Madagascar Pink Sticky Rice w/ Vanilla Bean and Raspberries

So this recipe was made in the summer and we just never got around to posting it! We received a generous helping of rice samples from "Lotus Foods" and we were especially intrigued by the "Madagascar Pink Rice". A lady I worked with is from the Philippines and she was talking about a sweet sticky rice dessert she makes with coconut milk and mango. I didn't have any mango, but I had raspberries and vanilla bean! There is such a HUGE difference between vanilla extract and vanilla bean. If I'm making something vanilla flavoured now, it's gotta be with vanilla bean. Try it in your next vanilla concoction, you'll see.


2 cups cooked rice
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp syrup (agave or maple)
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean pod

Combine all ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer until thick and creamy (about 15 minutes). Spoon into glasses and top w/ raspberries and shredded coconut. Let chill before serving.

Sticky Rice in it's natural habitat

Juicy berries!

Check out that creamy texture!

Delicious!

Easy Peachy Dressing + A Sneak Peek

It's the end of summer :( I can't believe it's over! I feel like I didn't really have a real summer. Mainly because I was working the whole time. But now I'm rollin' in the benjamins! (Or should I say Queen Elizabeths?) Any way. There was a peach on our counter and we haven't been eating as much salad as we should this summer, so we made a peach salad! Are you happy now peach? Geez!

Easy Peach Dressing:

1 medium peach
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt

Whiz together in a blender. That's it! Drizzle over a salad of your choice. And don't forget the pecans!

Dive into the Peachy

We also have something else to show you! Some preview pics for our new e-book! I just want to explain the first picture you see because it's made with a crazy ingredient...wild rice flour! We were sent wild rice from Goose Valley and we were feeling kinda crazy one morning so we made a Canadian inspired pancake recipe using the wild rice ground into a fine flour. And they were actually really good! They tasted like a morning in cottage country. I hope you enjoy the pics!

Just wanted to show the pretty packaging of Goose Valley!

Woodsy Wild Rice Pancakes with Black Cherry Blueberry Sauce

Creamy Carob Fudge

All Canadian Gingersnaps

Baghetti and Beet-Balls

Toasted Coconut-Cocoa Cashews

Cocoa Pancakes with Peanut Butter Sauce

Pistachio-Orange Coffee Shop Cookies

Chocolate-Beet Ice Cream + Matcha Milkshake + Madre Labs Review

The kind people at iherb asked us if we would sample and review one of their products, amongst them this fantastic new product: Madre Lab's Coco Cardio, has definitely won our hearts. The ingredients are simple: Cocoa powder, Beet Juice powder and Hibiscus powder. These all combine to create a deep and earthy cocoa flavour. I've actually never tasted anything like it before. And if you like the taste of beets, you will like this product! Jac isn't soo fond of the beet taste, hey you either love em or you don't right? Well thankfully I do because beets contain so many nutrients, just the colour itself is enough to convince you how healthy they are for you.

1 can full fat coconut milk
1/3 cup cocoa cardio
1/3 cup water
1 tsp agar agar
2 packets stevia
1 tbsp agave nectar

Combine the agar agar and the water in a small pot and boil until it becomes a thick, jelly consistency. Add all ingredients to blender, including agar agar jelly and blend until smooth. Churn in an ice cream machine or freeze in a container and just stir every so often. Top w/ cacao nibs!

Topped w/ cacao nibs

Next on the menu is Midori Green Powder which includes "Matcha" green tea powder and Wasabi. Crazy right? But if you add just a little of this stuff to your morning banana smoothie, it turns it into a Matcha Milkshake that is creamy, simple, and super healthy! I like my smoothies sort of milkshake-like and Jac likes hers icy. This is one of the ONLY things we don't have in common. If you like your smoothies more icy, then add a couple cubes of ice, but this is really meant to be a milkshake. Since the Midori Greens have matcha powder, I've been adding it to smoothies because it actually tastes good! Not just thinking it'll add to my daily green intake. The matcha actually over powers the green taste!

2 frozen bananas, sliced
Enough water to almost cover bananas
1 tsp midori greens

Creamy Dreamy Sunny Yummy

Avocado Cream Berry Crunch Parfait

So Jac and I are big time South Park fans and thought it would be hilarious to make a "Mint Berry Crunch" parfait. Here's a link if you don't know the power of the crunch:

So no one told us mint + berry is not the best. Jac said it tasted more like a toothpaste parfait. That must be the secret to his powers, driving people away with bad flavour combining ;). So we made it again in a more simple way with just plain ol' avocado cream and strawberries and you know what? It was deelish!

Berries:
6-7 strawberries, stemmed
1 tbsp coconut sugar

To start, let berries and sugar sit together in a bowl until the juices are released and it's a jammy sort of texture and taste.

Avocado Cream:
1 avocado
1-2 tbsp agave nectar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Whiz together in food processor until totally smooth.

Layer cream, berries and granola/coconut on top of each other in little glasses. Sprinkle with granola or coconut or whatever you please!

So we are both moving to Toronto for school for the year and will probably not be able to keep doing elaborate recipes like we've been doing all summer. We think it will be a nice change to do more student-friendly simple recipes that are still exciting and yummy! So expect more recipes like this Avocado Cream Berry Parfait and more everyday eats. Happy September everyone!