I've been trying hard to not let this over-the-top winter get the best of me. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy those frequent snow days that came our way back in December. And we've had lots of fun tobogganing, hiking, building snow forts, and all of those fun winter activities, but I haven't been out of Goderich in several weeks and I have a bad case of cabin fever! The weather has been so unpredictable this season that we've been hesitant to make plans that involved any sort of travel. But when we were invited to join family and friends in Bayfield for a night of great music with Denmark's A Friend in London, we jumped at the opportunity to get the heck out of town! The forecast leading up to the weekend was very promising - rain for Saturday with temperatures well above 0C. No worries! Babysitter booked! Ready to go! Wait...not so fast! Remember, this is Huron County. A land where winter plays such cruel tricks that it will bring rain to wash away the snow one minute, before blowing in enough snow to make the roads impassable. Twice we got bundled up to see if we could make our way 15 minutes down the road. Twice we decided it wasn't worth the risk. Foiled again by Ole Man Winter! But all was not lost as we did enjoy a lovely evening in town with good friends, good drinks, and entertaining karaoke!
What's up with that delicious looking pie overlooking the freshly fallen snow? And how exactly does it relate to my winter whining, you ask? So disappointed that winter had dumped on our heads again I made a desperate trail to the grocery store this morning for something, anything, that looked like and tasted like spring. Even if it travelled all the way from Mexico - desperate times call for desperate measures!
Strawberry Coconut Cream Pie
1 can of coconut milk
1/4 C rice syrup
1/3 C shredded unsweetened coconut
2 tbsp arrowroot starch
Sliced strawberries - enough to cover top of pie
In a medium saucepan, whisk together above ingredients and bring to a boil over med/high heat. Whisk frequently. Cook until thickened. Let cool at room temperature before pouring into pie crust. Top with strawberries and refrigerate about 1 hour. You can use your favourite pie crust recipe, but for this pie I tried a new crust recipe from Jonsi (another Scandinavian musical genius!) and Alex. It is, perhaps, the best pie crust I have ever tasted! I subbed the almonds for sunflower seeds which worked out really well! Love their recipe videos so much! http://jonsiandalex.com/recipes Oh, and you'll be in for a real musical treat by checking out the music videos too!
See that big strapping lad there in that photo? The one that's not that far away from being taller than his mom? You would never know by looking at him that he is a super picky eater! The kind that refuses to eat almost everything - we're talking nothing-touches-my-plain-noodles picky. Dramatic gags and chokes if something as unappealing as a chickpea crosses his lips. You don't even want to know what happens when he tries to be brave enough to try mashed potatoes. Trust me, it's not pretty. Chicken? Forget about it. Tacos? Only if it's stuffed with romaine lettuce, and romaine lettuce only. A palate so discerning he hasn't drank a glass of plain soy milk since we switched brands 4 years ago. He refused to eat any kind of meat for the first 8 years of his life.
Needless to say this has been a bit of a challenge. But I have to admit that I do feel partially responsible. When Nate was diagnosed with severe allergies to dairy and eggs after a terrifying incident with pumpkin pie, I was so unsure what to feed this child that I stuck with what I knew for sure wouldn't kill him. Thus the beginnings of a bit of an obsession with plain noodles with a side of plain broccoli. Topped with dairy-free margarine. No more, no less. But he's growing (it surprises me how big and strong and healthy he is given his very limited diet!) and maturing and he has slowly become a little more adventurous with what crosses his lips. He'll now eat ground beef - with nothing on it, of course. I don't have to tell you how pleased I was when he recently gobbled up a side of roasted beets. Gobbled, not nibbled away at. The more food that he eats without whining or gagging makes for a far more pleasant dining experience in our house. We're making progress. It's been about 1 month now since he added sunflower and pumpkin seeds to his diet. I'm not quite sure how that came about - I guess if you expose your picky eater to something long enough, they'll eventually dig in! Oh this opened up a whole new world! My first thought was trail mix - a nut-free version, of course since he is also allergic to walnuts, almonds and peanuts.
Trail Mix
1 C roasted sunflower seeds
1 C roasted pumpkin seeds
1 C dried cranberries
1 100g bar of dark organic chocolate broken up into bits
Mix together and store in air tight container.
Easy-peasy!
Sure trail mix is a great snack, easy to take on the road, nice to tide you over between meals. But let's take it a step further.
Trail Mix Cookies
1/2 C dairy-free margarine
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C honey
2 tbsp ground flax seed combined with 6 tbsp warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 C chickpea flour
1 C rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 C oats
1 C trail mix
Combine margarine, brown sugar, honey, flax mixture, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Mix in oats and trail mix. Spoon onto baking sheet and bake at 350F for 12-15 mins.
A great treat to come home to after a walk in the woods!
From Soulemama - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
From Soulemama - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
I got around to making a little whoopie in the kitchen this afternoon...
...pies that is. Apparently these delectable treats I've spied all over the internet lately are a Pennsylvania Amish tradition. According to Wikipedia, Amish women would bake these desserts and put them in farmers' lunchboxes. Upon finding these treats in their lunches, they would shout "Whoopie!" Guess what I shouted when I found a vegan version of this recipe! That's right, "whoopie!" They make a perfect Valentine's treat for my sweets!
"Gah! What's all over my face? What's this pink stuff all over my face!!!???" I heard G wail from the living room couch. I was awake now - far too early for a Sunday morning. "I was just trying to wake you up," I heard Finn quietly reply trying to keep himself from laughing at the success of his mission. I would soon find out that he had spread pink floam all over G's face. That's what you get for falling asleep on the couch in this house! And this is what you get when you wake me up too early on a Sunday morning...
Lemon Buttermilk Breakfast Cake with Raspberries
1 1/4 C spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 C soy milk mixed with juice of 1/4 lemon to make vegan buttermilk
zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp margarine
3 tbsp honey (or your favourite liquid sweetener)
Preheat oven to 350F
Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Add in buttermilk, lemon zest, margarine, and honey. Grease 8x8 cake pan and line with a layer of frozen raspberries. Pour batter over top of fruit and bake for about 30-40 mins. until fork comes out clean.
From Soulemama - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.
