Creamless Cream of Vegetable Soup

November 13, 2015

We have been busy travelling, renovating, working and scheming. New York City is always a rush, but it feels as if life whizzing by with even greater fervor in the last few months. However, it is been all been the best kinds of busy. Our days have been brimming with birthday celebrations, weekend escapes, social events, holidays and long adventures. Tomorrow we set off with a few of our nearest and dearest for nine days in Costa Rica. We are living life and living it to the full. In the face of all the crazy, we are fulfilled and we are happy. That being said we have been mindful to take few moments to slow down and home cook some good, hearty fall meals. Which brings me to today’s newest recipe for a creamless creamed soup. It is fast and it is tasty. Enjoy, and happy fall all! Continue reading “Creamless Cream of Vegetable Soup”

Vegetarian Quinoa Enchilada Bake

March 27, 2015

We were fortunate enough to have Jameson’s amazing brother and sister-in-law come spend a week with us awhile back. We had such a blast exploring our city, relaxing and just plain talking with them. By getting hitched and combining our families have Jay and I have amassed an incredible, dynamic, ragtag group of exceptional family members. We may have one of the largest immediate families in the history of mankind but we wouldn’t change it for the world. We so enjoy and cherish every second we have with any member of our brood. So having Eton and Angela here with us to experience how we do our Brooklyn lifestyle was such a joy.

We ate out a little, but we ate in a lot because I seriously love having new taste buds to impress. This Vegetarian Quinoa Enchilada Bake Quinoa (with meat options to appease my carnivorous brother-in-law) was a hit and had Ange asking for the recipe as a souvenir. I figured I shouldn’t keep the dish just to the family, but spread the love around. Lately with our hectic schedules, we Jordan’s are all about this dish because it requires little prep, virtually no mess and leaves us leftovers for days. It is the perfect, filling meal for the evenings when you need something quick but don’t have the time or energy to pull off a multi-course meal. Enjoy. Continue reading “Vegetarian Quinoa Enchilada Bake”

Homemade Peanut Butter Supreme Quest-Style Protein Bars

March 15, 2015

It has been awhile since I brought you a new recipe. It isn’t that I haven’t been cooking. We have actually had countless dinner parties in the intervening time between food centric posts. My culinary silence is merely due to the fact our life has been bananas, and I haven’t had the moments to sit down and pen out the meals we have concocted. So I figured I should rectify the situation promptly and bring you a new, simple, no bake treat to enjoy!

For those of you who haven’t jumped on the fitness bandwagon yet, it is the Crossit Open right now. Every Saturday the Comp team at CF NYC does their open workout publicly so spectators can come ogle at their impressive skills (and cuteness). The team has been doing a secret santa for each other each week. Before the weekend they draw names and each team member gets or makes something small for the person they drew. This week Jay got our badass friend Kate, and since he was away all week I tackled prepping her gift. I have an out of control addiction to Quest bars which my wallet feels in spades. I have been seeing homemade versions Pinterest and figured this was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at them. Unfortunately, the first couple recipes I tried didn’t quite work out- probably because protein power can be variable and finicky. I wound up augmenting and combining a bunch of the recipes, and also looking at the ingredients list on Quest Bars (where I learned I can pronounce only a fraction of them) to create these pretty awesome bars. The result were Quest-like protein bars that are not only Paleo but also comprised of ingredients that I can pronounce. Enjoy! Continue reading “Homemade Peanut Butter Supreme Quest-Style Protein Bars”

Canadian Thanksgiving: (Vegan/ Gluten-Free) Curried Coconut Yam Casserole

November 3, 2014

Another treat from our Canadian Thanksgiving feast. Again, this vegetable accompaniment is a staple for large gatherings in our home. Actually, this dish extends well beyond our dinner table as it is my go-to dish when asked to bring something to my Aunt’s family meals. You may recall that my aunt is one hardcore host, and that the meals she crafts are bar none. In my family, once married along with your nuptials comes the responsibility of bringing an item to the table to share. One best bring their A-game if they want to fit in with the rest of the exceptionally talented family members whose food never ceases to amaze. On my first married Christmas Eve, I was asked to bring yam casserole. It seemed easy enough. Although, I am not a very conventional girl so I didn’t want my dish to merely be the standard marshmallow topped, overly sweet, candy-esque variation of this dish. So I began playing around with flavors and spices. Truth be told my first version of this side dish had orange juice and it was thoroughly underwhelming. It wasn’t awful but it wasn’t great either. However, by the time Easter rolled around I had refined my recipe and this truly awesome vegan, gluten and sugar-free casserole was born. So enjoy the fruits of my labour and have a happy celebration with those you love most. Continue reading “Canadian Thanksgiving: (Vegan/ Gluten-Free) Curried Coconut Yam Casserole”

Canadian Thanksgiving: Vegan and Gluten Free Stuffing

October 21, 2014

Another dish from our Canadian Thanksgiving feast. This stuffing is a staple in all our holiday dinners. Whether it is Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter if there is a turkey being cooked this stuffing is by its side as an accompaniment. I normally render this side with traditional, old fashioned fully glutenized bread. However, this year we had guests with different dietary needs. When I am hosting I want everyone to come and be able to eat to their breaking point. So I decided to play around with a gluten free version, resulting in a stuffing that Jay and I actually both liked a whole lot more! This stuffing is flexible in that you can use it to stuff a bird or you can cook it independently in a dutch oven or casserole dish. We normally do the latter because it allows you to prepare the dish the day before thus freeing up valuable kitchen real estate on the day of the dinner. Continue reading “Canadian Thanksgiving: Vegan and Gluten Free Stuffing”

Tomato Soup

April 2, 2014

Jay has returned to Canada (for the night)

This afternoon he set off for Montreal for work which means tonight he will spend his time snuggling Cotton (featured below. Just look at her sweet little hand on his neck. Isn’t he going to be a great Dad?!) and dineing with our friends the Stenbergs. Whereas, I on the other hand am cooped up our apartment navigating the complex world of personal taxes, writing up educational assessment reports and reading journal article upon journal article. It truly feels a like it has been a few days since I last came up for air. I figured since I am miles away, in the wrong country and can’t be with Jay to relish the company tonight, I may as well still savor a good meal. In the past I haven’t had much luck when it comes to tomato soups, as they often end up too bland or too runny. However, this fragrant tomato soup changed all that. No description would do this rich, flavorful soup justice. So I will merely leave it to you to test for yourself.

Continue reading “Tomato Soup”

Greens Bowl (in honor of St. Patricks Day)

March 17, 2014

When midterms are in full swing, so is my culinary prowess. It is my best procrastinator and my biggest relaxation strategy. During the chaos of graduate school it seems that I can barely find the time to check my e-mails, but I always have time to bake cookies in mid afternoon. Add to that that proper nutrition fuels the brain and energizes the body and you will understand why there have been a plethora of new recipes on the blog these past weeks (with more to come).

Today’s recipes arrives in Celebration of St. Patricks Day. To be honest I have never even put much thought into this holiday before, let alone celebrated. In St. Patricks Day’s prior you would find me doing little more than donning a green cardigan while teaching an Irish themed art project. However, New York takes it’s St. Patty’s day very, very seriously. As such I made time to get together with friends and enjoy the festivities. We ventured down into the madness that is Times Square, tucked ourselves into a warm, cozy booth in an Irish Pub and spent our time watching the parade, eating potato leek soup and sampling a variety of beers. Good times were definitely had, but its is hard not two when the afternoon is spent with two of my absolute favorite New Yorkers.

Afterward I polished off the evening with this homemade, hearty bowl of greens. So whether you are feeling thematic or in need something scrumptious to recover from your weekend of Irish induced debauchery -Enjoy.

Continue reading “Greens Bowl (in honor of St. Patricks Day)”

Cobb Salad with a Tangy Oil Free Garlic-Mustard Vinaigrette

January 31, 2014

You may have noticed the onslaught of new delectable recipes up over the past month. Classes didn’t start again until last week so I have had a little more time to putter around in the kitchen. It has been fun, but now I am back in full swing of grad school madness so the numbers may dwindle in the coming weeks.

On Thursday nights my classes don’t start until late, so my truly wonderful friend Vanessa came over for dinner to help me kill some time. I kept it simple with this filling, substantial salad that is packed with just the right proteins and nutrition that your brain needs to sit through two hour evening courses. The best part is that it is simple to accommodate all dietary restraints and still leave your diners happy. Vegan? Skip the meat, egg and cheese and the yams and avocado still taste divine. Vegetarian? forgo the meat and the resulting salad will leave you just as satisfied. Strict Paleo? set aside the cheese and yams and what you have left is more or less pure protein for your carnivorous needs.

So however you elect to eat-enjoy. Continue reading “Cobb Salad with a Tangy Oil Free Garlic-Mustard Vinaigrette”

Homemade Chipotle Bowl

December 12, 2013

One of our favorite things about America is Chipotle (yes fellow Canadians I know Vancouver got one right after we left). When we were in Texas for one of Jay’s closest friend’s weddings he introduced us to it’s sheer awesomeness. We experienced our first encounter with another dear friend, Tang, who is nothing short of a force to be reckoned with in terms of lifting heavy weight and eating. As such, Tang polished off two entire Chipotle bowls in that one first sitting. If that isn’t something short of amazing and a testament to the greatness that is Chipotle than I don’t know what is.

My inspiration stemmed after I had stumbled across a few recipes for a DIY bowl on Pinterest but none of them seemed to stack up (one was a cold version which just didn’t cut it for me). So I decided to try my hand at a recreation myself, and the results were spectacular. The thing about Chipotle is everyone’s bowl will taste different depending on what they choose, so I based my creation on a combination of my normal order and Jay’s. So here is our take on a healthier, cheaper and you can get it in your pajamas version of the coveted Chipotle bowl. Continue reading “Homemade Chipotle Bowl”

Curried Coconut, Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup

October 28, 2013

Midterms have done an abundance for my culinary creativity. Instead of pouring over the books I have been brainstorming new recipes, and when that doesn’t suffice to distract me from what I should be doing I decide to test drive them in my kitchen. I have pleaded with Jay to keep me on track and dispel my procrastinating tendencies. He has been no help. He even went so far as to tell me that I didn’t know what the word meant because I had started studying 3 weeks prior for my exams. He did however sit down to quiz me, and then left me to my own devices to attempt a new soup. Perhaps I should be weary of the directional pull of his encouragement seeing as he reaps the rewards of my culinary pursuits in spades, but doesn’t shoulder the burden if I go into my tests unprepared. However, I am feeling good about the scholastic content and I am sure the nourishment from this thick, hearty soup will carry me the rest of the way. This rich, savory soup is as flavorful as it is healthy. Enjoy 🙂

Continue reading “Curried Coconut, Cauliflower and Chickpea Soup”