Closer to Farms for Raw Yogourt

I close my eyes, it's time to let the water take me where it wants to. A couple of deep breaths. I feel the fear rising up, but I try and forget about it against the pounding of my heart. Try to swallow, get it back down. How is it that I’m still afraid. With another, deeper breath, I can swallow again. And then I start thinking back to the moment when we first arrived here, the moving truck a moving target for watchful eyes in a small town, I can do this. It's only deep water around me, and a couple of eerie looking kelp. Nothing big, nothing scary. A seal over there who just wants to play. Paddle in, paddle out. Left side. Paddle in. Swish. Paddle out. And kayaking gets easier when you realise that although you can't see below you, are the smallest boat on the water, there isn't any real danger around. Like those first few moments when you arrive in a new place, it takes a couple of deep breaths, and maybe a little pep talk before you'll be on your way, navigating the rocks and finding new caves to explore. Moving to a new place is the same.

Read more »

Granola Like Oh Boy! Shoot! Oh Baby Holdup.

For our last morning together in Montréal, my sister and I sat down at a local restaurant for breakfast before I had to catch the bus to the airport. In declining toast which accompanied breakfast, she told me that she would try cutting out wheat for the next coming weeks, to see if it improved anything in how she's been feeling, but also worried about the increase in the cost of choosing labelled gluten free food, especially packaged items such as cereals or cookies which really hiked up our food bill while I was staying with her. 

There are alternatives to buying the fancy packages on the shelves, and with it the feeling of regretfully walking out of the store thinking what you'll have to eliminate from this weeks budget. Simple ingredients that are naturally gluten free are much cheaper, and quick recipes are perfect! Oats, for example, are generally a cheaper item in the grocery aisles, and although finding dried fruits and nuts for cheap can be a harder task, we usually head to small specialty stores in 'Little India' or Chinatown of Vancouver, where they can often be found for less than at Whole Foods. 

For the last week or so, I've been hearing updates that there really is an improvement in how she's feeling, but mostly I've heard of new recipes she's tried. So the name of these two recipes for different types of granola came from my excitement when my sister began sending me the photos while she cooked one morning, and I replied "Oh baby holdup." and started thinking how perfect her recipe was.

Read more »

Candied Nuts to Keep Us Snacking

These candied nuts might make the perfect snack to bring on the plane - I can't believe we're actually going off to Cuba this spring break, and that we've only got to wait until the end of this week! None of us really know what to expect, and can only know what the guidebooks and reviews tell us; it will definitely be a very different experience. I've traveled to England many times with my parents, and to surrounding countries, and more recently been to tropical vacation resorts such as Hawaii and the Cayman Islands, however I've never been to a place as culturally different to where we live as Cuba. And I am very excited.

I'm also excited to break from bleak weather and cold rain that continues to finalise each week for us - however, I seem to have nothing to complain about compared to the other side of Canada, with snow storms bringing in over a foot of snow just as spring comes around the corner. Perhaps my pale skin will soak up enough vitamin D to last me until summer, and I'll come back happy and energetic (and tanned!) We've got sun screen, sunglasses, and bathing suits on our packing lists, and I can't wait to put them to good use!

A couple of weekends ago my parents took me to buy a backpack for the trip, it's not too large since we're only going for a week, but I've already started packing. Mentally laying out outfits for the week, planning which of my many pairs of shorts to take, and rolling things up to fit in my pack. I'm really excited to be away from my phone, from Facebook, Pinterest, everything, for a week, and in fact, I wish it were longer. I need a break. And I think both of my parents do as well, from work, school, and little problems that seem so great when we're in the middle of it all, but with a step back, a holiday, they don't seem so big on reflection. We need this trip for a change of perspective, and to put things into reality again.

It's actually quite refreshing not really knowing, or not knowing at all, what to expect. I am a planner and an organiser, and I feel myself slowly letting go even before we've left, all because I cannot plan the events, I can't picture the place or the people there at all. I'm trying to get mum to leave some of the planning to chance, since once we get there I expect our knowledge and feel of the place will change drastically from how it is now, and there is no way we can know now what we will want to do. But I think she's nervous: none of us speak Spanish, we don't know anyone there, and well, it's a completely new experience.

Pack on my back, and notebook in my hand, I can't wait to depart from the plane in hot, sunny, tropical Cuba, and just enjoy every moment we have there, wherever it takes us. Hopefully I can jot down recipes to try back at home, with new inspiration from traditional cuisine from the owners of the casas particulairs which we will be staying at, individually run and owned bed and breakfasts, an option for the "more adventurous tourist." I'm also taking a little camera from my trip to France in the summer, and hopefully will return with lots of colourful photos of Havana and surrounding towns which we will be visiting.

Maple Candied Nuts
Print recipe here

These Maple Candied Nuts are so delicious! I made some to top a salad for a dinner last week, and after we had all finished, we sat their munching on the remaining nuts - and finishing every last crumb off! So, I decided today to make another batch, just in case of course. They can be enjoyed as is, a simple but delicious snack, and also as a delicious garnish for desserts. Vanilla ice cream topped with caramel and spiced nuts? Oh that does sound delicious!

I already regret making so little as I did, so you might as well whip up a double batch while you've got all your ingredients ready to go - these will be gone quickly. These are just too good to pass up.

Personally, I don't like spicy foods very much, but if you would like that extra kick - add 1/4 tsp of cayenne powder to the mix.

Ingredients:

2 cups mixed raw nuts (I used pecans and cashews because they're my favourite, but you can choose any type really!)
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons kosher salt (I used Himalayan)

Directions:

Stir together nuts in a large bowl.

Pour the maple syrup over nuts, add ground cinnamon and stir to coat evenly.

On a baking sheet, pour nuts out and spread apart evenly. Sprinkle generously with salt.

Bake at 300ºF for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir, before baking an additional 10 minutes, or until nuts are toasted and coating is sticky.

Let cool 5 minutes, the nuts should be dry to the touch. Serve warm or cool completely and store in a sealed container.

Enjoy! xx S.

Smooth(ie) Mornings: An Obsession With Oats

Okay, I'm obsessed with oats now.

I mean, they've got so much going for them, and they make me feel so good - I think of them as the popular super food that everyone's just got to have, got to know. I recently found that oats are okay for those with gluten-sensitivity, someone like me, and this truth about oats, has made me go crazy for them - I'm experimenting with smoothies, muffins, everything! They really help with baking, as they hold together the ingredients, making the outcome firm and moist, they also hold lots of moisture, instead of crumbly and flaky like many gluten-free baked goods.

And I just love that after having them for breakfast, whether in porridge or smoothies, I can start my day feeling nourished and full of energy. No need for caffeine!

Last year, I would make myself smoothies for the morning, blending fresh ingredients such as bananas and blueberries, yogourt and cinnamon together the night before, refrigerating it in a large container until I awoke, when I would pour some into a travel mug and leave the house in a rush - often forgetting an important project for school or even my mittens that protected my hands from the brisk wind, as well as keeping them warm as they wrapped around a cold mug, in my wake.

That was before I woke up early enough to allow myself the time to enjoy those dreaded hours, still dark before the sun rose, and just wanted to sleep as much as possible, without wasting a second on making and eating breakfast at home. However, as the days became shorter and jackets became heavier last winter, as they have begun to now, I replaced my mug full of smoothie with a hot drink to warm my hands, and left breakfast behind me, where I began learning to appreciate it at the kitchen counter before I left - keeping warm all the while.

This morning my parents and I awoke to a late start, and incidentally, a late breakfast, which then causes morning coffee time and then lunch to be pushed back farther into the day. I write this before lunch today, at three in the afternoon just as dad comes in the door with lunch in his hands - soup.

But today, I took coffee time on a healthier route, and announced it to mum and dad,

"I'm making something for you!"

I planned a detour from the unnatural high to low caused by the caffeine. Instead of grinding beans and putting them at the bottom of the pot, I heated apple juice on the stove, and as it simmered softly a comforting aroma of spices and cooked apples filled the kitchen, and then laid out delicate cups on matching saucers along the counter top.

Autumn smells filled the rooms.

Then, all the ingredients went into the blender, and maybe in excitement, I pressed the button to blend, without checking the speed or fit of the lid.

It splattered.

Across the counter, little droplets of smoothie were scattered, and oats congregated on the inside of the blender's lid, although luckily they were too large to escape from inside. It even got on me, and I had to run my arm under the cold water from the tap to relieve the burning sensation from the hot liquid. Fortunately, there was no evidence of a burn a short while later. Although evidence of my carelessness was left along the back splash, and on the jars that line the counter.

"You've left quite the mess here,"

Mum informed me as she wiped it clean.

I served the drinks, and we sat at the counter cherishing the warmth and taste, the rain heavily falling outside the house, where we were nestled in comfortably.

Apple-Oat Smoothie
Print Recipe.

Don't let cold weather and a bad nights sleep get the best of you, and don't opt for an unsatisfying cup of too-strong coffee to wake you up for only a few hours either, instead, try this perfect fall drink, which warms you right up, and will get you going with all it's vitamins and nutrients, and the energy that's packed in!

Apple and oats go perfectly with the blend of spices, and the almond add a perfect punch to your energy drive. This smooth and comforting smoothie is the perfect replacement for summer's popsicles and drinks, too cold to imagine having at this time. 

When blending the ingredients, make sure it is on the lowest setting to begin with, and hold down the lid as you press the button. For a smoother drink, grind the almonds beforehand, or try replacing them with other nuts such as pecans, or even dried fruit such as dried dates. 

Everything - before apple juice - in the blender

Serves 3

Ingredients

1 1/2 c apple juice
1 c water

1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 c unsalted almonds
1/2 c quick oats (wheat-free)
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

Directions

In a saucepan, bring the apple juice and water to a simmer.

Add spices and simmer for another 5 minutes.

In a blender, combine almonds, oats and maple syrup, and pour in apple juice mixture.

Blend on low until smooth.

Pour into mugs and serve.