Green Goo as a Winter Survival Technique

We are currently in a brutal cold snap here in southern Ontario, which sets off in me a strong instinct to hibernate. While I am aware that most hibernating animals don't eat, this grumpy, winter-hating bear loves to include spicy comfort food as part of her winter survival plan.

My number one favourite winter warm-up is indian food. The buffet I frequent has this amazing palak paneer dish. I could eat a whole plate(or 2) of just that, along with naan bread of course!!

Traditional "paneer" is cubed cheese, but I replaced it with tofu. This recipe is so flavourful, you will not miss the cheese.

Palak Paneer

3 medium onions
half package of firm tofu, cubed
2 tomatos, finely chopped or tomato puree/sauce (amount to taste)
2 green chilies, chopped
1/2 tsp tumeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala (get in the "ethnic foods" section in most grocery stores)
1 tsp sugar
Large bunch of spinach (I substituted collard greens as it has more calcium)
2 tbsp olive oil



In a large saucepan heat a splash of olive oil and saute onion until brown.  

Add the spinach, handfuls at a time until it is cooked down, about 15 minutes total. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Mix in the spices.

Pour spinach mixture into a blender or food processor and add the tomatos and blend for 15 to 30 seconds, or until the spinach is finely chopped. Pour back into the saucepan and keep warm over low heat. (you can skip the blending if you don't want your spinach to be paste-like)

In a medium frying pan, heat some olive oil over medium heat, and fry tofu until browned;  add to spinach. (I simply cooked the tofu in the spinach to keep down the fat/calorie content)

Add tofu to spinach and cook for 10 minutes on low heat. Serve with rice or naan bread.

I eat brownies for breakfast!

Who doesn't love hearing a juicy confession? Especially when it comes to food. It's downright uplifting to learn that someone who appears to have it all together ripped through an entire bag of oreos while watching Everyone Loves Raymond re-runs.  Female bonding at it's best! Well, surprise! These brownies are healthy. Raw cacao powder has more antioxidants than blueberries and the walnuts provide omega 3s and there is no added sugar to be found! More like a tasty energy bar, it is perfectly acceptable to have a bite of this with your breakfast. (In my world, anyway)

No Bake Brownies

1 cup medjool dates, pits removed (I used baking dates-may be the same thing)
1 cup raw walnuts
1/2 cup cacao powder ( you can get this at any health food store, or health section in Loblaws stores)
pinch sea salt
1 tbsp to 1/2 cup raw cacao nibs, to taste (I  left this out and used  1/4 cup shredded coconut instead)

Mix: Grind walnuts in food processor until it forms a course powder. While machine is running, add dates, cacao powder and salt, processing until a moist, crumb-like dough has formed.

Spread into an 8x8 inch pan, sprinkle with cacao nibs and press firmly into a solid brownie layer. Cut into bite-size squares and serve. Alternately, press and roll into small balls to make brownie bites.

*I found this mixture to be fairly crumbly, so I added a touch of water to the mix and put it back in the food processor. I also added a bit of cinnamon to the brownie dough to give it a bit of a kick.