My Chaos and Chocolate Bark

 

It has been a very busy few weeks. My household is going to grow again by one. Daughter number 1 needs to come home for some much needed healing time. Without going into detail, suffice it to say that our "little girl" needs the support that only a family can give. Sara will be with us for now till at least the end of the summer, longer if necessary. That being said, I have been busy making space for her in her old room. We don't have a huge house so after she left, we have been slowly, "oozing" our things into her room and taking over the space. Her room has become my office space and her desk became my desk. Her dresser became my linens, table cloths and napkins storag place. Her closet became hanging space for Randy's suits and dress shirts and a place to store some of my "use once and a while items". I have had to find space elsewhere for these things, and let me tell you, it has been a test for my talents. We also had to move our old queen sized bed out of her room to make room for the bed Sara is bringing home. ACK! Our youngest is thrilled because that means she gets a "big" bed for a while since it will be easier to store her single, she inherits the queen bed for the short term. I told her not to get too used to it!

Of course, changing out the beds meant that I would get a much closer view of the upheaval in our youngest's room. As with so many kids, her version of a "clean" and "organised" room is VERY different than mine. Sadly, I got to see all the bits and pieces, lost socks, and clutter stashed here, there, and everywhere.  This was oh so much more than I could bear! For those of you who know me, I don't function well with clutter in my life. Given the extent of my daughter's chaos, it was a much bigger deal than simply swapping the beds out. It was time, again, for some extreme editing and purging which is hard for Erika to do since she has acquired the pack rat gene. I figured that since the young miss will be done high school next year, now is as good as any to start the downsizing process. Right now, my living room has become the dumping zone for stuff that needs a home or needs to be yard saled or donated. If I don't get my act together before Saturday, I will be adding to the confusion with Sara's stuff... breathe; I must remember to breathe!

This picture gives me goosebumps just looking at it! I think I need some chocolate STAT!  Why chocolate? Because chocolate makes me feel better and as I found out with a little research, there apparently is some science behind why chocolate improves how we feel. Do keep in mind, the crap that Nestlé and the like churn out by the ton may have some of the benefits, but due to the mystery ingredients and high sugar content, I think I would stick to the highest quality dark chocolate (at least 70%) to treat myself. 

Chocolate makes you feel better. It contains phenylethylamine (PEA) which is the same chemical that your brain creates when you feel like you are falling in love. PEA encourages your brain to release feel good endorphins. These endorphins that are released into the brain are known to decrease levels of both stress and pain. Apparently chocolate also causes your neuro-transmitters to create serotonin and dopamine which helps calm, relax, and create feelings of well being. YES... Exactly what I need! That said, do remember that a little goes a long way and just because dark chocolate is said to have great health benefits, it's still a sometimes food and in small portions. So no, chocolate can't be a food group... sadness, but it can be a healthy treat!

Check out here, here, here, and here for some of my information search,

So now that I know dark chocolate has some health benefits, I thought I would marry up the chocolate health benefits with those of coconut oil. A WIN/WIN for sure! I got my base recipe from one of my favourite writers... Oh She Glows! She has a wonderful chocolate bark recipe on her blog and this is from where my inspiration came!

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large heavy bottomed pan, I used my cast iron, heat over a medium heat. Toast your nuts, stirring or shaking regularly to prevent burning. When they are fragrant, pour nuts onto a plate to cool. Repeat the process with the coconut. Watch it like a hawk as it will go from just a little golden to burnt in a flash. On my first attempt I used a combination of pistachios and pumpkin seeds On my second attempt I used a combination of almonds and pumpkin seeds.  I wanted to have the green contrast in my finished product.

Roughly chop the pumpkin seeds and almonds and set aside.

Chop the cranberries in to small bits, roughly each cranberry into thirds. Mix the nuts, dried cranberries and coconut together in a small bowl.

 

In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil, cashew butter, and maple syrup over low heat. It will look like it has separated, but not to worry.  Whisk or stir in the cocoa (or cacao) powder, until super smooth. Add a pinch of sea salt and stir well. Remove from the heat.

Stir in half of nut mixture. With a spatula, scrape the chocolate mixture onto the prepared parchment-lined and smooth out until it's about 1/4 inch thick.

 

 

Sprinkle on the remaining nuts, cranberry and coconut mixture over top of the chocolate. Place into freezer on a flat surface for about 30 minutes, until frozen solid. 

 

 

Once frozen, break apart into small pieces, about 20 or so. Store in the freezer until ready to eat. This chocolate melts quickly so don't keep it out long.

Chocolate Bark with Nuts & Dried Fruit

1/4 cup shelled pistachios*
1/4 cup raw almonds

1/4 cup dried cranberries*

1/3 cup dried  unsweetened coconut, without sulphites if you can

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil

1/2 cup natural cocoa or cacao powder, sifted 

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon smooth cashew butter (it's what I had on hand)

Pinch of pink Himalayan salt or fine sea salt

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 

 

In a large heavy bottomed pan, I used my cast iron, heat over a medium heat. Toast your nuts and/or seeds, stirring or shaking regularly to prevent burning. When they are fragrant, pour nuts onto a plate to cool. Repeat the process with the coconut. Watch it like a hawk as it will go from just a little golden to burnt in a flash.

 

When the coconut is a golden brown colour, immediately pour it onto a plate to cool.

 

Roughly chop the nuts and seeds and set aside.

 

Chop the cranberries in to small bits, roughly each cranberry into thirds. Mix the nuts, dried cranberries and coconut together in a small bowl.

 

In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil, cashew butter, and maple syrup over low heat. Whisk in the cocoa (or cacao) powder, until super smooth. Add a pinch of sea salt and stir well. Remove from the heat. 

 

Stir in half of nut mixture. 

 

With a spatula, scrape the chocolate mixture onto the prepared parchment-lined and smooth out (if necessary) until it's about 1/4 inch thick.

 

Sprinkle on the remaining nuts, cranberry and coconut mixture over top of the chocolate. Place into freezer on a flat surface for about 30 minutes, until frozen solid. 

 

Once frozen, break apart into small pieces, about 20 or so. Store in the freezer until ready to eat. This chocolate melts quickly so don't keep it out long.

 

Because I love chocolate and I wanted to give a special friend a healthier treat for her birthday, I made another batch. For this, I doubled my recipe so I could gift part of the recipe and have a little for me and my man! Sadly, I didn't have enough of the ingredients in my original recipe so I made the following substitutions with great success.

*Note On Substitutions

Instead of cranberries, I used dried cherries, and I used all pumpkin seeds instead of a pistachios/pumpkin seed mix and the bark was just as tasty. Bottom line is, I think you could use any combination of your favourite nuts, seeds and dried fruit. The possibilities are almost endless.

 

I hope you try this out and let me know how you enjoy it.

 

 

 

 

 

Test Driving Some DIY Green Beauty

Today's post is not about food, but is in keeping with a post I did earlier about greening up self care and my favourite eco-friendly soaps. As of late, I have been using myself as a guinea pig for a few natural self care products. I have tried to minimize my use of the Dirty Dozen in my self care products and have been slowly finding natural replacements, mostly homemade with the exception of my soaps - Ground Soap, The SoapWorks, and my Green Beaver Castile Soap which doubles as body wash and shampoo. From poking around the internet, I have found that many of the made for me beauty products can be a little pricey, but many are no more expensive than some of the high end conventional brands found in the department stores. Now, whether they work or not or are actually as green as they say, that's another story.

 

Some of my home made experiments have included coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, and a variety of home made body and facial scrubs made from some pantry ingredients. I have to say, that overall, most of my DIY experiments have been pretty successful.

 

For the past 2 years, I have been using coconut oil as a face and overall body moisturizer and I would like to report that it has become my go-too moisturizer. I am lucky that it doesn't seem to clog my pores on my face as it is one of oils that has a high Comedogenic Ratings - 0 to 5, with 0 meaning no clogging and 5 being the worst.  My beloved coconut oil is a 4. Oils like argan oil, hemp seed oil and shea butter will not clog pores (a zero rating) while oils like avocado oil, grape seed oil, almond oil, jojoba oil and olive oil are low on the scale (2). I would first do a patch test to make sure that coconut oil doesn't clog your pores and cause breakout. If you decide to try a natural oil to moisturize, and you find that coconut oil is not the right choice for your skin type, you may have more luck using the less comedogenic (clogging) oils like olive oil or almond oil.

 

The eco-warrior in me found the perfect use for an old Clinique moisturizer container, not to mention, an ironic choice! I scoop out the coconut oil from my pantry oil and put it in this container. An excellent way to repurpose!

Coconut oil has been helpful to keeping my face, lips and body moisturized, especially through our cold winters. Downside is that it feels a tich greasy at first so it is important to remember a little goes a long way. I use it as an intensive moisturizer at nighttime by using larger amounts on my hands and feet and then wear cotton blend sport socks on my feet and cotton mitts on my hands to bed. Oh, and if you don't have soft terry towel like mitts or gloves, white sport socks work well too. It looks funny, but it does the trick. If you are having trouble sleeping, you can amuse yourself by doing a sock puppet show until you nod off!

 

Coconut oil is also a fabulous make up remover too. Apply to your face all over and tissue off. You may need to repeat for those dramatic look makeup applications, but it works well. I wash afterwards with either my Ground Soap or The SoapWorks Camomile soap. Gently towel dry and then apply a light application of the coconut oil.

 

I have curly hair and have found coconut keeps my curls curly and tames my frizzies. I take a little dab of coconut oil and melt it by rubbing it between my hands and then evenly distributed through my hair like you would any styling gel. This keeps my curls in check without that crunchy feeling too. Bonus, it acts like a stay in conditioner! The catch for this is to not use too much, otherwise your hair gets weighed down and looks greasy!

 

Pretty curls, tamed by a little dab of coconut oil!

During the winter months, I deliberately use too much coconut oil in my hair and scalp. It is an excellent deep conditioner when left on for a few hours. It is also a great way to soothe and calm mild psoriasis on your head. Apply a fair bit of the oil, massage your scalp with it and comb through your hair. Wrap in a towel or a shower cap and hang out with a cup of tea and a good book for several hours. I love home remedies... They take time to work so you have a great excuse to relax... BONUS! You will have to wash your hair a few times to fully remove the oil but as long as your shampoo is gentle, and preferably eco friendly and toxin free, this will remove the coconut oil well.

 

Sometimes my scalp is itchy and I get a build up of icky bits (sorry if that's too much information LOL!), resulting in the dreaded white flakes upon my favourite black clothes. Sadness... For years, I've used the Head and Shoulders shampoo which has a moderate toxic rating on the EWG SkinDeep Web Site. It's worked ok, but I have wanted a more natural approach and I think I have found it. A month ago I came across some information about apple cider vinegar, particularly the unpasteurized kind, being a good fix for dandruff and dry scalp. It is also supposed to a good hair conditioner, but I fear that if it is left in, one might smell like a salad, so for now, I am just using it as a treatment and then washing it out.

For the past month I have been using a 1:1 ratio of water to ACV (apple cider vinegar) and gently massaging it on my scalp.  Drip dry a bit and mop up the excess with a towel. Then I hang out for a few hours, grab a good book or do some writing while letting the vinegar do it's thing. Then, I rinse and wash out with a gentle shampoo or my castile soap. So far, I have found that it has reduced the dry itchy feeling I get and I think the white flakes have been minimized too. More to follow as I keep this treatment up on a bi-weekly treatment.

 

A new to me brand of unpasteurized apple cider vinegar I found at Bulk Barn!

Last but not least are my DIY products; a collection of homemade body and facial scrubs that I have been using for the last several months. I scoured the net for various kinds, including information from dermatologists and regular "peeps" on the effectiveness of said scrubs. I chose the ones that I felt would work the best and had the blessings of dermatologists. I found a great article for this >HERE<. Two words of caution: FIRST, not everything on Pinterest is a good thing (check out this post here) so do some research and SECOND, do patch tests for any DIY self care products just to make sure you don't have any reactions.

I tried out 3 DIY products. The first contained used coffee grounds, coconut oil, and honey. The second contained coconut oil or olive oil and ground oats. The third contained coconut oil and baking soda. All of these ingredients are supposed to have wonderful properties ranging from anti-microbial, anti-fungal, age-reversing plus a whole lot more, and while I really want to believe these promises, these aren't the reasons I have decided to try out DIY personal care products. As an aside, I even question the promises that the expensive store bought concoctions make. Bottom line, I wanted to make some things in my kitchen that would gently exfoliate, brighten up, soothe, and moisturize my skin, without having to purchase the made-for-me products with toxic ingredients. 

I know we can purchase green beauty products, but alas, my budget and my unwillingness to spend the money for higher end products prevents me from purchasing them. So for now, safe DIY is on tap and after the past few months of experimentation, I have come to the following conclusions...

 

I found that the coffee grounds, coconut oil, and raw honey scrub is best used on my hands, legs and rough spots like feet, elbows and knees. It is a little to harsh for faces, though I did try it once. I must say, that it certainly freshens up rough skin elsewhere on your body, while moisturizing with the coconut oil. It is a little messy for clean up and given that I don't want the grounds going down the drain on a regular basis, it requires a special screen on the shower or sink drain. I think you could use this body scrub a once per week or just when you find rough spots!

Coffee Ground Scrub

1/2 cup very finely ground coffee, already used for coffee

3 tbsp. raw honey

2 tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil

 

Combine the ingredients thoroughly. Store in a wide mouth mason jar for up to 1 month in the refrigerator

 

To use, wet down your skin and scoop a small amount out of the container. Apply in a circular motion to wet skin. Don't rub too hard.  Rinse thoroughly. I used a mesh drain cover to catch the grounds in the tub and ran super hot water down the drain to make sure the oil was flushed out thoroughly. I prefer this as a body and hand scrub because I find it a little too abrasive.
 

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I've also tried a mix of ground oats and coconut oil (or olive oil) on my face. It is not as harsh a scrub as the coffee one and I believe that as long as you don't scrub too hard, it seems gentle enough on my face.  I thought it does a lovely job on brightening my complexion. I found it especially nice around my nose and chin area to slough off the dead skin. I only use this once per week and do it on a days that I don't plan on wearing make up or before bed.  The no make up rule after a facial makes sense. Thank you to the Cosmo Girl lawyer named Elle Woods in the movie Legally Blonde 2 for that tid bit of facial after-care! I am so not a glam gal. I've used this once every 2 weeks and I find that my complexion seems smoother and more polished.

Ground Oats Scrub

This is the right amount for one facial scrub application.

1 tsp. coconut oil or olive oil
1 tbsp. ground oats (regular oat ground finely into a flour in a coffee grinder)

Mix well in a small bowl and gently apply to a wet face. Gently rub onto your skin using round circular motions for a few minutes, being careful to avoid the under eye area. Don't rub too hard. Rinse with warm water, tissue the excess off and wash your face with a mild eco-friendly soap.

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Last, but not least, I also tried coconut oil mixed with some baking soda. I have only used it on my hands so far. It also does a lovely job of exfoliating. It doesn't seem too harsh and doesn't make a huge mess in the sink. It's not quite as grainy as the ground oats and is definitely not as abrasive as the ground coffee scrub. I'm a little hesitant about using it on my face because of the alkalinity of the baking soda. Since the skin on my hands is a little tougher, I thought it would work out well, and it did! Again, I do this once per week or 2 weeks because, as with all things, you can do too much of a good thing. In my research, I did read that if you were to use any DIY with baking soda on your face, it would be best to use it as a mask

Baking Soda Scrub

1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 Tbsp. baking soda

Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl.  Wet your hands and lower arms if desired. "Wash" your hands with the mixture and gently rub your lower arms with the scrub for several minutes.  Tissue off the excess and wash with a mild soap.

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And so, this ends round 1 of Michelle the green beauty guinea pig and my first attempts at some DIY beauty and self care products. If you too decide to try out some DIY, please know that there are some pretty crazy homemade products out there on the internet highway. I would research carefully, and check out what the dermatologists say too as well as check out the comments from folks who have tried them. Some food based products may better eaten as opposed to slathered on your skin. Just because it's not chemical or full of mystery ingredients, homemade DIY beauty and self care products can be just as harmful to you. On the flip side, DIY green beauty and self care products can be fun to make and fun to use. The safe ones would be great to use on a girls' spa night with a few glasses of wine!
 

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

The other day, we ran out of chocolate syrup. Yes, I still buy the chemical laden chocolate flavoured poison. It's not my fault though! The last time I tried to make my own syrup, it did not go so well. My family mutinied and refused to use it. The syrup was too thick and it didn't mix well with the milk, so eventually it got pitched. Cook's error, me thinks! I think that was 5 years ago. If I recall correctly, my husband snuck out and purchased a bottle of the Nesquick. 

Now that my family is getting used to the idea that many of the store bought products are being made in-house by me, I decided that I would try my hand at chocolate syrup again. Perhaps it will be an easier sell. Also, because I do have strong feelings about protecting the environment, I would be quite happy to strike yet another Nestlé product off my shopping list given this company's  stronghold on the bottled water industry; an industry that I think has horrific ramifications on our planet. Stepping off my soapbox now...  And back to yummy chocolate syrup. 

The store bought chocolate syrups have chemicals put in them to enhance flavours and extend shelf life. Most certainly, these are things I would prefer not to ingest. In case you were wondering, the ingredients list on, hopefully the last, bottle of Nesquick is as follows: sugar, water, maltodextrin, cocoa, colour, salt, citric acid, potassium sorbate, artificial flavour, and ferric phosphate. Between you, me and the fencepost, matodextrin, potassium sorbate, artificial colour and flavour, and ferric phosphate sound SO tasty... NOT! True, chocolate syrup is super high in sugar, but if we are going to indulge in a sweet treat like chocolate milk, every now and again, I would certainly prefer to do it without the chemicals. 

Yesterday, I made some chocolate syrup and stored it in a mason jar. This morning, I checked the syrup and was pleased to find that it had thickened just slightly AND was still pourable. I transferred it to a squeeze bottle for easy use. The syrup itself tastes pretty darn good too; so far, so good! I even made myself a little chocolate milk today and I thought it was excellent. All that's left is the family taste test! Cross your fingers... 

Chocolate Syrup UPDATES 1 and 2

It's been a few days since I made the chocolate syrup. My husband gave it a try the other night and said it was pretty good - much better than my last attempt, especially since it "poured properly" and mixed easily with the milk. Two thumbs up. The kid tried it and said - "Nah - it's too chocolatey". Next time I make her a chocolate milk, I will use less syrup and see how it goes. As an aside, I know when I tried the syrup plain, I found that it certainly packed a chocolatey punch, so it stands to reason that a little will go a long way in a glass of your choice of milk. I'm hoping that by the time this batch of syrup is gone, my family's tastebuds will have forgotten how the Nesquick tastes so we can all enjoy chemical free chocolate syrup.

It's been over 2 weeks now and I have since made a SECOND batch of syrup. The kid has not tried it again, but my husband is quite happy to use it. I would also like to report that this chocolate syrup is excellent with almond milk and it is yummy on a bowl of vanilla ice cream with bananas and walnuts.

Chocolate Syrup

3/4 cup sugar 
1/2 cup cocoa***
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla

Whisk the cocoa, sugar, and salt together in a medium/large pot. 

Whisk in the water until well combined and smooth. 

Over medium heat, cook the mixture stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes until the syrup has thickened slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Add the maple syrup, stir well and bring back to a simmer. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla. Let the syrup cool to room temperature.  

Once cool, pour into a glass mason jar (I like the wide mouth ones so it is easy to scrape out every last bit of syrup) or your favourite squeeze bottle. 

 

Store in the refrigerator. The syrup should keep for 1 to 2 months, if it lasts that long.

 

If you find that the syrup is too thick after refrigerating for a day, simply pour back into a bowl and thin with some water. Add a teaspoon at a time, whisking well between additions until the desired consistency has been achieved. Pour it back into the jar or squeeze bottle, and you are ready to go!

 

***NOTE
I have done a little research about cocoa. I discovered that the cocoa I have in my pantry is Dutch processed cocoa which is a little different than natural cocoa. Check this out to learn more about cocoa here!  From my reading, Dutched cocoa is made from cocoa beans that have been washed with a potassium solution before roasting and grinding. This neutralizes their acidity and results in a darker and less intense flavoured cocoa. The natural cocoa is just roasted and ground cocoa beans, but because the cocoa beans are naturally acidic, the flavour is sharper and and more "fruity" and colour is more reddish. Perhaps, if I used the natural cocoa, the flavour might be more appealing to the kid?  I will let you know how it goes when I give it a try!

***UPDATE***
I really liked the taste of the natural cocoa versus the Dutch processed. Given that the natural has less processing, I think it will be my go to choice for cocoa from here on in!

New To Me Products and Pita Veggie Pizzas

I am over the moon! I have discovered 2 new to me brands of "made for me products". I know that much of my blog is about making your own things, but sometimes a busy person needs a little help. When you can find a company that makes its products with the same love you do in your own kitchen and without the use of chemicals, then go for it.  Your tummy will thank you!

The first is a bread company called Silver Hills Bakery. This bakery makes wonderful sprouted whole grain breads and bagels. Their products are non-gmo, vegan, dairy-free, and use organic ingredients. To find out more about this Canadian company, click here! I like their breads for sandwiches and toast, not to mention, I find their breads a little lighter in texture so I think this bread will appease even a white bread only person. There is a variety of breads and bagels and you can even get hamburger and hot dog buns too. 

I absolutely love their bread toasted with a spoonful (or 2) of my homemade chia seed jam! Below are pictures of my Strawberry and Blueberry Chia Seed Jam and my Blueberry Vanilla Chia Seed Jam by Oh She Glows. 

The second brand is the Ozery Pita Break Bakery; another Canadian find. This bakery makes a variety of pita products - some savoury and some sweeter, perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. There are no chemicals, preservatives or additives; when they use all purpose flour, it is the unbleached variety AND they are particular about the quality of all their ingredients. To find out more about this company, click here! 

Today I want to share with you my Pita Pizzas. For this recipe I used the Pita Break Multi Grain large pitas, but you could certainly use their One Buns for a snack size pita pizza too. The regular size pita's make a perfect base for a single serve pizza, so if you are pressed for time, or just don't fancy making your own dough, these large pita's have you covered when you want to have homemade personal pizzas. If you are super hungry, 2 will fit the bill! 

If I don't have any of my homemade marinara for pizza sauce, I will flavour a cup and a half of pasata with some sautéed minced garlic and some oregano and basil, dried is best, and cook it down till the sauce is thick and mounds on a spoon. If I have some leftover marinara, I usually reduce it a little more too.

My favourite pizza as of late is a veggie pizza. I like to play around with various veggie combinations. Some great choices are:

• sauteed mushrooms
• sauteed onions
• sliced green onion
• sauteed kale
• wilted spinach (excess moisture squeezed out)
• sauteed, diced zucchini
• diced red or yellow bell pepper
• tomatoes
• Kalamata olives, sliced

When I feel like a little meat on my pizza I cook up my favourite Italian sausage and slice it or dice it finely. The classic pepperoni would work too, but I have been opting to avoid deli meats as of late. 

Finally, a little mozzarella cheese, grated or crumbled.  If my cheese has been frozen, (I freeze cheese when it goes on sale) I find that it doesn't always grate well so I have opted to crumble it over the pizza. Also, I have been using a lot less cheese in my foods lately because I prefer to eat it as a "sometimes" food. 

Pizza Sauce

1/3 bottle Pasata, a little more than 3/4 of a cup

1 large garlic clove (a heaped teaspoon of garlic granules works too)

1 tbsp dry oregano (not powdered)

1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt

several grinds of black pepper

Place all ingredients into a small saucepan, stir well to combine. Simmer over a medium heat for 20-30 minutes until the sauce has reduced by about a third and the sauce "mounds" on a spoon. 

This makes enough sauce for 8 pita pizzas, about 2/3 cup.  If you are only making 4 pita pizzas, you can freeze the remainder in a 250 ml jar for another day. 

Ozery Pita Break Whole Grain Pitas (4 per pack)

1/3 cup pizza sauce

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

4 oz sliced cremini mushrooms

1 cup kale cut crosswise into 1/4" ribbons (stem removed)

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 1/2 roma tomatoes, sliced thinly OR 8 or so cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced 

In a heavy fry pan, saute the mushroom slices in about a teaspoon or so of your favourite oil, over a medium heat. I tend to use olive or grapeseed oil. Once the mushroom slices are golden brown and have released their moisture, remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl or plate. Using the same pan, sautee the kale ribbons over a medium heat with about a teaspoon of oil. Stir regularly and cook the kale until slightly wilted and soft. Set aside in a bowl or plate. 

Dice the red peppers and slice the tomatoes. 

Preheat your oven to 425° F and make sure your rack is at the halfway mark. Place the 4 pitas on a large baking sheet. Spread about about 2 scant tablespoons of sauce on each pita. Evenly distribute your mushroom slices over the sauce. Then evenly distribute the kale. Sprinkle the red peppers and then the cheese. finally, top with the tomatoes.  Place the baking tray in the oven and bake pizzas for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Remove the pan from the oven. Let stand for a few minutes and then transfer, one at a time, to a cutting board. Using a good 6" chef's knife or pizza wheel, cut the pizza into quarters.  Serve with a mixed green salad and your favourite homemade dressing. YUM!

Erika’s Sweet 16 Birthday Cake

 

 

For those of you who have been hanging out with me, you know that my focus has been to share ways of eating better; my favourite family strategy of “hidden healthy” and to experiment with new to me plant based ingredients and recipes. SPOILER ALERT!! There are absolutely no veggies in this post and ALOT refined white sugar too! But since this is a post about birthday cake, I personally think its ok to indulge once and awhile… after all, it IS a celebration and we don’t eat cake every day!

 

It has been my tradition as a mom to make a special cake for both my daughters’ birthdays. Sadly this little tradition ended early for my oldest because she decided that she didn’t like cake. We changed to homemade ice cream cakes NOT made with cheap ice cream and fancied up with crumb crusts, fancy flavours, and add-ins like gummy bears, candy coated chocolate candies, chocolate chips, and candied fruit peels. No DQ ice cream cakes in this house (had one once and I’m not a fan)! My youngest, now turning 16 still LOVES cake and has decided that she is still not too old for a theme birthday cake. The tradition lives on!

 

Almost every year, I have made a different cake for her. When she was younger, I created a surprise theme cake for her parties including a bunny cake, train cake, and a pool cake. Now, she tests my talents with her own requests.  2 years ago, she wanted a happy face cake; last year she asked for a frog cake; and this year, she asked for a cat cake with pink fur and blue spots if I can manage it.

 

 

 

 

Early on, in my mom career, I used to buy made at the store cakes and I used cake mixes too because I didn’t trust my baking abilities. I even used frosting out of a can... shhhhhh! As I learned more about my food supply and the factory kitchens, I adopted the credo, “if I can’t pronounce it, I don’t eat it” which is probably the reason that I try very hard to minimize my consumption of prepared foods. Gradually, year after year, I dropped a few more “made for me products” from my shopping list, opting to make them myself. One of the first items to get dropped was cake, and low and behold, I found out that with a good recipe and wholesome ingredients, cake, in any flavour, wasn’t so scary after all!  Nothing beats real ingredients when making food for your family!

 

If you want, you can always improve your homemade cake by selecting premium ingredients such as unbleached flour (organic if you can find it) to further reduce your chemical intake or Fair Trade ingredients to give your cake a social conscience. You can even give your cake a humane spin by using eggs, butter, and milk from pasture raised chickens and cows. However you want to improve your cake, the choice is yours.  Just remember, the most important thing you can do for yourself, and those that you love, is to make the cake yourself with real ingredients and whole lot of love!
 

White Vanilla Cake (a Work in Progress, inspired by Canadian Living)

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar (try 1 1/2 cups next time; VERY sweet)

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1/3 cup orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 tbsp orange zest

1 tbsp. vanilla

4 cups sifted cake-and-pastry flour

5 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt 

                                

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Directions

 

Measure the sifted flour into a medium bowl. Add the baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.

 

Pour the milk, orange juice concentrate, and vanilla into a 2 cup measuring cup, whisk to combine.

 

In a large bowl, cream butter thoroughly; by hand, or with a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment

 

Add the sugar, and beat until light and fluffy.

 

Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat thoroughly between additions.

 

Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, continue to beat. Add 1/2 the milk mixture and beat till mixed in. Add another 1/3 of the flour mixture, beat to combine and then repeat with the milk and the remaining flour mixtures.

 

Fill your baking pan or pans no more than two thirds full, otherwise the cake batter will spill over the sides of the pan. If you have extra batter, quickly grease a few custard ramekins to make mini cakes. Again, do not feel more than two thirds full!

 

This will fill a 13 x 9 cake pan, OR TWO 9" round pans OR (probably) THREE 8" round pans. Make sure you don't fill more than 2/3 full otherwise the cake batter will overflow.

 

Today I used TWO 9" round pans and had extra batter so I filled 2 Medium ramekins and 2 small ramekins. My small ramekins overflowed because they were too full. Live and learn!

 

Bake the 13 x 9 cake for about 40 minutes, until golden, a cake tester comes out clean, and the cake springs back when touched. 

 

Bake 9 inch rounds for about 30 minutes; bake 8" foot about 25-30 minutes; bake mini ramekin mini cakes for about 20 minutes

 

Cool for 20 minutes in the baking pan, on a cooling rack. Remove from pan and completely cool on rack.

 

Continue with cake preparation or wrap thoroughly and freeze for up to 2 weeks.

 

Frosting Recipe 

My go to easy buttercream frosting recipe is by Canadian Living.  It is rather sweet but it spreads nicely and is super easy.  http://www.canadianliving.com/food/vanilla_buttercream_icing.php

 

For my pink cat, I decided to try my hand at chemical free food colouring, one that is made from real food; nothing artificial. I have seen posts using cooked blueberry for purple, cooked beets for pinks; turmeric for yellows and matcha tea for greens. Today, I used raspberries that I cooked down and pressed through a jelly bag to remove the seeds and excess pulp, and then reduced a little more by simmering gently till slightly thickened. I was left with the most gorgeous red syrup.
 

 

I made my recipe according to the recipe and then set aside about 3/4 cup of frosting to keep white.  I added the raspberry syrup to the remaining frosting. to maintain the consistency, I added a few spoonful's of sifted icing sugar. The frosting picked up a subtle pink hue. Sadly, not as pink as I would have liked for my cake, so I ended up using a teensy bit of store bought food colouring gel to deepen the pink colour. Ah well! The frosting did change colour and it had a hint of raspberry flavour too which was quite lovely. If I had been making a regular layer cake and not one for a theme cake, the natural frosting would have been perfect. Next time, I will see if increasing the volume of raspberry syrup and thickening it a bit with cornstarch while cooking it will allow me to add more colour without diluting my frosting. I will keep you posted.

 

Making the Cat Cake

 

What You Need:

Pink Frosting for entire cake and ears
White frosting for cheeks, chine, eyes and whiskers (I set aside about 1 cup of white frosting before tintin
Licorice shoe string snipped super short for whisker dots, eye dots, and mouth
TWO round green wine gums, sliced thinly
3 Ice cream sandwich wafers (Bulk Barn) or large graham crackers, cut into triangles with a serrated knife - 2 large and 2 small for the contrast

ONE black wine gum or black jelly candy sliced thinly and cut into a small triangle for the nose

What To Do:

Ice your cake like you would for any layer cake with the pink frosting. Put short slits into the cake where you want the ears to go. Spread a little frosting on the bottom of the triangles and gently press into the slits you made.  Frost the ears, front and back. 

With the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, pat the icing all over to make the icing look "fluffy".

With a large piping tip, pipe 2 large cheeks, a chin, and 2 eyes.

Place nose above cheeks, insert the licorice mouth, and pipe the whiskers. Carefully place the whisker dots on the cheeks.

Gently press the green eyes on the piped eyes, and then then place the eye dots on.

Take the smaller triangles and gently press onto the ears for the contrast.

 

I hope you try your hand at making your own cake and frosting. With a little practice, you can accomplish anything, you just need the right ingredients, the right tools and a good recipe. The occasional treat, even high in refined sugar is SO much better for you than the chemical laden ones from Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker!