Burgers

This has been one of our favorite things to eat for lunch - Burger Wraps! I've made burgers about 4 times in the past month. We have been really into making lots of other things also: pizzas (just made 4 crusts a few days ago), lasagna (a few times), lots of crackers and dips and more - but burgers may win for frequency.

I made a burger sauce (a sweet mayonaisse with tomato and a bit of mustard), which is great! and another time I made a chili sauce for the burgers, like a sweet and savory BBQ sauce. We bought a stone ground mustard and a habanero sauce that I love from Shashi who sells East Indian food at the market. Indian is a bit of a weakness for me.. and James brought me $58 worth of Indian spices and Masala blends from Toronto when he came.. I have done some experimenting with Indian also.. but here I only went through a temporary phase - it was taking too much of my time, I just put it away.. but the burgers stayed. 1. They are easy  2. They are delicious 3. They are filling.

I havent really followed a recipe, basically its a blend of nuts/seeds/vegetables.. and herbs and spices. You have to get a feel for it - texture-wise, ingredient-wise - so that it holds together well. The last time I made it I decided to use sunflower seeds because I had lots - it was basically 2c sunflower seeds, 1 c walnuts, 3 cups vegetables and I had a cup or so of almond pulp left over from making almond milk.. and for the veg, I just cleaned out the fridge - carrots, cauliflower, red pepper, onion, celery ..I am fairly frugal here, and burgers are great for using up ends of things - we eat insanely well, but food prices are high out here.. I cant even think Toronto prices, often for produce its 40-50% more, maybe its the transport costs? but C'est la vie!  Oh I love mushrooms chopped up in burgers also.. Mmm and garlic ; )

Mushrooms are good for holding the burger together but make it dark.. I didnt have them this time and just ground up the seeds really well to bind the rest of ingredients together. Think about texture with raw foods,  leaving some veg's (or mushrooms or nuts) not chopped up too much can give a nice texture - onions and peppers can give a slight crunch and mushrooms left just chopped can give a tenderness. Parsley and fresh herbs are great for flavor. Spice is always nice. Enjoy, create ..turn the music up and have fun! : )

Our Garden

At the back of our house, actually the side, as our house is on the corner of 2 streets, we have a garden. Every year Mom puts in a garden.. and I suggested to her when she was still in the hospital that we put one in again this year. she loved that idea.  

The pictures above are side by side of the garden. Moms brother came one night and turned the soil, by hand (well, and a pitchfork) That was a big job! but made our job of planting it easier. Mom and I went through a seed catalogue from William Dam and picked out about 12 packages of seeds, mostly different varieties of greens. We started some seeds inside from yellow cherry tomatoes she grew last year. ..and we went to the garden center and splurged on some plants already started.

The most challenging part was planting as the communication is difficult and Mom is an accomplished gardener - when I was young we used to have over an acre of land where our cottage was and every summer she planted a huge vegetable garden. we had everything from corn to beans to potatoes and many fruit trees as well as lots of strawberries and raspberries ..and cranberries and blueberries just below our land growing wild, but plentiful. It was awesome there in the summer! We had a tire swing and the neighbours were farmers and had 2 young cows which my friend and I loved and petted and fed them things they shouldnt have, like apples from the trees and named them Fluff and Star.. until one day they werent there anymore and the neighbour came and asked my Mom if she wanted to buy the meat! (Ahh, uck, that was slightly traumatic!)   Oh, but I really got off track this time.. anyway, Mom knows vegetable gardening inside out and although I know a fair bit about it and have done it.. the communication problem really showed up here. I wanted to do it her way and ask advice, but she couldnt understand me, or I wasnt sure if she could and certainly couldnt answer me.. so we felt our way through it.. as we do most things. Its interesting how we have our way of understanding each other sometimes without language.  Dealing with Aphasia (I'm sure from both sides, hers and mine) is an interesting process. It can be frustrating and hard..but we try to laugh at it or just let things go that we cant figure out.

We have lots of containers of tomato plants!

I particularly like this little pot of pea plants running up thin stakes and small pansies (viola) in between. I was having a little thing with violas this year and went out and bought a whole bunch more to plant throughout the garden.. mainly because their edible and so pretty on desserts and in salads. 

Me in the garden : ) Its an every day event!

The Tidnish Bridge Art Gallery

Mom is a member of an art co-operative, a group of 8 artists - including mostly painters and also a writer and potters, who run a gallery throughout the summer - The Tidnish Bridge Art Gallery, just outside of Amherst, NS. Tomorrow is our Open House (I am including myself in here because as Mom is involved, I am involved - I am like her 'seeing eye dog, but more a 'speech and communication person' I try to decipher and translate as best as I can, often I can't, but I try. Mom has aphasia - this is a common effect from having a stroke. It seems shes textbook aphasia with a touch of apraxia.

Here are some quick pictures of the Gallery and surroundings:

These are mom's art cards.. all original watercolors!  She is a prolific artist and before her stroke taught several groups of art classes. She enjoys making these cards which she makes from the studies done in her classes or from larger paintings. ..all from before her stroke. 

Mom out for a walk, its really beautiful around the gallery!

Buddy, her dog, Loves the car!! ..sometimes its hard to get him out. Buddys raw too!! : )

I was so happy when I saw her doing this sketch when we were last there.. its so similar to her past style. Its a really good sign. 

She wrote some words on the bottom left page, but I am not sure what they mean.  yet. 

a personal note - I'm coming back

Hi,
It's been awhile since I've been here blogging. My life has had a dramatic flip in it.. life can be so crazy sometimes! I have moved and am now mostly settled in to my new life here in Moncton, NB. I just uploaded a bunch of pictures from my camera.. I have been getting into taking pictures lately. & this is such a new and different adventure that I thought I would share some of it online.

I am realizing that when I started blogging a primary reason was to share some of my life with my family and friends here in the east and now that I am in the east, I miss my Toronto family and friends and want to share some of my life here with them. ..And also of course anyone into the raw foods and healthy empowering lifestyles.

So I'm going to be back soon and share some pics and stories ..and whatever positive and creative things pop into my head.
Big hugs and LOVE  xo