Friday, January 31, 2014

What do you think, #Winnipeg!?!

So, I designed my new logo/poster for Dandee Eats! What do you think!?

Beautiful beets! Thanks to Harvest Moon Food Buying Club!

Talk about BEAUTIFUL, am I right!?! It almost felt wrong throwing this stunning, organic beet (one of many beauties from my last pick up from Harvest Moon Society food order) into the Vitamix.

Along with that gorgeous, striped beet, I threw some Harvest Moon Society carrots, banana, kale and other mixed greens, lots of ginger, pineapple, Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts, a big scoop of Natural Vega One and topped it off with the zest from one lemon and a hearty dash of cayenne pepper. Looking for heat anywhere I can get it these days.


And here is the gorgeous green goodness that resulted! I know it somewhat resembles the goo that gets poured on the heads of kids on You Can't Do That on Television but I assure you, it's all kinds of yummy.


The smoothie was SO warming from the inside with all that ginger and cayenne! I HIGHLY recommend this to start your day if you live anywhere in southern Manitoba. You all know what I'm talking about.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

THE List for all your good food needs, #Winnipeg!


I just spent the last hour filling up my 'People You Want To Know' section on my blog. Dang, there are A LOT of amazing resources for us here in Winnipeg who want fresh food, inspiration for living our healthiest life and all kinds of support on the food front! Check out my list just a little down and on the right side of my blog and let me know who else I need to add.

Organic Produce - Where the deals are!

Tip of the Day: As you all know by now, if you can find/afford organic produce, it really is the way to go. That being said, I'm well aware that organic produce can break the bank if you're not careful. We need to help each other out finding those sweet, organic deals when we see them!
I'm lucky enough to live close to a Superstore and work near a great Vita Health Fresh Market and the Safeway with the best organic produce selection (Osborne Village). This week the Superstore on St. Anne's at Fermor has bags of organic pears that are SO delicious along with a few varieties of organic apples by the bag for under $5. Both fruits you want to be sure to eat organic only. If you use public transit, you can take a #55 St. Anne's or even a #16 going to Island Lakes or Southdale Centre and get off at Seagrim, across from the gas bar at the Safeway on Fermor. And can I recommend joining the PC Plus program if you shop at Superstore on a somewhat regular basis? It's a bit 'big brother' but it can give you cash back based on suggested items you buy that they tailor to your spending habits. Hooray for free groceries!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Changing things up on the lunch front!

This week I'm changing up my work snacks a bit. Usually I fill a couple big jars with fresh fruit & always have apples on hand & that seems to fill me up, munching all day long while guzzling water. My change up this week was to bring a smaller jar filled with not only fresh fruit but some other super goodies in the mix. Super easy & VERY tasty & filling!
This super jar of goodness had local wild blueberries and juice from said berries after defrosting (BONUS!), banana, Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts, sprouted buckwheat groats from Harvest Moon Society's food buying club, cinnamon, cacao nibs and chia seeds. Along with a splash of organic brown rice milk, I shook it like a Polaroid picture and popped it in the fridge overnight. The chia seeds worked their magic and it was a creamy, thick treat packed with goodness!

Today's mixture included organic raspberries, ground up goji berries, Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts (I can't get enough of this awesome, complete protein), chia seeds, sprouted sunflower seeds, banana, cinnamon and a splash of organic vanilla brown rice milk. My belly is so happy right now.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

What to make for the Point Douglas is for Lovers Craft Sale!

So, this weekend I'll be deciding what to make to bring to my first sale as Dandee Eats happening on Feb. 8th at the Point Douglas is for Lovers Craft Sale! I need your help deciding what to bring! Already on my list: Brawnie Choco-Pops, Sweet Heat Buckwheat Crunchies, Sweet Tart Macaswoons, Choco Macaswoons and maybe some of my new Buckwheat on Sesame Street Chips. Oh and maybe some of the Overnight Oatmeal Mason Jars too. Any feedback on other goodies I should make or bring instead is welcome! GO!

Monday, January 27, 2014

What Dandee Eats at home!

It was another great Sunday in the kitchen this weekend! It's my happy place where I make happy filled food. Here's what made it into our bellies and some of which will continue to feed us all week long!
My weekend smoothie this time around consisted of banana, romaine lettuce, parsley, lemon, beet, apple, hemp hearts, cinnamon, a scoop of Vega Natural protein powder and some filtered alkalized water. My Vitamix made short work of this combo and it was super tasty. I love that gorgeous hue of purple the beet gives my smoothies.
On Saturday I used my smoothie as a base for some extra yummies to throw on top of. I've got some peanuts, Andorah's Feast How You Like Dem Apples Granola, cacao nibs and some chia seeds. Some serious fuel to help me spend the day energized with my 6 year old twin nieces!
Saturday we went out of dinner for the first time in a dang long time and I'm SO happy we did! After many positive recommendations, we ended up at Thida's Thai Restaurant on Donald just off Broadway downtown here in Winnipeg. We shared a papaya salad, vegan pad thai and the green curry soup. It was all fantastic and we'll be sure to go back again. Once we were back home, Mac was munching on his Theo's milk chocolate bar for a sweet finish to dinner so I decided to make my own chocolatey dessert. So in the NutriBullet went some frozen banana, cacao nibs, a dash of cinnamon and a wee bit of maple syrup.
The NutriBullet isn't as powerful and smoothifying as the Vitamix but still this turned out great! Crunchy with the cacao nibs and creamy sweet from the bananas and touch of maple syrup. Who needs Ben and Jerry's, am I right?? Especially when this dessert probably cost me about $1.50 if that.
After walking in the winter squalls of Winnipeg Sunday afternoon, I figured I deserved a savory snack. Out came the Nutri Bullet again to make some avocado dip to go with my black pepper Mary's Gone Crackers. Avocado, lemon zest, balsamic vinegar, fresh ground pepper, Sriracha sauce, coconut aminos, some cherry tomatoes and a handful of sprouted sunflower seeds.
As much as I LOVE Mary's Gone Crackers, I know from experience to go easy on them as that flax can do a number on me. But they're SO good especially with a creamy avocado dip like this.
The fly by the seat of my pants recipe of soups continue! This weather has really got me veering away from my mostly raw diet and I'm okay with that. Gotta get warm however we can and I truly feel I'm still getting a ton load of goodness from loading up on all these tasty veggies, cooked or raw. This time, after being inspired by Mac's obsession with the roasted vegetable soup from The Rogue Gallery (I think it was??), I chopped up some local acorn squash, potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic, tossed it all with some dried herbs from my garden, tumeric, salt free Spike and some fresh ground pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
As I scooped out the seeds from my locally grown acorn squash, I muttered under my breath, 'Eff you, Monsanto! I'm KEEPING my seeds!' Here's hoping after washing and drying these babies they're grow into some squashy goodness in my backyard this summer.
While the veggies were roasting and the homemade broth was defrosting, I whisked some green curry paste, Sriracha sauce and fresh ginger into a can of coconut milk to give the soup a slightly creamy and spicy kick of flavor.
Near the end of the cooking time for the soup, I pulled out my kitchen scissors and rinsed some organic kale (that I found at Superstore on St. Anne's!) and cut it into small, bite sized pieces and chucked it into the soup. Gotta get those greens!
Nothing beats homemade soup and crackers on a cold winter day! I forgot to mention I threw in a bit of Cavena Nuda into the soup too. A Canadian grown, gluten free grain that I am IN LOVE with. Some Andorah's Feast Open Sesame Flaxers were the perfect dipper for this spicy, warming soup. I'll be having this combo for dinner the next few nights and I'm sure it'll be perfect to come home to after walking in this bitter ass cold.
You'll quickly realize that I'm a dessert person. I need something dessert after every meal. Especially dinner. My sister in law had just made some apple crisp before we got to her place on Saturday and the smell was SO intoxicating that I knew apple crisp would have to made asap. I pulled out the sliced, frozen apples I had in the freezer since the summer, defrosted them and tossed them with some cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and a drizzle of maple syrup. For the topping I tossed some melted coconut oil with some gf oats, pecans, currants, shredded coconut and a bit more cinnamon. I'm a fan of cinnamon, as I'm sure you can tell by now. I threw it all into the dehydrator to warm it up a bit.
And I always need the chocolate content in my dessert so I topped my serving up with some. It was AWESOME!! A dollop of freshly blended banana soft serve on top would've been just too much goodness for me to handle. But I may have to try it anyway.
Mac's super charged granola bars for this week's lunch! Another chuck-it-all-into-the-food-processor recipe. This one had a few bananas, sesame seeds, peanuts, cranberries, hemp hearts, buckwheat groats, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut oil, chia seeds and some puffed rice. I spread it out nice and thick on a Teflex sheet and put them in my dehydrator for most of the day. They turned out amazing and I wanted to eat them all on the spot. Alas, they're now in the freezer to be pulled out as needed. Which might be as soon as I get home from work tonight.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Here's to new beginnings in a new year!

Well, it's been an exciting, interesting, educational and inspiring few months. My fellow crafter and food lover, Deb and I started Andorah's Feast with a goal to feed like minded and like tummied people our raw, vegan treats.
We wanted everyone with diet restrictions, allergies or sensitivities to know they don't need to eat the flavorless, processed foods on the grocery store shelves. We were making treats and snacks packed with delicious goodness leaving out all the garbage we and our bodies don't need. But in that process, we realized that the amount of work, time, money and sacrifice required to make and sell our goods several times a month was just too much for us to handle. So, with much discussion, Deb has decided to step away from the project for now to focus on her health and her work in becoming a Holistic Nutritionist. I'm not quite ready to stop making food for you guys yet so I'm in the process of working out how I'm going to go forward with this project on a solo mission. So first order of business: a new name! And Dandee Eats it is! I thought it would be a good idea to stick with my existing business name as a theme to my ever evolving love of making. My handmade shop in Osborne Village, Sew Dandee is my first love as well as my primary source of income and so in keeping with the Dandee name, Dandee Eats is born!
And I'm thrilled to say I'll be selling with my first Sew Dandee/Dandee Eats combo table at the Point Douglas is for Lovers Craft Sale on Saturday February 8th! This new sale is sure to be an amazing and memorable one running for a great cause. I'll have a wide selection of my Dandee cards for all you lovers (and haters!) of that fake holiday, Valentine's Day as well as tons of other occasions alongside some NEW vegan treats like my Sweet Tart Macaswoons (think strawberries and lemon) and my Brawnie Choco-Pops sure to satisfy your gluten free, refined sugar free sweet tooth.
The sale happens at Grace Point Church at 137 Euclid Ave. in the North End of Winnipeg from 12 noon to 4pm with a $1 charge at the door. I hope you all can make it! Be sure to follow my food adventures along with recipes, raw vegan dinner parties, potlucks, sales and much more on my blog and Facebook page to stay up to date on what I'm whipping up in my kitchen. I want this to be a community venture so let's work together to eat better, eat local and get everyone in the kitchen and in the garden. Eat real food. Feel real good.
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