Broccoli-Spinach Soup

Lunch time!  

Looking through my fridge I realized I had some steamed broccoli and a couple of cups of fresh baby spinach to use up.  Since it was cold and rainy outside I thought a nice soup would warm us up nicely.

I usually make broccoli soup which uses, you guessed it, only broccoli.  It's delicious and surprisingly filling, but I didn't have quite enough to make three servings.  Adding spinach adds a lot of nutrients and a deep green color, but not a spinachy taste.  It's a great veg to add to smoothies too, although it will alter the color.

Broccoli-Spinach Soup

2-3 cups broccoli
2-3 cups baby spinach
1 small apple
salt/pepper
vegetable stock

Cut broccoli into medium-sized florets.  Steam for 5-7 minutes until just tender and vibrant green.  Cut apple into small chunks, keeping the skin on.  Place broccoli and apple into a medium pot and cover with baby spinach.  Cover and steam for 5 minutes to wilt the spinach.  Remove from heat and ladle contents into a blender.  Whizz it up and add enough veg stock to make a thick soup consistency.  Salt and pepper to taste.

You can top with garlic-chile oil, croutons, or fresh cherry tomatoes, and goes great with a piece of garlic toast.

Creamy Basil-Dill Dressing/Dip

Chloe loves ranch dressing.  She likes to dip veggies in it, dollop it on her salads, and dunk her pizza in it.  But, I don't know what it's made of.  I wanted to come up with a creamy dip that could be thinned out and also used as a dressing that rivals ranch.  This recipe is inspired by Jennifer Cornbleet, a raw food chef, and has a fresh herby flavor with a slight tang from the lemon, and the whole family likes it.


For this recipe you have to soak the cashews for at least 2 hours.  I usually soak them overnight.  The soaking time doesn't really matter, as long as the cashews are slightly plump and soft.  This will give the dip an ultra smooth texture.


As always, play with the ingredients.  If you like a more tangy flavor, add some more lemon juice; if you don't care for the taste of dill, substitute it with parsley or more basil.  Customize it!


Creamy Basil-Dill Dressing/Dip


1 cup soaked cashews
1 t salt
juice from 1 lemon
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
water
3 T fresh basil
3 T fresh dill


Cover the cashews by 1" in water and soak for at least 2 hours.  Add salt, lemon juice, onion and garlic powders.  Start the blender and add enough water to get it going.  You'll have to turn off the blender and push the ingredients down to prevent air pockets.  Add enough water, 2T at a time, until you get the desired consistency.  (I aim for a thicker consistency and stir in additional water to use as a salad dressing as needed.)  Now that the mixture is creamy and lump-free, add your fresh basil and dill.  Wizz it up for a couple more seconds.  You'll end up with a slightly green dip with flecks of green herbs.

Preserved Lemon and Pistachio Tapanade

I love making tapanades.  They're a great addition to veggies or just spreading on a thick piece of rustic toast. This one packs a punch and you don't need much to add flavor to your dish.  Just steam some greens or zucchini and mix in a spoonful of tapanade.  Serve over brown rice.  Super delicious!


Preserved Lemon and Pistachio Tapanade


1 cup unsalted, shelled pistachios
1 T capers
1 T preserved lemon rind
Olive oil


Rinse and remove rind from preserved lemons and chop up into 1/4" pieces.  Rinse capers under water.  Add pistachios to a mortar and smash with pestle to break up nuts.  Add capers, lemon rind and enough olive oil to grind into a chunky paste.


You can use a food processor, but I really like the consistency you get from a mortar and pestle... and it's really fun to use.

Preserved Lemons

If you have a lemon tree or get boxes of lemons from a generous neighbor, and you don't know what to do with all of them except make lemonade, this recipe is for you.  Preserved lemons are a great addition to many dishes and lend a wonderful, almost warm, mild, lemon flavor without that citrus tang.  They are used often in Moroccan cuisine, adding the rind to tagine dishes and the pulp to sauces.  I made this jar about a year ago from my next door neighbor's tree that produces the fruit twice a year.   Here's how you do it:


Preserved Lemons


lemons
lemon juice
kosher salt


I didn't put exact amounts because it all depends on many lemons you have.  Cut lemons in half, liberally coat in kosher salt.  Stuff lemons in a jar and pour in additional salt to cover.  Now add enough fresh lemon juice to cover.  Refrigerate for at least 3 weeks before using.  They will keep for a heck of long time in the fridge... I still use mine from last year!


It sounds like a ton of salt, but don't worry.  You're preserving the lemons.  All the salt gets rinsed off before you cook with them.

Mellow lemony goodness.

Mango Pistachio "Ice Cream"

I got my Vitamix!  I got my Vitamix!  March 4th was the day.  I opened up the box and there staring back at me was a beautiful, shiny, black and silver, state-of-the-art blending machine.  Come to me baby and let's see what magic we can make.

Here's one of the first things I made.  It's really fast to whip up and uses up a bunch of those frozen, over-ripe bananas we all have in the freezer.

Mango Pistachio "Ice Cream"

1/4 cup almond milk, and extra for desired consistency

1 cup frozen banana chunks

1 cup mango chunks

1 T agave nectar (optional)

2T unsalted pistachios

Although you can use any type of blender, you'll get a creamier texture with the vitamix.  Pour in the milk and then the fruit and agave.  Wizz it up.  You'll probably have to turn the blender off a few times and moosh the contents around due to air pockets.  Add more almond milk until you get the desired consistency, but not too much or you'll end up with a smoothie.  Then add the pistachios and give it a final blend until the nuts break up a bit.

Notes:

To freeze bananas, peel and cut the very ripe fruit into 1" chunks.  Place bananas in a large plastic bag and arrange in a single layer.  Freeze for at least 24 hours.  I always have a bag of these going in my freezer.  When the bag gets low, I just add some more.

As far as the almond milk goes, you can substitute any non-dairy milk product.  I like almond milk because it has a thick, creamy texture.

If you don't have agave nectar, use honey, or omit it all together.  If the fruit is sweet you don't really need it.

Words escape me.

Looking forward to my Vita Mix!

At the end of this week I get to open my brand spankin new Vita Mix blender.  It's one of those fancy variable speed doo-hickies.  If you can't tell, I'm having a hard time waiting.  I've been dreaming about all the sauces, smoothies, nut butters, and soups I'll be making.  Last weekend I made a delicious vegan "nacho cheese" dip, using my trusty 20-year-old Waring blender.  (That thing is a work horse!)  It went great with black beans, and cilantro all topping a big plate of corn chips.  My only thought was that it could have been creamier and thicker if I only had that Vita Mix.  Needless to say, I'll make the dip again and post all it's deliciousness here.  (My mouth is watering already!)

Mixed Greens with Orange Vinegar, Fruit & Nuts

No arm twisting needed here!

On my latest trip to Trader Joe's I picked up a bottle of Orange

Muscat Champagne Vinegar. When I was ready to cook with it, I

realized the rest of the ingredients I chose from the pantry were

mostly from TJ's too! They have an great selection of dried fruit

and nuts and nice big bags of mixed greens. Here's what I

ended up with:

Mixed Greens with Orange Vinegar, Fruit & Nuts

2t olive oil

1 shallot, finely minced

2 garlic cloves, also finely minced

2T pine nuts, TJ's

2T golden raisins, TJ's

pinch of salt

1-2 large handfuls of mixed greens, TJ's

Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, TJ's

a pinch of brown sugar

Heat oil on medium and saute shallots and garlic. (Be careful

not to burn the garlic so it doesn't turn bitter.) Add raisins and

nuts and a pinch of salt. Saute a few more minutes. Add greens

and cover with a lid until they wilt, another minute, or so.

Sprinkle with vinegar and brown sugar. Turn with tongs to mix

everything up. And you're done! You can serve it over a whole

grain or eat it all by itself.

Trader Joe's vinegar.

You can sprinkle with parmesan cheese or make these delicious

breadcrumbs instead.

Garlic Breadcrumbs

1-2t olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely minced

2T breadcrumbs

pinch of salt

In the same pan the greens were cooked in, heat the oil on

medium. Saute the garlic for a minute, add the breadcrumbs

and salt. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes until the

breadcrumbs are slightly brown and deliciously toasty.

*You can use store bought breadcrumbs, but why bother? Just

freeze the heals of your bread and grate or whiz up in the food

processor to make your own!

Finito!

Pizza!

Chef Brooke and Chef Chloe

The other day my daughter, Chloe, and her BFF, Brooke, wanted to make homemade pizzas. I checked out what we had in the fridge and whipped up some pizza dough. That afternoon we all had gourmet, personalized pizzas! (And I used up some leftovers in the fridge too!)

Mark Bittman has a very simple and basic pizza dough recipe in his absolutely awesome cookbook, "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian". The book is over 900 pages long and filled to the gills with vegetarian and vegan recipes... Love it!

Mark Bittman's Pizza Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons instant yeast

2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, separated

couple pinches of cornmeal (for dusting the cookie sheet)

Combine flour, yeast, and salt in food processor. Process and add 1 cup water and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Process for about 30 seconds, adding more water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball and is slightly sticky.

Turn dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for a few seconds making a smooth, round ball. Put the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl, put the dough ball in the bowl, and cover with plastic or towel. Let it sit for an hour or two to rise until it doubles in size.

When the dough is ready, turn dough out onto a floured surface, form into a ball and cut into quarters. Cover and let rise again for an additional 20 minutes.

Their master pieces!

Now you can roll out and shape dough into pizzas! This is what we did with ours:

The girls topped each one with Good Grub Basil Pesto. Then they rummaged through the fridge and found some salami, parmesan cheese, a can of sliced olives, and a pack of sun-dried tomatoes. (Totally acceptable and equally delicious without the meat and cheese... of course.)  After baking the finished pizzas at 500 degrees for 8-12 minutes, they brushed the crust with olive oil and gave it a final sprinkling of kosher salt. (That way the crust gets eaten too!)

* Prepare cookie sheets by sprinkling them with cornmeal to prevent sticking. Place pizza doughs on the cookie sheets before adding the toppings.

Lunch for me and Marco.

For Marco and myself I topped ours off with the basil pesto, fresh slices of tomatoes, kalamata olives, and parmesan cheese for the hubby. We ate ours with a delicious salad of lettuce greens (from my very own veg garden!), blueberries, pine nuts, and a light lemon dijon vinaigrette (recipe to follow in a future post).

They go together quickly and bake quickly, but you have to account for the time it takes the dough to rise (up to 2 hours). Even though I call these "personal size" pizzas, they are super filling and can easily be shared.

Bellissima!

The Veg Bed

Last weekend Chloe, Marco, and I put together a raised vegetable garden.  We filled it with, what felt like, a ton of soil.  About 1 1/2 cubic yards, actually.  It was a mixture of organic soil and organic compost.  Mixing it all up was quite the workout!  I really wanted to go completely organic, but the plants were sitting right there in front of me at the nursery and I was dying to see something in the dirt, so I just bit the bullet and bought them.  They aren't organic plants, grown from organic seed, but they are in organic soil and I won't be feeding them any chemical fertilizers.  

I have a small bin with soil, dried leaves, and kitchen scraps.  I've mixed it all up and covered it up with plastic so it can "cook" for the winter.  (An experiment complete with gnats!)  The hope is that it will turn into beautiful dark, rich soil I can use in the bed.  Next, a vermiculture!  Oh, I also have carrots, beets, basil, bok choy, and spinach seeds on the window sill.  They should be ready to plant outside in a few weeks.  I plan to have my second raised veg bed ready by then.

I think I overdid it with the plant buying, since we had to takeover a patch by the bedroom backdoor.  The soil has a ton of clay, which we mixed with soil from the bed, so it'll be interesting to see the difference , if any, in size, appearance, and flavor of the veggies.  Now, it's just a matter of keeping them watered, covered for the frost, and protected from the dog.

Oh yes.  Lulu has rediscovered her favorite past-time.  I thought she had past this phase years ago, but I guess you can't teach an old dog... well, you get it.  The veg beds are now covered in a plastic mesh to deter Lulu from digging them up.  So far, so good.  (But this is getting expensive!)

So, the veg should be ready to harvest by January, maybe a few things by Christmas, fingers crossed.  That's when I plan to start some plants from seed, tomato, zucchini, bells, and more.  I'll be trying out some organic seed from Burpee or The Seed Savers Exchange.  I can't wait to taste it all!

Sun Dried Tomato Puree

I was in the mood for something super savory and full of flavor the other day, so I dug out my mini food processor and experimented with my sun dried tomatoes.  What I ended up with was a flavorful, brilliant red puree.  I spread it on some crackers, but it would also work as a topping for baked potatoes.  You could also toss it into some whole wheat pasta! 

Sun Dried Tomato Puree

a big handful of sun dried tomatoes (not the ones packed in oil)

1/2 to 1 whole garlic clove

2-3 T olive oil

juice of 1/2 a lemon

salt and pepper

Put all ingredients into a food processor and whiz it up to a chunky consistency.  It’ll only take a few seconds.  Check for seasonings and that’s it!

Give it a try!

Silky Split Pea Soup

During the summer my little brother graduated from college in Santa Barbara... Yeah! Anyway, while we were there, Marco, Chloe, and I went to a little “mom and pop” restaurant and had some fabulous split pea soup. Chloe and I couldn’t get enough of the stuff and we pretty much fought over who would lick the bowl. It has taken me about four months to finally give it a try. If I knew how easy is was to make split pea soup, I would have done it four months ago!

Special equipment:

immersion blender (a regular blender will also work, but you might want to wait for the soup to cool a little so you don’t end up with green walls!)

Silky Split Pea Soup

2 medium white onions, chopped

1 T Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil (a Grub recipe), plus extra for garnish

1/2t salt

1/2 t paprika, plus extra for garnish

1/2 t ground ginger, plus extra for garnish

1 32 oz box veg stock

1 cup water

juice of 1/2 lemon, plus extra for garnish

1 16 oz dried split peas

Sauté onions over medium-low heat in 1 tablespoon of Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil until tender. Add salt, paprika, and ginger and heat through. If the onions get a bit dry, add a drizzle of veg stock and continue to sauté. When onions are nice and soft, add rest of veg stock, water, lemon juice, and split peas. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until split peas are soft.

Now grab your immersion blender and whiz away! You want your soup to be completely creamy and silky. Serve with a sprinkle of paprika and ginger, a drizzle of fresh lemon juice and a douse of Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil.

So, there you have it! Grab a big hunk of whole grain bread and there’s dinner. Great for this cool autumn weather.

My new raised veggie garden bed!

This is soooo cool!  Marco finished the garden bed and it looks awesome!  (I helped a little.)  Not including running to the store a couple of times, it ended up being a three-hour job.  Thank goodness it wasn't a hot day.  It can get up into the 100's out here.  

We'll be covering the surrounding dirt with gravel and filling it up with organic soil and compost.  (Next pay check.)  It may take a little hunting around these parts to find a place who sells organic soil.  

This reminds me a little of that show Good Neighbors, from England.  I loved that show!  Watch out Barbara, you may have some competition soon!

Thank you Marco!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Grapes with Rice and Beans

Inspired by a newfound web site, The Garden Girl, I talked Marco into helping me built a really nice raised bed for my future veggie garden.  (Well, I’ve got to give Marco most of the credit; he did all of the “heavy lifting”.)  I can’t wait to fill it with rich organic soil and compost and start growing some great Grub!  Not like I know what I’m doing.  I think I’ll just learn as I go.

After all that hard work we were starving.  By 1:30 it was time for lunch.  I had thrown some butternut squash, baby carrots, and some grapes in the oven to roast around 12:30.  They turned out perfect, and to my surprise, the grapes were delicious!  I then made a complete meal by tossing them with some left over rice and beans.  Here’s what I did...

Roasted Butternut Squash and Grapes with Rice and Beans (E2L friendly)

1 medium butter nut squash, peeled and cut into 1” cubes

a large handful of baby carrots

a large handful of sweet green grapes

1T olive oil 

salt and pepper

1-2 cups of leftover brown rice

1/2 a can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 a can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2T chopped pecans

a drizzle of Citrus Chipotle Sauce (a Grub recipe), or use your favorite vinaigrette

spinach leaves

Toss the squash, carrots, onion, grapes with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Roast at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, tossing half way through.  Slightly cool on counter.

Now lightly toss the squash mixture with the rice, beans, and pecans.  (Leftover brown rice can be a little hard.  You may want to add a drop of water and microwave for 30 seconds to soften it up.)  Dress with Citrus Chipotle Sauce or your favorite vinaigrette and spoon over a nice big bed of spinach.

Variation:

Switch out the butternut squash for sweet potato.  Use another salad green in place of the spinach.  If you have something comparable in the fridge or pantry, use that first before you make a special trip to the grocery store.  Keep it simple!

I can’t wait to make these kinds of dishes with my home grown produce.  Then Marco will see it was well worth the effort and maybe I can talk him into expanding the vegetable garden!

Citrus Chipotle Sauce

I’ve read a few books on nutrition. Most of them are off the beaten path, Eat to Live, China Study, Food Matters. I’m really drawn to the whole vegan approach, however, I like to make recipes where it’s easy to incorporate some animal products, if desired. Dr. Fuhrman’s books, Eat to Live, and Eat for Health, are really influencing me at the moment and have inspired a few new recipes.

Here’s a delicious, refreshing sauce you can use to top a big bowl salad greens, raw pumpkin seeds and avocado, or warm roasted sweet potatoes and carrots.

Citrus Chipotle Sauce (E2L friendly)

4 garlic cloves

1T agave nectar

2 cups fresh orange juice

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1-2 chipotle peppers

veg stock... maybe

Blend in all ingredients, except for veg stock, in a blender until smooth. Pour in a pot and simmer on medium heat until the sauce is reduced by half. If too thick, add enough veg stock to get the desired consistency and simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Reducing the sauce will mellow the garlic and make the rest of the flavors more intense. It will also thicken the sauce. Strain in a fine mesh sieve.

Tips:

Using fresh orange and lime juice instead of the bottled junk will make a HUGE difference in the outcome of this recipe.

When I buy a can of chipotle peppers, which are just roasted jalapeno peppers in adobo sauce, I put the leftovers in a zip sandwich bag, flatten it out, and freeze them for further use.

For more information on Eat to Live, check out Dr. Fuhrman’s web site at

Brentwood Farmers Market Veg

Here's some beautiful veg we found mid October at the Brentwood Farmers Market.  The variety is thinning out a little, but it's obvious the vendors only bring their very best.  

I dove right into those mushrooms, sauteing them up in a little Garlic-Chile-Spiked Olive Oil (a Grub recipe!), salt and pepper.  Absolutely wonderful!  Not too mushroomy tasting, but buttery and sweet... mmmmmmmmmmmm. 

Grilled Veggie Sandwich with Basil Pesto

This morning Marco, Chloe, and I walked around the Brentwood Farmers Market.  After making our rounds to each and every stand, I looked into my very heavy bag and saw that we had gone a little crazy.  So much for the list.  I usually try to control my sweet tooth when I go, saying no to so many delicious treats.  We ended up with sweet cinnamon bread from Greenlees, a vegan Lemon Coconut Loaf from Way to Life, and a couple of different chocolate truffles from the Bella Luna Chocolates stand.  Thankfully, the breads will freeze well.  The truffles, however, will have to be eaten within the next couple of days.  Waste not, want not!  

It wasn't all sweet nothings though.  Although the pickings are a little thinner at the market these days than they were a couple of months ago, we managed to come away with some sumptuous veggies, perfect for lunch.  Red bells, a large globe eggplant, cute young green and yellow zucchini, sweet onions, and the most delicious mushrooms I have ever had... ever!

Well, the veg were all so fresh that I just had to have a little of everything.  So, for lunch I decided to make a grilled veggie sandwich.  And to add a little some'n some'n, I slathered on some basil pesto.  No recipe required!

Here's how you can make your own:

You'll need a grill pan with a press or board that fits inside to weigh down the sandwiches.  Better yet, a panini grill press, but they're expensive and can only do this one job.  If you don't have either, a regular fry pan works just as well.  Just put a plate or board on top of the sandwiches and weigh down with a can of soup.

Slice up your favorite veggies, like zucchini, eggplant, onions, or bell peppers.  (Some big sturdy mushrooms work well here!)  Spray pan with non-stick spray.  Sprinkle sliced veg with salt and pepper and grill for a few minutes until tender.  Set aside.  Get two slices of your favorite bread or a nice soft roll and slap on some mayo, honey-dijon mustard, and basil pesto.  Layer on your grilled veg and place assembled sandwich on the non-stick sprayed grill pan.  Weigh down with board or plate.  Grill both sides until toasty brown.  Slice and devour!  

Marco says it goes great with an ice cold Sierra Nevada and a fresh jalapeno pepper... typical!

End of Summer Veggie Soup

Today was the first rain of the season and it got me thinking about soup.  Now that the weather is getting colder we’re all craving warm, comforting foods.  Here’s a nice smooth soup that uses those summer veggies still found in the grocery store.  It’s all blended up and topped off with beans and leftover rice.  

End of Summer Veggie Soup

1 fennel, chopped into large chunks

5 roma tomatoes, quartered and seeded

1 red bell pepper, chopped into large chunks

2 medium zucchini, chopped into large chunks

3-4 T tomato paste

3T Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil (Grub recipe) 

juice of one lemon

zest of one lemon

salt & pepper

garlic powder

1t fresh rosemary, chopped 

water

1 can of white beans (or leftover frozen beans, thawed) 

leftover brown or wild rice (or any grain, for that matter)

 

Place all cut veggies into a baking dish and toss with rest of ingredients, not including water, rice, and beans.  Roast, uncovered, for 45-55 minutes at 375 degrees.  Toss half way through.  

Let veggies cool slightly and blend with tomato paste in blender until smooth.  Be careful the lid doesn’t pop off due to the heat.  (You may want to cover the lid with a towel just to be safe.) Adjust consistency with a little water.  Adjust the salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.

Top with a generous dollop of warm rice and beans and a drizzle of Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil.   

So, there you have it.  A warm, nourishing way to end a long rainy day.

Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil

Here’s a way to add a little unexpected flavor and flare to your dishes.  Super easy to make and looks great out on the counter. 

Garlic-Chili-Spiked Olive Oil

1 cup olive oil

5 whole garlic cloves

6-8 dried chili de arbol (in the Mexican food aisle at the grocery store)

glass bottle with poor spout (Cost Plus has some cute ones to choose from.)

Heat all ingredients in a pot over medium heat until garlic cloves turn slightly golden.  Don’t burn the garlic because it may make the oil turn a bit bitter.  Let oil mixture cool in pot, so the flavors can meld.  Using a funnel, poor spiked oil, garlic, and chilies into a glass bottle.  

I use this on toast when I want something else besides the standard butter.  It’s great over fresh sliced tomatoes, sprinkled with kosher salt; or drizzled over soup or pasta.  It’s spicy and gives a little kick to your dish, and you don’t need much.

And Lulu thought she was the only hot stuff around here!

Pasilla Chile and Cinnamon Fruit and Nut Chew

So, I was off to my mom’s house the other day, and wanted to take a little homemade something along with me.  The nut freak that I am, I rummaged around the freezer and cupboard and came up with this little crunchy munchie.  Super flavorful with a little spicy kick.  But, don't share because you won't have any left!

Pasilla Chili and Cinnamon Fruit and Nut Chew

1 cup whole raw cashew nuts

1 cup whole raw pecan halves

1/3 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/2 cup of chopped dried pineapple

1/2 cup of chopped dried papaya

1/2 cup of large raisins (I like the Jumbo Raisin Medley from Trader Joe’s)

1 T pasilla chili powder 

1 T cinnamon powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup honey

Toast nuts and seeds in a dry pan, watching they don’t burn.  Once you smell them, remove from heat.  Add the dried fruit and toss.  Evenly sprinkle the chili powder, cinnamon and salt and lightly toss - not too much though.  You don't want all the spicy goodness to settle on the bottom of the pan.  

Spray a 1/3 measuring cup with non-stick spray and measure honey.  This will allow the honey to pour right our.  Add honey to granola mixture and stir together, coating everything.  Spread out on parchment-lined cookie sheet.  (a silpat baking mat works nice here too.)  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Let cool completely.  Break apart and store in old clean jars.

Tips - 

Clean up immediately so the leftover honey and spices don't harden on the pan and spoon.

I found pasilla chili powder from the local Mexican market.  It’s usually used in sweet recipes, so it goes perfectly with cinnamon in this.  It's not super spicy, good for those who don't like things too hot.  The course granules of the kosher salt make a nice contrast too.  It’s totally addictive!

Variations - 

If you prefer different nuts or dried fruit, switch it up.  Sesame seeds would be a great substitute for the sunflower seeds.  A big jar of this tied with a huge bow would make a great gift.  (Think Christmas!)

Basil Pesto

Ok, so I’m not going to tweek this one much. It's a pretty classic dish. There are so few ingredients, but they're all needed to make this rich, delicious, and versatile sauce.

Basil Pesto

3 cups fresh basil leaves

4T nutritional yeast

1-3 raw garlic clove (depending on how “garlicy” you like it)

juice of 1/2 lemon

olive oil (this is where you use the good, yummy stuff)

In a food processor, blend clean, spun-dry basil leaves, nutritional yeast, garlic, and lemon juice. When blended to a chunky consistency, add olive oil and continue to process until it becomes spread-like. The amount of oil depends on the desired consistency. I've never really measured it, but I imagine it's about 1/2 to 1 cup.

Easy and super versatile, basil pesto is delicious on pasta, a spread on thinly sliced toast, or mixed in with warm, boiled red potatoes. If you don’t care for the basil flavor, try arugala, cilantro, parsley, or a mixture of these greens.

I put some leftovers in an ice cube tray to freeze. Usually, it all gets eaten up, but I made so much this time. Once completely frozen, pop out of tray and store in a zip-top bag. You can also put it in the fridge and poor a layer of olive oil over the top to preserve the color. It tends to turn a darker green after a while when exposed to the air.