Will Run For Not Your Mother's Macaroons

Sometimes a girl needs chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate!  Even better than chocolate is frozen chocolate.  When I think of frozen chocolate I think of eating macaroons that have just come out of the freezer and are ready to be put in tins full of holiday baking (assuming that they actually make it that far).

Since my mother makes the most delicious chocolate macaroons I thought that I would call her and ask for the recipe.  Who knew that chocolate bunnies + oats + coconut + vanilla extract = macaroons.  She was able to dig me out an actual recipe but sometimes you don't really need to know about the 2 cups of sugar or 1/2 cup of butter that are in your dessert.

Trouble makers with my silicone bowl while I  was getting the recipe from my mother!

After all of that I decided to try something a little different.  These aren't my mother's macaroons but I can't promise that won't go directly from the freezer into my belly.

chocolate macaroons

Not Your Mother's Macaroons

(12 + 5 (for tast testing) )

ingredients

* 1/4 C date paste 

3 Tbsp cocoa

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 C unsweetened coconut

1 C rolled oats

2 Tbsp melted coconut oil

* You can make date paste by soaking 1 cup dried dates in water for 4-6 hours, draining the dates and then blending them into a smooth paste.  If you are impatient you can soak them for an hour or so, save 3 Tbsp of the water that they were soaking in and microwave them with reserved date water for 1-2 minutes and then blend into a smooth paste.  As you might imagine I used the impatient version.  

Add cocoa, vanilla bean paste and melted coconut oil to date paste.

Add coconut and rolled oats.

Drop by the spoonful onto a lined (with wax paper or silicone mat) baking sheet or plate.  Place in freezer for 5 -10 minutes.  Best enjoyed directly from the freezer.  Yum!

Will Run For Summer Salad With Strawberry Vinaigrette

The only thing better than picking fruits and vegetables out of your own garden is picking fruits and vegetables out of a garden that you didn't have to weed.  However,  I can occasionally be convinced to weed if I'm allowed to sample the produce as I weed.  Luckily, this time there was no weeding involved (or bugs, or snakes, or dirt caked under my nails) only two delicious baskets of strawberries.

If baskets of strawberries weren't enough my nasturtium flowers are finally in full bloom.  My garden at home this year consists of kale, spinach, nasturtiums, rosemary, mint and lavender (and even then I can't really be trusted to weed or water).  

Summer Salad

(serves 2)

This salad makes me think of my grandmother.  She will take iceberg lettuce over 'weeds' anyway so I can hear her saying 'no thank you' (code for I would rather eat my own leg) to this salad.  For those of us who are a little more adventurous this salad is delicious!

Ingredients

4 C mixed greens

*1/4 C spiced nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts)

1/4 C diced dates (approximately 7)

1 orange 

*strawberry vinaigrette

10-15 nasturtium flowers & leaves

Gently rinse greens, nasturtium flowers and leaves (unless you don't mind little critters in your salad bowl).   Add diced dates, spiced nuts, and thinly sliced orange slices.  Drizzle with strawberry vinaigrette.

Strawberry Vinaigrette

(3/4 Cup)

After making some pretty bland salad dressings (and feeding them to dinner guests) I thought I would try something a little more exciting.  I came across an interesting recipe at www.wellpreserved.ca but decided to tweak it a little (any excuse to eat maple syrup, lime juice and sunflower oil).

Ingredients

1 C strawberries

1Tbsp maple syrup (not table syrup)

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 tsp sunflower oil

1 tsp poppy seeds

In a small bowl combine strawberries and maple syrup.  Let stand for approximately 1 hour so that the sugar will pull the juices from the berries.

In a blender combine strawberries, maple syrup, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, olive and sunflower oils.  Blend until desired consistency is reached.

Add poppy seeds and enjoy.

Spiced Nuts

(1 C)

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp earth balance

1 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds)

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp chile powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

pinch chipotle powder

Melt earth balance in skillet.

Add nuts and stir until nuts are coated with butter.

Stir in maple syrup until nuts are coated.  Add spices.

Transfer to a baking stone (I covered mine with a silicone mat).   Roast at 300F for 5-10 minutes (watch carefully). 

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.

Will Run For Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies

peanut butter oatmeal dog biscuits with cilantro & rosemary

How much time have you spent this past week talking about dog treats, dog toys, dog feeding schedules, crate training, obedience classes, vaccinations?  If it is more than you care to admit this post is for you.  We've always been really concerned about what we feed our dog (I endured 3 months of making Jeb's dog food in the name of having a healthy happy dog.  There is only so much meat a vegetarian can take! He now happily eats Acana Lamb & Apple championpetfoods.com

Reading the labels of dog treats can be pretty scary!  So with the help of Dr. Khalsa's Natural Dog: A Holistic Guide For Healthier Dogs and The Vegan Cookie Connoisseur I made some dog biscuits (the same day that it was 28 degrees, there was absolutely no wind, and the air-conditioner wasn't working).

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Dog Biscuits

Ingredients 

1 1/2 C whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup oats (not instant I used Loon Song Garden oats)

1/3 C peanut butter (use a variety that only contains peanuts)

3/4 C just boiled vegetable stock or water

1/4 C chopped cilantro 

1 Tbsp dried rosemary (from Spill The Beans Farm)

Preheat oven to 300F.  Place baking stone in the oven.

In a large bowl combine pastry flour, oats and peanut butter.

Add just boiled vegetable stock.  Mix with hands until well combined.

Add fresh and/or dried herbs.

add herbs to dough

Roll.  Use your favourite cookie cutter to cut out shapes (dog bones, fire hydrants, etc.).  Alternatively you could roll the dough into tiny balls and flatten them to use as training treats.

roll and use your favourite cookie cutter

Bake on baking stone for approximately 25 minutes at 300 F.  Allow to cool before storing.

* I like to keep my dog treats in the freezer but they will stay fresh in a sealed container for 3-5 days.

finished product

Jeb approved

I am my mother (she has a dog 'photo shoot' almost everyday).  I can't pass up an opportunity to share some of my favourite dogs in action.

showers

dog wings

Will Drive 1500 Kilometres For Puppy

Felicia where the 'F" are we?

Why have just one bouvier when you can have two or thirteen?

Hank's many brothers and sisters

It's probably best not to pick the puppies that are terrorizing the flower garden!

trouble x 3!

Unbelievably quiet ride home.

very long car ride home

I don't know about this?  We're not taking him home are we?

well hello.

Resting after playing outside all day with his new furry friends at his Granny's.

so sleepy

Two bouviers are definately better than just one (now we just need to convince Jeb).

quiet time.

As I type Hank is laying at my feet catching up on all of the sleep that he didn't get last night and Jeb is sprawled out in the entrance.  I think I might be able to get used to this.

I see a dog biscuit recipe in the future.

Will Run For Vintage Tupperware Hamburger Press

I was not so secretly very excited when my grandmother gave me a 'vintage' tupperware hamburger press.  If you are wondering what a vegetarian does with a hamburger press she makes raw cocoa nib and oatmeal cookies with it of course.

cookie dough 'batter' 

hamburger press

raw cocoa nib and oatmeal cookies

raw cacao nib and oatmeal cookie balls

my kitchen 'helper'

* oats are not technically raw but they are pretty close (incase you were concerned :P)

Raw Cocoa Nib & Oatmeal Cookies
(7 large cookies or 14 balls)

Ingredients


1 C medjool dates (approximately 10)
1/2 C oatmeal (not quick cooking)
1/2 C raw almonds
1 vanilla bean + 1 tsp water (or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 Tbsp cocoa nibs (raw chocolate nibs  I used Navita naturals)

In a blender combine oats and almonds.  Pulse until you have a course powder.

Add dates, vanilla bean scrapings + 1 tsp water to oats and almonds and pulse until mixture sticks together.

Add cocoa nibs.  Roll into balls or use your 'vintage' hamburger press to make cookies.

* I like to store cookies in the refrigerator or freezer.

Will Run For Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic Scape Pesto

There are many benefits to having your very own farmer.  One of them is all of the garlic scapes a girl could dream of.   Unfortunately, the farmer weaselled me into picking, washing, and bundling 180 green onions before she would hand over the garlic scapes.  It was worth it.

This pesto is fairly intense so a little goes a long way.  It would be great with linguine, cherry tomatoes, and black olives or mixed with grilled vegetables on a sandwich. 

**I wouldn't recommend eating this pesto before going out for a run.  Unless, of course you don't really like your running partner or you're trying to get back at her for making you run on the hottest day of the year.

See recipe below:

 garlic scapes at Spill The Beans Farm

garlic scapes

roughly chop scapes

add roughly chopped basil

raw sunflower seeds

blend

grilled vegetable sandwich

Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients

5 garlic scapes chopped (1 heaping cup)

1/2 C fresh basil

2/3 C raw sunflower seeds

1/4 C soup stock (or water)

1/4 C olive oil

1/4 C sunflower oil + 3 TBLSP ( olive oil works as well)

Begin by roughly chopping garlic scapes (I did not use the very tip of the scape).  Roughly chop basil.  Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.  You may have to scrape down the sides of the blender a few times in order to get a smooth pesto.  In order to keep the basil in the pesto green add a little olive/sunflower oil to the top of your pesto once it is in it's storage container.

Enjoy!