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tipsylady · 5 years ago

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Spirit of a Pioneer

Thomas Edison Alva was America’s greatest inventor, had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world, holding more than thousand patents in his name. But some of his attempt was a failure, as there is no linear line what leads us to success. The same approach can be applied to the whisky industry: without any innovative, unconventional thought and trying we will just stand in one place and sometimes not taking any risk is the biggest risk. Beside the iconic veterans we might notice many experimenting releases where the distilleries play with the ingredients such as yeast or different type of casks, the place or time of the maturation or even with the gravity – in 2012 Ardbeg has sent a few samples to the space which spent there total of 971 days, orbiting the Earth 15 times a day. These initiatives all aim to give rise to the potential development of new flavors.

With every sip of these spirits we jump into the whirl of the tastes and scents, sometimes it proved to be very difficult to differentiate among the certain notes. The statement of “the whisky is simple, yet very complex” might sounds paradox, but it’s true, isn’t it? Simple, because it only requires three components: water, yeast and any kind of grains - I consider the cask rather a fourth ingredient, than a container, but it is only my opinion. Only with these how can we land having such complex drams with rich tropical fruity scents, coconut aromas, chocolate nuances and spicy notes? Let’s put the elements under investigation.

The water. A large set of distilleries located near to a river or a lake as to produce an excellent malt they need clean, clear and iron free water. At Laphroaig they said 15% of the flavor from the whisky come from the water supply. The Kilbridge stream flowing through peat beds, giving it a unique color and a lot of sediment. They had even water war with the neighbours in 1907. Also, why 95% of the bourbon supply is made in Kentucky? Because of the clear limestone spring water of the Kentucky hills (limestone removes iron from the water). Based on these facts we might have a conclusion that this is really a critical element in the whisky making process.

The grains. Barley add up to two-third of Scotland’s cropped land while the wheat growing area is also considerable. The US is the biggest corn producer in the world and since everyone distills what they have, it is not an accidental fact that the home of the bourbon is America. Rye prefers the cooler, wet temperature like the one in Canada, this is how it evoked to be great power of the rye whisky. One nation’s agricultural specificity largely determines the country’s spirit industry portfolio. Recently, many with entrepreneur spirit has started their experimenting with oat or millet for example.

The type of grain also define the final product flavor profile as in general rye ensure a bit of spicy character with a dry, peppery finish, while the bourbon made from corn are definitely the sweetest one and the ingredient of traditional scotch, the barley grants mostly the bakery like aromas.

The yeast. Without it spirits could not exist, still among the 3 components this one is hiding in the shadow. A magic ingredient what turn the sugary mash into alcohol, to be exact at that stage 8% ABV beer-like-something during the fermentation process. And here we are we reached a controversial topic again: does yeast affect the flavor of the whisky? It depends on whom you ask, based on my investigation on the internet mainly the American distilleries dedicate a lot of energy to maintain a certain yeast culture, but in Scotland it is not really in the spotlight, the emphasis is on the efficiency: to reduce a time of fermentation. Following those who said yeast imparts flavors to the final product it can add notes of apricot, apple, pear, banana or pineapple. Other aromas also emerge from the fermentation process such as diacetyl which responsible for the creamy, butter-like experience in your mouth.

Your favorite dram might evocative of the nearby scents of bakery since we can draw a parallel line between bread making and whisky or beer producing. The ingredients are same - except that extra 10-12-16 years sleep which needed to our spirit to transform into beautiful amber colored butterfly from a ‘new make’ caterpillar. So the barley might gives the bread like flavor and the additional aromas from the fermentation contributes to the buttery, peachy compote notes. Or let it be pear. What else can be found on your grandma’s shelves? I am sure there are tons of pickles. Be brave and play with the flavors! I am sure your eyes are pretty wide now since you might already scrolled through several articles about whisky and cheese or chocolate pairing but pickles? Try it with a slightly peated scotch like Bowmore 12yo or Caol Ila 12yo and let me know your impressions. Sorry for the bypass, I am just in an experimenting mood.

Getting back to track, another field of attempts what largely utilized is the cask. Different sizes, various previous contents, all make their own effect. The vanillin provides the taste of vanilla, the oak lactones gives a hint of coconut but other warm ‘holiday spices’ such as cloves or cinnamon also extracted from the oak barrel. And at what level was the cask charred? Only toasted or alligator burnt? The difference between these two is only plus 40 seconds burning, still such a significant impact. The highly charred imparts sweet flavors like caramel or honey as the wood sugars were caramelized ‘in the heat of the moment’ and it will result in deeper whisky color. In case of it is only slightly toasted, the final color will not be affected hardly, plus it will bring more vanilla aromas. The purpose of charring is not really to get a smoky dram, the peatiness is depends on how you dried off the malt – with hot stream or burning peat in the kilns. Charring is done to yield the best possible reaction between wood and whiskey. To further accelerate this effect, the smaller the cask the more the whisky is exposed to the wood, resulting in a more intense maturation.

The most typically used barrels for aging the scotch are the ones what previously contained bourbon or wines like sherry or port. Is it all? Not really, have you heard the Glenfiddich IPA Experience release? It was created in cooperation with a local brewery from the Speyside region who share similar passion towards new innovative flavors: the whisky was matured in barrels what previously were filled with IPA beer. And what about the peaty whisky like beers? Ardbeg has launched its first ever beer, a smoky porter in partnership with Brewgooder in 2020. Unfortunatelly this one-off beer is exclusively available in the UK market for a limited time period. If you had a chance to try out this creamy smoky goodness please share your thoughts and make me envy.

No doubt, beer and whisky share a same DNA, I would happily experiment with this too, if I could have a chance to purchase somewhere nearly. I will need to keep my eyes open and give attention to BrewDog Distilling Co. since it released a few ‘whisky beer’ so far. Let’s stop here for now, and discuss the whisky flavoured liqours in the next article.

Cheers, Viv

#whiskey #singlemalt #scotch #alcohol #whisky #bourbon

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resultnorth1-blog · 6 years ago

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Self-Care Interview Series: Erin Lovell Verinder

Erin Lovell Verinder is a herbalist, nutritionist and energetic healer living in the wilds of the Byron Bay hinterland in Australia, working with clients locally in her Sydney clinic and worldwide via Skype.

Routine

— Is routine important to you or do you like things to be more open and free?

I honestly love both. I keep certain parts of my day very structured especially around work days and where I can, I claim open space. I follow structure to bring in the foundations of support that are essential for me to thrive and maintain my balance. Like slow mornings, connecting to nature, enjoying a whole nourishing breakfast. But then I open up my days where possible to flow & allow spontaneity.

— What do your mornings look like? If they differ from day to day, describe your ideal morning.

I keep my mornings slow and sacred, it’s been a very intentional movement towards this over the years. I wake with the sunlight pouring into our bedroom, we live in an old church and the light in here is just next level serene. I always keep the blinds open to allow my body rhythms to harmonize with the sun and moon cycle. This regulates your cortisol and melatonin in such a fundamental way. I allow myself to wake slowly, no rush, no jump out of bed, no alarms, no startle response! I will then take time to do some stretching sequences with conscious breath, and then sit for a 20 minute meditation. Followed by a morning dog walk around our very green country town. Other mornings it’s a swim in the ocean with my husband and a lazy lay on the sand. After this, it’s breakfast time. I brew a tea, or make a tonic and take that out into the garden. I really feel it’s so important to have a whole breakfast, and we really honour that in our household, we sit and chat and connect over a meal before the day unfolds. I do my absolute best to only engage in anything work related after 8am and completely screen free before then is the daily goal.

— Do you have any bedtime rituals that help you sleep well?

Yes! I am super ritualistic about the evening wind down. I ensure I am off all screens at least two hours before sleep. I feel this is so greatly important to allow our bodies to align and flow into the yin cycle of the night. I switch off all overhead lights and only use very warm low light lamps as the sun sets. This is another trick to converse with your body to wind down, let go of any tasks and prep for rest. I read, write, listen to music and savour evenings for creative flow and conversation with my husband.

— Do you have any kind of mindfulness practice?

Many. I practice conscious breath and meditation as my main allies. But I also spend A LOT of time with plants, growing, making, conversing and in nature scapes. This is for me the ultimate mindfulness practice of oneness, presence and connection.

Sustenance

— Describe your typical or ideal meal for each of these:

Breakfast – Scrambled eggs with turmeric, garlic and greens, avocado and some home fermented veggies on the side.

Lunch – Wild caught Mahi Mahi with tarragon, parsley, lemon and garlic cooked in ghee, on top of a bed of greens with some roasted sweet potato on the side. (Literally one of my favourite dishes ever)

Snack – I love smoothies. Often a smoothie, my current fav is Strawberries, cashew nut butter, cashew nut mylk, collagen, hemp seeds, tocos, cinnamon, vanilla powder & ashwaganda powder.

Dinner – San choy bow, with a rainbow of veggies & lots of bold ginger flavour in vibrant cos lettuce cups.

— Do you do caffeine and in what form? If not, what is your drink of choice in the morning?

I actually do not, I am completely stimulant free. I have not always been, but just find myself so very sensitive to any stimulants these days. I used to love love love a great spicy black chai tea but since going caffeine free I have replaced it with a dandelion chai blend I make myself that is just so warming and grounding I adore it. Plus no crazy energy spikes and lows, so thats a plus!

— Do you have a sweet tooth and do you take any measures to keep it in check?

At the same time when I let go of stimulants, I completely let go of sweets- even natural sweeteners. In the past I have been an avid lover of raw chocolate and quite the connoisseur (ha) but these days I make my own carob chocolate that has no sweetener in it at all. I love carob as it’s very sweet naturally so you can get away with no added sweeteners. I pair it with vanilla powder and they work synergistically to give a natural sweetness that I find so comforting.

— Are there any particular supplements, herbs, or tinctures/tonics that you take regularly and find to be helpful with your energy level and general wellness?

I do utilize supplement support as needed, this shifts as my body shifts. I love Vitamin C on so many levels but particularly for its adrenally restorative healing elements, so it is absolutely in my daily supplement routine, alongside Magnesium citrate on the daily. With herbs, I will vary what I am taking depending on my needs. I add herbal powders and medicinal mushrooms to my tonics and smoothies. Currently my favourites are Withania (Ashwaganda) and Reishi. I also am a huge lover of infusions (long loose leaf herbal brews) and always have a big jar of an overnight infusion with me to sip throughout my day. My most utilized blend would be Nettle leaf, Oat straw and Hibiscus. Earthy, calming, tangy and nourishing.

Exercise

— Do you exercise and do you have a particular exercise routine that you repeat weekly?

Years go I had a heinous back injury, I herniated multiple discs from overexercising. My approach and relationship to body movement completely shifted after this, from rigorous to gentleness. It is still an area of my life I have to encourage myself back to and approach more as an act of self love. Taking care of my temple. I walk my pups daily, I love pilates and swimming, I have begun the be.come project and absolutely LOVE the approach to body movement with body positivity, inclusivity, no need for any equipment and in the comfort of my own home. This all feels really supportive and a mix of gentle yet effective support for me and my body.

— Do you find exercise to be pleasurable, torturous or perhaps a little of both? How do you put yourself in the right mindset in order to keep up with it?

I am not a natural athlete by any measure! I have recently connected to how emotional it can be to return to body movement when you have been through a big physical injury/body change/life change. So for me the way I psyche myself up to do a session is to come from self love, to know this is a loving act of care for my body. That really helps me so much. Also knowing there are no rules to how you must move your body, allow exercise to meet your vibration- yin, yang and all between. Shifting the type of body movement I do with my menstrual cycle/hormones is so key. Be your own compass.

Beauty

— What is your idea of beauty – external, internal or both?

Authenticity, when someone is just purely themselves and at ease with it. I find it absolutely stunning.

— What is your skincare approach – face and body?

Oils, oils and more oil. I swear by the dewy hydration of oils. I am pretty low maintenance with skin care, and have noticed I need a lot less intervention since moving to the sea and swimming in the ocean most days. The salt magic is so nourishing for the skin. I also find the sun very healing, contrary to the fear of UV rays we have been indoctrinated with! I use a homemade herbal balm for a lot of applications, hair mask, makeup remover, and moisturizer. It is a power packed plant based mix, and such a heavenly blend. I also use Ritual oil, a moringa and blue lotus oil as a body moisturizer. I am in my mid 30’s and really notice my skin responds so well to the dewy goodness of oils. I practice dry body brushing also, which I feel is so wonderful to aid stagnation and lymphatic flow. I use a jade roller which I keep in the fridge for extra lymphatic cooling, and use on my face every few days with oil. I always end my showers with cold water, to add in a hydrotherapy element. I wear very little makeup, but when I do it is always natural, as clean as can be. I love RMS and Ere Perez.

— Are there any foods, herbs or supplements you find to be helpful to your skin/hair/general glow?

The importance of a vibrant whole foods diet and hydration is EVERYTHING! So many compounds in our foods, fruit + veggies are anti aging and collagen boosting anti oxidant heros. I drink 3+ litres of filtered water daily and do my very best to eat a rainbow of seasonal organic fruit/veggies daily and honestly I rely on this to support my health, skin and hair primarily. I do add in a marine based collagen daily to either smoothies or tonics. Also I am in a stage of encouraging my hair to grow, and am using nettle, rosemary and horsetail infusions as a hair rinse. I also massage in olive oil and rosemary oil into my scalp, truly it is so simple and aids hair growth.

— Do you have any beauty tips/tricks you’ve found to be especially useful throughout the years?

A low tox life is key. Keep your stress in check, move your body, eat as clean as possible – mostly plants, organics or pesticide free produce, clean water and clean air. The most incredibly glowy humans I know follow this ethos. This has been my guideline and I am often told I really do not look my age. I am so at ease with ageing but it is always nice to hear you are maintaining a youthful glow!

Stress, etc.

— Do you practice any consistent routines in order to avoid stress?

I really do. I work for myself and direct all of my offerings at this point. This can be demanding and means “work” can have a never-ending feel. There are always so many thoughts, needs and energy streams flowing into my work life. I also feel when you work as a space holder and in the healing realms, your energy output can be hefty. Burn out is high in this line of work, as you truly want to assist so deeply to aid others, we can often throw our needs to the side. I have learnt this many times in my years as a clinician/healer. I implement a lot of consistency with a structured clinic week~ limiting the amount of clients I see weekly to where I feel my energy is at and how many clients I can truly be present for. I balance myself with time off, away from screens, in nature and welcome in receiving energy to counteract my giving energy. My self care practice is the core of how I seek balance. I am actually freakily good at giving back to myself, which I believe enables me to do what I do!

— If stress cannot be avoided, what are your ways of dealing with it?

For me, it is much healthier to come at it head on.. (typical Aries answer!) I do my finest to address the stressors, and clear the way. Whether this means a mountain of admin, which is often a stressor for me as I not a natural lover of admin. I bunker down, switch off all other distractions, play some flute music or chants, burn some incense and get in the zone. When I exit that zone I feel so accomplished and reward myself with an ocean swim, or a nature walk to balance out the mental space I have been in.

— What measures do you take when you sense a cold/general feeling of being under the weather coming on?

First and foremost I rest. Immunity can be a very strong conversation our bodies communicate to us with the message of needed REST. My go to supplement and herbal approach is to take a high dose of Vitamin C consistently in divided doses throughout my day, I also add in zinc supplements. I always have an immune focused liquid herbal tonic in my first aid support cabinet, so I begin this at a high frequent dose to meet the acute presentation of a cold/virus~ generally dosing up to 4 x daily. Usually it will have Echinacea, andrographis, elderberry, manuka, thyme in it. I love medicinal mushrooms to support immunity so I will take a blend of Reishi and Chaga in higher doses. I avoid raw foods and focus on lots of cooked warming nourishing food to feed the cold, congees, broths, soups, stew. I also make fresh oregano, thyme with sliced lemon & ginger tea. If I really honour the rest that is needed, the cold/rundown feelings will shift very swiftly.

— How do you reconcile work-time with free-time? Do those things overlap for you or do you keep them distinctly separate?

The best thing I ever did was to get a separate work phone. I have a dedicated phone that my clients can contact me on, so in my free time it is left at home or on silent. This has helped me enormously create healthy boundaries. I also do not have my work emails on my phone, so I do not check them at all unless I am sitting down at my computer to work. It is so important to be available to your own process and own life, especially when you are in the field of assisting others. These simple interventions help fortify those boundaries greatly for me.

Motivation

— Describe the actions you take or mindset you try to tap into in order to stay on track with your self-care practice and being nice to yourself?

I return to softness with myself if I lose my way a little. I do my best to not judge or engage in negative self talk. I soften and return to my centre. We all have patterns we are cycling. Although I feel I am quite a master of my own self care practice I definitely can get caught up in my workload a fair bit. One thing I do consciously do is to book a treatment in weekly in some form, usually a bodywork-massage session. I find this tactile healing so restorative.

— What do you consider to be the single most important change you’ve made to your routine or lifestyle in terms of wellness?

I recently moved from the mountains to the sea, although they are both completely beautiful nature rich locations I was very much in need a big environment change for my own health and wellbeing. Having lived in a very cold environment mountain side for 10 + years I was craving the warmth, the salt and the sun. Being by the ocean and soaking up the sun rays has been so fundamentally healing for me at this point. Total game changer! The power of changing your environment is so potent when you feel the call to do so.

— How do you deal with periods characterized by a lack of inspiration or procrastination?

I acknowledge that this too shall pass, it is transient. I do my best to trust my own creative genius. I am quite a forward motion person, so when I am feeling uninspired it absolutely can get me down. I am naturally a procrastinator in many ways, which can be so frustrating but saying that I also have the ability to then smash out the tasks in an uncanny way! I often find when I am not in such a wonderful place with myself I feel that sense of stagnation, so I do my very best to get to the roots of that stagnation. Often it takes me getting into nature to be re inspired, crafting out some quiet space to re energize and tackle the task head on. I try to ask myself what is the block, and unpack the block to free up the energy flow.

— A book/movie/class that influenced your view of self-nourishment or self-care.

As cheesy at it sounds I LOVED Practical Magic, the witchy plant potions and the apothecary Sandra Bullock’s character opened was a total inspiration for me as teenager.. & still is now (lol).

Knowledge

— What was your path to becoming a herbalist, nutritionist, and energetic healer? How do all of those practices interweave for you?

I was always drawn to the esoteric realms and the mystery of nature. As a little girl I loved being outside, I loved the flowers, the trees, the plants, the grasses, the oceans, the mountains. I loved being an observer and always felt so held when I was in nature. As soon as I began to understand that plants could have a positive effect on our health, it just fascinated me. Learning about folklore of plant medicine, applications and remedies drew me into a language I wanted to be fluent in. I believe that much of our call to the plant path is remembering, these plants have been with us through our ancestral lines for eons. My career began really at the age of 16 with energetic healing, I met a group of wild women up north in Australia and was welcomed into circles, introduced to the concepts of healing, and recognized as a student of these realms. I learnt reiki which led to crystal healing, then to sound healing, colour therapy, kinesiology.. I went to a college for 2 years to learn energetic healing in depth and graduated by the age of 19 holding full in depth sessions on auric healing and clearing energetic blockages. For me it felt too much too soon. So I went and travelled, met my husband in the USA and studied a whole lot more. When I returned to Australia I wanted to anchor my knowledge of healing with more grounded modalities so I began studying Naturopathic medicine. I forked off into a Bachelor of Western Herbal Medicine and Nutritional Medicine. I loved learning about plants and food as medicine, I loved the union of science and grass roots knowledge. Over years of being in practice, I have found that there is no way or no need to seperate these modalities. I weave them all in together to ultimately support the client in a very holistic way. I approach my practice with this lens of perception. I lead with intuition, and merge functional testing, pathology testing, traditional folk medicine, evidence based plant medicine, nutritional medicine, and energetics all to support. I believe there are always energetics involved in a health presentation, along with the demand for nutritional healing as powerful ally, and herbal medicine to assist, shift and support. Aligning these healing modalities is a potent combination. Essentially the basis of Naturopathic Medicine is individualised care, no one case is the same. This ethos rings true to me, there is not one client I have worked with that is the same as any other. How can we approach health in one way, or believe there is one remedy for one presentation? It goes against the nature of our uniqueness! My practice is about honouring the individuals path, story and health goals.

— You put a lot of emphasis on gut health in your practice and believe it to be the root to all balanced health. Can you talk a little bit about why you see this as such an important aspect of wellbeing?

“All diseases begin in the gut” – Hippocrates had it right!

So many issues stem from the gut, it is the root of our health. With the emergence of continued evolving science we are seeing so much more information come to light around the microbiome/microbiota, which is truly wonderful. Much of our immunity is linked with gut health, it impacts mental health greatly with our “second brain” residing in the gut producing neurotransmitters, it is involved in the auto immune expression, it defines our ability to absorb and produce nutrients/vitamins/minerals, it impacts our metabolism, it is directly connected to our stress response and digestion responds accordingly.. And so much more… I work very closely with digestive healing with each and every one of my clients as I believe this is a key element to balanced health and shifting imbalanced symptoms. Many of my clients present with poor digestion and we dig like detectives to get to the roots, often it is a leaky gut like picture – with parasites, yeast overgrowths or SIBO which we generally detect via functional testing. Once we have a good sense of what is actually happening in the gut, we go in with a supportive treatment plan – lifestyle, supplemental, nutritional and herbal interventions. It always astounds me how health can transform so greatly, from imbalanced to balanced with the right support, intention and dedication. Our bodies are so wise, and so willing to transform.

— What is your favorite way of incorporating herbal medicine into your (or your clients’) everyday life?

I personally incorporate it in so many ways. I make my own products and use them on my skin and in my home on the daily, I drink herbal teas and infusions daily and use tonic herbs to support my body/being. I have a herbal garden that is buzzing right now, so connecting with the plants via gardening is medicine to me. There is something so potent about growing and caring for a plant and utilising her healing, knowing the story of the plants beginnings enhances the healing power I believe. For clients~ it really depends but I do always advise infusions to become a part of their everyday lives. They are so very simple and accessible, basically a long brewed overnight tea! If you are working with me in a session we will touch on many ways to incorporate plant medicine into your life, from the herbs that are suitable for your current process, to cleaning up your skin care with more plant love, to working with herbal tablets/liquid tonics for marked support.

Fun and Inspiration

— What is something you are particularly excited about at the moment?

This next year feels so full of creativity, as I expand and launch multiple new offerings. Right now I am in a potent brewing stage, so I look forward to it all coming to fruition!

— What do you do to unwind or treat yourself?

Days off at the beach, going into the bush, gardening in my medicinal plant patch, reading a great book, screen free days, massages, hugs with my husband & dogs.

— A book/song/movie/piece of art to feed the soul:

Book – Braiding Sweetgrass – Robin Wall Kimmerer Song – Stay – Cat Power/ Ba Movie – Call me by your name Piece of Art – A oil pastel pencil drawing gifted to me by my husband and family by my dear friend and incredible creator Chanel Tobler called “Curves like jam”

— Is there anyone you would like to hear from next in this interview series?

Emily L’ami from Bodha, she is a scent magician.

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Source: http://golubkakitchen.com/self-care-interview-series-erin-lovell-verinder/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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targetcolor20-blog · 6 years ago

Text

Self-Care Interview Series: Erin Lovell Verinder

Routine

— Is routine important to you or do you like things to be more open and free?

— What do your mornings look like? If they differ from day to day, describe your ideal morning.

— Do you have any bedtime rituals that help you sleep well?

— Do you have any kind of mindfulness practice?

Sustenance

— Describe your typical or ideal meal for each of these:

Breakfast – Scrambled eggs with turmeric, garlic and greens, avocado and some home fermented veggies on the side.

Snack – I love smoothies. Often a smoothie, my current fav is Strawberries, cashew nut butter, cashew nut mylk, collagen, hemp seeds, tocos, cinnamon, vanilla powder & ashwaganda powder.

Dinner – San choy bow, with a rainbow of veggies & lots of bold ginger flavour in vibrant cos lettuce cups.

— Do you do caffeine and in what form? If not, what is your drink of choice in the morning?

— Do you have a sweet tooth and do you take any measures to keep it in check?

— Are there any particular supplements, herbs, or tinctures/tonics that you take regularly and find to be helpful with your energy level and general wellness?

Exercise

— Do you exercise and do you have a particular exercise routine that you repeat weekly?

— Do you find exercise to be pleasurable, torturous or perhaps a little of both? How do you put yourself in the right mindset in order to keep up with it?

Beauty

— What is your idea of beauty – external, internal or both?

Authenticity, when someone is just purely themselves and at ease with it. I find it absolutely stunning.

— What is your skincare approach – face and body?

— Are there any foods, herbs or supplements you find to be helpful to your skin/hair/general glow?

— Do you have any beauty tips/tricks you’ve found to be especially useful throughout the years?

Stress, etc.

— Do you practice any consistent routines in order to avoid stress?

— If stress cannot be avoided, what are your ways of dealing with it?

— What measures do you take when you sense a cold/general feeling of being under the weather coming on?

— How do you reconcile work-time with free-time? Do those things overlap for you or do you keep them distinctly separate?

Motivation

— Describe the actions you take or mindset you try to tap into in order to stay on track with your self-care practice and being nice to yourself?

— What do you consider to be the single most important change you’ve made to your routine or lifestyle in terms of wellness?

— How do you deal with periods characterized by a lack of inspiration or procrastination?

— A book/movie/class that influenced your view of self-nourishment or self-care.

As cheesy at it sounds I LOVED Practical Magic, the witchy plant potions and the apothecary Sandra Bullock’s character opened was a total inspiration for me as teenager.. & still is now (lol).

Knowledge

— What was your path to becoming a herbalist, nutritionist, and energetic healer? How do all of those practices interweave for you?

“All diseases begin in the gut” – Hippocrates had it right!

— What is your favorite way of incorporating herbal medicine into your (or your clients’) everyday life?

Fun and Inspiration

— What is something you are particularly excited about at the moment?

This next year feels so full of creativity, as I expand and launch multiple new offerings. Right now I am in a potent brewing stage, so I look forward to it all coming to fruition!

— What do you do to unwind or treat yourself?

Days off at the beach, going into the bush, gardening in my medicinal plant patch, reading a great book, screen free days, massages, hugs with my husband & dogs.

— A book/song/movie/piece of art to feed the soul:

— Is there anyone you would like to hear from next in this interview series?

Emily L’ami from Bodha, she is a scent magician.

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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teabooksandsweets · 6 years ago

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I would like to point out though: The taste depends on the brand. This goes for every single one of these.

Soy, rice, and oat milk can be - unlike the others - really, really cheap and many supermarket off-brands have some, and they are usually not very processed, only plain soy/rice/oat with water, salt, and some stabilisator. (Is that a word in English?) So that should be your go-to.

Some soy milks taste really, really sour plain, although flavoured soy milk (chocolate, vanilla, banana, etc.) is usually tasty. I hardly ever buy it, actually.

Oat milk is dramatically underrated - it’s very high in protein which is not what people would expect (I once compared it to a box of normal milk and oat milk had more protein!) and very, very tasty and versatile. It also makes very good milk foam for coffee, etc.

I definitely recommend it, because many people are allergic to soy (and it can taste really weird!) and rice milk can be a little thin, although it is really good if you want to use a really light milk. Oat milk is creamy, and tastes really, really nice. Oatmeal made with oatmilk is also really nice. Not as sour as with real milk and very intensely oat-y. Nut milks are expensive, and many people allergic, but they are also high in protein and really tasty. Keep in mind though: They taste like the nut they are made from. Hazelnut milk tastes a bit like nutella, almond milk a bit like roasted almonds - you get the idea.

But I would also like to mention: Lupines. Lupines. Lupines. Lupines. I personally don’t like lupine milk (although many claim it tastes just like real milk?) but I love lupine yoghurt and ice cream. Lupines are very pretty flowers, and they are also catch crop. That means they get grown and harvested anyway - and pretty much everywhere which is why they are also a very good regional source, unlike soy and the likes - but usually either thrown away or used as food for farm animals. Only a few years ago, they lupines were discovered as a very good source of protein for humans and an ideal base for, well, dairy and even meat replacements. They are healthy, and also a very, very ethical source that traditionally gets wasted, and definitely should be supported. Allergies are also uncommon, but some people with peanut allergies also happen to be allergic to lupines - although not all, so if you’re allergic to peanuts better be careful with lupines.

Hello there! I’ve illustrated this very basic plant-milk-guide for those of you out there who have trouble getting into a dairy-free lifestyle.

I’ve included some options for how to use them – obviously, you can use any of these drinks for anything you like, depending on your personal taste!

Also, I’ve kept the nutritional info to a minimum (the info’s taken from nutrition facts.org or wikipedia) since I am not an expert. However, many plant milks are furthermore fortified with Vitamin B12, D or Calcium if you have any concerns about nutrients.

I hope that this is giving a good overview of popular plant-milks and encourages you to try them and find your favorite (my personal faves are a soy-rice blend or oat-milk) :)

Instagram: @mittel.praechtig (feel free to share, but please give credit!)

#GIVEPLANTSACHANCE

#vegan

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greaseonmymouth · 5 years ago

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I’m tasteless celery anon. Read your list I literally love everything you hate. Recipes will say one clove garlic I add a whole gulf I love garlic cooked or raw. The one thing we agree on is rocket it’s bad. Love black coffee. It’s kinda like what you eat influences your taste buds. Like if you don’t eat a lot of dark chocolate and heavy rich surgery foods than a triple dark chocolate cake that I would describe as rich and decadent you’d say too sugary. I just think taste is neat.

oh I love garlic when it’s cooked though! I’ll add insane amounts to what I’m making if the recipe calls for garlic in the first place. my Italian flatmate revealed to me the other day that she’s never had garlic and I was like......but you’re Italian?? turns out the region she’s from doesn’t use it in their cooking.

also I really love dark chocolate, but it’s an acquired taste. I used to be a milk chocolate kind of person, but then gradually went darker and darker. I draw the line at around 72% though which is the highest I’ll go, 80% and up is way too bitter for me. I can’t stand white chocolate though, it’s basically just fatty vanilla sugar, absolutely vile. I have also had the misfortune of being served what I thought was a rich and decadent dark chocolate cake and then it was mostly sugar and I was just...nope. how can you fail at putting enough chocolate in a dark chocolate cake???

to answer your other ask, some of my favourite foods (also prefacing this with: I am gluten intolerant so don’t eat a lot of pasta or bread because the gf versions are expensive):

Bland Category:

fish - fish and chips, boiled fish with boiled potatoes (I’m Icelandic don’t judge me), fried fish with potatoes (there’s a Theme here), fish stew, fish soup, fish gratin (my mum makes a really good one with yellow curry, pineapple, and grated cheese that she got out of a 90s cookbook). Fish is always cod, haddock, salmon, or rainbow trout (aka the ‘cheap salmon’). I detest herring. I’m very suspicious of most fishes that are eaten in Denmark that aren’t cod because in Iceland where I’m from those fishes are generally considered ‘inedible’ fish and are mostly used as animal feed or bait. Why would we eat them when we can have the Good Fish instead? It’s a cultural thing, I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with those fishes. Herring I just have an irrational hatred towards. It’s the Worst fish.

CHEESE and various dairy products. I like everything from ricotta and mozzarella and cream cheese to mature cheddar to goat cheeses, blue cheese, and Parmigiano. Yogurt. Skyr (Icelandic product). Kefir. Buttermilk. Viili (Finnish product). Rahka (another splendid Finnish product). Sour Cream! Cottage Cheese! I like it all.

The Fun Category:

Indian food - I cook a lot of simple curry dishes for myself though I definitely prefer getting it in restaurants or as takeaway as it’s often much better than what I can manage to make. If it’s coconut based it’s the best. The ones I cook for myself are actually more Sri Lankan than Indian and call for coconut.

Mexican food - two of my staple dishes to cook for myself are chili con carne (or chili sin carne, increasingly, these days) and a soup that is likely more Mexican inspired than actual Mexican (the recipe comes from a Swedish cookbook and I modified it). This is also food I’ll go out for.

Thai food - mostly fried rice/rice noodle type of dishes. Coconut based curries are my favourite. I go out for these.

Chinese food - if my dad isn’t cooking it for me, which he rarely is because we haven’t lived in the same country in 20 years, I go out for this. I’ll get rice and then chicken or vegetables in some kind of spicy sauce, depends on the restaurant (the ones I know of specialise in regions and the dishes vary drastically).

Vegetables:

eh this one’s hard because for a lot of vegetables it’s “DEPENDS” and also when I was a child I not only was a really picky eater who refused to eat anything but potatoes, fish, and dairy, but also a lot of fancy veggies weren’t available in my homecountry because it wasn’t grown there and didn’t ship well or whatever. so I’m not used to eating a lot of vegetables to begin with. hence why I like canned peas, because that was the only way we could have them. s lentil a vegetable? I love lentils. I’m not a huge fan of beans but I’ll put them in things like chilis, and I’ll have baked beans if I’m eating a full English/Scottish breakfast out somewhere.

I love tomatoes and mushrooms though. I don’t like most vegetables raw, I prefer them cooked. Roasted or fried. I have been served far too many boiled broccoli/cauliflower/carrot mixes in my life to ever want to eat them again. I

These days for my lunches I’m assembling them out of: bistro salad mix, fried mushrooms and fried bell peppers, fresh tomatoes (cherry, san marzano, or other very flavourful tomato that comes in small sizes), mozzarella if I have it (or avocado if I have it), hard boiled eggs or spicy fried chicken or other lunch meat if I can find it reduced in the supermarket. salt, pepper, oregano, sweet chili sauce. if I don’t have mozarella, eggs or avocado in there I’ll add some mayonnaise to the sweet chili sauce to add some fat. it’s very basic stuff but it’s easy to make, filling, and is made of things that I like.

sometimes I don’t have the energy to make lunch and will either have whatever Indian curry & rice on the menu from the restaurant on campus (it’s not great food but the servings are huge and very extremely affordable) or I’ll just eat gluten free oat biscuits.

Fruit:

see above. the only fruit I’ll eat fresh basically is bananas and I don’t even like bananas that much. They’re just the easiest to eat. I kind of like apples but I can’t just bite into one (it’s a texture thing), I’ll have to have it cut and sliced into small bits. Same with pears. Every now and then I’ll get a craving for some soft and sweet fruit and buy like, 1 peach, or 1 nectarine or 1 mango and then eat half of it and then I’m Done. I’ll sometimes get those little plastic cups with bits of melon and pineapple and grapes and eat the contents of that and be like I have now had A Fruit and be good for like, a month.

I like berries to an extent and usually cooked or baked in something. I love bilberries in pie and if I can find reduced raspberries at the supermarket I’ll turn them into a sauce to put on plain yoghurt. I like orange juice and prefer squeezing it myself, but I will not actually EAT an orange (or another citrus) because once the juice is all gone what you’re left with is the fleshy bits and they’re bitter as hell and a Bad texture.

I grew up with artificial fruit flavours in candy so generally I’ll prefer a cherry flavoured sweet over a real cherry because the real cherry will taste Green a lot of the time and the candy will not, and the candy will have a more intense flavour. The only exception to this is marachino cherries in those fancy jars, I’m happy to eat those in desserts.

But also most of the foods that I cook for myself are just Generic Pan European foods or Random Dish I Just Made Up. I’ll be making lasagne one day not following any authentic Italian recipe (I mean, it just has Things In It That I Like and also a can of tomatoes), and the next I’ll be having grilled cheese toast for dinner and the next I’ll not bother cooking and just have yoghurt and the next day I’ll go look at the reduced vegetables section in Tesco and come away with random stuff that I can put into a soup or stew (always tomato based) that again doesn’t follow any known recipe but rather a ‘these are tasty things I like that happened to be on sale and when combined like this will be tasty to me’ method. Not a huge fan of butternut squash for example and would never buy a whole one to cook but here in the UK it’s often in mix bags with sweet potatoes and onion (all diced), and if those are reduced to idk £0.85 down from two pounds whatever you bet I’m taking that bag and making soup or stew out of it. I’ll add lentils, stock cubes, can or two of tomatoes, whatever other veg I have if I have it, spices, and have rice with it. I’ll usually get dinner for at least 4 days out of it. My staple spices (aside from the sri lankan spice mixes I use) are paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin, chili flakes, oregano, salt, pepper, cinnamon. we have a basil plant but I’d otherwise have dried basil as well. these are all spices that go well with tomato based dishes and/or mexican dishes and are pretty versatile.

#long post #I'm sure nobody cares #maybe except you anon #I talk a lot about buying things reduced #I have done this for a decade because such is the poor student life #and anyway there's usually nothing wrong with it #can you tell I'm procrastinating #almost done with my reading for tomorrow's class though #Anonymous

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justastepbeyondtherain · 6 years ago

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New York is a foodie heaven. Around every corner is a variation of restaurants, bars, cafes and bakeries to suit any palate. As a vegetarian (and wannabe vegan) with a particularly sweet tooth I hunted out bakeries, ice cream shops and vegan cafès. In this post I share with you five of my favourites.

Taiyaki NYC

My sister Helen (read her blog here) heard about Taiyaki NYC on Instagram and said we had to go. After some searching we found it tucked away in Chinatown. For such an insta famous place the shop is absolutely tiny. I can imagine that it gets really busy on summer days. The day we went it was a rather chilly autumnal day so we didn’t wait long to get our hands on the Unicorn ice cream. Not only did it look gorgeous (and rack up the likes on instagram) but it also tasted delicious. The waffle cone was filled with warm custard and the vanilla soft serve was so creamy. I really hope Taiyaki open a London store at some point!

The Bagel Store

The Bagel Store in Williamsburg was conveniently located a short walk away from our Air BNB. We went here to sample the famous Rainbow Bagel (and get all the photos for Instagram). Whilst I knew that the bagel would look gorgeous as I had seen lots of photos before, what I wasn’t expecting was how good it tasted. I had mine toasted with Oreo cream cheese filling which was to die for. Literally the best bagel I’ve ever had.

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By Chloé

By Chloé is a vegan fast food cafe and the food is just divine. After eating a lot of sweet, carb based foods I loved getting some plant based goodness from By Chloé. I went for the smashed avocado on toast and sweet potato fries. Recently I visited one of their two London restaurants and had cinnamon pancakes which were also delicious. By Chloé is now one of my favourite cafes.

DŌ Cookie Dough

For a sweet treat there is no better place to go than DŌ Cookie Dough. DŌ specialise in cookie dough, there is a range of flavours and you can have it in a cone or a tub with sprinkles on top. Even though I have a sweet tooth this cookie dough is seriously sweet – almost too sweet for me – so I just went for one scoop in a tub. I had oatmeal and M&M cookie dough which was tasty but I couldn’t finish it all at once so put it in my bag and had the rest later!

Cha Cha Matcha

Matcha is a superfood. It is packed with antioxidants and vitamins and also tastes pretty good (well I think so anyway, others may disagree!) Cha Cha Matcha do a variety of matcha based drinks with cute latte art and lettering on top. I had ginger & turmeric matcha with oat milk which was so good as well as so healthy. Cha Cha Matcha has inspired me to get back into making my own matcha drinks!

❤

My favourite New York foodie places New York is a foodie heaven. Around every corner is a variation of restaurants, bars, cafes and bakeries to suit any palate.

#foodie #matcha #new york #new york blogger #new york cafes #new york eats #new york foodie #new york snacks #nyc #NYC eats #travle blogger #vegan

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afashionpoint · 6 years ago

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Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Soft and Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipes: This recipe involves a wonderful blend of cocoa, butter, and pasta, with sugar, milk, fruits and any other imaginable delight, is to me the perfect expression of love. Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe includes to measure, join, knead, and putting together chocolate cookies with hands. What is a Chocolate Chip Cookie? Making cookies are much simpler than it sounds. If you want to try something very original and delicious, then you should find a way to give a twist to the Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe. A chocolate chip cookie is a cookie that is originated in the United States with chocolate chips as a distinctive ingredient. The traditional recipe combines dough - based butter and brown sugar or white chocolate chip semi-sweet. Also, the variations include recipes with other types of chocolate or additional ingredients such as nuts or oats. The Chocolate Chip Cookie is a Classic: It is the perfect combination between the crunchy flavour of a cookie and the softness of the chocolate. They are practically irresistible and mainly family's favourite.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe Chocolate Chip Cookies invention: Every one of the entire nation who has enjoyed a delicious chocolate chip cookie, we owe everything to R. Graves Wakefield. R. Graves Wakefield was the woman responsible for this exquisite invention. She was a graduate of the Framingham State Normal School Department of Home Arts in 1943. After graduation, she worked as a specialist in dietetics and nutrition. In 1930, R. and her husband Kenneth Wakefield purchased a Cape Cod-style house located half-way between Boston and New Bedford, just outside of Whitman, Massachusetts. The house was originally built in one thousand seven hundred and nine and at that time had served as a resting place for those who travelled the road. There, interns paid and ate home-cooked meals. Although many companies have been marketing such famous cookies but the truth is that none can be similar to the chocolate chip cookie that is baked at home. Their texture is different; they are soft and crisp at the same time. Not only this, but the creamy and chocolaty flavour gives you another indescribable sensation when you try them. If you want to eat good chocolate chip cookie you cannot miss learning the Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe.

Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe:

What you will need: ½ cup margarine. 1 cup of sugar 1 egg ½ teaspoon liquid vanilla 2 cups flour ½ teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt ¾ cup of chocolate chips Steps for Making the Easy Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe: What you have to do is that incorporate together margarine with sugar. Then add the eggs one by one and the vanilla liquid, keep on mixing. Finally add a little flour, salt and baking powder, of course, you should not stop mixing. The last thing you will do is include the chocolate and move the dough carefully so that it fits you well into the dough, do not mix it too much because depending on the weather it could start to melt the chocolate and the idea is that you have the small pieces firm in the mix. If you have children at home they will love to help you in this part: tell the kids to roll some ball shaped dough and then you can flat them with hands spatula, or whatever you think is feasible for you. Place them on a greased pan with margarine, butter or corn oil. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remember to preheat the oven to 175 ° C. Tricks: If you do not have margarine, replaced by butter. It is better to make it by your hand, as you have the idea that how firm cookies you are making. If you are more practical use the mixer, just until you have to incorporate the chocolate, in that moment turn it off. Chocolate chips in some countries are not so easy to get. Then find a chocolate that you like a lot and cut it into pieces. This goes well too. When you put the cookies in the tray, leave about three centimetres apart because they usually grow a lot and expand, due to the expanding agent it. This means that the mixture could turn into a super-maxi-cookie. When making this recipe for the first time and when your cookies are in the oven, you should be very aware of them. Each oven is different and the cooking time varies depending on the height and climate of the city where you make them. These cookies are usually ready in 25 minutes; yours could be earlier or take a little more. Do not let them burn you! When you remove the cookies from the oven let them cool by themselves, by putting them on a tray, and then you can take them off without much trouble. If you do not let them cool in the tray you will break or you will be stuck.

Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe Tips to Melt Chocolate: Microwave: Use only microwavable containers when melting the chocolate. Always and at all times put the container in the center of the microwave. Be cautious the chocolate tends to be very hot when heated. Not only this, but always and in all circumstances remove containers from the microwave using unique gloves. The container may be warmer than the contents. Never overheated, bear in mind one thing very clearly that the chocolate and other pastry ingredients can be easily burned. Try to put the chocolate in no more than thirty seconds, always and at all times stirring it afterwards. The sparks and bars of chocolate may appear to have not melted when removed from the microwave; it is precisely for this reason that it is essential always and at all times to stir for a fluid consistency. Apart from everything, when you will try this recipe you will not get disappointed and not only you but your whole family will love these cookies. Read the full article

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kristinsimmons · 6 years ago

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Vegan Salted Peanut Butter Crunch Torte + 10 Years!

10 YEARS!!! Can someone please tell me how it’s been a decade since I wrote my very first blog post? We’re celebrating today with this incredible vegan dessert and a week-long OSG Recipe App sale for charity (deets below).

When I started my blog on October 31, 2008, Eric and I were newly married and living in Toronto while I was working full-time as a researcher and wrapping up my Master’s degree. Life was pretty chaotic, and completing my degree was starting to wear me down (at one point I thought I was just going to cut my losses, throw in the towel, and move on!). This blog was the most amazing creative outlet during a time when my life was lacking the kind of creativity that I absolutely craved. It allowed me to explore a side of myself that I hadn’t since I was a kid (like my love for photography, baking, creative writing/journaling, and just being a goof). My blog’s first tagline was “Food. Fitness. Fashion. Fun.” Pretty epic, right? lol. I’m grateful to Eric for encouraging me to “find a hobby” after years of exhausting myself with school and work. He still jokes that my “hobby” turned into my career, so I need to find a new hobby now. (Fine, I’ll start my own animal farm! YOU WIN!)

I find writing therapeutic in soooo many ways. In the early days, I didn’t have more than a handful of readers, and I found it quite easy to talk about my struggles online. I was like no one is going to read this anyway! It was an online journal of sorts, and I wrote about my history with disordered eating and how I was finally getting myself on a path to recovery. I shared the challenges I faced finding a career that I was truly passionate about (and, eventually, how I relinquished my need to people-please by completely changing my career path). I had the most supportive response from those first early blog readers (as well as my friends and family), so I kept writing with my heart on my sleeve.

After coming in the top 3 of the food blogging challenge Project Food Blog, an editor from a major publishing house emailed me saying she loved my work and was wondering if I’d like to write a cookbook. Pretty sure I fainted! It was the email that changed everything and solidified the fact that I was on the right path after doubting myself and my decision to change careers for so long.

So here we are 1 blog, 3 moves, 2 cookbooks, 2 kids, and 1 recipe app later…including countless late nights, self-doubt, and (ongoing) indecision for good measure! It sure has been a wild ride! I’m still learning and dreaming of new goals every day (all while not having the slightest clue how to get there!). Above all, I’m really proud of the fact that I’ve stayed true to myself and the values I have for this hobby-turned-business. The best part is that I’ve been lucky to meet so many of you amazing people online and in person, and I still can’t quite believe how freakin’ genuine, cool, and supportive everyone has been! It’s so crazy to think that some of my best friendships have been made through this blog. Forever grateful. Thank you from the bottom of my veggie-lovin’ heart for making this such a fun journey. And cheers to the next 10 years! Any guesses as to what adventures they’ll bring for you or me?

To celebrate OSG’s 10-year anniversary, we’re having a big OSG Recipe App sale this week with 100% of the proceeds being donated to Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada. Right now our app is just 99 cents, so if you’ve been thinking about downloading it, this week is a great time to do so and support a fantastic cause that’s near and dear to my heart! You can find our recipe app on both the iTunes and Google Play stores. Thank you so much for all of your amazing support and for helping us give back to our community.

I had so much fun celebrating Canada’s food writers at the Taste Canada Awards Gala last night! We were nominated in the Food Blogs Health and Special Diet category, and I was so honoured to take home Gold! All I could think about was how grateful I am to have this recognition, especially so close to OSG’s 10-year milestone. Plus, Adriana and Arlo have been calling all of my food “YUCKY” lately, so now I can show them the award and explain that they’ve been outvoted, lol.

Last but not least, we’re having a little party to celebrate 10 years and this new dessert is on the menu. I hope you’ll enjoy every bite as much as we have! With Halloween tomorrow, I can’t think of a better time to indulge in some creamy, dreamy, chocolaty PB goodness.

Salted Peanut Butter Crunch Torte

Vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free

While dreaming up a recipe to celebrate Oh She Glows’ 10-year anniversary, I immediately thought of one of my all-time favourite flavour combos: salted peanut butter and chocolate! Hubba hubba. This salted peanut butter torte (of pure sweet heaven) is easy to throw together and only takes a couple hours to freeze. Its creative presentation will impress the heck out of your guests, and that irresistible sweet-salty flavour and creamy, crunchy texture will blow your taste buds away! I’ve also tested this torte with 3 different fillings: peanut butter, almond butter, and a nut-free sunflower seed butter version! And guess what? They’re all so delicious we couldn’t pick a favourite! See my Tips for how to make the sunflower seed and almond butter versions.

Yield 12 small or 9 medium servings

Prep time 25 Minutes

Cook time 10 Minutes

Chill time 2 hours

Total time 35 Minutes

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1/2 cup (78 g) almonds

1 cup (100 g) gluten-free rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup (60 mL) coconut oil, melted

3 tablespoons (45 mL) pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons (30 mL) smooth natural peanut butter

For the filling:

1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut oil

1/3 cup (80 mL) coconut cream*

1/2 cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup

3/4 cup (185 g) smooth natural peanut butter

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For topping (optional, but recommended):

Coconut Whipped Cream**

1/2 cup (95 g) non-dairy chocolate chips + 1 teaspoon (5 mL) coconut oil, melted***

1/2 cup (80 g) chopped toasted walnuts and large-flake coconut****

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly grease an 8x8-inch square pan with coconut oil (including up the sides, too). Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the width of the pan with a bit of overhang so it’s easy to lift out.

For the crust: Add the almonds, oats, and salt to a food processor and process until the mixture resembles a coarse flour, about 30 seconds.

Melt the 1/4 cup coconut oil in a medium pot (you’ll be using the same medium pot for the filling) over low heat. Add the melted oil, maple syrup, and peanut butter to the processor and process until the mixture comes together in a heavy dough, 10 to 15 seconds. The dough should look like a wet cookie dough. If you find it a bit dry, add a teaspoon or two of water and process again until a wet dough forms.

Spoon the dough into the prepared pan and crumble it evenly all over the base. Lightly wet your fingers and press the dough into the base firmly and evenly. Level the edges with your fingertips. Poke the base with a fork about 12 times to allow air to escape while baking.

Bake the crust for 9 to 11 minutes, until it looks pale and a bit puffy. The crust might look underbaked when you remove it, but this is what we want to avoid drying it out.

Meanwhile, make the filling: In the same medium pot (no need to clean it!), melt the coconut oil and coconut cream over low heat. Now add the maple syrup, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Spoon the filling onto the crust (there’s no need to cool the crust first) and carefully transfer the dish to a level surface in your freezer. Chill until solid, about 2 hours. If I’m not serving the torte right away, I’ll cover the pan with tinfoil after a couple hours of freezing. While it chills, prepare the Coconut Whipped Cream and gather the toppings so they’re ready to go.

Once frozen, remove from the freezer and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes. Slide a knife around the edges to loosen the slab. Using the parchment paper, lift the slab out and place it on a serving platter. Slice into slices of your desired width. Now add the toppings: I add a large dollop of Coconut Whipped Cream on each and then top it with lots of drizzled melted chocolate, walnuts, and large-flake coconut. A pinch of coarse sea salt is nice too. If you have leftover melted chocolate, serve it on the side in a small dish so you can spoon some more chocolate over top while eating (trust me on this one!). Serve immediately—the combo of cold filling and warm melted chocolate is just dreamy! But the chilled leftovers (with hardened chocolate) are totally irresistible too.

Storage tips: The filling softens a great deal at room temperature, so it's best not to leave leftovers on the counter for longer than half an hour. Return it to the fridge or freezer for best results. Cover leftover slices and store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze the slices for 4 to 6 weeks. I like to wrap frozen slices in tinfoil and then place them all into a freezer-safe zip bag.

Tips:

* Chill your can of full-fat coconut milk for at least 12 hours before you begin this recipe so that the cream on top is solid. After making the torte, you’ll have some leftover coconut cream in the can which can be used to make Coconut Whipped Cream for the topping!

** Feel free to use store-bought coconut whipped cream instead. I like “So Delicious Dairy Free CocoWhip!”

*** To a small pot over low heat, add the chocolate and oil. Stir until smooth and combined.

**** Of course you can use roasted peanuts instead. I’m not a big fan of them so I prefer to use walnuts.

Make it nut-free: In the crust, swap the almonds for sunflower seeds and in the filling swap the peanut butter for roasted sunflower seed butter. I like to add an extra tablespoon of maple syrup and a pinch of salt to this version—the filling tastes like salted caramel!

Almond butter version: Swap the peanut butter for roasted almond butter.

Don’t have an 8x8-inch square pan? You can make this in an 8x4-inch loaf pan or standard-size muffin tin (both greased with coconut oil).

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susantregre · 6 years ago

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Vegan Salted Peanut Butter Crunch Torte + 10 Years!

Salted Peanut Butter Crunch Torte

Vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free

Yield 12 small or 9 medium servings

Prep time 25 Minutes

Cook time 10 Minutes

Chill time 2 hours

Total time 35 Minutes

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1/2 cup (78 g) almonds

1 cup (100 g) gluten-free rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup (60 mL) coconut oil, melted

3 tablespoons (45 mL) pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons (30 mL) smooth natural peanut butter

For the filling:

1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut oil

1/3 cup (80 mL) coconut cream*

1/2 cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup

3/4 cup (185 g) smooth natural peanut butter

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For topping (optional, but recommended):

Coconut Whipped Cream**

1/2 cup (95 g) non-dairy chocolate chips + 1 teaspoon (5 mL) coconut oil, melted***

1/2 cup (80 g) chopped toasted walnuts and large-flake coconut****

Directions:

For the crust: Add the almonds, oats, and salt to a food processor and process until the mixture resembles a coarse flour, about 30 seconds.

Bake the crust for 9 to 11 minutes, until it looks pale and a bit puffy. The crust might look underbaked when you remove it, but this is what we want to avoid drying it out.

Tips:

** Feel free to use store-bought coconut whipped cream instead. I like “So Delicious Dairy Free CocoWhip!”

*** To a small pot over low heat, add the chocolate and oil. Stir until smooth and combined.

**** Of course you can use roasted peanuts instead. I’m not a big fan of them so I prefer to use walnuts.

Almond butter version: Swap the peanut butter for roasted almond butter.

Don’t have an 8x8-inch square pan? You can make this in an 8x4-inch loaf pan or standard-size muffin tin (both greased with coconut oil).

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nadiashealthykitchen · 7 years ago

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Coffee Vanilla Tarts (Vegan & Gluten-free)

Creamy mini tarts filled with coffee and vanilla flavoured cream. A simple recipe that calls for few ingredients, but results in something so delicious and aesthetically-pleasing!

I’m one of those people who probably loves coffee desserts more than actually drinking coffee. Don’t get me wrong, I do love a good cup of milky coffee, but there’s something special about a coffee dessert. Like chocolate desserts, I like how the bitter taste of the coffee complements the sweetness of a dessert. They’re especially delicious during winter months when you need something more rich, comforting and decadent.

Although I no longer drink coffee, I still like a good coffee dessert. The only reason I avoid coffee and caffeine in general is because it makes my anxieties 10 times worse, so I avoid it as much as possible. However, when it comes to coffee desserts, the amount of coffee per serving is usually so small that the caffeine just doesn’t have the same effect on me.

I’m working with KoRo on another recipe, this time using their soft dates, cashews and vanilla coffee. When I saw the coffee on their website, I knew I HAD to try it in a dessert recipe.

I’m really enjoying playing around with their ingredients. They just have so many products that I still want to try! Next time I’ll be making homemade vegan and gluten-free Bourbon cookies! I’m so excited to share that recipe with you, so watch this space!

KoRo have kindly offered my blog readers and followers a 5% discount code on every order you make. If you would like to try any of their healthy goodies, just head over to their website use the code KOROLICIOUS at the checkout.

The base is made of oats, ground almonds and a bit of coconut oil and maple syrup to help the mixture hold together. The filling is made of tofu, cashews, whole dates and brewed coffee resulting in a velvety, smooth and creamy coffee goodness!

As you can see, the ingredients are fairly healthy, but just like with most of my treats, they’re meant to be enjoyed in moderation. Just because they’re vegan, gluten-free and contain ingredients that have some health benefits doesn’t mean you should eat them everyday and definitely doesn’t mean they’re low in sugar, calories and fat, but that’s ok! Because if you’re eating well most of the time, you can indulge in a treat like this every now and then.

These coffee vanilla tarts would make a great after dinner treat when you have guests over. Or you could halve the recipe and make two portions for yourself (have one on the day and save the other for the next day ;))

And even though the recipe is really REALLY simple as it is, you can make it even easier by leaving out the base and simply serving the coffee cream as a mousse in dessert glasses! That’s a 4 ingredient dessert for you!

Coffee Vanilla Tarts (Vegan & Gluten-free)

Makes: 4

Ingredients

1 cup (110g) oat flour 1/2 cup (50g) ground almonds 1/4 tsp salt 3.5 tbsp coconut oil 1 tbsp maple syrup 150g silken tofu 1/2 cup (70g) KoRo cashews 10 KoRo dates 1/2 tbsp KoRo vanilla coffee brewed in 1/2 cup boiling water

Method

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Mix the oat flour, ground almonds and salt in a bowl, then pour over the melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Press the mixture into mini tart tins. Freeze for 1 hour. To make the coffee cream filling – add the tofu, cashews, dates and brewed vanilla coffee in the blender until smooth. Take the tart cases out of the freezer and pour in the filling. Refrigerate until set (1-2 hours). Decorate with melted chocolate, dairy-free whipping cream (optional) and whole coffee beans. Enjoy!

تورتة القهوة النباتية

١ كوب دقيق الشوفان ١/٢ كوب لوز مطحون ١/٤ ملعقة صغيرة ملح ثلاث و نصف ملاعق كبيرة زيت جوز الهند مذابة ١ ملعقة كبيرة شراب القيقب او عسل ١٥٠غم توفو سيلكين ١/٢ كوب كاجو ١٠ حبات تمر ١/٢ كوب قهوة قوية

الطريقة

امزج دقيق الشوفان واللوز المطحون والملح في وعاء، ثم ضف زيت جوز الهند المذاب وشراب القيقب. ضع المزيج في قوالب تورتة صغيرة. جمد لمدة ساعة. إضف التوفو، الكاجو، التمر والقهوة في الخلاط. صب في قوالب التورتة ثم ضع في الثلاجةلمدة ١–٢ ساعات زين مع الشوكولاته مذابة خالية من الألبان و كريمة نباتية (اختياري) الف عافية

Thanks to KoRo for sponsoring this post. Commissioned posts is how I’m able to continue working on the blog and creating recipes and recipe videos for you. As always, all opinions are my own.

Coffee Vanilla Tarts (Vegan & Gluten-free) was originally published on UK Health Blog - Nadia's Healthy Kitchen

#cleaneating

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vitalmindandbody · 7 years ago

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11 Nutrients To Devour To Cool Down In The Summer That Aren’t Popsicles Or Ice Cream

I’ll be the first one to suggest going for some nice, cold ice cream on a hot summer’s daytime, but the reality is that giving into these sugar craves won’texactly retain you cool when it’s hot AF outside.

At least , not for long.

Idefinitely like tokeep my fridge stocked with frozen treats to pasture on post-dinner in the summer months, but the truth is, there are plenty of healthier alternatives that keep your body temperature coolduring the sweltering season.

Check out these tasties, hitherto healthy, options for a speedy cool-down when temperatures get too hot this summer.

1. Chocolate Smoothie

Just because you’re bouncing out on ice cream and syrup-diluted frost popsdoesn’t mean you have to rid your organization of the sweetened nonsense this summer.

I personally cherish a loaded smoothie container, or blending all my ingredients together to freeze and thaw out overnight for an ice cream-esque alternative.

If you’re looking to curb a chocolate thirst, raw cacao pulverization is loaded with antioxidants, protein, calcium, and magnesium, and it pairs so well with frozen return, you won’t even miss the added carbohydrate of store-bought scoops.

If you don’t consider yourself a smoothie connoisseur, Daily Harvest’s chocolate and blueberry verve smoothie is a pre-prepared alternative obligated with blueberry, banana, kale, time, spinach, raw almond, ocean, cacao, vanilla bean, Himalayan sea salt, and maca.

All you need to do is hurl the frozen goodies into a blender, contribute your option of a liquid base, and experience!

2. Green Juice

Green juices are an excellent substitute for cold shakes and sugary liquids you’d usually reach for to cool down, due to their high water content andinclusion of nourishing, micro-nutrient-rich leafy ingredients.

No time to stop at the farmer’s sell to stock up and mix everything yourself? Bonafide Provisions’ drinkable veggies is a collection of bottles that combine a medley of vegetables and bone broth for the purposes of an organic delicacy that’s luscious healthy.

3. Frozen Bananas

Believe me when I enunciate frozen bananas merged together literally flavours like any luscious ice cream you’ve ever tried.

Seriously, the first time I tried it, my recollection was absolutely blown.

It tasted like an ice cream barroom, but better full of flavor and, as a healthy bonus, potassium.

I ended up inhaling the entire stuff, and had now been continued a cache in my freezer for grazing throughout the day.

4. DIY Frozen Yogurt

Though my husband and I frequently go out for fro-yothroughout the summer months, unless you’re opting out of candy toppings, this ice cream alternativeisn’t best available for maintaining your figure cool long-term.

Try picking up a few cases of your favorite Greek yogurt flavors next time you’re at the convenience store, and stick them in the freezer.

Set one out on the counter to melting before dessert, and contribute some whipped cream, coconut flecks, chocolate-covered hemp seed, or flavored nut butter( Julie’s Real coconut vanilla bean cashew butter is my favorite at the moment ).

5. DIY Immune-Boost Pops

There’s something so incredibly slaking in detecting further ways of to makedessert as nutrient-dense as it is delicious.

What’s enormous about building your own frost daddies for a summertime snack is that most recipes are super customizable, so you can add or extinguish ingredients to fit your body’s needs.

Choose a basi like a non-dairy milk or coconut sea, and add in natural sweeteners( sugar, maple syrup, etc .), yogurt, return, even herbs for a concoction that will cool your mas down and boost your immune system.

I love contributing power healer and medical intuitive Carolyn Harrington’s Matys organic coughing syrup to my mixtures.

I know the name clangs gross, but this antidote shall consist of immune-correcting parts like apple cider vinegar, lemon peel, red pepper, and cinnamon, that are altogether easy on, and reparative for your system.

6. Watermelon

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There’s arguably good-for-nothing better than cold cubes of watermelon on a red-hot summer’s day.

As a great on-the-go snack to toss in your cooler on the way to the beach, watermelon is only that water!

But, of course, with a sweetened flavour that’s enough to keep you satisfied.

7. Naturally Flavored Water

If you’ve ever been to a spa and sipped their fruit-infused irrigate after a nice, long rub, you understand the appeal of slicing up lime, lemon, strawberries, and the like, and pitching a few into your water bottle for the slightest suggestion of natural flavor.

Drink it straight, or fill up a few ice trays with your smorgasbord for ultra-refreshing ice cubes.

On the turn? CORE lately launched new organic, fruit-infused bottles that are just five calories per serving, available in flavors like peach mango, pomegranate blue acai( my personal favourite ), and watermelon lemonade.

8. Bowl Of Cold Fruit

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Another simple, but oh-so-satisfying, alternative, a container of cold return for breakfast, lunch, dessert, or even a snack will chill your form down instantly.

I ever store return in the fridge out of personal liking, but if this isn’t your norm, give it a try! Slice up a bunch of return, and mix it all together in a large bowl for spontaneous scoops whenever you need ’em.

9. Cucumber

In my opinion, cucumber by itself is boring and tasteless.

But combine this stand-alone veggie with a scoop of hummus or cheese, and you’ve got yourself a game-changer.

The water-dense green will do wonders for your surface, and it’llkeep you hydrated hours after snacking.

10. Salad Loaded With Leafy Greens

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Salads are my go-to lunch option any time of year, but especially during the summer, when I can incorporate juicy returns like mango and orange slices in the mix.

Make sure yours is loaded with leafy greens like newborn spinach and kale for their high water content and micro-nutrients.

11. Overnight Zucchini Oats

I know, I know.

Adding zucchini to oatmeal isn’t precisely orthodox, but this combining has been my favorite for a little over a year now, specially when I’m looking for a little extra loudnes from my meals.

I consider zucchini the chameleon of veggies, because it actually doesn’t have its own flavour, and takes on the flavor of whatever it’s being added to.

Combine equal percentages oats and liquid basi as per customary, and give it soak for a few minutes. Add in one half of a zucchini, shredded and blotted( to soak up extra humidity ), and arouse in.

Add in fruit and any other natural sweetenersyou miss, and tell the compounding determined overnight.

This chilled bowl will not only fill up your tummy, but the added zucchini will be delivered your mas with vitamin C and manganese, a protective mineral that opposes off free radicals in addition to encouraging collagen production.

Stay cool, friends.

The post 11 Nutrients To Devour To Cool Down In The Summer That Aren’t Popsicles Or Ice Cream appeared first on vitalmindandbody.com.

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balancednotclean-blog · 7 years ago

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Vegan Biscuit Spread Blondies Recipe

Although blondies are typically white chocolate brownies, I felt these were still worthy of the moniker.

Soft and gooey with just the right amount of cakey crumbliness, these blondies come into their own once they have been given a chance to cool (and better yet, time left in the fridge).

The vegan aspect was more of a self-challenge. I wanted to see if I could create something off-the-cuff that worked. Something that had flavour, texture and taste I’d choose whether it was vegan or not.

Biscuit spread was my weapon of choice as it’s one of my favourite spreads. Ever. Nothing can beat it over toasted crumpets or steaming hot porridge. The way it just melts and brings its warmth to everything makes it stand out far beyond the likes of Nutella - and I’m a self confessed chocoholic.

I don’t know if you’ve read about this one on my Instagram, but I approached this bake very strategically as I was inventing this with no prior inspiration (other than years of baking failures, both vegan and not!). I knew a good blondie needed sugar for texture, fats for gooiness and flour for bulk, binding and texture. I know now that a dash of salt can improve most recipes immensely, and adding a little extra cinnamon can kick the flavour up a notch.

Yet, because this is a vegan recipe, I also knew I had some constraints. I couldn’t use butter. I couldn’t use any eggs, or milk. And I didn’t think chia seeds, although vegan, would work as I wanted to here. They’d disrupt the texture in a way I didn’t want (the only welcome disruptions would be vegan white chocolate chips - but I didn’t have any).

So out came the biscoff as a “butter”, sugar and flavour source. Vegan “soft cheese” (I used Tesco’s Free From range) upped the fat content some more and gave extra moistness (it uses coconut, I think). Apple and banana purée (literally little tubs of baby food works best, as it’s fully blended, convenient and has no lumps) became my egg substitute, bulking agent, and mild sweetener.

Extra sugar came from Sukrin (it’s a low calorie baking sugar), but this could easily be swapped with bogstandard brown sugar (I recommend Demerara - big sugar crystals for extra chew).

Overall, if you want the recipe sweeter, you could substitute some of the fruit purée for agave (vegan) or honey (not vegan). Or, add extra sugar and leave the fruit purée in. Just be aware that extra sugar makes the recipe more prone to burning, so you might want to lower the temperature and cook the recipe for longer.

As for my flour - I used Protein Pow Mix. This is a mixture of oat flour, pea protein, coconut flour, a dash of coconut sugar and some vanilla. I’m not sure of the exact proportions of each ingredient, but my guess would be something like 45% 30% 20% 5% for the oat flour (blended oats), pea protein, coconut flour and coconut sugar (you could add 1tsp vanilla extract to the mixture). Alternatively, you could use sub all of the protein pow mix with standard baking flour, but I haven’t tried this. Bear in mind that coconut flour especially tends to absorb a lot of liquid.

I added in the flour last, so when mixing everything together, the texture should be smooth, but thick enough to make slight waves in the top of the bowl. It’s definitely not runny, but it’s not a dough. I probably should have got a video. Oops.

Okay, I think that’s everything explained before we get started. Just make sure you have some baking paper (to lift your blondies out of their baking tin). My baking tin is rectangular and approx 15cm by 8cm. Having thicker blondies (3cm approx) is a good thing! Let’s you appreciate their gooiness in all their glory.

Ingredients

150g pea protein pow mix

100g sukrin gold OR brown demerara sugar

a pinch of salt

1/2tsp cinnamon

200g biscuit spread (plus extra to swirl on the top once it’s in the tin)

50g free from soft cheese (Tesco)

300g apple and banana purée (baby food)

Optional: chocolate chips to mix in* or melt over the top, or frosting for the top

*mix ins may increase cooking time, so lowering the temperature to Gas Mark 4/4.5 and cooking for 45 minutes may work best. I’d advise trying the standard recipe first.

Method

1) Pre heat your oven to Gas Mark 5/180C (or 4 if you’ve added extra sugar/mix ins).

2) Using one sheet of baking paper, like your tin with the paper so that it overlaps the sides, making the tin easy to lift out.

3) In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.

4) Add in the wet ingredients (don’t add the extra biscoff just yet, just put in the 200g needed for the base recipe) and mix by hand until smooth and evenly combined.

5) Transfer the batter to the lined baking tin.

6) You may want to soften some biscoff spread in the microwave for this next step: mixing in some biscoff to the top of the blondie batter to create a marbled effect.

7) To be honest, I didn’t bother (I just got a blob and swirled it with a spoon, but it’d probably be easier if it was slightly melted).

8) Put the tin, filled with blondie batter, in the pre heated oven.

9) Leave to cook for 20 minutes, then rotate the tin 180C so the fat and near side of the tin are evenly browned (if you aren’t using a convection oven).

10) Allow the blondies to cook for a further 15 minutes.

11) Remove the blondies from the oven.

12) Let the blondies cook in their tin for 10-15 minutes.

13) Carefully slice the blondies into 12 pieces (you don’t want to damage your pans).*

*skip this step if you’re going to be adding frosting

14) Without separating the blondies, lift them straight out using the convenient baking paper flaps you have poking out of your tin.

15) Put the cooked blondies onto a wire rack to cool to room temperature.

16) Once room temperature, transfer the blondies to the fridge. You could also freeze some at this point for future consumption, or add frosting now the blondies are cool (otherwise the frosting would slide off).

17 Once they have chilled in the fridge (I left mine overnight, but they’d be cold in an hour or two), dig in!

Using my exact recipe, each slice has approximately 160 calories, but there will be slight variations if different ingredients are used, such as sugar instead of sukrin (and if mix ins and toppings are added).

Let me know how this goes for you. You can always drop me a message on my Instagram at balancednotclean.

I’m going to try making this as a small-serving recipe in a mini loaf tin and also as a topper for a brookie/blookie (cookie bottom layer and brownie or blondie top layer) in future.

Enjoy!

#recipe #blondie #brownie #vegan #vegan recipes #dessert #snacks #lower calorie #still tasty as hell #biscoff #lotus biscoff #biscuit spread #lotus #caramelised biscuits #vertical

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prairiescotch · 8 years ago

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So it has been five months now -- lord how time gets away from us -- but I do want to talk about a local distiller that is operating on a whole different level, even though distilling isn’t even their main line of business.

In October, Black Fox Farm & Distillery hosted a tasting event at Bushwakker. I had been hoping to try their stuff for the better part of a year, but as something less than an aficionado of gin (their primary product) I was hesitant to pay full price for a bottle. Luckily I didn’t have to!

As you have likely gleaned from this site, I traffic primarily in brown spirits. Vodka, to me, is pointless. But I recognize the economics of starting a distillery: whisky takes time to age, and if you aren’t making money in that time you aren’t going to stay in business long. Saskatchewan’s early adopters, like Last Mountain and Lucky Bastard, went a typical route, one shared by even major Scotch producers like Bruichladdich when they emerge from a period of dormancy: they made clear spirits. Like Bruichladdich’s The Botanist, even an average gin or vodka can ensure that a distiller has an income stream to sustain itself while it ages its stocks of whisky.

Black Fox has an incredible story, one that isn’t really fully encapsulated on their web site. It’s proprietors, John and Barb, are literally award-winning, innovative, academic farmers that have tried teaching and growing all over the world including countries like Afghanistan and parts of South America. Returning to Saskatoon a few years ago they tried a bunch of different crops, everything from corn and other vegetables to random seeds they got in bulk at auctions. They found their niche producing cut flowers, selling to local retailers like Wascana Flower Shoppe and Gale’s (John hinted at the tasting they had just signed a contract with Costco as well; hopefully that doesn’t draw their attention away from the distillery).

And that’s where the magic happens. Black Fox currently specializes in gin, producing seven or eight different, wildly-varied recipes (so far). Several of them draw on their flower products to feed their vapour-infused distillation process. Some of their recipes are more traditional, others are absolutely wild. We’ll get to that.

Their flagship is recipe #3, which is only the second gin in my life that I’ve ever liked enough to drink neat. While it is a more traditional style, the recipe is far from usual, leaning heavily on rhubarb and calendula flowers. They describe it as "juniper-forward,” which is not unusual for a gin. However, juniper produced in Saskatchewan is much more fragrant than the Italian juniper that usually goes into mass-produced gin. “Significant floral notes, cinnamon and pepper followed by liquorice finish,” ends Black Fox’s notes. I don’t entirely disagree. The juniper is very strong up front, but there’s a bed of sweetness as well. The heat from cinnamon and pepper provides a warming middle, and the finish has a fluent flow between juniper, liquorice and airy florals. It’s so pleasant! And I don’t even like liquorice.

Also in a traditional style is gin #5, which is built on a base of rose petals. How goddamn romantic is that? Black Fox’s description: “Juniper-forward, rose and lemon citrus, sweet finish.” I lost my personal tasting notes, so I can’t really add much beyond that. But it was good!

Then we get to the less traditional offerings. Their oaked gin has been soaking in a new American oak barrel for eight months, after being distilled primarily from calendula flowers, rose hips, and rhubarb flowers. It offers a more mellow juniper, vanilla, and a “strong young woodiness. That element will be passingly familiar to most whisky drinkers, at least. Even funkier is gin #6, an absolutely jaw-dropping “Western-style” gin comprised primarily of smoked juniper, smoked chipotle peppers, and smoked pumpkin flowers. Everything smoked! Expect “subtle juniper, followed by coriander and caraway.” Surprisingly, there’s only a slight smokiness, far from overpowering and much less blatant than you might expect. Like #3, it also finishes with very apparent liquorice. This is a very wild cocktail that they suggest works best in a gin caesar; I imagine that’s true, and I’d really like to try one.

Lest you think they’re a one-trick pony, they had a couple of other fascinating products included as well. Vodka is prized for it’s ‘purity,’ which essentially means it gets distilled over and over and over until there’s nothing left but pure booze. That means nothing is left that would actually give it any flavour. With their Black Oat Vodka, an unquestionable standout for the evening, they stop short to ensure they don’t lose all the character that the oats impart on a distillate. John says there are only a couple of distillers that do oat distillation, which is a shame because this is really cool. It’s more like a whisky than a vodka, with a lot of nutty flavour and vanilla sweetness. It was VERY cool.

Then there was the dessert course: a honey ginger liqueur that knocked my balls off. Black Fox macerates their own ginger and uses locally-sourced honey, and it is a strong 32% ABV treat. It’s pretty simple on the tongue, just a buttload of sweet ginger sting that my sister and I absolutely loved. Fair warning: none of my whisky drinking buddies could stand it, at all.

I am constantly surprised that Regina folks aren’t more aware of Black Fox. In just a couple short years they’ve managed to win a silver medal for the Honey Ginger Liqueur and silver and bronze medals for gin #3 at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in England. Their products are also just goddamn great, even for someone who doesn’t normally drink their liquor styles.

I know they’re aging some whisky. I have no doubt that when it comes of age there will be nothing like it in Saskatchewan, and maybe not even Canada. This might be Canada’s best craft distiller, frankly.

#alcohol #liquor #gin #vodka #barrel aging #barrel-aged gin #liquer #Black Fox #Black Fox Distillery #Black Fox Farm and Distillery #Saskatchewan #Saskatchewan distillers #craft #craft liquor

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kristinsimmons · 6 years ago

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Vegan Salted Peanut Butter Crunch Torte + 10 Years!

Salted Peanut Butter Crunch Torte

Vegan, gluten-free, refined sugar-free

Yield 12 small or 9 medium servings

Prep time 25 Minutes

Cook time 10 Minutes

Chill time 2 hours

Total time 35 Minutes

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1/2 cup (78 g) almonds

1 cup (100 g) gluten-free rolled oats

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 cup (60 mL) coconut oil, melted

3 tablespoons (45 mL) pure maple syrup

2 tablespoons (30 mL) smooth natural peanut butter

For the filling:

1/2 cup (125 mL) coconut oil

1/3 cup (80 mL) coconut cream*

1/2 cup (125 mL) pure maple syrup

3/4 cup (185 g) smooth natural peanut butter

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For topping (optional, but recommended):

Coconut Whipped Cream**

1/2 cup (95 g) non-dairy chocolate chips + 1 teaspoon (5 mL) coconut oil, melted***

1/2 cup (80 g) chopped toasted walnuts and large-flake coconut****

Directions:

For the crust: Add the almonds, oats, and salt to a food processor and process until the mixture resembles a coarse flour, about 30 seconds.

Bake the crust for 9 to 11 minutes, until it looks pale and a bit puffy. The crust might look underbaked when you remove it, but this is what we want to avoid drying it out.

Tips:

** Feel free to use store-bought coconut whipped cream instead. I like “So Delicious Dairy Free CocoWhip!”

*** To a small pot over low heat, add the chocolate and oil. Stir until smooth and combined.

**** Of course you can use roasted peanuts instead. I’m not a big fan of them so I prefer to use walnuts.

Almond butter version: Swap the peanut butter for roasted almond butter.

Don’t have an 8x8-inch square pan? You can make this in an 8x4-inch loaf pan or standard-size muffin tin (both greased with coconut oil).

Vegan Salted Peanut Butter Crunch Torte + 10 Years! published first on https://wittooth.tumblr.com/

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nadiashealthykitchen · 7 years ago

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Salted Caramel Protein Ice Cream Doughnuts

These salted caramel protein ice cream doughnuts are made up of a cookie/biscuit base, a protein salted maca caramel centre, a layer of gooey caramel all dipped in chocolate to make them extra decadent and lush! You really NEED to try this recipe!

Prior to starting my blog and Instagram page, I never thought I could ever be creative. I grew up in Iraq, a country and environment that didn’t encourage creativity. Not because its people chose not to be creative, but because they had been through so much hardship over the decades. We had to endure war after war, economic decline and never ending financial struggles. So over time things like creativity were seen as a luxury. Our schools focused very heavily on subjects like science and maths so things like music, art, poetry, sports or any type of creative or self expressional activities were neglected.

I grew up thinking I didn’t have a drop of creativity in me, and looking back I know I didn’t, but I believed that I was simply born that way. Only since becoming a blogger and experimenting with recipes, video editing and photography that I realised that creativity, like most things in life, is learnt and can be improved through a lot of practice as well as trial and error.

Blogging has opened so many doors for me and has given me a space to allow me to use my imagination. Having unlimited access to the internet these days does make it much easier to be creative. Without it I wouldn’t have been able to learn basic photography techniques, improve my editing skills or get inspirations and ideas to create my own recipes.

The idea of an ice cream doughnut recipe occurred to me when I was sorting out my moulds while planning recipe ideas. I now have a huge collection of moulds, most of which I haven’t even used yet! I do love them though because they do make recipe creating so much more fun and interesting. I picked up doughnut moulds and an ice cream mould and was debating which one of the two I should use for my next recipe. I love baked doughnuts, but I also felt like creating an ice cream recipe. That’s when the idea of merging the two together occurred to me and I knew I just had to try it!

I’m so thrilled to be working with Vivo Life on this recipe. I use vegan protein powder almost on a daily basis. I usually add a scoop to my morning porridge, smoothie or nicecream. It’s such an easy way to bump up your protein content and I feel it’s important to start the day with a good protein breakfast.

To make these salted caramel protein ice cream doughnuts I’m using their Perform Salted Maca Caramel protein powder. It’s completely plant-based made with a mixture of hemp and pea protein and it’s sweetened with stevia. It also contains turmeric to help with recovery and digestive enzymes for absorption.

I usually find flavoured protein powders quite strong and they usually overpower a recipe. More often then not they also taste artificial, but Vivo’s salted caramel protein tastes amazing! Even the hubby loved it and he usually can’t stand the taste of either hemp or pea proteins.

Their Perform protein powders come in different flavours, which I’ve yet to try, but based on this one I’m sure I’ll love them all!

To make these ice cream doughnuts extra yummy, I also included a biscuit/cookie base for extra texture and a salted caramel topping. Of course I had to finish it off by dipping them in dark chocolate, because…chocolate!

Feel free to leave out the biscuit base, or the chocolate part, or the caramel layer. Basically you can customise the recipe to your liking but I would definitely recommend adding all the different components because all together they make for a ridiculously delicious treat!

Salted Caramel Protein Ice Cream Doughnuts

Makes: 6

Ingredients

For the base 3/4 cup (75g) oat flour Pinch of salt 2 tbsp coconut oil – use more if needed 1.5 tbsp date syrup or maple syrup

For the salted caramel ice cream 1x 400g can full fat coconut milk – stored in the fridge overnight 1/2 cup (70g) cashews 2 scoops Vivo Life Perform Salted Maca Caramel protein 2-3 tbsp date syrup Pinch of salt 1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract

For the caramel layer 1/3 cup runny tahini 2 tbsp date syrup

For the chocolate coating 200g dark chocolate, melted and left to cool for a few minutes

Method

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First make the caramel layer by mixing together the tahini and date syrup. Spread a thin layer of the caramel at the bottom of doughnut moulds. Freeze for 1 hour. Blend together all the ice cream ingredients until smooth. Divide between the doughnut moulds, ensuring you leave space for the base. Freeze for 1-2 hours. In a bowl, mix together the oat flour and salt. Pour in the coconut oil and date syrup. If the dough is still a little dry add more coconut oil, 1 tsp at a time until you have a sticky but crumbly texture (see video at the top of the page for reference). Press the mixture on top of each doughnut then freeze again for 1 hour. Remove the doughnuts from the mould while they’re still frozen, then dip in the melted chocolate. Another option is to place the doughnuts on a fork and drizzle the chocolate on top. Top with another drizzle of caramel for decoration. Store in the freezer and take out 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Thanks to Vivo Life for sponsoring this post. Commissioned posts is how I’m able to continue working on the blog and creating recipes and recipe videos for you. As always, all opinions are my own.

Salted Caramel Protein Ice Cream Doughnuts was originally published on UK Health Blog - Nadia's Healthy Kitchen

#cleaneating

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