just another reminder to stop and appreciate the flowers.
perhaps you may know by now, that i have a major affinity for salt. himalayan pink salt being my top pick… in fact, i love salt so much that sometimes people buy it for me or bring it back from france as a gift… {how lucky am i!?}
this beautiful salt is called “black lava” and i recently discovered the most interesting thing about it. apparently, it is simply salt from the hawaiian shore that has been “infused” with activated charcoal… typically from coconuts. WHAT! did you know that??!! crazy! therefore, this awesome salt is also very detoxifying and has been used in spas across the country. furthermore, i discovered that it is considered a “finishing salt”… which i must’ve known instinctively {thanks to my intuitive-eating lifestyle}, because i totally just put some on this delicious tomato the other day and devoured it…
it has a slight smokey flavour and i just love the colour!
definitely nab some up if you find it in your specialty department or store. it’s worth the extra expense, and the trace mineral content is also very high in this salt, which just adds to its awesomeness.
a look inside my {colourful} lunchbox – volume 2
– lemon pepper smoked salmon chunks
– noosa brand yoghurt with vanilla almond granola
– steamed chioggia beets
– nut thins crackers : almond flavour
– sauteed swiss chard with garlic
– tomato, mushroom, and spinach amaranth porridge
– a few slices of premium salami
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a look inside my {colourful} lunchbox :
– natural raw almonds
– fresh asparagus sauteed in olive oil
– large colourful salad w/ italian vinaigrette
– savory parmigiano reggiano baked chicken
– steamed zucchini medallions
– pastrami turkey strips and parm reggi chunks
– fresh organic strawberries
{i just love my laptop lunches bento box!} 😀
i noticed a few new followers have joined the fun – thank you and welcome!
in case you don’t know this about me, i love to eat anything with colour. i believe in living by the motto… well, a lot of “mottos” really – but one of them is “eat the rainbow.” if your food has colour naturally, it is good for you! this dish definitely meshes with that motto. i whipped it up last week when i was doing a short veggie cleanse. i just love mushrooms – do you?!
this is a great vegan dish, or a healthy random way to get in a ton of veggies all at once. sometimes i’ll construct meals entirely of vegetables… this one i just made up on the spot, when inspired by the fresh-looking produce in the market.
simple ingredients : portabella mushrooms, zucchini, purple cabbage, shredded carrots.
i’m fascinated by the intricate insides of certain vegetables – like cabbage. Continue reading
as you may have noticed – i like to try new things. and there was this one particular vegetable i had been wanting to try for a while now – radicchio. i knew it had to be good for us – just look at all that colour!
when i did a little research on this interesting-looking chicory, i discovered that it may actually help insomnia. and – as you may recall, i battle with that from time to time… eating intuitively has become such a way of life for me, that i notice i’ll crave things i need and not even realize it. how awesome is that?! our bodies are so incredible! Continue reading
tell me you’ve tried these before?! i’m pretty sure i’ve mentioned them at least once or twice on this here blog of mine… they are definitely a staple in my home! what’s better than colourful carbohydrates?!
i was a little surprised and way excited when i spotted this multi-coloured pack at the market. my favourite way to prepare them is to simply drizzle them with tons of olive oil and S&P and roast them in a 400 degree oven for about a half hour…
the finished product is a sheen, tender and sweet potato ready for poppin!
they make an excellent side dish, and are also great in soups.
yep…
– frozen blueberries
– frozen banana chunks
– flax seeds
– coconut milk
– 1 pitted date or teaspoon honey to sweeten {optional}
…that’s it.
kept this one SUPER SIMPLE.
and what a lovely colour, i must say!
drink the rainbow! 😀
the kids are up early and back in school, the leaves are slowly beginning to change their colours, the air just smells different, and the produce section is starting to feature those fall harvests we look forward to…
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and i figured since the seasons are about to change, i would honour the idea of cleansing with the seasons. so, this week i will feature 5 different vitamix smoothie recipes – each creation will also feature seasonal blueberries… mmmmm…
so here’s the first one :
this mix created such a pretty colour! it’s always a surprise when one experiments with smoothie concoctions in the vitamix… but it’s also {obviously} half the fun! 😉
– blueberries
– pineapple
– black grapes
– teaspoon local honey
– mango juice
– coconut milk
there’s a lot going on in this smoothie i’ve been having in the mornings lately :
– frozen blueberries
– frozen bananas
– frozen pineapple
– frozen grapes
– frozen cherries
– frozen strawberries {they are hiding! :)}
– carrots
– celery
– spinach
– dates Continue reading
golden kiwis are not the same as regular green kiwis you see in the stores….. i mean, of course they aren’t, right?! – they’re being featured on food & foto 😉
originating in china, golden kiwis are now mostly from new zealand, and they blow regular kiwi out of the water! {sorry, kiwi}
their thin skin is different from the regular kiwi – smooth and hairless with little freckles throughout. they ripen just like regular kiwi, so look for one that slightly gives to the tender touch…
the flavour is similar, but the golden kiwi boasts a less-acidic quality and taste. they have almost a pineapple flavour… and i just LOVE THEM!!! Continue reading
prior to sauteing up a healthy batch of beautiful rainbow chard {i make mine with a little EVOO and diced shallots}, i like to sit back and admire the colours and patterns this wonderful vegetable creates…
puts a whole new meaning to “eat the rainbow” eh?!
this one is SUPER yum and i just love the colour!!! another great post-workout drink!
– frozen mangos {about 1/4 cup}
– frozen pineapple {about 1/4 cup}
– frozen bananas {about 1/4 cup}
– coconut milk {about 1 cup}
– splash of orange juice
– handful of fresh spinach
– a couple pitted dates
– sprinkle in some golden flax seeds
i’ve somehow almost got it down to a magical science now- that whatever i put in my vitamix makes *just enough* for this glass jar i drink out of {which i believe is about 12 ounces}:
isn’t that colour awesome?!?!
happy {meatless} monday everyone!
these are SO SO SO SO SO GOOD! i planned on just eating a few and saving some for lunch the next day, but i ended up devouring the whole batch in under 5 minutes! so delicious!
i’ve introduced you to kaniwa a few times now… and this is one of my new favourite things to do with it!
i am all about texture – i love it in both food and foto. kaniwa has plenty of texture and the most fun little crunch. you know how quinoa has that little “pop” kind of crunch going on?! – well kaniwa is like that but it’s much smaller and it’s just so fun to eat! i also love belgian endive for that reason – fun to eat and TEXTURE! so, when i combined the two in this recipe, my taste buds and senses were dancing because it was just so completely delicious and enjoyable! and healthy and simple and easy and all of those things i like to promote here at food and foto dot com!
so without further ado, here is a recipe that’s great as an hors d’oeuvres, snack, light dinner, fun brunch… or blog-worthy dish 😉
another amazing item i will have to blog about again soon – english peas. there are only a few other produce items that make me think of spring like english peas do. i’m trying to encourage it to hurry and get here – we are due for more snow this week, blast! i know we need the moisture, but i just wanna wear flip flops and t-shirts already!
i digress –
ingredients {makes about 8-10 “boats”}:
– 1 medium-sized belgian endive
– 1/4 cup tomato, chopped
– handful of fresh english peas, shelled
– 1 cup kaniwa {you do not need to rinse it}
– about 2 tablespoons honey {preferably local}
– pat of your favourite butter {or substitute} Continue reading
as we know, i’m all about DIY in the kitchen.
between skyrocketing food prices and the need for healthy, organic, fresh food – i have to find a balance so that i can still continue eating well, but also still afford to pay rent 😉 – and honestly, owning a vitamix has helped tremendously in that arena. even though it was a steep investment initially – it’s actually helping me save money by making a lot of things at home!
for example, this homemade applesauce. i did make some once a while back with my potato latkes. but i hadn’t tried it with the vitamix, yet.
applesauce isn’t something i just go out and buy. in fact, i’m not actually much of a fan of apples. i love the flavour and i love apple juice, but i just have never been one to eat handheld fruits. i’m more apt to eat grapes, mangos, berries, and bite-size typed fruits. it’s just one of those idiosyncrasies of mine… i’ll eat apple slices with some nut butter, that’s more my style 😉 oorrrrr, this delicious applesauce…
and whoa – was it easy to make!
step 1. buy some apples.
i opted for honeycrisp because they were on sale and approaching the end of their season… plus, these were super cute and smaller than most. have you noticed how BIG apples are getting lately?! it’s just not natural… i’m like “i can’t eat that in one sitting!” haha. these honeycrisps were perfectly-sized and came in a 3-pound bag. Continue reading
have you ever had a champagne mango?
not quite the same as your common mango, which are typically more oval-shaped with green and red hues to the skin. champagne mangos start off green, but are yellow when ripe…
the champagne mango is shaped almost like a tear-drop or in some ways to me it is shaped more like a nut…
fun with shapes… 😉
champagne mangos originate from mexico… and they are just heavenly. Continue reading
another good one… i’m hoping all of these tropical-type drinks will convince nicer weather to stick around, instead of more snow! {we got another 6 inches or so here in colorado – boo!}
– frozen pineapple
– fresh mango
– fresh kiwi
– coconut milk
and if you want, throw in a little frozen banana…
this one is a nice balance of sweet and tart, it’s very refreshing, and makes me want to be on the beach!!
and it also needs a little umbrella…
i LOVE this one!
– fresh strawberries
– frozen pineapple
– 1/4 frozen banana
– coconut water
*glug glug* – what a pretty colour! cheers!
side-note : i use frozen bananas because i believe it takes over the flavour too much when using fresh, plus it’s a cheap way to save overripe bananas. just chop ’em up and freeze ’em. then you can use a little at a time. some things are just better fresh, and others work fine frozen – like berries or pineapple. last week i just happen to catch fresh strawberries on sale, so i hooked it up! plus, mixing it up with frozen and fresh helps the smoothie stay cold. if you want to use only fresh ingredients, just make sure to throw in a little ice 🙂
so yesterday i showed you that i made some dehydrated fruit, right… delicious mangos and honeycrisp apples – nom nom, right… well, may i just first comment on the difference in flavour from a fresh mango and a dehydrated one? i really believe the taste is very different. i mean they are both outstanding, i don’t have a favourite. but they do taste way different.
and i suppose that applies for apples, too… but mangos – i just love love love dried mangos! something about ’em…
i {barely} saved a few of each and threw some in with a smoothie that included frozen mixed berries, fresh spinach, 1/2 a banana, some orange juice, a little grape juice, splash of almond milk and some ground flax seeds.
one is never really certain just what colour the smoothie will turn out. at least the way i do it sometimes… lots of colour in there, doesn’t always blend to the prettiest, but this turned out great! and a pretty dark reddish-purple. oh, and it was for sure delicious!
cheers!
food & foto 