Peach and Chia Seed Dessert

I am a sweet-tooth in rehab. I just love anything sweet and dessert is my favourite meal. I know I have to cut down on sugar but, let's face it, I need something to satisfy my sweet tooth!

A friend introduced me to two things:chia seeds and agave nectar. They are both foods from Mexico. Agave nectar is a healthier alternative to sugar and chia is a superfood which I still have to do some research on.

I was planning on making a chia dessert with strawberries and raw cacao but that had to wait for a while because my aunt gave me a bunch of over-ripe peaches. She suggested I make jam with them but I don't make jam anymore due to the large sugar content.

I'll be boring and call this peach and chia seed dessert. It was very impromptu and needs a few tweaks here and there but I was really pleased with my ingenuity. Plus it satisfied my sweet tooth AND was healthy. Here's what went inside it:

4 or 5 ripe peaches
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp baobab flour
Some flaked almonds
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp ginger

It was very easy to make. I blended the peaches, then mixed the rest of the ingredients in and left the seeds to swell up for an hour or two. I tried it cold and then I tried it hot. I much preferred it hot,yum!

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Diamonds on the Inside - August 28,2011

This was one of the busiest, and most memorable, days of the summer for me. It started off with me having to go into work for a couple of hours and then meeting up with Mai for an early birthday lunch at the Opus Hotel (thank you Mai!). I think the pictures of the food speak for themselves; everything was soooo good!

Heirloom Tomatoes

Mai looking pretty:)

Duck Carpaccio

Steak with this amazing sauce

Yummy fish

Fig Dessert

Mine! The cutest dessert I've ever seen!

Next, I met up with an Australian girl I had met in Charlottetown. I love playing tourguide! Narelle had a great time that day visiting Granville Island and Canada Place.

I guess I've been a fan of Ben Harper for about 7 years ago It all started when my friend , Jordan, got me the cd for my birthday. I looked at it and asked him "Who's this guy?" It turned out to be one of the best cds I've ever owned and, to this day, I still listen to it.

I missed out on going to see him perform when I was a broke student so I was really excited about going to this show, especially as it was an outdoor show and the weather was lovely.

This man has serious talent and he sings with so much passion. Since I'd only heard one or two of his albums prior to the concert I didn't know maybe 75% of the songs that he played but I enjoyed the show all the same. I was really glad that he played Diamonds on the Inside. He even did an impromptu rendition of Sexual Healing due to a request from the crowd.

Thus ended my fantastic day! Exhausting but definitely worth it!

Baked Salmon

I tried out another baked salmon recipe. I marinated the fish in some olive oil, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, lemon juice, hot sauce, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes. I kept the fish in the marinade for 2 hours and baked it at 400F until ready. The best fish I've ever made!

Hall and Oates - September 2,2011- PNE

Say it isn't so! Hall and Oates for $16.50?

This will sound weird but Hall and Oates were one of my favourite bands without me realizing they were. I grew up listening to their music ; they were so big when I was a kid.I remember wondering wha a maneater was; it sounded scary. I think Hall and Oates epitomize the 80s; big hair, handlebar moustaches, colourful fashion, songs that actually mean something. This concert was definitely a trip down memory lane for me. Now that I'm older, I appreciate their music more, and after the concert, I appreciated them even more!

Before the show Mai and I decided to live on the wild side and try a deep-fried Mars bar.

It kind of resembled a corn dog. It tasted divine! I'm sure it has the same amount of calories as a slice of cheesecake.

Unfortunately, I'm short and there were tall people in front of me so I couldn't get any good pictures. I did take some videos which I may upload at a later date.

It was a great show! They sang my new favourite "Say it Isn't So" and they came out for not one but two encores! Too bad Oates shaved off his legendary moustache. Great day!

Kenny Rogers - PNE- August 29, 2011

My second of three concerts in the space of five days! I'm proud to say I fulfilled an item on my bucket list which was to go to a concert alone! I'd better not take this "Independent Woman" bit too far but I'm happy that I don't need to wait for someone to have a good time!

So, my first country music concert! I am not a fan of country music but I do love Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton; they are the only country artists I would pay to see. My love for them is definitely due to my mum's influence.

I did not know Kenny Rogers had such a great sense of humour! He interacted really well with the audience and it's obvious he's had a lot of touring experience. He played ALL my favourite songs so I left the show happy. And his voice, wow! He still has his stellar voice.

Videos coming later!

Strawberry Watermelon and Blue Cheese Salad

A couple of months ago I was raving about this amazing watermelon and blue cheese salad I had tried at Sanafir and I promised myself I would make it some day. I know the stereotype about Black people and watermelon. I like watermelon, I don't love watermelon, so I decided I'd try to add a fruit I really love : strawberries!

My little sous-chef, who was supposed to be helping me, ended up eating the chopped strawberries almost as fast as I could chop them!

I mixed together some watermelon, strawberries, shredded lettuce, flaked almonds, black pepper, crumbled blue cheese and olive oil. That's it. The results were heavenly! Too bad strawberries only taste sweet and juicy in the summer! 

Gramps Morgan and Kymani Marley- Commodore Ballroom- July 5,2011

I've lost track of the number of times I have tried posting this blogpost. For some reason the pictures and the videos just weren't uploading and I became very frustrated. Today I managed to upload a few pictures as proof that I was theer. Maybe in the future when I have some spare time, I'll upload some videos as they turned out well.

Anyway, it was a great concert; my second that week. It was a great week in Vancouver for reggae! I was really the most excited about seeing Kymani Marley since his singing style is very similar to his father's and I also like his unique r&b and hip-hop style. With that being said, Gramps Morgan reallt surprised me and I love how he connected with the audience. I even got my cd signed and a picture with him. Nice man:)