Blueberry Dark Chocolate Granola

We usually have fruit for breakfast since it's quick and healthy, but this week we wanted to try something new. We wanted something that was still quick and healthy, but more filling with a little extra sweetness. So, we decided on granola. We had it with a little milk in the morning, but it is so tasty that we found ourselves snacking on it all day. You will too.

granola recipe


ingredients:

2 cups of organic rolled oats
1 cup of organic unsweetened coconut flakes
2 ounces of your choice of dark chocolate, roughly chopped (we tried Scharffen Berger)
1 cup of organic blueberries
2 tablespoons of organic extra virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoons of organic honey
Seeds from half of organic vanilla bean
Pinch of sea salt

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
ii. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, coconut flakes and sea salt.
iii. In a smaller bowl, combine vanilla bean, coconut oil and honey, then pour into the dry ingredients and stir until ingredients are completely mixed.
iv. Fold in the blueberries, then place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so to keep granola from sticking together too much. Bake until browned.
v. Let cool, then stir in dark chocolate and serve.

serves four


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Baked Polenta with Veggies and Marinara

We wanted to try something new, something that would be a more traditional Italian dish that you wouldn't normally find at Italian restaurants. This is what we made, and it ended up being one of our favorite meals so far.

polenta recipe

ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of organic polenta cornmeal

6 cups of water

3 tablespoons of organic extra virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking veggies

1 organic zucchini, sliced

1 organic Yukon Gold potato, sliced

1 large organic tomato, diced

1 small organic yellow onion, peeled and diced

2 cloves of organic garlic

Sea salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

recipe:

i. In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups of water to a boil, then stir in the polenta and sea salt. Turn on low heat and add olive oil, then let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.

ii. Spoon polenta evenly into a large baking pan and refrigerate until it has cooled.

iii. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

iv. Place tomato, onion and garlic in a baking pan, then drizzle with olive oil and bake until tomatoes have slightly shrunken and onion has browned.

v. Put tomatoes, onion and garlic into a food processor and combine until they form a sauce. Salt and pepper to your liking.

vi. From here, pour the sauce into a small saucepan and add your preferred seasonings and spices (our marinara is a secret) then bring to a boil, turn heat to low, cover and let simmer until you are ready to pour over polenta.

vii. Take polenta out of refrigerator, then place potato and zucchini in the same baking pan in which you cooked the tomato and onion, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place both the veggies and polenta in 375 degree oven and cook for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft in the middle but still hold their texture and polenta is thoroughly heated.

viii. Cut polenta into squares, then top with veggies and marinara and serve.

makes 6 servings

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Dark Chocolate Chip Blondies

This is the first time we have cooked blondies together, and we are glad we did. Blondies are sort of like cookies in brownie form, but they focus more on the brown sugar than on the chocolate, which we love. None of the flavors are overpowering, but instead complement each other perfectly. Lots of brown sugar, with little chunks of dark chocolate and a hint of vanilla. We recommend enjoying these at a drive-in theater with someone you love.

blondie recipe

ingredients:

2 cups of organic light brown sugar

2 cups of organic unbleached all-purpose flour

2 organic non-fertile eggs

1 cup of Earth Balance butter, melted

Seeds from one organic vanilla bean

Pinch of sea salt

1.5 ounces of Noi Siruis dark chocolate, cut into small chunks

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

ii. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs.

iii. Whisk in brown sugar, sea salt, vanilla bean seeds butter.

iv. Add flour and stir until all ingredients are combined.

v. Fold in chocolate. 

vi. Spoon into an 8x8 glass pan (If you use a metal pan, be sure to grease it before pouring batter into it.) and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until fork comes out clean when inserted into blondies. 

vii. Let cool, then serve.

makes nine blondies

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Buttermilk Biscuits

Having spent a lot of time in the South, we have come to appreciate real Southern cooking. The buttermilk biscuit is an essential part of a true Southern breakfast. It's the ultimate comfort food. Here's our version.

biscuit recipe

ingredients:

2 cups of organic unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and rolling

3/4 cup of organic buttermilk from a local dairy farm or ethical company

1 1/2 teaspoons of aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of aluminum-free baking soda

1/2 cup of Earth Balance butter, cut into small chunks

Pinch of sea salt

Biscuit cutter (If you do not own a biscuit cutter, use something round, like a cup)

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

ii. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

iii. Add butter a chunk at a time and combine until mixture becomes grainy.

iv. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk.

v. Stir until mixture forms a dough.

vi. Lightly flour a flat surface and knead the dough, but do not overwork.

vii. Use a rolling pin to roll out dough, then cut your biscuits.

viii. Place biscuits on a baking sheet, then bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they have lightly browned, then serve.

makes eight biscuits

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Spinach and Tofu Enchiladas

We love Mexican food, but it is hard to always find good, authentic-tasting Mexican food. These enchiladas are the best we've ever had. We know we say that with a lot of our recipes, but what's the point of cooking if you don't love your own food? And what's the point in always going to get your favorite kinds of food if you already know how to make them? So skip going to the Mexican restaurant down the road, because we promise that you will have a much better time with these. Oh, and you will also need to have a food processor handy.

enchilada sauce recipe


ingredients:

2 large organic heirloom tomatoes (or 3 medium ones), diced
1 medium organic yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of organic garlic
3 dried chiles de arbol, with seeds removed
2 teaspoons of organic ground cumin
1/4 cup of organic Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons of organic chile ancho powder (You can increase the amount of powder for spicier sauce or decrease it for less spicy sauce)
Sea salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

recipe:

i. In a medium frying pan, dry cook the onion, garlic, chiles de arbol, cumin, oregano and chile ancho powder.
ii. When the mixture becomes aromatic, remove from heat and place into a food processor.
iii. Add tomatoes, sea salt and pepper to food processor and combine until ingredients form a liquid.
iv. Transfer to a medium saucepan on high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then put on low heat and let simmer for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.
v. Strain the sauce to remove excess liquid. (If you do not do this, sauce will become watery while in the oven.)

enchilada recipe


ingredients:

10 large organic corn tortillas
14 ounces of organic extra firm tofu, dried and cubed
5 cups of organic spinach
8 ounces of Queso Fresco (cheese)
Sea salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of organic extra virgin olive oil

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
ii. In a medium frying, heat 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat, then add tofu and cook on high heat.
iii. Salt and pepper tofu to your liking and cook until tofu is brown and crisp, then remove from heat.
iv. In a medium frying pan, heat 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat, then add spinach.
v. Cook spinach until it wilts, then remove from heat.
vi. Steam the tortillas so that they are flexible enough not to tear when being rolled.
vii. Fill each tortilla with spinach and tofu, then roll tortillas and place them in a large baking pan.
viii. Top with enchilada sauce and Queso Fresco crumbles, then place in oven and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes, or until cheese is browned, then serve.

makes ten enchiladas


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Honey Oat Squares

When we woke up this morning, the plan was to make oatmeal, but then we decided to experiment with ingredients. This is the result. Delicious Honey Oat Squares with sweet vanilla and crunchy coconut. Healthy, filling and easy to make, these little squares are perfect anytime. We suggest pairing them with your favorite tea.

honey oat squares recipe

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups of organic whole grain oats

1 1/2 tablespoons of organic honey

1/2 cup of organic whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons of organic unsweetened coconut flakes

Seeds from one organic vanilla bean

1-2 teaspoons of water

Pinch of organic sea salt

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

ii. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except honey and water.

iii. Add honey and 1 teaspoon of water and stir until ingredients hold together. If they do not hold together, add more water until they do.

iv. Spoon mixture into a small baking pan and bake for 10-12 minutes.

v. Let cool, then cut into squares and serve.

makes nine to twelve squares

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Dijon Seitan Salad

We try to make a different salad every week. This has been our favorite so far, along with the Gala Gorgonzola salad. The seitan has a good meaty flavor, which goes well with the Dijon dressing. Whether you're a vegetarian or carnivore, this salad will satisfy your meat cravings. It's great on it's own or as a side. Plus it's simple, fast and healthy, and you'll probably want more.

dressing recipe


ingredients:

1 tablespoon of organic Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of organic honey
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of organic extra virgin olive oil (Use less if you want the dressing to taste more mustard-y.)
Sea salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

recipe:

i. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.

salad recipe


ingredients:

4 cups of organic mixed greens
8 ounces of seitan (You can make it yourself or buy it at the store. Either way, it is very tasty.)
Pepper, to taste

recipe:

i. Turn medium frying pan on medium heat.
ii. Cut seitan into strips and add it to the pan. You do not need oil.
iii. Pepper the seitan to your taste.
iv. Toss the mixed greens and dressing together, then plate.
v. Once the seitan is browned on both sides, arrange it on each salad, then serve.

serves two-four


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