weekday, but I'm having a "weekend" breakfast of champions... two poached eggs, one turkey sausage, a big old fruit salad and a Quejos. Yum yum!