Colours of Our Dinner

And the sun has finally reemerged from behind a sky filled with clouds, and the warmth heats up the deck for sitting out with a cool glass of lemonade, and its finally warm enough to plan trips out on my friend's boat this weekend. Having lunch up at the cafes seems more of a social event, with walkers and their dogs chatting to each and every person to say their hellos, and the patio fills up with lunchtime guests - all of which who are eager to enjoy as much sun, and as much jovial conversation, as possible.

This week, mum and I have had a little more energy to cook delicious meals for dinner with less early
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A Whirlwind of Timeless Cuba

The vastness of what we experienced during our week of spring break in Cuba overwhelms me a little even now. And I know that if I were to volunteer abroad during my year off next year in a developing country, as I currently plan to, that I would again be shocked by my experiences and the sights - but starting off small, slowly easing into new cultures and different ways of life, is important.

Every idea I've had to begin writing brings up new stories from our travels to the Caribbean island; each day was filled with it's own few chapters as if pulled from a novel. That's the lure of holidays and experiencing places, travelling to somewhere completely new gives us the chance to return with a backpack overflowing with stories and the excitement that comes from the thrill of it all. The trouble is always figuring out how to explain it all when someone asks the broad question of "how was it?" So, I'll begin when it really did all start.

The idea for Cuba began sometime last year, when we started fantasising about a tropical holiday during spring break. We had just returned from a few days in one of BC's interior ski mountains, and the idea of sitting somewhere hot and tanning on the beach was idyllic, even if our holiday was no where near a luxury beach resort kind of week. This idea of hopping on the plane this year to Cuba sat with us for the summer, for the fall, and until finally just after Christmas when flights were booked and we started looking into casa particulars, essentially bed and breakfasts run by Cuban families all across the country, to stay in a few different towns including Havana and Viñales in the country. After hostels and other budget accommodation, casa particulars are the cheapest option to stay in Cuba. For the equivalent of around $30 a night, three of us were able to stay in room with clean sheets, towels, and a bathroom complete with shower. Breakfast and dinner are also served in the casas for additional cost, and although we tried breakfast and dinner once at two of the three casas we stayed at, the atmosphere was minimal despite the food being delicious and overly abundant.

Each day had moments of excitement and new experiences that I remember in bursts now. Sometimes I remember the little Spanish I picked up, and reply with ci to someones question, or as I try to find something I mutter to myself, 'Dondé ésta...' There are also the conversations with inquisitive friends that cause me to remember a peculiar moment in a bicitaxi cruising through Havana as I try to recall the highlighted moments to satisfy their undying curiosity. There really isn't any one moment to call the highlight, from Havana (or Habana) to the Valle de Viñales, and finally to spending a couple of nights in Matanzas, one moment leads to another, onto explaining the people we came across, the situations were got into and the ones we almost got caught up in, and from there are the other adventures to be had. It's an intricate and detailed pattern of events. A tightly woven web, but I guess that's just how life goes.

This photo captures many of the cities attractions and features, a mix of 1950s cars and shops, and the new luxury items from China, including fancy new cars, a new line of Transgaviota buses for transporting hundreds of tourists to and from their plush resorts to only the best attractions in Cuba. Driving these cars are exuberant men who shout to friends they see in the street, some stopping in the middle of the road for a quick chat. And instead of slowing down at uncontrolled intersections, many drivers speed up and blare their horn loudly to alert any sleepy cars. But they aren't reckless, and instead share the road with bicycles, horse and carts, and bicitaxis, two person bicycle taxis pulled by one hard-working guy.

I really loved meeting all these different people, who had experienced life in a very different society from our own. There were men at the book sale in Havana's busy streets that were looking to find work in Canada sometime in the near future, and were hoping that each of our countries would relax regulations so that he could start a new life. At the moment, it was more profitable to sell books to eager tourists in the streets than his own government job as a school teacher. So, he worked longer days to support a family. 

In Cuba's valley towns there was a lower pace of lifestyle, cowboys rode horses through the streets, and large trunks came tumbling down the roads at 5 AM to pick up workers for a day in the tobacco fields. I loved this atmosphere with kids playing soccer in the street, and everyone staying up late to make sure they could catch up with friends in between doorways and on street corners. Even in Havana, kids played a game of baseball in a side street, or jump rope as the occasional car came down pushing them to the sidewalks briefly before carrying on.

In Viñales we explored the jardin botanical that has been growing for the past one hundred year. In the centre of what looks like a vast jungle of cocoa, mango, and banana trees, tobacco and flowers, is a small colourful cottage where a family lives. They take care of the jardin, and upon your entrance through the bright red gates will lead a tour around the paths of the garden. In our sparse Spanish and our guides limited English, we had fun deciphering the Spanish names of plants into our well-known English terms.

For a closer look into the beauty of Viñales, we were lead by a local on horseback through the tobacco fields and among the farmers who plow their fields with oxen. In the morning we set out, the sun was just beginning to warm our backs, and we rambled along through the fields and dirt tracks. As it began to get hotter, we stopped at an old man's house a top a grassy hill, where he served us hollowed out coconuts with rum and honey. Looking out, we could see the town of Viñales and spreading out from that an array of checkered houses and tobacco fields, and among that a small amount of corn and rice fields. It was amazing to experience rural Cuba with it's slower pace lifestyle, and laid back farmers on horseback in gum boots and smoking a Cuban cigar. For me, riding horses through Cuba was the perfect moment.

There is so much history in Havana. And in Cuba. Between the crumbling buildings and streets piled with rubble are places built in the early 1900's, and some of these places, recently restored into colourful attractions, have the undeniable beauty and amazing craftsmanship in ornately decorated columns, marble floors, and painted ceilings particular to that time period.

Among this revolution and restoration of the buildings there is the life of the Cuban people. Things seem to be on the brink of change with the widespread access to the Internet, and this newness of ideas flowing amid buildings which have stood for hundreds of years casts an exciting atmosphere among the people. However, if you stop to listen in broken English and reply in haphazard Spanish, the views of the Cuban people seem to reflect both gratitude and frustration with the revolution. A change in their country which both propelled a movement but now seems to have stagnated their countries development.

Sometimes, moments put you back into the 1950's while spending time on the streets of Havana or walking in Viñales' fields. A lineup of 1950's style cars at a crosswalk puts you into a different decade, as does the image of three cowboys on horseback trotting through dirt tracks just outside of your bedroom window. With this mismatch of modern and past culture, this country is unique in it's own way. That's the beauty of exploring new places, and places so different from home. There are windows into the history, and the people, and into the hopes and traditions of their lives.

Quinoa and Goats Cheese Patties
Print recipe here!What I loved about the food in Cuba, and I know that no one goes there for the food, but it was still delicious, was that the ingredients were all so simple, fresh, local, and tasty. They used simple ingredients like fish and chicken, which was cooked or fried in a sauce, and served with rice, and often beans. In the valley we had a greater variety of fresh fruits and vegetables such as bananas, shorter than the ones we have at home, and much sweeter. Our host family went into their back yard and came back with a bundle of tiny little bananas, and offered us one each, which we devoured greedily, enjoying the sweetness of these pale green goodies.

This recipe follows a similar principle, simple, fresh ingredients for a decadent dinner. For best tasting results, use locally grown vegetables, and if you have access to it, local goats cheese. 

Serves 2 (makes 4 patties)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
1/2 cup warm water

2 tbsp soft goats cheese
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1 medium carrot, grated
1 egg
1 large (2 small) garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper to season
1 tbsp grape seed oil (for frying)

Directions:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the uncooked quinoa and warm water. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, and simmer covered for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine goats cheese, cottage cheese, grated carrot, egg, and minced garlic. Stir to combine.

Add in the cooked quinoa slowly, mixing between each addition to prevent the egg from cooking.

Sprinkle chili powder, salt, and pepper in, and stir well.

At this point, if you're mixture is not sticking together well, or has too much liquid, add in rice flour 1 tablespoon at a time. It should be sticky and hold its shape.

Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of grape seed oil. Using a 1/4 cup measuring spoon, ladle the quinoa mixture bit by bit into the frying pan and press down to form approximately 1 inch thick patties.

Cook for 5-10 minutes on each side. Lower the heat if they brown (or blacken) too quickly, or the oil begins to spit, and raise the heat if after 5 minutes there is no colour change.

Enjoy with Baked Tomato Salsa, or use instead of meat patties in a gluten free burger bun.

Enjoy! xx S

Sweetest of Potatoes

Winter means its time to dig up the root vegetables and enjoy the comfort of a staple winter food.

Sweet Potatoes. They are what I can only describe as real and essential bliss. Freshly roasted and cooled after a few minutes under the heat of the oven - steam rising from the punctured skin, a soft and sweet middle - I'd have them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if I could, and I'd be happy as a yam to eat them plain.

However, they can surely be glammed up any way you like. And instead of resigning the sweet potato to "side dish status," let's make the sweet potato the center piece of your dinner plate, all forks on set. This luscious dish deserves all these photos, it's definitely center stage (or table) tonight.

I'll take those sweet potatoes any day. Bake them. Stuff them.

Start by halving a fresh sweet potato lengthwise and place it in the hot oven, baking until tender. It should look something like this:

How healthy and delicious are those little sweet potatoes? The bright orange colour just screams out the health benefits. Sweet potatoes are the highest source of beta-carotene - an antioxidant important for giving the carrots and the oranges the orange colour. Sweet potatoes are also bursting with essential vitamins for our diet, such as vitamins A and C.

Did you know that the sporamins in sweet potatoes, or "storage proteins," help the vegetable to heal itself after physical damage? Now I wouldn't mind getting some of that!

While cooking this recipe I thought of all the recipes which involve scraping the cooked sweet potato flesh from the skin to mash it with other flavourful ingredients before re-stuffing it into the skins. I admit, this is a delicious way to enjoy sweet potato, however, what's better than enjoying the sweet potato in all its natural flavours that it has to offer without the added chore of scraping, mashing and re-stuffing. That means following a more minimalistic route, skipping those steps, and simply cracking the golden babies open when they're hot from the oven to scoop a delicious mix of complementing ingredients over top. Or perhaps a Yam Tuna Bake is more pleasing right now?

Quinoa and Chard Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Print recipe here.

Sweet potatoes sing and quinoa dances in this wonderful combination of nature's finest super foods enriched with a delicate chile sauce drizzled over top with spring onions and basil to serve - just sit back and let the health benefits of this delicious dinner take the stage.

Ingredients

2 small sweet potatoes

1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water

2 cups freshly chopped chard leaves
1 tomato, diced
2 tbsp sliced almonds

2 tbsp of baked sweet potato (taken from potatoes above), mashed
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 pinches chile powder
2 tbsp maple syrup

2 spring onions, sliced
3 basil leaves, chopped finely

Directions

Cook the sweet potatoes in an oven preheated to 400°F. Bake until tender, 45 minutes to an hour.

In a sieve, rinse the dry quinoa under cold running water. This will remove any "mush-promoting" grit remaining on the grain.

Combine the uncooked quinoa and water in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil, do not stir as it will disturb the cooking process.

As water begins to bubble, turn off the heat and place a lid over the pan. Allow the quinoa to cook - no peeking or stirring! - for 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the chopped chard into a steamer over boiling water and cook until softened. Alternatively, cook in about 1 inch of water in a wide saucepan. Allow to cool slightly before combining with diced tomatoes and sliced almonds in a small bowl, set aside.

With the sweet potatoes out of the oven, place them in separate serving plates and spread the two halves apart.

Scoop one tablespoon from each sweet potato and mash in a small bowl, combine with mayonnaise, chile powder and maple syrup, blending evenly. To thin out the sauce mix in a dash of liquid - water, vinegar or oil - until the desired consistency has been reached.

Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork before scooping onto the open sweet potato, dividing it equally between the two. Layer the chard salad over top, and drizzle with the sweet potato chile sauce.

Serve with the chopped spring onions and basil leaves sprinkled over.

Dive into the sweetest potato of all comfort food.

xx S.

Bring Me Tea, Then We'll Bake Bread

After a relaxing day spent in the kitchen yesterday, Roasting Brussels sprouts and mixing Aioli, today we decided to abandon the laziness of being at home and spend the afternoon wandering a new shopping scene on Main St. and the elegant little tearooms which sit beside them, stopping to sit among antique arrangements of tables and chairs in a pattern around large bay windows.

We sat around a large wooden table as our pots of tea remained tucked in the warmth of woolen tea cozies, and the lady from behind the counter brought over a petit vanilla macaroon speckled with lavender seeds. It was eaten too quickly for any photographs to be taken, the flavours melting in my mouth with each nibble, a sweetness so delicious with the pairing of an aromatic vanilla spiced black tea.

I remember the days when Bowen had a little tea shop, and during afternoons mum and I would venture down to a snug little table decorated with a crocheted white table cloth and freshly picked flowers. It was situated right in the middle of all the activity that went on in the town, a picturesque white cottage, complete with shutters around the windows and a flower box with yellow petunias. It was during this time that we would enjoy the warmth in sharing a pot of tea and a plate of delicate shortbread biscuits between us; this remained our special treat, and even now we fall into bliss when hands tightly hold a freshly brewed cup, and light chatter follows in ease.

The tearoom which we sat became the sort of place where patrons would enter to assess their mood with questions posed by the lady behind the counter,

"Do you feel like a spicy drink? Would you like something with a perfume essence?"

And in turn they would reply thoughtfully, thinking of the past events of the day and their current mood;

"I think I'd like something with cinnamon."

The woman would know just what to prescribe, and would reach behind her to a wall filled with shelves, each one lined with large glass jars filled with all different types of tea.

"What do you feel like?"

The tea suits your mood.

So when these were pulled from the oven in anticipation and in a certain eagerness only a little gluten-free chef about to discover the best dinner roll recipe would have, I was thrilled when a little tap on the top of the rolls sounded hollow, and later when I pulled them from the muffin tray they seamlessly left it behind.

The seamlessness of such an enjoyable day and this adventure of baking gluten-free bread has left me in a hopeful and enthusiastic mood.

I couldn't help but dance around the kitchen for a bit.

And then a bit longer.

"They worked! They worked! I did it!" I cried out, so immensely joyful.

So here it is, my own wonder-bread.

Pumpkin Maple Dinner Rolls
Print recipe here.

I was so excited to find this recipe, I knew the rolls would turn out moist and delicious even by looking at the ingredient list; with the addition of the pumpkin purée, a tried and tested ingredient in my Pumpkin Pie Loaf, the rolls hold all the ingredients together nicely and has a delicious wintry flavor.

These little gluten-free rolls are perfect for dinners or lunches with a side of soup, or can be sliced in half as a sandwich and tucked into a lunch bag.

Makes about 15 dinner rolls.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups warm water, divided, plus extra
1 tsp coconut (palm) sugar
1 1/2 tbsp active dry yeast, this is equivalent to 2 instant yeast packets

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds, plus 1-2 tbsp as a garnish (optional)
1/2 cup corn flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup sorghum flour
2 tsp guar gum

1/4 cup pumpkin purée
2 eggs
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp grape seed oil for dusting pan

Directions

In a small bowl stir together 1 cup of warm water, coconut sugar, and yeast. Set aside for 5 minutes and allow the yeast to bloom. (If the mixture does not become frothy, resembling the foam on top of a beer, the yeast could be inactive or expired and you will need to repeat this step with new yeast)

In a food processor, pulse pumpkin seeds until finely ground. Add corn flour, gluten-free oats, tapioca flour, brown rice flour, sorghum flour, and guar gum. Pulse until the oats are finely ground.

In a separate bowl, stir together yeast mixture, pumpkin purée, remaining 1/4 cup of water, eggs, olive oil, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar until completely combined.

Pour until flour mixture in food processor and mix on low speed. Increase the speed to medium and blend for 1 minute. The dough should resemble the consistency of a thick muffin batter; if not, add another 1/4 cup warm water and mix on medium speed for an additional 1-2 minutes.

Coat the inside of 2 muffin tins with a light greasing of grape seed oil and flouring of corn flour. Tilt the pan upside down over the sink to pour out any extra flour.

With a large spoon, portion the dough out into the muffin tins. Cover with towel or plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to allow the yeast to rise. Let the buns sit until they double in size, approximately 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Brush each bun with a light coating of water and sprinkle with a few whole pumpkin seeds if you choose.

Bake in the centre of preheated oven u Til the buns begin to turn a golden brown and sound hollow when tapped, this should take approximately 30 to 40 minutes.

Allow the buns to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Notes*
I used maple syrup in this recipe, because I like the rich flavoring it adds to breads, and that blends perfectly with pumpkin. Honey can be substituted instead, although it will have a less detectable taste.

Quinoa flakes can also be substituted for the gluten-free oats, especially if you cannot tolerate oats.