If you have been a Monogram customer for any length of time, you will 100% recognize our newest cookbook contributor. Heather served coffee with us at Monogram for four years and knew your drink order before you even walked through the doors. And I am sure you, like us, miss seeing her behind the counter, hearing her epic playlists, and drinking her delicious cappuccinos, but we are happy to see her doing some really exciting things. Last year, Heather had the opportunity to start work with the Calgary Dream Centre with the opportunity to follow her passion in social enterprise.
The Calgary Dream Centre is a nonprofit that supports individuals in their journey through addiction. They run addictions programming for men and women, have 49 community houses throughout Calgary and currently serve over 370 clients. Heather works in the Social Enterprise department of The CDC, working alongside a team to create business opportunities to fund their programming and provide opportunities to our clients. Among these programs, is a cafe called Lighthouse Mission Cafe, which is the project she has been working on over the past year, and where this recipe comes from. Lighthouse Cafe was created to provide a space for their clients and community to gather and connect over fresh Monogram coffee They have also hired and trained two of their clients as baristas! They are still closed due to COVID-19, but their plans are to reopen as soon as they can!
In addition to the cafe, Heather's newest project with the CDC is a fundraising initiative for the CDC called "Change is Good" - an online thrift store selling women's clothing. If you have donations, or love to shop second hand, check out Change is Good! (links to shop + social media below)
(Lighthouse Mission Cafe)
Of course, we asked Heather some questions and here is what she had to say:
What does community mean to you/The CDC?
Community is integral in the addictions world. A common saying is: “the opposite of addiction is not sobriety, it’s connection”. This may seem cheesy, but it’s been proven that recovery from addiction is a journey best taken in community which is why there is a focus on community living at The Dream Centre. To me
personally, community is at the heart of everything I do. I love people and throughout my life have been involved in so many different communities (working at Monogram for four years was a major one). Community allows us to support, interact with and share experience with one another in a way that is so formative. I also love the balance of being in community - my weakness is someone else’s strength and vice versa. There is so much to learn from the people around us.
How has COVID-19 effected the work that the Dream Centre does, and how have you had to navigate through that?
COVID definitely impacted the work The Dream Centre does and for me specifically, it changed my entire role. As the cafe was my main priority, I ended up getting shifted around the organization working to procure safety equipment and keep the centre COVID free. The Dream Centre made some quick decisions to keep everything under control and while things definitely changed throughout the past few months, the Dream Centre programming is running pretty normally!
Heather, what is YOUR favourite meal, food or snack?
Favourite meal/cuisine is easily Thai food, although Vietnamese is a close second. I could survive on papaya salad, green curry, and salad rolls for the rest of my life. I also love anything tart/bitter, so green apples, rhubarb and really dark chocolate...that's my kind of food. Also chips.
What is your coffee order?
The largest black drip coffee available. I usually never deviate from this order, but if I do it's in the afternoon with an iced maccha and cream.
What was the inspiration behind this cookie?
Honestly, the entire inspiration behind this cookie is millennials with all their dietary restrictions. We needed something gluten/dairy/egg free without sacrificing flavour. I find this cookie SO incredibly addicting. It’s basically breakfast in cookie form.
(Oat + Flax Cookie)
OAT + FLAX COOKIE
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Milled Flax Seed
5 Tbsp Warm Water
2 Medium Ripe Bananas
½ Cup Nut Butter
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup or Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tsp Cinnamon
½ Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Baking Powder
2 Cups Gluten Free Oats
½ Cup 70% Dark Chocolate
Process:
- Preheat Oven to 350F
- Combine ground flax with water and set aside for about five minutes
- Mash the banana with the ground flax, vanilla, nut butter and maple syrup/brown sugar.
- Add in dry ingredients including dark chocolate.
- Scoop the batter onto a cookie sheet - they don’t rise so you can put them pretty close together.
- Bake cookies for 15-20mins
- Cool cookies for about five minutes.
*Cookies can be stored in the fridge for up to three days. They also freeze very well!
Click links below to follow along with the Calgary Dream Centre, Lighthouse Mission Cafe, and Heather's newest project through the CDC, Change is good.
The Calgary Dream Centre / @yycdreamcentre
Change is Good / @changeisgoodyyc
