Tasting Canadian Greatness

This morning started at 5:45 am, as we woke up to witness another Canadian gold medal game against Sweden.  When I was young, my brother Greg's hockey team hosted a Swedish hockey team on exchange.  As a 15 year old, it was pretty cool to have these international kids show us their game.  So while I love Sweden and have fond memories of Goran, Per-Olof and of course Pontus;) I am dressed in red, passionately waiting and hoping for another Canadian GOLD.

My love of this game runs deep - growing up watching in the era of Gretzky and the near-perfect Edmonton Oilers.  That was some great hockey.

In 2010, I could hardly stand the excitement as we won Gold in Vancouver.  I still remember my chili recipe - with red beans, white beans, frozen red peppers, white onion and a healthy splash of maple syrup.  That overtime period was extraordinary.

This week, Canadian Women have done us so proud.  Coming back from 2-0??  What an insane way to win the gold.

I've been cooking a lot of gold this week, hoping for this moment.  Butternut squash muffins with lemon, butternut squash in a chili.  Mango smoothies - lemon water.

This morning was too early for chili, so we have enjoyed breakfast with fresh baguette, and beautiful maple butter, or homemade cashew cheese, spread with Niagara ice wine jelly.  Tracy's, out of Niagara on the Lake makes an extraordinary ice wine jelly.

Intense.  Sweet.  Unique.

Over the creaminess of a cashew cheese, it's sublime.  This is the first time I've made cashew cheese with probiotics instead of soy yogurt.  It took about two weeks, but that sour, salty cheesiness develops, and matures.  It's not a young easy cheese.  It takes time, and patience.  Every simple ingredient contributes to the whole beauty of the recipe.

Like the Canadian men's team.  Patient.  Measured.  Each guy is there to do his job.

And then suddenly there was one of those moments, over the blue line and a breakaway.  With our golden gold guy - Crosby - graceful, skilled, perfect.

When you realize you are watching and then witnessing - literally WITNESSING - another gorgeous Sidney Crosby goal, I just think that there is nothing better than this.

There were 20 minutes left when I began this blog.  

This game is like a master class of what's so great about hockey.  Chris Kunitz scores a beautiful unassisted goal from about 14 feet out!! Go #14 for 2014.

With the taste of victory so close, accompanied by the best of Canada - maple and ice wine.

Drew Doughty called it this morning.  When you taste greatness, it only makes you hungry for more.

Go.  Canada.  With 24 seconds left, it's gonna happen.  Canada Gold Again!!!!!!

Thank you to the men and women of the Canadian Olympic team for making us so proud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Candy Cane Beets and Beet Marinated Salmon

Beets are plentiful during the holidays & are packed with nutrition.  How could they be otherwise with that bold, colour-drenched palette.  While the red beets are traditional, golden, yellow and beautiful candy cane beets are really dramatic for presentation.

I am roasting off two bags of candy cane and golden beets to prepare for Christmas eve, where they will serve as the accompaniment to my beet-marinated salmon.

I scrubbed the skins and put them in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.  Roasting them will allow the sugars to carmelize and for the hard, raw texture to soften.

I'm going to take the skins off, and freeze them once roasted.  The day before dinner, I will thaw them and cut them into thin slices.

I have two huge salmon filets.  I am going to shred raw, red beets and surround the salmon with the very well salted shreds. The beets will impart a gorgeous red hue to the pale, orange salmon.

Pics to follow.

The 12 Days of Ukrainian Christmas

Today marks what we observe in our house to be the First day of Christmas.  For you traditionalists out there, I KNOW that the first day of Christmas is Christmas.  But because I love this season, I always start with a little something - a stocking stuffer kind of thing - for each of the 12 days before Christmas.

The next 12 days including today are going to be extraordinarily busy.  My shopping is done, but not wrapped, and the house looks gorgeously Christmas-y.

I have decided to simutaneously completely paint and redecorate my dining room, prepare for an extraordinary Family Christmas Eve Feast, and boost my own health by eating right again and exercising to survive the holidays.  Not to mention work all next week to achieve three weeks worth of fundraising in five days.

So?  I am fuelling this ambititon with smoothies, coffee, and music - while forgoing alcohol, most TV, and "vegging".

I hope what I am left with on December 26 is a camera full of gorgeous pictures of our Ukrainian Christmas Eve and two full dishwashers.

Here is my menu:

Kolach - One for the table and one wreathed loaf for dipping in a honey garlic sauce

Opening Course (1) Kutya - a wheat and poppyseed porridge with fruit and nuts

Amuse Bouche (2)  Crispy fish croquettes in a savory tomato and onion sauce

Appetizer (3)  Pickled Mushrooms on toasted Ukrainian bread with olive oil and garlic

Jellied Fish Course (4)   Poached whitefish in a lemon jelly with capers, peas and red pepper specks

Salad Course (5)  Raw beet and Granny Smith Apple slaw with orange honey vinaigrette with candied orange slivers

Soup Course (6) Borscht with mushroom vushka

Potato Course (7) Perogies with carmelized onions

Vegetable Course (8) Cabbage rolls stuffed with brown rice and lentils

Main Course (9)  Beet Marinated Salmon over Candy Cane Beets and Wilted Kale

Cake Course (10) Orange Honey Cake with Apricot Compote

Pampushky (11) Filled puffed doughnuts with white peach vanilla jelly

Pastry Course (12) Hrusty with powdered sugar


I want these to look absolutely spectacular.  Much of it will depend on having things done ahead of time, so I am off to Home Depot to get some paint and start filling the holes in our dining room and priming the walls!!!

Starbucks anyone?

Juicing "The Redlist"

My new favourite show is "The Blacklist" starring James Spader - playing the complex and magnetic Raymond Reddington - "Red".  Now that he is maturing, I find him much more attractive than he was in "Pretty in Pink" where we were first introduced to that devilish, charming speaking style with an inimitable way of pronouncing his "S"s.

In last week's episode, the plastic surgeon to the criminal world remarks on Red's glowing skin.  "Are you juicing?"

Red remarks "Beets, mostly.  Some celery.  Loads of ginger.  No kale. It makes me dyspeptic".

So I guess this would be the Red list?

One of my new favourite students remarked on a particularly green smoothie on my desk this morning. "What is in that?"  After telling her, she remarked - "Your organs must be so clean!".

Today was one of those "GREAT" mornings.  Where I've slept, where I am raring to go at work, and where I've packed a healthy raw lunch and begun my day with a great, healthy breakfast.  I wish they were all like this (they're NOT) but today is, and I'm going to enjoy it.

This morning's smoothie was surprisingly easy and delicious - despite looking like swamp juice.  And despite all the red contained therein, kale trumps red and the smoothie was still surprisingly green.

It contained a cup of raspberries, a cup of kale, a banana, half an avocado, two tablespoons of coconut oil, two tablespoons of flax seed, two teaspoons of hemp seed, a celery stalk, an orange beet (skin on) and enough coconut milk and water to bind the whole thing together.

I LOVE my Vitamix.  That thing can puree anything to a smooth, velvety liquid better than any other blending device.  I would love to become someone who "juices", but because I can't stand the cleanup I will just stick with the fibre blended into the juice.  I keep the seeds on the counter, the kale prewashed in the fridge and the raspberries in the freezer.  It takes me less time to blend everything together than it takes to brew my coffee.

Greens have an extraordinary way of cleansing your blood and organs.  It's the photosynthesis.  Since green is the opposite of red it is a particurlarly great way of balancing out the acidity of everyday life.  On the days when you don't get it right, add some reds and greens.

So, I am going to polish off the smoothie, get a tonne of work done and anxiously await tonight's episode.

Triathlon Energy

It's finally triathlon season!  After doing all the mental preparation (reading "Triathlons for Dummies", one issue of Triathlete magazine) I decided I was really going to start training for the Sprint Triathlons this summer.  

So what better way to train than to just register for a race and do it?

While my time was a painfully slow 2 hours one minute, I did surprisingly well in both transitions (between the swim and the bike, and between the bike and the run).  Most notable was the fact that I wasn't remotely sore the next day.

For this, I credit Brendan Brazier and all my nutrition reading.

The day before the race I drank lots and LOTS of water so my muscles were hydrated even before I started.  No amount of water during a race will compensate for being dehydrated when you start.

Gave up wine.  Sad, but true.

The night before I had some seriously crispy gluten-free crackers and some cashew cream cheese.  Lots of slow burning carbs, great fats and protein.

The morning of (that's 4 am!) I had a half cup of Red River Cereal - full of serious whole grains which burn slow and fuel long!

While driving to the race I had a blueberry, roasted beet, chocolate almond milk, flax smoothie.  Purple and delicious.

During the race I had my favourite fruit gummies (Florida's Naturals) which were taped to my bike and literally all that kept me going during the against-the-current 750m swim.

Power bar during the bike leg was made of raw cashews, raw chocolate, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, coconut, dates, lemon zest and agave.  Sticky but fuelling.

Finally, after the race I made a high energy recovery gel from dates, lime and lemon zest, agave and arame (a seaweed) for iron.  Squished it into my mouth after surviving the run.  

Lots of water always, a high colour meal afterwards (sweet potatoes, spinach, avocado, tomato) and even a few of my dreaded nemesis - Salt and Vinegar Miss Vickies chips.

Can't believe I finished & can't wait to see where I can go next with some actual training!!

Shrex Appeal : Ogres are like Onions

Because they stink?

No.

Because they make you cry?

No.

Because you leave 'em out in the sun and they start sprouting little white hairs?

NO!

L A Y E R S!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When my son was younger, my favourite Mom moment, BAR NONE, was sitting on the couch watching Shrek.  Pure boy joy.

I adore this movie - the adult humour mingled with the kid humour.  I love the character development.  I love the juxtaposition of royalty and ogres.  But most of all, I love the food talk.  "Parfaits?  Everybody loves parfaits.  Parfaits is delicious!!"

And hence, my Shrekilicious reference to layers.

Mushroom pasta is like ogres.  The layers make it great.

To some (my friend Scott comes to mind immediately), mushrooms are a vile fungus unworthy of edibility.

To others, they are a meaty, flavourful delicacy.  But in order to coax the best out of mushrooms, you must MUST layer the flavours to maximize their sex appeal.

Mrs. Q.  :  Any mushroom dish is enriched by truffles.   Truffle oil.  Truffle Paste.  Truffle Salt.  Truffles are mushroom royalty.

Charming:  Dijon anything.  Grainy mustard AND smooth dijon mustard will add an indescribable uniqueness which the dish would be the poorer for.  You should always have dijon in your fridge or pantry.  

Sir Shrek:  When you pull them out of the ground, wash off the dirt and peel back the layers - ogres are like onions.  So use them - in the form of onions, chives or leeks (my personal fave).

Princess Fiona:  About a quarter cup of wine - table wine if that's all you have, and fine, complex wine if that's what's going.

Pinocchio, Gingy and the Big Bad Wolf?  Who can forget this supporting cast of thong wearing, huge-girlfriend stalked, piggy porn reading gems?  This group is your steak spice - perfect, even if you add just a dash or two.

Donkey?  Yep!  You guessed it.  The stinky, annoying, never goes away interference of garlic.  Mushroom dishes just aren't the same without it and are better because of it.

Puss in Boots?  Every movie needs an iconic, villanous hero.  Something which in large doses are unbearable, but appropriately used are just perfect enhancements to a dish.  Mushrooms LOVE toasted sesame oil, even if the position of annoying talking sidekick has already been filled:)  lol.

A few other supports?  Miso (mysterious and exotic), Soy Sauce or Tamari (salty and briny) and last but never least - pepper.  Don't leave it out.

This combination of layers will have you coming back for every sequel.

     

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Veggie burgers are showing up on menus everywhere, and make me feel like a normal eater.  But rarer is the downright decadence of a bacon cheeseburger.  Few restaurants have a vegan cheese and fewer still - I mean NONE - have coconut bacon to be added.

Seriously, coconut bacon has revolutionized my life lately.  That smoky, salty crispy deliciousness is getting added back into our menus in so many ways.

Today's was a bacon cheeseburger meatloaf!

There are some really good ground beef substitutes out there for the vegetarians who might want to indulge in a sumptuous, beefy burger every now and then.  Even though the crumbles are a processed food, I usually buy a bag once a month to add some "ground beef" to either a pasta sauce, or a shepherd's pie, or a stew.

President's Choice makes a great ground beef crumble, but many brands including Gardein are great also.

I took some leftover lentils and rice in a large bowl and mixed in 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard.  I loathe the taste of ketchup, but since it's the world's most popular condiment, you could add some here as well to give the rice a burger flavour.

I browned the 'ground beef' in a pan, and added in some chopped garlic and onions.  When it was cooked, I incorporated it into the rice.  It mixed into a nice consistency, which I put into a bread loaf pan to make a meatloaf.  As I was about to put the loaf into the oven, I had a stroke of bacon cheesburger genius.

I had some coconut bacon in the fridge, and some daiya cheddar in the freezer.

I took about half the mixture out of the pan and layered in the cheddar and the bacon.  Then I topped it off with the rest of the ground beef.

Baked it for about 40 minutes at 350, along with some sweet potato crinkle cut fries.

When the smell of a bacon cheeseburger wafted through the house - I could tell it was done.  And it was smoky, rich, cheesy, and hearty.

Slices of this cheeseburger loaf would make a fabulous snack wrap.  Just add a thick slice to the centre of a tortilla, squirt a little mustard, ketchup, relish or dijon on top and roll up for lunch or for the freezer, when you need a quick burger fix.

Coconut bacon is opening up my world again, and I can't contain my excitement!