Tag Archives: food

{sumo citrus!}

28 Mar

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i just love seasonal produce.  i love looking forward to something…

we are so spoiled – especially in the US – to get food whenever we want it… including produce.  and it baffles me when people complain about the taste of blueberries in january.

anyway – this is one piece of amazing produce that you can only get your hands on at select markets for about a month or so out of the year, usually beginning mid to late february.  they are called sumo citrus.  and they are completely out of this world!!

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i know what you’re thinking… “that looks kind of like a clementine, i’ve had clementines… i love them!”  well, i love them, too.  but this is not a clementine or a cutie or a tangerine or anything you’ve ever had that’s orange… unless, of course… you HAVE had one… 😉 {have you?!}

it’s the most amazing piece of citrus i have ever eaten.  for real. Continue reading

{what is that?! – romanesco}

26 Mar

have you ever seen this amazing vegetable?!?!

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if you have spotted it before in the produce department, you may not have even known it was edible…

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it kind of looks like something that grows on mars, right?! 😉

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considered part of the broccoli family, romanesco is somewhat of a misnomer, because it’s actually part of the cauliflower family and should be cooked as such… Continue reading

{fantastic freshly-cracked parmigiano reggiano}

25 Mar

i’m starting a cleanse this week.  i’ll write about it next week so stay tuned! for this week, i thought i’d feature a few things that i super enjoy on a special level. i eat about 80-90% vegan.  i’m not strict about it, but i just try to eat as healthy, local, raw, organic, and seasonal as i possibly can…

but, every now and again, i just love to indulge.

i eat really really good food pretty much all the time, and i am grateful for that.  once in a while there are those things i just really look forward to… a fresh-cracked wedge of official parmigiano reggiano is one of those things for me.  i’m not talking the parm you sprinkle on your pizza from the bottle or tub, i’m talking this thing has only been in contact with open air for less than 24 hours.  i’m talking about a piece of cheese that is so unbelievably FRESH, flavours linger from it that absolutely blow your mind.

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i’m talking about this specialty item from whole foods market.

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i’m talking about parmigiano reggiano.

Continue reading

{light and fresh quinoa pasta}

21 Mar

happy first day of spring!  i got the fever, do you?!

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it seems like everywhere i look, i read and hear more about gluten-free products.  i have opinions about wheat and gluten and the heightened sensitivity sweeping our nation, but i’ll save them for a day when i decide to get on my soapbox again…

while i am not aware of any sensitivity to gluten personally, i have to admit i like eating gluten-free pasta a lot these days.  it’s much lighter compared to regular pasta and i just find it to be a great any-time food because of that. excellent for the spring season, as it’s waist-line approved!

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i am in love with this pasta from ancient harvest.  it’s made mostly from quinoa and corn.  i love their products – i also buy their polenta.  they use non-gmo corn and it’s also organic… and as i mentioned, gluten-free!  those are three big pluses in a packaged product for me! Continue reading

{ugli fruit AKA “uniq fruit”}

19 Mar

have you ever seen or heard of an ugli fruit?!

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this is an ugli fruit.  also known as “uinq” fruit, because apparently the name “ugli” wasn’t very PC.

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i mean, either way i think it’s beautiful. look at that colour!

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ugli {uniq} fruit is from jamaica and is similar to a grapefruit.  it’s more like a pomelo but the skin isn’t quite as thick.  the flesh of an ugly fruit is super sweet and juicy.  i add mine in smoothies as well as eat them as a snack. when throwing it into my vitamix, i keep the white part included – it’s loaded with extra fiber.  or just juice it – yummy!

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the tree that produces this fruit has been around since the early 1900s!  their season is just about over, so grab yours today!  you can find ugli fruit at many health food stores like whole foods market nationwide.

{post-st. paddy’s day green health tonic}

18 Mar

this juice may help with any post-st-paddys-day feelings of lethargy… hey – no judgement, but if you had maybe one too many green beers to celebrate, this drink will help you recover and feel replenished! 🙂

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– 1/2 apple

– 1/2 pear

– 1/2 frozen banana

– few frozen pineapple chunks

– one or two dates to sweeten {or honey}

– almond milk

– orange juice

– LOADS of spinach – gives it that pretty colour, but you can hardly taste it.

i also put a smidgen of my green powder mix in to boost the nutrients…

throw in the blender {vitamix is my bff} for a minute or so and chug it down!

and it feels so good to be back! taking even a week or two off from blogging felt so weird. but it gave me time to adjust to my new apartment and learn my way around my new kitchen.  i can’t wait to show you guys my new stove/oven… it’s so retro!  i’m switching things up a bit too – no more rigid monday through friday titled posts – just blogs about things i love to eat, things i see, and things i feel.  i will still share recipes and photos, but the format will be different.  i found myself getting a little too obsessed with coming up with new recipes all the time… food and foto will be more like a diary of some of my favourite things – to include recipes, photos, and life experiences.  PLUS – i’m going to have a small garden this year – so watch for info on that! i also want to talk about astrology and energy.  things are changing, a shift is happening and i believe it’s vital to talk about what we are experiencing, as it continues to unfold rapidly!

thank you as always for reading and for your dedication and support!

have a wonderful day!

happy birthday, food and foto!

11 Mar

today is food and foto dot com’s first birthday!  woohoo!  i’m making my favourite snack, amazeballs, in celebration and instead of cake. 🙂

on this day in 2012, i created a wordpress website and turned it into a dot com.  food and foto was created with the idea of educating readers on healthy eating options as well as sharing my passion for fotography.  it has since molded into a collaboration of recipes, ramblings, and images from my canon.  with over 220 posts, i must say this blog has transformed into such a fun and healthy outlet for me to share the things i love most.  i am humbled by the amount of support from the wordpress community, and i am honoured to have as many followers as i do. my dream is to see this blog transform into a lifestyle blog that inspires people to create.  i enjoy cooking and sharing recipes, but i also enjoy sharing information about overall health and wellness… and living a simple life.  and since i’ve become rather good at manifesting, i’ll just throw this out there –

my dream is to make this my FULL TIME JOB!  and it can happen!

and so, now i am brainstorming new ways to tailor this blog into something slightly different.  i like consistency, but i am also a huge proponent for change and i think it’s important to keep things fresh.  so i’m working behind the scenes over the next few days, coming up with new ideas for this ever-growing blog, food and foto dot com.

let’s reflect for a moment, shall we?

i believe i’ve come a long way since my first post

and in case you missed it, here’s my first recipe blogpost

one of the most delicious recipes i created was this

although – it has a very close tie with this

okay, you may want to try this, and this, and this, too…

alright – and no doubt, you may want to throw a party just to make these

one of my favourite blogs i’ve ever written is right here

and speaking of cleansing, people always ask about my 5-day DIY version…

but don’t get me wrong, i’ll put away about a dozen of these, as well…

it’s all about balance, really. balance, and this

i also sometimes get all philosophical and talk about stuff like this

and don’t forget – i do a lot of other things with my camera – see?!

i want to thank you ALL from the depths of my soul for being an avid reader, for following and taking time to comment, and for making me really feel like part of a community!  you are my muse, the reason{s} i keep this up, the fire i need to stay inspired.  YOU, my faithful readers — you know i do this for you, right?!  i do it for me because i love it, but i do it for you because you appreciate it.

so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOOD AND FOTO!

here’s to many many more years of health, food, and fotos!  xxoo

 

{thirsty thursday} — vitamix juice w/ grapefruit, spinach, and apples

28 Feb

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super healthy drink with fiber, vitamin c, iron, calcium, antioxidants, and loads of other goodness!

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– frozen mixed berries

– whole apple {honeycrisp is my pick, seeds and stems included}

– baby spinach

– grapefruit

– grape juice

– orange juice

– almond milk

and i always add in a little protein powder and ground flax seeds.

then let the amazing vitamix do its thing – amaze.

{meatless monday} — a very delicious repost

25 Feb

i was super lazy this weekend – we got about 14 inches of snow here in colorado.  all i have been doing is eating comfort food and watching a felicity marathon.  so i admit i didn’t prepare a meatless monday recipe for today… though, i really want to make some of these soon…

i’ve posted about these yummy zucchini pizza strips before… but i’ve been craving them, so i wanted to {re}share… they are SO GOOD!

———

Continue reading

{thirsty thursday} — vitamix juice with pears, grapes, and spinach

21 Feb

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i just love the colour!

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fresh, organic, wholesome ingredients – nothing wasted… Continue reading

{try-me tuesday} — the autumn glory apple

19 Feb

i had no idea there were so many varieties of apples.

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autumn glory is my new favourite kind of apple. ever heard of it?!  better yet, have you tried one?!?!

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i love the colour…  Continue reading

{meatless monday} — “chocolacado pudding”

18 Feb

avocados are an amazing superfood.  packed full of nutrients like potassium, vitamin e, and health fats – avocados also are helpful at maintaining a healthy cholesterol.  they go great with tuna like in my tunacado sammy… i had heard about making chocolate avocado pudding but had never tried it…

until now 🙂

there are lots of variations and i plan to try another soon – but this one is about as simple and delicious as you can get.

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so simple.  so delicious.

– avocado

– cocoa powder

– sugar

agave works well as a sweetener, also.  i used a mix of cane sugar and agave. Continue reading

{thirsty thursday} — ch-ch-ch-chia… drink?!

14 Feb

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happy thirsty thursday!  oh, and valentine’s day…

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remember this?!

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well this is the same stuff!

they are chia seeds. 

these tiny amazing protein-packed seeds are full of awesome nutrients including fiber, antioxidants, and heart-healthy omega-3.  and while they make excellent “pet plants,” they also make fun drinks when added to liquid!

you may have started to notice chia drinks pop up all around your favourite health food stores. you can purchase the seeds in bulk or in packages online and i know you can pick them up at whole foods market. Continue reading

happy fat tuesday!

12 Feb

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wear some of these…

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laugh at stuff like this…

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and if you wish, eat one of these

and be safe, ya’ll!

{meatless monday} — cute, crunchy, colourful : kaniwa

11 Feb
honey drizzled kaniwa with mushrooms and red peppers

honey drizzled kaniwa with mushrooms and red peppers

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i’ve written about kaniwa – i’ve only eaten it once before but i totally loved it and wanted to try it again.  you can read a little about my first experience here. i really love the stuff.  it’s similar to quinoa but with a little more “crunch” and it’s much smaller in size – so tiny!

there’s not a lot of nutritional information available in the US about this great ancient grain just yet – but it is loaded with protein and fiber, so it’s great for vegans, and it is naturally gluten-free. there’s talk of it being a superfood. keep your eyes and ears open for more information as it surfaces on this amazing little grain… Continue reading

{thirsty thursday} — still lovin’ the vitamix

7 Feb

when i tell people i have a vitamix they usually ask two questions :

1. do you love it?

2. how often do you use it?

and i always say, “yes.  and every day!”

and i really do.  i use it at least once a day to make a smoothie.  usually for breakfast or with it or before i head to work in the afternoon.  i use my vitamix every single day.  and i love it!  i’m working on perfecting recipes to share on the blog of other amazing things it does.  for example : nut butters, soups, flours, and sorbet to name a few.

but it was still love at first sight and i’ve been falling in love more every day. how can i not?!  heavy duty, all one-piece, little to no food waste, easy cleanup – what more can you ask for in an all-purpose kitchen appliance?!

this creation was one of my favourites to date :

vitamixsmoothie-6 Continue reading

{meatless monday} — “this is the healthiest superbowl party i’ve ever been to”

4 Feb

hA! i’m still sort of giggling from the comment one of my friend’s made at the superbowl gathering my former roomie had this weekend.  and what a game!  way to go, ravens – so well-deserved!!

since going pretty much 100% vegan recently, it’s hard to eat out or even go to a friend’s house to eat, because basically everything that is prepared has some form of dairy or animal product in it.  so i brought over my own food and made something easy to munch on for the big game.  it was a hit!

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i also toasted some falafel in the oven and chopped up some celery, carrots, and mixed sweet peppers as well as some fruit.  one healthy spread, indeed. and all 3 dudes gobbled it up!

“this is the healthiest superbowl party i’ve ever been to”  – one of them exclaimed.  i laughed so hard, it was so great.

salsaguac-web-1 Continue reading

{thirsty thursday} — another vitamix smoothie!

31 Jan

vitamix – i highly recommend investing in one.  they are incredible machines!  i juice every day now!

i whipped together a different blend of juice this time from random stuff i had inside the fridge…

vitamix1-30-1 Continue reading

{meatless monday} — an easy make-ahead meal : rainbow rice

28 Jan

greetings, you faithful readers, you.  and thanks for reading 🙂

here’s a great make-ahead meal that keeps well in the fridge – one you can take to lunch during the week or add to your plate at dinner time. nutritious, colourful, and budget-friendly – that’s quite a trifecta!

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rainbow rice – because it’s so colourful 🙂

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– about a cup wild rice, rinsed

– 3 small zucchini, chopped

– 3 small bell peppers, chopped Continue reading