Easter Cookies for a Cause: The Kulisek Family

Photo by: http://www.annies-eats.com/

Here's your opportunity to win 4 dozen beautifully decorated and individually packaged Easter sugar cookies for your loved ones AND help out a family in need.

If you are unaware about the nightmare that a local family in our North Vancouver community is dealing with, please watch the following video.

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/WFive/20110325/w5-jailed-without-justice-110326/

I personally know Jirina, Pavel's wife, and their two daughters, Annie and Isabella. Annie attended preschool and Kindergarten with my son, Taylor and the children continue to attend the same elementary school here in North Vancouver.

It's been over three years since Pavel's wrongful detainment in Mexico. Jirina, Annie and Isabella are facing even more delay and red tape with Pavel's case and I can't even image how anyone could handle their situation. My only thought is, "How can we help?"

Relying on the fact that there are strength in numbers, I am I’m holding a fundraiser to raise money for the the Kulisek family. For every $5 an individual donates to the Kulisek family, I will submit one entry to win 4 dozen beautifully decorated and individually wrapped Easter cookies. Donate $20, and you get 4 entries. The more you donate, the better your chances to win. Donations can be made through the official site page http://www.pavelkulisek.com/

All donations are through a secure PayPal server. No one except Jirina (Pavel's wife) has access to the donation account and all money will exclusively be used to cover Pavel's legal costs.

At the end of the fundraiser, the donors' names and donation amounts (hence entries) will be placed into a spreadsheet and a name will be drawn using http://www.random.org/. The winner will be contacted by email and announced on this site.

My goal is to raise at least $5,000 for the family. A little money to help go towards Pavel's legal costs would help reduce at least a small amount of stress for the family.

Fundraiser closes Wednesday April 6th at 8pm PST. It is a lot to raise in just over 1 week, but I KNOW that if everyone forwards this information and gets as many people as they know aware of the situation, we can make this happen!

Please click here to be taken to the official website to donate and support The Kulisek Family. Thank you.

Baked Spinach and Rice Pilaf

I saw this recipe on a wonderful site called Cooking with My Kid a while back. I bookmarked it, as I do with many of the recipes I want to try out, then just never got around to making it. On a recent trip to Costco, I ran into my friend Linda while travelling up and down the aisles and she let me in on the news that frozen organic spinach was now available. Well, whoo hoo! that did it for me and with my large package of frozen spinach in hand, I decided it was about high time I tried this recipe out.

Th original recipe calls for packaged rice pilaf but I had some leftover brown rice pilaf I had made the night before so I used it instead. I'm sure even plain old rice, white or brown, would work wonderfully well too if the though of making rice pilaf frightens you. :-)

Definitely try this recipe if you have kids. There's something appealing about rice that sticks together to form various shapes that they find hilarious.

Baked Spinach & Rice Recipe
Adapted from the original recipe at Cooking with My Kid. Prep Time: 5 mins/Total Time: 30 min. Serves 4.

Ingredients:
4 cups leftover rice (pilaf or plain) or cook 1 1/2 cups rice
1 1/2 cups frozen chopped spinach
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup lowfat milk

Directions:
Defrost spinach and squeeze dry. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Place rice in a large bowl. Stir in chopped spinach, cheese, milk and eggs.

Pour into greased square baking dish and cook for 30 minutes or until set. Let cool for 5 minutes before cutting into squares or various other shapes for serving. Serves 4 to 6.

Healthy Carrot Cake Power "Scuffins"

After learning that my youngest son had egg and dairy sensitivities and that those sensitivities were the root cause of his itchy, excema troubled skin, I became fascinated with the idea of vegan baked goods. To be able to produce a cookie, scone, muffin or what have you that is delicious, light, airy and "normal" in texture and taste AND contains no egg and no dairy is no easy task. Trust me.

For 2 years now, I have experimented with, tested, varied and tried many a vegan recipe. Some have been mediocre, some have failed miserably and a few have turned out amazingly well.

Take this little diddy from Angela of Oh She Glows. This "scuffin" (a cross between a scone and a muffin) is absolutely fantastic. It's a great grab and go breakfast if you're running late or an excellent pre-workout snack. The kids love them and I feel good about the whole grains, minimal fat and natural sugar content. And if your kids are "veggie challenged", then you've got even more reason to try these beauties out because with 3 grated carrots added to the mix, you really can't go wrong.

Healthy Carrot Cake Power "Scuffins"
Original recipe adapted from Angela of Oh She Glow’s
Prep Time: 15 minutes/Total Time:40 minutes. Makes 16 "scuffins"

Ingredients:
• 2 cups whole grain spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking power
• 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp ground flax + 6 tbsp water, mixed and set aside for 5 minutes
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 1/2 cup grated carrots (about 3 medium)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• Sweetened shredded coconut, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, mix the flax and water and set aside.

In a large sized bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients.

Using a food processor or grater, process/grate the carrots. In a medium sized bowl mix together the wet ingredients (carrots, vanilla, oil, maple syrup, flax egg mix). Add wet to dry and mix until just incorporated. Stir in raisins.

Scoop mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Scoop about 1/4 cup for each Scuffin to make 12 large scuffins. Wet hands and shape into a circle if desired. Sprinkle with coconut and gently press coconut into the top.

Bake for 22 - 25 minutes at 350F until golden and spring back to the touch.

Spelt Bread with Flax and Muesli

Spelt? Huh?

From http://www.whfoods.com/:

"A wonderfully nutritious and ancient grain with a deep nutlike flavor, spelt is a cousin to wheat that is recently receiving renewed recognition. Spelt products can be found in your local health food store year-round.

Spelt is an ancient grain that traces its heritage back long before many wheat hybrids. Many of its benefits come from the fact that it offers a broader spectrum of nutrients compared to many of its more inbred cousins in the wheat family. Spelt features a host of different nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamin B2, a very good source of manganse, and a good source of niacin, thiamin, and copper. This particular combination of nutrients provided by spelt may make it a particularly helpful food for persons with migraine headache, atherosclerosis, or diabetes.
Spelt can be used in many of the same ways as wheat including bread and pasta making. Spelt does not seem to cause sensitivities in many people who are intolerant of wheat but because it contains gluten, it should not be consumed by those people suffering from celiac disease."

And now on to the recipe! Use any variety of muesli you want for the topping or omit it if you prefer a bread without seeds and such. This bread freezes well so do not hesitate to fully cool then wrap the second loaf in cellophane and a Ziploc bag then freeze for a later date.

Spelt Bread with Flax and Muesli
Prep Time: 15 minutes/Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.

Ingredients:
8 cups spelt flour
1/2 cup ground flax
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/4 cups warm milk
1/2 cup muesli cereal, divided

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans.

In a large bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, ground flax, xanthan gum, salt, and baking soda until well blended.

In a small bowl, combine warm milk and honey. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well until fully combined.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Use a scale to determine equal weights. Top with muesli and press down gently so that it will stick.

Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes in the preheated oven until golden and the bread sounds hollow wheen tapped.

Upside Down Lentil Sheperd's Pie



Upside Down Lentil Shepherd's Pie Photo by Rebecca of http://www.ezrapoundcake.com/



I have recently developed a thing for Puy lentils (AKA French lentils) and they are my new go to vegetarian ingredient for delicious meatless meals. I know...of all things to get excited about. Lentils. Sorry!



Anthony's Braised Lentils...yum!

One of my all time favourite braised Puy lentil recipes (pictured above) is from The Main by Anthony Sedlak and you can view it here. Anytime I make the preciously mentioned dish, I get friends, no wait, I force friends to try it as it is so unbelievabley delicious. Seriously. So when I saw Rebecca's version of Upside Down Lentil Shepherd's Pie, I immediately bookmarked it to try. 

The result?

Fab-u-lous. Meaty in flavour, texture and taste. Lick your bowl good. Stick to your ribs without adding on the pounds. Yup. It's a keeper.

Upside-Down Lentil Shepherd’s PieRecipe from Rebecca of Ezra Pound Cake
Adapted from Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s “Appetite for Reduction”
Makes 4 servings; 210 calories per serving (Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes counted separately)

Ingredients:
•2 teaspoons olive oil
•1 onion, chopped finel
•4 ounces (1 1/2 cups) shiitake mushrooms, chopped (Feel free to substitute another mushroom.)
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon or oregano
•2 teaspoons dried thyme
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
•1 1/3 cup carrots (about 4), peeled and diced small
•3/4 cup du Puy lentils, rinsed
•3 cups vegetable broth
•1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (vegan if desired)
•1/2 cup frozen corn
•1/2 cup frozen peas
•1 recipe Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (recipe below)

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a 4-quart pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and saute them until translucent, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the mushrooms, garlic, tarragon, thyme, salt and pepper. Saute for 5 minutes.

3. Add the carrots, lentils and broth. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring every once in a while.

4. By this point, the lentils should be tender, and most of the broth should be absorbed. (If that hasn’t happened, then keep the pot covered and simmer the lentils a while longer. Conversely, if the broth has evaporated and the lentils are not soft, then add a bit of water and simmer.)

5. When the lentils are soft, stir in the Worcestershire sauce, corn and peas. Let the mixture sit off the heat for 10 minutes or so for maximum flavor. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
6. To Serve: Spoon a cup of Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes into a bowl, and top it with a cup of lentils.

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Makes 4 servings; 190 calories per serving

Ingredients:
•2 russet potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 1 1/2 pounds)
•1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets (1 pound, or about 3 cups)
•1 tablespoon olive oil
•2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable broth
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Place the potatoes in a 4-quart pot, and fill it with enough cold water to cover them, making sure there are about 4 inches of extra water on top (for when you add the cauliflower). Bring the potatoes to a boil.

2. Once the water is boiling, add the cauliflower, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender.

3. Drain them in a colander, return them to the pot, and use a potato masher to mash them a bit.

4. Add the oil, 2 tablespoons of broth, and the salt and pepper. Mash a bit more. Use a fork to make sure all the seasoning are mixed well.

5. If needed, add another 2 tablespoons of broth. Taste, and adjust seasonings. Serve warm.