granola

November 12, 2012
by eatafood
comment 1
breakfasts / nuts / savoury / sweet

ok so this granola is really good. i don’t know why all granola doesn’t just taste like this, i’ve making the same one for the last 10 years and it has never let me down.

i doubled this to make an enormous batch because i can’t cook small things, and quite frankly it’s a lot of work/time so you may as well have extra. i cook it for a long time at a low heat so you need to have a bit of time for this.

NUTS SEEDS AND GRAINS

3 c. rolled oats

1 c. pepitas

1 /2 c. sunflower seeds

1/2 c. chopped almonds

1 c. whole almonds

1. chopped walnuts

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1/2 c. whole pecans

1/2 c. wheat germ

1/2 c. ground flax

1 c. coconut ribbons (unsweetened)

1/2 c. vegetable oil (i used canola)

1/2 c. honey, agave or maple syrup

sprinkle of salt

FRUIT

1 c. dried apple rings, chopped

1 c.dried blueberries

1 c.dried apricots, chopped

(you can use any dried fruit you like, i often use dried cranberries or 1/2 c. crystallized ginger chopped fine. the fruits above are my #1 choice though)

Mix all dry ingredients (except for fruit and salt), then mix oil and honey together. pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir until very well coated. spread in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet (or two) and sprinkle lightly with salt. bake in a 250 degree oven for 45 minutes turn pan and stir every 15.

At the 35 minute mark add half of your dried fruit to the mix and stir well, continue baking but keep an eye. the granola just be turning  slightly golden, and the fruit not drying out or burning.  (depending on your oven and how thick the granola is it could take an extra 10 minutes, but check frequently for the last bit, it can turn from almost brown to burnt faster than you think).

remove from oven, add remaining fruit and let cool.

secret dinnertimes

November 6, 2012
by eatafood
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meals / news / secret brunch/dinner

so this was the first dinner at the new house, which was a bit tricky. we aren’t really set up for it (no big table, smaller space) so it was makeshift but cozy. the kitchen however, has a zillion times more counter space and nobody in it so it was also a dreeeaaam.
here is the livingroom set-up, four people at the table and six using the coffee table with armchairs and sofas.

 

THE MENU

butter lettuce salad with bosc pears, bacon, garlic croutons and a dill mustard dressing

roasted brussel sprouts

wild rice pilaf with caramelized onions, almonds and roasted cauliflower

quinoa-crust tarts with butternut squash filling, topped with beets, onions and potato

chocolate espresso pudding with rum coconut cream*

 

this is a full tart version of the  individual tarts i made for the dinner.

here’s the little tart quinoa tart shells

 

funtime dinnertimes with friends (and PUPS)

l

choco espresso pudding! i served them in a collection of teacups (that were my baba’s)

 

 

*adapted from this recipe which was DELICIOUS. i doubled it, and kept the pudding pretty much the same. for the coconut whipped cream, i used coconut cream instead of milk, used vanilla bean instead of extract, and added 2 shots of spiced dark rum.

 

 

potato, mushroom and kale pierogies

October 29, 2012
by eatafood
comments 4
comfort / kale / meals / mushrooms / potato / tasty trash

is it raining? do you want to not leave your house and have a romantic day with delicious starch? then it’s pierogi day! it’s time consuming but totally worth it. FACT: i ate these for 3 meals in a row.

this recipe makes a million (maybe 70?), so feel free to half it. if you are in for the long haul and have a lot of time though, i recommend making the full batch and freezing half.

i split the recipe and made half with plain potato filling and half with mushrooms and kale, both ways are delicious. i’ve tried different doughs, but this is my favourite yet. i got it from my boyfriend (and pierogi co-cook) who wrote it down while watching someone make it years ago on a scrap of paper which he has held onto ever since and dug out for the occasion.

THE FILLING

14 smallish yukon gold potatoes

3 onions, diced*

1/4 c. almond milk

lots of black pepper

5 cloves garlic, minced

salt to taste

olive oil

4 tbsp margarine

1 pkg daiya (optional but recommended)

1 bunch of kale, chopped fine

15 mushrooms, chopped fine

quarter potatoes and boil until cooked. drain.

while boiling, saute onions on medium low with a pinch of salt until caramelized. separately, saute mushrooms until browned the put aside.
mash potatoes with onion, garlic, margarine, milk, daiya, salt and pepper. take out 1/3 of potato mixture and transfer to another bowl. in this 2nd bowl, add mushrooms and chopped kale, stirring well.  now you have your two fillings.

* slice 3 extra onions into rings, and caramelize separately to eat with finished pierogies if that sounds like a thing you’d like.

THE DOUGH

1/2 c. vegan shortening or margarine

1 c. boiling water

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 c. warm water

5-6 cups flour +more for rolling out

combine boiling water and shortening. in a large mixing bowl mix dry ingredients. then mix everything until smooth, you can add more flour if it’s really runny but this does make a pretty wet dough. let sit for 20 minutes, covered in a damp cloth.

divide dough into two for easier handling (if you are low on counter space, divide into 4 and deal with it that way). on a well floured surface, roll out dough pretty thin, maybe 1/8 of an inch. as thin as you can get it while it retaining it’s structural integrity. add more flour to your surface and your  dough as you roll out. cut out circles as close together as you can with a large mason jar lid.

get a big pot of boiling, salted water going.

spoon filling into the centre of your dough circle (think heaped soupspoon, but you’ll get a handle for how much you can fit in depending on the stretch of your dough etc…i always go for the highest filling to dough ratio possible). make sure to not get filling around the edges of your dough or it won’t seal. use a bit of water to dampen the edges before you press them together to seal. then press well all the way around. drop into boiling water carefully, wait unil they float to the surface and the continue to boil for 3 minutes. remove with a slotted spoon and either **freeze, eat or get ready to saute them.

repeat until all dough and filling are used up! when i made this is worked out to almost the exact right amount of dough for the filling, i think there was one sad circle cut out that was left without potato (which on this scale, is pretty decent).

saute until browned on both sides and serve hot with sauerkraut, caramelized onions, chopped scallions and whatever kind of sour cream substitute you like!

** to freeze: after boiling and cooling, space them out on a baking sheet so that none are touching. freeze and then transfer to a bag or container (this way they don’t turn into one giant pierogi clump).

BACON BITS

(if you feel like really going all out on this pierogi feast. i’ve never made them before, and it just struck me that TVP might work, so this may get expanded on later…)

1 c. TVP granules

boiling water to rehydrate depending on pkg instructions (just over 1/3 c. usually)

1/3 c. braggs or tamari

2 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1/8 c. oil

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar.

mix everything except the TVP, then add the TVP. spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes (stirring and watching they don’t burn). you can eat them like this or go the extra mile and give them a couple minutes in a hot frying pan with a couple tbsp of olive oil.

almond milk!

October 23, 2012
by eatafood
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drinks / nuts / quick / one-pot

so it turns out this is soooo easy to do. who knew? i made a double batch, but i will give instructions to make 1/2 of what you see above. it tastes good! if you get a good deal on a big bag of almonds it works out cash-wise to make your own.

THE MILK

3-4 c. water (depending on how creamy you like your milk)

1 c. almonds that have been soaked for 24-48 hours (rinse them well)

3 dates

1/8 tsp good quality vanilla (optional!)

once your almonds are all soaked and rinsed, put everything in a blender until it’s smushed up really well. then pour the mix through a few thicknesses of cheese cloth until you’ve separated the milk from the almond meal. ALL DONE.

don’t be freaked out, it will separate in the fridge so shake it up before you use it.

i feel like store bought stuff probably does too but it’s in opaque containers so who knows.

you can use the almond meal in baking, if you dry it out then grind it finer you can use it as almond flour in baking. it’s a good rich flour if you’re doing gluten-free things. also it tastes really good in cakes.