Monthly Archives: May 2015

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Blueberry Vodka Lemonade

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Blueberry Vodka Lemonade

 

A refreshing lemonade cocktail, perfect for a summer day in the sun!

Ingredients

  • 1.5 oz blueberry vodka
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • 1.5 oz simple syrup
  • Splash of club soda
  • Fresh mint (optional)

Method

Fill a rocks glass with ice and add vodka, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Top the glass with club soda. If desired, add a few mint leaves. Stir and serve      immediately.

*To achieve a layered effect, add the blueberry vodka last and pour slowly over the back of a large spoon.

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Blood Orange and Arugula Salad

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Blood Orange and Arugula Salad

A super quick and easy salad that looks as good as it tastes. It’s light, refreshing, and a perfect addition to any meal.

If you can’t get a hold of blood oranges you can swap in a different variety

 

Ingredients

  • 1 Blood orange
  • 1 Handful of Arugula
  • 1 Tbsp feta cheese
  • 1 Tbsp pine nuts
  • ½ Tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. Peel and cut blood orange into quarter inch slices
  2. Toast pine nuts in a dry pan until they start to change color
  3. Top sliced blood orange with arugula, crumbled feta and pine nuts
  4. Drizzle with good quality olive oil
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Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Paletas

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Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Paletas

These Paletas are the perfect summer snack. Light, refreshing, and bursting with strawberry flavour, they will leave you craving more.

Feel free to omit the chocolate for an even lighter snack.   You can also make these fancier by drizzling white chocolate or chopped nuts over them.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds of strawberries, hulled and halved
  • 5 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups chopped semi-sweet chocolate
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil

Method

  1. Place halved strawberries along with sugar and vanilla in a large bowl and allow to sit for 30 minutes
  2. Transfer strawberries along with their juices and the lemon juice into a blender and blend until smooth
  3. Pour mixture into your popsicle molds and freeze over night (depending on the size of your molds, you should get about 10 popsicles out of this recipe)
  4. When ready to dip, melt chocolate along with coconut oil and transfer to narrow glass or jar for dipping
  5. Dip each Paleta, one at a time, into melted chocolate and then place onto parchment paper. Re-freeze for at least 20 minutes before serving
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Squares

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Squares

Nothing is wrong with the classic rice krispy square. They are so gooey and delicious. But can you really go wrong by adding  peanut butter and chocolate? I don’t think so. Take simple rice krispy squares to the next level with this recipe. It’s sure to be a hit for your next dessert.

Ingredients

5 cups rice krispies
20 mini peanut butter cups
¼ cup butter
1 package (10 ounces) marshmallows
1 cup peanut butter chips
½ cup chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

 

Method

  1. Lightly grease a 9’’x13’’ baking pan with butter or cooking spray
  2. In a large saucepan, melt butter and add in marshmallows stirring until they are completely melted.
  3. Remove from heat then add vanilla, peanut butter cups, peanut butter chips, and chocolate chips, stir to combine. Reserve some peanut butter cups, peanut butter chips and chocolate chips to use as toppings.
  4. Using a spatula, pour and spread mixture into baking pan and evenly press down. Press on some peanut butter cups and drizzle with melted chocolate chips and peanut butter chips.
  5. Cool and then cut into squares
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Homemade Walnut Pesto

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Homemade Walnut Pesto

With this simple pesto ready in minutes, there’s no need to buy jarred pesto ever again. It’s so fresh and easy you can’t go wrong. My favorite way to eat it is to toss spaghetti or penne in it but it also makes a great spread for sandwiches.

I like to add the mint because I think it brightens it up but if you don’t like mint, or don’t have any on hand you can definitely just use more basil. You can also experiment by using different nuts. The great thing about this is you really can’t screw it up. If you find that the flavors aren’t right, you can always balance it out by adding more of something else.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup basil leaves, packed
  • ¼ cup mint leaves, packed
  • 1/3 cup walnuts
  • 1/3 cup Parmesan, grated
  • 1/2 extra virgin olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • Course Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Add basil, mint, and garlic to a food processor and pulse to roughly chop
  2. Add the walnuts and Parmesan and pulse several more times
  3. Lastly, add the olive oil and pulse to combine. Season with salt and freshly cracked pepper
  4. If the pesto is too thick, slowly add more oil until you reach your desired consistency
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Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

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Quinoa Black Bean Burgers

Make a big batch of these burgers to keep in the freezer for a quick and easy weeknight meal. They are delicious on lettuce “buns” but also work great between normal hamburger buns. These burgers are also completely vegetarian and gluten-free.

I had the pictured burger on an english muffin with avocado, tomato, red onion, cheddar cheese, arugula, and Sriracha mayo.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa (raw)
  • 2 Sweet potatoes
  • 2 cans (15oz) black beans
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • 1 white onion
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 roasted red peppers
  • 2 Chipotles in adobo sauce
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 egg

Method

  1. Add quinoa to 2 cups of water (can use chicken stock if you want) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes and then fluff with a fork.
  2. Pre-heat oven to 350°F Peel sweet potato and cut into large chunks. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 1 hour or until soft. The previous steps can be done in advance.
  3. In a food processor, combine black beans (reserve ¾ cup for later), oats, onion, garlic, roasted red pepper, chipotles pepper, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Pulse several times until well incorporated.
  4. Place mixture in a large bowl along with cooked quinoa, reserved black beans, and finely chopped sweet potato. Mix everything together, cover and refrigerate for ½ hour.
  5. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly grease with olive oil. Form patties with about ½ cup of the mixture and place on baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake for 30 minutes.
  6. Serve with your favorite toppings and condiments.

 

 

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Jalapeño Lime Infused Tequila

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Jalapeño-Lime Infused Tequila

Impress your friends with this simple and fun infused tequila!

Infusing alcohols can take anywhere from several days to a week, but by using the Nomiku, you can infuse tons of flavor in only an hour. Learn more about the Nomiku and sous vide cooking at www.nomiku.com

Ingredients

  • 500 ml silver tequila
  • 1 jalapeño
  • 1 lime

Method

  1. Set Nomiku water bath to 135ºF (57ºC)
  2. Fill Mason jar with tequila, 1 sliced jalapeño, and the zest of 1 lime (remove the zest carefully with a pairing knife, or peeler); close jar
  3. Place the jar in the water bath so the water reaches the bottom of the rim. (Pre-measure by placing the mason jar in your cooking vessel and filling it with water until the water level reaches the rim).
  4. Allow the tequila to infuse for 1 hour
  5. Remove jar from water bath and strain tequila into a bottle or into another jar once cooled
  6. Enjoy in your favorite tequila based cocktail!
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Sriracha Honey Garlic Noodles

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Sriracha Honey Garlic Noodles

One of my most craved foods is always some sort of spicy noodle dish. Whether it’s Pad Thai or Chinese, it usually involves takeout. These noodles always satisfy my cravings and eliminate the need for ordering in. They are so easy and quick to make and they are super addicting. The only bad thing about these noodles is that you can never get enough.

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup light soy sauce
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp sriracha (more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 lime
  • 500g chow mein noodles
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. Boil a large pot of water and Cook noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside (slightly undercook them because they will continue cooking later)
  2. Combine soy sauce, honey, garlic, sriracha, sesame oil, and lime   juice in a bowl and stir together
  3. Heat wok or large pan over high heat and add a bit of olive oil
  4. Add noodles to hot wok and pour over some of the sauce to coat the noodles (you’ll want to save a bit to pour on before serving)
  5. Stir fry the noodles with the sauce for a minute until fully heated through and serve hot

*This is just a basic recipe for the noodles. You can add any veggies or protein you want to make it a more substantial meal.

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Pico de Gallo

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A big bowl of pico de gallo with crispy tortilla chips is one of my absolute favorite snacks. It’s light, healthy, and so refreshing. When I take a bite, it reminds me of sitting on the beach in Mexico on a hot sunny day.  It’s also one of those things that I never get sick of.  I could literally eat it with a spoon.  I highly recommend giving this recipe a try!

Ingredients

  • 4 vine ripened tomatoes
  • ½ red onion
  • 1 jalapeño pepper
  • 1 bunch of cilantro
  • 1 lime
  • salt + pepper

Method

  1. Dice tomatoes
  2. Finely chop red onion
  3. Remove seeds and ribs of jalapeño and finely chop (I like to leave some seeds and ribs in for extra heat)
  4. Chop a bunch of cilantro
  5. Combine all ingredients in bowl and squeeze the juice of one lime in
  6. Gently combine and season with salt and pepper to taste

*Serve with tortilla chips or as a topping for tacos