A Vegetable with a Fruit's Name!

Watermelon Radish from Freedom Food Farm, cut down the middle

Every Saturday when I visit the Wintertime Farmer's Market at the Hope Artiste Village, I like to pick up something that isn't on my routine shopping list. This week, I got some beautiful (and delicious!) watermelon radishes from Freedom Food Farm.

Watermelon radishes taste very similar to red radishes, but slightly less bitter. I mixed them into a salad with lettuce, pea greens, parsley, avocado, carrots, and sunflower seeds. I topped it off with a lemon ginger dressing (Just lemon juice, olive oil, fresh minced ginger, sea salt, and pepper!). I strongly believe that visually appealing meals are more pleasing to the taste buds! This salad is a perfect example, both colorful and tasty!

Its an oatmeal morning

Some days, particularly when the weather is damp or icky, I wake up and immediately think- today is an oatmeal kind of morning.

Oats come in many forms including oat groats, steel cut oats, rolled oats, and instant oats. Oat groats are the most whole form of oats, while instant oats are the most processed. This is an important factor when choosing oats because the more processed they are, the less nutrients they will contain. For oats, a simple way of remembering which varieties have the most nutrients- the longer the cooking time, the more nutritious.

I myself prefer steel cut oats. They take about 45 minutes too cook, are minimally processed, and are extremely satisfying and filling!

Today's oatmeal ingredients:

steel cut oats
sweet potatoes
blackberries
ginger
cinnamon
cardamom
cashews
honey
pinch of sea salt
bit of molasses

Nomnomnom...its yummy....more on oats coming soon!

Homemade Nut Butter!

I have recently been experimenting with making my own nut butters! I don't usually eat peanuts, so I tend to lean in the direction of butters made from almonds, cashews, and seeds. Nut butters are great sources of protein as well as healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They also contain antioxidants, an array of vitamins and minerals (including vitamin E, iron, and calcium), and fiber. Pairing nut butters with whole grains or beans creates a complete protein. This does not necessarily have to occur in the same meal, but if you follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, it is important to ingest the full range of essential amino acids over the course of the day.

My favorite butters are almond butter and sunflower seed butter, though I often like to mix different nuts and seeds together. I recently made two different kinds of nut butter- almond cashew butter and almond pumpkin seed butter.

Nuts and seeds can be processed raw or roasted depending on the desired flavor. Roasting nuts will remove some of the beneficial nutrients. Nuts can also be sprouted prior to making nut butter to increase nutrient content.

There are many different options for nut butter ingredients, these include:

A. The nut(s) or seed(s) that you wish to include: almond, cashew, peanut, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, brazil nuts, sesame seeds, or flax seeds.
B. A preservative: You do not need to add a preservative if you plan on using the nut butter within 1 week, but if you would like it to last longer than that it is wise to add a natural preservative. Is usually use Vitamin E (the ingest-able version). Honey also acts as a preservative, but a lot would need to be added to significantly lengthen the freshness of the nut butter. I have not tested my nut butters to see how long they last, but I usually add about 5 mL of Vitamin E per 32 ounces of nuts/seeds. More or less can be added depending on how long you would like the nut butter to last. Refrigerating the nut butter will keep it fresher as well.
C. Sea Salt- A touch of salt can be added to bring out the flavors of the nuts/seeds.
D. Sweetener- If desired, nut butters can be sweetened. Honey, Maple Syrup, Coconut Sugar, and Date Sugar are some healthy sweetener options.
E. Flavor- You may choose to flavor your nut butter with cocoa powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract, or others spices.

Raw almonds and pumpkin seeds, ready to be processed!

Making the nut butter requires a food processor or vita-mix. I have a Cuisinart Food Processor that works great. Add your nuts/seeds of choice to the processor. The length of time required to reach a buttery consistency will vary depending on your ingredients. For instance, cashews blend fairly quickly into a nut butter, while pumpkin and sunflower seeds take much longer to break down. 

Process the nuts/seeds, stopping every few minutes to scrape the sides of the bowl. It will probably require 12-25 minutes of processing time depending on your ingredients, the machine you are using, and your desired consistency. Towards the end of the processing time, add in any additional ingredients (salt, sweetener, preservative or flavoring).

Pour nut butter into glass jars for storage and keep in the refrigerator. Makes a great snack with apples, banana, or carrots. Delicious in oatmeal, spread on sandwiches, and as a baking ingredient.

Sweet Potato Coconut Curry

Sweet potato coconut curry over black rice, garnished with fresh cilantro and yogurt.

I thought it would be most appropriate to start my blog with one of my most favorite diggable ingredients (sweet potatoes) in one of my most favorite dishes- sweet potato coconut curry! I am extremely fond of sweet potatoes and mildly obsessed with curry, so the two of them together just tickles my taste buds. I made this one with apples and raisins for some extra fruity sweetness. 

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons oil (I used olive oil, but canola oil or butter can also be used)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons minced, fresh ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• salt
• black pepper
• 3 large or 4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon honey (optional)
• 2/3 cup raisins
• 1 apple, chopped into 1/2" pieces
• 1.5 Tablespoons Muchi curry
• 1 Tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 Tablespoon coriander
• 1/2 lime
• cilantro, for garnish (optional, or substitute parsley)
• yogurt (optional)

Directions:

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a stainless steel pan. Add chopped onions, cumin seeds, and cloves and saute for 5 minutes. Add some salt and pepper along with the ginger and garlic. Saute for another 5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes and saute for a few more minutes, stirring frequently. Add coconut milk along with raisins, apple, honey and spices. Add water to the pot until the liquid is just covering the sweet potatoes. Cook for approximately 20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened. Season with salt to taste. Turn off heat and add juice from 1/2 a lime (or lemon). Garnish with fresh cilantro and a dollop of yogurt. Serve over rice or a favorite grain or with naan bread.

Serves 4-6

For best results, enjoy with good company!

I love cooking Indian food! Many dishes require a lot of spices, but two of my go-to ingredients are Muchi curry and Garam masala. Muchi curry is a combination of turmeric, cumin, ginger, coriander, fenugreek, cloves, garlic, celery seed and cayenne pepper. Garam masala is a combination of cumin coriander, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves,  and nutmeg. Both spice mixtures provide a satisfying depth of flavors, that can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. You can find these spice mixtures at local spice shops or grocery stores that carry bulk spices or Indian spices. If you cannot find the mixtures

Besides being extremely delicious and stimulating to your taste buds, curry is also very healthy! All of the major curry spices- turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and nutmeg are extremely anti-inflammatory. They also increase circulation and stimulate digestion. And don't be afraid of using coconut milk just because it is high in fat! The fat from coconuts is extremely healthy and coconuts are one of the only plant sources of saturated fats, which are essential nutrients. They also have a range of minerals including phosphorus, magnesium, copper, selenium, and zinc. Coconuts are anti-inflammatory and boost immune function too!