Posted by Nicole on April 26, 2013
It turns out my kale and quinoa tabbouleh salad really did get me back on track. Of course, it’s no coincidence that my week of super healthy eating (except for that slice of birthday cake that was put in front of me last weekend…oops!) offered the immune-boosting power to fight off the painful, phlegmy, energy-zapping cold that was. Now I feel fantastic, the sun is shining, and I’m ready to get on with life.
And baking, of course.
Posted by Nicole on April 21, 2013
What a week. While trying to fall back into my regular routine after my whirlwind vacation in Vegas, I came down with a nasty cold. Work piled up on my desk, decisions about more home renovations needed to be made, and I wanted to come up with something to contribute to my father-in-law’s birthday dinner. I feel like I’ve taken quite a hit with this cold, and everyday tasks seem that much harder to accomplish.
Posted by Nicole on April 19, 2013
Just a few days ago I returned from a whirlwind vacation in the infamous Las Vegas, where my good friends Robin and Amelia got hitched! I was super excited about this trip, as it meant spending some quality time with a big group of amazing people. But let’s face it: Vegas is not cheap. I’m not the type of person to go all out and spend loads of money on fancy food and poolside drinks, but this was a special occasion and I wanted to have a good time. No money worries for this lady—at least for a few days.
Posted by Nicole on April 2, 2013
Have you heard yet? The plant-powered maven, Dreena Burton, is at it again. To add to her growing list of impressive cookbooks is a brand new e-cookbook, appropriately named Plant-Powered 15.
Dreena got the idea to put together her first ebook several months ago after she offered a holiday cookbook promotion (you can read about it here) and in February, she put out a call for help on Facebook. I immediately emailed her to offer my skills. I knew working with this vegan wonder woman would be pretty amazing, and so I was ecstatic when she replied and said she wanted me to photograph all the recipes for this project. Connecting with Dreena in this way felt almost serendipitous. We were going to make a great team.
Posted by Nicole on March 31, 2013
We all have a weakness for junk food. The problem is it’s not very good for us. Aside from the overabundance of fat, sodium and sugar in most of today’s snack food products, there are also the unidentifiable chemicals and preservatives on the ingredients list to consider. When it comes down to it, those delicious Twinkies, Doritos, Cracker Jacks and Cheez-its are not real food.
Thanks to photographer and cookbook author Lara Ferroni, you can learn how to make your favourite snack foods from scratch. Her latest book, Real Snacks, features more than 70 recipes for sweet and salty classics like ice cream sandwiches, snack cakes, pretzels, crackers and potato chips. There’s something to please everyone, including those who prefer their treats gluten-free or vegan. That’s right—Lara’s recipes use wheat, dairy and eggs, but every single recipe also includes gluten-free and vegan alternatives. Pretty amazing, right?
So far, I’ve tried the Cinnamon Rolls, which use a quick bread instead of a yeast dough, so I was able to indulge in these tender, cinnamony sweets in less than an hour. I promise you won’t even miss the yeast—or the two hours of rising time that goes with it. Lucky for you, the publisher has agreed to share the recipe (see below!).
