Tina and Adam's Granola

We, in my household, are big fans of granola. We like granola with our yogurt, milk, or kefir. In the past, we bought Trader Joe's granola, most often the Vanilla Almond flavor. However, as we were going through quite a lot of this product each week, we started to take a closer look at the nutritional content. Although Trader Joe's granola is very good, it does contain a higher amount of sugar than I would like. Therefore, about a year and a half ago, we came up with our own recipe.

I have mentioned before that Adam does a lot of the everyday cooking in our house. However, granola is my territory. We came up with the recipe together, but I took responsibility for making a big batch every couple of weeks. Over time, I have tweaked the recipe slightly, and will share it with you in its current form.

1 1/2 lbs. rolled oats (regular, not quick cooking)
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon (or to taste)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (or to taste)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup water
2 cups mixed nuts, chopped
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.

Mix the first 8 ingredients together (through water) in a big bowl, using your hands to clump the oats together. Once everything is well blended, pour the mixture onto the lined cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

While the granola begins to bake, chop 2 cups of nuts (I usually use almonds and walnuts, but the recipe is completely flexible). After 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and add the chopped nuts, stirring to mix with the oats. Bake for another 15 minutes. Again, remove from the oven and stir the mixture carefully. Finally, bake for another 15 minutes and remove from the oven. At this time, stir in the dried fruit and let cool on the cookie sheet. When cool, store in a sealed container to keep fresh.

This recipe can be made in many different ways. I have experimented with various dried fruits, chopping the larger pieces when necessary. For instance, I recommend dried apricots, cherries, or prunes. I also think dried blueberries or strawberries would be very good. The same idea applies to the nuts that you decide to include. You can just use one kind of nut, or several, or a complete mix.

This is a great money-saver for us. One batch of this granola lasts much longer than any box, or several boxes, of store-bought granola. We have many of the ingredients at home already for baking or other cooking, and the nuts and dried fruit can also be used as snacks. Buying regular rolled oats, especially in the bulk section of your supermarket or natural food store, is very budget-friendly, and as I said, a little goes a long way.

Rosendals Gardens

While on my recent trip to Sweden, I went somewhere in Stockholm that I had never been before, and it blew me away: Rosendals Gardens. The gardens are located on Djurgarden, an island within the city limits. They originally belonged to Rosendals Castle, built in the early 19th century by King Karl XIV Johan. Today, these gardens are maintained by a private foundation, but open to the general public.

The main focus is on organic garden cultivation, with vegetables, fruit orchards, and even wine grapes all being grown organically. Visitors are free to walk around and learn about how the different foods we eat and drink grow and develop. Produce from the gardens is sold in a shop on the premises, and there is a cafe serving only food from the gardens or the bakery on-site.

I was amazed at seeing how food that I eat every day grows. I had never seen an artichoke plant before, for instance, and had absolutely no idea it grows on a stalk. I wish we all could have the opportunity to get in touch with our food at this level and really understand the process of producing ingredients for the meals we eat, both at home and in restaurants. I know it has opened my eyes, and has increased my respect for nature and organic farming.

The state of Sweden's school lunches

I am finally back from my trip to Sweden and able to post on my blog again. While I was away, I read a very interesting article in the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter about the state of food available in schools and homes for the elderly. For completeness, I am providing a link to the article here (DN Debatt), but it is in Swedish.

When I was in elementary school (in Sweden), we received free lunch in the cafeteria every day. There was always a hot meal prepared by the cafeteria staff, as well as bread and side dishes. Each day, two students from one of the classes were assigned to help the staff prepare lunch and wash dishes. I always thought this was a great system because the food was prepared in-house, not partially cooked, frozen and then shipped in from a central processing center. All of us kids were also learning about the process and what it took to provide lunch for the whole school.

According to this article, this is now a dying practice in Swedish schools, as well as in homes for the elderly. In many cases, lunch is centrally prepared by large catering companies and shipped out to all of the area schools. In addition, students no longer help with the food preparation and clean-up processes because everything has been brought in and must only be heated up. The authors cite many problems with this new system, including the toll this type of food preparation takes on the nutritional value of each ingredient. For example, the authors cite a Dutch study showing how antioxidants found in brussels sprouts and broccoli are destroyed in the various preparation stages, leaving those ingredients devoid of key nutritional value. This new system has also led to parents and students having decreased knowledge about what is actually in the food served at school.

This article served as a wake-up call for me to realize that this is going on all over the world. This is not a problem that we in the US struggle with alone, and it's so important to deal with the issues surrounding school lunches (and meals provided in elderly care homes) before we lose touch with what is going into our bodies at such a young age.

Summer Salad

During the summer, my husband and I love to have big salads for dinner. We tend to keep it simple, using a few select, but very fresh ingredients. Tomatoes are a favorite at this time of year. A salad is enough for the two of us, but if it's not enough for you, I suggest getting a fresh whole grain bread from your favorite bakery and perhaps a nice cheese or hummus to spread on top.

We make our own dressing at home, as we have found it to be much more budget and health-friendly than many store-bought dressings. It is a great way to save money on your weekly grocery shopping. The process of making your own dressing is very quick and easy, and we usually have the ingredients at home for other reasons anyway. An added bonus is that you avoid all of the preservatives and additives (including high amounts of sodium) that can be found in many pre-made dressings.

Dressing:

2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1-2 tbs. mustard, depending on your preferences
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk the balsamic vinegar and mustard until blended. Add the olive oil and whisk until incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Salad:

Mixed salad greens, a large bunch (we like to mix spinach and arugula, for instance)
A large handful of ripe tomatoes, chopped as you like
1 can beans (cannellini or garbanzo work great)
~2.5 oz goat cheese

Pour dressing into your salad bowl. Add the tomatoes and beans, mixing with the dressing. Chop the salad greens, before adding to the bowl. Mix with dressing and other ingredients. Finally, break the goat cheese down into chunks and add to the salad. At this point, you can choose to mix gently, creaming the cheese slightly, or just serve with the cheese on top.

Serve with a bright red or summer rose wine.

Edible Explorations Book Club: Grub by Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry

Grub: ideas for an urban organic kitchen, by Anna Lappe and Bryant Terry, is in many ways similar to Mark Bittman's Food Matters, recently reviewed here. Grub is divided into two main parts: a discussion of organic food and how it relates to our health, diet, environment and the American food industries, and a selection of "Grub"-style menus with recipes and wine suggestions. Essentially, Lappe and Terry are outlining a new dietary plan involving organic and whole grain food, and focusing on home-cooking.

Part 1 is written by Lappe, highlighting the reasons for supporting the organic movement, and debunking many of the arguments against organic farming, such as efficiency, cost, and lack of product choice. She makes a strong argument for why you, the reader, should adopt the authors' plan (called Grub), and outlines how to prepare your kitchen and pantry for this new style of eating.

One small section I found very helpful was the Cheat Sheet for a Cocktail Party, consisting of the "top 10 reasons why eating grub is a very good idea". These are short elevator speeches you can use at parties or when you end up in a discussion with someone skeptical of the organic movement (if you, yourself are a supporter of course).

The second part of the book, written by Terry, is full of Grub recipes, divided by theme and season. Many of the recipes sound very good, and he incorporates Tina-approved ingredients, such as whole wheat pasta and other whole grains. I did think some of the meals had too many elements, calling for a substantial amount of time in the kitchen and the creation of a lot of dishes. This is something I try to take into consideration, especially when cooking during the week. Perhaps those menus could be saved for a special occasion.

Check out the Grub website for more information on the recipes and shopping lists.

Hummus

One of my favorite snacks and sandwich spreads is hummus. I like it on bagels, in wraps, or on just about any kind of sandwich. I have also found it to be good with salads. Hummus tends to travel very well, so I like to bring it when am bringing my lunch with me to work, for a picnic or anywhere really.

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3/4 of a lemon, juiced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 tbs. olive oil
3 tbs. tahina (or more to taste)
3 pinches chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 tbs. water
Salt, to taste

Place chickpeas in a food processor and blend to break down. Add tahina and water, blending until beginning to form a smoother paste. Add crushed garlic and half of the lemon juice. Blend until smooth. Add 2 pinches chopped parsley, cumin, paprika, salt and rest of lemon juice. Process until well mixed.

With the processor running, add the olive oil until blended. Taste the hummus and add more garlic, tahina, lemon juice, or seasoning as desired. This makes a fairly thick hummus that lends itself to sandwiches, but if you desire a looser, creamier texture, you could add more tahina or water to loosen the mixture.

Garnish with parsley, whole chickpeas, paprika or olive oil.

Edible Explorations Book Club: Food Matters by Mark Bittman

Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating, by Mark Bittman, is just plain fun to read. His writing is very accessible, flows well and his recipes are easy to follow, often lending themselves well to customization. The first half of the book is a general overview of Bittman's healthy eating plan - how he changed his way of eating and why. He discusses the sordid details of the meat industry, the American diet, and how this has changed for the worse in recent history. Bittman offers not a diet, but a lifestyle change, and makes it sound easy and fun. This is a great book for someone looking to change how and what they eat, but who doesn't quite know where to begin. He even offers a sample meal plan for a month.

As previously alluded to, the wonderful thing about this book is that it is completely pliable for each individual. Bittman's plan is very general and flexible. Each reader can adjust to his/her personal tastes. In line with this, the second half of the book provides 75 recipes, divided into each meal of the day. These are general, with ideas for substitutions and customization. This section includes some great ideas on how to incorporate whole grains, small amounts of meat and increased amounts of fruits and vegetables into your diet.

I highly recommend giving this book a read. It is very informative in terms of the food industry in this country as well as personal nutrition. My only criticism is that Bittman is sometimes too general when specifics would benefit his readers. For instance, in the section on stocking your kitchen, he doesn't give specific ideas about what ingredients are best to keep around (spices, specific grains and vegetables, etc.). For people who have not cooked much previously and are looking to start fresh, it would be a good idea to give more information.