These days biking is easier than walking.

June is bike month in Toronto and to bike you need energy so I thought it was a good time to make some sweet more bars.

Michael has been hitting the trails and mountains on his bike as much as possible before the baby arrives and needs quick energy, so these little bars are a perfect snack and super easy to make. It took me 25 minutes to assemble ingredients, make and shoot this whole article.

Mike likes to fly.

This recipe was originally was found in Momentum magazine a year or two ago and comes from a cookbook called Health by Chocolate. I have long loved how these sweet little bars power my rides, climbs and runs.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsweetened nut butter- peanut or almond work really well
• 1 cup honey, brown rice syrup or agave- I cut this a bit usually by a 1/4 of a cup
• 1/2 cup raw cacao- not cocoa- check your local health food store
• 1 cup shredded coconut- dry and unsweetened
• 1 cup sunflower or pumpkin or sesame seeds (or a combo of all of them measuring one cup in total)

** In this recipe I used pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and a few raisins measuring 1 cup in total.

Here we go!

1. In a pot add your nut butter and honey/agave. Warm it gently, stirring constantly until it bubbles. Don't let it burn!!

2. Add your ingredients

3. Stir it up

4. Put it into a square pan or glass dish, whatever you have in hand. I only had 2 small dishes so I split it up.

****The recipe says to grease the pan before hand but I don’t.

5. Press the mixture into the pan/s.

6. Let cool completely.

7. Cut them up into squares or bars.

8. I pop them into the freezer and keep them for up to a week. You can wrap them individually or put them into a glass container with a lid to freeze them.

Done! They are easy to grab and throw into a knapsack on the way out the door and are thawed by the time you need then!

A little side note: June 30^th will be my last suitably cool post for the foreseeable future; it marks a full year of blogging for me on this site!

It has been a wonderful experience never knowing where it would go or how it would change or challenge me. It has helped me to see how any day-to-day activity can be approached with a sense of joy and curiosity. It has given me fresh eyes to see the beauty around me. I think this is a great place to be as I embark on the next big adventure: becoming a parent.

Thank you for your ongoing support and comments! I may be back in a month or two or maybe not. I am not sure what is around the corner but you can bet it will be a big adventure. Have a great week!

After the $25.00 coffee cake debacle, my friend Maureen said not to fret, it wouldn’t be long before I could make the no-bake Avocado Key Lime Pie again – which is a big summertime treat! Maureen had brought this pie to a picnic last summer and I had been hooked ever since. So, for her birthday last week I decided to make her the first pie of the season. Of course I was 3 days late with it because my avocados were not ripe (take note!)

Here is the quick, easy, delicious, raw recipe for a pie that I will be making all summer long! I found this online recipe last year here. I have modified it to my tastes, but feel free to play around!

You need:

Oh wait! Don’t throw out those avocado shells! The lady who does facials at a local organic spa I go to, told me to rub the inside of the avocado shells on my face, leave it for a few minutes and then rinse for a super moisturizing at home mask!

Thanks to Maureen for introducing me to this delicious pie!

And now for a shameless plug!  A touch of  vintage is having a spring cleaning sale on our entire online shop april 1-4th. Buy 2 or more items and get 25% off your order! Check out the site for more information! www.atouchofvintage.etsy.com

Monday was March 1^st and to celebrate February being over and the one-year anniversary of owning our first house together, I decided to bake! The inspiration behind my choice of baked goods was this great vintage bundt cake pan I had borrowed from Di a few months ago. I have been dreaming of coffee cake since Christmas and today was the day I was finally making it!

I quickly realized I had no ingredients, so I took in the sunshine and headed to the store and spent $25.00 on things I would need. I prepped my ingredients, shooting as I went along as I always do.

Things seemed to be taking me a bit longer right from the get go. It took forever to peel and core these apples, and then I had to sift (what?) the flour.

Hmmm no sifter…would my strainer work? Why not?  It’s all an adventure!! It took about 20 minutes to sift 2.5 cups of flour, but I persevered.

I let things sit when they were supposed to sit, and mixed as per the directions, but something was not feeling right. I wondered if I should add some more liquid- water, oil or another egg? I usually would, but this was my first attempt at baking so I stuck to the recipe.

The real turning point came when I realized this recipe called for a shallow long pan, not a bundt pan. The bundt pan was the whole reason for making the cake in the first place! We do not have a shallow long pan.

This was the only pan we had, so I went ahead and used the bundt pan and decided to cook it a little longer. My coffee cake fantasy was not going as planned.

I had a deep sense of foreboding as I went to put my little coffee cake in the oven. Even someone who has never baked before (like me) knows when it says “pour the batter into the pan” and you have something the consistency of baked turkey stuffing that you have to “scoop” into the pan with a spoon, that no baking miracle is going to save you.

Needless to say- I made a disastrous $25.00 coffee cake. It crumbled out of the pan, dry as a bone.

Mike was sweet and said he would try it as it had taken me 2 hours in total to put it all together. Upon eating it he said,” Wow, It tastes like hot flour.” He was being kind.

But the afternoon was not a complete ruin. Mike and I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time. Might as well enjoy your failures along with your successes.

Have a great week. Isn’t March grand?

Salad rolls!

Thanks for checking out my first weekly post! Wednesdays are a perfect day to make salad rolls for dinner, for lunch or in my case for breakfast. Yum! Ready? Here we go!

Fresh stuff

Ingredients:

• 2 peeled, thinly sliced carrots, cut into 2-3 inch strips.
• 1 red pepper sliced length wise, cut into 2-3 inch strips
• 1 avocado thinly cut into 2-3 inch strips
• 2 or 3 spring onions thinly cut into 2-3 inch strips
• 1/2 English cucumber, seeded and cut into 2-3 inch strips
• 1 handful of mint-washed
• 1 handful of basil- washed
• *1/2 package thin rice vermicelli (rice noodles)
• *1 package rice paper circles.

*Both items can be found in most supermarkets.

Optional: Meat, tofu or seafood can be added to the above if desired. Today I used tofu for me and crab stick for Mike.

• 1/2 block extra firm tofu- cut and marinated for a few minutes in a splash of tamari (soy sauce) and sesame oil.
• 3 Crab sticks- pulled apart into thin strips.
• Or you could add 1 Cooked chicken breast- cut into thin strips.

Get rolling!

1. Cook and then rinse in cold water.

1.Cook your rice noodles as per the package instructions. I put mine into boiling water for about 1 minute. Rinse with cold water. Set aside.

2. Warm water

2. Put some warm water into a pan or shallow bowl and submerge your first rice paper circle for about 30 seconds then pull out gently with a spoon or a chopstick. You can also read the directions on the package but I find I always need to leave it in longer.

***Hints: This cooking time will change depending on the heat of your water. If you pull it out and it feels too hard, it needs to go in a bit longer, so submerge it again. If it feels really thin, you have left it too long and you may have issues with it tearing. You will get the hang of it with a bit of practice. I add more warm water as things go along and it gets too cold.

3. Be gentle!

3. Next place the circle on a smooth surface (I used my veggie cutting board). Get it as flat as you can- if the ends are rolling add a bit of water on your fingertips and roll it out to get it unglued.

4. Add your fillings.

4. About a 1/3 of the way down on the rice paper circle place your ingredients! Go wild with the combos but don’t overstuff it or rolling maybe an issue.

5. Cover the fillings with the top of the rice paper.

5. Now take the top part of the rice paper circle and bring it over top of you ingredients, like a little roof. Try to get the top edge of the circle to touch the base to the paper so that everything is tucked nicely inside.

6. Tuck in the sides.

6.Next, bring both of the sides of the paper in towards the middle.

7. Roll it!

7. Finally, roll the rice paper until you reach the end!

8. All done!

8. Done! Now go back to step one and do it all over again. Make them until you are out of ingredients!

9. Cut them in 1/2 if you like.

9. Cut in 1/2 and serve with a sweet chili dipping sauce.

Dip 'em!

Until next Wednesday! Happy rolling!

Apple-y goodness.

I borrowed this sweet recipe from Jody after she made it for us at her house in the fall. It is easy and delicious. You probably have the ingredients on hand at any given time so if you are in a pinch for a desert- here is your answer.

A perfect fit.

Jody said she used a recipe from a back issue of Real simple. I changed a few things up mainly because I read the recipe wrong. The recipe called for 8 apples but I found that the filling was just the right amount for 3 apples.

Chopped pecans.

Also the original recipe said that you should mix the unmelted butter, nuts and sugar together and then load them into the apples. Well, I melted the butter before hand, added the rest of the ingredients and then put them in the apple. I am not sure if this made a difference or not. Give it a try and see what works for you.

1/3 cup brown sugar.

4 tablespoons of butter.

Here’s what I used:

• 3 Apples- I used Granny Smith.
• 1/2 cup pecans chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar.

Spoon in the sweet stuff.

• Core the apples and place in a baking dish. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix the sugar, pecans, and butter together and spoon into the apples. Bake the apples for about 25 minutes. (Check them and see if they need a few more minutes to make them perfectly mushy- mine needed another 10 minutes.)

Mama!

I made it for my Mother in Law over the holidays and she liked it!

Delightful!

When I was a kid I despised grilled cheese sandwiches. I would hide them under plates, create a diversion and pop them onto my sister’s plate, feign an ailment and leave the table or spit them into napkins- anything not to eat them. As an adult I cannot get enough of those cheesy grilled pieces of heaven.

Welcome to Mike's kitchen.

Mike has been whipping them up for lunch for the last 4 days now. (It’s out of control.) He adds all kinds of deliciousness to them. For his, he adds ham and then Brie on top of the cheddar and for me he adds a special ingredient that they serve at the Swan Restaurant, which keeps me coming back for more…Pears.

Here's what you need.

For one sandwich you need:

• 2 pieces of bread
• Soft butter
• Old cheddar cheese (We use a four year old white cheddar)
• 1/4 of a pear thinly sliced
• A frying pan- a cast iron pan works beautifully. (Thanks Tom and Isabella!)

Step one: Butter the outsides of your bread.

Step 2: Add the cheese on the unbuttered side.

Step 3: Add the thinly sliced pear.

Step 4: Put it into the frying pan on medium heat. (Make sure the buttered side of the bread is on the outside!)

**Mike likes to squish the bread in the pan. He says it helps the cheese to melt.

Step 5: Keep an eye on the sandwich and flip it over when the bread looks toasted. Toast the other side.

Step 6: Make sure the cheese is melted and you’re done!

Serve with a little chutney if you have it. Pataks makes a nice mango chutney that you can buy at the super market!

Enjoy!

Suitably Cool is off for a long weekend so we will see you on Monday!

Does your cupboard look like this and yet you swear you have nothing to eat in your house? You go to the grocery store and buy more without actually finishing what is already there?  I do. My friend Maureen came up with a great challenge. Why not see what you can make with of those canned, bagged and boxed goods, (and a few fresh ingredients) before heading out to the store again?

In our cupboards there are many, many beans. How about you? Why not try:

• Spicy chili -Great after a day of hiking or sledding!
• White bean dip- Lovely with lemon and great for an appetizer!
• Hummus-  Great with rice, on sandwiches, crackers, pita. The possibilities are endless!
• Black bean soup- Hearty!
• Beans and rice- It’s simply perfect.

Hey What about:

• Pumpkin- Give this a whirl.
• Toss those Hearts of Palm into a salad.
• Tomatoes, mushies and olives make a great pasta sauce! Hey look at all that pasta in the cupboard waiting to be used.
• Coconut milk- Add curry, rice, chicken or chickpeas and anything else you like for an amazing meal.
• Sardines- Pate. No kidding, it’s delicious.
• Salsa is wicked on eggs. (Add some rice and beans and you have my favorite breakfast!)

It’s a good idea to check dates on things that are lurking in the back of your cupboard. I had this can in my cupboard for about 3 years. I actually didn’t even know what it was until today. It expired in 2008. I won’t be eating it.

You can click on some of the recipes I found online, or find your own. Why not whip up some lovely chai, (See yesterday’s post below), pull out your computer, Google your main ingredient and see what comes up? Surprise yourself!
Many Thanks to Miss Maureen for the inspiration.

I  received many comments about “old treasures” found in the backs of your cupboards. (Emma has something dated 1979!) Karen sent a picture of her favorite can. It is so cute I had to share it with you! Thanks for your comments and your stories! Keep them coming.

A 3 pm pick me up!

I have been caffeine free for the last few months and have been looking for something delicious to take care of my old 3 pm coffee craving. Homemade chai is the tasty answer! I looked online for a great recipe that I could customize and this one does the trick!

I found the Red Rooibos at my local health food store.

The original recipe is from Epicurious, although I have found it on a couple of different sites.  The original recipe uses Darjeeling tea but I read on another site that if you use Red Rooibos tea the result is equally delicious and has no caffeine!  I also adjusted the recipe by using less sugar and skim milk. This recipe serves about 5-6 people.

Ingredients

I used:

• 2-inches of fresh ginger, cut into thin rounds.
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1.5 teaspoons of black peppercorns (should have used 2 teaspoons but I ran out.)
• 10 cloves
• 6 cardamom pods
• 6 cups of cold water
• 6 teaspoons of red rooibos in a large tea ball (or 6 teabags approx.)
• 2 cups of skim milk
• 1/8 cup of brown sugar

Don't smash them up too much, just enough to release the flavour.

I smashed up the ginger, cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves and cardamom together with a mortar and pestle and then added these ingredients to the 6 cups of cold water in a pot.

Bring to a boil.

I brought it all to a boil, lowered the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.

6 teaspoons of tea

Next add the tea ball or tea bags and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Add milk.

Remove the tea and then add the milk and sugar. Keep it all simmering medium-high heat until the sugar dissolved, stirring continuously. Be careful not to scald your milk or burn your pan.

*Note-I accidentally added the milk and the sugar before the tea but the result was still delicious.

Into the pot it goes.

Strain the chai in your teapot and serve.

Happy Mike.

This recipe makes a spicy and hearty chai that was not too sweet and warms your entire body. Have some fun-add more or less water, spice it to suit your taste buds, use Agave instead of sugar, or whole milk instead of skim, use green tea or no tea at all, just milk and spice!

Mmmmm. Tasty chai!

Are there any professional chai makers out there? Please share you tips!

This is container #1 of leftover rice. There is another in the fridge.

Last night we had a small dinner party with Sarah, Hinna and Karen. I made a tofu chickpea curry with basmati rice and I really overdid it with the rice; we had 8 cups left over. Sarah suggested I make a “leftover rice pudding.” (Thank you Sarah!) I am scarfing down this insanely delicious rice pudding as I write this.

Ingredients

I got this recipe online. I chose it because it was the one that used the largest amount of leftover rice and was the easiest to cook. (Gotta love those credentials.) I have modified the original recipe slightly.

You will need:

• 3 cups of cooked left over rice. (I had white basmati, but any will do.)
• 2 cups of milk
• 1 egg beaten
• 11/2 tablespoons of brown sugar.
• 1/4 cup of raisins.
• A tablespoon of butter (optional)
• Cinnamon to taste.

Bring to a boil. Don't forget to stir.

Add rice, milk, egg, brown sugar, and raisins to a pot and bring to a boil stirring constantly. Lower the heat and continue stirring until pudding thickens. (It was about 6 minutes for me.)

Mmmmm butter

Add butter if you please.

I like a lot of cinnamon.

Add as much cinnamon as you like.

Yes, that is steam rising from the pudding!

More pudding please!

Devour!

I think we eat more dumplings in our house than any other food. We boil them, and eat them with a sauce Mike whips up. It’s tasty but is getting a little tired.

A while ago Kerri told me a way to make a really delicious, quick soup with store bought dumplings by adding a few fresh key ingredients. This recipe transformed these little frozen lumps into a fresh tasting, fragrant soup.

You need

• A package of frozen dumplings or wonton
• Chicken broth (I use a sodium reduced one)
• A handful of cilantro-washed and chopped.
• A handful of basil-washed and chopped.
• A sliver of ginger-washed and chopped.
• A small can of water chestnuts-sliced
• A handful kale or spinach-washed and chopped
• A carrot-grated.
• A green onion-chopped
• A little hot sauce to serve on the side.

Cook your dumplings as per the instructions on the package and then drain them.

Heat the chicken broth with the ginger and then add the chestnuts and carrots. Let simmer for minute or two. Add the cooked dumplings and kale/spinach. Cook it until the kale/spinach wilt. Just a minute or two.

Garnish with cilantro, basil and green onion. Eat. This is a great recipe to get creative with. Add what you love. Bean sprouts make a great garnish as well as a squeeze of lime.