Phew! So I made granola a few days ago. Every recipe I found was “oats, nuts, seeds, la la la mix of oil and sugar and toasty-toast!”
It came out alright. No clumping action though — I think next time I need more oil/sugar. I used brown sugar in the interest of making it vegan. I may try honey next time. The flavor’s really good. Just unfortunate that the coconut smell (I used coconut oil) gave me a migraine.
Also, I introduce my new favorite way of eating: bowl. In a bowl. I made a bunch of quinoa last night and some of the perfect tofu. My new plan is to (on the weekend from now on) make a bunch of grains and tofu and sauces on the weekend. Then, during the week, toss a mix of it in a bowl with some freshly cooked veggies and greens. Instant meal! No boredom! Yay!
Man I love quinoa. Super fast cooking and awesome source of protein. I made a mix of white and red quinoa last night. I just throw a bunch of it in a pot with a massive amount of water and boil it like pasta. When it tastes/feels done, I drain the water. It’s just that easy.
So last night was quinoa, tofu, chard, some red onions, and tahini sauce. Yummers! It was a nice sturdy meal and made me feel like I was getting a lot of protein.
Grains for the future: brown rice, more quinoa, teff (never had it), millet maybe? I’m trying to branch out with my grains. Also, try my hand at polenta.
Protein for the future: tofu made different ways, chickpeas, other beans…
Sauces for the future: miso-tahini, peanut, Caesar
I’d love recommendations for bowl eating!
Now to the non-vegan portion of this post. I made yogurt! I’d like to try it with soy in the future, but I got a little freaked out by the requirement of agar. I used whole milk from a local dairy (135 miles away). The dairy actually seems really cool and ethical: Straus Family Creamery.
I made the shift away from vegan a few years ago, out of health/time issues. Lately my food priorities have been with local food — I feel better about consuming small amounts of conscientious dairy that comes locally, instead of the processed corn/soy fake meat I was eating. Anyway! Sometimes I feel like I still have to justify not being vegan anymore.
So! I made yogurt. It turned out pretty awesome, and it was really easy. It was mostly a lot of passive time letting it incubate.
I really encourage you to try making your own yogurt. I made 2 pints of yogurt, which was $2.50 worth of milk. The milk came in a glass jar that the dairy takes back, and I made the yogurt in glass jars, so no plastic containers. Probably the cheapest most eco-friendly yogurt possible!
These are some great links I found for yogurt-related fun:
– Making Your Own Yogurt
– Yogurt on 101 Cookbooks
– A cool-looking yogurt-based restaurant in Palo Alto
heehe… so I know this probably has nothing to do with the actual nutritional value but I’m totally swooning over your pretty red quinoa!! Yum! I’ll have to post pictures of my container garden soon too… it’s growing! :)
love this post. is your tahini sauce homemade? i feel similarly about fake meat … trying to give up frozen veggie burgers and hot dogs and sometime make my own burger. i stick to organic non GMO tofu and tempeh and TVP … those are not made in labs, i don’t think. i’m trying to eat locally too … sometimes it take three shops … and a farmer’s market … but generally is successful for most things i eat. i’m also going to join a CSA in the spring, hopefully which will be good as well. i have barley, kasha and quinoa around the house. hm. need to give it all a whirl … soon! love your idea. i eat out of bowls all the time, mostly just throwing whatever i have around together.
ok .. what is agar?
love your pic of knitting w/ carrots. very cool.
granola looks good. If you ever find a clumping granola recipe, please post about it. I love clumping granola. don’t know how to make it.