But How Do You Have the Time!?

... BUT HOW DO YOU HAVE THE TIME!?

This is a question I get a LOT.  People generally assume I either live in the kitchen or have a house elf. I assure you, neither of those is accurate.  You don't have to spend all day every day slaving in the kitchen to get three, healthy, square meals a day... this I promise you.

You want to know my secret??

Cook in batches.

Yup.  That's it.

As I probably spend only a handful of waking hours a week at home, I devote one hour or so per week on the weekend preparing some stuff for the week.  This generally includes:

1.  Cooking one cup of black rice
2.  Cooking one cup of quinoa
3.  Cooking one cup of steel cut oats
4.  Making coconut milk

These are some staples for me.  Admittedly, the steel cut oats are new as a recent visit with my friend/nutritionist opened my eyes to the fact that I wasn't eating enough carbs to support my level of physical activity (total duh moment...)... but all three have similar cooking times and instructions.  I cook them plain and garnish them appropriately for each meal.  There are so very many things you can make out of those 4 main ingredients.  All three can be used in breakfast for porridge by mixing in a little honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup (...or whatever seasoning you like in your porridge) and heated in a bowl in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  When it's heated you can add some fruit, nuts, seeds and enjoy!!  You can make salad with your quinoa.  You can make sushi, fried rice, etc out of your rice.  There are no shortage of options.

Quinoa Porridge

(coconut milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, pinch sea salt, hemp hearts, chia seeds, strawberries)

French Toast Casserole!

Not sure what to do with that leftover loaf of bread from Thanksgiving going stale in your pantry?!  Turn it into this delicious masterpiece!  It's so easy and tasty!  It's also free of white sugar and is vegan friendly!

What you need:

2 tsp chia seeds

1 1/2 cup milk of your choice (I used homemade coconut milk)

5 tsp Water

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp raw honey

2 drops vanilla extract

Pinch sea salt

Loaf of bread of choice

1/2 tsp baking powder

Soak chia seeds in water for 15 minutes, until gelled.  Add coconut milk, gelled chia seeds, 1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, honey, baking powder and vanilla to a blender and blend until thoroughly mixed.  Tear bread into chunks (I used half a loaf of leftover sourdough) and add to a casserole dish and pour batter over bread.  The batter should come almost to the top of where the bread sits.  Top with remaining cinnamon and bake in oven pre-heated to 375 degrees for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the batter isn't soupy.  If your bread is really stale, you may want to let it soak for a couple of hours or overnight before baking.

Once ready, remove the casserole from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes.  Serve with real maple syrup or your favourite fruit syrup!

Bon appétit!

Talia

Crab Apple Cider!!

After a brief hiatus, not for me I've been plenty busy, but for my blog... We've returned with a classic, Canadian fall fan fav (say that 3x fast!).  Hot apple cider, with a little, very local twist!!  Crab apples!!!  Just wait, before you judge... I know crab apples in toronto were the height of annoying.  I remember plodding through tons of these as a kid on my way to elementary school... Feeling the squish under your new kicks and then walking around on the tile floors at school on sticky soles.  I blame this on that gross feeling I get in the pit of my very being when I step on anything that feels squishy.  Or maybe raising puppies. Either way, crab apples were a gross annoyance to a child.  You can't eat them, you can't play with them... What good are they to a kid?!

Maybe this apple cider will change your mind!  Crab apples not only give it a pleasant, almost citrusy note, but they give it an appealing pink colour!  It's super easy, super delicious and is the ultimate comfort on a rainy fall day!

What you need:

3:1 apples of your choice to crab apples

Water

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Raw honey

Cut apples into medium sized slices, put in a pot and add water, enough to cover the apples by an extra inch or so.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 10 minutes and turn down to a simmer.  Add honey, cinnamon and nutmeg to taste.  Simmer for 1 hour covered.  You can even add your own favourite spices at this point!

After 1 hour, remove lid and mash apples.  Re-cover and simmer for another hour.  Strain out apple flesh and enjoy!!  You can even use the leftover apple for apple sauce or in your favourite recipes calling for puréed apple!!

Enjoy!