Sunday Brunch (Gluten-Free February): Monster Salad

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Mixed Greens
1/2 cup Kale, massaged, pieces
1 cup Brown Rice, cooked
1/2 Red Pepper, diced
1 cup Brown Mushrooms, chopped
1 Zucchini, diced
1/2 brick Tofu, diced
1/2 Avocado, diced
1/2 cup Strawberries, diced
1/4 cup Chia Seeds
1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds
2 tbsp Gluten-Free BBQ Sauce
2 tbsp Salsa (should be GF, but check)

In a pan, steam fry the tofu, zucchini, mushrooms and peppers until soft. Add in rice and BBQ sauce/salsa.  Lay greens out on a plate and top with fried mixture. Top off with avocado, strawberries and seeds.

A Record a Week: Dean Martin - Greatest Hits Vol. 1

SIDE 1.
EVERYBODY LOVES SOMEBODY
YOU'RE NOBODY 'TIL SOMEBODY LOVES YOU
IN THE CHAPEL IN THE MOONLIGHT
HOUSTON
(REMEMBER ME) I'M THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU
I CAN'T HELP REMEMBERING YOU

SIDE 2.
NOBODY'S BABY AGAIN
EVERY MINUTE, EVERY HOUR
BUMMING AROUND
YOU'LL ALWAYS BE THE ONE I LOVE
COME RUNNING BACK
THE BIRDS AND THE BEES


When you think of crooners, Dean Martin's name is one of the first that come to mind. He was in the heart of the crooning era and a part of the famous 'Rat Pack'. I am not sure if crooning was as cheesy in its day as I find it now, or if it fit more in with the times. I find artists like Bublé endlessly talented, but extremely over the top and I'm not sure if it's a result of artists from that time being remembered as idols and the ones at the origin of many of these crooning/big band standards that they aren't viewed in the same light. Then again, Bublé tours massive venues, so I guess I'm not the majority in that sense.

As mentioned, this album holds up as an album full of Martin's crooning standards and as such, has that smooth sound that makes that music what it is. It does, however, get a little old and stuffy by the end of the record. I imagine that is a result of me not knowing the later songs, but talent alone doesn't do it for me over the length of an album.

This album also came out in a time when you could seemingly make ENDLESS amounts of 'best of' records by the same artists. I find it hard to believe anyone made any money off of any of these compilations, when they all contained a selection of similar songs. Once copyright came into play that dried up pretty quick.

Sunday Brunch (Gluten-Free February): Lumberjack Breakfast

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Onion, thinly sliced and quartered
1/2 package X-Firm Tofu, crumbled
1/2 Bell Pepper (any colour).
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Turmeric
2-4 tbsp Salsa, to taste
1/2 cup Hashbrown Potatoes (from frozen or fresh)
1/2 Avocado, diced
Sliced fruit for a side




Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry onions until translucent and then add crumbled tofu. After 1 minute, add spices and stir until tofu takes on a 'scrambled egg' look, then add diced pepper. When pepper is soft, stir in salsa and cook for a minute or so, until salsa is warm. Serve over hashbrown potatoes and top with avocado, serve with your favourite fruit on the side (I am eating Cara Cara oranges as much as possible until they're out of season). Chili sauce also goes well on top of the scramble.

 

Sunday Brunch (Gluten-Free February): Apple Pie-Style Rice Pudding

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup Rice, short-grain, uncooked
1 cup + 1 tbsp Water
1/2 Apple, small, peeled and diced
3/4 cup Almond Milk, divided
2 tbsp Rice Flour (or Nut Flour)
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Egg Replacer (Ener-G is GF)
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Vanilla Extract



Boil the water in a medium saucepan and add a dash of salt. Add rice and diced apple to the pot, cover and simmer for 18 minutes.

With about 5 minutes left on the timer, bring 1/2 cup almond milk to a low boil. Meanwhile, combine rice flour, sugars and 1/8 cup almond milk in a small mixing bowl. Add the Ener-G (already mixed by the box), vanilla, cinnamon and another 1/8 cup almond milk. Add the spiced mixture to the heated milk and stir frequently until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in finished rice. Serve hot or cold as desired.

Olympic Dreams (not aspirations)

My dad has traveled to Sochi to cover the winter Olympics and it has really been worrying me. He’s been to many games before, but with everything surrounding this one, I was concerned for his well-being. To make matters worse, I hadn’t heard from him since his plane left on Tuesday. I finally heard from him today, but before that happened my stress managed to manifest itself in a dream last night.

In the dream, I awoke to the phone ringing, which I missed. I immediately filled with dread and got on the computer (I don’t know why). In my email there was a notice that my dad had died in a bombing(again, not sure why it would be email). I broke down, obviously, and I remember thinking about how much I really didn’t want him to go and tried to get him not to (actually wanted/did those things).

The worst part about the dream is that my mother was there to console me about it. When I woke abruptly, the fact that my mother is not actually alive to console me set in a while before the realization that my dad is (at the time ‘probably’) fine. It was a panicky little bit and I can’t be happier that I finally got a message from him saying all is well.

A Record a Week: The Mar-Keys - The Great Memphis Sound

SIDE 1.
HONEY POT
PLANTATION INN
LOVING YOU TOO LONG
CLEO'S BLACK
GRAB THIS THING

SIDE 2.
PHILLY DOG
WALKING WITH THE DUKE
THE GIRL FROM IPANEMA
IN THE MOOD
"DEAR JAMES" MEDLEY (Night Train, Papa's Got a Brand New Bag, I Got You, Good Loving, I'll Go Crazy)

The Mar-Keys were a studio session backing band in the 60's (and have recently reformed), who also had some single hits of their own. As such, most of the music is instrumental and many are familiar/cover songs. It's an excellent background album to have on, as I find most big band is.

The album swims seamlessly between swing, soul and some funk/r&b as it showcases songs from the Stax catalog (the label for which they were a backing band). The result is the best possible version of Muzak, which I wish they would pump everywhere instead of the inane version that they usually do.

This record felt like a throwback to my household when I grew up. TV was a thing we liked to watch then, but it was more of an event than a thing that always happened. The main room was reserved for reading, conversation and 100% of the time - music. As a result, the music was often softer music or instrumental. This record would fit perfect into that situation; unless you were reading a book, in which case getting up every 10 minutes would probably be irritating.

Sunday Brunch: Icelandic Brunch - Porridge w/ Veggie 'Blood' Sausages ***Bonus Gluten-free February option

I've been dreaming of a trip to Iceland lately, so I looked up what their style of breakfast is this week. Unfortunately, they have a very heavy reliance on meat over there, so it was mostly that. No better time to try my hand at sausages from scratch! Thank you to The Post Punk Kitchen for the base recipe, which I altered.

Secondly, I am going to post BOTH the gluten-free and the very much not gluten-free recipe. The oats are GF by nature, as long as you get ones that aren't processed in a plant that also processes gluten products. ***The Gluten-Free recipe will be in bold.


OATS INGREDIENTS:
1 cup Water
1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk(1 cup unsw. Almond Milk + 1 tsp Vanilla)
1 cup Porridge Oats
1 tsp Salt

Bring the milk, salt and water to a low boil and add the oats. Simmer for 4-5 minutes until smooth and top with a bit of maple syrup or brown sugar and pour Almond Milk over top. I topped with some blueberries because I can't get enough.

SAUSAGE INGREDIENTS GF:
1/2 cup Cooked Navy Beans, drained
1 cup Vegetable Broth (should be GF, but double-check to find one that is)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Tamari or other GF Soy Sauce Alternative
1/2 cup Bean Flour
1/2 cup Rice Flour
1/4 cup Tapioca Starch
1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast (again, should be GF, but check label to be sure)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp Crushed Fennel Seed
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
3-4 Sun-Dried Tomatoes, chopped well

For preparation, get a large pot with a fitted steam basket (or whatever steaming option you have) and get it boiling. Prepare 4- 5 pieces of tinfoil, each 5-6 inches wide x box length (regular, not wide box).

Mash the beans into a paste with minimal chunks. Then add the rest of the ingredients in order, stir with a fork or spatula until a (wet) dough is formed. separate the dough into 4-5 pieces and form into tubes about 5 inches long (5 pieces will yield skinnier sausages). Lay along the foil and wrap up tight, spinning the ends like a Tootsie Roll. Place wrapped sausages in the steamer for 40 minutes, then fry or grill at mealtime.  I fried them up and drizzled with some maple syrup.

SAUSAGE INGREDIENT (NON-GF)
1/2 cup Cooked Navy Beans, drained
1 cup Vegetable Broth (should be GF, but double-check to find one that is)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 1/4 cups Vital Wheat Gluten1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast (again, should be GF, but check label to be sure)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 1/2 tsp Crushed Fennel Seed
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
3-4 Sun-Dried Tomatoes, chopped well

Follow directions as listed above.

A Record a Week: Herbie Mann - The Evolution of Mann

SIDE 1.
NEW ORLEANS
MOTHERLESS CHILD
GEORGIA ON MY MIND
NOT NOW - LATER ON

SIDE 2.
GYMNOPEDIE
YESTERDAY'S KISSES
NIRVANA
FEELING GOOD

SIDE 3.
PATATO
WHY DON'T YOU DO RIGHT
SCRATCH
DROWN IN MY OWN TEARS

SIDE 4.
CONSOLATION
TURKISH COFFEE
INCENSE
PLEASE SEND ME SOMEONE TO LOVE

This isn't the first Jazz Flute album I've reviewed, which I wouldn't have wagered when I began this project. Nor would I have guessed how boppin' it can be. Some of the songs fit into the 'smooth jazz' category, but some have a real funky beat happening underneath and it is delightful.

He's a very talented flautist and was able to keep active for 50 years, despite a pocket of time where Jazz was not as popular as disco and rock music. He saw this and worked with some artists in that genre to be able to keep it up until the interest in Jazz began to regain some steam. Another record by a name I recognized, but knew nothing about and another surprise. If I ever held an upbeat party with a retro theme, this would definitely be a record to throw on.