Mexican flavor halibut

As you will discover I’m a HUGE fan of fish tacos and love to cook them at home. One night I was inviting friends for dinner with tacos and I did that fish to go in it. It was so good and so crispy, that I decided to try only the fish with a salad instead and it was a great success too! Also, I love this recipe because it is so easy and truly takes 5 minutes to do and 10/15 to cook!

Fish:

1 table spoon of Cumin

1 table spoon of paprika

½ table spoon of chilies

½ table spoon of garlic powder

½  table spoon of sugar

1 tea spoon of salt

1 tea spoon of coriander seeds.

4 filet of your favorite white fish (I do prefer halibut of pangasius)

Olive oil

Dip (optional):

½ a cup of sour cream

1 big table spoon a mayonnaise

2 small green onions

A bunch of fresh cilantro (usually put half of it, because I really like it)

 Jalapeños

Lime juice

Put all the spices in a pestle and grind until it makes a perfect powder (the coriander seeds will stay a little bit rougher than the rest). Then take a big zipploc bag, put your fish and the spice mix and shake. You can either do that the night before or couple hours so the fish really taste, but it is not necessary.  When you are ready, grill the fish either in a pan or in the oven with a little bit of olive oil. Bake: 10-15 minutes, grill 5-7 minutes.  The fish is delicious, just like this, as the sugar caramelize on top, but if you have time, do the dip to go with it, it’s very fresh! For the dip simply mix all the ingredient in a food processor and serve!  Psssst it goes perfect on a salad! J

My Personal Inspirational Story - Cook for the Cure with Vikram Vij

              

               

                On September 21, 2013, I attended the Stratford Savory Culinary Festival with my friend Amy to eat food, bond and for me to meet a Canadian Chef, named Vikram Vij, whom is one of my favourite chefs. He is an Indian Chef and owns two restaurants in Vancouver. He would be at the Stratford Festival presenting cooking demonstrations for spectators.
When we arrived in Stratford, we were too late and had missed Vikram’s presentation. Two days later, Amy called me and informed me that she had two tickets to a breast cancer event where 5 Canadian Chefs would be present, including Vikram.  She assured me that tonight I would meet him. The excitement inside me was overwhelming and I rushed home into the shower and was back in the car on my way downtown. I saw Vikram talking to people and began to find my courage to walk towards him and introduce myself. After many deep breaths, I found the courage and inspiration inside myself to seize the moment. I walked up to him and stuck out my hand and began talking to him about not seeing him in Stratford, my background, my love for food, and my personal story of being diagnosed with breast cancer. We instantly hit it off and he encouraged me to participate in the Cook for the Cure and raise $2500 for breast cancer. 


 Days later, he contacted me and we met up for dinner to discuss ways I could be a part of the COOK for the CURE event and be on his team. Participates have the opportunity to cook with one Canadian celebrity chef and compete against other chefs. I felt an overwhelming feeling of gratitude wash over me as I reflected on my situation. Here I am, meeting, conversing, sharing and learning from a Canadian idol of mine about having the opportunity to cook along side of him. How often are we given the chances to experience these moments? How often are able to push ourselves to follow our dreams, listen to our intuitions and push ourselves to discover what we can accomplish if we are determined to succeed. He came to my school and helped me to encourage my students to fundraise. I met my goal days before the event and on December 7, 2013, I was at Fairmount Royal Hotel with sheer gratefulness in my heart and anticipation running through my body. I had done it. I had reached my goal and raised $2500 with the help of my students, friends, family and coworkers. I was now fulfilling my dream to cook alongside of Vikram and having the chance to learn from Canadian chefs, Mark McEwen, Lyn Crawford and Chuck Hughes.


That night I met all kinds of amazing people, had my picture taken, raised money for breast cancer, ate delicious food and had the opportunity to be interviewed by Global and City TV. This was a dream come true for me. I will never forget the wonderful connections that I met and the experiences I walked away with that night. Not to mention, I have become super friends with Vikram and I cherish him very much and admire his humble attitude and warm heart. I am proud of myself for accomplishing a goal and finding the inspiration with myself. Be inspired!

               Here is what Vikram wrote about me on the Food Network’s Blog a month before the Cook for the Cure 2013.

               “I am participating in the Cook for Cure Culinary Showdown because I recently met a young lady, named Sara Mody, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age. What is interesting about her story is that she turned down chemotherapy treatment and made the decision to fight her cancer with the healing powers of food. She has used the art of "Auyurveda", which is eating healthy and using spices like turmeric, ginger, garlic, cumin and cloves. These amazing spices are a huge part of my style of cooking and my heritage. Sara has been fighting her cancer with food, mediation, yoga, laughter and positive thinking. She will be   reaching her five year cancer-free mark in February 2014. At present, she is feeling alive, strong,    proud and grateful. Cancer has become a positive part of her life, because it has taught her about herself and how to live; the attributes that are necessary in life to keep strong and remain focused. The experience has become a vital part of what makes Sara, SARA! Sara is a huge fan of Indian cooking, being half Indian herself. It will be a dream come true for us to cook together and showcase our cuisine and culture on December 7th in Toronto for the Cook for the Cure event. It will be especially meaningful for Sara to be a part of this event as a survivor who has used food as her medicine and has joie de vivre attitude in life.”

 

 

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/blogs/HostsandInterviews/2013/11/14/Why-Vikram-Vij-is-Cooking-for-the-Cure/?id=69529

 

 

Quinoa and Arugula salad with Feta

This salad is my ultimate favorite. Before, I had a hard time cooking quinoa and enjoying it as a salad. This recipe changed everything, it’s fresh, healthy, flavorful and it fills me up!

One cup of quinoa

1 cube of chicken broth

One bucket of arugula

One bunch of fresh coriander

One bunch of fresh Mint

300 grams of feta cheese, cut in half inch dice

Half Red onion finely chopped

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Pepper

Half of a pomegranate

 

Cook the quinoa in 2 cup of water and the chicken broth. When it’s totally cooked (no more water and not too sticky) let it cool down. During this time, cut the mint and the coriander and mix it with the arugula, the onion and the feta. Then add the cooled quinoa, oil, lemon juice and pepper and mix well.  Add the pomegranate on top of it when serving.

Ginger carrot soup

This soup is so easy and so satisfying; I do it all the time from fall to spring! It’s ideal for lunch with a slice of bread or before dinner.

6 big carrots

1 big sweet potato

1 ginger root (medium size)

1 onion

2 chicken broth cubes

1 table spoon of olive oil

A little bit of almond milk, milk or cream (optional)

Cut the onion in cubes and brown it in olive oil.  Then peel and cut the carrots, the sweet potato and the ginger and put them in the saucepan with the onions and add enough water to cover the carrots. Then add the 2 broth cubes and boil for approximately a half hour. When all the vegetables are tender, do a purée with a stick mixer and add milk until preferred consistency.

Gluten-free Double chocolate almond cookie

What’s the dream of almost every woman?  … Eating chocolate without feeling guilty! Well, that’s a really tasty recipe I discover… it’s not totally guilty free, but we’re getting close J

½ cup of solid coconut oil

1 cup of coconut sugar

1 tablespoon of almond extract

1 egg

3 tablespoon of milk (or almond milk)

1 ½ cup of gluten free flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

2/3 cup of cocoa powder

1 bar Lind dark chocolate 70% cut in chunk

12-15 almonds

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F ( 190 degrees C). Prepare a greased baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, cream coconut oil and sugar. Add the egg, milk and almond extract while mixing. Sift together gluten- free flour mix, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into the mixture until blended. Finally, stir in the chocolate chunk.
Do 1-1½ inches balls and lightly flatten them on a prepared baking sheet, then put an almond on it. Bake in preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until light brown. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

My Year Off Men - Kelly Alexander

January 1^st is a well-known date in the Western Hemisphere. It marks an annual tradition where people make promises and commitments to self improve something significant in their lives. Resolutions are made but not often kept. Many of them are forgotten and revisited the following year. Resolutions require passion and dedication. I first came across the name Kelly Alexander as a young, inspiring woman who made a resolution and kept it for an entire year. She has recently released her first novel entitled My Year Off Men, which describes her spiritual journey of self-discovery and a year without searching for men. Her book is targeted to single women of any age who are interested or curious in discovering who they are using humor, positive energy, and sexual spirituality.  I was extremely excited to meet Kelly Alexander, a passion and pleasure coach for women, who has a zest for life and has inspired me to continue my dream of publishing a book of my own.

I had the pleasure of meeting Kelly at the Transformational Arts College in Toronto on February 8^th for a book signing and meet and greet. She kindly agreed to meet me so I could ask her questions about her journey and her book. The minute I saw her smile, I was greeted with a warm hug and her contagious positive energy. As we sat down on cozy couches and made ourselves comfortable, Kelly noticed my hyper energy and excitement. She reminded me to take a deep breath and offered me a glass of water.

My first question that I posed to her was what inspired her to create this book. She smiled and mentioned that the book itself was not her main goal, but her journey to take a year of men was the main goal. She mentioned how many of her friends, including herself, were tired of experiencing so many failed dating relationships. She felt that she needed to build a relationship with herself. Kelly mentioned that a year was the time frame that she committed and stuck to while on her spiritual journey.

I asked Kelly if she had any advice to women to inspire them to fulfill their goals and dreams. She reminded me that the first thing to do is to “take a deep breath”. After breathing, she simply said, “Just do it.” I got a strong sense from Kelly that she believes in listening to your inner passions and going for it.  As I hung onto every word that was coming out of her mouth, Kelly instantly inspired me to think about my own goals and dreams. I opened up to her about my own personal journeys and aspirations. She listened intensively and compassionately. I felt an instant connection with her.

After she signed my book, I hugged her, thanked her for her time and walked out of the room with her book pressed close to my chest. A couple of hours later, I found myself curled up in a Starbucks chair with a cup of tea in one hand and her book in another. I could not wait any longer to explore her adventures and her journey that were hiding among the pages. Kelly has written a wonderful book about her inner sentiments about her experiences and reasons why taking a year off of men was her spiritual calling. She shares her personal obstacles and her accomplishments on her journey of self-discovery. I found her book to be inspiring! Meeting Kelly was truly a treasure and I feel inspired to follow my own dreams and trust in the universe to support me along the way. Thank you, Kelly for taking the time to meet with me and to share your amazing stories with the world. You are inspiring!

Please check out Kelly's webpage at:

www.kellyalexander.org

and.....

http://www.myyearoffmen.com

By: Sara Mody