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11/20/2020 0 Comments

It's been a while.

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Photo of me by Nathan Fleming of finetuned.ca

What a year 2020 has been.

It's hard to even know where to begin. This year has felt like many years all wrapped up in one.

From starting 2020 hopeful and determined to overcome neurological deficits, to my spouse miraculously surviving a massive heart attack, to COVID-19 lockdown, to learning how to ask for help and receiving incredible support from family/friends, to being renovicted and moving during the pandemic, to returning to work, to getting a new part-time job, to burning out in only 2 months and making the difficult decision to hand in my resignation.

What a roller coaster!

Just last week I saw my neurologist for the first time since the crazy MS relapse. She was surprised to hear I was attempting to work at all and was not surprised to hear how much I was struggling with it.

At this appointment I learned that aside from some inflammation reducing, my MRI has not improved. My brain is in the same condition as July of 2019.
Despite looking normal and being able to function with a little bit more ease due to adapting- It makes sense that I'm still dealing with vertigo, spasms in my face causing drooping of the left side, cognitive problems such as high sensitivity to over-stimulation, numbness, tingling, and so much more.

Looking normal is one of my biggest obstacles these days. In fact; I have become such a master at seeming like nothing is wrong that I convinced myself I was well enough to work a part-time job. Then I convinced an employer and entire team! And then I burnt out after only 2 months on the job.

While I am proud of my very enthusiastic attempt at working- I knew I needed to leave the part-time job to return to taking full-time care of myself. It was with great sadness that I handed in my resignation just yesterday.

What does this mean for me, now?

Back to the drawing board! Quite literally. I've decided that this is the time for me to stay committed to my artistic practice. I'm not "giving up", by any means. I'm refocusing on the priority of keeping well. My neurological health is number one.

2020 has been bittersweet. I want to THANK YOU for all the love my art has been getting. With now being a full-time artist, your support is appreciated even more than ever. That being said...

My shop is now updated with currently available paintings!

❤ Fiona
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5/7/2020 0 Comments

Easy Recipe for Cheesy Garlic Chickpea Crackers

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I'm not a vegan; but was curious about making healthy crackers using chickpea flour and low cholesterol ingredients.

These "cheesy" snacks are satisfyingly tasty, with zero cholesterol and no cheese at all.

Easier than they look.
Healthy and high in protein.

After reading many recipes, I came up with my own variation. It was a total win.
Everyone knows that sometimes (often) flavour and texture are compromised with gluten free and vegan foods. By now, most of us have tried a GF muffin that has crumbled after the first bite, or other healthy baked goods that just taste like cardboard. No thank-you.
Gluten-free and vegan foods don't have to suck. While I do not follow a vegan/vegetarian diet, I've been strictly gluten free for about 5 years. Along the way I have learned a thing or two, and found many tricks for making amazingly convincing foods. Your friends and family will not automatically know that these treats are even healthy at all.

With enough people messaging me to ask for recipes, I've decided to start spilling some of my favourites.
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RECIPE

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chickpea flour (sift, or break up lumps with a fork)
  • 1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (I use Roger's organic cane sugar)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (I use Himalayan pink salt)
  • 1/2 teaspoon (or so) garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 tablespoons warm water

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Mix together chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, sugar, salt and garlic powder in a medium bowl.
  • Stir together oil, mustard and water into a small bowl/cup, then mix this in with the dry ingredients until everything is well blended.
  • Dough will feel quite dry and stiff, but when thoroughly mixed it will be smooth enough to roll out, without being sticky.

    Tip: Add just a few extra drops of water if the dough is too crumbly or too firm to roll.
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  • Use a rolling pin to roll dough out thin. I did this between 2 sheets of parchment paper to avoid sticking, but you can also just use an extra dusting of chickpea flour for this. The dough is firm, so this does take a bit of work to get quite thin.
  • After rolled out, sprinkle on a bit of extra salt (if you wish). I did this, then pressed a textured utensil into the dough, to give the crackers the dotted look and make the salt stick.
  • Using a pizza cutter, slice up the dough into desired shapes.
  • If you get impatient or don't have a rolling pin, you can always just press small balls of dough into thin circles (see top left of the photo above). Or get creative and make flat shapes if you want to!
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 16 to 18 minutes, until crackers are a light golden brown.
  • Remove from oven. Use a spatula to move finished crackers onto a plate (or wire rack).
  • Cool, then enjoy!

You can also play around with the flavoring by adding alternative herbs/spices.

These are super tasty on their own, or with soups and dips.

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Sour cream, garlic powder and thyme dip.
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Vanilla Greek yogurt and dill weed dip.

Try them out, and let me know what you think!

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