Apple Crisp Recipe #4

I made a super easy, not so sweet apple crisp tonight. The secret is the number 4.

Cut up 2 apples into chunks and throw into 8x8 baking dish. In a separate bowl combine:

1/4 cup oat flour

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup organic brown sugar (or Sucanat)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cardamom

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

Stir to combine. Pour evenly over apples. Top with 1/4 cup Earth balance vegan spread cut into small pieces. Bake at 340 degrees for 40 mintues. Yum!

*Note, the spice combination is my favorite. You should add 1/4 tsp. of above spices to everything you cook this fall: oatmeal, apple juice, a can of pumpkin puree. You can't go wrong.*

Chile and Cornbread

In honor of the rescued miners from Chile, and because it is chilly outside, we made chili and cornbread for dinner.

Chili Recipe

1 onion, finely diced

Olive oil

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. coriander

three hot peppers (jalapeno will do)

1 bell pepper

1 can tomato paste

1 cup beans

3 tomatoes

Soak beans overnight or at least 8 hours. Discard soak water. (Note, soaking beans makes them more digestible). Saute onion in oil. Add spices. When onions are soft and fragrant, add beans. Cover with 3 cups of water or broth. Bring to a boil. Simmer at least 2 hours. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer at least one hour. Test beans for doneness. The older your beans, the longer you will need to cook them.

* Note, because I was cleaning out the fridge I also threw in one zucchini. *

*Note, the best cornbread recipe I know is found on the back of Alber's brand cornmeal.*

Autumn's Bounty

My mom brought over this darling arrangement yesterday. I think they are called pumpkin trees. Real. Live. Sticks growing darling little pumpkins. Aren't they beautiful?

Turning Into A Punkin... or How I Was Squash-ed

My mom's pet name for my brothers and I (when we were younger, of course) was Punkin. When she adopted her first dog, an adorable black and white shih tzu, she passed the name onto him. So, in honor of pumpkins...er, punkins, everywhere, my post:

Curry Pumpkin Soup

Saute 1 finely diced onion and 2 minced cloves of garlic in olive oil until they become translucent and fragrant. Add to that 1 tsp. cumin, 2 tsp. curry, and 1/8 tsp. cayenne. ( The recipe I was using called for 1 tsp. cayenne. Wow! You know you've gone too far when guests start needing tissues and even your faithful Mexican can't stomach it. 1/8 -1/4 tsp would be just fine). Add 2 apples, pureed (or you could probably throw in a cup of applesauce instead), 1 cup of canned pumpkin (I know, I know. Canned. I did oven roast my own pumpkin last October, but I worked a full 9 hours today.) 2 cups of water or broth, and 1 tsp. organic dark brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Simmer 30 minutes. Enjoy with a crust of French bread.

I also made some delicious pumpkin muffins. I think I put in too many ingredients (one of them being canola oil) so I'll try again and post the revised recipe. Now, just make it home before midnight, or, you know what!

Plan of Attack

When it comes to colds and flus, I am becoming an expert. As a school teacher, I work at the germiest profession in the world (yes, we place above plumbers and the sewage treatment guys). Therefore, at the first signs of a bug I enlist an entire arsenal of antidotes. See list below.
1) Eat radishes. These little plants are more amazing than antibiotics. In fact, when eaten regularly they prevent the contraction of viruses. I ate 21 in 4 days- or about 5 a day. The secret to getting them down (they do have a kick) is squeezing an entire lime over them or try eating them with a sour apple.
2) If you have a fever, drink lots of liquids. However, avoid drinking gallons of water. This will wash away precious nutrients and weaken your body. I opted for herbal tea. Yogi brand is on-sale now. They have an entire line of cold season teas. Or, a simple peppermint or chamomile works well. Don't drink anything below room temperature.
3) Eat soup. Broth-y soups are incredibly healing to the body. You can eat a simple miso (very healing), chicken soup, or vegetable broth.
4) Drink a little fruit juice. Again, too much will be overly cooling and ultimately weakening, but a glass or two a day will provide nutrients and hydration.
5) Use a neti pot. This ayurvedic invention is amazing. It is like giving your sinuses a deep cleaning.
6) Rest, rest, rest.
7) If you have a fever, avoid overly warming foods like coffee, spicy food, etc. Once your fever is gone you can eat some spicy food to help clear the sinuses. A cancer specialist in L.A. found that none of his Hispanic patients developed lung cancer, even if they were long term smokers. The secret to healthy lungs? Pungent flavor.

Meet Boo

Meet Boo. You might as well. He is bound to show up repeatedly as he is a main character in my life (or, as my husband calls him, the protagonist, as in "Has the protagonist been walked today?"). He is a faithful companion and a bargain. We bought him from the shelter for $45 including leash, food bowl, collar, toy, and food. This December 13th we'll celebrate 2 years together.

October Chicken Soup

It seems odd that I would start out my blog with a meat-based recipe. I like to follow a diet based on plants. However, I also like to follow my intuition. This week the weather got colder, I got sleep deprived and stressed and a bug hit. My intuition told me to eat chicken soup and lots of it. So I obeyed. It turned out to be delicious and healing.

First I sauteed about 6 ribs of celery, 1 onion, 3 carrots, 5 cloves of garlic, and 2 chili peppers in a little unrefined untoasted sesame oil. Next I added a small chicken (of the antibiotic-free, free range variety) and covered with water. I brought it to a boil, threw in 2 lemons, 3 bayleaves, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 teaspoons of herbs de provence. After simmering for an hour and 20 minutes I removed the lemon, bayleaves, peppers and discarded. I removed the chicken, shredded the meat, fed a few pieces to my very grateful dog, and added them back to the pot along with some pre-cooked brown rice. Serve warm with a squeeze of lime. Taste the healing power! Welcome, fall.