Cheezy Dorito Sauce

Source: wired.com

Yeah you heard it. This sauce taste exactly like Spicy Doritos. It is SO bizarre. It has been quite a while since I have eaten a Dorito so I wouldn't have completely thought my opinion to be valid however Marcy was there to confirm it. Dorito.

When I ran across it on Averie's blog I had to try it ASAP and I'm so glad of that. Also, Marcy is brilliant for suggesting that we actually attempt to make Doritos. Well we attempted alright but we failed.

The failure sure is tasty though! Not crispy like a Dorito and has less of a punch but I would guess that rolling the dough thinner and adding more cheesy coating and we'd have one hell of an all natural, gluten free, vegan Dorito! (The picture above is particularly appropriate since we created the S&M Doritos instead of going out on a Saturday night. We party hard.)

“Spicy Doritos” Spread
Raw vegan and based off of this recipe.

Ingredients:

1/3 c sunflower seeds, soaked
1/2 c nut/seed of choice, soaked (I used more sunflower but cashews, sesame seeds, hemp seeds, etc. would work just as well)
1/4 c nutritional yeast
1/2 of a red pepper
3 T apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
1/2 t salt (or to taste)
1 t cayenne

Directions:

Blend it up!

Sam and Marcy's (S&M) Doritos Attempt 1.

Based off this recipe to make homemade gluten-free cinnamon toast crunch (yeah the sound of that blew me away too...). These measurements ended up with a Doritos-flavored, pita bread-textured treat! If you play around with it and make something more Doritos-like, please let me know.

Ingredients:

1/2 c garbanzo bean flour
1/2 c millet flour (or dried millet ground in a spice/coffee grinder or food processor)
2 T coconut oil, melted
3/4 c water
1 T nutritional yeast
1 t cayenne
1/4 t salt

"Spicy Doritos" Spread (recipe above)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Mix together flours, oil, nutritional yeast, cayenne and salt.

Whisk in water until smooth.

Pour batter into a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (Looking back on it, this was our fail. The batter we made was not of a pourable consistency. Add more water!)

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until starting to brown.

Remove from parchment paper and spread with a decent amount of "Spicy Doritos" Spread.

Score into triangle and return to oven for another 5 minutes.

Snack away!

Oh, bring us a {Chia Pudding} and a cup of good cheer!

Chia seeds are fascinating. When soaked in water (or non-dairy milk) they turn into a gelatinous blob right before your eyes. Yup, they're able to absorb 9x it's weight in water! Therefore prolonged hydration. Plus it's chalk full of nutrients and the richest vegetable source of essential omega-3 fatty acid.

Apparently the Aztecs used to treat these puppies like gold, which says a bit on their value. It's said that they would eat one teaspoon of chia seeds (and nothing more) before a 24-hour journey to maintain endurance.

(Read 10 more benefits here!)

And let's not forget about this... (Cue 90's flashback)



Chia Pudding

Ingredients:
1/4 c chia seeds (can be bought in bulk at the People's Food Co-op)
3/4 c water
flavorings of your choice

Directions:
Mix together and let sit for 5 minutes.
Watch closely while the transformation happens right before your eyes!
Mix in flavors of your liking (I did a sweetener, cocoa powder, and raspberries)

*The seeds stay a little crunchy so if this bothers you, dump the pudding in your blender to smooth it out.


Now time for my picture taking bonanza!

Plain Chia seeds

Gettin' gelled up in water...

Look how gelatinous it gets!

Trifle Time!

I layered chia pudding, raspberries (frozen from the summer), and dessert socca to make a lovely whole food, healthy trifle (which is usually made with cake and whipped cream, psshhhh)

Love and veggies, Sam

Happy Peanut Butter Day!

It was a strange and wonderful coincidence that I found out the it is peanut butter day about 5 minutes ago after making dinner with peanut butter!

Photo from MenuPages

This is not a Low Carbon recipe, considering it used packaged and non-seasonal ingredients, however it is vegan, healthy and delicious. Matt and I visited H-Mart which is a huge asian supermarket in Naperville and I was literally like a kid in a candy store. So many interesting and exotic things to look at. Anyways, that was the inspiration for cooking an asian-themed dinner.

Pad Thai Soba Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce
Adapted from Healthy Happy Life

Ingredients:
8 oz of Soba (buckwheat) noodles

Boiling Broth
5 c water
1/4 c soy sauce
1 T miso
2 T ume plum vinegar
1 t hot chili oil
zest and juice from 1/2 an orange
3 T maple syrup
1 T sesame seeds

Steamed Veggies

head of broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces

any other veggies you want (I used diced red peppers)

Toss-Ins
a handful bean sprouts
1 T sesame oil
1 lime, juiced
juice from half of an orange

1 orange, peeled and diced

1/4 c peanuts or raw cashews, chopped
1/4 c sesame seeds
4 scallions, chopped thin
1" ginger, grated
another splash of ume plum vinegar

Spicy Peanut Sauce
2/3 cups of leftover noodle broth
squeeze of lime juice
1/4 c peanut butter (or other nut butter)
3 T maple syrup
2 t hot chili oil

Garnish

1/4 c parsley
1 lime, cut into wedges

Directions:

Bring boiling broth ingredients to a boil.

Add in noodles and cook according to directions (mine were for 4 minutes).
Pour noodles into a colander to separate from broth, reserving broth.

Put cut veggies into a sauce pan and add an inch of water.

Cover, bring water to a boil and steam veggies until tender, about 5 minutes.

Strain and add veggies to noodles.

Add all toss-ins ingredients to noodles and veggies.

Bring peanut sauce ingredients to a simmer in a small sauce pan.

Stir continuously until reduced to a thick sauce.

Sauce can be adjusted to personal preferences: adding ginger, chillies, garlic, almond milk...

Pour sauce over noodle mixture and toss well.

Garnish and serve!

Creamy, salty, spicy, filling, delicious.

Happy Peanut Butter Day!

Butternut Squash Millet Bake

I have been meaning to try a recipe by Mark Bittman (AKA 13-year writer of the New York Times food blog, The Minimalist) for some time now. The premise behind the Minimalist is that every recipe can be tweaked, adapted based on what you have. He's kind of a god in the foodie community.

Well I am ready to sacrifice to my new god (I hope he accepts sweet potatoes). Yes. It's that good.

So. So. Good.

Based off of Mark Bittman's Autumn Millet Bake Recipe

Ingredients:

2 T oil (I used coconut oil)
3/4 cup millet
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes (any other winter squash/pumpkin will do)
1 cup fresh cranberries 1/2 c dried Michigan cherries
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 T chopped sage leaves (or 1 t dried sage)
2 T maple syrup
1 c vegetable stock water, warmed
1/4 c pumpkin seeds

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375F and grease a large casserole dish.
Put oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.

When hot, add the millet and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden, about 3 minutes (hs note: don't overdo it).

Spread in the bottom of the greased casserole dish.

Scatter the squash cubes and cherries on top of the millet.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and the sage.

Mix together warm water and syrup in a small bowl.

Pour liquids over millet, squash and cherries.

Cover tightly with foil and bake without disturbing, for 45 minutes.

Carefully uncover and turn the oven to 400F.

Taste the dish and adjust seasonings.

Add more water if it looks too dry.

Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top, and return the dish to the oven.

Bake until the mixture bubbles and the top is browned, another 10 minutes or so.

Marinated Kale and Beet Salad

Ingredients:
Salad
1/4 c pumpkin seeds (AKA pepitas) (1)
1 bunch kale (2)
3 T olive oil (1)
1/4 of a red onion, diced
1 carrot, grated (3)
4 roasted beets, cubed (2)

Dressing
2 T balsamic vinegar (1)
1 t dijon mustard (4)
1/4 t freshly ground pepper (1)
1 t dried basil (1)
1 garlic clove, minced (5)

Directions:
Toast pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat when seeds begin to pop, set aside to cool.
Wash kale and tear into bite sized pieces.
Combine kale and oil and massage kale (yes, massage) until it softens.
Whisk together salad dressing.
Place kale, onion, carrots, and beets in a bowl and add dressing.*
Toss and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds.

*I prepared this for lunch the night before. I mixed the dressing with the kale, carrots and onions the night before, keeping the beets and pumpkin seeds separate. In the morning I combined all of the ingredients and off I went!

(1) Bulk section of the People's Food Co-op
(2) Goetz Farm
(3) Snowman leftovers
(4) Pre-challenge stash
(5) Labelled as "Local" at the People's Food Co-op

Mexican Fiesta (with Sunflower Seed Cheeze)

Before holiday break last month, Matt allowed me to express my culinary creativity in making dinner for the two of us. I chose Mexican as the theme and going along with my inability to make a decision, this resulted in me making 6 different kinds of salsa...

 Mexican Sweet Potato Risotto

 Pumpkin Seed Mole

 Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

Sunflower Seed Cheeze

 Peach Salsa = Absolutely fantastic.

 Bosc Pear Salsa

 Roasted Corn and Zucchini Salsa

 Butternut Squash Salsa

Sunflower Seed Cheeze

Not eating dairy did not pose a problem due to the wonderful world of seed cheeses. Salty and delicious, this is a perfect spread for... anything, and it worked great in our quesadillas!

Ingredients:
1 c sunflower seeds, soaked for 6-8 hours
1/2 c water
1 T unpasteurized apple cider vinegar
juice of 1 lemon (I just added in 2 more T apple cider vinegar...)
1 clove garlic
1/2 t salt
Additional water to blend

Directions:

Put all ingredients in the food processor and blend!

Add more water for the desired consistency.

Recipes for the salsas:

Pear Salsa

Pumpkin Seed Mole

Peach Salsa (this one was the best.)

Roaster Tomatillo Salsa

Roasted Corn and Zucchini Salsa

Butternut Squash Salsa

I obviously adapted the recipes for what I had (no pomegranate seeds for me, surprise surprise) but I have to give a special thanks to Locavorious for providing me with so many frozen Michigan fruits and veggies! Pear, peaches, zucchini, corn, red peppers all from them. <3

I also made Mexican Sweet Potato Risotto

Oat Crackers

Not gonna lie, I am a little embarrassed with the amount of crackers I have been making... They're just so easy to make and delicious! These babies were so good that they were eaten before I could even think of taking a picture. Delightfully (and surprisingly) sweet. Props to Whole Food for the Whole Family.

Oat Crackers
Ingredients:
3 c oats
1.5 c sunflower seeds
3/4 c spelt flour (or whole wheat)
1.5 t garlic powder
1 t ground cumin
3/4 t salt
1/2 c melted coconut oil
1/2 c brown rice syrup (I think molasses or honey would work as well)
6 T water
3 T sesame seeds

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

Grind oats and sunflower seeds in food processor.

Add remaining dry ingredients and pulse until thoroughly mixed.

Stir in wet ingredients.
Roll dough between two pieces of parchment paper until they are 1/8 inch thick.

Remove top sheet and place parchment sheet with dough on baking sheet.

Cut dough into squares (or whatever shape you want your crackers to be).

Sprinkle seasonings on top (I did sesame seeds).
Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Spaghetti Squash Soup

Spaghetti Squash Soup
Based off of Vegan Yum Yum recipe.

Ingredients:
1 Spaghetti squash, halved (1)
1 kabocha squash, peeled and cubed (2)
1 head of garlic (1)
1 small onion, chopped (3)
3 c vegetable broth
oil
salt
1 t dried thyme
cayenne pepper and ground ginger
Garnish
1/4 c spaghetti squash
a handful of roasted squash seeds

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450F
Place spaghetti squash cut side down in a baking dish.
Fill dish with about 1 inch of water.
Make an envelope/pocket-like holder out of aluminum foil and dump in kabocha squash cubes.
Cut off the top of the head of garlic, drizzle with oil and wrap in aluminum foil.
Put squashes and garlic in the oven and roast until soft, about 45 minutes.
Scoop spaghetti squash and squeeze garlic from their skins.
Reserve about 1/4 c of spaghetti squash for garnish.

Heat 1 T oil over medium heat and saute onion until soft.
Add in veggie stock and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer and add in roasted veggies.
Simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
Puree soup in a blender or food processor in batches (so that it doesn't overflow)
Salt and season to taste.

Here's the fun part: garnish time!
Heat 2 T oil over medium heat in a saute pan.
separate strands of reserved spaghetti squash and drop into pan.
Fry until golden brown, stirring constantly.*
Transfer to a dish towel to drain excess oil.
Place on top of individual bowls of soup along with squash seeds.

I fried at too high of heat so mine ended up a liiittle too brown for my liking... But they still tasted good (what fried thing doesn't taste good though?) and looked pretty.

(1) Tantre Farms
(2) From the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market but I didn't catch the name of the vendors :(

Autumn Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Autumn Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

Ingredients:
1 acorn squash, cut in half
1 c cooked quinoa
3 T oil
2 T maple syrup
1/4 c dried cranberries
1/4 c pistachios
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t cumin
1/4 t cinnamon
salt and pepper
fresh thyme or rosemary

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Coat inside of both acorn squash halves with 1 T of oil.
Bake in oven, flesh side down for 40 minutes with about 1/2 inch of water, until fork tender.
Heat cooked quinoa in a sauce pan over medium heat with 1 T oil, maple syrup, cranberries, pistachios, and spices.
Fill each roasted acorn squash half with 1/2 c of quinoa mixture.
Wrap stuffed squash halves with aluminum foil and bake in oven for another 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and season with salt, pepper and fresh thyme or rosemary.


Sweet and Spicy Acorn Squash Seeds

Ingredients:
seeds of 1 acorn squash
2 T maple syrup
2 T oil
1 t cayenne pepper
salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.
Mix together all ingredients except salt and pepper.
Spread onto baking pan and roast for about 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and season with salt.