TORONTO GIRL CHRONICLES

I just wanted to share with you this fun little video on how to cook quinoa, courtesy of My New Roots. Quinoa is this miracle grain (a seed really) from South America that contains all nine essential amino acids (complete protein), as well as tons of fiber. Nothing wrong with that, eh?

It has a mild nutty flavour and it comes in an array of colours. I would even say that it's a great alternative to brown rice, when you want to mix things up a little bit.

A word of advice: don't buy it at the grocery store since it is rather expensive there. Buy it in bulk at Bulk Barn or one of the many health food stores in Kengsinton Market. And experiment with all the colours!

Without further ado...here's how to cook quinoa:

A couple of weeks ago I had a brilliant idea. Of course, like most of my brilliant ideas, this one was inspired by my mom. When we were kids, living in the city (Bogota), my mother had a vegetable garden. Each week we enjoyed fresh produce-- cabbage, lettuce, carrots, onions -- and that was even before organic became a pre-requisite in our grocery baskets. I thought: “what if I could grow my own food? Wouldn’t that be cool?” I have a backyard, my mom is a bit of an expert, and I have time. This way I would be able to have produce that is truly organic, fresh, and I would save a lot of money.

So I started out small. I thought herbs would be the right first step, since they can be started inside.




However, out of the eight (that’s right eight) pods that I planted; only one has started to sprout. And even now it seems to be drying out (after a reckless weekend away). I guess one thing that I will take away from this experiment is patience. Good things take care and time to grow, not to mention a tremendous amount of hope and persistence. Well, I am obsessive compulsive; I guess I could learn patience. In return, I will have veggies that are pesticide free, full of delicious nutrients, and without even thinking about it, I will get lots of outdoor time and reduce my carbon footprint!


Even if you don’t have a backyard, or an expert, or patience, you can still access locally grown food. The benefits are endless, and there is nothing like getting to know your farmers and learning about the miracle that food really is.

For a listing of Toronto farmers markets click here.
For an article on urban farming click here.
And to learn about farming in general (and maybe volunteer at a farm) visit the
Everdale Organic Farming and Learning Centre.

1 Bar (200g) of organic dark chocolate (70% cocoa or more)
1/4 cup of strong black coffee (substitute for rum if you wanna have fun)
2 tablespoons of acacia honey
Cocoa powder, to dust (you can also use sprinkles or coconut chunks)

1. Melt your chocolate gently in a large bowl over a pan of boiling water until it liquefies.
2. Slowly add coffee (or rum*) and stir to mix. The consistency of the chocolate will thicken. Then add honey, mixing it slowly until the consistency becomes smooth.
3. Put in the Fridge for about 30 minutes at most. You want it nearly solid but not frozen.
4. Remove from fridge and with a melon scooper scrape out little chocolate balls. Cover with cocoa powder or your topping of choice.

* if you're adding alcohol to the chocolate it has to be at room temperature. If it's not it  will upset the chocolate, and the last thing you need is grumpy chocolate.

My favorite thing about the summer is having a few friends over for snacks and drinks. We relax and we have interesting conversations, it's the perfect way to break up the week.

I got this recipe from the LCBO, you can ommit rum for a yummy virgin version.


By: The Martini Club

INGREDIENTS
1/8 cup of White Rum
1⁄2 oz. (a generous splash) lime juice
1/4 cup of fresh orange juice
1/2 cup lemon-lime soda
Orange Slices (for Garnish)

Combine all ingredients and serve in cute wine glasses.

* mango - cut into bite sized chunks

* dried prunes (optional)

I am a cheater in the kitchen. I use brownie mix. Yes, I would love to get all Miss Betty Crocker but I don't have the time. That is why I use PC's Organics Chocolate Brownie Mix. I do like to spice things up by adding a little bit of cinnamon and a little bit of chili flakes. I call this creation (drum roll please): Mexican brownies. They are not really Mexican, but no one has to know...except for you.




INGREDIENTS

* 1 pkg of Chocolate Brownie Mix
* 2 eggs
* 1/4 cup of water (to replace butter) or more to moisten mix
* 1/4 cup of cinnamon
* 2 tbs of chili flakes (adjust if you want less or more bite)

1) Mix dry ingredients well, then add eggs and water until mix is moist and thick. Pour mixture into oiled baking pan.
2) set oven to 350 (degrees F) and let it bake for 30 minutes.
3) Insert knife to make sure its ready. if knife comes out dry then you're good to go. If knife comes out wet, leave it on for another 5 minutes and repeat knife test.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and strawberries if you want to be extra indulgent. Which you do, don't you?

My sister is a brilliantly creative cook.  Leave it to a student to create something out of very little. This turned out to be THE BEST MEAL OF MY LIFE! every bite was full of flavour! We served it on top of wild rice, which really complemented the stir fry by adding a nutty flavour.

• 
  
  2 Chicken Breasts (you could replace with Herbed Tofu for a vegetarian version)
• 
  
  Random Vegetables (we used celery, green peppers, yellow peppers, zucchini, onions - I would also add crushed tomatoes)
• 
  
  1 can of chickpeas
• 
  
  2 pinches of lemon pepper
• 
  
  1 tea spoon of lemon juice
• 
  
  3 tbs Teriyaki sauce (as you see fit)
• 
  
  1 Splash of soy sauce or Liquid Braggs
• 
  
  2 tbs of chili infused oil