Soft Meringue S’mores Crumble with Blood Orange

February 9, 2016

Soft Meringue S'mores with Blood Orange

Soft Meringue S'mores with Blood Orange

Soft Meringue S'mores with Blood Orange

Soft Meringue S'mores with Blood Orange

A few wonderful things happened on the weekend; for some it was the Super Bowl, for others (including me) it was all about Beyonce’s new video and song Formation which has been playing on repeat in my house for over one hour haha. In general I’m gonna say it was a weekend of good vibes. Not bad considering cupid celebrations are all over the place and Valentine’s Day is happening next week which I’m not a fan of..sorry!

However, I do have a recipe that you can either use for Valentine’s Day or make it for yourself or your lover just because (no need to get cupid into it!). There’s definitely a little bit of influence from Vday with the blood orange situation, and they’re also in season, so let’s take advantage of that.

This dessert is a deconstructed version of the classic; I swapped the marshmallows for soft meringue, I made some quick dark chocolate ganache to make it a bit more dashing, and I crumbled the graham crackers around it to dress it up a-la modern cuisine. To cut through the richness, I placed a few segments of fresh blood orange which goes really well with the whole thing. It may sound like a lot of prep, but it seriously takes an hour or so to get it all done, or even better, you can do some of the items the night before.

Get the full recipe to make this fluffy yummer after the jump!

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The Italian Bramble (Non-Alcoholic Cocktail) + a Styling and Photography Workshop

February 2, 2016

The Italian Bramble (Non-Alcoholic Cocktail)

The Italian Bramble (Non-Alcoholic Cocktail)

The Italian Bramble (Non-Alcoholic Cocktail)

Hello all! Can you believe it’s February already!? How the hell did that happen?

I am quite excited about today’s post because A: I tested this new non-alcoholic cocktail which tastes super good and, B: I am going to tell you more details about our new workshop happening in Italy this spring! As you can see, it’s all about Italy today.

For those of you who don’t know what a Bramble is, let me tell ya: a Bramble is a British cocktail made out of dry gin, lemon juice, simple syrup, and crème de mûre (blackberry liqueur). Since I wanted to do a non-alcoholic version of this, I mixed most of the flavouring agents in the original recipe, and added a few Italian touches such as bitters (making a reference to Campari), sparkling soda (San Pellegrino, pretty Italian, yes? haha), and Juniper berries which add a “gin” touch without the booze – quite an awesome twist! And by the way, I kept the lemon in there but added a touch of rosemary, because, why not going all out with it!

The Italian Bramble (Non-Alcoholic Cocktail)

This drink is far from being boring and can be an all-season star, but hey, who am I to stop you if you do want to add some campari or gin.

Cocktails have become one of my favourite things to style lately, so if you want to get some more insight into how to do it yourself, read on and find the full recipe along with some workshop details – a workshop where you can learn how to do this and many other yummy things!

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Salt & Pepper: Editorial Work for Western Living Magazine

January 26, 2016

Salt & Pepper: Editorial Work for Western Living Magazine

Salt & Pepper: Editorial Work for Western Living Magazine

Salt & Pepper: Editorial Work for Western Living Magazine

Salt & Pepper: Editorial Work for Western Living Magazine

Hi guys! I am currently swimming under a pile of props and food at a photo shoot and didn’t have time to prepare a new recipe this week BUT I wanted to show you a few shots from an editorial assignment for Western Living magazine here in Vancouver.

The main ingredients showcased in these images, as you can figure it out, are salt and pepper. My favourite is the first image on this post where the veggies are loaded with salt, obvi you wouldn’t eat them like that, but I like that they look as if they just survived a salt blizzard. There are recipes attached to each image and you can find them all in here.

I highly recommend you make the salt and pepper caramels, they were sooo good! Love the touch of heat from cracked pepper.

OH and I swear I’ll get my shit together this weekend and I’ll have a new recipe for you (maybe even two!).

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An Artful Styling & Photography Workshop in Paris

January 23, 2016

An Artful Styling & Photography Workshop in Paris

An Artful Styling & Photography Workshop in Paris

An Artful Styling & Photography Workshop in Paris

Hey all! Well, guess who’s back from a whirlwind of airplanes and workshop planning? Yep! C’est moi.

I am super happy to share with you a few photos and anecdotes of the workshop with you – and I say a few photos because I was so busy with students that I forgot to take photos of the workshop!! Like, can you believe it? I guess when you have 12000 things happening at once, one thing will slip your mind. At least I snapped a few with my phone! Oh well.

Our (sold out! yay) workshop in Paris was one mighty lovely experience. Rad more about it after the jump See the Rest of this Post

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The Green Caesar Non-Alocholic Cocktail

January 12, 2016

The Green Caesar Non-Alocholic Cocktail

The Green Caesar Non-Alocholic Cocktail

Waaaait a second, am I actually publishing a recipe that has no booze in it? Shiiit. I guess 2016 is the year of change, eh? :P

It may sound shocking, but despite the rise of the “craft cocktail” and all things fancy and boozy, non-alcoholic drinks are actually making a big comeback, including low ABV drinks (alcohol by volume). I think as much as we all love a good cocktail, our current lifestyles are changing and that means you may be a designated driver, or you could be taking a car-to-go to get home, or simply you want to enjoy an evening drink without getting smashed, and you know what? I’m totally digging this.

The unfortunate thing with non-alcoholic drinks – side note: I call them non-alcoholic drinks and not “mocktails” as I feel the latter is a dirty word with bad rep that reminds me of shitty cough-syrup-tasting pink flamingo cocktails – back to the topic..ok so the unfortunate thing with non-alcoholic drinks is that many, if not almost all of them, have been crafted with flavoured syrups, which sucks, because you always get a super sweet soda-like cocktail.

The Green Caesar Non-Alocholic Cocktail

For this cocktail I thought of not even doing a “slightly less sweet” version of something, but rather, go down the opposite way and make it totally savoury. For those of you who don’t know about the mighty caesar cocktail, it’s a total Canadian staple! And sorry American friends, bloody marys are just gross, that’s right, I’ll take clamato over tomato juice any day! haha.

A regular caesar is made with clamato juice, vodka or gin and a bunch of sauces and condiments, totally savoury and oh so yummy for brunch. It’s like a whole meal!

In this green version I use lots of greens as a base to add flavour (and nutrition?), a few tomatoes to add acidity, and a couple spices for a nice little kick. Of course, no good caesar is complete without a salty rim; this green version has one with freshly cracked pepper included. mmmh mmmh good!

Ok so what do you say, wanna give it a go? I say yes! Go for it! Make me one while you’re at it ;)

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Huevos Rancheros with Charred Kale, Tomatoes, and Crispy Garlic Chickpeas

January 5, 2016

Huevos Rancheros with Charred Kale, Tomatoes, and Crispy Garlic Chickpeas

Crispy Spicy Garlic Chickpeas

Huevos Rancheros with Charred Kale, Tomatoes, and Crispy Garlic Chickpeas

YAY! First post of 2016! Lucky for all of us it’s a healthy-ish one.

After completely destroying my stomach during the holidays with the consumption of dairy (in vast quantities), I decided I gotta give my gut a break…for a week or so at least! Don’t worry, I’m not trying any of the “new me new you” crap. I am more of a “eat whatever makes you happy” and yes, hence I am sharing with you today a recipe that’s a total favourite of mine; a staple in every Mexican table, but with a twist.

Cue: Huevos Rancheros! The traditional recipe utilizes salsa, cheese, and whatnot. For this version I am choosing something healthier but packed with flavour: charred kale and tomatoes and crispy, spicy, garlic chickpeas. All homemade, all super easy to cook.

You can make this recipe your new best bud in the morning, or you can make your friends drool over brunch with it. Either way, I think you should give it a go! Get the full recipe after the jump

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The Year in Food: Best of 2015

December 30, 2015

Young Coconut Dark Chocolate Slushie With Smashed Berries (Vegan)

Ooh la la! That time of the year when “the best of” lists start popping around has come, friends! 2016 is here! (well, almost here) and holy shit did time go flying. I must say this year was one for the books in terms of work and overall life lessons, and happy to say they were all positive things.

A few key personal lessons I learned this year were:

– I gotta get an assistant; it’s impossible to do 30 things at once and keep it all together.
– I need more “me” time; gotta block it in my schedule or it’s never gonna happen. 2015 was a year when stress ran high and ain’t gonna take it again. You with me?
– Say no more often; I (and I’m sure lots of you) have a bad habit of saying yes to a lot of things, this year I finally started embracing the power of NO and I think 2016 will be the year when NO will come out easily than ever before. Phew.
– Less dairy; I am lactose intolerant and I gotta deal with it. Would 2016 be the year when I finally start “just having a bite”? Probably..NOT…but maybe!

And obviously the year couldn’t be over without a little trip down memory lane – more like – foodie memory lane! You guys we cooked so many things together! And we virtually eat WAY too many goodies, but hey, I wouldn’t change it for anything. LOVE sharing recipes with you. LOVE this great community and most importantly, LOVE all the great comments and support you have given me so far.

So I say THANK YOU!! (sappy paragraph alert!) Thank you all for following me along this great journey of food and photography. I wouldn’t be here without you! (for reals, you are pretty damn special). I read ALL your comments on the blog and on Instagram and I sometimes have to pinch myself because I cannot believe how great and positive you all are. Thank you from the bottom of my chocolate covered heart.

OK, and now, let’s fucking eat with our eyes! Here are the most popular and some of my favourite posts of 2015. If you have any favourites I didn’t include let me know in the comments.

Happy new year!!

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