Organic Granny

Tomorrow we have been invited out for lunch. I have been I have already eaten enough with R. to know that she rarely eats dessert.   What can I take that she will enjoy?  She told me that growing up in the '50s in Northern Europe her diet was mostly potatoes, rye bread and salty oatmeal,and that salty oatmeal is a particular comfort food.  She also told me she eschews most sweets, but  does  like bitter-sweet chocolate.  So, I went in search of a gluten-free chocolate chip salty oatmeal cookie recipe.  The internet is great that way. Here is an adaptation of another recipe (that is an adaptation of yet another)*. It is super! I've just adjusted it to use what I have available (and because I don't  ever  use canola oil). Hope you enjoy it too! 1 C. Coconut Flour 2/3 C. Steelcut Oats, ground in food processor 1 C. Palm Sugar (or other sweetener of choice) 1 tsp. Cinnamon 1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt 1 tsp. Baking Soda 1 T. Chia Seed, ground in coffee bean grinder (or blender) 3/4

Molasses-Maple-Banana Muffins This most recent muffin is inspired by the molasses cookie, specifically the molasses cookie my grandma used to bake.  It was fragrant, lightly spicy, soft but chewy, and generally had dates and walnuts in it. The muffins smelled so great when they came out of the oven, but for a few minutes I thought back to the sort of sugar-gritty and oily features of those delicious molasses cookies.  I am pretty sure my grandma used white sugar (and quite a lot of it, I would imagine) and some kind of oil.  These particular muffins are free of any poured oils, and instead of a sweet white or brown sugar I used a mix of molasses and maple syrup and banana to sweeten it. Would this muffin be a flop? Then I tasted it it... and IT WAS / IS DELICIOUS.  It is uncannily like the molasses cookies of my grandma... or my memory of them... except puffier and muffin-y.   I also use the oat flour and almond flour base of my last batch of muffins on here (the lemon-fruity muffins)

Changing Up the Recipe These lovely lemon-y gluten-free vegan muffins originate from a perfect blueberry-lemon recipe by my friend, Michelle Blackwood at Healthier Steps.  I had all the ingredients called for in the recipe except for blueberries (but I have a lot of bags of other berries in my freezer).   This is my second unique muffin recipe in the Covid19 baking season. You can see the recipe for Hemp seed Applesauce muffins here. The first batch I baked of this recipe were yummy, but because my muffin cups are large, and not the dainty, regular muffin size, instead of a dozen large muffins, I ended up with a dozen muffins that were more like puffy cookies, if you know what I mean.  Muffin tops? It so happens that my hubby and I like a fullsome muffin, one that comes close to popping over the sides, even.  And I know from past recipes, that expanding the recipe x2 usually gives me the muffin we love. As is often the case, I find a recipe for something that sounds absolutely deliciou

Lovely lemon-y Carrot-Lemon Soup This recipe for Carrot-Lemon soup was inspired by a Greek soup recipe.  When I was a kid, almost every local upscale eatery-- what we labeled "fancy restaurant" --was operated by Greeks who had emigrated to my town or city from the Old Country.   We all learned what was in a 'Greek salad' and were quite fond of the way seemingly all the Greek dishes were enrobed in melted mozzarella.  I realize now that the restaurateurs probably quickly tumbled to the fact that Canadian prairie people were dazzled by melted cheese, and they accommodated us.  And we-- or at least, I-- really loved the lemon rice soup that generally preceded a hearty meal of mozza-covered whatever.   But try as I did, I could never quite achieve that tangy citrus flavour... until now. The original vegan recipe I was looking at for a similar soup used tofu .  Well, I like tofu well enough but we are in the midst of our 'take' on the COVID-19 "crisis&qu

Breakfast Oat-Carrot Cake with Lemon Curd I have had enough experiences with baked oatmeal to think that I could put together a really delicious carrot cake version-- and I believe I have nailed that with the following soft, pudding-y, yummy Breakfast oat-carrot cake.  Try it and see if you agree! Place in large mixing bowl: • 3 cups organic rolled oats In blender carafe add: • 2 apples cored and chopped • 1 cup shelled walnuts • 2 medium carrots, chopped • 6 pitted Medjool dates • 2-3 tablespoons chia seed gel • 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt *Blend well until smooth. *Pour over oats and mix well. Let sit for 2 hours or over night. *Preheat oven to 350 F. *Pour batter into baking pan lined with parchment paper.  Cover with aluminum foil. (Remove foil to brown during last 5+ minutes) *Bake for 25-40 minutes. *Let cool and serve in squares topped with fruit like pineapple, berries and banana slices SEE Lemon-Coconut Oatme

This chickpea-spinach patty or burger recipe grew from some consternation with a commercial brand of chickpea-spinach burger that had more than a few ingredients, a few of which I felt could be excluded from a recipe and still have the same flavourful and 'kind' appeal without those ingredients.  Plus, as an ethical vegan, I was not crazy about the idea that the particular brand is just a side line for a longtime "meat packing company."  While I think it is wonderful that there are an amazing number of vegan "meats" hitting the market, I don't think that I am reduced to buying a product that is likely just a way for this company to capture some of the 'new' revenue coming in with vegan foods, while they continue to support the factory-farming of animals, their "inhumane" slaughter  (is there a humane way to kill a sentient being to eat?) and the ongoing other ethical and morale concerns perpetrated by the meat industries. So, y

This is a delicious and easy-to make recipe, and I vouch that the crust for this veggie pie is absolutely not able to be a disaster (from a person who always fails at pie crusts). I suggest that you might want to make the following ahead of time: 1 1/2 Cups of White Beans (or you can just opt out and buy a 15.5 oz can) 1 1/2 Cups of Cooked Quinoa 1 Cube of   Best Golden Soup Bouillion   (or 1/4 Cup of your usual vegetable broth)   Here is the list of other ingredients that go into this pie: 1/4 Cup NonDairy Milk (unsweetened works best) 2 T. Nutritional Yeast (NOT brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) 1 T. Almond Butter 1 T. Corn Starch 1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked (ground) Black Pepper 1    small Onion, minced 4 cloves    Garlic , minced 9 ounces Baby Spinach 6 ounces Cremini (brown) Mushrooms, finely sliced 1/2          Red Bell Pepper , seeded and diced 1/4   Cup Sun-drie

W ell, it is hot summer and my grandies are coming to stay for a while!!  Is there any better excuse to make ice cream?  I will make a lot of ice cream.  It will be vegan (no dairy, no eggs, no other animal products- ha) and gluten-free.  It will contain something out of our garden.  It will be sweet but low on common sugars, sugar-less if possible.  It will be relatively low-fat meaning that I won't be using nut purees as the primary base and will likely opt out of using full-fat coconut milk, yummy as it is.  Most of all, it must be creamy and absolutely delicious.... here is the first attempt at the above. INGREDIENTS 2 1/2 C. Almond or other non-Dairy Milk 2 1/2 C. Frozen Mango Chunks (I buy the organic brand at Costco) 1 T. Arrowroot Powder (or Tapioca Starch or Oat Starch) 1 T. Vanilla (in Alcohol) 2 T. Maple Syrup 1 very ripe avocado Berry syrup or Jam, your choice (I used blackberry jam made with stevia) METHOD Combine all ingredients EXCEPT THE JAM/SYR

  Okay, this is a bit of an experiment (much of my baking is, alas) since I don't have the necessary ingredients as per my preferred recipe via google. So.... I begin by: (1) Boiling a small potato (peeled, cut in half) -- sounds goofy, but I learned about using spuds in all sorts of dessert recipes from a recipe book I brought back from Newfoundland and gave to my sister-in-law years ago-- wonder if she ever tried any of the spud recipes? (2) Cream together about 1 C. of Coconut Oil, 1 C. of Coconut Sugar, and the soft boiled spud (okay- the heck is boiled out of it-- no vitamins here, folks, just starch) Let's see if these become shortbread or just some yukky mess with potato in it.... if they are worth re-producing, I will silver-wrap you about 6 teeny little cookie gems-- the way they parcel them out in gluten-free sample shops... I'm just that exquisite with my baking... (sarcasm emoji) The stupid potato isn't really boiling-- what's with that? Put so

Okay, who has a spiralizer sitting in the bottom of their cupboard?  Is that because you don't like eating yummy zucchini spaghetti? No?  Is it because there were no instructions with your spiralizer and you ended up frustrated and maybe even with a ripped open thumb?  Oy.  So much for all those wonderful intentions to increase your daily dose of veg! Let us rectify that situation by watching this very helpful video seminar on spiralizing zoodles: I recommend:   Paderno World Cuisine A4982799 Tri-Blade Vegetable Spiral Slicer Now, let's quickly review some of the pointers the demo made: Set the Spiralizer up on a clean, flat surface and position at large bowl behind the blade insert (to catch the noodles) Cut off the end of the zucchini (or other veg) and attach the cut end, center, to the little metal spool.   Slide the disk with the prickles right up against the other end of the veg (or zucchini) and make sure there is a nice firm fit, nothing is slipping

Today is rainy and foggy.  We must eat a delicious, nurturing, nourishing, healthy hot soup to be revived!  I have innovated to create the following: Chunky Three Sisters Soup ... the Three Sisters are, of course, the hearty indigenous fruits of our North America: Corn , Squash and Beans .  I have also added in Tomato Sauce, Onions , and fragrant Brown Basmati Rice .  This recipe will serve 6 people, or 2 people, if it is spread over a couple of meals for my husband and I. Ingredients: 1 C. Brown Basmati Rice Water to cook Rice in (according to your rice-cooking directions on your package) 1 medium size Squash , your choice, split in half, and roasted in the oven 2 medium Yellow Onions , roughly chopped and toasted in oven with squash 14 oz/398 ml can of Organic Black Beans (or beans soaked and pre-cooked by you) 1 C. Organic Tomato-Basil Pasta Sauce (or 1 C. of your preferred Tomato Sauce) 1 C. Frozen or Fresh Organic Corn kernels 4-8 C.  Water or Vegetable Stock 1/2 tsp

Recently a Facebook friend posted a picture of her supper: a spaghetti squash enchilada just oozing cheese from all angles... she apologized that it wasn't a fancy presentation. It looked so comfort-food yummy that I knew that it would be my next planned meal. I have made quite a few 'adaptations' to the ingredients, and you can too. Just know that it turns out absolutely delicious with very little effort!  I went shopping and found Amy's brand canned chili (vegan)(organic) on sale at my local wholefood store ( Edible Island in Courtenay, BC) You could make your own chili-- maybe you even have some in the fridge?  Amy's Medium Hot Chili made with tofu has all the spices and ingredients that I was looking for, so I liked the convenience of opening the can this one meal. Ingredients: Squash (I used an Acorn Squash) Red Bell Pepper 14 oz can Amy's brand Organic Medium Hot Chili with Tofu 1 C. Frozen Corn Niblets Daiya Cheese shreds (I used Mozzarella

Yes, Fig-Quince-Ginger Jam sounds pretty darned exotic from the blog of a granny living on the currently rainy Vancouver Island off the West Coast of Canada.    Especially exotic when you realize that I didn't even know that I was growing a quince tree in our backyard! We thought we had planted a PEAR tree.  This is the first year that these hard, furry, bulbous fruits produced more than a couple of little fall-offs.  And I still thought they were pears until I saw a friend's show piece on quinces that she harvested. A second crop of Green Figs Katsikopoulos Dimitris So, this is brand new territory!  I also have a fig tree , as you will know from blogs past, so I went looking for fig-quince jam recipes.  We have a second crop of these little green figs.  My husband is a real "fig pig" but I'm kind of 'meh' about them.  Jam is always good though. If you don't have a quince source and just want to make some Fig Ginger Jam

  Organic Chickpea and Carrot Curry Soup Quite often I decide what to cook based on what I have in the fridge -- what veggies are malingering, waiting their turn, feeling left-out?  What precious sauce did I make a couple of days ago that is only half-eaten? Did my husband mention something about wondering what I had planned for those carrots?  That is how tonight's organic chickpea and carrot curry soup came about-- the bag of carrots that were starting to go a little brown on the tips... oh, and all those delish chickpeas that I cooked up the other day that I partly used for that yummy Avocado-Chickpea Hummus ...   INGREDIENTS 2 T. Coconut Oil 1 medium Onion , chopped 2 cloves Garlic , chopped fine 1/2 tsp. organic Curry powder (I used Mild, you pick your own bite) 1/2 tsp. Cumin seed, ground in the coffee grinder 1 thumb-to-the-joint piece of Ginger , grated 6 Carrots , chopped 2 C. pre-cooked Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans (or 1 15-oz. can, rinsed) 5 C. Wa