Jan 31 2012

Vegan Tortilla Pizza

This is probably one of the most simple things that I have thrown together, and surprisingly enough, one of the yummiest! :) The best part is the sauce made for this, which I will also give you all the recipe for! ;) This serves one, however you can save all of the extra sauce and make more!

Vegan Tortilla Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole wheat tortilla wrap
  • About 3 tbsp sauce (recipe below)
  • 1/4 cup Daiya Vegan Cheese (this is easily my favourite non-dairy, non-soy “cheese”! You would not be able to tell that it’s not real cheese, and I’m really picky when it comes to cheese…)
  • Basil for garnish, because it looks pretty. ;)

Method:

  • Set oven to broil at about 425 F.
  • Spread the sauce over the tortilla, leaving about 1cm around the edges.
  • Sprinkle the “cheese” over the saucy tortilla.
  • Pop it in the oven, and let it sit in there until the “cheese” is melted, and the edges of the tortilla are starting to brown.
  • Serve with some basil sprinkled on top, and enjoy! :)

Sauce Ingredients:

  • 1 pint cherry/grape tomatoes
  • 1 bunch of basil
  • 1/4 cup walnuts (I know, it seems weird! It tastes great though…)
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Sauce Method:

  • Place all ingredients in a food processor, and process until smooth! Simple as that. Store it in the fridge for 5 days at the most.

Now here’s some pictures, because I’m one of those people who likes to take pictures of their food. :)

Into the chopper you go! :)

Into the chopper you go! :)

 

If you haven't tried this stuff yet, you should!

If you haven't tried this stuff yet, you should!

 

Finished product, YUMMY! :)

Finished product, YUMMY! :)

Jan 31 2012

An Aspiring Vegetarian Takes The First Step

I’ve gone back and forth between being a vegetarian and an omnivore, with the longest stretch of vegetarianism being about 2 years. One thing I’ve noticed in the past five or six years is that when I eat meat, it’s really only because people around me are eating it/serving it to me. Also, whomever I happen to be dating at any given time usually happens to eat a lot of it, too. I’m not really one of those people who NEEDS to eat meat, and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything if I don’t eat it. So I’ve decided that instead of doing that whole “well it’s being served, so I guess I’ll eat it” excuse, I’m going to give it my 100% this time around!

I also have other reasons why I no longer want to eat meat, such as it doesn’t make me feel good inside. In any way. The way it makes my stomach feel is just horrible; I feel lethargic and bloated when I eat meat. The way it makes my mind and heart feel when I stop pushing the thought out of my mind that the meat most of us eat is filled with disgusting crap and the animals are basically tortured, is just horrible. I don’t feel as though I have enough knowledge or willpower to become vegan any time in the near future, but I do know that I can at least keep meat off of my plate. I know that a lot of people, for some strange reason, get a little weird when they see that someone is deciding to no longer eat meat. I’ve never understood this, as what we all eat is our own personal choice. On that same note, I don’t like it when people are “preachy” and judgemental towards those who DO decide to eat meat.

So what is the point of me writing this in my recipe blog? Well, it’s my blog, and if I want to write about something… Well, gosh darn it, I will. ;) Really though, it makes me feel more motivated to write it “out here” in the internet world, because it gives me a strange sense of accountability. Also, even though there are recipes in this blog that have meat in them, there will be no more recipes containing meat. Instead, I will be posting healthier recipes, and more recipes that are alternative versions of their meat-filled sisters. I’m not going to go back through old entries to edit things, because at that point in time, the recipe was what it was.

I’m pretty excited about this, because I’ve been very much into eating clean for a while… The addition of this makes me feel really good about what I’m going to be putting into my body, and gives me a lot of motivation in keeping with my fitness goals.

Well, that’s my thoughts for this evening. It’s late, and I have to be up at 5:00am. So goodnight for now, people on the internet!

-Nikki

 

 

Jan 21 2012

Late Night Snack Vlog – Hot Chickpeas

I had a huge urge to eat the bag of chips sitting in my pantry that a friend left here. They’re all-dressed Ruffles chips. I was really, really close to opening the bag… But I don’t want to put those in my body! I’m pretty good with resisting the majority of these junk foods, mind you I do slip up a few times… Tonight, I promised myself I wouldn’t give in [again]… So I decided to make something else that was spicy and crunchy! I also threw together a little something else for dinner this evening/lunch tomorrow! Click play to check it out! Enjoy! :)

Post-video posting thought: hmm… What a strange still of the video that shows up on the preview! Makes me look like the old lady on the episode of The Simpsons where Lisa gets lost on her way to the museum… The lady I’m talking about, she’s the one trying to get Lisa to buy an octopus or squid or something… Then she pushes it up against the window of a phone booth and says ”You buy it! You buy it!”… Ugh…

I also seem to talk with an upward inflection. Maybe it’s because I get nervous in front of a camera? <–That’s me mocking my upward inflections… ha… ha… ha…

Click below to see the written version of the recipe/method!

Continue reading →

Jan 20 2012

Late Night Snack Vlog – Easy Apple “Crumble”

Here’s a random vlog! I was hungry, and didn’t know what to make… So put together an apple “crumble”. It’s not quite a crumble in the traditional sense, but my goodness is it ever tasty! This video is MUCH shorter than my last one, and I go through the few ingredients of this tasty little dish slow enough for you to write it down if you need to, so I’m going to keep this a text-light entry! Here’s you go, enjoy! :)

Here’s the link to my original apple crumble recipe!

Here’s some pictures!

In the oven!

In the oven!

 

Mmmmmmm! :)

Mmmmmmm! :)

Jan 13 2012

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Protein Balls

Here’s a quick and simple sweet fix for people seeking out some energy and protein before or after their workout session! As I was making them, I couldn’t help but eat a few because they were so tasty! I’ve used peanut butter this time around, but have made them in the past with almond butter, sunflower seed butter (not my favourite…), and a mixture of walnut and peanut butter. These are calorie dense because of the peanut butter, though you probably won’t be too hungry after eating a batch of these. Here’s the recipe, enjoy! :)

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Protein Balls

Ingredients:

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp carob chips
  • 3 tbsp natural peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)
  • 2 tbsp honey

Method:

  • Mix all ingredients together in a bowl with your hands, and roll the dough out into little balls.
  • Place in a plastic baggie, and pop them in the fridge.
  • Let them harden for at least an hour. You can eat them right away if you like, but they taste better after being in the fridge for a bit.
An army of protein balls!

An army of protein balls!

Jan 6 2012

Review – Kensingtons Espresso Bar in Kensington Market

On a random urge to wander around the Kensington Market area, I saw this place called “Kensingtons Espresso Bar” and decided to try it because it had the word “espresso” in the name. I’m a coffee fanatic, and this place claims to have the best coffee in the city. Hmm, I’d have to say that’s not true… It’s good coffee, but far from the best…

So click below to check out my review!

Continue reading →

Jan 5 2012

Happy New Year!

Dear People Reading This,

I can’t believe it’s 2012 already!

Without going into detail, I’ve gotta say that 2011 was a year filled with good and bad. There were definitely memories made, tears shed, and laughs had. It was a year where I learned a lot about life, and about myself. As I’m sure many people did!
Here’s to hoping that 2012 is filled with good things for everyone! *raises glass*

Now that I’m settling into my new place, I’ll be posting entries a little more often! I don’t make resolutions for the new year, but if I DID make one, it would be to post more in this blog. Now that I’m back in Toronto, I’ll be wandering around the GTA a little more, posting more reviews, and letting all of you out there know about some hot little foodie gems hiding around this wonderful city. This new year feels like a fresh, new start. So in honour of that, I will also be making a few changes to the layout and feel of this blog! Check back soon to see! :)

For now, that’s all. I have a lot of spring cleaning to do… Wait, no. That doesn’t sound right… Winter cleaning? Hmm… I don’t know. Just cleaning. ;) Then I’m going to head out to a few of my favourite spots in the downtown core! So until my next post, enjoy your day! :)

Love, Nikki

Dec 16 2011

Starbucks Christmas Blend 2011 Review & A Frothy Treat

So I decided to put together my SUPER EASY eggnog latte along with a review for the Starbucks 2011 Christmas Blend, and here’s what I got: A video. Yay! :) I also talk about using a stove-top espresso maker… I make a mistake describing how to use it (at 3:30, oops! :P ), but I correct it… ;) I also talk a lot… But hey, if you read this blog, you should be used to how much I ramble about things by now!

The video was filmed and edited on an iPad 2 and the iMovie App! Such an awesome application, and so easy to use!

Dec 1 2011

Update Time! And… Video?

SO, life is CRAZY sometimes! I won’t even go into what’s been going on, but I will say this: life is fluid!

In about a week, I will be moved into my new apartment, which means I will have my own kitchen again. Which ALSO means that I will be back to posting yummy things in this little blog! :)

I’ve had a few readers suggest to me that I try video blogging. Now, I don’t really like being on video because, well… I’m awkward. Especially on camera. And I make mistakes when I cook. A lot. I’m also very new to editing videos… So things will be choppy for a while… But I’m going to try it! I’ll still post recipes, and pictures. But now, instead of having a whole paragraph of yapping away about some random story, you can click the play button and hear me tell the story instead. ;) And maybe even watch the recipe take shape from start to tasty finish so that you can see how my things turn out!

I’m actually pretty excited about this. So for those of you who have been reading for a while, and those of you who are new to the page, welcome to the introduction of my “video blog” (for lack of a better name). ;)

PS: Be nice, I’m still new to this… ;) There’s two videos because I haven’t figured out how to edit them together yet. Be patient. ;) And excuse the horrible camera quality. There will be something better once I start actually posting recipes! :)

Nov 16 2011

It’s been a while…

…but I haven’t forgetten about this blog! Things have been hectic with school and moving (and soon to be moving again)… I’ll be back and posting recipes and reviews soon!

-Nikki