Saturday, October 30, 2010

Yummy Fall Granola


Generally, I prefer to eat nuts and seeds raw to ensure that I get the optimal benefit from the anti-oxidant rich essential fatty acids found in nuts and seeds, but with the cooler weather I decided to make a baked nut and seed granola. With all the nuts and seeds in the granola, it is very protein rich and it makes a great fortifying snack (or breakfast).

Here is the recipe for Yummy Fall Granola (see picture to the left):
3 cups oats (I used a combination of whole rolled oats and steel cut oats), 1 cup almonds, chopped, 1 cup cashews, chopped, 1 cup walnuts, chopped, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, 1/2 cup sesame seeds, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1/2 - 2/3 cups pure maple syrup, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Place granola, evenly spread out, on 2 large, lightly canola oiled baking sheets. Bake for 24 minutes, stirring granola every 8 minutes to ensure that it doesn't burn. Remove from oven, allow to cool, and store in fridge (it will keep in the fridge for approximately 2 weeks)

I have the granola with rice milk and it tastes delicious!

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Fall Pumpkin Soup


The fall is a great time to integrate some of the delicious squash that is so readily at the local farmer's markets. I picked up a few small sugar pie pumpkin squash at the Strathcona farmer's market a few weeks ago and today I decided to make pumpkin soup.

Here is the recipe for Fall Pumpkin Soup: (see picture to the left):
2 tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion, chopped, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 3 celery ribs, chopped, 1 leek, chopped, 4 cups pumpkin (any type of squash would be fine), peeled and cubed, 1 medium carrot, chopped, 1 1/2 cup zucchini, chopped, 1 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated, 2 tsp sea salt, 6 - 8 cups water, 1/2 cup cashews, 3/4 cup non dairy milk (I used original/unsweetened rice milk), 2 cups purple kale, chopped, 2 cups lima beans, cooked (I cooked the lima beans, which had been soaked for 4 hours prior, while I was preparing the soup)

Place olive oil in large soup pot over low heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add leek and celery and saute for another 2 minutes. Add squash, carrot, zucchini, turmeric, cumin, ginger, and sea salt and saute for another 8 minutes. Add water, bring to boil, and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is tender. Remove from heat. Blend cashews and rice milk together with a hand blender (or in regular blender or food processor) to make cashew cream and add to soup. Add kale and lima beans. Dish up and enjoy!

This soup was warming and delicious (I also added a Doctor Kracker seeded spelt cracker to round out the meal)!


Cranberry Lemon Walnut Muffins


To celebrate the fresh cranberries still available at the store after thanksgiving, I decided to make muffins!

Here is the recipe for Cranberry Lemon Walnut Muffins: (see picture to the left):
2 cups spelt flour (I sifted the spelt flour through a wire mesh strainer to help make it a bit lighter), 2 tsp non aluminum baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1 cup non dairy milk (I used original/unsweetened rice milk), 1/2 cup canola oil, 2/3 cups unrefined sweetener (I used pure maple syrup), zest of 1 medium lemon, freshly grated, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cups cranberries, chopped (I used a food processor), 1 cup walnuts, chopped (I used a food processor)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly canola oil muffin tin. Mix spelt flour, non aluminum baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt in a large mixing bowl. Add non dairy milk, canola oil, unrefined sweetener, lemon zest, and vanilla to dry ingredients and mix until half way blended. Add cranberries and walnuts to mixture and mix until fully blended. Place mixture into muffin tin and bake for 23 - 27 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

These muffins are very tasty and not overly sweet - a nice fall time snack!