Roasted Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad

Since Kat just got her braces a few days ago, I have been trying to make some healthy, yet yummy meals to help her adjust. So I decided to make something a little outside the box. I don't usually make salads without...well, lettuce, any kind of lettuce, but this "salad" had roasted pumpkin (soft), quinoa (soft) and feta cheese (pretty soft). Which made it a perfect addition to my meal plan this week.

This recipe is from Donna Hay's Fast, Fresh Simple. It's one of my favourite cookbooks. The original recipe calls for couscous, but I really don't like couscous, plus I had some leftover Cilantro Lime Quinoa from a couple of nights ago, I just changed it up a little.

Roasted Pumpkin and Quinoa Salad
(adapted from Donna Hay's Fast, Fresh, Simple - Roasted Pumpkin and Couscous Salad)
1 small green pumpkin (buttercup squash), cut about 1/2" slices
olive oil
2 cups Cilantro Lime Quinoa
juice from 1/2 a lime
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced (more for garnish)
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbled
** Honey Cumin Dressing
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

- Preheat oven to 400F. Place pumpkin slices on greased baking pan. Roast for about 15-20 mins until soft and slightly golden. Turn pumpkins half way thought roasting time.
- Heat quinoa over medium high heat until hot, about 3-4 mins. Remove from heat. Sprinkle mint leaves over quinoa and stir well. Keep warm.
- For dressing: Whisk together honey, ground cumin, olive oil and red wine vinegar, set aside.
- When pumpkins are soft, remove from oven. To plate, I did about 3 layers of quinoa and pumpkins, then topped with feta cheese and more fresh mint.

This can either be eaten warm or room temperature, either way you won't have any leftovers. There was enough for 2 servings. I made this for dinner and it was filling, but not for long. I found that I was hungry again in a few hours. So it would be perfect for lunch. Now that I'm thinking about this dish again, I'm craving it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go check if I have an mini pumpkins in my kitchen. LOL

Do you have a great meal salad recipe? I would love to try it. :) 

Curry Shrimp Fried Rice

My husband loves fried rice. Me? Not so much, mainly because growing up it was something we ate all the time. Usually at the end of the week, my grandmother had to use up whatever was left in the fridge. Now, that I'm all grown up (yeah right, but I do have my moments) I have realized it is an easy, quick and simple way to make a complete meal from just a few ingredients.

Easy Japanese Curry

Even with 5 kids running around, I made this. :) 

New obsessions - Bento Boxes.

So I have been on a huge Bento Box binge. I love them. Oh, and I have started to take care of my girlfriends' two little girls. Now, I have 5 kids in my house from the wee hours in the morning until just before dinner time. Well, I guess Bento box style snacks and lunches have been keeping my sanity in check a little bit too. So and obsession that keeps me organized...I can live with that. LOL!! :)

So I have quite the little collection now. Although, I would like a couple more cute ones and maybe some character ones. I have ordered a bunch from Ebay. *Can't wait for them to come in*

Here are a few I have made so far.

Apple slices, Cheese string, Carrot, Hello Panda Cookies,
Edamame, Quail egg

Ham and Cheese sandwiches, Cucumbers, Blueberries,
Happy Panda Cookies, Cheese string, Apple sauce

Unsalted crackers, Cheese strings, Carrot,  Ham rolls,
Happy Panda cookies, Mini jam sandwiches, Grapes 

California and Cucumber Avocado rolls, Fried dumplings,
Grapes, Wasabi and Picked ginger

Ham and Cheese sandwiches, Mini jam sandwiches, Apple slices,
Baby bel cheese, Cheese string, Blanch broccoli and green beans,
grapes, blueberries 

Do you have any tips on how to keep a busy household in order?

Wordless Wednesday

Cupcakes I made a couple of weekends ago for my kids party. Yes, they loved them. :)

It's a Small World after all...

This is crazy!!

I just found out/realized one of my Twitter followers is actually someone I went to elementary school (Bala in Toronto) with.

A couple of months ago, I found out my neighbour, who we have been walking our girls to school with everyday this year, went to high school with someone I went to elementary school (in a different city).

Just goes to show how small the world really is and how we can connect it the weirdest places. :)

Although, Twitter has been a great help. I have met so many great people and have attended some fantastic events.

Have you connected with some long lost friends or family? 

How has social media affected your life? 

The Burger Bar

A couple of weeks ago my hubby and I took my daughter, Kat, shopping downtown in Kensington Market. She was looking for a Grade 8 graduation dress. (My baby is growing up!) Since my husband is gluten-intolerant, we decided to try The Burger Bar, since they have gluten-free buns for their burgers. :)

I love all the vintage beer bottles around the restaurant. They serve lots of local beers, my husband and I tried the Augusta Ale ($6.25/pint), since the only gluten-free beer they carried was Nickel Brook.  :(

It was actually pretty good. I was pleasantly surprised. It was light and refreshing on that hot and sweaty day. Also, it went well with our yummy burger and fries. :)

Kat had the Cow Poke burger ($6), which had a smaller 4oz patty. She is as much of a foodie as we are, so she also added onion rings ($2 extra) and cheese ($2 extra) on her burger. She loved it. It was so good! Good thing she opted for the smaller burger because she almost didn't finish it. :)

I ordered the Mushroom burger ($8). I loved it!! I forget sometimes, that something so simple like grilled marinated portobello mushrooms can taste so good. Of course, arugula pesto and roasted peppers also helped. :) 

My husband ordered the Bison burger ($11), hand down his favourite type of burger, but only if it's cooked perfectly. He said it was almost perfect, just a tad over done, but still good. :) He had his burger on a gluten-free bun. He said the bun was alright. He wished he would have ordered a normal bun. Talk about a glutton for punishment, right? *sigh*

Our most favouite thing we ordered was the 50/50 fries ($5). It's a mix of regular fries and sweet potato fries sprinkled with masala salt served with homemade chipotle ketchup. We devoured this bowl of fries, if we had more time, I think we would have order another one. :) ** Just a warning though, the Burger Bar only has one fryer, so those with  severe gluten-intolerance or Celiac should stay away of their fries. Sorry! **

I can't wait for the next time we go, I really want to try their Lamb burger - 6oz organic lamb, kimchi, Danish blue and dijon. (I'm drooling as I type right now. lol )

Have you been to the Burger Bar? What did you think? Do you have another restaurant recommendation in the same area?

Wordless Wednesday

Yum!! Salmon Shashimi :)

Brampton Rib n' Roll

A couple of weeks ago was Brampton's Rib n'Roll at Gage Park. It's our Ribfest. It was a good time, and because it's a small event the line-ups were no where as long. I think my husband was in line the longest at Jake's Boathouse, which made sense because they hands-down had the best ribs!

Even their coleslaw was good
Half Rack - $12 

The one thing that was odd with this Ribfest compared to the other larger ones was the tickets. Instead of paying cash at each rib vendor, you purchased tickets at the ticket booth. It ended up being a great idea, then the vendors did not have to worry about money, just serving hungry patrons as fast as they could. :)

There was live music, which my kids love dancing too but as with every other event at Gage Park, there is never enough seating and of course we forgot to bring our own chairs. :(

The kids always have fun at Gage Park, even without any event. Gage Park has a great playground. :)

Yum! Roasted corn on the cob - $3

I should have taken a picture of the guy grilling these bad boys, he was wearing goggles and I swear there was some beside him wiping the sweat from his forehead. lol! 

*Crabby Joes*
1/2 rack - $12

In my opinion, not worth the money. Their ribs were nice and meaty, but the flavour was not great. I love cole slaw but not this one. Just tasted like shredded cabbage. I know that's what it is, but I expected too much I guess. :(

* Louisiana Seafood & Steakhouse *
1/2 rack - $12

Ribs were never very meaty, and the sauce was a little spicy, which i liked. The ribs were fall off the bone, which makes it yummy. The rice definitely helped.  

* Smokey Mountain *
1/2 rack - $12

These ribs were huge, but not great. They were not fall off the bone, and kinda tough. The sauce was yummy, but I think I would have looked weird if I was just licking the sauce off the ribs. The cole slaw was average. I think it need some salt. 

The next Rib Fest we usually attend is the Mississauga Rib Fest at Square One, however I want to hit the big Toronto Rib Fest at Centennial Park. 

Have you been to any Rib Fests in the past? Which one is your favourite? 

Wordless Wednesday

Yesterday's lunch! Doesn't Instagram make everything look better? :) 

Wordless Thursday??

LOL! I guess I forgot my post yesterday. :)

Wordless Wednesday

Sometimes, I forget what day it is. Thankfully, I have an alarm reminder to post an awesome picture on Wednesdays. Best day of the week!!  :)

 Oysters at Kinsington Market

Wordless Wednesday

Last night's dinner. So simple, yet so comforting. :)

Happy Mother's Day!!

This weekend was one of the best Mother's Day weekend in a while. I got to see one of my best friends, deliver tons of cupcakes to some amazing Moms, and even had time for my adorable nephew, Aiden, birthday. :)

Cupcake Bouquet

I have seen lots of images of Cupcake Bouquets but never thought I would be able to pull one off myself. Then, a client asked me if I could make one for her. Of course, I said, "Sure! No problem." All I kept thinking was, "What have I gotten myself into?"

Well, I should have never doubted myself, because I made one and on my first try it turned out beautiful!! If I do say so myself. :)

Here's the finished product!

Cupcake Bouquet

What do you guys think? Let me know in the comments below. :)

Mac N Cheese - Gluten-Free/Lactose Free

My husband loves his Mac N Cheese, but now it would make him super miserable. Well, thank goodness I figured out how to cook gluten-free pasta properly, or I would have a very depressed husband.

So I made him, Mac N Cheese. :)

Wordless Wednesday

Best find EVER!! Move over Pocky, there's a new kid in town!! LOL!!

(OK, so today was not so wordless. Opps!)

Handmade By Latdao

Well, I started my Etsy shop, set up my Facebook fan page...now what? No idea. I was feeling kinda lost. So, what do I do when I feel lost? I bake cupcakes. :) Puts me in my happy zone.

This past weekend I have decided to add my gourmet cupcakes to the list of "handmade" items I plan on selling. Success! I got an order to make seven, that's right SEVEN, dozen cupcakes for a baby shower. Here are just a few flavours which were ordered:

Mint Chocolate

Busy Busy Busy!

I have been so busy, that sometimes I lose what day it is. I think it's the whole getting older part of life. (I know sucks, right?) LOL

Anyway, I swear I have been cooking lots, but I have been crocheting more. I finally have some knitting needles, so I might have to give that a whirl. See, if I can even remember how to hold the needles. :)

Here are a couple of my completed projects:

Oh, and I have officially opened my Etsy Shop, if you have a chance take a look. :) Not much up right now, but I am working feverishly to get some more pictures up. I also started a Facebook page, check them out. There are lots more pictures on my Facebook page, right now. :)

Do you have a small business? Do you have any tips?

Happy Reading! :)

Book Review: Chloe's Kitchen by Chloe Coscarelli

I love this cookbook! It's written by Chloe Coscarelli, the first VEGAN baker to win Food Network's Cupcake Wars. She has been a vegetarian all her life, but has been vegan since 2005. She's gone to school in both California and New York. She has even studied Cornell University's Plant Based Nutrition Program by Dr. T Collin Campbell (The China Study). I can go on, and on about her credentials and her awesomeness, but that could be a whole blog post in itself. LOL! :)

Chloe released her own cookbook earlier this month and I bought as soon as it was released. I HAD to have it! I love all her recipes from her website: http://www.chefchloe.com/ and have had lots of success recreating many of them.

Chloe's Kitchen

This cookbook has 125 awesome easy vegan recipes and some nice pictures. Although, I prefer cookbooks with pictures of all their dishes. (Maybe next book!) Most of the ingredients are those I keep on hand, and the recipes are easy to follow. There are lots of small kitchen tips, like how to cut a mango and what a "Chiffonade" is. :)

Here are some of the many items I have made from her cookbook already! Every single recipe has been fabulous, even my anti-vegan teenage daughter loves them. :)

Jalapeno Corn Poppers

Artichoke-Walnut Pesto, Warm Spinach-Artichoke Dip and
Cajun Yam Fries

Miso Glaze Eggplant

Peanutty Perfection Noodles
made with Buckwheat Noodles

Skillet Black-Eyed Peas

I hope to actually work my way through the whole book. The hard part is which recipe to make first. :) Since all her recipe look amazing! Way to go Chloe!! :)

Currently, Chloe is on a book tour promoting her book. You can check if she is coming to a town near you, on her website. All I know, is that there are NO Canadian dates right now, so there no chance of me ever getting my book signed. :(

BUT...I know we have an AMAZING annual Vegetarian Food Festival in the Summer, maybe Chloe could come do a book signing! *fingers crossed*

Do you have a favourite Vegan cookbook? How many recipes have you made from it?

Happy Cooking!! :)