Banana Açai Smoothie Bowl

Açai has been everywhere on Instagram so when I saw a packet of açai puree at Trader Joe’s, I jumped at the chance to finally make my own açai bowl. First of all, for those of you who wonder what açai is, it’s a berry that comes from Brazil and it contains a lot of antioxidants. I’m not sure about the rest of the claims, such as preventing diseases and weight loss, but açai sure is delicious.

I always thought it was pronounced a-KAY, but it’s not! The real spelling is açai, with a c-cedilla, so that means the ‘c’ is said softly and the ‘i’ is not silent. The correct pronunciation is ah-sah-EE. You’ll thank me in the future when you’re faced with the prospect of ordering something with açai and don’t want to embarrass yourself pronouncing it.

I added 1/2 cup almond milk in my açai bowl, which was a bit too much because it doesn’t have the consistency of scoop-able ice cream, so I revised the recipe and cut the milk down to 1/3 cup to make it thicker.

• Servings: 2
• Time: 10 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A smooth and delicious bowl of creamy goodness. Made with bananas, blueberries, açai and spinach, this is sure to subside the sweet cravings for the day.
Ingredients:
2 bananas, peeled
1 packet of Trader Joe’s açai puree, put under warm water for 5 seconds
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup spinach, washed
1/3 cup almond milk

Instructions:

1. Put all the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth and thick. It should have the consistency of ice cream. Divide smoothie into two bowls and enjoy right away with toppings such as berries, granola and coconut flakes.

Kohlrabi and Zucchini Fritters with Wasabi Mayo

I didn’t even know kohlrabi existed until a few months ago. It was my brother’s birthday, and someone decided to give him seeds to plant in the garden. I looked at the package, frowning at the foreign name, and that was my first encounter with kohlrabi. Fast forward to the present, and the seeds have transformed into lovely green bulbs with leaves on top. These fritters are the first time I used the vegetable, so I was quite surprised by how hard of an effort it took to cut into it! I also recognized a smell but couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Of course, my mind needed to know, so one online search later and I came up with Martha Stewart’s definition of kohlrabi: it’s like a cross between a radish, jicama, broccoli, and collard greens. And that was it! My nose had detected the radish smell. But when the kohlrabi’s cooked, it doesn’t really taste like radish but more of a mixture between broccoli, zucchini and potato. Strange, huh?

These fritters are a wondrous combination of the strange veggie named kohlrabi, zucchini, egg, breadcrumbs and spices. It’s crunchy and soft (oxymoron point in English class!) plus the fritters smell so good when they’re cooking in the pan. It’s excellent with the wasabi mayo, which gives it an extra pop that I love.

Avocado, Spinach and Brie Sandwiches

We’re approaching finals again and I’m relieved that provincials have been removed. I still need to do a few final exams, but I think it’ll be okay. I predict that food will become my best friend during those stressful times, which is why I’m trying to eat really healthy now so I’ll be prepared for those food urges later on.

Last week, I made Style Sweet CA’s lemon mousse cake with raspberries and it was so good! There were a lot of eggs in it, but the result was mouth-watering. I changed a few things to make it healthier, and I was very pleased with the cake. Probably going to post it on Instagram soon since it looked so good.

Sweet Potato, Avocado and Eggs Hash

Happy Mother’s Day for all those mothers out there! Today my brother and I prepared breakfast for my mom and this dish was the star.

We actually have a video of when we were younger, making breakfast for my mom, and it’s terribly funny. My brother had to stand on a chair to reach the stove-top and he had so much trouble cooking a simple egg that he had to call me over for help (you can hear the fear in his voice). Then he tries to cut the bread, but it’s looks terrible, so I go over and try, which results in me cutting an even worse slice. In the end, we manage to plate the scrambled eggs on a really overly thick slice of bread, and I complete it by just randomly putting an unpeeled banana on top. Least to say, it was not my best dish.

Thankfully, well I think, I’ve improved from those earlier experiments in the kitchen.

Healthy Winter Buddha Bowl

I finally made something other than desserts and baked goods! Since my mom usually makes dinner every night, I never make dinner, but this time, my parents were out and I had to prepare dinner myself. I have been longing to make a Buddha bowl in, like, forever, so that’s exactly what I did.

It might not look like the best dinner ever, but it certainly tasted like it. And it took me under 30 minutes to make, so I call this a successful meal.

Who knew Buddha bowls could bring so much joy to the eater? And I think the cold winter weather (it was snowing here!) might have made me appreciate a warm bowl of yummy veggies even more.

Crispy Baked Zucchini Fries

Healthy fries just got real. Sure, they don’t actually taste like salty potato fries, but don’t compare them to that unhealthy junk. Think of it as soft baked zucchini coated with a crispy layer of cheesy goodness and breadcrumbs.

I think summer flew by way too fast. I did summer school for a month, went camping one time and now it’s already school again. I don’t know if I should be sad or happy. On one end, I know I’ll have lots of homework and projects and classwork and tests, but on the other hand, I am excited to see my friends again and see if there are any new kids coming (our school is small so a new kid is a big deal)!

I will now veer away from the topic of school since that’s making me anxious. 🙂

Zucchini Chocolate Muffins

A friend came back from a trip in France recently and they came over to our house, bringing lots of dreamy chocolates for us to taste. They were melt-in-your-mouth type of delicious. Anyways, that day, I had made muffins using the zucchini from our garden because we always have way too much, and my friend tasted one and said it was pretty good. I was happy, but then he paid me the utmost compliment any baker can get (or at least, in my rankings of compliments). He asked for another one! And then cheerfully gobbled it up.

Whenever someone asks for a second serving, I know they truly like it and that can brighten up my day no matter what kind of day it is. Even if it’s pouring rain and I have soccer practice. Outside. And my friend didn’t even flinch when I said it had zucchini in it :). A true eater.

These moist muffins are loaded with zucchini and chocolate, and there is no oil! Also, they are sweetened with maple syrup and cane sugar, which is a healthier alternative to your regular white granulated sugar. An all around A+ in my books.

• Servings: 12
• Time: 30 mins (Prep 10 mins)
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Sneaking in that zucchini without compromising chocolate’s delicious taste. These muffins are even healthier with applesauce instead of oil or butter.

Ingredients:
1 cup white flour
1/4  cup cocoa powder
1  1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup Greek yogurt (try it homemade)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup cane sugar
1/3 cup applesauce, no sugar added
1 cup grated zucchini, lightly pressed to remove large amounts of water
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 175 °C (350 °F). Grease 12 muffin tins with butter or coconut oil.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and baking soda.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, cane sugar and applesauce. Once thoroughly mixed, fold in the grated zucchini.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and lastly fold in the chocolate chips. The mixture shouldn’t be too liquid (if it is, add a 1/4 cup more flour). Divide the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
5. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until the top of the muffins have risen and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Let the muffins cool down in the muffin tins for 5 minutes before removing and placing on a metal rack. Eat warm or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Easy Bibimbap

Surprise! You might have noticed that I’m posting on a Wednesday instead of the weekend like I normally do. Well it’s all due to the great outdoors. My family and I are going camping for the weekend so I won’t have access to internet, which is why I’m leaving you guys with this easy dinner idea before I go. I got this idea from a recent episode of MasterChef where I saw all these really yummy looking bowls of bibimbap being made. The contestants on that show are so talented! (I’m cheering for Dan by the way. Love him!)

Let me first explain what bibimbap is. A Korean dish, literally meaning “mixed rice”, it is usually served in a hot stone bowl with rice (the stone bowl is so hot that there is a delicious layer of crispy rice on the bottom) and topped with vegetables, meat and an egg in the middle. The most traditional dishes use raw eggs and raw meat which should get cooked as it is mixed in the hot rice before eating. I, sadly, do not have stone bowls and had to content with these colourful Moroccan bowls that my dad picked up from one of his many travels all over the world. And since I couldn’t heat my bowls over the stove top, I couldn’t get a crispy layer of rice on the bottom, but it still tasted delicious!

My version of this Korean dish leans towards the healthier side, with delicious pan-fried chickpeas, minced turkey and lots of vegetables.

Gooey Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

I recently started using Pinterest, mainly because every time I see something interesting on the website this annoying pop up appears and I can’t see what caught my eye. So I made an account. I didn’t understand why people would take hours just pinning stuff, but now it all makes sense. I love putting everything in boards. It feels like I’m organizing my life. And it’s so easy. That’s also where I found the inspiration for these healthy delicious brownies.

Nowadays, you can hide veggies in anything and it will still taste good. Like these chocolate zucchini brownies. I am insanely in love with this. The chocolate just oozes in my mouth and afterwards my hands are covered with sticky chocolate, but it’s worth it! (Although having chocolaty fingers in Spanish class is not ideal when we have to write stuff down.)

Smooth Red Beet Soup

Just in time for Valentine’s day! I was debating whether to make cookies, or maybe dessert, but I decided to change things up a bit since most of my posts are about baked goods anyways. This soup has such a lovely shade of red, and with feta cheese on top it tastes super good! Velvety and creamy, this soup has no milk or cream! My entire family loved it.

Did I mention that it is a one pot recipe? And it doesn’t need chicken stock for taste because water does the job quite well with the beets, sweet potatoes, and carrots.