My Canada Contributions

- Food... Recipe Tweaks... Giving and Receiving

Sep 08, 2024

What’s a travelogue without a post about food? My thanks to Peggy for giving me a nudge to share another aspect of what I’ve been doing while in Canada.

We often hear food brings people together, especially in community—it’s a foundational earthly pleasure for the senses and an exquisite form of expression.

Now in my quinquagenarian years, the way in which I appreciate, prepare and present food is not something I think about, it arises from a natural impulse to create a dish of beauty that tastes delicious and nourishes the body, as opposed to harming it. And when I land in another’s kitchen, there’s no greater challenge than to create with only what is available.

From a young age, I learned to cook. When in my twenties, thirties and forties, it was more common than not for me to prepare a meal without the need for a recipe or instructions. One of my early day downfalls was I didn’t taste test my creations and relied on others to reveal that information to me.

I remember making a pot of fresh pumpkin soup for my grandparents (on my mothers side) for dinner - back in the days when I lived on the farm - and found out the following day when I went to reheat some leftovers for lunch, that it was awfully bland. Oh dear! And they were so gracious with their gratitude. I soon realised I had omitted one essential ingredient—an onion.

I can’t say that I immediately learned from that event, and I also can’t determine when I did begin to taste test most recipes before I served them, but what I do recognise is the integrity that comes with appreciating the cook and no longer needing the recognition or approval from another of a scrumptious meal.

Only when I decided to try the vegan path did I resort to following a recipe because it was something very unique and new. But like any other new learning, we grasp the tried and true of what others have perfected before us and then tweak to make them our own. Or in this case, we tweak them to utilise what we have at our disposal.

My first dish was to create something from one very large organic eggplant Peggy had purchased from a local market stall, and several large yellow homegrown tomatoes gifted from her daughter, Cass. As no chickpeas or spices were available, I substituted jalapeno peppers and added more garlic, and at the end, chopped Swiss Chard. We served it with rice. It was flavoursome.

Moroccan-Spiced Eggplant and Tomato Stew

As the stew was so large there was a second opportunity to reinvent it and rather than serve it again with rice, I wanted to thinly slice potatoes on top and turn it into a version of Shepherd’s Pie. However, when I searched and found a slicing cutter, it turned out to be a spiraliser which made for a caramelised potato crunch topping.

Ashland-inspired Peanut Bowl

Heart-full gratitude to Natalie who took me to the Dobra Tearoom and Cafe, Ashland because she loves their food and beverages… and now I do too!

I was so impressed by the arrangement of ingredients, quality and taste that it inspired me to have a go at emulating it. I discerned it could only be as good if I could find an equally awesome peanut sauce recipe!

I’ll admit, I made a few tweaks: caramelising an onion, subbing tofu for triangles of tempeh, and adding cherry tomato halves and sliced almonds. While my presentation was no match for theirs, it was a taste sensation and no doubt due to the peanut sauce… my recipe tweak below…

Peanut Sauce Recipe (organic ingredients if possible)

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons Tamari
1/4 cup water
1 red or green jalapeno pepper
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

I must say that the peanut butter in Canada is not a patch on Pic’s from New Zealand… it’s the peanuts themselves… that said, the sauce is so good that it could be a delicious accompaniment to many-a-meal. (Adapted from Nora Cooks).

Other dishes experimented with were: Banana Cream Pie, a curry from scratch where there was no curry powder or cumin seeds and no recipe to draw inspiration from, and my favourite Banana Bread made from rye flour and almond meal instead of wholewheat flour and leftover almond pulp, topped with fresh organic slices of banana and hemp seeds.

Then there were the choc-chip cookies made from Quinoa flour! These turned into marbled morsels of mid-afternoon munchiness… I can highly recommend and did not tweak the recipe.

Now, I am in a completely different environment that comes with an entirely different set of parameters where my culinary skills are not needed for others and I need only prepare for myself. But unlike my pantry staples at home in Australia, where I have all the raw and dry ingredients to draw from to create the meals I enjoy, here is minimalistic.

As I listen to my ever-changing body, I sense the refinement will be beneficial to my health and wellbeing. Who knows what I will discover. What I do know, is my gratitude and passion for food married with my creative flair can amaze me. Take today’s lunch, as an example, aligned with what’s in season. I had fresh homegrown tomatoes, dried oregano, salt & pepper, rye and caraway seed sourdough bread, and red skinned potatoes to work with. Can you guess what I did with them?

Scalloped Potato Open Sandwich à la Leanda

My senses thoroughly enjoyed the scalloped panfried slices of potatoes sprinkled with dried oregano, salt and pepper on lightly toasted bread and topped with fresh tomatoes. The taste sensation - miam! Sorry! I’d eaten it before any thought of photo-taking came to me. 😋