zucchini chips.

If you love your dehydrator as much as I do, you will want to keep using it all summer. We love kale chips and make them all the time. But you can also make snack 'chips' from other veggies too (beets!). Zucchini is in that 'overabundance always have too much of it' category. And honestly, it doesn't have much flavor on its own. But these chips? So good, so easy and you can make them all summer long.


It is basically the same as kale chips. You slice your zucchini very thinly with a knife or mandolin and put into a bowl. In a small bowl mix together 2 tsp of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, and any herb blend you like. I used a nice pinch of yellow curry powder and some dried cilantro from the garden. See what you like - smoky paprika, onion powder, fresh thyme...


Drizzle the mixture over the slices, tossing gently until completely coated. Lay the slices out on your dehydrator and dry until crispy. Be sure to rotate your trays so they dry evenly.


I like using the dehydrator because it doesn't heat up the house on hot days, and it also doesn't heat the food to a high temperature. You can do these in an oven on a baking sheet (or something that allows air to flow all around like a rack), just be sure to use the lowest temperature setting, open the door a bit if needed, and to turn them over midway.

The time they need to dehydrate will depend on the humidity where you are. Just let them go until crispy. They will stay crispy in an air tight container if they are really dry, but can get a little soft in a bag if there is much humidity or they were not dehydrated until fully dry. So best to just eat them right away! It is hard to stop anyway...

kale chips.

Kale always seems to be one of those under-appreciated greens. In my house I am the only one who likes it. In fact my boys just don't like leafy greens and the only way they enjoy eating them is juiced into their morning smoothies with frozen fruit. But, kale chips is one of those things that everyone likes. Even picky kids (or husbands). They are crispy, salty, and have lots of good flavor. They are also really easy to make - so when you have a bunch of kale that you don't know what to do with...make chips!


::kale chips::

1 bunch of kale

::base flavor::
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

::spice mixes to add to the base::

dilly:
1 tsp fresh finely minced dill
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder

earthy:
2 shakes of toasted sesame oil
1 tsp ground cumin

spicy:
1/2 tsp Spanish paprika
pinch cayenne
pinch yellow curry powder

::instructions::

-Wash and dry the kale.


-Cut out the thick center stalks (clean scissors are the easiest way).
-Tear/cut into 3" pieces.


-Add your oils/spices to a bowl and stir a tad. Then toss the kale into the bowl, tossing and stirring until it is all coated.
-Let it sit for 10-15 minutes.


-Toss again and arrange in a single layer in your dehydrator.
-Let dehydrate until crispy.
-Store in airtight container. They won't last long.

If you don't have a dehydrator you can arrange on a cookie sheet and use the oven on the lowest setting until crispy. I like the dehydrator because I don't have to crank the oven on a hot summer day and the low temps keep it nice and green. But either way works!


::good stuff ::

Kale is an excellent source of fiber, vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids), vitamin K, vitamin C, and manganese; a very good source of copper, tryptophan, calcium, vitamin B6, and potassium; and a good source of iron, magnesium, vitamin E, vitamin B2, protein, vitamin B1, folate, phosphorous, omega-3's (alpha-linolenic acid/ALA) and vitamin B3.

banana bread.

While I haven't had a recipe or post up for a bit, we have been busy in the kitchen. I have been experimenting with some new bread recipes. We have been soaking/sprouting/drying wheat berries and making our own (malt) flour and learning to use it. I also have found a new local source for wheat (hard red winter) and so have been testing how it works with both the standard and soaked loaf breads to get a feel for its chemistry. We have had a few flops, but have had some really great tasty bread too. I have also been testing a different wheat grinder to see the difference in a finer flour! In between all of the bread baking we have also been making some other goodies.

Today I had a sick boy, so we were home and pretty quiet. I decided to make a loaf of whole wheat banana bread. It is sooo good. I like it because it uses 100% whole wheat pastry flour, but the flavor doesn't overshadow the bananas at all and it is a nice moist bread. It also isn't too sweet, but is rich with flavor. It made the house smell amazing, too!

::whole wheat banana bread::

1/3 cup softened butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar/muscavado
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup yogurt (I used home made vanilla yogurt)
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 bananas)

1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder

In one bowl cream the butter, honey and brown sugar together, and then add the vanilla, eggs, bananas and yogurt. Mix to incorporate. The bananas should be a little chunky, but not big pieces (using a fork to smush helps).

In a second bowl mix the dry ingredients together and stir a little to mix.

Mix the wet into the dry a bit at a time stirring to incorporate. Don't over mix.

Spoon into a buttered bread loaf pan and put into a pre-heated 350ºF oven. Bake 40-50 minutes, until done. Pop out of the pan onto a rack to cool. So good served with fresh butter.


ingredient tip::
Bananas are at the top of my list to buy organic. Commercially grown bananas not only are grown in not very environment/worker/wildlife friendly ways, but the end product exposes us to a cocktail of chemicals as well. No thank you. Look for fair-trade organic bananas at your local coop or Whole Foods/Wild Oats type of store!

applesauce.

As the leaves start to turn, we start to move from raspberry picking to apples. Applesauce, apple butter, dried apple rings, apple pie filling...all good. Today the boys and I made a big batch of applesauce. Well, they did most of it - I just did the stove top work!

I like this recipe because it uses maple syrup rather than sugar for its sweetness. It gives the applesauce a nice rich flavor!

::applesauce::

ingredients::
10 pounds apples (we used Cortland)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

directions::
Core & cut apples into quarters and add to pot. We peel 80-90% of ours, leaving only a few for color. Pour orange juice over the top, add about 1 1/2 cups of water to pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer, covered, for several hours until the apples are soft and mushy. During the simmering, push down the apples with a potato masher or stir well with spoon. Make sure nothing is burning on bottom...Allow to cool. Stir in syrup & spices. If you like chunky applesauce, leave as is. For smoother applesauce, pass in batches through food mill. Store in fridge or freeze!


ingredient tip::

Maple syrup is an excellent source of manganese and a good source of zinc, magnesium, and phosphorous. Zinc and manganese are important allies in the immune system. Many types of immune cells appear to depend upon zinc for optimal function. Maple products also contain trace amounts of malic and citric acids, and some amino acids!

home made granola.

I love really good fresh granola. I make a huge batch a few times a year - it is never the same recipe twice, but I always write it down. I love variations in texture, crunch, sweet vs. salt. This batch is awesome - which is good, because I made 5 pounds! The good thing is that it is perfect with home made yogurt from our fresh milk - so we made some of that too! YUM.

Here is the recipe -- but remember that with granola you can substitute or tweak anything. Add what you have, what is in season, what you like. I use a variety of sugars so that there are many good nutrients added to the mix, but you can keep it simple and use just what you have!

It sounds like a lot of ingredients and expensive when using all organic. BUT, we calculated the cost for us was about 22-25 for ingredients, and it made 5 pounds. That is a lot less per pound than the organic bulk fruit & nut granola at our local coop - and it is fresh!

ingredients::
4 cups thick steel cut organic oats
1/4 cup ground flax
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup unsweetened organic shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups crushed raw walnuts
2 cups sunflower seeds (you can use raw, I used honey roasted)
1 cup organic oat cereal (per special request from my husband...)
1 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp crushed sea salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup oil (I used organic sunflower)
8 oz can organic crushed pineapple (no sugar added)
1 cup hemp milk (or use water, rice, etc.)
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup agave
1/4 cup brown sugar
10 oz. bag natural peanut butter chips
5 oz dried cranberries
5 oz dried cherries
3 oz raisins
1 cup organic/FT dried banana chips

I used organic ingredients...makes for better taste and quality.


directions::

Mix together all of the seeds, oats, coconut & nuts in a big bowl. In a separate bowl, combine oil, hemp milk, vanilla, honey, agave, pineapple, salt & molasses. Stir. Pour over the dry mix, and stir quickly to get all over everything evenly. Spread onto a non-stick cookie sheet. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top. Place in a pre-heated 350º oven for 15 minutes. Carefully stir and turn over the mix. Bake again for another 15-20 minutes and stir again. Lower the oven temp to 225º and bake for 1.5 hours or so, until dry (but not burned or hard as a rock - keep an eye on it!). Let cool. Once cool, add in the dried fruits, banana chips and peanut butter chips. Stir gently. Store in airtight container!