Sushi is one of my absolute favourite foods. I’m not sure when I cultivated my taste for these delicious nori-wrapped rolls, but I’m almost positive it started with the ever popular California Roll, and from there graduated to raw fish and more exotic tastes. Not only is sushi delicious, but it’s fun to eat, beautiful to look at, and if you choose your fillings right, a rather healthy snack or meal.

Living in Vancouver has spoiled me when it comes to sushi. I think we have as many – if not more – sushi restaurants in this city than Starbucks (and that’s saying something). From all you can eat for under $10 to the $225 Omakase Wagyu Dinner at Tojo’s, you can find sushi for any budget or palate. Honestly, if you live here there is little need to make your own.

But make my own sushi I did. I’ve made sushi a few times before, and it’s not exactly a difficult process, but it can be a bit time consuming to prep. The toughest part is getting the sushi rice just right.

One of the things I like about making my own sushi is I can use short grain brown rice in place of the typical white sushi rice you get at most restaurants (although there are quite a few now offering brown rice as a option – which you generally pay more for). It’s important to use short grain rice in order to get a end product that is sticky enough to build your sushi with.

I do not profess to be any sort of sushi master. I have yet to perfect my sushi rice, and my rolling skills are amateur at best. But I can still produce a decent product that I enjoy, and that is tasty enough to share with friends and family. And that’s fine by me.

I made two varieties of rolls – one featuring spicy shrimp and the other with marinated shiitake mushrooms. Although the rest of the fillings were the same, they still managed to provide different tasting experiences, and made for a great midnight snack on my graveyard shift at work.

I would love to give you a recipe, but honestly I just grabbed some ingredients, threw them together, and ended up with 4 large rolls (8 pieces each). And seeing as I’m not 100% confident in my sushi rice skills, giving your instructions on how to make that would just be silly! I will tell you what I put in my fillings though.

Shiitake Mushroom Roll:

• shiitake mushrooms (marinated in soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar)
• avocado
• cucumber
• carrot
• wasabi

Spicy Shrimp Roll:

• chopped west coast shrimp, mixed with mayo and sriracha
• avocado
• carrot
• cucumber

And that, my friends, was my sushi making adventure

Although there is really nothing out there to replace the taste, I have found myself turning towards tea more often when I’m looking for a little caffeinated pick me up. And as luck would have it, I received an amazing tea package to sample from Lipton way back in May (!) that somehow fell by the wayside. Perhaps that was for a reason, as it seems like the perfect post for right now.

When I was offered a sample of their new line of green teas, I thought I would be getting a few individual tea bags to try out. Boy was I wrong – 4 whole boxes that add up to 164 tea bags! Pretty sure I won’t be needing to buy green tea for a long time!

I received 4 flavours – Lemon Ginseng; Black Current Vanilla; Passionfruit, Orange and Jasmine; and Naturally Decaffeinated.

All of these green teas are Rainforest Alliance Certified – this means the teas have been grown on certified tea estates, which are sustainably managed in order to protect the environment and to provide their workers with decent wages and access to medical aid, education, and housing. I am always happy to find products with a conscience.

Each tea bag comes individually wrapped, which is a bonus if you want to take a couple with you in your purse or bag, but I also see this is as unnecessary packaging.

I’ve had multiple chances to taste each of the teas (especially as I having being trying to rid myself of a sore throat for the past few days). Here’s my take on each:

• Naturally Decaffeinated – a nice clean green tea when you aren’t looking for a little pick me up from caffeine. Not too strong or bitter.
• Lemon Ginseng – my personal favourite, as I like the bright lemon flavour with the earthy green tea.
• Black Current Vanilla – enticing black current aroma that reminds me of Ribena (haven’t had that in years!), with the vanilla flavour being very subtle.
• Passionfruit, Orange, and Jasmine – has a very perfume-y aroma, and a light fruity taste. My least favourite, but I do enjoy it on occasion.

If you are looking for a tasty green tea and see these Lipton varieties on the shelf, give them a go. I’m sure one of them will tickle your tea fancy. And tonight I am putting them to the ultimate test – I’m working a graveyard shift and hope that they give me the pick me up I need to avoid picking up a bottle of you know what.

Thanks to Lipton for the opportunity to sample some delicious teas!

Disclaimer – All of the above teas were provided to me free of charge, with no obligation to write a review. All opinions are of course my own. 

I could do a post highlighting memorable events on the blog from 2011, but I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of those already from countless other blogs. Plus I can’t think of a ton of super memorable events from this year…which is somewhat depressing really.

No, instead I will share with you a baking triumph from a few weeks back that somehow I had forgotten about.

And actually, now that I think about it, it’s a very timely post. The start of a new year brings about countless resolutions, many involving healthy living habits. What does that have to do with this white chocolate studded square you may ask?

This square has a secret.

It features vegetables. Squash to be exact.

I saw this recipe for Butternut Squash Blondies with White Chocolate Chunks on the Whole Foods website, and knew I needed to try it out. I happened to have a kabocha squash hiding in the cupboard, and figured it would be an acceptable substitute for the butternut squash, since it has a good level of natural sweetness.

Aside from the squash substitute, I also reduced the amount of nutmeg and added some cinnamon. Otherwise, it was pretty much true to the original.

Soon enough I was rewarded with a pan of golden brown, lightly spiced, deliciously sweet blondies. I shared them with some of my classmates, and all had good reviews. The squash blondies were a hit!

So if your new years resolutions include upping your vegetable intake, why not keep this recipe in mind the next time you need a sweet treat? Did I mention it’s whole grain as well? You can’t go wrong!

Happy New Year’s to everyone – have fun, stay safe, and see you in 2012!

…to wish everyone…

…a very Merry Christmas!

Time passed. I made bagels. Then a light went on in my head – I bet these would make a great base for a sandwich just like that one at Burgoo. I’m sure you can guess what happened next.

I made my own hummus (did I mention I have a functioning food processor again?), assembled ingredients, and put my own spin on the original. I wish I could come up with a catchy name like Vegiterranean, but alas, it’s taken. So Mediterranean Veggie Bagelwich will just have to do.

Mediterranean Veggie Bagelwich

serves 1

Creamy hummus, cool cucumber, spicy red pepper, and tangy feta combine to create a hearty, flavourful, veggie filled sandwich. Pair it with your favourite soup for a comforting fall or winter lunch. If you don’t have bagels, substitute your favourite rustic whole grain bread.

• 1 whole grain bagel (or make these kale bagels)
• hummus (homemade if you have it)
• roasted red pepper
• sliced red onion
• cucumber slices
• chopped marinated artichoke hearts
• your favourite lettuce
• crumbled feta (I like sheep’s milk)

1. Smear hummus on both sides of the bagel, then pile on the toppings. Close up your sandwich and enjoy!

Note – I have left out exact quantities on purpose. They seem a little silly when you are talking about making a sandwich – just add ingredients to suite your own tastes. Heck, even add in the tomatoes from the original if that floats your boat.

Just looking at these photos has my mouth watering. I might just need to bake more bagels just for sandwich making!

Can I just say how proud I was with my delicious doughy creations?

For some reason I never considered making my own bagels. They just seem like something you need to buy already made. But these were easy, and fun!

The best part was making the holes in the bagels. You just make little balls of dough, stick your finger through the centre, and twirl it around until you have the desired hole size.

The boiling step gives the bagels their characteristic crust.

Did I mention these aren’t just any bagels? That’s right, these are kale bagels. Can’t get those at any store, that’s for sure!

My favourite way to enjoy them was toasted with a little butter. It really enhanced the savoury kale flavour.

Now that I know how easy bagels are to make, I can’t justify spending money on premade bagels at the store anymore. And think of the endless flavour combinations you could come up with to tickle your fancy! I’m thinking of baking a fresh batch of bagels for brunch on Christmas morning.

If you want to try your hand at these kale bagels (and I highly suggest you do), check out the recipe here.

As with pretty much all my recipes, there is a story as to how these muffins came about. A couple weeks ago I found myself faced with two things – a whole day off from work and school, and a pending graveyard shift at work. What does this have to do with muffins you ask? Just stay with me.

In order to prepare for my graveyard shift, I made plans to hang out with a friend the night before. Said friend normally works afternoons until 11 pm, and often stays up until 2 or 3 in the morning, so it made sense – we could hang out, and I could keep myself awake until the wee hours of the morning, so that I could sleep late the next day, therefore making myself more alert for my work shift that night. That was my theory anyways.

So I was chatting with my friend, and mentioned I had this whole day free and I was planning on baking some stuff. I asked for suggestions, and was told muffins or cookies. More probing and I found out that blueberry or chocolate chip muffins would be preferred. Knowing we have a ton of blueberries in the freezer, I decide blueberry muffins it would be!

I thumbed through some cookbooks, found some basic blueberry muffin recipes, but thought that was a little too pedestrian. Then I saw a recipe for a maple oatmeal muffin, and thought those flavours would pair perfectly with the taste of blueberries. Before I knew it, a new muffin recipe was born. PS – they smell like pancakes!

Maple Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

makes 12 muffins

Hearty blueberry muffins that smell like pancakes and maple syrup. Seriously, what’s not to like?

• 1 cup oats
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used non-fat)
• 1/4 cup milk (dairy or non)
• 2/3 cup real maple syrup
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a muffin pan or line with papers.

2. Combine oats, flour, flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl whisk eggs, then add Greek yogurt, milk, maple syrup, melted butter, and vanilla until combined. Set aside.

4. Gently mix blueberries into dry ingredients until just coated. Then add wet ingredients and mix until just combined – a few lumps are okay!

5. Divide the batter evenly between 12 muffin cups. Bake for 22 – 25 min, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack, then enjoy!

As for that graveyard shift – I survived!

Sure, it helps that it’s Christmas time and many stores are working extended hours to help you spend your hard earned dollars. But actually, every place I went would have still been open anyways. Take that Christmas consumerism!

So because I haven’t done a shopping post in ages, and I just so happened to buy food things, well…here we go!

First Stop – Chapters

Bookstores are great places to entertain yourself for hours on pretty much any subject you can think of! And luckily I have a Chapters virtually in my backyard, open late, so I can browse whenever the mood strikes me. I managed to keep myself from the cookbook section, because I need another cookbook like I need another hole in my head. I did, however, come home with a couple magazines – Vancouver Magazine’s 2012 Eating & Drinking Guide (I always consult here when I’m looking for a new restaurant to check out), and the December issue of Vegetarian Times, simply for their Chinese Buddhist cuisine feature (I haven’t had delicious Buddhist food since living in Victoria). These will be perfect when I’m avoiding studying for exams!

Next Stop – Whole Foods

Sure, it was a little out of the way, but I remembered I had bought their recent Living Social deal ($10 for $20 worth of products), and thought why not go splurge on fun items I don’t need? I may have dropped a little more than the $20, but it’s all good. I picked up some great treats!

Such as this delicious banana chocolate chip muffin from their bakery. It made for an excellent breakfast this morning with a glass full of green juice.

See all those chocolate chips? I think chocolate chips should be mandatory for Sunday breakfasts, don’t you?

I also got a little something to enjoy for lunch today.

I actually saw the yam, parsnip, and kale salad in their salad bar as I walked past, and wandered over to the deli to see if they also had it there. Sure, I could have packaged my own from the salad bar, but then I wouldn’t have the sticker with the ingredient list. Which is key – if you enjoy the salad, then you know what to use at home to make it yourself! Sneaky!

It’s a lovely combination of roasted yams, parsnips, red onion, and purple kale. Simple and to the point. I do think it would taste even better hot out of the oven though.

I ate it with chopsticks, because it seemed appropriate for the little take out box.

I also stocked up on some random grocery items.

I’ve been craving a good mug of hot chocolate like crazy lately. I did have an excellent one at The Juice Truck on the last day of classes (you have to check it out – it’s steaming hot almond milk with 63% dark chocolate from Beta 5 Chocolates. The chocolate comes on a stick, and you stir it in so it gets all melty and awesome). Unfortunately my favourite liquid food truck isn’t exactly close to my house, so having a package of Camino Dark Hot Chocolate on hand is probably the next best solution.

Speaking of chocolate…

Butter Baked Goods Chocolate Sandwich Cookie. I don’t need to say anymore.

I also grabbed some Food Should Taste Good chips since they were on sale. You never know when you’ll need a salty snack in the midst of a late night study session.

Another impulse buy (damn you end displays!) – The Naam Famous Miso Gravy. If you have ever been to The Naam restaurant in Vancouver, you will have enjoyed this delicious sauce with your meal. I’m pretty sure it’s a standard condiment there. What’s even better is that you can buy it to use at home. I see roasted potato wedges in my near future…

I also grabbed a few fridge items (all these things on sale!) – Liberté coconut yogurt, So Delicious Coconut Milk yogurt (in Canada!), and a GT’s Citrus Kombucha (to balance out the junky study food). I’m definitely interested in the So Delicious yogurt, as I have no idea what to expect. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever had a non-dairy yogurt, now that I think about it. Always good for us RD’s to be to stay on top of the products in the market.

Final Stop – Starbucks

What can I say? It was cold, and I wanted something warm and comforting. So I went with the Venti Tazo Joy Tea.

My Starbucks tea buying tip – it doesn’t matter which size tea you get, they are all the same price. Just make sure you ask for one tea bag when you get the Venti, otherwise they give you two and charge more. But you are all smart people and probably figured that out way before I ever did.

And that, my friends, was my Saturday night. Do I know how to live it up or what?!

That being said, I don’t always bake the muffins that I eat. I’m not against grabbing a muffin from a bakery for an “on the go” breakfast or snack. Sure, some are nutritional atrocities (I’m looking at you jumbo double chocolate muffin from Costco – admit it, you are simply cake masquerading as a muffin), some are made from questionable ingredients, and some just plain don’t compare to homemade. But sometimes you find a gem – either it’s healthy, delicious, or fulfills your craving at the moment. And store bought muffins can be great inspiration for coming up with recipes at home.

Today I would like to share with you two of my store-bought muffins loves, from the amazing bakery at Thrifty Foods no less. Yes, I know, I work there, but seriously, they have an awesome bakery. There are very few products I don’t enjoy, and they are all generally high quality items. I still hate store-bought cake icing, but I won’t hold that against them Anyways, I digress. Back to the muffins.

Seeing as I don’t *always* pack my breakfast/lunch/dinner for work, and seeing as I’m in a grocery store anyways, I make it a point to sample the items we do carry. I feel it’s only fair to be knowledgeable about our products. And after sampling most of the muffins in our bakery, there are two stand outs for me – the Chocolate Chunk muffin, and the West Coast Trail muffin. Each one has it’s merits, and fulfills different cravings. Let’s take a closer look at each, shall we?

Thrifty Foods Chocolate Chunk Muffin

This muffin has nothing to do with health – it’s all about being a vehicle for the chocolate. And I’m okay with that. Because sometimes, you just need to satisfy the chocolate monster within.

I’m fully aware that this is just a package of white flour, sugar, butter/oil and giant chocolate chunks. My blood sugar goes through the roof just looking at it. But damn is it good. It should probably be considered more of a cake than muffin. And it definitely doesn’t fall into the “choose everyday” category. But who cares? Live a little! Enjoy the chocolately goodness

Thrifty Foods West Coast Trail Muffin

On the other end of the muffin spectrum (or at least a significant distance away from the chocolate chunk muffin), we find the West Coast Trail muffin. No chocolate to be seen, but that doesn’t harm the awesomeness that is this muffin.

You are greeted with a muffin that looks like it took a bath in trail mix – the top is always studded with raisins, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, and cashews. This one is actually a little sparse – usually they are almost completely covered.

But the treats don’t stop at the muffin top. Tear that baby open, and you will find more nuts and seeds, as well as shredded carrot and (I think) apple pieces. My general rule of thumb when developing a muffin recipe is to not include more than 3 main flavours, but the variety works here really well. And although I’m sure it’s still made with white flour, a fair amount of sugar, and probably a less desirable oil, at least you can say you’ve consumed some healthy add ins. And it’s filling!

I’ll be honest – neither of these muffins are something I consume on a daily basis. It wouldn’t be good for my wallet or my body. But they are worth checking out. And I’m totally going to recreate my own version of the West Coast Trail muffin at home, because I think it would be excellent as a whole grain muffin.

FYI – As always, these thoughts are my own, I bought these with my own hard earned money, and I have not been compensated in any way to write about them.

But not this year.

I think I’ve found my ultimate roasted pumpkin seed flavour combination.

Sweet & salty, with a whole lotta cinnamon. I swear, they taste like cinnamon toast.

Okay, I realize this recipe isn’t exactly timely. Hallowe’en was what, almost a month ago? Yikes. But just because it’s not Hallowe’en doesn’t mean you can’t roast some pumpkin seeds. Don’t have any pumpkins? I bet you have squash – you can roast those seeds as well. And besides – these were just too good to not share.

Cinnamon Toast Pumpkin Seeds

makes approx 3 cups

Turn those jack-o-lantern leftovers into a sweet & salty healthy snack that tastes almost like cinnamon toast. You can’t go wrong.

• 3 cups pumpkin seeds, washed and dried (leave the hulls on)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp cane sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease baking sheet(s) or line with aluminum foil.

2. Toss pumpkin seeds with coconut oil, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Ensure they are evenly coated.

3. Spread seeds evenly over baking sheet(s).

4. Roast for 25 – 30 min, stirring every 10 min, until crispy and golden brown.

Kinda wish it was Hallowe’en again right now, just so I could make another batch.