Enchanted Chameleon

~ serendipity smoothie ~

I love blending.  That's why you're here aren't you?  It's sure why I started here and ended up here.  That is for shizzle.  A blender would be my coat of armour.  That and some knitting needles and Persol glasses and if possible, without looking overaccessorized, flip flops.

I'm not sure that I've come flat out and said it here but I'll say it today:  I sold the Juice Caboose.  It's true.  It lives on in my soul and in memories and the blog that is still up to taunt and tease Vancouverites with the possibility of it coming to a venue (not intentionally, just sheer laziness and hope that it may come in use again).

It was a bittersweet decision.  Naturally I didn't want to give up my dream but in so doing I have freed up my life and finances in a way that I wouldn't have been able to do before in order to be with my family throughout my father's sickness this past year and a half, not to mention giving me a ton of space and time to heal.  Sometimes even marriages that aren't meant to be and past their expiration date require time for mourning.  Another dream, gone.  Grieving, a necessity. 

One hard thing about giving up the Caboose was giving up the Vitamix blender.  My Cuisinart was great and I know how to work a blender to make things like a Vitamix but still, it's a nice piece of kitchen bling that is hard to part with.  However, the decision to sell the business included that piece of equipment.  It was a package deal and regardless of what I wanted, the right decision was to keep the package together.  So I let it go.

Not long after, I was visiting Harvest Project, a place where I shop once a month for free groceries for low to no income people, a place that has helped me stay afloat and treading comfortably since I became a single parent.  They offer career counselling and professional clothing as well for those in need.  An amazing and award winning not-for-profit here on the North Shore that I'm eternally grateful for and hoping to repay someday with time, money or whathave you that I can offer when the opportunity arises.  I was there for my monthly shop and one of the volunteers approached me with a paper bag and asked me if I juice or blend.  Well, yes, if anyone does, I do.  Thinking she was handing me a bag of culled apples or juicing carrots I accepted the bag from her only to discover a practically new Vitamix Blender.  I but but butted, that this was a Vitamix.  The volunteer agreed it was in fact a really nice blender and it was mine to keep. 

After nearly falling over and scooping my jaw from the floor I thanked the Universe.  Sometimes when a dream comes to an end, it is easy to think one is not deserving.  I couldn't have questioned my deserving in any measure at that moment.  Again, thank you Universe, Higher Power, Good Rich Person of the North Shore that Didn't need a Vitamix?!?!  Thank you, you made my life.

It took me a little time to warm up to it.  It sat on my counter like a very expensive piece of art for the first few weeks till I finally mustered the acceptance that it wasn't going anywhere and it was mine to keep.  And naturally, just like my beat up used one that was from craigslist that went off into the sunset of someone elses dreams, so did this one magically start to make delicious smoothies from random who knows what I had in my fridge, was on sale, etc., just like I used to do in the truck.  Enter my Serendipity Smoothie.  The most delicious smoothie to touch my lips since October 2012 when the Caboose unknowingly sold its last batches.

Isn't she a beaut?

Serendipity Smoothie, fills a Wide Mouth Mason

Needed: 1 young thai coconut water and meat, 1/2 large bunch of fresh cilantro, 1/2 large bunch of fresh mint, 1 large mango or 2 small, 1 lemon, juiced, honey or agave to taste (I used about a tablespoon), 1 cup ice if you prefer it chilled (don 't bother with ice if you use frozen mango)

If you are blending with a regular blender or a bullet, first don't feel bad, I have used them for years.  Blend the greens with the liquid first until smooth and then add fruit and meat.  If you are fortunate enough to have a Vitamix or a Blendtec just throw it all in a blend up this delicious smoothie.  Enjoy.

XO.  Suzanne

 

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just-like-pumpkin-pie-no-pumpkin-smoothie

~ happy birthday juice caboose ~

gluten free zucchini muffins with orange glaze

All stories must start somewhere.  Today, I start with a simple, delicious recipe as opposed to all the ups and downs of life that the last year and half have brought me.  Those stories will unfold slowly as time passes.  Today, I go easy on myself.  I'll start with muffins.

I mean, where would we be without muffins?  They are a staple in many people's diets.  An easy snack, a replacement meal, something cheap and easy to pick up on the go.  Filling.  Yummy.  When gluten free though, it's not such a staple.  First, you can't just pick up one muffin from a place that carries gluten free muffins.  You usually have to buy a $10 box.  And that's if a store even carries them.  If you make them, maybe they are super heavy like many gluten free foods can be.  I want to be full but I don't want to be walking through sludge the rest of the day just trying to digest my meal.

Although I normally like to make everything from scratch with my own mix of gluten free flours, I came into possession of the Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix.  Except that my narrow brain seemed to keep skipping over the part that said baking and was only using it for pancakes.  What an awful oversight!  I took a stab at the muffin recipe on the back of the package and what a light fluffy, perfectly tasty gluten free muffin did it make.  Super simple.  What a delight.  I had to make a second and third batch to keep up with the demand in my home.  Not all recipes go over so well.  This one was a hit.

Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins with Orange Glaze, makes 5

Needed:  1 1/4 C Pamela's Gluten Free Baking and Pancake Mix, (ingredients according to recipe on package - egg, vanilla, water, sugar - I used 1/4 C Coconut Palm Sugar), 1/2 C shredded zucchini, 1/8 t ground anise, 1/8 t cinnamon, coconut butter for muffin pan, 1/2 C icing sugar, 1 1/2 T orange juice, 1/4 t orange rind.

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix all the ingredients up to the cinnamon in a bowl.  Grease muffin pan with coconut butter.  I used a muffin top pan (so cool, I know, total find at the thrift shop) and the Fred and Friends Teacupcakes.  Bake in oven for 18-20 minutes.  Let cool for 10.  

MIx glaze ingredients together and glaze onto muffins once cool.  Let sit for 20 minutes for glaze to harden before serving.  Enjoy.  Suzanne

thanksgiving! gifts & gluten free

I've taken a new position on at my store, it's kind of like a special project manager where I essentially manage holidays!  Fun!  It's been a little bit deco, a little bit talking foodie and a lot of troubleshooting as its a new position to take over the chaos that normally occurs before the holidays.  I've already been dreaming about turkey orders and I will not lie, I am spending the week mentally preparing myself for turkey and meal pickups this Saturday as we still have 6 days to go and already we have over 75 people coming in just to see me!  And we haven't even really been super busy taking orders yet!  The real 'fun' begins this week.  

In between the bumpers of the pinball machine that these first couple of weeks have been like I've managed to come up with a little love of Thanksgiving, my creative contribution to my little corner of the store.

Normally at this time the store kicks out the perk and has cider sampling on overdrive.  It's a tradition and our guests at the store look forward to it.  However, I didn't want to just be the apple cider sample table.  I wanted a segway to talking turkey and deco and food.  I put two and two together and I came up with a very well received idea for Hostess Gifts, especially if the dinner you are attending is a famly, with the Apple Cider and Mulled Spice gift pack.  As pictured above we have a giant jug of Jim's Apple Cider from BC apples tied up simply with a pack of reuseable muslin pot pourri/spice sacs and the incredible Mulling Spice Pack from Gathering Place Trading Company (please click that link and tell me you don't want to visit this family for Thanksgiving).  People are just in LOVE with this gift!  I recommend it over anything else this Thanksgiving.

Anything else but a pumpkin centrepiece!  If it isn't love with the cider gift, than it will be full on soul mates with the beautiful green pumpkin carved out, decorated with fushia, red and orange flowers!  Or a white pumpkin with luscious rich fall coloured flowers or a butternut squash vase with sunflowers or gerbera daisies in a rich red colour. Oh the possibilities!  Seriously, visit Pinterest for inspiration (just click, the search is there!) if you aren't feelin me on this cause a carved out pumpkin bouquet/centrepiece is just the most luscious, decadent, epitome of beauty and harvest at the Thanksgiving table (here's one I made a few years ago with a Moulin Rouge Sunflower and Mum's from our old garden plot at Maplewood Farms).

I figured that while we are on the topic of Thanksgiving, I mean, it's just a week away (!!!) I would include a link to my Gluten Free Xmas Dinner post that I wrote last Christmas as a part of the 12 Days of Traditions with Vancouver's Top Mommy Bloggers.  A lot of the info posted in there from stuffing to gravy and of course, pumpkin pies can be really useful this time of year, and I went into a little detail if you are new or just hosting a guest that is gluten free and how to best handle having a gluten free experience for them.  Hope you find a little something extra that you hadn't thought of before you head out this week on your holiday shop!  

XO.
SUzanne 

just-like-pumpkin-pie-no-pumpkin-smoothie

The legend of the Juice Caboose comes alive again this fall season with one of its best selling, seasonal smoothies - the Pumpkin Pie Smoothie.  This smoothie is completely raw.  Nothing canned is contained.  And why should there be, it's a freakin smoothie!  A smoothie should be fresh and alive and easy to digest, not masked with a bunch of stuff to make it taste better.  If it doesn't taste good with natural and wholesome elements, you shouldn't be drinking it as a smoothie, you should call it something else, in this case a pumpkin pie.  Let's call a spade a spade.  (if you want to know why health experts are saying smoothies are bad for you, it's most likely they AREN'T A SMOOTHIE!)   

Ok, ok.  Passion for pure smoothies aside, this thing is delicious and you don't have to feel guilty that it isn't a smoothie.  CAUSE IT REALLY IS!  And it really tastes like pumpkin pie.

Just-Like-Pumpkin-Pie-No-Pumpkin-Smoothie

:: 1 Cup Ice

:: 1 1/2 C Carrot Juice

:: 1/2 Avocado

:: 2 T Honey

:: 1/2 t Pumpkin Pie Spice

Blend all ingredients in a blender and enjoy!

You can also substitute the 3-4 soaked dates for the honey, or a good quality raw agave syrup.

Enjoy this as a treat or a meal.  For those of us that would love the taste of a Pumpkin Spice something without all the calories and such.  Give it a try and let me know what you think!  We started drinking them today, another sign of fall and Thanksgiving upon us.  

XO.
Suzanne

taste of thanksgiving - tonight!

applesauce season

"When the first apples of the season--Ida Red and Paula Red, Twenty Ounce, McIntosh, and Ginger Gold--show up in the city markets, it's time to take out the big pot and make applesauce. Eden Lispon's lovingly recounted description of a family's applesauce-making ritual describes the buying, peeling, cooking and stirring; the wait for the sauce to cool and the first taste. Mordicai Gerstein's paintings are full of the colors and flavors of the season: red apples, orange leaves, blue skies. Here's a lovely picture book celebrating an American family tradition."

C and I discovered this sweet book a few weeks ago on a trip to the local library.  I spotted it on the autumn display thinking that it would most likely be one of those books that I love more than C does.  But in the end it was quite the opposite.  Since we read it, C has been thoroughly excited to celebrate an Applesauce Season of our own.

In this book we discovered a fun little tradition that we shared along with the author, names of apples that we had never heard before and the deliciousness that is applesauce and cottage cheese in a bowl together.  It is my new favourite treat.

We cooked up a batch of our own, making it the way I remember my father making it when I was young and also, my preferred consistency when it comes to applesauce: chunky.  We peeled and cored the apples, as opposed to using a food mill like the author and were equally, if not more pleased with the delicious results.

Our sauce included: Macintosh, Sunrise, Silken, Honeycrisp, Pink Cripps.  According to Grandma (in the story) you need at least 3 different types of apples in a batch for 'real flavour'.

This really is a great little story.  I loved especially the amount of detail told in a small enough story for little ones to keep their interest.  The fact that as some apples come into season and others go out until they stop making applesauce and just eat apples was a simple part of the story (unlike how I just described it) shows just how wonderfully beautiful, modern and traditional this story is all in one.

Stay tuned for Hot Chocolate Season, coming up in the winter and again something in the Spring (unfortunately I can't remember what Spring was except that it definitely was NOT edible.)

#tbt :: first month of blog '08

Decided to Throwback Thursday to the first month of my blog.  I decided to start recording my experience as a raw foodist.  We had Wednesday night dinners every week where I would go all out gourmet and our neighbours daughter Jessica and our friend Laura would join us as well.  It was such a great experience and a nice little tradition we had going on.  C was such a great eater then.  Not even remotely as picky as he is these days.  And of course, he was also still partially bald.

XO.
Suzanne 

living naturally fair :: raw zucchini pasta recipe

Photo by Tereza Anderson

I had the honour of participating in the Whole Foods Living Naturally Fair again this year on the chef stage.  Last year I did a one hour demo of a green smoothie and gourmet smoothie, representing the Juice Caboose.  Recipes can be found here.  This year I competed, yes, I said competed, as a Whole Foods employee on the chef stage against another Whole Foods employee. The ingredient that both of us had to incorporate into our dish was Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips.  It is a vegan, gluten free chicken substitute that Whole Foods using in some of its vegan dishes in the prepped foods department.  C and I tried it in preparation for the competition.  In the past I've stayed away from meat replacements when eating vegan/vegetarian as I haven't enjoyed them all that much.  I have to say that this one is really delicious and the most chicken like I've ever tried!  We cooked up the strips quickly from frozen and ate them as chicken strips with BBQ sauce. 

I decided to pull out some raw vegan recipes of days gone by.  I've been noticing that fresh, veggie pastas are making the circuit of main stream food blogs.  Thanks raw vegans and all your great ideas!  I decided on a raw zucchini pasta, as I always think it best to keep it fresh when making vegan dishes.  It's easy to turn a vegan and vegetarian diet into a junk food vegan/vegetarian diet therefore my first priority with a vegan/vegetarian dish is to start with the raw vegetables and incorporate my other ingredients from there.

One of my favourite dishes when I was a practicing raw foodist was zucchini pasta.  It always seemed to be the kind of dish that you could get non-raw vegans hooked on healthy quite quickly.

Photo by Whole Foods Market Robson

Beyond Meat Raw Zucchini Pasta & Tahini Avocado Alfredo Dressing

 :: 5-6 medium zucchini
:: 1/4 C raw tahini
:: 1/2 avocado
:: 1-2 cloves garlic
:: 1 lemon juiced
:: 3 T apple cider vinegar
:: 1 1/2 T raw honey
:: 3 T nutritional yeast
:: 1 t black pepper, to taste
:: 1 t sea salt
:: 2 T tamarind paste
:: 1-2 C water, as needed
:: 1-2 C Beyond Meat Chicken Free Strips, grilled and cubed
:: Alive and Radiant Foods - Perfectly Plain Kale Chips, crushed

Trim the ends of the zucchini.  Using a spiral slicer slice the zucchini into noodles (**see note below on spiral slicers and alternatives) and transfer to a large bowl.  Using a paper towel or cloth, gently ring out the zucchini, discarding the leftover water.

In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.  The dressing should be quite thick.  Add more water to thin as desired.

Store in a glass jar with a lid in the refrigerator.

Beyond Meat can be grilled, baked or fried from frozen.  For the above recipe we grilled the Beyond Meat Chicken Free Strips for a few minutes on each side.  Careful not to over cook.  Chop Beyond Meat into size you prefer.

Combine all three together in the large bowl.  Toss until thoroughly mixed.  Garnish with the crushed kale chips and serve. (4-6)

Variations:

:: Add julienned red and yellow peppers to add some colour and vibrance.

:: Instead of garnishing with kale chips try: nutritional yeast, seaweed flakes, or hemp seeds.

:: Take out the tahini and tamarind and increase the avocado and lemon juice to make more of a caesar dressing for your pasta.

** The spiral slicer that is featured on the lower part of this link is the one that I have in my home and used for the noodles.  It has two types of noodles - thin/spaghetti or ribbon/fettucine.  The top one of this link has more types of noodles.  In my recent research on the topic of spiral slicers I found this called the Gefu for $29.99.  It looks like a great little kitchen tool, but I've never tried it.  If you don't have a sprial slicer or a mandolin, you can use a vegetable peeler to make the noodles.  I have eaten very delicious zucchini noodles made this way.

Much to my dismay I do not rock a baseball cap!  Nor did I rock the competition.  Pictured above is Mary, my competitor who made Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Caesar Wraps with ginger and spring greens.  It was apparently a tight contest, like I lost by one vote type thing and that's ok.  I already have another invite to next years fair and I had a blast hanging out on stage with Mary and the other marketeers that were running the competition.  Plus I got to hang out and try all the other dishes paired with delicious Harkers Wine.  Here's a little taste of my weekend:

The real winner this weekend was UBC Farm - they walked away with $30,000 raised by the Living Naturally Fair 2013.  What a huge success and fun way to raise money.

All the recipes are to be posted from all the contestants on the Whole Foods Robson Facebook Page.  I will update when they are.  In the meantime, enjoy this recipe of mine!

XO.
Suzanne

~ march against monsanto :: may 25th ~

For too long, Monsanto has been the benefactor of corporate subsidies and political favoritism. Organic and small farmers suffer losses while Monsanto continues to forge its monopoly over the world’s food supply, including exclusive patenting rights over seeds and genetic makeup.

Find a local march in your city: http://bit.ly/ZTDsk8

I'm going. Are you?

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Healthy Families BC :: Shopping Sense Giveaway

In my return to enchanting you (and me) I accepted a couple of invites to blogging events around town.  I thought it would help me get a little bit of my mojo back.  I had a fun and educational morning out with fellow Top 30 2012 Mom Bloggers at the Main Street Marketplace IGA and Dietician, Global BC One Bite at a TIme Correspondent and Model Avatar for the Healthy Families BC Shopping Sense BC website, Melodie Yong.  Overall we had a real live tour of the grocery store with lots of great info and facts from a Registered Dietician as is offered now virtually through the Healthy Families BC Shopping Sense site.  

Some of the great things that we learned from the tour and the new website include:

:: Planning weekly menus and shopping from a list makes it easy and affordable to make healthy choices in the grocery store.

:: How to use the Nutrition Facts table on packaged foods to make healthier choices.

:: Knowing food safety tips to ensure you serve your family fresh and wholesome foods.

My personal favorite and something I chat about often with my guests working the till at Whole Foods:

:: Don't shop hungry. (wink)

If you know me and my experience with healthy eating (former raw foodist, owner of a juice and smoothie truck, organizer of green smoothie challenges) I do feel a mite bit smug that I already know all I need to know and then some about food going into this. However the tour was a great reminder of my own weakness for striving for perfection. Whether my shopping has taken a downward slope or the downward slope is my nose that I'm looking along into someone else's shopping cart we all have to remember:  Do we want to be perfect or do we want to be happy. (Normally I say right instead of perfect but I think it's the same thing here!)  I'm hope we agreed that the answer was HAPPY!  Basically, we moms need to give ourselves credit where credit is due. With best intentions we set out daily or weekly to the dreaded or pleasurable grocery store depending on how many if any children we are wrangling that day and we deserve to make it easy on ourselves.

Two things I especially liked about the tour and the Site is the opportunity to get our children involved:

:: Get them in on the menu planning and list making.

:: Get them to pick out one of anything they want to try in the produce section.

This second will help stretch ourselves outside our comfort zones and maybe discover new recipes and favorites. And if I may add one further point:

:: Never shop when they are hungry. (wink wink)

A little fun grocery related activity that C and I partook in not so long ago was getting one of every pear variety that was offered in the store and doing a little taste testing.  Each day we sampled a different variety of pear and compared it to the previous pears we had tried our. Nothing exotic by any means.  Just pure, local, fresh fun.

And since all my experience as a healthy foodie comes from reading and not actual registered studies, it does help to take note of the information that hangs out so easily in a Registered Dieticians brain the way green smoothies hang out in mine:

::  4 grams of sugar is equal to one sugar cube (when reading sugar gram labels)

:: 100 extra calories is an extra mile of walking (for us ladies trying to keep it trim)

:: Although I've never had a problem with drinking my calories it is valid to note that even smoothies can become a calorie drinking frenzy when adding high fat food like yogurts and such.  I like to keep mine simple with just fruit and veggies (and don't forget to brush your teeth after if you spend a lot of time sipping them)

:: By the bone meat is fattier.  (just something good to know and simple to remember)

 

And in all her Model Avatar glory, Melodie Yong right smack dab at the front door of the IGA.

And now the part you've been waiting for, the big giveaway.  I am very excited to be giving away two $50 gift cards for Safeway provided by the Healthy Shopping BC Team that put together the tour and the website.  Just comment below and tell me what you think about the Shopping Sense website whether you like it or not, find it helpful, etc.  Give it a good exploring as I would love to see your feedback on it.  The contest is open to BC Residents only and will be open until Friday March 22nd at 12 am PST.  Two winners will be announced.  One entry per person.

Two winners of the Healthy Families BC Shopping Sense Giveaway:

Brandee

Taryrn

Thanks for stopping by friends.  Hope to see more of you in the weeks to come!  XO.  S