Warming up from the inside!

Lately I've been needing to add a wee bit o' heat to my breakfast with the temperature drop. Just a minute in a pot on the stove and a mix of my homemade, gluten free granola, local apple, strawberries, banana, cinnamon, a light drizzle of maple syrup, a handful of chia seeds and Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts, some extra cacao nibs for good measure and some brown rice milk and VOILA! Warm you from the inside goodness!

Another good way to heat things up is to add a big, fat chunk of fresh ginger and a dash of cayenne pepper to your smoothies! I do it for all of my smoothies, actually. Even in the summertime. I LOVE that kick it gives me! p.s. Don't be alarmed by what appears to be a bloody knife in that shot of my blender full of fruit, veg, spices and Vega Natural Protein Powder. It's just some harmless beet juice from some tasty, local beets that also make a regular appearance in my daily smoothies! I can't get enough of that earthy taste and gorgeous, purple hue!

Dinner Deluxe!

My partner referred to supper last night as our 'Deluxe Dinner'! And I have to say, he was 100% correct!
For the salad part it's mostly local veggies from my garden, St-Léon Gardens, Vita Health Fresh Market and Crampton's Market including lettuce, red and yellow peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, pickles, mushrooms and strawberries. Then I warmed up a couple of my mushroom beet patties in my dehydrator to put on top. I added some pickle juice to the Hanes Hummus from Saskatoon and dolloped some on top, did a drizzle of some Nonna Pia's chili lime balsamic reduction from BC and then topped it all off with some Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods hemp hearts! It was so delish and so very summery on what was NOT a summery day!

Mighty Mushroom Beet Burgers!

I had a very fun and productive day in the kitchen yesterday making some nut butter (that almost killed my Vitamix! YIKES!), a tasty mango, grape and kiwi balsamic salad for a very special birthday celebration, double chocolate chip cookies that weren't really cookies in the end and these DELICIOUS mushroom beet burgers that were a HUGE success!

So, this latest batch of veggie burgers had beets, celery, mushrooms, tomatoes, sprouted sunflower seeds, a cayenne pepper, lemon zest and juice, spinach, miso, ground flax, hemp hearts, lots of herbs from the garden, fresh ground pepper, fresh garlic, vegan worchestershire sauce all blended in my food processor. Once it was rather pasty I dumped it into a big bowl and added in the leftover lentils and quinoa I had on hand along with some more hemp hearts. Shaped them into various patty sizes and baked them at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes on parchment paper. Chucked them in the freezer to pull out and defrost for making burgers, topping salads or just as a side dish! YUMMO! That miso really adds a ton of flavor and a good wallop of probiotics!

Seriously! How pretty are these layers?? What's not so pretty is the pink paste that results once the blades do their work.
Still, YUM!
And thanks to these tasty buggers, dinner last night was SO frickin' tasty, not to mention downright beautiful! My freshly made mushroom beet burgers on top of a massive romaine leaf topped with avocado, tomatillo, cucumber, pickles and a few dollops of a balsamic mango beet salad then drizzled with some more balsamic with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and freshly ground black pepper. Mine had some drips of Sriracha for some extra heat. Talk about flavor packed!

Dandee Eats is BACK on the scene, #Winnipeg!

As I'm sure all of you can relate to, life has been getting in the way of me keeping up with doing regular posts here on the blog and for the tiny handful of you that actually follow me here, I apologize for that. I can't promise I'll be posting all the time but I'll certainly make an effort to pop by from time to time for those of you that don't follow me on Facebook (where I post FAR more often).

ANYWAY!! The first order of business is to let you know that I'll be selling my treats at the Etsy: Made in Canada Market happening here in Winnipeg at the St. James Civic Centre at 2055 Ness is St. James on Saturday, September 27th from 10am to 4pm. You will NOT want to miss this event, I promise you that. There will be at least 40 local Etsy makers with their creations on hand and of course, I'll be there with my handmade goodies and tasty, vegan treats, too! Spread the word! Bring your friends and family! Support your local makers, people!! It's good for them, good for you, good for your wallet, good for the local economy, good for the planet, it's just a good thing all around! Pop me an email to let me know if you have any requests for what I should bring for you hungry people out there: dandeeeats@gmail.com. Stay tuned here or on my Facebook Page or Twitter Page to find out more about the event as it gets closer.

In the meantime, FOOD! Here's what I've been eating lately. What's been on your plate this summer with all the local bounty we've got at our fingertips?? I'd love to hear all about your discoveries and delicious kitchen successes!

Been changing things up again in my Lunch Time Mason Jar of Goodness lately! Ontario peaches, local wild blueberries, figs, a scoop of my cranberry cherry granola, a scoop of some vanilla Vega protein powder, cinnamon and some organic brown rice milk. I make it the night before and give it a good shake. Once I eat it the next day it's all creamy and delicious and very filling!

This bowl of delight was the salad I brought to the W.E.S.T. Winnipeg Etsy Street Team Summer Picnic on Sunday and what a lovely picnic it was thanks to Milena of Just the Goods, Ruth of Periwinkle Designs and Marlene of Magination! The salad had the MOST BEAUTIFUL local candy cane beets, mango, local cucumber and fresh figs with a cinnamon pear balsamic dressing for extra yumminess, topped off with some Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods hemp hearts!

Some raw-ish local zucchini pasta with some local kale, local mushrooms, some tomatoes and my first harvest of my ground cherry tomatoes, organic corn and some of my garlicy mixed local beans. I steamed it all for about two minutes to soften it a bit. Then for the sauce, I chopped up some local red onion, basil, oregano and thyme from my garden, some lemon juice, Frescolio, Inc. wild mushroom olive oil, chili lime balsamic reduction that I picked up in BC, fresh ground pepper and a pinch of Himalayan salt. It was a flavor EXPLOSION!!

Your chance to load up on Dandee Eats, #Winnipeg!

I'm SO very proud and excited to donate some of my Dandee Eats treats to this weekend's Vegan Bake Sale Fundraiser for C.A.R.E. Winnipeg and Before The Bridge K9 Rescue going on at Boon Burger on Bannatyne from 2pm to 5pm on Saturday. You won't want to miss this epic event! I know I'll be taking home a TON of vegan goodies myself so come early in case I end up buying it all! They sold out early in the day at their December sale so be sure to mark your calendars and bring a BIG bag! Just make sure to leave some room for a Boon burger, too.

Fresh Rawsta and my Spiralizer!

One of my favorite kitchen tools to use since exploring a raw, vegan diet has been my Spiralizer. It turns all kinds of fruits and veggies into the most delightful strings and ribbons replacing things like noodles with a fresh, raw version. You can spiralize beets, carrots, potatoes, yams, apples, pears, jicama, parsnips, rutabaga, melons, cucumber, pumpkin and all kinds of squash. The options are almost limitless! Just check out this Pinterest page for some tips and ideas. The results are SO darn pretty! I found mine online on Upaya Natural's website. They're based out of Ontario and have all kinds of raw foods and kitchen tools to choose from AND they offer free shipping for order over $100.

After our trip to Gardening Saturday, I had some delectable balsamic vinegar from Prairie Oils and Vinegars that I just had to try out on one of my all time favorite dishes. So, out came the spiralizer and zucchini to make some Rawsta with Basil Balsamic sauce!

After Spiralizing some zucchini and chopping some mushrooms and bell peppers, I made up a delicious dressing. In my mini food processor went fresh basil, roasted garlic, Prairie Oils and Vinegars traditional balsamic vinegar, evoo, fresh ground pepper, lemon zest and juice, fresh tomato and a pinch of Himalayan salt. Topped it all with some cashews and basil leaves! Bellisimo! The only thing that would've made this dish pure perfection would have been if I had picked the tomatoes, zucchini, peppers and basil from my own back yard. In due time. In due time.

Fresh, organic delivery from My Farmer's Market Inc.!

Friday night I had my first (but certainly not my last) order of fresh produce delivered to my door from My Farmer's Market Inc. They're a new, local business offering produce, groceries, pet food and other household items available for delivery (FREE if you spend $50+) with a focus on sourcing their items locally. They even now carry Just the Goods products! It all came in a reusable tote that I paid a $10 refundable deposit for and they even threw in some free stuff like an extra cucumber, local butter lettuce and a dozen free range eggs! Needless to say, the service and quality from this first order has certainly got me wanting more and highly recommending them to YOU! Check out their website as their list of products they offer is continually growing and they're always looking for suggestions.

This time around I got some local, fresh basil, organic cucumbers, local organic beets and onions, organic tomatoes, organic bananas (they're working on getting some from Unlimited Organics Fair Trade which would be AWESOME!), organic limes, organic corn grits, organic yams and organic kale.

Plenty of my produce from my food order made it's way into several of my weekend meals including my Saturday morning's sunny breakfast bowl of goodness!

A smoothie base topped with a couple scoops of my homemade granola, cacao nibs, hemp hearts, banana and pomegranate.

Another tasty breakfast bowl on Sunday morning! I never tire of the vibrant color a beet and blueberries gives my smoothies! This smoothie had more goodies from my My Farmers' Market Inc order that was delivered Friday night. Local beets, celery, blueberries, cucumber, kale, Vega protein powder, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, apple, banana and filtered water. Then I topped it with some chia seeds, homemade granola, cacao nibs, Manitoba Harvest hemp hearts and fresh kiwi and pomegranate.

Just a wee reminder that I'm much more active on my Dandee Eats Facebook page, if that's your thing. Come find me there and hit 'like' or comment here and there to make sure I keep showing up in your feed. Your food feed. teehee