The Organic Kitchen: French Toast

Jonathan and I have prepared a yummy treat this week, as a delectable Easter brunch, perhaps?  The crunchy whole grain bread gives the french toast an unexpected texture, also toning down the sweetness just enough.  Try it, you'll be glad you did. 

Ingredients:

Ground Cinnamon

Real Vanilla Extract

Maple Syrup

Butter

Free Range Eggs

Pumpernickel or 12 Grain Bread

Serve with piping hot coffee and some fruit...we really like mangos, but if you can, get something seasonal.

Method:

1. In a medium bowl crack 4 large eggs (if your bread is huge add more eggs)

2. Sprinkle the cinnamon until you have covered the top of the eggs (about 1/8 tsp)

*normally I am a fan of grating your own fresh cinnamon but if the chunks are too big it will be overpowering

3. Add ¼ of a teaspoon of vanilla extract and a couple glugs (about 3 tbsp) of Pure Canadian Maple Syrup.

4. Whisk it all together until the “pockets” of cinnamon are broken down and the mix looks nice and creamy.

5. Cut your bread thick - about an inch

6. Heat your cast Iron skillet to medium high and add your grapeseed oil. Once oil is hot cut in a slab of butter and make sure the pan is coated.

*If you are using your fancy new Greenpan instead (check them out here), cut the oil in half but stick to medium high heat.

7. Dip your bread in the egg mix and make sure both sides are well coated. Put it in the pan.

8. Once you have added your bread to the pan brown it evenly, flip and repeat. If it doesn’t all fit in the pan at the same time have a tray in the oven with the heat on a low setting so you can keep them warm and crisp.

9. When they are all done, drizzle with syrup and fruit and voila! Breakfast of French Champions!!

{i know there are a few extra toasty bits here, but it tasted great!}

Frying Tip: Most of the terrible burns I have seen are from hot oil splashing on your hands. Always ensure when you are adding something to hot oil you put it down on the edge closest to you first and drop the far edge down last so that the oil splashes towards the back of the stove.

Health Tip: Try frying with coconut oil. It comes in a hard wax-like form. You chip it out and it melts like butter. Although at first glance it looks like it is super-high in fat, in truth, coconut oil is one of the ‘good fats’, like avocados! Basically, there are two types of cholesterol: HDL, the good, and LDL, the bad. LDL’s are more commonly found in some of our favourite junk foods and cheap oils – they line your blood vessels forming a substance called ‘plaque’, eventually leading to blockages that can cause heart disease or stroke. HDL’s are found in the form of monounsaturated fats – they ‘scour’ your blood vessels and encapsulate the LDL’s, transporting them to your liver for processing. HDL’s can help lower blood pressure, cleanse your blood vessels and keep you at a healthy weight and health.

Health Tip 2: Mangoes are amazing for digestion and super high in fibre. Blueberries are incredible antioxidants. Maple syrup is high in minerals and is about the least refined sugar you can eat. Cinnamon is an excellent blood cleanser. Eggs are full of the good cholesterol and a good source of protein. They are also touted to have amazing benefits for joint problems.

Prep Tip: There is an easy way to prepare a mango!! I went to University with a Guatemalan girl who could skin, cube and serve a mango in about the same time I could peel and chop a banana! Here’s the trick. The pit or stone is very thin – about ½ inch. If you look closely at the mango it is wider one way than the other. Slice your mango starting at the stem and slide the blade of your knife along the pit on both sides. From here there are two ways to go. For cubes you score the flesh in a grid pattern, then simply turn it inside out and pluck out the fruit. For long fingers of mango slice like you would a cantaloupe and run your knife along the skin at the bottom. If you have done this right there should be very little to rip away from the pit and you won’t have reduced the majority of the mango to mush. It takes a little practice but if you love mangoes – you’ll thank me for it.

Enjoy your french toast!  Until next time, Happy Easter!

Vintage Classics: The Wishbone Chair

When I first began my adventures with Pure Green, vintages were a big part of what I did...and love.  Somehow, however, I sorta stopped writing about it.  I have no idea why...perhaps I let myself be influence by what others are doing.  At any rate, I've noticed that a good deal of the hits I get relate to those vintage posts, and they seem to be most popular.  So I've taken a cue from you, my lovely readers, and am officially declaring a resurgence of Vintages here on Pure Green.  Last week I featured Modern 50, a fabulous curator of all things old and ecclectic - with amazing styling no less, and this week I'm bringing back my Vintage Classics column.  Sustainability is as much about utilizing what we have as anything, and I personally think the hunt for a coveted design classic is fun and worth the challenge and patience required.  I also think its neat to show how the same peice can be interpreted in so many ways, reflecting the personality of its user.  You can check out my earlier posts on the matter, featuring items like the Tolix stool, Bertoia Wire Chair and the Saarinen Tulip Table.  Today I've chosen Carl Hansen's Wishbone Chair, a surefire Scandi classic, both modern and rustic.  The chair was first produced in 1949 - the chair has certainly not lost momentum as it has been in production ever since.  The company's sustainability policy is as such that I would support buying new, but a new chair is pricey (approx. $750) and buying new is not the purpose of this column.  Scour garage sales, flea markets, antique dealers and fairs, you never know what you'll find.  Or, if you're the impatient type, a click of a mouse may just find you one.  Enjoy this lovely day!

{white, for a pared down, crisp look}

{or natural for organic & earthy, my favourite}

{if you only find one, it look fantastic flying alone in a hall or entranceway}

{you can go modern...}

{...rustic...}

{...or eclectic.}

One of a Kind, Spring 2010

{repeat organic fabric}

I'm heading off to the One of a Kind show in Toronto tomorrow...a small collection of those I'm excited to see.  Keep posted.

{billy would}

{Marie-Claude Girard}

{Benoit Royer}

{Alexandra Ratte}

{eco} style: Jack & Marjorie

Such a treat today!  I came across these lovely bags for the first time at the Christmas One of a Kind show in Toronto this year, and have been dying to post about them ever since.  The bags are made by Jack & Marjorie, and are constructed using recycled army surplus items: "Our bags are constructed primarily out of recycled military surplus materials. Among the items we currently use or have used in the past are: military tents and cotton tent fabric, wool blankets, duffle bags, parachutes, rifle sling straps, webbing, ammunition pouches, suspenders, zippers, buttons, and parachute cord."  Any additional materials used are constructed with vegetable tanned leather and hemp/organic cotton.  You'll love the irregular but brilliant designs, along with all the thoughtfull embelishments...stash your stuff in a little piece of history.

Earth Hour

{what will you be doing during Earth Hour? image from The Moore's flikr stream}

Earth Hour 2010 is here, and, as stated by yesterday's Globe & Mail, it has become the largest social movement in history.  That's pretty great, especially as participation climbs globally every year, as more people unite in a stand against climate change.  Here's the thing though...lets not limit our stand to just one night.  While I would say our progress in the last few years has been substantial, like the omnipresence of they recycled logo, or the reusable shopping bag, that ever-evolving fashion accessory must-have, I'm left with how far we still have to go, and how quickly we have to do it.  So, turn your lights off tonight at 8:30 (local time) for one hour and let it inspire you to keep it rolling.  Oh, and if you're going to light a candle, make it beeswax, which is healthier for you and the planet.  What will you be doing during Earth Hour?  Make it a family tradition...take the time to spend time together...oh, and I'm still trying to figure out how to make smores carbon free, cause you can't beat family get-together's that involve smore making. 

{eco} design: Andrew Maynard

Andrew Maynard Architect (AMA) doesn't really require much introduction.  He's had his fair share of great press...just check out his 'about' page and cruise the long list of awards and recognition he's received.  Well deserved, may I add.  Andrew is high on my list of top ten sustainable architects, mostly because he is NOT AFRAID, period, of pushing the envelope and seeing what comes of it.  The Australian architect's designs are radical, unusual and nothing short of spectacular.  Many of his projects are remodels, and perhaps my favourite thing about Andrew is that the new section of the house is seamlessly integrated while radically different at the same time.  How many times have you heard a designer say..."I want the addition to look like its always been there", or something similar?  Not this guy.  Andrew acknowledges the heritage of the house by keeping the basic architectural structure, and then creating something entirely new and incredibly unique.  Oh, and by the way, its wonderfully modern and organic too!  Take the following, The Barrow House, and you'll see what I mean.

"The Barrow extension appears as an arrangement of timber boxes, each independently rotated and subjected to varying amounts of extruding and manipulating forces." AMA

{lovely wood, layers and layers of it, and someday, I'm going to have glass bifold doors like that too...}

{simple...yet effective.}

{enjoy the contradictions.}

{am fanatically obsessed with this.}

{i included this shot so you can see what I mean...the original house is visible at the back.}

{eco} style: Coco Eco Magazine

Happy Monday!  I really love my job, so Monday's make me happy, as does a new week of stories for Pure Green.  I'm kicking this one off by introducing to you Coco Eco Magazine.  If this is old news to you, I'm apologize for the repetition.  To me, however, this is a totally new find that I am radically in love with!  Coco Eco is like Vogue for green girls: fashion, beauty, great green stuff, even celebrities grace the lovely virtual (Coco Eco is only available online...save a tree or two) pages.  You can feast your glam apetite and still be green. However, I feel it's important to mention that the ladies at Coco Eco really know their stuff... they address greenwashing, point out that buying more stuff is not a solution, and stress that we vote for a green economy every time we spend an organic, fair trade dollar:

"Unbeknownst to us, we have enormous power and it’s not through petitioning local government. It’s women who buy the groceries, clothing, household items, skincare, and make-up, even cars. Need I go on? Through our choices we have enormous purchasing power and the ability to shift standards and implement change. Influence more stringent regulations in the everyday items that affect our lives. Commit to a healthier standard of living. Money is power and we spend a lot of it so it makes sense to start spending it well. And it comes with the additional bonus of whilst helping the planet; it’ll be good for you too. Don’t kid yourself that those pesticides in your skinny jeans are only bad for our water supply?

We’re not suggesting you accumulate new eco-friendly things to replace the conventional items you already own. In fact, quite the opposite! Being eco aware calls for a review on how we’re living and how we’re spending. Take inventory of your life and choose what you can live without, and be brutal with yourself. Realize that everything you purchase came from somewhere and has to go somewhere. And in that new space, start choosing something positive. Make your money count and put it back so it can reap more. Recycle, reuse, restore, and reinvent. Purchase organic. Support local, sustainable and fair trade. Get creative! And don’t get overwhelmed! Even if you only do one or two things, it all counts."

Anna Griffin, Editor in Chief

Coco Eco Magazine

So, sit with a cup of fresh, organic & fairtrade cuppa joe, and enjoy.  And hey, the plus side to being behind on catching up with Coco Eco, you have 10 glorious issues to browse through!  Next issue coming in May.

{get your fill of high fashion...}

{...organic beauty...}

{...great, green travel guides, city by great city...& much more.}

Green Traveller: Postcard Inn, St. Petersburg

I don't know why, but I'm finding myself pining for a surf vacation these days.  I've only ever surfed a few times in my life, but its an art I'd really like to somewhat 'master', especially since I'm always joking with Jonny that my goal in retirement is to be a super rad 60 year old surfer chic!  With that in mind, I came across the Postcard Inn, in St.Petersburg, FL.  I used to live in Florida (for a short while) and never really spent much time in St. Petes, although this is giving me a nudge to make a point of revisiting.  So, why is this green?  Well, its a neat story really - hotel conglomerate purchases old, run-down motel with plans to demolish and rebuild a new hotel, devoid of personality and remincent of 10 other identical establishments lined up on the beach.  After some protesting from locals, however, the new owners decided to keep the original structures, and renew the motel with a sense of boho chic.  In fact, the new hotel, which make use of existing infrastructure, has spurred a new movement of reclaiming day-begone establishments, which, in my humble opinion, does nothing but add personality and a sense of history, enrichening the average hotel experience.  What else befits the Postcard for the Green Traveller?  Well, just look at the virtual plethora of vintage goodness!  The hotel is almostly completely furnished with vintage finds, further creating that unique, bohemian feel.  Plus, located beachside, the hotel is affordable, $99-189, and is located in less pretentious St. Pete's, more 'old world' Florida, as described by Travel & Leisure, with fewer Escalades and more pink flamingos.  Wanna go?

{breakfast eatery}

{the critically acclaimed Wildwood BBQ}

{movies, al fresco...love it!}

{rooms with personality}

{& vintage goodness abounds}