Archive for the ‘Vegan’ category
Beauty Eats-Roasted carrot and cauliflower soup
Today’s Beauty Eats recipe is about healthy comfort food. If you’re a new reader, you might be wondering what the Beauty Eats series is all about. The image on the left sums it up perfectly – it’s all about eating skin-friendly ingredients in delicious ways.
January can be a rather dull month since the holiday festivities are over and it’s the dead of winter. The best way to brighten things up on a cold, dreary day is with some colourful comfort food. Personally, I love the thought of warming up with some vegetable soup on a weeknight since it doesn’t require much work and you’ll get a few servings of veggies too. We all know how hard that is! This bright orange soup is made with roasted carrots and cauliflower, but since plain vegetable soup can get a little boring sometimes, I took some inspiration from the East. The soup also includes fresh ginger and coconut milk! How’s that for some fusion food? And to top it off, this soup is chock full of skin-friendly ingredients. Read on for the recipe and see what Connie from the Beauty Nerd has to say about this soup.
Discover- Chia seeds and coconut date muesli
CHIA SEEDS…you have probably come across these two words a number of times in the past year. Afterall, they are the new “superfood”! I heard about them a few months ago and was initially a little skeptical. I thought they would be just another “superfood” like acai berries that would be difficult to incorporate into my diet on a daily basis. But, I was wrong! Not only do these little seeds pack a punch when it comes to nutrition, they are also very easy to consume regularly.
I tried chia seeds for the first time when I received a free sample from well.ca. I didn’t really know what to do with them and what they were good for. So I went off to do some research. Read on for the top facts you should know about chia.
Beauty Eats- Cranberry-apple poached pears
Poaching pears is a great way to make use of the beautiful pears we get during the fall. It brings out their sweetness and changes the texture, so they just about melt in your mouth. This recipe for pears poached in fruit tea is one of my favorites from the Flavour Fiesta magazine. Hope you enjoy it!
Exciting Announcement! Flavour Fiesta Magazine!
I am thrilled to make a very special announcement to you all today! All the wonderful feedback that I have received from my readers has inspired me to do something special for you in return.
Allow me to present to you the inaugural, premiere issue of Flavour Fiesta’s magazine! I have always dreamt of having my own magazine and today it’s here!
As most of you know, I started a food blog a few months ago as a way to connect with other foodies and share my thoughts and ideas. It’s been a fantastic experience, and I have met such incredibly talented people. This magazine represents all that I have learned since I began the journey. It’s been a lot of work (late nights!) to put this together, but when you love what you do, it’s all worth it.
In this issue, you’ll find a number of fall/autumn recipes that use fresh and natural ingredients in unique ways. I really hope you enjoy this magazine and I would love to hear from you. What did you like? What do you want to see more of? I look forward to all your suggestions and comments.
Here’s a peek of the cover page of the premiere issue. To access the magazine, you can either click on the image below or access the magazine through this link.
Happy cooking! I look forward to hearing from you.
Cheers,
Divya
You can also view the magazine by clicking on the image above.
Beauty Eats- Mulled cranberry-apple cider
It’s cranberry season! And since Thanksgiving is just around the corner for our Canadian readers, Connie (from the Beauty Nerd) and I knew we had to make something with cranberries. They are wonderfully tart with just a bit of sweetness that works well in not only cranberry sauce but a variety of desserts such as tarts or pudding. But we all know, you’ll be eating a lot this weekend, so why not try something with cranberries that’s both warm and comforting?
Beauty Eats- Spinach and lentil soup
The fall is the perfect time to enjoy some hearty soup. This week’s Beauty Eats features an earthy lentil soup with the goodness of spinach and tomatoes. Not only is this easy to make, but it’s brimming with skin-healthy ingredients. Pair this with some toasty bread and you’ve got the ideal weeknight meal!
Beauty Eats- Duo of tapas-style appetizers
My friend Connie from “The Beauty Nerd” and I started a new series called “Beauty Eats” a few months ago. This week we have a duo of tapas-style appetizers. If you missed the earlier posts, you can find them here.
I’ve been thinking of cooking a tapas-style appetizer for quite some time, but never got around to it. Thanks to some inspiration from Connie, this week we have a duo of healthy appetizers that are perfect for a relaxed dinner party or a lunch on one of those “meatless” weekdays. The first appetizer is a gorgeous green pea soup served with cayenne-garlic oil to kick it up a notch. The second appetizer is a beet dish with a creamy goat cheese and thyme dressing. Going veggie doesn’t have to be boring now, does it? These appetizers let the true flavours of the vegetables shine through – without all the extra fat and salt. Enjoy!
Beauty Eats-Watermelon and grape granita
Ahh, just a few more weeks of summer – I really wish it could last longer! To make the most of the hot weather, I wanted to make ice cream, but since that’s not really good for the waistline, I decided to try granita instead. For those of you who haven’t had granita, it’s like a frozen sorbet, but with the texture of a snow cone. It’s easy to make and absolutely delicious! This recipe has no added sugar and also has ingredients that are good for your skin – I’m sure Connie from the Beauty Nerd agrees.
Chipotle tomato chutney (with a hint of cocoa…)
I’ve always been intrigued by chutneys since they can have dozens of ingredients that blend together perfectly. For me the best part of making chutney is that there is no right or wrong way – just go with the flow and you never know what you’ll come up with! I’ve been meaning to make chutney for a while since I made my mango chutney, but never got around to it until today. Since there have been so many beautiful tomatoes available in the market recently, I was inspired to create a tomato chutney (but with a twist of course!). This time my inspiration came from the Mexican flavours of chipotle chilli and cocoa.
Beauty Eats- Coconut water “sangria”
Coconut water has always been popular in the tropics, but it just started gaining popularity in North America. It’s become so popular that the local grocery stores were sold out this past weekend! But is this just a passing fad or is coconut water here to stay? Given the nutritional benefits of coconut water, I think it’s here to stay. It’s a low calorie beverage that is refreshing and provides a number of nutrients including vitamin C. It’s also a great source of electrolytes which make it a fabulous post-workout beverage.
Wholewheat gnocchi with mushrooms and Kalamata olives
I’ve never really been a fan of potatoes, but when it comes to gnocchi, it’s a whole other story. For those of you who haven’t tried gnocchi, it’s an Italian dish made with soft potato dumplings and can be served in a number of different ways depending on the region it’s from. These dumplings are soft pillows of deliciousness that pair well with almost everything – from spinach and ricotta to tomatoes and basil. This recipe is my take on gnocchi with flavours of the Meditteranean.
Gnocchi is made primarily with potatoes, so it’s high in carbs. To make the dish somewhat healthier, I choose to use wholewheat gnocchi instead to add some fibre to the meal. I used the pre-packaged wholewheat gnocchi from Emma Foods for this recipe. I know, I know – I should be making gnocchi at home! But, it’s a time consuming process and I usually make this dish as a “go-to” recipe for a quick weekday dinner. One day, I will make home-made gnocchi and will definitely blog about that adventure when the time comes 
.
To add some subtle garlic flavour to the dish, I chose spicy marinated garlic (also from Emma foods). Since the garlic has been marinated in spices, it delivers just the right amount of kick to the dish.
* Emma Foods products should be available at most North American grocery stores. If not, try the local Italian stores.