Beta Testers Needed

I will be beta testing some lesson plans, projects and recipes in the next few months and I'm looking for friends and family to help out. One of my resolutions for the new year is to start measuring ingredients when I make recipes. Tonight we had spaetzle and lentils with a spinach salad. I made a dressing with the lovely Styrian Gold pumpkin seed oil mom bought us at the Winter Market. I mixed it with a glug of balsamic and a glurg of maple syrup. It was really nice with apples, pumpkin seeds and sweet and spicy pecans. I like using maple syrup in salad dressings because it tastes good and it emulsifies so easily in the dressing. Put the ingredients in a jar. Screw on the lid and shake. I like to keep it simple.

We had a really good discussion at the dinner table about the pathology of internet addiction spurred on by Q on CBC radio this morning. We also talked about  internet trolling, online community-building and sexism in birding.

Having tired of nonfiction I read the book I gave Peter for Christmas Called The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker which I devoured in one afternoon. I really enjoyed the book and especially liked the choices the author made in creating the character of the Golem, who will stick with me in my imagination for a long time. My only complaint is that she skimped a bit on the period costume detail.

We Resume Eating Healthy

And now after Easter chocolate season, we resume to healthy eating:

Kiwi Kale smoothie: yogurt, kale, kiwi, and coconut water.

Shitake miso soup: Homemade chicken stock, garlic, nettles, miso, and leeks from the garden.

I've got some wild rice cooking up in stock right now and I will buy some gojiberries to soak so that I can add these to the next iteration of the soup.

The ramps are getting ready to bloom!

Resolution Smoothie

How are y'all doing with your resolutions? Today was a good day for healthy eating starting with homemade granola made with flax, oatmeal, hemp seeds, honey, olive oil and pecans. We had some simple DIY sushi for lunch and for dinner Ules had tofu, rice, and apple and I had wild rice, mushrooms, onions, and kale. Instead of a glass of wine with dinner I made a Resolution Smoothie: 1/2 apple, 1/8 cup ginger "juice", juice of 1/2 a lime, a handful of kale, a cup of coconut water and two ice cubes. Of course we had to have a small dessert: a tiny bit of local vanilla ice cream with salty caramel sauce and crumbled ginger cookies from Trafalgar's bakery--an awesome combo if I do say so!

This is my horoscope for the year from Rob Brezny. I love it!

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 2013, I pledge to help you feel at peace and in love with your body; I will do everything in my power to encourage you to triumph over media-induced delusions that tempt you to wish you were different from who you actually are. My goal is to be one of your resourceful supporters in the coming months — to be a member of your extensive team of allies. And I will be working with you to ensure that this team grows to just the right size and provides you with just the right foundation. If all goes well, your extra help will ensure that you finish almost everything you start in the coming year. You will regularly conquer everyday chaos and be a master of artful resolutions.

--Jan 3, 2013. Westender

Post Christmas Cravings

When I've had one glass of port and one Christmas cookie too many I find myself craving a cleansing soup. So today made a pared down version of my favorite Thai chicken soup, using lemon verbena instead of lemon grass, and cleaning the fridge out of leftover sweet potato, leeks, onions, and kale. I would also love some good miso soup, and that awesome soupy Vietnamese chicken curry. I have also found myself craving pizza, so went to get a slice of my mushroom pizza with its awesome chewy crust at Trilussa. I also love wild rice in soup. I've got to track some down.

We got a big hunk of chevre for Christmas, so tomorrow I'm gonna make a cheesecake!

As I prepare to head to Victoria next month for my annual trip, I am sad to hear The Superior and Daidoco have both closed. All is not lost: Daidoco has been reopened as Ochida with what looks like a similar menu, but the Superior will reopen in February for 2 nights a week as a live event club with rotating chefs.

Weekend Salad

A great Swedish-inspired salad for the weekend is smoked salmon, capers, fresh dill,  cubed cukes and radishes and fresh peas. I put in a couple teaspoons low fat sour cream. I also made a  burdock dish--not a salad but good for a main dish: mushrooms, grated burdock (rinsed), asparagus pieces sauteed in olive oil, finished with sesame oil, salt, and sesame seeds. It's a very calming dish.

Put in some quality gardening time yesterday. The weather today is not co-operating but I think I might go out and putter around anyway.

Mango Salad

Wednesday's salad was just strawberries and orange segments. Thursday's salad was mango with cardamom and mustard seeds sprinkled with lime juice and finely flaked coconut.

The rain has been great for the garden, but we are ready for a sunny weekend. The late lilacs are in bloom, the early oriental poppies are finishing and the irises are blooming in the rain. I am amazed at how many varieties of irises there are in Vancouver in shades of purple and mauve. The mock oranges are also filling the moist air with their heady jasmine scent.