Hortopita (or green pie) is traditionally made in Greece around Springtime from wild greens. It’s vegan as the Greek community is typically fasting during this time for Lent. It’s like a detox for the body, and allows you to experiment with produce that is in season.
Inspired by the work of Romanian photographer, Felicia Simion, Marmalade + Kindness, Founder, Adamantia Velonis explores the tension of preserving culture and identity in the modern world.
During the pandemic, I have been craving the comfort and safety of home. Everyone has that one meal that takes them to a safe place. For me, it's Greek avgolemono soup. This egg and lemon soup has an almost medicinal-quality and is what my grandmother used to feed me whenever I was feeling unwell or run-down. I love that it only uses a handful of natural ingredients, so I always seek out the best-quality organic produce I can find.
While the stock is boiling, commit to writing three pages of thoughts down in your journal. Journalling is a powerful way to declutter the mind and manage our emotions and thought patterns. This video from best-selling author, Elizabeth Gilbert, may inspire you: Success, failure and the drive to keep creating?
‘In the kitchen with…’ celebrates female founders and creators. This week M+K talks to Irina Georgescu, Food Writer + Author, Carpathia.
For many, life has been moving at a slower pace over the past few months, allowing us more time to invite mindfulness into our mealtimes, explains Marmalade + Kindness, Founder, Adamantia Velonis.
In Greek culture, vegan recipes come from the religious practice of fasting during Lent (and other periods during the year). This is one of my favourite recipes because it can be made with or without meat, and it's a dish that throws the concept of 'authenticity' on its head as cabbage rolls (or dolma) feature in Greek, Romanian, Russian, Persian, Ukrainian, Polish and Jewish cuisine (just to name a few). This dish is so versatile and is brilliant hot or cold. For vegetarians, serve with a side of feta and some watercress tzatziki.
Food is everyone’s language. This recipe draws from many cultural traditions and gives us the opportunity to reflect on the role of food in culture and the making of our identities. While you wrap the cabbage rolls, as people have down for thousands of years before us, bring to mind a food tradition, practice or technique that has been passed down to you and the role it has played in your life.
‘In the kitchen with…’ celebrates female founders and creators. This week M+K talks to Maggie Beer AM, Food Author, Restaurateur and Food Manufacturer.
This week I share my mum’s recipe for roast chicken. Made with a handful of quality ingredients it’s quick to prepare and creates a feeling of warmth and comfort as the gentle aroma of rosemary, lemon and chicken fill the house.
This week M+K sits across the table with Julie Van Rosendaal, Cookbook Author, Food Columnist on CBC Radio + Contributing Food Editor for The Globe + Mail. She talks with us about helping the community during the pandemic, the routines that keep her grounded and the life lessons she has learnt through cooking.
I’m so inspired by people – by the way they cook at home, for their families and friends. I’m constantly looking to friends’ family members to learn the techniques they have passed down between generations. Of course, I’m always inspired by the beautiful cookbooks that seem to constantly come out these days…and by the terroir, the seasons…if I’m on the west coast in early summer I’m inspired by rock shrimp, or by saskatoons on the prairies mid-late summer.
My dad’s favourite dinner was (and still is) the classy chicken from Best of Bridge! And butter tarts will always remind me of my grandma, who lived in Ontario.
Food is something we all have in common…. we can all relate to it in some way. It’s a means to express love and comfort, kindness, to spread joy… there is nothing quite like cooking for someone to make them feel cared for. And no better way to get to know someone than to share a meal with them – particularly if you can cook for or with each other too.
I find reading gets my creative mind flowing.. and when I’m stuck, I sometimes take a shower. I find water -whether being out in the kayak if I happen to be on the west coast or even in the shower – helps me think and come up with ideas. Sometimes I flip through cookbooks or listen to podcasts, and I usually have music on at home.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat was so usefully informative, well-written and presented. I also loved An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler. I love the way she approaches cooking, utilising leftovers, and using what you already have.
I’m not sure I have any! In summer, I do love getting up early, feeding the birds, making coffee and then watering my garden. It’s so simple, but I look forward to it so much.
To make jelly with dying peonies – it’s a gorgeous colour, with a sort of floral peach flavour. A delicious end to one of my favourite parts of early summer.
Last summer I was in line at a mini doughnut truck downtown – I had biked down with my son, and only had $5 in my pocket. We were pondering the menu, and I was telling him he could only buy the small bag, not the bucket, which was an extra $2, but which he wanted to share with his friend. The young (twenty-something) in front of us turned around and said here, you can have this – and gave us $2. She said “It’s OK, I just bought something that was on sale and didn’t expect so much change back. You can have it!” I almost cried over her kindness. These small acts make a big difference, and I hope my son remembers it too.
I’ve always been engaged in my community, and do a lot of volunteer work…during the pandemic, I’ve been coordinating, preparing and distributing lunches through networks of volunteers in communities across the city, each of whom are reaching kids who have been disconnected from a key source of food via school breakfast and lunch programs. We feed about 1800 kids per week.
My health, my family and friends, my home, and the fact that I don’t face the same struggles and obstacles so many do around the world. And that I get to do what I love – write and talk about food, and people – and cook!
Julie Van Rosendaal is the Calgary-based author of eleven best-selling cookbooks. She has been the food columnist on the Calgary Eyeopener on CBC Radio One for 14 years, is the contributing food editor for the Globe and Mail, and for the past twenty years has been a freelance food writer and columnist for other publications across Canada. Julie hosts a Canadian food podcast called Crispy Bits, and she teaches, speaks and cooks at culinary schools and events across the country. She has a very engaged audience on her social media channels and recipe website, Dinner with Julie.
To connect visit:
Website: dinnerwithjulie.com
Social: @dinnerwithjulie on all platforms!
Marmalade + Kindness, Founder, Adamantia Velonis, looks back on past ‘In the Kitchen With’ interviews and shares the top five routines of female founders – and why you should adopt them.
Courgette flowers mark high summer. They are often deep-fried, but I’ve decided to fill them with Italian ricotta and bake them. This recipe is ready in 30 minutes and is great for a quick summer lunch.
This week M+K sits across the table with Elodie Levasseur, Founder, Dream Sparkle and Shine. She talks with us about the life lessons in cooking, the routines that ground her and how she accesses her creativity.
My dad. He is probably the pioneer of my cooking skills and love for food – he used to bake the most amazing cakes when I was a child.
It’s quite basic but most Saturdays, my dad would go to the market to buy chicken and we would have chicken and home-made fries for lunch.
Bravery. I love the fact that you can add so many ingredients together with no guarantee or certainty that it will turn out to be a success. So, you need to be brave – test, try and see what happens – you are not trying to be right but to get it right. It’s a continuous journey to learn what works and what doesn’t.
Dance! I take a break and move my body – bringing some movements to my daily life increase the blood flow to my brain and helps me to let go and get into a flow state.
The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma. I was probably 19 when I read it and at the time it was transformational and really inspiring – the beginning of my personal development journey.
Qi Gong in the morning and reading at least two or three pages of a book before bed.
About self-compassion. Offering understanding and kindness to myself when I fail or make mistakes, rather than judging myself harshly.
Sending a surprise postcard or cake to brighten the day of friends and family.
Show up. I create a safe space for people to open up, share and learn about themselves and others. The power of sharing is powerful and magical.
The people in my life who support me, uplift me and bring joy to my soul.
Elodie Levasseur is the founder of Dream Sparkle and Shine and is on a mission to help women to become extraordinary conscious leaders and create a world-class business and life. As an entrepreneur, marketer, brain-based coach and an unshakeable optimist, Elodie is dedicated to helping women embody their true feminine powers, by establishing a strong connection of who they are as women so they can become effective leaders and share their gifts with the world. Head of International Marketing by day and Coach on the weekend, Elodie believes that you can make a difference in your life and the life of others by discovering your purpose and sharing it with other in an authentic way.
To connect visit:
Website: https://dreamsparkleandshine.com/
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dream_sparkle_and_shine/
Sign up to newsletter: https://dreamsparkleandshine.com/keep-in-touch/
