Wednesday 29 February 2012

UN-GRANOLA GRANOLA

I haven't been able to do this as much as I'd like to lately (because I've either been too busy or too tired or both), but this weekend I finally took the opportunity to do a massive food/menu prep for the week. A lot of people probably think I'm crazy for doing this--namely, my friends--but with dietary restrictions, it's not as easy to just pick up a sandwich or a sugary snack on the go. I need to be prepared with fresh, nutritious food that's going to keep me energized throughout the week.

Finally, this Sunday (and as I try to every weekend, although the past few weekends have been somewhat of a blur) I stepped it up and got back into the swing of things by preparing foods that would take me well into the week. I made a big ol' pot of my Vegetarian Chilli that will serve for a few lunches this week, plus tons extra for freezing. I also baked up some gluten-free banana bread that will be a great addition to breakfast/snacks/dessert (stay tuned for a recipe...it's different than the last). As well, I whipped together a quick nut and fruit mix that will go great on top of low-fat plain yoghurt or even on its own. I call it, the Un-Granola Granola.

I woke up Sunday morning and wanted something to go with my yoghurt. But because I refuse to purchase granola from the store (since it's usually packed full of sugar), I opted to make my own variation. Now, why it's called Un-Granola Granola is because when I think of granola, I think of rolled oats. This recipe, however, doesn't have any oats--in fact, it's grain free (that means that it's gluten-free and paleo-friendly)! So, without any oats,what is in my granola? Well, I really just threw a bunch of stuff in a bowl (no measurements and everything...crazy!), so give it a whirl and tell me what you think.




Un-Granola Granola 

slivered almonds
unsweetened shredded coconut
raisins
honey or agave nectar 
cinnamon
vanilla
sea salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. On a large cookie sheet, spread out almonds so that they create a thin, even layer (you want to toast these bad boys!). Once the oven is heated, toast almonds until just golden brown--this doesn't take very long, keep a close watch! 

2. Remove almonds from oven and push to one side of the pan. Onto clear side of pan, spread out a thin, even layer of coconut. Return to oven for a couple more minutes until coconut starts to turn golden around the edges. Remove from heat.

3. Transfer almond-coconut mixture to a large bowl. Add raisins, honey (here, just use what you think is appropriate--you don't want it too sweet), cinnamon, vanilla, and a pinch of sea salt (to balance out the bitterness of the cinnamon). Mix it all together and alter any flavours.

Try This: Because I didn't measure anything, add ingredients using your own discretion. Instead of adding a lot of cinnamon at first, maybe only add a little, taste the mixture, and see if you need to add more. Same goes for whichever sweetening agent you choose to use. Depending on what you hope to use this mixture for, you probably don't want to make it too sweet. Also, keep in mind that if you use raisins, these will add a lot of natural sweetness.

Not a raisin fan? I know a few of you. Make this recipe extra decadent and add dark chocolate chips instead! 

Have your hump day treat and eat it, too. 

Monday 27 February 2012

LA PIZZA

I don't want to talk about the Oscars. If you watched, great (rah!). And if not, well...there's always next year. And then there's Google--you can just search last night's winners if you're really curious and/or want to be able to carry a conversation at the water cooler this afternoon. (Ahem) Instead, I want to share a recipe. It's not my own, it's from Bob's Red Mill. But most importantly, it turned out really well and was delicious, too! The recipe is for Gluten-Free Pizza Crust and uses a garbanzo-fava bean flour mix. It's a must-try.




Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
thanks to Bob's Red Mill

1 tbsp. gluten-free dry yeast
2/3 cup garbanzo-fava flour mix
1/2 cup tapioca flour
2 tbsp. dry milk powder
2 tsp. xantham gum
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. unflavoured gelatin powder
1 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
2/3 cup warm water
1/2 tsp. agave nectar
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. cider vinegar
cooking spray


1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a medium bowl, mix first eight ingredients (dry)  on low speed using regular beaters. 


2. Add warm water, agave, oil, and vinegar. Beat on high for 3 minutes. Add water if dough is too stiff. The dough will resemble soft bread dough.


3. Put mixture onto 12-inch pan that has been coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle extra flour on the dough, then press the dough into the pan.


4. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, top with your favourite add-ons, and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes.


Try This: I actually did not use either the dry milk powder or the gelatin powder, and the crust still turned out great!


For toppings, I used pesto, fresh ricotta cheese, roast asparagus, caramelized onions, and spicy garlic sausage--what are your favourite pizza toppings?


Oh yeah, you could also just purchase Bob's Pizza Crust Mix.


Ah, yes. And for the record, I did watch the Oscars (while, of course, R and I enjoyed this delicious pizza). 


Bon appétit!


image via pinterest

Tuesday 21 February 2012

SUPER DUPER

Hey pals, don't be shocked if I suddenly disappear from the blogosphere for a while/short while/moment--I'll be back, life just gets busy sometimes.

Like now. I'm busy all day with auditions and then more audition prep for later this week. I have a conference to attend tomorrow (for acting stuff) and then plans later this week to hit the slopes with my gal pal, T. Yeah, worst graduate student ever, going snowboarding and all. But not really, because in between all of this, I'm also working on writing my thesis (good golly, it's going to suck to have to edit that thing) and trying to stay on top of everything else that is life (family, boyfriend, health, oh...and coffee dates, those are important).

(And hey, I'm not complaining. Busy is good. Really good. It's just also my reason for any lack of posts.)

Right. And now, it's time to go work on that audition prep I was talking about. And that 'in-between-all-of-this-thesis-writing' stuff, including watching this documentary and re-watching this lecture (which, if you're interested in what's making people fat and contributing to chronic illness, you should watch).



                                                 If you haven't seen Food, Inc., you need to watch it!

Happy juggling!

video via youtube

Friday 17 February 2012

A (COCONUT COOKIES) WEEKEND SALUTE

The week in review at Tomfoolery & Bright:

need outfit inspiration? Check out DailyLook.com
Valentine's pinks and reds
a photo diary of our trip to St. Lucia
and birthday wishes to a dear friend






I realize that I haven't been posting as much as usual, but things have been sort of hectic. To make it up to you, I have a cookie recipe I'd like to recommend. It's a recipe from one of my new favourite food blogs, The Food Lover's Primal Palate. As the focus at Primal Palate is the paleo diet, they steer clear of using any grains in their recipes.

For baking, they use a lot of coconut flour. If you've never used coconut flour, it's got a great flavour (if you like coconut), but tends to have some trouble keeping itself together. Usually baking that uses coconut flour requires some sturdy binding ingredients (you'll notice in many of the baking recipes at Primal Palate that they use a lot of eggs compared to your standard cake or cookie recipe). If you are trying to eat grain-free, though, coconut flour is a great substitute to grain flours. These cookies are proof:

(Sorry about the poor quality of photo--R seems to have walked off with my camera!)

Coconut Cookies with Dark Chocolate
thanks to The Food Lover's Primal Palate

1 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 raw honey (or natural sweetener of your choice, I used agave nectar)
4 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup chopped dark chocolate (or dark chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a medium sized bowl, combine eggs, oil, sweetener, vanilla, and salt. Once this is mixed, blend in coconut flour.

3. Stir in shredded coconut and chocolate.

4. On parchment paper lined baking sheets, drop heaping tablespoons of cookie batter. (I actually found my batter to be quite dense, so I lightly flattened my mounds of cookie dough before baking).

5. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

Try This: last week, I posted another of Primal Palate's recipes that also uses coconut flour, this delicious Strawberry Torte with Raspberry Coulis.

Happy baking, and have a lovely weekend!

images via we heart it, the drifter and the gypsy, and pinterest

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, B!


Here's wishing my good friend B an amazing birthday! Hope the Big Apple is treating you well, you lucky son of a gun. Too bad I wasn't with you, so that we could get our merry feet out on the dance floor.

Many birthday hugs. Eat cake!

G

Thursday 16 February 2012

ST. LUCIA

It's been a long time coming, but here are some photos from R and I's trip to the gorgeous St. Lucia.












It was an amazing trip. I would definitely go back, although maybe do things differently next time. I have a friend from St. Lucia and it'd be great to go there with him and see things through a local's perspective. Otherwise, it was beautiful. We stayed at a smaller resort, where it was all couples (mostly honeymooners and those celebrating their 30th anniversary, actually), which I really liked. It was calm and relaxing in comparison to our trip to Jamaica last winter. Yet, there were still activities like kayaking and sailing to enjoy at our leisure. The food was great (their beef was exceptionally tender!), and the sunshine tempted me to stay longer. Oh, and did I mention it's beautiful. The vegetation alone was luscious and incredible to look at. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

Ahh, memories. Where do you like to vacation?

Tuesday 14 February 2012

ON VALENTINE'S DAY







I think the sweetest things--aside from being in grade school and showing up to class with a desk full of Looney Tunes Valentine's cards and heart-shaped lollipops (this never happened to me by the way)--are simple and thoughtful gestures. What about a good ol' fashioned handwritten note or breakfast in bed? I like to just enjoy a quiet night in making dinner with my Valentine, R.

(Although, I will call my mom, because she's another Valentine of mine.)

Let's face it, pricey dinners at over-crowded restaurants and cliché gifts that wreak of cotton candy are overratedAnd like Halloween and Christmas, Valentine's Day is really just an excuse for sad wives to stuff their faces with sweets (or something like that).

Happy Valentine's Day to all the lovers and non-lovers out there--may your days be filled with love and laughter!

XX

images via une deux senses, liebemarlene, emel, bump smitten, and pinterest  

Monday 13 February 2012

WE LIKE THIS




I recently stumbled across the website DailyLook. With a free membership, you can receive personalized looks on sale everyday. And even if you aren't interested in buying, it's a great place to get outfit inspiration (maybe...for say, Valentine's Day tomorrow?). Check it out!

Happy browsing!

images via dailylook

Friday 10 February 2012

WEEKEND SALUTE

I fell a bit behind in the posts this week, but I've been a little tied up with school, auditions, and well...life.

And now, I'm feeling a little under the weather. Ugh, and so it goes.

Here's the past week at Tomfoolery & Bright:

my favourite snacks to stay energized throughout the day
sweet ideas for Valentine's Day
and an incredibly delicious gluten-free dessert


Have a fabulous weekend, friends!

images via we heart it, apollinas, and pinterest

STRAWBERRY TORTE WITH RASPBERRY COULIS

Here's a gluten-free dessert that's definitely worth trying (it's delicious and you'd never know it was gluten-free).


Strawberry Torte with Raspberry Coulis
thanks to The Food Lover's Primal Palate

1/2 cup coconut flour
6 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup frozen strawberries, cut

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients with a hand mixer. Once batter is combined, fold in berries.

2. Pour into a 9" sprung cake pan (for easy removal, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper). Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and let cool. If desired, slice and top with fresh raspberries, whipped heavy cream, and raspberry coulis.

Raspberry Coulis

1. Blend 1/2 cup frozen raspberries in a blender with 3 tablespoons of water and 1/2 a dropper of liquid stevia, or 1 tsp. of pure maple syrup.


I took this cake to a dinner at a friend's place and it was an easy hit.

Did I mention it's paleo-friendly and completely grain-free?

Thursday 9 February 2012

SWEET NOTHINGS

I'm not really one to get all mushy on Valentine's Day. In fact, I think R and I have only ever celebrated the holiday once (out of 4) and it was spent making a home-cooked meal of roasted chicken and asparagus, curled up on the couch watching a movie.

Don't get me wrong, I like a nice meal out but you can do that any day. And I don't like red roses. Yellow tulips are more my thing.

In case you're looking for something sweet to give someone special this Valentine's Day, though (whether your spouse, your best friend, mom...):

(here are some of my favourites)

Make your own scratch tickets with your own special rewards!

Tell him/her all of the reasons you love them in a miniature book.

Fill heart-shaped boxes with your Valentine's favourite sweets!

Gift these 'Good Together' stacking cups listed on Wanelo.

Add some V-Day flare to already-made tea bags, or buy loose
leaf and fashion your own tea bags with a needle and thread.

Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make extra sweet brownies.

What kind of sweet ideas for Valentine's gift-giving do you have in mind?

images via design sponge, paper vine, salt water wishes, and wanelo 

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS

Snacks. What do you like to nibble on when you've got a grumbly in your tumbly? Okay, if snacking is more of an issue for you (maybe you snack too much, especially on top of your regular meals), then don't listen to what I'm about to say. I think snacking is important. True, not every body is built the same and some will require small snacks in between meals, while others may not. But, it has been advised for several years now that having a small, nutritious snack in between meals can help with weight loss. It's good for maintaining a healthy blood sugar level and warding off overeating at your next meal. For me, it's just a given. When I'm on a regular schedule, exercising regularly and getting adequate rest, my body wants to also eat on a regular schedule. I suppose because I'm burning more calories (with physical activity in addition to everyday tasks) and my metabolism is increased, I also want to eat more. Well, okay, not necessarily more food. But more frequently, for sure.

In addition to planning my meals every week (try it: every Sunday, sit down and map out your meals for the week--you'll save money and if you're buying nutritious foods, maybe see a difference in your health), I also plan my snacks as much as I can. When R and I buy groceries, I make sure there's nutritious foods on hand that we'll be able to snack on during the week, and here are my favourites:

edamame
cheese and fruit
fruit, yogurt, and honey parfait
steamed soy milk
banana or apple and raw almonds or pistachios
Ryvita with cheese or peanut/almond butter
fruit smoothie with yogurt/milk

I also enjoy (okay, love) air-popped popcorn with a bit of coconut oil and salt, and kale chips. 







What are your favourite snacks to keep you energized throughout the day?

images via simple bites, foodesssimply recipes, squawkfox, and pinterest   

Monday 6 February 2012

INSTA-TRAVEL






1/ up in the air 2/ The Pier Restaurant 3/ sandy toes! 4/ R and I 5/ airport food, cobb salad

Here are a few snapshots from R and I's trip to the beautiful St. Lucia--these are from my iPhone, more (actual) photos to come later this week.

Happy Monday, all you beautiful people!

Friday 3 February 2012

WEEKEND SALUTE

It's crazy what a week away on a beach can do to you. Sigh. I wish I was still on vacation.

This week at Tomfoolery & Bright:

the updated kimono for a breezy addition to your spring wardrobe
an easy recipe for Vegan & Gluten-Free Banana Bread
art and crafts room inspiration
are you addicted to sugar?
and a love for smoking slippers (with cute prints and textures galore!)





This weekend shall be full of writing (the first chapter of my thesis is due Monday), getting outside before it snows again (!), and celebrating Superbowl Sunday...alone? Okay, I'm not one to really get into the Superbowl to begin with, but if R and I were hosting a party at our place, I'd totally make the adorable football cupcakes pictured above. Yum!

What are your plans for the weekend?

images via think fit, more of me to love, cute food for kids, and pinterest