'Tis the season!

Myles and I were having a cooking contest this morning. Main ingredient of the contest? Cranberries. Now, I'm sharing with you my winning recipe... I just came up with this recipe on the dot and it turned out super delicious!!! 

Cranberry-Balsamic Crumble

1 cup cranberries, halved

1/2 packet apple cider drink mix

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons agave nectar

3 tablespoons oats

3 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons butter, chilled and cubed

Combine oats, sugar and butter in a food processor or blender. Pulse until it makes a crumbly powder. Set aside. Combine water and apple cider powder in sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add cranberries, balsamic and agave. Cook down for 5 minutes, stirring every minute. Transfer evenly to ramekins cover with crumble mixture and broil for 1 1/2-3 minutes until golden. Enjoy warm. 

White Peppermint Hot Chocolate!

Today is the first holiday recipe of this year!!! Love this drink, I will show you 2 versions on how to make it, depending on what you have. 

White Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Version 1:

1 cup milk

5-7 candy cane flavored HERSHEY'S® Hugs chocolates

Whipped cream and crushed candy cane bits (optional)

Unwrap the chocolates. Melt and place in  a mug. Slowly add warmed milk while stirring. Garnish with whipped cream and candy cane bits. Enjoy!

Version 2:

1 cup milk

5-7 squares of your favourite white chocolate

A couple drops of peppermint extract (depending on how much peppermint you like) 

Whipped cream and crushed candy cane bits (optional) 

Melt white chocolate with peppermint extract and put in a cup. Slowly add warmed milk while stirring. Garnish with whipped cream and candy cane bits. Enjoy!

Nailah's Note

You can substitute milk or dark chocolate for the white in Version 2. You can omit the peppermint in Version 2 for just White Hot Chocolate. For both variations, you can use any milk, like almond or soy. 

currently snacking on…

Trader Joe's Dark Chocolate (filled with) Speculoos Cookie Butter!!! From my last currently snacking on, you learned that I kind of LOVE Trader Joe's Cookie Butter. I saw that they had a chocolate bar filled with this stuff!!!! It is awesome. That gingerbread taste from the cookie butter mixed with the dark chocolate, yes please! I love this. 

currently snacking on…

So, my Mama recently went to Target and Trader Joe's!!! And got some delicious things!! At Target... There was some Gingerbread TWIX!!! I don't really know what those taste like because we aren't allowed to eat them 'till Christmas. But I DID try these amazing White Chocolate Peppermint M&M's!!! They are SO good! They taste just like my favourite drink from Starbucks, a white peppermint hot chocolate. And from Trader's we got this Speculoos Cookie & Cocoa Swirl. This is a toast spread that is TJ's cookie butter blended with like a nutella!!! It's really really good!

Crispy Roasted Broccoli and Onions.

Yum! I love this! I have always loved roasted broccoli... And... In case you didn't know, I actually did not win the grand prize (an iPad mini...) in the Global BC Contest. But, the experience was amazing. Thank you to my awesome chef mentor, Chef Ned Bell from YEW Seafood + Bar in Vancouver. He really helped me through me journey in becoming Global's Junior Chef. 

Crispy Roasted Broccoli + Onions

1 head green broccoli, cut into florets

1/2  red onion cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt + Pepper

Combine all ingredients on a baking pan. Bake at 400F for 30 min. Enjoy as a side dish or on pizza or mixed into pasta... 

Fresh Street Jr Chef Competition on Global BC

Catch me and my awesome mentor Chef Ned, this morning on Global BC between 7:45 and 9:00am. I'm so excited to be part of this competition!!

Yum! Vegan Banana Cornbread

I recently had a box of Trader Joe's Cornbread Mix in my pantry (I loooooove cornbread!) and we were getting ready to go to a picnic at Centennial Beach and I wanted to make a little snack. I was out of eggs! I looked online for egg substitutes. I found a perfect one! Bananas. Yum. Off your measurements on your cornbread mix are different then you can change the measurements. I did 1/2 a banana per egg. If your mix calls for more eggs just use 1/2 banana per egg.

Vegan Banana Cornbread

1 box of your favourite cornbread mix
3/4 cup oil (if your mix calls for more oil, add more)
1/2 cup any vegan milk (soy, almond, hemp, rice, coconut, etc.) ( if your mix calls for more milk, add more) (if you don't need it vegan, use whatever milk is in your fridge)
1/2 a banana (read paragraph at the top of the entry)

Add your banana, milk, and oil to a blender or food processor, blend until smooth. Add to a medium mixing bowl. And add cornbread mix, 1 3rd at a time. Stir in between adding. Grease a mini muffin tin then add batter. Bake in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. If you have any recipe ideas, leave a comment down below! I love reading comments!!

Bon Appetite!
xoxo, Nailah

welcome summer…

Finally!! Summer is here!! This is one of my favourite recipes of fruit salad, we have made it a lot in our family in the past summers.

Feel free to add 1 or 2 more of your favourite fruits to make it to your liking or your families liking (I personally think that cantoloupe would be really good because I love the sweet flavour).

Nectarine-Mint Fruit Salad

2-3 nectarines (depending on size)
3 tablespoons-1/4 cup chopped mint (depending on your liking)
20 strawberries, hulled and quartered
1 baby watermelon or 1/2 regular sized watermelon, diced
1 generous bunch grapes, removed from stem and halved
1 mango (kind of hard but not too hard that it is sour),skinned and diced

Mix all ingredents together, chill. Enjoy! (it's THAT easy!)

currently snacking on…

Hi!!!! Finally a new blog post!! I'm super excited for this currently snacking on!!! Straight from Japan, let's enjoy Matcha Green Tea Kit Kat!!! I know, sounds super delish, I couldn't hold back when I heard that (so, I'm sorry if your mouth is watering right now or if I'm making you jelly 😉) !! Anyways, SUPER DELISH X100!! Ok. It's delicious. Sorry if you have been waiting for a blog post. But don't worry, I'll be off school soon and I will do more in the summer. Sorry again and I will talk to you later, bye!!!

Monday ***Asian-inspired Quinoa Salad

Today I made a quinoa salad with soy-sesame dressing and sautéed tofu and kale. I made a big batch so I could either have it as a snack or take it another day this week for lunch.

Asian-inspired Quinoa Salad

Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup canola oil
3 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons pickled ginger (like sushi ginger. It can easily be found in Japanese grocery markets or you can just use leftover ginger from eating sushi, like I did)

Quinoa:

2 cups quinoa
4 cups water
1 teaspoon garam masala (optional, I like the taste although it doesn't really match the Asian theme)
1/2 block firm tofu
4 ribs/leaves kale

Put the quinoa in a large saucepan over high heat. Stir until fragrant it will smell slightly nutty. Add salt and pepper. Add water and garam masala if using. Stir and bring to a boil lower the heat to low. Cover and leave for 15 min. While the quinoa is cooking make the dressing. Mix the 2 oils in a measuring cup. Set aside. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the soy and sugar until sugar has dissolved. Whisk in rice vinegar and add oils slowly in a stream. Mix in sesame seeds and finely chop ginger and mix. Keep in the refrigerator while you prepare the tofu sauté. Dice tofu in 1/2 inch cubes. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in medium sautépan. Add tofu until light golden brown. Rip the kale into bite sized pieces into the tofu. Let wilt. Add in to the quinoa if finished. If your quinoa isn't done, wait until the quinoa is done then add the kale and tofu. Turn off heat and add the dressing. Serve hot or cold as a salad.

Hi!!

It's been a really long time so I just wanted to say HI!!! I am joining a sports camp next week and we have to bringna lunch. So, next week I am going to post (everyday) what I took for lunch and the recipe for it. Stay tuned!

currently snacking on…

Aloha from Hawaii! Well...not exactly. Funny how my mom picked up these "Kona Coffee Shortbread Cookies" from Trader Joe's the day before my grandparents come home from Hawaii. What do they come home with? Kona coffee cookies from Honolulu Cookie Company. And, Mauna Loa Milk Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts! So, that's what l'm nibbling on, or currently snacking on, now. Oh yea, and, the flowers in my hair in one of the pics is from Hawaii, too. ;)

Caring and Baking…

On Wednesday, January 16, my class had a bake sale to raise money for Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticuit. As you may know, Sandy Hook is a school that has lost many teachers and students in a shooting tragedy. So my best friend Taylor, thought having a bake sale would be a nice way to raise money for the kids and teachers at Sandy Hook. They could put it towards something like a movie or an entertainer, or just something to lift their spirits. So on Jan. 16 everyone in the class brought some baking. Everything was one dollar. On the first day, we raised 500 dollars. On the second day, just me and my BFFS, Sophia, Taylor, Zara (see post "Feliz Cumplianos, Nailah!") sold all the left over baking. Then, a big suprise! A reporter from The Richmond Review, Martin Van Den Hemel, came! We were so excited! If you haven't seen the review, make sure to check it out! In the end, we raised $726.70!! We really hope this will help teachers and students through this tough tragedy. Incase your wondering, I made Blue Hawaii Coconut Cupcakes for the bake sale. I'll include that recipe in another blog post ;) So, don't forget to check out The Review this week! Or go to The Richmond Review website! http://www.richmondreview.com/community/187539751.html?mobile=true

Keys Me.

After watching this video http://you.tube/leW9nn8ZCAM (if this link doesn't work, then just search "keys me" in the YouTube search engine.) with 2 of my uncles we had an idea to create a menu for a silly restaurant inspired by this video. To get the idea of the menu and restaurant you kind of have to watch the video one or two times.

KEYS ME RESTAURANT

Strike Entebend - Mac and Cheese with impact. Asiago, Parmesan, Mozzarella and Gruyere splashed with truffle oil and topped with crispy panko.

Eggs V-enedict - Garlic sautéed mushrooms and our house made arugula pistachio pesto. Perfectly poached egg drizzled with a corn Hollandaise.

Fathers Melt - Earth Balanced focaccia presses ounces of garlic havarti and Monterey Jack.

Sylvie Mousse - Airy raspberry, crushed Macadamia and dusted cocoa. *Optional Es Barkley or Esnot Barkley

Spinny Stef - Kale, peashoots, roasted potatoes, pineapple, carrots, seaweed, sesame seeds and raspberry vinaigrette.

D Parflays - Delightful coconut frozen yogurt topped with strawberries, pineapple and watermelon swirled with more frozen yogurt and hazelnut granola.

Twin Vee - Funne Hungee with Tay, flower head and dachay.

Milky Twalay - Kaffir Lime and lemongrass cashew cream with tofu and vegetables.

Da flow can 3-how - Leftovers of organic waste compilation

Ok, l know we are a little crazy and weird, but this was fun.

Menu created by Nailah Crowe and Pierre Castro. Restaurant Creation by Nailah Crowe and Vince Festejo. Keys Me the song by Alissa Alano