i eat, you read

Mom’s Crunchy Granola

• 6 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 1 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup wheat bran
• 1 cup sunflower seeds

Heat 1/2-2/3 cup honey with 1 tsp vanilla.

Mix all together and bake at 350 for 15 minute intervals, stirring each interval, for a total of 1 hour.  The last 15 minutes add:

• 1 cup dried fruit
• about 1 cup unsweetened coconut

Coconut cherry almond granola pictured.

Pizza

This is not your momma’s pizza crust…because it’s my mom’s!  She gave my husband and I the Chicago Metallic 14” Pizza Crisper with a recipe included. 

• 1 cup warm water (85-115 F)
• 1 packet (1T) yeast

Let stand 5 minutes (or until foamy) and then add:

• 1tsp salt
• 1 T sugar
• 2 T EVOO
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup flour

Work in 1 1/2 - 2 cups more flour.

Knead 5-8  minutes. Place dough in oiled bowl (plop over so top is oiled) and let rise until doubled (~1 hour).  If your dough does not rise two things could be going on:

1. Your yeast is old or you didn’t let the yeast activate (it has to foam).  Add another packet of yeast to less than 1/2 cup water and let activate then add to dough with enough flour so that it’s not too wet.  I had to do this and it was fine. 

2.  You didn’t place it in a warm enough spot.  Boil some water and place pot in bottom of unheated oven and add bowl with dough on top rack. 

Roll dough on floured surface to fit pizza pan on top of a dish towel or waxed paper and as close to your oven as you can.  Spray pan with oil, then sprinkle moderately with corn meal.  Place dough on top of pan and add toppings.  Bake for 20 minutes at 450.

Sauce (Max’s- I only used about 2/3 of the total amount)

• can o san marzano tomatoes
• dried basil and oregano to taste (i use about 3/4 tsp each and crush it between my palms)
• pinch of sugar
• salt
• 1 big clove of roasted garlic mashed up
• 4tbs olive oil
• secret ingredient

next time i would use fresh basil
simmer olive oil and tomatoes 20 minutes low then add everything else

Dinosaur Kale and Turnip Soup

It was our last CSA pick up last week.  So sad to see it gone for the winter.  Our last meal with the last of these amazing vegetables was this soup.  I also used the leftover Thanksgiving turkey broth my mom made me freeze in a small tub for a few hours and then take out and chop up into individual servings and freezer bag appropriately. 

• about a cup of cooked beans - I had some red beans cooked from the day before
• 10-12 turnips peeled and quartered
• head of dinosaur kale stems removed and roughly chopped
• about 2 cups cooked brown mix rice.  I cooked it up with salt and a tiny bit of the turkey broth fat…
• 2 cloves garlic
• thyme
• 4 cups chicken broth or leftover broth with water added
• lemons and Parmesan

Cook garlic in EVOO for about 2 minutes.  Add thyme and then shortly after the broth.  Add turnips and cook on med/high until tender, about 15 minutes.  Add kale and cook for about ten minutes. 

Ladle soup over a small (1/2 cup) mound of rice.  Top with lemon and cheese.

Sage Risotto with Sausage and Butternut Squash

• one butternut squash cut into bit sized pieces
• 4 Tbls butter
• 3 to 4 shallots, thinly sliced
• leftover Thanksgiving herbs - 6-7 leaves of sage, stick of rosemary and a few thyme
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup Arborio rice
• sweet sausage
• Grana Padano (or Parmesan)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Toss squash in EVOO and salt and bake squash for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook sausage in a small side pan.  I used two patties of sweet sausage.  You can also leave this out fur sur.

Place the stock in a pan over low heat and have a ladle ready. Put thyme and rosemary in there.

Heat butter in a soup pot or Le Creuset and add whole sage leaves to fry.  I wish I had had more leaves than 7.  Add sliced shallots and fry em up.  Add Arborio rice and let the butter absorb.  Add a couple of ladles of stock.  If the thyme comes with, let it.  Let the stock absorb and add two more ladles.  Keep this up for about 30 minutes until rice is perfect.  You are the only one who knows when that is.  You may not use all that stock. 

Add the squash, sausage, and cheese. Take out the thyme and rosemary but leave in the sage. 

We had this for lunch and it is not really a lunch item due to its extreme heaviness.  Makes about four small servings.  Really amazing flavor. 

Turkey enchiladas

Sauce

·      One onion, chopped

·      1 tbls flour

·      1 tbls ancho chili powder, 1 tbls chipotle chili powder and about 1/8 cup regular chili powder.  Or whatever you have!

·      give or take 1 cup chicken broth

·      2 to 3 canned chipotle chilies, diced up

·      One small can of tomato sauce with onions, cilantro and garlic (Hispanic foods section). 

·      Tomatoes ( I used about eight mini plum), quartered

·      1 cup chopped cilantro

Add onion to about 1 tbls vegetable oil and cook about 5 minutes.  Add chili powder and flour and cook for less than a minute.  Add broth slowly.  Add canned tomatoes, chipotles and fresh tomatoes.  Add salt to taste and cook for 15-20 minutes at medium heat, stirring often.   Add more broth if it is too thick.  Add cilantro and a tiny sprinkle of sugar. 

Stuffing

·      2 ½ cups shredded turkey, or whatever you have!

·      ¾ cup sour cream

·      2 cups cheese ( I used Monterey jack with jalapenos)

Place some of the sauce in bottom of a large baking dish.  Heat about ½ cup vegetable oil in pan and place 2 to 3 tortillas in at a time to soften.  Flip once and remove.  Don’t leave them in there too long or they will be crisp.  Fill with stuffing and place in dish.  Cover with sauce and sprinkle about ¾ cup cheese on top.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 

They are spicy! And very delish.  Max just ate four.

Kale and Napa Bean Soup

Soak white beans 10 hours.  Heat to boil, then simmer for 40-50 minutes.

Fry up a couple of pieces of bacon (or use EVOO to keep it veggie).  Add 2 minced garlic cloves and two little hot red peppers (or some red pepper flakes).  Boil and peel pearl onions, add them to the mix and brown slightly.  Add a bit of water if it gets out of hand. Saute a couple of thickly sliced carrots in the mix.  Add 40 ounces chicken broth (or veggie).  Heat to boil, reduce to simmer.  Cook until carrots are almost where you want them.  Add red pepper (chopped smallish), beans, roughly chopped kale,  napa cabbage, and yellow squash.  Cook another few minutes and turn off heat.  Salt and pepper and Tabasco to taste.  Serve with Parmesan. 

Amazingly tasty, amazingly simple. 

Pumpkin Muffins (that you can feel good about eating for breakfast)

3/4 cup white flour

1 cup wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

• mix that up

2 eggs

1 can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/2 cup honey - fill to almost one cup, leave a little room on top for…

1 hefty tablespoon molasses

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 cup EVOO

• mix that up

1/2 cup chopped pecans

• gently fold dry with wet with nuts
• mix some sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top

Bake at 350 (my oven seems like it might be more like 340/45 when it says 350) for 25 minutes in greased muffin tins.  I used baking spray. 

These muffins came out amazing.  They seemed really wet, but they puff up and look beautiful.  And they taste like everything fall. 

Delicata Squash with Rice

New favorite squash!

Take the delicata ( I just made enough for about two servings, so I only used one medium sized squash) and cut in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the insides and cut in to about 1/2 inch crescents.  Toss in olive oil and top with sliced red onion, red pepper flakes, a sprinkle of sugar, and a little soy sauce. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then flip the squash carefully and roast another 15 minutes. 

Serve over warm sushi rice with tons of cilantro and chopped roasted cashews.