Dinner

When friends came to dinner, we had a feast:

pizza
sweet potato and celery salad
shredded carrot and broccoli heart summer salad
baby cucumber and baby tomato salad
spinach salad

and

meat bobs


In keeping with the pizza theme, things were accented with herbs such as marjoram, basil, and oregano. It made for a cohesive flavour structure, and a nice summer meal.

Pizza!!

Pretty much around here it's any excuse for pizza. We keep it simple most of the time, and just do large rectangular ones on our large baking sheets, with either thinly sliced tomatoes or sautéed onion as the only accent to the mozzarella and parmesan mixture atop the tomato sauce. With friends coming over for dinner, it was salads, pizza and meatballs for us. This was all that was left when the dust settled.

dough

ingredients:

1 cup  warm water

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp yeast

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 cup almond meal

1/4 cup chia seeds

2 cups kamut flour +

1 tbsp oregano

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

(makes enough for 2 very large, thin crust pizzas)

directions:

1. combine water with honey (should be ‘bath’ temperature)

2. add yeast, stir, and let sit.

3. Combine other ingredients in a bowl (or in your mixer -- I use my mixer to make all doughs. but it's completely doable by hand, especially because of the short kneading time)

4. Add proofed yeast mixture and stir to combine and form into dough

5. Knead dough for a couple of minutes (only). Add as much kamut flour as you need to for correct dough consistency. Dough should be soft but not really sticky.

6. Make a dough ball, coat in olive oil, put in bowl, cover with a piece of parchment and a damp tea towel, and allow to rise.

When it comes time to make the pizza:

preheat the oven to 345

1. divide the dough into 2 portions.

2. roll each portion on a piece of parchment until large and thin (fills one baking sheet each)

3. cover each with sauce

4. cover the sauce with a mixture of grated mozzarella and parmesan

5. cover the cheese with sauteed onions and slice tomatoes or whatever else you fancy

6. bake at 345 for 30-40 minutes or until the cheese is getting golden and so is the crust

7. :)

p.s. you can also make little individual crusts for top-your-own pizzas, and bake 'em similarly. That can be fun for the kidlets.

Summery Salad -- gluten free, full of raw power

2 large carrots, grated

2 broccoli hearts, grated

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup raw hemp hearts

sea salt

black pepper

chili powder

coconut oil

balsamic vinegar

marjoram

cucumber and tomato salad

4 baby cucumbers

1/2 pint of baby tomatoes

balsamic vinegar

sea salt

black pepper

oregano

directions:

1. thinly slice the cukes

2. quarter the tomatoes

3. toss with balsamic vinegar

4. season with black pepper and sea salt

Cold Sweet Potato Salad

3 sweet potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces

1 celery heart, sliced

2 tbsp coconut oil

sea salt

tsp chili powder

apple cider vinegar

lime juice

coconut oil

black pepper

cook the sweet potato tossed with coconut oil

directions:

heat the oven to 345

1. cut the sweet potato into bite sized pieces, then toss with coconut oil, sea salt, and chill powder

2. bake the bite sized sweet potato pieces at 345 for 20 minutes

3. slice celery and combine with cooled sweet potato

4. drizzle with lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and coconut oil and toss

5. season with sea salt and pepper to taste

Meat Bobs -- gluten free, meat free, and 4 year old friendly

Meatballs watch out there is a new Bob in town.  My four year old calls 'em meat bobs. They are made of lentils, seeds, and veggies, and they pretty fun to have around.

1 cup lentils

1 onion

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 1/2 cups water

sea salt

black pepper

marjoram

basil

oregano

1 clove of garlic, finely minced

1/2 cup flax meal

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup ground sesame seeds

1/4 cup ground cashew

1 cup grated carrot 

1 cup almond flour 

1 sweet potato grated

2 eggs

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

salt and pepper to taste

directions:

1. cook the lentils with the water, onion, coconut oil, sea salt, black pepper, and any other seasonings that float your boat. I added some granulated dried garlic, and some italian seasoning (mixed herbs)

2. grate the carrot, and mix in the cooked lentils with the flax, chia, and hemp seeds

3. add the almond flour, and adjust the seasonings

4. add the eggs

5. roll into balls, and place on a lined baking sheet 

6. bake at 345 for 30 minutes

I made 'em about 1 to 1 1/2 inch in diameter

Delicious! For real. And really great at room temperature the next day.

Kamut Flour Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water (bath temp is about right)
1 tbsp unpasteurized honey
1 tbsp bread yeast

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup quinoa flakes

2 tsp sea salt
a little black pepper

3 1/2 cups whole ground, finely ground kamut flour (+)

4 tbsp apple cider vinegar


directions:
1. combine the warm water, honey, and yeast in a cup or a bowl and let sit
2. put the rest of the ingredients in a bowl
3. mix in the water and yeast concoction
4. add enough flour to make a smooth dough and knead until your arms get really tired
(or you can just use your mixer)
5. shape into a loaf and let rise for hours
6. bake at 345 for 45 minutes

Blueberry Cake for Breakfast -- a gluten free, light, delicate monstrosity

My people call it cake. I call it breakfast. I made this little concoction when I had people coming over for a morning tea party. Blueberry cake and seasonal fruit, and a cup of tea. Need I say more? I used my coffee grinder to reduce the cashews, chia seeds, shredded coconut, hemp hearts, and sesame seeds to a fine powder.

 ingredients:

 2 cups warm water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (unrefined and organic -- I prefer Nutiva)
1/2 cup unpasteurized local honey
 1 tbsp ground vanilla bean (thank you vanillafoodcompany.com)
1 tsp ground ceylon cinnamon (ditto)
1 tsp sea salt
ground black pepper (just a little)
1/4 cup hemp hearts, ground
1/2 cup raw cashews, ground
1/2 cup white sesame seeds, ground
1/4 cup white chia seeds, ground
1 cup shredded coconut, ground (organic)

 4 eggs

1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups blanched almond flour (thank you nuts.com)

 2 cups of frozen blueberries (still frozen) or fresh if you have

 coconut sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)


 directions:

 preheat the oven to 345
grease a large rectangular glass baking dish

1. combine the honey, coconut oil, and water
2. add the vanilla bean, cinnamon, sea salt, and black pepper
3. stir in the ground hemp, cashews, sesame seeds, chia seeds, and coconut
4. mix in the eggs and the baking soda
5. stir in the almond flour
6. quickly fold in the blueberries and pour into the pan
7. sprinkle with coconut sugar
8. bake at 345 for 60 minutes



This cake bakes up light and moist and sweet and delicious. It was a perfect brunchy treat, and seconds were had by most, thirds by some.

Naughty but nice apple cake -- a happy medium

This cake walks the line between wholesome and naughty. It is sweetened with honey, but not a lot, and it is mostly made with almond flour. It does use a tiny bit of whole grain kamut flour. The result is a delicious cake that we brought to a backyard pot luck dinner up the street. Super yummy.

1 1/2 cup water (hot)
1/4 cup butter (room temperature)
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs

1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp ground vanilla bean

2 cups almond flour
1/2 cup kamut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups chopped apple -- I use royal gala (and organic -- and I leave the skin on)

coconut sugar to sprinkle on top


directions:

preheat the oven to 345
grease a rectangular glass baking dish

1. combine hot water and butter in a mixing bowl to melt the butter
2. mix in the honey
3. add the sea salt, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla bean (I probably threw in a little freshly ground black pepper for fun)
4. mix in the almond flour
5. add the eggs and the being soda
6. stir in the kamut flour very delicately
7. fold in the chopped apple
8. pour into the baking dish and sprinkle the top with coconut sugar

bake at 345 for 55 minutes

Post apocalyptic apple cake -- gluten free, sugar free, full of deliciousness

We like apple cake. It's just one of those things. A simple, basic flavour redolent with cinnamon and juicy apple. What's not to love? This version is suitable for breakfast. In fact, I'll be honest and say I baked it in muffin cups and pretended they were muffins. Which they were, really.

ingredients:

2 cups hot water

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1 cup pitted honey dates

4 eggs

1/4 cup hemp seeds

1/4 cup chia seeds, ground

1/2 cup flax meal

1/4 cup ground sesame seeds

1/2 cup ground cashews

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp ground vanilla

3 tsp cinnamon

3 tsp ginger

1 1/2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 cups of apple, chopped

directions:

1. combine the ingredients in the order listed

2. scoop into prepared muffin cups

3. bake at 345 for 50 minutes

Raisin Breakfast Muffins

My son loves this type of muffin for breakfast. We often give him a muffin with some slices of apple and a glass of raw milk for breakfast. With no sweetener other than the raisins, and lots of nuts and seeds, these muffins will do a good job of keeping your blood sugar stable, and fuelling you for playground fun regardless of your age.

ingredients:

2 cups water
1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
4 eggs

1 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
3 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp ginger

1/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 cup shredded coconut

1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups almond flour

1 cup raisins


diretions:

pre heat the oven to 345

1. if it's not hot enough in your house that the coconut oil is liquid (it's summer here in Toronto so mine sure is!), heat the water before combining the oil and water
2. add the sea salt, vanilla, cinnamon, an ginger
3. add the hemp, chia, flax, sesame, and shredded coconut
4. mix in the baking soda and eggs
5. add the almond flour
6. stir in the raisins


bake at 345 for 35 minutes

Trail Mix Cookies -- a gluten free, hit the trail kind of treat

It has been ages since I really posted, and ages since I made cookies. After making cookies every week for my son's preschool, I have sort of taken a break. We occasionally make cookies, but not very often. And then we just riff on a few of our faces: peanut butter and honey cookies, and chocolate cookies.

These are great! I like them chilled because of the chewiness they have when straight from the fridge. I love the combination of crunchy sunflower seeds and raisins. I like what happens when honey, sea salt, and sesame seeds do a little dance together. Then again, I'm definitely a granola hippie kind of gal. If you are more truffle ganache, these may not be your cup of tea.


ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup honey

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp saigon cinnamon

1 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup chia seeds

2 cups almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup raisins


directions:

1. mix the eggs, coconut oil, and honey
2. add the vanilla bean, sea salt, and cinnamon
3. mix in the sesame seeds, flax meal, chia seeds, and shredded coconut
4. stir in the almond flour and baking soda
5. mix in the pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and raisins
6. drop by spoonful onto baking sheets and flatten with a wet fork
7. bake at 345 for 16-18 minutes

makes 4 dozen cookies

They will be soft when cooked and cool. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

bake at 345 for 16-18 minutes

Hiatus

Dear readers
I have noticed a trend last summer and this summer. I'll call it the summer slump. I noticed a great drop off in my posts. I have still been cooking, and have all the pictures and recipes ready to go. But, for some reason have been unable to press the magic button that allows me to publish my words. In part I can blame the busy-ness of summer, and the busyness of my business in the summer. But mostly I think I just sort of ... wane ... in my intentions. Some of you may know that May 6th is the anniversary of my father's death, and his birthday was August 23. For some reason, the stretch between May and end of August is sort of fraught and poignant, and sometimes it seems like all I can do is accomplish the necessities and the obligations that involve real time. I spend a lot of time hugging my kid and playing with him, and appreciating the sounds of birds and the sunshine and all that asinine tripe. Thus have I neglected my cyber-obligations, which I regret, but there you have it. I have so many recipes I'm eager to share such as chocolate muffins, summer dinner salads, and home-made lasagna. Thank you for sticking my me even when I am a summer schlump.

This is what goes on in the minds of 4 year olds?

My son is four. Most of what I say to him probably sounds like Charlie Brown's school teacher. In fact, here is proof. A snippet of an actual conversation we had on the way to the (you guessed it) Ontario Science Center.

me: blah blah blah blah
my son: Are you talking to me?
me: Yes. Yes I am.
my son: That sounded like two rocket scientists talking backwards.

Chocolate Cookies -- what's not to love

My husband gave these the two thumbs up, and by the rate at which they disappeared, I think these are probably in his top 10 cookie fave list. Then again, they are chocolate. What I like about them is that they are without sweetener other than dates. And they are chock full of things that keep your blood sugar stable even with the datey goodness.

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (organic and unrefined)
1 cup pitted honey dates
1/4 cup water
2 eggs

1/2 cup raw cacao
1 tbsp ground vanilla bean
1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup ground flax
1/4 cup ground black sesame seeds
1 cup almond flour
1/2 tsp baking soda


directions:

1. combine the hot water and dates, then puree with an immersion blender. Add the coconut oil and puree again. Finally, add the eggs, and process with the immersion blender until smooth.

2. stir in the raw cacao, vanilla bean, and sea salt. If you are nuts like me, you can add a little black pepper.

3. mix in the shredded coconut, ground flax, ground sesame seeds, and baking soda

4. finally stir in the almond flour.
5. scoop into an airtight container and chill
6. roll into balls when chilled
7. flatten and bake at 345 for 12 minutes
8. cool on a wire rack
9. store in an airtight container when cool

After mixing up the cookie dough, I realized I had no time to bake them, so I put the dough into an airtight container and stored it in the freezer. When I was ready to bake them, I took the dough out and let it soften a little. It's easier to roll into balls when it's cold. Anyway, this dough stores well in the freezer, and makes good cookies.

Enjoy!!!

An Early June Dinner

1. Flat Bread and Holey-Moley Guacamole with carrot sticks and celery sticks
2. Chopped Salad with Avocado and Yogurt
3. Socca with Fennel Seed
4. fakey green curry
5. chocolate coconut milk ice cream


We had dinner. This was what we ate. A good time was had by all.

Fakey fake Green Curry with Cauliflower and White Kidney Beans

I loves me some fake green curry. I find the mingled flavours of this dish to be utterly seductive. This is a variation on a theme, but it's got the virtues and none of the vices. Served with crusty bread, socca, quinoa, brown jasmine rice, millet, or even just a side of steamed broccoli, and you have yourself a winner. We went with socca spiked with fennel seed for some echo and fun.

ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 onion

2 shallots

3 cups white kidney beans

1 cup sliced dried mushrooms

3  cups green peas

1 cup celery, chopped

2 cups carrot, diced

1 small  cauliflower, cut into florets

3 cups sweet potato, diced

1 1/2 tsp fennel seed

2 tsp chili powder

4-5 tsp sea salt

black pepper

1 can coconut milk (organic, 400 ml)

1 can water

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced (I used 40 g)

1/2 cup fresh basil, minced (I used 40 g)

1 tbsp lime juice

directions:

1. turn the crockpot onto medium heat, and set the timer for 4 to 6 hours

2. layer the ingredients in as listed up to and including the coconut milk

3. when the food is almost ready, adjust the salt and pepper, and add the cilantro and basil. Stir, and then shut it off. If possible, allow it to sit for a while before using, to allow the flavours to meld.

4. stir

5. serve with a extra lime juice and very very finely minced ginger to taste

For me these flavours work exceptionally well together. I hope you enjoy them too.

Lemon Date Muffins -- the usual gf, sf, yummy, you get the drill

I like the brightness of the lemon with the sweetness of the date. I find these muffins to be a nice little good morning breakfast shout out. If I weren't using juice from a bottle, I'd definitely add a little zest of the lemon to get things even more exciting. But as they stand: terrific!

1 1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup lemon juice

4 eggs

1/2 (- 3/4) tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground vanilla
1 tsp ceylon cinnamon
black pepper

1/2 cup flax meal
1/4 cup hemp seeds
1 cup shredded coconut
2 cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda


1 cup chopped honey dates (pitted)


directions:

1. preheat the oven to 345
2. combine the warm water and coconut oil
3. add the lemon juice and beaten eggs
4. stir in the sea salt, vanilla, and cinnamon
5. add the flax meal, hemp seeds, shredded coconut, and almond flour. Add the baking soda
6. stir in the chopped dates
7. scoop the mixture into 24 prepared muffin cups and bake at 345 for 30 minutes
8. bake until they spring back when lightly poked
9. cool in the cups for 5 minutes or more before removing to a wire rack.
10. store in the fridge in an airtight container when completely cool.

Chocolate Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Beyond awesome. I have no words. It's great. Eat it.

ingredients:

2 cans organic coconut milk (total 800 ml)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup raw cacao

generous pinch sea salt
1 tsp ground vanilla
black pepper


directions:

1. combine and chill
2. freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers suggestions.

Holey Moley Guacamole

My take on guacamole. I hate raw onions and garlic. This is very flavourful, and seriously, what's not to love. A pinch of ground chipotle couldn't hurt, either.

ingredients:

2 ripe avocados
lime juice
sea salt
chili powder
cumin powder
black pepper


directions:

1. mash the avocados coarsely
2. season to taste

Flat bread (after a fashion)

Made some guacamole (or as my son calls it: holey moley). Made this to go with:

ingredients:

1/2 cup  warm water

1/2 tbsp honey

1 tsp yeast

1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 cup almond meal

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 cups kamut flour +

1 tbsp oregano

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

directions:

1. combine the ingredients to form a smooth elastic soft dough

2. roll thin, sprinkle with sea salt, and bake for 15 minutes 

3. serve with alacrity and poise


Makes a dough big enough to cover one large rectangular baking sheet. 

Chopped Salad with Yogurt and Avocado

ingredients:

6 handfuls of baby spinach, chopped
1 handful of grape tomatoes, quartered
1 avocado, diced
1 carrot, sliced finely

1/4 cup plain whole yogurt
splash balsamic vinegar
sea salt and black pepper to taste
a touch of chili powder


directions:

combine and combine and mix and serve

Socca again -- this time to go with the green curry

ingredients:

2 cups hot water
2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
black pepper
1 tsp fennel seed

1/2 cup ground flax
1 cup chickpea flour


directions:

1. combine and whisk
2. bake on cast iron griddle for 1 hour

The fennel seed in this version makes it a perfect side to the green curry. Yum!

Chocolate Monkey Muffins -- Baby Monkeys Everywhere

Congratulations to our friends who have just had their 2nd baby. These are for them because we know they are hungry and can't cook right now. We dropped some off while they were still warm. Welcome to the world, baby N.

xo

ingredients:

3 really really ripe bananas

3/4  cup peanut butter

1 1/4 cups hot water

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup chia seeds

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp ceylon cinnamon

1/4 cup raw cacao

1 cup shredded coconut

4 eggs

1 1/2  cups almond flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

directions:

preheat the oven to 345

1. combine the honey, peanut butter, and hot water

2. add the chia seeds, vanilla, sea salt, and ceylon cinnamon

3. add the eggs

4. add the almond flour and the baking soda

5. scoop batter into prepared muffin cups

6. bake at 345 for 25-28 minutes

7. store in an airtight container when fully cooled