Cream of Mushroom Soup

INGREDIENTS

5 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/8 tsp dried thyme
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup cream
1 Tbsp sherry or red wine (optional)

DIRECTIONS

In a large heavy saucepan, cook mushrooms in the broth with onion and thyme until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, puree the mixture, leaving some chunks of vegetable in it. Set aside.

In the saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the salt, pepper, cream, and vegetable puree. Stirring constantly, bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste and add sherry if using.

Root Vegetable Gratin

INGREDIENTS

4 medium turnips
1 large sweet potato or yam
1 lb carrots
2 large leeks
3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
1 Tbsp flour
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup apple cider
1/4 lb good melting cheese such as Swiss, cut into chunks
Fresh Parmesan cheese, grated

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Trim the root vegetables, peel them, and cut them into chunks.

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add the turnips, sweet potato, and carrots and boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.

Cut the leek where the white part meets the green part and cut the white part in half lengthwise. Wash each half under running water, using your hand to loosely separate but still gather the layers. Cut leek halves crosswise into 1/2 inch half-rounds for sauteeing. Then, take the green part and remove the outer layer or two. Inside you'll find a tender 'light green' part that can also be cut into half-rounds for sauteeing.

In a large skillet, melt two tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until soft. Set the leeks aside.

In the same skillet, melt the other tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour until there are no lumps. Slowly stir in the milk one spoonful at a time, stirring all the time and not adding more until the lumps are stirred out. Add the apple cider. Cook until the sauce thickens, stirring often. Stir in the cheese, the sauteed leeks, and the cooked root vegetables. Transfer to a baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly throughout. Top with Parmesan and bake for another 15 minutes.

TO MAKE AHEAD

The day before, assemble the entire gratin, except the Parmesan topping, and cover and refrigerate before baking. Return to room temperature before baking.

Save the Planet and Your Wallet

October was Power Smart month at BC Hydro. As part of a collective effort to reduce energy consumption and raise awareness about living more efficiently, participating restaurants and cafes along Commercial Drive dimmed their lights for an evening and traded in electronic music for live acoustic acts.

It's November now, but that's no reason to douse the candles. Designating one night a week as a candlelit evening is a great way to cut back on both energy and money spent this winter. Have a romantic dinner, turn off the TV and play board games together, break out the instruments and make some music, make shadow puppets on the wall, re-enact scenes from your favourite Victorian novel -- remember how much fun you could get up to during thunderstorms when the lights couldn't be turned on?

If you're really thinking sustainable, look for beeswax candles or -- better yet -- make your own. Click here for some tips on making candles at home. Why not make a day of it and spend the evening enjoying the glow of candles you've made with your own hands?

Raspberry Brie Canapes

Light tasting canapes with a hint of sweetness. The recipe calls for recipe jam, but feel free to use any fruit jam or preserves.

INGREDIENTS

2 x 135 g packages of brie cheese, chilled

4 eggs

Sea salt to taste

Butter for greasing

1/3 cup raspberry jam

DIRECTIONS

Slowly remove cheese rind, then slice cheese. Let slices reach room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180 degree Celsius (350 degree Fahrenheit). Put eggs in a food processor and whisk them a little. Add cheese slices and salt to taste. Blend until you obtain a smooth, uniform consistency.

Butter 24 miniature muffin tray cavities and fill with batter. Oven bake 10 minutes or until canapes are puffy and golden.

Retrieve from oven, let cool 5 minutes. Remove canapes from cavities and arrange them on a serving platter. Brush each canape with raspberry jam, and then serve immediately.

If preparing this recipe in advance, cool thoroughly after baking, cover and refrigerate. Heat in microwave oven for 1 to 2 minutes prior to serving and garnish with jam.

L'Ancetre Cheese Factory

Technology driven by tradition

L'Ancetre cheesemakers live by a simple and time honoured philosophy: Offer the best tasting and finest quality organic cheese available, while respecting Mother Nature. You can truly savour the authentic flavour and enjoy the nutritional benefits in every bite. It is this passion, inspired by a love of traditional agriculture, that has made L’Ancêtre Cheese Factory products so popular throughout Canada.

In 1992, a group of 10 dairy farmers had their own ideas about how to work the land. Their determination to return to traditional farming methods based on the ways of their ancestors with consideration for the environment formed the foundation for L’Ancetre. They believed that through these farming practices, they would be able to offer the best quality milk that would result in genuine, wholesome, and traditional flavour for their cheese. That’s how L’Ancêtre Cheese Factory began.

These visionary farmers also understood the importance of incorporating modern trends and technologies into their everyday farming routines. By fusing past and present, they are now able to provide products of the highest quality, made in an environment that adheres to the strictest standards.

L’Ancêtre Cheese Factory proudly offers organic raw (unpasteurized) milk cheese and organic pasteurized cheese.

Coming very soon: Brie!

Back in the spring, I went to the annual health industry convention in Vancouver. I go every year to check out new organic products and to meet with our existing suppliers about upcoming specials. This year, I was very excited when one of our distributors was sampling organic brie from L'Ancetre. The brie was delicious and creamy, and I was a little disappointed to be told after trying it that it wasn't going to be available until the fall. But the fall is finally here, and last week, I saw the announcement that the brie is now available. I am going to put it on my order this week and it should be in stock before November 8th. Cheese lovers, watch our sale page for the brie as soon as it comes into stock!

Spinach with Chickpeas and Fresh Dill

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed well
1 pound spinach, with thick stem cut away
1/2 cup minced fresh dill
2 Ttsp lemon juice
Sea salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chickpeas and toss to coat in oil.

Wash spinach and add to skillet without drying. Add dill and cook until spinach is tender.

Stir in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Fall Garden Clean-Up

With colder winters and the rainy season upon our gardens, all non-evergreen plant material is dying off and will soon be ready to be cut back. The extent of fall clean-up required is determined by the kind of garden you grow, the concerns you and/or your neighbour may have in regards to your garden appearance, and the number of perennials versus evergreens.

Doing a big fall clean-up might not be as necessary as once thought. Less is more in your garden. Leaving some perennials and flowers standing offer wild life and habitat for over winterizing insects, perches for birds, food from seeds left behind, as well as enjoyment watching them bring life into our winter gardens. For us, there are forms, textures and colors to contemplate.

In an organically-managed garden, bugs--and lots of them--are welcome; nature will take care of itself. Come spring, migrating birds will come looking for those insects provided by your garden. Some other ways insects are beneficial is by being pollinators, predators and by increasing bio-diversity to your garden.

If perennials stalks must be cut down, you may choose to cut them in about 5” lengths and lay them on the ground of your garden bed. They will serve as mulch with fall leaves and could provide cover for over winterizing butterflies. All this important organic material will enrich your soil and you and your garden will reap the many benefits coming next spring.

The work you will want to do this fall is remove all weeds, especially invasive ones. Divide overgrown plant material, reposition or share with friends. Remove parts of grassy areas and extend your planting areas. Planting of new material or some of your divided plants from your or friends' yards. Spring bulbs are best to plant in the fall.

Some pruning and trimming for shaping and plant separation can also be done at this time. Dead and diseased limbs are not to be added to your compost.

My Living Canvas is providing sustainable human powered gardening practices, with pesticides alternative, keeping you and your neighborhood at peace naturally. Living Canvas believes in feeding the soil rather than feeding the plants. Every year before new growth erupts from the ground we add soil amender to your flower beds and lawn after being aerated. This process provides all the nutrition plants require for a healthy growing season. All the organic matter when breaking down continues to nourish as well as retain moisture in the ground.

Kindest regards,
Roberto Gaudet
My Living Canvas Organic Gardening
(604) 809.9115
mylivingcanvas.com