Photo by Steve Coutts
This is another of the recipes that I made for a photo shoot with my friend, Steve. It’s the perfect balance of flavours, packed full of vegetables and super yummy! I generally double or triple the recipe, package in 250 ml containers, then freeze for easy lunch and dinner portions. Add any variety of vegetables, pasta (I actually don’t put it in all the time) and greens (I’ve been using kale). Most of the time I omit the leek and add more onion.
This past weekend I participated in the 2nd Annual Food Blogger Bake Sale. The event went off amazingly well with fellow food blogger, Vincci Tsui (www.cecinestpasunfoodblog.com), at the helm. I believe we raised over $2000 for Brown Bagging For Calgary’s Kids, but will follow-up with exact numbers!
I made these savoury biscotti and packaged them in twos. If you like biscotti, cheese and spice, then these are for you! A delicious base for any cheese, pickle, jam, preserve…really anything you’d usually spread on a cracker. I usually double this recipe, because for all the baking time and how delicious they are, you’ll wish you had when you’re all done!
My friend Steve is an excellent photographer and offered to come try out some food photography with me. We discovered it’s a lot more complicated than it looks, between garnish, cutlery placement, layering of textures, lighting, other accessories…the list is endless!
photo by Steve Coutts
I cooked a few simple dishes to experiment with. This is the first dish we shot, which I think turned out pretty well and it was delicious! I modified this recipe from Simply Organic: A Cookbook for Sustainable, Seasonal and Local Ingredients. It called for mustard greens but I used swiss chard because I had lots on-hand. I think any greens that sauté well would work.
Stephanie over at Clockwork Lemon, our friend Rachele, and I had had a baking date a few days earlier where we made this Whole-Wheat and Rye Swirl Loaf. I cut a bunch of slices into triangles, drizzled with grapeseed oil and toasted them in the oven. The hint of caraway every few bites added another touch of deliciousness too!
I forgot to post my Om Cooking article from the Bodhi Tree’s December 2011 Breathing Room Newsletter. Even though it was aimed at Christmas giving, the same principals can be applied throughout the year!
——-
Gift giving is something I like to do all year round, but of course, more so around the holidays. However, I’m not your typical gift-giver. My attitude around gifts changed the year I started making my own Christmas cards, writing a message to each of about 50 friends. The process was special to me, methodical and meditative. I was proud of what I made and the time I put into them; what I gave and to whom didn’t matter so much anymore – I was happy knowing that each person who received a card would be beaming with joy when they got something in the mail besides a bill.
What can you make that will bring you joy first? What skill can you showcase? Contemplate these questions this year and you might find that it brings a renewed excitement to what can be a stressful and frantic time-of-year. Anything you make yourself that brings you joy will bring others joy.
If you need an idea to get started, try this month’s recipe. Packaged in mason jars or bags tied with ribbon, this is one gift that will bring a smile to anyone’s face.
This egg dish is so simple to make and would be great for a big brunch where you didn’t want to spend a lot of time slaving over the oven. After posting this picture to Twitter/Instagram, I was informed that it’s called Shakshuka. I did a little research, and though this recipe isn’t the traditional form of the dish, it’s definitely along the same lines.
You can add whatever herbs and spices catch your fancy. Also, add any type of sausage, bacon or ham you like. I made a vegetarian version just by omitting the sausage and adding a few more whole tomatoes.
This was on the menu for the Interactive Monday Night dinner at Market 17 I hosted last week. Read about the Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cheese Biscuits I made for it too. So. Yummy.
I made these a few days ago for the Interactive Monday Dinner hosted by Casel Marche. It’s a dinner to introduce new people to Market 17 and J. Webb Wine Merchant using Cassis Bistro’s space. Not only do I love introducing people to good food, I love any opportunity to have free reign at a grocery store!
My theme was Breakfast (my favourite meal) for Dinner. I knew I wouldn’t have a ton of time to cook, so I chose simple items that still packed the wow-factor.
These biscuits from Canadian Living were so melt-in-your-mouth, even I was surprised! Whenever I’m making a cheesy pastry, I like to double the amount of cheese, so add as much or more of what’s called for in this recipe.
Here’s the latest article from the Bodhi Tree’s Breathing Room Newsletter.
——–
A few months ago I wrote about incorporating a new ingredient into your repertoire. What better time to revisit this concept than January, I say!
In the last few months I’ve been experimenting with chia and at the same time experimenting with bringing headstand and forearm stand back into my yoga practice – a little sprinkle here and there. You may have a yoga pose that you tried once, twice or many times, that has fallen out of your regular practice. Or perhaps you have a pose that you’ve always wanted to try but aren’t quite sure you’re able to. Well, this month it’s time to take the plunge!
Take a moment to think of that elusive pose you’d like to work on, then make a commitment to yourself to make slight modifications in your practice to accommodate that pose. Every little opening of the body is reaching that goal, no matter how long it takes to actually get into the shape.
I’ve been making an effort to do dolphin pose instead of downward dog and warrior pose with cactus arms to gradually ready my body for my goal pose of forearm stand. In the kitchen, I’ve been adding a tablespoon of chia into my baked oatmeal or a smoothie, experimenting with the texture and flavor of chia.
To help you along your way, try this Chia Smoothie recipe. One thing to note about chia is that it raises energy levels, which makes it a good substitute for coffee and not so great to ingest at night.
The first thing I’d like to say about this cake is make it. Make it now. Or soon, if you’re at work or some other important place that would frown upon you leaving to make a chocolate cake in the middle of the afternoon.
The second thing is: share it once you’ve made it. This cake is too good to have all to yourself. Or at least, you might feel a tad guilty after finishing it off so to avoid any guilt share it with one and all.
The third is: you will not believe that it’s gluten-free. I’m not much of a gluten-free baker, so the fact that it turned out great even for me is a very good sign!
Finally, and somewhat related: I’ve resorted to using my Instagram photos of my food. The Winter light here in Calgary is making it very difficult for me, a novice photographer, to get good light for photos! So, if anyone has any good, cheap photography tips for Winter, please let me know.
This recipe came to me through my friend Kendra who found it at Dinner With Julie. Julie excerpted the recipe from the book Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood in a post featured on The Family Kitchen. (more…)
Here’s the November article from Bodhi Tree’s Breathing Room Newsletter. I also made this soup for a recent Monday Night Supper Club potluck. It worked very well as an amuse-bouche garnished with a little thyme and a baby parsnip. Delish!
———-
Yoga, in its purest form, is about being present and aware in every moment of your life. We are all built with five tools that act as a gateway to this present moment awareness: the senses. Some moments your senses may be engaged with perfect clarity; you are aware that you feel the body you’re in, see the colours around you, hear the sounds in your environment, taste each morsel you eat and smell every aroma that wafts your way. Other moments, due to stress, routine or the mind’s games, your senses may be clouded, or on auto-pilot.
Along with the senses, asana, meditation and pranayama use drishti (focal point), intention (love!) and mantra (om) to help you focus, calm the mind and bring about present moment awareness, if only just for a second. What’s great about these techniques is that they can be applied outside of yoga as well, to work, relationships and even cooking.
This month’s recipe stars parsnips, which are abundant at farmers’ markets as Autumn matures. Using a recipe that focuses on one ingredient will help you engage your five senses, becoming present and aware as you’re cooking. Pay particular attention to how the parsnip’s aroma changes from raw to cooked. It’s an experience you won’t want to miss!
———-
Roasted Parsnip Soup
1 kg/2.2 lbs. parsnips, cut in half
1 large onion, sliced
1 head garlic, top ¼” cut off
2 carrots, cut in half
2 stalks celery, cut in half
2 Tbsps. olive oil
2 tsps. fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. fresh thyme, minced
1 L/4 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Preheat oven to 375 F. Arrange all vegetables on a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive
oil and toss with salt and pepper. Bake 40 minutes, until vegetables are soft and garlic is golden.
In a large pot, squeeze garlic out of its peel, combine with roasted vegetables and stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Purée in a blender or food processor. Add ginger, thyme, nutmeg and season to taste. Garnish with fresh thyme and roasted baby parsnips.
Serves 4-6.
Happy Cooking!
Jacinthe
My friend Kendra and I had a bread day last week. We went a little crazy and made five different types! This Cherry Loaf came from modifying a recipe Kendra had for Strawberry Loaf (which is also delicious and which some day I will also post here) using ingredients that I had in my freezer – namely, 10 pounds of cherries I brought back from B.C. this Summer.
I’ll name some modifications we would both make next time we make it. We both thought it would be good with grapefruit glaze or some other citrus. This is delicious served with a fragrant tea like Roobois or Chamomile.
Cherry Cardamom Vanilla Loaf
5 cups of sweet cherries, pitted and mashed (next time I’d pulse it a few times in the food processor)
2/3 cup grapeseed oil
2/3 cup applesauce (I used the Crabapple Sauce I canned a few months ago)
1.5 cups sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsps pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsps ground cardamom (I only had whole cardamom, so we ground it ourselves)
2 pinches of allspice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt (more…)
Hi, I'm Jacinthe.
I like simple recipes, made with whole foods, that are good for the body and the soul. I have an affinity for freshly made pie, strong Earl Grey tea, learning about nutrition, doing yoga and making the most of the short Calgary growing season in my vegetable garden.
Follow me on Twitter
