Category Archives: cook

fruit and nut oatmeal bars

23 Wednesday May 2012

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I sampled another one of Lorna Sass’s recipes this weekend. These Fruit and Nut Oatmeal bars were very moist and did tend to fall apart a little. I found that toasting them in my toaster oven just before eating them dried them out a bit and prevented them from falling apart. Otherwise, these are very flavorful! Feel free to use any combination of dried fruits and nuts.

Fruit and Nut Oatmeal Bars

1-3/4 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons orange juice concentrate

2 tablespoons walnut or hazelnut oil (or canola oil)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup raisons, preferable golden

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 slivered almonds, toasted

1/4 cup hilled, raw unsalted sunflower seeds, toasted

3 tablespoons ground flax seed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F). Grease an 8×8 square baking pan. Sprinkle two tablespoons of the rolled oats on the bottom of the pan and reserve two tablespoons to sprinkle on top.

In a medium saucepan, bring 1/2 cup water to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and blend in the honey, orange juice concentrate, oil, salt and cinnamon. Cover and turn off the heat.

Place 1/2 cup of the rolled oats in a spice grinder and process into a flour. Stir the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining cup of oats, apricots, cranberries, raisons, grated orange zest, almonds and sunflower seeds into the honey mixture in the pot. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the ground flax seed and 1/2 cup of water. Whisk vigorously until the mixture becomes gummy, about 1 minute. Fold the flax seeds slurry into the oat mixture. Pour into the prepared baking pan and and smooth off the top. Sprinkle the remaining oats on top and gently press them into the batter. Bake until the bottom and sides are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Cool in a rack. Slice the cake down the middle while it is still in the pan. Then cut each half into 1-inch wide bars. Enjoy warm, at room temperature or chilled. You can refrigerate the bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Enjoy!

Resource:

Sass, L. (2006). Whole Grains Every Day Every Way. New York: Clarkson/Potter Publishers.

quinoa with zucchini and basil

22 Tuesday May 2012

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Another great recipe from Lorna Sass’s Whole Grains cookbook. I adapted it by omitting the anchovies (as I had run out) and using zucchini instead of yellow summer squash. Lorna mentions that instead of quinoa, you might also try using farro, kamut or coarse bulgur.

Quinoa with Zucchini and Basil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons mashed oil-packed anchovies

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound (3 medium) zucchini or yellow summer squash, coarsely grated

3 cups cooked quinoa

salt, to taste

1/4 cup (tightly packed) fresh basil, chopped

Mix the anchovies and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring frequently, until the squash is tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the quinoa, the remaining tablespoon of oil, salt (to taste) and the basil. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Whole Grains Every Day Every Way by Lorna Sass (book review)

19 Saturday May 2012

Posted by in cook, read, whole grains

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I want to introduce you to one of my new favorite books: Whole Grains Every Day Every Way by Lorna Sass. I found her cookbook online last month while hunting for ways to cook ‘whole grains’. As a foodie, I love to cook with a wide variety of ingredients and have always loved my trips to ethic grocery stores, health food stores, gourmet cooking shops and of course, visiting food stores and markets on my own travels around the world. I am always eager to learn more… and taste more, and I always come home with a new idea or ingredient to try.

I love Lorna’s cookbook as she begins with a “Whole Grains 101” chapter, taking you through each grain (alphabetically), describing the various forms the grain comes in, its nutritional properties, and the various ways to cook and incorporate the grain into your meals; for example, cooked in water and added to soups and salads, or milled into flour for baking, or enjoyed on its own as a breakfast cereal. The rest of the book is a compilation of delicious recipes that incorporate the grains into your daily meals.

So far I have tried Savory Barley Muffins with Thyme and Romano (note: I adapted this one), and her Chocolate Chip-Hazelnut Cookies (which I have been eating all week, yum). This weekend I plan on making her Fruit-and-Nut Oatmeal Bars, Blue Cornmeal Muffins with Chili and I’d like to cook up some of the amaranth that I bought last week and try adding it to a salad.

Lorna’s cookbook contains over 150 recipes and is full of excellent ideas for those under-appreciated whole grains that we always want to buy but never know what to do with. The whole grains include: amaranth, barley, buckwheat, corn, job’s tears, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, rye and tritcale, sorghum, teff, wheat, and wild rice. Categories include: stand-alone soups and salads, risottos, pilaf and polentas, stir fries and skillet dishes, braises, stews, casseroles and savory pies, breakfast and brunch recipes, and desserts and baked goods.

Lorna Sass has a doctorate in medieval literature and has her own blog focused on Nourishing Body and Spirit where she offers her skills as a Transformational Life Coach and promotes her cookbooks. Along with “Whole Grains”, she has written cookbooks on pressure cooking, vegetarian dishes, and a whole cookbook dedicated to cooking with soy. You can find her cookbooks online, in stores, or click here to order directly from her and she will personally autograph it for you.

I am happy to have discovered Lorna and am particularly looking forward to working my way through her book ‘Whole Grains” and learning to work with these tasty grains under her expertise.

Resource:

Sass, (L). (2006). Whole Grains Every Day Every Way. New York: Clarkson Potter/Publishers.

adventures with whole grains: chocolate chip-hazelnut cookies

14 Monday May 2012

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This recipe is adapted from Lorna Sass’s Whole Grains Every Day Every Way. These tasty morsels are tasty, chewy and decadent with the toasted hazelnuts. I like to keep a bag of these in your freezer for unexpected visitors!

Chocolate Chip-Hazelnut Cookies

2 cups spelt flour

½ cup raw cane sugar

½ packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup semisweet (or dark chocolate) chocolate chips

1 cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted

1 large egg

10 tablespoon (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degree (F). Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, blend the flour, sugars, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Stir in the chocolate chips and hazelnuts.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg. Whisk in the melted butter and vanilla extract. Stir in the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients to create a soft dough.

Form the dough into 1 ½ -inch mounds. Place on cookie sheet and flatten. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes (a few minutes longer for crisper cookies). Place cookies on a cooling rack (slide the parchment onto the rack). Cookies may appear fragile but they will firm up as they cool.

Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

Resource:

Sass, L. (2006). Whole Grains Every Day Every Way. New York: Clarkcon Potter/Publishers.

adventures with whole grains: cheesy barley and spelt muffins with thyme

08 Tuesday May 2012

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I adapted this recipe from Lorna Sass’s ‘Whole Grains Every Day Every Way’ cookbook. This delicious recipe uses barley and spelt flour- both of which are easy to find at your local health food store or Farmers Market; unless you mill your own flours as I have been doing since getting the mighty WonderMill last month.

Cheesy Barley and Spelt Muffins with Thyme

1 cup spelt flour

1 cup barley flour

2-1/4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teasoon dried thyme

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1-1/2 cup buttermilk, well-shaken

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (half for the batter, half for the topping)

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees (F). Grease 12 standard muffin cups.

In a large bowl, combine the spelt and barley flours, baking powders, baking soda, thyme and salt. In a smaller bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Blend in the buttermilk, oil and honey.

Stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients, just until most of the flour is absorbed. Do not over-mix. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Top with a generous pinch of grated cheese over each muffin. Brush away any cheese that lands outside of the muffin cups.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown around the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set the muffin tin on a cooling rack. Let cool for a few minutes, then twist the muffins to release them or run a knife around the edges to pop them out. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Note: If not eating the same day, freeze in a zipper-topped freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in a warm oven.

Resource:

Sass, L. (2006). Whole Grains Every Day Every Way.  New York: Clarkson Potters Publishers.

E’s roasted red pepper dip

06 Sunday May 2012

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My good friend, E, popped by the cabin today with a special surprise. About a month ago, she and her grade five class at school had visited the Blue Flame Kitchen in Calgary where she learned to make macaroni and cheese, muffins, yogurt and lime dip and roasted red pepper dip all from scratch. The other day she decided to recreate the roasted red pepper dip at home. Her family were impressed with this delicious dip and I was lucky as she set some aside for me to sample. We are actually enjoying it now as we write this post together.

E’s Roasted Red Pepper Dip

1 cup roasted red peppers, drained (canned, jarred or make your own)

1 ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 teaspoon cayenne (or to taste)

1 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/3 cup canola oil

Put all ingredients, except for the oil, in a food processor. Puree until smooth, adding the oil while mixing. Transfer to a serving dish and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Serve with vegetables, nacho chips, chips, crackers, pita bread, etc.

adventures with whole grains: buckwheat & spelt pancakes

04 Friday May 2012

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I’ve been having so much fun with the new WonderMill! Last weekend I milled some buckwheat and spelt flour and tried out this recipe for breakfast. The pancakes were quite flavorful, especially when served with homemade wild berry jams and jellies. The sausage in the picture below is hormone free, organic bison sausage from a local farm.

Buckwheat & Spelt Pancakes

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup spelt flour (or whole wheat or all-purpose)

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1 teaspoon white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons butter

In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and melted butter.

In another bowl, mix together the spelt flour, buckwheat flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Pour the dry ingredients into the egg-mixture. Stir until the two mixtures are just incorporated. (Add a bit more of the flour if you find that your batter is too runny.)

Heat a griddle or large frying pan to medium heat and place 1 tablespoon of butter or oil into it. Let the butter melt before spooning the batter into the frying pan. Once bubbles appear on the top of the pancakes, flip them over, and cook them on the other side for about 3 minutes. Continue with this process until all of the batter has been made into pancakes. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

mushroom and pepper frittata

03 Thursday May 2012

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There are so many flavor combinations and ways to make a frittata! For an extra sizzle of salt, try adding chopped bacon or prosciutto ham. Fresh herbs, such as basil, oregano or parsley add a nice tangy layer of flavor. Also, instead of the peppers you can add 1 cup of chopped spinach, Swiss chard or beet greens. A wonderful, heart breakfast or served as an appetizer with a glass of white wine.

Mushroom and Pepper Frittata

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 organic, free-range eggs

half a red onion, diced

half a red pepper, diced

half a yellow pepper, diced

half a small zucchini, diced

8 shitake mushrooms, diced

¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated

2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped, for garnish

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven on the broil setting.

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, salt and pepper and beat lightly with a fork. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in an oven-proof nonstick skillet and sauté the onions on medium heat until they are translucent. Add the peppers, zucchini and mushrooms and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Pour the egg mixture over top, cover and cook for 5 minutes, (the top will still be a bit runny and uncooked). Sprinkle the cheese over the frittata and then put the skillet into the oven and broil until the top is fully cooked and the cheese is beginning to brown.

Slide onto a plate, garnish with the chives and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Serves 2 for breakfast or 4 for appetizers.

chicken biryani

01 Tuesday May 2012

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This is a delicious one-dish meal. Although it does require a little more preparation than the average dish, the smell of freshly ground spices is heavenly and the flavor of the end result is worth the effort!

Chicken Biryani

10 whole green cardamom pods

1-1/2 cups basmati rice, soaked and drained

1/2 teaspoon salt

2-3 whole cloves

2 inch cinnamon stick

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 onions, sliced

4 chicken breasts (preferably from organic, free-range chickens), cubed

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon ginger, peeled and grated

juice of 1 lemon

4 tomatoes, sliced

2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped

2/3 cup plain organic yogurst

4-5 strands of saffrom, soaked in 2 teaspoons hot milk

2/3 cup water

toasted flaked almonds and fresh coriander sprigs to garnish

natural yogurt, to serve

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F). Remove the seeds from half the cardamom pods and grind them finely, using a mortar and pestle. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the rice, salt, whole cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon stick. Boil for 2 minutes, then drain, leaving the whole spices in the rice.

Heat the oil in a frying pan (or dutch oven) and fry the onions for 8 minutes, until softened and browned. Add the chicken and the ground spices, including the ground cardamom seeds. Mix well, then add the garlic, ginger and lemon juice. Stir fry for 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken mixture to a casserole (unless using a dutch oven) and arrange the tomatoes on top. Sprinkle on the fresh chopped coriander, spoon the yogurt evenly on top and cover with the drained rice.

Drizzle the saffron milk over the rice and pour over the water. Cover tightly and bake for 1 hour. Transfer to a warmed serving platter and remove the whole spices from the rice. Garnish with the toasted almonds and fresh sprigs of coriander and serve with the yogurt. Enjoy!

Resource:

Ingram, C. (1999). Rice and Risotto: Cooking with the World’s Best-Loved Grain. London: Lorenz Books.

six seed soda bread

27 Friday Apr 2012

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I have been looking for an intense seedy bread and found this one recently at Heidi Swanson’s wonderful blog, 101 Cookbooks. She adapted this recipe from ‘River Cottage Everyday’ by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and I have quoted her recipe verbatim. Normally I am not a big fan of soda bread but this one was yummy, dense and chewy… just the way I like my bread! I will try substituting the all-purpose wheat flour with other flours and let you know if I find a winning combination. Also, I made two smaller loaves instead of one large one so my baking time was reduced. A keeper, for sure!

Six-Seed Soda Bread

2-½ tablespoon each of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds and flax seeds.

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1-3/4 cup spelt flour

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1-3/4 cup buttermilk

a bit of extra buttermilk or milk

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rack in the center of the oven. In a small bowl combine all the seeds and set aside.

Sift the flours, baking soda and salt into a large mixing bowl. Stir in all but 2 tablespoons of the seeds. Make a well in the flour, pour in the buttermilk and stir until the dough just comes together. If you need to add an extra splash of buttermilk because the dough is too dry, you can. As Hugh says, “Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead lightly for about a minute, just long enough to pull it together into a loose ball but no longer- you need to get into in the oven while the baking is still doing its stuff.”

Place the dough on a lightly floured baking sheet and mark it with a deep cross across the top, cutting two-thirds of the way through the loaf with a serrated knife. Brush with buttermilk and sprinkle with the remaining seeds, making sure that plenty of seeds make it down into the cracks. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the bread is golden crusted on top and bottom (you may want to move the oven rack up for the last 15 minutes if you need more color on the top of the loaf.) Cool on a wire rack.

Makes a single loaf.