toronto bites

I just came back from a nice li’l trip to Toronto where I watched a friend participate in an intense culinary competition, ate Chinese food (kung hei fat choi!), walked enough to give both of my feet giant blisters, spent time in my favourite bookstores and got new drawing pens!

[I'm not very good with the chopsticks.]

I also checked out two french bakeries: Le Matin in Leslieville (amazing brioche) and Clafouti in Trinity-Bellwoods (who knew raisin bread could be so delicious). And finally went to the White Squirrel to drink hot apple cider and draw with Mlex

I enjoy cafes with interesting decor, like this giant map of Toronto:

I’ve been experimenting with hummus in my baby food processor, with mixed results. This batch turned out pretty well – I kept it simple and used:
~1 c chickpeas
~2 Tbsp tahini
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
Juice of half a lemon
Splash of olive oil
Water, to thin it out

Chopped carrots make the perfect dipping instrument!
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Chocolatey hot cereal has been making the rounds…

I’m amazed by how much chocolate flavour is imparted by 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder! Tastes especially great with a pinch of cinnamon and topped with thawed frozen raspberries and pb.

After mixing -> looks a bit nicer
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Breakfast isn’t complete without some delicious coffee or tea. I found this maple black tea at Tealish (located on Queen West, near Trinity Bellwoods Park) and it is exactly what I hoped for! Lovely aroma and actually not too sweet, considering the inclusion of bits of maple sugar.

Time for another savoury recipe! I made curried vegetables + tempeh in coconut milk (recipe adapted from the never-failing How It All Vegan) for a quick dinner last night and I am already excited for leftovers!

Don’t let the bland appearance fool you – this dish is spicy, flavourful, and comforting for them mid-winter blues.

INGREDIENTS
Olive oil
1 onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp red curry paste
1 green pepper, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1/2 large cauliflower, cut into florets
2 stalks broccoli, ditto
1 block tempeh, cubed
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric
Pinch of hot chili flakes
1 c coconut milk
1 c peas
3 Tbsp Braggs, soy sauce or tamari

In a large saucepan or wok, saute the onion, garlic, and curry paste on med-high until onions are translucent.

Add vegetables, tempeh, and spices. Cook about 5 min.

Add coconut milk, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer about 20 min, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.

Stir in peas and soy sauce, and cook uncovered, stirring constantly until most of liquid is absorbed.

Serve over your grain of choice! Rice, quinoa, couscous…[I used wheatberries]

[Serves 4]

hooray for breakfast

Why have I never tried chocolate oatmeal before?

This creation was composed off:
1/4 Bob’s Red Mill multigrain cereal
Pinch of cinnamon
1 c water
Splash of almond milk
1/2 banana, sliced
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
Peanut butter
Frozen raspberries

Pretty splendid way to start the day. [Frozen raspberries, why are you so un-photogenic?]

Another solid morning meal: eggs redux, with some slightly mushy avocado and a “bloody grapefruit” (half grapefruit topped with frozen raspberries):

Now for a weird breakfast:

I was in the mood for something PIPING HOT so yeah, sometimes leftover chickpea-sweet potato soup for breakfast is the way to go! With a side of roasted patates and sliced apple.

Finally, the star of the breakfast crew: vegan banana raspberry pancakes!

Full of juicy raspberries and topped with birch-maple syrup, with the requisite fruit on the side.

Recipe, based on THIS one:
[Serves 1 hungry person]
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 c + 1/8 c almond milk
1 tsp agave nectar
1/2 c frozen raspberries
Maple syrup and additional sliced banana, to top

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.

Grease griddle or frying pan and heat over medium-high.

Drop large spoonfuls of batter and cook until edges are bubbly.

Flip and cook on the other side until done (I did about 3 min on each side).

Let cook a few minutes, and top with syrup and sliced banana.

Devour!

Yoga tune of the day:
“Breakfast” by EMA…starts off slowly like a lullaby sung in a dark corner of the city and becomes a lovely refrain

boredom baking

Boredom bakin’
Dancing, shakin’
Cookie makin’
For the takin’

Right, good thing I’m not in a creative writing course at the moment.

I refuse to let my unsulfured molasses go to waste, so sorry to be boring, but here are MOAR gingersnaps! Half with red sprinkles, half with a chocolate centre.

I have a cookies-for-laundry exchange set up with a friend. [A tin of cookies in exchange for the use of some nice laundry facilities.] It’s all about bartering, people!

I feel so proud when I bother to buy dried legumes in bulk, soak them, and then use them to make a delightful meal. Sure, canned goods are more convenient, and it does take some time and planning to used dried, but they are also:
1. cheaper
2. taste better (I find canned legumes tend to taste a bit metallic)
3. provide some amusement if you like watching dried things absorb water…it’s quite fascinating, really

ANYWAY, I made curried chickpea-carrot-sweet potato soup and here’s what it looks like:

Ingredients n directions (recipe adapted from 125 Best Vegan Recipes):

Heat about 1 Tbsp olive oil in a soup pot.

Add:
1 onion, chopped finely
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp ground cumin
Pinch of hot chili flakes

Cook 3-5 min, until onions are translucent. Then add:
1 large sweet potato, cubed
2 carrots, cubed

Cook another 5 min. Then add:
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 small can coconut milk
1/2 c soy/almond milk
3 c vegetable broth
2 c chickpeas (canned or cooked from dried)
Large handful chopped spinach

Turn heat to medium-high and cook about 10 min.

Turn down heat to low. Season with salt and pepper, and additional hot chili flakes, if you like to spice up your life (I do). Let simmer for about 20 min, or until veggies are tender. Serve sprinkled with parsley or cilantro.

Perfect (silly windy drizzly cold ridiculousness) winter meal, served with a hunk of fresh bread!
***

I have been hankering for some fresh berries (remember when I used to work on a produce farm and got to pick them straight from the fields?), but they are darned expensive this time of year, so I opted for frozen to add some colour to my usual boring ol’ oatmeal. Along with a hearty drizzly of sunflower seed butter.

Nice and filling!

I’ve noticed that I favour heavier foods with more protein and fats in the winter than my more salad, fruit and grains-based diet in the summer. I guess that’s normal, but I should probably try to replace some of those heavier meals with fresh fruits n veggies as I must admit I’m feeling a bit rotund, Winnie-the-Pooh styles!

shared meals and east-end walks

I was in Toronto for a few days for interviews and enjoyed some good meals and excursions into the wintry city!

Breakfast: fried egg with arugula and avocado on half a bagel, with pear on the side.

I also cracked open my Wanda’s Pie in the Sky cookbook to make these “gorilla” cookies:

Basically a chewy oatmeal cookie with granola, raisins, choc chips, coconut, walnuts, and sunflower seeds.

They were very well received. In fact, my dad said they were some of the best cookies I’ve made, so thumbs up, Wanda!

Upon returning to Waterloo, I cooked up some spiced chickpeas in coconut milk, mashed sweet potato, and wheatberries to share with a friend:

Normally I make one-pot meals for myself so it was nice to have different components.

Yay! I really like cooking for other people. It makes me try harder.
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My last interview was on the Danforth so afterwards, I went for a stroll down to Riverdale Park:

Spot the cross-country skier?

Stopped for some hot apple cider at the Rooster:

And later for coffee at F’Coffee:

One of my favourite bridges in Toronto:

It sucks that this part of the Don River has been channelized, but I must say I appreciate the contrast between natural and man-made infrastructure here:

I also finally made my way to Bright Street in Corktown, which is sort of known for being a quiet, winding little street with cottage-like row houses built for immigrant workers back in the late 19th century. [Side note: I spent a good portion of my time at home engrossed in a book called "Old Toronto Houses", which I have already read at least thrice. I have some quaint interests.]

Before catching the bus back to Waterloo, I had tea with Mlex at Moonbean and admired her RIGOROUS INK DRAWINGS:

Ah, to be able to draw things that look good!

we like to move it

Hm, looks like I might be moving back to Toronto sooner than I thought…I have three job/internship interviews in the next couple of days, so if I get work there, it doesn’t make sense to stay in Waterloo, much as I adore my apartment. Oh, the unpredictability of life as a recent graduate!

My eats have been as predicable as ever, though. More pumpkin blueberry oaty oats…these were bulked up with plain yoghurt and peanut butter:

Another morning, another round of egg-in-a-blanket!

With some avocado and kiwi for good measure.

I’m trying to cook a wide variety of dishes beyond my usual roster of legume n veggie stews. SO I made the Shepherd’s Pie from the Veganomicon, substituting sweet potatoes for the topping and sprinkling some old cheddar on top. Yeah!

A friend of a mine and I made some ballin’ bruschetta to eat during a viewing of Tim Burton’s Beatlejuice (what a strangely entertaining film). Mixed some tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, parsley, and cheese, and used this finely scented mixture to top toasted baguette. How very European!

[Oh no - return of the terrible cell pictures!]

Grand, gooey, goodness.

Saturday brunch

When one is finished school and unemployed, free time is available in delightfully long stretches. Plenty of time for a leisurely Saturday brunch with a friend!

Recipe adjusted from All Recipes – Todd’s Famous Blueberry Pancakes:

*Makes 10-12 small pancakes*

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cinnamon
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons white sugar
1 egg
1 cup almond milk
1/2 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (thawed, if frozen)
1 banana, sliced

In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.

In a small bowl, beat together egg and milk.

Stir milk and egg into flour mixture.

Mix in the butter and fold in the blueberries and banana. Set aside for 1 hour (I didn’t bother).

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat.

Scoop approximately 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake.

Brown on both sides and serve hot with maple syrup (or birch-maple syrup, in this case)

Weekday brunches have been happening too…man I need to fix my sleep schedule. Can’t be sleeping in til 11 indefinitely!

Pumpkin oatmeal with blueberries, sunbutter, and cinnamon!

With my new library book: Farm City (The Education of an Urban Farmer). It’s a very interesting tale of a lady who grows produce and raises livestock in an abandoned lot in Oakland, CA.
***

I finally tried making egg-in-a-basket this morning and it actually worked! Yes!

Everything is better with a side of avocado and blueberries. And coffee, durrr.

Time to go out and enjoy the day!

Oh wait! I wanted to share another yoga tune I’ve been enjoying: Blue Gowns by Blue Hawaii. Calming like an ocean!

the most wonderful soup

My sister and I made this Thai butternut squash soup but a week ago, and here I am recreating it already. Must be a winner!

For so few ingredients, it packs a flavour wallop.

Recipe, once again, is from C is for Kitchen (adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook):

1 cup coconut milk
½ teaspoon Thai red curry paste
½ tsp salt
2 cups veggie broth (I am ashamed to admit I just use boiled water and lots of Herbamare)
1 large butternut squash
1/2 lime
2 cups fresh baby spinach
Chopped cilantro (parsley is good too)

Pan-fried tofu:
8oz firm tofu
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp Thai red curry paste
1 tsp vegetable oilIf you’re using fresh squash, bake whole in oven for 1.5 hours or until poked easily with a fork. In the microwave, cut lengthwise, lay skin side up in ½ inch of water and cook for five minutes. Turn and cook for another 5 minutes or until tender. Seed, peel, and chop squash. In a soup pot, whisk together the coconut milk, curry paste, salt, and broth. Add squash, cover, and bring to a simmer. Cook, covered, 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare pan-fried tofu. Drain tofu and cut into small cubes and toss with soy sauce and the curry paste. Heat the oil in a small skillet on medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Lightly grate the lime peel and juice the lime. Add zest and lime juice to taste. Stir in spinach and tofu and cook until spinach wilts. Add salt to taste. Garnish with cilantro.

I put my new mini food processor to the test to see if I could make Larabar type snacks. The resounding answer: NO! I guess the blades aren’t powerful enough to really deal with dried fruit and nuts. This is what I got instead:

Certainly not a Larabar, but not bad, after a couple of hours in the freezer. I used unmeasured amounts of cooking dates, pistachio, dried cranberries, and coconut flakes, with a bit of almond milk to glue it together.
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With so much free time, I have been doing a bit of “boredom baking” – in quarter batches, so I don’t devour TOO many sweets. Here we have some peanut butter cookies with dark chocolate discs, AKA nipples…haha.

Recipe exactly from the Mrs. Fields cookbook, so I shan’t post it. It’s a gem of a cookbook and I highly recommend it – how could you not trust this lady?

I’ve been spending a lot of time watching Streetfilms short documentaries – here’s one I find inspiring -

Contested streets: breaking New York City gridlock

Meanwhile, Toronto decides to remove bike lanes and the plans for a comprehensive network seem to change every couple of months. Three things I think need to be achieved in the near future (this is, of course, from a downtown kid’s perspective):*east-west artery stretching across the city, i.e. BIKE LANES ON BLOOR/DANFORTH, and also on Richmond and Adelaide, at least through the core
*improved access to waterfront trail – some of the Gardiner underpass sections are dicey
*completion of the West Toronto Railpath – it’s an AWESOME path through an interesting part of the city, but it’s currently only about 2km long, and is meant to extend from Cariboo Ave. in the Junction to Strachan Ave. in Liberty Village

Well, enough pontificating for now. I miss being a student. Speak of which, I should probably get crackin’ to finish up my grad school apps!

footfalls

The calming quality of long walks in the snow is really appealing to me right now.

Pitter patter.

Iron Horse trail – haven’t been here in a long while.

I do enjoy looking up at railway tracks.

Clear skies for once – yes!

KDubs can be quite beautiful, despite popular belief!
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Some glimpses of my kitchen output -

Lentil-squash stew with wheatberries, with way too much parsley and nooch. Not very photogenic.

Overnight oats with plan yoghurt, pumpkin, agave, chopped apple, craisins, and sunbutter. I pre-cooked the oats and then refrigerated them overnight, a tip learned from Chocolate and Chard!

New favourite tea mug. Wheeee, owls!

Simple, leisurely breakfast: toast with hummus and fried egg, orange, and coffee. The dino mug is my second favourite.

C’est tout!
***

Cannot get this out of my head. Loopy! [Braids: Lemonade]

back to reality

I’m all about the savoury brunches at the moment.

Leftover lentil-squash stew with a fried egg and uh, a lot of parsley which I’m trying to use up before it goes yellow.

With my new “hidden owl” mug – a lovely Christmas gift.

I also received a FOOD PROCESSOR (miniature, but still Kitchen Aid and still super exciting) for Christmas, which I put to work immediately making pumpkin banana “soft serve”:

6 chunks of frozen banana + 2 Tbsp canned pumpkin + splash of coconut milk + cinnamon
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I have a lot of spare time this week due to being done school (still can’t get over this) and having no shifts at the PT job. [Does this mean they don't want me anymore? I kind of hope so, actually - at any rate, I've already had an interview for a different job at a cafe, which I feel would be more enjoyable.] My plan is to do a lengthy yoga/strength training session and/or a nice long walk every day with some gymming thrown in for good measure, read a lot, draw a lot, sing a lot, and cook a lot. COOL.

So this was yesterday wintry walk in Kitchener:

I really like this part of the city, near the Kitchener Market on King St.

A nice little mural.

Perfectly snowy day.

A series of blurry photos taken back in Toronto, featuring Mlex, Bloor St., beer, and seaweed:

There is nothing like funny ambles around town with old friends.

list, oh list

[Hamlet quotes never get old.]

Let’s see, what did I get up to in 2011?

*finished my undergraduate degree in urban planning/french studies
*did a mini-exchange to Amsterdam and Oxford and navigated a solo trip to Paris
*finally made it to both San Francisco and Vancouver
*took on the challenge of living in rural BC to learn the farm life for a summer
* read 32 books, not counting school ones, favourites being Eating Animals (Jonathan Safran Foer), The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde), Divisadero (Michael Ondaatje)
*saw 46 films
*attended 6 concerts
*sang a lot of joni mitchell, laura marling, and austra whilst cooking
*established a consistent yoga practice at home
*learned that I’m not very good at working retail…haha
*made time for doodling
*became even more hermit-like than ever

So, some successes, some failures! Such is life. I hope that the new year will bring new friendships, urban adventures, kitchen experiments, a stronger dedication to yoga (and maybe running…maybe), more travelling, and meaningful work.