Maple walnut muffins

photo credit: https://www.garlicandzest.com/maple-walnut-breakfast-muffins

recipe adapted from Simple Green Meals by Jen Hansard

1 cup almond flour
1 cup oat flour (120g oatmeal pulsed in the blender)
2 T ground flaxseed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup avocado oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp almond extract)

1 apple, peeled and grated
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or grease well. Mix together all dry ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, oil, eggs, and vanilla.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir until combined, then add the grated apple and walnuts and stir until combined.

Fill the muffin cups three-quarters full. The batter does not rise while baking so they will not overflow.  Bake for 22-25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Strawberry rhubarb pie

photo credit: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/grandmas-strawberry-rhubarb-pie-recipe-1953951

2 pie crusts

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces

2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced thickly

1 T butter

Combine the sugar, flour, salt, and vanilla. Add the fruit and toss well.  Add bottom crust to pan, place fruit in crust, then place top crust on top and pinch crusts together and roll toward the middle of the pie, then pinching the edges into a scallop design.  Then, using a sharp knife make 10-12 vent holes, evenly spaced.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 mins, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake for another 30-40 mins.  The pie should be golden in color. If you get juices all over the top crust don't worry, it happens a lot with strawberry rhubarb. Let cool before serving.

Summer quinoa salad

recipe and photo adapted from Simple Green Meals by Jen Hansard

2 cups quinoa
4 cups vegetable stock
4 T balsamic vinegar

2 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice
sea salt and ground pepper

1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
2 chopped or grated carrots
2 cups kale, stems removed and chopped
4 scallions, sliced
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup pepitas

Cook quinoa with veggie stock per package directions, then cool. Meanwhile, in a small glass Tupperware make dressing by whisking together vinegar, oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Add the other ingredients to the quinoa, and drizzle dressing on salad before serving.

Roasted vegetable pasta salad

photo credit: https://www.foodiecrush.com/creamy-avocado-pesto-pasta-salad

broccoli

sweet potatoes

zucchini

yellow squash

mushrooms

1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup honey

bag of whole wheat pasta

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

parmesan cheese (or other salty cheese)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roast veggies in olive oil on sheet pan and sprinkle with salt.  Cook pasta.  While water is boiling for pasta, whisk together balsamic vinegar and honey in a small glass Tupperware and add tomatoes.  Mix cooked pasta with roasted veggies, pepper, more salt if desired, and parmesan cheese.  Add basil and marinated tomatoes just before serving.

Whole wheat challah (2 loaves)

photo credit: https://www.scotchandscones.com/baking-homemade-challah

1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

1/4 plus 3/4 cup warm water

1 tsp white sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup olive oil

3 eggs, beaten (plus 1 for brushing at end)

4 ½  cups whole wheat flour, plus more for kneading

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

1/4 cup raisins, to taste (optional)

 

Proof the yeast by dissolving it in 1/4 cup warm water and then adding 1 tsp sugar.  Allow to sit for 5 mins.  Stir in the honey, olive oil, additional water, beaten eggs, and raisins if using.  Add the flour, wheat gluten, and salt and mix well until it forms a dough.

 

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (adding more flour if needed), about 10 minutes.  Form the dough into a ball. Lightly oil a bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn the dough over a few times to oil the surface. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

 

Cut the dough into 6 equal-sized pieces and roll into ropes.  Ropes should be fatter in the middle and thinner at the ends.  Braid into 2 loaves.  Pinch together at the ends and fold them underneath for a neat look. Place the braided loaves on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes.

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Brush with remaining beaten egg.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve warm for best flavor.

Clotted cream

 recipe and photo credit: https://www.curiouscuisiniere.com/clotted-cream

2 cups heavy cream

Preheat your oven to 180 degrees F.

Day 1

Pour the cream into a shallow casserole dish or glass baking dish. (The cream should only come up the sides about 1-2 inches. The key here is to have a lot of surface area.)
Place the cream in the oven for 12 hours, uncovered. This works great overnight.

Day 2
After heating for 12 hours, the cream will develop a skin. Carefully remove the dish from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Once cool, cover the dish and refrigerate it for 8 hours, or overnight again.

After chilling, gently skim the thick layer of clotted cream from the surface, leaving the thinner liquid behind. (It will feel like you’re pulling a layer of slightly softened ice cream from the top of a layer of milk. The skin is fine, it will soften as it is mixed into the cream.)

Gently stir the clotted cream to create a smooth texture. (If your cream is too thick for your liking, you can always stir a little bit of the thin liquid back into your cream, until it reaches your desired consistency.)

Store the clotted cream in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeeks. (Clotted cream can also be frozen and thawed in the refrigerator, if desired.)

*The leftover liquid can be used like milk. It’s great for baking!

Broccoli soup

photo credit: https://www.thedinnerbite.com/pressure-cooker-creamy-broccoli-soup-recipe/

recipe credit: Love, Sweat, Fitness

4 cups vegetable broth
3 celery stalks, diced
3 medium carrots, diced
1 small head of broccoli or 2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp fresh turmeric
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper, to taste
3 T lemon juice

Add the vegetable broth to a large pot with celery, carrots, broccoli, onion, garlic, and fresh ginger. Heat to medium-high and bring it all to a simmer.  Stir in the turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the veggies are cooked through.  Once the veggies are soft, add the lemon juice.  Blend until smooth with a stick blender.

Tempeh bacon

photo and recipe credit: https://tasty.co/recipe/tempeh-bacon

4 oz tempeh
olive oil
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon liquid smoke or 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, optional

1 teaspoon garlic powder
black pepper

On a cutting board, cut tempeh into thin slices. Mix all ingredients except for olive oil in a bowl.

Add olive oil to pan over medium heat and add the tempeh. Cook until golden on each side.  Add 1 tablespoons of water to the pan and stir.  Add soy sauce mixture to both sides of bacon and cook for 2 minutes.

Seven layer bars

photo credit: https://www.shugarysweets.com/7-layer-bars

3/4 cup unsalted butter (1.5 sticks)
2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch or peanut butter chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 ⅓ cups shredded coconut

Mix butter and graham cracker crumbs and press into 13 x 9 inch pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pour half of condensed milk on top of graham crackers.  Layer chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, nuts and coconut.  Pour the rest of the condensed milk on top.  Bake until edges are golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool in fridge before cutting into bars.