Black Bean Tortilla Casserole *vegetarian*

I've been making this recipe for a long time now and I don't remember where the inspiration for it originally came from. I've been making this dish fairly often lately because it makes for a great lunch through the week.



Ingredients
1 sweet onion diced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 zucchini diced
1 bell pepper diced
a bunch of mushrooms diced
Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 can of black beans
1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives (I started adding kalamata olives after they were recommended in a taco recipe in Appetite for Reduction and it is so tasty, I add them every time now)
1-2 cups cooked quinoa (this is optional, sometimes I add it for some extra protein, sometimes I don't)
1 tsp cumin
salt to taste
1/2 cup salsa verde
1 1/2 cups salsa (you may need to add more if you are including quinoa)
12 small corn tortillas
extra old cheddar

Directions
Sautee onion in olive oil until translucent
Add the rest of the veggies and continue to sautee until they are tender
Add kalamata olives, black beans, quinoa and salsas (I use both slasas because I LOVE salsa verde but the kids find it too spicy)
Sautee until well combined (add more salsa if mixture isn't thick and juicy)
Lay six tortillas overlapping on the bottom of a casserole dish
Spoon about half of the sauteed vegetable mixture on top of the tortillas
Grate cheddar cheese on top
Lay another six torillas on top of the cheese layer and repeat all your layers ending with cheddar cheese
Bake at 375 until cheese starts to brown (about half an hour or so)



Serve with guacamole, sour cream, salsa or a yogurt dip with lemon, garlic and agave like the delicious one in my favorite vegan cookbook, Appetite for Reduction.

♥ Andrea ♥

It's Cereal! It's a Muffin! It's Sir Muffin!

These little snacks have been getting us through our busy weeks. The recipe that I originally made was for Goodie Two Chews that Janet and Greta Podleski made on CityLine a few of years ago from their book, Eat, Shrink & Be Merry!

Since starting to make these, they have morphed into something slightly different. Today, I thought that I would share with you the recipe I've been making these days. These cereal muffins make a great breakfast and are a perfect after school snack for the kidlets.



Directions
*Makes 24 Cereal Muffins*

DRY
3.5 cups of your favorite healthy flakes (I used Nature's Path)
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup dried fruit (I used cranberries this time but other times I use Thompson raisins or chopped dates or apricots)
1 cup nuts and/or seeds (I used pecans this time but sometimes I use almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds or a mix of them all)

WET
1/4 cup unsulphured black strap molasses
1/4 cup agave or maple syrup
1.5 cups nut butter (I used almond butter this time but sometimes I use peanut or sunflower seed butter)
4 eggs
4 tsp cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)

Mix wet and dry separately and then combine. Once well mixed, fill your muffin trays and bake at 250 for about 45 minutes.  Once cooled, I wrap them in tin foil and put into two separate freezer bags. One goes into the fridge and the other into the freezer. I really like them baked in the oven again for a few minutes before eating so they get browned and a bit crunchy, but they're great right out of the fridge too.



I hope you love them as much as we do!

♥ Andrea ♥

Black & Golden Wild Raspberry Pie

It's raspberry season! And we are thoroughly enjoying it. We have a plethora of black raspberries on the property here in the forest and we even have some golden raspberries too. The rubus occidentalis plant is a member of the rose family and also related to the thimble berry. We have both wild roses and thimble berries growing here in the forest as well. It turns out that golden raspberries are black raspberries that have developed a gene mutation making them pale in colour but the same in taste. The golden raspberries showed up here for the first time a few years ago.

In between packing boxes for our big move (yikes, tomorrow!), we have been trying to make it out each day to pick berries. One of the things we look forward to every year is when dad makes his yearly pie. If either of us is the baker in the relationship, it's me. Though John is a fantastic cook, I'm not sure there is another thing that he bakes. But every year for the last three years, he's made one delicious raspberry pie. We adore this tradition so very much.



Crust
This year, the pie was a bit of a joint effort. I made the crust from this butter crust recipe I've used many times now. It is the perfect crust recipe. And though I didn't refrigerate it for four hours like it says to, it still turned out perfectly. Instead of all purpose flour, I used some cake and pastry flour and some whole wheat because that was all I had on hand.



For the filling, John used the Fresh Berry Pie recipe from Joy of Cooking

Filling
5 cups fresh black and golden raspberries
1.5 Tbsp. lemon juice

Combine in a separate bowl:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp arrow root flour

Directions
Sprinkle the dry mixture over your berries, combine gently and let stand for 15 minutes
Preheat oven at 450F
Pour filling into crust and dot with 1 - 2 Tbsp of butter
Make strips of the left over dough from the crust and lay on top in a lattice formation
Bake for 10 minutes
Reduce heat to 350F and until golden brown (35-40 minutes)



♥ Andrea ♥

What I've Been Up To Lately...

We may have ended up back in Niagara Falls again.


This time we went to the Guinness World Record Museum. Have you been? I do love Guinness World Records but the museum in Niagara Falls is completely lackluster. I liked this big image of some world records that was at the exit of the museum though. It makes me think of The Twilight Zone.


I made these Johnny Cakes (posted by my friend, Christina) for the family as a special brunch treat last weekend for Canada Day. They were particularly delicious. I kind of love anything with cornmeal and I couldn't resist making Johnny Cakes for my Johnny Cakes :)


I spent two hours putting together this cardboard skeleton for Eamon last weekend. He tried to do it himself but this thing was complicated. It didn't help that the pieces were all numbered on the sheets they were attached to but they all got punched out and scattered before the assembly got started. I took photos because I knew this wouldn't last long. It didn't make it through the day! But it was well played with and even went to bed with him that night.


Here's Elycia's new baby, Milo! Isn't he so little and sweet! The kids and I were delighted to meet him this week and to visit with the happy new family! I am just so happy for them.


I made up an herbal sitz bath for Elyica last week. You can see the post partum herbal sitz bath recipe on my homeopathy and natural remedies blog if you like.


I also made a few little cats for Milo to play with.


Finally, I learned how to make my own amazingly delicious raw chocolate. I think this could prove to be very, very, very, very, very dangerous.

Have a wonderful weekend!

♥ Andrea ♥

Appetite for Reduction: Book Review

 Appetite for ReductionIsa Chandra Moskowitz 2011, Da Capo Press

A little while ago, I asked around to see what vegan cookbooks people could recommend. I was hoping to incorporate even more vegan meals into the mix and I asked around because I wanted to get a really good one. Elyica recommended Appetite for Reductionby Isa Chandra Moskowitz and I'm so glad that she did. This book is fantastic. It is full of flavourful recipes that are easy to make, which is just what I was hoping for in a new vegan cookbook. I took a few photos of some of the recipes we've tried so far.


Black Bean, Zucchini, & Olive Tacos

These tacos are so meaty and flavourful. Everyone really liked them. The filling is great in tortillas and also just on it's own with brown rice. I had to add a bit of regular salsa to these because the salsa verde was too spicy for the kidlets but for anyone who loves heat, the recipe is perfect the way it is. Johnny and I had never tried salsa verde before. It is so good! It's become a staple in our fridge.


Veggie Pot Pie Stew

This stew is the bomb. It's like a stick to your ribs, thick and delicious Irish stew. It's a soup that eats like a meal. Oh, wait a minute, that's another soup's tagline. It totally fits here.


I also made the Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad. Isa says she eats this everyday and I know why. This salad is fresh, light yet filling and really yummy.


Portobello Pepper Steak Stew

This was the latest recipe we tried. Oh man, is it good! I took a taste and then found myself eating a bunch before finally stopping myself to take a photo to share. I wasn't the only one to have more than one bowl for dinner and then I ate two more for lunch the next day.

We've tried a bunch of other recipes from the book also; Hottie Black Eyed Peas & Greens, Cool Slaw, Spicy Blue Potato & Corn Salad and Buffalo Tempeh. I'm sure there are a couple more that I can't remember right now. Every recipe I've made with this cookbook has been stellar.

If you're looking for a new vegan cookbook, this is so the one to buy.

Buying this book also turned me on to Isa's vegan recipe site, The Post Punk Kitchen. That site is giving me a whole lot of vegan inspiration these days.

♥ Andrea ♥

Coconut, Macadamia Nut, Apricot Pie *raw vegan*

This week I was thinking about how much I love the combination of apricot, macadamia nut and coconut. So I tried my hand at making a raw dessert with these flavours and I was very pleased the results. 

Here I present, Cocomacricot Pie...

Crust

1 cup sprouted walnuts (soaked for 8 hours and rinsed thoroughly)
10 medjool dates
4 dried apricots
1/3 cup ground macadamia nuts
1/3 cup coconut powder (I use a coffee grinder to grind dried coconut to a powder)

Put the walnuts, dates and apricots in your food processor and process until it becomes thoroughly combined and the walnuts are in very small pieces in an apricot and date paste. Chunks are okay. Mix in the ground macadamia nuts and coconut powder. Press this into a greased pie plate (I used extra virgin olive oil).

Filling
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup dried apricots (soaked in the warm water)
1 cup young coconut meat (I used all the meat from 2 young coconuts)
1/2 cup macadamia nut butter (I used Nuts to You Raw Macadamia Nut Butter. You can make your own raw macadamia nut butter just by processing raw macadamias for many minutes in a high power food processor- my processor is not a very good one- or you can buy some like this one here.)
3 Tbsp maple syrup

Soak your apricots in the warm water until they are softened. Add everything to the blender and blend until it becomes smooth and frothy. Pour this over your crust and place in the freezer for one hour. Serve right away or place it in the fridge until you're ready.

This pie will keep a few days in the fridge as long as it's kept covered. We ate this up fast and I'm hoping to make another very soon. It makes a really tasty breakfast. If you make your own cocomacricot pie, I'd love to hear about it.

This week was a truly wonderful week. The weather has been so lovely. We've been enjoying time outside as much as possible. I'm looking forward to more time outdoors this weekend.

Have a fun weekend!

♥ Andrea ♥

What I've Been Up To Lately...

This week I sent a few packages of handmade things out to places around the world. Also, I bought myself a new fancy sketchbook and we've been reading and watching a whole lot of Adventure Time.

I've been listening to Austra while I've been working this week. If you haven't heard them and you're into electronica, you might like to give them a listen. This album is Feel It BreakI highly recommend it.

This is one of the little bees I sent off this week. I love how they look when I flip them right side out after stitching them up. It's like meeting them for the first time and seeing what their little personality is going to be like :)

The kids picked a bunch of the daffodils that were in the garden. We're enjoying them very much.

I made this tomato, cucumber, avocado and cilantro salad last week. It was very delicious. 

The deer are coming to visit us almost every morning and evening these days!

And I caught a wild turkey in the garden a couple of days ago. They totally crack me up.

Have a great Friday!

♥ Andrea ♥

Lemon Pudding *raw vegan*

Last week I whipped up this delicious and nutritious recipe. It's tangy and sweet, light and fluffy. This might just be my favorite raw recipe I've ever made! If you're a sucker for tart lemon desserts, you're going to love this one.

Ingredients & Directions

1/2 cup almonds (soaked for 8 hours and thoroughly rinsed- I just soak mine over night and always keep some soaked almonds in the fridge)

1 cup water
juice from 2 lemons
zest from 1/2 lemon
6- 12 medium dates (medjool are my favorite)
1 Tbsp agave or maple syrup or raw honey if you're not vegan

Blend the almonds and water in a blender at high speed until well blended. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. You may need to add more water to get the consistency you like.



This recipe is nutritious, delicious and cleansing and alkalizing to the body. I find it to be a particularly good snack in the afternoon when I'm feeling tired and tempted to eat something sweet or drink a coffee for a pick-me-up. I hope you love it :)

♥ Andrea ♥

Pure Vegan: Book Review

I took Pure Veganby Joseph Shuldiner out of the library a few weeks ago. This is such a beautiful book. I've returned all of the other books I got out at the same time but this one is so lovely, I want it to be mine forever. I made a bunch of recipes from Pure Vegan and loved them all so I thought I'd share them with you.

A couple of weeks ago when my nephew came to visit I wanted to put out an extra special spread so I chose a few things from the book. For appetizers, I served warm almonds and olives from the vegan tapas plate, curried walnuts and maple-ginger almonds (these were to die for!) and a fig paste along with some crackers and cheese (because we're not vegan).


For the main course, I served nutty mushroom risotto and it was so delicious I couldn't believe it! My nephew was very impressed.



I also made the three bean salad which was a big hit with the whole family. The sweetness of the oven roasted tomatoes was so delicious in this.

And I made the garbanzo bean and tomato soup another night when I didn't feel like making or eating dinner. That stew was perfect- thick, nourishing and comforting. It was loved my the whole family. Everyone, including myself, had at least two helpings.

Every recipe I tried in this book was easy to prepare, flavorful and felt like something a little more special than your average dish. My photos don't even come close to being as beautiful as the photos in the book. There are some great looking recipes for fancy drinks and desserts as well. I can't believe I resisted making one of the desserts actually. In particular, the chocolate sea salt tart looks amazing! I will sadly be taking this book back to the library today but I'll be purchasing it for sure.

I'm kind of in the habit of taking cook books out of the library. I'm always looking for new ones to try. Do you have any favorite recipe books to recommend?

I'm preparing for an exciting weekend. Our wee man turns 6 today! We'll be taking a trip to the Science Centre to celebrate and Johnny and I have tickets to see Nick Cave too! I can't wait!

Have a fun weekend.

♥ Andrea ♥

Mango Lassi

We love mango lassi! We order them whenever we visit an Indian restaurant. But alas, I'm allergic to mangoes so I only get to have a few little sips of this delicious beverage. For those of you who love mangoes and can eat those most succulent of fruits (you lucky ducks, you), here is our recipe for when we make mango lassi at our house.

Ingredients

1 cup yogurt
2 ripe mangoes peeled and diced
3 Tbsp maple syrup, raw honey or agave syrup (or to taste)

Blend it all up and you're done! If you want a nice cold lassi, dice up your mango ahead of time and freeze it or add some ice cubes.

If you haven't had a mango lassi before, you're in for a real treat!

I have gotten a lot accomplished this week so far. Unfortunately, none of the stuff I've accomplished, has to do with me making stuff. I'm starting to think my inability to be productive in my studio may have to do with the fact that I told you what I was going to do before I did it. So, I'm going to do absolutely nothing today (I may or may not be lying to you right now).

Have a great Wednesday!

♥ Andrea ♥

A Christmas Birthday

Last weekend we celebrated a fourth birthday in our house. This year we decided on a Christmas party and we had a ton of fun. For the invitations, we gave the Bust a Move Gingerbread Man cards from the Teetoo Holiday Card Pack.

I made up some loot bags filled with Christmas candies, chocolates and a Christmas activity book...

I made these strawberry cupcakes and topped them with gingerbread men. They were delicious.

Every little person who came got to design their own gingerbread person or gingerbread dinosaur which was a request from one of the party-goers :)

We played the Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer soundtrack and of course my personal favorite Christmas album, A Charlie Brown Christmas Okay, as far as Christmas albums go, Charlie Brown and Christmas with Boney Mare equal favorites for me. What's your favorite Christmas album?

I have to say a big thank you to my amazing mother-in-law who saved my cupcake icing (which I ruined by adding pureed frozen strawberries that were still too cold to my already blended buttercream causing the butter to solidify) and made our house look great.

Happy Winter solstice! And only four more days till Christmas! Can't wait!

♥ Andrea ♥