Breakfast smoothie

This is a thick, mildly sweet, simple and tasty smoothie made in 3-5 minutes. I have tried many recipes and LOVE this one!

Ingredients (for two) Read the rest of this entry »


Hip Hop in Iran

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsyq9gTPcK8

Viewed more than 16,000 times in the past six days, this 45-minute documentary is made by the Norway based “Bboy Spaghetti”. It is an entertaining and inspiring account of Break and Hip Hop dance and culture in today’s Iran – A country where every aspect of personal and social life including access to the internet is curbed and controlled by the government; where bloggers – men and women alike – are being arrested and detained on a regular basis for voicing their opinions and where people continue to write, to produce underground music, to live. to dance and to Hip Hop! Watch for yourselves and enjoy the skill, spirit and innovations of this incredibly resistant generation, comprising 70% of population.  (Girls are not present in this video but I have heard from friends in Iran that they do practice it in Girl’s Gyms. Their skill level? Not known really).


Pomegranate rediscovered

In 2006, Marsha Mehran published her first culinary fiction called “Pomegranate Soup” – It is a charming, fairy tale like story of three Iranian sisters who settle in a remote village in Ireland; start their cozy restaurant and in no time conquer the heart of the initially-skeptical villagers through their unique Persian beauty, warm hospitality and most important of all the strain of mind-blowing and heavenly-smelling Persian foods, side dishes, soups and desserts.

The title of the book was cleverly selected to give an air of exoticism – which represented the essence of the book. That’s right, up until a few years ago not so many people in the western world were familiar with pomegranate as a fruit, let alone as a soup’s substance! Well, things have changed dramatically since then. …

Read the rest of this entry »


Homemade Yogurt

Making yogurt at home sure saves me money, tastes wonderfully fresh, and benefits the environment. But the main reason I do it is that it makes me so incredibly proud of my creation! Try it a few times and you’ll know what I mean!

To make yogurt from milk, basically you ferment milk with specific types of bacteria – a long process involving several steps, but extremely easy and fun. First off, you need to have a “starter” which could either be commercial starters available in health food stores (with complete usage instructions imprinted on them), or a small amount of a store-bought natural plain yogurt. If you go with the latter, as I always do, check the yogurt’s label and make sure it contains “live” bacteria. The fresher the yogurt, the better your homemade yogurt will turn (don’t use a yogurt close to its expiry date). Also, note that once you make yogurt at home, you could put a small amount aside for the next batch and repeat this cycle for 5-6 times. After that, you would probably need to buy a new container of plain yogurt. Start with a small amount of milk/yogurt (suggested in this recipe) and once you get a hang of it, increase the amount in proportions. Here are the materials you need:

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War with Iran…

War with Iran: A Conflict Obama Hopes to Avoid May Be Imposed on Him. By Tony Karon, Time. Jan 17, 2012 .(Source of photo: same place) 

(Translated to Persian)




Separation Wins!

“I want to say something about my people: They are truly peace-loving people” .. ♥

Asghar Farhadi after winning Golden Globe for the best foreign film last night.

A Separation” made by the Iranian film maker Asghar Farhadi wins Best Foreign Language film at 2012 Golden Globe. Watch it here. This recognition comes after several other awards throughout the world including Best Screen Play NBC Los Angeles, and Berlin Festival

The Iranian social media today is filled with joy an pride related to the news, not only for the recognition of the Iranian cinema, and this particular movie but also for Farhadi’s above quoted statement.  Some say “true, it is the separation which won the price – the separation of Iranian people of Iran from their oppressive regime.”

Merci Mr. Farhadi. Merci Iranian Cinema. Merci the peace-loving people of Iran!


Mixed quinoa with zucchini

I recently saw a cook book with some 200 hundred recipes for quinoa! I am going to buy it soon, but from what I figured out by skimmed through, it looked like a combination of white red and black quinoa would go with absolutely anything you could imagine: be it salads, side dishes or main dishes , with fried and grilled meat, chicken and fish.

All I want to say is that quinoa is good for your health. It is pretty and it knows no limit! I already posted the most basic type here. And what I am about to share is something I learned from my sister, tried successfully and served as a side dish with grilled salmon. The combination was just wonderful. Read the rest of this entry »


moment photography19

Colored icicles, Cedar Ave. South of Park du Mont Royal- A cheerful and playful scenery recurring each year during the very cold months of Jan. and Feb.


The Truth About Iran

The Truth About Iran, Time. January 5, 2012. By Joe Klein 

(Translated in to Persian)

Source:  Iran’s growing state of desperation. The Washington Post, by Fareed Zakaria


Tribute to Lhasa de Sela

Source of photo: http://www.greatsong.net/PEOPLE-UN-CANCER-DU-SEIN-EMPORTE-UNE-CHANTEUSE-LHASA-DE-SELA-12880.html

This weekend, in Montreal, a tributes to the marvellous Lhasa de Sela . The Gazette article about it.

La Route chante: A Tribute to Lhasa de Sela takes place Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at Montreal’s Rialto Theatre, 5723 Parc Ave. The Friday show is sold out. Tickets for the Saturday show are $25 at popmontreal.com

Love Came Here