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Posts Tagged ‘nut free’

Sitting Pretty at Sorelle

In Good Eats, Recently Reviewed on July 22, 2018 at 6:38 pm

In the ever-changing Toronto landscape, it seems like there’s a new vegan restaurant or café popping up at regular intervals no matter what neighbourhood you find yourself in.

Sorelle.pgIf you happen to have a sweet tooth – rush down to Sorelle and Co., and be prepared to be amazed by the confection selection. Feast your eyes on the prettiest non-GMO, gluten-free, soy-free, vegan, nut-free and preservative-free food you’ve ever seen.

Mind you, if you like to people watch in upscale Yorkville, it’s a great place to simply soak in the swanky decor. Be warned – unless you’re there to grab and go, be prepared to wait for a table.

Clearly it’s never been more trendy to be vegan, which to me is good news all around. Marie Antoinette would approve of the lush setting, elegant dishware and decadent desserts. It’s always a cause for celebration when vegans can have our cake and eat it, too!

Happy 2018!

In Food, Glorious Food on January 1, 2018 at 2:48 pm

Happy New Year! Akemashite omedetou. Time for more eating of classic staples in three-tiered box: azuki gohan, organic kale and gobo, fried daikon and black beans. Plus, a soon-to-be new favourite of Peking-style jackfruit rice wraps. Enjoy!

Curry in a Hurry

In Food, Glorious Food, Recently Reviewed, Recipes on February 20, 2017 at 12:00 pm

While we love Indian food, if you’ve ever made curry from scratch you know, it can be a long, time-consuming process. To cut corners, I sometimes use ready-made sauces but it’s really hard to find prepackaged ones that not only taste good but are organic, not to mention vegan, gluten-free and nut-free.

For the most part, I find that store-bought sauces or mixes often need a bit of embellishment to make them more flavourful – so I end up having to add a ton of spices just to make them palatable. How happy I was to recently discover a new line of sauces that step up to the challenge! These sauces are made in small batches and are full of flavour on their own.

Ingredients

3          large potatoes, peeled and chopped

1          small cauliflower, chopped

1          large onion, diced

1          can chickpeas, rinsed (398 ml)

2          cloves garlic (2-3 tsp) minced

1          jar (485 ml) Perfect Chef Veg Curry

avocado or coconut oil

salt & pepper

Slower Method

Chop potatoes into bite-size pieces. Boil in salted water about 15 mins., until tender. Drain and set aside. While potatoes are boiling, heat oil in large Dutch oven or heavy pot with lid, add chopped onions and sauté on medium heat about 5 mins. Mix in garlic and cauliflower. Cover with lid and allow cauliflower to steam about 5-10 mins.

Once cauliflower has started to soften, stir in chickpeas and cooked potatoes. Add sauce and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. If curry is too thick, add a small amount of water or unsweetened non-dairy milk (soy, rice, coconut or almond milk work well for a creamier sauce) to desired consistency.

Replace lid and continue cooking, stirring regularly, until sauce beings to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 mins., until all vegetables are heated through. Serve with cooked basmati rice and flatbread or naan. Enjoy!

Make ahead tips:

The trick is to make parts of this meal ahead of time. Any prep you can do beforehand will cut down your overall cooking time.

Some suggestions:

-Boil the potatoes as above. Drain. Cool and store for later use.

-Wash and chop cauliflower, then store in container until ready to use. Or while you are boiling the potatoes, toss cauliflower with oil until lightly coated and roast in oven at 400°C for about 15 mins., until lightly browned. Cool and store for later use.

-Prechop garlic and store in a small amount of oil (or cheat and buy minced garlic).

-Sauté onions in oil until lightly browned.

Speedy Method

If all or most of your ingredients are cooked and ready to go, it’s a quick and simple assembly. Simply heat oil in Dutch oven, add onions and stir in garlic. Mix in cooked potatoes, roasted cauliflower, chickpeas and sauce. Season with salt and pepper and simmer 10-15 minutes until all vegetables are heated thoroughly.


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Granola Made Good

In Good Eats, Recently Reviewed on January 27, 2017 at 3:17 pm

We’ve tried a lot of granola bars in our household over the years so we know something good when we find it – particularly when it’s organic, gluten-free, nut-free and vegan. Although my daughter is now in university, she still takes snacks just about every day. Both my husband and I like to have quick-and-easy items to grab and go, too especially when you’re on the road or running errands.

 Version 2Granola Minis by MadeGood  If you’re searching for a healthy snack the kids will love, look no further. These tiny little morsels are filled with – believe it or not – vegetables! And yes, the pickiest kid will enjoy them not just because they are fun to eat but they taste great. PRODUCT NOTES So many good flavours to choose from – strawberry (pictured), mixed berry, apple cinnamon, chocolate chip and chocolate banana. The hard part will be deciding which one to try first. The granola bars are simply larger versions of the minis. BOTTOM LINE Perfect for school (or work) lunches, these may cost a little more than your regular snacks but the better-quality ingredients make it worth your while.


Disclosure Notice: We participate in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program, which earns fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites. Our participation does not influence our content decisions but helps to offset the costs involved in maintaining this website.

Say Hello to Strawberry Season

In Food, Glorious Food, Recipes on June 4, 2014 at 2:39 pm

crumbleMy husband visited a strawberry farm earlier the other day so when I arrived home I discovered he had plunked two containers of fresh strawberries on the counter that needed tending to. Strawberries are one of the fruits that can be quite toxic, so always go for organic. Although I don’t always list “organic” as part of my ingredient list to save space (and I’m a lazy typist), it’s always implied as you’d be hard pressed to find non-organic ingredients in my home!

Now I’ve never made crumbles before and didn’t realize it was so easy! Apparently the trick is to not over mix the crumble part. I literally just threw this together on the fly and was quite pleased with the results. Perhaps it was beginners luck.

 

Vegan Strawberry-Coconut Crumble

Ingredients

3 cups                              fresh strawberries, roughly chopped

 

Mix together

3 tbsp                                 coconut sugar

3 tsp                                   vanilla

3 tsp                                   water

 

Mix together

4 oz                                    whole wheat or gluten-free flour

1 ½ tsp                              baking powder

2 tbsp                                 coconut sugar

4 tbsp                                 shredded coconut

4 oz                                     rolled oats

4 oz                                     coconut oil (melted)

 

Method

Chop strawberries and line bottom of baking or casserole dish. Mix sugar, vanilla and water together until sugar dissolves. Pour over berries. Mix flour, baking power, sugar, coconut and oats with fork until blended. Add melted coconut oil and stir until crumble forms being careful not to over mix. Top berries with mixture and bake in preheated 350°F oven until crumble is browned and fruit is bubbling. Approx. 20 mins. Enjoy!

An Apple a Day

In Book Reviews, Recently Reviewed on January 24, 2014 at 5:16 pm

We love apples. I prefer them to be firm with lots of crunch. So if they’re a bit mushy, I’m likely to leave them for baking. Perhaps I’m biased, but Ontario grows some of the best apples I’ve ever eaten and although nothing beats fresh I think I’ve found a great off-season alternative in these apple chips.

applechips

Martin’s Crispy Apple Chips It’s been a while since I’ve bought apple chips. We discovered these ones over the holidays thanks to an extended family member.

PRODUCT NOTES Fantastically crisp and delicious. I love that they’re grown locally in Ontario with no sugar or preservatives added. Maybe that’s why they taste so good. They’ve even got some great recipe suggestions online if you find you have any left once the bag has been opened. BOTTOM LINE Even if you’ve never had apple chips before I’m pretty certain you’ll love these. Our bunnies really like them, too!


Disclosure Notice: We participate in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program, which earns fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites. Our participation does not influence our content decisions but helps to offset the costs involved in maintaining this website.

Craving Cupcakes?

In Good Eats, Recently Reviewed on September 16, 2013 at 1:48 pm

cupcakes

Sweets from the Earth has done it again by adding their own vegan offerings to the plethora of choices out there in the current cupcake rage. Beautifully decorated, these cupcakes could easily sit beside any bakery version but are ideal for anyone wishing to avoid nuts, dairy, eggs and all the other additives found in many mainstream baked goods

Sweets from the Earth Nut Free Cupcakes The variety package of four caught my eye as I was perusing the dessert section in the freezer of my local health food store. PRODUCT NOTES Although the combinations vary each cupcake has distinctly different flavours: Lavender packs an unexpected lavender punch in the icing atop a chocolate cupcake (personally I prefer my lavender in soap but it was surprisingly good); Cookies ‘n’ Cream tasted more like mocha coffee but was delicious nonetheless; Cream Filled features a dense chocolate brownie-like cake with an equally lovely glaze; Vanilla was the plain Jane of the bunch but not without its merits. BOTTOM LINE Although a bit on the sweet side for my liking, they certainly are less sugary than confections you’ll find elsewhere and definitely made with higher quality organic ingredients. Definitely splurge and special-occasion worthy. Invent an excuse.

Do You Like Waffles?

In Good Eats, Recently Reviewed on May 7, 2013 at 9:10 am

waffles

Yes, I like waffles – so the Parry Gripp song goes. If you’re lucky enough to have time on your hands and a waffle maker to boot, then you probably make waffles all the time. My brother-in-law has it down to a fine art so when he and my sister visit, we try to be as welcoming in our hospitality but it’s hard to do without said appliance. Add to the mix the fact that my niece has a peanut allergy and you can see why I was quick to jump on these nut free Belgian waffles.

 El Peto Belgian Waffles Loblaws $5.29

They look exactly like the fancy versions you get in restaurants and match the texture. I whipped up a lovely fruit compote to top them off and have to say they were quite tasty. PRODUCT NOTES Not too sweet – but in my mind, this is a good thing. Although they are not vegan they are gluten free, wheat free and trans fat free for those looking to avoid a slew of other ingredients. BOTTOM LINE For those occasions when I don’t have time to bake, I’m always on the lookout for good nut free products. So this is definitely a good one to grab when you’re pressed for time as you simply heat and eat!