Icelandic Pancakes (Pönnukökur)

I’ve noticed a familiar pattern happens whenever I return from Scandinavia. In dealing with my homesickness for this region, I always find myself delving into Scandinavian culture straight away in an attempt to stay more connected. I dive into my Icelandic teachings with renewed vigor, read some new Scandinavian books or watch movies, research new areas I’d like to explore in the future. And I cook. My gosh, do I cook. Whilst in Norway I discovered much to my delight Pannekaker — thin, crepe-like pancakes that are often served rolled up with jam and other yummy fillings. I ate them several …

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Christmas Chocolate Bark

Holiday season is here, one of my favourite times of the year! Christmas tunes are everywhere, the streets are lit up with decorations, and everything seems just a bit more cheerful and festive and shiny. Yep, I am a Christmas enthusiast. Bring.It.On! If there’s one recipe that really gets me into the holiday spirit, it’s chocolate bark! It’s joyfully colourful and creative with a great sort of rustic feel and pretty enough to gift to friends and family. This version is rich, savoury, and has a nice salty/sweet, smooth/chewy/crunchy dynamic going on. I always use goji berries & either pistachios or …

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Creamy Pumpkin Pie Chia Pudding

Pumpkin cravings are in the air! Here in the northeast, it’s practically a requirement to indulge in a few pumpkin dishes at this time of year. A few weeks ago I jokingly said to a friend that there probably isn’t a dish I haven’t added pumpkin to at some point. It’s not far from the truth though – I’m a bit obsessed with this sweet, fleshy gourd. There is something innately comforting and joyful about the pumpkin that really captivates me. It’s both hearty and subtly sweet, strong and weighty, grounded and mellow, yet bright and enticing. The deep orange colour …

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Rice Flour Crepes with Chocolate Almond Butter & Jam

Lately I have been drawn to eating what I can only refer to as a very “third eye” type of diet. What do I mean by this? Your third eye is one of 7 energy centers in your body, also known as chakras. Located on your forehead between the eyebrows, the third eye is the chakra that governs intuition, psychic ability, dreams, wisdom and imagination. If you meditate frequently and/or engage your intuition and mind intensely, you might be taxing your third eye a lot – which will then need replenishment, often in the form of food. Now let me just …

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Decadent Chocolate Kefir Smoothie

Food cravings are the best and the worst. There’s nothing like the sweet, sweet bliss of satisfying a craving; that first taste of utter joy where for just a brief moment in time, nothing else seems to matter. You wonderfully and happily lose yourself in the moment of sheer food awesomeness. “Im sorry, I missed what you were saying as I relished this triple-chocolate ice cream and TIME STOPPED.” But then those food cravings also drive you insane sometimes, taking over your mind, compelling you to do crazy things like go out in snowy, freezing weather to buy a jar of …

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Homemade Coconut Milk

Ahh coconut milk. What would I do without this sweet, lovely staple in my diet? I used to buy cartons of this stuff from the store a few years back but the problem is they always contained additives like guar gum and carrageenan or artificial sweeteners. What happened to coconut milk being made with just coconut?! When I finally started making my own, I couldn’t believe how simple and inexpensive it is! If you’ve got a blender (even a cheap one), you can make this yourself. It tastes a bazillion times better than a lot of the packaged, watered-down versions. What’s …

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