Creamy Crannutties Salad

This is a creamy, yet also nutty, variation on the standard fresh cranberry relish.  The “secret” to the texture is the addition of a few dates – they can substitute completely for the agave sweetener or merely supplement it. However, if you just don’t like dates, you can eliminate them and use agave instead. No agave? Try maple syrup, honey, or raw sugar. If you cannot eat walnuts, almonds will be completely acceptable. If you must skip the nuts, the texture will be different but still quite good. See the variations below for other ideas.




Combine in food processor. Pulse until mixture is chopped and blended, not creamy, but still distinct in texture.

1 package cranberries (12 ounce bag)

½ cup deglet noor dates, pitted

2 oranges, peeled and sectioned ( do NOT use peel unless it is organic)

1/3 to 1/2 cup agave (OR maple syrup, local honey, or raw sugar)

Add and pulse only until chopped, but not blended smooth:

1 cup walnuts

½ teaspoon vanilla

 Using spatula, spoon this mixture into a serving bowl. You may garnish it with orange slices or whole walnuts. Can be served as an appetizer, entrée or desert.

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This can be eaten within a few hours OR it may be made the night before to allow the flavors to mellow. Leftovers last up to five days in the fridge.

Variations:             

For those of you who are NOT vegan, this is also very good mixed with an 8 ounce container of Greek yogurt, such as Voskos.

And what if you have no oranges? Try subbing 2 apples and juice of one lemon for the 2 oranges.

                        

It also makes a tasty adjunct to your breakfast smoothie. Just freeze small portions in ice cube trays, pop them into a freezer bag, and  blend them in as you would frozen fruit. Of course, frozen plain cranberries can also be added to smoothies...just put on your earplugs because the frozen CB's get LOUD when blended!

(Hint: our favorite protein powder is NOT soy-based. It is instead Sun Warrior Vanilla RICE protein, and some (Hey Hey VJ) say the chocolate rocks even more than the vanilla.  (Whatever, it's all good - OG and raw – an amazing food!)

Need info on this powerhouse berry? Want to know why you should put a few of these red beauties aside in your freezer for year round use? Check out this blog -

http://www.naturalnews.com/cranberry.html

One last note: Are you interested in ecologically and locally grown food? Check out this CSA

Check out this local CSA blog for more tasty recipes!

Hollow Pumpkin CSA Spots for 2011 now available! Come to the meeting for more info: 

When:  Monday, December 6th 2010

Time:  7pm
Where:  Gaia House/Interfaith Center, 913 S. Illinois Ave, Carbondale, IL 62901
If you have questions please call (618) 697-6154
 

Witnessing Magic

One of the perks of living in one place for a long time is you get to host friends who’ve moved on when they visit from out of town. Imagine our pleasure when we welcomed Rachel, one of our favorite “adopted kids” and her family today! Thank God we met her Mom, Patti, back when Rachel and our Vanessa chanced to land in the same preschool co-op. What I loved about Patti the instant I met her was the warmth she emanated. She preferred to be inconspicuous in all settings but consistently drew people to her with her soft voice, calm resolve, and authentic smile. Even though I was clearly an alternative “back to the lander” and she was a nurse and professor’s wife, we found common ground in our parenting philosophy. Our farm was only two miles from their woodland subdivision and so, as our families grew, our children shuttled and overnighted between houses for years… including the years during and after Patti’s battle with breast cancer. 

So here was Rachel, 29 years later, with that same warmth at our door with her sweet husband, Ben, and their delightful 15-month-old son. In the course of his three hour visit, Arlo opened and shut the airlock doors and the kitchen drawers, walked up and down the steps about a dozen times, and even heaved two three pound weights at the same time! Witnessing the magic of Rachel and Ben’s laughter, love and sense of wonder as they supported Arlo in his explorations flooded me with memories of my eleven year friendship with Patti. Here was this sweet couple, co-parenting with the same unconditional love, respectful guidance and hands-on learning that Patti had modeled so well. After a delightful afternoon of food and camaraderie with a few other friends, even Arlo waved goodbye as they pulled out of the driveway. It was a bittersweet moment indeed. I felt a wave of grief for Rachel’s loss of her Mom, someone I also treasured as a powerful mentor in my own life. Yet as I closed the front door, I also beamed with the realization that Rachel innately mirrored the nurturing imprinted on her by her beloved Mom, Patti.

Today’s trimmings took three hours and involved the blender, the food processor, the mixer, the juice squeezer, and the Excalibur dehydrator. Pulling together so many dishes in a burst of time always renews my intense appreciation for our Cuisinart Food Processor – and a debate with Bruce about whether it or the blender gets more daily use. The food pocesor is my go-to tool for mixing, chopping, and creaming but Bruce favors the blender for his many shakes. Regardless, our (post-) TG feast is an eclectic feast, allowing different dietary needs. Alaskan Salmon, Gruyere Potatoes, Cheesy Puffs and Sweet Potato Fries have also been on the menu in years past.

Appetizers:            Bruce’s Hummus

                        (Thawed, Purchased) Guacamole  

                        OG White Corn and Red Hot Blues Chips and Chopped veggies

                        Trader Joe’s Wines and (Thawed) Locally Pressed Raw Apple Cider

Entrée:            Squashed Soup (w / Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese Slices on the side)

                        Pumpkin Cornbread (made w/ apple cider instead of nut milk)

                        Cheonae’s Signature Seitan and Stir-Fried Veggies

                        Bruce’s Stir-Fried Zuke Onion Medley Over Rice

                        Fall Greens and Chard Salad w Broccoli

                        Creamy Crannutties Salad

Dessert            Schaum Tarts                       

                        Alden’s OG Mint Chip Ice Cream with Fresh Beriries

                        Flaxen Cashew Torte

To Go:            Koala Krispy Almond Joyballs

So, one recipe up tonight - stay tuned for the rest of these before December first!.

Coming next month- Costa Rican Creations... (or food for eight, now returned, far flung sloth watchers)

Vegan OR Eggy Pumpkin Cornbread OR Muffins

Vegan or not, this makes cutting edge high protein, nutrient dense, moist cornbread!

Normally, cornbread dries out quickly, but not with so when you add pumpkin puree.  

Pumpkin gives more than just a nutritional boost; it holds this quick bread together. 

Combine in mixing bowl:

2 cups organic kamut* flour (if not wheat-sensitive, use wh wh or unbleached OG flour)

2 cups organic stone ground cornmeal


4 tsp. Baking powder


1 tsp. Baking soda


1 tsp. Salt

 Mix in blender:

½ cup organic agave nectar

1 can organic pumpkin puree
(about 2 1/3  cups)  

1 tsp. Apple cider vinegar


½ cup mild olive or safflower or coconut oil

Decide now if you are going vegan or eggly:

vegan:             2 cups** organic almond or rice milk

                        1/3 cup organic hemp seeds

OR eggy:        1½  cups** organic almond or rice milk

                        2 eggs, lightly beaten 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.   Spray oil muffin tins OR oil 2 8X8 baking pans.

2. Add blender mix to dry ingredients, folding together just until all combined.


3   Pour into muffin tins and bake 15 to 20 minutes OR into prepared pans and bake 25-30 minutes.  These will be golden, and spring to the touch of a finger.

4. Remove from the oven onto a wire rack.  Let cool for a few minutes and serve. To retain interity of muffins, you may want to pop them out of the tin to cool.  Or let them stay put to retain softness.

* Kamut is tolerable by some who are wheat-sensitive.  If you are celiac-intolerant, substitute 1cup rice flour and 1 cup oat flour for the 2 cups of kamut.  OR simply increase the corn meal to 4 cups total.

** This produces a “cakey” cornbread.  You could jazz this up with fruit, nuts or even chips.If you want it more wholesome, reduce the milk by ½ cup for each variation and consider adding frozen or fresh cut corn or olives or as an under layer to beans…

Cornbread Paper Hearts – Joannie’s Story

When I was seven, my big sister, Joanie, entered the Pillsbury Baking Bake-Off with a cornbread recipe that she created.  Her cornbread was a sweeter (more fat and sugar) version of this one – she added butterscotch chips to meet the requirement of adding specific product brands. That recipe is hers to share, but the story of what happened as a result of her efforts is mine to pass on---

Only June, the sun was unbearable as we hoed the button weeds out of our soybean field.  When Mom called us in for dinner, Joanie went off to check the mailbox while I raced my three brothers to the well.   As we pumped the water into the pail to clean the dust and sweat off, I badgered Dad. “Please, Daddy, can we go swim after dinner?   We promise to hoe again, even after supper.”

Joey kicked me – hard – in the shins.  “Not now, Toots.  Ask him later, after he’s had time to cool off,” he hissed.

My brothers watched curiously, pleased at my pluck for asking, but knowing that Dad’s hard work ethic rarely included a lake break during the work week.  Dad’s expression was stoic at first but softened as he watched Joanie running toward us.  Her eyes danced and her arms wrapped tightly around a giant box, the mail jouncing loosely on top.

She placed the box carefully on the table we used to shell peas and waved an open letter in the air.  “Look!  Look!  I won.  Did you hear me?  I won!” she screamed.

 Nicky snatched it from her, holding it high above her reach.

“You little brat!  Give that back right now.  I mean it!”  Furious, Joannie’s flushed face matched her tousled auburn hair.

“’Little brat’?  Who you callin’ little?” Nicky teased.  “Whatcha win anyway?”  Nicky mimicked Joannie’s expression as he pretended to read the letter.

“Cut it out!” Anthony hissed as he slapped him on the back of his head.  Not that hard, but hard enough to cause Nicky to quickly drop the letter into Joanie’s hands.

The screen door slammed as Mom came out and put her arm around Joanie’s shoulders.  “Hush, now, everyone!  Just listen to what she has to say for once!  Joanie, can you tell us what you won?” Mommy asked.

Joanie glared at Nicky.  “It’s from the Pillsbury contest.  Remember?  The spring recipe contest.”

 “Oh, you worked hard on that.  Do read to us what they wrote.” Mommy answered,  

Joanie straightened her shoulders as she held the letter close to her glasses.  ‘Dear Miss Marinich:  We are pleased to inform you that after extensive and precise evaluation, you are hereby awarded special recognition as a third place prize winner in our “quick breads” division of our 1959 Bakeoff Competition.  Because you entered as part of our student competition, your efforts have earned a new baking technology – a microwave oven - for your Canton High School Home Economics classroom as well as the enclosed prize for your personal pleasure.  Thank you for your hard work and we hope you carry on with your cooking talents.”

“Wait a minute!  The high school gets the microwave?  Why not you, Mom?  You’re the one who made Joanie have “cooking talents!” Nicky sputtered

“Oh, Hell, Dinner’s gonna get cold even in this heat if you all keep yakkin'.  Just open the damn box, and see what you got so we can eat our dinner before the flies do,” Dad grumbled.

Anthony pulled out his pocket knife to cut through the strings and tape.  Joanie pulled out layer after layer of heavy paper until she came to a large plastic bag with a bright orange --- something – folded up inside.  I stood on a milk crate to see. 

“What could this be?  It doesn’t look like baking pans or anything like that…” she puzzled.

“Maybe it’s a microwave blanket,” I offered.

“No, Silly Goose.   You mean electric blanket. They don’t make microwave blankets.  Heck, nobody makes microwave anything,” Anthony corrected me.

It took all of us to hold the box down, but Joanie finally lifted the orange something out.  It puzzled us until Nicky gave a whoop.  “Look, there’s an air nozzle – like for a pump of some kind.  Why, I think it’s a…”

“FLOAT!   It’s a float for the beach!”  Joanie screamed as she read the paper in her hand.

“Only for use in water.  Do not use as a flotation device.  Keep away from sharp objects.”  She turned to Daddy.  She buried her face in his overalls bib and pleaded. “Oh, Daddy, just this once, can we please go swim today?”

Daddy patted her and brusquely said, “So you want to try out your high falutin’ float today...  You all want that, is that it?   You put little Toots up to askin’ so you can go swim?  We’ll go, all right.  I just don’t know if you can get air in that stem though… ”

We answered all at once. “It’s okay, Daddy!  We can!  We will!  And we’ll hoe until dark, Daddy!  We promise!”

A hurried grace, a special thank you to Pillsbury, and we all passed the chili and celery sticks stuffed with peanut butter.  We were anxious to have the clock start running since we had to wait one hour after eating before we were allowed to get in the water.  Something about not drowning…

“I’m glad she got a float, but really, why give the school a microwave and not us?  We'll never be able to afford that…” Nicky muttered to Joey, just as Mommy was passing him his bowl.

“Ahh, leave it alone, Nicky.  What’s done is done,” Mom chided him.  Then she jumped up, potholders in hand. “Oh, for Pete’s sake, with all this commotion, I forgot to take the cornbread out of the oven.”  

No big deal.  We were so pumped we barely noticed the charred bottoms on those two huge pans of golden bread.  Instead, we dreamed of plunking our bottoms, not bare, mind you, on Joanie’s prize float.  That is, if she’d let us.

Blame It on Dear Old Mom

I was introduced into wholesome plant-based food early on at the hands of an amazing chef – my mom. She never medaled in any sport, but she routinely whipped up “three square” for eight people like clockwork. Always an avid gardener, Mom’s vegetables were picked or canned at their prime and as central to her meals as the meat entrée (though her “saurkraut” never was my favorite).

She believed in raw juice – even in January in the 1950’s! – and purchased day-old oranges to make a quart with her glass squeezer, one half cup for each of us. After my five sibs were gone on the bus, I played at drawing, illustrating, or later printing from her dictation, the recipes for her bread, pies, cakes and garden dishes onto my beloved blackboard. Since our Catholic school did not have kindergarten, I also spent hours outside gathering eggs or convincing Dad to take me fishing.

Our Lakeview Farm was ahead of its time for self-sufficient, organic gardening and sustainability. Dad rotated about 60 acres of soybeans with field corn and oats that fed his cows, chickens, and even hogs briefly. All of us helped with the chores of milking, tending the animals, cultivating and then hoeing the fields, picking the berries, and tending the bountiful garden. The boys did get out of most of the housework, lucky stiffs, but they did help “us girls” with the cooking occasionally.

During wrestling and basketball season, there were no equivalent sports for girls, so dabbling in the kitchen became my competitive event. It started in second grade. My brother challenged me to bake snickerdoodles by myself for the first time, and to make it a triple batch to boot.

When the relatives came to help bale the hay, combine the beans or butcher the cow or pig, we had to feed them well. I used those meals as opportunities to try out my “Learn To Cook” book experiments on them. They liked the “Shepherd’s Pie” well enough but the 21days of different cream pies ranked the highest!

The 1960’s revolutionized both our politics and our food coffers when our college sister brought back big city trends: “pizza” and “tortillas” and “whole wheat bread.” Then in 1974, Dick Gregory rocked our U of I world and our food vocabulary grew again: “sesame milk” and “dulse” and “pumpkin seed meal.”  My future husband would not even pass his green salad to my roommate or me the very next day!

Four kids and 36 gardens later, we have stayed true to Mom’s plant-based regimen. Both vegans and ovo-lacto’s sat at the same table all these years. Now the circle is complete and I am “milking” with a machine not cows but almonds, making coconut cream pie not with dairy but with cashews, preserving tomatoes in a dehydrator not a canner, and juicing not with a glass squeezer but with a Champion. And eating hemp seed and not… Oh, never mind!

WELCOME TO TRIED AND TRUE PLANT-BASED RECIPES FOR FIT FOLK! This is my very first EVER and I intend to share our family's journey with both anecdotes and recipes, and I welcome you to share yours!  So please do tell - what brought you here? Trust me, we who forsake mst or dry or eggs or soy are NOT mainstream! 

What, pray tell, led you to this page...Hmmm?