A Quick Cup of Coffee

29 01 2012

Happy Sunday. The days are getting a wee bit longer, which is nice and the weather continues to be freakishly lovely. It feels like a March day in Calgary today. Up early with tea, read, off to practice, tea with the usual yoga crew and home for a quiet Sunday. It’s nice when you did all your errands on Fri/Sat and you are left with a bit less to do on a Sunday.

I don’t drink coffee but T does. I wish I liked it though. It smells so good sometimes, but doesn’t do it for me. I like my tea. Maybe it’s because coffee became a survival technique during university and now it has lost its allure. I do like it now and then (decaf) with dessert when out for dinner. But I think even the thought of it keeps me up so I don’t do that often.

Our combo expresso/coffee maker died an early death last fall. It was a good one too (we thought), a Krups. I have learned since, that it has been discontinued. Nice. T was without a proper coffee maker up until Christmas. He used the Bodem, which worked and he liked because he likes fresh ground coffee in the morning. He hates cleaning it out though…it’s about being efficient in the morning. So for Christmas I thought, i’ll buy him a new coffee maker, how practical of me. ;) Well I found the bomb of quick coffee makers. I don’t mean to offend, but those little pod coffee makers that everyone is buying and were EVERYWHERE at Christmas are an environmental disaster. I work at a building with 40 some floors and each floor has an average of two of these machines pumping out a black garbage bag or more a day in little plastic containers. Yikes. Yeah, yeah, they’re recycled, but their still made from plastic…and they’re expensive!

I have the perfect item for you, fresh coffee, one cup at a time with the Hamilton Beach The Scoop. T grinds fresh coffee every morning, fills the scoop, adds water and presses start. How easy is that AND the unit is half the price or more than the expensive pod ones. So if you have been considering buying a new coffee maker and are being woo’d by those trendy pod types, give The Scoop a thought. (I swear we are not endorsed by Hamilton Beach, but when something this smart comes along, I gotta tell people. p.s I got ours at London Drugs and saw them at Canadian Tire too. Shameless, I know.)

Eat well, Be well,

Nat


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Butternut Squash Moroccan Style Soup

19 01 2012
How are you enjoying the weather :) . If you are in Calgary then you are probably getting a bit tired of the extreme cold. However, I see my friends in the West are getting hit with snow. The cold makes you slow down which isn’t a bad thing right?
I made this soup up the other day and ate it all this week for lunch. I wasn’t feeling like the usual butternut squash soup, although so delicious. I wanted to use other veggies and add some protein to it. It’s got a bit of Moroccan flair with the cinnamon. Cinnamon goes great with any squash. Squash is abundant right now and full of vitamins. I picked this one up, yup you guessed it my favourite market KFM. I did this soup sans onions and garlic, but if you like that, add it in. I was going for a warming sattvic like soup. Try it and let me know if you like it.
  • 1 tbsp Coconut Oil, Ghee or Olive Oil for sautéing
  • 2 large stalks of Celery, diced large
  • 3 large Carrots, diced large
  • 3 medium Parsnips, diced large
  • 1 medium Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and cut up into 1″ cubes
  • 1/2 tsp dried Rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp dried Thyme
  • 1 Cinnamon Stick
  • 5 Black Pepper Corns
  • 1 Bay Leaf
  • 1 cube or tsp Low Sodium Veggie Stock (or veggie stock if you have it)
  • 7 cups of filtered Water
  • 1 398 ml can (or more) cooked Chickpeas
Heat the oil in soup pot, add the carrots and celery, sauté on medium-high heat for about 5 min. Just so they start to sweat a bit. Add everything else but the chickpeas and bring to a boil, cover and turn the heat down to a good simmer for about 30 min or so. Test the veggies for softness. Add the chickpeas and cook uncovered for about 5 min, so everything is warm. Serve on its own or over rice of your choice. I had it with a fragrant jasmine rice a few times. Perfect for these cold days in Calgary (or anywhere).
Eat well, Be well (and stay warm),
Nat

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Citrus Salad and Merry Christmas (again)

7 01 2012

Merry Christmas (again). If you are Ukrainian, you still have your Christmas tree up and the lights on for the last days of the season. Today is Ukrainian Christmas and the big feast was last night, Christmas Eve, based on the Julian calendar (today we use the Gregorian calendar which lines up the solstice’s or solar seasons more accurately, so Wikipedia says). My first post on this blog was a celebration of my Food Spark and the traditions of my family, including Ukrainian Christmas, which we celebrate on Dec 24. Growing up January 7 was recognized in some way, mom would make Latke’s or we’d have a mini Ukrainian feast again.

Our Ukrainian Christmas Table

This time of year oranges of all sorts are abundant. T just brought home a box of juicy california oranges. What to make? A salad. I recently made this super simple dressing and salad. I love this dressing, it is light, healthy and if you are vegan, you can replace the yogurt for your favourite non-dairy replacement.

In a bowl mix together;

  • 1 small to medium head of Romaine lettuce, torn into bite size pieces
  • 1 large navel Orange, segmented and chopped (google how to segment an orange, easy and tastier way of adding citrus to a dish)
  • 1 Avocado, scoop the flesh out into bit size chunks
  • 1 small Cucumber, chopped

Shake together the dressing ingredients. This makes more than you need, so store it in the fridge to use on a couple more salads;

  • 1/4 tsp Tarragon (dry)
  • 1/2 tsp Basil (dry)
  • 1/8 tsp fresh cracked Pepper
  • 1/8 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 tsp Maple Syrup
  • 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 cup non-fat plain Yogurt
  • 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1/8 cup Olive Oil

Mix about a 1/4 -1/3 of the dressing and salad ingredients together. Top with more fresh cracked pepper.

Citrus Salad

Eat well, Be well,

Nat


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