Recipe: Three Lentil Soup

Posted on September 20, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a recipe I adapted from the Canadian Living Slow Cooker Collection. I found it worked just as well on the stove top. I use 3 types of lentils for the nutritional and texture variety. This is a brownish coloured soup that packs a lot of nutrition as a source of fibre, magnesium and folate on a cold day.

1/3 cup brown lentils

1/3 cup green lentils

1/3 cup black lentils

1 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 plum tomato, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

4-5 cups vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp dried thyme

Salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onion, garlic, tomato and celery until softened. In a strainer, rinse lentils thoroughly. Add lentils, bay leaf, thyme and vegetable stock to the pot. Bring to a boil, simmer over medium low heat for 30 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to your taste. Enjoy piping hot topped with finely chopped greens such as watercress or chard (the greens will wilt and cook lightly in the hot soup).

 

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

Healthy Drink Recipe: Mango Lime Soda with Minisyrup

Posted on September 19, 2012 | 2 comments

This is a delicious, natural, calorie free beverage recipe that has a great story behind its origin. I was introduced to Minisyrup through a chance encounter at the Chicago airport earlier this year. Minisyrup is best described as a burst of flavour or a flavour enhancer, similar in concept to vanilla extract. Minisyrup flavours beverages with natural, concentrated flavour without any sugar or sweetener.

The recipe inspiration starts with the discovery of the summer drink of choice-grey goose orange and soda with lime…

http://www.vivianlaw.ca/summer-drink-grey-goose-orange-and-soda-with-lime/

With fresh lime juice as the key ingredient, I recalled how I learned about the incredible flavour this drink ingredient adds many years ago in my classic Mr Boston guide to cocktails.  This concept was brought back to me in the creation of the grey goose orange and soda with lime. Lime was the secret ingredient again, when a guest and I added Mango minisyrup to a vodka soda with lime, and created another great new drink . Vodka soda with lime and mango minisyrup was an outstanding cocktail, on par with the grey goose orange and soda with lime.  However, as much I as enjoy a cocktail, I saw great inspiration in the mango minisyrup as it packs so much flavour, and I saw many healthy applications for the product…

Club soda or sparkling water is a non alcoholic beverage that I tend to prefer over plain water at home or in restaurants. It seems like more fun than water with the bubbles.  A good friend and I had some club soda with lime and mango minisyrup with our final outdoor lunch of the season last week and found it to be a superb non alcoholic beverage. We felt this was a great discovery, as she is always looking for an enticing drink to serve her teen children when she is pouring wine or cocktails for the adults. We tested the mango lime soda on her teens and they loved it!

Here is the recipe, complete with photo inspiration from my young friend Francesca.

Fill a tall glass with club soda and ice. Add a squeeze of fresh lime and 2 pumps of Mango minisyrup. Enjoy!

Find and order Mango minisyrup at https://www.zavida.com/minisyrup/mango-minisyrup

 

 

 

 

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Food Inspiration: Kensington Market Tour

Posted on September 18, 2012 | Leave a comment

Kensington Market is one of my favourite spots to shop for food in Toronto. There is no other area where I can find so many unique foods that I love. I make a trip there whenever I can spare a couple hours to wander around, check out the ever changing new eateries and gather up my growing list of favourite items. Here’s my tour:

Caribbean Corner (171 Baldwin Avenue) -I stop in here for fresh callaloo they get flown in from Jamaica, caribbean hot sauce, and/or jerk sauce, among all things caribbean.

Essence of Life (50 Kensington Avenue)-is the stop for any health food or supplement you can think of with great selection and prices.

Salamanca(204 Baldwin Avenue)-I have been buying nuts and other dry goods here for over 10 years.

La Tortilleria (198 Augusta Avenue)-makes fresh tortillas daily, with organic blue available on the weekends only.

Jumbo Empanadas (245 Augusta Avenue)-I have been stopping here for a bite of lunch for over 10 years. Their homemade salsa is unbelievable. The chicken empanada with the salsa and Chilean salad are absolutely delicious.

Perola’s (247 Augusta Avenue)-This is a shop I just started frequenting this summer, as I developed serious taco obsession when I missed out on eating at Rick Bayless’ Torta in the Chicago airport. Tacos seem to be the trend of the moment as well. This shop has all the authentic fixings you could want.

Wanda’s Pie in the Sky (287 Augusta Avenue)-Sometimes I stop here first. Amazing dessert is required. This shop is even more fun here than it was when it was located in Yorkville. I love the dulche de leche coconut macaroons (gluten free) and the small fruit pies (which I cut into 4 pieces and share, maybe).

Seven Lives (69 Kensington Avenue)-My top pick for tacos in Toronto. There can be a bit of a wait, but service is quick and the tacos are incredibly flavourful and inventive.

 

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Posted in Healthy food, local food, Recommendation, Toronto, Vivian Law

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Recipe: Spicy Noodle Salad

Posted on September 14, 2012 | 1 comment


After perfecting the spicy mango lime dressing this summer, I worked on a gluten free noodle salad that would include lots of veggies to create more of a meal with the salad. Napa cabbage delivers a light crunch with a milder flavour and the sugar snap peas add a touch of sweetness with their crunchy texture. I quite enjoyed the blend of flavours and textures, and so did my testers.

1 250g package buckwheat and sweet potato noodles (or 250g rice noodles)

8-10 leaves of napa cabbage, chopped finely

1 cup sugar snap peas, cut thinly crosswise

2 sprigs of fresh mint, leaves chopped

1/4 cup-1/2 chopped cilantro

1/2 fresh mango, cut into thin match sticks

Spicy Mango Lime Dressing –  http://www.vivianlaw.ca/recipe-spicy-mango-lime-dressing/

Cook noodles according to package instructions, drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large bowl, toss together noodles, cabbage, sugar snap peas with the dressing, mix well. Top with mint, cilantro, and mango, mix again gently. Serve and enjoy at room temperature.

Make this salad a meal by topping it with some lean protein of your choice. Try tofu cubes, shrimp, fish, grilled chicken or pork.

 

 

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Posted in gluten free, healthy recipe, Recipe, Veggies

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Culinary Intelligence

Posted on September 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

My thought on flavour per calorie yesterday was inspired by this article. Culinary Intelligence is a book that is on my reading list. Making food choices based on taste and enjoyment sounds like fun to me!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/food-trends/how-a-professional-eater-lost-40-pounds-while-still-eating/article4439109/

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Appetizer: Salami with Figs

Posted on September 12, 2012 | Leave a comment

Whenever, I can get my hands on fresh figs, one of my favourite ways to eat them is as an appetizer or snack with salami. Sounds strange, but I find it a pretty delicious pairing of flavours. What place does salami have in a healthy diet? For me, the place is pure enjoyment of its taste. Yes, the nitrates and sodium are not so great for you…enjoying food in moderation is winning here for me.

Pork fat is still of the moment in the foodie world-bacon donuts anyone? I actually ate a bacon apple fritter in April and I cannot say I loved that. Slices of pure lardo are served at Buca, it is delicious and simply melts in your mouth as you feel and taste it. The health claim of pork fat is its composition of 45% monounsaturated fat. Another concept to consider is historically, animal fat has been used for cooking and people were much slimmer in comparison to today. One could also argue that animal fat is less processed than many of the oil products we eat today.

Salami is definitely something to be enjoyed in moderation. Try pairing fresh figs with salami or proscuitto (a more traditional pairing). This is a snack that packs a lot of flavour per calorie…

 

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Recipe: Spicy Mango Lime Dressing

Posted on September 10, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a recipe I developed this summer after being inspired by reading a recipe  in the newspaper for an Asian salad from a food truck. This Asian flavoured dressing is great for a cold noodle salad, coleslaw or broccoli slaw. The sesame oil(antioxidants) and sunflower oil (vitamin E) are tasty, more unusual fats that add more nutritional variety to your diet.

1/2 mango, cubed

1 shallot, finely minced

1/2 cup or more chopped cilantro, stems included

1 red thai chili, minced

1 tsbp sesame oil

1 tbsp sunflower oil

1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce

Fresh lime juice from 1 1/2 limes

1/2 tbsp agave syrup

Blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Adjust lime juice or agave syrup to your taste. Enjoy the dressing with packaged coleslaw, broccoli slaw, and adding cold noodles is an option to make a more substantial salad.

 

 

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ShockWave by IndoRow: Update

Posted on September 5, 2012 | 1 comment

You saw it here first! I wrote about this class last week and here is a link complete with a video, so you can check it out:

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news%2Fhealth&id=8797536

Ps. Watch out for and join us for our small group training sessions including the water rowers in Toronto.

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Posted in fitness equipment review, Recommendation, Toronto, water rower, Workout

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New Workout Experience: Booty Barre Class

Posted on September 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

Barre classes seem to be the new thing in fitness. The premise is a group fitness class that is based on dance/ballet conditioning exercises done at a barre. I tried a class that is being taught around the world at a fitness conference a couple weeks ago-it was Booty Barre. Catchy name, I know!

www.thebootybarre.com

The class I attended was taught by its creator, Tracey Mallett. Tracey is a highly personable and experienced instructor. Her plan is to have Booty Barre classes all over the world by providing training, programming and marketing for instructors. Her class was very enjoyable and a totally different workout experience. The postures and exercises delivered a cardio workout that was combined with muscle conditioning work that targeted small muscles we all tend to neglect.

As for the general idea that this type of workout gets your booty in shape…I’m not entirely convinced. I believe some dance and general training is needed before the majority of ladies can accomplish the barre exercises that really change your booty. However, this type of class is fun, so that in itself is enough motivation to try it and get more active!

Check out some other types of barre classes that may be available near you:

http://www.self.com/fitness/blogs/freshfitnesstips/2011/05/the-best-of-barre-classes-7-lo.html

 

 

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Emotional Fitness

Posted on August 31, 2012 | Leave a comment

This is a time of year where many of us feel a change in the air and start to consider goals we want to accomplish after the summer season. It seems ingrained in our psyche since childhood that this is a time to get serious and remains with us even when we are long out of school.

In considering health and fitness goals, something came to my mind today after reading a fascinating book, Instant Emotional Healing-Acupressure for Emotions my fellow trainer and friend, Steve Elvins showed me recently. The concept is emotional fitness, meaning taking care of our own emotional health on a consistent basis. Most of the time, most of us are trying to juggle so many things in our lives. In our business, we see that January and September bring people strong motivation to make lifestyle changes in addition to ramping up other areas of their life.

My thought here is to suggest exploring the emotional motivation behind the desire to make healthy lifestyle changes. Most of us want to feel better physically, mentally and emotionally. Approaching health and fitness from a positive standpoint of taking better care of yourself as a whole person also improves emotional fitness or well being, which makes it easier to make lifestyle changes permanent.

 

 

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