Organic Granny

We are big fans of (1)Hummus (2)Avocado and (3)Mexican Vegan Fare.   Like everyone else on Pinterest, I came across the perfect foodie hybrid recipe for Avocado Hummus.  Then I discovered I didn't have any tahini (sesame butter) but I did have some tasty organic peanut butter.  And recalling our younger son's ecstatic tales of eating fresh, ripe, huge avocados right off the tree in Mexico, I thought, hmmm... let's give this new recipe a Mexican spin!   I did already have freshly-cooked chickpeas (that are ever so creamy and lovely) and I wish I had that Avocado Oil I saw at Costco, but I don't-- to make it even more Mexicali I could have made it from pinto beans.  I'm going to try that another time, but for the sake of getting this delicious recipe out there: INGREDIENTS: 2 C. or 1 (15 oz) can cooked Chickpeas /Garbanzo Beans, or Pinto Beans , well drained 2 medium ripe Avocados , flesh only 3 Tbsp Olive Oil, or even better, Avocado Oil , plus more

Today I was out doing some tentative Spring gardening (cleaning up the plot, seeding some baby lettuce).  I was hanging out with our "kale trees"-- tall, gnarly tree-like plants that snake along the surface of the garden and then abruptly shoot upwards.  They grow for many seasons like this.  They bolt to blossom and seeds fairly early, but there are always lots of somewhat leathery, small leaves. I love these "kale trees" and decided that it was time for a kale soup-- so this Black Bean-Kale Soup was born! INGREDIENTS: 1 T.   Coconut Oil (or Olive Oil) 1       Organic Onion , chopped 1       Organic Red Pepper , seeded and chopped 3       Organic Garlic cloves, chopped 2       Organic Carrots , peeled and shredded (or chopped) 1       Organic Sweet Potato (orange flesh), chopped 2      Large handsful of organic Kale , slightly chopped 2  C. "Simply Natural" Organic Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce (or Tomato Sauce, etc.) 6  C. Filtere

I wish this were my own cherry tree- nothing so fruitful in my yard...yet!  Courtesy of Yokim at  scx.hu It's a foggy old rainy old day out there, but it's not particularly cold and we don't have to shovel it, so end of complaints.  Today is perfect for a happiness-making, sweet, and tangy bowl of Cheery Pie Oatmeal Porridge.  This is purely decadent and will make you feel like a princess for a day-- it's perfect for Valentine's Day breakfast .  Find the recipe below: INGREDIENTS: (serves 2-3 generously) 1/2 C. Almonds (organic if you can find them) 1 C. Steel Cut Oats (Buy GF Oats if you are Gluten-sensitive) 1/4 C. Chia seed 1/2 C. organic Dried Cranberries (or dried cherries) (or REAL CHERRIES as in picture) 1/4 tsp. Salt (or to taste) 1/4 C. Wholesome Sweeteners Raw Cane Sugar from Malawi 1/2 C. organic Coconut shreds 3 C. Water 1 tsp. Simply Organic Almond Extract Tree of Life Organic Cherry Spread Almond Mylk Cheery Pie Oatm

I know that this sounds a little mystifying-- after all, doesn't 'zupa' mean 'soup'? Why, yes zupa does mean soup (and also something like a drunk's sop , but we'll overlook that definition). Okay. Zupa Soup sounds so much better than "Yesterday's Lazy Cabbage Rolls* combined with all the malingering week's veggies chopped up and made into a soup". But that is basically what you have here.  I made up this pretty delicious Lazy Cabbage Rolls (vegan) but I wasn't that keen on the fact that the rice didn't quite cook through (although that didn't bother my dh-- he had a couple of servings).  So, today I combined about 1 C. of fried Mushrooms , 1 fried chopped Onion , 3 yellow Peppers (which I had roasted and skinned), and about 2# of Broccoli florets  in with the left-over Lazy Cabbage Rolls (and various spices, more dill and salt and pepper, basically) and 1 Simply Organic jar of Pasta Sauce , and about 2 qu

Stove-Top Apple-Beans over Spud Bakes Ingredients 1 1/2 C. cooked Beans (white, pinto, your choice) 2             Apples , finely chopped, or fresh unsweetened Apple Sauce 2 C.       Crushed or Pureed Tomatoes 4 tsp.     Dijon Mustard 2 T.       Blackstrap Molasses 2 T.       Apple Cider Vinegar 1/2 tsp.   Smoked Paprika or Chipotle (hotter smoky) 1/2 C.     Water 1 Sprig   Rosemary 1 tsp.     Dried Thyme or Dillweed A few drops of Liquid   Smoke 1/2 tsp.   Celtic Sea Salt (or Smoked Sea Salt) Black Pepper to taste Method: In a large sauce pan, combine all the ingredients above (except for the salt and pepper) Cook over medium heat until the ingredients simmer, then turn down to LOW and put on cover.  Cook for up to 1 1/2 hours until beans are tender. Add the salt and pepper and serve over potatoes (as above) or quinoa, rice, etc.  This recipe is based on the lovely Apple Baked Beans Recipe  in my favourite Bean Cook Book (below): F

I went into the pantry tonight and found a very over-ripe avocado.  What came to mind? Guacamole? Nope. Chocolate Mousse, of course.  Nothing makes a mousse like avocado.  Especially when you are vegan (all those eggs, you know) or lazy (all those eggs to be beaten up).   And since I'm trying to cut down on refined sugars, I used Stevia (just a packet of "SweetLeaf") and a few maple chips (little pieces of maple sugar) and a few cacao nibs (what are they? little pieces of hardened cacao I guess-- certainly not chocolate chips!)  So here is the easy recipe for the 2 puddings my husband and I enjoyed (and he gets to 'lick out the blender' as well-- without slicing his tongue on the blade I hope). (Serves 2, or maybe 1 person who stays up really late and discovers the avo that needs dealing with) 1 large-ish over-ripe Avocado 1 1/2 C. Coconut Dream (or other non-dairy milk) 1 T.   Organic Cocoa Powder or Raw Cacao Powder 1 tsp. Organic Vanilla Extract

Lazy Enchilada Casserole (Vegan and Gluten-Free) I am all for wonderful lazy casseroles (one of my faves is lazy cabbage rolls)-- this enchilada casserole means that you get the same wonderful flavour and texture without actually having to mess around with making the enchilada rolls (unless you are really great at doing them, in which case, go to it!).  You just put down a thin layer of the vegan cheese (queso or kay-so) on the bottom of the casserole pan (either covered already covered with parchment, or oiled), a layer of tortillas, the enchalada filling, a top layer of tortillas, and then the rest of the queso!  You can see how it is pretty much a piece of cake / pastel(?)  Have fun, and enjoy this luscious recipe!  It makes a fantastic potluck entree that will be much appreciated! To make this again I would start by assembling the ingredients the day before, and I would cook the beans (separately, the white beans and the pinto beans) and put them in mason jars (or o

Lentil Bowl #2 with Mushrooms, Carmelized Onions, and Quinoa - on a bed of Baby Greens I got the idea for Lentil Bowl #2 by googling "mushrooms lentils"-- it seemed to me to be a lovely mix.  Of course there are thousands of variations online.  I chose the one with the image that showed a heap of mouth-watering carmelized onions on top of the lentil dish.  Then I went about making changes based on what I had to work with and what I prefer (eg., I added in the quinoa vs. a bed of rice, and amped up the portions so that this recipe makes enough for four to six servings.) Lentil Bowl #2 with Mushrooms,Caramelized Onions and Quinoa Precooked lentils and starches are a boon when it comes to the series of "Lentil Bowls" that I am featuring here on Organic Granny. If you soak and cook extra lentils you will speed up the whole maddeningly* fragrant cooking process the next time, and you will save a ton of money by not buying the tinned organic lentils. Just stic

Even if you are not a huge fan of lentils, this particular recipe will answer a deep need on a cool winter's night when you have put out all day for the Man and are just ready for something comforting and satisfying!  It will feed 2 - 4 diners, depending on the hunger and the usual inputs.  I'm calling this Lentil Bowl #1, so expect some more quick and yummy one-dish lentil recipes! The potatoes in the above picture are white 'sweet potatoes' and not the bright orange yams we expect when we say 'sweet potato'.  They have the texture of  sweet potato, and they ARE very sweet (ooze syrup when baked) but they have a more neutral flavour.  Yams work extremely well also, so use either. Ingredients for the Lentil part: 1 T. Coconut Oil 1/2 Small Onion , chopped fine 2     Garlic Cloves, minced 1 C. Pineapple, chopped small (I use Costco's frozen Organic Pineapple-- smells like the tropics!) 3 C. cooked Brown or Green Lentils 2 T. Maple Syrup Shot of Ap

Delicious & Fragrant Organic Borscht with Basil, Red Lentils, and Purple Cabbage I was at Costco today and saw a 2-4 servings package of ready-made beet borscht for ... are you ready?... $12+ change!!!!!  I knew I had beets at home in the fridge (thanks to that wonderful organic-vegetable-growing son of mine who harvested close to 3000# of beets this Fall!) and I DO know how to make borscht, so I could hardly wait to get home to make such a valuable-- and delicious of course-- soup. And this borscht I am making is ORGANIC, it does not have any GMO possibilities, or high fructose corn syrup lacings.  This recipe will feed 5 people... so, I guess it must be worth about $25?  You can make it too: Ingredients : 2 Tbs. Coconut Oil *4 small Onions , halved and sliced (3 cups) *1 T. organic dried whole Basil *2 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt *6 cloves Garlic , minced *3 medium Beets , peeled and grated, or pulsed until fine in Food Processor *Greens from beets (or bunch of Swiss Char

Fragrant, toothsome baked tofu and spanish rice!  This combination recipe might have been in Frances Moore Lappe's 1971 "Diet for a Small Planet" but if it was, it likely included some cheese and olive oil.  This particular recipe is LOW fat..... way low......... like, the only fat in this recipe is in the tofu and veggies!  But the flavour....... (oui oui... in Canada we use the tasty French way of spelling flavoUr)........ wow! And next to the taste is the fragrance of the marinade-covered tofu as it bakes!  Oh yum yum yum- But on with the recipes!! SPANISH RICE (6-8 servings) Ingredients: 2 cups cooked  Rice  1 red Onion , chopped 1 C. chopped Broccoli , fresh or frozen 3 Garlic cloves , crushed   1 C. Water  1 C. organic vegetarian Pasta Sauce (or 6 oz. Tomato Paste) Sal t, to taste Cook the rice according to directions, or as you normally do In a wok, or large pot, combine the onion, broccoli, garlic and water, and bring to a boil, then s

My friend Jill McKeever has a fantastic recipe for Tangy Chick Pea (Garbanzo Bean) Salad on her site at Simple Daily Recipes . My husband and I are eating Low Fat Vegan and trying to implement Dr. John McDougall's " Starch Solution " as well. I'm reading that book at present and am finding so many exciting facts that I didn't know-- such as you can eat tons of starches (potatoes, rice, corn, beans, quinoa, etc.) without gaining any weight IF you delete the fats and oils and too many processed foods from your recipe. Finding tasty recipes is key to keeping us "in" until we are over the period of fats withdrawal (whenever that happens!) A delicious tangy chick pea salad open sandwich, thanks to the salad recipe from Jill McKeever at Simple Daily Recipes Jill has made a great vid tutorial about the recipe that she gave me permission to use on here.  She will give you her recipe and I include my adapted recipe underneath it.  I have to say that this s

I love pumpkin pie and could eat it any day any time, but the fact is that pumpkin pie is generally pretty much off my dietary radar what with the custardy ingredients and pie crust.  So, how nice to know that there is a ' pumpkin pie "fix" that is healthy, vegan, gluten-free and a great breakfast item full of Vitamins A, B and fibre!  I have also included the recipe for Pumpkin Pie Spice, a mixture you can make it bulk and then just add a spoonful to your future pumpkin porridge pie recipes.  Make your own with organic spices.   The spices will help to keep your LDL and triglycerides at normal levels. Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix Ingredients: (for one pumpkin pie porridge recipe below)  1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon   1/4 teaspoons ground Ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground Nutmeg   1/8 teaspoon ground Allspice   1/2 teaspoon organic Stevia powder  Preparation: Combine all ingredients. If you make extra, store in an airtight container. Pumpkin Pie Porridge  

Another sort of gloomy, cool, and foggy morning here on Vancouver Island.  We know that Spring is on the way, but ... So, it calls for a bowl of porridge-- something that "sticks to your ribs" as my mother used to say (I think she said that, but it may have been someone else).   Here is a plug for healthy organic eating (and cooking)-- food actually TASTES better when it is organically-grown.  That is my observation, and apparently, it's true, according to food scientist Harold McGee (quoted from a blog over at The Kitchn.com ): " when plants are under attack, they begin to ramp up production of their chemical defenses. This can mean releasing an aroma that attracts counter-attacking bugs (wasps for caterpillars, for instance), manufacturing something toxic or distasteful to the insects themselves, or producing an anti-fungal compound. For us, these "defenses" translate directly into flavor and aroma. McGee says, "Because they're not prote

Toes inflamed with chilblains (Wikipedia) Inflammation -- the starting point for most chronic and terminal disease.  That sore spot or achey gut is quite likely inflamed tissue...  I recall from a hydrotherapy demo one time learning that inFLAMmation (read: flame; heat; fire) can be cooled with ice (as in the case of a hot, sore joint, back ache, a burn, or a stinging sensation) or with drinking water (as in the case of a stomach ache or a sore, inflamed throat).  Heart attack and cancer start with inflammation. I am going to do three things to eliminate inflammation in my body, three things that I currently do right now but that I know don't work well for me.... I am already vegetarian/vegan/sometimes raw vegan, but these are three areas where I transgress and that usually results in weight gain (another indication of inflammation) and edema for me.  The three things that promote inflammation in some people that I will cut out of my life are: narrowing of the  esophag

--> Okay, I'll admit straight off that today I was craving a big old cheese sandwich (maybe grilled havarti with a dill pickle on the side).  Cheese is currently off-limits for us.  We might get a snip of it when we eat out, but that's about it.  Ed is particularly allergic to dairy, etc.  Anyhow, never one to pout (or not for long) I came up with this flavourful (as in ZING-BING-ZING-BANG) sandwich that satisfied all my salt and fat hankerings (because apparently that is what is behind a cheese crave) and is, I think, pretty healthy.  Here is what is in the above sandwich (and don't judge it by its colour until you taste it!): BREAD: Your favourite bread.   In the sandwich above I used a chia bread that is no longer available. AVOCADO:  Ripe, organic.  Open it up and scoop flesh into a small bowl. Mash. RAW GARLIC: to your taste-- I skin & blend about 20 heads of garlic and then freeze in a jar so just use about a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of garlic. LEMON: Juice of