Transformation and Life-Giving Food

It has been a heck of a year since I posted here on my beloved blog. It has been a time of transformation and trying hard to maintain balance.  Over the past year I helped both my dad and my step mother pass on to the realm of the ancestors. My grandmother, a 93 year old holocaust survivor had to be moved out of her home, and has gone through periods of reliving her traumatic past and trying to adjust to her new present. As a part of the New Haven Food Policy Council I spearheaded the effort to establish a Food System Director position for the City of New Haven, with the final phase of hiring coming in the next few weeks.  I stepped down from the Council after eight years, but am helping to establish this new position.  I finished building a teaching and business incubation kitchen at CitySeed, the non-profit I work for, with an enormous amount of community support. I assisted with the opening of the new Culinary Academy at ConnCAT.  I took a sabbatical from work last summer to revive my spirit and go waterfall hunting with my family.  I have taken a necessary step back from some of the time and emotionally intensive political and community organizing work I have been doing for all of my daughter's eight years of life. I joined the board of Soul Fire Farm an amazing family farm in NY, focused on dismantling oppression and healing through food, community and liberation. I started exercising again.  I smile more.  I stop by to stare at the ocean more. I don't email while I'm hanging out with my children any more.  I have more attention and love to give to my own heart and to my husband. Phew.....that's a lot!! While things are not always easy, and there is always more growing and learning to do, over all I have less stress.  I am happier. 

For all of this I am grateful. Spending a year helping my father die was sad, healing and also life-giving. I had to slow down and focus on what was important. I was already starting to do that, but his getting sick really affected me. Early morning walks/jogs were also healing for my body and spirit. I started to exercise without judgement or expectation, which meant that I did it more, and did it with joy. As part of healing my body I also started to cut out some of the sweets and bread that I gravitate towards when I'm stressed. I came across this incredible nut bread in the midst of all of this change, and it brought me joy. It was referred to as a "life changing loaf of bread" on the My New Roots site I found it on, and I would have to agree with that title. 

This "bread" has no flour in it, only nuts, seeds, psyllium husk & chia seeds for fiber and binding, oats, water, coconut oil or ghee, maple syrup and a little salt. You mix that all together, let it sit in a parchment lined bread pan overnight, bake part way in the pan, then turn out on the oven rack and finish baking. Thats it. I swapped out the sunflower seeds for pumpkin seeds, I favor them with hazelnuts, but any nut will do, and I only eat these bread slices well toasted and crisp on the edges.  

Here is the recipe with slight variations from the original. I hope that you enjoy this bread, and that you are enjoying your life more each day. 

"The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread"Makes 1 loaf

Adapted from www.mynewroots.org

note: this bread is officially gluten free if you make it with oats labeled "gluten free"

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup flax seeds

½ cup hazelnuts or almonds

1 ½ cups rolled oats

2 Tbsp. chia seeds

4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)

1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)

1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)

3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee

1 ½ cups water

Directions:

1. Combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Add maple syrup, oil and water to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable). 

2. Line a bread pan with parchment paper, foil or use a silicone pan. Pour all of the nut mixture into the pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.

4. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).

5. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days or in the fridge for up to two weeks. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

What is bringing you joy these days?

Some Holiday Treats

It is that season of sweets, treats and things cooked in oil so I thought I would pull together a few of my favorites off my blog from the past few years and throw in a some delicious recipes that have peaked my attention from the food realm for my own holiday table this year. I have not been posting as frequently as I used to (sorry!), life has many demands right now, but I am still getting to it once and a while, so keep checking back, or sign up in the side bar to the right for automatic notification of new posts. 

Happy Holidays and Winter Solstice 

I hope you are all warm, surrounded by love and well fed

- Tagan

Click the links below for recipes and more info

Holiday Cookies and Treats:
Rugelach, Raw Cocoa and Walnut truffles, Honeycomb Candy and Cardamom Bread (a Swedish Xmas treat)

Doughnuts (Sufganiot for Hanukkah)

Latkes
While Hanukkah is almost over, Sunday is a perfect day to mix up another batch of Latkes!

Orange Pepper Spiced Almonds
Spiced nuts are a great addition to the holiday cookie assortments. Satisfying, hearty and a nutritious balance to all the sugary sweets this season can offer up.

Clove Spiked Oranges - Pomanders: a fragrant holiday decoration

Smitten Kitchen has been posting some fabulous cookies and holiday treats this year, check out her blog. The crescent jam and cheese cookies looked especially good to me. 

What are some of your favorite holiday or cookie recipes?

Happy Holidays!

Oatmeal Take Two: Caramelized Banana and Hazelnuts

There have been many cold mornings when the thought of oatmeal for breakfast reminded me of gruel or watery plain congee; bland and totally unappealing. Maybe it was the years of eating oatmeal and peanut butter for breakfast at 6am, before heading in to work at a restaurant, or to teach; a functional breakfast, filling, cheap, and easy.  I took a multiyear break from eating oatmeal as a regular breakfast item, which must have been a good decision, because suddenly it has reentered my life, reborn and deliciously adorned, like a grown-up fancy cousin, not the plain jane I once knew.  

The thing about this upgraded oatmeal is that it is still simple and delicious; the toppings really take so little time to prepare, but they make such a difference.  I generally add some chopped nuts or nut butter to my oatmeal to add protein, and if I have it, any kind of fruit so there is something fresh, and a natural, unrefined sweetness. I almost always add a sprinkle of cinnamon, which lends a bit of sweetness, and occasionally a little drizzle of honey or maple syrup.  The easiest toppings are things that don't have to be cooked, like strawberries, shredded unsweetened coconut, walnuts and honey, or diced apples, almonds and dates.  On a weekend morning I give it a little more time and sauté some bananas with butter and maple syrup, and caramelized some hazelnuts in the same mixture, making a sweet warm decadent addition to the bowl. When I'm in a rush and I need to save the few pieces of fruit in the house for my kid's lunch or snack, a handful of raisins, cooked up plump with the oats, a big spoonful of peanut butter on top, a drizzle of milk and honey make for one of my workday winter favorites. 

Caramelized Banana & Hazelnut Oatmeal
Serves 2
Prepare plain unsweetened oatmeal (recipe below)
Make toppings while oats are cooking

2 ripe bananas. peeled
1/2 cup hazelnuts (whole or chopped)
3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (you can use less if you want)
2 tablespoons butter (or less if you want)
pinch salt
milk (any kind)
cinnamon or other spices optional

The Nuts: Generally I add a slice of butter (less than 1 tablespoon), a drizzle of maple syrup or honey (1 to 2 tablespoons) and a pinch of salt to a frying pan set over medium heat. Simmer until butter and syrup are mixed and let them bubble and start to caramelize, about 1 minute. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Add a handful of whole or chopped hazelnuts. Stir frequently cooking until nuts are well coated and starting to brown. Remove nuts into a bowl or plate and set aside.

The Bananas: Add one tablespoon of butter to the frying pan right after you remove the nuts, (no need to wash it out). Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of maple syrup on honey, a pinch of salt and any spices you like. While this is bubbling over medium heat, slice 2 peeled bananas in half across the middle and then along the length. Place them in the bubbling syrup and butter. Cook until browned slightly on one side, turn over and cook on other side. If the caramel starts to get too dark, you can add a few drops of water. The bananas will start to soften, so handle gently.

To Complete: spoon one serving of oatmeal into a bowl, top with caramelized bananas and nuts. Drizzle a little milk of your choosing (cow, almond, rice etc...) around the edge. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon if you like. Enjoy.


Basic Oatmeal - Serves 2
1 Cup Rolled Oats*
2 Cups Water (can use 1/2 milk or almond milk if a creamier oatmeal is desired)
pinch salt (optional)

1. Combine oats and water in a pot. place over medium high heat, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer oats. Stirring occasionally. 
2. Cook until oats are cooked through and soft. You can adjust water to make your oatmeal thinner or thicker, depending on how you like it. 

*If you have quick oats you can use the same ratio of oats to water, but they will cook much quicker. If using steel cut oats, you need 1 cup oats to 3 or 4 cups of water. Check out this recipe for how to cook them.

Really I think almost any fruit or nut is wonderful on oatmeal. Mango and strawberries are particularly delicious and beautiful...sadly we ate that bowl before any pictures could be snapped... Medjool dates, melted butter and almonds make for a deep rich version, perfect for these cold winter mornings.

What are your favorite oatmeal toppings?  Please share!

Orange Pepper Almonds

Candied nuts have got to be one of the most addictive foods around. Crunchy, a little sweet, a little salty and a peppery kick for fun. These are unbelievably simple to make and take 15 minutes start to finish (including the cooking time). They knock a salad up from standard fare to fabulous meal or make for a great snack when friends are stopping by (which is what inspired them this weekend). You can use any kind of nut you like. Starting with raw nuts (not roasted) is best so they aren't being cooked twice. I love the combination of orange zest, honey, salt and pepper, but really you can use any syrupy sweetener you like and any spices: curry, corriander and cumin, cocoa and chipotle or ancho chili, cinnamon and nutmeg etc... have fun with this...the cooking part, and the munching part. 

Orange Pepper Almonds

2 cups raw almonds (you can substitute any nut you like, walnuts are great too!)

1 tablespoon honey (basically a thin drizzle, just enough to very lightly coat each nut)

zest of one small orange

salt and black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon of raw sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment, foil or a silpat. 
2. Toss almonds in honey until well coated all over. There should be a thin layer of honey on each nut, but they should not be dripping with honey or it will ooze and burn in the oven. Toss in the orange zest and season to taste with salt and pepper or any other spices you like. 
3. Spread onto prepared baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 9-12 minutes until honey is bubbling on the edges of each nut and they are lightly browned, but not dark. If you want to use the raw sugar, pull the nuts from the oven at 7 minutes and sprinkle on a little raw sugar and continue baking until done. Cool completely, enjoy. Store in an air tight container (if you can keep them around). 

Here is a savory twist I sometimes make: just sauté almonds in a touch of butter with salt and pepper or any savory spices you like, and add to curry stir fried rice. A little more protein and crunch for a delicious meal.

What does this inspire you to make?

Delicata - The Best Winter Squash

Aside from being absolutely delicious, my favorite winter squash (the delicata variety, pictured on the left above) stand out among all winter varieties because you do not have to peel them! The skin of a delicata squash is so thin it is edible, making preparation of it very easy. I thinly slice these, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them. The roasted squash can be added to anything you like! One of my favorite combinations is a green salad with roasted delicata squash, quick pickled red onions, toasted nuts (walnuts, peanuts or pumpkin seeds) and a curry vinaigrette.

Delicata squash are available at most farmers' markets right now, and in some local grocery stores.

Roasted Delicata Squash

2 baking sheets

3 delicata squash - cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

you can also add spices such as curry, chili pepper, or cumin

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

1. Slice squash into 1/4inch thick half circle slices
2. Toss with olive oil until evenly coated
3. Toss with salt and pepper to taste, adding other spices if desired
4. Place in an even layer on a foil or parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Roast in the oven until lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Rotate part way through and checking for browning on the bottom side. 

Salad with Roasted Delicata Squash, Pickled Red Onions and Peanuts

If you want to try out this salad:

1. Pickled Red Onions 

(in this recipe use red onions, they will turn a gorgeous pink color and omit the basil)

2. Make a basic Vinaigrette and add some curry powder and a drizzle of honey

3. Wash and dry some delicious salad greens: a variety of lettuces, dandelion or mustard greens.

4. Toast nuts or pumpkin seeds in the oven or in a frying pan until fragrant. 

5. Toss the greens with dressing and pickled onions. Top with roasted squash and nuts, enjoy!

While you have the oven on, you might as well go ahead and roast an acorn squash (shown above, split, seeded and placed face down on a baking sheet with 1/2 cup of water. Or, roast some sweet potato wedges or anything else you have in the fridge, make the most of having the oven on and get a jump on your next meal. 

What do you like to roast?

Raw Summer Cereal

Last summer I posted this delicious and very healthy recipe for a raw/live cereal. With blueberries and peaches in season right now, this is the perfect time to make this! The oat groats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and almonds can soak in water over night to "sprout" them and activate the energy in the seeds. You drain it in the morning and serve with yogurt and fruit. It is so refreshing, delicious and energizing to eat. I'm often partial to toast for breakfast, but when I remember to soak some grains and nuts for this wonderful dish packed with protein from the nuts and yogurt, I get up from breakfast feeling energized rather than sluggish.

Oat Groats are available from any health food store, and in the grain section of some regular stores.

For fruit picking info:
www.pickyourown.org

In CT:
www.buyctgrown.com

Enjoy!

Cocoa Walnut Truffles - A Valentine's Treat

This is one of those rare recipes that you just can't believe is actually good for you, and it is simple.
Walnuts, Dates, Cocoa...end of story.

I owe the discovery of this recipe to my mother's recent infatuation with raw food. She ingeniously took a raw brownie recipe and turned it into truffles. The tiny bite sized portion is just right for this rich (but still healthy) treat!

Cocoa Walnut Truffles -
An easy, fun treat to make for your Valentine's sweetheart, or sweethearts.

1 1/2 cups Medjool dates
2 cups Walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (raw cocoa or regular cocoa)
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
+ 1/3 C cocoa for rolling truffles

1. Remove pits from dates. Put dates in a bowl and cover with warm water for 5 minutes.
2. Chop nuts in a food processor until fine. Place in a bowl.
3. Remove dates from bowl and reserve water. Place dates in the food processor with cocoa, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Pulse until mixture is smooth. Add a spoonful or two of reserved date water if the mixture is too thick to blend. Add walnuts and pulse once or twice to incorporate.
4. Using a teaspoon or very small ice cream scoop, portion the mixture into small scoops on a piece of waxed paper. Roll the balls between your hands gently to form a smooth ball. Quickly toss each ball in the cocoa. Place truffles in tiny muffin papers if desired. Store in an air tight container.

These truffles make a wonderful gift, or a nice treat at the end of a special meal. 

Truffles will keep well for several weeks. 

The Best Apple Cake - Again

It's apple season, and while there are 100 fabulous sweet and savory things to make with apples, I just have to re-post this wonderful apple cake recipe that I discovered last year! It is simple, delicious and moist, with a sugary crispy edge. My mouth is watering just thinking about this cake.... 

If you are interested in going apple picking, check out www.pickyourown.org for a location near you.

Yes, it's that good.....

The Best Apple Cake

adjusted from the original Teddie's Apple Cake

Butter or oil for greasing the pan

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups oil

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar packed

3 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups apples, pealed, cored and cut in thick slices or 3/4-inch cubes

1 to 2 cups chopped or coarsely ground nuts (walnuts or pecans are best)

1/2 cup currants or raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch tube pan. Beat the oil and sugar together in a mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment) while assembling the remaining ingredients. After about 5 minutes, add the eggs and beat until the mixture is creamy.
2.  Sift together 3 cups of flour, the salt, cinnamon, cardamom and baking soda. Stir into the batter. Add the vanilla, apples, nuts and raisins and stir until combined. 
3. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before turning out. Serve at room temperature.

Live Food

Live Food.
If your mind conjured an image of you biting into a live fish, it's tail flapping water in your face, you can relax. When I talk about live food I mean plant based food that has the energy used to grow itself still inside of it. I know this might sound hokey, but compare a fresh green bean to one from a can, or think about how good a recently picked carrot is compared to one that's been sitting in your fridge for 2 weeks. 

Live food is a little different from raw food, which may be uncooked, but not "living". As an example, an almond is raw if it has not been roasted, but an almond is a seed, and if you soak it in water over night it will start the process of sprouting and starting to grow into an almond tree, this makes it live, not just raw. I often hear myself telling my kids they need to eat something fresh so they can get  "growing energy from their food", that they need to grow their own bodies. I like thinking about food this way, rather than just telling people to "eat their vegetables" I try to focus on eating enough fresh live food to balance out all the rest of the food in my diet. (Check out this fun recipe for Almond Milk using "live" almonds.

As for me, well I love carbs for breakfast. Toast, cereal, muffins, scones are all high on my list of favorite early morning eats. The thing is, if I eat too much of them I get tired. This summer during my dance camp vacation, I discovered a wonderful new breakfast treat that walks a perfect line between carbohydrate and live food, making it better balanced once it is digested, so I feel great after eating it, not ready for a nap. 

Live Museli, you are my new favorite breakfast!

Credit to one of the great Dance New England cooks (not sure which cook though...)

Live Museli

Makes 4 servings

1 Cup  oat groats

1/4 Cup  raw sunflower seeds

1/4 Cup  raw pumpkin seeds

1/4 Cup  raisins

1/4 Cup raw almonds

Fresh fruit such as peaches, plums, apples, pears or berries - (about 2 peaches or apples and or one cup of berries)

1. Place all ingredients except for fresh fruit into a bowl or pot. Fill the bowl or pot with water, about two inches above the grains. Cover with a towel or pot top and let sit over night or for 6-12 hours. 

2. Drain off the water. Scoop about 1/2 a cup of the live grain/seed mixture into a bowl. Add some cut up fresh fruit, yogurt and honey are also nice additions if that sounds good to you.

note: I didn't have any almonds when I made this batch, but it is so much better with them!!

This breakfast always leaves me feeling satisfied and energized. I hope you enjoy it too!

Finding Inspiration for Dinner

Because I am a Chef and a mother of young children, people often ask me what I cook for dinner. I know they have grand delusions of me cooking fancy three course meals every night to well behaved children who will eat anything I put in front of them. Ha! Dinner time on a week night is a mad dash to cook food before two hungry kids either: #1 eat too many snacks and have no room for dinner or #2 start fighting and crying. I have shared a number of tactics for dealing with this in the past. But when most people ask me what I cook for dinner, what they are really asking is " How do you think of something interesting to cook for dinner?".  It is easy to get in a rut of cooking the same few meals over and over again, I'm guilty of that myself. But over the years I have come up with a number of  ways to draw on my deep love of food to breathe new life into a menu, the hardest one of all being the family dinner.

Inspiration for a weeknight meal can come from anywhere. I often find that I will cook the same few things unless I challenge myself to remember neglected ingredients or put a new twist on some dinner  time staples.

Inspiration #1:  a great photo or recipe from a magazine, newspaper or blog.*
Earlier in the day I had seen my mom's copy of the NY Times food section. On the front cover was a giant bowl of roasted sweet potatoes. Roasted vegetables are one of my favorite winter time foods, and I had a bag of sweet potatoes sitting on my counter left over from last week's shopping that I hadn't used yet. These were roasted with coconut oil (which I didn't have), and added a little sprinkle of brown sugar to the mix which seemed tempting, so we were on.

Inspiration #3: a previously successful recipe from your repertoire. 
Money is tight in my house, so I have to shop wisely and be strategic. This week I splurged and bought a bag of walnuts, and those walnuts were calling to me. I wanted more protein for dinner and didn't want any meat. The week before I had candied some nuts for a salad when some friends came for dinner. Just the thought of them was enough to get me going. 


Inspiration #2: an ingredient in your cabinet, freezer or fridge that has been sitting there for far too long. I pulled out a small yellow tin of anchovies that had been lingering in my mostly bare cabinet for nearly a year. Their salty concentrated flavor made me think of Caesar salad and seemed like it would add a great burst of interest to the meal.

Inspiration #4 - The needs and wants of a balanced diet.
Then I had to figure out how I was going to put all these pieces together, both for myself, my husband and my kids. I am not interested in cooking "kid food" and "adult food". I think that kids should be exposed to all kinds of foods and that a family meal of shared food is a valuable and essential experience in a family. Having said that, I also know that good presentation of a meal to kids, can be key to getting them to like it, and that the needs and wants of my adult pallet do not always match those of my children. I might be craving a huge bowl of lettuce with delicious and nutritious toppings to balance out the heavy (and not so healthy) meal I ate for lunch, while my growing children might want and need a hot hearty meal.

  
So, we ended up with a big salad for me and my man, tossed with a garlicky dressing (with a hint of anchovies), honey orange candied walnuts and roasted sweet potatoes. The kids got the sweet potatoes with some spiced chickpeas and broccoli on the side and they munched on the walnuts too. I think I was the happiest one of the bunch, but at least we ended up with something delicious, nutritious and interesting for dinner.

Honey Orange Candied Walnuts

Walnuts
Honey
Orange 
Salt
Pepper
 
Place nuts in a bowl. Drizzle just enough honey on them to give a light coating. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Using a box grater or zester, zest the orange over the nuts. mix the nuts very well until they are lightly coated with all the ingredients. Spread nuts in a single layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment, foil, or silpat and bake in a 350 degree oven until light brown and the honey is bubbling on the nuts. remove from oven and cool completely. These are addictive and delicious. You can add any spices or herbs that you like: rosemary, cumin, cayenne... have fun with it!

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

here is the link to Melissa Clark's recipe

Essentially: cut up sweet potatoes (peeling optional), toss with oil (any kind is fine), a little salt, pepper and optional sprinkle of brown sugar. Place on a lined sheet pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until golden on the edges.

Quick "Caesar" dressing

Garlic, 1 clove

Anchovies, 3 fillets

White wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons

Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon

Salt, 1/2 teaspoon

Pepper, freshly ground, 1/4 teaspoon

Olive oil, 1/3 cup

Finely mince garlic and anchovies. Whisk in the vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper. Continue whisking while slowly pouring in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

* some of my favorite places to look for inspiration are: saveur magazine, 101 cookbooks, epicurious, nytimes, my cookbook shelf, and on and on, once you start looking it is hard to stop, so just get some inspiration and get cooking!

Please share your ideas and inspirations for a meal!

A Good Excuse to Turn the Oven On

I live in an old New England house and it is 20 degrees outside, so needless to say it is cold inside too. Despite our best efforts to insulate and weather proof, the cold still seeps through cracks, the overhangs, roof eves and basement walls. The price of heating forces us to keep our thermostat pretty low, so we have good slippers and wear scarves and sweaters indoors. I love bundling up, it's cozy, but my other great tactic for warming up in frigid temperatures is cooking. A pot of simmering soup, reducing cider or baking bread all call for turning on the oven or stove for extended periods of time, resulting in a warm house and some tasty results.

Many of you have asked me recently about making granola, which is high on the list of house warming recipes since it bakes for a nice long while. It's also high on the list of wholesome unprocessed breakfast foods and very inexpensive if you make it at home rather than buy it at the store.  I will do my best to lay out this recipe for you, but I have to admit that I never measure when I'm making granola. Essentially, I mix oats, a sweetener and a little oil until the oats are well coated and then add whatever spices I'm in the mood for, bake, add nuts or dried fruit and enjoy. That's it.

Granola 

3 pounds or 10 cups oats (I like to use a mix of rolled and quick oats)
1 to 2 cups sweetener to taste (sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, etc)*
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
dried fruit, nuts, seeds of your choice.

*Because cost is a major factor for me, I tend to use sugar instead of honey or maple syrup to make my granola. I usually make about 6 pounds of oats at a time which would call for a lot of honey, and unfortunately, sugar is much cheaper. I don't make my granola very sweet, and when I can I use part honey,agave, maple syrup or other less refined sweetener. 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. If you are using sugar to sweeten your granola, place it in a heat proof bowl or jar and add a few tablespoons of boiling water at a time, just enough to dissolve the sugar.

In a large bowl, mix together oats, sweetener, oil, salt and spices until thoroughly coated. Taste and adjust the flavor to your liking. You can add any spices, citrus zest or extracts that you like at this point.

Spread the oat mixture onto 2 baking sheets or  a roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove pan from oven and mix the granola so that it gets evenly browned in baking. Return the pan to the oven. Your granola is done when it is golden brown and dried, total baking time is about 60 minutes, depending on the depth of your pan. If it takes longer, don't worry, just cook it until it is lightly brown and dry.

If you want to add nuts, seeds or coconut to your granola, do so about 10 minutes before the granola is done baking. This will give them a few minutes to roast, bringing out their best flavor.

Remove granola from the oven and add any dried fruit that you like. Cool granola completely before storing in an air tight container. A ziploc bag or large jar works well.

Here I made a double batch of granola with the base recipe above. 10 minutes before it was done I added flax seed and unsweetened shredded coconut to half the granola (jar on the left). The other half I finished in the oven and then added raisins and some cashew pieces and a little extra cinnamon (jar on the right).

Thoughts on Cereal
If you are trying to feed a family or even just one hungry person in the USA, cereal is a likely a central part of your diet, and possibly not just for breakfast.  While my family tries to eat a pretty healthy diet, 3 out of four members of my family are quite partial to carbs, especially cereal. It is not unusual to see a bowl of yogurt and granola for dessert or a late night bowl of cereal before bed. A few years ago I realized that with all the hard work I was doing to remove as much processed food from our diet as possible, we still had a lot of cereal in our cabinet. Granted it was the healthier, low sugar brands, but when I started paying more attention I realized that they are still a fairly processed food. Puffed grains like corn, rice or kamut have always been a staple, but it was time to cut back on the puffins, the O's and the like. Granola has always been a favorite too, and we certainly don't mind the super sweet ones from the grocery store, but even in bulk, the cheapest ones run about $2.99 a pound, and many of them have wheat, natural flavorings and about 10 or more ingredients. So, when the weather permits, I happily crank up my oven and make a big, simple, cheap batch of homemade granola.

Approximate cost of making homemade granola:

3 pounds oats in bulk - $3 (this is the cost of organic oats at my local health food store)

sugar - .40 cents

oil - .40 cents

spices - .25 cents

nuts, seeds, dried fruit: $1 to $2 dollars

Total= 14 cups or 3.5 pounds granola
about $1.58/pound, about half the price of store bought.

So, what do you think? Are you going to fire up the oven and make granola? 

please share your ideas in a comment below!

Homemade Almond Milk, cool and refreshing

I've been experimenting with milk lately. Cow, goat, rice, soy, and now almond. I love cream or milk in my coffee, but can't really sit down and drink a glass of cow's milk. It might have something to do with the stories my mother told me as a kid of her childhood in Holland and Israel where her mother would warm the fresh cow milk and serve it to her with the skin on the surface that forms with warmed milk. It nauseated my mother so much that she said one day she jumped out the window of her tiny house and ran towards school, only to be called back by her mother and made to drink her milk. Who knows if this really happened quite the way I remember her telling it, but none the less, I can't really stomach a glass of cow's milk. I do eat dairy, I can drink a glass of soy milk which is enriched with as much calcium as milk, and I eat lots of greens and nuts which are loaded with calcium as well. However, when my daughter was weaned at the age of two and started asking for milk from some where other than me, I started to re-examine the topic of milk. 

I am not trying to bad mouth cow's milk, I think it is beautiful stuff, especially when I know it is coming from cows who are being treated well, allowed to graze on grass and not being over milked or given growth hormones to force increased milk production.  I like to cook and bake with it, I love making ice cream, and whipped cream and yogurt, but, to be honest, the idea that humans are meant to be drinking the milk mother cows produce for their calfs has always struck me as bizarre. When you think about the fact that most people are freaked out by human breast milk, what makes the milk from a mother cow so great? I usually come around to the fact that the dairy industry did a great job convincing Americans that we need to drink milk every day, and lots of it. I mean seriously, why do you think dairy is it's own food group on the USDA food pyramid?!  I look at dairy as a protein and a fat. I mean fish doesn't have it's own category because of omega 3 oils. The argument that milk is our best source of calcium doesn't fly when you can get calcium from greens, nuts, seaweed, ground sesame seeds, blackstrap molasses and many other foods. The power of this type of advertising was made obivious to me when I was in college and lived in Brazil. I spent some time in a favela (shanty town) in Fortaleza, and I remember visiting a small "house" built of cardboard and scraps of metal, and the image of a young and very poor mother who was standing near a shelf with a can of Nestle powdered baby formula on it. The idea that even in extreme poverty people can be convinced that they need to buy a manufactured milk product to feed their children, even though their own body produces milk that is far superior was just insane to me. That image is burned into my head for life.

So, back to the topic at hand, Almond milk. As I started examining what kind of milk to give my daughter, I found pluses and minuses to each kind of milk: soy milk which my husband and son like to drink, contains a lot of estrogen, so I didn't want to overload her (or them) with that, and it is a fairly processed milk with a lot of added ingredients, but it is higher in protein than it's similar counterpart, rice milk, making it more balanced for the body. Unsweetened rice milk is not too high in sugar, it is enriched with vitamins (not naturally occuring in rice or soy) which is sort of a plus and a minus. Goat milk is easier on the body than cow milk for people with lactose intolerance, and I looked at hemp milk, but it was expensive, and had a lot of ingredients in it, so i decided not to go that route. Then there was almond milk. The store bought version has about as many ingredients as rice and soy milk, but also has flavorings and a lot of sugars. I remembered my friend Shayla telling me when she weaned her son that she was making almond milk, at the time I thought, "almonds for a young toddler, should he have nuts?", but my daughter already ate nuts and was fine with them, so I googled it and found tons of great info on home made almond milk online. I had imagined that it would take a lot of almonds to make, so it would be expensive, but that wasn't the case. A half gallon of home made almond milk is made with about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of almonds and was about $1.75 to $2.50, depending on how rich you like it. It was easy to make, and my husband and I really liked it, the kids on the other hand, well, not so much. oh well.

My basic resolution at the end of this long brain splurge on milk was VARIETY.  If we drink a variety of different milks we will get the nutrients and bonuses of each without over oading our bodies with any of the minuses. This is the answer I come up with for many questions about food. If we eat a variety of whole foods, different colors, textures, food groups etc, it will all balance out and our bodies will be happier for it. I know in some cultures people eat the same few foods every day and are very healhty and satisfied. I have experienced that living in other countries, but i do find while I am here in the USA surrounded by incredible marketing and huge grocery stores, markets and abundance, that I don't feel satisfied eating the same few things everyday.

Homemade Almond Milk
1 cup almonds
6 cups water (4-8 cups depending on your tastes)
Honey or other sweetener (optional)

Blender
Large bowl
Thin dish towel or 3 layers cheese cloth
Colander or mesh strainer
Additional water for soaking

Soak almonds in lots of water, overnight or for 24 hours. This brings the almonds back to life. If you think of them as a seed, which they are, the process of soaking them is actually getting them to start growing, so you are eating a food that is more alive than dead.

Soaked almonds in front, dry in back.

Set up your bowl with a colander or mesh strainer in it.

Cover the strainer with a thin dish towel or cheese cloth.

Place almonds in a blender with as much of the 6 cups of water as will fit. Reserve the rest.

 Blend on high speed until the nuts are very fine.

 Pour the milk into the strainer. You can scoop some of the nut solids out of the strainer and blend them with the remaining water. In my blender I fit 4 cups of water the first time and then added 2 cups more the second time. I have seen recipes with 4-8 cups of water, I felt like 6 was a good amount, but it is up to you.

Lift up the edges of the dish towel or cheese cloth and let the milk flow through the cloth.









Twist the cloth until all of the milk is removed from the nut meal.

The nut meal that remains can be eaten, or used in baking. It is great added to a cobbler topping, breads, muffins, yogurt or anything else you like. I tried to find info online about the nutritional content of the milk and the meal, but didn't come up with anything reliable. I do not doubt that it is good for you though, and it tasted good too, so why waste it?

In the end, I was left with a quart and a half (6 cups) of almond milk. I left the milk unsweetened in a jar in the fridge, but added a tiny bit of honey to my glass when I drank it. I kept it in the fridge and we drank it all within 3 days. It was an incredibly refreshing clean drink, great for a hot summer day.