just found: a grocery coop coming to hamilton!

Today is a snow day (YAHOO!)
So, I get to catch up on all the things I procrastinated on over the weekend (cleaning, laundry - it's pretty exciting!)
While watching the news this morning to learn of my snow day, I found out about a really cool new initiative in Hamilton... The Mustard Seed coop! They were doing a TV spot to spread the word about what they're all about.

Here's the DL (do people still use this slang?): They're creating a new concept in how we buy groceries - supporting local, ethical, sustainable, and organic foods that require minimal to no packaging. You can support the coop by becoming a founding member with a small start-up donation ($100 per household), or by offering some of your expertise. I'm excited to find a way to get involved myself - this is such an important idea for our community and I hope becomes the new norm in many cities.

You can learn more about The Mustard seed here:

mustardseed.coop

Push My Buttons

I love Locke St... It's a place full of (mostly) local businesses that thrive on community support. A recent gem I came across was The Button Pushers. They sell cool vintage pieces and buttons. Lots of buttons. I admit that the concept sounds a little odd at first, but it totally works. This place is awesome.
I met one of the owners last weekend and he shared that his love of buttons stems from the concept that people can wear their politics, beliefs, and ideals all on a button. The best part? This place designs and makes all the buttons they sell... and they'll even let you design and make your own. Love.

Here's just some of the great stuff I picked up at The Button Pushers. I can't wait to go back!

A few of my buttons from my first purchase at The Button Pushers on Locke St., Hamilton

My work bag got a much needed facelift with the addition of some buttons that say important things. Wearing my politics, and feeling great about it!

Easy Veggie Chili

Last night I created an easy veggie chili that was by far my favourite ever. Give it a whirl and see if it tickles your fancy too! I'm going to strongly encourage you to use local and organic ingredients in here, as I will for any other recipes I post on CDE. It helps lower your carbon footprint, is better for your body in terms of nutrition and reduced toxins, and just tastes better.

Veggie Chili Recipe

what goes in:

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 large white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth (sub water if you don't have this kicking around)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup mushrooms, quartered
1-2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 tbsp italian seasoning
1-2 tbsp chili powder (use your taste bud's judgement here)
1 tsp turmeric
1 pinch cayenne pepper
s&p to taste

how it's made:

1. Saute onion into coconut oil. Add the veggie broth as the oil disappears to keep the onions moist.
2. When the onions start to become translucent, add the garlic. Saute for several minutes. Add the mushrooms and spices and keep sauteing.
3. Add diced tomatoes, corn, kidney beans. Let everything come together in a simmer for a while.
4. After about 15 minutes, add the broccoli. Let simmer 15-30 minutes.
5. Eat. This chili is delish when served with bread for dipping, with a dollop of greek yogurt on top, or with a sprinkle of feta cheese mixed in. Get creative with your toppings here - this chili lends itself to making it your own! 

*Veggie Tip: If you're looking for this meal to fill some protein requirements for the day, make sure you eat this chili with grains (bread, rice, etc). Kidney beans are high in protein, but in order to become a complete protein (the way meat is), they (like all beans) need to be combined with grain.

confessions of a wino

Full disclosure: I love wine. I find great happiness in roaming the aisles of bottles at a nearby LCBO and choosing a few new wines to try. But when I come across a wine that's as special as Connect by Southbrook, I kinda throw all the other wines under the proverbial bus. This wine is full stop amazing.

Connect by Southbrook makes a red and white. Both are certified organic, only around $15 a bottle, and are local VQA. This is seems too good to be true, yet it is! I'm truly obsessed with these tasty bevies, and am so happy to have found them. It's hard to find organic wines that are cost efficient, local, and tasty.

Just my two cents, but these are definite must tries if you're a wino like me, and think local and organic is important, and you aren't willing to sacrifice cost or flavour either. 

Cheers :)

the main event at our place... it never lasts long (note the empty bottles)

Baby, I'm back

Oh hi there!

Nala and I are still BFFs... she really is one cool cat.

Gosh it's been a while. My apologies. I've missed my little blog. But, things around here got a little hectic...

Since I've been away I've moved (John and I got a new space about a year and a half ago and we're loving it - although I'd be lying if I didn't mention that I'm getting a little house crazy. Fingers crossed there will be a move into our permanent home in the next year), I got a full time teaching job (YAY!), and tried to do the "grown up" thing somewhat successfully (not limited to, but including, becoming a guardian for the sweetest little girl on earth. Squeal!). But, don't think I got all old and cranky. Quite the contrary. I can still rock a tequila tuesday like the best of em. And bonus, I feel more balanced and happy than ever before. I also got bangs. But that was months before Michelle Obama (and years after Zooey Dechanel) -just sayin' :P

So now that the dust has settled on the whirlwind of the past few years, I'm ready to get back online and share my random ramblings with anyone who stumbles upon CDE. I've missed this little outlet and have rejoined the blogging world to share things the way I see them. I had thought of starting a new blog altogether, but after reading through my archives I decided that there's still a ton of relevance and and a personal love to my posts from the past, and hope you'll enjoy them too. I'll continue blogging about food, my love of animals, fashion, and all things I find fabulous.

If you've read my blog before, welcome back. If you're new to this, welcome. Whatever brought you here, let's enjoy this journey together. After all, we're all in this together :)

eat it

if you're in the toronto area and need a restaurant to stop at for any meal of the day, go to Fresh. omg. omg. omg. we went for john's birthday over the weekend and it is the best restaurant ever, hands down. we even ditched our dinner reservations to eat there a second time in the same day. it's seriously that good.
bonus feature? vegetarian and vegan only, and it'll make any carnivore buckle when you ask them why they're still eating meat. don't believe me? order a "miso burger" then we'll talk.

www.freshrestaurants.ca
for locations, hours, etc.
you can also order their cookbooks online, and i would totally recommend doing that. we bought both and are THRILLED about them!

bon appetite! ;)

coleslaw salad dressing

my apologies to cabbage patches everywhere, but i've come up with a mega quick and totally satisfying coleslaw that can replace traditional mayo-based (and highly caloric) coleslaws.

i always have really good intentions of coming up with something special to make when i buy heads of cabbage at the grocery store. yet, usually about 2 weeks later i throw it out when it's started going brown because i still haven't used it. i meant to, but i sort of got carried away with other things, and really didn't know what the flip to do with it anyways... let's face it, we don't always have 2 hours to make cabbage rolls. so, presto! our cabbage worries can fall by the wayside as we start making a coleslaw that nourishes our bodies and takes minutes to make! (seriously, i just made it in 5 minutes, chopping and all. that even included inventing the recipe. yep, i'm that good ;) what i'm saying here is you have that much time to make it, i promise... and if you don't, you better hire a personal assistant or rework your own abilities to organize because that's just bananas!)

Coleslaw Salad Dressing

ingredients:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (eat this all the time, it's amazing for you!)
3 tbsp oil (hemp, olive, something good for you)
2 tsp sugar (fairly traded, please)
s&p to taste

step by step:
1. add all ingredients to a bowl and give it a good mix, until the sugar is mostly dissolved.
2. toss over a chopped head of cabbage, any other veggies you might want to add (broccoli, i'm looking at you), as well as some seeds for added nutrition, crunch, and fun. i used pumpkin and sunflower seeds in mine, but do as you like! i chopped up some fresh parsley at the end and found it really added something special to the salad.
3. eat away and store unused salad for leftovers later today or tomorrow. i love that cabbage doesn't get mushy like lettuce, so leaving it to marinade only makes it better!

enjoy this quick and easy salad whenever you're short on time or looking for a satisfying way to short-cut your cooking for the day.