VEGAN PUMPKIN SOUP WITH @INSPIREDBYNICK!

Vegan Pumpkin Soup

Oh Hello There!

Welcome back to my blog!

I know it’s been a hot minute since I have posted anything on the ‘Food and Drink’ section of Soheila Online, but let me assure you that this was completely intentional. As I grow my brand I am also evolving and changing the direction of certain aspects of my blog. And although I love food (I mean, this girl loves to eat!) I wasn’t sure if recipe posts were where I wanted to concentrate my time and efforts. That doesn’t mean I won’t be sharing pretty food pictures with you anymore! It just means, instead of focusing my efforts on sharing my recipes, I want to share my food experiences with you in a different way - like through collaborations with my favourite food influencers!

So in the spirit of new beginnings I am back on the blog today to share a little festive autumn collaboration with my dear friend @Inspiredbynick! If you are guys are not familiar with Nick Joly he is a vegan food blogger based in Toronto that aims to promote healthier lifestyle habits and delicious vegan recipes. If you aren’t following him on Instagram already I definitely recommend you do!

@InspiredByNick and I at Downey’s Farm

@InspiredByNick and I at Downey’s Farm

Nick and I first met a couple months ago through our mutual friend Krystle (@dineandfash) and really hit it off. Since our first introduction over lunch at Cubano Restaurant I have been following Nick’s progress and really admire his positive attitude, health lifestyle habits, all round hustle, and drool-worthy vegan food pics! That is why a couple week ago I asked Nick if he wanted to collaborate with me on a little project I was planning for fall.

Usually not the biggest fan of letting go of summer, this year I wanted to embrace autumn by celebrating its cuteness in all its glory. For me this meant a little content creation road trip up to the pumpkin patch would need to happen, and I knew Nick would be the best partner in crime to collaborate with. So off we went to Downey’s farm in Caledon (a short 45 min drive from downtown Toronto).

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Our plan for the collaboration was to go early, take a couple lifestyle photos, grab some picture perfect pumpkins, head back to Nick’s house to make a vegan recipe he had in mind, and style some Pinterest worthy photos. We were so prepared for our little road trip and for our food styling and pumpkin patch photos session that everything went off without a hitch. Nick had purchased mini pumpkins and ingredients ahead of time and I showed up with a red wagon (the perfect pumpkin patch photo prop) and a bag full of dollar store decorations for food styling. Together we took some super cute photos and created perfect autumn themed content. 

Nick of course being the master cook in this collaboration has shared the recipe to the Vegan Pumpkin Soup we (but really he - I just played with the dogs) made -> http://bit.ly/2CC1ATS on his blog while I get to share the cute pictures of us from the pumpkin patch with you here. Although I won’t be posting as many recipes anymore I really feel like there are so many talented foodies out there like Nick who’s Instagram could benefit a lot of people and instill more positive habits in everyone’s life - vegan or not. That is why I wanted to collaborate with Nick on my first post back and share his amazing platform with you as a way to find inspiration and positive reinforcement for your everyday life. Food after all is ment to be shared and Nick just does it so well!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

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SUNRYPE SLIM BOOZY POPSICLE RECIPES #SPONSORED

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Boozy Popsical Sunrype Slim 10

It may only be spring, but my heart is already yearning for summer. I love longer days, warmer nights, and being able to gather with friends. Summer entertaining is one of my favourite things to do on weekends, and I always look for any excuse to host a get together. It’s also a great way to just relax and take 10 for yourself and to actually enjoy the moment, instead of being wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

One thing I typically do in the summer is keep some fun popsicles in my freezer. Not only because they make a great after work treat and are a great party ‘wow’ factor, but because they help me take 10 for myself and cool down on those hot and sweaty summer nights when there isn’t a breeze for miles. I can still picture myself last summer, happy as a clam licking my popsicle as it dripped down my hand like I was twelve - so perfectly refreshing. Who is to say popsicles have to be just for kids anyways? As a matter of fact, MY popsicles are just for Adults.

To add a little extra fun to my popsicles, I booze them up in a multitude of ways. There are obviously so many variations you can make, but I always like to make sure that the ingredients I use taste great and aren’t filled with sugar and artificial elements. That is why I love to use SunRype Slim beverages as the perfect popsicle base, as they don’t have any artificial colouring, flavours or contain any aspartame, plus they only contain 10 calories per serving (250ml), how great is that!.

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Using SunRype Slim makes it easy for me to adjust the amount of sweetness I want so my popsicles fit my palette (and calorie intake) and still maintain natural flavours and ingredients. The best part - they are so easy to make to your liking and easy to find. You can try this recipe out using a variety of different flavors including SunRype Slim Blueberry Burst, Cranberry Twist, Lemon Drop Lemonade, Long Island Iced Tea and Tropical Mango– all found in the non-refrigerated juice aisle of your grocery store.

Not into popsicles? SunRype Slim 10 low calorie beverages are also perfect without alcohol as a refreshing glass over ice on a warm summer day!

Tips before we get started
*   Soaking your popsicle sticks before making your popsicles will help with any buoyancy issues and prevent them from popping out of the molds completely.
*   Soaking your fruit in alcohol before hand adds for an extra punch!
*   SunRype Slim contains only 10 calories per serving (250ml). To keep calories per popsicle even lower, you can always leave out the simple syrup and replace with more SunRype Slim!

What are you waiting for? Take 10 – whether you have just 10 seconds or 10 minutes - for yourself and relax with a delicious SunRype Slim popsicle now!

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Blueberry Mojito Pops!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Cup of Sugar
1/2 Cup of Water
Mint
1 Bottle of SunRype Slim Blueberry Burst
3/4 Cup of Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice
1/2 oz Shot of Rum Per Popsicle
Blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

-    Make a simple syrup using equal parts sugar and water. Bring water to a boil and add in your sugar. You can also add in some mint to give your simple syrup extra flavour! Once sugar has completely dissolved, strain the mint from your simple syrup and let cool to room temperature. 

-    Fill 1/4 of each popsicle mold with SunRype Slim Blueberry Burst, then fill 1/4 of each popsicle mold with equal amounts of Lime Juice and Simple Syrup. Next add 1/2 Oz of Rum and some blueberries (maybe like 10 per mold). You can also add in some fresh mint leaves to each if you want. If there is still room in your molds, top it off with more SunRype Slim Blueberry Burst.

-    Add in your popsicle sticks and place popsicle molds in the freezer overnight for best results!

Spiked Peace Raspberry Ice Tea!

INGREDIENTS:

2 Peaches - sliced thin
1 Pint of Raspberries
1/2 Cup of Tequila
1/2 Cup of Vodka
1/2 Cup of White Rum
1/2 Cup of Sugar
1/2 Cup of Water
1 Bottle of SunRype Slim Long Island Ice Tea

DIRECTIONS:

-    Mix tequila, vodka, and white rum together in a bowl and add in your thin slices of peaches. Allow peaches and raspberries to soak up the alcohol overnight in the fridge.

-    Make a simple syrup using equal parts sugar and water. Bring water to a boil and add in your sugar. Once sugar has completely dissolved, let cool to room temperature. 

-    Place a couple of your alcohol soaked peaches and raspberries in each of the molds. Fill 1/2 of each mold with SunRype Slim Long Island Ice Tea. Fill the remainder with equal parts simple syrup and left over alcohol mix.

-    Add in your popsicle sticks and place popsicle molds in the freezer overnight for best results!

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Watermelon Lemonade Prosecco Pops

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 a Seedless Watermelon (Cubed)
1 Bottle of SunRype Slim Lemon Drop Lemonade
1 Bottle of Prosecco
1 Lemon - to make thin lemon slices with

DIRECTIONS

-    Placed cubed watermelon in blender and liquefy.

-    Add 2-4 thin slices of lemon to each mold.

-    Fill 1/3 of each mold with watermelon juice, 1/3 with SunRype Lemon Drop Lemonade and 1/3 with Prosecco (pour Prosecco slowly as to not have the bubbles overflow).

-    Add in your popsicle sticks and place popsicle molds in the freezer overnight for best results!

Discover More With SunRype Slim10!

Disclaimer: This post has been generously sponsored by Sun-Rype, the opinions and language are my own and in no way do they reflect Sun-Rype

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PEEK-A-BOO SHORTBREAD LINZER COOKIES

The Best Shortbread Linzer Cookie Recipe

It's not always easy to keep up financially with the holidays. Although I love giving people gifts and putting a smile on my friends and family members faces, my thoughtful nature can get quiet expensive if I'm buying everyone gifts. That is why during the holidays I love to bake! Putting your efforts towards spreading holiday cheer through making something can often be the perfect gift to share with loved ones. One of my go - to holiday gifts this year are these super cute peek-a-boo shortbread snowflakes. I filled mine with my favourite jam, Bonne Maman but you can use Nutella, Dulce De Leche, or whatever filling you like! Enjoy!

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Peek a boo jam filled shortbread snowflakes

INGREDIENTS FOR SHORTBREAD LINZER COOKIES:

1 CUP of unsalted softened butter
3/4 Cup of Icing Sugar
1/2 TSP of Vanilla Extract
1/4 TSP of Salt
2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup of your favorite jam!

*you can dust the cookies with icing sugar at the end for extra effect!

STRAWBERRY JAM

LOOKING TO DO SOME HOLIDAY BAKING? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER FUN RECIPES!

HOW TO MAKE SHORTBREAD LINZER COOKIES:

In a mixer or by hand place softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl and mix until well incorporated. 

Add in your all-purpose flour bit by bit till a dough starts to form. (TIP: If it is too sticky you can always add a little bit more flour at the end)

Once the dough is formed wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Once ready, preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Roll out dough between two pieces of wax paper! Use snowflake cut out to make your desired shape and place on a baking tray lined with a cookie sheet or wax paper. Half of these will become 'Peek-A-Boo' tops to the cookie (TIP: Once on the baking tray it is easier to make the smaller inside 'Peek-A-Boo' cut-outs using a smaller snowflake and extracting the inside cut out with a toothpick!)

When ready place in the oven for 20 minutes or until cookies become golden on the edges. Rotate the trays halfway (about 10 minutes).

Let cool before sandwiching a layer of jam between the bottom full shortbread cookie and the 'peek-a-boo' cut out top shortbread cookie!

Enjoy!

If you like this Shortbread Linzer Cookie recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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HOLIDAY GINGERBREAD COOKIES

THE BEST GINGERBREAD COOKIE RECIPE!

Queue the Christmas music, ......"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!"
The holidays are a great excuse to get together with family and celebrate. With all the parties and gatherings you are going to this year perhaps a little baking session is needed. Here's an easy and fun gingerbread cookie recipe that is not only delicious but great for any party. This year I was even thinking I could write people’s names on them and use them as place cards on a dinner table! Or keep some blank cookies for my nephew and nieces to decorate as a pre-dinner activity. I recently made a 3D gingerbread Christmas tree which turned out amazing! The creative opportunities are endless! Enjoy!

Makes about 30 cookies

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INGREDIENTS FOR GINGERBREAD COOKIES:

1/3 of a Cup Butter (unsalted) - softened
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Large Egg - at room temperature
1/3 of a Cup of Fancy Molasses
2 and 3/4 Cups of Flour (All Purpose)
1 1/2 TSP of Ginger
1 TSP of Cinnamon
1/2 TSP Baking Soda
1/4 TSP Ground Cloves
Pinch of Salt

*You will also need cookie cutters and icing!

LOOKING FOR SOME FUN HOLIDAY BAKING? CHECK OUT THESE OTHER RECIPES!

HOW TO MAKE GINGERBREAD COOKIES:

Blend softened butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add in your egg and fancy molasses.

In a separate bowl mix your flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, ground cloves, and salt. Whisk until well mixed.

Slowly start to add your flour mixture into your butter mixture until a dough starts to form. You may want to finish it off with your hands.

Make two dough balls from the mixture and wrap in plastic wrap before placing them in the fridge for an hour.

After an hour, remove the dough balls from the fridge and let them rest for 10 minutes before rolling them out to 1/4 inch thickness. I used my clean countertop to roll the dough out and placed wax parchment paper on top of the dough for easy rolling.

Cut out your shapes and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Place each shape 1/2 - 1 inch apart because the cookies do spread out and puff up a little.

Bake 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 10 if you want them soft and 12 if you want them crunchy.

Remove from oven and allow to cool down before decorating.

If you like this gingerbread cookie recipe or have any comments/questions about how to make gingerbread cookies, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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BLACK FIG & OLIVE TAPENADE

Is it just me or does the combination of sweet back fig and savoury black olives sound like the perfect pairing! I love this recipe for that exact taste profile and spread across a crisp or accompanied with Parmesan cheese it is a perfect appetizer. If you're looking for something to serve at your next dinner party that's both quick to whip up and as easy as throwing everything into a food process - this tapenade is perfect! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

Yields 1.5 Cups of Tapenade

1 Cup of Black Fig - Rinsed and Cut Up
1/2 Cup of Pitted Black Olives
1 Clove of Garlic Clove - peeled and chopped
2 Tsp of Capers - drained and rinsed
1 Tsp of Fresh Rosemary
Squeeze of lemon
1/4 Cup of Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Place figs, pitted olives, garlic, capers, and rosemary in the food processor and blend until pureed.

Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and continue to mix.

While the motor is running add the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper as per your taste (I usually add a little salt no pepper but to each their own).

Black Fig and Olive Tapenade

I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Bon Appetite!!!

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