walnut

Posts Tagged ‘walnut’

Pear Spice Granola

It’s only been 5 months, but I think we’ve fully settled into our house. Or at least the idea of being in this place for the long haul. I already know most of the creaks in the floorboards, the way certain drawers in the kitchen need to be pushed in just a little harder, and the way our open slot mailbox will always deliver very crumpled mail. It feels good. Really good. However, I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned our neighborhood.

We live a few blocks up from downtown. The city used to be the hub before Seattle ever was, so the houses in our area are old with lots of character. Ours was build in 1900, with a large garage that’s even older and was apparently at one time the main house. I read somewhere that back then people would plant fruiting trees in their yards when they first settled. They knew they may never get to enjoy the fruit themselves, but that the generations after them would and that thought alone was enough reason for them to plant.

Our yard has a giant, very old, cherry tree. Next door there’s another one. Behind us there is a pear and plum tree. Between the neighbors and us, we probably harvested over 50lbs. worth of plums. For two weeks there was plum butter, plum sorbet (a recipe that was too good not to share, but time got away from me… next year), plum crumble, and finally a freezer currently stocked with frozen plums. On the other side of us there are more apple and pear trees. If you can say anything about the generations that lived here before us, it’s that they must have loved the community and they must have loved food.

This is how I feel about our neighbors. Every single person we’ve met on our street has welcomed us. They’ve shared their knowledge on what they know about the area. We’ve had outdoor backyard movie nights and day hikes with the incredible couple next door. We gave away zucchini and squash and this week received a bag filled with pears. Our area doesn’t exactly have the best reputation, but that’s because most people look at it from the outside. This is a community that watches out for each other, shares, sits out on their front porches until the sun goes down and greets every passerby. In a generation where many people have never even talked to their next door neighbors, I’m happy to call this area home.

These were the pears from the tree next door. I think they’re beautiful in a rough and old-time way. They weren’t getting eaten fast enough so I made plans for pear sauce, made just like this apple sauce and the rest were made into pear chips. This granola is made up of several steps before you actually get to the granola making part, but I think it’s worth the effort. You can do it in stages, which makes it easier. Make a big batch of pear sauce and dried pear chips, then get to the granola another day.

Full of toasty walnuts and hazelnuts, and warm spices, it feels like a bowl of Fall. Alternatively I think it would be great made with applesauce and dried apples chips and they’re easier to find pre-made if you don’t want to make your own. This granola isn’t super sweet, but it’s great paired with yogurt for breakfast or if you shave in a bit of dark chocolate and serve over vanilla ice cream it makes an excellent dessert.

Pear Spice Granola / makes about 5-6 cups
I made dried pear chips similar to this method, but without the sugar or spices and pear sauce exactly how I made my homemade apple sauce.

4 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons flax seeds
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch sea salt
2/3 cup pear sauce
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dried pear pieces

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine the oats, walnuts, hazelnuts, flax seeds, spices, and salt.

In a smaller bowl mix together the pear sauce, maple syrup, and olive oil. Pour this mixture over the rolled oat mixture and stir until everything is wet and well combined.

Spread out onto the baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, stir, then bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Watch carefully after stirring to avoid burning. Let cool, add the dried pear pieces and store in an air tight container.

Breakfast, Fall, Fruits, Gluten-Free, Vegan

Raw Cocoa Bites

Raw Cocoa Bites, aka little energy nuggets. Seriously, pop a couple in your mouth before heading out for a hike, or any type of exercise you’re planning, and you’ll have a lot of energy, more than enough to get you to the top. Plus they’re lightweight and easy to pack. You’ve maybe seen something similar around the web or wrapped up in pretty packaging and sold at health food stores, either way, if you haven’t made or tired them yet, you’re missing out.

We’ve been working long weekends and traveling quite a bit for work this month and I always pack a batch of these. I’ve been playing around with different variations, but I always come back to the ones with cocoa in them, I just can’t break my chocolate habit! Plus now that summer is here, they’re a great alternative to cookies because you don’t have to heat up the oven. My tip for trying your hand at your own flavor combos would be to have an equal ratio of dried fruit to raw nuts. Then start with a tablespoon or two of added flavors, like coconut flakes, seeds, or cocoa, and season with a few extras like, cinnamon, vanilla, cocoa nibs, or even fresh herbs (mint perhaps?). Have fun with it!

Raw Cocoa Bites / makes 12-14 balls

1 cup pitted dates, soaked for 10 minutes and drained
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup dried unsweetened coconut
1/4 cup cocoa or cocao powder
1 tablespoon flax seed

Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and blend until crumbly, just before it gets to almond butter stage. Add the walnuts, coconut, cocao powder, and flax seeds and blend until just incorporated.

Next add the dates. You can add them all at once or drop them one at a time through the feed tube, depending on how powerful your food processor is. Blend until the mixture starts holding together and becomes almost a whole mass. The flax seeds will still be whole, but the rest should be well mixed in.

Shape into about 1-inch balls (they may feel a little oily from the nut oils released, this is normal). Place on a plate and set in the fridge to chill, about 15 minutes. You can also place them in the freezer too, they don’t harden to much.

Breakfast, Desserts + Sweets, Gluten-Free, Proteins

Shredded Brussels Sprout & Tangerine Salad

It’s the end of February, which also means the official end of winter (although unfortunately maybe not winter weather), so today I’m sharing one last seasonal salad with you. I meant to get this recipe to you yesterday, but seeing as our usual morning csa delivery didn’t arrive until around 6pm last night, the brussels sprouts I knew the box would contain, didn’t arrive in time before I had a chance to prepare and photograph this salad.

All weekend I was thinking about these brussels sprouts and how I would savor them because I knew this would probably be the last bunch until next season. I thought a light salad, something that would ease its way into spring with a crisp freshness and touch of brightness, would be a good option. Something raw to enter a soon-to-be season of young fresh veggies, but still hanging onto the citrus of winter.

Truth be told, I also needed to think of a recipe I knew would be relatively quick to prepare. In the previous weeks I’ve been up to my ears in projects and exciting new things we’re working on for our shop. I’m not usually a pro thirty minute meal or less kinda person, but I can appreciate a quick whole food recipe when I need one, especially when I can’t stand to eat another sandwich or plate of leftovers.

I had picked up a bag of whole wheat Israeli couscous out of curiosity. I’d never cooked with this little bead shaped grain before and the fact that I saw it would take less than 15 minutes to cook, might also be why it made its way into my cart that day. I added it to the shredded brussels sprouts for some extra heft. My favorite part of this salad is when you get a sweet squirt of tangerine juice when taking a bite, also the unexpected but so delicious taste of basil.

This was another recipe that started out as something from The Food Matters Project, as you can see I’m not very good at following recipes, but at least I still used brussels sprouts! This weeks pick was by Marcia and to view a complete list of others who participated you can visit the website.

Shredded Brussels Sprout & Tangerine Salad / serves 4

I really think any grain (quinoa, millet, barley, farro) would work here in place of the couscous. You can segment the tangerines if you like too, I kept it simple and didn’t bother.

1/2 cup dry whole wheat Israeli couscous or 1 cup other cooked grain of choice
1/2 lb. brussels sprouts
1/4 of a red onion, thinly sliced
handful of fresh basil, chiffonade (about 1/4 cup)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
a couple big pinches salt, plus more to taste
3 tangerines
1/4 cup toasted walnuts

Bring a small saucepan filled with 1 cup water to a boil. Stir in couscous and cook at a simmer for 8 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice the brussels sprouts as thinly as you can and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add in the red onion, basil, and couscous and give everything a good toss.

In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, and salt. Pour over the brussels sprout mixture and toss until everything is thoroughly dressed, seasoning with salt to taste. Add in the tangerines, then just before serving, top with walnuts.

Fruits, Gluten-Free, Grains, Salads, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Winter

Banana Bread with Chocolate & Walnuts + A Giveaway!

I realized the other day that the end of this month marks exactly three years since my husband and I have been working solely for ourselves. It makes me think back to the day we left our comfortable paychecks and looked to our future with open hearts and minds. Although we had lots of support, I can’t say for sure how comfortable our family and friends felt with our decision, but it was one we knew to be right for ourselves and one that we knew could be accomplished if we put our everything into it.

Early on there were definitely days we wanted to end our business venture, but luckily we had each other and those feelings we both had never crossed paths. If it was me who was worrying, Scott would reassure me that everything would be fine and to wait and see what the end of the week or month would bring. If it were him, I did the same. I can’t believe its been three years already, it really only feels like yesterday. We have worked our butts off, spending most, if not all our time on our business and we look forward to its future.

Along this journey, we’ve had to sacrifice many things, mostly material, but our lives are by far simpler and richer then they’ve ever been. We’ve made incredible friendships I know would not have happened had we been inside a cubicle everyday.

We’ve learned many things about running a business, but time management always seemed the most difficult. Working for yourself means you don’t have to get up at a certain time to be somewhere on time. You can work in your pajamas if you want and you can head out to meet whomever, whenever. But you can also end up working too much, not giving yourself a break because if you do guilt sets in because you are not working. We have both been more of the latter.

I’m finally letting in the fact that there has to be balance. I can and should have moments of free time that do not include thinking about our business. I’ve learned to keep a pretty steady work flow through the week and reserve weekends for a little time off. Truthfully, I do still work on weekends, but its more laid back and includes other activities. This weekend I actually worked a lot, catching up on things for the craft show season, but because we actually had really nice sunny days I spent some time getting things planted in my garden, going to a local print show and baking banana bread just for you.

This banana bread has a delicate light crumb texture. It’s studded with the perfect amount of chocolate and toasted walnuts, to be sure there’s a bit in every bit. It has the signature deep cracks along the top and a golden brown crust that gives into a moist interior. The ripeness of your bananas can dramatically change the taste of your bread. Most use heavily spotted to black bananas but that always yields an entirely too banana flavor for my liking. I like my to be yellow, but covered with little brown spots. Just enough banana flavor to know it’s banana bread, but not overwhelmingly overpowered. This recipe will work however you like your bananas.

Now for the giveaway! We’re so excited about our three years in business we wanted to share some of our excitement with all of you and offer one reader one a chance to receive one 8″x 10″ Let The Sun Shine In poster! This has been our most popular poster and mentioned on many design blogs, you can also purchase one right here. To enter, leave a comment below telling me your favorite memory in the sunshine. You can enter a second time if you twitter @slidesideways and come back here letting me know. And because I hate leaving people out, this one’s up for anyone inside or outside of the US. Please leave an email so I can reach you if you’ve won. Contest ends this Friday at noon, PST. One winner will be chosen at random.

Banana Bread with Chocolate & Walnuts / 1 loaf

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup cane sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups mashed ripe banana
3/4 cup almond milk
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 350F. Oil or line with baking parchment a 9″x 5″ loaf pan.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.

In a medium bowl combine the mashed bananas, almond milk, olive oil and vanilla. You want to make sure this mixture is very smooth, if you need to run it through a blender that would work as well.

Pour the wet mixture over the dry and combine just until everything is wet. You don’t want to over mix. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate and walnuts.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan and give it a couple drops on the counter top to even everything out. Bake in the oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting and serving.

Bread, Breakfast, Desserts + Sweets, Fruits, Vegan

Meatless Monday with Martha Stewart: Lemony Leek and Mushroom Pasta

This weeks Meatless Monday post for Martha Stewart is a big ol’ plate of pasta. Pasta and I go way back. Like back to when I would only eat it smothered with butter and Parmesan cheese. My taste buds have grown up a lot since then and this take on pasta was created based off a risotto dish I made last year.

Leeks and mushrooms seem to mingle together like old friends, while a squeeze of lemon adds just the right amount of zing. There are lots of reasons I could tell you how delicious this pasta is, but you should really just give it a try for yourself. See the full recipe here on Whole Living.

Grains, Spring, Vegan, Vegetables

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