green salad/pasta salad

pea leaves and tendrils, torn into bite-sized pieces (or whatever salad greens you have around)

cooked pasta, coated with a little oil or fat
a few spoonfuls of last night’s blended roasted vegetable soup
a few sundried tomatoes, torn into tiny bits
basil
herbs de provence
apple cider vinegar
balsamic vinegar
a few dashes worcestershire sauce
garlic powder, salt, pepper
diced raw onion (optional)
mayonnaise (optional)

combine everything but the pea leaves. top with pea leaves, or mix them in so the kids can’t pick them out!

better the longer it sits, but edible immediately.

herbs de provence kefir cheese

1. drain homemade kefir in cheesecloth for 8 hours (caution – pets will go crazy for this).
4-24 hours will produce a range of consistency from sour cream to cream cheese or farmers cheese.

2. mix with a pinch of salt and a good amount of herbs de provence (savory, fennel, basil, thyme, and lavender,) or your favorite herb blend.

refrigerate, and let flavors mingle for 2+ hours before eating.

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from cultures for health

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it’s wonderful! if you culture kefir, i highly recommend doing this with your leftovers (if you have any!)

ram laddoo with chutney

1/2 cup dhuli moong dal/ yellow lentils

1/2 cup chana dal/ bengal gram

salt to taste

oil for deep frying

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grated radish

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Wash and soak both the lentils separately for 3-4 hours. Decant the water completely and grind the lentils to a coarse paste.

Mix the lentils and then beat them till the mixture attains a white color and becomes light and fluffy. I used my beater to beat and it took almost 3-4 minutes to become light.

The mixture should have a dropping consistency like that of a cake. Heat oil and using a spoon put the laddoos in the oil. The oil should be hot enough (use medium flame) so that when the laddoos are put they immediately rise to the surface. Deep fry from either side till golden in color, in batches of 7-8 laddoos per batch and remove on a kitchen towel.

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chutney ingredients

1/4 cup mint leaves

a cup of coriander leaves

3-4 tbsp onion

2 cloves garlic

5-6 green chilies

a tsp lemon juice

1 Indian gooseberry/ amla chopped

1/4 tsp rock salt

salt to taste

1/8 cup water

Grind together all the ingredients using water.

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Serve hot with green chutney and grated radish.

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from foodelicious

fruit and nut bars

2 c. raw whole almonds
1/2 c. coarsely chopped dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)*
3 c. whole, pitted dates
1 c. dried, unsweetened cherries
2 T. almond butter (or any “nut” butter you prefer), divided

Place the almonds in your food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the chocolate and pulse again until finely chopped. Pour mixture into a large bowl; set aside.

Place half of the fruit in the food processor and process until a paste forms and clumps together. Add 1 T. of the nut butter and 1/2 of the almond/chocolate mixture; process until evenly combined. Scrape into the prepared pan.

Repeat with the remaining fruit, nut butter and almond/chocolate mixture. Scrape into the prepared pan.

With slightly wet hands, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Use something flat and heavy to press down firmly on the mixture until it is smooth (I used a small cutting board). Chill two hours. Cut. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

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adapted by donuts dresses and dirt from foodie with family

vegan pumpkin butter

3 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (not “pie filling” – roast a pumpkin next time you’re roasting garlic and other veggies! or use a can of unseasoned puree.)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup apple cider or juice
1 cup packed brown sugar
2-3 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
pinch of clove
1 tsp lemon juice (more if needed)

Directions:

Combine pureed pumpkin, vanilla, apple juice, spices, cinnamon sticks and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently. Adjust spices to your taste. Makes 3 3/4 cups.

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adapted from this

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uses for pumpkin butter?

spread on toast, of course
a dip for crunchy cinnamon toast
a dip for apples and pears
in cookie dough, cake batter, or muffins, either mixed in together or spread as a layer
in breads or pancakes
as a filling in pie
served with pork
spread with brie or other soft cheeses
as a glaze, with butter or lard, for carrots, ham, sweet potatoes…
in corn pudding
in milkshakes or smoothies
in groundnut soup, sweet potato soup, stews…
spread on fruit or bread and topped with stewed apples

green olive and lentil dip

1/2 c dried lentils
1/2 c olives
a few lacto-fermented peas or other veggies
2 T. lemon juice
1 clove lacto-fermented garlic
1 T fresh oregano
1 T olive oil

cook lentils in 1 cup water. drain. combine with everything else in food procesor.

adapted from the detox cookbook by snowball

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the book doesn’t discuss it, but i’m willing to bet this is a KILLER sandwich spread.

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months later, i just tried a bunch of olives in my bean dip for the first time, along with a mess of raw onion and herbs. highly recommended!

sweet fermented rice pancakes

i’m making pak thong kuih – a lacto-fermented rice dessert.

for the first two parts of the recipe, some of the “starter” is removed. what to do with all that extra yeasty sweet rice?

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super fast and easy sweet and sour fermented rice pancakes

from goop to plate in less than ten minutes.

ingredients

+ a fistful of yeasty sweet rice leftover from fermenting pak thong kuih (or substitute leftover cooked plain rice – maybe with a little lime juice? i’ll have to try that.)
+ a fistful of mashed sweet potato
+ two pinches of coconut powder
+ one pinch of corn starch
+ one egg (increase corn starch for a vegan version)
+ a pinch each of fennel, cayenne, seasoned salt, coriander, and two pinches of ginger and black pepper
+ a tablespoon or so of date syrup

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fry on medium heat like any pancake or burger.

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serve with applesauce

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i invented this recipe tonight, and i couldn’t be happier with it! hopefully the honeycomb dessert is good so i have a reason to ferment more rice, because this was a quick, easy, awesome snack!

diy icepops

ice lollies? popsicles? ice pops? whatever you call them, they couldn’t possibly be easier to make. it’s 90 today with 60% humidity, so i’m really glad i made a batch of these yesterday.

much cheaper and more delicious than their storebought counterparts!

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blackberry mint ice pops

pour orange juice, lemonade, or whatever you have around into ice trays, about halfway full. pop a frozen or fresh berry (i used frozen blackberries; it’s too early for fresh local blackberries) into each pop. top with a mint leaf from the garden. you can freeze them with toothpicks to make a stick, or just eat them with your hands like i do.

my go-to has been apple juice and blackberry and mint.

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“green juice” and (local, fresh) mulberry pops

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maple fro-yo – mix some homemade yogurt with maple syrup.

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berry fro-yo – try strawberry and cinnamon

the sour yogurt is a big shock – we’re used to sweet icepops around here! but it makes the flavor of the berry stand out a lot more than the pops with a juice base. surprising and weird and awesome. i want another one.

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failures:

kefir pops – freezing kefir emphasizes its goaty qualities. i definitely prefer sour yogurt to sour kefir – even sweetened with maple syrup.

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also just got an idea for date syrup mixed with sour yogurt and pomegranate seeds. someone try this and tell me how it is! i don’t have pomegranate seeds.

roasted masala chickpeas

rinse chickpeas

toss in:
red chilli powder
coriander powder
turmeric
garam masala
chaat masala
salt
lime juice
olive oil

bake at 400 for 15 minutes, stir, and bake another ten. let cool ten minutes.

add fresh cilantro.

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recipe taken from here

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EDIT:

somewhat.. uh.. not gross exactly, but not the crunchy and delightful snack i’d anticipated. somewhat rubbery. the flavor was good, but the texture was not awesome, bordering on gross. not recommended. the search for healthy, crunchy gluten-free snacks continues…

tahini almond date bites

I CAN’T WAIT TO START PROCESSING FOOD!!!!

these look awesome.

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tahini almond date bites

vegan, gluten free, no added sugar

makes 20-22 1-inch bites

12-14 large dates, pitted
1/2 cup raw almonds (I used sprouted)
1/3 cup tahini
pinch sea salt
1-2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup sesame seeds to coat

In food processor, pulse almonds until crumbly, partly smooth. Add dates, tahini and salt, continue to process. Texture will still be slightly crumbly – add water (1 tablespoon at a time) and dough should quickly form. Form into 1 inch rounds, roll in sesame seeds to coat, and roll in hands to flatten sesame seeds into ball. Cool in refrigerator to firm.

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from here

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i’ll make these when the food processor shows up!

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edit february 5, 2012:
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
perfect sunday morning healthy dessertbreakfast with tangerines and grapefruit on the side!

they taste fantastic!
the texture is amazing and they look impressive, too, like something from an Indian sweet shop!