This blog is all about Food. Real Food. Food that Nourishes, Heart and Soul.

Real Ingredients, Organic and Locally sourced whenever and where ever possible, shared with love.

No packages, no ingredients that are impossible to pronounce.

Real, honest food, from my kitchen to yours. Enjoy!

Monday, 16 July 2018

Garlic Scape Pesto

It is scape season again!! When we moved last year, I had no garden to speak of at the new house to plant my garlic (nor the time to make one with all the renovations) I had a mild panic attack!! NO GARLIC???? How would I survive?? Alright, I may be over exaggerating just a bit, but I did have to get creative and carve out a small spot of my front garden bed late in the fall to get it in the ground. I managed to get over 100 heads of garlic planted in a very tiny spot. Crisis averted! We will not be without garlic this year, or scapes!!
I harvested all of the scapes last week, and have been trying to eek out some time to get them used up. (they do store quite well in the fridge...in an airtight container you'll get at the very least a few weeks out of them!)

After work today, I had some time and lots of ambition (keto Popsicles, BBQ chicken, this pesto, and a big batch of scape and basil compound butter ) This pesto recipe, I am embarrassed to say,  has been sitting in my drafts for a year folks...a year!!! Note the date on the little jar of pesto below...2017!!!!!! This tells you how busy my last year has been!!! )  The garlic itself looks almost ready to pull as well. This southern Ontario heat wave has certainly helped!
the garlic corner by our front step!

So, if you can find some scapes, make up a batch of this pesto! It really is delicious!

Garlic Scape Pesto

30 ish garlic scapes (you want about a cup of chopped scapes. 
½ cup roughly chopped basil
1 cup walnuts
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
¾ tsp sea salt
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
------
½ cup avocado oil (alternatively use EVOO)

In bowl of food processor, pulse scapes until finely chopped. Add the rest of the ingredients EXCEPT for the oil. Pulse a few times and then run until all ingredients are chopped and combined into a thick paste. Slowly drizzle in the oil until everything is emulsified and somewhat smooth.
Use as desired right away or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Alternatively, freeze in small mason jars to enjoy at a later time.

delicious on grilled zucchini!




Thursday, 5 July 2018

Keto Pannacotta with Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Topping


I've been a bad blogger of late, and offer heartfelt apologies for not sharing many recipes over the past while. I've been on a bit of a ...digestive journey?... for lack of a better way to put it! With the help of my naturopath, I feel like I am making some headway in my digestive health, but it has definitely changed the way I have been eating, as well as my creation of new recipes. 
It has been a journey...I've been off dairy, back on dairy, and now off  all soy, cane sugar, and potatoes, (which includes arrowroot and tapioca starch...for those that have followed my baking in the past...you will understand the lack of baking!!) But...I am feeling much better digestively, so I am more than willing to keep following this path! One major thing that I have noticed is my almost complete lack of sweet tooth now. The only sweetener I have used lately is the Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener , but very sparingly. I  find I am not missing sugar at all!!

So, here's were we enter the Keto craze! Being very similar to the way I've already been eating lately, I decided to give it a go, and see if I could budge some of the weight I have slowly and steadily put on over the past few years. After figuring out my Macros (thanks to my son...lol) and using a tracker to log my meals, I am making progress! But...you all know me well...my creative cook side has been dying to come up with some Keto friendly treats...which leads us here today! I love pannacotta, it is such an easy but elegant dessert for hot summer days. I used my regular pannacotta recipe from this blog as a guide, and created this one, that is both Keto friendly and delicious!! 

This is the very first Keto recipe I have posted, but if you follow me on Instagram, I have posted pic's of many meals over the past few weeks. If there is anything posted there you would like to see written out, let me know!! 

Keto Pannacotta (non dairy)
Makes 6 servings , approx 56 calories each, with 5g carbs, 4 g fat, 1 g protein per serving)
4 tsp gelatin
½ cup water
1 can evaporated coconut milk (see pic at the bottom of this post for the brands I used)
Sweetener of choice (completely optional…I didn’t include any as this coconut milk already has a bit of coconut sugar in it, and I find it perfectly sweet enough for me)

Measure your water into a small pot. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the water and let sit for about 8 minutes. After the 8 minutes, place over low heat and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Don’t boil!!
When it is completely dissolved, add the can of evaporated coconut milk and stir well. Add additional sweetener of choice here if using!) Stir well.
Pour into 6 small containers (I use small mason jars with lids. Great for storage and my lunch bag!, but small ramekins would work as well. )

Chill for a minimum of 2 hrs before serving to give it time to set well, especially if you are going to unmold it to plate!
To unmold: run a sharp NON SERRATED knife (a serrated blade will leave funky patterns on the edge of your pannacotta…not so pretty!!) around the edge of the jar or ramekin, turn upside down, and with a gentle shake, unmold your panna cotta onto serving plate.
Alternatively, place topping on top of panna cotta in serving container and serve as is! (see picture below of a regular panna cotta with a mango topping for inspiration!)
Top with topping of choice and serve!


Keto Roasted Strawberry Rhubarb Topping
(makes approx 2 cups, I use about 1.5 tbsp as a serving size...approx 17 calories, 3 net carbs, 1 g protein and 1 g fat)
200 g of rhubarb, cut in smallish pieces (I used approx 5 stalks that were about 12 inches long, they were about finger sized in diameter, for an easy reference)
½  lb strawberries (I used ½ of the clamshell container!)cut in ½ or ¼’s, depending on the size of your berries. You want the chunks to be smaller, just a bit bigger than the rhubarb.
2 tsp Lakanto Monkfruit sweetener (or sweetener of choice)
½ cup water
1 tbsp chia seeds

Preheat oven to 375F
In a glass 8x8 baking dish, place your chopped fruit. Pour in the water and sprinkle sweetener evenly over the fruit. Bake for approx 25 minutes, or until your rhubarb is softened up nicely. Remove from oven and set aside to cool slightly( 10-15 min). Stir in the chia seeds and let stand for approx 20 minutes, stirring often. This will thicken up the liquids and give a loose jam like consistency to your fruit.

When fruit is room temperature, transfer to serving dish or storage container for future use. (2 cup mason jar is perfect!) Keep refrigerated! (should last 4-5 days in the fridge)
used these in the recipe!

this is a regular pannacotta that I made a while back,
with a pureed mango topping, but it gives you an idea
for presentation...I used stemless wine glasses...pretty!!
One of the meal's I posted on Instagram, soooo yummy!!