Granola Di Alba

           Words can not even describe how delicious granola is. It has the ever perfect essence of crunch, chew, and sweetness that fills your heart with great warmth. I had been looking for that "perfect" granola recipe for days and nothing seemed to jump out of a blog through my screen. So I decided to just wing it. Not always a good approach, but one worth trying. Let me just say, I am more then 110% grateful I went with my gut instinct on this because it turned out like a charm! Enjoy this little delight on top of yogurt, ice cream, non-dairy milk, oatmeal, smoothies and whatever else you can come up with!

Granola Di Alba

1 1/4 cup puffed millet

1 1/4 cup roasted buckwheat

1 1/2 cup kamut flakes

1 cup sliced raw almonds

3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1/4 cup golden flax seeds

1/2 cup pure maple syrup*

1/2 cup brown rice syrup 

3/4 cup chopped dried apricots

3/4 cup dried pears

1/2 cup dried currants

1/4-1/2 dried ginger

1/4-1/2 sea salt

Preheat your oven to 350 F
Mix the grains, nuts, flavorings and syrups all together. 
Lie across a lightly greased baking sheet or on top of parchment paper ( just beware you might be peeling it off like I had to ha)
Bake for 10 minutes and stir. Bake for another 10 minutes and stir once again. This time add all of your chopped dried fruits. Place back in the oven roughly for another three minutes. 
Let cool and break apart. 
Oh, and of course. Enjoy : )

*If you want a sweeter version add more maple syrup and less brown rice to equal a half a cup. Over all you should have four cups of grains, two cups of nuts, one cup of syrup and two cups of fruit. Try your own variation next time following these simple guidelines!*

* Try a gluten free version by swapping kamut flakes with quinoa flakes, buckwheat flakes, or G.F. oats*

Apple-n-Carrot Shortbread

     A couple of Monday's ago the boy and I fled north to the local town of Cambria. He was determined to skate, once again. So we gathered some friends and headed out for the day. It was a crisp clear day after a couple of days of heavy rain, and the ramps were dry and ready to go! Chelsea, Didi, and I decided we'd be better off walking the streets then watching some clumsy boys.... well, be boys. hah. While walking around we went to an antique store where I bought a darling little bowl to use in one of my photographs, eventually. Then I also purchased a Dino-cookie cutter. Uhm, can you say, "best purchase EVER"! If you can't tell, I am really excited. It was the best $0.27 I have ever spent. Instantly I had an urge to bake cut-out Dino-cookies. I've only tried one vegan sugar cookie before and don't get me wrong it was good, but I wanted to do a healthier cookie. Something unique like my Dino friend. After searching around some sites i had two choices. One by Green Kitchen Stores and one by 101 Cookbooks. I decided upon the latter, an apple and carrot shortbread cookie. With a healthy, vegan twist. Those two words have a blissful ring to them don't they?

Apple-N-Carrot Shortbread Cookies 

(adapted from 101 Cookbooks)

You're going to want to use metal (or sharp-edged) cookie cutters here, it will help cut through the shreds of apple/carrot more easily. 

1/4 cup semolina flour

1 1/2 cups spelt flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

6-7 tablespoons coconut oil

1/2 brown rice syrup

1/4 cup carrot, grated and loosely packed

1/2 grated apple, Braeburn (squeeze juice and leave  aside, only use if needed to moisten the dough )

zest of one lemon

almond milk

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees, or 180C.
Sift the semolina, flour, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream the coconut oil and brown rice syrup together until light and fluffy. 
Stir the carrot, apple, and lemon zest into the flour mixture, and mix until well coated and evenly dispersed. 
Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until a dough forms, then knead a couple times to bring everything together. Split the dough in two, flatten each piece into an inch-thick patty, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes.
When you're ready to bake the shortbread, roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface 1/2-inch thick/1cm. Use a metal cutters to stamp out cookies, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush lightly with a bit of milk and bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown just a bit.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
*Variation- roll into small balls and press an indented thumbprint in the center, fill with unsweetened peach jam and bake*
{Also, If ever in Cambria, try Robin's Restaurant and check out The Garden Shed. Both two super cute fun places to see on a little day trip}

Veggie Burger and Gooey Chocolate Cookies

     Throughout the day Ben and I kept contemplating on what we wanted to make for dinner. Personally, I've been craving Chinese/Thai and anything Asian. That delicious eggplant and basil, ginger and tofu, or slippery noodles with a spicy red pepper sauce. Sounds like a "party in the mouth", huh? But when we got to the store we saw that some of the vegetables we needed were not available since they were not in their prime season. 

                Lately, I've decided that I want to make sure I purchase certified organic, fair trade, seasonal    and local products. The cost becomes less important since I know that there are numerous benefits granted when you take that step to start eating with a focus towards humanity and health, rather than the size of your wallet. 

                 In economics class the other week we watched a documentary entitled, "Is Walmart Good For America?" They showed how Walmart's motto of having the lowest prices has shut down many American companies and laid off workers. Walmart has demanded companies, such as RubberMaid, to produce products at a certain price, and if that company can not comply to their request, Walmart refuses to purchase that product. In return, the company is unable to produce a product that cheap in America and are forced to travel to China. Manufacturing in China allows the product to be produced at the price Walmart has demanded. But how does this cheaply produced product affect people? First off, it pays Chinese workers around 50-cents an hour, or about a $100 a month. Secondly, it has depleted the number of manufacturing plants in America as well as American jobs. So is it really good for America? 

                 Fair Trade- Fair trade is when a company, such as Sun Spire, purchases their chocolate from a third world country. They offer to pay the supplier a higher price for the chocolate, so long as the supplier will pay their workers more than the average pay. In return we pay a higher price, but it allows to help that third world country stabilize their economy by paying the employees the proper amount.

       But, now back to the dinner! We decided to go along with some classic, easy and always delicious. The burger. Our Sunshine burgers were on Ezekiel Whole Wheat Sprouted Buns, topped with sauteed mushrooms in garlic and thyme, smothered with Veganaise, Dijon mustard, ketchup, lettuce, sprouts, tomato and onion. It was a giant burger at that, but worth every bite! After waiting a couple of hours for a stomachs to go back down to size, we began making cookies. Gluten-free, vegan, healthy, delicious and loaded with chocolate. Take a look, make them, eat them ruthlessly, and devote yourself to a large glass of almond milk and quite a few cookies. NO shame to be taken here.

Mutant Flourless Chocolate Cookies
 (Adapted from Wing It Vegan)
Makes about a dozen cookies

1 tbsp ground flax seeds

3 tbsp cold water
1/2 cup dried shredded coconut*
1/4 cup sucanat
1/4 cup stevia
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup almond butter
4 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup macadamia nuts

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray or lay down parchment paper.

 In a small bowl or measuring cup mix the flax seeds and water.

In a medium size mixing bowl combine all ingredients except for the chocolate chips and nuts. The dry and powdery ingredients are better off in the bottom of the bowl to prevent a big powdery *POOF* when you start mixing.

 Mix for about 30 seconds or until a smooth dough forms. It will look chunky at first but keep mixing and it will become smooth. Make sure everything is mixed well and beat the dough vigorously.

Stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Make them as chunky as you want, as you can see I like a lot of chocolaty and nutty goodness, but you can adjust the chunkiness to your taste.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls (or use a cookie scoop for perfectly round cookies) onto the cookie sheet and slightly flatten and shape each future cookie with the tip of a spoon. But then again you might not want to flatten them at all if you like them all round and poofy! Leave about an inch of space in between cookies.

Bake for 14 minutes. Let the cookies slightly cool for a minute on the baking sheet before you transfer them to a cooling rack.

If you manage not to eat them all right away and you need to store them, let them come to room temperature and store them in a paper bag. The paper bag keeps them from getting soggy

* You can grind the coconut to a fine powder in a blender or food processor if your not one of those people who just loves the texture of coconut!

Apple Spice Cake

This recipe comes from a book entitled Canning For a New Generation written by Liana Krissoff. She original bases off of a applesauce recipe in the book but i substituted for store bought as i was far too tired to make any more jams etc. This cake is quite moist and flavorful with warm spices.

Afternoon Applesauce Spice Cake

 makes one 9-inch square cake

2 1/2 cups flour ( I used whole wheat, but it might make it lighter if you use all purpose or half and half)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 ground clove

1 1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 sea salt

1 cup applesauce

1 tsp apple cider vinegar 

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup nuts, toasted and chopped 

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

In a medium bowl use a fork to combine the flour, brown sugar, spices, baking soda and salt. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Scrape the batter into a 9-inch square cake pan and smooth the top ( i think it'd be prettier in a circular pan though... ) Bake in the middle of the oven for 30-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving. 

Scrumptious Blueberry Muffins

 These muffins reign supreme above all other muffin recipes, hands down. They're filled with lush fresh blueberries, and topped with a butter cinnamon-sugar topping that melts deep down into the light texture of these divine breakfast pastries. To simply say... they are superb! 

Blueberry muffins
Inspired By Vanilla and Lace Makes 12
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1/3 cup almond milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

For the streusal topping:
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup earth balance
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the applesauce and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup earth balance, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking. (You may not use all the topping)
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Harvest Party Muffins

I finally succeeded and made a pumpkin pastry! I'm so excited. Pumpkin is my absolute favorite to cook with and yet I rarely get the chance, so this evening I finally made sure to put aside time and bake. I made Harvest Muffins! I call them this because I have a major desire to throw a harvest party, I mean how splendid and blissful does that sound? To sit outside on a wooden table, decorated with deep warm sunflowers, surrounded by green meadows in the Autumn air... awe, it just sounds too lovely! At least it's a fantasy of mine. Maybe one day I can live up to my fantasy; I suppose we shall see.

 But these muffins were made for my dear friend Jordan up in Oregon, so I hope and pray they'll continue to be fresh and moist by the time they reach her mouth! 

My muffins are inspired by Post Punk Kitchen's  recipe for pumpkin muffins, just a bit revised to a healthier version : )

Harvest Muffins

 Makes 12 muffins

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit 

Spray a nonstick spray on muffin pan, or use paper cups.

(I personally cut squares of parchment paper for a fun touch.)

1 3/4 cup Whole Wheat White Flour

1 1/4 Raw Sugar

1 Tbl baking powder

1/4 Sea Salt

1 Tsp Cinnamon

3/4 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/8 Tsp Ground Cloves

1/2 Tsp Nutmeg

Sift dry ingredients together in one bowl. 

1 cup Pumpkin ( I used organic canned)

1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

1/2 cup Apple Sauce

2 Tbl Molasses 

 Stir all wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.

 Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together

1/2 cup Fresh Cranberries Chopped

1/2 cup Walnuts Chopped

 Fold in cranberries and walnuts

Fill muffin tins about full, the batter should be mostly used up. 

 Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

Enjoy with a good cup of morning joe to start your day!