SHOES AND MERINO WOOL

While shopping for a new pairs of Salomon trail running shoes, I came across this brand of clothing made by a company called Icebreaker. 

First, let me fill you in on the running shoes.   These running shoes are made for running on trails that have tough footing.  I don't run on rough trials and bought this specific model of shoe for when it will get icy outside on the walking paths, sidewalks or the streets and I need to have some grips on my shoes when walking the dog.  These shoes have cleats and I wore a pair last winter and really found them great for walking.  I wore the cleats down on one side of each shoe as I overpronate.   I don't wear them if there is lots of snow but do wear them when it is icy outside.

While in the store, I wandered over to the women's running and walking clothing area.  The sales person whom I have known for many years, steered me to a new brand of clothing that the store is carrying.  The clothes included base layers, hoodies, and tee shirts, The clothes are great for layering and are made using merino wool from New Zealand.  What peaked my interest was that each piece of clothing has an unique code and you can connect the clothing you bought with an individual farm or a group of farms that sheared this wool.  I bought a top and bottom base layer and a hoodie and I traced my wool used in the clothing to the farms that sheared the sheep.  I think this is pretty neat.  I read about the farms, the farmers, their families, saw photos of their dogs and their land.  What a great way to sell clothes!

I have copied some of the background information on merino wool that the company uses.

The merino is one of the world’s most ancient breeds of sheep. And one of the toughest.

Very different to a regular sheep who chews grass in the lowlands, our merino live in the extremes of New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Regular sheep would freeze to death up there.

But the merino’s fleece is built for extremes – breathable in summer, insulating in winter, yet exceptionally soft and lightweight.

We’ve pioneered the use of merino wool in the wilderness since 1994, and now we’ve fused nature and technology to create merino layers for the outdoors, for performance sports, and for the city.

HOW IT WORKS

BLUEBERRY PEACH COBBLER

After seeing this recipe in a newspaper this past August, the DH reminded me that I hadn't yet made a peach cobbler this year and as peaches were still available, I should consider baking a cobbler.  The combination of peaches and blueberries was too good to pass up.   After getting a supply of peaches and berries, I made the cobbler.  You can also make this recipe using frozen fruit instead of fresh.

I used splenda instead of sugar in the recipe and only used 1/4 cup in the filling.  I also had to use two baking dishes as the large one would have been too full.  The second baking dish was a mini baking dish and served as the overflow dish.  The end result was a tasty cobbler according to the DH.  It met his expectations.

Berries and peaches.

Flour, sugar and other ingredients sprinkled on the fruit.

Mixing the cobbler dough

Dough spread over the fruit and ready for the oven.

Ready for sampling.

BLUEBERRY PEACH COBBLER

INGREDIENTS:

Filling

3 pound of ripe peaches (7 to 9)

2 cups blueberries

¼ cup white sugar or splenda

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

¼ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

2 ½ tbsp flour

Topping

1 ½ cups flour

½ cup cornmeal

1/3 cup sugar or splenda

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup butter, chilled and cut into pieces

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup buttermilk or one cup of milk with 1 tbsp of vinegar (soured milk)

1 ½ cups blueberries

DIRECTIONS:

Wash the peaches and cut each peach into 8 slices or more, leaving the skin on and discarding the pit.  Place the peach slices into an 9 X 13 dish along with the two cups of blueberries.   Sprinkle the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, salt and flour over the top of the peaches and berries and if you can try to stir the mixture.  Set aside.

To make the topping, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.  Add the butter and using a fork or pastry blender, mix the butter into the dough until it is crumbly.  Add the vanilla to the buttermilk or soured milk and combine.   Pour the milk over the flour mixture and mix it together but don’t over mix it as this is biscuit dough.  Fold in the blueberries.  The dough will be sticky to handle.  Using a wooden spoon, place a spoonful of the dough on top of the fruit creating nine mounds or so of dough on top of the fruit.  If you have more dough, then add it to the spaces between the mounds.   

Bake at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes or until the biscuits dough is golden brown and the fruit mixture is bubbling.  Let cool and serve with ice cream.  Store leftovers in the fridge.   Serves 6 to 8 depending on appetites.

Adapted from Globe and Mail, Aug 22, 2012

ZUCCHINI PANCAKES

I quite enjoy omelets made with shredded zucchini or baked zucchini egg loaf.  What caught my attention when I saw this recipe was the chickpea flour.  The addition of chickpea flour does make this recipe into pancakes.  The pancakes held together well and were good.  I added about 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese to the batter and used Greek seasoning.  I used a non-stick frying pan to make the pancakes and was able to cook all of the pancakes in 2 batches.   I added oil to the pan at the start but didn't add any oil when I was cooking the second batch.

Chickpea flour is quite different from wheat flour as it is lower in calories, higher in fat and of course higher in fibre and protein.  The three pancakes I ate were quite filling.   I serve the pancakes with oven roasted new potatoes, cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumbers.

Nutrient contents of chickpea flour.

Cooking in an electric frying pan.

ZUCCHINI PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS:

1 tbsp oil

2 medium zucchinis, shredded

1 green onion, diced

1/2 tsp Italian, Greek or other seasonings

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup chickpea flour

Topping: Serve with salsa, parmesan cheese or other favorite condiments

DIRECTIONS:

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl and combine well.  In a large frying pan, heat the oil to medium high heat.  Using a large spoon, spoon about a ¼ cup of the mixture into the pan and spread the pancakes out in the pan so that you have room to flip each one over after 3 to 4 minutes cooking on each side.   You will probably need to make a few batches as the recipe makes 10 to 12 pancakes.  For each batch you will need to add more oil to the frying pan.  Serve with your favorite topping.  

ANDY WILLIAMS - MOON RIVER

I first heard the song 'Moon River' while watching the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's .   That movie has many good memories for me.  One of most powerful memories are the scenes of Audrey Hepburn with her cat in her apartment and when she leaves the cat in the alley as she is running away to South America.  The scene of George Peppard and Audrey Hepburn searching for "Cat" in the alley got me bawling as youngster while watching it.  With the music of Moon River in the background, while searching for the cat, the scene has left a permanent wedge in my mind. 

Audrey Hepburn performed the song in the movie but the song really belonged to Andy Williams.  He recorded it in one take and sang it at the 1962 Academy Awards.  That song became the signature song of Andy Williams.  It was his brand. 

Lyrics to Moon River

Moon River, wider than a mile, 
I'm crossing you in style some day. 
Oh, dream maker, you heart breaker, 
wherever you're going I'm going your way. 
Two drifters off to see the world. 
There's such a lot of world to see. 
We're after the same rainbow's end-- 
waiting 'round the bend, 
my huckleberry friend, 
Moon River and me.

Andy Williams passed away today and I will always remember him as a wonderful crooner and for the song Moon River.

CHUNKY APPLE CARROT MUFFINS

A friend provided this recipe and calls them 'very healthy as fas as muffins go'.  It is a healthy recipe as it has no additional oil, lots of fiber and I used splenda to reduce the sugar content.  I did a few things in this recipe which made them more chunky.  I didn't use the fine shredded attachment in the food processor but the regular one so the carrots were thicker.  That was an oversight on my part in the attachment I used.  I also likely shredded more than what the recipe called for.  The apples were on the larger side so I used 2 large gala apples and 1 smaller gala apple.  The batter was probably thicker that what it should be and I used three eggs instead of two to add more volume to the liquid.

The muffins are delicious and I did freeze about half of them.  The DH has muffins for the next week.

The photo shows the chunkiness of the muffins.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups of flour ( mixture of white and whole wheat)
3/4 cup oatmeal - quick cooking flakes
3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup brown sugar or 1/2 cup splenda
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup raisins
1 cup nuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups of finely shredded carrots
3 shredded apples (unpeeled)

3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS:

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Stir in the carrots, apples, raisins and nuts and combine.  In a separate small bowl, combine the milk, eggs and vanilla.  Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until the mixture is moistened.

Grease the muffin tins or use paper muffin cups and fill each muffin cup to almost full.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes.  Makes 2 to 2 1/2 dozen muffins.

TOMATO PATE

Always on the lookout for different recipes to use garden tomatoes, I came across a recipe in the chubby vegetarian and made a few alterations to the original recipe.  The tomatoes cook down and what is left is a concentrated spread of tomatoes - what I call a pate.  This pate can be used as a spread with cheese and crackers, with omelets or with fresh bread.   I have also used this pate as a condiment with baked chicken.

I didn't have three pounds of cherry tomatoes so I used close to 2 pounds of cherry tomatoes and then cut up several tomatoes to make a total of three pounds.   For the red pepper flakes I used dehydrated red pepper flakes that I had purchased from one of the herb and spice companies that are sold by friends who always have catalogs on hand.

Cooking in the pot.

I bagged the tomato pate in half cup portions for freezing.

TOMATO PATE

INGREDIENTS:

3 pounds of cherry tomatoes, halved

2/3 cup sugar or ½ cup splenda

juice and lemon zest from one lemon

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsp of red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS:

Add all of the ingredients to a large stock pot and heat on high to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 hours until the mixture is reduced by half and has a thick consistency.   Cool.  Spoon into small canning jars or freezer jars and freeze.  You can also store it in the fridge and it will keep for about two weeks.  Makes about 3 cups.

Adapted from http://chubbyvegetarian.blogspot.ca/

MUFFIN TOP MUFFINS

After receiving a few hints from the DH that he would like muffin top muffins instead of the regular style muffin, I made a batch of blueberry muffins using the different style of tin.  There are recipes that are styled for these kind of muffin tins but I used a regular blueberry muffin recipe.  Some recipes also include a streusel topping but I skipped making a topping to not add additional calories.

If you have never seen a muffin top tin before, the muffin cups are not deep but are wider than regular muffin cups.  The manufacturers also only make the tins with six cups versus the regular 12.  I asked why only six versus 12 cups to a salesperson in a kitchen store that I frequent and she said that the pan would be too big for the oven.  The quantity of batter used in the muffin top tins versus regular muffins is about the same.

In making the blueberry muffins, I used margarine instead of butter, about 1/2 cup of splenda and fresh blueberries.

Muffin top tin before batter is added.

Blueberry dough added.

Out of the oven.

Cooling on a rack.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup packed brown sugar or 1/2 cup splenda

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

1 cup fresh or frozen wild blueberries

       

DIRECTIONS:

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In small bowl, whisk together egg, buttermilk, butter, vanilla and lemon rind. Pour over dry ingredients; stir twice. Sprinkle with blueberries; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon into greased or paper-lined muffin cups.  Bake at 375°F until tops are firm to the touch, 25 minutes.

Adapted from CanadianLiving.com

BEEF BURGERS

There are zillions of recipes for burgers.  From the simple to multi ingredients added before the patties are formed.  Further creation occurs when you stack the burger with extras in a burger bun.  I have seen avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, dill pickles, onion, salsa and corn relish added to the burger.  Of course not all of these ingredients are added to one bun.  But maybe I shouldn't assume so, I couldn't get my mouth around such a huge stack of items.  I do question the issue of whether you are eating the burger for the burger or for the fixins when so many add ons are put in the bun along with the burger.   

I like a simple recipe for burgers and the following ingredients are my favourites.  I don't like making big burgers so that I can have more than one if I am hungry.  I also tend to not eat a bun with the burger as I would rather have something else, like potato salad, with the burger.   There is also a debate about whether you should add an egg to the ingredients.  I have made burgers with and without an egg.  My burgers stay together better when I add an egg, especially when I am making them on the bbq.  I do add different mustards and when I made these I used a flavoured Dijon horseradish mustard.  

INGREDIENTS:

1 egg

1/4 cup dry bread crumbs or uncooked oatmeal

1 small onion, grated or finely chopped

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

salt and pepper to taste

1 lb (454 g) lean ground beef

                       

DIRECTIONS:

In bowl, beat the egg with fork; mix in bread crumbs, onion, mustard, salt, Worcestershire and pepper.  Mix in the ground beef.  Form into four to eight patties depending on the size that you want your burgers to be.  Cook on a grill or in a frying pan on medium low heat until meat is well cooked.  Depending on the thickness of the burgers, I will cook each side for 10 to 15 minutes.   Serves 4 to 6.

SAUTEED CORN AND TOMATOES

I like the combination of tomatoes and corn and this dish does have a sweet flavour.  Both the corn and onion provide the sweetness and the tomatoes provide the acidic balance.  I used cherry tomatoes from the garden in the recipe.  To cut the kernels off the uncooked cobs, I used a corn zipper which is a great  tool.  The corn zipper cuts about two rows of corn off off the cob.  It is much easier to use this tool versus a knife to take the kernels off the cob.  Both the DH and I enjoyed this dish and I plan to make it several times while I still have cherry tomatoes from the garden.

A great tool- a corn zipper.

In the frying pan and ready to go into the serving dish.

SAUTEED CORN AND TOMATOES

INGREDIENTS:

½ medium sized sweet onion, chopped

1 tbsp oil or butter

½ tsp dried oregano

2 ears of corn, kernels cut off the cobs

2 cups of cherry tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium size frying pan, heat the oil or butter on medium high heat.  Add the onions and thyme and sauté for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.  Add the corn and tomatoes and cook for 5 to 7 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving.   Serves 4.

Option: if you have any opened white wine in the kitchen, you can add ½ cup to the frying pan after the onions become translucent.  You need to cook this for a little awhile to reduce the amount of liquid in the frying pan by half.

A second option to the recipe is to add ½ cup frozen lima beans or canned lima beans when the corn and tomatoes are added.

SESAME PEANUT SALAD DRESSING

I like using salad dressing when eating my salad greens.  Always on the lookout for lower calorie dressing, I will make dressings from scratch and also buy them.  This recipe is lower in calories and was easy to make including the fact that I had all of the ingredients in the kitchen.  I also liked using a green apple as an ingredient in the dressing.  This recipe is a keeper.

Mixing the dressing in a mini food processor.

Dressing stored in a container before being placed in the fridge.

Sesame Peanut Salad Dressing

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ tbsp sodium reduced soy sauce or tamari sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tsp brown sugar or splenda

½ granny smith apple, cored and chopped

2 tbsp water

DIRECTIONS:

Put all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Makes about one cup of dressing.  Refrigerate in a container.  It should keep for a week in the fridge.

Adapted from Nutrition Action newsletter, July/August 2012 edition