Window Sill Garden

Having faced a series of wilted herbs in my refridgerator as of late, I decided to purchase my very own basil plant. I thought it was a good way to always have basil at hand, but also a way to have edible basil.

This new addition to my home made me realize that I should really hold off on having children --- Taking care of anything alive is quite the feat for me. By the time the leaves started accumulating on the floor, I realized it was time to put that basil to use.

Being a crisp, fall day, nothing sounded greater than a plate of pesto pasta!

Pesto

1 cup of fresh basil

1/4 cup of chopped walnuts (or almonds, or pine nuts...you can essentially use any nut!)

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

2 large cloves garlic

salt and pepper, to taste
water

1. Combine the basil and walnuts in the food processor, and pulse a few times to break the mixture down.

2. Add the garlic and parmesan.

3. While the processor is whirring, gradually add the oil. You do not need to add all the oil. I like to add only a bit for flavour, and then I add water to get the right consistency.

4. Taste test --- Feel free to add some salt, more garlic, or anything else you feel it needs!

I boiled up some brown rice pasta to have with the pesto.

To the mix, I added some crumbled wild sockeye salmon. Pesto and salmon just go hand in hand. I sprinkled some more parm and a few capers on top, and then for some extra greenery, I had some steamed broccoli.

Baking on a Rainy Day

Finding it difficult to keep up with the pace of my over-ripening bananas, I began throwing them in the freezer a few months back as I figured I would eventually do something with them. It wasn't until today when I tried cramming a loaf of bread next to a bundle of bananas that I realized it was time to do something with my accumulation.

I could have made enough smoothies for my entire apartment building --- Not only would that have been boring, but I can count on one hand the amount of people I actually know in my building so after some consideration, I realized that receiving pitchers of smoothies from a stranger was a little sketchy.

There really is no better way to use up over ripe bananas than to make a loaf of banana bread.

To make a rainy day productive, I did just that --- I whipped up a loaf of wheat-free, sugar-free, dairy-free banana blueberry bread.

Banana Blueberry Bread

3 large frozen bananas, thawed (or 3 over ripe bananas)
1/3 cup almond milk
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup agave nectar

2 cups spelt flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup coconut flakes (optional)
1/4 cup cacoa nibs (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan--- I used coconut oil to keep it dairy free. Add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to the almond milk and let stand until it curdles.

2. Squeeze the thawed bananas into a bowl, and mash with a fork. Add the almond milk, agave nectar, and remaining lemon juice to the mix.

3. In a seperate bowl, combine the spelt flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir until it is well-combined. Fold in the blueberries, and any other ingredient you may fancy...Mine may or may not have cat hair...

4. Transfer to the loaf pan and spread out evenly. Bake in the oven for 30-50 minutes --- I realize there is a vast difference in the baking times but my loaf baked very quickly due to a hottt oven. So all I am saying is keep an eye on her; it could take an hour to bake!

This loaf was absolutely delicious...and even if it is on the under-cooked side, there really isn't any ingredient in it that needed to be baked!

I enjoyed a slice of bread with some iced coffee---with a touch of agave nectar and almond milk.

Definately try this loaf out for a change in your breakfast routine, or an afternoon coffee break!

The Best Kind of Butter

As I scraped the bottom of my almond butter jar, I cringed at the thought of forking out $11.00 to replenish it. That was until I remembered the excess amount of almonds that were taking up 3/4 of my freezer --- My mother seems to think that I can go through a Costco sized bag of almonds each month. Yes, they are a great source of calcium but they're no cookie and I'm not about to spread whole almonds on to my toast in the morning. So instead of breaking it to her, I just continue filling up the nooks and crannies in my freezer with them.

Well, mother. They have finally come in to use.

Instead of purchasing yet another jar of almond butter, I decided to make my own.

I started by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and laying out a layer of almonds on a baking sheet.


I then roasted them in the oven until they were lightly toasted and my entire pad had an almond aroma to it.

This took about ten to fifteen minutes --- I may have roasted them a little too long though.

After cooling off the almonds, I threw them in to the food processor. I ground up all of the nuts in one go; it may have been more effective to do a couple of batches.

It took awhile for the almonds to turn in to butter as they went through a few phases --- crumbs to paste to butter.

The butter turned out quite amazing.

You can experiment with this recipe by using basically any kind of nut --- and it's the healthiest form of nut butter as there are no added oils, sugars, salts, or preservatives

Herb Encrusted Tofu

After hitting up Kensington Market the other day, I returned home with an aray of spices as I finally found a place that sells them bulk! Since then my meals have turned from blah to amazing...

This herb encrusted tofu is a take on a recipe that a friend just showed me. Even though I didn't use any of the required ingredients (excluding the tofu,) it turned out quite nicely!

I started out with a bowl of cumin, tumeric, dried chili flakes, oats, and flaked coconut. From there I went on to "encrust" the tofu...


To brown each side and enhance the spices, I fried the tofu block in some canola oil.

After removing the nicely browned tofu, I added some kale, spinach, arugula, and mushrooms to the pan in order to soak up the spice-infused oil. I also added some soy sauce.

I dipped the tofu in some Sriracha, of course.


If you're looking for a seriously flavourful tofu dish, this is the one. Feel free to use your own mix of ingredients to encrust the tofu; I did!