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sweet potato

Baking, Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert & Treats, Fall, Food

DECADENT DARK CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD

If you’re anything like me, you have a ton of frozen, ripe bananas in your freezer! Whenever I need to use some up, my Decadent Dark Chocolate Banana Bread is my favourite banana bread to make — it tastes like a decadent chocolate cake, but it’s full of healthier, more nourishing ingredients than your average banana bread (psst… it has an avocado in it!). I’ve made probably 10 different variations of this recipe over the years, and I always incorporate whatever ingredients I have in my pantry. I bet you have them in yours too! This recipe reminds me of drinking tea and baking with my Mom — I always make this recipe out at her place when I visit on fall weekends. So, I used her vintage tea cups, silver and linens to style this post — my Mom’s house is full of antiques!

September 12, 2015 by Justine

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Food, Gluten Free, Smoothies & Juices, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

CHERRY CRUMBLE SMOOTHIE

In honour of Canada Day, I’m sharing a red and white smoothie recipe inspired by one of my favourite summer desserts — cherry crumble! It’s cherry season in Canada, so I wanted to incorporate cherries into a healthy, nutrition packed smoothie that you can enjoy anytime of day (even though it tastes like a dessert!). My Cherry Crumble Smoothie also contains an unexpected superfood vegetable that makes it naturally sweet and decadent tasting — just like real cherry crumble.

July 1, 2015 by Justine

Dairy Free, Dinner, Food, Gluten Free, Lunch, Salads & Bowls, Summer, Vegan, Vegetarian

VEGAN SOUTHWEST QUINOA BOWLS

This is a pretty nerdy confession… but it’s really fun for me to try to recreate restaurant dishes I love at home! I enjoy the challenge of figuring out what ingredients were used and attempting to make restaurant-inspired cuisine — it pushes me out of my comfort zone and I end up combining ingredients I wouldn’t usually pair together (like the Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing in this recipe). My Vegan Southwest Quinoa Bowls are inspired by the Viva Bowl at NYC’s Local Thyme (where I ate lunch almost every day during my time in Manhattan!) — but with my own spin, and tons of extra veggies! Did you know that today is National Eat Your Vegetables Day?

June 17, 2015 by Justine

Baking, Bar, Create, Dessert & Treats, Dining Room, Dwell, Entertain, Fashion, Flowers, Food, Gluten Free, Inspiration, Local Love, Occasions, Spring, Vegan, Wine & Cocktails

A SIMPLE EASTER DINNER FOR TWO

Remember when I mentioned over the holidays that I wanted to bring more ENTERTAIN content to JustineCelina this year? Although these weren’t quite the circumstances I envisioned (now that’s an understatement!), I’m thrilled to share A Simple Easter Dinner For Two with you today! While Easter certainly looked a lot different for everyone this year given the current global situation, we decided to make the most of it and celebrate here in our home in Calgary — just the two of us. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we’d spend an Easter without the large family gatherings in the country we’ve become accustomed to over the years — but rather than mourning the loss of our cherished traditions, we resolved to stay home and create a few of our own!

In over a decade together, this was the first Easter dinner we’ve celebrated in our home — and I wanted to mark the occasion by capturing these memories to look back on. I put on a dress, ordered flowers, made some nostalgic family recipes along with my first ever carrot cake — then we popped some Prosecco and enjoyed A Simple Easter Dinner For Two (Adam was actually peeling potatoes in the kitchen to my left as I snapped these photos from my tripod!). I was reminded of my ability to find beauty in uncertainty and create amongst chaos — these are things I find very cathartic and truly bring me joy. While it wasn’t a traditional Easter, it was still a lovely weekend — gifting us with lessons in resiliency, enjoying life’s simple pleasures and doing the best you can with what you have, where you are! Whether you’ve stopped by today for details on our Easter in quarantine, are planning a more intimate Easter gathering of your own, or are visiting years in the future once this is all behind us in search of some easy Easter entertaining ideas, I’ve got you covered!

April 18, 2020 by Justine

Entertain, Occasions, Wine & Cocktails, Winter

CLASSIC WINTER CITRUS RED SANGRIA

Remember when I mentioned all the seasonal recipes I have in my backlog? Well, today I’m finally publishing the very first sangria recipe I ever developed — almost 10 years ago (yikes!). I honestly can’t even tell you how many times I’ve made this Classic Winter Citrus Red Sangria with friends and family over the years, but I bet it’s more than 50. In fact, it was this recipe that inspired my sangria craze — it’s the original! It was singlehandedly responsible for a large portion of my 20’s being a bit hazy and escalating some of my favourite entertaining memories (or lack there of!) in our first homes over the years! This classic red sangria never fails to get the party started (now that’s the understatement of the century!) and is my all time favourite beverage to make when we’re hosting or attending a party, especially during the cooler months. It’s absolutely delicious and approved by friends, moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and inlaws — even the non-wine drinkers rave about it! So, I figured it was finally time to unleash the recipe on the world — however, I will not be held liable for any life altering hangovers that ensue after a few too many glasses (hey, it goes down easy — consider yourself warned!).

My Classic Winter Citrus Red Sangria is the quintessential holiday cocktail, marrying fruity zinfandel and apricot brandy with festive, seasonal flavours of satsuma, lime, lemon, pomegranate and a hint of cozy cinnamon. This better-for-you holiday cocktail is free of added sugar and brimming with clean, plant based ingredients plus a mega dose of antioxidants. If you love to entertain, this simple, jubilant sangria will leave your guests feeling merry and bright! And to help spread some holiday cheer, my Connecting Over Cocktails crew and I are back at it again — and this time, we’re thrilled to bring you our Holiday Edition. If you’re planning a festive celebration and looking to take the party up a notch this year, check out the bottom of this post for 5 gorgeous, seasonal sips from a handful of my favourite cocktail connoisseurs!

November 24, 2017 by Justine

Dairy Free, Dinner, Food, Gluten Free, Lunch, Salads & Bowls, Sponsored, Vegan, Vegetarian

VEGAN FIESTA BUFFALO TOFU BOWLS WITH TAHINI LIME CREMA

Wait I’m confused… what season is it? Watermelon is still front and centre at my local grocer and yet it’s snowing (oh, how I wish I was kidding). As I edit this post, I’m enjoying a glass of crisp rosé in a poncho and fuzzy slippers — and I finally have to cave and turn the heat on! While the weather in Calgary has been less than desirable, late summer harvest has been kind to us with local tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuces popping up everywhere — and I’m taking full advantage. If you, too are in the mood for some healthy comfort food to weather the storm, you’ve come to the right place! Today I’m elated to continue my partnership with Inspired Greens and bring you my Vegan Fiesta Buffalo Tofu Bowls with Tahini Lime Crema — the meal that kept us nourished during our paint-a-thon this summer. I literally came up with this recipe by throwing what we had on hand into a big salad bowl, mixing it up and serving it. Upon first bite, I knew I’d be publishing it — after all, unusual circumstances typically lead to some of my most inventive recipe ideas!

My Vegan Fiesta Buffalo Tofu Bowls with Tahini Lime Crema are a healthy, plant based, 30-minute meal alternative to the pub food that my delicate stomach can absolutely not handle anymore. Seriously though — if chicken wings, a plate of loaded nachos and a burrito had a vegan love child, this would be it! These festive, protein rich bowls are brimming with Alberta grown, seasonal produce including Inspired Greens Red Butter Lettuce — remixed with JustineCelina kitchen staples like quinoa, black beans, olives, Buffalo Tofu (a completely addictive, plant based alternative to hot wings!) and Tahini Lime Crema — a versatile sauce we always have in our fridge that’s good on just about anything. This, my friends, is the ultimate vegan comfort food with a fresh, early autumn spin!

September 24, 2017 by Justine

Christmas in November 2016 at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge // JustineCelina.com

Fall, Fashion, Food, Life, Travel, Wine & Cocktails, Winter

CHRISTMAS IN NOVEMBER AT THE FAIRMONT JASPER PARK LODGE

We’re home from Christmas in November at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and tonight I’m recapping our experience! What is Christmas in November, you ask? Basically, it’s a giant meeting of people who love all the same things I love — great food, wine, entertainment and seasonal inspiration. This past weekend we cooked with celebrity chefs, learned about holiday decor from industry experts, came away with tons of culinary inspiration and tasted wine from all over the world. Sounds like a good time, right? Now, imagine that experience set in a charming, rustic lodge, overlooking a serene mountain lake in a picturesque National Park. That, my friends, is what Christmas in November at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is all about! I’m sharing every detail of our trip — including the accommodations, the food, and drink, the lodge, the spa, the setting, the sessions, the after parties, who we met and what I wore! Come along with us to Jasper, Alberta on this festive retreat nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and let’s kick off the holiday season in style!

November 17, 2016 by Justine

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