The Sub: Agave for Honey

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There’s a bit of debate about whether honey is vegan or not. I say it’s not, since it is made by bees for bees as their primary food source. When we step in and “cultivate” honey for human consumption, we interfere with the natural order of bees’ complex universe, and leave the poor critters without a winter food supply.

I am grateful to bees for the job they do, pollinating many of the plants that I regularly consume and enjoy, such as apples, nuts, melons, and squash. It’s amazing they’re able to do this in spite of all the roadblocks that stand in the way: Pesticides, pollution, and genetic modification of crops. As a way of saying thank you, I choose not to eat honey, and I don’t miss it at all. Instead, I reach for agave syrup, which is nearly identical to honey in texture, sweetness, and taste.

Agave syrup (or nectar, as it is also called), comes from the agave plant, which is grown and harvested primarily in Mexico. In the same way maple syrup is harvested from trees, the liquid syrup is extracted from the cactus-like plant’s core, then heated to change the complex carbohydrates into simple sugars before being bottled and sold for human consumption.

Agave’s low-glycemic index—lower than maple syrup, honey, and even barley malt—means it won’t cause a spike in human blood sugar levels, and therefore won’t give you a sugar crash the way the standard white stuff does. It has a subtle flavor, and unlike honey, it easily dissolves in both hot and cold liquids. In recipes calling for honey, it can be can be used as a foolproof substitute in equal measure. (One cup agave=one cup honey.)

You can also swap in agave for sugar in baked goods. Use slightly less—2/3  cup agave for every cup of sugar—and decrease the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup. You’ll also want to reduce the baking temperature by 25°, since agave is more sensitive to heat and burns easier than sugar.

My favorite way to use agave? Drizzled over slices of toasted baguette that have been spread with a rich, salty olive tapenade. The unexpected savory-sweet combination is delicious and the tiniest bit addictive.

GIVE IT A TRY WITH THESE 5 FABULOUS RECIPES THAT MAKE GREAT USE OF AGAVE:

Spinach Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette  (pictured above)

No-Knead Swedish Cardamom Braid

Red Pepper Soup with Balsamic Reduction

Mango-Lime Sorbet

Blueberry-Cucumber Smoothie

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Carrot-Orange Smoothie

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Serves 2

30 minutes or fewer

A touch of allspice adds exotic flavor to this sunny blend of carrot juice and orange. Ground flaxseed adds EFAs. 1 ½ cups carrot juice1 orange, peeled and quartered2 Tbs. ground flaxseed1 Tbs. raw honey or agave nectar½ tsp. ground allspice

Place all ingredients in blender in order listed, along with 4 ice cubes. Blend 45 seconds, or until smooth.

March 2013 p.38

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Carrot Cupcakes with Goat Cheese Frosting

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Maks 12 cupcakes

Candied ginger and creamy goat cheese add flair to moist, spicy carrot cupcakes. Cupcakes 1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter, softened¾ cup light brown sugar2 large eggs1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract2 ½ tsp. baking powder1 ¼ tsp. baking soda1 tsp. ground cinnamon½ tsp. ground nutmeg½ tsp. ground ginger½ tsp. salt1 ¼ cups shredded carrots1 ½ Tbs. poppy seeds½ cup raisins¼ cup chopped candied ginger1 ½ cups all-purpose flourFrosting ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar¾ cup soft goat cheese, softened½ cup plus 2 Tbs. low-fat cream cheese2 Tbs. maple syrup

1. To make Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F, and line 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

2. Cream butter and brown sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, then beat in vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and salt. Stir in carrots and poppy seeds, then raisins and candied ginger. Fold in flour until just combined. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, and bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool.

3. To make Frosting: Sift confectioners’ sugar into bowl, and set aside.

4. Beat together goat cheese and cream cheese with electric mixer. Beat in confectioners’ sugar, then fold in maple syrup with spatula. Let rest 1 hour.

5. Drizzle and spread Frosting on cooled Cupcakes.

March 2013 p.66

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How to Make Plant-Based “Milks”

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You can make a variety of plant-based “milks” by blending raw nuts, seeds, and grains with water. Almonds, cashews, macadamias, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, coconuts, soybeans, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, sacha inchi seeds, flaxseeds, quinoa, millet, rice, and oats can all be liquefied into delicious milks. Homemade milks are fresh, free of additives and preservatives, and you can completely control the integrity of the product: the quality of the ingredients, the sugar levels, and the texture.

“Milking” raw nuts, seeds, and grains is quick and easy. Here’s how to do it:

SOAK nuts, seeds, or grains by placing in a bowl with filtered water and a pinch of sea salt. Different foods require different soak times. Get my recommendations for soaking times here. Soaking removes enzyme inhibitors, improves digestibility and nutrient bioavailability, and helps everything blend more easily. Rinse thoroughly and drain.

BLEND with filtered water. A high-speed machine like a Vitamix is preferable to really pulverize the mixture. A 1:3 ration of nuts/seeds/grains to water generally yields good results. I start with 2 cups of water and gradually add more water until I get the taste and consistency I like. Blend for about 1 minute. This can warm the mixture. Chill in the fridge, or blend with ice to consume immediately.

SWEETEN the milk to taste with pitted dates, stevia, maple syrup, agave, honey, coconut sugar, etc. You can also add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract to boost flavors, and 1 tablespoon of NON-GM soy or sunflower lecithin and coconut butter to emulsify ingredients. You can also jazz up your milks with raw cacao, fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, or anything else that tickles your fancy.

STRAIN Some foods like cashews, macadamias, and pecans yield smooth milks. However, with most other foods, like almonds, you will get some texture. You can enjoy this fibrous milk, or strain it for a smoother, more commercial-style blend. Place a nut milk bag over a large container, pour the milk in, and gently squeeze the bag until all liquid has passed through. You can repurpose the pulp as a body scrub by mixing with some coconut oil, or dehydrate it for use in cookies, crusts, and crackers.

ENJOY Most milks will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for two or three days. Freeze any leftovers in ice cube trays for use later. Homemade milks can separate when stored. Just shake or blend again before drinking.

Basic Plant-Based “Milk”

Makes 3-4 cups  milk

1 cup nuts, grains, or seeds
3 cups filtered water
3 Tbs. sweetener (such as maple syrup, raw agave, raw honey, coconut sugar), or 3-4 pitted dates, or stevia to taste
1 Tbs. coconut butter (optional, for texture)
1 Tbs. Non-GM soy or sunflower lecithin (optional, to emulsify and add creaminess)
1 tsp. natural vanilla extract
Pinch of Celtic sea salt (optional, to bring out flavors)

1. Soak nuts, grains, or seeds for desired time. (Get my recommendations for soaking times here.)

2. Drain nuts, grains, or seeds. Rinse, and then place in blender with 3 cups filtered water. Add remaining ingredients, and blend on high until fully liquefied, about 1 minute.

4. If consuming immediately, add a few ice cubes to cool milk.

5. Strain with a nut milk bag, if desired. Milk will keep for two days stored in a sealed glass jar in the fridge.

Tess Masters is an Australian actor, presenter, voice-over artist, cook, and writer living in Los Angeles.? Her alter-ego, “The Blender Girl” writes the quirky vegetarian recipe blog Healthy Blender Recipes, where she shares super quick and easy gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, and raw recipes. Join Tess on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, You Tube, and Google +.

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Spicy Glazed Pineapple

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Serves 6

30 minutes or fewer

A ginger glaze that gets caramelized under the broiler adds a completely new dimension to sweet-tart pineapple. Feel free to try this technique on other firm sliced fruits such as mangoes, peaches, nectarines, grapefruit, or bananas. Serve with a fruit or coconut sorbet or granita. 12 rings fresh pineapple6 Tbs. grapeseed oil¼ cup. turbinado sugar1 tsp. ground ginger1 tsp. kosher salt½ tsp. chili powder

1. Preheat broiler. Spray broiler pan with cooking spray. Arrange pineapple rings in single layer (this may need to be done in batches).

2. Stir together remaining ingredients until combined, and brush each pineapple ring with glaze mixture.

3. Broil pineapple 3 minutes, until fruit begins to brown. Rotate tray, and broil 2 to 3 minutes more, or until each pineapple ring is caramelized.

March 2013 p.50

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Blueberry-Chia Blaster

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Serves 2

30 minutes or fewer

Coconut milk beverage offers a rich, creamy base; silken tofu adds protein for staying power. 1 ½ cups coconut milk beverage, such as Silk½ cup soft silken tofu1 Tbs. raw honey2 Tbs. chia seeds1 cup frozen blueberries

Place all ingredients in blender in order listed; blend 30 seconds, or until smooth. If mixture is too thick, blend in additional coconut milk or water.

March 2013 p.38

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Super Easy Vegan: Pizza Dough for Beginners

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Cooking an elaborate meal is something I don’t get to do very often, and not because there aren’t enough holidays, birthdays, or ends of long work-weeks to celebrate. It’s simply because of time—lack of it. An hour spent prepping something fresh and tasty is an hour spent not cleaning off my desk, not finishing that almost-overdue library book, and not walking the dog.

Enter the healthy-in-a-hurry meal.?? I don’t own a microwave, so there’s a limit to how quickly I can get food onto my plate and into my mouth, and besides, I’ve never been into prefab foods. Instead of relying on packaged products, I’ve developed a repertoire of fast, tasty, healthy meals that take very little time to prepare.

One of my favorites is pizza.?? All you need for the dough is yeast, water, sugar, flour, salt, and olive oil.  The trick to getting it done fast is to activate the yeast as quickly as possible so it can begin doing its job: Making the dough rise, which ensures a light, fluffy crust. To do this, you’ll need to add sugar to the yeast, then add hot (but not boiling) water to kick-start the chemical reaction. Within two minutes, the mixture should begin bubbling, which means you’re in business. From there, add flour, salt, and olive oil.

Ever since discovering how simple it is to make a deluxe pie at home, the poor pizza-delivery guy has been down one faithful client. While the dough rises, I make a fast, garlicky spinach pesto, chop up some veggies—onions, peppers—and in no time, I’m in pizza-scarfing heaven.

Lickety-Split Pizza Dough
makes 1 thick pizza crust or 2 thin crusts

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 cups flour
1 Tbs. olive oil

1. In a stainless steel or ceramic bowl, combine yeast and sugar. Add 1 cup hot water (100 degrees) and let sit 2 minutes, or until

mixture begins to froth.

2. Add salt and flour, and mix with a fork until dough becomes firm. Knead in bowl for 1 minute, then form into a soft ball.

3. Pour oil into a second bowl, add dough, and roll in oil to coat.

4. Allow dough to rise for 15 minutes or until doubled in size, then punch down into another ball to incorporate oil.

5. For a thin crust, divide dough into two balls and press one into an oiled pie pan. Add sauce (tomato or pesto) and toppings of your choice (sliced peppers, onions, cooked potato, zucchini, tomatoes), then bake on the middle rack of a preheated, 500° oven 20 minutes, or until crust is golden-brown. For a thick crust, press dough into an oiled pie pan and bake for an additional 10 minutes, for a total of 30 minutes.

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Weekend Project: Setting Up a Home Bar

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My liquor collection has always been a mess. As a guest, you’d be hard-pressed to locate the gin if you wanted to make yourself a gin and tonic, and finding matching highball glasses was such a chore that I often served cocktails in juice glasses. More often than not, I just served wine and sparkling water when I had people over, which was a shame because I have a pretty good assortment of beverages at any given time.

One cold and gloomy winter Saturday night, I decided to straighten things out. A miracle: the reorganization made room for teapots and teacups (which I use a lot more than the shot and cordial glasses), water pitchers, and flavored syrup bottles. The space transformed  into a fun beverage station for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Plus, I cleared space so that you can now pour, mix, and serve right on the sideboard.

Finally, guests and I can see what I have in a glance. And I’m looking forward to the next time people come over and I can say, just like my parents do, “Come on in and fix yourself a drink!”

HOME BAR ESSENTIALS

In setting up a home bar, consider your own personal beverage preferences first—there’s no point in investing in vermouth and bitters if you never make martinis or Manhattans. Here’s what I plan to keep my home bar stocked with—and why.

Mixers Club soda or seltzer, tonic water, ginger ale.

Flavored syrups A shot of just about any flavored syrup (I like vanilla, citrus, and berry syrup flavors) in 8 oz. of seltzer or sparkling water  makes a festive virgin drink.

Lemons and limes I always have them around, but I’m now keeping the bowl right on the bar.  

Vodka, gin, whiskey The easy cocktail liquors. I have rum and tequila too, but they’re used mostly for mojitos and margaritas, which I only offer at parties and special occasions when I can mix a big batch for everyone.

Campari and chartreuse for lightly alcoholic spritzers when mixed with seltzer.

Crème de cassis to make kirs (white wine and crème de cassis), an easy, elegant drink

Wines White and red, rosé in the summer.

Port and sherry Nice things to have on hand when someone doesn’t want a mixed drink but you don’t feel like opening a bottle of wine.

Cordials and after-dinner drinks I make my own limoncello and cherry bounce (sour cherries steeped in bourbon), but you could also have Grand Marnier, Chambord, Frangelico, Amaretto, Bailey’s, crème de menthe…. They are such fun to serve and also make great flavorings for desserts.

YOUR TURN What do you keep in your home bar?

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Oat-crusted chicken recipe

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First off, I really appreciate all of the comments everyone left on my post about my grandpa.  And while I was spending time with my family last weekend, I learned the secrets of my grandmother's fried chicken.  She hasn't made it in years, but the whole family remembers how delicious it was.  Apparently it requires cutting up your own chicken so that the pieces are the same size, removing the skin, seasoning the chicken (not the flour), soaking the chicken in buttermilk for 24 hours before dipping it in flour, and then cooking it low and slow.  One day for a special occasional I'll get around to trying this method (I doubt that it will be as good as Grandmother's.... nothing ever is), but before I learned the secrets I made this incredibly easy oat-crusted chicken.  This was incredibly delicious the night I made it, very crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, but it's not something you want to eat leftover.  Just trust me on that one.

Now that April is behind us, it's time to wrap up the cookbook of the month, Whole Grains for Busy People.  Overall this is a fantastic cookbook if you're trying to ease whole grains into your meals or trying to cook whole grains with limited time.  My favorite recipe was the turkey ragu I made last month.  Even when I lost my appetite before my dissertation defense, I still wanted to eat it.  I also really enjoyed the macaroni and cheese with chicken and spinach, thai fish curry, and this chicken (the night I made it).  The hominy and bean chili wasn't my favorite recipe for chili, but it was pretty good too.  None of these recipes are going to win awards, but they're tasty, healthy recipes, and will give you a satisfying meal at the end of a long day.  If you have more time and only want to buy one book, I would recommend buying Lorna Sass's Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way, but this book is probably more suitable for most people who simply want a fast way to get healthy food on the table.


Oat-crusted chicken recipe (adapted from Whole Grains for Busy People)
(Printable version)

2 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1/3 cup sorghum flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
zest of one lemon
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp olive oil

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.  Spread the flour out on one plate, and combine the oats and lemon zest and spread on a separate plate.  Pour the beaten egg into a wide, shallow bowl.  Dredge each chicken breast in flour, then dip it in the egg, then coat it in the oat mixture.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Brown both sides of the chicken (about 2 min per side), then cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and let cook until chicken is cooked through (about 10 min).  Serves 2-4.

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Carrot macaroni and cheese recipe

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I've been in denial for the last few weeks, but I'm finally starting to accept the fact that I'm moving across the country in less than a week.  Don't get me wrong, I'm beyond excited, but I always turn into a mess before I move.  When I left for college, I cried for the entire 5 hour drive, and as I was moving out after college, I broke down in the food court on campus and cried like a baby (luckily this was the food court right next to the hospital, so crying was a common occurrence).  Of course I'll miss my friends more than anything, but it's also hard to say goodbye to all of my food-related loves in Michigan (particularly my farmers' market, my CSA farm, and Zingerman's).  And I'll miss the kitchen where I really fell in love with cooking.  I packed up the kitchen yesterday (how did I have so much stuff in there??), and it's weird seeing it so empty.  I still have a few things that I'm taking in my car because I can't survive without the ability to at least cook the basics while the rest of my belongings are in limbo on a moving truck, but it's not the same.  I'm excited to create new food memories in my new kitchen, but I'll always have fond memories of this one.  So, it's only fitting that I share one of the last things I made in Michigan, carrot mac and cheese.

It should be no surprise to you that I crammed vegetables into mac and cheese, and this worked wonderfully.  I really liked the way that the carrot blended with the cheese to make a hearty sauce that wasn't too heavy.  It was sweeter than your typical version, but it wasn't too much, and I thought it was a nice change.  However, unlike normal mac and cheese, I didn't enjoy the leftovers cold (I know I'm weird...), so make sure you warm it up.

Carrot macaroni and cheese (adapted from Food & Wine)
(Printable version)

12 oz. carrots, sliced thinly
1 large orange, zested and juiced
1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. chunky brown rice pasta (penne, fusilli, etc.)
3 oz. sharp cheddar cheese

Combine carrots, orange zest and juice, and water in a small saucepan, cover, and let simmer over medium heat until carrots are tender (about 30 min).  Let the carrots cool for a few minutes, and then puree them in a blender with salt and pepper (you may need a little bit more water to make a thick puree).

Cook the pasta according to package directions (make sure to stop when it's al dente), and reserve about a cup of the water before draining the pasta.  Add the pasta back to it's cooking pot, stir in the carrot and reserved pasta water, and let cook over medium heat for 5 min.  Then add 2/3 of the cheese and stir well.  Spread pasta out in a 8x8" baking pan and top with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 for 20 min.  Serves 4.

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Cabbage stuffed with quinoa pilaf recipe

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I loved this simple quinoa pilaf, especially because my last pilaf was virtually inedible.  The flavors were very simple, but the combination of quinoa, tomatoes, raisins, and pine nuts was perfect.  I got the pilaf recipe from Gluten-Free Goddess, but decided to stuff cabbage instead of mushrooms.  The pilaf would be great alone, as well (I had some left after stuffing the cabbage, and enthusiastically gobbled it up while the cabbage rolls were baking).  I'm submitting this dish to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is organized by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once, and hosted by Astrid from Paulchen's Foodblog.

Cabbage stuffed with quinoa pilaf (adapted from Gluten-Free Goddess)
(Printable version)

8 large cabbage leaves
1 tsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked quinoa
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 green onions, chopped
3 Tbsp raisins
3 Tbsp toasted pine nuts
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and then add cabbage leaves and boil until they're tender (about 5 min).  Remove the leaves from the water and set aside to cool.  While the cabbage cools, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Then add the garlic and saute for a minute.  Stir in the remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and let heat through for a few minutes before removing it from the burner.  Then stuff each cabbage leaf with about 1/3 cup quinoa pilaf, roll the cabbage up tightly, and place it seam side down into a large baking dish.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 min.  Serves 4.

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Brunswick stew recipe

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I'm ecstatic right now.  I have a lot of recipes in the queue, but I have to tell you about this one immediately.  One of my absolute favorite meals in the world (perhaps THE favorite) is my grandmother's vegetable soup with cornbread.  The soup has a creamy tomato base with a bit of a kick (thanks to Tabasco), and is filled with butter beans, okra, corn, and potatoes.  My cousins and I fight over the soup, and I'm really hoping that Grandmother remembers that I organized and catalogued her chest freezer last month and will give me at least one of the three containers of soup she has left.  And very similar to her vegetable soup is her perlue stew (a few Google searches revealed that people spell it all kinds of ways: purlo, perlo, and purlew are just a few).  Perlue stew has a very similar base, but typically contains chicken, rice, potatoes, and corn.  It's heavenly as well, but for some reason Grandmother didn't make it nearly as often.  Unfortunately I've been intimidated to make both.  I'm afraid to even attempt her vegetable soup because, let's be real, it won't be the same.  I've pleaded for a recipe, but it's one of those things where she throws things in the pot and "knows" when it's right.  I do have her recipe for purlue stew, but nobody else in the family has succeeded at replicating it (and Mom found out the hard way that you must use a roaster chicken because of its higher fat content).

But then last month I was flooded by recipes for Brunswick stew from the Daring Cooks challenge.  Brunswick stew is a combination of Grandmother's vegetable soup and purlue stew.  It has some kind of meat (typically beef, pork, or chicken along with some random other ones - sometimes squirrel or rabbit), butter beans, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, and sometimes okra.  But that creamy tomato base is common among all of three of them (apparently to Burgoo as well, which I've never tried, but is basically Kentucky's version of this stew).  I associate Brunswick stew with barbecue restaurants.  If a restaurant doesn't sell Brunswick stew, don't eat the barbecue there.  Trust me.

The influx of Brunswick stew recipes last month made me drool, and I'm trying to eat up the cooked butter beans I have in my freezer, so I had to make this, and boy am I glad I did.  I don't know if this is the absolute best Brunswick stew I've ever had, but it's pretty close.  I'm used to the Georgia-style stew with beef, so the chicken version (more typical of Virginia) was different but equally as enjoyable.  If it follows the Rule of Soups and Stews (they get better and better as the days go by), I'll be in heaven all week.  And even more exciting is that the base is the exact same creamy tomato base of Grandmother's vegetable soup.  Forget the PhD, I'm far more proud that I've mastered the stew/soup base that I love so much!

Brunswick stew (loosely adapted from What We're Eating)
(Printable version)

2 strips of bacon
1 large onion, chopped
2 small peppers, diced (I used dried Thai chilies because that's all I had, but jalapenos or serranos are preferable)
2 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, skin removed
5 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
freshly ground black pepper
2 carrots, diced
4 small red potatoes, chopped
2 1/2 cups cooked butter beans
1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
1/3 cup ketchup
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

Cook bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat.  When it's done, place it aside on paper towels and crumble it.  Add the onions and peppers to the bacon grease and cook until the onion is tender.  Then push the onions to the side of the pot, and add the chicken, making sure that it's touching the bottom of the pot as much as possible.  Sear the chicken on both sides (a few minutes per side), and then add stock, bay leaves, Tabasco, and black pepper to the pot.  If the chicken isn't covered by the stock, add more until it's almost completely submerged.  Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 min.  Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside to cool.  Then add carrots, potatoes, butter beans, corn, ketchup, tomatoes, and crumbled bacon to the pot.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it and add the meat to the pot.  Then bring the stew back to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for 90 min, stirring occasionally.  If the stew base is very watery, leave the cover off for a while so it can thicken, or add more stock or water if it's too thick.  After the stew is done, mash the stew with a potato masher for a few minutes to create the creamy base.  Taste and add more Tabasco if necessary, and remove the bay leaves.  Serves 6-8.

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Two gluten-free granola bar recipes

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In addition to the fig, pecan, and flax crackers I made for my Mother's Day care package, I also sent two kinds of granola bars.  I found two recipes that sounded fantastic and couldn't decide between them, so I went overboard as usual.  Luckily granola bars fare well in the freezer, so none of them went to waste.  Both have relatively little refined sugar and are gluten-free, and I thought both were delicious.  Unfortunately the cocoa and orange variety (on the bottom in the picture, if you can actually tell them apart) had too much liquid and didn't stay together very well at all (I pieced one together for the picture).  I loved the combination of chocolate and orange, though, and I think the problem could be remedied simply by reducing the amount of orange juice.  The fig, raisin, and walnut ones were fabulous, too, and these held together well.  So, here are both recipes.  I recommend going overboard and trying both.  What do you have to lose?

Cocoa and orange granola bars (adapted from Anja's Food 4 Thought)
(Printable version)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
zest of one orange
3/4 cup dried fruit (I used half apricots and half currants)
1 1/4 cup orange juice (I would start with 3/4 cup and add more if necessary)
2 Tbsp honey

Combine oats, walnuts, salt, cinnamon, cocoa powder, zest, and dried fruit in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together orange juice and honey.  Pour the orange juice mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well.  Let this sit for 15 min, and then add more orange juice if the mixture isn't sticking together.  Spread this out on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that it's about 1/2" thick, and bake at 350 for 25 min.  Then let cool and cut into bars.  Wrap individually and freeze for long-term storage.  Makes 20 bars.


Fig, raisin, and walnut granola bars (adapted from Simply Sugar & Gluten-free)
(Printable version)

2 cups rolled oats
2 Tbsp flax meal
6 Tbsp teff flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup agave nectar or honey
2 eggs, beaten
water if necessary

Combine oats, flax meal, teff flour, walnuts, figs, raisins, cinnamon, and ginger in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, stir together agave nectar and eggs.  Pour the agave mixture into the dry ingredients and stir well.  If you need to moisten the mixture so that everything sticks together, add water a tablespoon at a time.  Spread the mixture out on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that it's about 1/2" thick, and bake at 350 for about 20 min.  Then let cool and cut into bars.  Wrap individually and freeze for long-term storage.  Makes 20 bars.

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Weekend Herb Blogging #246 recap

Healthy with Fruits and Vegetables Recipes.Sharing all things related to health, fruits, herbs and vegetables. Traditional and Modern recipes, how to manufacture and maintain health naturally.Health is more valuable than treasures

I'm excited to be hosting Weekend Herb Blogging this week, and once again I'm amazed by the variety of fruits and vegetables that were featured this week, and the creative ways that everyone used them.  Without further ado, here are the entries that I received, and please let me know if I missed anyone or need to make any corrections.

Janet from The Taste Space gives us a recipe for Lebanese Eggplant with Pomegranate Molasses (Batinian Bil Rumman), a very versatile dish using pomegranate molasses and seeds:

Rachel from The Crispy Cook found a creative way to use up some of her zucchini and made Bread and Butter Zucchini Pickles:

Stash from The Spamwise Chronicles tells us more about okra (one of my favorites!), and gives us a recipe for Okra, Shrimp, and Tomato Curry:

Anna from Morsels & Musings tells us about a Spiced Cherry Pie that she made for her dad's birthday:

Soma from eCurry tells us about a popular chilled soup in India, Aamer Ombol - Chilled Green Mango Soup or Cooler:

Oz from Kitchen Butterfly tells us about picking blackberries (a sometimes painful undertaking), and several ways to use the berries, including a Blackberry Granita:

Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything at Least provides a unique way to use spaghetti squash in her recipe for Stir-fried Spaghetti Squash with Pancetta and Leek:

And finally, I contributed a recipe for fig gelato:

Thanks to everyone who submitted entries this week and, as always, thanks to Haalo for organizing this event.  Next week Marija from Palachinka will be hosting, so check out the rules and send her your entries.

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Funk.

Healthy with Fruits and Vegetables Recipes.Sharing all things related to health, fruits, herbs and vegetables. Traditional and Modern recipes, how to manufacture and maintain health naturally.Health is more valuable than treasures

I've lost my cooking mojo, and it's getting to be a serious problem.  As classes started last month, I knew that I would be a lot busier and would have to plan quick meals most nights.  Not a big deal, I've made plenty of good food that doesn't take long to prepare.  But soon after, I lost the desire to cook anything new.  I've decided that it's because everything else in my life is new (job, city, friends, life) and I needed something to stay consistent.  So I ate things like roasted chicken and lasagna for a few weeks because they were comforting and familiar.  No big deal, I figured my desire to experiment would come back.  And to some degree it has.  But now every time I try a new recipe, it's virtually inedible (sometimes due to a kitchen disaster and other times it just tastes bad).  Like tonight I thought I would make a sweet potato, wild rice, and fresh fig stuffing.  I had two big sweet potatoes that I threw in the oven to bake.  A few minutes later I was convinced by the smell of things that my apartment was burning down, but couldn't see any smoke or flames (and don't worry, the mouse that has made a home in my cabinet wasn't in there).  Once the potatoes were tender, I realized that one had a tumor-like substance all the way through it (perhaps responsible for the smell??).  So, I only had half of the amount of sweet potato that I needed.  I'm not sure if that was the problem or if it was a bad recipe, but I took one bite and immediately put it away (somehow I've deluded myself into thinking that it will magically be better tomorrow).  So I'll probably revert back to the old comfort foods for a while (most of which are somewhere on this blog already).  That also means that you won't be hearing much from me for a while.

I'm hoping that once I move, I'll be so excited to spend time in my new kitchen that I'll get out of my funk.  Yep, that's right, I'm moving again.  Assuming there are no disasters with the inspection or appraisal (*fingers crossed*), I will own my very first house in the next couple of months.  Oh yeah, add "buying a house" to the list of new things in my life.

The good news is that everything else in my life is going very well (hey, I can't have everything, right?).  And truth be told, I would rather enjoy my job than be a great cook.  Part of the reason I created this blog was to escape from a less than pleasant situation, and it's nice not to have to do that anymore.  But stay tuned, because I'll be back one day soon, and I'll probably have better photos because I'll have lots of natural light in the new kitchen :).

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Georgia food adventures

Healthy with Fruits and Vegetables Recipes.Sharing all things related to health, fruits, herbs and vegetables. Traditional and Modern recipes, how to manufacture and maintain health naturally.Health is more valuable than treasures

You're probably tired of hearing me talk about all of the wonderful food I've been enjoying since the move.  Too bad, because I have to share more.  One of my favorite luxuries of living near Atlanta is being able to make occasional trips to the Dekalb Farmers Market.  I remember stumbling into this place while I was in college and being completely blown away.  The name is misleading because it's not your typical farmers' market, it's more of a store... but unlike any store I've ever seen. It does have tons of produce, some local, some not so much (at least everything is very clearly identified).  But my favorite two sections are the grains and spices.  They buy everything in bulk and then package it themselves, so their spices are incredibly cheap (some less than 10% of what you would pay in a typical store).  And they have every grain I've ever heard of (including sorghum, not that I have any desire to buy any).  The meat, seafood, and cheese sections are amazing, too, but I'm usually too cold to stay long once I get to those sections (I'm pretty sure they keep the store at around 50 degrees, and I can never remember to bring extra clothes).  Every time I go to this place, I leave with a huge smile on my face.  Not only is it a fun shopping experience, but it's so cheap (but incredible quality) that I always feel like I've won something.

Unfortunately they don't let you take photos in the store (I can't figure out why), but here's what I got:

Notice the plethora of grains (in the tall, stacked containers and the bags in front) and spices (the short containers).  I tried to control myself because I went two days before I left for Toronto, so I couldn't buy many perishable foods.

My favorite part about the produce section is that I've never heard of about a quarter of the items they sell.  It's the perfect place to find strange ingredients for recipes, but I'm also excited about trying something new each time I go.  This time I didn't go too crazy, but I decided that I needed to finally eat a dragon fruit.  The descriptive sign above them went into detail about their laxative effects, so I was a bit hesitant about eating it the night before my trip, but I was brave and suffered no consequences.  I really enjoyed it, and was excited to see some at the opening reception at my conference a mere two days later.

My favorite part of my new food adventure has been enjoying all of the fruits and veggies from my grandma's garden.  I have an amazing family (and am completely spoiled), and my mom and great aunt and uncle pick food specifically for me whenever Mom will be making a stop by my place on her way home from Grandmother's house.  It might not be that exciting for those of you with great gardens, but it's wonderful when you're stuck in an apartment with no place to grow anything.  Here's what Mom brought last weekend:

(okra, butter beans, millions of tomatoes, and butternut squash)

(a mess of green beans)

(figs galore)

Plus I have more blueberries, but I forgot to take a photo.  How can you be sad when your dining room table is filled with amazing produce?  I going to experiment with drying some of the figs in my oven this weekend - does anybody have any tips?

And to top it all off, I had the experience of my life the other day.  Every year my grandparents would take a field trip to Dickey Farms in Musella, GA.  After hearing tons about this place, I convinced one of my friends that we should venture out there, and now I completely understand why they love Dickey Farms.  It's not a huge operation, but I was mesmerized by the washing/sorting/packing machines.  If you go in the middle of the day, you will find dozens of retired people sitting on the porch in rockers eating peach ice cream.  And if you go out back, little old ladies are frantically piling the "reject" peaches into 1/2 bushel boxes.  While we were there, a church van pulled up with tons of excited ladies, and I can only imagine the pies and cobblers that they made when they got home.  We happily joined in to fill our box for only $5.  Yes, you read that right.  Five dollars.  And we had well over 30 pounds of peaches in our box.  The entire process was fun - I was trying to catch the peaches as they flew off the conveyor belt (but felt like Lucy in the chocolate factory).  Many of the "rejects" had a soft spot, but plenty were fine - just too ripe to ship to stores.  We split the box, but I was still exhausted after freezing my half.  A big part of me wants to go back next week, but I'm not sure what I would do with more peaches.

Somehow between shelling beans and going to the peach farm, I've been able to get a lot of work done in preparation for my fall classes, but that's less fun to talk about :).  Have any of you had an exciting food adventure recently?

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Roasted butternut squash recipe

Healthy with Fruits and Vegetables Recipes.Sharing all things related to health, fruits, herbs and vegetables. Traditional and Modern recipes, how to manufacture and maintain health naturally.Health is more valuable than treasures

How have I never shared this recipe?  It's one of my all-time favorites that I make more than any other recipe.  In fact, I think I tried this method the very first time that I cooked butternut squash (sadly that was in the last couple of years).  It's so easy that I hesitate to even call it a recipe, but it's always fantastic.  I made it for Thanksgiving two years ago and took it to my program's holiday party a few weeks later, and I got many requests for the recipe.  In fact, it was even requested for a Desperate Dinner cookbook that one of my friends put together (my first few years of grad school, a group of us got together for dinner and Desperate Housewives every Sunday night).  Any time I have a butternut squash lying around, there's a good chance that it will be used for this very recipe.

The best part about roasting winter squash is that it caramelizes and almost becomes a dessert.  Thyme is one of my favorite herbs, and I think it pairs beautifully with the sweet squash.  Sometimes I add Parmesan, sometimes I don't; it's great either way, so you can't go wrong.  I'm submitting this dish to Weekend Herb Blogging, which is organized by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once.  I'm hosting WHB this week, so send me your entries by Sunday! 

Roasted butternut squash (adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)
(Printable version)

1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp freshly shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)

Spread the squash cubes out on a baking sheet, drizzle the cubes with oil, and sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper.  Rub the squash around with your hands so that the cubes are coated in oil and the herbs/spices are distributed evenly.  Roast at 450 for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender.  Sprinkle squash with Parmesan if desired.  Serves 2-3 (if you can resist eating it all in one sitting).

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Hello again!

Healthy with Fruits and Vegetables Recipes.Sharing all things related to health, fruits, herbs and vegetables. Traditional and Modern recipes, how to manufacture and maintain health naturally.Health is more valuable than treasures

Wow, it's been a while.  Between finishing up things in the lab, packing, and trying to see everyone before I move next week, I've been quite busy.  Plus, last weekend I went to Florida to throw Mom a surprise birthday party.  I think I cooked more for the party than I have at home in the past month (I've been living off of the cooked grains and beans from my freezer).  I made two cakes: a flourless chocolate cake that was rich and delicious, and an Italian cream cake (apparently it was so good that Mom asked me to make another one while I was home, and I've been informed that I'm making it for a family reunion).  For the last few years almost everything I've baked has been gluten-free with very minimal sugar, so it was incredibly easy not worrying about either (the chocolate cake was gluten-free, though).  The other favorites at the party were the stuffed mushrooms and bacon-wrapped jalapenos, both from The Pioneer Woman.

 She didn't have a heart attack or spill her wine!!

I have a couple of recipes that I'll hopefully get around to sharing in the next week or so, but I doubt I'll be cooking much in the next couple of weeks because I'm planning to pack my kitchen this weekend, and I have no idea how long my belongings will be stuck on a moving truck somewhere between Michigan and Georgia.  After that, hopefully I'll be able to share all kinds of concoctions (likely involving peaches and tomatoes... probably not together, but who knows!).

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Let's talk about sorghum

Healthy with Fruits and Vegetables Recipes.Sharing all things related to health, fruits, herbs and vegetables. Traditional and Modern recipes, how to manufacture and maintain health naturally.Health is more valuable than treasures

I'm guessing that a lot of people have had sorghum syrup at some point in their lives.  And those of us who have adopted a gluten-free diet have almost surely had sorghum flour and sorghum-based beer.  In fact, I use sorghum flour more than any other type because it seems to work as a multi-purpose flour and has a mild taste that is great in all kinds of baked goods.  However, I hadn't seen sorghum grains until I received a bag of sorghum from Shiloh Farms as part of the first place prize package in the Whole Grains Council's photo contest last fall.

Sorghum grains are round, similar to millet or quinoa but much larger.  The bag listed several cooking options, and suggested popping it.  This intrigued me, so I immediately used my favorite method of making popcorn with the sorghum (put a handful in a paper lunch bag, roll the top over a few times, and cook in the microwave on the popcorn setting).  It was good.  Really good.  It tasted similar to popcorn, with a slight millet-like quality.  The only problem was that many of the kernels didn't pop, but I'm wondering if this could be remedied by cooking it on the stove.

I only had one bag of it, though, so I decided that I should resist popping all of it and try another cooking method.  And then I forgot about it for 5 months.  I recently rediscovered my sorghum while taking an inventory of my pantry in preparation for my upcoming move, and finally got around to cooking more of it.  There was a recipe for sorghum pilaf on the bag, so I decided that was the route to take.  But instead of following that recipe, I substituted my sorghum for quinoa in a pilaf with sweet potato, spinach, and bacon that I found at Sounding My Barbaric Gulp!.  First, I must tell you that sorghum takes forever to cook (about an hour and a half), so I was hoping that it would be tasty enough to compensate for the time.  And I was also hoping to share an amazing recipe for sorghum because I had an extraordinarily tough time finding anything online.  The first few bites were good, very different, but pretty good.  It had a much stronger flavor than it did when popped, very earthy I would say.  But by the fourth bite I had had enough.  I've been able to eat a bite here and there because I hate to throw away leftovers, but I can't take anymore.

So unfortunately I don't have a recipe to share, but do try popping it if you ever come across sorghum grains (that's what will happen with the remainder of my bag).  And I bet this pilaf would be good with quinoa, as it was originally made.  I'm disappointed that I didn't find my new favorite whole grain, and even more perplexed at how sorghum could be so great in other forms.  It was a fun experiment, though!

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Sweet potato casserole recipe

Healthy with Fruits and Vegetables Recipes.Sharing all things related to health, fruits, herbs and vegetables. Traditional and Modern recipes, how to manufacture and maintain health naturally.Health is more valuable than treasures

When I was invited to an Easter lunch and needed to come up with a dish to bring, I immediately thought of sweet potatoes.  I don't typically associate sweet potatoes with Easter, but I guess I was in the mood for them.  I didn't want to make the typical southern sweet potato casserole that has more sugar than I care to think about, so I was excited to find a recipe for a low sugar sweet potato casserole at 101 Cookbooks.  This dish was just sweet enough that this could have been a dessert (I ate some of the leftovers this way), but it was also a nice accompaniment to the main meal.  I loved the combination of sweet potatoes and coconut, and I'll be using the two together more often now.  Unfortunately the sweet potatoes that I bought were very stringy, but otherwise it was amazing.

Sweet potato casserole (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)
(Printable version)

6 pounds sweet potatoes
1 cup coconut milk
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp honey
2/3 cup grated coconut (ideally unsweetened), toasted
4 Tbsp melted butter
2/3 cup sliced almonds

Pierce the sweet potatoes in several places with a knife, place them on a large baking sheet, and bake at 400 for an hour to an hour and a half, until they are very soft.  Let the potatoes cool until you can handle them, and then peel them and put all of the flesh into a large mixing bowl.  Add the coconut milk, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and honey to the bowl and mix well.  Lightly grease a 9"x13" pan and spread the potato mixture in the pan.  Sprinkle the coconut on top of the potatoes and drizzle the butter over the coconut.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, and then sprinkle the almonds on top and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the almonds are toasted.  Serves 10.

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