I made the first carrot cake of my life

...and it was delicious!  I'd highly recommend this recipe.  It was for a friend who is having a birthday and her favourite cake it carrot cake.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mother-Bertas-Carrot-Cake-107118
I was glad to have an opportunity to try it.  I'll make it again, in fact!

I reduced the sugar and added a few tablespoons of diced candied ginger.

Yum.

Spicy Garlic Pasta

This pasta will punch you in the face with flavour. I learned to make it from a special woman named Jane Porter. It's a longtime favourite in her family, and now it's a staple in mine.

It's so simple, it's laughable. This is how you make it.

Ingredients

Equal parts:

• Chopped anchovies
• Diced banana peppers
• Finely diced garlic
• Olive oil

Parmesan

Pasta noodles (we usually use spaghetti or linguini)

Instructions

Combine the first four ingredients in a frying pan and simmer on very low heat for approximately 20 minutes.

Cook your noodles.

Once all is cooked, combine and add generous helpings of parmesan. Portion into pasta bowls and sprinkle with more parmesan and salt (if necessary).

Next, eat it with your mouth! Enjoy.

Intergalactic Mermaid Crab Cakes‏

These crab cakes earned me the moniker "Stellar Mermaid from Outer Space." It's a badge I wear proudly.

Hearty Vegetable & Barley Soup

Okay, I've finished eating my third bowl of this soup, and I'm seriously tempted go for one more. This recipe is a winner, so I wanted it recorded here before I forget what I did!

First, it takes its inspiration from the Cook's Illustrated Farmhouse Vegetable & Barley Soup. (You'll have to sign up for 4-week trial in order to access the recipe.) That said, I changed a few things, so here, for the record, is my version.

Ingredients

• 1/8 ounce mixed dried mushrooms (I used lobster, chanterelle, and morel)
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley and 4 sprigs cilantro tied together with kitchen string
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 leeks, white parts parts sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into cubes
• 2 celery ribs, cut into cubes
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• salt and pepper
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large can of diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup pearl barley
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
• 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups finely chopped kale
• 2 tablespoons lemon rind
• 3 tablespoons butter

1. First I ground the dried mushrooms into a powder using my coffee grinder.

2. I then chopped up the carrots, leeks, and celery. I melted some butter in a big sauce post. And the veggies went into the pot with the soy sauce, wine, and some salt. I sauteed them for 10 mins.

3. Next I added all the liquid ingredients (water, tomatoes, and stock), 2 teaspoons of the ground mushrooms, the sprigs of parsley and cilantro, the pearl barley, and the smashed garlic. I brought these to a boil, then turned down the heat a bit and let them simmer for 25 minutes partially covered.

4. At that point, I added the cubed potatoes and the kale, and I let the whole thing simmer for another 25 minutes (testing the potatoes a few times for doneness along the way).

5. When everything was done, I fished out the parsley and cilantro sprigs and the clove of garlic. I also skimmed the scum off the top of the soup because I heard once that this contains bitter elements from the vegetables. I'm not actually sure if this is true or not.

6. And finally, just before serving the I mixed the rind of one lemon with the 3 tablespoons of butter and stirred it into the soup until melted. I know a lot of people would be tempted to skip this last step, but don't. It's so worth it.

And that's it. Pretty much the best vegetable soup I've ever made in my life.

Vegetarian Poutine – The Ultimate Comfort Food

I'm a sucker for poutine. And this, quite frankly, can be tough for a vegetarian. Tonight I set out to create the ultimate, from-scratch poutine. And I have to say, I'm pretty impressed with the results.

The whole thing began with this vegetarian stock recipe. It's the richest broth you'll ever taste, and I defy anyone who doesn't know better to identify its meatlessness. And, it's such a perfect opportunity to use up that last cup of red wine that's been on the counter just a little too long.

Here's how the stock began life:

When the vegetables were happily roasting, I began frying my potatoes. I filled my cast iron pan with approximately an inch of oil and on medium-high gently fried my little potato chunks. (I didn't do a regular fry shape because they break so easily and are kinda a pain to stir, shovel, etc.)

I also cut a bunch of yam into cubes. Coated them in olive oil. And threw in some chopped thyme for fun. These went into the oven until they were done.

When the stock was finished, I put it in a sauce pan, added 1/4 cup of butter, and 2tbsp of cornstarch already dissolved in 1/2c of stock. (I think, although I'm not 100% sure, that a good formula for thickening gravy is: 1/2tbsp of cornstarch for every cup of stock.)

And of course once that was done, I assembled my creation: potatoes, yams, cheese curds, and gravy.

Et voila! Veggie poutine.

Maqluba

Wow, I really have not been excelling in the photo department lately. Well anyway. This captures a memory of my meal last night, which was enthusiastically shared with the lovely Claire. I finally tried MAQLUBA! I was in the Middle East in April, and have had a love of Middle Eastern cooking for over a decade, and Maqluba is one of my favourites. It literally means "Upside Down", as all the vegetables and meat (more on this later) are layered on the bottom, and then the rice cooks on top. Then you dump the whole thing over onto a large platter and VOILA: Maqluba.

Okay, but here's what I did. First, I have the massive advantage of having bought "Maqluba spice" at a grocery store in Palestine. I know, that's cheating, but whatever. But since none of my Palestinian friends were able to tell me exactly how to make this thing, I was fumbling in the dark and knew this spice blend could light my way.

With Claire's help we uncovered this link to help give us further direction. But neither of us are into meat, so we wanted to vegetarian-ize it.

Here's BASICALLY what we ended up doing:
1. Heated up a bunch of olive oil
2. Sauteed onions. Added garlic, cauliflower (the MOST important veggie of Maqluba) and some thinly sliced potatoes.
3. Sizzled on low for a long time, til things begin to soften. Added more oil as needed. Stirred in some of the maqluba spice (which is probably a combo of the spices as listed on that link, above).
4. In a separate pan, I sauteed thin slices of eggplant in olive oil. Drained them on a dish towel, added them to the other veggies in the pot.
5. Then added about 1.5 cups of brown rice on top of the veggies.
6. Then added about 6 cups of veggie broth. It was agreed in the end that this was WAY too much water, it needed to cook forever. Add just enough veggie broth to cover the rice by about an inch.
7. Cook until done!

Serve with yogurt, tomatoes, cucumbers and other arabic fixings (Labne is featured in the photo).

It was good. I'll make this again and get better at it. And I hope I've done my Palestinian pals proud!

Smashing up your herbs

While this photo looks disgusting, actually, it was quite tasty! Here's the punchline: this is cilantro sauce on cauliflower (sautéd with spices and walnuts).

But here's what I want to talk about: for the first time in my life, I was able to use the ENTIRE bunch of cilantro without letting it wilt and tossing it. I was inspired largely by this on-line recipe...very delicious. I used my handblender to mash it all up. I realized this approach (adding oil, mild spice and vinegar to herbs and smushing it) would apply to ALL the herbs that typically go bad in my fridge. I feel so guilty about this as I love fresh herbs, but never seem to figure out how to use them all up (and I have a north-facing balcony, so an herb garden for me is unlikely!)

Anyway, super delicious and would add tasty-ness to any dish. For your consideration. All of you. All of the millions of you out there reading this. :)

Finally I typed out my mom's Paska recipe

Everyone loves my mom's paska (Mennonite Easter Bread) recipe and I make it every year. You'll recall my post from 3 years ago where I was very lazy and did not type it out, but merely photographed the recipe card. Well, now, finally here it is. Worth the wait, yes? Yes.

Enjoy all. Thanks Mom. Happy Easter everyone!

My Mom's Paska Recipe

First thing:
2 TBSP (envelopes) yeast
2 tsp sugar
1/2 warm (NOT HOT) water

Mix and let rise 10-15 minutes

Second thing:
1.5 c. scalded milk. So, scald the milk. Get it really hot, but not boiling.

Third thing:
1/2 c. margarine/butter
1/2 oil
1//3 c. sugar
1tsp salt

Add these things to the scalded milk, allow to cool until warm (not too hot, will kill the yeast), then add to yeast mixture.

Fourth thing:
2 beaten eggs
rind of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange

Add to above mixture.
Add 2 c. flour. Beat well.

Fifth thing:
Add more flour (5-5 1/2 cups) to make a soft dough. Knead thoroughly. Let rise about 1 1/2 hour (until double) in a warm spot.

Six thing:
Form dough into paskas (I usually make 5 smaller or 4 larger with this recipe) and let rise another 1/2-1 hour.

Seventh thing:
BAke for 25-30 minutes at 375'F

Eighth thing:
Ice as desired (I use a cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, milk, splash of orange juice mix) and ENJOY!!

Oh-so-sweet Caramelized Onion Dip

[With apologies for the photo - it's not easy to make a delicious dip look delicious.]

I was hanging out with my friend (and author extraordinaire) Susan Juby on the island this weekend, and one of our traditions is to watch a television series from start to finish (in this case, Walking Dead) while we treat ourselves to excellent snacks. Just before I boarded the ferry to visit, I found this recipe from the New York Times' Mark Bittman. Perfect excuse to make it.

I've always made caramelized onions with a 25-minute method: cook them low with a little oil, wait about 25 minutes til they darken a bit, then add a teaspoon of balsamic and a teaspoon of sugar. I can't remember which chef I learned this from, but it always seemed to work.

This method is much longer, much more meditative—you can't really leave the pot alone—but fortunately I had my good friend Trevor with me to keep me company and chat about how the graphic novel version of Walking Dead was superior to the television version (as if you all thought differently).

Bittman's caramelization starts with dry cooking the onions, covered, for about 20 minutes, and it really is fascinating to watch how they change as you go. You'll see them go from a pale yellow straw, to something mahogany and jammy over a period of about 45 minutes or so—adding a little oil as they start to stick.

The taste difference is amazing—so much richer and worth it for the long process!

Finally, once the process is finished an hour or so later, you get to mix it in with some yogurt (Susan opted to pick up some goat yogurt, the perfect offset to the sweet onions), a little lemon, and a little thyme.

You could also play around with the frizzled leeks, as Bittman suggests, but when you're hanging out in sweat pants and hiding your head behind the pillow (Walking Dead! So scary!) I don't see garnish as much of a necessity.


Caramelized Onion Dip With Frizzled Leeks Recipe
Adapted from the New York Times

2 pounds onions (6 to 8 medium), chopped (5 to 6 cups)
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
11/2 cups goat yogurt (Liberty makes a terrific version)
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, or more to taste
2 leeks, trimmed, cleaned and julienned or thinly sliced
Crudités or crackers for serving

Put the onions in a large skillet over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring infrequently, until the onions are dry and almost sticking to the pan, about 20 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil and a large pinch of salt and turn the heat down to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding just enough additional oil to keep them from sticking without getting greasy. The onions are ready when they’re dark, sweet and jammy, 40 minutes to 1 hour later.

Sprinkle with black pepper, stir in the thyme and remove the onions from the heat. When they’re cool, fold them into the yogurt and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then transfer the mixture to a serving bowl. (At this point, you can cover the dip with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days.)

Wipe or wash out the skillet and put it over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add the remaining 4 tablespoons oil. A few seconds later, add half the leeks, turn the heat up to high and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to turn the leeks over as they cook. Be careful: they will go from not-browned to burnt pretty quickly, and you want to catch them in between those stages, when they’re browned and crisp.

Transfer the leeks to paper towels to drain and repeat with the remaining leeks, adding more oil to the pan if necessary to keep them from sticking.

Garnish the onion dip with the crisp leeks and serve immediately with crudités or crackers.

A collage salad (not a college salad)

I ate this tonight, lucky me! I had things in my fridge that needed eating and wow, turns out they were perfect together: spinach (wilted), asparagus (in sesame oil and tamari), walnuts, goat chevre noir shavings, hints of red onion, luscious mango pieces, kalamata olives, fresh tarragon--all sprinkled with fresh lime and a little olive oil. I know, almost too good. I love making something out of nothing, I had no idea this salad collage was in my fridge, waiting to be made, now happily digesting in my belly :)

Grapefruit, Lime and Ginger syrup

I've recently booked a trip to Chicago, so I've been searching for insider's tips on where to eat when I'm there. And I only JUST realized that one of my favourite blogs, Lottie + Doof, is based there. And of course, they've got the perfect cheat sheet to Chicago's restaurants, so I'm set.

They've also highlighted the souvenir I'm going to look for while I'm there: Jo Snow syrups—in flavours like Fig Vanilla Pepper, Cardamom Rosewater, Tangerine Lavender Honey—yum!

And, thank you Lottie + Doof, they provided a little try-this-at-home inspiration. Which I did, last night, and will tote this sweet Grapefruit, Lime and Ginger syrup over to the island this weekend to mix with soda water.

I found the finished product a little sweet without a nice sour, so I added the juice of one lime to the end product. I probably could have used a little less water then, but it still tastes yummy and looks pretty syrupy, so I think we're solid.

Grapefruit, Lime, and Ginger Syrup Recipe
(adapted from Lottie + Doof)

1 cup granulated sugar
zest of 1 large grapefruit
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
3/4 cup water
1-2 teaspoons of grated fresh ginger

In a bowl, rub zests into sugar to release oils. Combine sugar, water and ginger in a small pan and cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves and syrup is simmering. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Strain syrup to remove zest and ginger and allow to cool. Squeeze in lime juice. Keep in the refrigerator and use however you like.

Happy Spring with Pea Puree and Shrimp

Saturday was such a gorgeous day (warm and sunny, perfect for the 10k walk around the seawall) that I felt inspired for a Spring-like dish. Yay spring peas! Well, technically, last spring's peas, since these were frozen. But I find the organic frozen peas from Stahlbush Island Farms are sweet and tasty. Very Spring.

I modified this recipe a wee bit - originally called to sprinkle the shrimp with lemon rind, but I chose to put it right in the pea puree. And I dusted them with five spice powder before I stir fried them, since I discovered five-spice powder is incredible on shrimp, and has a slightly sweet taste that pairs well with the peas.

And bonus - the whole thing took about 15 minutes to make, with a good 5 of those minutes rediscovering my food processor and its tricky lid.

Pea Puree with Shrimp Recipe Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients
Pea Puree
2 1/4 cups shelled fresh peas (from about 2 1/4 pounds peas in pods) or frozen peas
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon (packed) fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

Shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
16 uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined
Fine sea salt
Pinch five-spice powder

Preparation
Pea Puree
Cook peas in large pot of boiling salted water until very tender, about 4 minutes for fresh and 2 minutes for frozen. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Set 2 tablespoons peas aside for garnish. Place remaining peas in processor. Add cheese, mint leaves, butter, and garlic. Puree pea mixture, adding pea cooking liquid by tablespoonfuls if too stiff, to form light and creamy puree. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer to microwave-safe bowl. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 hour ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Shrimp
Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle shrimp and scallops with salt, five-spice powder and freshly ground black pepper. Cook shrimp until golden brown outside and just opaque in center, about 2 minutes per side.

Microwave pea puree in 15-second intervals until warm. Spoon puree into center of plates. Place 2 shrimp and 2 scallops onto each plate, arranging atop puree. Sprinkle with reserved peas from pea puree, sea salt, and pepper. Drizzle each serving with extra- virgin olive oil and serve.
Serves 4

Best Brownies Ever

First, a confession: I've only ever used a mix to make brownies. I was (note the use of past tense) under the impression that since they tasted so good, I was wasting my energy tracking down a from-scratch recipe. (And really, I had empirical evidence that it was true: my brownies sold out at my Amnesty International bake sale in grade 11. The homemade? Not so much).

But the cover of March's Bon Appetit screamed Best-Ever Brownies, and I had to admit, they looked pretty damn good. They advocate for using cocoa instead of chocolate in chocolate recipes - that the result is richer and more chocolaty. And even more controversial, they say that Dutch processed should take a pass - it's not nearly chocolaty enough.

I've made these brownies for the past three weekends for dinner parties, and I've now completely abandoned my boxed-brownie past. They're rich, moist and chewy with a good crackle top. You get an extra-rich flavour from browning the butter first.

And as far as prep time goes, it doesn't get any better: about 10 minutes all-in, and just one pot to clean up. (Even the pan is a cinch, since you bake these in a tinfoil-covered pan.) I cut back on the sugar a little, and dropped the walnuts. Because really, brownies shouldn't have walnuts.

My excuse to make them this weekend is that my friend Susan Juby is having a book launch for her first adult book, The Woefield Poultry Collective, next weekend. I've knit her a chicken, and now I've made her some brownies. I think that's a good celebration.

Given that it's a week away, I'm going to be freezing these - but according to one of my favourite bloggers, David Lebovitz, I'm only improving on the recipe. I'm looking forward to providing more empirical evidence.

Cocoa Brownies with Browned Butter Recipe
Adapted from Bon Appetit

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cups sugar
3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder (spooned into cup to measure, then leveled)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, chilled
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour

Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Line 8 x 8 x 2-inch metal baking pan with foil, pressing foil firmly against pan sides and leaving 2-inch overhang. Coat foil with nonstick spray.

Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking until butter stops foaming and browned bits form at bottom of pan, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; immediately add sugar, cocoa, 2 teaspoons water, vanilla, and 1⁄4 teaspoon (generous) salt. Stir to blend. Let cool 5 minutes (mixture will still be hot). Add eggs to hot mixture 1 at a time, beating vigorously to blend after each addition. When mixture looks thick and shiny, add flour and stir until blended. Beat vigorously 60 strokes. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake brownies until toothpick inserted into centre comes out almost clean (with a few moist crumbs attached), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Using foil overhang, lift brownies from pan. Cut into 4 strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 brownies. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Okay, now this is quiche.

Anicka warned me that La Brasserie had redefined quiche for her. I had my doubts. But no more! This quiche was incredible, I only wish it had been twice the size. So light! So flavourful!-- without being too eggy. It contained honey-glazed parsnips (you heard me), chevre and rapini. I mean really. So this post is just meant for a little inspiration. Yummers.

Veggie Broth

This won't be the sexiest of posts, but I want record the ingredients of the veggie broth I just made because it's so good.

Everything is cut very roughly in big chunks; nothing is peeled.

1 apple
1 yam
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch celery
5-8 sprigs of thyme
1 portobello mushroom
1 bulb fennel + the arms and sprigs
3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp Maldon salt (note: 2 tsp of regular fine salt would be way too much)

I threw all of this in my biggest sauce pot and filled it up with water. Then I boiled softly for about 45 minutes. I was surprised by how much flavour the broth has! It yielded about 6 cups of broth.

Mindful Consumption 2010

Ah, one of my favourite food events of the year. Mindful consumption, a tradition we started in 2002 and have kept up nearly annually since that time. It's kind of like a potluck, but we eat one thing at a time, with each person sharing why they brought that particular food or drink and what's important to them about it, and then we eat with the intention of truly TASTING. (see this post for details on how it all works, and another example). We started out with a reading from Thich Nhat Han on Mindful Eating, which I've included at the end of this post.

This year there was 8 adults and 3 children...we went in the order posted below (on its side, oopsie can't seem to fix that at the moment). Our menu was as follows and the remnants of this are featured in the photo above:
*Buttercup squash soup
*Unsalted pistachios (most of us realized we've never really TASTED a pistachio without salt!)
*Red lentil stew
*Brown Rice (with Anita sharing some history about the importance of rice in shaping society).
*Mount Begbie's "Nasty Habit" IPA
*Homemade pickled beans, mostly local ingredients
*"Cheesy pasta"--the favourite dish of our group's 3-year old
*Homemade coconut-milk dark chocolate pudding with raspberries
*Desert Lime Tea

As usual, it was the perfect menu without any advance planning.

And here's some of us in our post-mindful meal glow (missing: Jemma, Lyris, Callum):


These are just some of the people of the "miracle"community in my life, which Thich Nhat Han refers to below :) Until next year!

***********************************************************************************
Pre-meal reading:

MINDFUL EATING (Thich Nhat Han)

Mindful eating is very pleasant. We sit beautifully. We are aware of the people that are sitting around us. We are aware of the food on our plates. This is a deep practice. Each morsel of food is an ambassador from the cosmos. When we pick up a piece of a vegetable, we look at it for half a second. We look mindfully to really recognize the piece of food, the piece of carrot or string bean. We should know that this is a piece of carrot or a string bean. We identify it with our mindfulness: "I know this is a piece of carrot. This is a piece of string bean." It only takes a fraction of a second.

When we are mindful, we recognize what we are picking up. When we put it into our mouth, we know what we are putting into our mouth. When we chew it, we know what we are chewing. It's very simple.

Some of us, while looking at a piece of carrot, can see the whole cosmos in it, can see the sunshine in it, can see the earth in it. It has come from the whole cosmos for our nourishment.

You may like to smile to it before you put it in your mouth. When you chew it, you are aware that you are chewing a piece of carrot. Don't put anything else into your mouth, like your projects, your worries, your fear, just put the carrot in.

And when you chew, chew only the carrot, not your projects or your ideas. You are capable of living in the present moment, in the here and the now. It is simple, but you need some training to just enjoy the piece of carrot. This is a miracle.

I often teach "orange meditation" to my students. We spend time sitting together, each enjoying an orange. Placing the orange on the palm of our hand, we look at it while breathing in and out, so that the orange becomes a reality. If we are not here, totally present, the orange isn't here either.

There are some people who eat an orange but don't really eat it. They eat their sorrow, fear, anger, past, and future. They are not really present, with body and mind united.

When you practice mindful breathing, you become truly present. If you are here, life is also here. The orange is the ambassador of life. When you look at the orange, you discover that it is nothing less than fruit growing, turning yellow, becoming orange, the acid becoming sugar. The orange tree took time to create this masterpiece.

When you are truly here, contemplating the orange, breathing and smiling, the orange becomes a miracle. It is enough to bring you a lot of happiness. You peel the orange, smell it, take a section, and put it in your mouth mindfully, fully aware of the juice on your tongue. This is eating an orange in mindfulness. It makes the miracle of life possible. It makes joy possible.

The other miracle is the Sangha, the community in which everyone is practicing in the same way. The woman sitting next to me is also practicing mindfulness while eating her breakfast. How wonderful! She is touching the food with mindfulness. She is enjoying every morsel of her breakfast, like me. We are brother and sister on the path of practice. From time to time we look at each other and smile. It is the smile of awareness. It proves that we are happy, that we are alive. It is not a diplomatic smile. It is a smile born from the ground of enlightenment, of happiness.

That smile has the power to heal. It can heal you and your friend. When you smile like that, the woman next to you will smile back. Before that, maybe her smile was not completely ripe. It was ninety percent ripe. If you offer her your mindful smile, you will give her the energy to smile one hundred percent.

When she is smiling, healing begins to take place in her. You are very important for her transformation and healing. That is why the presence of brothers and sisters in the practice is so important. This is also why we don't talk during breakfast. If we talk about the weather or the political situation in the Middle East, we can never say enough.

We need the silence to enjoy our own presence and the presence of our Dharma brothers and sisters. This kind of silence is very alive, powerful, nourishing, and transforming. It is not oppressive or sad. Together we can create this kind of noble silence.

Sometimes it is described as "thundering silence" because it is so powerful.

Candied Christmas Walnuts

Today my good friend Karen and I spent a snowy afternoon making batches of candied walnuts! She invited me over as her "walnut elf" to help her with all the gifts she was making. Here's what we did...for you to learn from, and for us to remember the learnings for next year :)

Ingredients:
*1 pound walnut halves
*1 cup white sugar

*2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

*1/4 teaspoon salt

* 6 tablespoons milk (which is 1/3 of a cup...we used Almond Milk for those with dairy issues).

*1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Notes: We did 10-1lb batches. Each batch filled TWO ziplock sandwich bags, so 10 lbs really gives you 20 "gift-size" portions. Do NOT double the recipe, it is finnicky enough as it is.

1. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Spread nuts in a single layer over a baking sheet. Roast for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until the nuts start to turn brown and the smell of roasted nuts fills the kitchen.

Notes: With the worry of burning, we "underroasted", which meant great success of no ruined batches, but we probably don't have a full roasted flavour in the same way. I'm good with this as I am prone to burning, yo. Also, we took the pans out at the 4 minute mark, mixed them, and put them back in the oven to ensure evenness of roasting).

2. Stir together sugar, cinnamon, salt, and milk in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, or until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage of 236F (113C). Remove from heat, and stir in vanilla immediately...

Notes: Forget that stir in vanilla immediately stuff! It lowered the temperature and damaged the texture (turned to powder before sticking to the walnuts). Add the vanilla along with the rest of the ingredients in the beginning.

We also noticed a larger saucepan was better so that we could work more quickly with getting the sugar mixture distributed onto the walnuts.

Oh yeah, and when the oven was on, the mixture reached softball temp quicker (more like 4 minutes!)

3. Add walnuts to sugar syrup, and stir to coat well. Spoon nuts onto waxed paper, and immediately separate nuts with a fork. Cool, and store in airtight containers.

5. Do all the dishes!! :)

Miraculous Vegan Macaroni and Cheese

I'm spending the week in Calgary with my sister and love-of-my-life nephew, Matthew—and both have major milk allergies. We were looking for something quick and easy to make one night, and Jennie pulled out this recipe.

Now, mac 'n' cheese is probably tops on my most-favourite comfort foods list (see deluxe mac 'n cheese recipe, below), so I was a little doubtful about my sister's vegan take on things. But if you've got cheese-loathing people in your mix, this is a seriously great (and easy!) recipe—totally cheesy deliciousness, sans fromage. My mom's got a gluten allergy, so we used rice pasta here - and still just as delicious.


Miraculous Vegan Macaroni and Cheese recipe
Adapted from RecipeZaar

1 1/2 cups plain soymilk
1 cup water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon salt
3 ounces firm tofu
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 lbs macaroni noodles
2 teaspoons mustard (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente.

Toss all of the ingredients (sans pasta) in a blender (liquid and powdered) and blend until smooth.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and put it in the baking pan pour the cheese sauce over the pasta.

Bake at 350°F until the top of the pasta looks slightly browned and crispy—about 15 minutes.

Baked Rigatoni with Broccoli and Gorgonzola

I’ve known my dear friends Shelley and Christina for over 20 years—from back in high school when Shelley wore her signature fringed suede jacket, and Christina and I shared a grade-10 love of Sarah McLachlan (and sadly, copped much of her style then too.) Christina’s now the bass player in a Weakerthans-esque band named Man Missile and Shelley’s just days away from dropping a kid (but I’m fairly certain she’s hung on to that fringed jacket ), but one thing hasn’t changed: whenever we get together, a lot of food is going to get et. Calories be damned. There’s usually banana boats.

Shelley’s been a vegetarian for as long as I’ve known her, so she has a decent recipe collection. This one’s a go-to of hers, and it’s kind of a deluxe mac ‘n’ cheese, from a cookbook that I’m now thinking I’ll track down myself: Vegetarian Planet: 350 Big-Flavor recipes for out-of-this-world food every day. (Besides this recipe, for example, it includes one for technicolour antipasto and another for black-out chocolate pudding. Enough said.)

As far as this one goes, I love any recipe that includes gorgonzola. Or cheese, really. And it’s super quick to put together – no fussing with a roux to thicken the sauce, because you’re using already-thick ricotta. Shelley freestyles with some portabello mushrooms.

I recommend following up with a good old-fashioned banana boat: open one up, scoop out a bit of the insides and stuff it with chocolate chips, peanut butter, caramel sauce – whatever can amp up the calorie count. Wrap in tinfoil, stick in the oven (or campfire, if you’ve got one available) til gushy. Eat with dear friends.

Baked Rigatoni with Broccoli and Gorgonzola recipe
Adapted from Vegetarian Planet: 350 Big-Flavor recipes for out-of-this-world food every day (Harvard Common Press, 1997)
by Didi Emmons

8 oz dried rigatoni
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ bunch broccoli, cut into florets (about 4 cups)
2 portabello mushrooms
1 1/3 cups ricotta cheese, whole milk or park-skim
3 oz italian or wiconsin gorgonzola or silton (about ½ cup)
salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges (cherry tomatoes would be nice too)
1 cup grated parmesan or asiago

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and boil, stirring occasionally, until it is just tender. Drain the pasta, rinse it well with cold water.

In a large skillet, combine the olive oil and garlic over low heat. Saute the garlic for 2 minutes or until the garlic releases its aroma (do not let it brown). Add the mushrooms and stir fry three to four minutes,until they let their juices out and start to brown. Turn up the heat and add the broccoli and 1 cup of water. Cook the broccoli, uncovered for 3 minutes or until most of the water is evaporated.

Add the ricotta cheese and the gorgonzola. Stir the sauce until it is near smooth, and season it with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, combine the pasta, the cheese broccoli sauce, the tomatoes and 2/3 cup of the parmesan or asiago cheese. Add more salt and pepper to taste, if necessary. (At this point you can refrigerate themixture for baking later.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spoon the mixture into a 9-by-13 inch casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese over the casserole. Bake the casserole, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes (or a little longer if the mixture has been refrigerated). Spoon the contents on to plates, and serve.

My 10 Days of Amazing Eating

(Scroll to bottom to see me experiment with some of the dishes featured on this menu).

The image above is what came up when I googled "Delicious Vegan Food". Meh. It's got nothing on what I ate at Yasodhara Ashram for my ten day yoga retreat. Alas, I did not bring a camera, so I hope the words below will ignite your imagination as well as your tastebuds.

I recorded what we ate every single day and I think became known as "that girl that lingers over the food with her notebook". But I wouldn't know for sure as we at all meals in silence, so that saved me from any cafeteria-style snickering from my fellow yogis (who were, of course, kind and gentle folk who would never do such a thing). Below is the gorgeous dining hall, by the way.

Anyway, what follows is simply my offering toward this amazing food experience. It may be somewhat frustrating for you readers as I have no access to any actual recipes. I hope hope hope they will produce a cookbook someday. Vancouverites can catch a sampling of the deliciousness at Radha Yoga and Eatery. Enjoy imagining the tastes...I know I will read and re-read this menu like a compelling novel.

MENU
Ten Day Retreat at Yasodhara Ashram (www.yasodhara.org)
May 7-16, 2010

*Nearly all ingredients organic
*Ingredients are not in order or quantity, I just copied them as written on the meal cards
*Vegan alternatives were always available where dairy and eggs are indicated

*All meals eaten in silence and with gratefulness

ALL BREAKFASTS:
· Hot oats
· Hot millet
· Homemade granola
· Canned ashram applesauce
· Fresh yogurt
· Multigrain bakery bread
· Butter, Earth Balance
· Ashram Jams--cherry, berries, peach, (not labled, always delicious)
· Ground Flax
· Sunflower seeds
· Raisins (optional, of course!)
· Variety of teas and coffee (I would always settle in with a pot of steaming orange pekoe and milk)


Day 1

LUNCH:
· Shitake Mushrooms with Ginger Green Tea Topping—Olive Oil, Green Tea, Lemon Juice and Zest, Garlinc, Ginger, Chives, Brags Soy Sauce
· Spicy Ginger SoySauce (ingredients not recorded)
· Onigiri (Sushi Balls) (ingredients not recorded)
· Sorrel and Potato Soup (ingredients not recorded)
· Miso Soup (with orange zest)
· Cucumber Salad with Ashram Greens and dill
· Red Cabbage, Apple and Wakame Slaw—with Dijon, rice vinegar, olive oil, ginger, miso

SUPPER
· Pesto Pasta (with and without chicken): kamut penne, olive oil, basil, parsley, salt, lemon juice, sunflower seeds, leeks, shitake mushrooms, asparagus
· Ashram Greens
· Spelt Bread Stix—spelt, water, olive oil, molasses, yeast, sea salt

Day 2

LUNCH:
· Sunflower Hemp Seed Pate’—Hemp Seeds, Lemon, Apple Cider Vinegar, Miso, Tamari, Ginger, Dates, Paprika, Dill, Cumin, Curry, Celery, Carrot, Cilantro, Turmeric
· Artichoke Dip—Artichoke, sunchokes, garlic, parsley, olive oil, dill, lemon, salt
· Spelt Crackers—spelt, oil, flax, egg, salt
· Nutritional Yeast Dressing—nutritional flake yeast, tamari, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, garlic
· Other stuff: home made sauerkraut, dried kale)

SUPPER
· Barley-stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Almonds, Currents and Feta—onion, tomato, basil, oregano
· Cauliflower and greens
· Dark chocolate pudding with raspberries—butter, cinnamon, sugar, cocoa, arrowroot, milk, vanilla

Day 3

LUNCH:
· Asparagus Soup—onion, asparagus, lemon, salt, celery
· Curried Vegetable Soup—cauliflower, kale, onion, quinoa, salt
· Veggie Wraps:
*Tofu cubes, nutritional yeast, salt
*Hummous—sesame, chickpea, lemon, salt, olive oil, sunflower oil
*Roasted Eggplant—cumin, lemon, salt
*Pumpkin Seed Spread—pumpkin seeds, garlic, olive oil, tamari, silken firm tofu, dill, paprika
*shredded carrot
*home-made pickles
*red cabbage, apple, wakame slaw
*greens
*wraps

· Spinach Salad with fennel and cranberries
· Veggie ranch dressing: olive oil, garlic, tofu, a.c. vinegar, honey, oregano, basil, dill, scallions, pepper, salt
· Poppyseed dressing: a.c. vinegar, onion, honey, Dijon, salt, poppyseeds, olive oil

SUPPER
· Quiche—mushrooms, green onions, asparagus, spinach, egg, milk, wheat, butter, salt, shortening, parmesan
· Nicoise Salad—potato, asparagus, red pepper, tomato, red wine vinegar, olive oil, basil, oregano, thyme, salt, olives, (mayo on the side)

Day 4

LUNCH
· Spring Rain Soup—shitake mushrooms, komfu, peppercorns, fennel seeds, cloves, bay leaves, ginger, rice noodles, sesame oil, rice vinegar, carrots, green onions, tamari, sea salt
· Fresh baked bagels—whole wheat and white flour, honey, yeast, salt, sesame seeds
· Lebna—yogurt, chives, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, salt
· …and many delicious leftovers

SUPPER
· Rockfish Risotto—rice, rockfish, asparagus, onion, thyme, butter, asiago cheese, sea salt
· Beet Salad—Golden and Ruby Beets, Champagne vinegar, olive oil, mint
· Ashram Greens
· Spiced Sunflower and pumpkin seeds—tamari, sugar, garam masala, ground ginger
· Dill and mustard dressing—dill, Dijon, red wine vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt

Day 5

LUNCH
· Vegetable Soup—carrot, parsnip, celeriac, onion, kale, parsley, potato, oregano, Braggs, green beans, leek
· Apple Hemp Muffins—whole wheat flour, oats, hemp hearts, b.powder, b.soda, sea salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, apple sauce, brown sugar, milk, vanilla extract, vegetable oil
· Pasta Salad with Portobello and Almonds—damut pasta, Portobello mushrooms, almonds, chives, parsley, leeks, olive oil, canola oil, salt, balsamic
· Other leftovers (quiche, beets, spinach!)

SUPPER
· TACOS!
Ingredients:
o Corn (hard shell) and soft wheat tortillas
o Ground Tofu—firm tofu, cumin, onion, coriander, chili powder
o Rice—oregano, onions, carrots, celery
o Guacamole—sautéed red onion, sautéed garlic, avocado, lime, coriander, cumin, tomatoes, salt
o Asiago Cheese
o Sour Cream
o Red Pepper, Fennel and Zucchini Slaw—with red onion, lime juice, olive oil, salt, cilantro
o Greens

Day 6

LUNCH
· Butternut Squash Bisque—Squash, onion, vegetable stock, salt, turmeric
· Rosemary Pumpkin/Sunflower Seed Crisps (Spelt or Rye)—salt, soymilk with lemon, brown sugar, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, sesame seed, flax seed, rosemary, b.soda
· Salmon Salad—salmon, mayo, fennel, cucumber, lime,salt
· Spring Spread—Tofu, olive oil, garlic, apple cider vinegar, balsamic venegar, honey, oregano, basil, dill, paprika, onion, scallions, pepper, salt, kale, lime, chives, sunflower and pumpkin seeds
· Roasted potato salad with chili vinaigrette—potatoes, olive oil, sautéed garlic, Dijon, cilantro, thyme, turmeric, sea salt, capers, rice vinegar, chili powder

DINNER
· Zucchini Feta Casserole—kamut bulgur, onions, garlic, zucchini, oregano, basil, marjoram, salt, eggs, feta, cottage cheese, sour cream, yogurt, tamari, tomato paste (in the bulgur)
· Medley of carrots, bok choy, asparagus
· Ashram-grown fruit mash

Day 7

LUNCH
· Broccoli Spinach Soup—broccoli, onion, veggie stock, spinach, lemon juice, salt
· Veggie Burgers—millet, almonds, walnuts, oil, mushroom, spinach/kale, onion, celery, sage, thyme, dill, salt, tamari, nutritional yeast, flax
· Sunflower seed buns—yeast, water, sugar, salt, whole wheat and white flour, sunflower seeds
· Accoutrements: roasted garlic mayo, Ashram pickles (small, chopped and large, whole)
· Ashram grown greens with pear and toasted seeds
· Lemon Herb Viniagrette—lemon zest and juice, thyme, oregano, mint, sorrel, olive oil, sunflower oil, red wine vinegar

SUPPER
· Quinoa bowls—
o Red quinoa
o Steamed kale
o Honey-tamari tofu—medium-firm tofu, honey, tamari, garlic, ginger, oil
o Grated Daikon Radish
o Spicy Ginger-Garlic Sauce
o Cilantro Aioli—almonds, lemon zest/juice, cilantro, parsley, ginger, honey, olive oil, salt, cumin

Day 8

LUNCH
· French Onion Soup—onions, garlic, veggie stock, thyme, dried mustard, salt, canola oil
· Crostini—rye flour, white flour, water, salt, sugar, olive oil, yeast
· Tomato Bruschetta—tomatoes, roasted garlic, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, basil, sea salt
· Roasted Mushroom and Artichoke Bruschetta with fresh thyme—portobello mushrooms, crimini mushrooms, fresh thyme, lemon juice, sea salt, artichoke hearts, spinach, olive oil
· Quinoa Salad—quinoa, red and green peppers, celery, cucumber, lemon juice, sunflower oil, salt
· Ashram Greens

DINNER
· Salmon Rotini—Kamut rotini, salmon, asparagus, zucchini, lemon, olive oil, salt, fennel
· Broccoli Salad—broccoli, carrots, leeks, garlic, sunflower oil, shite wine vinegar, salt, sunflower seeds
· Apple-rhubarb crumble—fruit, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt

Day 9

LUNCH
· Carrot Ginger Soup—onion, ginger, carrot, veggie stock, turmeric, salt, apple, nutritional yeast
· Boiled Eggs
· Voracious Vegan Pate’—onion, mushroom, garlic, olive oil, sunflower seeds, spelt flour, nutritional yeast, basil, salt, thyme, sage, kelp powder, tamari, potatoes
· Sunflower Aioli—salt, sunflowers (sic), lemon juice, roasted garlic, water, olive oil
· Ryvita Crackers
· Other leftovers
· Ashram Greens
· Citrus Vinaigrette—water, lemon, sugar, OJ, rice vinegar, tamari, garlic, tarragon, ginger

SUPPER
On the beach! (no ingredients cards)
This was the only meal not eaten in silence, but was social.
It was steamed veggies and curry.

Day 10

LUNCH
· Leftovers
· Vegan Caesar Salad—sautéed garlic, tahini, miso, lemon, tamari, olive oil, water, capers, romaine lettuce

(The Last) SUPPER
· Pureed Yam with Cashew Butter—yam, cashew, rice milk, earth balance, sage, salt
· Roasted Sugar Cane Lime Tofu—tofu (medium firm), sugar cane syrup, tamari, garlic, thyme, pepper (black), lime, brown sugar
· Asian Slaw—rice vinegar, honey, salt, lime, tamari, sunflower oil, carrot, daikon, radish, green onion, sesame seeds (black and white)
· Ashram Greens
· Sesame Orange Vinaigrette—OJ and rind, ginger, olive oil, sesame oil, thyme, tamari, arrowroot, sesame seeds, sunflower oil


DELICIOUS!!
Thank you Yasodhara Ashram Chefs and Cooks!!
I want to know your secrets.
Thank you Karma Yogis for caring for the farm/garden and doing canning and dishes and other stuff that gets this food on the table and most importantly into my mouth.
Namaste.

UPDATE June 4th, 2010

I experimented with the following menu for some friends:

Apple and hemp muffins (I followed this web-recipe pretty much exactly and it turned out nicely).
Lime Sugar Cane Tofu (this web link served as a very loose guide only)
Yams with Cashew Butter (totally improvised)
Greens with Tofu Ranch Dressing (totally improvised, not as good as at Yashodhara, but still good!)

Chocolate Pudding with Raspberries (in this case I added no honey, just a tiny bit of sugar, and I used the coconut milk. It was really quite good, especially chilled).

My friend Claire took this photo of me with the plate of food, yum!