I'll concede that as far as food trends go these days, you're much more likely to see a chia pudding appear on your Instagram feed than a tapioca pudding! You might even say the latter is a little old-school. But to me, this MANGO TAPIOCA PUDDING has a special nostalgia and holds a supreme ranking as far as desserts that delighted me as a child. And as an adult :)
Read moreBraised Beef Cheeks, Chickpeas, Kale + Lemon Basil Gremolata { gluten free, dairy free, paleo }
The selfish part of me doesn't want to publicly share how ah-mazing beef cheeks are for braising! Beef cheeks are at once lean and tender. When slow cooked or pressure cooked, it is extremely flavorful and yields lusciously to your fork. Or should I say, spoon because that's the utensil to use for this dish. It's how wonderfully tender it is!
Read moreHazelnut Dairy Free Coffee Creamer { dairy free, refined sugar free, paleo }
After my theFeedFeed snapchat takeover last week making this Maple Almond-Cashew Iced Latte, I wanted to immediately follow up with this post. This is a game changer, friends.
Read moreMaple Almond-Cashew Nut Milk Iced Latte { dairy free, refined sugar free, paleo }
Currently my favorite caffeinated iced drink (I was obsessed with this horcatta iced latte for awhile too), it beats any iced latte drink you can order at SBux. Although I was thrilled that Starbucks recently started offering almond milk option, it still comes out of a carton. Nothing compares to homemade nut milk. Nothing! Before you think there is no way you have time to make this, think again. Besides the passive time required to soak the nuts (see note below re soaking), it takes about 15 minutes to make a batch which can be savored over a week of lattes. That's a pretty solid ROI if you ask me!
Of course, you can drink the nut milk straight up. It is so, SO delicious! But what isn't improved with a shot (or two) of nice strong espresso? I think you know the answer my friend. Cheers!
Read moreOkonomiyaki Wraps { gluten free, dairy free, paleo }
Guess what! I have another awesome mash-up for you. OKONOMIYAKI WRAPS
First of all, what is okonomiyaki? Other than that it's fun to say (rolls off the tongue doesn't it), it is a Japanese savory pancake originating from Osaka, Japan. The pancake batter itself is traditionally flour-and-egg based, with finely shredded cabbage mixed right in. The name itself translates to "grill as you like it", meaning you can adapt it by adding to the pancake batter a variety of different ingredients from veggies (i.e. corn, mushrooms, potatoes) to meats (i.e. pork, beef, chicken) to seafood (i.e. shrimp, squid, fish). When we lived in downtown Toronto, we were lucky to be a 2-minute walking distance from Okonomi House, a small Japanese-run restaurant that specializes in - you guessed it - okonomiyaki. It was there that we discovered this ultra tasty food.
Read morePassionfruit + Meyer Lemon Tart { gf, dairy free, refined sugar free, paleo }
If you love a little pucker with your sweet with a little tropical twist, you'll go mad for this tart!
Read moreFluffy! Grain-free Pancakes w/out bananas { gf, dairy free, paleo }
Tamarind Chicken Banh Mi Tacos { gf, dairy free, paleo }
I'm so happy to kick off the new year with a recipe I'm rather excited about as it uses an amazing and wildly flavorful ingredient that is a relatively recent discovery for me - tamarind. I didn't grow up with tamarind, but I have made up for that lost time by how much I love it now. Are you thinking what even is tamarind anyway?
Read moreTomato Eggdrop Zoodle Soup { gf , paleo option }
I have a dichotomous personality when it comes to food. I avoid processed food in the house, go to great lengths to find products with no added color, flavors, preservatives or emulsifiers (like that insidious soy lecithin). I make a conscious effort to ensure our meals are not heavy with refined carbs and that vegetables & leafy greens are well-represented in general. All measures to eat more clean and healthy.
Read moreCashew Waffles { gf, dairy free, refined sugar free, paleo }
In my previous post, I wrote about my family's (temporary) grain-free and dairy-free diet. Since then, we had our follow up visit with the naturopath and received an 'okay' to consume rice, oats and quinoa in small amounts. I won't pretend to understand naturopathy at all. I don't. As a fairly science-based household (my husband is an intellectual property lawyer with a specialty in biotechnology and medical devices, while I worked nearly a decade at a global pharmaceutical company in a Finance capacity), this venture into alternative medicine is a giant leap of faith. A leap we had not choice but to take since traditional medicine failed to help my daughter beyond full-body topical steroid cream applications to treat her eczema and absolutely nada to diagnose or treat her mild but persistent, daily stomach aches.
Read moreItalian Almond Cookies { gf, paleo, dairy free }
Being prescribed a grain-free diet by my daughter's naturopath just before the holidays is like getting sick right before vacation ... or scoring free drink tickets only to get bar rail liquor ... or finding a hole in your sock the moment you take off your shoes at someone's house ... or dripping yellow mustard on your brand new sneakers (that stuff's like dye and never completely comes off!) ... or getting an unexpected visit from Auntie Flo when you're totally unprepared OK THAT IS GOING TOO FAR.
Read moreOrange Creamsicle Chia Smoothie { featured on Vogue.com }
This is a healthy, dairy-free take on the nostalgic flavor combination of sweetly acidic orange juice and creamy vanilla. These may seem like an odd marriage of flavors for those who didn't grow up getting creamsicle popsicles from the corner store but they play so well with each other - like pb&j or chocolate & strawberries! I really like it, can you tell?
So when vogue.com asked me to contribute my recipe for this healthy creamsicle smoothie for a feature on their site, I gleefully agreed! You can read my wee feature here. No big deal ;)
Read morePerfectly Crispy Sheet Pan Chicken { No Oil! }
I have been making this crispy chicken forever but it never occurred to me to blog it because it is just so simple. I finally decided it is less about a 'recipe' and more about the method. One that is tried and true and results in the crispiest chicken to come out of an oven without a single drop of added oil.
That is correct. Crispy. No oil. Skeptical? Let me explain.
Read moreTangy Yogurt Marinated Chicken Skewers
A tangy, garlicky, finger-licky delicious yogurt marinade works its magic by simultaneously flavoring and tenderizing pieces of chicken, which get skewered and seared on a hot grill to give you juicy, tangy, garlicky, finger-licky morsels of yumminess! Serve it with rice and your favorite veggies for a bright and healthy weeknight meal.
Read moreBlack Sesame Raw "Cheesecake" Bars {gf, v, dairy-free}
Sweetened black sesame paste is a mega-superstar in desserts. This is well known in east asian countries like Japan and China where it is a quintessential staple in sweet treats like ice cream, pastries, cakes and glutinous rice balls. In western culture we know how well nuts like pistachios, almonds and pecans work in all sorts of sweet applications, too many to list really. Black sesame lends a similar nuttiness to desserts although for some reason has not enjoyed the same ubiquity. The color maybe? Perhaps now is the time to give yourself to the Dark Side!
Read moreAlkalizing Green Juice
"Alkalizing". What does that have to do with juice? Remember grade school science class when you learned about the pH scale - as in, vinegar is acidic and baking soda is alkaline? As it turns out, our bodies are constantly balancing a pH too and plenty of literature informs us that bodies having a high pH (alkaline) versus a low pH (acidic) function better and are healthier.
Read moreLion's Head Meatballs
Lion’s Head Meatballs is a very traditional Chinese dish featuring large pork meatballs and leafy greens. This is a family recipe passed down from my Shanghainese grandmother, which always uses bok choy. The big fluffy meatball represents a lion's head and the surrounding leafy greens, its mane. Don't you love the fanciful name? Just as much to love is the dish itself, a mainstay comfort meal to be certain.
Read moreBone Broth (Two Ways: Stove Top + Instant Pot)
I used to think it was too much trouble to make my own broth. I purchased good quality stock from my butcher made from naturally-raised animals from local farms. So why bother with homemade?
Read more