Si la tendance se maintient

J’ai lu un excellent billet chez Lucie, qui m’a poussée à utiliser moi aussi un nouvel outil mis en ligne par Radio-Canada et la CBC : la Boussole électorale. Il s’agit d’un outil absolument génial, dont j’aurais aimé disposer pour toutes les élections auxquelles j’ai voté! (Pour faire le calcul, compter à partir du 1er janvier 1999 et soustrayez une élection municipale de Montréal; c’est quand même beaucoup!). On répond à 30 questions, et l’outil nous montre un graphique avec notre position par rapport à celles des partis officiels; on voit donc de quel parti on est le plus proche.



D’une part, ça prouve que les cinq partis principaux ne couvrent pas tous les points de vue : quatre des partis sont relativement proches sur les grandes lignes (libéralisme social et gauche économique), tandis que les Conservateurs sont à l’opposé. D’autre part, ça me montre de façon flagrante ce que j’avais conclu par moi-même aux dernières élections : si ce n’était pas de la question de la séparation, je voterais sûrement pour le Bloc québécois. Cependant, cette question étant la raison d’être du Bloc, et moi n’étant absolument pas séparatiste, je ne peux pas leur donner mon vote. Puisque la position du Parti vert en matière d’environnement (strictement) est plus proche de la mienne que de celle du Bloc, si la tendance se maintient, c’est encore une fois pour eux que je voterai cette année, même si aucun de leurs députés n’a de chances réalistes d’être élu. J’ai tout de même été surprise d’apprendre, ce matin, que le NPD est plus populaire au Québec que le Bloc...

J’ai fait ma demande pour être ajoutée à la liste des électeurs canadiens vivant en dehors du Canada, alors si tout va bien, je recevrai ma trousse de vote par la poste à temps pour les élections.

Pork and Lemongrass Meatballs

I made these meatballs based on a recipe from Bon Appétit. It’s a Vietnamese-style recipe that the Engineer and I both really enjoyed. I made a few modifications to the sauce, by using oyster sauce instead of fish sauce and reducing its amount by half, as well as adding salt by mistake and using a pinch of chili powder instead of a minced chile pepper. I also made it in the food processor. I’ll give you my measurements here, but feel free to adapt them. The sauce had some bite to it, from the lime juice, but it was very pleasant! I served the meatballs with spinach instead of butter lettuce, with a side of rice with gomashio.

For the meatballs
1 lb ground pork
1 lemongrass stalk, bottom 5 inches only, smashed with rolling pin, then minced
¼ cup chopped shallots
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam) or oyster sauce
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground white pepper (or regular black pepper)

For the dipping sauce and assembly
1 lemongrass stalk
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp fish sauce or oyster sauce
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp coarsely grated carrot
4 tsp (packed) golden brown sugar
1 pinch chili powder
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 head of butter lettuce, leaves separated, or spinach leaves
1 small cucumber, thinly sliced

For the meatballs
Chill pork in freezer while making lemongrass paste. Combine lemongrass and remaining ingredients in processor; pulse until paste forms. Add chilled pork; pulse to blend. Shape into 24 balls (each about 1 tablespoonful). Place on rimmed baking sheet. Cover; chill at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

For the dipping sauce and assembly
Cut bottom 3 inches from lemongrass. Smash with rolling pin, then mince. Measure 1 Tbsp and place in small bowl (reserve the rest for another use). Add lime juice, fish sauce, cilantro, carrot, sugar, and chili to bowl; whisk until sugar dissolves. (I did this in the food processor.)

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs; brown until cooked through, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes. Transfer to 1 side of large platter.

Arrange lettuce leaves and cucumber on platter with meatballs. Place meatballs in leaves, garnish with cucumber, and drizzle dipping sauce over.

Peanut Butter Pie

I absolutely must share this peanut butter pie recipe. It’s originally from The Kind Diet, which I mentioned before (here and here). It’s also posted on The Kind Life. It was out of this world! The mix of chocolate and peanut butter was just so, so good. The Engineer referred to it as a “crazy-a** pie” and heartily had seconds (after a little break for digestion). This pie is very rich, though not obscenely sweet. Of course, this all depends on what kind of peanut butter and chocolate you use: a natural peanut butter and grain-sweetened chocolate chips, plus ¼ cup of maple syrup, isn’t necessarily anything to feel guilty about! You can use sweeter stuff too. I ended up using a mix of Guittard extra dark chocolate chips and Ghiradelli semi-sweet chocolate chips, instead of trekking to the store to find yet another kind of chocolate (against character, I know, but I’m maturing). I also used So Delicious’s coconut milk beverage instead of soy milk. I ended up changing just one direction, to leave the crust in the fridge longer to chill completely before pouring in the filling. Let me just reiterate how impressed I was by this pie; it’s definitely going to grace my table again in the not too-distant future, especially given how easy it is to make!

As far as dietary restrictions go, you’re going to love this. The recipe itself is vegan (though you probably wouldn’t guess it by tasting it). The filling gets its consistency from silken tofu – I had some leftover in the fridge that I wanted to use before it went bad, and I could not have chosen a better recipe. I used a premade chocolate Keebler Ready Crust, which happens to be vegan, but Arrowhead Mills makes one too.. In the store, I also saw a chocolate macaroon pie shell that was kosher for Passover, so presumably gluten-free as well. I didn’t try it, but if it is hardened chocolate with shredded coconut, then skip the step in the recipe that calls for prebaking it. You can also make your own, of course. Finally, you might have noticed the “nut-free” tag on this post. That’s because I’m pretty sure that you could make this pie with WowButter (formerly FreeNut Butter), a peanut butter substitute made from soy and, according to online reviews, surprisingly close in taste to peanut butter. I don’t know firsthand how it compares to nut butters or pea butters, but I definitely think it’s worth a shot!

1 vegan chocolate cookie crust (see above)
1 10-oz bag of grain-sweetened, non-dairy chocolate chips
½ cup of soy milk, hemp milk or coconut milk beverage (do not use rice or nut milk)
1 ¼ cups of peanut butter, divided (see above)
1 12.3-oz box of silken tofu
¼ cup of maple syrup (adjust depending on taste and kinds of chocolate and peanut butter used)
1 tsp of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

Bake the cookie crust for 4-5 minutes just to make it a bit crispy. Cool completely.

Melt the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a stainless steel bowl over boiling water and melt the ingredients in it. Whisk in the milk until combined and smooth.

With a measuring cup, scoop out about ¼ cup of the chocolate mixture, then pour the remainder into the cookie crust. Place the cookie crust in the refrigerator to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.

After the filling chills, combine 1 cup peanut butter, the tofu, syrup, and vanilla extract in a food processor or blender; process until very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the peanut butter mixture on top of the chilled chocolate filling in the cookie crust, smoothing it out over the pie as you pour, and return the filled cookie crust to the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour or until firm.

To serve, return the reserved chocolate filling to the double boiler, or stainless steel bowl, and stir in the remaining ¼ cup peanut butter. Stir until the chocolate and peanut butter are very well combined and very warm. If the mixture seems too thick to drizzle, add some soy milk until it is runny enough to pour.

Decoratively drizzle the mixture over the chilled pie in zigzags or swirls, or use a small spatula to spread it smoothly over the whole pie. Refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Maximiser la rôtissoire

J’ai toujours cru que ma rôtissoire n’avait qu’une fonction (faire rôtir de la dinde) et qu’elle ne servait donc qu’une fois par année, voire deux. (Je ne compte pas l’utilisation pour faire cuire une sauce à spaghetti sur deux réchauds comme une utilisation normale.) Cependant, j’ai adapté une recette de granola à l’érable du livre Good to the Grain, et il y était conseillé d’utiliser une rôtissoire au lieu de deux plaques à biscuits. En effet, les bords élevés de la rôtissoire facilitent grandement la manipulation du granola en cours de cuisson, et cela évite en plus de manipuler deux plaques chaudes. C’est nettement plus pratique! Reste qu’il faut maintenant ranger la rôtissoire à un endroit accessible, si on s’en sert davantage...

Mini-muffins érable et bacon

Voici une recette que j’ai prise d’un de mes blogues francophones préférés, Obsessions gourmandes. J’ai utilisé mes derniers flocons de sucre d’érable en les saupoudrant sur le dessus des muffins et j’ai plutôt utilisé de la cassonade pour enduire les moules. Le rendement est de 36 mini-muffins ou 12 muffins de taille normale (donc, logiquement, il faut seulement 3 mini-muffins pour faire une portion d’un muffin, retenez-le).

Lorsqu’ils cuisaient, ma cuisine sentait bon la cabane à sucre! Les muffins eux-mêmes étaient absolument délicieux, et vraiment à se rouler par terre quand ils étaient encore chauds...Ils ne sont pas trop sucrés, et le goût du bacon est très prononcé à cause de (que dis-je, grâce à) l’ajout du gras de cuisson. Le seul problème est la taille des muffins. En effet, les mini-muffins semblent inoffensifs, et il est facile d’en prendre un ou deux en passant à côté de l’assiette sur le comptoir. C’est juste deux bouchées, après tout, c’est loin d’être une portion. Mais en fait, 3 mini-muffins valent un muffin normal! Pourtant, je mange un muffin normal en plus que 6 bouchées. Toujours est-il qu’il est difficile de résister à ces petites merveilles à l’érable et au bacon!

10 grosses tranches de bacon
beurre mou
sucre d’érable (ou cassonade)
1 ¾ tasse de farine tout usage
2 c. à thé de poudre à pâte
1 c. à thé de bicarbonate de soude
1 œuf
½ tasse de beurre ou de margarine
¾ tasse de sirop d’érable



Faire cuire complètement le bacon. L’éponger complètement avec un papier absorbant et l’émietter. Réserver le gras dans la poêle.

Préchauffez le four à 400 °F. Beurrer de petits moules à muffins et les sucrer avec du sucre d’érable. Réserver.

Dans un bol, mélanger ensemble la farine, la poudre à pâte, le bicarbonate de soude et le bacon émietté.

Dans un grand bol, défaire le beurre en crème à l’aide de batteurs électriques. Ajouter le gras du bacon, l’œuf et le sirop d’érable. Bien battre.

Ajouter les ingrédients secs aux ingrédients liquides et battre, juste pour bien mélanger et pas davantage.




Remplir les petits moules à muffins jusqu’au bord, saupoudrer de sucre d’érable (ou de flocons d’érable si vous en avez) et enfourner pour 11 minutes, ou jusqu’à ce qu’un cure-dents enfoncé dans la pâte en ressorte sec.




Laisser refroidir les mini-muffins sur une grille, puis manger chauds ou à la température de la pièce.

Lemon Cloud

For my 500th post, I wanted something special. And I’m a little backed up both in the recipes I want to post and those I want to make. There is one, however, that really stood out. I got it from Baking Bites, where it was called a Lemon Meringue Roulade. While that name is more descriptive and perfectly accurate, I felt like I was eating a cloud, a delicious fluffy lemon cloud, so that’s what I’m calling it. It was great served at room temperature, but was just as great cold. You’re going to have to try this one!

The original recipe calls for lemon curd. While I have seen it sold in jars at the grocery store, the vast majority of brands had lactose. The only one that didn’t had a whole bunch of artificial preservatives and food coloring, so I can’t recommend it either. Instead, I made the curd from my lemon tart with olive oil, and I served the extra curd on the side. I liked it so much that I think that’s just how it should be served. I also skipped the powdered sugar, this really doesn’t need it. And of course, mine is a lactose-free version. The recipe might seem long, but you can do each of the three steps separately if you choose.

For the meringue
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
¼ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon zest

For the lemon curd
3 large lemons
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
2 whole large eggs plus 2 large yolks
½ stick unsalted margarine, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 Tbsp fruity olive oil

For the filling
½ cup lemon curd
4 oz cream cheese substitute (such as Tofutti), at room temperature
1 cup whipping cream substitute (such as Kineret), thawed

For the meringue
Preheat oven to 325 °F. Line a 15×17-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper and lightly grease, making sure to lightly grease the sides of the pan, too. (The jelly roll pan I used was bigger, but I just didn’t spread the meringue all the way, and not all the smoothly either, and it worked like a charm anyway.)

In a large bowl, prepare the meringue. Beat the egg whites until frothy, then increase mixer speed to high and gradually beat in the salt and sugar, beating until the mixture reaches soft peaks. Stir in lemon zest.

Spread the meringue into prepared pan in a thin, even layer. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the meringue is light gold.

Turn the meringue out onto a wire rack lined with a clean dish towel. Peel off parchment paper and let cool completely.






For the lemon curd
Grate enough zest from lemons to measure 1 Tbsp, then squeeze ¾ cup juice from lemons.

Whisk together lemon zest and juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs, and yolks in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil, whisking, 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and whisk in margarine and oil until smooth. Set aside ½ cup for the filling, and reserve the rest for serving.

For the filling
Cream together the lemon curd and cream cheese substitute with a whisk until mixture is smooth. Beat whipping cream substitute to soft peaks in a small bowl, then fold into the cream cheese and lemon curd mixture.

Spread onto cooled meringue, leaving a ¼-inch border on all sides. Using the dish towel to help you handle the meringue, roll it up, starting with a short side. Don’t worry if the meringue cracks slightly during this process.






Transfer to a serving platter (refrigerate until ready to serve if necessary). Serve with a side of lemon curd.

Baked Garlic Fries

Alright, so I already had a great recipe for baked fries, but I couldn’t resist adapting the one I found on Lottie + Doof for a garlic version. I used paprika instead of cayenne pepper and sea salt instead of kosher salt (I have five kinds of salt as it is, and since sea salt and kosher salt are so similar, I stick to the sea salt and grind it a bit if need be). These fries were crispy on the outside and mushy on the inside, just the way I like them. The garlic fits in really well here, and the paprika played a great supporting role. I loved this version of baked fries, and the Engineer said that he “would prefer these to 90% of the fries out there” – high praise indeed!

6 garlic cloves, minced
6 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 russet potatoes (about 8oz each), each cut into 12 wedges
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
¾ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, Korean pepper or paprika

Preheat oven to 475 °F. Combine the garlic and oil in a large bowl and microwave until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer 5 Tbsp of the oil (leaving the garlic in the bowl) to a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, tilting the sheet to coat.

Add the potatoes to the bowl with the remaining oil mixture and toss to coat. Cover and microwave on high power until the potatoes are translucent around the edges, 3 to 6 minutes, shaking the bowl to redistribute the potatoes halfway through cooking.

Combine the cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the hot potatoes and toss well to coat. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake, turning once, until deep golden brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve.

Ramen Cabbage Salad

At a summer potluck last year, I tasted (and loved) an Asian-inspired salad that was made with cabbage, sesame, nuts and, interestingly enough, what looked like dried ramen noodles. I couldn’t track down the person who had made the dish, and even if I had, I probably didn’t know her from Adam and would have felt it inappropriate to say “Hi” and “Can I have your recipe?” in the same breath. I did find something online that was pretty close, though, on Food.com. I modified it a little with the addition of sesame oil and brown sugar in the dressing, and I now have a great salad.

While ramen noodles are not gluten-free and may or may not be vegetarian, vegan, nut-free or egg-free, depending on the brand and flavor, the recipe could be interesting with rice noodles too, and of course you can improvise your own flavouring instead of using the packet from the ramen. The salad should only be assembled right before serving; I only assembled enough salad at a time for a meal.

¼ cup sesame seeds
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 head cabbage, finely chopped
6 green onions, thinly sliced
2 (3 oz) packages ramen noodles, original flavour
2/3 cup canola oil
2 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp water
¼ cup rice wine vinegar (or cider vinegar; adjust sugar and salt to taste)
1 Tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper, to taste

Toast sesame seeds and almonds on a cookie sheet in oven or in a dry pan until lightly toasted. (Watch carefully, they can burn quickly.)

Mix cabbage and green onions in a large bowl.

Crush ramen noodles in the package. Open and remove broth packets.

To make dressing, mix oils water and vinegar in a jar with a tight lid. Add sugar and 1 packet of broth (or flavouring of your choice, such as MSG-free powder for chicken broth). Shake well. Taste, and add more sugar if necessary, as well as salt and pepper.

Just before serving, add crushed noodles, almonds and sesame seeds to cabbage mixture. Pour on dressing and toss well. Serve immediately.

SXSW4Japan

I mentioned SXSW before, though very briefly. The day after I posted, Hanson organized a 12-hour charity marathon with live stream, with all proceeds going to the recovery effort in Japan. There’s now a digital album on Amazon with even more music, with proceeds also going to Japan. It’s 47 songs for US$13.99, so that’s really great value, you get to discover a bunch of bands, and it’s for a good cause, too. Give it a listen!

More natural sodas

I tried two new natural sodas lately. The first was Whole Foods’ house brand ginger ale. It tasted like real ginger, with less sugar than brands like Canada Dry. I really liked it when I popped the can open, but it turns out that it loses its fizz quite quickly, and I’m not crazy about flat soda. So I’ll save it for occasions when I know I’ll drink the whole thing quickly (because now, I can easily nurse a can over two days).

The second brand I tried is Izze, which markets itself as sparkling juice. It’s pure fruit juice mixed with sparkling water, and of course, no artificial sweeteners. It does tastes like real fruit, which is great! I tried the pink grapefruit, which was very good, but my favourite so far is the blackberry flavour. That’s one I’ll keep buying!

Gardening update

The Engineer and I have pretty much completed the “chore” aspect of gardening; now it’s mostly maintenance, though that can be a chore too. The plants are looking much better with this weather. The viburnum bloomed, the Chinese fringe flower’s leaves went from green to red (and the dead bush in the front flowerbed wasn’t dead after all), the nandinas’ leaves went from red to green, and the crape myrtle finally has leaves.




The plant near the front door is growing and blooming, and I believe the hibiscus is sprouting again.





The lizards have come out of hiding, too: here’s a Texas spiny lizard, followed by a little green gecko that I adore.




I had started some seedlings indoors, but they haven’t fared well. They alternated between too much water and not enough, and when I planted them outside in frustration, it was too soon. I’ll try my hand at it again next spring, when I have more patience, but I might take a shortcut and plant actual plants later this month or in the fall. I did clear out the area where I wanted to plant the herbs, since without mulch it had been overrun by clover in the past two months. There’s another plant growing in there, but I don’t know what. I first thought it could be something like green onion, but the flower is totally different.






We bought two plants that I’m thrilled to have, since this climate allows it: a Meyer lemon tree and a Key lime tree. Well, they’re both dwarf varieties, and they probably won’t bear fruit this year, but still. There they are! We put them in a spot where we had to remove a dead bush.






The roses are in full bloom. We have a small Carefree Spirit bush (the tall one in the back), and a big Radrazz bush that, if anything, currently has too many blooms! I cut some from a branch that was bent under their weight, so I had a little bouquet to put on the table.








Now I’ll go out and water the plants a bit, since it’s going to be really hot today and tomorrow.