Grand Granola... Your new favorite snack!

I LOVE granola but am very picky when it comes to its composition... I want it crunchy without feeling dry and chalky; flavorful but not sticky sweet; and, most of all, I like to have variety. A few years back, I started making my own and can't believe that I hadn't started sooner. It is quick, easy and absolutely delicious while satisfying my criteria. The best part is that you can make it with whatever you have on hand or whatever you are in the mood for.

This recipe is perfect for breakfast, as part of a trail mix, topping for cereal... the options are endless! I also like this recipe because the egg whites help to bind it together to create crunchy clusters, which makes it easier to snack on. Feel free to adjust any of the ingredients to suit your fancy. Just remember that adjusting the sugar content effects the cooking time (more sugar = less cooking time) and may need to be stirred sooner to avoid scorching. However, it is perfectly normal to have variations on color for a batch.

Seriously... Doesn't this look delicious!

Preheat oven to 300ºF
Mix together in a large bowl:
3c old fashioned rolled oats
1.5c nuts (I did a combination of almonds, pistachios, hemp, Chia seeds - all not salted)
1.5c of coconut (I only had sweetened but I would use toasted next time)
1/2c dried fruit (You will want to choose with more moisture or it will become too chewy)
Mix together.

In a small bowl:
1 egg white
1/4c olive/coconut oil
2TB of brown sugar
1/4c maple syrup
1.5tsp of vanilla
Beat very well.

Fold the wet and dry ingredients until well coated then let sit for 10 minutes. Then spread out on a jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper in an even layer. Sprinkle lightly with coarser sea salt (I actually used lava salt).
Start by baking 45 minutes, turn in oven and add another 5-10. You want it to be toasted. Let cool completely (it will get crunchy as it cools). You can also sprinkle with chocolate chips that will incorporate while it cools. If you bake them with the granola, you risk burning the morsels (Yuck!). Last time I made some, I added a little cinnamon and used pumpkin spice chips and it was pure heaven!

Stuff your face and enjoy! Makes a little more than 2 one quart Mason jars. Keep in a cool, dry place for up to 2 weeks (if it lasts that long!) 

Time Flies when You're Having Fun... (CSA's, Mushrooms and risotto)

This year I set myself up with some goals that I thought that I could realistically accomplishing (writing on my blag was not one of them). Most of them were the typical ones... be healthy, read more, run... etc. But the one that I felt was the most important and fulfilling was the fact my family joined a CSA.

"What is a CSA?" You ask... Well, a CSA is Community Supported Agriculture, which you buys shares to help pay for a farm's operating costs before the growing season starts and then you get a portion of the bounty. There are many things to consider when choosing a CSA... location, products, cost,  variety...etc. While all of these areas played a role in making our decision, we choose Food Joy in South Auburn because they offer organic produce, recipes and meal plans to ensure that you are using your share to the fullest potential. After reviewing our grocery bills' contents and costs, it only made sense to join for $134 a month to ensure that I was getting fresh, local, organic produce on a weekly basis; not to mention, the owner Karen is absolutely amazing. The best part of the CSA is not knowing what you may get. Quite a few of the items that we received are not typically available at the grocery store and, if they are, they would either be out of my price range or I would not buy them because they weren't on the "list"... especially the edible flowers.

A picture of our first crate that came with a chef's knife and apron!

Since I am so far behind on posting, I am probably going to have to pick my favorite meals that I made. One ingredient that I was extremely excited about receiving was chanterelle mushrooms. So excited in fact, that I cooked them up immediately.

Chanterelles are golden in color and have a nutty, sweet, peppery flavor. 

I decided to make a risotto with them and serve them with bay scallops, which complemented quite well. Though this recipe has a few steps involved, it is totally worth it! Hope you enjoy!

Broth:
1/2 c mushroom pieces
6-8 c chicken broth (low or no sodium)
1/2 ts black pepper
1/2 ts dry savory
1 ts soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in a stock pot and bring to a boil on high for 5 minutes then reduce to a simmer and cover. You want to keep this heated for the risotto.

Risotto
2 TB EVOO
2 shallots, diced
1 c mushrooms, chopped
1 garlic scape or 1 TB garlic
1 c arborio or other risotto rice
1/2 c white wine
2 TB butter
2 c Parmesan cheese

1.  Heat EVOO over medium-high heat then add shallots and cook until clear;
2. Add mushrooms and cook until soft then add garlic/scapes;
3. Add rice and coat well. Stir constantly and cook until toasted (about 5 min);
4. Add white wine, stir well and cook until most of the liquid is gone;
5. Add ladle-full of broth to the rice (about 1/2 c) and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir often and let the the mixture to cook down until almost all of the liquid is gone then add more liquid. Continue to do this until the rice has started to break down, rice is al dente, and sauce is thick.
6. Stir in butter and cheese. Set aside.

Topping

2 TB butter

1/2 c mushrooms, large pieces

EVOO

1# bay scallops

1 garlic scape/scallion

1 ear of corn with corn removed

1. Heat pan over medium-high heat and add butter until browned;
2. Add mushrooms and toss until covered. Continue to heat until mushrooms are crispy (about 7-10 min);
3. Remove mushrooms from the pan, toss with scapes/scallions, and return pan to the heat. Add EVOO and heat but not smoking. Add scallops, dust with pepper, and cook each side about 2-3 minutes. You want each side to be browned. 
4. Add scallops to mushrooms then toss corn in pan until warm. Serve everything over the risotto.  Enjoy!

Chili with Quinoa and Sweet Potato

Nothing welcomes fall quite like a bowl of chili. However, having family members whom have food sensitivity, makes eating high fiber foods such beans, less than magical. I saw this recipe on Pinterst and had to give it a try with a few modifications (I omitted beans and added grass-fed ground beef) and it was and instant hit for the whole family!

Chili
Safflower oil
Small onion, diced
Small green pepper, diced
1 lb grass-fed ground beef
Medium sweet potato, cubed
1 TB cumin
1 TB ancho chili powder
1c Homemade tomato sauce
4c Veggie Broth
1c Quinoa
*Optional: Avacado, sour cream, plain yogurt and/or cilantro

1. Heat safflower oil over medium heat then add onions until translucent and starting to brown.
2. Add green peppers and cook until soft then add raw hamburger and cook thoroughly. 
3. Add sweet potato and cook for 5 minutes then add spices, making sure to coat mix well;
4. Add tomato sauce and bring back up to heat then add broth and increase heat to high.
5. Once boiling, add quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer and stir uncovered ever 5 minutes until quinoa is cooked (about 20 minutes). If you find that the mixture is getting thick before quinoa is cooked add cover.
6. Remove from heat and cover for 15 minutes to let flavors marinate. 
7. Top with you favorite chili condiment and enjoy! Perfect the day after or on those cool fall days!

Quinoa Patties

When I tell people that my family has adopted vegetarian habits, I am met with a list of reasons why the notion is pure silliness. However, it is proven that we can still meet out dietary needs because, vegetables, grains, products made from them and proper supplements, can meet the sum total of a more balanced diet that being omnivorous. 

Now, we did not become vegetarian because we think cows are too cute to eat. I actually believe that humans were meant to eat meat but the onset of commercial meat processing has made the products too dangerous. For one, the FDA cannot keep up with inspecting facilities at regular intervals and even if a facility passes (1,6), your food goes through several more hands and shipping facilities where it can be mishandled. 

However, that is not what it is most disturbing to me. Animals being housed in dirty facilities, some never see the light of day, and fed copious amounts hormones to make them grow faster; antibiotics to help ward off disease from being housed with too many other animals, living in excrement and possibly dead animals; and, food that is not intended to meet their dietary needs but only fatten them up and increase the profit of their handlers.

If that is not enough to turn your stomach, slaughtering facilities can potentially mishandle the meat, and thus lead to contamination (4), but additives are used to treat the meat to kill off biological contaminates and increase the shelf life of the product (5). This is an obvious problem because the antibiotics that the animals creates "super bugs." Processed meat is then often treated with ammonium products to kill of contaminates which can cause further mutation and potentially create "indestructible bugs" that even modern medicine does not have the means to treat (2,3). So, you can be dead from eating tainted meat before you even knew what hit you.

This is not to say that there are not "safe" meats. Proper handling of the meat once you get it home is key and the closer you are to the source the better off you are. Animals raised in a "cage-free" or "free-range" environment are healthier than their cage counterparts and, thus, yield better products. Even though food produced this way comes at a cost, it is worth the benefits that you will receive. In my case, in order to get grass-fed beef, I could pick it up froze at my local natural food store or order it through my local co-op. It takes a bit of leg work and networking, but the health of your family is worth it because you should be more involved with you food than just selecting this week's "special."

Either way, I digress because obviously there are potential risks from any food that we eat. That is why I try to get as much local, organic produce and local, free-range meats that I can and wash it/prepare it correctly! So, back to quinoa (KEEN-wa). It is a grain-like seed that is related to spinach and beets which is very high in protein (14 grams per serving) and other essential nutrients. I won't lie, the first time I made it I thought it was gross because it has taste like bland cornmeal but it can be transformed into so much more and these patties are a prime example. This is an excellent source of protein and amino acids that your body needs.

• 1c dried quinoa
• 1 1/2c vegetable broth/water
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 1/2 bunch of green onion, chopped
• 1/2c corn meal
• 1 egg
• 1 TB nutritional yeast
• salt and pepper to taste

 Mix quinoa and water/broth and heat over medium heat until boiling then cover and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork and set aside uncovered for 15 minutes. While waiting, add remaining ingredients together and mix well. When it is time, add to quinoa and mix well.

Form quarter cup patties and set on a large cookie sheet lined with plastic wrap. Cool for 1 to 12 hours. Fry in a pan on each side for 2-5 minutes or until crispy brown. Be gentle with the patties and try not to mess with them too much because they call fall apart easily. I served topped with veggie cheese and marinara sauce. You can also add veggies such as chopped spinach or shredded carrots!

Clockwise starting back left: Quinoa pattie, raw carrot "noodle," pureed cauliflower, and raw sugar snap peas.

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1). Chasseignaux, Elise, Pascale Gérault, Marie-Thérèse Toquin, Gilles Salvat, Pierre Colin, and Gwennola Ermel. "Ecology of Listeria Monocytogenes in the Environment of Raw Poultry Meat and Raw Pork Meat Processing Plants." FEMS Microbiology Letters 210.2 (2002)

2). Hoiby, N., T. Bjarnsholt, M. Givskov, S. Molin, and O. Ciofu. "Antibiotic Resistance of Bacterial Biofilms (Review)." INternational Journal of Antimicrobial Agents 35.10 (2010): 322-32. Epub.

3). Olson, Merle E., Howard Ceri, Douglas W. Morck, Andre G. Buret, and Ronald R. Read. "Biofilm Bacteria: Formation and Comparative Susceptibility to Antibiotics." Canadian Journal of Veterinarian Research 66.2 (2002): 86-92. Print.

4). Patterson, John T. "Hygiene in Meat Processing Plants: Hot-water Washing of Carcases." Record of Agricultural Research 18 (1970): 85-87. Print.

5). Quintavalla, Stefania, and Loredana Vicini. "Antimicrobial Food Packaging in Meat Industry." Meat Science 62.3 (2002): 373-80. Print.

6). Stull, Donald D., Michael J. Broadway, and David Craig Griffith. Any Way You Cut It: Meat Processing and Small-town America. Lawrence, Kan.: University of Kansas, 1995. Print.