food and recipes – Fit Frog

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Glaciers, lakes and waterfalls! Hiking the Iceline Trail and ratatouille at Takkakaw Falls

September 19, 2012

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In Yoho National Park, BC, there is a hike that has it all. The Iceline Trail is a switch-back climb to glaciers, water features spreading across glacier scraped rocks, lakes and views of Takkakaw Falls, Canada’s highest waterfall, pouring off the Daly Glacier. We hiked the Iceline last weekend, on a spectacular blue sky fall day. We’ll repeat this fantastic getaway next summer, on August 23-25, 2013. It will be a lodge based catered getaway! Great hikes and great food. Hard to beat that.

So, back to our recent adventure. We arrived at Takkakaw Falls campground the evening before the hike and set up camp. The campground is a walk-in camping area and carts are provided at the parking area so that you can wheel your supplies in. Our kids LOVE camping! What kid wouldn’t love a campfire, a swiss army knife for carving marshmallow roasting sticks and getting good and dirty in the fresh mountain air and ending the day with sleeping in a tent.

Cool weather camping tip: The temperatures last weekend reached high 20’s in the daytime and then dropped below freezing at night so we had to bring extra sleeping bags to put on top of our Thermarest sleeping pad to stop the cold from the ground from reaching us. We also need more covers throughout the night as the condensation from our warm bodies and breathing froze on top of our down-filled sleeping bags. Wet or damp down is not as warm as dry down. Be sure to shake off the frost before it melts or, if the bag is already damp on top, put it out in the daytime sun to dry off.

We met up with some Club Fit Frog hikers and headed up the Iceline Trail early on Saturday morning. We climbed well above Takkakaw Falls and enjoyed sunshine the entire day. My kids are 10 and 8 years and are used to hiking for many hours at a time. One question I often get from friends is “how the heck do we get our kids to hike for 6 hours without whining?”

Don’t focus on the destination! We are not destination focussed hiking family. It turns out that kids are much better at enjoying the journey and are not so caught up in the goal, the end point, the destination. So change your approach to hiking and make it fun. Explore more. Check out the rocks, scrambling through creeks and over boulders. Carry lots of tasty snacks, treats that only come out on the hiking trail, and encourage kids to eat and drink. Food keeps them full of energy! And talk lots as you walk. Discuss things, enjoy being together, sing songs.

After a great day on the trail we headed to the campground to start preparing dinner. Ahh, a cold beer! Our chicken was marinating and we needed to chop veggies for ratatouille. New potatoes from our little backyard garden finished the meal (okay, chocolate brownies was the ultimate finish).

The campfire was stoked and dinner was soon on the grill. The kids worked on carving sticks and we enjoyed a cold drink in the sun. After dinner, we went for a walk to get closer to Takkakaw Falls and throw rocks in the river. The sun was setting, the temperature dropped and so we moved in closer to the fire. Soon the sky was full of stars. Another fun, active outdoor weekend. Join us next August as we explore the area once again!

The Best Salsa recipe in the world!

September 13, 2012

lori

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Yes, this is in fact, the best salsa recipe on the planet. My husband Keith made this salsa for a Mexican themed dinner party we hosted at our place a few weeks ago. I walked into the house after a full day hiking in the Rockies, dunked a tortilla in the salsa and was blown away by subtle flavours of roasted garlic, loud and clear tangy cilantro and smooth Italian parsley. All this wrapped in an rich addictive sweetness. I have named the salsa, “Keith’s (best) Salsa (in the world)” but it was my fellow Fit Frog hikers, Colin and Carol, who gave us this recipe. Colin makes this salsa every year and now I see why. The secret ingredient that takes it from really tasty to “I have to make this salsa and can 20 jars of the stuff right now” is the roasted garlic. As you can see in the photo below, roasted garlic can be mushy and sticky. It is a bit tricky to get out of its skin but well worth the effort so, soldier on and get messy!

Roasted Garlic Recipe
Wrap the entire head of garlic in aluminum foil and bake from 40 or so minutes at 400 F
(or until soft and mushy)

Processing and canning can seem fiddly and time consuming (and yes, it is a bit) but, for this recipe, the effort will pay off. And believe me, I don’t think many recipes are worthy of this extra step. The freezer is my simple way of preserving, however, after making 20 jars of salsa I needed to shelve the stuff. I just don’t have enough freezer space.

The tomatoes are so flavourful right now that I highly recommend doubling the recipe and then savouring the salsa taste sensation this winter while enjoying a glass of wine with friends.

Keith’s Best Salsa in the World Recipe

12 cups of Roma Tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or 4 X 28 oz cans diced or whole tomatoes) (2 kg)

2 cups Spanish onions (or sweet onions) (300 g)

1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

2 cups roasted peppers, coarsely chopped (500 g)

1-3 cups of roasted garlic (we did 2 heads of Alberta, very fresh and strong, garlic) (up to 350 g)

2 cups cilantro, finely chopped (65 g)

1 cup Italian parsley, finely chopped (40 g)

1.5 cups jalepeno peppers, seeds removed and finely chopped (300 g)

Place tomatoes in large dutch oven or pot. Bring to boling. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 25 minutes or until thickened to the consistency of chunky salsa. Skim off excess liquid. Add onion and cook an additional 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and return mixture to boiling. Remove from heat. Can or freeze.

I made a lot of this salsa, 20 jars this fall. I did not have enough containers for it all so some of it is sitting in my fridge, waiting to come with my family and I (and fellow Fit Frog hikers) as we head out camping and hiking in Yoho National Park this weekend. This salsa will help us hike to the top of the Iceline Trail, past glaciers ,above Takakkaw Falls. It’s hard to believe that a simple salsa can make such a difference. sniff…dab, dab

Go on, put aside a few boing chores and make yourself a batch of salsa instead. The flavourful fall freshness is guaranteed to make you happy!

Peach Pie and Roasted Beets, the abundance of Fall and the quest for health!

September 7, 2012

lori

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Along with hiking and being outdoors, I am also passionate about creating really, really tasty food. I spend much of my non-walking (and walking) time accumulating ingredients and converting them into into scrumptious meals. And then I HAVE to go for a walk. And of course, the more I hike, the more top notch food I need to consume! It’s a catch 22 but a good one I think.

It is peach, apple, pear, tomato, carrot, potato and pepper (to name a few) season at the moment. I have been frequenting my favourite, not-a-rip-off, Calgary farmer’s Market weekly. DJ Farmer’s market is the only place to go. Trust me on this one, I have done ample research and I want to save your pocketbook from the pain that I have suffered.

And before I get into the food part of the blog, I’ll tell you what my recipe for health and happiness is, in a nut shell (or should I say, pie-shell).

Get Physical! Get lots of activity every day, move more, make the little things a bit harder, not always easier, and learn to love be physical.

Eat real food. Lots of fresh, high flavour foods. Don’t waste calories on junk. Maximize the caloric benefit by ensuring every calorie you consume has fantastic flavour.

Sleep…a lot. We are a chronically sleep deprived, caffeine addicted, TV zombie society. Less caffeine, less TV and more sleep.

Surround yourself with great people. Put energy into your friendships. Have people over for dinner more often; bake a peach pie (it’s really easy). Who cares if the house is clean, just do it!

Peach Pie Recipe

Pastry* (easy to make or buy pre-made shells)

5-6 cups fresh peaches, sliced
1/2- 3/4 cup sugar
1/3-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
(for really juicy peaches use more, less juicy, use less)

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 400 F for 45 minutes or until pastry browns.

*Following in my mum’s footsteps, I make the recipe on the back of the Tenderflake box. It makes six pastry balls, enough for 3 pies. Freeze the balls that you don’t use!

And what will I do with all of these beets you ask? I will make a pear, roasted beet and pine nut salad for our dinner guests tonight. When friends come around on Sunday we’ll enjoy a roasted beet, dill and feta salad.

Roasted beets

Roast beets at 400 F for about an hour or until a fork pierces the beets easily.

Roasted Beet Salad with Fresh Pears and Nuts over Greens

5 medium beets (2 in. / 5 cm in diameter)
2 tbsp red or white wine or balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
½ cup olive oil
2 ripe pears (can use canned)
½ lemon, juice only (if using fresh pears so they will not brown)
4 cups of loosely packed greens
½ cup of nuts (pine nuts or walnuts)

Roast beets at 375 F for 60-80 minutes. Skin after cooking and dice.

Whisk vinegar, salt, pepper; add mustard and honey; add oil. Marinate beets in half of the dressing.

Serve on individual plates or mix in one large bowl.

It’s going to be a spectacular weekend in Calgary and the Rockies. Make sure that you get outdoors and explore, try a hike in Rockies or a walk in the city. Soak up the blue skies. Get yourself to the market and load up on fresh produce. Eat the tomatoes raw; they are juicy and tasty. Treat your taste-buds to the flavours of Fall in Canada. And after all of that, have a great sleep!