That's So Swa!

  I was introduced this idea from the Chef Rainbow as a way to brighten any dish, and fell in love with it in the summer of '21 as my garden now has a wonderful variety of herbs. Basically you fine chop fresh herbs (chives, lovage, Thai and Italian basil, lemon thyme, oregano, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme and pepper&spear mint are what I have this year - use what you have on hand) and add in olive oil, salt to taste (lemon pepper if you want) and lemon juice / zest / rind to make a topping. To describe consistency....it's like you are using the oil, salt and lemon as a light medium to hold the chopped herbs together but not making a paste or sauce.  Wonderful on pasta, crackers with cream cheese, soups... anything that is bland and needs a flavour boost. Many recipes add garlic and chilli flakes but I think that's too intense. Save garlic for pestos and chili flakes for heat. Keep this as wonderful alternative to spicy / garlicy boosters. Keep calm and let the her...

  Just something to keep in mind when you have fresh peppers in the garden... so delicious! 1 habanaro pepper or whatever other pepper you've got growing. 1 chopped shallot or half small onion Juice of half or one full lime. Can sub lemon, or even vinegar in a pinch. The lime is the ideal though.  1 tsp or so of kosher salt Chop finely and mix. Delicious as a topping on almost all Mexican and Indian dishes. Anything that needs that green spark.  Of course if you add in tomato and coriander you're at salsa fresca, but sometimes I really just like a pure green topping. Letting the pepper be the star before the tomatoes ripen does them justice.  Oh! And if you have an unripe green tomato that falls too early like the one that did today, throw it in.  It's a great way to turn a mishap into a victory.  

This got me off coffee. Or at least gave me the choice. 3/4 cup oat milk 1/4 water 1 tsp matcha 0.5 tsp stevia Blend in magic billet. Heat in pot and serve. Very different energetic experience of caffeine. Calm and focussing, vs the happy and jumpy of coffee.  

  John is in love with this dressing for rice bowls. He's the one that named it crack sauce because he finds it addictive and always asks for it. He one experienced a 3-day depression where he kept lamenting the  use of another other sauce when his expectation was for this sauce. Could not stop repeating the lament, much to my irritation. It's power lies in having all the key elements of satisfaction in balance. Salt, Acid, Fat, Sugar. The flavour comes from the ginger. Cutting in some sesame oil is also nice. Blend equal parts maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, olive oil (optional for the oil part, use 2:1 olive to sesame oil), and tamari/Braggs.  Add a big thumb of rough chopped ginger.

Fantastic B vitamin dressing. If you like nutritional yeast, you’ll like this. Great over rice bowls and salads. Nice for clean eating. https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/nutritional-yeast-dressing/

Don’t forget this as beautiful simple dinner option. Sushi or brown rice bed, any cut veg you have, nuts, seeds, sprouts, seaweed, a dressing (crack sauce or nutritional yeast dressing work very well), hummus, bean curd or tofu...you don’t have to have it all, just use what you have on hand. Use leftover rice to make similar lunch the next day.

This is a really good thing to know how to make when you’re on the vegan train. Agar is the miracle ingredient. The rest of the items just go into the blender. It’s quick and really satisfying (hip kid word of 2020) to know how to do and it’s a decent substitute. It’s not cheese, but it does please. Not all palates will appreciate this. Kids have not gone for it, but I and JC appreciate it for it’s non-dairy virtues.   https://lovingitvegan.com/sliceable-cashew-cheese/

This is the face of someone who has eaten something shockingly good for the first time. This was an amazing recipe to discover. Nutritious, gluten free, and amazingly non-stick! Was lovely to have the moisture come from cucumber as well. You can play with the spices you add. I put in a bit of my chilli oil. Curry leaves and methi added a level of deliciousness. Everyone in the house loved it. Video proof exists. 1 cup quinoa 1 cucumber (Indian variety) 1 green chilli 1/4 inch ginger 5 shallots 3 tbsp grated coconut Pink Himalayan salt as needed 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 1/4 tsp black pepper powder 1/2 tsp jeera/cumin seeds (no way!) Blend to make batter. The trick to dosa is to only spread the batter in concentric circles, other wise you break the bonds that hold the dosa together.  Watch the video below. You need the visual. This is by far the most successful of many many lacklustre dosa attempts. Credit for this goes to Nisa Homey. https://youtu.be/d3JrCv4yDkI

 Okay, here’s what you do. Coarse chop 3-4 tomatoes, 1 onion. Add 4 garlic cloves and and handful of basil. Oregano if you like. Drizzle with olive oil and about a tsp of salt and some dashes black pepper. Roast 40 min at 400. Cool then blend in magic bullet. Fantastic. 

This was very good. Credit to Moosewood Cookbook. I’d much rather eat this, which has the same ingredients, than mushy polenta. Fantastic way to use summer vegetables. Most of the toppings are from the garden.  

Ok, to make up for the copious amount of PB cookies that have been made lately, there’s these. Gluten free and superfoodie enough to throw at the kids in the morning. 1 cup oats (add more if needed) 1/2 cup shredded coconut 1/2 cup nuts 1/4 cup ground flax or straight chia 1/3 cup PB 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup 1 mashed banana (or applesauce) 1/3 cup melted coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 total Raisins/cranberries/chocolate chips Mix into thick doughy batter, adjust as needed. Drop onto parchment lined tray. Flatten a bit with fork. Bake for 15-20 min at 350 degrees. Cool on rack. 

Introduced to us by Dove, this was an instant favourite. We may never eat plain rice again!  Basically add a dollop of butter, juice and rind of a full lemon, and salt at the beginning of your rice cook. Adds the most beautiful flavour when rice is a side. Add dill and a broad bean and you have a meal. 

I have become a master at peanut butter cookies. The pandemic could be why. I never knew how simple they were. Three ingredients. PB, sugar, egg. But I have a critical modification. I cut the sugar in half and sub 1/2 cup of local heirloom flour. No pesticides or preservatives. I do use a classic Kraft smooth peanut butter and decorate sparingly with nuts and chocolate chips, leaving some plain. The fork criss cross is a must. The only problem is when I don’t make a double batch. Which I never do. 1 cup smooth Kraft PB.  1/2 cup organic sugar 1 organic egg 1/2 cup organic nutritious flour Mix thoroughly. Form into tablespoon size balls, about 20. They are nice and small. Place on parchment lined cookie tray. No need to grease. Press criss cross on each with fork. Put 4 chocolate chips on some. A full pecan on others. Leave some plain. Bake for 20 min at 350 degrees. Leave on sheet for a few minutes after taking out as they crumble and are delicate when first out of the oven. Transf...

So the win on this one is that John said it could replace his childhood favourite sweet and sour dish.  It’s phenomenal. Make it just like the video says. Minus the MSG of course. https://youtu.be/IjRQdZPS8Kc

We’re eating clean (veganish and more Valter Longo style) this week, and as a result I am trying to rely less on cheese for protein. I made a good navy bean soup on Monday and today wanted to use chickpeas and came up with this delicious salad. Key ingredients are cooked quinoa, chick peas, and pears, with a little bit of purple onion and whatever other vegetables you have around. Today I added carrots, fennel and kale (frozen from Lilac house).  You could add nuts and feta I think. Or even green apple. Could also take it in a citrus / tropical fruit direction. Served it with baked acorn squash halves. Key Sweet Dressing in equal proporations: Olive oil Balsamic vinegar Maple syrup Additional Savoury Nutritional Yeast Dressing: Olive oil 1/4 cup One clove garlic per 1/2 cup of dressing Apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup Salt to taste Nutritional yeast 1/4 cup

Definitely a new one for me, and given how much Daya liked it, one I will repeat, especially in the winter. No firm amounts here, just use your sense: Saute a thumb of ginger and 2-4 cloves of garlic in an oil. Add coriander powder, turmeric, salt, garam masala. A tablespoon or more all together. Add coarse chopped vegetables like carrot, broccoli, onion, bean sprouts whatever you have. Tofu could work too. Add in a can of coconut cream, a can of tomatos, a can of chickpeas. Add some dollops of peanut butter. Cook at medium to high heat to reduce. Serve on rice or thin vermicelli. -- Eat with chilli garlic oil. You could add it in while cooking, but not with kids.

Super cute and colourful beet pesto pasta! INGREDIENTS 1  pound  regular or gluten-free spaghetti 2  cloves garlic 1/2  cup  raw slivered almonds 2  large cooked and peeled red beets, coarsely chopped 1/3  cup  olive oil 2  tablespoons  red wine vinegar Kosher salt Minced fresh chives, for garnish INSTRUCTIONS Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, place the garlic and almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and pulse until the almonds are a fine meal and the garlic is minced. Add the beets, olive oil, and vinegar and pulse until you have a smooth pesto-like sauce. Season to taste with kosher salt. When the pasta is ready, toss with the pesto and season to taste with kosher salt. Serve hot. (If you want to serve the pasta at room temperature or chilled, rinse the pasta with cold water before tossing with the pes...

Cucumbers & onions in a light pickling brine cured in the refrigerator. Course: Appetizer, Salad, Snack Cuisine: American Servings : 8 Ingredients 1/2 big cucumber 1/2 cup onions 2 cloves garlic 1/3 cup Apple Cider vinegar 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 tsp . salt 1/2 tsp . fresh cracked pepper Mustard seeds Fresh dill Instructions Slice cucumbers and onions thinly. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl and pour over cucumbers and onions with other herbs / seeds of your liking. Chill in the fridge for about an hour or so, then GO FOR IT! You can keep these in the fridge for a few days cause they stay crispy and crunchy and get better and better ...

During the 2018 World Cup Final of France vs Croatia, we decided breakfast would be of the country of the winner. It ended up being crepes. However, we learned it could have been cornbread if Croatia had won - which reminded me of how often I used to make cornbread because John loves it. The kids loved these. Serve warm with butter or crush and add milk and eat it like Daddy used to. 1 cup cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour (our local heirloom flour works very well!) 1/3 cup white sugar or brown 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 egg, beaten 1 cup milk 1/4 cup canola oil In a large bowl, mix together corn meal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add egg, oil and milk; stir gently to combine. Spoon batter into prepared muffin  cups. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin pan or line with paper muffin liners. Bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. ...

Ingredients: Children and a garden. 

The most delicious thing from a summer garden... Kale (2 cups steamed) Basil (One bunch) or sub Lovage! Olive oil (1/2 cup) Garlic (6 big cloves or more) Salt (1 to 2 tsp) Lemon juice (one whole lemon or citric acid in a pinch) Nuts (1/2 cup Walnut, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds) I steam the kale, basil and garlic together then blend in nutribullet and add everything else. Taste and adjust. Serve atop your favourite pasta or use as you please. Amazing. 

This is more about remembering the icing and decoration vs the cake.  For a lovely lighter June strawberry in season cake, whip cream with icing sugar, lemon zest and some berry jam for a light pink colour. Decorate with fresh strawberries atop any kind of white or lemon cake. 

CABBAGE ROLLS!  They seem like they're so hard and complicated, but they are actually so easy! I had these wonderful giant leaves growing in June from my purple cabbage plant and I just cut off a few and dip in boiling water for 10 seconds to soften. Then I put in the filling below, rolled them up and baked them with tomato sauce. More sauce than what is shown in the photo, you really need them to be 1/3rd to 1/2 submerged. Just a wonderful think to make up and enjoy as a decorative and structured food. I will try all sorts of fillings across the summer and this will become a staple.  Outer Ingredients:  Cabbage leaves  Tomato sauce Filling INGREDIENTS 2 tablespoons olive oil ½ cup chopped onion 1 tablespoon garlic Zest from one lemon ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ pound baby spinach (or frozen) 1 cup basmati rice 2 cups  vegetable broth 4 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped and divided ½ teaspoon salt A few grinds freshly ground ...

I'm not going to do proportions here, but just list ingredients: Coconut oil Dutch cocoa Salt Honey or Maple Syrup Cinnamon or Vanilla  Various nuts and seeds and dried fruit INSTRUCTIONS: Heat the oil till liquid but not too hot and then stir in your sweetener to taste. You need a generous amount to counter the bitterness of the cocoa. Make sure it's mixed thoroughly otherwise it becomes patchy through the bark and that's not good. Add cinnamon or vanilla to taste.  Pour onto parchment paper lined dish. This mixture could also go into a mold. I like the bark though. While still liquid, drop on the nuts and seeds and dried fruit of your choice evenly across the surface.  Put in fridge (NOT FREEZER) to set. Ready in about an hour. Break into small pieces and eat directly from fridge as it will melt as coconut oil does.