Cool and Creamy

It's a hazy one out there. A perfect Pride Weekend, made special because it's my first weekend of summer vacation. It usually takes a few days for the thought of summer vacation to soak in, and another few days to get all unwound, especially with end of the year drama. And while I'll miss the children like crazy, I'm glad to have some time to myself. And it couldn't be a more perfect weekend to start off my holiday.

Enjoying hot hazy days can be tricky. The sunshine begs you to join it outside, but after awhile and a couple gallons of water, you're exhausted. I think the trick is to balance your sunshine adventures with lots of hydration, and some cool creamy treats. These mango lime popsicles are perfect, but so is this unique strawberry rice pudding.

I know some of you aren't pudding people. It's a texture thing, right? I loved pudding as a child. Every once in awhile, my parents would get the Jell-o pudding cups (usually vanilla or tapioca) and I would be allowed to have one as an after school treat. My first perfect memory of pudding as a child was when I went over a friend's house for the first time, and we made lemon pudding together. We poured in the milk, mixed it up, and waited patiently for it to set in the fridge. I think it's the memory of being together with that friend that I miss, rather than the taste of powdered pudding.

 My re-acquaintance with pudding came many years later when I made this super easy chocolate pudding. No messing about with egg yolks or double cream. Cornstarch does an amazing job thickening it to the perfect pudding consistency. I even made a mocha version by substituting some of the milk with extra strong brewed coffee, and a butterscotch version with some leftover butterscotch chips. Then this coconut rice pudding got posted, and I tried that too. In this recent pudding edition of my kitchen adventures, I made a strawberry rice pudding that's just sweet enough, very creamy and totally perfect if you have some stray berries that are getting over-ripened. I originally wanted it to be a coconut strawberry pudding; I used a coconut milk beverage (the kind in the tetra pack that's used as a milk substitute) for the first time, but found out that while it's nice and creamy, it lacked in coconut flavour. But that didn't matter because the strawberries totally shone. When it's chilled and eaten straight from the jar, it's the perfect after-sun-adventure treat.

While I know the pudding probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, I urge you to try it if you like pudding even a little bit. There's just something so satisfying about sticking your spoon into a jar of something creamy and cool ... Happy summer days everyone!

Strawberry Rice Pudding
serves about 2-3

1/4 cup of arborio rice
1.5 cups of milk (or any non-dairy milk -- I used So Nice coconut milk beverage)*
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of natural cane sugar
1/2 cup of fresh strawberries, diced

**if you want a more coconut-y pudding, try replacing some of the liquid with the thicker coconut milk that you get in a can -- I would say maybe use half a cup.

1. Place your chopped berries in a small bowl and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of sugar. Mix well and let sit while the pudding cooks.

2. Rinse your rice well. Place it in a pot with the milk, vanilla and the rest of the sugar. Bring the mixture up to a boil, stirring often. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook, covered, until the rice is tender and the liquid a thickened. It will still be runny -- don't worry that it's not pudding-like yet.

3. Turn the heat off and stir in the diced berries with their juices. Let it cool to room temperature and then refrigerate.  Enjoy when it's completely cool, thick and creamy!  I'd even have it for breakfast!

Rhubarb, oh Rhubarb

 I'm obsessed with rhubarb. Utterly obsessed. I think it's because I discovered the tangy, fruity goodness of rhubarb only recently. I was never exposed to it as a child -- only in those horrible commercial strawberry rhubarb pies that had a goopy thick filling that was pretty much all sugar and very little fruit. When I first picked up the beautiful green and red stalks at the market, I baked them up into this crumble with raspberries. Ever since then, I was hooked. Last year, I made orange rhubarb madeleines that were fragrant and spongey. I even sneaked a little into last year's strawberry preserves. So this year, when I saw them for $1.99/pound at the market, I indulged .. several times. The most recent, being this roasted strawberry rhubarb upside down cake. It's a combination of two different recipes, and the secret is a big splash of balsamic vinegar mixed in with the fruit as it's roasted.

This cake is awesome. It's simple to make and beautifully moist and lemony. It's the kind of cake that you can whip up for unexpected company, or to cheer you up if you're having a rough weekend. It's probably also perfect for Dad tomorrow and brought over the top with a little dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I enjoyed mine plain, usually as an after school treat, and when I brought a slice to my stressed-out colleague, she said it made her day a little bit brighter.

There's still rhubarb out there and the local berries are just starting to get beautiful, ripe, juicy and cheap.  Roast your fruit, beat your eggs, pick out some interesting whole wheat flours and find a beautiful organic yogurt to put into this cake. Make someone's day a little bit brighter.

Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
adapted from Joy the Baker and Everybody Likes Sandwiches

1 large, or 2 small stalks of rhubarb, washed and chopped
1 cup of strawberries, washed, hulled and halved
1.5 tablespoons of natural cane sugar
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

2 eggs
1/2 cup of brown sugar
zest and juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup of plain yogurt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup of spelt flour
1/2 cup of whole wheat flour

1. Combine the fruit, cane sugar, and balsamic vinegar in a 9 inch baking pan. Toss well. Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until the fruit gets soft and the juices start to bubble and thicken ever so slightly.

2. While you're waiting for the fruit to roast, make the cake. Mix the eggs, brown sugar, lemon juice and zest, vanilla, oil and yogurt in a large bowl. Mix until everything is well-combined. Sift in the flours and baking soda. Mix until just combined.

3. Pour the cake batter over the roasted fruit and pop it back in the oven. Bake for 30ish minutes or until the cake gets a beautiful golden brown and a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

4. Let the cake cool completely. Run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Invert a plate on top of the cake. Now flip!  Carefully lift off the baking pan and admire your work. Enjoy in the sunshine.

While They Last

One of my all time favourite summer memories was when I had just graduated university and my best friend and I took a trip to Montreal. We talked about bagels and boys, old and new loves, what we did and didn't learn in our respective universities, our plans for the future and everything else in between. I remember when we got there in the evening, we had dinner at Frites Alors! and with it, some local beer. I remember ordering a beer called Éphémère flavoured with cassis. I loved the name .. meaning ephemeral, or fleeting, just like the summer and just like our time in Montreal. That was was 7 years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday. I guess some things only appear to be ephemeral, but in reality leave lasting indentations in our lives, and in our hearts.

So many things about this season are fleeting, the most obvious being the summer berry season. While apple season seems never ending, strawberry season comes and goes in a flash. Yesterday, I went with my sister to pick up her CSA share and the lovely lady at the booth handed us a basket of berries saying "Theses are the last of the season and they're the best." And so they were. We ate a handful as appetizers on our way to dinner. The last of the season? Didn't I just see them appear in the market? Ontario strawberries are fading fast, so make the most of them while they're here. I certainly did: straight up and not even washed, chopped up and thrown into bowls of oatmeal, making compote and crumbles ... lost of crumbles.

I also made these scones. I'm usually not a scone person, but I wanted to bake up a little treat to while away the early morning hours of a summer weekday morning -- something that I definitely savour. These scones are very easy to prepare and have a nice crumbly, tender texture. The little sprinking of sugar on top gives them a nice crunch as well. I used a recipe from Irene over at Confessions of a Tart and it was nice and simple. I added a bunch of fresh thyme, just because, and it gave it nice little something extra. This recipe is totally modifiable to whatever berries come across your market. It's also go no eggs in it, so it's easily made vegan by using vegan margarine instead of butter. So go play with the berries while they're here. Don't let them get away!

Fresh Strawberry Scones
adapted from Confessions of a Tart
makes 12 tiny mini sconelettes

1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt

2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons of sugar
3 tablespoons of cold butter
1/3 cup of soy milk mixed with juice of ¼ of a lemon
1/2 cup of chopped strawberries
a few sprigs of thyme, leaves plucked

1. Sift together the flours, baking powder, salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar.

2. Add the butter and rub it into the flour with your fingers until you get a sandy, course meal. Add the strawberries, thyme and all but one tablespoon of the soy mixture.

3. Stir very gently until the fixture forms a sticky dough. On a floured surface, with floured hands, turn out the dough. Knead a few times (no more than 5) and form into a circular disc. At this point, you could cut out 4 big scones, 8 small ones, or 12 mini sconelettes.

4. Place you scones on a baking sheet and brush with the remaining soy mixture. Sprinkle with the reserved 2 teaspoons of sugar.

5. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until they get lightly brown and become fragrant. Best served warm.

Orange Strawberry Pizza

Do you know Joy the Baker? I don't mean do you know her, know her, but do you know of her blog? I'm pretty sure you do, because everyone does. She's awesome for so many reasons but I love her mostly because she does crazy things that you would never think of doing (like make hot chocolate popovers that taste just like hot chocolate and drink kale, pear and spinach smoothies!), but when you try it, the results are awesome.

She made a recent post featuring strawberry balsamic flat bread. How did she know that the first Ontario strawberries were in the market? I couldn't resist making a version of my own. Here's what I did:




I made half a batch of this easy pizza dough recipe, only I skipped the rosemary in favour of some fresh thyme, and added some orange zest. While it was resting, I marinated some sliced Ontario strawberries in a sprinkling of sugar, a generous splash of balsamic vinegar and more orange zest. While the berries and dough were hanging out, I washed and chopped some fresh spinach. I rolled out the dough, drizzled it with olive oil, sprinkled on the spinach, then the strawberries in their beautiful balsamic-y juices and added some mild Canadian goat cheese on top. It went in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes and came out fantastic. A last sprinkling of freshly chopped basil, right from the balcony garden and it was total perfection. A perfect summer supper.

Thanks, Joy! You rock my world!

Cleansing Treats

Who says you can't have treats while you're cleansing?? It's mid-week, I cleansed yesterday, crashed at 8:00pm after a long day at work, but I still had time for a little treat: Chocolate Banana Softserve with Strawberries. What?! That's not part of the cleanse?! Oh, but yes, yes it is. No dairy or sugar added .. inspired by Maya and Eliza and their creative blended frozen fruit desserts. The texture and taste were right on. I don't need to say more ... just MAKE IT!!


Chocolate Banana Softserve with Strawberries
inspired by nourishing mornings and pistachios and rainbows

1 frozen banana
1 teaspoon of cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/4 cup of soy or almond milk (plus more if needed)
a handful of strawberries, sliced

Put everything in a blender or mini chopper and whiz until smooth and creamy. You might have to add more liquid depending on the size of your banana. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries and don't you DARE feel guilty about eating THIS dessert!

**I'm going to try it tonight with frozen banana, frozen blueberries and almond extract.

Help! Health Contradictions

Ok, so I did something that I didn't think I would do anytime soon: I signed up at the gym across the street from me. It's not just any old gym. It's like a weight-lifting, mind-changing, philosophy-pumping gym filled with large, muscly, oily looking men and women in tight spandex work-out shorts who don't smile back when I smile at them. Why? Well, the thai-boxing didn't work out (waaaaaaay too expensive!), and my partner and I wanted something exercise-y to do together that was convenient, interesting and a challenge. After muathai proved too hard on my summer budget, we signed up at the gym across the street.

Now, the signing up came with a 3 hour lecture on how to eat better and exercise better and a 1 hour training session on how to do 4 different lifts properly. We brought coffee, but I still left yawning. All I wanted was something to supplement my cardio workouts, something that would allow me to get stronger and more capable at doing certain physical tasks. The messages I got, were not only confusing, but hard to follow. Yeah, I'll spare you the gorey details, but apparently, cardio is a waste of time because it lowers your resting heart rate and you end up burning less calories when you're sleeping or resting -- but by lowering your resting heart rate aren't you making things less difficult on your heart?? It gets better. Apparently we're supposed to cut dairy out of our diets because it's so unnatural and no other mammal drinks another mammal's milk (so ... no other mammal wears clothes ... or uses technology ... or friggin pumps weights!), AND we're supposed to stop eating grains too because their not part of our "original diets" (yet at the end of it, he said that we should take advantage of the global market and eat a variety of meats and fruits and vegetables ... yeah, I don't think the global market was around when the first humans hunted and gathered!). Oh yeah, and basically all vegetarians have it wrong because you'll end up chubby and will never be able to build muscle because there's no protein in a vegetarian diet (Hello!! Brown rice + beans = complete protein!).


So ... does that mean that this (and I quote) "best oatmeal I've ever eaten," inspired by this gal and this lady shouldn't ever be made again? Oh come on! Peanut butter, bananas, strawberries? Until last summer when I read the mentioned posts, I never even thought to bake oatmeal. Now I do it all the time and experiment with different fruit/flavour combinations (apples, raisins, cinnamon and rhubarb, cherries and almonds). And that big dollop of skim milk yogurt on top .. that's no-no too??

The Best Baked Oatmeal

1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter
1/2 cup of soy milk
3/4 cup of skim milk
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 banana, chopped
1 handful of strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup of quick cooking (5 minute) oats

1. Put the peanut butter in a large bowl. Whisk in the soy milk a little at a time so that the peanut butter gets incorporated (as opposed to just having big lumps in the liquid).

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well-combined. Pour into a cake pan or square baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven until all the liquid is absorbed and it gets little golden at the sides.

3. Prepare to taste oatmeal that you have never tasted it before! It's like having cake for breakfast! Even better topped with yogurt (oh no! the dreaded dairy! How am I ever going to build muscle!)

So, does this ALSO means that the honeyed cherry muffins I made yesterday morning are nixed from my repertoire as well?? I thought they were super healthy -- oatmeal, fresh fruit, honey, canola oil, psyllium husks (ok yeah that was random.. I tried to sneak that one in but it didn't work. My Dad brought over this huge jar of psyllium husks because it's supposedly super healthy. If you don't have it, just use wheat bran or wheat germ). The secret here is soaking the oats in the liquids for 5 minutes or so before adding the rest of the ingredients - makes a very tender, moist crumb for the muffins. But the grains are a no-no ... really?!

Honeyed-Cherry Multi-Grain Muffins

1/2 cup of quick cooking oats (5 minute kind)
1/4 cup of psyllium husks (or wheat bran or wheat germ)
1/2 cup of yogurt
1/2 cup of skim milk (or instead of milk and yogurt, use all buttermilk)
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup of honey
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
1 egg
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of cherries, pitted and chopped

1. In a large bowl stir together the milk, yogurt, oil and honey until well blended. Add in the oats and psyllium husks and stir. Let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes (this would be a good time to pit and chop your cherries).

2. Add in a beaten egg, brown sugar, vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

3. Sift in the flour and baking soda and mix until just combined (don't over mix!). Stir in the cherries.

4. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins (makes 12 big ones and 24 mini-muffins) and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

5. Enjoy your whole grains! Yeah, I'm never going to get a six-pack anyway!

Happy PRIDE!!

Quick little post here to say HAPPY PRIDE, TORONTO!! People were commenting that Pride was too highly politicized this year, but you know what? I think when we're talking about LGBTQ pride, politics has to play a role. And politics dividing the people involved with organizing the Pride festivities? Well, that's how we learn. There's conflict, there's division, but hopefully in the end, there's learning and knowledge that comes about of all that conflict. Because conflict can spark discussion and debate, and that is how we learn.

Politics ruining Pride? Not for me. I fully enjoyed booing the police, waving and blowing kisses at Olivia Chow, and waving peace signs and shouting in solidarity whenever I saw "My Pride Includes Freedom of Speech." Plus, there was a really cool sign: Boobs NOT Blair! I think that was my favourite! The day could not have been more perfect (or hot and steamy!), but what made it over the top, were crazy screaming friends, and ... COOKIES. Two kinds to be specific -- because my pride includes a little sweetness!

Lemon and Strawberry-kissed Sugar Cookies
adapted from "Cookies" p. 92 - by Catherine Atkinson, Joanna Farrow and Valerie Barrett: I usually don't go for a roll-out cookie simply because I'm lazy, but my Pride-going friend had just bought me these cute little cookie cutters, plus a bunch of pretty pink and purple dazzle sugar, so I couldn't resist! I originally thought that the strawberry puree would dye the cookie pink, but they only got a tiny bit blushed. The flavour of the strawberries is subtle and wonderful.

zest and juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup of ripe strawberries - hulled
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 cup of softened butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg yolk
coloured sugar for sprinkling

1. Put the lemon juice and strawberries in a mini-chopper or blender and blend until you get a smooth puree. This makes about 1/3 of a cup of puree. Set aside.

2. Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Add the egg yolk and mix until light and fluffy.

3. Add the flour alternately with the strawberry puree, mixing well between additions. You should end up with a soft dough. Chill the dough wrapped in plastic for at least an hour, overnight preferably.

4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured. I found that it was easier to roll it out in two separate batches. Roll it out to maybe half a centimetre thick, maybe a tiny bit more. Think shortbread texture. Use your favourite cookie cutters to cut out the dough. Place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with coloured sugar.

5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. The cookies will puff up a bit and get a teeny bit brown around the edges.


Chocolate Almond Cherry Cookies
adapted from eat me delicious: These cookies are absolute heaven, and YES, even I used real butter in the one. The chocolate and almonds and cherries are just such a perfect match. It's a chewy, buttery deep dark chocolatey cookie. Be careful when transporting them in hot weather ..they get melty!

1/2 cup of soften butter
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of white sugar
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
1 egg
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
1/2 cup of ground almonds
3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1/3 cup of chocolate chips
1/2 cup of chopped dried cherries

1. Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and almond extract and stir until everything is combined.

2. Add the salt, baking soda and sift in the cocoa. Give it a good stir. Add the flour and ground almonds and stir until everything is covered in cocoa magic.

3. Add the chocolate chips and cherries and mix well. Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cookies crackle on top and you can smell the chocolate-y goodness.

"And now for the Switch Up"

I don't know if I've told you before, but my first TV cooking love was Anna Olson. Ok, I know I've told you before, but the recipe I'm about to post is just .. well, just so Anna, that I had to mention her again. I used to spend lazy summer days in front of the TV learning how to separate eggs without getting any yolk into the whites, make lump-free lemon curd, the importance of sifting flour and ... turning the phrase "plain and simple" to "simple and elegant." That was her key phrase, the phrase that she said right before she ended the show. "And there you have it. Simple and elegant. I'm Anna Olson and thanks for watching Sugar." Ok, so I was/am a little obsessed. But Anna Olsen really did introduce me to the world of baking. Watching her gave me the courage to take recipes and change them to suit my needs, tastes and cupboard.


Anna's got lots of different shows now, but the original one, the one called Sugar, is the one I remember the most. I loved it because it had different parts. First, she would make something easy and simple, something that you could do on a weeknight. Then, she's make something really special, that layer cake that you have to let set for an hour before decorating, or that exotic flavoured ice cream that you have to make in many steps. I have to say that I've never attempted one of those recipes, but hope to in the future. The last 2 minutes of the show were always my favourite. She'd do the "switch up." She'd take the easy, simple recipe from the first part of the show and dress it up so that it would be good enough to serve to guests. I found it absolutely brilliant that a pound cake baked into individual cups instead of a loaf could make such a difference, or that serving cookies with a fruit salad could turn it from a tasty treat to a dessert to serve to company.

Anna's "switch up" was exactly what I thought of a couple weekends ago when I received a lovely surprise from my love. I had been washing the bathroom, and when I came out, he had a cheeky grin on is face, and told me that he had made me a special treat. I was doubly surprised when he pulled a cookie tray out the oven and presented it to me. Cooking he loves, but rarely will he bake -- this was a true labour of love. He had taken my all-time favourite flavour, peanut-butter, and made me a yummy treat. On the tray were 6 gigantic, chewy peanut butter cookies. But that wasn't all. In a small pot simmering on the stove was the freshest-looking strawberry sauce ever. He delicately assembled the treat by putting a bit of the strawberry sauce on top of the cookie and we both took a bit at the same time. It was heaven. I truly decadent PBJ and a wonderful surprise after spending an hour scrubbing the bathroom. The strawberry sauce was perfect -- tangy, sweet, fresh -- and suited the chewy peanut-buttery goodness of the cookie just fine. A perfect pair. Wonderful. I wish all my PBJs were as delicious. Without even watching Anna Olson, my love was able to create the perfect switch-up my dressing up a simple peanut butter cookie. Now, that's talent. :)

PBJ Surprises

For the cookies:

1 cup of all natural smooth peanut butter
1 egg
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 cup of flour

For the strawberry sauce

a large handful of fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
a splash of almond extract
1 tablespoon of sugar
a little squeeze of lemon

1. Put all the strawberry sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium until things start to bubble. Reduce the heat a bit and let it simmer until the strawberries break down.

2. Cream the peanut butter and sugar. Add the egg, baking soda and flour and give it a good mix.

3. Place spoonfuls of the dough on a sheet. Make sure they are very well spaced out because these yummies will definitely spread out.

4. Bake the cookies in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown on the edges.

5. Serve the cookies topped with the strawberry sauce and smile.