pics to come soon

Hi ~ just letting you know I'm using an old laptop right now - my computer got a bad virus and is on the mend... will be posting lots of pictures as soon as it gets better :-) I made stuffed mushrooms with herbs from the garden, and am making a dark rye bread with caraway seeds to have with a herbed cream cheese with cress and purple kale from the garden. Check back later in the week for the recipes and such. Until then, wishing you all a lovely week!

Winter Solstice garden pictures

Here are some photos of a few green and growing plants still doing their thing in the yard in spite of a few hard frosts, torrential downpours and harsh winds. I wish you all a wonderful, festive holiday season! A hopeful bulb garlic shoots parsley patch pretty dark purple kale Romaine lettuce still going strong after a frost a hardy broccoli cress growing under the porch snowberry bush on the front yard flat leaf parsley doing well protected against the wall A fennel baby-they grow like weeds around here

Roasted Winter Vegetable Turnovers

I used parsnips, carrots, and squash for the veg in these turnovers. You can use any veggies you happen to have growing locally, or in your garden. I also used herbs from my garden : rosemary, flat leaf Italian parsley, sage,fennel seeds and thyme. You could also add some Swiss chard if you happened to have any. I also like to serve the turnovers with home made chutney. This chutney is made with apples from my friend's tree. Here's the recipe: 1 small squash, cut into 1" chunks 2 carrots, diced 2 parsnips, diced 1 onion, chopped 1 tsp. red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp. black pepper 2 tsp. fennel seeds 1 1/2 tsp. oregano 2 tsp fresh rosemary 5 Tb. parsley salt, 2 Tb. olive oil toss veg, herbs, salt and oil together and roast at 400 degrees for about 25 - 30 mins. spread the veggies in one layer, sparsely, on trays so they caramelize, and not steam. Pastry: 2 1/3 cups flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1 1/2 cups butter 1 large egg 2 T. milk. sift the dry ing. together, mix the wet, make a well in the centre of the dry ing. and mix in the wet to form a dough. Roll out and cut into circles or triangles for the pastries. Add the roasted veg to 1/2 cup cooked brown rice, 1 1/2 cups cheese, grated, 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, and 1 lightly beaten egg. Place onto rolled out dough, wet the edges and fold over, pressing with a fork to seal. Bake @ 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then @ 375 degrees for 13-20 minutes.

Broccoli for One

My 6 little broccoli plants produced enough sprouts just for me for dinner today :-) I made soba noodles, and used the broccoli instead of snow peas. The sauce is easy to make, just add it to the noodles. The broccoli can be added to the noodles while they're cooking, just at the end. This recipe is from Eat, Drink, and be Vegan, by Dreena Burton. Sesame Lime Soba Noodles with Shiitake Mushrooms & Snow Peas ( or Broccoli, as in my recipe) Sauce ingredients: 1 Tb. Hoisin sauce 3 1/2 Tb. tamari 1 and 1/2 Tb. fresh ginger chopped 2 garlic cloves 3 Tb. fresh lime juice 2 Tb. apple cidre vinegar 2 1/2 Tb. toasted sesame oil 3 Tb. agave nectar (or honey) pour this over the noodles and add sauteed mushrooms, 1 cup sliced green onions, slivers of red pepper, 2 Tb. toasted sesame seeds, and 1/2 cup cilantro. Top with a bit more sesame oil. This recipe is good for lunch the next day, too.