Weakness

Something about Halloween has been making me CRAVE treats! So i made these.

NO BAKES 

1 c oats

2 tbs pb or nutty spread

3 tbs maple syrup

2 tbs cocoa 

Mix thoroughly. Roll in balls and let sit an hour to firm up.

Whole Wheat Bread - no oil or sugar

Four Loaves Whole Wheat Bread (made in Bosch Mixer)

• 7 cups Whole Wheat Flour (I usually substitute 1 cup with ground white beans and/or oatmeal)
• 2/3 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
• 2 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
• 5 cups Hot Water 
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• 2/3 cup Water
• 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 4 cups Whole Wheat Four

1. Mix 7 cups flour, 2/3 cup gluten, and 2 tablespoons yeast.
2. Add 5 cups hot water.
3. Mix 1 minute then let rest for 10 minutes.
4. Add 1 tablespoon salt, 2/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Mix.
5. Add 4 cups flour gradually until just barely sticky.
6. Knead 6 minutes.
7. Shape dough into 4 loaves. Place in greased pans or on a baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm area until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.
9. Bake 30-35 minutes. Without sugar it won't get extremely brown until it is overdone. (The picture is from a recipe made with oil and sugar.)
10. Let cool, then slice.

Grape juice

9 quarts. This is how i spent my day with a five hour break of visiting teaching in the middle. At least both are done! The way I figure it each jar took an hour so that is pretty expensive juice. But boy is it delicious!

Cherry Orange Kale Quinoa Salad

I am no food blogger and don't aspire to be one, which is good since my photos are done with a cell phone in my dark kitchen, but I do want to record somewhere delicious recipes when I cook them so I can have a reference to go back to.

Today's dish is a tweak on a recipe I found online. Apparently kale is all the rage these days - even Costco is selling it. Sam's Club may start selling it in 10 years if the trend catches on solidly enough.

Cherry Orange Kale Quinoa Salad

2 cups chopped kale (I used baby since that's what Costco sells)

2 cups cooked quinoa

1/3 cup chopped dried cherries (craisins would probably be really good too)

1/3 cup chopped roasted pistachios

1/2 an orange sliced into sections

zest of one orange

juice of half an orange

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

Mix together the zest, juice, garlic, oil, and salt and pepper. Combine all the chunky ingredients (first five) and toss with the dressing.

Roasted spaghetti sauce

A few weeks ago I received a TON of tomatoes. I froze a bunch, gave more away, made a huge batch of salsa, and tried a couple spaghetti sauces. My husband doesn't like spaghetti so I was on a quest to find a recipe he would like. I wound up finding a couple that I tweaked until I had perfected a sauce we both liked. Trouble is, for the life of me I can't find those notes! And today I received over six pounds of tomatoes again. So again I made a huge batch of salsa (to appease the husband) and pulled out a bunch that might last a few days and then took the rest and tried to recreate the perfect spaghetti sauce. I think I came close, so for future reference, here is what I did.

6 pounds of tomatoes
1 large onion
4 carrots
few splashes of balsamic vinegar
1/2 C fresh basil
1/4 C fresh parsley

Chop the tomatoes, onion, and carrots. Toss with vinegar (and oil if you are feeling like it). Roast them all in the oven at 400 for 60 minutes.
Roughly chop the herbs and throw them in a large pot with the garlic.
Once the vegetables are roasted pour them on top of the herbs.
Let them sit and "cook" for a bit.
Puree with an immersion blender and pour into jars.
I opted to freeze mine. This made about 6-8 cups of sauce.
8 cloves of garlic

Banana French Toast

2 medium bananas

2/3 c "milk"

2 Tbs maple syrup

1/4 tsp cinnamon

12ish pieces of whole wheat bread

Whiz everything together with an immersion blender (except the bread) and then dip the bread in it. Coat both sides and then "fry" for 3 or more minutes each side until the color you like it. Really good with nutbutter or just plain. 

Freaky squash

The bottom three all came from the same plant that came from the seed of a delicata squash i grew from a seed that came from a squash i bought at a farm in new Hampshire a few years ago. Weird. Now to cook them and see how they taste. The one on top is from my Armenian cucumber plant. 

Breakfast adventures

Can you see the grape juice? It is like the "natural" version of fruit loops. Tastes like grape juice. I recommend it. I think straight data (uncooked) are better though since the taste of cheerios with milk is so ingrained in my memory.