Author: Debbie King

A blog about LIFE and STYLE
Food + Drink, Girl Who Would be King

Super Food: Moroccan Chickpea Quinoa Salad

Sweet meets Savory

This healthy & hearty salad made in one pot is hard to beat. It takes maybe 30 minutes to prepare and it’s a delicious vegetarian meal packed with protein which comes in handy for lunch. Non-vegetarians can enjoy it for dinner served as a side along roast chicken or fish. 

INGREDIENTS

  • ½ tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 cups vegetarian broth (or water)
  • 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • ⅔ cup dried cranberries
  • ⅓ cup finely diced flat leaf parsley
  • ½ cup sliced toasted almonds

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Add coconut oil to a large pot and place over medium heat. Once oil is hot add in onion and sauté until onion is translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the following spices: turmeric, cumin, cinnamon and salt and pepper; cook for 30 seconds more.
  2. Next add in broth (or water) and quinoa; bring mixture to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and cook for exactly 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from heat and fluff quinoa with a fork.
  3. Stir in chickpeas, cranberries and parsley to the quinoa and mix until well-combined. Taste and adjust seasonings. Garnish with toasted almonds and extra parsley. Serves 4.
  4. To serve: Place in mason jars or meal prep containers for lunch throughout the week. Garnish with extra toasted almonds.

Quinoa: with 8 grams per cup, this gluten-free seed-like grain is a fantastic source of protein, magnesium, antioxidants, and fiber.

Recipe & Photo: ambitiouskitchen.com

 

 

Girl Who Would be King

Monday Mood Board #17

A bright new month 

What can we expect from you?

cherry blossoms of course
lighter fabrics even for rainy days
This is the duster I received in my Spring Box of Style

That’s good enough for starters

beauty, Girl Who Would be King

Charming Beauty: the Keepsake

If you can’t take it with you then wear it while you can

Ever since I can remember I’ve always loved the idea behind charm bracelets. A charm bracelet is personal and allows you to create beautiful memories. They’re sentimental because they have a story attached.  I’ve never had any that were just randomly chosen.

CHANEL Famous Vintage Gold Plated
Tiffany & Co.

As a child I wore a sterling silver bracelet and collected charms about things and from places that meant something.  Family members would add to it and before you know I had no more room for more.  I remember a little statue of liberty from a trip to New York with my parents, an Eiffel tower, a cat (my preference at the time – how things change) and a rocking chair (yes, I was an old person way back then – always went for the rocking chair or rocking horse). Which reminds me I also had the rocking horse charm. Unfortunately the bracelet was left in Montreal and after my parents passed away I could not find it.  But I kept all the gold charms gifted over the years that replaced the silver ones, and turned the smaller ones into a meaningful bracelet.

For instance, the little gold heart was a gift from my grandfather (on my mothers side) who offered it to her for me when I was born.  It has my name on one side and my birthdate on the other.  I wore it on a necklace when I was a baby but when I got older I found it too small to wear on my neck.  The name plate was something my mom bought me as a bracelet on its own when I was a young teenager because I wanted a signet bracelet so badly.  But I had that transferred onto the charm bracelet.  So I have a little story and it all has value to me personally.  Maybe in time I’ll add a few more but I adore it as is.

The company Pandora has taken a modern switch and turned charms into smaller beads which for many make it easier to wear and less cumbersome.

Keep me hanging

When it comes to charm bracelets I still love the ones that dangle.  When it comes to diamonds, I now go for less visibility where they sit into the ring and not stick out. Makes it easier to clean and not catch on clothing. And less showy.

Vintage or otherwise these charming bracelets are timeless

Kate Middleton

Anyone else into them?  (other than me & Kate)

 

 

Girl Who Would be King, STYLE

Home Style: the Moroccan way

I’ve always been attracted to the appealing Moroccan aesthetic.  It’s warm, it’s inviting and it’s glamorous.  Here are some ideas to incorporate for your home.  Even a few pillows, a lantern or candle strewn here and there might be enough to get a little welcome to my casbah vibe going.

Moroccan STYLE Bedroom 

http://ideas4design.net/

Moroccan style in the design of a bedroom is a real favorite.  This bedroom is truly luxurious. This decor combines the ideas and traditions of Far East, South Spain and North Africa!

Moroccan STYLE Patio 

 

http://www.stylemotivation.com

Moroccan STYLE Terrace

https://www.homedezign.net

Moroccan STYLE Bathroom

http://maisonvalentina.net

It all started because I walked into this store called Pure Atlas with Modern Moroccan Accessories the other day:

https://www.pureatlas.com/
Photos: d. king

How about I just start with a book?

INDULGE your SENSES

 

 

 

 

Food + Drink, Girl Who Would be King

Food: ROASTED BEET HUMMUS

For a winning party or potluck dip you cannot BEET this recipe.

Taken from theminimalistbaker.com

It’s a nice departure from the usual Mediterranean style hummus we’ve come to love. Super creamy and flavorful. Full of vitamins and minerals. Perfect with pita or veggies.  I made it twice in one month to rave reviews (unless they lied but I doubt it).

It’s also very simple to make. Once you have a roasted beet it’s a matter of throwing everything into a food processor or blender and whisking away.  You might want to roast more than one beet (to use the others in salads, etc.) because that takes the longest time.

Ingredients:
  • 1 small roasted beet
  • 1 15-oz. can (1 3/4 cup) cooked chickpeas, mostly drained
  • zest of 1 large lemon
  • juice of 1/2 a large lemon
  • healthy pinch salt and black pepper
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 heaping Tbsp tahini
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C), remove the stem and most of the root from beet, and scrub and wash it under running water until clean. Drizzle on a bit of canola or olive oil, wrap tightly in foil, and roast for one hour or until a knife inserted falls out without resistance and is tender (similar to a baked potato). Let cool to room temperature.
  2. Once your beet is cooled and peeled, quarter it and place it in your food processor. Blend until only small bits remain.
  3. Add remaining ingredients except for olive oil and blend until smooth.
  4. Drizzle in olive oil as the hummus is mixing.
  5. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more salt, lemon juice, or olive oil if needed. If it’s too thick, add a bit of water.
  6. Will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

But it won’t last one week because you’ll eat it up before then.

Girl Who Would be King, THINKAboutit

Monday Mood: Meaning

My Monday mood board is normally light but sometimes we just need to vent. And sometimes it takes more than that.  Sometimes it takes an army to get a message across. Sometimes our lives depend on it.

March For Our Lives 

Looking west, people fill Pennsylvania Avenue during the “March for Our Lives” rally in support of gun control, Saturday, March 24, 2018, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The kids have spoken.  We cannot keep America great if we cannot keep America safe. 

On Saturday, March 24, kids and families in cities across the country and around the globe took to the streets to demand change to gun control laws, so that their lives and safety become a priority in order to end gun violence and mass shootings in schools NOW.

The main protest was organized by students from the High School in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman from the same school killed 17 people and injured others on Valentine’s Day. March for Our Lives was anchored by the main event in Washington, D.C.

Sometimes it’s the very people who no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.

On Grief and Grieving:

Death can give focus to what money can and cannot buy.  It can teach us what being rich is all about.  No amount of money can ever replace the loss of someone we love.

Wealth and poverty are states of mind.  Many people without money feel wealthy, while many rich people can feel poor.  Death is a factor that changes all our views as we are forced to evaluate our worth and what ultimately matters in life – by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, M.D. & David Kessler.

I like this quote from Mahatma Gandhi – Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.

On life Lessons:

Maya Angelou told Oprah Winfrey: When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. Your problem is you have to be shown 29 times.

How many of us have to be shown 29 times or more?  Why do we have a lack of discernment for things that appear to be obvious?

Character is very much a defining matter in everything.  Integrity is important.

If we’re not living life to the fullest we can at least create meaningful moments. That to me, seems reasonable.  Because someone’s idea of living life to the fullest can mean jumping out of a plane every day while someone else might feel that reading a book a week is the answer.

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

Girl Who Would be King

Feel-good Friday: hey, it’s here.

Three days ago to be exact.  We’ve been waiting for you so we can look like this:OR this??

Appreciating everything fashion and beauty, I loved seeing these women (minus the fabulous Linda Evangelista who is missing here) in fashion magazines in the 90’s.

Image Source: Getty

THE ORIGINAL GIRL GANG: Donatella Versace Brought Back These Supermodels For Her Spring 2018 Runway Show.

The ’90s supermodels were there to honor the 20th anniversary of Giani Versace’s death.  Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Helena Christensen, and Carla Bruni all walked down the runway in shimmery gold dresses, making it the most instagrammable moment of Fashion Month — let alone Milan Fashion Week, hands down.

If you’re a fashion lover that would have been a moment to witness.

Smart women. Aside from their obvious beauty, most of these women have used their brains to go on to meet other success after modelling.  Well rounded women care about a multitude of things knowing that an interest in fashion never minimizes one’s intellect. 

Wishing you a beautiful weekend.

Girl Who Would be King

Feel-good Friday: from the heart

Very few people understand the heart

In truth, your heart is one of the masterpieces of creation.  It is a phenomenal instrument.  It has the potential to create vibrations and harmonies that are far beyond the beauty of pianos, strings or flutes.  You can hear an instrument, but you feel your heart.  And if you think you can feel an instrument, it’s only because it touched your heart.  Your heart is an instrument made of extremely subtle energy that few people come to appreciate.

Taken from the untethered soul (chapter 6 – the secrets of the spiritual heart)

Girl Who Would be King, STYLE

Style: Hubert de Givenchy

“His are the only clothes in which I am myself,” Hepburn once said of Givenchy,

Givenchy designed outfits for many of Hepburn’s films, like this strapless, floral gown in 1954’s “Sabrina.”

according to Vogue. “He is far more than a couturier, he is a creator of personality.”

Audrey Hepburn, as the designer’s muse, accompanied him in inventing a style that would redefine standards of beauty.

The House of Givenchy is sad to report the passing of its founder Hubert de Givenchy  at the age of 91 (February 21, 1927 – March 10, 2018), a major personality of the world of French Haute Couture and a gentleman who symbolized Parisian chic and elegance for more than half a century.  He will be greatly missed.

MAISON

THE HISTORY OF THE HOUSE

Hubert de Givenchy founded his namesake fashion house in 1952. No sooner did it open than it earned a reputation for breaking with fashion codes of its time. After an incredibly successful 40 years career he would be succeeded by some of fashion’s great talents that contributed to the house of Givenchy ongoing story.

Hepburn’s Givenchy gown at the 1954 Academy Awards is still one of the most memorable Oscars dresses of all time. NBC/Getty Images

Hubert James Taffin de Givenchy founded his namesake House in 1952. That same year, he presented a collection that would leave an indelible mark on fashion history: his “separates” – elegant blouses and light skirts blending architectural lines and simplicity – met with enormous success in light of the more constricted looks of the day.

He also dressed the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Grace Kelly and many other famous and non-famous women.  The most memorable fashion moment maybe:  Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress, in the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.

The NY Times referred to him as the Fashion Pillar of Romantic Elegance.

Enough Said!

 

Food + Drink, Girl Who Would be King

If you love peanut butter….

For a tasty and fool-proof recipe try these two ingredient (yes, you read that right), two bite, peanut butter cookies.

It doesn’t get much easier than this for a quick energy peanut butter cookie fix.  I tried this months ago and was meaning to post.  But I thought nah, nobody is going to believe you can make cookies this simply.  But you can.  Mind you, they tend to crumble more unless you add something like a little rice malt syrup to help bind them.

They have a lot of protein without the sugar.  A win-win situation.

You will need:

  • 1 cup natural 100 per cent peanut butter.
  • 1 free range egg.
  • Optional extras: salt, cacao nibs, cacao powder, rice malt syrup.

1. Preheat your oven to  350℉ (180℃) and pour your peanut butter into a bowl. Since it’s natural peanut butter and has no added emulsifiers, it should be a little runny. This will make it easy to stir.

2. Add your egg and stir. Keep going until it firms up to a cookie dough consistency – you should be able to roll it into a ball with your hands. “If you like a salty peanut butter, this is the right time to add a pinch of rock salt.

3. Take Tablespoon amounts of the mixture and roll into balls with your hands. Place on a lined tray and gently squash them to a disc shape.  Use a fork if you like.

4. Optional: Add a tablespoon of cacao powder to half the remaining cookie mix. If you have it on hand, cacao makes these super rich. Almost like a peanut butter cup.

5. Pop your cookies into the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown with a slightly cracked surface.

That’s just the way this cookie crumbles.

Originally found on: Iquitsugar.com