I can’t say enough how much I love putting these posts together. Maybe I’m just weird, but the first thing I think of when I try a new food is, I can’t wait to share it on the blog. It’s fun to share stuff with you! After spending my teens and early twenties subsisting on fat-free diet “foods”, it’s a real joy for me to be able to celebrate my love for all kinds of new foods. Plus, putting together these posts gives me a nudge to try new things and bust out of my food ruts.
Without further ado, here are this month’s foods I’m loving lately…
1) Delicata squash
(also known as sweet potato squash)
I don’t know why it took me so long to try Delicata squash, but am I ever glad I did! It has to be one of the easiest squash to prepare. Because the skin is so thin, you can forgo peeling and just eat the (delicious) skin with the flesh. They are also fairly small, making them very easy to slice. Lately, I’ve been roasting them in olive or coconut oil, salt, and a pinch of cinnamon. So good!
2) Lentils & Split Peas
I’m on a big lentil and split pea kick lately. They are just so easy to throw into soups and salads and easily boost protein. I love that they don’t have to be soaked or fussed over like dry beans. Until I get that pressure cooker I’m coveting (cannot. wait.), lentils seem to be my go-to right now.
3) Carrington Farms Organic Coconut Oil from Costco
I was at Costco in Burlington a few weeks ago and I almost died with excitement when I saw that they now sell HUGE 1.5kg/3.3lb tubs of organic cold-pressed coconut oil for $16.99 CAD.
I immediately text this news to my coconut oil obsessed family:
(Don’t mind the creepy dolls, we were doing a little Christmas shopping!)
4) Seasnax
I have to admit – I thought people were crazy when they said they loved these nori seaweed snacks. While I can’t say I loved them at first, the taste grew on me. I love cutting it up and adding it to soups and salads. If I have a big salt craving they usually do the trick. Eric thinks they are absolutely vile, so to each their own…
5) Coconut Nectar Syrup & Coconut Sugar
I recently discovered Raw Coconut Nectar and I must say I am impressed. It’s simply the sap from tapped coconut trees and it’s very high in nutrients. I’ve been using it as a substitute for brown rice syrup in some of my recipes and it binds almost as well. It has a low Glycemic Index rating (35) meaning that it releases into the blood slowly and is less likely to cause blood sugar spikes. The biggest surprise when I tasted the coconut syrup? It doesn’t taste like coconut! At least not to me. It’s very sweet so I find a little bit goes a long way. Eric also loves using coconut sugar in his tea as a swap for refined white sugar and I also enjoy it for baking.
6) Pears
Aren’t pears so beautiful? I love taking pictures of pears and of course eating them this time of year. I’m quite impatient when it comes to waiting for fruit to ripen so whenever I have pears, bananas, or avocados that need ripening I stuff them in a large paper bag and fold the lid to trap some of the gas. It seems to speed things along.
7) Glo Bars up for auction
I’m excited to let you know that Susan is hosting an online auction (starting today!) for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As you might recall, Susan was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer over a year ago and she is quickly approaching a year in remission. In 5 months, Susan will be travelling to Scotland to run a half marathon for the society’s Team In Training and needs to raise all the money she can.
I’ve donated a box of Glo Bars for this great cause which has a special place in my heart as my grandpa is currently fighting multiple myeloma. The winning bidder will get to select the flavour of their choice and I can also make the bars gluten-free and/or nut-free upon request. This is a rare opportunity to snag a box of Glo Bars since the bakery is closed for the time being!
Please head on over to Susan’s auction and check out all of the amazing prizes up for grabs!
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments below what foods you are loving lately too.
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{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
LOVED your blog and all the great tidbits of info. Will have to check out Costco for that coconut oil. I love putting it on my popcorn along with nutritional yeast….Yum! I also love pears and there exquisite shape and amazing flavor. Don’t you just love some in a pretty bowl sitting on the table?! Today I made an apple and blueberry crisp with a cashew pear cream on top. The pear cream was so yummy…don’t miss whipping cream at all!!
Keep up the great work, Angela:)
I am loving Acorn & Butternut squash and tons of lentils this time of year! A co-worker of mine brought me an amazing squash prevolent to India, the OPO Squash which they call Lauki or dudhi. I am going to add that to my stew this weekend. She says it’s got the same texture as zuchinni, but has more water content. I have got to get a membership to Costco, everyone I talk to and every website I read talks about Costco. I use coconut oil for just about everything I cook. YUM!!!
Squash roasted in coconut oil gets my vote! I am also adoring velvet textured cauliflower soup, made with a lot of garlic, onion and thyme. Deliciously warming.
Delacata Squash is amazing! Try it stuffed for perfect individual portions: Autumn Quinoa Stuffed Delacata http://shar.es/GyEd5
So sweet. Like Squash Candy. No oil or honey needed.
Seaweed snacks are my favorite, especially when I’m just craving something salty, but don’t want to splurge.
I just got some coconut sugar. Can you substitute it for both white and brown sugar in baking?
OMG I was at Costco in Mississauga (the one in Heartland Plaza) and saw the coconut oil too and practically squealed! Sadly I didn’t buy any because I’ve been buying the 860 g Nutiva Extra Virgin Coconut Oil at Bulk Barn when its 15% off and I have a $3 coupon ( I currently have two of those 860g jars in my pantry—#coconut hoarder) but the costco one is still cheaper! Now that I know that they have it at Costco I can hardly wait to buy more! I also bought the white linen pasta sauce and it was so delicious with some spaghetti squash. Costco is where its at when it comes to good healthy staple foods!
Oh! I am likewise impatient with the ripening of fruit! So excited to have read about your process for catalysing the ripening. I shall try it!
GREAT list! I too am on the Delicata Squash kick. Every day all day too! It is just so buttery and easy to make. :)
I love coconut sugar and nectar, too. I find that coconut sugar is a great sub for brown sugar in recipes. As far as the nectar goes, I love having a low-glycemic liquid sweetener that’s sweet but not too sweet.
That’s great you’ve been enjoying delicata squash so much. It’s one of the most underrated squashes in my opinion. I just love how creamy it is!
I tried the delicata squash a couple days ago and all I can say is THANKS!!! It was amazing. I will be eating this a lot more in the future.
Isn’t it great? Im glad you tried it out too!
I have to be honest and say that I’m not Vegan or Vegetarian I love my meats, and I have always struggled to get more varied selection vegetables into my diet, but ready through the post in your blog has given me some great ideas … so thank you ps I just want to say good luck to Susan for her half marathon in Scotland
Delicata squash for sure! I like mine with chili and lime. Butternut, too, and oh, heirloom pumpkins!
Angela, what pressure cooker are you coveting? I have been looking to get one and I bought a stove top model but I’ve recently been turned on to the simplicity of the electric models, so I might return it and get an electric version. I’d love to know your thoughts and which one you are hoping to get! Thanks!
I am new to using Coconut Oil so I was wondering if I should buy refined or unrefined coconut oil? Thank you.
Is Coconut Oil bad for your heart, or bad for you in any way? Someone was telling me this, and I had never heard that before.
O*K*R*A … cannot get enough and since it is Fall I can drop it into just about any potful of goodness bubbling on the stove!