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With high hopes to making our way to the cabin today, 1 woke up nauseous and swearing she was going to puke. Man!! So excited and then so bummed. With all the hype of one of my favorite places, Trader Joe’s, in the news, I figured I would go first hand and investigate the buzz. I had good intentions of researching, but was so side tracked by the replenished rows of Kale, which I have not been able to get my hands on for months, and the beautiful chocolate choices above the frozen goods isle, I totally forgot all about TJ’s in the news and was in my grocery store glory. Tomorrow, the weather man says it is going to be warmer than today, so…cabin here we come? Maybe. I am trying not to plan so far in advance now…sheesh!
This evening I plan to bake my newest favorite cookie. I was in an accident, a rear end, a couple of weeks ago and have been told not to run, go to spin class, or work out for 2 weeks. It is week three and still no cigar. I am to take it super easy. Super easy to me is bake cookies. Seriously, when I am stressed, I run. When I feel overwhelmed, I run. When I feel good, I run. Now, I am not saying baking is replacing my exercise regime, but it is coming pretty close. Tonight I have been given the go ahead to start running again, but for only 2 minutes at a time…that is kind of the equivalent to eating a cookie or two. My dear friend gave me this recipe. It is from Planet Organic. I have never been before, but fancy these cookies a great deal. This isn’t the exact recipe, due to lack of ingredients on my part, but nonetheless, they are pretty cosmic, that’s for sure.

Cosmic Cookie

Inspired by Planet Organic

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups barley flakes
2 cups spelt flour or kamut
1 cup sunflower seed
3/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened (optional)
1/4 cup flax seed or flax meal
1 cup granulated unbleached cane sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 1/4 teaspoons sea salt
2 cups dark chocolate chips or 1 3/4 cups carob chips
1 1/4 cups raisins or ½ cup cranberries
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
3/4 cup grapeseed oil
1 cup almond milk or soy

How To Play:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients : from oats to cranberries.
Combine wet ingredients: from water to almond milk.
Stir dry and wet together until just combined.
Portion cookie dough using 1/3 C measure or an ice cream scoop and place on baking tray.
Gently flatten cookies.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy.

Today reached a gorgeous 25 degrees, which is spectacular and close enough to summer weather to me. The forecast declares sunny and warm all weekend, which translated to me is, “Family cabin here we come! Get your sandals, pails, and shovels!” I love salt water crisped hair, the fragrance of bon-fires, and warm bronzed skin. My nickname from my sister has been Powder for ages- remember that one hit wonder from the 90′s? Anyhow, though I don’t change color, especially a nice bronze color,  it sure looks lovely on others. I honestly admire those who can tan.
I have been thinking how much the weather plays a significant role in my day to day life, especially as a mother. I felt like I should have received the mother of the year reward when I dropped 1 off at school wearing ballet flats, while the other kids in her class were all wearing gumboots. She also didn’t have a jacket. Where was my mind? Who knows? I dropped her off, got back into my vehicle…and sure enough, down came the rain.
I was once told that Canadians, are more likely than any other country folk, to check the weather continuously throughout the day. It is one of the things we base our days around. I am not sure how true that is, but I know for myself, looking at the weather forecast has become a daily task, especially after my school incident with child 1. Weather is huge for us. We like to know what is going on and how well we can be prepared it. Sad thing is, we are never 100% prepared for anything. It is the reality I have been endeavoring to come to terms with. It has been a reality in-which, as a young child I had no concept of, and perhaps didn’t begin to take notice of it until in my mid-twenties,when it came knocking at my door. I don’t regret opening the door to reality, but sometimes it seems as though it would be safer to hide from it, or tune it out. The truth about reality is, it is what we have been longing for, waiting, craving, desiring, obsessing over, and completely sacrificing all we know for it. It is a powerful uncertainty, an antidote to our deepest sufferings. It is a truth that beckons us forward to a safety in which makes little sense. It’s incomprehensible. This lack of understanding, however, is the very thing that keeps us moving forward, sleeping deep into the times of night, then waking, longing to taste once again, this wonder, this passion, this lover of our soul.

Oh Man! Bonnie Tyler may have sung, “I need a hero,” but I need a breather! I am actually listening to her as I type and it is pretty intense. A whopping 19 million others have clicked onto this video. I can’t even begin to imagine who they are, but I am sure they are all pretty cool. Happy Valentine’s! I don’t need a superman to sweep me off my feet, but I do need someone to rub them…Sean? He is actually out right now with a dear old friend he has not seen in probably 3 years, but my feet will await, slippers off with great anticipation. Today was a radically fun and dazey day. Sweet friends Ashley and Shaun would understand. We had a quite an evening last night, one in which records were played and talks of God, life, marriage, and pasts. We were all stunned and half asleep when we peered at the time and it whispered 2 AM. Wow. So, needless to say, I don’t have a clue what I packed in 1′s lunch this morning. I don’t know how I even got dressed, but life as a mom is not about standing around and asking questions, it is about getting the things that need to get done, done. I know she went to school with a lunch, what it had in it, I do not recall. Boys 2 and 3 had their haircuts late this afternoon, and as we left the salon, Sean asked what was for dinner. As I glanced at the clock in our car shouting 5 pm, I determined and willed for a spicy warm Mexican Valentine’s Dinner. Mmmmmm. I have been craving this for a week. Unfortunately my organic avocados couldn’t hang in there, so we did without them, but the meal was scrumptious none the less. We had 3 Cheese Nachos, Black Bean and Red Quinoa Salad, and cheesy refried beans!

Three Cheese Nachos

Ingredients:
Favorite Taco Chips
1 or 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and seasoned (we used Trader Joe’s Taco Seasoning)
1 Red Pepper, cut in rings
1/2 Red onion, cut in rings
1/4 cup Cilantro, roughly chopped
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Salsa, optinal, on the side
Sour Cream, optional, on the side
Guacamole, optional, on the side

How To Play:
Turn oven on to Broil. Spread the taco chips evenly in a large 9 X 12 baking dish. Layer with shredded cooked chicken, peppers, onions, and cheeses. Top with chopped Cilantro. Place in hot oven for 5-10 minutes, checking often to make sure the taco chips don’t burn, but cheese is melted, perhaps even bubbling. I do realize that this may be a lot of cheese, we, or perhaps it is more so me, loves cheese, so please tweak the ingredients to your preference!

Serve with refried beans (heated with shredded cheese and salt), salsa, sour cream, guacamole, and Black Bean Red Quinoa Salad.

Enjoy.

Because I am so awesome with keeping up with things…I was pleasantly surprised to come across this re-vitalizing salad I made the other month, which never made it to the cyber side of this life. It has been so busy. We all, in this day in age, are busy, I get that. Within the business of life, I am beginning to see how it could be so easy to choose a bag of potato chips, down a few tim-bits, pop a burrito in the microwave, or just order in, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Please know I am not complaining, I am stating the obvious, I live the life I choose. So, yea, it might take a bit more time, more prep, more organization, less time watching the Bachelor (yay for PVR), and so forth, however in the long run, I rather this colorful concoction of beauty over a bag of potato chippers any day, come on, grains, seeds, beans, and leaves, it does the body good, in more ways than one!

Adzuki Bean & Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

From Oh She Glows

Ingredients:
For the tabbouleh (makes 5.5-6 cups):

1/2 cup dry adzuki beans (or use 1.5 cups cooked beans)*
3/4 cup uncooked quinoa (makes 2.5 cups cooked)
1 cup packed fresh parsley, thick stems removed and minced
1/2 cup packed fresh Cilantro, thick stems removed and minced
2 small tomatoes, chopped (makes 1 & 1/4 cups)
3 large green onions, chopped
Herbamare or fine grain sea salt & black pepper, to taste

For the dressing (makes 2/3 cup):

1/3 cup + (1 tbsp, optional) red wine vinegar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
Herbamare/fine grain sea salt & ground pepper, to taste
1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

How To Play:
1. Adzuki beans: Soak the dry beans overnight in water. After soaking, drain and rinse the beans and then place back into the pot with new water, covering the beans with water by about 2-3 inches. Bring water to a boil and then reduce heat to low-medium, simmering for about 35-45 minutes. Watch closely and add more water if necessary. Alternatively, you can use canned beans for a time-saver.

2. Sweet potato: Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice a sweet potato into 1cm rounds. Lay flat on baking sheet at bake for about 15 minutes each side, watching closely so it doesn’t burn.

3. Quinoa: Add 3/4 cup of dry quinoa and about 1 & 1/4 cups water in a medium-sized pot. Stir. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cover with lid, simmering for about 15-20 minutes and watching closely. Quinoa will be light and fluffy when ready and the water will be absorbed.

4. Dressing: Whisk together all dressing ingredients and season to taste. Or feel free to use a mini processor if you have one.

5. Tabbouleh: Combine the drained & cooked beans, quinoa, and chopped vegetables in a large bowl. Pour on the entire amount of dressing and stir well. Season to taste. Makes about 5.5-6 cups and should keep for at least a few days in the fridge.

6. To assemble the salad: Add 1 cup shredded kale onto a plate or large bowl. Spoon on 1.5 cups of tabbouleh on top. Garnish with goji berries, pepita and hemp seeds, and a handful of sprouts (all optional). Finally, add the grilled or baked sweet potato rounds on the side.

Enjoy.

The Greatest Pizza Dough I Know

From Not Without Salt

Pizza Dough
makes enough for 3 or 4 pizza

4 cups all purpose flour (1 lb 4 oz.)
1 T salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2 cups water, room temperature
Additional flour, for dusting.

Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 2 cups of room temperature water, then mix on low speed using dough hook until dough binds, about 1 minute, adding more water as necessary. Let rest for 5 minutes. Knead on second-lowest setting for 5 to 7 minutes, until dough pulls away from the bowl and forms a smooth ball. (I don’t have a stand mixer, I just use a wooden spoon.)
Turn out onto a floured surface, knead and form into a ball, then let rest in a bowl for 3 to 4 hours.

By this point the dough should have doubled in size. Punch down and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge overnight. It is possible to use this dough the same day with great results although the long rest in the fridge improves the texture and becomes much easier to stretch.

Take it out of the fridge two hours before you want to eat dinner and let rest on counter. After approximately 90 minutes, turn out the dough onto a floured surface and cut into 4 8-ounce pieces. Fold and knead each three or four times until it forms a smooth ball. Let rest/rise for 30 minutes.Working with one ball at a time, using your hands, slowly stretch the dough to your desired size leaving a bit of a crust around the outer edge. If the dough becomes tight and hard to work with, let it rest for a few minutes while you move on to the next ball of dough. Sometimes the dough just needs a moment to relax. Preheat your oven for at least 45 minutes with a pizza stone inside, to 485 – 550 degrees. Create 12” round using your dough. We then place it on a floured piece of parchment paper, place it on the stone or baking sheet, cook for 6-8 minutes until cheese is bubbling and the crust is to our liking.

Enjoy.

Greek Red Lentil with Lemon, Rosemary, and Feta Cheese

Inspired by Rebar

Ingredients:
2 cups red lentils
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large yellow onion diced
2 tsp salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, diced
1 tsp cracked pepper
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1 tbsp minced rosemary
2 tbsp minced oregano
2 bay leaves
8 cups (2 litres) vegetable stock (I used organic chicken stock)
zest 1/2 lemon
juice of 2 lemons
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 tsp minced rosemary
cracked pepper to taste

How To Play:
Rinse lentils thorough in a colander under cold running water. Set aside to drain. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat and saute onion with 1 tsp salt until translucent. Add garlic, carrot, pepper, chiles, herbs, bay leaves and remaining salt. Stir well and saute until the carrots are just tender. Add rinsed lentils and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the lentils are soft and falling apart. If you like, the soup can be pureed or left as is. If you choose to puree, remove the bay leaves first.
Season the soup with lemon zest, lemon juice and more salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, stir together the feta cheese, rosemary and pepper. Sprinkle over hot bowls of soup and enjoy.

I am not a huge fan of the word magic, so I often say wonder instead. An example, would be 1 asking me how a microwave cooks food and me replying, “It’s wonder!” Everything used for magic is wonder. These tricky, sticky, so awesome little bars are really called Lightened Up Magical Coconut Bars, but we are calling them Coconut Wonder Bars. Thanks to Oh She Glows, she has once again impressed me with at hit of sweet tooth goodness!

Coconut Wonder Bars

Inspired by: Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

1 can light coconut milk*
2/3 cup coconut sugar*
2 cups vegan graham cracker crumbs*
6 tbsp (65g) coconut oil*
3 tbsp maple syrup
3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips (I used real chocolate chips and didn’t measure, I always go abit over board with chocolate)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup pecans, chopped (I mixed it up with pecans and hazelnuts)
pinch of flaked sea salt, for garnish (optional)

How To Play:

1. Prepare condensed coconut milk: Preheat oven to 350F and line a 9-inch square pan with two pieces of parchment paper (one going each way). Add entire can of coconut milk into a medium-sized pot, and whisk in the coconut sugar. Increase heat to medium and bring to a low simmer. Watch closely as it can boil over very quickly! Simmer on low-medium heat for about 12-14 minutes, whisking occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly. If film develops on the top as it condenses, just whisk it back into the mixture. Remove from heat to cool while you prepare the crust.

2. Prepare graham cracker crust: In a pot, soften coconut oil over low heat until mostly melted. Add to a mixing bowl along with graham cracker crumbs and maple syrup. Stir very well until thoroughly combined. Spoon graham mixture into prepared pan. Starting at the centre of the pan, press the graham cracker crumbs as firmly as you can, moving outward from the centre. The harder you press the crumbs into the pan, the better the bars will hold together.

3. Assemble: Pour warm condensed milk over the graham crust. Now, sprinkle on the chocolate chips, followed by the coconut, and finally the pecans, evenly over the condensed milk. Press the mixture down lightly with hands until the coconut milk soaks upward into each layer. Sprinkle with flaked sea salt (optional). I used Himalayan Pink Sea Salt…mmm!

4. Bake in the oven, uncovered, for 27-31 minutes at 350F, until the edges are golden. Remove pan from oven and place on cooling rack for about 30 minutes. Now, transfer the pan to your freezer for 2 hours (quick-set method). Or chill the bars in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight. When set, cut into squares (thaw at room temp first if removing from freezer). Bars can be wrapped up and left on the counter, or in the fridge or freezer.

Substitution notes: 1) You can use full-fat coconut milk instead of light. 2) Coconut sugar can be subbed for any granulated sugar (Sucanat, natural cane sugar, brown sugar, etc). 3) Two cups of graham cracker crumbs produced a fairly thick crust. You can probably reduce the amount to 1.5 cups if you want a thinner crust. 4) You can probably sub non-dairy butter for coconut oil.

Enjoy.

This photo was take in 1981. It is of me and my three cousins. I was 2 years old. That was 31 years ago, is that even possible? The other day when I was running, “Today” was on the radio, by Smashing Pumpkins. It instantly reminded me of being 14, getting The Siamese Dream album for one of my Christmas presents and Germany encountering the worse flood, from the Rhein River, it had had in years.

I thought as I ran, wow, I can’t believe that was 9 years ago, and then ran a bit further to realize, no, Jamie, that was 19 years ago.
It is sentimental seeing my cousins like this, because this is how I remember them most. This was when we lived on the Island and as soon as we moved away, we didn’t see each other as much, and before long, my family moved to Europe and time just continued to slip further away. There is a connection between families that remains untouchable. Only the untouchable are able to feel it. It is ancestral history, carved in our DNA, a link, a bond, a graphing that can’t be escaped. I miss these early years of my childhood. It entailed many days on the beach, nights by bon-fire, and playing with our black wolf- dog, Yogi. My heart only knew what my eyes could see and invisible to my eyes, my naked heart remains challenged by time.