Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015!

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Looking back at what was 2014, I cannot help but smile. Jesse and I started 2014 in Honolulu, Hawaii, with my family and then spent seven weeks backpacking Europe this past summer. It was an amazing experience spending time in Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, The Netherlands and Belgium. We met some wonderful new people (hello Dani and Sven, Jane and John, Konstantin and Natascha!) and re-connected with wonderful friends in Belgium.  I had my heart stolen by Barcelona and felt completely at home in Copenhagen. We travelled to the States with some of our very best friends and made wonderful memories there.

2014 will always be memorable for me, as it’s the year I decided to go vegan and really take care of myself. I learned that I feel so much better without dairy and processed sugar in my diet. And I’ve never felt more inspired! I thought that becoming a vegan would limit me in the kitchen, but cooking without dairy has been a great challenge – one I’ve really enjoyed. I’ve never eaten better! And I’ve never felt better. Bonus!

This past year, I re-connected with some old friends and made some wonderful new friends. And, I spent time with life-long friends who mean the world to me. Two of my best friends had beautiful, healthy baby girls this past summer! I love those lil babies so much! It’s been amazing to watch them grow and be apart of their lives. Love you Norah and Ruby!

Jesse started school in September and we had to make some lifestyle adjustments. But it makes me so happy to see him thriving in a program he loves. I went on lots of long walks outside and spent hours-upon-hours reading amazing books. In fact, I reached my goal of reading 50 novels in 2014 just yesterday! I started French classes at University of Saint-Boniface and love them. I attended some wonderful theatrical performances (Robin Hood) and saw some fabulous concerts (The Strumbellas!!!) I cooked and baked tons and blogged about it. I attended the Food Bloggers of Canada conference in Vancouver and met some wonderful & inspiring people. I was part of the Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan conference in Winnipeg in October where plans were made to promote funding education initiatives for girls in Afghanistan.

 In 2014, I spent quality time with my family and Jesse’s family and feel so lucky to have them all in my life. Even though there were a few “downs” in 2014 as well, I cannot help but feel thankful for an incredible year and very hopeful for 2015.

What were your favourite moments of 2014? What did you learn or discover during the year? What things did you overcome? And most importantly…what did you cook!? Do you have any cooking goals for 2015?

Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2015 filled with love, laughter and daring adventures! xoxo

Photo Credit: June Letters Studio

Cranberry Orange Oat Muffins

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orangecranberrymuffins-12When Jesse and I were in Amsterdam this past summer, we found a fabulous little café that served the best breakfasts. It was a lovely place on the corner of a busy street close to where we were staying with our two fabulous AirB&B hosts. I believe it was called Anne&Max. Each morning during our stay, we sat outside and watch the people go by – the hustle and bustle of a foreign city. With your breakfast order, you got either tea or coffee. Since I’m a complete tea-granny, I opted for the tea every morning and it was seriously the best tea I’ve ever had. It was a rooibos infused with orange, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom. Thankfully, they sold the tea in bulk and I was able to take some home. *yum*

orangecranberrymuffins-4The flavours of the tea inspired me to create a delicious, wholesome muffin infused with bright orange flavour and spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. Plus a pinch of cardamom! The cardamom is not necessary, but it adds a little extra something special. Biting into one of these moist, flavourful muffins immediately brought me back to this summer and all of the wonderful memories we made in The Netherlands. These muffins have the perfect combination of flavours. Warm and spicy with juicy cranberries throughout. Walnuts round out the texture with a nice crunch. These muffins would make the perfect treat for Christmas brunch or as a healthy snack during the holiday season. I’m likely going to eat my weight in them over the next week or two while powering through all four seasons of Homeland. (Amazing show by-the-way!)

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season! Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2015. Looking forward to sharing more delicious recipes with all of you in the new year. Your readership means the world to me! Joyeux Noël mes amis!

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Cranberry Orange Oat Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 12 muffins

Healthy, wholesome oat muffins infused with bright orange flavour and spiced with cinnamon & nutmeg. Filled with plump, juicy cranberries and crunchy walnuts, these are the perfect muffins to enjoy during the holiday season.

Ingredients

  • 1 large orange
  • 2/3 cup of dried cranberries
  • 1/3 heaping cup of oat flour (see note)
  • 1 cup of unbleached, all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/4 cup of brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
  • Pinch of ground cardamom
  • 1/4 cup of neutral flavour oil (non-GMO canola or melted coconut oil)
  • 3/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 375'F. Using a micro plane zester, zest the orange and set zest aside.
  2. Squeeze juice from the orange into a small glass measuring cup. You'll want approximately 1/2 cup of orange juice. If you don't have enough, add some water. Add the dried cranberries to the juice. Microwave cranberries in the juice for 30 seconds. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes, so the cranberries soften up.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and pinch of ground cardamom.
  4. In a small mixing bowl, combine the oil, the unsweetened almond milk, pure vanilla extract and orange zest. Drain the orange juice from the cranberries. They should have plumped up and softened a bit.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the cranberries and the walnuts. Spoon muffin batter into 12 greased or paper-lined muffin tins filling them each about 2/3 way full.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a dry crumb. Let muffins rest in tins for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Muffins will keep up to 5 days if kept in an airtight container.
  7. NOTE: To make oat flour, pulse rolled oats in a food processor until ground into a dense flour

Source: adapted from Minimalist Baker – Dark Chocolate Cherry Muffins

Chocolate Pecan Butter Tart Squares

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untitled-15-2As a Canadian, I am surrounded by a multitude of cultures. This has both inspired and shaped what I eat and what I cook on a daily basis. Canadian cuisine is really difficult to categorize. It’s Ukrainian, Polish, Spanish, Filipino, French, English, Portuguese, Moroccan, Greek, Italian etc. There are very few dishes that are uniquely Canadian. However, one sweet treat that can classically be considered as truly Canadian is the butter tart made with pure maple syrup…and well…lots of butter!!! Butter Tarts are traditionally made during the holiday season in Canada and everyone seems to have a different family recipe.  For example, pecans are optional for some and a must for others! Raisins are often included and sometimes people add rum for an extra kick. My mom normally makes traditional butter tarts (with pecans), but she does like to change things up every now and again. Last year, my mom surprised the family with chocolate studded butter tart square. It was incredible! Since my transition from vegetarian to vegan, I’ve not been able to enjoy butter tarts…until now!

untitled-38-2A few weeks ago, I decided to try my hand at re-creating my mom’s chocolate pecan butter tart square, but without all of the eggs and dairy. Even in eliminating the rich butter and eggs, these vegan chocolate pecan butter tart squares are rich, gooey and incredibly addictive! Once I perfected the recipe, I opted to share it through Keepin’ It Kind’s annual cookie party swap. Kristy has a number of bloggers share their favourite vegan cookie/bar recipes on her fabulous blog every holiday season, so that others are inspired to try their hand at cruelty-free sweets for the holidays! I love all of the recipes that have been shared in the cookie party swap this year! Please head on over to Keepin’ It Kind to find my recipe – Chocolate Pecan Butter Tart Squares – as well as many other amazing cookie recipes to try this season. Thank you so much Kristy for having me on Keepin’ It Kind today!

[Chocolate Pecan Butter Tart Squares]