Frustrated

As per yesterdays topic about wasting time - I spent a good portion of the day searching the internet for ways to edit blog posts on my tablet (other than blogger which is totally bare bones). I had hoped that Polaris or another office word type program would have a "send to blogger" function, but no. Not even Google docs does (hey Google - you guys own blogger so get with the program!). Bother. Maybe by the time I go to NZ? Editing blog posts is one of the main things I use my laptop for – there just isn’t anything in the android world that allows me to insert photos and add formatting. Android blogger is good for writing but only sticks a photo at the end of the post, and there is very little other formatting available.

On a better note, yesterday we were in our neighbouring village putzing around and came across a shop to check for new runners for Carm. Well, this shop turned out to be a good (if rather expensive) find. Sure, Carm got his shoes, but I scored the perfect outfit for travelling. It is a knit houndstooth tweed jacket and matching pants that look a little dressy. They are super comfortable and will be perfect for the plane. I'll be able to wear the jacket with jeans and a nice t-shirt, as well as with black dress pants. I just need to add a top (and I have a few in mind) and I'm all set. It will be perfect for non-travel when I need something just a bit dressier. I have lots of jeans and t-shirts, but not much else. And the good news - size 10!

This shop also had a good selection of woman's and men's shoes. I didn't buy anything but will keep a few pairs in mind.

Yesterday there were snowflakes flying around with an overnight forecast of -2. The camper isn't winterized so we turned the heat on overnight. We are hoping to hold off winterizing for a week or two in case the weather turns nice. There was a heavy frost this morning so it is a good thing we did. The cold weather prompted us to start putting the outside furniture away :-( bye bye swing till next spring. For a few years we kept it upstairs in the living room in front of the fireplace!

Btw - Dorothy! Don't give up. It doesn't take (too) much effort to make healthy meals. Last night I cooked a sweet potato in the microwave for 4 minutes, then cubed it. I cleaned and cut in half some Brussels sprouts. Cut a red onion into big chunks. Cut 6 medium mushrooms in half. Tossed all these in a big bowl with 1 tsp (that's teaspoon) of olive oil, a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional), and of course chopped garlic. Spread it all onto two baking sheets lined with parchment and stuck it into a 400F oven for 30 minutes (giving them a shake 1/2 way through). While that was cooking I cooked 1 cup quinoa with 1 cup chicken broth; 1 cup hot water, and the zest of one lemon (in the microwave 5 min high, 15 min med high).

Voila! Dinner for two or in your case dinner for two nights! It is one of our favourite dinners. The selection of vegetables can vary - sometimes we add red pepper, or cauliflower, or zucchini, or broccoli, or green beans, or, and, or, ...

Tomorrow night I'll sauté (in chicken broth) 1lb of zucchini and some mushrooms, probably some chopped onion, and as always, garlic. That will be served on lentils mixed with brown rice (3/4 lentils, 1/4 brown rice). I'll top it off with some chopped tomato.

Tonight we will venture into the dark side of meat eating (gasp)! We still have some small beef strip loins in the freezer so we’ll share one, along with a large helping of vegetables (grilled zucchini & mushrooms). And bubbles. Can’t keep to the straight and narrow every day :-)

When making lentils I always make enough for a few meals. 1 1/2 cups lentils picked over, 1/2 cup brown rice. Mix with 4 to 5 cups hot water (or a combination of water and stock). Add a bit of garlic, and whatever seasonings you like (I often add turmeric, cumin, mustard seed). In microwave, cook on high for 5 minutes, then med high for 35 minutes. Sometimes it will need a bit more time or some more water. Sometimes I heat them up in the sauté pan with onions, garlic and frozen chopped spinach.

I usually try to have a few "leftover" dinners a week - it takes away some of the burden of cooking every night.

To cut down on prep time we clean heads and heads of garlic, chop with the food processor and pack into a jar with some extra virgin olive oil. Kept in the fridge this will keep for ages (my current batch was done in August).

Cheerfulness is the best promoter of health and is as friendly to the mind as to the body.
Joseph Addison

Wasted Days and Wasted Nights

I am perhaps the worlds best at lolling around doing nothing. The internet sucks up huge amounts of my time, and I can also burn hours organizing stuff on my computer and creating documents to organize my life with. Getting up and doing something is not my forte these days.

by Freddie Fender (downer lyrics aka country music, but the song is good): http://youtu.be/TUVgkXVDkBA

And while we are at it (I was on YouTube after all), a time warp song: http://youtu.be/spsVigJCvNU

All that being said, the last few days I’ve spent getting back into the proper eating swing of things. I’ve found a few more recipes to try and have spent some extra effort cooking.

• Last night we had roasted cauliflower tossed with Thai Green Curry sauce (no added fat), over lentils sautéed with onion and spinach. Cauliflower was roasted in 450F oven for 22 minutes.
• Tonight we are having roasted sweet potato, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms, with lemon quinoa.

A few weeks ago on the camper I had cold feet so decided to teach Spike to bring my socks. I started with my favourite socks (thanks Ruth). I kept them in the same spot and he learned with just a few attempts what I wanted. Once we were home I thought I would try the same thing, this time with a different pair of socks. I left them on the bathroom floor and from 10 or so feet away asked him to bring me socks. He looked around for a minute then picked them up and brought them. Success! Today I tried it from the living room (a long way away). Right away he went down the hall to the bathroom and brought me socks! Jackpot! These seems like the lazy way to get warm feet, but I actually get up and give him a treat every time. He is a mercenary for food!

But… it was a fluke. Later on I asked again and he ran around with his toy in his mouth looking for something to bring. I had to help him a few times by walking towards the bathroom. More practice is required.

Weight loss challenge summary to date 10/10 (I’ll post another summary on 10/20):

• Bjorn – down two pounds!
• Merikay – also down two pounds! She is getting to be a real skinny minny as I believe she has lost over 40lbs to-date.
• Dorothy – time to fess up! Don’t give up!
• Christina?
• Me – well, technically it is 3lb but I think the first 2 were water retention, which makes it only 1.

To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.
Buddha

Earning Their Wings

I was up at the crack of dawn this morning and after taking the dogs out for a few minutes I knew I couldn't return to bed. It was just that beautiful. Instead I grabbed a coffee and headed outside to the swing. It was so peaceful and still, there was a faint mist on the horizon (my favourite vista on our property), the birds were chirping and flitting around looking for their breakfasts, the breeze occasionally stirred the tallest trees, and thankfully there wasn't much traffic on the road.

As I sat there enjoying the moment, the chatter of birds over by the barn caught my attention. Then I saw some swooping swallows. I realized that there were some newly fledged chicks learning to fly. The parents flew around them encouraging each one. It was amazing to watch them increase their prowess. At first each try was awkward with many stops, but soon they were taking slightly larger swoops away from the barn. They practiced for a while and then all at once plopped down on the barn to rest. A minute or two later they were up and away, this time with much more skill. The parents took them farther afield this time, such that I lost sight of them for a bit. Soon they were back for another short rest before trying again. It was obvious it wouldn't be long before they would be flying with the same skill as their parents.

In fact several minutes later I could see the four of them swooping (with joy?) high in the sky. I wondered if they feel exhilarated with their new found skill? Nature is amazing. How could birds, that were just learning to fly, suddenly have the athletic prowess and muscle development to take on such a feat?

As I sat there on the swing looking at the barn and the overgrown sand ring I thought of the horses. On a morning such as this I would have stuck my feet into muck boots and walked down to join the horses in their pasture. I would have stood close to them stroking their silky hides, and breathing in their sweet horsey smell. Is there any better smell in the world? I think not. I would have been enveloped by their peace. Horses are like that you know, they have a spirit that extends beyond their being.

In all the years that I had them, they helped me through the rough patches of depression. There was something about being with them that lifted my spirits to a better place, if only temporarily. When I was home on extended sick leave the daily routine of caring for them brought structure and purpose to my days. If I hadn't gone back to work, with the pressures of having a full time job on top of everything else, I'm quite certain that we would still have a few (but maybe not 11!).

However, life being what it is, I sat there and enjoyed the memories, although in all honesty I did feel a pricking of tears in my eyes.

Last night we had Trudie & Leo over for a quick supper to thank them for all the produce. The pesto pasta was fabulous. I could have sat there stuffing forkfuls of the pasta into my mouth. Carm said later that he wanted to stick his face in the bowl - it was so good. And the salad with peaches, tomatoes, cucumber, basil and a bit of baby romaine was fresh and light. The grilled zucchini was a wonderful side, and they also brought a beautiful head of broccoli. Summer produce! And with the exception of the bit of peccorino romano cheese it was vegan too.

The big job on the agenda today was clipping and bathing the poodles. I had to get them all shortened up for our next camping trip! After that was done I wandered down the laneway to open the gate for the delivery we were expecting (see post about fantastic fan). A faint smell of apples ripening perfumed the air. So sweet. I lingered...

We often have a pita something or other for lunch - today I made a spread with a can of mashed black beans, a dollop of pesto mixed in (yum), sliced green onion, cubed avocado, and cubed tomato, gently stirred together. Spread onto a 1/2 pita with a handful of spinach packed in and it was a quick, easy and yummy lunch. Not exactly our usual fat-free lunch but boy was it tasty!

For the mind disturbed, the still beauty of dawn is nature's finest balm.
Edwin Way Teale

With a Fresh Eye

Last night we went out for supper with friends Trudie and Leo, after which we all stopped at Vashev and Marie’s for a glass of wine. It was a lovely warm evening so we sat out in their back garden enjoying our surroundings and trading stories. The cat was stalking a chipmunk who teased and taunted. Birds came to the feeders for a bedtime snack. The cardinal wowed us with his bright red plumage.

As I was sitting there, I was thinking how much our property was missing places to pull up some chairs under a tree and started formulating plans in my head. Well, this morning I took stock of what we’d have to do and wouldn’t you know it… not much is needed at all! We just need some comfy chairs – they had plastic Adirondack chairs which seemed perfect. If we build some stairs from the deck down to grass level we’ll end up in a pleasant shady spot with easy access to the house. If we go a bit farther afield there’s a spot in the front near the flower beds that would be lovely. Just moving the truck reveals a lovely spot with a vista of the pond and lowlands of the creek.

I guess I just had to look at our property with new eyes (sort of like how I looked in the mirror the other day, but this time better!). So many of the trees have grown now, and some of the landscaping is more mature. Adding a few more spots of flowers or shrubs will finish it off nicely. We’d still have a “rural” look but it would be somewhere that a picnic blanket and basket of food would not look out of place. It is no longer the barren landscape that we started with 18 years ago.

Today I’ve been blessed with a bounty of produce from Trudie’s garden. She shared zucchini (lovely small ones), cucumbers, giant bulbs of garlic, hot little peppers (so good and the perfect hotness), and a huge pile of basil. So of course I spent some time making pesto, or at least the starting of it. I just did basil, garlic and olive oil to freeze in small batches. I can include some in any number of dishes, including Thai stir-fries with some sesame oil and hot peppers. Oh the eating possibilities!

Tonight supper is whole wheat pasta with a proper pesto, with grilled zucchini tossed in. Yum. Is it supper time yet?

If we do not permit the earth to produce beauty and joy, it will in the end not produce food, either.
Joseph Wood Krutch

Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Vegan Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Cookies

Tasty cookies with the consistency of banana bread. They are about 150 calories per cookie, so they aren’t low cal, but they are full of healthy ingredients and can stand in for a quick meal on the go. I tried both the chocolate and raisin option – I much preferred the raisins. The recipe says they are optional, but I think the cookie needs them for the sweetness. I tried freezing them as soon as they were cool and that seems to have worked out fine.

Yields: 24 cookies (heaping T of batter each)
Ingredients

3 ripe bananas mashed
1 cup honey-roasted peanut-butter
2 cups rolled oats (not instant oatmeal)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (optional)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or raisins (optional)

Instructions
1. Throw the bananas in the blender with the peanut-butter, vanilla and maple syrup/honey until it reaches a creamy consistency.
2. In separate bowl mix the oats, flour, baking powder and salt. Add banana mixture and stir well so the batter gets a stick consistency. The oats are what will hold the cookie together.
3. On a baking sheet, place spoonfuls of the cookie batter making table-spoon sized balls. Bake for 14-16 minutes.

http://www.eatfeelfresh.com/2012/03/sugar-free-peanut-butter-banana-oatmeal.html

Green Beans with Sesame Lime Dressing

I brought these to the Titanium rally pot luck and they were a hit with the vegetable lovers. I think they are a great change to plain green beans, and with the dressing is reasonably diet friendly. 1/6th of the dressing recipe is only 38 calories!

Green Bean Salad with Sesame Lime Dressing

Dressing recipe makes enough for 4 pounds of beans. It keeps will in the fridge for a few days.

Ingredients

2 pounds green beans root ends trimmed
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon tahini paste
2 limes juiced and zested
1 teaspoon Hot sauce (I use sirracha)
1 teaspoon soya sauce I skipped this
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions
1. Cook green beans using your preferred method. I roast them in a 400F oven, lowest rack, for 7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile whisk the sesame oil, tahini, lime juice and zest, hot sauce, (soya), and honey into a bowl and whisk until smooth. When the beans are done place them in a bowl and toss them with the dressing. Transfer to a serving dish and serve. Sprinkle the sesame seeds evenly over the top

Roasted Green Beans with Preserved Lemons

I made a new recipe last night and it was yummy, and simple to make. The recipe that I adapted it from called for boiling the green beans, as well as much more olive oil. I think roasting them gave a nicer result. And of course I reduced the oil – 1 teaspoon was plenty. I served it with lentils. Another low-fat vegan dish to add to the rotation! It would also make a nice side dish, and is good enough to serve to guests.

Green Beans with Preserved Lemon, Almonds, and Rosemary

Serve these beans at room temperature or chilled as a summery salad. Notes: You can buy preserved lemons in specialty food stores, or you can make your own (prepare them at least two weeks before using).
Yields: 2 Servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup sliced almonds roasted
1 pounds green yellow, or purple beans
3 Preserved Lemon 3 or 4 wedges (see notes)
1 tablespoons rosemary leaves fresh finely chopped
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil  (was 2T)
1 cloves garlic minced (optional)

Instructions
1. Move oven rack to lowest position. Preheat to 400.
2. Toss green beans with rosemary, garlic and oil. Spread out on 2 trays lined with parchment.
3. Roast in oven for 5 - 8 minutes, until tender, shaking once or twice.
4. Rinse preserved lemon thoroughly under running water; discard seeds and pulp. Finely chop lemon.
5. Mix preserved lemon and almonds with green beans. I do it right on the cookie sheet. Can be served warm or cold. If serving cold wait until serving to mix in the almonds.

 

Some Recipes from Last Night

These are a few of the recipes that I cooked for Jo Ellen, Deirdre, Don and Chris. I also did kale chips (which were a big hit), the Quinoa black bean burger and sweet potato fries (which didn’t turn out at all – any tips on getting them crisp?). Everyone was a very good sport about the diet/vegan type fare. Tomorrow night I’m going to try a green bean with preserved lemon recipe – I can hardly wait!

Roasted Asparagus & Creamy Tahini Dip

Serve as an appetizer course or as nibbles before supper. Really tasty. Lots of dip, enough for another bunch of asparagus, or perhaps some pita chips.
Yields: 8 Servings

Ingredients

1 bunch Asparagus
1 teaspoon Olive oil
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup Tahini
1 tablespoon Lemon juice
1 teaspoon Honey
1 clove Garlic minced
1/4 teaspoon Cumin

Instructions
1. Stir tahini with lemon juice, honey, garlic and cumin in a small bowl.

2. Gradually stir in 1 to 3 tablespoons water until smooth.
3. Position rack in bottom of oven. Preheat to 400F.
4. Snap off and discard tough ends of asparagus. Toss with oil and salt on a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Bake on bottom rack of oven, stirring halfway through, until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes (yes just 5 minutes)
Serve with tahini as a dip.

 

Roasted Chickpeas

"A delicious, high fibre snack, these roasted chickpeas are a crispy, crunchy alternative to bland, mushy chickpeas."
Yields: 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 can (12-16 oz), drained
salt
garlic powder optional
cayenne pepper optional

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Set rack to middle.
2. Blot chickpeas with a paper towel to dry them. In a bowl, toss chickpeas with salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, if using. Spread on a baking sheet, and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until browned and crunchy. Watch carefully the last few minutes to avoid burning.

 

Zucchini & Kidney Bean Burger

Tasty in a whole wheat pita with a chimichurri sauce, or the spicy avocado spread (avocado, 1/2 tsp sirrachi, lime juice). They aren’t much different from the Quinoa & Black bean burger. Next time I will try adding more zucchini and beans.

Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup zucchini grated (unpeeled)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup onion minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup kidney beans
1/2 cup quinoa cooked
1/2 cup millet cooked
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
optional garnishes: lemon

Instructions
1. Cook the millet and quinoa (1/4 cup each with 1 1/2 cup water/stock) together in microwave for 25 minutes. You may need to add extra water near the end.
2. Place the grated zucchini into a strainer in the sink or over a bowl and rub the 1/2 teaspoon of salt into it. Let it drain for about 20 minutes.
3. While the zucchini is draining, sauté the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until they are browned.
4. Then, in a large bowl, smash the red beans with a fork until they form a thick paste. Then add in the other ingredients for the cakes: zucchini, onion, garlic, quinoa, millet, and lemon juice, and then season with salt and pepper.
5. Once all of your ingredients are combined, form the mixture into small patties. Makes 6 1/3 cup patties.
6. To cook the patties, heat up a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the cakes, as many as will fit comfortably in the pan, and cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side (until they are browned). Be careful when you're flipping the cakes, they can fall apart easily if you're not gentle with them.
7. When they're cooked on both side, transfer to a plate and garish with the optional lemon juice, parsley, or sesame seeds. Serve warm.

Kale Chips–are you kidding me?

I’ve read several recipes for kale chips and since I was looking for a salty, crunchy treat that falls within my diet guidelines I thought I would give them a try. They are a bit fussy to make but OH SO WORTH IT!!! Both Carm and I were surprised/shocked to find them quite yummy. And that’s saying a lot… Carm was not really fussed about the idea but bravely gave them a try. Five star rating from him (and me)! Who woulda thunk it?

Kale Chips

These are unbelievably tasty - quite a surprise!
Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients

1 large bunch of leafy red kale
1 tablespoon Olive oil
sprinkle sea salt
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375. Wash and completely dry kale.
Pull the woody stems from the leaves and break up into bite-sized pieces into a bowl.
Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle some fine sea salt and the cayenne.
Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment, just one layer.
Bake at 375 for about 8 minutes. Take them out when they’re nice and crunchy and slide easily from the cookie sheet.

I tried one batch with 1/4 tsp of chinese five spice, it was good, but we both preferred the cayenne. Try with garlic powder next time.

Happy Easter

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter and got the requisite amount of chocolate.

Last night we were at Carm's brother Joe's for supper (my that's a lot of 's in a row!). It was nice to see family, unfortunately not everyone was there. We missed the hub bub of such a large crowd. On the plus side though we had a better visit with the people who were there. It was nice with just Sandy and I puttering in the kitchen, we had some real girl talk :-)  Spike was invited guest - he and Sunny love to play and have a grand time when they get together. Spike doesn't have the energy of Sunny though and was ready to go home after a couple of hours. I think next time I'll bring his little mat so he has somewhere to settle.

Aside from supper last night we've been sticking to our diet which is basically fat-free vegan. I signed up with a calorie counter site and am putting all our food into the log - aside from finding out how many calories are in everything, we are also better able to see where we are short nutrients. I don't know how anyone gets enough iron in their diet without eating sides of beef every night. It will take me at least a few more days to formulate a diet plan that includes everything we need. Lentils are quite high in iron so I foresee way too many of them in my future.

The other thing I did diet related was from an idea posted by Ruth in her Pintrest board. I set up 2 little jars, one tagged "weight to lose", the other "weight lost". In the “to lose” jar, for each pound that I want to lose, I put in a glass weight like those used in flower arranging. I'm pretty visual so I hope this will motivate me. However, after 3 days of being really careful with diet and exercise, one jar is still empty...

 

I've been playing around with having something other than soup for our lunches. Yesterday's lunch was: 1/2 avocado, hot sauce, lemon juice, 1 cup baby spinach on 1/2 whole wheat pita - very yummy but high in calories with the avocado. Today we had: homemade hummus (made with canned chickpeas, 2 T famine, lemon juice, 1t ground cumin, 1t ground coriander, 1/2 t dried chili peppers, a bit of water as required - makes about 6 servings), the hummus was spread on 1/2 whole wheat pita which was then stuffed with baby spinach (at least 1 cup, maybe 2). Both lunches were really tasty and full of nutrients. We'd be better off ditching the pita bread as it is a processed food, but there are limits ;-)

Of all things visible, the highest is the heaven of the fixed stars.
Nicolaus Copernicus

Chinese Brussels Sprouts

Last night I tried a new recipe from the book I bought a few weeks back (Best-Ever Vegetarian – The Definitive Cook’s Collection). Unfortunately I didn’t look at the book closely enough – many of the recipes call for cheese, white pasta and other foods that we are avoiding. However there are a few recipes that have caught my eye, including this one. It was an excellent change in flavours and will be going on the menu plan rotation for sure. I served it with Brown Rice & Lentils for more fibre and protein. I calculated that the whole meal was 262 calories. And with some oranges for dessert we were satisfied

Chinese Brussels Sprouts

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a side dish
Ingredients

1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil
2 Spring onions sliced
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 tablespoon Light soy sauce

Instructions
1. Trim the brussels sprouts, then shred them finely using a large sharp knife or a food processor.
2. Heat the oil and add the sprouts and spring onions. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, without allowing the mixture to brown.
3. Stir in the five-spice powder and soy sauce, then cook, stirring, for a further 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender. Serve hot with other Chinese dishes.

I served this with a mixture of brown rice & lentils. It went perfectly. Next time I’ll try a tad less 5-spice powder as I found it a bit strong, although Carm liked the flavour (he gave it a 4 star rating).

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Today I signed up for an account at http://caloriecount.about.com. It lets me create meals, add recipe ingredients, and then use these to create a daily food log. I’m going to try it for a while and see if it helps me to stick to my plan. Unfortunately its focus is on calories, but I figure that it wouldn’t hurt to see how many calories things have, at least for a little while. I think it also tracks weight watchers points, but I’m not positive. There is also a page to enter your activity which it then tracks against your daily food log for the entire picture. Wish me luck!

Please Don't Label Me

Yesterday Carm bought me a labeller. Be still my Virgo heart. The dogs are worried as they see me running around the house putting labels on anything that doesn't move. I've actually only labelled a few things, but only because Karen came over today for a visit and a walk. Tomorrow I'll start in the workshop. All that good organizing that we did a few months back can now be completed. I bought a few little bins to help with sorting out the bins of miscellaneous stuff and now with the labeller I'll be able to identify the contents of those, as well as other bins. There is something so neat and tidy about bins with labels neatly arranged on shelves.

Yesterday we headed into town to have lunch with Carm's mom and for my doctor appointment. While in town we made our usual stops at Costco and St. Laurent Fruit & Vegetable. We are provisioned for the long weekend! And of course a trip to Costco wouldn't be complete without buying other non-food related items... we never seem to get out of there with less than $100 bucks worth of stuff.

At St. Laurent I picked up some lemon grass, a hot red pepper, green onion and some mint. I already have some cilantro and coconut milk. I'm hoping to find a recipe for something vegan and Thai. Yummm those flavours sound so good. So... tonight I made a quasi Pad Thai rice... ummm,  ummm, good.

    Cook 1 cup brown basmati rice.

    Chop 1 hot red pepper, 2 spring onions, 1 tablespoon ginger, 3 cloves garlic. Cut into strips 5 small zucchini, 1 large carrot. Sautee vegetables & set aside. Sautee garlic  mix. Add rice with 1/2 cup coconut milk, cook for a couple of minutes. Add vegetables back and stir. Add chopped fresh parsley, cilantro and if desired mint.

   Serve with bubbles ;-)

Can I put a label on that?

Burnt Sugar Cake

This is Carm’s favourite cake so I make it for him every year for his birthday. Not more often than that though – between it and the icing there are 4 1/2 cups of sugar! That’s more sugar than we’d use in 2 years – Yikes! It’s a bit of a tricky cake to make, not only is it time consuming, but getting it out of the oven at the right time is a challenge for me. Yesterday I burnt the first one and had to start over…

Make sure to make the icing that goes with it. It is basically a caramel fudge – very, very yummy. It helps to have 2 people at the icing stage as when it sets, it sets FAST. It doesn’t leave you much time to work it. My cakes always come out looking a bit wreaky because of that, but I haven’t had one person complain once they’ve had a bite!

The recipe makes 2 layers, but instead of stacking them I iced them separately – one to go to my parents house for the birthday dinner, and the other for the freezer (for that day that we are absolutely dying for something sweet).

---

Burnt-Sugar Cake

Ingredients

1/2 cup Sugar
2/3 cup Boiling water
2 cups Cake flour sifted
3/4 teaspoon Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Butter softened
1 cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
2/3 cup Milk

Instructions
1. Make caramel syrup: Melt 1/2 cup sugar in 8-inch heavy skillet over medium heat. Shake pan slightly as sugar melts and turns golden. Continue heating until it turns dark amber colour. Remove from heat.
2. Gradually add boiling water, stirring constantly. Return to heat; boil rapidly, uncovered, 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour into 1 cup measure. Set aside to cool completely.
3. Preheat oven to 375F (350 in my oven). Grease well and flour two 8-inch round layer-cake pans. On waxed paper, sift flour with baking powder, salt and soda. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, with electric mixer at medium speed, cream butter until soft. Gradually beat in sugar; continue beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. At medium speed, beat in cooled Caramel Syrup and vanilla. Then beat in flour mixture (in fourths) alternately with milk (in thirds), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour into prepared pans.
6. Bake at 25 to 30 minutes (20 to 25 minutes in my oven), or until top springs back when gently pressed with fingertip.
7. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely on wire racks.
8. Spread half of Caramel Frosting between layers. Spread rest on top, letting it run unevenly down side.

Notes: Oven temperature is too high. Cake burns at 25 min in our oven. Reduce heat to 350 and check at 20 min (usually takes about 25 min). Watch carefully as it is a bit tricky to not burn it. (Use paddle attachment and not whisk.)

Burnt-Sugar Cake Caramel Frosting

Yields: Makes enough to frost tops of 2 (8 inch) cake layers

Ingredients

2 cups Light-brown sugar firmly packed
1/2 cup Butter
5 tablespoon Light cream
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon Baking powder

Instructions
1. In medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter and cream; bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil gently, stirring, 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Add vanilla and baking powder. With electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy, about 5 minutes. When it is ready work fast!

Enjoy!

Quinoa & Black Bean Burger

I made this recipe last night and it was a big hit. The “burgers” were moist and tasty, while the avocado spread added some spice. Of course they weren’t like regular hamburgers, but I think there are a good substitute (but with none of the saturated fats!). I served it on whole wheat pita with cucumbers on the side. Since it makes 6 burgers we will be having them again tonight, this time with asparagus as a side. If I can get another ripe avocado I’ll make the spread again as well – it was really yummy.

Quinoa & Black Bean Burger with Spicy Avocado Spread

Yields: 6 Servings

Ingredients

For the black bean and quinoa burgers:
2 cups cooked quinoa (less than 1 cup dried)
2 cups black beans (Canned is fine as long as it is organic, no sodium. If you're
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cumin
2 cloves garlic minced
salt & pepper
olive oil
6 whole wheat pita or toasted whole grain buns for serving
For the smoky avocado spread:
1 ripe avocado
1 plum tomato seeds removed and diced.
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (my paprika isn't a smoked one)
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper or 1/2 tsp sirrachi (optional)
salt & pepper

Instructions
While you are cooking your quinoa, combine the black beans, turmeric, cumin, and broth in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low, cover partially, and simmer for 25-30 minutes (may require more time to reduce stock). Drain the beans (I didn't but there wasn't much liquid left - the patties weren't too wet).

In a large bowl combine the beans, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mash the ingredients together, then add in the quinoa and combine. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Form the mixture into patties. Use a 1/2 cup measure for 6 good size patties. Transfer the patties to a plate, cover and refrigerate while you are preparing your avocado spread or until you are ready to use (they will keep for about 3-4 days).

For the avocado spread: In a bowl, mash the avocado until it is smooth. Add in the tomato, smoked paprika, red pepper or hot sauce (if using), season with salt and pepper and combine.

In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the cakes (maybe 3-4 at a time depending on the size of your pan) turning over once it has browned (about 5-7 minutes per side).

Serve immediately on a pita or a toasted bun with the avocado spread.

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Source (I’m now following this blog as it looks like she has some good vegan recipes): http://www.whatscookinggoodlooking.com/whats-cooking-good-looking/2011/10/4/quinoa-black-bean-burger-with-a-smoky-avocado-spread.html  - I have made a few changes which are reflected in the above post.

Last Minute

I’ve been feeling especially lazy the last few days – I don’t know if it’s the weather (sunny) or just the time of year but I’m not doing much beyond laying in the sun reading. Saturday was no different, but by 2pm I was thinking that having friends over for supper would be nice. It was awfully last minute but what the heck I gave them a ring. Lucky for me they were home and had no plans.

Now the hard part – feeding them! I checked in the fridge – broccoli, turkey breast, mushrooms, roasted red pepper in the freezer… what to make? Stir fry! So I cut up the turkey into bite sized pieces and marinated them in chopped garlic, zest & juice of 1 lemon, some soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil. The rest of the ingredients got chopped up, and I added some fresh ginger as well. Voila, dinner in a jiffy. It turned out pretty good – now I just have to remember what I did for the next time (hence the detailed description above).

Jo Ellen and Don (and Lady) arrived just on time. With a fire flickering in the fireplace we enjoyed a leisurely dinner and visit. It is nice to have friends that you can just casually invite over and not worry too much about the state of the house or the fanciness of the meal.

I did want to bash Carm at one point though. He dragged everyone down to the basement. I gotta tell you – our basement is not for the faint of heart… it has piles and piles and shelves and shelves of stuff. How could we have so much stuff? It is a lot better arranged since we have spent some time down there lately, but really – it SHOULD NOT be on a house tour! Got that Carm!

before

after – still some work to do, but really, how can you make tools look really neat and tidy without putting them into containers of some sort

This evening we are having supper at my Mom & Dad’s. It’s Dad’s 70th birthday today – what a milestone! Last year I posted a few old photos of him and I think I’ll do the same again today. In both of these photos he is just 20 years old (20!). My mom is just 18 (yes 18!).

When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves.
William Arthur Ward

Baby Bok Choy

I made a new recipe last night - Baby Bok Choy sautéed with garlic and red pepper flakes, tossed with some lemon zest and then served over a mixture of brown rice and lentils. It came about because I had bought a huge bag of the babies at T&T (they were so lovely and fresh looking) and now had to figure out something to do with them. I had planned on mixing them with some other vegetables but we didn't make it to the grocery store. As it turns out it was a tasty enough meal that will be added to the regular rotation. So many nutrients!

Last night was also a good one for idle pleasures. For a bedtime snack I cut a thick slice of bread and popped it in the toaster. Spread with peanut butter, its crispy outside and soft inside was totally enjoyed. What a taste treat. Now you may have noticed that I had this really healthy supper but then was hungry by bedtime... if I was being really serious I'd just ignore the hunger and go to bed, but, since I dropped down on a med dosage I'm having trouble sleeping to start with so don't want to make it any harder. blah blah blah.

Christmas lights were another idle pleasure. I had accidently left the bedroom curtain open a bit - when I lay down in bed I saw that I could see the lights in the tree outside :-)  Sweet. That's a happy sight to fall asleep to.

I have gotten out of the habit of listing all the pleasures everyday, but they are somewhat repetitive - sunny day, sunlight on the wall, fresh pineapple, crunch of snow, starry nights, Christmas lights (yes the outside tree is still lit up), puffy poodles (next week will be a hair cut day for them), flowers - lots of flowers - the daffodils are on their last legs but are still giving a bit of a show, and the roses are in full bloom, getting up when I naturally wake up and not to an alarm, walking on our land. These are just off the top of my head. I try to note things throughout the day.

Today has been a lazy one. We started out on our morning walk but with the warm temperatures we were just wrecking the path so we turned back before any more damage was done. We need that path to last us for the rest of the winter! Once we got back inside I read all the blogs I follow and then fired up Quicken so that I could do some analysis of our spending for last year. It is fun to tab through some of the reports and see that 3% of our spending was for the pets, or that we spent $2600+ on gas for the two vehicles. There wasn't anything that will prompt changes but it is nice to have an idea where everything goes.

If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, you'll often find that you are right.
Nancy Sathre-Vogel

A Quintessential Winter Day

Plenty of sun and freezing cold temperatures greeted us this morning. It was -18 with a wind so we put off our morning walk to mid-afternoon when it warmed up a bit. And what a lovely walk it was. With the sun glinting off the ice covered vegetation it looked like fairies had dusted the earth with diamond dust. Such a pretty sight. I really do love all the seasons and would (possibly) miss winter.

Before I forget - last night's lentil dish was great. With the fresh herbs (mint, cilantro, and parsley), as well as the juice and zest of a lemon it was a bright, fresh tasting dish. It was easy to make, fat free, and low carb - a perfect addition to our regular rotation. Talking about regular rotation - I've been in a bit of a rut with menu planning. My friend Ruth told me that she used to have 6 weeks worth of menu plans that she would cycle through. This kept her from repeating things too often. I think this is a great idea and got started this afternoon. It's harder than you think! I thought I had a good plan made but then realized that I hadn't taken into account ingredients and how to use them for multiple dishes to reduce waste so it's back to square one for me.