Ryvita Snack Bread, snacky goodness!

I love, love, love Ryvita snack bread!
I came across this at Sobeys Market, with 6 slices equaling only 120 calories I thought why not.
Ryvita Snackbread is a light and crispy alternative bread, 3 g of fibre and 27g of whole grain.
Yum!
But what is one to do with such a delightful crispy toast?
Here's my new love.

Recipe du Jour


2 Ryvita Snackbread
1-2 Farm Fresh tomatoes (or just pick up Kumatoe's)
Monforte or your other favorite cream cheese product
Olive Oil  for drizzling
salt and pepper

Soooooooo yummy!

Farmers Market at Christie and St.Clair West

Saturdays 8:00 am to 1pm
Artscape Wychwood Barns
601 Christie St.
(St.Clair West & Christie)

Well, lets just say I was blown away and thank god they are open year round at the Art Scape Building.
Dammit that I work Saturdays! Well, I have to get up early and be there for 8am and get to work in time for 9:45am.
I'll have to bring groceries with me to work which is fine because we have a great kitchen and there's no way I can drag Papa Ash with me, especially if that means he has to wake up at 7am.
An awesome playground is there, performers and good food cooked for you as well, so grab a coffee, shop and play with your little ones when all the shopping is done.

 Why I love Farm Fresh!
Fresh, Fresh, Fresh ='s Good Food
I open the fridge door and I smell, fresh organic meat.  I look at my kitchen and I have fresh, tasty vegetables for my family to enjoy all grown in Ontario!  Properly picked and cared for.

I've interacted with farmers, I'm supporting them and that's just one of the reasons I treasure that I can go to Farmers Markets.  The food tastes sooooooo good, try for yourself and there is a difference when love is put into the Earth by these farmers.

If you haven't experienced shopping at Farmers Markets, what's stopping you?
It is not that expensive( $2.00 for potatoes, $5 for farm fresh, organic eggs, veggies and fruit cost anywhere from $2-$6 and the amount is not small)

I went with $100 cash (no interac at the Market) and came home with $35! 
I would say this is one of my favorites, I'm dying to go to Brickworks and this Wednesday I'm going to go to the one downtown in Nathan Phillips square.

So what did I buy?

I wish I had a camera to take pictures (hubby has it as he's in New York, lucky S.O.B) but anyways I bought the freshest, yummiest, organic heirloom tomatoes, beautiful organic potatoes from Everdale Farms ( I cooked with them twice today, I got a lot for $4!), fresh not frozen nitrate free side bacon and Charlies favorite Honey Garlic sausages from Green Gate Farms, I got farm fresh eggs and hormone free, organic chicken bones for stock from a Mennonite family farm called Schefter Family.  Delicious carrots that came in purple, yellow, reddish and orange...organic as well from Woolerdale Farm, St. Johns Bakery bread(my fave!), Baby Ash had a brioche for breakfast!
I bought colorful string beans, Monforte Cheese sheeps milk cream cheese and the best French Lavender oil from Earthly Paradise.
Now I am safe in the kitchen from burns and a couple of drops on the diffuser in Baby Ash's room and he's in sushy bye sleepsville!

What did I make pray tell? 

Well for breakfast I used the salt free/nitrate free bacon so my sweet boy could have a bite, I sauteed onion and spinach and used the farm fresh eggs that I bought and added some of the Monforte cream cheese and with some of the potatoes I bought well....home fries were in order!  Lightly boiled then fried gently in olive oil, sprinkled some paprika, salt and dried rosemary.  They were delish'!

Dinner....

Yummy farm fresh Honey Garlic sausages and again more potatoes!  Only this time I mashed 'em.

Here's my recipe for mashed potatoes.


Mama Ash's Mash

8-10 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped
salt and pepper
a decent splash of organic 18% cream 
a dollup of butter
and a few tablespoons of cream cheese

Oh, that's some serious goodness!

Here's a list of Ontario Farmers Market.
I hope you go and when you taste the difference compared to the produce at the super store chains you will become a foodie snob like me and you'll understand.

Green Barn Market

Saturday will be on the cooler side and I am looking forward to a morning stroll with babe in tow to the Green Barn Market, located at St.Clair and Wychwood in the ArtScape building.

My dear and favorite regular client of mine who writes her own amazing food blog called Roasted Duck and a Big Gooey Cake tells me I should go so I am as I am not working this Saturday!

A little bit about this Farmers Market:

"The Green Barn Market supports Ontario agriculture by encouraging our farmers to grow as sustainably as possible, and some of our farms are Certified Organic, though not all of them.  All of our non farm vendors shop for their ingredients from the market. What you will find year round at our market is fair, real food that reflects the cost of bringing it to you so that everyone involved in it's production makes a living wage, and that causes as little damage to the environment as possible.
There's music and chefs making taste bites of what's in season each week. Ali Harris of Fish Shak is our chef at the market and he's making all his usual delicious fish sandwiches and veggie rotis as well as French Toast with a Caribbean flair and omelets that are delicious anywhere in the world. We open at 8am every Saturday morning, year round, and we stay open until noon." The Stop

I just know by the amount of vendors they have, I am going to go nuts, here's the list.

photo courtesy of NOW Magazine

I'll keep ya posted with what we get and if you're in Toronto, have you been here?

Food & Wine, pg 136: Russian Style Chicken Cutlets

Russian Style Chicken Cutlets
My toddler loved this as well, served the chicken with apple sauce and it's a hit for the little ones.


The Goods

2 slices good quality white bread, crusts removed
1/4 cup of half & half
1pd ground chicken
1 egg
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried dill
5 tbsp of butter, 3 of them at room temp (ahhh, butter)
1 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tbsp of cooking oil


Organic cream poured over some fresh white bread goodness!

Mix in butter, egg, dill, s&p and chicken

Remove from freezer and form patties, I let mine sit there for 20 min

Fry them up in some buttery goodness

Served with Mama Ash's Mashed potatoes and sauteed mushrooms

The Deed

Break the bread into pieces.  In a large bowl, soak the bread in the half & half until the liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Mix in the chicken, egg, salt, pepper, dill, and the 3 tbsp of room temp. butter.
Put in freezer for 10 min to firm up (don't forget it, LOL!)

Remove the chicken from the freezer; it will still be very soft. Form the mixture into four oval cutlets and coat with bread crumbs.

In a large, non stick frying pan, heat the remaining 2tbsp of butter and oil over moderate heat.  Cook the cutlets until golden brown and just done.  4-5 min per side

Serve with sauteed mushrooms, beets, glazed carrots(we will) or mashed potato.