Category Archives: recipes

catching up over chocolate-ginger granola with buckwheat

Hello again. Given my record of inconsistent posting, it no longer even makes sense to apologize for/explain being away so long; I’m going to assume the privilege of an old friend and pick up where we left off.

We are in Tampa! We have been living here for two and a half months now, and the change has been really good. In fact, aside from discovering new depths of incompetence in a certain government contracting company that shall remain nameless, and missing a few very dear friends, it has been a great experience. We are roosting in a sun-filled apartment within walking distance of the bay. A quick glimpse from our windows would easily fool you into thinking we live in a tropical jungle.Every chance we get we stroll down to the water to watch sting rays, manta rays, sea turtles, dolphins, sharks, and dozens of fish whose names we don’t know. Yep, in case you have been wondering, runners of Tampa, we are that annoying couple walking really slowly, hanging over the balustrade, soaking it all in, while you are pounding the pavement. Give us time. We may eventually become jaded to 70 plus degree November days, and seeing the sun glint diamonds off of the waters of the bay. . .but I hope not!We spent a disappointing month shopping the local grocery stores to find them filled with really expensive produce that is often already going bad on the shelves, or, alternately, completely under-ripe and flavorless. I’m not just talking one store, I’m talking every store (yes, I’m talking about you Whole Foods, Publix, Winn-Dixie, and Fresh Market). We were throwing away a shameful amount of food because it was spoiling before we could use it. In the last two weeks I finally made it a priority to seek out some alternatives; the results were surprising! There is a farm hidden away on a cul-de-sac in south Tampa where you can get fresh eggs, raw milk, fresh from the hive honey, and so much more, on the honor system. I want to do a full post on this place soon, but if you are in the Tampa area and want to see for yourself, it is South Tampa Farm at 6101 s. 2nd st. Tampa, Florida 33611. there is a produce wholesale shop that welcomes retail customers (Sanwa Farmer’s Market) and a pretty cute veggie stand just down the road on Swann.

My mom came for a visit and took us to the 5th annual veg-fest, after which we went to a nearby power plant to see the manatees that collect in the heated waters at its base.I had a whirlwind day at Disney with one of my very best friends and her kids, and I’m pretty sure I enjoyed it more than any of the littles! I have no shame in being an adult disney lover. . .the magic is real. Thank you J.S. for sharing the nugs with me; it was wonderful being Aunt Brandy again for a day!

And, finally, I made a recipe I would love to share with you today. Based on the fantastic Sarah Britton’s Chunky Chocolate Buckwheat Granola, this version is lighter on oil, and has a kick of heat courtesy of my spicy friend, ginger .

Chocolate-ginger granola with buckwheat

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup buckwheat (I found this in the bulk bins at whole foods)
1 1/2 cups coconut flakes
1 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 tsp sea salt
5 dates, pitted and soaked in 1/4 cup milk of choice or water
1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 to 1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger
1/2 cup cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
In a blender combine dates and their soaking milk, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, ginger, and cocoa powder. Combine until mostly smooth; thin with extra milk of choice if needed (warm before adding).
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl, mixing to evenly distribute.
Pour chocolate mixture over dry ingredients and fold until evenly coated.
Press evenly onto parchment paper lined baking sheet and place in oven
Cook for 30 minutes, check and turn/stir as needed if outer edges begin to burn. As sarah b. says, tasting the hazelnuts is the best way to tell when this granola is ready.
Cool completely before storing in air tight container.

Something New: Menu #1

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So I thought we could try something new. Every week Jason and I plan out a menu and shopping list. Since I’ve got it on hand, why not share it. If you like the idea, let me know and I will throw them up on a more regular basis. I warn you, they may look very boring and repetitive, but who knows, if you are feeling brain dead and utterly unimaginative yourself, this might help!

This first menu reflects some of the things Jason and I have been thinking about lately, specifically cutting down the sugars in our diet. I don’t mean cutting out fruit; I mean watching the number of calories we get from processed sugars, honey, syrup, etc. We have been doing some research, and the new recommended limit for men is 150 calories per day, and 100 for women. We are doing our best to stick to that on a day to day basis without being fanatical. I’m also severely limiting my caffeine intake in light of some recent problems. Have you been mulling over any diet changes lately? I’d love to hear what you all are thinking about. Again, if you like the idea of the menus, let me know. Hope you are all having a great week.

Click on the image below to access the PDF and the links. Later, alligators.

International Identity Crisis Spaghetti Squash “Lasagna”

Chorizo and Feta Spaghetti Squash “Lasagna”

Does the title make better sense now? This “lasagna” is composed of Mexican chorizo, goat feta, and a basic Italian marinara. You could easily resolve this identity crisis by doing a more standard italian sausage and mozzarella, but I really enjoy this flavor combination.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash

1 batch basic marinara

3/4 lb mexican chorizo (or sausage/meat of your choice)

6 oz. feta (or mozzarella)

tomato

olive oil

salt

pepper

oregano

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400. Cut squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and place flesh down on parchment lined pan. Bake at 400 until shell gives slightly under pressure (between 40 minutes and and hour, depending on the size of your squash). Remove pan from oven. With forks or spoon, scraping/scooping width-wise across the squash, remove the strand like flesh into a strainer. Lightly salt and pepper squash strands and leave to drain.

In large pan over medium high heat, brown meat. Pour off excess oil when complete, then add 1.5 cups marinara sauce to pan. Cook meat and sauce together for approx. 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

In hollowed shell, place and press down a small amount of squash. To this base add one quarter of the meat mixture to each. Top with one quarter of cheese. Now distribute one quarter of remaining squash strands and press firmly to create a tight package. Repeat process, ending with next layer of squash. Top with sliced tomatoes, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with oregano. Return to oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until juices are bubbly and tomatoes are coloring. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Stone Fruit Crumble

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The other night we finally had our first dinner guests. Some very good friends of ours graciously accepted our invitation despite it meaning that they had to drag their children out at night into our quite blatantly not child-proofed home. We had a blast! We still don’t have proper dining chairs or a baby gate for the stairs, or rug pads to make more easily (and safely) runnable areas, all of our furniture seems to have sharp corners and none of our floors are level–great combo–, but they overlooked all our deficiencies. Their children are fantastic and we always have a good time with them; it was a wonderful way to christen this home!

So, the grub: I made bbq using my dad’s secret recipe (which includes no measurements), sauce from Jason’s dad’s recipe, cabbage-kale coleslaw from. . .well, my brain, and corn with lime wedges and sea salt. Not so funny story- cooked properly a pork butt takes hours to cook, I mean, hours and hours. Well, roughly three quarters of the way through we must have had a brief power failure without my noticing it; by the time I found out the oven had cooled! So, add an extra 6 hours cooking time to the hours already gone by!! Lesson to take away- check on your oven even if it is not time to open your oven :). Amazingly, the Q still came out just fine.

For dessert we had what I think of as a “say goodbye to summer” crumble. Stone fruit season, for me, is the time when I begin transitioning from summer with all its sweet, hot languor to autumn, brisk, radiant, and a wee bit magical.

I used this dish as an opportunity to try a new-to-me ingredient: coconut sugar. I’ve been hearing good things about it for some time now, and thought I’d have a go. I really liked the results. It gave a rich, caramel-like flavor without the excess liquid you would get from maple syrup. This crumble is not only gluten-free, but dairy-free and vegan as well.

What is your favorite end of summer dish? Or are any of you in complete denial that the seasons are changing, holding on to every last minute of sunshine? If so, what is your favorite summertime dessert? Tell me about it in the comments; I’d love some good ideas!

P.S. Left over crumble makes a fantastic breakfast!

Ingredients

9×13 baking dish
blender or food processor
zester or grater
approx. 10 stone fruits (I used a mixture of plums, pluots, and nectarines)
2 Tbs. corn starch
1 Tbs. water
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cup blond coconut sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar (or make it all coconut. . .or honey or maple or just plain cane)
2 cups g.f. whole rolled oats
2 cups mixed nuts and seeds ( I used almonds, walnuts, pecans, hemp and flax because that is what I have on hand)
3/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and dry fruits. Cut into 1 inch chunks and place directly in baking dish. Combine corn starch and water in small bowl until smooth; pour this mixture over the fruit. Add lemon juice and zest, and 3/4 c. coconut sugar. Mix to thoroughly coat fruit.

(Note: if you like your topping very chunky you can skip processing the oats. I find that this helps to make the topping slightly more cohesive (and a nicer texture to me).)

In food processor combine oats, all remaining sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse until a very rough meal forms. You don’t want to break the oats down completely, just rough them up a bit. Remove mix to large bowl. If using almonds in your nut mix, pulse those all by themselves until broken up into chunks (almonds are harder than many other nuts and if you try to process, say, almonds and pecans together, the pecans will turn to dust before the almonds are properly chunky). Add almond chunks to large bowl. Pulse remaining nuts and add to bowl. Stir to combine, pour coconut oil over the lot, and then mix until all ingredients are thoroughly coated.

Spread topping out evenly over fruit. Bake in oven for approx. 50 minutes. The crumble should be beautifully brown with gorgeous juices bubbling round the edges. Cool for at least 45 minutes to and hour before eating so that it may “set”.

Individual Portobello-Eggplant Lasagnas with Arugula and Goat Cheese Pesto

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One of Jason’s favorite meals is pasta with marinara sauce. He would eat it three time a week if I would make it. Until a few months ago I gratified that desire at least once a week, until finally one day my stomach revolted. Not one more bit of pasta would it let through my lips! Since then J. has been feeling mad marinara depravation, and I’ve been trying, albeit reluctantly, to find an alternative that could keep us both happy. Well, I may not have found the ultimate answer, but I’ve definitely got a possible solution. Last night, while Jason got lost in pasta and sauce, I experimented with nightshades and fungus, greens and citrus, and nuts, seemingly a true witch’s brew. This was the end result.

I was originally photographing this just to share with my mother. Can I take a moment to brag on her? My mom has in the last few months completely changed her diet, started exercising, and is focused on being the healthiest version of herself possible. She has lost thirty pounds and seems happier than I’ve seen her in years! In this process, which started with her finding a program called “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” and identifying with the message, she has become a vegetarian. So occasionally we swap recipes we think the other might find interesting, and I try to think up nutritionally well rounded meals that she might enjoy. Unless you are really on you game about eating a diverse diet with special attention to proteins and iron and vitamins D and the Bs, being a vegetarian can become a slippery health slope. . .as can any eating, naturally. . .anyway, back to the recipe. This “lasagna” has roasted nuts and goat cheese for protein, antioxidants from eggplant and a little heart healthy fat from olive oil, not to mention vitamin (and protein) packed arugula! As a dark, leafy green arugula is also a decent source of iron and folates.

I know I titled these “Individual” lasagnas, but unless you are really hungry this is more of a two serving affair. The richness of the olive oil and goat cheese make this hard to eat in bulk, but great to divide and pair with a bright salad.

Marinara

1 28 oz can (or 2lb peeled fresh) whole tomatoes, seeded and crushed

4-5 cloves garlic, sliced

olive oil

salt

red pepper flakes

lemon juice

fresh basil, chiffonade (or just torn)

Remove seeds from tomatoes, straining and retaining all juices. Pour 1 TBS. olive oil and sliced garlic in cold sauté pan and heat over medium until garlic becomes fragrant–do not brown. Add crushed tomatoes and juice to pan, along with 1/4-1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Continue to cook until no longer watery. Add juice of 1/4 lemon. Taste for salt (you can always add more, but you can’t take it out!). Stir in fresh basil and either remove from heat or lower heat.

Lasagna

2-3 Tbs Marinara sauce

1 eggplant (I used a beautiful streaked Japanese ep that looked really good a the market)

1 portobello cap, stalk removed, gills scraped out

1/2 cup arugula or leafy green of choice

1/4 lemon

2 Tbs goat cheese

1/3 cup walnuts, toasted

olive oil

salt

pepper

1 clove garlic

Cut eggplant into 1/4 inch slices. Lay flat on towel and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt (or sea salt). Cover with another towel and press.

Preheat oven to 400. Line baking pan with parchment paper. Add nuts and toast in oven until lightly colored, about 5-7 minutes. In food processor combine garlic, juice of quarter lemon (zest too if you so desire), 1 tsp olive oil, goat cheese, arugula, and toasted walnuts. Process until paste forms. Taste, and salt only if necessary (remember, the other parts of the meal have salt as well!)

In sauté pan, heat 2 tsp olive oil until a drop of water flicked into the pan sizzles. Add eggplant slices, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, and cook until browned on both sides. Remove to towel covered plate.

Assembly:

Portobello cap, bottom up, place in baking pan on parchment paper. Spread a thin layer of goat cheese pesto. Add layer of eggplant, another layer of pesto. Eggplant, pesto, 2-3 Tbs marinara sauce. Bake in oven for approximately 8 minutes. Plate and serve.