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Tuesday 27 March 2012

Will Run For Spicy Spelt Berry Salad


Sunday was clean out the fridge day.  It was also curse, swear, & stomp your feet day because the water line connected to your fridge leaked all over your hardwood floor causing it to swell, heave and discolour.  If that wasn't reason enough for cursing, swearing and stomping (difficult to do all at once) water leaking through your basement ceiling is definately reason enough to throw yourself to the floor with arms and legs flailing (slipping in the puddle in front of the refrigerator will also have the same effect). 

Luckily the spelt berry salad came before the leaking, heaving, cursing, swearing and stomping otherwise this post would have been about chocolate cake or Wild Turkey (how that got in the liquor cabinet I don't know.  I think it might have been a house warming gift.  They must have know what we would need it). 

 Spicy Spelt Berry Salad

Dressing
(makes 1/4 C)

juice from one freshly squeezed lemon (approximately 1/4 C)
2 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp garam masala 

Salad

(makes 5-6 cups)

3 C cooked spelt berries (1 1/2 C dry spelt berries)
1 roasted red pepper cut into strips
1/2 C fresh cilantro
1/4 C fresh chives
10 spears of grilled asparagus
19 oz roasted chickpeas (1 tsp of olive oil, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp chipotle powder roasted for approximately 30 minutes @ 375) 
1/2-1 tsp sea salt

Begin by roasting your chickpeas and cooking your spelt berries.  Cooking the spelt for 40-45 minutes gives it a great chewy texture.

spelt berries

Roast red pepper.  Turn your oven to broil.  Slice pepper in half, scrape out seeds and brush lightly with olive oil.  Allow to cook until dark splotches begin to appear. Turn and allow to cook until dark splotches appear on the other side.  Use tongs and place peppers in a bowl with a lid and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.  Peel off skin and slice into thin strips.

roasted red pepper


While waiting impatiently whisk together lemon juice, maple syrup and garam masala to make dressing.

Grill asparagus (lightly brush with olive oil and either use an indoor grill or roast in oven alongside peppers).

Combine cooked spelt berries, peppers, fresh herbs, asparagus, sea salt and dressing.


spicy spelt berry salad

I'm beginning to think that a cold cellar is the way to go.  Forget setting up the fridge I'll be busy digging a hole in the back yard.  Luckily I have three helpers who would be more than happy to dig.

Will work for treats



Sunday 18 March 2012

Will Run For Apple Nachos With Chocolate Coconut Sauce


"I don't like to eat out of the blender".  

 "Really? You don't like to eat chocolate coconut sauce out of the blender?  I could get you a bowl.  How about a really long spoon".

  What I was thinking and not saying was, "what's wrong with you"!  Soundbites from our kitchen.

I recently discovered apple nachos.  They are pretty much apple slices slathered with all kinds of delicious toppings.  Apples with caramel sauce, apples with chocolate syrup, apples with melted peanut butter.  Yum.  Why didn't I think of this sooner.

I made mine with coconut chocolate sauce, pecans, cocoa nibs and coconut but you could put anything on them.

I should fill my water bottle with chocolate sauce more often.

Apple Nachos

(serves 1)

1 sweet apple
1 T cocoa nibs
1 T raw pecans
1 T unsweetened coconut
*1/4-1/2 C Coconut Chocolate Sauce

Thinly slice apples.  Lightly brush with lemon juice to keep from turning brown.  Top with coconut chocolate sauce.  Add pecans, cocoa nibs, and coconut or your favourite toppings. 


Coconut Chocolate Sauce

(approximately 3/4-1 C)

1 small avocado
2 T cocoa powder
1 C coconut milk
1 C dates + 2/3 cup water (simmered for five minutes)
pinch salt
1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste.

In a blender combine avocado, cocoa powder, coconut milk, date paste (1 C dates + 2/3 cup water simmered on medium heat for 5 minutes), salt and vanilla.

breakfast?
Ramsey Loop I'll see you next Sunday.  You bring the nachos and maybe a wagon.

      

Tuesday 13 March 2012

Will Run For Hummus, Apple Butter & Tempeh Wraps


Are you interested in making butter caramels? 


 I would suggest asking Martha

 How about mini pinata  favours?  

   
not a pinata

I would suggest visiting Ruffled.  I obviously can't be trusted with making a pinata.   

Rainbow Brite's horse did not throw up.  That is a pinata Hank.

I decided that it would be a fabulous idea to make a pinata and fill it with homemade butter caramels.  Why would someone do that?  An even better question is why didn't it occur to me that it takes more than three hours to make a pinata and the candy to go in it.  You can't really rush pinata making (even if you use a hair dryer).

There was an hour of stirring.  There were some delicious caramels!  There was some burnt paper mache paste (always make sure that the correct element is on!).  There was a little bit of cursing and some delicious wraps.  The wraps might seem like a bit of an odd combination but they really are delicious. 

Hummus Apple Butter Tempeh Wraps

(serves 1)

1 Ezekial wrap
1-2 T of hummus
1 T of grated cheddar cheese (brie is also delicious)
1 T of apple butter
3 strips of cooked marinated tempeh (I used Turtle Island Foods brand).

Spread hummus in the centre of wrap leaving enough room for apple butter.  Spread apple butter around the outer edge of the wrap.  Top with cooked marinated tempeh & cheese.  Heat in the oven or microwave until cheese is melted.



Sunday 11 March 2012

Will Run For Mint Cocoa Nib Ice-cream


Spring is in the air!  I have two very wet, sandy and sleepy dogs to prove it.  Why not celebrate with a little green ice-cream. 



Green ice-cream would also be a great way to celebrate your favourite St. Patrick's day run



Mint Cocoa Nib Ice-cream

(serves 2)

2 very ripe frozen bananas
1 T cocoa nibs (or  chocolate chips)
1/4 C tightly packed fresh mint leaves
1/4 C tightly packed raw spinach lightly steamed
1/4 C + 1T unsweetened soy milk (or milk of your choice)



1.  In your blender combine frozen bananas, mint leaves,  1/4 C unsweetened soy milk and steamed spinach.  Continue to add soy milk until ingredients are well combined.  Make sure that there are absolutely no green bits or chunks!

2.   Pour mixture into a shallow dish and add cocoa nibs (or chocolate chips).   Place in freezer until mixture is firm (approximately 1 hour).

3.  Serve with fresh mint leaves and additional cocoa nibs.


You might want to share but maybe only a spoonful.




* approximately 159 cal/serving, 8g fibre & 2g protein 

Monday 5 March 2012

Will Run For Coconut Almond Macaroons

Sometimes your Farmer just needs a macaroon (and sometimes regardless of how hard you try the spacing on your blog is just a little off). 






You can tell that she needs a macaroon if she announces that she is going to change into something comfortable before she settles in for a night of homework when she's already wearing elastic waist pants and has eaten several plates of fried frozen perogies (6 dozen for $1.99) with dijon mustard.  Did I mention that those pants are Oscar The Grouch green hospital scrubs?


You can tell that your Farmer needs a macaroon when you pick her up from her placement and you ask how her day went and she proceeds to gag for the next 3-5 minutes (Farmer is working on becoming a nurse.  Currently,  she's about 1/4 quarter of a nurse.  If you need your vitals taken, you need someone to help you with basic hygiene or you need an enema she's your girl) 


You can tell that you might need a macaroon when your Farmer is about 30 days away from the end of her first year of nursing, she needs to write about her feelings (when she only has one feeling) on a regular basis and her second day of placement is tomorrow and her teacher has suggested that her goal for tomorrow should be working on her gag reflex (is that even appropriate?).


About those macaroons....


Check out Choosing Raw for some delicious raw macaroon recipes or drop by in about 16 hours (a ridiculously long time to wait but totally worth it) once our macaroons have finished dehydrating.  These macaroons are crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.  Most of them were eaten directly out of the dehydrator or out of the freezer.


I tried a second variation once I saw that Farmer & I both obviously needed a macaroon and not in 16 hours from now. 


The first batch I tried I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 T of ground cocoa nibs & 1/4 tsp of cardamom, I dehydrated the macaroons at 115 for about 16 hours.  DO NOT try baking them in the oven as the recipe suggests.  That was a disaster!


The second batch I added 1/2 tsp of cinnamon, 1 T of ground cocoa nibs, 1/4 tsp of cardamom and I used date paste (1 C of dates + 1/2 C of water heated until dates can be stirred into a paste + 2 T of agave nectar).  This batch only took about 3 hours to become crunchy on the outside and still soft and chewy on the inside.


Enjoy.  Remember not to ask your Farmer or your favourite nursing student how her day went unless you have a puke bag in hand.


Coconut Macaroons

let the waiting begin
16 hours later
Or if you aren't quite that patient or if you just love date paste (yes, there are people who love date paste).

you could totally eat these raw
and you could totally eat the whole bowl

If you aren't up for all off that waiting and dehydrating check out vanilla almond snackaroons by Laughing Giraffe Organics (try Homesense).



Sunday 4 March 2012

Will Run For Cinnamon Date Apples and Dumplings

breakfast or dessert?

1/2 marathon slacking training for Sudbury Rocks has officially begun.  In order to reduce the chances of getting run over by a bus or a snow machine (our sidewalks have been replaced with mountains of snow and apparently snow machine trails) PB and I decided to run inside instead.  I got to experience extreme treadmill running when Hank decided that he wanted to join me on the treadmill (twice) as I was rocking out to Beyonce videos (don't judge.  It wasn't like I was watching American Idol.  PB.).

Who?  Me?  I couldn't possibly have launched myself at the treadmill.

Hank & I both survived the treadmill.  We decided to celebrate with apples and dumplings (or just apples in Hank's case).

Apples and Dumplings

Apples

6 C of Macintosh apples (peeled, cored & sliced)
1/4 C diced dates
1/3 C apple juice
1 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cardamom
 seeds from 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp of vanilla extract

Dumplings

1/2 C wholewheat pastry flour
1/4 C all purpose flour
1 T sugar 
1/2 tsp baking power
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 C + 1 T soy milk soured with 1/2 tsp lemon jice
1 T melted coconut Earth Balance (or butter or margarine)
1/4 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.  Combine apples, dates, apple juice, cornstarch, vanilla seeds, and grated ginger in a casserole dish.  Bake for 15 minutes uncovered.

you could just stop here and eat the apples


2.  While waiting impatiently for the apples to cook in a small bowl combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and soda.  Stir in soy milk and melted Earth Balance.  Dough should be sticky.

dumplings ready for the oven


3.  Remove casserole dish from oven.  Spoon heaping tablespoons of dough over apples. Cover with lid, foil or a silicone baking mat and cook for approximately 15 minutes. 

4.  Serve with apple cinnamon dip, greek yogurt or ice-cream.

5.  Enjoy having your furry running partner lay on your feet as you sit at the computer.