Category Archives: Healthy food

Favourite Non Dairy Beverages: Coconut Dream and Pacific Hazelnut

Posted on January 31, 2013 | Leave a comment

I regularly use a non dairy beverages to help create vegan meals. I have tried many different types of non dairy beverages and one test I have is to see if a carton actually gets finished. My favourite remains Coconut Dream Original for the taste. Interestingly, this product is fortified with calcium, vitamin A, D and B12 in the version sold in the US, but not in Canada. The easily metabolized medium chain fatty acids from coconut are a nutritional benefit in addition to the taste.

http://www.tastethedream.com/products/product/5346/772.php

Another non dairy beverage I discovered recently and really enjoyed the taste of is Pacific Hazelnut Original non dairy beverage. I found this product in a grocery store on Kauai. The colour is not the most appealing. However, the taste excellent, perhaps from its slightly higher sugar content.

http://www.pacificfoods.com/our-foods/nut-grain-beverages/hazelnut-beverage-1

If you regularly use non dairy beverages, give Coconut Dream or Pacific Hazelnut a try to add variety to your diet.

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Posted in Healthy Beverage, plant food, product review, Recommendation, Vegan

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Recipe: Cucumber and Sea Asparagus Salad

Posted on January 28, 2013 | Leave a comment

This is a recipe I put together over the holidays in Hawaii. Sea asparagus or samphire is a veggie (or succulent herb) that grows between salt water and fresh water. It has a natural saltiness and crunch that lends itself well to a simple salad like this one. Sea asparagus is an excellent natural source of iodine. Sea asparagus in available seasonally, when harvested wild in Canada and Europe. Fresh sea asparagus is cultivated year round on the north shore of Oahu http://www.olakaihawaii.com/index.htm and is available at farmers markets throughout the island and at Foodland.

Fresh sea asparagus grown on the north shore of oahu

Fresh sea asparagus grown on the north shore of oahu-the best sea asparagus for taste and texture

1 japanese cucumber, chopped

1 cup fresh sea asparagus, rinsed and roughly chopped

1/4 maui onion, finely chopped

1 small tomato, chopped

fresh lime juice to taste

1 tablespoon Pele’s Fire chili infused macadamia oil (or any other oil you like, spice is adds great flavour to the salad)

chopped fresh cilantro to taste, or chopped shiso for those that don’t like cilantro (thank you Sharon S.)

In a bowl, toss together cucumber, sea asparagus, onion, tomato, and chili oil. Season with lime juice to taste. Top with chopped cilantro or shiso. Enjoy any time with breakfast, lunch or dinner.

 

 

 

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Posted in Greens, Healthy food, healthy recipe, plant food, product review, Recipe, Recommendation, Vegan

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Making Life Good-Chocolate Finds

Posted on January 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

Chocolate can be a healthy food with its antioxidants, monounsaturated fats, minerals (potassium, magnesium, zinc) and feel good effects that most people experience. Dark chocolate is a better choice with its higher content of cocoa and lower sugar content. It takes some taste testing to find one that you like, so enjoy the process.

Years ago, I was introduced to Purdys chocolate in Calgary. They have the best freshly dipped icecream bars. They are dipped in chocolate and rolled in fresh nuts right before your eyes-yum! And they are a reasonable portion size. Purdys makes the best ‘turtle’ (chocolate, caramel and pecan) confection, called Sweet Georgia Browns. Just popping in yesterday, I found their new single origin dark chocolate Peru, made with TCHO chocolate (which I came across during a run in San Francisco). In addition, their Goji Berry dark chocolate bar with cocoa nibs is delicious and slightly addictive. Purdys is a proud Canadian business with high quality product and service www.purdys.com

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delicious and healthy choices from Purdys

TCHO chocolate is a nicely packaged, delicious product with innovative business practices for the world of chocolate making from bean to finished product. I discovered their product on a run by their Pier 17 location. I like the Pure Notes ‘chocolatey’ bar and it was a great stocking stuffer with its mini CD like packaging-chocolate music:

My pick of TCHO

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Posted in healthy treat, product review, Vivian Law

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Coconut: A Healthy Food to Try

Posted on January 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

 I found a fresh coconut in the grocery store today and I bought it immediately, even though I was clueless as to how to crack into it to extract the flesh. And, I do not happen to own a machete. I did find this video, courtesy of Gourmet which offers great instruction:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2UyVEm4Osg

I had to have the coconut today, because I was fortunate enough to buy some (pre-prepared) from a roadside fruit stand recently on the North Shore of Oahu, close to the Fumis shrimp truck. I really enjoy the mild taste and crunchy texture of fresh coconut. Fresh coconut is the ultimate anytime, anywhere snack, with beachside being my favourite location.

Fresh coconut is also a great source of energy in form of easy to digest medium chain fatty acids. The lauric and capryllic acid in coconut has antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties. The saturated fat found in coconut is plant based and therefore chemically different, with different properties than saturated fat found in animal fat. I consider coconut oil to be a healthy fat, with its numerous health boosting properties. Enjoy the tropical taste of fresh coconut wherever you can.

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Posted in Healthy food, Healthy snack, plant food

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Recipe: Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Apricots

Posted on December 19, 2012 | Leave a comment

A turkey dinner is complete once there is some homemade cranberry sauce. I first tasted this cranberry sauce many years ago at a Thanksgiving dinner. I never got my hands on the recipe, so I created this one over the years based on the flavours I first enjoyed. And it is still my favourite cranberry sauce.

1 bag fresh cranberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 water

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

Zest of one lemon

1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans, optional

In a medium saucepan, bring water, orange juice, cranberries and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, add chopped apricots and lemon zest. Stir frequently and cook until cranberries burst and are cooked through. Mix in toasted pecans if using. Enjoy at room temperature.

 

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Posted in Healthy food, Recipe, Vivian Law

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Recipe: Root Vegetable Soup

Posted on December 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a hearty soup recipe that provides an interesting way to eat a variety of veggies all in one bowl. Add any spicing that you think would enhance the flavour.

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 celeriac root, cut into cubes

1 rutabaga, cut into cubes

1 parsnip, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

6 cups vegetable broth

1/2 cup barley

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon thyme

1 bunch rapini, chopped

Salt, pepper and lemon juice

In a large soup pot, saute onion, carrot and celery. Add root vegetables cook until slightly softened and browned. Add chopped tomatoes, vegetable broth, barley, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 35 minutes. Add chopped rapini. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

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Posted in Healthy food, healthy recipe, Recipe, Vegan

Recipe: Sweet Potato Soup

Posted on November 29, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a recipe I put together yesterday after having sweet potato soup recently suggested to me as a soup idea. Sweet potatoes contain vitamins B, C, D, magnesium, potassium and beta carotene. I looked through a few recipes and came up with this version. The red lentils add an extra nutritional boost as well. I quite enjoyed the thick texture and rich taste of the coconut along with the spices, which have a slight curry flavour.

Sweet Potato Soup 

4-5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 onion, chopped finely

1 clove garlic, minced

1 apple, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil

4-5 cups of vegetable stock

1/2 cup of red lentils, rinsed

1 tablespoon creamed coconut (concentrated coconut, available at health food stores) (optional)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground tumeric

1 stalk lemongrass

8-10 cilantro stems

salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

In a large pot, saute onion, garlic, apple and sweet potato until softened. Add vegetable stock and red lentils, bring to a boil. Add creamed coconut, cumin and tumeric, stir. Add lemongrass and cilantro stems. Simmer until sweet potatoes are very soft. Remove lemongrass and cilantro stems. Use a handheld immersion blender to puree the soup. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to your taste.  Enjoy!

 

 

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Posted in gluten free, Healthy food, healthy recipe, Recipe, Vegan, Vivian Law

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Recipe: Lobster Roll, Lobster Taco

Posted on November 28, 2012 | Leave a comment

I love lobster rolls and lobster tacos. I had a lobster roll this summer in old Montreal by the water at Muvbox http://www.muvbox.ca/en (we were actually out for a run and had to stop for a lobster roll!)

Lobster tacos were always amazing at Bymark  http://bymark.mcewangroup.ca/with their slight Asian influenced flavour. Their shrimp version is quite good as well.

Sometimes, I am lucky enough to have lobster cooked for me by my parents. Then, I make lobster sandwiches for our family. The inspiration for lobster tacos came recently when my mom mentioned she couldn’t have a lobster roll while she is not eating bread. Here are the loose recipes for both a lobster roll and a lobster taco. The taco idea can be used as a gluten free substitute for various sandwiches, if the soft corn tortilla is appealing enough for you.

Lobster Roll

Small dinner rolls ( I like Cobs bread www.cobsbread.com)

cooked lobster, shrimp or crab meat

chopped celery

chopped green onion

mayonnaise

Old Bay seasoning

lemon juice

salt and pepper

This is a loose recipe for whatever quantity of lobster you have on hand. I would suggest 1 tablespoon of celery, green onion, and mayonnaise for every cup of cooked lobster you have. In a bowl, combine lobster, celery, green onion and mayonnaise. Season mixture with Old Bay seasoning, lemon juice, salt and pepper to your taste.  Spoon into sliced rolls-enjoy!

Lobster Taco

Chopped, cooked lobster, shrimp, or crab

Guacamole http://www.vivianlaw.ca/recipe-guacamole/

Chopped cilantro

Hot sauce http://www.vivianlaw.ca/recipe-tanzanian-hot-sauce/

Corn tortillas

Warm tortilla in a pan. Spread guacamole onto tortilla and top with chopped lobster, cilantro and hot sauce. Enjoy!

 

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Posted in gluten free, Recipe, Vivian Law

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Favourite Pie in Toronto

Posted on November 15, 2012 | Leave a comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pie, lunch and cocoa. My happy priorities in selecting a meal expressed on a chalkboard outside of Madeleine’s Cherry Pie and Icecream at 1087 Bathurst Street www.madeleines.ca   Madeleine’s sour cherry pie came highly recommended by a new friend when we discussed Wanda’s Pie in the Sky

http://www.wandaspieinthesky.com/

 

I procured sour cherry pie from both Madeleine’s and Wanda’s Pie in the Sky and ran a little taste test…

My favourite pie is still Wanda’s (their apricot pie is my absolute favourite). I prefer the Wanda’s Pie in the Sky crust and the reason seems to be the taste of butter. Wanda’s pie crust is made with 2/3 butter and 1/3 non hydrogenated trans fat free shortening. Madeleine’s pie crust is 100% non hydrogenated trans fat free shortening (more vegetarian friendly). The Madeleine’s sour cherry filling does have a slight edge over the Wanda’s sour cherry filling. So, both sour cherry pies are outstanding, as they are both made by amazing pie makers.

Pie is not an everyday food. It is a special treat to be shared and enjoyed with love.

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Posted in local food, product review, Recommendation, Toronto, Vivian Law

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Recipe: Guacamole

Posted on November 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

Avocados are a healthy super food with their high monounsaturated (healthy) fat content, fiber content, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin B, vitamin C, copper, and lutein for the prevention of macular degeneration. My favourite way to have avocado is in guacamole. Here is my take on guacamole, everyone has their own, so make it your own with your own additions. I use shallot as a cross between onion and garlic. I feel cilantro and jalapeno are required for zip and spice.

2 ripe avocados

Lime juice to taste (1/2 lime)

1 plum tomato finely chopped

1 shallot finely chopped

1/2 jalapeno pepper finely chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, scoop out avocado, mash with a spoon and mix in lime juice. Add tomato, shallot, jalapeno and cilantro, mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the avocado seed in the guacamole if you are not serving it immediately to help prevent browning. Enjoy with tortilla chips, crackers or with tacos.

 

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Posted in gluten free, Healthy food, healthy recipe, Healthy snack, plant food, Recipe, Vegan, Vivian Law

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