Ingredients:
2 cups whole walnuts
2 ½ cups Medjool dates, pitted
1 cup raw cacao
1 cup raw unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
¼ tsp. sea salt

Directions:
1. Place walnuts in food processor and blend on high until the nuts are finely ground.
2. Add the cacao and salt. Pulse to combine.
3. Add the dates one at a time through the feed tube of the food processor while it is running. What you should end up with is a mix that appears rather like cake crumbs, but that when pressed, will easily stick together (if the mixture does not hold together well, add more dates).
4. In a large bowl (or the pan you plan on putting the brownies in), combine the walnut-cacao mix with the chopped almonds. Press into a lined cake pan or mold. Place in freezer or fridge until ready to serve (it is also easier to cut these when they are very cold). Store in an airtight container.

i think it’s finally time to cut down one of the beautiful ristras i made last summer with garden jalapenos and thai chilis!

process:

cut down chiles
rinse dried chiles
toast twice as many as you’ll need at 250 for 10 mins or pan-fry until puffy (DO NOT BURN! EASILY BURNED! WARNING! TURN OFTEN! BURNING RUINS HOT SAUCE!)

grind half into chile powder; keep in an airproof container for later use. you’ll thank me later. come on, you have your food processor out already!

then take 10 pods and simmer in a cup or two of water for about ten minutes.

taste chile water. if bitter, replace with 1-2 c fresh water.

puree. strain out seeds for a milder version.

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what i actually did:

hot chile puree
roasted carrots
roasted bell pepper
roasted summer squash
roasted garlic
fresh parsley
lime juice
roasted coriander
lime pickles
ginger juice
salt
brine from lacto-fermented green tomatoes and garlic
mango juice

awesome. super-sweet. could be sourer. next time, i might add some live vinegar.

though i am a huge fan of boiling fresh ginger with my simple syrup, it was suggested to simply combine equal parts sugar and water in a bottle and shake on and off for five minutes.

well, i don’t know how much i care about mouth-feel, but i do know that i hate cleaning the saucepan after cooking up simple syrup. i’ll try it this way next time!

(add cardamom and ginger for the best lemonade-simple-syrup you’ve ever had! i learned this from googling the winners of a “favorite drinks” facebook poll that was mostly in a transliterated language. still my favorite simple syrup!)

thanks, chow tips!

raw food. cost-prohibitive for about 99% of the population. i’m starting to crave crunched-up-cashews instead of dairy. thank you, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (aka food stamps)!

Raw Chocolate Pudding
No gluten, dairy, soy, nut, eggs – and very little effort

1 avocado, removed from skin and pit
1 banana
1 cup coconut milk, watered down a little
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice

blend.

EDIT:

#*(^#@)(@&^)^@*&%#&# TRY THIS RIGHT NOW. JUST DO IT.
THE TEXTURE IS DAIRY, ALL THE WAY.
ONE OF THE BEST VEGAN DESSERTS EVER.

thank you, kathy, for showing me the way of the radish.

i love this list of ten tasty radish dishes.

TO TRY:

1. citrus-radish confit

2. detox salad

3. radish and goat cheese raita

4. radish and butter sandwich
can’t go wrong with this one.

5. baked radish chips

=

edit 2/22
radish-avocado-diyhotsauce salad – creamy, crunchy, spicy, sweet (from the roasted carrots) and 100% from scratch.

ingredients:

* almonds

directions:

1. put almonds in the food processor. do this longer than seems rational to you or your food processor’s motor.

2. eat almond butter.

beautiful photos, and much more articulate directions, here, at rawmazing.

i dipped some of my free valentine’s day candy into it, and it was absolutely the best shitty little peanut butter cup i’ve ever had. wow, sugar addictions are brutal. i ate an unbelievable amount of it already with a little honey drizzled over it. good stuff, but wow! ten minutes in the food processor! this simply isn’t practical as an everyday thing.

but i think maybe tomorrow i’ll add honey, cocoa, and vanilla and see what happens.

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Bread flour or All purpose flour (Unbleached) – 2 1/2 cups
Plain Yogurt – 1/2 cup plus 3 Tbsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Unsalted butter or Ghee – 2 Tbsp plus extra for brushing on the naan
Egg – 1 large (substitute with 1/4 cup of yogurt if you don’t eat eggs)
Garlic (chopped) – 10 cloves (optional)
Cilantro/Coriander leaves (chopped) – 1/4 cup (optional)
Method:

The day before you want to make naan, combine 1/2 cup of the flour, the yogurt, sugar and 1/2 tsp of the salt in a small mixing bowl (glass or stainless steel). Mix well and cover loosely with a cheesecloth or lid. Don’t use airtight plastic lids, the starter needs to breathe. Set aside to ferment in a warm place, up to 18 hours, preferably overnight. When the starter is ready, you’ll see a couple of bubbles at the top and it will smell pleasantly sour. If it does not have any of these, leave it out for some more time.

Tip: If you are planning on making naan for a special event/meal, I would suggest you start two days before you want to make naan. I know this is a time taking process, but its a rather easy one.

In a food processor or stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the remaining 2 cups of flour, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, baking powder and 2 Tbsp ghee/butter and pulse until crumbly. Add the starter and lightly beaten egg and process until the dough comes together into a ball and begins to clean the sides of the bowl. Add a tsp or more of yogurt if the dough is dry.
If you are using a stand mixer, continue kneading at medium speed until the dough is smooth and elastic. The dough should be slightly on the wet side (a wet dough develops gluten easily, even without much kneading), not sticky but really soft.
If you used a food processor or mixed the dough with your hands, transfer the dough ball onto a work surface. Lightly coat your hands with oil and knead well, for 6-8 minutes. The dough should be very soft, but not sticky.
Form into a smooth ball, coat it with some oil and place it in an oiled bowl. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and let rest for 3 to 4 hours (or more time in cold weather). The dough will not rise like a yeast dough, but it would have definitely increased in volume. The consistency of the dough after rising is soft, smooth and slightly elastic.

Tip: Naan dough can be stored, covered in a refrigerator for up to 3days after the resting time. Bring to room temperature before continuing.

After the dough has risen, punch down the dough. Knead briefly until smooth. Divide the dough into 8 portions (each the side of a small orange), and roll each portion between your hands to form a smooth ball. Place the dough balls on a plate and cover with a moist kitchen towel.
Dust the work surface with flour and roll out each ball into a 5-6 inch oval/circle about 1/8 inch thick , dusting with flour as necessary. carefully pick up the naan and pull gently on side to shape it like a teardrop. Don’t stretch it too thin or the naan will be very crispy.
Meanwhile, mix the chopped garlic and cilantro in a bowl and keep aside, if using. (see variations at the end of the post)

To make the naan in the oven:

Heat the oven in the BROIL mode and place the rack on the top shelf (about 6 inches away) from the heat.
Place the naans (I usually make two at a time) on a baking sheet and brush the tops with some water and sprinkle about 2 tsp of the garlic-cilantro mixture on top of each naan and lightly press the topping onto the naan.
Broiling time is usually 1 1/2 – 2 minutes on the bottom and 1 minute on the top. Keep an eye on the naans after the first minute, once there are some speckled brown spots, remove the tray from the oven and flip the naans and cook on the other side also.

Tip: Light brown spots ensure that the naan is soft. Slightly dark brown spots make the naan crispy. Cook one naan each way and see how you like them.

Apply some butter on top of each naan as soon as they come out of the oven. Keep the naans covered in a cotton cloth to keep them soft or serve them immediately. Be generous with the butter!

Repeat with the remaining dough.
To make the naan on the stovetop:

Heat a griddle, preferably cast iron on medium heat for 4-5 minutes. Place one naan at a time, with the topping side on the top first.
Cover the skillet with a lid (use any some shaped lid from any of your pans). This step is optional, but it helps in creating nice bubbles on top of the naan. After 1 minutes, remove the lid, and check the bottom. If it is crisp and brown, flip and cook for another minute. The cooking time is usually 1 1/2 – 2 minutes on the bottom and 1 minute on the top.
Apply some butter on top of each naan as soon as they come out of the oven. Keep the naans covered in a cotton cloth to keep them soft or serve them immediately.

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————–> her photos are beautiful – check them out here, where the recipe was originally posted.

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2/18 – noon – started the sponge
used 100% teff flour, because my favorite gluten-free person is visiting me! this is in preparation for a sick brunch for sunday morning. i’m torn between an egg dish, a potato-vegetable dish, gravy, and naan, with homemade hot sauce… … or guacamole, baba ghanouj, bean-egg fritters or hummus, and salsa with naan and homemade hot sauce. hmmmmmmmm.
should be ready to turn into dough around 8am

4:30pm
first hint of sourness. WOW, that was fast!

proposed apf mix-
half brown rice flour
the rest buckwheat flour, oat flour, potato starch, chickpea flour, powdered coconut, almond meal

…maybe? the teff is so dark and fine; not sure what to mix it with.

two days later
so, i made apf flour mix with white rice flour, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour (just a pinch), oat flour, potato starch, chickpea flour (just a pinch), powdered coconut, and almond meal. set out the dough to “rise”. in no way did it rise. gave up, shaped them, plopped a mixture of fresh parsley, garlic powder, and fennel powder onto the tops of them, popped some ghee in a frying pan, and fried them up.
the teff flour lends a really rich, dark flavor. i think i prefer buckwheat to teff. although to my not-gluten-free palate they tasted a little “funny”, my gf friend said they were really good. texture is fine, unlike many gf breads i’ve had. much much much much much better than the frisbees we used to have as “gluten-free-pancakes” with just water and gf flour mix – that was my main fear. had them with lunch, and again with dinner. will be making these again! thank you, ambika!

wow!

gf friend comes to visit in three days; we’ll let you know how it turns out!

the base:
cooked beans (canned or not, doesn’t matter)
(for a party, i’ll use 1 can red beans, 1 can black beans, 1 can white beans, and 1 can garbanzo beans. a crazy amount of food for under $5!)

one trick?
you want a lot more dressing with a bean salad than a green salad, since beans are sort of bland on their own. don’t skimp on the sour if your stomach doesn’t handle vinegar very well! any sort of lacto-ferment brine, citrus juices, or homemade fruit vinegars work awesomely.

one more trick?
say you gave it the sour and salt it requires, but it’s still missing that extra something and doesn’t taste like your grandmother’s? a spoonful of sweetener, same as pasta sauce.

recipe 1 – crunchy sherry beans

rice wine vinegar
soy sauce
cooking sherry (if drinking sherry, add salt)
crushed-up peanuts
raw bean sprouts
raw sugar snaps or other fresh small pea still in the pod, snapped in half
minced fresh onions
(opt.) sprinkle of cabbage or kraut
(opt.) powdered or fresh ginger
(opt.) ground anise, clove, or chinese 5-spice powder
(opt.) powdered or raw garlic
(opt.) hoisin
(opt.) brine from a lacto-ferment, homemade fruit vinegars, or any sort of citrus juice

recipe 2 – crunchy dilled bean salad

balsamic
dill (rosemary’s good too, or really any herb)
crushed-up almonds
a splash of burgundy cooking wine
olive oil
garlic
snap peas in pod, raw, snapped in half
(opt.) brine from a lacto-ferment, homemade fruit vinegars, or any sort of citrus juice

recipe 3 – crunchy cilantro bean salad (normally black or pinto beans)

apple cider vinegar
lime juice
cilantro, with stems chopped coarsely
cumin
garlic
raw onion
raw corn
(opt.) raw avocado
(opt.) lime pickle
(opt.) brine from a lacto-ferment, homemade fruit vinegars, or any sort of citrus juice

recipe 4 – crunchy lacto-fermented bean salad

any lacto-ferments you have lying around (i personally like coarsely chopped green bean or snap pea pickles, minced garlic pickles, and lime pickles in some combination)
any herbs

now, of course, it’s the corporate websites that are most likely to infect your computer with all kinds of sketchy tracking cookies.

with that warning, the recipe i’m using came from megacorporation king arthur flour. the website tries to install tracking cookies, according to my security add-on.

here is the link to the recipe, in case you too have a security add-on and can click “never for this site”

/end rant

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1 cup “fed” sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
5 cups apf 5 c mixed whole wheat, buckwheat, powdered coconut, rye, and white unbleached bread flours
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons salt

Tips from our bakers
What makes the sour in sourdough bread? It’s a combination of lactic and acetic acids, created as the dough rises and ferments. Refrigerating the dough encourages the production of more acetic than lactic acid; and acetic acid is much the tangier of the two.

Directions

1) Combine the starter, water, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously.

2) Cover, and let rest at room temperature for 4 hours. Refrigerate overnight, for about 12 hours.

3) Add the remaining ingredients, kneading to form a smooth dough.

4) Allow the dough to rise in a covered bowl until it’s relaxed, smoothed out, and risen. Depending on the vigor of your starter, it may become REALLY puffy, as pictured; or it may just rise a bit. This can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. Understand this: sourdough bread (especially sourdough without added yeast) is as much art as science; everyone’s timetable will be different. So please allow yourself to go with the flow, and not treat this as an exact, to-the-minute process.

5) Gently divide the dough in half.

6) Gently shape the dough into two oval loaves, and place them on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and let rise until very puffy, about 2 to 4 hours. Don’t worry if the loaves spread more than they rise; they’ll pick up once they hit the oven’s heat. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.

7) Spray the loaves with lukewarm water.

8) Make two fairly deep horizontal slashes in each; a serrated bread knife, wielded firmly, works well here.

9) Bake the bread for 25 to 30 minutes, until it’s a very deep golden brown. Remove it from the oven, and cool on a rack.

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edit 2/11

WOW! the texture of the dough is wonderful so far! i kicked it up with a bit of packages yeast. hope it rises fast; i have to leave for an event in a few hours…

3:30
decided to go with only one rise for rush-related reasons. it did rise pretty high, so here’s hoping it isn’t too dense. in at 3:30pm, done @ 3:50?

edit 2/14
good stuff! great texture to the dough. decent crumb, dense, sadly no holes in the crumb. definitely will be using this recipe again! win!