The Root Cellar Organic Cafe

I've always wanted to be a 'long time listener, first time caller'. There's something nostalgic and exciting about the term. As a pretty infrequent listener of the radio, my dream seemed unlikely. But, this week, I was sort of able to...

Working as a coffee-slinger for Fire Roasted Coffee years ago, I became familiar with a really cool business venture called On the Move Organics. I knew that the founder, Jeff, rode a bike a lot, I knew that his sister Jen was the smartest person I've ever talked to, and that their smoothies were mind-blowingly delicious. As a huge fan of On the Move Organics I was thrilled to hear about their new cafe operation, The Root Cellar. Branching out from the organic produce delivery end of the business, they now offer coffee, juices and an array of baked items. Be-still my heart. I finally decided to request an interview with Ellie Cook. As the manager of the Root Cellar cafe (the bakery and kitchen are run by Max Collin), Ellie is a big time player in the movement to make our city more community-oriented and sustainable. Like Jen, she's also brilliant, and if I had to guess I'd bet she rides a bike like Jeff too. It's amazing to know that our city is harbouring these inspiring minds who are willing to put action to ideas and make change when it's needed. 

Photo by Jackie Noble

The Root Cellar is located in a dreamy, brick storefront at 623 Dundas St, which is just east of Adelaide.

So I guess you could say I was a 'long time beverage enjoyer, first time emailer'. Which is fine with me. Here's our interview!

What is the Root Cellar's mission?

Our mission is simple: to work to rebuild London's local organic food system, and to serve some really good food while doing it! Through our integration with local organic produce & grocery distribution company, On The Move Organics (onthemoveorganics.ca), we are able to source most of the food served in the cafe from small-scale, sustainable farms surrounding London, and offer accessible prices while doing so. It is our intention to strengthen the connection between the producers (the farmers) and the consumers (our customers) by communicating regional needs.

This is our statement of intention--it really sums up what we're all about: "We believe that food is political, that the choices we make about food--what we choose to eat and who we choose to support by doing so--resonate through our community, our economy, and our planet. At the foundation of this project is a commitment to invigorating our community, discovering the plentitude of our local foodshed, supporting sustainable agricultural practices, and working cooperatively."

How long had you been mulling over the idea of opening the cafe and what is the story behind its conception? 

I've always been fascinated by cafe culture, specifically how cafes function as social spaces. Historically, cafes were the centre of creative and intellectual innovation. I think some of that has been lost in the modern corporatization of cafe culture, but small, independent cafes (and there's quite a few of them in London!) continue to provide infrastructure for communities. All this to say--I've always mulled over the idea of opening a cafe! (Plus I really, really love coffee.) Near the end of my university degree, I came to work with my partner Jeff and the rest of the team at On The Move Organics, which at the time had just outgrown its delivery box production space at The Western Fair Farmers' & Artisans' Market, and moved to a new, extensively renovated warehouse space at 623 Dundas. The warehouse came with a beautiful storefront--it used to be a winery. We debated a few different ideas of what to do with the space, and ultimately decided that an organic cafe was the way to go. Basically, we wanted to create a new facet of our business that was most conducive to interaction with our customers--enabling us to both serve the food we're bringing in from the farms, and to share the stories behind that food. With the help of Jeff's sister, Jen, I was able to integrate the cafe business planning and development with my final research project for my Social Justice and Peace Studies degree from King's University College. After joining with baker & cook Max Collin, we opened at the end of July, 2012.

What is different about the Root Cellar?

First of all, everything we offer in the cafe is ethical. All of the produce and ingredients in our dishes are certified organic, with 80% local in season. Milk, cream, sugar … it's all organic. We are very transparent about where we source our food from--we have a big blackboard in the cafe stating where everything comes from (right now is an exciting time, because our growing season is just beginning, so we're seeing new local produce every week). Ingredients traveling to us from outside North America (like our coffee, some of our teas, bananas and tropical fruit, cane sugar) are certified fair trade as well as organic. Ultimately, it's important to us to advocate for the small-scale producers we work with, and to always offer them a fair price. 

Something else different about The Root Cellar and On The Move Organics is that, as a business, we are transitioning to a worker co-operative. This model of business centres on democratic work and ownership of the business by the employees. The core team here (there are 5 of us) have been working together over the past year to consensually define our business mission, values and vision. We strongly believe that this type of business model has the resiliency to withstand economic hardship, as it puts the workers first. Along with our business structure, we also measure our success and profitability using a triple bottom line--we weigh fiscal sustainability equally with social responsibility and environmental stewardship. (Our environmental stewardship was just recognized by the London Chamber of Commerce with a Business Achievement Award in Environmental Leadership--an honour we are still reeling from!)

Lastly, we strive to engage our community in the work that we do. At the cafe, we organize a monthly book club meeting (all are welcome!), a bi-weekly Fibre Arts Collective, and various art and crafts knowledge bartering workshops and music nights. All our events are free, or pay what you can, and everyone is welcome. 

What can you expect for food and drink offerings on any given day? 

We offer a fresh organic & seasonal menu that focuses on local produce. Right now we're still working with a Winter Menu (think lots of beets, lots of squash, kale…), but we'll be transitioning to a Spring Menu as fresh greens, asparagus and fiddleheads become available. Everything on our menu is organic. Our menu is mostly made up of salads, soups and sandwiches, with changing daily specials thrown in every day. We also have an in-house bakery, and offer fresh bread and baked goods every day--all made with 100% organic & local flour from Arva Flour Mill. Saturday mornings from 9am-2pm we also offer a breakfast menu featuring local organic eggs, local GMO-free & pastured sausage, french toast, and the like.

Photo by Jackie Noble

 We also have a fresh organic juice and smoothie bar at the cafe, with a variety of made-to-order fruit & veggie juices and smoothies. Our most popular juice, hands-down, is the Sikorski Slammer--beets, carrots, apple, celery and ginger (it's been touted as a hangover cure!). Our green smoothies are also popular, especially for folks who want to grab a quick healthy meal, but don't have time to sit down and eat lunch.

Lastly, we have the typical cafe offerings, but with an ethical twist--organic coffee and espresso, local wildcrafted teas, organic milk lattes, and the like.

What are your vegan and gluten-free options like?

We offer vegan options every day--soups, salads and sandwiches. Our vegan cinnamon buns have also been a big hit! On the cafe side of things, we offer a variety of dairy-free "milks"--my favourite is our fresh house-made fair trade cashew milk. We are not a gluten-free facility, but our soups and salads don't contain gluten. We also bake with a variety of low-gluten ancient grains like spelt and kamut, so our sandwiches are available on low-gluten bread. Our scones and cookies are made with spelt flour as well. 

What is your favourite thing to eat and drink at the Root Cellar?

Everything! My favourite drink is the Emerald City (a green smoothie with almond milk, spinach, kale, banana, strawberries and hemp hearts), although I also love the Ginger Snaps Latte made with cashew milk (I make all our coffee syrups at the cafe--this one has ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves). Food-wise, I love the Sweet Carrot Panini on a multigrain bun (roasted herbed carrot, house-made hummus, fresh spouts, caramelized onions and cheddar), and the Vegan Squash Curry soup. And on the sweet side, I ADORE our vegan cinnamon buns.

Who have been key players in getting your business on its feet?

We are lucky to be surrounded by a vibrant and creative community who are eager to help out with new projects. Our friends, family and neighbours donated much time and effort to help us with our renovation. On The Move Organics' customers have also been incredibly supportive as we started this new project. 

Any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? 

First of all, be original and creative in your work! Work hard and with integrity. Seriously consider the co-operative model as a viable business structure. There is a huge network of support for those interested in starting a co-operative--don't be afraid to reach out! 

What can people do to help sustainability in London?

Support sustainable local businesses! Advocate for a city compost program. This is one I'm working on right now--love your bike and learn how to care for it. Support organizations like Food Not Lawns (and Food Not Bombs), Veggie City, ReForest London, The London Carolinian Food Forest Project, and London's community gardens. Educate yourself about local food systems, organic farming, and food sovereignty. Learn how to grow veggies, to preserve the harvest, to wildcraft tea---these homesteading practices will, if nothing else, instil a deep appreciation for the work our food producers do for us every day.

The Root Cellar is open Tues & Wed from 10 - 7, Thurs & Fri from 10 - 9 and Sat from 9 - 6. Their menu (updated daily) can be found at https://www.facebook.com/TheRootCellarOrganicCafe

Say hello to salted maple

Salted caramel has been overdone but - now - introducing its more Canadian, more sophisticated, all natural brother: salted maple.

Try this rich and decadent yet utterly easy recipe for a chocolate torte. It's 100% gluten free.


Preheat oven to 350.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For Glaze:

• 2 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1 1/2 T butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon almond milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
• 1/8 teaspoon maple extract

• Sea salt

 

Line the bottom of a 7 inch springform removable bottom pan with parchment paper and spray the paper.

1. Melt 6 ounces of chopped chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until chocolate and butter are melted and smooth.
2. Add sugar, maple syrup and salt and reduce heat to low. Cook while stirring for about one minute, until sugar starts to dissolve.
3. Remove pan from heat. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. The mixture will look smooth and glossy.
4. Use a mesh hand sieve to sift cocoa into mixture. This prevents lumps. Whisk until the cake batter is smooth.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes. The center of the cake should be just firm to the touch, but be careful to not overbake the cake or it will be dry.
6. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Invert the cake on a plate.
7. To prepare the glaze, melt 2 ounces of chopped chocolate and 1 1/2 tablespoons ofbutter in the same saucepan you used to make the cake. When melted and smooth, remove the pan from heat. Add milk and maple syrup and extract and stir until smooth and glossy. Let the glaze cool for about 3 minutes before pouring it on the cake.
8. Pour all of the glaze in the middle of the cake. Use a silicone or rubber spatula to spread the glaze evenly over the cake, allowing the glaze to evenly run down the sides of the cake. Sprinkle with sea salt.
   
   

Salted Caramel Skillet Cookie Recipe

This recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegan, super healthy and delicious!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup raw nut butter (I used smooth peanut butter)
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3 cups almond flour/meal
• 4 oz chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

1. Combine coconut oil, nut butter, maple syrup, salt, and vanilla in a blender or in a glass bowl and hand blender. 
2.  Blend for 4-6 minutes until a sticky caramel texture. 
3.  Pour 1 cup of the caramel sauce into the skillet.  Save the rest for serving.
4. Add the baking soda and mix until incorporated.
5. Mix in the almond flour and chopped chocolate.
6. Spread the dough evenly in the skillet.
7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-14 minutes until set. 
8. Serve with your favorite ice cream and a drizzle of the left over caramel.

Adapted from forkandbeans.

It's Burger Season... Veggie Burger Season?

Just around the time this unseasonably nice weather hit Ontario the "burger" section of the grocery store seemed to be strangely bare. My first thought was that everyone was firing up their BBQs at the same time and the purchaser didn't plan for that much demand, but no - Ontario was the victim of yet another beef recall. 

I can't say I'm a firm vegetarian. For me if meat is humanely-raised and -slaughtered and is fed proper foods, I am okay to eat it in moderation. That's why I have an order for a certified organic, grass-fed 1/2 cow coming in next week (hurray!) But for those backyard parties that you're not too sure about or if invites tell you to BYOM (bring your own meat), I'd recommend keeping a box of veggie burgers in the freezer.

Recently I tried Sol Cuisine's original vegetarian burger. The stats are jaw-dropping: gluten/wheat free, vegan, low fat, 12 grams of protein, only 100 calories, lots of fiber/calcium/iron, kosher, halal... the list goes in. In fact look at these ingredients:

Filtered Water, Soy Protein Concentrate, Sunflower Oil, Organic Lemon Juice Concentrate, Onion, Modified Cellulose, Tomato Powder, Sea Salt, Garlic, Spices, Caramel Colour.

Everything is verified to be non-GMO. Very impressive.

For the group of us that dug into the tasting (my semi-vegetarian sister, my strict-paleo/whole-foods sister, my meat-loving former-chef husband, and myself) we found with a little creative condiment-adding, the burger was pretty good. Perhaps not as juicy and "meaty" as real beef, but an honest substitute and easily the type of thing you can add ketchup or mayo to for your liking (or homemade tomato jam! or vegenaise!) I look forward to trying more of Sol Cuisine's products in the future.

As it continues to get hotter, I definitely recommend branching out and giving vegetarian burgers a try. Because - hey - you can't get mad cow disease from vegetables. ... can you?

LaraBars!

Sometimes people looking for nutrition advice ask me: What is your go to packaged snack? My answer is simple. Larabars!

If you have never heard of Larabars before I am very pleased to be the one to tell you about them.

Here is the first and probably only thing you need to know about Larabars: Their ingredients list is plain English and features less than six ingredients per bar that are entirely fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds or chocolate chips. This is the kind of food label that makes a granola like me very happy. Because they use such minimal and natural ingredients, they are certified kosher, vegan and gluten free.

Oh, and there's something else I should mention: the flavours. Here are a few of my personal favourites:

• Pecan pie
• Peanut butter cookie
• Banana bread 
• Cashew cookie
• Coconut cream pie
• Chocolate chip cookie dough

The US even has flavours like Cappuccino and Ginger Snap. Mmmm, get me on a bridge to the States. (Incidentally, I actually do often see great prices for full cases of Larabars in the States - check Target next time you're there.)

Larabars are a great alternative to the high-sugar, high-calorie processed bars on the market today. Most "granola bars" and "protein bars" are not what I would consider healthy. They contain either white sugar, corn syrup or artificial sweeteners - not my idea of happiness. But Larabars have only real ingredients, no added sugars or fat. Because they use pureed dates as a main ingredient they give you sustainable energy and tons of vitamins and minerals. They are healthy as heck, but still taste amazing - the apple pie flavour is loaded with walnuts, raisins and cinnamon. Oh so good. You can grab one for a snack on the go, a pick me up during class, or for a long evening bike ride. They keep well so they're awesome to store at home for kids lunches, or bring along to a camping trip.

And now you know my not-secret-at-all snack food.

Gluten Free, Low Fat, No Sugar Added Cake... in 3 minutes!

My sister invented this whole foods based cake recipe that is so easy you will be eating cake twice a day!

In a coffee mug, whisk together:

1 T melted coconut oil
1 T yogurt
1 T orange juice
1 T maple syrup
1 egg
1 splash vanilla extract
3 T brown rice flour (or oat flour)
The zest of 1 orange, or lime

Microwave for 2 - 3 minutes (depending when it looks solidly cooked). Top with a splash more maple syrup.

ROSE'S GLUTEN FREE BAKING 2011 !!!

It's that time again... when my mom and I roll up our sleeves and get covered in rice flour and chocolate chips!

This year we are offering gluten-free baking for the holidays at an affordable price. We'd like orders to be in by December 1st so start deciding now. If you want pick up/delivery earlier, let us know and we can arrange something. We are offering:

• Buttery shortbread
• Coconut lemon bars
  
  
• Peanut butter chip squares
• Skor toffee bars
• Caramel nut bars
• Christmas fudge
• Candy cane brownies
• Hazelnut sandies
• Sugar cookies
• Santa's thumbprints
• Ginger molasses cookies
•  Peanut butter marshmallow cups - $7.50 per tray
• Rum balls
  
   - $9 per tray
• Lemon poppyseed loaf - $7.50 per loaf
• Cranberry-orange drizzle loaf - $7.50 per loaf
• Pecan tarts - $9 per tray
• Boozy Christmas cake - $12 per cake

They are $8 per tray unless specified, and they are perfectly DELICIOUS.

What an amazing thing to have in your home for a party when you know someone with Celiac will be attending, or to have in your freezer for those moments when a friend drops by and needs a gluten-free treat to go with their coffee. Great for kids lunches, or to send with your child to a friend's birthday party if they can't have the cake. Also make a great gift! Or just something to cuddle as you watch Christmas movies (I recommend the caramel nut bars as a cuddling partner - they've always done the trick for me).

View our website here: https://sites.google.com/site/rosesgfbaking/home

31 Days: Day 10 and 11

Left to right: Mom, Angela, Dad, Sarah with Oliver, Calvin, me

Monday we had a Thanksgiving meal with my side of the family - 100% gluten free. After that the boys (Dad, Calvin, Oliver) wanted to nap but us girls were excited to go on a fall walk, so we suited up and hit the forest. A much longer walk than expected (mainly because the kids of this generation have not kept the good forest paths clear so we had to trail blaze the whole time) found us on Pond Mills Rd at a community garden. The plots were entirely abandoned (understandably as it's October). Nothing had been watered in weeks, there were knee-high weeds and just scattered junk everywhere. We were 100% no one had been there in a while. So we gleaned it. I managed to harvest 3 different varieties of squash, eggplant, peppers (including hot chilis) and some dried out beans for planting next year. It made me want to look up all of London's community gardens and see which ones need gleaning.

For dinner we used leftover turkey to make curried turkey and apple sandwiches (on Udi's gluten-free bread) and spicy turkey and butternut squash soup. Then we dove head first into a Chopped marathon on Food Network.

Yesterday I got to hang out with Calvin all morning and some of the afternoon because he worked the late shift. Once he left I packed Oliver up for a walk and we didn't get back home until dinner time. I made stuffed squash and garlic noodles and I had a huge helping of apple crisp for dessert. Then Cal's friend came over so I ran a hot bath and let the boys hang out by themselves.

Vegan Homemade Peppermint Patties

I was desperately craving peppermint patties but couldn't help but recall my promise to be dairy-free (mostly) while I nurse Oliver.

The craving grew to the point that I was madly typing on my blackberry for recipes.

Not a moment later I began ransacking my kitchen for ingredients.

And just like always, my tummy got what it wanted.

So here's the recipe:





1. Melt down 1/2 cup coconut oil with a handful of peppermint leaves over low heat. The steam-deodorized brand of coconut oil may work best, but mine isn't and I thought the flavour was great.
2. Continue warming for 5 minutes or until oil has absorbed the mint flavour (don't boil). Fish out the leaves with a spoon and discard, or make into tea.
3. Add 1/4 honey, or agave, or raw sugar, or a tsp of stevia concentrate (haven't tried this recipe with stevia, might be gross) and stir to combine.
4. Leave in the freezer until barely frozen. It should still be workable. Depending which sweetener you use you may want to check on it every once in a while and stir it to keep the consistency.
5. Using a spoon scoop out small balls and place on a baking sheet or piece of parchment. Push down with the back of the spoon to flatten into discs.
6. Put the mint oil patties into the freezer.
7. Melt down about 1/2 cup vegan dark chocolate. Don't over melt/burn.
8. Pull the mint patties from the freezer and one by one dunk them in the warm chocolate, and place them back on the sheet.
9. Let re-freeze. And serve!

Rhubarb Crumble

Wow, short of the fiddlehead pasta I've been really slack on posting seasonal recipes! This was brought to my attention with the new books I've been reading:

and

So in all my guilt I've decided to post a recipe. Really after this one I'm not that far behind. I don't have anything brilliant to show you about asparagus (just cook it lightly and eat - can't get any better) so with fiddleheads, asparagus & rhubarb down I'm on to June which of course brings to mind strawberries so I'll see what I can do about that one soon! Roots are also available right now but because they're so easily stored I say enjoy them all year round.

Here's my favourite rhubarb crumble.

Preheat the oven to 350.
In a large bowl combine 3 cups chopped rhubarb, 2 medium apples chopped, 1 egg and 1/2 cup maple syrup. Sprinkle in a few nice warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Pour into a large baking dish.
In that same bowl (don't bother cleaning it) combine 1 cup flour (I've tried this recipe with 3/4 cup rice flour and 1/4 cup tapioca starch - it was great), 1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar and a pinch of sea salt. Then cut in 1/2 cup cold butter or Earth Balance.
Crumble this mixture over the fruit and bake for 45 - 55 minutes.



There's no picture. We ate it all right away. Every time.

Spring Fiddlehead Pasta & GF Vegan Brownies

Calvin worked late tonight so Mom and I found time, in between planting of course, to make a wonderful dinner.

Spring Fiddlehead Pasta

1. Prepare 4 cups of brown rice penne pasta.
2. Toss with 3 T butter, 1 T lemon juice and a sprinkling of sea salt.
3. Lightly boil (3 minutes or so) 2 cups of fiddleheads. These are currently in season! Check your grocer, market or backyard forest!
4. Toss the fiddleheads in the pasta along with 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese. Top with grated parmesan and fresh basil.

GF Vegan Brownies

Preheat oven to 350.
1. Sift together 3/4 cup gf featherlight flour mix*, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.
2. Whisk together 1/2 cup coconut cream (the thick white part of a can of coconut milk), 1/4 cup oil, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla.
3. Fold dry ingredients into wet and stir until just mixed.
4. Bake in a greased 8" pan for 15 minutes (gooey brownies) to 20 minutes (firm brownies).
5. Let cool? Maybe not.

* Look for my previous entry on how to make this mix, or in a pinch for this recipe use 1/2 cup white rice flour, 3 T tapioca flour, 1 T potato starch and 1/8 tsp guar gum.

GF Cheddar Biscuits

I am home sick from work today and by home I mean at my parents' house. Calvin is writing an important test for work (something to do with banking?) and then off to Toronto (something to do with a concert?). While he's away, and Mom isn't home from work yet, Angela is taking care of me and she's doing so by making "chicken noodle soup." While she works on that, and in between me needing a couch-lie because my stomach is so unsettled, I am whipping up some gluten free cheddar biscuits.

Before you get started, review how to make gluten-free flour mix here:

http://myideaofhappiness.blogspot.com/2010/11/gf-shortbread-recipe.html

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Add 1 T lemon juice to 1 c cold milk to make a fake buttermilk.
3. Whisk together

• 2 c GF gluten free flour mix
• 2 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp each: baking soda, sugar, salt
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese

4. Pour 1/2 c melted butter or margarine into the soured milk, then pour those both into the dry ingredients. Mix all together.
5. Scoop in large clumps (16 or so in total) onto a greased cookie sheet or two.
6. Bake 10 minutes.

Spanish Rice

Yesterday on the Food Network, Giada Delaurentiis cooked up the most half-butt version of Spanish rice. It made me pretty mad. From what I can remember she just cooked up white rice in stock and added pancetta. There might have been an onion involved and I think she added a pinch of saffron for colour. Lame.

I quickly made something undeniably more delicious. It's this:

1. Soak 1/2 cup of any dry bean blend overnight. Discard water, rinse, and cook in boiling water until done (40 minutes). Luckily, I was already doing this because of meatless Monday.
2. Cook 3/4 cup dry brown rice in 1 1/2 cups water.
3. In a skillet over medium heat, cook 6 button mushrooms, sliced in a bit of oil. Add 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped. Add the cooked rice and beans.
4. Once everything has browned up a little, turn off the heat. Add 1/2 cup medium salsa.

If you're vegan you can stop there, but I had a little "hot wing sauce" made up as an experiment and pouring it over the rice mixture was pretty heavenly. Try making some, and if you have enough, use it on some homemade wings. It's just equal parts melted butter and Frank's red hot sauce, with a small squirt of ketchup. Excellent.

Perfect Polenta Pie

Hey readers! I haven't posted in a while because I was on vacation in Kissimmee, Florida with Calvin and friends.

Here's one of my absolute favourite go-to dinner recipes:

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch oven-safe dish and set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix 1 cup ricotta, 1/2 cup spinach, 1/4 cup diced red pepper, 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, the zest of 1 lemon and 1 T dill. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and set aside.
3. In a deep, heavy-bottomed pot, bring 1 1/2 cups milk, 1 1/2 cups water and 1 tsp salt to boil. Whisk in 1 cup cornmeal until blended. Reduce heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until polenta thickens and begins to pull away from sides of pot, about 8 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1 T butter.
4. Pour half of polenta into prepared pan and cover the bottom, pressing down with damp fingers as it cools.
5. Stir reserved ricotta mixture into remaining cooked polenta. Add 1 egg and mix thoroughly. Pour over polenta in pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until set and centre puffs slightly, about 12 minutes. Broil until golden, about 3 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Nutritional information

Per serving: 226 calories, 11 g fat, 13 g protein, 19 g carbs, 2 g fibre. Excellent source of folate and calcium.

So, other than recipes, what sort of posts would you guys like to see? Comment here!

Fennel Carrot Soup from 101cookbooks.com

I saw this online (http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/carrot-and-fennel-soup-recipe.html) and quickly rushed home to make it. If you'd like to do the same, see my adaptation here:

1 fennel bulb
1 large carrot
A few cups stock
1/2 cup brown rice

Slice the fennel into thin ribbons. Allow to soften on medium heat in a tablespoon of oil.
Chop the carrot into thick coins and add to the saucepan. Season with sea salt (I had used up the last of my fresh garlic so I used my dehydrated garlic-infused salt.)
After a few minutes, add stock and rice. Bring to a boil, then turn down and let simmer, covered.
(While you wait, take out the recycling! You know I've... uh, you've... been meaning to do so for a few weeks now!)
When rice is cooked (35 minutes?) turn off heat. Stir in a few tablespoons of freshly juiced orange.
Top with parmesan cheese.

Forgive me for the cell phone photo?

Need Gluten Free Christmas Baking?

Available Baking:

Sugar cookies, Santa's thumbprints, hazelnut sandies, buttery shortbread, coconut lemon bars, peanut butter chip squares, Skor toffee bars, chocolate or vanilla macaroons, caramel nut bars, rum balls, peanut butter marshmallow cups, christmas fudge, candy cane brownies

All baked in a GF kitchen by a GF momma

Sold by the 8X8" (20 X 20cm), about 20 - 25 pieces

$7.50 each

Now offering delivery to the Niagara region by request

Recipe Request: Roasted Garlic Soup

This soup is funny for timing so I'll show you how I did it:

This is just a stock photo. I didn't think to
take one as I was eating dinner last night.

7:00pm: Arrive home from work and preheat the oven to 400F. Chop up one sweet potato, three white potatoes, two onions and just a small slice off the top of a garlic head. (The full bulb, not just one clove).
7:05pm: Place the sweet potato and garlic head on a cookie sheet with some oil and sea salt and begin baking. In a large saucepan, begin caramelizing the onion on the lowest heat.
7:20pm: Give the oven things a stir, check the onion. If the onion is ready, fill the saucepan halfway (4 cups?) with chicken or veggie stock. Add the cubed white potato. Boil, then leave on a simmer.
7:30 - 7:45pm: Check periodically if your potatoes and garlic are soft. When the sweet potato and garlic are ready, turn off the oven, and throw the veg in with the rest in the stock. Remember to push the roasted garlic out of the paper layer, don't just throw the whole thing in there. Continue simmering. Check for salt and pepper.
8:00pm: Calvin will be home soon. I frantically turn off the Taylor Swift Speak Now special on NBC and use the immersion blender to smooth all the chunky vegetables out. You'll be left with a yummy puree. Check salt and pepper again. Then, on very low heat, whisk in half a package of plain cream cheese.

We enjoyed this with Frank's XTra Hot Sauce but you could eat it as is, or topped with shredded cheddar. Enjoy with a most hated vampire.

GF Shortbread Recipe

Guest blogger: Rose Goertz... my mom!

So simple, yet so delicious!

1 cup butter **
2 cups gluten free flour mix (recipe to follow)
1/2 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 300degrees.
Cream butter until soft, add in flour and sugar until smooth. Voila... that's it!

** I found this amazing Butter-Vanilla extract by Lorann Professional Kitchen. I added a splash of this in case it wasn't buttery enough already.


The gluten free flour mix that I make and use for a ton of different recipes is something I call Grandma's Flour Mix:
4 cups white rice flour
1 1/3 cup potato starch flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour
2 Tbsp xanthan gum

Angela's Even-Carnivores-Like-It Carrot Lentil Lasagna

This is a meatless and gluten-free wonder that no one can resist. I've been speed texting my sister to give me the recipe since I first heard of its praises and she finally ran me through it this afternoon. If I can understand how to pull it off via Blackberry messaging during her health sci lecture, then certainly you can follow along using this step-by-step picture guide.






First, preheat oven to 350F. Chop and saute a cornucopia of vegetables.

This must include garlic, carrot and tomatoes but could also feature - as ours did - zucchini, onion and yellow pepper.















Best to add the tomatoes last and turn the heat down to simmer. If you don't want to peel and quarter 15 roma tomatoes (ugh, but it's so fun!) then use canned, but buy Ontario Natural Food Coop brand because they don't BPA line their metal tins.

Put on a pot of tea.

At this point add 1 can or 2 cups of cooked lentils. We also added white kidney beans but for simplicity kept the recipe name the same, because who wants to say "I just had the best carrot lentil kidney bean zucchini spinach lasagna!"? Not I.

At the same time (exactly the same time and nothing less... kidding) mix a 250ml tub of ricotta with 1 egg, salt, pepper, and a few handfuls of spinach, chopped. Thin it down with some milk if you may.

Add half a carton of carrot soup to the carrot lentil mixture and take off the heat. Or if you're religiously unprocessed, just blend up some of what you've got for texture purposes. You can salt 'n pepper at this point too.

Purchase a box of oven-ready brown rice lasagna noodles. We use Rixopia but I believe Tinkyada makes them too.

In a 9x13" dish, layer: carrot-lentil mix, noodles, ricotta mix, three times, then add a final layer of carrot-lentil. Top with shredded Parmesan or whatever cheese you have handy. We had a ton extra so we fashioned a mini pan of this treat for me to take to work (go Mom!)

 
Bake covered for 30 minutes then uncover and bake for 15 more.

Thanks Angela!

"Anytime!"

Eggplant Casserole

Eggplant casserole is definitely my favourite food. I say that about a lot of things. 

It is the first full meat-free meal I've made that didn't result in a unanimous "Where's the meat?" from the boys.

Here's how I make it:

In a skillet, sautee a small onion or two until cooked. If there's not much oil/butter left, add more. With the heat on medium, add in an equal amount of flour and whisk to create a roux. (Feel free to use gluten free flour mix, brown rice flour, or cornstarch). Let cook for 30 seconds then whisk in one cup of milk. It will thicken as it heats up. Grate in a cup of cheddar cheese.

To this cheese sauce add one jar of homemade tomato sauce. Stir to combine, then set aside.

Heat a decent amount of oil in a skillet. In the meantime, chop one eggplant into 1/2" thick coins. Fry each piece, both sides, until soft. As the pieces are done frying (do them in batches, don't overload the skillet) layer them in a 9x9 with the blush sauce, like a lasagna. Finish with a layer of grated cheddar cheese.

Surprise! I have terrible fridge organization skills and this photo will prove it!

Bake the casserole at 400 degrees F for 40 minutes, then broil for a minute to make the cheese bubbly.