What I bought Wednesday

In my last post I showed you a picture of what I bought while on my food adventures in Vancouver…so here is more of that…..

This cocoa powder is DA BOMB…it’s something I grew up on… has a perfect sweetness and dissolves amazingly well in cold milk…not like that Nesquick cocoa powder stuff that is all grainy in cold milk. 

I decided to try out a couple of new Truffle infused olive oils… one with Black Truffles and one with White Truffles…so excited to start using them.

These goat cheeses come from a beautiful island here on the West Coast called Salt Spring Island.  I can get these cheeses back home too, but they are quite a bit cheeper over here.  Can you notice a common theme of mine today?  More truffle infused foods..but how could I resist?  The one with the purple flower is just a regular goat’s cheese.

Some fresh mozzarella…hmm.

Vega Chocolate Smoothie mix..can’t wait to try it.  Anybody else enjoy Brendan Brazier’s products?  I love that they are plant based and focus on whole foods.

I thought this product was Gluten-Free, but when I got home I noticed it wasn’t. Oh well… still looks interesting and can’t wait to try this too.

Another truffle product…I bought a couple of these last year when I was visiting and it was AMAZING.

Pecorino and Truffle Sauce….more droooollllssss

Bosa Foods carries a wonderful selection of fresh pastas… I usually buy a couple of flavours when I go there and then freeze them in ziplock bags for when I go home. 

These cute orange Sacchetti’s are filled with a Smoked Gouda…one of my all-time favorites… I love how they look like little bags of money.

Don’t these remind you of pillows?  Striped Porcini Ravioli.

I only ever usually buy sausages when I visit Bosa… these are fresh Honey Garlic Sausages… my mom vacuum sealed them for me when we got home in bags of 2. 

I was so stoked to find this at Whole Foods…. I can’t find it anywhere else.  Any Canadian bloggers know of where we can get this north of the border? 

And Bosa also sells really cool plates and bowls and mugs… I really liked these bowls, so I bought two It’s been a really long time since I’ve bought any thing to do with dishes for the house.

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What do you look forward to buying when you go to Whole Foods Market? 

Anybody know where to buy So Delicious Milk in Canada? 

With Love

Bea

xoxo

Never a dull moment

Hope everyone had a good weekend.  Mine was eventful, but not necessarily in the way one would wish for.

Friday night was pretty relaxed.  I was still feeling under the weather, just not much energy, so we spent the evening at home watching movies with the kids. 

Saturday morning started with the usual…mid morning skating lessons for the 2 kids and a relaxed afternoon at home.  As I mentioned in my Friday post, we were invited to our friend’s for their Annual Christmas Tree burn.  So in the afternoon I prepared some Spinach Dip in a bread bowl to take with as an appetizer.  I would have made the dip from scratch, but decided to buy it this time as I was still not feeling so swell. 

The party was good.  Lots of yummy food, but it was a chilly one.  The fire pit was roaring and fun was had by all.  Unfortunately, we had to leave the party early and missed the tree burning competition.  Caelin (4 yr old) had a run-in with a rock and lost the battle.  We had to take him to the ER to get his forehead glued back together.  He’s got a nice 1 inch gash above his right eyebrow, nevertheless, he is still running around and is a happy little camper and an awesome little patient.  Thanks to my friends though, we still got some good pictures.

Tree #1

Tree #2

Tree #3 (Charlie Brown Xmas Tree)

Say Hello to our Tree (Thanks Ashlee for being our representative )

Burn Baby Burn….

Our tree made the best sounds…but did we win?  You be the judge of that….

On to eats… and it’s a good one tonight

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Lamb Kibbeh (meatballs) Stuffed with Pistachios and Goat Cheese

For the Lamb

• 1 cup fine bulgur (cooked) (1/2 cup uncooked)
• 5 oz  lean ground lamb
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 tsp  bouillon
• 1 tsp  cumin
• 1 tsp  chilli flakes
• 2 Tbsp Gluten-free flour mix
• salt and pepper to taste

For the filling

• 2.5 oz soft goat cheese
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp toasted pistachios, chopped
• pinch chopped cilantro
• pinch chopped flat-leaf parsley
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

If you’ve never cooked with bulgur before (or what my boyfriend calls “Burglar” - hehe), here is your chance.  Here is some information from Sunnylandmills.org: 

Bulgur is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat that has been cleaned, parboiled, dried, ground into particles and sifted into distinct sizes. Sunnyland Mills' four distinct grind sizes as well as whole kernel provide different textures and cooking properties for a variety of food applications. The result is a nutritious, versatile wheat product with a pleasant, nut-like flavor and an extended shelf-life that allows it to be stored for long periods.

Often confused with cracked wheat, bulgur differs in that it has been pre-cooked. For a humorous cartoon description of the steps involved in making bulgur wheat, click here. In contrast to cracked wheat, bulgur is ready to eat with minimal cooking or, after soaking in water or broth, can be mixed with other ingredients without further cooking. Bulgur can be used in recipes calling for converted rice (and it's more nutritious than rice).

Cover the bulgur with boiling water for 5 minutes.  Bulgur is cooked much in the same way as Couscous.  It’s a 2 to 1 water to bulgur ratio, therefore, to yield 1 cup cooked, you will need 1/2 cup uncooked and cover with boiling water for about 5 minutes.  Drain in fine colander.  Spread on paper towels to absorb any moisture (there is alot). 

Process lamb, bulgur, onion, spices, and flour in food processor until it forms a paste.  Season with salt and pepper, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

For filling, whip goat cheese with lemon juice.  Transfer to bowl and mix in herbs and pistachios.  Season with salt and pepper.

Put cheese mixture in plastic piping bag.  I used a ziplock bag because I don’t own any piping bags, it works just as well for this recipe. 

Form lamb mixture into medium to large sized meatballs.  Using a wet index finger, make a hole through the center of each meatball and gently work your finger to create a cavity for filling. 

Place goat cheese filling into each meatball until about 1/3 full and seal.  Smooth over any cracks with fingers.  Place on foil tray and refrigerate uncovered for about 1 hour.  By doing this, they will firm up slightly.

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Place meatballs on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until cooked.  Serve with rice and a dollop of garlic yogurt dipping sauce (non-fat yogurt, 2 gloves garlic, 1 tsp Herbamare vegetable salt, fresh shopped chives).

While I was preparing dinner, I came across this cute sighting I just had to share.  Meet Misty and my man:

Ready for some dessert?  We were…

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MINI LAVA CAKES

Use dark chocolate that has been processed correctly for the best flavanol hit. 

• 1/4 cup  10 % cream
• 6 oz  dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance Butter
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup Sucanat Sugar
• 1/2 tsp  pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup  GF Flour Blend

Pour cream into small saucepan.  Add 2 oz chocolate.  Heat on low; slowly melt chocolate, stirring occasionally.  When chocolate is almost melted, remove from heat and stir till melted.  Pour into glass measuring cup and place in fridge.

Place 4 oz chocolate in clean, small saucepan.  Add butter; heat on low.  Melt slowly, stirring occasionally.  When chocolate is almost melted, remove from heat, and stir till melted.  Set aside.

In medium bowl, beat eggs with sugar for 5 minutes or until mixture is very thick.  Beat in vanilla.  Fold in melted chocolate.  Sift flour over the batter and fold in till well incorporated.

Grease 6 – 4oz ramekins with Pam spray.  Scoop chocolate batter into ramekins till half full. 

Drop in 1 heaping tsp of the cooled chocolate mixture.  Scoop remaining chocolate batter into ramekins.  Store in fridge for 2 hours or up to 1 day. 

To serve, preheat oven to 400F.  Remove ramekins from fridge.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.  Run knife along edges and flip onto plate.  Serve with berries.  Serves 6.

Hope you enjoyed tonight’s blog post.  Got some great recipes to share this week, including dairy and gluten-free dinners. Keep checking back…I will not disappoint. 

And keep your comments coming.  I enjoy reading each and every one of them.   

Have a great Monday everyone. 

Bea

xoxo

Just another manic Monday

Monday’s are always tough for me.  I’m not really a morning person, so when that alarm clock goes off, I tend to hit the snooze button once or twice.  Once I did get out of bed, the day seemed to run pretty smoothly.  I was excited to try a new ingredient in my morning smoothie.  My local Health Food Store was able to get it in on a special order.  You can find Navitas Naturals products on their website by clicking on this link:  Navitas Naturals.  They’ve even got recipes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I added 1 Tbsp to my mix.  It actually doesn’t look any different than my other GREEN MONSTER and it actually doesn’t taste that much different either.  Just a slight cocoa taste.  Very satisfying first thing in the morning.  It makes enough to fill up a smoothie container and drink on the way to work. 

After work I had to run from meeting to meeting and was happy to get home in the afternoon.  Then it was time to figure out dinner.  I had left over pork tenderloin from last night’s Pad Thai, so it was time to get creative.  After dinner was a 4km run on the treadmill.  I began training today for my race in May.  (stay tuned for more info).

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PORK TENDERLOIN WITH GOAT CHEESE

(Gluten-free)

The Ingredients

• 1 cup Penne (Gluten-free Rice Pasta)
• Pork Tenderloin
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 cup of baby spinach
• 1 cup of mixed frozen veggies (corn, carrots, peas – not in picture)
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine
• 4 oz goat cheese
• bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 6 fresh chives, chopped
• 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup walnuts
• salt and pepper to taste

Steps

Prepare your ingredients.  You will want to slice your pork tenderloin into thicker slices.  Boil your pasta while frying your meat so that it is ready to be added when needed.

Heat olive oil on medium-high heat in frying pan.  Pan fry your medallions in batches until golden brown.  The meat can be pink in center.  You will want to make sure that you do not overcrowd your pan as it will take you longer.  Set aside until ready to be added later. 

In same pan, add a little bit more oil and sauté your onions, garlic, pepper and frozen vegetable mix.  Sauté for 4 – 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Now add your spinach, cilantro and chives.  Add the white wine and mix. 

Add the goat cheese and walnuts and stir until cheese is dissolved and sauce becomes creamy. 

Now stir in your cooked pasta.  Also add your medallions and heat thoroughly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  And your meal is now ready to eat. 

 

BON APPETIT   !!!

 

Have an awesome night. 

xoxo

Bea