Sweet potato saute

2 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced

4-5 cups roma tomatoes

3 cups white kidney beans, (either from a can or already cooked)


1 tbsp sea salt
black pepper

4 small sweet potatoes, cubed

300 g spinach, chopped


directions:

1. sauté the onion, garlic, tomato and white kidney beans with coconut oil and salt and pepper until degraded and delicious
2. add the sweet potato
3. add the spinach
4. serve with crepes or quinoa or by itself or with a song and dance -- you get the picture

Crepes? Pancakes? Thin, gluten-free, and yummy. Sound good?

To go with my magical concoction of sautéed sweet potato, white kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and spinach -- yummy!! -- I made these crepes. They are gluten free, and grain free, and really good for you, full of protein etc. Next time? I shall attempt vegan ...

The use of ground chia made the batter a little thicker, so they are less crepe and more pancake. but they still serve the purpose and are awwwwwweeeeeeessssssssssooooooooome.

ingredients:

4 eggs

1 cup water

1/4 cup flax meal

2 tbsp ground sesame seeds

2 tbsp ground chia

pinch sea salt

black pepper

1 cup almond flour

directions:

1. combine the above ingredients

2. cook in a cast iron pan 1/4 cup at a time, turning after 1-2 minute

makes 10 pancakes

baked vegetables with leek and coconut milk -- vegan

Random ingredients in my fridge and pantry. Maybe I should try shopping with intent? Nah, Nemesis to the rescue. I loaded my ingredients into my favourite beast of a dutch oven. And presto, out came a delicious meal. Too bad my son is going through a rude phase. If it's not pasta, it sucks. Am I allowed to tell my 4 year old to 'kiss my @ss'? The good news is, once he was convinced to open his mouthy little mouth to do something other than mouth off, he found it delicious.

ingredients:

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 onions

3 sweet potatoes

1 bunch of leeks

3 tsp sea salt

black pepper

500 g frozen peas

4 cups finely chopped green cabbage

1 can coconut milk

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp granulated garlic powder

1 tbsp marjoram

directions:

1. load the ingredients into a casserole or dutch oven in the order listed

2. cook at 345 for 60-90 minutes

3. serve with gluten free vegan crepes, fresh bread, socca, or a side of sautéed broccoli

Lentils and Quinoa with Coconut Milk -- quick, vegan, down and dirty

This is one of those quicky meals that gets ready in a hurry and tastes great. Additionally, it's amazing for you. And at the rate at which my 4 year old shovelled it in, I would say is kid-friendly. The coconut milk makes it sweet, me thinks. Anyway, my handsome husband went back for more, and a good time was had by all. Unfortunately not in the quicky sense. Although this can definitely be a meal by itself, I would be wont to pair it with sautéed broccoli or some such staple. We're kinda brassica addicts  in this household.

ingredients:

1/2 cup amaranth
1 cup quinoa
1 cup dupuis lentils

2 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion
1 carrot

1 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp turmeric

1 can 400 ml coconut milk
1 can boiling water

300 g package frozen spinach


directions:
1. put in a pot
2. cook for 45 minutes
3. eat

konnyaku noodle salad -- hot or cold -- gluten free, grain free, vegan, footloose and fancy free ...

Fun with noodles.  I made a version of this in the summer with things that included baby cucumbers, corn, and chickpeas in addition to some of the other delicacies. The chickpeas were not texturally appropriate, but I enjoyed it otherwise. This version is a little more asian flavoured ...

1 package (400 g) shiratake (konnyaku) noodles

1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 tbsp coconut oil
4 tbsp cashews
4 tbsp almonds
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 cup frozen green peas

2 cups broccoli, cut into little wee bites

1 x 227ml container water chestnuts, sliced and cut in half


soy sauce
honey


directions:

1. sautee the onion and carrot in coconut oil with the cashews, almonds, sesame seeds, and peas. Add the water chestnuts, and some soy sauce and honey to season.
2. add the broccoli, cook to al dente
3. add the konnyaku noodles. Don't over cook!!!
4. serve

Chocolate Breakfast Muffins -- the nut-free version of a gluten free, grain free, sugar free breakfast food

My little kindergarten baby started school this morning. I have to admit I got a little teary eyed after saying goodbye to my little man. Came home and made these muffins. Yum.

ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil (organic and unrefined)

1 cup pitted honey dates

2 cups hot water

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 eggs

1/2 cup raw cacao

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1tsp ceylon cinnamon

1 tsp sea salt

4 tbsp ground chia seeds

1 cup ground pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup hemp seeds 

1/2 cup ground flax

1/4 cup ground sesame seeds -- black or white

1 cup shredded coconut -- ground

1/2 tsp baking soda

directions:

1. combine the dates, coconut oil, and hot water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Then, puree with an immersion blender. Alternately, you can use a food processor, or a regular blender.

2. add the cacao, vanilla, salt, ground chia seeds, ground pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, ground flax, ground seseame seeds and blend again

3. add the baking soda and blend

4. add the eggs and blend

4. stir in the ground shredded coconut

5. scoop into prepare muffin cups and bake at 345 for 40 minutes

One Tesla worth of Tomatoes, please

Today's foray to the Leslieville Farmer's market netted an entire bushel of stunning chemical free plum tomatoes -- red, resplendent, ripe, and ready to be sauced. Picture if you can the toothsome thick flesh of perfect roams: beautifully sun kissed and seductively swollen with promise, yet with no hint of softness or rot to mar their blissfully burgeoning perfection. It's enough to transform even the starchiest pragmatists among us into temporarily drooling foodie fools.

Now, the fact that I'm the sucker who will have to do the saucing not with-standing, I'm stoked about our score. The other fact that makes me the sucker is that there were better than 40 lbs of little red cuties in that bushel, which then had to be carried home. That is in excess of what my 4 year old weighs.  My 4-year old, incidentally, who announced to me the other day that I was to call him Tesla. Yes, in addition to raging chocolate addicts, geeks proudly abound in this house. And sometimes they just bound. The 4-year old one at any rate. I'm more of a scamper-gavotter myself.

The secret to sauce -- or so my sauciest and sassiest friends have informed me -- is the long slow simmer. In a nutshell, say they, it doesn't matter what you put in, so long as you simmer it for hours.  You can guess what my house is going to smell like for the foreseeable future.

Haystrom Farms  enthusiastically sold us these pretty tomatoes. Thanks!

I am not -- nor have I ever been -- Italian. So, I cannot promise that this will pass muster with anyone who grew up eating their Nonna's sauce. However, we find it is flavourful and delicious and works great for our saucing needs, especially with all ingredients fresh from the farmer's market  -- and, hallelujah, perfectly ripe.


GIANT sauce:


(I made this 3 times, because my pot can only hold 15 lbs of tomatoes at a time. Can you say SUCKER???)

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
15 lbs of roma tomatoes, diced
2 lbs onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 lb carrots, diced or sliced

3 tbps sea salt
black pepper
3 tbsp oregano
4 tbsp marjoram
3 tbsp basil


directions:

1. combine and simmer for HOURS. If you have a cheap crappy stockpot like I do, make sure you keep it on very low. If you have a significantly better enormous pot with a thick encapsulated bottom, only you know if you can push the heat up a notch to medium.
2. allow to cool (and puree with an immersion blender if you like)
3. put into clean 1 L jars and freeze

THE FINAL PRODUCT: 27 L OF SAUCE. Good thing I have a freezer!

Red Rice Sushi

I usually make our sushi with cal rose brown rice. I get grains that are so short they are nearly round. However, I ran out of brown rice, and tried making sushi with colusari red, which is a medium length whole grain, and is red. I cooked it the way I cook brown rice for sushi -- 1:2 with water -- and it ended up adequately starchy and sticky that it held together for our cute and colourful sushi rolls. Tonights escapade involved black sesame seeds, avocado, and spinach. I hate to be redundant, but that's what I had in my fridge. Did I mention I hate shopping? These taste great! I wonder what purple rice sushi would taste like??

ingredients:

1 cup red colusari rice
2 cups water

brown rice vinegar
sea salt

avocado

spinach leaves

nori


directions:

1. cook the rice in the water -- 1 hour
2. season the rice with the vinegar and sea salt
3. spread the rice on sheets of nori
4. lay down the fillings, and roll the sushi up
5. slice and serve

Vegan Summer Dinner

On the menu tonight:

1. Sushi -- brown rice, avocado, carrot, spinach, black sesame seeds, and nori
2. tomato and seaweed salad -- wakame, fresh tomatoes, black sesame seeds, soy sauce
3. seaweed and carrot salad -- wakame, purple carrots, sesame butter, brown rice vinegar
4. marinated cold tofu -- ying ying's tofu, organic tamari, black sesame seeds
5. blueberry coconut milk ice cream
6. peanut butter and honey coconut milk ice cream

Yes, it rocked. Next time, please feel free to invite yourself over and join us.

Peanut Butter and Honey Coconut Milk Ice Cream -- vegan treats!

I have an childish delight in peanut butter. Bulk Barn sells the most delectable smooth organic peanut butter, and we purchase it by the litre. Should I be blushing? It's great on not-bread, on apples, by the spoonful, in energy bars, and in ice cream. Huzzah!

ingredients:

1 can (400 ml) organic coconut milk

1/2 cup peanut butter -- smooth, organic, all natural etc etc

1/4 cup unpasteurized honey

pinch sea salt

1 tsp ground vanilla bean


directions:

1. combine the ingredients (I use an immersion blender), and chill
2. freeze in your ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions

Blueberry Vanilla Bean Coconut Milk Ice Cream -- vegan and delicious

This ice cream has slightly more blueberries than everything else. It has no dairy in it, and derives its creamy goodness from coconut milk. I would say be careful which coconut milk you use, because I've encountered some that taste like 'can'. Blech. This has a delicate, multilayered flavour, and the taste of 'can' has no place in it at all. I am a big fan of fruity flavours, and think this is terrific. It does taste like coconut milk, so if you find that nuance objectionable, this may not be the blueberry ice cream for you.

ingredients:

1 can organic coconut milk -- 400 ml
2 cups frozen blueberries

1 tsp ground vanilla bean
1/4 cup unpasteurized honey


directions:

1. combine the ingredients, and puree -- I used a hand blender
2. chill
3. freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions.
4. share ...

New Superfood Energy Bars -- berries and peanut butter

I have a slightly embarrassing addiction to peanut butter. This flavour combination of peanut butter with goji berries and golden berries is aces. It's like they are dirty dancing or something.


ingredients:

1 cup raw almonds -- the really unpasteurized kind from Spain or somewhere like that

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds

1 cup shredded coconut

1/4 cup black sesame seeds

1/4 cup flax meal

1/4 cup wheat grass

1 tbsp ground vanilla bean

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 cup pitted honey dates

1/2 cup goji berries

1/2 cup golden berries

1/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup organic peanut butter (or almond butter, coconut butter, cashew butter, whatever you like nut butter)

directions:

1. in a food processor, combine the raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, sesame seeds, flax meal, wheat grass, vanilla bean, and sea salt

2. turn on and process until it resembles sand

3. add the dates, goji berries, and golden berries and pulse and then process until ground up

4. add the coconut oil, and pulse

5. add the peanut butter, and pulse

6. divide between 2 square silicone pans, score into pieces, and freeze

7. when fully chilled, break along the score lines, and store in airtight containers in the fridge.

Chocolate seed cookies -- nut free, sugar free, grain free, gluten free

It's back to school, and I am attempting to make politically correct, nut-free snacks. I can't promise that they won't start berating empty chairs, making statements about dressing like a tart, mouthing off about rape, or pretending that sticks are guns. BUT they are nut free, and won't get you into trouble with the lunch room supervisors.

ingredients:

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, ground

1/4 cup ground flax

1/4 cup black sesame seeds, ground

1/4 cup white sesame seeds, ground

1/2 cup ground raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup ground chia seeds

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup finely ground pumpkin seeds

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. This is a good time to stir in the baking soda.

3. I put all the pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, and sunflower seeds into a food processor to grind it up. I ground the chia seeds, flax seeds, and sesame seeds in a coffee grinder, and stirred them all into the date, egg, and cacao mixture.

6. scoop small spoonfuls onto lined  baking sheets

7. flatten with a wet fork and bake at 345 for 16-18 minutes

8. cool on a wire rack

9. store in an airtight container when cool

makes 4 dozen (depends on size!!!) but watch out they'll disappear before they are cool enough to pack up ...

**You can also chill the dough before baking, either in long logs which can be sliced into individual rounds, or just as dough that can then be rolled into very round balls and flattened.**