the art of granola

I am getting a bit of a reputation: I am the girl who makes granola. I LOVE making it, so naturally when it is done, I post a picture on facebook. And then all my friends want the recipe. And that’s exciting and all, but the problem is…I don’t really have a recipe. I have a recipe for dark chocolate sea salt granola, but these days I just throw oats in a bowl with whatever else we have on hand and hope for the best. Last week, we had cinnamon walnut granola. This week was chocolate chip pecan! The possibilities are endless. I told my friends, who were begging for the recipe for chocolate chip pecan granola, that granola making is more art than science for me. So I suppose, then, that it is my job to teach you all the art and inspire you to create your own amazing varieties of granola! It really is simple and fun!

Here is the basic mixture for any granola recipe I make. Just five ingredients!

Basic Granola Mixture:
4 cups oats
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
salt to taste
cinnamon to taste

Combine all of these ingredients in a bowl. YOU CANNOT MESS THIS UP! You can melt the coconut oil if you want, but I refuse, because that would be more work, and the little chunks of coconut oil create wonderful little granola clusters! Feel free to add more honey, less honey, more salt, less salt, lots of cinnamon, no cinnamon…this is your granola and, I repeat, you cannot mess it up! Be sure to taste it along the way as you make adjustments, too. That is half the fun!

Beyond this basic mixture, the possibilities are ENDLESS! Fruit? Nuts? Chocolate? Vanilla or other extracts? Experiment with what you have! I must say, the pecan chocolate chip is my favorite so far. It is simply the above granola base, some cocoa powder (2-3 tablespoons), some chocolate chips (1/4-1/2 cup, to taste), and chopped pecans (about 1/2 cup). I love some chocolate in my granola, but it can’t be too rich to eat with yogurt or fruit! So this little bit of chocolate, along with the pecans that roast perfectly as the granola bakes, is ideal for me. If you’re going for super simple, just add lots of cinnamon (to taste, of course!) to the basic granola mixture above and throw in some nuts of your choice, and you have a wonderful cinnamon honey nut granola that tastes like a warm oatmeal cookie!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Combine ingredients in a bowl. Stir them. Be creative. Taste them. Do not fear.
3. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. Pour granola masterpiece onto parchment paper and spread evenly.
5. Bake for 60 minutes at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes. If desired, drizzle additional honey or melting ingredients (such as chocolate chips!) on top of the granola before returning it to the oven—this helps create additional yummy clusters!
6. Let cool.
7. Enjoy!

Be brave. Be creative. And let me know what delicious combinations you discover!

twice baked sweet potato skins

A few weeks ago, I ran across a recipe for twice baked sweet potato skins. Since Beth LOVES eating the skins when we have baked potatoes, I figured she was also a fan of twice baked potatoes and loaded potato skins. Needless to say, I was shocked to find out that she had never had them before! With this recipe, we changed that. Better late than never.

These guys are easily adaptable for vegan and gluten-free diets, so you can enjoy them by yourself or with any and ALL of your friends! The recipe is super flexible and more of a general guide, so make however many you’d like with whichever toppings you prefer. We made two varieties, one sweet and one savory. The sky is the limit, though, and we would love to hear about other toppings you try!

 

Ingredients:

Small sweet potatoes (1-2 per person; choose wisely since you’ll be eating the skin)
Coconut oil or butter

Sweet Topping Suggestions:
Cinnamon
Brown Sugar
Chopped walnuts
Salt, if desired (we LOVED ours with some salt!)

Savory Topping Suggestions:
Shredded cheddar cheese or your choice of vegan cheddar “cheese”
Steamed broccoli florets
Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry sweet potatoes. If desired, coat the potato skin in oil and salt. Place on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
2. Remove from oven, cool until they are cool to the touch, then cut in half. Scoop out the flesh of the sweet potatoes and place in a mixing bowl, leaving a thin layer of sweet potato still in the skin.
3. Oil the sweet potato skin “boat” with either coconut oil or butter (I prefer coconut oil to butter in the sweet version, even though I am not vegan myself!) and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
4. While the skins are baking, combine the sweet potato flesh with your desired toppings.
5. Divide mixture equally and place in sweet potato “boats,” adding additional toppings if desired.
6. Bake skins for an additional five minutes to warm (and melt cheese, if necessary) before serving. Enjoy!

carrot cake cupcakes!

Happy 2014! May your year be full of much joy and love! 

While enjoying our extended stay at my wonderful in-laws' in Ohio on this lovely snowy day, I decided to whip something up with the Tofutti's "Better Than Cream Cheese" and Earth Balance I picked up during a recent Kroger grocery trip. It seems that these extra, splurge vegan products cost way more in Chicago, so I was excited to make something special with them when I found them for reasonable prices in Ohio! I found a fabulous carrot cupcake recipe here and modified slightly. The cupcakes turned out delightful, and the icing makes a very yummy vegan cream cheese icing. Enjoy these tasty treats especially with the happy thought that no animals were harmed in their making!

Cupcake ingredients: 

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of sea salt

½ cup packed organic, fair-trade brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup grated organic carrot

¼ cup unrefined coconut oil

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

¾ cup almond milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ tablespoon lemon juice

Icing ingredients:

1/2 of 8 oz container non-hydrogenated Tofutti Cream Cheese 

1/8 cup non-hydrogenated Earth Balance vegan spread

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Vanilla to taste

Instructions:

1. Mix and stir dry ingredients together. 

2. Melt coconut oil, and then mix all ingredients together well. 

3. Spoon batter evenly (about ¾ cup) into lined or oiled muffin pans. 

4. Bake at 365 F for 20 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack until completely cooled. 

5. Mix Tofutti cream cheese and Earth Balance together with an electric mixer or whisk. 

6. Gently fold in vanilla and powdered sugar in ½ cup increments until desired taste and consistency. 7. Spread or pipe on icing.

8. Eat immediately or refrigerate. Enjoy!

THE BEST honey ginger glazed baby carrots

Who knew that root vegetables would bring our blog out of three months of hibernation! But these are not just any root vegetables-- they are THE BEST vegan carrots I've ever eaten, and that is saying a lot. You see, I've eaten my fair share of vegan carrots these past couple years eating with my favorite vegan, and these top them all. I have to qualify the carrots as the best vegan carrots I've had, though, since nothing could ever top the carrots cooked with my mom's beef roast (full omnivore disclosure!). But these come pretty close, and both of us inhaled a half pound of them and wished there were more! With Thanksgiving coming up, these would make a fantastic addition to the holiday table. The recipe comes from here, and is found below with minor changes and suggestions from our kitchen:

Ingredients:
1 pound bag of baby carrots (or any carrots, but baby carrots cut prep time in half!)
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce (or liquid aminos, for a soy free version)
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Sesame seeds (optional garnish)

Instructions:
Combine the liquid ingredients and seasonings in a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk to make the glaze. Add the carrots and coat them in the glaze. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with a non-stick spray (we recommend non-GMO sunflower oil), and place carrots on the baking sheet in a single layer. Bake carrots for 25-30 minutes until tender, stirring once. Garnish with sesame seeds before serving, if desired.

sweet potato black bean chili

Back in the early days of Katie (the omnivore) and I (the vegan) eating together, we discovered this recipe and decided to try it out. Upon tasting it, Katie not only loved the flavor of the chili, but said it was the “meatiest” vegan food she’d ever eaten.

While the point for me is that nothing is “meaty,” literally speaking, she is right that it is one of the most filling, satisfying, stick-to-your-ribs recipes in our collection. Great for a cold winter night, or just a a rainy summer day in Chicago (as the case is for us today!), this one is a keeper!

 

Ingredients:

2 large or 3 small sweet potatoes, boiled, peeled, and diced
1 bunch of organic green onions
½ organic white onion
2 cloves of organic garlic, minced
½ organic red bell pepper, diced
1 large can of black beans
2 cups of cooked and diced tomatoes
1 ½ teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon of chili powder
½ teaspoon of oregano
2 Tablespoons of pure grape seed oil
Sea salt to taste (1-2 teaspoons)
½ bunch of organic cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions:

Sauté all onions in oil with salt. Add red bell pepper and sauté until nearly tender. Next add tomatoes, diced sweet potatoes, black beans, and spices and cook on medium high heat, stirring occasionally until tender. Top with chopped cilantro and olive oil if desired. Enjoy!

Note: A half recipe makes the perfect amount to feed 2 people! The bell pepper is optional, and you can tweak the spices to fit your desired spiciness!

vegan sea salt caramel corn!

While I'm walking the busy streets of downtown Chicago, a favorite scent of mine comes from the famed Garrett Popcorn stores. The decadent caramel smell wafts through the air and finds me every time! Since Katie isn't vegan, the one time we did stop at Garrett's, she enjoyed the classic Chicago-style blend and I was stuck eating plain popped corn--not fun! So after finding non-GMO popcorn and fair trade coconut oil at our local Open Produce, I modified this recipe to make a much cheaper and healthier option we enjoy together: 

Ingredients:

12 cups popped organic popcorn (1/2 cup kernels)

1 cup fair trade sugar

1 teaspoon molasses 

1/2 cup Coconut Nectar 

1/3 cup organic coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla 

3/4  teaspoon additional sea salt

1. Pop corn in an air popper or in a large saucepan (with a lid!) on your stove top. Eliminate any unpopped seeds and pour into a large bowl. 

2. Mix together sugar, molasses, coconut nectar, and coconut oil in a medium sized saucepan on medium-high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly to help the oil mix well with the sugar.

3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Immediately pour over popcorn, slowly stirring with a metal spoon until caramel is evenly distributed. 

4. Line two cookie sheets or 9x13 baking dishes with parchment paper and spread popcorn out evenly. Sprinkle extra sea salt over the top.

5. Bake for 15 minutes at 250 F, stir, and return the pans to the oven for 15 more minutes. 

6. After 30 minutes, remove the popcorn from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Store in an air-tight container and enjoy!

Ready for the oven:

Ready to eat:

market day!

Market day is, by far, our favorite day of the week.

We are lucky to live near the 61st Street Farmers Market. This means that every Saturday, we take a stroll through our lovely neighborhood and find ourselves in an oasis of fresh, local, organic produce, baked goods, cheeses, and more! It is one of our favorite parts of living in Chicago.

The market is one of our main grocery stops each week, and for the rest of the weekend, we cook and eat whatever is in season. The selection changes every week and there are always new surprises (such as PURPLE bell peppers last week!), but it is all delicious! What's more, it all resonates with our food ethic: our food hasn't traveled a thousand (or even a hundred) miles to our table, it looks good because it IS good, and we know the people who grow our food!

Here's what we brought home from the market this morning:

(top to bottom: sweet corn, pea sprouts, raw vegan sloppy joes, green peppers, baby red and white potatoes, yellow wax beans, the world's most adorable heirloom tomatoes, Portuguese sweet bread, and a German soft pretzel)

One of the best parts about living close to a fantastic farmers' market is that on market day and in the days following, the food practically cooks itself. Seriously. With a kitchen stocked with food this fresh and delicious, all that's left to do is eat it!

For lunch today, we had one of our absolute favorite Chicago foods (so far): raw vegan sloppy joes from B'Gabs Goodies, a raw vegan deli in our neighborhood that is right around the corner from the market. We paired the sloppy joe mix with pea sprouts and the adorable heirloom tomatoes from the market. Beth enjoyed hers on whole wheat flatbread, and I went all out: slider style on local Medici bread.

Jealous? Come visit and share a meal (or better yet, meals!) with us!