SOAKING

I don't even know where to begin.  Such a huge transformation has taken place in terms of the way I view food, health, the earth, animals, my diet.......wow.  All I can say is READ "The Vegetarian Myth"!

  Lierre Kieth tells a heartfelt tale of her journey from veganism to hardcore environmentally conscious eating, which just happens to mean eating lots of pasture raised meat/dairy, organic vegetables and sustainably caught fish.  After reading this book I made so many more connections between agriculture, environmentalism, and the diseases that plague modern civilization. I've come to realize that relying so heavily on grains as the bulk of my diet is really not a good idea.  So all week I've been off the grain.

This morning I decided to make a breakfast using grain, but instead of making crepes the way I usually do, I soaked the flour in kefir overnight on the counter to reduce the phytic content, which inhibits digestion and assimilation of the nutrients that grains can offer us.  I also made sure to go wheat free, using local organic spelt and buckwheat flours too.  Looks like from now on if I eat grains they will have to be in the form of sourdough breads or soaked/sprouted/fermented.  It has been a huge adjustment, but for now, I am okay with maybe a once a week indulgence instead of my usual everyday addiction.  This has also led to some intense fantasies of living with no electricity on a large piece of land, fishing, hunting, and foraging.  HMMMM not so crazy really.

GALETTES DE SARRASIN

Soaked Buckwheat Crepes

250 g organic buckwheat flour

260 g organic spelt flour (I used light and whole grain)

5-10g sea salt

400 ml organic kefir

200 ml organic whole milk (raw if you can get it)

300ml (or more) water

100 g unsalted organic butter, melted plus more for pan

1 organic egg, lightly beaten

Method:  Sift the flours into a large bowl.  Make a well in the centre and pour in the kefir, stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a thick, smooth batter.  Add the milk, cover bowl and let sit at room temperature overnight.  In the morning, stir in salt, egg, butter, and enough water to make a batter the consistency of thick cream. 

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.  Add a dab of butter and then pour just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan, tilting and moving the pan to get the batter moving.  Cook the galette quickly until lightly browned on the bottom, then turn it over and lightly brown the other side.  At this point you can add desired fillings, fold, and then serve.

RHUBARB COMPOTE

I really wish the rhubarb I planted last year was bountiful enough to harvest from.  It might have helped if I had remembered to fertilize it with some sheep manure in the fall.  Luckily there was an abundance of rhubarb for sale at the Farmer's Market yesterday, so for the third week in a row I bought some.  I've been making all kinds of yummies with rhubarb lately.  For awhile it was Mixed Fruit Rhubarb crisp (sorry it was so good we ate it each time before I could get a picture!) and for this week's market sales, I made the Rustic Rhubarb tart featured on Smitten Kitchen's food blog.  They were a huge hit with my customers and people kept coming for them long after I was sold out!  This morning we savoured Rhubarb Compote Crepes with maple syrup....so good.

RHUBARB BLUEBERRY COMPOTE

5 stalks organic rhubarb, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup coconut sugar or  1/4 maple syrup

1/2  cup frozen or fresh wild blueberries

Method:  Place all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil on medium heat, cover and lower heat, simmering for 15 minutes.  Remove lid and simmer another 15 minutes.  Serve on ice cream, in pastry shells for tarts, in crepes, on pancakes, waffles or anything at all!