childhood soup….

It's a funny thing because there is little that I remember from my childhood for various reasons that would relate to a completely different blog post, but one thing I do remember is my mother making us homemade tomato soup that was absolutely delicious! As a matter of fact until I was an adult I never tasted a tomato soup other than this one. When I made this soup for my first husband he quickly said "this doesn't taste like tomato soup at all", because he was used to Campbells soup! I remember being so disappointed at the time but I understood what he meant. It dropped of our menu sadly. As a child we rarely had soup out of a can and I can truly say that I was raised on amazing soups! I was never given the recipe on paper and only learned from watching her make it time after time.

I made it just the other day for our dinner and served it simply with a baguette and some cheese and it was wonderful! All you need are flour, butter, tomato juice, water, a little salt and pepper and this time I added some cream and you will have the most delicious soup ever. I am lucky enough to have my own canned tomatoes which brings the summer flavour home in the cold winter months. I also this time used a few sage leaves that I dried from the garden to sauté in the butter and then added them again while it simmered at the end and the flavour was delicately tinged with the sage and yet did not overpower the tomato. The cream added at the end made it perfect! I wish I could give you the ingredient portions but that is not to be. It is only in my head and depends on how much tomato juice you have. 

I wish you could share in a bowl with me as it's also made with 'Love'……

I hope your day is filled with wonderful flavours and that they might be reminiscent of a time gone by.

Maggie xoxo

best ever cream of mushroom soup….

It was several years back when my daughter Brianne was away at school that she came across this recipe for mushroom soup. She tried it herself and then she passed it on to me after raving about how good it was and I have been making it from that time on and it is the best mushroom soup ever! It is very simple to make, the ingredient list is not long and you might very well have most of them in your pantry except for the fresh mushrooms.

Just this past week Brianne was stopping in for lunch during her workday and she was thinking that mushroom soup might be tasty. I hadn't' made it in a while so off I went to the grocer's and actually found organic mushrooms on sale so I scooped them up right away and returned home to begin making the soup. It really is a quick and easy recipe and before I knew it we were sitting down to a delicious bowl of homemade mushroom soup!

I tend to use the white button mushrooms and have used crimini also, but do give other types a try too.

Here are some mushroom facts & tips:

• a few cultivated varieties such as white button, crimini, portobello, and enoki can be eaten raw
• most wild varieties should be cooked to ensure food safety
• contain potassium, copper, selenium and are a good source of certain B vitamins
• recent research shows they have powerful phytonutrient potential 
• choose only whole and dry mushrooms with spongy, firm, plump caps
• refrigerate in a paper bag, often provided by the grocer
• if they come from the grocer in plastic as mine did, transfer them to a paper bag for storage with the exception of beech and enoki that will do well in their original container
• most mushrooms can be cleaned with a soft cloth or a vegetable brush
• if you need to rinse them use as little water as possible to prevent nutrient loss and changes in texture
• to reconstitute dry mushrooms cover with hot water and let soak for 30 minutes. These mushrooms will have a chewier consistency and the broth can be used in soups or stews.

It's time to share the recipe with all of you now and I hope you give it a try and love it as much as we do!

I think it was the first time I had noticed organic mushrooms at my local grocer and I was not only thrilled with that but they were on sale so that was even better!

Chop the mushrooms up into whatever size you like to serve in your soup. These were quite large so I ended up cutting them in half. I do like the look of whole slices in the soup for a nice presentation.

Saute them in the butter for several minutes until they become nice and soft.

Whisk the flour into the broth. Since my daughter is vegetarian I always use a veggie broth but you can use chicken or probably even beef broth if you want to enhance the flavour at bit more. She is also gluten sensitive so I use a gluten free flour for her and it works just as well.

Stir the broth into the mushroom mixture and keep stirring until it thickens. Add your cream and watch it become a lovely consistency.

Voila! A delicious bowl of soup ready for your lunch or a first course for dinner. I think it rates as good as any soup you will find on a restaurant menu! Yes, it's that good! 

Best Ever Cream of Mushroom Soup

2 tbsp butter

3 cups mushrooms

1 3/4 cups broth (of your choice)

6 tbsp flour 

1 cup cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper 

Melt your butter on medium-high heat and add the mushrooms and stir until tender. Turn the heat down to medium. 

Combine the flour and broth in a separate bowl until smooth. 

Add to the mushrooms and stir until it begins to thicken nicely. 

Add the cream and continue to stir until it is fully incorporated, then add the salt and pepper. 

Simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. 

Serves 2 good sized bowls of soup.

I hope you will give it a try and let me know how it turns out! Enjoy!!

Maggie

soul baking…….

We are working again on our tile floor this weekend and it's the kind of work that sometimes can be a tandem job for two or it's for one person only. Yesterday we did all the cutting for the hallway so I did all the measuring and marking while Kelly worked the tile saw. It works as a good partnership to get the job done. Today though is the laying of the tile and it's strictly a one person job which Kelly is the master of and that suits me fine. This leaves me though with time on my hands and can limit me in what I might choose to do since the house is in a state of upheaval. The last weekend that we tiled together the kitchen was the focus of our work but since that is now complete I can busy myself there and create. I truly love baking so I was more than happy to open my cupboards and see what I could mix together in a bowl and concoct. Being in the kitchen creating is my idea of time well spent. I love to get lost in my experiences there and allow it to feed my soul. An afternoon of baking therapy is often just what I need. And I need not worry about all those calories since most of the time when it comes to baked goods I barely even touch a morsel of it since I don't partake of sugar as a rule but I enjoy the process of the creation. I decided since the cookie jar was empty I should possibly fill it with some fresh chocolate chip cookies and then I moved on to a banana walnut bread since my freezer is filling up with bananas. After that was done I flipped some more pages in the recipe book and came up with a quick brownie recipe that will head to the freezer for lunches along with the slices of the banana loaf. I love having a selection of ingredients at hand that will turn themselves into a tasty cookie or loaf or bread etc. and not only does it end up feeding your taste buds and belly, but it also feeds your soul. For me it's called baking therapy and this is a good thing……and I like good things.

Here is my banana walnut loaf recipe that I have been making for probably over 25 years…….

Banana Walnut Loaf

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 9 x 5" loaf pan.

2 large ripe bananas
1/3 cup soft margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup hot water
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans if you like them better)

1. In a bowl beat bananas and margarine; beat in sugar, egg, egg white and water until smooth.
2.Combine flour and baking soda; stir into batter and all but a few of the nuts, mixing until just blended.
   Do not overmix. Pour into pan; arrange reserved nuts down the middle of the batter mixture. Bake for
   35-45 minutes or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out dry.

I try to use organic ingredients whenever I can and I have also interchanged gluten-free all purpose flour in this recipe and it turned out great. You could even add some raisins if you wanted to. I usually will make two loaves at the same time since the oven is hot anyway and there is plenty of room for two pans. It's just simply more efficient. One loaf can then stay on the counter for snacking on and the other can head to the freezer.

I hope your Saturday is a good one and that you will do something that will feed your soul …...

Maggie

quick lunch....

I have been busy canning once again today and took a break from it long enough to have lunch with my son Brandon. I grabbed a naan bread from the store and headed to the garden plot to grab some tomatoes, onions & basil. I was canning tomato sauce this morning so I used that as my base and topped it with the vegetables and a bit of Havarti I already had in the refrigerator. Top that with a little freshly ground pepper and some sea salt and you have a delicious lunch! The freshness of the flavours was incredible !

We topped that off with some fresh sliced peaches over greek yogurt with agave and sprinkled with hemp hearts and it made for a perfect lunch! 

I hope your day is going fabulously! 

Blessings,

Maggie

taco seasoning mix......

I have huge issues with MSG. It turns me into this person who can't sleep and the results of this are not good. It proves itself as an excitotoxin when this happens and I am still discovering for myself which foods it is in, some of which are obvious, and in other foods it is a hidden poison.

A couple of weeks ago we made a quick dinner of tacos from a package spice mix and I thought nothing of it until the next morning after a dreadful nights sleep (actually no sleep) that I put it all together and realized that I had ingested MSG the night previous. I was mad at myself because I had actually looked at the package ingredients and saw that it included 'natural flavour' but I went ahead anyway and used it thinking that it would be ok. I was so wrong.

Out of this experience I decided that I wanted to come up with an alternative to this very popular brand of taco seasoning mix and searched the internet to find one. I found one that seemed to fit the bill and today got the ingredients together and made my own mix.

So here's my MIY (make it yourself) Taco Seasoning mix!

MIY Taco Seasoning Mix

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder 

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

~Mix together all the ingredients. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. 

~Use about 2 tablespoons mix per 1 pound of ground meat. Use more or less to adjust to your own taste. 

~Brown your beef and drain off fat. Sprinkle seasoning evenly over meat and add 1/3 cup of water. Simmer until water is absorbed.

Enjoy!!

Maggie

*Credit for the recipe must go to Family Fresh Meals website.

my fav pic of the summer......

I think the picture speaks for itself. The beauty of real food at its best.......

mini harvest......

Today's mini harvest....... the cherry tomatoes are so sweet and delicate! 

Garden blessings, 

Maggie

a great & quick lunch......

I had an appointment this morning at 10 am and neglected to have any breakfast before heading to it. I know, this is so bad! I would be the first person to let anyone know that this is not a recommended practice. Given my absence of breakfast I decided that lunch needed to be a great one! So.....what on earth did I have on hand to make that happen?? I looked in the refrigerator and found myself a boiled egg. That's where the inspiration began. I pulled the multigrain bread from the freezer and took out one slice. No need for two as the calories add up in bread. It was going to be open-faced for sure. I mixed the egg with some mayo and thai basil and then headed to add some romaine and thinly sliced tomato. And so far the organics are adding up too! I try to incorporate organic as often as I can to keep us on the protected and healthy side of the farming fence. Next I sprinkled the egg salad with some hemp hearts and then saw some guacamole in the frig and placed a dollop on top of it all. I have to say it not only was going to taste amazing, it looked amazing!! I sat out on my deck in the warm summer air and enjoyed every morsel of my open-faced sandwich.

I hope you can find some inspiration in your refrigerator for your lunch or any meal for that matter. Keep it stocked, as well as your pantry and you will be less inclined to stray into the fray of foods that are maybe not as healthy for you. The more convenient the food, often the less healthy it is for you.

Be kind to yourself and feed your body well. You are the person that your body depends on to fuel it well! Make your food choices the best you can and you will feel the rewards!

Here's a pic of my amazing lunch!

delicious! 

Healthy blessings to you all!
Maggie

avocado circle....

its always interesting what inspires me......

lunch in a minute........

Last minute lunches can be a challenge when my daughter sends a text in the morning only. I have the dog at home today so shopping is not an option, so I simply had a look to see what was in the refrigerator and it wasn't too bad. Some leftover chickpea quinoa salad, a few fingerling potatoes that I mixed with spring onion, basil and some olive oil & garlic vinegar, quickly boiled some organic eggs to make devilled eggs, lettuce & our first carrots from the garden and organic tomatoes! It all came together perfectly!!.....and was delicious! We topped it all off with a bowl of organic strawberries drizzled with a touch of agave and a couple of pieces of dark chocolate on the side!

lunch time!

 It was a great lunch on the deck under the warm summer sun!! 

I hope you had a tasty lunch as well! 

Blessings, 

Maggie

tasty quinoa recipe......

I somewhat struggle when my daughter comes over for lunch because she is vegetarian, although I adapted pretty quick with that, but now she is also sensitive to gluten. I have come to understand that gluten is in so many foods that I would have never suspected. Of course the flour and its related food products like any baked goods or pastas were understandable, but it is a ingredient in so many other foods that I would have never imagined. Wheat is used in many, many other food products from soy sauce to veggie burgers. A lot of the vegetarian substitutes have gluten in them for binding. This knocked out a lot of the foods that I kept on hand when she would come over. In the winter I would make a lot of soups, even last minute if she came over, but in summer I find it a bit more difficult. I guess one thing is that it needs more planning, but today I managed to quickly put together a delicious salad for our lunch. I have been doing a lot lately with quinoa and this salad had that as one the the key ingredients along with chickpeas and pimento. I thought I would share the recipe with you all. The recipe book is called Quinoa 365 ~ The Everyday Superfood , written by 2 sisters, Carolyn & Patricia, who call themselves the Quinoa Sisters. When I was out in B.C. last fall I came across this book at my friend Mae's home. I should share with everyone that I am somewhat addicted to cookbooks! I can curl up with a good cookbook and have a great time exploring recipes and ingredients. Anyway.....I had not had any exposure to quinoa before and I was curious about it. It is a 'good for you' type of food! Packed with nutrients of which the most important one is protein. I have tried many of the recipes and there is one for a chocolate cake that is a huge hit at our home!! It's absolutely delicious! But today called for a salad since our temperatures here are currently running in the high 30's to low 40's! It called Pimento Chickpea Quinoa and here's a pic of the final product.

Pimento and Chickpea Quinoa ( credit goes to Quinoa 365 )

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup water

2 19oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley 

1- 2 fl oz jar sliced pimento, drained

3 tbsp capers, drained

2 tbsp sliced green onion

2tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic

Pinch cayenne pepper

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for an additional 4 minutes. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool. 

Combine the chickpeas, parsley, pimentos, capers,green onion and quinoa in a large bowl and set aside. 

In a separate bowl,  mix the oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic and cayenne until well blended. Pour the dressing over the chickpeas and quinoa mixture and stir well. For the best flavour, let the salad sit at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to serving.

The only thing I changed was a tablespoon less capers and I added a bit more olive oil as the dressing seemed a bit tart. 

Enjoy!! 

Maggie

cherries...

Garlic scapes.....pickled!

Garlic scapes are relatively new to me. It was only a couple of years ago that I was introduced to them at our local farmers market. I love how they curl themselves into a spiral and then it ends with the flower bud wrapped in what looks like tissue paper. Nature has such an interesting way of presenting itself! I love it! So, I have sautéed garlic scapes, but apart from that I really didn't know what to do with them. We have a huge plot of garlic at our community garden plot and I managed to get my hands on some scapes this year. I was looking in my new canning book, Food In Jars, and I found this garlic scape pickle recipe! I just had to try it and so yesterday I set out to pickle my garlic scapes. I think that they look great just in the jars, let alone how great they will taste when we open the first jar! Once I open them up and have a taste I will let you know how good they are! 

 I hope that you might be inspired to look for some garlic scapes in your local area. Please shop locally. It's really important for your local economy and keeps the world healthier in a lot of ways. 

It's my last post of the week and I need to shut things down now. The morning hours come early and I have to work one more day before having a few days off. 

Good night all.......

Maggie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

simple pleasures.....

I have decided that in my quest to eat for my wellness, that I will make my own dressings for our salads. It is easy enough to whisk together a mix of oil and vinegar and add some herbs from my small kitchen garden that I have on my deck and voila!! ..... I have a delicious dressing that has only real ingredients in it! It is usually just enough for our dinner serving of salad and so there is nothing to keep that would require all the preservatives that manufacturers put in them. Given that I make my own dressings I love to have different vinegars on hand and there is a gal at our local market who makes them! I love to see what she is going to have on hand for my pantry each time I go to the market. I have had garlic vinegar, herb vinegar and recently she had chive vinegar. I had access to organic chives and I thought I would try to make my own. I happily plucked the chive flowers from the tops of the tall chives and began my journey into vinegar flavouring. It was truly an easy thing to do and I love being able to make my own. There is great satisfaction for me in making my own food and ingredients to cook or bake with. I love looking into my root cellar and seeing all that lines the shelves. Funny to think that this is something that brings me such joy. It is a simple pleasure for me! So this morning I realized the final product and bottled my first batch of chive vinegar. I was proud and pleased to say the least!

Here's what it looked like as I made it and the final product!

I started with the chive blossoms and an organic white wine vinegar.

After it was bottled in a mason jar and stored in my root cellar for a couple of weeks I strained it and it was ready to bottle. 

And here it is folks! My finished product! I just love the pink color that it came out as....so pretty! I can't wait to make some delicious vinaigrettes  to drizzle over our salads this summer and the seasons to follow although I don't think it will last into the winter ;)

My Instagram photo !

So I think my first attempt at a flavoured vinegar was a success! I think lemon verbena might be next on the list of flavours to come! 

Blessings to all,

Maggie

P.S. if you want to follow me on Instagram my user name is 'maggjoy'....have a great day all!

tasty real food.....

My partner and I are involved in a community garden project. We live in a small city, but don't have  a yard that would be enough space for a vegetable garden. This community garden allows us to dabble in vegetable gardening a little and yesterday we reaped the first bounty from the garden. What a great feeling to be able to pluck a little something from the garden and take it home and have it with our dinner salad. I know for some this will be second nature, but for us its new.......and we love it! So here's a pic of our first harvest from the garden! Look at that amazing red colour!! The best looking radishes ever!! lol.......at least that's what we think!!

If you are in your garden today......have a great gardening day!!!! Here's to putting real food on our tables! Yay for gardens!!

P.S. - the deer ate our beans and nibbled at a few other things :(. Oh well, it's a learning curve for sure!

Sending blessings,

Maggie

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~