Kale Blossom Mango Lassis at Moberly Community Arts Centre

 Yesterday was a cold and wet Vancouver day, so the only bees out were the bravest bumble bees. This bee was drinking from this tiny snow berry blossom with incredible focus and it was shaking--almost as though shivering. I think the shape of this blossom protects the nectar from being watered down.

These nodding onions buds are just starting to open.

You can see why some varieties of this kind of lavender is called "butterfly lavender."

 So let's go into the kitchen! I demonstrated my way of making kale chips. Preheat the oven and pans to 350 degrees F. Masage kale with olive oil and salt. Turn off the oven. Put one layer of kale on the heated pans. Try not to let the leaves overlap. You will hear a slight sizzle. Put the pans in the oven for about 20 minutes or until crispy.

 I passed around the chips and then crumbled the rest to make the gomashio in The Book of Kale by Sharon Hanna. I coudn't find seaweed flakes, so my friend Lori Snyder cut some nori into strips. We served this on top of avocado on brown rice crackers. This is one of my favorite snacks.

 We used the gomashio to season naked pumpkin seed and kale blossom  pesto. The arugula is really spicy at this time of the year, so I mix it with the kale blossoms to mediate the heat.

 I hadn't used a blender to make pesto before, and had to add extra oil to make it work. I reccomend using a food processor so you can use less oil. Sometimes when you do workshops, you have to work with what's available!

 So I forgot the yogurt to make the mango smoothies, but I went with the flow and made vegan smoothies. This one is decorated with edible flowers from the Moberly Community Herb garden: calendula, borage, lavender, and cat nip.

Madame Beespeaker's Kale Blossom Lassis

For 1 big serving or 2 small servings:

1 large ripe mango

1 handful kale blossoms

3 tbs low fat yogurt

1 cup coconut water

1/2 tsp grated fresh turmeric

2 ice cubes

Garnish:

1/4 tsp freshly ground green cardamom seeds

Cut as much flesh from the mango as you can and put aside. Put the coconut water in the blender first, followed by the other ingredients. Pulse and blend until smooth. Add more yogurt or coconut water to your taste. If you want to keep this vegan, you could use coconut milk, coconut yogurt, or add more coconut water. If you want to keep the recipe more local, use dairy milk or your own nut milk instead of coconut water and substitute some of your canned or frozen peaches (if you're lucky have any left at this time of the year). Garnish with the cardamom and edible flowers. Enjoy!

 

 The little Labrador tea plant in the garden is blooming. Lori says it can be used to make a hangover remedy. I'll put that in my files!

 The shade garden at Moberly looks fantastic in the rain.

Oh poor sodden bee, hanging on to wallflowers waiting for the sun to come out. I know how you feel.

Unidentified Flying Object

 Yesterday we had a reprieve from the rain, and at 14 degrees Celsius, it was a fantastic day for a fall walk and some gardening. I saw these ginko leaves on the way to the community garden at city hall.

 It's amazing how many things are still growing and blooming in the garden beds. I don't think we've had a hard frost yet.

Here's a volunteer amaranth from original seeds that were planted about four years ago.

These purple curly kale plants look like exotic palm trees.

 No bees around to sup from the borage blossom, but I did see one hungry wasp looking for prey.

 I picked the anise hyssop so I can dry the seed heads and leaves.

On foggy days, the leaves seem even more vibrant.

 Here's a late bloomer! (I hope)

Apparently the mycologists in BC were very worried we'd have no mushrooms this fall because of the extrememly dry summer, however this big fat toadstool looks pretty healthy to me.

This crazy contraption was flying around the neighborhood. I guess it's some kind of spy cam. Does anyone know the story behind this?

 I dropped in at CocoaNymph for some chocolates and discovered they are selling Earnest Ice Cream. Mmmmmm . . . . I'll have one of each. Apparently CocoaNymph has a new location at Ontario and 7th, which would be worth checking out.

 

Finding Your Happy Place

In order for me to remain a sane and functioning being, I must partake in a regular, rigorous course of restaurant therapy. I have developed the healthy habit of eating regularly at a restaurant that is warm, comforting, and serves the kind of food I love. In Saskatoon, it was a little Ukrainian restaurant named Lydia's. In Vancouver it is Trafalgar's.

 So imagine my dismay this fall when I walked up to the door of the restaurant to see the doors locked and dented with a sign saying that they had been damaged by a truck. WTF!!!!!

 I pined for three weeks while the staff worked to repair the wall. And I was there the first morning they opened, chowing down on (my) mushroom risotto. I was also given a coupon for free mimosas so I called a couple of friends who appreciate good food and we went for brunch.

I don't just share my happy place with everyone. I don't want anyone to rain on my parade, so I must know they will be respectful. And sharing good food and drinks with friends and family ups the happiness factor. Even when we talk about very sad and serious subjects, the right place keeps it all light enough to bear.

Did I mention there must be chocolate in my happy place?

 It's also double happiness that Trafalgar's has been voted Vancouver's greenest restaurant. These folks are very serious about compost.

Let's do this again!

Ladies who Lunch on Lentils

 We've been having such lovely weather, I wanted to celebrate a sunny afternoon by inviting my friend Catherine over for a comfort food lunch. I know she shares my love of brussel sprouts so I steamed some up, coated them in Little Creek Dressing and then roasted them. My favorite bits were the leaves that had fallen off and browned and caramelized thinking there might be something in attempting to make tiny brussel sprout chips. Hmmmmm.

 I had some spaeztle I made in the fridge so I fried it in olive oil and butter.

 I also had some leftover lentil stew, which is always better the second day. I used organic green lentils I bought in Saskatchewan at the Witzaney Farm. First, I soaked them overnight, then washed them, covered them in home made stock and simmered them. Finally, I added a smoked turkey leg and stewed the lentils on low heat until they were cooked. (Make sure you have extra stock on hand to add if your need to during the cooking process.)

 I picked the last carrots and beets from the garden and we drank mineral water with our comfort food lunch.

We finished with Assam tea and chai shortbread, then took a tour of the garden. I am getting the raised bed ready to plant garlic.

As I write this, the sun is streaming in the studio window, so I need to get out there and enjoy it and do some comfort food foraging. Happy Thanksgiving weekend!

Making Paletas at Home

Over the Spring Break I borrowed this book from the library titled Paletas: Authentic Recipes for Mexican Ice Pops, Shaved Ice and Aguas Frescas by Fany Gerson. I presented it to my son and suggested we try some of her recipes.

The first recipe we made was for caramel paletas made with cajeta. I couldn't find cajeta in the neighborhood, but East/West had dulce de leche from Argentina, so we used that. You combine all the ingredients in a saucepan so they dissolve and mix together and then put them in the fridge to cool before filling your popsicle molds.

The other recipe we made featured bananas roasted in their skins and then blended with brown sugar, cream, cinnamon, and vanilla. The bananas are so sweet and caramelized you don't really need the brown sugar. If you were using plantains you might want to add sugar.

And here you can see the final product, which was consumed with mucho gusto while watching vintage episodes of "Get Smart".

The Last Pumpkin

We often celebrate the beginning of a season: the first asparagus spear or strawberry, but we rarely mark the end of the season. I believe the poignant process of letting go of a food should be ritualized as well. I grew a Styrian pumpkin last fall and I was so proud of my striped novelty that I couldn't bare to cut into it. It was green when I picked it and over the fall and winter months it sat calmly on my window sill developing shades of orange and gold. Whenever I looked at it it made me a happy gardener.

The point of growing it is to eat it, so I finally decided to take the plunge. I cut it up and roasted it, making two of my favorite desserts: pumpkin pie and a Gujarati pumpkin dessert. I made a walnut crust for the pumpkin pie and realized I should not have pre-baked it as it became somewhat over-browned as I cooked the custard. Nut crusts probably work better with unbaked pies anyway.

The seeds in Styrian pumpkins don't have shells and they make the best quality pumpkin oil. When we were in Vienna we found a market stall that carried several kinds and grades of pumpkin oil included roasted pumpkin seed oil which has a rich, toasted flavor.

We used to go to a restaurant in Kits called Surat Sweet. The owner was a staunch believer in cooking seasonal foods. He would only make mango lassis when mangos were in season and when fall came around he made a dessert with pumpkin and cardamom. I am imitating it here with ricotta, warm roasted pumpkin, green cardamom seeds and maple syrup. I roasted the seeds and used them for garnish. So long pumpkin season, we'll catch you again in the fall.

Lemon Curd, Where Have You Been All My Life?

One of my art professors in Saskatoon took our class out to her place in the country to fire some clay sculptures in a pit. I don't remember much about the art, but I do have a fond recollection of the amazing jars of her own homemade lemon curd she generously shared with us over afternoon tea.

I do love tarts filled with lemon curd, but I've never made it myself because of the fear of overdosing on cholesterol-laden egg yolks. Today I decided to get over that fear of egg yolks and make Meyer lemon curd, as directed by David Lebovitz. I used extra large eggs with bright orange yolks from the winter farmer's market. I used 1/2 cup of brown sugar, since we don't have any white sugar on hand and it worked well. Really well. And it's so simple to make! Trust me, when you taste that buttery rich tang, you will never turn back. Mixed with low fat Liberty yogurt, it is a spine tingling pleasure. Tonight for dessert I will make whipped cream for the boys and fold in the curd. Tomorrow I will make lime curd, maybe infuse in some kaffir lime leaves. The next day I will make blood orange curd and whisk in a bit of peel. Calamansi, grapefruit, yuzu, tangerine--the possibilities are making me very excited. And pairing these curds with scones and tea is going to make me as happy as sunshine in February.

Tonight I made fresh scones, whipped up some cream and stirred in lemon curd. Put a dollop of curd on top of the whipped cream mixture on a warm scone and you will see the light.

Spring flowers are on sale now: primulas, tulips, and pussy willows, oh my!

Lunch at Home

A bowl of homemade chicken soup for lunch at home because it's a school holiday. The sun streams through the windows and I am compelled to putter around the kitchen.

For a special treat: enchiladas made by Catherine with beans and smoked turkey legs. The pepitas are from my own Styrian pumpkin which contains seeds without husks.

DIY Sushi Party

Last night Peter's sister invited us over to make sushi. We headed to the winter market at Nat Bailey where we had four fish vendors to choose from and we picked up some tuna and salmon.

We could choose brown rice or white rice and an assortment of vegetables. It takes some practice smearing and rolling, but what a cool way to make sushi to order.

This is also a great way for kids to get some hands on experience making their own dinner.

The rolling mats are inexpensive and the nori is quite easy to find in Vancouver.

Ules found the warm rice disconcerting so next time we'll pop it in the fridge ahead of time.

Make sure you leave space at the top and bottom of the roll so it will stick together.

I'm sure there are billions of "how to" videos on homemade sushi. So go for it!