on twittering and blogging and bringing it together

It is 4:30 a.m. and I find myself up yet again tonight, responding to my inner voice to follow my creative journey. I have started to twitter (it was the promise of improved writing skills that sent me over the edge lol) and am here now at my computer as it has just occurred to me how I can use that venue for value added to the universe. I will use PPANTRY to share tidbits of nutritional information and direct folks to this blog for related recipes. Todays nutritional nicety from PP is about the much lower glycemic index of yams vs white potatoes. (50 vs 95-100!) I have found a huge difference in my energy level and just feel overall healthier as I have reduced food with high glycemic index levels, especially the simple sugars. This recipe may be served either warm right after preparing or cold. Delicious and nutricious!!

4 med sweet potatoes (scrubbed or peeled as you wish) cut into smallish cubes
1 lge red onion (may use a white onion but the red is SOOO much better) chopped

Coat the above with approx. 2 Tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and ground pepper; roast in single layer at 400 degrees 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally

1/2 cp or a little less extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled
1-2 Tbsp jalapeno pepper
lime juice from 2 limes

Blend above 4 ingred. to make a dressing

Put the roasted veggies in a large bowl with 2 cups cooked black beans (drained and best are cooked yourself but canned are optional), 1 red sweet pepper (chopped), 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (can be left out if you do not like, but it is VERY healthy) and dressing. Refrigerate up to a day (mine never lasts more than that and the recipe may be halved or doubled as you need)
YUM!! and soooo satisfying









*credit to Toronto Star Food Section for origin of recipe...

January jewels

As I continue on this journey of learning and playing with blogging, facebook and now twittering....(yes I have joined the world of twittering and was amazed to learn it can actually improve my writing skills...who would have thought that it could be more than just using grade 5 writing skills and sharing with the world that I am brushing my teeth!...it is an amazing marketing tool and who knows what else? lol :)) So, as I am connecting with some of the food focused twitterers...and there are many, practically limitless, overwhelming really.....hmmm

Yesterday I made a healthy and good, but not delicious (yet, stay tuned!) Moroccan eggplant and garbanzo bean dish. Also had lentils, red sweet pepper, onions, garlic, raisins...tumeric, garam marsala, pinch of hot red peppers.....next time will add a bit of nutmeg and more hot peppers, a bit of salt too. After having some of the left-overs today, I think it could also benefit hugely if I forget about the nutmeg and include cumin and coconut milk....

Holiday happiness

Happiness is......baking for the holidays and sharing with friends and family. I made some delicious and healthy Cranberry scones, with spelt four and less than a tablespoon of sweet stuff. These were shared with friends in the county, new and old. On the less healthy side of the spectrum, I couldn't let the season evolve without making Gt. Grandma's shortbread cookies. There is something so therapeutic that comes with the meditation-like never-ending kneading...the memories and the peace. And of course since they are made with so much love from family and Christmas' past, they can't help but taste delicious. These too have been shared with good friends already and there is a big tin yet to be shared with my kids and more friends. I made a new carrot cake recipe that is decadent and somewhat healthy, but just plain 'worth every calorie and sugar high', complete with cream cheese icing. This I made with a friend in mind and it was only with her 'vote' that the icing got made and applied....smiles and happy memories. Merry Christmas everyone.

October...moving on

I am sitting here surrounded by boxes and somewhere in my midst is my camera, however its exact location eludes me so I cannot post a picture of the swiss chard wraps with bulgur or 'greens' soup....both delicious and nutricious. (Note that I did find the camera and post the chard pic by Hallowe'en) As for where I found (and in the case of the soup adapted) the recipes I cannot remember, so once I move I intend to find both the pictures and the recipes, especially because I will make them both again! I had fun with the swiss chard wraps, enjoying a glass of wine and once again listening to the radio. These things tend to be a bit fiddly and make a mountain of dishes, so that glass of wine is important lol! The spices in the wrap included some nutmeg as well as cumin I think which makes a nice contrast. The soup was simple and different. It called for spinach greens, but I had mixed salad greens that needed eating, so that is what I used. The broth and seasonings were simple, but had an egg, flour and parmesan cheese mixture which gave it a nice texture and flavour. It was lovely with fresh bread....

I have made a couple of batches of granola and shared with friends, who agree with me that Penny's Pantry granola is absolutely the best they have ever eaten...and yes it is very healthy! Thanks again sis Barb for this recipe. It is well on the road to being my focal sales point....

Cookies in September

Hi there....it has been a really busy August and September, getting things in order to move in October. I have continued to eat, however have not been doing very much creative cooking or baking. This past week I spent Saturday morning doing one of the things I love the most- baking cookies and listening to CBC radio. I made some yummy, fall apart coconut cookies (the healthy part was the coconut, organic sugar and flour) as well as some old fashioned thimble cookies (pictured here in case they remind you of your childhood too!) These have butter and eggs in them....next time I will substitute coconut oil and see how they turn out as well as one of the egg substitutes as I venture into vegan baking....I went to the Vegetarian Food Festival at harbourfront on the weekend, learning and networking.
All the best in Love and Life!

a glorious summer

Well, as this summer is evolving as one of the best ever, especially as far as the weather is concerned, my thoughts are turning once more to cooking up a storm. I made a yummy quinoa and kale salad, filled with delicious seeds...next time i think I'll add some feta cheese for more protein and shred the kale to make it easier to eat for some folks (the large pieces are a bit hard to negotiate to get some quinoa on your fork lol, and also I think most folks would like the kale better if it was mixed in a bit more)....one of the recipes to share with Lily's cafe in Picton. Yes, things are moving forward on that front. I have bought a house and could move as early as Oct. After a couple of business related meetings this coming week I should have a better idea. I have put my condo on the market and hope to make enough profit to hold me for a bit....

July healthies and yummies

I am continuing to make my sister's delicious recipe for granola with my favourite combination being pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries and pecans. I've also been spending time and energy researching the relative nutritional values of a few baking items, looking into the whys and whats of gluten free diets (interesting issue and trend).... I made some 'healthier' oatmeal cookies last weekend with decadent chocolate bits and a bit too much wheat germ, which resulted in a pretty crumbly cookie. I laughed with a friend that while they tasted good, they would make a better fruit crumble bottom than a cookie. I may be doing some baking this weekend for someone a met in a medical office....hmmm, I will stick to a more basic recipe for selling, for now at least. Big changes are in the works for me as I build this passion for promoting healthy baking as part of a healthier lifestyle.

On another yummy and not as healthy treat note, the ice cream store Slickers in Bloomfield (Prince Edward County) sells homemade ice cream that is worth every bit of fat and calories. Enjoy the summer everyone!