Food Love Notes

I don't say enough how blessed I am to be able to stay home with my kids and do work I love from my couch, my bed, my table, my mini-van, my attic, my backyard or my favorite coffee shop. Yes, it can be tough stuff on the days when I feel a bit unappreciated or the kids are screaming, but I am so grateful to have a partner who loves the work I do and believes in me, sometimes more than I am able to.

The other day I said something about February not being a month of much income but having so much to do. He said, "Awesome, then you can spend more time creating." That my friends is love.

Patrick does not have a job that he finds terribly fulfilling, and I know that one thing at the end of a long day that he loves is the moment he comes up our front stairs and smells dinner. The meals are my food love notes.

Food can be presented in and with love. Not when we are stuffing ourselves or our kids as a way to fill up, but when we take our time and plan and prepare and infuse the food we make with our love. Fresh ingredients. Spices like notes from a song. Fragrances we want to dance in. Love notes.

I was in a crazy cook everything in the house mood the other day and I roasted a butternut squash. I had no idea what I wanted to do, so I made a pie. This is a food love note. Use what you have in the house, that is how I put it together, a little of this, a dash of that.

Butternut Squash Pie, with dark chocolate...oh my!

Pie Crust:

1 cup almond meal
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
2 Tb olive oil
1 Tb honey
2 Tb dark chocolate chips

Combine meal, salt, baking soda, oil and honey together. Oil a 9 ½ inch pie plate. Press the crust in the bottom, but not up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 and let cool. When cool sprinkle the dark chocolate evenly on the crust.

Filling:

3 cups of pureed roasted squash, I actually just mashed mine until it was somewhat smooth (this was about 2 small butternut squash)
2 eggs
½ cup coconut milk
¼ cup maple syrup
2 Tb coconut palm sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 Tb vanilla
pinch sea salt

With an electric mixer combine ingredients well. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 350 for about an hour or a bit longer. Mine went for 70 minutes. The pie will set as it cools. This is best to put in the fridge once cooled before cutting.

Enjoy your love note!

Looking for Beautiful

I am the kind of person who sees beauty in a pair of yoga pants, a wooden Mala and a book just delivered on my doorstep via the mail.

I see beauty in a feather tucked in a little vase.

Jars filled with nuts, seeds and dried fruit become artwork in my kitchen.

A pile of white stones is beauty for my spirit as I am reminded of walks on the beach and children laughing.

Beauty is my children with baskets of colorful crayons and markers transforming white papers into art gallery shows.

My beautiful is quiet, clean, calm and simple. It has texture and colors that mix together in just the right way for my eye.

A meal that is full of colors and flavors and that I want to eat again tomorrow is so beautiful.

Beauty is deciding that our world deserves that level of joy and trusting that we will find the path to it.

My beautiful is starting to show up now that I am looking for it, feeling it and living it.

What a blessing to be able to find beautiful, hold onto and nurture it.

This is one of my favorite things ever. For years I have made quesadillas and will put anything in them to get kids to eat! I used to put lentils and seaweed in Eli's when he was little. When I tell him he laughs and laughs! But these, if you like shrimp (please invest in wild and not farmed) are beyond amazing.

Wild Shrimp and Cilantro Quesadillas

1 package precooked, frozen, wild shrimp, thawed and chopped into bite size pieces
grated raw cheddar (this is my go to cheese, a nice raw high quality)
chopped fresh cilantro
corn tortillas
avocado
salsa
lemon

In a well oiled pan, place corn tortilla down and layer on shrimp and cheese and cilantro. You can put the avocado in or have it on top. Squeeze a little lemon on top and place the top corn tortilla on. Flip over after cheese starts to melt and tortilla starts to brown.

Top with avocado and salsa. Enjoy as you eat slowly and in bliss! And savor the beauty.

Well that was fun!

Flour-less Dark Chocolate Brownies: wpri.com

Thank you to everyone at the Rhode Show for such a fun morning. One of the greatest things is feeding others with foods that nourish and are made with love!

The cleanse starts tomorrow and the women we have in this group are incredible. We have a private FB group where I'll be offering coaching support and encouraging everyone to share their experiences and stories. It is a beautiful thing when women come together to support each other and grow together.

There is still time to join us! Wanna make some space?

 

Fridge Scrounging Makes Zucchini Puffs

The desperate moment when you realize you don't have enough of anything to make your standbys. No pancakes, no biscuits and no darling, no cake. There is 1/2 a cup of almond meal. What are going to do with that?

Make puffs! Scrambled eggs, sliced tomatoes and puffs. We've got a good thing going on here, Lucas and I during our quiet 'tea time.' You cannot make enough eggs for him, I'm up to 4, 2 for each of us. Mama-mia, my backyard could hold chickens couldn't it? It took me a year to convince Patrick that we didn't need a t.v., how long you suppose to work my magic and get a little pen in the back? Tough sell that one would be.

The garden didn't do quite what I hoped, though my front yard city garden did seem to inspire others in the neighborhood to use their front yards a bit more creatively. It was beautiful to watch it pop and sprout and flower (no fruit on our various squash plants). Great conversation starter for those walking dogs and strolling by.

All but the spaghetti squash I grew for this meal and the kids picked the rest. It is funny watching them out front running around the tiny garden as cars drive past. The sweet basil and the sour little tomatoes (they can be sweet but we picked them early to avoid them splitting) sauteed in olive oil with sea salt and pepper. Using what you have, scrounging a bit in the fridge or garden and the cupboards is an act of simplicity. It is honoring the things you have, not driving again to the store, not eating out. Which brings us back to puffs.

I had zucchini and eggs and a teeny bit of almond meal. Puffs were born. I didn't use cheese but as you cheese lovers are already dreaming up, that too, would be lovely.

Zucchini Puffs

1/2 cup almond meal

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cumin

salt and pepper

1 egg

2 tb olive oil

1 tb agave or honey

1 cup of grated zucchini

Mix the dry. Mix the wet. Add together with zucchini. Place about 1/4 cup mounds of the mixture on a piece of parchment (oiled). Bake at 325 degrees for about 20 minutes. They are a bit crispy when they first come out of the oven, but later in the day they do go a bit soggy. You can crisp them back up in the oven if you like. Made 8 puffs which lasted two days.

Food Intuition - Eat Gorgeous

During the 10 day cleanse I ask you to start to discover your food intuition. That part of you that knows how to feed your body in true gorgeous creature fashion. My cleanse includes some meat and I ask that you look for local farmer's or the best local source you can find.

My food intuition goes against my deep longings. I tried to live as a vegetarian goddess for a long time. I ate greens and beans and every so often I would eat a piece of salmon. When I ate the salmon my body came alive. I pulsed with energy and lightness.

One day I got sick. My emotional life was being tested and physically I was falling apart. I worked at a gym, exercised every day but my body was giving out on me.

I went to see a Naturopath. After many visits and exploring  candida diets, they asked me to try eating meat, lamb preferably. I may have gone into a mini-shock moment and I kindly said, no.

Eventually when I could not continue on with my body the way it was, I ate some chicken. And then a little bit more. Years later I would explore lamb which is a gentle and clean meat source. I would meet people who ate and lived in a way that our bodies asked us to, and I could start to believe that I was a goddess, just a grass-fed, local sourced and lots of greens goddess.

Grains are hard on my body. To truly be living inside of my food intuition I must eat mostly organic meats and lots and lots of vegetables. I do well with nuts and beans and have found a little bit of palm sugar is a nice sweet source for me in moderation. I have friends who thrive on rice and beans, whole grain breads slathered with butter. That kind of food makes me sick, it makes others glow.

That is why on my cleanse you get to choose meat (with some exceptions) or try going without meat and challenging yourself to try a new way. We won't know what is best for our bodies until we try, experiment.

Can you block out the voices of what others are doing and take on 10 days dedicated to discovering what makes you shine and find the foods that create an energy system within your cells?

Our food intuition is locked inside of us. To free it we need to stop looking around and wanting to be like her, and her and well, yes, her.

You gotta be you gorgeous. I'll help you get to her.

Join us on this 10 day exploration into your food intuition, your cleansing of body, spirit and space. I am going to challenge you during these 10 days to discover yourself in a new way. If you've worked with me, you know it is about the food as a gateway into exploring  our thoughts and accessing joy and change (yes, I said it) in ways that bring us to a level of connection with self that we long for. That is what I do.

Time to shine gorgeous, this is one that works for me. You may want to try this with tempeh if you know that meat isn't your goddess gorgeous vehicle.

Dill Raisin Chicken Salad

2 cups chopped chicken (look for free-range, or investigate a local farmer’s market)
¼ cup Grapeseed Oil Veganaise
juice from ½ lemon (1 1/2 Tb)
2 Tb raisins
1 Tb dill
sea salt/pepper to taste

Mix all together and chill for about 20 minutes. Eat over a salad or in a collard wrap, place sliced cucumbers and chicken salad inside. Enjoy!

My crazy fast gourmet tacos

I used to make about 3 good meals out of 7 a week. Then my stats rose a bit and I hit 5. Now I rarely screw up because I'm all about methods rather than recipes. I was craving a fish taco and Trader Joe's had frozen wild turbot already seasoned which had thawed by the time I got home from the store. It is hot.

My kids ate these. My kids would pop flippers and live in the ocean if given the chance. They are seafood luv-ahs! There were no left-overs.

It came together sort of in this manner. I had a box of taco shells. I had a Trader Joe guacomole frozen. I had salsa and raw cheddar cheese. I had lettuce. I had sweet potatoes. The fish was all thawed.

Fish and Sweet Potato Tacos

1 pound or so of Wild Turbot from T.J.'s - quick pan fry in coconut oil

3 sweet potatoes, chopped and boiled until soft, mashed with some earth balance and seasoned with sea salt

Taco Shells, guac, salsa, cheese, lettuce...whatever else you like when you are having taco night.

Layer it in your taco, gobble it up. Repeat.

What now? A part two post with recipe

Part 1 is over here...

What is the next step after determining it is about the weight? A plan of action. I'm really good at those, my coaching superpower is that I help people feel amazing. That means this can happen before the weight has dropped, it can happen despite of the weight, it can happen because of the weight!

Yes, I said it. Because of the weight!

 

After we have closed our eyes to feel our body more light and free it is time to find a way to get there. We all have an intuitive knowledge about what our action plan should be. For instance, I have candida. When it flares up I start to gain weight, those little creatures in my gut want more and more and more. My intuition says to me, "Dude, stop eating bananas, and you know you are going to have to lose the smoothies and Larabars for a while right?" My intuition calls me dude, it's cute. I am listening, fruit feeds candida, which is a yeast overgrowth. Many of us live with this and have no idea.

Can you tap into your tuition just a little bit and notice what the first action step needs to be for you? It might be that you are gobbling calories at night and you should just be going to bed. So why don't you? Go to bed when the munchies hit. My kids try to eat 5 minutes before bed. They do it because they are trying to stay awake, or distract themselves. It is not due to hunger, and even if it is, I promise it will go to sleep when you do. Often we stay awake just to continue to feel bad about ourselves. But if you really have to stay up and accomplish something have a proper meal for lunch or dinner and include the foods that make you feel satisfied. Have your dark chocolate at 4pm and put it away! Don't nibble it at 8pm, you'll just be keeping yourself up and continuing your cycle of de-struc-tion!

Here are a few questions to move you deeper towards your intuition and your feel-amazing-now power.

  1. Listen to your intuition, what one thing are you doing right now that is sabotaging your joy and allowing you to continue to feel bad about yourself?
  2. What food do you know fuels you and yet you make other choices?
  3. Think about one outfit that when you put it on is your power clothes. It might be a dress, or that awesome pair of jeans and heals. When will you find that outfit and wear it?
  4. There is something you are doing that you need to stop. Replace it with something joyful. Ice cream every night replaced with a good book and some tea or staring out the window replaced with moving your body in ways that feel so good.

Here is a way to make a bowl of pasta a bit more satisfying to your body and soul.

Pasta Salad with Kale, Capers and Chick-peas

 

16 ounce package of gluten free pasta

1/2 jar pasta sauce - use your favorite

3 cups kale, chopped

3 Tb capers

1 can chick-peas drained

Cook the pasta just under the time suggested on package, you want this to have bite, gluten free stuff can get mushy fast, so test it. Run the pasta under cold water to rinse. Return to pot, adding sauce, kale, capers and chick-peas. Give it a gentle stir and just allow the pot to heat it up a small amount. Enjoy with some Romano cheese or as is.

Day 10

Today is the final day of the cleanse for my May group. I have been so touched and inspired by them. I'll share some of their words with you and to celebrate I have some very special recipes from Raw Dogs, a catering company here in Providence that is doing its part in making this world a healthier place for all of us. Jessica has met some of my cleansers at the Farmer's Market here in Providence and they were so happy to sample her raw food while walking past all of the scone and cookie samples that were around.

I am so excited by the words that are coming in today, shared by women who can't believe what can happen in just 10 days!

I am sleeping less at night and feeling much more energetic. The especially good news that I wanted to share with you is that my husband said last night, "I'm so glad I am doing this with you.  My perpetual congestion has totally cleared up."  Mark has been struggling with this for years and it has really impacted his ability to train for the marathons he loves to run.  He figured out on this cleanse that it is the dairy that is causing this.  Even though he is an M.D., he never thought our diet could be the culprit since we eat mostly organic and almost entirely unprocessed.  Needless to say, he is ecstatic!

I have lost my bloat and I feel so much lighter...yay!  I don't own a scale but I definitely think I have slimmed down a bit.  This cleanse has opened my eyes and will absolutely change my diet in the future!  I'm also, very surprised that I haven't been craving the foods that we eliminated.  Day 5 is a turn around day since I am finally feeling better.

Now down 11 lbs. all I can say is WOW, I'm shocked at how, well this worked!!! Everyone @ work wants to know how I did this and they are starting to ask questions & implement some of these healthy ways!! I'm making beans, Gluten-free oatmeal w/apples+raisins w/blue agave, the kids LOVE IT!! So much more to learn, so much more to experience, so many more accomplishments to discover!! NEW, recipes to try!! Learning lots about myself & this feeling of success, But I deserve it!!

It feels great to be thinking and acting so deliberately about food. Something I've neglected a bit lately.

The biggest take-away this time around: think about what I am about to eat or drink before I put it in my mouth. Make a conscious decision to eat it or not. If I do, notice how it tastes. Do I like it? Is it as good as I expected? Am I actually enjoying it? Most important, be mindful, as the Buddhists say.

This has been a phenomenal experience. I finally am feeling energized and happy about it!!

Thank you to my amazing cleansers! Thank you to Jen for creating a tea just for this group, and it is so lovely to sip during this weather even if you aren't fully cleansing. Thank you to Sundance for giving my local cleansers a discount on their services and for joining us in the cleanse. Thank you Jessica for sharing these raw and mouth watering recipes with us.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Ingredients:
·         5 cups seedless watermelon
·         2 large red tomatoes
·         ½ avocado
·         ¼ jalapeno
·         juice from ½ a lime
·         handful of fresh cilantro
·         ¼ English cucumber diced
·         1 red or yellow pepper diced
·         Salt & Pepper to taste
Blend watermelon, tomato, avocado, jalapeno, lime & cilantro together to make broth.  Stir in cucumbers, peppers & salt and pepper and enjoy!
You can add garlic, shallot, more jalapeno, cayenne pepper, chives or anything else you can imagine to make this soup to your liking.

Spring Rolls with Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:
Wrapers & Filling:
·         2 Carrots chopped into sticks
·         1 small jicama chopped into sticks
·         1 mango- sliced into strips
·         ½ English cucumber chopped into sticks
·         3 large collard leaved cut in half with center vein removed
·         salt
·         sesame oil
Sauce:
·         1/4 cup Almond butter
·         1/4 cup Tahini
·         1 Tbs raw agave nectar
·         1.5 Tbs Siracha
·         ½ inch cube of fresh ginger
·         juice of ½ lime
·         water from thai coconut as needed
Rub collards with sesame oil and salt to break down collard and give it a dark green color. Roll collard leaves with filling. Blend all sauce ingredients together adding coconut water as needed. Serve rolls with dipping sauce on the side.
Rolls can be tied together with a scallion, chive or green onion to hold longer- this also makes for a nice presentation. Bean sprouts, apples, peppers etc, can be added into filling.

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake

The May 10 day power cleanse starts tomorrow and this is one of our recipes. The focus for the spring/summer cleanse is on raw foods and for so many of us taking dairy out of the diet is hard work. So I played around with this cheesecake for the last year and finally have found my favorite version, little jars of cheesecake that can be frozen, shared or enjoyed at a party. The topping is so good, so don't skip that, you could use any nut for that.

Wish my cleansers luck, we've got a big group and I'll keep you posted on how they are doing. We'll be cleansing mind and body during the 10 days for a truly life changing experience. You know I love those!

 

Raw Strawberry Cheesecake - A Hey Gorgeous recipe that my cleansers will be enjoying!

Filling

3 cups cashews, soaked for 4 hours
½ cup agave
Juice from 1 lemon - about 3 Tb
½ cup coconut oil
1 10 ounce bag frozen organic strawberries - let the bag defrost slightly so that the liquid helps to blend mixture
¼ cup water (more may be needed)

Blend or process until very smooth and creamy, may take a while, pour into small mason jars for individual servings, or into a glass container with lid.

Topping

½ cup shaved almonds
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
1 Tb agave

Mix together and refrigerate. When ready to serve, break into small chunks and put about 1 Tb on each serving of cheesecake. Eat within 3 days or store in the freezer, you can defrost before eating.

This recipe makes a lot! I suggest eating in about 1/4 cup servings and freezing so you have a quick treat to pull out. This is a great way to see that dairy is not the only thing that tastes oh so good.

Around the House

The day is full of clean sheets, new socks for a child who seems to lose every pair the day of wearing them, good food, lots of water and listening the the wind blowing down tree branches and knocking at our gate.

Wind makes me feel calm and motivated. When I hear it whip through the trees I feel an energy, like the passion inside of a storm. If you feel this too, try to harness it while it's there.

I am putting the finishing touches on my first e-book, gearing up for the cleanse and going to the bathroom every 15 minutes (bladder). Lucas is being indulged in some movie time while I putter around. He has a nasty cold and we are TLC-ing together.

We had sweet sausage for dinner last night and no sauerkraut was to be found. I made a quick salad of cucumber, carrot, olives and tiny gherkin and dressed it with a nice balsamic dressing full of fresh garlic. Quick and easy and a beautiful side to the sausage. A cup of tea after dinner, a teleclass about gratitude and connection (will be available soon) - complete day. The only thing missing was Harry Potter, we'll make up for it by reading two chapters today, I'm sure.

The other salad? Romaine, green olives, some shaved Romano cheese and raw cashews with my favorite honey lemon dressing (included in the e-book I mentioned), this is my go-to salad on busy days.

I'm off to putter some more, enjoy your time around the house today.

Raw Coconut Lemon Pudding

Raw Coconut Lemon Pudding

  • 4 meyer lemons, sliced in half, flesh scooped out, seeds removed
  • 16 oz raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup agave
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • pinch sea salt
  • 1/4-1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup coconut flakes

In a high powered blender, or you may use your food processor, combine first 6 ingredients. Slowly add water as needed to keep the mixture blending and smooth. This should be pudding like so add the water until you get that consistency. Once blended really smooth, place in small cup or bowls, about 1/4 cup each serving. Sprinkle generously coconut flakes on top. This made about 11 servings for us. Great for company.

Right Now, in the simple.

I'm having a hard day. The kind where you cry one minute and feel angry the next. And just when you are settling into angry, you find yourself calm and quiet. All those emotions tangled, that for me is a hard day. Always connected to feeling a bit run down in the old gut - the immune system- the guardian of how I'm feeling. I still have trouble stopping and allowing myself to rest. My process is to go low, sink down and create. Create things that don't need to be there. Head drama. Fierce and fearful.

It makes me want to drink soy lattes all day. It makes me want to stop doing everything that is moving me forward. It says, there isn't really enough for everyone. Why do you think you can have it?

Yeah, I have bad days. Thankfully, so do you. Our bad days are a gift if we let them be. Right now, in the simple.

Here is the whisper if I allow myself to get really quiet.

Climb in your bed. Work from there. Read books to your boy. Drink some tea. Take a motrin, just do it. Talk to the man who loves you and let him be with you. Remember why you do what you do, pick one small thing and you will remember. Oh yes there is enough for everyone. There is enough room to rest. There is enough time to conquer fears. There is enough right now, in the simple.

I remembered my favorite "cereal" and thought it would help my tired stomach feel better. I think you'll like it.

Almond and Apple Cereal

1 small apple, diced handful of sliced almonds 1 tsp dried coconut flakes alternative milk, rice, almond, hemp raisins if you like them

Put it all in a bowl, just as you would cereal. Simple.

Curry Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah

I love a meal that jumps into the pot with a little zip-a-dee-doo-dah. Keeping some broth in the freezer and jars of lentils and beans in the cupboard is my secret weapon for those nights when I really don't want to cook. In this soup, mung dahl (tiny yellow lentils) softened in the lemon/clementine broth leaving a smooth fragrant bowl of winter love. The smell was enough to make Chloe run to the table, and that doesn't happen easily.

Hope it inspires you to find your own zip-a-dee-doo-dah!

Winter Citrus Curry Lentil Soup

1 onion, diced 2 carrots, diced 2 celery stalks, diced 2 garlic cloves 1 TB curry powder 1 cup mung dahl 8 cups broth 1/2 cup (or more if you like) almond milk juice of 1 lemon juice of 2 clementines salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a soup pot heat some olive oil and add the onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes until vegetables soften. Stir in the curry powder and cook gently for about a minute until the fragrance from the curry becomes powerful. Add the mung dahl, broth, milk, and cover, simmering for about an hour. Before serving, squeeze in citrus and taste for salt and pepper and add parsley. We enjoyed this with a quick coleslaw that added a little raw to our meal.

Dark Chocolate Flourless Brownies

Really, it's just yum. Before the cleanse starts I am going to yum it up with a gooey brownie and a cup of tea. I talked about how my world of food opened up when I figured out what foods were hurting my body. I don't hide in the car shoving a chocolate bar down my throat, I celebrate the beauty of delicious foods and make my own sweets. This one is dreamy with it's soft center and melt in your mouth bites. Bowl of soup, brownie, tea...I'm good. The inspiration for this was those awesome flour-less cakes that have about 3 sticks of butter in them. I don’t use butter substitutes often, but every now and then it works to make a special treat. I think you could use coconut oil instead, but I haven’t yet tried it.

Dark Chocolate Flourless Brownies

7 ounces of dark chocolate chips ½ cup earth balance http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/

Melt the chocolate in double broiler and melt in the earth balance

2 eggs 1 cup palm sugar ⅓ cup maple syrup ¾ cup almond meal

In blender or with a hand mixer blend eggs until they start to look a lighter color. Add in the sugar and maple syrup and blend, then the almond meal and blend.

¼ tsp sea salt ¼ tsp baking soda

Mix in the salt and soda.

Slowly temper the egg mixture by adding a small scoop of the chocolate in. Mix. Add a small amount more, mix. Continue until well combined.

1 TB vanilla

Gently stir in vanilla.

¼ cup dark chocolate chips ¼ chopped walnuts (optional but yummy)

Gently stir in chips and nuts if using.

Generously oil with earth balance or other oil a 8X8 baking dish. Pour the mixture in and cook at 350 for about 30 minutes. Don’t overcook, these are yummy if you let them be  a bit gooey!

Cool, they are great refrigerated.

Eggplant Fritters and Layered Salad

Having made these fritters a couple of times, they have become a favorite breakfast food of mine. Full of protein and easy to heat up and lay over a salad, this is a lovely start to the day. I have started to keep a nice round glass container full of a layered salad in the fridge. I take some help from the store with baby spinach, shredded cabbage and pea shoots. All the work involved was taking the things out of their packages and putting them in the bowl. When it's time for a little nourishment, I just grab a handful or two out of the container and onto the plate.

Sitting here in a snowstorm I'm thinking that brownies are in my future today, I will share the recipe with you this week. For now we have fritters to top all of your layered salads.

Here is your step by step starting with the roasted eggplant. The recipe makes about 22 fritters.

Dice one large eggplant and lay onto a baking sheet. Cover it generously with olive oil. Add half of an onion, diced and a sprinkle of sea salt. Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until soft. Allow to cool.

Give the eggplant a quick chop, this will be about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of eggplant.

Add eggplant to a mixing bowl with one beaten egg.

Add in 2 tablespoons of capers.

One cup of Romano cheese, grated, goes into the mix.

One cup of finely chopped kale leaves (about two kale leaves) and

gently mix it together adding in 2 cloves of garlic, chopped and 1 1/2 cups of almond meal (or flour).

Place generous tablespoon sized balls onto a greased piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Press down slightly on each ball. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and firm to the touch. Allow to cool. Serve warm or room temperature. These are great topped with a yummy dressing and over salad.

Celebrations Sweeter With Homemade Candy

Looking back into the archives. This recipe was from an old newsletter and based on a recipe from Elana's Pantry. When you see a recipe that looks good, notice what you have on hand and then make it your own. I love adding coconut to these, sometimes we use raw cashews, other times pecans. They are fit for any celebration. I will be taking some time to look back over the next few weeks, fitting for the New Year. Celebration Clusters

1 cup walnuts, lightly pan toasted 1 cup sliced almonds, lightly pan toasted 3/4 cup almond butter 3/4 cup agave nectar 1 TB vanilla 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/2 cup coconut flakes, lightly pan toasted pinch sea salt 1 cup dark chocolate

Get all your nuts and coconut toasted in separate batches in a dry pan. Set aside.

In a small saucepan melt the almond butter and agave until smooth. Stir in vanilla and sea salt. Remove from heat and stir in nuts and 1/4 cup coconut.

On a parchment lined baking sheet, drop tablespoons of "caramel" mixture onto the sheet. Taking a pinch of sea salt, sprinkle the tops of each caramel with a tiny bit of salt (tiny).

Place in freezer for 10 minutes while you melt the chocolate in double broiler or microwave. Take caramels out of freezer and spoon melted chocolate on the tops of each candy. Sprinkle more toasted coconut on the tops. Place back into freezer.

These take only a couple of minutes to soften before eating. Place back in freezer for more celebrating later!!! Makes enough for multiple celebrations.

Tomato Soup for Chloe

My girl loves tomato soup in her lunch box. Last year we purchased her soup at $3.99 a carton. I was happy with the ingredients, but didn't really want her soup coming from a carton. This year the tomatoes are just too beautiful to ignore, and they are everywhere. I took a stab at making some homemade soup. I will be honest that I really thought she would protest, but from the beginning she was excited about the process. We started with 5 lovely tomatoes.

My sous chef, Patrick cored the tomatoes and removed most of the seeds. You can save the juice that comes out during this process and add it back in later. In a baking pan we put the quartered tomatoes covered with 2Tb olive oil and sea salt in a 375 degree oven for about 45 min. The skins will pucker and you can remove them after they cool. In another baking pan we put 2 chopped carrots, 1 small red onion sliced, 2 garlic cloves and 1Tb olive oil to coat with more sea salt. This was roasted at the same time, keep an eye on it, it may be done faster.

After we removed the skin everything went into the blender until smooth. In a sturdy pot add in the tomato mixture and 3 cups of chicken stock. You may need to add more salt. At this point when the soup warms you can add in 1 cup of coconut milk to bring it to that creamy place we all so love. When I am freezing this I add the tomato mixture and stock only to the jars, and add coconut milk later when we re-heat in the mornings before school. I always have coconut milk in the fridge in a glass jar as I use it for cream in my tea or decaf.

This soup passed the Chloe test, she ate 4 small bowls of it as we were playing around with how much coconut milk and salt to add. So tomato soup making I shall be for the next few days, filling the freezer up next to all my jars of pesto! This soup does not have herbs added to it, my chicken stock is rich in herb flavors and I wanted to keep it simple for the kids, but adding in any herbs during roasting or fresh herbs to the soup pot would be lovely.

Creamy Tomato Lunch Box Soup

3 1/2 pounds tomatoes, about 5 large

2 carrots- roughly chopped

1 small red onion- sliced into rounds

2 garlic cloves

3 Tb olive oil

sea salt

pepper

3 cups chicken stock

1/2- 1 cup coconut milk

basil or pesto (optional)

Core, quarter and remove seeds (you can save the juice that comes out during this process and add it into the blender later) tomatoes and lay in a baking pan. Cover with 2Tb olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and pepper. In another baking sheet add carrot, onion and garlic cloves, cover with remaining olive oil and a bit more salt and pepper. Roast in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes, keep an eye on this, the carrots may need to come out sooner. When the tomatoes cool, remove skin and add into blender with carrot mixture. Blend until smooth. Add to a pot with chicken stock, once warmed add in coconut milk to taste. This would be lovely with some fresh basil or pesto as a garnish.