quinoa & kale pilaf w honey-ginger tofu

aka 'warm superfood salad'

Quinoa, kale, and tofu may not sound terribly exciting to some but that's only because they just don't know! It was sooooo good. And soooo easy. And healthy. Win-ner!!!!


Extra firm tofu is marinated for a quick 15 minutes in what is essentially a quick and easy teriyaki sauce while you get the quinoa on the go. Even making it the first time it really only took about 35 minutes from start to finish.


The recipe is from Chatelaine magazine. The only changes I made were to use coconut oil (just the regular, unscented not extra virgin) in place of the canola they recommend, I used a whole onion as opposed to the half called for because onions are good for bones (yes, they are) and I didn't think it would be a bad thing taste-wise, and another tsp of grated ginger because we love it.  In the end I think all were good calls - especially the ginger.


This serves 4 very generously - we ate half for dinner and then the rest for lunch a day or so later. It saved and reheated very well.


honey-ginger tofu
(tweaked from Chatelaine)


350 gm package extra-firm tofu
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp honey
3 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp coconut oil


Pat tofu dry. Cut in half cross-wise and then cut those pieces in half through the thickness (is that about as clear as mud? It's kind of like cutting bread for this step), and then finally cut each of the pieces in half diagonally. You should have 8 triangles of tofu. And trust me - this is the hardest part of the recipe. Stir the honey, soy sauce, ginger, and melted coconut oil together in an 8" square baking dish. Add the tofu and turn each piece so that it is coated. Let stand 15 minutes (or so, longer won't hurt).


Heat a non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Melt a 1/2 tsp or so of coconut oil and add the tofu. reserving the marinade. Cook until dark golden - about 3 minutes per side. Serve with the pilaf and drizzle with reserved marinade.


quinoa & kale pilaf


1 tsp coconut oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup red quinoa
1 bunch kale, finely chopped


Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and the onion, cooking until the onion is soft. Add the broth and 1/2 cup of water. Stir in the quinoa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until tender - about 20 minutes. Stir in the kale until it wilts, only 2 or 3 minutes.


*Red quinoa holds its shape better than the regular white does - not so mushy - so it is worth having in your pantry. And if you have some you can always make salmon, quinoa, and asparagus another day.

another reason to drink water

I read something the other day that I found very interesting. Very simply, our taste preferences are heavily influenced by exposure (of course, we all know this) to particular foods and apparently we have a tendency to eat healthier foods when we drink water! This conclusion after two separate studies - one with young children and vegetable consumption, the other with adults pairing food and drink. The older group tended to go for a combination of soda and salty, calorie-dense foods over vegetables while the little ones ate more raw veggies when the meal was accompanied by water over a sugary beverage.


"If the drink on the table sets the odds against both adults and children eating their vegetables, then perhaps it is time to change that drink, and replace it with water," the researchers concluded.


Duh! I mean, amen. We are very fortunate to have access to clean drinking water. We should drink it. I am always a bit shocked when people ask me what I drink. Water of course! It is the obvious choice over juices, sodas, and other sugar-filled junk. I hope that is not obnoxious and self-righteous sounding but it is my stand. Nice to have some more research to back me up.

raspberry rhubarb galette

Of all the things I grow in my garden, rhubarb is my favourite. I honestly love the taste, it looks cool, and rhubarb is incredibly good for you. There are compounds in rhubarb that can fight cancer (anthraquinones), lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation, lower blood pressure, and protect eye and brain health. It contains resveratrol, lutein, zeaxanthin, (all powerful antioxidants) and good amounts of B complex vitamins, as well as vitamin K and C, calcium, potassium, and manganese. Impressive!


Being a committed rhubarb lover I personally think rhubarb shines nicely in its very own spotlight. I have tried to be enthusiastic about rhubarb and berry combinations but they always leave me cold. To be truthful I dislike them. This combination was not bad but honestly? the galette would be so much better (in my opinion) if it was straight-up rhubarb filled. Whatever the filling, I feel myself entering a galette phase. Really so easy, with none of the fuss and mess that pie in a pan entails. Rhubarb is just the beginning.

When I started this blogging adventure my intent was not a cooking blog. Actually it is still not my intent but it is a fun thing to share recipes. My standard when it comes to sharing recipes is to only share those that I feel are really amazing. You know, the things that you make and enjoy so much that you want everyone to have the pleasure. Everybody has plenty (or at least enough) mediocre recipes in their files so I determined not to add more of that calibre. Having said that this recipe does not quite reach the mark and so I have considered the merits of including it - deciding as you see, to include it based on how much fun it is to make. Pies are not difficult but galettes are joyfully easy. And they look so effortlessly cool as well. No try-hard perfection here.


raspberry rhubarb galette
(adapted from Martha Stewart)


5 cups chopped rhubarb (cut into 1/2" pieces)
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
Turbinado sugar
Cornmeal Pate Brisee*
1 egg, beaten


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.


On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to a 14" round, about 1/8" thick. Transfer to baking sheet.


Combine the cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar. Toss the rhubarb and raspberries with the sugar mixture - taking care not to mangle the raspberries. Arrange the mixture on the dough circle, leaving a border of about 2" all the way around. Fold border over fruit mixture, overlapping where necessary. Press fold gently. Brush dough with beaten egg and sprinkle with a tablespoon or two of sugar.


Bake until crust is deep golden and juices are bubbling - about 55 or 60 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without cream - iced or whipped.


*Cornmeal Pate Brisee
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3-4 Tbsp ice cold water


Combine the flour, cornmeal, sea salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. With machine running, add the water in a thin stream through the feed-tube - just until the dough holds together. Only about 30 seconds total - don't over-process. 


Gather the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30  minutes before rolling out.

in my atelier

My sewing room has been temporarily elevated to 'atelier' status. On account of the wedding dresses. One down and one to go, I should be firmly entrenched in creative mode. I should be and I think I want to be but I have been dragging my feet. Next week, come hell or high water I no longer have even a tiny bit of choice if I don't want to disappoint a lovely bride and  reveal myself to be a heel of large proportion. I like the whole wedding dress creation thing - the fabrics, the design possibilities, getting lost in the creative moment, and of course the romance. I enjoy the challenge of the "how" as well as the "what".  


I should be firmly entrenched, happy as a pig in mud but I get distracted and side-tracked by new babies, and school concerts, and trips, and weeding gardens, and planting, and books to be read, and recipes to be tried. I am happy to be distracted because as happy as I am in my atelier ....weddings and new babies are all tangled up in my heart with Merin and sometimes those memories are still very tender. Tender but not painful, fresh but - thankfully - no longer raw, cherished. I work in my little room and take out memories of other dresses as I listen to the playlist I started when I made Hannah's dress and added to as I made Merin's. I remember Eden's insistence that I make her dress - and I am so glad she won the day. I was afraid of the project - emotionally laden and with the potential for terrible disappointment on both our parts. Her faith in me gave me faith in myself, the dress was beautiful and she in the dress, and we have yet another bond. When I made Hannah's dress I knew her so little - it became the start of a cherished friendship and mutual respect. And Merin's dress relieved and delighted both of us.


I have made five wedding dresses and altered several more. I have felt honoured and privileged to be involved with each. A wedding dress is more than just a beautiful garment, more than a special dress worn to the party of a lifetime. It represents a full and trusting heart given with faith, joy, and love, looking forward with hope to a wonderful shared future. It is what a woman wears on the day her marriage begins not just at her wedding. It is a unique symbol.


My nose will be pressed to the grindstone next week and the threads will fly. Fingers crossed the next creation will be all that someone hopes it will be. 

photo courtesy of eden lang pictures. Looking through the bridal shoot again, so many dear, dear memories - of Merin, of the morning of the shoot, of my girls laughing together. So rich.

gluten-free berry honey cake

This morning I woke up and wanted to make a cake. With fresh strawberries and blueberries. A buttermilk berry cake but with honey and without gluten. Something that Eden could eat. In my adventures and attempts at healthier baking I have found that baking without gluten is not a really daunting challenge - once you figure out the way to exchange flours and what the different flours taste like. But baking a cake or cookies without sugar can be a bit dicey. Success is not guaranteed. At least not for me. Not yet. I am having fun with the challenge though. 


I traded around a few bits and pieces from last year's recipe, crossed my fingers and held my breath, and.... it was pretty good. Moist and full of berry goodness with a sweet crunchy crust. The name doesn't have quite the ring that buttermilk berry cake does but nobody eats the name.


gluten-free berry honey cake


1 cup + 2 Tbsp whole grain gluten-free flour mix*
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp grey sea salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
1 cup fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries


Butter a 9" cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.


Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt.


Beat honey and butter until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Add the egg and yogurt and beat well. Fold in the dry ingredients. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter the berries evenly over the top. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a rack. Cool for 10 minutes and invert onto serving plate.


*I make my own mix of whole grain gluten-free flours. You can find the recipe for the mix at the bottom of this recipe. Or you can use any commercial gluten-free flour mix you prefer. 

brand new

Tiny, brand new, fresh baby smelling. Ewan Thomas Litchfield. Born this morning - very early. 6 lb 15 oz of perfection. My eighth grandchild - fifth grandson - a handsome boy. He has a thick shock of blonde hair. A double crown like his mama. And skin that seems a bit too big for him yet. He is calm and alert, gently swimming through the air in that dreamy newborn way. Precious, so precious.  Although he shares my heart with seven others, he has it all. I am excited to watch his life unfold. To see and know the person he will be. My heart is full this evening. Life is very good. Well done Hannah and Thomas. I love you all.


He is even cuter (if possible) after a bath. And yes, I am in love again.

mango and coconut rice salad with Thai basil

On account of a 'hairy' mango smoothie that Eden was offered (and obliged to drink) one day in Mexico - way back when - she believed for a very long time that she hated mangos. Can't say I blame her but what a shame. Happily she has overcome that prejudice and one of the reasons is... mango in salad. Put a mango in a salad and it is - all of a sudden - a happy, sunny affair. This salad may just be the queen of mango salads. Mangos, black rice, brown jasmine rice, coconut, mint, basil, cilantro, lemon zest.... hey! wipe your chin! It is wonderfully fresh. Actually, just wonderful.


I used a couple of Ataulfo mangos - the pretty little yellow ones from the Philippines. So very much the best mango around in my opinion. Sweet, silky flesh - and lots of it - with no nasty hairiness. The season for them is short - or at least too short - so don't wait. If not for this recipe, just to eat out of hand. 


Don't be put off by the rice-cooking-in-two-pots thing, it is not nearly as much of a fuss as you might think and well worth washing two little pots. (Since I cook rice pretty much 99.9% of the time in my rice cooker I was almost deterred.) The rice cooks while you are busy chopping the greens and dicing the mango. It all comes together very quickly.


I shared some of the next day salad (which kept very well, by the way) with Eden. She whole heartedly endorsed my enthusiasm and asked me to share.


coconut and mango rice salad with Thai basil
(adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi)


2/3 cup brown jasmine rice
1 tsp virgin coconut oil
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup loosely packed Thai basil
1 cup black rice
1/2 long English cucumber, cubed
2 Tbsp mint leaves, roughly chopped
2/3 cup cilantro, stems and leaves roughly chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 Ataulfo mangos, diced
1/2 cup roasted, salted cashews, roughly chopped
2/3 cup flaked coconut
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp grey sea salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper


First, cook the rice. Combine the brown jasmine rice, coconut oil, pinch of salt, water, and half the Thai basil in a small saucepan. Add half the Thai basil (keeping the leaves attached to the stem), bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Remove and discard the basil. Put the rice in a colander and rinse with cold water to cool. At the same time cook the black rice in plenty of boiling water (as you would pasta) for 20 minutes or until it is tender. Drain and rinse with cold water to cool.


Pick the remaining basil leaves off the stem and chop roughly. Put them (along with the remaining ingredients) into a large bowl. Add the rices and stir just to mix, being careful not to mangle the mango. 


Serves 4 - generously.


Note: you can dial up the heat by increasing the cayenne pepper if you choose. I wanted just a suggestion not an overwhelming blast. But you may like it better hot.