Crustless Quiche is such a simple dinner that tastes as good as it looks.
Start with staple ingredients; eggs, milk, cheese, then you just add whatever seasonal vegetables you happen to have on hand.

Preheat your over to 350

6 eggs

1/2 cup of organic milk

1/2 cup of cheese (any cheese will do, this quiche used about 8 small balls of buffalo mozzarella)

sea salt

ground pepper

butter to grease you pie plate

1 cup seasonal veggies

fresh or dried herbs

Simply whisk together your eggs, milk, cheese, salt and pepper.
Then add your veggies and herbs.  Last night we used a mix of cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup of chopped leeks, along with basil and parsley. Next week I’m planning on using ramps, spinach and monforte perorino fresco sheep cheese from our fresh city farms CSA along with these really nice eggs from Pyramid Farm and Ferments.

Mix it all up, pour it into a well buttered pie plate and cook for 45 minutes at 350.  Let your quiche rest for 10 minutes before serving and dig in. It’s particularly good with potato salad.

Caesar Salad has always been in heavy rotation on our weekly menus and recently we’ve had some Caesar salad epiphanies.

Here is a list of simple caesar salad ideas that have made us a little giddy. And garlicky.

Ceasar Salad is amazing with kale.  Romaine is nice, but kale is nutrient dense and filling and I actually find it easer to grow than lettuce.  Any sort of kale will do, Red Russian, Lacinato, any of the curly varieties. This time of year I always throw in a handful of dandelion greens since they’re so plentiful free and everywhere.

Recently I attended a workshop with cutco knives and I learned about chiffonade chopping. Learning something new makes me really happy. This is the perfect way to cut kale for a salad where you will be eating it raw.  The action of rolling the leaves before cutting them softens them up much like massaging the kale does in my raw kale and beets salad. Just tear out most of the stem, roll a few leaves together tightly and chop with a good sharp knife.  My understanding is that chiffonade is usually reserved for herbs and fine chopping and with kale you’ll want to chop roughly every inch or two.

Mushrooms. Mushrooms really go with Ceasar salad. You can either throw them in as an gluten free alternative to croutons or serve them on the side. We’ve been buying these perfect little button ones straight from the Highline mushroom farm outside of Wellington, Ontario and they are delightful.

When we do feel like croutons the bakery just down the road from the farm  just happens to have a full selection of gluten free baked goods including perfect pumpernickel bread. We just toast up a few slices from Schroedter’s, chop it up and we’re good to go.

Some final thoughts:

Bacon is better than bacon bits, period. Fry up extra a breakfast and save it for your salad.

Salad is often our main course and I like to switch up what we serve on the side. It’s great with organic chicken, a good glass of local cider from the County Cider Company, a slice of lemon, sheep curds from Monforte.

Like most things, it’s best enjoyed while siting in a field admiring a day’s work.

As a recovering vegetarian, Mollie Katzen’s Moosewood Cookbook is in regular rotation around here.  When I’m in a panic and don’t know what to make for dinner I often make this from-memory, tweaked-for-my-family version of her Lentil soup. It’s really simple since it only uses one pot, takes one hour and you don’t need to presoak the lentils.

In addition to being delicious, lentils make a such a nice naturally iron rich first food for babies. This soup was one of baby Robin’s first solid foods around the middle of his first year and he gobbles it right up off a tiny vintage baby spoon every time I serve it.

3 cups of dry red Canadian lentils

8 cups of water (sometimes I use a cup or two of chicken stock if I have some around)

1 glug of olive oil

2 stalks of celery with leaves

1 peeled yam

3 peeled carrots

8-10 cloves of garlic

2 large shallots or onions

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons of sea salt

1/2 teaspoon of thyme

1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

red wine vinegar

Start by giving your lentils a quick rinse and strain under cold water.
Then combine your lentils, water, olive oil and salt in a large thick bottomed pot and bring to a boil. Once things are boiling, lower the heat to the lowest setting, cover and gently simmer for 30 minutes.  While the lentils are cooking you have plenty of time to prepare the rest of the ingredients and remind your children to use gentle touches.

Now you start your chopping. Soup is pretty much all about chopping.  I have some new cutco knives and I have to say having the right knives has greatly improved my mood while making dinner with littles at my feet or on my back.

I cut all my veggies into slices and then smash the 10 cloves of garlic with the side of my knife before cutting it finely. I like to think that the more garlic and onions in a recipe, the more love. The more smashing of garlic, the more fun.

After your lentils have been simmering slowly for 30 minutes you can add all your chopped up vegetables and herbs. Turn the heat up a little bit and gently cook, partially covered for another 30 minutes.

When you’re ready to eat, drizzle the top of each bowl with red wine vinegar and enjoy.

This recipe is my entry in the Love Your Lentils Canada Challenge.  I’d love it if you could take a second and vote for my soup over at  http://www.loveyourlentils.ca/recipes/gentle-lentil-soup

This time last year, I lay in bed worrying. Worrying all night long. We escaped the city and went to the farm where I could be pregnant and worry in peace by the fire place.

We had skipped the 13 week genetic testing ultrasound and had been so laid back about things that we didn’t get around to getting the anatomical scan done until 22 weeks. I was doing my best to ignore being pregnant since no one wants to let you dig holes when you are pregnant so  pregnancy and I aren’t really very good friends.

We thought it would be fun to know the sex of our baby so even though we had talked of skipping the big ultrasound we decided to go. I 100% thought we were having a girl and a girl would be nice for a few good reasons:

1. Rebecca has awesome clothes and it would be fun to use them again, especially the handmade etsy pinafores and such.

2. We live in a tiny 2 bedroom house with no chance of moving so the kids are going to have to share a room eventually and wouldn’t decorating a little girls’ room be fun?

3. Last but certainly most important, really, this was a pressing issue in my mind; No Football Pajamas.  Boys clothes are just gross! Football, Baseball, CAMOUFLAGE?! I mean come on! The chances of a child of mine identifying with sports is pretty slim. We were having a good time with this and every once in a while someone would well meaningly say something along the lines of “As long as the baby’s healthy”. Yeah, yeah, we thought, the baby’s just fine and let me insult boys’ clothes as much as I want.

So at 22 weeks pregnant I lay on the ultrasound table a few weeks late for my 20 week ultrasound. Rebecca and Ryan waited in the waiting room and I was wondering why this was taking so long. I was there forever, there was something the tech was trying to see and couldn’t. I knew the baby was breach at this point and figured that must be it. The technician called in my family and told us we were having a little boy and went on to be first of many to say Ryan was so lucky to be having a son (because it’s somehow appropriate to insinuate that men only want sons in front of their daughters?).

I sat in the car, taking solace in knowing we could still use our favourite name, Robin. Then we went home and I cried hormonal tears about football pajamas while sorting out piles of perfect cotton dresses and floral printed sleepers that the new baby wouldn’t wear.

By the time we were at the midwives’ clinic the next week I was over it.  I had caught on that little boys wear stripes and grey wool coats and tiny converse running shoes and had made peace with any hang ups about gender we had had. But you see, those 20 week ultrasounds have a purpose, and it’s not actually to check out your baby’s genitals. Our midwife Esther sat there and explained that our baby clearly had clubbed feet, a congenital birth defect that would need to be treated in infancy.  Now, my husband Ryan was also born with this condition and that kept us pretty calm but suddenly we were hit with a whole lot of perspective. Our baby would be fine in the long run but getting there would take some work.

{ the view from the waiting room at the high risk clinic at St Michael’s hospital in Toronto }

By now I was 23 weeks so we made our rounds quickly through the high risk obstetrics department at St Michael’s hospital.  Seems they needed to rule out any other birth defects and do their best to scare the bejesus out of me. I let them look around a bit and finally had enough when after a handful of ultrasounds and tests, they started pressuring me to have an amnio, which has way more risk than club feet, which we already had. After consulting with our midwives we happily cancelled the rest of our appointments, scheduled a meet and greet with the orthopaedic surgeons at Sick Children’s hospital and never looked back.

{ Robin 12 days old }

{ Robin the day before his 1st set of casts }

Robin was born at home without issue. Despite what high risk OBs might want to tell you, babies’ feet don’t have much to do with their delivery. Every part of him was adorable.

We started treatment at the hospital for Sick Children here in Toronto when he was 4 weeks old. He had 12 weeks of serial casts (more than usual as he’s “complex”) and was treated with physiotherapy and experimental Botox injections. I won’t lie, even with lots of baby-leggings having half your baby in casts isn’t very nice, but at least it was for a relatively short part of our lives.

Finally after all that, a few days before christmas, the last casts came off.

We were sent home with his new boots and bars foot brace and a pair of hand me down footless football pajamas. And I cried all the way to the street car stop, wearing my baby with his boots and bars hitting my legs and the realization that I had come full circle.  Not only do I not care if he’s a boy or a girl, I don’t actually care “as long as they’re healthy” or not either, and I’m going to hold on to these pajamas with their cut off feet and their ridiculous football playing bear for the rest of my life.

{ good clubfoot babywearing info can be found over on the baby wearer }

I’m looking out my kitchen window at the contents of my kitchen.

The angel food cake pan I made Rebecca’s first birthday cake in.

My grandmother’s loaf pan with that great star pattern.

The pasta maker we originally thought was the worst wedding present ever but went on to throw fabulous pasta making parties where you make your guests make their own dinner.

The rolling pin my mother in law bought for me when Ryan and I were 22.

Oh sigh. The tough part about Rebecca and I being diagnosed with celiac isn’t the food, it’s the stuff.

Scrap that, it’s the memories that go along with the stuff.

The whisk that makes pancakes, the pastry brush, oh hell the pastry knife is out there too. The cutting boards, the wooden spoon.

They are all out there on the back porch.

I’ve given away the toaster, the pizza cutter, the things I can’t clean. I’ve been cleaning for days. I vacuumed, I scrubbed,  I went at the pastry pin and vintage tins with a tooth brush, I gave away a third of our pantry and I give up. There was flour along the edges of the drawers, suspicious oats under the cutlery. What’s left can just sit out there for a few weeks while I decide what pieces to salvage and what lovely new cutting boards I should treat us to.

The issue really isn’t the food, it’s all the food that’s been made in this kitchen. I cook, I love to cook, my kitchen is my happy place.  I don’t mind the challenge of removing gluten from our diets. It’s actually a relief after all the things we’ve gone without while trying to unravel this puzzle. It’s the cleaning is a little much.  There is flour on the edge on all my drawers from when the mixer pooffed up a fine mist and I smiled thinking it was fun.  Those brownies that made a cloud of flour around the coffee maker?  I think I’ve finally got it all.

I’ve stripped the cast iron of ten years worth of grilled sandwiches and weekend breakfasts. This set the oven on fire and Rebecca, being the three year old that she is decided that that was the moment to ask for a snack.

Rebecca falls asleep listing off the donuts she would like to eat. She can describe them all; fluffy donuts, sprinkles, sparkles, maybe some pink and blue ones? She says they are behind glass and asks if she can just polish it. She also says beautiful things; “I feel great!” “Wheat makes my belly hurt, I no eat wheat, I eat my own Becca snacks”. She plays a game where she’s a waitress who only serves gluten free treats; “may I have a cup of tea please?” she squeals “Here’s your tea, it’s gluten-free!”.

Slowly but surely we’re on a mend and my spring cleaning is coming to a close. My mother brought over a new pasta maker, we successfully ordered gluten free pizza, we’re headed tothe ND this afternoon for some guidance, and I think once we get a fresh coat of paint around my kitchen window we will be off to a fresh start.

We’ve been packing seeds around the clock getting ready for the most wonderful time of year!

Seedy Saturdays always officially kick off our spring season and we couldn’t be more excited.

Toronto East

Evergreen Brickworks

550 Bayview Avenue

Saturday March 9th, 2013

11:00 – 4:00

PWYC

We love the Brickworks and this is a really fun event. There will be gardening workshops, their regular farmers’ market, the best playground in the city, and so many seeds both for sale and for exchange. If you come, please stop by and introduce yourself.

We always have a great time at Scadding Court too.  It’s right downtown and easy to get to and a will have a ton of local gardening vendors and resources.

Toronto West

Scadding Court Community Centre

707 Dundas Street West

Saturday March 16th, 2013

11:00 – 5:00

PWYC

Take a looks at Seed’s of Diversity’s complete listings for Seedy Saturdays across Canada.

I often get asked how I do it. How I run a business, take care of two littles, carve out just a little time for some volunteer work and even maybe a little time for myself (I went to the dentist and the naturopathic doctor this week. That counts, right?). The truth is it’s a combination of things and none are really anything super human. I make lists, have a loose weekly schedule that includes Fridays off, I wear my baby on my back, I’m getting better at knowing when to say no and more importantly when to say yes.  I’m hoping to get a few posts written about all this work at home nonsense and even though I have that scheduled for once a week I’m not going to feel guilty when it doesn’t happen.

One of the most important things is knowing when to find help. So this year when our spring season ramped up earlier than ever and baby Robin decided to grow teeth we called in some help.  In past years Ryan and I have invited a few friends and my brothers over sporadically to help pack seeds but this year we have taken a different approach. We’ve found a nice group of old friends and former employees and even an almost teenager to play duplo for hours at a time. Then we get everyone together at the same time and pack seeds.  It’s like the scenes in Fight Club where you look through the house and everyone is making soap. Except with us it’s seeds and nothing blows up.

So here’s our cast of characters. They are all awesome and I thought I should introduce them to you as it’s quite possible they helped fill your seed order.

Clara may pack seeds on Sundays but really she’s an awesome illustrator who makes these awesome feminist body positive punk rock watercolours. She can build a goblin caves out of duplo and might be Becca’s favourite person in the whole world.

Gerald used to work for Ryan. Then I stole him and he worked for me. Now he builds robots. Really. 

Alison and I used to work together. She’s got a shiny new job that started this week and she’s a girl guide leader.  How cool is that? She is also an expert at cutting and pasting and I like her very much.

Hazel finds being a mascot exhausting and wishes she got more fan mail.

Rebecca is getting really good at threshing seeds. She’ll work for honey sticks so that’s a real bonus.

Last but not least, these guys.  Ryan and Robin work really well together. Ryan prints and folds the seed packs, Robin tries to eat them. Ryan even got to combine some of his many jobs by making us this cool little video and testing out a new GoPro camera at the very same time. Talk about multitasking!

Please take a peek at a day’s work reduced to 30 seconds:

By getting together all at once instead of picking away at the work a little at a time we get a ton of work done. It’s quite a bit of fun, we all eat a nice meal together and then we do it again the next week. Just because you’re self-employed doesn’t mean you have to work all by yourself.

Just a few photos of Rebecca, Robin and Hazel enjoying the snow mostly for my mom who was horrified that I couldn’t convince Rebecca to go out in it yesterday.

Ryan has been working something like 100 hours a week so there have been some logistical issues with solo parenting.  Robin’s foot brace means that none of the 4 different snow outfits we have actually cover all of him; this one is open on the back.  I normally just wear him in a baby carrier and cover us both up in the ergo coat but I can’t really play in the snow like that. So the bouncy chair came outside.

I think I’ll put him on my back and take everyone for a walk this afternoon.

 So a good time was had by all and we were all back inside by 9 am. Now Rebecca says we need to make a cake.

It’s winter and so I want to go into hibernation mode just as the seed business starts to ramp up. So here’s the answer to that haunting question; What’s for dinner? It’s “I’ll just make that Jamie Oliver recipe, you know, the one with the chickpeas but with more onions and some carrots” soup. We’ve just shared this tonight with the Lovely Clara who came and helped fill an overwhelming amount of seed packs (check out clarabeelavery.com for some great illustrations and musings).

Pasta e Ceci from Jamie Oliver’s Italy but from memory since we make it all the time and with carrots for colour and more onions since its winter.

2 onions

2 carrots

a few sticks of celery

1 clove of garlic

extra virgin olive oil

rosemary

2 cans of chickpeas

2 ¼ cups of stock

2 cups ditalini pasta

sea salt and black pepper

a handful of chopped basil and spinach in each bowl

I like that this soup cooks really slow and gently. Life is really distracting and full of good things like a busy business, 3 year old shenanigans, and a bouncing baby boy. So I have a tendency to walk off in the middle of making dinner.

This soup cooks long and slow, filling the house with a great oniony soup smell and won’t burn if you have to go nurse the baby for an hour.

Over low heat in a nice thick bottomed pot combine a few glugs of olive oil with finely chopped onions, carrots and celery. Cook slow and gently with the lid on for at least 20 minutes until the onions are clear.

Add 2 cans of well-rinsed chickpeas, stir it all up, and cover with stock or water (according to your level of vegan/vegetarianism). Cook over low heat for another 30 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove about half the soup and whizz it up in a food processor, blender, or use an immersion blender. Once it’s properly whizzed, throw it back in the pot.

Add your little pasta, we like ditalini, the little “o”s. You throw it in dry, add some salt and pepper, maybe some dried basil from last summer, and keep simmering gently for another 15 minutes or so until the pasta’s cooked.

Serve it up with some torn or chopped up basil and spinach. So delicious and really just a bunch of chopping and slow easy cooking.

Baby Robin just wants everyone to know that we should be back to more regular blogging now that he is wearing his snazzy boots and bars and we no longer have to go to Sick Kids’s Hospital every week. In fact we don’t have to go back for 12 weeks! Phew.