this moment

Inspired by Soulemama

sunday in the kitchen

"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." - Charles M. Schulz

And with that quote in mind, I embarked on experimenting with chocolate in the kitchen today. Valentine's Day is coming up, after all, and there's nothing like a little chocolate treat to add to the love on this special day. Of course, the mention of working with chocolate in the kitchen had that wee Finn jumping at the opportunity to help out. And what we came up with was some dairy-free chocolate truffles that I know have no chance of lasting until the big day! 

In a medium-sized add:

2 C dairy-free chocolate chips

1/2 coconut fat (place can of full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator for several hours to allow fat to solidify. Open bottom of the can to drain off coconut water - save to use for soups, smoothies, etc. Scoop out creamy fat)

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp of flavouring - we used orange flavouring for this batch. Peppermint would be a nice one too! Have some fun experimenting with different flavours!

Place bowl of ingredients over pot of boiling water - turn heat down to medium high. Stir ingredients as they are melting. Once fully melted and mixed together, remove from heat and refrigerate about 1-2 hours until solid.

Finn wanted to record the process....

but unfortunately we didn't realize there was no card in the camera until we were all done! We just might have to make some more for take two!

Once the chocolate has solidified, scoop chocolate and form into small balls and dredge in icing sugar. This is a messy process when your helper is 8-years-old.

All ready to eat...or box up for your Valentine!

sunday in the kitchen

I pulled a little potato love out from under my kitchen sink this afternoon. How perfect, I thought, as I peeled it and cut it into cubes, preparing it to give all its love to some homemade soup. Warming, nourishing, building, soup - the perfect meal on these cold winter days. I made two soups, actually. I love bulking it up to store away in the freezer for a ready-made meal when weekday nights get a bit hectic or to have on hand for quick lunches the whole week through. The first is a revision of a potato leek soup recipe G was handed down from his Gramma Z and the second is a sausage, kale, mung bean soup recipe I developed in the hopes mixing sausage with other goodness would entice that picky boy of mine to try something new. We'll see!

Potato, Leek and Bacon Soup

1/2 package of bacon

3 leeks

6 potatoes

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp curry

1/2 tsp paprika

6 C of soup stock

Slice up the bacon and fry up in a large soup pot. Remove bacon, leaving behind the bacon grease. Add onion, leek and garlic of pot and fry up until translucent. Add potatoes and spices, fry up for a few minuted before adding stock. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Puree soup and serve with a sprinkle of bacon on top.

Sausage, Kale and Mung Bean Soup

3 sausages with casing removed

1 onion

3 cloves of garlic

1/3 C of dried mung beans soaked overnight

1/4 C spelt grains soaked overnight (optional)

6 C soup stock

1 tsp dried fennel seed

10 large leaves of kale sliced

Remove sausage from casing and fry up in large soup pot. Add onion and garlic and continue cooking until translucent. Add beans, grains and fennel, cooking a few minuted more before adding stock. Simmer until beans and grains are thoroughly cooked. Add kale before serving.