Recipe Difficulty: Easy Recipe Keywords: Peanut Butter, Nut Butter Peanut Butter Recipe Notes I'm definitely a peanut butter addict. I'm really grateful to have no food allergies to date. If you can't have peanut butter you can substitute your favourite nuts and seeds! The process is ridiculously simple and it feels almost silly to call it a recipe. In 10 minutes you can make your own. It's delicious and often a more affordable option than buying stuff in the package. (Which I totally do buy sometimes, but love the habit of making it at home!) Delicious Nut Butter Tips
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After the first time I tried Parmela Creamy vegan cheese, it quickly became one of my favourite go to brands. I have tried a handful of their products, and find the taste and quality to be superior to many options out there. You can find locations for purchase on their website, in Prince Edward Island where I am currently living, you can find it at some Sobeys locations. I hope to try their full range and to update this post when I do. For now, you can see what I have tried and how I have used Parmela Creamy products below. Delish!​
Parmela Creamery Mozzarella Style Shreds Their mozzarella is my go to when I want to make vegan pizza. It is softer than a lot of different shredded vegan cheese products I have tried, which makes it a lot easier to get melty. It also makes it seem more like a fresh cheese product. I don't find it to be plasticky like so many others. What sets it apart from so many brands is how it is made. Cashews are blended into milk, and then it undergoes a culture & aging process. Needless to say this means better flavour. I used it on my spelt crust pizza below. Delicious. Ingredients :
​Parmela Creamery Smokey Gouda Slices
I think it is safe to say this is my favourite sliced vegan cheese I have tried. I love the smoky flavour. I love making hummus toasts with tomato and sliced vegan cheese, using them on a breakfast sandwich, or of course straight up grilled cheese sandwiches. You can see the awesome melt factor in the photo of my breakfast sandwich below. I used a JUST EGG folded patty, yves veggie bacon, and a slice of parmela creamery smokey gouda. I definitely would love to make a fancier breakfast sandwich, but there's nothing wrong with a classic cheesy, eggy, bacon sandwich, either. (you'd never know my sandwich was vegan!)
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Recipe Difficulty: Easy
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My Veggie Tartar Recipe Notes
When I was in Spain, "Veggie Tartar" is something I saw on several menus. I ordered it at a restaurant called Matiz. (I shared about this and other meals I had in this post) The version I had in Spain used different ingredients than I do in mine, but they both have the same vibe. Something bright, fresh and flavourful with lots of different textures that can be spooned onto grilled bread, potato chips or just eaten by the spoonful. The other similarity is that while eating both tartars, I wanted something else to accompany it. Olives, Hummus, vegan cheese. The most enjoyable meals to me are those in which I can nibble away at casually, mixing bites of this and that, and inevitably finding the most perfect flavour combinations. How to Serve This Veggie Tartar I like this veggie tartar with a good quality sourdough or multigrain loaf. I slice the loaf, drizzle with olive oil and pop into a 425F preheated oven until golden on one side, then flip to finish. While I haven't tried eating this tartar with good quality kettle chips, the next time I make it, I'm definitely picking up a bag. You'll also notice a lot of liquid comes off the tartar. I like this juiciness. It's kind of like bruschetta in that if you serve it with really well toasted bread, the extra juiciness is welcome. I find myself mopping up the liquid with more bread at the end, it's delicious. Leftovers The veggie tartar definitely keeps well in the fridge for a few days. I even tucked some of my leftovers into a sandwich with grilled sourdough bread, hummus, cheese, cucumber and sliced tomato. Delish. ​ What's in my veggie tartar? This recipe is almost, but not entirely, made of raw whole food ingredients. I season the mixture with salt, pepper, and cumin, and then dress it with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and good quality balsamic vinegar. The rest of the tartar is made up of the following ingredients:
Almonds & Dates The almonds and dates are an integral component. The almonds give texture and a bit of richenss, and the dates add an enjoyable chew and a bit of sweetness which helps to bring balance to the dish. Salt and Pepper This veggie tartar needs to be well seasoned, not enough salt and pepper and it will fall flat. I ended up with 5 - 6 pinches of sea salt. Less of the pepper, but I still like a good amount in this. Just taste as you go, you don't want it to be too salty or peppery either of course!
Tip for success
A Good Sharp Knife This recipe does require a bit of knife work. I love dicing things into uniform pieces, so for me it isn't a problem. It's important to start with a sharp knife. A dull knife will slow you down, and honestly there is nothing worse when you have a lot of chopping to do to realize your knife is dull. I get my knives professionally sharpened only once in awhile. I manage to do it myself during the in between time. My brother gave me a good quality Japanese knife and sharpening stone from a maker in Vancouver, and before using that I didn't know what I was missing. An investment, but if you love to cook it is worth it.
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I started my food photography journey in 2018. My earliest images were honestly kinda terrible. I'm not upset about that. I bought a camera and taught myself through trial and error, training my eye, looking at images by people I admire. The way to learn is by making mistakes. LOTS of them. I know that I'm still making "mistakes", even if I don't yet know what they are. I do get compliments on my images all the time, and I find it hard to accept them because I'm constantly striving to be better, and I'm constantly admiring gorgeous images by other food artists. All of this is also, OK.
In the past 4 or 5 years, I have learned a lot, and my photography has improved significantly. I wanted to outline some key lessons I have learned, and perhaps it will make the process a little bit easier for someone else out there who is just getting started. 1. Lighting How it started My very first images were created in a lightbox that I made by myself out of white cardstock and tissue paper. It wasn't very big, and didn't allow for much room to create a scene. My images had weird colour balance, were often a bit washed out from too much light, but it served it's purpose and allowed me to get familiar with a DSLR camera. I just used generic lamps that shone through the tissue paper (paper acts as a diffuser) and lit my subject that way. I'm sure I would be able to use a light box today with more skill than I did when I first started, but I have no interest in trying. The spaghetti aglio e olio with mushrooms pictured below is a recipe that has been on my blog for a long time, the image below I think used to be even worse until I learned to colour correct a bit. There are definitely worse images than this one somewhere haha I just can't find another one at the moment. I'm sure they exist on an SD card somewhere.
Eventually I decided to invest in an inexpensive lighting system just on Amazon. I'm honestly probably due for an upgrade, but I will undoubtedly hang on to what I have as long as possible. The set below is pretty much identical to what I have. These lights and an old wooden table situated near a window are two key things that have helped me improve. I use a wooden table because I like that I can use it as is for photographing certain dishes. I also own a few backdrops and use them regularly as well. If you have an ugly table, that's ok, just invest in some backdrops and you'll be good to go.
How it's going The image below is a more current image of the same recipe. Do I like this image? I do, but it doesn't mean I don't think there is room to improve. Is there an obvious improvement from my lightbox image? I think so! I placed it on my wooden table, and I used the soft box lights. A MISTAKE I MADE FOR A LONG TIME USING THESE LIGHTS. ​A mistake I made for the longest time is using all three of my lights to light up my scene from all angels. This just washes out your image. A side lit scene or a back lit scene are two approaches that work a lot better. I now tend to really pay attention to how the light is hitting my dish, and I will move the light around until it looks good. You're trying to accomplish depth through shadow and highlights. This is something I still feel like I am learning, but there is a lot of room to play around. How strong your shadows are will affect the final feel of your image. Of course I use adobe lightroom to edit my photos, and have learned a lot of things over the years in that sense too, but it's hard to edit an image to look good if the lighting is terrible.
2. Blurred out background
Blurring out the background is an easy way to make whatever your taking a photo of stand out as the focal point. This blurring effect is also known as "Bokeh" and it occurs when your camera lens renders an area to be out of focus. Not every lens will be suitable to make this happen. I'm not an expert on the topic, but I have a 50mm lens and a 35 mm lens that I use frequently for food photography, and they are great choices for achieving this. They both have wide apertures which is what you want. Put your camera in manual mode, and adjust the F/stop up and down to understand the difference, get to know your camera. The lower the F/stop number the stronger the Bokeh effect will be.
Note that the closer you are to your subject, what will be in focus and the focal point of your image will change. If you are using a prime lens like the ones I suggested above (no ability to zoom), you can practice physically moving yourself closer and further away from the subject. Take photos to see the difference between images taken at different distances. The 35 mm linked below is definitely my favourite. It's easier to get overhead shots from a reasonable distance.
3. Use different heights in overhead shots.
When taking a birds eye view photograph, you can create more dimension by having objects at different heights. I stacked my grilled bread on top of each other, and you can see a flower is blurred at a different height, closer to the lens. This is something I've just started trying to integrate into my photos. It's helpful to have props to work with, which is part of the challenge. I work with what I have laying around my house for now, but I know when I can invest in a few more pieces it will help to apply this concept in my photos.
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4. Textured backgrounds
For a long time I just had foam boards from Walmart as background. I had a black one and a white one. They served their purpose for a time. I eventually bought a fabric backdrop from Fodory. Compare the two images above. In the photo of my golden milk, I'm using the fabric background. In the photo of bread, I'm using a black foam board. You should be able to easily see the difference. (not to mention the terrible white balance of the bread photo, this was taken in my early learning stages.) The texture from using the cloth background adds way more depth than something that is flat and solid in colour. I only have a dark grey fabric backdrop at the moment, but again I want to invest in a few more. If you have a space with brick wall, or some kind of paint treatment on your wall that lends texture, that can always work too. I'm in a small apartment and there's nothing too esthetic about it so the fabric trick works for me.
5. Create Movement with "Curves"
This is a simple way to improve your photo. By creating curves that your eye follows when you look at an image. Instead of placing things in just one vertical line, see how the plates are staggered, where if you were to take a pen and draw a line through the image, you can see where the eye travels. The forks and the linin cloth do the same thing. Practice moving things around on your surface to create "s" and "c" shapes. You can use dishes, herbs, food, linens. This will create a lot more depth and visual interest. Before I use my DSLR, I find it helpful to use my smart phone to look at my scene. I'll snap a few shots with the phone, or just look at my scene using camera mode. I find I can "see" what the overall image will look like better this way since the phone essentially creates a border blocking out unnecessary parts of the room or table that distract my eye. Once it seems closer to what I want, then I will look through my DSLR and snap some photos. I often move things around for 10 solid minutes before I find a configuration that I'm happy with, so give yourself time and room to play. I literally will have like 30 - 50 images on my DSLR and chose 3 that I like for editing and posting.
​While I hold my camera in my hands for a lot of images, I use a tripod occasionally too, for photographs and also for creating video that is more cinematic looking than video captured using my phone. Keep in mind a tripod is holding an expensive piece of equipment. I wouldn't buy anything low quality and flimsy and risk it falling and breaking my camera. Manfrotto is definitely one of the most popular brands of tripods used by food photographers that I have come across.
Recipe Difficulty: Easy
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My Raw Caramel Slice Recipe Notes
This is THE BEST RAW(ish) CARAMEL SLICE. I made this so many times to get these the way I wanted them to be in my head. A roasted almond base sweetened with dates, a super gooey caramel layer made from peanut butter, dates, a bit of maple, vanilla, and sea salt (or you could sub your fav nut/seed butter), and a fudgy chocolate layer made from dark cocoa powder, coconut oil & maple. They are divine, and I can't imagine a better for you treat that is more satisfying to my taste. How to Store my Raw Caramel Slice I recommend keeping these in the freezer. I make myself a cup of tea, grab a couple of these to enjoy right from the freezer. The caramel will hold together better and still be really gooey, plus they soften fairly quickly at room temp anyway, if you want a stickier caramel situation. These bars wouldn't be my choice for packing in a lunch box or taking on a picnic. They are however perfect for when you are at home and want something sweet with your favourite cuppa.
Substitutions
These bars are gluten free and dairy free, but they definitely contain a whole lot of nuts and I know a lot of people have allergies. I haven't tested a nut free version of this recipe. If I were going to try however, I would substitute oats for the almonds in the base. My guess is spreading them on a sheet pan and popping them in the oven until a bit golden would be a good way to add some toasty flavour. (I have tested this recipe with raw almonds and roasted almonds, roasted were the clear winner) For the gooey middle, if you were able to consume almond or cashew butter, those would be my first choice. Otherwise I know nut free peanut butter substitutions exist. How good they are, I'm not sure, but my hope would be they would blend up with the dates to be something tasty. An extra splash of vanilla might not hurt.
Roasted Almond Base
The base comes together easily in a food processor. I just blitz everything together until it is in really small pieces and holds together when you squish some between your fingers. When you are pressing the mixture into your pan, you might find it helpful to dampen your fingers with a bit of water first. I have tried so many combinations of things for my base. Raw almonds with some oats and walnuts, oats and raw almonds, but then I tried just straight up roasted almonds along with the other ingredients and it was my favourite. Not at all surprising!
Peanut Butter & Date Caramel
This stuff is some kind of vegan magic. My original raw slice recipe had a thinner layer of caramel, and it took me awhile before I realized I just wanted more. I want the caramel to be the star, I don't want the dark chocolate to be the predominate flavour. I basically just want a bar with a base and a topping to provide shelter for this caramel gold. I've thought many times about making component as a dip for apple slices or whatever else. I would just thin it out with a bit more plant milk. What a great snack idea. If you find yourself eating a few bites of caramel while making these bars, don't worry, I do it every time.
Fudgy Chocolate Layer
I tested different chocolate layers over time, and this is where I landed. I used to just melt chocolate chips and pour it over top. I enjoyed the hard chocolate shell as a contrast to the rest of the gooey bar, but after navigating away from that and testing toppings using cocoa powder, I just like it better. I used Hershey's Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder in my recipe. I typically buy Camino, but the store didn't have it, and this has a vegan label so good to go. It has great rich, dark chocolate flavour and I would definitely buy it again. You will need to melt the coconut oil in a small sauce pan for this recipe and stir in the remainder of ingredients. I wouldn't recommend trying to microwave the oil and stirring everything in after. I tried it (although with a different ratio of ingredients) and ended up with a clumpy mess. Maybe it would work with my current ratio of ingredients, but I will never risk it again to try. ​Hey friends! This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Your support means a lot, and I thank you!
Recipe Difficulty: Easy
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My Broccoli Soup Recipe Notes
I love making broccoli soup when I want something delicious that is also full of green goodness. In addition to broccoli, I also choose to blend in some fresh spinach into my soup towards the end. This step is optional, but I just like the extra green nutritional boost. The soup will still be delicious without it. For garnish, you could add a swirl of vegan cream, vegan cheddar, parsley, croutons, whatever you like really.... or don't garnish it at all. ​ To make the texture of this soup super creamy I add a bit of potato, and raw cashews which when blended with water and added to this soup, act like cream. If you have a cashew allergy, I would recommend picking up some plant based whipping cream at the store. I used a bit of Silk brand whipping cream to garnish my soup because I had it on hand from another project. The taste is delicious. You could use it in lieu of cashew cream. The only thing to keep in mind is that the quantity you add might be different. I would add a bit at a time to taste. I'm guessing you'd need less volume of the store bought whipping cream compared to the cashew cream to add richness to this soup.
Roasted Garlic
I use roasted garlic in this recipe. I make more than I need, because I like to stash some in my freezer. Turning the oven on for a couple of heads of garlic seems a little much, so might as well make a big batch! It's really simple to do, but I'm sure you could just replace the two heads of roasted garlic with maybe 8 cloves of chopped fresh garlic, or more, I like garlic a lot. If you want to try roasting some, it's really fun, and you can use it in so many things. Smoosh it onto grilled bread with hummus for one (or blend it into a batch of hummus), or use in basically any soup, stew or sauce recipe. All you need to do is cut the tops off your heads of garlic, place inside some tin foil and drizzle with olive oil. Removing the loose excess peels is a good idea too. Wrap it up tightly in tin foil and place in a 425F oven for about 75 minutes. I checked after 60 minutes and it wasn't quite done. Let the garlic cool, and when you're ready to use some, simply squeeze the cloves out with your hands. I save the cut tops of garlic, and the roasted peels for my freezer bag of veg scraps for making vegetable stock.
Vegan Cheese
Melting some shredded Vio Life Vegan Cheddar into this soup is a worthy addition. I don't add it to the full pot, I just heat a single portion of soup, sprinkle in a small handful of cheese and allow it to melt in. Then if you want, you can garnish with a bit more on top. I'm sure other brands would work too, but Vio Life is what I have tried, and I have a feeling it's a widely available product considering I can get it here in Canada, and it was also available in Spain.
I don't add the cheese to the full pot of soup, because sometimes I prefer to make cheesy toasts for dunking vs grilled bread. (I always want bread of some kind) I mean, you could put cheese in the soup AND on some toasts, but my perspective is that I am simply trying to add a bit of decadence to my meal, not have vegan cheese as the main event.
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​ Recipe Difficulty: easy - medium depending if you are comfortable working with dough. Recipe & Post Tags:
How I discovered Afghan Food in SpainI took my first trip to Spain in December 2022 to visit my long distance partner, Jose. I spent several months prior day dreaming about all of the Spanish food I would discover. No trip to Spain would be complete without experiencing authentic paella, patatas bravas, or pan con tomate. I am happy to report that I did indeed enjoy those dishes (and more) in Spain, and absolutely fell in love with Spanish culture and cuisine. (I'm certain I found the best vegan paella in Valencia and will try to re create it at some point.) What I couldn't have imagined, was that I would go to Spain and fall in love with flavours from Afghanistan. That however, is precisely what happened. I ate in restaurants almost daily during my two week stay in Valencia. Much of my time was spent in Old Town, which is a beautiful and vibrant part of the city. It's mainly a pedestrian area, so be sure to put on a pair of comfortable shoes, as you'll undoubtedly be wandering through the narrow, winding cobble stone streets for hours. It's full of great restaurants, shopping, Central Market & so much more. I also wouldn't be surprised if you find yourself lingering in an alleyway taking in the graffiti that stretches across every spare inch of empty wall space. The spray painted murals and art are a striking juxtaposition to the medieval fortification I passed through to enter into the area every day. The Serranos Towers were originally a defensive structure at one of the cities busiest gates, and is now a historical point of interest for tourists and a popular location for special events in the city. If you do visit Valencia, my suggestion would be to spend at least a few days in Old Town, but then be sure to venture elsewhere because there is lots to explore outside that area. I honestly think you could spend every day of your life wandering around Valencia trying new restaurants, and you wouldn't be able to try them all. Finding Food outside of Old Town in Benimaclet One night without a plan, Jose and I were wandering around the city in an area I hadn't seen before, called Benimaclet. It is a vibrant, multicultural area in Valencia that is a bit off the beaten path, so there aren't as many tourists wandering around. It was about 7pm, we were hungry, and hoping to find something with vegan options. After walking around for what I'm sure was an hour, Jose finally pulled out his GPS and found an Afghan restaurant called Ca'Miri not far from where we standing. I was definitely keen, and not only because I was tired and ready for food! In my experience with globally inspired food and menus, it's common to see offerings centered around humble whole food ingredients. Pulses, legumes, rice, vegetables and delicious spices are common in the Middle East, and I love all of it. We walked into the restaurant on a quieter night, which allowed for plenty of exchange with the owner about vegan options. Jose ordered our food and a couple of draft beers. Draft beer is a lot less common in Valencia compared to East Coast Canada from what I could tell, so I was happy for the option! We sat inside and sipped, Bob Marley playing in the background. First, we shared several small dishes including rice, beans, lentils & salad. All of it was delicious and the kind of food I could eat every day of my life. What really inspired me however, was what we ordered next. It was called "Bolon" on their menu, "Bolani" seems to be more common if you search online. Either way, it's incredibly delicious, I was instantly obsessed and knew I would be making some version of it as soon as I arrived back in Canada. Ca'Miri The Spread of veggie, bean & rice dishes we had Ca'Miri The "Bolon" What is Bolon or Bolani? If you haven't heard of Bolani, it is a simple dough stuffed with potato and leek (the fillings vary but this is what I had) and then fried in oil until golden and crisp. Bolani is indeed humble fare, but it is addictively good. At the restaurant they served it with a tomato sauce that had a hint of warm spice (cinnamon I think), which I did try at home first. I liked that enough, but the chef in me knew there was something that I would enjoy more and I felt that to take my bolani to the next level I should keep looking. I searched online for inspiration, and found something called "Afghan Green Chutney." on a blog called Pick Up Limes. I made it once, then made it again tweaking some things to balance it to my taste. The result, a delicious condiment of fresh cilantro, parsley & jalapeno peppers blitzed together with toasted walnuts, white pickling vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, & because I couldn't resist adding it (inspired by the tomato sauce I had had at Ca'Miri), a hint of cinnamon and cumin. The serving trays I use in my photograph are from Fodory. I'm a big fan of the products they offer, and you can shop using Discount Code 10OFFTrisha. I only had the Bolon at Ca'Miri once, though when I'm back in Valencia I hope the restaurant will still be there and thriving so I can have it again. My Boloni is not an exact copy cat recipe of theirs, I would be interested to spend a day in their kitchen to watch how they do it. With that being said, I'm thrilled with the results of my recipe. I can't wait to make it for Jose, and for family the next time I'm cooking. The Bolani Dough I tried a version bolani dough without yeast, and another version with a small amount of yeast. I think I prefer the yeasted version, but it is worth noting both variations seem to exist. Either way, the idea is to roll the dough quite thin into a circular shape. No thicker than a tortilla. Then, you spread some of the potato mixture on half of the circle and fold it into a half moon shape pressing down the sides. It then gets fried in a pan with oil until crisp and golden on each side. The dough is beautifully soft has a bit of chew, yet the outside is crisp (it softens as it sits, but you can always crisp it up in the pan again if you want to, though it remains delicious no matter what.) I couldn't resist adding a little bit of turmeric powder to my dough, I don't think that is a thing anyone else is doing, but I am obsessed with the gorgeous yellow colour it lends. The Leek and Potato Filling The filling is simply mashed potatoes mixed with a bit of olive oil, s&p, and leek that is first softened in a pan. I also experimented with different amounts of potato filling, and I find less is more. A thin layer of potato is all you need. If you end up adding more, that's ok, it will still be delicious and maybe it comes down to personal preference. The filling in the Bolon at Ca'Miri wasn't thick in my memory, so perhaps that is how it is meant to be served. On The Side Even if you didn't serve this with anything to dip it in, it's still really good. I'm a big fan of condiments though, and I love spooning the green chutney on all of my bites. I found I also like having a bit of vegan sour cream on the side. This doesn't surprise me, pairing oniony potato fry bread and sour cream together just makes sense. If the green chutney doesn't seem like something you'd be into, I noticed lots of variations being served with minted yogurt. I like minted yogurt in theory, but it didn't pique my interest in this context, though it is undoubtedly a thing for a reason. Bolani is good enough to make again, and again, so go ahead and experiment and discover what you like! Storing and cooking leftovers I didn't cook my bolani all at once. I refrigerated all of the components separately in glass containers and made it for dinner a few days in a row. It worked really well. Just bring your dough to room temperature to relax before trying to roll out and proceed with recipe as written. The Rock is one of my favourite brands of cookware, and what I use to cook my Bolani. Hey friends! This page contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Your support means a lot, and I thank you!
Recipe Difficulty: Easy
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Banana Chocolate Chip & Peanut Cookies Recipe Notes!
This is a recipe that my brothers girlfriend made me when I first became vegan and was visiting them in Switzerland. They were really accommodating, and she had baked me a batch of these cookies amongst other things. I asked for the recipe which was written in German. If you like banana bread and banana muffins, that is what these cookies taste like essentially, but in cookie form. The best way I can describe the texture, is that they seem like a cross between a cookie in a muffin. Although I would think if I baked them longer that might change a bit, perhaps I will test that just to see what happens, but I really like them as they are. The original recipe calls for dark chopped chocolate, which given that I find these quite sweet, makes sense. With that being said, I had Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips on hand when I made and photographed these, at first I wished I had had dark chocolate, but actually after a day of sampling I'm digging the semi sweet too. There are a bit of chopped peanuts in this recipe, I don't find them super peanut-y, just a hint of peanut. I might even reduce the chocolate chips and sub in a few more peanuts next time. Room to experiment! Even if I never change a thing with this recipe, I enjoy these banana chocolate chip cookies served along side a strong cup of espresso with oat milk. Delicious.
The charger plates in my photograph are from Fodory, and I love them. Clink the photo below to check out their products. Use Code 10OFFTrisha at checkout for a discount!
A note about shopping for Vegan Chocolate
If you are new to sourcing vegan chocolate you might not know where to start. The good news is, there's a variety of options. A lot of dark chocolate that you can buy is just naturally vegan, but more and more brands are coming out with vegan semi sweet, vegan "milk" chocolate, vegan white chocolate etc. I don't find all brands are created equal. I do find you get what you pay for. My favourite brands that I have tried for baking projects are camino and enjoy life. I tried presidents choice, which is a grocery store brand where I live, and they were fine, but I really can taste the difference in quality. There's certain things worth spending a bit more on and in my opinion chocolate is one of them. (Coffee is another!) I'm certain there are many other great brands available out there, these are just examples of the ones that I am able to easily source.
A note about vegan egg replacement
For a lot of the simple baking projects I do, I make a "flax egg", which is simply ground flax mixed with water. It gels when it sits for a few minutes. The egg replacement I used in this recipe is a powdered egg replacement that you mix with water. I actually bought it in Switzerland, but I have seen similar products in Canada as well. I think the benefit of using ground flax is that there is a nutritional benefit to adding some flax to your baked goods. With that being said I'm certain some people have allergies and aren't able to consume it, and that's when a powdered egg replacement might be more suitable.
Is Sugar Vegan?
When I first became vegan, it was news to me that some sugar you buy in stores is in fact, not vegan. It kind of blew my mind and definitely was a defining moment in my understanding of just how wide spread our use (I should say misuse) of animals has become on this planet. Some companies use bone char (animal bones heated to extremely high temperatures until reduced to carbon) to filter sugar which basically removes impurities from the sugar and gives it the pristine white colour. The bone char isn't IN the sugar, it only comes in contact with it. (This is my basic understanding anyhow.) The good news is there are definitely easily identifiable vegan sugars out there, and if in doubt, you can usually find information about a particular brand simply by doing an internet search. My go to vegan sugar is Wholesome Organic, because it's readily available and it works the same in recipes.
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Recipe Difficulty: Easy
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Smoky Black Bean & Corn Soup Recipe Notes
This is a simple black bean soup using basic ingredients. Black Beans & Corn are simmered with tomato, spices, bell peppers, onion, garlic, & jalapeno. It's vegan, gluten free, and incredibly flavourful. I really recommend making this the day before you plan to eat it. I find the flavours improve a lot just by sitting overnight in the fridge. Adding Canned Black Beans with Their Liquid Most of the time when I use canned beans, I strain and rinse them first. In this recipe, I find myself adding the whole can along with the liquid. I use black beans with no added salt, if I only had canned beans with salt, I don't think I would add the entire contents because I want to be able to control the salt factor. The liquid in canned beans is really starchy, and actually adds a thickness to the soup that I kind of like. You don't have to do it though. Or if you are on the fence, add the liquid from one of the cans. Garnish for My Smoky Black Bean & Corn Soup You can garnish with whatever you'd like, but I always want corn chips, pickled jalapeno peppers, cilantro, sour cream & green onion. I wouldn't be opposed to shredded cheese either, and if you had an avocado to use up I can see a bit of that diced on top too! A note about the HEAT factor of this soup. If you aren't adding the pickled jalapeno peppers as a garnish to this soup, I recommend adding some extra heat to the soup while you are cooking it. Pickled Jalapenos are quite spicy, but I find them delicious and flavourful also. Even though in the photograph I have them garnished on the soup as whole slices, that's just for the image. I ripped them up immediately after when I was about to dig in. You probably don't want to use your hands though, finely chop up one or two maximum per bowl and just sprinkle on top of the soup and stir in. Even though I also add fresh jalapenos to this soup, it doesn't add discernable heat, I just like the flavour of them. ​If you want to add heat but not with pickled jalapeno peppers, another option is Sambal Oelek. I always have a jar of sambal in my fridge, it's a great choice for adding heat to practically anything. Start with a teaspoon in the soup while it simmers and taste it after it has had time to infuse.
Why black beans are a great ingredient to add to your diet
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Pacifica 100& Vegan & Cruelty Free
Pacifica has a huge array of products from make-up to skin care, fragrance & hair care. After trying a few of their products (pictured above) I definitely can see myself trying other things. I'm pretty minimalist, so some of what they offer wouldn't be of interest to me, but I look forward to seeing what else they carry that works for my routine. I'm 39, so I definitely am always on the hunt for a good cleanser, moisturizer and vitamin C serum. I've never really been too brand specific in a long term sense. Sometimes what I need is based on the time of year and changes to my skin. I purchased these in January, and they all feel super hydrating which is what I was hoping for. Canadian winters are harsh on the skin! Pacifica Vegan Products Review 1. Pacifica Vegan Ceramide Extra Gentle Face Wash This gentle facewash kind of reminds me of Spectro Jel. I'm not surprised it reminds me of spectro because they both mention not stripping away ones delicate skin barrier, and are both suitable for sensitive skin. Pacifica, like spectro jel, has a kind of gel like consistency that is moisturizing but still seems to pull off any makeup I'm wearing. (Really I only wear a bit of foundation to even out my skin tone, sometimes eye brow pencil.) Not sure how it would fare with mascara and heavier make-up. With all that being said I like Pacifica better, because I think it does a better job cleaning my skin. At least it feels cleaner than when I've used Spectro Jel. Pacifica Extra Gentle Facewash is:
2. Pacifica Glow Serum
Vitamin C serums are something I always add to my skin care routine. I have no idea how much they help or improve skin, I figure it isn't something immediate and more about a long term habit that can probably help the look of skin. This glow serum feels nice when I put it on, I like the smell, and I like the packaging and bottle it comes in. Packaging might not seem important, but one of the reasons I'm digging this brand is because of their commitment to more environmentally friendly packaging. From the Pacifica website: "Our goal is zero virgin plastic. Today more than 85% of our PET bottles are made from at least 50% post-consumer recycled material. Our boxes are made from FSC certified paper." This Pacifica glow serum:
3. Pacifica Vegan Collagen Overnight Recovery Cream
The fact that I bought 4 products and love them all is impressive to me. This vegan collagen overnight recovery cream I will definitely purchase again. It feels super hydrating, and in the morning my skin is definitely softer and healthier looking. It's helping my skin survive the dry winter weather here in Canada! Pacifica Vegan Collagen Recovery Cream is:
4. Pacifica Glow Stick Lip Oil
This product I became instantly obsessed with. I stopped wearing lipstick when covid and mask wearing started. I guess I just kind of got out of the routine, then when I put it on again I wasn't digging it. I always find it settles into my fine lines, and I have no interest in figuring out how to make it work. I just want something easy. This lip oil is exactly that. It adds a lovely sheer yet rich tone to my lips, and it's super moisturizing. It feels like I'm nourishing my lips, but it also adds a nice colour to complete my minimalist make-up look. This Pacifica Glow Stick Lip Oil :
Summary of Pacifica Skin Care:
I am impressed with this brand. It's 100% vegan, seems to be making an effort with its packaging to be more environmentally friendly, and even has a section on their site about supporting animal activism. The site doesn't dig deep and give more information, but I hope that the claims are legit. The quality seems great, and honestly I've been using their face wash and moisturizer and serum daily for a week, and my skin looks significantly better than it did prior. As I mentioned above I am 39 years old, I have sensitive skin, and I'm certain I will be purchasing again. If I try new things from this line I will add my thoughts here!
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Hey! I'm Trisha Archives
February 2024
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