Organic Granny

You know how young children can announce after playing with a random kid fot five minutes at the playground that they have a "new friend"? Today my husband and I had a discussion about having a walk somewhere.  We settled on going to the pier/marina in Comox.  While today was sunny and still relatively hot  it was also hazy with the miasma from the wildfires in the Okanagan and elsewhere.  The smoke and mackerel clouds took.the edge off the sun's persistent burning pounding of the past several days.   So, after wedging our car into the last of the parking spaces near the kiddie playground, we headed over to the pier.   As we walked alongside the chain link fence bordering the road that eventually forms a 4-way stop, we see a lone dog walking at a brisk pace towards us.  She had a sweet Border Collie face, but registered no interest in our concerned inquiries as to where her person  was etc.  Indeed, she trotted purposefully through the small opening between us and continu

I am very grateful to have a bounty of berries and other fruit to store away for winter meals. I must admit that these apples (above) are not a big thrill. They mature early-- in the July heatwave-- and are a fave with the tent-butterflies, wasps, bunnies, deer and crows. I also hear they attract bears. The fruit goes punky on the tree and falls off.  BUT if I take them in and process them (as in juice for breakfast, apple chunks in freezer bags and canned apple butter) we surely enjoy the results and soon overlook the minor hardships.   This recipe for apple butter is tasty and healthy-- I didn't add any sweetener just 3 teaspoons of cinnamon and a 1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder. Use it in oatmeal, vegan yogurt, on muffins, toast and bagels. Yummy and smooth as silk.   Ingredients :   Apples (however many you need to fill your crockpot or Instant Pot.  I filled a pint-sized mason jar (2 cups) and had enough for a small fridge storage bowl and some sample butter for the yogurt

  Blue Heaven Frozen Pie We are soooo blessed in having a bounty of organic blueberries growing on a U-Pick farm just a short drive from us. Last night we dropped in and picked 12 pounds of the yummies. Before they go into the freezer I thought it would be nice to make us a pie. The following is an adaptation of a recipe by Rhonda J. Malkmus who originates most of the recipes on the " Hallelujah Acres " site. This is a nutritious treat (if you don't have allergies to nuts, that is)with just a little sweetener (raw honey and dates) and a smidge of salt,  no  dairy, eggs or gluten. Refreshing and delicious! Ingredients: The Raw Crust: 1 cup Sunflower Seeds 1 cup Walnuts 1 cup Dates ¼ tsp. vanilla teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt Blueberry-Banana Pie Filling 5 cups Blueberries 2 Bananas ¼ cup Virgin Coconut Oil (solid not liquid) ¼ cup Raw Honey Directions Pie Crust Recipe Directions In food processor using “S” blade, process sunflower seeds, walnuts, vanilla and salt until pea size

      If you are lucky enough to have some spinach growing , this is an elegant little flavorful salad that you could expand for a potluck or a picnic or a light supper. I like a variety of textures myself and that is provided here! *2 regular-sized  Oranges , peeled and cut into rounds *1 large handful of tender  Romaine  lettuce leaves *1 large handful of tender  Spinach  leaves *1/2 C.  Green Grapes *1/2 C.  Green Onions *1 C. soaked and chopped  Almonds >>Tear lettuce and add in grapes cut in-half, almonds and oranges. You can use the following blended dressing if you wish: *2/3 C.  Olive Oil *1/4 C.  Raw Honey *1/3 C.  Fresh Orange Juice *3 T.  Fresh Lemon Juice *1 tsp.  Dry Mustard  (optional) --This was adapted from a recipe by Dana Hathaway in  Recipes for Life from God's Garden  by Rhonda J. Malkmus.

  This Greek Salad is a refreshing whole food, plant-based recipe that involves marinated tofu chunks in place of the usual feta.   Start by marinating the tofu and vegetables in a herbal dressing for 4- 6 hours or overnight.   Herbal Marinade : 1/4 cup fresh pineapple chunks 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup walnut pieces 1 or more sprigs/leaves of the following herbs if available:Fresh oregano leaves, lemon balm or basil, thyme, green onion, and parsley,  2+ garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (optional) 1/3 cup of water Salt and pepper to taste **Blend until creamy smooth.  Chill.**                      Herbs for Marinade Salad ingredients :   Block of extra firm Tofu, pressed, cubed 3 ripe tomatoes, cut in wedges, or 20 cherry tomatoes  halved 1/2 nice red onion, sliced and chopped 1 cup black olives, pitted 3 cucumbers, chopped **Marinate tofu and vegetables for 4 to 6 hours in fridge (or overnight). Lightly toss before serving.** Great with delicious

  These little cranberry-carob chip energy balls are so tasty that you forgive yourself for their NOT being  entirely  raw vegan (the raw honey, the carob chips, the sweetened dried cranberries).  I put them together for a church function instead of the "squares" that I was requested to bring.  I'm just not a squares person.  I'm into round.  If you saw me, you'd agree that I am really into round lol. DRY INGREDIENTS: *1 C. Carob Chips *1 C. shredded Coconut ground into powder in a coffee grinder or high-speed blender *1 C. Oatmeal ground into powder in a coffee grinder or high-speed blender *1 C. Oatmeal, left whole *1/2 C. Sunflower Seeds *1/4 C. Pumpkin Seeds *1/4 C shredded Coconut *2 T. Flax seeds, ground into powder in a coffee grinder *1/4 C. Raisins *1/2 C. sweetened dried Cranberries *2 tsp. Cinnamon *1 tsp. Sea Salt WET INGREDIENTS: *1/4 C. Raw Honey plus 2 T. *6-10 pitted raw Dates *1/4 C. Coconut Oil *1/2 C. Water *2 T. Almond Butter DIRECTIONS: *Leave

  This was our son's first foray into creating a densely-nutritious, sweet and crunchy delicious raw (dehydrated) granola.   Soak the following individually in water to cover: 2 C. Buckwheat groats 1 C. Sunflower Seeds 1 C. Thompsons Raisins 1/2 C. Pumpkin Seeds Soak overnight, drain, and rinse and soak for another 8 hours, except for the raisins.  Drain and rinse the raisins and dehydrate for 8 hours at 105 degrees F.  Add the buckwheat and the seeds to the raisins and dehydrate for about 8-12 hours at 105 degrees. Add the following: 1/2 C. Dehulled Hempseed 1/2 C. organic unsweetened shredded Coconut 1 tsp. organic Cinnamon The sprouting and the dehydrating both add to the natural sweetness of the granola so no extra sweeteners need to be used If you enjoyed this buckwheat recipe, you might also like one of the following buckwheat recipes: Buckwheat Crispies  GF Cookie Crumb Brownies, Gluten-Free Strawberry Crispies, GF Cereal Quick Buckwheat-Oat Cookies , GF To your living heal

(Back in the day Hipper-Me wrote:)We’re going for an after-church picnic at Tofino Beach (west coast of Vancouver Island– bring your surf board Baby) and I’ve got the Bliss Balls dehydrating away even as I type this… I have made them before and they are a huge hit… they pack a lot of power and are the perfect on-the-go snack for hikers, picnickers, etc. The recipe is from Sunflower Lord’s ebook Comfortably Raw: Chocolate.  Also worth noting is that this blissful little confection can be made entirely gluten-free... just make sure that your oats, in particular, are gluten-free. Enjoy! Ingredients for BLISS BALLS: For the Chocolate Chunks: 1/4 Cup plus 1 T.  Raw Cacoa Powder 1/4 Cup plus 1 T.  Carob Powder 1/4 Cup plus 3 T.  Agave (or Raw Honey) 1 T.  Coconut Oil Dry Ingredients: 1 Cup  shredded Coconut  ground into powder in coffee grinder or high speed blender 1 Cup  Oatmeal ground into powder  in coffee grinder or high speeder blender 1 Cup  Oatmeal, left whole 1/2 Cup  Sunflower S

  My hunch was that thistles are probably full of nutrients-- chlorophyl for sure-- and that they would be a nutritious, albeit somewhat bitter, addition to a smoothie.  I didn't think that they would be easy eating in a salad or a sandwich (similar to stinging nettles in that respect). And then I ran across this very interesting video by Victoria Boutenko's son Sergei, who was traveling the world and presenting workshops on wild edibles.  I'm pretty impressed with what he has to say.   He mentioned some fruits that he would choose to blend with the thistle.  He also stated that peeling the stem back exposes a tasty stalk that can be chopped and used in salads like celery or cucumber (has the potential to taste like either of these).   Since I also have a fair representation of thistle in my backyard I believe that I will do a little exploring.  If I come up with any really amazing recipes, I will post them here. Some notes on the healing and values of the  Silybum Marianum

  Plant-based cheesecake cookie snack After making a nice tofu Mayo with no oil, no refined sugar, or salt, I began to think of the possibilty of making a similar spread with a cheesecake flavor.   And while I was at it, why not put together an SOS (no salt, oil or refined sugar) plant-based cookie to slather the cheesecake spread on. Ingredients Cheesecake Spread 500g /16 oz. firm tofu Juice of 1/2 lemon 2 tablespoons Simply Organic lemon flavoring 2 -3 tablespoons maple syrup (optional) 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional) Snack Cookies 2 cups quick oatmeal 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce 1 tablespoon maple syrup 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped 1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted and chopped    perfect PERSONALIZED PUZZLE......                  SHOPETSY  (CLICK ON HEART) Method Cheesecake Spread (9-12 tablespoons) 1.  Drain and press extra water from tofu.  Cut in cubes and put in bowl of food processor (or blender carafe) with other ingredients.   2. Pulse until smooth and creamy.  

Starting a brand new #FridayFitness series of blog articles here focusing on folks like myself who are looking for a fitness routine that: has *Beginner* level options Is fun, with variety and encouragement has a brain science component is free is easily accessible online (NOT ZOOM) I have 2 suggestions for try-outs this week.  I will be incorporating these particular fitness variants into my own schedule this week and will report back next week.   I sure would like to know what you think and how they work for you if you try them yourself.   1. FIDGETTING as Fitness Yes, you read that right.  Getting in touch with your Bored Inner Child is required.  (Just kidding-- sort of) Dr. Andrew Huberman is a neuroscientist from Stanford University where he and his team primarily work to understand and develop improved functionality for congenital eye problems.   Fortunately, Dr. Huberman is also not adverse to teaching laypeople everywhere about how our fascinating brain and connected systems

  Gathering Stinging Nettles: Tools include scissors, bag, and GLOVES!  (or buy at your local whole foods store) I am at the height of my locavore yearnings right now.  I want to eat only from the abundance of the nearby (within a 100-mile radius). I was originally inspired by the  Dervaes family  in Pasadena who grow 6000 pounds of food on their 1/5 acre property. If, right now, I were to eat only what edibles I could glean from our 1/3 of an acre  and what I have left over in the fridge from last season, we could eat the following: frozen blackberries, rosemary, thyme, chives, kale, grape leaves, oregano, some lettuce, blueberries (soon), parsley, aloe vera (leaves for green smoothies), nettles (yes, my son seeded some), mushrooms, sprouts, and dandelions. I guess there would be other leaves as well. Moving slightly afield, if I were ovo-vegetarian, I’m sure my dear neighbor would sell me some eggs from his free range chickens  (escorted everywhere by their possessive rooster master)

I have a large Rosemary 'bush' growing in a front flowerbed,  an inheritance from one of our home's past owners (thank you!). I love the sharp, clean, Mediterranean fragrance of rosemary, but I would like to know what I can do with it beyond roasting it with potatoes (which I don't do much of) or putting it into pork and turkey (which I also do not do because I do not cook meat). By the way, for anyone cooking with rosemary, a tip is to freeze the sprigs in plastic baggies-- retains its character much better than drying does.  So, here are some ideas that I found: Infuse a jar of Celtic Sea Salt with Rosemary .  The salt will smell and taste of rosemary.  There is no need to remove the sprigs. Put a sprig or two of Rosemary into Apple Cider Vinegar  and let it stand for about 30 days, then remove.  This makes a perfect hair rinse for people with dark hair.  (You can add some  stinging nettles  if you have some-- super nice rinse for bringing out the sheen in dark hair.