May is birthday month. In my small surviving family, my dad, my brother and me were all born in May. Now that I’ve joined forces with my husband and his small family, we can add another birthday at the tail-end of April – which is definitely almost May. And that means, a lot of cake baking and a lot of cake eating. I’m not complaining. But as much as you’d love to, you can’t live on cake. Thankfully, there’s this lovely little salad on those non-cake days.

I know, it doesn’t look like much. Chickpeas, carrots, parsley and almonds. Pantry staples if ever there were any. Look in your fridge and cupboards and I’m almost sure you’ll have all the ingredients ready to go. Simple, solid ingredients but the results are pretty noteworthy. I’ve made this salad twice in a very short period of time and I can see myself chowing down on this on the reg’. It’s citrusy, smokey and a little bit spicy – though you can addd more cayenne for more bite. The carrots are fresh and crunchy while the parsley makes this salad feel like you’re doing something good. And the almonds? Well, that’s like icing on the cake, so to speak.

Now that I’m writing this all up, I think some dried cranberries (or raisins) and maybe a sprinkle of feta would be a good addition. Next time. And there will be a next time. Like maybe for lunch.

spiced chickpea & carrot salad with fried almonds
Adapted from Food & Wine magazine.

The original recipe requires a food processor to process half the fried almonds with the dressing, so you get something resembling a paste. It sounds good, but I never feel like pulling out the processor for this. Next time, I tell myself. If you give it a try, let me know how it is. But as it stands, my version is pretty kick ass too. I think I will dry toast the almonds in an oven instead of over the stovetop. I always seem to burn nuts on the stove. It’s a curse. Plus, the dry toast would reduce the oil by a tablespoon which is an added bonus.

1 T vegetable oil
1/2 c sliced or roughly chopped almonds
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 large lemon, juiced
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t sweet smoked paprika
1 t agave nectar or honey
1/4 t cayenne pepper
kosher salt
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-2 c packed fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
5 medium sized carrots, peeled and shredded

Heat the oil in a skillet and add in the almonds, toasting over medium heat until golden. Stir frequently or you’ll burn your nuts. I’m not kidding. Set aside.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, honey, cayenne & salt. Taste to adjust seasonings.

In a serving bowl, toss together the chickpeas, parsley, and carrots. Pour in the dressing and toss to combine. Toss with the fried almonds just before serving so that the nuts retain their crunch.

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Today is my birthday but this isn’t my birthday cake. On Saturday when I had a couple friends over for dinner I made what I had hoped would be a fudgey and gooey mud pie, but instead I got something resembling a crumbling & dry brownie. It wasn’t a good start to birthday week. Last night, I made a carrot cake that dipped a little in the middle but today I’ll frost it up with some decadent cream cheese frosting and no one will be the wiser. But this chocolate & peanut butter mousse tart is something entirely different.

I made this tart for my MIL’s birthday which was a couple of weeks ago. In fact, when I told my husband I’d be making carrot cake for my birthday cake, he scrunched up his face and asked if I wanted to make that peanut butter pie again. Sorry Cornelius, but if you ask again, I might make this for your birthday. It is an exceptionally dream-worthy dessert. And despite the steps involved, it was pretty easy to put together.

When I went trolling for recipes, I found some that called for peanut butter chips and Cool Whip and sugary peanut butter. What? Your Skippy or Jif or Kraft isn’t sugary? Once you’ve been eating natural peanut butter with your toast, you begin to realize just how much sugar is stuffed into your processed peanut butter. I grew up on natural peanut butter and while I fought it when I was a kid (I’d sprinkle my peanut butter with salt since my parents bought un-salted pb – ugh!), I love it now. But with the salt – I buy Adam’s salted and crunchy brand. For Cornelius, he likes unsalted & smooth. Anyway for this recipe, I decided to go au naturel or as much as I could get away with. My friend Mia had made something very similar (& so much better looking too), so I decided to give it a try. It was a hit. Clearly!

I reduced the sugar, used some graham cracker crumbs instead of chocolate wafer crumbs (since I had some on hand), and of course, natural peanut butter. To make things easy, I made the crust the night before before I started on the filling, a step I’d totally recommend again. The only real problem I had was making the ganache. I didn’t think it was possible to screw up something I’ve made so often, but I did. I broke the ganache. I guess that happens when you take hot melted chocolate and stir it immediately with hot boiling cream. Instead, you should just chill out a bit along with the melted chocolate and boiling cream and then whip a few minutes later. But thanks to Martha I found the solution: just stir in a teaspoon at a time of cold water. 5 teaspoons later and my ganache came out almost as good as new! Birthday tart saved!!

Anyway, I encourage you to make this tart. It’s not overly sweet but if you’re tempted to skip the ganache layer, don’t. I thought about it, but I think it would have been too bland without it. It needs the chocolate layer to add depth. You’ll have people asking you for the recipe along with requests to make it again. It’s a stunner. Now, I’ll just cross my fingers and hope that my own carrot cake is a winner too!

chocolate & peanut butter mousse tart
(adapted from here + here)

For the crust
1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
5 T melted butter
2 T sugar

For the filling
1 1/2 c heavy cream
3 T confectioners sugar

1 tub (250 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature (I used a “light” spreadable cream cheese)
3/4 c confectioners sugar
1 1/2 c natural peanut butter (crunchy or smooth – I went with crunchy)
a pinch of kosher salt
2 T whole milk

For the topping
1/2 c heavy cream
4 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Callebaut)
1/2 c salted peanuts, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. In a bowl, use a fork to mix together the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and sugar until moist clumps form. Press crumb mixture over bottom and up sides of 10″ tart pan with a removable bottom. Carefully place tart pan onto a cookie sheet and bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Cool completely before filling.

Using a stand mixer, beat the heavy cream with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form, sprinkle in the confectioners sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. Place bowl in fridge.

Replace the whisk with the paddle attachement on the stand mixer and in a larger bowl, beat the cream cheese with the 3/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the peanut butter, salt and milk until well combined.

Remove the whipped cream from the fridge. Using a large silicone spatula, gently stir in about 1/4 of the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture. Gently fold in the remaining whipped cream until blended. Pour the mixture into the crust, smoothing out the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight, covering with plastic wrap as soon as the filling firms up.

Make a ganache, by putting the chocolate into a heat proof bowl or double boiler set over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove the bowl when the chocolate is melted and let cool for 5 minutes. Bring 1/2 cup of cream to a boil and pour over the cream. Let it sit for 10 minutes to cool slightly and then whisk until the ganache is completely blended and smooth.

Pour the ganache and spread over the tart, sprinkling peanuts over the top. Chill for at least 30 minutes. When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the springform pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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I love broccoli rabe (which also goes by the name “rapini”) a whole heck of a lot. It’s a bitter green so if you’re scared off by bitterness, this might not be the vegetable for you. But if you embrace bitterness, like I do, well, I think you’ve found yourself a new vegetable to love. When I start to see it in the spring markets, I buy it weekly, usually cooking it up with sausage and pasta for a nice easy dinner. But when I was flipping through The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, I discovered a new way to love my favorite vegetable. Enter the broccoli rabe panini.

This is a great recipe to make for a casual dinner party because you can prep all of the ingredients beforehand and then put the sandwiches together at the last minute. Rinse and primp the broccoli rabe – I use the leaves, stems and all. But you might want to trim away some of the larger stems, but I usually don’t bother. Make the caramelized onions and then saute the greens. When it’s time to eat, just assemble and press your sandwiches! It’s a party win!

Plus, if you don’t have a panini press, you can entertain your guests with your goofy cast iron skillet + tea kettle combo press! Let the good times roll!

My homemade press worked like a charm. I got grill marks that look totally pro and my sandwich was crispy, gooey and hella delicious. The sandwiches are pretty filling so you can save half for lunch the next day to heat up in the oven. Yum.

broccoli rabe panini with mozzarella
(recipe adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook)

Besides the ingredients below, you’ll need a panini press. What? Don’t have one? Don’t fret, I don’t either (see photos above). In that case, you’ll need a grill pan (ideal) or a large cast iron skillet along with another heavy cast iron skillet + a kettle (again, see photos above for illustration). Panini press hack!!

1 large bunch of broccoli rabe
1 T olive oil + more for brushing on bread
1 onion, sliced in half and then sliced thinly
1 t balsamic vinegar
salt & fresh ground pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t red chili flakes
1/4 c vegetable or chicken stock
4 ciabatta buns, sliced in half
2 medium-sized balls of fresh mozzarella, sliced into rounds

In a large bowl, filled with water, let the broccoli rabe soak, removing any sorry looking leaves & discarding the heaviest stems. If there are any large florets, halve them. Rinse and shake dry, set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add in the onions, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes, stir in the balsamic vinegar and let simmer until soft and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Remove onions from pan and set aside. Add in the garlic and broccoli rabe to the same pan, along with the red pepper flakes, adding in the veggie stock. Cover pan and let saute for 5-10 minutes until greens are bright and tender, tossing occasionally, until the stock evaporates. Season with salt and pepper and set mixture aside.

If you have a panini press, you’re golden. If you’re like me, use a heavy cast iron grill pan and heat over medium heat. Lightly brush the outsides of the ciabatta buns with olive oil. Put one slice of bread, olive oil side down on the hot grill pan and spread a spoonful of the caramelized onion mixture, topping with the broccoli rabe. Top with a couple slices of the fresh mozzarella and top with the other half of the bread, olive oil side up. My pan is large enough to do 2 sandwiches at a time.

If you have a panini press, press it! If you don’t (like me), use a heavy skillet + a tea kettle half filled with water and place on top of the sandwich to weight it down. After 4 minutes or so, remove the kettle and skillet, carefully, and flip the sandwich. Load up with the skillet and kettle again for another 2-3 minutes until toasty and the cheese has melted. Repeat until you’ve grilled all the sandwiches. Cut sandwiches in half and eat while hot.

Makes 4 large sandwiches which can feed 4-8 people.

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The week before a craft show is full of crazy. Even though I prepped and planned a whole lot earlier than I would normally do, it’s still causing me stress. New designs, new products, a cute new garland for my table, it’s a whole lot of work. If you’re local and in Vancouver, please stop by my table at Got Craft this weekend and say hello (I’d love to hear from you!) – there’s a last minute venue change due to a fire but you can find all the latest details on their website.

One thing that usually goes out the window when I’m busy is eating well. This week I haven’t ordered take out or stuffed my face full of stress chips.  Okay, that’s a lie. Yesterday my entire diet consisted of: 2 coffees, 1 bowl of cereal and 2 hot dogs. But ignore that because the rest of the week I was eating food that I was proud of. Besides that one slip up, I’ve been diligent in making fresh meals and by far my favourite meal of the week was this colourful chopped salad. I mean just look at it!!

It’s so fresh and full of colour, texture and flavours! I was lucky to have recently roasted up some beets & cooked up some dry chickpeas, so that provided the basis for my salad. A nub of purple cabbage ready to shred, a large carrot grated, celery, cucumbers, green onions, red peppers, feathery fresh dill, mozzarella, and salami completed the dish. Oh, and there’s romaine lettuce too! I didn’t want to pile all of these ingredients over top the lettuce, especially since I knew we’d be eating this meal as leftovers the next day and I didn’t want to discover a soggy situation. Instead, I pretended I was one of those food bloggers who actually puts serious thought into presentation and went with it, arranging everything onto a large platter so that it was a feast for the eyeballs as well as the belly. Not bad!

I had never had salami in a salad before and I was pretty smitten with it. For me, the roasted beets were a must, as were the chickpeas and fresh dill. But don’t worry about the ingredients because this dish is incredibly flexible. Want it vegan? No problem – just add tofu, grains and shredded vegan cheese! Want a different twist? Add cooled quinoa, grape tomatoes, shredded roasted chicken, and torn basil leaves. Get creative with your ingredients!  I went with a simple balsamic dressing and it went beautifully with the flavours.

This is the kind of salad to serve at a casual dinner party. It’s funny because there are fondue parties, pizza parties and sundae parties, but I never hear about salad parties. I’m sure going to a salad party wouldn’t appeal to everyone, but really, why not? A salad doesn’t have to be boring. This should be the kind of un-boring salad for that kind of party! Beautiful ingredients composed on a large platter where guests can choose which ingredients to put on their plate. Protein, crunchy vegetables, fresh herbs – everything is represented here! Have some crusty bread and red wine and I think we could start a trend! Salad parties, it’s the new big thing for spring 2013…well, I’ll throw one and see how it goes. Hello, salad party!!

chopped salad platter
I’m leaving the amounts of everything flexible, as this can serve 2 or a gathering of friends. Be playful with your ingredients – read the above post for ideas, or try my version below. The vinaigrette can be doubled or tripled as needed.

romaine lettuce, chopped
chickpeas
roasted beets, diced
cucumber, diced
red pepper, diced
carrots, shredded
mozzarella, diced
salami, diced
celery, diced
red cabbage, shredded
green onion, diced
fresh dill, torn

3 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t honey or agave syrup
1 t dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
3 T olive oil
salt & pepper

Place lettuce in a large serving bowl and set aside. Arrange the remaining ingredients, except the dill, on a large platter. Use colour as a guide to come up with a pleasing visual arrangement. Place dill in a small bowl.

Shake dressing ingredients in a small jar. Taste & adjust seasonings, if needed.

To serve, layer a plate with lettuce and top with platter ingredients. Scatter everything with dill and dress with vinaigrette as needed.

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The fact that there are 4 tiny jammy squares sitting in my fridge means that I have serious restraint. I made these bars last week on a whim. I was feeling elated that my cards were featured in Uppercase Magazine (a gorgeous publication that I love & admire) and I wanted to celebrate with a little home baking. All that week, I found myself digging into my old favourite, The Gourmet Cookbook, dog-earing the pages until I stumbled upon these bars. Coconut. Oats. Raspberry jam. Oh, and butter. These are rich and sweet and totally satisfying.

Even though I tend to prefer salty over sweet, I can’t resist the pull of these bars. I cut them up teeny-tiny despite protests from my husband who felt a larger square would have been a whole lot better. I’ll leave the sizing up to you.

I also slightly reduced the sugar from the original recipe, but I think I’d reduce even further next time by cutting out the white sugar entirely and cutting the brown sugar to 1/2 a cup. Or use a jam with less sugar. Served alongside tea, these are wonderful and I’d be lying if I said eating one (or two) at 9am with my morning coffee never happened.

oatmeal coconut raspberry bars
(adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook)
1 1/2 c unsweetened coconut ribbons (shredded unsweetened coconut is fine too)
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c unpacked light brown sugar
2 T granulated sugar
1/2 t kosher salt
3/4 c cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 c old-fashioned oats
3/4 – 1 c raspberry jam

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 9×13″ pan with lightly buttered parchment paper.

Spread coconut evenly on a baking sheet and toast in middle of oven, keeping watch so it doesn’t burn & stirring once, until lightly golden, about 6 minutes, then cool.

Blend together flour, sugars, and salt in a food processor, then add butter and blend until a dough begins to form. Dump the butter mixture into a large bowl, stir in oats and 3/4 cup of the coconut and knead until combined.

Set aside 3/4 cup dough to use as a topping. Press the remainder evenly into bottom of the prepared baking pan and evenly spread jam over it. Crumble reserved dough evenly over jam and then sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut.

Bake in middle of oven until golden, 20 to 25 minutes, then cool completely in pan on a rack. Lift out the bar onto a cutting board and cut into squares. I like 1″x1″ squares since these bars are sweet, but my husband thought each square needed to be much, much larger. Store in a covered container in the fridge.

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Oh you know, I was sitting back the other day talkin’ about lentils with a couple of friends (true story). They were discussing the merits of  french green lentils and black lentils but I think they were disrespecting the red lentil just a little bit. I don’t think you need to pick sides because lentils are delicious, whatever colour they happen to be. Red lentils turn soft and I think that’s why my friends were dissing it. Let’s celebrate that texture! It’s like a lentil hug that gives in, slides around, and gets all smooshy like the best kind of kiss. And you can’t pick a better lentil for a good old fashioned dal, right?

This dal is full of broccoli. Chopped up, pulsed-in-a-processor broccoli (but if you’re got mad knife skills, feel free to use them) which is a bit of a trick if you’re serving this to someone who doesn’t like broccoli. Broccoli? What broccoli? Or if you’ve got cauliflower, whirl some of that up instead. The finely chopped broccoli melds well with the texture of the red lentils and the whole dish seems creamy and wholesome.

Did I mention that it’s spicy? Because it is. You can tone down the spice using a mild spice blend and not adding in extra chilis, but that’s how I roll. But I also like a bit of sweetness to my spicy, so I added in some dates instead of honey or other sweetener. If you’re staying away from refined sugars, than you’ll love the natural sweetness that dates lend to the dish. I minced them up fine so that they blend easily into the dal. Lightly sweet, spicy and creamy while being totally vegan and healthy to boot? Yum.

creamy broccoli & red lentil dal
(inspired from Vegan Yum Yum)

You can make this as soupy or stew-like, whatever you like best. Serve alongside rice, naan, or your favourite grain or eat it up plain like we did. It makes a lovely flavourful meal.

1 T coconut oil
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 T fresh ginger, minced
2 generous T curry paste (I use Patak’s hot Garam Masala)
1 c red lentils
1 c coconut milk
2-3 c vegetable stock
2 large stalks of broccoli, stems & florets
6-8 dates, finely minced
1 c unsweetened almond milk
1/2 t red pepper flakes (optional)
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/2 t sweet paprika
2 stalks green onion, sliced or chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Melt coconut oil in a large, deep skillet or your favorite soup pot. Add in onion and ginger and let things get soft over medium heat. Dollop in the curry paste and mix around before stirring in the red lentils. Once that gets a good shimmer and well mixed, stir in the vegetable stock, coconut milk and chopped dates and let that cook, covered for 15 minutes, adding water if the mixture becomes too dry.

Meanwhile, chop your broccoli into large bits and throw the stalks first followed by the florets into a food processor. Pulse several times until you’ve got a minced mess of green bits. If you don’t have a food processor, put one on your wish list now! Or just chop the broccoli as finely as you can – think of it as a zen meditation process. Dump minced broccoli into the lentils and stir, adding in the almond milk. Add in red pepper flakes, if you like your curry extra spicy (I do). Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the broccoli becomes tender. Stir in some lemon juice, paprika and taste, adding salt if needed. Serve in bowls with a scattering of sliced green onions or fresh parsley, if desired. Makes 3-4 servings.

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I was a picky child and there really wasn’t too much that I liked. Tomatoes, onions, zucchini and mushrooms were all off the list. Strangely enough, I loved spinach, broccoli and turnips. Maybe I was less of a picky child and more of one with distinct tastes. I remember once being cornered by my aunt who shoved an entire raw mushroom covered in dip (I was not a fan of dips either) right into my mouth. I immediately burst into tears and ran to the bathroom where the whole thing ended up in a napkin and into the garbage. It took me years before I could attempt another try at mushrooms or dip.

But then I discovered that if you threw enough butter and garlic at a mushroom it became really freaking delicious. So enter this pasta dish which started off as a side dish and turned into the main course. A really, really rich and buttery main course and perfect for serving for company. You definitely want to serve a good, bitter green salad alongside to help cut the richness. It can definitely be treated as a lighter dish by cutting in half the butter and olive oil and subbing in some chicken stock instead to make something a little less dangerous too. Options!

Sure the butter and garlic play well here, but it’s those tangy, salty capers that add a good zing! Don’t leave them out. I also really loved the pasta shape that I used. Kind of a square, wavy little number that was pillowy and perfect. My pasta bag was all in Italian so I couldn’t distinguish anything from the packaging. But if you know what kind of pasta this is, please let me know in the comments. I got it at the Santa Barbara market on Commercial Drive in Vancouver in case you’re local and want to pick some up.

roasted garlicky mushrooms with pasta
(adapted from Gourmet)
1 lb mushrooms, I used sliced baby bellas, but cremini or buttons would work well too
2 T capers
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 T olive oil
2 T unsalted butter, cut into pieces
juice from 1 lemon

1/2 – 3/4 lb short pasta
Parmesan cheese
handful of parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F with rack in the middle.

Toss mushrooms with capers, garlic, oil, and a good grind of pepper in a 2-qt shallow baking dish. Or split them up into 2 1 quart baking dishes like I did. Top with butter and roast, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and golden, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, get pasta going according to package directions, drain reserving 2 tablespoons of cooking water. Add cooking water, mushrooms and lemon juice and toss well. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley, if using. Serves 4-6 people.

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It’s back on with the rain and the grey skies. My umbrella and rubber boots are ready by the door – and I’m sure I’ll be needing them soon. It kinda figures that with this weather comes sad news. The truth is that I’m really bummed about Roger Ebert’s death. It seems so strange that someone who I’ve never met could have such an effect on me. When I was in school I’d stay up on Sunday nights to watch Siskel & Ebert. Actually, sneaking downstairs with the tv on low is how I watched it since it came on after midnight for some odd scheduling reason. I saw Wes Anderson’s film Bottle Rocket at the theater a week after seeing it reviewed on their show. Ebert alerted me to great and wonderful things. That tv show feuled my love of movies and when it came time to pick a major in university I went with Film Theory. While I didn’t really want to make movies, writing, reading and soaking up all I could about films was all I wanted to do. It didn’t give me a career nor did I expect it to, but I was happy with my choices. I know quite a few people who aren’t interested in studying films – they just watch and let the movie magic take over. But for me, digging in deep was what brings even greater joy and I can thank Roger Ebert for making me aware that it was possible to look at films differently and still find unabashed joy. Today, I watch movies constantly and I even write about them in short snippets on my tumblr blog.  I’m sure many of you have read Ebert’s last blog post (I still haven’t as I often like to save things for later like a treat), but I do love this piece, Roger loves Chaz.

Anyway, onto cookies! Or benne wafers. These are a strange bird. For the past few months I’ve been craving Sesame Snaps, those snappy rectangles of sesame seeds held tight with sugar. While these aren’t those hippy snacks of my childhood, they do have lots of sesame flavour to love. They’re flat and thin as pancakes and I assumed that they’d be crispy like a wafer should be. Instead, these are chewy and have a slight bend. I liked them despite my initial preconceptions. They’re sweet and nutty and just lovely with a cup of tea on a rainy afternoon.

If you do try this recipe, make them smaller than I did. I think these would be even lovelier tiny! Instead of dropping a large spoonful of dough onto your cookie sheet, go with a small teaspoons worth.

benne wafers
(recipe adapted from Simply Recipes)

1 c toasted sesame seeds
1 c firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 T unsalted butter, slightly cool
1 large egg
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 t kosher salt
1/8 t baking powder
1 t fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 t vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325 F.

If your sesame seeds are not toasted, toast them. It’s important. Just place them in a small to medium heavy skillet and dry toast them over medium heat until fragrant & light brown. Watch them carefully, shaking the pan to keep them moving as they can burn quickly. Remove them immediately to cool.

In a medium sized bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in the egg and beat until incorporated. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well. Stir in the toasted sesame seeds, vanilla extract, and lemon juice.

Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Use a teaspoon to drop dough onto a cookie sheet covered in parchment or a silpat liner. Leave plenty of space for the cookies to spread – I only did about 6 cookies per sheet, but then again, I made my cookies too large. I’d suggest a small teaspoon of dough! Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the edges turn slightly brown. Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheets, then transfer to a rack to continue cooling.

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The spring weather that is visiting Vancouver sure is intoxicating. Cherry, magnolia and forsythia are just a few of the flowering trees that are in full bloom right now making a canopy of gorgeous blooms that seem to trail you wherever you turn. There’s also been all kinds of cute, fat chirping robins in the branches outside our windows and lots of sunshine to boost spirits. I’ve been cooking and baking up a storm these last few weeks, but there’s little evidence of that here. I haven’t been able to find my rhythm on these pixel pages. Maybe my mind is stuck in the blossoms or my thoughts are buried with ideas and I’m finding it difficult to get direction amid all the chaos. But this past easter weekend I made this baked oatmeal, watched old westerns and film noirs, played darts, went on a hike in a tee-shirt (no jacket required) and enjoyed the long weekend to the fullest.

So when I went back to my camera and saw how pretty the pictures turned out (all that sunshine sure helps), I decided that I just needed to focus, make it work, and share this amazing recipe with you. If you’ve been reading this blog for the past few years, you might remember a few recipes for baked oatmeal along the way. It’s one of my favorite ways to make oatmeal but I haven’t made one in quite a while – but a prompt from Orangette was all I needed to get back on the baked oatmeal train. This recipe from Super Natural Every Day isn’t that far off from one of my old recipes, but I like the casualness of it. Instead of mixing everything up in a bowl, the oats, fruit and dry ingredients are scattered in the baking pan while the wet stuff gets poured over top.

This version is full of blueberries, dried apricots, coconut and walnuts and I love the mix. I used frozen blueberries that I had frozen myself from last summer (no need to defrost!) and figured that dried apricots would be a lovely pairing. It totally was. The crunch of the walnuts were perfect and I didn’t even toast them beforehand as was recommended. And because I can’t be too far from coconut, in went some of the unsweetened shredded stuff. As Molly suggests, coconut milk would be a good substitute for the whole milk. And if you’re looking for a vegan version, please try this one or that one from my archives.

And if you’ve got some pourable heavy cream on hand, by all means, drizzle some over top of your bowl! It’s so worth the splurge.

baked oatmeal with blueberries,coconut & dried apricots
(adapted from Super Natural Every Day) by Heidi Swanson

I used vanilla sugar since I had some on hand and it gave the dish an extra jolt of vanilla essence. If you don’t have any, please just pour in additional maple syrup and add in another teaspoon of vanilla.

2 c rolled oats (large flake) – be sure to use gluten-free oats if that is a concern
1/2 c walnuts, roughly chopped
1 t baking powder
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 c blueberries (frozen work fine)
1/3 c unsweetened shredded coconut
6-8 dried apricots, sliced into strips
2 c whole milk
1/4 c maple syrup
2 T vanilla sugar (see recipe headnote)
1 large egg
2 T cold butter + more for greasing the pan
1 t vanilla extract
heavy cream for serving over top (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F and set oven rack to the bottom-middle position.

Butter an 8-inch square baking dish. Dump in the oats, nuts, baking powder, nutmeg and salt and stir around with a fork. Scatter the blueberries and apricots over the oat mixture.

In a separate bowl, whisk the milk, maple syrup, sugar, egg and vanilla together. Slowly pour over the oat mix and use that fork again to gently prod the liquid down into the oat layer. Cut the butter into bits and scatter evenly over top of the oats.

Bake for 35 minutes, or until the top is golden and the oat mixture has set. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes before serving. If you want to gild the lily (and I highly recommend it), pour each serving with a drizzle of heavy cream. Serves 4-6.

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I remember visiting my grandparents in Quebec when I was very little. We arrived fairly late in the evening after a long 8 hour car ride, but my grandparents had dinner ready on the table for us. There was some kind of roasted meat, a few dishes of vegetables, and mashed potatoes. I scooped out a big pile onto my plate and dug in. Something wasn’t right and I burst into tears. My grandmother’s mashed potatoes were full of cooked mashed carrots. I liked carrots, but the combination was an abomination to my tender tastebuds.

After all these years, I still haven’t tried putting together carrots and potatoes, the memory of those tears linger deep. But you’ll be happy to know, that I do love mixing other vegetables into my mashed potatoes. This colcannon for one is delicious and I’ve been known to stir in sautéed cabbage into my mashed potatoes, thank you very much. I’m not a mashed potato brat anymore. And I’ve got this dish chockfull of rutabagas and broccoli to prove it.

Rutabagas and potatoes are an easy match. The former lends a buttery golden hue along with a hint of earthy sweetness to the simple potato. But as the potatoes and rutabagas were boiling away, getting softer and ready to mash, I decided that these golden vegetables needed a bit of green. So I chopped up a head of broccoli and added it into the simmering pot. Instead of mashing the whole shebang into velvety softness, I left things a little chunky. Smashing rather than mashing is the key word. Also, you’ll note that I leave the skins on the potatoes. It keeps this dish rugged and texturally interesting. After all, this isn’t fine dining.

You don’t need to go heavy on the butter because there’s a lot of flavour going on. But I did decide to amp things up with a little bit of grated extra strong cheddar cheese. I leave the cheese as an option – if you’re vegan, leave it out and sub in some Earth Balance instead of the butter. However, as much as we all like to play around with recipes, please, please, please, do not leave out the green onions! It just isn’t as delicious without it.

smashed potatoes with rutabaga & broccoli
1 lb potatoes, well scrubbed with skins on
1 small rutabaga (aka swede), peeled
1 small head of broccoli
1/2 c whole milk
1-2 T butter
salt & pepper
1/3 c grated extra strong cheddar cheese (optional)
2 green onions, diced

Chop potatoes into a large dice and add them to a large pot. Chop the rutabaga into a similar size and add to the pot. Cover with water, top with a lid and bring to the boil. Add a dash of salt to the water and reduce heat to medium low and cook until potatoes and rutabaga are nearly done, about 15-20 minutes. Chop the broccoli into florets and stems and add to the pot and let cook until bright green and crisp-tender, 10 minutes.

Drain water completely from the pot and add in the milk, butter, a half teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Mash well, but leave in some lumps. You may need to add more milk to get the texture you’re looking for. Add in the grated cheese and mash just a bit more. Taste to adjust seasoning and stir in the green onions. Transfer to a serving dish.

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