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Category: recipes

  • Satisfying Moose Meatballs with Pemberton Mashed Potatoes

    Satisfying Moose Meatballs with Pemberton Mashed Potatoes

    We are fortunate to have a freezer full of moose meat from the Yukon. A beautiful moose that my spouse and his sister bagged in September (after 3 unsuccessful hunting trips in the past few years).

    So we have moose sausages and stew meat and, of course, ground. I was craving meatballs so I searched my cookbooks for some recipes. One recipe from Sheila Lukins’ All Around the World Cookbook – called for allspice and nutmeg. No thanks! I do not enjoy nutmeg at the best of times, and certainly not in my meat.

    So I charted my own course.

    My thoughts on wild game are that one should not try anything too wild. The meat is wild, so when experimenting, go tame. That said, pecorino is a sharp and dramatic flavour but it worked. (I want to take a moment to thank the AMAZING Pemberton Valley Supermarket that always has pecorino in stock. PVS – you are the BEST.) As for spices, I went for dry mustard, paprika, S&P, oregano and basil – and not too much of any. And of course parsley. I rarely make anything that does not call for parsley or cilantro, my faithful culinary companions. When I do not have any of these two in my fridge, sure enough, I embark on a recipe that calls for one of them. So those two are always, always on my grocery list. Serve these meatballs with Pemberton mashed spuds and some broccoli or another green veggie. A good and satisfying fall dinner! Fall cheers to the hunters and the farmers! And thank you to Lisa always for being the amazing host of this food blog site!

    Flavourful Gluten-free Moose Meatballs: (yield: 4 servings)

    1 lb ground moose meat (or beef)

    ½ cup finely grated pecorino romano

    1/3 cup pure olive oil

    ¼ cup fine chop parsley

    2 small Pemberton eggs or one very large egg

    ¼ cup almond meal

    1 tsp salt

    1 tsp pepper

    1 tsp dry mustard

    1 tsp paprika

    1 tsp basil 

    ½ tsp oregano

    ½ cup finely chopped yellow or red onion

    Method: put all ingredients, except for olive oil, in a large bowl. Mix well and form into 1 tbs balls.

    Heat 1/3 cup pure olive oil in large skillet with sides at least 4 inches high (oil splatters). Heat oil on medium heat. Gently place meatballs in pan. Do not rush but gently rotate the balls so they brown and cook thoroughly.

    Serve with Pemberton russet mashed potatoes and a green steamed veggie. Enjoy!

  • People, Perogies and a Potato Podcast

    People, Perogies and a Potato Podcast

    I recently spoke, appropriately distanced and outdoors, with Anna Helmer.

    Anna mentioned (with a teasing tone), that @Therocketnarcissist and I should share a recipe on The Farm Story Podcast. I don’t think she expected a “Yes!” with such enthusiasm.

    Anyway, you’ll have to give it a listen. Right HERE.

    Rustic Recipe Ahead

    Here are the deets for the dough:

    2 c. full fat plain yogurt

    1 egg

    1 tsp. salt

    2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

    Extra flour for rolling out dough.

    Beat wet ingredients together (with whisk, stand mixer or hand mixer).

    Slowly add flour and salt to the wet ingredients, if using a stand mixer. Or if combining by hand, pile the flour, make a well and pour the liquid into the well and bring the flour to the middle until combined. Some needing is required to combine. It should be tacky, not sticky.

    Wrap the dough and let rest in the fridge for 2 hours.

    You can make your favourite filling now (listen to the podcast for suggestions or consult Chef Google).

    Remove dough from fridge. Cut in half (or quarters if you have a small work surface). Roll out the dough to 1/8 of an inch.

    Cut circles. Dumpling cutters are often 3″ circles. I used a wide mouth mason jar which is almost 2 3/8. I roll the dough even more after cutting as it tends to retract from the original roll out. I spin the piece around and work from the middle outward getting an even stretch. The finished piece should be 3″.

    Add 1 tsp. of filling to each circle.

    Fold the dough over the filling and pinch closed. If the dough has dried, try dipping your finger in water and running it around the edge of the circle before closing.

    Place complete perogies on a floured surfaced until ready to cook (I use a cookie sheet as it can be moved to your pot of water).

    Next, cook as desired. I like the boil then fry method. I often test one in boiling water to see how long it takes for the dough to cook. I occasionally do this before filling a bunch of perogies, so I can ensure my filling is appropriately seasoned.

    If you still have questions after listening and reading this rustic recipe, let me know in the comments below.

  • Chicken Casserole for these Dark Times

    Chicken Casserole for these Dark Times

    Yes, it has been a weird year. And these are the shortest and darkest days of the year to boot. Right now I am craving calorie-laden stodgy food and damn the consequences. Lighter fare will appeal when the days brighten up.

    I have made this casserole with some good Pemberton veggies but the mayo, sour cream and cheese do not put this casserole in the healthy category. But dark days plus face mask-wearing at all times? Sign me up for a retro casserole.

    Here is to hugging family and friends in 2021 and to our Pemberton library being open for real – SOON! Happy Christmas to all!

    Chicken Casserole with Pemberton Veggies

    4 cups cooked Pemberton-raised chicken, diced

    2 tbs pure olive oil

    1 large yellow onion, diced

    2 cups blanched Pemberton-grown Swiss chard, chopped (Do NOT add raw – it MUST be blanched first)

    1 cup Pemberton-grown corn kernels

    1 cup chopped cauliflower

    2 cups chopped celery

    1 cup chopped cilantro

    1 cup diced tomatoes

    2 tsp dry mustard

    1 tsp cumin

    1 tsp paprika

    1 tsp sambal oelek

    1 tsp salt

    1 tsp pepper

    ½ cup mayonnaise

    2/3 cup full-fat sour cream

    1 8-oz package Pad Thai noodles

    1 cup mozzarella, shredded

    Method:

    Sauté onion, corn, chard, celery, cauliflower and cilantro in olive oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven. Sauté until well caramelised. When caramelised, add cumin, paprika, dry mustard, sambal oelek, salt and pepper, tomatoes, and diced chicken. Mix well. 

    Cook Pad Thai noodles by pouring boiling water over the noodles and leave immersed for 5 minutes. Drain well.

    Add cooked Pad Thai noodles and mayo and sour cream to veggie mixture. Mix well. Sprinkle top with cheese.

    Bake casserole for ½ hour at 350C. Enjoy!

  • Amazing Pemberton Apple Muffins (and healthy too)

    Amazing Pemberton Apple Muffins (and healthy too)

    This is the time of year when the freezer can be very full (a good problem to have). If there is deer meat to go in, something must come out. In my case, the many bags of apples I peeled and sliced two months ago! This is a recipe that uses up those apples well and is seriously the best apple cake I’ve ever had – in convenient muffin form. It is also fairly healthy with good fats and whole grains.

    These apple muffins are an adaptation of Shelley Adams’ “Joey’s Apple Cake”, found in her first cookbook Whitewater Cooks – Pure, Simple and Real (2005). Shelley Adams is my food mentor (she doesn’t know that) and I have adapted so many of her recipes over the last 12 years. Her recipes have good bones. I have usually adapted them to be whole grain, reduced sugar and sometimes grain-free. This recipe was also altered by making muffins instead of cake (which is quite finicky as it calls for a Bundt pan and the cake always stuck to it). Enjoy!

    Whole Grain Apple Muffins (yield: 36 muffins)

    Ingredients:

    3 cups spelt flour (*you can also use 2 cups spelt and 1 cup almond meal OR you can use 2.5 cups spelt flour and 1/2 cup oat bran)

    1/2 cup white sugar

    1/4 cup brown sugar

    3 tsp cinnamon

    1/4 tsp cardamom

    1 tsp baking soda

    ½ tsp salt

    1.5 cups grapeseed oil

    3 Pemberton eggs

    3 tsp almond extract

    4 cups finely-diced Pemberton-grown peeled and cored apples (I use a Cuisinart and pulse the apples until they are just shy of applesauce texture. They should still have lumps).

    Method: 

    Preheat oven to 350C

    Blend pureed apples, oil, eggs and sugars in stand mixer. Blend well. Add cinnamon, cardamom, flour, baking soda and salt. Blend well.  

    Scoop batter into silicone muffin pans (I like silicone pans because the muffins don’t stick).

    Bake at 350C for 26 minutes. Cool 15 minutes in pans, then invert onto cooling rack. 

  • Rainy August Day in Pemberton – Make These Cookies!

    Rainy August Day in Pemberton – Make These Cookies!

    Torrential rain here in Pemberton today. A good day for baking. These cookies I adapted from a John Bishop recipe from his cookbook At Home. They are great for road trips. I have not had luck with PB cookies lately and have been disappointed with the recipe in the Joy of Cooking (both the original edition and the updated version published about a decade ago). This one is very good! John Bishop’s recipes have good bones…

    Not a recipe high in Pemberton ingredients this post except for the Pemberton egg – only the best!

    Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies (yield: 2 dozen)

    ½ cup unsalted butter

    ½ cup natural chunky peanut butter (I used Western Family brand)

    1/3 cup white sugar

    ¾ cup coconut sugar

    1 Pemberton egg

    ½ cup pulverized gluten-free oats (pulverize in Cuisinart until oats are the consistency of flour)

    1 cup almond meal

    ½ tsp baking powder

    ¾ tsp baking soda

    ¼ tsp salt

    4 oz Lindt 90% dark chocolate, chopped

    Cream butter and peanut butter in mixer. Add all other ingredients. Blend well. Stir in chocolate chunks. Use a 1.5 tbs-sized spring-loaded cookie scoop and use it to drop dough onto 2 parchment-lined baking sheets (these cookies spread quite a bit). Bake at 375C for 12 minutes. Cool and enjoy!

  • Chic’weed: A weed so chic you will love it like a flower.

    Chic’weed: A weed so chic you will love it like a flower.

    With the botanical name of ‘Myosoton aquaticum’ it becomes clear that there is more than meets the eye when acquainting oneself with the perennial weed known as ‘Chickweed’.

    These triumphant little wonders that grow in nitrogen rich soil pack a powerful punch of medicine. Chickweed is consumed for stomach and bowel problems, blood disorders, asthma, lung diseases, obesity, vitamin C deficiency (scurvy) and skin conditions such as psoriasis, rabies, itching, muscle and joint pain!

    Nestled among flocks of clover and dandelion allies there is great joy to be discovered upon first glance. Pristine symmetry of ten white fronds and with a closer look, noticing there are in fact five immaculate heart shaped petals split down the gentle center of her alluring, aromatic excellence.

    Building a relationship with this plant has been a joyful adventure and thankfully they grow wildly upon mountain tops, valleys and most lawns in the Pemberton Valley in every season sans snow. Chickweed is often overlooked as a weed, pulled up and out of the dirt without a chance to spread her delicate wings of love upon your dinner plates full of nourishing kindness and fresh flavor infusion. If you haven’t already I urge you to open your heart to this angelic wild edible and invite her into you culinary explorations!

    When wild harvesting as always only take what you need, in this case a pair of scissors, the top six inches of the plant and no more than 10% of the crop you see present. You can add her to fresh spring salads, summery mocktails and even fall soups and garnishes. My personal favorite way to integrate this wild beauty is my vegan, ‘Chic’week Pesto’. I add this into an ice cube tray and set it in the freezer for a heal(thy) does of delicious nourishment. It is especially useful on evenings when making dinner seems an unattainable feat! Many studies suggest integrating phytonutriens (an abundance of which are found in the complex immune systems of wild edible plants) into our daily diet will decrease disease, bringing us closer to our ancestors diet of grazing on a variety of nutrient dense wilderness edibles.

    Without further ado, here is the recipe!

    Chic’Weed Pesto Recipe:

    3 cups of Chickweed washed and drained

    1/4 cup of Nutritional Yeast

    1 cup raw nuts (cashews, pines, hazelnut, walnuts – pick your fave or mix)

    2-3 Raw garlic cloves

    1 tsp pink salt

    1/4 tsp black pepper

    1/2 cup olive oil

    1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

    Chop in a food processor until smooth, add to an ice cube tray and voila! Phytonutrient dense deliciousness at your fingertips!

    I can’t wait to see how you explore this wonderful plant!
    Until then you can find me on Instagram @theplayfulmooon making all vegan recipes to share with you through my recipe hashtag #eatrealrainbows🌈

    Much love!

    Leala

  • Healthy Rhubarb Sauce?!

    Healthy Rhubarb Sauce?!

    This post is a repost shared from https://www.nurtureinnature.ca. If you enjoy Kristina’s adventures in permaculture, which she has begun to share with us, be sure to follow her there.

    I wasn’t going to make rhubarb sauce this year- it needs a disgusting amount of sugar to make it taste good, and then it leaves that hairy feeling on my teeth. It’s not good for me, and it doesn’t feel good, so why spend the time?

    But, then I realized what was growing in a patch behind the farmhouse.

    Sweet Cicely has the natural chemical anethole that, when cooked, is twice as sweet as sucrose. It grows here in BC, and is a natural, unprocessed sugar. Now I don’t feel so bad about eating rhubarb sauce; it has half the amount of sugar in it, and I like eating it because it doesn’t leave that weird feeling in my mouth.


    Recipe:

    Note to all, my mom taught me to cook with measurements. But when I am out foraging, it is hard to get “2 cups of rhubarb”. Sometimes I end up with 3. Or 9. So I cook with proportions, and taste test to get it right. Good luck!

    1 part Rhubarb, cut into small pieces.

    With about 2 inches of water in the bottom of the pot so the rhubarb doesn’t burn, bring to a boil and let the rhubarb break down and become saucy and thick.

    Once it is about the desired texture, add 1/2 part diced sweet cicely.

    Add1/4 part of sugar, let it boil until you can no longer taste the liquorice flavour of the sweet cicely.

    You can add other fruits, like strawberries, and lessen the amount of sugar you need even more.

    Enjoy your rhubarb sauce on vanilla ice cream, in pies, or on yoghurt and granola for breakfast!

    I wouldn’t say it is healthy, per se.

    But at least it isn’t as unhealthy as it was, and it came mostly from my backyard!

    We deserve some sweet treats some times.

  • Fine & Dandy Syrup

    Fine & Dandy Syrup

    This spring I have been truly taken with (or perhaps a better way of saying it would be: OBSESSED) with dandelions! Yes the weeds everyone attempts to terminate that spread easily upon crisp green lawns!

    These past few years I decided to make a pact with myself, to get in touch with some of my ancestral roots and learn more deeply their simple ways of existence and so, I have been exploring a deep pull within: the vast knowledge of wild edibles!

    As a young girl I always told the world that my favourite ‘flower’ was a dandelion. This remark was often met with scoffing or a simply worded statement “Dandelions are not flowers, they are weeds.” I didn’t know the difference, all I knew was that they looked like small puffs of sunshine that occasionally would turn into a fun toy that you could tell the time with. As an adult it has been many years since my dandelion days and I’m thoroughly proud to say they are back!

    As a vegan, a vegan cook and a self proclaimed kitchen witch, I have delved deep into the succulent yellow petals of our local friends and from root to tip I have explored all of the wonder this plant provides. Before I move onto the incredible recipe that features this wild edible, the health warrior in me wishes to share some fun facts about these bountiful beauties:

    • Dandelions contain fibre, vitamins A, C , K,  E, folate, small amounts of B vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium.
    • You can consume the roots, the flower and the leaves!
    • Dandelion has been used for thousands of years in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine.
    • Dandelion is most commonly used as a liver remedy, diuretic and cholekinetic (increases stomach bile)
    • Dandelions are also used as a digestive aid for diseases of the mammary glands, abscesses, ulcerations and swollen lymph glands.

    They also can taste incredible! As a general rule the younger greens are less bitter and are great in salads or blanched as a side. The root can be roasted and drank with hot water as a coffee substitute. The heads can be added to salads, dressings, dips or even tempura them and add to a stir fry or salad. I have also added the yellow flowers to breads, baked goods, pancakes, coconut yogurt…you name it! Yet my favourite way to use these high mineral powerhouses is to make traditional Scandinavian dandelion honey! This is very simple, delicious and a great way to add a little sweetness to your desserts, morning pancakes and beverages.

    Recipe:

    • 2 cups of dandelion heads (presoaked in water, 1 tbsp vinegar for 10min and strained)
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1/2 lemon
    • Organic sugar of choice
    • Water

    In a medium sized pot cover the lemon, vanilla and 2 cups of dandelion heads with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15min, allow to cool and place in an airtight container in the fridge overnight to infuse. Next day strain out the solids using a nut milk bag or strainer. Measure the liquid you have in a jug, typically it should be around 1.5 – 2 cups. Match the same ratio with your organic sugar of choice. Bring the dandy liquid and sugar to a boil. Keep a close eye on it until it gets thicker and turns a deeper colour (around 15min.) Once finished add to a clean jar, you can store this in the refrigerator for about 1 month and enjoy in any way you please!

    It tastes remarkably like honey, is a sweeter rich in vitamins and minerals and just might be the best thing you have ever tried on pancakes!

    Enjoy your fine and dandy syrup !

    by Leala Selina

    Instagram: @theplayfulmoon Hashtag: #eatrealrainbows🌈

     

  • (Now you can) get your greens salad

    (Now you can) get your greens salad

    Spring comes on fast and furious. One minute (or month), it seems, I am scratching seeds into half-thawed ground and the next I am watching  Red Russian kale and arugula flower and spinach go to seed.

    I have watched crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, lilacs, forget-me-nots and dandelions bloom, and now am into rhododendrons, lupines, alliums, columbines and irises. The bees are happy at work, while ants are partying on my peonies.

    I’ve been relishing my time in the garden with a different rhythm, since COVID-19  interrupted life as we knew it. I sleep later, work during off hours when the kids are outside, and stay up at night watching videos about growing things. I drink coffee in the morning, but often forget to eat until later in the day when my hangry panic sets in. Thankfully, we are moving out of months of buying greens at the store into eating our own home-grown. 

    This is the salad I wolf down in the afternoon these days:

    Before

    Get yer greens salad

    Ingredients

    • Large bowl of greens (mine included kale, arugula, spinach and spicy mesclun greens today. Sometimes, I’ll add dandelion leaves. And my kids prefer romaine mixed with the darker wilder greens.)
    • Radishes, if you have them
    • A few green onions or chives
    • Herbs, if you have them (parsley, dill, cilantro or basil)

    Dressing

    • Large heaping tablespoon of grainy mustard
    • Large heaping spoon of tahini
    • A couple of tablespoons of hemp seeds
    • Splash of apple cider vinegar (mine is infused with dandelion flowers)
    • Splash of flax seed oil
    • Tablespoon of nutritional yeast
    • Splash of maple syrup or fresh local honey
    • Chopped garlic, if you have some (we’ve run out of last year’s garlic, so I used a sprinkle of garlic, hot pepper salt flakes instead)

    Directions

    • Wash greens thoroughly and chop or cut with scissors into bite sized pieces; Dry in salad spinner.
    • Whisk dressing ingredients in a large bowl, adding more or less tahini depending on how thick you want it.
    • Add greens, radishes and onions to the bowl with salad dressing and toss vigorously or massage with your hands.

    Add extras if you like. Try chickpeas, roasted yams, pumpkin seeds, toasted sesame seeds, smoked tofu, grated carrots or ginger, or red peppers.

    Resist the temptation to eat the whole bowl if you offered to make lunch for your partner. Enjoy ’til the next ravenous feast!

    After: empty plate, full belly, dirty garden jeans and happy dog at my feet
  • Thank you to the Vegans

    Thank you to the Vegans

    As discussed in my last post I think we owe vegans in particular an enormous debt of gratitude. These deadly viruses originate with wild animals in captivity caged inhumanely alongside domesticated animals for human consumption in markets mainly in China, but also it has been reported Indonesia and Thailand. What will happen in future and how and if this will be monitored is another matter.

    Vegans are against the use of any animal product for consumption and their choices are truly admirable. We have so many ethical food producers here and ethical and sustainable hunting practices yet unfortunately there will always be people who abuse a shared trust. Also, whenever we purchase packaged meat in the grocery store and are not connected with the hunting of the meat ourselves or the raising of the meat ourselves or by people we know in our own community (shout out to those very important and hard-working people in Pemberton now and how grateful I am to you) then we honestly cannot say for sure that the meat was raised ethically.

    So if you find this all too much to process (pun not intended) then you can just go vegan. And if that is too much to process then you can at least go partially vegan. I find vegan eating particularly easy at breakfast and lunch. Oatmeal and oat milk (yay – oat milk has 4g of protein per cup!), toast with peanut butter, etc.

    For lunch I like to serve bean dips and veggies and even a light lentil soup. I just tweaked a bean dip I found online that in its original posted form was bland and blah. This one is zippy and fluffy and very delish. Please enjoy and thank you again to the vegan community.

    White Bean Dip with Pemberton Garlic and Parsley:

    Ingredients:

    15 grams of small white cannellini beans

    **Method for dried beans: Soak a bag or two of dried cannellini beans overnight. In the AM, drain water and put beans in slow cooker and add water until beans are covered by two inches. Cook on low 8 hours. When tender, put 15 gram portions of beans in containers and freeze for future use.

    2 cloves Pemberton garlic

    4 dashes hot sauce (I like the Cholula brand from Mexico)

    1/3-1/2 cup pure olive oil

    3 tbs fresh-squeezed lemon juice

    1/3 cup Pemberton-grown parsley

    1 tsp salt

    1 tsp pepper

    1 tsp paprika

    Method: Blend all ingredients together in Cuisinart. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sliced cucumbers, celery, carrots or sweet peppers.