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~ wellness, wonder, words ~
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I eventually came downstairs to start the day feeling a little less than myself. My husband was already outside gathering the garbage for collection. I shuffled into the kitchen to get myself a mug a java and discovered that a cup had already been poured. I leaned over the cup to see that my Valentine had hand-drawn a heart in cinnamon… my eyes welled up. The Buddhists would tell me that this joy was in me all along. They’re right. And yet, this small, brilliant gesture, illuminated my day.
In celebration of the Chinese year of the Dragon, (and our own dragon baby), I couldn’t resist this little number.The coconut milk in this recipe is truly worthwhile and tastes absolutely delicious. I like to warm it up for that extra toe curl.
The handsome dragon fruit (or Pitaya) is native to Central America and cultivated in many Asian countries including China. Reminiscent of kiwi with its dark crunchy seeds embedded in the pulp, dragon fruit is sweet, fleshy and extremely cool with its fiery red skin and green scales. This exotic fruit has notable amounts of vitamin C, phosphorus and calcium. It should give slightly when gently squeezed for ripeness.
Notes:
You can cook the rice in advance of eating this cereal. Simply reheat in the morning.
If you are concerned about the calories in coconut milk, you can substitute part of the coconut milk with cow’s milk, rice milk, almond milk or soy milk. You can also cut the coconut milk with water if preferred.
Serves 4
Cook rice on stove top according to package directions (generally 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice; allow water to boil and reduce to simmer for approximately 40 minutes).
In the meantime, warm coconut milk (or milk mixtures) in a small sturdy pot on stove.
Divide cooked rice among 4 bowls and top with warm coconut milk and diced mango and dragon fruit. Add nuts as desired.
Dragon Fruit
seeds similar to kiwi in taste and texture
Slicing – or should I say slaying – the dragon
Here we are coming up to Valentine’s Day and I’m still putting away my Christmas decorations…is it just me? It seems every time I think I have them all captured and stored, another one pops up; it’s like an endless sea of Santa things – they weeble and wobble but they won’t go down.
Onward.
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If you’re craving ice cream but are looking for something healthier without the binders, fillers, emulsifiers, artificial flavours, trans fats and fake sugars, you will love this all natural frozen banana-lemon cream.
[insert: have you ever read the nutrition facts label on a low fat/sugar ice cream product? Truly scary].
This is a gorgeous dessert, or snack, that has a creamy taste and texture similar to soft ice cream without all the non-foods.
I have prepared a non-dairy/vegan version today but you could easily substitute cow’s milk, as desired.
Notes:
This dessert tastes best eaten freshly made. If you make it ahead and try to freeze it, it will become rock hard. If you refrigerate it, it will lose it’s cold ice cream texture and become more life a mousse (still good tasting but not an ideal texture).
The amount of almond milk will vary depending on the size of the bananas you are working with and your preferred consistency.
Frozen bananas do not release as much sweetness as fresh, ripe bananas. You can work with this by adding naturally sweet tasting spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, clove or cardamon, or a touch of natural sweetener – such as: agave nectar, demerara, muscovado, palm, turbinado or stevia – as desired.
Place peeled bananas in freezer overnight (allow 24 hours). If you expect to leave the bananas in the freezer for more than 24 hours, it’s best to keep peels on to protect against freezer burn.
Remove bananas from freezer and place in the blender. If bananas still have peels on, use a knife to carefully remove peel (you may need to let them sit out at room temperature for 10 or so minutes to be able to get through the frozen peel).
Add remaining ingredients to blender along with bananas – beginning with 1 cup of almond milk – blending until smooth and gradually adding more milk until desired consistency is achieved.
This recipe will make approximately 4 cups of frozen banana lemon cream.
Enjoy.
Let’s have a closer look.
Cooked Tomatoes are one of the best dietary sources of lycopene, a potent antioxidant with cancer-fighting potential.
Notes:
If you prefer, you can boil the sweet potato (being mindful that you will lose some of the water soluble nutrients), or prick the potato and cook it in the microwave (about 3 minutes on high – it cooks fairly quickly).
Beginning with outer edges of shell, tuck, pinch and roll tortilla before cutting it in half.
It’s been an incredibly fun year and I want to thank each and every one of you for sharing this adventure with me and for your kind and continued support.
What can you expect from Inspired Edibles in year two? Well, in addition to more junk food (ha!), a detailed index is in the works along with proper recipe printing capacity (yay!). As always, I remain open to your comments and feedback.
Truffles are made from a ganache base – a simple combination of heated cream and chocolate (which I have further simplified).
For the Basic Ganache
Spread desired toppings out on a flat dish and simply roll chocolate truffles in mixture to coat, pressing into chocolate gently if necessary for fruit, etc.
Place truffles in a decorative miniature cup (you can find candy/chocolate cups at kitchen stores and bulk stores) and place truffles in a small box if you wish to present as a gift.
This recipe will make about 16-20 truffles.
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We just returned from celebrating my mom’s 80th birthday in the Quebec Laurentians. Just a small gathering of immediate family – you know, 70 or so of us (gotta love those French Canadian, Irish Catholic fusions).
As things would have it, it was a picture perfect weekend for mom – stunning blue skies, brilliant snow filled mountains, and plenty of sugar happy grandchildren running amuck. We were reunited with family we don’t get to see nearly as often as we’d like, and although the time seemed to pass in a flash, as these things often do, it was a pretty wonderful visit.
On to today’s project.
I have to say, this pudding turned out even better than I had hoped (some experiments work – some really don’t).
The texture is remarkably similar to that of a traditional dessert pudding with a smooth, silky quality and a burst of chai flavourings and blueberry bliss in every bite.
Be sure to read the cooking notes below for best results. Enjoy!
Notes:
I have used my own spices to create a chai blend here but if you have a favourite Chai tea, you could substitute 1 heaping tablespoon or so in place of the cinnamon, cardamon, clove and nutmeg. The only difference is that you may taste the grittiness from the ground tea leaves and spice bits. I have tried this version as well and while I love the taste of the spice pieces, the abrasive quality of the bits started to wear on me after a while. If you are not bothered by that textural quality, it’s a very tasty version as well.
If you are working with frozen berries, be sure to thaw and drain them first. If you use them from frozen they will defrost in the pudding and leave a puddle of water.
Begin by draining excess liquid from tofu in a colander (you can use the back of a spoon to help expel liquid).
Place all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Pour into individual serving dishes and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.
Garnish with mint and a couple of blueberries, as desired.
Serves 4.