Chocolate Love

All of my friends gave me chocolate yesterday. They know me well!

Mmm, chocolate coma!

On VDay I gave out homemade peanut butter cups wrapped in foil just like real chocolate.

Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups 

HOMEMADE PB CUPS... Reese's has got nothing on these yummy cups.

 200 grams of chocolate (equivalent to two bars)

0.5 cup of plain peanut butter (natural)

0.25 cup of honey

Melt chocolate on minimum heat. Take a mini muffin tin or a regular sized tin with a bit of oil to keep it well greased. Spoon melted chocolate into the bottom of chocolate (a little more than a teaspoon). Then place the muffin tin in the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up. After 5 minutes, take a heaping teaspoon of the honey PB and roll it into a ball, then flatten it it into a disc. Place the disc ontop of the chocolate base in the muffin tin. Make sure that the disc is not as wide as the entire tin's width (you want room to get chocolate on the sides of the PB disc). Then pour chocolate on top of the disc, making sure that chocolate gets all around the disc and covers the top entirely. Continue until all the cups are filled with discs and covered with chocolate. Garnish with a peanut and place in the freezer to firm up for another 5 minutes.  To remove the cups, use a spoon to "plop" the discs out. They will seem stuck but they will pop out easily due to greasing them in advance. Makes 12 mini PB cups or 6 large ones.

Share with those you love! <3

Substitutions: use maple syrup instead of honey and almond butter instead of PB.

Sugar Rush.

Yesterday was Toronto's Annual Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off. I volunteered at it last year, but this year I was feeling extra inspired, which led me to submit an entry into the competition. There were eight categories that you could enter and over forty participants baking goods to compete. I entered the "Gluten-Free Chocolate" category and submitted my Lady Bites (a peanut-butter-chocolate cookie creation). I had to bake 100 cookies to share with the community at large, who in turned acted as judges, rating each of the sweets in order to select the winner. In addition to the taste-testing aspect of the day, participants were also judged on their presentation skills (I had to create a display for my cookies).

Tony came with me and we had fun setting up my 100 cookies to be tasted, taking many pictures, tasting all the goodies (sugar coma ensued), and viewing all of the different dessert displays (there was so much variety! Everything from pistachio to pineapple desserts were featured). Another fun tid-bit: George Stroumboloupolous was in attendance! He stood about a foot away from me for quite some time too (apparently he recently went veg?!). Oh, and it is interesting that the winning entry last year was a "salted caramel cupcake" while this year's top prize went to a "Dulce-de-leuce (a caramel-like syrup) cupcake". Note to self: caramel is key!

Aside from the fun, I unfortunately have a few complaints about the event. Now, please don't judge me as a sore loser. I had no intention (or hopes) of winning the competition. I was in it for the fun and the opportunity to do some mass baking! Therefore you can take my complaints as sincere and not whiny, why-didn't-I-win complaints.

Complaint #1: Organization for the lose. I thought the event's organization was a mess. I was really disappointed and I didn't feel appreciated as an entry baker. This is my number one reason for not competing next year (I've already decided that this was my first and last time entering the bake-off).

Complaint #2: Businesses for the win. The winners of all the major categories were professional bakers representing real bakeries. I don't find this fair. If my career was to bake everyday, I bet I could create some real fabulous desserts. At least I'd hope so; my bakery's business would depend on it! Amateur bakers should not have to compete with the pros.

Complaint #3: Sugar for the win. My recipe did not contain any refined sugar (I was aiming for a slightly healthier cookie but definitely not bird food). But you know which desserts won? The most ooey-gooey-syrupy-icing&fat-ladened-superrich desserts ones. You know, the chocolate cookie, topped with a layer of cream, dipped in chocolate, then drizzled with more icing, types of cookies one. Or that brownie with the hot fudge, marshmallow fluff, chocolate drizzle, and candy sprinkles adorning its super moist cocoa base. Moral of the story: go big or go home! If you want to win over people's hearts (or votes), you need to seduce them with lots and lots of sugar.

Complaint #4: Sweetness for the win. In hindsight, I don't know how "totally fabulous" it is to host a bake-off in order to promote veganism. Using sweets to convince people that you be vegan and have your cake too. I think Tony summarizes it best: "It is a shame that this event is showcasing the least healthy part of a diet for which a main draw is healthiness. Next year it should be an hors d'oeuvres competition: still bite-sized but real food".

Hmm, since this post is already super long, I'll post my pictures and my submitted recipe tomorrow. See you then!

Exam Snacks.

In undergrad, my friend and I used to surprise each other with gifts of exam snacks during final exams. They could be store-bought or homemade, delivered in person or tied to our door, sweet or savory... These cookies reminds me of my exam snack days. While my undergrad days are over, I still crave a good exam snack while studying. I made a batch on the weekend to satisfy any cravings that may arise this week or next.

PB & J Cookies
These make great exam snacks. The recipe can be made wheat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, and made vegan if you follow my substitutions.

2 cups flour (I used half brown rice and half sorghum)
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used two mashed ripe bananas)
2 eggs (I used two chia eggs)
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used an unsalted and unsweetened variety)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
~1/2 cup fruit jam of choice (I used a berry jam sweetened with agave)

Combine the dry. Combine the wet (except the jam). Mix the wet and dry together (thin with water if the batter is too thick). Roll the batter into balls and press lightly onto a greased baking sheet. Using your thumb or the back of a spoon, make an indentation into each cookie, fill will a teaspoon of jam. Bake at 350F for 10-20 minutes (check at 10, then every 5 minutes after that). Makes 20 medium-sized exam snacks.

P.S. My Acupuncture exam is DONE. This exam went well; the examining teaching assistant was so cool and complimented my technique twice! He even tried to help me out when I made a dumb mistake, but unfortunately this dumb girl didn't catch his hint ;)

Natural Sweeteners.

Refined sugar is BAD NEWS *inside joke*.

Sugar is highly processed, is completely void of nutrients, and is harmful to our immune systems (sugar masks receptors on our macrophages, allowing pathogens to live in our body undetected). Interestingly, studies have shown that people tend to get sick right after sugar-heavy holidays (i.e. Xmas, Hallowe'en, Easter, Valentine's Day). The general "5" rule in the naturopathic community is that 5 tablespoons of sugar reduces the immune system by 50% for 5 hours. So, if you are considering "resetting" your taste buds or eating better sources of sugar, I have compiled some tips for sweetening foods naturally.

Some healthier sugar options include:

- Pureed fruit (dates, prunes, mango) make great liquid sweeteners
- Mashed fruit (think apple sauce and mushed bananas)
- Fruit juice concentrates (available in frozen section, apple and orange are great when making muffins or cakes)
- Honey (has antimicrobial properties, more on its benefits here and here)
- Agave (doesn't cause sugar spikes as it has a low glycemic index, made from the agave plant)
- Stevia (calorie-free, a new alternative to calorie-free sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose)
- Molasses (high in calcium and iron, lots more here)
- Brown rice syrup (like maple syrup, allergen-free)
- And last but not least...organic raw cane sugar (if granulated sugar is what you want, opt for the purest form)

Other tips for reducing refined sugar intake:

- Give dark chocolate a try (it has way less sugar and chemicals than the milk variety).
- Buy fruit jams that are fruit sweetened (Crofter's and Le Fruit make versions that are very good, available at major grocery stores).
- Licorice root tastes very sweet but has no sugar; try drinking licorice tea (if you don't like licorice candy, don't worry because it doesn't taste at all like it).
- I also recommend eating cinnamon and chia seeds with sugar. A sprinkle of these two on top of a sweet dessert helps reduce "sugar spikes" as they modulate insulin receptors and glucose uptake into cells. When baking sweets, try to include cinnamon and chia from time-to-time.
- When push-comes-to-shove, sugar (in any form) is far better than fake sugars (e.g. aspartame and sucralose)!

Let's Talk Culture.

While this post doesn't directly relate to my program, I thought I'd take the opportunity talk about some cool, culturally related things that I've come across recently:

- Zeitgeist. Tony and I went and saw this documentary/independent-film. It was incredible. In about two weeks time the movie will be available online. I'd encourage you all to see it. It is very powerful and it discusses health in a more naturopathic manner!

- AGO. The Art Gallery of Ontario has a "Kings of India" art exhibit on now until April. The exhibit (and the entire gallery as a result) is free for students! I saw Maharaja with a friend this past weekend. I always appreciate the opportunity to do something non-spleen every once and awhile :P

- Blue Zones. One of my classmates recently presented the book, Blue Zones, to a handful of fellow students during one class break. This book describes four areas of the world where people are known to live well into their 100s (and it presents the commonalities between the communities, such as living near the equator!). It sounds like a great read; I am adding it to my summer reading list.

- I recently had a hankering for a snack from my childhood: Ants on a Log. Remember this simple treat? Celery, raisins, and peanut butter. Healthy, yet satisfies a fatty-sweety-crunchy craving.

On that note, when making any PB snack, organic Valencia peanuts are best. (I discussed this type of peanut before). Why? Because peanuts are very susceptible to fungus growth. The fungi that love peanuts happen to produce aflatoxins. Aflatoxin is a toxin that is carcinogenic (i.e. cancer causing). Secondly, peanut butter today is really what people think it is. Today's PB is not just ground peanuts, but is made of (unhealthy) hydrogenated vegetable oils, icing sugar, and then some ground peanuts. I think the reason why so many people are addicted to PB is due to an addiction to all the sugar it contains. I'll admit that I was once a Kraft PB addict; it was a hard addiction to break, but I've since cleaned up my taste buds and now appreciate the truly natural taste of peanuts.

Fuel for Studying.

I'd thought I'd share the two foods that I am eating to fuel my studying this week: Black Bean and Lime Gumbo and Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Banana Muffins.

Black Bean and Lime Gumbo Serves 4.

1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
4 cups water

2 onions, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

700 mL neutral-flavored pasta sauce (such as roasted red pepper or primavera varieties) OR one large can of diced/stewed tomatoes
1 1/2 cups black beans (or one can black beans, drained and rinsed)
1 tablespoon (or more) chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups greens (collards, kale, spinach)

Garnishes: lots of lime juice, drizzle of oil, lime zest (optional)

1) Bring the water to a boil, add the brown rice, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 40 minutes or until water has absorbed. 2) Place sweet potatoes, onions, oil, and salt in a bowl and stir well to coat the vegetables with the oil. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes (or soft) at 375F. 3) When the rice is cooked, add the tomatoes, beans, greens, and spices to the pot. Bring to a medium heat and cook for 5-10 minutes; just enough time to heat everything through. 4) Remove the the gumbo from the stove top and stir-in the baked onions and sweet potatoes. Portion the gumbo into bowls and dose with lime juice and a drizzle of oil (to help with vitamin absorption!).

Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Banana Muffins Makes 10-12 muffins (depending on preferred muffin size).

Unfortunately I didn't have supplies on hand to make Holiday-themed study snacks for this round of exams. Instead I made muffins (using everyday ingredients) to fuel my studying. Peanut butter and banana, with a touch of chocolate, makes for a heavenly combo. This recipe contains no added sugar; the sweetness comes from the chocolate and bananas. If you are feeling adventurous, I've included the ways I make these muffins extra healthy.

2 cups flour (uber healthy option: use kamut flour)
3/4 cup rolled oats (uber healthy option: use rolled kamut kernels)
1/2 cup chocolate chips (uber healthy option: use carob chips)

Eggs or flax "eggs" (1/4 cup ground flaxseed, soaked in 1/4 cup water for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 mashed bananas
1/4 cup of milk or water
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

1) Mix dry ingredients. 2) Mix wet ingredients. 3) Add wet to dry. 4) Pour batter into vegetable oil greased muffin tins and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.

Happy Studying ...I mean Snacking! (for those who aren't writing exams.)

Birthday Cake!

My friend's birthday was this week so I baked her this Peanut Butter cake. You can't really even call it "cake" because it is pretty darn healthy.

2 cups spelt flour
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups apple juice concentrate*
1/2 cup almond milk (or soymilk, or cow's milk)
1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/4 cup carob (or chocolate) chips
1/4 cup chopped peanuts

Mix all dry ingredients. Mix all wet ingredients. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Poor into an 8"x8" oiled baking pan. Sprinkle the cake with the chips and nuts (or you could ice the cake when it has finished baking and has cooled). Bake at 350F for one hour. Let sit 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy.

*Apple juice concentrate is sold in the frozen juice section of grocery stores. One can of frozen apple juice concentrate is equivalent to 1 1/2 cups. Let the juice thaw to room temperature before using.