Three Recipes of Delight!

Yesterday was a productive day for me. After I did homework, went to the Farmer's Market, & walked to the store, I cooked all evening! So fun. The first thing I made was a new batch of granola. I used the honey I got at the Farmer's Market, but you can also substitute maple syrup or agave, if you're vegan or don't have honey on hand.

The recipe that inspired my "regular" granola is from the Vegan Spoonful blog, which no long exists, so that's why I'm not linking to it. :(


Honey Granola

• 4 cups oats
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup flax seeds
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2-2 cups dried cranberries (set aside till granola has baked)
  

Preheat oven to 325*F (honey burns easily, hence the low temperature). Prepare a large jelly roll pan by lining it with parchment. In a large bowl, toss together the oats, nuts, coconut, flax seeds, salt & cinnamon. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey & olive oil. Pour the honey/oil mixture over the other ingredients & toss till combined. Spread granola over the prepared pan & bake for about an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Toss in the dried cranberries. Let cool & store in an airtight container.

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I recently re-watched Food, Inc., which was depressingly inspirational. I went through all my food & donated the "healthy" processed stuff & possible GMO crap to my sister & stocked up on staples at the store. I decided that, instead of munching on a Tiger's Milk Bar when I'm heading out, I'd make my own emergency energy bars. They're mostly raw, & totally delicious. The recipe is inspired by Chow's Figgy Fuel Bars, but I didn't follow it exactly.

I love how the owl is side-eying the bar...


Knock-off Lara Bars

• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 1 cup raw hazelnuts
• 1 pound Medjool dates, pitted
• 3 tablespoons almond butter
• 1 teaspoon orange extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Line an 8X8-inch baking pan with plastic wrap. In a food processor, pulse the nuts till pretty finely chopped. Add the dates & pulse until the nuts & dates form a sticky, chunky dough. Add the remaining ingredients & pulse until combined; you'll need to scrape the sides of the bowl & push the mixture down to the blades. Pack the mixture into the prepared pan & smooth the top. Freeze till firm, then cut into 12-16 bars. Store in the refrigerator or freezer until serving.


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I also wanted to make something from Viva Vegan!, which I got from the library. It's a really awesome cookbook, so I might buy it myself. The chorizo recipe in it kicks the ass of the one from Vegan Brunch.

I'll write the recipe as I made it, which is pretty close to the Chipotle Chorizo variation. It's tangy & spicy! I subbed a couple things, plus baked it low & slow, which I do with all homemade sausages. Amazing...



Chipotle Chorizo

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 4 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo sauce
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 2/3 cups vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup garbanzo flour
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 4 teaspoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  
• 1 teaspoon ground Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 325*F. Tear 4 square pieces of foil & set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the broth, chipotle puree, olive oil, vinegar, & garlic. In a large bowl, stir together the vital wheat gluten, garbanzo flour, nutritional yeast, & all the spices/seasonings. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ones & mix to combine (the recipe says to knead the dough to activate the gluten, but I like mine tender).

Divide into 4 portions & place each blob on a piece of foil. Pat into a long log & then roll up the sausages, twisting the ends (don't roll them too tightly, or they'll burst open in the oven). Bake for one hour, rolling them over about halfway through. Let cool completely before slicing, or you'll have a mushy sausage log.

The book says they'll keep in the fridge for two weeks; freeze what you won't be able to eat in a timely manner.

It's difficult to take an appetizing shot of a sausage schlong, sorry!


One of my favorite ways of eating veggie sausage is with baked homefries. As soon as the potatoes are almost done cooking, sautee some diced sausage in a separate pan till crispy & fragrant; toss with the potatoes & serve with some nutty wheat toast!

I love the new bike signs on Clinton. So cute! They have a bunch of colors, but I took a picture of a pink one.


This is one of my favorite Spring views in the neighborhood. It's so much prettier in real life though!