Organic Granny

These oat-aquafaba waffles are a dream. Great as a part of breakfast or a savory meal. Aquafaba is becoming quite trendy with vegan bakers. It is, of course, just bean juice-- what is left over in the can when you take out the beans (usually chick peas or northern beans, although ALL beans make aquafaba when you cook them in water.) Aquafaba works very much like egg white in recipes, so it is a great egg replacer for vegan items such as meringues, macrons, marshmallows, and in angel food cake (I have yet to try that!) It does not smell or taste beanie in the baked item, but if you overdo it you may find that you suffer from some of the effects of over-eating beans, so take it easy.  Less is more.  Amazingly, a quarter cup of aquafaba, what you find in a 14 oz. can of beans, is enough to lighten and puff up 5-10 waffles in this recipe. Try it and see what you think! Aquafaba is best if it does not contain salt and other additives. Check the ingredients on the can when you buy i...

 I made this yummy apple-raisin quick bread this morning and unfortunately, my husband and I have practically eaten the whole thing before I thought of how useful it would be to get the recipe down here. I'm sorry. I know it would have been nice to have seen the whole loaf. Maybe the next time I make it (there will be a next time) I will remember to photograph the whole loaf. In the meantime, here is the recipe: INGREDIENTS : 3 cups of self-raising flour (see below) 2 cups (16 oz) apple sauce, sweetened l teaspoon cinnamon (optional) 1/2 to 1 cup Thompson's raisins (or other raisins) Canadians don't often use self-raising flour. It is so handy to have on hand for biscuits, and the like. Here is a recipe: For every one cup of flour (all-purpose), use 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. I want to make 6 cups of self-raising flour so include: 6 cups of flour, 9 teaspoons of baking powder, and 3 teaspoons of salt. I whisked the above well and stored the ad...

 My current favorite quick black bean-taco hummus made with organic black beans, taco spice, peanut butter, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Delicious with corn chips, veggies or on crackers or bread.  This scrumptious hummus is Mexican-influenced. The taco spice by Clever Crow contains paprika, cumin, coriander, sea salt, black pepper, oregano, garlic, and chilies. It is gluten-free. To order go to their website at Clever Crow Farm. INGREDIENTS: 2 14-oz. cans of black beans, drained and rinsed 2 teaspoons Taco Spice 2 tablespoons peanut butter 2 minced garlic cloves Juice of 1 lemon or 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon sea salt Put all the above ingredients in a blender carafe and whirl until smooth.  Add in a little water or more lemon juice or cider vinegar to blend if needed. Store in a jar or dish with a lid in fridge. Enjoy as a dip with chips or vegetables, or as a spread on tortillas, buns, bread, crackers, pitas, or a homemade pizza.      ...

O Canada!  Our safe sea home and pristine land! Apparently NOT... Take a gander at the plastic gunk garnered from our "pristine" waters: A man-made garbage hill like this is known as "ghost gear" and is the lost, abandoned or trashed gear -- mostly plastics--of the fishing industry, that ends up as a disgusting 58% of marine macro debris.   Want to be part of the solution and not the problem?  Learn More →   . Learn More →   Marine Sea Glass Crafters and Collectors -- today only-- 39-piece sea shell and sea glass collection from Vancouver Island beaches. From Etsy Canada Also take a look at Natalie McIntosh's London, Ontario enterprise: Canada Needs A Strong Global Plastics Policy Friend, I signed a petition calling on world leaders to support a strong global plastics treaty. As you know, plastic pollution is everywhere. Scientists have even found microplastics in the air we breathe and the food we eat. We need a solution that matches the scale of the problem....

  Such a surprise today to gently reach under the 6-inch layer of straw in our garden planter box and pull out a perfectly-shaped, flawless little potato! How did that happen? In the Spring when we were getting ready to plant our veggie garden, I brought out a plastic bag with 4 eye-laden spuds in it. Could we plant these? I asked my dear husband.   The punky potatoes in the bag were organic Yukon Golds that we would have eaten, had they not so quickly sprung eyes.  Besides being full of little white googlies, they were also a bit wizened up, not at all attractive as a possible dinner item. We thought about the idea for a couple of minutes and asked ourselves: What if the potatoes whack out and go really deep and have to be dug-- somehow-- out of the planter boxes? That could be an awkward and disabling experience for two old folks like us. So, back to the drawing board (in this case, the Internet), went I. I soon came across a youtube, about someone who had planted ...

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...

  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 favorit...

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...

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...

  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 ...