Inspired Edibles

~ real food, balanced living ~

Lemon Currant Oatmeal Scones with fresh Lavender Leaves

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Ever since visiting this property, it has been a quiet fantasy of mine to cultivate my own lavender farm.

Wouldn’t you just love to run yourself and your naked feet through those fragrant purple fields? 
But since I’m not likely to abandon my life as I currently know it, nor obtain a degree in horticulture anytime soon, I decided I would do the next best thing. 

Snip off some fresh lavender leaves from my little herb box and get busy.

I made these scones for my husband on Father’s day.  (He adores scones; something I don’t make very often so it qualifies as a treat).

He tried the first scone without jam, cream or anything in between, preferring instead to “explore the subtle flavour of the lavender” (shameless flirt).

If you’re looking for puffy, airy, white flour vapidness – these are not your scones.  The featured scones are made with whole grains and deliver a more textured, coarse biscuit-style bite with just a touch of sweetness and plenty of nature’s surprise.

These scones were a big hit in our home (once we were finally able to wrestle a few away from Dad that is) – I hope you enjoy them too!

Lemon Currant Oatmeal Scones with fresh Lavender Leaves

  • 1 + 2/3 cups spelt flour (or other whole grain flour of choice)
  • 1 + 1/3 whole grain oats
  • 1/4 cup golden turbinado sugar, substitute other coarse grain sugar
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla essence
  • Zest of one lemon
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 2/3 cup buttermilk, well-shaken
  • 1/2 cup dried currants
  • 2 heaping Tbsp lavender leaves

————

Makes 12 – 14 scones

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a large bowl, combine spelt flour, oats, turbinado sugar, baking powder and baking soda.

Add butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the dry mixture until it resembles small pea-sized lumps.  Add currants and lavender leaves to mixture.

In a separate smaller bowl, stir together vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and buttermilk.  Add wet mixture to dry ingredients.

Stir until a sticky dough begins to form. 

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead a few times.

Pat dough into a 1-inch thick rectangular shape, dusting surface with flour if necessary. 

At this point, I usually add more citrus zest
and currants to the surface of the dough
Cut out as many scones as possible with your cutter – or an object posing as a cutter
I have no idea where my cookie cutter is…
probably in the Christmas box
 
Transfer scones onto a parchment paper lined cooking sheet. 

Be sure to gather any scraps of dough to reshape for more cut outs.

Brush the tops of the scones with buttermilk and sprinkle with a dusting of turbinado sugar if desired (I forgot to do this – it did not seem to matter).

Bake for approximately 12 – 15 minutes until golden brown.

Allow scones to cool on a rack prior to eating.

Lemon Thyme Artichoke Dip ~ a summer fresh delight

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“There is no such thing as a little garlic”  ~ Arthur Baer.
——————

 

Every morning, I visit my little herb garden to see what surprises await me.



My sons made these beautiful elevated herb boxes for me
on Mother’s day this year (with a little help from their dad)

The herb boxes are made of cedar. So not only do the herbs smell delicious, the boxes do too! (they remind me of that smoky, intoxicating sauna smell…which reminds me of skiing… which reminds me of jacuzzis… which reminds me of saunas… the perfect circle of life).

More importantly, the herb boxes are elevated and away from a certain girl who would absolutely and unequivocally love to devour them, roots and all.

who, moi?

Doesn’t she perform innocent well? Just look at those chocolate brown eyes… they’ll melt your heart while she quietly goes about destroying your property (gone are my kiwi plants; raspberry bushes, tulips and I’m in the fight of my life for our precious lilac tree).  Good thing I love the little stinker to pieces.

Anyway, today, in my elevated herb boxes, the lemon thyme was calling out to me.  I decided to use it in this summery version of artichoke dip.
With a solid protein content, this dip is the perfect accompaniment to fresh, hydrating vegetables.  Summer delicious.

 Lemon Thyme Artichoke Dip ~ a summer fresh delight

  • 1 400 ml bottle whole artichokes (about 1 + 1/2 cups), drained and coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 Tbsp pitted green olives, finely diced
  • 1/2 tsp jalapeno pepper, finely diced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon thyme, chopped + more for garnish
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp tarragon vinegar (substitute rice vinegar)
  • 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • sea salt & coarse black pepper to taste

————-

Notes:

This dip has got some good ol’ fashion zing to it.

If zing is not your thing, you may wish to tone down the raw garlic (the primary source of zing) and/or skip the jalapeno.

Why Garlic?

Those of us who love garlic don’t need any excuses to consume copious amounts of this allium, but just in case some of you are curious…

Research suggests that garlic may help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure as well as assist in helping prevent heart attacks by reducing the potential of blood clotting.

Raw garlic is also known for its antibacterial and antiviral properties.

The compound that is principally responsible for garlic’s disease-fighting ability (and characteristic smell) is allicin.  Allicin is formed after garlic is crushed or chopped and is best left exposed to air for at least a few minutes prior to cooking or integrating in food to activate maximum health benefits.

Garlic smell in your fingers?  Try rubbing a few drops of vanilla essence on your finger tips to tone down the stinking rose.

As for your breath?  Easy solution: make sure your partner eats plenty of garlic too!

 ————-

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until desired consistency is achieved.

Keep dip stored in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.  It will keep well in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

You can enjoy it throughout the week – with vegetables, as a sandwich spread, on poultry, chicken or your burgers.  It’s wonderfully versatile and flavourful.

Have fun with it.

Raspberry Mango Cheesecake Pops with an Almond Crust ~ Gluten Free

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The most challenging part about making this recipe is resisting eating the entire cheesecake batter before putting the pops in the freezer (so, so, … so, good).

As indulgences go, this one is pretty innocent.  In fact, these cheesecake pops are more like a healthy snack than a dessert.
Made with two cups of fresh fruit, protein rich yogurt and delicately sweetened mascarpone cheese, these pops will keep you cool and refreshed while providing you and your family with delicious nutrients.
As summer settles in and temperatures rise, our fluid needs increase.  Beyond water, our best dietary source of fluid comes from fresh fruits and vegetables.  Fruits and vegetables also provide an abundant source of vitamins, minerals, fibre, enzymes and antioxidants for our bodies.  They are truly wonder foods and when paired with a protein – yogurt, cheese, nuts, seeds, beans – they provide a balanced, low glycemic snack that helps keep our blood sugar levels stable and our energy and mood balanced.
Raspberry Mango Cheesecake Pops with an Almond Crust ~ (gluten free)
For the Cheesecake Pops
  • 12 x 3 oz. Dixie cups
  • 2 cups 2 % fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup mascarpone cheese
  • ¼ cup agave nectar, honey or pure maple syrup
  • 2 tsp natural vanilla essence
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 generous cup mango, coarsely chopped + a few smaller pieces for garnish
  • 1 generous cup fresh raspberries + a few chopped pieces for garnish
For the Almond Crust
  • 3/4 cup ground natural almonds (I use a dedicated coffee grinder to grind nuts/seeds)
  • 1 Tbsp coconut palm sugar
  • 1-2 Tbsp melted butter or coconut oil

 —————–

Why Greek Yogurt?

I favour Greek yogurt for its exceptional protein content (and gorgeous texture).

All yogurts, regardless of milk fat content, begin the same way – by adding bacterial cultures to milk.  Greek yogurt begins this way but it soon departs from other yogurt brands in that the milk is strained to remove the liquid whey.  According to manufacturers, this process of straining means that as many as four pounds of milk are required to produce one pound of Greek yogurt.  The resulting product is a far more concentrated source of protein (from casein) and a thick and creamy texture characteristic of Greek yogurt (regardless of fat content – even zero fat Greek yogurt has a gorgeous creamy-like texture reminiscent of sour cream) .

You will pay more for Greek yogurt but I think you will find that you get what you pay for.

——————-

Directions:

Assemble ingredients.

Place yogurt, mascarpone, agave nectar (or other), vanilla and lime juice in blender or food processor and blend until combined.

Add mango and raspberries to mixture and pulse just until fruit is broken down somewhat but still retains visible pieces of fruit.

Try not to eat all the batter.

Line up Dixie cups.  Drop a couple of small pieces of fruit at the bottom of each cup before filling cups 3/4 full with cheesecake batter.

Gently tap cups down on counter a couple times to allow batter to fully settle into cups and prevent air pockets.

Place a couple more pieces of fruit on top of cheesecake batter.

hmm…only 11 Dixie cups…
I wonder what happened to that other portion…

Assemble almond crust ingredients in a bowl.  There should be just enough butter in the mixture to allow the ground almond/sugar to stick together.  Top each cheesecake pop with a couple tsp of almond crust, pressing down on the crust to allow it to adhere to the cheesecake mixture.

Place a popsicle stick in the center of each Dixie cup.

I made a few with crust and left some without –
both versions were delish
Place cheesecake pops in the freezer for about 2 hours.
Important Note: 
Because these cheesecake pops are a natural food that do not contain thickeners, stabilizers or emulsifiers, they will freeze like ice (and become rock hard).
Do not let this deter you from making these delicious and healthy snacks.
Instead, you can simply remove the pops from the freezer and allow them to soften somewhat at room temperature on the counter or move the pops from the freezer to the fridge (which is what I do most often) in the Dixie cups.  Even if you forget them there, you can simply enjoy with a spoon out of the Dixie cup (like a thick smoothie – delish!).

To eat, remove pops by pressing up on the base of the Dixie cup or, failing that, simply tear away the cup.
I hope you enjoy these as much as we do (‘did’).  My husband and sons came home from camping this past weekend and wiped out my entire stock!  They loved them…

Light and Refreshing Mojito Smoothie

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Mojitos are one of my all-time favourite summertime drinks.

On the weekends, my husband and I try to escape for a few blessed moments of tranquility by the lake to enjoy a refreshing cocktail.  Side by side on our wobbly dock, we chat about our crazy lives, share our dreams and soak in a few moments of calm and gratitude.

It seems we are both huge fans of freshly squeezed lime juice and typically alternate between margaritas and mojitos as our favoured drink.  We have a simple electric citrus juicer that burns through 12 limes in no time, extracting every ounce of goodness. 

On hot and sticky summer days when we are back in the city, I find myself craving that same fresh lime juice but since it is not generally advisable to consume rum or tequila during the day (something to do with reduced productivity levels), I fashion a delicious protein rich smoothie that has all the taste and refreshing qualities of the mojito without the alcohol.

I hope you enjoy this smoothie as much as I do – our boys also love this drink!

Light and Refreshing Mojito Smoothie
  • 1 ½ cups plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup milk
  • ½ cup ice cubes
  • Zest of 1 lime, or to taste (see note below)
  • Juice of 3 limes, or to taste (see note below)
  • 10-15 fresh mint leaves
  • Handful of lemon thyme leaves, optional
  • 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup (substitute agave or natural honey) *note: this mojito is quite tart, if you prefer you can adjust by reducing the amount of zest/juice and increasing gently the maple syrup/honey to suit your taste
———————
Serves 2
Because this smoothie is comprised of fruit juice rather than fruit pulp, you may find that it is not as thick as a traditional smoothie.  It tastes every bit as good but if you find it overly liquid, you can play around with the consistency by adding more yogurt and omitting the milk, as desired. 
This mojito is quite tart.  If you prefer, you can adjust by reducing the amount of zest/juice and increasing gently the maple syrup/honey to suit your taste
I had some beautiful lemon thyme growing in my little herb box so I couldn’t resist tossing a handful into the mix.  Delicious.
———————–
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour into two large glasses, sit back, breathe, relax, enjoy.
Sunset on the water – wobbly dock in the foreground

Ancient Grains Granola Cups ~ sensible nutrition on-the-go

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I think what amazes me most about homemade granola is how much goodness you can pack into such a small area.

(Yup, I actually get excited about these things).

Each of these muffin-sized granola cups contains more health building nutrients than the average North American consumes in an entire day.  And then some.

Sounds pretty worthwhile to me.

A simple and quick make-ahead option for breakfast or snack, full of delicious nutrients and wonderfully portable too.

If you’ve not yet tried blackstrap molasses, you’re in for a real treat.  It’s not only delicious but highly nutritive. With a robust flavour reminiscent of black liquorice, it boasts an impressive nutrient profile that puts it in an entirely different class than its highly refined cousin ‘fancy‘ molasses.

2 Tablespoons of blackstrap molasses contains an amazing 40% of an adult’s daily requirement of potassium; 30% daily requirement of iron (ideal for vegetarians/vegans); 20% daily requirement of calcium; 20% daily requirement of vitamin B6 and 16% daily requirement of magnesium.  Pretty impressive stuff for a sweetener.

You can play around with this recipe and incorporate whatever ingredients suit you and your family best.  Experimenting with different seasonings will also bring about a whole new taste experience every time.

yup, that would be chili powder…

Buyer Beware: Another reason why I love homemade bars… Despite clever and creative labelling, most commercial granola bars are more about sugar than anything else.  There are a few pre and post workout specialty bars on the market that have their place under very narrow circumstances (most of us do not have activity levels that warrant those circumstances), and Kashi brand granola snack bars contain a good amount of protein and fibre relative to sugar.  Beyond that, most common commercial brands are about as nutritive as a candy bar.

I hope you enjoy making these granola cups at home – It’s really hard to go wrong with them so have some fun and bring small hands on board if you have them at home. Nothing more health empowering for a child than getting them involved in food choices at a young age.

Ancient Grains Granola Cups
  • 1 + 1/2 cups whole grain oats
  • 1/2 cup quinoa flour
  • 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnut
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup sliced dried apricot
  • 1/4 cup sliced dried and pitted prunes
  • 1/4 chopped 75% cocoa chocolate
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1 tsp cardamom powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or honey
  • 2 heaping Tbsp blackstrap molasses
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or olive oil
  • 2 tsp natural vanilla extract
  • handful dessicated coconut
———————-
Heat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, stir together: oats, quinoa flour, ground flaxseed, walnuts, apricots, prunes, chocolate, chili, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg and add maple syrup, blackstrap molasses, oil and vanilla.

Add wet ingredients to dry mixing until everything is moist.

Divide mixture among 12 medium-sized paper lined (or greased) muffin cups.

(I topped these cups with an additional sliver of apricot and a few sprinkles of dessicated coconut that I wanted to use up).

Using the back of a spoon, pack granola down tightly to allow ingredients to stick together after baking.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Allow granola cups to cool before unmoulding.

Enjoy!

All Natural Almond Butter and Banana Ice Cream

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almond butter banana cream

Don’t let what you can’t do interfere with what you can do
                                                                 ~ John Woode

Today is Earth Day – a celebration of nature and an opportunity to enhance our awareness and appreciation of Mother Earth. 

Pan-Canadian events include earth day planting, litter clean-up & recycling (more affectionately known as a “Trash Bash”), meatless Monday challenges, tree talk & tours, local food challenges and, a personal favourite, earth day yoga in the park. 

One of the best ways to honour Mother Earth and support planetary sustainability, is to enjoy foods that are as close to nature as possible: whole foods found on the farm, in the orchards and in our gardens. 

Natural foods provide the greatest concentration of nutrients for our bodies – vitamins, minerals, fibre, enzymes and antioxidants. These same foods also tend to be easier for our bodies to break down, digest and metabolize. Whenever we start tinkering with nature, we begin whittling away at the vital elements that help keep us healthy and whole. 

Food doesn’t have to be complicated (nor flavourless) to be good for you.  The recipes featured at Inspired Edibles tend to be simplistic – sometimes embarrassingly so – but the focus is on whole foods that have been minimally processed and refined.  Tasty, Achievable, Healthy. 

Here is an example of a yumilicious snack/dessert that took me about 7 minutes to pull together (I exaggerate.  More like 5 minutes ;-). 

almond butter banana cream

All Natural Almond Butter and Banana Ice Cream
  • 2 fresh, ripe bananas, peeled
  • ¾ cup almond butter, smooth or crunchy
  • 1 + ½ cups milk, or alternate milk beverage
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • Handful of chopped almonds for garnish
——————–
Place bananas, almond butter, milk and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth. 

Transfer liquid (it will be the consistency of a smoothie – and could also be enjoyed this way) into a container and store it in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours. 

Note: Because this ice “cream” does not actually contain cream, if you freeze it for more than 1 or 2 hours (depending on the temperature of your freezer) it will freeze like ice and become rock hard.  To avoid chipping your tooth, best to freeze the mixture for a shorter duration, until desired consistency is achieved.
Scoop almond butter and banana ice cream into serving bowls and top with scattered nuts. 

Enjoy! 

almond butter banana cream

Vanilla Infused Banana Cream Pie with a Whole Grain Graham Crust

By 65 Comments

There are some definite advantages to staying home during a holiday long weekend.

No traffic, no lineups, no packing or unpacking, no doggie separation and, most of all, no time pressure.  Leisurely walks in the sunshine, a highly anticipated viewing of the Hunger Games, hanging out in bare feet and PJs on the deck and… this banana cream pie.

The creamy texture of this pie is actually derived from whipped milk and egg that is firmed into a pudding-like consistency with the help of a gelatin slurry.  It has a delicate sweetness and delicious biscuit crunch that comes from the graham crust.

I had plenty of helpers on hand this weekend to pull this delicious dessert together and I want to thank all of the boys in this family for their excellent hand modeling (!).

Vanilla Infused Banana Cream Pie with a Graham Crust

 

(recipe adapted from Ellie Krieger’s Banana Cream Pie)
  • 1 1/2 cups natural graham crumbs (preferably derived from 100 % whole wheat)
  • 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
  • 3 Tbsp boiling water
  • 1/3 cup golden demerara sugar
  • 3 Tbsp whole wheat flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 cups almond milk (or alternate milk beverage)
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla essence 
  • 2 cups sliced banana (about 3 medium bananas)
  • Whipping cream for topping, optional
——————————

Heat oven to 350 F.

 

To make the Graham Crust:

 

Place graham crumbs and 1/4 cup melted butter together in a bowl.  Using a fork, mix graham crumbs and butter together until little balls of grain-like texture is achieved.

 

Lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with olive or canola oil.  Place graham crumb mixture into the center of pie plate and, using your fingers, pat down on mixture pressing it into the plate and up along the sides about 1/2 inch.
Meanwhile, place gelatin in a small bowl.  Add 3 tablespoons of boiling water and whisk until gelatin is dissolved.

In a medium size saucepan, whisk together demerara sugar and whole wheat flour. 

In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks and milk together. Add the egg and milk mixture to the saucepan and whisk such that the flour and sugar dissolve. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes or until mixture comes to a boil and has thickened. Stir in the vanilla essence and gelatin slurry. Remove saucepan from heat.
Arrange the sliced bananas on the graham cracker crust and pour the somewhat cooled pudding over top, coating the entire pie.

 

Place banana cream pie in the refrigerator until the pudding has set, about 3 hours. 

Slice pie into pieces and top with a dollop of whipped cream, as desired.

 

 
————————-

a couple of other sides we enjoyed making this weekend…

Roasted Sweet Potato Garlic Chips
(on their way into the oven…) 

Radiant Roasted Beets sliced thin with mandoline
(our youngest son adores fresh beets – who are we to deny him?)
And, for the pièces de résistance on our

Sunday night table…

Gorgeous Yorkshire Pudding thanks to Charles over at Five Euro Food

my British blogging buddy who taught me how to make a proper popover!

Also keeping us company this weekend were these beautiful

floral water gel beads that my brother gave us for Christmas

We had a great holiday weekend and we hope you did too!

Lemon-Lime Pudding Cake with Warm Raspberries

By 74 Comments

When my sons were a bit younger, they would often ask me about my favourite dessert.  (Just one of those kid questions).  The query would go something like this: “Mommy, if you were stranded on a desert island and could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life… what would it be?”
I would hem and haw and stammer in my response, flustered by the sheer vastness of possibilities and hesitant to lock myself in to any one dessert.  Nevertheless, beyond my predictable dark chocolate reflex, this luscious pudding cake would always come up in the discussions as one of my very favourites.
Now, if you don’t like citrus, flip to a different page.
Good, you’re still with me. Phew.
This is a light and creamy dessert with a gorgeous tart citrus flavour.  The creaminess is derived from the whipped egg whites and milk (not cream) and, true to its name, it offers up a lip-smacking combination of moist pudding and textured cake (especially if you follow the recipe).

 

Lemon-Lime Pudding Cake with Warm Raspberries
  • Zest of 1 lemon and 2 limes
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 2 Tbsp butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup golden demerara sugar
  • 1/3 cup lemon or lime juice or a combination of both
  • 1/4 cup whole grain flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 cups raspberries (I used frozen)
——————
Notes:
You can use lemon or lime zest/juice for this pudding cake or a combination of both (which is what I’ve done here).
If you’re like me and tend to be a little slapdash in the measurement department, this is one recipe where you might want to tighten it up a bit.  Too much flour and you’ll end up with a firm cake, too much juice and you’ll end up with a lake.  I have made this recipe many, many times and the measurements are pretty bang on to achieve the perfect harmony (!) between pudding and cake.
You can bake this pudding cake in 6 ramekins (1 cup each/125mL) or a singular baking dish (6 cups/1.5L).
—————-
Warm oven to 350 F.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together citrus zest, egg yolks, butter and sugar.  Add citrus juice, followed by flour and milk.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter.
Pour pudding cake batter into individual ramekins or singular baking dish.  I like to add another sprinkle of zest at this stage.
Place ramekins or baking dish into a larger pan and add boiling water such that it comes up about 1 inch (2.5 cm) along the sides of the pan.  The water prevents the pudding cake from drying out while baking and also minimizes cracking (I omitted this step and immediately regretted it).
Place pudding cake with pan in oven and bake for approximately 40 minutes.
In the meantime, place frozen raspberries in a small pot over low-medium heat on the stove.  Add 1 Tbsp of water and 1 Tbsp of maple syrup, allowing berries to thaw and warm.
Remove pudding cake from oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes.
Scoop into individual serving dishes and spoon warm berries over top.
You can also refrigerate and serve this dessert cold (including the berries).  Both are delicious!

Strawberry Coconut Spelt Muffins

By 65 Comments

I’m not quite certain what it is about springtime that reminds me of coconut, but a few days of warm weather, sunshine and melting snow and I find myself gravitating towards the gentle sweetness of this beautiful, white fleshy fruit.

Happily, I’ve had an opportunity to contemplate the changing seasons and radiant sunshine this past week during our spring skiing adventure through the Eastern Townships and Vermont. Now I like a tropical vacation as much as the next gal, but there’s just something about skiing under the brilliant March sun – hatless, gloveless, coatless, heart pumping and legs burning – that’s… well, unbeatable.

Something else I love about spring are the running streams that return to life after the long, deep winter. The melting snow adds volume and momentum to their flow and it creates the most peaceful, comforting sound.  Here’s a short video of the stream that ran just outside our chalet; it was a pretty wonderful way to begin and end each day.  Be sure to play the clip repeatedly for your sleepless children.

Strawberry Coconut Spelt Muffins
  • 1 + 1/4 cup whole grain spelt flour
  • 1 cup whole grain oatmeal
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup Demerara sugar
  • 1 egg, lightly whisked
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup chopped strawberries + 12 slices for topping
  • 1/4 cup dilute orange juice
  • 1/4 cup natural, unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut shavings + 2 Tbsp
——————-
Heat oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl, combine spelt flour, oatmeal, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and 2 Tbsp of coconut shavings together in a bowl, mixing well to combine.

In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together egg, olive oil, vanilla, orange juice and coconut milk. Add chopped strawberries, gently mixing to combine.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, mixing only until combined.

Divide batter among 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Top each muffin with a slice of strawberry in the center and a sprinkling of coconut shavings all around.

Cook muffins for approximately 15 minutes or until browned and just firm to the touch.

Remove tray to cooling rack and allow muffins to set for at least 10 minutes before enjoying.

Yay Spring!

Double Chocolate Guinness Brownies

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My evil Irish twin put me up to these.

Now, before you judge him too harshly, a few things to keep in mind: these are flourless, low sugar, flavonoid rich dark chocolate brownies.  Very respectable as treats go.

And the taste?  Imagine the rich, velvety, melt-in-your-mouth moistness of chocolate torte combined with the earthy notes of Guinness and the textured crunch of pecan.  Yup. You’ll want to be putting these puppies on your St.Paddy’s Day party list!

 

Double Chocolate Guinness Brownies
  • 300 grams 75% cocoa chocolate, (3 large bars) I use Lindt
  • 1/3  cup butter
  • 1/3 cup demerara sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 tsp corn starch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans + a few whole ones for topping
  • 3 eggs
  • 4 ounces (1/2 cup), stout beer such as Guinness

—————–

Notes:

I made these brownies twice (all part of the sacrifices I make for my readers).  In my first batch, I used a dark Muskoka ale with caramel and chocolate notes that was lovely.  In my second batch, I made a few happy adjustments to the recipe and used Guinness.   Hard to go wrong with Guinness… but, if you can’t get your hands on it or don’t like it, any stout or dark ale is workable.

I should also say that these brownies work equally well without alcohol so it remains, as always, optional.

 

Heat oven to 300 F.

In a sturdy pot on stove set to the lowest temperature, melt butter and chocolate.

In a separate bowl, combine demerara sugar, cocoa powder, corn starch and baking powder.  Be sure to work through any lumps in the sugar and corn starch, so that the surface of the mixture is as smooth as possible.  Add chopped pecans to the mixture.
Once butter/chocolate mixture has fully melted, remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for 5-10 minutes.
Once cooling time has elapsed, add sugar/pecan mixture to chocolate mixture, whisking to combine.  Add all 3 eggs to the mixture and whisk to combine (you will notice the mixture beginning to thicken at this stage).  Add stout beer if desired to the mixture, whisking to combine.
Pour brownie mixture into a lightly sprayed 8″ square baking pan.   Smooth out surface and top with whole pecans, as desired.  Bake in oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until set.

As difficult as it may be (!), allow the brownies to cool on a rack for 30 minutes before slicing.   This allows the flourless brownies precious setting time – but don’t worry, they will still taste every bit as delicious.  If you slice into them ahead of schedule, they’ll crumble all over the place and you’ll be disappointed.

Enjoy!