Whole Wheat Carrot Crackers

The mr has a thing for crackers, like if I were to name his top five foods, crackers would probably be in the top three. So I try to be a nice girly friend and make him some crackers ever now and then. (He says my crackers are the best) I usually make plain or dill pickle ones for him , but last time I asked if there was any other kind he wanted me to make. He named off a bunch of weird shit but also few good ideas and one was carrot. Sounds about right.

A couple of days ago I was feeling like the mr needed some crackers. I figured it was a good time as any to try out carrot crackers because Easter,bunnies, carrots.. You can see where I am going with this right?  Plus I have like 20 pounds of carrots in the fridge so yeah.

Full disclosure. The mr, he really like the crackers so that's good and what counts.  Alex, my 12 year old nephew said they tasted like cat food. But he knows nothing.

The stuff. White whole wheat flour, carrots, salt, olive oil , and water.

Chop up carrots and place into a pot with water. Onto a medium heat to steam away and get all tender.

Once cooked the carrots get blended.

The carrot puree along with the oil get mixed into the flour and salt. The mixture then gets lightly kneaded into a uniform ball and .Let to rest in the bowl for about 5 minutes.

Roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick.

Cutting the shape is a personal choice. I went with triangle because they kind of look like carrots?.. But any shape will do. After you cut them up, take a fork and pierce each cracker a few times to avoid air pockets while they are cooking.

Onto a baking sheet. No need to leave as much space as I did, they don't expand any.  Once you sheet is full, give those crackers a nice sprinkle of salt and get them into the hot oven and cook to cook. 15-18 minutes should do the trick.

And then you pull them from the oven and let them cool.

Now you got yourself some cracker.

-C

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Whole Wheat Carrot Crackers

• 1 cup chopped carrot (about 1 1/2 carrots)
• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons salt plus more for sprinkling

Place chopped carrots and water into a pot with a lid and place on a medium heat. Cook until the carrots are tender. When they are, puree them with the blender of your choice. You should end up with a cup of puree but if you end up with a little less, add water to make a cup. Too much and you can just eat the extra.  Add the oil to the puree and mix

In a medium bowl mix flour with the salt. Add in the wet and mix until a dough forms. Dump onto counter and knead into a uniform ball. Place dough back into bowl to rest for a few minutes.

Preheat oven to 350

Place dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick then cut into whatever shape you want to eat your crackers in. Take a fork and stab a few holes into each cracker if you want to avoid air pockets (the mr likes the air pockets)  then sprinkle the crackers with salt. Place on a baking sheet. You don't want them touching but can be packed closely.. Into the oven for 15-18 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown and have a slight crisp when broken. Remove and let cool..

Now Eat. With peanut butter, jelly, cheese or chocolate. This crackers are good for anything you eat with crackers.

Left over crackers can be stored in a airtight bag or container and will last for a week or so. If they start to get a little stale, just pop them back into the oven for a few minutes.

Spinach Asparagus Springtime Salad

As I was sitting at the table making this simple little ode to spring salad, it started to snow outside. "Look away", I told myself. "Pretend you didn't see it." Well, I saw it then, saw it before bed, and when I woke up this morning , there was (and still is)  a few inches of fresh white covering up my hopes of a warm spring day. I have to admit that it is really very pretty, but what the hell.

This salad is all spring. Fresh spinach from the farm, asparagus in abundance every store I go to. Simple, crisp, refreshing. A nice change from a winter heavy with roasted roots and thick stews. I don't know about you, but this is the time of year that all I want to eat are fist fulls of fresh green stuff. (I could insert a picture here of me sitting on the couch munching away from a bag of baby kale, but I won't. You don't need to see that)

Now if it would just stop snowing and be spring for real, that would be great.

The stuff. Fresh spinach. tender asparagus, a lemon, and salt and pepper..

Snap off the woody ends of the asparagus then dice up the rest.

Toss the chopped up asparagus in a bowl with spinach. Squeeze the juice of the lemon all up in that and sprinkle with salt and pepper. That is it.

Fresh, green, springtime goodness in a bowl.

-C

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Spinach Asparagus Springtime Salad

• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
• 10 ish spears of fresh asparagus
• 1 lemon
• salt and pepper

Wash and dry spinach ans place in bowl. Snap off woody end of asparagus (I save this bits for soup) and chop up the rest into mouth sized pieces. Toss the chopped asparagus into bowl with spinach. Squeeze on the juice of the lemon and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Eat.

Slow Cooked Caraway Cabbage and Onions

 Cabbage is probably the number one eaten food in my house. It is not uncommon for us to go through a very large head a day. And I get that it may seem odd to you, but it's true. We are cabbage people, so much so that we will probably turn into cabbage patch people. I can see it now.

One of the reasons that we eat so much cabbage is that it is so versatile.. Raw, steamed, roasted, the possibilities are a plenty, not to mention that cabbage is pretty dang cheap. And not to far around the corner it is St Patrick's day when cabbage is basically given out for free. During this time I stock up, buy 100 lbs and ferment, roast, and peel my way through all of it. Is it sick that I am kind of excited about that ? (there are worse things to be excited about)

This cabbage dish is one of those dishes that can be eaten on it's own, as a side, or as a condiment. Topped on a salad, stuffed into a sandwich, or shoveled into the mouth. You really can't go wrong eating it anyway.

The stuff. Cabbage, onions, caraway seeds, salt and pepper, and some apple cider vinegar. (I accidentally grabbed the oil)

Shred up the cabbage and onions. Thin is good, but some bigger pieces are good too.

Into a big pot sprinkled with caraway, salt and pepper. A splash of water helps to get things started. Stickon a low heat topped with a lid.  And just let it be for a while butgive it a stir ever 10-15 minutes or so.

About an hour it's all cooked down and sweet and tasty as can be. A splash of vinegar finishes it off.

This batch was destined for the mr's open faced cheese sandwich. I thought I made enough to pack some for lunch, but
I ended up just eating the left overs for a snack. I don't know why I didn't make more.  Next batch I'll make it a double.

Happy day to you.

-C

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Slow Cooked Caraway Cabbage and Onions

makes about 2 cups

• 1 small or 1/2 a large head of cabbage
• 2 yellow onions
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• olive oil for pot
• salt and pepper

Thinly shred the cabbage and thinly slice the onions. Dump the now shredded cabbage and onion into a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot that has a tiny drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with caraways seeds and about a teaspoon salt, a good splash or water then mix around. Place pot on a low heat and cover. Let cook down for about 45 minutes to an hour , stirringever 10 minutes or so, until the mixture has shrunk to about 1/3 it's original size and is soft and tender. When just about done, mix in a tablespoon of the vinegar . Taste and season with more vinegar, salt and pepper if you like.

Eat as is or is or on salads, sandwiches or wraps.

Lime Broccoli Cabbage and Black Bean Salad

A few weeks ago the mr and I were standing at the check out line at the grocery store when up behind us comes Shannon (sister of mine) which was really weird because I was just saying how I felt like I was going to see her there. (Sister ESP) Of course we just started talking and stopped paying attention. (handed over the bags and wallets to the mr) She was telling me about the party she was going to and the salad she was really excited to go home and make for that party. (like as excited I as I get when I talk about salad, but maybe she was more excited about the party, hard to tell)  The lady cashier rang us through while the mr was kind enough to bag and pay, then rang Shannon through, which the mr was also kind enough to bag and pay(using her card). We chatted a bit more, walked our separate ways and moseyed on home. When we got there, I started putting our groceries away and there it was, a bag of Shannon's groceries, the stuff for the salad she was going to make for her party. Oops. So the mr called her up and told her, was willing to drive all the way back to her house right then and there in the snow to bring it to her no problem, but she just laughed and said no. She would just make something else. All she wanted was for us to eat it, or better yet, make the salad she was going to make and then eat it.  And that is what I did, or at least I think I did. I used the cabbage, limes, and broccoli that she bought, some black beans I had,  chopped and tossed and ate. Not sure if it is exactly what she as describing, but it's good.

Thanks Shannon for the bag of groceries, sorry we stole it. I owe you a salad.

The stuff. Some red cabbage, a broccoli crown, black beans (rinsed ans drained) a lime, and salt.

Cabbage gets shredded and broccoli gets chopped into small little pieces.

Chopped veggies, beans, lime juice and salt go into a big bowl.

Tossed. Now it may look done, but what this salad really needs is time to let the lime juice do it's work. Let the salad sit for at least 30 minutes, but heck, if you make this a few hours, if not even a day ahead, well it's only going to taste that much better.

And after the wait, eat it.

This salad makes for a great light Lunch or a pre-dinner (the small meal you eat before dinner, that's a thing right?)

Enjoy your weekend.

-C

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Lime Broccoli Cabbage and Black Bean Salad

serves 4-6

• 2 cups cooked or 1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
• Half of a small head of red cabbage
• 1 large broccoli crown
• 1 or 2 juicy limes
• a good pinch of salt

Finely shred the cabbage and small chop the broccoli. (stem and all) Dump the veggies into a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Mix in the drained black beans and toss with the juice of the lime. Let sit for at least 30 minutes. This salad taste good just made but only gets better with time, like if you can make it a few hours, if not a day ahead, go for it. When you are ready to eat. well eat it.  Add more salt if needed, more lime juice if you want, maybe a pinch or two of pepper.

Apple Cinnamon Red Lentil Porridge

I know that sometime some of the foods that I eat might seem a little strange to people. But think about it. Isn't there something that you eat that other people think is kinda weird or that you know might be a little on the strange side and yet you love it. 

So apple lentils. I know some people think it's weird, but trust me, it's not, it's actually pretty freaking magical. Lentils, especially red lentils, have a mild, nutty flavor that make them perfect to use in any type of dish, sweet or savory. And so nutritional value, with protein up the wazoo, these little guys are mega fantastic and yeah. SO don't knock it till you try it.

Now first off, YAY for apple season!!! Aren't we just so happy for fresh delicious apples? I am, so much so that I have made up a super cool apple jig where my head bobs up and down and my legs shift and convulse all over the place. ( could be mistaken for a seizure) It's a sight to see for sure.  And a second YAY for warm food again. The past week or two I have been waking up to temps in the 50's giving the world just enough chill for a cozy morning sweater, a throw blanket and a nice hot bowl of breakfast porridge. (It also taste fantastic made ahead then eaten cold if the world decides to get warm again) My morning have been great, all cuddled on the couch with a book. my coffee, ad a bowl of apple lentil porridge. Best way to start the day.

The stuff. An apple, some red lentils, water, and some cinnamon. You can also add some maple or brown sugar to the mix if you want more sweetness.

Firstly, water ans lentils go into a pot and placed on the stove until the the water is boiling.

While that is happening, chop up you apple.  Big pieces, little pieces, or both. I like both because the smaller pieces kinda of dissolve in the lentils and the bigger chunks will keep shape.

So once your lentils have started to boil, dump inmost (save a little bit to toss on after the lentils are cooked)  of the chopped up apple and a good pinch or two of cinnamon. Mix it all around and place back on heat on low so simmer and cook.

Soft and all cooked to perfection. Gorgeous.

Dump the porridge into a bowl, add on the left over chunks of apples and give it another good sprinkle of cinnamon.

Breakfast of champions right here.

And because it's what I eat every day...I am a champion.

You can be one too! (just eat some lentils)

-C

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Apple Cinnamon Red Lentil Porridge

Makes one serving but can easily be double

• 1/2 cup dried red lentils
• 1 cup water
• an apple ( mac, honey crisp, paula red are good varieties)
• 1 teaspoon or so of cinnamon

Optional... Add a little sweetener like maple or brown sugar if you want

Stick water and lentils go into a pot and bring to a boil. Chop apple into pieces, some big, some small or all the same size. Once the lentils are boiling, dump in most of the chopped apple (save about 1/4 of it for later) into the pot and sprinkle with cinnamon. Stir around, reduce heat to a low and cook until the lentils are soft (about 10 minutes) Once they are cooked, taste and decide if you need sweetener. If you do, add a teaspoon or two of whatever in now and mix around then,transfer the lentil goodness into a bowl, toss on remaining apple chunks, sprinkle with cinnamon, and go to town.

Spoon to mouth. Happiness.