Chocolate Martinis & Vanilla Pancakes

It's just not possible to bring in the New Year on a positive note without a little chocolate and pancakes ;)
My Auntie Rigel sells and uses Epicure's products religiously, and with good reason. I was lucky enough to be the recipient of gourmet meals and drinks for days, created by her and her husband (my Uncle Roger) while staying with them in Calgary. We used the Epicure chocolate sauce recipe for these martinis, but changed it slightly to make it a little healthier :)
Keep scrolling after the chocolate martini recipe...there are pancakes, too! ;)

Epicure Chocolate Sauce:

Ingredients:

2/3 cup Epicure cocoa (or regular cocoa powder)

1 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cup water

Directions:

1) In a saucepot over high heat, whisk all ingredients together and bring to a boil.

2) Reduce heat to medium and allow to simmer for three minutes.

3) Remove from heat and set chocolate sauce aside to cool.

Chocolate Martinis:

1) Combine 1/4 cup vodka with 1/4 cup chocolate sauce in a martini shaker. Shake, baby, SHAKE!!

2) Poor equal amounts into two glasses and garnish with berries (we used blackberries!).

3) Cheers! Please enjoy responsibly ;)

New Year's breakfast? Everybody loves pancakes! After waking up to a destroyed house, we all worked together to get the bottles, glasses, streamers, party hats, confetti, and food cleaned up. I found a basic vegan pancake recipe online, and adapted it, using the ingredients I had available. Results? Everyone loved 'em :) They were light and fluffy, and the vanilla almond mylk added just enough sweetness :) Topped with vegan margarine and pure maple syrup, it was a delicious start to 2011!

Vanilla Pancakes (makes 16)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 baking powder

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups sweetened vanilla almond mylk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

1) Sift together all dry ingredients, then mix in wet. Stir until well-combined.

2) In a greased pan over high heat, drop 1/4 cup scoops of batter and spread evenly. Flip pancakes when bubbles begin to form, about 2-3 minutes.

3) Remove from heat when both sides are golden brown.

4) Serve with vegan margarine and pure maple syrup.

5) Om nom nom :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

peace, love, food<3
Char, xo

Chocolate Raspberry Martini!!

When it comes to life, I love me some balance :) I appreciate beautiful, whole, sexy foods, but I also appreciate my fave drinks, & gettin' a lil bit tipsy ;) My girlfriend was packing to move away (*sniff*), & was feeling a little worn down from working a lot, cleaning, & well, packing. So we made some martinis, had some beach time, & got snapped! Ohhh, summer, how I love you <3 We shared some 'Lolotinis' & made a few Chocolate Raspberry Martinis as well (we found the recipe on the bottom of her new glass). Who says happy is only an hour? ;) Cheers to friends!! <3

From our tipsy days, to yours <3

Ingredients:

1 1/2 oz raspberry vodka

1/2 oz chocolate liquer

splash of soda water

Directions:

1) Shake ingredients in a martini shaker.

2) Pour into your glass.

3) Please enjoy responsibly ;)

Peace, love, food, & drinks <3

Char, xo

TORONTO, Part One! Food, Snacks, & 'Lolotinis'

I landed in Toronto, Ontario at 7:30pm on Monday, July 5th. Greeted by my fabulous Auntie, she shared stories of her trip to the airport to pick me up (blackouts, no running subway, & a cab driver that tried to make her get out of the airporter on the freeway). We laughed & talked all the way to her apartment. She is seriously one of the funniest people I know & tells the best stories.
First, I have to give you a little background. My dad's sister, my Auntie was a very close person to me growing up. As a baby, I could not pronounce 'Laurel' (her name), & so I said 'Lolo.' She has been Auntie Lolo to everyone ever since.
While she was hanging out with me & my parents when I was still in diapers, Bugs Bunny came on TV. The abominable snowman picked up Bugs Bunny & said, "Oh, goody, my very own bunny! I'm gonna love him & hug him & squeeze him & pet him & feed him everyday & call him George." True to her spontaneous & quirky personality, my Auntie picked me up & said, "Oh, goody, my very own niece! I'm gonna love her & hug her & squeeze her & pet her & feed her everyday & call her George!" And so, I have been 'George' to close family members ever since :) 'Lolo' now calls me 'Georgie.'
Though we both lived in Edmonton, Alberta for many years, she ended up moving to Toronto, & I moved with my family to Vancouver Island. Emotionally, though, we are still very close.

Back at her adorable little apartment, I met her two companion kitties, Moby & Macy. With a great view in a quiet and trendy neighbourhood, I felt right at home in their place.
Since I started my blog, Lolo has been following it, trying to keep healthy by following the tips & recipes I share. She told me that she had managed to stay completely raw for the 5 days before my arrival, & intended to eat just like I do while I was visiting. Awesome!! :D
Sipping on 'Lolotinis' (recipe below), we shared incredibly delicious snacks, & dined on amazing vegan dishes which were delivered by The Magic Oven. We shared Green Tea infused Organic Tofu Fingers, Baked & Served w/ Spicy Tandoori Sauce, as well as Flavanoid Lovers: Spinach, eggplant, zucchini, hemp seeds, roasted peppers, & brown rice penne garnished with vegan soy cheese in a tomato sauce. O.M.G. There are no words for how amazing these were. We marveled every bite.

Because Lolo had prepared her kitchen with many vegan & raw treats, I had a lot of sampling to do when I got there :) I had, hands down, one of THE BEST cookies I have ever had in my life!! Obvs it was vegan, but gluten-free as well: allow me to introduce you to...the flourless cashew cookie!! Creamy & 'buttery,' it tasted waaaaay better than any peanut butter cookie I've ever had, vegan or not! I have also since tried the Double Chocolate flavour, which was soft, chocolate-y, & incredible. I also have the Chocolate Chip flavour, ready to be tasted whenever I'm ready to eat it :)
We also dug into the kale chips she picked up: Chipotle Ranch & Cheesy flavour. Ohhh emmm geeee!! Didn't know it was possible to have raw vegan ranch chips. If you're having any doubts, shut up & buy a bag. They're friggin' amazing. Special shout-out to those raw crackers pictured, too. The texture, as well as after-taste? WOW!

The 'Lolotinis' were an incredible creation, made obviously by my loving Auntie Lolo :) She knew we would be drinking (hehe, everyday...), but wanted to create lighter drinks. I don't drink diet anything (down with aspartame!), so I'm so glad she came up with something healthy, light, & refreshing...that still got us hilariously snapped! Enjoy, foodies!

Ingredients:
1 oz citrus vodka (we used Smirnoff)
2 oz Perrier sparkling citrus water (club soda works, too!)
1 oz organic orange juice
lemon, lime, or orange slices to jazz it up ;)

Directions:
1) Pour first three ingredients into a martini shaker w/ ice & shake.
2) Strain into a martini glass.
3) Garnish w/ citrus slices & serve!!

Georgie & Lolo, xo