Homemade Vegan Cookie and Cake Mixes in a Jar

We have been on a homemade present kick lately so when it was time to celebrate one of our good friend's birthday P and I made these super cool "vegan treats in a jar".

These are great gift ideas and are really simple to make. It also helps that P is a graphic designer so he was able to make these awesome labels but they would be just as cute with a little hand written instruction card.

To make the gifts just choose your favourite cake or cookie recipe that doesn't have a huge list of wet ingredients. We choose vegan chocolate cake, vegan chocolate chip cookies and vegan brownies for the mixes. Then in a glass jar layer all the dry ingredients that the recipe calls for. On an instruction card include the wet ingredients and measurements the person will need to make the mix and the method and cooking instructions for each recipe. Then package it up all nice and pretty and give away to some lucky people.

Beautiful Vegan Borscht

What a better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than with this gorgeous coloured borscht soup. The original recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks Get it Ripe by Jae Steele. (Also how cute is this tea towel. It comes in a set of three from Anthropologie. Before P and I got married my mother in law gave these to me and said "you can't get married without new dish towels". She's the best)

Make sure to use fresh dill in the recipe as the dried just doesn't cut it. I topped mine with a little vegan sour cream but the soup is awesome on its own.

Vegan Borscht
Adapted from Get it Ripe

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
6 cups veggie broth
1 large sweet potato, cubed
2 - 3 large beets, cubed
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp agave / maple syrup
3 Tbsp fresh dill
Fresh ground pepper
Soy sour cream to garnish (optional)

Heat oil  in a soup pot on medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until translucent. Add the carrot and sauté for another 5 minutes.

Add the stock sweet potatoes and beets and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes or until beets and potatoes are tender.

Add the vinegar, agave or syrup, dill and pepper. Stir and allow to simmer for another 5 minutes. If you like serve with a dollop of soy sour cream. And don't wear white while eating this soup!

Vegan Peach, Black Pepper and Basil Cake

 
It sounds like a weird combo but I love desserts with herbs in them. I think peach and basil go together really well. Plus the addition of black pepper gives it just a hint of spice. Super moist cake that doesn't need icing (although a vegan cream cheese icing would go really well here.)

Peach, Black Pepper and Basil Cake

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups almond milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup of ripe peaches, chopped (about 3 small peaches)
1/2 cup of fresh basil, julienned  

Measure the apple cider vinegar into a 2 cup measuring cup. Fill with almond milk to make 1 1/2 cups. Let stand until curdled, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk mixture, coconut oil and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until blended. Fold in the peaches and basil. Pour batter into a greased 9 inch cake pan and bake for 40 minutes in 350 degree oven.

Terrific Teacups

So many pretty teacups. I want them all! Plus it goes nicely with my round up of teapots.

1. Vintage French teacups via willow95988 2. Teacups as jewellery holders via Lavender & Lillies 3. Teacup bracelets (seriously - so freaking cool!) from staceygoldmaryrose 4. Teacup print from theblackoutline 5. Super cool mod teacups from MOD design 6. Amazing embroidered teacup via CRAFT:

Herbed Turbot with Fennel, Apple and Peach Salad

I felt like a little piece of fish tonight and we received beautiful fresh fennel in our CSA basket this week - this is what came out.

Herbed Fish
6 fillets of white fish {I used Turbot}
1/4 olive oil
2 handfuls of fresh herbs {I used chives, oregano, basil, sage, lemon thyme and tarragon - all from our patio herb garden)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

Mix oil, herbs, lemon and salt in the blender until all herbs are broken down. Place fish into an oven safe dish and pour herb oil over fillets. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily.


Fennel, Apple and Peach Salad
1 fennel bulb
1 apple
1 peach
2 radishes
3 Tbsp peach jam
2 Tbsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
Pepper to taste

Using a mandoline slice the fennel bulb, apple and radishes thinly. {I also cut my apples into matchsticks but you could leave them whole}. Cut peach into wedges and put all ingredeints into a bowl.

Mix jam, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to make dressing. Add to veggie mixture and serve with a helping of fish.

Tomato, Pear and Swiss Chard Salad with Garlic Scape Pesto and Zucchini

All the ingredients for this salad came from our CSA basket. (Except for the pears). I also added some smoked char to the top of this but it would be completely vegan if you left off the char.

Starting from the bottom layer:

Layer 1 - Wilted Swiss Chard with Balsamic Vinegar
Roughly chop 12 - 14 leaves of swiss chard. Place in frying pan with a little oil until the leaves wilt and add 1 - 2 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Take off heat and put aside. (I also fried the stems separately to use as garnish)

Layer 2 - Tomato and Pear Salad with Garlic Scape Pesto
Dice one large tomato and half of a pear and mix in a bowl. Add 2/3 cup of garlic scape pesto (Or regular pesto) and mix. 

Layer 3 - Smoked Arctic Char (Optional)
Slice the char into very thin layers.

Layer 4 - Quick Pickled Radishes
Slice 3 - 4 radishes very thinly. In a bowl mix radishes, 1 Tbsp of rice wine vinager and 1 Tbsp of sugar. Let sit for at least 15 minutes.

Layer 5 - Roasted Zucchini
Slice one zucchini into thin layers, about 1/4 inch thick. Place on baking sheet and drizzle with oil, salt and pepper. Bake in 350 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes until soft and slightly brown.

To assemble:
Using a ring mold, add a one inch layer of the swiss chard mixture, press firmly down. Fill the ring mold to the top with a layer of the tomato, pear and pesto mixture, again press firmly down. Take ring mold off carefully and wrap the salad with two pieces of zucchini. Top with a few pieces of smoked char and add the pickled radishes. Pour a tsp of the radish liquid over the salad and add some swiss chard stalks as garnish if you like.

Rosemary Iced Tea

This is a great drink for a hot summer day.

Rosemary Iced Tea
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Handful of fresh mint
2 litres water
2 green tea bags
4 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Put 2 rosemary sprigs aside. Roughly chop the remaining rosemary and mint. Place a large pot with 2 tea bags and fill with 2 litres of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Take off heat and add agave nectar and lemon juice. Taste and adjust flavour with agave or lemon.

Strain the mixture into a glass container (I used two - 1 litre jars) and add the remaining whole rosemary sprigs. Let cool and store in the fridge.

To serve pour into a glass with lots of ice and cut a small section of rosemary from the jar as a garnish.

Yann Haute Patisserie

We had some delicious macarons at Yann Haute Patisserie in Calgary. This little place is tucked away in Mission but is easy to spot - just look for the bright yellow house.

The owners are from France and make delightful and seasonal treats. I tried the Blackcurrant and Violet and my friend had the straight up Lemon. I am no macarons specialist but these were light, crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle and the filling had a strong but not overly sweet taste. My verdict - yummy.

1. Blackcurrant & Violet and Lemon macarons ready to eat 2. Outside of Yann 3. My first bite 4. Display filled with so many pretty colours and flavours

Jelly Modern Doughnuts

P and I were back in Calgary visiting for a few days. We met up with some friends and went to this new gourmet doughnut place that has has just opened up called Jelly Modern Doughnuts. They had some great flavours and everything was really yummy and fresh.

1. Valrhona chocolate doughnut 2. Hand filled lemon curd doughnut 3. Selection of mini doughnuts 4. S'mores doughnut with handmade marshmallow filling 5. Marshmallow filled doughnut 6. Special of the day was strawberry and cream filled doughnut.

Vegan Strawberry Shortcake

I always remember having strawberry shortcake with that yellow sponge cake you got at the store. It was the go to dessert when my mom didn't have time to bake - yellow sponge, a pint of strawberries and some whipped cream.

When I went looking for recipes I saw a bunch that were made with biscuits instead. I thought I would give it a go. I found the recipe on vegalicious.com. They tasted great but my biscuits didn't really rise very much. (Probably my fault). Also I didn't have any soy whipped cream so I took some soy sour cream and mixed it with a bit of maple syrup as a yummy substitute.

P and I ate the left over biscuits for breakfast with jam and Earth Balance.

Vegan Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Coconut Filling

We said goodbye to our last two winter interns at work last week so made this cake to say thanks. This cake recipe comes from Get it Ripe (One of my all time favourite vegan cookbooks). It always turns out lovely. For the icing I used my standard chocolate icing. The filling was just kind of made up but turned out really lovely. I am guessing on the amounts though as I wasn't measuring when I made it. (Sorry!)

Strawberry Coconut Filling
1/3 cup of soy cream cheese softened
1/3 - 1/2 cup of strawberry jam
1/2 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut
1 container of strawberries sliced into rounds

Mix cream cheese, jam and coconut together. You may need to add more of one or two ingredients. Just taste it to make sure it is delicious! Keep strawberries for assembly.

To assemble

Bake cakes and let cool completely. In the meantime make icing and filling.
Once cakes are cool remove them from the pan. Put one cake on your serving plate and spread filling on top evenly. Add a layer of fresh strawberries and the top with second cake. Now ice this bad boy and top with some edible flowers. Voila!

Pickled Beet and Grapefruit Salad

I know another stacked salad but look at how pretty! Actually the inspiration came from a picnic in the park - P and I picked up some snacky stuff to eat in the park including grapefruit slices and a beet salad. Then I thought these would go really nice together so here's what I created.

I will give you the recipe layer by layer starting at the bottom

Layer 1 - Fried Potato

Take one large potato and slice lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Steam until soften but not mushy then fry in pan with olive oil until crispy.

Layer 2 - Avocado slices

Layer 3 - Pickled beets
I tried this recipe and it turned out very nice. I cut my beets into small cubes rather than rounds as the recipe indicates. Drain before adding to salad.

Layer 4 - Fried spinach & Garlic
Take a few cups of spinach and cook over medium heat with 1 Tbsp of olive oil and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic. Cook until soft and wilted.

Layer 5 - Grapefruit
Peel 1 large grapefruit, segment then cut into cubes. In a small bowl add grapefruit a pinch of salt and pepper and some olive oil.

Layer 6 - Watercress (or use another type of green)

Layer 7 - Grapefruit Zest

Dressing 
2 Tbsp grapefruit juice
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp maple syrup

To assemble salad
Place potato slices on plate and top with avocado. (This part I made wider than the rind mold rather than trying to get it to all fit). Place ring mold on top of avocado and place a layer of pickled beets at the bottom and pack with the back of a spoon. Follow with a layer of spinach and top with a layer of grapefruit. Pour 1 Tbsp of dressing over the salad, gently remove ring mold and top with greens and grapefruit zest.

Welcome Spring Dinner

 

 Last weekend the weather was beautiful, the sun was shining and it felt like spring had arrived. I was feeling ambitious and decided to make this plate of spring deliciousness. It includes a Stacked Cantaloupe and Tomato Salad with Balsamic Vinegar,  Avocado and Cilantro Mousse, Fresh Cucumber Rolls and Garlic Bread.

Cantaloupe and Tomato Salad with Balsamic Vinegar

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup cantaloupe, diced finely

2 tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

1/2 cup cashews, chopped (optional)

Handful of fresh mint, julienned

 Olive oil

 Salt and Pepper

Place balsamic vinegar in a small pot and simmer over low heat until it has reduced and coats the back of a spoon. (should take 15 - 20 minutes). Set aside.

Toast cashew nuts until brown and crunchy.

Sprinkle cantaloupe and tomato with salt and pepper.

Using a ring mold place a layer of cantaloupe at the bottom and pack with the back of a spoon. Place a thin layer of cashews on top of the cantaloupe. Fill the rest of the ring mold with tomato and pack again with the back of a spoon. Pour 2 tsp of olive oil over the salad. Carefully remove ring mold. Pour 1 Tbsp of reduced balsamic vinegar over salad (I did mine in a little criss-cross pattern). Top with mint.

Avocado Cilantro Mousse

2 ripe avocado, halved, skinned and pitted

1 clove garlic

1- 2 Tbsp lime juice

Handful of cilantro

1 tsp salt

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. You may have to add some water to create the right consistency. Serve with toasted baguette brushed with olive oil and rubbed with a clove of fresh garlic.

Thimblecakes Bakery

 

 Found this lovely cupcake shop Thimblecakes on a recent trip to Ottawa. I had the Chai cupcake but they had these adorable Fruit loop cupcakes as well. Oh plus they have a sugar-free flavour and gluten free flavour everyday! Pretty cool.

Pretty Pink Bathrooms

P and I have been talking about re-painting our bathroom and prettying it up a bit. I am gunning for something pink, girly and glam. Here are some great bathrooms.

 1. Delpha Via art-deco-interior 2. Via Bohemian Vintage 3 & 4. Via bijou kaleidoscope 5. Image find 6. Delpha

Birthday Treats

We had a party to celebrate mine and P's birthdays. We bought these two lovely cakes at our favourite bakery De farine et d'eau fraiche to go along with the mocha cake and sugar cookies I made for the party. The yellow one is passionfruit and the pink one is tea and rose.

Puces Pop Round Up - Pollen & Parcéline

Oh so much prettiness at the Pollen & Parcéline booth at Puces Pop. They have these gorgeous ceramic pieces of jewelry that feature images of birds and flowers. Some of them are even threaded and adorned with beads and fabric. My treat to myself was a brooch with a dandelion on it.

Puces Pop Round Up - C comme ça

All I can say is wow. The designs from C comme ça are beautiful. Cindy Cantin makes bags, laptop cases and ipod holders out of felt and leather. And they are stunning.

1. Ipod cases 2.Ipad sleeves 3. Laptop sleeve

Puces Pop Round Up - MAR céramiste

I want all of the creations by MAR céramiste - Marie-Andrée Roberge. Look at how beautiful these plates are. You should also definitely check out her super cute ceramic fortune cookies.

Deer Oh Deer

Some super cute deer items. 

1. Deer paper craft with template via Daily Cute 2. Kawaii deer fabric via Tim and Erin Fulton 3. The most amazing knit deer head from Rachel Denny 4. Bookmarks from Ribonita 5. Deer broach from craftjuice 6. Deer crayon tote (a crayon tote? Already this is the cutest thing I have ever seen) from Grandmas Little Lilly