*NEWS! Kids Can Cook program will be held on Thursdays ONLY for the Fall Semester. Starting September 22 at 3 p.m  Hope to see you there! 

After School Program

Fun in the kitchen with macrobiotics and fresh local whole foods, sewing creations, crafts and dance!

I’m very excited to be spending time with your wonderful children. I hope they all enjoy the fall program with me. We will be dancing, making crafts and doing lots of cooking! All of our projects will be hands on, using local organic ingredients as much as possible and recycled goods for our craft projects.

September 16-December 14th 2010

All Elementary School kids -Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:00-5:30

All Junior High students- 3rd Tuesday of the month from 6:00-8:00 p.m

$15.00/a day

Please contact me for further information. Sign up today!

Location:Charlottetown Prince Edward Island

Telephone: 902-367-9491

AN INTERACTIVE COOKING CLASS SERIES

WINTER, SPRING, SUMMER, FALL

This month is all about Greens!July 21 at 6:30 p.m

Tasty whole foods supper club. Fun, interactive cooking classes.

After all the washing,sorting, chopping, slicing, sauteing, flipping and frying you get to sit down and enjoy our creations.

With humor and guidance we will collectively make the meal together.

We’ll make a party out of it!

THE THIRD THURSDAY EVENING  OF EVERY MONTH AT THE ST PAUL’S CHURCH COMMUNITY KITCHEN ON THE CORNER OF PRINCE AND RICHMOND ST CHARLOTTETOWN 6:30 P.M  $25.00 PER PERSON CALL 902-367-9491 FOR MORE INFO or e-mail me here..

Whole foods cooking class CBC interview

Lemon And Ginger Spiced Adzuki Beans

1/2 Cup dried adzuki beans, sorted and rinsed well

2 Cups Spring or filtered water

1-Inch piece kombu or bay leaf

About 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 to 2 Cloves fresh garlic, finely minced

2 Shallots, finely minced

Sea salt

5 to 6 Slices fresh ginger, finely minced

Grated zest of 1 lemon

Mirin

1 to 2 Sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely minced

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Place the beans and water in a heavy saucepan. Add the kombu. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium heat. Boil for about 5 minutes, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook the beans until just tender, about 45 minutes. Drain away the remaining liquid from the beans, discard the kombu and set the beans aside.

Place the oil, garlic and shallots in a skillet over medium heat. When the shallots begin to sizzle, add a pinch of salt and saute until they are translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the ginger, lemon zest and a generous sprinkling of mirin. Season to taste with salt and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the beans, adjust the seasonings to your taste and remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve hot.

-Again I soaked and cooked the beans a lot longer, more like soaked overnight and cooked for 2 hours. This dish was very good and the cooking liquid that was poured off I put it into a mug and drank it.

This recipe is printed with permission from Christina Pirello

Lettuce Rolls With Plum Sauce

Rolls

1 to 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 to 6 slices fresh ginger, thinly sliced on the diagonal

Sea salt

2 Cups cooked brown basmati rice

6 to 8 leaves romaine lettuce, rinsed and towel dried

Plum sauce

2 Cloves fresh garlic, finely minced

1/4 Jalapeno chili, seeded and finely minced

2 Teaspoons of sesame tahini

2 Teaspoons finely minced ginger

1 Teaspoon soy sauce

1 Tablespoon brown rice syrup

Generous pinch of red pepper flakes

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 to 3 Dark fleshed plums, peeled, pitted, diced

To make the rolls: Place the oil, ginger and scallions, (reserving a few scallion slices for garnish) in a skillet over medium heat. When the vegetables begin to sizzle, add a pinch of salt and saute until the scallions are limp, but still bright green, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir the sauteed vegetables into the rice.

Lay the lettuce leaves on a dry surface. Spoon the filling generously onto each leaf and wrap the lettuce around the filling, sealing completely. Place each roll, seem side down, on a bamboo steamer. Place over a shallow pot of boiling water and steam the rolls, uncovered until lettuce just wilts, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool on the bamboo rack.

To make the plum sauce: Place the garlic, chili, tahini and ginger in a saucepan and simmer, stirring constantly, over low heat for about 2 minutes, to release the heat in the chili.  Add  the remaining ingredients to the pan and cook over low heat until the plums are quite soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth. Adjust the seasonings to your taste.

To serve, pool some plum sauce on individual salad plates. Using a sharp knife, slice each lettuce roll on the  diagonal. Arrange two to three diagonal pieces on each plate and serve, garnished with the reserved scallions. The unused plum sauce will keep refrigerated, for about 1 week.

-I had my Junior High cooking class make these! They had so much fun. We dipped them into the plum sauce as well as a shoyu dip . I had mixed reviews. Although my 9 year old DEVOURED them

This recipe is printed with permission from Christina Pirello

I guess part of me is still in Tobago. I’ve been cooking Caribbean food, mostly homemade roti, mild curries and rice. I have a few books about Rastafarianism and I was thinking about their diet and the similarities between it and
macrobiotics…

The Rastafarians believe that they are what they eat. They
shun additives, preservatives and processed foods, red meat and dairy. They strive to be at one with nature, even cooking without salt, a practice known as”ital”. All the care taken in preparing the food is to preserve the natural purity of ingredients and this extends through the preparation to the serving and eating. They try to use only utensils made from natural materials such as stone, wood and earthenware. Only foods that are organic and in season are used, and only minimal amounts of spices are added to enhance the natural flavors and keep the food as vital as can be.

Here is my interpretation of a complete Rastafarian meal:

Celery ginger rice

4 stalks celery, diced

1 tbsp minced ginger

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 cups long grain organic brown rice

1 large bay leaf

4 cups of water

Pinch of  sea salt

Heat oil in a frying pan. Gently stir fry celery and ginger until celery is soft. In a heavy pot wash and rinse the rice, add the bay leaf ,the celery mixture and water. Bring to a boil and add a pinch of sea salt. Put a cover on the pot and turn down heat, simmer for 50 min or until water is absorbed.  When rice is done give it a gentle stir and serve.

Kidney beans

2 cups cooked kidney beans

1 sun dried tomato, sliced

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 pinch allspice

1 tsp cumin

1 small dried red chili (optional)

Heat oil in a heavy skillet, add spices and tomato and gently brown for 1 min . Add beans and cook on low for 25 min, adding a bit of water if beans dry out. Stir gently and be careful not to crush chili. Add salt as desired.

Curried butternut squash

4-5 cups butternut squash, cut into chunks

1/2 lg onion sliced into thin half moons

2 tsp curry powder

1 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup water

sea salt to taste

Add all ingredients into a medium size pot and bring to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for about 20 min or until squash is very soft. Mash all ingredients in the pot with a potato masher until  smooth and creamy.

Cabbage salad

1/2 a medium green cabbage, shredded

1/2 cucumber sliced into thin rounds

1 cup bean sprouts (aduki or mung bean) loosely packed

11/2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp  seasoned rice vinegar

1/4 cup orange juice

1tsp ginger juice

2 tbsp raisins

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and set aside to marinate for 1/2hour before serving .

Carrot fritters

3 carrots grated

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tbsp rice syrup

3 tbsp soy milk

oil for frying

whisk all the dry ingredients together, add carrot, rice syrup and soy milk. Heat a tbsp of oil in a frying pan and add small spoonfuls of mixture to pan , flatten them out slightly and brown each side. Place on a paper towel when done to absorb oil.

Banana Punch

4 ripe bananas

11/2 cups water

1/2 cup soy milk

1/4 tsp nutmeg

honey or rice syrup to taste

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth and frothy. Chill before serving

Ginger drink

1 lb ginger root, grated

8 cups water

juice of 2 limes

maple syrup to taste

Put water and ginger in a large pot and bring to a boil . Turn down heat and simmer for 5 min. Cover the pan and turn off heat and let sit until cool. Store in the fridge overnight. Strain liquid through a sieve. Add lime juice and maple syrup and serve.

Kukicha with lime

11/2-2 tbsp roasted twig tea

6 cups water

2 limes, juiced

Bring water and tea to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 min. Strain trough a seive  and add lime juice. Chill in the fridge or serve room temperature

Peace , Love and Yummy food!

We had a great Easter weekend! The kids had yoga, went to the park, watched a bike race, walked downtown, baked egg shaped cookies and best of all had their  Lala (grandmother) here from Canada for a visit!

Easter weekend yummyness..

leek and corn soup and Pesto pasta!, Udon and Sushi galore!, Polenta and roasted veggies!, walnut cake! and Easter cookies!

Easter Cookies

11/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup arrowroot flour

1/4 tsp sea salt

1tsp baking powder

1 tsp grated organic orange rind

2 tbsp sunflower oil

1/3 cup rice syrup

1/2 tsp almond extract

Preheat oven to 350′

With a whisk, mix dry ingredients in a big bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix together  until smooth.

Form into a ball and roll dough flat and thin on a floured surface or between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Cut out oval shapes with a cookie cutter (or squeeze a small round plastic container and press out oval shapes). Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 8 min or until golden.

makes about 2 dozen.

Topping

Heat 1/2 cup rice syrup in a pan on low heat until bubbling,turn off heat and spoon 1/2 tsp onto each cookie, smoothing over surface. Press decorations into hot rice syrup. let cool and enjoy.

Decorations..

sesame seeds

poppies seeds

coconut

pumpkin seeds

raisins, currants, dried cranberries

walnuts, almonds, peanuts

grain sweetened chocolate chips

What better time to do house work than on a rainy day!

I must say that piles of laundry

or

dishes are not really  our cup of tea but we managed!

We put on some fun music, had a little dance and got it all done. But there are those days when some one has a temper tantrum and goes from looking like this..

To this…

and us moms are left feeling like this….

Mama vents http://www.mamavents.blogspot.com

Rice and corn Patties

4 Cups cooked short grain organic brown rice 

1/2 Cup corn flour

1 Tbsp arrowroot flour diluted in a little water

1 Cup fresh corn niblets

1/2 Tsp sea salt

1/2 Cup green onion , finely sliced

2 Cloves garlic, minced (optional)

1 Tbsp dried sage

Corn oil for baking

Preheat oven to 350′. Mix all ingredients together, and using a 1/4 cup measuring cup scoop and mold mixture into patties. Place patties on an oiled cookie sheet bake in oven for for 10 minutes, flip patties over and bake them for another 5 minutes until golden. 

Rice Balls

4 Cups cooked Short grain brown rice

about 3 umeboshi plums

2 sheets of toasted nori 

roasted sesame seeds

A great use for fresh or leftover rice. 

             Set aside a bowl of lightly salted water. Dip hands in and while damp pick up a small handful of rice. Form rice into a ball by squeezing between hands passing back and forth until it’s a solid ball. Press a hole in the center of the ball with your finger and fill with a small piece of umeboshi plum. Then close over the hole and gently roll ball in sesame seeds or cover with a small square of nori. Continue until all rice is used.

Updated version of our rice song.

…”You wouldn’t try and drive an empty car to work would you? So why drive an empty body?”

Breakfast -  (Literally breaking a fast ). It is the meal eaten after a long period of sleep. Eaten mostly in the morning, it is the most important meal of the day. Without breakfast you simply will not run as smoothly. Lack of energy, poor concentration, overeating later in the day, weight gain, irritability etc.. are associated with not eating breakfast. What you eat for breakfast sets the tone for the rest
of your day.

Felix’s granola

6 Cups Rolled oats

1/3 Cup brown sesame seeds

1/2 Cup almonds

1/3 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup of puffed organic grain cereal

a pinch of sea salt

1/4 cup of good quality vegetable oil

1/3 cup rice syrup or maple syrup

1/2 cup of raisins

6 dried unsulfured apricots sliced thin

Heat oven to 350′

Stir together the oats,sesame seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds and the sea salt. Mix in the wet ingredients and pour onto a cookie sheet(may take two sheets)  Bake in the oven until browned , stirring every five minutes. Pour into an large airtight container and mix in the raisins and apricots. Enjoy !

Poached Tofu

I like to jazz this breakfast up with lots of fun ingredients. For instance adding a shitake mushroom, slice of ginger ,daikon or a small piece of kombu to the cooking water adds a nice flavor.  When serving it can be really yummy to add a little dijon mustard to the bread, a miso-tahini spread, pesto etc.. Also some fresh greens, or onions. Below is the basic recipe.

2 Cups water

2 Tsp shoyu

1/2 lb tofu, cut into 4 slices

Bring water to a boil, add shoyu and tofu. Cook for 2-3 min. Drain tofu and serve as is or on toast.

Apricot rice cereal

1Cup cooked brown rice

1cup soy/rice milk ( we like Eden rice and soy)

2 cups water

5 dried unsulfured apricots, diced

Place all ingredients into a pot, place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cover pot with a lid and place and turn heat to low. Simmer for 25-30 min or until the rice is soft and creamy.

Miso soup

There are many versions of this amazing soup. this one is a favorite with my kids.

4 Cups water

1 small onion cut into quarter moons

2 cups green peas

1/4 cup thinly sliced daikon

1-2 inch piece of wakame , soaked and diced

1 1/2 tbsp of barley miso

1/2 lb tofu , cut into tiny cubes (optional)

Bring water , wakame and onions to a boil, turn down heat and simmer for 20 min. Dilute miso in a small amount of hot broth and add to soup along with the peas(and tofu) and simmer until peas turn bright green. Serve

Other breakfast suggestions

-Steamed veggies

-Whole grain pancakes/waffles

-Mochi

-perogies

-Cornmeal

-Oatmeal

-Scrambled tofu

-Muffins