Onion Chutney

I know I've posted serveral variations of recipes found in the Rebar cookbook already but that's because this cookbook rocks. I love the restaurant and now I love the cookbook!

I was really excited to make a grilled cheese sandwhich with watercress, green apple and cheddar from the cookbook but wasn't so sure I'd like the onion chutney to be served with it. But oh, I was wrong... this stuff is so good. Like mouthwatering good. Like so good that I've stolen spoonfuls from the jar. We made sandwhiches last night after visiting the farmer's market, such a nice addition to our tomatoe, cheese and bacon sandwhiches (all local, btw. even the bread).

You have to try it! I've made a few minor changes to suit our needs, here's the recipe:

Onion Chutney

2 tbls vegan butter or olive oil

2 yellow onions, sliced thinly

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 - 1/2 tsp red chili flakes (depending on how hot you like it)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp brown sugar (make sure it's not just dyed white sugar like most brown sugars out there!)

4 tbls apple cider vinegar with "mother"

ground black pepper

Heat butter or oil in a pan, add onions and cook until translucent over a medium heat. Add salt, chili flakes and cumin and cook for about 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and cook until onions are soft and creamy.

Waldorf Stars

I've been loving waldorf stars for a few years now but this is the first year I have attempted to make a few for my own windows.

Waldorf stars bring in a beautiful coloured light into your home when placed in a sunny window. Very welcome in the otherwise dullness of winter.

Here's a simple tutorial on how to make an 8 point star:

You will need:

8 sheets of coloured kite paper (I bought mine from Hestia)

a paring knife

glue

a toothpick

1) Lay your square of kite paper on a white sheet of paper or other light surface. This makes it easier to see your fold lines.

2) Fold in half lengthwise and using your paring knife, cut the paper in two.

3) Fold along the  length of the centre and open to leave a crease downt the middle.

4) Fold the corners in to the centre.

5) Repeat for both ends.

6) One one end, fold in the corners to make a long point.

7) Repeat until you have all 8 pieces completed. :)

8) Using a toothpick (or a glue stick) dab a tiny bit of glue as I've shown.

9) Lay another folded piece onto the glued piece, being careful to line up the edge of the top piece with the middle crease of the bottom piece. Also, make sure the points meet at the bottom.

10) Repeat until all folded pieces are used. When you get to the last piece, glue it down as usual but lift up the piece next and tuck under the last piece.

11) Voila! I like to stick it in a book for a few hours to help it lay flat.

12) To stick it in the window, I add a teeny bit of glue to the centre and a few of the points.

I have ordered this book and am excited to learn how to make more complex stars!

Goodbye Saran wrap, hello Abeego wrap!

I went to see a friend of mine in Vancouver before she went back home to Australia to have her baby. We spent the afternoon on Granville Island which I just love, haven't been there in ages. While we were looking around for a gelato shop, I spotted some Abeego wraps in one of the little stands. I was so excited as I have been reading online about this great product!

Abeego is made up of a hemp blend fabric which is infused with essential oils and beeswax. This makes the material so it can be molded around food or containers to keep it fresh. No more plastic wrap! Best of all about this product is that not only is it made in Canada but it's made in Victoria.

This picture here is using one of the flats (it comes in a set of three flat sheets of various sizes) over a brick of cheese. Works fantastic!! I also bought the sandwhich wrap, love love love it!

Seriously, you need to check this stuff out. I *heart* it very much and know you all will too!

Sophie is 8 months old!

Sophie turned 8 months this past Wednesday and as always I think to myself how quickly this is all going by. Time flies by quicker these past few years: our lives are fuller and just plain crazier!

At 8 months, Sophie:
~ cruises around furniture
~ climbs onto and into things! This past week, she's climbed into more than one moving box as I was trying to unpack it (yes, we moved this past month!).
~ has mastered the pincer grasp.
~ looks for a toy if she drops it.
~ loves to throw a toy so we can retrieve it for her. Over and over again.
~ has started playing with the volume of her voice. Today she was all about whispering. :)
~ loves to eat. We still only offer her solids as an addition to breastmilk. I feel that breastmilk should be the number #1 source of food for at least the first year but she gets bits of this and that at meal times, mostly to entertain her enough so we can eat our dinner. Her favourites are banana or avacado chunks, peas, and toast. She just started to cry out for food if she sees one of us eating something that she wants.
~ still cosleeps with us all night long. I would like to start sleeping seperate from her for a few hours a night as she is becoming  restless and wakes to the slightest movement. Also, she's becoming an all night nurser. I'm hoping that having her sleep in her own space (a crib or mattress in our room, haven't decided yet), she'll actually get a better night's sleep.

Foccacia Bread

I made mushroom soup from the Rebar cookbook (so good!) and along with it, I also made up two batches of Foccacia bread. I really had no idea how easy and delicious it would be to make it myself. This will definitely be something I make more often.

I used a recipe from the Rebar cookbook but changed it just a wee bit. Apparently it's what they use for pizza crust as well, will have to try that one time. :)

Rosemary Garlic Foccacia Bread

1 3/4 c warm water

1 tbls. traditional baking yeast
1/2 tsp maple syrup
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
Toppings:
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbls. olive oil
2 tsp coarse salt
2 tsp rosemary, chopped
cracked black pepper

In a large bowl, combine warm water, yeast and maple syrup. Let sit 10 minutes or so until it foams. Stir in salt and oil, then add flour, one cup at a time.
Turn mixture out onto floured surface and knead until stretchy.
Form into ball and place into oiled bowl. Cover with damp tea towel and leave to double in size, about 1.5 hours. Punch down then let rise again to double in size.
Preheat oven to 350C.

Stretch dough onto oiled cookie sheet. Sprinkle toppings on and let rise again until oven is preheated.

Bake for 20 minutes, rotating pan half way through.

Serve warm.

Gluten Free Foccacia Bread
 I used the glutenfree goddesses' recipe but modified it to fit my needs. Here's what I did:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 1/4 warm water 1 cup sorghum flour

1/2 tsp maple syrup

1 cup potato starch
1/2 cup quinoa flour
2 teaspoons xanthan gum

1/ 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried rosemary

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 egg

In large bowl combine flours, potato starch, xanthan gum, salt, garlic powder and dried rosemary.
Combine yeast, water and 1/2 tsp maple syrup in bowl. Let sit about 10 minutes until foamy.
Pour yeast mixture into flour mix. Add in olive oil, maple syrup apple cider vinegar and egg.
Stir to combine. The dough will be sticky, not like the wheat foccacia. Pour out onto cookie sheet.
Preheat oven to 350F and bake for 20 minutes, rotating half way.

New business cards

I got these a while back but haven't had the time to show you all: I got new business cards and rack cards! I'm pretty happy with how they turned out, they match my website (http://www.plakoeis.com/). Vistaprint rocks!

I also got a dosage card and labels but I can't seem to find a picture of those on my computer so I'll upload them later. I feel all professional and stuff now. :p

Yippee!

I've always loved mac and cheese. Yes, the boxed noodles with the orange "cheese" powder. Annie's mac and cheese has always been a favourite of mine for those nights when I was too exhausted to cook or was feeling nostalgic for food from my youth.

When we discovered Parker's intolerance to gluten, we said goodbye to Annie's. No more boxed mac and cheese for us. I've experimented with all sorts of macaroni and cheese casseroles. And all of them have been delicious and worth the effort but still, I missed the boxed variety.

This afternoon I was shopping at the health food store down the road when I found this:

Annie's comes in a GF variety! I've never seen this before and I can't tell you how thrilled I am. Hello, quick lunch for tomorrow!!