Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Oil

Since I had remaining spelt flour and coconut oil from the spelt scones, I developed a recipe to use those ingredients. Something that the kids would love- chocolate chip cookies.

I have noticed that I can put chocolate chips in just about anything and the kids will eat it up. Wondering how far I can go with this...zucchini, wheat germ, flaxmeal and now spelt accomplished...hmmm, what's next? Stay tuned...

Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut Oil
These can be a bit more crumbly than regular chocolate chip cookies if overbaked, so take them out before you think they are done and let them cool. I use all organic ingredients when baking, but there shouldn't be much variation if you use conventional products. Also, I cut back the sugar a lot on this version (most recipes have 2 cups sugar!) so they aren't overly sweet. These are wheat-free and dairy-free.

1 cup coconut oil, at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cane sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups spelt flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 bag cocoa camino chocolate chips (no dairy)
*optional: 1/2 cup flaked coconut

1. Beat together coconut oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients.
3. Add in chocolate chips and coconut, if desired.
4. Scoop heaping tablespoons (about 2 tbsp at a time) onto lined cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes, do not let them brown too much. Let sit on pan for 2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Suitable for freezing.

Spelt Raspberry Scones

(This one is for you, Rhonda! Oh, and anyone else who can't eat wheat, or dairy, is vegan or just wants to eat healthier!)

I was inspired by a recent cookbook I found at the library. It was a wheat-free, refined sugar-free and dairy-free cookbook from a New York bakery called babycakes.

Usually I avoid all those cookbooks that claim to be free of every allergen out there. Usually the recipes result in big let downs and a waste of my time, energy and money! This cookbook had some fairly big claims to live up to.

Although most of the recipes had some unusual ingredients, there were a couple recipes that I could attempt based on what I had at home. I had just bought a bag of spelt flour and was anxious to start experimenting with that again. When I found the spelt scone recipe in the cookbook, I was determined to try it. I did have to make some modifications (which I don't usually recommend in baking!) because I ran out of agave syrup but I was thrilled with the results.

This is my slight variation of the babycakes recipe. If you want their original recipe, you could go check the book out at the library too. This recipe is wheat-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and vegan. It sounds scary based on this preface, but it is worth trying even if you aren't allergic to everything!

Spelt Raspberry Scones
These are not your standard scone (see previous posts). These are a bit more dense, full of fruit and they are delicious on their own- no accompaniments needed! These are best served warm, a few minutes after they come out of the oven with a big pot of tea.

2 cups spelt flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup boiling or hot water
1 cup raspberries (I used frozen)

1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.
3. Add melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and hot water with a wooden spoon.
4. Add raspberries and combine until mixed through.
5. On parchment-covered baking sheet, drop 1/4-1/3 cup of mix onto the pan in a mound. Shape lightly with hands (don't press down too hard!). You should have approximately 8 mounds.
6. Combine 1 tbsp coconut oil and 1 tbsp maple syrup in a small bowl. Brush onto scones.
7. Bake for about 16-17 minutes, rotating half-way through. Let stand on sheet for 15 minutes before consuming!

Carrot-Dill Salad

I went to the store and saw a huge bunch of wonderfully-scented dill on sale, so I grabbed it. I couldn't refuse that smell that I associate with summer.

When I got home from the market it was time to make lunch. I wanted to taste that dill right away, so I searched for something to pair it with. I had an extra bag of carrots. This is what resulted. The kids, parents and grandparents gobbled this up with their sandwiches. So simple. A little bit of sunshine on our plates!

Carrot-Dill Salad
A food processor with a grating disk makes this a super quick salad, but it takes only a few minutes more to grate them yourself if needed. I wouldn't use pepper in this salad as it would overwhelm the flavour of the dill. This would be even more delicious if left to marinate for a bit, but it never made it that long. And my dad's recommendation was to add some sunflower seeds next time for some crunch.

6-8 large carrots, grated
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
3 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp agave syrup or honey
1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Grate or process carrots into a medium-sized bowl. Add chopped dill.
2. Combine the remaining dressing ingredients in a jam jar or mixing cup and shake until combined. Pour on a little at a time, to your taste. You may want less dressing depending on how many carrots you grate. Mix well.

Curried Tofu Scramble

I am fondly remembering the days we used to have leisurely brunches on the weekends. We'd go to the lovely places that were within walking distance of our Vancouver apartment...oh, but that was a long, long time ago!

One of those places was the Tomato Cafe on Cambie Street. It had lovely and heathy cafe fare with some creative vegetarian options. It moved as the neighbourhood changed. I miss the Tomato on Cambie and I miss this vegan brunch item. I had to try re-creating it. Not sure how close of a replica it actually is because that memory was years ago, but it does taste delicious!


Curried Tofu Scramble
Serves 2-3
I think the original had red onion and zucchini but I used what I had on hand. I think this is yet another way of using up whatever veg is in the fridge. Some nice grainy bread is mandatory.

1 tbsp olive or safflower oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
pinch cayenne pepper or ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tomato, chopped, or 1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes
1 package extra firm organic tofu, crumbled
1 cup chopped spinach

1. Saute onion in oil in large frypan over medium-high heat. When it is slightly browned, add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add diced pepper and cook for another few minutes until lightly browned.
2. Add curry, turmeric and cayenne and cook until spices scent the air.
3. Add tomatoes, salt and to.fu and cook until heated through. Add chopped spinach in last minute of cooking

Vegetarian Chili

I am in trouble for sharing my mini cornbread muffin recipe without also sharing my vegetarian chili recipe. Big mistake.

Perhaps you can learn from my mistake and realize that these must always go together.

I love this recipe because it is easy and it can also easily accomodate any leftovers you have at the bottom of your fridge.

Don't be scared by the amount of chili powder, it is really not that much despite how it looks. You may even want to add more. Time to spill the beans, here it is:

Vegetarian Chili (Version 1.0)
Serves 4-6
I like to have an assortment of beans in my chili- kidney beans, chickpeas, and black beans are a must! Really add any leftovers you have...green and red peppers, zucchini, carrots, celery, mushrooms, etc. I almost always add carrots. Some people in my family like chili served atop mashed potatoes. I am not one of those people, as I prefer corn muffins or corn chips, but you have another serving option if you so desire.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red or green pepper (or both), chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
pinch cayenne pepper
3 cups chopped canned tomatoes, preferably diced but whatever you have is fine
4-5 cups assorted cooked beans (or about 2-3 cans, rinsed and drained)
2 cups frozen corn
salt & pepper
to garnish: sour cream, cilantro, green onions, grated cheese, corn chips, corn muffins

1. Saute onions in olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When they have browned slightly, add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add peppers (and any leftover chopped veg) and cook for another few minutes until softened.
2. Add chili powder, cumin and cayenne and cook for about a minute to release the scent of the spices.
3. Add tomatoes and beans and stir until mixed through. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
5. Add corn in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
6. Serve with whatever garnishes you desire.

Pink Icing & Pink Lemonade

Happy Valentine's Day!

If I could make everyone in the world a cupcake today, it would be like this one...organic chocolate cupcakes with a beautiful, natural pink icing.

I avoid artificial colours and won't pay the price of the store bought "more natural" colours, so this icing is made with beet juice. Guess what? You can't even tell! The sweetness of the beet blends in so nicely with the icing.

This beet experimentation began when my daughter asked for pink lemonade. Thinking out loud: Pink lemonade? But we have never had pink lemonade. It must be that book she read. Regardless, I was determined to make her a natural pink lemonade. I checked the ingredients label on the sister-smuggled pink food colouring from the UK. It read: beet juice, water. Doesn't sound too hard, does it?

Today will be pinkalicious day in our house...everything will be pink today because of this experiment. This morning we will be trying pink milk and pink cream cheese on toast, later in the day maybe some pink lemonade, pink pasta and some beet hearts. The lovely cupcakes are off to the school Valentine's Party.

Want to join in the fun? All you need is a little bitty beet.

All Natural Beet Food Colouring
You could keep this colour sealed in your fridge for a few days, or freeze in ice cube trays to use later.

1 small beet or part of a larger one, peeled
1/2 cup water
cheesecloth or very fine-meshed strainer (like a tea strainer)

1. Finely grate the beet to fill a 1/2 cup measure. Add to 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat. Strain through double layer cheesecloth into jam jar. Cover and refridgerate until use.

Pink (Beet) Lemonade
There are two ways to make this. Add the beet colouring at the end until it reaches the colour you desire, or throw a beet into the sugar water as it comes to a boil and then remove it.

1 cup cane sugar
1 cup water
4 lemons, juiced
beet colouring or 1 beet, peeled

1. Bring sugar and water to a low boil until sugar is dissolved. (Add peeled beet, if desired).
2. Add to juiced lemons in a large pitcher and fill with cold water. (Add beet colour if desired).

Pink (Beet) Icing
You can add the beet colouring to any white icing recipe, but this one is easy and quick!

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
1-2 tsp vanilla, to taste
2-4 tbsp beet colouring, or to colour desired

1. Beat softened butter and icing sugar together until smooth.
2. Add vanilla and colouring as desired.
3. Spread immediately on cake or cupcakes and refridgerate until an hour before use.

Mini Cornbread Muffins

I made these mini muffins to accompany my vegetarian chili, hoping to lure the kids to the table. Everyone loved these little delicious nibbles, but they still refused to touch the chili (without coercion). They ended up eating these with a large spinach salad.

These are melt-in-your mouth delicious. They would be delicious anytime of day- with eggs in the morning, with a lunch-time soup or salad, or even as an afternoon snack with some apples!

Mini Cornbread Muffins
Makes 16-18 minis.
Make sure you serve these warm. If you prebake them, warm them slightly in the microwave or oven before serving. You could make these in a regular muffin tin, just be sure to increase the baking time and check for doneness with a toothpick.

1 cup unbleached flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small cubes or grated
1/2 cup shredded (or small dice) sharp cheddar
1 cup milk
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking soda and sea salt in a medium bowl.
3. Cut butter into flour mixture with pastry blender, hands or a quick blend in a food processor.
4. Whisk together egg and milk and add to flour mixture in bowl. Add cheese and mix with spoon.
5. Spoon into greased muffin tins, fill 3/4 full.
4. Bake for 18 minutes in a mini muffin tin. Increase baking time for a regular muffin tin.

Best Bran Muffin

My sister called the other day asking for my mom's honey bran muffin recipe. I didn't have mom's recipe but I wanted to tell her that my bran muffin recipe was way better, but my mom was visiting and she would have been offended. I kept my mouth shut.



Hopefully this is the day mom doesn't read the blog...Kim, this recipe is for you!

I found this recipe on a package of wheat bran some time ago and it never ceases to impress me- these muffins always turn out wonderfully. You can adapt them to suit what you have on hand- our favourites have been with frozen wild blueberries or dried cranberries. You could also use raisins or crushed pineapple.

Wheat bran is the hard outer layer of the wheat grain and it contains many nutrients- we all know it is very high in fiber, but it is also surprisingly high in protein and iron! It is also a fairly cheap ingredient. If you buy in bulk, make sure you refridgerate it as it can go rancid quickly.

Best Bran Muffin
Makes 24.
Substitute any fruit that you'd like, I'm sure almost any berry or dried fruit would work. Even grated apple would be nice. If you add frozen berries, toss them with 1 tbsp flour and add them right at the end so it doesn't colour the entire muffin. Also, for an extra little treat, I sometimes add a small dab of honey (1/4-1/2 tsp) to the bottom of the muffin tin or cupcake liner before adding the batter. These freeze great!

3 cups wheat bran
2 cups buttermilk (or substitute 2 tbsp vinegar and enough milk to make 2 cups)
3/4 cup-1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (or frozen berries, to be added at end)

1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used sunflower)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 eggs

1 1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare 24 muffin tins with butter or liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine wheat bran, buttermilk and dried fruit. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, sugar, molasses and eggs. Add to bran mixture.
4. In a large bowl, whisk flour, salt and soda together. Combine flour and liquid ingredients and mix until there are no more large clumps of flour. (At this point, add berries with flour if desired)
5. Spoon batter into muffin tins until 3/4 full, then bake for 15-17 minutes. If you use muffin liners, you can let them cool in the tin for a few minutes before removing. If you used honey on the bottom of a butter-lined tin, let cool for a minute or two and then invert onto a cooling rack before the honey gets too sticky.

Split Pea Soup

Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold,

Pease porridge in the pot, nine days old;

Some like it hot, some like it cold,

Some like it in the pot, nine days old

Apparently this Mother Goose rhyme takes its origins from a Split Pea porridge, or thick pudding, that was traditionally made in England with water, salt, spice and usually with bacon or ham.

Split peas are part of the legume, or pulse, family. Other members of this family include lentils and chickpeas. Apparently legumes have more protein than beans and are easier to digest. One half-cup of split peas or lentils contains more than 10 grams of fiber- more fiber than either vegetables or grains.

Split peas are also more convenient than most beans because they don't need to be pre-soaked and can be cooked in about an hour.

I love this basic Split Pea Soup, perhaps a close relative of pease porridge, but I am sure I wouldn't have liked it nine days old. Luckily, it never lasts that long in our house.

Split Pea Soup
This makes enough for about 4-6 people and it freezes well so make a big batch!
We like to serve this with rye bread, cheese and pickles. Add some diced ham or crumbled bacon for the carnivores.

1 tbsp sunflower oil (or other vegetable oil)

1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

3/4 tsp thyme leaves

2 cups split peas

8 cups vegetable bouillon or broth

salt and pepper, to taste

1. Saute onions in oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook for approximately 3 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned and softened.

2. Add carrots and celery and cook for another 3 minutes. Add garlic, bay leaf and thyme and cook for about another minute.

3. Add peas and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about one hour, stirring every 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Colcannon

I don't think I need to tell you how much I love kale. Kale chips, kale soup, and kale salad all make their way onto our dinner plates often. I continually search for new ways to use kale, and recently found this Irish recipe for Colcannon.

Irish tradition dictates that this mashed potato dish is served with cabbage or kale and butter. There is even a traditional Irish folk song that extols the virtues of this lowly peasant dish.

Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?
With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.

Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake
Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?

 I basically stuck with tradition on this one, my only addition being garlic. Now I can't imagine this recipe without it.

Apparently there is a very similar Dutch recipe with potatoes, kale and sausage called Boerenkool Stamppot. My dad says that his Dutch neighbour always serves it with a side of vinegar. So you could try it the Dutch way or try it with cabbage the Irish way, but do try it!

Colcannon
We serve this with lots of veggies and nitrate-free organic turkey sausage or a veggie burger patty on the side. Some recipes for Colcannon call for diced ham in with the mash. How will you eat it?

5-6 large russet potatoes, peeled
4 cloves garlic, cut in half
1 tsp sea salt
1 bunch kale, chopped (approximately 4 cups loosely packed)
3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk, warmed
ground pepper, to taste

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1/2 tsp salt.
2. Cut potatoes in half and each half into thirds. Add to boiling water with garlic. Return to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Test potatoes, they should pierce with fork but shouldn't be too soft. If too firm, cook a few more minutes.
3. Add chopped kale and cook for 3 more minutes.
4. Drain water from potatoes and kale with strainer and return to pot. Add butter and warmed milk. Mash well with potato masher, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Drinkable Yogurt: Without a dose of hormones!

I don't like milk. And I don't know why. I love other dairy products- yogurt, cheese and ice cream are some of my favourites- but there is something about milk that I just don't like.

I like drinkable yogurt and so do the kids. I thought it was a great way to get extra calcium and other nutrients into them. But then I looked at the label.

I noticed that the Canadian product said that it was "imported". I called the company because I wanted to know where the milk was imported from. The Canadian company was less than helpful when I asked if that milk contained rBGH. Also known as bovine growth hormone, it a hormone injection that is allowed to be given to cows in the U.S. to increase size and milk prouction. It is banned in Canada because it failed to meet our animal safety standards. The Canadian yogurt company said that their yogurt could potentially contain rBGH because they buy from a pool of American dairy farmers.

I couldn't believe it- something that was banned for Canadian dairy cows, was actually allowed to be imported into Canada and served to children! I contacted Health Canada to see if this was actually allowed. Guess what? Your kid's drinkable yogurt (or other imported dairy products!) can contain milk treated with rBGH. Our Canadian farmers can't use it, but corporations can sell it in a packaged form. Crazy.

***Update: I called Danone today, because their new packaging no longer states "imported". They said that the DanActive used to be imported from the US (and re-labelled for the Canadian market) but has recently switched production to a Canadian plant. They use Canadian fresh milk but they do purchase American milk powder sometimes. So if your label says "milk powder" you may still be getting rBGH. Pay attention to your labels and call companies to complain if they are buying American milk products. (Think about your mac & cheese and other packaged foods!) Informed consumers can make a difference!
It was after that email (a few years ago now) that I decided that organic dairy was the only way to go from now on. My kids don't need growth hormones injected into their little growing bodies (or pesticides, for that matter). It also made me very aware of the importance of knowing where our food comes from.

Problem with this is that my kids still love the idea of drinkable yogurt and I haven't seen an organic version yet! So, I took matters into my own hands and started making our own drinkable yogurt.

Drinkable Yogurt
You could use almost any frozen berry for this. I would probably stick with strawberry or raspberry as the seeds are tiny. If you use blueberries, you might want to puree them and strain to get some of the seeds out. Last time I added some probiotics I had in the fridge that needed using up. I also like to supplement with some cold-pressed flax oil. Make sure you shake the contents well before pouring into small glasses.

2 cups organic milk
2 cups organic yogurt (vanilla flavour is nice)
1 cup frozen berries (we like raspberries)

Optional add-ins:
4 pro-biotic capsules (the clear capsules that can be pulled apart and opened)
2 tbsp cold-pressed flax oil
sweetener if needed, honey or agave syrup to taste

1. Blend contents with hand blender or regular blender.
2. Store, covered, in large mason jar or mixing cup for up to 3 days.