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

:)

CANDIED PECANS + SUMMER GREENS

my friend nasim and i love preparing and eating 

yummy meals together.

this time we decided to make a 

candied pecan + summer greens salad

all you need is:

-any type of green salad

-1/2 an avocado

-4 strawberries

-handfull of blueberries

-1 cup of cooked quinoa

-1/4 cup fetta cheese

-2 dried dates

-1/4 cup candied pecans

-any type of dressing you wish to drizzle

1. cut up the avocado, strawberries, and dated into

bite-size pieces.

3. cut feta into sprinkle-able pieces

2. put all ingredients into a large bowl.

4. serve!

we attempted in trying to make our own candied pecans.

all we used was:

-1/3 cup pecans

-tsp of butter

-1 tbs white sugar

-1 tbs water

1. put heat on medium

2. cook sugar, butter, and water until it turns to liquid.

3. add pecans

4. cook until liquid covers the pecans and 

sugar starts to solidify.

5. voila!

for our salad we used a refreshing 

balsamic olive oil dressing:

-2 tbs olive oil

-1 tbs sweet soy sauce

-1 tbs raspberry balsamic vinegar

-1 tsp course black pepper

1. mix together and drizzle onto salad

enjoy this salad on a clear blue day!

  

:)

also check out my friend nasim's blog at:

nasimbagheri.blogspot.ca

s

FEROCIOUS KALE JUICE

kale, kale, kale

there is quite the health craze over this green vegetable,

but why?

benefits from eating kale:

1. it keeps you lean and mean. 

no fat, low in calories, yet packed with fiber.

(1 cup of kale has 33 calories)

2. it contains more iron than beef!

if you are anemic, then kale is your friend.

3. it has plenty of vitamin K which helps with the prevention of cancer and helps maintain bone health.

4. it contains more calcium than milk!

your teeth, bones, and nails will thank you.

5. it helps lower cholesterol levels.

go kale!

for more info, check out:

www.mindbodygreen.com

www.webmd.com

shrinkingjeans.net

there are a variety of ways to add kale to your diet.

i happened to try making a ferocious kale juice.

this drink actually tastes good, i'm not fooling you.

FEROCIOUS KALE JUICE

ingredients:

(serves 2-3 people)

-2 cups of kale

-1/2 big fat peach

- 1 small apple

-1 cup orange juice

-1 cup water

-1/3 cup of berries (raspberry, blueberry, etc.)

how to:

1. blend in a mixer.

2. blend until the mixture looks like juice.

3. serve!

and there you have it, a very ferocious drink that will help energize your day!

:)

CRANBERRY + WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

you can never go wrong with a freshly baked batch of cookies.

however instead of making a regular 

batch of chocolate chip cookies, 

i decided to add a little spin to the recipe.

CRANBERRY + WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES

(makes around 2 dozen cookies)

you will need:

-1/2 cup unsalted margarine or butter

-1/4 cup white sugar

-1/2 cup brown sugar

-1/2 tsp of salt

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1 egg

-1 cup of all-purpose flour

-1/4 tsp of baking soda

- 1/3 cup walnuts

-1/3 cup dried cranberries

-1/3 cup white chocolate pieces

how to make:

1. pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. in a bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar.

3. add salt, vanilla, and egg to the mixture. 

4. in a separate bowl mix the flour and baking soda together.

5. mix the flour mixture into the creamed mixture.

6. add in the walnuts, dried cranberries, and white chocolate.

7. mix all together!

8. sheet parchment paper onto a cookie sheet

9. place tbs sized balls of dough onto the cookie sheet

(make sure the balls of dough are 

approximately 5 cm apart from each other).

10. bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until they are golden brown on the outside (bake cookies on middle rack).

11. once cookies are done let them cool for a bit, 

then plate, and enjoy!

:)

MAGIC OF CHIA

ever given chia seeds a try?

maybe you'll give them a shot after finding out all the wonderful benefits of eating these powerful little seeds.

magic of chia:

1. they contain tryptophan which is an amino acid that helps you feel fuller for longer!

2. they fight belly fat by helping you body's muscle, fat and liver cells respond to insulin normally.

3. they contain protein which is great for vegetarians.

4. they help keep your bones and teeth strong since they're packed with calcium.

5. stock up on fiber fiber fiber

check out more health benefits at

www.huffingtonpost.ca/chia-seed-benefits

and here is a clever way to add some chia into your life

chia pudding:

(serves 4-6 people)

2 cups of soy milk

2 tbs of honey

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup of chia

1. add soy, honey and vanilla into a bowl and mix until honey melts

2. add chia seeds and mix

3. put in fridge

4. after an hour, mix

5. wait 3 hours and you're pudding is finito

serve with fruit and enjoy!

i got this recipe from

kitchensimplicity.com/vanilla-chia-pudding-with-honeyed-strawberries/

p.s. this pudding makes you quite full 

:)

THAI PEANUT DRESSING SUMMER SALAD

it finally feels like summer in vancouver!

to kick-start the sunny weather the right way, 

why not enjoy a crisp and dreamy salad?

THAI PEANUT DRESSING SUMMER SALAD

recipe for two

salad:

1/4 of whole cabbage

1 cup uncooked quinoa

2 cups of water

1/3 cup of shell-less edamame

1/3 cup dried mango 

1/3 stick of carrot

1. cook quinoa - bring quinoa and water to a boil, 

after it has come to a boil, cover, and cook for 10 minutes at low heat (between the 2 and 3 on your stove dial).

quinoa is ready once all the water has been soaked up.

2. dice cabbage (look at first picture as an example) 

3. cook edamame

4. cut dried mango into little bits

5. grate carrot

dressing:

1 tsp honey

2 tbs peanut butter

1 tbs sweet soy sauce

1 tsp grated ginger

3 tbs water (more if you like dressing thinner)

1 tsp sesame oil

1. heat up honey and peanut butter in microwave for 10 seconds
so that mixing is easier

2. add in rest of the ingredients

3. stir stir mix

4. put dressing on the salad

and voila
you have your summery and fantastic salad!

enjoy

:)

NOM

spring is in the air and vancouver is slowly starting to get warmer! it's time to spend more time outside and get a tan going?

maybe a bit too early for that, but it doesn't hurt being hopeful.

when i think of spring the words that pop in mind are:

fresh, crisp, and colourful

and this vegetarian dish fits this description perfectly

-tofu patty with a veggie stir-fry

(it pairs nicely with quinoa or brown rice)

twas very delicious!

i'm done school in a week and then exams will follow.

 hopefully i will be able to get more posts underway once school is out of the way.

happy studying!

ha.

:)

FRIED EGG BRUNCH

my dad happens to make the tastiest fried eggs. first he fries up some onion with some oil and then cracks the open an egg and seasons it with paprica and some s+p. however, i've tried making this simple fried egg on my own and it just doesn't taste nowhere near the same. i guess my papa just got some mad skills when it comes to cooking some sunny-side-up. 

so this past weekend i got my dad to cook up one of dem delicious fried eggs, which happened to go perfectly with an eggo waffle. the orange pieces added a nice touch to my meal heh.

i believe that you get more out of food that looks fun.

:)

CHOCO CHIP COOKIES

i got this recipe straight from the martha stewart link bellow

martha stewart soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

this recipe will make up around three dozen cookies.

this recipe is super easy to follow, and the cookies turned out to be truly moist and delicious.

we ended up using half white chocolate and half milk chocolate for our cookies and they turned out to be very yummy!

just make sure to not make the cookies too big since they may end up burning at the bottom like some of our cookies...heh

definitely give these cookies a try!

:)

YAKISOBA

thank you mama for the tasty noodles!

yakisoba:

a pan-fried noodle dish with vegetables and meat(if you wish). it is quite common in japan. however, this dish is now commonly found at your local sushi restaurant.

yumyum

:)

GUACAMOLE DIP

as you can see i love avocados.

being an avocado lover, this dip is oh so delicious.

how to make this guacamole dip:

serves 2

total time - 5 minutes

ingredients

-one ripe avocado

-tsp of lime or lemon juice

-tsp of pesto sauce or paste

-half a tomato without the seeds

-salt and pepper

1. cut the seedless tomato into small pieces.

2. mix the avocado, lime/lemon juice, pesto, salt and pepper in a bowl.

3. lastly mix in the tomato pieces.

4. ready to eat and serve!

delicious, easy, and great for parties!

:)

BANANA NUTELLA ICE

feeling like some good ol' ice cream?

but don't want to indulge in all the fat?

look no further!

how to make this banana nutella "ice cream":

serves 2

total time - 5 minutes

ingredients

-two ripe bananas

-tbs of honey

-one or two tbs of nutella

-50mls of milk or soy milk

1. peel the bananas the night before and wrap them in saran wrap or put them in a freezer bag.

2. once your bananas are frozen, break up the banana into pieces and put them into a blender or mixer.

3. add honey, nutella, and milk or soy milk with the bananas.

4. start mixing! mix to desired texture.

5. it's ready to serve!

6. garnish with banana pieces or chocolate .

i couldn't believe it either, ice cream without the cream. 

and yes it truly is delicious!

it's almost too good to be true.

definitely going to start making this more often.

:)