Raw Oatmeal Cookies and Aug Foodie Penpals

It's my second month of participating in Foodie Pen Pals.  Not sure what this is?  Take a look here  After my first go around, I felt like a real pro.  I knew what I wanted to send this time (much lighter items!) and what I would request be sent to me if asked (local and healthy).  Well, I may have failed on both accounts.  I did request my items to be local, but I chuckled when the package arrived from a town not 30min away.  No wonder she didn't want to send local: we live in the same community!  Signing up for this program, I had fantasies of receiving products from coast to coast that one could not procure in my hometown.  Once I got over that disappointment, I was delighted to take a closer look at just what had been sent.  Firstly, I had never tried any of the products before, so that was pretty cool since I love trying new things.  Secondly, it was all very healthy and thoughtful with everything tasting great.  Most of the products were gluten free, which meant I could share them with my GF mom too.  I made these cookies with the GF granola she sent and the kids were thrilled that once again they received something just for them! I couldn't have asked for a better package and felt a little silly that I had ever felt let down that it was not coming from an exotic location.

Gluten Free Granola Cookie

We often joke that Luke was born with a ball and glove in his hands.  You name a sport and very likely Luke either plays it, has played it or dreams of playing it someday.  He’s been asking to try golf for sometime now.  He loves watching the Masters and British Open on tv and will pretend he is golfing around the house.  The tricky thing about golf is that unless you play already, it’s a pretty big commitment to give a kid a try.  Neither Don or I play, so it wasn’t like we could just bring him along sometime to play with us.  I'm not aware of any course that let's you drop your kids off to learn the sport either.

Chard Cakes with Parsley Sauce

I've mentioned here before how much I like to try new recipes.  It's pretty rare that I will repeat a meal, and when I do it's usually after some time as passed or perhaps the next year when ingredients are in season.  However, these chard cakes have been made three times this week and I have a feeling when I pick up my CSA shares this week, it will make a fourth appearance.  They remind me a bit of the white bean cakes I made earlier this spring and funnily enough, Don was pretty ga-ga about those too.

Blueberry Lime Cornmeal Muffin

Today we hosted a young girl from out of town for a few hours.  She was participating in a national camp and needed a home stay for 4 hours before being driven to the airport.  When I picked her up I offered to spend the afternoon however she wished. She shared that she lives in a very small town in Saskatchewan, several hours from any city centre.  With an invitation to do anything, I expected her to say: can I go to the mall?  Instead, she asked "are there any museums or art galleries in this town?"  Wow.  Never underestimate youth.  They will surprise you every time.

Farro with Grilled Summer Vegetables and Pesto Vinaigrette

 Here's one more salad from the summer of never ending salads.  I've posted quite a few of these on the site already: a carrot one, a black bean and corn one, a sugar snap pea one, a black rice one, and many  more.  I'm not sure I could pick a favourite out of all of them, but this one was pretty close.

Quinoa Roasted Beet, Kale & Hazelnut Salad

Once a  week this summer, I've tried to make a new salad using grains and veggies.  Making it on Sunday afternoon, it provides several days of lunches for Don and I through the week at work.  My goal has been to not repeat a recipe, and so far, so good.  It certainly helps that there are so many vegetables in season right now!  I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this challenge up, but it's 12 weeks so far and I don't see an end in sight.

Zucchini Coconut Muffin

The zucchini parade continues. At some point in the summer, my competitive juices start to flow and I become driven to find the best use of the over-producing vegetable.  I’m calling these a muffin with a glaze, but I suppose it could be argued they are more of a cupcake once frosting is introduced.

Carrot, Green Bean and Avocado Salad

Wow.  What an amazing summer our family is having.  Far too many lovely vacations and time spent with friends and family to count.  Northern lakes enjoyed on hot summer days and huge smiles on my kids' faces.  The amount of fresh local produce available is just the icing on the cake.  In an effort to eat as much in season as I possibly can, I often walk right by any foreign grown vegetables this time of year.  The exception to this rule is probably the avocado.  This guy is never going to be grown here in Ontario and watching Josilin eat a whole one with a spoon feels right, no matter what time of year it is.