What you’ll find here- just scroll down until you find what you want to try!

roasted eggplant spread : spring greens!-nettle tea : spring greens

vegan protein bars : vegan ‘cheese’ : fresh greens with chickpeas

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–Roasted eggplant spread :

I began with one eggplant and a red bell pepper, deciding to roast them together, i removed the skin on the eggplant, and sliced thinly the two, bathed them in beautiful olive oil- and sprinkled with a bit of celtic sea salt- they baked side by side in a glass baking dish at 350 for about one hour -lower if you wish to cook slow. Checked and turned a few times during this process. I did not mix them, because i was not sure that i would end up using them together.

Taking them out of the oven- soft and evenly roasted- I decided to let them cool slowly- thinking the eggplant would make a lovely Baba Ghanoush.

When cooled i looked at the two, and got this inspiration that they did not want to become two separate dishes, so i minced 4-5 cloves of garlic in the food processor, added the eggplant and pepper and approx. 1/8 cup raw sesame tahini and blended lightly. brought this mixture to a bowl and slowly -to taste- added lemon juice and black pepper and maybe a bit more salt.

The process was deliberately slow, it is my experience that when I take my time with cooking, the flavors are so much more abundant. I’m so glad I went with inspiration and tried something different! Enjoy!

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—braised fresh greens with chickpeas:

I was in a bit of a rush to prepare lunch and working with what i had in the garden and fridge today, which led me to experiment, due to the items on hand! This took all of 15 min to prepare.

A mixture of kale, swiss chard and mustard greens braised in a small amount of coconut oil, for a few moments, until wilted and tender.

Add a bit of pepper, Bragg’s amino acids and a touch of lemon juice- i bet you could sub a bit of vinegar here…

a few moments prior to removing from heat. toss in a hand-full of cooked chickpeas, and warm them up in the greens.

Serve like it is, or pack it up as an on the go lunch!

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—vegan ‘cheese’:

This ‘cheese’ is super delicious, and can be sweet or savory, depending on your desired outcome.

3 cups organic raw cashews-soaked for 24 hours in filtered water (just enough to cover) when soaking is complete drain and rinse cashews. the cashews can be stored in the fridge for a few hours, if need be.

Place cashews in a food processor, and blend well, adding a bit of filtered water to process into a thick cheese-like consistency.

Add Celtic gray salt, freshly ground pepper, finely chopped fresh thyme and about 1-2Tblspn lemon juice. Finely chopped rosemary or fresh cilantro, chives…any herb that you like, really! I would tend to go with combinations that you know go well together.

Note: the more water- the thinner the cheese, so go light at first and add in small amounts to get the consistency you want. The cashews tend to made a sweet cheese, so the herbs and lemon help to make it a bit savory. If a sweet cheese is what you want, then omit the pepper, lemon and thyme and add cinnamon and raisins! …or leave it in it’s sweet simple cashew goodness. The best bet is to taste, and imagine what might taste good with it, this is often the approach I take with making food.

This ‘cheese’ is great for a spread, or use it in place of cheese in raw lasagna.

You’ll want to store the ‘cheese’ in a glass container and eat within a few days. This is live food, so it is important to eat it fresh! Enjoy. Linda

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—vegan protein bars/ pie crust/ chocolate covered seed balls:

Use this recipe for ‘no-bake’ pies, mousse pies, vegan ‘cheese’ cake, protein bars or roll into small balls and dip in vegan semi-sweet fairly traded melted chocolate chips yum-delicious! This is a recipe that can vary depending on what you have on hand.

You need a food processor to really grind it all down, and I tend to just add a bit of this and a bit of that when I cook, so the measurements are a basic guide, meant to be played with!

1/2 cup each: organic dates and organic raisins- process these to a finely chopped mix

Add 1/2 cup each: all organic and raw- pecans, pumpkin seeds, and shredded coconut.

Optional: 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, black sesame seed

1/4 - 1/2 cup peanut butter or almond butter

to further sweeten (the dates and raisins are fairly sweet) I add either organic maple syrup, or agave nectar, or a bit of molasses (1-2 Tblspn) and barley malt sweetener. Begin by adding a small amount-1/4 cup or so, and add as you need more.

1-2 cups organic raw oats-process well: I add this to create the consistency desired, you want to be able to form a ball, and have it hold it’s shape, but not too oily (from the nut butters).

a bit of salt, and sometimes I add freshly grated nutmeg!

set aside a small amount of this mixture.

Then either press the larger portion of the seed mixture into a pie plate, creating a thin crust, or spoon into a lightly oiled dish (coconut oil is nice for this) and press mixture into a ‘energy bar’ like thickness and chill for a bit. The bars can be cut and wrapped in waxed paper, or left in glass container in the fridge. Add other ‘pie’ ingredients to the crust and chill. I’ve never used this for a baked pie, but I think it would work well. Eat within a week. I’ve never tried to freeze the protein bars, they’ve really never lasted that long to explore this!

Now, take the mix you set aside, and roll into small seed balls- set aside and in a double boiler, melt vegan, organic, fairly traded dark chocolate. Mix smoothly when melted and place seed balls in the chocolate and cover- place chocolate covered seed balls on waxed paper and place in fridge for a few hours prior to serving. Don’t wait too long though…Eat fresh! Enjoy! Linda

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—spring greens!:

…the best dinner i have had…in so long…traveling across the street to the garden with my wooden bowl, i began to meander my way through the young kale patch, pinching a few tender leaves here and there-the kids tasted some raw yesterday and said they tasted like broccoli! Then i made my way to the chard patch-young seedlings from seeds planted last summer. The small plants lay dormant through the winter, and begin their spring growth as the days turn warmer. Along the way, i found some miner’s lettuce- this is very prolific every spring here, and so tender. The last graze was in the young spinach patch that made it through the winter, the recent warmth encouraging beautiful tender new leaves here!

The abundance traveled back across the street to my flat. I revived some old stale bread cubes (cut up before the bread was too hard to cut…) in a hot pan with some butter substitute, salt and pepper. I tossed these about in the pan until crispy.

The dressing was made with organic olive oil, 3 small cloves of finely chopped garlic, Bragg (liquid aminos-a bit like soy sauce but not fermented) pepper and fresh lemon juice.

In a wooden bowl I tossed the spring greens, croutons, dressing and pecans.

So perfectly fresh and delicious!

…and this is just the beginning of a beautiful season of eating from the garden. I am so grateful to have this opportunity to grow my food in the city.

Be well, and plant a garden- for the earth, it’s creatures and as a blessing, you’ll harvest a bit of food for yourself! Linda

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—spring greens!- nettle tea:

I’ve been foraging in the nettle patch this past week, the first few sets of new growth popping up everywhere!

Yes, i encourage nettle in my small garden, it feeds the soil it grows in, and the young spring leaves nourish my body with iron and many other minerals!

I begin making the tea by boiling filtered water at home, pour the hot water in a mason jar, cap it up and carry it across the street to the patch of nettle. Some days i brave it and harvest with bare hands, other days i bring a small pair of scissors with me to snip the leaves and drop them gently into the jar of hot water. This process is done with complete focus on this beautiful herb, as i have been taught (by the herb, no less) that if you do not pay attention to the nettle, while harvesting it, it will demand your attention…with a proper sting!

after i have put a fair amount of fresh leaves in the water, i sit in the garden while the infusion rests for a bit- a chance for me to appreciate the beauty i am surrounded by, and give thanks. If there is time, i sit in the garden while drinking this spring tonic. Or i carry it with me on my morning’s journey.

A note about stinging nettle- the best time to harvest is when the plant is alive with fresh spring growth, harvest gently, a few leaves here and there- and it loves to be talked to while harvesting-read…complete focus on the plant you are working with! It is my understanding that it is not advisable to harvest once the plant has flowers, as it may be toxic to the internal organs-(liver, specifically).

Oh…i always thank the nettle, for her grace in the garden and in my body!

Sweet spring greens abound! Linda