Raw Kale and Hazelnut Pesto

One thing that I find that I really appreciate about living in the Yukon is the ridiculous amount of musical talent that exists up here. It's incredible, really. As I'm writing this current entry, I'm listening to an electronic artist from Inuvik (yes, yes I know that Inuvik is in the Northwest Territory, but hear me out, I only have to throw on my signal lights a grand total of 7 times to get there... 4 of which are getting out of my community, so... pipe down!) named Philippe Moran, who oozes talent from his eye-sockets. Anywho, I mention this because last night was a good reminder for me of how diverse the music scene up here is. A buddy of mine and I popped into one of our favourite local bars to grab a beer or 4 (Yukon Red, for those who wish to inquire) and catch up. Of course there was a live band that night. Actually, there were 3 live bands. Really awesome live bands. It feels like there is a live band at every bar, on every night of every week in the Yukon. They're well-recieved, too. Good enough to consistently sell out of tickets and bring bars to capacity.

I find it interesting though, how polite we Yukoners are. Sometimes I feel like I should apply this to all Canadians, but I can remember being at too many shows and performances in Calgary where half of the audience gets the f-ck out of the joint 10 minutes before the end to avoid the parking lot traffic jams, than to paint us all with the same brush. Yukoners, though, we don't just stay to the end and give a standing ovation, we stay for 20 minutes afterwards to help make sure the place is cleaned up and organized. I digress.

Last night, the moment that a band stepped on stage, everyone shut right up, directed their attention forwards and cared until the final song of the final set, where everyone grabbed a beer, got up, danced and sang. The final song, of course, was "The Good Ol' Hockey Game" by Stompin' Tom Connors, so the sing-a-long is unavoidable. Actually, thats something where I can paint all Canadians with the same brush. Well, maybe not Vancouverites. Maybe if it was a dance remix.

Cool, anyway... here's a pesto recipe for all of you raw foodies.


Raw Kale and Hazelnut Pesto

2 1/2 cups kale - finely chopped and pressed down for measurement
1/2 cup raw hazelnuts
2 tbsp raw flaxseeds
2 cloves organic garlic
1/2 lime - juice and zest
1 tbsp first cold-pressed olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt


1. After measuring out your chopped up kale, place the entirety of it into a food processor and pulse until chopped up into wee, itty-bitty shreds. If you're using a magic-bullet, like me, this will involve shaking your clenched-up fists and muttering expletives for 10 minutes of stopping and starting as you unscrew your lid, stir around the kale, pulse for another 5 seconds, and repeat.

2. Add the hazelnuts and flaxseeds to the kale, and pulse until well blended.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse away. How much you pulse it depends on the consistency that you like your pesto. I don't particularly like pasty-pesto (ha, see what I did there?). I like to still have a bit of texture, so I don't blend the snot out of it.

4. Consume.


More exciting news for all of you folks with food restrictions! This recipe is raw, vegan, gluten/yeast/dairy-free, and loaded to the frackin' brim with chlorophyll and iron. Unless you're a sun eater or allergic to nuts (uhm, guess which one I'm more concerned about. Chelsea Lees, you should look at substituting shallots or possibly a few tablespoons of millet flour for the hazelnuts. Two totally different flavours, but I think that both would be tasty), this recipe is appropriate for you.

Most raw foodies will already know this, but if you do want to make sure that this recipe is indeed raw, then be very selective with your ingredients. Flax seeds are not always necessarily raw, and neither is cold-pressed olive oil (though, they quite often are). Both are quite easy to find up in Whitehorse, but there is a lot of variety, and not all of it is labeled. I don't know many raw foodies in the North, so I doubt many of you will care one way or another, but if you do, just make sure that you do your research. Raw hazelnuts can be tricky to find. They're a "once in a while" surprise at Extra Foods, but they're certainly worth it.

Alright kidlets, I'm off to a movie where I will suffocate in popcorn, before coming home to host a gluten-free pizza party. Yes, there will be posting in this regard. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Raw Blender Salsa

I'm pretty stoked about this recipe. I've adapted it from an old standby that I've used many a time, but in an effort to include more raw food in my diet, I wanted to switch it up a bit. Following completion of this recipe, I was challenged to my first cooking duel! Cool! A buddy of mine rang me shortly after taking the photo for this dish, and in a burst of excitement over how tasty it was, I told him all about it. Immediately following this, I received my glove slap. Apparently, someone thinks that their raw salsa is the bees-knees of the Central American standby. We'll see about that. The event has been deemed "The Salsa-off". In my minds-eye, this is how it will go down...

Scene 1:  Two spot-lights hypnotically come to their full brightness as Europe's "The Final Countdown" blares in an anthem of culinary glory, illuminating not only the rival salsa chefs, but also the unmistakable air of the unknown. (We're leaving together, but still it's farewell!) The rivals size up their salsa preparation area. (And maybe we'll come ba-a-ack, to Earth, who can tell?) First off the blocks, Mike grabs his 7" Henckel Miyabi Morimoto 600MC series Chef's knife, which he just got for Christmas, firmly by the handle. (I guess there is no one to blame!) His competitor fumbles for a tomato (we're leaving ground!), no, an onion (leaving ground!), NO, where is his knife!? (Will things ever be the same again?) Mike's eyes set into a dedicated focus, and as he exhales, he makes his first slice. (It's the Final Countdown! Dunna dun dun. Dunna dun dun dun. Dunna dun dun. Dunna dun dun dun dun dun)

Scene 2:  Neck in neck, both in efficiency and deliciousness, the rivals begin to make their final additions to their creations. One final glance... a fleeting moment of unknowing caution and glorious hope is shared between the competitors. If this were a period-drama, a woman in a fancy hat has just fainted.

Commercial Break:  "This presentation is brought to you by American processed cheddar. Now with more sodium!!"

Scene 3:  Mike looks on as the panel of judges (yet to be determined) sample his competitors's version of raw salsa. Their eyes light up in a gesture of appreciation and pleasure. Dammit, his rival has done well. But wait, whats this!? As Mike's salsa begins to make the rounds, judge after judge begins to stream tears of joy and pain as their tongues burn with the fires of hell and their hearts sore with all the pride of a grade 7 band parent. This... this is the salsa they have been waiting for. Victory! (Cue: confetti cannon)

Well, now that I've talked it up to this degree, I hope you bloody-well like it!

Raw Blender Salsa

4 roma tomatoes

1/2 medium red onion

2 cloves organic garlic

2-3 large serrano peppers (including seeds)

1 small red pepper

1/2 lime

1/4 cup cilantro - chopped

1/2 tsp cumin

ground sea salt

fine ground white pepper

(optional: 1/2 cup pineapple - chopped)

1. Give 3 of the roma tomatoes, the red onion, organic garlic, serrano peppers and half of the red pepper a few good token chops. If you have decided to use the optional pineapple as well, include 1/4 cup of the pineapple. Place these ingredients into your blender, and blend well. (Note: I use The Magic Bullet for this because it acts as quite the little food processor. My kick-ass brother got it for me for Christmas, and it has become the single most heavily used appliance in my kitchen. It only has one speed: decimation. If you're using The Magic Bullet, you will need the longer container that doesn't have a handle).  

2. Once well blended, add the juice from 1/2 of a lime, the cilantro and cumin. Blend it well. 

3. Poor the salsa mixture into a sealable container. Take the remaining roma tomato, 1/2 red onion and optional 1/4 cup pineapple, and finely chop. Once chopped, add to the salsa mixture, and mix well. 

4. Add ground sea salt and fine ground white pepper to taste. 

5. Add a 2-3" stem of cilantro as a pompous garnish.

6. Consume. 

Just a few quick notes about this recipe. As you have probably noticed, the recipe is raw, vegan and gluten/dairy/yeast-free. Score. For this batch of salsa, I used 3 very large, organic serrano peppers and it was pretty damn hot, which I love. Any time that I've found serrano peppers up here, they're incredibly tiny, and you will likely need 4-6 peppers to recreate that heat. If you are living in Whitehorse, there is a local vendor at the Thursday Fireweed Market in the summers who sells them, and they're fantastic. 

I love a little pineapple in salsa, because it adds a nice sweetness that is an undertone to the peppers. I couldn't find it at the grocery store this time, not that I'm surprised or anything. I mention this, and include the pineapple as optional because without the pineapple, the salsa was still really damn tasty. 

Alright kids, my skis are staring at me from across the room and I can't say no to their beckon any longer. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Buckwheat and Quinoa Granola

Good evening, all! It's a Monday, it's late, it's a tad cold, and I think that what we could all use right now is a warm blanket and a good story. I was going to tell you a story from work today, but that's lame, so instead I will tell you a story that I was reminded of while spiritedly rehashing stories to a buddy of mine about the flights I took during my terms abroad. It fits in nicely with today's recipe, so I figured you'd enjoy it!

So... I'm terrified of flying. Err, well, I'm getting better... but a few years back, it was a crippling fear that I had to f-cking gut through every time I headed overseas, which invariably left me exhausted by the time the plane landed. If you've ever flown into Lukla, Nepal, you know what I'm talking about. The runway is on a slope. That's right, a slope. Just knowing this fact rendered me terrified before I even saw the plane, which was a run-down twin-otter with benches and communal seatbelts (uhm, huh??). There is a glorious picture of me somewhere mentally urinating myself. Upon sitting down, however, my luck hit an all-time low when the bench leg snapped and I went tumbling to the ground. The pilot swung his head around, chuckled and handed me a roll of duct tape. A few minutes later we were in the air. I was as white as a sheet. My seatbelt buddy felt bad for me, and was trying to brighten my mood with granola that she had brought from home and a mars bar. It sort of worked, until we landed with a "WHAM!" on the runway, breaking my bench leg again and launching me into the aisle, only to be pinned by my bag and seatbelt buddy. One of the friends who I was climbing with bought me a "feel better' drink. Beer has never tasted so good.

I wrote last time about the amount of food that I need to eat in any given day. It's absurd, really it is. A few years back now, leading up to a 5 month-long high altitude climbing tour I took in central Asia, I was in full-time training while trying to balance full-time school and near full-time work. I went to see a nutritionist to make sure that I was eating enough to carry me through the training regime. She put me on 5000 calories per day, as my natural metabolism was absurd and I had about 35-40 hours of training per week. Do you know what eating 5000 calories a day is like? It's a bloody chore! Particularly when you can't load up on either dairy or bread because you're allergic to it. My professors used to get so upset with me when I would sit down, break open my food pack (yes, I had a food pack) and pull various containers out, munching away through the entirety of the class.

Well, now that I'm back in training, the hunger pains are back. I'm eating constantly. Not quite at the 5000 calories per day, but my weekly diet could supply the bomb-shelter survival rations for a family of 5. How many calories are in SPAM? In an effort to not eat 24 hours per day, I wanted to make a great snack that had a ton of calories that I wouldn't get sick of. Granola usually fits the bill for most outdoor-minded folks, but I was looking for something gluten-free and high in protein. "Quinoa! No, Buckwheat!" I thought to myself. I couldn't decide on a particular grain, so I used both. Thus, I created this kick-ass little gluten-free granola recipe.


Buckwheat and Quinoa Granola
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
1 1/2 cups coarse buckwheat flour
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
3/4 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup coconut oil (most oils should work alright, but the coconut is a nice compliment to the cinnamon. If you're using something along the lines of olive oil or sunflower oil, consider bumping up the volume to 1/3 cup).
1/2 cup golden raisins


1. In a large mixing bowl, combine uncooked quinoa, coarse buckwheat flour, flax seeds, slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon and allspice.

2. Add agave nectar and coconut oil to the mixture that looks remarkably like birdseed. Mix well.

3. Spread mixture out over two baking sheets. Press down firmly on the granola with the back of a wooden spoon until firm. Bake at 375 C for 8-10 minutes.

4. Retrieve granola from the oven. Add golden raisins, and mix into granola. Pat the granola down again and allow to cool completely. Allowing the mixture to cool will harden the granola.

5. Consume.


For those keeping score, this recipe is vegan, on top of the gluten-free nature of the grains I've used. Obviously, there is no yeast (.... bloody yeast...). No dairy, either! Hurray! I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but I don't actually have any gluten issues, I just avoid it to be health-conscious and because the occasional beer that I have is bad enough for me as it is (grrr... bloody yeast...). But, it's just so damn good.

I'm hoping that next time I post I will be able to include a story from some kind of mini-adventure outside. I miss outside. We've had quite the cold snap, and it's been tricky to get outside to do anything substantial lately. When I do head out for a dog walk or a quick jaunt, it looks like this...

Notice those wicked Mukluks? Best thing I've ever purchased. Those sassy Mukluks to the left are mine, you can tell by the fitted, plaid hard-shell pants. Of course I have fitted, plaid hard-shell pants. It may also look like this...

Check out the amount of ice on my collar and the cold-induced uber-grimace which was actually my attempt at a toothy grin. I think it was -31 C here, more or less. The day before, we hit -42 C. That's scotch and Battlestar weather if you ask me.

Alright kids, I'm officially pooped and heading to bed. It's a balmy -32 C this evening (Though, it could be -42 C again), so I think I am going to kidnap the cat and use him as a space heater. Wish me luck. Have yourselves a great night!

Button Mushroom and Cashew Burgers

Frack. I'm almost an hour and a half into writing up this blog entry because I have been so deeply distracted by Battlestar Galactica. My intention was to ski, but circumstances had other plans. It's cold at -30C! Screw it, it's going to be a veg-out night instead!

I will just assume that you all have seen Battlestar Galactica in it's entirety, or are currently in the process of watching it for the first time. If this is not you, we are not friends. While I own a television, I don't have "tv" (the television is here because I'm a big film guy). There is little that I find enticing or stimulating about tv... the advertisements, the inane story-lines... Mitch Buchanan. This Battlestar Galactica, though... it's become closer to a life philosophy than a form of entertainment for me. I've decided to make it a project for the winter, to watch it over again in it's emotionally distraught entirety.

My love affair with BSG commenced when I moved down to Costa Rica to work with capuchin monkeys and fig trees. My friend Jess cut out a picture of Jamie Bamber (we've discussed this already. Ungh... my loins) and told me that if ever I was lonely, Jamie would be there, watching over me (or would be my goodbye kiss when I left for work. Sad, but true). The way our schedules worked out, I ended up having a good 4 hours to myself every evening after everyone had gone to bed. I would string up a hammock, watch the rain come down, and veg out with some BSG until the cane toads were so bad that I fled to the confines of my room and tried to sleep. Ohhhhhh nostalgia...

Anyway, today was a terrifically long day at work, and I spent most of it hungry. I spend most days hungry. I'm in training for a few upcoming marathons and my metabolism produces more heat than the baseboard heaters in my office. I'm trying to cook strictly vegan, but what I really wanted was a big ol' burger. This was what became of those hunger pains. I started making the recipe on the way home and I'm happy to report that it worked out damn well! Actually, it might become my new standby meal!


Button Mushroom and Cashew Burgers
1 15 oz. can navy beans
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 cup raw cashews, ground
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 clove organic garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
olive oil


1. In a large mixing bowl, mash the navy beans into a paste.

2. Sauté the button mushrooms over medium heat until nicely browned, and add to the bean paste.

3. Grind enough raw cashews to make more or less 1 cup of cashew flour. Add a 1/2 cup of the cashew flour to the bean paste and mushrooms, and set the remainder of the cashew flour aside.

4. Add the red onion, organic garlic, cumin, chili powder and smoked paprika to the remaining bean paste mixture, and mix well.

5. Shape the mixture into patties, and pat into the remaining cashew flour until evenly covered. When I made them, it ended up making 4 of them.

6. Cook patties on the stovetop over medium heat in a little bit of olive oil for about 7-8 minutes per side, until the cashew flour crust has browned.

7. Fix it up with whatever condiments you enjoy the most (I used a curry sauce, zucchini and tomato). Consume.


If you're taking the button mushroom and cashew patty at face-value, this recipe is vegan as well as gluten- and yeast-free. Kick ass. One problem I consistently run into living in the Yukon is that when it comes to food items like buns, gluten- and yeast-free items just simply don't exist unless you make them yourself. I didn't have time for that today, so I ended up having to use a gluten and yeast heavy bun, which I will almost certainly regret later (damn you, yeast allergy). What I should have done was use a portobello mushroom and make an open-faced burger. See? That would have been smart.

Also, raw cashews are a fantastic substitute for small amounts of flour in savory dishes if you have gluten issues. I've also used it to make custards and panna cottas because the oils help to give the finished product a nice faux-creaminess. They're super easy to find up here. They exist in the bulk foods section of any of our grocery stores!

Enjoy the burgers, and enjoy the rest of your evening!