Squash and Granola

12 August 28 – Sunday

 

Fresh produce from the garden is SO yummy. We were unable to have a garden this year however we are enjoying the fruits of our friends’ labors. They have been sharing zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes and cucumbers.  

A favorite at our house is fried squash. In fact we often have just fried squash in the evening, nothing else. You can use zucchini AND summer squash or just one type, you choose.

 

Fried squash

6-8 small to medium sized squash, peeled and coarsely diced

3 eggs

1 t dill weed

2 t garlic powder

2 T minced onion

1 t celery salt

½ t pepper

½ c parmesan cheese

1 stick butter

1 tube of saltine crackers crushed (I use Zesta) 

While you melt the stick of butter in a nonstick fry pan, whisk all ingredients except the crackers and squash in a large mixing bowl. Put the squash in the whisked mixture, stir well to coat. Then pour over the crushed crackers and stir well again. Pour into the fry pan when the butter is completely melted. Fry at 350, turning when the crackers brown. Takes about 20-30 minutes to cook. We also sprinkle parmesan on at the table. Salt and pepper to taste.

Tasty Granola 

 

 

 

 

I've also been gathering different granola recipes and doing a "pick and choose" regarding our likes and dislikes while trying to keep it healthy. The following recipe was a hit as a dry snack, with milk and with greek yogurt.

 

The fruits and nuts from Purcell Mountain Farms, www.purcellmountainfarms.com are quality. There are organic options, if that is important to you, a wide variety of rice, beans, nuts, dried fruit, seeds, wheat, rye etc. The pricing and shipping is competitive. There is a price break for larger quantities. Best of all, the product tastes fresh.

As an aside,  Mountain Rose Herbs, www.mountainroseherbs.com has a plethora of oils, spices, essential oils for aromatherapy and herbs. Just a warning to those of you who are very fussy about organic products. Some their organic oils are in plastic bottles. If I remember correctly, the shipping was on the pricey side however living where we do, it would cost more in time and gas to drive somewhere with this kind of selection.

Tasty Granola 

I large can of Old Fashioned Oats (46 oz I think, it’s about 15 cups)

2 c toasted coconut (I just used my nonstick fry pan to brown it)

2 c toasted pumpkin seeds

1 ½ c sesame seeds

2 c slivered almonds

1 c dried cherries

1 cdried cranberries

1 c golden raisins

Put all of the above in a large bowl and stir well. 

In a saucepan:

2 c brown sugar

1 c raw honey

½ c macadamia nut oil

1 c dried milk

Stir over medium heat until sugar melts.

Add to the liquid mixture.

2 T almond extract

1 t cinnamon

Stir well.

 

Pour over the mixture in the large bowl. Stir well. 

Pour the coated mixture into 2 lightly greased jelly rolls pans . Spread out in the pan. Place pans in a 375 degree preheated oven. Bake 10 minutes no longer as the second and third times you bake after stirring, it browns quickly. Remove pans from the oven, pour the mixture back into large bowl and stir well. Repeat this for a total of 3 times. After the third time, pour the stirred mixture out on the counter covered with parchment paper. Let cool. When completely cooled, break up large chunks and place the mixture in a large sealed container. Store excess in the freezer as it is good on the counter for about a week.

You may be able to use 1 cup brown sugar and 2 cups honey. I have not experimented with that. This recipe is so tasty, I'm not sure I will change anything.

 

 

 

 

 There's nothing better

than fresh bread!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 - August 25, Saturday 

It’s a rainy Saturday morning and I have the urge to bake, once again.  

Recently I read “The Wheat Belly”. This is a book written by a cardiologist who goes into a lengthy explanation regarding the chromosomal changes in the wheat kernel that have occurred over time to make the wheat more viable to weather, produce higher yields and resist predators among other things. However with this change there is a decrease in nutritional value and an increase in gut intolerance to the gluten that the “46 chromosome” wheat kernel contains. The einkorn wheat or Farro Piccolo is the original 8 chromosome wheat kernel. Related to these changes is also an increase in circulating levels of insulin in the human body when one eats this wheat which leads to a big flabby belly hence “The Wheat Belly”.

I began a search for a company that carried this type of wheat in a whole kernel and found Jovial Foods to be the best priced supplier. Their customer service is wonderful and there is also a price break with increasing amounts purchased. 

The next step was to find a reasonably priced durable grain mill. After researching, again via the internet, I found that the Wondermill Electric mill. It can grind rice, steel cut oats, tapioca pearls, beans, corn, popcorn and most importantly, einkorn wheat.

The next step of inquiry was finding a recipe for whole wheat bread that would have good texture, get a good rise, have decent counter life and taste awesome. I began the research once again. I also started testing some recipes.  Initially I started using butter as the shortening and later found that coconut oil increases the counter life and adds a wonderful flavor.  I’ve made some mistakes along the way however nothing that was inedible.

 I use a bread machine to make my dough. I affectionately call the machine “Mama Zo”. The machine is a large Zojrushi that I have had for a number of years. The following is the basic whole wheat recipe that we enjoy.

1 7/8 cup of water

2 T coconut oil

5 ½ leveled cups of freshly ground einkorn wheat berries

5 T of vital wheat gluten

1 T of diastatic malt powder (non diastatic works as well)

2 t of finely ground sea salt

2 T sugar

¼ t ascorbic acid

2 T dried milk

2 t of instant dried yeast (I use SAF brand) 

Pour water into the bread machine tub. Add coconut oil. Mix all dry ingredients together EXCEPT yeast before pouring into the bread machine tub with water in it. Last, make a small well in the center of the dry ingredients and put the 2 tsps yeast here. Set the machine on “quick dough”. When complete, knead the dough on a board coated with coconut oil, divide in 2, place in 9”X5” bread pan greased with coconut oil. Cover and let rise in a warm draft free area for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350. After 1 hour of rising, place bread in preheated oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. When the bread is done, set on a cooling rack. I put butter on some parchment paper rub it on the crust and wait 10 minutes. Then remove bread from the pan and allow it to cool before cutting.

The raisin bread variation of the whole wheat recipe above:

 

          3 cups of raisins soaked in warm water for about 15 mins. Drain and place on a

          paper towel to drain more. This plumps up the raisins. This is an optional step. 

          If you soak the raisins, decrease the water in the whole wheat recipe by ½ cup.

          If you don’t soak the raisins, use the amount as listed in the recipe. Mama Zo

          beeps when it’s time to add, that’s when I dump the raisins in.