What a great day we had in Ottawa! With Philip all done work Saturday was “our” day to explore this great Canadian capitol city. Ottawa has so much to offer, shops, cafes, bars and great scenery not to mention the obvious parliament buildings! Since we were all a tad hungry we decided to have a quick breakfast at a nearby restaurant. I chose to have some whole wheat toast with peanut butter and a bowl of fresh cut fruit. After that great breakfast we strolled down to the famous Byward market area, it was alive with lots of vegetable and fruit stalls. Lots of ethnic restaurant close by, Indian, Thai, Japanese, Italian and Scottish. If you couldn’t find something for your appetites you may be very fussy lol.
Byward market was a great place to explore and take in all the fresh produce on offer. Too bad we were just visiting as we couldn’t buy much or it would go off.
Everything was also locally grown which makes it a great way to support your local farmers! After our stroll around the market the boys got a bit tired (and hot) so they wanted to go back to the hotel for a swim. We decided to have a walk around the Rideau canal again since the weather was cooperating. It wasn’t as sunny as yesterday but still a great day for site seeing.
Then the clouds decided to show up and showered us with a bit of rain, so where else to hide than an Irish pub! The Aulde Dubliner fit the spot. It’s a busy little pub right on the main corner of the Byward market.
Time was getting on so back to the hotel it was to collect the boys and go out for dinner. Thai it was! We chose a great Thai restaurant close to the hotel called The Green Papaya. The waitress was extremely helpful when I explained I was vegan and she recommended some fully vegan dishes because a lot of Thai dishes have some fish paste in it. She chose a great mango salad for my appetizer, it was sweet and spicy all at once, very yummy indeed (I had to share it with Philip)
For my main (yes I had room left) the waitress recommended a great bean sprout dinner. Bean sprouts, peppers, snowpeas and tofu.
Sadly our great trip came to an end and we set off bright and early Sunday morning happy mothers day all! There’s nothing like coming home even though you’ve enjoyed your vacation, relaxing in your own home. So to end my mothers day I had a nice cup of tea and a slice of my home made vegan chocolate zucchini loaf.
- 4 Cups shredded zucchini
- 2 Tablespoons ground flax seed
- 6 Tablespoons warm water
- 2½ cups spelt flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 2 Teaspoons baking soda
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup Sucanat
- ¾ cup applesauce
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Place shredded zucchini in a sieve or colander over a bowl to drain excess moisture while preparing other ingredients.
- In a small bowl, mix ground flax and water, set aside in fridge.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease (or use cooking spray) 2 loaf pans or 2 8X8 inch baking pans.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flax/water mixture maple syrup and Sucanat use an electric mixer Mix until smooth. Add applesauce and vanilla extract and stir until combined.
- Stir the zucchini into the maple syrup mixture. A
- Add the flour mixture in 4 additions, combining well after each addition.
- Divide the batter between the two loaf pans.
- For loaf pans, bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. bake for 30 minutes. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack. When cooled completely, cut with bread knife and enjoy!
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