Picking Apples for Baked Chicken Dinners

The best thing about today was hanging from branches with my back hunched over and my hands reaching up and behind to find the biggest, juiciest, and highest up apples in the tree. On our third  walk of the day, after sitting out in a sunny field with a few ripples of wind in our hair and hot fruit tea in glass jars to warm up after a classic picnic of sandwiches with goats cheese and cucumber, we wandered the trails to see where dad had found an open beach where he had often spent evenings after work, looking out at the mountains across an ocean that separates Canada and the United States.

After almost falling, and with small burrs on my sweater and dried apple leaves tangled in my hair, mum and I left the park with apples tucked away in every pocket and filling our hands. Beautiful, crunchy apples, some softly hinted green and yellow, and others a bright yellow that we had snagged from the trees before the bears in the area had them when they all fell to the ground. Evidence of bears lingered by their smell around the marshes and under the trees. There were apples left on higher branches, out of reach, that we imagined grasping with our hands, or biting into the sweet juices of the apples with every bite. It made us envious of the birds, ones so easily able to reach the well-sunned fruits, that would be enjoying the delicious flavours much sooner than we ever would. And so we joked that next time, we would be the ones carrying a tall ladder down the trail, to manoeuvre it through the twists and turns of the path, and finally to where there were full apple trees. 

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Curiosity, Courage, and Chicken Pot Pies

Wrapped up in a cosy green, a colour which covers all the walls in this house, and symbolises the growth and rejuvenation it once stood for, and perhaps brings to us as well, I sipped a hot ginger and lemon tea and read a book beside the trails of rain streaming down the windows. Through a storm we spent huddled on our big couch or behind a pair of binoculars trying to spot the first white caps thundering into the harbour. Behind thick lenses we could see a brave fisherman in the wind, and the train of seagulls behind the boat as his crab traps were pulled up from under the waves. It was wonderful to feel so at home behind the front of a big storm rolling in, and the cups of tea held between our hands, or hot plates for dinner, kept us feeling comforted and warm. 

Perhaps it's just the cold left behind from a busy weekend of showing my friends some of my favourite places here while they visited, including a full bakery breakfast and some gluten free French toast for me, as well as a trip to Victoria in the pouring rain, but I've found having so much time difficult at the moment. Maybe it's also that we've been here a month now, and we really are settling in, I mean mum's getting movie suggestions from ladies at the grocery store checkout and we actually recognise people on our daily walks ("he was here yesterday," mum will whisper to me, or I'll wonder where the tall guy was as we come back around the beach). Especially underneath the patter of the continuous and comforting sounds of rain, and left dependant on ginger teas and Tylenol, as well as warming dinners such as home made chilli and steaming chicken pot pies, I almost feel restless to get out and explore, and finally find a foothold in this new town, among new people, and to step there to begin a climb into the unknown.

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Wrapped Up Falafel and Pita Style

 

Last nights dinner, warm home made kale falafels on top of fresh greens and slices of tomatoes from the farm, with a bed of piping hot pita breads straight from the oven, was the perfect end to a hot day that suddenly turned when the fog set in the bay, and a breeze swept up any leaves that tittered around the front deck. Dancing feet outside our open doors were fluttered away in one strong gust, and just the squeals of an open door caught up in the wind could be heard. I set to baking early in the afternoon, and with my chin resting on my hands, staring at this bunch of fresh kale, there was a separate whirlwind of thoughts, recipes, and ideas for the luscious green vegetable. The fresh kale from a nearby farm was how falafels became something else, a whole new flavour was added, as well as intrigue, and falafels were taken up a notch.

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Baking Bread

Baking bread used to be my "speciality." My sister would come home expectant of a freshly baked loaf a few days after she came off the plane.

It was always something I loved. Kneading, rolling, patting, the smell of a warm loaf, and the delicious flavour of wholesome bread. Therefore, it became something I missed.

I used to play with baking breads, adding chopped olives or a blend of freshly chopped herbs and just imagining the warmth and flavour of a warm loaf from the oven with a variety of concocted tastes. But when I tried this same approach baking gluten free, they either didn't bake - an overlooked shell with a mushy, sticky centre - or sometimes, they would bake well, but just one bite would notify our tastebuds (and salivary glands) to over-work, it was gonna be one dry mouthful.

So it took a little more playing around. And I've finally found the best gluten free bread recipe as of late. Quick. Easy. And fool proof. A moist and flavourful roll. Fresh rosemary and garlic? It just makes me want to heat a big pot of soup on the stove and quickly make myself some rolls for dipping, and enjoying. Bean shepherds pie soup from last night sounds delicious, a wonderful mix of hearty beans and the flavour of tarragon, blended with potato, carrots, and a dash of coconut milk to create a creamy and wintery soup. Or perhaps, a bowl of Sweet Cumin Carrot Soup would be more suiting to bring us into Spring (although its still dark despite being only five o'clock). I also recommend dipping the warm rolls into some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Or a bowl of mussels, a delicious complement to the rosemary and garlic flavours of the buns.

When you pull bread from the oven, you are reminded of the best part of baking gluten free; seeing perfectly round little bread rolls, a tad risen, and the steaming aroma of herbs that escapes from the oven makes you feel the emotion in successful baking. These are soft, moist, and everything homemade bread should be.

Some days, baking bread takes a little nudge, and some days, with the rain pouring down and washing away all of our footprints and any trace of activity outdoors, we remain pulled by the warmth of the fire and the heat of our ovens. On those days, we take to our kitchens, and after, sit at our tables with a plate of delicious baked goods to write up recipes, jot down notes, and detail the experiences. So using whole food, we cook. Together, but also secluded in the clatter of pots and pans in our kitchens.

Some days good food is the effect reason to remain at home - you deserve a rest - while somedays it is the inspiration of a photo on Instagram or Pinterest, or maybe someone's conversation on your way home. Or it is the memory of good food from days past, that meal you enjoyed utterly, chewing in silence and sharing the enjoyment of flavours, that really does make the difference, and replenishes your motivation to cook again, to replenish your energy.

Because we are all much happier, and much healthier, with good food in our bellies, and a good mood as a result, sometimes all we need is a reminder of what we enjoy most, and what makes our lives a little bit better. A little bit happier.

Rosemary Garlic Bread Buns
Print recipe here.

I made this recipe twice over two days, eating the buns with soup, and with oil for dipping, for three meals in a row. They're perfect for breakfast with eggs or almond butter and jam, or for lunch and dinner with soup or as sandwiches. Since they are so quick and easy to make, I recommend you take out your mixing bowl and bake a few buns right now!

You may need to add more flour if the mix has too much liquid. The first time I made these rolls the quantities below were perfect, my kitchen was very cold, however the next day, after the house was warm from the blazing fire, the mixture required nearly double the amount of flour. Just make sure you don't add too much - you still want a bit of stickiness to end up with lovey and moist rolls! Have fun playing with quantities, these are almost guaranteed to taste delicious.

Makes 5 - 6 dinner buns.

Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

4 eggs
3 - 4 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp apple cider
3/4 tsp xantham gum
1/4 cup coconut milk

Dry Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup chia seed flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp fresh or dried rosemary, chopped finely
1 large clove of garlic, minced

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the wet ingredients, beating until combined completely.

Add dry ingredients and beat again.

Drop the mixture onto the parchment paper, and form into small round buns.

Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Allow buns to cool for 5 minutes before serving - the centres will be hot!

Delicious when dipped into olive oil.

Enjoy! xx S

A Thought of Eggs; A New Cookie

My neighbors got chickens this winter. At first there were only two, dark brown little things that chased each other around the yard and squawked little. I remember hearing something about chicken-sitting for a friend, a test of the brand new coop just they had just built amongst a cluster of trees, and a trial at taking care of such delicate little creatures.

I had no idea how sensitive chickens were to stresses around them, and the changes to the mundane patterns in their lifestyles. However, when these two were moved into the little patch of land beside us, they trembled with fright and refused to lay any eggs for at least a couple of weeks.

Suddenly, I've noticed that the number of chickens running freely around on the other side of our fence dividing the properties only in appearance, has doubled. I see four chickens now, and they make twice the amount of noise. I just tell myself that it won't matter when I find the perfect day to wake up before everyone else, a warm day in the summer when the sun rises early, and I'll sneak my way past the end of the line of fencing, and find a perfect, fresh, egg awaiting.

Imagine the possibilities for breakfast with a real egg in my hand, still warm, with an inside glowing and golden. I know my neighbors feed their chickens vegan feed only, and with the exercise around the yard they're guaranteed free range. So much better than any store bought eggs.

I'm not condoning stealing, especially from an innocent animal, no way, but rather describing my need for wholesome, fresh food right from the source of where it's produced. I'd much rather eat food which is limited by the season it's produced in, but be intoxicated with the violent bursts of flavour in each bite, the cacophonous colours of purple carrots, the deep dark forest green of kale, and brilliant orange of egg yolks.

Every time I crack an egg I think to myself as if it were a mantra, and as if the willing tone in my voice could cause it to be true,

"Farm fresh eggs... Farm fresh eggs... Farm fresh eggs..."

Until the dull yellow of the yolk breaks, splashing into the bowl and being pulled apart, I've suddenly forgotten for a moment the thrill of having a fresh egg. We try our best at purchasing organic and free range eggs, only supporting local BC farms and ethical practices, but oftentimes, especially on a small island, we forget the impact in buying something which had travelled across the province, or even the country, to look at the cheapest price. Living in such a vast country it's easy to forget how many boundaries really do divide either side, from the coast of British Columbia to where my sister bundles herself up to face the Montreal storm, and the cost of travelling from one side to the other.

So instead of plotting revenge on the chickens, I think I'll just relax with a warm cookie from the oven, full of tasty goodness and made with whole and healthy ingredients, and save those fresh eggs for breakfast when they've settled down into their new home, and forgotten the trials of travelling in the back of a truck, being bumped up and down over uneven roads of Bowen.

Almond Cookies with Coconut and Chocolate
Print recipe here.

I was so excited about these cookies that I began pinching chunks of chocolate and coconut while gathering my ingredients, and eating the dough when everything was mixed together. There are two things which are absolutely fabulous about this recipe: It is very quick and simple to make (I quickly had to whip up another batch the next day after making these, everyone just kept eating them!), and they are filled with healthy ingredients; I won't forget the fact that the cookies made were completely wonderful, the perfect blend of chocolate chip and coconut, and possibly the best version of chocolate chip cookies that anyone - gluten free or not - would be thrilled to be presented with a plate of. Because even after one day, a plate of twelve cookies had vanished between three of us.

Makes between 12 and 16 cookies

Ingredients

1¼ cups almond meal
¼ cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
½ tsp baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup brown sugar

1 egg
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

In a large bowl, combine almond meal, chocolate chips, shredded coconut, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Mix, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg before whisking in the melted coconut oil and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until all ingredients are evenly blended.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Using your hands, roll the dough into small balls, approximately 1 - 1 ½ inch wide, and place on the baking sheet with 1 inch between each cookie. Press down with the palm of your hand to flatten a bit.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown.

Enjoy! xx S.

Potate-oh, Pah-tato

Love has great taste.

For those who believe that food is love; the love for that perfectly baked cake, the chicken roasted to perfection, chocolate that melts in your mouth, then you'll want to cook as much as I do.

Or maybe it's something someone else made for you that's just to die for.

Today, mum and I met after an early end to school (those really are the best of days) and we decided upon lunch at our favourite spot on the island. The view looks out on the ferry's path, and on a clear day our tiny ferry can be seen passing the routes of the huge ferries in comparison on it's way back and forth from the mainland.

Kids waited for their dance classes over juices and oversized cookies and situated in the comfortable lounge chairs by the fire in the corner, but their voices escalated around the entire room as did their levels of sugar.

At a small table by the window, mum and I sat across from each other and waited for our food after ordering at the counter, laden with jars of cookies and biscotti and farther down from that, a tiered cake platter supported large meringues of varying sizes and shapes - my favourite being the little mouse ones. Perfectly decorated with little half pistachios as ears and chocolate chips for eyes, they look like the perfect afternoon treat. In the cooler we eyed the prepared dishes, our mouths watering at french delicacies, soups, sandwiches and tapas.

The cafe varies their menu of soups often, tomato basil one week, to squash, potato & cumin the next, and because of their enviable gluten-free bread served alongside, a tasty slice with the evidence of being grilled from the black criss-crossed lines along the front and back, I am most inclined to feel the comfort of a hot bowl. Immediately upon entering, I check the small blackboard that sways in its brackets above the counter and announces today's soups in colourful, spiralling chalk lettering.

What a comfort to have soup by the window of a cafe, overlooking an array of trees pounded by the rain, and to be still and warm, even overheating, from both the food and a hot latté.

I wish you were here.

The food comes by way of a friendly waitress, who lays each dish down on the wooden table as I collect napkins and cutlery from a little basket from the centre table.

It smells so good.

And for dessert, because we just couldn't resist the new addition to the display of enticing dishes, we shared a warm rice pudding served in a cute little jar and topped with raspberry jam. Mum and I couldn't keep our spoons still even if we tried.

"Pass the puddin' please,"

we repeated over and over to each other, until the very last spoonful was scraped from the bottom, and we finally relaxed back into the large wooden chairs to people watch again. Perhaps one day I will finally make such a delicacy, and together, we will share in the warmth and comfort of a creamy rice pudding, straight from the oven.

And perhaps with the intent of cooking from scratch, it may take a few tries to reach the desired creaminess with that subtle hint of real vanilla. We will indulge in the simple pleasure of creation, and the outcome of something so beautiful, even if it only lasts a few moments in the face of expectant family and friends.

They will love everything you cook for them. So, dinner tonight?

Baked Rosemary Potatoes
Printable Recipe.

To accompany any main meal, these potatoes are full of rich flavours and cooked to perfection!

A Quick Note:
When chopping the onions, it is much easier to chop them with the ends still on! The end with the roots attached, that resembles little tentacles, actually holds together the onions structure, and keeps the layers tightly bonded. I usually cut my onion in half, slice across it again, without cutting the end, and then slice, which creates diced onions!

Serves 3 - 4 as a side dish.

Ingredients

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/4 c rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp grape seed oil
salt and pepper to taste

1 lb baby potatoes
1 red onion, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a 20 cm wide baking dish, combine the garlic, rosemary, rice wine vinegar, mustard, oil and salt and pepper, stirring until mixed.

Chop the washed potatoes in halves, and add them with the red onion to the dish, coat in mixture.

Cover the dish with foil, securing the ends by curling the foil around the dish, and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the foil, and bake for another 20 - 25 minutes.