Taboo Eats Update

Alright guys. Is everyone sitting down?
Deep breaths.

I GOT SELECTED FOR TABOO EATS!!!!!!!

I don't think I could be anymore excited than this! Out of 60+ entries, they picked 15-16 participants. I am one of those.

I'm taking this opportunity to thank everyone who tasted the dish, helping me making it a winning dish. It worked guys!

I would also like to invite you all officially to come taste it (and taste the other dishes that will presented).

Ok, write this down. Got a pen and paper? No? Go get it. Ok, got it?
Good.

September 29, 2012
Old Jail - Hi-Hostel Ottawa, 75 Nicholas Street
6 p.m to 10 p.m
$10 entry
$2-8 plates.

There will be drinks and beverages, live music, good food, cool people and cooler people including me and my 3 helpers. Carine, the bff peas 4 life. Stephanie, the work bff. And Louise, my momma. We'll be the ones in the matching apron with the winning Decadent Tart hehe.

You can get your tickets at tabooeats.com or on their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/TabooEats/app_216160271817558.

I will post the recipe on September 30th. I PROMISE. With a bunch of awesome pictures for sure.
So go on! What are you waiting for? Who doesn't wanna spend a fun evening?

See you there!

Decadent Tart + Taboo Eats 2012

Hello fellow blog readers and food eaters!

How have you been?
Personally, I've been extra busy. Seems like time just flies by without me noticing!

I have a little news to share with y'all today.

On Friday morning of last week, Sept 7, I awoke to a newspaper carefully placed and framing a certain article. That said article was about a new culinary competition in the city of Ottawa. It's called Taboo Eats.
(tabooeats.com)

Upon reading the article, I realized that this newspaper was placed there for a reason (thanks mom). I needed to find out more.

So I said screw the shower, I need to check this out first. I clicked and fell in love with the concept! It's this event, where non-chefs get to present their food to a crowd. Festival style. This is the perfect opportunity for me to test out a recipe on other people than my friends and family. (I love you all, but you are a bit biased after all hehe <3)

So I signed up, found my recipe and just this morning, I dropped off my sample.
This is the part where you cross your fingers, and toes for me. They are selecting a few "competitors" for the main event on Sept. 29.

I'll find out tomorrow at 5 ish. OH! And it's at one of the coolest places in the City. The old Jail. I've been there about 5 times. It's rich in history and... ghost stories. I'm a HUGE fan of ghost stories so this event is pretty much made for me.

I guess you're wondering what I made huh?
It's called Decadent Tart. It's pretty much a re-organized tart. It has a flaky pie crust-like cracker. Red wine poached pears, rosemary whipped goat cheese and maple praline pecans.

Now, this happened so fast today, that I completely forgot to take pictures! But hopefully, I'll get picked and then I'll some extra good pictures to show you all.

I will keep you poster on whether or not i make it! Wish me luck!

recipe to come!

Well looky here—Guest Blogger—You Are What You Eat

Hi y'all.
Today's post is not a recipe. Well, maybe it kind of is, but not a "delicious-in-my-mouth" type of recipe. It's more of a lifestyle thing.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have our very own, very first Guest Blogger!
Everybody say hi to Andrea! (Hi Andrea!) She is not only someone I loved working with, but she's been a shoulder for me, an ear and a friend. We are lucky that she wrote us a little somethin' somethin'. So without further ado, here is what she had to say!

P.s she left her info at the bottom, please check it out! It's VERY inspiring.

You Are What You Eat

For months I had been ignoring the subtle messages i.e. nausea, indigestion etc. my body was sending me to change my diet. It seemed nonsensical to me since I already eliminated dairy products, red meat, pork, refined flours, processed sugars and gluten.

So what was I going to eat? I wondered, because the smell of chicken, turkey and seafood became repulsive. Where was I going to get my protein? These were questions that hounded me and had me declaring to Roxanne how I love my lean meats and seafood.

I was resistant to switch to a vegan diet. But when my digestive system imploded, I heard the message loud and clear. So I educated myself and asked Roxanne many questions.

My ignorance dissipated. I no longer walked in a health food store and curled my nose at hemp, spelt, millet, quinoa, chia and flax seed. To me it sounded like bird food. However, knowledge is power!

I gradually incorporated these organic foods and went full-fledged vegan four months ago. Not only do I feel healthy, the meals are simple to prepare and satisfying.

One of my favorite recipes by Roxanne is kale chips. After I tasted one, I could not stop. They are highly addictive and because I love them so much, I forwarded the recipe to Anderson Cooper. This was part of a campaign to convert Anderson to enjoy kale. He’s not much into eating vegetables.

Maybe you aren’t either. That’s okay. I’m not advocating for others to become a vegan or implying that it’s a better way to eat. What I am suggesting, is to be mindful of the foods you put in your body. I believe you can eat anything, as long as it’s in moderation. After all, you are what you eat.

Biography

Andrea Lewis lives in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She is the author of Dramaville is a not a place; it’s a state of mind. Her memoir promises to be filled with drama, emotional turmoil and an inspiration to never give up! Connect with Andrea at http://www.andreamlewis.com

LIME-onades

Hello!
How much are y'all enjoying Summer so far? Feeling a little perched?
I have two neat drink recipes for you to quench your thirst.
Super easy, as usual, sugar free and tasty. Made with 100% fresh ingredients!

First off, I have a Strawberry, Mint LIME-onade.
Why Lime-onade? Well because it's made with limes and not lemons!
When life hands you limes...

Here is what you will need (for one glass)

• the juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 -1/3 cup)
• 6-7 mediums size ripe strawberries, rinsed (the dark red ones)
• 5-6 leaves of fresh mint
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of agave nectar (you can also use about 1 to 2 tablespoons of splenda, honey, stevia)
• ice cubes

1. Using a blender or Mortar and pestle, grind the strawberries to get the juices out. It should give you about 1/3 cup of juice. Whether you use the mortar or the blender, filter the juice from the flesh using a strainer.
2. In a tall glass, drop in the mint leaves. Using the pestle or the end of a wooden spoon, grind the mint directly in the glass, just as you would for a mojito.
3. Add the lime juice, the strawberry juice, the agave nectar and mix well. You can add the sweetener little by little and taste along the way. That way you can sweeten it to your liking.
4. Fill the glass with cold water, leaving about an inch at the top. Put in 2-3 ice cubes and garnish with a strawberry and fresh mint leaves. Voila!



Next up, it's a blueberry LIME-onade.

The ingredient go as such:

• the juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 -1/3 cup)
• 10-15 blueberries
• 1 1/2 tablespoon of agave nectar (you can also use about 1 to 2 tablespoons of splenda, honey, stevia)
• ice cubes

The steps are the same, minus the mint crushing. Pop in a few blueberries to make it pretty and you are done!
So delicious and so easy!

Cool snack

So, this weekend I was out and about trying to get every last item needed to finally pack my suitcase (I'm leaving in 4 days! YAY!) when I came across these really cute Popsicle molds (see bellow)

I instantly craved for ice cream. Being that they were only 5.99, I bought the cuties and brought them home.
Now, I had to figure something nice and refreshing to make and I came up with this:

Coconut "ice cream cones"
Super easy. Sugar free. Dairy-free and deeeelicious.

Here are the ingredients (according to the size and number of molds)

• 1 cup of coconut cream, unsweetened (you can use coconut milk, but the cream is silkier and thicker)
• 4-5 black berries
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 tablespoons of splenda or 1 tablespoon of stevia.  You could also add real sugar, syrup or honey.
• 3 tablespoons of hot chocolate mix (yep, you read right)

1. Separate the coconut cream in half, into two bowls.
2. In one bowl, add half the vanilla, all the berries and half the sweetener.
3. Mix well, making sure to mash the berries.
4. Fill two of the molds.

1. Using the rest of the coconut cream, sweetener and vanilla, add the hot chocolate mix. Mix well and fill the other molds.



1. Freeze for 2-3 hours or until the mixture is hard and cold.

That's it! All that's left to do is to enjoy them whenever you feel like!

you can also try it plain vanilla, cherry, choco-mint (using fresh mint), coconut-pineapple. The possibilities are endless!

Eggplant grilled cheese

This one is for those stormy summer days. The days where you stay in, read, watch movies and relax.

It's so easy, so gooey and delicious. You will lick your fingers.


What you will need (for one grilled cheese)

• 2 slices of your favorite bread (I've used one with loads of grains in it)
• about 10 thin sliced of eggplant (small) or 4 (big)
• 2 small red shallots, chopped into thin rings
• Soft goat cheese
• 1 tablespoon of fresh, minced basil, rosemary, thyme
• 2 tablespoons of margarine
• 2 tablespoons of oil.

1. In a frying pan, on medium-low, drop in about 1 1/2 tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, drop in both the shallots and eggplants. Fry them. When done, remove them from the pan. You can oil if you find that they arent frying well.
2. Take your slices of bread. Spread margarine on both exterior sides (the ones that will be touching the pan.
3. Spead some soft goat cheese on one of the interior sides on ONE of the slices.
4. Sprinkle the herbs and place the shalotts and eggplant on top.
5. Top with the other slice of bread.
6. In the same frying pan (it will absorb the flavour fromt he eggplant and shallots), over medium-high, place the sandwich and and let grill for about 1 minute. Flip. Do this until the bread is crispy and golden. Take off the heat.

I recommend slicing the sandwich in two before devouring it. You can have it alone, with a simple salad or ok, yes, fries.

Enjoy!

Colorful tomato salad

Ok readers, I know. I need to post more often. Once a month is not enough. Specially, considering I'm trying to turn this blog into a book...

Anyways! Enough of that.

Summer time is finally here. Ok, not officially, but it sure feels like it.
It's warm, it's humid, it's sunny. I don't know about you, but for me, summer represents freshness. Fresh clothes, fresh smells and most importantly, fresh food.

Lots of veggies. Colorful veggies.
So, today I have for you a quick and easy recipe using very little ingredients. A fresh and delicious tomato salad.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 large red tomato, chopped
• 1 large yellow tomato, chopped
• 1 medium size tomatillo, chopped
• 1/3 cup of chopped red onion
• 1 half of green pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup of fresh, chopped, cilantro (coriander)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (you can use whatever oil you have at home)
• 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar (balsamic, wine vinegar will work just as well)
• 1 dash of salt and pepper 
• 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of either cayenne pepper or Tabasco

So, having all your ingredients ready, all you need to do is throw them in a large bowl and mix well.
For the cayenne/Tabasco, I suggest you go little by little and taste. You can add more according to your liking. Let sit in the a cool place (like the refrigerator) for about 15 minutes to make sure all the ingredients' flavour mix well together.

And that's it! It reminds me of a cross between bruschetta and a fresh salsa. You can have it as a salad, you could add fresh lettuce to it as well. Have it on bread. So many possibilities! And it keeps for about 2-3 days.

Enjoy!