One of my very good friends, Stephan Moccio, has penned the Olympic Theme Song “I Believe”  He’s written over 200 different variations of the theme to capture the mood and the spirit of the different games.  Another of my friends, Marguerite Laquinte Francis, is involved with the Concord Place Exhibition space for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. To top it off, my cousin is involved with ticket sales for the Games.

I have always loved Vancouver.  It is a place of special memories for me.  The last time I was in Vancouver, we stayed at the beautiful Fairmont Vancouver and I spent an afternoon nursing my bruises at the spa in Fairmont Whistler after a run in with an overzealous ski boarder.

The food at the Fairmont is delicious! We ordered room service for breakfast and the Eggs Benedict were the best I’ve ever had.  In honor of my friends who are involved with the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games, here is an eggs benedict recipe for you to enjoy.

Vancouver 2010 Eggs Benedict

2 whole eggs
2 slices bacon
1 whole English Muffin, halved

For the Hollandaise sauce

2/3 cup clarified butter
2 egg yolks
5-6 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
squeeze of lemon juice
pinch cayenne pepper

To make the hollandaise sauce, melt the butter in a pan over a gentle heat, then carefully skim off and discard the milk solids and pour the golden oil into a cup.  Set the clarified butter aside to cool until lukewarm.  Place two tablespoons of vinegar and the peppercorns into a small saucepan. Boil to reduce the vinegar by half.

Put egg yolks and one tablespoon of cold water into a heatproof bowl and fit snugly over a pan of gently simmering water. Whisk vigorously until very light and frothy.

Remove the bowl from the heat and continue whisking for a couple more minutes. Slowly trickle in the clarified butter as you continue to whisk. Don’t add the butter too quickly or it will curdle. When all the butter is incorporated, season with salt and add the reduced vinegar, lemon juice and cayenne. Set aside and keep warm. You can set the bowl back over the pan of hot water (but off the heat) to keep warm. Be sure to stir occasionally to stop a skin forming.

Grill the bacon slices and toast the English Muffin.

To poach your eggs, fill a saucepan with 3 inches of cold water. Gently break each egg into a ramekin or small cup. Once water reaches boiling point, remove from heat and allow the water to simmer. Add two tablespoons of vinegar to the water. Slide the eggs into the water with care, holding the cup or plate as near to the water as possible before allowing the egg to slowly slip into the water. Once the eggs are in the water, do not move them around. Let the eggs cook for 2½ – 3½ minutes. Once done, removed with a slotted spoon. It takes a while to master poaching a perfect egg. You can trim any stringy bits before serving, no one will be the wiser! Poached eggs cool quickly and should be served while still warm.

To serve, place the bacon on top of the muffin halves, followed by the poached egg. Season with salt and pepper and then pour over the sauce. This recipe serves two.

Variations: Grill sliced tomato in place of the bacon, for a vegetarian option. Substitute toasted rice bread for the English muffin, for a gluten-free option.

I thought I would try my hand at a raw soup.  I tried a raw soup recipe a few years ago by a well-known raw foodist from his recipe book and it really didn’t appeal to me.  My taste buds have matured a bit since then and I’ve also discovered what tastes I enjoy and don’t enjoy raw (spinach=yes, dinosaur kale=no) so I thought I’d give raw soups another chance.  What I love about the idea of raw soups is that they’re healthy, easy to make, packed full of nutrients and gluten-free.  What I like about this particular soup, is that it has some texture to it and I’ve added one of my favorite vegetables to eat raw: red peppers. Yum!

Cream of Spinach Soup

1 1/2 cups Sunflower seeds, soaked overnight
2 cups filtered water
3 handfuls baby spinach leaves
1/4 whole lemon, juiced (or to taste)
salt, to taste
1 whole red bell pepper, diced
1 handful cherry tomatoes
a dash cayenne pepper

Blend sunflower seeds with water until creamy. Add spinach, lemon juice and salt and blend until smooth. Add diced red bell pepper and tomatoes before serving.  Season with cayenne pepper if desired.

I’ve never really understood tea time.  Don’t get me wrong, I love drinking tea.  But I’ve never made it an Occasion or a meal.  I’m the same with coffee.  It’s always just coffee, not coffee and cake or coffee and a donut which is popular among my Corporate friends.  But I have many friends for whom tea is a cultural phenomenon.  And I have nieces who love to play tea party with their dolls.  So in honor of my darling nieces who have invited me over for tea, I thought I’d bake a gluten-free tea cake.  Just because the tea isn’t real, doesn’t mean the cake has to be.

Erin McKenna’s Lemon Poppy Teacake

2/3 cup rice milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup poppy seeds
3/4 cups Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, plus more for pan
3/4 cups agave nectar
1/3 cup applesauce
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons pure lemon extract
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 7 × 4 × 3-inch loaf pan with oil.

Pour the rice milk, apple cider vinegar, and poppy seeds into a small bowl – but do not stir – and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, xanthan gum, and salt. Add the oil, agave nectar, applesauce, vanilla, and lemon to the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is smooth. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the poppy seed mixture into the batter, and combine just until all ingredients are blended. The batter will expand slightly.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake on the center rack for 35 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 18 minutes. The teacake will be golden brown and springy, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean.

Let the teacake stand in the pan for 20 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edge of the bread. Cover the top of the pan with a cutting board, and invert onto the board. Carefully lift the pan away and re-invert the teacake onto another cutting board. Either cut and serve warm, or wait until it is completely cool before storing. Cover the uncut teacake with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Tonight I’ll go to bed eagerly awaiting the return of La Befana.  It’s a tradition I’ve honored since my childhood.  The Epiphany marks the end of the 12 Days of Christmas and the night that La Befana brings treats and sweets.  La Befana used to fill my stocking with oranges and After Eight mints but as I’ve grown older, she’s started filling them with different things… usually household items or sensible things like socks and slippers.  But some years I miss the sweets and treats   Who knows what goodies she has in store for me this year.

The Story of La Befana

I’ve been hearing the story of La Befana since I was a baby.  My mother used to tell me the story every year.  A few years ago I got curious about her and Googled information.  Popular tradition holds that the Magi stopped at an old woman’s house on the last night of their journey, and asked her to accompany them when they set out the next morning.  She replied that she had things to do (clean the house is what my mother always told me) and so they set off without her.  When she was done her chores she changed her mind and tried to follow, but was unable to find either the Magi or Baby Jesus.  So she renews her search every year, visiting boys and girls the world over, and leaving those who have been good stockings full of candies and treats.

So auguri per La Befana!

Growing up, I always had a salad on the table.  Our dinner’s didn’t vary too much.  It was always the same thing.  Our salad was always radicchio with a red wine vinegar and olive oil dressing.  The only thing that varied was the color of the radicchio.  In the winter it was red, in the summer, green from our vegetable garden.  Here’s a raw spin on this classic dressing.

Raw Red Wine Vinaigrette Dressing

1 cup first cold pressed olive oil
1/2 cup raw red wine vinegar
2 to 4 tablespoons raw agave nectar
1 to 2 teaspoons Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper

My favorite way of mixing together the ingredients is to put all of them into a mason jar, seal it shut, turn on some fantastic “shaking” music, and shake, shake, shake, senora until well mixed.  Or you can use a large bowl to whisk all of the ingredients together, and then transfer it to a container for storage.  Whatever works for you!  Serve with chopped radicchio salad or your favorite greens.

This is a great recipe to whip up any time you have left over roast (and given my Christmas Feast this year, I have loads of left over roast!).  You could use the same basic recipe for left over turkey as well or even left over ham (though I usually make pea soup with left over ham).  Feel free to toss in any of your left over veggies in addition to those called for in the recipe.  Last year, I had four stalks of leeks left over and chopped them up to saute with some bacon and turkey and it was delish!  This year, I used cauliflower and broccoli.  Feel free to experiment.

Meat Pie

3 stalks celery, chopped
3 whole carrots, chopped
1 whole onion, diced
3 heaped tablespoons flour, plus extra for dusting
3 cups prime rib roast or your choice of meat, chopped into bite sized pieces
4 cups beef stock
1 package puff pastry
1 whole egg, beaten
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare your vegetables and saute in olive oil over medium heat until onions are translucent.  Add your meat and mix well.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the flour and mix it in well.  Pour in your stock and let simmer until thickened (approximately 20 to 30 minutes) into gravy.  Taste gravy and adjust seasonings if required.  Remove from heat. Pour the mixture through a sieve over another large empty pan and let the  gravy from the mixture drip into the pan while you roll out your pastry.

Get a deep baking dish roughly 22 x 30cm.  Dust a clean surface and a rolling pin with a bit of flour and roll 1/2 of pastry out so it’s large enough to drape into the bottom of the baking dish and hangs over the edges.  Spoon your meat mixture from your sieve into the baking dish and spread it out evenly.  Roll the remaining pastry square so you have a rectangle big enough to cover your baking dish.  Don’t worry if a few bits stick out here and there.  Trim the excess so that you have about an inch of dough from the bottom pastry sheet remaining.  Pinch the top and bottom layers together and form into pie crust by folding or arranging excess dough around rim of dish.  Gently score the pastry diagonally with your knife.

Add a pinch of salt to your beaten egg then paint egg wash over the top of your pastry.  Bake at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown.  When the pie is ready, re-heat the gravy and serve with your pie.

My sister-in-law gave me a box of green teas from Teaopia for Christmas.  They’re quite bitter and have a strong woody taste.  Since I don’t like to add sugar to my herbal teas, I thought I’d sweeten the tea by making a smoothie instead.  I was inspired by Starbuck’s Green Tea Frappucino.  It’s a great alternative to the store bought frappucino and a very refreshing, healthy smoothie.

Green Teaz Smoothie

1 decaffinated green or white tea bag (I used the loose leaf mix that was gifted to me)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup mango, cubed
1 large peach, sliced and pitted
1/2 whole banana
1 wedge fresh lime juice
2 cups crushed ice

Heat water and brew tea. Let cool.  Place cooled tea, fruit, lime juice, and crushed ice in a blender and blend until thick and smooth.  Adjust ice to the consistency you like best.  The fruit will naturally sweeten this smoothie but for those who want a little more sweetness any type of sweetner can be used.

I made almond milk for the first time today.  I wanted the pulp to mix up a batch of raw almond cookies.  I don’t have a Vitamix or high powered blender which really would have made the process much easier.  I also didn’t have any cheese cloth so had a fun, albeit messy, time straining my pulp.  It was all in good fun and the resulting almond milk, which I blended up in a smoothie, was delicious!

Watch the video below to discover how to make your own almond milk.  Karen Knowler shares her tips for making raw almond milk.

Karen Knowler’s Raw Almond Milk

Well here I am on the other side of Christmas.  Dinner on Christmas Eve was a success!  Fifteen members of my family went home to await the arrival of Santa Claus with full bellies and visions of mincemeat pies dancing in their heads.

I had promised to take pictures… and of course, forgot!  But I can share the menu and some of the recipes (at least for the items I made).

Antipasto

Veggie tray: One of my Christmas platters filled to the brim with bite sized pieces of broccoli, cauliflower, baby carrots, celery, cucumber, red peppers and grape tomatoes.  I had a small bowl of spinach dip for my sister-in-law who likes to dip her veggies.  The rest of us made do with raw.

Deli plate: The classic staple on my family’s dinner table.  Prosciutto and salami.  I also had a small serving dish with bocconcini and another with olives.

Cheese platter: Another festive platter filled with bite sized pieces of 5 year old aged cheddar, 2 year old aged white cheddar, swiss cheese, parmesan, and brie.  Rice crackers and bread sticks were in handy reach of all the different platters.

Appetizer

Minestrone Soup

BBQ Meatballs (for my nephews)

1 pound ground beef
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
1 large egg
1/4 cup barbecue sauce

Combine ingredients.  Form into 1-inch meatballs.  Brown in skillet.  Drain.  Serve with tomato sauce or barbecue dipping sauce.  Can be made one day ahead and reheated.

Entree

Vegetarian Lasagna courtesy of my sister

Prime Rib Roast

I honestly don’t know how many pounds my prime rib roast weighed.  I know it was 8 bones.  That’s what I asked the butcher for when I went to pick up the cut of meat.  It’s hard to give precise measurements for seasonings but I’ll post the basic quantities for a smaller roast and you can adjust as required.  I let the prime rib rest uncovered in the bottom of my fridge for two days before roasting.  Makes the meat much more tender.

3 pounds beef
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
olive oil

Mix seasonings together.  Rinse beef and pat dry.  Rub roast liberally with olive oil.  Pat roast liberally with seasonings.  Insert meat thermometer.  Cook in roasting pan on low heat (200F to 250F) until roast hits internal temperature of 145F.

Sides

Caesar salad

Milestones Salad

My sister-in-law eats at Milestone’s often and always orders this salad.  While I don’t know the real recipe, she said my version is just as good as that in the restaurant.

4 cups mixed baby green salad
12 whole strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 cup walnut halves, carmelized
1 tablespoon goat cheese
honey dijon dressing, to taste

Mix first four ingredients.  Toss with honey dijon dressing minutes before serving.  Variation: I added a handful of dried cranberries and a handful of sunflower seeds for an extra special treat.

Scallop Potatoes, courtesy of my sister-in-law

Roast Potatoes

Dessert

Believe it or not, people had room left over for dessert.  I spent a few hours in the kitchen the day before our Christmas eve dinner baking up a storm.  Cheesecake, chocolate brownies, macaroons and almond butter cookies.  I also picked up some desserts at the bakery.  I haven’t quite mastered Greek pastries yet and didn’t think this was the year to try LOL

There was also a big fruit platter: strawberries, honeydew melon, cantaloupe and pineapple.  As well as a billowing bowl of oranges, apples and pears.

And my nephew got his little hands on the chocolate covered profiteroles and proclaimed them “Soooo good!”

No one went hungry, that’s for sure!  And my parents and brothers left with a week’s worth of leftovers.  I have a fridge full of leftovers too.  Keep an eye out for the leftover recipes LOL

Happy holidays!  I hope you were able to enjoy good food and laughter with family and friends.

Well I’ve been baking up a storm lately… and in some cases, unbaking (tried most of the Raw Christmas cookie recipes you’ll find featured on this site).  Have been busy getting the house ready for my annual Christmas Eve dinner.  I’ll be sharing good food and laughter with 20 relatives this year.  Will post pictures of all the food and treats in a few days.

Cooking for large numbers doesn’t have to be hard.  It just takes a little planning.  The prime rib is in the oven along with some carrots and celery.  I’ll be adding the potatoes in a few hours.  What I love about prime rib is that it’s a season, pop in the oven and walk away kind of meal.  Not too much needs to be done to it.  I slow roast it so there isn’t much tending that needs to be done until it’s ready for carving.  I made a veggie lasagna two days ago so all that’s left to do it pop it in the oven to bake.  Yesterday, I whipped up a huge batch of meatballs.  And today I’ll be making some minestrone soup and a salad.  Sounds like a lot but if you space things out over a few days, it really makes for a more enjoyable time.

After all, who wants to spend the entire day in the kitchen when there’s family to enjoy.

Happy holidays to you and yours!  Hope you create some wonderful memories this holiday season.