Food & Drink

Glowing Green Smoothie Bowl

Despite the wicked snow storm we were having early this morning, I had a bit of extra time and was feeling inspired. Since we rang in the new year, I’m finding muse in all the social sharing that is taking place with everyone’s new healthy 2016 regime – there have been some beautiful creations posted out there. With that being said, I wanted something different than my typical blend of fruits and veggies.

I recently organized my spice/toppers/baking/coffee/tea cupboard (yes this a thing haha) so I knew I had a handful of delicious add-in ingredients. So I decided to get creative and jazz up my smoothie with something beautiful and even more filling – a smoothie bowl!

I took some of my favourite toppers/ingredients – chia seed, coconut, hemp hearts, and strawberries and topped them onto my trusted Glowing Green Smoothie recipe (limit the water part to keep it on the thicker side).

What a simple and gorgeous dish to start off the morning – it definitely brightened my day!Glowing Green Smoothie Bowl

Be creative. xx

Sriracha Buffalo Chicken Wings

Surprisingly so, a weakness of mine, is a love of chicken wings. Not so much for the chicken but for the delicious sauce that ensues each pound (so bad- I know haha). I most recently discovered an at home oven-fried method to get the crispy crunch of your restaurant style fried wing and an easy to make Sriracha buffalo sauce that is bomb, courtesy of Honestly Yum (and really they are!)

The trick is to get the skin of the wings as dry as possible before baking at a high heat. This recipe I discovered uses baking powder to help crisp up the skin to that perfect golden crunch, which really works!

To sauce up your wings, Sriracha, cilantro and jalepeno combine for an extra spicy twist to the classic buffalo wing. These three ingredients together make a killer combo. I’ve tried several sauces for these oven-fried wings, but this one is by far a favourite in our household. Here’s the dish –

Chicken Wing Ingredients:

  • 4 pounds of chicken wings
  • 1 tablespoon of baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon of himalayan sea salt

Sriracha Buffalo Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of Sriracha
  • 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  • 2 jalapenos, thinly sliced
  • 1 small bunch of cilantro, roughly torn

Pat dry the wings with paper towels. Combine salt and baking powder in a bowl and toss wings to coat. Arrange on a baking rack on top of a baking sheet. Leave wings out for at least an hour to dry out the skin. To speed this up, next to a window or fan can help.

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees with the rack placed at the top of the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, flip, bake for another 15 minutes, until golden brown.

To prepare the wing sauce, melt butter and Sriracha together in a small pot until simmering. Pour into a bowl and toss hot wings in the sauce. Add jalapeños and cilantro and toss.

Pair with blue cheese dressing with extra blue cheese crumbled within and your wings are ready!

Sriracha Chicken Wings

Keep it Spicy! xx

Vegan Eggnog

‘Tis the season for some festive cheer!

With Christmas Eve upon us, it is time to soak in all things festive the next couple days or week – if you are so lucky. Christmas movies, holiday parties, long dinners with family and friends, sipping on festive drinks around the fire, Christmas music lingering in the background – I absolutely LOVE this time of year! With the merry spirit filling our home, I wanted to share something perfectly appropriate for this Christmas Eve. And what could be more merry than the beloved Christmas drink of Eggnog!

To be honest I have never been a real fan. I love the idea of this signature Christmas beverage and EVERY year, I give it a try hoping that I will like it, and am always left disappointed. Until now! Granted this isn’t the traditional Eggnog that many of you love so much, but it’s the next best thing or in my opinion – better than! The My New Roots, Creamy Eggnog Milkshake is beyond delicious! (I’ve made a couple changes based on what I had available).

This rich and creamy egg-less Eggnog is perfect any time of the day. Let it be the star at your Christmas brunch, part of your cocktail mix, or dress it up for dessert, which is what I am going to do, (and I won’t judge if you enjoy it more than once).

What makes this drink super nutritious and full of protein, fibre, and calcium is the sesame seeds. I had no idea how nutrient packed these little seeds were. They pack a great punch of essential minerals – calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, iron and copper – so you don’t need to feel guilty if you down a glass or two. 🙂

So please give it a try, I guarantee it’s better than anything store bought.

Vegan Eggnog (yields 2 servings)

  • 2 frozen bananas
  • 3-4 dried figs
  • 3 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp hemp hearts
  • 2 cups water (you could also use milk of choice – but not necessary!)
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg (freshly grated or ground)
  • 1/8 tsp ground clove
  • pinch of himalayan sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp pure maple syrup
  • juice of half of lemon
  • cinnamon sticks
  1. Place sesame seeds, figs and salt in a bowl. Cover with water and soak overnight or up to 8 hours. Drain and rinse well
  2. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until completely smooth. Add spice to taste and water to desired consistency
  3. Pour and top with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a cinnamon stick

Vegan Eggnog

Happy Ho Ho! xx

Vanilla Rosehip Hibiscus Cider

With the winter amongst us, I find myself continually wanting to grab a hot cup of anything delicious. Java, matcha, hot water with lemon, apple cider, black tea, green tea, blueberry tea, mulled wine – there are a ton of options for all times of the day and some more simple than others.

This weekend was probably the first where we really felt Winter in the air (lately we have been SO LUCKY with above average temps).  After strolling around the city all day in these cooler temps and almost immediately as I come in from the cold, I find myself looking for something warming and special. A cup of deliciousness to cozy up on the couch with and catch whichever Christmas flick that may be on.

With a ton of apples lying around, I decide to juice them and make homemade apple cider. While healthy and delicious, how can I fancy this up, make it special, make these apples worth juicing. 🙂

I come up with a vanilla bean, cinnamon stick and rosehip hibiscus; in my mind – perfection! This combination could not go wrong.Vanilla Rosehip Hibiscus Apple Cider

A cup of HEAVEN was just how right these flavours were when brewed together. Sweet, warm, rich, extraordinary, a treat for those days when you need that special pick me up.

  1. Juice apples (I used a mix of gala and fuji), remove foam from juice. 6 apples yield about 3 servings
  2. Slice open the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds into a large pot; add the scraped pod as well + cinnamon stick
  3. Pour in the apple juice and heat over low-medium heat until liquid starts to simmer
  4. Remove from heat, add the rosehip hibiscus and let steep for 10-12 minutes
  5. Strain cider and serve

Vanilla Rosehip Hibiscus Cider

Keep warm. xx

Nuts & Bolts

The Christmas tradition of munching on Nonna’s homemade nuts and bolts pre-dinner is one that I will continue to carry on. This recipe is one that has been around for decades (as you can see in the picture below) and a fan favourite to all. I’m not at all a cereal fan but this combination seasoned and baked to perfection is seriously addicting! Don’t say I didn’t warn you. 🙂

It has always been one of my favourite snacks for the holidays, simply because it’s delicious and of course tradition.Nuts & Bolts RecipeCheerios, Shreddies, peanuts, pretzels and Chex are perfectly combined; however the great thing is you can switch up the ingredients any way you desire and you’ll still come out on top! But let’s be real Chex makes this mix.Ingredients - Nuts & BoltsSimple in its ingredients, this easy snack doesn’t even come close to the party mix you can buy from your local grocer. While plain and simple in its parts, let’s not be fooled, these Nuts & Bolts aren’t exactly healthy. Unfortunately, the boxed and processed cereal are not as wholesome as we hope and the butter component is obviously less than ideal. Even if trying to find a healthier alternative (i.e.- earth balance instead of butter) no pound substitute of anything is that much better. So remember moderation and consider it an indulgence. After all it is the Christmas season.Nuts & BoltsThis recipe will stock you for the holiday season and all the parties you may be hosting, but you will also have ample supply to package up and gift to friends, family, co-workers and/or hosts of holiday parties. After all, it is 3+ boxes of cereal combined. 🙂

Nut & Bolts

  • 1 box rice CHEX
  • 1 box Cheerios
  • 1 box Shreddies
  • 1 bag Pretzels
  • 2 cups unsalted peanuts

Seasoning

  • 1 lb unsalted butter, melted (or substitute margarine, earth balance)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon celery salt
  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
  2. Combine all of the snack mix ingredients in a large pan.
  3. Melt butter in saucepan on low-medium heat. Add in seasoning ingredients and whisk until well combined. Pour slowly over snack mix, stirring as you go, to coat evenly. Continue stirring until snack mix is well coated with seasoning. Bake for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Let cool, then serve or store in an airtight container or ziplock bag.

Get Nutty. xx