Sending extremely snowy greetings from my neck of the woods. It hasn’t let up all week and we are staying put for the next couple of days. I’m a certified homebody, so this is totally fine with me! The doggies have been permanently parked on the heated blanket (see the pic of Cleo below) and I crave my hot steel cut oats in the morning like you wouldn’t believe. I’ve been making porridge in my Zojirushi rice cooker lately because you can set it up the night before with a timer. The texture is so fluffy and good! Big, big fan. I make berry compote (just mixed berries cooked down in a pot until jammy) to serve on top along with almond butter, ground flax, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts.

On my to-cook list for this weekend: a vegan version of this focaccia pizza–sounds so simple and good! Bring on the cozy comforts. The folks at Souper Cubes were kind enough to send me a bunch of their trays, so I’ll be playing around with those too. I hope that you’re keeping well, staying warm, and being safe! The usual reads and other good things are below.

5 Things I’m Reading:

1. Chef Daniel Humm gets honest about turning Eleven Madison Park vegan
2. What Do You Really Want?
3. Learning how to garden a forest
4. There’s something icky about performative cleanliness
5. 10 Ways to Support Your Mental Health in 2024

5 Things I’m Enjoying:

1. Such a big fan of the Supper With Love cookbook, which just came out this week! Michelle is one of my favourite Instagram follows and her pescatarian book is really inspiring. The recipes are easy to make totally plant-based, loaded with abundant veg goodness, and just a true ray of sunshine in the depths of these cold months.
2. How a Ramen Noodle Factory Makes 300,000 Noodle Orders a Day
3. Pilates is my favourite way to work out and Lia Bartha’s B The Method is the best at-home version I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot of them). Love the clear and targeted cues, the variety of classes, and also just her chill but still focused vibe.
4. Thinking about mental currency a lot lately.
5. Hi babe!

5 Questions:

1. What’s your favourite thing to cook?
   It’s pizza for sure! I love making bread dough and anything related to that so much. Also it doesn’t hurt that pizza is pretty much the best food ever (ideally with pizza night salad). Getting the right feel for the dough, shaping it, topping it up, and cooking on the stone is my fave. We usually set the pizza stone on the grates of our barbecue when it’s cold and then crank the heat for 10 minutes. The temperature will get up to 600 degrees, which creates the perfect crisp crust that’s still pillowy. I’m often tempted by those Ooni and Gozney pizza ovens, but we get such amazing results on the grill so I won’t be changing it up any time soon.
2. Are your dogs vegan too?
   No they are not. Cleo is really fussy with her food (not so much our food lol) and Mickie developed a few digestion issues after being hospitalized for leptospirosis a few years ago. They both eat Fromm’s salmon or white fish kibble (that also has veg, vitamins, whole grains etc) and are both doing great according to our vet. Finding an option that they both love and are thriving with still feels like a miracle haha.
3. Are you still taking AG1?
   Nope! Even though I was working with them in a sponsored capacity for a period of time, after a while, I could not justify the price point. I still take a few supplements (Vitamin D, B12, vegan Omega 3 and a few others) and am feeling great. I eat a wide variety of plant-based foods and lots of greens, so that combined with my basic supplement routine is working well for me. Don’t get me wrong, I did feel good when I was taking it, but considering my lifestyle at the present moment, it’s not totally necessary. If you’re mega busy, always on the go, and have a hard time getting vitamins and greens in, it could be a nice fit for you!
4. Can you use dry-packed sun dried tomatoes in recipes that call for ones packed in oil?
   Most of the time, yes I think so! For a pizza/salad topping or sun dried tomato pesto, you definitely want the ones packed in oil. But if they’re going in the flavour base of a sauce, stew or soup, the dry-packed ones are totally fine.
5. Can you recommend a good Canadian dried bean company?
   Flourist forever! Love their beans and flour selection so much. Also, probably not the beans you’re thinking of, but their Everyday Coffee is wonderful as espresso. For sprouted beans, check out Second Spring! For unusual bean varieties (though they are a US-based comapny), Rancho Gordo ships select varieties to Canada.