Saké-too-me! Cucumber ginger sakétini

I'm wishing all those Canadians home from work and school today a very happy snow day. I'm enjoying this lovely weather from the comfort of my in home office. Yes my life is pretty good! This is a requested post coming from a client of The Fooding Company who I recently chef'ed a dinner party for. I created a signature cocktail for the Asian themed menu. We served the very famous Korean charred beef & slaw dish you all know and love as well as some other delicious dishes that have yet to be blogged about. This cocktail is refreshing and super delicious.  

For those of you scratching your heads thinking "what the heck is saké" it's actually a delicious fermented rice (alcoholic) beverage . Most non Asians think saké is rice wine, which isn't technically true. Wine and saké have very different fermenting processes. Wine is created by fermenting sugar and saké is a brewing process much like beer, but still it is unique only to it's self.

Cucumber ginger Saketini: The break down is pretty easy: 1spoonful of cucumber ginger puree, 1 part plum wine, 2 parts sake, top off with ginger ale (Canada Dry brand is the best) add a spritz of fresh lime juice & garnish with a cucumber slice. - Follow the order to create the perfect layered cocktail.

INGREDIENTS: 
Plum wine
Coarse filter sweet sake (pink bottle)
cucumber/ ginger puree
ginger ale
lime juice
cucumber slices

FOR THE PUREE: 
Peel and blend 1 English cucumber along with 2 inch knob of fresh ginger, 1tsp of sugar - strain 1/2 of the mixture (I like to leave a little bit of texture, it goes nice with the creaminess of the coarse filter sake).  

Enjoy your weekend everyone and perhaps a tasty cocktail... 乾杯 (kan-pai) which means dry the glass or cheers ;)

Vote for me!

Howdy 'yall. I just wanted to let you know about a food photo contest I recently entered and ask if you would please check it out and vote for me. I do warn you the photo is supper yummy looking so try not to drool while you vote. http://foodstoriesblog.com/food-photos-jaime-the-tomato-snob/ 
Happy humpday ;)

Superfood breakfast yogurt - start your morning off with a bang

Good morning! Today's post is all about my new obsession, a healthy breakfast combination that's packed with SEVEN superfoods. What are super foods? They are healthy, nutritious foods with high nutrient or phytochemical content. They are whole foods, mostly raw food and unrefined. This combination can be made quickly and enjoyed any time of the day. You can use whatever berries you like, I happen to be obsessed with these sunny gooseberries, so that's what I used.

1. Golden berries - Also known as cape gooseberries. These bright, citrusy berries are high in protein, packed with vitamin C, A, and B12, it's a good source of carotenoids, which may help protect against cancer and heart disease. If a tomato, strawberry and pineapple had a baby it would be this delicious fruit.


2. Hemp hearts - Are a balanced source of plant based protein, essential fats, & vitamins such as omega 3 & 6. They are great for increasing energy, weight loss and can improve digestion. Hemp seeds are an excellent food for diabetics because it aids in regulating blood sugar by keeping insulin in check. Hemp hearts or shelled hemp seeds taste kinda of nutty, they are great on salads or sprinkled on whole grain toast with nut butter.  


3. Black chia seeds - Also called salvia, are crunchy poppy seeds looking thing. If you're thinking I wonder they are the same as chia pets, then you are bang on. Chia comes in black, white and speckled brown, although nutritional research has found that the black variety have 13% - 15% more antioxidants then the other varieties. Chia is a great source of omega 3 & 6 which can lower blood pressure. They are an anti inflammatory food which makes them easy to digest and really helps to keep your bm's healthy and regular. These powerful seeds are also good for helping to detoxify the body, increase metabolism and improve memory. They do not need to be ground to extract the health benefits so go ahead and toss them into your next smoothy, bowl of cereal or on top of a salad. 

4. Bee pollen - Is really one of natures best kept secrets. These sweet little nuggets have been used in treating asthma, digestive issues, anemia, fatigue, depression, acne, hemorrhoids, obesity, rheumatism and arthritis - wow. They are also pretty good at helping to heal the common cold and to sooth a sore throat. 

5. Plain Greek yogurt -If you've never tried the stuff it's amazing! It has about twice the protein, has less carbohydrates and it's lower in sodium then regular yogurt not to mention it's much more creamy and luxurious.The only down side is that it is lower in calcium.

6. Cinnamon - A spice known and loved by all. Cinnamon can regulate blood sugar, energy level and your mood. It reduces LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) and can reduce the pain linked to arthritis, and pms by regulating hormones. It contains fiber, calcium, iron and magnese.

7. Maple syrup -Aside from being lower is sugar then honey, maple syrups is an antioxidant power house. It contains enzymes that can reduce inflammation which makes it a great choice for people who suffer from inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's. It can settle digestive issues and help with muscle recovery. It's very high in magnese which helps the body repair cell damage within the muscles. Even though pure maple syrup contains a healthy dose of zinc, iron, calcium and potassium doesn't mean you can eat it all the time - it is still sugar!

RECIPE: 
1/2 cup berries
1 serving plane Greek yogurt
1 tbs Black chia
1.5 tbs hemp hearts
1 tbs bee pollen 
1 tbs maple syrup
sprinkle of cinnamon 

Happy Monday yall. xo JVP

Stuck in the middle of the Puerto Vallarta airport

Hola mi amigos and amigas. I'm just checking in to say a quick hello while I'm stuck sitting in the middle of the PVR airport. My flight is delayed and I'm sitting miles away from my gate so I can score some free wifi and keep myself amused for the time being. I hope everyone had a lovely week. I know I did enjoying lots of fresh seafood, sun and sand. I'll upload some yummy photos next week when I have a chance to edit through everything. For now I'll leave you with a little collage teaser from my Instagram. Which for some reason is banned at the airport. #nobueno there goes the next 20 minutes of amusement. I guess I'll have to play angry birds instead.
Chow for now

Ps. After all that I can't even publish this until I get home. Wah wah wah.... Sad face 

Happy new year peeps... See ya in a week

Howdy y'all. I know I'm late on the New Years wishes but I've been sick in bed like most of Toronto with a terrible flu. I hope everyone had a delicious time ringing in the new year. I just wanted to say I quick good bye or adios since I'm off to my home away from home Mexico! Wooohoooo. Waiting in the airport for my flight to board. I've got a purse full of trashy magazines and a turkey and mustard sandwich on multigrain bread & chickpea salad from Heirloom cafe. It actually looks pretty good. I also picked up a bag of my fav gourmet popcorn 479• (black truffle & white aged cheddar) & a limonatta. Traveling in style. Chow for now Toronto. Xoxo

Healthy Holiday Appetizer - Turkey Roulade

I wanted to wish all my faithful readers who celebrate an early Happy Christmas. I hope you all enjoy some time with your family & friends in good health, enjoying delicious food, and receiving presents that you actually wanted. Here's a wicked little recipe that's not only packed full of healthy and delicious holiday ingredients it's bloody impressive when you serve it.

 

  
With all the holiday temptations popping up around us here's a heart smart and festive hors d'oeuvre that will keep you feeling satisfied this holiday season. By adding some healthy choices to the festivities it will definitely help balance out the bad and keep you on goal ready for the new year.  For a list of some of the health benefits please check out the full post I did for Twenty Toes Fitness (Blog). This app is inspired by one of my favorite French Canadian superstar chefs Ricardo Larrivée.
 

PREP #1: Chop onions, mince garlic, chop herbs. Cover the turkey breast in plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or back of a pan until moderately flat. Season with salt and pepper on each side. 

COOK #1: Saute onions and garlic in olive oil until golden, season with salt, add spices and herbs and continue to cook for one minute. Place off to the side and allow everything to cool before combining with cranberries and ground turkey. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

PREP #2: Place seasoned flattened turkey breast on a piece of tin foil, then add small handfuls of the ground turkey filling to create a log shape. Tightly roll the breast around the filling, then roll the tin foil around everything like a candy would be wrapped. You may want to double layer the tin foil to ensure it doesn't break. 

COOK #2: Place rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes. Use a thermometer to check the internal temperature you are looking for it to read 74°C (166°F). Allow to cool for 10 minutes or so before unwrapping and slicing (about 1/4 of an inch). 

  

 SERVE: Warm or room temp with a dijon horseradish dip (equal parts of each plus a spoonful of greek yogurt in the mix as well). If you wan to make these ahead of time refrigerate the roll whole, let it sit at room temp for 10 -15 minutes before slicing (serve within three days).

Have a delicious Christmas! xo Jaime aka The Tomato Snob!

Raw vegan dessert alert - cocao peanut snowballs ... that's a mouthful

So here's the deliciousness that went down a few days ago. I believe this is my first blog post about  raw vegan desserts. Really, I just got up to eat one mid blog- not kidding! Just that good! The perfect amount of sweet, they are super satisfying, healthy, oh right...and they're vegan, if you're into that sort of thing.

No official recipe, but here's what I did.
recipe makes about 50

1. Made coconut butter - pulverised shredded unsweetened coconut in my Cuisinart (about 2.5 cups for about 10 minutes. 
2. Softened 1 cup of chopped, pitted dates in a 1/3 cup of hot water, heat until they started to fall apart.
3. Add crunchy natural peanut butter (about 1/2 cup, 1 cup raw cocoa, 1/2 cup maple syrup, date paste, 1 tbs cinnamon, 2 tbs vanilla extract, 3 tbs coconut flower.
4.  Pulse everything together and check that they are able to hold the shape of a ball, they may or may not need more, coconut flower or moisture -- Sorry I'm sharing this after the first time, it was so wonderful I had to share it right away. 
5. Turn out in to a bowl and fold in a handful or two of shredded sweetened coconut.
6. Chill mixture for an hour at least before balling and dust them in powdered sugar. You can do this days in advance or right before serving.  

Check out Twenty Toes Fitness BLOG tomorrow for a healthy - and meaty holiday app with my all time favorite holiday proteins, the mighty bird Turkey. 
- chow for now

Tomato fennel soup - an elegant take on tomato soup!

Good Monday foodies. Today I'm going to give you a recipe that's so delicious even tomato soup haters will enjoy it. This is one of my very favorite soups ever. I can't remember the first time I had it but my mom's been making it for years and everyone in my family knows and loves it. It's so elegant and complex in flavor yet so simple to make. Try it at your next dinner party or better yet holiday celebration. 

PREP: Remove the green part & root of the leek, fingers & core of the fennel - reserve to make your own veg stock if you are so inclined. Roughly chop all veg. 
COOK: In a medium pot, saute leeks & garlic until translucent. Season with a pinch of salt & pepper then add fennel + seeds and continue to cook everything on medium until it all starts to caramelize. Add pasatta or a can of crushed tomatoes as well as your desired liquid. Allow everything to cook together for 20 - 30 mins. Remove from the heat and puree. If you want a super luxurious soup stir in a few tbs of crème fraîche or a touch of cream.
TIP - Always add  dairy components to soups off the direct heat to prevent the milk fats from separating which creates a nasty chalky texture.
SERVE: With some toasted fennel seeds or a few sprigs of the fennel frond. Instead of stirring in the dairy you can finish with it on top of the soup for a pop of white. 

Indian dahl & saag stew with leftover shredded turkey

  

This past weekend was American Thanksgiving and since we just love turkey & gravy and stuff my cousins and I decided it would be the perfect time to indulge in another family Thanksgiving celebration. We had a delicious time filling our faces with buttermilk mashed potatoes, crispy brussel sprouts, moist turkey and enough chocolate bourbon pecan pie to send anyone into a full blown food coma. Sunday we were all left with the age old problem (not a problem at all in my house) of what to do with all the left over turkey. This delicious recipe really transforms the turkey into a super satisfying Indian inspired stew. You can also use leftover shredded chicken or dare I say pork. I've adapted this recipe from my moms version of a Bonnie Stern red lentil stew recipe. Enjoy!

Summer Fresh dips & spreads

The people from Summer Fresh were nice enough to send me a freeze packed case filled with a bunch of their delicious dips and spreads. Unfortunately the original pictures were on my old black berry and were all lost when my phone decided to take a deep dive into the toilet, I've since switched to iphone. Any ways the point of today's post is that these Summer Fresh dips are pretty awesome and aren't just good with some pita bread or tortilla chips. I really like to use a few spoonfuls instead of salad dressing or adding them to a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of lemon or vinegar. The Jalapeno was excellent over a red cabbage and carrot slaw, and the cucumber and feta worked like a delicious charm on my favorite kale salad with avocado and cherry tomatoes. One of their most famous dips - the artichoke and asiago I simply spread over a sliced baguette and toasted it so the the spread just melted into the bread. This was just heavenly and would be great served along side a creamy tomato soup. I really liked all of the dips except for the sesame topped one and that's just because I'm allergic to sesame so I couldn't eat it. You guys know I'm not a huge fan of pre packaged products but these Summer fresh dips are gluten and lactose free and are made with simple high quality ingredients. They taste great and are an easy add on to sandwiches and salads for extra flavor. Try them out and let me know what you think.