vegan travels: ottawa

over the long weekend we made the big drive to ottawa.  2 things i discovered along the way:  highway 17 is quite pretty when it's a nice sunny day, and 6+ hour car rides with an almost 6 month old baby are not always easy and require a lot of singing.  but i think mark and i both needed to get away and mr. woodrow still had yet to meet my brother jamie.  so off we set for a relaxing long weekend in the capital city.  it was a mello trip - we didn't try to cram too much in, and in fact we really didn't get a whole lot accomplished (although i did drag everyone out to see the tulips!), but visiting with jamie and liane was top priority anyways.  (how sweet is this photo of woodrow and my brother checking each other out?!)

i can't go anywhere these days without first checking to see if i'll find any vegan eats so this time i asked you first - thanks to everyone who weighed in on facebook!  we enjoyed a great brunch at cafe my house with my aunt & cousins.  it didn't have a whole lot of curb appeal as it was in a nondescript plaza mall, but it was cute inside with old windows hanging on the walls and "love" spelled out in little christmas lights.  the brunch menu had a lot to offer including some yummy sounding sweet offerings but i stopped reading 2 items in when i got to the vegan tempeh benedict.

i've never had a benedict anything in my life so i had no expectations to be met but i was not disapointed.  it was a huge plate of mixed greens with a towering stack of dark rye toast, roasted kale, eggplant, fresh tomato, tempeh and then a bright yellow hollandaise sauce.  it was so yummy!  popular too - it seemed that every second dish to come out of the kitchen was a tempeh benedict.  the award for prettiest dish though goes to these raw rolls that my brother and sister-in-law ordered.  just gorgeous!

in terms of other eats i lucked out when we strolled passed raw sugar, a little coffee shop and music venue mark's actually played at in the past, because they had some auntie loo's bakery treats in their cooler!  actually all they had was one sad looking whoopie pie and a whole pile of nanimo bars.  so i took one naninmo bar for the road (only one because they were huge!) and i think 3 of us shared it with our morning coffee.  yum!  next visit i'll try to make it to the auntie lou's storefront to feast on more of their goodies.

we also day tripped to quebec to go beer shopping.  mark loves microbrews and there are so many great options across the boarder so jamie and liane took us to their favourite depaneur (corner shop + grocer) to stock up.  we also enjoyed a sunny time on the patio at les brasseurs du temps along the river for a variety of half pints and huge cones of sweet potato fries.  woodrow enjoyed being passed from lap to lap and getting a good look at the friendly patio duck.

i wish i had taken the time to snap some photos of james at work in the kitchen because he cooked up meal after delicious meal for us... everything from chili-roasted kabocha, to anise start quinoa pilaf, to shaved beet and celery root pizza from scratch.  what a lovely time.  big thanks and love to j+l for having us lounge around in their sweet home.

coconut bacon

last week i shared my newest obsession on facebook: a toasted bagel, smeared with ripe avocado and topped with crunchy coconut bacon.  immediately i had replies and emails asking me about coconut bacon.  it is a magical little condiment that takes only a half hour to make, taking rich and smooth coconut flakes and turns them into smokey, salty, crunchy bits that are highly addictive.

today i want to share just how easy it is to make...  that way you can obsess over it too!

i remember first hearing about it when kristen posted about coconut bacon years ago, and had all but forgotten about it until lisa brought it up a couple weeks ago sharing this recipe with me, and then i realized i still hadn't tried it!  so i hopped to it and made some.  the result?  i was NOT disapointed.  it is a game changer.  and yes, i haven't shut up about it on facebook since.  (sorry about that.)

i love me some tempeh bacon but the coconut is such a playful, crunchy twist.  it's yummy in sandwiches, popped by the handful and i can't wait to top my next piled high caesar salad with it too!

coconut bacon
scant 4 cups unsweetened flaked coconut*
2.5 tbsp gf tamari
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tbsp liquid smoke
a pinch of sea salt

preheat your oven to 325f.  measure coconut into a large bowl.  in a small bowl or measuring cup, measure out the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine.**   add this mixture to the coconut and fold well to coat it.  spread out the coconut onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, stopping every 10 minutes to stir things up.  once you've hit full time, remove from the oven, sprinkle with a couple pinches of sea salt and let it rest for 10 minutes to cool and firm up.  store in an air tight container.

then revel in your coconut bacon glory and put it on everything in sight!

* i used one entire bag of let's do organic flaked coconut (198g) which measured out to a scant 4 cups.  if you can't find large flaked coconut, i imagine you can use shredded coconut, but you mightn't need to bake it for as long.  if anyone tries do let me know how it worked out!

**{if you've never used liquid smoke before, be prepared for your kitchen will smell very smokey.  at first this threw me for a loop and i wasn't into it, but slowly it grew on me and by the time the first bite of coconut was popped, i was in love with the smoke flavour and lingering smell too!}

shared at wellness weekends

5 recipes for a yummy cinco de mayo

sunday is the fifth of may, and for a gal who love love loves mexican cuisine i can't recall that i've ever cooked up a feast on that day.  so this year i thought i'd get my act together and plan ahead.  ahem, only one day ahead really, but who's counting? 

we were almost going to be in mexico this weekend for a belated winter escape, but decided against it in the end.  at first we were waiting for woodrow's passport to arrive but once it did we just couldn't get ourselves to commit to a flight. part of me is a little sad because this will make our second year in a row not making it to akumal, but things are so happy and busy around here that a little fiesta will be the perfect distraction.  {it's not quite the same as buying a kilo of fresh tortillas and eating them, still warm, on the walk home, but it will do.}

so for my own benefit and perhaps for yours too, here are 5 of of my favourite mexican inspired eats.

a nice big bowl of  tortilla soup topped with crunchy fried tortilla strips.

big sides of easy green rice and my go to refried beans.

spicy jackfruit carnitas spilling out from soft corn tortillas.

and to finish off the meal, refreshing melon margarita ice.  tequila optional.  i was pregnant when i created this one last summer so go ahead and spike it.  i know i will.

ahhh, i'm almost feeling that post meal fullness already!  

big plans for you this weekend?  i'm up early to bake up a few special orders then after some backyard digging we're off to an annual reunion picnic hosted by our midwives.  i can't wait to give them a big squeeze.  

i hope you have a beautiful weekend whatever you have planned. XO.

vegan baby: 5 months

hip hip hooray, this little one is 5 months old as of yesterday!  i keep hearing that he doesn't look like a little baby anymore... and at a chubby 18 pounds, i think i have to agree.  his face has rounded out and changed so that he really does look like a little boy - especially when he's all dressed up in plaid. 

we've been going to mama+baby yoga when we can and both really enjoying it - it is an amazing chance to bond with woodrow away from other distractions, it's lovely to meet new mama friends, and it's so great for me to hit the mat again - even if i am only getting in a couple sun salutations.  but it does wonders.  {and the treat of a hot almond milk latte afterwards is pretty nice too!}

two weeks ago at yoga i had set out our mat and left woodrow to chill with the other moms looking on while i quickly caught up with the studio owner out front - when we heard cheering and clapping, i popped my head back in only to see the wood fox had rolled himself onto his tummy for the first time!  of course i missed it (and was momentarily gutted that i did), but he happily did it again (and again, and again) during the class.  now he's a rolling machine!  although he's still trying to figure out how to get back onto his back again... at this point a little call to me or mark for help does the trick though.

i am so very happy that the weather is finally improving which means no more intense layers and bundling are needed to go outside.  hooray!  we've been taking more walks and getting fresh air which does us both some good.  we also got a new carrier last week which i love - it provides so much more back support than the one i had been using previously, and i'll also be able to wear him on my back too once he gets a little bigger.  it'll be a great carrier to travel with too - hopefully we can test that theory sometime soon.

oh happy day my sweet, sweet babe!

main event caesar salad with quinoa

i'm not sure if it's the changing seasons, a bit of lazy eating that's catching up with me or something else, but i've been a green fiend lately, craving great big bowls of salad filled with tender lettuce leaves.  yesterday was no exception and after some sunny fresh air taken in with my little family, i was hungry! 

i decided that i wanted to make my greens the main event and so i needed a main course worthy salad - something that would satify my need for greens but one that would also be filling enough to carry us through the evening.  a quick pot of quinoa and a pan of crisp tempeh later, i piled our plates high with layers of add-ins that would fill us with goodness and a hefty dose of protein.  there was crunch, there was texture and there was rich and tangy caesar dressing too.  

i'd happy nosh on this for lunch or dinner any day i'm craving a greens-fix.

main event caesar salad
serves 2
5 cups salad greens
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup chopped broccoli
1/2 cup shelled edamame
crispy tempeh strips*
creamy caesar dressing

cook edamame according to package directions.  divide all of the ingredients between 2 large plates and pile them high.  drizzle generously with creamy caesar dressing.  or if you prefer, toss everything together in a large salad bowl and serve that way.

*as far as the crispy tempeh goes, i used half of a package of noble bean tempeh burgers, cut into thin strips and pan fried with a teaspoon of olive oil.  you could also purchase your favourite tempeh bacon to heat and serve with the salad or make your own from scratch.  i don't have a recipe on cupcakes and kale yet but you can find one here.

creamy caesar dressing
4 tbsp veganaise
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp caper brine
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp white miso
1/2 tsp kelp granules
1/4 tsp garlic granules
1/4 tsp sea salt
fresh cracked pepper
1-2 tsp water *optional

whisk all the ingredients together until incorporated.  thin with a teaspoon or two of water if you like.