Inspired Edibles

~ wellness, wonder, words ~

Rose Hip Vanilla Bean Parfait and so long summer…

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Without descending into the depths of the maudlin Irish (which I am firmly capable of), let me just say that I will miss summer.

As a Montrealer, the beautiful beaches of Maine were our closest foot into the Atlantic ocean.  I have many extraordinary memories of this part of the world, including travelling caravan style with a gaggle of university girlfriends – sun drenched days, lobster butter covered chins, midnight dips and the Kennebunk Police knocking at our door warning us to ‘keep it down’ (I was not involved. Promise).  Then there was the summer that I stalked George H. W. Bush and his granddaughters at a video store, but I digress…

My husband and I have kept up the East Coast tradition with our family, typically heading down the week before the boys start school as our final summer hurrah.  Sigh.

 

The view we woke up to every morning from our cottage. Rough.
Our sons could dig in the sand all day
It’s just them vs. the forces of nature
They build, fortify and defend with everything they’ve got (boy thing)
More building.  This time, Chichen Itza
———————
Maine Food
There are many culinary delights associated with Maine, including wild blueberries, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops (my favourite) and of course, lobster – which we savoured hibachi style this year – fantastic!

Something else we just love though, are the gorgeous rose hips that grow wild all along the coast.  My sons were so taken by them, and their tart-sweet taste, that they asked me to create a post about them; so here we are.

Rose Hip Vanilla Bean Parfait ~ a sweet summer goodbye

 

  • 1 cup rose hips, seeded (if you wish) and cut in half
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 Tbsp vanilla sugar (substitute brown sugar)
  • 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise (substitute 2 tsp pure vanilla extract)
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp agave nectar

Makes 2 large parfaits
———————–

   Rose hips are an excellent source of Vitamin C

Rinse rose hips thoroughly and discard ends.  Cut rose hips in half (remove seeds if desired), and place in a pot on stove.  Add water, sugar, vanilla bean and star anise.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to lowest setting.  Simmer for about 12-15 minutes.  Discard anise and most of vanilla bean, reserving a wedge for garnish.  Using a potato masher, mash soft rose hips, mixing the pulp with the rest of the syrup.

In dessert glasses, alternate yogurt and rose hip syrup, adding a touch of agave nectar.

Note: I enjoy foods warts and all, but if you prefer, you can discard the tough seeds in the rose hips prior to cooking. 

Another Note: Followers living in Ottawa can see rose hips growing along the various Canal pathways.

Rose hips are the fruit of the rose plant
they appear in brilliant orange-red all along the seacoast
forming in the spring and ripening in late summer
Photos by Trinity Nutrition

Red Quinoa with Dates, Pine Nuts and roasted Butternut Squash

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Butternut squash is my favourite autumn vegetable (oh dear, I admitted we’re moving away from summer).  The roasting process intensifies the flavour of this delicious harvest squash, making it absolutely irresistible – not to mention full of nutrients, including beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium, fibre and folate.

I like serving health building quinoa alongside a meal as a substitute for the customary rice or potato.

Red Quinoa Salad with Dates, Pine Nuts and roasted Butternut Squash

  • 1 cup red quinoa, rinsed
  • 1 medium size butternut squash, roasted and cubed
  • 1/3 cup dried pitted dates, chopped
  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 2 green onion, chopped
For the Roasted Butternut Squash:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cut squash in half lengthwise.  Using a spoon, remove seeds and set the seeds aside for drying (you can use them another time in a different recipe – they’re delicious – or, allow them to dry and use them in this recipe instead of the pine nuts).

Cut seedless squash into smaller pieces and place in a baking dish.  Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper (I also like to add other spices from time to time, such as sweet chili powder – lovely). 

Place squash in oven for about 35 minutes or until it is just tender but not overdone.  Allow squash to cool before cutting into cubes and discarding the skin.

For the Quinoa:

Place rinsed quinoa and 2 cups of water in an uncovered pot on the stove. Heat until it comes to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce heat to lowest setting for 12-15 minutes (or until most of the water has evaporated). Allow quinoa to cool and transfer to serving bowl.  Add cubed squash, dates and pine nuts to quinoa, mixing gently to combine.   Sprinkle with green onion to finish.

Serves 4-6

Marbled French Toast with Fresh Strawberry & Granola

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We had a brilliant father’s day weekend at the lake.

The sun was shining, the loons were… calling (?) and our golden retriever was in doggy heaven.

We bought our cottage in the spring of 2003.  A bare bones, post-war fishing cabin that appeared to be built on a permanent slant.  The structure on the hill came complete with a family of squirrels living in the roof and enough marauding mice to feed an army of cats.  Perfect!

I’ll admit to feeling overwhelmed more than once during the patch-up journey, but tried to stay focused on the clean, quiet lake that brought great happiness to the whole family.  Besides, there was this fabulous vintage 60s, reclining, vibrating chair made of genuine vinyl that came with the cabin and had our name written all over it – an enduring beauty in its own right!

Much of the structural work accomplished over the past 8 years was done by my husband.  His enormous patience, boundless energy and skill are… infuriating – oops!  I mean inspiring :).  Little by little, we carved it into our own.

Along the way, we’ve been fortunate to have family & friends sharing the phases with us and helping us build some pretty wonderful memories.  

In many ways, it’s still the same wonky old cabin we fell in love with – and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

The cabin as it was then –

The cabin as it is today –

In honour of father’s day, we kicked off the morning with some homespun café au lait for dad (mom may have had one too!)

Topped with cinnamon, dark chocolate and hazelnut shavings

 

Then we moved on to the main morning course. 

We got lucky and found some gorgeous marbled sour rye bread at the market and stopped in at a neighbouring ranch to pick up some farm fresh eggs.

With local strawberries in abundance, our topping choice was made easy. 

French Toast with Fresh Strawberry & Granola

  • 8 pieces of whole grain bread (we used marbled rye)
  • 4 Eggs
  • Approx. 1 cup milk (or alternate beverage)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
  • 1/2 cup granola
  • sprinkle of maple syrup
  • dollop of whipped cream

Serves 4

Place eggs, milk and cinnamon in a large dish

Whisk ingredients together until well combined

Place slices of bread in milk/egg mixture allowing them to saturate for a moment before turning them over
Fry battered bread in a skillet with some olive oil over medium heat, cooking until golden on both sides.
Place French toast on individual serving plates and top with fresh berries, a sprinkling of granola, maple syrup and whipped cream. 
Dad was delighted and particularly liked the “crunch” of the granola that accompanied the French toast. 
Cheers to a beautiful Father’s Day Weekend!
– Photos by Trinity Nutrition –

Where it All Began

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When I first started this nutrition journey, I would spend hours playing around with recipes.  Adding a bit of this, taking away a bit of that, until I finally came up with a list of wholesome ingredients I felt good about putting in my body and my family’s bodies.  There was – and still is – plenty of trial and error involved but it’s all part of the fun.  Preserving taste is also an important part of the challenge.  Here is a fairly major re-do of a Martha Stewart original that a dear friend treated me to.  You will love the apple slice on top!   

Irresistible Apple Muffins

 

    • 1 Granny Smith Apple – peeled and quartered
    • 1/3 cup brown sugar
    • 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
    • 2 tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, dash cardamom
    • 1/2 cup plump golden raisins
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tsp vanilla
    • 1/2 cup buttermilk
    • 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup orange juice (diluted)

 

Preheat oven to 400 F


Cut 3 apple quarters into small dice and cut remaining quarter into 12 thin slices for garnish. Mix sugar, flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and golden raisins in large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, olive oil and orange juice together. Add wet ingredients to dry mixing only until combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups topping each with an apple slice. Bake until muffins are beginning to brown around edges – 16 to 18 minutes. Let muffins cool slightly and enjoy.