Five months ago, I published a post about my Champagne Birthday, styled by the wonderfully talented soon-to-be-mama Holly Bowman. In the post, I wrote down some goals I wanted to accomplish before my next birthday. A little recap:

Some major goals I have for this year are:

-Write and develop an e-book   (To receive your FREE copy, subscribe along the sidebar!)

-A full layout redesign including my recipe index (HUGE thanks to Minimalist Baker for their video tutorials)

-Posting more frequently (this will much easier when I am not in school full time)

-Taking more photographs besides food

-Find a form of exercise I enjoy (just signed up for a ballet class! Yes I am going to be terrible but that’s ok!)

-Take an overseas trip

-No more buying coffee (especially since I buy excellent coffee beans for home) 

-Get my drivers’ license (yeah I know…)

I keep a little notebook with me everywhere I go so I can write down goals as I think of them and better yet, crossing them off as I accomplish them. For me, it is the best way to stay on track. Every few weeks, I write down my action plans to best accomplish these goals and it is wildly satisfying to cross them off my list in ink. So my progress so far:

-The eBook in is the works and I have an editor! I recently attended a “How to Build an eBook” seminar lead by David from The Healthy Maven which was an invaluable source of inspiration.

-The redesign is coming soon with a much better recipe index layout.

-With school officially done (for now), posts will be more frequent. I am aiming for twice a week minimum.

– The season has changed and green things are popping up all over the place. My camera will be making trips with me outside of my kitchen!

-Finding a form of exercise: I tried a 7-week ballet class and it wasn’t for me. I did sign up for hot yoga with my best bud. We actually became friends after working out together for a 5K run and it has been amazing to reconnect with her through this experience. Exercise regimes are made better with a support group or friend.

– My overseas trip has been cancelled but for good reason! I opted to go to Texas for Vida Vegan Con instead of an overseas trip. I feel that this trip would benefit my other goals better than a vacation. Plus, I get to meet some of my favourite vegan bloggers in person! I will probably fangirl so hard that I will be too shy to actually speak to any of them.

– The daily trip to the café near my house has been made much easier since they moved across town so no more coffees that I did not make at home. I have saved $60 a month times 5 months = $300!! 

– I have not done a single thing to get my driver’s license. Yikes!

But I have added the goal of writing at least 500 words a day and not just about food related things. I was recently tagged on Instagram by Amy Le to reveal some things about myself that may not have come up on my site. I confessed that I originally started this blog to become a better writer but because of school, my non-blog related writing has taken a backseat. With school being over now, this is the time to get into a writing routine and creating the habit of sitting down to write. No more excuses! This is my time to better myself and I plan use every moment I can.

This guacamole is a favourite among my friends that I work with (We are all too close to call each other “coworkers”). I brought it into work and we all devoured the container in a matter of minutes. Restaurant servers are always hungry since no one actually gets a break from work and our dinners usually consist of cold fries and maybe a slice of garlic bread with buffalo sauce. They kept asking when this recipe would make an appearance and their persistence has paid off. Roasting the jalapeño adds complexity to this guacamole but the avocado maintains its buttery taste. I originally added 2 full roasted jalapeños to this recipe but found it overpowered the fresh taste of the guacamole and left my mouth on fire. One jalapeño was still fairly mild so I used one and a half peppers but if you like it hot, feel free to add two.

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Roasted Jalapeño Guacamole

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

• 1-2 jalapenos
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large ripe avocados, pitted. 1½ to smooth and the other half diced.
• ½ cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1/3 cup diced fresh tomato
• 1 small shallot, minced
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon fine grain sea salt*
• Serve with:
• Corn chips*
• Veggie sticks
• Cherry Tomatoes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a small baking sheet with tinfoil or parchment paper. Drizzle the peppers with the olive oil on the sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, turning halfway through the cook time. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor add 1½ of the avocado, cooled roasted jalapeno, cilantro, limejuice and garlic and blend until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and add the tomatoes, minced shallot, cubed avocado and ¼ teaspoon of sea salt. Mix until just combined.
3. Cover and press the guacamole with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavours meld together. *If you are serving it with salted corn chips, try some of the guacamole on the chip before adding more salt.

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 Oh no.

 It is here again.

 The Man-Cold.

Every change of season Mark gets a cold and this season is no different. My 6-foot tall, bass playing, whiskey drinking, straight razor shaving boyfriend suddenly becomes a sniffing, sneezing, whiny baby. It may seem like I am complaining but I am just stating facts here people.

The infamous Man-Cold is when a man shows symptoms of a typical cold but with coping skills and social grace out the window. Mark hogging the whole bed and blankets, a mountain of booger laced tissues on nightstand, video games out and he dresses like The Unabomber in pajama pants and yet I love him enough to make him his favourite “man-cold” drink, a Hot Toddy.

This drink has been served to Mark since he was probably too young to drink but in his Scottish household whiskey is generally the answer for most things. His mother has zero patience for whiners and doesn’t believe in indulging the man-cold. My kind of woman.

Cold medicine makes both he and I weirdly groggy, tired and cranky so we try not to take it. We rely on the old-fashioned methods of hot water bottles, baths with Eucalyptus oil, green smoothies, herbal teas, Neti pots and pajama pants. It isn’t pretty but it does work. I was never a fan of the traditional Hot Toddy, the mixture of hot water, honey, lemon and whiskey never really did it for me. I knew I could make a better one with a little more healing power. Since Mark LOVES apple cider so why not mix the two with a little healing help from ginger, extra lemon and spices? It worked so wonderfully and is Man-Cold Approved! Hooray!

With a Man-Cold gone, everyone is a lot happier except Barb who very much enjoyed the cuddles from a sick Mark. Until Winter…..

The post Man-Cold Approved: Warm Apple-Ginger Toddy appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

 I may be jumping the gun here with a typical mid-summer recipe but there is reason to celebrate: Mark is going to France next month! Mark is a bass player for the blues/jazz band Andria Simone and Those Guys and they have recently won the Hennessy Artistry Talent Quest. I could not be more proud of them and all of their hard work and believe me when I say it is hard work and (almost) completely unglamorous. Mark, who attends school full time, has a full time job and yet continues to go diligently to all rehearsals and gigs while he carrying his bass, amp and gear all on the subway. It is admirable to see their dedication to their passion for music by paying free gigs and rehearsing all hours to get ready for television gigs and music video recordings.

 I am so happy for him and I hope he enjoys his time in France while feasting on baguettes, drinking gallons of wine and sipping cognac which he had told me will be a daily occurrence if he has the time between performing at the music festival. Sadly I will not be joining him, as I will be stuck in my adult high school updating my math credits for 6 hours a day in a non-air conditioned room. This sacrifice is all for the greater good in hopes of applying to get my BSc. Siggghhh but I do dream of France so I thought I would make my favourite summer time dish with a French inspiration.

 When I think of France, I generally don’t think vegan food but this potato salad doesn’t have a lick of cream, eggs, bacon or anything in a liver pate form. It does contain some delicious vegan friendly French elements such as: spicy Dijon mustard, pebbly Puy lentils, crisp radishes, shallots, blanched asparagus and fleur de sel. Not exactly a French classic but it is fresh, summery and absolutely delicious. If you are going to France this summer, I am completely jealous but for those who aren’t this potato salad helps comfort your wanderlust soul.

French Inspired Creamy Lentil Potato Salad

2014-06-14 08:11:41

Serves 4

A fresh French twist on an all American classic summer time recipe.

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Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

1 hr

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

1 hr

Cashew Dijon Mayo

1. 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 2-8 hours, drained
2. 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3. 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4. ½ teaspoon fleur de sel
5. 6 tablespoons water
6. 2-3 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I used 3 but I LOVE mustard)

Lentils+ Potatoes

1. ½ cup Puy lentils, picked through and rinsed
2. 1 ½ pounds mini red skinned potatoes, washed and steamed
3. 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
4. ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel

Vegetables

1. 2 carrots, peeled and shaved with a vegetable peeler- cut the shaves into thin strips
2. ½ pound asparagus, trimmed and cut on the bias into medium pieces
3. 6-7 medium radishes, washed well, trimmed and sliced thin
4. 1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
5. 1/3 cup packed fresh parsley leaves, chopped roughly
6. 1½ tablespoons minced fresh shallot
7. ¼ teaspoon fleur de sel
8. ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper + more to season after the salad has rested for 1 hour

For the Cashew Dijon Mayo

1. Place all ingredients in a high-powered blender and process until completely smooth.

For the Lentils + Potatoes

1. Place the lentils into a small pot of cold water so that they are covered by about 3 inches of water. I used ½ cup of dried lentils and 2 cups of water. Bring the water up to the boil. As soon as it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium/medium low and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Test a few lentils at a time to check for doneness- they should have some bite to them and should not be bursting. Drain and rinse with cold running water, shaking out the water before adding the lentils to the potato bowl.
2. In a large pot, add water until about 2 inches deep and place the steamer basket inside the pot. Heat water over medium high until bubbly and add the potatoes. Keep a close eye on the water- if it gets too low you run the risk of burning out your pot. Cook potatoes until they are tender but the skins aren’t bursting. While the potatoes cook, add vinegar and salt to a large non-reactive bowl and set aside. Once potatoes are fully cooked, take off heat and cut the potatoes in half while they are still warm. Add all the potatoes to the bowl and toss with vinegar. Let stand in vinegar while you prepare your other ingredients.

For the Vegetables

1. To blanch the asparagus: add chopped asparagus to boiling water and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process. Dry gently with a clean dishtowel and add to the potato/lentil bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl. Pour the cashew Dijon mayo over the salad and with a rubber spatula gently coat the salad with the dressing.
2. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and let the salad rest in the refrigerator for 1 hour to let the flavours meld. The salad can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day.

Notes

1. I steamed the potatoes in a pot with a steamer basket, cut them in half and then tossed them with apple cider vinegar and salt. Potatoes are most absorbent when hot so it soaks up all the tangy vinegar.
2. You don’t have to use all the vegetables I did for this recipe, use ones you prefer. I just don’t recommend beets since they will turn your salad a very vivid pink.
3. Green lentils are larger than the Puy lentils, which are darker (greeny blueish gray colour) and look like little pebbles. These lentils are grown in the French region of Le Puy.
4. After mixing everything together, refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the flavours have time to meld together.
5. I used Bragg’s Raw Apple Cider. Feel free to experiment with other vinegars like white wine, red wine or champagne vinegar.
6. No fleur de sel? Completely fine. Sub in your preferred non-ionized salt like kosher or fine grain sea salt and TASTE as you go before adding more salt. Fleur de sel has a very mild flavour.
7. Make the dressing first, put on the lentils, cook the potatoes and while the lentils and potatoes are cooking, prep your vegetables for the rest of the salad.

By Jessica DeMarra

Sprouts & Chocolate http://www.sproutsandchocolate.com/

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