Exquisite Granola

I have been trying to find a healthy and delicious granola recipe for quite a while.  I've searched out several recipes and then experimented a bit, trying to use what I liked best in each.  The final product has been deemed a success by me and those family and friends who have tried it.  It's light yet satisfying with a hint of vanilla, and uses just one half cup of safflower oil, and less than a half cup of maple syrup to three cups of oats.  Steel cut oats would not work here.  The flakes shrink quite a bit when baked, and the steel cut would most likely become mushy in milk, almond or soy milk.

If you're looking for a great home-made holiday gift, this granola in a glass jar would be just the thing.  Speaking of holiday time, I wish you a calm and peaceful one.

For this granola recipe, I used Country Choice organic old fashioned oven toasted oats.  Other brands of organic oats may be just as good.  Country Choice did very well with further "toasting" in the oven, and in fact took a while to brown just as they should.  You can use any old fashioned oats, but as long as you're going to the trouble, I would suggest trying to find organic ones.

P.S. I thought it was the final product but I have recently revised it again - to make it better as well as healthier.

Here's the recipe:

         Granola

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled ("old fashioned") oats

1 and1/2  cups of raw nuts - I used raw (not roasted) almonds, walnuts and pecans 

1/2 - 3/4 cup dried flaked unsweetened coconut

1-2 (I use 2) tsp vanilla

1/4 cup plus one T safflower oil

1/4  cup plus one T maple syrup

2/3 cup raisins or other dried berries

dash of salt, optional 

Instructions:

1.  Preheat the oven to 280 degrees and line a large jelly roll pan with parchment paper for easy clean up. 

2.  Combine and oats, nuts and coconut in a large bowl.  

3.  In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix oil, maple syrup, vanilla, (and salt if using).

4.  Pour the liquid mixture into the oat mixture and stir well to thoroughly combine.

5.  Turn mixture out onto the large jelly roll pan and spread evenly.

6.  Bake for about one hour and 20 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes.  You can turn the temp up to 285 degrees if progress seems slow.  Keep checking and when it's golden brown, it’s done.

7.  Remove from oven and stir in the dried berries.

8. Let cool, and when the granola is about room temperature, put into a container (preferably glass) with an airtight cover.

Let me know if you like this granola and if you found any interesting variations. 

Enjoy, and be well.

Green Juice - Worth the Hassle

About three years ago my daughter visited, introduced me to her juicer, and showed me how to make green juice.  The recipe she used was from Kris Carr who has written several books and also has a very informative website.  You may not agree with everything she says, but I know her original green juice recipe works for me.  It requires a juicer - I used an inexpensive one ($35) for a while until I knew I would stick with it, and then bought a Breville Ikon (was $200).  It was basically the same as the cheap one in terms of product but much faster, larger capacity, and a smoother operation. The clean up is annoying, but it seems worth it. I drink one pretty much every day.

Here is the recipe I use, adapted from Kris Carr's first book, "The Crazy Sexy Diet":

1-2 large cucumbers, cut in large chunks (about 2 inches)
6-8 stems ( depending on size) of kale (by "stem I mean leaves and all)
4 celery stalks, cut in half
4 large pieces romaine lettuce
a one inch piece of ginger
1 broccoli stalk
1-2 pears, cut in half

Wash everything really, really carefully and cut the stems off right before the end. I always start with the kale.  Get the juicer going on high speed and add pieces of kale interspersed with pieces of cucumber.  Then add celery and then all the romaine (I fold 2 pieces in half and stick them in feed tube.  Add ginger and broccoli stem. Then turn the juicer down to a slow speed (3 on the Breville) and add the softer pears (try one pear to start- the juice should have a very subtle sweetness). Your juice is done.  I turn the machine off, put a glass under the spout and taste the juice.  If it needs something, like more pear or whatever, add it and put the container back under the spout (don't forget this step as I did once - quite a mess) and juice it up.

I think it's absolutely delicious.  Kris Carr has three big glasses a day, but that's a lot of vegetables, more than I can afford to juice and an awful lot of time.  If you can find the time and money, it must be great to drink that much green juice.  One feels pretty amazing.

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I thought I would leave you with a quick and delicious black bean chili that I actually made last night just to make sure it's as good and as easy as I thought, and it was.  You could use your favorite bean, doesn't have to be black beans, but they are great.  So here it is:

Black Bean Chili

cooked rice or tortillas/burritos, optional

1 T olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 T chili powder

1 t ground cumin

2 cans black (or pinto) beans, rinsed and drained

6 medium sized canned whole Italian plum tomatoes, chopped and about 1/2 cup of puree or tomato juice from the can - add more if needed

1 big t chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (or sauté a chopped jalapeño - using a little of the ribs and seeds - along with the onion)

salt to taste

2 T finely chopped cilantro

Avocado, chopped

Heat the oil in a medium sized sauté or large fry pan and add the chopped onion, cooking over medium low heart and stirring occasionally until it is tender but not browned.  If using the jalapeño, add it after a few minutes of sautéing onion.  Then when the onion is tender, add the garlic and spices and cook for a minute.

Add the beans, the chopped  tomatoes and puree (or juice) from the can, the chipotle chiles and salt.  Bring it to a boil and taste. You can add more salt or more chiles in adobo at this point if you like it hot. Simmer for about 15 minutes.  If you are making chili for burritos or in a tortilla, uncover to thicken more. If you want it looser to serve over rice, you can add more tomato juice if necessary.  Or serve the chili in a bowl, with a salad on the side.  I have served it over brown rice, in a tortilla, and in a bowl.  Delicious all three ways. 

Serve sprinkled with cilantro and chopped avocado or some Monterey jack cheese - however you like it.  This is not an exact science type of recipe.  Last night I found I had no cilantro.  I did miss it, but it was very delicious anyway.  

Enjoy, and Be Well!

Macrobiotic Noodles or Rice with "Béchamel" Sauce

What Kind of Diet is Healthy

If I knew for certain exactly what kind of diet could keep us all healthy I would certainly impart that information to you.  There are many theories and associated diets, and I do borrow from quite a few,

but my judgments are subjective, based on how I feel, my tastes, and what I've learned about food.

I was on a macrobiotic diet for a few months many, many years ago, and I found it very time consuming, but I did feel fantastic. I really missed potatoes and tomatoes which are not eaten on the diet. The macrobiotic diet food triangle has whole grains on the bottom, pickled foods and vegetables in the next tier, then vegetable oil, seasonings and condiments, on up to nuts and seeds, and fruits in season (or dried or cooked).  Near the top are fish and seafood, then dairy, and up to eggs and poultry.  It ends with meat which macrobiotics never eat or eat very infrequently or when transitioning to the diet.  The diet emphasizes eating foods that are locally grown.  That is always a good thing in so many ways.

When I feel that I've been eating a lot of highly spiced or garlicky dishes (which I tend to do) and I want something that feels easily digested and nurturing I turn to my favorite macrobiotic recipe:

This is the macrobiotic version of Bechamel sauce, but it bears no real resemblance to that rich sauce.  You can have this sauce on brown rice or another grain, or whole grain soba or udon.  I like the Eden Organic Traditionally Crafted buckwheat and wheat pasta.  I season with some sesame salt which is known as "Gomasio" and is also available with bits of seaweed in it.  It is delicious and surprisingly low in sodium.  I adapted this recipe from Cooking for Life which is apparently out of print but available in used form on Amazon.  This is a really quick, easy dinner.  A meal in a bowl.

"Bechamel" Sauce

Ingredients:

1 t oil 

2 T rice flour (I use brown rice flour and store in freezer after opening.)

1T tahini

1 T miso (I use mellow white or brown miso - there are many kinds and brown has a richer, stronger flavor which I love)

1/2 onion, chopped

2 large (or 3 small) scallions, chopped, white and light green parts only

1/2-1 cup assorted veggies, cut small (broccoli and carrots work really well)

1/4 t salt, optional

2 cups water

Gomasio (in the "Asian" section of your supermarket near the packages of dried seaweed)

Cooked brown rice or one package soba or udon noodles or whole grain pasta of your choice ( I love Eden traditionally made soba which comes in a box - but don't overcook!)

Hear the oil a bit in a medium saucepan and then sauté the onion and scallions over a low heat for several minutes until they almost transparent.  Add the 2 tablespoons of flour, tablespoon of miso, and the tablespoon of tahini to the onions and scallions.  If you're using salt, add it now.  Turn the heat down and stir or whisk a bit to cook the flour as if you were making a real cream type sauce.  Then add the water gradually, whisking continuously and bring to a boil, stirring or whisking a bit more to make it all nice and smooth.  Simmer the sauce,  partially covered,  for about 10 minutes.   (This is a good time to start the water for pasta, if using. ) After the 10 minutes, add the veggies to the sauce and cook until they are crisp-tender, (and add pasta to the boiling water).  As mentioned, serve over rice, whole grain pasta or some sort or veggies. Sprinkle with gomasio. 

Next week we talk green juice, and the best, fastest recipe for black bean chili!

Enjoy and Be Healthy!

Zucchini, Tomatoes, and Potatoes Baked with Garlic and Parsley

Harvest Time

Yes, it's that time of year, when we still have lots of tomatoes and zucchini but also an abundance of winter squash and apples.  The sun is still hot, but the air is cooling off, and it's just gorgeous here in Salem, Massachusetts where I live.  Our wonderful farmers' market is off the hook with an amazing assortment of veggies.  If only it could last a few months longer...

Meanwhile, here is a great harvest time recipe, adapted from Food.com that does not require exact measurements.  I have always made it with red skin potatoes that are much smaller than the Idaho potatoes the original recipe uses,  so I just figure about how many of the red ones might equal an Idaho.  Also I have never weighed the zucchini, but if they are small I'll throw in another one, or even a summer squash.  Feel free to adjust the garlic too - I do use the three cloves, although you may notice people backing away from you the next day.  But it is delicious.  And easy.  Even easier if you have a mandolin for slicing.

"Indian Summer Bake"

Ingredients:

3 - 4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large Idaho (or other) potatoes, peeled

2 zucchini (1/2 pound each)

3 ripe tomatoes (1 pound total)

3 cloves garlic

Coarse salt, to taste

Black pepper, coarsely ground

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated - try to find an organic lemon since you're using the skin

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease a 13 x 9-inch pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil.

Slice the potatoes, zucchini and tomatoes into very thin slices using a sharp knife and/or mandolin. Mince the garlic. Line the bottom of the pan with one layer of sliced potatoes (they can overlap by half).  Sprinkle a tablespoon or somewhat less of olive oil and dust with just a little salt and pepper. Place zucchini slices over the potato and sprinkle another tablespoon (or somewhat less) of oil over the zucchini. As evenly as possible, cover with a little more salt, pepper, all of the garlic, 1/4 cup of the chopped parsley and the lemon zest. Next, cover the zucchini with the tomato slices, the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, pepper and the remaining chopped parsley. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the potatoes are tender. 

Let me know what you think of this.

Enjoy and be well.

Miso Soup

We All Fall Off the Wagon

Maybe you've been on vacation with no healthy food access, or you've had that particular kind of stress you just can't seem to handle at all well. Or perhaps you had a time crunch with little left for shopping or cooking.  Severe stress happens too, and sometimes we turn to unhealthy "comfort" food at those times - just when our bodies need nutritious food the most.  We've all been there.  Eventually your body will motivate you to get back to your healthy shopping/cooking routine, and you immediately feel so much better.  Nobody's perfect, just keep trying.  Here are a couple of great "restart" recipes. 

One easy menu involves cooking up some brown rice (my favorite is short grain brown rice from Lundberg Farms) to serve with steamed or lightly stir fried veggies.  You can start the meal with some miso soup.  Here's a recipe I like:

Miso Soup

All the ingredients for this soup can generally be found in all supermarkets.  First you need to prepare a kind of Japanese stock called "dashi" which is very easy to put together.  This is just one kind of dashi;  there are many.  There are also many different recipes for miso soup.  

Ingredients:

For the dashi:

5 cups cold water

6 dried shiitake mushrooms


2 pieces kombu seaweed


4 ¼ -inch-thick coins fresh ginger

Combine all ingredients and slowly bring to a boil over a low heat. Remove and discard kombu once it starts to boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Strain out solids. 
 

For the miso soup:

The above dashi

3-4 Tablespoons miso paste

1/4 to 1/2  block tofu (optional), cut in small cubes (less than 1/2 inch)

1/2 tsp dried wakame, cut up very small (a kind of seaweed, also available at supermarkets)

1 scallion chopped

Scoop about 1/4 cup of dashi into a small bowl, then whisk miso in until smooth and creamy paste. Whisk mixture into dashi and heat but do not allow to boil.  Add in tofu and sprinkle with wakame.  Serve garnished with scallions.  Some may want a splash of soy sauce, but if you need to watch sodium intake, it's good to know that miso is quite high in sodium.  Interestingly, it does not appear to affect our cardiovascular system as salt does.  It's also a food that is full of nutritional and health benefits.

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Below you will find a very, very different but extremely nutritious recipe, and I am not in any way suggesting that this recipe coordinates well with Miso Soup because it doesn't.  It is, however, a snap to make, tasty, and it's a dinner in a bowl.  I changed it a bit, but it's a recipe on the Mayo Clinic website - full of nutritious recipes.  Check 'em out at http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/recipes/heart-healthy-recipes/rcs-20077163.  

Creole-style black-eyed peas

Serves 8 – I cut it in half

Ingredients:

1-2 cups water, vegetable 
or chicken broth

2 cups dried black-eyed peas


2 cups canned unsalted tomatoes, crushed or fresh tomatoes, chopped small

1 large onion, finely chopped


2 stalks celery, finely chopped


2-3 chopped carrots

3 teaspoons minced garlic


1/2 teaspoon dry mustard


1/4 teaspoon ground ginger


1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper - You can add your own hot pepper if you like it hot. If you don't, skip the cayenne, or add 1/8 tsp.


1 bay leaf


1/2 cup chopped parsley

Directions

In a 3-4 quart saucepan place the black-eyed peas and cover with water. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, cover, remove from heat and let stand for 1 hour.

Drain the peas and return to the saucepan. Add the 1-2 cups water or broth, and all the remaining ingredients except the parsley. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer slowly for 1-2 hours (depending on the freshness of your black-eyed peas - you'll have to check every 15 minutes or so after an hour). Stir occasionally. Add water or broth as necessary to keep everything covered with liquid.

When black-eyed peas are done, discard bay leaf, and serve topped with parsley. 

In the words of the immortal James Brown, "Get on the good foot!"

Enjoy, and be well!