Summer lovin

Loving the chili lime hummus that I bought at the market recently.

I've got Dandies for my Yams...

It's Thanksgiving this weekend here in Canada.  There's always so much hype around the US Thanksgiving, is it wrong of me to feel underwhelmed with ours?  I was talking to some co-workers yesterday about how, when I was growing up, I hated everything that was served on our Thanksgiving menu.

My mom always made a molded green jello ring mixed with cottage cheese. I forget what it's called - I want to say ambrosia salad but I don't think that's right.  In any case, it's revolting.  My cousin makes a yam dish baked with marshmallows on top, and of course there's the turkey and ham.  Blehhh.  I used to fill up on dinner rolls and corn.  Not really much of a feast, to say the least.  Weekday meals were far more interesting.

Being vegan since the age of 14, I looked forward to the family gathering more than the food that was served, but I really do wish I could do both.

This year my cousin (the yam and marshmallow girl) has invited us over to celebrate Thanksgiving at her place.  I'm determined to make it my best Thanksgiving meal ever.  So I've got Dandies for my yams, and I'm making a huge baked vegetable medley for everyone too.  There will be lots of vegan goodies, so stay tuned for photos of the feast!

When life hands you eggplant...make Baba Ghanouj!

A friend came over for dinner recently before she left for a vacation,  and she unexpectedly brought over a huge bag of produce - she didn't want to throw it away but she didn't think it wouldn't last until she got back from her trip.  Among the goodies were asparagus, tofu, cilantro, fennel, and grilled eggplant.

I was almost finished making dinner (avocado rolls and tofu) when she arrived, but she insisted on making a fennel salad, which I had never tried before.  I can't remember exactly what she did - I think she just chopped the fennel, tossed it in some olive oil and sprinked on some freshly ground salt and pepper.  In any case, it was super delicious and I'll have to ask her exactly how she made it next time I see her.

I was originally going to make hummus but I wasn't sure how long this eggplant would last in the fridge so I decided to turn it into a dip which turned out to be absolutely delicious with my organic yellow baby carrots.  The meal turned out to be quite a clash of several cuisines but everything tasted so good we stuffed ourselves to the gills.

Eggplant Dip (baba ghanouj)

2 cups cooked eggplant (grilled and seasoned)
1 tbsp tahini
juice from 1/2 lemon
2 garlic cloves
salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until smooth.

Easter Weekend: Bunnies and Egg Hunts

The Easter Bunny visited our house this weekend!  Our bunny brought healthy treats like raisins and organic animal cookies.  Gordita is two years old now, finally old enough to search and find the hidden treats.  We shared her delight as she gingerly opened each plastic egg to take a peek at what was waiting inside.

After an egg hunt around the house, we joined in the local Easter parade, walking alongside the bagpipe players (or in Gordita's case, riding her tricycle).  The parade ended at the park where we took photos with the Easter bunny.

I baked a big delicious loaf of PPK banana bread in the afternoon, and cooked a huge veggie stirfry with brown rice and spicy peanut sauce for dinner.  It was a yummy happy Easter for us, and I hope it was for you too!

Avocado Haiku

Avocados have such a pretty color, don't you agree? I think it's one of my favourite colors in Mother Nature's rainbow.  Though I've tried several different varieties of this little power-nutrient fruit, the only kind that seems to be available in my area is the Hass variety.  When you look at the knobbly brownish-green skin, it's hard to believe that there is something so creamy, rich and smooth inside.  It's like another example of the old saying "don't judge a book by its cover."

I made up a haiku about Hass avocados the other day while I was cutting one up to add to a salad.
 

Hass avocado,
rough alligator skin with
rich buttery flesh

Haikus are fun, I think I might try to make up some more!

New Resolutions for a New Year

Ahh, the magical time of the New Year is nearly upon us. Although the date of the new year has changed many times throughout history, the tradition of New Year's resolutions has been around for nearly 4,000 years, thanks to the Babylonians. I read one article that claimed "a customary resolution was returning something borrowed from a friend in the previous year." I think they were onto something!


Did you know that January is named after the Roman god Janus, the god of gates and doors, beginnings and endings? It is said Janus could see into the future and the past,and was often depicted with two faces, one looking ahead and one looking behind.

My resolutions are often the same, such as improving my Spanish vocabulary, travel more, start a new hobby...but this year I'm changing it up a bit and also adding some new goals.

• I've taken up running and I'd like to continue it and run my first half-marathon in September 2010
• get more active in the vegan community - check out my new facebook page!
• more blog posts!

I must admit, I love reading about ancient civilizations, it was my favorite subject in school as long as i can remember and I also studied it in college. So what started out as a whim to find out when New Year's resolutions came about, led to some amazing culinary discoveries that I can't possibly fit into one blog post. I'm really excited about sharing what I've learned with you all, so stay tuned!

In the meanwhile, don't forget to join my facebook page and share your new year's reso's in the comments.

Soda you can chew on?!

Tofurky flavoured soda?  Yes, you read that right.  Now I've heard of some strange things before, but this has got to top the list of of all time.  I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried this.  Jones has always been quirky and fun, daring and different - but who has dared to try this concoction - and does it actually taste like tofurky and gravy?  My curiosity is getting the better of me.  I havn't seen this in any stores in my neighborhood yet, otherwise I'd take a swig and let you know myself.

Bon appetite!

A Day at the Farm

I recently took Gordita to Westham Island Herb Farm, when they were hosting thier annual "Day at the Farm."  It was less about animals and more about promoting local agriculture, and there was so much to see and do: A zucchini contest, hayrides, lots of booths full of educational material about agriculture, and more.  Here's Gordita with her biodegradable balloon from one of the vendors:

We sat under the shade of some trees which have just started to shed their golden leaves, and and enjoyed freshly picked corn on the cob and veggie dogs for lunch!

We went on a hayride and got a tour of the farm - they have vast fields of potatoes, strawberry patches and lots and lots of herbs. 

It turned out to be a very hot day, so after the hayride I sipped a refreshing raspberry flavoured organic sparkling green tea made by Steaz.  It was my first time trying this brand, and it really hit the spot.

And lastly, I leave you with a photo of the most curiously shaped squash I have ever seen:

 

Happy Birthday Canada!

 Here's a photo of me & Gordita (see the Canadian flag?)  Trying to be festive...please excuse the rice cracker she's eating.  When Gordita sees one of these galletas (crackers) she goes bananas and cannot even pause for a photo until she's eaten every last crumb.  They are her absolute favorite.



















And speaking of favorites, here's my new favorite snack:

I've been drinking Goji berry tea like crazy so I was super excited when I came across this fruit & nut bar. Woo-hoo Goji!!!

Spreading veggie love on Helium.com

During the summer I wrote an article on Helium.com on a whim, it was not a topic that had been covered by anyone thus far, and they have thousands of articles.  The article is called "Vegetarian 101 for parents" and it was meant to be some suggestions on what a parent can do if thier child announces they want to be a vegetarian.  I was so suprised when I learned that my article is now featured on the Helium home page!  It seems as though they are focussing on a vegetarian theme as there are several other veggie related articles featured.

Yay!  One more step in the veg movement.  Already today five more writers have written articles using my Veg 101 subject.

*Update:  It appears that they change the featured articles after just one day so I'm not on the home page anymore.   You can still read my article here.

Caribbean Express

At last, a reliable internet connection!  I've been in the Domimican Republic for the past couple of weeks and have not had much access at all to the world wide web. A few minutes here and there, usually on someone else's computer.  I used to live here, and it's nice to be back in the old stomping grounds.

Cooking here is always interesting...for example, they don't use electricity for ovens and stoves, they use propane (yes, the tank is IN the house, usually under the kitchen sink)  you have to fill it up at the gas station just like you would your barbeque tank.  And of course when our gas ran out, there was no propane at the station for three days.  No cooking anything for three days - I was forced to go raw ;)

This first photo was breakfast one day.  It was simply avocado and tomato with a bit of S&P, and a tall glass of vanilla soy milk.

Lucky for us the neighbor let us cook rice at her place and we were able to make sushi!  How amazed were we that they had nori at the supermercado?!  Really I've mostly been nibbling here and there rather than preparing actual meals; it's just too hot and humid to have much of an appetite.  But I'll be back home in Vancouver in a few days and ready to cook up a storm!

Stopping to Smell the Flowers

I try to take Naimah out for a walk whenever the weather is nice. Yesterday we went to a really great park that has trails, creeks, a salmon hatchery, marshlands and a beach. Here's a peek at what our walk was like...

It's the hottest day of the year...

...and the water park is closed. They can not clean and paint it on a cloudy day because we have too many days like that. This is how they build up the anticipation of summer. It doesn't matter if we might only get 3 days of sun this summer. At least for those three days the park will be very colorful.

Dia De Madres

Last year I went to one of the most beautiful places I have ever been for Mother's Day. At the time, I didn't know that I would soon be a mother myself. And though I can't physically be in that same place today, when I look at the picture of it I am filled with the same feeling I had when I was actually there.

Today I spent the day with family and friends, and baby Naimah. It was my first Mother's Day as a mother, and it was definitely a special day.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there, in this world and the next one...

The Sentra and the Deer: Gone but not forgotten.

Early this morning while on a road trip to visit relatives we were involved in a horrible accident. A deer came out of thin air it seemed like, and there was no way we could avoid a collision. It had darted across the road and then paused right in front of us. My car is completely ruined as you can see, but thankfully we are okay.

I wish I could say the same for the deer.

The way that I came to own the car and lose it both came about because of death. The previous owner had passed away and his son sold me the car as he did not need it. And the car is now a write-off from its encounter with the deer.

There is something to smile about though...somehow baby Naimah slept through the whole thing.

Can a girl get a f-ing pumpkin on Halloween? Nope!

Here is a photo of my Halloween pumpkin. What's that? You can't see it? Well I guess that's because I don't have one. I got gyped. There is not a pumpkin to be found anywhere. Not even a little gourd.

It feels like the stores are full of Christmas cheer already, and Halloween has been somehow cast aside before it even happened. If I didn't know it was October 31st today, I might have thought it was December 25th. There were pine trees with gold ribbons and glittering red balls. Wrapping paper, and greeting cards that say "Happy Holiday". But no pumpkins. Not even a fake cardboard pumpkin. Nothing...

I thought about buying some pumpkins a few days ago but I didn't want to get them too early and have them rot before thier big day. Why is everyone in such a hurry to do things before they need to be done? Can't we just live in the now? Everyone is trying to get ahead, like they are living in a future that hasn't even happened yet. This is what I escaped from when I lived in the Dominican Republic and I guess I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon here, or with such force.

I guess I'll head over to Starbucks and have a pumpkin spice latte with soy milk and try to capture the Halloween spirit somehow.