Toast Topper #6 (Pumpkin - Sunflower Seed Butter)

We're a peanut butter family. Actually, I should say that most of my household is a peanut butter family. While I'm thankfully not allergic to peanuts or peanut butter, thanks to my body's fat intolerance issues my once beloved spread is no longer on my menu. My sister, while she'll eat PB from the jar off a spoon (oh, Heaven!) hates it in any other form, and if she could get away with it she would much rather eat Nutella by the jarful with a side of cinnamon raisin toast. For a while, my Mom was on the almond butter bandwagon, using it in a salad dressing from my cookbook Hungry for Health: Practical Recipes for Everyday Wellness. However, just like me in my youth with peanut butter, and my sister with Nutella today, stopping at one spoonful was easier said than done. A self-intervention of cold turkey avoidance ensued, and now we only have a jar of Nutella for Teaghan and a jar of Kraft Smooth peanut butter for my stepbrother and stepdad to share.

Needless to say, when it comes to using nut butters in baking and cooking, I try to avoid them unless they're extremely marked down at Bulk Barn or I know I can get away with using a few tablespoons out of the peanut butter stash and not catch royal pain for it. However, when I found myself with a few handfuls of sunflower and pumpkin seeds left over from making my mom's go to trail mix (also, FYI, in my cookbook), it just seemed natural to me to puree the suckers into a spread. Heck, I knew that even though it was unlikely that anyone in the house would be spreading it on their toast the next morning (it is, however, a wonderfully healthy Toast Topper option) the resulting mixture could make something baked and delicious down the road (to see what I did with it, stay tuned!).

There really isn't much else to the spread besides the seeds themselves. For consistency, a touch of oil and water "grease the wheel" so to speak, and to accent the toasted, rich flavour of the base ingredients a dab of this amber agave nectar and a dash of sea salt fit the bill nicely. The end product is a slightly off-putting greenish brown, but that's just because of the pepitas - no need to worry or grimace in disgust. If you're really turned off by it, just close your eyes and eat a spoonful. Your mouth's eye will convince you to take another taste.

Fruit Explosion Muffins

Being the good Canuck that I am, I've had my share of trips to Tim Hortons. If you don't know Tims, it's the Canadian answer to Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme, but better. For one, their coffee beats out both of those US chains' (though in my opinion Second Cup here in Ontario is still far above them all) - and given our generally cooler climate we need our coffee year round! The other thing Timmies built their name on is their baked goods, especially their doughnuts, but their muffins were something special too. Now the chain is not so "always fresh" with their baking, but if you ask anyone in my family if they'd like something with their coffee or tea chances are you'll get a response in the affirmative.

For the longest time the Fruit Explosion muffin was the hit item with my family. It even beat out chocolate chip for me, which was a huge deal and even though it totally wasn't a nutritious Godsend, the fact that it had "fruit" in the name made it feel like a healthy choice! When I started to care about the food I was eating and what it was doing to my body, I just couldn't justify the regular intake of my beloved muffins, especially since the "fruit" is suspect (the blueberries in most blueberry bagels are actually either dried and rehydrated in apple juice or dyed, flavoured dried apple bits) and the pie-filling "explosion" is not overly fruitful. Couple that with essentially vanilla cake batter and the results are delicious dessert, but not breakfast or a coffee-break snack.

When I became aware that my Grandma wasn't eating regular or balanced meals after my grandfather passed, I knew that simply telling her to eat wasn't going to do the trick. Not having her driver's license, she couldn't go to the grocery store or even to get take out on her own, and she just wasn't in the mood to cook for one. Rather than recommend a meal replacement shake or protein powder for her instead, I wanted to bring back her joy of eating, and eventually, cooking, by giving her a familiar flavour combination secretly packed with the nutrients she needed.

First, I used real, unsweetened IQF blueberries and raspberries in Grandma's Fruit Explosions, and added tofu, applesauce, whey protein, and buttermilk powder. The dry mixture got a hefty dose of whole wheat pastry flour and oat bran, and a touch of sweet flavour was added with caramel flavoured stevia and a touch of nutmeg. A home-dried apple ring half crowned each jumbo muffin and, once cooled, I filled them with my vegan strawberry curd (again, any of my sweet "Toast Toppers" will work!). The batch was definitely well recieved and enjoyed, and while it's still not a dietitian's dream recipe, it's homemade and honest, not to mention even Grandma can pronounce the ingredient list!

I scaled the whole recipe by weight so that I could always stay consistent in my results, especially since I know I'll be making these again soon. If you don't have a scale, I'm sorry! You can use this conversion calculator, but really - pick up a $5 - $10 scale if you bake at all. It will change how you approach the craft!

Cool Coco - Limeade for #SundaySupper #BeattheHeat

Thanks to this week's rain and windier weather, it's been a bit of an easier-to-live-with climate than last week's 40° C+ temperatures. Believe me, I'm not complaining about the heat - God knows it will be back to the frigid ice-caked Winter all too soon. When it is nice and warm (some would say hot) out, I fling on a tank top, shorts, hat, sunglasses and my SPF 75 and get out into the garden, where my tomatoes and pineapple groundcherries are just relishing the favourable weather. Of course, I make sure to hydrate properly - both the plants and myself need extra fluid and nutrients in the heat!

While the plants get an organic green cocktail of kelp and veggie plant food mixed with their water, I was never a huge fan of the green juice myself.

I am a huge fan of just plain water, and recently have been experimenting with adding some healthy flavourings to create my own gourmet "spa water". Being the season that it is, frozen berries, cherries, peaches, melons and even pineapple make delectable ice cubes, and steeping a combination of fresh mint, lemon slices and cucumber in a pitcher of plain H2O overnight makes for an ideal water bottle filling. As a bonus, by using the real fruit rather than a syrup or juice means that you get it's nutrients both in your water and when you eat the leftovers! For example, pineapple is filled with micronutrients needed to kick start your metabolism, and there are a host of antioxidants in all types of in season fruit.

But if you really need something "more" than a cool glass of water, I "Beat the Heat" with this accompaniment to a no-cook or outdoor grilled #SundaySupper - a bright, tangy limeade made with coconut water. Instead of watering down the delicate balance of sweet and sour with ice, I add frozen Summer berries that release their own delectable nectars as they thaw. Whatever's left in the glasses or jugs afterwards makes for a lightly coconutty fruit salad that you can either scoop out with a spoon or dress up with coconut milk and other tropical fruit for dessert!

This week's #SundaySupper is being hosted this week by Jen from Juanita's Cocina and is all about cooling off with no-cook, chilled out foods. Check out the other participant's refreshing options below:

#BeatTheHeat Appetizers:

• Refreshing Chunky Shrimp Salsa ~ The Weekend Gourmet
• Totally Cool Green Hummus ~ My Kitchen and I
• Smoked Whitefish Salad Bagel Bites ~ Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Watermelon and Goat Cheese Bites ~ Chelsea’s Culinary Indulgence
• Strawberry Gazpacho ~ Diabetic Foodie
• Grilled Loaded Baked Potato Skins ~ In the Kitchen with KP
• Sweet & Tangy Chili Lime Fruit Salad ~ Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

#BeatTheHeat Salads, Soups, & Sides:

• Cool Cucumber Salad ~ Momma’s Meals
• Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with Tuna ~ Shockingly Delicious
• Hungarian Cucumber Salad Recipe – Uborkasaláta Recept ~ The Watering Mouth
• Tomato Salad with Macadamia Cheese ~ Cooking’s Good Vegetarian Cafe
• Char-Grilled Corn Salad ~ The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Summertime Sweet Pea Salad ~ Granny’s Down Home Southern Cooking
• Apple and Poppy Seed Coleslaw ~ Damn Delicious
• Cold Cucumber and Rice Salad ~ Mama.Mommy.Mom
• Chilly Dilly Cucumber Soup with Shrimp ~ Comfy Cuisine
• Mom’s Creamy Pea Salad ~ Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Greek (Yogurt) Potato Salad ~ Family Foodie

#BeatTheHeat Main Dishes:

• Rainbow Slaw with Steak and Chipotle Crema ~ Cooking By The Seat of our Pants
• Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken ~ Make Dinner Easy
• Rolling with Kimbap ~ Kimchi Mom
• Ranch Chicken Tacos ~ Pippi’s In The Kitchen Again
• Serrano Ham, Mozzarella and Arugula Sandwiches ~ Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork ~ Cupcakes and Kale Chips
• No Bake Pizza ~ The Meltaways

#BeatTheHeat Desserts:

• Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Supper for a Steal
• No-Cook Egg-Free Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream ~ Chocolate Moosey
• Peach Sorbet ~ Magnolia Days
• Icebox Chocolate Pie ~ Doggie at the Dinner Table
• Honey and Elderflower Ice Cream ~ Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Blackberry Lavender Popsicles ~ Girlichef
• Frozen Chocolate Bananas ~ In the Kitchen with Audrey
• Strawberry-Lime Margarita Ice Cream ~ Cookistry
• Elegant Fruit Jellies ~ Happy Baking Days
• Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches ~ That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Baker Street
• Vanilla Peach Swirl Frozen Yogurt ~ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Espresso and Toasted Almond Semifreddo ~ The Messy Baker
• Mango Ice Cream ~ Queen’s Notebook
• Raspberry Mousse ~ Basic and Delicious
• White Apricot & Honeysuckle Sorbet ~ Family Spice
• Biscoff Ice Cream Cupcakes ~ Juanita’s Cocina

#BeatTheHeat Drinks & Cocktails:

• Shirley Temple ~ Cravings of a Lunatic
• Prickly Pear White Wine Spritzer ~ Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Classic Daquiri ~ Katherine Martinelli
• Salty Lassi ~ Soni’s Food for Thought
• Blueberry Mint Lemonade ~ Pescetarian Journal
• Sweet Basil & Cucumber Melon Smoothie ~ Daily Dish Recipes

Wine Pairings Provided By: ENOFYLZ

Strawberry - Kiwi Fingerprint Cookies

Remember a few weeks ago when I shared Carla's recipe for silky, vegan strawberry curd? Well, if you still have a part jar kicking around, or like me made several batches and have some on hand, I have a few recipes coming down the pipes in the near future that will work with not only that recipe but any of the fruit-based "Toast Toppers" I've given you so far. I still have a few of those recipes to share (they'll have to wait until after tomorrow's amazing #SundaySupper event though!) and they'll all work too. But if you're in a strawberry mood, these are for you.

One of my all time favourite pairings with strawberries is kiwi. There's something about the sweet nectar of the strawberries melting into the sharp tang of the bright green kiwi, and of course the colour contrast is amazng. I wanted to combine the two in a cookie for my aunt and uncle to take home with them after they visited from BC. I purchased a dehydrator a month or so ago and have been having fun drying all sorts of fruit, and kiwi was no exception (though I initially bought it for the tomato glut that I know I'll have this year). The only question was how to incorporate the strawberry - until I saw the little jar of curd and had my "aha" moment - thumbprints! I already had a few good recipes for the jammy cookies in my arsenal, plus a host of cookbooks to pull from, so I pulled from a few different sources and made essentially a very basic shortbread cookie.

By basic, of course, I mean flour, fat, sweetener basic - I just happened to use an organic, non-hydrigenated shortening (I would have used coconut oil but my allergies would not be playing nice and butter spreads too much), stevia and triticale flour instead of the usual ingredients! Of course, the home dried kiwi had no sulphites or other nasty bits in it, and I knew precisely what went into the curd too, so even though these are cookies, and are a treat, they're a touch more wholesome than standard and way better for you than anything off the store shelf! I call them "fingerprint" cookies instead of "thumbprint" cookies because my thumbs are just too ungainly to make decent depressions! I find a pointer finger works much better.

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

We used to have a large zucchini garden in our backyard. One year when I was growing up, if we went up to our boat for the weekend (or God forbid a whole week) you could bet that by the time we got home those piddly little pinkie-finger squashes would be the size of my dad's forearm. My mom and dad ate a ton of it that year, even though my sister and I wouldn't touch the stuff. It's a good thing too - my grandparents all hated the vegetable (unless grated into a sauce, stew, muffin or bread - i.e. hidden without their knowing) and the rest of the neighbourhood had their own behemoth vegetables to contend with. I'm sure if we were all better organized we could have had a backyard swap going, but there you are. I do recall us giving a few to the owner of my parent's gym, since they were to her like ketchup is to my sister: worth its weight in gold.

I never quite understood the love of zucchini back then, even in moist, rich noshings from the bakery or mixed into my favourite tomato meat sauce. Now, I'll gladly eat it pan-seared, grilled, roasted or sliced paper-thin on my mandoline with salt and vinegar! Ratatouille went from being a running joke we made at my mom's expense (rat-a-TOOT-eee as we called it) to a delectable Summer meal I wait patiently to harvest produce for each year. And of course, you can't go wrong with the squash baked into something delectable.

I've discovered that while lemon and orange play just fine with zucchini, what really pairs well is a rich, dark chocolate. Come to think of it, there isn't much that a good dark chocolate flavour doesn't help! When I found myself with a little bit more vegetation than I could readily eat for meals, I knew there had to be something out there that could convert crisper rejects into a craveable treat. I was acually perusing this post on the blog The Hungry Artist when I came across her recipe for a dark chocolate loaf cake. Not only did this quickbread have a good amount of zucchini in it, it also used precisely the things we had lingering in the kitchen without any hope of being eaten as is. The single banana, applesauce, tofu (that replaced the eggs) and the "other" secret vegetable - spinach - joined forces to make this possibly the most dense, moist and decadent quickbread from my kitchen yet! As a bonus, I could do the whole thing in my food processor - no bowl washing required!

Being submitted to the VFAM: Zucchini event by Priya and Kalyani’s Only Vegan event.