LEMONY FINGERLING POTATOES AND HORSERADISH CARROTS

A surefire way to get the most smiles and compliments about dinner from my husband is to make a meal that features meat, and lots of it.  After taking two steaks out of the freezer to thaw, I discovered that Scott was working late tonight.  This sucked for two reasons; now I had to BBQ them, and he wouldn't be here to eat with us.  No worries though, the BBQ'ing was actually kind of fun.  I just had to make sure Faegan was all dressed to play outside, and coordinate the rest of the meal so that nothing burned or got cold before the steaks were done.  The other bonus was I got to cook them well done.  Scott like his steak really rare but he wasn't here to complain, was he?

FINGERLING POTATOES with Fresh Spring Onion and Lemon Juice

20 organic fingerling potatoes

1/2 organic lemon, juiced

2 organic spring onions, sliced

a few glugs extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:  Bring the potatoes to boil in a large saucepan.  Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water and cook the potatoes until they are fork tender.  Drain the water and add the onion, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and pepper to the potatoes, stir and serve.

ROASTED CARROTS in a Creamy Horseradish Sauce

1 pound organic carrots, peeled and cut either in two or four sticks

2 Tbsp natural horseradish

2 Tbsp organic mayonaise

sea salt and pepper to taste

minced garlic chives or parsley

Method:  Preheat oven to 375*.  Steam carrots for a few minutes, being careful not to cook them too long, you want them to still be crispy.  Then combine the carrots with the horseradish, mayo and sea salt and pepper, stir and spread out in one layer in a cast iron skillet or baking sheet.  Roast in oven for about 20 minutes or until they are tender but not mushy and starting to brown on the edges.  Sprinkle with the chives and serve.

My Mom's Kitchen- Post #3 SPANAKOTIROPITA

The year that I spent in my huband's Greek village years ago taught me many 
great cooking lessons. My most difficult and most treasured one was 
how to make filo dough. After many trials and errors I finally 
mastered it, since then I rarely  buy the manufactured one. Lately 
I've been trying to stay away from wheat so I decided to try it out 
with spelt flour. I was very pleased with the results.

SPANAKOTIROPITA ( Greek Spinach and Cheese Pie)

Filo:
4-4 1/2 cups organic spelt or wheat flour
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2- 1 3/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp cider vinegar or lemon juice
Make a well in the centre of the flour, add the remaining ingredients 
and combine. Let sit for at least 1 hour, then separate into 4  
equal balls cover while you prepare the filling.

Filling:
1 bunch of organic swiss chard
2 bunches of organic spinach
2 large organic leeks
1/2 cup fresh dill chopped
8 oz feta cheese crumbled
1 /4 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste ( if your cheese is salty you may not need it)

Chop the vegetables and wilt in a large pan. Squeeze out as much 
liquid as possible set aside to cool. Add the dill, feta, olive oil 
and sea salt, and combine.
Roll out one of the filo balls as you would a struedel dough, very, 
very thin. Place in the pan spray with e v oil then cover it with a 
cloth while you roll out the other one. Place the 2nd filo on top, 
fill with spinach, cheese mixture, using the overhanging filo, cover 
the filling. Repeat with the remaining 2 balls of filo. Tuck in the 
edges, brush more e v oil on top and score. Do not cut right through. 
Bake in a pre heated 375 oven for about 1 hour or until golden. When 
done you can cool slightly and the cut through to the bottom. Enjoy!

BROILED HALIBUT in a Lemon Caper Sauce over a bed of Angel Hair Pasta

We don't often eat my absolute favorite lily white angel hair pasta anymore.  But every now and then I figure a little bit won't hurt.  Pete's Frootique sells an organic cappellini, so now that I've used up my last pack of it I will be sure to stock up again.  

     This recipe is so simple but so delicious you'll want to eat the whole pot.  This has been a favorite pasta of mine forever.  Be sure to keep the hunk of romano cheese close by because if you're like me, you'll be grating some more every few bites.  

     The lemony sauce from the fish kind of drips down over the pasta which was really nice.

CAPPELINI with Olive Oil, Garlic and Chilis

1 pound organic angel hair pasta

5 cloves organic garlic, smashed and minced

1/2 cup e.v olive oil

2 tsp organic chili flakes

sea salt and pepper

fresh romano cheese

Method:  Bring a huge pot of water to boil, add some salt and boil pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, heat half of the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and chillis.  When garlic starts to sizzle, remove from heat and toss onto the cooked pasta.  Add the rest of the olive oil and serve with lots of freshly grated romano.

BROILED HALIBUT in a Lemon Caper Sauce

1 package PC Wild Halibut

1 Tbsp fresh organic lemon juice

1/2 tsp Tom's Spice (available from my shop Earth's Oven)

1 tsp organic lemon zest

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 Tbsp e.v olive oil

2 Tbsp fresh basil or 2 tsp dried

1 Tbsp capers, drained

Method:  Heat the oven to 375*.  Season the halibut with Tom's Spice and place in a lightly oiled cast iron skillet.  Broil for about 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked through.

     While the fish is cooking, combine the lemon juice, salt, pepper, garlic and zest in a small bowl.  Beat in the olive oil, basil and capers.  Spoon the vinaigrette over the cooked fish.

The salad we ate with the pasta and fish: Mache with Shaved Carrots and Beets

RICE PUDDING

I like to make rice pudding when I have milk in the fridge that needs to be used up.  Every time I eat this I am transported back to my childhood where sometimes I would eat two bowls in a row.

1 cup organic white or brown rice

1 quart organic whole milk

2 cups water

1/2 cup local honey or maple syrup

2 handfuls organic raisins

pinch of sea salt

organic cinnamon for top

Method:  Give rice a rinse and then combine it in a saucepan with the milk, water, honey, rice and salt.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes or until the rice has cooked and the mixture has thickened.  Stir in raisins and cook a few minutes. Remove from heat and pour into pudding bowls.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, cover and refrigerate.

RED WINGS

I don't think I've ever mentioned how I was a vegetarian for about 14 years.  When you go without something for so long, your memory tends to lean more towards a nostalgic romanticization of reality.  A lot of things I used to like, don't actually appeal to me anymore (like a lot of junk food I used to think was amazing).  When it comes to chicken wings, the memory definitely mirrors reality...they rock. They tasted even better (if that is possible) tonight dipped into the creamy blue cheese dip I made to accompany it.  My son really liked them too.

     Still testing out the new camera.  I really should read the flash manual and spend a few hours, in the house ALONE! and with no pressure to take the picture before the food gets cold.

As you can see the chicken wings are a wee bit charred due to the fact that I was so busy taking pics of the veggies and dip that they were forgotten about in the oven.

RED WINGS

2 pounds organic chicken wings

1/4 cup organic ketchup

2 Tbsp saracha thai chili sauce

sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:  Preheat oven to 400*.  Sprinkle the wings with the salt and pepper.  Place on a rimmed baking sheet or cast iron skillet and broil the wings for about 15-20 minutes, turning halfway.  When the wings start to brown, they are ready to be taken out of the oven.  Place the ketchup and hot sauce in a large stainless steel bowl.  Toss the wings into the sauce and stir until evenly coated.  Return to the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes, or until the wings get crispy.

BLUE CHEESE DIP

1/2 cup organic blue cheese, crumbled

2/3 cup organic sour cream

1/3 cup organic yogurt

juice of one organic lemon

sea salt and pepper

1 tsp local honey

Method:  Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended.  Serve with carrot and celery sticks.

THAI FISH CHOWDER

My son and I fell in love all over again over this soup.  Scott is working a bit late tonight, so Faegan and I ate dinner early.  Things can get kinda frazzled and tensions can run high with a little two year old getting into EVERYTHING, but dinner saved us.  That is, once it was done being prepared and the two of us sat down together, with nothing else on our minds but pure sensual enjoyment.  We giggled and slurped and ate more, more, more of this soup as time slowed down and the setting sun's light shone through the window.

     You may have noticed I've been using Coconut Sugar quite a bit these days.  It is a sweetener made from the sap or nectar from the coconut palm tree flower.  It has a caramel sweetness that I like, and the best part is it has a glycemic index of 35 which is kind of low considering honey is a 55.  It will never, ever take the place of maple syrup, honey or brown rice syrup in my heart, but I like having options.  I especially like to use it in recipes that are tropical and use ingredients like coconut or mango. 

     This Thai soup was very simple and fairly quick to make thanks in part to the Green Curry Paste I had leftover and frozen from the other day.  I am pretty sure I could keep it in the fridge for quite a while, but freezing it ensures that it stays super fresh for a very long time.  Which is a good thing because how many Thai curries can I make before I get really sick of it? 

     Oh, and I bought a very swanky camera and lens today, the picture of this soup was taken with it, but I still haven't had a chance to practice, but soon, the tripod and fancy flash will be set up, and watch out!

THAI FISH CHOWDER

(adapted from REbar)

4 cups organic fish, vegetable or chicken stock

4 cups filtered water

1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and chopped

1/4 cup fresh organic ginger, grated

4 cloves organic garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh green curry paste (http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2010/03/thai-temptations.html) 

3 Tbsp coconut sugar (or honey)

3 Tbsp organic tamari

juice of 1 juicy lime

1/4 cup fish sauce

1 can organic coconut milk

1/4 pack brown rice noodles (I used vermicelli)

1/2 pack PC organic raw unpeeled shrimp

1 fillet hook and line haddock

4 dried kaffir lime leaves

1 carrot, sliced

1 bunch organic green onion

1/2 cup organic cilantro chopped

1/4 cup fresh organic mint leaves, minced

Method:  In a large soup pot, heat the stock and water and add the lemongrass, ginger, garlic.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes then strain the stock and stir in the curry paste, sugar, tamari, fish sauce, lime juice and coconut milk into the broth.  Allow the broth to simmer and then add the noodles, fish, carrots and lime leaves and cook until the noodles are tender.  Remove from heat, stir in the greens and serve!

Mom's Kitchen Post #2 Chicken Soup

So my camera broke today, I have a feeling my son banged it with a hammer.  Anyway, so I will be buying  a new one, but until then, enjoy my mom's posts........

MY MOM'S KITCHEN - POST #2

Chicken soup has always been at the top of my comfort food list. Today I decided that I needed a little of that comfort.

CHICKEN SOUP

1 whole organic chicken
3 stalks organic celery
3 organic carrots
1 large organic onion, or leek
3 cloves organic garlic
fresh organic parsley
2 organic bay leaves
8 cups filtered water
6 whole organic peppercorns and sea salt to taste
1 1/2 cups organic kamut orzo
3 organic spring onions, sliced
fresh organic lemon juice

Place all ingredients  except last 3 for broth in a stock pot, cover with cold water over medium heat and bring to a slow boil. Simmer until chicken is tender. Strain the ingredients, set the chicken aside until cool enough to handle. Bring broth to a boil, add orzo, and simmer until tender. Separate the meat from the chicken and add to soup. Serve with chopped spring onion garnish, or parsley ,or both if you wish, a little fresh ground pepper,and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve with some nice crusty bread....now that's comfort!

Fried Smelts and Chard

MY MOM'S KITCHEN - Post #1

Having just arrived back from spending a week in Halifax my refrigerator was devoid of fresh vegetables. I stopped at the vegetable market and found some great looking organic swiss chard and decided to prepare that for our dinner. My intention was to saute it with garlic and serve it with spelt pasta. 

     When I arrived home I found a huge bowl of sea smelts on the counter, my husband had been to the fish market and they called out to him. He wanted to prepare them the way the do in his village in Greece, lightly floured, pan fried in olive oil, then served with a rosemary red wine vinegar reduction, they always eat this with a

raw red onion as an accompaniment.

FRIED SEA SMELTS

2 lbs of sea smelts dredged in flour

1 cup olive oil or oil of your choice for frying

1/4 cup of red wine vinegar

fresh rosemary

salt & pepper to taste

 Heat the oil in a cast iron frying pan, when hot add the dredged smelts in a single layer until golden. Discard all but about 2 tbsp of the oil, add the fresh rosemary until fragrant, pour in the vinegar and reduce for a few minutes until it slightly thickens. At this point you can pour the reduction over the fish, but I like to have it on the side and dip the fish in so that they stay crispy.

 SAUTEED SWISS CHARD WITH GARLIC

 2 bunches of organic red swiss chard cut into 1" pieces

1 head of organic garlic

2 tbsp of e.v olive oil

sea salt & pepper to taste

 Heat the oil in a cast iron frying pan, when heated add the cloves of garlic and lightly brown, shaking the pan so as not to burn them. Add the swiss chard and toss until wilted. Cover and lower the heat, cook a few minutes more until tender.

Lentil Soup and Savoury Stuffed Goodness

I can't believe I have yet to share my recipe for Lentil Soup.  The Lentil Soup.  The stuff of my childhood, the broth of comfort and nourishment.  Sad to say, but today won't be the day I do it either.  Just as I was going to make the good old standby, I said no, let's try it a bit differently.  So I did, and here it is.  

     Instead of making some bread to dip into it's brothy loveliness, I went with making some sort of bready type thing with spinach and ended up with a cross between an empanada and a panzerotti.  As I was in the middle of painstakingly rolling, cutting and stuffing these beauties I kept thinking to myself, these babies better be good because this is somewhat labour intensive.  But they were good.    Very, very good.

     Now I am all for supporting local producers and buying local goods, but I draw the line at supporting farmer's who use genetically modified organisms in their products and who feed these to their livestock.  Apparently Greece is a 93% GMO free zone, so I only buy organic feta when I find it or Feta from Greece.

LENTIL SOUP with Brown Rice and Feta

6 cups organic vegetable or chicken stock

4 cups water

1 1/2 cups organic lentils (any kind but I used green)

1 cup organic brown rice (short or long grain)

1 28 oz can organic tomatoes, chopped or squished

3 organic carrots, chopped

1 cup organic onion, chopped

1/2 cup organic celery, sliced

5 cloves organic garlic, minced

1/2 tsp each organic oregano, thyme and basil

1 organic bay leaf

1/2 cup organic parsley, minced

2 Tbsp organic red wine vinegar

Black pepper and sea salt to taste

Method:  Mix broth, water, lentils, rice, undrained tomatoes, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and herbs in a large pot.  Heat soup to boil, reduce and simmer until lentils and rice are tender, about 1 hour.  Stir occasionally.  

     Remove and discard bay leaf.  Stir in parsley, vinegar, sea salt and pepper to taste.  If necessary, thin with additional water.  

SPINACH AND FETA WHEELS

THE DOUGH:

4 oz organic all purpose whole wheat flour

4 oz organic all purpose unbleached white flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 Tbsp organic sugar

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 organic egg, lightly beaten

100 ml olive oil

50 ml white wine

1 organic egg yolk, beaten with 1 Tbsp organic milk

Method:  Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Gradually mix in egg, oil and wine, stirring and when it begins to clump, transfer to a floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Cover and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.

FILLING:

1 pound organic spinach, chopped

1 organic onion, chopped

1 clove organic garlic, chopped

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1/2 cup feta cheese

sea salt and pepper to taste

organic paprika

Method:  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add oil and onion and saute until the onion is soft about 5 mintues.  Add the garlic and spinach and saute until the liquid evaporates. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

ASSEMBLY:

Preheat oven to 400*.  Roll out dough on floured surface to a thickness of 3 mm.  Use a 3" cookie cutter to cut out 18 circles.  Put 9 of them aside and cover the rest.  Brush around edges of the rounds with the yolk mix.  Place 1 Tbsp of the spinach filling in the centre and sprinkle with some feta cheese.  Cover with one of the reserved doughs and press firmly around the edges to seal, crimp edges with a fork.  Transfer to a greased tray, brush tops with the yolk and spinkle with some paprika.  Bake until golden 15-20 mins.  Serve hot!

Breakfast for Dinner

Had a wonderful jolt of inspiration this evening over breakfast for dinner tonight.  When my mother gets home she is going to be a regular contributor to this blog!  It is so brilliant because my mother is a phenomenal culinary artist.  Everything she makes not only tastes incredibly good, it looks like art (did I mention my mom is an artist?)  Anyway, so look forward to some amazing recipes by Ellen in the very near future.  

     Mom won't be here this weekend for our regular Sunday brunch extravaganza, so I decided we would have breakfast for dinner tonight.  This was the perfect time to try out a recipe I noticed while flipping through Martha's Everyday Food mag the other day called Skillet Potato Cake.  It is an amazingly crispy yummy potato dish that is a recipe definitely worth making again and again.  

     Ted Hutten at the Halifax Farmer's Market was working magic this winter while the rest of us hibernated.  He magically has spinach this early in the season, so I decided to use it to make a Spinach Mushroom Fritatta.  And no breakfast is complete without some Getaway Farms real bacon and sausage....

SKILLET POTATO CAKE (modified from MS Everyday Food)

2 pounds organic baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

3 Tbsp organic butter

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

3 scallions or 1/2 organic onion and chives

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Preheat oven to 425*.  Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 10 mins or until tender.  Drain.

     In a 10" cast iron skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium heat.  Stir in the potatoes, onions, 1/4 tsp sea salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.  With the back of a large spoon, press the potatoes into the pan, crushing them slightly.

     Bake the potato cake until the edges are golden brown, about 20 mins.  Loosen the cake with a spatula if needed.  Cover the pan with a plate, flip over and remove from pan.

LOCAL SPINACH AND MUSHROOM FRITATTA

6 organic eggs

1/4 cup organic whole milk

8 organic mushrooms, sliced

1/2 organic onion, chopped

1/4 cup garlic chives, minced

2 Tbsp leftover bacon grease or olive oil and butter

sea salt and pepper

1 bag Ted Hutten's local spinach (around 4 cups fresh)

1/2 cup organic swiss cheese

Method:  Preheat oven to 375*.  Heat the bacon fat in a 12 inch cast iron skillet and fry the mushrooms and onion/chives until golden brown.  Remove from heat.  At the same time place all the spinach in a covered pot over medium heat until the spinach wilts.  Drain in a colander, pressing out the excess water.  Chop the spinach.  Add spinach to the pan with mushrooms.

     In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk and some sea salt and pepper.  Pour on top of the mushroom mix.  Top with grated cheese.  Place in oven for about 15 mins or until the egg has set and puffs up a bit.

More Mache

Mom and I had a great time making dinner together tonight.  We toasted each other with homemade dandelion wine and got busy making this delicious meal.  

     While at the market on the weekend, I made sure to pick up extra mache (lamb's lettuce) because I wanted us to have lots of it while mom was here, because as I've mentioned before it is her favorite.  We made it the way mom used to eat it with her friend Candide in France, dressed with a very creamy dijon vinaigrette with lots of fresh garlic.  The dandelion wine also made an appearance in the butternut squash risotto.  Ted's stand also provided us with some lovely fresh garlic chives which I added to the Salmon Fishcakes.  

MACHE in a Dijon Vinaigrette with Fresh Garlic

3 bags of Ted Hutten's fresh mache greens

2 cloves organic garlic, smashed and minced

2 Tbsp organic balsamic vinegar

1 heaping Tbsp organic dijon mustard

sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

1/4 cup e.v olive oil

Method:  Blend the garlic, vinegar, dijon, s + p, and olive oil together.  Toss with the mache.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO

1 litre organic chicken stock

4 Tbsp organic butter

1 onion, minced 

sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

1 cup organic or nutra-farmed arborio rice

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup romano or parmesan cheese

1 1/2 - 2 cups organic butternut squash

Method:  In a small saucepan, combine broth with 1 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and keep at a low simmer.

     In a large saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp of the butter over medium heat and saute the onion with the salt and pepper.  Cook until the onion and squash until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the rice, and cook stirring for 2 minutes.  Add the wine and cook, stirring occasionally until absorbed for 1-2 minutes.

     Add 2 cups of the hot broth, simmer over medium low, stirring every now and then until the liquid is pretty much absorbed (10-12 mins).  Continue adding broth, 1 cup at a time, allowing each cup to be absorbed before adding more, stirring occasionally until rice is creamy and just tender 20 - 25 mins.  Remove from heat, stir in cheese and remaining butter.  Season with salt and pepper.

Thai Temptations

My mother is in town visiting so a special meal was in order.  I am trying to keep her off dairy and wheat so Thai food is the perfect thing!  We started off the meal with Thai Salad Rolls, which I already talked about in another post, but I will share the amazing Thai Green Curry secret which was then followed by an incredible Caramelized Pineapple Sundae with Candied Ginger.  Now I know I used quite a few imported ingredients for this meal, but I figure a little bit of imported treats now and then is ok, and besides, I am so sick of winter fare......

THAI GREEN CURRY with Mixed Vegetables, Shrimp and Tofu

Green Curry Paste (adapted from REbar Modern Food Cookbook):

3/4 Tbsp organic coriander powder

1 1/2 tsp organic ground cumin

1 tsp organic ground black pepper

4 cloves organic garlic

3 Tbsp organic ginger root

5 shallots, peeled

1 large jalapeno pepper (keep seeds in if you want hot curry, take them out if you want mild)

2 lemongrass stalks

4 green onions

1 cup fresh cilantro

juice of 1 lime

1 Tbsp sea salt

1/4 cup organic coconut oil

1/4 cup organic sesame oil

Method:  Toast the coriander, cumin, and peppercorns in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant.  Chop the ends off the lemongrass, and discard along with the top two thirds of the stalk.  Chop into a few pieces and throw into a food processor along with all the other ingredients.  Puree to a smooth paste and then transfer to a jar in the fridge until ready to use.

1 pound organic firm tofu, cut into cubes 

2 Tbsp organic tamari

1/2 Tbsp organic sesame oil

1 can organic coconut milk

4 Tbsp green curry paste

6 dried lime leaves

1/4 cup organic chicken stock

1 organic potato, cut into thin quarter moon slices

1 Tbsp organic coconut sugar (or maple syrup, honey or brown sugar)

2 Tbsp organic tamari 

4 Tbsp fish sauce

2 crowns organic broccoli, divided into florettes

1/2 pound button mushrooms, sliced

1/4 organic butternut squash, peeled and cut into thin quarter moon slices

2 organic carrots, chopped

1 organic onion, chopped

1 bag organic raw, unpeeled shrimp

juice of 1 lime

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup organic cashews, roasted and chopped

Method:  In a bowl, combine the tofu, tamari and sesame oil.  Then broil in a cast iron skillet or tray in the oven for about 10-15 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally.  Set aside.

Heat a wok or large pot over medium heat and add 1/3 canned coconut milk.  Heat to a simmer and add the curry paste.  Stir the paste into the milk and then add lime leaves and stock and bring to a boil.  Add the potatoes and squash, cover and cook at a gentle simmer until the potatoes and squash are tender.

     Stir in the coconut sugar, tamari and fish sauce, broccoli, mushrooms, onion and remaining milk.  Cover and continue to simmer until all the vegetables are tender.

     Turn up the heat and add the tofu and shrimp.  Simmer until the shrimp are cooked through and sauce thickens a bit.

     Just before serving, stir in the lime juice, cilantro and season to taste with more tamari or fish sauce if necessary.  Serve with jasmine rice garnished with the cashews and more cilantro.

CARAMELIZED PINEAPPLE SUNDAE with Crystallized Ginger on Coconut Ice Cream

1 organic pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into half moon slices

1 cup organic coconut sugar

2 Tbsp organic butter

5 Tbsp organic coconut oil

1 tub organic coconut milk ice cream

5 pieces crystallized ginger, minced

Method:  Preheat oven to 375*.  In a bowl, combine the sugar, butter and coconut oil.  With your fingers, rub the butter into the sugar.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop smidgens of half of the butter mixture all over the sheet.  Place the pineapple onto the sheet and top each piece with the rest of the butter.  Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.  Flip the pineapple pieces over, bake another 150-20 minutes or until the pineapple begins to brown and caramelize.  Scoop some ice cream into a bowl, top with some of the pineapple and the pan juice, sprinkle with the ginger.  Enjoy!

Breakfast Wrap

My usual fried egg breakfast involves melting cheese on a fried egg and sandwiching it between two slices of whole wheat toast smeared with dijon mustard.  But I didn't feel like toast, and that was when I spied some leftover chapatis in the freezer.  Next thing you know, out came the salsa, sprouts, sauerkraut, cilantro and sprouts.  And it was good, very very good.

EGG WRAP with Tomato Salsa, Cilantro and Homemade Sauerkraut

1 organic whole wheat chapati, tortilla or flatbread

2 Tbsp organic salsa

1 organic egg

1 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1/4 cup organic cheese (I used swiss cuz that's what I had)

1 handful organic cilantro, ripped up

handful organic sprouts

1/4 cup organic cortido (seasoned sauerkraut, recipe follows)

Method:  Heat the chapati in a cast iron skillet, but only enough so that it is still malleable.  Fry the egg in the olive oil by cooking over medium heat in a cast iron skillet.  When you break the egg, be sure to break the yolks too.  Flip over after about 2-3 minutes, top with grated cheese and cook until the yolk is solid.  Spread the now warm chapati with the salsa, followed by the cortido.  Place egg in the centre, top it with the cilantro and sprouts.  Roll the wrap up, being sure to tuck in the sides too.

CORTIDO (from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions)

1 large cabbage, cored and shredded

1 cup carrots, grated

2 medium onions, quartered lengthwise and very finely sliced

1 tablesoon dried oregano

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon sea salt

4 tablespoons whey (if not available, use an additional 1 tablespoon salt)

1. In a large bowl mix cabbage with carrots, onions, oregano, red chile flakes, sea salt and whey.
2. Pound with a wooden pounder or a meat hammer for abou 10 minutes to release juices.
3. Place in 2 quart-sized, wide mouth mason jars and press down firmly with a pounder or meat hammer until juices come to the top of the cabbage. The top of the cabbage mixture should be at least 1 inch below the top of the jars.
4. Cover tightly and keep at room temperature for about 3 days before transferring to cold storage

Fresh Pasta

After eating this pasta I decided it is a perfect light springtime kind of meal.  It would taste great with any fresh greens that are starting to spring up around the market these days instead of the broccoli.  You may notice Norbert's awesome fresh kamut pasta was featured once again, due in part to some more awesome bartering going on at the end of market day.

PASTA WITH ARTICHOKES, BROCCOLI AND MELT IN YOUR MOUTH ONIONS

2 Tbsp e.v olive oil

4-5 cups thinly sliced organic onions

1 tsp sea salt

1 head of organic broccoli, chopped (or 1/2 pound greens)

1 can organic artichokes, drained, rinsed and quartered

1 cup organic chicken or vegetable stock

1 pound organic pasta

freshly ground organic black pepper

fresh organic walnuts

freshly grated romano cheese

Method:  Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and saute for a minute or so.  Season with salt and saute for 5 more minutes.  Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

     Boil some water for pasta and cook until al dente while you then stir in the broccoli, artichokes and stock.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

     When pasta is cooked, drain and transfer to the sauce.  Stir well and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes.  Serve hot topped with black pepper, walnuts and freshly grated romano cheese.

Spiced Haddock

What a gorgeous sunny and warm day it was today.  So much so that I didn't get around tocoming insided to prepare supper until 4:30, so a quick fish dish was the perfect thing.  The whole thing kind of morphed into an Indian meal with a vegetable biryani from a foil packet spice mix and a lovely carrot cilantro slaw.  The whole thing turned out a little to spicy so I am making the necessary adjustments so you don't suffer too.

SMOKY SPICED HADDOCK 

1 lb hook and line haddock fillets

1 clove organic garlic, chopped finely

1/2 tbsp cumin powder

1/2 tbsp paprika

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp chipotle powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp dried thyme

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp olive oil

Method:  In a small bowl combine garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, chipotle, oregano, thyme, cilantro and oil.  Pat dry the fish and smear with the spice mixture.  Let it sit for 15 minutes.  Place the fish in a cast iron skillet and roast in a preheated 425* oven for about 20 minutes.

CARROT CILANTRO SLAW

5 organic carrots, peeled and grated

1 cup organic cilantro, roughly chopped

1/4 of an organic red onion, chopped

1/2 cup organic cashews

2 Tbsp organic sesame oil

1/4 of an organic lemon, squeezed

pinch of sea salt

fresh black pepper

1 Tbsp mango chutney

Method:  Combine all ingredients and toss.

Sweet and Sour Stir Fry

I was so happy to discover that this sweet and sour sauce required the use of my (new) blender.

SWEET AND SOUR STIR FRY

1 pound organic extra firm tofu

2 Tbsp organic tamari sauce

1/2 tsp organic cumin powder

organic black pepper

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 Tbsp organic sesame oil

1-2 cups chopped organic broccoli

1 organic onion, chopped

3 organic carrots, chopped

6 organic mushrooms, sliced

1 clove organic garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp organic ginger, grated

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups canned crushed organic pineapple

2 Tbsp arrowroot powder

1/4 cup organic tamari

1/4 tsp organic paprika

1/2 cup organic coconut sugar (or brown sugar or maple syrup)

1/2 cup organic apple cider vinegar

Method:  Preheat oven to broil.  Chop the tofu into cubes and toss in a bowl with the 2 Tbsp tamari, cumin, oils, and black pepper.  Let it sit for 5 minutes to soak up the marinade.  Then lay the tofu into a cast iron skillet and broil in the oven for about 10 minutes, turning them over halfway.  

     While the tofu broils, get your sauce started by tossing the pineapple into your blender and process until smooth.  Mix the arrowroot with some of the pineapple liquid until it is smooth.  Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a light boil and then reduce and simmer until it is as thick as you like it.

     Heat a wok over medium-high heat.  Drizzle in some sesame oil and then stir fry the onion, broccoli and carrot for about 3 minutes.  Then stir in the mushrooms and stir fry for another 2-3 minutes.  Add the garlic and ginger, stirring for about 1 minute.  By now your sauce should be ready.  Stir it in and cook for about 1 minute.  Remove from heat and serve with noodles, rice or quinoa.

Hello Vitamix

I did it.  I finally ordered myself a Vita-Mix Blender.  I'm the type of person who will yearn for a high ticket item for about 3 years and then one day just realize I am never going to want to spend the money so just get it over with and do it.  So tonight I made Raw Maca Vanilla Ice Cream with Unraw Chocolate Chips in it.  So I guess I don't need to tell you that this recipe requires a high powered blender like a Vita Mix and an ice cream maker.

Maca Chocolate Chip Vanilla Ice Cream

1 1/2 cups organic cashews

1/3 cup agave 

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups organic almond milk

3 Tbsp maca powder

2 tsp lemon juice

pinch of salt

1/2 cup organic chocolate chips or cacao nibs

Method: Turn the blender on low and pour in chocolate chips.  Blend until nicely chopped. Remove.  Then blend all the rest of the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.  Pour into an ice cream maker.