I keep forgetting to take pictures of the food I'm making!!  Grrr...Wanna make this one again soon since it was so yummy and EASY-PEASY, so I'll try and remember to take a picture then.  I found the original recipe here, but made a few modifications.

Spinach Salad

serves 4-6 (with LOTS of extra dressing)

Ingredients

Dressing:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup olive oil
sugar to taste
sea salt to taste
Optional: fresh ground pepper to taste (I left this off cause I don't really like pepper)

Salad:
6 cups fresh baby spinach (I just used one bag)

 - NOTE: I didn't actually measure any of the following...just sprinkled and tossed till it looked right, but if you like measurements...

1/2 cup chopped nuts (the original recipe called for walnuts...I had pecons and LOVED the substitute...don't think I'll ever use the walnuts)
1/4 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup dried cranberries (the original recipe said you could use any dried fruit but the cranberries were delish, so I'll probably just stick with them)

Instructions

Put dressing ingredients in a bottle and shake well.  The cheaper your balsamic, the more sugar you'll need.  I used about 2 teaspoons and it tasted lovely, so just taste and add as needed. 
Toss spinach with nuts, feta and fruit. Give dressing another shake and drizzle over individual servings.  There was LOTS of dressing left over, but it can sit out on the counter (or in the fridge) for use on other salads.  I may never buy another balsamic vinegrette again because this one was so yummy and easy!

Pistachio Dukkah

oh boy do i love this stuff !

i had dukkah for the first time about 10 or 12 years ago at christmas dinner with friends

i loved it straight away !

then a few years ago, my friend kel and i found it at the markets 

yum yum

we have talked about how easy it must be to make
but just never made it
until last week !

i went to visit kel for her 40th birthday weekend celebration extravaganza !

we made dukkah

i'll never buy it again.

Here's how we made it ...

1/4 cup sesame seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 cups pistachios (buy the ones already taken out of the seeds !)
salt
pepper
olive oil
turkish (or your choice of) bread

So ... dry roast (in a frying pan) the sesame seeds til golden. Tip into the food processor. Dry roast coriander and cumin seeds til fragrant. Tip into food processor. If the pistachios aren't already roasted and salted, dry roast them and add a bit of salt. Tip into food processor. Add pepper. Process til chunky ... see photo !

Serve with olive oil and bite size bread chunks.

To eat ... dip bread chunk into olive oil, then into dukkah ! Enjoy !! YUMMMMM !!

I'm making this again tomorrow for Christmas Eve with the family !!

Granola (Meusli)

I tried this at Shay and Shawn's place while we were in the States last month.
I loved it, got the recipe and tried my hand at making it tonight. Sooooo yum !!

12 cups oats
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
4 cups coarsely chopped pecans & almonds & cashews
1 tsp salt

2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup honey
2/3 cup oil, I used canola

preheat oven 300F/150C
put baking paper on baking sheet ... I actually used two deep baking pans b/c this makes heaps
mix first four ingredients

stir honey, brown sugar oil in saucepan over medium low heat until smooth. ( i just popped it into the microwave for a few minutes) pour over oat mixture, toss. spread on baking sheet

bake until golden, stirring every 10 minutes ... about 40 mins (mine took much longer ... it was in there over an hour)

stir. cool.

Maple Walnut and Oats on Fruity Yoghurt

I read on delish.com that you should eat Blueberries and Walnuts together. Apparently eating them together boosts memory, reduces oxidative stress and inflamation.

In an effort to eat these two things together, I came up with this little recipe.

I put a small scoop of oats in a bowl, add a handful of walnuts and some pure maple syrup.

Set aside.

Add a scoop or two of greek yoghurt to a small bowl, add some frozen blueberries and banana slices.

Set aside.

I leave both of these things for a little bit because I like the blueberries to thaw a bit ... and for the walnut to 'candy' a bit. When ready to eat, add oats & walnuts to yoghurt & fruit.

Mix & eat.

Yummo Apple Oats

Ok ... this is a combination of a few recipes I've seen around. The almond milk is based on an Ani Phyo recipe but with a few omissions.

You'll have to start this two days before you want to eat it (if you make your own almond milk). I know ... crazy planning involved but it's worth it.

To start you will need to soak the almonds overnight.

Then, put the following into your blender :

1/2 cup soaked almonds
1/2 cup pitted dates
5 cups water

Blend really really really well. I don't strain this ... it's not necessary in these oats.

That's you almond milk.

Then ...

Grate (skin on) two granny smith apples
Top with :
1.5 cups of rolled oats
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 cup slivered almonds (and any other assortment of nuts/seeds you might like)
1.5 cups of almond milk

Mix it up, cover it and put it in the fridge ... it'll be ready in the morning !!

All you have to do in the morning is scoop it into your bowl ! I topped mine with chopped nectarine. My children topped theirs with a bit of extra milk and some frozen blueberries. Both ways were delicious !!!

Nut Butters

So ... one thing I've been experimenting with is making my own nut butters.
My first attempt was with almonds. I made a yummy almond butter that we spread on crackers.

Then, last night ... after I came home with a new high power blender, I tried another. I had intended to make peanut butter but have discovered that it is better to use LOTS of nuts so added a bag of cashews as well and made peanut/cashew butter and it was quite nice. I toasted some bread, spread on the peanut/cashew butter and topped with sliced bananas.

Making the butters was pretty simple.
Just pour your nuts into a blender or food processor.
Turn it on.
It takes quite a while, and you will need to turn it on and off.
Scrape down the sides, give the blender a rest.
Eventually, the nuts will break down so much that the oils in them are released.
Blend/process to your desired consistency.
That's it.
Just don't kill your blender by working it too hard.
Let it rest.
My blender book says don't go longer than 30 seconds in one hit with nut butters.



Kid tested and approved !!

Brekky

Years ago, my children started eating raw oats.
They just topped them with milk and ate them. They still do it.
I've decided to add to the oats ... and we all love it.

Here's what I do.
In a big plastic cereal container, I mix :

Rolled Oats.
Sunflower seeds.
Sesame seeds.
Flax seeds.
Slivered Almonds.
Pumpkin Seeds.

To eat we mix through some greek yogurt and top with some yummy fruit.
I keep frozen berries in the freezer. They are easy.
Fresh mango is yummy too ...

Raw ...

Don't judge this before you try it ! I made it tonight and it is delicious !!!
I got this recipe from Ani's Raw Food Kitchen website. Actually, Shay told me about it (surprise, surprise !!) first but I lost the paper I wrote the recipe down on ! The other day I stumbled on it here.
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Here's the one I made tonight !
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All-American Apple Pie from pg 211 of “Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen”

makes 1 pie

ALMOND PIE CRUST
2 cups almonds, dry
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups pitted dates

SYRUP
1/2 cup pitted dates
1 orange, peeled and seeded
splash of water, as needed

FILLING
5 cups apples, peeled, seeded, thinly sliced, about 5 or 6 apples
1 cup raisins and/or cranberries
2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

Ok ... watch this little video I found on YOU TUBE and then I'll tell you the rest of the instructions.

Ok ... so first thing you need to know is that you need to soak the almonds over night and then let them dry for the day before you make this. I dried them til about 3:00. They were still a bit moist but it worked.
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Put the almonds in the food processor and process til well processed. I didn't leave any chunks. Set aside 2 cups of the processed stuff and pour the rest into the bottom of your pie dish (like she did in the video) Put the 2 cups back into the processor and add 2 cups dates. Process til doughy. Press into pan (again, refer to video) You did watch it, right ?
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To make the syrup you just blend all the syrup ingredients together.
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Add to the bowl where you've mixed the filling ingredients together. Speaking of the filling. I found 1 cup of raisins way too much. Next time, I'll do 1/2 cup only.
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The rest should be self explanatory after watching the video ...
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Give this a try ... I think you will like it ! If not, drop it off at my place ... I'll eat it !!!
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Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:

1 Medium bunch of raw broccoli

1/2 cup Mayo

1 Tlbs red wine vinegar

1 Tbls sugar

1/4 cup raisins or craisins

1/2 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts

1/4 cup bacon bits

Cut the raw broccoli off the stem into bite size pieces. Toss the first five ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Let chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve, then add the almonds and bacon bits. Note: the longer it chills in the refrigerator the better! We love this recipe, yummy!

Janelle

Granola a la Shay and Bonnie

This recipe was originally given to me by Shay. I've made a few changes ...

In a big bowl, mix 1/3 cup cold pressed canola oil, 1/3 maple syrup, honey or both and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix well.

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Add:
4 cups oats
1 cup nuts (I like whole cashews, slivered almonds and a few peanuts)
some seeds (I like sunflower, sesame and flaz)
½ cup shredded coconut
bit of psyllium husk or wheatgerm

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Mix real well. Should not be too dry. Will goop together but not like cookie dough.

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Spread onto baking sheet ( keep together … don’t spread too thin or it will burn )

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180C bake.

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Stir every 5 minutes. Watch closely, especially at the end or it will burn.
Should be crispy and toasted.

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Add dried fruit. (I like almonds and raisins)

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Optional … choc chips. (I never add these but Shay always does !!)

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