The Summer of Beers

Since making the first gazpacho of the season, my creativity has not been at it's height. My days have started off with a carrot cake smoothie, lunch is a sandwich or salad, and dinner is broken into two parts with something before walking the dog, and then something after yoga. If you take anything from this blog, it should be: don't eat too much before yoga.

The weather has been delicious, on-and-off of course in typical Canadian style. This has made for a busier social life, often involving a patio. In celebration of the arrival of patio, I will focus on the microbrews that Ontario and Quebec have to offer our palates. I am in no way a beer expert, I just like the stuff. I love to try new ones, especially microbrews. I will share with you the beers that I enjoy with friends, and my interpretation of the flavours.

For May long-weekend, I headed to a cottage with some friends, located in Ontario's Cottage Country. This of course was the perfect opportunity to take the first shots of frothy goodness. We picked up a case of a proud "cottage brewery". It would appear that they are really relaxed up there, or we just got there too early and they were trying to get rid of last year's stock:

See the irony? A past expiry date (purchased May 22), right next to their declaration of Committed to Freshness.

We'll move on. Creemore Springs has become a pretty well known beer over the last few years, it's got a rich, creamy texture and flavour. It's now widely available on patios throughout Ottawa, or if you're heading to a BBQ, you can pick up an eight pack of cans. While browsing the selection on the way to the cottage, my eyes fell upon this:

Kellerbier. The can does not lie, it IS generously hopped. It really went well with that afternoon on the dock, with the occasional jump in the water (don't worry, the beer chose to stay on the dock, not a drop was sacrificed). It has almost a coffee flavour to it, not overwhelming; you could have two of these and not be complaining that it's too heavy.

Overall, the Kellerbier by Creemore Springs is a must try for this summer. Invite yourself to a friend's place for a BBQ and bring some, you'll be allowed to invite yourself back!

The first gazpacho of the season

The weather here in Canada's capital this week was glorious. Temperatures hovered around 20, it was sunny with a light breeze. My neighbour J and I recently bought bikes, I call mine Jean Bean the Flying Machine:

Isn't she glorious? Neighbour J and I coincidently work together. On the Dark Side. Monday morning she texted me at 7:00am asking if I wanted to bike to work. Ok, let's do it. Her bike is the same 7-speed cruiser as Jean Bean, only in PINK. It's a 20-minute ride across the river to our cubicles. On day three, after making a previous-night's trip to the supermarket, it was time for the first gazpacho of the season.

Gazpacho, you say. It's a cold, tomato based soup from the south of Spain. It is an essential at lunch during summer in Andalusia, often served in a glass. If it is served in a bowl, you sometimes have the option of toppings, like chopped up veggies, to sprinkle on top. Not to mention piquitos, which are small breadsticks. I learned a lot during my time in Spain; Spanish should probably be listed as the most significant. How to make a mean gazpacho is a close second. Spanish J and I spent many hours, tomatoes and assorted vegetables in our attempts to get the perfect blend of flavour and texture. For BBQs we would make 3+ litres of the stuff, and it would be gone with our friends asking for more. I am now attempting that amazingness in the Magic Bullet. Single serving fresh gazpacho? Yes, please!

You can see the morning light coming through the kitchen window in this prep shot:

A list of what you see in that mug:

2 tomatoes, quartered

1/4 red pepper, sliced

1 clove garlic

1 carrot, cut into chunks

a hearty dose of olive oil

a healthy splash of red wine vinegar

a dash of salt

cold water, to the top of the glass

Put the blade on, and zap until smooth. Result:

For the first time, I employed the Magic Bullet cover. This is where the bike comes in. I then put the gazpacho into that cute wicker basket you see on the front of Jean Bean, and rode to work. It all sounds so romantic, right? Much nicer than something like: "I packed my lunch in some Tupperware and ate it on the Dark Side."

Gazpacho makes the world a brighter place. Or maybe it's the sunshine that allows for the maturing of rich, flavourful tomatoes that can be made into yummy lunches. Add some tinto de verano in there, and you may as well have yourself a day at the beach!

Carrot Cake Smoothie? Yes, please!

A few weeks ago, my birthday and Christmas came early. I went to the post office and picked up a package that I could smell from a few metres away.

I'm sure you've all heard of Living Social Deals at this point. They had one for tea a while back, as I went to check out the website for tea, I realized that the company offering the deal is actually focused on the Nectar of the Gods. "Freshly Roasted Whole Bean Coffees & Loose Leaf Teas Delivered to you door" they promised. Sold. I called Be'ato and asked for some recommendations before ordering. My selection:

That's right, I ordered 3kg of coffee and three assorted teas. I'm making my way through the dixie voodoo. I do not have a fancy coffee maker, I use my Magic Bullet grinder, and I drink the stuff black. It's got a fantastic, rich flavour, and half a litre insists on making it's way into my system before leaving in the morning. If you're thinking about ordering coffee online, definitely try Be'ato. They're from Calgary and have a $13.95 shipping fee if you're outside of Alberta.

For Oslo lovers out there, he would like you to know that he loves carrots. Here he is enjoying one this morning:

Ears back, chops out, paws spread. That's love. I know what you're asking: Why was he eating a carrot at 7a.m.? Isn't that peanut butter time?

It normally is, my friends. But yesterday, I was inspired to come up with a new smoothie. The Carrot Cake Smoothie. At this point you may be reminiscent of the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie. Back in the pre-Magic Bullet days.

Carrot Cake Smoothie ingredients:

1 carrot, peeled, top given to the dog

1 banana

vanilla almond milk

2 spoonfuls of tofutti cream cheese spread (or Philly if that's your style)

cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (I put about a tsp and 1/4tsp respectively)

a little bit of maple syrup

Drum roll please....

This turned out to be a blissful marriage of carrot cake and smoothie. It'll give you the energy you need to ride public transit in the morning, or whatever else you might be doing. It'll satisfy that sweet tooth that's been aching. It'll be even better than that cake that you bought just cos it had cut little icing carrots on top. I may have to send this recipe to the NDP as a suggestion for their official drink. With a promise for coffee subsidies of some sort of course.

Lunch prep

I've been crap about preparing my lunch to take to work lately. This morning I grabbed an avocado from the table and left. Yes, just an avocado. Of course I ended up getting a sandwich from the food court and adding my avocado to it. It was delicious, but not ideal. Today I stumbled upon a listing of America's Top 10 New Sandwiches - then the veganized version of them. It inspired me to start producing some mean sandwiches in my kitchen. Like anyone, I love a good sandwich. Yet somehow I rarely have bread on hand (ok, I don't keep bread in my kitchen because I'll eat it all within 12 hours of buying it.) and never have cold cuts (if you've been reminded of your family's history of heart issues but love cold cuts, don't go to the Sodium 101 website). Maybe there is something in the air, but I've been trying out new ingredients lately, so when I saw that Your Vegan Mom made her own mortadella, I decided to try it out. This required a trip to the grocery store, with a list and the balls to ask the bitchy girls who work there for their assistance. You know which grocery store I'm talking about. Things that were on my list: Firm Silken Tofu Bragg's Liquid Aminos Nutritional Yeast Mace Vital Wheat Gluten After asking questions, getting half-assed answers and doing some soul searching, I had everything on the list except for Bragg's Liquid Aminos. I substituted this with less soy sauce, as I Googled what it was and that's what liquid aminos are a substitute for. Ok, maybe liquid aminos has more protein, so I added a bit more tofu. If my mortadella ends up tasting like a maki gone wrong, I'll let you know. The recipe: 1 14-ounce package firm silken tofu 1/4 cup olive oil a little less than 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup red wine 2 tbsps white wine vinegar 2 tbsps maple syrup 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp white pepper 1 tsp ground mace 1 tsp ground coriander 2 cups vital wheat gluten The original recipe also called for olives. I forgot olives though, so this "meat" loaf should probably be called processed non-ham opposed to mortadella. Mix everything into a food processor except for the vital wheat gluten. Blend until almost smooth with little chunks of tofu to mimic the fat in mortadella. Realize that you have no aluminum foil, put on your Nikes and dash to the Quickie mart to get some. Jest with the guy working there when he asks if you're a new employee at the Italian restaurant next door. When you get home, mix the vital wheat gluten into your tofu mixture until you have a soft dough. Mold it into an oblong shape, and wrap in aluminum foil. Place in a dish and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours. The result: I am quite satisifed that it came out looking like a processed loaf of meat, very similar to what you would see in the deli at the supermarket! You may as well make use of the 2 hours that your mortadella is cooking. I chose to do laundry, and make foccacia:

I haven't tasted any of this yet, so expect a lunch sandwich post soon. Time to enjoy the freshly laundered sheets that are also a result of this evening, ahhhh...

Imiq

Water. I don't even know where to start.

I really like water. I think that it stems from drinking water from the kuuk (river) in Pang when I was little. The water from the kuuk is the perfect temperature, so cold, but not freezing so that it gives you an ice cream headache. My grandfather had enamel mugs that we would take on picnics, and the water tasted amazing out of them, fresh out of the river.

I average around 3 litres per day right now. Depending on where I am and what I'm doing that amount goes up or down. I get comments like:

"How do you not spend the whole day in the bathroom?"

"I'd be floating."

"I'd be bloated."

"I need something with flavour."

"You know you can drink too much water, right?"

The recommended daily intake is 2 litres a day. This is consumed through foods and beverages besides drinking water. Some people need more, some people need less. If you know me in real life and ever have any sort of complaint, headache, sore back, tired, sore throat, sore or tired anything really, you probably know that my response will be: Drink more water. I'm not saying you should drink 3 litres of water a day, but at least get enough in there to keep your muscles hydrated and your eyes open.

On a daily basis in terms of liquid, I will start off with 2-3 cups of coffee, a smoothie, and then move on to water. If you knew me before a year and a half ago, you know that orange juice was an essential for me. Then I started to read "Squeezed". I say started as I was really busy at the time and had to return it to the library before I got to finish it. The beginning of that book was enough to get me to give up orange juice. I used to buy the cartons of orange juice, knowing that the flavour was completely different from freshly squeezed, though never thinking about why that was. I'll still have some freshly squeezed when it's available, but don't expect to find a carton of OJ in my fridge anymore.

Back to the water. I love water bottles. I've had every style of Nalgene available, both pre- and post-BPA, Kleen Kanteens, and who knows what else. Then I found these:

They're For Cold Beverages Only bottles by Thermos. They're the God of water bottles. They're insulated, so they don't sweat. They've got a wide mouth so they're easy to clean with a brush. The cap has a pop top that locks, so you can toss it in your bag and not worry about it opening, and it's easy to pop open while you're working out. And they keep your water cool in hot yoga. Gold.

So, you drink lots of water, coffee, and the only other (non-alcoholic) flavoured beverage you consume is a smoothie? Don't you ever want any other (non-alcoholic) flavour?

Good question. I don't drink pop, juice, or milk. Too much added sugar, and sweetener makes me want to gag. But you're right, sometimes I want something a little more interesting, going beyond adding lemon or lime to my water. In thinking of what I could drink that didn't have all sorts of artificial colours, flavours, added sugar, sweetener, and didn't cost me $3 for 398ml (the price of coconut water in Canada), I realized: I like iced tea. Iced tea comes from real tea. I can make that. So I did:

I've tried a couple of different herbal teas, this is my favourite so far, wild berries by tetley. How to make:

Make some tea

Let it cool a bit

Pour into pitched filled with ice

Put in fridge and have it ready to drink

Pour yourself a glass or bottle

Squeeze juice of a key lime into your iced tea

Enjoy. Smack your lips. Share with friends. It's got a zesty, fruity flavour, it's refreshing. Delicious. I'll keep trying more flavours, stay tuned, I may even make it hockey inspired:

Innovative Sunday

This weekend I decided to try out M-F's recipe for Vegan Pate. I know what you're thinking, VEGAN pate? Are you allowed to use those two words together in a sentence? Yes, my friend, you are. And they go together quite nicely.

I changed up the original recipe a little bit, accommodating for what I had or had not on hand.

4 cups cooked green lentils (original recipe called for 3, I just made the whole bag as it was smaller than normal. Ok, I'll admit, maybe my original intention was to save some to make lentil burgers, but all 4 cups went into the mixture in the fury that appears in my 1.5sq/ft of counter space when I'm cooking)

2 medium-large sized onions

4-5 cloves garlic

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup basil

8-10 sundried tomatoes

1 cup TVP (original recipe called for 2 boxes of mushrooms. I had no mushrooms, and I figured that their main purpose was for texture, so I threw in some TVP, it was my first time using this. Note my main reason for using it as a substitute was that the T stands for texture and that's what I felt I needed in this recipe)

2 tbsp hemp seed (original recipe called for 1 cup sunflower seeds, which I did not have. Hemp seed is tasty and rich in essential fatty acids, like the omegas. I only used 2 tbsp as that's all I had left)

Olive oil to taste

Salt to taste

Longest ingredient list yet, even though there are only 8 items. In a pan, soften the chopped onions and garlic in the coconut oil. This was my first time cooking with coconut oil. I had used it in cookies or something before, I was excited to see how the flavour worked with savoury! While that's cooking, rehydrate your TVP. As I said, this was my first time using TVP. They're little granuals, I bought Bob's Red Mill brand from the hippy section of my regular supermarket. You rehydrate it by adding 7/8 cup boiling water to 1 cup of the TVP. 7/8ths?! My thoughts exactly.

Add all of your ingredients together, if you have a regular sized food processor, you could use that here. If you have a mini one, as I do, use a hand blender. Blend until you have an even texture throughout. Taste, adding salt as needed. Spread into a baking dish, and place in a 300F pre-heated oven for 1 hour. The result:

It really does have the texture of pate. I might cook it for a little less than 1 hour next time so as not to get such a crunchy outer texture. It's yummy. It's light. It's easy. It's flavourful. The coconut works in this, it's not overpowering, so for those of you thinking that you won't make this recipe because you fear it will taste like tanning oil, drop the argument. It's just a hint of sweetness that makes the savouries go *pop*.

I had brunch at Murray Street Kitchen with a couple of girlfriends today. This is my favourite place for brunch in Ottawa. You have to make reservations as it's always busy. With good reason. They serve up innovative Canadian food, and every dish on the menu is $13. Today I had the smoked fish:

"In house hot smoked Whalesbone fish, vegetable & cheese scramble, in-house herb biscuit"

The featured fish was smoked trout. Yum. Their coffee is also delicious, and it's a bottomless cup. That's my idea of heaven right there. To top it all off, the service is good. Tip those good people!

So my friend A was telling us about how she's been having an awful lot of difficulty getting up in the morning. For those of you who know me, you realize one of the things that A and I bond over. One thing she said stood out to me:

"I'm thinking about setting up a timed coffee maker on my bedside table to see if that helps."

This one's for you, A:

Yes, that's my bedside table. I'll let you decide if this was for a photo-op only, or if that timer is on.

Seconds? Yes, please!

My cousin R was in town today and my mum brought him over for a visit. I decided to feed them, and my friend B. On Sunday I had decided to buy things for a few different dishes, in other words, a ton of food. One of the planned dishes was something called pasta-less lasagna. Say what you like about it, it's delicious. Really delicious. I was excited to share this with other people.

There are three parts to this dish: zucchini strips, they're your pasta "replacement", quinoa yumminess, the "meat", and tomato sauce.

Start with your quinoa:

1 cup rinsed quinoa

2 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup-ish minced onion

put these ingredients into a pot, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the quinoa has fluffed.

Meanwhile, slice your zucchini into long slices to make "noodles". Chop 1/4 cup each of fresh basil and parsley.

By now your quinoa is probably ready. Check it, then mix in your basil, parsley, and a couple of tablespoons of Tofutti cream cheese. Or regular cream cheese, whatever tickles your fancy. Taste this and see if you need anymore seasoning. Ok, stop, you need to leave some for your lasagna.

Start layering in your pan! First layer: tomato sauce, (I used Classico, what? I haven't infiltrated one of these families that makes their own for the year every September!). Second layer: zucchini noodles. Third layer: quinoa yumminess. Repeat until you're out of ingredients. Top with shredded cheese. Or soy cheese. :D Place in a 400 degree pre-heated over for 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes into cooking time I realized that I had no bread. I live close to a couple of bakeries and considered running to one of them, but then remember that I had some pizza dough in the fridge. I decided to make focaccia. Maybe it's not focaccia by definition, but that's what I called it. I rubbed some olive oil on the stretched out pizza dough, then seasoned it with salt, oregano, onion powder and then I crushed some garlic on top as I realized that there was no garlic in my dinner. What?! I stuck this in the oven with the lasagna with 10 minutes to go. It came out crunchy and light, delicious!

This was a hit with the friend and fam. Seconds were eaten and my focaccia gobbled. I didn't offer anyone the leftovers to go. No way, Tupperware Life is the destination for those leftovers!