THE 8s

Repurposing RETAILERS Check out items for the green-minded, crafty type in all of us

BY GENE KOSOWAN

IT SOUNDS LIKE a stretch to even suggest that weekend activities like hitting garage sales, antique stores and thrift shops is one solution to climate change. The logic goes along the lines of one item purchased from any of those establishments is one less object relegated to a landfill.

Pinterest recently indicated the trend is catching on big-time, with searches for those wares having jumped by 446 percent over the past year. Views concerning recycled items (those broken down and blended with new materials) and upcycled products (items repurposed into an entirely new creation) have spiked by more than 2,000 percent.

The capital region isn’t immune to this movement, and as proof, here’s a look at a few outlets.

Barnyard Salvage (Stony Plain) Backyard builders looking to create a shed or greenhouse without killing any trees can head to this company that specializes in reclaiming wood from abandoned structures. Bent on eco-friendliness, Barnyard features materials for such purposes as hardwood flooring, support beams and mantels. (barnyardsalvage.com)

a collection of Aboriginal crafts that are popular among regulars. (everafterantiques.com)

Gary C. Sharpe Antiques & Decoration (St. Albert) One of the more unique services that specialize in rejuvenating old items, this establishment has a reputation for restoring antiquated products from the 20th century into finished works with a modern touch. Sharpe tends to work with found items like chests and furniture that fit his own wow factor criteria. (garycsharpe.com)

Home Reusable (Edmonton) Offering a wide selection of reclaimed building materials, this outlet provides an incentive for customers to contribute to environmental sustainability and save money at the same time. Inventory changes quite often, but you can still expect a wide array of items from electrical and hardware to antiques and interior décor. (homereuse.com)

Blue Jar Antique Mall (Edmonton) This gallery has only been around for a decade, but already it’s a hot-spot for unique artistic creations, several of them upcycled by artists serious about eco-friendliness. Some 7,000 feet of space is dedicated to those wares from restored furniture to original works of art. (bluejarantiquemall.ca) Julie Anne Hage Art and Design (St. Albert) This studio’s run by an owner who’s been creating art via upcycling long before there was a name for it. A big booster of recycling, reusing and repurposing discarded materials to create a unique and functional work of art. Creations include clocks made from driftwood and candle stands upcycled from old speaker casings. (facebook.com/ jahartanddesign)

One Man’s Treasure Antique Emporium (Stony Plain) It helps to check this shop regularly, since the inventory here changes quite rapidly, whether you’re looking for furnishings or crafts to brighten your castle’s interior. While the focus is on antiques, the store often brings in newer wares from 40 regional vendors, some with backgrounds in repurposing older items. (www.onemanstreasure.ca)

Raggs to Riches (Spruce Grove) Artisans tend to be on the cutting edge of repurposing old items and this shop is no exception. Proudly displaying an eclectic collection of good that were either hand-crafted or redesigned by the company owner and staff, the focus is on local products. For those inspired to do more than just purchase what’s in the store, workshops are also available. (raggstoriches.ca) t8n

Ever After Antiques and Collectibles (Alberta Beach) If there’s anything that qualifies as repurposed in this space, it better have a vibe of authenticity running through it. Ever After is big on nostalgia and a look inside proves it, with old and refinished furniture that recalls those yesteryear periods. There’s not only several novelty items that sell quickly, but also

Veggie-centric Going How you can make it easy eating green

RECIPES & STYLING BY SHIMA ZONNEVELD PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRENDA LAKEMAN

FOOD CULTURE IS ever changing with its current emphasis on plant based meals. Meatless Mondays are spreading to meatless any day or perhaps every day. The following recipes are just a snapshot of all the delicious veggie-centric meals that can happen in your kitchen!

The richness of the potato pie is balanced out when topped with a light and bright salad made with any available greens and a dressing that highlights that dill flavour.

Potato-Parm Galette with Greens

Galettes are a rustic pie that can be sweet or savoury. This galette is inspired by dill pickle chips!

Galette: 8 oz. of store-bought or homemade pie dough

2 Yukon gold potatoes, very thinly sliced (mandolin works best) 3 tbsp. pickle juice

1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill ¼ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper 2 tbsp. grated parmesan

1 egg

1 tbsp. water

Green Dilly Salad

¼ c. red wine vinegar

¼ c. good olive oil

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

½ tsp. kosher salt 2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill, divided in half

pinch of Maldon salt

4 generous cups of greens (arugula, spinach, spring greens etc.)

In a blender mix together the vinegar, olive oil, pepper, salt and half of the dill to make the salad dressing. Toss together the rest of the dill and the greens and lightly dress with the dressing. Sprinkle the salad with a pinch of Maldon salt.

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a sheet pan with parchment and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a rough 8-inch circle (it can be very rough, galettes are rustic).

Combine the potato slices, pickle juice, dill, salt, pepper and parmesan in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Using a pastry brush, spread the egg wash around the perimeter of the rolled out pie crust, covering about an inch all the way around. Set the egg wash aside, you will need this for the top of the galette at the end.

Starting one inch in from the edge, layer the potato slices in a pinwheel to cover the inner surface of the galette.

Now start folding up the edges of the pie crust to cover the potatoes, you will still see pota-toes in the middle. Also, rustic is great for a galette! Then brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle the top of the galette with a nice finishing salt like Maldon.

Bake for 27-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Warm Sweet Potato and Quinoa salad with a Cashew Drizzle

Sweet potato is a delicious, hearty and healthy vegetable that can be incorporated into a plant based meal in many different ways. The warmth from the sweet potato and quinoa paired with the creamy cashew dressing and the freshness of the greens is a great cosy night meal. This recipe also works well at room temperature, perfect for next day’s lunch!

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed 1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt ½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 c. chopped arugula 1 c. cooked quinoa

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and toss the sweet potato cubes with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the cubes are tender and browning. Turn off the oven and keep them warm by covering with tinfoil.

On a serving plate, arrange the arugula, scoop on the cooked quinoa and sprinkle with the sweet potato cubes, top with the cashew drizzle. This would also work as a Buddha bowl style meal.

CASHEW DRIZZLE

¼ c. cashew butter ½ c. full fat coconut milk zest of 1 lime ½ tbsp. brown sugar 1 tbsp. soy sauce 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro 2 green onions, roughly chopped 1-3 tbsp. warm water

Combine the above ingredients into a blender to make this delicious, creamy dressing. The variation in water added is purely a personal consistency choice, thin versus thick dressing.

Sesame Noodle Cups

Warm noodles, crunchy add-ins all wrapped up in a butter lettuce leaf cup. A great portable meal when you are on the go!

1 c. grated carrots 1 red pepper, thin slivers

½ c. edamame, cooked 1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

1 head of butter lettuce (may not use it all)

⅔ c. chopped peanuts, unsalted and divided

2 tbsp. warm water 2 tbsp. rice vinegar 2 tbsp. grated ginger

zest of ½ lime 1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. avocado oil 1 tsp. sesame oil

pinch of chili flakes ½ pkg. of whole wheat spaghettini, cooked

In a blender combine half of the peanuts, water, rice vinegar, ginger, lime zest, brown sugar, avocado oil, sesame oil and chili flakes. Blend until combined. The peanuts will leave this dressing on the crunchy side!

In a large bowl, mix the carrots, pepper, edamame and cilantro. Add in the warm noodles and dress the salad. Put a scoop of salad in each lettuce cup, roll up and enjoy!

This also works if the noodles are room temperature so great for a busy, activity filled night.

Nutty Vegetable Stir-fry

This quick and easy stir-fry delivers on flavour and has so many crunchy vegetables that when paired with rice is texturally satisfying. Feel free to swap out different veggies for what you have on hand.

½ tbsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. of fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped

1 tbsp. hoisin sauce

½ tbsp. rice vinegar

⅛ tsp. dried chili flakes

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 bunch of asparagus, heads removed and stems cut into 3 pieces ½ c. snow peas, ends removed

½ c. very thinly sliced carrot medallions, mandolin works best

½ c. cashews, toasted and coarsely chopped

1 tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

1 tbsp. cilantro, chopped

Heat a large frying pan over medium to slightly over medium heat, add in the sesame oil and heat until shimmery.

While the oil is heating, in a small bowl whisk together the hoisin, rice vinegar, chili flakes and soy sauce. Next add in the ginger and stir for a minute. Add in the asparagus, carrots and snow peas and stir for 2-4 minutes. Stir in the hoisin mixture and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.

CILANTRO CREAM Stir the one cup of sour cream with the other half of both the cilantro and the lime zest. Add in salt and pepper to taste.

In a warm, toasted tortilla, put a scoop of the broccoli rice mixture in the centre and then add to personal preference, chopped avocado, cheese, salsa, cilantro cream and finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice to brighten everything!

Broccoli Rice Soft Tacos

This recipe gives a texturally similar experience to a beef-based taco. Riced broccoli is the star of this meal combined with fresh flavours like cilantro and lime. Bright and delicious!

2 c. riced broccoli

1 c. cooked brown rice 1 tsp. whole coriander seed

⅛ tsp. chili powder

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 tbsp. olive oil 1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper zest of 1 lime, divided

2 tbsp. chopped cilantro, divided 1c. sour cream

1 chopped avocado 1 c. grated Monterey jack cheese

salsa lime wedges

Ricing Broccoli:

Remove the woody stems of the broccoli, do a rough chop of the broccoli heads and pop into the food processor. Pulse until the broccoli resembles rice grains.

In a small frying pan over medium heat, toast the coriander seed until fragrant. Using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle grind the coriander and use ½ tsp. for the recipe.

In a large sauce pan, over medium heat sauté the shallot until soft. Add in the chili powder and ground coriander, toss to coat the shallot in the spices. Next add in the riced broccoli, cooked brown rice, salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let those flavours develop for 6-8 minutes. Towards the end, stir in half of the lime zest and half of the chopped cilantro.

While that is happening, either in a small frying pan on medium or in the oven set on broil, toast the tortilla shells. t8n

A Legacy of LANES

How St. Albert’s southeastern streets got their names

BY MARKWELL LYON

ROUGHLY BORDERED BY the Sturgeon in the north, the Henday in the south, and St. Albert Trail in the west, St. Albert’s Southeast developed rapidly starting in the 1950s and 1960s. During this time, as St. Albert grew into a city, it looked to its past and its historical figures for naming inspiration. Today, we can see much of this history in the streets in neighbourhoods like Akinsdale, Braeside, Kingswood and others.

Akins Drive Named after Lorne Akins, who had a distinguished career in St. Albert as a farmer and public servant. He settled the Braeside and Forest Lawn areas in 1918 and would later serve as chairman of the school board and town councilor. He died in 1971, after which the newly developing subdivision of Akinsdale was named after him.

Arcand Drive Named after early settler Alfred Arcand and his family. Arcand came west from Quebec with the Northwest Mounted Police, later settling in the St. Albert area in 1880 on River Lot 39. In addition to farming, Mr. Arcand taught French and English and helped establish the local Conservative Party.

HEBERT ROAD

STOP

Atkinson Place Susie Atkinson arrived in St. Albert in 1917. She graduated from Olds Agricultural College in 1925 and became a successful farmer and cattle breeder. At a local Sunday school in the 1930s, she began a system of lending out books, for three months at a time, that grew into the town’s first library.

Bishop Street This street in Braeside honours Bishop Emile Legal, O.M.I. Hailing from France, he arrived in St. Albert in 1881. He was named bishop in 1902 and archbishop in 1913.

first town council in 1904 before rising to mayor in 1909. That same year he was elected to his first term as MLA, a position he would hold until 1921 and again from 1926-1930. At just over five feet tall, he was nicknamed the “Little Napolean of St. Albert.”

Campbell Road Louis Campbell was an early Métis settler in St. Albert who is mentioned in the parish records. He was here by 1863 and married a local Métis woman named Marie Callihoo.

Corriveau Avenue An early businessman in St. Albert, Mr. Corriveau with his partner Jules Chave ran a hardware store and blacksmith shop at #18 Vital Avenue.

Cunningham Road Named after not just one person, but a family of Métis settlers. John Cunningham came from Manitoba and settled in the area, before dying in a buffalo hunt in 1868. His sons had various adventures. Sam and Alfred served in the St. Albert Mounted Rifles during the Riel Rebellion, Henry was elected to St. Albert’s first town council in 1904, and Edward was ordained as a Catholic priest.

Boudreau Road Quebec-born Lucien Boudreau migrated to Saskatchewan in 1893 and Alberta two years later. He was elected to St. Albert’s

Forest Road Named after Jean Forest, who came to Alberta in 1947 at the age of 21. She separate school board trustee in