On y va... Chocolate Chia Pudding

I have been a little jittery lately, well no, maybe I'm just so relaxed. I'm out of sorts. The end of school is quickly approaching and it's showing up with grad events and everyone's excitement in being so close to the end. I've received acceptance letters to the two universities I applied, and after the stress of sending in the right documents before the right dates, it's such a relief to finally have a big booklet with the word congratulations written in block letters across the front, and my name at the top of a letter inside. (And the bragging rights that goes with it). And now I have finally figured out the program to study in university after a year off travelling and hopefully volunteering across the globe. Who knows where I'll be this time next year. I might be flying to Australia, or set up in a country cottage in Italy enjoying the warmth of that oh so famous Tuscan sun. Or will it be the Amalfie Coast which mum so eloquently describes each chance she gets that will lure me in.

In any case, I've accepted my first choice of university with an entrance scholarship, and things are finally fitting into place. Bit by bit the puzzle is slowly being put together. I can make out a few more flights this summer, and a month full of French, adventure and lots of fun in Quebec. And I'm already starting to think in French, it must be the excitement: I'm creating phrases in my head while brushing my teeth or rolling out the dough for a batch of cookies.

Il y a deux mois et demi jusqu'à je vais voler à Rivière-du-Loup...

And then I get all excited again, and the phrases slip my mind while I think of all the delicious food Montréal and Quebec City have to offer, tucked into neat little cafés and restaurants, a cup of warming hot cocoa in a rounded mug, or a cooling lemonade as it will be summer while I'm there.

I'm getting ready with pommes frites served with marmalade baked brie... A delicious appetiser, and a delicious way to get my mind into action for checking and booking flights and trains. A whole new journey.





I am more than ready to be finished with school, to begin meeting different people and see a whole new part of the world with people of different points of view and lifestyles. I no longer want to feel caught in this collection of bubbles with groups divided into their own soap sud and standing in close knit circles with oblivious and blank expressions. I'll be choosing for myself which path to take, which country to travel to, and the people I'll meet.

Sometimes I forget, even on this blog with no other pressure to write or post any certain thing than from myself, that I should be doing the things which I enjoy.

Step 1: Remind myself daily, this blog is for me. I am writing for myself, and as an outlet of my creative side, my passion for good food, and colourful photography. Sometimes I get caught up in making it perfect, as I do with many other things, and forget to enjoy the beauty of intertwined words and weaved ingredients into a delicious plate of freshly baked gluten free bread. It takes a post that I find difficult to write to help me realise this again, to stop me from focusing on making it like the other successful blogs, and instead focus on what I really want to write about, or what I really want to post.

Step 2: Relax with hot, soothing drinks. I love these most after a long day, feet up, and the dog by my side (as long as she doesn't snore too loudly!) Boil ginger with honey and lemon for something really refreshing, or whip up a quick chai latte with almond milk to rejuvenate and reawaken.

Step 3: This is the fun part! Planning my adventures for next year is what will really get me through these last two months of school, even though I have no doubt that as exams are slowly dealt with, I'll enjoy grad events more and more. And because I love organising with maps and pictures, I'm sure I'll be drawing out lots of plans to prepare the where, when and how of my travels.

Step 4: Don't stress... And this might be hard, but I've learned that things will come into place if they're meant to happen, and good things occur with time. Always. You just have to relax and let it all play out. (And step 4 also includes taking my sister and mum's advice: the little things never turn out to be worth the stress and worry in the end).

Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding (With Fried Chai Pears)

Print me here!

Chia and Chai... goes so well together.

For a certain luxury, there's always the pleasure of having dessert during the week. There's an even greater luxury when it's healthy, full of "good-for-you" ingredients, and after a long flight from across the continent. Except I believe that all food is good for you, as long as its real, and unprocessed. That's why I love this little après dinner treat - or it could even be eaten any time - it's so wonderfully delicious and chock-full of nutrients. I missed having some decadent desserts in Cuba, although the food is good, you don't go there for it, and instead of looking at the menu before entering a restaurant, the live music and atmosphere is a greater draw. Once, we had delicious creme caramels after dinner, but after tasting these, I'm sure you'll have satisfied your sweet tooth perfectly.  

Now it might sound a little deceiving to have fried pears, but when you have a basket of ripe pears which were flown halfway across the world and are losing their "flavour" fast, it's time to bring in other means to enjoy the juice of these delicious fruits - even if it means adding a few pinches of spices to the mix. They were traditionally used in food to mask undesirable flavours, so why not put them to use. 

I love using chia seeds in puddings and smoothies, as well as in a pot of overnight oats, because they give it that wonderful pudding-like texture. You could also add in other ingredients, such as shredded coconut, for more crunch and texture, but just make sure you let these babies sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours. We tried half an hour in eagerness, and ended up with half a pudding and half a glass of cold chocolate milk. Delicious no doubt, but also a little unexpected. So be patient! I'm considering trying a blend of nuts and chocolate (perhaps even dates?) to create a base later, and maybe even turn this simple dessert into a decadent tart. Let me know if you try it, and I'll hopefully post it soon!

Serves 2

2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons gluten free hot chocolate powder (or 2 tablespoons raw cocoa powder plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup, divided)
1 1/2 cup almond milk (or alternative)
1 ripe pear, cut into quarters and sliced horizontally
1 teaspoon chai tea spice mix

In two pots or ramekins, we used small mason jars, combine chia seeds, hot chocolate powder, and almond milk. Stir until combined and place in the fridge.

The stirring may take some time to combine the chia seeds and chocolate mix, but it will happen!

Now let them rest! Keep the pudding in the fridge for at least 3 hours. I expect leaving them overnight would have the best results.

20 minutes before serving, heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the sliced pear with spices. Sauté until the pear begins to brown, and serve over top the pudding.

Sit down and relax.

Eat.

Enjoy the delicious and healthy dessert you have created.

xx S.

Potate-oh, Pah-tato

Love has great taste.

For those who believe that food is love; the love for that perfectly baked cake, the chicken roasted to perfection, chocolate that melts in your mouth, then you'll want to cook as much as I do.

Or maybe it's something someone else made for you that's just to die for.

Today, mum and I met after an early end to school (those really are the best of days) and we decided upon lunch at our favourite spot on the island. The view looks out on the ferry's path, and on a clear day our tiny ferry can be seen passing the routes of the huge ferries in comparison on it's way back and forth from the mainland.

Kids waited for their dance classes over juices and oversized cookies and situated in the comfortable lounge chairs by the fire in the corner, but their voices escalated around the entire room as did their levels of sugar.

At a small table by the window, mum and I sat across from each other and waited for our food after ordering at the counter, laden with jars of cookies and biscotti and farther down from that, a tiered cake platter supported large meringues of varying sizes and shapes - my favourite being the little mouse ones. Perfectly decorated with little half pistachios as ears and chocolate chips for eyes, they look like the perfect afternoon treat. In the cooler we eyed the prepared dishes, our mouths watering at french delicacies, soups, sandwiches and tapas.

The cafe varies their menu of soups often, tomato basil one week, to squash, potato & cumin the next, and because of their enviable gluten-free bread served alongside, a tasty slice with the evidence of being grilled from the black criss-crossed lines along the front and back, I am most inclined to feel the comfort of a hot bowl. Immediately upon entering, I check the small blackboard that sways in its brackets above the counter and announces today's soups in colourful, spiralling chalk lettering.

What a comfort to have soup by the window of a cafe, overlooking an array of trees pounded by the rain, and to be still and warm, even overheating, from both the food and a hot latté.

I wish you were here.

The food comes by way of a friendly waitress, who lays each dish down on the wooden table as I collect napkins and cutlery from a little basket from the centre table.

It smells so good.

And for dessert, because we just couldn't resist the new addition to the display of enticing dishes, we shared a warm rice pudding served in a cute little jar and topped with raspberry jam. Mum and I couldn't keep our spoons still even if we tried.

"Pass the puddin' please,"

we repeated over and over to each other, until the very last spoonful was scraped from the bottom, and we finally relaxed back into the large wooden chairs to people watch again. Perhaps one day I will finally make such a delicacy, and together, we will share in the warmth and comfort of a creamy rice pudding, straight from the oven.

And perhaps with the intent of cooking from scratch, it may take a few tries to reach the desired creaminess with that subtle hint of real vanilla. We will indulge in the simple pleasure of creation, and the outcome of something so beautiful, even if it only lasts a few moments in the face of expectant family and friends.

They will love everything you cook for them. So, dinner tonight?

Baked Rosemary Potatoes
Printable Recipe.

To accompany any main meal, these potatoes are full of rich flavours and cooked to perfection!

A Quick Note:
When chopping the onions, it is much easier to chop them with the ends still on! The end with the roots attached, that resembles little tentacles, actually holds together the onions structure, and keeps the layers tightly bonded. I usually cut my onion in half, slice across it again, without cutting the end, and then slice, which creates diced onions!

Serves 3 - 4 as a side dish.

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp grape seed oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 lb baby potatoes
1 red onion, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a 20 cm wide baking dish, combine the garlic, rosemary, rice wine vinegar, mustard, oil and salt and pepper, stirring until mixed.

Chop the washed potatoes in halves, and add them with the red onion to the dish, coat in mixture.

Cover the dish with foil, securing the ends by curling the foil around the dish, and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil, and bake for another 20 - 25 minutes.