Organic Granny

Salad and Tzatziki with Quinoa + Sun-Roasted Soy Curls It is hot and humid again today. The temperature is 30 degrees C. in the morning. Way too hot for us. I am sorry for complaining about the blue skies and sunshine when some of you read my woes about our long Winter and Spring with low temps and lots of rain (even some snow that stayed around). Is there any pleasing me? Well, a real blessing for us is to have this nifty American Sun Oven that harnesses the power of the Sun (immense power on a sunny day) for FREE! (Well, after you've paid for the oven-- you'd have to do the Math for that). Keeps your kitchen cool. Keeps the rest of the house cooler. Good for the environment. Excellent when you are off the grid on a fishing trip or on a research assignment or just like using your backyard for something besides the garden and the selfies with the flowers. And the food cooks just right, there is NO burning-- you might experience a little food dryness when you are getting used to

Private Demons: The Tragic Personal Life of John A. Macdonald by Patricia Phenix My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have set out to review the lives of the 23 Prime Ministerial terms in Canada from 1867 (Confederation) until now. I will need to do a couple each month to complete my project in a year. John A. Macdonald is the first P.M. and the third P.M. following the Confederation of the Dominion of Canada. Yes, there were Prime Ministers before 1867, to oversee Upper Canada and Lower Canada, and Western Canada. As the title explains, this book looks at the "Tragic Personal Life of John A. Macdonald" which is likely not as he envisioned being recorded at any time in posterity. John A. was a brilliant young man, self-made to begin with. Without a formal education apart from the typical one-room schoolhouses in rural Ontario (Upper Canada), he 'apprenticed' to become a lawyer at about 14 years old, learning in a law office during the day about the Law, and studying in the eve

For the last few days we have not used the oven or stove for cooking our meals. We aren't doing the "raw vegan" thing either, or only in a limited way. Instead, the delicious coconut rice in the photo above was cooked by the Sun outside in our backyard. Free Power. The recipe for the coconut rice and the cucumber-mayo sauce (like Tzatziki) above are below. You can find the recipe for the sun-roasted Moroccan Vegetables HERE. FLUFFY NO-FAIL COCONUT RICE SOLAR-COOKED If you have a Sun Oven, set it up, position it for the sun, and wait for it to hit 300 degrees Fahrenheit before putting in the rice. Using one of the black speckled (granite) pots that come with the Sun Oven (or that you can purchase pretty handily), put in the following ingredients: 2 cups of regular rice (I used Jasmine) 1 tablespoon turmeric powder 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup coconut shreds (I used unsweetened, fine shreds) 1/4 teaspoon sea salt zest from one small lemon (optional) 3 1/2 cups water (1 3/4 cup of wat

  This delicious chia seed pudding is made the night before (takes about 5 minutes after you assemble the ingredients) and popped in the fridge for breakfast. This particular pudding includes both non-dairy milk AND non-dairy yogurt (usually coconut, bought or home-made).  It is extra creamy! It really does taste like blueberry pie-- it even has a sprinkle of oats and maybe some almond crumbs or hempseeds as a 'crust'.  The chia seeds soak overnight, so there is no danger of coming across a hard one. Be sure to mix everything well before adding the oat topping and lid and popping in the fridge. This recipe makes 3 to 6 servings, depending on how big your servings are. This is a super high fibre pudding, so be sure to drink some water before and throughout the morning. INGREDIENTS 6 tablespoons Chia Seed 1 cup Non-dairy Milk (We like Silk Coconut Milk or Almond or Soy-- everyone has their favorites) 1 cup Non-dairy Yogurt 1 cup (or more) fresh Blueberries (or other favorite fres

When the July Sun bursts forth (finally) on Beautiful Vancouver Island, out comes my American Sun Oven and then we get creative-- no more HOT kitchen cooking. (If you purchase the oven through clicking in with my link (highlighted in yellow above), you qualify for a discount on the total cost of the oven  Thank you!) Today's recipe is for our favourite veggie recipe (and we are vega n, so you know that it's gotta be good to be Top of the Faves, eh? Pretty easy. Pretty flexible. VERY colorful. (or colourful as I usually write it, being a Canadian and all) I make a double recipe and put one in the fridge for the next day if it is also going to be sunny and nice. You could just make a half the recipe if you only want it for one day. Here are some of the vegetables  you might choose to add into the pot: *Aubergine, or eggplant, small-- sliced or chopped *Chickpeas (a can, because you are going to use the juice (aquafaba) as well *Mushrooms (1/2 a little container, any kind you li

How to Be a Good Creature: A Memoir in Thirteen Animals by Sy Montgomery My rating: 5 of 5 stars Such a beautiful, uplifting little book. My husband found it in a local 'little library' and after reading it, proceeded to press it upon me. I was reading something "serious" at the time and let him rave on about it, barely hearing what he had to say. And then there was that afternoon when I ran out of reading material and really, really craved something for my eyes to lap up as I fell asleep that night. Why do I forget how much pleasure and de-stressing happens for me when I read books about cutie animals and embrace my inner animal lover? This book is also a 'serious' memoir of the quintessential vegan-lifestyle gal who has been shamed for her love of animals-- of actually seeing herself as an animal as a little girl-- by her militaristic father and status-seeker mother from childhood on. Her father wanted her to join the Military. She didn't, and actua

Where the Light Fell: A Memoir by Philip Yancey My rating: 5 of 5 stars Seeking wisdom from years of so-called Christian sources-- Sunday School, church school, Godly mentors, prayer, Bible study, reading, pondering, Bible College-- does not provide Philip Yancey with an understanding of his family's dysfunction and inability to show and feel love from each other on any kind of ongoing basis. Yancey suggests in a latter chapter of the book that he always knew that someday he would need to write his memoirs, that there would be reconciliation and resolution to the family dilemmas in doing that. I have read Philip Yancey's books over the years, maybe not all 15 of them, but a majority of them. I introduced his writing to a family member and a very dear friend, who is no longer with us on this plane of discovery-- and how I missed discussing this book with her! Every other book had hints of a rocky childhood and a brave dive into areas of spirituality and religion that were ex

  Alexander Mackenzie was the second Prime Minister of Canada, serving between the 1st term of John A. Macdonald, and the second term of John A. Macdonald (1873-1878). Mackenzie was born in Logierait, Perthshire, Scotland, the third son (1 of 10 sons, of which seven  survived their infancies) of Alexander Mackenzie Sr. and Mary Stewart (Fleming) Mackenzie.  He was born in the house that his father built and, amazingly, this house was on the real estate market for about $500,000+ CAD in 2015, but renovated with indoor washrooms and likely not heated with peat.   Mackenzie's birthplace, Logierait, Scotland, c.2015 Mackenzie's father had to roam about Britain looking for work as a carpenter and ship's joiner at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, a time of economic depression. He and Mary wed in 1817, two years after the Wars ended. Alexander Jr. was born during this economic slump (January 1822), but just on the cusp of a return to some general prosperity in Scotland for the ruli

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez My rating: 4 of 5 stars This was a beautifully written piece of historical fiction. It has all the hallmarks of a classic, like "To Kill A Mockingbird." The voice of a Southern Black woman of the time, a young nurse who matures over the course of the story into a physician, but who was from birth a Black woman of privilege, rings true and irresistible. The story of racist institutional, systemic injustice in 1970s Alabama is echoing today with the reversal of Roe v. Wade. I love all the shades of grey (or tan?) that Perkins-Valdez so skillfully knits into the story. Any preachy moments are brief and functional. The story moves along with elements of mystery, ethical debate, adolescent spirit, and well-developed characterization that is matched with natural, interesting, authentic-sounding dialogue. This book makes one think, and feel. And Valdez-Perkins doesn't cave into predictable outcomes. Can you tell I loved it? View all my