Will Run For Sunflower Spread

sunflower spread

lap goats

lovage

honey combs

half-marathons

It doesn't get much better than a weekend at the pie bird and the sudbury rocks half-marathon. 

If lap goats, garden tours, composting toilets, tea rooms, fireplaces, delicious vegan meals, lovage and two of the loveliest people you will ever meet are your idea of a good time you will love the Piebird located in Nipissing Village as much as I do.

If spandex, sports beans, fuel belts, race bibs, running shoes and 21km with PB are your idea of a good time you'll love the Sudbury Rocks Half Marathon as much as I do.

After eating a delicious sunflower pate at the Piebird I thought that it was time to make my own.  It was a great excuse to try out some of the lovage that Sherry & Yan gave to us and to eat some capers (it turns out that we only have 3 jars in the refrigerator).  While my spread is nothing like the delicious sunflower spread that Sherry makes I was pretty impressed.

Sunflower Spread

1 cup raw sunflower seeds soaked overnight & drained

1/4 cup pepitas (or additional sunflower seeds) soaked overnight & drained

juice from 1 lemon

1 tsp Bragg (high quality soya sauce may also work)

1 T + 1 tsp lovage (finely chopped celery will also work)

1 T capers

1/4 C finely chopped onion

In a blender combine soaked and drained sunflower seeds, pepitas, lemon juice, bragg, lovage, and onions.  Blend until desired consistency is reached.  Add capers and stir until combined.  If you're feeling patient allow to stand covered in the refrigerator for several hours or if you are like me eat it as soon as possible with as many vegetables as possible.

Will Run For Chili Sweet Potato Fries

Poutine season is finally here!  I think that it officially begins with the opening of the Sturgeon Falls chip stand but I'll have to check with Farmer & Housemate to be sure.   I live with two people who are mad about poutine.  Apparently gravy sans beef fat can be a challenge.

Housemate: "Does your gravy have beef fat in it"?

Snarly Waitress: "Ya.  Where do you think that you would be able find vegetarian gravy"?

Punchy Housemate: "THE WORLD"!

Housemate is moving out soon.   I'd like to say that we've had enough of her white leather italian shoes, striped leggins, chip eating,  and expired dairy but we're actually going to miss her to bits.  In celebration of her living with us we're having a poutine buffet (classy).  

Until then I'm using the buffet as a good excuse to eat french fries in as many ways as I possibly can.

Chili Sweet Potato Fries

(serves 1 hungry person & 2 not so hungry people)

ingredients

3 medium sweet potatoes 

1 T chili powder

1/4 tsp chipotle powder (optional)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 T apple butter

1 tsp white balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Place baking stone in oven.  In a medium sized bowl combine spices and salt.  Add apple butter and white balsamic vinegar (apple cider vinegar will also work).  Combine thoroughly.  Peel and slice sweet potatoes into medium sized wedges.  Place in a bowl of water as you peel.  Drain sweet potatoes and coat with spice mixture.

Cook for approximately 30-40 minutes or until potatoes become brown and crispy at the edges.  Garnish with additional sea salt.

Will Run For Polenta And Mixed Mushrooms

polenta square with mixed mushrooms

This week Farmer was generous enough to share her words of 'wisdom' with A, "When the horse is dead get off!" (not the nicest analogy but you get the idea).  Unfortunately, she was talking about A's failed attempt at making polenta.   Butter & cheese contrary to popular belief cannot fix everything.  Note to self (and A) when making polenta make sure that you are using cornMEAL not cornFLOUR.

Polenta gone wrong.  Really wrong. 

Polenta is one of those dishes that I always say that I don't like but end up eating half of before it makes it to the table.  It's kind of hard to get excited about cornmeal mush.   With the help of roasted garlic, sun dried tomatoes, dried rosemary and mixed mushrooms it turns out that it's a little more exciting than mush.  It helps that it can be ready in less than a 1/2 hour. 

Polenta

(serves 4-6)

ingredients

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup cornmeal (NOT cornflour)

2 T earth balance (butter or margarine)

1/2 C nutritional yeast (or 1 C grated old cheddar/your favourite cheese)

1/4 C sundried tomatoes ( soaked in hot water until softened)

*2 bulbs roasted  garlic

Warning: Do not make this recipe in shortsleeves/shorts as it stings when it spatters!

1.  Oil a 9 x 9 square silicone pan.

2.  Over medium heat,  heat stock in a medium sized pot.  SLOWLY (unless you're into lumps) pour cornmeal into boiling stock.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon (no cheating unless you like your polenta lumpy...yuck!) until polenta thickens (15 minutes of stirring).

thickened polenta waiting for tasty additions

3.  Add earth balance (butter), nutritional yeast (cheese), sun dried tomatoes and roasted garlic.  Stir until combined.

polenta with roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes

4.  Spread onto oiled pan or you can simply serve in bowls.  Allow to cool (place in refrigerator to speed things along) until firm.  Once cooled you can cut into various shapes or simply into squares.  In the meantime prepare mixed mushroom mixture.

polenta in oiled silicone pan

Mixed Mushrooms

mixed mushrooms with rosemary and garlic

ingredients

4 cups mixed wild mushrooms ( stolen from your housemate's shelf)

2 cloves garlic minced

1 T dried rosemary

1 tsp oregano

1 1/2 T olive oil

1 T white balsamic vinegar

cracked pepper

1.  Clean mushrooms by gently rinsing and wiping off dirt.  Remove the ends.

2.  In a frying pan warm oil and then saute mushrooms for approximately 5 minutes.  Add garlic, rosemary and oregano.  Saute until mushrooms and garlic are soft.  Add balsamic vinegar.  Season mushrooms with cracked pepper.

Putting it All Together

Turn oven to broil.  Place polenta squares on baking stone (you can top with parmesan if you wish).  Broil until golden brown.  Remove from oven.  Top with mushroom mixture.  Serve.

**Alternatively you can serve with marina sauce, roasted vegetables, snobby janes etc.

Roasted Garlic

roasted garlic from Spill The Beans Farm

ingredients

2 garlic bulbs (local if possible)

1/2 tsp olive oil (1/4 tsp/bulb)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.  Using a sharp knife slice off the top of the garlic.  Drizzle each bulb with 1/4 tsp of olive oil.  Place each bulb on a square of aluminum foil and secure or use a ceramic brie baker (I'm not going to lie this gadget has been in my cupboard for the last year unused) .

2.  Bake for 45 minutes.  The cloves with slide out of their skins effortlessly when they are finished (waiting until they cool is a brilliant idea... I of course am not that patient).

polenta and mixed mushrooms

Leftovers were delicious and well deserved post run.  Not to mention that they helped to warm up frozen fingers.  This -20 weather is making the treadmill look more and more appealing.  

Will Run For Garlic Flatbread

Not only will I run for garlic flatbread but I'll wait in line for 20 minutes for garlic flatbread.  It's easy to wait in line when you're eating a garlic pickle on a stick (brilliant) and you've just eaten a warm creamy square of garlic fudge.  

There weren't any pickles on sticks or garlic fudge today but there was delicious leftover garlic flatbread.

If you have 3 1/2 hours to spare this is the recipe for you.

Flatbread

(makes 2 fairly large sized breads)

ingredients

1 tsp active dry yeast (really important that it hasn't expired)

1 C + 1/4 tepid water (same temperature as the water you get from your running partner)

3 C brown bread flour

1tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

Finishing Salts/sea salt

Topping

ingredients

1 small tomato diced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp earth balance (butter)

1 large clove of pressed garlic

Place water in a bowl, sprinkle with yeast, add 1 cup of flour and wait patiently for at least 2 hours.  You should place the bowl in a warm area.

After lounging around for 2 hours because you've been 'busy' making bread add remaining 2 cups of flour with salt and stir into yeast mixture.  Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and up to 1/4 C of water so that the dough sticks together.

On a lightly floured surface knead dough for 5 minutes (I used the same technique that I use for wedging   clay for pottery probably not exactly the same thing as kneading).  Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a dishcloth and let sit for approximately 1 hr (just long enough to go for a 7K run or long enough to get changed and think about going for a run).

waiting

Preheat oven to 400F.   Sprinkle baking stones with cornmeal.  Divide dough into two balls.  Roll to desired thickness (about 1/4 inch).

Top each flatbread with fresh rosemary, chopped tomatoes, garlic earth balance/olive oil, and finishing salts.  Bake for approximately 25 minutes.

garlic butter, rosemary, and tomatoes

da, da, da, la!

delicious garlicky wedges

Will Run For Local Vegetables & Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus

spicy sweet potato hummus

There isn't anything particularly exciting about hummus.  There is however something very exciting about giant oregon snow peas, garlic and zucchini from Spill The Beans Farm!  My favourite farmer weaselled me  into picking about 30 litres of peas (plus the 3 litres that I ate while in the field) with the promise of being able to eat as many peas as I wanted.  I was also lucky enough to leave the farm with two heads of local garlic and 2 zucchinis.  While all of these vegetables are delicious a little dip never hurt anyone.

hardneck garlic

giant oregon snow peas

farmer & her zucchinis 

Spicy Sweet Potato Hummus

( 2 1/2 C)

ingredients

1 19oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (nothing is more disgusting than bean slime)

1/4 C fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp fresh cilantro

2 Tbsp olive oil 

1 clove local garlic

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp chipoltle chili pepper 

1/3 C mashed sweet potato (optional)

In your blender combine chickpeas, lime juice, cilantro, olive oil, garlic (I put mine through the garlic press first), cumin, chipotle, & salt.

Add mashed sweet potato.  Thin with extra lime juice if necessary.

Serve with seasonal local vegetables.   Garnish with chipotle chili pepper (sparingly) and fresh cilantro.  This hummus also tastes great in a wrap made with an ezekial sprouted grain wrap, sunflower sprouts, avocado, cucumber, and tomato.

If you are in the area check out the Eat Local Co-op stall at Market Square for peas, potatoes, & zucchinis from Spill The Beans Farm

Will Run For Garden Rolls

What isn't there to love about garden rolls?  Not only are they filled with delicious mango, avocado, mint, cilantro, snow peas, peppers, etc. but they are the perfect vessel for peanut sauce.

I first discovered garden rolls and Thai cuisine several years ago during a road trip to Toronto.  I also discovered that there were mice in the restaurant that we were eating at.  It is never good when the cook comes out of the kitchen with a mousetrap in his/her hand.  Since then I've found a new favourite Thai restaurant and I started making my own garden rolls.

Garden Rolls

Ingredients

The ingredients list is really flexible.  Use your favourite vegetables and fresh herbs.  You might consider using green onions, green or yellow beans, tofu, chick'n, tempeh, etc.  The serving size of this recipe is also very flexible depending on the variety and quantity of vegetables selected.

rice paper 

mango thinly sliced

avocado thinly sliced

lettuce (I prefer romaine)

mint finely chopped

cilantro finely chopped

red, yellow and orange pepper thinly sliced

snow peas in pods thinly sliced

garlic scapes thinly sliced (only the curly part)

Begin by thinly slicing all of your vegetables: mango, avocado, peppers, garlic scapes, etc.

Next, cut the 'rib' out of your romaine leaves.  This will make it much easier to roll your garden rolls.  In each leaf place a selection of your favourite vegetables/herbs.  Resist the urge to overfill otherwise rolling them up will be a nightmare and you'll have to eat the flops (and that would be awful).  Wrap the vegetables as tightly as you can in a romaine leaf.

Place rice paper in very warm water (I continue to add boiled water as I make the garden rolls) for approximately 15 seconds.  When  it is soft lay it down flat on a dishtowel.

Place romaine leaf  in the centre of the rice paper.  Fold bottom of rice wrap over vegetables.  Then fold over right side (or left) and turn over until the vegetables are well wrapped.  Fold the open top over until it is closed.

fold bottom

fold and roll

ready to be cut in half

Cut garden rolls in half.

Serve with peanut sauce.

garden rolls and peanut sauce in  terrible lighting

Peanut Sauce

This recipe originally started as k.d lang's Indonesian salad with spicy dressing.  It is worth checking out in The Compassionate Cook or "Please Don't Eat the Animals!" A Vegetarian Cookbook.

1/4 C + 1 TBSP crunchy just peanuts peanut butter

4 cloves of local garlic

4 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp maple syrup (not table syrup)

1 Tbsp soya sauce (I like kikkoman)

2 tsp tamari (www.pristinegourmet.com) 

2 Tbsp water 

Pinch chipotle chili powder 

Combine everything in blender until desired consistency is reached.  If you aren't mad about lime juice substitute light coconut milk for some or all of the lime juice.