The Yum Yum Factor

Because I love a challenge, I agreed to accept a giant vat of BioSteel Whey Protein Isolate , which is their brand name for protein powder, in order to come up with some tasty, protein rich recipes. Protein powder is not just for body builders and NHL hockey players, you know. It can be a godsend for people who need more protein and moms trying to sneak a bit into their picky kid's diet but the problem lies in the quality of the protein powders that are out there. Many other powders can contain stuff like processed soy, artificial flavours and sweeteners, fake colour and synthetic nutrients that are not all that easily absorbed by our bodies. BioSteel was developed by NHL trainer, Matt Nichol, who was sure he could do better and BioSteel was born. If it's good enough for Mats Sundin, it's good enough for me. The classic way for mere mortals to use it is to throw some into a morning smoothie but that can get boring and not everyone likes smoothies so that'...

Because salt cod and I have a bit of a contentious relationship, I kind of assumed that I would have a hard time eating in Portugal because bacalhau (the portuguese word for salt cod) seems to be in every dish they make. It is said that there are over 1000 traditional Portuguese bacalhau recipes and I believe that might be an understatement. You can have it in stews, in fritters, in cakes, deep fried, grilled or braised. It's almost always cooked or served with potatoes, as is everything else there to be honest, and despite my initial feelings of distaste for this noble beast , I was certainly willing to try it before announcing that I still hated it. I am nothing if not opened minded. Bacalhau is to Portuguese cuisine what tomatoes are to Italian, despite the fact that they have to import it from Newfoundland, Norway or Iceland because cod is not native to their waters. Oddly enough, it's also the one fish that they never eat in it's fresh state. Once an inexpensive k...

It's almost spring and a young girl's thoughts turn to..... lentils! Canadian Lentils is having another recipe contest . I was pretty stoked to come in second place last year with my classic Indian dal,   Parippu  but this time I wanted to not only do something completely different from my previous entry, I wanted to do something different with the actual lentils. In my head I kept thinking that there must be a way to use ground lentils in something. For two weeks I thought about ground lentils day and night. Could they work as a coating for frying, as a filler in meatballs, as a facial scrub? In the end I almost settled on seared scallops with a lentil crust but that would use just a couple tbls of the actual lentils and so it was back to the drawing board. I was about to give up on the whole idea of using ground lentils when I remembered this recipe for a battered, baked cauliflower in Buffalo wing sauce that was everywhere during SuperBowl season and ...

It's my last turn at snack day until the kid starts GRADE SEVEN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE!!! Anyway, enough with the wholesome muffins and good for you whole grain breads. For the last snack these kids are getting crack. To make myself feel a week bit better I threw in a huge container of watermelon but let's not kid ourselves because it's going to be all about that sweet, salty goodness that is kettle corn. Little Shack discovered the whole salty sweet popcorn thing a few weeks ago when he has some Smart Food's version of kettle corn. I wanted to make my own and started poking around the internet and it seems that everyone on the planet uses the same method so I am not going to credit any one source. Oh, and no, I didn't cut out the kid's watermelon into hearts and flowers. What, do you think I am crazy or something? Kettle Corn 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/2 cup popcorn kernels 1/4 cup sugar kosher salt to taste Heat the o...

I had my first sope at a restaurant called Poc Chuc on Isla Mujeres, a tiny island just off the coast of Mexico, north of Cancun. This was over 20 years ago and it was just a tiny hole in the wall but over the next few years, I kept returning to Isla Mujeres and watched the island grow and expand except for the Poc Chuc.It didn't change. I've not been back for almost 14 years but if I went back tomorrow, it would be the first stop I made to have something to eat before I continued on to my hotel. My two favourite things to eat there were sopa de lima and picadas, which i later found out are just sopes by another name. The sopes were really oily and so hot that I would burn my fingers trying to eat them before they cooled off but I had to eat them every single day. It was also my favorite place to hang out on Sunday nights and just snack all evening while I watched Siempre Domingo on their little tv set, which is on 24/7 just like is in every little restaurant I have ...

Tomorrow is Little Shack's snack day. Once or twice a month it is our responsibility to bring in the snack for the class. Luckily, there are only ten kids in the class so I don't have to feel like I just want to buy a bulk box of triscuits and a jar of no name jam to throw at them to avoid spending a ton of dough. I usually try to bake something to make up for the times when I get really busy and either forget snack altogether (like I did two weeks ago) or have to run out and buy a bag of clementines and box of crackers on the way to school in the morning.

Tomorrow is my son's turn to provide snack, which we all know means that it is MY turn to provide snack. Last month I made tatziki and brought that in with pita so this month I wanted to bake something. I like to keep them guessing and messing with their little heads by switching it up drastically. I don't want to be that mom who "always brings in cheese and crackers". I knew that I wanted to make something apple. Apple oatmeal was my original thought but then I stumbled upon this recipe for whole wheat apple muffins at smitten kitchen  and decided on making these instead: Whole Wheat Apple Muffins Adapted from King Arthur Flour These dark, crazy moist muffins will keep well for several days, and the brown sugar on top, should you not skimp on it like I did, adds a crunchy touch, perfect for those of you who know that the lid is the best part. Yield: They said 12, I got 18 1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon b...

 So, this is the first post of my first food blog so i probably should have picked something that is tried and true, something that i already know will wow the crowd but I have decided i have to use up that bit of sweet potato and those three rotting bananas so Sweet Potato Banana Muffins it is. It was either that or Sweet Potato Banana Chowder and that just didn't sound appetizing to me. (Just to be safe, I am also making Whole Wheat Boule with caramelized onions and old cheddar because bread is never terrible)   I searched the internet to see if there are actually any recipes for this and i was pleasantly surprised to see that i am not the first nut to want to pair these two ingredients. I decided to follow  this recipe i found on Noshings  with a few changes. I am going to use brown sugar instead of white sugar , i am adding some pumpkin pie spice because Little Shack is all hopped on all things pumpkin pie right now and i am adding some pecans for cru...