creamy coconut & mushroom soup

The stars in Whistler, especially when standing on my porch, are so incredibly bright I feel like I could reach out and grab them. They limit the streetlights, especially where I live so that you can see the stars more clearly. I love that. I went to the most beautiful yoga class tonight and to my surprise it had someone playing and singing live music. I went to the cafe in this gorgeous lodge on the water by my house this afternoon to respond to some emails and have an almond milk cappuccino (I think I’m addicted). The cafe is attached to the yoga studio so with 5 minutes to class I jetted over. 

I’ve written about Tina’s classes before but she is just so incredibly loving, genuine and inspiring I am in awe every time I take her class. She is one of those people who you just want to bottle up everything they are saying so you can listen to it over and over again. She speaks with such conviction and passion straight from her heart and everything she says really resonates with me. Tonight she spoke about intention. She said that if you have clear intention you absolutely cannot fail. There may be a few roadblocks or bumps in the road but you can make it a reality. She discussed listening to your heart and your body. Following what feels right for you.

I was introduced to this program last New Year for 2013 called ‘Word of the Year’. You pick one and only one word to guide you throughout that year. A word that if you brought into your life, led your life by this word, let it guide you – you would see a tangible and welcome change. Last year my word was trust, I am still working on that but felt that in moving to Whistler and in a lot of the relationships I’ve made here, I’ve been able to really trust and be trusted by those around me. This year I chose intuition. I am always in between two decisions. Where to live, where to work, what my next step is, whether to say yes or no. I want to silence my mind and listen to my gut this year. Do what is right for me. Intuition and intention go hand in hand. When you listen to your intuition you get so clear on your intention and you can live the life you dream of. 

As a lot of my friends are buying their first house, getting engaged, having babies. I am ecstatic for them and sometimes envious of where they are in their lives. Tina spoke about wealth tonight. That our wealth isn’t measured only financially, but we should also evaluate it by the wealth of love and support around us. The depth of our relationships, our friendships. Where we find happiness in our lives. That is our wealth. When I look at my life that way – I feel like the wealthiest woman in the world. 

On my way home from yoga I looked at all the brilliant stars and felt so lucky for my life. I then went to the grocery store and grabbed some ingredients to make this incredible mushroom soup. This soup was inspired by the cream of mushroom soup found on the VEGA website. I made a few additions and really loved the outcome. Thanks for the inspiration VEGA! 

Creamy Coconut and Mushroom Soup 

• 1 TB of coconut oil 
• 1 large white onion diced 
• 1 clove of garlic minced 
• 4 C of cremini or button mushrooms, chopped 
• 2-3 portobello mushroom caps, chopped
• 1 C of vegetable stock (or white wine) 
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• 2 C vegetable broth
• a bunch of pea shoots (or any kind of sprout you love)
• 1 TB of soy sauce or tamari 
• 1 TB of balsamic vinegar 
• dash of cracker pepper 

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Add the onions and garlic and stir until coated, let simmer stirring often until they are translucent and tender. Add all of the mushrooms and let saute until most of the liquid has evaporated (10-15 minutes) stirring often. Next add one cup of vegetable stock (or white wine) to the pot to deglaze. I didn’t have any wine and the BC liquor store was closed unfortunately, I really think the wine would’ve been nice rather than the vegetable stock, next time! 

Add one can of coconut milk to your blender along with half of the mushroom/onion mix from your pot. Puree until smooth. Add the mixture back into your pot along with the other can of coconut milk and 2 more cups of vegetable broth/stock. My soup was pretty viscous so I only added one cup, next time I would add a few more mushrooms to make it thicker. Finally add the balsamic, tamari and pepper to taste. The balsamic and tamari added a spiciness the soup was lacking in my opinion. 

Garnish the soup with a few sprigs of whatever sprout you’d like. I added pea shoots. If you like dairy I think that a dollop of Greek yogurt in the center of your soup bowl, finished with the sprouts would be gorgeous and delicious.

This soup was super easy to make, super healthy, filling and delicious. 

I hope you try it and love it! 

with intuition and intention, 

Sarah Alicia Harvison 

roasted eggplant and zucchini pizza topped with caramelized onions, artichokes and arugula

I love pizza but I am trying to cut dairy out of my diet. I don’t drink milk or buy any dairy products but that enticing piece of pizza from Fat Tony’s has a tendency to call my name. Cheese is my weakness. I made this vegan pizza with all of my favourites on it and I honestly didn’t miss the cheese at all.

After last night, I can also add snowmobiling on Cougar mountain to the list of things I’ve gotten up to in Whistler recently. Snowmobiling was followed by pizza and beer around a campfire with all of my girlfriends. I indulged in some veggie pizza but passed on the beer for some perrier – that counts for something right? haha. I could smell the smokey campfire in my hair this morning and loved it.

I hope you guys love this pizza as much as me. This is the first of many experimental pizza’s I plan on creating. The dough was store bought from a local baker and has an egg in it. Next time I’m going to try to make the dough myself. 

Roasted Eggplant and Zucchini Pizza 

• 1 fresh pizza dough (bought or homemade)
• a few shakes of vegetable spice 
• 1 large eggplant sliced 
• 1/2 a zucchini sliced 
• 1 jar of artichokes in oil
• a few dashes of worcestershire sauce  
• a few dashes of your preferred hot sauce
• 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, or crushed tomatoes 
• 1 large white onion
• 1/4 cup brown sugar 
• a few dashes of balsamic
• 2 TB extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/4 cup white or red wine (whichever works) 
• 2 C of arugula (rocket) 

Toss the eggplant and zucchini in olive oil and vegetable spice and lay flat on a baking sheet. Place in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. While vegetables are roasting place skillet on the stove top over medium heat. Heat the olive oil in the pan. Add the sugar and keep stirring to let it dissolve into the olive oil. Add the onion to the pan. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add the balsamic vinegar and the wine and let simmer on low continually stirring until the onions get a sticky coating and become caramelized. Set aside. 

Flip the vegetables and let them get another 5-10 minutes on the opposite side. Spread the dough out on a well oiled pan. In a mixing bowl, mix together the tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce and the hot sauce (I like to use Frank’s) until you get your desired taste. Spread this onto the base of your pizza. Take the vegetables out of the oven and spread across the pizza. Top with the artichokes and then sprinkle the caramelized onions on top. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the dough has puffed up and baked through. 

Take out of the oven and top with the arugula. If you’d like a little bit more sweetness, feel free to finish with a drizzle of balsamic reduction. 

Enjoy! 

with love and artichokes, 

Sarah Alicia 

third generation bean salad

This bean salad reminds me so much of my Oma. She would make it for every picnic, BBQ or summer patio lunch I can remember (she also makes a mean potato salad to come). My mom modified the recipe to include less sugar and oil and then passed it on to me and voila! This is a great protein filled, meat-free alternative that gives you mucho bang for your buck. I hope you like it! 

easy-peasy bean salad

• 1 can of kidney beans
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 1 can of green beans
• 1 can of wax beans 
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 red onion, diced 
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 
• 1/3 cup sugar (I used coconut cane sugar)
• 1/3 cup vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar which was fine but regular white vinegar is probably better)

Rinse the beans, can by can in a strainer in the sink before adding to a big mixing bowl. Add the red pepper, green pepper and red onion. In a separate bowl combine the olive oil, sugar and vinegar to make a dressing. Pour dressing over the bean mixture and mix to combine.

Enjoy! 

PS. You can make the salad without the sugar it just isn’t quite as tasty to be honest. I am trying to think of a better alternative, maybe stevia, agave or honey – I’ll try this again and get back to you! 

with salads and smiles, 

Sarah Alicia Harvison