Chocolate Strawberry Blondies

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Today, I am excited and honoured to be featured as a guest poster on my friend Cara’s wonderful blog – Fork and Beans. Cara asked me over a month ago to contribute a guest post to her blog and it’s taken me almost that entire month to choose a recipe to present. After much thought (and some trial and error in the kitchen), I decided to do present these delicious, moist vegan chocolate strawberry blondies. Fresh local strawberries were on sale this week for 3 pounds for $5.00! I could not pass up the opportunity to make something delicious with them. The taste of fresh, local strawberries really cannot be beat! Especially when you pair them up with a little chocolate. Mmm! 
Please check out my guest post on Fork and Beans today for the full recipe!
And if you are so inclined, please “like” The Fig Tree blog on Facebook :) Your support means the world to me. You can also find The Fig Tree blog on Twitter @thefigtreeblog and on Pinterest.

18 With 12 Years Experience

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Over the past 2 years, The Fig Tree has become a place for me to express myself, be creative and connect with passionate and inspiring people. It has been a place for me to keep track of all of my experiences in the kitchen – all the successes and failures. It has been a journal to record my progress as a photographer and it’s somewhat been a place to keep track of daily ongoings. On average, I have liked to keep the focus of this space on the food. However, today I feel like I would like to talk about something a bit personal and completely unrelated to food.

Today, I turn 30. The big 3-0! Or…”18 with 12 years experience.” It’s hard to believe that I’ve lived 30 years of life! I am leaving one decade behind and am about to enter a new one. It’s exciting, exhilarating and terrifying all at once.
Having a milestone birthday has made me feel very sentimental and nostalgic this week. I think it’s inevitable that I will not only look toward the future and wonder what the next 10 years will bring, but also that I will reflect on the past. The thirty years before me have been wonderful. Not to say there has not been sadness, loss, hurt and frustration. But, I count myself incredibly lucky for all of the wonderful experiences I’ve had and brilliant people that have come + gone (and stayed) in my life. I value all of the lessons I’ve learned over 30 years, no matter how difficult some of the lessons were to learn. I am proud of the wisdom I’ve developed and am excited for all that is to come. As my mom says, your thirties tend to be marked by security. Security in yourself (who you are), your home, your job, you goals, dreams and your friends/family. After a tumultuous 20s, I look forward to some peace + security! 

30 Years

30 years ago today, I was born. It was on Father’s Day. A pretty good present, hey dad? :)

25 years ago today, I was 5 years old. I was a new big sister and I was about to start kindergarden. A lot of responsibility for a 5 year old. I took being a big sister very seriously and was extremely protective of Alyssa. (Sorry, Lyss!) I spent a lot of time out in the garden with grandpa and going on field trips with gramma to the art gallery, museum, shopping downtown and to the pool. I baked many batches of cookies and read many books with mom. I went on lots of picnics and played floor hockey in the basement with dad. I was an avid colouring book artist, loved Michael Jackson, Tina Turner and my Cabbage Patch Kid doll. I was obsessed with The Muppet Babies, Barbies and GI Joes. 
The summer I turned 5, my parents took my sister and me to Regina, Saskatchewan, for a family vacation. My dad took me to my first football game. Dad, I’m sorry you could not convince me to become a Riders fan. At least you convinced me to become an avid football fan :)

20 years ago today, I was 10 years old. I was in grade 4 and I loved The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. I was (and still am) a huge Elvis Presley fan. I spent my time reading Baby Sitter’s Club books, taking clay classes, and doing tap dancing and ballet. My little sister was (and still is) my very best friend. We spent hours upon hours playing outside with the kids in the area. Around the age of ten, I went to Hawaii for the first time with the family. I got to swim with dolphins and I was convinced I would one day become a marine biologist. 20 years ago, I got to see Paul McCartney live in concert. It was epic. 20 years ago, our first family dog passed away and it was a really tough experience for me. 20 years ago, my family bought a summer cottage. So many of my very favourite memories come from times at the cabin. 

15 years ago today, I was 15 years old and I was just about to embark on two adventures: high school and my first trip to Europe. My family and I went to Wales, England and France to visit relatives. I became addicted to reading European history books. *hah* 15 years ago, I became a vegetarian (right around my 15th birthday in fact). I also started piano lessons, singing lessons and guitar lessons approximately 15 years ago. My favourite TV show was Beverly Hills 90201 and I loved Our Lady Peace and Matthew Good Band. Soon after I turned 15, I got my first part-time job – working a music store. Being a huge music fan, it was a dream job for me. Especially once I got a job for my best friend Sheila at the same store. We had a blast. At 15, my goal was to become a architect. I spent a lot of my time practicing drawing and taking drafting courses. Right before my 15th birthday, I watched the Winnipeg Jets play their last game in Winnipeg. Or, so I thought! Last year, the Winnipeg Jets came back to the city and took it over by storm! 15 years ago, our family got our most recent family pet, Mickey.

10 years ago today, I was 20 years old and I was a busy university student studying Commerce and Asian Studies. Soon before I turned 20, I spent 2 months in Switzerland in a Japanese boarding school studying the language and spending time doing outdoor activities such as hiking, rock climbing and white water rafting. Two months in Switzerland, away from home, really helped me grow into a young adult with many hopes and dreams. My time spent studying Japanese throughout high school and in Switzerland also caused me to change my plans. I no longer desired to go into the field of architecture. I decided to major in Asian Studies at university and loved every minute of it. My other major was Commerce – I did not like that nearly as much. *hah* 10 years ago, my favourite bands were The Clash, Rancid and Queen. They are still my favourite bands. 10 years ago, I discovered a passion for cooking and baking. I became addicted to cookbooks and I started getting creative in the kitchen. 

5 years ago today, I was 25 years old. I was a university graduate and living on my own. Soon after I turned 25, I met my very best friend and the love of my life, Jesse. I quickly knew he was “the one” and we started planning our life together. We went on a road trip together across Canada and attended a fantastic 4-day music festival in Pemberton, British Columbia, with two friends. Jesse and I were lucky enough to also spend three weeks in Europe together a few years back. It was magical to be in London with him. It’s a city we both love. I was also excited to introduce him to my family in Wales, spend time with wonderful friends in Belgium, and see the Eiffel Tower together. Last year, Jesse and I went to Las Vegas with friends and then to New York City for 9 days. I love to explore and experience the world with him. 5 years ago, I discovered my passion for photography, bought an SLR and starting carrying my camera with me almost everywhere. Photography has been a constant, growing passion since.

And today, I am 30 years old. And I am looking forward to the future and what adventures lie ahead. Today, I am closer than ever to my wonderful parents and my sister. Today, I am very much in love with Jesse and cannot wait to spend many years to come with him. Today, I am thankful for all of my wonderful friends – all of their love, support, and kindness. Today, I am thankful for a good job and a beautiful home. Today, I am excited as my little sister prepares to marry the love of her life Jonny. Today, I am thankful for all of the experiences life have given me; all of the lessons learned. Today, I’m excited to turn 30.

Today, I turn 30. Cheers to the next 10 years :)

Mexican White Bean Cakes with Avocado Cream

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One of my favourite snacks is sliced avocado with a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of salt. Its such a simple, flavourful snack. And healthy too! The list of health benefits of avocados seems to grow daily. Avocados are high fibre, high in protein, can lower cholesterol, and improve the condition of your skin + hair. And they are delicious and creamy! My friend Kristen calls avocados “nature’s mayonnaise”. *hah* Love that. 

 Avocado + lime can make for a great garnish as well. This past weekend, it rained + rained + rained. Saturday afternoon, I found myself without plans – as so many of the plans I had made were for gardening and spending time at the park. I suddenly had time to play around in the kitchen. So, on Saturday, I whipped up these Mexican White Bean Cakes for lunch and topped them with some of my favourite ingredients – avocados, lime, cilantro and a touch of sour cream. They were delicious! You could easily make these for a healthy, flavourful lunch as I did. Or you could serve a smaller version of them as an appetizer at a party. I think these cakes could even be used as veggie burger patties topped with some slices of avocado + tomato.

Now, I know cilantro is something you either love….or truly despise. So, I’ve written up the recipe with the cilantro as an optional ingredient. I personally love cilantro, but Jesse HATES it. I’ve never met more passionate people as those who hate cilantro! *hah* If you choose not to use cilantro for these white bean cakes, please feel free to add some flat-leaf parsley or some mexican oregano.

Hope you all had a great weekend. :)
Ingredients
  • 1 large clove of garlic
  • 1 jalapeño pepper; seeded and roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup of fresh roughly chopped cilantro (optional)
  • 2 greens onions, washed + roughly chopped
  • 1- 19 ounce (540ml) can of white kidney beans; drained + rinsed
  • 3/4 cup of fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
  • 1/4 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
  • 1 egg (or 1 flax egg)
  • 1/4 cup of cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon of canola or extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/2 cup of low-fat sour cream (or dairy free sour cream)
  • 1 avocado, peeled and diced
  • juice of 1 small lime (about 1 teaspoon)
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro (optional)
  • roasted pepitas or chile spiced pumpkin seeds for garnish

Method

1. In a food processor, pulse together the garlic, chopped green onion, jalapeño and cilantro. Pulse until all is finely chopped.

2. In a small bowl, add the salt, pepper, chili powder and cumin to the fresh whole wheat bread crumbs.

3. Add beans, seasoned breadcrumbs and egg (or flax egg) to the food processor. Pulse until combined.

4. Form into eight 2-inch round patties and gently dredge in cornmeal. Place patties on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

5. In a large nonstick skillet, heat tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Cook patties for about 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown + heated through.

6. For the Avocado Cream Topping: combine the diced avocado and sour cream in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and top with a generous squeeze of lime juice. Mix to combine. Place a dollop of the avocado cream on top of each bean cake. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Source: loosely adapted from Canadian living Magazine – July 2012