|
||||||
          
  
|
Hi Everyone! Welcome to this week’s Wellness Weekend. I’ve been slowly getting back into the swing of things over the past two weeks and glad to be back on track. With summer around the corner, I can’t wait to spend more time outdoors with The Girls! (Oh, yeah, and the HH, too, of course–ha ha!). Your fabulous recipes from last week were geared toward warmer weather, too, with lots of raw dishes in the mix. 
I’ve had an ongoing love affair with Australia since I was a child. (I wrote a bit more about it in this post). From the charming accent of the locals, to the stellar weather, to some of my favorite actors, to the amazing food, that country resonates with me on a deep level, and I know I’ll make it there some day. While Australians have become well known in recent years, it’s not been because of their gluten-free desserts (though I think that the famous Pavlova happens to be sans gluten!). Nevertheless, there is one Australian dessert that has intrigued me more than all the others, ever since I first read about it: the “slice”–the Aussie version of the North American “bar” or “square.” I devised this Chocolate Caramel Slice as my own tribute to the classic from Down Under. It’s easy to make, great for an outdoor gathering like a picnic or BBQ–or any gathering, really. Head over to the Attune Foods blog to see the recipe, and get a taste of this Aussie sweet treat.
Never miss a recipe–or a comment from The Girls! Click here to subscribe to Diet, Dessert and Dogs via email. (“We love subscribers, Mum. . . almost as much as we love treats!”)
Way back in this post, I asked you all if you’d be interested in tips on speeding up the process of cooking whole foods from scratch. Today, I’ll begin to answer that question. I realized there is so much to say on this topic that I’d need to split it up into two smaller posts. So today’s post covers the first four tips; come back next week for the rest of them!
[Clockwise from large photo: My Dad's Vegetable Soup; Nacho Supreme; green smoothie; Cinnamon-Curry Spiced Pumpkin Seeds.] If you cook 98% of your food from scratch as I do, it’s really just a basic survival strategy to find ways to speed up the process and make it easier. Below are some of the things that I’ve found helpful over the years. I’ve come to most of these ideas on my own over time, but have also found some useful information on blogs and sites I’ve read along the way. So thank you to all the lovely bloggers and writers whose words contributed to this post! Note: A truly “from-scratch” meal would be made entirely on my own, without ANY help from food manufacturers. If most of the ingredients were fresh and/or cooked entirely by me, I consider that from-scratch. If I use a canned or packaged product that is basically a single ingredient and one I could also make at home (most common in this category would be canned diced tomatoes or natural nut butters, for instance, but I also do use packaged alternative milks), then I also consider that “from scratch.” Of course, you have to draw your own line where it feels comfortable to you. Continue reading 8 Tips for Cooking Whole Foods From Scratch. . .
Hi Everyone! Hope you’re all having an awesome week and enjoying some down time outside (here in Toronto, it’s been in the high 20s/low 80s and sunny all week! Can’t ask for better than that. I was a bit MIA last week, but did get a chance to check out your delectable entries to Wellness Weekend. From the Frosted Vanilla Cupcakes to the Raw Coconut Fudge to the Mexican Chili Salad Wraps to the Vegan Cheese Biscuits, I loved ‘em all! My “to make” list is just getting longer and longer. . . ! Continue reading Wellness Weekend. . .
When I was an undergrad, I submitted a short story to the university literary journal, which was edited by my beloved mentor, John Ditsky (I guess on some level, since we’d already become friends by then and he’d always encouraged my writing, I kind of “knew” he’d publish the story). It was a tale about a 20-something university student who arrives home for the holidays, only to find that her parents don’t recognize her. She meanders through the house, frantically seeking signs that she’d once lived there, only to find none. No matter which childhood stories she relates, or which personal items she describes, her parents don’t seem to recognize her. Eventually, confused and hysterical, she crumples to the ground, pounding her fist on the floor like Charlton Heston at the end of Planet of the Apes, wailing, “But I’m your daughter! It’s ME, your daughter!! I’m your daughter. . . you know me. . . Oh, my God. . . ” and runs from the house, clearly having lost her sanity. In the last scene of the story, the mother turns to the father and asks, “Who was that young woman?” To which the father intones, “I have no idea.” Continue reading Rutabaga Hash Browns. . .
Hi Everyone! Welcome back to this week’s Wellness Weekend! I’m popping in to say that I may be absent for a few more days on the blog. I hadn’t expected to be gone for a whole week this past week, but have been having some health challenges and I’m not sure when things will be resolved. For now, I’m going to take a little hiatus until things are sorted out. I’m hoping that will be soon. So, I apologize that there are no Newsy Tidbits this week. In the meantime, thank you all as always for your support. And please do share all your wonderful recipes this week! I hope to peek in and see what you all have cooked up. I look forward to chatting with you all again soon! Hugs, Ricki Continue reading Wellness Weekend. . .
Hello there, Wellness Weekenders! We had 38 mouth-watering entries last week, with everything from TWO Banana-Based pies to Earth Day Rice to Gingerbread Almond Butter (mmm!) to shakes, soups and sandwiches. As always, your recipes impressed me with how delicious and creative they are! Keep ‘em coming! Continue reading Wellness Weekend. . .
I couldn’t start tonight without mentioning the horrific events that have touched so many people across the US this past week. I’ve been walking around with a heavy heart and keep thinking about all the victims whose lives have been changed forever (and those whose lives have been taken away), both in Boston and in Texas. I don’t have any great wisdom to add to what’s already been said, but I wanted to share my love and positive thoughts for those who are dealing with the aftermath of such senseless violence. I’ll be hugging the HH and my Girls a little tighter today. There haven’t been too many blog-related items amassed with the focus on Boston and Texas, but here are a few newsy tidbits for you this week. . .
Special Note! There’s a giveaway on now of Growing Naturals Protein Powder–the very powder I use in this recipe! Once you’ve seen the recipe, head over here to enter the giveaway!
What’s the most dreaded question ever asked of a vegan? Go ahead and guess. Here are some to get you started:
Okay, so I was being a bit crafty here, since none of those is the question I’m thinking about. (But the answers to those ones are, respectively: I really do. Only in my mind. But I would dearly love to serve up some treats from my new cookbook on her show. VEE-gun, though some of us oldies still use the antiquated VAY-gun. Well. . . . okay. [That last one was an actual question posed to me many years ago on a date with Rocker Guy. The pizza was great, but too bad the relationship sucked.]. The single question, then, that is most dreaded by VEE-guns far and wide is this: Click here to keep reading High Protein Mocha Sunbutter . . .
Well, at least Wellness Weekend didn’t suffer any lingering effects of winter! Last week’s recipes were bright with the promise of spring. I loved all the colorful cakes, the Sweet Broccoli Juice, the pancakes and green naan (yep!), the homemade BBQ sauce and more. Check out the 35 entries from last week for yourself!
|
    
 |
||||
|
Copyright © 2013 Diet, Dessert and Dogs - All Rights Reserved |
||||||
I hope to be back up and running by next week’s event.
And now, for this week’s news. . . .
