...Chinese Tea Leaf Eggs

Chinese tea leaf eggs are a favourite snack of mine, and I am fortunate enough to have Darrin's grandmother make them for us on a weekly basis.  Tea leaf eggs are hard boiled eggs that are cracked left to simmer in a combination of tea, soy sauce and spices.  Besides the beautiful marbling effect you get on the surface of the egg, the savoury flavour is deliciously addicting.  There are variations of this recipe, but this one is as told to us by our Popo (Cantonese for maternal grandmother).

Ingredients

-6 eggs

-1:4 ratio soy sauce to water (eggs should be submerged by 1")

-3 tbsp Chinese tea leaves (she uses Guanyin tea)
-3 crushed black cardamom
-2 tbsp sugar

Method:

1. Bring the water with soy sauce, Chinese tea leaves, black cardamom and sugar to a boil in a large pot.

2.  Add the eggs and gently boil for approximately 8 minutes.  Then using a slotted spoon and remove each egg and gently crack them using the back of a spoon.

3.  Return the eggs to the cooking liquid and simmer gently for another 15 minutes.  Turn off the heat and let the liquid and eggs cool to room temperature.

4.  Refrigerate overnight to allow the eggs to marinate.  When you are ready to eat them, simply remove them from the liquid, peel them and enjoy.  The eggs will keep in the liquid for up to 3-4 days but it is better to consume them in a timely manner.

Chinese tea eggs- shell on

Peeled Chinese tea egg

Enjoy!

Read More

...Jule's Wellness Subscription Box (September 2015)

This post is a little different as we have not reviewed anything other than restaurants.  However, I've had such a great experience with Jule's Wellness Lifestyle Subscription Box so far that I wanted to share it here on the blog.  Also, they feature several food items in their boxes so I thought it would be relevant.  If you're interested to know more, read on.

I've always been curious about subscription boxes and like the idea of receiving a surprise in the mail every month (who wouldn't?!).  After doing some research, one of the boxes I signed up for is Jule's Wellness.  Jule's Wellness is a Canadian company that offers gift baskets and an online store filled with "luxury health conscious" products ranging from skincare, snacks, chocolates, teas to baby/kid items.  The subscription boxes are often filled with female focused organic, artisanal and natural full sized products.  Each subscription box is $34.32 + GST (includes shipping in Canada) and you can subscribe to 3, 6 or 12 months at a time which saves you some money.

My experience with Jule's Wellness has been fantastic.  I left a comment whilst checking out never expecting a response, but received an email from Julie herself thanking me for the order and reassuring me of when my box would arrive.  The subscription box arrived as promised not a day late in my mailbox.  Here is what the September 2015 box looked like when I first opened it:

The box came with a helpful list of the products and a little description of each one.  Here is a snapshot of each product and their prices.

Consonant Organic Foaming Face Wash - $18

The Honest Leaf Serene Loose Leaf Tea - $13

Wash & Beauty Co. Konjac Sponge - $14

K's NRG Bar - $3

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Heart Bites - $7

Consonant  DHE Mask - Sample

The total value of the box was $55, which in my opinion is a great deal especially since I loved all the products I received.  The hemp bites were something I enjoyed and wouldn't have tried on my own and I am excited to use the skin care products.  I am thinking Jule's Wellness Subscription Box and baskets would make a perfect gift for any health conscious person in your life.  I hope this post was useful to some of you.  What is your favourite subscription box?

This post is not sponsored, all opinions are my own.

Read More

...Banana Oat Granola Bars

These granola bars are naturally sweetened by banana and are the perfect addition to your breakfast or as an easy portable snack.  This nut-free recipe is adapted from Oh She Glows, pared down to what we had in our pantry.  Feel free to substitute whatever nuts or seeds you have available.  If you choose to use nuts, chop them up into small pieces so the bars don't fall apart as easily.  I like this as an alternative to the hot oatmeal breakfast as we head into the warmer months.  The only regret I have is not finding this popular recipe sooner!

Ingredients (Yields ~12-14 bars depending on the size of your baking dish)
-1.5 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium/large bananas)
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract
-2 cups quick oats 

-3/4 cup dried cranberries
-1 cup sunflower seeds
-1 cup pepita seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds)
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 teaspoon sea salt

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Line a rectangular baking dish with parchment paper.

2.  Mash the bananas in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.  Mix thoroughly.

3.  Fill the baking dish and use the back of a spoon to level out and gently compact the mixture.

4.  Bake for 25 minutes or until lightly golden.  Remove and let cool for 15 minutes before cutting into bars.  I simply used plastic wrap around each and put them in a ziploc bag in the fridge.

Enjoy! 

Read More