Crunchy Granola

This recipe goes along with unprocessing foods.  I'm always looking for breakfast replacements.  My sister always makes this recipe & we love it.  It comes from The New York Times blog Diner's Journal with a few comments of my own.

Crunchy Granola

Yield: About 8 cups

6 cups old-fashioned oats

2 cups mixed nuts & seeds

1 cup dried unsweetened coconut

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash salt

1/2 cup to 1 cup honey or maple syrup

1 cup dried raisins or other dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine all but the dried fruit.  Place on a sheet pan & put in oven.  Bake 30 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes.  Mixture should brown evenly.

Brown = Crunchy

(Dark brown = Burnt, watch out!)

Remove from oven & stir in dried fruit.  Cool on rack, stirring occasionally while the mixture reaches room temperature.  Store in a sealed container & store in refrigerator (I left mine on the counter because I ate it too fast--ask Freddie!!)  The recipe says it will keep indefinitely -- not in my house!

NOTES: I used walnuts, almonds & sunflower seeds.  Next time I want to add flax seed.  I also used dried blueberries because I had some supreme ones on hand -- yummy!  You know we are fans of dried cherries so they will likely make another mixture.  I only used 1/2 cup of maple syrup.  It was sweet enough for us but likely most people would like it a little sweeter.

"Unprocessing Foods" -- Entry 6 Cream of Chicken Soup

I was so excited when I stumbled on a recipe for Cream of Chicken soup, just like Campbell's.  Not only does it eliminate one more processed food, but also it allows me to make it gluten-free (& dairy-free if needed).  This recipe comes from www.iowagirleats.com.

This finishes my New's Year Resolutions of eliminating six processed foods.  However, I have found more & will keep going!

Cream of Chicken Soup

Yields: 1 can

1-1/4 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup milk

6 T flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp dried parsley (or 3/4 tsp fresh)

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp dried oregano (or 3/4 tsp fresh)

1/8 tsp dried basil (or abt 1/4 tsp fresh)

Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan.  Meanwhile, whisk together the milk, flour & seasonings in a separate bowl.  Once broth is boiling, turn heat to medium & slowly pour in the milk mixture.  Whisk constantly until thickened about 2-3 minutes.  Let cool.

"Unprocessing Foods" -- Entry 5 (Breakfast Cereals)

Who would ever think you could give up breakfast cereals -- a product that takes up an entire line in the grocery store & a good portion of the budget!  Well, we've done it.  Fortunately, we enjoy eggs & oatmeal.  However, I have stumbled on a breakfast that I have more than anything else.  I actually look forward to it.  My "Bowl" almost looks like a dessert.  Yummmm, it's about as delicious.

Here's my Combo:

a heaping 1/4 cup of old fashioned oatmeal

about 2 Tbsp of ground flax seed

a good handful of walnuts (or almonds sometimes)

a dollop of homemade strawberry jam

a good portion of plain Greek yogurt

Stir it all together & enjoy!

I use the jam for sweetener.  If you do not use plain yogurt, you may not need the jam.

(PS/ My sister is sending me her homemade yogurt recipe so hopefully by the end of the year I'll also have that!)

Vegetable Dip , plus Lawry's Seasoning Salt Recipe

We were invited to a lovely potluck last week.  The hostess asked if we could bring a vegetable platter -- how fitting for us!  I always try to bring something healthy to a potluck, as we are not big dessert eaters & there seems to always be plenty of those.  We are not veggie dip people either, but I went scouring the Internet for some homemade recipes, realizing that most others enjoy it.  I adapted the following recipe from www.food.com  If you do not have access to fresh herbs, the substitution is 3:1 (fresh to dried).  Therefore for example, if your recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of dried oregano, chop up 3 teaspoons of fresh oregano.

Vegetable Dip

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

1 Tbsp dried onion flakes

3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

3 tsp fresh dill, chopped

1 tsp seasoning salt (**)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

-----------------------------

Lawry's Seasoning Salt

2 Tbsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp cornstarch

I put my extra seasoning salt in an empty glass herb container.  I plan on using it tonight on our fresh tilapia.  I do not know who to credit with the seasoning salt recipe -- it was all over the Internet, so kudos to whoever is responsible!

"Unprocessing" Foods -- Entry 4 (Shredded Cheese)

Over half of the year is gone & I must finish out my New Year's Resolution of ridding our cabinets of six processed foods.  The list thus far goes as follows:

1.) Jams & Jellies

2.) Salad Dressings

3.) Taco Seasoning

4.) Shredded Cheese

Though shredded cheese is extremely tempting for its convenience, I have resolved to take the extra time to shred my own.  If I have a small amount to shred, I use my hand shredder.  If I have more, I use my Cuisinart Food Processor.  Personally, I do not like to do it ahead of time as it just doesn't seem as fresh.  Pre-packaged shredded cheese has a powdery substance to keep it from clumping.  I have been shredding my own cheese now for some time & don't even think twice about it.  Well worth the little effort!

"Unprocessing" Foods -- Entry 3 (Taco Seasoning)



Here is my third food to "unprocess", taking me halfway through my New Year's Resolution! (http://greatlettuce.blogspot.com/2013/03/unprocessing-foods-entry-1.html)  I adapted some recipes to fit our personal taste.  We are not keen on too spicy of foods.  You may like to give it a kick with red pepper flakes.

Taco Seasoning

For 1 lb of beef or chicken.

2-1/2 tsp chili powder

3/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp dried oregano

(can substitute 1/2 tsp fresh cut oregano)

Combine spices & pour on meat.  Add 1/4 cup water & cook until thickened.

"Unprocessing" Foods -- Entry 2 (Salad Dressings)

My second food to "unprocess" (see previous post) was very appropriate for us lettuce farmers!

Two: Salad Dressings

I have often looked at the ingredients in processed dressings & shudder.  I cannot pronounce most of the ingredients.  However, I never could find a recipe that was easy enough (i.e. neither complicated nor messy) & tasted good enough for me to make day after day.  But, I found one!  This is my favorite -- hands down.

2 parts good extra virgin olive oil **

1 part red wine vinegar

Honey, to taste

Whisk with a fork until creamy & enjoy.

Time: Hmmm....30 seconds

** Olive oil -- we use it a lot.  I buy two kinds -- a cooking kind & an "uncooking" kind.  If I am cooking with olive oil, I use something that is inexpensive as it becomes partially lost in the food.  However, if I am using it for something such as a dressing, I spend more money.  Unfortunately for us, we used up my brother-in-law's olive oil gift from South Africa so now we are buying the "Filippo Berio" brand.   We like the flavor.

Freddie has his own favorite dressing recipe, which I will post later.  Also, we have some recipe cards of it at the stand.  The book above was given to us by my sister last week.  Very neat!  There are dressing recipes in there that I am eager to try.  Will keep you posted!

"Unprocessing" Foods -- Entry 1 (Jams & Jellies)

Normally, I never share my New Year's Resolutions, but I am going to break that rule today.  This year, I resolved to quit buying six different types of processed foods, one every two months.  Being that we hardly eat anything boxed or canned anymore, I am having to dig pretty deep into my pantry.  So, I decided to share my progress with you.

One: Processed Jams & Jellies

Strawberries are in season for us in Florida so it was a perfect time for me to make my first freezer jam.  I could not believe how easy it was & am sorry I haven't done it before.  I got a tip from a friend that allows you to make fresh jam all year round!  She washes her berries, crushes them, & freezes them in 2 cup portions.  Then, when a batch runs out, she can easily make another fresh batch from the delicious berries that were in season!  I love it.  The jam is extremely "strawberry" from the in-season berries.  (Thanks, Karen!) Here is the recipe from Sure-Jell (and my mother says don't bother using anything else!)

2 cups fresh crushed strawberries

(about 1 qt. whole berries--the riper the better)

4 cups sugar

3/4 cup water

1 pkg SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

Wash berries & discard stems.  Measure out exactly 2 cups of berries.  Crush berries thoroughly.  (I used a hand potato masher.  If you like smoother jam, blend the berries.)  Stir in sugar.  Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Mix water & pectin in a small saucepan.  Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly.  Continue boiling & stirring for one minute.  Add to fruit mixture; stir for 3 minutes or until most of the sugar is dissolved.  Fill clean small Ball jars or plastic containers to within 1/2 inch of the top.  Wipe of top edges of containers.  Cover with lids immediately.  Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.  Jam is ready to use.  Store in refrigerator up to three weeks or in a freezer for up to a year.

Being only Freddie & me, I actually halved the recipe.  (Yes -- I even halved the Sure-Jell package!)