Homestead Happenings

 

Greetings!

I hope your year is off to a great start!

In the past week, we've had over four inches of rain

over 2 days, so the garden is quite content.

So is this gardener.

It gave me time to work on 

another hobby, jigsaw puzzles.

They are a marvelous way to pass the time

during severe weather,

and it's one of the few things that I enjoy

which requires sitting down.

A check on the brassica beds found them doing fine.

The broccoli and cauliflower seem cozy enough.

The added straw and row cover 

no doubt keep them well insulated.

We have had quite a few overnight freezing temps,

but the days have been sunny and mild, for the most part.

In fact, I see something yummy in my future!

So grateful to be able to grow broccoli here in the winter.

Some of the lettuce that I had transplanted a couple of weeks ago

seems to be holding its own.

The kale (seen at the bottom of this shot), has been 

so slow to grow, and I'm not sure I'll get any harvest at all.

Time will tell.

The weather was so sweet this week,

that I even transplanted the rest of the lettuce

I had started using the winter sowing method.

Row cover was added after planting and a good helping

of shredded leaves was settled on top.

Upon strolling around the property,

I couldn't help but notice that there are 

a handful of plants growing right through the winter

with absolutely no regard for the temperatures.

This pansy display in our washtub

keeps blooming with no supplemental care.

It's fantastic to have this pop of color!

Although the candy tuft is not in bloom,

it is still green and healthy looking.

This plant has been in our pollinator box

for two years, and I need to remember

to add a lot more.

Another brilliant burst of color

comes from this sedum,

planted in a terra cotta planter and residing on the front porch.

Sedums have really become one of my favorite plants,

as they require very little from me.

Another new-to-me plant this past year

is the lamb's ear,

which forms a border on our front porch bed.

The texture is like velvet, which in itself 

is a great reason to grow it,

but just look at the soft, sapphire foliage.

The yarrow doesn't miss a beat

and has even blessed us with blooms!

It is one of the flowers in my winter arrangements,

when there is very little else blooming.

What a treat!

You're looking at part of my New Year's meal.

I usually make a few appetizer-type things

to nosh on throughout the day.

This year's menu included salmon patties

and this vegan nacho dish.

We had some tortilla chips in the house,

and I simply added cooked lentils, vegan cheese

and some homemade tomato sauce.

SO.  GOOD.

These gluten-free rolls I made for the holidays

turned out well.

My boy and I are both gluten-free now,

and it was just a little extra special having homemade rolls.

They are fashioned after the French brioche.

Gotta get the family history in there when you can!

They were readily devoured.

How's your year going so far?

Tuna Casserole

 

I've had a craving lately for comfort foods.

What's more comforting than tuna casserole?

Although I don't remember my magnificent mamma making this,

it brought home to me feelings of downright bliss with each bite.

As usual, I tweaked it to my liking, but

my version is loosely based on this recipe.

I used egg noodles and dairy-free cheese

instead of the traditional elbows and standard cheddar.

Next time I make it I will add more veg,

maybe peas and carrots or some kale.

Of course, it can easily be made gluten and dairy free,

by swapping out with gf pasta and olive oil

in place of the ghee.

 

Every mouthful fed my spirit as well as my hunger.

This one's a keeper!

Tuna Casserole

Half a bag of egg noodles

3 T ghee

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 C almond milk

2 T arrowroot powder

1 can tuna (I use this brand)

few slices of daiya cheddar cheese

1/2 t garlic powder

salt/pepper to taste

1 slice Deland oatmeal bread

 

Cook noodles until al dente.

In a skillet, sautee the onion in 2 T of ghee.

Once the onion is soft, add  arrowroot powder.

Cook a few minutes, just until it is covered with the ghee.

Add milk of choice and whisk until smooth

and thickened.

Add tuna and seasonings,

then transfer to a casserole dish.

Combine with cooked noodles.

Add ghee to crumbled bread slice,

then top the casserole with this mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy!

No Sugar Pumpkin Muffins (cf,df,ef,gf,sf)

 

 

Over the past few weeks,

our son C, who has multiple food sensitivities,

has taken himself off of sugar

in an effort to support his gut health.

While I admire his determination to foster good health,

it's been a bit of a challenge finding goodies for him to enjoy.

He also gave up his beloved pumpkin bread  

(which contains sugar) for breakfast,

which he's been making himself for the last few years.

He's been eating apple slices or watermelon as his sweets,

but I wanted to provide more of a treat for breakfast and snacks.

 These muffins are just the ticket.

They are corn, dairy, egg, gluten and sugar free,

which supports his goals.

(He's not allergic to eggs, but this recipe is vegan.)

I found the recipe in the allergy-friendly cookbook

Babycakes.

I remember reading this book of recipes many years ago,

when C was just starting his gluten-free journey.

Momma had to learn a new way to bake

and this book helped me along that path.

It was good to revisit the pages and figure out

which things he might like best.

I swapped out maple syrup for the agave,

as I've read some not-so-nice things about it.

I also omitted a couple of ingredients that I didn't have on hand.

They turned out great!

Another resource for maple syrup recipes that I plan to peruse is  

Souly Rested, 

where Michelle shares an array

of maple syrup sweetened concoctions.

 

 

 

For now, this recipe will do just as it is.

I can imagine tweaking it to add fruit, nuts or seeds.

There are limitless possibilities with this basic recipe.

These muffins (or cupcakes), are delightfully moist and flavorful.

The recipe made much more than 12 regular-sized muffins.

In fact, I was able to make over a dozen standard muffins,

as well as 12 mini-muffins.

Here's my version,

although you can find the original recipe here.

Give 'em a go and let me know how you like them.

Babycakes Pumpkin Muffins

2 C gf flour
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 C light olive oil
2/3 C maple syrup
2/3 C unsweetened almond milk
2 T vanilla extract
1 1/2 C pumpkin puree
1/2 C hot water

In a large mixing bowl,

combine dry ingredients and whisk to aerate.

Add oil, milk, syrup and vanilla to bowl,

and mix thoroughly.

 Fold in hot water and pumpkin puree.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place paper liners in muffin tins.

Place 1/3 cup of batter into each muffin tin and bake 20 minutes,

remembering to turn pan around at the halfway point.

Let cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Crispy Rice Treats

 

 

Four ingredients.

That's all it takes to give your tastebuds a real treat.

No dairy.

No gluten.

No sugar.

 

I'm not really a marshmallow fan, 

but these goodies might remind you of a similar confectionery,

popular for decades using comparable ingredients. 

Not having used brown rice syrup for years,

I had forgotten how much like caramel it tastes.

There's a "maple-y" flavor to it, but it is still subtly sweet.

 

The website My Quiet Kitchen

features healthy, clean recipes, both savory and sweet.

If you go to the site, you may notice the recipe is from 2019.

Well, it's no surprise to me that I am late to the party on this one.

I usually am.

But who cares, when it's this good.

Here's my version with the link for the original recipe.

Next time, I may add some Lily's dark chocolate to the mix.

One suggestion-they are better not refrigerated,

as they tend to dry out.

Believe me, they won't last long,

especially if you're feeding a crew,

so no worries about leaving them out for a day or two at room temperature.

 

Note:  (I halved the recipe, 

as it was the first time I was preparing it,

so I used a brownie pan instead of the 9X13 size.)

 

My Quiet Kitchen

 

1 C Sunbutter

 1 C brown rice syrup

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

8 C crispy rice cereal 

Melt nut/seed butter, syrup and vanilla over low heat.

Add to the bowl of measured cereal and mix well.

Press into a 9X13 pan and let cool.

Keep at room temperature for two days,

then refrigerate the rest.

Enjoy!

Red Lentil Fritters

 

 

 

Spending a lot of time cooking is not my idea of a good time.

I do eat clean food, scratch-made

and wouldn't have it any other way.

But seeing as there are other things I'd rather do,

(read g-a-r-d-e-n),

allowing a mere 30 minutes or less to creating healthy, hearty food

has been my mainstay for a good decade or longer. 

 

I've been vegetarian for most of my life,

and lately have found a renewed interest in

cooking vegan or plant-based meals.

These fritters fill the bill just fine.

They are quick to cook,

taste great and keep my belly  happy.

They are creamy on the inside, crisp on the outside

and packed with flavor.

I paired them with a dairy-free ranch dressing.

 

Ela Vegan is one of the YouTube channels I frequent,

and she has armed me with a multitude 

of new delicious, plant-based options.

My version is posted here below.

 

I hope you'll give 'em a go,

even if you don't have dietary restrictions.

 

Red Lentil Fritters

(Ela Vegan)

 

3/4 cup dry red lentils

1 1/4 cup water 

1 red pepper, diced 

1 medium onion, diced 

2 large cloves of garlic, chopped 

4 tbsp (or more as needed) chickpea flour 

1 tbsp chia seeds 

3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 

1 tsp paprika 

1 tsp ground cumin 

1/2 tsp salt 

Oil for frying

 

Cook lentils in water 20 minutes, until soft, drain.

Add all ingredients to food processor and mix

until well blended.

Fry 3-5 minutes per side.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Chip Date Cookies (cf, df, gf, sf)

 

 

 Living without processed sugar has become

relatively easy.

I always knew that it affected me

(my skin, my gut),

but it wasn't until I did an elimination diet

a couple of years back that I realized

how addicted to the stuff I was.

Thanks to some mighty creative bakers who are happy to share,

white sugar is just not part of my diet anymore. 

In fact, about a month ago,

I treated myself to a French Cruller at a local coffee joint,

and it was shocking to my tastebuds.

After you stop eating processed sugar,

it's like overload when you partake of it.

 

These chocolate chip cookies were fabulous

and absolutely no sugar was involved

(even the chocolate chips are sugar free!).

I tweaked the original recipe to my liking.

I'll take any excuse to add nuts to recipes,

so I added walnuts here.

I could see shredded coconut fitting in nicely as well.

Next time, I think I will add some oats

to replace some of the almond flour.

You can find the earnest baker's version here.

 

 One of the sweeteners in the recipe was date syrup,

and fortunately, it was easy enough to find out how to whiz it up in a blender.

It's as simple as combining these ingredients:

1 1/4 C dates

1 1/2 C water

1 teaspoon lemon juice.

 The mixture will keep for 3 weeks in the fridge.

This recipe made much more than I needed for the cookies,

so I will be using it to bake more treats for my son,

who has taken himself off of sugar.

 

If you're still consuming sugar of any kind,

be prepared because these may not be sweet enough for you.

As for me, I think I've found a new secret ingredient.

 

Chocolate Chip Date Cookies

(theearnestbaker.com)

 

1 3/4 C almond flour

1/2 C arrowroot powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

2 Tablespoons date syrup

1/4 C coconut/light olive oil

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 medjool dates, chopped

2 handfuls chocolate chips

(I use Lily's)

1 handful walnuts, chopped

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together dry ingredients,

then add syrups, oil and vanilla.

Fold in dates, nuts and chocolate chips.

 

Use small ice cream scoop to place on baking sheet.

Bake 7-9 minutes until golden,

then remove from oven and flatten with a fork.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Easy Falafal (vegan, cf,df,gf,sf)

 

 

 

 

This recipe was one I've been wanting to make for a while.

I remember my mom making it on occasion 

(that woman could make anything!),

and each marvelous mouthful was devoured with appreciation.

The recipe I feature here is my rendition of one I found

on Cookie + Kate.

She adds cilantro (um, no thanks), 

and bakes it in a skillet in the oven.

My version is an easy and quick cook in my momma's cast iron skillet,

a sort of homage to her culinary proficiency,

of which I claim none.

This dish is a great example of how a few clean ingredients

can come together to make some lip-smackin' goodness happen.

 

The one thing that surprised me was that the chick peas,

or garbanzo beans, as they are also known,

are soaked, but not cooked.

Everything is simply dumped into the food processor

and whizzed until the texture is to your liking.

This may be why the outside turns out so crisp,

while the inside is soft, moist and 

divine.

The addition of cinnamon was another curiosity,

and I didn't really detect it in the delight of each magnificent morsel.

 

Another thing I like about this recipe, 

is that it's allergy-friendly.

It is free of corn, dairy, gluten and sugar,

it's vegan, 

and 

 fully satisfying.

What a great make-ahead lunch or snack idea

to use when prepping for a busy week.

 

Without a doubt, 

this will be a welcome addition to the family recipe file.

 

 

Easy Falafel

(Cookie + Kate)

 ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

1 cup dried raw chickpeas, 

soaked for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator

 ½ cup onion, diced

 ½ cup packed fresh parsley 

 4 cloves garlic, quartered 

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

 ½ teaspoon ground cumin 

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Combine soaked and drained chickpeas, onion, parsley, garlic,  salt, cumin, cinnamon,  

and  1 T of olive oil in a food processor. 

Process until smooth, about 1 minute.

Scoop out about 2 tablespoons of the mixture at a time and shape into small patties or balls. 

Place each falafel on an oiled pan and cook 3-4 minutes per side.

Makes about a dozen.