Orange Sesame Stir Fry

Orange Sesame Stir Fry

Vegetables
4 scallions, diced finely
1 inch ginger root, diced finely
15-20 baby carrots, chopped
1 head broccoli, chopped
3/4 c snow peas, whole
3/4 c sugar snap peas, whole
1 small can water chestnuts
10 cremini, white, or portabella mushrooms, sliced

Sauce
4 T Tamari
1 T sesame oil
2 T orange marmalade
1 T red chili powder
salt & pepper to taste

*Feel free to add meat (chicken would work well) or fermented tofu to this dish if you'd like.

**We recommend use of organic ingredients where possible.

Add 1/2" water to a frying pan over medium heat.  Add scallions and ginger.  Add carrots, broccoli, whole peas, water chestnuts, and mushrooms.  Mix together sauce ingredients in a small bowl.  Steam vegetables until nearly done.  Add sauce to vegetable pan, steam entire dish for 2-3 minutes more until complete.  Serve up and enjoy!

NOTE: Admittedly this dish isn't technically a stir fry; that's because there's ample evidence indicating steaming is healthier than frying.  However if you prefer frying feel free to do so; just replace the water with a healthy oil of your preference.

Squash Salad

As part of our tribute to Harvest Time we have more exciting salad recipes to share with you!  Harvest Time is an ideal time to sample various fall vegetables you may have never tried before.  There are so many different kinds of squash in the world the likely limiting factor is time, not variety.  Delicata, acorn, butternut, spaghetti, and kabocha squashes are just a few of our fancied fall favorites.

Squash Salad - Two Varieties

Variety 1
2 c mixed baby greens
3/4 c cooked, mashed squash
1/4 - 1/2 c broccoli/clover sprouts
2 T honey mustard miso dressing*
1.5 tsp grapeseed oil
salt & pepper to taste

*Honey Mustard Miso Dressing (derived from Cold Mountain Miso)
3 T white or yellow miso paste
3 T honey
2 T red vinegar (any variety)
2 T mustard

For dressing mix all ingredients together in a small bowl; you'll likely have enough for several salads.

Variety 2
2 c mixed baby greens
1/2 - 3/4 c cooked, mashed squash
1/2 avocado, cubed
1 T hemp hearts
1/4 c fresh sauerkraut w/ juice (Bubbies' is the absolute best!)
pomegranate vinegar, salt & pepper to taste

**We recommend use of organic ingredients where possible.

For both these recipes it's ideal to cook a big batch of squash that will last you several days up to an entire week...that way you'll have a ready resource of squash to top your lunchtime (or anytime) salads whenever you desire.  Happy Fall!

Hearty Kale Chips!

Oh the glories of kale!  Despite its appearance and reputation as a way-too-healthy coarse vegetable, kale is believed to be superbly beneficial for humans as it's rich with nutrients.  Kale (Brassica oleracea) is related to cauliflower, broccoli, and collard greens.  Similar to other cruciferous vegetables, kale is rich in vitamins C, K, and calcium.  Kale is also an ideal source of antioxidant carotenoids such as beta carotene (a precursor to vitamin A), zeaxanthin, and lutein (all of which are purportedly good for eye health).  As if such characteristics weren't sufficient kale is also an adequate source of sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol; both compounds are associated with anti-cancer properties.

So to celebrate the wonder of kale we have a hearty, healthy recipe to share with you; we hope it delights your palate and helps you enjoy green living.

Hearty Kale Chips
2 bundles curly kale, leaves plucked from stems (w/ stems discarded)
1 c raw cashews
2 garlic cloves
1/8 c nutritional yeast
1 large lime, squeezed
1 tsp red chili powder
water
salt, pepper, and Hungarian paprika to taste

*We recommend use of organic ingredients where possible.

Using one or two large bowls separate the kale leaves from the stems and rinse thoroughly.  Place 1 c raw cashews in a blender, add enough water to meet the 1 c line on the blender's side.  Then add the remaining garlic, nutritional yeast, lime juice, and spices.  Blend all sauce ingredients together until the mixture is smooth.  Thoroughly lather the kale leaves with the sauce.

Place the coated kale leaves onto a 4-stack dehydrator and dehydrate at 115 degrees for 4-5 hours.  You should have enough kale chips to last one week (unless you're super hungry...it's easy to feel that way with this scrumptious recipe ;-).

Pumpkin Walnut Clove Muffins

Harvest Time is a special time; it presents an opportunity for us to connect with the earth, ourselves, and each other through the harvesting, processing, and preparation of food nurtured into fruition during the hot summer months.  If you're as much a fan of vitamin-rich pumpkins as we are, and you enjoy transforming pumpkin into various foodie delights, then hopefully you'll relish this recipe.  These pumpkin walnut clove muffins are low-sugar, low carb, vegan, and grain-free.

FYI: The walnuts in this recipe help balance the overall fat profile; almonds have a greater proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) relative to polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), and walnuts have proportionally more PUFAs than MUFAs.  The PUFAs in walnuts are also reputed a good source of omega-3 fats.  Related the shredded coconut and coconut oil provide a bit of potentially healthy saturated fat (yes, we said "healthy"...the reputation of saturated fats is quickly changing across American culture).

Pumpkin Walnut Clove Muffins

Dry Ingredients
1.5 c almond meal
1/2 c desiccated shredded coconut
1/4 c coconut flour
3/4 c sprouted walnuts, diced
1 T granulated sugar (or sweetener of choice*)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients
4 flax eggs**
1 T coconut oil
1 15oz. can pumpkin
1 T apple cider vinegar

*Remember if you use a liquid sweetener to mix it in with the wet ingredients.

**(1 flax egg = 1 T flax meal + 3 T warm water allowed to stand at room temperature for 5-10 minutes so the flax meal can expand)

***We recommend use of organic ingredients where possible.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a twelve-cup muffin dish with paper muffin liners.  Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, and the wet ingredients together in a separate medium bowl.  Combine dry- and wet ingredients together.  Distribute the batter into the twelve paper muffin cups.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.  Yum!!

Nutritional Breakdown (approximate values for each of 12 muffins):
Fats - 16.98 g, of which 4.42 g are saturated
Protein - 6.10 g
Carbohydrates - 5.18 g