It’s Grains and Greens Giveaway Day Five!! Have you entered yet? Because this cookbook contains some seriously delish recipes. For instance, this Lemon Tofu Cheesecake.

Creamy, light, lemony, perfection. I’m in love.

Keeping it short today. There’s some last minute shopping to do, and gifts to wrap and send. So excited to start wrapping presents- it’s one of my favourite things about the season. Make sure to leave a comment on each of the posts from December 11th to today, and maybe you’ll receive a package in the mail too!! See you Thursday with one last recipe from the book, and of course, we’ll announce the winner as well!

Here’s the deets for this week’s giveaway-

You can enter more than once!!! Just leave ONE comment on each individual post this week. That’s up to five chances you have to win! You have until December 19th at 11:59 PM to leave an eligible comment.

I’ll mail the cookbook anywhere in the world, so even if you’re reading from Russia, Alaska, China or Japan, you too can have a taste of the tropics!

The winner will be picked by random and announced here on the blog on December 20th. You likely won’t receive the cookbook until after the holidays, but you should get it in time to start cooking up some delicious recipes in the New Year.

Feeling thankful. It’s what I’ve been trying to capture, sitting here, writing, deleting, writing, deleting, re-writing, and more deleting, all morning. A mix of stories, anecdotes, tales of our adventures. Nothing is flowing the way I want. It seems it should be simple, “Hey, everyone!! It’s SCM’s first birthday!! Thanks for coming along with us this past year!” And yes, it is…. but it isn’t!!

SCM turned one this past weekend. A year of posts, stories, recipes and photos. A year of cooking classes, new faces, inspiring new clients and successes. A year of firsts, of realizations, of tears from laughter and frustration, of “Why?!?!?! %$^&#!!”, and “Oh! That’s way!” moments. A year of scribbling ideas in notebooks, of feeling daunted, incapable, of trying to figure out just what direction I want this little corner of mine to go in. It’s been a year of feeling uber focused, frazzled, and in way over my head.

It’s been a year of discovery. Of new friends from all over the world (seriously- how cool is that!!!) and of re-connecting with friends from the past (I’m so happy we’re in touch again!!!) The internet really is a crazy, amazing place. A year of planning, a year of dreaming. A year of thinking “How can I macro-fy that?” and saying to hubs “so….. how does it taste?!”

It’s been truly great. Fabulous. Amazing and wonderful. It’s been oh so much more than I anticipated…. I can’t wait to see what this next year will hold. (I do know that there are some exciting things in the works!) So, instead of re-reading this, editing and changing words around, I’m just going to press publish and let it be. I’m so grateful. Thank you, everyone, for all of your enthusiasm and comments, for your e-mails, messages and notes. It makes my day knowing you’re out there, somewhere in this amazing world, taking a few moments to stop by here. Wow. Thank you.

Now… please go and make these super yummy apple-y bites of doughy goodness. Eat them fresh and hot, sprinkled with maple sugar, or with a side of brown rice syrup, maple syrup or jam to dunk them in. Hubs dubbed these “Golden Fried Rings of Heaven” and for good reason… we polished off each and every last one in one sitting, which is a lot knowing that each apple can make 8 or more Beignetes!! A happy birthday indeed!!

This recipe makes enough that 4 people could enjoy 4 each- it really depends on how thinly you slice the apples. To conserve oil, I filled one small pot, and fried one or two apple slices at a time, but you could easily use a large pot and do more at once to save time. Also, you can save and re-use the oil. Just let cool, and strain. I store mine in the fridge after it has been used.

I met Yukiko while studying at the Kushi Institute. She’s a completely lovely, beautiful person and a total goddess when it comes to desserts. She’s also an amazing cook, but for today it’s all about the sweet stuff. You see, Yukiko has recently released a brilliant new DESSERT cookbook entitled The Peaceful Dessert Book, sugar free vegan delights. And I just happen to have an extra copy to give away to one of you lucky readers!! {see details at the bottom of this post}

With a wide spectrum of desserts, there’s something for everyone- even those on a healing diet. Her writing style is easy to follow and the directions are clear and precise. Seriously, Yukiko knows her stuff. Like I said, dessert goddess. Favourites of mine include her Carrot Cake with Lemon Frosting, the Lemon Bars (ridiculously good) and an out of this world Kabocha Mont Blanc that will knock the socks/Louboutins off of your guests at a fancy dinner party. This book is a winner.

To celebrate the release of Yukiko’s cookbook, I’m sharing a recipe with you today for a Vegan Sacher Torte, from her blog “The Berkshire Vegan“. Here’s what Yukiko has to say about the torte.

“Sacher torte is an Austrian chocolate cake loaded with eggs, butter and cream. Having said that, “vegan sacher torte” seems like a total oxymoron. Well, that is about to change! … Here is the vegan version, which got the thumbs up from a German friend. The cake itself is not overly sweet, especially if you use half rice syrup like I did in the following recipe. The sweetness in this cake comes more from the ganache. The cake, which has a layer of slightly tart apricot jam in the middle, is served with dollops of cashew cream that is mildly sweetened to make perfect balance with the rich chocolate madness. The result? Not as heavy as the real deal but just as decadent.”

I made a few alterations when baking this cake. Chocolate brown rice syrup is hard to find here, so I substituted maple syrup in its place. It was perfect. You could try using half brown rice syrup and half maple syrup if you don’t want the full bang-on intensity of  maple syrup. I also used a fruit juice sweetened cherry jam in place of apricot, as black-forest cake used to be one of my favs and I was hankering for something along those lines. The second time I baked the cake I used 2/3 cup of oil, which made the cake slightly more moist. Try the recipe as is, and then adjust as you need for your altitude, available ingredients, and personal preference.

To enter the giveaway for Yukiko’s fab dessert book, simply leave a comment on this post! Just say hello, reminisce about your favourite dessert experience or leave a suggestion for a dessert you’d like to see vegan/macro-ized! The contest is open world-wide so everyone can participate! I look forward to hearing from all of you!! The lucky winner will be picked by random. Contest closes Friday, September 7th at 11.59 PM and the winner will be announced the following week. Good luck!

* The giveaway is now closed*

“I made strawberry sorbet from Eric’s book,” Hubs said to me over a long distance phone call last summer. It was steaming hot in my little dorm room that night, and nothing sounded better than cold sorbet. “I’ll make it for you when you get home! It’s really, really good.”

It is exceptionally good. And easy. After a trip to the market earlier this summer yielded more strawberries than any two people could eat, we found ourselves with a giant bag of frozen berries. I envisioned a crisp or pie, a treat for when local strawberries were a distant memory. Hubs had other plans.

Half-way through a movie a couple of nights later, Hubs pressed pause and wandered into the kitchen. “What are you making?” Inquiring minds wanted to know. “You’ll see…” came the cheeky response. A few minutes later Hubs returned, with two bowls of ice-y smooth amazingness. Homemade strawberry sorbet. Heavenly.

We started to talk about all the other fruits we could make this with, anticipating all of the fresh fruits and berries still to come. The one that stuck though, that couldn’t come fast enough, was peaches.

So when we walked past the corner grocer (the competitor, this time… oh the guilt!!) and saw they had super ripe local peaches, the plan was already in place.

Peach sorbet.

Before getting down to sorbet business, we indulged in a couple fresh peaches. Sweet, juicy. Best eaten over the sink for easy clean up.

Really. This is so easy. Blanch the peaches. Let them cool. Slide the skin off. Slice into segments. Lay on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze. Remove 3 cups, let thaw slightly, for about 10 minutes. Blend in food processor with the other ingredients. Taste as you go and adjust accordingly. Substitute brown rice syrup if you like. It’s also delicious unsweetened. A little tart. Refreshing. Let me know what you think!!

Obviously, by the fact that you’re here and able to read these words, I did not succumb to that incredible temptation. Instead, I (almost) figured things out so I can finally share some really yummy granola with you- and even fancier- granola parfaits. Breakfast for dessert. Dessert for breakfast. This granola and parfait recipe will give you lots of options for both. Change up the fruit for what’s in season, add what you like to the granola. It’s super easy and really, really yummy. I think I might just toss one together right now, grab a magazine, then sit outside in the sunshine for the rest of the afternoon. A dessert is always a nice reward, don’t you think? Oh- and be sure to stop by this weekend for a new post in the Ingredient Series and cooking class dates for June and July! Fun!

{click on image above or below for a printable recipe!}

Happy Friday!! Another week almost finished, another weekend to look forward to. Do you have any exciting plans? Does dessert count as exciting? In my books, it definitely does. This one’s light and easy. You can prepare it a day in advance, then just before serving garnish with some freshly roasted almonds. It’s got it all. Some sweet, some spice, creaminess and crunch.

This week passed by in a blur. I have some announcements I REALLY want to share with you, but they’ll have to wait until next week. Let’s just say they involve new classes, and a new regular feature on the site. I can’t wait to share with you!

For now, I hope you enjoy this dessert. It’s equally yummy made with apples and walnuts. If you want to use amasake instead, you can skip the agar agar, as the amasake is already thicker to begin with. Note. 2 tsp of the agar agar will make a thicker, almost custard-like cream. If you prefer it thinner, use 1.5 tsp and be careful not the let the almond milk boil for too long in the saucepan after the agar has dissolved. Either way, it’s delicious.

Hubs and I have been away. It was lovely travelling and exploring new places, visiting family and enjoying new people and experiences. I had never been on a cruise before and it had been my intention to post all about the trip right away, but it’s taking some time to collect my thoughts and ideas. I’ll share with you soon, I promise.

Coming back from vacation, excited to get back into the kitchen, the first thing I cooked was….. a giant pot of brown jasmine rice. Okay, so it’s not uber glamourous, but it sure was tasty alongside leafy steamed bok choy and kale, and my secret baked tofu. Greens were key. We had missed them. A lot. Our welcome back meal was simple and delicious though the next day we found ourselves wanting something sweet. Our memories were craving the fancy cocktail vacation drinks, but it was time to get back to balance. Fruity drinks are fabulous, on occasion, but it was time for something a bit more appropriate for the winter temperatures (aka not another pina colada!!). I knew I wanted something comforting and warming. Something to enjoy cuddled up in a soft wool blanket. And it had to be super easy. Enter the giant pot of rice.

It’s a good thing to cook a big ol’ pot of rice. You can use the leftovers in soups, stir-fries, grain salads, as porridge in the morning, or as the base for a rich and creamy dessert like in this pudding. The hardest thing here is the waiting, although you can cheat- I’ve written my secret below. You can use any type of milk you like. I combined the two simply because I wanted to use them up.

Left Over Rice Pudding

 2 Cups left over brown jasmine rice (short or medium grain brown rice is fine too)

1 cup amasake

1 cup almond milk

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp vanilla

_____

Combine the leftover rice, the amasake and the almond milk in a pot. If you don’t have amasake that’s fine- just use whatever type of milk you have on hand. I wanted to use ours up- hence the combo. It’s flexible. Heat over low temperature, stirring occasionally, for 30 – 45 minutes. Sometimes when I can’t wait I’ll stir in some kuzu to thicken the pudding, so I can eat it right away… but it tastes better if you wait it out.

When the rice is tender soft and the pudding is thick and creamy, stir in the maple syrup, the vanilla and the cinnamon. Cook another 1-2 minutes, then serve. It’s equally tasty served hot, warm or cold.

Make lots and have it for breakfast too.

These bars are really tasty. Hubs and I have eaten our way through 3 batches already. Oh the perils of recipe creation and testing!! But please don’t worry. I’m happy to take one for the team. So. Back to these gooey bars of richness. I brought them to a happening little Christmas fete the other week. Not being the traditional holiday fare I was curious how they would go over. Well. Let’s just say that I was surprised. I knew they were good- but oh my. The poor host was literally swarmed as she passed them out. I could hear choruses of “MMMM”, “OMG”, “WOW”, “Who made these???” and, my favourite… “WAIT! I want another!!” I guess you could call them a hit. It’s the blend of the toasted almonds combined with the slight tart of the cranberries that really makes these bars. The mix of chewy and crunchy textures, and the fact that they’re not overly sweet, will have you coming back for more. There may or may not be tray number 4 cooling in the fridge at this very minute.

Roasted Almond with Cranberry Chewy Bars

3 cups puffed brown rice
2 cups roasted almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup brown rice syrup
1 tbsp maple syrup
2/3 cup almond butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon (start with 1/2tsp and add more to suit your personal taste)
1 tsp sweet white miso

_____

In a large bowl, mix together the puffed rice, roasted almonds and dried cranberries then set aside.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over a medium flame until almost boiling. The sauce should have a glossy, shiny surface. mmmmm.

Pour over the dry ingredients and mix well.

Run you hands under cool water and while still damp use your hands to press the mixture into a lightly greased baking dish or mini cupcake tray.

Place in the fridge and let cool. Once cooled, cut bars or twist the rounds out of the cupcake tray and serve. Be warned. You may be swarmed by guests coveting the rich yet not too sweet dessert. By may I actually mean the chances for swarming are exceedingly high. If you want any left over either make a double batch, or stash one or two away in the back of your fridge in a solid, not see through, container.

When I was a kid there was one thing I detested more than anything else. Nope- not broccoli or green beans. Applesauce. I don’t know why, or what it was about the stuff- if I had to have applesauce as a standalone item, it was pure torture. Luckily, my parents didn’t often serve just plain applesauce- it was something that most often accompanied another dish- which was fine for me. Plus, it was usually homemade, which I liked as long as it was served with something else. Just. Not. Alone. Weird kid, I know. There was this traumatic moment though, at a friend’s house one summer day. We had been playing all morning and wanted a snack so she decided that the perfect thing would be…. applesauce. Yuck. She made me eat it. I can’t remember if I cried- I was a sensitive young thing- but I do vividly recall her mom coming in and busting up the whole forced applesauce consuming business. Thank goodness.

Thank goodness also that tastes change. The years pass and horrid flavours and slimy textures gradually metamorphose into something sensuous and velvety on the tongue. Even the detested applesauce can become pleasurable. Forget the wane coloured, prepackaged mushy nightmare of my childhood force feed. This is applesauce all grown up. Matured and developed into a thick, rich spread. If apples had a high school reunion, this is how they’d want to go. “Check me out- Oooh Yeah. Can’t you just see how rich I am? How fabulous? I’m apple butter now. Oh! What’s that? You want to know my secrets? Well… I suppose I can indulge you inferior apples just this once….” It’s ridiculously easy, the only thing it requires is some time. Make it when you’re spending the day lounging at home or doing some housework, when you know you’ll be there to tend to it. It’s not high maintenance, but does require a little stirring every now and again. Set the timer and you won’t even have to think about it- although it will be impossible to ignore as the scent of slowly, slowly cooking apples fills every nook and cranny in your home.

Apple Butter

3 lbs apples (approximately 10 – 12 apples, depending on size) The first batch I used Empire apples, and it was a lighter, more rosy colour- and so very sweet. This batch I used Macintosh apples, as they were what I had on hand and needed to be used up. It’s still nice- just not quite as sweet, and more brown in colour. Apparently Northern Spies are a good choice for making apple butter. I’m on a quest and I’ll let you know… On a quest for Northern Spies- sounds quite exciting, doesn’t it? I came into the room and there he was- just sitting there all rugged, the handsome Northern Spy…

2 cups apple cider, apple juice (no sugar added) or water.

pinch of sea salt

_____

Peel, core and slice the apples. You can keep the pieces fairly large.

Put the apples in a heavy bottomed pot (I used my Le Creuset), add the apple cider (or whichever liquid you are using) and the salt and bring to a boil. When boiling, lower the heat and let simmer until the apples are soft- 10 – 15 minutes or so.

Run the apples and the liquid through a food mill (I used the finest grate disk), then transfer back to the pot.

Reduce the heat to low, and let the apples do their thing. Set the timer so you don’t forget about them. I gave them a stir every 20 minutes or so, then every 10 minutes towards the end. The butter will turn brown and when completed will not have any  liquid left along the sides when you stir. It should be nice and thick. It takes a couple of hours, but the final thick apple-y deliciousness is worth the wait.

Next time I’m making double the batch. Maybe triple…. then I can share!!

Store in a tightly sealed glass jar in the fridge- keeps for about 2 weeks. Makes about 1 cup of apple butter.

It all started with a Groupon. One for local, organic groceries delivered to your home that included two separate deliveries for the price of one. Free food, delivered to the door??!! It was too good to pass up and our first Groupon purchase was made. Hurray!! I had visions of opening the box up to the most beautiful produce imaginable- still dripping with dew it was so freshly picked, golden sunbeams streaming through the window, a choir singing… Perhaps my expectations were a little high. Or were they? The delivery guy arrived on Friday. I opened the door and… Oh!! Hello. I hope the produce looks as good as he does… The he spoke. With an accent. The chorus started to sing. (Seriously- there was opera playing in the background) I took the box, smiled and said thanks. There may or may not have been an awkward attempt at hair tossing. The door closed and I held my breath in anticipation as I peered into the box. Exhale. Disappointment. The greens looked wilty and my supposed bag of onions was not actually a bag, but a stingy, solitary loner. Maybe the really good stuff goes to the regulars? Oh well. We’d make do. Resigned, I started to unpack. And then I saw them. Dark and lovely, hidden at the bottom.

Prune plums. I’m slightly embarrassed to say that I haven’t given plums much of a chance. Blame it on one summer vacation as a child, picking then eating triple my weight in plums… Since then I’ve just passed them by. Anyways- back to the box. The second I laid eyes on those beauties I knew they were destined to become a crisp. A stove top, candied crisp. It was an adventure as I hadn’t thought much about stove top crisps before. Rest assured, now that I’ve visited once, I plan on returning again and again.

Stove Top Prune Plum Candied Crisp

My box came with 15 plums. Because they reduced while cooking, this recipe makes enough filling for 2 people… providing you don’t sample too much of it along the way… seriously. It’s tasty. We managed to save half of our portions for breakfast the next day, but that was mostly due to not wanting to eat 7.5 plums each at one sitting, even though we could have. You could add in other berries or fruits to increase the amount of filling, but I urge you to try it with just plums once. The perfect balance of sweet with a hint of sour is divine. Also. I seriously love crisp topping. So this recipe makes, well, quite a bit. More than enough for two plum crumbles, but if you add more fruits for a larger volume of filling, you’ll be set. We just ate the extra topping up with our hands. Like crumbled bits of oat cookies.

Fruit Filling

15 plums

200 ml apple juice

pinch of salt

2 tbsp maple syrup

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp kuzu diluted in 2 tbsp cold water

Candied Crisp

*if you want to make this gluten free, you could try alternating the rolled oats for quinoa flakes, although the liquid ratios might work a bit differently. Add the water slowly so you can make adjustments as required*

2 cups rolled oats

1/3 cup almonds

1/3 cup pecans

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup safflower oil

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

For the Filling: 

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

Add half the plums and boil a few minutes until the skin starts to break open, then scoop them out and let them sit in a strainer while you repeat with the rest of the plums.

Once the plums have cooled enough to touch, remove the skins and seed. The plums are easy to half- just press your thumb in near the top then slide it down along the seam. The plum will open in half to allow you to easily remove the seed.

I kept the plums in halves, but you can chop them to smaller pieces if you like.

Place the plums in a pan, and add in apple juice. I had an organic sugar free drink box on hand, so I used that. You could use 1/2 cup of apple juice. Use a bit more juice if you’ve added in more fruit.

Over medium heat bring the plums and juice to a boil, add a pinch of salt, then lower to medium low and let the juice and plums reduce for 30 minutes or so.

Add the cinnamon, vanilla and maple syrup. Taste and adjust until you get your ideal balance of flavours. Cook for another few minutes, then, while continuously stirring to prevent lumps, add in the kuzu mixture a bit at a time until you achieve your desired thickness. Cook another minute or two, then add the filling to individual bowls or a pie dish.

For the Candied Crisp:

While the filling is reducing, heat a pan to medium high heat. Toss in the almonds and continuously stir until you can start to smell the nutty aroma. Lower the heat to medium low and continue to stir for a few more minutes. Repeat with the pecans. Set the nuts aside to cool.

Add the rolled oats to the pan, and over medium low heat, stir constantly until the oatmeal looks a bit golden and starts to release  a delicious oat/nut fragrance. It won’t be a dark golden at this stage- don’t worry. The real oatmeal magic happens in a few steps.

Chop the nuts then add to the oats in the pan.

Mix in the maple syrup, water and safflower oil (I’m going to try this next time with almond oil) until the oats are slightly moist. Some might clump together a bit- that’s okay. Continue to stir the mixture over medium heat until things start to look golden brown- 10 – 15 minutes or so.

Turn up the heat to medium high, pour the brown rice syrup over the oats and let the syrup come to a boil. Let it bubble for almost 2 minutes. Stir a couple of times.

Pour the mixture out over a parchment paper covered pan to let cool, then break off the crispy pieces and eat a few while you arrange them on top of the crisp. Alternately you can just spoon the crisp over the filling and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Keep some crisp set aside for yummy snacking later that night… day… breakfast…

This past weekend, Canadian Thanksgiving, was a decadent treat for weather. A Thanksgiving picnic in the park was just what the weather ordered, and we were happy to oblige. Kinpira stuffed sushi, fresh local apples, and my husband’s amazing macro take on oatmeal raisin cookies. Simple- yes. But with our packed schedules it was just what we needed. An afternoon with each other, breaking in our new picnic blanket with simple and lovingly made food, catching up on good fiction and absorbing as much vitamin D as the sun could give us. It was a nontraditional celebration of Thanksgiving, a day more commonly spent busily in the kitchen, oven blasting extra (and welcomed) warmth. It was a spontaneous celebration we embraced and instead of thinking about the winter that’s coming, we feigned ignorance and delightedly baked our bodies in the heat of the sunshine. Which brings me to these lemony kisses of deliciousness. They were perfect for the relaxed vibe of our weekend and we ate them as dessert…. as breakfast… as a snack… Enjoy them however you like, on these last windows-thrown-open days of  summer.

No Bake Lemon Millet Mini “Doughnuts”

1 Cup Millet

3 Cups Apple Juice

pinch of salt

Zest of one Lemon- I wanted these really lemony. You could use less zest for a more subtle flavour.

Lemon juice to taste- I squeezed about 1/4 of the lemon

Maple syrup or brown rice syrup to sweeten, to taste- optional

1. Rinse the millet in a bowl then strain out the water. Repeat until the water is mostly clear.

2. Soak the millet overnight in the apple juice.

3. Bring the millet and apple juice to a boil, add the pinch of salt, then lower the heat and cook on medium low for 40 minutes to an hour- you want the millet to be soft and not at all crunchy. I find the time varies depending on the type of stove you have, and where your medium low setting is. You might have to add a bit of water during the cooking time. Just check the liquid level occasionally.

4. When the millet is cooked, add in the lemon juice, lemon zest, sweetener, and mix. Taste it here to make sure you have your desired balance of lemon flavour and sweetness.

5. Pour the millet into your pan of choice- I used mini doughnut pans for these, but you could easily use mini cupcake tins or a shallow tart pan if you want a thin cake instead- and let the mixture cool. Once cooled, remove from the pan and enjoy.

If you’re eating more widely, these would be amazing with a bit of dried coconut mixed in.