No Machine Cappuccino

I haven't had a day off in ages and it feels nice to finally be able to just sit back, relax and do nothing. I usually have my baking theory course Tuesday nights but the teacher is away on vacation. I really have not had a moment to enjoy the fall weather. The leaves are changing colours and falling, I love the crunchy noises on the ground they make when you walk on them. I am in denial land in terms of the summer being gone but I am trying to appreciate the beauty of the fall.

I recently came back from Las Vegas, over the last few years I have been bit by the travel bug. I normally stay within North America, people are always shocked to find out that I have never been to Europe. Flights from Canada overseas are at least $800 so if I want to go on a trip there, I am going to have to start saving. This has inspired me to put a bit of money away each week and within a year I'll have enough to go on a backpacking trip around Europe. I am also playing with the idea of using the money to move to Australia for a year. I am not 100% sure how the money will be used but I have a year to save and decide. The thought of moving abroad excites and scares me beyond all means. It's been a dream of mine for a very long time. I feel like I need to experience life outside of Ontario.

Now saving money means spending less money, so I need to be a bit thrifty with my spending. I am officially saying good bye to my daily (sometimes twice a day) Starbucks run. SIGH.
I recently just started liking soy lattes and cappuccinos, usually I drink my coffee black. These fancy drinks (even with my Starbucks gold card) costs me about $5 per drink. That's pretty expensive for someone trying to save, so I started brewing my own coffee at home. I don't have a cappuccino maker and was starting to grow tired of black coffee with almond milk.
These days if you can think something, you can probably make it at home yourself. This is true for no machine cappuccino ! A simple google search led me to many links on how to make your own cappuccino without the expensive machine. I pulled ideas from a few recipes and came up with my own No Machine Vanilla Almond Milk Cappuccino. This can be made with any kind of milk, I just happened to have unsweetened almond milk in my fridge, you can't get that at Starbucks!

Recipe
Coffee (instant, drip, espresso ... whatever you have in your cupboard should work)
Milk (I used unsweetened almond milk but again use whatever you like)
Flavour (optional, I had vanilla syrup)
Spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, chocolate etc)

1. Brew the coffee. I had drip coffee on hand so I made that and added 1 more tablespoon of coffee to make it stronger tasting, like espresso.

2. Take the milk and heat it on the stove until bubbling on the sides of the pan or heat it on high in the microwave for 50-60 seconds.

3. Put heated milk into a leak free container (I used Tupperware).

4. Add optional syrups and seal the container tightly.

5. Shake the container for about 1 minutes or until frothy.

6. Fill your favourite coffee mug half full or three quarters (depending on if you like lattes or cappuccinos) with the milk. Save a bit of the foam.

7. Pour in coffee.

8. Spoon the saved foam onto the top of the coffee and sprinkle with your spice of choice.

Simple, yummy, homemade and cheap ;)

xo

Artisan Bread

After having my little melt down a few weeks ago I went online and signed up for a baking theory course at a local college.  When I apply for baking school next year I'll be able to use these credits toward my certificate. The official title of the course is Baking and Pastry Arts Theory I and it teaches the science behind baking. I absolutely love it.  We're only about three weeks in and I have already learned so much.  The first unit is centred around fermentation and baking bread. I never even thought that bread making would be a part of the baking course but it makes perfect sense.  The course inspired me to make my own straight bread dough recipe. It wasn't hard to make and turned out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, so basically perfect. I may have over kneaded the dough because the shape was a bit off so I'll still need to perfect it a bit before I post the official recipe. Here's a photo of my creation :) happy baking
xo
Edited *** I scored way too deep so it looks a little ghetto ... but the flavour is there !! ;)

I Will Not Stop

Hello all !
I am still here baking and blogging :)
Well maybe less blogging ... For my loyal vegan readers I have gone back to vegetarian but I still eat as vegan as possible. Lately, my baking has been non- vegan because of birthday requests... but honestly I don't care much at this point as long as I'm baking, I'm happy.
Which leads me to the next self discovery. I HATE my current career choice. It literally sucks the life out of me. So I have decided to follow my passion and apply for pastry chef school.
Coming to this conclusion has made me very happy and I'm excited to follow this new path. I am 100% fed up with my field. I just want to be creative and get paid for it, I'm artsy .. what have been thinking all this time ?
I will be changing my career for the third time but well that's me.. I'm not going to stop until I go to work happy.

xoxo

Happy Birthday to Meee

It was my birthday a few weeks ago and I made cupcakes!
I turned 26 this year and birthdays for me are really not the same as when I was a kid.  It's kind of upsetting to have the magic of a birthday fade away because I have very fond memories of balloons, presents and even booze in the later years.
I just don't seem to care anymore though. I do enjoy aging because I find with each year that passes I discover a whole new set of frustrations and realizations. I think I'm coming closer to figuring it all out...

I do have a confession to make, I am going to shunned by the vegans, but I did break vegan over my birthday. BUT WAIT hear me out a bit. I've been feeling like absolute crap for the past few weeks. I feel sluggish and my digestion is off. I have learned a valuable lesson and I have no regrets. It's a life long learning process and I wish the vegans would just loosen up a bit. We all do what we can and I do believe every little bit counts. So I am dusting off my pants, picking myself back up again and starting over!
Luckily for my loyal vegan readers these yummy Chloe cupcakes ARE vegan and as decadent and delicious as a non-vegan cupcake.

Mint Cookies 'n' Cream Cupcakes

Chocolate cake topped with a creamy mint vanilla icing with chocolate cookie crunches.

Ease of recipe: 4/5 

Taste: 5/5

Friends/Family thoughts: 4/5

Likely hood to remake recipe: 5/5
I think I may enter these cupcakes in a baking competition, first place for sure.

Overall Cooking Experience: 4/5
The icing calls for vegetable shortening. I have never worked with it before and it is GREASY. It took forever to wash out of the bowls and sink after but it gave the icing a dense and creamier texture. 

Bonus Casey Points: 1/1
Casey licked the icing off my fingers... she didn't mind the grease ;)


Final: 23/25

I made half the icing with the mint extract and the other half without because I have some picky people in my life (you know who you are) but overall this was a very successful cupcake recipe. They're not too sweet and full of flavour. Another Chloe must make :)

xo tash

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon

It's turning into a common theme for me to write "I've been a bad little blogger...." but it's oh so true AGAIN.  I have been busy over the past few weeks with various things. I haven't really been baking because I have been caught up in my rollar coaster emotions.  I have been taking some much needed time for myself by setting some personal goals.  I've been trying to work out consistently by jogging a few times a week, lifting weights and going to hot yoga. I've come to enjoy working out, I really like how I feel after a nice long run.
The other day I was wasting time on Facebook and I came across a post from the Toronto Vegetarian Association asking people to join their team for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I thought this was a great opportunity to support a local organization and also set a fitness goal. The marathon has a 5k, half marathon and full marathon category. In order to challenge myself I have chosen to run the half marathon. I have started training and so far I can run around 6k. A half marathon is around 21k so I still have a bit more training but I am well on my way. I am raising money for The Toronto Vegetarian Association and I would be honoured if my Podkat fans would support me.

Here is a link to my page where you can sponsor me.
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1958408

xox tash

The Smaller The Cupcake, The More You Can Eat

I have been one bad little blogger lately. My cat Casey has been sick so all of my time and energy have been put into her. I have been cooking a lot but I haven't had the motivation to take pictures and write about my food.
I find every time I make the switch to vegan I develop an intense sweet tooth. I'm pretty certain I eat dark chocolate everyday and you can definitely find me in Bulk Barn at least once a week.
Today is my frist day off in awhile and I should really be running errands but my craving for chocolate took over... I dusted off the powdered sugar from my Chloe's Vegan Desserts book and found the perfect recipe.
I had most of the ingredients on hand and the recipe said it's low in calories, so Chloe's Yoga Cupcakes seemed a perfect fit for my chocolate fix.
I did not have enough white sugar so I used brown instead. I also did not have any canola oil so I melted Earth Balance.  The recipe made way more than expected so I decided to get creative with some add ins. Some additional ingredients I used in some individual cupcakes are crunchy peanut butter, chopped pecans, chopped strawberries and shredded coconut. The shredded coconut I used in a mini cake because I had some extra batter left over but no extra cupcake tins. I also did not have any raspberries for the garnish.
The successful add in ingredients were the strawberries because they added moisture to the finished cupcake.  The pecans added a nice crunch to the cupcake. I was really excited to try the peanut butter cupcakes because it's my favourite flavour combination but unfortunately it did not enhance the flavour at all. It just made the texture weird.  The real success was the mini cake. It tasted better than the cupcakes and had more flavour. I think this has to do with the length of time in the oven. Do not over bake these cupcakes because they lose their moisture quickly. After the mini cake cooled I cut it in half and put a thin layer of chocolate ganache in the middle. Then I put it back together and iced the top of the cake.
I cut a mini piece of cake and devoured in 10 seconds.  The moisture level is outstanding, I have a funny feeling my mini cake will disappear by the end of the day.  In addition to the slice, I probably ate about 5 mini cupcakes... you know, for testing purposes.
So much for low calories.

The Yoga Cupcake 

Chocolate cake with a dark chocolate ganache 

Ease of recipe: 5/5 

Taste: 5/5

Friends/Family thoughts: 5/5

Likely hood to remake recipe: 5/5
I would make it in mini cake form with coconut and a middle layer of the ganache icing.

Overall Cooking Experience: 5/5

Bonus Casey Points: 0/1
Although Casey and I had fun taking photos with the Yoga Cupcakes she was not interested in smelling/ tasting these cupcakes!


Final: 25/25

I am amazed with this recipe, it's a must make!! But make sure you add the Natasha twist and sprinkle some unsweetened coconut onto the top of the uncooked cake/cupcake before baking. Also add the extra layer of ganache in the middle, you can thank me later ;)

me me me

Today I had a ME a day. I slept in and watched Mad Men until 11am, forced myself to go for a run and then I went on a sorbet mission. It was a mission because I walked for 45 minutes to an ice cream place, only to find out they just sell ice cream.  All was not lost, I found a Starbucks and ordered an iced americano and then walked another 45 minutes (up hill) to get home.  By the time I got home I was starving so I made the most delicious feast.  While my sweet potatoes were cooking, I discovered dark chocolate and strawberries in my house. I decided chocolate covered strawberries would make up for the lack of sorbet... I've never actually made chocolate covered anything but how hard could it be? I melted down the chocolate in the microwave with some Earth Balance, dipped a few strawberries in it and then let them chill in the fridge. Since is was so beautiful outside, the cats and I had a lovely dinner on the patio.
What a fun day :)

This is half a cucumber chopped and seasoned with salt, pepper and vinegar. The sweet potatoes were steamed in tinfoil with garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and ginger. I grilled an Amy's California burger and served it with salsa and chopped avocado.

This is Buttons, she ran inside after this photo was taken.

This is Casey, of course.

Mmmm the chocolate covered strawberries 

I thought it was funny how my name turned out "Nafusha", haven't heard that one before....

Natasha Fraycat's Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today I did something I've never done before, I baked without a recipe. I've been getting more comfortable cooking free style but baking is more complicated. This morning was different. I woke up feeling inspired.
I figured it would be best to start simple so I wrote down the basic make up of a chocolate chip cookie. After some research on the purpose of eggs and figuring out the difference between baking powder and baking soda, I came up with my perfect chocolate chip cookie !
I'm so proud of my litte ol' self :) I'm finally taking my knowledge and applying it to my own creations, how exciting! The baking possibilities are endless now.

Ingredients
Spelt Flour- 1 cup
Cinnamon- 1/2 tsp
Salt- 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg- 1/4 tsp
Baking Powder- 1/2 tsp
White Sugar- 1/4 cup
Brown Sugar- 1/3 cup
Earth Balance vegan butter- 1/2 cup
Ener-G egg replacer- 1 "egg"
Vanilla- 1/2 tsp + a dash more
Almond Milk- 1 tbsp
Rolled Oats- 1/2 cup
Vegan Dark Chocolate chips- 1/2 cup
Unsweetened Coconut shreds- 2 tbsp

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix together flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and baking powder in a separate bowl and put aside.

Mix on a low speed white sugar, brown sugar and butter for about 45 seconds.

Add the "egg" and mix for another 30 seconds.

Add the vanilla and almond milk and mix for another 30 seconds.

Add the dry mixture to the wet and mix on low until a dough forms, about 1 minute.

Fold in rolled oats until evenly mixed.

Fold in chocolate chips until evenly mixed.

Fold in the coconut shreds.

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and divide batter into small (golf ball) sized balls.  Make sure there is a distance of about 1 1/2 inches in between the balls of batter. Press the batter down with a fork. Put in the top rack of the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes depending on your oven or until edges of the cookies turn brown. Cool on a baking rack and enjoy :)


 (These cookies are not suitable for cats, Casey just likes smelling them)

Gluten Free Vegan Lemon Tart

Lately I've been busy making my own creations in the kitchen that I haven't been baking anything from my vegan cookbook. My family came over for Mother's Day so I took that opportunity to bake something for everyone. I really enjoy baking but I feel like I need to bake for some event, otherwise I end up with an overwhelming amount of dessert. I have been trying healthier alternatives to traditional dessert ingredients such as using agave nectar instead of refined sugar and using gluten free flours.

For mothers day I had a few dietary restrictions to keep in mind for my dessert. My dessert had to be vegan, gluten free and as low in sugar as possible. The dessert I decided to make was a vegan gluten free lemon tart. I was hesitant to make this tart because I really dislike lemon flavoured desserts, I figured since I was baking it, I could control the amount of lemon.  The lemon topping for the dessert was very much like a custard which turned out to be very easy to make as long as you followed the baking instructions. The recipe has yellow food colouring as an optional ingredient, I was trying to keep things natural, so I left out the food dye. My tart filling was a whitish colour that I found distracting because normally our over processed lemon desserts are bright yellow. There was a definite brain and visual confusion that quickly went away after the first bite.

Let's face it, I need to work on my food photography, cat photos I'm amazing, food not so much.  This photo was taken by my wonderful (cough not) cousin Christopher. 

This recipe was taken from Chloe's Vegan Cookbook. 

I made the gluten free alternative pie crust.

Ease of recipe: 4/5 

I found it very easy to make. I think the custard part of the dish could be a challenge to a new baker. 

Taste: 5/5

The dessert is light, low in calories and tasty. 

Friends/Family thoughts: 5/5

My picky family seemed to really enjoy it and they're vocal about taste ! 

Likely hood to remake recipe: 5/5
I would most definitely make the recipe again but next time I'd change the flavour of the custard to banana, raspberry or maybe even chocolate. 

Overall Cooking Experience: 5/5

I really enjoyed baking gluten free. I also liked making the custard because I've never made it before and I enjoy the challenge.

Bonus Casey Points: 0/1
Casey was not around to judge this recipe :(.


Final: 24/25

Awesome dessert. A must make!!!

Basil and Sun Dried Tomato Hummus

Summer is coming and that means barbecue season. For a vegan/vegetarian backyard get togethers with meat eaters can be difficult if you don't arrive prepared.  I recently had my first barbecue of 2013 and it was a great success. My meat eating friends prepared barbecue chicken and I made a tofu scramble on the stove. Together we prepared a variety of fresh veggies wrapped in tinfoil and marinated in salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic.  We put the veggies packed in tinfoil on the grill until they were cooked but still crunchy. I am always surprised how such simple ingredients can taste so delicious.
Recently I've been going through a sun dried tomato and fresh basil obsession, I've literally been adding them into everything, so it only made sense that I add it to my hummus. I've been making fresh hummus for years now and I feel like it surpasses the store bought kinds in taste and freshness. I never add oil to my hummus because the tahini is oily enough and I don't feel like you can even taste the olive oil.  After making this hummus I actually licked the food processor bowl... so needless to say this recipe is a success.

Chickpeas                   1 can
Chickpea water           1/2 can
Lemon Juice                2 lemons
Tahini                         1/3 cup
Fresh Basil                  8 leaves or to taste
Sun dried tomatoes     10
Garlic                          2 cloves chopped or to taste (I work with people so I can't put as mush in)
Salt                            1/2 teaspoon or to taste
Pepper                        1/2 teaspoon or to taste
Crushed Chili Peppers  (optional) 1/2 teaspoon or to taste

Drain out half the liquid in a can of chickpeas and add the chickpea water and chickpeas to a food processor or blender, blend until mixture is creamy. Add in the tahini and lemon juice and allow to mix for about 15 seconds. Add in fresh basil, sun dried tomatoes and chopped garlic and allow to mix for 15 seconds. Add in salt, pepper and chilis. Mix until smooth about 45 seconds. Taste test the hummus and add more of the "to taste" ingredients if necessary.
Allow to chill in the fridge for a few hours before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh basil and serve with chips or veggies.

Healthy Livin'

The juice cleanse is officially over and I'm back on solid foods again.  I managed to last just under two days. I had some salad and half of a lentil burger for dinner on the night of day two. Considering I was only consuming liquids, I had a lot of energy and was able to function. On the second day I went for two separate walks about 40 minutes each way and I didn't feel like I was going to pass out. On the morning of the cleanse I weighed in at 113lbs. 3 lbs of that was bloat because the night before I had half of a large pizza with creamy dipping sauce, my farewell to cheese. By the end of day two, I weighed in at 108lbs. The weight loss wasn't as drastic as last year when I did the broth cleanse but I could hardly walk on that one from lack of calories, so I would definitely recommend the juice cleanse as a realistic way to detox and kick start healthy living.
Post cleanse I am feeling great, I've started lifting weights every day and I've decided to try doing the plank for at least one minute per day. I'm not sure if this will actually do anything, I'm not interested in having washboard abs, I just want a little less tummy fat and slightly more definition. I will update you all (with pics possibly) if it actually starts working. The main reason I'm hesitant is that I'm so inconsistant with exercise but if I start with small goals and do the exercises during tv commercial breaks my body will start becoming more defined.  I figure it's better than nothing, right ?
Healthy living doesn't have to meal starving yourself or doing insane amounts of time at the gym.  It's all about portion control, healthy choices and consistant exercise. Alright I can talk the talk and I have my goals, now the only thing standing in the way of my success is me.

xo
tash

Juice Cleanse

I'm taking a pause from baking and doing a two (possibly three) day juice cleanse. Every year around this time I look at myself in the mirror and notice my winter weight... which really isn't anything being 5'1 and 110lbs but enough to make me want my summer bod back. I find it easier to kick start a diet by doing a liquid diet first. I am a vegetarian and I cook and eat as vegan as possible. I do have my cheat moments when the smell of a cheese pizza gets the best of me. For a few months every year I go completely vegan. I know I will get the judgement stares from the true 100% vegans but I do what I can and that means for me a few months out of the year completely vegan.
This juice cleanse will start off my diet for the coming months. I have decided to try Joe Cross' Reboot 3-day quick start juice cleanse. The recipes can be found http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/rebooting/plans

I'm at the end of day one and I noticed at around 7pm I started feeling hungry and really dizzy.  Another physical side effect I'm noticing is that my tongue is heavily coated with a thick white plaque, this is abnormal for me. At this point it doesn't concern me, I just pray I don't break out or get a hideous rash (again). Last year the back of my neck broke out with an awful detox rash.
The juice is giving me a ton of energy but it isn't long lived.  I'm hanging in there, craving ice cream and chips.  The nice part about the cleanse is the fresh juices turn the most beautiful colours and they don't taste bad either.... Except the tomato/red pepper drink, that was difficult to get through. I'm off to sleep now, I'll update you all tomorrow.

-tash

Whist-ler

I'm back from my trip and BC is as beautiful as I remember. My flight from Toronto left at 6:30am and I made the mistake of drinking coffee, so I did not sleep at all. After a long anxious flight I finally arrived and boarded the bus to Whistler. The moment the bus let Vancouver the scenery started to change, the trees got taller and the mountains more visible.  For the entire bus ride my mouth was open in awe, I did not expect it to be so gorgeous.

I did not ski while in whistler because the ski hills were actually terrifying and I had a funny feeling I would brake one of my limbs. The next time I go I'll muster up the courage and learn how to downhill ski. My friend and I did take a gondola tour up the mountain, the excitement of that was good enough for me.

 After that we headed to Victoria, more pics to come.

Pecans + sugar

Today is a very exciting day for me because in less than 24 hours I will be on an airplane heading for British Columbia :D. That's a west coast province in Canada, if I have an international readers who don't know Canada very well. I'm going to visit a friend and I'll take lots of photos to document my trip for the blog.
Over the weekend was Easter and I know I've mentioned before im not religious in any sense but I do like to take these opportunities to practice my baking. Normally I make a savoury dish as well as a sweet but I wasn't feeling inspired to cook. I ended up making vegan pecan squares from Chloe's cookbook.  They were fun for me to cook because I've never heated up sugar to make a sauce before and it was fun to try that for the first time. I doubled the recipe for the "goo" of the pecan square because there didn't seem to be enough. The squares ended up tasting really sweet and if I were to make them again, I would make a lot of changes to the recipe. The base of the squares are shortbread cookies, I would change it into a vegan pie crust. Second thing I would change is the sugar goo, the recipe called for three different kinda of sugar and it really came though in the taste. Next time I would experiment with agave to see if I could cut the sweetness.

I experimented with two different shapes. I made a pecan circle by lining mini cupcake tins with a cutout piece of parchment paper. 

Ease of recipe: 5/5
These square were very easy to make. It has really simple ingredients and a few steps, the hardest part is waiting for the squares to set in the fridge.

Taste: 2/5
This category lost points because of the sweetness. The flavour of the square is very delicious and I've eaten way to many over the past few days but the sweetness is overwhelming. I suggest not using the cookbooks recipe and making one yourself.

Friends/Family thoughts: 2/5
My friends and family thought they were too sweet. My Grandma said they tasted better out of the fridge for a bit. 

Likely hood to remake recipe: 4/5
I would remake this recipe again but changes would definitely need to be make. 

Overall Cooking Experience: 4/5

Bonus Casey Points: 1/1
I had the pecan sugar goo all over my fingers and Casey enjoyed licking it off. I guess it wasn't too sweet for Casey :).


Final: 18/25

I was disappointed with these squares because I love pecan treats. I have never attempted a pecan dessert and I was very excited to try it. It's not a complete loss because now I can make more tarts until the recipe tastes perfect.  I hope my friends and family don't mind being taste testers...

Brownie Blues

I keep rewriting this post. I've had it open in a tab for days now and left unfinished. I still enjoy doing this blog but I went through a really tough time and I have trouble faking my emotions. I want this blog to be positive because cooking and baking are great passions of mine. If the tone of my blog is negative I feel like the blog would just be counterproductive.
Today I went for one of my long walks to sort out my thoughts and I didn't come to any concrete conclusions but I found a slight moment of clarity.  I would like to post as often as my psyche would allow.  I realized after sharing my thoughts with others, that most people feel the same why as I do. We're all just human, trying to figure it all out and seek happiness. My happiness comes when I bake. I don't want to promote emotional eating but I know I am victim of it... these brownies I made are the result of my overwhelming sadness. They turned out really well actually and I've been slowly eating them ever since. So maybe, thank god for brownies... otherwise this world would be a dull and scary place.

These are the brownies fresh out the oven

 I cut off the edges for a even look. The cut off pieces of brownies looked like large pieces of poop so I buried it in my cats litter box to play a prank on my mother.  It worked and it was quite hilarious.

 The finished product... 

Yom!

This is a recipe from Chloe's vegan cookbook and here's what I thought...
I changed a few things in the recipe.  I added apple sauce for moisture and used brown and white sugar instead of just white sugar.

Ease of recipe: 5/5

Taste: 5/5

Friends/Family thoughts: 4/5

Likely hood to remake recipe: 4/5
I would remake this recipe again but I would add extra things like bananas or nuts or even something special.... 

Overall Cooking Experience: 4/5

Bonus Casey Points: 0/1
Casey was not around to judge this recipe.


Final: 22/25

Having a bad day ?? Make these brownies !!! As you eat them, just remember keep on keeping on little one. 

Alligator Smoothie

I haven't written a blog entry in a little while because I was in the middle of having the worst week of my life. I wish I was being dramatic but sadly I'm not :(.  Instead of moping around I have decided to pick up all the broken pieces of me and carry on... blah.
Anyway, most of the horribleness has happened and started to go away and I was in the mood for a smoothie this morning. Smoothies are packed with nutrition and it's a really easy way to get a few of your daily servings of fruit and veggies.
I have called this smoothie the "Alligator Smoothie" for those people out there with young children who may be hesitant to have spinach in a drink. If you're an adult it's really just an apple spinach smoothie but where's the fun in that? For all the picky eaters out there don't worry! You can't even taste the spinach.

Ingredients
Mango Juice- 3/4 of a cup (you could also use almond milk/soy milk)
Ice- 1 hand full
Green apple- 1 apple sliced and skinned
Banana- 1/2 a banana sliced
Spinach- 1 cup

Put all ingredients in a blender and mix on liquify for 1 minute or until smooth.

Natasha's Red Wine Sauce

I normally don't make myself pasta or rice because it's high in carbohydrates and I consider that my cheat meal but today I was craving pasta for lunch. I didn't feel like making my typical tomato sauce so I decided to try a red wine reduction sauce. I'm not exactly sure what actually goes into a red wine sauce but I figured I'd wing it.  I don't watch very much tv but when I do, I watch the Food Network. Chopped is my all time favourite show, I'm sure I've mentioned it on here before, and I was somewhat inspired by that show to make my sauce.  Since I was eating bad I decided to add cheese to the sauce (sorry vegans!!) but the cheese can be omitted from the recipe and it will be vegan.

Ingredients

Olive oil- 2-3 tbsp
Garlic- 1/2 clove (you could add more but I work later and I don't want to smell like garlic)
Onions- 1/4 of a red onion
Red Wine- 1/2 cup
Flour- 2 pinches
Parmesan Cheese- 1 tbsp
Salt and Pepper- to taste
Black Olives- 2 tbsp sliced olives
Spinach- a hand full
Mushrooms- 4 caps

Whole Wheat Pasta- I used spaghetti 

Heat a medium size pan over medium heat and add the oil. While oil is heating up, boil water for pasta. Add garlic and onions and let cook for about 2 minutes. Add the red wine, flour (to thicken sauce), and cheese. Add salt and pepper. Stir around for 1 minute and reduce heat to a simmer. Add the olives, spinach and mushrooms. Stir occasionally.  When water boils add the pasta to the pot. When the pasta is almost done turn the heat back up on the sauce to medium low heat and add drained pasta to the sauce pan. Cook for about a minute. Add pasta to a bowl and garnish with more cheese.

All these measurements are estimates, feel free to add or subtract ingredient amounts based on your personal taste.

Quack

I haven't posted in a little while, I suppose I have a lot on my mind. I haven't really cooked much over the past week, I did just make a burrito but I wasn't inspired to give away my guacamole or salsa recipe... yet. I've been eating out a lot and on Saturday I had the most awful sushi experience. I for some reason always find the grossest sushi places!! They served me avocado salad with mayonaise as a dressing! Yes, JUST mayonaise. I couldn't finish or really start my salad and I felt like puking after the meal. So needless to say, I'll never be going back to that place.

Sometimes when I have a lot on my mind I take a walk to the lake by my house and feed the ducks. My ex boyfriend used to call me an "old man" for taking pleasure in this pastime. I think I enjoy it so much because as a child my aunt and uncle would buy a large brown paper bag full of day old buns and we would go down to Lake Ontario and feed the geese.
I feel so sad for the ducks this time of year, they seem so cold and hungry in lake. There are signs around the lake that very sternly say "DO NOT feed the water foul" but I pretend I don't see them and sneak a few pieces of bread in for my little duck friends. All the ducks quack loudly at the presence of food and I am afraid they will give me away. I fear that a homeowner will see me feeding them and scream at me from their window but it hasn't happened yet. Just in case it does, I go right at sunset and always bring my camera. If anyone were to ask, I would just say I'm an art student taking some pictures of the lake for a project. The lighting was perfect the last time I visited the ducks and here are the photos I captured for my "art project" ;).