Good Morning Grains!

I love breakfast, but I hate instant oatmeal.  Sorry, Quaker.  It's either soupy or sticky, overly-sweet, disappointingly homogenous in texture, and sadly devoid of ingredients that are real things.  Thankfully, the idea of warm oats for breakfast has been redeemed for me, thanks to a cookbook by Maria Speck called Ancient Grains for Modern Meals.  She is my breakfast hero.

This is how I make Muesli by-the-bowl: 1/2 cup ingredients + 1/2 cup almond milk.  Zap it 45sec-1min.
Let it sit a couple minutes to continue soaking in the goodness.  Then enjoy!

Maria's recipe for warm Muesli is the best food thing to happen in my breakfast life in a while.  If you can't tolerate gluten, this will still work if you find organic whole oats guaranteed to be gluten-free (try Bob's Red Mill).  Traditionally prepared Muesli is a concoction of oats, fruits, and nuts covered in milk and allowed to sit (or cooked) until the whole mixture is softened.  Hence the name Muesli, which means "little mush," according to Maria.  This breakfast from Switzerland was made popular by physician Maximilian Bircher-Benner in the early 1900's as a high-fiber health food.  His recipe used oats, grated apples, nuts, condensed milk, and lemon.  But the options are really only limited by your pantry and your imagination!

Pardon the grainy photos, it's still night-ish around here at breakfast time.

Muesli can be eaten soaked, cooked, or raw (for extra chew).  I love how it retains the individual textures of the ingredients.  And there are SO MANY ingredients!  I like to use unsweetened almond milk, but feel free to use organic or raw milk, cream, or even orange juice to soften your muesli.

Banana Date Almond concoction (walnuts would have been better, but I didn't have them).  Add cinnamon, too!

I also tend to make mine by-the-bowl, rather than make a big batch of the dry ingredients (though that's a super good idea if I ever take the time).  However, I recently tried a recipe that warrants making a big batch, because my two men actually liked it.  If you have eaters who are more "white toast and peanut butter" people, try this one...

Maria Speck's Dark Chocolate Muesli with Hazelnuts.  Totally.

Dark Chocolate Muesli with Hazelnuts
from Maria Speck's Ancient Grains for Modern Meals

1/4 C chopped dried dates
1 Tb packed light or dark brown sugar
2 C old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 C chopped toasted hazelnuts
1/4 C dried blueberries or raisins
2 1/2 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa content), chopped
2 Tb cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of fine sea salt

Finish with 1/2 cup milk (of your choice) to 1/2 cup muesli

Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl, breaking up the date pieces, until well mixed.  Add milk to specifications and microwave for 45 sec. to 1 min.  Let sit for a minute or two until the oats soak up more of the milk.

Optionally: Heat milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan until small bubbles appear around the edge.  Remove from heat and add muesli, cover, and let sit 1 min.

I hope this brings you spoonfuls of warm, oat-y, coziness on a chilly fall morning.

Three Ways with Cucumber

I'm not one for preparing an ingredient the same way every time.  I have an insatiable need for variety in life, both in food and otherwise.  That being said, it's quite a miracle that in two days I will celebrate my 15th wedding anniversary! I guess it's a testament to our life together never getting dull.  As far as food goes, however, my family often wishes that I did repeat a recipe once in a while.  They are more routine-types.

In honor of the two men in my life (husband and son), I'm sharing with you some recipes involving cucumber that have recently been repeated in our kitchen.  First: pickles.  Second: Stone Fruit Salad. Third: Cucumber Salad.  The cucumbers are ripe around here after our super-warm summer and there are a few places to get them local.  My favorite has been Bushes Bunches on the Old Glen Hwy. just east of Palmer.  They have a farm stand on the way to the Butte that will stay open through October. FYI.

I spilled a bit trying to photograph and pour at the same time.

For the first time ever, I made refrigerator pickles!  Pickle recipes are all the rage on food  blogs right now.  But while I'm not much for canning, this recipe makes me feel like an industrious homestead wife putting up food for the winter.  And they're so good that I might have to get some of my canning friends to help me pack some away for real.

I can't believe it's this easy to make pickles!!

Garlic Dill Pickles
adapted from Joy the Baker

2 lbs pickling cucumbers
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
1 1/2 Tbs sea salt
6 cloves garlic, peeled, diced
3 tsp dill seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns

Rinse, scrub, and slice cucumbers into coins or spears.  Bring vinegar, water and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan.  Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, divide the spices between three clean pint jars (or one quart jar).  Add the sliced cucumbers until cozily packed. Pour warm brine into each jar, leaving about 1/2-inch headspace.

Tap jars on the counter to loosen air bubbles.  Place lids on the jars and let cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge.  Best if allowed to rest 2 days (but also good later that day).

Homemade pickles are a beautiful thing.

Slightly Sweet Dill Pickles
adapted from Bon Apetit

1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 lbs pickling cucumbers, sliced into 1/4-inch coins
1 Tb yellow mustard seeds
2 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup wine vinegar
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup natural cane sugar
1 Tb Stevia powder (or another 1/2 cup natural cane sugar)
2 Tb sea salt
2 tsp dill seeds, plus small bunch fresh dill (optional)

Divide sliced onion and spices between two 1-quart glass jars.  Pack cucumber slices horizontally in jars. Top each jar with fresh dill, if desired.

Heat vinegars, water, sweeteners, and salt in a small saucepan until simmering.  Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.

Pour hot brine over cucumbers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Cool in jars before placing in the refrigerator.  Best after 2 days (but also yummy within hours).

Homemade sweet dill pickles, cream cheese, and crackers...totally yum.

Another great boon of summer produce are the fresh stone fruits like apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums.  Call me crazy, but I don't really like eating these fruits by themselves.  It's okay to devour a perfectly ripe nectarine straight from the store, making slurping sounds and letting the juice run down your hand, but I don't want to do that all the time.  The following salad is a great alternative for using those last couple fruits floating around your fridge, and they don't even have to be the same kind of stone fruit!  The addition of cucumber is great for your health and to tame the sweetness of the other ingredients.

A pretty little pluot (plum+apricot).

Stone Fruit Salad with Raspberry Dressing

1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1-2 drops liquid Stevia (or 1/2 tsp sweetener of your choice)
1 large nectarine (or other stone fruit)
2 Tb olive oil
1/2 Tb dried tarragon
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

3 cups Swiss Chard or Romaine lettuce, torn
2 nectarines (or other stone fruit), pitted and chopped
1/2 cup cucumber, diced or thinly sliced
1/4 cup cinnamon toasted pecans, chopped
1/2 cup fresh raspberries (optional)
1/2 cup feta (optional)

Prepare the dressing by blending the first seven ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Toss the rest of the ingredients together in a large bowl and drizzle with dressing.

The raspberry dressing in this salad is a gorgeous pink, naturally.

This last cucumber favorite is a recent one, but will become a regular at our table.  I was suspicious about the combination of flavors when I first found the recipe at Heidi Swanson's 101cookbooks.com, but I should know to trust her taste buds by now.  Follow her link to the original recipe by Sanjeev Kapoor.  This is a salad you MUST try, trust me.  You'll be surprised how fresh and bright it tastes, and not weird.  Heidi took some liberties with the recipe and so did I.  Feel free to do the same, but try this version first!

Cucumber Cashew Salad
adapted from 101cookbooks.com

2 medium cucumbers, diced
1/2 cup cashews, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup wide chip coconut, toasted
2 Tb fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp stevia powder

1 Tb butter (or coconut oil, salted)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
scant 1/2 tsp sea salt

handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Toss diced cucumber in a large bowl with cashews, coconut, lemon juice, and stevia just prior to serving.

Over medium-low heat, melt the butter or coconut oil in a small skillet.  Add mustard and cumin seeds.  Toast for just a minute, shaking the skillet so they don't burn. Popping and sputtering may ensue. Remove from heat and stir in salt.  Immediately pour over the salad.  Top with cilantro and serve.

Don't knock it until you try it.

U-Pick Alaska

In a futile search for blueberries.

The cloud covered skies cleared at last!

It seemed like a miracle the day I woke up to find sunshine gracing my Alaskan world outside.  I wasted no time heeding the unwritten rule of the north to soak it up while it lasted.  I had been waiting for just such a day so I could go blueberry picking.  It's our tradition each August and I was so happy to finally have a nice day to do it.  I packed up my mom and son and headed to my favorite blueberry patch, only to find it barren.  I have seen it trampled and picked-over, but never barren!  There wasn't a single berry to be found and the branches were gray and withered.  There were other berry pickers wandering the hillside just as dumbfounded as I was.  Apparently, it was the result of Alaska's unusually hot summer (which I missed) that caused the berries to mature and drop earlier than usual.  I was crestfallen.

But my mom had an alternative plan.

If you don't grow it, you can still pick it at Pyrah's U-Pick Farm.

I reluctantly got back in the car and followed her directions to Pyrah's U-Pick Farm in the Butte.  We made a quick stop at Bush's Bunches farm stand just outside Palmer for some crookneck squash, beets, and tomatoes.  I was pleased to find out that they sell produce until October!  Once at Pyrah's, we grabbed a cart and headed out into the fields.  My son hopped into the cart for a free ride, which reminded me of when he was a toddler and we bought a zucchini from Pyrah's that was as big as him!

This scenery beats the ambience of a grocery store any day.

Even longer ago, when I was a little kid, I remember going to Pyrah's U-Pick with my mom to get strawberries.  That was when I learned how good a sun-warmed strawberry could taste.  No other strawberry ever compared!  Naturally, most of what I picked ended up in my mouth, which is probably why Pyrah's doesn't allow strawberries to be picked by customers anymore.  Sorry.

It's a daikon radish (I didn't know what it was at first, either).

The beauty of Pyrah's is that customers can just walk out into the fields and pick many of the vegetables themselves: broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, mustard greens, kale, snow peas, radishes, rhubarb, and a dozen other kinds of produce.  It's a fantastic way to feel like a farmer in an afternoon.  And if you pick on a nice day...it's even more life affirming.

My pretty mama picking snow peas below Pioneer Peak.

Although I was still sad to have missed out on the blueberries, I quickly perked up at all the lovely veggies I found at my fingertips.  I filled a plastic Safeway bag with the most beautiful green and purple kale.  Next, I had to use a spade to loosen a couple large daikon radishes.  Thankfully, Pyrah's posts helpful information on each of the vegetables, just in case you're like me and are a bit clueless on the more exotic varieties.  The best discovery, by far, was a row of young kohlrabi plants.  I observed another family for a while, speaking in a foreign tongue I didn't recognize, and tried to glean their technique for removing the large turnip-like heads from the tough root.  The best method required a very sharp knife and included removal of all the stiff leaves protruding in every direction.  Only then was the vegetable manageable enough to put into a bag.

Another mystery vegetable for me: kohlrabi.

Lastly, I employed my son to help me harvest snow peas.  I should have known that this would be a loosing prospect.  My twelve-year old boy was far too distracted by the odd-shaped, too big, or too small pea pods to be an effective picker.  And then there was the complaining about the heat, or his hunger, or his fatigue.  I wondered if the situation would be different if he was picking ice cream cones, or jelly beans.  It's a fair bet that his bag would have been full lickity-split, without complaint.  Alas, I accepted what effort he gave and supplemented our bag with my own efficiently harvested haul.

My boy shows pride in his pea-pod picking.

Back at home with our bounty, I went in search of recipes for preparing the local produce that filled every nook and cranny of my fridge.  The kohlrabi quickly became my favorite find of the day.  It was like a cross between sweet raw broccoli and turnips.  If you like your cruciferous vegetables cooked, try the following recipe. It was very tasty!

Eatin' Good in the Neighborhood

One of the things I was really looking forward to when I planned my summer in California was the fresh local food and farmers markets.  Recent diet changes have expanded my food menu to include a lot more fruits and vegetables in brave new arrangements.  Salads no longer equate to only iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, bacon bits, and ranch dressing (though sometimes that is exactly what I want). Now, salad might be all I eat for dinner, because it’s filled with kale, romaine, blueberries, avocado, pistachios, and a homemade yogurt poppy seed dressing.  Salad has become a creative meal that includes all the food groups and the complex flavors I crave.  I actually look forward to salad and am enthusiastic about new flavor combinations.

Romaine salad with avocado, blueberries, pistachios and homemade yogurt dressing.

I added these fresh figs to a spinach salad topped
with strawberry balsamic vinaigrette.

So, it’s no small wonder that I was excited to partake in local California produce like heirloom tomatoes, strawberries, lettuce, blackberries, asparagus, and whatever else I found at the farmer's market.  And, boy, have I found a lot of delicious food.  So delicious, in fact, that I often devour it before I remember to take a picture for posterity (and the blog).  Some of the most appetizing food disappears into my mouth before it even makes it to the fridge.  I apologize to any Alaskans living vicariously through my tasty pictures.

Tasty jewels at the Redding Farmer's Market.

This stack of empty berry baskets is the evidence of our addiction enjoyment.

I was also eager to share opportunities to discover local produce with my son, though this desire has not panned out as ideally as I hoped.  Granted, what 12 year-old boy can maintain any enthusiasm for kale when he’s standing in the 90-degree sun at 8am waiting for his mom to choose the perfect bundle?  Not mine, I can tell you that.  But, I think the experience still counts.  And, thanks to a terrific program at the local farmer’s market called Healthy Shasta, he even got to spend some free tokens in exchange for fruits or vegetables of his own choosing.  He really liked the blackberries (and they kept his energy up in the heat while I shopped). He and his cousins were also able to use their tokens to buy herb plants that we put in pots on the deck and add to our meals whenever we can.  They get excited knowing their plant is in the dish and it actually tastes good.

The Grass Valley Grower's Market was surprisingly large and diverse.

Blackberries growing wild at the Nevada County Fairgrounds.

This book is on my wish list.

Visiting the markets has been one of the highlights of my trip, right after eating all the produce I find there.  I love that when my son munches on that purple carrot from the fridge, I know it came from just down the road and I met the person who grew it.  That person was able to tell me whether it had been sprayed with chemicals (I always ask), what the flavor is like, how the growing season is going, and what I can look forward to from their farm in the coming weeks.  I love that!

I can't think of anything more scrumptious than sun-warmed strawberries fresh from the field!

Pesto made with our own basil plant, local grass-fed beef sausage, local-made sourdough bread, and market veggies.

This recipe for tomato-mozzarella-pesto-topped sourdough toasts came from the tomato grower who recently
served them at his wedding.  To die for!

Eggs don't get much local-er.  These come from my hostess' backyard chickens.

Backyard chicken eggs with tarragon, local lemon-boy tomatoes and avocado.

Some of the more interesting items I’ve purchased at farmers markets included white peaches, figs, green zebra tomatoes, tiny patty-pan squash, and nettles.  It has all been good.  And the farmer’s market movement is strong even in small towns like Grass Valley and Nevada City, located in the Sierra foothills east of Sacramento.  They are great places not only to find fresh local produce, but tasty prepared food, local honey, flowers, and artisans as well.

Some of Nevada City's market bounty.

Not just food at the farmers markets.

In honor of all this great tasty food, here’s my recipe for blueberry pistachio salad:

Salad (serves many):

1 head romaine lettuce chopped

1 cup fresh spinach chopped (optional)

1 avocado diced

¾ cup fresh blueberries

½ cup roasted and salted pistachios

¼ cup feta cheese (optional)

2 Tb sunflower seeds

Poppy Seed Dressing:

½ cup plain, lemon, or honey yogurt (I like Greek Gods brand)

¼ cup or less of apple cider vinegar (I used strawberry infused balsamic too!)

1 Tb poppy seeds

Enjoy!

National Grilled Cheese Month

Watching The Iron Giant  with my son, so no time to write a lengthy monologue.  Just have to post a couple of my favorite grilled cheese combinations before this National Grilled Cheese Month is over.  What a terrific holiday!

Avocado, tomato, provolone and cheddar.

I like mine on Ezekial sprouted grain bread...extra crunchy.

Apple n' Cheddar (a kid favorite).

Here's a few links to some flavors I want to try, and maybe you will too:

Peanut Butter n' Jelly with White Cheddar

Mascarpone Jalapeño-Pistachio Pesto

Brie Fig and Pear

Dijon Bacon Tomato Avocado

Cheddar Cherry Preserves and Basil

Drink Your Greens

I love a good smoothie, but I've always been suspicious of one that's full of greens.  There's just something unsettling about drinking lettuce through a straw.  I expect it to taste like grass.  But now I'm going to eat my words (or slurp them).

Green is good!

One particular smoothie has opened my eyes to the wonders of verdant libations!  It all started with this smoothie I found on Pinterest called the "Mint Chocolate Chip Kale Shake" by Nourishing Our Radience (.com).  It was a revelation!  There's no going back for me now.  When I feel the need to boost my intake of leafy greens I just mix one up and feel so much better about myself and my health.  I feel like giving myself a gold star!  And it's so filling that I'm not even tempted to eat those chocolate chip muffins on the counter, which I bought in a weak moment.  When has health food made you feel like that?

The cocoa nibs go in last so the pieces are still big enough to crunch on.  Crunchy!

Good morning minty yumminess!

So, even if you aren't a smoothie lover, this one is worth a try.  If you close your eyes you might just think it is peppermint chocolate chip ice cream!  Also a good minty solution to morning mouth, just in case you forget to brush your teeth.  Feel free to substitute the kale with spinach.  They are both good.

Minty Green Giant

1 1/2 cups almond milk
3 leaves kale (stems removed)
2 frozen bananas
3 Tb almond butter
1 Tb ground flax seed
1 Tb cocoa nibs (or dark chocolate chips)
1 tsp peppermint extract

What's the big deal about leafy greens?   Well, they are packed with vitamins, have almost no calories, and might help prevent diseases like cancer and heart disease.  Those are good enough reasons for me.  But they also contain folic acid, iron, magnesium, fiber, and calcium.  Bonus!  What's not to like?  For some, it's the leafy factor that is unappealing.  And that's why putting them in a smoothie is so great!  It removes the resemblance to rabbit food, which is important to some.

Here's another one of my new favorites: Green Citrus Sipper.  It's so light and refreshing!

Even my meat-and-potatoes-man drinks these green shakes.

Green Citrus Sipper

1 cup coconut water (or water)
2 oranges without peel or pith
1 frozen banana
1/2 avocado
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/4 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup frozen watermelon chunks
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

If you make an extra big batch of smoothie one morning, you can save some for later by pouring it into muffin bakers and freezing it.  Perfect for breakfast on the go; just nuke it for 20 seconds or so to speed up it's thawing and finish stirring it with a fork or spoon.  If you like your smoothies sweeter, add more frozen banana or watermelon.  For thicker drinks, add a 1/2 cup of uncooked old fashioned oats.

Just freeze extra Peppermint Kale smoothie (or your favorite) for a quick meal on the go.

Here's to your health.  Cheers!

Oh, shucks. Oysters!

Now that I'm living by the ocean, I figured it was time that I started eating some local critters.  It doesn't get much fresher than just off the boat, right?  So, after work I drove down to the Homer spit and bought half a dozen oysters.  Being a complete novice at cooking shellfish, I sheepishly asked the guy behind the counter for some advice.  He very kindly relayed his favorite recipe and I walked out with my bag of fresh seafood and high hopes.

Playing with my food.

It wasn't until I got home and looked into the bag, finding a complete absence of plastic wrapping or styrofoam, that I realized just how fresh my food was!  There was dirt and seaweed and other tiny creatures covering my oysters, confirmation that this food really was "all natural."  But all of sudden, I realized that I had no idea how to clean or shuck an oyster, let alone cook and eat one!  I was pathetically out of my realm of experience.  So, as most other modern homo sapiens do, I turned to the internet for help.  I soon found a video that showed me what I needed to do and I got to work.

Fresh Homer oysters!

Cleaning was pretty easy, though I accepted that with the rough shell of an oyster the term 'clean' is relative.  It was the shucking, or opening, of the mollusk that proved most challenging.  The first one took a full half hour, including finding the proper implement for the job.  After I discovered how to slide a very sharp knife along the inside of the upper shell to sever the attached foot, the rest went smoothly.

Oysters on the half shell....fancy.

I only had to chuck one oyster that cracked open far too easily, revealing a putrid smelling gray blob inside.   The other seven opened perfectly and sat waiting to be cooked in their delicate internal "liquor" (which according to my training video was important to save).  Next, I mixed a bit of mayonnaise, melted butter, and parmesan cheese together and dolloped a spoonful on top of each one.  Then into the oven at 350 degrees until the topping turned golden at the edges.

Fisherman's recipe for cooked oysters.

Twenty minutes later, I removed my beautiful gooey concoctions from the oven and plated them with some broccoli, quinoa, and a glass of white wine.  I scooped the first oyster-au-gratin from its shell and popped it in my mouth.  It was delicious!  Maybe there was a little too much cheese, but the flavor was quite good.  Success!  I ate them all and felt quite proud of myself for learning a new trick.  Next time: steamer clams.

I ate them all!