Tag Archives: food

{balsamic bellavitano cheese}

30 May

sooooo – my stats have suddenly started dropping lately.  i don’t really want to focus on it too much, but i find it odd that out of nowhere, i’m getting less and less “likes” when for a good while there i was getting more and more and people were finding and following my blog… i just find it odd… any insight you all may have is appreciated.

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meanwhile, i’m going to keep writing amazing blogs.  i love doing it for me, but i also do this as i hope to inspire others to try new foods and recipes and to create their own!    food is fun.

this blog is about another specialty cheese that i discovered at whole foods market a couple weeks ago called balsamic bellavitano.  it is one of the most delicious cheeses i’ve ever had – and i’ve tried a lot of cheeses!  this is a reserve cheese with a little nuttiness and hints of fruit in the flavour.  i love how they wrap it in special paper…

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… just makes it so fun to open up 🙂 Continue reading

{ways artichokes are like humans}

14 May

it’s artichoke season!!!

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and thank goodness for that!!!!  i wrote a blog or two about them last spring… i just love these beautiful babies. although they do take an awful lot of work to prepare for such a little amount of actual flesh… it’s SO worth it – the scrumptiousness waiting inside doesn’t quite compare to any other…

it got me thinking about how artichokes are kind of like us, like humans…

i know you may be chuckling thinking how the heck can i be like a green pokey vegetable?!  well… the way i see it –

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an artichoke looks like a flower.

just like us 🙂 Continue reading

{grilled cheese and tomato sammy featuring sauteed spring ramps}

13 May

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hey – how was your weekend?

i feel like mine was full of epiphanies.  i feel like i turned over a new leaf. maybe it’s because i really feel like spring has ACTUALLY finally sprung here in colorado.  we had snow to kick off the month of may, and last week was our “spring” full of rain – now we are in the 80s.  so typical.

i feel like new life is here and with it, new ways of looking at it.  i’ll dive into that more later… for now, let’s talk about baby leeks – AKA “ramps”…

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when i see ramps showing up in the produce section, i know spring is here! Continue reading

{super cool sea beans}

8 May

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i’m going to bet not many of you have seen these little guys.  in all my 9 years of being around specialty produce, this was a first for me.  i like to look over the produce section this time of year and see “what’s new.”  that’s how i discovered kohlrabi

Continue reading

{fabulous flax seeds}

7 May

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once upon a time not long ago – for like four months, i was a pretty strict vegan.  i just wanted to try it out… see how i felt.  i will do it again, for sure  – but for the most part, i just eat what my body tells me to and sometimes that includes organic, humane animal products.

when i was eating vegan i wondered how to get my omegas in my diet because i noticed when i took fish oil it gave me heartburn and i didn’t like the way it tasted.  i haven’t gone back to fish oil since discovering flax oil. now – it’s not anything new to me, i’ve always known about flax…  i just didn’t supplement with it until recently when it was suggested to me that i take it versus the fish oil.

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omegas are good for our hair, skin, nails, heart, blood, and brain… among many other things.  they help us stay “lubricated” and give our skin a lovely glow.  i take flax oil by the capsule daily, but i love being able to buy the whole seeds in bulk such as this…. Continue reading

{meatless mondays : seasonal english peas simmered in a san marzano sauce}

6 May

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a co-worker suggested i try this recipe when i said, “what should i do with the delicious english peas i bought today?”

it’s a pretty basic recipe – with a special ingredient of cinnamon… which i must admit, i don’t really ever use in my cooking – unless a recipe specifically calls for it.  i don’t keep in the pantry or anything… although, i am really wanting an organic spice rack – should anyone be wondering what to randomly gift me 🙂

what i love about this recipe is the simplicity – and i was surprised at how nicely the cinnamon complimented the overall dish.  the key is always adding a little at a time… the rice also brought the dish together – i used simple jasmine rice for this dish.  i like the texture and flavour.

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ingredients :

– organic authentic san marzano tomatoes {canned}

– fresh garlic

– olive oil

– ground cinnamon

– basmati or jasmine rice Continue reading

{drink the rainbow! – chartreuse vitamix smoothie}

30 Apr

this one is SUPER yum and i just love the colour!!!  another great post-workout drink!

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– frozen mangos {about 1/4 cup}

– frozen pineapple {about 1/4 cup}

– frozen bananas {about 1/4 cup}

– coconut milk {about 1 cup}

– splash of orange juice

– handful of fresh spinach

– a couple pitted dates

–  sprinkle in some golden flax seeds

i’ve somehow almost got it down to a magical science now- that whatever i put in my vitamix makes *just enough* for this glass jar i drink out of {which i believe is about 12 ounces}:

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isn’t that colour awesome?!?!

{miss L’s farm fresh eggs}

29 Apr

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nothing says “spring” quite like fresh eggs.

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i feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have eggs “gifted” to me from time to time…

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one of my co-workers has chickens… and she shares her eggs with some of us when she has a bounty…

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she’s given them to me several times now… Continue reading

{i heart the vitamix!}

25 Apr

this post is probably going to sound like a sales pitch or something – whatever!  i love love love my vitamix!

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a hefty pricetag, i agree – but oh oh OH so worth it!!

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i use mine every day, and i find new ways to use it and it never gets old… Continue reading

{kohlrabi is cool!}

24 Apr

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meet kohlrabi. i tried this yummy vegetable about a year ago when it first showed up in the produce department. it’s super-cool-looking for one, and it turns out it’s rather delicious and good for you!  kohlrabi contains loads of vitamin c as well as some fiber and potassium.  mostly i love the fun texture and the leaves are actually really good as well, so i saute them as a side… Continue reading

{drink the rainbow! – clementine creamsicle vitamix juice}

23 Apr

this is super delicious, as you can imagine!!

my only issue with this drink right now is that i want one, and yet it’s snowing outside, so it’s just kinda weird… have i mentioned how i’m so beyond ready for spring?!? – even though technically it ought to be here by now…! sigh…

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for this creation, i used some clementines i bought in a bag and just pre-peeled some for smoothies and snacking…

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– clementines {about 3/4 cup}
– coconut milk {about 3/4 cup}
– ice

blend on high until desired consistency is reached and ENJOY!
coconut milk is wonderfully creamy and makes drinks like this extra delicious and frothy.

{parsnip lovers}

18 Apr

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i *just had to* snap a foto of these two parsnips that grew together like this…

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they came apart, but went right back together.

one of the coolest things i’ve seen produce do, yet!!!!

LOVE!

{not the prettiest vitamix juice on the planet…}

17 Apr

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but a damn good-tasting one! and good for you, too!

the recipe is something like…

– frozen mixed berries {1/4 cup}

– frozen mango {1/4 cup}

– frozen pineapple {1/4 cup or less}

– frozen banana {a few cut pieces}

– a few dates {pitted}

– 1/4 apple of choice

– fresh kale {about 1/4 cup}

– orange juice {about a 1/2 cup}

– almond milk {about a 1/2 cup}

– ground flax seeds

…or just wing it like i do and get a different creation each time! 😉

{meatless mondays – kaniwa endive “boats” featuring spring-welcoming english peas}

15 Apr

happy {meatless} monday everyone!

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these are SO SO SO SO SO GOOD!  i planned on just eating a few and saving some for lunch the next day, but i ended up devouring the whole batch in under 5 minutes!  so delicious!

i’ve introduced you to kaniwa a few times now… and this is one of my new favourite things to do with it!

i am all about texture – i love it in both food and foto.  kaniwa has plenty of texture and the most fun little crunch.  you know how quinoa has that little “pop” kind of crunch going on?! – well kaniwa is like that but it’s much smaller and it’s just so fun to eat!  i also love belgian endive for that reason – fun to eat and TEXTURE! so, when i combined the two in this recipe, my taste buds and senses were dancing because it was just so completely delicious and enjoyable!  and healthy and simple and easy and all of those things i like to promote here at food and foto dot com!

so without further ado, here is a recipe that’s great as an hors d’oeuvres, snack, light dinner, fun brunch… or blog-worthy dish 😉

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another amazing item i will have to blog about again soon – english peas.  there are only a few other produce items that make me think of spring like english peas do.  i’m trying to encourage it to hurry and get here – we are due for more snow this week, blast!  i know we need the moisture, but i just wanna wear flip flops and t-shirts already! 

i digress –

ingredients {makes about 8-10 “boats”}:

– 1 medium-sized belgian endive

– 1/4 cup tomato, chopped

– handful of fresh english peas, shelled

– 1 cup kaniwa {you do not need to rinse it}

– about 2 tablespoons honey {preferably local}

– pat of your favourite butter {or substitute}  Continue reading

{homemade applesauce – vitamix style!}

12 Apr

as we know, i’m all about DIY in the kitchen.

between skyrocketing food prices and the need for healthy, organic, fresh food – i have to find a balance so that i can still continue eating well, but also still afford to pay rent 😉 – and honestly, owning a vitamix has helped tremendously in that arena.  even though it was a steep investment initially – it’s actually helping me save money by making a lot of things at home!

for example, this homemade applesauce.  i did make some once a while back with my potato latkes.  but i hadn’t tried it with the vitamix, yet.

applesauce isn’t something i just go out and buy.  in fact, i’m not actually much of a fan of apples. i love the flavour and i love apple juice, but i just have never been one to eat handheld fruits.  i’m more apt to eat grapes, mangos, berries, and bite-size typed fruits.  it’s just one of those idiosyncrasies of mine… i’ll eat apple slices with some nut butter, that’s more my style 😉 oorrrrr, this delicious applesauce…

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and whoa – was it easy to make!

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step 1.  buy some apples.

i opted for honeycrisp because they were on sale and approaching the end of their season… plus, these were super cute and smaller than most.  have you noticed how BIG apples are getting lately?!  it’s just not natural… i’m like “i can’t eat that in one sitting!” haha.  these honeycrisps were perfectly-sized and came in a 3-pound bag. Continue reading

{champagne mangos — it’s like making-out with a piece of fruit!}

11 Apr

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have you ever had a champagne mango?

not quite the same as your common mango, which are typically more oval-shaped with green and red hues to the skin.  champagne mangos start off green, but are yellow when ripe…

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the champagne mango is shaped almost like a tear-drop or in some ways to me it is shaped more like a nut…

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fun with shapes… 😉

champagne mangos originate from mexico… and they are just heavenly. Continue reading

{drink the rainbow! – “strawberry sunrise” vitamix juice}

8 Apr

i LOVE this one!

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– fresh strawberries

– frozen pineapple

– 1/4 frozen banana

– coconut water

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*glug glug* – what a pretty colour! cheers!

side-note : i use frozen bananas because i believe it takes over the flavour too much when using fresh, plus it’s a cheap way to save overripe bananas.  just chop ’em up and freeze ’em. then you can use a little at a time.  some things are just better fresh, and others work fine frozen – like berries or pineapple.  last week i just happen to catch fresh strawberries on sale, so i hooked it up!  plus, mixing it up with frozen and fresh helps the smoothie stay cold.  if you want to use only fresh ingredients, just make sure to throw in a little ice 🙂

{the perfect garlic and a pretty heirloom tomato}

3 Apr

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just perfect.

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so pretty.

cook ’em up …and put ’em on something… and eat ’em…  a lot!

because this is one kickass combo for health! and tomatoes are more bioavailable when cooked – did you know that? so what that means is your body absorbs more of the nutrients when cooked versus raw.  lycopene is a big one we know of with tomatoes, but this also applies for foods that are in that same colour family {oranges, yellows}… like red peppers, carrots, corn, etc… there is actually way more lycopene in tomato paste than a raw tomato.  fact check me, it’s amazingly true! 🙂

and this is totally why i want a tomato plant of my own very very soon!!!!

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nom nom.

{homemade dehydrated fruit}

1 Apr

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i need a dehydrator. it just feels like a really good investment to make, and you know me i’m all about DIY in the kitchen! my former roommate let me borrow hers when i was living there, and i became an insta-fan! there’s something about dehydrated fruit – particularly apples – that i just love!

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and these little honeycrisps steal the show, no doubt. Continue reading

{drink the rainbow! – red-beet & antioxidant vitamix juice}

29 Mar

well folks, unfortunately i haven’t been feeling so great over the last few days… aches, pains, watery-eyes, stuffy-nose, sore-throat, the whole {nasty} bit… it’s okay, i will patiently let it run its course… but what better way to cure what ails me than to drink some colour…

MAGENTA, in this case 🙂

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– frozen mixed berries {about 1/4 cup}

– orange juice {about 1/2 cup}

– 1/2 fresh pear or apple, cut in half

– 1/2 large boiled red beet {could also do raw}

– 2 or 3 pitted dates {one of my favourite go-to sweetners}

– splash of almond or coconut milk

– squeeze of lemon or lime

– filtered water

i heart the vitamix. you just throw this all in and crank it on high until well-blended. then drink, enjoy, and watch your skin glow and your system restore itself!

have a great weekend! i’ll be taking mine nice and easy…