Banana Pecan Muffins -- Drumroll, please

We have a banana problem here. That is to say, my son and my husband both eat bananas, but there is a rather narrow window of ripeness in which they find them palatable. Well, perhaps not that narrow, but we seem to miss it without even trying to. Not as frequently as we used to, but we do miss it. I guess summer is worse, when the bananas ripen so quickly and suddenly. 

Needless to say, perhaps, I found myself with 3 very ripe bananas on hand. One was so ripe that it didn't even need to be mashed with a fork. It just mashed itself when I gave it a mild glare. The other two were reduced to chunks by fork, but you get the picture.

This recipe works best with bananas that are in the very ripe to extremely ripe category -- when the skin has thinned, and the golden hue is flecked liberally with brown -- for optimal sweetness and flavour.

These muffins have been tested and tried by many friends and family members, and seem to be well received even by the picky eaters among us.

And without further ramble, here's our infamous banana pecan muffin recipe. To dress them up, you can press a half pecan onto the top of each cup of batter before baking (ooh, and perhaps a tiny sprinkle of coconut sugar), but I chose not to today. Just not feeling fancy ...!

ingredients:

3 (or possibly 4) very ripe bananas

1 cup milk 

1/4 cup of extra virgin coconut oil

2  eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground vanilla (optional)

2 cups of very finely ground pecans

2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup kamut flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)

directions:

preheat oven to 345

1.     mash bananas extremely lightly, so that they are chunky. Set them aside

2.     lightly heat milk and coconut oil, combine

3.     add eggs

4.     add vanilla extract

5.     add pecan meal

6.     add salt and cinnamon (and ground vanilla)

7.    add baking soda and bananas and stir well

8.     add flour and mix until just combined

9.     divide batter evenly into 24 prepared muffin cups

10.  bake in preheated oven at 345 for 30 minutes

Apple Muffins -- Saturday Morning Muffins with Friends

Saturday Morning came again, as it does every week, bringing with it our last music class, good friends, my beloved aunt and uncle, and yummy apple muffins, not necessarily in that order.

I was in the mood for apple, which seems to be one of those things that almost everybody will enjoy. It may not be a favourite  -- there really are die hard chocolate lovers out there -- but it seems to be enjoyed with gusto by very nearly almost everybody. Except our friend Kim who thinks fruit in baked goods is just wrong and very very mean.

Anyway, these apple muffins went over very well, and were enjoyed by all demographics. They are lightly sweet, extremely moist, chock full of protein, and neither fancy nor demanding. Kind of wholesome and reassuring. Hopefully, everything an apple muffin should be. And lovely with a cup of tea, dear friends, and a beloved aunt and uncle.

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups organic whole milk

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/4 cup clear agave

1/4 cup coconut sugar

2 XL organic eggs

1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla (or 1 tbsp vanilla extract)

1/2 tsp sea salt (I think I would add an extra 1/4 tsp next time)

3 tsp cinnamon

a touch of black pepper

1/4 tsp organic orange zest (optional) finely zested and minced

1 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds (aka hemp hearts)

2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup kamut flour 

1 large organic royal gala apple finely chopped (approx 2 cups)

1 small organic royal gala apple cut into quarters and then thinly sliced (optional -- for topping the muffins)

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. lightly warm the milk, and add the extra virgin coconut oil to melt it

2. stir in the agave and the coconut sugar

3. beat in the eggs

4. add the vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, sea salt, black pepper, and orange zest

5. mix in the flax meal, hemp seeds, and finally the almond flour

6. stir in the baking soda, mixing well

7. add the kamut flour, and stir lightly until just combined

8. add the finely chopped apple and mix gently until just combined

9. scoop the mixture into prepared muffin cups

10. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

makes 24 muffins

The hemp seeds give these muffins an extra richness and a moist, delicate texture. 

Baked Vegetable Stew -- Nemesis to the Rescue

peasant food, anyone?

Ah, Nemesis, my old friend. I always enjoy cooking with my enameled cast-iron casserole. The metal holds the heat so it cooks the food in addition to the heat of the oven cooking the food, and the enameled finish cleans up easily. It's also pretty. And really, really heavy.

I decided it would be fun to experiment with this cooking pot, but I think this recipe would work equally well in any large casserole. Or even a dutch oven, provided it was oven safe.

I made a rather large quantity, because I was working with some rather large vegetables, and hey, I'm lazy and don't want to have to cook again for a couple of days. Plus I like stocking my freezer with meals  that just need to be heated up. But this recipe can easily be halved.

I whipped up a loaf of bread that rose while the casserole was in the oven,  and then baked on the same temperature. I personally am a big fan of fresh bread and vegetable stew, but if you're not, you could always eat it by itself, with quinoa, with rice, whilst tap-dancing, on your balcony, or with Parisian spies dressed in Versace.

The bread recipe I used was the same as from my post for Very Good Bread. It's our favourite, and seems to be pretty much idiot-proof, which means I don't screw it up even when my mind is on other things and I make mistakes.

So, if you are a fan of vegetable stew and fresh bread, you might like to eat like we did tonight. It was very tasty.

ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup cashews

1 tsp sea salt

2 cups Du Puy lentils

1 tsp sea salt

4 medium sized carrots, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

2 large sweet potatoes, cut into cubes (about 4 cups)

1 acorn squash, cut into cubes

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp herbe de provence

1 1/2 cups water +1/2 cup left over tomato sauce (or 1 and 1 or 2 and 0 or 0 and 2 etc.)

300 g package of organic frozen spinach, brought to room temperature

directions:

1. preheat your oven to 345

2. put the coconut oil in your pot or casserole, and put it in the oven for just a few minutes as it's preheating to liquify the oil

3. put the onion, garlic, cashews and 1 tsp of salt into the oil, and stir around

4. layer the 2 cups of lentils next, and sprinkle with another tsp of sea salt

5. layer the carrots next

6. layer the sweet potatoes next. I used my fabulous purple ones, as you can see in the picture

7. layer the squash next, and sprinkle the 3rd tsp of sea salt on top.

8. sprinkle 1 tbsp of herbe de provence on top of the squash

9. pour your water or water and tomato sauce or pure tomato sauce mixture over the squash

10. put the lid on, and put the casserole in the oven

11. bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours at 345, depending on your cooking dish

12. when it comes out, stir in your room temperature spinach and put the lid back on, but don't return to it to the oven

13. put your bread in the oven to bake

14 serve the stew with bread, baby tomatoes, and carrot medallions. Or a side salad. Or a slightly sardonic smile.

This tasted very good, and is one of those dishes that will also improve in flavour by the next day. I'm definitely going to jar some of it for future meals when I don't have the ingredients or time to cook from fresh.

Stuffed Pasta Redux ...

These savoury little cuties have been cooling their heels in the freezer since I originally made and cooked  (half of) them on November 6th. They boil up from frozen in just 15 minutes, so that's dinner on the table in a hurry -- even without prior planning. And if you keep sauce in there, too, then all you have to do is take credit, smile, and find something else to do with all the time you didn't have to spend on dinner ... 

For the complete recipe and step by step instructions, please see the November 6th post.

YUM.

Short Grain Brown Rice -- How I cook short grain brown rice

The adorable chubby grains of a short grain California brown. Calrose, anyone?

My mother always admonished that the rice didn't like to be looked at while it was cooking, and we were forbidden to ever remove the lid from a pot of rice that was cooking. The Japanese also aver it's imperative never to open the pot and release the steam while the rice is cooking -- it will interfere with the perfection that can only ensue when ritual is followed to a 't'. 

Now, I'm not much of a rule follower, as you might have surmised from my crazy cooking. And to be honest, I always hated rice. However, now that I've moved beyond the white parboiled rice of my childhood, I've found a little more virtue to the grain.

I've bought a cheeky little whole grain basmati from the Indian market up the street, black Thai rice and red cargo rice from the awesome Asian market near the Docks, a fabulous deep garnet red long grain rice from the Bulk Barn, purple rice, and many many varieties of whole and brown rice, both long and short grain. I've found my favourite, for flavour and texture, is the California short grain brown rice, or even Calrose. The grains of our California brown are so short they are nearly round. The rice itself has a pleasing flavour, and the grains keep a tender yet chewy texture that is pleasant and works well with the dishes we make.

One of my secrets for perfect rice is a little oil in the water. This not only elevates the rice in flavour and texture, but it also helps keep the rice from boiling over. When I make rice for sushi, I don't put oil in it (this would also prevent it from clinging together properly), and I've notice it can build up enough starch in the water for a boil over if making a large quantity at once ...

So, here is how I make rice that turns out perfectly every time, despite my bad habits and rule breaking behaviour.

ingredients:

1 cup short grain brown rice

2 cups filtered water

1/4 - 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 - 2 tsp apple cider vinegar (optional)

directions:

1. put all the ingredients in an adequately large pot

2. put the pot on an element, put a lid on the pot, and turn the heat up to high to bring the water to a boil.

3. once the water reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, and set the timer for 40 minutes.

4. after 40 minutes, check the rice. All the water should be absorbed. If not, give it another couple of minutes.

5. turn off the element, and take the pot off the heat

6. this recipe is tasty by itself or as a side dish or a bottom layer ...

7. double or triple the recipe and have extras for whipping up such goodies as fried rice. 

Fried Rice -- rice with egg, cashew, almond, broccoli, and carrot (eggs for dinner ... Again.

I bet you wish you were me right now ... 

I don't know about you, but sometimes my imagination sags, lags, and flags, and I have no idea what to make for dinner. Okay, I'll have to admit it happens on a pretty regular basis, especially as the day wanes and the meal approaches, and I've given it no thought, and we've been busy all day, and out ... And suddenly, I have to make something out of 'nothing', something that will be palatable to a 2 1/2 year old as well as two adults (one of whom I swear has the taste buds of a twelve year old).

It can be very helpful to keep some basics on hand at all times if you are like me: nuts, uncooked rice, dry lentils (or canned -- canned beans in general are handy, but choose labels that eschew Bpa in their can linings) fresh carrots (they keep very well for months at a time), organic eggs, organic frozen vegetables such as broccoli and spinach etc. If you are not remotely like me and you manage not only to plan a fancy gourmet meal for every night of the week as well as execute it, keep the house tidy, go to work, and keep your temper with your husband and child, then I am in awe of you and I will only say keep up the good work.

Last night was one of those 'I don't know what to make' nights after a fun family afternoon. We went over to Allan Gardens (and found the Christmas flower show opening -- what a great job they do all year  round, but their festive decorations and dozens of kinds of Poinsettias are lovely too).

So, this is what I came up with. Ready in a hurry, delicious, belly filling, and healthful.

ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 medium carrot (approx 1/2 cup), thinly sliced

1 small onion (approx 1/4 cup), finely chopped

1 cup steamed broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (in this case, toddler bite sized)

1/4 cup raw cashews

1/4 cup raw almonds

2 cups cooked brown rice

organic soy sauce (1 or 2 tsp, or to taste)

2 drops of sesame oil

(some fresh ginger, finely minced would be nice, too)

2 eggs

directions:

1. saute the onion, carrot, almonds, and cashews in the coconut oil with a little soy sauce. You can cover to hurry along the cooking process. You'll want to soften the carrots, fully cook the onions, and cook the nuts (a little)

2. once they have been fully cooked, add the rice with a little more soy sauce, (and fresh ginger if you're using) and fully heat.

3. once the rice has been fully heated, add the cooked broccoli and fully heat

4. add the eggs to the pan. Gently mix these into the hot rice mixture on low heat, slowly cooking until the egg is fully cooked.

5. enjoy with a side of steamed broccoli and baby tomatoes (do you sense a theme? my son's faves right now)

Pancakes for Dinner -- Sweet potato, carrot, and sauteed onion

This was a really good dinner. Pancakes are always a big hit in this household, and I personally am a big fan of the taste of very well cooked onion. The sweetness of the vegetables balanced well with the mellow flavour of the almond flour and kamut flour, and the vegetarian bouillion powder brought out the best in everybody. We ate the pancakes along with grape tomatoes and really good broccoli, and a good time was had by all.

ingredients:

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, grated (about 1 cup)

1 medium sweet potato, grated (I used mirosaki, an Asian variety with dry flesh) (approx 2 cups)

1 - 2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 tbsp bouillion powder (I used Sun Harvest)

1/2 tsp sea salt

a little black pepper

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups water

1/4 cup flax meal

1 cup almond meal

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup kamut flour

directions:

1. saute the onion in the coconut oil (I do this on the cast iron skillet that I will use for cooking the pancakes, after a little preheat)

2. combine the grated carrot and sweet potato with the water, eggs, flax meal, seasoning.

3. add the cooked onion

4. mix in the almond flour and baking soda

5. finally add the kamut flour

6. cook the pancakes on low heat on a skillet for around 3 minutes per side

yum

Ginger Bread People -- a spicy, seasonal treat

Gentle readers, after a few versions, I've come up with a recipe that tastes very good, and has a pleasing crisp crunchiness to it. Some of the ingredients will be a little surprising, especially if you are newer to my blog. It will be possible to leave out some of the 'superfoods', however, I do believe that these are what have allowed me to achieve the multi-layered flavour of which I was in pursuit. Oh, and of course they are low in sugar, high in protein, and good for you. They are also, I believe, gluten free, but I'm not 100% sure about some of the more esoteric ingredients such as maca powder and mesquite.

My husband confided that he thought they were okay, but he wouldn't sit in a darkened room with a glass of milk and eat them by the dozen.

So, with that caveat and no further ado, I present to you Ginger Bread People version 3.0. (Yes, that means I have dozens of (not quite successful) version 1 and 2 left that I have to somehow get rid of ...)

ingredients:

1 organic egg (extra large)

4 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil (unrefined)

1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp clear agave

1 tbsp organic vanilla extract

1/4 tsp zest of organic orange, very finely chopped

1/2 cup organic coconut sugar (is there any other kind?)

2 tsp ground ceylon cinnamon (or just use regular cinnamon)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tbsp ground ginger (variation: 2 tbsp ground ginger)

1 1/2 tsp ground allspice

1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla

a little black pepper

1 tbsp raw cacao powder

1 tbsp carob powder (variation: 2 tbsp carob powder)

1 tbsp mesquite powder

1 tbsp maca powder

3/4 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup flax meal

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 cups almond flour

directions:

1. lightly melt the coconut oil, and add the agave, vanilla extract, apple cider vinegar, coconut sugar, and egg, mixing well

2. add the spices and orange zest

3. add the cacao, carob, mesquite, and maca (if using. if not, maybe just a couple extra tbsp almond flour)

4. add the salt and flax meal, mixing well

5. mix in the baking soda

6. mix in the almond flour

7. chill the dough in the fridge wrapped in parchment and tucked in plastic bag (chilling is sort of optional, but it makes it easier to work with)

8. cut the dough in quarters, and roll out each quarter between 2 sheets of parchment. Cut with your favourite cutter, and put on a lined baking sheet.

9. bake at 300 for 20 minutes, followed by another 30 minutes with the oven heat turned OFF as the oven gradually cools down. This will give the crispy texture we want.

makes two trays of cookies. bake in the upper half of the oven, alternating positions halfway through ...

store in an airtight container.

share with friends!

decorate with raisins before baking!

dip in your tea!

:)

Ginger Bread People

Well, it's definitely approaching the season when well meaning relatives try to push sugar bombs on children in the form of cookies cookies and more cookies. I'm working on a ginger bread people recipe that can hopefully provide a line of defense and a healthy alternative. I've got a bit of experimenting left to do, but should be able to post something tasty and cute later this week. So far I'm very happy with the texture of the cookie -- crisp but not crumbly, crunchy but not tough -- but I still need to re-work the spice/seasoning ratios ... Stay tuned.

And of course, as always, I welcome to your feedback :)

Bread comes in many shapes ...

Our dear friend Jill came for breakie today -- isn't it great to have breakfast with friends on a Sunday morning? -- and to go with our leftover Saturday morning muffins and our favourite superfood powerbars, I made some bread. I love baking bread because a) obsidian betelgeuse does all the heavy work (that's my mixer btw) b) it makes the house smell amazing and c) I get to greedily enjoy the freshly baked heel of the loaf ... yum.

Instead of baking the bread in a loaf pan, I decided to bake two long thin loaves. Thinly sliced (or thickly) this bread made a lovely breakfast adjunct, and will also work great for dipping in the leftover vegetable lentil soup from the other night. To liven things up, I made this bread with a couple of tablespoons of mesquite powder and maca powder, a tsp of cinnamon, and made it with whole wheat pastry flour instead of our more usual organic red fyfe flour.

It turned out to be a lighter coloured loaf (soft wheat is a paler colour than red fyfe), with a lot of sweetness and flavour.

The only important thing to remember when baking bread in a different form than the loaf pan is that baking time will need to be adjusted. In the upper half of the oven, these free form loaves baked on a large baking sheet lined with silicone for about 35 minutes at 345 degrees. You can tell if a loaf is fully baked because there will be a sort of hollow sound when you tap on the bottom. Over baking, however, will yield a loaf that also sounds hollow, but tastes wooly ... :(

Fortunately, these loaves were baked to perfection, and were eaten with butter, honey, much enjoyment, and second helpings.

Rich Raisin Muffins -- Saturday Morning Muffins with Friends

Saturday morning once again. In anticipation of our post music class tea date, we made muffins. Like we did on Tuesday morning, we made raisin muffins. However, these ones are not vegan, and they are rich, fluffy, sumptuous, and lovely.

They went down easily with with some delicious roiboos chai, and I was impressed when the little boys disappeared two muffins each within a few minutes of arriving.

I used shelled hemp seeds in these muffins, something I've used in a few other muffins I've made, such as the savoury spinach muffins. I find this gives the muffins a moistness, richness, and tenderness that is uniquely theirs. The seeds are also sweet in a nutty way, which adds to the delicate flavour of the pastry.


ingredients:

1 3/4 cups organic whole milk
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup clear, raw, agave

1/4 cup flax meal
1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
2 cups almond flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2  tsp ground vanilla (or 1 tbsp vanilla extract)
1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup kamut pastry flour (whole grain, finely milled)

1 cup organic thompson raisins (jumbo)


directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. warm the milk lightly to melt the coconut oil
2. add in the agave
3. beat in the eggs
4. mix in the flax meal and hemp seeds
5. add the cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt
6. stir in the almond flour
7. add the baking soda and mix well
8. add the kamut flour, and stir gently until just combined
9. fold in the raisins, careful not to over stir the batter
10. scoop into 24 prepared muffin cups
11. bake at 345 for 30 minutes in the upper half of the oven

Vegetable and Lentil Soup -- Belly Warming Comfort on a Cold Day!

Farmer's Market Vegetables and Masoor Lentils in a Clear, Rich Broth:
Yum!

Well, I was in the mood for something comforting and simple for dinner, so I decided to put together a vegetable and lentil soup. Unlike most soups that I've made, I actually cooked this one just below a simmer, so the broth wasn't actually bubbling, but it was enough to cook the lentils without over cooking the vegetables. The cooking time was about 10 minutes to saute the onions and garlic thoroughly, and then 1 hour to cook the soup with the broth on low. I was originally planning to add a cup of coconut milk to the broth when it finished cooking, but once I tasted it, I found the extremely rich flavour of the broth to be enchanting the way it was. Plus, it's nice to have a clear broth sometimes, with bits of  herb floating on it ... comforting in the way that chicken soup is comforting for the non-vegetarians among us. We enjoyed it with the toasted remains of some stale bagels, some grape tomatoes, and mucho gusto. ;)

ingredients:

2-4 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 smallish onions, finely chopped

2 medium carrots, diced (approximately 1 cup)

2 medium sweet potatoes (asian if possible) (I chose the mirosaki sweet potatoes from Bob Proracki: 

ontariosweetpotatoes.com)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin (ground)

plenty of black pepper

1 tbsp marjoram

1-2 tbsp sea salt

2 cups whole masoor lentils (the small red/brown ones)

8 cups filtered water

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

directions:

1. choose a big pot (dutch oven or stock pot -- it should be at least 4 or 5 quarts)

2.  heat the coconut oil in the pot

3. add the minced garlic and finely chopped onion, along with 1 tbsp of sea salt, the cumin, and the turmeric

4. add the diced carrots and sweet potatoes

5. once the garlic and onions are thoroughly cooked, add the lentils and apple cider vinegar, and saute for a minute or two

6. add the water and marjoram, and adjust the amount of salt and pepper, adding up to another tbsp of sea salt if need. Put the lid on the pot.

7. bring the water to the point just below a simmer, as if the water were just 1 degree below boiling point. I found this was on the lowest setting on my stove. This permitted the lentils to absorb water and soften perfectly in 1 hour, without the carrots and sweet potatoes becoming mushy.

8. finally, after 1 hour, I brought the broth to a boil for 2 minutes, and then shut the heat off entirely. 

9. It is now ready to serve. This broth is so savoury-sweet and rich tasting that it is just begging for something to dunk in it, which is why I decided to use up our left over stale bagels.

Unlike the last soup I made, my son actually ate this one. My husband had seconds, and it wasn't even pasta ...

I'd love to hear what you think!

Vegan Raisin Muffins -- Tuesday Morning Muffins with Friends

I had some friends coming for tea this morning -- someone I've know since kindergarten, along with her two daughters, as well as her mother. Three generations of fabulous females. :)

I put on a pot of decaf vanilla tea to steep -- a favourite of all ages around here -- and decided the occasion called for fresh muffins. I wanted to make a vegan recipe, because it's nice to mix it up. I came up with these lightly sweet, very healthy, and thoroughly delicious little tea cakes. My friend's 3 year old ate three of them. I think the other kids only ate two each. But still, you get the picture. Needless to say, we went through a baker's dozen of these little cuties with our vanilla tea.


ingredients:

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

2 tsp egg replacer + 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup agave

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup flax meal

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground vanilla

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup kamut flour

1 cup organic raisins (jumbo Thompson) -- pick through to make sure there are no stems attached ...




directions:


preheat the oven to 345


1. lightly warm the water to melt the coconut oil, add the agave
2. mix the egg replacer and 1/4 cup water well in a separate bowl, then add mixture to water, oil, and agave
3. add the apple cider vinegar
4. add the flax meal, almond flour, cinnamon, vanilla, and sea salt, and mix well
5. add the baking soda and mix
6. add the kamut flour and mix lightly and gently until just combine
7. add the raisins and stir very gently to combine
8. scoop the batter into 24 prepared muffin cups
9. bake at 345 for 33 minutes in the upper half of the oven

Du Puys Lentils and Brown Rice

Home alone is not always the title of a Macaulay Culkin film.  Nor am I cute or blond. However, I was home alone yesterday afternoon, my art class cancelled, with some paintings to finish and dinner to make. So, I threw some stuff in a pot, and hunkered down with my canvases. This dish would lend itself very well to a slow cooker. If I'd only thought about dinner at breakfast! Alas, I didn't think about dinner until mid-afternoon, and this only took 50 minutes to cook, plus about 10 minutes for prep. Very tasty, rib-sticking, complete meal in a bowl. And Colin, who once informed me if it wasn't pasta, it wasn't going to be delicious, declared it to be "yummy comfort food". There is no higher praise ;) And most importantly, I had plenty of time to work on my paintings.

Now there are a couple of important things to realize before you make this dish. First of all, not all lentils are created equal. I used the Du Puy lentil, which is so cute and so special, that you will forever after forget the names of all your former lentil friends. And the brown rice we use is so short grained that it's nearly round. It has a chewy deliciousness that is completely unlike the dry, long grain rice I grew up on.

Also there is a reason I use frozen spinach. I keep packages of organic frozen spinach on hand at all times, because I use spinach when I make pasta or green muffins, because it's not always easy to find organic greens at the super market, because it's easy to cook up super fast with a little sea salt and coconut oil for a yummy side dish, and because it's convenient. Spinach is a good vege to try to use organic, because it's one of the worst offenders for toxic chemicals when conventionally farmed. I like having some basics on hand so that I can throw dinner together without a trip to the grocery store. Such as this one! I did happen to have a some organic carrots, and organic broccoli stems on hand (I'd roasted the crowns for dinner earlier in the week). Crowns wouldn't work in this recipe because of the boiling time involved, but the stems work a charm after you peel off the outer woody sheath. Now, please admire my super macro rice and lentil pictures before you continue to the recipe. ;) 

Thank you.

Our favourite brown rice is so short of grain that it is nearly round. We tend to prefer California brown rice such as calrose.

The very adorable and distinct Du Puy lentil is a tiny, flavourful pulse that eclipses the large, pale green lentils most of us are most familiar with. Perhaps harder to find, but well worth the effort.

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Du Puy lentils

1 1/2 cups very short grain brown rice

5 1/2 cups filtered water

2 medium carrots

3 stems from broccoli stalks (you know, the part that's left when you cut the crowns off)

150 grams of frozen spinach, set aside to defrost

2 tbsp vegetarian bouillion powder (we use organic Harvest Sun, the vegetarian, yeast free one)

a pinch or 2 of sea salt

a little freshly ground black pepper

1 or 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

directions:

1. put the rice, lentils, coconut oil, vinegar, bouillion powder,  and water in a medium sized pot

2. put the pot on the stove, and bring it to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat, and set the timer for 50 mintues. It should be on a simmer for the duration of the cooking.

3. chop the carrots into small pieces

4. peel off the woody sheath from the broccoli, and chop the broccoli into small pieces

5. add the broccoli, carrots, salt, and pepper to the pot

6. when the spinach has defrosted, chop it finely

7. when the rice and lentils are fully cooked, remove from heat, and stir in the spinach.

8. serve with alacrity. Or with grape tomatoes and carrot medallions (we prefer medallions to sticks around here, and definitely prefer tomatoes to alacrity).

This is a very flavourful dish, but in a way that is appealing to young palates. The cooked vegetables inspire a sweetness in it, and the savoury seasoning balances all the flavours well. My son ate about half of his before even pausing for breath. 

Caramel-Apple Date Muffins -- More Saturday Morning Muffins ...

I've probably posted too many photos of these cute little caramel-apple muffins. But the photos were so ... sexy. I just couldn't help myself. Saturday morning again, so we wanted to whip up a batch before music class, so we'd have something to share with friends. One of our friends who would be eating them on Sunday is allergic to milk, so we wanted to make something dairy free. I love dates in muffins, they get so soft and creamy, but I found with the sweetness of the caramel-apple on top, and the coconut sugar in the muffin, that the dates are a little much for me. But I'll admit to neither having a sweet tooth nor liking sweets over much. I definitely prefer a savoury snack. However, if you have a sweet tooth, or like a sweet with your coffee or for dessert, these really are winning. Colin loves them. He thinks they are the greatest thing since last week's Vegan Brownies. And he's not a date lover. He's not even a date liker. 

And without further ado, here's the delicious recipe for caramel-apple date muffins:

ingredients:

1 1/2 cups filtered water

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 1/2 tsp ground vanilla

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 xl organic eggs

1/2 cup coconut sugar

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds (whole without the shell)

1/2 - 3/4 tsp sea salt

2 cups almond flour (JK Gourmet is our favourite)

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup kamut flour (finely milled pastry flour, whole grain)

1 large organic apple, quartered and cored (we used royal gala)

24 honey dates

extra coconut sugar for topping

directions:

preheat oven to 345

1. take 2 quarters of the apple and thinly slice to top the 24 muffins and set aside

2. finely chop the remaining 2 quarters of the apple and set aside

3. finely chop the dates and set aside

4. warm the water slightly to melt the coconut oil

5. combine the water, coconut oil, vinegar, coconut sugar, and eggs

6. stir in the vanilla, cinnamons, and sea salt

7. add the flax meal and hemp seeds

8. stir in the almond flour

9. mix in the baking soda

10. stir in the kamut flour, mixing lightly until just combined

11. add the dates, stir

12. add the chopped apples, stir

13. scoop the batter into prepared muffin cups

14. top each cup with a thin slice of apple and a (generous) sprinkle of coconut sugar

15. bake for 35 minutes at 345 degrees in the upper half of the oven

16. after you have removed the muffins from the oven, allow the muffins to sit in the cups for a few minutes before removing them. If you try to remove them immediately, they will be too fragile. If you leave them in too long, they will sweat.

17. don't forget to drool over my naughty muffin pictures.

Vegetable Pancakes and Brown Rice with Almond Butter Sauce -- Eggs For Dinner ... Again.

These vegetable pancakes are super fast to make. And if you already have brown rice cooked up, you can mix up a little almond butter sauce to top your rice, and have a quick and yummy dinner that will suit a variety of ages and palates.

pancake ingredients:

1 stem from a big stalk of broccoli

1 medium carrot

1 egg

1/2 -1 tsp organic tamari

1-2 drops sesame oil

freshly grated ginger (optional)

directions:

1. Remove the woody outer sheath from the broccoli, then coarsely grate the broccoli and carrot into a bowl.

2. mix in the egg, tamari, sesame oil, ginger

3. cook as you would pancakes, 4 at a time on a medium heat griddle, approx 2 minutes per side

4. this recipe only makes 4 small pancakes, but can be multiplied. You do the math ;)

almond butter sauce ingredients:

2 tbsp almond butter

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp tamari

1/2 tsp honey

pinch of ginger

directions:

1. combine the ingredients, adding up to 1 tsp of water if it is too thick

2. spoon onto hot brown rice (I am personally a big fan of extremely short grain brown rice, especially such as calrose. I cook it with a little coconut oil and sea salt, and it comes out great. Very tasty!)

3. you can also use this sauce as a topper for the vegetable pancakes