VEGGIE THAI RED CURRY

i wanted to make thai curry for a while now, 

and i finally got around to it.

i was worried that it was gonna be a bust since i was using ingredients i'm not too familiar with,

but it turned out to be quite delightful!

i will definitely be making this one again.

VEGGIE THAI RED CURRY

with brown and wild rice

you will need:

- 1 cup brown and wild rice

- 2.5 cups water

- 2 tbs vegetable or olive oil

- 0.5 regular eggplant

(cut into little cubes)

- 0.5 regular onion

(chop finely)

- 2 garlic cloves

(mince)

- 1.5 tbs of red curry paste

- 1 can coconut milk

- 1 carrot stick

(cut into bite sized pieces)

- a couple pieces of broccoli

(cut into bite sized pieces)

- 1 pack of firm tofu

(cut into little cubes)

- 1 tbs sweet soy sauce

- 1/2 tbs of seasoning

or chicken stalk powder

the how to's:

1.

 bring rice and water to a boil.

cover and boil over medium heat for 

20-25 minutes until desired texture is reached.

turn off the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes 

so that excess water can evaporate.

2.

 add oil, onion, and garlic into a medium sized pot

on medium heat.

cook until onion and garlic are sweating.

add the eggplant and 1 tbs of the red curry paste

and cook for another 2 minutes.

(add more oil if necessary)

3.

add the coconut milk, carrot, broccoli, tofu, 

sweet soy sauce, seasoning, and rest of the curry paste.

mix.

cover and cook for 8 minutes on medium heat.

check to see if vegetables are of desired texture.

4.

plate the rice and curry.

 5. 

BON APPETIT!

i hope you like this hearty recipe.

it makes for some great left-over lunches.

other vegetables such as cauliflower, red peppers, or snap peas 

will also work well with this dish.

stay tuned for more recipes!

:)

MAMA'S BDAY

getting older is a bitter sweet thing.

celebrating wrinkles and greying hairs may be bitter,

but celebrating another year of precious life

is pretty sweet.

yesterday was my mum's birthday!

presents and yummy food can make an already special day just a tinge more snazzy, yeah?

well i think so...

therefore i presented my dear mother with:

-a personally crafted, state of the art, card

(it's the heart that counts)

-hand lotion from l'occitane

because it smells like sensational flower sex

-a chicken soup book

because my mom's into that

-a delicately stirred tomato sauce with juicy prawns 

on top of al dente style spaghetti

yeah that's where it's at.

i figured i should treat my mother well on her birthday

because

raising a hooligan is a difficult task.

one more post coming this weekend!

:)

STACKHOUSE

my friend nasim and i went to stackhouse burger bar on 

granville street after a long day of shopping!

nasim tried the pancetta(fancy bacon)burger

 and i tried the portabellini(fancy mushroom)burger.

the table next to us had ordered a bowl full of 

delicious looking onion rings. 

we gave into temptation

and also decided to give them a try.

no regrets.

they were super.

the restaurant itself is modern,

or should i say rustic hip?

give this place a try if you're into 

good burgers and a good vibe!

and check out nasim's blog here:

nasimbagheri.blogspot.ca

:)

AUTUMN SALAD WITH CRISPY KALE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH

kale might really throw some people off because it's course and

lacking in flavour.

however, this recipe will turn kale haters into kale lovers.

serve this dish on a chilly fall day,

and it will warm the heart and soul since it is just 

THAT delicious. 

i kid you not.

my friend leah and i couldn't get over how amazing this dish turned out to be.

i gotta credit www.halfbakedharvest.com

for this fantastic recipe.

leah and i actually ended up omitting some steps to the original recipe to keep it more simple, and it still turned out great.

here's our take on the:

AUTUMN SALAD WITH CRISPY KALE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH 

ingredients:

-1 small butternut squash

-2 small gala apples 

(or any apple that floats your boat)

-1/3 cup pecans

-1 tsp chili powder

-1 tsp brown sugar

-0.5 tsp cinnamon

-0.5 tsp cayenne pepper

-0.5 tsp salt

-0.5 tsp pepper

-1 large bunch of kale

-4 tbs olive oil

-2 tbs grated parmesan cheese

-2 slices of whole wheat bread

-4 slices of brie cheese

-1 tbs of butter or margarine

optional dressing:

-2 tbs olive oil

-1 tbs balsamic creme or vinegar

-1 tsp honey

-0.5 tbs soy sauce

-0.5 tsp of pepper

how to's:

1. in a small dish combine the chili powder, brown sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and pepper

2. preheat the oven to 400 F

3. remove the stems and roughly chop the kale

(the more the merrier)

4. put the kale in a separate large bowl and add 2 tbs of olive oil, all the parmesan cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

mix together with your hards for 2 minutes.

spread on a baking sheet and cook in the 

oven for around 15 minutes. 

(make sure to keep a steady eye on the kale and toss at least once since it can burn easily)

5. once the kale is in the oven, 

peel and seed the butternut squash and cut into cubes

(there should be approx 4 cups).

6. peel and seed the apples and cut into cubes and set aside with the pecans for now.

7. spread just the squash cubes on a baking sheet 

and drizzle 2 tbs of olive oil 

and sprinkle half of the spice mixture from step 1.

mix together on baking sheet.

 8. bake squash for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and then add the chopped apples, pecans and the rest of the seasoning and then toss it all together. 

bake for another 15-25 minutes, or until the squash and apples are tender.

9. while that is cooking in the oven, 

heat a skillet on medium heat, 

butter the outsides of the 2 slices of bread, 

and sandwich the the brie between the slices of bread. 

add the sandwiches to the skillet and cook for 3 to 5 minutes on both sides or until the bread is toasted and the brie is melted.

 remove and let sit a couple minutes and then chop into cubes.

10. plate the kale and add the butternut squash, apples, pecan, and croutons on top.

(drizzle on optional dressing if you please)

11. DIG IN!

hope you enjoy

:)

PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

it's that time of year again where i love everything pumpkin.

pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin soup, pumpkin carving,

and how could i forget:

PUMPKIN COOKIES

(recipe will make approximately 2 dozen cookies)

what you will need:

-1 cup of pumpkin puree

-1 cup brown sugar

-0.5 cup vegetable oil

-1 egg

-1 tbs vanilla extract

-2 cups of all-purpose flour

-2 tsp baking powder

-1 tsp baking soda

-0.5 tsp salt

-2 tsp cinnamon 

-1.5 cups semisweet chocolate chips

-0.5 cup dried oats

-0.5 cup crushed pecans or walnuts

the how to's:

1. preheat oven to 350 F or 175 C.

2. in one bowl combine the pumpkin, sugar, oil, and egg, and vanilla.

3. in a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

4. slowly add in the dry ingredients into the liquid mixture and mix thoroughly.

5. line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or grease cookie sheet. 

6. drop tbs sized balls onto cookie sheet.

7. cook for 12-15 minutes.

8. make sure they are fully cooked through or otherwise your cookies will have a strange doughy texture.

9. EAT!

perfect with tea on a chilly autumn day

enjoy

:)

NIGHT MARKET

1. deep fried ice cream

 2. ice cream pops

 3. curried fish balls

4. mango ice cream/shaved-ice bowl

 5. rotato

 6. night market

this post is long overdue,

but it has to be done.

school has come to a start again and 

summer feels almost like a dream.

back in august, i went to the richmond night market with some people from my church and it turned out to be a great time!

we ended up being able to try lots of food from an

array of different vendors since we got 

into groups and split our purchases.

this place isn't just about the food,

they also sells cute socks, accessories, electronics, onesies,

batons, bear mace, and much more!

the night market season has unfortunately come to an end,

but there will always be next year.

sorry again for my tardiness.

i hope to post at least once a week now 

that school is back in session.

ciao for now

:)

KIRIN

my mama and i had lunch at the kirin restaurant downtown.

this spacious restaurant was packed on a weekday afternoon.

this doesn't surprise me since the food is delicious and reasonably priced.

this restaurant serves traditional chinese food,

so be prepared to try new food!

together, my mama and i shared:

 -pumpkin and shrimp dumplings (picture 2)

-vegetarian dumplings with shiitake mushrooms (picture 2)

-chinese broccoli with oyster sauce (picture 3)

-bean curd with shimeji mushroom (picture 4)

-mango jelly wrapped in green tea mochi + coconut (picture 5)

both my mum and i found all the dishes to be 

fresh and well prepared.

none of the dishes we tried were oily,

and it left us with the good kinda full feeling.

i personally was a big fan of the pumpkin + shrimp dumpling, and the mango jelly + green tea mochi.

if you are in vancouver and feeling like some good chinese food, the kirin restaurant is a great place to go check out.

:)

VANCOUVER AT IT'S FINEST

this summer has been a good one for vancouver.

the sun has been shining non-stop for most parts,

which is quite a rare occurrence.

my friends and i took a stroll along the olympic village which is located right by science world.

it was beaaauuutiful.

it's got this modern/laid back feel to it;

a perfect place to chillax and enjoy the good vibes.

if you're visiting vancouver or even if you're just a local,

the olympic village is a great location to go check out.

only a 3 more weeks left of summer vacay until 

school starts again!

where did time go?

enjoy what's left of this fine season

:)

SUNNYSIDE

this past week i was given the opportunity to

to volunteer as a primary teacher at sunnyside camp in alberta.

the long 18 hour drive to get to this 

magical camp was well worth it.

i encountered my first sighting of hay bales in alberta.

i didn't know that massive roles of hay that are probably double my hight could exist.

it looks so awesome when 100+ hay bales are scattered randomly across a large field of green.

the best part of the trip was being able to meet a ton of talented and beautifully crafted people.

there were musicians of all ages who could play their instruments like beasts.

there were dancers who could flip and pop to each beat in a song.

there were artists who used their imagination and soul to move their pen.

i saw so much love and support in this one week, it was no surprised that some people have been attending this camp for 30+ years.

i hope i'll be back for year 2 next summer!

xox

:)