Taste and See: The Food of the Sabbatical

A Sabbatical Food Journal 

Society of St. John the Evangelist- Emery House

The Emery House property consists of multiple buildings: a 15-room main house begun in 1720, six small hermitages, and two small 10×10 cabins in the forest used by retreatants in the summer. The property was given to the Society of St. John the Evangelist by the Emery family.

The Brothers living at Emery House are pleased to offer hospitality, meals, and occasional spiritual direction for those on individual and group retreats.

Guests are also invited to join in the Brothers’ daily worship (Morning Prayer, Holy Eucharist, Evening Prayer, and Compline), which follows The Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Each physical meal was what one would call “hearty” or straight from the earth. Breakfast was cereal or granola, Lunch  delicious hot dishes and for dinner soup and salad with bread.

On my first night there we had a delightful soup of Carrot Soup. It was divine. The recipe is shared below.

Upon return I realized how much we eat that is packaged and not straight from the earth or even a recent kitchen. Simple meals often are swapped out for quick meals and I realized how much I missed eating a variety of vegetables much more than potatoes! Oh the beets and mushrooms and eggplant! Eat those veggies!

CREAMY THAI CARROT SOUP WITH BASIL

 Thai-inspired, 8 ingredient, 30-minute carrot soup that’s creamy, vegan + gluten free, perfectly sweet and spicy and so delicious.

Author: Minimalist Baker Recipe type: Soup, Entrée Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free, Thai-Inspired Serves: 4

Ingredients

·       1 Tbsp (15 ml) coconut or olive oil

·       1/2 of 1 large yellow onion,

·       chopped 3 cloves garlic,

·       diced 1 pound carrots, scrubbed (or peeled) and chopped (~4 cups)

·       Healthy pinch each salt and pepper

·       2 cups (480 ml) veggie stock + 2 cups water (480 ml)

·       1/3 cup creamy or crunchy salted natural peanut butter (use less for a less intense PB flavor)

·       2 tsp chili garlic sauce (use less for less spice)

·       OPTIONAL TOPPINGS: Fresh basil, cilantro, or mint; coconut milk; brown sugar or agave nectar (sub honey if not vegan); Sriracha hot sauce (NOT LISTED: Coconut or Olive Oil for sautéing)

Instructions

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat.

2. Dice onion and garlic. Add to pot with 1 Tbsp coconut or olive oil (or nonstick spray). Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Season with a healthy pinch each salt and pepper, then add veggie stock and 2 cups of water and stir.

4. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender (test by cutting a larger piece of carrot in half – it should cut with ease).

5. Transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth and creamy. (Cover with a towel in case your lid leaks any soup while blending.)

6. Add peanut butter and chili garlic sauce to the blender and blend to combine, using a ‘puree’ or ‘liquify’ setting if you have it.

7. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. For a touch of added sweetness, add a Tbsp or so of brown sugar, maple syrup or agave nectar (or honey if not vegan). Add more chili garlic sauce for more heat. 

My Favorite Go- To Recipes

We all have comfort foods don’t we?

I love making a good brownie. Originally I only made cookies and thought good golly brownies- you make them and then have to wait for them to cool, then cool some more and then you can actually cut them…who has time for that? Those who are patient and plan ahead is who! My favorite recipe is a dark chocolate version of Martha Stewart’s fudgey brownie recipe, I originally found it in Everyday Food magazine and it has become my go-to for brownies! Enjoy

Triple Dark Chocolate Brownies (adapted from Martha Stewart)

·       1 stick of butter

·       ¾ cups of Chocolate Chips (use dark ones! And I throw ¾ of a bag in, save the remainder for last step)

·       3 eggs

·       1 ¼ Cup of Sugar

·       1 tsp Vanilla

·       1 cup of Flour

·       ¼ Cocoa Powder (dark also!)

·        ¼  tsp Baking Powder

·       ¼ tsp Salt

Instructions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 350

2.      Line a 8x8 inch dish with parchment paper and spray it with non stick spray (easy clean up!)

3.      Melt the butter and ¾ bag of chips together over a low flame.

4.      Transfer the melted chocolaty goodness to a bowl and add the sugar then eggs.

5.      Add the vanilla

6.      Add the Flower, Cocoa Powder, Baking powder and salt. Mix till it just comes together

7.      Add the remaining chocolate chips (if you have not already eaten them all)

8.      Do not overmix.

9.      Pour into the 8x8 pan and then cook at 350 for 50-60 minutes. Or knife comes clean when you test it.

10.  Let cool for 10-20 min in pan, then remove from pan, let cool for another hour before even attempting to cut them or else you will have a MESS!

When I gave up eating grains recently I realized that baking is first not supposed to happen and second not really tasty. FINALLY I found a recipe that did not add TOO much sugar and included flax seed, so the muffin is packed with protein and goodness. Running Paleo Mama is a great resource for similar recipes.

Paleo Almond Butter Banana Muffins with Flaxseed

These grain free and paleo almond butter banana muffins will become a family favorite for breakfast and snacks! Made with almond flour and flaxseed, these are healthy, kid friendly and perfect for your favorite mix-ins. Course Breakfast/Snack Cuisine Paleo

·       Prep Time 10 minutes

·       Cook Time 20 minutes

·       Total Time 30 minutes

·       Servings 12 muffins

·       Calories 209 kcal Author Michele

Ingredients

·       3 eggs

·       2 overripe medium bananas

·       1/2 cup smooth almond butter

·       1/4 cup raw honey

·       1 tsp pure vanilla extract

·       1 1/4 cups blanched almond flour

·       1/3 cup flaxseed meal

·       1 tsp baking soda

·       generous pinch salt

·       Mini dairy free Chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 12 cup muffin pan with coconut oil or line with muffin liners.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs with the mashed bananas, almond butter, honey, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, flax, baking soda and pinch of salt.

3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined, don't over-mix. If adding chocolate chips, raisins or chopped nuts, gently stir in about 1/3 -1/2 cup.

4. Spoon the batter evenly among the muffin cups/liners to fill about 3/4 of the way (I made 12), scraping the bowl to use it up. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until edges begin to brown and centers are just set.

 5. Cool in the muffin pan for about 2 minutes, then gently transfer to wire racks to fully cool. Enjoy!

https://www.paleorunningmomma.com/paleo-almond-butter-banana-muffins/

And finally, when I was first learning to cook I saw this Chipotle Sweet potato soup, I believe also a Martha Stewart recipe and found the following also and blended the two, and ever since I make it when a soup is needed. It’s simple recipe and you can kick it up a notch with more chipotle (or less if you have a milder preference)

Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

prep 10 minscook 30 minsinactive 10 minstotal 50 mins

author salt & lavender

yield 4+

This spicy chipotle sweet potato soup is a healthy and flavorful vegan soup with a nice kick of heat! It's wonderfully silky and will really warm you up this fall.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces (2 lbs)
• 1medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 7 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 chipotle chili pepper + 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
• 1 heaped tablespoon tomato paste
• Salt & pepper, to taste 

Instructions

1. Prep your sweet potatoes and onion.
2. Add the oil to a pot on medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 5-7 minutes or until it's lightly browned. 
3. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
4. Add the vegetable broth, water, chipotle chili pepper + adobo sauce, tomato paste, and sweet potatoes. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cover with the lid slightly ajar for 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are very tender. 
5. Blend the soup in batches until smooth (I recommend letting the soup cool for 10-15 minutes first to do this more safely). Season with salt & pepper and serve immediately. Soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. 

https://www.saltandlavender.com/spicy-chipotle-sweet-potato-soup/cookbook-print/10201/

Mom and Dad’s Paleo Hack Dessert

Ingredients

·        1 can 13.5 oz full-fat coconut milk

·        4 eggs

·        2 T raw honey

·        2 t vanilla extract

·        1-2 t cinnamon

Instructions

·        Preheat oven to 325 degrees

·        In a medium pot, boil 2 cups water

·        In another medium pot, heat coconut milk and honey on medium heat

·        In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon

·        Turn heat down to medium-low on water

·        Turn heat down to low on coconut milk

·        Once milk is heated, pour into bowl with egg mixture. Mix together.

·        Place 4-6 ramekins in baking dish.

·        Fill baking dish half way with the hot water.

·        Pour milk and egg mixture evenly into the ramekins. Bake for 20-30.

·        Refrigerate for 2 hours or eat immediately for a warm version

https://blog.paleohacks.com/decadent-paleo-custard/#

From Scotland:

Scotland is known for quite a few things but shortbread is particularly Scottish! When I was in Iona, I stumbled upon the most delicious fresh shortbread made by the Iona Abbey Community. While I didn’t get a chance to make their version, this recipe below is delicious and very easy!

The story of shortbread begins with the medieval “biscuit bread”. Any leftover dough from bread making was dried out in a low oven until it hardened into a type of rusk: the word “biscuit” means “twice cooked”. Gradually the yeast in the bread was replaced by butter, and biscuit bread developed into shortbread. Shortbread was an expensive luxury and for ordinary people, shortbread was a special treat reserved just for special occasions such as weddings, Christmas and New Year. In Shetland it was traditional to break a decorated shortbread cake over the head of a new bride on the threshold of her new home. The custom of eating shortbread at New Year has its origins in the ancient pagan Yule Cakes which symbolised the sun. In Scotland it is still traditionally offered to “first footers” at New Year. Shortbread has been attributed to Mary, Queen of Scots, who in the mid-16th century was said to be very fond of Petticoat Tails, a thin, crisp, buttery shortbread originally flavoured with caraway seeds. There are two theories regarding the name of these biscuits. It has been suggested that the name “petticoat tail” may be a corruption of the French petites gatelles (“little cakes”).

However these traditional Scottish shortbread biscuits may in fact date back beyond the 12th century. The triangles fit together into a circle and echo the shape of the pieces of fabric used to make a full-gored petticoat during the reign of Elizabeth I. The theory here is that the name may have come from the word for the pattern which was ‘tally’, and so the biscuits became known as ‘petticoat tallis’.

Shortbread is traditionally formed into one of three shapes: one large circle divided into segments (“Petticoat Tails”); individual round biscuits (“Shortbread Rounds”); or a thick rectangular slab cut into “fingers.”

There are many different recipes and regional variations for shortbread. The following recipe uses rice flour to give a slightly grainy texture:

Scottish Shortbread

6 oz. plain flour ~ 2oz. caster sugar ~ 1 oz. icing sugar ~ 2 oz. rice flour ~ 5 oz. butter ~ pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 140°C (280°F or Gas mark 2). In a mixing bowl, cream together the sugars and the butter. Sift in the flours and salt: work by hand to a stiff dough. Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Form either into a round or into fingers and prick with a fork. Bake in the oven until light golden brown, around 30 – 40 minutes.

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Scottish-Shortbread/

From England:

The Full English Breakfast was found each morning at our bed and breakfasts and it was DELICIOUS! The full breakfast would have included haggis, beans, toast and eggs and tomatoes. YUMMY! All accompanied by a pot of tea, of course. SO yummy and so great for a full day of hiking or just getting to tea in the afternoon!

 Stay Tuned for Family Norwegian Recipes