The 5 things that make my mornings

The five things that can really boost my mornings:

1. A warm, cuddly kitty to hug when you wake up;
2. A phone call from my boyfriend, or even better, having him in my bed to cuddle with;
3. The thought of wearing "those cute little pink shoes" or that "elegant black and white dress";
4. A cup of almond-chocolate coffee;
5. A deliciously healthy breakfast.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is my quinoa porridge, and it perfectly fits the description of a deliciously healthy breakfast. It has to be the most comforting breakfast I've ever had. It's warm, just gooey enough and sweet, sweet, sweet! I'm warning you though: you might get addicted to this.

In a microwave safe bowl, mix 1/2 a cup of cooked quinoa, 1/3 of a cup of your favorite dairy drink, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a couple of dried fruits and something to sweeten it up. Put in the microwave for 2 minutes and you're done! I recommend using something like vanilla soy or almond milk; it gives it even more flavor and sweetness. And when it comes to fruits, be adventurous! Raisins, cranberries, figs, apricots, dates!

J'aime vraiment le gruau traditionnel, mais faire un "porridge" avec du quinoa plutôt que de l'avoine, c'est carrément meilleur. En plus, je prépare le mien avec du lait de soya ou d'amande aromatisé à la vanille et des fruits secs. C'est sucré, chaud et réconfortant. À essayer!

Seeing is believing

This post is purely for me.

Vero, whenever you look at yourself in the mirror and are not pleased with what you see, or whenever you "feel fat", take a look at this picture.

 

Look at you. Look at that small waist, those well defined leg muscles, the thin neck! Look at what you have accomplished this past year. You look fantastic and it's all because of the changes you have made to your life. 

You won the most important battle of your life. Be proud!

Huge salad is... well... huge!

Pretty simple meal tonight: a huge salad. I just threw all the random vegetables and fruits I felt like eating into a big bowl (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, yellow bell peppers, blackberries) and drizzled a little olive oil and lemon juice on top. Yes, it's simple, and that's why I love it! The picture doesn't do justice to how big the salad is!

I prepared the salad and left it in the fridge while I went for a jog. I ran 2.5km, thinking about my salad the entire way! Ahhh well... what can I say... I just LOVE food, especially when it's tasty, colorful and healthy!

Le Commensal

I love the Commensal. Affordable vegetarian food in convenient locations? Yes please!

I had dinner there tonight with my buddy Jim. I kept it simple with some raw vegetables, a quinoa salad, a chickpea salad and some mushrooms. He, on the other hand, opted for heavier options with long noodles, lasagna and quesadillas. It looked delicious!

For the love of good bread

I've been craving the bread Sean and I had gotten at the Première Moisson bakery at the Marché Maisonneuve; it's an olive oil bread with herbs. It's not exactly a focaccia, not exactly a ciabatta either. Although I can't really figure out what it is, I decided that I should still make something similar to it to satisfy my craving. So, armed with a lot of research on the fabulous Internet, I decided that today would be the day I'd make my very own focaccia.

Like I said in my last video, I got myself a Larousse Gastronomique, often referred to as THE book any aspiring cook should have in his kitchen. Here is what the Larousse Gastronomique says about "focaccia":

An Italian olive-oil flat bread, of very ancient origin, since it dates to bakestone days. It is a hearth bread, traditionally flung into the oven just after the fire has been raked out, when the temperature is still too high to bake a larger loaf without burning the crust.

I made my focaccia with part whole wheat, part white flour and I added some dried herbs on top. Other than that, I pretty much followed the recipe on HubPages. Making bread is a labor of love; it takes time and a bit more effort than if you were just grabbing a slice of bread from the fridge. The kneading, how you wait for the dough to rise, the baking, and mostly, the anticipation...

When I took the first bite from my homemade herb focaccia, I understood how worth the efforts all this was. I enjoyed mine with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and some leftover smoked salmon from dinner last night. What a perfect way to spend this warm Sunday afternoon!

Je n'aurais pas pu trouvé meilleur compagnon pour le saumon fumé qu'il me restait du repas d'hier soir avec mes parents. Mon focaccia est bien croûté avec un centre moelleux, les herbes et le sel relèvent son goût de farine de blé parfaitement. En plus, il faut avouer qu'il est vraiment beau, non? :)

Rewarding myself with a couple additions to my kitchen!