sourdough granola.

This is the first thing I made with some sourdough discard and it might be some of the best granola to date! The texture is very crispy without using much oil – and its not very sweet at all. I have been having a handful with some chocolate chips and its a great snack!

Mix together:
1/3 cup discard starter
2 T water
2 T brown or coconut sugar
2T flour

Let this ferment for 3 hours to overnight.

When ready, you will need:
1/4 tspn salt
1/2 tspn cinnamon (optional)
2 cups oats
2T mild oil
nuts (almonds, cashews, etc)
seeds (sunflower seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, etc)
1T honey or maple syrup

Add the salt and oats, cinnamon, nuts and seeds to a bowl.
Add the honey and oil to the fermented mixture, then pour over the oats in the bowl. Coat well, and then bake in preheated 300 degree oven for about 30-40 minutes. Stir halfway through.

cinnamon raisin sourdough bread.

I was recently given a sourdough starter by a neighbor, so I will log the recipes we have been making so far. This has been my go-to bread. Go to her site for directions, but below is the measurements and rough directions for my own record.

2/3 cup starter
1 1/2 cup water
4 cups flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup nuts
a little less than 2 tspn salt
1T cinnamon

Mix starter, water and flour. let sit one hour.
Soak raisins and nuts while that is resting.

Add raisins, salt (and 1/2 tspn water), and cinnamon and form into a ball.
Cover and place in warm spot. For the first 2 hours, stretch and fold every 30 minutes.
Let rest overnight.

The Next morning it should be doubled in size.
Remove from the bowl and shape it.
Let rest for 45 minutes.

Line dutch oven with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Score top of bread and put seam side down into pot.

Bake covered for 15 minutes.
Take off lid and bake 35 minutes more.
Open oven and bake 10 minutes.

tempeh in creamy mushroom coconut sauce.

• 2 tbsp (30ml) soy sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) maple syrup
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 package of tempeh

MUSHROOM SAUCE

• 1 tbsp (15ml) oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 and 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp maple syrup
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp cornstarch diluted in 1 tbsp water, to thicken the sauce
• crispy fried onions for topping!

1. Cut the tempeh into 1-inch cubes and place them in a deep plate or baking dish. In a small bowl, prepare the marinade by combining the soy sauce, maple syrup, and garlic. Pour the marinade over the tempeh and stir to coat. Let the tempeh marinade for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Once tempeh has marinated, heat a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick skillet. Add the tempeh with the marinade and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the tempeh has absorbs the marinade and starts to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

MUSHROOM SAUCE

Heat the tablespoon of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and fry until golden brown. Next, add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked and start to brown.

Deglaze the skillet with the soy sauce. Add the maple syrup, ground black pepper, salt, coconut milk, and water. Stir to combine and cook for another 5 minutes. To thicken the sauce, add the diluted cornstarch.

Add the sautéed tempeh to the skillet and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve on top of rice and top with crispy fried onions.

(Just a note, we made this a second time and crumbled the tempeh instead and wasnt a fan of it that way – the cubes make the mushrooms the star of this dish!)

butternut squash pasta bake.

This is a creamy butternut squash pasta without a bunch of nuts. It would make an excellent thanksgiving side dish. And just a sidenote, i had a big bowl of this pre-baking it, and the sauce directly on the noodles is delicious!

• 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 heaping cup chopped butternut squash
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces veggie broth
• ¾ cup light coconut milk
• 2-3 cups uncooked pasta
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tspn sage
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• Salt and pepper
• 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
• panko crumbs
• dried fried onions

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onions with pinches of salt and pepper. Cook until translucent. Add the squash, garlic, broth and coconut milk. Cover and simmer until the squash is cooked and soft (about 15-25 minutes), stirring occasionally.
2. Cook your pasta according to package directions, reserving some pasta water before draining. Set aside.
3. To your squash mix, stir in the dijon mustard, nutritional yeast, sage, and maple syrup. Add more salt & pepper.
4. Transfer the mixture to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.Taste and adjust. Add some of the starchy pasta water or more coconut milk to thin it out if it’s too thick.
5. Place the spinach in a large bowl and scoop the hot pasta noodles on top (so the hot pasta starts to wilt the spinach). Mix in the sauce.
6. Place in a baking dish. Top with the fried onions, a sprinkling of panko and pinches of salt.
7. Bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 20 minutes (uncovered) until the top is brown and crusty.

tahini cardamom granola.

Made a small batch of this granola and it was delicious.

1 1/2 cups oats
dried coconut
almonds
hemp seeds
pistachios
1/2 tspn cinnamon
1/4 tspn cardamom
1/8 tspn ginger
1/8 tspn salt
pinch of black pepper
2 T Maple syrup
2T coconut oil, melted
2T tahini
1/2 tspn vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.
Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl.
Mix the oil, syrup, tahini and vanilla in a bowl.
Coat the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix well.
Bake for 20 minutes, and mix halfway through. 

 

 

healthy peanut butter granola.

This is my go-to granola!

• 2 cups old-fashioned or quick cooking oats*
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 6 TBS natural peanut butter
• ¼ cup maple syrup (I do a little less than this – you could also use honey or agave)
• ½ tsp pure vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a large cookie sheet and set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix together oats, salt and cinnamon. Set aside
• Melt the peanut butter and sweetner together until smooth in the microwave or stovetop. Stir in vanilla.
• Stir in dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
• Spread mixture on prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until granola is lightly browned, stirring the granola once gently half way through. Store in airtight jar and enjoy! I sometimes add peanuts or chocolate chips afterwards.

garlic tahini kale.

The Whole Foods salad bars in Portland carry this salad and it is one of the best things I have eaten in a salad bar. I tried to recreate it and it was so delicious. Would be great to bring to a potluck!

1 bunch raw kale, washed, de-stemmed and dried
2 Tablespoons tahini
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
4 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
1-2 cloves minced garlic
sesame seeds

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make kale into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl.
2. Puree all the ingredients (except for seasame seeds) in a blender for the dressing.
3. Pour dressing over kale and massage into the kale with your hands until all pieces of kale are coated. You can eat immediately, or let it sit for about an hour, but kale will wilt some, so up to you and your preference of how you like your kale!
4. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds before serving if so desired.

seasame tofu

• 14 ounces extra firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (if you like it less spicy, stick with 1 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  
• 2-3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

• Start with pressed, extra firm tofu. Cube the tofu and coat with seasame oil and cornstarch and cook in air fryer for about 12 minutes, or until crispy.  Alternatively, pan fry.
• Mix together all ingredients for sauce.
• Add some oil to the pan ( seasame oil would be great for this) and add the garlic and cook until soft, but not burning. Add some green onions and cook for about a minute more.
• Add the tofu to the pan – and add the sauce to the skillet and it should start to thicken immediately. Toss the tofu around to coat then remove from heat. Top with seasame seeds, and serve with steamed brocolli, over rice.

Healthy banana bread

This is my go-to banana bread whenever I have bananas laying around that need to be put to use. It doesnt use any oil or processed sugar, and I’ve made it using all kinds of  healthier flour before and it turns out great.

• 2 cups flour (I often do 1 cup white, 1 cup spelt)
• 2 cups mashed overripe banana
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup finely chopped dates
• 2 tbsp flax seed powder + 6 tbsp water
• 1-2 tbsp sesame seeds

 

Pre-heat the oven at 325 degrees.

Mix flax seed powder with water, stir well and leave it aside till gooey.

Mash the banana well.

In a big bowl add the flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and mix well. now add the chopped dates and stir together. Add the mashed banana and flax seed powder mixed with water and stir till it’s combined.

Fold this into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Bake for 45min – 1 hour until its golden on the outside.

 

chocolate zucchini cake.

This is a family recipe from my late aunt bebe. She used to make this cake when i was young and bring it to my grandmothers house on tuesdays when she would bring my great grandmother to visit. I hadn’t had it since I was a kid, but made it to bring to my family’s christmas eve dinner, and it was everything I remembered. Its very easy to half the recipe and make in an 8×8 pan, and easy to sub vegan ingredients.

½ cup butter
½ cup oil
1-3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup sour milk (add 1 Tbl. vingar to milk)
2-1/2 cup unsifted flour
4 Tbl. cocoa
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 cup shredded zucchini
½ cup chocolate chips

 

Cream butter, oil and sugar; add eggs, vanilla and sour milk. Beat. Next mix together all dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture-beat well.

Stir in zucchini then spoon batter into 9 x 12 x 2 pan. Sprinkle top with chocolate chips. Butter and flour pan.

*there were no baking instructions but this is what i did for an 8×8 pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.