Organic Granny

  My husband and I love oatmeal porridge for breakfast. Sometimes we change it up and add ingredients that are not traditional. Here are some great  Slow-Cooker porridges for example .   Today's Sweet and Salty Porridge with Strawberries  capitalizes on our rather eccentric but diverse tastes for combinations of flavours and textures.   Sometimes I get even more carried away, but today I decided against including nuts and bananas.  This porridge is, of course, Gluten-free and Vegan (no dairy, eggs or other animal products).   Begin with a medium to large pot with a close-fitting lid and add: Steelcut Oats (use the quantity you want for your family following directions on package-- use GF oats for those who are gluten-sensitive or have Coeliac disease) Water (cover the oats by about 1 1/2 inches or use the instructions on package) Organic Thompson Raisins (1/4 cup to handful, as you desire-- I went with the handful) 2 T. dry Chiaseed Pinch of Seasalt Optional: 1/4 C. Dulse broken in

  "All But Gluten" Gluten-Free Bread Recently I think I may have persuaded a friend with mysterious symptoms  (sounding like gluten-sensitivity to me) to try going off gluten for a while to see how she feels.  She bemoaned the fact that she has a bread maker** (and I know she is a star bread baker herself).  I suggested that she do some research to see how/if gluten-free bread works in her bread machines (there seem to be quite a few articles indicating it does, and bread machines with GF settings).  We also talked about the various gluten-free breads that are commercially available.   At time of writing this blog,  my favourite brands are Udi's and the Chia Bread (by Silver Hills).  They were both pretty pricey and I believe that you could make your own, maybe with a few tweaks, just by doing some research for good recipes on line.  (There are also some very baaaaaad-tasting gluten-free breads available commercially-- hopefully their number will diminish). I told you a w

Protein-rich Gluten-free Zesty Lentil and Quinoa Pasta Sauce This delightful warming sauce with its plant-based proteins of lentils and quinoa, is adapted from the "Lentil Quinoa Bolognese Sauce" recipe in Kathy Hester's The Great Vegan Bean Book: More Than 100 Plant-Based Dishes Packed With The Kindest Protein In Town .   I love beans-- well, legumes of all ilk-- and I love how Hester has put together this cookbook, with recipes that meet people's dietary and health needs (gluten-free, soy-free, no added-oil, nut allergy recipes are labeled) and in a way that shows the diversity of the protein-rich bean.   There are recipes for everything from the familiar hearty savoury dishes straight through incorporating beans into breads and other baked items to amazing beany desserts (like, how about "Double-Chocolate Devil's Food Cookies" using cooked or canned black beans?)  I hope you enjoy this take-off on her sauce.  I do 'adaptations' when

  Here's another recipe prepared the "raw vegan" way using the recipe for  Buckwheat Crispies  .  This is particularly soothing for kids who miss having their traditional gluten-laden breakfast cereals... Buckwheat crispies are a good source of fibre, manganese, tryptophan, and magnesium. Ingredients: 2 Cups of  Buckwheat Crispies 3 C. Sliced  Strawberries 1 1/2 C. your favourite gluten-free  Mylk  (I used  So Delicious  Coconut Milk-- yum!) 1 Sliced Ripe  Banana Put 2 C. of strawberries in the food processor or blender, and add the Milk.   Blend until pink and creamy (and soooooo fragrant, like summer!) Divide the buckwheat crispies into 4 bowls (1/2 C. each) Pour the Strawberry Mylk over each bowl Top with sliced strawberries and bananas  (and anything else wanted: dried fruit, hemp nuts, other fresh fruit) Enjoy!