Just Two: Coconut Milk Scones & Vanilla Rhubarb Compote

Well guys, I've done it! A recipe to make just two scones, and double serving scone recipe if you will (or single serving if you're not planning on sharing). Scones are my ultimate favorite breakfast treat. Something about sitting down with a scone, a sweet spreadable topping and a cup of coffee feels so indulgent, yet so very right. For me, eating a scone is not a quick grab and go breakfast, but more of something that makes you slow down - it requires time to savor.

I have been off of making scones lately, I like to keep them as a special treat, but when I would bake an entire batch there were always a few hanging around a couple days later that were less than desirable. I've tried freezing scones raw, and then baking them up straight out of the freezer, and that does work really well, but something about it just isn't the same - it just wasn't as special. Oh, but these scones! These scones are special. Served up with the vanilla rhubarb compote -  I could just sit and eat it all day, unfortunately there were gone rather quickly.

This entire breakfast comes together really fast, giving you extra time to sit down and slow down.  A lazy Sunday morning treat indeed. The coconut milk acts as butter in this scone recipe, so its important that the milk is really cold. Its a pretty basic scone dough, so you can add any flavors you like - orange zest or dried fruit would be nice, too. I'm already keen to try them again, and this time I don't really plan on sharing.

Coconut Milk Scones with Vanilla Rhubarb Compote
A quick and simple breakfast for two. Serve with fresh strawberries or other seasonal fruit. Vegan.

Ingredients

Scones

• 2/3 cup light spelt flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar
• 11/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/8 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/3 cup full fat cold coconut milk, chilled for at least a few hours if not overnight*

Rhubarb Compote

• 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced rhubarb
• 1 vanilla bean pod, scraped
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F / 220 C.  Line a baking sheet with parchment and dust with a small bit of flour
2. Make the compote - place sliced rhubarb, vanilla bean seeds, sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice and water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer on low until the rhubarb is soft and jam-like, and the liquid has been absorb, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. This can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for a few days.
3. To make the scones combine flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, lemon zest and shredded coconut in a bowl. Add the chilled coconut milk and bring the mixture together with a fork. Tip out onto a flour surfaced and form a ball, it doesn't need to be perfect, so there is no need to overwork the dough. The mixture is really wet so flour your hands to prevent excess sticking! Divide the ball into two, forming very lightly with your hands and place the baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the tops are just slightly brown and the scones are firm to the touch. Cool on a rack shortly and enjoy with rhubarb compote!

* Some brands of coconut milk will seperate overnight in the fridge, I suggest empting your can of coconut milk out into a container or jar before placing it in the fridge, and just give it a good shake/stir before using.
* Scone recipe inspired from Art of Dessert

Spring Bounty Panzanella Salad

If you've been anywhere near me lately, you're probably also wondering if summer will ever get here. I left a May snowstorm in Canada, to arrive to something that resembled mid november here in the alps. What the heck is going on!? Where is my warm spring sun and sunburned winter skin? Well, if it won't come to you - go out and find it, I say! Which is exactly why we decided to head south this past weekend, chasing the sun down to Provence. And boy did we ever find what we were looking for - sun, sun and more sun (burns). But not only that, there were mountains, rosé, camping, cheese, rosé, canoeing, olives, rosé, hikes, herbs, and - did I mention the rosé? Ya, well it was good.

And it wasn't just the wine, the fresh produce was so beautiful! Being much warmer there than it is here in the alps, their crops are to be a few weeks ahead of ours. We stopped at a road side stand and picked up some beautiful radishes, fresh pea pods, tomatoes and strawberries. The later were consumed very quickly, but the radishes and peas made it to this salad. There is really something to be said about eating what's fresh and in season - it feels and taste so good. And if you are looking to grow some herbs this summer but haven't mastered your green thumb yet - chives are the answer my friend! Do nothing with them, and they flourish! Very low maintenance but packing in flavor, there is nothing like stepping just outside your door to grab some freshness to sprinkle over your meal. Do it.

A panzanella-type salad is pretty typical around these parts, seeing as we often have bits of leftover bread lying around. I like a high ratio of greens to bread here, but pile it on however you like. The dressing is really simple, and I really like the tanginess of the goat's milk yogurt but its definitely optional so use regular plain yogurt if that's all you can find. You will most likely have a bit of dressing leftover, but it keeps in the fridge for a few days and can be livened up with some fresh herbs to pair with some fish or fresh tomatoes. Use what's fresh and local to you, head to your local market to find the good stuff - oh, and it goes down very nicely with a cold glass of rosé. 

Spring Bounty Panzanella Salad
Salad ingredient quantities are always a tough one for me, so use these are a rough estimate. This makes a large salad, enough to feed two hungry people or more as a side or a starter. If you aren't planning on eating it all, only dress what you want and keep the rest for lunch tomorrow!


Ingredients

• 2 - 3 cups of day old multigrain/seeded loaf, roughly cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon herbes de provence
• 1 large glove garlic, minced
• 3/4 - 1 cup radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 spring onion, both white and green parts, chopped
• 10 - 15 fresh pea pods, shelled
• Large handful (1/8 cup) finely chopped fresh chives
• A few cups of mixed spring greens (meslcun, arugula, mache, mustard greens, watercress)
• 1/3 cup goat's milk yogurt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon honey
• Good pinch salt and freshly cracked pepper

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to 350 C and put a kettle of water on to boil
2. Toss the bread with salt, herbes, garlic and olive oil until well coated and then spread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crunchy - about 10-12 minutes
3. Place the shelled peas in a bowl, and pour the boiling water over top, let the peas sit in the hot water for about 1 minute - then strain and run immediately under ice cold water to stop the cooking process and retain the bright green color.
4. Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, lemon, honey and salt and pepper.
5. Place the bread croutons in a large bowl with radishes, blanched peas and spring onion and toss with half the vinaigrette. Add in the greens and chives and toss everything together, adding a bit more vinaigrette to lightly coat the greens if needed. 
6. Serve with the rest of the vinaigrette on the side and enjoy!

Roasted Beet & Lentil Hummus

Life's good when you're eating pink (naturally). Beets, lentils and tahini - a few of my favorite things blended into one delicious pink bite. Hummus is one of my favorite snacks. Scratch that - hummus is one of my favorite things to eat, anytime. As much as I love making nice meals for dinner and using up different pots and pans, most of the time I am just as happy with some hummus on toast. And a hummus like this, loaded with nutritious beets and lentils - well thats a dinner idea I can really get into.

My mom and I share the same love for food. Good food. All things food. Collecting recipes from magazines, scanning through food blogs, and just chatting about different things we've made lately. Sharing thoughts on food and cooking is one of my favorite past times, come to think of it its what most my conversations with my closest friends always turn too. Since I've been back home I've shared many meals with friends and family, casual dinners with wine and great food. Its been really good - soul good. I've got a full belly and an even fuller heart. This hummus has been made twice now with my mom,  varying the recipe a little bit each time. We both agreed that roasting the beets adds a ton more flavor rather than boiling them with the lentils - so that's the recipe I've chosen to share here. A big tub of pink goodness. A big hug to the ones I've shared it with.

Roasted Beet & Lentil Hummus
So colorful and flavorul! Serve with sliced veggies, crackers or pita wedges. Adapted from Sarah Britton for Vegetarian Times Magazine (June 2013).

Ingredients

• 1 + 1/2 cup cooked lentils*
• 2 medium beets
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 2 heaping tablespoons tahini paste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Juice and zest of one lemon
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Basil leaves or other fresh herbs, for garnish

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F
2. Peel and chop the beets into small chunks, toss in a tiny bit of oil and bake on a baking sheet for about 20-25 minutes of until tender. Remove from the oven and let cool.
3. Finely chop the garlic in a food processor and then add the tahini, oil, lemon juice, zest and salt and process until smooth. Add the lentils and beets and blend on high until smooth (add water to thin it out if necessary). Season to taste.

*1/2 cup uncooked lentils, soaked for an hour or overnight and then cooked on the stove top in water until tender will yield 1 and half cups of cooked lentils. I used green lentils, but the original recipe called for black beluga lentils, so use whatever is available to you and follow the package cooking instructions. Best when lentils are well cooked and not al dente. If you are in a rush, precooked packaged lentils will do the trick but it might be best to add the salt at the end (if needed) since they can often be high in sodium.

Mediterranean Grilled Portobellos & Asparagus with Olive Mint Vinaigrette

I always thought that by the time I was 27, I would have life all figured out. I would know who I was and what I wanted to be and where my life was going. I would have it together. Well, I am now home for the first time in a year since I moved to France and sleeping in my old bed and still find myself falling to sleep at night wondering what I am going to be when I grow up.

When I was a little girl and imagined my life at 27, I didn't quite picture the woman I am today. Did any of us? We grow up, we make mistakes (a lot of them), we spend all our money, we get out hearts broken, we learn and we grow some more. And I can't help but wonder if all this growing and learning and mistake making and heart mending slowly hardens us. Are we still able to dream in absolute possibility? Can we step into a space where we have no boundaries, no limits on our goals and dreams for the future? Or are our decisions unconsciously mapped out by what we've learned from our passed? Can we get back to that place where we actually believed we could be or do anything we wanted to? I don't the answer - but I do know that I'm not ready to give up just yet.

I feel like I am at a crossroads in my life - needing to choose a new path but not quite sure in what direction to point my GPS. My head has been speaking much louder than my heart lately, making it hard to listen to who truly knows best. So while I am waiting for the fog to clear, I am focusing on the qualities that make me who I am. I might not quite know what I want to do, but I do know who I need to be to get there. Focusing on honesty and courage and pushing out the self-doubt and fear.  Making sure I get some time to myself, time in the kitchen and lots of time with the people that make me smile. Being bold, brave and more creative with this space. And in all this - there will be food. Because really, a journey is all about the good snacks to get you through.

'Someday we will find what we are looking for, or maybe we won't. Maybe we will find something much greater than that.' - unknown

Mediterranean Grilled Portobellos & Asparagus with Olive Mint Vinaigrette
Beautiful bellos get paired up with asparagus and some mediterranean flavors for a bright and fresh spring dish. Perfect served as an appetizer or as a vegetarian main beside some grains or greens. Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 1 glove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 2 large portobello mushrooms
• 10-12 asparagus stalks
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 5 kalamata olives, pitted and thinly chopped
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
• Small handful each sundried tomatoes and artichoke hearts, thinly sliced
• Crumbled feta cheese for topping

What to do

1. To prep the portobellos, remove the thick end of the mushroom stem, leaving just a little bit attached to the cap. Place the mushrooms, top side up, in a shallow dish. Combine olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper and poor over mushrooms. Flip the mushrooms over so that they are evenly covered. Let stand for 15 minutes. 
2. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus. Toss the asparagus in the leftover marinade from the mushrooms. Place mushrooms, smooth side down on a bbq grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Add the asparagus and let cook, flipping over half way through. Both vegetables should take a little less than 10 minutes, depending on what kind of texture you're looking for. I like my asparagus with a bit of crunch, so I took it off the heat after about 8 minutes. After 10 minutes the mushrooms were soft but still meaty - the perfect balance to the asparagus.
3. While the veg are grilling, combine the lemon juice, chopped kalamatas and mint in a small bowl and let sit. 
4. When you are ready to serve, place one portobello down on the plate, top with half the asparagus stalks, sundried tomatoes and artichokes, then spoon the olive mint lemon vinaigrette over everything. Crumble over a bit of feta cheese just as the icing on the cake! Enjoy!

Almond Butter & Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I have a few travel days coming up in the next month - one long haul back to Montreal and one quick jaunt over to Manchester to visit my sister. I love travel days. I love sitting and getting lost in the hustle and bustle of airports. People coming and going, business and vacations, tearful goodbyes and joyful welcome hugs. I treat myself to a trashy gossip magazine, a large coffee and just sit and soak it all in. Traveling also makes me crave treats, something sweet and sugary to help me get through the long day. And while initially a massive toblerone bar seems like a good idea, I've learnt that it doesn't really help with the fatigue or the jet lag.

So this time I am traveling prepared - lots of water, an apple, a crunchy veggie sandwhich and an enormous bag of trail mix ( I like a mix almonds, cashews, pistachios and dried cranberries). Oh yeah - and for my treat - these cookies. And I will probably be packing more than just one, but not to share with the person sitting next to me - sorry! I've made these cookies a few times now and when I greeted my girlfriends in Geneva after  long flight from Canada and an even longer layover in Germany with cookies and apples as a snack pack - well, I'll just say I didn't see them looking for the toblerone bar. These cookies are the perfect little treat that you can feel good about packing in your carry on. Drink lots of water, eat well and have a cookie - happy travels!

Almond Butter & Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Chewy, sweet and nutty cookies. Perfect for long travel days or as an energy snack for a day out in the mountains. Vegan & Gluten Free. Adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie. Makes 6-7 cookies, one for each hour of a 7 hour flight :)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoon flour*
• 1/4 cup cane sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup all natural almond butter* (make your own!)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate

What to do

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. Mix all the dry ingredients together (baking powder, flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt)
3. Add in the wet ingredients (almond butter, apple sauce, maple syrup) and mix until combined and then stir in the the chocolate chunks
4. Drop spoonfuls of the batter on the baking sheet and gently press down the tops. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, until slightly browning but still soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before attempting to transfer to a cooling rack. Once cool enough to move, let cool on a cooling rack until completely cool. Store in an airtight container for a few days.

* Since there is very little flour in these cookies, you can use almost any flour you have on hand. I have made two versions, one gluten free version made with oat flour and one made with spelt flour. I'm sure a gluten free AP flour would work great as well. 

* I used a homemade almond butter for these cookies, no salt or sugar or oil added, just 100% roasted almonds. I'm sure any nut butter would work well here - peanut butter is always a classic but you may want to adjust the salt/sugar if your nut butter has anything added to it.