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...

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...

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 l...

Here is my latest "cooking gadget"-- An American Sun Oven -- solar oven.  It is some swanky item and it has been on my mind for a long time. So I ordered it. And then my husband and I were ill with a virus for about a month during which there were many beautiful sunny days, but we didn't have the energy. Hahah... energy.  The one thing that the solar oven brings to mind is energy-- from the sun!  Solar energy. Yesterday I opened the box and took it and all its accouterments out and laid them on the kitchen table.  I re-read the manual and watched the video online. We took it into the backyard and learned how to adjust the leg so that I could follow the sun at the right angle.  I learned how to "focus" the incoming sun as well as position the oven properly.  I learned how to shut the various 'clasps' so that the heat would not further escape. I made up a delicious baked bean dish so we could use the beans this weekend for burritos or perhaps...