Fruit, Nut and Seed Granola

Several weeks ago I made Angela’s Favorite Granola.

I’ve been eating this left and right since then. It’s topped fruit and yogurt, been eaten by the handful and sprinkled over oatmeal.

For some strange reason, I never shared her recipe and my photos. Better late than never. Here’s a simple how-to to make Angela’s awesome granola.

This recipe has 4 stages: mix the dry ingredients, simmer together the wet ingredients, toss then bake.

Wet ingredients include: brown rice syrup, agave nectar, coconut oil, unsweetened applesauce, peanut butter and brown sugar

Dry ingredients include: rolled oats, raw almonds, raw walnuts, raw sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, ground flax, coconut flakes, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, salt, raw pumpkin seeds, golden raisins and dried cranberries.

Stir together the wet and dry ingredients.

 Spread the mixture out evenly onto a lined cookie tray and bake.

Pretty, isn’t it?

Store the granola in the refrigerator and eat to your heart’s content.

For the recipe, please visit Angela’s blog.

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Early Morning Baking

Yesterday was the Open Day at my school. Everything went well; I had about 7 kids come through to participate in the lesson and activities and many families came through to watch, look around the room and ask questions.

Although going to work on a Saturday is never desirable, it was good for one thing, it got me up and going much earlier than a usual Saturday. By noon, I was home and ready to get on with the day.

I made a quick lunch of guacamole and an English muffin with vegan almond herbed cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes.

 Lunch was light and fresh.

After lunch I laid down for a no-nap rest for about 20 minutes before going to the grocery store. The local store is closed for a week to renovate so I took the opportunity to go to the shop 1 town over.

Even though I went shopping, I wanted to use the grocery store closing as a motivation to be a bit more self-reliant so decided to bake my own bread.

I based my recipe off of a recipe found on the King Arthur website. I love King Arthur Flour products and their website it so informative. If only they would venture into Europe…

This hearty bread was made with whole wheat flour, olive oil, ground flax, sunflower seeds, fresh yeast, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, salt, water and golden syrup (a liquid sweetener similar to molasses.)

The dry ingredients.

About 3/4 of a block of fresh yeast, crumbled. I dissolved the yeast into the water before combining with the golden syrup and olive oil. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl until a shaggy dough forms. I used the dough attachment to my hand mixer.

Let the dough rest for 20 minutes before kneading it.

  Knead until the dough is elastic and smooth. Be careful not to use too much extra flour while kneading or else the bread will be too dense and tough.

 Set the dough in a warm place for 2 hours to rise.

After the first rise is over, shape the dough into a log then place it into a lightly oiled bread pan. Allow the dough to rise for another 2 hours before baking the bread. 

Fresh bread with soy butter and watercress for breakfast.

 

I started making the dough around 4:00, kneaded the first rise at 6:30 and had planned on baking the bread after the second rise at 8:30.

Life got in the way and I went out for dinner and drinks with my friends rather than staying home, baking bread.

Fast forward to 2:00 am.

I arrived home to my much rested and risen whole wheat nut and seed bread.

By 2:45 my apartment smelled like an early morning bakery and the bread was finished baking.

Patiently, I waited for the bread to rest and slightly cool before chomping into it at 3:00 am.

Although the long rise may have prevented the bread from puffing up as much as I had hoped, coming home to freshly baked bread before bead sure makes for sweet dreams…

Whole Wheat Nut and Seed Bread

Based on a recipe by King Arthur Flour

Yields 1 loaf

• 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 Tbsp. golden syrup (or honey, maple syrup, molasses)
• 4 cups Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds, chopped
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
• 1 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 block fresh yeast (or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast)

Method

1. Combine the flour, seeds, nuts and wheat gluten in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, dissolve the fresh yeast into the water then add in the golden syrup and olive oil.
2. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you have a shaggy dough. Let the dough rest, covered, for 20 minutes, then knead till fairly smooth.
3. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for about 2 hours, or until it’s puffy and nearly doubled in size.
4. Gently deflate the dough, shape it into a log, and place it in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" bread pan. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap and allow it to rise for about 2 hours, till it’s crowned about 1" to 2" over the rim of the pan.
5. Bake the bread in a preheated 350°F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, tenting it lightly with aluminum foil for the final 20 minutes of baking.

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A Little Help for a Friend

Today I ventured to the adorable town of Linz am Rhein.

Not because of the timber framed houses…

 

or the picturesque German square…

or even the beckoning barrel wine cellar.

My trip to Linz was to see a friend.

A very pregnant friend.

A friend who should have had her baby 6 days ago.

That’s right, my colleague, who we threw a baby shower for, still hasn’t had her baby.

Now, since I never travel empty-handed a love any cooking challenge, I used this opportunity to help my friend out.

You see, she was expecting to be able to eat sweets by now, free from gestational diabetes.

Once the baby comes, she can go back to her normal eating habits, but since the baby isn’t here, no sugars, no fruits, no potatoes, no fun.

Until today that is!

After seeing Angela’s Raw Energy Cookie Bites, I knew I had to try it.

After a few substitutions to bring down the sugar levels even more, I was left with a moist, nutritious, sweet cookie. One that my friend even enjoyed.

Raw Fruit, Nut and Seed Cookies

Ingredients

- 1/4 cup almonds

- 9 prunes, pitted

- 5 apricots, pitted

- 1/2 Tbsp sesame seeds

- 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds

- 1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds

- 1 Tbsp chia seeds

- 2 pinches of sea salt

- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Method

1. Put the almonds and prunes into a food processor and turn it on until the mixture is finely chopped and sticky.
2. Toss in the apricots and pulse a few times to chop them up.
3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well with your hands.
4. Press the mixture into a tablespoon measuring spoon. Press until the “cookie” is firm, pop out and repeat to create 10-11 cookies.

Nutritional Information per Cookie: 71 Calories, 4g Fat, 20 mg Sodium, 9g Carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 4 g sugar, 2 g protein.

Thanks, Angela. You made one pregnant lady very happy today!

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How to Sprout Seeds

Have you ever wondered, while looking at a $5 box of alfalfa sprouts, why you don’t just grow your own sprouts at home?

It can’t be too hard, right?

For Pete’s sake, you make your own nut butters, sprouting seeds should be a piece of cake!

The catch is, you’re not sure how to begin.

Well look no further and put away that $5 bill.

Home sprouting is easy, affordable, and pretty much fool proof.

Not that I’m calling any of you a fool.

Let’s just get that out of the way, shall we?

Another perk, you most likely have the materials needed to sprout your own seeds just sitting around your house, waiting to be put to good use.

All you need:

- 1 large glass jar with a wide mouth

- a fine piece of cloth (cheese cloth, muslin, and even sheer netting work well)

   Just be sure that the weaving is smaller than your seeds

- rubber band

- glass bowl for propping

- organic sprouting seeds or grains

That’s it! I told you’re already well equipped to begin!

The only thing you’ll probably need to buy are the seeds/ grains

All health food stores carry sprouting seeds as do some regular grocery stores.

In Germany, you can even pick up a bag in the food aisle of drug stores.

Be sure that you buy seeds and grains which are intended for sprouting.

You do not want to buy seeds which are intended for planting in the ground.

Sprouting seeds YES

Planting seeds NO

A bag of sprouting seeds will probably cost between $1-$4, depending on the variety.

For this demo, I’m using a prepared mixture of fenugreek, lentils, and Daikon radish seeds.

I like this mixture because the lentils taste sweet and nutty while the radish and fenugreek taste spicy.

Also, radish seeds, when combined with other seeds, block the growth of bacteria and milder. More on this later.

Each package of sprouting seeds will include general guidelines for growth.

There are three stages to sprouting seeds: germination, growth and harvest.

So, let’s begin shall we?

Germination

Germination simply describes the process of a seed changing from dormancy to life.

To reincarnate your seeds, they need to soak in water.

Depending on the seed variety, this can take from 6- 12 hours.

Step 1: Put 1-2 Tbsp of seeds in your jar and fill it up with water. Let the jar sit for the recommended amount of time, as stated on your seed package.

My seed mixture recommended 6-8 hours.

Step 2: After your seeds have soaked for the given amount of time, put the cloth over the mouth of the jar, seal it on with the rubber band, then drain the water away.

Step 3: Put the jar upside down in a clear container (aim for a 45 degree angle) and set in a sunny place.

Growth

For the next few days, your seeds will grow into sprouts. All you need to do is rinse the seeds 2-3 times daily to moisten and prevent bacterial growth.

Step 4: Simply fill the jar with water, gently swirl it around, then drain the water away.

Before you know it, your little seeds will begin to sprout!

Harvest

Your seed package will tell you how many days to allow from germination to harvest. The recommendation takes into consideration when the sprouts are at their top flavor.

My seeds grew for 2 days before I harvested them.

2 Tbsp of seeds yielded 1.5 cups of sprouts.

Step 5: Give your fully-grown sprouts a final rinse then store them in a paper-towel lined container in the refrigerator.

Step 6: Your seeds can be stored for at least 10 days in the refrigerator. If you notice mold, a funny smell, or sliminess, throw the sprouts out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bacteria and Mold

You must be aware of the health of your sprouts when growing them at home.

Bacteria and mold can easily be avoided by keeping your seeds rinsed and well drained.

Standing water is a haven for both mold and bacteria so be sure that your jar is angled in a way that the water is free to drain. Also, make sure that the supporting container is free from standing water.

Many people new to sprouting mistaken developing root fibers for mold.

If you look closely at the photo below, you will notice the root fibers.

 Small, fuzzy hairs growing out from the sprouts’ roots are normal.

Nutritional Benefits of Sprouts

Just to name a few of the health benefits, sprouts are:

- raw and living

- highly active antioxidants

- have shown to prevent some cancers

- easily digested

- per calorie, sprouts have a greater concentration of vitamins, minerals, proteins and enzymes compared to any other food

For more detailed descriptions of the health benefits of particular sprout varieties, visit this site.

You can also refer to this site for both the economical and nutritional benefits of home sprouting.

Uses for Sprouts

The uses for sprouts are really limited only by one’s imagination.

Sprouts can be cooked into veggie burgers and added to stir fry.

Top a salad or sandwich with sprouts.

Add them to your smoothies or fresh juice.

Incorporate the flavors into soups, vegetables and grains.

Use in place of dried seasonings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have fun growing your own healthy, versatile, tasty sprouts!

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