Our Fourth Annual Holiday Get Together

The evening started out with some cheese and toasts... some cheese was stinky, I didn't care for it, but the rest of the crowd sure did :)

 this year I whipped out the welcome cocktail... a cranberry-orange gold flecked martini...

 eventually we sat down to dinner, almost everyone had a lobster trio to start. From left to right, lobster and avocado tacos, lobster mac and cheese,and lobster croquettes with sun-dried tomato sauce and deep fried capers... fried capers are deliciously salty :)

 I had avocado and tomato tacos on greens with a sprinkle of fried capers...

 for main 6 mushroom and truffle stuffed chicken breasts on a puree of Jerusalem artichoke, roasted salsify and asparagus... with a drizzle of red wine port reduction...

 1 halibut with sun-dried tomato paste and the same veggies as above

 for moi veggies as above, soy marinated oven roasted sweet potato, and miso-chili marinated tofu cube

 then a finale of sticky toffee pudding with an injection of bourbon for those who wished it, whipped cream, and a brûléed fig...

 for moi a few more brûléed figs on top of a almond-poppy seed paste that my mom made for Christmas dinner...

as always food was outstanding, as was the company... Jay is already contemplating dinner for next year :)

lazy holiday dinner

We had some family time, but we also had just us time. A super lazy day spent in pj's :) For dinner a bottle of bubbly and take out from Cafe 668

 some steamed brown rice

 pan fried veggie dumplings with red wine dipping sauce...

 Rice paper stuffed with lettuce, bean sprouts, cucumbers, green chives, peanuts, and vermicelli noodles, spiked with spicy and sweet sauce.

 Vegetarian Pho - rice noodle soup cooked vegetarian style. It came in two parts: a container of stuff for the soup...

 and the broth itself...

 

Spicy fried coconut tofu...

 and Hot n’ Sour Vermicelli  soup...

yum it was delish... all vegan... plenty of leftovers for the next day :)

Happy Holidays!!!

The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Ever

Jay made these for me one day... and I think they are the most delicious cookies ever... Jay was generous enough to share the recipe :)

Home-style Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 tsp baking soda
1⁄4 cup unrefined sugar
1⁄4 tsp sea salt
1⁄3 cup pure maple syrup
1⁄4 tsp black strap molasses
1 - 1 1⁄2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1⁄4 cup organic canola oil (a little generous 1/4 cup)
1⁄3 cup non-dairy chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- In a bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Add the sugar and salt, and stir until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup with the molasses and vanilla, then stir in the oil until well combined.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry, along with the chocolate chips, and stir through until just combined (do not over mix).
- Place large spoonfuls or 2oz ice cream scoop of the batter on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and flatten a little.
- Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until just golden (if you bake for much longer, they will dry out).
- Let cool on the sheet for no more than 1 minute (again, to prevent drying), then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Makes 12 2oz  cookies.

pizza for dinner

We like to make our own.

List of ingredients used:
- dough (store bought)
- sun dried tomato pesto (Jay's own)
- thinly sliced Japanese eggplant
- small thinly sliced potatoes
- roasted tomatoes (store bought)
- shredded oyster mushrooms
- cooked green asparagus (store bought)
- sliced white onion
- salt and pepper
- drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Once the pizza was baked we topped it with some fresh dill... one of my all time fave herbs... it was delicious while hot for dinner... and even better cold next day for lunch :)

soup for dinner

I craved it he made it. It was so filling and delicious...

What he used to make it... 
1 red onion (diced)
4 celery stalk (4 diced)
1 red bell pepper (diced)
piece of fresh ginger (minced)
4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 red chillie pepper (sliced)
1 tbsp mild curry powder
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corrianced
vegetable oil to sautee all of the above
2 cups of red lentils
1 med sweet potato
2 youkon gold potatoes
1.5 lt vegetable stock
salt and pepper
before serving stir in 1/2 bunch of fresh chopped cilantro

Served with some soft, chewy baguette... so filling

I topped mine with Sriracha

asian veggies and dumplings

easy breezy dinner one night last week... some sauteed asian veggies with baked and pan-fired store bought dumplings... it was delish

 the perfect dipping sauce for dumplings is equal parts Sriracha and mustard... pictured below we tried it with orange-ginger mustard... it was good, but the mustard was a bit strong...

 so we had a backup made with the classing yellow French's... this is simply delish, it was served to us a few years back at a restaurant, we couldn't believe how good this combo is...

tealish - Oh Christmas Tea

We bought this at the One of a Kind Show along with two other flavors (which will be posted in due time)... there is a tealish store on Queen St. W. in Toronto... I might visit, once I run out...

the scent of this tea is heavenly... it's Christmas in tea form...

 just looking at these ingredients I can smell it: black tea, apple pieces, cinnamon, coriander seeds, orange slices, cardamom, pink peppercorns, cloves, flavor...

 it steeps to a beautiful amber color... I drink it plain, this has so much flavor it does not need any sugar...

Tangled Garden - Radiant Raspberry Jam

One of a Kind Show is great.. So many great vendors and new finds... this is one of them... This vendor has so many different jams, jellies, and other products... Plenty to taste. Once I tasted their raspberry jam, I had to get myself a jar... this is absolutely delicious... It has hints of rose, which I adore... maybe I should have gotten myself two jars...

 the ingredient list is pretty great...

 look how delish...

 on soft, soft warm bread... with a bit of vegan butter and my delicious jam... yum