Food: Hazelnut Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

The holidays are steadily approaching, carrying with them the weight of end of term exams, summatives, crazy family get togethers, and of course - Christmas shopping. As we grow older, Christmas loses some of it's mystic, it's magic - but it still holds that inexorable pull over us. It says forget all these grey days that came before and all those grey days that will come after; savour this brief and imperfect respite. Savour it even though you don't know how you feel about such an extravagant example of consumerism, about the fact that Christmas - a religious event singular to one religion - takes prevalence over all other religious holidays, about the size of your budget, about all this goddamn wrapping paper going straight to the landfill. Avoid those stupid-ass gift guides like they're the plague - you don't need a glossy magazine to characterize your family and friends into 'sporty' and 'glam'. Just love. Give gifts because you want to, not because you have to. Give openly and freely things that may not seem all that special but truly are - your complete attention, for example, or pancakes (recipe coming next week!) on a blurry weekday morning, a spontaneous dance party, a hug and a kiss and a push-hair-off-the-face and a wide smile and a big, genuine I LOVE YOU.

Don't let your Christmas, or whatever holiday you celebrate, be reduced to wrapping paper and cries of 'next one!'. Take this chance to breathe, to love, and to give fully of yourself. Admittedly, this post does come a little early, but I wanted to get this off my chest. This season my goal is to be open - arms wide spread, face uplifted, spine like an oak tree, to take care of myself and those whom I love and know, and those I don't.

I don't mean to put down Christmas or the hype that surrounds it. I love Christmas movies, gingerbread men, the whole schtick. But I do not love the want-want-want vibe it gives off from time to time and the pressure it lays across our backs. Ya feel?

Now lets make some motherfucking cookies.

Let's discuss cookies for a bit, shall we? These ones are pretty good. Nutty and chocolaty and if you're lucky (or if you eat enough!) you get a bite of chocolate and a bite of hazelnut together and ahhh it's like Nutella. But it's kinda better for you.

They take a little longer than your average joe of a cookie (but that average joe is boooooring compared to these fellas) and the ingredients, admittedly, run a little costly and sound like an SNL spoof of a yogi's grocery list, but you know what, it is most certainly that time of year so go ahead and treat yo'self!! This cookies are too delish not to be tried. Share them with your neighbours, your kids, your friends, or just keep 'em for yourself. Considering the fact that I just had three for lunch, I am in no position to judge!

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
2 cups whole spelt flour (or whole wheat, or white)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut oil (melted)
1/4 cup olive or canola oil
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (yeah b, a whole tablespoon!)
1/2 cup chocolate chippers
3/4 cup toasted hazelnuts

Instructions:

1.  Combine dry ingredients in one bowl, wet in the other. (leave out chocolate chips and nuts)
2. Whisk together wet ingredients until fully incorporated, then pour into dry ingredients. Stir well and don't be alarmed - dough will appear super wet. DO NOT ADD MORE FLOUR. DON'T DO IT.
3. Stick your bowl in the fridge and let it chillax for 15 - 20 minutes.
4. In the meantime, preheat your oven to 350.
5. Then toast your nut buddies and chop 'em up into bite sized like pieces.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat and set aside.
7. Remove dough from fridge (should be nice and thickened) and stir in chippers and nuts.
8. Grab about two tablespoons worth of dough and roll it into balls. Press it down slightly.
9. Bake 15 minutes, careful to avoid burning the bottoms. If they look a little under done in the middle, don't freak out. They'll firm up when cooled.
10. Eat! Enjoy!

Love,
Kate

Food: Vegan Date Squares

As this late fall weather becomes steadily unfriendlier, I find myself spending much more time indoors, swaddled in my Dad's old sweaters and thick socks. I make oatmeal with whole rolled oats, relishing the warmth off a bubbling pot of cinnamon scented breakfast. There's a meditative aspect to taking time for yourself in the morning, to waking up slowly and carefully. To chilly extremities and fog rising over your backyard garden; over the rivers and trees. This is the time of year I love, not too hot, not too cold. Crisp. Clean. A time for fresh starts and fresh faces. New Years Eve has never held the same significance to me as these cool few days between fall and winter, this seasonal shift. Change is, quite literally, in the air. For once, I welcome it.

Photo by M. Kelly

These, friends, are not your classic vegan date square. They don't have those wacky chunks of orange rind floating around in there, nor do they call for half a jar of coconut oil (gosh dang expensive, pals), or agonizing hours cutting solid fats into oats. Well, maybe that's an overstatement, but when if you're anything like us, if you want a date square (or food in general), you wanted it five minutes ago. Whatever the weather may be in your corner of the world, I hope you give these a go.

Photo by M.Kelly

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 cup medjool dates
Zest of 1 small lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Crust:

2.5 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup of applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon coconut oil
pinch of salt

Crumble Topping:

1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup walnuts (or nut/see of your choice)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt

Directions!

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toss 2 cups worth of oats into your food processor and blend until powdery. Then add applesauce, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt. Pulse until combined.
3. Remove from motor base, take out blade, and stir in remaining 1/2 cup oats to blended mixture. The dough should be pretty firm.
4. Place the dough into a greased brownie pan (mine was 8"x8") and press firmly down. Using slightly damp fingers works well here. You want it to be as compact as possible, so as to minimize crumbly bases (ugh).
5. Now, without bothering to clean your processor, pulse all filling ingredients together until a chunky paste forms. If dates ball up into a giant clump, add a tablespoon or two of warm water, until they become more of a malleable paste. Spread this paste over your base with a spatula, as evenly as possible.
6. Then, again don't even clean it, dump your crumble topping ingredients into your processor. Pulse into they've broken down into pinky-fingernail size ish chunks, though some variety is always great.
7. Scatter over top of your date paste! If there are any leftover topping bits left (I had a small handful), make a yourself a lil cookie! Shape it into a wee ball, flatten slightly with your palm, and bake for 10 - 12 mins.
8. Now slide your completed crumble bars into the oven. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until top is lightly golden and aromatic.
9. Enjoy!

**This recipe was inspired by Sarah Britton at www.mynewroots.org! Her site is absolutely lovely. Check it out!**

(Late) Monday Quote/Nice Thought

Personally, I don't think this is that late since it's only 12:30, but according to the world that means it's Tuesday. So.

"I'm afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all its meaning." 

- Andy Warhol 

Life Post: Everything Sucks

This life post will just be me bitching about all of my teen angst emotions. So if you, oh non-existent reader, do not care for my badass girl rant, I would suggest skipping over this little part. Ok? Ok.

OH LIFE.

If Life had a body, I would torch it. Really.

It's like, aghhh. The feels. WHY DO I FEEL SO MUCH?! I mean, why couldn't humans have evolved  with an on/off switch for emotions? Though I suppose humans would become like, mindless, cold-hearted robots who kill people for sport. So maybe not. But still, I digress (did I even use that word right? I can't even make myself care right now).

1. WHY IS IT SO HARD TO FIND A POET BOYFRIEND WHO DRESSES CUTE AND HAS DARK HAIR, LIKES CATS AND IS RESPECTFUL TO WOMEN? AMONG OTHER THINGS?

Like, common'. It shouldn't be this hard. I've lost so much hope for my high school love life, I now console myself by saying: just wait until University. You will meet scads of boys who are what you're looking for and find yourself involved in whirlwind romances and passionate relationships with artist boyfriends who conveniently all have killer bods, nice teeth and dark hair. They will also lavish you in cute gifts of kittens and pricey lingerie.

In the meantime, I'm stuck watching countless cheesy movies, reading too many terrible trashy romance novels and obsessing over John Keats and Johnny Depp (I have a John thing ok?!) while eating stale Birthday Cake Oreos and the box of Honey Nut Cheerios I keep hidden under my bed. All while occasionally crying.

I mean, I always come out of these movies/books/whatever feeling needy, in the sense that I feel lonely and decide I need someone to make me feel wanted. And at that point, I'm already happy crying/ sad crying about the epic romance I just witnessed and then I really start to get crazy. Like, I've gotten so wrapped up in tv romances, I've almost vomited (Buffy the Vampire Slayer had me going). Factor in the sad eating of Oreos, which I end up just feeling guilty about later, and you have a weird wet teary mess of a gal who is just like FUCK, WHERE IS MY PERFECT DUDE?! Which is totally unrealistic and very damaging to future relationships, because we always have this perfect person in mind and it's impossible for anyone to hold up to that image. Not to say that having standards isn't good. It's super good! No one should settle for less than the best for themselves. BUT. Nobody's perfect (a little Hannah Montana for you there) and measuring up possible love interests to these imaginary dream people can only result in disaster. Anyways. I just can't find no one to loooovvveeee meeeeeeee.


2. WHY DO I ALWAYS FEEL SO HUGE AND HOW IS IT THAT I WENT FROM BEING SLIM TO CHUNKY OVER THE COURSE OF A SUMMER AND ALL OF MY SHARP EDGES ARE COVERED UP WITH LOVE HANDLES AND LAYERS OF SOFT TISSUE AND FAT?!

Pretty self-explanatory, I just don't even wanna talk about this right now, really. I just wanna wake up one morning and go to the mirror and realize I have magically transformed into Winona Ryder or Ellen Page or Kate Moss or whatever gorgeous/feisty/rad, boob-less, twig figure I wanna be. But more on this another time.

3. WHY DOES THE IDEA OF GROWING UP MAKE ME START TO CRY AND HOW AM I GOING TO SURVIVE WITHOUT MY BEST FRIENDS AND WHEN I GET SCARED IN UNIVERSITY WHO'S BED WILL I CRAWL INTO WHEN MY MUM'S A MILLION MILES AWAY?!

Bleh. If I even write about this right now I might cry. I think it's safe to assume my period's also coming, because could I be any more emotional? No, I really couldn't.

4. WHY ARE QUADRATICS SUCH LIL DICKS?

I fucking hate grade eleven math.

5.AWJBFIEQQFGWRIFVYEIDNADYWDOGAKYFEAYUFDFKWEFHHDUHGWUYFGUWYGFYKUAUFQK AHDVSUWEFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFNCJDWENQWJDBIEBEOWUB UGH.

Just life.

I don't really know how to end this. I think I feel better. My eyes are getting all tired and it's almost like I can feel little men dancing on my eyelids. It's nice, and I know I'll have a cosy sleep now.

nighty night

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Writing & Books: A List of My Favourite Words (Pt. 1)

Some of my fav. words yo. Check it.

• Altruistic 
• Unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others
• Cosmo
• a combining form meaning "world," "universe," used in the formation of compound words........ it may mean "outer space," "space travel," or "cosmic ray" 
• Dew
• moisture condensed from the atmosphere, especially at night, and deposited in the form of small drops upon any cool surface
• Efflorescence
• the state of flowering
• Epiphany
• the manifestation of a supernatural or divine reality
• ay moment of great or sudden revelation
• Lagoon
• an area of shallow water separated from the sea by low sandy dunes
• Lilt
• light, tripping or rhythmic manner
• Dawn
• the first appearance of daylight in the morning
• Hush
• stillness; silence
• Lucid
• characterized by clear perception or understanding; rational or sane
• Phosphorescence
• the property of being luminous at temperatures below incandescence, as from the slow oxidation in the case of phosphorus or after exposure to light or other radiation
• Bloom
• state of blooming; buds opening
• Tween
• between 10 and 12 years of age, considered too old to be a child and too young to be a teenager
• Chakra
• (in yoga) any of the seven major energy centers in the body
• Dream
• a succession of images, thoughts or emotions passing through the mind during sleep
• Haze
• a grouping in the atmosphere of very fine, widely dispersed, solid or liquid particles that give the air an opalescent appearance that subdues colours 
• Opalescent
• having a milky iridescence
• Mellifluous
• sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding
• Azure
• a light, purplish shade of blue, like that of a clear and unclouded sky
• Velvet
• a luxurious fabric of silk, nylon or rayon, with a thick, soft outer layer
• Ensorcell
• to bewitch
• Lithe
• bending readily; supple; flexible

*ALL DEFINITIONS CAME FROM DICTIONARY.COM*

Monday Quote/Nice Thought

"Love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real." - Iris Murdoch