whole food
I love this guide to DC's Farmer's Markets created by Cherry Blossom Creative! It was in today's Creative DC Newsletter and I have to re-share as I will be referencing this often for my own weekly shopping.
While these local markets will never completely satisfy my west-coast taste for produce, they are filled with yummy local produce. (If you are curious, the Alemany Farmer's Market was my favorite market in SF).
Find something fresh and in season!
Ok, I know you are thinking that is impossible. Or, they must taste gross. But in fact, these are super amazing granola bars that you will love. I altered the recipe a bit from the original I found on tree hugger.com. I am not vegan, so I use honey instead of their suggested agave (and I suggest you do too because honey is less processed). This recipe is super flexible -- try out new dried fruits, nuts, or other fun stuff like pumpkin seeds. Preheat oven 325 degrees F
2 cups oats Chia seeds if you have them 1/2 cup slivered almonds (or any nut) 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (or any seed) 1/2 cup currants (or any dried fruit) a quarter of an unsweetened cocoa bar, chopped into small pieces 2 tbsp flax seed (ground or whole--ground is easier to digest but I like eating whole in a bar better) 3/4 cup peanut butter (or almond butter) 1/2 cup honey (or agave, maple syrup, brown rice syrup)
> mix all the dry ingredients together > heat the peanut butter and honey over the stove until it's a bit runny > mix all together- a spoon works, but clean hands are really the best thing for this job!
The mix should be sticking together fairly well on its own in the bowl. If not, add more peanut butter & honey until it does!
> Line a pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil (no oil remember?).
> Spread the mix into the pan and FIRMLY squish the mix in. (The original recipe mentioned something about covering with another layer of parchment paper and placing heavy books on it.. but firmly pressing in it has managed to work for me!)
> Put in the oven for 15-18 minutes -- I would check it because I just almost burnt mine. You want it to be noticeably toasty, but you know, not burnt.
> Let granola bars fully cool (patience is key! you'll have better results if you cut them once fully cooled!).
> Then cut into bars! I've had both success and less success making them into bars and changed ratio of dry to wet ingredients to get this ratio here, so it should work well, but sometimes the ends crumble out. I actually like this because then I have granola I can eat with almond milk. So if you crumble the whole thing, it's fine. You just have more granola.
Have fun!
We've been doing this Whole Foods Challenge with the P Street Whole Foods and it's been really great. While I miss alcohol and coffee, I don't really miss oil or dairy or sugar at all. It's a great way to refocus on where food comes from and which foods provide the nutrients we really need. While it may seem crazy to cook without oil, it's definitely not hard. The program includes cooking classes that instruct on everything from cooking fish with water, stocking a healthy pantry, and how to cook a variety of grains. We made this the other day for lunch. Super easy and filling.
Carrots Black-eye peas (canned) Kale Forbidden rice Chicken breast Tahini Sesame seeds
First, I tossed some kale with tahini sauce and sauteed it in a pan and set it aside. I had already pre-cooked the forbidden rice and chicken, so I heated up the pan medium high and threw in some chopped up carrots until they were cooked. Then I added the black-eyed peas, pre-cooked forbidden rice and chicken, until it was all nice and warm. I put it in a bowl and topped it with a big serving of the roasted kale with tahini. I topped it off with sesame seeds and ta-dah. Lunch.
Our group leader Ebeth from Whole Foods share this recipe. I tried it today and it was super fast and yummy.
Ebeth's Dead Simple Banana-Oat
Ingredients: 2 ½ large VERY ripe bananas 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon (pinch) sea salt 2 cups rolled oats ½ cup slivered almonds
Pick another add in if you'd like, just don't add more than than ½ cup total.
½ cup dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries etc) ½ cup dark chocolate chips ½ cup shredded coconut (I choose coconut!)
Prep: Heat oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Mix: In a medium bowl, using a fork or spoon mash the banana with vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt until thick and pasty. In a food processor, pulse oats and almonds (or whatever nut) together until they resemble a course flour. Add the banana to the oats flour, stir in any add-ins.
Scoop batter by the tablespoon onto the cookie sheet. Press down slightly with a fork. Bake 9-11 minutes or until golden. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Thanks Ebeth for the great recipe!
What combinations have you tried?
