No Recipe Required with Lesley Taylor

In this episode, I chat with professional chef and popular food blogger, Chef Dennis. We have a conversation about his background and experience in the restaurant industry, starting a culinary program at a girls' high school, and some tips on how to make restaurant-quality meals. Chef Dennis also gives me a challenge at the end to make clams or mussels, so I did that and shared my experience with that at the end of the episode.

You can follow Chef Dennis on his blog Ask Chef Dennis, or on Instagram, (@chefdennistravels) and Twitter (@askchefdennis).

And if you want to see the mussels I made, check out my Instagram page (@NoRecipeRequired.ca) or my Facebook Group (No Recipe Required Challenge.)

I'm giving the last word on plant-based eating to a Registered Dietician.

Jennifer Buccino (Twitter: @JenniferBuccino and IG: @jenniferbuccino) has been practicing as a registered dietitian for over 20 years. Over this time she has held many exciting positions including working as a clinical dietitian and educator at SickKids, provincial project manager Dairy Farmers of Canada, instructor and curriculum developer at Ryerson University, National Lead, Member Experience and Regional Executive Director for Dietitians of Canada, and now Senior Manager of Volunteer engagement at Diabetes Canada. She has also supported many families in the Halton region in her former private practice BeanSprout nutrition.

Jennifer is passionate about healthy living. She runs, bikes, swims and skis and occasionally does the odd recreational triathlon. Jennifer aims to raise her 2 kids to be curious eaters, develop a good attitude towards all foods, and experience the full enjoyment of the foods they eat and the activities they engage in. 

My guest today is Stephanie Belding. Stephanie is a Montreal born, Toronto Based professional actor and personal trainer. Since becoming vegan in 2004, Stephanie's love of baking and cooking increased exponentially. Finding ways to modify and recreate favourite recipes and meals from a plant based perspective is a constant creative joy. Sharing good food and plant based eating ideas is a favourite past time.

You can follow Stephanie in Instagram (@stephbelding) and Twitter (@stephbelding) and her full bio is on IMDB.

In this 2nd of 4 episodes on plant-based eating I chat with Tara G., who has been vegan for 10 years and vegetarian for even longer than that. She shares her expertise and recipes on how to make plant-based eating tasty and satisfying for vegans and non-vegans alike.

You can follow Tara on Instagram @_madebymads for her recipes. Here are a few that we mentioned in the episode:

Tofu Ricotta: 14 oz. firm tofu, 3 cloves garlic (finely minced), juice of 1/2 small lemon, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 1/2 tablespoon miso paste, 1–2 teaspoons dried basil, oregano, parsley or Italian seasoning (optional), Salt & pepper, to taste (I also put in some grated nutmeg, because I put that in my ricotta when I make lasagna.) Drain any excess liquid out from the tofu (but do not press). Break the tofu up into small pieces with your hands and add it to a food processor. Add all of the remaining ingredients and process until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape the sides of the food processor as needed.

Cashew creme Sauce: 1 cup raw cashews soaked in hot water, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, juice of 1/2 lemon (or 2 tsp apple cider vinegar,) 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast. Blend in a high-speed blender until smooth. Add more water if you want a thinner sauce.

Potato/Carrot/Onion cheez sauce: 3 small potatoes (chopped), 1 medium carrot (chopped), 1/4 onion (chopped), 1/4 cup canned jalapenos, 1/4 cup raw cashews, juice 1/2 lemon, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional), 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1 cup water. In a saucepan bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add in your potatoes, carrot, onion and garlic. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook 10 minutes or until soft. You can also throw these ingredients into your instant pot on sealed, high pressure for 10 minutes and release it when its done. Add your cooked veggies and water into a high speed blender. Then add in the rest of your ingredients. Blend on high for 1 minute. Place in a sealed container (i use a mason jar) in the fridge and it will be good for up to a week.

Salted chocolate creme tart (click the link)

The focus of the next four episodes of the podcast is about how to move toward eating a plant-based diet, how to make the switch in a healthy way, and how to make plant-based foods taste good for the whole family. The reasons WHY people eat this way are vast: health, ethical, environmental, allergies, sensitivities, and even financial reasons. But the goal of these discussions is not to preach to anyone about “why” or make any health claims; it’s to support people who have made (or are considering making) the change to a fully or partially plant-based diet.

My first guest is Tara Postnikoff, a registered nutritionist, personal trainer and triathlon coach in Toronto. We talk about the nutritional considerations of incorporating more plant-based items into your diet, with a focus on the need of recreational athletes. You can follow Tara in the following places:

Instagram: @healtoronto

Facebook: Healthy Eating Active Living

Website: HEAL-nutrition.com

This week, my guest is Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness on Twitter) a baseball writer for the Toronto Star, host of the weekly Deep Left Field Podcast (@DeepLFPodcast on Twitter,) and former Blue Jays play-by-play broadcaster. Mike and I talk about what it's like to eat on the road as a member of the media, traveling with the team, how the ballplayers eat, and why he (and I) like to check out grocery stores when we travel.

In this episode I chat with my friend and fellow podcaster Carolyn Hillier - aka Chilly Bakes - about how to bake without gluten. You can follow her on Instagram @ChillyBakesGF and her podcast is on all the platforms as "Chilly Bakes Gluten Free."

I also mentioned that I had a recipe for gluten free chocolate cake that's made with quinoa! It's not quinoa flour, but actual cooked quinoa! I basically followed the recipe found here (but I didn't make their frosting): https://barefeetinthekitchen.com/unforgettable-chocolate-quinoa-cake-recipe/ You can sub out melted margarine or coconut oil for the butter, and you can use any non-dairy milk, but since there are 4 eggs in this recipe, I don't know if an egg substitute would work. Maybe give it a try and let me know!

Enjoy!

In this episode I speak with David Antsis, the owner/operator of County Casual Tours in Prince Edward County, Ontario. He tells us about his favourite spots for drinks and food in The County. We even have a Zoom bomb from a mutual friend of ours (who was also a previous co-host on this podcast.) We talked about so many different locations for wine, beer and cider, and even a couple of restaurants!

I hope I was able to capture them all here:

Wineries:

· Sugarbush

· Half Moon Bay

· Stanners

· Karlo Estates

· Traynor Family Vineyards

· Lighthall Vineyard

Breweries / Cideries:

· Gillingham

· Slake

· Stock & Row

Restaurants:

· Bocado (PIcton)

· Bermuda (Bloomfield)

· JK Fries (Hillier)

Non-County Wine & Beer:

· High Park Brewery (Toronto)

· Lost Craft Brewery (Toronto)

· WineOnline.ca

· Quinta do Convento (Douro, Portugal)

Cheryl Appleton, President of STRAGENTIUM consulting agency is an insightful, entrepreneurial leader, with direct manufacturing experience, sales development expertise, and a reputation for creating client solutions that actually work. Cheryl is the glue that helps the stars align and be uplifted in Canadian Women In Food (CWIF).

CWIF was founded in 2014, as a national association to help amplify the voices of female food entrepreneurs and to promote a more inclusive space for all women in food. Their Members are female founders of food businesses, and women employed in professional food industry positions.

You can follow them on all the social media platforms @Canadian_Women_In_Food

Another solo holiday episode of the podcast. I'll likely be spending New Year's Eve alone, so I thought another solo episode of the podcast was appropriate. In this episode I talk about what my food/cooking "resolutions" are for 2022, what I'm planning on cooking for myself on NY Eve, and a suggestion for a sparking wine other than Champagne to celebrate with. Hope you enjoy it! Happy New Year!