• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 cup of your favourite non-dairy milk
• 1 very ripe banana
• 1-1/2 tbsp oil

1. In a blender, blend the milk and the banana together until smooth.
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients together including the sugar. Add in the milk and whisk until it is all mixed in. The mixture may be lumpy which is fine. Add in the oil and mix in fully. The batter should pour easily – if it doesn’t, add more milk.
3. Pull out your favorite nonstick frypan and preheat it on medium heat. It is very important to make sure it is fully heated through to prevent a sticky uncooked mess. Spray some oil onto the pan, and using a ladle, pour around half a cup of the batter into the pan. Let it spread into the pan naturally – if it doesn’t spread on its own, your batter is too thick. Once the edges look slightly cooked, flip. The other side will cook up quite quickly.  Make sure the pancakes aren’t too thick, otherwise, they may stay raw on the inside.
4. Top with your favourite toppings – I’m partial to fresh strawberries and maple syrup myself.

All the ingredients, ready to be mashed together

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 medium russet potatoes, cubed and steamed
• 1/2 a block of firm or extra firm tofu (if you only have soft tofu at home, leave it in a cheesecloth for a bit to drain out the excess liquid)
• 1 small red onion
• 1 stalk celery, minced
• 2 small red radishes, shredded
• 1 to 2 tsp prepared brown mustard
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• pinch of cayenne
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp Veganaise (if you’d rather avoid this type of product, pureeing soft tofu would work, but you would have to add a lot of additional seasonings)
• a generous amount of your favourite fresh herbs (I used dill, cilantro, green garlic and mint)

1. Steam the potatoes in a double boiler (I prefer this method because the potatoes stay drier)
2. Once the potatoes are cool enough, mash them until smooth in a large bowl.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mash together.
4. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
5. Wash and dry the romaine lettuce hearts – scoop in the potato mixture, and enjoy!

This recipe requires a bit of planning ahead, but in general, is so easy and quick to make, which makes it a summertime staple in this house.  The leftovers taste great on toast or just on their own.

OK, now down to business – I haven’t posted a CSA delivery in aaaaages, but it seemed like a good time to post today, as the season has definitely changed, and winter veggies have become a part of my delivery.

I was in Arizona for a conference a couple of weeks ago and had the opportunity to eat at True Food Kitchen – the menu at this restaurant is based on Dr. Andrew Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory diet. I indulged in a spaghetti squash dish that was absolutely delicious – I knew I had to recreate it at home, so of course, I added a spaghetti squash to my delivery.

I’m trying to incorporate more salads with my dinner, so I added beets, carrots, peppers and radishes to my delivery.  It’s easy to throw together a side salad if you have fun ingredients in the refrigerator.

And of course, the fall season is upon us so kale and apples were a given, along with broccoli and cilantro.

This recipe calls for shredded coconut (unsweetened, of course), agave nectar (I had some hand that I’ve been wanting to use up – you could use maple syrup instead – and this is also the reason why I call this recipe almost raw – it all depends on your choice of sweetener and whether you consider agave to be raw or not), coconut oil and raw cacao nibs.

Here are the four ingredients before I mixed everything together.

I used a tablespoon measuring spoon to form the macaroons – a melon baller would also work great.

And here’s my stash of macaroons in my cookie jar – wonder how long they will last?!

Ingredients

Yields 30 to 35 macaroons

• 3 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 3/4 cup raw cacao nibs (you could also use cocoa powder)
• 3/4 cup agave nectar (or maple syrup)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

1. Mix the shredded coconut and cacao in a large bowl.
2. Mix the coconut oil and agave nectar until the oil is completely melted and blended.
3. Stir the liquid ingredients into the coconut – you may need to use your hands to get it completely mixed together.
4. Form a ball using a tablespoon measure or melon baller – you will need to pack it into the spoon tightly – if the mixture is too dry and not sticking together add a teaspoon of water at a time to increase the moisture only to the point that it will allow it all to remain intact.
5. If you have a dehydrator, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for what setting would be best. My oven has a dehydrator setting, so I lined a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spread out the macaroons evenly, leaving a few inches between each macaroon to ensure enough airflow – I left the temperature at 105F for about 12 hours. If you don’t have either option, just leave the macaroons in your oven for about 24 hours with the oven light on. You want the macaroons to be dry to touch, but a little bit of moisture left provides a bit of chewiness that I like.

I started off by peeling 20 pounds of Momotaro tomatoes – this particular variety was dry-farmed, so it had a fairly intense flavour, with a slightly sweet edge. I used a few when making fresh salsa, and they were the perfect tomato for that. To peel, I placed the tomatoes in a large pot of boiling water, and then dunked them into a bowl of ice water – the peel slipped right off.

I used garlic, onions, cayenne and jalapenos to flavour the salsa – I finished it with some green bell peppers, fresh cilantro and lime before freezing. The recipe produces a very hearty salsa that tastes great in the winter months.

Ingredients

Yields 12, 1-cup containers

• 20 lbs. tomatoes
• 2 cups fresh cilantro
• 2 large onions
• 10 garlic cloves
• 10 medium jalapeno peppers
• 6 cayenne peppers, or to taste
• 2 cups chopped green bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1/4 cup sea salt
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 6 large limes, juiced

1. Peel tomatoes by using a hot/cold water bath method.
2. Put the tomatoes in a 10-quart stock pot and mash with a potato masher
3. Cook the tomatoes until the mixture begins to simmer and add the onion, garlic and peppers to the tomatoes.
4. Add cumin, salt and vinegar and stir all together.
5. Bring to a boil and lower the temperature to keep at a low boil for 2-3 hours, stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
6. Add the cilantro and lime juice and turn off the heat. Once the salsa has cooled, transfer to canning jars or ziploc bags. (Or if you’re super awesome, don’t let it cool and can the salsa instead).

I pureed the basil in my food processor with some oil and water (the oil helps the basil defrost faster when you’re ready to use) and froze them into individual use cubes. This method also works great when adding basil into tomato basil soup.  Once the cubes were frozen, I removed them from the tray and placed the frozen cubes in freezer bags – this will help prevent freezer burn and allows me to use the tray for other items.

As I was taking pictures of the frozen basil cubes, I realized that they weren’t the most photogenic food items I had ever made. Who cares though?! I’m the one who’ll be enjoying the flavours of fresh basil throughout the winter (instead of buying overpriced, lackluster basil during the winter months at the grocery store).

Cut it and gut it (but don’t throw away the seeds – toast ‘em up for a great snack!)

Let the pumpkin hang out in a 350F oven for 60 to 90 minutes. Basically until the innards are mushy.

Scoop out the innards into a pot. Add fresh ginger (2-2″pcs). Add cinnamon sticks (3). Add nutmeg (1/2 tsp). Add brown sugar (you decide how much). Add water. Simmer.

Mash the contents through a sieve (don’t waste any pumpkin; throw away the cinnamon sticks and ginger). Freeze in your favourite ice cube tray.

Defrost. Add milk. Add coffee. That’s how we do PSLs around here.

This season we planted tomatillos from seed – almost all of our plants survived, so we ended up transplanting all six plants into our garden. I finally harvested all of the fruit, but again, my fear of canning kicked in and I decided to freeze a base that I could defrost in the future to use as a “fresh” salsa.

I started off by roasting all of the ingredients (jalapenos, garlic, white onions and tomatillos at 400F) in the oven until the tomatillos released all of their juices.  Once it had cooled, I ran it through my food processor and packed the ingredients into freezer bags. When I’m ready to use the salsa, I’ll defrost it, add in some fresh cilantro and squeeze in some lime juice – instant green salsa, with no preservatives and only yummy goodness added!

So here I am, fortunate enough to not have celiac, but obviously having some sensitivity to wheat/gluten – I’m committed to sticking with this diet for at least a little while longer. One of the things I miss most though is having savoury items for breakfast – I used to have toast with cream cheese or English muffins with butter, but now, it seems like I’m always having sweeter breakfasts – yogurt with fruit and granola, oatmeal with peanut butter and bananas or a smoothie.

Thus, trying out miso soup for breakfast – it is a staple in the Japanese diet, so why not try it myself? Miso is actually a great option to have in the morning, as it is improves your digestion and metabolism for the day. When buying your miso, look for an unpasteurized, organic version to gain all of the probiotic benefits. I picked up a tub of Cold Mountain Red Miso to keep in my refrigerator from Whole Foods a few weeks ago.

This morning’s soup had mushrooms, green pepper, chives and nori (I didn’t have any wakame in the house, so I just cup up pieces of nori). It took under 10 minutes to make (and if I had prepped my veggies the evening before, it would have been even faster).

Ingredients

• 6 small button mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• pinch sea salt
• pinch black pepper
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• 1/2 sheet nori, cut into strips
• 1 tbsp red miso

1. Saute the veggies, salt and pepper in a tablespoon of water, until softened.
2. Add the water and bring to a boil.
3. Once water is boiling, mix in chives and nori.
4. Turn the heat off, and stir in miso – it is important to do this last to ensure that the excessive heat doesn’t break down the beneficial enzymes in the miso.

At first, I was going to pour my soup into a travel mug and take it to go, but it was a cool, fall morning, and I decided I would enjoy it more if I savoured the steamy goodness in a bowl at home – I’m glad I took the extra few minutes for myself this morning.

The secret to the recipe is to have perfectly ripe avocados – that point where they have just turned soft and are bright green in colour. A slightly underripe avocado will not give you the texture you need to make this creamy delight.

Ingredients

• 4 ripe avocados
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder (I used Frontier Organic Fair Trade Cocoa Powder)
• 2 tbsp honey – I used a local honey
• 4 tbsp agave nectar (or more to taste)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp strong brewed coffee (I opted to dissolve 2 tsp of Dandy Blend in the almond milk)
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup melted semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
• sliced almonds and/or shredded coconut and/or any other toppings you would enjoy

1. Mix the honey, agave nectar, vanilla, coffee and almond milk in a glass measuring cup.
2. Peel and seed avocados and place them in the food processor. Pulse 4 to 6 times to break down the avocado.
3. Add in the cocoa powder and pulse a few additional times.
4. Add the liquid mixture to the food processor – pulse a few times and add in the melted chocolate chips if using.
5. Run the food processor on high until a creamy, mixture is formed – make sure there are no hidden avocado lumps and scrape down the mixture if necessary along the way. Taste the mousse at this point – you may need to add more agave nectar or honey to taste.
6. Place mousse in serving dishes and sprinkle with your toppings of choice – refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

I packed our picnic mousse into small canning jars, topped them with sliced almonds and shredded coconut. As much as I was looking forward to having the mousse on the boat, seasickness got the better of me, so I’m having this yummy delight now as I type this blog post – better late than never .