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! 
Just posting some food stuff...these rolls are so good! They stayed pillow-y soft for days afterward. Coral, Ryan, Clementine & my sister came over for dinner. Coral brought over some homemade soup & I baked these dinner rolls.
Best Soft Dinner Rolls (from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book)
*2 teaspoons active dry yeast
*1/2 cup warm water
*3/4 cup very hot water
*1/4 cup honey
*1 1/4 cups cold buttermilk
*3 cups all-purpose flour
*2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
*2 teaspoons salt
*4 tablespoons cold butter, diced
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. In a separate small bowl, mix the hot water & the honey. Add the buttermilk; the mixture should be just warm---if it's hot, it will kill the yeast, so let it cool!
In a large bowl, stir together the flours & the salt. Pour the yeast mixture & the buttermilk mixture over the dry ingredients & mix it together. It should be a pretty soft/wet dough (I had to add some water to mine). Turn dough onto a lightly floured counter & knead for 15 minutes. Really work it! Gradually knead in the butter chunks; it's awkward at first, but it'll get in there. Once it's incorporated, you're good to go.
Place the dough into a large, oiled bowl & cover with a damp towel. Keep in a warm, draft-free spot (like the oven) & let rise until doubled (about 90-120 minutes). Punch down, & let rise again (45-60 minutes).
Preheat oven to 400*F. Turn the dough onto the counter & cut into about 18 pieces. Shape the dough into 18 balls & place onto an oiled cookie sheet. They should be about an inch apart, so they have room to rise. Let them rise until doubled, then bake for about 20-25 minutes. I took mine out a little earlier than I thought was best, but Coral knew what was up (they continue baking a little, once you take them out.) After they cool for about 5 minutes, serve them with butter & some steaming hot soup!
Veggie Chowder, made with carrots, onion, corn, potatoes, celery & love!
Also, I'm addicted to this granola. A big scoop of yogurt, covered with this stuff, is the best snack ever!
Granola (based on this recipe)
*2 cups oats
*1 cup nuts/seeds (sunflower seeds, walnuts & hazelnuts are great)
*1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
*1/4 cup flax seed
*1/4 cup honey
*1/4 cup maple syrup
*2 tablespoons oil
*1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
*spices to taste
*3/4 cup dried fruit---added towards the end of baking (raisins & cranberries are my favorite)
Preheat oven to 300F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment & set aside.
Place the oats, nuts, coconut & flax into a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the honey, maple syrup, oil, salt & spices. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ones, stirring to combine. Spread onto the cookie sheet, making an even layer. Bake for about 45 minutes, stirring a couple times. Add the dried fruit, stirring it into the granola. Turn the oven off, but leave the granola in the cooling oven for several hours, or overnight. Once cool, break it up & store it in an airtight container.
