Celebrate World Egg Month With This Vegetable Scrambled Eggs and Giveaway

In celebration of World Egg Month this October, I made this delicious, easy, healthy vegetable scrambled eggs.

1 tbsp oil

2 tbsp red onion 

2 tbsp tomato 

1/4 cup green pepper 

1/4 cup mushroom 

3 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper optional 

Have a Snack By Winning Beanitos and Wholly Guacamole

Everyone in my family enjoys having healthy, delicious snacks in the evening, in between breakfast and lunch or when we watch a movie. During these times we make a choice to eat something healthy and one of our choices are Beanitos paired with Wholly Guacamole or Salsa.

Win A Amoré Foodie Prize Pack

Amoré is the latest beverage innovation from Earth’s Own. It combines the goodness of diary with the creamy, nutty taste of real roasted almonds. It is a healthy everyday pleasure to boost our daily milk intake. Amoré has an excellent source of calcium, protein, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and riboflavin. It contains 50% more calcium per serving than milk. My family and I enjoy this delicious milk that tastes delicious on its own, or with tea, coffee, cereal, in smoothies and more.

Amoré is available in 1.75L original and vanilla flavour cartons. Amoré Almond and Dairy Beverage is available in the refrigerated dairy section at grocery retailers across Canada.  for a retail price of $5.29. Here is a decadent hot chocolate recipe that serves 6. 

Win 1 of 2 Flower Cookie Gift Baskets to celebrate spring

I am excited about the upcoming warm weather, especially the flowers :)  In celebration of this excitement I am hosting a giveaway for everyone in the US to win 1 of 2 Flower Cookie Gift Baskets (a value of up to $65).  
These cookies are perfect to celebrate any occasion so hope you will enjoy entering the contest through the rafflecopter below before April 7th.  

The Cookie Gift Baskets have a wonderful range of flower cookie designs and flavours for us to choose from.  They also have sugar-free cookies.  If you win you get to choose the baskets you like.

Please leave a comment on this post and follow the social media networks to be eligible.  This giveaway is open to everyone over the age of 18 in the US until April 7th.  
The winners will be randomly picked and contacted by email by April 14th.  Winners will have 3 days to respond from the time of contact.  

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Disclosure: I am co-hosting this giveaway and don't have any first-hand experience with the product.  The company is responsible for the delivery of the gift baskets.  All rights reserved on opinion of the written content Torviewtoronto © 2010 - 2013 unless mentioned. Please Ask First  

Kashi Blueberry Oat Clusters & Flakes Cereal Giveaway

Kashi Blueberry Oat Clusters Flakes cereal has a healthy taste that makes it a wonderful breakfast.  1 cup of Kashi Blueberry Oat Clusters and Flakes cereal has 45% of daily amount of fibres we need and it helps lower cholesterol.  This cereal is made out of natural ingredients that have crunchy flakes and whole grain oat clusters with sun-ripened blueberries.  I wish the cereal had blueberries that are visible so we can taste it and see it in the cereal :) as my children found it to be deceiving that the box showed blueberries but they didn't see the blueberry pieces.  The cereal doesn't have artificial flavours or colours and it is free of trans fats and low in saturated fat.    
This cereal can be found in most grocery stores and natural food stores across Canada.

Giveaway:
Win your own box and see how it tastes :)  This giveaway is open to people in Canada and ends on March 15th.  Please enter through the rafflecopter below.
Update: The winner is Areta
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All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2010 - 2013 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Win your own book to Celebrate Cooking with Quinoa

Celebrate the International Year of Quinoa in 2013 with this book Cooking with Quinoa for Dummies written by Cheryl Forberg.
Quinoa is a "super food" that nearly disappeared in the 1500s as Spanish explorers destroyed Qunioa fields to break Incas' morale.  Qunioa survived in isolated places in high altitude regions until it was rediscovered and became available in South America in the 1970s.  Qunioa is increasingly becoming popular in North America because it is an easy to digest seed that has lots of nutriets, fibre, protein and more.
Cooking with Quinoa For Dummies has over 140 gluten-free recipes, including Thai Quinoa-Coconut Chicken Soup, Quinoa Currant Hotcakes, Grilled Chili Beef with Quinoacado Relish and Quinoa Chocolate Cake.  Making quinoa in different ways will help keep it interesting to enjoy it all the time.  It is even served in high end restaurants such as in Silks Dining Lounge.  
Forberg provides information on how to properly prepare quinoa, it health benefits and on how we can substitute it into our favourite meals.  Quinoa will transform our diet, health and life.  

There are lots of useful information about nutrition and other food as well, here are a Quinoa specific information from the book.

• The white, red and black quinoa have a slightly different taste.  
• To cook 1 cup of quinoa we will need to use 2 cups of liquid; it is a 2:1 ratio.  
• 1/2 cup of dried quinoa is equal to 1 1/2cups cooked quinoa, it is a 3:1 ratio.  
• Basic rule is to simmer the quinoa for 15 minutes (maybe a bit more) when it is ready we will smell its aroma strongly and the kernels will be translucent all the way through and germ will spiral out like a short thread on each kernel.

Cook the quinoa with the water in a pan by bringing the water to a boil then reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed.  We can also cook the quinoa in the rice cooker.  Fluff it with a  fork and use it in any recipe.  

Asian Quinoa Coleslaw recipe adapted from this book
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup onion chopped
1 tbsp garlic minced
2 tbsp fresh ginger chopped
4 cups green cabbage finely shredded
1 cup carrot grated
1/3 cup cilantro without stem chopped 
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt to taste
2 tsp lightly toasted sesame seeds optional

Heat the oil then sauté the onion.  Add the garlic and ginger.  Add the cabbage, cover the pan and cook for a minute.  Remove the cover and stir-fry the cabbage until it is softened for about 2 minutes.  Add the quinoa and grated carrot and cook for 2 minutes until it is heated through.  Add the cilantro, soya sauce, salt and sesame seeds.  Serve it warm.

Giveaway:
Looking forward to hear if you have you cooked with Quinoa before, if so what is your favourite thing to make with Quinoa?
3 people in Canada or US can win this fabulous cookbook.  Giveaway ends on February 10th.
To win enter through the rafflecopter below.
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All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2010 - 2013 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Milk cakes from the Bengali Five Spice Chronicles

This recipe for milk cake or kalakand is from the book Bengali Five Spice Chronicles.  My family enjoyed the flavour of this delicious dessert, which as the author mentions is a cross between cheesecake and milk fudge.  

1 can (14oz) evaporated milk

1 1/2 cup ricotta cheese

3/4 cup milk powder

3/4 cup sugar

2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter + 1/2 tbsp for greasing the dish

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

3 tbsp coarsely chopped pistachios

Put the evaporated milk, ricotta cheese in a pan and bring to a simmer.  Continue cooking the mixture on low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring it frequently until the mixture thickens considerably.

Add the milk powder, sugar and continue cooking until the mixture has a soft fudge-like consistency for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Mix in the 2 tbsp ghee and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Grease an 8" or 9" dish and pour the cheese mixture.  Sprinkle the cardamom powder and pistachios over the mixture and let it cool.  I left it in the fridge to solidify before cutting the cake into 2" squares, we can also cut into any desired shape before serving it cool.

This book Bengali Five Spice Chronicles is written by Rinku Bhattacharya.  The book explores the cuisine of Eastern India and has over 180 recipes that are seperated into 13 parts such as rice & breads, lentil, vegetarian, egg dishes, fish, poultry, chutneys, drinks, snacks, sweets etc.  The book is full of delicious recipes and there are a few pictures of the dishes in the middle of the book. 

I like the explanations given by the author about different spices/seeds.  I also liked reading about the author and her influences that led to write this book.  

I find it interesting to read about other cultures and traditions, so I enjoyed reading the history of Bengali cuisine in the beginning of the book.  I thought it was interesting that Bengalis eat rice with different vegetables and then eat non-vegetarian food such as fish in the end, because we tend to eat it together or in the opposite way by eating non-veg first then with rice and vegetables :) 

Giveaway:

If you are in Canada or US and would like to win a copy of this book Bengali Five Spice Chronicles please enter through the rafflecopter below before December 15th.

Update: The winner is Tina

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All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Ricotta cookies and Lidia's favourite recipes cookbook giveaway

This recipe for Ricotta cookies or Biscotti di Ricotta is adapted from Lidia's favourite recipes cookbook.    I halved the original recipe to make about 18 cookies, if you make the full recipe with the quantities below it will make about 3 1/2 dozen.  I didn't add vanilla extract as I used vanilla flavoured sugar.  I also didn't coat the cookies with the suggested 2 cups of icing sugar mixed with 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice because it was sweet enough for us without the confectioner's sugar.

2 1/4 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

2 eggs

1 cup fresh ricotta drained

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

zest of one lemon (I think this is optional)

Mix the flour, salt and baking powder and leave aside.

Beat the sugar with the butter until fluffy and light, then add the eggs one at a time and beat well.  Add the ricotta and lemon zest if using and beat only until it combines.  Add the flour mixture and beat in low speed only till it incorporates, do not over mix.

In a cookie sheet pan with a baking sheet place a tbsp on dough about an inch apart and bake at 325F for 20 to 22 minutes until the cookies are puffed and golden.  Halfway through the 20 minutes of baking rotate the pan ones.  

After it bakes cool the cookies on a wire rack.  When the cookies are completely cool enjoy.  I found the cookies soft and delicious.

Lidia's favourite recipes cookbook has 100 fool proof Italian dishes that has got many ravings, which she has revised and updated to make it more concise and clear with information such as affordability, seasonality and nutritional value.  Looking through the book, I found the recipes easy to follow. The book has lovely pictures for some recipes, although I would have liked a picture for all the recipes.  
The content is separated into appetizers, salads/soups, sandwiches/pizzas, primi, sauces, vegetable sides, seafood, mean/chicken and desserts.  I wish the author included substitutions for alcoholic ingredients :) because there were a lot of recipes that use alcohol, which prevents me from trying the recipes.  

Giveaway
If you would like to win this book, please enter through the rafflecopter below.  The giveaway is open to people in Canada and US ends on November 20th.
Update: The winner is Eri
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All rights reserved on mentioned photographs and opinion of the written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Cassava chips and Cooking with CUTCO Giveaway

To make Cassava chips...

2 cups cassava slices

1/2 to 1 tsp chillie powder

1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt

oil to fry

Cut the cassava into thin slices and then remove the peel.  Toss the cassava slices with chillie powder and salt.  Fry in hot oil and serve.

Using a sharp and reliable knife makes our kitchen jobs easy and safe.  I am a big fan of CUTCO and have been using CUTCO knives for many years, so I can personally guarantee their products.  Once you use a knife from CUTCO it will for sure become a favourite and the only one you will want to use :)  

The stain resistance CUTCO knives are easy to clean and store.  Some of their knives have the special Double-D edge that makes clean cuts all the time.  High-carbon stainless steel is used to make the knives.  All CUTCO knives have a full-tang feature where the steel of the blade extends to the full length of the knife.  The knives are attached to the blade with three highly polished, nickel silver rivets.  The ergonomically designed "hand perfect" handle is contoured to distribute the workload equally to all parts of the hand.  With CUTCO knives it doesn't matter if you have small or large hands or use your left or right hand.  The handle is made with smooth, thermo-resin material that will not crack, chip, fade or absorb moisture.  

CUTCO has a wide collection of wonderful cutlery and cookware.  Their products have a forever guarantee, even if the CUTCO products are passed from generation to generation.  We don't need to hold on to the receipt :)  They sharpen the knives for free, but there is a small fee for shipping.  If you are not 100% satisfied, CUTCO will repair or replace the knives from free.

Cooking with CUTCO is a new venture from CUTCO cutlery that gives people an opportunity to run their own business from home.  Their products are sold through direct sales (home presentations) and online, to keep the costs low.  If you want to be a part of selling CUTCO and become a representative, the company will provide hands-on and video training.

Check out their Facebook to keep up to date about their fabulous products.

Giveaway

If you would like to win this 7" Santoku knife (value of $138) please leave a comment on this post and enter through the rafflecopter below.  This giveaway is open to people in Canada and ends on November 10th.

Update: The winner is Brenda

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All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Salmon burgers, TurboCharged and Julia Child book giveaways

Salmon burgers recipe from the book TurboCharged recipes.

2 salmon fillets skinned and chopped (1 1/2 lbs) I used 1 lb

2 tbsp chopped red onion

1 egg

2 tsp grated lemon rind

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp pepper

I added 2 tbsp coriander leaves chopped and 1/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

Combine everything except oil.  The book suggests to form 4" patties, however I made 10 mini patties as I served it with small buns.  Chill the formed patties for about 2 hours or more.  

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Cook patties until it is cooked through.  The book suggests 3 minutes per side, however I cooked for a little bit more.  Serve with buns with the topping you prefer.

  

This book TurboCharged recipes has lots of useful information and recipes.  There aren't any pictures so it doesn't look attractive to open and start reading :) 

Most recipes use only a few ingredients.  All the recipes in the book are easy to follow and understand, as the instructions are simple.  We have to figure out about certain methods and change the cooking time to our preference.  

The beginning of the book talks about healthy eating, answers a lot of questions we all have i.e. should we go organic, getting kids to east healthy etc...  The book goes into brief detail about benefits of different vegetable, herbs and spices.

I liked suggestions on how to use a variety of herbs, which is good if we are looking to add new flavour into our daily food i.e. quick fried single sage leaves adds a delicious flavour to cheese. 

The book is separated into sections such as i.e. beverages, dips and dressings, appetizers, soups stews salads, vegetarian, eggs, fish, meats, pulpy and desserts.  This makes it is easy for us to find something we want to make quickly.

Some tips from the book...

• If the eggs aren't organic we should skip them.  Organic eggs have 1:1 ratio of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids.  Commercial eggs have 19 times more omega 6 than omega 3, which is unhealthy.  
• The book gives a list of produce that we don't have to worry if it is organic or not.
• It is important for us to read food labels.  Did you know if the ingredients are listed as one of the first ingredients then that is the main one?  
• The book has a list of other names that sugar is presented on labels that we maybe unaware of i.e. agave, brown rice syrup, cane syrup, cornstarch, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, lactose, sorghum, rock sugar, pulled sugar, treacle etc.  
• The book lists the terms in the ingredient list that signals the presence of MSG under names such as autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, gelatine, glumate, glutamic acid, hydrolyzed corn gluten, mono potassium glumate, sodium caseinate, textured protein, hydrolyzed protein (wheat/soy/vegetable protein)
• Store bought dressings have lots of additives.
• It is better to keep separate cutting boards.  We can keep our cutting boards sanitized by washing with 1 tsp chlorine bleach mixed with 1 quart of water.  Dip and dry.  
• To quickly bake potatoes boil first for about 10 to 15 minutes then bake or grill. 
• Steam cook with minimal oil and water.

Check out more about health on their site.  This book is available online and amazon.

Giveaway:  If you would like to win this book please leave a comment on this post.  The giveaway ends on August 25th open to people in Canada and US.
Update: The winner is Sanoli

Many of you may know about the JC100 event that started in May where bloggers participated by making specially chosen recipes from Julia Child.  I participated in the 2nd week of the event by making chocolate mousse.

Giveaway: To celebrate the 100th birthday of Julia Child on August 15, 2012 I am hosting a giveaway for someone in Toronto (due to postage) to win a copy of this Dearie: The remarkable life of Julia Child a biography by Bob Spitz.  Please leave a comment on this post or email me before August 25th if you would like to win this book.  
Update: The winners are Asiya and Cheryl

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Green Dolphin review and giveaway

Green Dolphin products are eco safe solutions for our home.  I tested three of their products; green bin deodorizer, calcium lime rust buster and stainless steel cleaner and polish.  The details of each product is on this post.

I like the feeling of using eco-friendly products that doesn't have abrasives, solvents and VOCs.  All the products are made in Canada and can be bought online.

Giveaway
Use the code CREATE to get 20% off

Green Dolphin would like to offer a Canadian reader of Createwithmom and Torviewtoronto a chance to win a package of Eco Auto Dishwash detergent and a bottle of coffee pot and kettle cleaner.

To enter the giveaway please leave a comment on this post or on Createwithmom before July 15th.

Please follow me on twitter and Facebook so I can let you know the winner.

Follow Green Dolphin on twitter to know about their new products and other information.

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Mint Ice cream and vanilla bean giveaway

The season to enjoy ice cream is here.  I adapted this minty delicious ice cream from Fresh Juice magazine.  I used Nielsen-Massey vanilla beans which gave a delicious fragrant to this ice cream.  I always make vanilla infused sugar with the vanilla beans so it would last longer and I would have fragrant sugar for the cakes as I don't use vanilla with alcohol.

Mint Ice cream

1 cup milk

1 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup fresh mint leaves

4 egg yolks

1/3 cup + 2 tbsp vanilla infused sugar

Blend the milk, whipping cream and mint leaves in the blender until the leaves are pureed.  Transfer to a saucepan and let it come to a boil, remove from heat and let it steep for 20 minutes covered.  

After 20 minutes strain the mixture and discard the pulp.

In a heat proof bowl beat the egg yolks and sugar until it is pale and fluffy.  Add the strained warm mixture to the egg mixture while beating.  

Transfer the mixture to the saucepan and let it heat on medium high heat for a few minutes until the content coats the back of the spoon.  Don't let it boil, keep stirring.  

I found that if we keep cooking for a long time the mixture becomes foamy, so cook only for about 3 to 4 minutes.  

Strain the mixture and leave it to cool completely.  

Transfer the completely cooled mixture into the ice cream machine, follow the instructions on the manual and put the machine on for about 20 to 25 minutes.  Serve it cold.    

Nielsen-Massey is offering a 2 bean vial of Madagascar Bourbon whole beans to the readers of Torviewtoronto and Createwithmom.  

Please leave a comment on this post if you want to win it.  The giveaway ends on May 30th.  It is open to everyone in USA and Canada.

Please follow my twitter and Facebook, so you know when the winner is announced.

Update: The winner is Nami

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Rubbermaid LunchBlox giveaway

Many people take food to work and school everyday because it is healthier, cheaper and convenient.  Having a container that will accommodate a variety of food makes the job of packing lunch fun and easy. This Rubbermaid LunchBlox is an environmentally friendly option that saves us money and hassle of finding small containers.

There are 2 varieties of LunchBlox kits for sandwich and salad. The boxes and the Blue Ice packs are BPA free.  The containers can be put in the microwave, dishwasher and freezer.  The LunchBlox collection keeps the lunch organized in any type of lunch bag without a hassle as it optimizes space.  The containers carry enough food that is perfectly proportioned for a healthy meal for one person.

The LunchBlox containers have a specially designed Blue Ice pack that fits with the containers to keep the lunch chilled while we are on the go.  The containers keep the food fresh without wilting or spoiling. 

The ease of transporting the containers allows us to take a variety of healthy meals for lunch everyday.

For example in this sandwich kit there is a sandwich container, side container, 2 snack container and a medium Blue Ice pack.

In the salad kit there is a salad base with lid, 1 salad topping tray, 1 dressing container and a Blue Ice pack.

The cost of these Rubbermaid LunchBlox is about $10 to $13.  It is available at Walmart, Loblaws, Home Hardware, London drugs, Co-op and TruServ.  They also have open stock assortments that range from $3 to $8.

This Rubbermaid LunchBlox is a solution for many of us as studies show 83% of people working outside the home take food to work and eat in their office or cubicle.  

44% of people find it hard to fit food storage containers into their lunch box and bag.

Sandwich kit

Giveaway:

If you would like to win 4 kits (2 sandwich kits and 2 salad kits) leave a comment on this post.  The giveaway is open to people in Canada so please say if you are in Canada on the comment to enter the giveaway.  

The giveaway ends on May 20th.  

Please follow my twitter and Facebook so you would know when the winner is announced.  

Update: The winner is prairiesummers

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First

Rubbermaid Glass food storage containers

Rubbermaid Glass food storage containers with easy to find lids have so much benefits. It will take away frustrations when we are trying to find containers to store our food.

In my opinion, having containers and lids that easily stack helps us to stay organized.

This Rubbermaid Glass food storage container lids nest compactly, and snaps to the base of the containers and other lids, which makes it neat and easy to find.

The containers also save space as it comes in graduated sizes that stack without getting stuck together. It is definitely easy to keep our cupboards and fridge clutter-free :)

The sleek square shaped glass containers are perfect for reheating food in the microwave and are oven safe up to 425F. It is also dishwasher and freezer safe. The glass containers are beautiful to bring to the table as well.

I like that the containers have a built-in gasket, that helps prevent leaks and keeps food to stay fresh. The tight fitting lids are BPA free, microwave safe and known to be Flex & Seal; this means it is leak proof and won't tear or break. When microwaving make sure to slightly open the lid to let out steam. It is cool that the lids have a glass "window" on it so we can see what is inside the container without opening. I also found that the containers have a light weight. All these reasons makes it perfect to take to work and trips.

It is stain and odour resistant. The containers have a 2 year warranty. Please read the user instructions on the package before using to know more about it. These containers come in 7 different sizes that holds from 1 cup to 11.5 cups. These containers can be found at Walmart, Loblaws, Real Canadian Super Store and London Drugs.

To win a package of Rubbermaid Glass containers a value of $35 please follow Rubbermaid on twitter and leave a comment on this post.

Giveaway ends on February 20th and is within Canada.

Updated: The giveaway winner is Kim

I received these samples to test and review. All rights reserved on the opinion of the written content and photographs Torviewtoronto © 2012 unless mentioned. Please Ask First