Uncle Jerry’s granola

My uncle Jerry, AKA Gerald F. Brommer,  is a well-known watercolor artist whose sense of artistry also shines in his granola recipe which I’ve been enjoying for years.  It’s simple and delicious and I know he wouldn’t mind if I passed it on to you, too.  It also makes great Christmas gifts.   I have friends and family members who hope each year to find a gift bag of it in their basket or stocking.

Enjoy!!

Jerry’s Granola

7 c. whole oats
1 generous c. each sunflower seeds, cashews, chopped almonds, chopped pecans
1 c. honey
1 stick butter  (1/2 c.)

Bring honey and butter to a boil.  Combine everything else in a large bowl.  Pour honey & butter over the rest and mix well.  Divide into 2 11 X 16 pans.  Bake at 325 until nicely browned.  Watch and stir every 10 minutes or so.  If you want to add raisins or other fruit, add only for a few minutes in the oven or after you take the granola out.

Notes:

• I often use 8 or 9 cups of oats.
• The recipe can be made vegan by using Earth Balance or a similar vegan butter but with no loss of taste.  If you’re a vegan who doesn’t eat honey, you’ll have to figure it out yourself.  🙂

Lasagna with Roasted Cauliflower Ricotta and Spinach

I picked up Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s cookcook, Appetite For Reduction, from the library recently and decided to make the lasagna with roasted cauliflower ricotta and spinach.  I’ve been looking for a good vegan lasagna, but what I got was simply a delicious lasagne that happened to be vegan.  Because I didn’t check my ingredients carefully, I didn’t have olives so I couldn’t make it last night, but I made the cauliflower ricotta yesterday and just heated it up before assembling the lasagna tonight.  Give it a try, even if you’re a meat-eater.  It’s tasty in its own right and has a mere 300 calories (only 60 from fat), 8 g. of fiber and 16 g. of protein, plus 35% of vitamin A, 150% of vitamin C, 25% of calcium and 30% of iron, (based on 6 servings/batch.)  Next time I would consider making a double batch, which I don’t think would take that much longer and would give me more leftovers.  I’m going to freeze part of this batch and see how that works. 

They’ll be giving thanks for this food!

If you’re gluten-intolerant, have celiac disease or are vegan or vegetarian, the holidays can be particularly difficult, especially if you’re the only one in your family or group in that category.  This year we’re spending Thanksgiving with friends, one of whom is gluten-intolerant.  Since our usual entree is homemade ravioli (here’s the recipe but the pictures have mysteriously disappeared…https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/cooking-classes-and-ravioli/with walnut sauce) with walnut sauce (also picture-less…https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/after-youve-made-ravioli-make-the-ravioli/), that won’t fly, unless I make gluten-free pasta, which I may do.  So when I saw the Seasonal Fall Flavors cooking class being offered at Mustard Seed Market and Cafe in Solon, Ohio, (http://www.mustardseedmarket.com/index.html), I signed up right away, figuring I might find some great-tasting recipes with which to impress everyone.

The Healing Power of Friends, Green Beans, and NCIS

Some days I just can’t stand any more.

Summertime and the eatin’ is easy

It’s difficult to want to do much cooking in summer, sometimes because it’s too hot and sometimes simply because everything is so luscious on its own.  But whether you decide to cook or not cook, mealtimes are good times during the summer.

Food for the heat (and a bonus scone recipe)

It’s a rainy evening (thankfully) and my fancy turns to food.  But in the heat, not too much sounds good.  Don’t despair! There are plenty of healthy and simple choices even when it’s hot…and for tea on a hot afternoon, or for dessert, chocolate cherry whole wheat scones.  Join us!

A little something

Pooh always liked a little something at eleven o’clock in the morning…Winnie the  Pooh, by A.A. Milne.

Day trippin’

My best friend is in town, so we took a day trip into Chicago, had a fabulous vegan lunch at the Chicago Diner (which I completely forgot to save on camera for posterity because I was too busy eating) and went to the Art Institute of Chicago where we saw the Roy Lichtenstein exhibit and a small slice of the rest of the museum before taking the train home.   (Chicago Diner info and pictures here: http://www.veggiediner.com/wp/.)  Excellent day…and we’re even getting some rain, finally.  I’m hoping for an all night soaking, but we’ll see.  Anyway, here are a few highlights from our trip.

Pressure cooker risotto (and, yes, it’s good!)

I love risotto and using the pressure cooker turns it into a fast-food, hands-off, make-it-often joy!

Oatmeal–it’s what’s for breakfast

I previously posted one of my favorite breakfast recipes (Whole Grain Pancake Mix by Julie Hasson, https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2012/04/10/peter-please-its-pancakes/) ) but since there are seven days in week, you need some other breakfast choices, so I thought another favorite might be welcome.