Changer de tempo

15 Apr

A Chefchaouen - un village au nord dans les montagnes

Chers amis et lecteurs, désolée pour la longue pose. Je suis de retour saine et sauve du Maroc et j’ai adoré mon expérience là-bas. Quel « eye opener » d’être plongée dans une culture complètement différente et d’être clairement la outsider pour une des premières fois de ma vie… Je sais qu’il y a des destinations qui fournissent un encore plus grand choc culturel, comme l’Inde par exemple, mais j’ai tout de même rencontré des nomades dans le désert du Sahara et un berger de dromadaires qui cherchait sa chamelle perdue toute une nuit de temps! Voilà des humains avec préoccupation nettement différentes des miennes!

Ce voyage m’a aussi apporté des bienfaits inattendus, comme la possibilité de me « déconnecter » complètement pendant deux semaines : pas de cellulaire, pas de iPad, Twitter, Facebook – rien. Même pas de blogue. Et vous savez quoi? Ça m’a fait un bien fou. Voilà pourquoi j’ai mis du temps à vous écrire. L’envie de partager, d’être en contact continuel n’était plus là. Et je pense que c’est sain de prendre une pause. Je vous annonce donc un changement de rythme. Je veux continuer à bloguer, mais autrement.

Ça ne veut pas dire que je vous laisse tomber! Ça fait tout de même un an qu’on entretient un dialogue et je veux le maintenir, simplement de façon différente maintenant. Mes billets risquent d’être moins fréquents et moins détaillés, mais je vous promets de continuer à vous partager tous mes coups de cœur et mes grandes déceptions sans faute!

Je vous invite aussi à me donner du feedback, des idées de sujets, recettes ou restos qui vous intéressent. Vous n’avez pas idée à quel point le feedback est important pour un bloggeur. N’hésitez jamais à me faire un petit coucou ou à me partager vos pensées plus deep, même si ça ne concerne qu’un grilled cheese ou une toast au beurre d’arachide (Dieu sait que j’en ai long à dire sur le sujet :-) ).

Je vous dis merci pour cette dernière année, puisque j’ai fêté mon 1 an de blogue le 1er avril et j’ai hâte de poursuivre l’aventure autrement avec vous. Je vous laisse avec quelques images de mon voyage au Maroc. À bientôt.

Au début du trek dans le désert, au départ de M'hamid

Tout près des grandes dunes de Erg Chegaga, notre destination ultime dans le désert.

Une petite pause, le temps d'admirer.

Résultat du cours de cuisine au Clock Café à Fès : salade d'aubergines tiède et soupe harissa.

Tagine au artichauts et pois frais - également au cours de cuisine.

Au marché de Fès.

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Pois chiches grillés au Ras El Hanout… et des vacances

16 Mar

Un snack au goût du Maroc. Enfin les vacances!

C’est enfin ce soir que je décolle pour le Maroc! Je suis excitée et nerveuse à l’idée de découvrir ce pays si différent, si mystérieux. Les souks, les médinas, les tajines, les gens, la culture et surtout… le désert! Avez-vous déjà pensé à quoi ressemblent les étoiles dans la noirceur complète? Ce qu’est le silence total? Ou comment on se sent devant l’immensité de dunes de sable qui font 300 mètres? Moi, j’en rêve depuis des mois…

En attendant de pouvoir vous partager des photos et quelques recettes authentiques (j’ai réservé un cours de cuisine à Fès!), je vous laisse avec cette recette de pois chiches grillés au Ras El Hanout – un mélange d’épices marocain.

Dernièrement, j’ai vu une foule de recettes de pois chiches grillés et je me suis dit que ça ferait un excellent ajout à mes apéros habituels ou un snack santé. OK, je les mangerai sûrement avec une bonne bière froide, mais vous n’êtes pas obligés de tout faire comme moi :-) .

Alors, qu’est-ce que je dois absolument rapporter du Maroc? C’est certain que je vise les épices, mais lesquelles choisir? Et l’huile d’arganier, ça vaut la peine? Sinon, avez-vous des bonnes adresses ou activités à me suggérer? Ou peut-être quelques techniques de négociation…?

À très bientôt.

Recette pour pois chiches grillés

  • 1 boîte de pois chiches
  • 1 c. à table d’huile d’olive
  • 3 à 6 c. à thé de Ras El Hanout (ou les épices de votre choix – ça peut être aussi simple que du sel et du paprika!)

Ras El Hanout - mélange d'épices marocain.

Ras El Hanout Trouvée sur Epicurious Donne 6 c. à thé

  • 1 c. à thé de cumin
  • 1 c. à thé de gingembre
  • 1 c. à thé de sel
  • ¾ c. à thé de poivre moulu
  • ½ c. à thé de cannelle
  • ½ c. à thé de coriandre
  • ½ c. à thé de piment de Cayenne
  • ½ c. à thé de piment de la Jamaïque
  • ¼ c. à thé de clou de girofle

Préchauffez le four à 400 degrés F. Rincez les pois chiches et séchez-les au maximum avec des essuie-tout ou un linge propre. Mettez-les dans un bol avec l’huile et la quantité souhaitée de Ras El Hanout (attention, c’est piquant!). Enrobez bien les pois chiches et mettez-les au four pour environ 40 minutes jusqu’à ce qu’ils soient croustillants, mais pas brûlés.

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Le Smoking Vallée – new BYOW in Saint-Henri

13 Mar

A look inside Le Smoking Vallée, with the gorgeous mural on the left wall.

Le Smoking Vallée is a brand new bring-your-own-wine restaurant featuring market cuisine with a French twist that opened just a little over a week ago on Notre-Dame West in Saint-Henri. Although it created quite a buzz on social media given the owners (including Matthieu Bonneau of L’emporte-pièce) decided to consult on everything from the name to the menu, I was taken by surprise by this newcomer to my neck of the woods. I was antsy to try it out and decided to give it a shot last Saturday with Mat for his birthday.

Granted it was only Le Smoking Vallée’s 8th day of operation and a few mishaps were to be expected, we left the restaurant with mixed feelings. We were so excited that a new quality restaurant had opened in our area, yet the food was hit or miss.

The entrées were disappointing (except for the Wiano oysters – excellent new discovery!) and had me thinking it was a mistake to visit the restaurant so soon after its opening. We ordered the beef tartar “bouchée” and shrimp and lemongrass ravioli in beurre blanc. The tartar was bland and lacked seasoning to give it some bite. As for the ravioli, they were a mess. In addition to being undercooked (and I like my pasta very al dente) and lacking any real taste of shrimp because they were pureed into oblivion in the ravioli, there were only 3 measly morsels in the plate that cost $12! Stay with me though – this was the low point. Things got better after this.

A slow start to the meal - these shrimp and lemongrass ravioli were a disappointment.

But then the main courses arrived and surprised us with some interesting twists. Our spirits were back up! Mat had the beef macreuse braised in beer with pickled vegetables and smoked gouda. It was comforting and homey, yet the pickles added a touch of unexpected zing. We loved it!

Beef braised in dark beer with pickled vegetables and smoked gouda. Things are looking up at this point in our meal!

I chose the risotto with duck gizzards, foie gras and pear. I was expecting something rich and heavy but not at all! This risotto was impressively light and the ingredients combined nicely. I especially liked the odd addition of pear, which balanced the earthy gizzards and velvety-smooth chunks of foie gras.

Risotto with duck gizzards, foie gras and pear. A strange-sounding combination that turned out great.

For dessert, we had the cheese mousse with cherry compote on shortbread cookies. We adored every part, including the hit of cardamom in the cookies and the tangy cherries, but would have liked about twice as much mousse so that it could stand up to the sturdy biscuits.

Cheese mousse, cherry compote and cardamom shortbread cookies.

Another important point to consider is the noise level. It was a full house, which made for a good ambiance, but the two very large groups drowned everyone else out.

That being said, there is certainly room for a new mid-range restaurant like this one in Saint-Henri. From my perspective, Le Smoking Vallée’s strong points are:

  • The fact that it is one of only 2 BYOWs in the area (the other being Le Bitoque).
  • The interesting mix of clientele – from hipsters in their 20s to working-class baby-boomers – which makes it feel like a true neighborhood restaurant.
  • The price range, which fills the gap between upscale restaurants like Joe Beef and local diners.
  • The great decor, including an enormous blow-up of a typical Saint-Henri scene along the Lachine canal.

The Bottom Line
My rating:       3 out of 5

On the + side:     It’s a BYOW in Saint-Henri, an area in need of new places like Le Smoking Vallée.
On the – side:     It’s very noisy and the food is hit or miss, but keep in mind it’s likely to improve over the next few weeks as the team works out initial quirks.
Price:                    Our bill was $107 including tax and tip for 6 oysters ($15), a “bouchée” of tartare ($3), an entrée ($12), two mains ($20 and $23) and one desert ($8).
Good for:            Based on my experience, I’d say this restaurant is best-suited for groups given the price-range, BYOW factor and varied menu.
Will I go back?   Probably, since it’s walking distance from my house and I am curious to see how this restaurant and its young chef (Thierry Dufour is only 25!) evolve.

 

Le Smoking Vallée on Urbanspoon

www.somking-vallee.com
Facebook page here
Twitter handle: @lesmokingvallee

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Muesli : petit-déj santé rapido presto

8 Mar

Cette recette de muesli me rappelle des souvenirs d’enfance, alors que je regardais ma mère préparer sa crème Budwig. Rien qu’à penser à la tête que je lui faisais quand elle me proposait d’y goûter me fait sourire. Jamais au monde n’aurais-je pensé échanger mes Cap’n Crunch contre un truc aussi santé et nature à cette époque. Mais les temps ont changé… Et mon métabolisme aussi! Aujourd’hui, je recherche des solutions de petit-déjeuner rapides à préparer (je suis systématiquement en retard le matin…) et qui me fournissent l’énergie nécessaire pour me rendre au dîner sans perdre de vapeur.

Depuis plusieurs mois, j’ai mis le granola maison sur mon menu du matin, mais j’avoue que je commence à m’en lasser. Le muesli me permet de varier en plus d’avoir l’avantage de ne contenir aucun sucre et de fournir un apport élevé en fibres et protéines. En plus, il n’y pas de préparation compliquée et aucune cuisson. On mesure et on mélange – c’est tout!

J’ai fait cette recette le weekend dernier et j’ai beaucoup aimé tout comme MJ, qui a un petit côté grano comme moi.

Recette
Adaptée et traduite de Super Natural Every Day
Donne environ 4 tasses

  • 3 tasses de flocons d’avoine
  • 1/4 de tasse de germe de blé (préférablement non grillé)
  • 1/4 tasse raisins secs dorés Sultana
  • 1/2 tasse d’amandes hachées grossièrement
    (Utilisez des amandes Marcona si possible. J’en ai trouvées des salées aux Douceurs du marché au Marché Atwater, mais il paraît qu’on en vend nature chez Loblaws et Costco.)
  • ¼ c. à thé de sel de mer fin (omettez le sel si vos amandes sont salées comme les miennes)

Rassembler tous les ingrédients dans un grand bol et mélanger. Conserver au frigo dans un contenant hermétique.

Pour chaque portion, mélanger ½ tasse de yogourt avec ¼ de tasse d’eau et ¼ de tasse de muesli. Laisser tremper au frigo au moins une heure ou toute la nuit. Au service, ajouter un filet de sirop d’érable ou de miel et des fruits frais (fraises, bleuets, bananes, etc.) si désiré.

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Davids Tea: faves and fails

5 Mar

My recently acquired 17 varieties of Davids Tea: Shanti Ayurvedic, The Glow, Forever Nuts, Fired Up Fennel, Goji Pop, Kapha Ayurvedic, Pitta Ayurvedic, Sweet Ginger Heat, Licorice Twist, Genmaicha, Butterly Jasmine, Jasmine Silver Needles, Secret Weapon, Long Life Oolong, Quangzhou Milk Oolong, Jade Oolong Chai and Coco Chai Rooibos.

Ok, so I went a little overboard with Davids Teas recently… It all started when a friend of mine mentioned her favourite herbal tea on her blog, and I realized I could order from Davids Tea online (this might be one of the geekiest sentences I’ve ever written). I ended up making three orders within one month for 17 different varieties of tea. Although I now have to buy a new cabinet to store all the herbal, white, green, oolong and rooibos teas I ordered (remember, I live in a small loft with limited kitchen storage), this latest fixation has allowed me to go from clueless to well-versed in the tea universe. And given Davids Tea is quite the rage these days, I thought I would share my “faves” and “fails” to help you make an informed decision when faced with the hundreds of tins on your next visit to one of their adorable shops.

Among the 17 kinds of teas I’ve tasted, I’ve narrowed it down to 7 favourites based on what I am in the mood for, 5 “so-so” teas that leave me somewhat indifferent and 5 fails that I really dislike.

FAVES :-)    

SPICY

My all-around favourite from David's Tea

Shanti ayurvedic
Herbal tea from the ayurvedic (or natural remedy) line, caffeine free, $6.50 for 50 g 
This is my all-around favourite tea. I tend to like chai teas and this one has a similar taste thanks to star anise, but is much more mellow and sweeter with fennel seeds and licorice root. The peppermint and lemongrass make for the perfect counterpoint to all the spices and brighten everything up. The tea gets its name, which means “peace within”, from the Holy basil it features. It is currently (and often) sold out, so be on the lookout for it if you are interested. When I purchased this batch, it was only available online.

Licorice twist
Herbal tea, caffeine free, $6.50 for 50 g
This is a personal favourite that might not appeal to everyone. It has a very strong taste of anise and fennel seeds, but also includes spices like ginger, peppermint, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves that give this tea a depth of flavour that I keep returning to. If you like anise seed and licorice flavour, this is one for you.

SWEET

Organic the Glow
Herbal tea, caffeine free, $7 for 50 g
Although the packaging describes it as “floral”, I think it’s on the sweeter side. It’s billed as Davids Tea’s beauty elixir and includes natural complexion enhancers like cinnamon, rose petals, rosehip, rooibos and jasmine. Does it work? I’m still skeptical but it looks, smells and tastes great! And I love the fact that it’s all organic.

Goji pop
Herbal tea, caffeine-free, $6.75 for 50 g 
Part of Davids Tea’s Voters Choice Selection, this tea has been a hit with everyone I’ve served it to. It’s sweet and slightly tangy and I think it would also make a great iced-tea. It features goji berries – a super food, apples, hibiscus, rosehip peel, honeydew, marigold petals and − unfortunately − artificial flavouring. I was very surprised to see this ingredient in many of the teas I ordered as well as in a number of customer favourites. It will definitely make me think twice about ordering this tea again, even though it is high on my list of favourites. For more information on artificial flavouring in Davids Tea, read their FAQ.

FLORAL

Quangzhou milk oolong
Oolong tea, medium caffeine, $9 for 25 g
This tea knocked my socks off. I was looking to get away from herbal teas and enter the world of “real” teas when I ordered it. I decided to go with an oolong tea because they are known to be easy on newbies. It is described as velvety smooth and lightly creamy with a subtle hint of orchid. I was doubtful that I would be able to detect any of that, but upon opening the bag I was immediately hit with a sweet milky and delicately floral scent. If you are looking to try something new, this is the tea I would recommend. It’s limited-edition so if you’re interested better act fast!

Butterfly jasmine

Butterfly jasmine
Green tea, medium caffeine, $10 for 25 g
If you like jasmine tea, this is one to try. It’s described as “perhaps the finest jasmine we’ve ever tasted” by the Davids Tea team and I can second the statement. It starts with Chinese green tea which is layered with jasmine petals night after night to achieve a very deep scent and flavour. Its name comes from the shape given to the tea leaves when bound together by hand into small butterflies. It is beautiful in addition to being extremely fragrant.

MELLOW

Genmaicha
Green tea, low caffeine, $5 for 50 g
I was on the fence about including this one in my faves because it has a very subtle taste. What convinced me is how easy it goes down and how versatile it is. It seems to suit whatever mood I am in. I enjoy it mid-day at work or right before hitting the sack. When I don’t want a strong taste but more something comforting, I turn to this tea. It is known as the “popcorn” green tea because it contains roasted grains of rice that lend it a nutty flavour. If you want to start drinking green tea but aren’t a big fan of its strong, funky taste, this tea is a good place to start.

FAILS :-(

I won’t go into too much detail about these teas, but I will say that many of the teas I disliked contained artificial flavouring which turned me off big time.

My personal dislikes: Secret weapon, Long life oolong and Forever nuts.

Forever nuts, which happens to be one of Davids Tea’s top 3 best-sellers, has a sweet, nutty scent to it. Unfortunately, I thought it tasted very fake once infused… The pink colour didn’t help either.

Secret weapon sounded great on paper with ingredients like almonds, licorice and goji berries, but I knew it would be a fail as soon as I opened the package. To me - and this is very personal - it had a smell of mold and almond extract… The taste was similar.

Long life oolong was my first attempt at oolong. Peaches, apricots and almonds seemed like the perfect pairing, but the tea ended up smelling and tasting like fuzzy peach candy. If that sounds good to you, go for it! But that’s not what I was after when I chose this tea.

What’s your favourite brew – Davids Tea or otherwise? As far as chai teas go, I have a soft spot in my heart for Bengal Spice from Celestial Seasonings. Mmm… Just like Christmas in a cup!

If you are looking for a recommendation among the teas I’ve tried, feel free to ask. Just drop me a note and tell me what you like.

Full disclosure: No one at Davids Tea has ever approached me to talk about their teas. Although my boyfriend makes fun of me for it, I paid for all of these teas in full. I simply figured given I’d spent all this money on tea, I’d share my new-found insight with you.

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Souvenir d’enfance : tire-éponge enrobée de chocolat

2 Mar

Billet de mon amie MJ (l’auteure). Oui, oui, la même qui nous a parlé de cupcakes dans des cornets. Bon vendredi!

Tire-éponge enrobée de chocolat - pensez-y pour un projet de cuisine avec les enfants!

Enfant, on a tous notre barre de chocolat préférée. J’en ai eu quelques unes (Bounty, Kit Kat, Aero) mais si je dois en choisir une seule, c’est Crunchy que je choisi! Le goût légèrement brûlé de la tire-éponge combiné avec le sucré du chocolat ne peut simplement pas être détrôné. Tout de cette recette me ramène à l’enfance, non seulement parce qu’elle me rappelle ma barre de chocolat favorite mais aussi parce qu’en la faisant, je me suis dit qu’elle était idéale à faire avec des enfants. Pourquoi? Parce que cette recette ressemble étrangement à une expérience scientifique de 3e année. La réaction du sucre chauffé avec le bicarbonate de soude fait gonfler la préparation de 5 à 6 fois son volume initial en quelques secondes : impressionnant! Et pas besoin de sarrau ni de lunettes protectrices.

Tire-éponge nue...

Le succès de cette recette de tire-éponge repose sur votre capacité à bien reconnaître le moment où il est temps d’ajouter le bicarbonate de soude. Ajoutez-le trop tôt et vous allez vous retrouver avec une galette immangeable (j’en sais quelque chose!). Alors ne négligez pas l’importance d’attendre que le sucre chauffé forme des fils durs et cassants dans un verre d’eau froide.

Bon appétit et bon retour en enfance!

Recette
Tirée de Coup de Pouce

  • 2  1/2 t (625 ml) de sucre
  • 2/3 t (160 ml) de sirop de maïs blanc
  • 1/3 t  (80 ml) d’eau
  • 4 c. à thé (20 ml) de bicarbonate de soude
  • 2 c. à thé (10 ml) de vanille
  • 10 oz (300 g) de chocolat mi-amer haché

1. Dans une casserole d’une capacité de 12 t (3 L), chauffer le sucre, le sirop de maïs et l’eau à feu moyen, en brassant, jusqu’à ce que le sucre soit dissous. Porter à ébullition et laisser bouillir, sans brasser, pendant environ 10 minutes ou jusqu’à ce qu’un thermomètre à bonbons indique 300°F (149°C) ou que 1 c. à thé (5 ml) de sirop qu’on laisse tomber dans un verre d’eau froide forme des fils durs et cassants (à l’aide d’un pinceau à pâtisserie trempé dans l’eau, badigeonner de temps à autre la paroi de la casserole pour faire tomber les cristaux de sucre). Retirer la casserole du feu.

2. À l’aide d’un fouet, incorporer le bicarbonate de soude au sirop chaud (attention aux éclaboussures; le sirop va bouillir et augmenter de volume). Ajouter la vanille en fouettant. Verser aussitôt la tire-éponge dans un moule en métal de 13 po x 9 po (33 cm x 23 cm), tapissé de papier d’aluminium beurré. Déposer le moule sur une grille et laisser reposer pendant environ 2 heures (ne pas bouger le moule). Briser la tire-éponge en morceaux d’environ 1 1/2 po (4 cm). (Vous pouvez préparer la tire-éponge jusqu’à cette étape et la mettre dans un contenant hermétique en séparant chaque étage d’une feuille de papier ciré. Elle se conservera jusqu’à 1 mois à la température ambiante.)

3. Entre-temps, dans un bol à l’épreuve de la chaleur placé sur une casserole d’eau chaude mais non bouillante, faire fondre le chocolat jusqu’à ce qu’il soit lisse. Retirer la casserole du feu. Tremper les morceaux de tire-éponge dans le chocolat fondu en laissant égoutter l’excédent et les déposer sur une plaque de cuisson tapissée de papier-parchemin. Réfrigérer pendant environ 30 minutes ou jusqu’à ce que le chocolat soit ferme.

Valeurs nutritives
Calories: 85/morceau
Matières grasses: 2 g (1 g sat.)/morceau
Cholestérol: aucun
Glucides: 18 g/morceau
Sodium : 110 mg/morceau

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Quinoa cakes and some new cookbooks

28 Feb

Quinoa cakes are a quick, healthy, vegetarian meal anyone can whip up on a weeknight. AND they taste great. Who doesn't love quinoa anyways?

Lately, I’ve been trying to include healthier ingredients in my day-to-day cooking. But I was a little overwhelmed by it all: organic, natural, whole-grain, polyunsaturated, unbleached, stone-milled… Can someone just make it simple, PLEASE! I have no time to compare heat tolerances of various oils when I’m on the verge of caving in to honey-flavoured Shreddies (they’re amazing, BTW). So was I ever happy to come across a pair of cookbooks by blogger Heidi Swanson that sum it up like this: choose ingredients that are as close as possible to the way you would find them in nature: no chemicals and no modifications – genetic or mechanic. Ahhh… Now that makes sense!

But before I tell you more about my new favourite cookbooks (and you start to yawn), let me win you over with these babies: quinoa cakes. I came across a picture and recipe of them in one of the books that stopped me dead in my tracks. Making patties resembling meatballs or crab cakes with quinoa. AMAZING! Enough with the quinoa salad already, these little patties are a great new way to use the grain we’ve all come to love for its taste as much as its nutritional value. Quinoa is high in protein, so this mean two of these puppies will keep you going until your next meal, no problem. Plus, the recipe is quick and easy. Consider this: tonight, I made this recipe (with ingredients I had on hand, mind you), took pictured of it, ate my dinner in a civilized fashion, did a whole load of dishes, scrubbed my ceramic cook top (which I admittedly had not cleaned for quite some time) drove Mat to the metro, BBM’ed with my good friend AND wrote this post - all by 10:30 p.m. Not bad! So give it a shot, why don’t ya.

Super Natural Every Day, Heidi Swanson's second cookbook, is packed full of healthy recipes for the every day.

Recipe
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson
 Yields 6 quinoa cakes

  • 1 cup quinoa, cooked and cooled (in 1.5 cups of simmering salted water for about 15 minutes)
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1/3 cup of cheese, grated (Whatever you have on hand will do. I had parmesan and leftover Gruyère, which happen to be the recommended cheeses for this recipe.)
  • 1/2 an onion, finely chopped
  • 1 large clove of garlic, minced
  • Green parts of 4 shallots or small bunch of chives, chopped
  • 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs (I had Italian breadcrumbs and used that although the recipe calls for whole grain – no biggie.)
  • A splash of olive oil for browning the patties

Mix the cooked and cooled quinoa with the eggs and salt. Incorporate all other ingredients and let stand a few minutes for the breadcrumbs to absorb the moisture. Adjust the consistency with a little water if needed so that you can easily form patties with your hands. Heat the oil on medium heat and cook the patties, covered for about 5 minutes on each side.

Quick dipping sauce
This is a last-minute invention that I came up with when I realized the quinoa cakes might need a little sauce to call its buddy. It turned out great and I’m happy to share it with you, but be sure to taste it as you go and adjust it to your liking.

  • Big dollop of plain yoghurt
  • Small dollop of mayonnaise
  • Big spoonful of smoked paprika
  • Medium spoonful of regular paprika
  • Couple shakes of coriander
  • Couple splashes of Tabasco sauce
  • Salt

Mix it all together. Taste. Adjust. Repeat until satisfied :-)

So, back to the cookbooks. The one I cooked from tonight is Super Natural Every Day. It’s Heidi Swanson’s second book and includes a lot of great vegetarian recipes featuring natural ingredients. Although it has a solid introduction that shares some basic info about “natural cooking”, I would recommend her first book to anyone who wants to get educated on healthy eating.

Super Natural Cooking is the author's first cookbook. I recommend it to anyone who wants to get the basics on "natural cooking".

Super Natural Cooking (the first book) contains all the basic information you need to make better choices – which flours, oils, grains, sweeteners, etc. to favour and why, as well as those to avoid. The information is concise and the more technical explanations are explained simply. I read the 17-page chapter called “Build a Natural Foods Pantry” in less than an hour last night and feel like I’ve already gained a world of knowledge. The book contains quite a few recipes, but if that’s more what you’re after – either because you’re already up to speed on natural cooking or because it bores you – get her second book (mentioned above). Together, I think the pair of cookbooks works great: one sums up all the basic information you need to get you going and the second give you a wide repertoire of recipes to choose from.

Still not convinced? Check out Heidi’s award-winning food blog, 101cookbooks.com. There, you’ll even find a downloadable six recipe sampler in pdf format from her second book.

So, how do you go about incorporating healthier ingredients in your cooking? Is organic important to you? Should we stop eating meat? All questions that I haven’t dared pondering yet. I’m taking this one step at a time…

Full disclosure: I bought these books with my own dough. I have not been approached by anyone looking to promote them. I am just genuinely stoked and wanted to share :-)

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