One of my favourite things about corn fritters (other than how delicious and easy they are), is the word “fritters”! It’s just so fun to say… “fritters!”.
I came across the idea when I was looking for recipes for my parents’ 30th anniversary brunch in March and I’ve been itching to make it again ever since. The first time I made it I added bacon and avocado, but since I didn’t have either on hand I figured I would try something else this time!
I have visions of putting cobs of corn on the barbecue right before cutting all the kernels off and adding it to the batter. That would add a sweet smokiness to the fritters – yum! Yes, I am definitely doing that next time… because there WILL be a next time.
You can make these corn fritters as an appetizer and keep it light, OR you can certainly turn it into a full meal too! A stack of corn fritters on a bed of arugula, topped with lots of grilled vegetables and a side of spicy sausage sounds like the perfect summer dinner to me, that’s for sure.
I used spelt flour for the batter because it lends a nutty flavour and grainy texture to the corn fritters. I also find that it makes the edges nice and crispy when frying the fritters in olive oil.
To add extra flavour and texture to the meal I whipped up a creamy topping of plain greek yogurt, feta and spices to spread over the fritters. While I was mixing it up I was thinking to myself: “This could be a complete disaster (and waste of precious yogurt and feta!), OR it could be the best thing to ever happen to my dear fritters”. Lucky for me the latter was the case and it even exceeded my expectations. Derek always laughs when I go on and on about how delicious one of my recipes are, the way that you would rave about someone else’s food, but in this case it is 100% warranted.
As an additional topping, I tossed some thinly sliced tomato, green onion, salt and pepper in olive oil. Man I love pan fried tomato with some S+P.
It is just now occurred to me that this recipe would make a wonderful Saturday breakfast too! Kind of like savoury pancakes.
You will need:
For the batter:
- 1 cup of spelt four
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup of milk (I used almond milk)
- 1-1/2 cups of sweet corn kernels
- 1/2 cup of finely diced red pepper
- 1/4 cup of diced green onion
- olive oil for frying
For the topping:
- 1/2 cup of 0% plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup of crumbled feta
- a dash of olive oil
- a couple pinches of cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- thinly sliced tomato
- diced green onion
- arugula
How to:
- Heat the oven to 210F to keep the fritters warm as they come off the stove.
- For the batter, combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together – slowly add this mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk together.
- Next, add the corn, red pepper and green onion (or any other diced veggies you want to add). Mix it all together.
- In a large frying pan, add a splash of olive oil and use a large spoon to scoop the batter into the pan, forming little fritters (about 3 inces in diameter).
- Fry for about 5 minutes on low-medium heat and turn over to cook the other side.
- Meanwhile, combine the greek yogurt, feta, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
- Serve the fritters on a bed of arugula, topped with the yogurt mixture and fried tomato and green onion.
Alrighty, now enough about fritters – I have some completely unrelated, but painfully adorable critters to show you!
This would be the family of racoons living in our backyard – so cute, right?! They like to play outside in the morning, before sleeping the rest of the day away. The racoon to the right is the mama (or so we think), and just look at how she is hanging over the branch! They have the perfect situation going: a big hole in the tree with a little “deck” for playing right above it.
Now, I know what you guys are going to say: they are just trouble. And I know in a few months time when they are bigger and more confident and we are sitting out on the deck they will be annoying (and scary!). And that the muggy summers’ morning when we wake up to find the contents of our garbage can strewn all over the sidewalk will not exactly be very cute.
But seriously – they are adorable and we love watching them! Check out this little guy hanging out of the hole with his front paws neatly tucked beside him. I love their little black masks!
Please stay cute and well behaved, guys!
Before this post gives you the wrong impression, I have to tell you that I really do like sleeping in. I used to be quite good at it actually. There are few things in life as amazing as waking up, thinking it’s time to get up, and then glancing over at my alarm clock to realize that I have a good 2 hours of sleep left. So there you have it. Just in case you think I’m one of those chipper early birds who leap out of bed with a song in my heart while it is still eeaaaarly.
BUT…
And that’s a big but. I love being awake very early in the morning. It is so inspiring: a whole brand new day, and I’m lucky enough to see it crawling over the horizon! When I am up at daybreak I feel like I am stealing time. Does that make sense? I feel like I am getting to see a part of the world that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
So last night I decided that I would get up early to catch the sun rise! This morning I threw on a few comfy layers, grabbed my camera and headed down the street towards the lake.
Being awake at the break of dawn reminds me of my stint working the night shift. I remember sitting at my desk while the city comes alive with movement and sound and light. And then while driving home I would see the early morning joggers, dog walkers and people opening their shops. When I saw people out and about so early (while the rest of the world is sleeping) I vowed to myself that I would see the sun rise once in a while.
Being up early in the morning gives you perspective. A lot of mornings I am on autopilot: making my lemon water and breakfast, checking my email, all that stuff. But this morning I took a nice little breather and I got to wake up gently. By the time I got back home to put the coffee on for Derek I was awake and excited about the rest of my day.
Do you wanna see some magic? Do you feel like going on an adventure in your own backyard? Then I dare you to get up early one morning, watch the sun rise and carry that feeling around with you all day long. You will feel like you “stole” some time!
What better way to kick off our first backyard hangout of the season than with food that has the word SPRING in it?! We had my parents and brothers over for Mother’s Day this past Sunday and we were blessed with fabulous weather! I was honestly walking around with the hugest grin on my face all day… because, seriously, how can this weather not lift your mood?
Well, I guess I didn’t have said grin on my face when my guests showed up a bit early and I totally wasn’t ready for them yet. Thank goodness they’re family and it doesn’t really matter! I had visions of having everything in place and being calm and collected while greeting our guests, and then have the time to immediately sit down with them to enjoy healthy appetizers in the form of fresh, veggie loaded spring rolls.
Yeah, I may have still been running around with a tablecloth in my arms, with half chopped veggies laying on the kitchen counter when the family walked in the door. There was a bonus surprise for them when I was finally done making the spring rolls and they weren’t allowed to touch them until after I took pictures. Like I said: Good thing they’re family! And very patient when hungry…
Ok, so back to the food! My friend Isabelle made fresh spring rolls over the holiday season last year and I have seriously been thinking about them this whole time! Her secret, magical ingredient was: mint! I had never had spring rolls with fresh mint in them before, but it is addition totally works. And I have to admit, I have always been extremely intimidated by using rice paper wraps. What if they stick together or rip, or what if all of the veggies fall out as I am trying to roll it?! I can happily report that all of those fears are entirely invalid! It was pretty easy to work with!
I love that these spring rolls are light and fresh, which makes it perfect as an appetizer. Sometimes we have so many rich appetizers or snacks before a dinner or barbecue that we feel full and heavy before the meal is even ready. Does that sound familiar? Especially now that it is getting warmer out it is nice to eat something light before dinner. Now I just need a glass of ice cold Pino Grigio!
What you need:
- Rice paper wraps
- A large flat bowl (or serving dish) with warm water
- A clean tea towel
- Pretty much any fresh vegetable you have on hand. I used: leaf lettuce, red pepper, carrot, and avocado
- Mint leafs
- 1 lemon
- Sweet chili dipping sauce
How to:
- Cut your selected vegetables in thin long strips. Try to cut them the full length of the finished roll, that way the strips won’t move around too much inside the roll.
- Pour warm water in your flat dish. Place a rice paper wrap in the water for about 5-10 seconds or until it is soft.
- Gently remove the rice paper wrap from the water, using both hands. Carefully place the wet wrap flat on a clean tea towel.
- Arrange your vegetables and washed mint leaves in a line right in the middle of the wrap. I used about 7 mint leaves per wrap.
- Fold the left and right sides of the wraps in towards the middle of the wrap. This will sort of form a vertical rectangle in front of you.
- Next, fold the bottom half of the rectangle over the vegetables and tuck it in gently underneath your veggies.
- Gently roll the spring roll upwards until it is closed up at the top. You will notice that the rice paper sticks nicely to itself and you have a cute little burrito.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the spring roll right in the middle and place on your serving tray. Repeat until you have all the spring rolls you want.
- Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the lemon juice all over the spring rolls – this will make it extra fresh tasting!
- Pour some dipping sauce (I used a sweet chili sauce) into a separate bowl and serve together.
What I will do differently next time:
- Try to wrap the rolls tighter so that the insides don’t try to escape when you bite into it.
- Put the sauce inside the rolls. This will prevent double dipping!
- Experiment with different vegetables, herbs and meat!
Yay – spring is here!!!
Like most of us, I am on my own health journey. I am trying new things, I am a sponge for any information on nutrition and health, and I am trying to find a way that makes me feel my best physically. What can I do, and how can I take care of my body so that I have boundless energy, feel comfortable physically, feel strong and capable, reduce stress, fight or prevent disease and set myself up to live a long and healthy life? Sounds like a tall order, right?
Most of the time this very personal process is incredibly inspiring. I love it when I make a small change and immediately feel the results! It encourages me and confirms that I am on the right track. It inspires me to find more ways of living a whole and healthy life!
I will encourage you to do the same (although, I suspect you are doing this already!). Keep an ear on the ground, learn from others’ experiences, borrow ideas, keep an open mind, and listen to your own body – you will be surprised at the conversation it is trying to have with you!
Our health journeys are all unique, BUT there is one great thing that is good for each and every one of us:
H-2O baby! And lots of it!
Water hydrates your entire body, it gives you energy, it brings oxygen into your blood stream.
I love the Lululemon manifesto, (you should check it out!), and one of they things it says is: “Drink fresh water and as much as you can. Water flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps your brain sharp.” Where do I sign?!
Here are a few ways that I make sure I get all the water I need:
Start your day off right with a glass of hot or warm lemon water. Hot lemon water is amazing in aiding digestion and elimination, it stimulates your liver and kidneys to get rid of toxins, is great for your skin, and seriously so much more! A bonus for me is that it relieves heartburn…
Simply boil some water (I like it warm, not hot, because then it’s gentle and drinkable!). Icy cold water is like a shock to your system first thing in the morning – remember your body has effectively been fasting overnight. The juice of 1/2 a lemon in a cup of water works well for me. I also love adding freshly chopped ginger to my lemon water – it tastes like tea and you wouldn’t believe how fresh it makes you feel! I’m really not one to exaggerate, but I truly feel energized after my morning glass of lemon water. Ready to take on my day!
Allright, so your body is now very happy after your morning lemon water, but now your day starts (along with your crazy to-do list) and it gets really hard to keep track of exactly how much water you are actually drinking throughout the day.
Here is a tip that works well for me: If I spend my day at my desk I have a pretty pitcher full of water ready before I settle down to work. I know the pitcher holds one litre (4 glasses) so I know exactly how much water I am having throughout the day. If you are at home, leave the water on your kitchen counter and refill your glass as you go about your day. Sometimes it is just easier to pour myself another glass of water if it is sitting right in front of me. Weird psychology, I know, but it works!
If you don’t like water (Mom, I’m talking to you here!), you can add flavour to it. Toss in a few pieces of sliced cucumber, peach or orange slices… there are so many ways to make it more pleasing to your taste buds!
Most of us don’t spend the day in one spot, so it is great to also have a water bottle on hand for when you are out and about. I adore my happy green thermos that I got at the Healthy Living Summit last year. Thanks Athenos! This water bottle keeps water cold for a long time and I think it is so cute that I don’t mind walking down the street with it.
Can I just tell you how grumpy I get when I am thirsty? Many a shopping trip has been interrupted by me having to buy a bottle of water before I can even focus on anything else. I have learned my lesson and have gotten into the habit of always having water with me. Not to mention that it is free from the tap and I’m not wasting water bottles. Does a plight for the future of the earth make you remember to bring your own water? Haha – nothing like a good guilt trip!
So do you think you can do it? If you put water right in front yourself, you may remember that you are thirsty!
Hey, remember to take good care of yourself today!
Let me set the all too familiar scene:
You are pushing your grocery cart around the grocery store doing your weekly shopping. You are determined to buy a whole bunch of healthy stuff and have visions of cooking creative meals that will make you glow from the inside out.
As usual, you are starting off in the produce department because all of those fruits and veggies will serve as the base and inspiration for all of your meals this week.
You pick up the old favourites: tomatoes, broccoli, sweet potato, bananas and after about 10 minutes you realize your menu for the week is slowly starting to look exactly the same as the week before. Sound familiar?
Last week, in a desperate attempt to be wild and crazy and try something new, I scanned the aisles until my eyes landed on a promising yellow sign! A sale! If I’m going to be taking any risks I might as well minimize it by not spending top dollar on some random and unknown vegetable.
Cauliflower. Ok, so it’s not exactly a random and unknown vegetable, but it’s not something I buy very often (read: ever!). I do have distinct memories of enjoying steamed cauliflower with a creamy white sauce, or mashing them into my potatoes as a kid. Yip – this cauliflower is coming home with me, and I WILL turn it into a healthy and delicious meal!
With all of the April showers we’ve been having lately I have been craving soup. Thank heavens it is already May, but judging by the rainy day we had today I would say we still have a few soup days ahead of us. I’m happy about the soup part… not so much about the rain part…
You may know that I have a love affair with super grainy bread. Give me a fresh slice of bread with lots of seeds, nuts or fruit in it an I am a happy girl. Give me a thick bowl of soup to go with it and I will scoop the soup up with my bread and pretend it is a spoon. And just maybe, at the end of the bowl I will use the bread to wipe up all the remaining soup. Very classy I know! I would not recommend that last bid if you are on a first date or if you are dining with the queen!
Well there you have it – creamy, thick, healthy and delicious!
I am freezing a couple of servings of this soup (because it freezes so well!) to enjoy on random days when I don’t feel like cooking.
Enjoy the last soup weather before it turns to salad weather!
You will need:
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 litres of water
- 1 cauliflower head, rinsed and cut into pieces
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- a splash of milk
How to:
- In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onions, salt and pepper. Fry the onions until golden brown.
- Next, add the water, chicken stock and cauliflower and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low once the water comes to a boil. Let it simmer until the cauliflower becomes soft. If there is a lot of excess water, drain some of it.
- Add to a food processor and process until you have reached the desired consistency (thick or smooth).
- Throw the mixture back into your pot, add the nutmeg, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper. Add a splash of milk to make the mixture more liquid and creamy.
- Let it simmer until all of the flavours are fully integrated.
Serve hot with a side of fresh bread and butter!
Do you prefer thin, “brothy” soups, or do you like a hearty and thick soup?
Yip, I’m one of them - a royal wedding fanatic! And as any self respecting royal wedding fanatic would, I am getting up at 4 tomorrow morning to watch the whole thing go down! I will be in my pj’s, with a couple of friends by my side to share in the “ooooh’s” and “aaaaah’s” of admiring Kate’s dress, Westminster Abbey filled with important people, and festive crowds lining the streets waving flags!
Even though William and Kate’s wedding have zero impact on my own life (heck, I’m not even British!), I think it is absolutely lovely to have something fun and positive to focus on. The news tend be very bleak and devastating so it is refreshing to loose ourselves in happy and whimsical events. Something to revel in! A marvellously extravagant event that creates an opportunity for the world to bond over a cup of tea – I’m SO in!
And what do we do best when we celebrate? Why, we EAT of course!
Taking into consideration that this viewing party will be taking place before the break of dawn (when my belly certainly doesn’t feel like having a full, heavy breakfast), it is only obvious to go with some light scones and tea! Man, I wonder how many scones will be consumed all over the world tomorrow?!
Don’t worry, I didn’t bake these scones, I bought them. I know, scandalous, right – haha! The good news is that you still have time to run out and buy a batch of scones, whip up some cream and set your alarm for 04:00.
Since it is highly unlikely that you will be eating scones fresh out of the oven (unless you are nuts and pull an all nighter to bake them), heat them up a little bit before serving. Well, maybe you live in a time zone where it is actually possible to bake scones right before watching the wedding festivities… in which case I apologize for calling anyone nuts!
I quite like putting butter and grated cheddar on warm scones too! Yum! Maybe I will break that out tomorrow.
Dainty, flowery tea cups! Pinky up!
Freshly squeezed orange juice – or mimosas if you are so inclined…
Behind the scenes look: I was planning on having a blue and red colour scheme, as an homage to the beautiful Union Jack, so I started making these red and blue coloured cutouts of crowns and “heart flags”. But then I realized that I have next to zero red props and that’s when the whole thing went into a blue-and-yellow-springtime-wedding direction.
I wanted to use at least one of the little cutouts, since I worked so hard on them. Ok, so I didn’t exactly work that hard: I was watching game show bloopers on YouTube while making them. (As a side note, I highly suggest watching game show bloopers! Hilarious!).
A great thanks to the British for gifting us with the delicacy of scones with whipped cream and jam!
OK, I’m off to go practice my British accent (and maybe my royal wave)! And then I will be going to bed really, really early tonight. I’m SO excited!!!
How about you? Will you be watching the wedding?
P.S. I will be on Twitter if you need some extra company during the wedding watching festivities!
Growing up I could never figure out what on earth eggs have to do with Easter. Sure I LOVED getting chocolate Easter eggs (still do!), and hunting for Easter eggs in the backyard. Who doesn’t love that? I’m sure the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy have some sort of business arrangement, because that is a lot of sugar!
At Easter we think of Jesus dying on the cross (Good Friday) and being raised from the dead (Easter Sunday), but where do all the eggs come in?
I have finally made sense of it! Eggs represent new life. On Easter Sunday we celebrate the new life we have in Jesus, because he was raised from the dead. Yeah, life is pretty good!
I came across this awesome idea for Easter decorations a few weeks ago: Grassy Eggs! I love how they show new life sprouting from them! You can find the step by step instructions here. Darby’s blog is one of my very, very favourites, so you should definitely check her out!
I’ve been carefully nursing my grassy eggs for the past couple of weeks and sweet talking them in an attempt to make the grass grow faster! They survived multiple road trips to visit our families and the grass eggs are officially ready to grace our Easter dinner table today.
Happy Easter! Enjoy the chocolate eggs, and remember the new life it represents for all of us!
“What a God we have! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future.”- From 1 Peter1:3-5 (MSG)
I love pasta and I love veggies. I’ve been successfully combining these two in creating delicious meals for AGES! It is not until recently that I have been branching out my noodle and veggie combo. Who knew there were more combinations to be discovered?
For the past year or so Derek and I have been eating a lot more Japanese. I suppose it started when we got tired of the usual suspects when we go out for dinner. It also doesn’t hurt that we have an incredible Japanese restaurant within walking distance from our house. Yay for walking down the street for date night and ordering delicious vegetarian maki rolls!
The next step in my Japanese palette development was our trip to Tokyo over the new year. As I mentioned before, I am not huge on eating a lot of meat so I was seeking out a vegetarian options during our visit. Enter: Veggie noodle bowls.
Being the foreigners that we were, it took us a little while to figure out how some of the restaurants worked. It is typical for restaurants in Japan to have plastic models of the food they serve lined up in the window. This is awesome for people who don’t read Japanese, and also for visual folk like me!
On our first day in Tokyo we successfully sourced a little restaurant with beautiful veggie noodle bowls in their window and walked in to get our lunch on. The lady working inside asked if we had a ticket, which we didn’t. We soon figured out that there is a vending machine outside the restaurant where you buy your meal ticket and then redeem it inside.
Can I tell you that I still think of that meal as my very favourite during our whole visit? Soba noodles with some vegetables and vegetable broth. Delicious, filling, and nice and warm after playing tourist in the cold all day!
It’s only natural that I’ve been craving that exact meal for the last while and it has become a total necessity to recreate the experience at home. So easy! Only 5 ingredients. You should try it!
What you need:
- 4 stalks of chopped green onion
- 4 heads of baby bok choy
- 50z udon or soba noodles
- one vegetable stock cube
- 1 litre of water
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Serves 2
How to:
- Add the water and vegetable stock to a pot and bring it to a boil on the stove.
- Next, add the noodles – I prefer to keep them long. Cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Add the baby bok choy towards the end when there is about about 2-3 minutes of cooking time left. You don’t want to overcook the bok choy.
- Serve in deep bowls and garnish with fresh, chopped green onion.
- Grind some fresh peppercorns on top for additional flavour and spice.
Note: You do not need to add any salt because the vegetable stock will add enough saltiness and flavour to both the broth and the noodles.
I love Sobaya‘s Spelt Udon Noodles – they are very grainy and tasty and offer a whopping 12g of protein per serving! And of course you can be creative and add all sorts of vegetables to this recipe, but I didn’t want to mess with a good thing!
Here are a few gratuitous vacation photos for you guys. In the wake of the recent disasters in Japan my heart is just aching for this great country and its beautiful people! I feel really blessed to have caught a glimpse of who they are. Arigato!
