Amaranth granola

At Easter, we met a bunch of Germans in a house by a lake in northern Germany. Three boys who went to school together, and their partners, and their sons - one each, aged 5-7. One partner was missing though - the Swedish opera singer had to stay in Berlin to do Wagner. But she provided us with lots of goodies, including a jar of delicious granola based on popped amaranth. Which made me realize it could be time to mix up my granola game - I've been making variations on the same recipe using oats since forever - I love it, but this one was good too! Granola is great in general - simple and tasty and good to eat alone or sprinkled on top of almost anything... I asked L for her recipe but she wasn't sure if she had one, so I used this one for guidance/inspiration.

I was feeling lazy and tried to order the amaranth already popped. But when it arrived it turned out it was just the seeds. So first thing I had to do was try and pop it (I looked to here for help)... which actually, it turned out, was quite fun - the seeds are tiny (only about a mm diameter), but they pop just like popcorn! So cute...

2 cups puffed amaranth (I think I popped about 10-12 tbsp of seeds to get this much - but do a bit too much, it should store OK)

1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts (or use pecans)

2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 tsp cocoa powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground vanilla

3 tbsp coconut oil 

1/4 cup maple syrup

First pop the amaranth. You could do this in advance and keep until needed. Heat a big high-sided metal pot (dry) until pretty hot, then put in one tbsp of amaranth seeds, give it a few seconds, shaking it a bit, until it all pops - then tip out into a big bowl. If it doesn't pop and burns instead, the pan isn't hot enough - discard, let it heat up a bit more, then try again until you hit the right temperature. Keep going, 1-2 tbsp at a time (should not be more than a single layer in the pan), until you have enough. Let cool before putting in a storage jar or going right ahead to make the granola.

When ready to make granola, heat oven to 180C and line a big baking tray with baking paper.

Mix dry stuff (excluding the dried fruit) in a big bowl. In a separate bowl, warm the coconut oil gently until it is liquid (if it is not already), then mix with the maple syrup. Add wet to dry and mix well. Spread out evenly on the baking tray, transfer to the oven, and bake for c. 15 min (try less next time) until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and let cool 20-30 min before putting in a storage jar.

 

I love this stuff, a really interesting taste / texture. Maybe a bit too much salt and syrup - could reduce next time. Also maybe a tiny bit too long in the oven - try 12 min next time. Also wasn't very clumpy - consider adding some psyllium husk next time?

Now I am wondering what else I can use popped amaranth for! Also, what else can I pop - quinoa, perhaps?

Plain stovetop rice pudding

It was the last day of børnehave in s's normal place on Friday, before they move to the summer situation next week. I think everyone had picked up early - he was the only kid left when I got there. As we were leaving, one of the teachers came running after us with two full cartons of milk - she gave them to us, saying we should take them, otherwise they go in the bin. So we did. We don't usually have normal milk in the house (oat milk and powered milk), and milk doesn't keep well, so we've been on a mission to use up all the milk ever since... We're doing quite well! I have been making s lots of milkshakes (milk blended up with banana and other fruit)... and then S had the idea of making rice pudding... Which, the more I thought about it, seemed like a good idea! I roughly followed this recipe, adding more spices but otherwise keeping it quite plain. 

120 g pudding rice

800 ml milk

200 ml water

2 tbsp maple syrup

3/4 tsp cinnamon

3/4 tsp vanilla powder

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Put all ingredients in a big pan, mix, then heat gently, stirring occasionally, for c. 45 min - until thick and creamy but still with a tiny bit of bite in the rice. 

We ate it with the options of (1) chopped fresh mango (the great pakistani honey mango season is still upon us!); or (2) summer fruit compote with mainly cherries, apple, blueberries and pink currants. It was surprisingly good - although s refused to eat it.

 

Chocolate almond butter balls

These were delicious - very decadent.

100g coconut oil, melted
100ml maple syrup
125g cocoa powder, plus 2 tbsp for rolling
170g almond butter
Pinch of sea salt

Mix the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, cocoa powder, nut butter and sea salt in a bowl. Pour into a wide, shallow dish (the wider the dish, the faster it will cool), then put in the freezer for 20 minutes, or until set.

Use a tablespoon (and dry hands) to roll the mix into large, marble-sized balls. Put two tablespoons of cocoa powder on a plate and roll each ball until covered on all sides. Store in the fridge until needed.

Seedy crackers

We've bought seedy crackers a few times, was too lazy to make them. Then realized maybe it was easy. As I trawled Anna Jones recipes, I saw these ones, and decided to add them to the s-and-me morning baking session list.

50 g sunflower seeds
50 g pumpkin seeds
50 g sesame seeds
25 g poppy seeds
25 g chia seeds
100 g rolled oats
1 tsp psyllium seed husk
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tbsp maple syrup
1 1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil
175 ml water

Optional:
1/2 heaped tsp fennel seeds and a little pinch of dried chilli or
1/2 tbsp raisins, roughly chopped, and a little pinch of cinnamon

Heat oven to 190 C/175 C fan/gas 5. Get all your ingredients together, and line a baking sheet with baking paper (and have a second sheet the same size on hand).

Combine all the dry ingredients, including one of the optional flavourings if you are using them, and stir well.

Mix the maple syrup, coconut oil and water together in a measuring cup. Add to the dry ingredients and mix very well, until everything is completely soaked and the mixture becomes very thick.

Scrape out onto the lined tray and even out a bit, then put another piece of baking paper on top. Use a rolling pin to roll out the mixture until it is about 1⁄2cm thick. Take the top layer of paper off and use the tip of a sharp knife to score the mixture into rectangles.

Bake the crackers for 20 min. Remove from the oven and flip the sheet over, then peel off the paper to expose the underside of the crackers. Put back into the oven for another 20 min (check after 15). They are ready when they are firm and golden round the edges. Allow to cool, then break along the lines where they have been scored.


I did a half quantity of the original recipe - one baking sheet's worth - this is a good amount for us. I also threw in some psyllium husk to help with sticking together. 

I just made them for a second time, this time with raisins. They are good! You have to keep a careful eye on them though - I almost burnt this batch, while the last ones were a bit underdone. Perhaps the exact thickness makes a big difference? s didn't love them sooo much the first time but he seemed more into the raisin variant (despite them being a little bit over).

Kid-friendly coconutty ‘flapjacks’

I stumbled upon this 'flapjack' recipe and it sounded really like something small S and I would both like - not too sweet, lots of tasty stuff. It took me a while to get around to making it but when I did I discovered that I was so right: we both love it! I've been making a half quantity in a loaf tin (I don't have a bigger square or rectangular baking tin) and that lasts us about a week. We have been developing a little tradition of baking snacks together on Sunday mornings that small S can eat after vuggestue through the rest of the week. We've made these a couple of time now. Also, I have discovered that I love pretty much every Anna Jones baking recipe I have tried so far - she uses all my favourite things!

4 tbsp chia seeds
200g rolled oats
150g dried fruit (used a mixture of dried apricots and raisins)
1 medium carrot
1 apple
100g desiccated coconut
100g pumpkin seeds
6 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground ginger
70g coconut oil, melted

Heat the oven to 200C and line a 20cm × 30cm baking tin (or large loaf tin for a half quantity) with greaseproof paper. In a small bowl, soak the chia seeds in four tablespoons of water, then set aside (did 2 tbsp chia in 3 tbsp water for half recipe - the chia mixture felt too thick the first time).

Put the oats in blender and blend until you have a scruffy flour, then tip into a large bowl. Put half the dried fruit into blender and blend until broken down and a little mushy. Scrape into the bowl with the oats.

Grate the carrot and apple (no need to peel them... also ok with double apple no carrot or double carrot no apple, depending on availability) into the bowl, and add the remaining dried fruit, coconut, chia mixture, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup, vanilla, spices and melted coconut oil. Mix well.

Spoon into the tin, smooth the top with the back of a spoon, and bake for 40–45 minutes (c 30 min for half quantity), until golden brown. Leave to cool a little in the tray, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Slice into pieces.

Boiled peanuts

We ate a lot of dumplings in honour of Chinese New Year. I was thinking about potential side dishes, in case only dumplings wouldn't be a proper meal, and suddenly remembered super tasty boiled peanuts we'd eaten with dumplings from a food stall at Vippa (food stall place in shipping building by the ferry port) in Oslo. I couldn't quite remember how they'd been, other than that they were brown and tasted like soy sauce... We had some peanuts, so I followed this recipe. We also ate some miso aubergine with our dumplings.

1 cup raw shelled peanuts with skins (only had roasted salted ones so rinsed them and used them)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin (or white wine)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp corn syrup (used maple syrup)
1 cup water 
1/4 tsp sesame seeds

Put the peanuts in a small pan with 2 cups water, bring to the boil, and boil for about 5 min. Drain. Put the peanuts back in the pan with the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, syrup and water. Bring to the boil. Simmer over a medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, approx 20-25 min, stirring occasionally (I found it took a little longer, but then also thought maybe I went too far - they were a little bit too sticky). Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and maybe some chopped coriander, and serve.

Apple muffins

Our apple tree started dropping apples already, so I wanted to make a start on some apple recipes to use them up. I fancied making muffins, even though they are not the most efficient way to use up apples. I liked the sound of this recipe, with grated, diced and sauced apple in it, and decided to give it a go even before I realized it's also a great baking-with-honey recipe - I especially like that it takes into account honey's tendency to dry out / burn.

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup plain flour
1/2 cup oats
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup grated apple
1 cup diced (1 cm) apple
1/3 cup olive oil (or veg oil)
1/2 cup honey (or maple syrup)
2 eggs (ideally at room temp)
1/2 cup Greek yoghurt
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1 tbsp demerara sugar to go on top

Heat the oven to 163C / 325F (218C / 425F for maple syrup). Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin.

In a large bowl, mix flours, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, bicarb and salt with a fork. Add grated and chopped apple and stir.

In a medium bowl, beat oil, honey (or maple syrup) together, then add eggs and beat, then add yoghurt and apple sauce and mix.

Add wet to dry and mix until just combined, adding raisins and pecans in the final few strokes. Spoon into muffin cups and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for c 25 min (13-15 min for maple syrup), until skewer comes out clean.

Christmas food 2015

We got a veg share from the coop we just joined, and based our Christmas Day food around that. We ate:

Maple-roasted parsnips and celeriac (similar to this)

Roasted brussels sprouts with pomegranate molasses (a simplified version of this)
Red cabbage and sesame salad (similar to this, with coriander instead of chives and no carrot or radish)
Potato, mint and edamame salad
Tahini-lemon sauce

Zimtsterne (these take ages to make but keep very well)

S was in charge of Christmas Eve since that is the special day in Germany. We ate cheese fondue (which is apparently traditional) with broccoli, cauliflower, gnocchi, bread pieces.

Sanddorn / sea buckthorn / havtorn

Our bike foraging mission around Amagerfælled resulted in a good collection of blackberries, and also a flush of bright orange sea buckthorn berries.

I remembered trying to collect these with my Mum, and failing as they exploded / were too thorny to get at. These weren't such big problems this time - perhaps the berries were a little underripe? Slow going though, they are small and you have to move slowly to avoid the thorns.

Having collected a couple of pints, we got home and wondered what to do with them. I decided to keep it simple, and just heated the berries in a covered pan until they started to pop, then squashed them with the back of a wooden spoon. I strained the resulting mush, and ended up with a cup or two of thick, very bright orange juice that looks like mango juice but is quite sour. I liked it mixed with maple syrup to take the edge off, then either mixed through plain yoghurt or in these drinks.

Sanddorn and maple syrup fizz

Mix a couple of tbsp sanddorn juice with a couple of tsp maple syrup, then top up glass with fizzy water and mix. The colour is wonderful and the syrup takes out some of the sharpness from the sanddorn so you can taste it better.

Havtorn gin and tonic

Add a couple of tbsp havtorn juice to a gin and tonic with ice. Perhaps a little maple syrup to taste if you find it too sour.


Note: the sanddorn juice could be saved for future use by freezing - it won't keep more than a week or so in the fridge.

Flourless oat and seed bread

This was one of those recipes that cropped up one too many times. Eventually I could no longer resist and bought some psyllium seed husk, despite the fact I am supposed to be only using things up in the pantry these days. It is a sort of a gluten-free bread, but with no flour at all - it is packed with seeds and oats and the binding is purely by chia, flax and psyllium seed husk.

I made this shortly before leaving for Scotland (ten days ago), and froze some slices. I remembered it on the journey home and looked forward to its deliciousness all the rest of the way.

The first time I saw this recipe was here (thanks to LB), and the deciding time, the one that precipitated me making it at last (and the one I followed), was here.

2 1/4 cups (235g) oats (GF oats if you want it to be properly gluten free)
1 cup (160g) sunflower seeds
1/2 cup (65g) pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup (90g) almonds, roughly chopped
3/4 cup (120g) flax seeds
1/3 cup (25g) psyllium seed husks (I bought from Trader Joe's)
3 tbsp (25g) chia seeds
2 tsp (12g) sea salt
2 tbsp (40g) maple syrup
1/4 cup (55g) olive oil
2 1/2 cups (600g) water

Oil a loaf tin. If you like, toast the almonds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds. Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the oil, maple syrup and water and mix well with your hands. Transfer to the oiled loaf tin and put in the fridge for somewhere between two and 24 hours (overnight might be convenient).

Take the loaf tin out of the fridge and let come to room temp. Heat the oven to 400F / 200C. Bake for about an hour, then take out and let cool a bit before tipping out onto a cooling rack and allowing to cool completely (at least two hours).


This reminds me of a seedy soda bread I used to make - dense and full of crunch and delicious toasty seeds. Basically, if you like toasted seeds, you'll like this. Toasts well (including from the freezer); good with hummus or avocado. I pretty much decided that toasting seeds is unnecessary faff. Lots of substitutions possible - the flax, chia and psyllium have to stay but the sunflower and pumpkin seeds could be mixed with other seeds, the almonds switched for hazelnuts or other nuts, dried fruit would probably be interesting, honey or brown sugar instead of maple, coconut or other oil instead of olive...

Squash and quinoa salad

We've had a butternut squash in the pantry for months. I love how long those last. S came home last night and I wanted something good to feed him, decided to sacrifice the squash. I made this salad: another variation on a squash salad theme similar to this one and this one.

~1 kg pumpkin / squash (about 2/3 of a large butternut squash)
1 tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 tsp chilli flakes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp maple syrup
handful of finely chopped coriander roots and stems
salt and pepper
1 cup (185g) quinoa, cooked in 1 1/2 cups (375ml) water
juice of one large lime
a good handful each of fresh mint and coriander leaves
toasted pumpkin seeds

Heat oven to 200C / 400F. Cut squash into chunks ~2-3cm wide. Combine squash with ginger, chilli, garlic, olive oil, maple, coriander roots/stems, salt and pepper. Put into a large oven tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the squash is cooked. Remove and set aside.

When the pumpkin and quinoa are cooked, combine in a large bowl, along with all the bits from the roasting tin. Add the lime and herbs, season to taste, and scatter over the pumpkin seeds just before eating. Eat warm or at room temperature.

Popcorn with maple syrup, thyme and salt

We got popping corn in the CSA a while back, but when I tried popping it: nothing but burned bits. I had thought popcorn foolproof... evidently not.

This time I think I discovered my mistake: I'd heated the oil before adding the popcorn - do not do this!

~2 tbsp sunflower oil (or other high heat oil... coconut might be nice)
~1/2 cup popping corn
pinch of salt

flavouring to add when popped (optional): dried thyme, maple syrup, salt, all to taste

Use a tall, heavy-bottomed pan with a lid. Put the oil in, then add the corn and a pinch of salt. Put the lid on and shoogle around to coat the corn with oil. Turn on a high heat and, keeping the pan covered, heat it, shaking occasionally, until the corn starts to pop. Keep shaking occasionally until it stops popping. Take off the heat, shake and listen for the last few pops, then uncover. Perhaps best to add additional seasonings on an individual serving basis.

Açaí

S's friend Sascha has been staying with us this last week. He has been to Brazil a couple of times so was excited to find a couple of Brazilian grocery stores while roaming around the city (we had to work a bit). He came home with several forms of guarana, cashew and guava juices, and frozen açaí berry. S+I had eaten açaí once before, in Hawaii, so knew it was good and were familiar with the general format of it. But had never thought to look for it at our neighbourhood Brazilian store. It's Sascha's last day here today and at last we got around to whizzing up our açaí bowls.

(makes enough for three)

1 large packet of frozen açaí pulp
maple syrup (1-2 tbsp)
almond milk (1-2 tbsp)
~2 bananas
granola
roughly chopped strawberries (optional)
guarana powder (optional)
cacao nibs (optional)
flaked almonds (optional)
raisins (optional)

Put açaí in a blender with some maple syrup, some almond milk and one banana broken into big pieces. Blend until thick and smooth (add just enough milk to make it thick but smooth, and just enough sweetener to bring out the taste).

Scoop the açaí mixture into bowls and then add the other banana (chopped), granola, strawberries, guarana, cacao, almonds and raisins to taste. Mix up and eat.


I didn't know before that açaí is the fruit from a palm tree that is also cultivated for hearts of palm. It has a wonderfully deep, dark purple colour - almost brownish. It tastes berryish and exciting, and looks beautiful with granola and fruit scattered on top. The from-frozen preparation makes it this into a kind of intense, awesomely thick smoothie that you then pimp with fruit, nuts, granola and whatever else you fancy. The guarana and cacao will help get you going in the morning if that is what you are looking for. A delicious start to today / this week.

Pumpkin and tofu roasted with miso and thyme

At last I decided to butcher the squash (I think it was a red kabocha) I got from Drumlin the day I volunteered there way back in September. It was one of the first ones they harvested, and I was excited to eat it, but of course squashes keep well, so it had been sitting patiently in the pantry ever since. It was still in great condition when I finally got to it over the weekend. Some of it became soda bread - I had an old Delia recipe on my mind I wanted to veganise. Some I roasted with miso, tofu and thyme like this. I toasted the seeds with spices, and they came to L's birthday party with me and one of two soda bread rounds. And I still have half the squash left in the fridge!

1/4 of a large kabocha squash (about 9 oz, prepared weight)
2/3 of a pack of firm tofu, drained
2 tbsp white miso
~2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 tbsp mirin
1-2 tsp sesame oil
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp maple syrup
black pepper

Heat the oven to 400F. Wash and deseed the squash or pumpkin and cut into large chunks (don't bother peeling). Cut the drained tofu into similar sized chunks. Put both into a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients to make a smooth, viscous liquid. Pour the liquid over the chunks and mix well to coat all the chunks, with your hands or a big spoon. Transfer the mixture to a roasting tin (in a single layer), put in the oven and roast for ~45 min, until the squash is tender and all is nicely browned.


This was really delicious - the squash is tender, deep red, and very sweet and flavourful; I am really into baked / grilled tofu with sauces right now (had some good stuff at the LUrC potluck last night too).

Muesli muffins

I have had to come in to work before 6 am a few times lately. It doesn't make sense to eat my usual muesli breakfast in the wee, dark hours somehow. I just had a brainwave though: what if I transform the muesli into easily-portable muffin form?! It would make a great, practical breakfast for those days and for any other days when I have to have breakfast (or a snack) on the go. My basic muesli bowl contains oats, linseeds, sunflower seeds, flaked almonds, raisins, almond milk, blueberries, banana, a little cinnamon and a splash of maple syrup - I would hardly have to add anything (perhaps some raising agent; perhaps some oil but sunflower oil would effectively be covered already)...

(makes 10)

1 cup oat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar*
1/4 cup flaked almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raisins
2 tbsp toasted linseeds
1 banana, mashed roughly with a fork
2 1/2 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 5 tbsp boiling water
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup frozen blueberries

Heat oven to 380F and prepare a muffin tin. Mix oat flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, flaked almonds, sunflower seeds, raisins and toasted linseeds in a medium mixing bowl with a fork. In a separate bowl, mash the banana, then add linseed-water mixture, maple syrup, almond milk, brown sugar and oil and beat together with a fork. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just combined, adding the blueberries in the final strokes. Dollop into prepared muffin cups and bake for ~25 min.

*consider leaving out brown sugar and increasing maple syrup


I made these exactly as above and they were dreamy. Exactly as I wanted. Seriously - perhaps one of the best recipes I have ever made up. They held together and rose excellently and were packed with deliciousness. I took them to the woods with D, K and A and we tested them, and they were good. Might reduce the sunflower seeds to 1/8 cup but apart from that wouldn't change a thing.

Edit: Also, I ate one before aerials one night and it gave me loads of energy. I think it was the muffin anyway, it might just have been adrenaline or who knows what. Will repeat the experiment.

Maitake, the Dancing Mushroom

In August, I dreamed about Black Trumpets and how much I wanted to try them. And, lo and behold, that very day C rang to see if we wanted to share in a fantastic haul of those very same shrooms. So lucky! Come October maitake (hen of the woods) was my dream. Lucky again: this time it is D whose generosity lets it be reality. Maitake is a beautiful mushroom, inside and out. I may have to revise my favourite mushroom rankings...

I was thinking of just sauteeing the mushroom with a little garlic, but I fancied eating it with bok choi... and miso... and egg... and the next thing I knew all those things (and a few more besides) were in one pan making party. Maitake is fairly substantial in volume, taste and texture, so I figured it should stand up to some light flavour addition - I wouldn't consider any of these additions to be too overpowering (in the quantities used).

1-2 tbsp veg oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 piece ginger same size as the garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
~2 cupfuls cleaned maitake, torn into equal-sized pieces about 1 in x 3 in
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 egg, beaten (optional)
1 bunch small bok choi, washed and cut into pieces similar sized to the maitake
1/2 cup frozen sweetcorn, defrosted
1 tbsp white miso
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp lime juice
1-2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped (optional)

Heat the oil and add the garlic and ginger. Cook for a minute or two then add the chilli flakes. Stir, then add the maitake. Saute for 10-15 min, until it has released liquid and taken it up again, shrunk, and is lightly browned. Add the sesame seeds and cook for a minute or two til just starting to brown. Make space in the pan then add the beaten egg. Let it cook into a mini omelette in the middle then slice roughly with your spoon and mix in lightly. Add the bok choi and sweetcorn and cook until the bok choi just wilts. Mix the miso, maple syrup, soy sauce and lime juice in a small bowl, then add to the pan, turn off heat and mix to combine. Serve with a sprinkling of coriander. Good with noodles or rice or wheatberries (the last being what I had kicking around in the fridge).


For notes on drying and rehydrating maitake, see here.

Butternut butter

I saw this butter recipe and it sounded super simple. Pumpkin season is upon us ('Pumped for Pumpkin at Dunkin'')- two butternut squashes in the CSA last weekend to emphasise the point. Right now I am into it; I'm sure the novelty will wear off eventually... Anyway, I gave the recipe a shot, with mixed results, but whatever I'll eat it.

1 small-medium butternut squash (~800g)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
60 ml water
35 g brown sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/8 tsp ground cloves*
1/4 tsp ground allspice*
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg*
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon*
1/2 tsp ground ginger*

Heat oven to 350F. Cut the squash in half lengthways, deseed and place cut side down on a lightly oiled baking tray. Bake for 60-90 min, until soft when poked. Let cool until handleable, then remove the skin and put the flesh into a blender. Add the remaining ingredients and whizz until smooth. Transfer to a pan and simmer gently, covered, for ~20 min until thick.

*all together = pumpkin spice


This tastes great but the texture didn't work for me - perhaps I should have roasted the squash longer; perhaps the other way up; perhaps add more water... It was very thick all the way through, and basically set in the fridge, and was kinda lumpy - not silky smooth like pumpkin butter I've eaten before (make sure to use actual blender not stick one).

Easiest beetroot prep: beetroot and brazil nut salad

Beetroot is so beautiful, so tasty, and even comes as two veg in one: greens plus roots. Here is my usual, simplest way to prep the roots - once they are cooked they peel very easily, and can be thrown in any kind of salad or grain dish. Like the one below.

Beetroot prep
 
Separate the beetroot from the greens (save the greens for something else). Scrub the beetroot (but don't peel), then put in a small saucepan and fill with water so covered by about an inch. Cover, bring to the boil, and simmer for 20-30 min, until a pointy knife tip goes in easily (ie they are tender). Drain the beetroot, leave to cool and refrigerate until needed.

Beetroot and brazil nut salad

~6 small beetroot, prepped in advance as above
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
salt+pepper
~10 brazil nuts, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp fresh chives, finely chopped
~8 leaves crunchy Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped

Peel the beetroot: the peel should just slide off as you rub your fingers along them. Dice the naked beetroot into large chunks. Put mustard, maple syrup, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper in a medium serving bowl, then beat together with a fork. Add the diced beetroot and toss, then add the remaining ingredients and toss some more.


Herb combinations can be varied: chives alone, parsley alone, coriander or mint would all be good. the lettuce is optional (although the dressing quantities could be halved if not using). The nuts can also be subbed: walnuts instead, or toasted pumpkin seeds, or nigella seeds.

Roast parsnips and sweet potato with mustard and maple

A simple update of a Delia recipe. With the last of the Spring (ie sweetest) parsnips. The Summer (weekly) CSA has started so I felt the need to empty the fridge out before the green deluge begins...

4 medium parsnips, trimmed and scrubbed
1 large sweet potato, trimmed and scrubbed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sumac
salt+pepper
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp olive oil

Heat oven to 450F. Chop the parsnips and sweet potato (leave peel on) into chunky sticks (~2 cm across / 8 cm long). Put the vegetable pieces in a bowl and toss with 1 tbsp olive oil, sumac, salt and pepper. Transfer the veg to a large baking tray (with edges). Put in the oven and roast for 30-40 min, until the vegetables are tender all the way through and lightly browned. Mix 1 tsp olive oil, maple syrup and olive oil, then distribute over the top of the roasted veg. Eat warm or cold.

Pumpkin in June (M's birthday): Pumpkin and spice granola

It is M's birthday this weekend and she loves pumpkin, so I thought of making her some pumpkin stuff. Granola sprang to mind: it keeps for a good while, and if I pack it in a jar and label it, it should make a pretty gift - for snacking and for breakfasts. Ever since I made granola for the first time a week or two ago I keep thinking of potential variations - it seems like such an easy, adaptable thing to make. So I thought I'd try it using some pumpkin as part of the wet stuff, and adding pumpkin spice (cinnamon / ginger / nutmeg / allspice - also cloves but I didn't feel like grinding any), pumpkin seeds, pecans, maple and brown sugar to max out the pumpkinny/autumnal-ness. Happily I still had pumpkin puree in the freezer from last Autumn, so us being totally out of season for pumpkin was no big deal.

3 cups oats (old-fashioned)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup pecan pieces
good pinch (1/4 tsp) desert (or sea) salt
1-2 tbsp ground linseed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 cup pumpkin (or squash) puree
3 tbsp refined coconut oil (liquid state)
1/2 tbsp maple syrup + 1/2 tbsp maple cream
2-3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp date molasses
1 tsp vanilla essence

Heat the oven to 350F. Mix the oats, pumpkin seeds, pecans, salt, ground linseed and spices in a medium-large bowl. Put the pumpkin puree, coconut oil, maple syrup, brown sugar, date molasses and vanilla in a small bowl and beat with a fork until smooth. Add this liquidy mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with your hands until well combined. Spread onto a large baking sheet (with edges) and put in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, taking out every 10 minutes or so to move the granola around with a wooden spoon and check it is not burning. When it is lightly browned it is done. Take it out of the oven and allow to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container to store.


Came out yummy. I was a little underwhelmed by the pumpkin / spice flavour at first: it tastes good (toasty) but not intensely pumpkinny. But the next day it smells lovely when I open the jar, and the taste is definitely there.