Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

I have been very much neglecting the recipe portion of my blog....and my diet I guess. lol I have been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to cook. And when I do, it's been really quick food, but still nutritious of course. Just not blog worthy. But I made a commitment last night to make myself a yummy meal as the only plans I had was a conference call. Soooo, check, check, check it out!

Coconut Curry Noodle Soup

Ingredients

1 pkg udon noodles

1 cup fried tofu, diced

2 cups green beans, chopped

2 handfuls mushrooms, sliced

1/2 bunch kale, chopped

1/2 cup veggie stock

1/2 cup water

1 small can low fat coconut milk

1/2 lime, juiced

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp agave nectar

2 tsp yellow curry paste

basil and bean sprouts for the topping

Directions:

Saute the mushrooms in 1 tsp of grapeseed oil for 5 minutes, add the green beans and tofu and saute for 5 minutes. Pour in veggie stock, water, and curry paste. Bring to a boil, add noodles, kale, soy sauce, agave and lime juice. Simmer for 6 minutes then add the coconut milk. Serve in a big bowl and top with bean sprouts and basil.

If you like it spicy like me add sriracha to the broth and on top!Sriracha will warm you to your core. lol 

Naked coconut curry noodle soup

Coconut curry noodle soup with toppings

Spicy! Jazzed up while I blog

You can also use any curry paste you want. I like to mix my curries up with all of them, green or red. Yellow is much milder in spice level, so if you're not into spicy food, this is the one for you. :)

Stay warm my friends.

Peace

xoxo

K

Green Curry with Thai Eggplant

The other night while shopping at No Frills, I saw that they had Thai eggplant. I was super excited because I've only ever had it in Thailand. I actually thought it was squash. I am not a big fan of eggplant, I usually hate it but this eggplant is delish! They are the size of a golf ball and green on the outside. :)

Normally I would make the curry paste from scratch but I had Tough Mudder training with a friend before and I didn't have a chance to go to Granville Island to gather all the ingredients, so I cut some corners and used a store bought one.

Green Curry with Thai Eggplant

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, chopped

1 package extra firm tofu, cubed

5-6 Thai eggplants, quartered

2 carrots, sliced

1 onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 inch piece ginger, minced

3 red Thai chili peppers, minced

1 1/2 tbsp green curry paste

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom

1 lime, juiced

2 tsp agave nectar

1 can low fat coconut milk

2 cups water

Directions:

Sprinkle tofu with garlic powder and broil until slightly toasted and brown on top. It will take about 5 minutes but keep an eye on it.

Saute the onions, garlic and ginger in 1/4 cup water (or some oil if you prefer) for 5 minutes. Add carrots, sweet potato and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover, cook for 8 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients except for cilantro and coconut milk. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and cilantro, cook for 2 minutes and serve with brown rice!

I had Kevin and Lauren over for dinner that night. I ate mine without rice but served there's with rice. I also steamed some broccoli and tossed it with some fresh lemon juice and a sprinkle of lemon-pepper seasoning. Delish complete meal!!! Also, those little red Thai chili peppers are feisty so if you don't like the heat, cut those back. They are super spicy, but me likey!

SOOOOOOO, today is race day!!! Eeek. lol just doing a little blogging before I head out there. I'm doing the Spartan Race in North Vancouver at 1pm today. I cannot wait!!! Its gonna be a muddy, cold, baddass good time! There's so many emotions going through my head right now. I've been racing for years, but never an army style obstacle race. I'm a runner. But I've been working towards this and the Spartan Race will either tell me I'm on the right track or kick my ass into high gear for Tough Mudder next month.

Wish me luck!!!

Peace

xoxo

K

Spicy Thai Lentil Soup

I have a HUGE addiction to Thai food! I just love it. I especially love the flavours of lemongrass and coconut milk. Mmmmmmmm!!! I had a craving for something warm as its been a little chilly these days so I threw a bunch of stuff into the good ole crockpot and went about my day. When I got back home, wow did it ever smell lovely!!

Spicy Thai Lentil Soup

Ingredients

1 cup dry red lentils

1 cup dry yellow split peas

3 carrots, diced

1 onion, diced

3 celery, diced

2 yams, chopped

2 lemongrass stalks

2 inch piece galangal (or ginger, minced)

3 tomatoes, chopped

3 garlic, minced

4 red Thai chili peppers, minced

1 lime, juiced

1 can low fat coconut milk

1/4 bunch cilantro, minced

3 cups veggie stock

5 cups water

1 tsp cardamom

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp coriander

Directions

Put all ingredients except for coconut milk, lime and cilantro into a crockpot or slow cooker and cook all day. For the lemongrass, I just chop it into 3 large pieces so that I can easily remove it once the soup is cooked. Smashing it a bit will make the flavour more accessible. Once the cooking cycle is done then add the coconut milk, cilantro and lime. Serve with brown rice.

What's cooking?

Spicy Thai Lentil Soup

Dinner for 2

The soup was pretty spicy, not enough for me. I like it HOT! But my friend Mikey was sweating. LOL But he still went back for seconds! Look at how full those bowls are....he had another one that was JUST as full. He so cray. Lol

Such a healthy night! We went to the gym for over an hour and half, almost 2 to be exact. We did the tough mudder workout. AWESOME! Then did some abs and then went for a swim. Well I did like 4 laps then headed straight for the hot tub. I never get sore anymore so I've been actively trying to make myself sore. Doing more reps and using heavier weights and this week I did it. SO sore. LOL Thankfully I take chlorella and spirulina so my recovery is much faster than normal. I guess that's also one of the reasons I never get sore.

I tried to do a pull up last night to no avail. BUT I did move just a little. LOL Mikey was laughing, well and so was I. Its embarrassing. Everyone is always staring. I'm not sure that these tiny little arms were meant to do a pull up but I'm gonna keep trying! The spartan race is May 12th, I still have to sign up for the BMO half marathon, then Tough Mudder June 23rd then Seek the Peak (maybe) and 5 Peaks....Victoria Half marathon. Jeez, there's like something every month for the rest of my life. So far I'm just registered for the Spartan race and Tough Mudder. Ugh. Those are going to kill me. Lol

Happy weekend! My cousin turns 19 this weekend!!! Exciting!

Peace

xoxo

K

(Un)Fried Rice Thai Styles

Last week I whipped up this gem of a recipe. It was super easy and delish. I am a big lover of Thai food. I adore cooking with coconut milk and do so pretty often. When I was first cooking up this (Un)Fried rice I had no plans to make it with coconut milk, but as soon as I added it, the dish was complete.

(Un)Fried Rice Thai Styles

Ingredients

2 cups brown rice, cooked according to pkg

2 cups red beans, soaked and cooked

2 carrots, diced

2 inch piece ginger, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 red Thai chili peppers, minced

1 cup frozen corn

1/2 lemon, juiced

2 tsp mirin

3 tsp soy sauce

1/2 cup veggie stock

3 tsp chili flakes

160ml can low fat coconut milk

Directions

Saute garlic, ginger, Thai chili peppers, and carrots in 1/4 cup water for 5 minutes covered. Add all remaining ingredients except for coconut milk and cook for 15 minutes stirring often. Pour in coconut milk and stir until well combined. Enjoy with on its own, with steamed veggies with tofu, however you like your rice!

I had a ton of leftovers so I tossed that into a portobello mushrooms and baked it. Served that along with some roasted broccoli and steamed veggies and voila! Perfect meal. Yum.

I love portobello mushrooms!! So full of flavour. It went very well with the (Un)Fried rice. The steamed veggies was celery, collard greens, sui choy and spinach. I just steamed them and tossed them in lemon and a little soy sauce. Nice and light.

Peace

xoxo

K

Thai Green Curry Soup and Baked Whole Apple Pie!!!

I was a little grumpy yesterday and totally didn't want to go to the gym or eat healthy. But I knew that was just the mood so I persevered through it, ate healthy and worked out. I didn't think I'd make it through my workout. After 2 minutes running I wanted to quit, go home, make a pizza and eat the whole thing. LOL Even after my workout, I thought I would make myself something naughty, but I came out of Safeway with a sweet potato, broccoli, bananas, and oranges. HA!! I just figured that I need to keep it clean and at the end of my journey, I will reward myself. AND on Sunday I ate A LOT of chocolate, so I should be good. I felt good about my will power. 

My next idea for something a little more naughty than usual for my meals was to have noodles. I was gonna make a stir fry and put it on top of some buckwheat noodles. Buckwheat noodles are awesome! And very Japanese. BUT I read the ingredients and they're made with wheat flour! BAH!! SOOOOO disappointed. I need to check out if they are all made this way or if there's a non-wheat version. Such BS. 

OK, time for the food. The reason you come here. Lol

Thai Green Curry Soup

Ingredients

1 head broccoli, chopped

1/2 onion, diced

1 tomato, diced

1 carrot, sliced
1 mango, diced

2-3 cups sui choy, chopped

half bunch kale, bite sized

1 160 ml low fat coconut milk

1 tsp dry veggie stock

1.5 cups water

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tbsp green curry paste

2 tsp chili flakes

1 can black beans

Directions

1. Pan fry the onions in 1/4 cup water until translucent, about 4 minutes. 

2. Add all remaining ingredients except for the coconut milk, simmer on medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and taste. Add any additional seasonings to your own taste.

3. Serve in a big bowl with rice noodles or like me, with nothing. YUMMY!!!

I also roasted the whole sweet potato with a lemon, sea salt, garlic powder and veggie seasoning. OH man was this meal satisfying. Then I went and made dessert. How I had time for all this plus a workout.....I have no idea. Lol It really didn't take much time at all to prep and make all this.

All I did was hollow out a green apple and blend together the following ingredients which I stuffed into the apple and baked for 20 minutes. Another 5-10 minutes would be a little softer, but I'm like mine a little crunchy still.

Baked Whole Apple Pie

Ingredients

2 green applles

1 cup rolled oats

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tsp agave nectar

Directions:

1. Cut the top of the apple off, and hollow it out. 

2. In a food processor blend all the ingredients, except for the apple, until well mixed. Stuff the apples and bake for 20-25 minutes. 

3. Eat it up!!

A little cinnamon would have been good but I forgot. Another idea for next time would be to use mixed berries. Mmmmmm

Peace

xoxo

K

Thai Chili

I love fusing different types of cuisines together and using ingredients you wouldn't think goes together, but totally does. I think that's what I've done here. I took my love affair with Thai food and Chili to the max by putting them together. It works. BELIEVE me! It was sooooo delish! I usually share my leftovers at work but this time I barely did. I only gave them a bite. I was a greedy little vegan. ha.

Thai Chili

Ingredients

1 can black beans

1 cup red lentils

4 cups water

1 lime, juiced

1 inch piece ginger, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, diced

1 large sweet potato, diced

1 lemongrass stalk

4 tomatoes, diced

1 tsp garlic powder

3 tsp chili powder

2 tsp chili flakes

2 tsp Vegeta (dry veggie stock)

1 can low fat coconut milk

2 tsp green curry

Directions:

1. Saute the onions, garlic, ginger and carrots in a pot with about 1/4 cup water. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until translucent. (or use oil if you like).

2. Add sweet potato, lentils, black beans, tomatoes and 1 cup water. Cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add all remaining ingredients except for the coconut milk and lime juice. Cook for 20 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. Add coconut milk and lime juice. Season to taste.

4. Serve over brown rice or rice noodles. YUM!!!

 Total heaven right there. SOOOO YUMMY!!! And pretty healthy too. This recipe makes a HUGE amount. And the only "added" fat was the 7 grams in the coconut milk, and that's in the whole pot so that's almost nothing in each serving! yah.

Ok, so I bought a thing of purple kale and make this amazing salad last night!!! Its so pretty! So colourful and the dressing is the bomb!


Purple Kale Salad
Ingredients:
1 head purple kale, just leaves
1 royal gala apple, diced
1 carrot, shredded

Dressing:
1 large jalapeno
1 lemon, juiced
4 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
Put all dressing ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Pour on top of salad fixin's and toss. Use your hands to massage the kale for about a minute. This will soften the leaves. If you have a cut, don't do it!!! The lemon and jalapeno will burn. lol

Prettiest salad? YUP

Such a gorgeous looking salad. And its seriously tasty. I made the whole head of kale and gobbled it all up. I had a lot of it last night and couldn't wait to finish it off for lunch today. Its all gone! lol ;)

SO happy its Friday!!! Got a good night out tonight with some friends. My girl Jess is going back to Germany soon so we have one last night out on the town. Going to have a kick ass dins at Foundation, play some bingo and then head out for some dancing. Then I have brunch, movies, appointments, tough mudder work out and trying Bikrams for the first time! Eeeek Imma scurred. :)

Have a good weekend y'all!

Peace

xoxo

K

Thai Coconut Lentil Soup

Double header today!

I have been dwindling down my collection of soups and chili's in my freezer so its time to replenish. No frills has a sale on 2lb bag of carrots for $1. Yah that's right, you read that correctly, $1!!! I bought 2 so far. I'll be back though. lol 

I decided a nice, warming, carrot soup would be good. So I tossed all the ingredients into the crockpot and set off to enjoy my Sunday. 

Thai Coconut Lentil Soup
Ingredients
2lbs carrots
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves
3 roma tomatoes
2 lemongrass stalks
1 can low fat coconut milk
1 tsp chili flakes
2 tsp Vegeta (dry veggie stock)
1 tsp powdered ginger
2 dried chili's
pepper
2 cups red split lentils
8 cups water

Directions

Put all ingredients into a slow cooker except for the coconut milk and cook for 8 hours. Once cooked, remove the lemongrass stalks and the chili peppers. Add the coconut milk at the end. Use a hand blender or regular blender to process until smooth. Taste and add more seasonings if needed.

Its what I do

YUM

This soup is nice and thick. Super tasty. The spice level isn't bad at all. Personally, I would have liked it to be spicier. But I was lazy. Lol Plus I know I'll be adding sriracha to it later.

I made a very similar one to this before, you can check it out here. Both are awesome. I should have put some green garnish on there for the photo's sake but I was hungry. I also roasted up a squash and a cauliflower for me to nosh on.

Acorn squash

Roasted cauliflower

I did not use oil. For the squash I just scraped it out and baked it upside down so that the steam would cook it nice and softly. Then I sprinkled sea salt, cinnamon and garlic powder on it.

The cauliflower is mixed with a lemon, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder and sea salt. YUMMY. Good snacks. 

Peace

xoxo

K

Thai Coconut Curried Lentil Soup

A couple of friends jetted off to Thailand in December and since then have had a real craving for Thai food. I LOVE Thai food. I eat it pretty regularly. I am a confessed addict of coconut; coconut ice cream, coconut yogurt, coconut milk, coconut meat....ANYhoo, I popped a soup in the good ole crockpot and came up with this bad boy. 

Thai Coconut Curried Lentil Soup

2 cans brown lentils

1 onion, chopped

5 celery stalks, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp chili flakes

3 tsp Vegeta or any other dry veggie stock

7 cups water

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp ginger powder

2 inch pieces dry or fresh galangal (use ginger if you can't find it)

1 handful dry lemongrass or one stalk fresh 

1 can coconut milk

Directions:

Put all ingredients except for the coconut milk into your crockpot and simmer on low all day. Add the coconut milk at the end, keep cooking for 10 minutes or until heated thoroughly. 

Serve on its own or on top of quinoa. Super good that way. This soup has a little kick to it. Adjust the chili flakes to your liking. I was totally fine with this, as was my gorgeous friend Jessica. 

I also roasted up a head of cauliflower and broccoli. Tossed it with fresh lemon juice, red onion, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and sea salt. Baked at 350 for 30 minutes.

Since I've busted up all my wine glasses and didn't get any for Christmas, we had to drink our wine outta regular glasses. Meh. I'm just classy like that. Lol. The meal was yummy, warming, nutritious and filling. Went great with a bottle of red, the bachelor and a good gf. We gossiped, judged, ate, drank, and were merry. Ha. I'm not sure about this season of the bachelor....I don't dig Ben. His hair is horrendous. And the chicks seem to be EXTRA crazy this season. Maybe the producers realized he was boring after they signed the deal so they picked insane in the membrane chickies to make up for it......maybe. 

Here's another look at what I eat daily. 

I have this every morning. I usually have 2 smoothies in the morning. Well I make one REALLY big one and add lots of water. I had leftover soup and collard wraps for lunch. I'm totally addicted to those wraps!!! I need to get more cuz I just finished the last of them before lunch. Somebody brought freshly baked carrot orange muffins in to the office and I got hungry. They weren't vegan so I couldn't eat them anyways, but I wanted the wheat so bad. I'm glad I didn't give in. One point for willpower! And my waistline! lol

Tonight I'm making dins for a couple of stud muffins. I'm thinking a chickpea spinach curry, brown rice and steamed gai lan. Not exactly Indian but I need a side of greens. You always needs a side of greens peeps.

Peace

xoxo

K

Thai Stuffed Delicata Squash

It was my Dads birthday this weekend, so I made him dinner. We always talk food and recipes so it was high time I had him over for dinner. We usually go to Panz Veggie lately because we both love it so much. I was going to make my Thai Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms but I recently acquired a couple of Delicata squashes so I thought I'd use those instead. You can get the recipe here.  



I also steamed some kale and spinach and tossed it in my tahini dressing. I've really been loving that dressing lately. Its so easy to make and adds a real creaminess to my salads and steamed veggies. Its pretty much never that I have creamy sauces so its a nice change. And the majority of my sauces and dressings are soy sauce based (its the Japanese in me I guess) lol.  My Tahini Dressing is here.





Afterwards I went over to the new nut store on Denman. Its called Ayoub's Dried Fruits and Nuts and is really awesome!!! There are so many different kinds of nuts, seeds and dried fruits. Also some sweet baked goods, cookies, spices, I don't even know what else.

I wasn't sure on the pricing so I only grabbed a scoop of the spicy cashews and the raw mixed nuts. YUM! The 2 bags came to 7.56 I think, under 8 bucks. Not bad actually, pretty good considering its a specialty shop and the quality and variety is amazing. I love being able to get raw nuts and unsalted nuts. LOL I love nuts. Ha. There's so many jokes in here I don't even know where to being. HAHA



If you live in the hood, meaning the West End, then you should definitely saunter down to Ayoub's. Its worth it.

Peace

xoxo

K

Thai Curried Split Pea Soup

Last night I prepped a soup for dinner tonight with Kevin. I am trying to create recipes using JUST what I have in the apartment and not having to pick anything up. It makes it more fun and way more creative. It actually took a while to think this one up and it turned out ever so amazing. I LOVE soup. I will eat it any time of year but its always so comforting to have soup in these winter months. 

Thai Curried Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

2 cups dry yellow split peas

2 carrots, sliced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 leek, diced

1 stick lemon grass

3 tsp Vegeta (Veggie stock powder)

8 cups water

2 tsp chili flakes

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp turmeric

1 can low fat coconut milk (400ml)

Directions:

1. Add all the veggies to a big pot and saute for 5 minutes or until fragrant. I used a 1/4 cup of water instead of oil to make it lower in fat. Use oil if you'd like.

2. Add all other ingredients except for the coconut milk and cook on high for 10 minutes.

3. Pour in the coconut milk and cook for another 10 minutes on high.

4. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Ensure the split peas are soft. Serve and Enjoy!

Yummerly!

There it is folks, a BIG pot of soup. I'll have better pics tomorrow. In cute bowls. lol I also made a really delish sauce for a quinoa salad, but I'll post that tomorrow along with pics.

Peace

xoxo

K

Vegan MoFo Day 24: Thai Carrot Soup

I have never made or been interested in carrot soup but I kinda craved it this weekend and thought I'd give it a go. To my surprise and luck, carrots were on sale at my fave grocery store, No Frills. 2lbs for $1.00!!!! I've bought 2 so far, I think I'm going back for another. My Internet at home is down. Since yesterday. I was pretty bummed about this since I'm pretty sure I just came up with the BEST soup I've ever made. And I make a lot of soup. Good soup.

Thai Carrot Soup

Ingredients

10 carrots

1 ½ cups yellow mung beans

2 royal gala apples, chopped and deseeded

3 roma tomatoes

6 garlic cloves

4 tsp Vegeta

8 cups water

6 red Thai chilies

½ onion

2 lemongrass stalks

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 can low fat coconut milk

Directions:

1.       Put all ingredients except for coconut milk into a crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours.

2.       Remove lemongrass stalks and put in coconut milk

3.       Use a hand mixer or blender to blend until smooth.

Notes: Yellow split peas, red or yellow lentils would work just as great. I wouldn’t use green as it will change the color of the soup.

Believe me when I say this soup is delicious. Its pretty damn amazing. I was shocked at the deliciousness of it. Its got just the right amount of heat for a cold fall/winter day and is hearty enough to keep you full. Give it a go. NOW. lol

So tasty. GET SOME!!

I also made a coconut curry with Butternut Squash. I wanted to blog about it on Saturday and enter the Vegan MoFo Iron Chef challenge but I ran out of time that day and my Internet has been down since. Sucky. 

On the weekends I like to make my own juice and smoothies. I was too lazy on the juicing front but I had just bought some almond milk so I used that instead. This has 1 cup mixed berries, 1 banana, 1/2 cup water, 3/4 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup quick oats, 2 tsp peanut butter, 2 tsp chia seeds, 2 tsp hemp seeds and 1/2 scoop of the berry flavour Whole Health Optimizer by VEGA.

Fueled me for the day and nourished my body. Chia seeds are really great to add to a smoothie as they expand and take on so much liquid. This makes them more substantial which will keep you full longer. They are also packed with vitamins and minerals plus protein.

Vegan Tom Kha Gai

Since Winter is upon us, I felt like having a nice, warm meal last night. After my 2 hour workout (jeez) I ran home to make Vegan Tom Kha Gai soup. The soup is traditionally made with chicken but I put a vegan spin on it.

Vegan Tom Kha Gai

Ingredient:

1 can low fat coconut milk
2 cups veggie stock
3 garlic cloves
2 inch piece of galangal or ginger
1 stalk lemongrass
1/2 lime
1-3 red Thai chilies
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced
2 carrots, sliced
1/2 pack snow peas (or a large handful)
1/2 pack rice noodles
tofu, chopped into cubes
1/2 cup mushroom, chopped
Directions:

1. Cook rice noodles according to package
2. Mince garlic, galangal and chilies in food processor.
3. Chop lemongrass into 3 equal pieces. I do this because you don't eat the lemongrass, its just for flavour. The large pieces keep them more visible.
4. Add coconut milk, veggie stock, garlic, galangal and chilies to a wok or pot and cook for 3 minutes on med-high heat.
5. Once boiling, add remaining ingredients and cook until carrots are soft.
6. Add rice noodles to a big bowl, put the soup ontop and ENJOY!

I keep the noodles separate in case there are leftovers. That way the noodles don't get mushy or sock up all the delicious soup.

This recipe is very adaptable. This time I didn't have lime, galangal, mushroom or garlic. I used half a fresh lemon instead. Worked out great. Substitute any vegetables you want. I've put bok choy in it before, and broccoli would be good too. Use a variety of colours so its pleasing to your eyes as well.

Also, Galangal is like ginger. Its hard to find so you can use ginger and will taste pretty much the same.

Mmmmmmmmmm!! It made a great lunch too!

The tofu I used this time is called Atsuage. This is a Japanese style tofu. It is deep fried and a bit crispy on the outside. Its got a more meaty texture. I love it! I picked it up at T&T Supermarket. In the refrigerated section where all the tofu's are.

I'm pretty stoked for the  Taste of Health  fare on Sunday. Its from 11:30am to 6pm. You should check it out. Its only $5 to get in. How cheap. And if you have  Ethical Deal - Taste of Health then you can get it 2 for 1. There will be lots of awesome booths, samples galore, cooking demonstrations, and talks! I wanna see it all!

Anyways, I'll be there stuffing my face with delish vegan baked goods and anything else vegan I can get my hands on. I better start saving now, its like Christmas! Lol I think you should go too.

J

Tonight I'm going to make cauliflower curry. YUM!

Eeeek, 12 days till my half marathon! What did I get myself into! 21km folks. 21 effin km's. Its fine. I love to run. Great calming effect on me. I get all my thinking done, releases some stress/pressure and keeps the pounds off! BONUS

I feel like there's not enough photo's in this post so here's a little something extra. Saw this on a friends FB this week and it made me laugh as well as salivate. And in a little bit of a diff way then food porn makes me salivate. But pretty close. LOL

Check this letter out. Its written by a comedian. HYSTERICAL and kinda true. He is rather distracting. Hello Giggles - Ryan Gosling

J

Peace

xoxo

K

I love surprises!

I had dinner at Kevin's while we watched the premiere of the American X Factor. I'm not a huge fan of singing shows, but I've been told that this one is different. And it is. It was enjoyable. Its only auditions right now, so that can be a little trying. I'm not into watching freaks embarrass themselves on stage just to get on TV. I could care less.

BUT that being said there were some pretty amazing people on the show. This 13 year old girl sand Mercy by Duffy that was awesome! And a recovering addict rhymed his own song. It was pretty damn good. Only thing is he needs to get clothes that fit. Over sized clothes and chains....we off that. Jay Z said that years ago, apparently he didn't get the memo. Lol PS the prize is 5 Million dollars!!! WTF if I'd known, I would've tried out!

I really wish they had kept Cheryl Cole. She's so pretty. Love her. But Nicole was good too.

Last week I was telling Kevin about this food I wanted to make that I had seen on Eat St. It is called Bunny Chow and its an African dish where the inside of a loaf is hollowed out and curry is put inside. The food truck on the show had got small buns and did that instead of a loaf. I think that would be amazing. I loved chili in a bread bowl from Tim Horton's JUST for the fact that I could say "And then I ate the bowl!!!" after. And guess what my little bestie did for me??? HE MADE THEM FOR ME!!!

So thoughtful right? And so Delish! He made a Thai veggie curry with tofu. Kev makes some good stirfry. Tons of veg and with coconut milk. I love coconut milk.

If you would like to make something like this. I def suggest it. Just go out and buy a round loaf of bread. If you're making it for 2 just buy one and cut it in half. Make your curry. And put it in the bowl.

Fo Serious, how good does that look? Its colourful, its nutritious and delicious! AND THEN I ATE THE BOWL! well not the entire bowl, cuz it was HUGE. Which by the way came from Cobs. It was a whole wheat multi grain loaf. PER-FECTION.
Here's an old recipe of mine, since I don't have Kevin's. I don't think he followed a recipe though.

Thai Curry

Ingredients

• One can coconut milk (low fat)
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 4 teaspoons palm sugar or brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons Thai curry paste (green, red, or yellow)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 sweet potato, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed
• ½ small can bamboo shoots, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch lengths
• 1 lime
• 8 large Thai basil leaves, chopped

Directions

• Heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a pan and add curry paste once heated. Fry curry paste for 1 minute then add vegetable stock, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
• Add onion, red pepper,, sweet potato, carrots, bamboo shoots, and green beans. Stir until vegetables are hot, 2-3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Add 1cup of water if curry seems too thick or if more liquid is needed to cook vegetables.
• Simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice to taste; you may use the juice of an entire lime. Stir and mix well.

Its so great when someone does something nice for you. Made my day. Also, another friend helped me move my old mattress out of my place! He has big muscles so it was probably nothing for him. ;) Otherwise I would have had to do it myself! My arm muscles are tiny and weak. Lol

My jams: Rihanna ft Calvin Harris - We found love, Kelly Clarkson - What doesn't kill you, Naughty by Nature ft Joe- Perfect Party, Cheryl Lloyd ft Mike Posner - With your love

Had no idea Naughty by Nature was still recording. LOL too funny.

Till next time!

Peace

xoxo

K

Taste of Thailand

Last night was the Big Brother 13 Finale. I am a HUGE BB fan. Its the BEST show on TV and I wish it was on more than once a year. SO good. I even got to meet my 2 favorite contestants, Jeff and Jordan.

We saw them at the Carrie Underwood concert in December 2010. I literally almost fainted. No joke. Kevin didn't believe me when I said he was behind us. But as soon as he saw me walking towards them he came running. Lol. I seriously got weak in the knees. Jeff is so dreamy and Jordan is so cute! We took this pic and went about our biznass at the concert.

When we left, we ran into them AGAIN! They invited us out for drinks. OMG Drinks! With Jeff and Jordan! Dreams came true that night. Unfort not the dirty kind. Ha.

Ok enough about my crush on Jeff. Onto the good stuff. Food.

I made my Thai stuffed portobello mushrooms. YUM!

Thai Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms:

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked brown rice (or any other whole grain)
2 cloves of garlic
1 inch of galangal (can use ginger if you can’t find galangal)
2 Thai red chili peppers
¼ chopped onion
2 carrots
3 leaves of kale
1 diced red pepper
Half can of reduced fat coconut milk
¼ – ½ cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

• Cook rice or grains according to package.
• Clean out the inside of the mushroom and take out the stem.
• Put carrots into food processor and pulse until finely chopped, put aside in a mixing bowl. Perform the same process for the kale, Thai red chili peppers, garlic and galangal (my food processor is too small to do them all at once).
• Dice onions and toss in frying pan with oil. After 2 minutes or when the onions are a little translucent, add the carrots, kale, Thai red chili peppers, garlic, and vegetable stock. Cook on low/medium heat for 3 minutes and add the diced red pepper and the half can of coconut milk. Mix with the brown rice and stuff your mushrooms!
• Bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

Makes enough to stuff 4 mushrooms, but I’m usually only cooking for one or 2 so there’s tons of the veggie mixture leftover. I just mixed it all together and ate it like fried rice/Asian Jambalaya. DELISH!

Optional:
-Sprinkle chopped nuts, daiya or seeds on top during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
-If you like more heat add some hot sauce or chili flakes to the mixture
-Would also be good in a red pepper

I steamed 2 kinds of bok choy for the side dish and tossed it in soy sauce and sesame oil. You can also see my Thai recipe on the The Vegan Project . The site is done by a great group of gals who have some tasty recipes and tips. Check them out!

I had promised the girls at The Vegan Project that I would do a review of Wild Rice for them............like a year ago. Busy busy I guess. No excuses. And I will stick to my word. I'm going there tonight, camera in hand. I love that place! If you haven't gone, you should go. They are a modern Chinese restaurant that has meat and veg options. They actually have quite a number of vegan options and are quite accommodating. Its DELISH. Get some!

Totally blows that its raining. I am not ready to use an umbrella or wear nylons/tights. Not cool.

Peace!

xoxo

K

Sweet jeezus! Sweet potato!

I did not cook anything special up last night. Just a good ole salad. I was in too much of a hurry. SO after looking through my archives I found this goody of a recipe that I got from Vegweb. I've got to say its DELISH. I used their recipe but did not cook it the same way. And added a couple extra ingredients cuz that's how I roll.


Coconut Quinoa and Sweet Potato Curry

Ingredients:

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas with liquid
1/2 cup dry quinoa
1 medium-large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 can peas
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil (to saute garlic and onion)
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon cardamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger
salt, to taste
pepper to taste
1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk (I prefer the "lite" milk)

Directions:
1. Cook the quinoa according to the package.
2. Heat oil in a big pan and add garlic and onion. Fry for 2 minutes
3. Add sweet potato, chickpeas and peas and 1/2 - 1 cup water(enough to cover) Cook until soft
4. Once soft, add all spices, quinoa and coconut milk
5. Reduce heat and mix well. Cook for 10-15 minutes.
6. Add more spice if you like it HOT!

Here's a crappy pic I took from my phone. Its not great quality but it that's all I got.

Sweet potatoes are awesome. They have tons of vit A and C plus potassium and iron! That along with the peas, chickpeas and quinoa and you've got one nutritious meal. :)

I would like to talk about sugar again. Obviously we all know that sugar gives us energy. But what is happening is when it is absorbed into your bloodstream, your blood sugar level rises. Duh. The pancreas then releases insulin to remove it from there into your cells to use the energy. The more refined the sugar, the greater work has to be done to do this process. We need sugar for many functions but excess sugar is stored as FAT. Yes, I said FAT. While your body is producing insulin to bring the sugar levels down, it cannot produce the hormone Glucagon that takes fat and releases it so you can burn it off.

So basically, all the working out you do and still eat boat loads of sugar will not equal weight loss. I think the main source of most people's sugars are from drinks. I don't like to drink my calories (unless there is booze in it), but even then I never choose a juice. For example, did you know that Vitamin Water has like 33grams of sugar! say wha!? Even Tonic water (or toxic water) has about 35grams per serving.

And don't think that switching to diet drinks will do you any better. Diet drinks contain aspartame or sucralose or whatever other shitty sugar that actually INCREASES our cravings for sugar. Its like a trick in your body. It thinks sugar is coming but it doesn't so it starts to want it. So watch out!

Even though white sugar is from a cane plant it is highly refined and stripped of all its nutrients and minerals. Its very high on the glycemic index. Brown sugar isn't any better. Its basically made in the same way. Highly processed and mixed with molasses or dye to make it brown.

Sugars I use:
- agave nectar: from the tequila plant, low glycemic index
- brown rice syrup: made from brown rice
- stevia: made from a leaf, low glycemic index and virtually no calories
- coconut sugar: made from coconut flowers, low glycemic index
- maple syrup: from sap, a little high on the glycemic index

All that info aside. Its REALLY tough to avoid white refined sugar. Very hard. And I'm a healthy MoFo. I can't escape it. Especially when my good pal chocolate is loaded with it. Your best bet is to try. Cut out some of those processed foods. Boxed foods, juices and pops, condiments, etc. A diet rich in whole foods will keep you healthy and gorgeous! I switched to fruit as my sugar rush. And although it has sugar in it, its from a whole food source that hasn't been refined.

Funny story: Last night I saw a naked bike rider heading to Stanley park. lol He was screaming quite loudly cuz he was going a little off road.....it was a tad bumpy I guess. HA.

My jams: Warren G and Nate Dog - Regulate! I had shuffle going on this AM. LOVE that track.

Race time: It is rapidly approaching. As usual I am not prepared. I haven't even registered! My first one up is 5 Peaks - Buntzen Lake . Its about 15km and has an elevation gain like the grind. I hike up the diaz vista then around the lake. I need some cheerleaders! help!

Next is my first half marathon in Victoria. That's 21km! Jeez.

Peace!

xoxo

K