Nourish the Body and the Spirit ~ Share Your Food

What is it about Instagram that makes everything instantly look delicious??? 

Sauteed mushrooms and zuccini on a bed of black chinese rice and raw spinach, 
topped with roasted pumpkin seeds

I take about as much pride in the presentation and posting of food as I do in the sourcing of my ingredients, in its preparation and ultimate savoury enjoyment. I'm an artist, and a believer that aesthetic beauty is just as relevant on my plate as it is on the canvas. Besides, by turning food preparation into an act of artful creation and bringing mindfulness to the domestic makes one more conscious. It's part of living in the moment and giving reverance for what we have.

I've heard that while some people like to post pictures of their food on social media, (myself for example), others find this practice annoying. To hell with them I say. The beauty of social media is you can pick and choose what interests you and filter the rest.

It's been said "you are what you eat".....and I want to be a healthy, colourful work of art. Following the spoils of the holidays I have begun exploring the nutritarian lifestyle; the concept of packing the highest amount of nutrients into every meal, while working to remove foods with empty calories.  Some follow the GBOMBS model of  greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds/nuts. 

Black Bean and Chipotle Soup with Cornmeal Spelt Biscuits

Heirloom Tomatoes

 

Garden bounty including Green Zebra, Black Zebra, Black Krim, Indian Striped and Golden Nuggets

It's been a very long time since my last post. Hopefully the vibrant colour and impact of this post will make up for the recent lack of attendance. 

For the past few years I have been diligently saving tomato seeds; especially the precious heirloom varieties surfacing in local market gardens like rare gems unearthed from relative obscurity. My first inspiration were the Sungolds, a brilliant orange cherry-tomato variety that taste like explosions of radiant sunshine with every mouthful. 

My friend and local organic farmer Milan Djordevich aka The Tomato Man of Stoney Paradise organic farm grows these tasties in abundance, delivering them personally to high-end Kelowna and Vancouver restaurants and selling out at the popular Trout Lake Farmer's Market in Vancouver.

Upon discovery that tomatoes didn't really taste or resemble the tasteless facsimiles found in commercial grocery stores, I started collecting and saving seeds wherever possible and growing my own. I discovered heirloom varieties at Seedy Saturday, an annual seed swap held at Okanagan College in conjunction with the World Community Film Festival. Here, like-minded, conscientious citizens can purchase heirloom and non-GMO seeds. Present at this well attended gathering is an organization called Seeds of Diversity;  "a Canadian volunteer organization that conserves the biodiversity and traditional knowledge of food crops and garden plants." 

Violet Jaspers

With the increasing pressure and power-grab of organizations such as the infamous Monsanto, my interest in seed saving became more of a valued pastime. As if my interest was not piqued enough, one fortuitous afternoon I found a gift deposited in my mailbox. My friend Lori had dropped a small packet containing twelve varieties of heirloom seeds. Along with the varieties I had saved, I embarked on a delicious growing experiment.

Here are my results to date:

Black Zebras will ripen to a deep colour

Most delicious to the tongue and to the eye : Black Krim and Indian Striped

Black Krim, Indian Striped, Persimmon and Nile River Egyptians

Late season varieties ripen well when wrapped in newsprint and stored in a cool place. Be sure to check them often to prevent spoiling of the lot.

heart-shaped Nile River Egyptians

Delicious bounty

Apple doesn't fall too far from the tree

Veggie Delights ~ Burnt garlic roasted yams, sauteed snowpeas and spinach salad with carmelized walnuts and balsamic reduction

Look what my fabulous daughter made! My sixteen-year old has taken a keen interest in the culinary arts and even plans to attend culinary school when she graduates. Here are a few of her recent creations. You can view more of her kitchen prowess by visiting her blog at http://larkinstravels.blogspot.ca/

Mini Cake with gum past roses

Brandysnaps with creamcheesecake filling and blueberries

Valentine's Treat-zza

I am not a stranger to putting a lot of love into my culinary creations and I am pleased to see the labour of love is not lost on my daughter Larkin. For Valentine's Day she created this delectable, heart-shaped pizza. I might also call it Democratic Pizza as everyone had a say in what kind of topping they wanted. Simon called for bacon, I called for roasted garlic and red peppers while Larkin carmelized the yummiest red onions. Food sensitivities opted for goat cheese instead of mozzarella and a deliciously nutty spelt crust in place of wheat. Baked on Simon's clay pizza stone, the use of spelt imparts a wholesome taste and lovely texture to the crust. 

To make this crust simply combine in a glass measure:
2/3 cups of warm water
1 tsp of honey or evaporated cane sugar
1/2 tbsp of olive oil.
1 1/2 tsps of quick-rising yeast    
Let stand for 10 minutes.

In a separate bowl combine: 
2 cups organic spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp of salt
Add 2 tbsp of whole or ground flax seeds if desired.

Add water and yeast combination and knead until uniform and smooth.

Stretch out onto a clay pizza stone or pan, covered with parchment paper

Bake at 425 F for about 7-10 minutes or until very lightly browned. 

Remove from oven and add all desired toppings. Replace to the oven and

bake until toppings, cheese and crust are golden brown.

Enjoy 

And what would Valentine's Day be without some cheeky antics?

Photo by my Valentine Simon

Rajma

Winter has finally arrived and along with it the need for extra socks and hot, hot comfort food.  Rajma is a red kidney bean curry, that can be served hot with rice or traditional flat breads such as rotis and chapattis. Spelt rotis is a nice alternative and is better for wheat sensitive foodies. The dish is also served with homemade dahi or yogurt. 

You can used canned kidney beans but I prefer soaking my own as the taste and texture is far superior to canned. Presoak one cup of kidney beans and then discard the soaking water. Add them to a pressure cooker with one thumb of ginger root chopped and 1 tbsp of oil. Cook under medium to high pressure for 20 minutes. Set aside.

In a large saucepan fry two yellow onions chopped julienne style. Cook on medium heat until they begin to turn golden brown, then add:
2 heaping tbsp of ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp of cumin seed
2 red chilies
1 heaping tablespoon of Garam Masala 
1-2 tsp salt

Stir until well blended and continue frying until aromas are released and oil begins to separate. Then add: 
1 tbsp of tumeric powder
4 chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp of jaggery or demerara sugar 

Add a some water to produce a thick gravy and continue to simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes. To this add the cooked Rajma in its water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Add chopped fresh coriander and serve hot with Jeera Rice or Rotis.

Aloo Jeera Mung Dal

October blew in today, assertively announcing Summer's final surrender. Time to pull out wooly socks and turtlenecks; masalas and crock pots. Time for spicy stews and dals to stave off Autumn's imminent chill.

Having gained some confidence in cooking Indian fare I decided to combine a few of my favourite dishes to make this hearty and flavourful fusion. Here I have blended a chunky Aloo Jeera (potatoes and cumin) with a highly nutricious Mung Dal to achieve a spicy comfort food the consistency of thick stew. Served with homemade rotis and sliced cucumbers, this delicious blend of north and south Indian flavours is bound to warm the chilliest of bones.

In a three quart pressure cooker add one cup of dried mung dal, 5 cups of water, 1/2 tsp of salt, a dash of oil, and 1 tbsp of ginger garlic paste. Set to cook approximately 15 minutes or until the dal is soft to the bite.

In a small pot, peel and dice two medium sized russet potatoes. Set to boil in lightly salted water until medium firm. Don't let the potatoes become mushy or lose their form. Set aside and reserve the cooking water.

Meanwhile, in a fry pan add the following to three tablespoons of cooking oil and set to medium high heat:
1 tbsp of whole jeera (cumin)
1 tbsp of black mustard seed
4 green chilies chopped
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 thumb of ginger root finely sliced
5-10 chopped curry leaves
1 pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Stir until the mustard seeds begin popping and garlic is lightly brown but don't allow the garlic to burn.

Add a tablespoon of haldi (tumeric), 1 cup of frozen green peas and three diced tomatoes. Stir well and allow the flavours to blend over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the potatoes, water and all and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, while adding 1 tsp of jaggery (or brown sugar), and the juice of one lime. Add the mung dal in water and stir. Add salt to taste and simmer on low until ready to serve. Add fresh cut coriander leaf for garnish if desired.

Serve hot with fresh rotis
http://hautedomestic.blogspot.ca/2011/03/spelt-rotis-chapatis.html

Lamb Biriyani

Tonight I pulled off my first Biriyani. I admit it was a leap of faith to serve this dish to friends without any previous practice, however with a bit of enthusiastic guidance from one of my favourite chefs and online personality Sanjay Thumma of VahRehVah, I felt up for the task. 

The recipe can be found at http://www.vahrehvah.com/Hyderabadi+Mutton+Biryani:456

 Thank you Cara for providing fresh cuts of organic lamb. Other ingredients you will need are.......

Fresh dahi or yogurt raita, cut cucumber, red onion and green chilies sprinkled with Chunky Chat Masala; and various Namkeen

 Fine wine and wit

  
Good Friends

  

Candle light....an elemental ingredient.

and good music